New Releases for January 8, 2016

CDs + Vinyl:

Joey Anderson – Invisible Switch CD/LP (Dekmantel)

“Anderson comes from the same corner of the house and techno universe that has given us artists like Levon Vincent, Anthony Parasole, and DJ Qu, a fellow dancer. Like them, he favors analog drum machines, hardware synthesizers, and what sounds, above all, like a lot of playing of keys and twisting of knobs in real time. Much contemporary electronic music is composed visually, assembled brick by brick on a computer screen, but Anderson’s snake-in-the-grass meanderings suggest live takes stacked one on top of another, thanks to the magic of multi-tracking.” – Pitchfork

Albert Ayler – Bells / Prophecy: Expanded Edition 2xCD (ESP-Disk Ltd.)

Albert Ayler’s trio with Gary Peacock and Sunny Murray is best known for the July 10, 1964, recording of Spiritual Unity, the album that made both Ayler and ESP-Disk’ famous when it was released in 1965. A decade after that, in 1975, ESP-Disk’ also released, as Prophecy, the first documentation of the group, recorded a month before Spiritual Unity by Canadian poet Paul Haines at a concert at a 91st Street club. These Cellar Café recordings are augmented here beyond the five cuts from the original Prophecy release by another six tracks from the same gig. 1965 yielded Ayler treasures as his style shifted. The transitional Bells was just under 20 minutes, originally released in 1965 as one side of a clear vinyl LP, with the other side empty of music. It was recorded at a May 1, 1965, Town Hall concert of ESP artists, displaying Ayler’s new group.

Blistered – The Poison Of Self Refinement CD/LP (6131)

“Hailing from Tampa and schooled in the storied tradition of FLHC, Blistered formed around 2012, and made themselves known abroad last spring following the release of their sophomore EP, Soul Erosion. Citing both Culture and Morning Again, as well as their northern contemporaries in Arma Angelus, Buried Alive, and All Out War as major influences, Blistered channels the grit and aggression of ‘90s metalcore to punishing effect, which they deftly demonstrated on Soul Erosion. Following a year’s worth of tour experience, Blistered have returned with their debut full-length, The Poison Of Self-Confinement. The album feels like a worthy successor to the era of metallic hardcore that influenced them in both tone and spirit, bringing a modern reinterpretation to the chugging mosh-riffs of yesteryear, and switching the past’s derisive message with accessible, personal lyrics while retaining the former’s sense of disillusionment and outrage.” – The Rainbow Hub

David Bowie – ☆ (Blackstar) CD/LP (Columbia)

Blackstar is David Bowie’s 28th studio album, and is released on his 69^th birthday. It is his first since 2013’s The Next Day. “The arty, unsettling Blackstar is Bowie’s best anti-pop masterpiece since the Seventies. Produced with longtime collaborator Tony Visconti and cut with a small combo of New York-based jazz musicians whose sound is wreathed in arctic electronics, Blackstar is a ricochet of textural eccentricity and pictorial-shrapnel writing.” – Rolling Stone

Brutus – Murwgebeukt CD (Willowtip)

Second album from the Dutch death metal band.

Candlebox – Lucy [Reissue/1995] CD (Friday Music)

Remastered reissue of the sophomore album by Candlebox.

Cauldron – In Ruin CD/LP (The End)

Toronto’s Cauldron is a three-piece traditional heavy metal band. They were nominated for a Juno award (Canada’s version of the Grammys) and have played Metallica’s Orion festival.

Crippled Black Phoenix – New Dark Age Tour EP 2015 AD CD/LP (Season Of Mist)

The eclectic UK rock band continues to subconsciously draw from influences as diverse as Type O Negative and Pink Floyd — the latter receiving a respectful yet unique homage in the shape of a 37-minute cover version of their classic composition “Echoes.” Despite the wide range of musical leanings, there are a unifying dark streak and somber melancholy running through the songs.

Exmortus – Ride Forth CD/LP (Prosthetic)

“Exmortus do not dick around — it’s a big part of what I love about this band. There is no following of trends; simply riffs, and hair. So much hair.” – Metalsucks

Get The Blessing – Astronautilus CD/LP (Naim Music)

Literally composed between crashing waves and deserted estuary sands, Astronautilus is an album of pounding rhythms, spacious atmospheres, and strongly-crafted melodies from one of Britain’s premier indie bands. “A head-on collision between Ornette Coleman and Lalo Schifrin. Quite a treat.” — The Times

Gorgoroth – Quantos Possunt Ad Satanitatem Trahunt [Reissue/2009] CD/LP (Soulseller)

Reissue of the eighth studio album by the Norwegian black metal band.

The Grascals – And Then There’s This… CD (Mountain Home Music Company)

They’re three-time Grammy nominated, and twice named IBMA Entertainer Of The Year. They’ve made numerous appearances on the Grand Ole Opry, and nationally syndicated TV shows. Their new album And Then There’s This… continues their legacy as one of the most powerful and groundbreaking bands in bluegrass.

Hinds – Leave Me Alone CD/LP (Mom + Pop)

Twelve perfectly imperfect and charmingly lo-fi tracks inspired by contemporary American garage rockers like Mac DeMarco, Ty Segall and The Black Lips. “Sometimes the change you don’t think you’re ready for is exactly the one you need. At the end of 2014, the Spanish quartet Deers had to abandon its name for legal reasons. It wasn’t a revision the band wanted to make, but the moniker it chose instead, Hinds (hind being another word for a female red deer), is one that might take the Madrid-based group to garage-pop stardom. Leave Me Alone, Hinds’ debut full-length, is the sound of a band settling into exactly what it wanted to be all along.” – NPR

Ignite – A War Against You CD/LP (Century Media)

A War Against You proves Ignite is still rooted in the energy and melodicism of hardcore’s salad days. 

Invocation Spells ‎– Descendent The Black Throne CD/LP (Hell’s Headbangers)

Second album by the Chilean black metal band.

Kampfar – Profan CD (Фоно/Indie Recordings)

“Much like its predecessors, Profan blends massive, cutting-edge riffage and raucous, almost punkish, energy with a sense of dark majesty and grandeur that’s both firmly rooted in the ancestral traditions of black metal, yet not utterly beholden to them. And, much like its predecessors, it continues to set an almost ludicrously high bar for those who follow after.” – No Clean Singing

King Crimson – Thrak [Reissue/1995] CD+DVD-Audio (Discipline Global Music)

A new “21st century stereo reimagining” of Thrak by Jakko Jakszyk and Robert Fripp, with accompanying DVD-Audio disc featuring 5.1 surround sound and hi-res stereo mixes by Jakszyk and Fripp, alongside a hi-res copy of the album’s original stereo mix. Digipak in slipcase with booklet with sleeve notes, rare photos and archive material.

The Lion’s Daughter – Existence Is Horror CD/LP (Season Of Mist)

New album from the St. Louis-based blackened sludge act — a crushing assault of dense riffs, pummeling rhythms, and throat-shredding vocals.

Magic Sam – Black Magic [Reissue/1968] CD (Delmark)

Recorded in late 1968, Black Magic was released only days before Magic Sam’s untimely passing on December 1, 1969 at 32. The album went on to win a W.C. Handy Award in the classic blues album category. This digipak reissue contains more than an hour of west-side Chicago blues at it’s finest, remastered from the original analog tapes.

The Mamas And The Papas – The Complete Singles: 50th Anniversary Collection 2xCD (Real Gone Music)

Released 50 years to the day after “California Dreamin’” entered the Billboard Hot 100 on January 8, 1966, this double-CD, 53-track set includes every A and B-side of each single the group released, all in their original mono single mixes.

Jason Marsalis – Heirs Of The Crescent City: Soundtrack To The Documentary Heirs CD (Elm)

A gumbo of New Orleans music.

Max Richter – Sleep 8xCD+Blu-ray (Deutsche Grammophon)

Acclaimed British composer Max Richter releases one of the longest single pieces of music ever recorded — an eight-hour lullaby entitled Sleep. The set is an exploration of music, consciousness and human connectivity and is actually intended to send the listener to (you guessed it) sleep, and is performed on piano, strings, with subtle electronic touches and vocals but no words. “It’s my personal lullaby for a frenetic world. A manifesto for a slower pace of existence. It would be great if people were to start playing it while they are getting ready for bed, so that they hear it in their sleep.” — Max Richter

Sons Of Klemet – Lest We Forget What We Came Here to Do CD/LP (Naim)

Sons Of Kemet deliver an album stuffed to the rafters with the euphoric, danceable grooves and riffs. “One of the most original ensembles in recent British jazz … a very welcome addition to the canon.” — Jazzwise

Soundtrack – Star Wars: The Ultimate Soundtrack Collection 10xCD+DVD (Sony Classical)

Soundtrack – Star Wars: The Ultimate Vinyl Collection 11xLP+MP3 (Sony Classical)

The original soundtracks for Star Wars Episodes I – VI are now issued as deluxe CD and HQ-180gm gatefold vinyl box sets.

Soundtrack – Straight Outta Compton: Music From The Motion Picture CD/2xLP (Capitol)

Classic tracks from gangsta rap pioneers N.W.A, Eazy-E, Ice Cube, and Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg, along with some old school cuts by funk and soul legends Parliament, Funkadelic, Steve Arrington’s Hall of Fame, and Roy Ayers Ubiquity.

J.D. Souther – John David Souther [Reissue/1972]

Before he was co-writing Eagles hits like “Best Of My Love,” “New Kid In Town,” and “Heartache Tonight” with Glenn Frey and Don Henley, J.D. Souther formed Longbranch/Pennywhistle with Frey when they were roommates. Their downstairs neighbor was a fellow by the name of Jackson Browne, who took Souther to audition for his boss, David Geffen, who had recently formed the Asylum Records label. After hearing two songs, Geffen told Souther to “go make a record.” And, that’s exactly what he did. John David Souther arrived in 1971, and was immediately a critical success and established Souther as a, if not the songwriter to watch.

Bob Theil – Songs From The Margin CD/LP (Strawberry Rain)

Bob Theil’s self proclaimed opus, Songs From The Margin was supposed to be the follow-up album to So Far which debuted in 1982. The project spanned seven years with “Fading Ways, Fadings Faces” being written as far back as 1977, and the remainder of the album being written between 1982 and 1984. Sadly this project was finished but never went as far as being released until now. The material on So Far didn’t translate well to the climate of the folk club scene of that time, so the Margin songs that Bob was writing at the time (along with other material) were an effort on his part to create music that reflected his admiration for the Sandy Denny/Richard Thompson area of modernized folk and rock.

Various Artists [T-Bone Walker] – Texas Guitar: From Dallas To L.A. [Reissue/1972] CD (Friday Music)

Atlantic issued this smokin’ set of Texas-blues in ’72; it’s been out of print for four decades. For the set, T-Bone Walker was joined by Al King, Lawyer Houston, Ray Agee, and R.S. Rankin.

Venomous Concept – Kick Me Silly VCIII CD/LP/Cassette (Season Of Mist)

The international grind punk supergroup featuring Brutal Truth vocalist Kevin Sharp and bassist Danny Lilker alongside Napalm Death members Shane Embury (bass) and Danny Herrera (drums), plus guitarist John Cooke, release their third full-length album.

Villagers – Where Have You Been All My Life? CD/LP+MP3 (Domino)

Villagers, a solo vehicle for Irish singer/songwriter Conor J. O’Brien, specializes in atmospheric, indie folk/chamber pop that balances the youthful exuberance of contemporaries Jens Lekman, Eugene McGuinness, and Johnny Flynn with the classic rock and pop of artists like Paul Simon and Robert Wyatt. Where Have You Been All My Life? is a collection of songs that distils five years and three albums of Villagers’ songwriting into one flowing narrative.

Vreid – Sólverv CD (Фоно/Indie Recordings)

“Sólverv, the seventh album released by Vreid in their tenure of just over a decade, comes across as a strong instance of modern Norwegian black metal (at least compared to the admittedly small portion of similar efforts I’ve seen in the past couple of years).” – Metal Blast

This Week’s Vinyl Exclusives:

ADZ – Where Where You? [Reissue/1992] LP (Gummopunx)

Reissue of a fine 1992 punk album. ADZ was supposed to be kind of a restart for The Adolescents under another name, and features members from both Adolescents and D.I.

The All-American Rejects – The All-American Rejects [Reissue/2002] LP (Doghouse)

Limited vinyl LP pressing of the 2002 debut album by the alt-rock band.

Pierre Bastien – Blue As An Orange LP (Morphine)

Active since the mid-’70s, Bastien is best known for building automated orchestras. His previous album, Machinations, was released on Aphex Twin’s Rephlex label in 2012. For Blue As An Orange, Bastien recycled components of his Silent Motors live set and assembled mechanical organisms — using amplified Meccano parts, motors, fans, rattles, paper, and nails — to generate rhythmic scaffolding. Live instrumentals, created with prepared trumpets, African kundi harp, Javanese rabab, sanza, electric harpsichord, bass, drums, and gongs, were then superimposed on top.

Björk – Vulnicura Strings LP (One Little Indian)

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Björk presents a strings version of her eighth studio studio album, Vulnicura. The original version of Vulnicura layered the boom and crack of electronic beats with an intense vocal melody and incredible string arrangements by Björk which have been performed live with a fifteen chair orchestra. This new version is musically wholly comprised of strings, with new violin solos by Una Sveinbjarnardóttir and strings recorded by a Viola Organista. Björk used the only Viola Organista in the world to perform some of the arrangements; an instrument which was designed originally by Leonardo Da Vinci but not built until after his lifetime. The instrument uses a friction belt to vibrate individual strings (similar to a violin), with the strings selected by pressing keys on the keyboard (similar to an organ). The instrument was recorded in Krakow, Poland by it’s constructor Slawomir Zubrzycki and here is where the album reached completion.

Bless The Fall – To Those Left Behind LP (Fearless)

Released last September on CD – now available on vinyl. New album from the Arizona metalcore band.

Bones & Beeker – Bones & Beeker LP (Wax Poetics)

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Anthony Newes (vocals, guitar, keys, and other sounds) and Brendan Kelly (production, drum programming, keys, glockenspiel, kalimba)—known in hip-hop circles as BK-One—were introduced through their work with the developmentally disabled. Their first meeting was a five-minute conversation about Tom Waits. Their second was at a client’s deathbed. Flanked by bassist Chris Bierden (Poliça and Pony Trash) and guitarist Nate Collis (Atmosphere and Attracted to Gods), Bones & Beeker delivers an album full of surprises.

Dave Brubeck Octet – The Dave Brubeck Octet [Reissue/1956] LP (Fantasy)

This eponymous album features early compositions by legendary jazz pianist Dave Brubeck, who was a student of composer Darius Milhaud during the time that he recorded many of the selections on this album. The Dave Brubeck Octet was released in 1956 although it compiles the octet’s complete recorded output made between 1946 and 1950, which was originally released in other forms. The 10 songs on this album were released starting in 1950 by Fantasy under the title Old Sounds From San Francisco, first as two EPs then as a single 10” LP. The album features the likes of Paul Desmond, Dick Collins and Dave Van Kriedt.

Bud Bronson & The Good Timers – Fantasy Machine LP (The Greater Than Collective)

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Bud Bronson & The Good Timers, reigning Denver Rock City champs since 2012 release their full-length studio debut, Fantasy Machine. Exploding with stadium-sized riffs, dual-lead pyrotechnics and storytelling that splits the atom between earnestness and absurdity, Fantasy Machine tells of the struggle to maintain the wide-eyed wonder of adolescence — when a Squier strat could transform a suburban bedroom into an arena of screaming fans — during the long stretch between the twilight of childhood and the rest of your life.

Johnny Cash – Johnny99 [Reissue/1983] LP (Friday Music)
HQ-180gm clear vinyl. In 1983, after a plethora of chart topping albums and a treasure trove of smash country and pop songs, Johnny Cash put together Johnny 99. Recorded in L.A. with some of the greatest musicians of our time, Cash picked a selection of songs written by some of his good friends, including Bruce Springsteen’s “Highway Patrolman” and “Johnny 99” from Nebraska.

Catch 22 – Alone In A Crowd [Reissue/2000] LP (Victory)

Over five albums hardworking East Brunswick Township, New Jersey act Catch 22 have proven themselves to be one of the top ska influenced punk rock bands in the world along with groups like Less Than Jake, Suicide Machines and The Mighty Might Bosstones. On their infectious sophomore album Alone In A Crowd (2000), the band pumps out an intense and inspirational 14-track set that marvelously blends traditional pop punk with a saluting three-piece horn section amidst themes of alienation and the loss of innocence.

Christian Death – Atrocities [Reissue/1986] LP (Season Of Mist)

Christian Death – The Scriptures [Reissue/1987] LP (Season Of Mist)

Christian Death’s 1986 album Atrocities continued their evolution as both the gothic/death rock genre’s leading architects and provocateurs. Spearheaded by Valor Kand with long-time members Gitane Demone and David Glass, Atrocities marked a lyrical shift to a more direct attack on organized religion rather than a subversive approach. The Scriptures (1987) saw bandleader Valor Kand take an even bolder step forward with the emphasis on world religion inside the group’s grandiose goth-rock framework. Gatefold colored vinyl reissues.

Drift – Black Devotion LP (Avant)

Six songs of self-described as “devotional synth” by London-based Nathalia Bruno (of Phosphor and Leave The Planet). Some bright and shiny tracks; others are more ethereal.

Family Fodder – Sunday Girls (Director’s Cut) [Reissue/1979] LP (Staubgold)

Released last October on CD – now available on vinyl. The legendary first 12” EP by UK underground heroes Family Fodder, originally released in 1979, is now reissued for the first time. Sunday Girls (Director’s Cut) features the complete Sunday Girls EP, the debut Family Fodder 7” “Playing Golf (With My Flesh Crawling)” b/w “My Baby Takes Valium” (1979), the “Debbie Harrry” b/w “A ‘Version’” 7” from 1980, the 7” A-side “Warm” (1980), and two tracks from the rare Te Deum 12” (1979) by Alig Fodder’s pre-Fodder project Frank Sumatra. Family Fodder was originally formed in 1979 by Alig Pearce, with a cast of thousands joining over the ensuing three decades. They emerged from the melting-pot of ’70s/’80s London alongside This Heat, The Flying Lizards, The Pop Group, The Slits, and many others. The original formula consisted of psychedelic and new wave influences, incisive songwriting, improvisation, experimentation, and far-out dub mixing.

Khwanta Fasawang – Lam Phaen Motorsai Tham Saep: The Best of Lam Phaen Sister No. 1 LP (EM)

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. The best of Khwanta Fasawang, the number-one soulful sister of 1980s lam phaen, queen of the cassette era. She was chosen, from over a thousand demo tapes, by legendary producer and songwriter Doi Inthanon, who wanted to create a new streetwise dance music. The lam phaen genre was the result, and Khwanta Fasawang was the singer he chose to be its representative. Combining earlier musical trajectories with electronic elements and lyrics dealing with drinking and love, money and motorcycles, Khwanta led the cassette-format lam phaen boom of the early ’80s, gaining great popularity in both her native Isan and across the whole country.

Fire Deuce – Children Of The Deuce [2005] 10” (Evil Ink)

Limited red 10” vinyl pressing of the 2005 debut EP by this alt-rock side-project formed by Travis Stever of Coheed and Cambria. A description on the official Fire Deuce website describes their style as: “elements of Coheed and Cambria’s unique style alongside the hard-rock influence of bands such as AC/DC and Guns N’ Roses, the raw energy of The Stooges, and the rocking punk riffage of Turbonegro, to create a brilliant, must-have record any Coheed and Cambria fan will love…”

Freedom – U.S.A. Hardcore LP+MP3 (Triple B.)

New album from the Detroit hardcore band.

The Freeze – Freak Show [1994] LP (Gummopunx)

The Freeze – Crawling Blind [1994] LP (Gummopunx)

A pair of the Boston punk/hardcore legend’s albums on vinyl for the first time.

Marvin Gaye – That Stubborn Kinda’ Fellow [Reissue/1962] LP (Rumble)

Marvin Gaye’s second LP was a who’s who of the Motor City, featuring background vocals from The Supremes, The Temptations, and The Vandellas, songwriting help from Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong, and the undeniable musicianship of the Funk Brothers. One of the earliest hits for Motown’s Tamla label, That Stubborn Kinda’ Fellow, was instrumental in establishing both Marvin Gaye and the Motor City Sound. A classic piece of Detroit R&B history reissued here on LP.

Gentleman’s Dub Club – The Big Smoke LP (Easy Star)

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. The Big Smoke takes listeners on a well-paced and diverse musical journey, with guest appearances by major UK reggae talent and “Bedroom Eyes” writer Natty (on “One Night Only”) and tenor sax star Josh Arcoleo (best known for his work with the legendary Pee Wee Ellis as well as Joss Stone, Katy B, and many others).

German Army – Kalash Tirich Mir LP (Yerevan Tapes)

From the dehydrated and dilapidated outskirts of Los Angles in San Bernardino County comes this mysterious duo’s fifth full-length LP—a non-stop stream with truly weird approaches that mix early industrial and exotic infatuations, cheap electronics and world music sound bites, primitive toy drumming and Eastern traditions heritage, twanging guitars and dub reverberations obnoxious drones and beach-like radiance. Previous releases on Opal Tapes, Handmade Birds, Beläten and Chondritic Sound.

The Hell – Brutopia LP (Prosthetic)

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. “Last summer, anonymous hardcore outfit The Hell turned our heads with Groovehammer and they had us asking two questions: who on earth were they and why were they calling us all dickheads? Neither of those things mattered, because we found ourselves becoming big fans of their tongue-in-cheek take on the hardcore genre, so when they announced their follow-up Brutopia we jumped out of our seats with joy. We thought that The Hell couldn’t get any better, but with Brutopia they’ve proved us wrong.” – Bring The Noise

The Jack Moves – The Jack Moves LP (Wax Poetics)

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. The Jack Moves is a Newark, NJ old school soul style duo consisting of singer and multi-instrumentalist Zee Desmondes — who has a mean falsetto — and drummer/producer Teddy Powell.

Jawbreaker – Dear You [Reissue/1995] LP (Geffen)

Blue vinyl reissue of Jawbreaker’s seminal 1995 album, which many say, ushered in the next wave of emo and pop-punk.

Jimmy Eat World – Static Prevails [Reissue/1996] 2xLP (Interscope)

Jimmy Eat World – Bleed American [Reissue/2001] LP (Interscope)

Jimmy Eat World – Futures [Reissue/2004] 2xLP (Interscope)

Jimmy Eat World – Stay On My Side Tonight [Reissue/2005] LP (Interscope)

Limited vinyl reissues of a handful of the Arizona emo-rock band’s albums, as well as their 2005 EP Stay On My Side Tonight.

Last Exit – Iron Path [Reissue/1988] LP (ESP-Disk)

Reissued last June on CD – now available on vinyl. A pioneering hybrid of abstract heavy metal, unsettling ambient music and free improvisation from Last Exit: Sonny Sharrock (guitar), Peter Brötzmann (saxophone), Bill Laswell (bass), and Ronald Shannon Jackson (drums).

Loretta Lynn – Van Lear Rose [Reissue/2004] LP (Third Man)

Jack White’s collaboration with the country music legend is back in print on vinyl.

Yo-Yo Ma – Plays Ennio Morricone [2004] 2xLP (Masterworks)

Features cello-driven interpretations of themes from Cinema Paradiso, The Good, The Bad And The Ugly, The Mission and The Untouchables. First time on vinyl.

Machine Gun Kelly – General Admission 2xLP (Bad Boy/Interscope)

Released last October on CD – now available on vinyl. The second album from the rapper features guest appearances from Kid Rock, Leroy Sanchez, Lzzy Hale, and more.

Malign – A Sun To Scorch 10” (Ajna Offensive)

To paraphrase our fiends at No Clean Singing: “you enjoy writhing black metal extremity, and riffs that swarm with reptilian menace and hammer powerfully at the gates of doom; your pulse quickens at the sound of a drummer who rocks and blasts with mechanistic precision; you relish bestial growls that go straight for your throat with teeth bared; you crave black metal that gets stuck in your head like a pick-axe, and atmospheres of infernal menace, befitting the rising of a vengeful sun that emanates death. You know what comes next.”

Tarquin Manek – Tarquin Magnet LP (Blackest Ever Black)

A unique synthesis of time-dilating folk-jazz romanticism, brittle chamber dub, and plasmic post-techno electronics.

Mantis – Turn Onto Music [Reissue/1973] LP (Universal Music NZ)

Mantis recorded the legendary Turn On To Music LP during a four month visit to Wellington, New Zealand in 1973. Some serious Fijian funk with a garagey-Santana feel, and sometimes almost Stooge-like in parts, the album was released in NZ only on local Vertigo in a limited run of 300 copies.

Marriage & Cancer – Killjoy 7” (Dirt Cult)

Described by the Portland Mercury as, “crooked, anxious, punk-flecked rock,” Marriage & Cancer is a band that writes disturbing songs about the real things that keep paranoid and aware people up at night. Through catchy melodies and warm tones balanced by distorted noise, hard rhythms, and a mix of reserved reverbed-out vocals and cracked screams, there is a pervasive unease, a warning about the real demons that haunt this world.

Tim McGraw­ – Damn Country Music 2xLP (Big Machine)

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. 14th studio album from the country superstar.

Mouse Sluts – Mouse Sluts LP (Bruit Direct Disques)

Dan Melchior, Graham Lambkin, Letha Rodman Melchior and Glen (who we hope Guinness will recognize as the world’s most recorded budgie) under the influence of oddball reports from regional newspapers. Highlights include Letha’s keyboard-playing and Glen’s chimpanzee impressions.

Mutemath – Vitals LP (Wojtek)

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Mutemath is a Grammy-nominated alt-soul/rock band from New Orleans that formed in 2002. The band consists of members Paul Meany (vocals, keyboards, piano, keytar), Darren King (drums, percussion), Roy Mitchell-Cárdenas (bass, vocals), and Todd Gummerman (guitar, vocals). They meld hip-hop styled beats, moments of beauty and grandeur, big hooks, and vocals that pay homage to classic rock.

Koichi Namiki/Katsuhiro Hayashi/Shigeru Ohwada – Super Hang-On LP (Data Disc)

For their fourth release in partnership with Sega, Data Disc is proud to present the soundtrack to one of the defining arcade games of the 1980s: Super Hang-On. Using audio sourced directly from the original 1987 arcade machine sound board, this carefully restored and remastered edition presents the unforgettable soundtrack to Sega and Yu Suzuki’s classic racer on vinyl for the first time outside of Japan.

Nelly – Country Grammar [Reissue/2000] 2xLP (Motown)

Vinyl reissue of the Midwest rapper’s debut album. Part of UMe’s ongoing Respect The Classics campaign.

Oceans Ate Alaska – Lost Isles LP (Fearless)

Released early last year on CD – now available on vinyl. Stemming from Birmingham, UK, the furious five-piece Oceans Ate Alaska offers a progressive strain of experimental modern metalcore.

The Oh Hellos – Dear Wormwood LP (Elektra)

Released last October on CD – now available on vinyl. The Oh Hellos began in a cluttered bedroom, where siblings Maggie and Tyler Heath (born and raised in southern Texas) recorded their self-titled EP in 2011. Their second full-length album, Dear Wormwood, is a collection of songs inspired in part by C.S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters and Patrick Rothfuss’ The Name Of The Wind, mythology and folklore, and apocalyptic literature. Their influences range from Fleet Foxes and Sufjan Stevens to The Middle East and the Muppets, bending and blending styles and genres into a unique mixture of eclectic folk rock.

Ornament – Protest Music LP (Ideal)

Growing’s Joe Denardo tests audiences’ decibel tolerances with sounds ranging from guitar-based rawness to deeply effected, screwed-up percussion. The complex sounds and images here contend with the absolute grayness of existence.

Pell – Limbo LP (Federal Prism)

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. New Orleans rapper Pell’s new album Limbo features production from Dave Sitek of TV On The Radio and Tomas Barfod of WhoMadeWho. “I would describe it as futuristic soul. It’s something that definitely resonates with people when they listen to it for the first time because it has an air of nostalgia.” – Pell. “Pell’s tool belt of talents goes hand-in-hand with Sitek’s seasoned sound library, and there’s a little bit of everything as a result: the dance floor (‘Almighty Dollar,’ ‘Queso’) and introspection (‘The Wild,’ ‘Sandlot’) are given equal time and care.” – Pigeons & Planes

Art Pepper Quintet – Smack Up [Reissue/1960] LP (Fantasy)

On this 1960 album, Pepper’s impassioned alto sax is appropriately applied to the compositions of six saxophonists, among them Benny Carter, Ornette Coleman, and Pepper himself. Includes trumpeter Jack Sheldon in a rare performance. Smack Up also includes musical assistance from Pete Jolly, Jimmy Bond and Frank Butler.

Rev. Leon Pinson – The George Mitchell Collection LP (Big Legal Mess)

Available on vinyl for the first time, this 12-track collection of stripped down traditional blues songs performed by Rev. Leon Pinson alone on vocals and guitar was recorded in Cleveland, Mississippi in 1967 by folklorist George Mitchell.

Play Date – We All Shine LP (Asian Man)

Released last July on CD – now available on vinyl. The kindie-rock duo featuring Greg Attonito (Bouncing Souls) and Shanti Wintergate offers up a new album full of stellar, fun, upbeat music for the whole family.

Elvis Presley – Raised On Rock / For Ol’ Times Sake [Reissue/1973] LP (Friday Music)

HQ-180gm clear vinyl repress. Raised On Rock / For Ol’ Times Sake contains several smashes including the Jimmy Reed blues classic “Just A Little Bit,” the soulful Memphis groovers “Three Corn Patches,” “Find Out What’s Happening,” and the ballad “Are You Sincere.”

Dieter Roth/Richard Hamilton – Canciones De Cadaques [Reissue/1976] 2×7” (Primary Information)

Dieter Roth and Richard Hamilton alternately perform on vocals and guitar, with assistance from a Cadaqués dog, Chispas Luis who periodically takes over vocal duties with a particularly sharp bark. The duo worked together from 1961 to 1998 and produced several projects across many mediums, including this double-7” originally release in 1976 by Hansjörg Mayer.

Rush – Grace Under Pressure [Reissue/1984] LP+MP3 (Mercury)

Rush – Power Windows [Reissue/1985] LP+MP3 (Mercury)

Rush – Hold Your Fire [Reissue/1987] LP+MP3 (Mercury)

Latest installments in Rush’s 40^th anniversary HQ-200gm vinyl reissue campaign.

Sex Church – Flowers LP (Limited Appeal)

Sex Church is and was a band from Vancouver, BC. From 2008 until going on a permanent hiatus in 2014, they played their own brand of hypnotic, downtrodden psychedelic “punk”. Their music is greatly influenced by the rainy, gloomy atmosphere of their home city, the monotony of daily life and what we all do to try and escape it.

Rae Sremmurd – Sremmlife LP (Eardruma/Interscope)

Released early last year on CD – now available on vinyl. Debut studio album from hip-hop duo Rae Sremmurd. The album includes the singles “No Flex Zone,” “No Type” and “Throw Sum Mo.”

Lindsey Stirling – Lindsey Stirling [2012] LP (Lindseystomp Music)

Lindsey Stirling is an electronic violinist whose use of big beats and animation has landed her over seven million YouTube subscribers, over 1 billion views on her YouTube channel, a Billboard music award, and sold out tours worldwide.

Tangerine Dream – Thief [OST/Reissue/1981] LP (Audio Fidelity)

Tangerine Dream was chosen by Michael Mann to write and produce the original score for Thief, his 1981 directorial debut. The group added their patented pulses, blips and whooshes to the film’s highly stylized visual scenes. Up to this time, no one had ever used a sequencer for a neo-noir film, and this score was rather unusual for American cinema upon release.

Various Artists – Alright In The City LP (Universal Music NZ)

Alright In The City is a collection of late 60s/early ‘70s F-U-N-K-Y hard rock from New Zealand. Post-Woodstock, the NZ rock scene accelerated from the beat years of the mid sixties, gobbling some psychedelics on the way and concentrated on the G-R-O-O-V-E.

A Will Away – Bliss LP (Triple Crown)

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. A Will Away’s sound draws influences from elements of melodic pop and the early 2000s emo movement.

Link Wray & The Wraymen – Rare Demos & Alternate Takes 1958-1961 LP (Rumble)

Link Wray’s incredible influence on 50 years of rock and roll following his debut single is no mystery to anyone. Everything that was handed down to today’s current crop of head-bangers from the likes of Led Zeppelin and the Who can be traced back to this hero from Dunn, North Carolina. This LP compiles rare and unissued cuts, demos and B-sides from his early, and best, years on the Cadence and Epic labels.

Wretched – Son Of Perdition [2012] LP (Victory)

First-time vinyl edition of the the third album by the American death metal band. 

The Zombies – Still Got That Hunger LP (The End)

Released last October on CD – now available on vinyl. By the start of the new Millennium, Blunstone and Argent were inspired to resurrect The Zombies, recruiting bassist Jim Rodford (formerly of Argent and The Kinks), Rodford’s son Steve on drums, and renowned session guitarist Tom Toomey. The Zombies returned to the studio in early 2015 to begin work on a new album – only taking breaks to debut new songs live during a triumphant return to SXSW, a live Yahoo! Screen broadcast from House Of Blues New Orleans, and their first appearances at the UK’s Great Escape and Glastonbury Festivals. 

Cassettes:

Anemone Tube – In The Vortex Of Dionysian Reality (The Epicuriean)

Related to Nietzsche’s notion of the Wagerian music drama as a revelation of the abysmal truth about man, In The Vortex Of Dionysian Reality lures the listener into the Dionysian dreamland, where tragedy reigns, in pursuit of the ultimate oneness. On this homage to guitar solos and dreamy sci-fi death metal, washes of noise. layers of piercing feedback on a sub-base of wavering synths, and a general maelstrom of sound generate a hallucinatory reality.

Venomous Concept – Kick Me Silly VCIII (Season Of Mist)

The international grind punk supergroup featuring Brutal Truth vocalist Kevin Sharp and bassist Danny Lilker alongside Napalm Death members Shane Embury (bass) and Danny Herrera (drums), plus guitarist John Cooke, release their third full-length album.