Laszlo Spatchcock - Schizofrizzi
Last December Laszlo Spatchcock returned with a new direction and new sound. Unlike 2019's Nice Music for Morons, Schizofrizzi abandons improvised segments in favour of fully composed pieces. The music shifts effortlessly between EDM-style beats and acoustic drum-fueled passages in almost every song, defying categorisation while inventing a new style all its own. As has always been the case with this band, the music here is almost impossible to describe. It must be heard!
Notnef Greco - Fooling the World
In March we released this sumptuous new album from the mysterious sub-mariners. Sometimes the best of music is no more than a conversation between dear friends, often a simple affirmation of their being together. This is one such case. Recorded in Count G's new studio on the Corinthian Gulf, the music bears all the marks of spontaneous composition, as is indeed a conversation between friends who have known each other all their lives. Fooling the World is a long composition with breaks of silence, like film music for suspended marionettes dancing without strings attached to any master.
Now You Know / Hand-Me-Down - Todd Brunner
In April we released an archival single from Todd Brunner. Here are two songs Todd recorded in the late 90s that somehow slipped through the cracks and were never released. These songs were the only ones recorded during a period when Todd was concentrating on playing live. It was probably assumed at the time that these songs would be part of some future album project. That never happened. Better late than never because this is a killer single!
May saw the release of two EPs, the first of these from new Sublamental artists, Dead Betty, a duo comprised of multi-instrumentalists Andy Barkwood and Kevin Zitski. The music they make is largely played on acoustic stringed instruments, which include guitar, banjo, ukulele, oud, mandocello, bass, dulcimer, bouzouki, mandolin, resonator, plus anything else they can get their hands on. As an introduction to the band here are four songs that Andy and Kevin wrote and recorded in March and April 2024. It's great!
Cyanide Slugs - Two Shuffles, One Ballad, and a Kick in the Teeth
The second of our May EPs is this little gem from Cyanide Slugs. It is comprised of two new songs and reinterpretations of two old ones. If you are a fan of the Slugs' brass-driven take on psychedelic rock and Todd Brunner's singular songwriting, you will not be disappointed by these four mini masterpieces.
Count G - Bar Bliss Ensemble Plays the Music of Count G
In June we released this stellar interpretation of Count G's music by European combo, Bar Bliss Ensemble. This is Count G music arranged for acoustic ensemble, and the results are breathtaking. But it gets even better! With the exception of one cover of an old song, all of this is new music written specifically for the ensemble by Count G. So if you are a fan of the Count, and who isn't, you'll need to get your hands on this bad boy, pronto!
Upcoming Releases
We are just about to release the new Art Bevilaqua album, Game Theory, and we considered waiting for that before we did this newsletter, but the newsletter is so late already we decided not to wait. Also in the works is remix of Count G's Music for Street Rumor. The Count promises much improved sound quality and clarity.
Streaming Everywhere!
We saved the best for last. If you had not already noticed, we are now on every streaming platform on the planet! So whether your jam is Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, or whatever, you'll find all of the Sublamental releases at your disposal. Just search for our artists and add them to your playlists and favourites. With a few exceptions. Our distributor would not accept a few of our releases because of what they THOUGHT were copyright violations or hate speech. They were wrong in every case but there is no arguing with the algorithm! So if you don't find a certain album, you can always come back here to listen, or buy yourself a copy at Bandcamp.
That's about it. See you next time, and until then here is a nice still from Karel Zeman's 1958 animated masterpiece, Invention for Destruction.
Later,
Phil