HOT RELEASES - Carrboro, North Carolina

Ryan Martin performs as Secret Boyfriend. Check out his new tape on the always top-notch label I Just Live Here. It's called Furnishing the Void and it's as good an album as he's ever made. It covers a lot of different ground.  When I first saw Secret Boyfriend in a basement in Northampton, I thought he was just a harsh noiser, but the more times I check out his live act or releases, I find a wealth of other musical information.  Martin is as true an outsider as we can have in this modern age and his music should not be ignored.

Neither should his fantastic vinyl label, Hot Releases.  Last year's Ashrae Fax archival find and the year before's double dose of M.B. reissues should already be in your collection, but the new batch is the best yet: Russian Tsarlag / Secret Boyfriend split, Ghedalia Tazartes reissue, Inspector 22 full length, Profligate LP and Tracey Trance full length co-release.  Russian Tsarlag / Secret Boyfriend LP was a great way to start my day. A super mellow long player that showcase's Martin's most spacious side. Gorgeous dreamy vocals and organ can be found on both sides.  The Tsarlag material is a few years old, but has never been issued.  All very hi fidelity.

Ghedalia Tazartes is a French born sound collage and vocal artist who first came to my with the 2011 reissue of his first LP Diasporas from 1979.  His music explores the limitations of the human voice and is both human and experimental.  The new Hot Releases LP Voyage a l'ombre was originally released on CD in 1997.

Inspector 22 Passin' Time 12" I've long been curious about this guy's stuff.  He seems to have a few fans up in Portland, ME where I lived for a time.  Based on the super specific insert, this guy seems like a true character.  Surface comparison's could be made to current ramshackle pop acts like the Happy Jawbone Family Band and also Charlie McAlister and early Beck sonically, but I've got the feeling this goes pretty deep.  The label sums it up best, "blown out Satanic and death-obsessed folk songs with a pleasingly bent guitar style. Death has come, time is near."

Profligate Come Follow Me LP. In case you missed it Noah Anthony's Night Burger project has changed names, but it's still providing the same dancey industrial thrills. This is a companion piece to his current 12" on Not Not Fun.

http://www.hot-releases.org/

Listen to samples from all of the aforementioned Hot Releases on soundcloud