A new studio album by the German progressive / hard rock legends. In the 1970s, Birth Control were one of the most internationally successful German rock bands . Since their spectacular album debut in 1970 on the cult label Ohr, the band has released more than thirty long players, including timeless classics such as "Operation", "Hoodoo Man" (which includes the disco hit "Gamma Ray") and "Plastic People". Their 21st regular album is the first since the death of the band mastermind, singer and drummer Bernd Noske. Birth Control has always had a completely unique sound, showing the creativity and range of the current line-up on this album and gets to the heart of their wealth of ideas in 54 minutes, bringing 8 new studio tracks to the turntable, including a reworking of the 1972 hit Gamma Ray. Furthermore, seven new songs from the compositional pen of their songwriter duo Kühn / Ettrich, a brilliant mix of progressive/hard rock, blues and funk.

Hyperion’s record of the month for January presents, for the first time, the original version of Delius’s Piano Concerto. Two years after completing this work in 1904, Delius recast it, rejecting the third movement and reorganizing other material. Perhaps thinking that the solo part wasn’t sufficiently pianistic, Delius also consulted a friend, the Busoni pupil Theodor Szántó, who rewrote the piano part in virtuoso style (with Delius’s ultimate approval). It is the Szántó version that has, until now, always been performed. With Delius’s original, characteristically refined orchestration also restored (from the orchestral parts that survive from the first performance in 1904), we can now hear this work as the composer envisaged before the involvement of another hand.

Although he was known as the Swedish Mozart, Joseph Martin Kraus (1756-1792) was actually born in central Germany. Persuaded by a fellow law student to apply for a position in the Swedish court orchestra, he remained in the employ of King Gustav III until his death. Known primarily for his symphonies, he also wrote at least 8 String quartets, including the 4 on this disc.

Outstanding 12th studio disc by this awesome blues/rock guitarist from Iowa featuring 10 songs of excellent, dynamic, soul-powered, blues-based, retro-fied, six string mojo that stands tall & lands solid between a rock and a blues place. Bryce Janey is the real deal: an authentic, bad-ass, Stratmaster guitar slinger with way-kool, whiskey-soaked vocals who will rock your damn blues away. On "Blue Moon Rising", Bryce Janey turns up the "Janey Juice" and takes us on an awesome musical ride with his guitar fueled, power trio mojo train that rocks solid with pure "down home" certfied blues power deep into the night featuring Dan Johnson on bass & Eric Douglas on drums.

Classical music and jazz have reached their highest peaks through a perfect formation: the quartet. String quartet for one, quartet with trumpet (or saxophone), piano, double bass and drums for the other. Daring to bring these two poles together is David Enhco's bet with his new creation Family Tree.

The tapestry of drama, refinement and expressive lyricism in Dag Wirén’s four string quartets (the First Quartet was withdrawn) provides a substantial overview of his musical evolution over 35 years. His earlier works are more accessible than challenging, as demonstrated by the relaxed and affirmative Second and Third Quartets. The Fourth Quartet is more sombre, with nods towards Sibelius and Shostakovich, and in the Fifth, completed not long before Wirén’s retirement as a composer, the easy confidence of the earlier quartets has been replaced by a mood of pessimism and uncertainty.

This release has long been considered Thelonious Monk's acknowledgement to the flourishing youth-oriented subculture from whence the collection takes its name. Certainly the Grammy-winning cover art - which depicts Monk as a World War II French revolutionary toting an automatic weapon - gave the establishment more than the brilliant swinging sounds in the grooves to consider. Underground became Monk's penultimate studio album, as well as the final release to feature the '60s quartet: Charlie Rouse (tenor sax), Ben Riley (drums), and Larry Gales (bass) behind Monk (piano). One of the motifs running throughout Monk's recording career is the revisitation of titles from his voluminous back catalog. The tradition continues with the autobiographical leadoff track, "Thelonious"…

No filler, all killer! Dynazty from Sweden create with "Final Advent" the most conclusive and definitive album in the band's history so far and the best version of themselves. A remarkably intense album with some of the strongest songs in their history. One of the metal highlights of the year! No filler, all killer! Under this credo Dynazty started working on their upcoming album "Final Advent", when they were abruptly prevented by the Corona Pandemic from touring the successful album predecessor "The Dark Delight". Unimpressed by this break, they put their focus on songwriting as well as production and thus created the most coherent and definitive album in the band's history so far and the best version of themselves.

The second album from classic-sounding Yacht Rock and West Coast artist Page 99 features a stellar cast of musicians including Bill & Tamara Champlin, Peter Friestedt, Paul Pesco, and more! Page 99 was founded to keep the ideals of great West Coast music of the 1970’s and ‘80’s alive. Interesting chord progressions, sophisticated melodies, and top-level musicianship are values that should never be lost or diminished. In the style of artists such as Toto, Boz Scaggs, Steely Dan, Marc Jordan, Kenny Loggins, The Doobie Brothers, Pages, Airplay, and more!

Nordic Union, the ongoing musical collaboration between legendary Danish rock singer Ronnie Atkins (Pretty Maids) and prolific Swedish songwriter and producer Erik Martensson (Eclipse, W.E.T.), have announced their third album, "Animalistic". As has been well documented at this point, Atkins was recently given a stage four cancer diagnosis, but rather than sit at home and sulk, the legendary frontman has thrown himself into creating more music. March 2021 saw the release of his solo album, "One Shot", which was followed almost one year to the day later in March 2022 by another solo album, "Make It Count". Not satisfied with resting on his laurels, Atkins partnered up with Martensson in late 2021 and early 2022 to work on Nordic Union's third album, "Animalistic".