August 25th, 2023

Adam Staple – Quiet Part Out Loud – LP

  1. Quiet Part Loud – 03:38
  2. My Own Devices – 03:48
  3. Vegas Moment – 03:55
  4. Decoder Ring – 03:28
  5. Rapture – 04:12
  6. Michael Myers – 02:56
  7. Haves and Have Nots – 03:08

 

Indie rock polymath Adam Staple returns with his second solo EP Quiet Part Loud – seven more beat-forward songs about echo chambers, mixtapes as identity, unkillable boogeymen, cultural burnouts, and one-in-a-million jackpots.

Firmly grounded in alt-rock and pulling from influences as far-flung as Spoon, Peter Gabriel, Art Blakey, Nilufer Yanya, The Damned, and Newfoundland traditional music, Quiet Part Loud continues the previous EP SuperAntiHero’s exploration of Staple’s experiences with his “mental health skeets” – panic disorder, agoraphobia, and depression.

Written and recorded during 22-23, Staple performed, produced, and wrote (with the exception of a cover of Blondie’s “Rapture”) all the songs on the EP, which also features guest spots from Kelly Russell, Kelly-Ann Evans, and Jayne Batstone.

A veteran of the St. John’s indie scene for 35 years, Staple has previously written and released music as a member of Drive, Bash Brothers, McKudo, and Kelly Russell & The Planks. He was the long-time drummer for singer/songwriter Sean Panting; and has appeared on recordings by Alan Doyle, Hey Rosetta, The Punters, and Amelia Curran, among others.

All songs written, performed, and produced by Adam Staple, except:

Kelly-Ann Evans – vocals on Vegas Moment
Kelly Russell – fiddle on Rapture
Jayne Batstone – ukulele on Decoder Ring

August 23rd, 2023

Big Space – In Relation To – LP

In Relation To is Big Space’s sophomore album, following their self-released 2016 debut, Live at The Levee. The album In Relation To was recorded live in studio – with no overdubs – between lockdowns during 2020 and 2021 and was released on October 22.

It’s interesting how just a switch of viewpoints can affect our perception. If you look at the album’s art cover on its initial orientation, you see an asphalt road through a puddle. But reverse the picture, let your senses be charmed, and you see a lovely, snowy day or even an improbable glimpse of the beautiful Milky Way in daylight.

The music is just as good as the art cover at attuning us to the band’s uncommon and fantastic point of view. A studio album becomes a live recording, a prepared session becomes an improvisation, rock becomes progressive, math, or even post-rock, jazz becomes the perfect vector to paint delightful atmospheric soundscapes.

Ian Murphy (b), Ashley Chalmers (d), and Grant King (g), a trio from St John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, are certainly not the kind to see a glass half empty, nor to judge an island as a limiting space. Big Space they are and big spaces they create.

In Relation To, from the blue star-filled half-cloudy sky of St John’s, delicately seduces our ears thanks to the band’s ability to express the whole through the details, while not losing themselves into those same details. And that’s how they focus on taking us further than we ever expected when we first pushed play.

 

Now available on VINYL!

August 23rd, 2023

Selina Boland – All These Hours

All These Hours by Selina Boland is an album that captures the essence of raw emotion and heartfelt storytelling. The concept behind the album is deeply personal, as each of the ten songs represents a moment in Selina’s life that she has spent countless hours reflecting on.

June 30th, 2023

Swimming – That’s OK – LP

The full-length record from St. John’s emo/math rock group Swimming. Features Fred’s Records own Liam Ryan on guitar and vocals along with drummer Jacob Cherwick and bassist Nick Hunk.

June 30th, 2023

Let It All Fall – Underground Music and the Culture of Rebellion in Newfoundland 1977-1995 – BOOK

“A rich oral history that documents in lurid detail the true stores from the St. John’s scene. It’s chaotic and joyful and a wonderful time capsule.” – Christopher Ward, author of Is This Live?: Inside the Wild Early Years of MuchMusic: The Nation’s Music Station.

Let it All Fall traces how underground youth culture challenged social and economic inequity, as well as cultural norms, during one of the most turbulent times in Newfoundland history. 

Author Mike Heffernan was born and raised in St. John’s, Newfoundland. He is the author of the national bestseller Rig: An Oral History of the Ocean Ranger Disaster and The Other Side of Midnight: Taxicab Stories. His work has appeared in Riddle Fence, This Magazine, and Our Times and has been performed on CBC Radio.

June 22nd, 2023

Aaron Collis – Before Daylight In The Morning

Aaron Collis’ new album, Before Daylight in the Morning, has just been released. Aaron is a multi-instrumentalist and singer from Appleton, Newfoundland, best known as one of the finest exponents of the island’s rich tradition of button accordion playing. His virtuosity, as well as his repertoire of music unique to central and northeastern Newfoundland, have quickly garnered him a reputation as one of the province’s outstanding interpreters of traditional music. You can hear Aaron’s playing on several Newfoundland releases including the Dardanelles, Rum Ragged, Duane Andrews, and more!

May 19th, 2023

Da Slyme – If There’s No Rubble, You Haven’t Played: Collected Recordings 1977-1989 LP

A brand new compilation from St. John’s alleged first Punk Band featuring recordings from throughout the band’s brief yet prolific existence. 

May 2nd, 2023

Ian Foster – Close to the Bone

After 20 years in the music business, musician Ian Foster wanted to challenge himself with his new project, Close to the Bone- creating an album and a film at the same time.

April 17th, 2023

Ofra Harnoy & Mike Herriott – Portrait

Ofra Harnoy is a five-time Juno winner and a member of the Order of Canada for her years as a celebrated concert cellist on the world’s great stages, and as a recording artist. Mike Herriott is one of Canada’s most sought-after trumpet players and has appeared on numerous award-winning projects that have included GRAMMY and EMMY awards.

The married couple make Newfoundland home these days have have released 3 diverse recordings over the last five years including Back to Bach and On the Rock, both of which landed on our Classical ChartzOn the Rock won the MusicNL awards for “Classical Artist of the Year” and “Global Music Artist of the Year”.

For their latest project, Ofra and Mike looked to their joint love of opera and musical theatre. Orchestral music put through the theatrical lens. The new album, Portrait, offers selections from Gershwin, Delibes, Bizet, Tchaikovsky, Bernstein, and others. The pieces you will know… the arrangements so specific to their sound.

March 16th, 2023

Navigators – Bay Bulls Cove

Brand new album from the Navigators – Bay Bulls Cove.