Beautiful early work from Please – aka Peter Dunton, who went onto more famous underground activity in the seminal jazz psych group T2! The music here shares a lot of the melodic qualities of that great group – music that's certainly rock, but which borrows freely from some of the hipper jazz styles of the time – especially modal jazz, which seems to influence the rhythms amidst the acoustic guitar and vocals! Most of the tracks are relatively spare, but have a full sort of energy because of this influence – and a few of the demo tracks are maybe straighter folk/rock, but still have a really wonderful sound. Titles include "One More Chance", "Said & Done", "Eternity", "Gently As You Feel", "To Dream", "Don't Mind Me", "Circus Man", "Silent Falling", "Lord Of Misrule", and "Nothing's What It Seems". CD

A special look at the small but vibrant scene in Northern Ireland during the early punk years – a scene that was maybe one of the farthest-flung in the United Kingdom, but which also gave the world some pretty intense music at the time! The package is put together in a beautiful book-styled format – and comes packaged with the 1979 documentary of the same title – directed by John T Davis, with a look at key artists in these formative years – including The Undertones, Stiff Little Fingers, Rudi, Victim, Protex, The Outcasts, The Idiots, and The Parasites – a lineup that gives the whole thing a very punk-oriented vibe! The remaining 3CDs in the set are supported by a great booklet of notes – a total of 74 tracks in all, with work by all of the above artists – and more by Midnite Cruiser, Pretty Boy Floyd & The Gems, Duggie Briggs Band, Starjets, Ruefrex, Acme, The Nerves, The Peasants, Strike, Ex Producers, Dogmatic Element, Electro-Motive Force, Katmandu, Big Self, The Moondogs, Rod Vey, Stage B, Clive Culbertson, and others! CD

A great large group recording from bassist Jason Roebke – and maybe one of his best records so far! Roebke's working here with a crack assortment of Chicago musicians – all players who have been rising in the same wave of creativity that's also held Jason up in recent years, and who seem to hit even greater heights here working under his leadership! The album's got that mix of composition and freedom that's really marked Chicago for the past decade or so – but there's also some richer ideas bubbling up, and a sense of tone and color that makes each musician resonate individually in a very strong way, while continuing to contribute a lot to the sound of the group. Players include Greg Ward on alto, Keefe Jackson on tenor and sopranino, Jason Stein on bass clarinet, Josh Berman on trumpet, Jeb Bishop on trombone, Mike Reed on drums, and Jason Adasiewicz on vibes – and titles include "Looking Directly Into The Camera", "L'Acme", "Waiting", "People Laughing", "Getting High", and "For A Moment". CD