2023

CD+BLURAY<br/>DIGIPAK<br/>LIMITED EDITION<br/>LIVE<br/>SLIPCASE

Håkan Hellström återvänder med sitt första album på tre år.<br/>I sommar gör Håkan Hellström en omfattande turné som inleds med ett exklusivt och omedelbart utsålt klubbgig på klassiska Razzmatazz i Barcelona den 31 maj. Turnén rundas sedan av med festivalspelningar på Øya i Oslo den 11 augusti och på Way Out West hemma i Göteborg den 12 augusti.

Paul Simon, who has consistently crafted some of the most influential and enduring work in the history of music, has announced the release of his highly anticipated musical work, Seven Psalms. Intended to be listened to as one continuous piece, the 33-minute, seven-movement composition transcends the concept of the "album". <br/> <br/>Recorded entirely on acoustic instruments, and predominantly performed by Paul, Seven Psalms showcases Simon's craft at its finest and most captivating, simply with his voice and guitar. <br/> <br/>A stunning, intricately layered work, it's a record which establishes an engaging and meditative, almost hymnal soundscape, with Paul's lyrics providing the gravitational center for constellations of sound woven from guitar strings and other acoustic instrumentation - including choral elements from the highly-regarded British vocal ensemble VOCES8, and a beautiful vocal appearance by Edie Brickell.<br/> <br/>True to the origin of psalms as hymns meant to be sung rather than spoken, Seven Psalms reaches back to the very genesis of folk music: King David's Psalms. The result is a quietly moving musical experience which uncovers a wealth of subtle details with every repeated listen. A step apart from anything Paul Simon has released before, Seven Psalms defies categorization. <br/> <br/>The record's tone is complemented by its artwork, which features a close-up extract of "Two Owls" by the celebrated landscape artist Thomas Moran.<br/>Produced by Paul Simon and Kyle Crusham, Seven Psalms is a single suite of music.

Digipak with 32p booklet and obi strip<br/>CD 1 - Bright-Side Mix<br/>CD 2 - Dark-Side Mix<br/>Blu-ray - In-Side Mix (Dolby Atmos)<br/><br/>Peter Gabriel's first album of new material since 2002's Up.<br/> <br/>During 2023, Peter has been releasing a new song from the album on the occasion of every full moon. Being revealed roughly every four weeks, each track has been allowed to find its own time and space, to enjoy its own orbit. "It's a little like getting a Lego piece each month," Peter explains. Now it's time to stand back and admire the final, completed creation.<br/> <br/>And what a creation - 12 tracks of grace, gravity and great beauty that provide welcome confirmation of not only Peter's ongoing ability to write stop-you-in-your-tracks songs but also of that thrilling voice, still perfectly, delightfully intact. Throughout the album the intelligent and thoughtful - often thought-provoking - songs tackle life and the universe. Our connection to the world around us - 'I'm just a part of everything' Peter sings on title track i/o - is a recurring motif, but so too the passing of time, mortality and grief, alongside such themes as injustice, surveillance and the roots of terrorism. But this is not a solemn record. While reflective, the mood is never despondent; i/o is musically adventurous, often joyous and ultimately full of hope, topped off as it is, by the rousingly optimistic closing song, Live and Let Live. <br/> <br/>Always looking to push the boundaries, i/o is not simply a collection of a dozen songs. All 12 tracks are subject to two stereo mixes: the Bright-Side Mix, handled by Mark 'Spike' Stent, and the Dark-Side Mix, as reshaped by Tchad Blake. "We have two of the greatest mixers in the world in Tchad and Spike and they definitely bring different characters to the songs. Tchad is very much a sculptor building a journey with sound and drama, Spike loves sound and assembling these pictures, so he's more of a painter." Both versions are included on the double-CD package, and are also available separately as double vinyl albums. And that's not all. A third version - the In-Side Mix, in Dolby Atmos, comes courtesy of Hans-Martin Buff "doing a wonderful job generating these much more three-dimensional mixes" and is included in three-disc set, including Blu-ray.<br/> <br/>Peter has kept his trusty inner circle of musicians close to hand, which means guitarist David Rhodes, bassist Tony Levin and drummer Manu Katché are sterling presences throughout. Several songs bear the fingerprints of long-time associate Brian Eno, whilst there are notable contributions from the likes of Richard Russell, pianist Tom Cawley, trumpeters Josh Shpak and Paolo Fresu, cellist Linnea Olsson and keyboard player Don E. Peter's daughter Melanie contributes warm backing vocals, as does Ríoghnach Connolly of The Breath. Soweto Gospel Choir and Swedish all-male choir Oprhei Drängar lend their magnificent harmonies and the mass strings of the New Blood Orchestra, led by John Metcalfe, both soothe and soar.<br/> <br/>Peter has also invited a range of visual artists to contribute a piece of art to accompany each track. The dozen artists make an exceedingly impressive team of collaborators: Ai Weiwei, Nick Cave, Olafur Eliasson, Henry Hudson, Annette Messager, Antony Micallef, David Moreno, Cornelia Parker, Megan Rooney, Tim Shaw, David Spriggs and Barthélémy Toguo. Having handpicked the artists, Peter recognises that "They have the same obsessive attention to their visual work that we musicians have in sound."

Pet Shop Boys: Smash the singles 1985-2020 [3 CD]

DEVO marks half a century of de-evolution as the trailblazing band resumes their global tour this fall. Rhino pays tribute to the influential group today, unveiling a new career-spanning boxed set that encompasses all of Devo's hits and a selection of rarities.

So Much (For) Stardust marks a homecoming for the band on multiple fronts; the first of which found the band reuniting with renowned producer Neal Avron, whom they've worked with on three previous albums (From Under the Cork Tree, Infinity on High, Folie à Deux). On working with Avron for this record, Stump notes: "Neal not only taught us how to make records, but has a unique capacity to really take time and focus on a record. We thought it was a no-brainer to work with him again, on a record where that was very important to us, and he was gracious enough to agree to work with us."