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Phases of the Moons - Occultation Releases

Click here for the full Occultation discography.

A truly wonderful album by Emily Fairlight. With its New Zealand rural Gothic/Texas borderlands feel, Mother of Gloom is an elusive creature. Ultimately, the prevalence of acoustic guitar and intimate sharing of lived experience through song suggest it is folk music or, as Fairlight self-deprecatingly calls it, “doom-folk”. Details of Emily's new single are here.

The debut album by Bad Sav, featuring Hope and Lucinda from Death And The Maiden, with Mike, the Shifting Sands' guitarist, on drums (if you see what we mean...) The album itself is very much in the Dunedin sonic lineage, and a terrific racket it is too.

Wisteria is the second album from Death And The Maiden, following the debut we released in 2015. It pushes their dark, electronic sound-world still further. Oh and it comes in a lovely laminated sleeve too...

A rare CD-only Occultation/Fishrider co-release... There is a reason: this is a very deliberately digital kind of record, and a fascinating one too. From Dunedin-based electronic musician Stef Animal, Top Gear is beguiling and... have we mentioned the duck caller?

A new 7" single from The Shifting Sands, whose last album, Cosmic Radio Station, has very nearly sold-out, one of our most successful joint ventures with Fishrider Records of Dunedin.

We're now taking orders for the new Granite Shore album, Suspended Second. There's a special Deluxe edition available only from us and Fishrider featuring an extra LP with a mono mix of the album, plus various other extras. As for the album itself, well, it's rather cross...

We are releasing the first ever vinyl edition of Mirror, the second album (originally CD-only, 1991) by the Revolutionary Army of the Infant Jesus. There's also a new CD edition, as originals are fairly expensive, featuring two bonus tracks. Initial orders from us offer the 180g LP plus a free CD, poster and set of postcards, while stocks last.

Kindly Leave The Stage is the third and final LP by beloved Manchester band The Distractions, with a very limited edition 10" mini-LP available only directly from us and our partners Fishrider Records. This deluxe edition also includes a CD, poster and postcard, plus an insert for the 10", with sleeve-notes by Steve Perrin.

Shadow Self is the debut album by Élan Vital, who feature Danny Brady from Death And The Maiden, whose first LP we released a couple of years ago.

Occultation are very proud to be releasing the new album by the legendary John Howard. A true solo album, with layers of pianos and vocals building into something truly gorgeous and breathtakingly ambitious. We'll only have a limited number of these on both vinyl and CD, and initial copies bought from this website will come with an even more limited lyric insert and postcard. Ordering details will follow soon.

The second album by Dunedin's The Prophet Hens, The Wonderful Shapes of Back Door Keys, now available on vinyl and CD (LPs purchased from us come with a free CD thrown in while stocks last). We also have a first vinyl release of the band's debut, Popular People Do Popular People, in a very limited edition. We'll only have a few dozen of these for sale on the website and there's a package price allowing you to buy both albums together and save a bit of money.

The first new album from the Revolutionary Army of the Infant Jesus in over two decades is a major event. We'll also have a special Deluxe (and even a Deluxe Plus!) edition available, initially by subscription only. Deluxe sold out, regular LP and CD versions also almost all gone.

The debut LP by The Everlasting Yeah, who are four of the members of the final line-up of That Petrol Emotion. We say Yeah!

The second album by Dunedin's The Shifting Sands, another joint release with Fishrider.

The debut LP by The Granite Shore is one of the most eagerly-awaited albums we've ever released. Also available in a special Deluxe edition of which we have a few copies left.

A further joint release with Fishrider Records of Dunedin, New Zealand, the first album from Dunedin's Death And The Maiden.

The She Seems Quite Free EP is the second new single from the rejuvenated June Brides and sees a return to something closer to their old sound. Three songs, two by Phil Wilson (with help from trumpeter Jon Hunter on one) and one by Simon Beesley.

Yet another joint release with Fishrider Records of Dunedin, New Zealand, and this time also Ba Da Bing! Records of New York. Temporary is a compilation showcasing the sound of Dunedin today. Some of the bands you'll already know, we've already released or distributed material by Opposite Sex, Trick Mammoth, Males, Shifting Sands and The Prophet Hens. Others will be coming soon. The LP comes with a gorgeous magazine - really, even at this budget price! - and here are some of your new favourite bands.

Our third joint release with Fishrider Records of Dunedin, New Zealand and we're very excited about this one. Trick Mammoth have great songs and know how to present them. They also have a visual sensibility which means they fit right in on the Occultation roster. Their debut album, Floristry, comes on 180g vinyl with a CD (the usual Occultation design, outer and inner sleeves) included and initial copies also come with a rather fabulous poster thrown in free.

Our forthcoming vinyl reissue of The Wild Swans, The Coldest Winter For A Hundred Years. The second LP includes the Occultation singles and the Tracks In Snow companion EP, plus two previously-unreleased tracks. Available in three versions, the truly lavish Super-Deluxe laser-engraved box, of which only a handful remain (order here), the Deluxe, also in a special full-colour outer container and the Standard, both of which available to order here. There's a comparison chart and a gallery showing all editions.

The new Factory Star mini-album, New Sacral, features six new tracks recorded recently and is a game of two halves. Side one has three of the taut rawness we know and love, although somehow more focussed than before. Side two is different... Woozy, oneiric and utterly, strangely, lucidly beautiful.

"Long-awaited". Few albums have ever earned that description more than this one. 32 years after their beloved debut, Nobody's Perfect, comes the second Distractions album, The End Of The Pier. Ten new songs, picking up from 2010's wondrous Come Home EP, featuring original Distractions Mike Finney (vocals) and Steve Perrin (guitar, vocals) with Nick Halliwell (guitar, vocals, The Granite Shore), Arash Torabi (bass, The June Brides, The Granite Shore) and Mike Kellie (drums, The Only Ones, Spooky Tooth, too many to mention).

Occultation Recordings in association with Slumberland Records will be releasing the first new material by The June Brides for many a long year, a double 'a' side entitled Moon / Cloud. A January Moon is a new Phil Wilson song while Cloud started life as a Granite Shore track but billowed forth in a different direction. More details soon...

In association with Fishrider Records of Dunedin, New Zealand, Occultation Recordings are proud to announce that we will be assisting with the UK release of the debut album by Opposite Sex. Both 180g vinyl (comes with a free CD) and CD versions are available now and shipping immediately.

The final 2011 Occultation release is a Christmas single, Factory Star's Lucybel. However it is unusual in that the 'b' side features a recording of one of the stand-out songs from the Enter Castle Perilous album, but recorded by label-mates The Granite Shore - whose leader Nick Halliwell produced Factory Star's album and single. Copies purchased from Occultation will come with a special limited edition promo CD also containing two tracks from the album. Ordering will start soon, we expect to have the singles by mid-November. The perfect Christmas present...

Few albums genuinely merit the old chestnut "long-awaited", but this one does. Ladies and gentlemen we give you... the new album from The Wild Swans, The Coldest Winter For A Hundred Years. We are afraid that the Tracks In Snow companion EP, featuring a further three songs from the Coldest Winter sessions, none of them on the album is now sold out. The album's due for a special vinyl+CD reissue in 2013, watch this space...

The first Occultation album is Factory Star Enter Castle Perilous which will be released on LP and CD (there'll be a special price to buy both together) in late March/early April. Featuring ten songs written by Martin Bramah, the album, produced by Nick Halliwell of The Granite Shore and engineered by Richard Turvey of The Wild Swans, was recorded over just three days in January 2011.

Following the Black Velvet EP (see below), comes the Distractions' first recordings of the 21st century, YMIR7DA008, the Come Home EP, featuring three tracks recorded in Liverpool in June 2010 by a line-up comprising previous Distractions Mike Finney and guitarist/songwriter Steve Perrin and bassist Nick Garside plus Nick Halliwell of label-mates The Granite Shore and drummer Stuart Mann. The 12" EP is due for release in early November 2010.

We are proud to announce the Distractions' first release for Occultation. YMIR7DA007, the Black Velvet EP, features three tracks recorded in the mid-1990s by a line-up comprising original singer Mike Finney and guitarist/songwriter Steve Perrin, together with bassist/producer Nick Garside and drummer Bernard van den Berg. More details if you click on the link above.

Following on from the debut single Tomorrow morning, 3 a.m., Occultation Recordings nnounce the second single by THE GRANITE SHORE, RHEA7DA006, Flood of fortune. Once again, this is an astonishingly ambitious single, featuring a 56-part string section and brass by Probyn Gregory (Brian Wilson, Wondermints, etc.), as well as contributions from Phil Wilson (June Brides), Arash Torabi (The Painted Word), Andy Fonda (Some Beans) and Bella Quinn. This record has been designed from the ground up for 7" release, although a digital download will also be available. More details and final artwork will appear here soon, but you can hear the tracks by clicking on the link above.

Building on the success of English Electric Lightning, the first single in over twenty years by Liverpool visionaries The Wild Swans, Occultation Recordings are proud to announce our third release, DIONE7D9003, Liquid Mercury, another classic single, this time available on 7" vinyl and as a digital download. Once again the sleeve features artwork by Ged Quinn. Samples of both sides are available on the Liquid Mercury and The Wickedest Man In The World pages and advance orders are now being taken in the Occultation Shop.

RHEA7D9002 is the second Occultation release and the debut single by THE GRANITE SHORE. It has been released as a limited edition of 700 individually-numbered copies on 10" vinyl and features sleeve artwork by Ged Quinn. The UK release is scheduled for 18th May 2009, although copies are available now from the Occultation Shop.

A digital download version is also available now on this website and through the usual channels..

DIONE7D001 is a major coup for Occultation, the first single in over twenty years by Liverpool visionaries The Wild Swans. It has been released as a limited edition of 900 individually-numbered copies on 10" vinyl with sleeve artwork by Ged Quinn. The UK release is scheduled for 18th May 2009, although copies are available now from the Occultation Shop.

A digital download version is also available both on this website and through the usual channels. Initial copies of the vinyl ordered directly from Occultation will be signed (whilst stocks last, we've still got a few of these left).

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