***Stefan Christensen returns with his first album in three years. In Time sees Christensen enlist the support of the New Haven crew, with contributions from all members of Headroom and Mountain Movers. The album delves back into full band style psych rock akin to his 2019 Unknown Fortune album, albeit in a more deliberate and meditative manner that close listeners will find deeply rewarding. Although In Time was recorded in just a couple of weekend sessions in late 2023, the songs featured were being crafted as far back as 2021. The album nods to a number of different strains of international psychedelia. At different times listeners will catch hints of influence from Sweden’s Pärson Sound / Träd Gräs Och Stenar family tree, UK psych-folk heavyweights like Trees, New Zealand freaks like The Garbage And The Flowers and Space Dust, Kraut-y passages ala Faust, as well as the obvious homage to the Ditch-era in the album’s title track. There is also the notable “Foreign Outlaw,” which is the first to feature Christensen playing jouhikko, an instrument he began playing recently when delving deeper into his own Finnish heritage, the countries traditional songs, and modern experimenters like Pekko Käppi and Lau Nau. All of this is filtered through Christensen’s typical somber and muted delivery, as he contemplates time, the inevitability of its passage, and the horrors along the way. Unlike the dirge of Christensen’s home recorded work In Time was beautifully recorded to tape by John Miller, the New Haven crew’s in-house...
LP $21.95
08/09/2024
***After a decade-long absence Monterrey, Mexico's Los Llamarada return with a brand new album! Many will remember the band’s original run through the aughts that brought three stellar albums on the wonderful S-S label, and many EPs and CDRs of post punk, no wave and psychedelic experimentation. The band's time was abruptly cut short due to lineup changes and the climate of paranoia brought about by the cartel wars of the area. But with increased stability the band has reformed and picked up right where they left off. Space and Time sees Los Llamarada experimenting with new ways of creation. The first major shift is opting for a digital studio recording as opposed to the trusty Tascam 4-track recordings of their past. While the band’s previous forays into the studio had yielded unsatisfactory results, this time around they used local punk legend Chuck Bubble’s home studio, which gave a more comfortable feel and allowed the band to improvise more freely. The sessions saw long-time member Estrella Ek Sanza return to her role on keyboard and vocals, which served as a turning point, reigniting the influence of chance, accidents, and the allure of the unknown. Mishaps were seized upon, allowing for new interpretations and new directions. On Space and Time, originally released digitally and as a limited edition cassette by Registros El Derrumbe, Los Llamarada’s sound continues to be as unique and powerful as ever. There is an undeniable influence from the post-punk sounds of bands like Wire and The Fall,...
LP $25.35
09/08/2023
***New Haven, Connecticut has become an unlikely hotbed of psychedelic activity in the last half decade. In truth this scene has developed over the course of much more than five years—decades of friendship and tight knit community have gradually birthed this vital scene and brought together its diverse artists into unique union. Nobody Knows This Is Somewhere seeks to document one subsect of New Haven’s scene, the deeply intertwined family of friends simply known as The Crew. Features tracks from HEADROOM, STEFAN CHRISTENSEN (HEADROOM), ALEXANDER (aka DAVID SHAPIRO), and MOUNTAIN MOVERS. Limited edition of 500 copies with paste-on 4"x6" photographs.
LP $16.35
01/31/2020
***To call The Pale Light Over The Dark Hills a favorite would be a bit of an understatement. Originally released on cassette in 2017, The Pale Light… has never left regular rotation since it made its way to C/Site HQ in the spring of that year. The album is yet another stunning example of the focused and emotive fingerpicking tunes that DAVID ALEXANDER SHAPIRO (HEADROOM, NAGUAL) is becoming so well known for. This set sees Shapiro truly showcase his many moods, with tunes that explore the melancholy, the somber, the trying and the difficult, the content and the serene. Side A features five untitled tracks that move with a confidence and poise beyond Shapiro’s relatively short time on this globe. Indebted to masters like Basho and Fahey but always with a deep originality and unique perspective, Shapiro’s precise playing and exacting touch will bring listeners to places of new understanding and a deeper sense of self. In contrast, side B is dominated by an untitled 16+ minute meditation that starts at home, patiently journeys through peaks and valleys to the absolute brink of control, guitar strings nearly ripped from their saddles, and somehow manages to restrain its way back to peace, calm and eventually, the familiar... home. The album closes with a two-minute epilogue, not included on the original cassette release, pulling together any loose ends that might still be frayed. With his work as a solo artist, along with duties in psychedelic explorer's Headroom and Nagual, Shapiro has positioned...
LP $16.35
05/10/2019
***After two limited cassette releases, Unknown Fortune is the vinyl debut for STEFAN CHRISTENSEN & FRIENDS moniker. Featuring all members of MOUNTAIN MOVERS and HEADROOM, Unknown Fortune showcases a super group of sorts taking some time to unwind and flow together under the unique and steady guidance of the seasoned songwriter and noisemaker. Recorded by former Mountain Movers drummer JOHN MILLER, at his cozy home studio in one exceptionally productive whirlwind weekend, the album is bookended by two heavy psych explorations. Both feature Christensen and Headroom/Mountain Movers guitarist KRYSSI BATTALENE engaging in aural duals that will not soon be forgotten. The pair dialogue in a sonic language all their own—predicated by over a decade of friendship and musical collaboration, their innate ability to call-and-respond, ebb-and-flow, push-and-pull is without parallel amongst contemporary duos. Meanwhile the consistent and driving forces of RICK OMONTE and DAVID SHAPIRO provide rhythm and structure to even the most chaotic feedback immersions of Christensen and Battalene. Limited to 250 copies with beautiful artwork provided by MATTHEW FORD (Yves/Son/Ace, Factums).
LP $16.35
05/10/2019
***For those lucky enough to witness MOUNTAIN MOVERS live in the recent past, "New Jam" may actually not be all that new. The jam has been a staple of the band's live sets for about a year, and has become something of a rallying anthem for those with the good fortune to have seen them on a regular basis. Unlike most Mountain Movers tracks, "New Jam" is not based in DAN GREENE's song-writing, but rather is lead by RICK OMONTE, who steers the band with a driving and nuanced bass line. On this EP Mountain Movers deliver their two finest studio takes—with numerous versions having been recorded at different times and locations. In "New Jam 5" the band falls in step with Omonte immediately. KRYSSI BATTALENE delves right into the jam’s lead guitar theme but unleashes her signature molten madness quickly and decisively, cueing a major pick up from ROSS MENZE, who’s controlled-chaos drumming is on full display, and Dan Greene, who’s improvisational talents bubble to the forefront. "New Jam 3" sees the band allowing the track to linger and take shape over the course of a full side. Delicate textures from all the players gently push the jam forward to its inevitable climax, bringing to mind the masters of psych and kraut rock alike. This take shows a band with the sort patience and determination that comes from years of getting to know and eventually understanding one another’s quirks, subtleties and, most of all, talents. These two takes are...
12" $16.35
08/10/2018
***Shirese return! Hot off of 2023’s Rose Of Smiling Faces album the East Haven crew have assembled a fresh batch of hook-laden rock anthems. Hardly Cricket sees the band truly lean into their rock tendencies. Those who have enjoyed their past forays into 70s style dual guitar leads will find much to latch onto here. Explosive, high energy tunes like “New Music” and “Sacred Heart” are instantly infectious and truly set the tone with high flying guitar action from all the players. However, as always, Shirese keeps it varied. With songwriting duties being more evenly spread throughout the group this time around, listeners will find 60s garage, country, and even doo-wop inflected songs as well. Matt Paolilo’s ever present vocals and tongue-and-cheek lyrics keep listeners on their toes. While the occasional descent into tape spliced experimental madness still finds its place in the grooves. Shirese continues to evolve as their lineup continues to cement. Gone are the days of a revolving cast of characters, and in its place we find a group of friends who mesh tightly, pushing beyond their perceived limits to true rock’n’roll glory! A Grapefruit Records and C/Site Recordings co-release. Limited to 300 copies.
LP $21.95
TBD