Torn Light Records › Staff Picks

Equipment Pointed Ankh – Without Human Permission

What our staff has to say: “One of my favorite bands making music in the world today. All star cast of Kentucky HEADS – members of Flanger Magazine (Torn Light), […]

GENRE: Art Rock / Krautrock / Prog / Psych

God’s Own Country : A NZ Mixtape – Radio Topo #16

$8.00 | Cassette, CS Add to cart

What our staff has to say: “Very cool mix from Brian McCabe (Sorry Eric) of the highlights from New Zealand’s indie rock history. A great primer for the uninitiated or […]

GENRE:

Here Comes Your Midnight Man – A Folk Mixtape – Radio Topo #5

$8.00 | Cassette, CS Add to cart

Recycled C60 CS Folk mixtape curated by Alex York (Torn Light/Fantastique) & John Rich (Wasteland Jazz Unit / No Response) C60 (minus a few min’s) of downer folk. Dreary and […]

GENRE: Folk / Country

Transmissions From Abroad – The Italian Connection / Italo 77-90 – Radio Topo #9

$8.00 | Cassette, CS Add to cart

Radio Topo #9 Recycled C60 of Italo Disco / High NRG bangers from the 80’s All Vinyl Mix by DJ WW4

GENRE: Dance

New Monuments – Language Is The Skin CD

$13.00 | CD Ships on/around Jun 30, 2022 Add to cart

What our staff has to say: “The birth of NEW FREE JAZZ. A completely unhinged document of New Monuments. Fresh new quartet line-up. This is the next level, and the […]

GENRE: Jazz / Fusion / Free Jazz

Tiny Vipers ? Hands Across The Void

$20.00 | LP, Vinyl Add to cart

What our staff has to say: “Achingly beautiful, sparse, acoustic singer-songwriter tracks with occasional noise moments, situated somewhere in the Cat Power, Adrianne Lenker, and even [...]

GENRE: Indie / Alternative

Gun Outfit ? Dream All Over

$18.00 | LP, Vinyl Add to cart

What our staff has to say: “From the class of early 2000’s Olympia WA heroes including bands like Milk Music, Sex Vid, and Broken Water. I really love Gun Outfit. […]

GENRE: Indie / Alternative

Alex York – Black Tupelo CD

$12.00 | CD Add to cart

What our staff has to say: “A completely mesmerizing, beautiful CD by Alex. His droning, minimal collages speak perfectly to how in sync folk and minimalism are.” – Hannah Alex [...]

GENRE: Experimental / Noise

Scritti Politti – Early

$23.00 | 2xLP, Vinyl Add to cart

What our staff has to say: “Been jamming a lot of the early Rough Trade singles lately, so gotta throw on these early Scritti Politti one’s included on this comp.” […]

GENRE: Post-Punk / Goth / Darkwave / Minimal Synth

Dead C – Tusk

$29.00 | 2xLP, Vinyl Add to cart

What our staff has to say: “Ba Da Bing! dropping the heat with three Dead C reissues from their mid 90’s period, The Operation of the Sonne, White House, and […]

GENRE: Experimental / Noise, Indie / Alternative

Love Cry Want – S/T

$30.00 | LP, Vinyl Add to cart

What our staff has to say: “Wild record on many levels, recorded at an anti-war rally in DC in ’72, featuring organist Larry Young and percussionist Joe Gallivan. Organ heavy, […]

GENRE: Art Rock / Krautrock / Prog / Psych, Jazz / Fusion / Free Jazz

The Smiths – Meat Is Murder

$24.00 | LP, Vinyl Add to cart

What our staff has to say: “Still one of the best, haters be damned” – Cleo Vinyl LP pressing. Digitally remastered edition of this 1985 album from the legendary British […]

GENRE: Indie / Alternative

Osmo Lindeman – Electronic Works

$35.00 | LP, Vinyl Add to cart

What our staff has to say: “Incredible works from Finnish electronic music composer. Fits right in with the Sahko catalog.” – Alex *includes a CD featuring all tracks from the [...]

GENRE: Modern Composition / Musique Concrete / Electronic

Cosmic Scholar: The Life and Times of Harry Smith

$31.00 | Book, Print Add to cart

What our staff has to say: “The Harry Smith resurgence is upon us.” – Jack He was an anthropologist, filmmaker, painter, folklorist, mystic, and walking encyclopedia. He taught [...]

GENRE: Art/Photography, Folk / Country, Non-Fiction

Magn?s P?lsson ? Enginn Gleypir S_?_lina CD + Book

$21.00 | LP, Vinyl Add to cart

What our staff has to say: “Audio from a Magnus Palsson exhibit. Very Runzelstirn Gurgelstock or Hermann Nitsch energy here. Lots of of grunting, moaning and intimate human sounds. Includes [...]

GENRE: Modern Composition / Musique Concrete / Electronic

Chlorine ? Wait For The Light To Shine

$20.00 | LP, Vinyl Add to cart

What our staff has to say: “The instrumentals on this record are fantastic – super hazy synths, steady drum machine, all creating this surreal wash of sound. Perfect for lonely […]

GENRE: Indie / Alternative, Post-Punk / Goth / Darkwave / Minimal Synth

Gong – Magick Brother

$29.00 | LP, Vinyl Add to cart

What our staff has to say: “Gong’s first, a previously hard to get album is back in print. Comparatively to the albums they did a few years after, this one […]

GENRE: Art Rock / Krautrock / Prog / Psych

T.V. Star – Hallucinate Me

$16.00 | LP, Vinyl Add to cart

What our staff has to say: “Seattle’s TV Star Hallucinate Me is a short but sweet 12″ EP. 6 songs of killer Alt Country Twangy Psych Rock.” – Dan The […]

GENRE: Indie / Alternative

Model Citizens – NYC 1978-1979 (Red Vinyl)

$27.00 | LP, Vinyl Add to cart

What our staff has to say: “Adjacent to New York’s No Wave movement, but straddling a line maybe a bit closer to new wave than a lot of the no […]

GENRE: Post-Punk / Goth / Darkwave / Minimal Synth

Oneohtrix Point Never – Again (Blue Vinyl)

$35.00 | 2xLP, Vinyl Add to cart

What our staff has to say: “Been jamming this nonstop for a week now. It scratches all itches for those who love OPN & his refined 21st century electronic pop […]

GENRE: Experimental / Noise, Techno / House / Electronic

Peter Jefferies – Closed Circuit

$25.00 | LP, Vinyl Add to cart

What our staff has to say: “New Zealand’s best! Keep the Peter Jefferies reissues coming, and for the love of god someone reissue the damn Plagal Grind EP already!” – […]

GENRE: Indie / Alternative

Dead C – Operation Of The Sonne

$21.00 | LP, Vinyl Add to cart

What our staff has to say: “The weird, undersung cousin of Tusk & The White House. Operation Of The Sonne is the closest Dead C’s gotten to touching on the […]

GENRE: Experimental / Noise, Indie / Alternative

Hayden Pedigo – The Happiest Times I Ever Ignored

$26.00 | LP, Vinyl Add to cart

What our staff has to say: “Beautiful instrumental acoustic guitar for late-summer relaxing. Hayden Pedigo has a great touch for crafting melodies and setting atmospheres.” – [...]

GENRE: Indie / Alternative

Technical Space Composer’s Crew – Canaxis 5

$20.00 | LP, Vinyl Add to cart

What our staff has to say: “Holger Czukay & Rolf Dammers getting so wild. Stockhausen zoned experimental. Incredibly various and musical. ‘Shook Eyes Ammunition’ is the best song title ever.” [...]

GENRE: Art Rock / Krautrock / Prog / Psych

DAF – Alles Ist Gut

$20.00 | LP, Vinyl Add to cart

What our staff has to say: “An incredibly cold & efficient record that still rips hard 40 years later.” – Cleo Many things have been said about this band: they […]

GENRE: Industrial / Power Electronics, Post-Punk / Goth / Darkwave / Minimal Synth

Twink – You Reached For The Stars: The Best Of Twink (Violet Vinyl)

$25.00 | LP, Vinyl Add to cart

What our staff has to say: “Wild British psych from Twink, of Pretty Things and Pink Fairies. His Think Pink record is classic, and this combines a number of tracks […]

GENRE: Art Rock / Krautrock / Prog / Psych

Jackie Mclean – Capuchin Swing

$18.00 | LP, Vinyl Add to cart

What our staff has to say: “McLean is the man. 1960 bebop chiller, and a good starting point for his vast catalog. He’s well worth diving into deeply, mid to […]

GENRE: Jazz / Fusion / Free Jazz

David Axelrod – Earth Rot

$18.00 | LP, Vinyl Add to cart

What our staff has to say: “My favorite of Axelrod’s works. The Warning Talk Pt. 1 starts the record off with a bright opening, it feels like the sun is […]

GENRE: Art Rock / Krautrock / Prog / Psych, Rock / Pop

Magnus J?verling ? Bowdark

$22.00 | LP, Vinyl Add to cart

What our staff has to say: “Feels and sounds like a real movie score. For fans of electronic music sounds.” – Jack Bowdark is the name of a fictitious town […]

GENRE: Modern Composition / Musique Concrete / Electronic

Equipment Pointed Ankh – Downtown! LP

$22.00 | LP Add to cart

Ships prior to release date of 9/29/2023. What our staff has to say: “‘Kentucky Kraut Rock’ If you are not yet familiar with EPA, please make it a point to […]

GENRE: Art Rock / Krautrock / Prog / Psych

Colin Andrew Sheffield – Images

$15.00 | LP, Vinyl Add to cart

What our staff has to say: “Gorgeous ambient soundscapes through manipulated samples of jazz records. While the source material is mostly unrecognizable, completely repurposed into amorphous [...]

GENRE: Modern Composition / Musique Concrete / Electronic

Herbie Hancock – Takin’ Off (Blue Note 80th Anniversary Edition)

$28.00 | LP, Vinyl Add to cart

What our staff has to say: “Early Hancock album. His first acoustic version of Watermelon Man. A 1962 Blue note album through and through.” – Jack In honor of Blue […]

GENRE: Jazz / Fusion / Free Jazz

Faust – S/T

$29.00 | LP, Vinyl Add to cart

What our staff has to say: “The first Faust record still hits the hardest. The warped sample of All You Need Is Love is still just as startling. Absolute best” […]

GENRE: Art Rock / Krautrock / Prog / Psych

Alternative TV – Vibing Up The Senile Man

$21.00 | LP, Vinyl Add to cart

Possibly one of the weirdest experiments in the post-punk realm, Vibing Up the Senile Man (Part One) is the second studio album by English anti-heroes Alternative TV, originally released in […]

GENRE: Post-Punk / Goth / Darkwave / Minimal Synth

VA ? Revolutions Per Minute (The Art Record)

$20.00 | 2xLP, Vinyl Add to cart

What our staff has to say: “Originally released in 1982 and now available from Song Cycle Records, Revolutions Per Minute (The Art Record) showcases 3 to 5 minute sound pieces […]

GENRE: Modern Composition / Musique Concrete / Electronic

Lou Reed – Words & Music, May 1965

$25.00 | LP, Vinyl Add to cart

What our staff has to say: “Previously unreleased early demos of some of most beloved Velvet Underground songs, played by Lou and John with their guitars and nothing else. You […]

GENRE: Art Rock / Krautrock / Prog / Psych, Rock / Pop

Alan Licht, Charles Curtis, & Dean Roberts – May 99

$19.00 | LP, Vinyl Add to cart

What our staff has to say: “Live set from 1999, from Alan Licht (gtr), Charles Curtis (cello), and Dean Roberts (electronics). Great electro-acoustic drone!” – Jon In the spring [...]

GENRE: Experimental / Noise

Alan Licht and John Krausbauer – Self Titled 7″

$12.00 | 7" Add to cart

What our staff has to say: “Insane amplified violin shredding on top of electric guitar on A side – I’ve never heard a violin sounding like that, blending completely with […]

GENRE: Experimental / Noise, Modern Composition / Musique Concrete / Electronic

Albert Ayler – Europe 1966 (RSD)

$125.00 | Box Set, Vinyl Add to cart

What our staff has to say: “Lovely boxset of select dates from Ayler’s 1966 Euro tour. Live material from this tour has been dug up over the years, most notably […]

GENRE: Jazz / Fusion / Free Jazz

XV – On The Creekbeds On The Thrones

$16.00 | LP Add to cart

What our staff has to say: “Psycho garage jammers XV with an incredible LP of mangled rock. 10/10 Beyond measure, it’s a perfect album. Disjointed jangle garage stoner thrift midnight […]

GENRE: Indie / Alternative

Einst?rzende Neubauten _? Live At Rockpalast 1990

$7.00 | CD-R Add to cart

What our staff has to say: “Nasty live 1990 bootleg CDr from Neubauten.” – Alex CDr packaged with fold over cover in polybag. When the band Einstürzende Neubauten was being […]

GENRE: Industrial / Power Electronics

Shirese – Rose Of Smiling Faces LP

$23.00 | LP Add to cart

What our staff has to say: “If the almighty Grapefruit Records has a hand in it, you know it’s going to be good. Killer psyched out rock very reminiscent of […]

GENRE: Art Rock / Krautrock / Prog / Psych

Auntie Pus – Halfway to Venezuela b/w Marmalade Freak (Pink Vinyl)

$10.00 | 7" Add to cart

What our staff has to say: “Leave it for General Speech to show you something you’ve never heard of. This time it’s Auntie Pus. Early UK punk, friends and contemporaries […]

GENRE: Punk / Hardcore

V/A – Sound

$24.00 | LP, Vinyl Add to cart

What our staff has to say: “Etats-Unis (Superior Viaduct’s more experimental reissue label) had a recent LAFMS drop (Smegma, ID Art #2, Blorp Esette Volume One, and the La Forte […]

GENRE: Experimental / Noise, Modern Composition / Musique Concrete / Electronic

Beat Happening – Black Candy

$23.00 | LP, Vinyl Add to cart

What our staff has to say: “Some records should never go out of print, Beat Happening’s output is a staple of indie rock. Glad these are available again, for now.” […]

GENRE: Indie / Alternative

Beat Happening – Jamboree

$23.00 | LP, Vinyl Add to cart

What our staff has to say: “Indian Summer is one of the best songs to ever come from the PNW. Thank you Calvin Johnson.” – Dan Produced by Steve Fisk, […]

GENRE: Indie / Alternative

Yo La Tengo – This Stupid World

$31.00 | 2xLP, Vinyl Add to cart

What our staff has to say: “Absolutely floored by this, feels like it’s already 20 years old. Everything from the recording to the writing feels genuine for YLT and the […]

GENRE: Indie / Alternative

Roky Erickson & The Explosives – Live At The Whisky 1981 (Grey Marble Vinyl)

$26.00 | LP, Vinyl Add to cart

What our staff has to say: “Roky is the greatest of all time. Live recording rock records are usually a pretty big pass for me, but this one is great […]

GENRE: Art Rock / Krautrock / Prog / Psych

The 12th Annual International Sound Poetry Festival – Boxset & Book

$85.00 | Book, CS Add to cart

What our staff has to say: “Almost 5 hours of recordings from the 12th Annual International Sound Poetry Festival on 4 cassettes and including a lovely 240 page book documenting […]

GENRE: Experimental / Noise

Faust – The Faust Tapes

$27.00 | LP Add to cart

What our staff has to say: “Meant to be more of a promotional album on being signed to Virgin Records and only costing the amount of a single, this one […]

GENRE: Art Rock / Krautrock / Prog / Psych

Matthew J Rolin – Passing

$22.00 | LP Add to cart

What our staff has to say: “I’m a big fan of Matthew Rolin’s guitar style, and this recent record is stunning. Each track is a dense, glimmering passage of fingerstyle […]

GENRE: Folk / Country

Stereolab – Transient Random Noise-Bursts With Announcements

$35.00 | Box Set, Vinyl Add to cart

What our staff has to say: “One of the best Stereolab records to zone out to in my opinion. I’ve definitely gotten lost in my thoughts to the droning masterpiece […]

GENRE: Indie / Alternative

Unica Zurn – The Man of Jasmine & Other Texts

$24.00 | Book, Print Add to cart

What our staff has to say: “A unique and disturbing memoir from an underread surrealist master” – Cleo Anagram play meets psychic crisis in Unica Zürn’s acclaimed [...]

GENRE: Memoir, Weird Fiction/Sci-Fi/Unexplained Phenomena

Missouri Williams – The Doloriad

$17.00 | Book, Print Add to cart

What our staff has to say: “An amazing and dark first novel about the different forms that humanity and perseverance can take. Probably the best and most troubling book I […]

GENRE: Weird Fiction/Sci-Fi/Unexplained Phenomena

Edgar Froese – Aqua

$30.00 | LP, Vinyl Add to cart

What our staff has to say: “Froese’s first solo album reissued for RSD, a completely immersive electronic experience of pulsating synths and library music-like atmospheres. He creates [...]

GENRE: Art Rock / Krautrock / Prog / Psych, Experimental / Noise

Equipment Pointed Ankh – Changing Legs

$10.00 | CD Add to cart

What our staff has to say: “EPA return with a disc of duos. I would say this is a good disc for all Improv Heads, Kraut Rock Dropouts, & Kentucky […]

GENRE: Experimental / Noise

Alan Licht – Three Chords and a Sword: Solo Cover Versions 1988-2021

$12.00 | CD, CD Add to cart

What our staff has to say: “Nobody could make Van Halen sound pretty but Alan Licht.” – Cleo Three Chords and a Sword is a collection of eight cover songs […]

GENRE: Experimental / Noise, Indie / Alternative

Chronophage – S/T

$20.00 | LP, Vinyl Add to cart

What our staff has to say: “Chronophage is one of those bands that I will forever be interested in their output. This most recent record feels like a small departure […]

GENRE: Indie / Alternative

Fuxter Schittly – “1998 – 1999 God Particles”

$10.00 | CD, CD Add to cart

What our staff has to say: “An excellent example that we have no real grasp on what is going on around us. In a world of fake news and discordianism, […]

GENRE: Experimental / Noise

Ann Quin – Tripticks

$12.00 | Book, Print Add to cart

What our staff has to say: “A joyful & experimental deathtrip of a science fiction novel” – Cleo First published in 1972, Ann Quin’s fourth and final novel was a […]

GENRE: Fiction/Poetry/Essays/Criticism/Transgressive