CDs + Vinyl:
13th Floor Elevators – Kingdom Of Heaven CD (Fuel/Airline)
15 newly remastered recordings from original tapes made in 1966-‘67 with extensive liner notes by Bill Dahl.
Abhor – Ritualia Stramonium CD (Moribund)
Cult Italian black metal institution Abhor unleash their sixth album.
The Apartments – The Evening Visits … And Stays For Years [Reissue/1985] CD/2xLP+MP3 (Captured Tracks)
The Evening Visits … And Stays For Years received strong praise and drew comparisons to a wide range of acts such as Cocteau Twins, Nick Drake and Bob Dylan. This reissue gathers tracks from two 7” singles, The Return Of The Hypnotist (1979) and All You Wanted (1984), as well as a collection of album demos.
Benoît Pioulard – Sonnet CD/LP (Kranky)
The sound of the fifth Benoît Pioulard full-length is lush and verdant, a temperate rain forest of ear ecstasy that reflects the environment surrounding the artist. A mostly instrumental work, it is an adept melding of song and sound, melody and texture, the intangible and the palpable, that in an abstract sense recalls the more fractured and loose end of the ‘70s krautrock movement.
Biosphere/Deathprod – Stator CD/LP (Touch)
Second split release from the Norwegian ambient/drone legends.
Andrew Bird – Weather Systems [Reissue/2002] CD/2xLP (Wegawam)
Reissued on CD and available for the first time on vinyl. Described by Pitchfork in 2003 as “music for the ages that demands to be heard,” the songs on Andrew Bird’s second solo album reveal themselves at a confidant, unhurried pace reflecting the thoughtfulness with which they were conceived. Weather Systems originated in a barn converted to studio/living space in remote western Illinois, as creating music was becoming central to Bird’s everyday life. The virtuoso instrumentalist employs violin, glockenspiel, organ, whistling, and tape loops to set the scene for the intimate, haunting stories he tells through his lyrics. It’s a lush, gorgeous collection of seven original songs plus Bird’s own adaptation of a Galway Kinnell poem and a Handsome Family cover “Don’t Be Scared” (which Andrew recorded again on his 2014 covers album, Things Are Really Great Here… Sort Of), showcasing his gift for conveying subtle emotional states purely through music.
James Blackshaw – Summoning Suns CD/LP (Important)
Drawing inspiration from ’60s and ’70s singer/songwriters, baroque and orchestral pop, and folk music, Summoning Suns is Blackshaw’s first recording to feature his voice and lyrics, in a foray into more traditional forms of songcraft. Lush and intricate arrangements for drums, bass, piano, violin, flute, and pedal steel guitar augment his deft acoustic guitar fingerpicking. Includes contributions from Simon Scott (Slowdive), Annie Nilsson, Mori Wa Ikiteiru and Kaoru Noda.
Boxed In – Boxed In CD/LP+MP3 (Nettwerk)
Boxed In is songwriter and producer Oli Bayston. Having written for The 2 Bears, Oli is now bringing his wide array of talents to bear on his own solo project. The Line Of Best Fit, who rated the album 8/10, said: “[Boxed In] hits hard enough in places to get the party started and holds just enough back to make you want to return to it again and again.”
Jeff Bradshaw – One Special Night At The Kimmel Center CD (Shanachie)
Jeff Bradshaw is an award-wining trombone player, recording artist and bandleader who has performed and recorded with Jill Scott, Jay Z, Michael Jackson, The Roots, Marsha Ambrosius and many more. Featuring Marsha Ambrosius, Black Thought of The Roots, Kim Burrell, Tweet, Eric Roberson, Robert Glasper, Will Downing, Bilal, Kenny Lattimore, Take 6, Najee and Trombone Shorty.
O.B. Buchana – Best Of O.B. Buchana CD (Ecko)
O.B. Buchana has firmly established himself as one of the top artists in Southern Soul and is pleased to present his newest collection titled, The Best Of O.B. Buchana. This set contains 14 of his very best hits including two brand new and previously unreleased tracks.
Joey Calderazzo – Going Home CD (Sunnyside)
Finding opportunities for growth and development are important aspects in the process of evolving as a creative jazz musician. Discovering and tackling new challenges helps to keep music making a fresh and worthwhile occupation for many, including pianist Joey Calderazzo, who found his next test in the form of the piano trio.
Glen Campbell – Rhinestone Cowboy [Reissue/1975] CD/LP (UMe)
Digitally remastered and expanded 40th Anniversary edition including five bonus tracks. Originally released in July of 1975, Glen Campbell’s Rhinestone Cowboy was the music legend’s first #1 hit on Billboard’s Country Albums chart, vaulting the already quite famous master guitarist and singer to household name superstar status.
Anna Caragnano/Donato Dozzy – Sintetizzatrice CD/LP (Spectrum Spools)
With Caragnano’s voice as his only instrument, Dozzy uses layers and effects processes to display an astoundingly versatile vocabulary that shifts from R&B through kosmische and traditional Italian folk music to Fluxus styles and traditional chamber choir.
Case – Heaven’s Door CD (E1)
Fifth studio album from the R&B singer.
The Coasters – Magical Favorites CD (Cleopatra)
America’s premier vocal group release a new collection of covers, including Sam Cooke’s “You Send Me,” “The Temptations Just My Imagination,” Elvis Presley’s “Don’t Be Cruel” and many more.
Avashi Cohen Trio – From Darkness CD (Sunnyside)
From Darkness sees the Israeli composer, bassist and singer go back to the very core of his musical idiom and activity. The unity between human and sound owes a lot to a virtue brought here to its highest intensity; mutual listening, a soulful and heartfelt science that presides over the destiny of true music. The opening track “Beyond,” showcases in just over two minutes the greatness of this album; the art of occupying space and time in trio, tugging at the heartstrings of each in harmony, of melting the parts of a boundless imagination in the crucible of a true and unfailing intelligence.
Hannah Cohen – Pleasure Boy CD/LP (Bella Union)
Some intense and anxious sounds from Hannah Cohen. Pleasure Boy is the second full length from the American artist. The feeling of something slipping through ones fingers is inescapable on this one. Her heartfelt ethereal vocals are dripping with remorse and pierce the heart of the wall of synths and the spacious-to-heavy percussion. Think FKA Twigs, Lorde and Lana Del Ray.
Ornette Coleman – Beauty Is A Rare Thing: The Complete Atlantic Recordings 6xCD (Atlantic Catalog Group)
Released for Coleman’s 85th birthday, this is a reconfiguration of the original Rhino boxed set that brought these legendary recordings out on CD for the first time. Beauty Is a Rare Thing is presented in a sleek, hard clamshell box, with the CDs held in elegant card sleeves and a glossy 70-page booklet.
Rocky Dawuni – Branches Of The Same Tree CD (Cumbacha)
Influenced by the soulful beats of Afrobeat legend Fela Kuti, the positive messages and deep grooves of Bob Marley and the infectious, sing-along anthems of Michael Franti, K’naan and Matisyahu, Rocky Dawuni’s songs straddle the musical boundaries between Africa, the Caribbean and the US to create a universally appealing sound that unites generations and cultures.
Dead Sara – Pleasure To Meet You CD (Pocket Kid)
Second album from the Los Angeles rock quartet. Vinyl version due April 21.
Death Cab For Cutie – Kintsugi CD/2xLP+CD (Atlantic)
Death Cab for Cutie knew immediately that Kintsugi would fit perfectly as the title of their eighth studio album. “Considering what we were going through internally, and with what a lot of the lyrics are about, it had a great deal of resonance for us — the idea of figuring out how to repair breaks and make them a thing of beauty,” says bassist Nick Harmer. Kintsugi is the band’s first time recording with a producer other than their own Chris Walla.
Deathgrips – The Powers That Be 2xCD/2xLP (Harvest)
The Powers That Be is technically comprised of the final two albums from the rumored-to-be-defunct avant-doom rap group, featuring the sides Niggas On The Moon and Jenny Death. The main sampling in the production of the first half are chopped up vocals from Icelandic singer/songwriter Björk. “A disjointed and jarring mix of random samples, heaps of bass and drums, and screwball sound collages, the album is a slightly more avant-garde spin on the formula they perfected with LPs like No Love Deep Web” – Consequence Of Sound.
Jean-Pierre Decerf – Space Oddities: 1975-1979 CD (Born Bad)
Recently released on vinyl – now available on CD. From the early ’70s to the mid ’80s, this self-taught musician composed about 20 albums of production and library music with generic cover art and titles (Out Of The Way, Keys Of Future, Pulsations, etc.) that evoke interstellar travel. These experimental discs, made with love, humility, and rudimentary means, had no ambition other than to accompany other peoples’ images. By exhuming these obscurities from the dustbin of history, Born Bad Records have decided otherwise. Archaeologists with an agenda, they seek to give Decerf the renown he deserves: that of an innovator whose rhythmic, synthetic compositions inspired the harbingers of the French touch (Air comes to mind), and were sampled by many East Coast rappers, including the Wu-Tang Clan.
Will Downing – Chocolate Drops CD (WDP)
New covers album from the veteran vocalist, nicknamed “The Prince Of Sophisticated Soul.”
Ecid – Pheromone Heavy CD/LP (Fill In The Breaks)
New release from the Minneapolis rapper/producer.
Eliane Elias – Made In Brazil CD (Concord)
Eliane Elias’ new album marks a musical homecoming for the multi-Grammy-nominated pianist/keyboardist/singer/composer. In her three-decade long career as a solo artist, Made In Brazil results from the first time she’s recorded a disc in her native Brazil since moving to the United States in 1981. Features Take 6, guitarist/vocalist Roberto Menescal and vocalists Mark Kibble and Ed Motta, with seven orchestral arrangements by Rob Mathes recorded at Abbey Road Studios.
Emerson Lake & Palmer – Once Upon A Time: Live In South America 4xCD (Rockbeat)
Culled from concerts in Chile, Brazil and Argentina in 1993 and 1997, Live In South America is an essential collection to the catalog of this progressive rock supergroup. Features versions of their hits from their forty-five year career including “Lucky Man,” “From The Beginning,” “Hoedown,” “Knife Edge” and “Pictures At An Exhibition.”
Tav Falco – Command Performance CD (Twenty Stone Blatt)
Tav Falco’s new album (and their first for five years) is something of a real statement of intent from a man and his band. On Command Performance, they hit new peaks of performance and showcasing not only Tav’s usual selection of the obscure and the well known from the blues palette but an amazingly broad selection of new original material as well.
Tim Foljahn – F**king Love Songs CD (Kiam)
“Wild Tonight,” with its slow, blistering lead, its bluesy in-the-pocket rhythm guitar, its sweet, sweeping gospel chorus, its raucous drums. That’s Smokey Hormel. Tom Beaujour, the album’s producer/engineer plays another guitar. Jeremy Wilms is on bass, and Jon Langmead punches out the beat. A beautifully layered, dense, full-band sound that amplifies Foljahn’s evocative songs.
Föllakzoid – III CD/LP (Sacred Bones)
Föllakzoid began seven years ago as a trance experience between childhood friends Diego, Juan Pablo, and Domingo from Santiago, Chile. Heavily informed by the heritage of the ancient music of the Andes, the band has learned to integrate this influence with contemporary sounds of their times, creating a rich yet minimal atmosphere. III is a four-part minimal sound voyage in which you can hear Föllakzoid’s musical language developing into something more upbeat, obscure, and sharp, yet even simpler in terms of elements.
Robben Ford – Into The Sun CD/LP+MP3 (Provogue)
Sophisticated guitar hero Robben Ford’s new album shines a bright light on his artful, contemporary songwriting and the stunning playing that’s made him a favorite foil of Miles Davis, Joni Mitchell and other legends. With guest appearances by ZZ Ward, Keb’ Mo’, Gov’t Mule and Allman Brothers guitarist Warren Haynes, pedal steel guitar star Robert Randolph, six-string slide legend Sonny Landreth and up-and-coming star Tyler Bryant, Into The Sun explores the depths of Ford’s vision and expands the roots-oriented sound of his recent albums, A Day In Nashville and Bringing It Back Home with a palette that also equally incorporates his jazz, pop and rock chops.
Fort Romeau – Insides CD/2xLP+MP3 (Ghostly International)
Like many others, Ghostly became enamored with Fort Romeau’s idea of “slow listening,” the concept of enriching relationships with music through careful attention and focus. His understated take on deep, groove-friendly house started pushing this practice three years ago, when the producer’s debut LP, Kingdoms, appeared via 100% Silk.
Hiiragi Fukuda – Seacide CD/LP+MP3 (Trouble In Mind)
Hiiragi Fukuda turned a lot of heads with his 2013 album My Turntable Is Slow. Seacide is Fukuda’s first foray into synthesizer music. Originally released as a criminally limited cassette on Sloow Tapes, Seacide is entirely instrumental and improvised, with its hypnotic drones and pulses echoing out of his practice amplifier and carving out sonic territory akin to NY pioneers Suicide as well as UK Industrial godfathers Throbbing Gristle. (Limited quantities pressed on color vinyl.)
Full Devil Jacket – Valley Of Bones CD (E1)
New album from the Tennessee alt-metal band.
Blind Boy Fuller – The Rough Guide To Blues Legends: Blind Boy Fuller CD (World Music Network)
During his short but prolific recording career, Blind Boy Fuller became one of the most influential and best-selling bluesmen of his time. With songs brimming with wit and soulfulness, his strikingly original and energetic guitar arrangements have been an inspiration to countless guitarists ever since. This collection features his most famous songs including “Truckin’ My Blues Away,” “Step It Up And Go” and “Mama Let Me Lay It On You,” among others.
Richie Furay – Hand In Hand CD (E1)
Hand In Hand finds Richie back to his Americana routes, and he was just elected into the Colorado Music Hall Of Fame. His new album features the lead single “We Were The Dreamers,” which takes us back to his days fronting Poco. The album also features Keb Mo on the song “Someday” and guest vocals by Neil Young and Kenny Loggins on “Kind Woman.”
Gentri – Gentri CDEP (Shadow Mountain)
Gentri is short for The Gentlemen Trio. The group is composed of three highly trained and experienced male vocalists with a symphonically epic sound. They decided to form a group after performing together for years in top Broadway productions such as Les Misérables. After building a following from their many live performances, they officially united to create a new sound called Cinematic Pop that combines inspirational anthems with a classical underpinning. They focus on powerful, uplifting messages and inspirational themes in their music.
Godspeed You! Black Emperor – Asunder, Sweet And Other Distress CD/LP+MP3 (Constellation)
Godspeed You! Black Emperor returns with its first single LP-length release since the group’s earliest days in ‘97-‘99. This mighty slab of superlative sonics is shot through with all the band’s inimitable signposts and touchstones: huge unison riffage, savage noise/drone, oscillating overtones, guitar vs. string counterpoint, inexorable crescendos and scorched-earth transitions. Asunder, Sweet And Other Distress clocks in at a succinct 40:23 and is arguably the most focused and best-sounding recording of their career.
Jeff Golub – The Vault CD (E1)
On New Year s Day 2015, the music world mourned the death of Jeff Golub. After suffering the loss of his eyesight three years earlier, Jeff was diagnosed with PSP, a rare brain disease which rapidly debilitated his entire body and ultimately robbed him of the ability to play guitar. Knowing that Jeff’s playing days were over, three of his closest friends and musical collaborators, Steven Miller, Rick Braun and Bud Harner dug deep into the Golub vault and uncovered some rare gems — radically different versions of some of Jeff’s early tunes along with two songs that were never released.
Grateful Dead – Best Of The Grateful Dead 2xCD (Rhino)
New double-CD collection released to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Dead. This is the first time that there has been a double disc best of collection and it has been compiled to highlight classic favorites from a fan point of view.
Steve Gulley & New Pinnacle – Steve Gulley & New Pinnacle CD (Rural Rhythm)
Bluegrass veteran Steve Gulley performed for many years with Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver, was a founding member of bluegrass super groups Mountain Heart and Grasstowne, and recently performed with Dale Ann Bradley.
Rob Halford – The Essential Rob Halford 2xCD (Sony Legacy)
This 30 track collection mixes the best of Halford’s work outside of Judas Priest and contains key tracks from those three separate solo projects.
Helrunar – Niederkunfft CD/LP (Prophecy)
Helrunar is a purveyor of serious Pagan black metal inspired by Northern mythology.
Billie Holiday – The Centennial Collection CD (Sony Legacy)
New compilation featuring 20 tracks recorded over the legendary vocalist’s entire career.
Hollywood Undead – Day Of The Dead CD (Interscope)
Fourth album from the rap-rock band. Available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe adds two bonus tracks. Vinyl version due April 21.
Houndstooth – News From Home CD/LP+MP3 (No Quarter)
No News From Home is the 2nd LP from Portland, Oregon quartet Houndstooth and the follow-up to Ride Out The Dark. That record was labeled “one of 2013’s all too overlooked delights” by SPIN while their hometown Portland Mercury called it “an extraordinarily good album, a perfect representation of the band’s trademark balancing of ease and passion.” News is an altogether more mature record that widens the bands sound: from Velvets-style churners to shimmering, breezy, love songs all penned by songwriting duo John Gnorski and Katie Bernstein.
José James – Yesterday I Had The Blues: Music Of Billie Holiday CD (Blue Note)
Acclaimed vocalist José James new album is a tribute to the legendary singer in honor of Holiday’s 100th birthday. The album, which was produced by Blue Note president Don Was, features a stellar band including pianist Jason Moran, bassist John Patitucci, and drummer Eric Harland.
Jefferson Airplane – Return To The Matrix February 1, 1968 CD (Cleopatra)
Jefferson Airplane’s Return To The Matrix shows a superstar band, with several gold LPs under their belt, performing to a small San Francisco audience where they all began their musical journey together.
Jerry Paper – Carousel CD/LP (Bayonet)
Jerry Paper is the sonic caricature of New York-based musician Lucas Nathan. Brought into the world after Nathan’s previous, more abstract projects dissolved into the ether, Jerry Paper represents a cartoonish vision of Self materialized through Jerry’s bizarre vision of pop music. Carousel combines his fascination with synthetic reproductions of real instruments with his own brand of philosophical meditations. The album furthers the effort to make goofy sounds into serious music through the juxtaposition of idiosyncratic lyrics, sounds, and structures within the grammar of pop music.
Jodeci – The Past, The Present, The Future CD (Epic)
After a 20-year recording hiatus, the long-rumored return of popular ‘90s R&B group Jodeci is finally a reality. The Past, The Present, The Future features co-production by Timbaland on two of its 12 tracks: “Incredible” and “Those Things.”
Judas Priest – The Essential Judas Priest 2xCD (Sony Legacy)
The Essential Judas Priest collection is the perfect middle ground for those who found 2004’s four-disc Metalogy box a bit too daunting. 34 tracks.
Marsen Jules – Empire Of Silence CD (Oktaf)
The German ambient composer presents an impressive soundtrack to the epic power and beauty of Nordic snow and ice landscapes. Empire Of Silence is more elegiac, warm, and romantic than any of his previous work.
Katatonia – Sanctitude CD+DVD/2xLP+MP3 (Kscope)
New live set from the Swedish metallers. Sanctitude was recorded in the stunning, candle-lit setting of London’s Union Chapel during Katatonia’s May 2014 Unplugged & Reworked tour — an intimate acoustic evening performing tracks from the Dethroned & Uncrowned album alongside atmospheric classics from the band’s entire career, stripped and reworked. Also available on stand-alone Blu-ray.
Angelique Kidjo – Sings CD (429)
For her new album, Angelique Kidjo teamed up with the Orchestre Philharmonique Du Luxembourg and the ensemble’s renowned conductor and composer Gast Waltzing, creating a work that beautifully blends the classical music traditions of Europe and the powerful rhythmic excitement of the sounds of her native land.
Curtis King – Soul Twist: The Best Of The Early Sixties CD (Fuel/Airline)
20 classic tracks from the legendary saxophonist’s early ‘60s recordings.
King Mono – Bump In The Night CD (Tummy Touch)
King Mono is the band/production duo of Little Shalimar (neé Torbitt Schwartz) and Jeremy Wilms
The two met doing time in the rhythm section of the legendary Afrobeat unit Antibalas. Combining elements of funk, R&B, house, dance hall, hip-hop, and ‘70s big beat rock, King Monoʼs sound is similar to genre bending futurists like Gnarls Barkley and Little Dragon.
Kitty, Daisy & Lewis – The Third CD/LP (Sunday Best)
Kitty, Daisy & Lewis return with their new album, three years on since their hugely acclaimed Smoking In Heaven. An early fan, Mick Jones of The Clash, was keen to get involved as producer and spent four months rehearsing in their home for the new album. On The Third they embrace a spread of influences from blues to disco.
Dayna Kurtz – Rise And Fall CD (M.C. Records)
The Washington Post called her voice a “deep-hued garnet of lifeblood and beauty,” while L.A. Weekly rhapsodized, “Kurtz tilts her head back at an angle and spins melodic, earthbound poetry that sets loose demons only to dismiss them into the ether… Kurtz makes ordinary misery voluptuous.” The Boston Globe stated, “There’s no logical reason why Dayna Kurtz is not a full-blown star,” and prominent Dutch op-ed writer Frits Abrahams recently referred to her as the female Dylan.
Le Vent du Nord – Têtu CD (Borealis Recordings)
With their eighth album, Le Vent du Nord hold to a steady course staying faithful to their Québecois roots while at the same time taking an unyielding approach to innovative new ideas. The new opus contains 15 tracks covering politics, love, and satire. From stripped-down a cappella singing to sophisticated arrangements including a string quartet, Le Vent du Nord’s music is getting sharper, more refined, and ever more thoughtful.
Loch Vostok – From These Waters CD (Vicisolom Production)
New release from the Swedish progressive metal band. From These Waters contains 10 new songs that covers pretty much anything and everything metal, from doom to uber-shred, from death metal to djent, from black metal to prog metal.
Lower Dens – Escape From Evil CD/LP+MP3 (Ribbon Music)
On Escape From Evil, Lower Dens Jana Hunter emerges: cerebral and hot-blooded, rash and incorruptible, and, crucially, possessing of a loud, clear voice. Hunter is stepping up and taking center stage has emboldened every other aspect of the band. The album is a cinematic, tonally rich work. The sounds are clean and warm.
Ludacris – Ludaversal CD (Def Jam)
The ninth album from the rapper features production by Mike Will Made It, David Guetta, Jim Jonsin, Rico Love, Giorgio Tuinfort, and Da Internz. Available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe adds five bonus tracks.
The Maine – American Candy CD (Big Picnic)
Fifth album from the Tempe, AZ alt-rock band. The Maine has shared the stage with the likes of Taking Back Sunday, Anberlin, All Time Low, Augustana and many more. The band has made numerous festival appearances including The Vans Warped Tour, Bamboozle, and SXSW.
The Main Ingredient – L.T.D./Black Seeds [Reissue/1970/1971] CD (Real Gone Music)
Digitally remastered twofer from the soul trio. Their first album, L.T.D., was released in 1970 and consisted of six original songs penned by the group along with a medley of two songs written by Jimmy Webb and a cover of The Beatles’ ‘Get Back’. Production was primarily by renowned arranger Bert DeCoteaux with one track produced by acclaimed New York conductor/arranger Horace Ott. The group self-produced their third release, 1971’s Black Seeds, which boasted two singles with ‘Black Seeds Keep On Growing’ reaching #15 on the U.S. R&B charts.
Male Gaze – Gale Maze CD/LP (Castle Face)
Male Gaze is a trifecta of bad vibes from the dudes that brought you Blasted Canyons, Mayyors and The Mall. Sheets of fuzz, feedback peeking out the corners, and a B+ Ian Curtis impression dress these diet pill pop tunes in your favorite sweater from 1996.
Jesse Malin – New York Before The War CD (One Little Indian)
“US rock singer/songwriter Jesse Malin has been in and out of bands since he was 12 years old, most notably as the lead singer of glam punk group D Generation for eight years; in between bands he never stopped writing songs and pursued a solo career, beginning with his debut EP 169 in 2002, followed by his debut album The Fine Art Of Self Destruction. It has now been five years since Malin has released a new album, but he has now returned with his seventh studio album New York Before The War; we are said to expect an album that acts as a soundtrack to a meaningful life, as well as it covering the respect Malin has for his origins and embracing the future with both hands” – Renowned For Sound. Vinyl version due April 28.
Marching Church – This World Is Not Enough CD/LP (Sacred Bones)
Since 2010, Elias Bender Rønnenfelt (Iceage, Vår) has used the Marching Church moniker to a variety of musical ends, both live and recorded. However, the project as it exists on This World Is Not Enough wasn’t born until November 2013. With a live performance looming and no real idea what the set would be, Rønnenfelt found a new vision for the band while daydreaming at a gig at the venue where Marching Church was set to perform. “What I pictured was me in a comfortable armchair, adorned in a golden robe, leading a band while a girl kept pouring me champagne when I required it,” Rønnenfelt explained. “This raised the question, ‘What sort of music would go along with this picture?’”
Merchandise – (Strange Songs) In The Dark [Reissue/2010] CD/LP (Jagjaguwar)
Merchandise’s 2010 album marks a decisive break from the band’s straightforward early post-punk EP’s, moving instead toward the more experimental studio-based pop constructions that would be further explored in the subsequent Children Of Desire and Totale Nite albums.
Mighty Mocambos – Showdown CD (Legere)
The Mighty Mocambos’ new album sets another cornerstone in their prolific career as a globally active instrumental funk outfit. While maintaining their organic technique of recording real musicians live to tape, the group has refined their trademark sound with a dramatic edge, a hard hitting production and ventures into less obvious musical territories.
Negură Bunget – Tău CD/LP (Prophecy)
Negură Bunget is a black metal band from Timișoara, Romania whose atmospheric sound incorporates elements of progressive metal and folk metal.
Nightwish – Endless Forms Most Beautiful CD/3xCD/2xLP (Nuclear Blast)
Endless Forms is the Finnish/Dutch/British symphonic power metal band’s eighth album. Produced by Tero “TeeCee” Kinnumen, Endless Forms Most Beautiful features album artwork by Finnish artist Toxic Angel and includes adult and children’s choirs, collaborative work with esteemed orchestral arranger Pip Williams, session drum work by Kai Hahto of Wintersun (who is sitting in for the ailing Nightwish drummer Jukka Nevalainen), and a guest appearance by evolutionary biologist, writer, and atheist Richard Dawkins. Available in single and triple-disc versions. Triple-disc “Mediabook” edition contains extra discs featuring both instrumental and orchestral versions.
Nisennenmondai – Live At Clouds Hill CD/LP (Clouds Hill)
The Tokyo-based all-female instrumental trio present live versions of songs from the acclaimed 2014 album N (Blast First Petite).
Nosound – Teide 2390 CD+DVD-A (Kscope)
A recording of Nosound’s stellar Summer 2014 performance at the Starmus Festival held at the Mount Teide Observatory on Tenerife. Pink Floyd at Pompeii meets Bark Psychosis in front of an invited audience at an altitude of 2,390 meters.
Ozy – Distant Present CD (Nothings66)
New release from the Icelandic dub/techno artist. Based on minimalism/ambience/dub/techno, Ozy’s music has a modern experimental and side of drone/electronica.
Piero Piccioni – Colpo Rovente: Colonna Sonora [OST] CD (Beatball)
Colpo Rovente is one of the rarest soundtrack albums in the Italian film music history. It stands out from the transitional period into the psychedelic era. Soft-spoken and suave cool jazz, along with hallucinogenic go-go sounds appear throughout the film and soundtrack. Dynamic big band tunes are stunningly matched with impossibly beautiful jazz funk scores infused with a touch of bossa nova. Remastered from the original tapes and packaged in mini-LP sleeves with the original artwork. Includes twelve bonus tracks.
Plain White T’s – American Nights CD (MRI Associated)
It’s been years since the Plain White T’s kicked off their career in the Chicago suburbs, playing a mix of pop, punk and melody-driven rock & roll in basements and clubs across the metro area. American Nights is the band’s first independent album since 2001.
Pretty Boy Floyd – Kiss Of Death: A Tribute To Kiss CD (Cleopatra)
The bad boys of Hollywood sleaze metal take on the gods of New York glam on this bombastic tribute album.
The Prodigy – The Day Is My Enemy CD (WB)
New album from Britain’s self-styled electronic punks. A statement describing the band’s apocalyptic setting for their sixth LP includes the phrases “drones and chaos” and “a subverted militaristic snare, a distorted break, a glitched dub attack, a Middle Eastern refrain, a cacophony of in-car dissonance, a symphony of random noise soundtracking life at the edge of the night.” Vinyl version due April 21.
Prong – Songs From The Black Hole CD/LP+MP3 (Steamhammer/SPV)
Fresh off their Australian Tour last year, power-metal trio finished an album of cover versions, putting their distinct spin on an array of tracks originally recorded by artists such as Black Flag, Bad Brains, Adolescents, The Sisters Of Mercy, Killing Joke, Hüsker Dü and Neil Young.
Quicksilver Messenger Service – Live In San Jose 1966 CD/LP (Cleopatra)
One of the earliest live recordings of the quintessential San Francisco psychedelic jam band. Features original vocalist Jim Murray alongside the classic Cipollina-Duncan-Freiberg-Elmore quartet performing their trademark tunes plus rare numbers.
Dan Reed – Transmission CD (AOR Heaven)
Third solo album from the veteran musician best known for fronting the Dan Reed Network. Reed has always had a passion for groups like Bad Company, Pink Floyd, and Fleetwood Mac and Transmission takes its aim at realizing this type of straightforward, honest rock production.
Renaissance – Academy Of Music 1974 CD (Cleopatra)
An extended live performance from the ‘70s prog rock icons performing at the historic Academy Of Music hall in New York, which covers most of the band’s fifth album, Turn Of The Cards.
Reptar – Lurid Glow CD/LP (Joyful Noise)
The second album from the synth-pop dance party band continues their exploration of afro-beat indie electro-pop with a heart.
Ride – OX4 [Reissue/2001] CD (Rhino)
To help celebrate the band’s reunion, Ride’s 15-track best-of collection, which has been out of print for several years, has been reissued. OX4 features selections from each of Ride’s studio recordings, which are arranged chronologically.
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra – Plays Prog Rock Classics CD/LP (Cleopatra)
Fully orchestrated progressive rock masterpieces with guest appearances by members of iconic prog rock band Features scintillating symphonic versions of Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb” with Alan Parsons Project multi-instrumentalist Ian Bairnson, King Crimson’s “21st Century Schizoid Man” featuring King Crimson and Porcupine Tree drummer Gavin Harrison, Gentle Giant’s “Think Of Me With Kindness” featuring Yes and Moody Blues keyboardist Patrick Moraz and many more.
Darius Rucker – Southern Style CD (Universal Nashville)
New release from the country music vocalist and former frontman for Hootie & The Blowfish.
Runaway Brother – Mother CD/LP (Tiny Engines)
Runaway Brother recalls the intelligence of catchy, ambitious emo rock stalwarts like Motion City Soundtrack and Say Anything, walking a perfect tightrope of pop smarts balanced with punk chops.
Dan Sartain – Vs. The Serpentines [Reissue/2003] CD (One Little Indian)
Dan Sartain – Dan Sartain Lives [Reissue/2010] CD (One Little Indian)
Dan Sartain – Dudesblood [Reissue/2014] CD/LP (One Little Indian)
A handful of titles by the garage rock/blues musician from Birmingham, Alabama are back in print on CD.
Boz Scaggs – A Fool To Care CD/LP (429)
A Fool To Care is a new collection of songs boasting Scaggs’ trailblazing blend of rock, soul, jazz and R&B.
Ron Sexsmith – Carousel One CD (Compass)
The Canadian crooner’s first album in two years finds Sexsmith in surprising territory for a man often pegged as a downbeat balladeer: he’s actually contented. Carousel One (named for the luggage retrieval belt at Los Angeles airport where bags off Toronto flights are delivered) is a warm, deeply involving set of songs that showcases his great empathy and occasional sentimentality, but also his often-overlooked playfulness.
Simple Minds – Sparkle In The Rain [Reissue/1984] 2xCD/LP (UMe)
Expanded double-CD edition featuring a disc of rare B-sides, some making their CD debut for the first time. Also reissued on single-disc vinyl.
Sneaky Feelings – Send You [Reissue/1983] CD/LP (Captured Tracks)
The early Flying Nun bands could be divided into two kinds: those like The Clean, who accepted their limitations and made the most of them, and others, like Sneaky Feelings whose ambitions out-stripped their limited recording budgets. Consequently their later records sometimes sounded a few thousand dollars short of the masterpieces they might have been. As for Send You, it will jangle forever as one of New Zealand’s essential albums. This remastered and expanded edition includes bonus tracks taken from the Be My Friend 7”, 1985’s Husband House EP and cuts from 1990.
The Soft Moon – Deeper CD/LP+MP3 (Captured Tracks)
The voice of The Soft Moon has never been more clear and honest than it is on Deeper. With eerie, immersive tracks like the dogged “Far” and slow, beautifully melancholic “Wasting” the album is a penetrating portrait of Vasquez as he wrestles thoughts of suicide, vulnerability and what it means to heal. By facing the most hopeless parts of himself without illusion and putting his past demons to bed, the creation of Deeper was an intense personal exploration of existence for Vasquez — old wounds were forcibly opened, deep anger and paranoia were manipulated into song — and he did not emerge unchanged. Deeper may have delivered Vasquez back to the waking world, but it willingly drags us further into The Soft Moon’s dark, euphonic universe once more.
The Sonics – This Is The Sonics CD/LP (Re:VOX)
Reunites original members Jerry Roslie, Larry Parypa, and Rob Lind, backed by the powerhouse rhythm section of Freddie Dennis and Dusty Watson. This Is The Sonics picks up where they left off. Recorded in “Earth Shaking Mono” by Jim Diamond.
Ringo Starr – Postcards From Paradise CD (UMe)
New release from the former Beatle, his first new studio album in three years. Features the track “Rory And The Hurricanes” (named after the band Ringo left in order to join The Beatles) as well as the title track “Postcards from Paradise.”
Saturnalia Temple – To The Other CD (Ajna Offensive)
Black magic metal, a dark spiritual vortex rooted in heavy and hypnotic sounds, a pure voice of the Draconian magical tradition from the forests outside Uppsala, Sweden.
The Staves – If I Was CD (Nonesuch)
New release from the British trio. The Staves, originally from Watford, England, are three sisters: Emily (vocals), Jessica (vocals, guitar), and Camilla (vocals, ukulele) Staveley-Taylor. If I Was was recorded in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, at producer Justin Vernon’s April Base Studios — a former veterinary clinic where he also recorded his 2012 self-titled Bon Iver album. Vinyl version due April 21.
Sufjan Stevens – Carrie & Lowell CD/LP (Asthmatic Kitty)
Carrie & Lowell sounds like memory: it spans decades yet does not trade on pastiche or nostalgia. Stevens’ gauzy double-tracked vocals wash across the dashboard of long-finned, drop-top Americana, yet as we race towards the coast we are reminded that sunshine leads to shadow, for this is a landscape of terminal roads, unsteady bridges, traumatic video stores, and unhappy beds that provide the scenery for tales of jackknifed cars, funerals, and forgiveness for the dead. Each track in this collection of eleven songs begins with a fragile melody that gathers steam until it becomes nothing less than a modern hymn. Sufjan recounts the indignities of our world, of technological distraction and sad sex, of an age without neither myths nor miracle and this time around, his voice carries the burden of wisdom. Carrie & Lowell accomplishes the rare thing that any art should achieve, particularly in these noisy and fragmented days: By seeking to understand, Sufjan makes us feel less alone.
Swearing At Motorists – Swearing At Motorists [Reissue/1995] CD/LP (A. Records)
Dayton, OH cult band Swearing at Motorists, aka “The Two-Man-Who,” have been making rock for 20-years with frontman Dave Doughman being the band’s only constant (apart from being awesome). After beginning in 1994 as a joke, the duo released a slew of 7-inches in the late ’90s, won repeated plays from the BBC’s John Peel and landed a contract with Secretly Canadian, with which they released 2000’s Number Seven Uptown and 2002’s This Flag Signals Goodbye.
Teenage Bottlerocket – Tales From Wyoming CD (Rise)
14 fast, melodic, and catchy songs from the punk band. Vinyl version due April 7.
Thor – Unchained [Reissue/1983] CD+DVD/LP (Cleopatra)
The legendary EP from the mighty thunder god of heavy metal gets a deluxe reissue on CD with bonus tracks plus a live DVD.
Three Days Grace – Human CD (RCA)
New album from the Christian band. On Human, Three Days Grace re-teamed with producer Gavin Brown who produced the band’s platinum-selling 2003 self-titled debut album. Vinyl version due April 14.
Translator – Sometimes CD (Omnivore)
22-track collection of rare and unreleased material from the California alternative band.
Trash Kit – Confidence CD (Upset The Rhythm)
Released last year on vinyl – now available on CD. Primal yet thoughtful, affirming yet sincere, Confidence draws on the potential of post-punk and the naturalism of an internal folk music. Recalls X-Ray Spex, The Ex, and The Raincoats.
Ufomammut – Ecate CD (Neurot)
Seventh album from Italy’s premiere psychedelic sludge export.
Jeremy Udden/Nicolas Moreaux – Belleville Project CD (Sunnyside)
The meeting between New England born saxophonist/composer Jeremy Udden and the French bassist/composer Nicolas Moreaux was quite serendipitous. Udden was housesitting in Paris and inquired via social media whether there were any musicians interested in playing a session. A session was quickly arranged where the saxophonist first met Moreaux.
Van Halen – Van Halen [Reissue/1978] CD/LP (Rhino)
Van Halen – Van Halen [Reissue/1984] CD/LP (Rhino)
Mastering engineer Chris Bellman, who remastered the original albums at Bernie Grundman Mastering Studios, was enlisted for these new versions. In order to produce the original sound the band intended, Bellman cut straight from the quarter-inch tapes for CD and HQ-180gm vinyl.
Van Halen – Tokyo Dome Live In Concert 2xCD/4xLP (Rhino)
Van Halen presents its first-ever live album to feature original singer David Lee Roth. Recorded on June 21, 2013 at the famed Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan, Tokyo Dome Live In Concert includes 23 songs, spanning all seven of the band’s albums recorded with Roth.
Various Artists – Fire/Fury Records Doo-Wop Story 2xCD (Fuel/Airline)
40 groundbreaking doo-wop recordings produced by the legendary Bobby Robinson for the Fire/Fury R&B record label. Features tracks by Ted Taylor, Bobby Powell, Buddy Ace, Frankie Lymon & The Teen Chords, and many others.
Various Artists – Highlife On The Move 2xCD/2xLP (Soundway)
Highlife On The Move traces the music from West Africa to London, adding elements of jazz, mambo and calypso along the way and paving the way for the Afro sounds of the 1970s. Accompanied by a 44-page CD booklet, the notes by Dr. Coester include rare photographs, labels and advert reproductions alongside some stunning and very rare recordings.
Various Artists – Loose The Funk: Rarities From Jewel/Paula Vaults CD (Fuel/Airline)
20 rare soul classics from the legendary Jewel, Paula, & Ronn Records label.
Various Artists – New Orleans Jazz Favorites 2xCD (Fuel/Airline)
28 of the most popular jazz songs from New Orleans.
Various Artists – Now That’s What I Call ACM Awards: 50th Anniversary 2xCD (UMe)
A collection of songs from ACM award-winning artists celebrating the Academy’s 50th Anniversary. Highlights from the track list include recent smash hits such as “The House That Built Me” by Miranda Lambert and Lady Antebellum’s “Need You Now” on Disc One, as well as classics such as “Always On My Mind” by Willie Nelson, “Why Not Me” by The Judds, and “He Stopped Loving Her Today” by George Jones on Disc Two. Other artists featured include Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Brad Paisley, Alabama, Faith Hill, Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, and many more.
Various Artists – The Rough Guide To Unsung Heroes Of Country Blues CD (World Music Network)
Very little is known about many of these featured early blues artists, other than the simple fact that their classic recordings are like arrows through time and have a cutting edge coolness which defies the age in which they were recorded. These tracks are essential listening for any blues connoisseur, and an adventure into some of the more hidden recesses of country blues. There is no space for the likes of Charley Patton, Robert Johnson or Son House in this roll of honor, as it’s time for the usual suspects to stand aside and let the limelight fall on some of the lesser-known country blues masters, whose brilliance has always been slightly under the radar.
Various Artists – Shapes: Wires CD/2xLP (Tru Thoughts)
Shapes: Wires is the latest in Tru Thoughts’ series of essential label compilations put together by A&R and co-owner Robert Luis. It encompasses the best of the Brighton based label’s eclectic and international current roster, as well as some classic cuts and an exclusive track for good measure.
Volahn – Aq’ab’al CD/2xLP (Ajna)
“An almost hysterically chaotic mass of black, fractured noise,” marvels Zero Tolerance, where “song structures take second place to expressive, almost sitar-like contorted lead guitar and primitive percussion.” The Black Twilight Circle’s founding and most well-known band’s intersection of lo-fi black metal and Mesoamerican occult themes consists of a fast combination of furious guitar work, blastbeats, a few keyboards, melodies, and rasped vocals that periodically segue into acoustic guitar and spoken-word passages.
Rick Wakeman – Rhapsodies [Reissue/1979] CD (Real Gone Music)
Digitally remastered edition of this 1979 album from the legendary keyboardist and former Yes member. Unlike many of his other solo records, Rhapsodies consists of short, largely improvisational pieces.
Wale – The Album About Nothing CD (Atlantic)
Fourth studio album from the Washington, DC-based rapper. The Album About Nothing serves as part three of Wale’s About Nothing music series.
Ryley Walker – Primrose Green CD/LP (Dead Oceans)
Ryley Walker is the reincarnation of the true True American guitar player. That’s as much a testament to his roving, rambling ways, or as to the fact that his Guild D-35 guitar has endured a few stints in the pawnshop. No one knows what the future holds for young Ryley Walker. Hardship and setbacks and dilapidated housing uncertainty only seem to spur him on creatively. Here, with this record, we risk limiting his access to personal disaster by flirting with success. Here, with Primrose Green, we risk limiting his access to personal disaster by flirting with success.
Waters – What’s Real CD (Vagrant)
Waters churn out frenetic pop anthems like nobody’s business.
We Are Harlot – We Are Harlot CD (Roadrunner)
We Are Harlot’s mission to revive rock & roll is evident from the get-go as Worsnop’s swagger and power commands attention, while George’s guitar oozes with style and feel and Agra/Weaver provide the rhythmic flow and backbone for the album.
Scott Weiland & The Wildabouts – Blaster CD/LP (Softdrive)
New solo project from Scott Weiland (Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver frontman)
and his band, The Wildabouts. On their first official studio album Blaster, Weiland, guitarist Jeremy Brown, bassist Tommy Black, and drummer Danny Thompson elegantly infuse raw rock & roll with a poetic, passionate, and pure perspective. Produced by Rick Parker (Black Rebel Motorcycle Club), it’s as unadulterated as it is unique.
When There Is None – Warpaint CD/LP+CD (Rockstar)
Boy, you can really tell that these guys are from the beautiful yet rainy city of Aachen, Germany. But jokes aside, Warpaint will remind you of an awesome mixture of Leatherface meets Hot Water Music meets Hüsker Dü. Sandpapery voice, melody driven post-hardcore guitars and very tight drumming.
White Lion – Fight To Survive [Reissue/1985] CD (Cleopatra)
Limited edition digipak reissue of the album that should have been White Lion’s 1985 major label debut.
William Elliott Whitmore – Radium Death CD/LP+MP3 (Anti)
Known for the sparse, haunting qualities of his mostly solo recordings of what he refers to as “roots-folk music,” in which his husky voice is often accompanied by little more than a banjo or acoustic guitar, Whitmore sought to add some new pitches to his bullpen for Radium Death. “I purposefully went into it wanting to make a little bit of a departure, sonically, using an electric guitar a little bit more and adding more instrumentation, more full-band type stuff,” he says.
Wino & Conny Ochs – Freedom Conspiracy CD (Soulfood)
To backtrack a bit, the union of these two gritty, passionate musicians took place in 2010, as doom/rock legend, Wino (Saint Vitus, The Obsessed, Spirit Caravan, The Hidden Hand) was touring Europe with Conny Ochs as support act. An instant bond was formed, both as musicians as well as just like-minded humans. The newest collection of ambitious, harrowing and beautiful music created by Wino & Conny Ochs not only brings forth the same quality of organically conceived folk/rock fans of the previous album should expect, it simply excels in every imaginable aspect.
John Wolfe – Natural Man CD (Fool Hearted Productions)
New album from the Country singer/songwriter. Natural Man, produced by Wolfe, Lex Lipsitz and Billy Decker and recorded at Nashville’s Westwood Studios and Ronnie’s Place, is a 13-track collection of songs that merges Wolfe’s signature traditional sound, influenced by George Strait, Garth Brooks, Clint Black and Dwight Yoakam, with an edgy, modern energy.
Zoo Brazil – Songs For Clubs 3 CD (Magik Muzik)
Present on the album are remixes by Tiefschwarz with Ruede Hagelstein, Sascha Braemer, Copyright, Traumer, Matthew Styles, Ole Biege and Ronte Monte Mo, HVOB among others, interspersed with tracks by Zoo Brazil.
DVDs + Blu-ray:
Darryl Hall/John Oates – Live In Dublin 2xCD+DVD/Blu-ray (Eagle Vision)
Filmed at the Olympia Theatre in Dublin on 15th July 2014, this was the first time Daryl Hall and John Oates had played a live show in the city.
Katatonia – Sanctitude Blu-ray (Kscope)
New concert film from the Swedish metallers. Sanctitude was recorded in the stunning, candle-lit setting of London’s Union Chapel during Katatonia’s May 2014 Unplugged & Reworked tour — an intimate acoustic evening performing tracks from the Dethroned & Uncrowned album alongside atmospheric classics from the band’s entire career, stripped and reworked. 5.1 surround sound.
This Week’s Vinyl Exclusives:
Ryan Adams – Blue Light 7” (Pax Americana)
The latest in Ryan Adams’ series of limited-edition 7” EPs features the B-sides “On My Life” and “I Lost My F**king Mind.”
Ólafur Arnalds – Broadchurch [OST] 2xLP (Mercury)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. A vital element in the success of record-breaking 2013 British drama Broadchurch was the hauntingly beautiful, BAFTA Award-winning score by young Icelandic composer Ólafur Arnalds.
Jesse Aycock – Flowers & Wounds LP (Scissor Tail)
Jesse Aycock’s (Hard Working Americans) music is sweeping with beautiful melodies, old school tones and lyrical depth, sounding like a mixture of Tom Petty and Kurt Vile. His style touches on everything from traditional folk, psychedelic, country, and early rock.
The Beach Boys – 15 Big Ones [Reissue/1976] LP (Capitol)
The Beach Boys – M.I.U. [Reissue/1978] LP (Capitol)
The Beach Boys – L.A. (Light Album) [Reissue/1979] LP (Capitol)
The Beach Boys – Keepin’ The Summer Alive [Reissue/1980] LP (Capitol)
The Beach Boys – The Beach Boys [Reissue/1985] LP (Capitol)
HQ-180gm vinyl pressings now available.
Joe Bonamassa – Muddy Wolf At Red Rocks 3xLP (J&R Adventures)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. The blues guitarist tribute to legends Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf on this live album.
Peter Broderick + Gabriel Saloman – Peter Broderick + Gabriel Saloman LP (Beacon Sound)
In 2013 Beacon Sound invited Peter Broderick (Efterklang, collaborator with Nils Frahm and Machinefabriek) and Gabriel Ssaloman (Yellow Swans) to collaborate on a musical project. Broderick’s side brings together elements of modern composition, electronic music, dub and vocal-oriented songwriting, while Saloman’s side is an epic 18-minute journey that builds into a gorgeous crescendo before gliding away on plaintive cries of a violin.
Christina Carter – L’etoile de Mer [2000] LP (Emerald Cocoon)
Unlike Man Ray’s dreamlike 1928 surrealist film of the same name, her score for it is severely in focus: carefully placed single notes of electric guitar hang in a space made so tense by expectation that the air feels like glass under pressure. Buckling under the weight of their own naked intensity and the film’s obscure ritual logic, both takes end with a sudden descent into a seasick pitch-shifted blur. On the flip, seven etude-like songs recorded in an Austin hallway, were inspired by solo saxophone exercises. These pieces are meditations on sound rather than words. Tongue and throat animate the air, unconstrained by lyrical concerns; vocal shapes are carved, probed, turned over, and discarded.
Charli XCX – Sucker LP+MP3 (Atlantic)
Released last year on CD – now available on vinyl. The new pop queen’s sophomore album features the badass floor-filler “Break The Rules.” “After years of being a critical darling Charli XCX assisted Iggy Azalea on the song of the summer and landed her own ‘Boom Clap’ on the soundtrack for The Fault In Our Stars. Sucker is her second studio album, and it’s a record that seeks to bend the mainstream to its will rather than conform to its reigning trends.” [7.6] – Pitchfork
Chud – Chud 7” (Let’s Pretend)
Picture the Dead Boys doing a Motörhead cover set on speed and you have some idea of what to expect from Chud’s debut 7”.
Kelly Clarkson – Piece By Piece LP (RCA)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Piece By Piece is the seventh studio album by former American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson, and includes the single “Heartbeat Song.”
The Cribs – For All My Sisters LP (Arts & Crafts)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. “These are pivotal times in Cribsland. The Jarman brothers’ spell with long-time label Wichita and brief self-imposed hiatus have expired, and they return with promises of two new albums – one all-out pop, one all-out punk – and everything to play for. Their critical standing as one of the most consistently adored guitar bands of the past decade remains as firm and reliable as the incompetence of Apprentice contestants, but the fate of Ash, Supergrass et al beckons – years of diminishing returns and dinnertime festival slots – unless they make a Monkeys-level leap into the Big Time. On sixth album – the ‘pop one,’ recorded in New York with producer Ric Ocasek of The Cars for maximum geek-rock gloss – they give it their best shot while sticking firmly within their screamy garage punk parameters.” – NME
DJ Yoda – Presents Breakfast Of Champions LP (Get Involved)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Buoyed by the wealth of collaborators for his acclaimed second artist album, Chop Suey that dropped in late 2012, Yoda has been busy in the studio creating his first live hip-hop band, Breakfast of Champions. Evoking the golden age of hip-hop, the band features up-and-coming wordsmith Rex Domino, Mouse Outfit MCs Sparkz and Truthos Mufasa, plus a host of musicians chosen by DJ Yoda himself.
Dokken – Greatest Hits LP (Cleopatra)
Limited edition red vinyl pressing of a collection of newly recorded fan favorites including “Breaking The Chains,” “Dream Warriors,” “In My Dreams,” “Tooth And Nail,” and more.
Tashi Dorji – Appa LP+MP3 (Bathetic)
Dorji paints winding and expansive images with both patient and dizzying guitar movements. Intricate and delicate, strong and poetic; this comes across as a record brimming with energy, vitality and life while expressing emotions of loss, strength, family and distance.
Eclipse – Armageddonize LP (Inner Wound/Frontiers)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. New album from the melodic hard rock band.
Egoless – Yermende (Original Mix) b/w Yermende (Dub) 7” (Zamzam)
Early ‘80s vibes are in full effect, growling delays panning across the spectrum, syn-drum style bubbling, rockers hi hats, haunting organ lead and skanks, slicing snares, hands-on-desk live dubbing and one of the most propulsive basslines in the history of reggae music.
Faith Healer – Cosmic Troubles LP (Mint)
New release from Jessica Jalbert aka Faith Healer. Before Jessica began recording under the Faith Healer moniker, she fostered a tight collaborative friendship with fellow Edmonton-bred polymath Renny Wilson. So when Jalbert set about creating her first album as Faith Healer, she naturally called on her old buddy to help out. The result of these productive sessions is the debut LP Cosmic Troubles. Jalbert wrote this material while absorbing a steady diet of psychedelic rock from the ’60s and ’70s. This fixation translates into inventive songs that combine the sun-kissed sparkle of classic pop harmonies with head-swimming trippiness and forays into thundering fuzz.
Brat Farrar – Brat Farrar 2 LP (P. Trash)
Solo LP of grunge punk from the frontman of Digger And The Pussycats, Kamikaze Trio, and Russian Roulettes.
Fashion Week – Prêt-à-Porter LP (Solar Flare)
Fashion Week features alumnae and members from such diverse musical corners as Jarboe, Cobalt, Victory At Sea, A Great Big World, Man’s Gin and Inswarm. Drifting seamlessly between and beyond influences and genres, these boys deliver a fresh spin on loud, heavy and brutal.
Yonatan Gat – Director LP (Joyful Noise)
Master guitarist, Yonatan Gat (Monotonix) is back with 11 new punk inspired, improvisational, psychedelic mind-melters. Inspired by soundtrack virtuosos like Ennio Morricone and Nino Rota, Director is edited as a cinematic circular journey around the world, East to West and North to South.
Myriam Gendron/Dorothy Parker – Not So Deep As A Well LP+MP3 (Feeding Tube)
Limited edition pink swirl vinyl pressing. “This record is beautiful and melancholic and poetic. Myriam Gendron doesn’t try hard to show off meandering singing skills or too sweet arrangements. Melodies falling out of her guitar like glass pearls. Simple fingerpicking miniatures to the poetry of Dorothy Parker.” – Dying For Bad Music
Guerilla Toss – Smack The Brick LP+MP3 (Feeding Tube)
Released last year on CD and cassette – now available on vinyl. “Guerilla Toss are possibly the weirdest punk band in the world – composed of a few Boston-area former jazz students making extremely maximalist art-funk, it’s the kind of thing that shouldn’t work but absolutely does, with frontwoman Kassie Carlson using her best banshee wails and rapid rhythmic chatter as another instrument to compliment the, like, kitchen sink-full of instruments that are already in her band.” – Pretty Much Amazing
Richie Havens – Mixed Bag [Reissue/1967] LP (Sundazed Music)
Richie Havens – Something Else Again [Reissue/1968] LP (Sundazed Music)
Originally released by Verve Forecast in 1967, Mixed Bag gathered songs from Gordon Lightfoot, Bob Dylan, Lennon/McCartney as well as two self-penned compositions and one co-written with future acting star Lou Gossett, Jr. Havens followed up a year later with Something Else Again. The cover portrait found Havens clad in dashiki and wearing beads while playing a sitar, looking like a standard bearer for the counterculture. HQ-180gm mono.
Screamin’ Jay Hawkins And The Fuzztones – Live LP (Cleopatra)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. A historic 1985 New York performance by R&B legend Screamin’ Jay Hawkins backed by modern garage rock heroes The Fuzztones. Red vinyl.
Hey Mandible – The Arse LP (Fort Lowell)
Some call it post-noisecore, others call it post-punk or anti-grunge.
Inventions – Maze Of Woods LP+MP3 (Temporary Residence)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Second album from Matthew Cooper (Eluvium) and Mark T. Smith (Explosions In The Sky) utilizes an array of instruments, samples, found sounds, beats, chants, and raw bursts of noise, with a much greater emphasis on strong vocal accompaniment in every song. Includes download featuring remixes by The Field, Leyland Kirby, and A Winged Victory For The Sullen.
James – Wah Wah [Reissue/1994] 2xLP (Island/Mercury)
Released last week as an expanded double-CD – now available as HQ-180gm double-LP. Wah Wah, the sixth full-length release by the Manchester indie rock group James, was produced by Brian Eno and Markus Dravs during the same six-week session as Laid.
Simon Joyner – Grass, Branch & Bone LP (Woodsist)
13th proper album from renowned Omaha singer/songwriter is a sonic departure from 2012’s Ghosts. While that record was a collection of dark, dissonant songs confronting death and loss in the vein of Neil Young’s Tonight’s The Night, Grass, Branch & Bone is sparse by comparison, running with the likes of Dylan’s John Wesley Harding, Gene Clark’s White Light, David Blue’s Stories, Jerry Jeff Walker’s Five Years Gone, Townes Van Zandt’s Our Mother The Mountain and Leonard Cohen’s Recent Songs.
The King Khan & BBQ Show – Bad News Boys LP (In The Red)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. After a five-year hiatus, rock & roll’s renegade-angel savior The King Khan & BBQ Show returns with 12 soulful, rocking cuts delivered in high-energy, lowbrow fashion. Known as the hottest duo from Montreal to come out of Berlin, The King Khan & BBQ Show is dirty, funny, irreverent and always a good time. Their raw, stripped-down mix of doo-wop, early rock & roll, soul and punk is drenched in pure energy.
Life – Take Off With You 7” (Grand Jury)
“Because Life are an immensely talented British pop-rock band led by a pair of brothers (Mez Sanders-Green on lead vocals and Mick Sanders on lead guitar), there will be inevitable comparisons to Oasis. But ‘Take Off With You’ and ‘Money,’ the tracks that comprise the Hull quartet’s new double A-side single, are more like a young Arctic Monkeys trading Alex Turner’s snarling wit for the pop shine of the 1975, but without the saccharine boy-band feel to it. This is young, fun, fast-paced, urban pop-rock, and I fervently recommend it to you.”—Stereogum
Justin Love – Rockola [Reissue/1984] LP (Mono-Tone)
Vinyl reissue of impossible-to-find 1984 album by the ultra-cult ’80s NY rocker. Rockola is a perfect blend of Johnny Thunders’ deconstructed raunch ‘n’ roll, The Modern Lovers’ romance rock, Alex Chilton’s twisted productions, and some deranged paisley-pop from an unknown planet.
Bob Marley & The Wailers – Easy Shanking In Boston ’78 2xLP (Island)
Recently released on CD, DVD and Blu-ray – now available on vinyl. Digitally remastered previously unavailable live set released to coincide with the reggae legend’s 70th birthday year. Easy Skanking In Boston ’78 features a historic live show from Boston’s Music Hall, June 8, 1978. Bob Marley & The Wailers had broken through to the American mainstream by the time they arrived at Boston’s Music Hall for two shows on June 8, 1978.
Miscalculations – A View For Glass Eyes LP+CD (Rockstar)
Featuring members of Gaggers, Ladykillers, and Disco Lepers, this London band is the perfect combo of ’77 UK punk and dark synth-driven post punk.
Motörhead – England 1978 LP (Cleopatra)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Newly remastered reissue of this classic 1978 live album.
Mucca Pazza – L.Y.A. LP (Mucca Pazza)
20-odd piece ensemble Mucca Pazza assembled itself in 2004. With mismatched uniforms, improvised marching maneuvers, speaker helmets and deconstructed cheer-leading, Mucca Pazza trail-blazed the ‘weird as we wanna be’ theatrical and visual aesthetic, while exhibiting real musical talent, playing mostly through-composed original compositions that tend to land somewhere between Zappa and Morricone, landing them prime spots on Conan, and The Kennedy Center. Atonal harmonies, odd time signatures and labyrinthine melodies are as likely to pop up as sweet brass chords, catchy whistlers and solid grooves.
Anthony Naples – Body Pill LP (Text)
Debut album by rising NYC techno producer, released on Kieran Hebden’s (Four Tet) Text Records imprint.
Stina Nordenstam – The World Is Saved [2004] LP+7” (Beacon Sound)
The World Is Saved found the gifted lyricist in top musical form, combining elements of electronic and acoustic music, pop, and even jazz into her own compelling universe. The songs “shiver with foreboding and uncertainty,” as The Guardian (4/5 stars) wrote at the time, and “seem to be the sound of her tentative progress out of a dark place, disconcerted yet full of wonder.”
The Pineapple Thief – 10 Stories Down [Reissue/2005] 2xLP (Kscope)
The Pineapple Thief’s fourth album has been remastered and re-released on HQ-180gm vinyl.
Plastikman – El Club Mixes 2xLP (Mute)
Following the Summer 2014 release of Ex, the first album from Richie Hawtin’s Plastikman in nine years comes a club mix EP featuring remixes of four of the seven tracks from the album. Hawtin was an influential part of Detroit’s techno wave in the early 1990s and continues to be a leading pioneer of minimal techno. Includes remixes from Recondite, Dubfire, and more.
Refrigerator – Temple City LP (Shrimper)
Temple City is the Refrigerator’s first record to feature electric guitar, feedback squalls and electric bass in over a decade, after the all-acoustic Bottles Of Make Up and their last album, Dangerous, a stillborn recording of demos. Temple City was recorded in full just prior to harrowing health issues for vocalist Allen Callaci that ultimately led to a heart transplant. The band went back into the studio with longtime engineer Steve Folta after Callaci’s full recovery and re-recorded a number of songs as well as a few new ones to complete the 17 tracks which comprise Temple City.
Brian Reitzell – Hannibal: Original Television Soundtrack Season 1/Volume 1 2xLP (Invada)
Brian Reitzell – Hannibal: Original Television Soundtrack Season 1/Volume 2 2xLP (Invada)
Brian Reitzell – Hannibal: Original Television Soundtrack Season 2/Volume 1 2xLP (Invada)
Brian Reitzell – Hannibal: Original Television Soundtrack Season 2/Volume 2 2xLP (Invada)
Black vinyl editions now available. All of the music featured on the Hannibal LP’s hail from the first and second season of the series and have been sequenced in the chronological order they appears on the show itself, allowing for an essential listening experience as dictated by the music’s creator.
Brian Reitzell – Watchdogs [OST] LP+MP3 (Invada)
“Full of infectious beats and atmospheric, retro-futuristic synths, the score is a further achievement from composer Reitzell, who has previously written music for the highly-rated US drama series Hannibal as well as working on multiple scores with acclaimed director Sofia Coppola”—Louder Than War
Jimmy Riley – Live To Know It: Self Productions, Protest Songs & Dub Plates 1975-1985 2xLP (Pressure Sounds)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. 17-track set of Jimmy Riley self-produced cuts. Live To Know It contains a combination of real obscurities mixed with classic material. Jimmy started out with the Uniques as a harmony singer and then moved on to become a lead vocalist after Slim Smith’s death. Jimmy worked with Jamaica’s best producers as well as crafting an excellent body of work that was released on his own labels such Pee, Yes and Full Moon. This set focuses on his self-produced protest song recorded between 1975 and 1985.
Frank Sinatra – Close To You [Reissue/1957] LP (Reprise)
Frank Sinatra – Sinatra Sings Great Songs From Great Britain [Reissue/1962] LP (Reprise)
Frank Sinatra – She Shot Me Down [Reissue/1981] LP (Reprise)
Released on Capitol Records in 1957, Close To You is one of Frank Sinatra’s most gentle and intimate albums, and features the classics “It Could Happen to You,” “Blame It On My Youth,” “Everything Happens To Me” and more. Sinatra Sings Great Songs From Great Britain was initially not sold in the United States and was finally released in the US on CD in the early 1990s. It consists of songs by British composers, performed with British musicians and recorded in England while Sinatra was on tour. Released in 1981, She Shot me Down was Sinatra’s final album recorded for Reprise and is generally considered an artistic triumph that evokes the best of Sinatra during this stage of his career.
Sleaford Mods – Tiswas 12” (Invada)
Black vinyl edition now available. The rise of Sleaford Mods over the past 12 months has been a joy to behold, with the shifty Nottingham duo charming even the broadsheets with their raggedy, lo-fi take on punk poetry pitched somewhere between The Streets and John Cooper Clarke.
Chris Spedding – Joyland LP (Cleopatra)
New album from the guitar legend with support from guests including: Johnny Marr, Bryan Ferry, Robert Gordon, Sex Pistol Glen Matlock and more. Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl.
Spent Flesh – Deviant 7” (Rockstar)
Spent Flesh systematically dissects and unapologetically destroys hardcore punk and traditional song structure.
Steve Taylor & The Perfect Foil – Goliath LP (Sounds Familyre)
Released last year on CD – now available on vinyl. Debut album from this Nashville quartet. Something of a Christian/indie/underground supergroup, the band consists of Steve Taylor (solo artist, producer and leader of Chagall Guevara), Jimmy Abegg (Vector), John Mark Painter (Fleming & John) and Peter Furler (Newsboys).
Teengenerate – Live At Shelter LP (Ugly Pop)
Fifteen tracks of high-octane, high-energy raw punk.
TNT – Complete Recordings 2xLP (Static Shock)
One of the most important punk bands from Switzerland. 23 songs from 1979-1983 of catchy female fronted punk rock.
Toto – XIV 2xLP (Frontiers)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. XIV is the Toto’s first album of new material since 2006’s Falling In Between. However, the band personally considers the new album to be the true follow-up to Toto IV, which made the band global superstars.
The Unthanks – Mount The Air LP (Cadiz Music)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Nominated for the Mercury Music Prize and the only British folk representation in The Guardian’s and Uncut’s Best Albums Of The Last Decade, The Unthanks is a family affair for Tyneside sisters Rachel and Becky Unthank, with Rachel married to pianist, producer, arranger and composer, Adrian McNally. Using the traditional and folk music of the North East of England as a starting point, the influence of Steve Reich, Miles Davis, Sufjan Stevens, Robert Wyatt, Antony & The Johnsons, King Crimson and Tom Waits can be heard in the band’s seven albums to date.
The Untouchables – Free Yourself: Ska Hits LP (Cleopatra)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. A collection of career highlights from the SoCal mod/ska band — widely credited as America’s first ska group. Limited edition color vinyl.
Van Halen – Deluxe 6xLP (Rhino)
Contains Van Halen, 1984, and the four-LP set of Tokyo Dome In Concert. CD version due April 14.
Jozef van Wissem & Domingo García-Huidobro – Partir To Live: Original Soundtrack Recording LP+DVD (Sacred Bones)
Soundtrack LP packaged with a DVD of Föllakzoid member’s feature film. Van Wissem’s score consists of appropriated 12-string electric guitar drone, black baroque lute mirror images, and minimal electronics.
The Victim Party – Getting To Know The Victim Party LP (Ugly Pop)
Strong, tuneful punk rock from Toronto. Fast-paced and tough with smart lyrics spat out by duel male/female vocals. RIYL: Dillinger Four, Leatherface, Marked Men or Cleveland Bound Death Sentence.
Villages – Procession Acts LP+MP3 (Bathetic)
Villages’ second LP carries on their debut’s grand expanse of ambient glory, while coming across as much more cinematic. It’s a rhythmic, thumping, ticking record, trudging through an environment it creates itself from blended tones, chiming piano notes and smeared guitars.
Weed – Thousand Pounds 7” (Lefse)
Blown out pop slop.
Renny Wilson – Punk Explosion LP (Mint)
New release from the Canadian avant-pop artist Renny Wilson. Recorded between 2007 and 2014, Punk Ex follows Wilson’s natural progression from the breakup of his high school garage punk band The Subatomics to his present-day life in Montreal. Originally available in an extremely limited, abridged cassette version simply titled Punk Explosion, the album was a collection of Wilson’s more abrasive recordings from the past seven years. Recalling snotty ’70s punk, cornball classic rock and scratchy ’90s garage punk, the album makes more than subtle hints at the past while painting a clear picture of the future.
Yeesh – No Problem LP (Already Dead)
This Chicago-based power trio deliver a highly melodic form of post-hardcore that is noteworthy for supremely strong songwriting. The shifting rhythms, driving bass, dual vocals, and guitar effect textures are all integral to the band’s sound, but what truly makes this record stand out is the catchiness and earnestness of the tunes.
Cassettes:
Spaces Of Disappearance – Passionate Electronics (Walk-In)
This Chicago-based project is often described as dance-punk influenced synth pop with a dark edge.
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