CDs + Vinyl:
John Abercrombie/Richie Beirach/George Mraz/Peter Donald – The First Quartet 3xCD (ECM)
This triple-CD set with recordings from 1978 to 1980, issued in ECM’s Old & New Masters series, returns some historically-important material to the catalog, namely the albums Arcade, Abercrombie Quartet and M. The quartet with Richie Beirach, George Mraz and Peter Donald John Abercrombie’s first touring band as a leader was the group in which the guitarist defined some priorities, moving away from a jazz-rock period into a more spacious, impressionistic and original music. Abercrombie and pianist Beirach had a strong musical rapport as improvisers and wrote almost all of the band’s book between them. George Mraz and Peter Donald provided imaginative support. For this edition the recordings — made in Oslo and Ludwigsburg and produced by Manfred Eicher were remastered from original analog sources.
The Allman Brothers Band – Idlewild South [Reissue/1970] CD/2xCD/3xCD+Blu-ray (Mercury)
The Allman Brothers’ second album, Idlewild South, is a mixture of chunky grooves and sophisticated textures, and includes the hit “Midnight Rider.” This digitally remastered reissue is available in Regular, Deluxe, and Super Deluxe editions. Deluxe adds 12 tracks not included on the original release. Bonus tracks are a combination of live tracks, studio cuts and outtakes. Super Deluxe includes the entire album in 5.1 Surround Sound on the Blu-ray plus additional tracks.
Amber Asylum – Sin Eater CD/LP (Prophecy)
Equally at home in the opera house or the smoky, raucous din of an underground nightclub, Amber Asylum plumbs the crevasse between noise and beauty. On Sin Eater, Amber Asylum’s first studio effort in six years, the four ladies from San Francisco combine the ominous energy of their drum & bass-heavy albums Garden Of Love (2005) and Still Point (2007) with the lush string arrangements.
Sam Amidon – But This Chicken Proved Falsehearted [Reissue/2006] CD/LP+MP3 (Omnivore)
Before Sam Amidon’s acclaimed albums for Nonesuch Records and Bedroom Community, he’d released a few on his own. After a collection of traditional Irish instrumentals, Amidon (as Samamidon) delivered his true “debut” But This Chicken Proved Falsehearted. Recorded in 2005 with longtime collaborator Thomas Bartlett (Mumford & Sons, Sufjan Stevens, The National, David Byrne), Vermont-born Amidon re-imagines traditional songs alongside covers as diverse as Mississippi John Hurt to Tears For Fears, and rearranges them into his own unique and mesmerizing compositions. (The CD reissue has been expanded with ten bonus tracks, while the single disc vinyl edition includes a download for the bonus tracks, and is pressed on translucent blue wax.)
Babyface – Return Of The Tender Lover CD (Def Jam)
On his tenth album, Babyface serves up eight new original tracks of unapologetic R&B.
Black Watch – Highs And Lows CD (Pop Culture)
L.A.’s favorite sons return with Highs And Lows. “With its graceful honesty and lyrical elusiveness, Los Angeles’ legendary the Black Watch continues to produce highly intelligent, melodic, accessible music that possesses the slightly psychedelic tinge that fans of The Go-Betweens or The Clean may greatly welcome.”—Magnet
Johnny Cash – Man In Black: Live In Denmark 1971 CD (Sony Legacy)
Live archive release by the country legend. In 1971, Johnny Cash was sitting on top of the world, riding a wave of hit singles that had topped the country charts, winning a Grammy Award with wife and duet partner June Carter Cash for their rendition of “If I Was A Carpenter” and, since 1969, hosting a weekly music-variety program on network TV. Originally recorded for Danish television, this release spotlights Cash backed by his airtight backup band, The Tennessee Three, along with duets with June Carter Cash; appearances from Mother Maybelle Carter and her daughters Anita and Helen, Carl Perkins (of “Blue Suede Shoes” immortality) and The Statler Brothers, much loved for their off-the-wall humor and homespun four-part harmonies.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – B-Sides & Rarities 3xCD (BMG/Mute)
Spanning the full 21 years of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds’ career, this comprehensive set presents a retrospective collection of material by the band, some of which has been deleted, featured on a disparate number of soundtrack albums or has never been officially released. From the menacing “The Six Strings That Drew Blood,” through the distraught “The Girl At The Bottom Of My Glass,” the fragile beauty of “Little Empty Boat,” the outlaw romance of “(I’ll Love You) Till The End Of The World,” the plaintive ‘Bluebird’ through to the murderous attack of “The Ballad Of Robert Moore & Betty Coltrane,” long term Bad Seeds aficionados, recent converts or the merely curious will find much to appreciate and enjoy in this 56 track compilation.
Cloak Of Altering – Manifestation CD (Crucial Blast)
One of many alter-egos of the notorious Dutch industrial black metal outfit Gnaw Their Tongues, Cloak Of Altering returns to deliver the follow-up to the maniacal 2014 album Plague Beasts, unleashing yet another brain-scrambling blast of mutated symphonic black metal, nightmarish breakcore madness and hellish electronics fused together into a sweat-soaked, chrome-plated nightmare.
Coldplay – A Head Full Of Dreams CD/2xLP+MP3 (Atlantic/Parlophone)
Coldplay’s seventh album features guests Beyoncé, Noel Gallagher, Tove Lo and Merry Clayton, (the latter a prominent feature on the Rolling Stones’ “Gimme Shelter”). In an interview with BBC Radio 1, Chris Martin described the new album as “the sound of us being free and happy and very grateful to be in our group.” The HQ-180gm vinyl edition is pressed on colored (one pink and one blue) wax.
Nat King Cole – Stardust: The Rare Television Performances 2xCD (Real Gone Music)
In late 1956, Cole began a 13-month run as host of his own NBC television show, The Nat King Cole Show. Over the years, bits and pieces of music and footage from the show have surfaced, mostly on unauthorized bootlegs. This new includes more than two dozen performances from the show, coupled with nearly 30 minutes of additional music from a 1963 appearance on Australian television.
Curren$y – Canal Street Confidential CD (Atlantic Urban)
Curren$y enlists Wiz Khalifa, Future, Lil Wayne, Ty Dolla $ign, and many more on his new album.
The Dictators – Go Girl Crazy! [Reissue/1975] CD (Real Gone Music)
It’s been 40 years since Andy Adny Shernoff, Scott Top Ten Kempner, Ross The Boss Friedman aka FUNichello, Stu Boy King, and Handsome Dick Manitoba released the Dictators debut Go Girl Crazy!, the loud, fast, and snotty template that many a punk band would follow. This remastered reissue includes two bonus tracks remixed and reimagined by Andrew WK and six tracks from Go Girl Crazy! session outtakes, 1974.
Fleetwood Mac – Tusk [Reissue/1979] CD (Rhino)
Fleetwood Mac – Tusk [Expanded Edition] 3xCD (Rhino)
Fleetwood Mac – Tusk [Deluxe Edition] 5xCD+DVD+2xLP (Rhino)
Digitally remastered editions of Fleetwood Mac’s 1979 follow-up to Rumours. Available in Standard (single disc), Expanded (triple disc), and Deluxe (eight disc) editions. Expanded edition includes the remastered original album, an alternate version of the complete album made up of session outtakes, most of which have never been released, as well as an additional selection of singles, demos and remixes. Deluxe edition further adds two discs loaded with 22 unreleased performances from the band’s 1979 Tusk tour with selections from concerts in London, Tucson, and St. Louis. Rounding out the Deluxe edition is a 5.1 surround mix of Tusk on DVD-Audio and vinyl of the original album on two LPs. The collection comes housed in an elegant box reminiscent of the Rumours Deluxe edition with a booklet that has extended liner notes that feature new interviews with all the band members. (Vinyl edition was reissued in 2012 and is still in print, though it is a 140gm version.)
G-Eazy – When It’s Dark Out CD (RCA)
When It’s Dark Out comes fresh off the heels of G-Eazy’s Billboard chart-topping debut album, These Things Happen, which was released last year to critical acclaim. With cinematic, personal storytelling and immersive, hard-hitting and sweeping productions, When It’s Dark Out is augmented by contributions by Big Sean, Chris Brown & Tory Lanez, Too $hort, Keyshia Cole & E-40, and more. “The sophomore album is one of the most treacherous obstacles for any rapper,” said G-Eazy in a recent interview with Hot New Hip-Hop. “I dug as deep as I could until I was literally drained of inspiration.”
Selena Gomez – Revival [Box Set] CD (Interscope)
Includes a 32-page hard cover album book, the deluxe CD in a special mini jacket, five exclusive image prints, and a poster, all stuffed in a custom CD box. (Vinyl version of Revival is also released this week.)
Roscoe Holcomb – San Diego State Folk Festival 1972 CD (Tompkins Square)
The first-ever full length commercially available live album by old-time legend Roscoe Holcomb.
Notes by festival producer Lou Curtiss, and folklorist John Cohen, who first discovered Holcomb in 1959. A favorite of Bob Dylan and Eric Clapton. Features a duet with Jean Ritchie.
Ice Nine Kills – Every Trick In The Book CD (Fearless)
“This album is a tribute to some of the greatest literature ever written, dating from as early as the 1600’s, to as recent as the 1970’s. These works tap into the dark recesses of the human psyche. You will journey through the horrors of addiction, possession, oppression, alienation, forbidden love, the quest for immortality, the duality of man, and in other words, the things that make life so complex. Our hope is to expose a younger generation to these stories, which are as compelling and relatable today as the day when they were first published.” — Vocalist Spencer Charnas
Jeremih – Late Nights: The Album CD (Def Jam)
Third studio album from the R&B star. Late Nights: The Album is the follow-up to his previous studio album All About You (2010) It is a sequel of sorts to his 2012 mixtape Late Nights With Jeremih. Includes the singles “Don’t Tell ‘Em” (featuring YG), “Planes” (featuring J. Cole), “Tonight Belongs to U!” (featuring Flo Rida and produced by David Guetta) and “Oui.” Also includes “Royalty” featuring Big Sean and Future.
Tom Jones – Long Lost Suitcase CD (S-Curve)
New release from the Welsh vocalist, the third in a trilogy of albums which visit his musical roots following 2010’s Praise & Blame and 2012’s Spirit In The Room. Vinyl version TBA.
Curtis King – Complete ATCO Singles 3xCD (Real Gone Music)
Collects, for first time on CD, virtually all of the original mono single mixes the legendary R&B instrumentalist recorded for ATCO, including over two dozen sides that never appeared on LP.
Laddio Bolocko – Live & Unreleased 1997-2000 2xCD+DVD (No Quarter)
Laddio Bolocko was a band from New York City in the mid-‘90s who toured the US and Europe relentlessly during their four year run. Pitchfork wrote in 2003 that the group, “effortlessly converged at the service of drive and trance, occasionally jutting out unpredictably into harsher realms. Live, they were a powerhouse, and though their recorded history is brief, it demonstrates a remarkable range of expression, precision and raw power.” This set collects all unreleased material from the bands time living in a DUMBO (Brooklyn) rehearsal space and an abandoned ski lodge in the Catskill mountains, as well as live recordings from Slovenia. The DVD includes over two hours of footage shot on Super 8 film. Vinyl edition due January 22.
Shayna Leigh – Drive CD (S-Curve)
Drive is distinguished by its blend of organic roots and pop touches, the songs mixing acoustic and electronic elements to convey timeless emotions in “classic contemporary” musical landscapes. This alchemy showcases an interesting dichotomy at work in some of the material – sad songs in upbeat settings, and vice versa. Yet while the instrumentation is certainly a driving force behind her songs, it’s her vocal style that truly defines them.
Lil BUB – Science & Magic: A Soundtrack to the Universe CD/LP (Joyful Noise)
“Lil BUB has had her paws in the music world for quite some time now. She’s tight with Steve Albini, produced a single for Kelley Deal, worked closely with David Yow, collaborated with Andrew W.K., spearheaded 50 Bands And A Cat (she’s the cat), been held by Jonathan Richman, has a song written for her by Kimya Dawson, was rapped about by Aesop Rock, enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner with Murder By Death, appeared in The Foo Fighters’ HBO documentary, Sonic Highways, was the July, 2014 cover story for SPIN Magazine, and appears on Run The Jewels’ Meow The Jewels record made up entirely of cat sounds. And now she’s finally ready to blow minds with the very first full length concept album written by a magical space cat, and it’s darn good.”
Johnny Marr – Adrenaline Baby: Johnny Marr Live CD/2xLP (New Voodoo)
Adrenalin Baby was recorded primarily at Marr’s Brixton Academy and Manchester Apollo shows during his Playland tour in support of The Messenger and Playland. In addition to material from his solo albums, Adrenalin Baby also features takes on The Smiths’ classics “The Headmaster Ritual,” “Bigmouth Strikes Again,” “There Is A Light That Never Goes Out” and “How Soon Is Now?.” The collection is completed by Electronic’s “Getting Away With It” and Johnny’s interpretation of “I Fought The Law.” (Vinyl edition pressed on pink wax.)
Rod McKuen – Reflections: The Greatest Songs Of Rod McKuen CD (Varese Sarabande)
Rod McKuen, composer-lyricist, has written some of the most enduring songs of the second half of the twentieth century, including “Love’s Been Good To Me, Jean,” “The World I Used To Know,” “A Boy Named Charlie Brown,” “Joanna,” “Seasons In The Sun” and the enduring standard “If You Go Away.” These songs are all included in this new collection. Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, Dusty Springfield, Glen Campbell and The Kingston Trio all have recorded songs written by Rod McKuen.
Bette Midler – A Gift Of Love CD (Rhino)
Banking on better penetration for the upcoming holiday season, this new collection featuring 18 of Midler’s best love songs is being rolled out 2 ½ months prior to Valentine’s Day 2016 by Rhino.
Milk Lines – Ceramic CD (In The Red)
The husband-and-wife songwriting talents of Jeffrey Clarke (Demon’s Claws, Hellshovel) and Emily Frances give one the feeling that Milk Lines has been commissioned by time itself to build a dream-like bridge, so that reality might have the chance at a glimpse… Their wide range of influences and unique brand of music are organic, primitive yet thoughtful. The lo-fi, trippy and sometimes country-laced tunes display a fresh and original sound. Vinyl version due December 18.
Modern Baseball – MoBo Presents: The Perfect Cast EP featuring Modern Baseball CDEP/12” (Lame-O)
New six-song EP released in advance of their forthcoming album Holy Ghost (release date TBA). “Co-frontman Brendan Lukens opened up to Spin about his battle with depression and anxiety, which he writes about in his new songs. ‘The Waterboy Returns’ is one of their most melodically upbeat songs, yet features dark lyrics such as ‘Hey you, that’s no way out / You can’t find help in a bottle or a cut,’ which reflect Luken’s personal struggles. ‘The Thrash Particle’ is a slower track where Brendan opens up about heartbreak and reflects on expressing his feelings through songwriting within the actual lyrics. ‘You suggested I write a song about the first time we met / Well I don’t wanna remember there or then.’” – Brooklyn Vegan
Okkervil River – Black Sheep Boy [Reissue/2005] 3xCD/3xLP+MP3 (Jagjaguwar)
Okkervil River’s third studio album, the iconic Black Sheep Boy, celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. To mark the occasion, Jagjaguwar has released this special triple-disc set featuring the original 2005 LP, its companion compilation Black Sheep Boy Appendix, and There Swims A Swan, a collection of previously unreleased covers of Washington Phillips, Roscoe Holcomb, and many others.
Opeth – The Roundhouse Tapes [Reissue/2007] 2xCD+DVD (Peaceville)
The Roundhouse Tapes’ captures Opeth’s performance at the Camden Roundhouse, London, UK, on November 9th, 2006. This 2xCD+DVD version contains extras including soundcheck footage, a backstage interview with the band, plus fan footage, as well as the full concert across two audio discs. Also includes a 24-page booklet and presented in media-book format.
Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis & Tommy Roe – Roy Orbison Sings [Reissue/1965] CD/LP (UMe)
Roy Orbison – There’s Only One Roy Orbison [Reissue/1966] CD/LP (UMe)
Roy Orbison – The Roy Orbison Way [Reissue/1966] CD/LP (UMe)
Roy Orbison – The Classic Roy Orbison [Reissue/1966] CD/LP (UMe)
Roy Orbison – Roy Orbison Sings Don Gibson [Reissue/1967] CD/LP (UMe)
Roy Orbison – Cry Softly Little One [Reissue/1967] CD/LP (UMe)
Roy Orbison – The Fastest Guitar Alive [OST/Reissue/1967] CD/LP (UMe)
Roy Orbison – One Of The Lonely Ones [1969] CD/LP (UMe)
Roy Orbison – Roy Orbison’s Many Moods [Reissue/1969] CD/LP (UMe)
Roy Orbison – The Big O [Reissue/1970] CD/LP (UMe)
Roy Orbison – Hank Williams: The Roy Orbison Way [Reissue/1970] CD/LP (UMe)
Roy Orbison – Memphis [Reissue/1972] CD/LP (UMe)
Roy Orbison – Milestones [Reissue/1973] CD/LP (UMe)
Roy Orbison – The MGM Years 13xCD/13xLP (UMe)
Remastered reissues available on CD and HQ-180gm vinyl. (One Of The Lonely Ones is a newly discovered 1969 Roy Orbison album that has never been released until now.) Each title is available separately or entirely as The MGM Years (sans One Of The Lonely Ones) box set, which adds a disc of B-sides and rare singles.
The Original Cast Of School Of Rock – School Of Rock: The Musical CD/2xLP (WB)
Original Cast Recording for the 2015 production of the Andrew Lloyd Weber Broadway adaptation of the 2003 film. Three-time Grammy Award-winner Rob Cavallo, who has worked with Green Day, My Chemical Romance, Paramore, Goo Goo Dolls, Phil Collins, and Gary Clark Jr., produced the album along with Lloyd Webber himself. The album features the songs written for the stage production, as well as three songs from the film. All new original songs were written by Lloyd Webber and Glenn Slater.
Pimp C – Long Live The Pimp CD (Mass Appeal)
Posthumous release from the late rapper, released to coincide with the eighth anniversary of his death. Long Live The Pimp features Lil Wayne, Bun B, Nas, A$AP Rocky, Ty Dolla $ign, Juicy J, T.I., 8Ball & MJG, Devin The Dude, and many others. The album was put together by Pimp C’s widow Chinara Butler. She said in a statement: “This album is the culmination of years of work from not just me, but also the amazing artists and producers who contributed to make it happen. It combines several of the ideas and projects my husband began before his untimely passing. We hope the Trill fans enjoy it.”
Placebo – MTV Unplugged CD (UMe)
On the 19th of August, Placebo performed a one-off show for MTV Unplugged at the London Studios in the UK. (Vinyl, DVD, and Blu-ray editions due December 18.)
Pumice – Puddles CD/LP+MP3 (Soft Abuse)
Wobbly rhythms, intercom screech, the small silver guitar and Stefan Neville’s (Pumice himself) lonesome croon all mingle with droning chord organ, synth blurts, and dense avant backdrops.
Rick Ross – Black Market [Deluxe Edition] CD (Def Jam)
New album from the rapper – available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe adds bonus material. Black Market includes “Sorry” featuring Chris Brown and “Money Dance” featuring the-Dream.
Sheek Louch – Silverback Gorilla 2 CD (Tommy Boy)
New album from Yonkers, NY native Sean D. Jacobs featuring contributions by Jadakiss, Styles P, Ghostface Killah, Fabolous, Pusha T, Swizz Beats, A$AP Ferg & Raheem DeVaughn.
Simple Minds – Once Upon A Time [Reissue/1985] CD/2xCD (Virgin)
Originally released in October 1985, Once Upon A Time became Simple Minds’ most successful album to date, making the top ten in the US. It spawned three US top-thirty singles and launched a fifteen-month long world tour that kept Simple Minds’ name in the music weeklies for most of 1986. Availble in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe adds 13 single mixes, B-sides and alternate versions, four of which have never been release before.
Troye Sivan – Blue Neighborhood CD (Capitol)
Debut full length from South African-born Australian actor, singer, songwriter, and YouTuber Troye Sivan. Blue Neighborhood is a musical trip full of twists and turns, cutting-edge production, sparse booming beats, majestic flourishes and beautiful modern poetry. Available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe adds bonus tracks.
Sky Pony – Beautiful Monster CD (Knitting Factory)
Sky-Pony serves up lush, lyrical, often cheeky indie-pop with a healthy dose of theatrics. They incorporate costumes, choreography and projections into their high-energy live shows. Rock concert meets performance art meets burlesque. The Brooklyn-based band is a collaboration between singer/actress Lauren Worsham (Drama Desk Award winner and TONY Award nominee) and her musician/writer husband Kyle Jarrow (Obie Award winner). It also features the sizable talents of guitarist Kevin Wunderlich, drummer Perry Silver, bassist Eric Day, cellist David Blasher and backup singers Jessi Suzuki, Lizzie O’Hara and Kristin Piacentile. “Like a ‘60s girl group on crack — tight, fierce, hilarious and out of their minds” — all Street Journal. “Great American Songbook–accented indie-rock fun.” — Time Out New York
Sly & Robbie And Spicy Chocolate – The Reggae Power 2 CD (Tuff Gong)
A compilation of new music, all produced by Sly & Robbie with Japanese reggae stars Spicy Chocolate. Featured artists include Morgan Heritage, Demarco, Shaggy, Maxi Priest, Cherine Anderson, TOK, and Tuff Gong’s newest artist Skip Marley.
Jeremy Spencer – Jeremy Spencer [Reissue/1970] CD (Real Gone Music)
With Mick Fleetwood, John McVie, Danny Kirwan and Peter Green all playing on the record, it would be easy to label Jeremy Spencer’s 1970 solo release The Great Lost Early Fleetwood Mac Album. Spencer was always a bit of a wildcard in Fleetwood Mac; on record, he was the most tradition-minded bluesman in the band, but on stage he was a real live wire, notable not just for his scorching (and sometimes suggestive) renditions of old blues tunes but also for his gifted mimicry of such performers as Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly and John Mayall.
Bruce Springsteen – The Ties That Bind: The River Collection 4xCD+3xDVD (Sony)
Bruce Springsteen – The Ties That Bind: The River Collection 4xCD+2xBlu-ray (Sony)
This comprehensive look at The River era contains 52 tracks on four CDs with a wealth of unreleased material, and four hours of never-before-seen video. It is comprised of the original The River double album; the first official release of The River: Single Album; a CD of 1979/80 studio outtakes; a film of never-released, newly edited multi- camera footage from Springsteen’s famed 1980 show in Tempe, AZ, long rumored but never-before-seen; rare tour rehearsal footage; a brand new documentary The Ties That Bind about The River; and a coffee table book of 200 rare or previously unseen photos and memorabilia with a new essay by Mikal Gilmore.
Sunn O))) – Kannon CD/LP (Southern Lord)
Composed in the after-shadow of Sunn O)))’s most recent successes in immersive collaboration — the group having worked with Scott Walker on Soused, and Ulver on Terrestrials in 2013 and 2014 — and also from the broad and influential wake of their epitomic Monoliths & Dimensions, Kannon emerged both independently as a conceptual entity and with roots in the legacies of those projects, yet was fully realized years later in 2015. The album includes performances by long term allies and collaborators Attila Csihar, Oren Ambarchi, Rex Ritter, and Steve Moore to name a few. At the core, the composition centers around the dynamic and intense guitar and bass interplay of Sunn O)))’s founders: Stephen O’Malley and Greg Anderson.
Swans – White Light In The Mouth Of Infinity/Love Of Life [Reissue/1991/1992] 3xCD (Young God)
Swans – White Light In The Mouth Of Infinity [Reissue/1991] 2xLP (Young God)
Swans – Love Of Life [Reissue/1992] LP+CD (Young God)
Swans continue their remastered reissues series with the release of White Light From The Mouth Of Infinity and Love Of Life. White Light From The Mouth Of Infinity, Swans’ seventh studio album originally released in 1991, is considered the starting point for the second section of Swans’ inimitable history. Described as “…the glistening, glimmering sounds of the pensive countryside” by Stereogum, this will be the first time the album has been available on vinyl since its original release on Young God Records in 1991. The vinyl issue includes the track “Blind,” not included in the original release. Love Of Life, the band’s eighth studio album, followed soon after in 1992. According to AllMusic’s Ned Ragget, “Love Of Life continues the astounding creative roll Swans found themselves on … yet another Swans masterpiece.” The vinyl version of this album has also been unavailable since its original release.
Them – The Complete Them 1964-1967 3xCD (Sony Legacy)
A thorough collection of Van Morrison’s early studio and live performances from his first band Them. It includes all material recorded for the first two Them albums — The Angry Young Them (1965) and Them Again (1966) — in addition to singles, demos, live sessions, alternate takes and rarities, many of them long unavailable or previously unreleased. All tracks have been newly remastered for this collection and the package includes a 16-page booklet featuring an insightful new commentary on Them provided by Van Morrison.
The Vamps – Wake Up CD (Island)
Wake Up is the follow up to The Vamps debut album Meet The Vamps which spun off 5 Top 10 hits in their native UK. Lead single “Wake Up” features Brooklyn Beckham.
Various Artists [James Lavelle Presents UNKLE Sounds] – GU41 Naples 2xCD (Global Underground)
Global Underground (GU) has returned under the ownership of one of its original founders, Andy Horsfield. The label returns with GU41 Naples: James Lavelle Presents UNKLE Sounds, which features a plethora of exclusive new UNKLE material alongside album-exclusive UNKLE remixes of artists as broad as Queens Of The Stone Age, Mark Lanagan Band through to Naples legends Planet Funk.
Various Artists – Detroit Jazz City CD (Blue Note)
Detroit Jazz City is a compilation album that simultaneously spotlights the past and present of one of America’s great jazz cities while also serving as a benefit album for the organization Focus: HOPE. All proceeds from the album will be donated to Focus: HOPE to aid in their on-going pursuit of intelligent and practical solutions to the problems of hunger, economic disparity, inadequate education, and racial divisiveness in Southeastern Michigan. Contributing artists include: Marcus Belgrave, Marion Hayden, Elvin Jones, Joe Henderson, Donald Byrd, James Carter, Sheila Jordan, A. Spencer Barfield, and Kenny Cox.
Alan Vega/Alex Chilton/Ben Vaughn – Cubist Blues [Reissue/1996] CD+MP3/2xLP+MP3 (Light In The Attic)
Alan Vega/Alex Chilton/Ben Vaughn – Cubist Blues: Live At Trans Musicales, Rennes, France, 7th December 1996 2xLP+MP3 (Light In The Attic)
The unlikely union of Suicide’s Alan Vega, Big Star’s Alex Chilton, and singer-songwriter Ben Vaughn happened in December 1994 in a fog of cigarette smoke at two barely-lit, all-night improv sessions at Dessau Studios in New York. What transpired was the group’s only release, a brilliant album called Cubist Blues. Some kind of alchemy happened. The elements are disparate Vega, known for Suicide’s grinding, pre-industrial drone, Chilton for his ultra-melodic FM rock, and Vaughn for his outsider art. Put together, what came out was something totally unexpected, a long, mesmeric incantation built on Elvis-meets-Ian Curtis vocals, rockabilly guitar, growling synths, and metronomic drums. (CD version includes download card for Live At Trans Musicales, Rennes, France, 7th December 1996 – which is available separately on vinyl.)
Voodoo Circle – Whisky Fingers CD (AFM)
Voodoo Circle was founded in 2008 by guitarist Alex Beyrodt, who wanted to create a new group which should awake the spirit of the grandmasters of the ‘70s and ‘80s. Classic sound with real live feel, giving room for extensive jams.
Young Roddy – Kenner Loop CD (iHip-Hop Distribution)
Young Roddy is a promising New Orleans rapper who has built a loyal following off the strength of his Good Sense mixtape series, his 2014 Legal Dealing EP and his frequent collaborations with Curren$y, The Jet Life crew, and others. Kenner Loop is his proper debut LP and features Curren$y, Styles P, Juvenile, and more.
DVDs + Blu-ray:
Roger Waters – The Wall [OST] DVD/Blu-ray (Legacy)
Roger Waters’ The Wall captures his sold-out 2010-2013 The Wall Live tour, the first complete staging of the classic Pink Floyd concept album since 1990. A tour-de-force of rock & roll stagecraft anchored in a powerful message of peace and compassion, The Wall Live played to over 4.5 million people at more than 200 shows across four continents, making it the most successful worldwide tour by a solo artist in history. 133 minutes.
This Week’s Vinyl Exclusives:
Mike Adams At His Honest Weight – Preparation Age LP+MP3 (Sounds Familyre)
This new five-song one-sided LP was recorded during the same sessions as a forthcoming 2016 full-length and serve as companion songs and a taste of what is to come. They build on the solidly crafted pop songs of 2014’s The Best Of Boiler Room Classics through sonic experimentation and take the band’s sound into a hazier new territory combining influences from the synth-based rock of Wheat, Grandaddy, and Flaming Lips with Beach Boys inspired vocal harmonies.
Nat Adderly – Work Song [Reissue/1960] LP (Fantasy)
Released in 1960, Work Song finds cornetist Nat Adderley at his artistic peak with this bluesy, hard-bop gem.
Trey Anastasio – Paper Wheels 2xLP (Rubber Jungle/ATO)
Standard vinyl edition. Tenth solo album from the Phish guitarist. Recorded at The Barn and inspired by the immediacy of Stax-era recordings, Trey Anastasio recorded the songs for Paper Wheels live, often in one or two takes. The Trey Anastasio Band on this album includes Ray Paczkowski on keyboards, Tony Markellis on bass, and Russ Lawton on drums, with a horn section consisting of trombonist / vocalist Natalie Cressman, trumpeter / vocalist Jennifer Hartswick, and instrumentalist James Casey. The horns add a jazzy funk vibe to the songs, while the rhythm section provides a tighter feel than what you’d expect from Phish. The jamming is nice and focused, with Trey shining on guitar.
Anathema – A Sort Of Homecoming 2xLP+DVD (Kscope)
Now available on vinyl. Directed by Lasse Hoile (Steven Wilson, Katatonia, Opeth), A Sort Of Homecoming is a concert film of Anathema’s homecoming show on March 7, 2015 in the spectacular setting of the Liverpool Cathedral. The concert was described by Prog magazine as “a once-in-a-lifetime experience that words can barely do justice.”
Autopsy – Skull Grinder LP”+MP3 (Peaceville)
Seven tracks of gut-wrenching death metal on HQ-180gm vinyl.
Avicii – Stories LP (Island)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Sophomore album from the Swedish DJ featuring guest appearances by Zac Brown Band, Chris Martin and Martin Garrix.
The Beatles – 1 [Reissue/2000] 2xLP (Capitol)
Limited double 180gm vinyl LP pressing housed in gatefold sleeve including four art cards and a poster of global single sleeves.
The Beat Of The Earth – This Record Is An Artistic Statement [Reissue/1967] LP (Radich)
From 1967, Phil Pearlman (The Electronic Hole and the majestic Relatively Clean Rivers) leads a free assemblage of local Southern California acid-heads through loping Velvetica tribal incantations. The Beat Of The Earth earns its name in two side-length jams brimming with eastern-tinged luminosity.
Alex Bleeker And The Freaks – Country Agenda LP (Sinderlyn)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Jersey-bred songwriter Alex Bleeker first started making solo music under the guise of Alex Bleeker And The Freaks , gathering together his friends and like-minded players to fill out his sometimes dreamy, sometimes heavy-hearted tunes. While splitting his time between writing solo songs and his duties as bass player in breezy indie band Real Estate, Bleeker eventually crafted two separate albums of material with his able-minded Freaks, a low-key self-titled release in 2009 and a more full-bodied 2013 record entitled How Far Away. Informed by a deeply-studied fixation with audience-recorded tape trades, parking lot culture and the entire cannon of roots rock history, Alex Bleeker And The Freaks serves as both a continuation and an update to the road-ragged, hard working American party band.
Boots – Aquaria LP (Columbia)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. “Though he’s best known for producing records for Run the Jewels, Beyoncé, and FKA twigs, Boots has steadily been carving out a name for himself. There was last year’s WinterSpringSummerFall mixtape and this past March’s short film Motorcycle Jesus; now, all of those releases are about to culminate in Aquaria, his highly anticipated debut solo album.” – Consequence Of Sound
BØRNS – Dopamine LP (Interscope)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Growing up in coastal Michigan, Garrett Borns moved from one inspiration to another. His first artistic love was visual arts and then came music thanks to an eccentric piano teacher. At the age of fifteen BØRNS attended the prestigious summer program at Interlochen Center for the Arts to study filmmaking while writing songs on the side with the music majors. Playing local gigs through high school and college, BØRNS ended up in a secluded treehouse home in the Los Angeles canyons where he wrote his debut Candy EP, a set that filters the singer s naturally moody, sensual sound through an explosion of sunlight, as he puts it.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – The Good Son [Reissue/1990] LP+MP3 (BMG/Mute)
Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds – Nocturama [Reissue/2003] 2xLP+MP3 (BMG/Mute)
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Abattoir Blues/The Lyre Of Orpheus [Reissue/2004] 2xLP+MP3 (BMG/Mute)
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Dig, Lazarus Dig!!! [Reissue/2008] 2xLP+MP3 (BMG/Mute)
Reissued last year overseas, these HQ-180gm Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds albums are now available domestically. (CD copies – including the first Grinderman album, are also back in print.)
Cellulite – Dust Wave 12” (Slovenly)
A new project featuring Baltimore’s Drew Owen (Sick Thoughts, DD Owen) and NYC’s Don Seun, this limited 12” is the product of two people with completely different takes on sound, and wastes no time in getting to the point. This is electronic music by way of deteriorating breaks, digital hiss, primal drums, burned-out synths, and searing vocals. Cold and harsh for true believers.
Century Palm – Valley Cyan b/w Accept 7” (Deranged)
“Century Palm slither effortlessly across genre boundaries, drawing upon myriad times and places: Simple Minds, The Units, Neu!, Wire, Eno’s pop records, and contemporary sounds from the Australian garage rock sub-terrain.” – Ugly Pop
The Comet Is Coming – Prophecy 12” (Leaf)
The Comet Is Coming’s freak-out space funk is a musical metaphor for society as it speeds toward meltdown. This is no doom-trip, though; it’s last-night-of-the-earth party time. Five tracks of freewheeling psychedelia and honking jazz-punk mayhem.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions – Trust [Reissue/1981] LP (UMe)
A latecomer to the recently reissued pile of Elvis Costello LPs, all on HQ-180gm vinyl.
Cream – 7” Singles Box Set 10×7” (Polydor)
One of the most influential British rock bands of all time, Cream was comprised of bassist Jack Bruce, drummer Ginger Baker, and guitarist Eric Clapton. This box contains reproductions of 10 singles the band released between 1967 and 1970.
Curse Of The North – Curse Of The North LP (Static Tension)
Curse Of The North is a no-frills heavy band from Seatlle, WA featuring former members of 3 Inches Of Blood, Vendetta Red, and Duff McKagan’s Loaded. “If you’ve been searching for a band that sounds like a fusion between Electric Wizard and Black Sabbath, seek no more.”—Metal Gallows
John Denver & The Muppets – Christmas Together [Reissue/1979] LP+MP3 (Windstar)
Christmas Together features 13 tracks of traditional Christmas carols and original songs featured in the 1979 television special, performed by John Denver and his good buddies, The Muppets.
Kevin Devine / Meredith Graves – Devinyl Splits No. 2 7” (Bad Timing)
Kevin Devine / Meredith Graves – Devinyl Splits No. 3 7” (Bad Timing)
Kevin Devine, a prolific singer/songwriters in the indie-rock community, has always placed premium importance on the messages his songs relay. As his most recent work, the Bulldozer and Bubblegum LPs, show Devine’s lyricism often ranges from intensely, intimately personal to very outwardly political. In 2015, Devine launched an ambitious project in partnership with Bad Timing Records and his own Devinyl Records. The goal: Release six split 7” releases with a different partner on each split, effectively curating a collection of a whole year’s worth of musical output released every other month. Numbers 2 & 3 feature Meredith Graves of Perfect Pussy.
The Electronic Hole – The Electronic Hole [Reissue/1970] LP (Radich)
The Electronic Hole is a raw, noisy, droning, and completely mesmerizing album recorded by Phil Pearlman between the first The Beat Of The Earth album and Relatively Clean Rivers. Pearlman assembled The Electronic Hole in 1969. Recorded in local studios during off-hours, the album is entirely different from The Beat Of The Earth, as it abandons a free-form improvisational approach in favor of “compositions,” including a wild cover of Frank Zappa’s “Trouble Every Day.” Pearlman plays sitar to great effect on the album, and another track has the thickest wall of fuzz guitars imaginable. It stands as the closest approximation of the West Coast version of what The Velvet Underground were doing with their first two albums.
En – City Of Brides 2xLP (Students Of Decay)
City Of Brides is the third full-length album by En, the Bay Area-based duo of multi-instrumentalists Maxwell August Croy and James Devane. It was recorded over the last few years in a variety of contexts and follows upon 2012’s well-received Already Gone, further developing the diverse palette of that record. Across four sides, the pair presents exotic, transcending and richly detailed pieces that toe the line between ecstatic, long-form ambience and elegant, structured electronic composition.
Filipe Felizardo – Volume IV: The Invading Past & Other Dissolutions 2xLP (Three Four)
Recorded while in residency at Moinho da Fonte Santa in the deep, silent countryside of southern Portugal, Volume IV captures Filipe Felizardo (frequent collaborator of Norberto Lobo, David Maranha’s Ensemble & Margarida Garcia) doing what he does best — composing for solo electric guitar, on an exceedingly personal level. The album conveys more than the mere cosmogonies and pataphysics of his earlier work.
Gino And The Goons – Check This Out 7” (Slovenly)
On the A-side we have an updated and damaged version of “Check This Out,” originally from their 2014 Shake It! LP, and the flip is a storming cover of Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers’ 1977 classic “Let Go.”
Selena Gomez – Revival 2xLP (Interscope)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Does not include download card. “Viewing the latest entertainment coverage of the 23-year-old singer and actor with great satisfaction, pleased citizens across the US announced Thursday that Selena Gomez had completed her transition into a sexualized plaything just as they had expected. ‘Good, very good—the cycle is complete,’ said Carlisle, PA resident Greg Deleon, one of millions across the country who nodded in approval at a recent Glamour magazine photo spread and Access Hollywood feature segment that signaled the conclusion of the former Disney star’s multi-year transformation into an eroticized puppet meant to occupy the attention of the American mind.” – The Onion
Handguns – Disenchanted LP (Pure Noise)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Third album from the Harrisburg, PA pop/punk band.
Helios – Yume LP (Unseen Music)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Yume takes its title from the Japanese word for dream and delivers an otherworldly ambient-electronic hybrid that’s cinematic in scope yet intimate in emotion. In making the album, composer and multi-instrumentalist Keith Kenniff (the sole artist behind Helios) has created a warm sonic tapestry from luminous guitar lines, elegant piano work, ingeniously-crafted rhythms, and lo-fi electronic elements.
Holy Sons – Decline Of The West Vol. I & II 2xLP (Partisan)
Emil Amos, world renowned as drummer of the experimental rock groups Om and Grails, has had an increasingly prolific, though relatively unknown, solo career under the moniker Holy Sons. Home recording over 1000 songs since the project’s inception in 1992, Decline represents a vital intersection of style and method in Emil Amos’ songwriting and production, combining his genre-hopping tendencies and no-rules mixing methods with the more hook-driven, straight-to-the-jugular phrasing that he has been honing for the last 15 years. Holy Sons’ minimalist avant-folk sound journeys through formats as varied as dub, church-hymn, slow-jam, tape-collage, and hip-hop beats ornamented with obtuse banjo-sitar runs, all performed with an inspired punk spirit.
Inventions – Blanket Waves 12” (Temporary Residence)
When Explosions In The Sky’s Mark T. Smith and Eluvium’s Matthew Cooper united as Inventions last year, the expectation was a sound that married Smith’s iconic, emotional compositions with Cooper’s introspective, occasionally noisy ambiance. For the most part, their debut album delivered on that promise. However, their quick follow-up, Maze Of Woods, exploded those sounds and smeared them into a rich, abstract space where comfort and confusion coexist. The duo’s individual identities dissolved into a fluid, ever-changing landscape of mechanical rhythms, vocal samples, and indeterminate instrumentation. It was uniquely haunting, and brilliantly executed. Blanket Waves continues in the direction charted on Maze Of Woods increasingly malleable, and even farther-reaching in its blurring of dream and reality.
Just Jeffrey – Coffee Tea & Me LP+MP3 (La-Ti-Da)
Jeffrey McCloy is the front man for the Tranzmittors and Fashionism. It has been twelve years since his first solo album (Jeffie Genetic And His Clones Need A Wave). Coffee, Tea & Me finds Jeffrey in top form at this age and stage, citing a broad church of influence on these 18 tracks. Produced by Felix Fung (Little Red Sounds, East Vancouver BC), with a host of friends doing their bit along the way. Edition of 300 copies on HQ-180gm vinyl with digital download featuring the bonus track “Elegant Chaos” (J. Cope) and a video for “A World Made For Me.”
Kid Congo & The Pink Monkey Birds – Bruce Juice b/w El Cucuy 7” (In The Red)
Kid Congo & The Pink Monkey Birds will be dropping a new album in early 2016. To prime the pump, they present this new single featuring two brand new tracks not featured on the upcoming full-length.
LE1F – Riot Boi LP (Terrible Recordsxx/XL)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. New York rapper/producer LE1F aka Khalif Diouf, is one of the more hyped artists in the underground hip-hop scene. His debut record, Riot Boi on XL Recordings/Terrible Records features electronic producers Sophie, Evian Christ, and Dubbel Dutch and guest appearances by Junglepussy & House Of LaDosha, DonChristian and Dev Hynes & Miss Geri. LE1F tackles issues such as black racial justice, transgender rights, and access to clean water.
Link 80 – 17 Reasons [Reissue/1996] LP+MP3 (Asian Man)
Recorded when the band was still in high school, this is the first release by Bay Area locals, Link 80. Best described as East Bay punk rock ska but with definite hardcore influences. New LP pressing after many years, this time on clear blue vinyl with download.
Mayday Parade – Black Lines LP (Fearless)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Floridian pop-rockers Mayday Parade return with their fifth album. Black Lines includes a guest vocal appearance from Real Friends frontman Dan Lambton and was produced by Mike Sapone, who is best known for his work with Brand New and Taking Back Sunday.
My Disco – Severe LP (Temporary Residence)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Australian trio My Disco has always employed space as an instrument. Space between notes; space between instruments; even space between albums. More than just a title, Severe pushes their subtle, intensely focused, minimalist sound to its most terrifying extreme. It is bleak, occasionally uncomfortable, and unpredictably profound. Severe is an album of aggravated tonal darkness and long breaths of disturbing silence, punctuated by pounding stabs and heavy, hypnotic rhythms.
Nirvana – Nirvana [Reissue/2002] 2xLP+MP3 (Geffen)
Originally released in 2002, Nirvana is a collection that features hits and fan favorites as well as the rare and previously unreleased studio version of “You Know You’re Right,” the last song the band ever recorded, available exclusively on this compilation. (Available in standard 150gm and HQ-200gm audiophile vinyl cut at 45rpm. Includes hi-res audio download.)
No Problem – Kid Killer 7” (Deranged)
Kid Killer is the follow up EP to No Problem’s Already Dead LP — three new tracks of blistering dark hardcore; same formula, same hit potential.
Phoenix/Bill Murray – Alone On Christmas Day 7” (Glassnote)
In addition to “special guest” Bill Murray, this single features actor and former Phantom Planet drummer Jason Schwartzman, David Letterman’s former bandleader Paul Shaffer and Buster Poindexter, aka David Johansen of the New York Dolls. The B-side of the single will be an instrumental version of the song.
Placebo – Without You I’m Nothing [Reissue/1998] LP (UMe)
Placebo – Black Market Music [Reissue/2000] LP (UMe)
While Placebo’s self-titled debut contained mostly elements of ’90s alternative (Smashing Pumpkins, etc.), their second album, Without You I’m Nothing, is full of ’70s glam rock and punk references. Black Market Music finds Brian Molko in such moody lust that his strangled, androgynous wailing rivals anything the band has previously flashed to the world.
Rammstein – The Vinyl Box Set 14xLP (Mercury)
This Rammstein studio albums vinyl box set features seven titles, including: Sehnsucht (1997), Herzeleid (1998), Mutter (2001), Reise Reise (2004), Rosenrot (2005), Liebe ist fur alle da (2009) and the brand new Rarities double-LP title. Sehnsucht, Herzeleid, Reise Reise and Rosenrot were previously unavailable on vinyl.
Say Anything – …Is A Real Boy [Reissue/2004] 2xLP (Doghouse)
Double LP reissue of Say Anything’s first release — now available on dark green vinyl with white and black starburst.
Scorpions – Blackout [Reissue/1982] LP (Mercury)
Scorpions – Love At First Sting [Reissue/1984] LP (Mercury)
Scorpions – Worldwide Live [Reissue/1985] 2xLP (Mercury)
HQ-180gm vinyl reissues made available in celebration of the German metal band’s 50th anniversary. (Who knew the Scorps formed in 1965?)
Skankin’ Pickle – Sing Along With [Reissue/1994] LP (Asian Man)
A special repress on clear green vinyl.
Snoop Dogg – Da Game Is To Be Sold, Not To Be Told [Reissue/1998] 2xLP (Priority)
The third studio album from Snoop Dog, Da Game… was originally released by No Limit Records in 1998. It Snoop Dogg’s first album following his departure from Death Row Records. It was also his first album to be released under a slight change to his stage name f(rom Snoop Doggy Dogg). Part of UMe’s Respect The Classics vinyl reissue campaign.
Sparks – The Island Years 5xLP (Mercury)
Sparks is an American rock band, formed by two brothers in Los Angeles in 1971. The Island Years is a collection of the band’s four Island studio albums along with a bonus disc of other tracks from the same era. All five LPs — Kimono My House, Propaganda, Indiscreet, Big Beat and The Rest Of Sparks – have been pressed on HQ-180gm, heavy weight vinyl and housed in a hard case.
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion – Human Obscene (Jukebox Single #7) 7” (In The Red)
In The Red presents installment number seven in The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion jukebox singles series. As with the previous six, the 7” features two exclusive tracks that lean towards the band’s more rocking and spastic side.
Vince Staples – Summertime ’06 [Segment 1] LP (Def Jam)
Vince Staples – Summertime ’06 [Segment 2] LP (Def Jam)
Vince Staples – Summertime ’06 [Special Edition] 2xLP (Def Jam)
Released last June on CD – now available on vinyl. Your choice of each ten-song segment separately, or combined on the Special Edition (buttercream colored vinyl with lenticular cove). Debut album from the Long Beach, CA rapper best known as one-third of Cutthroat Boyz. “Vince Staples, it can be argued, is top five today in terms of pure lyricism. Since his guest spot on Earl Sweatshirt’s ‘epaR’ in 2010, Vince has been burning damn near every song he’s been featured on. He followed that string of features with solo mixtapes filled with dark humor and unrelenting honesty, further proving his prowess behind the mic. All of that has led him to this point.” – Complex
Steep Canyon Rangers – Radio LP (Rounder)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Steep Canyon Rangers release their highly anticipated ninth studio album, Radio, a project that further illustrates the band’s dynamic songwriting, instrumental virtuosity and high-energy performance. Members Woody Platt (guitar), Graham Sharp (banjo), Charles R. Humphrey III (bass), Mike Guggino (mandolin), Nicky Sanders (fiddle) and Mike Ashworth (box kit) are also known for collaborations with actor/comedian and respected banjo player Steve Martin and Edie Brickell.
Peter Stringer-Hye – Sunday Girls EP 7”+MP3 (Trouble In Mind)
Nashville resident Peter Stringer-Hye has played in groups like D. Watusi and The Paperhead in the past. But now, he thinks he’s ready to strike out alone, with the Sunday Girls EP. It sounds as perfectly of a certain strain of 1960’s blues-folk-rock as his publicity photos might suggest.
Three Man Canyon – Will I Know You LP (Lame-O)
Playing together since high school in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Three Man Cannon has gone from the folk-infused punk rock of their 2010 debut The Sound. The Fury. to the Sparklehorse-meets-Neil Young indie rock of this 2015 Lame-O Records release.
Tropic Green – Golden Light 7” (Crime On The Moon)
Tropic Green is music from the planet Saturn as channeled by Adee Roberson. Roberson is a visual artist and musician who has been a fixture in underground art and music for over a decade. With Tropic Green she is leading the way for us into a Black Futurist fantasy that draws from the minimal aspects of punk, reggae, house music, and spirituals. She weaves rich celestial landscapes with her drum machines, synthesizers and various percussion instruments.
Carrie Underwood – Storyteller 2xLP (Arista)
Recently released on CD _- now available on vinyl. Fifth album from the country/pop music superstar.
Useless Eaters – Live In San Francisco LP (Castle Face)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. A white-hot entry into Castle Face’s Live In San Francisco series: Useless Eaters, recorded in the basement of vintage clothing store, Vacation.
Vampire Belt – Unfit Structures LP (Hermit Hut)
Formed in 2002 in Western Massachusetts, Vampire Belt is Bill Nace (Body/Head, x.o.4, Ceylon Mange) on guitar and electronics and Chris Corsano (Rangda, Joe McPhee, Evan Parker) on drums and electronics. Early on, they self-released a couple of ultra-limited CDRs of lo-fi blow-outs, something like a mangled car wreck at the intersection of hardcore and free jazz. Unfit Structures is not a far cry from their obliterating early CDRs: high-energy improvised outbursts with spontaneously structured forms imploding just as soon as they begin to solidify.
Various Artists – The Early Motown EPs 7×7” (Motown)
Motown EPs came in glossy photo covers with some carrying pictures of the artists and for most this was the first glimpse of newly found idols. Artists featured on these EPs were an early Motown hall of fame including The Miracles, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and The Supremes to name just a few. Limited numbered box set.
Various Artists – The Unbroken Circle (The Musical Heritage Of The Carter Family) [2004] 2xLP (Dualtone Music)
The Unbroken Circle project was initiated by Johnny Cash and son, John Carter Cash after the passing of their family’s matriarch, June Carter Cash. It was tribute to the music of her family, the first family of country music, The Carter Family. The Unbroken Circle features fifteen new recordings of Carter Family standards by artists weaned on these incredible songs and on Mother Maybelle’s ground breaking guitar playing. The album features the last recording from Johnny Cash on “Engine One-Forty-Three,” recorded right before his death along with “Hold Fast To The Right” from June Carter Cash’s recording sessions for the double Grammy award winning Wildwood Flower album. Originally released on compact disc and digitally in 2004, this album is now being released on double vinyl for the very first time.
Various Artists – Yellow Sun Blues LP (Sun)
Recent. When native Africans arrived in America, their music developed in two distinctive branches: one, the religious moans that lead to spirituals and ultimately gospel music, and the other, field hollers and arhoolies that gave birth to the blues, which in turn ultimately let to jazz, rhythm and blues, rock and roll and soul. The location for much of this synthesis and transition was the rural Delta areas of Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas and Tennessee, along the Mississippi River, and the city of Memphis was directly in the center of this region. When engineer Sam Phillips opened the Memphis Recording Service in 1950, he expected to be documenting weddings and birthdays, but he ended up documenting something far more momentous, the electrification of rural blues, its transition to rhythm and blues and the dawn of rock & roll. Translucent blue HQ-180gm vinyl pressing.
Violent Soho/Spraynard – Split 7”+MP3 ( SideOneDummy)
Limited green colored vinyl pressing including digital download. New split release from Australian rock band Violent Soho and Spraynard, a punk band from Pennsylvania.
Anna von Hausswolff – The Miraculous LP (City Slang/Other Music)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. “Swedish singer and organist Anna Von Hausswolff makes some of the most gloriously, ecstatically dark music of the moment. Her drawn-out, confoundingly heavy pieces draw on goth, doom metal, ambient, drone, and every other kind of music that can suck the light right out of your soul. Von Hausswolff recorded her new album The Miraculous on a massive pipe organ in the northern Swedish town of Piteå, and the whole thing just sounds alarmingly huge.” – Stereogum
The Wolfmanhattan Project – Smells Like You b/w You Are My Glue 7” (In The Red)
The Wolfmanhattan Project is a brand new band featuring Mick Collins, Kid Congo and Bob Bert. Their debut single sounds like the sort of trashy, swampy, sleazy, damaged music one would expect from the gentlemen involved. An album will follow soon(ish).
Cassette:
Ulaan Khol – Salt (Soft Abuse)
Seven years after the first Ulaan Khol release arrived, Steven R. Smith continues to utilize the platform to fuse the confluence of New Zealand free noise, Australian post-punk and art-rock, and Japanese underground psych (a la PSF Records) with his own palette. Smith presents his own personal strain of psychedelic guitar exploration, alternating between blistering, hypnotic and meditative, with his scorching guitar firmly at the center. Salt is the latest chapter. Features cover of Leon Russell’s “Delta Lady.”
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