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Optimo Music is thrilled to release the new album from Jacob Yates. Not only is he one of our all-time favourite artists from Glasgow, but he is one of our favourite artists from anywhere. Criminally unknown except to a few who have been long transfixed by his recordings and performances, we hope this release will open a few more ears to his wondrous musical world.

“The Hare, The Moon, The Drone” is the third album from Jacob Yates. This recording finds the band exploring dark hawthorn hedged lanes, moors and suburban, new build estates. There's something more earthy about the songs but the menace and darkness remains. Musically there is a big shift on this album, a field recording of a folk band from a dark, pine filled glen. The opener, The Car sets the scene for the rural side of the album, dank and stone cold. The tracks then shift through the woods, people turn into animals, we pass a sunlit glade, do you hear a love song? Cassie Ezeji closes the side sweetly lamenting in Gaelic as the snow falls.

Side two is a more urban affair opening with despair in a bedroom in Belgium, we visit a faith healer and drop in on your lonely mother. Lovatt recounts the story of a karaoke addicted murderer before we finally go home to our new build just outside of town where the pylons tower over Michael and his sister Rachel. It's a journey you can go on, looking out of the window of the bus, glimpses of lives glide by, cards on seats promise to help you. Ding! It's time to get off.

In 2022 James Righton is reinventing himself, via the stunning synth sounds of 'Jim, I’m Still Here' [DEEWEE062], the new album made in collaboration with David & Stephen Dewaele (Soulwax) was released on July 8. The 12-track album features the 2021 released single 'Release Party' and a guest feature from ABBA’s Benny Andersson. On this third post-Klaxons release Righton downs his family man tools to embody a lavish, rockstar alter ego; Jim…..

The vinyl is housed in a UV Gloss Sleeve with a printed inner.

Creative direction by Ill-Studio. Photography by Julian Klincewicz


Track list:

A1 Livestream Superstar
A2 Pause
A3 Touch
A4 Release Party
A5 Real World Park
A6 Never Give Up On The City

B1 A Day At The Races
B2 I Want To Live
B3 Lover Boy
B4 Empty Rooms ft. Benny Andersson
B5 Playing To Win
B6 Farewell Superstar

SIDE A: THE PERFORMER / EDIE / SEE THE MONSTER / DEVIL IS LOOSE

SIDE B: LESSONS IN DREAMLAND PT 1 / START / ARE YOU WITH ME? / HEAVY HEART / LESSONS IN DREAMLAND PT 2

James Righton's ‘The Performer’ LP, stands in stark contrast to the electro-hedonism of Righton’s work with Klaxons. Instead, it spins through various points from 1970 onwards. It touches on the suave art-lounge of Roxy Music, the jangly grooves of R.E.M., the sumptuous psychedelia of latter day Beach Boys, and the songwriting gift of Nick Lowe.

Produced, arranged, written and all vocals by James Righton. Mixed at DEEWEE.
Art Direction : Ill-Studio. Photography : Raffaele Cariou

The DFA debut from longtime family member Jayson Green also marks the return of the classic DFA twelve-inch. Maybe it actually stands for Dying Formats Always?

Jay’s sung in a lot of bands. Like, a lot. Panthers, Violent Bullshit, Cheeseburger, and the legendary hardcore band Orchid. There are probably more. He’s always been smart and hilarious, never quite cynical though always quick to point out the absurd.

Now in a bandleader role, he’s delivered us a classic a-side in “Local Jerk,” which sounds like a party because it was actually recorded during one: tight disco drums, big claps, a neck-rolling baseline, horns, and group vocals. You can literally hear the bottles clinking.

The head trip is the b-side, “I Need Love,” which is a most terrifying, ridiculous piece of nightlife satire.

CREDITS

Heat transfer print on Pepper Comfort Colors 1717 blanks.

Written and recorded in the depths of the early pandemic, JJULIUS’ first solo album, Vol. 1, is a heavily lidded, subsuming journey into the dark heart DIY and kosmische sounds. There are traditional “songs” here, sure - catchy basslines, little dollops of guitar melody, and words, albeit sung in Swedish - but it’s really more of a complete experience than a collection of tracks, a world you don’t really want to leave even if you have no idea what’s really going on.

JJULIUS is Julius Pierstorff, a Götebörg-based musician and producer who has kicked around that city’s incredibly vibrant DIY scene in a variety of projects. He is half of Monokultur with his partner Elin, who also records on her own as Loopsel. Newly signed to DFA, the pair have new records on the way along with this repress of the long-since-sold-out Vol. 1.

Needle drop and a floaty, child-like piano sucks you into the post-punk papier-mâché world of JJULIUS, where everyone speaks Swedish, listens to Young Marble Giants and eats nothing but Twizzlers.

Vol. 2 is, perhaps obviously, a continuation of the world-building JJULIUS did on Vol. 1, which is a little more raw, a little wilder in spirit and sold out at both source and every record store that managed to get its hand on a copy. It will also re-arrive this summer on DFA this summer alongside its successor. (Order here.)

JJULIUS is Gotebörg’s Julius Pierstorff, who, with his partner Elin Engström aka Loopsel, also records as Monokultur and runs the tiny label Mamma’s Mysterious Jukebox.

The music they make both together and separately is entirely their own, with its own rules of what instruments come and go; when a song begins and ends or swells like a marshmallow. And yet! It’s also referencing all the records we love and know - Young Marble Giants, Postcard Records, early Cabaret Voltaire, and even contemporary local peers like Mathaverskan.

Buy the ticket, take the trip.

Both Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 LPs, together as one (bundled package).

Optimo Music presents “Janara” the new 8 track album from Italy’s José Manuel. We always have our ears open for music that is unique, powerful and that can conjure up a ritualistic atmosphere, and this meistrerwerk does all that, and then some. We knew we had to release it after the first listen.

We'll let José tell you about it....

This album is a result of the necessity of exploring and opening my mind to new musical horizons, by testing the main traditional instrument of the Italian region Campania, whose name is “Tammorra”. It is a big drum, which must not be confused with the typical tambourine, made from a wrap of wood shaped in a circle and covered with dried skin (almost always goatskin or sheepskin). This instrument was used during playful events, especially during rituals and ceremonies, such as the frequent devotional pilgrimages in honour of the Virgin Mary. By using this instrument, the sound, the rite and the magic could take possession of the mind and the body creating a perfect union. Also, the dancers, as if they were bitten by a tarantula and possessed by a strange evil, launched themselves to an uncontrolled dance by moving every part of their body.

In addition to the Tammorra, I also inserted some texts, which have been written by some Neapolitan friends and interpreted with Neapolitans voices, in honour of the “JANARA”. The Janara represents a popular belief of the Southern Italian regions, particularly of the Benevento area. The Janara is one of the many types of witches represented by folktales belonging to the rural tradition.

The Janara was expert in medical herbs, which were also be used for her magical practices, such as the manufacturing of ointment. The ointment gave her the power to become incorporeal with the same nature as the wind. According to the tradition, in order to snatch the Janara it was necessary to grab her by the hair. It was also said that if anyone was able to capture the Janara during her incorporeal moment then Janara herself would offer protection to them and their family for seven generations, in exchange for her freedom.

With this work I hope that the listener might get carried away by the spirit of this pagan and popular legend that can be still be considered as current. As a matter of fact, the folk tales speak of a probable comeback of the Janara, who after being burned at the stake seems to be thirsting for revenge for the evil suffered.

Glasgow's Junto Club return with their second EP. In their own words...

This is the second in our planned trilogy of Junto Club EPs. If the first was the birth of the Junto Club, this is the middle-aged existential crisis.

We've followed the same ethos as the first EP, allowing the music to develop organically rather than being restricted by considerations of genre. Naturally, this was shaped by our experiences of the first EP.

While the first EP developed through our experimentation with new sounds behind closed doors, this EP was the result of our attempts to retrospectively understand those creations and the interpretations of others. These reflections were mixed with our reimagining of those discoveries and our experiences of their live performance.

Warm Me Up is not the same as the Junto Club EP because those virgin sessions can never be recreated. Nor should they be. This is the middle aged existential crisis of the Junto Club. And we hope you enjoy dancing to it.

Klanken by name Klanken by nature.

‘Vier’ is motorik. Engine sound over rumbling bass.

‘Vijf’ kicks. LFO gone Benelux.

Metallic machine sound for dancefloors and heads.

Recorded, produced and mixed at DEEWEE

Art direction by Ill-Studio

Side A: The Other Me / Pink Tones

Side B: The Other Me (DEEWEEDUB)

Laila Sakini was raised in the forest areas of outer Melbourne, Australia, later moving to the inner-city, and then to London.

After years of involvement in dance music culture and DJing, she turned inward, exploring club sounds via personal melodic-based electronic music.

Written between Melbourne and London, polished at DEEWEE.

Disc One: Tonal
A1 Power
A2 Home
A3 Anxiety
A4 Future
A5 Life & Dreams
B1 Disco Pregnancy
B2 Pairs
B3 Primal
B4 Before America
B5 Poem Song For Iggor

Disc Two: Rhythmical
C1 Power
C2 Home
C3 Anxiety
C4 Future
C5 Life & Dreams
D1 Disco Pregnancy
D2 Pairs
D3 Primal
D4 Before America
D5 Poem Song For Iggor

Laima 'Home' is OUT NOW via DEEWEE and The Vinyl Factory, pressed on a limited edition double LP. Featuring beats from Iggor Cavalera and production from the Dewaele brothers.

There are two key elements that make ‘Home’ such a distinctive project. Thematically it explores how the two core contrasts that inform Laima’s life can coexist. On one hand it’s about domesticity – her love for her family and her frustration with domestic routine. Yet on the other, it’s about her creativity – her desire to express herself artistically while still tending to her role as a mother and a housewife.

“It's almost like a family photo album in another format,” says Laima. “I needed to find the balance in this dichotomy, to feel good with myself in both roles, and be aware of things that really mattered to me. To be a woman, a mum and a female producer: all of these feelings were in the music.”

Sonically, ‘Home’ is also a striking proposition. It’s a package which features two records that are designed to be played simultaneously: Laima’s vocal and synth tracks on the ‘TONAL’ disc alongside Iggor’s beats on the ‘RHYTHMICAL’ record. Syncing two records offers an unconventional way to experience the music. Rather than passively hearing the music, the listener’s need to ritualistically sync both records makes for an immersive experience.

Written & Produced by Laima Leyton, David & Stephen Dewaele.
All Vocals by Laima Leyton.
Drums by Iggor Cavalera.
Recorded, Produced and Mixed at DEEWEE.
Art Direction : Ill-Studio.
Photography by Justinas Vilutis.

DFA Records is pleased to announce I Need New Eyes, the new album from Larry Gus. 2013’s Years Not Living was a masterpiece of composition, pushing sampling to its limits within a conceptual framework provided by Life A User’s Manual, George Perec’s postmodern fiction masterpiece. 

I Need New Eyes treads familiar sonic ground to Larry Gus’ previous works - but his beatmaker percussion, shill falsetto vocals, and found sounds form a gestalt more concise and clear than ever. The references to literature continue -  the title is based on a supposed quote by Proust, “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” This record was completed amidst two life-changing events - the birth of his first child, and his participation in Red Bull Music Academy in Tokyo. (Fellow attendee NV contributes backing vocals on Belong To Love.) He explains, “When you have kids, you realize that all of the infinite branches that you were wishing to explore are starting to being cut violently with a axe (held by the baby), and all infinite choices in your life (and lifestyle) start to shrink and diminish slowly. I decided on the title the moment I got back from Tokyo, upon realising that I could never be able to live there, now that I have a baby”. 

His lyrics are brought to the forefront here - covering a wide variety of anxieties, personal and professional. “Don’t forget, the success of everyone else always includes failed attempts / but why can’t I figure it out for myself” he howls over swirling drum fills on NP-Complete, “No more polite comments / at least not from my friends” he croons in A Set Of Replies. This feeds into an alternate meaning for the title - “I need new, less jealous eyes” because envy and jealousy and bitterness are also things that recur a lot in my lyrics, always related to other musicians and things that they achieve.” 

In spite of the of the heavy conceptual themes, there is a true jubilance to the sonics of the record. Twinkling synths and orchestral stabs mingle with handclaps and a thundering kick drum on All Graphs Explored, while funk guitars and endless layers of percussion and brass build around Larry’s bilingual vocals, climaxing in a double-timed drum solo. This is a record for fans of Caribou, Can, Panda Bear, and self-reflection.

I Need New Eyes is released by DFA Records and [PIAS] Cooperative on October 2, 2015.

Tracklist

1 - Black Veil Of Fail
2 - NP Complete
3 - A Set Of Replies
4 - Taking The Personal Away
5 - Belong To Love
6 - All Graphs Explored
7 - The Sun Describes
8 - Nazgonya (Paper Spike)

Two A-sides, “Kerkis (Judas-Tree)” and “Foreign Steps,” from the same recording sessions as Subservient. The lyrics to “Kerkis (Judas-Tree)” were written by Efthimis Filippou, an award-winning screenwriter known for his work with director Yorgos Lanthimos on films like Dogtooth, The Lobster, and The Killing of a Sacred Deer. The 7-inch precedes an upcoming audio play, written by Efthimis and scored by Larry, to be produced with the Onassis Stegi (AKA Cultural Center) sometime next year. The audio play will be released on DFA in 2020. 

Tracklist

A - Kerkis (Judas-Tree)
B - Foreign Steps

Larry Gus releases another single from his DFA debut LP “Years Not Living”. This time it is the album’s  lead-off track, entitled “With All Your Eyes Look”. 

There are 3 remixes as well as a gorgeous  If approaching the song from it’s literary roots and inspiration (Georges Perec’s “Life: A User’s Manual”) is all too much, the post modern take on straight up driving urgent & dramatic psychedelic rock music should be just sufficient. The song is a perfect summation of all the talents that make Larry Gus such a unique talent. The mathematical layering of musical elements both grandiose and minuscule combine to make one of the most engaging singles of the summer.

The single has been remixed by three quite diverse artists and producers: Cut Hands (William Bennett of White House fame), Black Deer (aka Willie Burns) & Tuff Sherm (aka Dro Carey). All tracks lean on the percussive and manic syncopations of the original track but spin it out into very unique and surprising directions.

Tracklisting:

1. With All Your Eyes Look
2. With All Your Eyes Look (Tuff Sherm Remix)
3. With All Your Eyes Look (Black Deer Remix)
4. With All Your Eyes Look (Cut Hands Remix)

Inspired by the rural environment of his hometown of Veria, Greece, multi-instrumentalist / singer / producer Panagiotis Melidis started writing music as Larry Gus (from the Greek larigas, or larynx) in 2006, soon after the early demise of his previous band Ginger (a bass and drums duo with a sound similar to the early-’00s Providence scene, paired with hip hop overtones).

Melidis initially composed production music, and later on earned a reputation for intense and chaotic live performances. He retained Ginger’s primitive aesthetics of groove based music, along with an obsession for late-’60s / early-’70s free jazz, and combined them with sample-based techniques and crystal-clear psychedelic pop melodies, all merged into infinitely dense layers and polyrhythms.

Stitches, his first proper full-length, was released in 2009 for Greek hip hop label Cast-A-Blast, and Melidis began a yearlong residency at the Music Technology Group in Barcelona as an intern and postgraduate student. He then returned back to Veria to work on his next project, Years Not Living, an album inspired by Georges Perec’s 1978 book Life: A Users Manual and Lucio Battisti’s 1974 album Anima Latina. The sessions yielded a staggering 85 songs, and the entire process, set amidst Greece’s financial crisis, was documented and will be part of the feature film My Friend Larry Gus (directed by Vasilis Katsoupis), to be released in 2013.

Pared down to ten tracks, Years Not Living incorporates a wealth of diverse styles, ranging from ’60s / ’70s psychedelia and pop to hip hop and more.

Tracklisting:

1. With All Your Eyes Look
2. The Night Patrols (A Man Asleep)
3. Taxonomies
4. The Sun Plagues
5. The Eternal and the Ephemeral
6. Merely Today
7. Pericles
8. In Violet Ink (Misprints)
9. The Percival Seascapes
10. Paths Laid Down

The only posters made for this run!

This poster is 16" x 24," a 5-color print on French paper done by Kayrock here in Brooklyn.

Ships in a 3" diameter tube.

 

Printed on royal Champion Powerblend® S600 blanks.

Leftovers from this year's run. All dates from this run listed on the back.

Printed on Comfort Colors 1717 Ivory blanks.

LCD Soundsystem - 45:33 - 2xLP

Originally released in 2006.

This album was commissioned by Nike to listen to on an iPod while exercising.

"Complex, fun, and meticulously put together, 45:33 sounds even better pumping from a home stereo than it does through an iPod while jogging". - All Music

Original Pitchfork Review, 2006

Wikipedia Entry

 Tracklist

A - 45:33

B - 45:33

C - 45:33

D - 45:33

 

The latest LCD album, available in double LP, compact disc, or limited edition cassette.

**

2xLP

• 140 gram double LP
• Full color gatefold jacket / inner sleeves

Cassette

• full color 5 panel inner card
• clear cassette shell
• custom silk screened cassette shells & cases

CD

• Fold-over heavy card stock envelope.
• 16 page booklet with lyrics and photos

Hand numbered and screened in Brooklyn by our friends at Kayrock on thick French stock.

24" x 24"

 

A cover of the almighty Alan Vega tune recorded during the This Is Happening sessions, original released in 2009, never repressed for whatever reason (life?), and played live exactly five times:

• 1x at MSG in 2011
• 1x at the Panorama Festival in NYC in 2016 (right after Alan died)
• 3x at the Brooklyn Steel 2022 residency

Figured since it's back in the rotation, it was worth a repress.

Four color print on a reverse board sleeve.

Poly-lined inner.

Cut by Bob Weston at 45RPM. Pressed at IRP in Bordentown, NJ.

 

Single-sided 7" originally released in 2015, repressed in 2020, now rerepressed in 2021.

The speed on the label is correct this time!

Mastering and lacquer cut by Chocolate Bob Weston at Chicago Mastering Service and pressed at Brooklynphono.

This iconic vinyl EP from LCD Soundsystem has not been back in print and for sale since 2012. Originally released in 2007, the EP contains 2 non-LP tracks, including the 12 1/2 minute slo-mo disco workout Freak Out / Starry Eyes, and the instrumental burner "Hippie Priest Bum Out” (made popular on Fabric Live 36: Murphy and Mahoney). There is also a devilishly acidic rework of North American Scum by James Murphy himself. Beautiful cover art design by Mike Vadino. 

Tracklist: 
A) Freakout / Starry Eyes (12:21)
B1) North American Scum (Onastic Dub) (8:57)
B2) Hippie Priest Bum-Out (4:28)

Recorded at the famed Electric Lady Studios in NYC’s Greenwich Village – Electric Lady Sessions is a double album live collection featuring classic LCD Soundsystem songs, three covers, and newer material from the band’s # 1 album from 2018, American Dream. 

This is a heavyweight, 180 gram gatefold 2xLP.  

TRACK LISTING
1. Seconds 
2. american dream 
3. you wanted a hit 
4. get innocuous 
5. call the police 
6. i used to 
7. tonite 
8. home 
9. I Want Your Love 
10. emotional haircut 
11. oh baby 
12. (We Don’t Need This) Fascist Groove Thang 

You may know these two guitar jams from the bonus disc of their 2005 Self-Titled LP. Super heavy 7" in black and white picture sleeve! 

Tracklisting:

1. Give It Up
2. Tired

Incredible remixes of LCD Soundsystem, from the album American Dream.

This 12" features the song I Used To, remixed by Dixon.

The B Side is a 13 minute tweaked out space disco odyssey, originally appearing as a pre-American Dream bonus track.

a1) i used to (dixon retouch)
b1)  pulse (v.1)

The debut LP from LCD Soundsystem.

1xLP in a reverse board sleeve.

Track Listing:

1. Daft Punk Is Playing At My House
2. Too Much Love
3. Tribulations
4. Movement
5. Never As Tired As When I'm Waking Up
6. On Repeat
7. Thrills
8. Disco Infiltrator
9. Great Release

This is a fake-live album, featuring the live lineup, played live, just not in front of people or anything. Features lots of yr LCD faves like All My Friends, Us V. Them, I Can Change, and Daft Punk Is Playing At My House. 

Tracklist

Us V Them
All I Want
Drunk Girls
Get Innocuous!
Daft Punk Is Playing At My House
All My Friends
Pow Pow
I Can Change
Yr City's A Sucker

"Losing My Edge" backed with "Beat Connection." This is the 2012 remastered version cut super loud by Bob Weston. It doesn't skip anymore!

Originally bundled with the Long Goodbye repress and now available a la carte as we have a few leftovers, this is a signed risograph print of a photo taken by longtime LCD photographer Ruvan Wijesooriya at the Madison Square Garden show in April 2011.

10.5"x 7", comes shipped in a flatpack envelope.

Incredible remixes of LCD Soundsystem, from the album American Dream.

This 12" features 2 versions of Oh Baby, remixed by Lovefingers.

 **THIS IS A VINYL-ONLY RELEASE** Digital files for this 12" are not available from DFA. 

a1) oh baby (lovefingers remix)
b1) oh baby (lovefingers dub)

From the depths of the DFA vault (really just an assortment of poorly organized hard drives of varying vintages), we found this gem, a version of “pow pow” made all squirrely by master squirrels the Idjut Boys.

Why we kept this a secret for 14 years will forever remain a mystery. It’s a distant cousin of the original - vocals gone, drums looped out, squelch and delay coming down like rain. A real chugger.

What better to pair it with, then, than Rub-N-Tug’s remix of “too much love,” long out of print from its original pressing in 2005 and still a complete monster meant for dark rooms and cranked up smoke machines. It lives on wax once again, now with a likeminded buddy.

Both tracks were recut at 45RPM by Bob Weston and pressed with care by the good humans at Third Man Pressing in Detroit, MI. Hand-stamped here at DFA and limited to 1000 pieces.

Produced by James Murphy for DFA Productions.

Back in stock with the original 24"x36" folded poster insert! If you already have the record, you can order the poster on its own here.

Double LP in a gatefold jacket with matte finish and a silver foil stamp on the cover.

Pressed at Citizen Vinyl.

Tracklist:

Side A
01. Get Innocuous!
02. Time to Get Away

Side B
03. North American Scum
04. Someone Great

Side C
05. All My Friends
06. Us v Them

Side D
07. Watch the Tapes
08. Sound of Silver
09. New York, I Love You but You're Bringing Me Down

Of the many arresting moments that fill LCD Soundsystem's This Is Happening, perhaps the most unexpected comes less than halfway through album opener "Dance Yrself Clean." The seemingly unassuming, low-key rumble of a song morphs from its mumbled beginnings into an outsized flash of synth ballast and wailing vocals. The sudden shift is like the flicking on of a light, the perfect example of frontman-songwriter-mastermind James Murphy's effortless balance of restraint and release, organic rock and electro pop, and muted cool and vibrant emotion. This study in contrasts pervades LCD Soundsystem's third, and possibly final, release--an album where Murphy refracts images of heartbreak and longing through the scattered light of a disco ball. 

The cautious observations and honest reveals that follow are literally and figuratively quieter moments than that initial blare. On "All I Want," against a wall of whirling guitar, Murphy recognizes a relationship that can't be saved, and instead asks for "your pity" and "your bitter tears." "Get Along" shuffles over pulsing keys and bubbling percussion as Murphy tries to bridge physical and emotional distance, singing, "You might forget, forget the sound of a voice / Still, you shouldn't forget the things we laughed about." Conversely, the sparsely decorated, sauntering "Somebody's Calling Me" is almost hopeful in comparison: "Somebody's calling me" Murphy half whispers, "to be my girl." 

There are stretches of lyrical levity here, too. "You Wanted a Hit," which sits atop shiny synths, a driving bass-line and layers of handclaps, laments record label demands on what turns out to be one of the album's hookiest tracks. "Pow Pow" veers toward past "talkies" like "Losing My Edge," and features keyboardist Nancy Whang shouting in unison with Murphy. 

With This Is Happening, Murphy has created a work of both nuanced introspection and distanced observation. DFA is proud to offer the vinyl version of this much lauded release, which also includes contributions from drummer Pat Mahoney and sound collagist Gavin Russom.

2019 repress of the revered 2004 single YEAH. This pressing comes in a sturdier heavyweight sleeve, heavier vinyl, same great artwork by Mike Vadino.  

tracklist:
a: yeah (crass version)
aa: yeah (pretentious version) 

Brooklyn Steel leftovers, come and get 'em.

Apologies in advance if your size/color combo is not available!

Finally, the instrumental has been restored.

• Lacquer cut by Bob Weston
• Pressed with love by real humans at Citizen Vinyl in Asheville, NC
• Single LP in a gatefold jacket, printed insert, and 24" x 36" fold out poster

In 2012, LIGHT ASYLUM - part of the larger DFA family tree, featuring the superhuman vocalist Shannon Funchess, who sang on stage with LCD at MSG the year prior, and her then collaborator Bruno Coviello - released their self-titled debut album. It remains widely streaming, but for whatever reason has flown under the radar since those in between days. The notable exception is Discogs, where vinyl copies have been selling for like $200. When revisiting the record a few years ago, wondering as we always did how a track like “A Certain Person” never became a Very Big Song, given that it would make even the coldest, crabbiest heart burst into flames, we were confronted with this imbalance and felt compelled to act.

That LIGHT ASYLUM found a sort of rarefied status makes sense. It’s the kind of record cherished by Those Who Know: perfectly crafted, spiritually commanding synth-pop with a voice that sounds like some kind of goth oracle from beyond. It’s simply too good to remain out of print.

This version was pressed at Citizen Vinyl in Asheville, NC from lacquers cut by Bob Weston at Chicago Mastering Service. The package includes all of the original art - gatefold jacket, printed insert, 24” x 36” fold-out poster - with a slightly tweaked cover: where there were once three different shots of Shannon, now there is only one, definitive version.

 

Like a dream foggily remembered, Loopsel’s Öga for Öga is tempting in its beauty yet slightly menacing in its depth. These songs, like paths in the forest forest, are heavily, almost treacherously, reverberated, with finger-plucked guitars acting as your signposts amongst the flora and fauna of field recordings, pads, and the cool, calm voice of Elin Engström.

The album is the second from Engström as Loopsel. She is a Gothenburg-based musician and one-half of both the group Monokultur and the team behind the tiny Mamma’s Mystersika Jukebox label with her partner JJULIUS.

During what seemed like the nadir of the pandemic, the blurry, otherworldly sounds emanating from their living room snaked into the DFA office, where the otherwise dutifully DIY pair found the scale of worldwide release and distribution.

Öga for Öga is the second release from that partnership (following JJULIUS’ VOL. 2 in 2022).