CDs + Vinyl:
Jay Arner – Jay II CD/LP (Mint Recordings)
Jay Arner’s Jay II is music for outsiders who might not want to be insiders. Sophisticated synth-pop for sensitive types, existential glam rock for the unsettled-these songs are the soundtrack to fitting in, finding your place in the world of suffering, and finally coming to terms with yourself. In his quest for self-discovery, Arner channels inspirations ranging from the cheeky charm of Sparks to the regal slink of Roxy Music; the soaring hooks of Fleetwood Mac to the propulsive drive of La Dusseldorf.
Avion Roe – In Separation CD (Epitaph)
New album from the melodramatic emo rock band.
Luke Bell – Luke Bell CD (Bill Hill)
“Luke Bell is a country singer of seriously old timey tradition. He was born in Wyoming, where he grew up working on a ranch, dropped out of school to make music, and now he’s in Nashville, the country music capital of the world. And that’s not all—his music sounds like you could have heard it in the same honky tonk Hank Williams used to play (with the exception of a little profanity). ‘Sometimes,’ the first single off Bell’s new self-titled album, is a two-step worthy tune about the mixed feelings he has about leaving his girl behind. ‘So now I sit alone, but mostly I don’t mind/ except every now and then at closin’ time/ there’s a sweet memory/ at the bottom of my glass,’ he croons with his old soul voice, transporting you straight to the stool next to him at the whiskey joint. Makes you wanna wipe those honky tonk tears off his face” – The Fader. [Vinyl edition due August 17.]
Big Deal – Say Yes CD/LP (FatCat)
“In between stolen laptops and plentiful heartbreak, Big Deal had a right old ‘mare these last few years. Most people might respond by huddling away with Netflix and a bag of crumpets; Kacey Underwood and Alice Costelloe answered it with their most rip-roaringly brilliant album yet.
Their third album Say Yes is affirmative to the core, by name and nature. Saccharine vocals coat like sherbet, in tense contrast with a bitterlaced dibdab of clouded melodies. Time and time again, the pair make zesty, sugary lemonade out of sour lemons. And even when they’re teary-eyed and falling out of love — on starkly honest standouts like ‘Still My Dream’ and ‘Don’t Forget’ — there’s a persistent feeling that mega-riffs can overcome mega-woe.” – DIYmag
Wolfert Brederode Trio and Wolfert Brederode – Black Ice CD (ECM)
After two quartet adventures, Wolfert Brederode returns to a piano trio setting, and Black Ice makes an apt metaphor for his new music, with its gleaming lyricism, transparency, and hint of danger. “I find the combination of danger and beauty intriguing,” he says. There is sleek melodic invention both from the leader and from Icelandic bassist Gulli Gudmundsson, and Jasper van Hulten proves to be a resourceful addition to the team, a tone-sensitive drummer adept at embellishing the sensitive musical language and sense of interplay.
Jake Bugg – On My One CD/LP (Island)
Raised on a steady diet of the Beatles, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, and the brothers Gallagher, English singer/songwriter Jake Bugg blends the melodious, working-class swagger of the La’s and the primal, bluesy simplicity of the White Stripes with the wry, weathered romanticism of Jens Lekman. Born in Nottingham, Bugg picked up the guitar at the age of 12, and within a year he was composing his own songs. Disinterested in the hip-hop and grime that dominated the listening habits of his peers, he turned to the classics for inspiration.
Will Butler – Friday Night CD (Merge)
Friday Night is a live album of performances from Will Butler’s tour supporting Policy, his first album. It was recorded mostly at Lincoln Hall in Chicago on June 4, 2015. Five of the songs are from Policy, two are songs Will wrote for the Guardian newspaper last year, and five are new. “We started almost every show with ‘You Must Be Kidding.’ Not only does it build nicely, but the chorus lyric is literally ‘It’s only just begun.’ The blend of humor, Lord Of The Flies, and the end of the world also set the right tone for the show to come. But I thought the album should start in medias res to welcome the listener into a sweaty room with a tired, happy band and a loose crowd. So the album starts with the encore ‘Tell Me We’re All Right’ which was only ever played once, and this is the recording of it. We never soundchecked it. It wasn’t even written yet (you might be able to tell).” – Will Butler
case/lang/veers – case/lang/veers CD/LP+MP3 (ANTI-)
case/lang/veirs = Neko Case, k.d. lang, and Laura Veirs. Full of stunning harmonies and spellbinding rhythms, case/lang/veirs travels through aches and eras, torch songs and tributes to the undersung.
Caveman – Otero War CD/LP (Cinematic Music Group)
Otero War is the follow-up to 2011’s CoCo Beware and 2013’s Caveman. Frontman Matthew Iwanusa took more of the reigns in the creative process this time, but it was still a full band effort. Michael Brauer (Coldplay, My Morning Jacket) mixed the album and Albert Di Fiore produced it. Iwanusa’s father contributed string arrangements. “Brooklyn indie rockers Caveman have been relatively quiet since their excellent self-titled album three years ago. That album showed incredible growth, and it seems their sound has stretched even more on their newest offering ‘Never Going Back,’ the lead single from their third LP, Otero War. On ‘Never Going Back,’ bright synths and rhythmic guitar strums elevate a melodic vocal and hook that will be stuck in your head for the rest of the day. It seems Caveman are coming into their own; I think we are in for a treat with Otero War.” – Stereogum
CCR Headcleaners – Tear Down The Wall CD/LP (In The Red)
Sophomore full-length of hypnotic and malevolent psychedelia from Bay Area ensemble featuring Hospitals/Gaze/Life Stinks personnel. With an acid-baked aesthetic that feels totally natural and never forced, CCR Headcleaner excels at creating damaged, synapse-frying rock that definitely seems to be channeling Royal Trux in their drug addled prime.
Clique – Burden Piece CD/LP (Topshelf)
All very short, the songs on Burden Piece are sweet slices of slacker pop.
Converge – You Fail Me (Redux) [Reissue/2004] CD/LP+MP3 (Deathwish, Inc.)
Never quite content with the original mix, You Fail Me Redux was remixed by guitarist Kurt Ballou at his God City studios. The release was also remastered by Alan Douches (Motörhead, Mastodon), and repackaged by vocalist/artist Jacob Bannon.
Elizabeth Cook – Exodus Of Venus CD (Agent Love Music)
For fans of the Florida-born and raised Cook, a Grand Ole Opry regular, SiriusXM Outlaw Country hostess and David Letterman favorite, Exodus Of Venus will be something of a shock. If she maintains the tang of her drawl, what emerges beyond Cook’s always vibrant and vivid sense of detail is a song cycle soaked in turpentine, musk and honey. [Vinyl edition due July 8.]
Craft – Blood Moon CD/LP+MP3 (PIAS America/Heavenly)
Living in a cabin on the edge of the Mojave desert, M. Craft discovered that isolation loves a soundtrack. The record reflects M Craft’s time as a desert resident in the heart of the Joshua Tree area. Blood Moon (M. Craft’s third full album) is very much a score for seclusion. Inspired by witnessing the titular lunar event twice during his time as a desert resident, the album began life in a studio in nearby Los Angeles as a series of unstructured, experimental piano pieces. If the songs on Blood Moon have been hacked from bigger pieces, the technique used to craft them is exemplary. Over its ten tracks, the album occasionally echoes the ghost forms of Talk Talk’s peerless Laughing Stock and the hymnal beauty of Sufjan Stevens’ Seven Swans.
Anthony D’Amato – Cold Snap CD/LP+MP3 (New West)
Produced by Mike Mogis (Bright Eyes, First Aid Kit) and recorded with an Omaha all-star team of musicians including Conor Oberst and members of Bright Eyes, The Faint, and Cursive, Cold Snap has a larger-than-life sound propelled by dual drummers, explosive guitars, infectious hooks, and erudite lyrics. “Anthony D’Amato is out to prove that there’s still a place in the world for earnest folk rock executed to perfection and without a hint of pretense. At least, that’s the impression one gets while listening to ‘Rain On A Strange Roof,’ the lead single from his [new] album, Cold Snap. The song’s ambitious, amicable folk arrangement sounds like a hypercharged cross between Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen — dated reference points, maybe, but attractive ones nonetheless. Positioning himself within a long tradition of confessional American songwriters, D’Amato has a talent for making the familiar resonate with a heightened sense of meaning.” – Consequence Of Sound
Deceptionist – Initializing Irreversible Process CD/LP (Unique Leader)
Debut album from this Italian death metal band.
FAWNN – Ultimate Oceans CD/LP (Quite Scientific)
Lead single “Galaxies” features FAWNN’s signature hooky boy/girl harmonies, melodic guitar interplay and undeniable rhythm grooves, but like many of the more immediate cuts on Ultimate Oceans, the band has added a John-Hughes-era-credit-sequence chorus that is sure to have you fumbling for the “repeat” button. [Limited color vinyl edition also available.]
The Game – Streets Of Compton CD (E1)
Following the success of his star studded double albums, The Documentary 2 and 2.5, hip-hop artist The Game hits the small screen once again in A&E Networks three-part docu-series about the history of Compton, released in conjunction with this 11-track companion album of the same name.
Margaret Glaspy – Emotions And Math CD/LP+MP3 (ATO)
“Singer/songwriter Margaret Glaspy’s Emotions And Math is a collection of compact grunge-rock and breezy torch songs that variously recall Elliott Smith and Joni Mitchell. After starting off singing meandering, exploratory folk on her debut Glaspy has developed a newfound knack for pop hooks and easy melodies. If the songs on Emotions And Math, which follow conventional structures and hover in the two-three minute range, have polished over some of Glaspy’s intriguing eccentricities as a vocalist, they also show off her refined focus as a songwriter. On the ’90s-Liz Phair-indebted title track, Glaspy establishes herself as an uncanny chronicler of everyday neuroses, outsourcing her anxieties about a long distance relationship to the numbing tasks of calendar keeping and number crunching “the days ‘till you’re back.” Two tracks later, she channels her anger inwards on the swaggering rocker “You and I,” blaming herself for letting a lackluster love linger too long: It’s one of many instances on Emotions And Math in which Glaspy reserves her deepest empathy for her characters during their lowest moments, when their flaws are getting the best of them and their only sense of reassurance might be knowing that their peers are, more likely than not, fucking up just as mightily” – Pitchfork. [Vinyl version includes a bonus poster including handwritten lyrics.]
Gojira – Magma CD/LP+MP3 (Roadrunner)
It has always been hard to put a tag on Gojira, one of France’s most extreme bands the country’s musical pallet has ever known. But then again, the band has never really sought out such a tag, instead letting the music do the talking, preferring introspection and intelligence over preconceived notions and preexisting tags. Ever since the 1996 formation in town of Bayonne in the southwest of France, Gojira has been an ever-evolving experiment in extreme metal ultimately built upon a worldly, ever-conscious outlook with roots firmly-planted both in the hippie movement and an environmentally-conscious, new age mentality. “Magma is a record that envelopes you with its overtly dark drama, but within its haze, its crushing catharsis makes it one of the most special metal records to be released in some time. It may not be the relentless assault many fans wanted from the album – and that’s not to say it is barren of those moments – yet, as a vehicle for emotional cleansing, as a eulogy and an obituary for a woman who shaped the personalities that drive this act, it is staggering.” – The Sludgelord
Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers – Rehab Reunion CD/LP (Savoy Jazz)
Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Bruce Hornsby has delivered a new album with his long-running band, The Noisemakers titled Rehab Reunion. The iconoclast pushes the envelope once again, putting his piano aside and writing and recording solely on the dulcimer throughout. Guest stars include Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) singing falsetto harmony on the emotional and epic first single “Over The Rise” and the legendary Mavis Staples delivering a rousing gospel performance with Hornsby on “Celestial Railroad.”
The Hot Sardines – French Fries + Champaign CD/LP (Decca)
While the new album continues to show the Paris-meets-New York backgrounds of the band’s leaders, vocalist Miz Elizabeth and bandleader/pianist Evan Bibs Palazzo, French Fries illustrates the duality of the Hot Sardines ethos: on one side, they are a rollicking, lowbrow, gutbucket R&B and Hot Jazz band, who love to let the good times roll, reveling in the simple pleasures of a good plate of fried food and a sizzling foot-stomper from the ‘40s and ‘50s American South. On the Champagne side, the Sardines are the elegant, smooth, soft and luxurious lovers of lush orchestral arrangements of ballads about newfound love, loss and loneliness. A highlight of the album is “When I Get Low, I Get High.” Originally recorded in 1936 by Ella Fitzgerald and Chick Webb and His Orchestra, the Lindy Hop sensation is here now interpreted Sardines-style by Miz Elizabeth duetting with the Tony Award-winning (Cabaret), 2x Emmy and Golden Globe nominee (The Good Wife), Alan Cumming.
Jambinai – A Hermitage CD/LP+MP3 (Bella Union)
“Mixing traditional South Korean folk and instruments with aspects of metal and post-rock (even hip-hop at one point), Jambinai create an enthralling concoction with moments of all-encompassing darkness and moments of stark lucidity.” – The Line Of Best Fit
Sarah Jarosz – Undercurrent CD/LP (Sugarhill/Concord)
On singer/songwriter/mandolinist Sarah Jarosz’s fourth album, the impact of being a full-time artist living in New York City is palpable. A gifted instrumentalist, singularly expressive vocalist and songwriter of rare insight, Jarosz anchors her new record with a haunting quartet of songs written and performed solo: “Early Morning Light,” “Everything To Hide,” “Take Another Turn” and “Jacqueline.” She expands her palate from the swampy defiance of “House Of Mercy” to the nostalgic “Back Of My Mind.” Undercurrent captures the process of personal evolution and discovery as well as the inspirational nature of change. The album features contributions from Guster’s Luke Reynolds, Parker Millsap, and her I’m With Her bandmates Sara Watkins and Aoife O’Donovan, among others.
Søren Juul – This Moment CD (4AD)
Juul’s first album under his own name, having previously recorded under the moniker Indians. “The Danish singer-songwriter Soren Juul isn’t afraid to mix things up. After scoring a solo hit in 2013 with the album ‘Somewhere Else,’ recorded under the pseudonym Indians, Juul returns this summer with his first album under his own name, This Moment. “With a moniker, it’s kind of like you’re protecting yourself,” says Juul, whose spare yet evocative songs have garnered comparisons to Bon Iver and M83. ‘I don’t really need the safety net anymore.’” – New York Times
Golfam Khayam and Mona Matbou Riahi – Narrante CD (ECM)
The guitarist Khayam and clarinetist Riahi, both born in Teheran, have pursued further musical adventures outside Iran while remaining fascinated and strongly influenced by their homelands rich and diverse traditions. In the process they have arrived at a synthesis of their own, finding points of contact between aspects of Persian tradition and contemporary music. The forms, modes, drones and rhythms of Persian music as well its call for improvisation are redeployed, to new creative ends, in their fresh and vital work.
The Kingbees – The Big Rock [Reissue/1981] CD (Omnivore)
Disenchanted by the corporate rock of early ’80s FM radio, The Kingbees straight forward rock ‘n’ roll sound (with a hint of country, a dash of punk and a full load of heart and soul) pre-dated the rockabilly revival by a few years. Expanded reissue with four bonus tracks.
Let’s Eat Grandma – I, Gemini CD/LP+MP3 (PIAS America)
UK duo Let’s Eat Grandma is comprised of 16-year-old Rosa Walton and 17-year-old Jenny Hollingworth. “I, Gemini is an impressive, off-kilter pop album, with five of the record’s 10 tracks clocking it at over five minutes. Defying the stigma that comes with their (very) young age, Walton and Hollingworth showcase their diverse influences and widespread musical ability, with some songs relying heavy pop beats while others boast mandolin-based folk instrumentation.” – Stereogum
Locash – Fighters CD (Reviver)
Already in their career, the duo of Preston Brust and Chris Lucas have enjoyed hit singles, sold-out concert appearances here and abroad, and have tasted the top of the chart as
two of Nashville’s quickest-rising songwriters.
Low Anthem – Eyeland CD (Razor & Tie)
The Low Anthem are not only musical artists, they live their lives as art. The band creates constantly for themselves and others in their home base, The Columbus Theater in Providence, Rhode Island. This new release is the realization of a musical dream come to life in the form of songs and a soon to be developed play. Eyeland is multi-dimensional, future folk.
Male Gaze – King Leer CD/LP (Castleface)
Skuzz-pop melodies buried beneath mountains of fuzz from weirdo-punk supergroup.
Glenn Mercer – Wheels In Motion [2007] LP (Sinister Torch)
Glenn Mercer has fronted The Feelies since 1976, and his first solo album, 2007’s Wheels In Motion, contains all of the familiar hallmarks of the band; frenetic percussion, jangly guitars, songwriting that channels Lou Reed. First time on vinyl.
Hailu Mergia and Dahlak Band – Wede Harer Guzo CD/2xLP (Awesome Tapes From Africa)
“Back in the late ’70s, Mulatu Astatke collaborator, keyboardist and accordion maestro Hailu Mergia was on an incredible musical roll in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. After recording the remarkable instrumental album Tche Belew with The Walias Band in 1977, Hailu wanted to do something slightly different. For Wede Harer Guzo, he connected with The Dahlak Band, the in-house entertainers at Ghion Hotel to create a soulful and smokey cycle of Ethiopian songbook classics. Featuring remarkable vocal arrangements and playing, Wede Harer Guzo is a must-listen for Ethiopian music fans interested in learning about the younger late night dancing sounds of that era.” – The Four Oh Five
Steve Miller Band – Wide River [Reissue/1993] CD/LP (Sailor)
When the often overlooked Wide River was originally released in June 1993, it was Miller’s first album in five years and turned out to be his last album for seventeen years, until 2010’s Bingo!. A return to his definitive ’70s form, the self-produced album was recorded with his regular touring band and features all of Miller’s vintage bluesy pop/rock signatures.
Misfits – Friday The 13th CD (Misfits)
Four new horror-punk anthems for the new millennium, each written by founding fiend Jerry Only (bass/vocals). An homage to ‘80s era slashers, classic sci-fi and everything in between. [Vinyl edition due July 8.]
Mitski – Puberty 2 CD/LP/Cassette (Dead Oceans)
Ask Mitski Miyawaki about happiness and she’ll warn you: “Happiness f**ks you.” It’s a lesson that’s been writ large into the New Yorker’s gritty, outsider-indie for years, but never so powerfully as on her newest album, Puberty 2. “Happiness is up, sadness is down, but one’s almost more destructive than the other,” she says. “When you realize you can’t have one without the other, it’s possible to spend periods of happiness just waiting for that other wave.” On Puberty 2, that tension is palpable: a both beautiful and brutal romantic hinterland, in which one of America’s new voices hits a brave new stride. “Mitski Miyawaki is only 25 years old, but she’s already on her fourth album, and she’s developed an emotional vocabulary light years beyond almost anyone else working right now. With her new Puberty 2, Mitski has made one of the year’s best indie rock albums: An auteurist piece of profound, personal lo-fi music that finds sharp ways to say serious things. The album veers in different stylistic directions, but it’s also cohesive enough to get lost in.” – Stereogum. [Limited white color vinyl copies also available.]
Mogwai – Atomic: A Soundtrack By Mogwai CD/LP (Temporary Residence)
Atomic is composed of reworked versions of the music recorded for the soundtrack to director Mark Cousins’ acclaimed documentary Atomic: Living In Dread And Promise, which first aired on BBC Four last summer. Constructed entirely of archive film, Atomic is an impressionistic kaleidoscope of the horrors of our nuclear times — protest marches, Cold War sabre-rattling, Chernobyl and Fukishima — but also the sublime beauty of the atomic world, and how x-rays and MRI scans have improved human lives. Mogwai’s soundtrack encapsulates the nightmare of the nuclear age, but its dreamlike qualities too. It is the latest in the band’s series of impressive soundtracks and scores, following acclaimed albums Les Revenants (The Returned) and Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait. Mogwai’s Stuart Braithwaite says: “The Atomic soundtrack is one of the most intense and fulfilling projects we’ve taken on as a band. Ever since we went to Hiroshima to play and visited the peace park this has been a subject very close to us. The end results, both the film score and the record are pieces I’m extremely proud of.”
Mumford & Sons with Baaba Maal, The Very Best & Beatenberg – Johannesburg CD/10” (Glassnote)
Mumford & Sons’ new mini-album, Johannesburg, is a product of their South African tour recording in the title city. The release features their touring partners Baaba Maal (a Senegalese music legend), Beatenberg (a South African pop group) and The Very Best (a London-based, Malawi-inspired jazz/ hip-hop act). The mini-album was recorded over the course of two sessions in Johannesburg that the band have described as “all day and all night,” as part of a sizeable South African tour undertaken in January and February this year. The song which opens Johannesburg, “There Will Be Time,” is a belter. Tender but not shackled by any sense of restraint. It has that special inference of yearning that Mumford & Sons do so incredibly well, and when combining that with the musicianship of Baaba Maal’s glorious crew and his vocals which interweave mesmerizingly with that yearning thing, you’ve got something really quite otherworldly.
Nails – You Will Never Be One Of Us CD/LP/Cassette (Nuclear Blast)
The Southern California-based grind/hardcore band returns with their third full-length album.
Netherlands – Audubon CD (Prosthetic)
Netherlands was formed in New York City in 2010 by multi-instrumentalist Timo Ellis, whose father is an accomplished author and illustrator. Ellis often mentions Pixeltan, Flipper, and Wipers as being the musical “spiritual precedents” here, along with the deeper/ambient influences of Bad Brains, Diamanda Galas, Can and The Cars. [Vinyl version due July 15.]
Odonis Odonis – Post Plague CD (Felte)
Toronto underground staple Odonis Odonis broke out in 2011 with their scrappy, blown out debut, Hollandaze. The dynamic trio instantly began turning heads with their signature “industrial surfgaze” sound. Their post-apocalyptic anthems construct scenes of sci-fi horror and saturate them with industrial strength synth beats. [Vinyl version due July 8.]
Ela Orleans – Circles Of Upper And Lower Hell CD/2xLP (Night School)
Circles Of Upper And Lower Hell is a grand, deep work by Polish-born, Glasgow-based sound artist and composer Ela Orleans. From her beginnings inaugurating a lo-fi, homespun style that has since developed fully into a language uniquely her own, from tentative live outings featuring multiple instruments to a now-masterly command of sound, Orleans has become one of the most consistently surprising musicians of the global underground.
Jerry Paper – Toon Time Raw! CD/LP (Bayonet)
Whereas his previous seven albums featured him alone with his synthesizer, drum machine, and the occasional guitar, Toon Time Raw! features backing instrumentation from Easy Feeling Unlimited, a jazz band who have asked to remain anonymous. [Limited purple color vinyl edition also available.]
Jon Pardi – California Sunrise CD/LP (Capitol Records Nashville)
California Sunrise is the sophomore studio album by country music artist Jon Pardi. Although the cleanly-produced, guitar-heavy sound of singles “What I Can’t Put Down” and “When I’ve Been Drinkin’” has helped him gain traction in the mainstream country, Pardi says California Sunrise maintains a hard focus on lyrical storytelling. “I always want to have the traditional country soul while meeting the new standards of country music,” Pardi explains. “As with traditional country music, much of the appeal comes from a compelling narrative. As a songwriter, we’re looking for a good story, and we’re always looking to push the limits. I love having those lyrics that at first make you think it’s about one thing, but it’s really about something so much more.” “Three of the most promising male artists in the mainstream are William Michael Morgan, Jon Pardi, and Mo Pitney. If there’s a traditional country insurgency looming in the wings, it might be carried on their backs.” – Saving Country Music
Parlour – Parlour CD/LP+MP3 (Temporary Residence)
On Parlour’s self-titled fourth album, the band pushes ferocious, dynamic guitar rock to the brink with hypnotic repetition and shifting, stabbing rhythms. In fierce Parlour fashion, the driving crunch of guitars is punctuated with shimmering buzz of synths. The difference here, though, is Parlour has shed their trademark woodwinds in favor of a leaner, heavier aesthetic. With a reduced instrumental palette and increased focus on beats and riffs, the songs are more naked and intense — equal parts crashing krautrock, and crushing prog-rock.
Pentagram – First Daze Here: The Vintage Collection [Reissue/2001] 2xCD/LP/2xLP (Relapse)
Pentagram – First Daze Here Too: The Vintage Collection [Reissue/2006] 2xCD/LP/2xLP (Relapse)
Two collections of the influential heavy metal band’s earliest works, back in-print on CD and vinyl. [Regular and Deluxe editions available.]
Plow United – Three CD/LP (It’s Alive)
Classic old-school punk rock – chunky chords, earworm melodies, exploding drums, middle finger in the air.
Quantic Presenta Flowering Inferno – 1000 Watts CD (Tru Thoughts)
The third album from the tropical dub-infused Quantic Presenta Flowering Inferno project, 1000 Watts sees musical explorer Will “Quantic” Holland making a more concerted foray into pure reggae-roots territory.
Radiohead – A Moon Shaped Pool CD/2xLP+MP3 (XL)
“With their ninth studio album, Radiohead move beyond the existential angst that made them music’s preeminent doomsayers, pursuing a more personal—and eternal—form of enlightenment” [9.1] – Pitchfork. [Limited opaque white vinyl edition also available.]
Red Hot Chili Peppers – The Getaway CD/2xLP (WB)
“It’s been a long wait, but the Red Hot Chili Peppers are finally back with their first album in five years, The Getaway. The album is the band’s second with guitarist Josh Klinghoffer, and first with Brian ‘Danger Mouse’ Burton producing. “Title track ‘The Getaway’ is a good indicator of the album’s experimental sound. Kiedis’ melodies and lyrics are familiar, but the arrangements and instrumental textures push the Red Hot Chili Peppers into uncharted territory. The harmonies on ‘The Getaway’ at a highlight. John Frusciante’s harmonies were an integral part of the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ success in the ‘90s and 2000s, and Anna Waronker’s backing vocals here add a new vocal element to the band.” – Alternative Nation
Sh*t Robot – What Follows CD/2xLP+MP3 (DFA)
“On his third LP, Sh*t Robot (aka Dublin-born producer Marcus Lambkin) is still trading in expansive house music, and has once again brought along vocalists like Hot Chip’s Alexis Taylor and DFA affiliates Nancy Whang and Museum of Love. But where 2014’s We Got a Love felt like a succession of guests fronting disco-heavy tunes aimed at crossover appeal, What Follows pushes the vocalists out of the spotlight, using them to lightly dust a consistent album of thumping, hypnotic house.” – Rolling Stone
Sleeping Beauties – Sleeping Beauties CD/LP (In The Red)
Skull-peeling garage rock from members of The Hunches, Eat Skull, and The Hospitals.
Sonic Youth – Spinhead Sessions 1986 CD/LP (Goofin)
Previously unreleased studio recordings from 1986, made between the band’s EVOL and Sister albums.
Starflyer 59 – Slow CD/LP (Tooth & Nail)
The seasoned shoegazers return with their fourteenth album.
Swans – The Glowing Man 2xCD/2xCD+DVD/3xLP (Young God)
Billed by Michael Gira as “the final recording from this configuration of Swans,” The Glowing Man completes a period that began with the band’s revival in 2009 and has seen the release of four albums including 2012’s epic The Seer. “Whatever the force is that has led us through this extended excursion, it’s been worthwhile for many of us, and I’m grateful for what has been the most consistently challenging and fulfilling period of my musical life,” Gira writes. “Going forward, post the touring associated with The Glowing Man, I’ll continue to make music under the name Swans, with a revolving cast of collaborators. I have little idea what shape the sound will take, which is a good thing.” [CD is available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe adds a DVD of a Swans live performance from 2015.]
T.O.L.D. – It’s Not About The Witches CD/LP (IAMSOUND)
“There is an inescapable spirituality that permeates the music of The Order of Life and Death, known simply as T.O.L.D. As the brainchild of LA-based, UK-bred producer Daniel Smith, T.O.L.D. creates a lush soundscape out of diverse and vibrant electronic songs that help Smith to find a world of his own. Introspective, cryptic and captivating, T.O.L.D.’s debut album It’s Not About the Witches unearths Smith’s deepest recesses of his mind as he contemplates a few too many things he may not entirely understand. While not entirely intelligible at times, It’s Not About the Witches is an earnest and meditative collection of imaginative electronic music with a certain pop sensibility that is able to shroud any missteps Smith comes across.” – Paste Magazine
Told Slant – Going By CD/LP+MP3 (Double Double Whammy)
Told Slant is the songwriting project of Felix Walworth (They/Them), Brooklyn based lyricist, producer, and founding member of The Epoch arts collective. This sophomore LP strikes with a distinct narrative craft and delivery—“gutting, cathartic twists of phrase,” says Stereogum, “that compel you to sing along,” as evidenced at Walworth’s live shows. With the voices of aforementioned Epoch friends joining in at its emotional peaks (as well as Girlpool on standout “Tsunami”), Going By powerfully navigates identity and the obstacles of life.
Walter Trout – Alive In Amsterdam CD/LP+MP3 (Provogue)
The blues guitar Lazarus rips through highlights of his five-decade career in a live setting.
The Tragically Hip – Man Machine Poem CD/LP (Caroline)
Man Machine Poem is the14th studio album from The Tragically Hip, one of Canada’s most acclaimed and beloved bands. The album takes its name from a track on their last release, Now For Plan A, and was recorded at The Hip’s home studio The Bathouse, produced by Kevin Drew (Broken Social Scene) and Dave Hamelin (The Stills). Prior to the album’s release, the band announced that lead singer Gord Downie was diagnosed with brain cancer in December 2015. The cancer has responded favorably to treatment but is not fully curable, and the band is expected to tour in summer 2016 to support the album on what may be the final tour of their career.
Various Artists – Eccentric Soul: Sitting In The Park CD/LP (Numero)
Hear the document of one man’s passion crossing over into obsession. Chicago radio disc jockey and soul archivist Bob Abrahamian was deeply devoted to celebrating and documenting unknown Chicagoland group harmony music. Upon his untimely passing in 2014, he left behind hundreds of radio programs and a daunting collection of 35,000 carefully-selected 45s. Our collection borrows its title from Abrahamian’s long-running and acclaimed WHPK radio show, and it spins a tale that’s cautionary, inspiring, and set to the sounds of the impossible-to-find tracks that made Bob Abrahamian’s on-air playlist and animated the radio programs that were his life’s work..
VHS – Gift Of Life CD/LP+MP3 (Suicide Squeeze)
Gift Of Life, the first proper full-length by VHS, follows in the footsteps of their previous EPs, with the band self-recording their amalgam of Lost Sounds’ trashy discontent, early Big Black’s trebly guitar stabs, and Only Theatre Of Pain-era Christian Death’s black reverberations.
Wayfarer – Old Souls CD (Prosthetic)
Sophomore album from the atmospheric blackened metal band. [Vinyl version due July 22.]
Weaves – Weaves CD/LP (Kanine)
In a little over two short years, Weaves has gone from a collection of voice memos on Jasmyn Burke’s iPhone to establishing themselves as one of the most stridently individual acts to emerge from Toronto’s fertile and multifaceted DIY scene. Led by the collaborative efforts of Jasmyn Burke and Morgan Waters, the band has built a devoted audience while capturing the attention of the international media with a brand of ebullient, art-damaged pop music as difficult to categorize as it is to ignore. Their eponymous debut is an album that traverses the band’s history, exploring every facet of their always adventurous approach to pop music and leaving no idea unexplored. Filled beyond bursting with hooks and possibilities, it’s the sound of a band propelled forward by the thrill of discovering the limits of their sound and gleefully pushing past them.
Wolves In The Throne Room – Diadem Of 12 Stars [Reissue/2006] CD/2xLP/Cassette (Artemesia)
Remastered reissue of Wolves In The Throne Room’s out-of-print 2006 debut full-length. Re-imagining black metal as an ode to rain storms, wood smoke and the wild energies of the Pacific Northwest, Wolves In The Throne Room craft a unique melancholic atmosphere. Diadem of 12 Stars is about lunar sorcery on Cascadian mountaintops and encounters with wild spirits. In contrast to the icy, razor sharp soundscapes of their ’90s Norwegian forebears, Diadem Of 12 Stars is lush and ethereal, dripping with rain-soaked moss and lichen.
DVDs + Blu-ray:
Chicago – Chicago Quadio Box 9xBlu-ray Audio (Rhino)
Hot on the heels of Chicago’s recent induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the celebration of the legendary “rock band with horns” musical legacy continues with a new boxed set that includes quadraphonic and stereo mixes in high resolution 192/24 DTS-HD Master Audio on nine Blu-ray Audio discs.
This Week’s Vinyl Exclusives:
Julian “Cannonball” Adderley with Horace Silver, Paul Chambers, Donald Byrd, Nat Adderley, Jerome Richardson, Kenny Clarke – Bohemia After Dark [Reissue/1955] LP (Savoy Jazz)
Bohemia After Dark is an album by jazz drummer Kenny Clarke, featuring the earliest recordings by Cannonball Adderley and Nat Adderley, produced for the Savoy label. Though Clarke was originally the focus artist on the album (and it was released under his name), over the years, the album has now become best known for the appearance of the Adderly brothers.
Ali Beletic – Legends Of These Lands Left To Live LP (Lightning)
Ali Beletic is best known for her work as an installation artist, creating beautiful, symbolic stunts such as hiking in and installing mahogany and glass Judd-like sculptural pools into remote deserts, throwing parties with hidden drummers, lighting up an entire boulder field one can hike through or riding vintage motorcycles backcountry to create beautiful lines of fire. Legends Of These Lands Left To Live is a powerful, feminine rock ‘n’ roll record, evoking the bare humanity of solo-era Lennon, the overtone depths of Skip James, the proto-punk power of Patti Smith and the sounds of self that emerge from the quiet, raw, visceral American landscape when we allow ourselves to hear our own intimate voice.
Alto! – LP3 LP (Trouble In Mind)
Portland, OR trio Alto! was formed in 2011 by guitarist Derek Monypeny alongside drummers Kyle Emory & Steven Stone, who over the course of five years have evolved into a fierce and explorative ensemble on the Portland scene. Past albums have seen Monypeny’s guitar leading the fracas, and it’s no surprise why; his style is equal parts influenced by the sunbaked deserts of Phoenix and The Bishop Bros. (Alan & Richard — whose Freak Of Araby ensemble Monypemy was a member of) as well as the swirling sands of the Middle East and guitarists like Omar Khorshid & Bombino, but the real stars of “LP 3” are drummers Emory & Stone, who fuse together into an unshakeable elemental pulse, dancing around each other in dizzying and danceable polyrhythms. Red color vinyl pressing.
Apocalyptica – Inquisition Symphony [Reissue/1998] 2xLP (Odyssey Music Network)
Apocalyptica – Cult [Reissue/2000] 2xLP (Odyssey Music Network)
Apocalyptica – Reflections [Reissue/2003] 2xLP (Odyssey Music Network)
Apocalyptica – Apocalyptica [2004] 2xLP (Odyssey Music Network)
Since they formed in 1993, Finnish orchestral rock band Apocalyptica has released eight studio albums featuring numerous cello-based instrumentals along with some vocal-based songs. Whatever styles they’ve explored — from atmospheric interludes to fast, battering rhythms — their music has been gripping, dynamic and full of melody.
Arthur Beatrice – Keeping The Peace LP (Harvest)
“Arthur Beatrice’s debut, Working Out, led them to be hailed as ‘the new xx,’ even if the sparsity of sound they both shared felt like they came from totally different places. This second album, Keeping The Peace, is the band well and truly throwing off those ill-fitting shackles and striking out on their own. Where Working Out was more quietly impressive, Keeping The Peace more often than not feels like you’re soaring high above a city scape, in complete awe at the spectacle below. Most of this feeling is due to Ella Girardot’s crystal clear vocals, now taking sole vocal duties with impressive results.” – The Line Of Best Fit
Asking Alexandria – The Black 2xLP+MP3 (Sumerian)
Released last March on CD – now available on vinyl. Fourth studio album from the British metalcore band. Limited edition red color vinyl pressing.
Blink 182 – Enema Of The State [Reissue/1999] LP (SRC Vinyl)
Limited blue color vinyl repress in gatefold jacket.
David Bowie – The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars [Reissue/1972] 2xLP (Rhino/Parlophone)
David Bowie – Live Santa Monica ’72 [Reissue/1973] 2xLP (Rhino/Parlophone)
HQ-180gm vinyl reissues now available.
James Brown – It’s A Man’s Man’s World [Reissue/1966] LP (Polydor)
Running constantly on all cylinders, the Godfather of Soul’s infectious grooves and potent performances are elevated to a whole other level few others can dream of reaching on It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World. All of the classics are represented in this session, including an over the top version of the album’s title track. Part of UMe’s ongoing Respect The Classics vinyl reissue campaign.
John Carpenter – Assault On Precinct 13 b/w The Fog 12” (Sacred Bones)
John Carpenter – Halloween b/w Escape From New York 12” (Sacred Bones)
The cult of John Carpenter rolls on with a pair of newly recorded versions of a few of his culty themes, this time with son Cody Carpenter and godson Daniel Davies in the mix.
Chandeli’ers – Breaker LP+MP3 (Dirt Cult)
Sophomore release from this Brooklyn power-pop/rock band.
Frank Cordell – Khartoum [Reissue/1966] 2xLP+CD+MP3 (Stylotone)
Limited double HQ-180gm sandstorm-color vinyl LP pressing cut at 45rpm plus a vinyl replica CD, housed in a spot-varnished scale-copy of the gatefold sleeve, digital download and 30″ x 40″ British quad film poster, a certificate of authenticity personally signed by Mrs. Anja Cordell, and James Deardens — son of the film’s director — personal insight into the making of this British Empire epic.
Reverend Gary Davis – New Blues And Gospel [Reissue/1971] LP (Sutro Park)
Now available on limited edition blue color vinyl. The sessions that created New Blues And Gospel were the last before his death and feature the only studio version of “Whistlin’ Blues.” This album was never released in its original form on CD and some of the tracks are not available anywhere else. One of the finest releases by one of the best blues guitar pickers.
Domo Genesis – Genesis LP (Columbia)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Domo Genesis is a critically-acclaimed hip-hop artist from Inglewood, California. The 25-year old rapper burst onto the scene a stalwart of the notoriously incendiary hip-hop enclave, Odd Future, and has earned a reputation as one of its most lyrically precocious members. Over time, Domo has revealed himself to be one the most ferocious rappers of the bunch, showing up for scene-stealing guest spots on Tyler, The Creator’s Wolf, and Earl Sweatshirt’s Doris. He has also been talking about his debut album, Genesis, since 2014. Guests include Mac Miller, Wiz Khalifa, Juicy J and Tyler, The Creator.
Funkadelic – America Eats Its Young [Reissue/1972] 2xLP (4 Men With Beards)
Limited edition red and green color vinyl reissue of Funkadelic’s epic fourth album.
Ezra Furman – The Fugitive 12” (Bella Union)
“His devilish smartness as a lyricist speaks loud and clear… Furman’s bug-eyed passion for old-world rock ‘n’ roll has invited comparisons to Jonathan Richman, but his sax-heavy album blows its own horn, walking very much on the Lou Reed wild side of Bruce Springsteen.” – MOJO
Davy & Holly Graham – Godington Boundry [Reissue/1970] LP (Acme)
Drawing on influences as diverse as folk, jazz and blues, Godington Boundry is one of legendary UK guitarist’s later classics, which has (incredibly) been out of print on vinyl for decades.
Grave Miasma – Endless Pilgrimage LP (Profound Lore)
Previously released on CD – now available on vinyl. Prog-infused death metal from England. For fans of early Morbid Angel, early Sepultura (first two releases only), Possessed, Portal, Immolation.
Heart – Dreamboat Annie [Reissue/1975] LP (Capitol)
Heart – Heart [Reissue/1985] LP (Friday Music)
HQ-180gm vinyl reissues.
Hum – You’d Prefer An Astronaut [Reissue/1995] LP (SRC Vinyl)
Latest vinyl repress of the emo/alt-rock classic. (SRC Vinyl has been dutifully keeping this gem in-print on vinyl since 2013. Now is your chance to snag one on white vinyl.)
Skip James – The Greatest Delta Blues Singers [Reissue/1965] LP (Sutro Park)
After Skip James was rediscovered in the early- ‘60s he went on to record an amazing body of material. These 1964 tracks recorded by Dick Spottswood are some of the best. Limited blue color vinyl.
Billy Joel – Storm Front [Reissue/1989] LP (Friday Music)
HQ-180gm red vinyl reissue.
Kaytranda – 99.9 % 2xLP+MP3 (XL)
Born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti and raised in the city of Montreal, 23-year-old Canadian artist Kaytranada is widely regarded as one of the most important new producers in the musical landscape today. Since the age of fourteen, when he first began to DJ and when his brother introduced him to music production software, his output has been relentless. He’s produced for artists such as Mobb Deep, Kali Uchis, Freddie Gibbs, The Internet, & Talib Kweli and remixed the likes of Disclosure, Pharrell, Missy Elliot, Janet Jackson, and others. Last year he was tapped by the legendary Rick Rubin who has acted as a mentor, eventually signing him to a publishing relationship. 99.9% will be Kaytranada’s first debut album on XL Recordings.
King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard – Nonagon Infinity 2xLP (ATO)
Limited edition double picture disc vinyl edition in a gatefold sleeve. Coming only six months after the softer, folksy Paper Mache Dream Balloon, Nonagon Infinity finds King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard returning to form on this relentless psychedelic shred fest.
Laraaji and Sun Araw – Professional Sunflow 2xLP (W.25th)
Professional Sunflow is the first-time collaboration between Laraaji and Sun Araw, two colossal forces in contemporary electronic music. Laraaji’s musical radiance has continued to shine brightly over four decades since being discovered by Brian Eno in New York’s Washington Square Park in 1979. Sun Araw emerged out of Los Angeles’ experimental scene in 2008 with transformative releases on a variety of trend-setting labels (Not Not Fun, Drag City and more). The live performances on this release — recorded in Germany and Switzerland — combine prewritten elements and improvisation. Laraaji’s soulful vocals and signature instrument, zither, blend beautifully with the free-floating rhythms of Sun Araw’s Cameron Stallones (guitar/keyboards) and Alex Gray (computer synthesis) to shape Professional Sunflow‘s unique sound: dreamy layers of percussion, ambient textures and vibrant melodies.
Lazy Smoke – Corridor Of Faces [Reissue/1968] LP (Jackpot)
Repressed on transparent green vinyl. In a genre built on obscured and unsung genius, Corridor Of Faces transcends and stands out as a true psych masterpiece. Rising above any number of recently unearthed late- ‘60s Anglo-pop platters, the sole offering from small town Massachusetts phenomenon Lazy Smoke is a cohesive, solid, classic album in every sense.
Man Is The Bastard: Bastard Noise – The Honesty Shop LP (Robotic Empire)
For the past 25 years, Bastard Noise has articulated its mission by crafting sheer, primitive “caveman electronics” while exploring a spectral fascination with man’s ridiculous “legend in his own mind’ status and regression through technology. Following over 90 releases to date, enter the brand new full-length LP The Honesty Shop.
Thelonious Monk – Big Band And Quartet In Concert [Reissue/1964] 2xLP (ORG Music)
HQ-180gm clear audiophile vinyl LP pressing. As Scott Yanow puts it in his five-star review for AllMusic, “This is one of pianist-composer Thelonious Monk’s greatest recordings and represents a high point in his career… essential for all jazz collections.” Big Band and Quartet in Concert, Monk’s fifth album for Columbia records, was recorded live at Lincoln Center, Philharmonic Hall in New York City on December 30, 1963.
Moondog – Moondog [Reissue/1969] LP (4 Men With Beards)
Moondog’s debut release, originally on the Prestige label, came out in 1956, long after he’d become a legendary New York City street performer. The blind Kansas native showcases his talent for the minimal and avant-garde here, with compositions driven by percussion and Japanese-inspired melodies, complimented by street sounds, recitations, and animal noises. Bizarre even for today’s standards, it’s a wonder this was released over a half-century ago.
David Nance – More Than Enough LP (Ba Da Bing!)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. David Nance lives in a world where rock has been influenced as much by This Kind of Punishment and The Pin Group as by The Velvet Underground and The Rolling Stones. Omaha’s best-kept secret, up to now known primarily to DIY tape collectors and record club subscribers, Nance welcomes all with More Than Enough, his first full band full-length, which follows the stellar but criminally under-heard 2013 Actor’s Diary LP on Grapefruit Records, as well as a string of limited-edition, over-modulatingly intense and emotionally destructive cassette releases.
Neurosis – A Sun That Never Sets [Reissue/2001] 2xLP (Relapse)
Neurosis – The Eye Of Every Storm [Reissue/2004] 2xLP (Relapse)
Limited vinyl reissues of the doom metal band’s seventh and eighth albums.
PAWS – No Grace LP (FatCat)
After discovering a mutual appreciation between themselves and bassist/producer Mark Hoppus (Blink 182/+44), PAWS enlisted his support to help push these new songs to their wildest heights and pack the heftiest punch they could muster. And from the eponymous opener and first single, “No Grace,” it’s clear the two are a perfect fit.
Peaches – Rub Remixed 2xLP (I U She Music)
Includes remixes from JD Samson, Maya Jane Coles, Kim Anh, Paula Temple, Planningtorock, etc. The original album, Rub, was released in 2015, and features guest vocal appearances by Kim Gordon, Feist, And Simonne Jones.
Art Pepper – Surf Ride [Reissue/1952] LP (Savoy)
Limited vinyl LP pressing of this 1952 album by the jazz great. Surf Ride features Pepper working with three separate West Coast groups including musical assistance from Russ Freeman and Hampton Hawes (piano), Jack Montrose (tenor), Joe Mondragon and Monte Budwig (bass) and drummers Larry Bunker and Bobby White. By the 1950s Pepper was recognized as one of the leading alto saxophonists in jazz, finishing second only to Charlie Parker as Best Alto Saxophonist in the Down Beat magazine Readers Poll of 1952. Along with Chet Baker, Gerry Mulligan and Shelly Manne, and perhaps due more to geography than playing style, Pepper is often associated with the musical movement known as West Coast jazz, as contrasted with the East Coast (or “hot”) jazz of Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis.
John Phillips – John, The Wolf King Of L.A. [Reissue/1970] LP (Varese Sarabande)
Vinyl reissue of the first solo recording by the Mamas & The Papas leader.
Power From Hell – Sadismo [Reissue/2007] LP (Hells Headbangers)
Vinyl reissue of a rare LP of sinister, unapologetic, speed/death/thrash metal.
Red Dons – The Dead Hand Of Tradition LP (Deranged)
Ten new tracks of Red Don’s signature dark, driving, melodic punk rock.
Silver Apples – Silver Apples [Reissue/1968] LP (Jackpot)
Reissued on limited edition blue sky color vinyl. Silver Apples’ pulsating rhythmic beats with the use of electronics laid the groundwork for what would become krautrock.
Small World Experience – Shelf-Life [1994] LP (Siltbreeze)
First-ever vinyl issue of 1994 album from Australian band delivers wry, post-pop charm in the spirit of fellow Brisbane acts such as Go Betweens, Four Gods and even The Saints.
Saosin – Along The Shadow LP+MP3 (Epitaph)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. 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.
Soundtrack – Star Wars: The Force Awakens 2xLP (Walt Disney)
HQ-180gm hologram vinyl edition (“a 3D hologram experience” featuring the Millennium Falcon on Disc One/Side B and a TIE Fighter on Disc Two/Side B).
Spectres – Utopia LP (Deranged)
An eight-song offering of gloomy and compelling gothic post-punk.
Sui Zhen – Secretly Susan LP (Two Syllable)
“The subtle, eclectic sounds of Becky Sui Zhen’s new LP, Secretly Susan, evoke a conglomerate of emotions. The moody transience of tone brought forward by the Melbourne-based electronic-pop artist ooze with the influential nature of her experiences around the world. An intertwining of synthy instrumentation, pleasantly picked guitar and uniquely percussive foundations, the listening experience mirrors the duality of Zhen’s personas, both as Sui Zhen and her alter ego as DJ Susan.” – Noisey/Vice
Tiny Tim – Tiny Tim’s America LP+MP3 (Ship To Shore)
Limited color vinyl LP pressing of a complete, unedited 1974 tape of previously unreleased material.
Megan Trainor – Thank You 2xLP+MP3 (Epic)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Sophomore album from Grammy-Award winning multiplatinum pop superstar. Limited color vinyl edition.
Various Artists – Lost Train Blues LP (Mississippi)
22 selections from the vast holdings of the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress, 13 of them have never been issued before. The record includes work songs, ballads, blues, political and union songs, guitar, banjo and fiddle music and Native American vocal music. These recordings were made between 1933 and 1950 and represent the birth of the folk music collections at the Library of Congress, now the largest repository of folk and enthographic holdings in the world. The record demonstrates the groundbreaking work of Alan Lomax and his father John Lomax, but also places them within the context of other important early field workers.
Various Artists – Where Is My Mind? A Tribute To The Pixies [Reissue/1999] LP (Doghouse)
Color vinyl reissue of this long out-of-print tribute album, featuring The Get Up Kids, Braid, Sense Field, SuperDrag, Weezer, Local H, Reel Big Fish, Nada Surf, Promise Ring, and others.
Vow – Kind Eyes LP+MP3 (Native Sound)
Resembling indie rock more than synth-pop, Vow recruited and permanently added Touche Amore guitarist Nick Steinhardt into their ranks. “What they come up with is far heavier, far more rockier than the synth sound they’d been leaning on.” — Noisey/Vice
The Who – The Polydor Singles 1975-2015 15×7” (Geffen)
Volume four of a four-part set of classic Who singles by labels (Brunswick, Reaction, Track and Polydor), released to coincide with the band’s 50th anniversary and rise of vinyl. 15 singles from the band’s Polydor Records era (1975-2015).
Bernie Worrell – Retrospectives 2xLP (Purple Woo)
Bernie re-visits some of his favorite P-funk tracks by recording instrumental versions of them. “When you think of ‘70s keyboard heroes who manned giant stacks of futuristic keyboards and synthesizers while mixing their jazz and classical training with the rock and RnB sounds of the day, names like Chick Corea, Keith Emerson and Herbie Hancock all come to mind. No doubt those were the names that topped all the keyboard player polls year after year back then, but there was another artist who did all the same things, but his name slipped under the radar, and that keyboardist is the ultra-creative Bernie Worrell.” – Jazz Music Archives
Cassettes:
Body Awareness – The Awakening (Not Not Fun)
30 minutes of music culled from six years of sporadic home recording, particularly inspired by a trip to “the forests and empty beaches” of Oregon and Washington state in 2014. Mantric synth sequences bob and weave like crude holographic ragas over minimalist metronomes, intercut with dream sequence dirges, bleached tone float, reverbed stasis, and wildlife. These are less songs than closed-circuit inductions of restrained psychedelia, utopian explorations of stationary movement.
Mitski – Puberty 2 (Dead Oceans)
“Mitski Miyawaki is only 25 years old, but she’s already on her fourth album, and she’s developed an emotional vocabulary light years beyond almost anyone else working right now. With her new Puberty 2, Mitski has made one of the year’s best indie rock albums: An auteurist piece of profound, personal lo-fi music that finds sharp ways to say serious things. The album veers in different stylistic directions, but it’s also cohesive enough to get lost in.” – Stereogum
Nails – You Will Never Be One Of Us (Nuclear Blast)
The Southern California-based grind/hardcore band returns with their third full-length album.
Wolves In The Throne Room – Diadem Of 12 Stars [Reissue/2006] (Artemesia)
Remastered reissue of the Cascadian black metal band’s out-of-print 2006 debut full-length.
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