Transgressive 10

Welcome to #Transgressive10

Every day throughout September we’ll be giving away a rare or unreleased track from a different Transgressive associated artist as part of our 10th Year Celebrations.

To commence - one of the oldest and rarest tracks from an at the cutting edge of sound - Flume.

Possum highlights his DIY roots and melodic approach to production which first came to our attention with the 12” Sleepless, leading us to release his debut album, see it reworked with the likes of Ghostface Killah, M.O.P and Freddie Gibbs before remixing the likes of Lorde and Arcade Fire. Live he’s a phenomenon, recently headlining the BBC Radio 1 Dance Tent at Reading and Leeds Festival. And what’s coming next will blow your mind.

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Flume - Possum

The second of #Transgressive10 giveaways is a rare beauty from The Antlers.

Originally released by our friends at Lefse Records for Record Store Day with Beach House, Spiritulized and more, this track was created using electromagnetic fluctuations in the magnetosphere as the Voyager probe travelled near Jupiter! 
This celestial body proved inspiration for a soundscape that is a beautiful companion to the likes of ‘Undersea’ by a band used to more direct lyrical engagements.
Over the course of their three fantastic records with Transgressive - The Antlers have proven one of the most important and influential of our acts. From breakthrough “Burst Apart” to this years indescribably beautiful ‘Familiars’, The Antlers create albums that you can live in and return to time and time again. And we’re so proud to release them.


The Antlers - Jupiter

Never before released, our third installment of #Transgressive10 features a highlight from the early Mystery Jets live shows (in fact the DVD for our first ever singles compilation shows a live version) - the epic Anno’s Italy.

This piece demonstrates the sense of fearless ambition of the early recordings, and in many ways is the perfect companion piece to Zoo Time off their debut.

The Mystery Jets have been long term favourites for Transgressive - releasing their debut single, publishing their last two albums, and releasing their incredible Live At the Royal Festival Hall record.

Mystery Jets - Anno's Italy

The Shins influence on modern indie music is immense - a key gateway band in a genius sphere of songwriting who celebrate the possibilities of what songcraft can do for the soul. An important band, who we were honoured to release their third album “Wincing the Night Away” with our friends at Sub Pop. 

As part of this campaign, we sought to bring the band over to the UK and Europe, and introduce them to a new audience in a way that we would all of our acts - with love, care, attention and an abundance of unique 7” singles. 

One of which saw an exclusive b-side - a cover of The Magnetic Fields, another legendary songwriting force from the USA, which we offer to you today for free download.

The Shins - Strange Powers (The Magnetic Fields Cover)

Originally written by Jackson Browne, but Nico’s haunting version is surely the key influence here, These Days is a great introduction to one of our most exciting new artists.

Marika’s debut single, produced by Johnny Flynn and released on our paradYse imprint, demonstrated an artist of unique style and vision, which she has developed over the course of a mini-LP “That Iron Taste” and two astonishing EPs.

Now published by Transgressive, the debut album will be released next year by Dirty Hit, and has been produced with Charlie Andrew (alt-J), and is one of the most accomplished debuts in years.

Marika Hackman - These Days (Jackson Browne Cover)

One of our newest and most raucous signings, Fist City are one of the only bands Transgressive have signed without having seen them live, or indeed ever meeting them in person.  Their music made such an impact on us that we snapped them up almost immediately.  Thankfully when they came to the UK to support the re-release of their debut album ‘It’s 1983, Grow Up!’ they turned out to be an unbelievable tour de force live, as well as really lovely people to boot.

A four piece from Alberta, Canada, Fist City bring their cover of Devo’s classic ‘Uncontrollable Urge’ to the table for our 10th Anniversary giveaway.  With twins Kier and Brittany Fist on vocals, Evan van Reekum shredding it on guitar and drummer Ryan Grieve performing some unbelievable feats on the kit, it brilliantly showcases why we jumped at the chance to share this incredible band with the world.

Fist City - Uncontrollable Urge (Devo Cover)

Today we offer you Thumpers astonishing interpretation of Flume and Chet Faker’s ‘Drop The Game’.

Recorded before their Australian tour, Thumpers apply their full instrumentation to Flume’s previous electronic only backing, hyping their percussive approach to pop.

Thumpers debut album “Galore”, published by Transgressive, is out now, through friends Sub Pop in the USA and True Say/Sony RED in the UK+Europe. From the anthemic Unkinder to the deliriously exciting Dancing’s Done, it’s a brilliant debut that underpins their incredible live shows.

Thumpers - Drop The Game (Flume And Chet Faker Cover)

"Alarms In The Heart", the second album from Dry The River, is a perfectly balanced album - which meant inevitably that great songs from the sessions didn’t quite fit. One of them “New Cross” was released as an indie only flexi-disk in the UK with the 12”, and now we are proud to present it to you digitally!

A sensitive, lyrically lush approach to songwriting, compounded by the muscular power of their live approach, “New Cross” will surely become a fan favourite.

The band are special guests at the Transgressive Barbican show, and their aforementioned Top 40 album, featuring Gethsemene and Everlasting Light, is available now.

Dry The River - New Cross

FAMY - 'History Lesson pt. 3 (Minutemen Cover)'

FAMY’s astonishing debut 'We Fam Econo' is out this week - containing the heartbreaking ‘Ava’, arguably one of the best songs we’ve ever had the honour of releasing, along with singles 'Donkey', 'A Ho A Hand' and new single 'Friends Home'.

The title itself is a nod to the Minutemen, a band whose DIY approach inspired not only FAMY, but the early days and ethic of Transgressive as a label. For the uninitiated - check out classic album 'Double Nickles on the Dime' - a double album recorded on a tiny budget to great effect, and read 'Our Band Could Be Your Life'. Then do it yourself.

FAMY - History Lesson Pt. 3 (Minutemen Cover)

Neon Indian’s incredible second album 'Era Extrana' fell to earth to be released by Transgressive with such quirks as a ‘build your own synth’ - along with some of the greatest singles we’ve put out into the world - 'Polish Girl', 'Arcade Blues' and of course 'Hex Girlfriend'.

For Record Store Day, we released one of our rarest and fasting selling releases - a 10” on delicious green vinyl, with this immaculate Twin Shadow remix as the A-side, presented to you now as a free download to celebrate 10 years of Transgressive.

Neon Indian - Hex Girlfriend (Twin Shadow Remix)

This is one of our favourite ever releases - originally a super-ltd 12”...

Given the honour of re-releasing At The Drive-In was a total career highlight for us - one of the bands that first made us want to become involved in music, and to this day an inspiration and unifyer across the roster.

In order to show off a different side to the band, we commissioned one of the most divisive and controversial remixes we’ve released - loved and loathed by a divided fanbase, some of whom were open minded enough to appreciate a totally different perspective on a piece that still rumbles with the abandon and power of the original, and some who felt that its minimal techno, krautrock viewpoints, painstakingly constructed from the original studio sounds by the auteur The Field, were sacrilege. We are eternally proud of it…

At The Drive-In - One Armed Scissor (The Field Remix)

Mechanical Bride released two stunning EPs (compiled as a mini-LP) and an incredible album with Transgressive. A voice that stops you in your tracks, with a unique world view, and songs to comfort and challenge in equal measure.

This glorious cover of the lead single from David Bowie’s inimitable masterpiece 'Low', takes a fresh ‘full band’ approach to track, to deliver a fresh perspective and reveal a truly special artist in the process.

Mechanical Bride -  Sound and Vision (David Bowie Cover)

Foals are a special band - inspiring devotion from all quarters, morphing over the course of three albums and some incendiary singles from math-dance pioneers, to festival headliners attracting both critical and commercial success. They fucking rule.

This cut from their debut “Antidotes” was remixed by Henrick Schwartz, taking the brass laden, mournful bliss into new directions - expanding it into a downbeat house mood. The fact that this is 6 years old, is a testament to how ahead of the game this band are. Catch up.


Foals - Red Socks Pugie (Henrik Schwarz Remix)

Genius is an overused term. Often by me. Maybe even on these posts… But Cosmo lives up to it. 

It would be enough to create an experimental record including the sonic representation of the electromagnetic “clangs” that a new day brings on this Earth. It would be enough to create lush folk-tronic beats out of slates falling from mountains. It would be enough to write densely imaginative, hallucinogenic sound poems. But to do all of this, in one song, and wrap it in melodies that you’ll be humming all day. That’s special.

This early unreleased demo of his debut 7” “The Moss” on our ‘paradYse’ imprint is radically different from the final version, but leads you down the rabbit hole all the same.

We continue the adventure with Cosmo, with a new EP, with further details announced shortly.

http://www.cosmosheldrake.com/

Cosmo Sheldrake - The Moss (Demo)

Much has been made of the youthful exuberance of Blaenavon - developed through their final school years through the classic releases "Into the Night" and the 'Koso' EP… but the hints of a band moving into a position of realising their enormous potential are visible in this remix from Darby - School of Night/The Antlers.

The band are currently working on their debut album proper, isolated from all in a musical adventure that will show the culmination of this first phase of what promises to be a very special act.

Blaenavon - Wunderkind (The Antlers Remix)

Theme Park’s debut album masterfully combines huge singles, with amazing substance, capturing that slight sense of sadness at the heart of all great party songs. 

No strangers to this feeling, the Mystery Jets remixed Jamaica - one of their most glorious singles for us, hyping the steel drums, leading us to a fantasy destination, a true sonic safari.

Theme Park - Jamaica (Mystery Jets Remix)

Spring King are ULTIMATE DUDES.

We first met Tarek Musa as a producer - proudly represented by Claire at Transgressive Producers. Alongside his incredible, inventive work with the likes of Gengahr, Bad Breeding and Cosmo Sheldrake, Tarek created Spring King with his best friends, and over the course of a single and EP on paradYse have developed into the best bossa-garage-monkeys you’ll find….

This song is taken from the forthcoming Cassette Store Day special 80N7 compilation… and shows their more mellow tendencies.

Spring King - Not Me, Not Now

Esser’s debut album Braveface is something of a lost classic - ahead of his time, brilliant attitude thinking person’s pop - with SUCH tunes. From “Headlock”, which we originally released on T-shirt format, to Work It Out, Satisfied and I Love You… balanced by album tracks of insane substance such as Bones and Stop Dancing.

This early b-side shows the punk roots of the project - a joyful explosion of the absurd to blow away the cobwebs and set you up for the day.

Esser - Long Arms

Jeremy Warmsley, now of Summer Camp, released two incredible albums on Transgressive - the debut “The Art Of Fiction” a combination of fresh acoustic and electronic productions with an ambitious approach to deeply personal songs - a precursor to the likes of James Blake. His second album “How We Became” produced with Marcus Dravs (The Arcade Fire, Coldplay, Mumford and Sons), expanded this pallette still further, with deft nods to the likes of Nilsson and Van Dyke Parks.

This cover, released as a standalone double a-side single with “The Boat Song” was intended as a refreshing palate cleanser between albums but grew into a fan favourite and, will always be a uniquely brilliant and personable version of this masterful song.

Jeremy Warmsley - Temptation

When we first signed the Noisettes to Transgressive Publishing, they had yet to morph into the pop-soul genius’ who filled the charts with 'Don’t Upset The Rhythm' and 'Wild Young Hearts' but were an intense live punk-blues-jam band, crawling from the ceiling and bringing an elemental, confrontational experience to venues across the country.

We captured this lightning on their debut single for Transgressive 'Iwe', which was later included on now out of print debut 'What’s the Time Mr. Wolf', along with 'Don’t Give Up', 'Sister Rosetta', 'Scratch Your Name' and 'The Count of Monte Christo'.

Today we present to you two sides to the same song, from the sessions for that album - 'Rifle Song' was a live highlight, and the diversity between these two recordings shows how tangents were explored and fluid in every performance. The UK recording, I think, saw the light of day as a b-side, but the USA recording has been in the vaults until today!

Noisettes - Rifle Song UK

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