Altered Zones

Among other exciting label news, we just caught wind that Gary War and Taylor Richardson (Infinity Window, Human Teenager, Purple Haze) have lauched their own Brooklyn-based imprint, Fixed Indentity-- a "labor of love" dedicated to "next-level psychedelic achievements of the present, past, and future." Kicking off this initiative, a remastering of British guitarist/songwriter/poet/author Martin Newell's 1985 limited-run cassette, Songs For A Fallow Land.

Newell-- known alternately as the "Wild Man of Wivenhoe" and "Britain's busiest wordsmith, tunesmith, and horitcultural assasin"-- is a cult legend of sorts. He began his career in the glam-rock band Plod, and released a series of solo tapes during and after his stint as frontman for '80s pop balladeers The Cleaners From Venus, which Big Troubles big-upped last year in an AZ guest post. Listen below to "Gamma Ray Blue" from this outsider acid-pop masterpiece, which, according to the Fixed Identity website, was recorded in an old stable building during a self-described period of "extreme poverty." A must for fans of Ariel Pink, John Maus, Gary War (duh), and other contemporary failure-pop masters. (Visitation Rites co-premiere)

MP3: Martin Newell: "Gamma Ray Blue"

Martin Newell's Songs For A Fallow Land will be available via Fixed Identity on February 28th (limited to 500). A Nick Nicely LP is also in the works for March