2018 was the first year I started keeping track of my favorite singles of the year. It’s probably because there were so many good ones, including some that were just released as singles and others that stuck in my head for days. Who made the top 20? Read on and find out.
#20: “Sleepers” by Exploded View – This dreamy psych / synth track is a trippy mix of Velvet Underground and 80’s synthwave. It’s the kind of track that makes you wonder, “Who is this?” as soon as you hear it.
#19: “Nocturnal” by Magic Wands – Easily one of the best synthwave tracks of the year, this lush song is great for make-out sessions and has just enough of a dark edge to keep it dangerous.
#18: “You Are Dinner” by Constant Lovers – Good grief, does this thing have power. It’s a wild rock track with punk guitars and spat lyrics that the lead singer almost screws up but uses the moment to push his vocals even further.
#17: “Wheel of Fortune” by Protomartyr – The video of this shows one of the band members punching himself in the face. That’s apt, because this songs hits you just like that (especially when the chorus kicks in).
#16: “Singularity” by Jon Hopkins – The build of this electronic track is stunning to behold. It almost takes you by surprise like a big wave you didn’t see coming while standing hip-deep in the ocean. It’s over far too soon.
Who made the top 15? Come back tomorrow to find out.
The Beths Release “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” 7-Inch Via Carpark Records Listen Here
February/March North American Tour On Sale Now
[Photo by Mason Fairey]
The Beths’ Future Me Hates Me is “one of the most impressive indie-rock debuts of the year” (Pitchfork). Its first 3 pressings sold out only 2 months after release and have tallied over 1.5 million Spotify streams. Stereogum recently named The Beths one of the “40 Best New Bands Of 2018” and Rolling Stone is currently featuring them in their Hot Issue. While Paste has designated Future Me Hates Me one of “The 50 Best Albums of 2018.”
To celebrate a banner year, The Beths are releasing a 7-inch featuring a moving rendition of “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” via Carpark Records. Recorded in three separate continents on their first proper world headline tour, The Beths ditch the usual uptempo, guitar-driven numbers, for a slow-building serenade propelled by strings. The B-side, only available on the physical 7-inch, features a special demo version of Future Me Hates Me favorite “Happy Unhappy.” All profits from the 7-inch go toGirls Rock Camp Foundation.
Having recently completed a North American tour this fall selling out Seattle, Chicago, Boston, New York City (x2), Philadelphia and Washington, DC, The Beths will return in February and March to headline their biggest shows yet including Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn, First Unitarian Church in Philadelphia and Lincoln Hall in Chicago. A full list of dates is below and tickets are on sale now.
The Beths Tour Dates:
Fri. Dec. 14 – Wellington, NZ @ Meow (tickets)
Sat. Dec. 15 – Warkworth Town District, NZ @ Leigh Sawmill Café (tickets)
Wed. Dec. 19 – Sydney, AUS @ Lansdowne Hotel (tickets)
Thu. Dec. 20 – Northcote, AUS @ Northcote Social Club (tickets)
Sat. Dec. 22 – Fortitude Valley, AUS @ Black Bear Lodge (tickets)
Wed. Jan. 23 – Dublin, IE @ The Grand Social (tickets)
Thu. Jan. 24 – Dublin, IE @ Olympia Theatre (w/ Death Cab for Cutie) (tickets)
Fri. Jan. 25 – Manchester, UK @ Albert Hall (w/ Death Cab for Cutie) (SOLD OUT)
Sat. Jan. 26 – Glasgow, UK @ O2 Academy Glasgow (w/ Death Cab for Cutie) (tickets)
Mon. Jan. 28 – Nottingham, UK @ Rock City (w/ Death Cab for Cutie) (tickets)
Tue. Jan. 29 – Leeds, UK @ O2 Academy Leeds (w/ Death Cab for Cutie) (tickets)
Wed. Jan. 30 – Bristol, UK @ O2 Academy Bristol (w/ Death Cab for Cutie) (tickets)
Thu. Jan. 31 – London, UK @ Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen (tickets)
Fri. Feb. 1 – London, UK @ Eventim Apollo (w/ Death Cab for Cutie) (tickets)
Sat. Feb. 2 – Paris, FR @ Le Trianon (w/ Death Cab for Cutie) (tickets)
Sun. Feb. 3 – Antwerp, BE @ De Roma (w/ Death Cab for Cutie) (tickets)
Tue. Feb. 5 – Utrecht, NL @ TivoliVrendenburg, Grote Zaal (w/ Death Cab for Cutie) (tickets)
Wed. Feb. 6 – Cologne, DE @ Live Music Hall (w/ Death Cab for Cutie) (tickets)
Thu. Feb. 7 – Berlin, DE @ Astra Kulturhaus (w/ Death Cab for Cutie) (tickets)
Sat. Feb. 9 – Hamburg, DE @ Große Freiheit 36 (w/ Death Cab for Cutie) (SOLD OUT)
Sun. Feb. 10 – Copenhagen, DK @ VEGA Musikkens Hus – Store Vega (Main Hall) (tickets)
Mon. Feb. 11 – Stockholm, SE @ Cirkus (w/ Death Cab for Cutie) (tickets)
Tue. Feb. 12 – Oslo, NO @ Sentrum Scene (w/ Death Cab for Cutie) (tickets)
Thu. Feb. 21-Sun. Feb. 24 – Orere Point, NZ @ Splore 2019 (tickets) Tue. Feb. 26 – Toronto, ON @ The Garrison (w/ Bad Bad Hats) (tickets) Wed. Feb. 27 – Montreal, QC @ Casa Del Popolo (w/ Bad Bad Hats) (tickets) Thu. Feb. 28 – Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall (w/ Bad Bad Hats) (tickets) Fri. Mar. 1 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg (w/ Bad Bad Hats) (tickets) Sat. Mar. 2 – Washington, DC @ Union Stage (w/ Bad Bad Hats) (tickets) Sun. Mar. 3 – Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church (w/ Bad Bad Hats) (tickets) Tue. Mar. 5 – Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom (w/ Bad Bad Hats) (tickets) Wed. Mar. 6 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall (w/ Bad Bad Hats) (tickets) Thu. Mar. 7 – Nashville, TN @ The Basement (w/ Bad Bad Hats) (tickets) Fri. Mar. 8 – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl (w/ Bad Bad Hats) (tickets) Sat. Mar. 9 – Savannah, GA @ Savannah Stopover (w/ Bad Bad Hats) (tickets) Mon. Mar. 11-Fri. Mar. 15 – Austin, TX @ SXSW (w/ Bad Bad Hats) Sat. Mar. 16 – Dallas, TX @ Not So Fun Wknd (w/ Bad Bad Hats) Sun. Mar. 17 – Houston, TX @ Satellite Bar (w/ Bad Bad Hats) (tickets)
Thur. May. 16 – London, UK @ The Dome (tickets)
USA & Canadian Tour Dates
January 24 – Big Fun Festival, Winnipeg MB
February 20 – Fox Cabaret, Vancouver BC*
February 23 – Lucky Bar, Victoria BC
February 24 – The Vera Project, Seattle WA*
February 25 – Holocene, Portland OR*
February 28 – The Hi Hat, Los Angeles CA*
March 03 – Noise Pop Fest, San Francisco CA*
*co-headlining with Dude York
————————
Partner is the “mature” effort of two best friends named Josée Caron and Lucy Niles. Borne of their bizarre and fortuitous friendship, Partner confidently harnesses the infinite power of Rock to explore a variety of niche yet strangely universal themes. Self described as post-classic-rock.
The two met while attending Mount Allison University in Sackville NB. The duo played in numerous Sackville bands together over their University years (Yellowteeth and The Mouthbreathers). Around late 2014 the idea of Partner came to fruition.
Partner released their debut full length In Search Of Lost Time in September 2017 on You’ve Changed Records and received incredible critical acclaim including making the year end best of lists at NPR’s All Songs Considered, Stereogum, Playboy, Noisey, Exclaim, CBC Music, Indie 88 and many more. In Search Of Lost Time was also short listed for the Polaris Prize 2018 and Partner’s single “Play The Field” won the SOCAN Songwriting Prize 2018 ($10,000 prize!).
Partner have been named the “best new band in Canada” in the Globe and Mail. And taken their enthusiastic live show all over North America, touring in the USA with Shamir and PUP; and playing practically every Canadian festival (Field Trip, Hillside, Sled Island, Sappy Fest, Halifax Pop Explosion, Pop Montreal, Beau’s Oktoberfest, CMW, Folk On The Rocks and many more).
Influenced by acts as varied as Melissa Etheridge, Ween, kd lang and Prince, Partner is genre-defying, part musical act, part teenage diary and 100% queer
Partner in the press:
“Listening to Partner is like hanging out with your best friends, assuming your best friends are queer Canadian stoners with hooks for days.”
– Stereogum
“The best Canadian rock record of the year wasn’t made by Arcade Fire, Broken Social Scene or Mac Demarco, but by two self-deprecating, 1990s-loving stoner best friends known as Partner. ”
– Playboy
“…two young women from Canada, Joseé Caron and Lucy Niles, who write and record as Partner, put out the year’s best guitar rock album.”
– NPR’s All Songs Considered
(Photo credit – Christian Freidlander)
“[Beyondless] seeks release in letting loose, in the pleasure music can give from creating wild, anarchic spaces within the framework of pop music song structures. There’s an art to summoning up chaos and an equal reward in keeping that chaos under control.” — Fresh Air
“On their astonishing fourth album, [Iceage] reach for pop-gothic grandeur with more tenacity and abandon than ever.” — Pitchfork [Best New Music]
“Beyondless’s achievement is that it preserves what made Iceage powerful and unique while allowing that character to mature into a sound that feels older, wiser, and more emotionally expansive.”
— Vulture
“[Beyondless] feels like the long-awaited delivery on the promise this band has always possessed, the moment when they could rise to the next echelon of today’s indie landscape.”
— Stereogum [Album of the Week]
Following “Balm Of Gilead” released earlier in the month, “as snarling and clobbering as anything you could hope for from the band” (The Fader), Iceage today unveil a second new single with “Broken Hours.” A five minute epic of doom-laden swing and crashing, spidery riffs that backdrop Elias Bender Rønnenfelt’s howling incantation: “Dying figures, they settle in / Broken hours / It lingers on” – it’s another heart-racing transmission from a band at the peak of their craft.
Iceage cap off their 2018 North American touring tomorrow night in Brooklyn with a show at Elsewhere; their biggest ever UK headline show follows in London on December 7th.
Beyondless, released this past June via Matador, is the culmination of Iceage’s output so far. It boasts an earthy and hypnotic sound that pays tribute to American music, from country honk brawls to sleazy soul revues to cocaine blues. Echoes of The Waterboys to Exile-period Stones to John Cale are laced with a ubiquitous air of ecstatic abandon and channelled via masterful songwriting. Throughout their career, the band’s charm has rested in their running ahead of themselves with blind confidence; on Beyondless, Iceage are treading with a disarming assurance, but no loss of charm. Listen to Iceage’s “Broken Hours” – http://mat-r.co/brokenhours
Wed. Dec. 5 – Berlin, DE @ Bi Nuu
Thu. Dec. 6 – Kortrijik, BE @ De Kreun
Fri. Dec. 7 – London, UK @ Hackney Arts Centre ∞
Wed. Jan. 30 – Ljubliana, SI @ Ment Festival
Fri. March 1 – Copenhagen, DK @ Store Vega
“A kind of collision between Hawkwind at its most hyped, the Butthole Surfers at their most acidic with little doses of Krautrock thrown in for good measure.” — PopMatters
Houston trio Darwin’s Finches share the first track from their forthcoming album today via PopMatters. Hear and share “HWY 787” HERE. (Direct Bandcamp HERE.)
With a name making reference to obscure minutia of Charles Darwin’s research regarding the adaptive evolution of birds’ beaks, one might expect a certain esoteric character to a band. And Darwin’s Finches is certainly an anomaly of its own. But that doesn’t mean that they’re not a brilliantly catchy band. In fact, Good Morning Creatures II, the trio’s third album is a tart and twangy, hook-filled 10-song batch of great rock songs that sound as if they’d evolved completely out of contact with the rest of the rock world.
The Galveston, TX based band of pranksters, formed around a biology class, who got their start crashing biker bars and playing shows that provoked fisticuffs, Darwin’s Finches aren’t a normal band.
The album’s music hearkens to late-80s weirdo indie-rock tinged with psychedelic Western vibes like Camper Van Beethoven, Butthole Surfers, Alice Donut, and the Pixies combined with the demented melodies of The Frogs. Guitarist/vocalist and bandleader Justin Clay sports a master crooner’s wail; sounding something akin to a young Paul Westerberg.
Darwin’s Finches was formed in 2006 by Justin as part band, part prank. Joined originally by friends in his Biology class, Clay and a rotating cast of players have played everything from pop-up shows at biker bars (to mixed reviews), art museums, random national parks, shows at clubs that ended with fruit fights and a culminating three-hour show at the legendary Balinese Room that ended with a guitar sacrificed to the Gulf of Mexico.
Justin took a break from music in 2012 for two years to enjoy his family and the birth of his son, Odin. When he returned to music in 2014, he reformed Darwin’s Finches with long-time music partners, Cody Honey on drums and Morgan Moody on bass.
Good Morning Creatures II will be available on LP and download on December 14th, 2018 via Artificial Head Record & Tapes (AHRT).
DARWIN’S FINCHES LIVE:
11/17 Houston, TX @ Bohemeo’s
12/21 Houston, TX @ Fitzgerald’s (Cowpunk X-mas Party & Farewell to Fitzgerald’s)
Made not long after he attended a week-long silent meditation retreat, Ron Gallo‘s excellent new album of Zen punk, Stardust Birthday Party, arrives at a crucial time in history when the rich are getting richer, the middle class is disappearing, the poor are being left behind, and people are still clinging to material and mental things that ultimately mean nothing.
“Who Are You? Point to It!” is the short, existential question that opens the record. Can any of us answer this question without words? It jumps into the Alan Watts and Eckhart Tolle-inspired “Always Elsewhere.” It’s one of the best singles of the year and has been my mantra since hearing it. Everyone nowadays seems to be somewhere other than where they really are in space and time. The song is a wild, blaring diatribe against this practice that will make you want to throw away your cell phone, take a breath, and experience the miracle happening right in front of you at this moment.
“Prison Decor” reveals Gallo’s love of Devo with the snappy sound and his playful and slightly weird vocals. “Party Tumor” brings forth Joe Bisirri‘s fat bass as Gallo sings about someone (himself, perhaps?) who constantly needs to be heard and craves attention (“I just need to be heard anytime, anywhere.”) even though this attention will bring no true satisfaction.
“Do You Love Your Company?” starts with a Tibetan meditation bowl clang and then asks if you truly enjoy being in the moment alone or if you seek verification from the illusionary world around you. Gallo’s guitars squawk and chug as much as his intense vocals. “‘You’ Are the Problem” is a wake-up call to everyone who thinks the world is against them but doesn’t realize the issue is within them.
“OM” has the universal chant layered over police sirens, wine bar chatter, and a warning from Gallo’s mind that the mind can’t be stopped, but his relationship with it can be changed. After all, “It’s All Gonna Be OK.” That track is full of fuzzed guitar riffs and some of Dylan Sevey‘s biggest rock drumming on the record.
“I Wanna Die (Before I Die)” is a Zen riddle. “It’s the point of my life,” Gallo sings. It’s the point of all our lives, really. Dying to illusion and freeing the true self is the only goal of all of our lives. Caroline Roseguest stars on “Love Supreme (Work Together),” which has her and Gallo singing about the nature of love, what it means to each of us, and how “God loves it when we work together.”
“Everybody’s trying to be some kind of something,” Gallo sings on “The Password” – a quirky track that reminds me of one of Frank Zappa‘s work. “I don’t even know the password to my own heart,” Gallo says. We all know the passwords to multiple social media accounts, bank accounts, and shopping clubs, but we don’t know how to unlock our inner treasure house.
“Bridge Crossers” discusses how the fear of death is irrational and seems to be a salute to one of Gallo’s teachers of spirituality. The album ends with “Happy Deathday,” a celebration of the end of illusions. “How hard we have to work for a false sense of worth…” Gallo sings. We all tend to lose sight of the joy inside us and right in front of us because it’s easy to succumb to fear. It’s relentless and will overwhelm your life if you let it.
If, like the alien mentioned in “Happy Deathday,” you’re wondering “what the fuck happened” to you, your family, your friends, and the world in general, then this album will be a welcome pleasure. It will remind you that you have what you need within you. You always have.
Keep your mind open.
[I don’t need you to subscribe to make me happy, but I do admit that I would enjoy it.]
When one of my best pals from high school said he had a free extra ticket to see Simple Mindsin Detroit, I jumped at the chance to (1) hang out with him and (2) finally see a band that was a big part of our high school years. I mean, come on. 1985’s Once Upon a Time is one of the best albums of that decade. Plus, the tracks they played from their new record, Walk Between Worlds, aren’t too shabby either.
They started with “The Signal and the Noise” off that new record and then unloaded two sets’ worth of classic hits and new material including “Up on the Catwalk” (which I hadn’t heard in years), the lively “Promised You a Miracle,” “Midnight Walking,” before ending the first set with a cover of “Dirty Old Town.”
“Theme for Great Cities” opened the second set, and they were cruising by then. The title track off the new record was well-received, as were “Someone Somewhere in the Summertime,” “All the Things She Said,” and “Don’t You (Forget about Me)”.
The encore included “Stand by Love,” “Alive and Kicking,” and “Sanctify Yourself.” It was a fun show, with a happy crowd of Gen X’ers and even younger folks. One woman was in happy tears as we were walking out. “So many feels!” she yelled.
PROTOMARTYR AND PREOCCUPATIONS ANNOUNCE SPLIT 7″,
OUT 11/16 ON DOMINOLISTEN TO PROTOMARTYR COVER PREOCCUPATIONS’ SONG “FORBIDDEN”
CO-HEADLINING TOUR BEGINS NEXT MONTH
(photo by Daniel Topete)
Today, Protomartyr announce the upcoming release of a split 7″ with their friends and future tourmates Preoccupations. Conceptually similar to Protomartyr’s recent split 7″ with Spray Paint, the release features each band covering the other, with Protomartyr performing their rendition of Preoccupations’ “Forbidden,” while Preoccupations give Protomartyr’s “Pontiac ’87” a reworking. You can listen to Protomartyr’s cover of “Forbidden” now, with the 7″ being released by Domino on Nov. 16th. Protomartyr’s singer Joe Casey had this to say of the band’s cover: “There’s an old adage that goes something like, ‘if you’re going to cover a song by a beloved Canadian band, it’s best to pick the second shortest one.’ So, ‘Forbidden’ it is. We all really liked the outro part and had the brilliant idea to extend it. And that, my friends, is how you make musical history.”For those who find this sonic pairing palatable to the ear, the two bands will join up for a co-headlining tour in late November, almost exactly one month from now and shortly after the release of the 7”. Additionally, Protomartyr have just been announced as the “special guest” for the anticipated grand reopening of Detroit’s UFO Factory, a much beloved venue that was damaged by developers one year ago.
ON TOUR NOW IN SUPPORT OF LONER, RELEASED THIS YEAR ON NEW WEST
“Caroline Rose took her songwriting to a new level of wit and heart with LONER . . . It’s full of deftly drawn characters, like the numbingly normal partygoers in ‘More of the Same’ or the comically exaggerated versions of Rose herself in ‘Money’ and ‘Soul No. 5.’ One of her best creations is the lost suburbanite in ‘Jeannie Becomes a Mom,’ drifting through the cul-de-sacs outside Topeka, Kansas in search of her dream life.” — Rolling Stone
“LONER finds [Caroline Rose] abandoning preconceived notions, resulting in a great deal of sonic expansion . . . By embracing her humorous nature and getting more aggressive and adventurous with her music, she was able to create something that felt more natural. While the album title suggests that Rose may feel like she’s on an island of sorts, she’s far from alone.”
— NPR Music’s Favorite Albums of 2018 (So Far)
Caroline Rose has spent a majority of the past year touring in support of LONER, released this past February via New West. Today via Rolling Stone, Rose premieres the “Jeannie Becomes A Mom” video which comically illustrates the daunting notion of being unable to outrun time. Directed by Amanda Speva and produced by Sarah Slevin, and shot outside of Chicago, Rose’s satirical and witty nature shines through with her creative direction, showcasing her ability to process serious subjects with dark humor.
“Jeannie was my first foray into making really fun, sort of weird pop music. I wrote the whole song, including the programmed drums, on a little digital synthesizer called the OP-1. It felt like a relief making something that still told a serious story but tasted like candy to my ears. It’s a direction I’m definitely going to keep exploring. The story, like life, is meant to be a kind of grotesque, whimsical tragi-comedy. This was especially fun for me because I get to play more of a voyeuristic role, which is how I feel in the narrative of the song itself.”
Rose continues on her headlining tour in support of LONER and as support for Rainbow Kitten Surprise with several dates sold out. All dates are listed below.
Watch Caroline Rose’s “Jeannie Becomes A Mom” Video –
Thu. Nov. 1 – Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair
Fri. Nov. 2 – Hamden, CT @ Space Ballroom
Sat. Nov. 3 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
Tue. Nov. 6 – Toronto, ON @ Velvet Underground
Wed. Nov. 7 – Ferndale, MI @ The Loving Touch
Thu. Nov. 8 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
Fri. Nov. 9 – Iowa City, IA @ The Mill
Sat. Nov. 10 – St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club
Tue. Nov. 13 – Louisville, KY @ Zanzabar
Wed. Nov. 14 – Columbus, OH @ Rumba Cafe
Thu. Nov. 16 – Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts
Fri. Nov. 17 – Washington, DC @ Rock & Roll Hotel
Smalltown Supersound Celebrates 25 Years With The Movement Of The Free Spirit Mix by Prins Thomas, Out November 30th
3 Hours & 40 Minute Mix of 80 Tracks Exclusively from the Smalltown Supersound Catalogue
Smalltown Supersound, the Norwegian label run by Oslo-based Joakim Haugland, celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. To mark the occasion, the label is releasing The Movement Of The Free Spirit, an epic new mix album of the Smalltown Supersound catalogue by Prins Thomas, out November 30th. As Thomas’s follow up to Paradise Goulash, The Movement Of The Free Spirit is a 3-disc mix comprised of 80 tracks and 3 hours and 40 minutes of music featuring artists including Sonic Youth, DJ Harvey, Studio, Yoshimi (Boredoms), Kim Gordon, Oneohtrix Point Never, Todd Rundgren, Stereolab, High Llamas, Neneh Cherry, Ricardo Villalobos, Four Tet, Bjørn Torske, Dungen, The Orb, Kelly Lee Owens, Lindstrøm, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Biosphere, Peter Brötzmann, and many more (full track list is below). The mix will be released as a CD box set, digitally (mixed and unmixed) and disc 1 will be available as a double LP.
The title, The Movement Of The Free Spirit, was borrowed from a Bruce Russell (of The Dead C) 10” Smalltown Supersound released in 2000. Russell had borrowed it from the book by legendary Situationist activist and author Raoul Vaneigem. Pre-order The Movement Of The Free Spirit – http://smarturl.it/sts300-preorder Download artwork and press images – http://pitchperfectpr.com/prins-thomas/
The Movement Of The Free Spirit liner notes
Trying To Be Like SST. Since 1993.
I started Smalltown Supersound in 1993 while in high school in Flekkefjord, a small town of 4,000 inhabitants in the south of Norway. There was obviously no supersound in our small town. It was just an ironic name I came up with to release some tapes with lo-fi/noise/bedroom recordings by my brother and his friends. The name was inspired by my hometown and the catalogue number STS was a homage to SST, a label I deeply admired at the time (and still do). Little did I know that I would have to live with that name for the rest of my life.
I started the label before I knew what a record label was. So I gradually learned it by doing. And it was part of me growing up. It might sound like a cliché, but in many ways the label is the soundtrack of my life. Thomas has now made it into a mixtape.
We all hate to see photos of ourselves when we were younger, the bad haircuts and the strange clothes. It is the same thing when you run a label. You constantly look back on things you regret. This mix makes me see the label from the outside in a way I don’t think I have before. And to my surprise the haircuts and the clothes weren’t as bad and strange as I remembered.
I have to admit that I when I listened to it the first time, I was moved. First of all, because of the deep and true love Thomas has put into this mix. Second, because some of these tracks I haven’t heard in 20-25 years. It really felt like revisiting the past. And in a very good way.
Thomas has followed the label since the early beginnings. Back in the days I was always thinking: “He’s a house/disco DJ – why does he want my noise records?”. I realize now I wasn’t smart enough to understand his scope. I didn’t understand it until his mix album Cosmic Galactic Prism, which is one of my favorite mix albums of all time. So for me it was very obvious that Thomas should make the Smalltown Supersound mix. I just couldn’t imagine that he would go this beautifully far with it.
Since day one I have tried to have a red thread run through the releases and the label’s DNA. Most of the time I am probably the only one who sees it. And many times I don’t even see it myself. Now Thomas has found the spiritual unity.
While I have always struggled to describe what the label is, only now – with this mix – I can finally say: this is what it is.
Joakim Haugland Oslo, August 2018
The Movement Of The Free Spirit Tracklist:
Part 1
1. Echo Troopers – Fred Astaire Session (intro)
Deathprod – Orgone Donor
Yoshimi & Mats Gustafsson – Soundless Cries With Their Arms in the Air Yuichiro Fujimoto – Little Sun
2. Bendik Giske – Hole
Supersilent – 13.1
Biosphere – Aura in the Kitchen
Supersilent – 13.1
Elektro Nova/Electro Nova – T03
Bruce Russell – The Movement of the Free Spirit (The 1st Movement)
3. Carmen Villain – Safe
Alexander Rishaug – Time and Place
4. Monopot – Scena Napoletana
5. Continental Fruit – Dear Heart
6. Biosphere – Wyll and Purpose
Lindstrøm – Call Me Anytime (Oneohtrix Point Never Remix)
Deathprod – Orgone Donor
Arp – V2 Slight Return
Monopot – Dronningen
7. Monopot – Dronningen
Jaga Jazzist – Plym
Todd Rundgren – Anything (vocal outtake)
8. Todd Rundgren – Anything (vocal outtake)
9. Todd Rundgren, Emil Nikolaisen & Hans-Peter Lindstrøm – Wrap Your Arms Around Me (Stereolab vs High Llamas Remix)
10. 120 Days – Sleepless Nights
11. Carmen Villain – The Moon Will Always Be There
Continental Fruit – The Moon Was My Only Witness
Mats Gustafsson & Sonic Youth – Part 3 (Contrabass Sax)
12. Erik Wøllo – Ody At Sea
Alexander Rishaug – Satellites
Prins Thomas – B (Sun Araw Saddle Soap Remix)
13. Prins Thomas – B (Sun Araw Saddle Soap Remix)
Bjørn Torske & Prins Thomas – Arthur’s Return (long unreleased)
Serena Maneesh – Introspection
Serena Maneesh – Leipziger Love Life (ancient mix)
Mats Gustafsson & Sonic Youth – Part 4 (Voice)
14. Wildest Dreams – Off The Lip
Part 2
1. Lindstrøm & Christabelle – Lovesick (Four Tet Remix) 2. Dungen – Franks Kaktus
3. Idjut Boys – One for Kenny (Bjørn Torske remix)
Idjut Boys – One for Kenny (Idjut Version)
4. Dungen – Alberto Balsam
5. Prins Thomas – H (The Orb Remix)
Bjørn Torske & Prins Thomas – Arthur
Kjetil D. Brandsdal – Komboloi
Lindstrøm – No Release (Owen Pallett Remix)
6. Lindstrøm – No release (Owen Pallett Remix) Diskjokke – Cold Out
Yoshinori Hayashi – Bit of Garden
7. Yoshinori Hayashi – Bit of Garden
Diskjokke – Cold Out
Meanderthals – Andromeda (Basic Idjut Version)
Arp – The Past (Version by Studio)
Meanderthals – Andromeda
8. Prins Thomas – C (I:Cube Remix)
9. Lindstrøm – Another Station
10. Bjørn Torske – Se Torsken (Mungolian Jetset Remix) Dan Lissvik – Airwalk
Dan Lissvik – G
11. Neneh Cherry – Slow Release
Bjørn Torske & Prins Thomas – K16
12. Bjørn Torske – Totem Expose
13. Kim Hiorthøy – Door Opens Both Ways
14. Toy – Don’t Be
15. Lindstrøm – Raakost (Unknown Mortal Orchestra Version)
Part 3
1. Lindstrøm – The Contemporary Fix (Bjørn Torske Remix)
2. Matt Karmil – Morals
Biosphere – With Their Paddles in a Puddle
Andre Bratten – Minor Misconception
Carmen Villain – Planetarium (Gigi Masin Remix)
3. Andre Bratten – Minor Misconception
Carmen Villain – Planetarium (Gigi Masin Remix) Brian Reitzell – Ozu Choral
4. Carmen Villain – Planetarium (Gigi Masin Remix) Mungolian Jetset – Mush in the Bush
Bjørn Torske – Langt fra Afrika
5. Kelly Lee Owens – CBM
Carmen Villain – Obedience (Bjørn Torske Remix) Elektro Nova/Electro Nova – Phase One
Elektro Nova/Electro Nova – Phase Two Part 3 Brian Reitzell – Honeycomb
6. Prins Thomas – C (Ricardo Villalobos King Crab Remix) Bendik Giske – Adjust
Elektro Nova/Electro Nova – T03
Prins Thomas – C (Ricardo Villalobos Knödel Prince Dub) Mungolian Jetset – Shelton’s on a Bender
7. Neneh Cherry – Everything Is Everything (Villalobos & Loderbauer: Vilod High Blood Pressure Mix)
8. Bjørn Torske – Furu
9. Andre Bratten – Pax Americana
10. Lars Horntveth – Kaleidoscopic
11. Peter Brötzmann Chicago Tentet – II (Performed by Joe McPhee & Ken Vandermark)
