Scotland’s Mogwai are not only legendary experimental rock icons, but also well-established soundtrack titans – sound sculptors behind an impressive spectrum of cinematic releases (both full soundtracks and contributions): Including their last film soundtrack, Atomic (2016), there's been consistent acclaim through Michael Mann's Miami Vice (2006), The Fountain (2006, collaborating with Clint Mansell and Kronos Quartet), Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait (2007), Amnesty International's PEACE project (2010), international hit French TV series Les Revenants (2013), and Leonardo DiCaprio's climate change documentary Before The Flood (2016) alongside soundtrack Oscar-winners Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. The staggeringly prolific force that is Mogwai return less than a year after their standout new album, Every Country’s Sun, to provide the soundtrack to the anticipated, acclaimed new sci-fi major motion picture, KIN. Like their beloved soundtracks to Atomic and Les Revenants, KIN uses the band’s original score as the genesis and point of departure for an expanded, fully developed album of new songs. KIN is cinematic maximalism and synth-rock minimalism delivered with the signature introspective grace that has defined and refined Mogwai’s decades-long reputation.

Aaron Martin and Dag Rosenqvist and their musical collaboration as From The Mouth Of The Sun seems to elicit immediate excitement from an ever-growing number of modern classical, post-rock and experimental music fans from around the world. The duo appears to be on a mission to bring their dynamic breed of electro-acoustic classical to the masses this year. From composer David Wingo selecting three From the Mouth of the Sun songs to appear in the critically acclaimed sci-fi thriller ‘Midnight Special,’ to their first original score for A24’s feature film ‘Menashe,’ praised at Sundance and in theaters this summer, Rosenqvist and Martin are well on their way to receiving the recognition they deserve.
‘Hymn Binding’ is the pair’s third album as From the Mouth of the Sun, and their first for US label, Lost Tribe Sound. The album is teeming with all the soul-stirring character one has come to expect from their work together. The long form crescendos built from Martin’s mournful strings and vast array of acoustic instrumentation are a perfect compliment to Rosenqvist’s delicate piano melodies, humming electronics, and waves of warm static.
At the core, From the Mouth of the Sun’s sound is comprised of cello, piano, acoustic guitars, lap steel, banjo, ukulele and pump organ. Yet with ‘Hymn Binding’ they’ve allowed those acoustic sources to change shape, at times turning them into something that more resembles synths or digitally rendered sounds. They do this, not as a means of disguising them, or really wanting them to sound like synths, but to bring out new layers from already existing timbres.
Rosenqvist mentions, “There’s something very beautiful and rewarding to working with acoustic sound sources. Because when you record them, you never know what you’re going get, and you can never repeat it exactly the same way. The wood in the instrument changes from air pressure and with different temperatures. You change your sitting position from one take to another and all of a sudden it sounds slightly different. You move the microphone or you move something in the room and it sounds slightly different. Acoustic sound sources allow for chaos to be a part of the creative process, allowing for something you can never fully control."
While From the Mouth of the Sun’s first album ‘Woven Tide’ took the first tentative steps, and ‘Into the Well’ was an attempt to create something more acoustic and stripped down, “Hymn Binding” is a fully realized vision. It is bigger, with a broader sound palette and more full-on arrangements. And with that understanding, it is no wonder Martin & Rosenqvist are proud to call it, one of the strongest works they’ve ever recorded.
Without revealing too much, ‘Hymn Binding’ is an album predicated on the rise and fall. It has little fear taking deep breathes between each movement, reveling in the most minimalistic and subdued moments only to make the massive peaks of sound seem all that much larger. What makes a masterpiece, is always subjectively at the mercy of the beholder. Yet From the Mouth of the Sun make a strong case with ‘Hymn Binding,’ that the pairing of two such individually talented musicians can create a synergy and timelessness all its own.
‘Hymn Binding’ was given the deluxe vinyl treatment. The edition arrives as a lacquer cut vinyl pressed on 180 gram virgin vinyl, housed in a matte finished gatefold tip-on jacket with artwork throughout from Gregory Euclide (Limited to 300). The deluxe edition also comes with a download card offering a choice of formats including FLAC, 320K MP3, etc. Mastering for vinyl and digital was performed by Taylor Deupree. The CD edition is also a work of art, housed in a heavy stock, handcrafted 7" x 5" book-style case with glass mastered CD and a download card for the album in high quality format (Limited to 150). The first 50 editions of both the vinyl and CD will come with a 6.5" x 5" print of the cover art by Gregory Euclide when purchased directly through LTS.

Music and arrangements by Dag Rosenqvist and Aaron Martin
Vocals arranged and performed by Dawn Smithson and Jerker Lund
Horns performed by Henrik Munkeby Nørstebø (trombone) and Jenny Olsson (French horn)
Recorded in Gothenburg, Sweden and Topeka, Kansas
Mixed by Dag Rosenqvist at The 63rd Link in Gothenburg
Mastered by Taylor Deupree at 12K Mastering
…..
Aaron Martin:
Cello, bass, roll up piano, voice, vinyl, singing bowls, banjo, lap steel
Dag Rosenqvist:
Piano, pump organ, Fender Rhodes, various organs and synthesizers, acoustic and electric guitars, glockenspiel, voice and field recordings

Woven Tide is the debut album by From The Mouth of The Sun, the new collaboration between Dag Rosenqvist, aka Jasper TX, and Aaron Martin.
Out of the charred embers of dusk Woven Tide emerges with an incandescent glow. Each glimmer cast by the sustained notes of ebony keys, the taut strings of the cello, and the rampant buzz of guitar lights our way, gives us hope, brings us into the dawn of a new day. As From The Mouth of the Sun, the duo act as our torchbearers, scrawling messages along the walls of an elongated cave, toiling through the decayed remnants of fetid matter to create eight illuminating pieces. The listener, who has wiled away the hours, will find a door; Woven Tide will be the light out of the darkness.
Pieces from Woven Tide as well as solo work by Aaron Martin accompanies the new documentary film by Lost Hill Picture's Ross McDonnell and Carter Gunn for Fastnet Films, Remember Me, My Ghost, which is currently touring the festival circuit. McDonnell and Carter are most recently known for their award winning documentary film Colony which documents the unexplainable phenomenon known as Colony Collapse Disorder that has left landscapes of empty beehives all across America, and also features music by Aaron Martin. An upcoming short film by McDonnell and Carter featuring Color Loss from Woven Tide will be included on an upcoming Wholpin DVD magazine published by McSweeney’s.
Since 2005 Gothenburg, Sweden based musician Dag Rosenqvist's work has graced imprints including Miasmah, Fang Bomb, Under The Spire, Lampse, Lidar, Slaapwel, Kning Disk, Dead Pilot Records, Lowpoint, and Rural Colors.
Since 2006 Topeka, Kansas based composer Aaron Martin's work has graced imprints including Preservation, Mobeer, Experimedia, Type, Under The Spire, and Sonic Meditations.

Beware of Safety is emotion personified through sound. This is the sound of living and breathing. "Dogs" is a culmination of experiences swelling into a force that demands release. Music that is as romantic as it is morose & solemn; as secretive as it is exposed & vulnerable. Instrumental music that says more without saying one word than most bands can conjure up on their most heartfelt outing. "Dogs" pushes instrumental music into a psychedelic direction of pure catharsis, demanding the listeners involvement. Things may never be the same.

I like following bands from the very beginning of their career; from that debut twenty-copies-only 7 inch, to the handmade EP, all the way to the fifth studio album, there’s something quite rewarding about being there right from the start. However, as rewarding as that may be, what brings me more joy is just stumbling over a band you, and very few others, never knew existed, and this said band turning out to be great, ala Yndi Halda and Gifts of Enola. It’s akin to the feeling Jermaine Jenas must have every time he’s named in the England squad (obscure football references are the way forward). I’m sure you’ve guessed this already, but that’s what happened when I first heard the debut EP from Californian quartet Beware of Safety.
Opening track ‘Kaura’, possibly named after someone called Laura with fat fingers, could be plenty of other post-rock bands; light guitar work and tremolo picking chime away, before a melodic riff takes over. This could be Caspian, this could be The Timeout Drawer, and it’s definitely straight-up post-rock of the highest caliber. ‘Weak Wrists’ takes a heavier approach, with a dark and sinister feel protruding throughout, which is somewhat reminiscent of Upcdowncleftcrightcabc+start. ‘The Difference Between Wind and Rain’ and ‘Veneklasen’ show a much quieter and measured approach, with shimmering guitars and delay pedals used to full effect.
What really comes across from all the six tracks on It Is Curtains is the sheer emotions Beware of Safety manage to convey with just its instruments and effects pedals. While not up there in the realms of Do Make Say Think and Explosions In The Sky, Beware of Safety are certainly following the right lines to possibly matching myriad of feelings expressed by some of the big post-rock players. While that may be a premature statement on the basis of one EP, if Beware of Safety can produce more tracks like the closing ‘To The Roof! Let’s Jump and Fall’ then its place among the post-rock harmony will be assured. Quite simply, it’s a brilliant song. It uses the tried and tested, and much vaunted, ‘quiet/loud’ dynamic to great success. Starting slowly, it builds into heavy-yet-harmonious riff, before collapsing into a heart wrenching short breakdown, only for the riff to return, this time with added tremolo picking for greater emphasis as it crashes towards the finale. Mono could have written this track, it really is that good.
While Beware of Safety aren’t covering any new ground here, it would be far too harsh and flippant to dismiss them as generic, or merely copying its peers. Each track on It Is Curtains sounds fresh, and for a band using only guitars, bass, and drums, that’s quite an achievement in today’s post-rock environment. At the moment, the EP is one of those lovely hand pressed self –released affairs, but it really won’t be long before this band are signed, so, if you haven’t already, it’s about time you went and stumbled upon a future post-rock giant.
-James Ould

Lotusville is presented as a double LP in a heavy gatefold jacket on 180g, colored vinyl (LP one is pink, LP two is purple). It is also available in CD format with the front and back cover artwork translated from the 2xLP onto an eco-friendly CD jacket. Lotusville is available in high-quality digital formats (48k 24 bit) as well.
Quantities: Vinyl 300 : CD 500 : Digital ∞

很有力道的post-rock,姑且就叫做post metal,很有味道，鼓点有力，吉他旋律。
Formed by former Mahumodo frontman Medi Safa, *shels (sometimes spelt Shels) will release their debut album 'Sea Of The Dying Dhow' through Undergroove on June 18, recorded both in Medi's current Los Angeles place of residence as well as London, UK.
An hour of progressive emotional soundscapes and raw brutality, 'Sea of the Dying Dhow' also features members of Eden Maine, Mahumodo and Fireapple Red.
Combining beauty and primal intensity in music is a mean feat many can't ever fathom. For *shels, creating truly loving art that genuinely moves the listener is second nature.
For over an hour 'Sea Of The Dying Dhow' illustrates the passion and uniqueness that music should possess.
'The Sea of The Dying Dhow' opens with over nine minutes of ultimate escapism with the truly inspiring 'The Conference of the Birds'. Tender acoustics, strings, and brass wrapped up in wondrous glistening soundscapes and gentle yet thunderous drums truly encapsulate throughout.
'The White Umbrella' drives a harder edge, while 'Water' sees *Shels promote their ability to write a perfect infectious emotional pop ditty. The title track is a brooding hard-hitting monster, while the album closes with 'In Dead Palm Fields'. A romantic nine-plus minute that erupts with fervour, crushing your senses to complete overdrive.
*shels was formed in 2004 following the split of Medi's former band Mahumodo. While some of his former bandmates went on to form Devil Sold His Soul, Medi (born in America of Lebanese and Iranian parents) relocated to Los Angeles. There he wrote the music that has become *shels. Taking inspiration from past experiences Safa was unafraid to push his musical boundaries further in his artistic vision. Bringing in a credible set of musicians - former members of Eden Maine (Undergroove) and Fireapple Red (Visible Noise) - Medi is realising his musical dream.
After the self-release of *shels debut EP, "WingsForTheirSmiles' (2004), *shels debut album proper 'The Sea Of The Dying Dhow' captures easily one of the most forward thinking progressive rock bands ever to come out of the UK's underground.
'Sea of the Dying Dhow' is released on Undergroove on June 18 2007.
*shels is:
Medi Safa(vocals) formally of Mahumodo
Tom Harriman (drums) formally of Mahumodo
Simon Maine (guitar) formally of Eden Maine
Green Dave (Guitar) formally of Fireapple Red
Phil Maine (guitar) formally of Eden Maine
Red Dave (Bass) formally of Fireapple Red
Ed Mathews (Atmospherics) formally of Mahumodo

Russian Circles is a three piece instrumental post-metal/post-rock band from Chicago. Similar to fellow Chicago residents Pelican, Russian Circles play epic, sprawling music which runs the gamut of heavy discordant metal to soft delicate passages. They are also known for their energetic live shows, which include tours with Tool, Red Sparowes, Minus the Bear and Daughters, as well as appearances at the 2006, 2007 2008 SXSW festivals.