The Vanguard - Mato Anomalies (Original Soundtrack) - VINYL LP

In Peter Strickland's Flux Gourmet, a dysfunctional group of performance artists undertake a month-long residency at an institute devoted to culinary disciplines. Food is interrogated for it's sonic potential as the group mic-up, amplify, distort and transform what they cook in front of an audience. The noise that the characters in the film itself make is driven by food blenders, overflowing cauldrons of gurgling soup and sizzling frying pans (courtesy of The Sonic Catering Band), yet the music that soundtracks the culinary capers is engorged with aching melodies and wordless, airy vocals. Contributors include Cavern Of Anti-Matter, Jeremy Barnes and Heather Trost of A Hawk And A Hacksaw and Trost's band, Roj (formerly of Broadcast), and Nurse With Wound. Flux Gourmet is presented in a rich 2xLP package with an ornate, colorful design and Strickland's detailed liner notes. Image, color, light and sound are integrated and heightened to delirious levels of hyperreality, much like Strickland's past works, Berberian Sound Studio and In Fabric. Flux Gourmet very much alludes to his past as a member of The Sonic Catering Band, which he founded back in 1996. The band split on several occasions and got back together to create new pieces for the soundtrack, concocting strange sonic morsels and treating recipes as if they were scores. The lines between what is on the screen and what is on the soundtrack are blurred, with the band (mostly) using the exact same equipment (which they loaned to the production) and recipes as in the film. However, for all the conceptual rigour on display, the music on the Flux Gourmet is ultimately in pursuit of catharsis, as one character concedes. The power of music and / or noise to purge and cleanse it's makers (and hopefully, listeners) of their ills and woes.

German thrash legends Sodom make a triumphant return with their first full-length in years. This self-titled album displays every bit of Sodom's on-going commitment to global domination and metal mastery. With the recent US mini-tour and new DVD serving as a reminder to the old guard and an introduction to the new breed, Sodom is poised to reclaim their position as leaders of the thrash metal elite.

The early days of the iconic Bristol Sound are captured in a new album including an exclusive re- of the very first track from Massive Attack and tracks from Smith & Mighty, Purple Penguin and more.The curated tracks are also linked in that all were originally released with bespoke original covers from legendary Bristol street artists, including Banksy and Will Barras, tying it's toVanguard's current exhibition Bristol Street Art The Evolution of a Global Movement at M Shed, Bristol, running until October.Compiled by DJ Boca 45 (Scott Hendy), Vanguard brings together the seminal tracks that defined the rebellious era which saw the birth of the Bristol Sound for the first time. Featured tracks include an exclusive re- of Any Love - the first ever track by Massive Attack released on Massive Attack Records in 1988, Smith & Mighty's breakout hit Walk On, Purple Penguin's downtempo classic Memphis and other trip hop classics. The LP celebrates the globally recognised Bristol Sound whose experimental breakbeat rhythms and influence still dominate the scene today. Along with classic tracks from the '90's into the '00's and beyond, the album uncovers lesser known cuts by some of Bristol's pioneering musicians such as One Cut and West Country hip hop's finest Aspects.