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Book
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9783955752484
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$22.50
PREORDER
RELEASE DATE: 11/14/2025
It's not often that a songwriter will deny being the author of his own lyrics, even less so when writing the introduction to a whole book of them. But, without giving too much away, that's exactly what Bid, the man of words both behind and in front of unashamedly literate UK post-punk psych sophisticates the Monochrome Set, sets out to do in Strange Young Alien. If you have followed the past five decades or so of his band's career, you may well have asked yourself what might possess anyone to write lines such as "Every night at sleepy time / I hang my skin out on the line", from "Eine Symphonie des Grauens". You will find a very definite, highly intriguing answer to this question in Bid's book, though most certainly no literal interpretation. There are background stories, to be sure. Amusing and disturbing ones. But essentially, the more you learn about Bid's writing process, the more mysterious it gets. Part I of the book is technically a memoir, from his childhood experience in India and the Himalayas via his adventures in the music business to the near-fatal aneurysm that physically rearranged Bid's brain in 2010. Part II is a helpful compendium of some of the most fundamentally misheard lyrics in pop, from "He's Frank", "Jet Set Junta" and "The Lighter Side of Dating" all the way to "The Ruling Class". Most centrally though, Strange Young Alien is a book about the human brain, specifically its being inhabited by "the Creature," as Bid likes to call his artistic other self that was revealed to him after his stroke. Getting to know the Creature through his description of this revelation may fundamentally change not just the way you understand Bid's lyrics, but the artistic mind as such. Contrary to appearances, then, this book isn't just one for fans of The Monochrome Set, though they'll doubtless be pleased. This is not just a lyric book -- as well as containing many song lyrics has a short biographical story charting the bands lifespan and Bid's special relationship with his uncontrolled inner artistic demon. Paperback. 240 pages. 13x19,5 cm.
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9783955752330
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Krautrock as an escape from post-war Germany. Krautrock Eruption is a rousing counter-narrative to the usual depictions of Krautrock, written by Wolfgang Seidel, member of Conrad Schnitzler's band Eruption and co-founder of Ton Steine Scherben. Seidel's groundbreaking book, which includes unique historical photographs, paints a vivid picture of the old Federal Republic of Germany, with all of its contradictions and struggles. What is now celebrated as Krautrock emerged in this environment, and at the time was an attempt to contribute the soundtrack to the revolution. As a fly on the wall, Seidel recounts the squats, demos and first concerts of bands such as Cluster, Tangerine Dream and Ash Ra Tempel. Just as precisely and vividly, he recapitulates the influence of minimal music composers such as Steve Reich and Philip Glass, the origins of many Krautrock musicians in jazz and the role of the synthesiser. Wolfgang Seidel delivers a captivating account on Krautrock that dispels many of the founding myths of the first genuinely German pop culture, which above all did not want to be German. In addition, the book is supplemented by a discography of the 50 most important Krautrock records, written by music journalist and Krautrock expert Holger Adam. Translated from German by Alexander Paulick (member of influential Düsseldorf-based avant-garde band Kreidler). Paperback, 186 pages, 7.5 oz, dimensions: 7.5" x 5".
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9783955752378
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Paperback, 251 pages, illustrated, 13x19.5 cm. Existing for a few short years (1984 - 1988), él records was perhaps the most "cult" of the UK so-called "indie" labels. él records was created in 1984 by Mike Alway. Alway was A&R man for Cherry Red signing artists such as Everything But the Girl, The Monochrome Set, and Felt. Alway left Cherry Red to help run Blanco Y Negro (an offshoot of WEA) but soon felt constrained but the conservativism of the commercial music sector and left to set up his own label. él was once described as "the most innately English record label there has ever been" and yet had a global appeal. Alway's mercurial approach was to take complete control of the repertoire, the philosophy of the label's releases and even the titles of songs in the manner of pop impresarios of the past. He became a curator, selecting, shaping and overseeing the records issued on él. He employed songwriters proficient in classical pop techniques such as Nicholas Currie (AKA Momus) and Philippe Auclair (AKA Louis Philippe) who in addition to issuing their own records wrote, arranged and performed for other él artistes and used creative talents such as photographer Nick Wesolowski and designer Jim Phelan to create the él "look." él had a unique flavor eschewing the traditions of rock and indie music of the mid 1980s, exhibiting instead a taste for 1960s bubbelgum and chamber pop, the European chanson tradition, Latin rhythms and film scores (one of él's key players was child prodigy Simon Turner who wrote music for the films of Derek Jarman). The ethos of the label was decidedly un-macho and many of él's key artists were female. Él's first single "I, Bloodbrother Be" by Shock Headed Peters was an uncompromising gay anthem. Alway saw él as a celebration of elegance and beauty, in his own words, "a pop world beyond leather jackets and jeans". While record sales were disappointing, this unique blend was critically acclaimed in the UK and popular in America and mainland Europe while in Japan él had a profound effect, directly influencing the Shibuya-kei phenomenon that included Pizzicato Five, Cornelius, and Kahimi Karie. Bright Young Things is the first book to tell the fascinating story of él, one of the most influential indie labels of all time.
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9783955751821
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Pop music and comic culture -- somehow they have always been siblings. So, what could be more natural than to have the great songs of one of the most legendary bands transformed into comic strips by fantastic illustrators and cartoonists? So here it is: The Go-Betweens songcomic -- Thank You For A Lovely Day. Eleven songs from the entire creative period of the legendary Australian band interpreted by eleven international cartoonists and artists. As diverse, colorful and complex as the band's nine studio albums. In 1977, friends Robert Forster and Grant McLennan founded The Go-Betweens in Brisbane, Australian and within a few years their folky indie rock, songs such as "Right Here", "Love Goes On", and "Streets of Your Town" helped make them an international force in the indie world. In 1989, the band disbanded after six successful albums, only to return in 2000 with a new album The Friends of Rachel Worth -- recorded together with the members of Sleater-Kinney -- followed by Bright Yellow Bright Orange in 2003 and Oceans Apart in 2005 after which the sudden death of Grant McLennan in May 2006 put an end to recording activity. Since then, Robert Forster has been nurturing the band's legacy; helping re-release and present their early works in the form of two box sets by Domino Records, telling the story of the Go-Betweens, as a story of true friendship, in his autobiography Grant and I as well as releasing numerous solo albums and touring them around the world. Liner notes by Robert Forster.
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9783955751739
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Restocked. Dead Moon were a lo-fi garage/rock n' roll band from Portland, Oregon, active for almost 20 years between 1987 and 2006, during which time the band gained a mythic and legendary iconic status. Off the Grid is a "dizzying oral history" about this most stubborn, idealistic and arguably wildest band in the world -- a saga about love itself and the love of rock and roll, about DIY and about an improbable career. The biography of singer and guitarist Fred Cole (formerly of The Weeds, Lollipop Shoppe, and The Rats before Dead Moon) is like a rollercoaster ride through countless bands and musical styles beginning in the Teenbeat era of the '60s driven by an invisible force and one big love. Dead Moon cultivated their DIY code built around Fred's superstitions and avoidance of conventional music industry pitfalls. They toured around the world, played in live clubs between Oregon, Europe, and New Zealand. They cut their own records and ran their own music store and label -- Tombstone Music. Their story is completely unique in the pantheon of rock music: a group who never sold out, never gave in and built a legacy of art and community in a sustainable way almost unheard of. The book is a tribute to their unique aesthetic, unbelievable twisted path of a story and role as pioneers of the Portland music scene. Off the Grid is a declaration of love to Dead Moon, to music in general and to rock n' roll in particular. The documentation tells the entire Dead Moon saga in the words of the band itself. Close friend, author and editor szim spent three summers (2013-2016) in Fred and Toody Coles's attic sifting through photos, flyers and tour diaries, collecting posters and T-shirts and conducting extensive interviews. This fourth revised and updated edition contains 16 more pages than the third and 36 more pages than the first one. The already extensive photo section now holds even more historical material, posters, flyers as well as an extended and completed discography and gig list. Exclusive to this edition is an interview with Edwin He. Softcover; 336 pages. 9.49x1.06x12.6 inches; 3.59 pounds.
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9783955751555
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Extensive show of works by the three iconographic underground bands. The book project M_Dokumente focuses on the explicitly female perspective of the all-female bands Mania D., Malaria!, and Matador on the West Berlin music and art scene from the late 1970s on. The three bands around Beate Bartel, Bettina Köster, and Gudrun Gut played concerts, released records and toured around the world in different formations from 1979 on. What stood out and was new was the self-determined appearance of the musicians, which was reflected in their music and lyrics as well as in their unique style and the genre-crossing approach of "more art in the music, more music in the art". To this day, the three M_Bands are considered visionary, they shaped a new image of women in pop culture and are pioneers and role models for important and necessary emancipatory movements in the music industry. With oral history documentary by and with Beate Bartel, Gudrun Gut, and Bettina Köster as well as contributions by Nick Cave, Diedrich Diederichsen, Christine Hahn, Peter Bömmels, Mark Reeder, Scumeck Sabottka, and Annett Scheffel. In German and English. 184 pages. 8.03x0.63x10.71 inches; 1.47 pounds.
"Beginning in West Berlin, in 1979, with the inception of Mania D., spawning Malaria! and later Matador; in a time when music was essential to movement, to escape, to space, to the scene and to the rebellion of the people; three bands stood for trial and error, trial and terror, anti-conformity, and anti-consumerism, for girl power and sticking it to the man, and for just doing whatever the hell they wanted." --Annika Henderson (Anika)
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9783955751784
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London 1977: Daniel Treacy drops out of school, bored to death. With friends, he records a few songs thanks to a few pounds sterling lent to him by his parents and sends the finished single to the legendary radio DJ John Peel, who is immediately thrilled -- the Television Personalities are born ... In the turbulent life of Daniel Treacy you meet Jimmy Page, Bob Marley, Alan McGee, David Gilmour, Wham!, Nico, and Kurt Cobain. Dreamworld is the very real, very crazy story of a genius in music history. Enriched with plenty of scene and period color from British pop from the 1960s to the present, Dreamworld tells of all the ups and downs of a legend who was once called the "Godfather of Indie Pop". The translation by David Marshall appears with a fully revised color picture section and numerous illustrations. 264 pages. 5.12x0.91x7.32 inches; 0.76 pounds.
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9783955751746
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Born in Lahti in 1965, he changed his name from Lassi Letho to Jimi Tenor in reference to his favorite instrument, the tenor saxophone, and out of admiration for the musician Jimmy Osmond. After school, he took up music studies before eventually moving to New York, where he worked as a souvenir photographer on the Empire State Building. During this time, Tenor continued to work on his music in his flat and a unique mixture between house, jazz, and experimental pop music emerged. His solo debut Sähkömies (1994) established one of the most exciting artistic careers that has lasted for over 30 years. A techno pioneer in the 1990s, Tenor turned to his love of jazz in the 2000s, recording an album with Afrobeat legend Tony Allen and collaborating with several orchestras. As the first part of the new series Sounds, Sights & Stories, Omniverse uses photos and stories to document the various stages of Jimi Tenor's life and career, whose work goes far beyond his music -- from photography and filmmaking to instrument making and fashion design, everything is conceivable in the world of what is probably the first Finnish pop star. Hardcover; 192 pages. 8.03x0.83x9.57 inches; 1.58 pounds.
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