A pretty great audio record of the Dennis The Menace TV show from the early 60s – featuring the voices of all the original cast members, including the "creepier than creepy" Jay North! The format features a full "show" on each side – with narration to lead off the story, then sound effects, a bit of music, and an almost radio-like presentation of the plot. The album comes with a great cover image of North on the front, plus a few older Dennis The Menace cartoons on the back – and the two pieces on the album are "Dennis Sells Bottles" and "Tenting Tonight". LP, Vinyl record album

You might know the trumpet of Antoine Berjeaut from his work with Makaya McCraven – but here, as a leader, he's a very different force overall – working in territory that's mostly his own, and which blends his trumpet and flugelhorn solos with a nice array of electric elements! The approach is almost a 21st Century evolution of older Miles electric modes – but more stripped-down, intimate, and compressed – save for the few moments when Berjeaut opens the door to invite other guests into the proceedings – something that doesn't happen much until the end of the record. Instead, Antoine handles all instruments and sounds himself – soloing over the top on all tracks – in a mix of titles that include "Walk", "Meeting Point", "Mind's Eyes", "Photism", "PPDQ", "Horns & Battle", "Chromatism", and "Life In Ocre". CD

You might know the trumpet of Antoine Berjeaut from his work with Makaya McCraven – but here, as a leader, he's a very different force overall – working in territory that's mostly his own, and which blends his trumpet and flugelhorn solos with a nice array of electric elements! The approach is almost a 21st Century evolution of older Miles electric modes – but more stripped-down, intimate, and compressed – save for the few moments when Berjeaut opens the door to invite other guests into the proceedings – something that doesn't happen much until the end of the record. Instead, Antoine handles all instruments and sounds himself – soloing over the top on all tracks – in a mix of titles that include "Walk", "Meeting Point", "Mind's Eyes", "Photism", "PPDQ", "Horns & Battle", "Chromatism", and "Life In Ocre". LP, Vinyl record album

A really great live EP from Underground Canopy – a funky group who were raised on influences from the world of hip hop and funk, then set up to make some great sounds of their own! Unlike other funky combos, who maybe go back to the 60s or 70s for their inspirations – these guys have a much stronger 21st Century vibe, and use a lot of live drums that are informed by beats – next to trippy keyboard lines and laidback guitar, all weaving together with a wonderfully chromatic vibe! Titles include "Le Lac", "Feelm", "Crepuscule", "Generique", and "Slonnie Tendo". LP, Vinyl record album

Spare instrumentals created in a world that's aware of downtempo – but also delivered with a lot more warmth and jazzy energy than the usual sort of set like this – thanks to very strong work on trumpet and keyboards throughout! The tunes are relatively spare, and have great beats at the bottom – but handled with real drums, not samples – which only furthers the warmth of the whole thing, and really makes the whole thing glow with a wonderful sense of energy! These guys do a hell of a lot with just a little – and titles include the long "UC Visions", plus "Stoopid Game", "Feelm Intermission", "Nebrasko", "Tony Sendo", and "Danse Doree". LP, Vinyl record album

1980 wasn't the first year in British punk, but it was definitely a moment when folks were choosing up sides – when some artists were breaking big and going more commercial, while others were tapping into a deeper level of frustration that first got the music going a few years before! This set focuses on that second half of the scene – as you might guess from the title – and features punks who are definitely committed to punk – some of whom would rise up in the oi movement that would dominate the mid 80s scene, mixed with others who you might not expect, but who still have a very punkish edge here. The box has a great array of material – 75 tracks in all, with plenty of unlikely suspects – in a huge lineup that features Anti Establishment, UK Subs, Victim, Theatre Of Hate, 999, Anti Pasti, Knox, The Elevators, Members, Murder Inc, The Crabs, Wild Boys, Stiff Little Fingers, Solid Action, Skids, Discharge, The Boys, Boys, Cockney Rejects, Menace, The Exploited, and many others! CD

1980 wasn't the first year in British punk, but it was definitely a moment when folks were choosing up sides – when some artists were breaking big and going more commercial, while others were tapping into a deeper level of frustration that first got the music going a few years before! This set focuses on that second half of the scene – as you might guess from the title – and features punks who are definitely committed to punk – some of whom would rise up in the oi movement that would dominate the mid 80s scene, mixed with others who you might not expect, but who still have a very punkish edge here. The box has a great array of material – 75 tracks in all, with plenty of unlikely suspects – in a huge lineup that features Anti Establishment, UK Subs, Victim, Theatre Of Hate, 999, Anti Pasti, Knox, The Elevators, Members, Murder Inc, The Crabs, Wild Boys, Stiff Little Fingers, Solid Action, Skids, Discharge, The Boys, Boys, Cockney Rejects, Menace, The Exploited, and many others! CD

A truly incredible collection – even more wonderful than we might have guessed from the title and cover – and both of those are already pretty darn appealing! This package might well be the most comprehensive we've ever seen on the early days of punk in England – a package that goes way past the big names, way past the classic cuts, and really digs deep into the huge explosion of indie labels that fueled the scene – creating a legacy of rare singles and amazing sounds that the British scene hadn't seen in years! If you dig the Sex Pistols or Clash, there's dozens of other tunes here to love – some by artists you'll know from later fame, represented here on very early tracks – and lots more from acts who maybe only gave the world a handful of brilliant singles. The presentation is as stunning as the music – 111 tracks on 4CDs, inside a heavy 64 page book-style jacket – with page after page of notes on each song and band, and lots of images as well. Consider this whole thing an overdue primer on all the punk you missed – even if you lived back in the day – and lose yourself in the huge array of tracks by groups who include The Radiators From Space, Puncture, Some Chicken, The Panik, The Only Ones, Suspects, Tueway Army, The Boys, Acme Sewage Co, Raped, Bazoomis, Menace GLC, Sids, Rudi, Art Attack, Angelic Upstarts, Mean Street, Poison Girls, Chelsea, Demon Preacher, Leyton Brothers, The Dole, Riff Raff, The Tights, Social Security, Nicky & The Dots, No Way, The Wall, Hollywood Brats, Disco Zombies, Spizzoil, Horrorcomic, The Cravats, and lots lots more! CD

The raw, mesmerizing debut of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds! On From Her To Eternity, Cave stalks and staggers right along the line between the aggro caterwaul of The Birthday Party and the haunting moodiness of later records with the Bad Seeds – and it's as distinct and exciting as ever after all these years! The looseness of the Bad Seeds sound is big part of what makes it so amazing, with spare backdrops that always carry the promise of noisy menace to come, and it's all the more exciting with it does – and Cave's mournful, angry testifying is in near peak form here. Includes "Avalanche", "Cabin Fever!", "Well Of Misery", "From Here To Eternity", "Saint Huck", "Wings Off Flies" and "A Box For Black Paul". CD

A funky riff on some of the mightiest slabs in the Black Sabbath oeuvre – done up masterfully by Adrian Quesada and the Brownout collective! Where the Sabbath originals are all lumbering menace and sludgy rhythms, Brownout brings in Latin funk percussion, tripped out keyboard textures and some really great horn arrangements. They move raw slabs like "Iron Man" into surprising, instrumental percussion realms we'd never imagine them, and it's pretty amazing! "The Wizard" and "NIB" feature vocals by Alex Marrero, "Hand Of Doom" features Alex Maas", and "Planet Caravan" has vocals by David Jimenez – and other tracks include "Iron Man", "Black Sabbath" and "Into The Void". LP, Vinyl record album

The grandest scale and most elaborately furnished Black Sabbath album to this point – but they still bring the heavy! The title track is one of the most influential metal songs ever, with the foreboding lyrics, trudging stomp of a rhythmic pace and those bridges that are almost pretty – and the most of the rest of the album is great, too – more carefully produced than the previous few without compromising the menace. Titles include "A National Acrobat", "Fluff", "Sabbra Cadabra", "Spiral Architect", "Looking For Today", and "Who Are You". LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible batch of prime garage rock era nuggets from the Peruvian scene – fuzzy gems by the Saicos! The Saicos bring a sense of menace to these tunes – with a guitar tone touched with an eerie vibe, and lead vocals that are really piercing and gravelly in that instills this primordial edge that needs to be heard to be believed – but that balance it off with some moddish, British invasion grooves, too. The overall sound manages to blend both the heavy menace of cult acts like the Monks and the Seeds with the tunefulness of the Animals – and clear precursor the garage punk for decades to come! Titles include "Come On (Ven Aqui)", "Ana", "Demolicion", "Lonely Star (Estrella Solitaria)", "Cememterio", "Te Amo", "Fugitivo De Alcatraz", "Salvaje", "El Entierro De Los Gatos", "Besando A Otra" and "Intensamente". Comes with a great booklet, too! LP, Vinyl record album