On November 10th, On U-Sound , the creative outlet and seminal dub label run by producer Adrian Sherwood , reissued some early releases and a compilation of unreleased tracks from Sherwood’s own project, Dub Syndicate .   Following the short-lived but seismic effect punk rock enjoyed in 1977, the need to expand upon the music’s creative and cultural reach bore a period of musical output that harnessed not only the primal aspects of punk rock music, but also pulled from many genres: funk, disco, jazz, and reggae.   Sherwood, himself a fanatical devotee of reggae music, acted as a small-time distributor of dub singles before growing into a curator of sorts, performing in multiple groups, producing acts, and eventually launching the On U-Sound label, through which he was able to not only pursue his own musical endeavors but to provide a platform for other artists.   With that said, Dub Syndicate, which would later develop into a creative partnership between Sherwood and dru...

Yesterday felt like the first sunny day to grace my small corner of the world in weeks.  So, my mood greatly improved by warm air and the radiating glow of sorely missed sunshine, I took a drive over to Siren Records and dropped a hefty sum on the following: Siren Records Doylestown, PA Sun Ra and His Solar-Myth Arkestra The Solar-Myth Approach Vol. 1 & 2 BYG Actuel Originally released: 1972 Reissued: 2014(?) Continuing with my Sun Ra streak, I found both volumes of The Solar-Myth Approach , which had been originally released in 1972 by the French label, BYG Actuel.  I'd intended on leaving the store with at least one Sun Ra album, following the planned raid on all those El Saturn reissues I'd discussed per my last visit to Siren.  Unfortunately, their inventory had been picked over pretty well, but these two albums caught my eye and it seemed foolish to buy an incomplete set.  I haven't listened to them yet, but they're 180gram pressings, nice gat...

For 2008's Another Sound Is Dying , metal/reggae threesome Dub Trio joined Mike Patton 's Ipecac label, crossing over from ROIR, which is probably best known for releasing Bad Brains ' self-titled classic. The band is back with ROIR and releasing their fourth album, Dub Trio IV , in October.  As anticipation of this news set in, I've been revisiting their three prior albums, the aforementioned Another Sound Is Dying , New Heavy (2006), and Exploring The Dangers Of... (2004), each of which is demonstrative of rhythmic and arrhythmic brilliance and consistently ups the amplification ante.  They get louder and stronger, so Dub Trio IV has a lot to live up to. Info comes courtesy of Speakeasy PR. Another Sound Is Dying was reviewed by Letters From A Tapehead in 2008 . DUB TRIO SET OCT. 25 RELEASE FOR DUB TRIO IV   BROOKLYN TRIO'S FOURTH ALBUM REUNITES BAND WITH ROIR; COMES AFTER JOINING MATISYAHU AND MIKE PATTON'S TOURING BANDS Left to right: ...

The title track from BLK JKS ’ upcoming EP has posted, and I’m a little disappointed. I guess for getting the party started or rallying the football (ahem, soccer) fans to get all hooligan-like, maybe it’s appropriate. Typically, there’s a lush and rather amazing instrumentation that goes along with BLK JKS that is remarkably absent with this track, but it’s an event song. Hopefully, the rest of the EP won’t follow suit. ”ZOL!” Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

Subhumans Bluurg/Southern The Day The Country Died (Reissue) From The Cradle To The Grave (Reissue) Released: 5.26.09 Time Flies/Rats (Reissue) Worlds Apart (Reissue) Released: 6.16.09 EP-LP (Reissue) 29:29 Split Vision (Reissue) Released: 7.14.09 No Ripcord review Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

About a year ago, I found a copy of The Pop Group 's For How Much Longer Do We Tolerate Mass Murder? on vinyl for a lot less than I thought I'd have to spend. As I've gotten more and more acquainted with the album, (this and 1979's Y ), The Pop Group have become one of those near-obsessions for me, the type that outlast any real interest in current music, (though, my latest addiction has been Mission Of Burma 's Vs. ), and that's led me to look into other funk-post-punk Brit bands like 23 Skidoo , Throbbing Gristle and A Certain Ratio . Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

This was in my head this morning and I figured it would end the week on a classic note. Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

Dub Trio Another Sound Is Dying Ipecac Recordings Released: 1.29.08 Rating: 9.25 out of 10 A couple years ago while Tower Records was in the midst of crumbling to oblivion, I picked up a discounted copy of New Heavy by Brooklyn-based, Dub Trio . Learning of them through their involvement with Mike Patton ’s pop-experiment, Peeping Tom , (their collaborative “We’re Not Alone” was remixed for this record), New Heavy left a fairly indelible impression on me, an impression that immediately led me to pick-up their previous record, Exploring The Dangers Of . Aside from its somewhat obvious owing to the punk/reggae pathos that defines the mighty Bad Brains , New Heavy was also alive with the possible expansion of what could easily be called “limited.” It had the spirit of Lee Perry and an influx of Bill Laswell experimentation. But, most importantly, it rocked. Upon first listen I could visualize the glassed corneas of frat house inhabitants suddenly shatter while their smoke...