Pile - You're Better Than This - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

An exceptional new collection of remixed and remastered singles, EPs, out of print rarities, and one brand new song. Press coverage from SPIN, Stereogum, AV Club and UPROXX1. Special Snowflakes 2. Mama's Lipstick 3. Keep The Last Light On 4. Cup 5. Pigeon Song 6. Afraid of Home 7. Scissors 8. Whistle 9. Big Web

A million sweaty punks can't be wrong SPIN MAGAZINE Inchthey've spent the past 16 years refining what a modern-day rock band could be... a surprisingly detailed and evocative world, just beyond the limits of rockInch PITCHFORK InchPile is one of the strangest bands in rock music, and one of the bestInch AV CLUB InchApocalypse-core stunnersInch BOSTON GLOBE Sunshine and Balance Beams, Pile's ninth album, is a Sisyphean parable concerned with labor and living. To write it, singer Rick Maguire inhabited Incha dark place,Inch wrestling with the concept that there is no enlightenment, no end to suffering. Maguire explores workaholism, the myth of meritocracy, and acceptance of mortality-all through a devilish allegory of trudging through a shadowy forest towards the uncertain dream of a bright clearing. Pile wrestles with existential and social contradictions by evoking sonic in-betweens. The music exists somewhere in the temporary equilibrium of light and shadow, chaos and order. Heated rain-like guitars, shifting drums that pave sinuous roads in sound and pace, eerie synths, and aqueous strings add to a panoramic production of loud-quiet dynamism matching the emotionality of the band's thunderous performances. The group also favored freewheeling performances that would animate the storytelling, while enlisting a string section (violins, viola, cello) to perform incandescent, through-composed arrangements co-written by cellist Eden Rayz and Pile. They drew inspiration from cinema and opera scores by Chopin, Bernard Herrmann, and Ralph Vaughan Williams, lending Sunshine a larger-than-life sound that intensifies Pile's blistering realizations of some of their most accessible songwriting to date. The recording is a noticeable leap in production value, and centers Maguire's vocals in new and exciting ways. Pile traveled to Pawtucket, RI for two weeks of tracking at Machines w

Mamas Gun conjure the spirit of conscious '70s soul on bold and big-hearted new album, Cure The Jones.Out of the turbulence of the last two years comes the new offering from UK-based soul outfit Mamas Gun - a rich, nuanced meditation on a world turned upside down, embedded in the classic soul tradition of Bill Withers and Marvin Gaye.UK tag 'Candelion' working in partnership with Colemine Records & Secretly Group - will Mamas Gun's new full-length album as a follow up to their globally supported LP 'Golden Days' which won over audiences and media fans alike including the likes of KCRW (USA), BBC RADIO (UK) and Billboard (Japan).A full worldwide tour will support this , with the band performing headline shows and festivals across 5 different continents throughout 2022Cure The Jones represents the band's most complete and powerful work, drawing soul threads between love, loss, life and the most pressing social and political issues of the day.Written and produced by Mamas Gun frontman Andy Platts during the pandemic, it was recorded direct to tape with an array of analogue gear at his home studio. The five-piece of Andy Platts (vocals), Terry Lewis (guitar), Dave Oliver (keys), Chris Boot (drums) and Cameron Dawson (bass) bring a range of influences to the table. Platts has previously worked with Rod Temperton, Brian Jackson and John Oates (of Hall & Oates), and Lewis' credits include collaborations with Leon Ware, Lewis Taylor and The Impressions. Elsewhere in the band, Oliver cites his love for NYC Latin jazz as a major influence, while Boot's full-bodied drums root the band in the lineage of Durand Jones and Lee Fields. The final addition to Mamas Gun, Cameron Dawson brings a contemporary jazz-funk sensibility developed as part of Rhythm Section outfit Vels Trio.