CDs + Vinyl:
Rez Abbasi & Junction – Behind The Vibration CD (Cuneiform)
On his new album, realized via his new electric band Junction, Rez Abbasi embraces his rock ‘n’ roll roots with a bear hug that encompasses post-bop, South Asian traditions, and state of the art sonics.
Mike Adams At His Honest Weight – Casino Drone CD/LP (Joyful Noise)
On Casino Drone, his third solo album, Mike Adams At His Honest Weight emerges as both a Hoosier power-pop auteur and a poet of the Indiana everyday. He crafts supremely catchy melodies and fashions ingenious arrangements that thrum with synthpop sparkle, shoegaze drone, classic rock fervor, and sonic textures that draw from easy listening as well as avant garde experiments.
Adult Jazz – Earrings Off! CD/LP (Tri Angle)
“The Leeds-based band Adult Jazz released one of 2014’s most surprising records, an ear-candy mix of warped sounds, disjointed melodies and fractured beats. Now the group is back with an equally captivating follow-up and a new track, ‘Earrings Off!’ The song and album are both largely about gender identity, a theme the group also explored on its 2014 record, Gist Is.” — NPR
Afroman – Happy To Be Alive CD (Cleopatra)
All new musical celebrations of Afroman’s favorite green herb as well as newly recorded versions of his classic tracks “Because I Got High,” “Palmdale,” “She Won’t Let Me F**k,” and “Crazy Rap.”
Against The Current – In Our Bones CD (Fueled By Ramen)
Against The Current is a pop-rock band from Poughkeepsie, New York, who formed in 2011. Signed to the label that brought you Paramore, Fall Out Boy and Twenty One Pilots to name a few, In Our Bones is the band’s debut album.
Alborosie – Freedom & Fyah CD/LP (VP)
One of reggae’s emerging masters of dubwise production, Alborosie has honed his craft through the creation of six studio albums (five for Greenleeves). Along the way, he has become the biggest selling European roots reggae artist. His latest album, Freedom & Fyah, demonstrates his production skill and depth of feel with these contemporary and authentic reggae jams.
JD Allen – Americana: Musings On Jazz And Blues CD (Savant)
This is tenor saxman and composer JD Allen’s tenth album as a leader and his fifth consecutive project for Savant. Once again, his regular sidemen for the past eight years, bassist Gregg August and drummer Rudy Royston, are back on board.
Terry Allen – Juarez [Reissue/1975] CD/LP+MP3 (Paradise Of Bachelors)
Legendary Texan artist Terry Allen occupies a unique position straddling the frontiers of country music and visual art; he has worked with everyone from Guy Clark to David Byrne to Lucinda Williams, and his artwork resides in museums worldwide. Widely celebrated as a masterpiece — arguably one of the greatest concept albums of all time — his spare, haunting 1975 debut LP Juarez is a violent, fractured tale of the chthonic American Southwest and borderlands.
GG Allin – Carnival Of Excess CD (Ponk Media)
GG Allin’s outlaw country swan song is wild, raw and unlike anything he had done before. Featuring takes on the Warren Zevon classic “Carmelita” and “Pick Me Up (On Your Way Down)” made famous by Patsy Cline, these are some of GG’s final recordings. [Stand-alone documentary DVD Carnival Of Excess is also available this week.]
Angel Du$t – Rock The F**k On Forever CD/LP+MP3 (Run For Cover)
Angel Du$t is a Baltimore supergroup-type crew made up of five dudes who are all in hardcore bands (Trapped Under Ice, Turnstile). Rock The F**k On is the band’s sophomore album. The album’s second single, “Upside Down,” is “a speedy ripper that makes me feel like I’m thirteen in the best way possible, head-banging by myself like the true pop-punk wallflower that I was.” – The Fader
Jeff Angell’s Staticland – Jeff Angell’s Staticland CD/2xLP+MP3 (UDR)
Welcome to Jeff Angell’s Staticland — blues rock which breathes new life into the genre.
Angry Angles – Angry Angles CD/LP+MP3 (Goner)
This 17-song collection comprises the complete studio recordings (including five unreleased tracks) of the Jay “Reatard” Lindsey and Alix Brown project that came together shortly after the mid- ‘05 demise of the former’s long-running primary endeavor, The Lost Sounds. The sheer immensity of Lindsey’s musical discography relative Reatard’s artist’s death in January of 2010 at the age of 29 is an undeniably impressive attribute of his legacy. But unlike other artists with massively prolific output, his militantly self-imposed standard of quality control assured this project was not simply a prolonged demo or practice session for what came next-his landmark solo debut Blood Visions. [Vinyl version includes a download of the album plus a board recording of a full set of the band in its prime at Gonerfest 3 (September, 2006).]
Richard Ashcroft – These People CD/LP (Harvest)
“Richard Ashcroft’s brilliant new album These People, a slice of classic Verve song craft with modernist electronic touches, was pieced together in his home basement studio in bursts over the past six years, in between ‘being a dad and living a standard-ish kind of life with dogs and school runs.’ Having discarded the distraction of his mobile phone, he tinkered at length with ‘new old keyboards,’ learning new crafts and trying reinvent the looping melodicism of Urban Hymns. ‘With all the studios closing down, record sales hit massively, the whole industry changing, I had to re-evaluate how I could still create these super records,’ he explains. “So [album track] ‘Out Of My Body’ is in the mould of ‘A Song For The Lovers’, ‘Bittersweet Symphony’, going right back. It’s a proper old-school record made with modern technology and old stuff to create something you’ve never heard before.’” – NME
Assassin – Combat Cathedral CD (Steamhammer)
New album from the German thrash metal pioneers. [Vinyl edition due June 3.]
Big Jon Atkinson & Bob Corritore – House Party At Big Jon’s CD (Delta Groove)
Seasoned harmonica ace Bob Corritore joins forces with rising young blues star Big Jon Atkinson.
Barenaked Ladies – BNL Rocks Red Rocks CD (Vanguard)
Recorded live at Red Rocks Amphitheater during last year’s Last Summer On Earth tour, BNL Rocks Red Rocks features some of the band’s biggest hits, including “One Week,” “If I Had $1,000,000” and more, plus songs from their last two albums including “Odds Are” (from Grinning Streak) and the recent single “Duct Tape Heart” (from Silverball).
Bent Knee – So So CD (Cuneiform)
Bent Knee is a band without frontiers. The Boston-based group seamlessly connects the worlds of rock, pop and the avant-garde into its own self-defining statement. “Say So resoundingly demonstrates the increasing refinement and confidence of a group that doesn’t quite fit any conventional pigeonhole, with emphatic crunch, a knack for complexity, mixed with lively wit.” — The Boston Globe
Black Pistol Fire – Don’t Wake The Riot CD/LP+MP3 (Modern Outsider)
Black Pistol Fire is a high-octane rock duo based out of Austin, TX by way of Toronto, Canada. They draw inspiration from Led Zeppelin, Chuck Berry, Nirvana, Buddy Holly.
The Blues Magoos – Mercury Singles (1966-1968) CD/LP (Sundazed)
Hailing from NYC, The Blues Magoos took the folk/blues soundtrack of their mid- ‘60s Greenwich Village contemporaries and forged it into a tough, garage/psych hybrid that attracted fans as quickly as it angered folk club owners, incensed by the band’s volume and unhinged stage show. In total, The Blues Magoos released three albums and eight singles on Mercury. Sundazed has now gathered all sixteen A- and B-sides together on this compilation, which features the accurate, original mono single mixes from the Mercury masters.
David Bowie – ChangesOneBowie [Reissue/1976] CD/LP (Parolophone)
May 20, 2016 is 40 years to the day that David Bowie’s first ever best-of compilation, including songs from 1969 to 1976, was released. Remastered on CD with 180gm vinyl pressing also available.
Braids – Companion CDEP/12” (Arbutus)
The four songs included on Companion were written while the Canadian band was working on debut album, Deep In The Iris. They told The FADER that the tracks were recorded in the months following that album’s release. “Braids are so damn good because Raphaelle Standell-Preston writes lyrics that mine personal insecurities and then together, as a band, they manage to fuse all that pain into criminally catchy hooks.” — Stereogum
Clarence Bucaro – Pendulum CD (MRI Associated)
“Credit Clarence Bucaro for establishing his reputation as a serene, serendipitous crooner whose credibility as a serious songwriter has managed to win him favor with fans of easy, breezy melodies and folks who recognize and appreciate honest, heartfelt expression. Bucaro is one of those rare artists who manage to achieve both goals; much like Paul Simon and James Taylor, he’s able to offer up optimism and circumspect all within the space of a single song, enticing and entrancing his listeners all in the same breath. Indeed, Bucaro’s built a career on crafting superb songs, many of which sound like standards even on first hearing. His excellent new album Pendulum demonstrates those skills and more, with offerings that literally seem to shine, bringing both a restful repose and thoughtful exposition all at the same time.” – No Depression
Buffalo Summer – Second Sun CD/LP (UDR)
Southern Welsh rockers Buffalo Summer are “big, bluesy, heavy and curvy.” Proudly proclaiming that they “bring the soul from the coal,” Buffalo Summer bristle with the warm, rich old-school tones of groups such as Led Zeppelin, The Black Crowes, Jack White and Deep Purple.
Car Seat Headrest – Teens Of Denial CD/2xLP+MP3 (Matador)
With Teens Of Denial, his first real “studio” album with an actual band, Will Toledo moves from bedroom pop to something approaching classic rock grandeur and huge (if detailed and personal) narrative ambitions, with nods to the Cars, Pavement, Jonathan Richman, Wire, and William Onyeabor.
Cyrus Chestnut – Natural Essence CD (HighNote)
With the dynamic Lenny White on drums and the redoubtable Buster Williams on bass Cyrus & company breathe new life and vitality into that most venerable of jazz ensemble formats, the piano trio.
Eric Clapton – I Still Do CD/2xLP+MP3 (Bushbranch/Surf Dog)
Eric Clapton has reunited with Glyn Johns for his 23rd studio album, I Still Do. Clapton and
Johns — who has also produced albums for The Eagles, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin and The Who — most famously worked together on Clapton’s iconic Slowhand album. I Still Do features a combination of new material written by Clapton as well as cover versions of classic songs, contemporary tunes and influences interpreted in his own style. [Double 180gm vinyl pressing was mastered for 45 RPM.]
Cows – Daddy Has A Tail [Reissue/1989] CD/LP (Amphetamine Reptile)
Daddy Has A Tail is the second Cows album overall and their first album on Amphetamine Reptile Records. Originally released in 1989, this one erased the lines between punk, noise and grunge and threw them all in a blender.
Dawn Of Ashes – Theophany CD (Metropolis)
Seamlessly blending black metal and industrial influences, Dawn Of Ashes is violent, unrelenting, and cinematic.
Death – Scream Bloody Gore [Reissue/1987] 3xCD/LP (Relapse)
Deluxe/expanded CD reissue of Death’s masterful and genre-defining debut, Scream Bloody Gore, which helped set the new standard for the still malleable death metal style in 1987. Includes three discs, featuring the remasters of the original tapes by Alan Douches on the first disc, the initial Florida recordings and previously unreleased early rehearsal recordings songs on the second and more rehearsal material on the third. [Aside from the expanded CD, standard black and multiple color single-disc vinyl pressings have been manufactured, with varying degrees of availability.]
Debo Band – Ere Gobez CD/2xLP (FPE)
Debo Band raises the roof on the Ethiopian musical past, picking up where the political upheaval of the ‘70s/’80s quenched the energy of one of East Africa’s most prolific, vibrant scenes. Ere Gobez is the follow up to their debut on Sub Pop, and the large ensemble, known for its fun, danceable dives into Ethiopia’s rich musical worlds with riotous energy and sinuous swing.”
Deep Purple – Machine Head [40th Anniversary Edition] 2xCD (Rhino)
Expanded reissue of Deep Purple’s 1972 album (this is the 2012 remastered version) with quad mixes on the second disc.
Brett Dennen – Por Favor CD (New Elektra)
“On Brett Dennen’s sixth album, Por Favor, the California-based songwriter says he explores a ‘raw vulnerability.’ A relationship he was in had become rocky. His parents sold his childhood home. And changes in his professional life made for an uneasy state. ‘I wasn’t feeling good about myself or life,’ he says. ‘I was feeling kinda sad.’ It was fertile ground for writing, though. Dennen says ‘What’s The Secret?’ — the lead track on Por Favor — sets the tone for the album perfectly. It’s an upbeat number that fuses his folky style of the past with calypso sounds. Lyrically, though, it touches on what he’s been going through in the last year. ‘It’s a song about asking for help,’ he says. Dennen recorded the album in Nashville at Dave Cobb’s (Chris Stapleton, Jason Isbell) home studio in roughly two weeks last year, with a bulk of the sessions taking just five days. Dennen used analog equipment this time — a first for him — to get a more soulful, vintage sound.” – Wall Street Journal Arts
Bob Dylan – Fallen Angels CD/LP+MP3 (Columbia)
Fallen Angels is the 37th studio album from Bob Dylan, and as with last year’s Shadows In The Night, features his take on classic tunes from The Great American Songbook. “On Fallen Angels, Dylan sings as though he’s deep within a reverie — seized by the memory of some ‘pug-nosed dream’ from 30 years ago, unable to fully bring himself into the present. He evokes heartbreak, or recollections of heartbreak, with a convincingly unsteady tremble. He sings lighter love songs with a vaudevillian’s panache. And even when he’s rendering something that requires a more philosophical tone, like ‘Young At Heart,’ he invests the lines with some personal meaning, some trace awareness of his own fragile state. In this way, he’s turned advanced age, with its endless backward glances, into an advantage: These are old songs sung by an old guy who is fully owning the oldness, the melancholy, the spontaneous outbreaks of gushy sentimentality” – NPR. [Includes lithograph with purchase – while supplies last.]
First Fragment – Dasein CD/2xLP (Unique Leader)
“What makes a great tech death album? Is it how fast they play? How over the top the riffing is, how ridiculous the drumming is? Well, yes, but not entirely. What makes a great tech death album is the same thing that makes a great album of any genre. Good songwriting. And coincidentally, that’s what First Fragment are pretty great at.” – Heavy Blog Is Heavy
Flame Tree featuring Nik Turner – Flame Tree featuring Nick Turner CD (Cleopatra)
Hawkwind alum Nik Turner brings his spacey sax and freakout flute playing to this experimental jazz fusion ensemble.
Flotsam And Jetsam – Flotsam And Jetsam CD/LP (AFM)
New album from the veteran Arizona metallers.
John Foxx – 21st Century: A Man, A Woman And A City CD+DVD (Metamatic)
21st Century: A Man, A Woman And A City highlights some of John Foxx’s best songs from 2000 onward. These include his work with Louis Gordon, John Foxx And The Maths, and Robin Guthrie (Cocteau Twins), as well as collaborations with Gazelle Twin, The Belbury Circle (Ghost Box), Matthew Dear, Jori Hulkkonen, and The Soft Moon. There are also two brand-new John Foxx And The Maths tracks – “A Many Splendoured Thing” and “A Man And A Woman” — plus two previously unreleased remixes by OMD and ADULT. Finally, the previously unreleased album closer, “Talk (Are You Listening To Me?),” brings together John Foxx And The Maths with Gary Numan for the first time.
Michael Franti & Spearhead – Yell Fire! [Reissue/2006] CD (Fantasy)
Michael Franti & Spearhead – All Rebel Rockers [Reissue/2008] CD (Fantasy)
“After the politically overcharged anti-war rant of Yell Fire! in 2006, Michael Franti & Spearhead felt a musical sea change coming. He’d recorded part of that album in Kingston, Jamaica with the legendary production team Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare. For All Rebel Rockers they returned for more. The end result is their finest record to date. Reggae and dancehall are the preeminent musics here, but they aren’t the only ones” – All Music. [New album Soulrocker due June 3.]
Alan Ginsberg – The Last Word On First Blues 3xCD (Omnivore)
The Last Word On First Blues is an expanded version of Alan Ginsberg’s 1983 album, First Blues. In 1971, Allen called on Bob Dylan to record a slew of political, gay rights, and just plain wacky songs. Along for the ride was Jack Kerouac’s musical partner David Amram, Happy Traum, and young avant-garde cellist, Arthur Russell. For the sessions, Allen was lyricist, composer, and lead vocalist. The original 1971 recordings remained dormant until 1983 when they were released as First Blues—coupled with 1976 sessions produced by Columbia Records exec John Hammond, and some newer 1981 sessions which included Beat Generation legend Peter Orlovsky and Rolling Thunder Revue sideman David Mansfield. This set contains that original double LP, plus 11 previously unissued songs from the 1971 and 1981 sessions, demos and live recordings including Dylan and/or Arthur Russell and a cameo by Don Cherry on kazoo. The package features a 28-page booklet of rare photos, writings, and drawings from Ginsberg’s Archives, and an essay from set producer Pat Thomas, featuring interviews with the original participants.
Ariana Grande – Dangerous Woman CD (Republic)
New album from the Grammy Award-nominated, multi-platinum superstar. “Sex has certainly been selling for former Nickelodeon darling Ariana Grande. And the title track and lead single—an incendiary, sensual, guitar-spiced R&B jam—from her third solo album, Dangerous Woman, indicates that she’s not even close to done with her sensual marketing plan.” – Plugged In
Grave Miasma – Endless Pilgrimage CDEP (Profound Lore)
Prog-infused death metal from England. For fans of early Morbid Angel, early Sepultura (first two releases only), Possessed, Portal, Immolation. [Vinyl edition due June 17.]
Gruesome – Dimensions Of Horror CDEP/12” (Relapse)
After exploding on to the death metal scene in 2015 with their Leprosy-inspired full-length debut Savage Land, death metal wrecking crew Gruesome—featuring current and former members of Exhumed, Possessed, Malevolent Creation and Derketa—return with this new EP.
Havoc & The Alchemist – The Silent Partners CD (iHipHop Distribution)
The Silent Partners is an organic album that brings together one-half of Mobb with their favorite producer, The Alchemist.
Head Of The Demon – Sathanas Trismegistos CD/LP (Ajna Offensive)
As a logical next step after their self-titled 2012 debut, Head Of The Demon further entrenches themselves in heavy metal of the various occult shades. Their bare-boned metal with an eldritch shape, akin to Sabbath meets Mortuary Drape, vibrates on a solid foundation with a poetic,
less-is-more approach.
Tim Heidecker – In Glendale CD (Jagjaguwar)
For the last decade, Tim Heidecker (along with his comedy partner Eric Wareheim) has proven to be one of the cult-comedy greats with his Adult Swim series Tim & Eric’s Awesome Show, Great Job! and Tim & Eric’s Bedtime Stories. In Glendale is his first earnest collection of songwriting under his full name, and shows Heidecker shifting deftly from the mundane to the idiosyncratic; from the sentimental to the caustic; from the earnest to the humorous. His knack for crafting catchy tunes amid curious subject matter pops up in spades.
Helios Creed – Last Laugh [Reissue/1989] CD/LP (Amphetamine Reptile)
Reissue of alien guitarist Helios Creed’s second solo album originally released on Amphetamine Reptile Records in 1989 and long out of print. Space is the place for the Chrome guitarist and the Last Laugh is sci fi punk psych lift off.
The Highwaymen – The Very Best Of CD (Sony)
This new collection from the country supergroup contains their best known songs plus a previously unreleased cover of Bob Dylan’s “One Too Many Mornings” and select tracks from the Live: American Outlaws release. Frequently referred to as “the Mount Rushmore of country music,” The Highwaymen — Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings and Kris Kristofferson — were American country music’s first bona fide supergroup, an epic quartet comprised of the outlaw country genre’s pioneering stars.
The Highwaymen – Live: American Outlaws 3xCD+DVD/3xCD+Blu-ray (Sony)
A box set of concert performances recorded live at Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, New York, March 14, 1990 and additional tracks recorded live at various Farm Aid Festivals. The DVD/Blu-Ray contains the complete Uniondale 1990 concert film.
Reuben Hollenbon – Terminal Nostalgia CD/LP+MP3 (Bright Antenna)
Largely self-produced, Terminal Nostalgia is a collection of deeply personal stories told with raw, tremulous vocals. The soundscape takes influence from Reuben’s time as a recording engineer for several well-known acts including Basement Jaxx, Courtney Barnett and The London Symphony Orchestra. The quiet and understated life has always been familiar to him. Growing up by the coast, in Norfolk, England, the child of two social workers, Reuben remembers a youth spent pedaling bicycles out to the sea, and exploring the land and people around him.
Honeycutters – On The Ropes CD/2xLP (Organic/Select-O-Hits)
“Fitting in at country honky-tonks and hard-scrabble bars alike, the Honeycutters have built a reputation for high energy shows coupled with tight harmonies and wistfully delicate lyrics of longing, heartbreak, and the American experience” — Alan Cackett.
Honey Radar – Blank Cartoon CD/LP (What’s Your Rupture?)
The second album from Philadelphia’s Honey Radar. Psych-tinged pop for fans of Guided By Voices and The Velvet Underground.
Iron Savior – Titancraft CD/2xLP (AFM)
New album from the German power metal band.
Issues – Headspace CD (Rise)
Sophomore album from the metalcore band. Headspace combine heavy rock and melodic choruses spirited by dueling vocalists Tyler Carter and Michael Bohn — Tyler delivering his signature, beautiful soulful soaring vocals and Michael crunching onto the track with his fierce hard hitting screams and melodic hooks. [Vinyl version due July 1.]
Japanther – Eat Like Lisa Act Like Bart [Reissue/2013] CD/Cassette (Lauren)
Japanther is the music and art project of Matt Reilly and Ian Vanek, who joined forces in 2001 and have taken on multitude of creative endeavors since. Known for their unconventional live performances, the band has appeared alongside synchronized swimmers, atop the Williamsburg Bridge, with giant puppets and marionettes, in the back of a moving truck in Soho, and at shows with giant dinosaurs and BMX bikers flying off the walls, all while creating layers of buzzing guitar, shimmering synth and regimental percussion, and the occasional sing-along chorus.
Katatonia – The Fall Of Hearts CD/CD+DVD/2xLP+MP3 (Peaceville)
10th studio album from the Swedish purveyors of dark progressive rock & metal. [CD is available in Regluar and Deluxe editions. Deluxe edition in media book packaging includes an additional audio track on the CD plus a DVD containing hi-res stereo and 5.1 surround mix of the album.]
Masabumi Kikuchi – Black Orpheus CD (ECM)
A document of a 2012 Japanese solo piano recital — not only the last in his homeland but the last anywhere — by idiosyncratic improviser Masabumi Kikuchi (1939-2015).
The Last Ditches – Spilt Milk CD (Rocker Records LLC)
The Last Ditches sprang into being thanks to the animal cunning and persistence of funk metal bassist extraordinaire and studio owner, Randy Pratt. Randy had a deep conviction that he, along with actual no-kidding punk legend, New York’s Heartbreakers’ Walter Lure, The Planets’ long time guitarist, Binky Philips, and Rainbow and Black Sabbath’s master prog metal drummer, Bobby Rondinelli, would make an amazing sound together.
The Lavender Flu – Heavy Air CD/2xLP (Holy Mountain)
Recently released on double-vinyl – now available on single CD. A home-recording project completely open to experimentation but in love with songs, The Lavender Flu is masterminded by Chris Gunn (The Hunches, Hospitals). Their massive 30-song debut double-album was conceived over a period of years and outside of the genre concentration camps. Like Terrence Malick’s Tree Of Life remade by the ghost of Phillip K. Dick, its psychedelic and dense, projecting sounds as images inside your head, layers and layers yielding new secrets with each listen. Traces of Big Star, Royal Trux, Brian Eno, Meat Puppets II and American Beauty are in their DNA, but The Lavender Flu is its own beast.
Tippa Lee – Cultural Ambassador CD/LP (Stones Throw)
Tippa Lee was born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica. He started performing on his father’s Sound System as a child, standing up on a beer bottle box to reach the mic. He made his first recordings at King Tubby ‘ s studio at the age of 12. This new album sees Tippa team up with producer by Tom Chasteen, DJ and promoter at L.A.’s long-running Dub Club. The musical tracks were recorded by a hand-picked studio band including reggae legends Tony Chin on guitar and Fully Fullwood on bass, while Tippa spits rhymes in the smoky riddims.
John Long – Stand Your Ground CD (Delta Groove)
A decade between releases and John Long hasn’t lost a step. His 2006 debut album Lost & Found caught the attention of pre-war country blues aficionados everywhere. Stand Your Ground is another slice of Americana, while also expanding Long’s signature sound with the introduction of his amplified acoustic guitar and a rhythm section on several tracks featuring Fred Kaplan on piano, Bill Stuve on upright bass and Washington Rucker on drums.
Lords Of Acid – Smoking Hot CD (Metropolis)
Praga Khan, mastermind behind Belgian techno-acid-sleaze machine Lords Of Acid has compiled a selection of hand-picked choices of the hottest songs in the LOA catalog.
Ziggy Marley – Ziggy Marley CD (Tuff Gong)
Marley’s new self-titled album (and sixth solo album overall) marks his first since 2014’s critically acclaimed Fly Rasta, which took home the 2015 Grammy award for Best Reggae Album.
Methyl Ethyl – Oh Human Spectacle CD/LP+MP3 (4AD)
Methyl Ethel is the latest addition to the 4AD roster. Hailing from the remote fringes of Perth, Western Australia, linchpin Jake Webb started Methyl Ethel in 2013 as a way of getting his bedroom recordings out in the public domain. The assonant moniker takes its name from the chemical compound Webb’s father uses to make fibre-glass – methyl ethyl ketone peroxide. Like 4AD peers Grimes, Bradford Cox, and Tune-Yards, Webb wrote, played and recorded everything on Oh Inhuman Spectacle.
Misha – We All Become CD/LP (Tomlab)
Misha is multi-instrumentalist/writer/producer John Chao (lap steel, violin, guitar, accordion, others) with a small set of friends (Ronit Granot, Amy Vachal.) All We Will Become is Misha’s second album, and is is a pop album about love in its incarnations, from start to end — of rapturously falling head over heels, of togetherness, of loss and grief, and bittersweet beauty that comes after.
Mock Orange – Put The Kid On The Sleepy Horse CD/LP (Topshelf)
Eighth album from the veteran Evansville, IN indie band. For fans of Built to Spill, Dinosaur Jr. and Modest Mouse.
Mountains And Rainbows – Particles CD/2xLP+MP3 (Castleface)
Last summer, John Dwyer came back from a Thee Oh Sees tour talking about a fantastic band he’d played with in Detroit called Mountains And Rainbows. What followed him home was a double-LP of shopworn weirdness and a delightfully loose attitude that must have something to do with the ecstasy of a Midwestern summer.
Mrs. Magician – Bermuda CD/LP+MP3 (Swami)
A concise collection of punk songs inspired by the big sounds of classic ’60s pop and rock ‘n’ roll and ’70s/’80s power pop.
Mudcrutch – Mudcrutch 2 CD/LP (Reprise)
Mudcrutch, Tom Petty‘s pre-Heartbreakers Southern rock band, return with their second album, Mudcrutch 2, released eight years after their 2008 debut. Songwriting for Mudcrutch 2 was a shared responsibility, with Petty (who plays bass in the group) penning seven of the record’s cuts and the remainder of the track listing coming courtesy of solo compositions from Mike Campbell, Tom Leadon, Randall Marsh and Benmont Tench. “The lead single, ‘Trailer’ is a quintessential Tom Petty song full of yearning and nostalgia over the twangiest of guitars, soulful harmonica, and subdued drums. Petty sings, ‘I coulda had the Army / I coulda had the Navy / But no I had to go for a mobile home / I gave it all to you baby.’ But Petty pines over the wouldas, couldas, and shouldas like none other, and you can feel his palpable regret from giving everything he had to make love work. Just when it feels his emotions are at their rawest, the energy ramps up before a cooling close. It’s a bit depressing, but man does it hit that spot if you need to go there.” — Stereogum
Mutual Benefit – Skip A Sinking Stone CD/LP (Mom + Pop)
Mutial Benefit is essentially one man – American multi-instrumentalist Jordan Lee – who lives a peripatetic existence drifting between different US cities, recording with chosen co-musicians as he travels. Currently based in New York, Lee’s second collection as Mutual Benefit had its genesis while he toured [debut album] Love’s Crushing Diamond, as a successful artist with money coming in for the first time. After the low key opening of ‘Madrugada,’ two ambient, wordless minutes of gently fluttering strings, acoustic guitar and wind chimes, Lee soon hits peak form on the superb title track. Beginning with a whispered eulogy: ‘You are the first thing I see /When I open my eyes and wake from a dream,’ the song then shifts gear effortlessly into the kind of lilting, piano-led groove that characterized much of Love’s Crushing Diamond before building to a series of shimmering, euphoric crescendos rich in emotional intensity. Elsewhere, ‘Slow March’ is a hypnotic blend of deft finger picked guitar and Indian-influenced textures, while ‘Many Returns’ starts with a stately, haunting organ and then glides serenely towards a graceful, arcing chorus. Both of these tracks showcase Lee’s unfailing ability to deploy musicians sparingly yet effectively to supplement the simplicity of his song writing, subtly adding extra layers to the sound without ever saturating the inherently fragile structures. [Limited color vinyl pressing also available.]
Marissa Nadler – Strangers CD/LP (Sacred Bones)
For more than 12 years, Marissa Nadler has perfected her own take on the exquisitely sculpted gothic American songform. On her seventh full-length, Strangers, she has shed any self-imposed restrictions her earlier albums adhered to, stepped through a looking glass, and created a truly monumental work. Once again partnered with July producer Randall Dunn (Sunn O))), Earth, Black Mountain) Nadler has created a new album equal in sonic quality to the apocalyptic lyrical tone that covers its 44 minutes. In places her voice and guitar play off subsonic synths, while elsewhere, as in “Katie I Know,” a pulsing drumbeat launches the song off into an intense, confrontational place. “Janie In Love” is another full-band highlight, marrying the album’s most allegorically primal lyrics to the melodic hooks that makes Nadler one of the best songwriters working today. [Limited color vinyl pressing including slipmat also available.]
Mani Neumeier – Talking Guru Drums CD (Cleopatra)
Guru Guru drummer Mani Neumeier offers this eclectic album of explorations into psychedelic, world, and folk music.
No Sinner – Old Habbits Die Hard CD/LP+MP3 (Provogue)
Second album by Canadian blues rockers.
onDeadWaves – onDeadWaves CD/LP (Mute)
Originally brought together by Mute founder Daniel Miller for 2011’s Mute Short Circuit Festival, the duo of Maps’ James Chapman and fellow labelmate Polly Scattergood decided to continue their collaboration as onDeadWaves. With both artists releasing solo albums in 2013 — Maps’ Vicissitude and Scattergood’s Arrows — the pair finally reconvened at Chapman’s home studio to start writing what would eventually become their debut album. Sharing the same musical vision, the pair drew inspiration from the likes of Low, Bob Dylan, and Leonard Cohen to create a sound that would have a real cinematic feeling.
Pantha Du Prince – The Triad CD/2xLP (Rough Trade)
The German techno auteur releases his first proper studio album since his 2010’s Black Noise, and 2013’s collaboration with The Bell Laboratory, Elements Of Light. On the new album’s conceptual framework Hendrik Weber says, “Black Noise was very much about me being alone in a small room in Berlin and composing. The Triad opens the structure to more human ways of interacting, not digitized ways of interacting. It’s not about Facebook; it’s about meeting up and jamming. I wanted to cut through the digital dust that surrounds us.”
Ana Popovic – Trilogy 3xCD (Artist Exclusive)
23 blues, jazz & funk tunes produced by Grammy Award winner Warren Riker (Lauryn Hill, Carlos Santana), Grammy Award winner Tom Hambridge (Buddy Guy, Susan Tedeschi) and Delfeayo Marsalis, one of the top trombonists, composers and producers in jazz today. Guest appearances include Joe Bonamassa, Robert Randolph, Bernard Purdie (The Purdie Shuffle), Cody Dickinson (North Mississippi Allstars), rapper Al Capone and many others.
Quaker City Night Hawks – El Astronautica CD/LP+MP3 (Lightning Rod)
The Quaker Night Hawks are a Southern band, to be sure, but it’s not the South we’ve come to expect from our rock and roll. Equally influenced by ZZ Top and science fiction, they write of landscape both familiar and foreign, of a people working to shed their past but still burdened with its repercussions even in the distant future.
Ry X – Dawn CD/LP (Loma Vista)
Debut album from release from Australian singer/songwriter Ry Cuming aka Ry X (of The Acid and Howling). “Both ‘Only’ and ‘Deliverance’ showcase Ry’s boundless ability to create thought-provoking atmospheric music, engulfed with distinctively ethereal yet powerful vocal lines. ‘Only’ is filled with soft guitars and drifting vocals that harbor intense emotion, while ‘Deliverance’ starts with a bare piano melody and grows into something completely different.” – KCRW
Rachel Sage – Choreographic CD (ILS/Caroline)
Rachael Sage’s Choreographic delivers a musically ambitious and emotionally accessible tribute to her very first love: dance. Connecting to her roots in ballet, the NYC-based artist ‘envisioned each song as a fully-choreographed multi-media experience’. The result is an inspired set of piano-based chamber-pop merging orchestral elements with her signature blend of folk, pop and rock.
Sanzu – Heavy Over The Home CD/LP (Listenable)
“We’ve been singing the praises of Australia’s Sanzu since we first heard their EP, Painless, this past summer. So we’re pleased to report that Heavy Over The Home, the band’s debut full-length, more than fulfills the promise of that EP. Very much in the same vein as bands like Morbid Angel and Gojira, Sanzu’s Heavy Over The Home is the kind of album that’s so weighty and forceful you feel as though you might be flattened just listening to it; it’s beyond marching elephants, it’s elephants marching on top of you. Now THAT is heavy.” – Metal Sucks
Saosin – Along The Shadow CD (Epitaph)
Along The Shadow is Saoson’s third full-length release, marking the end of a three and a half year hiatus for the post-hardcore band with the return of original lead vocalist Anthony Green. Vinyl edition due June 17.
Satyricon – Nemesis Divina [Reissue/1996] CD/LP (Napalm)
Reissue of the Norwegian black metal band’s third album – repressed on CD and vinyl.
Andy Shauf – The Party CD/LP+MP3 (ANTI-)
Andy Shauf — he’s a sad-sack Saskatchewanian songwriter who grew up in a tiny town (pop. 919) off the Trans-Canada Highway somewhere between Swift Current and Moose Jaw. His breakthrough album was called Bearer Of Bad News. But don’t feel bad for Andy Shauf. Social invitations have been “pouring in” from Jeff Tweedy, Nick Hornby and Low (for whom he opened two US tours in 2015). Now the self-produced multi-instrumentalist and master of subtlety is ready to invite everyone to The Party. The Party is a series of character sketches, ostensibly set at a specific gathering. It’s not exactly a concept record or a John Hughes script for a Robert Altman film, but writing it was definitely a way for Shauf to get out of his own head.
Blake Shelton – If I’m Honest CD (WB)
10th studio album by the country superstar.
Sick Puppies – Fury CD (DrillDown Entertainment)
Considered as Australian rock ‘n’ roll royalty, Sick Puppies return with their fourth album and first since the departure of frontman Shimon Moore. Their tenacious work ethic, perseverance and groove-ridden tracks have paved the way to their sharing the stage with Deftones, Evanescence, Breaking Benjamin, Incubus, Tool and more. About Fury, new guitarist/vocalist Bryan Scott recently told Guitar World, “this is a raw, empowering album that’s full of emotion. There are a few different themes to it, but a lot of it connects to us personally—and especially single, ‘Stick To Your Guns.’ It really relates to what we’re doing. It’s a song about perseverance.” He continued, “this album is more than just meeting and starting a new vibe. It was about pouring every ounce of energy and emotion we have into these songs. We wrote a lot of songs for this album and chose the ones someone could listen to from beginning to end without skipping a track.” [Vinyl version due July 1.]
The So So Glos – Kamikaze CD/LP (Votiv)
“The So So Glos are scenester fixtures, but with their fifth studio album, Kamikaze, they’re getting better and better at what they do, making a strong case for their hookiest and most varied work yet. While it has the sweaty garage rock true to the sort of Brooklyn D.I.Y. venues the So Sos helped found like Market Hotel and Shea on, it also includes a good deal of the tightest songwriting the band has shown.” – Billboard
Soundtrack – Vinyl: The Essentials: Best Of Season 1 CD (Atlantic)
Another soundtrack from the HBO series. Includes tracks from Iggy Pop, Charli XCX, Elvis Costello, Chris Cornell, and Julian Casablancas, among others.
Markus Stockhausen and Florian Weber – Alba CD (ECM)
Alba is the premiere recording of trumpeter Markus Stockhausen’s duo with pianist Florian Weber. Though very different in their connections to the language of jazz, both musicians share a deep interest in the process of creative expression: of looking inwards and outwards with intensity at things, for echoes, resonances, insights.
Thumbscrew (Michael Formanek/Tomas Fujiwara/Mary Halvorson) – Convallaria CD (Cuneiform)
New jazz trio comprised of veteran bass master Michael Formanek, protean guitarist Mary Halvorson, and indefatigably resourceful drummer Tomas Fujiwara. While exploring an array of improvisational spaces, the band has honed a sinewy sound marked by transparent textures and astringent rhythms. It’s music that pushes outward and snaps back into unexpectedly altered forms.
Tiger Army – V CD (Rise)
Twenty years into their punk-and-rockabilly-merging career, Cali crew Tiger Army release their fifth full-length. [Vinyl version due July 1.]
Tiny Moving Parts – Celebrate CD/LP+MP3 (Triple Crown)
New album from the charming math rock trio. Celebrate kicks off with darker, sadder moments, like “Happy Birthday” and it’s story of being left, and fights to stay positive as it carries through. “Prodigy” which adds violin on the album to provide a new tone for the band to “Breathe Deep” that tells the story of a snow man trying to make it beyond winter and through summer over chipper, videogame-like guitar. Eventually, Celebrate blooms into full blown optimism on closer “Minnow.” [Limited color vinyl pressing is also available.]
Vardis – Red Eye CD (Steamhammer)
Vardis were forged out of glam, punk, heavy metal, blues and rock & roll in the crucible of 1970s northern England. They are a product of rock music across three generations: inspired by the great rockers and electric bluesmen of the ‘50s and ‘60s, learning their trade rubbing shoulders with the young guns of hard rock and punk in the ‘70s, and achieving prominence in the ‘80s as part of the NWOBHM. The hard, ferocious attack of their sound directly influenced the development of thrash and speed metal across North America and Europe, cited by metal giants such as Metallica and Megadeth. [Vinyl version due June 3.]
Various Artists – Day Of The Dead 5xCD (4AD)
This 59-track, six-hour long Grateful Dead tribute album was created and curated by brothers Aaron and Bryce Dessner of The National, and features over 60 artists from varied musical backgrounds. All profits will help fight for AIDS/HIV and related health issues around the world through the Red Hot Organization. Some of the big names included here: Jim James, The War On Drugs, The National, Kurt Vile, Mumford & Sons, Wilco with Bob Weir, The Tallest Man On Earth, Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, The Walkmen, The Flaming Lips, and so many more.
Virgin Steele – Act I & Act II 3xCD (Steamhammer)
A barbaric, romantic, epic metal opera.
Yuna – Chapters CD (Verve)
Yuna’s new album, Chapters, was produced by Fisticuffs, Robin Hanibal, and DJ Premier, and features guest appearances from Usher and Jhene Aiko. Her personally charged songs are deeply felt yet melodically irresistible, combining her engaging voice and expressive songcraft with imaginative production to create wholly distinctive music that’s won her comparisons with the likes of Feist, Adele and Norah Jones.
Zig-Zags – Running Out Of Red CD/LP+MP3 (Castle Face)
Sophomore album from SoCal bonehead savants peddles a scuzzy fusion of punk, metal, stoner rock, and trailer trash culture.
Zo! – SkyBreak CD (Foreign Exchange Music)
SkyBreak features guest appearances from Eric Roberson, Phonte, Muhsinah, innovative UK soul wonder Dornik, and longtime Dungeon Family affiliate and funk/rock veteran Joi.
Zodiac Mprint – Ride The Stars CD (Majik Ninja)
Zodiac Mprint is a group comprised of Blaze Ya Dead Homie and The R.O.C.
The Zombies – BBC Radio Sessions 2xCD (Varese Sarabande)
The first complete collection of The Zombies’ BBC Radio broadcasts ever released on CD. The
album includes five previously unreleased tracks that were not included on the limited edition vinyl album issued in 2015.
John Zorn – Mockingbird CD (Tzadik)
Featuring the magical sonorities of Bill Frisell’s guitar in a heavenly tapestry of harp and vibraphone, the Gnostic Trio is one of the most sublime ensembles in Zorn’s ever-expanding universe. Their sixth CD presents gorgeous and intimate chamber music touching upon themes of innocence, adventure, childhood and longing that unfold like an exotic flower. Inspired by the charming character Scout from the American classic To Kill A Mockingbird and tempered by a folk-like simplicity, Zorn and company spins an hypnotic web of melodic beauty to soothe the restless spirit.
DVDs + Blu-ray:
GG Allin – Carnival Of Excess DVD (Ponk Media)
An insightful view of GG Allin at his most candid as he talks about his life, his art and the baggage that accompanies being the godfather of scum rock. Chock full of interviews, acoustic performances, pictures and music from time spent with GG in Charlotte, NC and Tampa, FL during 1991.
The Damned – Don’t You Wish That We Were Dead Blu-ray+DVD (Cleopatra)
From Lemmy filmmaker Wes Orshoski comes the story of the long-ignored pioneers of punk: The Damned, the first UK punks on wax and the first to cross the Atlantic. The film includes appearances from Chrissie Hynde, Mick Jones, Lemmy and members of Pink Floyd, Black Flag, Depeche Mode, the Sex Pistols, Blondie, Buzzcocks, and more. Shot around the globe over three years, the film charts the band’s complex history and infighting. It captures the band as it celebrated its 35th anniversary with a world tour and found its estranged former members striking out on their own anniversary tour, while other former members battled cancer.
Jimmy Dawkins – West Side Chicago Blues DVD (JSP)
The latest release in the retrospective series of blues performance documentaries from JSP Records and Blues Archive features Jimmy Dawkins who was an important figure in Chicago blues from the 1950’s onwards. His unique style of guitar playing is showcased in this rare full performance video shot in 2000.
This Week’s Vinyl Exclusives:
Matt Andersen – Coal Mining Blues [Reissue/2011] 2xLP (True North)
Matt Andersen – Honest Man LP (True North)
A powerhouse performer with a giant, soul filled voice and commanding stage presence, Matt Andersen has built a formidable following the old fashioned way, touring worldwide and spreading his reputation through word of mouth. Along the way he managed to net three Maple Blues Awards, a Memphis Blues Challenge win, CIMA Road Gold Award certification, a European Blues Award and a Juno Award nomination for 2014’s Weightless.
The Astronomer – You Could Be Something When You Disappear LP (Kim Industries)
First vinyl release from the folk-tronic Chicago band, whose sound has been described as “beautifully ethereal…full of evocative, hushed melodies” (AV Club) and cited for its “haunting melodies & spacious, lush orchestrations” (Chicago Public Radio). The record strings together cinematic folk songs adorned by disintegrating electronics and disembodied voices to create a sound that frontman and songwriter Charles Kim calls “hopeful, even in the realization that things are fading away.”
Atomic Ape – Rampage b/w Shadow Valse 7” (Web Of Mimicry)
“Rampage” is a jumping number that immediately hooks with bombast, surf overtones, and spy-movie motifs, filtered through the lens of a modern jazz-rock group. Howling horns, swinging bass lines, and swanky organ solos steal the show, leading an infectious assault of the eardrums. “Shadow Valse” reveals a softer side—a harmonically rich, densely layered mix of instrumentation and percussion. It soothes before building an undeniable energy, full of unforced improvisations and a deft sense of melody, rhythm, and groove.
John Bender – I Don’t Remember Now/I Don’t Want to Talk About [Reissue/1980] LP (Superior Viaduct)
Bender’s first album from 1980 is the holy grail of minimal lo-fi electronics. Layers of fractured melodies, distorted synthesizers, hollowed-out rhythms and claustrophobic vocals unfold over the 40 minutes of this lost masterpiece.
Sir Richard Bishop – Salvador Kali [1998] 2xLP (Exiled)
First ever vinyl edition of Sir Richard Bishop’s Salvador Kali, originally released on CD by John Fahey’s Revenant label in 1998. A stunningly beautiful instrumental album that is entirely accessible.
Peter Broderick – Music For Falling From Trees [2009] LP (Western Vinyl)
Peter Broderick’s Music For Falling From Trees is a 29-minute piece, in seven sections, created for a contemporary dance by London’s Adrienne Hart. Adrienne told Peter she was looking for a score of piano and strings, so he left the guitar and his voice aside and focused entirely on those two timbres. The dance tells the story of a man in a psychiatric hospital, and his struggle to maintain his identity. Beautifully utilizing piano and strings, the music evokes a melancholic and playful narrative.
Claire Cronin – Came Down To A Storm LP (Ba Da Bing!)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Came Down To A Storm is a collaboration between Cronin and Deerhoof guitarist John Dieterich, who met by chance at a Los Angeles show and began writing songs together long-distance. After sending recordings and ideas back and forth over email for a year, Cronin joined Dieterich at his house in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to record the album. The spare, melancholy style of Cronin’s previous self-released work is evident here, but the music created with Dieterich takes Came Down A Storm beyond the folk genre. Cronin’s voice recalls Karen Dalton or Jason Molina in its sincerity and ache—plaintive and burnished with a kind of dark gold throughout. The instruments build around her singing: breaking to crescendos, driving emotional currents, or providing lively counterpoint to the lyric’s funereal themes.
The Cure – Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me [Reissue/1987] 2xLP (Elektra)
HQ-180gm black vinyl reissue of The Cure’s five-star 1987 album.
Dag Nasty – Cold Heart b/w Wanting Nothing 7” (Dischord)
This single includes two new songs by Washington, DC’s Dag Nasty. For this session, the band returned to its original lineup: guitarist Brian Baker, singer Shawn Brown, bassist Roger Marbury, and drummer Colin Sears. The songs were recorded in December of 2015 at Inner Ear Studios with Done Zientara and Ian MacKaye — the first time that this lineup of the band has been in the studio together since October 1985.
Kyle Forester – Kyle Forester LP+MP3 (Flying Moonlight)
As a member of Crystal Stilts and Ladybug Transistor and an all-purpose sideman for too many others to mention, Kyle Forester has appeared on dozens of recordings. His solo debut presents twelve headily crafted AM gold heart-pop tunes that leave you both swimming and simmering. “Like Deerhunter by way of Real Estate, matching acoustic finger-plucking with swelling head-trip synths as he sends a string of romantic reflections pinging through the echo chamber.” –Stereogum
Grimes/d’Eon – Darkbloom [Reissue/2011] 12” (Arbutus/Hippos In Tanks)
Harnessing the dark energy of her sophomore album Halfaxa with the shimmering dream pop of Geidi Primes, Grimes’ side represents a synthesis of these two sonic personalities. Displaying a level of clarity and craftsmanship heretofore unseen in her releases, Boucher presents a stunning new collection of ethereal dreamscapes that expand her creative palette without compromising the spectral presence she is known for.
Hazing – Disconsolate LP (Invogue)
Hazing is a five-piece rock band from Kansas City, MO. The band brings back the nostalgic feeling of mid-2000’s pop punk with comparisons from Blink-182 to Taking Back Sunday.
John Lee Hooker – Alone Volume 1 LP (Fat Possum)
John Lee Hooker – Alone Volume 2 LP (Fat Possum)
This 1976 solo live set by the Detroit blues titan captured at New York’s Hunter College is now available across two individual LPs.
Ilian – Love Me Crazy [Reissue/1977] LP (Anthology Recordings)
Leon Nahat sat on a pier at Hermosa Beach with his guitar and noted how each wave was different. He saw birds fly above and got a feeling. He went right to a recording studio and put “Saturday Song” down in one take, a touchstone of his sole 1977 album.
The Jesus And Mary Chain – Honey’s Dead [Reissue/1992] LP (Plain)
Gold vinyl reissue of the fourth studio album by The Jesus And Mary Chain. The title refers to one of the band’s early hits, “Just Like Honey,” and the complete departure from their earlier musical style. Honey’s Dead was recorded and mixed in the band’s London studio with famed engineers Alan Moulder and Flood.
Louie Louie – Out In The Streets b/w Miles Around 7” (Hidden Volume)
Louie Louie’s vinyl debut features two brain-altering tracks that recall equal parts Shangri-Las, Luv’d Ones, surf, and garage.
Mean Jeans – Tight New Dimension LP+MP3 (Fat Wreck Chords)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Since forming in 2006, Mean Jeans have become one of the better-known bands of the Pacific Northwest punk scene for their chaotic but relentless attack, raucous live shows, and fierce commitment to the art of partying. Tight New Dimension furthers the band’s absurdist party-punk agenda. The music is tight, Ramones-influenced pop-punk with garage-rock attitude.
The Mercury Program – New Myths LP (Lovitt)
As per Mercury Program’s previous releases, the music on New Myths is lush and consonant – a combination of nuanced rhythms, minimalist riffs, and hazy atmospheres. Melodies are gracefully swapped and shuffled between guitar, vibraphone, and Rhodes piano. The music is serene and often hypnotic.
Miserable – Uncontrollable LP+MP3 (Native Sound)
Kristina Estfandiari is Miserable. Based in the Bay Area and the vocalist in King Woman, she writes and performs a brand of moving and evocative music that oozes with nostalgia. Written and recorded over the course of a year, Uncontrollable is consequentially the most emotional and saddest release of her career, as she wrestles with insecurities, grief and the lingering feeling of a lack of control.
Motörhead – Overkill 7” (Cleopatra)
Motörhead’s 1979 single (from the album of the same name) is paired with an etching of the the band’s mascot on Side B.
OBN III’s – Rich Old White Men 7” (12xU)
“Rippers of this quality probably aren’t gonna put a halt to a plethora of ‘rock is dead’ essays; those are typically penned by folks can’t be bothered to read this, let alone buy a f**king record. The rest of you, however, the savvy characters with guts, imagination, any sort of critical faculties (and did I mention impervious to flattery?)—you’re gonna figure this out pretty fast.”
Old Man Luedecke – Domestic Eccentric LP (True North)
Released last year on CD – now available on vinyl. Multiple Juno Award-Winning Old Man Luedecke’s narrative-driven folk songs are playful, coy, and soul warming. Domestic Eccentric was recorded in a cabin he built by hand in the snowy woods around Chester, Nova Scotia and produced by Grammy award winner Tim O Brien.
Party Lights – He’s Gonna Hurt You 7” (Hidden Volume)
No. 4 in Hidden Volume’s Factory Series features Brooklyn’s Party Lights. Think The Go-Go’s meet The Real Kids but with a little bit of bubblegum and whole lot of Cheap Trick thrown into the mix.
Phish – Hoist [Reissue/1994] 2xLP+MP3 (Jemp)
For those of you that missed out on the red color vinyl edition (RSD 2016) of Phish’s 1994 album, Hoist, now is your chance to snatch up a (still-limited) HQ-180gm black vinyl copy.
Pig Destroyer – Painter Of Dead Girls [Reissue/2004] LP+MP3 (Robotic Empire)
This expanded silver/purple color deluxe vinyl edition of Painter Of Dead Girls showcases th egrind legends at their most primal.
Pvris – White Noise [Deluxe] LP+7”+DVD (Rise)
Recently released on CD – now available on color vinyl. Deluxe edition reissue of Pvris’ 2014 album, expanded with three bonus tracks and music video DVD. Massachusetts trio Pvris were originally a high-decibel metalcore band. Encouraged by producer Blake Harnage of emo-rockers VersaEmerge though, they’ve embraced emotive synth-pop on this debut.
Qui / Skating Polly – Split 7” (ORG Music)
Los Angeles-based experimental/noise/math/weirdo duo Qui team up with Oklahoma City riot grrrl duo Skating Polly for this limited edition split 7″ release.
Radiohead – Burn The Witch b/w Spectre 7” (XL)
The lead single for A Moon Shaped Pool (physical copies due June 17) is backed with their rejected James Bond theme. [This single is extremely limited. In fact, by the time you read this, they most likely long gone.]
Rarity – I Couldn’t Be Weaker LP+MP3 (Rise)
Recently released on CD – now available on color vinyl. Canadian pop/punk.
Rosali – Out Of Love LP+MP3 (Siltbreeze)
Stunning debut from Philadelphia-based artist offers sublime guitars and flickering psychedelia.
Buffy Sainte-Marie – Power In The Blood LP (True North)
Released last year on CD – now available on vinyl. Power In The Blood is Sainte-Marie’s first new album in six years, and includes odes to the sanctity of life, the splendor of Mother Nature, and scything political and social.
Say Anything – I Don’t Think It Is LP (Equal Vision)
Recently released on CD—now available on vinyl. One of the most commendable aspects of Say Anything is their willingness to grow and explore new sounds, or “challenge myself musically,” as lead singer Max Bemis describes it. Sure, the band’s rebellious message is present throughout the entire discography, and Bemis can still produce endless witticisms seemingly at random, but this album is different. I Don’t Think It Is starts with “Give A Damn,” the anthem of not caring what anyone has to say, which suits the band’s new style. The song is aggressive with loud vocals, intrusive lyrics, and edgy guitars. The third track, “Rum,” is a slower song with raspy vocals and impressive drums. Following is the 1 ½ minute upbeat, punk sounding “So Numb.” “Jiminy,” the sixth track is more melodious with rhythmic guitar riffs, emotional vocals, and laid-back beats.
Scream – Fumble [Reissue/1993] LP (Dischord)
Fumble is the fifth and final full-length by Washington, DC’s Scream. It features nine songs recorded in December of 1989 by Eli Janney at Inner Ear Studios. Formed in Bailey’s Crossroads, Virginia in 1981 by brothers Peter and Franz Stahl, bassist Skeeter Thompson and drummer Kent Stax, Scream released four albums on Dischord Records. Dave Grohl, a punk kid who grew up in nearby Springfield, VA, replaced Stax on the drums in 1986. Fumble was the second Scream record to feature Grohl—the first was No More Censorship, which was released on RAS Records—and it includes his sole lead vocal for the band, “Gods Look Down.”
Scupper – Everything b/w Down Me Out 7” (Ever/Never)
Both “Everything” and its flip, “Drown Me Out,” nail the kind of surging, harmony-laden melodic punk that Superchunk used to specialize in.
Anoushka Shankar – Land Of Gold LP (Deutsche Grammophon)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Anoushka Shankar returns with her fourth album on Deutsche Grammophon, Land Of Gold, a fervent response to the humanitarian crisis of displaced people fleeing conflict and poverty. With exquisite arrangements blending genres and musical collaborations, Land Of Gold is a message of enduring hope from the virtuoso sitar player, featuring guest vocalists M.I.A. (“Jump In (Cross the Line)”) and Alev Lenz (“Land Of Gold”) as well as actress Vanessa Redgrave (“Remain The Sea”).
Carly Simon – Boys In The Trees [Reissue/1978] LP (Friday Music)
Simon’s seventh studio effort was originally issued in 1978 on the heels of the success of the James Bond The Spy Who Loved Me theme song “Nobody Does It Better,” the year prior. The platinum-certified release benefits from a sophisticated production from Arif Mardin and backing from studio aces like Steve Gadd, Eric Gale, Will Lee, Richard Tee, David Sanborn and the Brecker Brothers not to mention guest appearances by then husband James Taylor and Luther Vandross. HQ-180gm vinyl reissue.
Six Feet Under – Haunted [Reissue/1995] LP (Metal Blade)
Six Feet Under – Warpath [Reissue/1997] LP (Metal Blade)
While not available on vinyl upon original release, Metal Blade issued limited edition vinyl picture discs of the death metal band’s first two albums in 2005. Those have been long-gone for about a decade; thankfully they have been repressed on standard black vinyl.
Sodom – Persecution Mania/Expurse Of Sodomy 2xLP (Wax Maniax)
Double-LP reissue of two 1987 releases from the German three-piece speed/thrash metal band –the Persecution Mania LP and the Expurse Of Sodomy 12” EP.
Soundtrack – Armageddon (The Album) 2xLP (Audio Fidelity)
First-time vinyl pressing of the soundtrack to the 1998 blockbuster – pressed on red wax.
Soundtrack – The Beavis And Butt-Head Experience [1993] LP (Geffen)
Soundtrack – Beavis & Butt-head Do America [1996] LP (Geffen)
Limited picture disc vinyl pressings.
Soundtrack – The Witch LP (Milan)
Limited HQ-180gm colored black and silver starburst vinyl LP pressing. Soundtrack by Mark Korven.
Spectres – Utopia LP+MP3 (Deranged)
Third full-length from the post-punk/death rock revivalists explores more complex, lush, atmospheric territory.
Spookyland – Beauty Already Beautiful LP (PIAS America)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. “The first thing you’ll notice about the sound of Spookyland is likely to be the unusual vocals of Marcus Gordon: an accent from Australia via some alien region. He fully inhabits the world of his voice and songwriting though: Beauty Already Beautiful is a bold and dramatic debut album and no mistake.” – Norman Records
Sun Drug – Sun Drug 12” (SRC Vinyl)
New in SRC Vinyl’s HIFI Vinyl EP series, which features releases from up and coming artists handpicked by the crew. “…a catchy conglomeration of harsh beats, riveting reverb, and edgy electro effects such as the single ‘Soaked.’” – Free Bike Valet
Supermoon – Playland 2×7” (Mint)
Debut album from Vancouver indie pop four-piece, spread across four 7” sides delivers sunny riffs and sugary vocals offset by crunchy distortion.
Thin Lips – Riff Hard LP (Lame-O)
Thin Lips is the new brain heart baby of Chrissy Tashjian (ex-Dangerous Ponies), Kyle Pulley (ex-Dangerous Ponies) and Mikey Tashjian (also of The Superweaks). “…a sweet blend of indie rock guitar riffs and punk rock energy.”
The Tropics – You Better Move b/w It’s You I Miss 7” (Sundazed)
Tampa, FL legends The Tropics released a stack of great records in the sixties. But none of those singles is more coveted by garage collectors than their ’66 masterpiece, “You Better Move;” a tambourine-bashing, harmonica-wailin,’ epic screamer. With its super-threatening lyrics, delivered in a pathologically aggravated state by Tropics lead vocalist Mel Dryer, this record serves as a master class in anger mismanagement. Translucent red vinyl.
True Widow – As High As The Highest Heavens And From The Center To The Circumference Of The Earth [Reissue/2011] 2xLP (Mexican Summer)
True Widow – I.N.O. E.P. [Reissue/2011] 12” (Mexican Summer)
Mexican Summer is pleased to reissue two long-out-of-print titles from Denton, TX’s premier “stonegaze” ensemble.
Twinkeyz – Alpha Jerk [Reissue/1979] LP (S-S)
Lovingly touched-up reissue vinyl reissue of prime protopunk influenced by The Pink Fairies, The Velvet Underground, Thirteenth Floor Elevators.
Tycho – Awake Remixes LP+MP3 (Ghostly International)
Tycho’s 2014 album receives the remix treatment by Com Truise, Christopher Willits, Dusty Brown, Nitemoves, Beacon, RJD2, Bibio, Baio, and Few Nolder.
Ulver – War Of The Roses [2011] LP (Kscope)
Second vinyl repress of the folk/black metal band’s 2011 album.
Unsane – Scattered, Smothered & Covered [Reissue/1995] LP (Amphetamine Reptile)
Vinyl reissue of the third Unsane album. One of the most brutal power trios of all time unleashed this one back in 1995 and the vinyl has been out of print for years.
Various Artists – Root Hog Or Die: 100 Songs, 100 Years – An Alan Lomax Centennial Tribute 6xLP (Missississpi)
Mississippi Records is proud to present this six-LP box set featuring 100 of Alan Lomax’s finest field recordings. Includes previously unreleased tracks by: Bob Dylan, Bascom Lamar Lunsford, Southern Drum and Fife Corps, Bill Broonzy, Rosa Lee Hill, Dennis McGee, Jean Ritchie, Shirley Collins, Bukka White, Vera Ward Hall, The Georgia Sea Island Singers, Son House and many more. 55 unreleased tracks in all on this set! Also features hard to find tracks by Skip James. Fred McDowell, Almeda Riddle, Duke of Iron, Jeannie Robertson, Bessie Jones, Texas Gladden, and many more.
We Were Promised Jetpacks. – These Four Walls [Reissue/2009] LP (FatCat)
Grey splattered color vinyl reissue of WWPJ debut album. The band’s youthful energy (their average age at the time was 21) explodes thunderously as colossal choruses fall unfailingly into place on These Four Walls. Every space is filled, tension bristling achingly in frontman Adam Thompson’s vocal delivery as the rest of the band crashes around him with a perfect balance of force and harmony.
Whiskerman – Champions 2xLP/Cassette (Royal Oakie)
Featuring barroom rock ‘n’ roll, blue eyed soul, pastoral folk, workingman’s blues, and rainy day ragas, Champions is a tour de force that takes the listener on a hero’s journey of Dostoevsky-ian proportions.
Woods/Ultimate Painting – Tour 7” (Woodsist)
Limited-edition split single featuring two exclusive, previously unreleased tracks.
Cassettes:
Banned Books – Banned Books (Ramp Local)
Seven years after their genesis, Banned Books return into a staple position in Philly’s experimental noise scene. Sewn through a constant embedded darkness, Banned Books is fueled by a transcendent and fantastical whimsy. Where the band still takes influence from personal heroes, Deerhoof and Lightning Bolt, they approach their songs with a breathtaking energy, locking into tight, rock grooves before falling into free improv madness. There’s a constant battle between strange, meticulously crafted structures and abrasive, improvisatory bursts of energy. The record is an experiment in control and release and the ability to ride the line right between the two.
The Cradle – Temperate Lands (Ramp Local)
Temperate Lands is Paco Cathcart’s 16th release as The Cradle since the genesis of the project almost two years ago. The work represents the continuation of Cathcart’s attempts, beginning with last June’s “Drink the Water” (Feeding Tube Records), to integrate the project’s core methodology of recording-as-compositional-process into a more traditional songwriting approach and a comparatively cleaner, higher-definition sonic landscape. The idiosyncratically syncretic nature of the long-form, improvisation-heavy pieces, as well as the less relentlessly experimental sides of Cathcart are both here, but perhaps ultimately more poetic than ever.
Japanther – Eat Like Lisa Act Like Bart [Reissue/2013] (Lauren)
Japanther is the music and art project of Matt Reilly and Ian Vanek, who joined forces in 2001 and have taken on multitude of creative endeavors since. Known for their unconventional live performances, the band has appeared alongside synchronized swimmers, atop the Williamsburg Bridge, with giant puppets and marionettes, in the back of a moving truck in Soho, and at shows with giant dinosaurs and BMX bikers flying off the walls, all while creating layers of buzzing guitar, shimmering synth and regimental percussion, and the occasional sing-along chorus.
Macula Dog – Macula Dog (Ramp Local)
Macula Dog is an electronic duo from NYC, making music that is just as much pop as the performers are human. Mechanical instrumentation played with an inebriated-mule-like precision. “Two guys sit opposite each other, one with an electronic drum kit, the other with a large assortment of synths and samplers. Both have damaged-looking alien puppets sitting on their shoulders. They create the kind of music you imagine the Devo-loving shift manager at a cryogenics warehouse would play late at night.” – Noisy/Vice
Sunk Heaven – Fey Devil (Ramp Local)
Sunk Heaven is the solo music project of Austin Sley Julian (Sediment Club), based out of NYC. “Julian’s recordings never descend into randomness. Despite its complete unpredictability, the album presents its noise dispatches as instances of deliberate disfiguration. Everything is on purpose, and everything is f**ked.” — Tiny Mix Tapes
Various Artists – Colonel Presents: Eclectic Sessions Vol. 1 (Ramp Local)
Compilation featuring Guerilla Toss, The Sediment Club, Cloud Becomes Your Hand, Banned Books, Palberta, and more.
Whiskerman – Champions (Royal Oakie)
Featuring barroom rock ‘n’ roll, blue eyed soul, pastoral folk, workingman’s blues, and rainy day ragas, Champions is a tour de force that takes the listener on a hero’s journey of Dostoevsky-ian proportions.
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