DOWNTOWN CASTLES CAN NEVER BLOCK THE SUN (IA11 EDITION) by BEN LAMAR GAY

SKU137833
ArtistBEN LAMAR GAY
TitleDOWNTOWN CASTLES CAN NEVER BLOCK THE SUN (IA11 EDITION)
LabelINTERNATIONAL ANTHEM RECORDING COMPANY
Catalog #IARC 0017LP11
Tag
ReleaseW 13 - 2025
FormatVinyl - EULP
EAN Barcode634457197879
Import
 € 23,50 incl. VAT, excl. shipping

Tracks

  1. Vitis Labrusca
    https://objectstore.true.nl/rushhourrecords:files/tracks/i/iarc_0017lp11_downtown_castles_can_never_block_the_sun_ia11_edition/sf684012-01-01-01.mp3
  2. Muhal
    https://objectstore.true.nl/rushhourrecords:files/tracks/i/iarc_0017lp11_downtown_castles_can_never_block_the_sun_ia11_edition/sf684012-01-01-02.mp3
  3. Music For 18 Hairdressers: Braids & Fractals
    https://objectstore.true.nl/rushhourrecords:files/tracks/i/iarc_0017lp11_downtown_castles_can_never_block_the_sun_ia11_edition/sf684012-01-01-03.mp3
  4. Jubilee
    https://objectstore.true.nl/rushhourrecords:files/tracks/i/iarc_0017lp11_downtown_castles_can_never_block_the_sun_ia11_edition/sf684012-01-01-04.mp3
  5. A Seasoning Called Primavera
    https://objectstore.true.nl/rushhourrecords:files/tracks/i/iarc_0017lp11_downtown_castles_can_never_block_the_sun_ia11_edition/sf684012-01-01-05.mp3
  6. Miss Nealie Burns
    https://objectstore.true.nl/rushhourrecords:files/tracks/i/iarc_0017lp11_downtown_castles_can_never_block_the_sun_ia11_edition/sf684012-01-01-06.mp3
  7. Me, Jayve & The Big Bee
    https://objectstore.true.nl/rushhourrecords:files/tracks/i/iarc_0017lp11_downtown_castles_can_never_block_the_sun_ia11_edition/sf684012-01-01-07.mp3
  8. Uvas
    https://objectstore.true.nl/rushhourrecords:files/tracks/i/iarc_0017lp11_downtown_castles_can_never_block_the_sun_ia11_edition/sf684012-01-01-08.mp3
  9. Galveston
    https://objectstore.true.nl/rushhourrecords:files/tracks/i/iarc_0017lp11_downtown_castles_can_never_block_the_sun_ia11_edition/sf684012-01-02-01.mp3
  10. Swim Swim
    https://objectstore.true.nl/rushhourrecords:files/tracks/i/iarc_0017lp11_downtown_castles_can_never_block_the_sun_ia11_edition/sf684012-01-02-02.mp3
  11. Kunni
    https://objectstore.true.nl/rushhourrecords:files/tracks/i/iarc_0017lp11_downtown_castles_can_never_block_the_sun_ia11_edition/sf684012-01-02-03.mp3
  12. Melhor Que Tem
    https://objectstore.true.nl/rushhourrecords:files/tracks/i/iarc_0017lp11_downtown_castles_can_never_block_the_sun_ia11_edition/sf684012-01-02-04.mp3
  13. Gator Teeth
    https://objectstore.true.nl/rushhourrecords:files/tracks/i/iarc_0017lp11_downtown_castles_can_never_block_the_sun_ia11_edition/sf684012-01-02-05.mp3
  14. 7th Stanza
    https://objectstore.true.nl/rushhourrecords:files/tracks/i/iarc_0017lp11_downtown_castles_can_never_block_the_sun_ia11_edition/sf684012-01-02-06.mp3
  15. Oh No... Not Again!
    https://objectstore.true.nl/rushhourrecords:files/tracks/i/iarc_0017lp11_downtown_castles_can_never_block_the_sun_ia11_edition/sf684012-01-02-07.mp3

Description

Over the course of 2025 International Anthem will be celebrating their eleventh year of existence by revisiting some of the most celebrated (and hard to find) entries in their decade of releases. These LP packages will be presented with new liner notes, new insert booklets, and the fresh 2025 redesign of their iconic obi strip and dome logo. They will also be at a price point intended to help make it easier for stores to stock and sell these essential pieces of their catalog.

140g Classic Black LP in heavyweight jacket, with 12x12" insert booklet, IA OBI strip & printed poly-lined inner sleeve.

Ben LaMar Gay’s de facto debut album, Downtown Castles Can Never Block The Sun, was our attempt to  introduce the legendary Chicago composer / improvisor / renaissance man to the rest of the world with a compilation of tracks from “7 albums he made over 7 years but never made the effort to actually release.” The material showcases Gay’s penchant for genre-hopping—from Reich-ian soundscape voyages to Don Cherry-esque polyrhythm treks to Jorge Ben-style vocal-and-string earworms—while keeping his singular musical voice in focus.


In the years since its release, this long OOP collection has become a touchstone, foreshadowing the breadth and scope of Ben LaMar Gay’s output since. The songs-between-the-songs warped Soul Americana madness and beauty of Open Arms To Open Us, the unhinged long form freedom of Certain Reveries—each fresh mode would defy expectation if without the context established by Downtown Castles. To quote the OG press release, “to call it ‘eclectic’ would only scratch the surface. This music is everything.”

"There is no one universe for Ben LaMar Gay, he just sonic booms from one sound to another."
- NPR Music

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