New Releases for December 9, 2014

CDs + Vinyl:

Albatwitch – If Corporations are People, Why Won’t They Die? CD/LP (Hand/Eye)

Albatwitch’s second full-length is an angrier, yet more refined take on the anarcho-experimentalism of their debut. Politically charged bursts of grind, dark drones, and blackened crust weave together with acoustic folk and harsh noise.

Bhleg – Draumr Ast CD (Nordvis)

Debut album by Swedish metal band Bhleg delivering bleak, melancholic black metal comparable to early material by Ulver and Burzum.

Blind Mr. Jones – Tatooine: 20th Anniversary Edition CD/LP (Sainte Marie)

Digitally remastered edition of the British shoegaze band’s second album, originally released in 1994. Blind Mr. Jones’ earlier recordings featured musical assistance from Slowdive’s Neil Halstead and Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood.

Blut Aus Nord – Memoria Vetusta III: Saturnian Poetry CD (Debemur Morti Productions)

“Blut Aus Nord and its mastermind Vindsval are primarily associated with boundary shifting experimentation within the musical realm of black metal. The ultra-prolific unit has been pushing beyond the Satanic and misanthropic trappings of the style since the band’s 2003 release The Work Which Transforms God. The Work is one of BAN’s most highly regarded albums, and it’s the entry point to the band’s catalog for a lot of people. But, before BAN started incorporating avant-garde elements and industrial noise into their songs, it started life as a fairly orthodox black metal band. Memoria Vetusta III: Saturnian Poetry is a return to that early sound.” – Metal Injection

The Brokedowns – Life Is A Breeze CD/LP (Red Scare Industries)

Take growly Midwest punk (à la D4, Lawrence Arms) and make it heavier, angular, and a little Hot Snakes-y. The Brokedowns know how to have a good time and they know how to write punchy punk jams, but what they do best is smack you on the ass with their words.

William S. Burroughs – Häxan: Witchcraft Through The Ages CD (Sotpackan)

Soundtrack to Anthony Balch’s abbreviated 1968 version of Benjamin Christensen’s 1922 silent film Häxan. Narrated by William S. Burroughs, delivered as an incantation in droning monotone. Daniel Humair’s chaotic jazz score was played by a quintet that included Jean-Luc Ponty on violin and Humair on percussion.

The Cancers – Fatten The Leeches CD/LP/Cassette (Dead Broke)

Debut album from the alt-rock band featuring former members of Unfun and Dead Dog. Produced by Jack Endino.

Caves – Leaving CD/LP (Specialist Subject)

Leaving is the third album from Bristol, England’s Caves. Eight tracks of noisy, feedback-laden, pop punk recorded early August 2014, it marks a significant change to the way Caves write and record music. Currently without a permanent drummer, singer-guitarist Lou Hanman takes on all three of these roles on Leaving. With the help of drummers from the likes of Spraynard, We Came Out Like Tigers, Young Livers and Bangers, it hasn’t hampered its touring schedule either.

1. Cole – 2014 Forest Hills Drive CD (Roc Nation)

“2014 Forest Hills Drive is a concept album. Its name comes from the address of a home that he once lived in, a home that was eventually taken from his mother and one that the star now owns. The trajectory of Cole’s career and of this project’s storyline centers around this same type of journey: a yearning for stability, a dream realized, a disappointment and a triumphant return.” – The Urban Daily

Cracker – Berkeley To Bakersfield 2xCD (429)

Cracker’s new double-album finds the uniquely American band traversing two different sides of the California landscape the northern Bay area and further downstate in Bakersfield. As David Lowery explains, “On the ‘Berkeley’ disc the band is the original Cracker lineup – Davey Faragher, Michael Urbano, Johnny and myself. This is the first time this lineup has recorded together in almost 20 years. We began recording this album at East Bay Recorders in Berkeley, CA. For this reason we chose to stylistically focus this disc on the music we most associate with the East Bay: punk and garage with some funky undertones. To further match our sense of place we often took an overtly political tone in the lyrics. The ‘Bakersfield’ disc represents the California country side of the band. Throughout the band s 24-year history we’ve dabbled in country and Americana but this time we wanted to pay homage to the particular strain of country and country-rock music that emerges from the inland valleys of California.”

Ex Cops – Daggers CD/LP (Downtown)

Features Ariel Pink and LP. “Arena ready atmospherics and bombastic hooks… it’s a thrilling, sophisticated new direction” — Consequence Of Sound

Cretin – Stranger CD/LP (Relapse)

“Eight years ago Cretin made a big splash with the release of their debut album Freakery, but eight years in the world of metal seems like an ice age, and it’s a long time in the lives of human beings, too. As good as Freakery was, trying to predict what this band would accomplish with their new album Stranger would have been a fool’s errand. But there’s no more need for guessing games — Stranger is on the verge of being released, and you’re about to get the chance to hear it from start to finish. Spoiler alert: it’s really, really good. It might be the best grind album of the year.” – No Cleansing

E-40 – Sharp On All 4 Corners: Corner 1 CD (Heavy On Grind Ent.)

E-40 – Sharp On All 4 Corners: Corner 2 CD (Heavy On Grind Ent.)

New set of albums from the rapper. E-40 started releasing multiple albums in 2010 with his four volume Revenue Retrievin’ series. The first two installments, Day Shift and Night Shift, were released on the same day in 2010, while Graveyard Shift and Overtime Shift were released the same day in 2011.

Fauna – Monolith CD/LP (The Flenser)

A single, 40-minute ambient piece that navigates a middle ground between minimalism/drone and the driving heartbeat of black metal.

Forever Pavot – Rhapsode CD/LP (Born Bad)

“I feel a bit like Stereolab or Broadcast, artists who draw from the past to make something new. Ten years ago or so, I was doing hardcore punk, then I did chiptune, pop, garage/folk, recorded on K7, and now things inspired from ’60s movie music… the only guideline are my desires. Nobody will be able to get in my way if I want to make a reggae album in three years or an album of French songs. Because I’m the one who decides.”

Ghostface Killah – 36 Seasons CD (Tommy Boy)

Tony Starks returns to Staten Island after nine years, like a man returning home from a war. He wants the company of old friends, to reunite with his girl, to live a quiet life. But New York has other plans for him. To visually flesh out the album s dark and twisted world, the CD’s packaging includes 20 pages of striking images from a host of stellar comic artists, curated by Matthew Rosenberg the creator of Ghostface’s 2013 six-issue comic mini-series, 12 Reasons To Die.

Johnny Gill – Game Changer CD (J Skillz Entertainment)

New album from the R&B vocalist and former New Edition member.

Gov’t Mule – Darkside Of The Mule CD/2xCD+DVD (Evil Teen)

This archival live release features a full set of Pink Floyd covers the band recorded on Halloween 2008 at the Orpheum Theatre in Boston, MA. Available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe triple disc version features the full 90-minute show on CD and on DVD. Vinyl version due January 13. “These new archival live releases just further [the concept of 2013’s Shout!, which sounds like Gov’t Mule but doesn’t sound like anything we had ever done],” guitarist Warren Haynes told Classic Rock, “and allow us to highlight some of our influences as well as how far we’ve come since the first album.”

In Flames – Lunar Strain [Reissue/1994] CD/LP (Century Media)

In Flames – Subterranean [Reissue/1995] CD/LP (Century Media)

In Flames – The Jester Race [Reissue/1996] CD/LP (Century Media)

In Flames – Whoracle [Reissue/1997] CD/LP (Century Media)

In Flames – Colony [Reissue/1999] CD/LP (Century Media)

In Flames – Clayman [Reissue/2000] CD/LP (Century Media)

In Flames – Reroute To Remain [Reissue/2002] CD/LP (Century Media)

In Flames – Soundtrack To Your Escape [Reissue/2004] CD/LP (Century Media)

In Flames – A Sense Of Purpose [Reissue/2008] CD/LP (Century Media)

In Flames – Sounds Of A Playground Fading [Reissue/2011] CD/LP (Century Media)

A good chunk of the Swedish melodic death metal band’s back catalog is back in print on both CD and vinyl formats.

Inutili – Unforgettable Lost And Unreleased CD (Aagoo)

Recorded in 2012 and 2013, this CD collects the best of Inutili’s early recordings, with bassist Giancarlo di Marco still on board. The beginning and end parts are nauseating; the middle fries your face off. Inulti is simply one of the most interesting current Italian avant-psych bands. If you enjoy Trad Gras Och Steiner, Pharaoh Overload or Oneida, this is for you.

Wilko Johnson/Roger Daltry – Going Back Home [Deluxe Edition] 2xCD (UMe)

Deluxe double-CD edition contains the original album as well as unreleased tracks from the studio sessions, alongside live songs from shows at London’s Royal Albert Hall and Shepherds Bush Empire earlier this year.

The Knife – Shaken-Up Versions CD/LP (Mute)

Shaken-Up Versions is a mini album of classic The Knife tracks reworked especially for the band’s recent North American leg of their Shaking The Habitual Tour. All 8 tracks were performed live in Stockholm and Berlin between 2013 and 2014.

Lenny Kravitz – Stut [Deluxe] CD+2xLP (Roxie)

Limited edition box set edition of the rocker’s latest album includes the Strut CD plus: The Miami Bedroom Rehearsals 28-page photo book, original ”Dirty White Boots” polaroid personally paint-splattered by Lenny, double HQ-180gm silver/red/white splatter vinyl LP in gatefold sleeve, facsimile of handwritten Strut lyric sheet, 12” x 12” photographic print, and 24 x 36 psychedelic poster all housed in a numbered leather-like foil embossed box.

Little & Ashley – Dream Happy Sexy CD (Razor & Tie)

Debut from the Los Angeles based indie pop duo.

LL Cool J – Mama Said Knock You Out [Reissue/1990] CD/LP (Def Jam)

Digitally remastered and expanded deluxe two CD edition including a bonus CD comprised of remixes of the albums classics singles: ”Mama Said Knock You Out”, ”Around The Way Girl” and ”The Boomin’ System”. Vinyl version has a 3D lenticular cover.

Lynch Mob – Sun Red Sun CD (Rat Pak)

New release from the hard rock band led by former Dokken guitarist George Lynch. Available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe includes four bonus tracks.

1. Michelle – Anybody Wanna Buy A Heart CD (Atlantic)

Sophomore album from the rising R&B singer. Features jailbird Meek Mill on the title track.

Modernettes – Teen City [Reissue/1979] CD (Sudden Death)

Digitally remastered edition of this 1979 EP release. Modernettes were pop/punk phenoms from Vancouver, Canada — a city Jack Rabid of The Big Takeover magazine claims had the greatest undiscovered punk/new wave scene of the late ’70s and early ’80s. This is the first time the group’s debut release has been reissued in its original format since 1979.

Neighborhood Brats – Recovery CD (Deranged)

Recently released on vinyl – now available on CD. Recovery is the first proper full-length album by this California powerhouse. After a slew of singles and EPs, this Long Beach, CA based quartet develop their style of aggressive Dangerhouse Records meets early ‘80s SoCal hardcore even further. Yes, the L.A. Times called them a “female fronted Black Flag”—it’s that band.

NOFX – Backstage Passport Soundtrack CD (Fat Wreck Chords)

In 2008 NOFX starred in the TV show Backstage Passport, a series that documented the insane hijinks of the band as they weaved an unsteady path through exotic locales where most sane bands fear to tread. The reality romp originally aired on Fuse and later went on to be released on DVD, which served up tons of “too hot for TV” bonus footage. After the resounding success of the series, NOFX have been met with endless requests for a soundtrack including all the rare and exclusive songs (five previously unreleased) from the show. Vinyl version due February 10.

Nostalgia 77 & The Monster – Measures CD (Tru Thoughts)

Measures is the second album from the Nostalgia 77 & The Monster guise, bringing a flavorsome take on instrumental jazz. The collection of songs sees Ben Lamdin’s long time collaborator, bass player and arranger Riaan Vosloo stepping to the fore, bringing six original compositions. The album also contains nods to the two dominant influences on this group over the years, in renditions of Sun Ra’s otherworldly “An Island In The Sun” and British firebrand (and previous Nostalgia 77 collaborator) Keith Tippett’s “Thoughts To Geoff.”

Charlemagne Palestine/Rhys Chatham – Youuu + Mee = Weee 3xCD (Sub Rosa)

This triple-CD set features 166 minutes of Charlemagne Palestine on Bosendorfer piano, Yamaha organ, and voice and Rhys Chatham on trumpet, loop pedal, and electric guitar.

PRhyme – PRyhme CD/LP (PRyme)

The first full-length collaboration from Royce Da 5’9” and DJ Premier.

Sex Pistols – Spunk CD (Sanctuary)

Digitally remastered edition of this long out of print ‘bootleg’ by the notorious punk band. Spunk was originally released in the UK during September or October 1977. The album, which was rumored to have actually been released by the band and manager Malcolm McLaren, comprises studio demos and talking recorded with Dave Goodman during 1976 and early 1977, while original bass player Glen Matlock was still a member of the band. Most of the songs would be re-recorded and officially released as Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols.

Frank Sinatra – London 3xCD+DVD (Capitol)

Deluxe four disc collection presents the remastered original studio album, Great Songs From Britain – the only album Sinatra ever recorded outside of the USA – with a treasure trove of other London highlights from Sinatra’s career. The expansive set’s more than 50 previously unreleased recordings include session material from the album, a 1962 BBC Light Programme radio special with introductions to each song by Sinatra himself, a 1953 live session for BBC Radio’s The Show Band Show, and a Royal Albert Hall concert from 1984. The collection’s DVD features a previously unreleased filmed 1962 concert from Royal Festival Hall, plus a 1970 concert appearance from the same venue with a never before released performance of the classic song “A Foggy Day.”

Smashing Pumpkins – Monuments To An Elegy CD/LP (Martha’s Music)

“…Monuments simply revels in electric, addictive sound. This is the synthiest Corgan album since TheFutureEmbrace, and the synthiest Pumpkins album since Adore, but where those albums plumbed the goth-y, post-punk darkness of New Order and Depeche Mode, Monuments deals in the brighter side of New Wave: the Cars, Duran Duran, Cyndi Lauper’s She’s So Unusual. It’s not absent guitars, though — it just balances the two instruments. And that may seem like a fairly simple balance to achieve, but Corgan’s history to this point has suggested an inability to satisfyingly find it. But here? Here he zoned in on it with near-perfect precision.” – Stereogum

Tetema – Geocidal CD (Ipecac)

New duo project from Mike Patton (FNM, Bungle, Fantomas, principle Zorn interpreter) and Australian composer/pianist Anthony Pateras (Thymolphthalein, Pivixki, Pateras/Baxter/Brown, Beta Erko). Geocidal boasts a 12-piece all-star cast of incredible musicians and featuring special guest drummer Will Guthrie. Vinyl version due January 6.

The Thing/Thurston Moore – Live CD/LP (The Thing Music)

Live album featuring an improvised collaboration between the Norwegian jazz super-group and the legendary guitarist.

Tragically Hip – Fully Completely [Reissue/1992] 2xCD+DVD/LP (Geffen)

The Canadian band’s third album has been remastered and expanded with a live concert recording taped prior to release of the original album in 1992 at The Horseshoe Tavern Toronto. Super Deluxe edition adds a the DVD Heksenketel, a 1993 documentary tour video previously only available on VHS format and long out of print, and expanded embossed artwork with a 50-page booklet, lithographs, and more.

Trophy Wife – All The Sides CD (SRA)

The third full-length release from the Philadelphia band Trophy Wife. The band (consisting of Diane Foglizzo and Katy Otto) formed in Washington, DC and has toured internationally for the past six years, developing a powerful grassroots following. With an orientation towards social justice, this duo plays loud music to survive. Drawing inspiration from artists like The Need, Shellac, Big Business and Lauryn Hill, Trophy Wife is the artistic conversation between two friends.

Various Artists – The Music Of Grand Theft Auto 5 3xCD/6xLP (Mass Appeal)

This collection includes 59 tracks with original music from A$AP Rocky, Tyler, The Creator, Twin Shadow, Wavves, Flying Lotus, Yeasayer and more. In addition, the limited editions will feature the original score composed by Tangerine Dream, Woody Jackson, The Alchemist & Oh No, mixed by DJ Shadow, along with the other incredible music featured in Grand Theft Auto V.

Various Artists – When I Reach That Heavenly Shore: Unearthly Black Gospel 1926-1936 3xCD (Tompkins Square)

Among the most powerful music to be captured on 78 rpm in America during the 1920s and 1930s are those recordings of black sanctified and gospel singing. Ranging from plaintive mourning to unbridled ecstasy, the sacred music from this time period represents a flowering of diverse and idiosyncratic rural songs styles. At no time was there a wider panorama of religious songs in America. Selected exclusively from Christopher King’s private collection, the 78s included here represent the most unhinged, the most compelling survey of pre-war black gospel.

Vulgaari – Vulgaari CD/LP (Cubo De Sangre LLC)

“Doom and sludge is the essence of Vulgaari, but dust that up with touches of death metal and heavy psych and you’ve got the idea. There is something about this band’s songwriting that elevates the tracks above the usual and makes them more memorable than the run of the mill sludge filling the racks these days. The heaviness is omnipresent and warm, thick riffs wash over you like a wave of cement with the opening salvo of ‘A World Created’. Lots of down-tuned bassiness on display here and the death metal influence comes with the roaring vocals that are pushed to the back of the mix.”

Warren G – Regulate: G Funk Era CD/LP (Def Jam)

Digitally remastered and expanded 20th Anniversary edition includes three bonus remixes. Grammy-nominated hip-hop pioneer Warren G is a Long Beach rapper who formed the legendary group 213 (named after the city’s area code) with Nate Dogg and Snoop Dogg, who went on to collaborate with step- brother Dr. Dre on The Chronic.

Yes – Like It Is: Yes At The Bristol Hippodrome 2xCD+DVD (Frontiers)

In Spring 2014, Yes performed on their Canadian, UK and European tour a true classic rock double header by performing two of their most popular albums in their entirety, all in one concert: 1971’s The Yes Album and 1977’s Going For The One.

DVDs + Blu-ray:

James Brown – Live At The Boston Garden DVD (Shout! Factory)

This is the actual April 5, 1968 concert James Brown gave at Boston Garden on the day following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. American cities were already on fire, and the mayor of Boston considered canceling the performance that evening. A deal was brokered for James Brown’s show to go on and to be shot by Boston public television station WGBH and broadcast live to the whole city. James Brown gave the performance of his life. This two-plus hour extended edition of the show is the most complete version of the broadcast ever released, restoring missing footage and several performances unseen for decades.

KK Null – Cryptozoon X DVD (Aagoo)

Cryptozoon quadraphonic mix was commissioned by Ina-Grm and premiered at the Festival Présences électronique in Paris, France on the 6th of April, 2013. Subsequently it’s been performed at some other festivals in Europe such as Festival für Zeitgenössische Musik in Hamburg, Germany. Aagoo now presents a quadraphonic mix on DVD.

This Week’s Vinyl Exclusives:

Acid King – Free/Down With The Crown [Reissue/1997/2010] LP (Kreation)

Acid King’s masterful CD and 10” split releases on Man’s Ruin have been remastered and put out on one lovely piece of vinyl for your enjoyment. Free and Down With The Crown represent very early and heavy material from the band.

Adelit@s/Kohosh – Split LP (Aborted Society)

The split features five new tracks of blazing anarcho-punk from Portland’s Adelit@s. Energetic, melodic, and tuneful punk with politically charged dual female/male vocals sung in Spanish. A progressive six-piece from Seattle, Kohosh brings three tracks of inventive crust that equally harkens to ‘80s peace punk as much as it does to the more melodic side of the ‘90s European anarchopunk sound. Dual guitars weave in and out of fast and mid-tempo passages accompanied with cello and harmonized female/male vocals.

Azar Swan – And Blow Us A Kiss LP (Zoo Music)

Second album from Brooklyn-based duo draws influences from hip-hop beats, classic industrial and electronic music.

Barreracudas – Promises 7” (Oops Baby)

With members hailing from Gentleman Jessie And His Men, Beat Beat Beat, and The Hiss, Atlanta quintet the Barreracudas deliver a perfect blend of power-dirtbag-pop and dirty ‘70s glam.

The Beatles – 1962-1966 [Reissue/1973] 2xLP (UMe)

The Beatles – 1967-1970 [Reissue/1973] 2xLP (UMe)

The Beatles – 1 [Reissue/2000] 2xLP (UMe)

HQ-180gm vinyl reissues cut from the original analog masters with packaging faithful to the original artwork.

The Beatles – Love [Reissue/2006] 2xLP (Capitol)

HQ-180 double-LP vinyl reissue now available. Love is not merely the soundtrack to the stunning Cirque du Soleil show of the same name. It is a fascinating reworking of numerous classic Beatles recordings by the band’s original producer, Sir George Martin and his son Giles. In creating the music for the show and for the album, George and Giles have created a continuous ‘soundscape’ – a series of well-known Beatles songs augmented by additional instrumentation and vocals taken from their vast bank of original multi-track tapes. It is a clever Beatles mashup.

Big Wow – Teamwork Makes The Dream Work LP (Specialist Subject)

Debut album from the futuristic power pop trio Big Wow! featuring members of Leeds punk rock mainstays The Dauntless Elite and Get Human. Big Wow cram a boatload of influences into sub three-minute pop songs, seamlessly switching from straight three-chord power-pop to post-punk weirdness interspersed with the odd electronic interlude. Not a record to simply drift by, it demands attention – it’s jarring and unpredictable without ever losing sight of its pop sensibilities.

Black Pus – Pus Mortem LP (Rotted Tooth)

Spawned from the gritty, and grimey underground mill space scene of Providence Rhode Island comes Black Pus. You may know of him as the chaotic, machine gun drumming, pummeling force masked mutant that is one half of Lightning Bolt. This masked mutant is Brian Chippendale. His solo project is called Black Pus.

Black To Comm – Black To Comm 2xLP (Type)

Soupy, extended drones constructed from crumbling samples, vocal snippets, and an arsenal of noise generators and filters.

Blood Farmers – Headless Eyes LP (Patac)

Influenced by the downer-rock of Black Sabbath and the psychedelic horror films of the ’60s and ’70s, Blood Farmers released its first demo, Permanent Brain Damage, on cassette in 1991. The recording became an underground hit among doom metal fans and established Blood Farmers as a cult band in the genre.

Boyfrndz – Breeder LP (Brutal Panda)

Austin, TX progresive/experimental quartet Boyfrndz emerge with their second full-length record Breeder. Self-produced by the band and engineered/mixed by Erik Wofford (Maserati, The Black Angels, White Denim), Breeder sees the group further expanding their meticulously constructed hypnotic sound into new realms of colorful, energetic and emotional territories. Impossible to pin a label to, Boyfrndz seamlessly merge hook-laden, reverb soaked vocals with swirling guitar melodies and complex rhythms.

Buck Gooter – The Spider’s Eyes LP+MP3 (Feeding Tube)

“On The Spider’s Eyes, Buck Gooter have strapped sheets of urban post modernist metal to their bodies and weaponized themselves. The music that comes forth is a smarter and more capable predator than what the band has previously produced. It makes their last effort, Witch Molecules, seem almost friendly by comparison. The beats on The Spider’s Eyes are machine-stamped, relentless. The songs themselves are reverberant sheet steel cacophonous odes to devastation. The vocals are comin’ to ya straight from an abandoned factory in some lost industrial ghetto.” – Henry Rollins

Harold Budd/Eraldo Bernocchi – Music For Fragments From The Inside [2005] 2xLP (Sub Rosa)

First time on vinyl. Bernocchi’s beats and bass, drones and soundscapes tie together harmonically with the legendary pianiast/composer.

Bush – Sixteen Stone [Reissue/1994] 2xLP+MP3 (Round Hill Music)

20th anniversary remastered edition on clear double-vinyl with download.

Cellphone – Excellent Condition LP (Telephone Explosion)

Synthesized punk fit to soundtrack your next trip into the sprawl. Eardrum scraping drum machine snaps provide the accompaniment to guitars, bubbling electronic tones and swathes of fuzz-riddled bass.

Coffins – The Fleshland [2013] 2xLP (Relapse)

Limited black & white edition. Coffins’ Relapse debut The Fleshland has all the subtlety of Godzilla’s destruction of Tokyo. After three full lengths and countless underground splits and EPs, Japan’s Coffins have ascended from cult heroes to death/doom royalty. 

Cross – Pyre 7” (Deranged)

Cross is a Swedish punk musical duo, active since 2012 and composed of the vocalist and drummer from now long gone Masshysteri. Their unholy meltdown of punk and free jazz blast through this two-song 7” in a blindingly bright and blazingly hard demeanor. Trebly noisy guitars, machine-driven drums and vocals crawling on top of each other to be heard, make up this duo’s subterranean sounding debut.

Doe – First Four LP (Specialist Subject)

13 tracks of driving ’90s-indebted indie punk with nods to Weezer, Sleater-Kinney, Helium, Plumtree and Pavement.

Electric Wizard – Let Us Pray [Reissue/2002] 2xLP (Rise)

Electric Wizard – We Live [Reissue/2004] 2xLP (Rise)

HQ-180gm double-LP reissues with metallic print, each featuring a bonus track and insert.

Elli And Bev – Might Not Look Like it To You 12” (Quemada)

Moody popishness by Melbourne duo Karl (A Band Called Life, Horse Mania, Hammering The Cramps, Mad Nanna) and a girl named Natalie A.

Fang – Landshark [Reissue/1983] LP+MP3 (Boner)

Fang’s classic 1983 hardcore scuzz rock debut is a unique mix of erratic thrashers and slow Sabbath-oid noise riffs. Their best-known tune is without a doubt the rumbling and stumbling opening track “The Money Will Roll Right In,” which has been covered by Nirvana, Metallica, Mudhoney, The Butthole Surfers and god knows who else. Download includes the band’s Where the Wild Things Are album plus compilation tracks from the same era.

Fit For A King – Slave To Nothing LP (Solid State)

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. New album from the metalcore band.

Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn – Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn LP (Rounder)

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn present their eponymous debut album as a duo, after many years of prominence as banjo players and composers in their own eclectic avenues. Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn is a front porch banjo and vocal album of new music, Appalachian murder ballads, gospel, chamber and blues; the culmination of a yearlong tour as a duo in 2013, following the birth of their son, Juno.

Ghostface – The Pretty Tony Album [Reissue/2004] 2xLP (Def Jam)

Limited double vinyl LP pressing of this 2004 album from the Wu-Tang rapper.

The Handsome Family – Through The Trees [1998] LP (Carrot Top)

The Handsome Family – Singing Bones [Reissue/2003] LP (Carrot Top)

Through The Trees showcases The Handsome Family’s beautiful songs in a more traditional country or Appalachian folk vein. The Singing Bones features the main theme for True Detective, “Far From Any Road,” and is a hauntingly beautiful collection of songs about lovers, shadows, deep holes, and ghosts, delivered with an eerily hopeful edge.

Happy Wags – Happy Wags LP (Fun Fun)

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. A collection of songs written by Jesse from The Aggrolites that reflect his reggae roots, while venturing into punk rock, country and funky 1980s style R&B.

The Icky Boyfriends – Live In San Francisco LP (Castle Face)

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. 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.

The Invisible Hands – Teslam LP (Abduction)

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. The Invisible Hands is a transcontinental collaboration between Alvarius B. (Alan Bishop of Sun City Girls) and four stellar young musicians from Cairo, Egypt: Cherif El Masri, Aya Hemeda (both formerly of the popular Egyptian group Eskenderella), Adham Zidan and Magued Nagat. On Teslam, The Invisible Hands expand the already panoramic range of their eponymous debut LP with a haunting set of melodic, impeccably crafted songs whose vintage psych/hard-rock edge conjures up early Alice Cooper almost as often as it recalls Sun City Girls and 20th-century icons like Ennio Morricone and Serge Gainsbourg.

Joyride! – Areas Of Water LP (Salinas)

Ten songs of Bay Area pop punk.

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – I’m In Your Mind Fuzz LP (Castle Face)

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. New release from the Australian indie seven piece ensemble. Four clicks and we’re off, galloping through realms on a phase-shifted, hydra-headed, many-armed and muscular monster. This Australian beast of a band with a bear of a name and a thick herd of members delivers many things on this warped song-cycle: a skeleton of propulsive krautbeat fleshed out with a liberal dose of citric sweetness; flutes and harmonicas bleeding through the mix often and welcomingly; an early-’80s heavy metal/fantasy vibe; and many lovely left turns into psychedelic mellowing, both groovily and sometimes with just a dash of DMT dread.

Mark Kozelek – Sings Christmas Carols LP (Caldo Verde)

Recently released on CD – now available on limited color (red, white or black) vinyl. Solo acoustic Christmas songs from our favorite grump.

Laibach – Nova Akropola [Reissue/1986] LP (Optic Nerve)

Limited silver/grey vinyl reissue. Eastern European industrial experimentalists with a heavy political leaning, Laibach have often found themselves in conflict with authorities. Expressing their views strongly through their music both here and on their continued career with Mute records, they are still actively pursuing their own unique agenda.

Angelo Lavagnino – Kali-Yug La Dea Della Vendetta [Reissue/1963] LP (Contempo)

Lavagnino’s soundtrack to the great 1962 movie Kali-Yug La Dea Della Vendetta, directed by Mario Camerini and starring Senta Berger and Lex Barker, finally gets a proper reissue since it’s 1963 release on CAM Records. Composed and directed by Lavagnino, Kali-Yug is one of the best soundtracks ever written by the late Maestro. Known for his beautiful orchestral themes, Lavagnino outdoes himself here, with stunning exotic themes which makes this score a must have for serious soundtrack collectors.

Life Like – Savages 7” (Deranged)

Life Like’s debut EP, Savages, opens with the force of a Mack truck driven by a bull, hell-bent and dead set on demolishing the china shop in his crosshairs. As raw and primal as the EP’s name implies, the no-frills, thunderous introductory breakdown sets the tone for what is to come as the rest of the six-track offering continues to pummel its listeners into submission, alternating to and from high-speed fury and catastrophic end-of-the-world mosh.

Theophilus London – Vibes LP (WB)

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. New album from the Trinidad born and Brooklyn raised New Yorker. London was executive produced by Kanye West, art design by Virgil Abloh (Donda) and photography by Karl Lagerfeld. The album features appearances by Kanye West, Leon Ware, Devonte Hynes and more.

MC5 – Back In The USA [Reissue/1970] LP (4 Men With Beards)

Back In The USA was the second album by Detroit’s legendary MC5 but the first to be recorded in the studio. Originally released in 1970 this album takes a step back from the raw in your face sound of their classic debut Kick Out The Jams for a more focused, tighter approach.

Megafortress – Believer LP (Driftless Recordings)

Layered synthesizers and saxophone, occasional bass, sampled bells and natural sounds, tweaked voices, and Brooklyn artist Bill Gillim’s warm, unaffected vocals create a honeyed sonic backdrop.

Modern Vices – Modern Vices LP (Autumn Tone)

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Modern Vices is a self-proclaimed dirty doo-wop group from Chicago. Noir in tone, their sound resides somewhere between late ’50s croon and wet garage rock snarl.

John Mueller & Duane Pitre – Inverted Torch LP (Type)

Two extended 20+ minute percussive rituals made with gongs, bowed cymbals and effects.

Omnizide – Death Metal Holocaust LP (Carnal)

Debut from the Swedish black/death metal band.

Orange Yellow Red – Rose Made Of Galaxies LP (Sainte Marie)

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Debut album from the British indie pop trio. 11 tracks of gorgeous, sparkling, melancholic guitar pop.

Palberta – My Pal Berta LP (Feeding Tube)

Debut album from upstate NY weirdo rock trio. Squeaky, meandering, aggressive, often melodic post/art-rock in the vein of Kleenex or Rough Trade acts.

Piano Movers – Girlfriend’s Lover 7” (Girlfriend’s Lover)

Piano Movers belongs in the lineage of musicians who tuck in their shirts and wear glasses: The Feelies, The Embarassment and any number of angular pop bands haunting Athens, Georgia in the early ’80s.

The Tom Price Desert Classic – Hell LP (Von Bismarck)

Swampy, garagey guitar rock from former U-Men, Derelicts, Gas Huffer, Monkeywrench and Lubricated Goat members. 

The Preatures – Blue Planet Eyes LP (Harvest)

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. The Preatures are a five-piece rock band from Sydney, Australia. In October 2013 the band played CMJ in New York and club shows in LA and London. They were featured by the New York Times, Rolling Stone, and singled out by NME as one of the top two acts of CMJ.

Pip Proud – Adrenaline & Richard [Reissue/1968] LP (Superior Viaduct)

Pip Proud – A Bird In The Engine [Reissue/1969] LP (Superior Viaduct)

In the late ’60s, Pip Proud recorded two of the oddest records ever to come out of Australia-Adrenaline & Richard and A Bird In The Engine before vanishing into obscurity for the better part of three decades. Often called the “Australian Syd Barrett,” Proud actually released his second album in 1969, a year prior to The Madcap Laughs, and developed his indigenous psychedelia in virtual isolation. To quote Byron Coley, who like a handful of underground luminaries discovered Proud in the ’80s via collector mail-order lists, Adreneline & Richard features “weirdly strummed barre-chord guitar, monotone vocals that occasionally [try] to pass way beyond their known range, oddball lyrics that [combine] nursery rhymes with druggy imagery. It [is] a hell of a cool record.” While other compilations of Proud’s music have been released in recent years, this is the first time that Adreneline & Richard has been reissued in its original format (including inner sleeve with lyrics). Recommended for fans of outsider and lo-fi pop from the US, UK, New Zealand and beyond.

Otis Redding – Dock Of The Bay [Reissue/1968] LP (Atlantic)

HQ-180gm mono reissue. Cut just before his tragic airplane crash, a soul classic at his peak. Features the classics “(Sittin On) The Dock Of The Bay” and “Tramp.”

Red Dons & TV Smith – A Vote For The Unknown 7” (Deranged)

A Vote For The Unknown is a collaborative effort between punk legend TV Smith and the Red Dons. The former Adverts front man provides the lyrics and vocals to music recorded by the Red Dons. Tracked in a Swedish bomb shelter and mixed by Hajji Husayn at the North London Bomb Factory, A Vote For The Unknown is a must have for any Adverts fan looking for one more offering from TV Smith backed by a punk band.

R.E.M. – 7IN 83-88 12×7” (IRS)

11 vinyl singles with original sleeve art and rare B-sides.

Adrian Rew – Slot Machine Music LP+MP3 (Hanson)

True ambient sound and untreated field recordings from Middle American casinos—the Horseshoe in Cleveland and the one in Hammond, Indiana, and the Grand Victoria in Elgin, Illinois, originally released on CDRs (Ergot 2013). The “cornucopia of slot machine tones,” writes Adrian Rew, “triggering aleatorically and coalescing into shimmering masses…,” compelled him to “return and record the sounds that so entranced me… in a series of ambling recording sessions over a period of four months…. I learned a lot about casino sonics in the process: game designers, for example, tune their machines to the key of C in order to optimize harmonic cohesion; one team of designers, the story goes, even spent a month perfecting a single ‘ding’ sound on one machine.”

Mark Rogers & Mary Byrne – I Line My Days Along Your Weight LP (Important)

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. The duo recorded I Line My Days Along Your Weight facing each other, inches apart, with baritone acoustic, tricone resonator, golden-era flattop, space-age lap steel, upright piano, hundred-year-old mandolin, and voice.

Rolling Stones – From The Vault: Hampton Coliseum (Live In 1981) 3xLP+DVD (Eagle Rock Entertainment)

Recently relealsed on CD – now available on vinyl with accompanying DVD. The Rolling Stones American Tour in 1981 was the most successful tour of that year taking a then record $50 million dollars in ticket sales. The tour was in support of the critically and commercially successful Tattoo You album. There were fifty dates on the tour which ran from Philadelphia at the end of September through to Hampton, Virginia on the 18th and 19th of December. The show on December 18th, which was also Keith Richards birthday, was the first ever music concert to be broadcast on television as a pay-per-view event. The footage has now been carefully restored with remixed/remastered audio by Bob Clearmountain for this first official release of the show.

Rick Ross – Hood Billionaire 2xLP (Def Jam)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. New album from the rap superstar – available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe includes bonus tracks. Hood Billionaire is the follow-up to Rick Ross’ Mastermind, which was release earlier this year. Features the single “Keep Doing That (Rich Chick)” featuring R Kelly.

Gabriel Saloman – Movement Building 1 LP (Shelter Press)

Saloman has taken the sweeping drones and fried electricity of his former band Yellow Swans and embedded them within an expanding palette of bowed strings, martial percussion and resonant piano.

Seasurfer – Dive In LP (Saint Marie)

Released last summer on CD – now available on vinyl. Punk? Dreampop? Alternative? Seasurfer are somehow all that and say of themselves that they are playing something like dreampunk.

Simple Minds – Big Music LP (Caroline)

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. The 16th album from Scotland’s legendary electronic rock pioneers Simple Minds, and their first album of new material since 2009.

Sgnls – II LP (FDH)

A sound that is truly blurs the lines of synth-punk, industrial, psych, and krautrock while still holding a pop sensibility.

Del Shannon – Further Adventures Of Charles Westover [Reissue/1968] LP (Trouble In Mind)

Upon hearing Shannon’s misunderstood masterpiece for the first time, you gotta wonder – how was this album not a huge hit? Perhaps it was the changing times, music listeners were turning on to heavier sounds, or unwilling to embrace an “older” artists new output, but tunes like the haunting “Silver Birch” and “Gemini” and the cinematic popsike of “Colour Flashing Hair” and “Magical Musical Box” (not to mention the rockin’ “Runnin’ On Back” with its scorching layered lead guitar solos!) found their way into the eardrums of collectors everywhere and the album became an absolute cult classic.

Sick Thoughts – Beat On Beat 7” (Goner)

Although Drew Owen’s early music began in the Reatards/Dead Boys/Carbonas classic punk rock, crash-&-burn aesthetic, on recent releases he has progressed into less-obvious yet thorny personal DIY/KBD territory.

Skull Defekts – Street Metal LP (Diagonal)

Swedish experimentalists in a taut flux of psychedelic rock and avant-techno with raids on arcane pop and percussive, tribal minimalism.

Sleaford Mods – Chubbed Up+ LP (Ipecac)

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Sleaford Mods are a stripped down, political, electronic punk-hop band from working class Nottingham. Chubbed Up+ is a compilation of tracks from their discography circa 2006-2014.

Sonic Avenues – Sonic Avenues [Reissue/2009] LP (Dead Broke)

Deluxe edition remastered reissue of Sonic Avenue’s (featuring members of several Canadian punk/garage acts such as The Steve Adamyk Band) first full length that’s been out of circulation since 2009. Includes two previously unreleased bonus tracks, available only with the LP.

Spiritualized – Amazing Grace [Reissue/2003] LP (Sanctuary)

Spiritualized – Songs In A&E [Reissue/2008] 2xLP (Sanctuary)

HQ-180gm vinyl reissues now available. Songs In A&E is pressed on white vinyl.

Supertramp – Crime Of The Century [Reissue/1974] 3xLP (A&M)

This 40th anniversary edition features the remastered original album, mastered and cut by Ray Staff at Air Studios plus the previously unreleased concert from London’s Hammersmith Odeon in March 1975, mixed from the original tapes by Crime Of The Century‘s original producer Ken Scott. This triple-LP set is presented in limited edition box, with two 10” x 8” images and an eight page booklet featuring a 7,500 word essay by Phil Alexander of Mojo Magazine, featuring new interviews with many of the key players. The albums are pressed on HQ-180gm vinyl. Expanded CD version due December 23.

Susan – Just Call It 7” (Volar)

Susan is a three piece twee-garage-punk-pop from L.A. Drawing on their mutual love of Shop Assistants, The Darling Buds, and The Go Betweens, they crafted this collection of songs that is a split release between Volar and Burger Records.

Sway – The Milla Pink And Green LP (Sainte Marie)

The shoegaze renaissance continues. HQ-180gm coke-bottle transparent green vinyl.

Taylor Swift – 1989 2xLP (Big Machine)

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Swift’s fifth album, featuring the single “Shake It Off.”

Theologian – Some Things Have Endured [2013] LP (Crucial Blast)

Eight tracks of punishing black industrial, apocalyptic darkwave frequencies and nerve-rending electronic deathscapes. Color vinyl.

Tiger High – Inside The Acid Coven LP (Volar)

Hailing from the epicenter of rock & roll, Memphis, this garagey psych pop group has unveiled their sonically ambitious third LP.

TIT – TIT 12” (FDH)

4 song 12″ EP full of synth driven, moody, dark pop nuggets from Bobby of The Hussy and Shawn of Digital Leather.

Token Entry – From Beneath The Streets [Reissue/1987] LP+MP3 (Mad At The World)

By the time Token Entry released From Beneath The Streets in 1987 on Kevin Seconds’ Positive Force label, they were already one of NYHC’s most beloved bands. Having existed in a slightly different incarnation as Gilligan’s Revenge in the early half of the 1980s, Token Entry were comprised of scene vets from NY’s hardcore-rich borough of Queens.

Various Artists [Dirty Sound System] – Dirty French Psychedelics [Reissue/2009] LP (Born Bad)

Clovis Goux and Guillaume Sorge aka Dirty Sound System have been releasing selections of rare, little-known, and hard-to-find recordings which function somewhat like anti-playlists since 2003. Their compilations can be listened to from start to finish, the order of the track-list is logical, and the selected songs lend themselves to repeated listening. On paper, Dirty French Psychedelics is a compilation for classic rock radio with names our parents would recognize. In reality, it is a hallucinated voyage through the land of French pop psychedelics to be listened to in one sitting, eyes half-open.

Various Artists – Beck Song Reader 2xLP (Capitol)

Released last summer on CD – now available on vinyl. The now legendary Beck Song Reader – 20 Beck compositions previously released exclusively as stunningly illustrated sheet music in partnership with McSweeney’s – is now available as a traditional release. The 20-track all-star collection features exclusively recorded versions of Song Reader charts by the likes of Jack White, Jeff Tweedy, David Johansen, Jason Isbell, fun., Eleanor Friedberger, Lord Huron, Norah Jones, Laura Marling, Jarvis Cocker, Sparks, and several more including Beck himself.

Various Artists – Folk Music Of The Sahel: Niger Vol. 1 2xLP (Sublime Frequencies)

Folk Music of the Sahel: Niger consists of field recordings collected in the Republic of Niger during the course of six expeditions undertaken by Hisham Mayet between 2004 and 2014. This first volume in Sublime Frequencies’ new Folk Music Of The Sahel series comprises a subjective but spectacular overview of Hausa, Zarma, Fulani, Songhai and Tuareg music culled from Mayet’s rich archives. On this lavish double album, Mayet methodically reveals the dazzling range and power of Nigerian music, from stream-of-consciousness griot performances that serve as a local news broadcast and gossip column to a rare example of ritual music from a private spirit-possession ceremony.

Voight-Kampff – Last House On The Right 7” (Deranged)

“Two new dark moody tracks rooted in punk but definitely post-punk in delivery. “Last House on the Right” is the definitive standout of the two with Swanson-White’s new-wavy guitar rhythm combined with for Sulier’s baritone vocals, making this a one of the better post punk track of 2014. Unfortunately it’s only two songs but with any luck we’ll see a new album in 2015.”

Warm Thoughts – Mar Vista LP (Asian Man)

Mar Vista is a continuation of Elliot Babin’s (Touche Amore) bedroom recording project.

Whiskey Daredevils – Don’t Talk To Connie 7” (Hidden Volume)

New single from these cowpunkers, featuring members of Cowslingers and Rocket From The Tombs.

Ralph White – Waltz Don’t Run LP (Feeding Tube)

Renowned for his violin & banjo-playing, this particular album was crafted using solely the button accordion, dedicated to the waltz.

Wonderfuls – Only Shadows Now LP (Bruit Direct Disques)

Set to the minimalist sparse compositions of Dan McGirr (guitar) and Natasha Buchanan (synth, voice), Robert Vagg’s confessionals drift around tragedies, hopelessness, failed systems, nonconformity and physical/psychological experiences. “Wonderfuls express deeply personal issues,” says Matt Kennedy, “Like mental illness and social isolation better and with more sincerity than any other band you will hear…”

Rob Zombie – Hellbilly Deluxe [Reissue/1998] LP (Geffen)

Rob Zombie – The Sinister Urge [Reissue/2001] LP (Geffen)

Rob Zombie – Educated Horses [2006] LP (Geffen)

Rob Zombie – Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor [Reissue/2013] LP (Geffen)

Limited picture disc vinyl pressings.

Cassettes:

The Cancers – Fatten The Leeches (Dead Broke)

Debut album from the alt-rock band featuring former members of Unfun and Dead Dog. Produced by Jack Endino.

Gorilla Toss – Smack The Brick (NNA Tapes)

It’s widely known that mosh funk in the 21st century is best done zonked, fried, and drenched in psychedelics by Boston natives Guerilla Toss. No doubt are these kids the hardest working acid causalities in all four corners of the underground with shout outs and respect given by legendaries such as Henry Rollins and John Zorn.