‘The Future and The Past’ is Natalie Prass’ sophomore LP, a stunning snapshot of a musician in a state of personal rediscovery and surging femininity. The celebratory and defiant record signals a significant artistic leap for Prass, finding her tapping into deep, dancey grooves that glisten with 80s pop and 90s R&B, nestled alongside quivering, lushly orchestrated ballads.

It’s hard to imagine that the softness and subtlety of singer-songwriter Juliana Daugherty could materialize amid the tumult of current-day Charlottesville, VA, but every mode of being continues there, as it does elsewhere, despite the impressions headlines might give. Political outrage seems to inhabit every mental space in modernity implying that the most important problems are the most visible. Societal ills being what they are, private struggles still exist, and Daugherty’s debut Light gives them palatable, manageable, and satisfying form.
“I wrote this record partly to strip mental illness of its power,” Daugherty says. She adds, “There is nothing useful or beautiful to be gleaned from the experience of depression.” Though this statement seems contrary to the romantic tone of Light, it is refreshing to hear an artist speak of their own depression with objectivity, unwilling to be charmed by the gloom. Daugherty wields her songcraft like a sword, not a diary to be buried in a drawer.
Album opener “Player” rides in on this sentiment, with a softly charging, motorik pulse that urges Daugherty’s croon into the center, like a reluctant actor being pushed onto the stage and into the spotlight by an unseen hand. Even so, her lilting voice asserts itself despite its understatement, having long since gained a quiet confidence that transcends the need for egotistical decoration. It is in this way that her tenure in the Virginia folk scene with acts Nettles and Hill & Wood-- not to mention her classical training-- shine through most.
Initially walking in the footsteps of her trumpeter and violist father and mother, Daugherty grew up playing multiple instruments, even attending a conservatory before stepping away from classical music entirely. She went on to acquire an MFA in poetry-- a fact not lost on Light. In many ways, poetry seems to be another musical instrument on the record, deepening the mood instead of merely floating atop it. This is most apparent on twin-centerpieces “Sweetheart” and “Bliss” which form the aching peak of the album. The former song weaves words of gentle, mid-winter yearning around a pillar of melodies that have a slight old-world hue, recalling some of the more tangible moments of J. Tillman (who once found a home on the same label).
From here, a deepening of atmosphere doesn’t appear possible and yet “Bliss” attains just such effect. Hushed verses whisper over vaporous strumming, lowering our guard for a heartbreaking chorus of only five words: “don’t say anything at all.” However bleak it may have appeared upon entry, we are now quite at home in the grey-green world that Daugherty has built, remembering with fondness the dim chapters of our own life stories.
As the path of Light winds further, another clear landmark appears in the form of the asymmetrically rhythmic title-track. Pattering percussion bends the convention set by the rest of the album, while Daugherty’s voice approaches the tortured coo of Beth Gibbons-- in fact the overall result of the song is altogether Portishead-like in the best way possible.
On “California” Daugherty gently pleads with a fading lover “can we keep the line open for a while?” as the Light itself winds to a close. The final track “Wave” lowers us out of the cloudbank and back to the ground with its bareness, dropping us off at our door, and quietly acknowledging the intimate journey we’ve been privy to. Only then does it become clear that Light was not a title chosen despite the gravity of its subject matter-- romantic struggle, abject depression, and throbbing vulnerability-- but rather in service of it. Light, so to speak, comes when we give shape to what haunts us.

Koda from the US is an exciting new addition to Silk Sofa. On SoundCloud, he has gathered over 3,500 followers, and his music is heavily supported on various YouTube channels. Silk Sofa is proud to present his new 4-track EP entitled "Myrina". "Mikis" begins with a truly hypnotizing atmosphere, created by a vast array of different pad lines. Later, a gorgeous male vocal enters the mix, as well as a lovely, supporting breakbeat. Beautiful "oriental" synths emerge later, providing great additional texture. The second song is "Labyrinth", which starts off with lush bell melodies that have been arranged in numerous layers. Koda again spices up the mix with his unique vocal, as well as smooth percussion elements and tranquil background piano melodies. "Hands" introduces beautiful piano melodies, surrounded by soothing pad layers. Additional melodies emerge later, as well as comforting percussion elements. The main vocal is introduced soon thereafter, accompanied by stunning synth additions. The last track is "Limnos", which starts off with translucent textures and a great, deep bassline. As usual, phenomenal percussion lines are added, and later, Koda once again blesses us with a mesmerizing vocal.

The National is an American rock band of Cincinnati, Ohio natives, formed in Brooklyn, New York City in 1999. The band consists of Matt Berninger, Aaron Dessner, Bryce Dessner, Scott Devendorf and Bryan Devendorf.

Includes an enhanced component.

The Better Life is the first studio album by 3 Doors Down, released on February 8, 2000. It has become 6 times Platinum since release. Lyrics are written by the lead singer, Brad Arnold, and the music is written by Todd Harrell, Chris Henderson, and Matt Roberts, all of whom are musicians in 3 Doors Down. Brad played drums on the album. "Kryptonite", "Loser", and "Be Like That" all reached the Billboard Hot 100 charts, peaking at #3, #55, and #24, respectively. The album was the 11th best-selling album of 2000 with more than 3,000,000 records sold in that year. The Better Life sold 6 million copies worldwide.

Special edition of the alternative rocker's 1998 album with 'Slave Girl' & their 'Top 10' 1995 smash 'Name' added as bonus tracks. 'Dizzy Up The Girl' is multi-platinum and has sold millions of copies here in the States. Featuring a slew of hit singles including 'Broadway', the mega smash hit 'Iris' from the 'City Of Angels' O.S.T., 'Slide' & 'Black Balloon'. Standard jewel case.

Planet Mu are very happy to be releasing 'Vicious Circles', the debut EP by Sinjin Hawke and Zora Jones, who aside from producing music also run the audio-visual production unit 'Fractal Fantasy'.
Zora released several collaborations on last year's 'Visceral Minds 2' including 'Dark Matter' with Planet Mu's Jlin, while Sinjin has collaborated with DJ Rashad, Just Blaze and MikeQ, and also produced music for monoliths like Kanye West and Frank Ocean.
Remarkably, given the breadth of their work, 'Vicious Circles' is their first collaborative EP, and the first time either have released on vinyl.
The EP is a great showcase for the duo's emotional, maximalist chimeras of abstract pounding beats. From the punchy, circular, grandiose build-ups of opener 'Vicious Circles', to the unyielding melancholy of 'God' with its sinister Bulgarian choir sample against a peak Timbaland-era rhythm, the record's potent synths and manipulated vocals are simultaneously fierce and friendly. 'Source of Conflict' is a poised dance between pulsing ambient textures and splintered 808s, while 'Lurk 101' pits a volley of abstracted juke toms up against a hammering drum-line. 'BabyboySosa' feels like drum-less drill, manipulating vocals into strange alien shapes before spiralling snares start to form a forceful march. The EP concludes on the love anthem 'And You Were One' with a pitched up vocal running through its chorus of bent sub tones and chimes.