December 7, 2002

Hohoho! It's that time of season again, and to add to the celebration spirit, we're giving away a very special gift to all our friends! "Christmas 2002" is a sampler by the delicious label Words On Music, with amazings acts on their roster such as Coastal, Motion Picture, For Against and Should. All the aforementioned contribute one song to this 4-track EP, which comes in a lovely handmade wallet featuring an inlay.

The compilation starts with Should's "Resonate", a haunting song that might bring in mind the glorious dark and delicate 4AD days. For Against offer the title track from their recent amazing album "Coalesced", while next are Coastal whose slow pace and sweet whispery music are destined to soundtrack warm and cosy winter evenings.

The compilation finishes with Motion Picture's "A Paper Gift", an immensly romantic waltz that will set fire to all sensitive hearts. The compilation will be available from 16 December and on, in Vinyl Microstore (Didotou 34, Athens). You can also order one by sending us a message!

In the meanwhile, we're currently working on Sense #28, planned to appear sometime in mid-January. The new issue will feature the list with our favourite albums for 2002, the short version of which you can preview in our music section!

December 1, 2002

Big big thanks to everybody for the wonderful feedback on the Sigur Ros issue and the Arbol single! Sense #28 is on the way, planned as a mid-January publication. It will come with a surprise (teaser: the surprise will be round-shaped with a hole in the center) which we hope you'll like (tip: no, it's not a doughnut).

In the meanwhile, you can at last read the interview with Richard McGraw - the biggest part of which first appeared in Sense #25. Let us remind you that Richard's wonderful debut album "Her Sacred Status, My Militant Needs" is available to mailorder from this website at the price of 7 euros (including postage) - or 6 euros (including postage) if you live in Greece.

November 11, 2002

The new issue of Sense is now ready, with Sigur Ros on the cover and articles about Arbol, Neko Case, Beck, His Name Is Alive, Bright Eyes, Beth Gibbons, Godspeed You Black Emperor!, The La's and many more. Among others, you can also find out which band makes Pixies sound like Belle And Sebastian, witness Neko Case's reaction to the previous issue of "Sense", read a McDonalds story, and weep at Stuart Murdoch's farewell to his beloved car. You can find Sense #27 in Vinyl Microstore, Didotou 34, Athens.

The first 80 copies come with Arbol's "Playtime" single, a 3-song cdr in a jewel case with transparent sleeve including two songs off Arbol's self-titled debut album on Indus Sonica plus an unreleased exclusive track. Arbol is the new project by former Piano Magic member Miguel Marin, and his recent album is a warm and luscious journey of electronics and dreamy melodies, destined to be the soundtrack for this winter. An interview with Miguel will be uploaded on this web-site soon(ish).

Let us also remind you that the debut album by Richard McGraw "Her Sacred Status, My Militant Needs" is available to mailorder from here; it costs 6 euros in Greece and 7 euros everywhere else, including postage (it's not like Greece is cheaper than any other country by default), which is a pretty good deal, considering the 16 wonderful songs you get, plus a very fine booklet with lyrics that read like heart-broken poetry.

Sense #28 is planned to appear sometime in mid-January featuring our 10 best albums of the year. Because Trembling Blue Stars and Kristin Hersh did not release albums in 2002, the list will not be - for this once - too predictable.

Also, there's an idea for a special Christmas gift to all of you... more details will be available soon! Thank you so much for your love and support!

November 4, 2002

Sense #27, the last issue for 2002, will appear towards November 15th, featuring Sigur Ros on the cover and lots of articles about Neko Case, Arbol, His Name Is Alive, Bright Eyes, Beth Gibbons and many many more. Initial copies of the new issue will be accompanied by Arbol's debut single "Playtime (who starts?)", an EP which compiles 2 outstanding songs off Arbol's debut self-titled album on the Indus Sonica label as well as an exclusive song. More details will be on this space very soon!

October 12, 2002

Sense is very proud to release the debut single by Arbol, a new project created by Miguel Marin, formerly of Piano Magic. "Playtime (who starts?)" features 2 songs taken from Arbol's upcoming full-length on the label Indus Sonica as well as an exclusive song called 'By The Seaside'. Ranging from ethereal and dreamy instrumental soundscapes to extrovert and playful songs, Arbol's music is reminiscent of Mum, Bjork's "Vespertine" and naturally, Piano Magic at their most experimental. The single comes in a jewel case with transparent sleeve and will be included in initial copies of Sense #27. A new section dedicated to Arbol will be available on this website soon.

The forthcoming issue is planned to appear towards mid-November featuring Sigur Ros on the cover and bits about His Name Is Alive, Bright Eyes, Beck and many many more.

September 18, 2002

We'd like to send our love to everybody for their wonderful feedback on the latest issue of Sense and the accompanying cd. It looks like the cd actually played on all stereos which was quite a relief. Let us remind you (as if you cannot scroll down and see for yourselves) that Sense #26 is now out featuring Suede on the cover and articles about Benicassim 2002 festival, Cranes, Coldplay, Frank Black, The Bedroom Set, Radiohead, Belle And Sebastian and many many more!

We're currently working on Sense #27 which will be out sometime in early to mid-November; watch this space for upcoming attractions! We're also really proud to distribute via this website the debut solo album by NY-based artist Richard McGraw who some might remember from the big singer / songwriter special of Sense #25. "Her Sacred Status, My Militant Needs" sounds like a postcard sent from the darkest corners of someone's heart; its achingly wistful and painful semi-acoustic beauty is dominant throughout its 16 songs, marking one of the most beautiful bedsit albums we've heard in a very long while. The album is available at production cost which is 6 euros (including postage) for Greece and 7 euros (including postage) everywhere else. If you want a copy, just send us an email. A feature about Richard McGraw will appear on the Music page very soon.

September 4, 2002

We're very happy to announce that the new issue of Sense is now ready, earlier than planned, as we had to make sure that our younger readers wouldn't start school without having their copy! Sense #26 features a long special on this year's Benicassim festival and pieces on Belle And Sebastian, Suede, Cranes, Frank Black, Coldplay, The Bedroom Set, Saint Etienne, Radiohead and many many more. You can also read about some of our favourite artists' record sleeves, small stories of rain, a cartoon about school, Sarah Cracknell's new T-shirt, Stuart Murdoch's frisbee, Brett Anderson's mobile phone - and more bits which should keep you busy for the next couple of months. The new issue will be available on Thursday 5 September, in Vinyl Microstore (Didotou 34, Athens).

Initial copies of Sense #26 come with a 3"cd 4-song ep, compiling four standout songs off The Boys' Star Library 2000 album "If I was Born A Girl...". Addictive riffs, exciting guitars and irrestitible melodies aside, these songs feature such powerful lyrics you'd think the band have been reading your diary. Like all recent music releases, this cd comes in handmade package, a carton wallet inside a glossy 6-page booklet featuring the songs' lyrics. Re the 3"cd: contrary to how weird it looks like, it will play in any decent cd-player, diskman or cd-rom. But not car stereos. Although The Boys' Star Library music is perfect to listen to while driving, it seems that car stereos are not fit enough to play 3"cds, ie the cd might be misplaced in its tray (especially if you tend to drive fast) and all you'll hear will be a strange noise - if anything at all. In case you're wondering why the 3"cd, consider this: we're talking 15 minutes of music. They take about 50 square centimeters of cd-surface (including the hole at the center), so if you get to use a standard 5"cd, you are using about 450 square centimeters of surface; it's an obvious and outrageous waste. You'd not want to have 400 square centimeters of totally useless cd-surface space in your collection, would you? That's what we thought. Hope you'll enjoy this!

August 21, 2002

Back from a wonderful summer and sporting a marvellous sun-tan, Sense is to kick off the new season with a brand new issue in mid-September and a new music release.

"If EP" (SENSE CD10) compiles four songs off The Boys' Star Library 2000 album "If I Was Born A Girl..." and will be given away with initial copies of Sense #26. It will come on a lovely 3inch cdr, in a handmade package featuring the songs' lyrics. Coming from NY, The Boys' Star Library are everything you want them to be; they are loud (think Pixies and you're quite close), but at the same time they are sensitive and mellow, like they have a masterplan to touch the strings of everybody's heart. And they do. "If EP" begins with "Nancy", an indie popsong about heartbreak and sweet revenge, ending with a gorgeous coda going "I could blow away your world if I wanted to", repeated enough times to make you sing along from listen number 1. Title-track "If" is a delirious 3-minute about heartbreak, painful memories and betrayal, while next comes "Thanksgiving With The New Fam", a song about new beginnings and erm, heartbreak. The EP ends with the glorious "Codename D*A*V*E", a song about conspiracies in the working place and everyday heros, finishing with a delicious trumper riff. Strangely enough, this song is not about heartbreak -- maybe. The Boys' Star Library resurfaced a few months ago with a new album "Sugar & Water" on bumbleBEAR Records.

More details about the new issue and the accompanying EP will be available soon! A big thank you to all for your love and support!

July 26, 2002

Although somewhat belated - to say the least - the interview with Trembling Blue Stars' Bobby Wratten (ex-Field Mice and Northern Picture Library) is now online! It reads better while listening to "Sensitive" or any of the excellent Trembling Blue Stars records! You can find the interview here.
NEWS ARCHIVE continued...