Plans are afoot for a batch of new releases for the end of March. Details will be announced shortly but it'll include a set of live recordings by an expanded Sonnamble line-up made in London and Vienna. Listen to a sneak preview here.

Another new addition are Dublin trio Dentistry, who describe themselves as having influences from Cage to Ambarchi; their album is an eclectic mix of improv and structure from electronics and live instrumentation, and is much more fun that that description might suggest...

Also there'll be a live recording from Fourth Page made at Forwindings last year which the band reckon is their best yet. Another sneak preview is here.

We're also working on another Forwindings event to be held at Shoreditch Church at around the same time; again, date to be announced...

Quick - drive by - zooming piece of news this!

FWD05 - Fourth Page's 'Along the Weak Rope' has been added to our ever growing label section on wage killing website supreme boomkat!

Similar to Pete I guess I felt a bit strange when asked to write a few words about Fourth Page – while I wasn’t involved in making the album I have been part of the team of beavers at the label trying to get it across the finish line release wise - and these things should be neutral right?! Well yes, but to be fair I had so little to do with anything involving the erm/haha A&R bit of this album ending up on forwind I do feel there is suitable distance between me and the release to not be indicted just yet...

So the album. Well the first thing I thought when sitting down to write about it was how I was going to avoid saying 'dark and moody'. But I can't. Those words were made for this album and it's just not fair if I can't use them here! So there - we are done with it! But review cliches aside the album is without doubt at times a very intense listen. The foreboding title track itself being a perfect example of this. There is a real feeling of menace and danger with the minor piano chords, scattering percussion and Beresford's murky, evocative image of moving 'along the weak rope'. But there is also a real sense of adventure and mischief in there too especially in the vocal that encourages the listener to 'lean across the edge'. There are certain animation studios around the planet I would love to see have a go at providing an accompanying video. But in the context of the album it's a very effective opener that really pulls you in from the get go and grabs your attention before some of the more downbeat reflective tracks that follow.

Tracks like 'Your Warm Silhouette' and 'The Air in Between' are definitely at the slower paced end of the scale on the album but they are still too brooding, mournful and indeed busy to ever feel 'laid back'. This sense of contrast between the introspective feel of the album and the outside danger and chaos is perfectly linked up and aurally represented in what Paul May brings to the tracks with his arsenal of ruzzers, rickles, vwipps and twizzers! (You'll understand when you listen!) They ping their way around the mix in some of the more minimal moments arrangement wise and really add an eccentric, edgy but complementary rhythmical edge to the proceedings, and also gives the songs some extra bite and depth during some of the more traditional sounding arrangements.

The production is excellent throughout and manages to pull off that trick of making the whole experience seem quite intimate – you can hear Beresford's every hiss - while giving the fantastic musicianship plenty of room to breathe and be appreciated. And it genuinely deserves this. Hume's piano performances are engaging throughout and effectively restrained especially in places like the beginning of 'The Air in Between'. Marsh adds a warm and industrious backbone to the tracks where he is a little further down in the mix and puts in as near as there is to a rollicking performance on the tracks he completely drives like 'Citadel'.

So there's my snapshot. If you are looking for something to fill that moody, jazzy, reflective, melancholy etc etc late night slot on your playlist but like me need it to still have some real aftertaste then this is a highly recommended addition..