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Sister Ray x Evening Standard

Sister Ray x Evening Standard

We're honoured to have received a glowing write-up in Ped Millichamp's article on the best online record shops in the UK: "Sister Ray has been selling music from the heart of Soho for 30 years with the friendliest and most enthusiastic staff.Named after the Velvet Underground track, Sister Ray has survived the twists and turns of the music industry and consumer trends – striding on through the years when the internet signed most other physical retail and record stores’s death certificate.Through sheer determination and commitment to the vinyl format – and by becoming a major force behind ‘Record Store Day’ and the...

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Films, Jazz, Movies, music, OST, records, soho, Soundtracks, staff picks, vinyl -

Leo's Favourite Soundtracks

Leo's Favourite Soundtracks

For full disclosure I’m semi-famous at Sister Ray for not actually liking films very much so it’s somewhat ironic that I have felt inspired by the release of Late Night Tales’ “At The Movies" compilation (available here) to make a rundown of my 5 favourite film soundtracks (in no particular order). Vangelis - "Blade Runner" Probably the film that made me sit up and take notice of soundtrack composition. Can you imagine the sweeping cyberpunk landscapes of Ridley Scott’s future Los Angeles without the looming, doomy synths of Vangelis underpinning it all? Rugged industrial beats, a swooning love theme and...

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Mercury Prize, Mercury Prize 2021, music, records, soho, staff picks, vinyl -

Sister Ray's Mercury Prize Picks: Leo

Sister Ray's Mercury Prize Picks: Leo

Come on Mercury Prize you’re fooling no one. Dangle the carrot of a freaky jazz album then snatch it away and beat us with the Wolf Alice stick. I jest. Long-time fan of Pharoah Sanders and big fan of early Floating Points so was excited to hear this collaboration. My enduring memory of Sanders is me relaxing to one of his more…adventurous…records when my wife came up from work to make a sandwich. She looked at me with pure bemusement and said “is THIS what you listen to when I’m not here?!?”. While the pairing don’t quite go into the...

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Mercury Prize, Mercury Prize 2021, music, new music, new releases, vinyl, wolf alice -

Sister Ray's Mercury Prize Picks: Eve

Sister Ray's Mercury Prize Picks: Eve

I've been following Wolf Alice since I was a teenager, and my relationship with their music has shifted in parallel to their progressing style. From the angsty heavy riffs of their brilliant debut to the often melancholic tone of this latest release, it feels like their music has accompanied many of the major shifts of my life. It's hard to express what the old tracks mean to me and the people I grew up with. I can't hear 'Bros' without tearing up, thinking of the years I spent as a teenager following Wolf Alice with friends who are now scattered across...

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Black Country New Road, Mercury Prize, Mercury Prize 2021, music, records, staff picks -

Sister Ray's Mercury Prize Picks: Oli

Sister Ray's Mercury Prize Picks: Oli

Hi all, Oli here to follow up Eric's favourite nominee in Sister Ray's 2021 Mercury Prize Picks with my personal choice.  I've chosen the debut album by Black Country, New Road, 'For The First Time'.  Emerging from a tidal wave of hype and following rave reviews for their stunning live shows, 'For The First Time' is a mighty beast of an opening statement from the Cambridge seven-piece.Having followed this group from an early gig in 2019, seeing the progression of these tracks has been a thrilling experience and this resulting record is nothing short of breathtaking.  From the fervent opening klezmer jam of...

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