CDs + Vinyl:
18+ – Collect CD/2xLP (Houndstooth)
Recorded collaboratively between Justin and Samia’s respective Berlin and Honolulu residences, Collect is a product of each band member’s physical geographical distance and autobiographical individual growth: the fragmented meeting of displaced minds, reflecting on society’s interaction in a variety of contexts, from platonic, to professional, to economic.
50 Foot Wave – Bath White CDEP/12” (Happy Happy Birthday To Me)
50 Foot Wave is a side-project to Throwing Muses, created in 2003 to satisfy the noisy, mathy side of Kirsten Hersh’s creativity without throwing the Muses off course. They achieve their sixth release with Bath White, which sounds as energized and free-flowing as ever.
Architects UK – All Our Gods Abandoned Us CD/LP+MP3 (Epitaph)
“AOGHAU is a solid metalcore release, and the band has done a good job of sustaining themselves in the genre. The record sounds like Architects, but it doesn’t sound exactly as they have in the past. They seem to have a little more aggression or passion behind them this time around (or maybe that’s just me). – Sputnik Music
Band Of Skulls – By Default CD/LP+MP3 (BMG Rights Management)
Gritty English trio Band Of Skulls craft bluesy and ballsy slabs of atmospheric indie rock that echo the work of contemporaries like the Kills, Duke Spirit, and the Black Keys. Their latest album, By Default, was produced by Gil Norton (Pixies, Foo Fighters).
Peter Baumann – Machines Of Desire CD/LP+CD (Bureau B)
Peter Baumann (Tangerine Dream) presents his first solo album since 1983. From 1971 to 1977 Baumann was a member of the legendary German band Tangerine Dream, the inventors of the Berlin School of electronic music; he produced many seminal records in his Paragon studio (eg. works by Conrad Schnitzler, Cluster, Hans-Joachim Roedelius) and released several successful solo albums.
Olga Bell – Tempo CD (One Little Indian)
Olga Bell has made some incredibly forward-thinking music in the past, but her new album, Tempo, is a new direction for her. The songwriter, who recently caught a lot of attention as a collaborator on Dirty Projectors’ last studio album Swing Lo Magellan, revealed that her new songs are focused more on the physical aspect of music. [Vinyl version due June 10.]
Dierks Bently – Black CD (Capital Nashville)
New release from the multi-platinum selling country singer/songwriter. The slow-smoked grit of Bentley’s voice keeps the album rooted in country music, while it also appeals to audiences far beyond the boundaries with fresh sonic textures that flourish on the edge of arena rock. [Vinyl edition due July 8.]
Big Thief – Masterpiece CD/LP+MP3 (Saddle Creek)
Big Thief’s music, rooted in the songs of Adrianne Lenker, paints in vivid tones “the process of harnessing pain, loss, and love, while simultaneously letting go, looking into your own eyes through someone else’s, and being okay with the inevitability of death,” says Lenker. Masterpiece, Big Thief’s debut album, is filled with characters and visceral narratives, songs that pivot in the space of a few words. Adrianne’s voice and guitar playing speak of rich emotional territory with grace and insight. In her words, the record tracks “the masterpiece of existence, which is always folding into itself, people attempting to connect, to both shake themselves awake and to shake off the numbness of certain points in their life. The interpretations might be impressionistic or surrealistic, but they’re grounded in simple things.”
Bonnie Bishop – Ain’t Who I Was CD/LP (Plan BB)
“Bonnie Bishop fires twin barrels of Dusty In Memphis-worthy soul and Bible Belt country-blues with ‘Ain’t Who I Was.’ Produced by Dave Cobb, the title track to Bishop’s first album in nearly half a decade finds the Texan singing over B3 organ, strings and electric guitar, with Cobb focusing the spotlight on her sultry swoon of a voice.” – Rolling Stone
Black Rainbows – Stellar Prophecy CD/LP (Heavy Psych Sounds)
Italy’s stoner rock torchbearers Black Rainbows present their fifth album. Black Rainbows’ frontman Gabriele Fiori says, “You’ll be able to enjoy two long suites (‘Golden Widow’, ‘The Travel’), a couple of super fuzzy classics (‘Electrify’, ‘It’s Time to Die’), as well as a ‘70s-sounding hit (‘Woman’). Spacey, psychedelic and blistering.” For fans of: Fu Manchu, Black Sabbath, Monster Magnet, Motorpsycho.
Boyfrndz – Impulse CD/LP (Brutal Panda)
Complete with celestial melodies, propulsive rhythms and the soaring, ethereal falsetto of vocalist/guitarist Scott Martin, Boyfrndz have created a dark, cerebral work of chilling atmosphere and timeless soulful majesty.
Jim Breuer and The Loud & Rowdy – Songs From The Garage CD (Metal Blade)
Whether it’s Spinal Tap gloriously losing the plot, the escapades of Tenacious D getting them into trouble, or the phenomenon that is Dethklok tearing up the album charts, comedy and heavy music have long made for great bedfellows. Jim Breuer is a man who understands this, and with Songs From The Garage he delivers both in his inimitable style.
Vinnie Caruana – Survivor’s Guilt CD/LP (Equal Vision)
Vinnie Caruana is long known and respected in the punk community for fronting The Movielife and I Am The Avalanche. Survivor’s Guilt is his debut solo album.
Catfish and The Bottlemen – The Ride CD/LP/Cassette (Capitol)
No difficult second album here. Just blistering, swashbuckling tunes. Fittingly for a band that earned notoriety playing car parks outside other bands’ gigs, there’s a fearlessness to the Welsh four-piece’s follow-up to 2014’s rollicking The Balcony. Its first half is a masterclass in exuberant, let-tonight-last-forever indie—“Twice” and “Soudcheck,” in particular, were built for raucous festival crowds—before two gems glisten on the home straight. “Glasgow” and “Heathrow” are both gorgeous and reveal a softer, melodically-piercing side to a band breaking confidently into its stride. [Limited fuzzy velvet poster included with purchase – while supplies last.]
Rhys Chatham – Pythagorean Dream CD/LP (Foom)
Rhys Chatham returns with his first solo album since 2013. The enchanting Pythagorean Dream
moves from trumpet work through finger-picking, ebow, and fast tremolo flat-picking guitar work to Chatham’s return to the flute, the instrument that sparked his love of contemporary music before he experienced an early Ramones show at CBGB.
Circles – Structures CD/LP (Bureau B)
Previously unreleased recordings from 1985-1989 by krautrock duo Circles. Circles created a manifesto of frenzied inertia in the late 1980s, swimming in the same gene pool as Cluster and Popol Vuh, with music that blends the extremes of end-times foreboding and drifting lightness to beguiling effect.
Cloud Becomes Your Hand – Rest In Fleas CD/LP (Northern Spy)
“Cloud Becomes Your Hand are a New York band so adept at playing their instruments that they can afford to have fun with it. Tightly interlocking rhythmic-melodic patterns power forwards with plenty of colourful touches thrown in: cartoonish vocal interjections, surprising samples, MIDI percussion. But Rest In Fleas sounds great, a big ball of bright energy.” – Norman Records UK
Miles Davis & Robert Glasper – Everything’s Beautiful CD/LP (Sony Legacy)
Everything’s Beautiful brings Miles Davis’ sound into the 21st century, blending a diverse group of master takes and outtakes from across Miles’ incredible tenure with Columbia Records (1955-1985) with original reinterpretations. Jazz pianist Robert Glasper recruited a legion of diverse guest artists to add to the magic of the project including familiar collaborators like R&B musicians Erykah Badu, Ledisi, Bilal and KING. They are joined by British soul singer-songwriter Laura Mvula; hip-hop producer Rashad Smith; Grammy-nominated Australian neo-soul quartet Hiatus Kaiyote, rapper/producer Illa J; jazz guitarist John Scofield, who collaborated with Davis; and the legendary Stevie Wonder.
Death Angel – The Evil Divide CD/CD+DVD/2xLP (Nuclear Blast)
Eighth album from the Bay Area thrash metal band – available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe adds an extra track, a ‘making of the album’ DVD, and a temporary tattoo.
Death In Vegas – Transmission CD/3xLP+MP3 (Drone)
Transmission is the sixth album from Richard Fearless’ discordant techno project inspired by Throbbing Gristle and Chris & Cosey. Features a guest appearance from vocalist, artist and writer Sasha Grey.
Earthless/Harsh Toke – Acid Crusher/Mountain Swan CD/LP+MP3 (Tee Pee)
Sound-sculpting San Diego heavy psych titans Earthless and Harsh Toke have joined forces on this two track, 35-minute split release. [Limited color vinyl pressing also available.]
Echospace/Michael Mantra – Echospace plays Michael Mantra’s Sea Shell City CD (Echospace)
The Detroit duo, DeepChord and Echospace, collaborate with one of their closest friends and mentor, the late Michael Mantra. Echospace plays Michael Mantra’s Sea Shell City is a 70-minute voyage into the furthest depths of the mind, featuring three tracks of ambient drone-based sonic worlds.
Enjoy – Another Word For Joy CD/LP+MP3/Cassette (Burger)
Solo project from Wyatt Shears of The Garden. “…A project which embodies all the high-energy, fuzz-packed punk of The Garden, but with an added dose of romance and melody, a sound that sees Shears embrace introspection and intimacy alongside the propulsive chaos that he’s made his name with. It’s a style not often heard in punk – a genre that can be as sneering as it is brash – but Shears’ music emanates all the sun-splashed optimism and charm of his native California, and the result is incredibly contagious.” – Dazed
Fifth Harmony – 7/27 CD (Epic)
New release by the girl group formed on the second season of the The X Factor USA.
Flume – Skin CD/2xLP (Mom + Pop)
Harley Edward Streten, also known by his stage name Flume, is an Australian electronic music producer/beatmaker who released his first self-titled debut album in 2012, having previously remixed songs by Lorde, Sam Smith, Disclosure and Arcade Fire. His second album, Skin, features guest appearances from Beck, Raekwon, Vince Staples, Vic Mensa, Little Dragon, AlunaGeorge, Allan Kingdom, and others. The 16-track album has a broader spectrum of sound than his self-titled debut record released almost four years ago. “There’s some really chilled out, ambient stuff, and there’s some really high energy, festival moments. There’s also some more poppy moments and there’s some really weird, dark moments, too.” [Limited purple colored vinyl LP pressing with custom artwork inserts also available.]
FP-Oner – 6 CD/2xLP (Mule Musiq)
The second part of a trilogy that features FP-Oner’s detailed sonic landscapes, full of mystery and power; while 5 leaned more to the jazzier, relaxed, and atmospheric side of his artistically deep house expressions, 6 grinds even deeper into spherical worlds that enhance deep meditative highs. In describing 6, Fred P quoted Texan new age musician Daniel Emmanuel’s statement, “My music style is to first create a foundation using cyclic, polyrhythmic music, then build several layers of improvised leads and rhythms that allows you to transcend time and space… We have Memories Of Past Lives that reverberate in our hearts like Echoes From Ancient Caves.”
Paul Gilbert – I Can Destroy CD (Pronghorn)
The co-founder of Mr. Big and member of Racer X is back with more hard rock guitar tightness. “Gilbert’s dazzling guitar work is at the center of a group of songs that vary stylistically from the Iron Maiden/Judas Priest vibe of the title track, to the Thin Lizzy/Boston-like ‘Knocking On A Locked Door’ and ‘One Woman Too Many,’ to the Steely Dan-flavored strains of ‘I Will Be Remembered.’” — Guitar World
Vivien Goldman – Resolutionary (Songs 1979-1982) CD/LP (Staubgold)
The London-born, New York-based Goldman is one of the foremost chroniclers of the perfect storm of reggae, punk, hip hop, and Afrobeat, but between 1979 and 1982, she was also a working musician, creating songs that, years later, would be sampled by The Roots and Madlib. These rare girl grooves are now collected for the first time on Resolutionary, covering Goldman’s first three musical formations; first as a member of experimental British new wavers The Flying Lizards, next as a solo artist with her single “Launderette” featuring post-punk luminaries, and then as half of the Parisian duo Chantage with Afro-Parisian chanteuse Eve Blouin.
Gold Panda – Good Luck And Do Your Best CD/LP+MP3 (City Slang)
Gold Panda’s new album is as kaleidoscopic as ever with its warm electronic anthems, warped beats, straight bangers and musical explorations.
Max Graef & Glenn Astro – Yardwork Simulator CD/2xLP (Ninja Tune)
Max and Glenn are music lovers first and foremost – playing it, making it, digging for it, talking about it – music is their lifeblood. Less concerned with the world of online hype, you could describe their vibe as “old school.” Put them behind the turntables and they’ll smash out a proper 100% vinyl back-to-back set skipping between jazz, funk, hip-hop, soul and disco – the heart and the backbone of their sound – and have the whole room freaking out to Polish jazz-funk oddities. Yardwork Simulator is a 10-track trip through the pair’s deliciously warped psyche, channeled through a ton of hardware.
Gutter Instinct – Age Of The Fanatics CD (Prosthetic)
Debut album of caustic, flesh-ripping death metal from Sweden’s Gutter Instinct. [Vinyl version due July 8.]
Hesitation Wounds – Awake For Everything CD/LP+MP3 (6131)
Hesitation Wounds is a metalcore supergroup featuring vocalist Jeremy Bolm of Touché Amoré; guitarist Neeraj Kane of The Hope Conspiracy and formerly of The Suicide File and Holy Fever; bassist Stephen LaCour of True Cross and formerly of Trap Them; and Jay Weinberg, the son of Max Weinberg (E Street Band, The Max Weinberg 7), who previously performed with Madball and Against Me!, and eventually joined Slipknot. [Limited clear vinyl edition also available.]
Holy F**k – Congrats CD/LP+MP3 (Innovative Leisure)
The psychedelic Toronto quartet return with their first album in six years. “Working in a proper recording studio with a streamlined array of equipment has led them to create their most cogent release to date, forming driving, rhythmic tracks that chug along in a perfectly groovable fashion, all the while keeping the anarchic flavor that warrants the use of the expletive in their name. For fans of Ratatat and Animal Collective.” — KCRW
Honkey – Codruroy CD (Housecore)
This Austin Superboogie trio was founded in 1996 by long time Butthole Surfer, part time Melvins bassist JD Pinkus, Bobby Ed Landgraf (Down, Skrew) on guitar, and Trinidad Leal (Dixie Witch) on drums.
Hotelier – Goodness CD/2xLP+MP3 (Tiny Engines)
The Hotelier captivated the emo, pop-punk, and indie rock worlds in 2014 with their tidal wave of a sophomore record, Home Like Noplace Is There, and they’ve finally returned with the long-awaited follow-up.
Iron Maiden – Brave New World [Reissue/2000] CD (Sanctuary)
Iron Maiden – Rock In Rio [Reissue/2002] 2xCD (Sanctuary)
Iron Maiden – Dance Of Death [Reissue/2003] CD (Sanctuary)
Iron Maiden’s 12th and 13th albums are back in print on CD, along with the 2002 double-disc live set Rock In Rio.
Ro James – Eldorado CD (RCA)
James’ sound is reminiscent of the greats (think Prince meets D’Angelo) but the Germany-born, New York bred crooner pens narratives about love and making it that unfold like a party for the ears. He credits his soulful roots to his father — a military man turned preacher — who raised him on a mix of gospel, Donny Hathaway and Otis Redding.
The Jelly Jam – Profit CD/LP+MP3 (Music Theories)
Fourth album from the all-star prog rock band. The Jelly Jam consists of Ty Tabor of King’s X on guitar, keyboards, and vocals; Rod Morgenstein of The Dixie Dregs and Winger on drums and keyboards; and John Myung of Dream Theater on bass, moog, and Chapman stick.
Jigmasters – Resurgence CD/2xLP (BBE)
Following closely behind last year’s expanded reissue of 2000’s Grassroots, the New York duo of DJ Spinna & Kryminul present Resurgence, a long awaited album of previously unreleased material. Comprising tracks created between 2003 and the present day, Resurgence represents the duo’s musical growth during a period where most of us assumed the Jigmastas project was on hold. From start to finish, the album is brimming over with soul thanks to Spinna’s distinctively languid boom-bap productions. Rapper Kryminul is on fine form with his clever and witty brand of storytelling, which still stays close to the streets whilst keeping the subject matter varied and eclectic.
Marsen Jules – Shadows In Time CD (Oktaf)
Marsen Jules follows the traditions of Steve Reich and Brian Eno by reviving touching acoustic moments and condensing them to musical jewels. Shadows In Time is a generative composition that originates from within itself over and over again in unique forms.
Katalepsy – Gravenous Hour CD/LP (Unique Leader)
“If Gravenous Hour is any sign of what is going on in modern death metal circles, there is certainly a reason to dive deeper into those turgid waters. While old school death and Swedish death metal continue to reign ascendant, this younger generation of bands is certainly vying for the opportunity to take their place in extreme metal’s pantheon.” – No Clean Singing
Kristin Kontrol – X-Communicate CD/LP+MP3/Cassette (Sub Pop)
Kristin Welchez is best-known as Dee Dee, leader of the gauzy garage-rock gang Dum Dum Girls. X-Communicate was inspired by the ’80s pop Welchez listened to as a kid, with touchstones including Debbie Gibson, Tiffany, Janet Jackson, and Madonna.
Mark Kozelek – Sings Favorites CD (Caldo Verde)
Mark Kozelek sings a few of his favorite songs, plus favorites of friends and loved ones. Accompanied by piano, Mark sings songs by 10CC, David Bowie, Modest Mouse, Bob Seger, Waylon Jennings, and others. Guest singers include Mike Patton and Low’s Mimi Parker. Stream Mark’s version of “Win” featuring Mike Patton on back-up vocals.
Lacuna Coil – Delerium CD/2xLP (Century Media)
Eighth studio album by Italian gothic metal band. [CD is available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe adds three bonus tracks.]
Larsen – Of Grog Vim CD (Important)
The 15th album by Italian experimental cult band Larsen is a cinematic take on the epic life of the legendary visionary Grog Vim. It is the first fully instrumental album to be released by the band since their formation in 1993, and features special guest multi-instrumentalist Thor Harris (of Swans fame) on trombone on two pieces.
Klara Lewis – Too CD/LP (Editions Mego)
Klara Lewis follows her acclaimed 2014 debut, Ett, with Too, a deeply engaging display of sound and skewered sensibility and Lewis’s boldest statement to date. Dour and aggressive elements rub shoulders with warmer, more optimistic works, ranging through abstract landscapes, jittered rhythms, and even pop-like structures.
Zack Lopez – Bloodlines CD/LP (Bright Antenna)
Solo album from one-half of Middle Class Rut — vocalist/guitarist Zack Lopez.
The Lowest Pair – Fern Girl And Ice Man CD/LP (Team Love)
The Lowest Pair – Uncertain As It Is Uneven CD/LP (Team Love)
“The Lowest Pair‘s two members, Kendl Winter and Palmer T. Lee spent the winter of 2015 in the cold and ice of Minnesota composing and playing new songs for a planned record in spring of 2016. Those sessions proved to be so fertile that the duo wound up with far more songs than they expected and the tunes seemed to fit naturally into two separate releases. So, Winter and Lee decided to put out two simultaneous albums on Team Love Records, Fern Girl And Ice Man and Uncertain As It Is Uneven. Uncertain As It Is Uneven fits perfectly within their existing, known sound that features delicately constructed spare arrangements melded with gorgeous vocals and harmonies. Meanwhile, Fern Girl And Ice Man finds the group experimenting a bit and creating a batch of songs that basically imagine being backed by a larger band.” – Pop Matters
Steve Martin & Edie Brickell – Bright Star [OST] CD (Ghostlight)
Original soundtrack from the Broadway Cast. Directed by Tony winner Walter Bobbie and inspired by a real event, this ‘unabashedly romantic’ (The New York Times) original musical tells a sweeping tale of love and redemption set against the rich backdrop of the American South in the 1920s and 40s. Music, book and story by Steve Martin. Music, lyrics, and story by Edie Brickell.
Leyla McCalla – A Day For The Hunter, A Day For The Prey CD/LP (Jazz Village)
Leyla McCalla’s new album takes its title by a book of the same name that the singer and cellist read while pregnant with her first daughter. Taking its title in turn from a Haitian proverb, the book analyzes the intersection of politics, power and music in Haiti. McCalla, a former member of The Carolina Chocolate Drops who now calls New Orleans home, was struck by how political crisis can create a scene for music to be born. Through deeply felt originals and interpretations of traditional songs from Creole, Cajun, Haitian, American folk and jazz canons, the album depicts a diverse American experience and Leyla’s struggles with and acceptance of her own identity.
Mental Overdrive – Plugged [Reissue/1995] CD/3xLP (Rett I Fletta)
A 21-year-old Norwegian techno classic by Per Martinsen aka Mental Overdrive gets the expanded and remastered treatment on Full Pupp’s “techno not techno” offshoot Rett I Fletta.
Mistur – In Memoriam CD (Karisma)
In Memoriam is a must for all fans of Windir and the Sognametal style, and will appeal to fans Amon Amarth, Insomnium and Månegarm.
The Monkees – Good Times! CD (Rhino)
Good Times! by The Monkees is the band’s first new album in 20 years and tied to their 50th anniversary. The album finds all three surviving band members (Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith, and Peter Tork) taking turns on lead vocals, playing a wide range of instruments, and sharing new compositions. The unmistakable voice of the late Davy Jones is also included with a vintage vocal on the Neil Diamond-penned “Love To Love.” Much like The Monkees’ early albums, Good Times! features tracks written specifically for the band by some of the music world’s most gifted songwriters, including Rivers Cuomo of Weezer (“She Makes Me Laugh”), Ben Gibbard of Death Cab For Cutie (“Me & Magdalena”), Andy Partridge of XTC (“You Bring The Summer”), as well as a song co-written by Noel Gallagher and Paul Weller (“Birth Of An Accidental Hipster”). [Vinyl version due August 12.]
Mortillery – Shapeshifter CD (Napalm)
“Shredding their way from the Canadian wasteland known as Edmonton, Mortillery are geared up, charged and ready to attack with speedy heavy metal madness.”
The Muffs – Blonder And Blonder [Reissue/1995] CD/LP (Omnivore)
Blonder And Blonder is the second album by the pop punk band The Muffs, originally released in 1995 on Reprise Records. One listen to Blonder And Blonder should reveal to you that punk rock songwriting genius just doesn’t get any better. Slightly less infectious than Green Day, The Muffs are more advanced punk rock craftsmen. Roy the drummer is a complete phenomenon, with skills to hush the greatest in history. What really makes The Muffs is the subtle yet impossible to emulate songwriting style of Kim Shattuck. The intricacies of her melodies greatly surpass anything else that has even been done with pop punk. Picture the sweetness of ‘60s-girl mixed with the snideness of ’77 brit-punk and that is what you’ll get. And then, out of nowhere comes ‘the scream’ (the best in the biz and used to its fullest potential on this recording). Like 2015’s reissue of The Muffs, the full-color packaging includes photos, drawings, memorabilia, and essays from Barnett and McDonald, as well as, track by track commentary by Shattuck.
[CD version is expanded with 7 bonus tracks (2 UK B-sides, and 5 previously unissued Shattuck home demos), while the vinyl edition is opaque light blue colored.]
Muscle And Marrow – Love CD/LP (The Flenser)
“Muscle and Marrow is a pretty visceral name, and this duo often live up it, with blasts of crunching noise and heavy drums. But they also play soft and wispy, and the delicate balance between these two contrasts that they maintain is where they really succeed on Love. A darkly beautiful LP, on The Flenser.” – Norman Records UK
My Morning Jacket – It Still Moves [Deluxe Edition] 2xCD/4xLP+CD (ATO)
New deluxe edition of My Morning Jacket’s 2003 album It Still Moves, completely remixed, remastered and expanded with three unreleased songs and James’ original demo versions of 10 of the album’s 12 songs, plus brand new artwork and photos. According to James, the band’s intense touring schedule at the time forced My Morning Jacket to hurriedly complete the album, which left the band feeling as though It Still Moves was “unfinished.” Speaking to the New York Times, James referred to the original version of It Still Moves as the band’s “wet blanket” album, a joke about the LP’s muffled sound. “It Still Moves is really the only record in our catalog that I’ve always felt I wanted to remix,” James said. “Part of the fun of that record was that we recorded it all to tape, and it was all super-duper organic. But when we mixed it originally, we didn’t have enough time. We thought we were happy with it, but there are certain things that bothered me when I would listen to it, like, ‘Oh my God, you can’t hear that guitar solo.’”
The Myrrors – Entranced Earth CD/LP (Beyond Beyond Is Beyond)
“Arizona seems to have a particular quality that creates inspired rock bands with slightly fried edges or more, whether it’s long-running stalwarts like the Meat Puppets or underground psych legends like the Black Sun Ensemble. Call it the harsh environment—or the fact that it’s better to practice inside away from the heat and dust, even while feeling it through the walls. The Myrrors are a strong young Arizona band keeping that tradition alive on their third album Entranced Earth. It places them with other equally powerful acts in psych/drone’s newest generation, such as Japan’s Kikagaku Moyo, Canada’s Shooting Guns and the UK’s Cult of Dom Keller and Haikai No Ku—all with their own sounds and aesthetics, but all dedicated to being enthralled by head-nodding waves of feedback and general zoning out.” – Noisey/Vice
Christian Naujoks – Wave CD/LP (Dial)
Christian Naujoks presents his third album on Dial, a work dedicated to the electric guitar. Inspired by The Durutti Column, John Fahey, Vincent Gallo, Azalia Snail, David Grubbs, and many others, Naujoks breaks the boundaries between songwriting and minimalism; between folk music and contemporary art.
Of Mice & Men – Live At Brixton CD+DVD (Rise)
To tide you over until their new album hits Of Mice & Men deliver their first live album. Live At Brixton catches Of Mice & Men playing a sold-out headline show at the legendary O2 Academy Brixton in London.
The Order Of Israfel – Red Robes CD+DVD (Napalm)
“Judges and cardinals don red robes. Edgar Allen Poe enshrouded death in deepest red. And now doom metal itself proudly wears the most sinful color of them all when Swedes, The Order Of Israfel unleash their second full length Red Robes.”
Beth Orton – Kid Sticks CD/LP+MP3 (ANTI-)
Beth Orton has been one of the most unique and beguiling voices in music for the past two decades. Her folktronica sound, mixing elements of folk and electronica, has re-emerged as she began experimenting with a series of electronic loops that would eventually come together in this career-redefining new album, Kidsticks. Co-produced by Beth and Andrew Hung (F**k Buttons), Kidsticks reframes Beth’s unmistakable voice inside ten pure, audacious, playful and kinetic songs. A resolutely focused album, it represents a rare chance to hear an established artist get plugged in and completely rework the songwriting process with wide-eyed, open-minded glee.
Christine Ott – Only Silence Remains CD/LP (Gizeh)
French composer and ondes martenot virtuoso, Christine Ott releases her first full-length album since 2009 and her debut record for Gizeh Records. Only Silence Remains is beautifully melodic and filled with mystery, seeing multi-instrumentalist Ott performing on a variety of different instruments throughout the record. Ott’s creations are nothing short of magical, with the piano taking center stage throughout, accompanied perfectly by the Ondes Martenot, harmonium, tubular bells and percussion.
Outer Spaces – Shedding Snake CD/LP (Don Giovanni)
“There’s an undercurrent of vulnerability to Baltimore-based indie rock band Outer Spaces. Lead singer Cara Beth Satalino wears her heart on her sleeve and with a guitar strapped on to boot, crafting soft melodies that waver between slightly confessional and deeply personal. Since starting Outer Spaces as a solo project, Satalino’s music has prospered into something so rich and fully-formed that it needed a full band to accommodate it. New single ‘Words’ is an exemplar of how the sound remains fragile and earnest even in its expanded form. Due to be the second track on the band’s debut LP, A Shedding Snake, the track is a sublime three-minute journey that juxtaposes humming and rugged guitars with the smooth warmth of Satalino’s vocals. It’s a song rooted in self-reflection and catharsis, something Satalino embodies as she delicately sings, ‘I took my insides out/ Left them all around the house.’” – Consequence Of Sound
The Pop Group – The Boys Whose Head Exploded CD+DVD/LP+MP3 (Freaks R Us)
The Pop Group release new archival compilation of raw live recordings + rare live footage filmed by Don Letts. [Limited vinyl picture disc is also available, which includes the video footage as a download.]
PUP – The Dream Is Over CD/LP+MP3 (SideOneDummy)
“The Dream Is Over, the sophomore album from the young Toronto band PUP, is the best punk rock album we’ve heard in a long time. It’s a short album, just a hair over half an hour long, but in that short time, it absolutely piles on the hooks, the cathartic gang-shout choruses, and the huge, crashing guitars. It’s also an incisively written record, one that tackles the difficulties of the squalid, permanently broke touring-band lifestyle in ways that few other bands have managed. It’s just an awesome album, one that’s very much worth your time” – Stereogum. [Limited red color vinyl edition also available.]
Puzzle – Soaring CD/LP+MP3/Cassette (Burger)
Puzzle is The Garden’s Fletcher Shears electronic solo side-project.
Real Friends – The Home Inside My Head CD/LP (Fearless)
As one of the pioneers of the new wave of pop-punk-emo, Chicagoland quintet Real Friends have rapidly and organically grown a global following of devotees in their short existence. Produced by Steve Evetts (The Wonder Years, Every Time I Die) their second full-length The Home Inside My Head follows-up 2014 Fearless Records label debut Maybe This Place Is The Same & We’re Just Changing and sees the band taking their do it yourself attitude and sound to the next level. The album is preceded by the auspicious lead single “Colder Quicker.”
Rebolledo – Mondo Alterado CD (Hippie Dance)
DJ and producer Rebolledo of Pachanga Boys presents his highly anticipated sophomore album. The artist’s signature can be found all over the place, roaming between straight, rock-drenched drumming, sinister atmospheres, raw synth textures, exciting peaks, and foggy bottoms — but always following the kinetic flow and drive that is such a big part of Rebolledo’s compelling charm.
Daniel Romano – Mosey CD/LP+MP3 (New West)
Daniel Romano refuses to be confined to narrow classification — in fact, out of necessity he created his own genre: Mosey Music. With the release of his fifth solo record, Mosey, we get a fresh new vista into the mind of the prolific singer/songwriter, the masterful lyricist and the multi-instrumentalist. New sonic territories are mapped, genres are splintered, conventional rules discarded. Imagine Rolling Thunder Revue era Bob Dylan conspiring with Lee Hazlewood, Tom Waits and Peter Green. You’ll hear heavy swells of fuzzed out electric guitar, horns, and keys delivered with a fire and fury that demands your close attention. There are even some surprise guest cameos to boot. [HQ-180gm mono vinyl pressing also available.]
The Scenics – In the Summer: Studio Recordings 1977-78 CD/LP (Dream Tower)
In The Summer is a collection of eight songs recorded on four track reel to reel during 1977, and then four more during 1978. They were a band that came together in the early Toronto punk/new wave scene, fronted by dual excellent singer-songwriters, and became a great band that was even more underground than the others there at that time.
Siouxsie and The Banshees – Classic Album Selection Volume Two 6xCD (Geffen)
Three months after the release of the first volume, Classic Album Selection Volume Two gathers the remainder of the band’s studio output from the years 1985 – 1995, including: Hyaena, Tinderbox, Through The Looking Glass, Peepshow, Superstition and The Rapture. There are no bonus tracks.
Six Feet Under – Graveyard Classics IV: Number Of The Priest CD (Metal Blade)
Five Judas Priest covers and six Iron Maiden covers, handpicked by Metal Blade Records CEO Brian Slagel. [Vinyl edition due June 10.]
Skepta – Konnichiwa CD (Boy Better Know)
“There are probably many reasons why grime, after a brief and thrilling heyday followed by a lapse into awkward pop crossover and Robbie Williams guest spots, is back in a big way. Most of them, though, point back to Skepta. Tottenham’s Joseph Adengua had a crack at the charts like all the rest, donning a white suit and skanking about with girls in bikinis on the video to 2008’s ‘Rolex Sweep’. But it was Skepta, more than anyone, who saw the potential in a return to grime’s first principles. His 2014 single ‘That’s Not Me’, made with his brother Jme, and promoted with an £80 video, set out the formula: hard rhymes, street fashion, alpha male attitude. Konnichiwa has been promised pretty much since ‘That’s Not Me’ hit the charts, the sort of timespan that usually sets expectations unreasonably high. Incredibly, it meets them on all counts. It’s quintessentially British, a grime album to the core – but big and confident enough to feature a guest production and vocal from Pharrell Williams (see the bouncy ‘Numbers’, a witty two fingers to music industry sharks), or casually sample Queens Of The Stone Age on the broiling ‘Man (Gang)’. Best of all, it’s practically filler-free.” – NME
Sonny And The Sunsets – Moods Baby Moods CD/LP+MP3 (Polyvinyl)
On this outing we find the Sunsets, along with producer Merrill Garbus of tUnE-yArDs, repurposing early ‘80s funk and new wave with rap beats and collages from both sides of the ocean (be it Niles Rogers, Jah Wobble, The Gap Band, Orange Juice, Trans-era Neil Young or The Tom Tom Club.) These are songs that juxtapose the haze of today with a vibrant and colorful explosion of sounds and 180 degree turns.
Soundtrack – Alice Through The Looking Glass CD (Walt Disney)
Score by Danny Elfman.
Soundtrack – Pee-wee’s Big Holiday CD (Varese Sarabande)
The soundtrack to the original Netflix feature-length movie Pee-wee’s Big Holiday, composed by the founder and lead singer of Devo, Mark Mothersbaugh.
Spell – For None And All CD (Bad Omen/Prosthetic)
As any true devotee will recognize, the creation of heavy metal that genuinely chills the blood and raises the goosebumps is about more than carefully constructed stylistic posturing, more than slavish devotion to the diabolus-in-musica rulebook, and more than a devotedly purchased vinyl collection of crypt-kicking classics. It’s a feeling, an atmosphere, and an attitude that together prove hard to quantify, and even harder for the casually acquainted to summon. No such worries for Vancouver’s Spell however, who display on their second full-length and Bad Omen Records debut, For None And All, that they’re in possession of more heart, chutzpah and sinister sleight-of-hand than a dozen of their contemporaries. [Vinyl version due June 24.]
Sulfur City – Talking Loud CD (Alive)
“Canadian rock band Sulfur City‘s new album features front woman Lori Paradis enjoying a bit of musical ecstasy, an image that evokes a Janis Joplin LP cover. It’s a clever strategy in making that connection as it highlight the band’s greatest asset, their superlative lead vocalist. Thing is, Sulfur City really are a rawk band, not blues/soul band, so Grace Slick is really a better comparison point as Paradis shares Slick’s graceful enunciation and more restrained sense of energy and drama. Did I mention this is a serious rock and roll record, something that’s vanishing faster than bees these days? Sulfur City is a really honest to goodness working class rock band, the kind you can unwind to with beers and pool games at the local pub. Paradis even possesses the requisite career history as she’s been a construction worker, house painter and trucker. Those are careers that make you tough and give you the right rock ‘n’ roll mindset.” – Popmatters. [Vinyl edition due June 10.]
Summer Cannibals – Full Of It CD/LP/Cassette (Kill Rock Stars)
“For their third album, Portland’s Summer Cannibals signed to the legendary local label Kill Rock Stars. KRS president Portia Sabin has said that the band ‘take us back to our roots,’ and in songwriter/guitarist Jessica Boudreaux, the four-piece have an insurrectionist frontwoman worthy of the label’s well-populated hall of fame. But on Full Of It, Summer Cannibals toughen up their assault and hark back to the heavy scene that the Pacific Northwest punks killed off in the late 1980s. Their wailing riff-o-rama, double-tracked guitars, and sharp arpeggios soundtrack Boudreaux’s frustrations with a dead-end relationship, wielding (and subverting) machismo rock tropes against a domineering, unavailable guy. The 11 songs on Full Of It barely break the three-minute mark, and wed incendiary fretwork to bottom-end that rolls like a boulder down a marble run. Summer Cannibals balance the abjection of their lyrics by playing like they’re auditioning to ride the flame-belching rig in Mad Max: Fury Road.” – Pitchfork
Suns Of Thyme – Cascades CD/2xLP (Napalm)
The German five-piece combines space rock, shoegaze, psych, and death rock on their new album.
Gary Tallent – Break Time CD/LP (D’ville)
The new solo album from long-serving E Street band bassist is a largely acoustic affair with guests including Nils Lofgren and Duane Eddy.
Chaim Tannenbaum – Chaim Tannenbaum CD (Storysound)
For over 50 years, when he wasn’t studying mathematical logic, or teaching philosophy at Dawson College in Montreal, Chaim Tannenbaum sidelined as a musician, playing and singing with Kate and Anna McGarrigle, Loudon Wainwright III, Emmylou Harris, Richard Thompson, Peggy Seeger, Martin Carthy, Neill and Calum MacColl, and Kate St. John. He was featured on The McGarrigle Hour (1998) and Wainwright’s Grammy-winning High Wide & Handsome (2009). But he never made a record of his own. Until now. His self-titled debut is a mix of originals and covers.
Thrice – To Be Everywhere Is To Be Nowhere CD/LP+MP3 (Vagrant)
After a three-year break from writing and touring, the Southern California quartet are back with their first studio album in almost five years.
Travis – Everything At Once CD/CD+DVD/LP (Caroline)
“Scottish four-piece Travis have spent a lifetime trying to live with the ‘safe’ tag – they are the boys every mom wants their daughter to date; they’re vanilla ice-cream; they’re, well, ‘pleasant’. It’s a shame that this is used as a taunt, for on Everything At Once, their eighth studio album, they continue to produce breezy melodies with confident aplomb. Singer Fran Healy had previous spoken about this record being more short and succinct, and it’s true the record’s ten songs come and go in quick fashion, none outstaying their welcome. Take ‘Magnificent Time,’ which meshes a saccharine, but satisfying, R.E.M.-style jangle with deceptively melancholic lyrics. The title track, where bassist Dougie Payne takes centre stage on the chorus, is a garbled, gleeful rocker, while ‘Animals’ shimmers and glows. Everything At Once serves as a neat compendium for all of Travis’ plus points, and while ‘pleasance’ is surely on there, that’s certainly no bad thing” – Louder Than War. [CD is available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe adds a DVD containing a film directed by band leader Fran Healy.]
Lorenzo Tucci – Sparkle CD (Via Vento Jazz)
Sparkle is the eighth album by one of the most acclaimed drummers on the Italian and international jazz scene: Lorenzo Tucci. The album contains eight of Tucci’s original compositions and two songs paying tribute to great legends in the world of music: Sting and Pino Daniele.
Tyrannosaurus Rex – Crown Of Dark Swansdown CD/LP (Easy Action)
Tyrannosaurus Rex live at the Progressive Pop Festival, Koln, Germany, April 4, 1970. [Color vinyl edition also available.]
Ultraphallus – The Art Of Spectres CD/LP (Sub Rosa)
Covering a large pan of genres, Ultraphallus defines their sound with some accents from different styles including western music, death-metal, doom-rock, avant-garde, psychedelia and electronic soundtracks, as a tribute to rock culture.
Units – Animals They Dream About CD/LP (Futurismo)
Shelved since 1982 due to label issues at the time, Units unreleased sophomore LP finally sees the light of day. While their 1980 album Digital Stimulation forged a sound now known as synthpunk, Animals They Dream About is more of a synthpop affair. [Two different limited color vinyl editions are also available: “Wild DNA” clear with orange/red marble; and “Concrete Zoo” white with black/grey marble.]
Uriah Heep – Sweet Freedom [Reissue/1973] CD (Sanctuary)
Digitally remastered and expanded edition of the British heavy rock band’s 1973 album including six bonus tracks.
Various Artists [Dâm-Funk] – DJ Kicks CD/LP (!K7)
Dâm-Funk’s addictive brand of post-Prince analog funk has seen him rise through the ranks, from dropping 12”s on Stones Throw to collaborating with none other than Snoop Dogg. Now he’s taking his exhaustive appetite for tunes to !K7 with a mix for their long-running DJ-Kicks series. The mix explores his patented “modern funk”, which according to the artist is a combination of sounds: “funk, boogie, electro, house, modern-soul, ambient tones… a push and pull of nostalgia and progressiveness…”.
Various Artists [Groove Armada] – FabricLive 87 CD (Fabric)
The 87th installment of the world’s leading dubstep, drum & bass and electro mix series from London’s renowned fabric nightclub. Continuous DJ mix by internationally-renowned UK duo Groove Armada.
Various Artists – 4-Way Split Vol. 2CD/2xLP (Heavy Psych Sounds)
4-Way Split Vol. 2 brings funked-out ’70s boogie down the highway with heavy hitters Wild Eyes, recent HPS-signees Banquet, Brooklyn sunshine rockers The Golden Grassand, and fuzz traditionalists Killer Boogie. [Limited copies pressed on color vinyl.]
Various Artists – Boombox: Early Independent Hip-Hop, Electro and Disco Rap 1979-82 CD/3xLP+MP3 (Soul Jazz)
Soul Jazz Records’ latest compilation, Boombox, features some of the many innovative underground first-wave of rap records made in New York in the period 1979-82, all released on small, independent, often family-concern record companies, at a time when hip-hop music still remained under the radar. Rare, classic and obscure tracks released in the early days of rap.
Various Artists – Eskimo Recordings Presents: The Yellow Collection 2xCD (Eskimo)
Belgian imprint Eskimo Recordings presents the fifth installment in its annual compilation series, exploring the boundaries of the label’s house, disco and pop infusions in The Yellow Collection. Includes tracks by Du Tonc, This Soft Machine, Atella, Man Power, Zombies In Miami, LUXXURY, Go March, and more.
Various Artists – Rich Medina Presents Jump ‘N’ Funk CD/LP (BBE)
“Card carrying member of both the Rock Steady Crew and the Universal Zulu Nation, producer, modern griot and one of the finest DJs on the planet, Rich keeps it moving. His sets can wander through hip-hop, house, soul, Afrobeat, funk, breaks and dance classics, selected and spun without rush or hype, just good times with sensitivity and intelligence lightly sprinkled into the mix.” – Truth & Lies
Various Artists – Space Echo: The Mystery Behind The Cosmic Sound Of Cabo Verde Finally Revealed CD (Analog Africa)
A compilation of dancefloor grooves from Cabo Verde, revealing the mystery behind the island’s cosmic synth sound. Eight out of the fifteen songs presented in this compilation were recorded with the backing of the Voz de Cabo Verde band, led by composer Paulino Vieira, the mastermind behind the creation and promulgation of what is known today as “The Cosmic Sound of Cabo Verde.” [Vinyl edition due June 24.]
The Wailing Wailers – The Wailing Wailers [Reissue/1966] CD/LP+MP3 (Studio One)
Yep Roc Music Group is reissuing the catalog of Studio One, the reggae label founded by legendary Jamaican producer and record mogul Clement “Coxsone” Dodd. The debut release will is the Wailers’ The Wailing Wailers, which features Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer.
Weaksaw – Wretched Of The Earth CD (Lifeforce)
Weaksaw is a five-piece groove metal from Montpellier, France.
Tony Joe White – Rain Crow CD/2xLP+MP3 (Yep Roc)
“With a deep, come-hither voice” (Mother Jones) and an “ability to turn that throbbing, thumping uh-uhh hazy guitar beat” (PopMatters), the ‘King of Swamp Rock’ releases his 19th studio album. The 9-song set features new compositions White wrote over the past three years, including co-writes with his wife, Leann, and Billy Bob Thornton on “The Middle Of Nowhere.”
Whitehouse – The Sound Of Being Alive CD/2xLP (Susan Lawley)
Whitehouse remind us what it’s all about with a remastered collection of classics spanning 1998 – 2007. Twelve most intense anthems you will ever know.
Withered – Grief Relic CD/LP (Season Of Mist)
“Grief Relic, the first album in six years from death-doom metal veterans Withered, opens with a low-pitched choke of breath before 40 minutes of gnashing, asphyxiating savagery. The quartet — Atlanta natives Mike Thompson (guitar-vocals) and Beau Brandon (drums), augmented by bass player Colin Marston (of Gorguts/Krallice), and vocalist-guitarist Ethan McCarthy (from Primitive Man) — threads masochistic tremolo picking into blast-beat drumming and prog-tinged, dread-thickened riffs. The melodic, albeit barbed hooks of 2010’s Dualitas have ceded to blackened, sodden, and brutish discord, but even at its most gutting lurch Grief Relic‘s intricate arrangements offer gasps of chiming consolation. The album doesn’t dredge anything unrecognizable from the death-doom sludge, but it’s a seamless, scorched effort of manic catharsis from an evolving, technically gifted band.” – Creative Loafing
Frank Zappa – The Lumpy Money Project [Reissue/2008] 3xCD (Zappa Records)
Unique and rare versions of legendary albums Lumpy Gravy and We’re Only In It For The Money (released digitally in pristine audio quality for the first time), nuggets from the vault (studio outtakes, single versions, instrumental mixes, FZ interviews) with extensive booklet featuring photos & liner notes from David Fricke & Gail Zappa.
Frank Zappa – Road Tapes Venue #1: Kerrisdale Arena, Vancouver B.C. 25 August 1968 2xCD (Zappa Records)
Frank Zappa – Road Tapes Venue #2: Finlandia Hall, Helsinki, Finland 23, 24 August 1973 2xCD (Zappa Records)
Frank Zappa – Road Tapes Venue #3: Tyrone Guthrie Theatre, Minneapolis, MN 5 July 1970 2xCD (Zappa Records)
The Road Tapes series focuses on audio from the vault that is historical yet sonically less than stellar. Described by the man himself as “guerilla recordings,” Frank Zappa tried to document every performance.
DVDs + Blu-ray:
Frank Sinatra – Concert For The Americas DVD (Eagle Vision)
Frank Sinatra – A Man And His Music + A Man And His Music Part II DVD (Eagle Vision)
Frank Sinatra – Sinatra And Friends + The Man And His Music Part II DVD (Eagle Vision)
Frank Sinatra – A Man And His Music + Ella + Jobim: Francis Albert Sinatra Does His Thing DVD (Eagle Vision)
A handful of ‘60s-‘80s Sinatra television specials are now available on DVD.
This Week’s Vinyl Exclusives:
Idris Ackamoor / The Pyramids – We Be All Africans LP+CD (Strut)
West Coast jazz mavericks, The Pyramids, led by their inspirational bandleader, Idris Ackamoor, return with a new album on Strut. Recorded in Max Weissenfeldt’s analogue Philophon studio in Berlin, We Be All Africans is a sparkling set of Afro- jazz-funk fusions, from the infectious chants of the title track to the reflective “Epiphany” and the yearning, mournful future single, “Silent Days” featuring the brilliant vocals of Bajka.
Agnes Strange – Strange Flavour [Reissue/1975] LP (Radiation Deluxe Series)
Originally released in 1975 on the BirdsNest label, the sole album by boogie stompers Agnes Strange is an obscure hard rock gem begging to be rediscovered. Formed in Southampton, UK, in the mid-’70s by Alan Green (bass), Dave Rodwell (drums), and John Westwood (guitar, vocals), Agnes Strange failed to reach any glory or fame, but their legacy of heavy rock riffs, raw leads, and tough attitude — with a spacey Hawkwind-esque touch here and there — helped them reach cult status among ’70s rock fanatics.
Robert Allaire – Too Late [OST] 2xLP (Foe Killer)
In Dennis Hauck’s groundbreaking neo-noir Too Late, Academy Award nominee John Hawkes portrays the instantly iconic private eye Mel Sampson, a lost man searching for a missing woman in a Los Angeles that defies the space-time continuum. Flying in the face of the ambient droning that dominates many a contemporary independent film, Robert Allaire’s sweeping score is all the more innovate for embracing an orchestral tradition that has been all but abandoned. Allaire’s lush, romantic orchestrations are dominated by classical strings and woodwinds, with a smattering of nail-file prepared electric guitar to ensure we never forget that for all its old school trappings, Too Late is very much a movie of today. [Aside from the standard black pressing, a hand-numbered color vinyl edition was also made available, but is very limited.]
Antwon – Double Ecstasy EP 12” (Anticon)
“San Jose rapper Antwon is not an easy read. For every vulnerable song there’s another that feels insufferably ironic, and all of the above are unwaveringly libidinous, some more mature than others. Returning now with the five-song, 16-minute Double Ecstasy EP, Antwon has refined his vision as well as his aesthetic choices, but the overall message remains consistent. He’s still a conflicted hedonist, adept at both indulgence and self-loathing.” — Pitchfork
Arabesque – Why No Reply [Reissue/1982] LP (Mirumir)
Arabesque – Loser Pays The Piper [Reissue/1983] LP (Mirumir)
Arabesque – Time To Say Goodbye [Reissue/1984] LP (Mirumir)
HQ-180gm vinyl reissues of the final three albums by the German disco trio.
Astrobal – Australasie LP+MP3 (Karaoke Kalk)
French musician Emmanuel Mario aka Astrobal presents his full-length debut following collaborations with Laetitia Sadier, Arnaud Fleurent-Didier, Holden, and more. Though eclectic, the melodic haze of Australasie never feels less than a cohesive vision, with the guiding principles of texture and fluidity uniting the disparate threads, from symphonic strings and ethereal ambient washes to Eno-esque synth gauze, ricocheting drums, crackling keys, and chopped acoustic guitar.
Albert Ayler – The First Recordings [Reissue/1963] LP (Jeanne Dielman)
Recorded in Stockholm on October 25, 1962, this session (originally released under the title Something Different!!! by Swedish label Bird Notes in 1963) is one of Albert Ayler’s earliest recordings, and features a European backing group he assembled during his brief stay in Sweden before returning to the States in 1963 and beginning his legendary run with ESP-Disk’ and Impulse! Though his genius is not yet fully formed, one can easily hear he’s headed that direction, and this rare and long out-of-print recording is an essential piece of the history of one America’s most uniquely lyrical voices on the saxophone.
David Bowie – A Reality Tour [2004] 3xLP (Friday Music)
First-time HQ-180gm translucent blue vinyl LP pressing. David Bowie’s A Reality Tour is an extensive live and final overview of his greatest hits, popular album tracks, along with artist and fan favorites, performed live during his amazing performance in Dublin, Ireland.
Glenn Branca – Symphony No. 1 (Tonal Plexus) [Reissue/1983] 2xLP (Roir)
The first large scale ‘symphony’ piece from NYC’s Glenn Branca, reissued on vinyl. Symphony No. 1 (Tonal Plexus) establishes the colossal sound of a whole room full of guitarists (including Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo) sticking tightly to Branca’s minimal score: overtones galore.
Peter Brötzmann/Heather Leigh – Ears Are Filled With Wonder LP (Trost)
The debut release from the duo of pedal steel player Heather Leigh and reedist Peter Brötzmann, a work of organic depth and endlessly evocative unfolding that marks the coming together of two of the most original voices on their respective instruments. Ears Are Filled With Wonder showcases the full reach of Brötzmann’s rebel lyricism — now smoky and seductive, now roaring and vibrating with energy — while Leigh plays it extremely subtly, spinning luscious webs of psychedelic, otherworldly repeat-time bliss; elsewhere the two of them tear the roof off with tactile fuzz-and-horn ascensions.
Philippe Chany – Rive Gauche [Reissue/1983] LP (Dark Entries)
Philippe Chany was inspired by experimental film composers Michel Magne, Ennio Morricone, Lalo Schifrin. He enjoyed making blends, combining rhythms with scratches, utilizing a Roland TR-808, Jupiter 8 and various Akai samplers. Rive Gauche is a fusion of Chanson synth pop, experimental Italo funk, majestic balearic disco and arabesque instrumentals.
Crystal – Music Life [Reissue/1983] LP (Favorite)
This killer LP, produced in 1983 by Georges Debs (GD Productions), mixes elements of zouk and tropical influences from the French West-Indies, with heavy disco and funk flavors.
Culture Abuse – Peach LP/Cassette (6131)
Peach sees Culture Abuse lean full tilt into the Nuggets-inspired garage punk only hinted at on their more hostile early work, throwing keyboards and even the occasional string arrangement on top of their distorted attack.
Georges Delerue and Jean Constantin – François Truffaut: Bandes Originales 1959-1962 LP (Jeanne Dielman)
Featuring the work of acclaimed composers Georges Delerue and Jean Constantin from François Truffaut’s classics Les Quatre Cents Coups (The 400 Blows) (1959), Tirez sur le pianiste (Shoot the Piano Player) (1960), and Jules et Jim (1962), this collection seeks to introduce the listener to the sonic landscapes of some of the most important films of the French New Wave. From playful to intense, these tracks perfectly capture the moods of Truffaut’s films and serve as the exact complement to his work. Includes vocals performances by Juliette Gréco and Jeanne Moreau. Essential for any fans of Truffaut.
Deux Filles – Silence & Wisdom [Reissue/1982] 2xLP (Dark Entries)
Deux Filles released two albums — 1982’s Silence & Wisdom and 1983’s Double Happiness. Both albums are included here and blend watery piano, occasionally ghostly vocals, sheets of synthesizers, heavily processed guitars and the barest minimum of percussion. Drifting and wistful, they’re a pair of lost ambient gems from a time when the genre had yet to mature, an excellent example of post-Eno, pre-Orb ambient music.
Devo – EZ Listening Muzak 2xLP (Futurismo)
Regular black vinyl edition now available. Do you know your fondues from your fon-dont’s? Fear not spuds, Devo and Futurismo bring you the perfect soundtrack to your space-age bachelor or bachelorette pad with 21 tracks of pure unhinged sophistication – Devo’s EZ Listening Muzak. Whether you’re entertaining guests with a bout of cheese and wine by the fire or throwing the cocktail party of the century, these mutated muzak lounge versions of Devo classics such as “Whip It,” “Jocko Homo” and “It’s A Beautiful World” will be the perfect hors d’oeuvres for an evening of de-evolved fun. Originally created as pre-concert mood setters, popularity and sound board thievery led to EZ Listening Muzak being sold back in the early ‘80s as two fan club only cassettes. For the first time since, these revered recordings are officially released as double-vinyl (two pressings: “antique walnut” and “lava lamp”) and double-CD box sets. Also included is a EZ Listening Muzak version of “Human Rocket” – recorded exclusively for this release.
E.L.O. – El Dorado [Reissue/1974] LP (Sony Legacy)
E.L.O. – New World Record [Reissue/1976] LP (Sony Legacy)
E.L.O. – Out Of The Blue [Reissue/1977] LP (Sony Legacy)
HQ-180gm vinyl reissues of quintessential E.L.O.
Epic Problem/The Slow Death – The Slow Death/Epic Problem [Split] 7”+MP3 (Rad Girlfriend)
Epic Problem continues to deliver their brand of hard hitting, melodic roughness featuring Mackie from the legendary oi band Blitz. Masterful songwriting and tight melodies are what you can expect. The Slow Death destroys the flip with two carefully crafted songs that mix angst and aggression with emotion and melody. Think Stiff Little Fingers meet Negative Approach.
Étant Donnés – Royaume / Aimant + Aimant – LP (Penultimate Press)
Combined reissue of Royaume (1991) and Aimant + Aimant – (1992) by Étant Donnés (brothers Eric and Marc Hurtado). “Like true buffoons from ultra-world, Eric and Marc Hurtado succeed in achieving what many sages consider to be the very purpose of magical art: to create one’s own ritual and , being one’s own referent, to become a vibrating point in the cosmos and be a receptacle for natural energy.” — Stéphane Duval
Fake Surfers – Cheap Meat LP+MP3 (X! Records Detroit)
Blazing through 10 tracks of stripped-down, breakneck punk in just under 18 minutes, Fake Surfers keep it direct and urgent on Cheap Meat.
Fire! Orchestra – Ritual 2xLP+CD (Rune Grammophon)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Slimming the ensemble down from 28 of northern Europe’s finest jazz and improvisational musicians to a mere 21, Fire! Orchestra combine free improvisations, spontaneous horns, keyboard frenzy, abstract electronics, and guitar mayhem, and two glorious vocalists.
Florida Georgia Line – Here’s To The Good Times – This Is How We Roll [2012] 2xLP (Big Machine)
HQ-180gm vinyl LP pressing of the deluxe edition of the country duo’s debut album.
Frustrations – Transmissions From The Ether LP+MP3 (X! Record Detroit)
On their long-awaited third album, Transmission From The Ether, Detroit’s Frustrations evoke the sonic mood of a psychedelic fever dream permeated with the urgent unease of modern life. The new album presents a fully fleshed out amalgam of weird punk noisy strain akin to the sonically varied noise rock of Unwound, off-kilter structures of Pere Ubu, and fuzzed out riffs of Mudhoney but all with an acid-fried Detroit vibe.
Limpe Fuchs – Gestrüpp LP (Play Loud! Productions)
Limpe Fuchs’s solo performance with “variable wood and stone rows, ringing bronze in the pendulum strings, and a variety of skin and bronze drums” is a rare occasion to witness one of the early avant-gardists of the scene from the old Federal Republic of Germany, as she attempts “to make music in the flow of time, with simplicity and emotion… Every tone is a sensation. Listening instead of shutting one’s ears. Establishing silence.”
Fujiya & Miyagi – EP1 12” (Impossible Objects)
Brighton-based Fujiya & Miyagi have now been making expansive, experimental and multifaceted electronic-driven music for over fifteen years. As an outfit they have been as successful in their investigations into bleep as they have elongated Krautrock wig outs, and creating breathy electro pop as fiercely as they do post-punk indebted scratchy dance. EP1 feels like an amalgamation of all of these factors, condensed succinctly into four tracks, the first of three planned EPs which will accumulate in a new album in early 2017.
Marvin Gaye – Diana-Marvin [Reissue/1973] LP (Motown)
Marvin Gaye – Let’s Get In On [Reissue/1973] LP (Motown)
Marvin Gaye – Here My Dear [Reissue/1975] LP (Motown)
Marvin Gaye – In Our Lifetime [Reissue/1981] LP (Motown)
Marvin Gaye – Volume Three: 1971-1981 8xLP (Motown)
Limited HQ-180gm vinyl reissues of classic soul.
Goat – I Sing in Silence b/w The Snake of Addis Ababa 7”+MP3 (Sub Pop)
Elastic guitar lines, woodblock percussion, and flutes which “I Sing In Silence” are enveloped by one of the strongest vocal deliveries by the bands enigmatic singers, resulting in a powerful and catchy psych-pop number. The B side, an instrumental called “The Snake Of Addis Ababa,” is a looping, North-African mantra played on a teasing, fuzzed guitar, underpinned by a djembe groove.
Keiji Haino/Jim O’Rourke/Oren Ambarchi – I wonder if you noticed “I’m sorry” Is such a lovely sound It keeps things from getting worse 2xLP (Black Truffle)
A double-LP document of the complete set performed by Keiji Haino, Jim O’Rourke, and Oren Ambarchi at Tokyo’s legendary SuperDeluxe on March 2, 2014, marking the seventh chapter in this remarkable series of releases from this acclaimed trio. Continuing to explore new instrumental and dynamic possibilities while remaining grounded in the trio’s previous work, this set also brings with it a unique pleasure for the non-Japonophone listener: for the first time Haino sings many of his metaphysically brooding lyrics in English.
David Jones – David Jones [Reissue/1965] LP (Friday Music)
Limited vinyl pressing of the debut 1965 solo album released by British performer David Jones, best remembered as the lone non-American member of The Monkees (i.e. Davy Jones). Released a year before he climbed to stardom as a member of the pop quartet, this album capitalized on his charm, good looks and the popularity of his prior work as the Artful Dodger in the musical production of Oliver. Though this album was aimed at the teen market, it also contained enough showbiz pizzazz to appeal to adults as well. (Trivia: Another British artist by the name of David Jones didn’t want to be accidentally confused with this David/Davy Jones so he changed his name to David Bowie.)
Ariel Kalma – Interfrequence [Reissue/1980] LP (Black Sweat)
First reissue of Ariel Kalma’s Interfrequence, the 1980 follow-up to his 1978 classic Osmose.
Interfrequence is a continuation of Kalma’s personal research into the combination of electronic machines with natural sounds and acoustic instrumentation, using Moogs, organs, flutes, trumpets, clarinets, and other embellishments.
Ash Koosha – I Aka I LP (Ninja Tune)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Wobbling electronica rhythms ‘n’ fractal sound waves from the Iranian-born, London-based composer. For fans of Arca and Burial.
Kendrick Lamar – untitled. unmastered. LP (Top Dawg Entertainment/Aftermath/Records)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Kendrick Lamar’s surprise new release features studio versions of the untitled songs he performed on The Colbert Report, The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and the most recent performance at the 58th annual Grammy Awards show. (Vinyl edition TBA.) “Back when he was just dropping these untitled songs on TV performances, one narrative held that Kendrick Lamar reigned so supremely that he could just let these sublime tracks lift into the ether without putting them on an album. But while that perspective honored his genius, it ignored King Kendrick’s intentionality. Elsewhere, there have been some takes connecting the surprise release of untitled unmastered. to The Life Of Pablo, but again, there’s a significant difference between Kanye’s tinkering and K-Dot’s surprise bit of context. Even a patch of unfinished demos gives extra clarity to Lamar’s masterpiece To Pimp a Butterfly and his career as a whole. Only King Kendrick’s demos could sound this intentional and powerful.” – Consequence Of Sound
Los Pepes – Los Pepes [Reissue/1966] LP (Munster)
Los Pepes – Por Favor 7” (Munster)
Valencia’s Los Pepes are one the most obscure ‘60s Spanish acts, despite having recorded one of the strongest albums of the beat and garage scene, featuring exclusively original songs. Signed to the small Madrid-based label Hit, their early singles never had proper national distribution and promotion, and the imprint’s sudden demise meant that their outstanding 1966 debut LP and the band’s promising career sank into obscurity.
Lutheran Heat/Pretty Boy Thorson & Lil’ Happiness – Split 7”+MP3 (Rad Girlfriend)
Pretty Boy Thorson’s super-group featuring members of Soviettes and Dillinger Four from Minneapolis plays country soaked, rock & roll jams with a gritty punk rock underbelly, with Thorson’s gravely croon standing in stark contrast with Annie Sparrow’s more sweet and melodic voice. Pop-punk outlaws Lutheran Heat (whose first EP Minneapolis City Pages cited as one of the best of 2014) round out the B-side of this record with their own brand of jangly rock & roll. Fans who enjoy country, rock & roll & punk rock will all find something for themselves on this record. For fans of Dillinger Four, Soviettes, New York Dolls, Johnny Thunders.
Mogador – Overflow Pool LP (Further)
Will Long (Celer) debuts his Mogador project with Overflow Pool, unspooling his rigorously honed tones with a gentle insistence ideal for flotation tanks, deep-tissue massages, and general relaxation. Lingering, aqueous chords and Harold Budd-on-uppers tones are spaced out by suspenseful lacunae and left to decay to near-silence for maximal contemplation; similarities to Brian Eno’s Thursday Afternoon (1985) are also evident, as Mogador methodically doles out morsels of oceanic calm geared to align your chakras like some 21st-century Steven Halpern LP.
Francis Monkman – The Long Good Friday [OST/Reissue/1983] LP (Silva Screen)
Monkman’s dazzlingly crafted score to one of the truly great British gangster thrillers appears in stereo on vinyl for the first time, newly remastered for this release.
Nobodys/The Raging Nathans – Raging Nathans/Nobodys [Split] 7”+MP3 (Rad Girlfriend/Brassneck)
Nobodys are back with their first newly recorded material in over 15 years. Picking right back up where they left off in 2001, here are two brand new songs packed with the humor and raunchiness that we all love and expect from these guys. The Raging Nathans blaze through their side of the split with two highly catchy and personal songs that will have you spinning this record over and over again. For fans of The Queers, Dwarves, Screeching Weasel, Sloppy Seconds, Mr. T Experience.
Alan Parker – One Summer: Original Score To The 1983 TV Series 7” (Finders Keepers)
Previously unreleased schizo post-punk/Moogy folk score for the 1983 British scouseploitation TV drama One Summer from the vault of guitarist and composer Alan Parker, best-kept secret session man for Kate Bush, Serge Gainsbourg, and David Bowie. Composed to cue for the five-part series (that TV commissioners were too scared to revisit), Parker’s bursts of self-propelled small-screen scoring came in one-to-two-minute spells, allowing Finders Keepers to comfortably fit the entire soundtrack on one 7″.
Phantom Forth – The EEPP [Reissue/1984] LP (Dark Entries)
Pantom Forth blends cold wave guitars, drum-machine propelled post-punk with female vocals. The core recording set up was a Casio-Tone VL, Boss DR-55 Dr. Rhythm, Roland TR-606 and an acoustic Yamaha bass.
Gregory Porter – Take Me To The Alley 2xLP (Blue Note)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. An artist whose music is at once timeless yet utterly of its time, Gregory Porter solidifies his standing as one of his generation’s most soulful jazz singer/songwriters with Take Me To The Alley, the follow-up to his Grammy-winning 2013 album Liquid Spirit. Reinforcing their well-honed rapport is the return of Porter’s core accompanying musicians – pianist and music director Chip Crawford, bassist Aaron James, drummer Emanuel Harrold, alto saxophonist Yosuke Sato, and tenor saxophonist Tivon Pennicott. Singer Alicia Olatuja, trumpeter Keyon Harrold, and organist Ondrej Pivec also make appearances throughout. Album single “Holding On” finds Porter presenting his decidedly different version of the Disclosure single that he was the featured vocalist on and co-wrote for their album Caracal.
Baden Powell – À Vontade [Reissue/1963] LP (Jeanne Dielman)
Baden Powell was one of the most prominent and celebrated guitarists in Brazil’s history, combining bossa, samba, jazz, and more in his celebrated 40-year history. À Vontade (1963), one of his earliest recordings, is a beautiful piece of early-’60s bossa nova and samba. Featuring Powell’s expertly accomplished acoustic guitar playing along with an all-star cast of backing musicians, this is an essential title for any fan of Brazilian music.
Prostitutes – Ghost Detergent LP (Spectrum Spools)
After countless singles, LPs and performances played around the world, James Donadio is back with his first full length effort since 2014’s Petit Cochon. Ghost Detergent is a consummate amalgam of fried gear, chunky bass and fractured samples. Donadio’s extraordinary ability to fuse his wide range of influences into a collection of lucidly executed and concise jams has reached its paragon.
Quasi – R&B Transmogrification [Reissue1997] LP+MP3 (Up/Domino)
Quasi – Featuring “Birds” [Reissue1998] LP+MP3 (Up/Domino)
Indie rock had seen power duos before: Guv’ner, Royal Trux, Buckingham-Nicks, the Carpenters – but they’d never sounded like Quasi. Drumming like a controlled detonation; mutant blues coming out of an electric harpsichord or guitar by turns. Backwards through the backwoods of AM pop and Pebbles psych to create a new form: bar-room baroque. Honey-golden multitracked vocals and some of the bleakest, black-eyed, black-hearted lyrics put to paper since Lou Reed woke up in a bad mood. And all played with the kind of ramshackle ease that only comes from weeks of practice, months in the van, and serious chops.
Sharp Weapons – Sharp Weapons LP (Static Tension)
Adding a punk rock sensibility to an appetite for heavy riffs, Kansas City’s rising posthardcore outfit Sharp Weapons fuse the sounds of Every Time I Die, Botch, and High On Fire to create an intense combination that kicks you in the teeth.
Silver Apples – Whirly Bird b/w Oscillations [Reissue/1968] 7” (Play Loud! Productions)
First reissue of the first Silver Apples 7″ vinyl single, originally released in 1968 on Kapp Records. “A beautiful and mysterious artifact, a band that appeared in the late 1960’s making electronic art-pop so singular that it was another decade before bands even began to sound like the group.” –The New York Times
Soundtrack – The Warriors [Reissue/1979] 2xLP (Waxwork)
Waxwork tirelessly worked directly from the original master tapes of both the original 1979 soundtrack and film score to bring audiences a brand new transfer of every musical cue heard in the movie, for the very first time on vinyl.
Gwen Stefani – This Is What The Truth Feels Like LP (Interscope)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Third solo album by the No Doubt vocalist. Inspired by the end of her marriage and the roller coaster of emotions she experienced during the time, Stefani returned to feeling inspired and started writing new and meaningful songs. Stefani wrote the whole album in a few months and described it as a “breakup record,” with the songs having a “sarcastic” and dark-humor vibe, as well as having realness and a few being joyful and happy as well. Includes the singles “Used To Love You” and “Make Me Like You.”
Sun Ra – The Saturn Singles Vol. 2: 1959-1962 LP (Jeanne Dielman)
More essential early Sun Ra performances and productions from 1959-1962. This compilation focuses on Yochanan (aka The Space Age Vocalist) — a wild and wildly original street performer from Chicago whom Sun Ra befriended (or an alias of Sun Ra’s) — along with some other amazing Sun Ra sides.
Various Artists – Jukebox Fever Volume 1: 1956 10” (Stag-O-Lee)
A collection of rare, culty early rock ‘n’ roll singles, featuring: Mabel King, The Willows, Otis Blackwell, Dusty Owens And Donna Darlene with The Rodeo Boys, The Peace River Rangers, Bob Regan, Roy Moss, Mac Curtis, Sonee West, Donna Darlene, Abbie Neal and Her Ranch Girls, Betty Brent, Jimmy Nolen, Lattie Moore, Boogaloo and His Gallant Crew and The Creel Sisters.
Various Artists – Lost In Mali: Off The Beaten Track From Bambako To Timbuktu LP (Riverboat)
Released last October on CD – now available on vinyl. The ambience and atmosphere of children’s laughter against adult chatter, grinding work sounds and distant honking traffic are the woven commonplace sounds of everyday life. Riverboat Records Lost In… series beams you straight to far flung locations. The album was compiled by on-the-ground experts Philippe Sanmiguel and Paul Chandler. Sanmiguel manages and produces Malian artists such as Samba Touré and Anansy Cissé, while Chandler runs Studio Mali, a production company, recording studio and record label based in Bamako.
Various Artists – A Tribute To Pet Sounds LP (Reverberation Appreciation Society)
The Beach Boys Pete Sounds album re-invented by Reverberation artusts The Black Angels, Night Beats, The UFO Club, Christian Bland & The Revelators, Holy Wave, The Shiovas, Chris Catalena, Cosmonauts and more.
Wipers – Wipers Rarities 2xLP (Bang)
Official vinyl release of what was only previously released as a bootleg CD-R in the early ’90s, based on the original recordings and with new mastering. Two LPs full of Wipers rarities, including their almost impossible-to-find debut single from 1978, “Better Off Dead,” as well as other rarities from B-sides, compilation tracks, and acoustic and electric performances from 1978 to 1990.
Yumi Zouma – Yoncalla LP (Cascine)
This enigmatic New Zealand outfit first started showing up on music blogs in spring of 2013. Since then, they’ve become one of the most-blogged artists of the past two years on Hype Machine. Lush, electronic production buoys key tracks and the vocal deliveries are increasingly sophisticated. “Yumi Zouma produces music that is as gorgeous as their name,” says the Aussie/Kiwi blog Happy.
Cassettes:
Catfish and The Bottlemen – The Ride (Capitol)
No difficult second album here. Just blistering, swashbuckling tunes.
Culture Abuse – Peach (6131)
Peach sees Culture Abuse lean full tilt into the Nuggets-inspired garage punk only hinted at on their more hostile early work, throwing keyboards and even the occasional string arrangement on top of their distorted attack.
Enjoy – Another Word For Joy (Burger)
Solo project from Wyatt Shears of The Garden. “…A project which embodies all the high-energy, fuzz-packed punk of The Garden, but with an added dose of romance and melody, a sound that sees Shears embrace introspection and intimacy alongside the propulsive chaos that he’s made his name with. It’s a style not often heard in punk – a genre that can be as sneering as it is brash – but Shears’ music emanates all the sun-splashed optimism and charm of his native California, and the result is incredibly contagious.” — Dazed
Kristin Kontrol – X-Communicate (Sub Pop)
Kristin Welchez is best-known as Dee Dee, leader of the gauzy garage-rock gang Dum Dum Girls. X-Communicate was inspired by the ’80s pop Welchez listened to as a kid, with touchstones including Debbie Gibson, Tiffany, Janet Jackson, and Madonna.
Puzzle – Soaring (Burger)
Puzzle is The Garden’s Fletcher Shears electronic solo side-project.
Summer Cannibals – Full Of It (Kill Rock Stars)
“Recent Kill Rock Stars signees Summer Cannibals expertly balance flame-belching Mad Max riffage with lyrics frankly exploring questions of codependence and need.” — Pitchfork
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