CDs + Vinyl:
2:54 – The Other I CD/LP+CD (Bella Union)
From the expansive, tempo-shifting opener “Orion” and the pining roots of “The Monaco” to the ambient haunts of “Tender Shoots” and the shape-shifting tour de force of “Raptor,” new album The Other I widens significantly the net beyond the achievements of 2:54’s self-titled debut.
The Rance Allen Group – Celebrate CD (Tyscot)
“You don’t reinvent yourself; you get better with what you do” — Bill Cosby. Like the comedy legend, The Rance Allen Group knows a thing or two about getting better with time and their new release, Celebrate, proves it. The group’s trailblazing legacy in Gospel music shines even brighter as their signature vocals, coupled with hot new music production, created the infectious radio hit “A Lil’ Louder (Clap Your Hands).”
…And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead – IX 2xCD (Superball Music)
“On their ninth album …And You Will Us By The Trail Of Dead are steadily continuing their journey towards being a normal rock band, but remain unable to quite finish it. As far back as their first album they’ve been touring the various hotspots of psychedelia, punk, classical and world music, all with a maniacal, effervescent touch. Accuse them of failing at some of these stylistic endeavors, fine – but to their immense credit, they’ve never been mere genre dilettantes. Nor is IX a reactionary ‘back-to-basics’ attempt at shedding their excesses; it’s confirmation that TOD haven’t forgotten how to write exemplary, robust rock songs.” – The Quietus
Anatomy Of Habit – Ciphers + Axioms CD/LP (Relapse)
The Chicago post-metal/noise rock unit unveils their Relapse debut. Fronted by noise icon Mark Solotroff of Bloodyminded, Anatomy Of Habit boasts an all-star lineup featuring drummer John McEntire (Tortoise, The Sea And Cake, Gastr Del Sol etc.), guitarist Will Lindsay (Indian, Wolves In The Throne Room etc.), percussionist Theo Katsaounis (Joan Of Arc) and bassist Kenny Rasmussen (ex Radar Eyes).
Antemasque – Antemasque CD/LP (Nadie Sounds)
Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and Cedric Bixler-Zavala of At The Drive-In and the Mars Volta launch a labyrinthine new project called Antemasque with help from drummer Dave Elitch and Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Flea.
Antony & The Johnsons – Turning CD+DVD (Secretly Canadian)
Turning is a double-disc concert film documentary captured during the critically acclaimed tour of Europe during the fall of 2006.
Andrea Belfi – Natura Morta CD/LP+MP3 (Miasmah)
Belfi mixes influences from both Italian minimalism and the electro-acoustic contemporary scene. Natura Morta fits somewhere between the electronics of Keith Fullerton Whitman, the percussive repetitions of Jon Mueller, and the atmospheric sensibility of Pan American.
Anguish – Mountain Jewel CD (Dark Decent)
Anguish’s brand new album, Mountain Jewel, sees the band expanding upon their oppressive brand of doom metal. The follow-up of 2012’s Through The Archdemon’s Head is stripped down from its predecessor, clocking in at 48 minutes (eight tracks) but injects more variation.
Brogan Bently – The Snake CD (Stones Throw)
Brogan Bentley first appeared on Leaving Records in 2012 with a tantalizingly brief self-titled cassette EP. After a highly productive incubation period, the young producer returns with his debut LP, The Snake. Its 12 compositions are filled with dark and hazy electronic beats. The artist has opened up for well-known acts such as INC, Animal Collective and more.
Bedhead – 1992-1998 4xCD (Numero)
The complete studio recordings of Dallas, Texas slow-core pioneers. Every cymbal crash, guitar brush, and whisper, across four CDs. Includes WhatFunLifeWas, Beheadd, Transaction De Novo, & an additional disc overflowing with singles, EPs, and outtakes, alongside a perfect bound book dissecting the quintet’s nervous slouch through the ’90s. (Each album is also available on HQ-180gm vinyl.)
Chris Bell – I Am The Cosmos [Reissue/1992/2009] 2xCD (Rhino)
Digitally remastered and expanded double-CD edition of this album from the singer/songwriter and former member of Big Star. Though the album was recorded in the mid to late ’70s, it remained unreleased until 1992. This expanded edition includes alternate versions and additional tracks, and three songs by Bell’s pre-Big Star groups, Icewater and Rock City.
Big K.R.I.T. – Cadillactica CD (Def Jam)
“For his second Def Jam album, Cadillactica, Mississippi hip-hop auteur Big K.R.I.T. leaves behind the ‘dirty dirty third coast muddy water’ and blasts right off into the stratosphere. The album is a 15-song Afro-futurist concept-suite taking place on the fictional planet named in the title. To take us there, K.R.I.T. has expanded his sonic palette to boldly go where his dependable country-rap mixtapes have never gone before – rubbery Zapp noises, choirs of Kate Bush-style moans, cinematic marching band drums, cicadas – in addition to his first time ever working with multiple outside producers (including Raphael Saddiq and Jim Jonsin).” – Rolling Stone
The Birthday Massacre – Superstition CD/LP (Metropolis)
Sixth full-length studio album by Canadian synth-rock band.
Blue King Brown – Born Free CD/LP (Lionhouse)
The third album from the Australian roots-reggae band, Born Free was recorded on location at Bob Marley’s legendary Tuff Gong studios in Kingston, Jamaica, Sing Sing Studios in Melbourne, as well as Blue King Brown’s studio in Melbourne.
Garth Brooks – Man Against Machine CD (RCA)
The country star’s first new album in 13 years.
Broughton’s Rules – Anechoic Horizon CD (Relapse)
A post-rock band with a bit of the Don Caballero in them (literally and figuratively), Broughton’s Rules unleash their second record of emotive guitar signalling and climactic skyscraping. Anechoic Horizon is a purely instrumental work that evokes the genre’s blank and beautiful heydays.
Zac Brown Band – Greatest Hits So Far… CD (Southern Ground)
11 of the 14 tracks are former #1 singles. Includes ‘Chicken Fried’, ‘Whatever It Is’, ‘Free’ and more.
Carcass – Surgical Steel/Surplus Steel CD (Nuclear Blast)
When Surgical Steel was released late last year, there were several alternate versions released around the world with bonus tracks. This updated version captures all of those tracks in one release. Vinyl version due November 24.
Celestial Shore – Enter Ghost CD/LP+MP3 (Hometapes)
Celestial Shore’s second album, Enter Ghost, is a directive, a confession, and a confrontation. It’s the reflection of its makers — Sam Owens, Greg Albert, and Max Almario — and the follow-up to 10x, their 2013 debut. It’s a rock record, and one with the power to time travel with its instruments intact: the electric guitar, the electric bass, and the drum kit. (Vinyl pressed on milky-clear wax.)
The Circus Devils – Escape CD/LP (Happy Jack)
The 13th full-length from former Guided By Voices members takes a break from their brash psychedelic rock to gear down with a collection of acoustic ballads; friendly, lo-fi pop; and murky, otherworldly mood pieces.
Gene Clark – Two Sides To Every Story [Reissue/1977] CD/LP (High Moon)
Reissue of the long out-of-print solo album from founding member of The Byrds, expanded with live full-band performances from 1975 and never before aired 1974 interview by B. Mitchel Reed.
Cool Ghouls – A Swirling Fire Burning Through The Rye CD/LP (Empty Cellar)
A Swirling Fire Burning Through The Rye was recorded live to tape by San Francisco’s Sonny Smith (Sonny And The Sunsets) and mixed and mastered by Mikey Young (Total Control, Eddy Current Suppression Ring), elevating the band’s psychedelic garage jams to a whole new level.
Crazy Lixx – Crazy Lixx CD (Frontiers)
With their fourth album, Sweden’s finest sleaze rock merchants have grown as a band and perfected their sound. The self-titled album hits you with 11 anthemic rock songs that will satisfy both the hardcore Lixx fans as well as fans of melodic hard rock and hair metal in general.
Cult Of Youth – Final Days CD/LP (Sacred Bones)
For their third full-length for Sacred Bones, Cult Of Youth have delved deeper into their style of punk-influenced psychedelic neo-folk and created a self-described “post-industrial Pet Sounds.” Using acoustic and electronic instruments, found sounds and an extensive tribal rhythm section, Cult Of Youth have put it all out on the table and left us with their magnum opus.
Eric Darius – Retro Forward CD (Shanachie)
Eric Darius is one of the true rising stars of smooth/urban jazz. Adored by his growing legion of fans, Eric tours constantly with such superstars as Maxwell, Joe, Mary J. Blige, Prince, and many others.
Devilment – The Great And Secret Show CD (Nuclear Blast)
“Having fronted black metallers Cradle Of Filth for over two decades, Dani Filth has turned his mangled hand to something else and, with promises from his side-project, Temple Of The Black Moon continually falling short, this outing with Devilment on The Great And Secret Show is a welcome one. As long as you delve into this album expecting something different from Cradle Of Filth, then there’s plenty to dig your claws into. Devilment’s core sound is based around earth-shattering riffs from Daniel Finch and Colin Parks, whose thick, defiant guitars anchor the record, allowing them to embrace a smorgasbord of styles while still remaining true to their original form.” – Stereoboard.com
Dire Omen – Wrestling The Revelation Of Futility CD (Dark Decent)
Genuine charnel and blackened death metal from Canada.
Dirty Beaches – Stateless CD/LP (Zoo Music)
On the four-song (his final album as Dirty Beaches) Stateless, Zhang Hungtai further explores the instrumental side of his identity that has been present since his first release in 2007. The album is a reflection on Zhang Hungtai’s upbringing in various locales (Taipei/Honolulu/Montreal) and the past two years of living and drifting in Europe. The title reflects several years of reflection on associated ideas like Diaspora, borders and hybridism.
Disdained – Kill My Only Enemy CD (Disdained)
Debut album from the female-fronted progressive metal band.
Downfall Of Gaia – Aeon Unveils The Thrones Of Decay CD (Metal Blade)
As a slave to time, mankind is marching to the beat of a perpetually ticking clock. Musically, the album gives the listener less time to breath and features a more aggressive songwriting style than fans have heard on Downfall Of Gaia‘s their previous releases. It is as aggressive and relentless as time itself.
Dream Police – Hypnotized CD (Sacred Bones)
Dream Police is an American musical production by Nick Chiericozzi and Mark Perro. The project began in 2010 as a reservoir for ideas that overflowed from The Men’s drain pipe. In that same year, a two-song cassette single was self-released, with a follow-up live document in 2011. Most recently, the duo has conceived an LP with longtime sonic partner, Kyle Keays-Hagerman from late 2013 through early 2014. Although the production began using the most conservative rock and roll devices, it slowly plumed into a cloud of future primitive psychedelia.
Drowning Pool – Sinner [Reissue/2001] 2xCD (Concord Music Group)
Unlucky 13th Anniversary Deluxe Edition features the original album remastered plus 13 unreleased demos.
Marianne Faithfull – Give My Love To London CD (Easy Sound/Naïve)
Faithfull’s new album features contributions from Adrian Utley, Anna Calvi, Ed Harcourt, Brian Eno, Warren Ellis, Roger Waters, Jim Sclavunos, Nick Cave, and Steve Earle.
Falls Of Rauros – Believe In No Coming Shore CD (Nordvis)
A masterwork of emotive and passionate blackened metal deeply influenced by genres such as folk and Americana.
Foo Fighters – Sonic Highways CD/LP (RCA)
Though not a soundtrack album by any stretch, Sonic Highways shares its title with the Dave Grohl-directed currently running HBO series described by Grohl as a love letter to the history of American music. For the album and series, Grohl, Taylor Hawkins, Nate Mendel, Chris Shiflett and Pat Smear wrote and recorded one song in each of these eight cities, delving into the local musical currents: how each region shaped these musicians in their formative years, and in turn the impact those people had on the cultural fabric of their hometowns. Available on CD and vinyl. The HQ-180gm vinyl album comes in an assortment of nine different limited edition covers including eight variants each themed for one of the cities in which the album was recorded: Austin, Chicago, Los Angeles, Nashville, New Orleans, New York, Seattle, and Washington, D.C. When ordering this vinyl LP, customers will randomly receive one of the available nine limited edition versions. Each version will not be sold separately. The LP includes a card to secure a downloadable version.
Foreseen HKI – Helsinki Savagery CD (20 Buck Spin)
New album from the Finnish metal band. An explosive burst of raw crossover, Helsinki Savagery fuses the 1980s iterations of US thrash (Vio-lence, Exodus) and urban hardcore (Cro-Mags, Leeway) to create a merciless album. Vinyl version due December 9.
Frontier Ruckus – Sitcom Afterlife CD/LP (Quite Scientific)
“With three albums of nostalgia-drenched heartland Americana under their banjo-encrusted belt, the band sounds to be headed in a slightly more straightforward pop direction with their newest LP.” – CMJ
Fugitives – Everything Will Happen CD/LP (Light Organ)
New release from the Canadian outfit who have been described as ‘”the missing link between Leonard Cohen and the Pogues.”
Ghost Brigade – IV: One With The Storm CD/LP (Season Of Mist)
New album from the Finnish melancholic metallers.
G-Unit – The Beauty Of Independence CDEP (G-Unit)
New EP from the rap supergroup, their first release since reuniting. Features original members 50 Cent, Lloyd Banks, Tony Yayo And Young Buck.
Hail Mary Mallon – Bestiary CD/LP (Rhymesayers)
Aesop Rock & Rob Sonic are Hail Mary Mallon returning with their second album Bestiary.
Hanzel Und Gretyl – Black Forest Metal CD/LP (Metropolis)
Black Forest Metal is the band’s seventh studio release, and marks the beginning of a new era: darker, heavier, and more metal than metal.
Hookworms – The Hum CD/LP (Domino)
Hookworms’ reputation, like The Hum itself, lies in the drone and the uncontrollable constants of their music that remain even after they’ve shattered its thick atmosphere with sharp punches of proto-punk-inspired malevolence. Flinging themselves into the public’s consciousness with 2013’s Pearl Mystic, their debut LP’s perfect storm of billowing textures and napalm-filled Modern Lovers licks was one of the most-acclaimed albums of 2013 — receiving plaudits from The Guardian, NME and Drowned In Sound — where it was their Album Of The Year.
Jon Hopkins – Asleep Versions CD/LP+MP3 (Domino)
Asleep Versions is a re-imagining of tracks from Ivor Novello-nominated electronic producer and composer Jon Hopkins’ critically acclaimed 2013 studio album Immunity.
Whitney Houston – Live: Her Greatest Performances CD/CD+DVD (Arista)
From her first TV performance of “Home” on The Merv Griffin Show in 1989 to her 2009 performance of “I Didn’t Know My Own Strength” on The Oprah Winfrey Show.
The Icky Boyfriends – Live In San Francisco CD (Castle Face)
These are stories of strung-out super heroes singing the praises of the old school San Francisco freak scene. Hilarious at times, genius always and as scuzzy as anything you could ever hear. Vinyl version due December 9.
Isles & Glaciers – The Hearts Of Lonely People (Remixes) CD/LP (Equal Vision)
A completely revamped version of the emo/punk band’s debut album.
The Jazz June – After The Earthquake CD/LP (Topshelf)
After The Earthquake is the first new studio album from The Jazz June since 2002. The album was produced by Evan Weiss (Into It. Over It.) and recorded at Gradwell Studios which resulted in a fresh take on the bands slightly aggressive and structurally complicated indie rock/emo sound.
Job For A Cowboy – Sun Eater CD (Metal Blade)
Fourth full-length album from the Arizona extreme metallers.
Nick Jonas – Nick Jonas CD (Universal)
Second solo album from the multi-talented recording artist and actor – available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe adds three bonus tracks.
JPNSGRLS – Circulation CD/LP (Light Organ)
New release from the Canadian alt-rock band compared to “Dinosaur Jr. on a speed binge with Hot Hot Heat.”
Allan Kaprow – How To Make A Happening [Reissue/1966] CD (Primary Information)
Allan Kaprow lays out eleven rules on how, and how not, to participate in the art movement he began in the late 1950s and which became known for its unpredictability, open scores, and constantly-evolving form. On Primary Information’s CD—reissued with the cooperation of the Estate of Allan Kaprow and the Getty Research Institute—he speaks plainly into a microphone, delivering private cut-to-the-chase style instruction on Happenings that is both informative and contradictory, both a practical and theoretical how-to with frequent dead-pan humor.
King Diamond – Dreams Of Horror 2xCD (Metal Blade)
Career-spanning best-of collection from the iconic heavy metal band, featuring newly remastered versions of all tracks.
The Kinks – Muswell Hillbillies [Reissue/1971] CD+DVD (Sony Legacy)
Legacy Edition of The Kink’s RCA debut includes nine bonus tracks and a bonus DVD of the band’s 172 BBC performances.
Krokodil – Nachash CD (Spinefarm)
A body of work that succeeds in marrying brutal aggression to haunting melody, heavy groove and coiled-spring dynamics. Vinyl version due December 9.
Love – Black Beauty CD/LP+MP3 (High Moon)
Black Beauty, the never-before-released masterpiece by Arthur Lee’s legendary band Love is making its first-ever official release in any format. Chosen as one of Time Magazine’s most anticipated releases, critics are hailing the album as an instant classic. Black Beauty is that rarest of rock artifacts: an un-released, full-length studio album, from an undisputed musical genius. It represents the missing link in a catalog that also includes Forever Changes, the seminal 1967 Love album the New York Times called “one of the most affecting and beguiling albums of all time.” With Black Beauty, Arthur Lee manages to combine searing ’70s rock with gorgeous melodies and stellar songwriting – topped off by his most distinctive, snarling, soulful vocals ever.
Machine Head – Bloodstone & Diamonds CD/LP (Nuclear Blast)
Eighth album from the Bay Area metal titans – available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe Edition includes a limited edition 48-page hardcover book created by Rafal Wechterowicz, Marco Vasco and long-time Machine Head art collaborator Strephon Taylor.
Mega Bog – Gone Banana CD (Couple Skate)
A swirling pop cloud influenced equally by the emotional psychedelia of Kevin Ayers and the pop whimsy of Steely Dan. Sounding equal parts Ariel Pink and Prefab Sprout, Mega Bog rip through nine hazy burners with a sneaky tightness hidden behind layers of drizzle and reverb.
Idina Menzel – Live Barefoot At The Symphony CD+DVD (Concord)
2014 may very well be the year of Idina Menzel. The multi-talented actress and singer was thrust into the mainstream pop culture dialogue earlier this year with her performance of ”Let it Go,” the enormously popular song off 2013’s Frozen soundtrack. The track not only won an Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2014, but has also remained at the top of the Billboard charts for months, selling millions of units worldwide.
Ingrid Michaelson – Lights Out 2xCD (Mom + Pop Music)
Deluxe edition of Michaelson’s recent album has been expanded with a second disc featuring nine new tracks, along with two stripped down demos and a club remix of “Girls Chase Boys.”
Mounties – Thrash Rock Legacy CD (Light Organ)
Debut album from this indie ‘super trio’ featuring singer/songwriter Hawksley Workman alongside Hot Hot Heat’s Steve Bays and Limblifter’s Ryan DahleIn. Features the singles “Headphones,” “If This Dance Catches On” and “Tokyo Summer.”
Mouse On Mars – 21 Again 2xCD (Monkeytown)
Double-CD compilation celebrating 21 years of the IDM pioneers, featuring collaborations with Tortoise, Scratch Pet Land, Oval, Tyondai Braxton, Cavern Of Anti-Matter, Modeselektor, Laetitia Sadier, Junior Boys, Machinedrum, Olivia Block, and Matthew Herbert.
Nazoranai – Most Painful Time Happens Only Once Has It Arrived Already? CD/2xLP (Ideologic Organ)
Live recorded collaboration between power-trio Keiji Haino (guitar, vocals and synth), Stephen O’Malley (bass guitar) and Oren Ambarchi (battery).
Ne Obliviscaris – Citadel CD/LP (Season Of Mist)
New album from the Australian progressive metal outfit.
The New Basement Tapes – Lost On The River: The New Basement Tapes CD (Electromagnetic Recordings/Harvest)
Lost On The River: The New Basement Tapes is a music event 47 years in the making. It’s an historic album project from five of music’s finest artists — Elvis Costello, Rhiannon Giddens (Carolina Chocolate Drops), Taylor Goldsmith (Dawes), Jim James (My Morning Jacket) and Marcus Mumford (Mumford & Sons) — in unique collaboration with a 26-year-old Bob Dylan. Produced by project creator T Bone Burnett, the album was recorded in March, 2014 at Capitol Studios in Hollywood, where the artists and Burnett convened for two weeks to write and create music for a treasure trove of long-lost lyrics handwritten by Bob Dylan in 1967 during the period that generated the recording of the legendary Basement Tapes. Available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe includes five additional tracks. Vinyl version due November 24.
New Build – Pour It On CD/2xLP (Kartel)
“The various members of Hot Chip have, by now, spawned enough splinter material to allow us to move on from constant comparisons to the Mothership. Joe Goddard is two albums deep with The 2 Bears, and now fellow chips off the old block Al Doyle and Felix Martin have teamed up once again with studio engineer Tom Hopkins for New Build’s second album outing. Pour It On drives much further into the territory of electronic dance than their indie-leaning debut, with classic house-tinged characteristics propping up new wave vocals and synths. The lyrics can spill into the realm of over-earnestness at points, but overall this is slick and dancefloor-ready.” – Clash Music
Nots – We Are Nots CD/LP (Goner)
Guitar-driven, synth-laden debut album from current/former members of Ex-Cult, Manatees.
Old Man Gloom – The Ape Of God I CD (Profound Lore)
Old Man Gloom – The Ape Of God II CD (Profound Lore)
A pair of new albums from one of the most inventive and influential bands in the post-hardcore/post-metal/experimental scene. The Ape Of God balances colossal heaviness, experimental/ambient noise and a unique aesthetic presentation.
Paperhead – Africa Avenue CD/LP+MP3 (Trouble In Mind)
Recorded by the band themselves in bassist Peter Stringer-Hye’s Nasville garage and mixed by Cooper Crain (Cave, Bitchin’ Bajas), Africa Avenue finds it’s groove in it’s unabashed melodicism and pop hooks. The band makes no bones of it’s affection for ‘60s and ‘70s psychedelia, but Africa Avenue quietly tiptoes around easy comparisons, mutating itself into something more textured and intricate, leaning more towards avant-pop. (Limited quantities available on mixed color vinyl.)
Pink Floyd – The Endless River CD/CD+DVD/CD+Blu-ray/2xLP+MP3 (Columbia/Sony)
In early 1993, David Gilmour, Nick Mason and Richard Wright set up their equipment in their own Britannia Row Studios in Islington and created more than hundred pieces of music by jamming together, interacting with each other’s performances and recording the results. In 2014 David Gilmour and Nick Mason re-entered the studio and, starting with unreleased keyboard performances by Richard Wright, who sadly died in 2008, added further instrumentation to the tracks, as well as creating new material. The result is The Endless River, including 60% of recordings other than the 1993 sessions, but based upon them. The title is a further link, ‘… the endless river…’ being part of the closing phrases of “High Hopes,” the final song of the previous Pink Floyd album. Available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe features expanded box packaging with your choice of DVD or Blu-ray disc containing bonus tracks, stereo PCM, 5.1 DTS master audio and 5.1 PCM mixes, with all audio in high resolution 96kHz/24bit, as well as six music videos.
Punishment Of Luxury – Laughing Academy [Reissue/1980] CD (Lemon/Cherry Red)
Digitally remastered and expanded edition of this 1980 debut album from the British post-punk band including bonus tracks.
Queen – Forever CD/2xCD (Hollywood)
Queen Forever is available as a 20-track single CD and as an extended 36-track, two-CD set, and celebrates the extraordinary musical path of one of the world’s greatest rock bands. Features three previously unreleased Queen tracks featuring late singer Freddie Mercury. Also includes the The Queen and Michael Jackson duet, “There Must Be More to Life Than This,” which began as a song written by Mercury during sessions for Queen’s 1981 album, Hot Space.
Rated X – Rated X CD (Frontiers)
album from the Hard Rock supergroup. Rated X is an exciting and fresh band built around the talents of four heavy-hitters of American hard rock. Comprised of vocalist Joe Lynn Turner (Rainbow, Deep Purple, Yngwie Malmsteen), guitarist Karl Cochran (Ace Frehley), fretless-bass monster Tony Franklin (The Firm, Blue Murder, Whitesnake) and iconic drummer Carmine Appice (Vanilla Fudge, Rod Stewart, Ozzy Osbourne, Blue Murder, King Kobra).
Damien Rice – My Favourite Faded Fantasy CD/2xLP+MP3 (WB)
My Favourite Faded Fantasy is Damien Rice’s first collection of material in eight years and was produced by Rick Rubin and Rice himself. It is a selection of songs, which Rice says are “sung straight into the metaphorical mirror.” Intimate, frank and revitalized by making music again, My Favourite Faded Fantasy is a record that accepts one’s faults but also begins, perhaps, to appreciate one’s ability to grow up. The recording process began in Los Angeles and finished up with a cast of friends and local musicians against the stunning backdrop of Reykjavik, Iceland.
Joe Robinson – Gemini 1 CDEP (Joe’s Garage)
New EP from the Australian-born guitarist. A largely self-taught musician from Temagog, NSW, Joe is best known for his virtuoso guitar abilities and for winning the 2008 season of Australia’s Got Talent.
Röyksopp – The Inevitable End CD (Cherry Tree/Interscope)
New abum from the Norwegian electronic duo. The Inevitable End is Röyksopp’s most personal album to date and their second album release in the space of six months, following their critically acclaimed mini album Do It Again with fellow Scandinavian legend Robyn. “with The Inevitable End we’ve moved into a darker subject matter, with emphasis on the lyrical content. This candid approach feels very personal, sincere and conclusive,” says RöykSvein.
Secret Chiefs 3/Ishraqiyun – Perichoresis CD (Mimicry)
Split release from alt-instrumental group Secret Chiefs 3 and their alter ego Ishraqiyum. Ishraqiyun has been characterized as the “neo-Pythagorean electro-folk” side of Secret Chiefs 3. Perichoresis is the first proper set of studio recordings of their material, paired with a healthy dose of new, previously unheard tunes.
Serengeti – Kenny Dennis III CD/2xLP (Joyful Noise)
New album from Serengeti – Chicago rapper and Sisyphus band-member (with Sufjan Stevens and Son Lux). Kenny Dennis III continues the saga of ‘Geti’s blue-collar character, featuring sizable contributions from Anders Holm of Workaholics. This is the second Kenny Dennis LP, and the third installment of Serengeti’s foray into the guise of Kenny Dennis. It furthers Serengeti’s hilarious, absurdist, and subtly humane saga of a Chicago-born man with a Mike Ditka mustache, whose lovable delusions and diehard loyalty fall somewhere between Homer Simpson and a Bill Swerski Superfan. (Vinyl version pressed on neon splatter wax.)
Bobby Shmurda – Shmurda She Wrote CDEP (Epic)
New EP from the rap sensation.
Son Little – Things I Forgot CDEP (Anti)
Things I Forgot opens with “The River,” a seductive and ominous reconstruction of American blues infused with elements of hip-hop. Next up is “Your Love Will Blow Me Away When My Heart Aches” which Little describes as “Wu-Tang sea shanty with the Beatles on background vocals.” The slinky guitar groove of “Cross My Heart” bears haunting witness to departed friends, while “Joy” re-invents the cathartic soul ballad and delivers conclusive proof of Little’s vocal power. “Alice” is propelled by distorted guitar and raw simple drumming, offering an inventive and captivating mix of garage punk and psychedelic soul.
SSS – Limp. Gasp. Collapse. CD/LP (Prosthetic)
Short Sharp Shock aka SSS live up their name, making snappy, quality thrash with a strong hardcore/crossover vibe.
Vince Staples – Hell Can Wait CDEP (Def Jam)
The first official EP from rapper Vince Staples. Includes production from Infamous, No I.D., and others.
Such Gold – The New Sidewalk CD (Razor & Tie)
The pop/punk band from Rochester, NY completed their new studio album with Bill Stevenson (Descendents, A Wilhelm Scream, Propagandhi). Vinyl version due December 2.
Sunbears – Future Sound CD/LP (New Granada)
New album from the Jacksonville, Florida psych pop outfit (one of the fwends featured on The Flaming Lips’ recent Sgt. Pepper’s tribute album, With A Little Help From My Fwends).
Swingin Utters – Fistful Of Hollow CD/LP (Fat Wreck Chords)
Classic street-punk with a wide array of folk, country, garage-rock, and honky-tonk embellishments, Fistful of Hollow continues to leak into new territory with their ever-expanding infusion of influences.
Tallesen – Stills Lit Through CD (Software)
A hallucinatory experience rife with echoes of Autechre’s corporal maneuver. Vinyl version due November 24.
Tears For Fears – Songs From The Big Chair [Reissue/1984] CD/2xCD/4xCD+2xDVD/LP (Mercury)
Digitally remastered and expanded edition of the British duo’s 1985 release including bonus tracks. Deluxe two-CD edition includes a bonus CD containing non-album single edits, mixes and more. The six-disc Super Deluxe version adds a multitude of remixes and B-sides, plus a disc of nine previously unreleased tracks and a 5.1 surround sound version of the album mixed by renowned musician and audio engineer Steven Wilson.
Tokio Hotel – Kings Of Suburbia CD/2xCD (De-Code Ltd.)
Sixth studio album by German rock band – Available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe two-CD edition includes four bonus tracks plus an interview with the band.
Torn Hawk – Let’s Cry And Do Pushups At The Same Time CD (Mexican Summer)
It’s difficult to neatly categorize Luke Wyatt’s genre-refracting productions. The nuts and bolts are built from live guitar, drum machines, junky synths, and layers of samples which are smeared into a cohesive whole. His guitar moves between the meditations of Manuel Gottsching, the jangle-grid of The Chameleons, and the saturation of Medicine. Throw in the melodrama of a sax on a Don Henley hit, and you get a better idea of his playfully sincere sensibility. Vinyl version due November 24.
Usnea – Random Cosmic Violence CD/LP (Relapse)
“In a year that has already delivered amazing new records from Yob, Pallbearer, Triptykon, Thou, Eyehategod, and Indian (among others), it’s pretty close to impossible to show up in mid-November with an album of sludge/funeral doom and make any sort of impact. But Random Cosmic Violence — the sophomore LP from Portland, OR’s Usnea — arrives with the force of an asteroid, and leaves behind a f**king crater.” — Stereogum
Various Artists – Air Texture IV 2xCD (Air Texture)
Fourth volume in the series curated by Steve Hauschildt and Bnjmn. Includes tracks from Hauschildt, Bnjmn, Teebs, Lukid, Event Cloak, Legowelt, Le Révélateur, Pulse Emitter, Hieroglyphic Being, Heathered Pearls, and more.
Various Artists – All Of Your Friends Friends CD (K Records)
All Of Your Friends Friends is a seminal Northwest hip-hop compilation album produced entirely off of samples pulled from the K catalogue. Featuring over 30 of the most unique MCs from the region including members of mega-crews Oldominion and the Sandpeople, the album also introduces a host of hidden talent from Olympia, WA – K’s sonic stomping ground.
Various Artists – Pop Ambient 2015 CD/LP+CD (Kompakt)
The 2015 edition of the annual series features debutant soundsmiths such as Thore Pfeiffer and Max Wurden as well as returning Pop Ambient staples such as Leandro Fresco, Ulf Lohmann, and Jens-Uwe Beyer.
Various Artists – Ten Cities CD (Soundway)
Berlin, Bristol, Cairo, Johannesburg, Kyiv, Lagos, Lisbon, Luanda, Nairobi, Naples. 50 electronic music producers and instrumentalists from these ten cities were invited to collaborate in studios over the course of more than six months. As a result hip-hop from the squats of Naples, dubstep and bass from Bristol and Lisbon, experimental techno from Berlin and jazz-tinged deep-house from Kiev are thrust upon the pumping kuduro of Luanda, the free- thinking crackled electronica of Cairo, the Afro-jazz of Lagos and Johannesburg, and the Sheng street slang of Kenyan hip-hop and rap. A selection of the results of these cross-continental experiments can be heard on this record.
Voyeurs – Rhubarb Rhubarb CD/LP (Heavenly/PIAS America)
“If there’s a line to be drawn between T-Rex and Bowie, The Beatles and The Kinks – that isn’t a couple of decades in time, then it’s possible to continue it right through to Rhubarb Rhubarb. A delightfully fun record.” — DIY
Wildbirds & Peacedrums – Rhythm CD (Leaf)
Wildbirds & Peacedrums return with their first record in four years; lean, hungry and defiant. In stripping back to their roots—drums and voice—they have discovered an unblinking directness, a taut muscularity honed from years of intensive live performance. Vinyl version due next week, November 18.
Witch Mountain – South Of Salem [Reissue/2011] CD (Mountastic)
Witch Mountain was formed in Portland, Oregon, in 1997 by Rob Wrong and Sunn-O))) collaborator Nathan Carson. Between 1998 and 2002 Witch Mountain was a live staple in the Northwest and on the national circuit, touring with Weedeater and Spirit Caravan and gigging with the likes of Lost Goat, Bongzilla, Goatsnake, Acid King, High On Fire, Orange Goblin, Electric Wizard, YOB, Unsane, EyeHateGod, Alabama Thunderpussy, Clutch, Unida, Solitude Aeturnus, Unorthodox, Sour Vein, Isis, Soilent Green, Karma to Burn, Nebula, Penance, Raging Slab, Warhorse, Agalloch, Thrones, etc., etc.
The World Inferno Friendship Society – This Packed Funeral CD/LP (Alternative Tentacles)
New album from the veteran punk rock cabaret ensemble. Equal parts punk, soul, klezmer and jazz, replete with horns, piano, guitar and a lot of boys and girls with very sharp teeth, the Brooklyn-based group’s must-see stage charisma rivals Slim Cessna’s Auto Club. The ensemble has over 40 members, including a guy from Dexys Midnight Runners who’s in Black 47 now. Only about seven to thirteen show up at any given time due to parole restrictions, so one never can tell how crowded the dressing room is going to be.
Mike Zito – Songs From The Road: Live In Texas CD+DVD (Ruf)
Zito’s Songs From The Road is a two-disc set that captures Mike at full throttle on his adopted home-turf. This DVD and live album were recorded on January 10th, 2014, at Dosey Doe at The Woodlands, TX, to a sold-out crowd of crazy Texans
DVDs + Blu-ray:
The Doors – Feast Of Friends DVD/Blu-ray (Eagle Vision)
Filmed in 1968, Feast Of Friends was the first and only film produced about The Doors by The Doors. It offers a cinematic look at The Doors on the road during their summer ‘68 tour. While never truly completed, the film provides a stylistic approach in true sixties cinema verite style. Concert performances are intercut with fly-on-the-wall footage of the group in their natural habitat, sometimes playful, sensitive, chaotic and touching.
This Week’s Vinyl Exclusives:
Cannonball Adderly Sextet – In New York: Recorded Live At The Village Vanguard [Reissue/1962] LP (Concord Music Group)
An exceedingly excellent live date from the legendary Village Vanguard, In New York captures the recording debut of the Adderley Sextet and finds Cannonball gliding through seven tunes with swinging ease on alto saxophone. Joined by brother Nat on cornet, and the versatile Yusef Lateef on tenor, flute, and oboe, Cannonball and his crew turn in what All About Jazz calls “perhaps the single most indispensable recording by the Adderley Brothers.”
Alberich – NATO-Uniformen 2xLP (Hospital Productions)
This gatefold double LP set is a redacted version of Alberich’s indomitable, spirit-crushing opus, NATO-Uniformen, cut from 30 tracks in the original eight-cassette box (limited to 50 copies) to 19 tracks on this version, edited in 2014 for the Trans Industrial Assembly in NYC. Originally deployed in 2010, its bombed-out luster has become a firm favorite of everyone from Blackest Ever Black’s Kiran Sande to Endangered Species’ Vereker. Between the bludgeoned doom techno of “Skysweeper,” the shell-strewn darkwave scenes of “Man Is Ready” and the Carpenter-esque adrenalizer, “Immortality Is No Consolation for Death,” Alberich finds a very specific line through heavy electronics, synth zones, and dread techno, and holds it to the last with a shell-shocked, eviscerated aesthetic most unlike any other.
Jorn Aleskjaer – I’m So Glad I Spent This Day With You LP (Sounds Familyre)
Aleskjaer’s musical scope stretches from Todd Rundgren-like pop-soul to Beach Boys ’70s harmony escapades, often Dennis Wilson-esque songs and performances.
Andersen/Pleym Group – Have Your Own Feeling, Have Your Own Way [Reissue/1971] 2xLP (Mayfair Music)
Official reissue of rare Norwegian private press psych LP.
Iggy Azalea – The New Classic 2xLP (Def-Jam)
Released earlier this year on CD – now available on vinyl. Debut album by the Australian rapper. Azalea would be the first to admit that she’s something of an outsider in the world of rap. As a white girl from rural Australia, raised in the small New South Wales town of Mullumbimby (population: 3,000), how could she not be? It’s appropriate that she’s risen to the status of one of the most promising new MCs in an era when hip-hop has never been more open to artists from a diversity of backgrounds.
Balmorhea – Heir 7”+MP3 (Western Vinyl)
Two new songs on color vinyl. “Heir I” starts things off slowly with a Wurlitzer’s somber tremolo and some gently propulsive electric bass, soon joined by vibes and a soaring violin melody.
Bedhead – WhatFunLifeWas [Reissue/1993] LP (Numero)
Bedhead – Beheadd [Reissue/1996] LP (Numero)
Bedhead – Transaction De Novo [Reissue/1998] LP (Numero)
HQ-180gm vinyl represses of the Texas slow-core pioneers only three albums.
Boris – The Thing Which Solomon Overlooked LP (Taiga)
Fourth and final installment in the series includes a slipcase intended to house all four LPs in The Chronicle. Makes use of the raw, unsettling drone elements that are their trademark.
Cannibal – Cannibal LP (Primary Information)
A disorienting tour de force of the lower forms of music. Guided by a collective deftness for derailment, Destroy All Monster’s Cary Loren, Cameron Jamie, and the Belgian minister of exploitation Dennis Tyfus hallucinate fifteen tracks of erratic electronics, deranged and incantatory narration, harmonica, jaw harp, dollar-bin records, found poetry, vocal sound techniques, etc. Silkscreened jacket.
Christina Carter – Masque Feminine [2008] LP+MP3 (Root Strata)
Vinyl reissue of 2008 album originally released as a CDR on Many Breaths. The co-founder of Charalambides has concentrated her most recent work on exploring extended improvisational guitar, with and without song-medley structures.
Rhys Chatham – Reve Parisien LP (Primary Information)
Four new compositions performed live at Jacob Kassay’s 2010 exhibition at Art: Concept in Paris, loosely functioning as an audio catalogue and soundtrack to the exhibition. Rhys Chatham abandoned the trumpet style he developed in the ’90s for a non-distorted, less effects-driven sound that complements his minimalist compositions and free jazz training. Gatefold jacket with die-cut cover.
The Chicago Triangle – Emergence LP (Permanent)
Previously unknown, Acid-Archives worthy, private press, basement hardrock/prog from mid-‘70s Chicago. “The Chicago Triangle is a flock of the rarest birds: a Latino hard rock quartet, emerging from Chicago’s near-north side, and also harboring an arcane interest in the mysticism of the triangle. Although it was released in 1977, it could have been 1969, or 1989, or 2015… in any decade, it was destined for deepest obscurity, and is now of most profound interest.” — Rob Sevier, Numero Group
Coffinworm – IV.I.VIII LP (The Flenser)
New release from the notorious Indianapolis-based blackened doom metal band. Far more complex and lacerating than anything the band has attempted thus far, IV.I.VIII offers six tracks of pure, blackened, unholy doom metal terror that will serve as the soundtrack to the inevitable dark era soon to befall this feeble mortal coil. CD version due next week, November 18.
Co La – Hegemony Of Delete LP (Primary Information)
Electronic music in dialogue with the real rhythms of work and leisure by Baltimore-based Matt Papich, whose six songs here are structurally digressive, rhythmically protean, and littered with distorting spatial impressions and musical non-sequiturs (the interjection of anonymous voices, ambient noise, dryly evocative samples, etc.), all of which contribute to Hegemony Of Delete’s sense of artifice. Yet the music never gets carried away with itself, mysteriously articulating its own obscure, fleeting circumstances, even as it shapes them—a delicately maintained feedback circuit, a relaxed conversation with a synthetic atmosphere.
Color Morale – Hold On Pain Ends LP (Fearless)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. The Color Morale is a metalcore band from Rockford, Illinois.
Consumer Electronics – Estuary English 2×12”+CD (Dirter Promotions)
The unlikely trio of aging renegade Philip Best (Whitehouse, Ramleh, Skullflower, etc.), hip US artist Sarah Froelich and producer/guru Russell Haswell unleash a set of new recordings. HQ-180 vinyl with CD.
Contact – First Contact LP+MP3 (Temporary Residence)
Contact is a new band featuring A.E. Paterra of Zombi and Majeure, and acclaimed film composer Paul Lawler. First Contact blends ‘70s Pink Floyd sprawl, the nostalgic wonder of early ‘80s science documentaries, and John Carpenter’s ‘80s sci-fi action films.
Crayon – Brick Factory [Reissue/1994] LP+MP3 (Happy Happy Birthday To Me)
20th anniversary reissue with download including 21 bonus songs. Crayon took the burgeoning sound of twee pop and added punk elements, sounding something like a cross between UK indiepop bands like the Pastels and more abrasive American bands like Unwound.
Patrick Cowley & Jorge Socarras – Catholic LP (Dark Entries)
Vinyl issue of this lost opus of disco pioneer Patrick Cowley and Indoor Life vocalist Jorge Socarras, arranged and recorded by Cowley in his home studio, 1975-1979. Perhaps one of the most revolutionary and influential people in the canon of disco music, Cowley created his own brand of Hi-NRG dance music, “The San Francisco Sound.”
Creedence Clearwater Revival – The Complete Studio Albums 7xLP+MP3 (Back To Black)
Seven-LP box set brings together the legendary band’s entire studio output in one comprehensive collection, all on HQ-180gm vinyl. The collection features all of the band’s instantly recognizable hits, including “Proud Mary,” “Bad Moon Rising,” “Fortunate Son,” “Who’ll Stop the Rain,” “Lookin’ Out My Back Door,” “Travelin’ Band,” and “Down On The Corner.”
Dreamsalon – Soft Stab LP (Dragnet)
Dreamsalon is a Seattle supergroup trio who began in 2012, rising from the ashes of the band Evening Meetings. Falling somewhere between post-garage and post-punk, they bring to mind bands like The Fall channeled through Pere Ubu and The Gun Club.
Empire – Expensive Sound [Reissue/1981] LP (Drastic Plastic)
A major influence on the Washington DC hardcore and emo scene, from Bob “Derwood” Andrews and Mark Laff (Generation X). Available on HQ-200gm black and 150gm opaque red vinyl.
Finch – Back To Oblivion LP (Razor & Tie)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. In 2003, Finch took the post-hardcore world by storm with its gold-selling, debut record, What It Is To Burn. In 2006, the band released their sophomore album, Say Hello To Sunshine. In 2013 (after a band hiatus), Finch reunited for a 10 Year Anniversary Tour of What It Is to Burn, playing the album from start to finish in venues all over the world. Back To Oblivion is there first new album in five years.
Flesh Lights – Free Yourself LP (12xU)
Guitarist/vocalist Max Vandever and cousin Elissa Ussery (drums/vocals) migrated from San Antonio and began their assault on Austin’s live music dumps in 2008 playing as a duo under ill-advised names including but not limited to Candle Shop & The Psychic Reader, Dead Leger, and Carousel Images. After poaching bassist/vocalist Jeremy Steen from an early lineup of The Gospel Trugh, the newly dubbed Flesh Lights, the trio quickly became a fixture on whatever you-got-songs-in-my-punk/you-got-punk-in-my-songs circuit that began to coalesce around the alleged live music capital.
Flipper – Love [Reissue/2009] LP (Flipper)
Flipper – Fight (Live) [Reissue/2009] LP (Flipper)
Limited represses of two of the punk band’s 2009 releases, now available on white vinyl and on clear vinyl, respectively.
Mike & Cara Gangloff – Black Ribbon Of Death, Silver Thread Of Life LP (MIE)
Third in a series of loosely connected melodic investigations, featuring the far-reaching improvisation familiar from his work w/ the old-time string band Black Twig Pickers and the acoustic-drone outfit Pelt.
Yonatan Gat – Iberian Passage LP (Joyful Noise)
Solo album from Monotonix guitarist. Inspired by African ensembles such as Orchestra Baobab, and the early work of Brazilian psychedelic experimentalists Os Mutantes, Gat blends his punk influences with the wild improvisational spirit of Miles Davis and Charles Mingus. White vinyl.
Grasshopper – Dark Sabbath: Symbols Of Evil LP (Hausu Mountain)
Multi-instrumental sessions of overwhelming synth drone and feedback-soaked noise animated by the howling voices of live trumpet performances. Dark Sabbath pushes Grasshopper’s uncompromising live assault to new heights of doom-worshipping heaviness and tonal abstraction. Their unique strain of electro-acoustic performance is ripped to shreds in a tug-of-war between the contemporary classical, DIY noise, and free-jazz traditions.
Hideout – Rookie LP (Thrill Me)
Hideout’s inception began on the road. Made up of Gabriel Rodriguez (guitar/vocals) and Cory Stier (drums), the duo is longtime friends from San Diego who grew up playing in bands both together and separately. Now touring members of Cults and living on different coasts, Cory and Gabe took advantage of time on tour by writing music. Reminiscent of early Bowie, Rookie is complete with gritty guitar loops and ethereal vocals singing tales of abduction and space travels.
Holögrama – Waves LP+MP3 (Trouble In Mind)
Holögrama is the recording project of Fancisco Borja, an electronic musician from Granade, Spain. Borja performs and records the majority of everything himself, using synths, drum machines and whatever odds and ends he can scrape together to orchestrate Holögrama ‘s sound. Think Rev & Vega, but with a more positive, hopeful vibe tinged with a whisper of melancholy.
John Lee Hooker – Boogie Chillun [Reissue/1972] 2xLP (Fantasy)
Recorded live in November 1962 in San Francisco, Boogie Chillun features Hooker performing solo in a laid-back, ‘unplugged’ mode. Employing a mixture of acoustic and electric sounds, Hooker treats the crowd to such classics as the titular “Boogie Chillun” and “Dimples” (retitled as “I Like to See You Walk”) in an intimate setting.
Shin Joong Hyun – Beautiful Rivers And Mountains: The Psychedelic Rock Sound Of South Korea’s Shin Joong Hyun 1958-1974 2xLP (Light In The Attic)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Inspired by jazz, soul, and traditional Korean music, Shin Joong Hyun started his career in the mid-1950s, performing for US troops stationed locally after the Korean War armistice of 1953. While his English language skills were limited, the young player had no trouble communicating through his trusty electric guitar, but Shin was no mere 6-string slinger for hire, he was able to communicate something far beyond your average professional musician. Beautiful Rivers And Mountains is the first ever anthology outside Korea of legendary guitarist, arranger, songwriter and producer of mind-altering experimental pop, acid-folk, and extended psych funk jams. A musical trip existing somewhere between Motown, Hendrix, and the Velvet Underground.
Itasca – Unmoored By The Wind LP (New Images)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. New release from folk guitarist and songwriter Kayla Cohen aka Itasca. At once soft-spoken and virtuosic, Cohen’s mesmerizing finger-picking lays gauzy groundwork for vocal work More than ever before, though, Cohen’s confident singing is laid bare; vocals ride on top of arrangements, taking their rightful place in the forefront.
Keith Jarrett/Charlie Haden – Last Dance 2xLP (ECM)
Released late last spring on CD – now available on vinyl. Keith Jarrett and Charlie Haden broaden the scope of their duo project to showcase jazz classics like Thelonious Monk’s “Round Midnight” and Bud Powell’s spritely “Dance Of The Infidels.” Love songs, however, are to the fore in this selection, with tender versions of “My Old Flame,” “My Ship,” “It Might As Well Be Spring,” “Everything Happens To Me,” and “Every Time We Say Goodbye” as well as alternate takes of “Where Can I Go Without You” and “Goodbye,” every bit as touching as the Jasmine renditions. HQ-180gm.
Joan Jett And The Blackhearts – Album [Reissue/1983] LP+MP3 (Blackheart)
Joan Jett And The Blackhearts – Album [Reissue/1984] LP+MP3 (Blackheart)
Vinyl reissues of the iconic rocker’s 1983 and 1984 albums. Accompanying download includes bonus tracks and enhanced material.
David Johansen – David Johansen [Reissue/1978] LP (Drastic Plastic)
Vinyl reissue of the 1978 solo album from former lead singer of New York Dolls. Two pressings: HQ-200gm black and 150gm opaque blue vinyl.
Suzuki Junzo – 7 LP (Nod And Smile)
Tokyo guitarist/songwriter/singer Suzuki Junzo’s seventh album, 7, is a masterwork of guitar deconstruction, bleak blues and claustrophobic atmospherics. Known from his work with Miminokoto, 20 Guilders, Overhang Party and more, Junzo unleashes his desolate soul on this new LP.
Bruce Langhorn – Hired Hand [Reissue/1971] LP (Scissor Tail)
Classic 1971 Peter Fonda film soundtrack from Dylan sideman and folk scene impresario Bruce Langhorn. It is a beautifully melancholy score performed with guitars, tonal effects, fiddle, banjo, sitar, and more that evokes high plains drifting, lonesome cowpokes. “It’s The West seen as Purgatory, its characters endlessly moving on, but Langhorne conjures beauty from the pain.” — The Wire
Daniel Lanois – Flesh And Machine LP (Anti)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Daniel Lanois is one of the most influential record producers of the modern era: the man who brought Bob Dylan back; longtime collaborator with Brian Eno, soundsculpting a series of mammoth releases for U2; and producer of breakthrough late-career albums by Willie Nelson and Emmylou Harris. But before all that, Daniel Lanois was an experimental musician, recording his unique guitar voicings for groundbreaking albums with guys like Brian Eno and Jon Hassell, along the way helping to invent a genre called ambient music.
Legendary Wings – Do You See LP (Dirtnap)
Alternating bursts of caffeinated punk-pop with mid-tempo jangly numbers, all served up raw and catchy as hell.
Le Mur – In Tenebris LP (Sireena)
Dark, heavy trip rock with prog influences.
Logic – Under Pressure 2xLP (Def Jam)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Debut album from the Maryland-based rapper. Under Pressure was executive-produced by No I.D., with production coming from Visionary Music Group’s in-house producer 6ix and Logic himself. Other producers who contributed to the album include DJ Dahi, S1, M-Phazes, Kevin Randolph, DJ Khalil, Dun Deal, Alkebulan, Arthur McArthur, Tae Beast, Terrace Martin, Skhye Hutch, Rob Knox, Swiff D. Guests include Childish Gambino and Big Sean.
Lords Of The New Church – Lords Of The New Church [Reissue/1982] LP (Drastic Plastic)
LOTNC’s 1982 debut incorporated their punk roots while transitioning into a more polished gothic style with catchy hooks. The band included members of Dead Boys, The Damned, Sham 69, and The Barracudas. Pressed on HQ-200gm black and 150gm gold opaque vinyl.
Love And Rockets – Express [Reissue/1986] LP (Drastic Plastic)
Daniel Ash, David J, and Kevin Haskins deviated from Bauhaus’ signature gothic sound and experimenting with pop and psychedelics. Two pressings: HQ-180gm black and 150gm opaque red vinyl.
Barbara Lynn – Here Is Barbara [Reissue/1968] LP (Light In The Attic)
To be a woman singing your own blues and soul songs in 1960s Texas was a rare thing. To do so while brandishing a left-handed Stratocaster and bashing out hard-edged licks was even rarer. HQ-180gm LP housed in an expanded deluxe Stoughton gatefold tip-on jacket.
Martial Canterel – Gyors, Lassù LP (Dais)
Gyors, Lassù marks an important milestone in the evolution of Martial Canterel’s music, progressing far beyond the cages of “minimal synth” and embracing the noisier qualities of its sound with a renewed urgency, a kind of thickness embodied in multiple layers using only eurorack, Serge and Roland 100 modular systems at his disposal and flushing out the entire session in one take.
Mark McGuire – Noctilucence 12” (Dead Oceans)
New EP from guitarist and ex-Emeralds member, following release of critically acclaimed full-length Along The Way earlier this year.
Megadeth – Peace Sells… But Who’s Buying [Reissue/1986] LP (Capitol Music Group)
Megadeth – So Far, So Good… So What! [Reissue/1988] LP (Capitol Music Group)
Megadeth – Rust In Peace [Reissue/1990] LP (Capitol Music Group)
Megadeth – Countdown To Extinction [Reissue/1992] LP (Capitol Music Group)
Megadeth – Youthanasia [Reissue/1994] LP (Capitol Music Group)
Picture-disc vinyl reissues featuring the 2004 remastered mixes by Dave Mustaine.
Midlake – The Trials Of Von Occupanther [Reissue/2006] LP (Nova Posta Vinyl)
Denton, TX natives, Midlake reissue their sophomore album. “The dream of the ‘70s was alive in Denton, TX, home to the quintet behind this meticulously layered evocation of the foreboding, psychedelic soft rock of their youth and the craftsmen of a century earlier.” – Rolling Stone’s 100 Best Songs Of The 2000s
Ministry – The Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Taste [Reissue/1989] LP (Drastic Plastic)
The melding of heavy guitars, relentless drumbeats, and bone-chilling sampling come together on Ministy’s 1989 smash to create one of the most influential industrial metal albums of all time. Two pressings: HQ-200gm black or 150gm opaque gold vinyl.
Model Alpha – Dimensions LP+7” (Desire)
Model Alpha is a French synth duo, influenced by Kraftwerk, Terry Riley, Ariel Kalma, Daniel Caux, and the Bauhaus movement.
M.O.T.O. – Chinese Rocks LP (Secret Mission)
14 new songs written and recorded during M.O.T.O.’s 2013 China tour. M.O.T.O. is a garage punk band currently based in New Hampshire. Formed in New Orleans in 1981 by Paul Caporino, the lineup of the band has seen many changes over the years, with Caporino being the only consistent member. The band has recorded many albums, singles and CDs, including several albums for the Chicago-based record label Criminal IQ Records.
Mott The Hoople – All The Young Dudes [Reissue/1972] LP (Drastic Plastic)
Vinyl reissue of Mott The Hoople’s fifth studio album, released in 1972. With a foundation in R&B, they became quite popular in the ’70s glam scene. Pressed on HQ-200gm black and 150gm opaque red vinyl.
Naked Raygun – Raygun… Naked Raygun [Reissue/1990] LP (Haunted Town)
The Chicago punk legends’ fifth full-length album from 1990 is back in print on vinyl. Twelve tracks total with two bonus cuts—covers of Chelsea and Buzzcocks. Features the original unreleased artwork for the album. Includes a nice two-sided full color poster full of good stuff. Hand numbered sticker and plastic sleeve. First pressing on three different colors of vinyl.
Nevermores – Lock Your Doors… LP (Magnetic South)
With a hand-me-down Farfisa organ and a couple of Back From The Grave compilations, Nevermores have concocted a handful of paint-peeling garage-punk organ-grinders, and peppered their sets with Nuggets “standards” to keep the party going well past curfew.
Noveller – No Dreams LP (Taiga)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Soaring sixth solo album by American electric guitarist Sarah Lipstate.
Jessica Pavone – Knuckle Under LP (Taiga)
Long tones, often played with such force that one imagines a puff of rosin rising from her viola strings as she bowed them.
Peter And The Test Tube Babies – Pissed And Proud [Reissue/1985] LP (Drastic Plastic)
Peter And The Test Tube Babies 1985 album is nested in the “punk pathetique” subgenre of British punk. Available on HQ-200gm black and 150gm opaque pink vinyl.
Pianos Become The Teeth – Keep You LP+MP3 (Epitaph)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Pianos Become The Teeth is an American screamo band with post-rock influences that formed in 2006. They perform a style of music inspired by post-rock and early screamo acts, and are a part of “The Wave” — an in-joke began by friends Touché Amoré, La Dispute, Defeater, and Make Do And Mend, all playing a form of post-hardcore music.
Iggy Pop – Soldier [Reissue/1980] LP (Friday Music)
From his Motor City days with the band first known as the Psychedelic Stooges, or glamming it up with Reed and Bowie or the occasional binge of onstage self-mutilation, Iggy Pop has always done what he damn well pleases.
Cole Porter – Seeburg Music Library: The Best Of Cole Porter LP (Seeburg Music Library)
This HQ-180gm virgin vinyl LP contains 18 instrumental songs of Cole Porters most renowned compositions. This is the first time these original retro arrangements have ever been released. With it showcasing the amazing songwriting talent of Porter and the stellar musicianship of Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, and Nashville session players for this recording.
Portishead – Dummy [Reissue/194] LP (Mercury)
Vinyl LP repressing of this 1994 album by the trip-hop pioneers. Includes “Sour Times,” “Glory Box” and others.
Psychic TV – Dreams Less Sweet [Reissue/1983] LP (Angry Love Productions)
Angry Love Productions is proud to present Psychic TV’s 1983 classic Dreams Less Sweet, back on vinyl for the first time in over 20 years. Holophonic audio…from the original UK vinyl masters with meticulously restored artwork. Featuring early PTV classics “The Orchids” and “White Nights.”
Rakta – Tudo Que E Solido 7” (540)
Brazil’s Rakta unleash two new tracks of eerie and atmospheric post punk. “Tudo Que E Solido” is an instant nugget that fits somewhere between Blood And Roses and The Doors. It’s driven by the tom tom work and the insistent and drone like keyboard work.
Red Red Meat – There’s A Star Above The Manger Tonight [Reissue/1996] 2xLP+MP3 (Jealous Butcher)
Originally released in 1996 on Sub Pop, There’s A Star Above The Manger Tonight is the sound of a band blooming even as it folds in – finding Tim Rutili (Califone), Brian Deck (Modest Mouse/Iron & Wine engineer), Ben Massarella (Califone/Orso), and Tim Hurley incorporating samplers, loops, and computers, marrying disparate threads of hip-hop, krautrock, and dub to folk forms, stomps and blues. Artwork re-envisioned by John Herndon (Tortoise) comes with download with five extras tracks.
Sonny Rollins – Freedom Suite [Reissue/1958] LP (Concord Music Group)
Freedom Suite is an album by jazz saxophonist Sonny Rollins, his last recorded for the Riverside label, featuring performances by Rollins with Oscar Pettiford and Max Roach.
Soundtrack – Superbad [2007] LP (Phineas Atwood)
First time on vinyl for this classic soundtrack. Original score by Lyle Workman interspersed with killer tracks from Sergio Mendes & Brasil 66, Rick James, The Bar-Keys and more.
Spellcaster – Spellcaster LP (Lone Fir)
Spellcaster is a heavy metal band from Portland, Oregon, active in the underground since 2009. Their self-title LP was produced and recorded by Toxic Holocaust frontman Joel Grind at Falcon Studios in Portland and features ten tracks of ripping metal action.
Springtime Carnivore – Springtime Carnival LP (Autumn Tone)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. “Take a step backwards to the days of carefree wanderlust. Inhale a sense of joyous pop music with a touch of old-school dance to grasp another generation. Complications fade away. Things become clear. Worries diminish and you are brought into a world of unapologetic vibrancy. Springtime Carnivore (aka Greta Morgan) delivers just that in her self-titled debut album. Springtime Carnival is like a storybook of the sorts—full of wonderment and musical notes that take on different characters” – Sound And Silence.
Stereolab – Explosante Fixe 7” (Duophonic)
Original copies of Stereolab’s 2008 Chemical Chords limited edition tour single. Features the tracks “Explosante Fixe” and “L’exotisme Interieur.”
Storm Large – Le Bonheur LP (Heinz)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Singer Storm Large stepped into the role of lead vocalist for band Pink Martini in 2011, during a period when singer China Forbes went on hiatus for vocal cord surgery. The band enjoyed her presence so much that she was welcomed to stay on following the return of Forbes, and she has since toured with the band and performed on their album Get Happy. Le Bonheur (French for ”The Happiness”) marks Large’s first post-Martini solo album.
Survival Knife – Survivalized LP+MP3 (Chunklet)
Hot off the heels of their blistering full length Loose Power, Survival Knife (Justin Trosper and Brandt Sandeno of Unwound, along with the husband/wife team of Kris and Meg Cunningham) are back with Survivalized just in time for their first east coast tour. Front cover artwork by renowned sci-fi illustrator Trevor Claxton.
Matthew Sweet – Girlfriend [Reissue/1991] LP (Plain)
HQ-180gm vinyl reissue of Sweet’s 1991 power-pop masterpiece featuring a new back cover and a four-color double-sided insert never previously available.
Johnny Thunders – So Alone [Reissue/1978] LP (Drastic Plastic)
Vinyl reissue of the New York Dolls guitarist’s debut solo album, released in 1978. An eclectic mix of rock, punk, and soul. Two pressings: HQ-200gm and 150gm opaque yellow vinyl.
Trophy Eyes – Mend, Move On LP (Hopeless)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. New album from the Aussie punks.
Ulaan Markhor – Spiral Horns, Black Onions, et al LP+MP3 (Soft Abuse)
Ulaan Markhor is the latest solo moniker for Californian Steven R. Smith’s studio explorations. Spiral Horns, Black Onions, et al. fuses recent itinerant work under the aliases Ulaan Khol (blistering basement psychedelia) and Ulaan Passerine (moody and meditative zones) and unveils a distinctly American version of kosmische, with heavy Levon Helm/Clyde Stubblefield-indebted rhythm and groove replacing motorik pulses. Fluid synth, bass, organ and searing guitar textures – all played by Smith – augment the beats. The result is something akin to The Meters meets Amon Düül II.
Various Artists – Hohokum Soundtrack LP (Ghostly International)
The music of Sony Playstation’s Hohokum mirrors the game’s eclectic and detailed landscape, with a wide selection of Ghostly artists contributing their songs. Between musicians and producers like Tycho, Matthew Dear, Osborne, Geoff White, Michna, Ben Bejamin, and Shigeto, the soundtrack is a fully realized exhibition of contemporary electronic sounds. Rainbow splatter vinyl.
Various Artists – The 78 Project: Volume 2 LP (The 78 Project)
The 78 Project: Volume 2 contains 15 one-of-a-kind one-take recordings cut directly to acetate disks on a 1930’s Presto disk recorder in The 78 Project Movie. These recordings are not available anywhere else, with singular performances by John Doe, Victoria Williams, The Bo-Keys feat. Percy Wiggins, Gaby Moreno & Adam Levy, The Reverend John Wilkins, Louis Michot, Corey Ledet & Ashlee Michot, John Reilly & Tom Brosseau, Joe Bussard, John Paul Keith, Ben Vaughn, Coati Mundi, Sea of Bees, Little Wings, Ella Mae Bowen and The Easy Leaves.
Various Artists – Woorden LP (No Label)
Sketchy reissue of this Dutch comp originally released by Omega the late ’60s. Four underground poets (Hans Wesseling, Simon Vinkenoog, Bob Lens, and Nona) doing what poets do, mixed with “strange sounds and effects…. Totally freaked out, stoned, erotic but also political psychedelia….” according to Popsike. “Some poets do sort of singing…. Everything is mixed into one piece…. Lyrics are mostly in Dutch, but there are few poems in English.”
Vow – Make Me Yours LP+MP3 (Native Sound)
Driven by drum machines and rich bass lines, singer Julia Blake’s soulful and melodic alto vocals and instrumentalist Andrew Thomas’ dream-pop-synth-post-punk wizardry, Vow transition from the darker textures of their debut to more Cocteau Twins inspired dynamics, implementing chorus-drenched guitars and bass, and palpable pop-informed vocal melodies.
Weezer – Death To False Metal [2010] LP (Shop Radio Cast)
A collection of unreleased Weezer songs that spans a vast period of time from the very beginning of their career, up until present day (circa 2010). First time on vinyl.
Wild Party – Phantom Pop LP (Old Friends)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. If the effervescent modern pop band Wild Party has a defining characteristic, its passion. On their debut album, Phantom Pop, sugary synths buzz around kicky rock guitars and upbeat rhythms, taking the form of summery power-pop (”Take My Advice,” the keyboard-sprinkled ”Outright”), breezy soul-rock (”Chasin’ Honey,” ”When I Get Older”) and high-stepping indie-pop (”Violet”). Bands such as The Killers, The Strokes, Phoenix and The Format are certainly touchstones, but impressively for a band on their first release, the San Antonio, TX quartet have made it their mission to carve out a path of their own.
Jonathan Wilson – Slide By LP (Downtown)
Witch Mountain – Mobile Of Angels LP (Mountastic)
Witch Mountain are probably Portland, Oregon’s oldest currently active metal band; they date back to 1997, formed by guitarist Rob Wrong and drummer Nathan Carson, at a time when Portland’s heavy music scene was practically non-existent.
Book:
Jim Abbott – Jackson C. Frank: Clear, Hard Light Of Genius (Ba Da Bing!)
A portrait of cult, yet influential folk artist Jackson C. Frank. Part painstakingly researched biography, part personal memoir of caring for Frank through the final decade of his life. Softcover, 255-pages.
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