NEWS: MONEY – ‘BLUEBELL FIELDS’ VIDEO + TOUR

Having signed to Bella Union after two limited edition 7″ singles last year, Manchester-based quartet MONEY are putting the finishing touches to their much-anticipated debut album, due for release late summer. In the meantime, they have revealed the mesmerising video to ‘Bluebell Fields’, the  first single from the album. The video represents a loving collaboration between the band and young animator Dan W. Jacobs. MONEY comprise... Read More

Album Review: The Flaming Lips – The Terror

As a writer of sorts, I use the advice of others when writing. One quote which I come back to again and again is from George Orwell and it is, ‘If it is possible to cut a word out, cut it out.’ And for me I find that this helps me produce more accurate and accessible writing. With that in mind, I struggle to imagine what George Orwell would have made of the new Flaming Lips album, The Terror. Obviously if he listened to it in 1945 he... Read More

Album Review: Veronica Falls – Waiting For Something To Happen

In the week that My Bloody Valentine have crashed back into the collective musical conversation, it’s particularly intriguing to listen to the sort of new record that Veronica Falls have created. Where the Valentines use their endless list of hip references to find some new path forward of their own making, Veronica Falls are more interested in using existing styles and techniques for their music. The London-based four piece first made an impression... Read More

VIDEO: PINS – ‘LUVU4LYF’

The first track from PINS debut EP LUVU4LYF, released on glittery 10″ vinyl in collaboration with Bella Union. Order here Video credits: Director – Sing J Lee Director of Photography – Davey Gilder Editors – Sing J Lee & Dan W Jacobs  Read More

NEWS: BELLA UNION – 15TH ANNIVERSARY COMPILATION WITH ROUGH TRADE

This year marks the 15th anniversary of the birth of Bella Union Records, and to celebrate they have teamed up with Rough Trade Shops to compile 145 minutes and 52 seconds minutes of music, old and new, that reflects fondly on the beginnings of the label and looks towards the prospects of the future. As well as old favourites like Midlake, Lift To Experience and Dirty Three, there are  6 new and unreleased tracks from Jonathan Wilson, The Walkmen,... Read More

ALBUM: WILD NOTHING – NOCTURNE

To me, Jack Tatum’s music has always seemed contradictory. On his 2010 album, Gemini, Tatum used the stylistic devices of pop music as a stencil to aid his vision. Verses sunk into choruses perfectly, bridges obligingly followed and earworms were unearthed in their masses. As if Tatum’s song writing was akin to slotting together pieces of a jigsaw, the finished articles, when looked upon from afar, just made perfect sense. With indelible hooks... Read More

NEWS: RIMAR – STREAM A TRACK FROM THE FORTHCOMING EP

On Monday 23rd July Brooklynite Rimar will release his new EP ‘Closer’ on Bella Union. Rimar came to our attention last year with the rather sublime EP Higher Ground, seven songs which showcased his talents to mould 70’s funk with the smoothness of modern R&B. These are themes he continues on Closer, taking the brash rhythm of beat music and coating it with delicate melodies to curate a decidedly unique sound. We are offering a... Read More

NEWS: THE WALKMEN – TWO NEW VIDEOS + UK LIVE DATES

The Walkmen have a new visual accompaniments to share with you for ‘The Love You Love’ taken from their new album Heaven. This beautifully shot black & white video was directed by Sean Pecknold and sees Hamilton and his son looking rather creepy in a house with floating cats and fireworks, the whole thing has a very eerie feel. Check it out for yourself below (the video comes courtesy of the folks at Urban Outfitters)… The Walkmen... Read More

NEWS: WILD NOTHING – VIDEO FOR NEW SONG ‘SHADOW’ + 2ND ALBUM DETAILS

Bella Union records are thrilled to announce the signing of Wild Nothing who returns this summer with second album ‘Nocturne’, the follow-up release to his acclaimed debut ‘Gemini’. Ask Jack Tatum what ‘Wild Nothing’ means and he’ll answer: ‘a contradiction’. In 2010, 21 year old Tatum released one of the finest cult pop records of the summer whilst ensconced in his senior year of college in Blacksburg, VA, a small mid-atlantic... Read More

NEWS: FLAMING LIPS – NEW ALBUM & NEW LABEL

Bella Union are truly thrilled to announce the signing of one of our all-time favourite bands The Flaming Lips. The Flaming Lips’ first release for the label will be a project that’s shaping up to be one of the most talked-about releases of the year: THE FLAMING LIPS AND HEADY FWENDS. In between one-off shows scattered around the world over the past several months The Flaming Lips still found time to record a series of unique and experimental... Read More

NEWS: BEACH HOUSE – ‘LAZULI’ VIDEO + UK LIVE DATES

Beach House are pleased to announce the ‘Frightened Eyes‘ 2012 tour, in support of Bloom, the Baltimore-based band’s critically-acclaimed new album. The tour will begin September 13th in Richmond, VA at The National and close on November 19th at the Paradiso in Amsterdam. Upcoming UK live info below… Friday 31 August – DORSET – End Of The Road festival Friday 26 October – BELFAST – Mandela Hall (£16.50) Saturday 27... Read More

NEWS: LAWRENCE ARABIA – WATCH THE VIDEO TO ALBUM TRACK ‘TRAVELLING SHOES’

New Zealand songwriter / producer Lawrence Arabia returns this July with The Sparrow, the follow up to the critically-acclaimed and award-winning Chant Darling. One of the album’s many highlights is Travelling Shoes which has just been made available for free download. Venturing away from the harmony-laden, classic pop production of that release, The Sparrow is a more measured and minimalist work than its predecessor, drawing particularly... Read More

NEWS: JESCA HOOP – ‘BORN TO’ VIDEO + NEW ALBUM DETAILS

Approaching the release of her eagerly anticipated album ‘The House That Jack Built’ (due out June 26th via Bella Union) Jesca Hoop releases the video for her first single from the album “Born To”. The video features two versions of Jesca and illustrates the “what if?” “Born To” asks a question we’ve all asked ourselves “how is it that I was born into the circumstances I was born into. How is it some of us are born into... Read More

Album Review: Beach House – Bloom

The Wire, widely regarded as the best TV series of all time, is particulalry celebrated for its complex story lines, slowly coiling plot, use of authentic slang (only understandable via subtitles), and the way it mercilessly dissects a self-annhilating society from the bottom, with its petty drug dealers and tenement tower blocks, all the way to the top, to City Hall, and its array of corrupt, corrupting and soon to be corrupted officials. The system... Read More

NEWS: LAWRENCE ARABIA – NEW ALBUM ‘THE SPARROW’ VIDEO TEASER

New Zealand songwriter / producer Lawrence Arabia returns with The Sparrow, the follow up to the critically-acclaimed and award-winning Chant Darling. Venturing away from the harmony-laden, classic pop production of that release, The Sparrow is a more measured and minimalist work, drawing particularly on the influence of the symphonic late-sixties work of Scott Walker and Serge Gainsbourg. While various ominous words like ‘mature’... Read More

NEWS: THE WALKMEN – WATCH THE ALBUM TRAILER

New York quintet The Walkmen will release their new album, Heaven, on 4th June 2012 on Bella Union. The record is the band’s sixth and was produced by Phil Ek (Fleet Foxes, The Shins, Band of Horses) whilst Robin Pecknold sings harmonies on two songs on the record. “We felt like it was time to make a bigger, more generous statement…” When describing The Walkmen’s new album, lead singer Hamilton Leithauser portrays a band hitting... Read More

NEWS: FATHER JOHN MISTY – FREE DOWNLOAD, NEW ALBUM DETAILS & VIDEO

When discussing ‘Father John Misty’, Tillman paraphrases Philip Roth: ‘It’s all of me and none of me, if you can’t see that, you won’t get it’. What I call it is totally arbitrary, but I like the name. You’ve got to have a name. I never got to choose mine.” He goes on, “‘People who make records are afforded this assumption by the culture that their music is coming from an exclusively personal place, but more often than not... Read More

NEWS: BEACH HOUSE – NEW ALBUM DETAILS ‘BLOOM’ + HEAR A TRACK IN FULL

Beach House are pleased to share details of their fourth album, Bloom. Like their previous releases it further develops their distinctive sound and stands apart as a new piece of work. The landscape of Bloom was largely designed on the road, between the countless sound checks and myriad experiences of two years of touring. These ideas were later gathered and developed in Baltimore, where the band lives and works. Bloom was recorded in late... Read More

ALBUM: I BREAK HORSES – HEARTS

‘Hearts’ is the product of 2 years of refining and experimenting from the Swedish duo. The sound, which now cascades from my speakers like a pure, hot spring, wastes no time in elevating you to a lofty vantage point. Waves of reverb emerses you and the Cathedral-esque organs inspire while the light guitar adds sparkle. I Break Horses are unashamedly influenced by My Bloody Valentine and the like. They are ‘Only Shallow’ with the grunge turned... Read More