Features

In this episode of Liner Notes, we go behind the music of our new release, Even the Forest Hums: Ukrainian Sonic Archives 1971-1996. Join liner notes writer, filmmaker, and music enthusiast Vitalii “Bard” Bardetskyi for a journey of historic significance through the sonic landscape of Kyiv, Lviv, & beyond.     Liner Notes is a co-production of Light in the Attic and Ruinous Media. Edited and Mixed by Chris Duryee and Joe Plummer. >>> 2xLP, CD, & Digital available now

The first of its kind, J Jazz: Free and Modern Jazz Albums From Japan 1954-1988 boasts 400 pages filled with full-size versions of Japanese Jazz album covers. It's quite literally the biggest J Jazz book ever printed! The stunning 400-page, large-format, hardcover book includes a CD with 10 Japanese Jazz tracks for good measure. We recently had the pleasure of chatting with Tony Higgins and Mike Peden, the great minds behind this spectacular series and unique collection.     Light in the Attic: You've compiled four brilliant volumes of Japanese jazz and now this incredible book. Was there an album...

Pacific Northwest isolation mixed with wide-eyed ambition, a strong sense of family, and the gift of music proved to be quite the combination for teenage brothers Donnie and Joe Emerson. Spurred on by their high school’s music program, Donnie and Joe received a further push from their lifelong farmer father, who drew up a contract stating that he’d support his sons lofty ambitions with their very own recording studio as long as they focused on original material—sage advice for a man with zero experience in the music business. Originally released in 1979, Dreamin’ Wild is the sonic vision of the...

Each Light in the Attic release has a unique story behind it, and even more unique are the artists themselves.  A few years back, we launched an ongoing series in our zine called Bite in the Attic, in which we asked some of our artists for their favorite recipes. This recipe comes to you from Ishmael Butler of the Digable Planets. Music supervisor & former LITA staffer Hilary Staff linked up with Ish for some pro tips on the recipe before putting it to the test. Hilary: When we saw that Digable Planets would be playing a reunion show in LA, we...

Organic, electric, freeform. Pete Jolly's Seasons is an unsung masterpiece of ensemble groove and stellar musicianship, equally unsurpassed and inspired in its quiet excellence. Recorded in 1970, Seasons never had significant commercial success upon its release but has since amassed a cult following, leading collectors to pay top dollar for copies of the rare record, whose tracks would eventually be sampled by Cypress Hill, Jay Dee, & Busta Rhymes. Legendary Bassist Chuck Berghofer (The Wrecking Crew) not only plays on Seasons but was also a close friend of Pete Jolly. In this episode of Light in the Attic's Liner Notes,...