Sound’s New Release of the Week:

Rose City Band - Earth Trip

The most recent project of underground psych legend Ripley Johnson (Wooden Shjips, Moon Duo) returns with a third album in three years, and it’s another breezy, countrified slice of summery psychedelia.

The stars of the show here are the hazy pedal steel guitar which wafts across the majority of the tracks and Johnson’s beautiful guitar lines, which effortlessly unfurl from his instrument.

Time seems to slow down when you put one of Rose City Band’s albums on, and ’Earth Trip’ is no different, with lyrical themes of stillness, space and taking the time to appreciate nature, home and your surroundings only adding to that.

Johnson was inspired to write about this after you-know-what cancelled his extensive touring plans for last year.

The first two albums by the band are big favourites at Sound Records, so this release has been much anticipated by us over the last couple of months.

by Ed Oldham

Sound Records pick of the week:

Wailers and U-ROY - My Cup Runneth Over

Fifty years ago, U-ROY took the Jamaican music scene by storm.

Revisiting the signature style that made him famous, taking local hits and overdubbing new lyrics, U-ROY recently returned for a new take on some iconic Wailers tracks recorded by Lee Perry in the early 1970s.

Having sadly passed away earlier this year, the resulting LP, My Cup Runneth Over, which was an exclusive Record Store Day 2021 release, was to be U-ROY’s last project.

Alongside American producer and Jamaican record label giant Doctor Dread, he got himself in a Kingston studio and recorded 14 tracks in four hours (all freestyle, of course).

The result is a melting pot of four of the greatest icons from 70s’ Jamaican reggae and a triumphant celebration of the era.

by Owen Atkinson