CDs:
Jason Aldean – Night Train CD (Broken Bow)
The country star’s fifth studio album. Includes the single “Don’t You Wanna Stay” feat. Kelly Clarkson.
Trey Anastasio – Traveler CD/LP+7” (ATO)
Anastasio (Phish) draws inspiration from experimental jazz, classical, pop, reggae and metal.
Anberlin – Vital CD/2×10” (Universal Republic)
The sixth album from the Christian alt-rockers.
Aranda – Stop The World CD (Wind-Up)
The band’s second studio album was produced by Grammy-nominated producer, Johnny K., (Disturbed, Sevendust, Staind, Drowning Pool). Stop The World has already yielded two radio hits with the singles “Undone” and “Satisfied.”
Jello Biafra And The Guantanamo School Of Medicine – SKOCK-U-PY! CDEP/10” (Alternative Tentacles)
Election fever is here and even more of a circus than usual, so who better to jump in and stir up trouble than Jello Biafra And The Guantanamo School Of Medicine?
Big Noize – Out Of The Black CD/3xLP (Ingrooves)
Big Noize is a hard rock band featuring Carlos Cavazo (Quiet Riot, Ratt), Phil Soussan (Ozzy Osbourne, Vince Neil) and Vinny Appice (Dio, Heaven & Hell, Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne) with special guest vocalist Sebastian Bach.
Boston Spaceships – The Greatest Hits Of Boston Spaceships: Out Universe CD/LP (Fire)
A compilation of the very best of Robert Pollard’s Boston Spaceships.
Brandy – Two Eleven CD (RCA)
New album features collaborators Timbaland, Bangladesh (Ke$ha, Usher, Nicki Minaj), Mario Winans (Mariah, Puffy, Keyshia Cole ), Danja (Britney Spears, Keri Hilson, Jamie Foxx), Harmony (Rihanna, Keri Hilson, Fantasia), Hit Boy (Eminem, Lil Wayne, Kanye West), Noah 40 Shebib (Drake, Alicia Keys, Lil Wayne), along with hit making songwriters Sean Garrett (Usher, Beyonce, Britney Spears), Rico Love (Usher, Beyonce, Chris Brown), Ester Dean (Katy Perry, Rihanna, Christina Aguilera), Frank Ocean (Justin Bieber, John Legend, Tyler, the Creator), and Chris Brown, to name a few. Available in Regular and Deluxe editions.
Chickenfoot – Chickenfoot [Deluxe Edition] 2xCD (E1)
Deluxe double-disc version of Chickenfoot’s 2009 debut featureslLive tracks from the 2012 Different Devil Tour.
Child Actor – Victory CD (Fake Four Inc.)
“A glorious mesh of experimentation, as production swings from minimal and translucent, to dense and foggy, with hints of Purity Ring and the occasional Grimes-esque bout of dreamy, R&B-tinged pop.” — This Is Fake DIY
Correatown – Pleaides CD/LP (Highline)
Pleaides blends beautiful harmonies, analog synthesizers and melodious vocals into mesmerizingly perfect indie pop. Songs from the album have already been featured on Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice, Ugly Betty and How I Met Your Mother.
Current Swell – Long Time Ago CD (Nettwerk)
Based in Victoria, B.C., Current Swell has been in the foreground of the “new roots” music front pushing out of Canada’s west coast, thanks in large part to constant touring with artists like Xavier Rudd, John Butler Trio, The Beach Boys and more.
Daphne – Jiaolong CD (Merge)
An album of shape shifting work from Dan Snaith (Caribou) that sits easily with the kinetic likes of Theo Parrish & Floating Points. “I’ve been building a modular synthesizer, which plays a prominent role on this album. It growls and screams when I don’t expect it to. Nudging one dial changes the sound so drastically that I’ll never get the original sound back. It’s like improvising with another musician, and its voice is all over this music.” Vinyl version due October 30.
Mac Demarco – 2 CD/LP (Captured Tracks)
The cassette king’s first proper full length is a concerted effort to produce a cohesive work that showcases Mac’s natural ability as a songwriter, singer and producer. With a new arsenal of recording gear, the fidelity has substantially improved without compromising the immediacy and organic quality of his prior releases.
DJ Vadim – Don’t Be Scared CD/2xLP (BBE)
This album is perhaps the daniciest from Vadim — a tropical bass extravaganza with no limits no boundaries, no boxes.
Elina Duni Quartet – Matanë Malit CD (ECM)
Matanë Malit (Beyond The Mountain) is an homage to Albania. Duni is a singer looking at her roots from a present-day vantage point as a musician engaged in improvisational processes. Jazz experience informs her exploration of Balkan folk songs – with attention to atmosphere, the shape of the sound, the tactility of the structures, and the implications of the word.
Earlimart – System Preferences CD/2xLP (The Shipp)
The Los Angeles-based duo of Aaron Espinoza and Arianan Murray retain tones and textures familiar to fans of the band’s six previous albums of whispering and stomping indie rock.
Donald Fagen – Sunken Condos CD/2xLP (Reprise)
A few familiar names from the Steely Dan family of players contributed to Fagen’s latest solo outing, (Jon Herington, the Steely Dan horns, Freddie Washington), plus some new faces. The word is that, from now on, everything Donald does has got to be funky. Available on CD and on clear vinyl.
A Fine Frenzy – Pines CD (Virgin)
Drawing inspiration from the redwood forests and dramatic landscapes of Northern California and Washington’s Cascade Mountains, these thirteen new songs survey a sonic landscape as vast and deep as the woods, their namesake.
Rosie Flores – Working Girl’s Guitar CD/LP (Bloodshot)
The Rockabilly Filly surfs some slinky West Texas waves, channels some lush, longing Beatles-inflected pop and adds some sly hither-come purrs to a classic by the King.
Benjamin Gibbard – Former Lives CD/LP (Barsuk)
Other cities, other plans; different friends, different dreams; former loves, former lives. After fifteen years in Death Cab For Cutie, Ben Gibbard didn’t make his first solo album in search of a new beginning; instead, it closes a door. ”These songs span eight years, three relationships, living in two different places, drinking then not drinking” he says of the dozen tracks that comprise Former Lives. ”They’re a side story, not a new chapter.”
Paul Gilbert – Vibrato CD (Shrapnel)
Gilbert once again proves why he is the guitarist’s guitarist.
Godspeed You! Black Emperor – Alleluja! Done’t Bend! Ascend! CD/LP+7” (Constellation)
After almost two years of post-hiatus practicing, playing and touring, A!DB!A! delivers two mighty sides that are definitively stunning, immersive and utterly true to the band’s legacy. The future looks dark indeed, but on the evidence of this new recording GY!BE appears wholly committed to staring it down, channeling it, and fighting for some rays of sound (and flickers of light) that feel hopeful and true. Vinyl version includes a 7″ single and a 12×48″ pullout poster.
Gov’t Mule – The Georgia Bootleg Box 6xCD (Evil Teen)
A six-disc set capturing Gov’t Mules entire three night run from Georgia in 1996 and features the bands original trio: Warren Haynes, Matt Abts and Allen Woody. The box includes the full sets from the Georgia Theater in Athens on 4/11, The Roxy in Atlanta on 4/12 and Elizabeth Reed Music Hall in Macon on 4/13.
Ben Harper – By My Side CD (Virgin)
A twelve-song retrospective of ballads by the Grammy-winning musician and songwriter.
The Herbaliser -There Were Seven CD/LP (Department H)
It’s the return of The Herbaliser, the seven strong lords of loopy, soundtrack inspired funk-infused hip-hop (or hip-hop-infused funk, depending on your perspective).
Hundred Waters – Hundred Waters CD/LP (Owsla)
Hundred Waters blend the chills and thrills of electronic music with the earthy warmth of folk, creating a more earnest and emotional form of folktronica than most bands of the genre, drawing comparisons to Dirty Projectors and Broadcast. On Skrillex’s Owsla label.
The Infamous Stringdusters – Silver Sky [Deluxe Edition] 2xCD (High Country)
Released earlier this year, Silver Sky is now available in a limited deluxe edition that includes a previously unreleased bonus track, “He’s Gone,” and the bonus live album, We’ll Do It Live.
Jamie Johnson – Living For A Song: A Tribute To Hank Cochran CD (Mercury Nashville)
Guests include George Strait, Emmylou Harris, Merle Haggard, Kris Kristofferson, Ray Price, Vince Gill, Willie Nelson, Leon Russell, Elvis Costello, Bobby Bare, Asleep At The Wheel, Alison Krauss, Lee Ann Womack, and Ronnie Dunn.
John The Conquerer – John Conquerer CD/LP (Alive)
John The Conquerer mix a bedrock of raw deep blues with funk, soul, punk and scuzzed-up rock & roll into one helluva potent musical Molotov cocktail.
K’naan – Country, God Or The Girl CD (Octone)
K’naan’s third album features guest appearances by Bono, Nas, Keith Richards and will.i.Am. Available in Regular and Deluxe editions.
Lamps – Under The Water Under The Ground CD/LP (In The Red)
“There are some catchy hooks here — some of the catchiest they have written to date — but they compress that element of their sound into a dynamic that favors power and precision as its most acute points, amplified/distorted/corroded to the point where it only knows how to hurt.” — Doug Mosurock
Bill Laswell – Means Of Deliverance CD (Innerhythmic)
An intimate and revealing solo bass outing performed entirely on a Warwick Alien fretless four-string acoustic bass guitar.
Luyas – Animator CD/LP (Dead Oceans)
Recorded and produced at the Treatment Room by band member and experimental brass player Pietro Amato and mixed by Jace Lasek of the Besnard Lakes at his Breakglass Studios in the band’s hometown of Montreal, Animator is a cathartic sophisticated collection of songs. As melodically compelling as it is artistically rich, the album is intuitive, seductive, moody and textural.
Jason Lytle – Dept. Of Disappearance CD/2xLP (Anti)
The Grandaddy frontman’s second solo album.
Majeure – Solar Maximum CD (Temporary Residence)
Drawing influence from ‘70s celestial film scores, ambient krautrock, and dexterous vintage prog-rock, Solar Maximum trades in the cosmic disco of Timespan for a more spacious and ominous feel that lives up to its ambiguously ambitious title. Vinyl version due November 6.
The Maldives – Muscle For The Wing CD (Spark And Shine)
Listening to The Maldives play their dusty, rainy-day country rock, one might wonder if this (mostly) bearded group would be better suited to the lonely, expansive corn fields of Kansas than the crowded city streets of Seattle.
Matmos – The Ganzfeld CDEP/12””+MP3 (Thrill Jockey)
The most conceptually elaborate yet weirdly poppy record of Matmos’s career. Careening from widescreen electronic pop to eerie choral music, the results are eclectic, fun, and disorienting in equal measure.
Metalocalypse: Dethklok – Dethalbum III CD (Williams Street)
Available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe adds a bonus DVD with an exclusive 32-minute documentary and music videos. Vinyl version due November 6.
Mika – Origin Of Love CD/2xCD (Casablanca)
Third album from the flamboyant British singer/songwriter. Available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe adds a bonus disc of acoustic versions and remixes.
Mournful Congregation – June Frost CD (20 Buck Spin)
Mournful Congregation – The Monad Of Creation CD (20 Buck Spin)
Mournful Congregation – Tears From A Grieving Heart CD (20 Buck Spin)
Freezing white, solemn and progressive funereal doom from Australia.
My Dying Bride – A Map Of All Our Failures CD (Peaceville)
Effectively summarized by guitarist Andrew Craighan as “a controlled demolition of all your hopes.” Vinyl version due October 30.
Neon Trees – Picture Show [Deluxe Edition] CD (Island/Mercury)
Deluxe Edition of Picture Show featuring four bonus tracks.
Night Moves – Colored Emotions CD (Domino)
The Twin Cities band has been named the area’s “Best New Band” by the Minneapolis City Pages and were described by the Minneapolis Star Tribune as a “slow-grooving, neo-twangy, cosmically-baked band.” Vinyl version due November 6.
Pinback – Information Retrieved CD/LP (Temporary Residence)
First album since 2007 from the fellas who have delivered record after record of mightily addictive indie pop since their inception in the late 1990s. Perhaps too melancholic and thoughtful to function as escapist entertainment, that same sense of depth is what made them one of the most reliable bands in indie rock.
J. Pinder – Careless CD/LP (Fin)
“Seattle is often overlooked as a hip-hop hub, but the city is teeming with talent that is slowly getting the respect it deserves. An emcee reppin’ in the Northwest city that you should keep and eye on is J. Pinder.” — Okay Player
Prince Paul – Negroes On Ice CD (Green Streets)
A comedy/hip-hop album created with his son P. Forreal. Much in style of Paul’s opus A Prince Among Thieves, Negroes On Ice seamlessly blends music and storytelling, resulting in a hilarious, head-nodding listening experience.
Regal Degal – Veritable Who’s Who CD (Post Present Medium)
Draws from post-punk, krautrock, ‘60s psychedelic/freakbeat, ‘80s new wave and indie, and German minimal house. Vinyl version due November 6.
Omar Rodriguez-Lopez – Octopus Kool Aid CD (Rodriguez-Lopez Productions)
Octopus Kook Aid finds O.R.L. and company concentrating once more on electronics as opposed to guitar-based composition.
Kevin Seconds – Don’t Let Me Lose You CD/LP (Asian Man)
Best know for his work in 7 Seconds, the legendary hardcore punk rock band he led for over three decades, Kevin Seconds has spent the better pasrt of 20 years morphing into a brilliant lo-fi home-recordist singer/songwriter. Startlingly catchy and well crafted.
Seval – 2 CD (482 Music)
Leaner, meaner and harder than their debut, these new songs continue to explore the interstitial space between pop, jazz, new music and free improvisation, while never losing their melodic core.
Smoke & Jackal – EP No. 01 CDEP/12” (RCA)
Smoke & Jackal is a side-project of Jared Followill (Kings Of Leons bassist) along with Nick Brown of the Nashville rock group Mona. On EP No. 01, the two rockers explore uncharacteristically ambient musical territory.
Snowgoose – Harmony Springs CD/LP (Ba Da Bing!)
Accomplished prog-folk for fans of Pentangle, Trees, and Fairport Convention.
Ken Stringfellow – Danzig In The Moonlight CD/2xLP (Spark And Shine)
Most commonly known for his work with The Posies, Big Star and R.E.M., Ken Stringfellow releases his fourth album.
Tamaryn – Tender New Songs CD/LP (Mexican Summer)
Skygazing pop songs — a collision of hypnotic psychedelia and bittersweet dream pop.
Terror Danjah – Dark Crawler CD/2xLP (Hyperdub)
“A triumphant record from one of grime’s founding fathers.” — NME
Tussle – Tempest CD (Smalltown Supersound)
Tussle’s fourth album was recorded last year in Glasgow with JD Twitch, one half of the iconoclastic Scottish DJ duo Optimo. Tussle worked with Liquid Liquid members on the album — they sent Dennis Young rough mixes of a few tracks and he overdubbed his parts from his New Jersey studio, and the first track, “Yume No Mori” contacts a vocal sample from Sal Principato. Vinyl version due October 23.
Twinsistermoon – Bogyrealm Vessles CD (Handmade Birds)
Solo project of Mehdi Ameziane (Natural Snow Buildings). Alternates between ambient drone vignettes and Nico-esque psychedelic folk.
Various Artists – Twin Cities Funk and Soul: Lost R&B Grooves from Minneapolis/Saint Paul 1964-1979 CD/2xLP (Secret Stash)
21-track compilation uncovering and documenting a largely forgotten scene.
Martha Wainwright – Come Home To Mama CD/LP (Cooperative Music)
Martha Wainwright’s third studio album is her first collection of original music in four years and was produced by Yuka C. Honda of Cibo Matto
ZZ Ward – Til The Casket Drops CD (Hollywood)
Where dirty blues and beats collide: Meet ZZ Ward, a singer/songwriter whose artistry spins on a luminous axis of voice and soul. Raised on the blues with a passion for hip-hop, ZZ Ward’s music straddles two distinct genres which she fearlessly melds with effortless finesse. Who knew turntables and harmonicas were so compatible.
Widespread Panic – Wood CD/LP (Widespread)
Wood combines fan favorites and first time played songs from the band’s 11-date, four-city 2012 Wood Tour, which was WSP’s first-ever fully acoustic tour.
Chelsea Wolfe – Unknown Rooms: A Collection Of Acoustic Songs CD/LP (Sargent House)
In a way, Chelsea Wolfe is on a journey to the surface of her own music. 2012 finds releasing her first acoustic emanation. The experience is a secret shared, a side of our heroine rarely seen or heard, and the making was as intimate as it gets: recorded in the woods of Northern California.
Yakuza – Beyul CD (Profound Lore)
Formed over a decade ago, Chicago avant-garde metal band Yakuza fought an uphill battle as a criminally underrated and under-appreciated act in the heavy music scene. Their unique, eclectic sound incorporates jazz-influenced and ultra-progressive moments rarely heard in the genre, while band leader/vocalist Bruce Lamont’s occasional saxophone work makes them even more alien and distinct from their contemporaries.
DVDs + Blu-ray:
Circle Jerks – My Career As A Jerk DVD (MVD)
Filmmaker David Markey (1991: The Year Punk Broke, The Slog Movie) mixes in-depth interviews, rare live footage and historical perspective to illustrate the story of one of the most influential bands in the American underground. 95 minutes.
Vinyl:
Aeges – Southern Comfort b/w Stars 7” (The Mylene Sheath)
Aeges are the new breed of California’s creative drifters. Founded by Chicago-raised Larry Herweg (Pelican), former Seattleite Mark Holcomb (Undertow, Shift), multi-continent Kemble Walters (The Rise), and the sole California native Tony Baumeister (16).
Antibalas – Dirty Money b/w AWOL 7” (Daptone)
“Dirty Money” is deeply rhythmic, tight with funky guitars, warped farfisa organ, massive horns and a call-and-response led by singer and percussionist Amayo. Features non-album B-side.
Kevin Ayers – Joy Of A Toy [Reissue/1969] LP (4 Men With Beards)
Debut solo album from bassist and principal songwriter of Soft Machine, originally released in 1969 by Harvest. With Ayers playing an impressive list of instruments and bandmate Robert Wyatt on drums for most of the songs, many of the tracks recall early Soft Machine, and feature Ayers prog-pop songwriting sensibilities in full force.
David Bazan – Fewer Moving Parts [2006] LP (Barsuk)
Bazan’s first solo album, now available on vinyl. This beautifully-packaged 10-song EP plays like a full-length, and includes two different versions of five Bazan songs, each recorded in a stripped-down acoustic version and another version with full instrumentation.
Black Sun Roof – Feral LP+CD (VHF)
Quiet since 2007’s blistering Panzer Division Lou Reed, Black Sun Roof delivers a more introspective set here, reaching back to the fuzzy, spacey sounds of releases like the epic double-CD Bliss. Includes a bonus CD with scarce and out-of-print material from various Bower projects, plus one new track.
Blank Realm – Go Easy LP (Siltbreeze)
An uncanny channeling of Missing-Links-styled garage/psychedelia, Pere-Ubu-esque rustbelt trippery and the experimental post-punk spasms of The Work.
Bon Iver – Beth/Rest 12” (Jagjaguwar)
Fourth single from Bon Iver. B-side is an alternate performance of “Beth/Rest” recorded at Rare Book Room.
Califone – Roomsound [2001] LP+MP3 (Thrill Jockey)
Debut album, on vinyl for the first time! Covers the same rustic, slightly ramshackle back forty that Tim Rutili has been ploughing through since his previous band Red Red Meat. Only this time the tilled bedrock unveils the most vividly colored, luring crop of songs he has ever harvested. The sleepy, country-blues picking and autumnal backwoods melodies are accented with striking splashes of electronic tone color, obsolete keyboards and off-kilter percussion. Deluxe custom silk-screened jacket with download.
Caspian – You Are The Conductor LP (Mylene Sheath)
Repress of debut EP on HQ-180 vinyl.
Cayucos – Cayucas b/w Swimsuit 7” (Secretly Canadian)
A nod to ‘60s beach blanket pop gems and bonfire folk songs.
The Connies – Full Round Roger LP (Radio Galaxy)
Like the bastard love child of Eddie Cochran, Radio Birdman and The Wipers on the Lazy Cowgirls. Pogo and dance ready songs that draw from the best elements of rock from the ‘50s through ‘80s.
Ex-Cult – M.P.D. b/w Not Fun On The Beaches 7” (Goner)
Rising Memphis stars with members from many various outfits, Ex-Cult (formerly Sex Cult) crams catchy punk rock through the “we can do anything” mindset of pioneers like the Urinals, Australia’s X or Wire.
Donald Fagen – Morph The Cat [2006] (Reprise)
2006 solo release by the Steely Dan front man.
John Fahey – Voice Of The Turtle [Reissue/1968] LP (4 Men With Beards)
Originally released in 1968 on his own Takoma label, Fahey credits some of the compositions and performances to the fictional guitarist Blind Joe Death, and some of the songs are actually rumored to not be Fahey at all but in fact obscure blues 78s. Whatever the case may be, it’s one of Fahey’s most adventurous and beautiful LPs.
Dan Friel – Valedictorian/Exoskeleton 12”+MP3 (Thrill Jockey)
Friel is one of the founding member of Parts & Labor. Pure pop filtered through a layer of noise. Remixes from Peaking Lights and Moss Of Aura (one-third of Future Islands).
Guided By Voices – Everywhere Is Miles From Everywhere 7” (GBV Inc.)
Limited edition vinyl single includes the non-LP B-side “The World’s Getting Smaller” by Mitch Mitchell.
Guided By Voices – Hangover Child 7” (GBV Inc.)
Limited edition vinyl single includes the non-LP B-side “Urchin Promise” by Tobin Sprout.
Guided By Voices – White Flag 7” (GBV Inc.)
Limited edition vinyl single includes the non-LP B-sides “Casino Model” and “Zebra Film Negative” by Robert Pollard.
John Wesley Harding And The English UK – Making Love To Bob Dylan b/w The Buzz 7” (Yep Roc)
John Wesley Harding wrote the words to ”Making Love To Bob Dylan” on a train from Seattle to Portland, and emailed them to Scott McCaughey (Young Fresh Fellows, Minus 5) the moment he was done. McCaughey emailed back: ”There is room in the world for this lyric!” Months later, McCaughey handed Harding a tune. Harding and The English UK recorded the song, along with its matching double A-side ”The Buzz”, one sunny afternoon in Brooklyn.
Holy Ghost – It Gets Dark 12” (DFA)
Very limited and numbered edition of new 12” from DFA’s Holy Ghost. Regular and instrumental versions of “It Gets Dark” from forthcoming 2013 album.
Iron Maiden – Killers [Reissue/1981] LP (Universal)
Heavyweight picture-disc vinyl reissue.
Jukebox The Ghost – I Love You Always Forever b/w Temptation 7” (Yep Roc)
Covers of Donna Lewis’ “I Love You Always Forever” and New Order’s “Temptation.”
Long Distance Poison – Signals To A Habitable Zone LP+DVD (Fin)
Long Distance Poison have released compositions via Thurston Moore’s label Ecstatic Peace and Steve Moore’s imprint VCO. Signals To A Habitable Zone features a visual accompaniment by director Matthew Caron on DVD.
Alfonso Lovo – La Gigantona [1976] LP (Numero)
“Alfonso Lovo is an obscure Nicaraguan-born guitarist of yesteryear whose now extant corpus consists of Latin jazz flavored with a healthy dose of psychedelia.” — Dusted
Mad Monk & Apache Dropout – My Wild Life 7” (Family Vineyard)
Mad Monk is John Terrill, original member of the late ’70s new/no wave Dancing Cigarettes. This platter lines up the Monk’s two newest biographical orchestrations — and a Velvet Underground bootleg favorite — with the freakbeat backup of Apache Dropout.
Mamiffer/Pyramids – Mamiffer/Pyramids [Split] LP (Hydra Head)
Together they have forged a singular statement of pathos and redemption, beauty and menace.
Maserati – VII 2xLP (Temporary Residence)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. The never-ending car chase continues.
Minamo + Lawrence English – A Path Less Travelled [2010] LP+MP3 (Immune)
Collaboration between Japanese electro-acoustic quartet and Australian composer and media artist. A compelling union of Minamo’s restrained instrumentalism and Lawrence English considered sense of space and harmony. Collects distant sonic smoke signals passed between one island and another.
My Disco – Wrapped Coast 12” (Temporary Residence)
A brain-bending slice of bleak mantra-rock that only they can make inexplicably addictive. Coupled with two new jams are remixes from Justin K Broadrick (Jesu) and Factory Floor (DFA).
Natural Snow Buildings – Night Coercion Into The Company Of Witches 4xLP+MP3 (Ba Da Bing!)
Night Coercion Into the Company Of Witches is the first domestic release by France’s mythic Natural Snow Buildings, a band revered in experimental music circles despite self-releasing most of their albums in ridiculously limited runs. They make melodic, orchestrated, droning compositions with layers of guitars, chants, woodwinds, percussive bells, distortion and delay.
Willie Nelson – Heroes 2xLP (Yep Roc)
Recently released on CD – now availble on vinyl. Many of the songs here — some new compositions, some covers, and some new takes on old Willie classics — take on a reflective, emotional tone.
Old Man Gloom – Christmas LP (Hydra Head)
Members of Isis, Cave-In, and Converge.
Peace – The World Is Too Much With Us LP (Suicide Squeeze)
Connor’s bass-lines menace and hypnotize. Mike’s guitar solos explode suddenly in wah-pedal freak-outs. Geoff’s tom-toms thud with a tribal intensity, and Dan’s lyrics, for which he’s been referred to as Vancouver’s “post-punk poet laureate,” alternate between images of defiant despair and love-sick yearning.
A Place To Bury Strangers – And I’m Up b/w Don’t Stop 7” (Dead Oceans)
Highlight from the band’s 2012 intense Worship, paired with unreleased “Don’t Stop.” Interweaves threads of krautrock, dream-pop and ‘80s goth without ever losing the edge that is quintessentially Strangers.
Police Teeth – Police Teeth LP (Greyday/Latest Flame)
Flailing, wailing, and angular songwriting laden with dark humor. Heavy, pushy, fist-pumping anthems.
Iggy Pop & Zig Zags/Betty Davis – If I’m In Luck I Might Get Picked Up 7”+MP3 (Light In The Attic)
L.A.-based scuzzy punks Zig Zags (Mexican Summer) team up with Iggy Pop for a take on Betty Davis’ “If I’m In Luck I Might Get Picked Up.” B-side features the original Dave Cooley remaster from 2007. Color vinyl with download.
Archie Powell & The Exports – Great Ideas In Action LP+MP3 (Good Land)
Grafting prismatic power-pop and sardonic, dark looks at the world outside into guileless songs with hooks galore.
Sweet Cobra – Mercy [2010] LP (Hawthorne St.)
2010 release finally available on vinyl! Think of an unholy amalgamation of Karp, Leviathan-era Mastodon, and Tragedy and you are on the right track.
Times New Viking – Over And Over 12”+MP3 (Siltbreeze)
Mixes the primal panic-punk of their early days with the sustained, keen pop sensibilities of their recent releases.
Steffano Torossi – Feelings LP (Golden Pavillion)
A delightful and cinematic groovy crime-jazz-funk album filled with breaks and beats, deep bass, electric piano, flutes, horn stabs, wah-wah guitars and exquisite string arrangements reminiscent of Nino Nardini/Roger Roger’s Stringtonic’s mindbenders but also Janko Nilovic at his best.
Alexander Turnquist – Like Sunburned Snowflakes LP (VHF)
Five minimalist compositions using only plucked harmonics on a 12-string.
Various Artists – Contemporary Guitar [Reissue/1966] (4 Men With Beards)
Originally released in 1966 on the Takoma label, this is a compilation of solo acoustic guitar instrumentals from folk and blues legends such as Bukka White, John Fahey, and Robbie Basho as well as lesser known-s like Max Ochs and Harry Taussig. An essential compilation of American guitar solists.
Villages – Theories Of Ageing LP (Bathetic)
Delicate floating synth atmosphere with open-tuned acoustic guitar strums, banjo and piano slide in and out of the spaces, creating an entirely enchanting, if a bit haunting record. Takes on a level of ambient artistry seen throughout the works of Labradford or Stars Of The Lid.
Bukka White – Big Daddy [Reissue/1973]LP (Sutro Park)
This 1973 release features some of bluesman’s last recordings. Originally on Biograph, available for the first time since its original release.
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