New Releases for August 14, 2015

CDs + Vinyl:

The Alchemist/Oh No (Gangrene) – You Disgust Me CD (Mass Appeal)
Producers extraordinaire Alchemist and Oh No have been working together as Gangrene since 2010. The duo’s seventh collaborative project in five years, You Disgust Me, features guest contributions by Havoc, Sean Price, Action Bronson, Chuck Strangers, Your Old Droog, and more. Vinyl version due September 25.

Will Archer (Slime) – Company CD (Weird World)
Company is the debut album by Slime, the nom-de-plume of producer and multi-instrumentalist Will Archer. At a time when electronic music feels dominated by bombast and hype, these ten elusive, unsettling and emotional tracks offer a master-class in nuance and sincerity. Coalescing into one unique statement, Company feels borne of that same late-night 3AM spiritual culture that defined late ‘90s electronic/instrumental hip-hop: songs that are large, but personal and private. Vinyl version due August 28.

Rayland Baxter – Imaginary Man CD/LP (ATO)
“Baxter is the son of moderately-famous slide guitar player Bucky Baxter, who jammed with Bob Dylan, Steve Earle, Ryan Adams and R.E.M., and it’s easy to imagine son eagerly listening and internalizing each of these artists while his father was off recording or touring. Raised in Nashville, Baxter eventually struck out as a musician in 2012 with Feathers & Fishhooks. Three years later he’s left such explicit signifiers in the past, and emerged with an impeccable sophomore break-out. And it’s immediately clear why he’s escaped the country/roots pigeonhole: his voice has the same pliant dreaminess as Marcus Mumford. Arguably, Mumford’s gorgeous tenor is a huge part of the reason his folksy band shot to fame, he’s that compelling a vocalist — but Imaginary Man doesn’t go anywhere near the blender-bluegrass and always-soaring heights of Sigh No More or Babel. Instead, it’s all about balance.” – Stereogum

Marco Beltrami – Fantastic Four [Score/OST] CD (Sony Classics)
Original soundtrack to the recent motion picture with music composed by Academy Award winner Marco Beltrami and Academy Award nominee Philip Glass.

Bullet For My Valentine – Venom CD/2xLP (RCA)
“What do you do when your last two albums have drawn receptions that have been, at the very best, decidedly muted? When you’re sliding down festival bills and the venues you headline are getting smaller? Well, if you’re Welsh metallers Bullet For My Valentine, you go right back to basics. The Bridgend quartet’s fifth studio album cribs from 2005 debut The Poison to the extent that it’s even titled Venom (see what they did there?). It’s full of all the things that made them a success in the first place, namely, dueling guitars, pounding breakdowns and choruses built for fields full of delirious metalheads to scream along to” – NME. Available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe CD adds four bonus tracks. Deluxe vinyl features a lenticular cover.

Chinx – Welcome To JFK CD (E1)
Two months following his death, Chinx’s debut album is available. The late Coke Boys rapper’s 12-track posthumous album features the previously released single “On Your Body” featuring Meet Sims. Other guest appearances include French Montana, Ty Dolla $ign, Lil Durk and Nipsey Hussle, among others.

John Cleary – GoGo Juice CD (FHQ)
GoGo Juice is the new album from one of New Orleans’ premier musical ambassadors, Jon Cleary. Made in collaboration with multi-Grammy winning producer John Porter (B.B. King, Keb Mo, Ryan Adams, Los Lonely Boys) each one of the carefully crafted songs is a delicate balance of the smooth and the rough; instantly hooks over a set of sophisticated and soulful arrangements. The tracks were recorded over several days deep in the bayou country of Louisiana and subsequently honed in his studio in the old Bywater neighborhood of New Orleans. A blend of musical intelligence with direct, accessible pop simplicity that draws from tradition and yet is distinctively separate from it, these songs represent the many aspects of Cleary’s musical personality as a multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter. Vinyl version due August 21.

Chris Cornell – Euphoria Mourning [Reissue/1999] CD/LP+MP3 (A&M)
Digitally remastered edition of the 1999 debut solo album from the singer/songwriter and Soundgarden/Audioslave frontman. The album’s title has been restored to the originally intended Euphoria Mourning (he had been dissuaded from this original title and reluctantly dubbed it Euphoria Morning). Euphoria Mourning was Cornell’s only album between the split of Soundgarden until he joined members of Rage Against The Machine in forming Audioslave.

Alessandro Cortini – Risveglio CD/LP (Hospital Productions)
Though known as a touring and recording musician associated with Nine Inch Nails, Allesandro Cortini has really come into his own via his Forse trilogy, and his 2014 Hospital Productions debut, Sonno. For his Hospital follow-up, he maintains the grittiness and intimacy introduced on his debut, but expands on it, offering a wider spectrum of emotion and depth.

Sheryl Crow – The Sting CD/LP (All Access)
Released in August 1993, Sheryl’s official debut album, Tuesday Night Music Club was an absolute barnstormer which sold more than six million copies in its first year of release. The album spawned two Billboard Top 5 singles in “All I Wanna Do” and “Strong Enough.” Live versions of both songs appear in this concert recording, which draws heavily on this exceptional record. Other highlights are a third single, “Run Baby Run” (which didn’t chart but was a radio hit in several countries), “Leaving Las Vegas,” and the funky “The Na Na Song.”

Lizzy Mercier Descloux – Press Color CD/2xLP+MP3 (Light In The Attic)
Closely associated w/the founders of ZE Records (home to Was (Not Was) and Kid Creole & The Coconuts), Descloux released her debut album, Press Color, in 1979, revealing a punk-funk sound that positioned her as the French answer to The Slits or NY’s own ESG. This reissue is presented in an extended 18-track edition, collecting much of her work, including “Morning High,” which was recorded with Patti Smith. “Compared to 1979’s major punk releases, it’s not hard to see why Press Color didn’t make much of a dent in the US, UK, or even France. Next to the likes of Fear Of Music, Entertainment!, The B-52s, Tom Verlaine, The Raincoats, This Heat, Broken English, Metal Box, London Calling, Cut, and Y, it’s a vivid curio and cool personality splatter rather than a cultural landmark. Descloux would make those later (even if their recognition remains overdue). What Press Color does is distill our collective excitement and unceasing wonder at a scene that’s almost four decades old.” – [Best New Reissue] Pitchfork

Finale – Odds & Ends CD/LP (Mello Music)
Former automotive engineer for The Big Three, and Morehouse drop-out, Finale has worked alongside some of the best producers in the game. From Black Milk to Nottz, and Apollo Brown to J Dilla, Finale is known for picking some of the best production in the business. For his new album Finale handed all the production duties to rising star Oddisee. Building on the raw Detroit template, Finale brings a modernist revision of the industrial foundation laid by the cities premiere lyrical foremen.

Ruthie Foster – Runaway Soul [Reissue/2002] CD (Blue Corn Music)
For the past 15 years, three-time Grammy nominee and Texas native Ruthie Foster has been garnering critical acclaim for her soulful fusion of blues, gospel, roots and folk. Her CD Runaway Soul was a feature on many Texas critics’ top ten lists and her fan base grows with each of her outstanding live performances. Her appeal lies in powerful songs and her commanding voice, which has been compared to Ella Fitzgerald and Aretha Franklin. Originally released in 2002, Runaway Soul has been physically unavailable for the last five years.

The Good Life – Everybody’s Coming Down CD/LP+MP3 (Saddle Creek)
Call it a soundtrack to Man’s 21st century existential angst, Everybody’s Coming Down poses cosmic queries, contemplates regrets, questions self-worth, and examines the possibility of living in the moment, when memories are all that we truly take with us. And in some ways, that’s the sweet spot front man and lyricist Tim Kasher inhabits: trying to make sense of this world of ours, and how and why we navigate it the way we do. The band’s first album in eight years moves in a new direction musically and, in contrast to The Good Life’s earlier releases, is very much a rock record.

Pat Green – Home CD (Greenhorse Music)
Deemed “The Springsteen of the Southwest” by People Magazine, Green’s lyrics and guy-next-door charm have also earned comparisons to John Mellencamp.

Gwenno – Y Dydd Olaf CD (Heavenly/PIAS America)
Gwenno Saunders, member of the throwback sixties girl group homage The Pipettes, reissues her solo debut album Y Dydd Olaf (‘The Last Day’). The record received a limited release last October on independent label Peski, but quickly sold out. Y Dydd Olaf, which is sung entirely in Welsh apart from one song penned in Cornish, draws inspiration from Owain Owain’s 1976 novel of the same name. The book is set in a dystopian future where robots enslave the human race through the use of medication, while Gwenno’s LP covers such themes as patriarchal society, government-funded media propaganda, cultural control, technology, isolation and the importance of minority languages.”

HEALTH – Death Magic CD/LP (Loma Vista)
HEALTH formed in Los Angeles in 2006, playing their first shows at now-legendary DIY club The Smell. They have gone on to release four critically acclaimed albums, including two remix projects that featured diverse artists from Crystal Castles to Pictureplane, Tobacco to Nosaj Thing, reflecting the band’s wide taste and reach between the rock, electronic and experimental music worlds. Their new album epitomizes their idiosyncratic blend of electronic, rock and pop styles. Having worked with outside producers and engineers for the first time, the final result is somehow bombastic yet accessible, heartbreaking and head-banging, all steeped in classic album sensibilities of songwriting and production.

Looming – Nailbiter CD (No Sleep)
Debut album from the Springfield, IL indie-rock newcomers. Formed in 2013 in Springfield, Looming’s members Jessica Knight (bass/vocals), Brandon Carnes (drums/vocals), Jordan Fein (guitar/vocals) and Mitch Baker (guitar) came together over a shared common vision and passion for songwriting. After years performing in various local bands (Mother Leopard, Lovecow, Our Lady, Big Storm) the group fell into a natural groove with one another and became known for their unique emo-pop that’s led by the inimitable vocal stylings of Knight that pair perfectly with the band’s bright, airy sound.

Lower Dens – Twin Hand Movement [Reissue/2010] CD/LP+MP3 (Ribbon Music)
Swarming guitar fuzz, bass waves, insistent drum throbs and Jana Hunter’s redolent, charred voice are the core components of Lower Dens. Hunter, sometimes known for intimate, ghost-heavy weird-fi, now writes and plays with a group that might get filed under new wave, or drone pop, or post-punk.

Melanie Martinez – Crybaby CD (Atlantic)
Melanie Martinez is an unforgettable 20-year-old artist from Long Island, New York — a stunning and provocative singer/songwriter and visual presence. She wants to tell you a story. It’s fictional, but it’s also about her, in a way that’s somewhat exaggerated and darker than reality. The tale traces through Melanie’s debut album Cry Baby, a collection of pop songs that draw inspiration from singer/songwriter folk and hip-hop and follow a character who learns to be more comfortable with who she is. The journey of the character, who Melanie dubbed Cry Baby, mirrors the musician’s own.

The Muffs – The Muffs [Reissue/1993] CD (Omnivore)
Their classic pop-punk debut-remastered and expanded. The Muffs burst onto the California music scene at the beginning of the ’90s, and after a few independent singles and EPs, they were quickly snapped up by Warner Bros. Records. Entering the studio with David Katznelson and Rob Cavallo (who would go on the helm records from Green Day, Goo Goo Dolls, and more), The Muffs roared from speakers across the country in 1993. The quartet rips through the album’s 16 tracks, ranging from and an Angry Samoans cover, to the college radio smash, “Lucky Guy.” Includes ten bonus tracks: a radio remix of “Lucky Guy,” a version of “Everywhere I Go” which was only available on the cassette of The Muffs album, and eight previously unissued demos from the band’s vocalist and lead guitarist, Kim Shattuck-who filled the role of departed Kim Deal on the Pixies’ 2013 tour.

Neck Deep – Life’s Not Out To Get You CD/LP (Hopeless)
Sophomore album from the Welsh rockers. Life’s Not Out To Get You is the follow-up to the band’s 2014 debut album Wishful Thinking, and was produced by Jeremy McKinnon of A Day To Remember and Andrew Wade (The Ghost Inside, Issues).

New Politics – Vikings CD (WB)
New Politics’ third full-length threads together a patchwork of femme fatales who, as David admits, might be “crashing on my couch and barely wearing anything” like the vixen in 50 Feet Tall or “choosing a girl instead of me” as happens during Girl Crush. The stories unfold tandem with a soundtrack of danceable alternative that’s unafraid to pop or to rock for that matter.

Grace Potter – Midnight CD/2xLP (Hollywood)
Midnight was recorded and mixed at Barefoot Studios in Hollywood with producer Eric Valentine, whose own diverse discography from Queens Of The Stone Age to Nickel Creek evidences a similarly adventurous spirit and openness to possibility. If Valentine’s studio work has a distinguishing characteristic, it’s his hard-hitting sonic signature, which is on display throughout Midnight‘s dozen tracks. The core studio band consisted of Potter and Valentine on most of the instruments, with Burr on drums and percussion. In addition, members of Potter’s longtime band The Nocturnals: guitarists Scott Tournet and Benny Yurco and bassist Michael Libramento contributed to the sessions, as well as former tour-mates and friends including singer/songwriter Rayland Baxter, Audra Mae, Noelle Skaggs of Fitz & The Tantrums, Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips, and Nick Oliveri of Queens Of The Stone Age.

Jock Scot – My Personal Culloden [Reissue/1997] CD/LP (Heavenly/PIAS America)
Jock began his career in the music industry as a renowned supplier of “good vibes,” providing his services to entertainers as diverse as Ian Dury and The Blockheads, The Clash, Blondie, Talking Heads, B52s, Taj Mahal, Dr. Feelgood, Rip Rig and Panic, Neneh Cherry, Viv Stanshall and Wreckless Eric. He rarely let them down, and when he did it was in spectacular fashion. My Personal Culloden is an album of poetry by Scot with musical accompaniment and production by the Nectarine No.9.

Soulfly – Archangel CD/CD+DVD (Nuclear Blast)
Soufly’s tenth full-length release was recorded in the Spring of 2015 with Matt Hyde (Slayer, Children Of Bodom, Deftones). Armed with Max Cavalera’s four-stringed guitars, unmistakable growl and instantly recognizable riffage, the muddy tones and constant rhythmic bounce of Soulfly has retained its gritty edge while pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in metal. Available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe adds three extra tracks and a bonus DVD Live At Hellfest 2014. Vinyl version due August 21.

Soundtrack – True Detective CD (Harvest)
Produced by the legendary T-Bone Burnett, the True Detective soundtrack features 14 tracks from the series’ first two seasons, including cuts from Bob Dylan, Father John Misty, Leonard Cohen, Nick Cave, Cassandra Wilson as well as five tracks by Lera Lynn, including “The Only Thing Worth Fighting For,” the haunting song that plays during the True Detective season two teaser-trailer.

Steppenwolf – The ABC/Dunhill Singles Collection 2xCD (Real Gone Music)
Steppenwolf’s singles have largely been unavailable on CD in their original 45 mixes, as the tapes for the singles have long been missing (legend has it Dunhill label chief Jay Lasker discarded all the label’s multi-track tapes and mono masters after having deemed them too expensive to store). Engineer Aaron Kannowski has, after a worldwide search, rounded up the best sources available and put together this double-CD set that includes the A and B-sides of every Steppenwolf single on the ABC/Dunhill label (including, for the first time ever, a decent-sounding “Magic Carpet Ride”) as well John Kay’s solo singles.

Teen Daze – Morning World CD/LP (Paper Bag)
“Recorded and mixed in the span of 10 days with help from producer John Vanderslice, Morning World strips away the self-recorded layers of Jamison alone in his bedroom, and instead places live accompaniment behind him throughout these 11 dreamy pop songs. The first two minutes of ‘Valley Of Gardens’ mix bowed cello, warm organ chords, live drums and a nimble, fingerpicked melody — and then Jamison’s voice appears. While his voice had emerged on previous albums, it was often obscured behind hazy synths. Now it’s here, crystalline and fragile, double-tracked and reminiscent of Elliott Smith or the whispers of early American Analog Set.” – NPR

Tegan And Sara – So Jealous X 2xCD+DVD (WB)
So Jealous X boasts the original album and a 22-track bonus audio CD that includes covers from The White Stripes, Bianca Russelburg and the Cancer Bats; nine demos of released songs; five previously unreleased B-side demos; and five remixes from producers like Matoma and FM Attack. The deluxe edition also includes the DVD It’s Not Fun, Don’t Do It.

Various Artists – Wondaland Presents: The Eephus CD/LP (Epic)
The Eephus is a collection of tracks from Janelle Monae’s Wondaland Arts Society, a name that refers to the collective of writers, producers, and performers responsible for her music and live performance during her career to date. Wondaland Record label is a joint venture between Monae and Epic Records. The label’s roster consists of duos Deep Cotton and St. Beauty; singer/guitarist Roman GianArthur; and rapper/MC Jidenna. The Eephus compilation offers a track from each label artist, and a track featuring label head Monae.

Vintage Trouble – 1 Hopeful Rd. CD/LP (Blue Note)
On their first album for Blue Note Records, the Los Angeles-based foursome channel the vitality and passion of their live show into a fresh and urgent take on guitar-powered rhythm & blues. Produced by Blue Note president Don Was, 1 Hopeful Rd. finds Vintage Trouble building off the groove-fueled sound that Yahoo! once painted as “James Brown singing lead for Led Zeppelin” and blending blues, soul, and riff-heavy rock & roll with joyfully gritty abandon.

Dean Wareham & Britta Phillips – Mistress America [OST] CD (Milan)
As Noah Baumbach’s second film of 2015, “Mistress America” shows a director hitting his stride. A screwball comedy about the relationship between two young women in New York, “Mistress America” is stuffed with outlandishly funny moments grounded in the fatuousness of self-absorbed people. The score to the film was composed by the duo of Dean Wareham and Britta Phillips (The Squid And The Whale, Tenure), former members of the dream pop band Luna and longtime collaborators of Noah Baumbach.

Wild Ones – Heatwave CD (Top Shelf)
Sporting a lush and well-rounded sound that is incredibly infectious, Wild Ones’ pick up where they left off with Keep It Safe’s melancholy pop, and add some attitude. Vinyl version due October 9.

The Weeknd – House Of Balloons [2011] CD (Republic)
Reissue of this 2011 mix from the Canadian singer/songwriter/producer and mixer. House Of Balloons was originally released as a free download. Its music incorporates electronic and urban genres including R&B and soul with trip-hop and dream pop tones. Contributions to the mixtape’s production came from Canadian producers Doc McKinney, Zodiac, Illangelo. The album’s eclectic music uses samples of songs by Beach House and Aaliyah’s 2001 song “Rock The Boat.” The title track heavily samples Siouxsie And The Banshees’ 1980 single “Happy House.” The track “The Knowing” samples “Cherry-Coloured Funk” by Cocteau Twins.

Emily West – All For You CD (Masterworks)
Debut album from the powerhouse vocalist and songwriter who wowed television audiences on Season 9 of NBC’s America’s Got Talent. West dazzled audiences transforming iconic hits like Sia’s “Chandelier” and The Moody Blues’ “Nights In White Satin” into grand ballads, both of which are included here. In addition, Emily is joined by Cyndi Lauper for a brand new duet version of Lauper’s classic “True Colors.”

This Week’s Vinyl Exclusives:

500mg – To The Firmament LP (Drawing Room)
500mg is Michael Gibbons of monolithic sounds-great-on-any-substance Bardo Pond. With a name inspired by modern-day shaman Terrence McKenna, 500mg represents the essential “heroic dose” of the lysergic. The music of 500mg primarily features guitar, all facets. Electric vibrations, acoustic treatments, straight and experimental approaches, and of course feedback are all just par for the course. Other instrumentation and items thrown onto the 500mg canvass include synthesizer, percussion, and modern sampling. Occasional voice(s) can also be heard if you knock closely.

Alvarius B. – Chin Spirits (Durga) 10” (Unrock)
Unrock’s Saraswati series continues with a trip into the spiritual wonderland of Alvarius B. aka Alan Bishop (Sun City Girls, Invisible Hands). Deep down, heavy, Sun City Girls-flavored Dada deluxe. Crackling midgets, purist psychedelia. A cocoon of seven colorful, shiny monoliths of essential nonsense, each dirty pearl standing by itself.

Atlantic Thrills – Bed Bugs 7” (Almost Ready)
Another shot of Pebbles-infused party punk from Providence, Rhode Island’s Atlantic Thrills.

Ballroom – Ballroom LP (Ever/Never)
Ballroom is a powerful ensemble assembled from scattered remnants of other notable bands. Cecil (who also plays guitar) did time in Chicago punk standout Busy Signals, and has featured in numerous NYC bands since his relocation. The other axe-slinger, Kristian Brenchley, is a founding member of long-running scum rockers Woman, and also lays down the bottom end in Ever/Never labelmates Degreaser.

Blood Folke – My Heart In The Brilliance Of Fire LP (Init)
The second full-length from the Minneapolis/Saint Paul, MN blackened doom three-piece. Comprised of guitars, viola, and drums, Blood Folke’s Init Records debut is five heavy dark songs mixing doomy guitar riffs and post-rock drumming with haunting viola that can be both melodic and screeching at times.

Code BMUS – Strike Now LP (Ever/Never)
1978 was ground zero for the UK post-punk explosion. The previous few years had seen raw rock n’ roll claw it’s way back into the mass consciousness, but ‘78 was the year a veritable army of disconnected and discontented art students decided, en masse mind, to pick up cheap guitars, switch on malfunctioning synthesizers and beat upon cobbled-together drumkits. From the art colleges they came, inspired by the throbbing rhythms of PiL, The Pop Group and Pere Ubu, but also by politically-charged reggae and dub such as King Tubby, Prince Far-I and the Coxsone Sound System. Code BMUS was just such a unit.

Dead Flowers – His Blues [2014] LP (Idol)
“A year after their last album For You, post-modern rock band Dead Flowers are still covered in classic-rock grit and playing around in the Woodstock mud. Their songs, meanwhile, are playing almost daily on local radio. In an even trade, the Dallas band discards past bits of Americana and country flair for a more aggressive punk influence on their sophomore release, His Blues.” – Dallas Observer

Degreaser – Rougher Squalor LP (Ever/Never)
Crawling out of the deep, dark hole they dug for themselves on Bottom Feeder (2011) and Sweaty Hands (2012), New York City’s premier psychedelic swamp rock unit Degreaser are set to take an unsuspecting and tepid rock scene by storm.

Dickhead Rescue – More Than… 7” (Ever/Never)
“If you like your swooning pop muffled by fuzz, definitely check out the new Dickhead Rescue 7” on Ever/Never.”—Pitchfork

Digital Underground – Sex Packets [Reissue/1990] LP (Rhino)
HQ-180gm vinyl reissue of the Oakland, CA rap collective’s debut album, originally released by Tommy Boy in 1990 and featuring the hit single “The Humpty Dance.”

Willie Dixon/Memphis Slim – Willie’s Blues [Reissue/1959] LP (Analog Productions/Fantasy)
Since the early 1950s, Willie Dixon has been the studio kingpin of Chicago blues, having written, produced, and played bass on countless classics by Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Otis Rush, Koko Taylor, and many others. Dixon has always managed to find time away from the studio to work as a performer, slapping his upright bass and singing his own tunes in a highly compelling, conversational baritone. He was working the coffeehouse circuit with pianist Memphis Slim when he cut this, his first album as a leader, in 1959. HQ-200gm.

Enabler – Fail To Feel Safe LP (Century Media)
Released last week on CD – now available on vinyl. OH based hardcore/metal band, Enabler, led by frontman, songwriter and guitarist Jeff Lohrber, is an honest, pissed-off and heartfelt metallic hardcore band that folds thrash, death metal, punk rock and hardcore into their overall sound.

Evel Knievel Rice – Mr. Grover’s Room 7”+MP3 (Alona’s Dream)
Archival release of UK skate-punk band Evel Kinevel Rice’s unissued 7″ EP from 1988. Produced with Tommy Stupid (of the world famous Stupids), EKR unleash a torrent of high pressure teen anthems. This unheard punk classic finally sees release after 27 years of obscurity.

Fear Factory – Genexus 2xLP (Nuclear Blast)
Released last week on CD – now available on vinyl. New album from the cyber metal band. The word “Genexus” is a hybrid is a hybrid of two words; Genesis and Nexus. This word describes the next transition in human evolution as man moves forward to a mechanical state of being. Author/computer scientist/futurist Ray Kurzweil predicts that the singularity will occur around 2045. Genexus is the term for that next evolutionary process. Where humans are machines, machines are human, and the differences are oblivious to the naked eye.

Front Line Assembly – Hard Wired [Reissue/1995] 2xLP (Artoffact)
Front Line Assembly – Live Wired [1996] 3xLP (Artoffact)
Front Line Assembly – Plasticity [Reissue/1996] 10” (Artoffact)
20 years ago, Front Line Assembly unleashed on an unsuspecting and since then forever humbled industrial world, Hard Wired, one of the most memorable and highest impact recordings in the genre, period. The duo of Bill Leeb and Rhys Fulber accomplished on these ten tracks nothing short of a masterpiece. Live Wired was recorded in Mainz, Germany on October 24th, 1995, and is available on vinyl for the first time.

Warren Haynes featuring Railroad Earth – Ashes & Dust 2xLP+MP3 (Concord)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Ashes & Dust is a masterful work of art and a particularly important statement for the Grammy Award winning artist Warren Haynes. The songs are immediately and clearly different from his usual style — encompassing beautiful acoustic arrangements, a rootsy/Americana soundscape and honeyed vocals that cut straight through to the soul. Knowing that he wanted to pursue a more folk-based approach on this project, he brought in the New Jersey-based Americana band Railroad Earth as collaborators. Includes digital download featuring bonus tracks.

h M A S – Fear God Honour The King LP (Homeless)
Homeless now presents its first archival release—the art-damaged spazz-punk of h M A S—with their unreleased LP, Fear God Honour The King. “While the rest of the world was caught up in grunge, Britpop or the Spice Girls or intentionally reacting against these things, Duncan Robinson and Ben Crothers were listening to Devo and Pixies, obsessing about other Hobart bands, watching lots of David Lynch, consuming sherbet at an unhealthy rate and making a virtue out of short attention spans. The music that emerged at a stunning rate, sounded something like the cast of Rugrats scoring Japanese advertisements with a Casiotone, a broken guitar and the world’s oldest drum machine.”—Andy Haze

InAeona – Force Rise The Sun LP (Prosthetic)
Released last week on CD – now available on vinyl. InAeona is a post-rock band from Boston.

Bert Jansch – Live At The 12 Bar LP+MP3 (Earth Recordings)
Live At The 12 Bar: An Authorised Bootleg is a straight-to-DAT concert recording by the Scottish folk musician, originally released on CD in August 1996.

KATIEE – Passersby 7” (Selfish Agenda)
Previously as vocalist, percussionist and songwriter for the L.A.-based experimental trio Young People, Katie Eastburn has released records for 5RC, Too Pure and Dim Mak. She has also scored/choreographed/released the film Starter Set: New Dance & Music For The Camera, for Kill Rock Stars. With Passersby, KATIEE makes songs that slink and slither, sparkle and shake.

Andrew Kidman – Litmus [OST/Reissue/1996] 2xLP (Anthology Recordings)
Andrew Kidman – Glass Love [OST/Reissue/2006] 2xLP (Anthology Recordings)
Andrew Kidman – Litmus/Glass Love [OST/Reissue/1996/2006] 2xLP (Anthology Recordings)
As part Anthology Recordings’ Surf Archive series, we celebrate the soundtracks to Andrew Kidman’s classic 1996 film Litmus alongside his 2006 follow up Glass Love. Litmus, Andrew Kidman’s first avant-garde surf film, served as a soulful reaction to the pop-punk progression that dominated the “alternative” mainstream. The outcome of the “one-and-done” sessions was a lo-fi, rustic, experimental rock ‘n’ roll sound, adding a rough-around-the-edges ambiance to the surf scenes that span Ireland, Australia, California, and South Africa. Additional contributions from Galaxie 500, Yothu Yindi and The Screaming Orphans diversify the score. Kidman released his second film, Glass Love, ten years later.

Albert King – I Wanna Get Funky [Reissue/1974] LP (Fantasy)
In the mid-1970s, at a time when R&B-oriented radio stations had all but banished blues records from their playlists, Albert King continued to penetrate the airways with his up-to-date blues sound, and this album is no exception. The wonderfully funky “That’s What the Blues Are All About” reached No. 15 on Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles chart, becoming King’s biggest hit of the decade.

Cate Le Bon – Me Oh My [2009] LP (The Control Group)
A heady and highly personal Gallic stew of equal parts Nico, Malkmus and the chronicler’s own emotional observations on the impossibility of existence. The carefully constructed Me Oh My boasts a concise palette of instrumentation played live by Cate and a fluid band of close friends. Perfectly illuminating her writing skills with understated menace and beauty. First time on vinyl.

Lil Durk – Remember My Name LP (Def Jam)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. New album from the Chicago-based rapper. One of the rising stars of Def Jam’s crop of Chicago rappers, Lil Durk uses his lyrics to talk about the city rap scene and life in Englewood, on the South Side.

Lithuania – Hardcore Friends LP (Lame-O)
Eric Slick and Dom Angelella are infinitely busy—Slick plays drums in Dr. Dog and Angelella writes songs for DRGN KING—but they finally orchestrated the time, nearly a decade into the bands life, to record their debut full-length album, Hardcore Friends. Recorded in five days, Hardcore Friends features unshakeable guitars and genuine lyrics that invoke the likes of Stephen Malkmus and Archers of Loaf.

The Lonesome Trio – The Lonesome Trio LP (Sugar Hill)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Twenty years ago Ed Helms (guitar, banjo), Jacob Tilove (mandolin) and Ian Riggs (bass) were drawn together by their love of bluegrass. Ever since that fortuitous day they have been playing music described as the peculiar mind meld of three old friends who’ve been through 20 years of life, love, loss and laughter together, working it all out through raw and honest acoustic music.

L’Orange & Kool Keith – Time? Astonishing! LP (Mello Music)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. L’Orange & Kool Keith set out to make something absurd, yet traditional, putting the Ultramagnetic MC in a position to rap over beats that fans have wanted to hear him on for years. Joining the team is a cast of legendary rappers to create a diversity of talent. The album is a loose tale of a time traveler, moving only forward through time, settling in the future and living as he would normally. Time? Astonishing! seems to imply that adventure is only a step away, but never seems to reach that point. It’s an abstract and absurdist approach to working with an absurdist MC.

Miss May I – Deathless LP (Rise)
Released last week on CD – now available on vinyl. New album from the young metal band. Fast, aggressive hooks and melodic yet brutal breakdowns.

Wes Montgomery – So Much Guitar! [Reissue/1961] LP (Fantasy)
Wes Montgomery appeared as leader or co-leader on a dozen Riverside albums, in a wide variety of formats ranging from organ trios to one with full string orchestra. Some of the most rewarding simply placed him in a studio with a superior rhythm section and let him deal with a mixture of ballads, blues, and swingers. This album, his fourth for the label, is a notable example of this straightforward approach. It features the flawless support of Ron Carter and Hank Jones.

My Chemical Romance – May Death Never Stop You: The Greatest Hits 2001-2013 LP+CD (Reprise)
Released last year on CD – now available on vinyl. A compilation of My Chemical Romance’s best songs, including previously unreleased material, including the “Attic Demos,” and one of the last songs the band worked on in the studio.

Gary Numan/Tubeway Army – Premier Hits 2xLP (Beggar’s Banquet)
Premier Hits is a 21-song compilation album and this is the first time it’s been available on vinyl. This perfect introduction to the world of Gary Numan contains his best-known hits including “Cars,” “I Die: You Die,” “Are ‘Friends’ Electric?” and more. The LP also contains four bonus tracks, “Metal,” “We Are So Fragile,” “Films,” and “Me, I Disconnect From You.”

Obnox – Know America LP (Ever/Never)
Coming at you direct from Cleveland, Ohio, Lamont “Bim” Thomas has transitioned seamlessly from journeyman sticksman in some of the state’s finest bands (This Moment In Black History, Unholy Two, Puffy Areolas, Bassholes, etc.) to the full-on phenomenon known as Obnox. From a foundation of dirt-level garage punk, Thomas sculpts deep cuts out of blown-out beats, redline guitar damage, and soulful singing, as if your local gospel choir had been raised on a steady diet of The Pagans and Back From The Grave comps.

Sinéad O’Connor – I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got [Reissue/1990] LP (Rhino/Parlophone)
I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got became Sinead O’Connor’s popular breakthrough on the strength of the stunning Prince cover ”Nothing Compares 2 U,” which topped the pop charts for a month.

Orbital – Orbital (Green Album) [Reissue/1991] 2xLP (Rhino)
Orbital – Orbital (Brown Album) [Reissue/1993] 2xLP (Rhino)
Orbital became one of the biggest names in techno during the mid-’90s by solving the irreconcilable differences previously inherent in the genre: to stay true to the dance underground and, at the same time, force entry into the rock arena, where an album functions as an artistic statement — not a collection of singles — and a band’s prowess is demonstrated by the actual performance of live music. Though Phil and Paul Hartnoll first charted with a single, the 1990 British Top 20 hit “Chime,” the duo later became known for critically praised albums. The duo entered 1993 ready to free techno from its club restraints, beginning in June with a second LP.

Beth Orton – Daybreaker [Reissue/2002] LP (Rhino/Parlophone)
Like Beth Orton’s previous offerings, her third album makes a slight first impression. Sure, the jangly acoustic guitars, drifting melodies, and robust voice are pleasant enough, but it is only after a while that the true potency of the songs becomes apparent. Despite the occasional electronic flourishes at the hands of collaborators such as the Chemical Brothers and Everything but the Girl’s Ben Watt, and the beaming West Coast harmonies she shares with pal Ryan Adams, Daybreaker is a supremely personal record.

Parquet Courts/Joey Pizza Slice – Split 7” (Wharf Cat)
Parquet Courts and Joey Pizza Slice have both long admired the other’s catalog through various incarnations and releases. Now they get a chance to cover one another’s songs.

Pavement – The Secret History Vol. 1 2xLP+MP3 (Matador)
Pavement made five proper album-as-albums: Slanted And Enchanted (1992), Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain (1994), Wowee Zowee (1995), Brighten The Corners (1997) and Terror Twilight (1999). Each has its own sound. Each has its own legend. But each of their official albums has a shadow album—and it’s usually as strong as the album that actually *did* come out. The Secret History Vol. 1, collects the songs that got away during the era of Slanted And Enchanted, which Stephen Malkmus, Scott Kannberg and Gary Young recorded on the cheaper-than-cheap in January 1991. Secret Slanted History collects gems from Peel Sessions (“Kentucky Cocktail,” “Circa 1762”) and seven-inches (“Baptist Blacktick”) as well as live slop from the first European tours, with Mark Ibold and Bob Nastanovich in the fold.

Piccadilly Circus – Till I Get To The Top b/w Do You Feel It 7” (B-W)
Unreleased 1967 garage swingers from Ohio University, Athens, Ohio.

Planning For A Burial/Mother Room – Split 7”+MP3 (Native Sound)
Simultaneously straddling the line between begin completely nostalgic and futurist sounding, Planning For Burial is in the vein of Dirty Beaches and Forest Swords. Mother Room fuses elements of drone and noise with gothic and at times, pop intonations into swelling suites of disorienting distortion.

Princess Century – Lossy 12” (Paper Bag)
Princess Century is the solo project of Maya Postepski, participant in Toronto’s Austra, among other activities. The Lossy 12” accompanies recent album Lossless, and it gives us three new tracks of vintage drum machine, shimmering synths, and dour vocals that recall Anika.

Public Enemy – Apocalypse ’91… The Enemy Strikes Black [Reissue/1991] LP (Def Jam)
Apocalypse 91… The Enemy Strikes Black is the legendary hip-hop group’s fourth studio album. It was the debut of production team Imperial Grand Ministers Of Funk, which consisted of producers Stuart Robertz, Cerwin ‘C-Dawg’ Depper, Gary G-Wiz, and The JBL.

Red House Painters – Down Colorful Hill [Reissue/1992] LP+MP3 (4AD)
Red House Painters – Red House Painters (Roller-Coaster) [Reissue/1993] LP+MP3 (4AD)
Red House Painters – Red House Painters (Bridge) [Reissue/1993] LP+MP3 (4AD)
Red House Painters – Ocean Beach/Shock Me [Reissue/1994/1995] 2xLP+MP3 (4AD)
Reissued and collected on color vinyl in a box set for RSD 2015 – each title is now available separately on standard black vinyl.

The Replacements – The Twin/Tone Years 4xLP (Rhino)
New limited-edition, numbered box set which collects The Replacements’ Twin/Tone discography: Sorry Ma, Forgot To Take Out The Trash (1981), the Stink EP (1982), Hootenanny (1983) and Let It Be (1984).

Frank Sinatra – Watertown [Reissue/1969] LP (Reprise)
Watertown is a 1969 studio album by the legendary crooner Frank Sinatra. In a series of soliloquies, the nameless narrator tells his heartbreaking story of personal loss; His wife has left him and their two boys for the lure of the big city. Watertown was produced and co-written by Bob Gaudio, one of four members of the 1960s pop vocal group The Four Seasons. The songs were co-written by Jake Holmes. It is the only album Sinatra ever voiced over pre-recorded orchestral tracks.

Sleaford Mods – Tied Up In Nottz b/w The Fear Of Anarchy 7” (Emotional Response)7” reissue of the band’s signature track taken from the Divide And Exit album (2014).

Songhoy Blues – Music In Exile LP (Atlantic)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Songhoy Blues’ deep attachment to the home grown songs and dances of the Songhoy, both traditional styles and the modern guitar based sounds popularised by the likes of Baba Salah and above all Ali Farka Toure, was helping shape their nascent music which sought to blend the trad and the modern, the homegrown and the foreign, the youthful and the ancient. Music In Exile is their debut album, produced by Nick Zinner (Yeah Yeah Yeahs) and Marc-Antoine Moreau (Amadou & Mariam, K’naan).

Soundtrack – CB4 [OST/Reissue/1993] LP (UMe/Geffen)
Vinyl reissue of the soundtrack to the comedy film, CB4. It was released on March 2, 1993 through MCA Records and was almost entirely hip-hop music. Blackstreet’s “Baby Be Mine” was the lone charting single, making it to #17 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks. Three songs were credited to the fictional CB4 group from the movie, the trio consisted of Chris Rock and rappers, Daddy-O and Hi-C. Part of UMe’s Respect The Classics campaign.

Soundtrack – House Party [OST/Reissue/1990] LP (UMe/Motown)
House Party is the soundtrack to the 1990 film of the same name, staring the popular hip-hop duo Kid ‘n Play. Upon its initial release, the film garnered critical acclaim and has since become a cult classic. The soundtrack is made up of popular hip hop and R&B music of the late 1980s. Part of UMe’s Respect The Classics campaign.

Soundtrack – Rushmore [Reissue/1999] LP (London/UMe)
Vinyl reissue of the soundtrack to the 1999 Wes Anderson film Rushmore. The songs mostly blend raw, adolescent urges and insecurity with an awkward grace, composed primarily of popular music from the 1960s.

The Squats – Noise Overdose 7” (La Vida Es Un Mus)
Official reissue of one of the scarcest Dutch punk records. Hailing from Nijmegen, The Squats were popular from simply being a bunch of punks which loved to f**k sh*t up. Raised on a steady diet of Sham 69 and Cockney Rejects which they covered on their demo tape it is a mystery what happened to them before recording their Noise Overdose, a perfect teenage inept punk record. The five tracks within this EP are catchy, aggressive and exemplifies perfectly how the second wave of punk had spread everywhere by 1981 and the influence of what we now call UK82 was present.

Mavis Staples – Only For The Lonely [Reissue/1970] LP (Fantasy)
Mavis Staples has worn many hats over the years – that of an uplifting gospel singer, a civil rights activist, soulful frontwoman for the Staple Singers, a solo artist, and, most recently, the subject of new documentary Mavis!. Released 45 years ago, 1970’s Only For The Lonely marked the R&B star’s second solo effort. AllMusic proclaims the album to be “one of the best LPs Mavis Staples ever recorded…[Staples’] energy, delivery, timing, and technique were consistently awesome.”

Michael Stasis – RIP III LP (Arbutus)
Released last week on CD – now available on vinyl. Pennsylvania-born/Los Angeles-based songwriter Michael Stasis has released more than 200 tracks in recent years, but if that huge catalogue seems a little overwhelming for new listeners, Arbutus Records releases this compilation that acts as an introduction of sorts. As the title indicates, RIP III is actually Stasis’ third compilation, although it’s his first with Arbutus. The 12-track selection was largely self-recorded at home, and it showcases what Stasis refers to as a “playlist mentality” where the songs are so different that they sound as if they were made by different artists. According to an announcement, the tracks range from “homespun folk psychedelia to frenzied Californian surf-pop to widescreen cinematic tracks driven by motorik drum machines to majestically emotive ballads.”

Stick Together – Stick Together LP (Triple B)
The Wilkes-Barre band pummels through twelve furious anthems recalling the intensity of hardcore classics like Youth Of Today’s Break Down The Walls and Straight Ahead’s Breakaway with a modern attitude.

Joss Stone – Water For Your Soul 2xLP (Stone’d)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Water For Your Soul is a culmination in Joss Stone’s travels in sound, demonstrating how the teen soul prodigy has blossomed into an artist of style and substance. This is an album that pulses with the liquid groove of reggae, dazzles with the mix and match sonic adventure of hip-hop, shimmers with the exotic sounds of world music and delivers the emotional belt of R&B. Instrumentation includes Indian tabla, Bengali lute, Bansuri flute, African and Asian percussion, plus gospel choirs, New Orleans horns and full orchestra.

Edo Van Breemen – Air [OST] LP (Nettwork)
Air starring Norman Reedus (Walking Dead) and Djimon Hounsou (Guardians Of The Galaxy, Blood Diamond) is about two custodians who struggle to hold onto their sanity living in an underground bunker with cryogenically frozen people meant to re-populate society. Composer Edo Van Breemen is known for Afflicted (2013), The Backward Class (2014) and This Bleeding Heart (2013).

The Vultures – The Vultures 7” (La Vida Es Un Mus)
Official reissue of another of the scarcest Dutch punk records, listed in the top 25 European punk rarities in Record Collector. The Vultures hailed from Epe, in the middle of the Dutch Bible-Belt. They recorded this four-track EP in 1981 that over time has became impossible to find. Which is a shame as it is simply a masterpiece of Dutch punk. Loud, proud and snotty, the sound is based around a trademark chainsaw guitar tone, plodding bass, passionate vocals and overall a clear UK influence.

The Who – The Reaction Singles 5×7” (Geffen)
Volume two of a four-part set of Who singles by labels Brunswick, Reaction, Track and Polydor. This volume collects five 7” singles from the Reaction label, 1966, pressed on heavyweight vinyl with sleeves reproducing the period graphics with die-cut center holes. Includes remastered versions of Who classics “Substitute,” “Happy Jack,” “I’m A Boy,” the Ready Steady Who EP, and others. Housed in a full color rigid outer box, 7” sized eight-page color booklet with liner notes about each release by Who biographer Mark Blake.

The Wilful Boys – Anybody There? 7” (Ever/Never)
New York City’s The Wilful Boys is hard rock the way it once was—and should always be. You know The Wilful Boys are old-school from the start, as mainman and singer Steven Fisher isn’t out front of the band, prancing and preening. The man is behind the drumkit, his heavy-as-a-sack-of-bricks pounding driving these songs forward with a bruising, methodical force.

Amy Winehouse – Frank [Reissue/2003] LP (Republic)
Reissue of Amy Winehouse’s debut album, which was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize. She won an Ivor Novello award in 2004 for album opener (and her debut single) “Stronger Than Me.”

X Ambassadors – VHS 2xLP (KIDinaKORNER/Interscope)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Growing up in small-town upstate New York, frontman Sam Harris, his brother Casey, and childhood friend Noah Feldshuh bonded over an obsessive love for punk, rock & roll, soul, and hip-hop that defied the conventions of their peer group. X Ambassadors have shared the stage with Imagine Dragons, Panic! At The Disco, Lights, Jimmy Eat World, and performed at festivals such as Firefly Festival, Made in America and Lollapalooza.

Neil Young + Promise Of The Real – The Monsanto Years 2xLP (Reprise)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. For this guitar-centric, full steam-ahead and highly-charged ecologically/environmentally-focused rock album, Young is joined by Promise Of The Real, an L.A.-based rock band fronted by Willie Nelson’s sons Lukas Nelson (vocals/guitar), and Micah Nelson (guitar, vocals), along with Anthony Logerfo (drums), Corey McCormick (bass) and Tato Melgar (percussion). Available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe adds a DVD featuring a documentary about the making of the album. Vinyl version TBA (tentatively August).

Zig Zags – Slime 7” (Famous Class)
Four songs bursting with metal, punk, hardcore, pop and 7 Seconds covers.

Cassettes:

2 8 1 4 – Atarashī Ni~Tsu No Tanjō (Not Not Fun)
2 8 1 4’s design is deliberate — a vision of vaporwave as sample-free, shadowed, and sprawling, less screwed muzak than pensive skyscraper ambience. A sea of misted neon glimmering far below. The album is laid out like a slowdive, arcing slowly through sirens, gauze, and bass into dissolved vistas of steam, mirrors, and metronomic mirage.

Auscultation – L’étreinte Imaginaire (100% Silk)
L’étreinte Imaginaire seven selections swerve through jazzy, sunflared house (“Black Window,” “Composure Fuzz”), glimmering rhythm (“Stranded Love”), and misted, moody electronics (“Drop Off,” “Lost You In The Fog”).

Cherushii – Memory Of Water (100% Silk)
Released in tandem with her Far Away So Close 12” though recorded almost a year later, Memory Of Water pools together eight dazed Cherushii excursions through sci-fi opera house, digital dolphin scapes, cloud city slowgrind, ultraviolet synthwave, and ambient quicksand.

Cyanide Tooth – The Whole Truth & Nothing But… (Ever/Never)
Over forty generous minutes, Cyanide Tooth reveals several methods of attack (& decay). Side A is a complete live show recorded on tour with corrosive acid rock trio (and labelmates) Degreaser, Cyanide Tooth is caught on tape in Lafayette, IN, twisting sounds and words like Dave E sitting in with early SPK. Aspects of Cabaret Voltaire, Metabolist and Sprung Aus Den Wolken rear their ugly heads. Side B is occupied entirely by one track, “Cinderella” — a Nurse With Wound-like incantation encompassing the Brothers’ Grimm ages-old fairytale, colliding in overlapped frequencies, throwing off shades of early Steve Reich experiments and crisscrossed city streets.

Paradise 100 – Northern Seoul (100% Silk)
Brussels-based rhythm nationalist Graham Peel aka Paradise 100 returns to the recorded realm after 20-plus months off the grid with a four track EP of “micro fugues” designed to evoke a sense of “hazy ecstatic awe.” That’s one way of putting it. Like his last Silk outing, 2013’s The Loin King, Peel’s pieces pulse with tactical patience, carefully Jenga-piling synths, drum programming, and samples (voice, xylophone, etc.) into fluid, curvilinear forms spiked with off-sync hooks, stark breakdowns, and filtered acid bass.