CDs + Vinyl:
Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell – Keep It Greasy! CD (Rise Above)
Here’s a band proud to be the soundtrack to your weed smokin’, beer swiggin’ escapes from 2016’s dystopian shitstorm reality; one feverishly decorated with unrelenting commercialism, villainous politicians and godforsaken autotune. There may be thousands of musicians who can play their instruments better, write more intelligent and thought provoking music, but when you listen to rugged and guttural ‘tune in, drop out’ vibes of Keep It Greasy, none of that seems to matter. From the jolting opening sex-pest boogie of “U Got Wot I Need” to the sandpaper smooth, Zeppelin stomp of “Tired N’ Wired” – its lyrics straight from Lemmy’s freight train of thought – The Shovell make the last three decades crumble away. Longer tracks like “Hairy Brain Part 2,” “Paid In Full” and album closer “Wrong” are peppered with many of rock’s cornerstones – twisting harmonies, driving shuffle rhythms and whirling feedback. Keep It Greasy! doesn’t parade itself as anything immaculate or groundbreaking – and we all know how tiresome such hyperbole infested press releases can be – but it is hellish fun. Stick it on at a neighbor-unfriendly volume and enjoy it for the sordid, f*cked up time warp that it is and see for yourself. [Vinyl edition due October 28.]
After 7 – Timeless CD (E1)
New release from the platinum R&B trio — their first in over 20 years.
Terry Allen – Lubbock (On Everything) [Reissue/1978] 2xCD/2xLP+MP3 (Paradise Of Bachelors)
Legendary Texan artist Terry Allen occupies a unique position straddling the frontiers of country music and visual art; he has worked with everyone from Guy Clark to David Byrne to Lucinda Williams, and his artwork resides in museums worldwide. Widely acclaimed as a masterpiece, his deeply moving (and hilarious) satirical second album, a complex memory palace to his West Texas hometown Lubbock, is often cited as the urtext of alt-country. Produced in collaboration with the artist and meticulously remastered from the original analog tapes, this is the definitive edition.
The Anchoress – Confessions Of A Romance Novelist CD/LP (Kscope)
“Catherine Ann Davies is definitely not the shy, retiring sort. The Anchoress is the latest iteration of her persona following releases under the name Catherine A.D. and collaborating on more projects than you can waft a wand at. Confessions Of A Romance Novelist is bursting at the corset, dressing female identity in a rich and varied wardrobe. Lovingly co-produced with Paul (Mansun) Draper, Davies is on startling form throughout, layering spellbinding vocal harmonies and turning her hand to a long list of instruments with names few will even recognize. Pop, rock, some spoken word and a splash of funk for “Chip On Your Shoulder” give a sense of the musical flavours which marry with the insightful, intelligent songwriting on this hugely entertaining album.” – The Line Of Best Fit
Anciients – Voice Of The Void CD/LP/Cassette (Season Of Mist)
“Voice Of The Void is the second album from Canada’s Anciients, a band whose sound has gelled into something even more fluid and dynamic than their impressive debut. With nods to established veterans and boundary-pushers like Opeth and Mastodon, they’ve crafted nine sprawling songs that conjure a range of moods across an ambitious but rewarding 67 minutes. Album opener ‘Following The Voice’ is an adrenaline rush with rollicking drums that have a flair for the anthemic, especially under the more melodic riffage, echoing the group’s sentiments right from the beginning. Focusing ‘a bit more on the metal aspects of [their] sound this time around,’ the evidence is found on parts like the mid-section of ‘Worshipper,’ complete with Mikael Akerfeldt-esque growls amidst the beautifully clean song counterparts. ‘In terms of theme/lyrics, this record is far more cynical and less hopeful than the debut’ said guitarist Chris Dyck. ‘It metaphorically addresses some life choices/paths, etc. and what we see happening in the world — it’s a darker and more pissed off album.’”
Aziza – Aziza CD/LP (Dare2)
Aziza is a modern jazz quartet comprised of bassist Dave Holland, saxophonist Chris Potter, guitarist Lionel Loueke, and drummer Eric Harland.
Nils Bech – Echo CD (DFA)
Echo is the first album for DFA from acclaimed Norwegian avant garde pop vocalist Nils Bech. Where his previous work was strange, ethereal and otherworldly, Echo throbs with a renewed sense of vigor and urgency, without losing any of the idiosyncratic beauty that previously marked Bech’s work. The sound created here is strange and immediate. Stuttering sharp bass kicks combine with clanging five-alarm snare drums made of glass, orchestra stabs and melancholy piano lines jump in and out of the arrangements.
Bell X1 – Arms CD/LP (BellyUp)
One of Irelands’ most beloved bands, Bell X1 is back with their seventh studio album, Arms. The songs here possess a shabby grace and soft-focus elegance, but there’s also a bruised, bittersweet, romantic mood throughout. Melancholic and lovelorn in places for sure, but also spirited, determined, bolshie, and optimistic by turns.
Benoit Pioulard – The Benoit Pioulard Listening Matter CD/LP (Kranky)
The sixth Kranky album from Thomas Meluch under the nom de plume Benoit Pioulard arrives on the 10th anniversary of his first LP Précis, and offers a rekindled focus on self-examination, as well as a return to vocal-based pop structures following the mostly instrumental Sonnet (2015). Recording for the Listening Matter began during a period of grief, turmoil and self-medication, and continued throughout two years of growth and healing. Reflections on vice (“Layette,” “Anchor as the Muse”), virtue (“Narcologue”) and death (“A mantle for Charon”) feature equally in this concise treatise aimed at the flawed-but-resilient core in us all. By coincidence this album was completed on the very day Meluch’s only brother died; accordingly, it’s dedicated to him and anyone seeking paths away from their demons.
The Bevis Frond – It Just Is [Reissue/1993] CD/2xLP+MP3 (Fire America)
The Bevis Frond – Sprawl [Reissue/1994] CD/2xLP+MP3 (Fire America)
The Bevis Frond – Superseeder [Reissue/1995] CD/2xLP+MP3 (Fire America)
Influential British psych-rock/folk back in print on CD and vinyl. “The main strength of the Bevis Frond is the exquisite songwriting, with pithy and poignant lyrics delivered in a very uncompromising English roots accent. Artists such as Teenage Fanclub, Elliott Smith and Mary Lou Lord have covered their songs, while he’s played with Current 93, The Hawklords, Oneida and Arthur Lee of Love, amongst many others — ” The Quietus
Big Star – Complete Third 3xCD (Omnivore)
Over the years, Big Star’s 1978 album Third has been re-released, re-sequenced, and reissued as Sister Lovers. Now, all of the album’s recordings—demos, mixes, and alternate versions of songs—have been collected in one place for the first time on this three-disc set, Complete Third. The collection boasts 69 total tracks, 28 of which are previously unheard session recordings, demos and alternate mixes made by producer Jim Dickinson and engineer John Fry. “The small but rabid cult of Big Star, composed initially of rock critics and hometown Memphis hipsters, coalesced around 1972’s #1 Record, which supercharged the legacy of the Beatles and Byrds, and 1974’s Radio City, which brought additional attitude and poignancy to the recipe. The shimmering brilliance of Big Star’s sound and songs on those two LPs, along with its underdog allure, would have been sufficient to perpetuate the band’s legend. But there was a third album, and that strange beast of a record made all the difference for subsequent generations of fans—many of whom formed bands of their own—who turned each other on to this music as if it were a secret religion or a trippy new drug” — Bud Scoppa’s Complete Third liner notes. [Three separate double LPs to follow, each vinyl volume representing a CD in the boxed set.]
Blackberry Smoke – Like An Arrow CD/2xLP (3 Legged)
Blackberry Smoke isn’t just helping to save country music, they’re helping to save Southern rock music, rock music, American music, and music made by real humans sweating on a stage, holding real damn instruments, and testifying. In a time when we can’t agree on anything, music fans from a major swath of the population can agree that Blackberry Smoke is one badass group of hairy dudes. While much of American music has abandoned the authenticity and machismo that’s at the heart of the American sound, Blackberry Smoke has doubled down on it. Remember back to early 2015 before Aaron Watson, Jason Isbell, and Sturgill Simpson were landing #1 records on the country charts? It was actually Blackberry Smoke who claimed the very first independently-released record to go #1 with Holding All The Roses. Now they return with their new album Like An Arrow. The 12-song set—produced by Brendan O’Brien, whose previous production clients have included AC/DC, Aerosmith, Pearl Jam, Bruce Springsteen and Neil Young—showcases the Atlanta-based quintet’s emotion-charged mix of bluesy rock, gospel soul, and country, and includes a guest appearance by Southern rocker Gregg Allman on “Free On The Wing.” [Limited translucent orange color vinyl pressing also available.]
Black Marble – It’s Immaterial CD/LP (Ghostly Int’l)
“Recently, Chris Stewart, like many other folks over the past few years who have either seen the writing on the wall, the sand, or the trend pieces in major newspapers, made the move from Brooklyn to Los Angeles. It’s Immaterial doesn’t make any seismic adjustments to Black Marble’s era-faithful synthwave which arrived fully formed on the debut Weight Against the Door EP and full length A Different Arrangement, but you can feel the warm California sun—or at least the idea of it and the possibilities that it represents—poking through the bedroom blinds.” – Pop Matters
Botany – Deepak Verbera CD/LP (Western Vinyl)
Deepak Verbera is a soundscape record created through methods usually found in hip-hop: vinyl samples, looped vocal phrases, pulsing bass, and warm synths all shimmer with kosmische-indebted splendor, like Popol Vuh with MPCs and a stack of secondhand records. [Limited white vinyl pressing also available.]
David Bromberg – The Blues, The Whole Blues and Nothing But the Blues CD/LP+MP3 (Red House)
A wonderfully curated selection of deep cuts from the blues genre, in addition to luminous originals and traditional material given the Bromberg treatment.
Dewa Budjana – Zentuary 2xCD (Favored Nation)
“Indonesian guitar legend of Balinese ethnic heritage and balinese Hindu faith – Dewa Budjana – marks his initial Favored Nations release in grandiose style, offering his most ambitious album to date, Zentuary. Supported by an all-star cast of enormous proportions – including jazz drums (and occasional pianist) legend, Jack DeJohnette (Miles Davis; over forty years on the ECM label), the iconic progressive bass and stickman, Tony Levin (Peter Gabriel; King Crimson; Stick Men), and the extraordinary superstar sideman talents of Britain’s Gary Husband (Allan Holdsworth; John McLaughlin; Billy Cobham; Jack Bruce) – Budjana offers a profusion of cross-cultural delicacies which tease, cajole, enthrall and, ultimately, satisfy listeners.” – House Of Prog
Bushman’s Revenge – Jazz, Fritt Etter Hukommelsen CD/LP+CD (Rune Grammofon)
Bushman’s Revenge – Bushman’s Fire LP+CD (Rune Grammofon)
This Scandinavian jazz trio has been called the missing link between Albert Ayler and Black Sabbath and a Marshall amp version of John Coltrane’s Interstellar Space.
Busman’s Holiday – Popular Cycles CD/LP (Joyful Noise)
Much like the lyrical content, the musical landscape of Popular Cycles spans grandly, from the booming of a 21-piece orchestra to the solitary sound of a singing bowl. From Western soundtracks to a drone of twelve-strings, tones of forgiveness sweet enough to taste, funky drummers, the splish-splosh of fingers & palms, and melancholy chanting. From Richard Strauss to PeeWee’s Playhouse, Busman’s Holiday brings a refreshing sound to the stale world of pop music.
Paul Cauthen – My Gospel CD/LP (Lightning Rod)
“Co-founder of celebrated Americana band Sons of Fathers, Paul Cauthen left the group three years ago to focus on finding his true voice and building a solo career. Digging deep into the gospel music of his Texas youth, Cauthen‘s lead track from his new album, My Gospel, is a rousing statement of purpose that preaches of the need for love and the spiritual in this life, whatever form that might take. Cauthen’s voice on this track echoes a bit of Elvis with its deep tones, heavy vibrato and ability to move the listener. He connects right away with you, like Elvis, his voice rising to the heavens like it could move mountains.” – Pop Matters
Mark Collie & His Reckless Companions – Alive At Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary CD/2xLP (Eagle Rock Entertainment)
Until it closed in 2009, Tennessee’s Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary was one of the most notorious penal institutions in America. Located in mountainous Petros, it was a forbidding rockpile hewn out of the rough countryside by its own inmates in 1896. On Oct. 17, 2001, Mark Collie came to Brushy Mountain with a sheaf of newly written songs about crime and punishment and an all-star band for a pair of performances that were recorded for a live album release. Alive At Brushy Mountain embraces a breadth of American styles — country, blues, gospel, bluegrass, and rock ‘n’ roll. It largely comprises striking original material, which contemplates the convict’s lot with compassion, keen detail, and sometimes boisterous humor.
Phil Collins – Singles 2xCD/4xLP (Rhino)
Double-CD singles collection from the pop and adult contemporary singer/songwriter/musician.
Crying – Beyond The Fleeting Gales CD/LP+MP3 (Run For Cover)
“Crying is a charming New York trio that got their start doing genre fusions of twee pop and chiptune, somehow managing to make the blend sound good. This was mostly thanks to an exceptional sense of melody and remarkably earnest lyrics from lead singer Elaiza Santos. That was only two years ago, when they released two EPs, Get Olde and Second Wind. Beyond The Fleeting Gales is their first full-length record. Despite that, the record already serves as a bit of a departure from the group’s stylistic roots, which might seem obvious from the admittedly awful album cover. Despite the album art’s Gaelic typeface and plain images of blue skies and green fields, the album has more in common with Irish rockers Thin Lizzy than with the hypothetical Celtic gospel album it seems to hearken back to. Moving away from the 8-bit and sliding closer to the ‘70s and ‘80s, their debut is chock-full of hair metal shreds and Yes-like arpeggiated synth leads. Impressively, they never seem to fall into the corny clichés that plague the rock music of those decades. The Game Boys are gone, replaced almost entirely by boss-battle-adjacent synths. They provide atmosphere for the LP’s slower forays into prog-ish power ballads, and harmonize with Santos’s voice in a way that still sounds unique. Beyond The Fleeting Gales is Crying ditching their gimmick, while still managing to carve out their own distinctive niche” – BeatRoute. [Limited color vinyl edition also available.]
Dave Douglas/Frank Woeste/Matt Brewer/Clarence Penn – Dada People CD (Greenleaf Music)
Grammy-nominated American trumpeter Dave Douglas and award-winning French pianist Frank Woeste join forces on a new project inspired by the life and work of Man Ray and his colleagues in the Dada and Surrealist movements of the 20th century.
Douglas Dare – Aforger CD/LP (Erased Tapes)
Following his acclaimed debut, Whelm, London-based singer-songwriter and pianist Douglas Dare returns with his sophomore album. In a digital age where memories are mimicked by pixels and identity is as malleable as static, Douglas Dare’s new album Aforger questions the boundaries between reality and fiction. Inspired by recent events and revelations encountered in his life, these songs depict Dare at his most vulnerable, whilst simultaneously reflecting our own obsession with reality and technology back at us.
Darkthrone – Arctic Thunder CD (Peaceville)
A new heavy metal odyssey now awaits you as Fenriz and Nocturno Culto once more show their mastery of “the riff”, demonstrating why Darkthrone remain one of the most respected and enduring acts in the history of extreme metal. An eclectic mix of free-spirited ’80s-fueled blackened heavy metal, all executed in Darkthrone’s trademark raw and organic style, Arctic Thunder was recorded and produced by the band themselves, with the sessions conducted at Darkthrone’s old rehearsal unit, The Bomb Shelter, which was originally used during 1988-1990. With themes based around hate, contempt, and the inner mind and soul, and with the notable presence of Nocturno Culto on vocal duties across all songs for the first time in recent years, Arctic Thunder retains a grim atmosphere throughout the album’s eight tracks.
D.D Dumbo – Utopia Defeated CD/LP+MP3 (4AD)
D.D Dumbo’s fantastical debut album conjures a vivid, wide-eyed musical landscape teeming with nervous energy and exotic evocations of the world at large. Backed by skittering sounds, Utopia Defeated hinges on Perry’s expressive voice, and the dissonance of an artist compelled to question his position in the natural world. The resulting sonic universe is a collision of blues licks, echoes of world music, strident ‘80s pop, the kinetic energy of dance music, and splashes of outsider art akin to Captain Beefheart, one of D.D Dumbo’s touchstones.
Départe – Failure, Subside CD/LP (Season Of Mist)
Debut album from Australia’s extreme metal luminaries. Far beyond just being extreme, Départe’s smoldering darkness is colossal; with vast guitarscapes so thick and discordant as to suffocate life under their oppressive weight.
Dillinger Escape Plan – Dissociation CD/LP (Party Smasher Inc./Cooking Vinyl)
“The Dillinger Escape Plan never made things easy, either for themselves or for their fans. Their music is as challenging as anything considered, mainstream or not, and their line-up changes (most notably, their vocalist) and evolving sound have caused much frustration for those fans. It’s fitting, then, that their perfectly titled new record, Dissociation, might well be their last. The record is less a progression from One Of Us Is The Killer than the band further rounding off the sharp corners from earlier efforts as they have with each record since Miss Machine. To that end, Dissociation acts as a sort of ‘greatest hits’ — or, perhaps, greatest ideas. Everything they do well is featured here: mainstream rock riffing, left-field melodic breakdowns, twitchy, nervous swaying, five-minute prog freakouts, seasick lurching, and, of course, their trademark spastic morse code gymnastics” – The Line Of Best Fit. [Limited edition translucent blue color vinyl edition also available.]
Mike Doughty – Heart Watches While The Brain Burns CD (Snackbar)
“The former frontman of alt rock band Soul Coughing, Mike Doughty is on a constant mission to strive for the new. His ninth, and most recent solo album, The Heart Watches While The Brain Burns, was recorded during the time he moved from New York, which had served as his home base since the 1980s, to Memphis Tennessee, which he described as a ‘fascinating, mysterious town.’ ‘I Can’t Believe I Found You In That Town,’ the first track from the album, was inspired by a failed attempt at romance in England’s north. The song is a rollicking good tune, with Mike’s raspy, almost drawling vocal, and the driving guitar and country style drumming propel the song with a great force right through to the end – when all drops and you’re left with Mike’s vocals alone – poignant and forlorn, suggesting the love has ended” – Essentially Pop. [Vinyl edition due December 9.]
Duchess Says – Sciences Nouvelles CD/LP (Slovenly)
Faithfully endorsed by the Church of Budgerigars, this antagonistic workout features chanteuse maniaque Annie-Claude Deschenes and her band of desensitized robot cronies clawing their way through ten tracks of Moog saturated cold/new/dark wave blasters, besmirching your cherished optimism and grinding it into dust.
C Duncan – The Midnight Sun CD (Family Vineyard)
Glasgow’s prodigious talent C Duncan released his critically acclaimed and Mercury Prize nominated debut album Architect earlier this year (last summer in the UK). Now, his follow-up The Midnight Sun sees the bedroom producer return with a more expansive and experimental second offering, blending electronic elements and sweeping synth sounds with his signature layered vocals and dreamy instrumentation.
Steve Earle – Guitar Town 30th Anniversary [Reissue/1986] 2xCD (MCA Nashville)
Guitar Town is the debut album from singer/songwriter Steve Earle. It topped the Billboard country album charts, and the title song reached #7 on the country singles charts. Earle was also nominated for two 1987 Grammy Awards, Best Male Country Vocalist and Best Country Song, for the title track. This double-disc expanded edition features the classic album remastered from the original tapes by Robert Vosgien along with a previously unreleased 19-song live show recorded on the Guitar Town tour at the Park West in Chicago in 1986 and expanded liner notes.
Danny Elfman – Girl On The Train [Score/OST] CD (Sony Classics)
Original score to the 2016 motion picture composed by Danny Elfman.
Mark Ernestus’ Ndagga Rhythm Force – Yermande CD/LP (Ndagga)
Killer Afro-Germanic grooves from Mark Ernestus Ndagga Rhythm Force. Featuring all members of Jeri-Jeri plus the Basic Channell/Rhythm & Sound boss under a new moniker, Yermande makes the connections between Senegalese Mbalax, Jamaican dub and Berlin minimalism ever more inseparable.
Carolina Eyck – Fantasias For Theremin And String Quartet CD/LP (Butterscotch)
World-renowned theremin virtuosa Carolina Eyck and American Contemporary Music Ensemble (ACME) come together for the first time on Fantasias For Theremin And String Quartet. All performances were recorded in full takes with no editing. The result is an organic virtuosity that leads the listener through a wide range of sonic environments across the six pieces.
Jonathan Finlayson and Sicilian Defense – Moving Still CD (Pi)
One of the most highly regarded young musicians on the scene, trumpeter Jonathan Finlayson was recently been named the Number One Rising Star Trumpeter in the Downbeat Critics Poll. He has been a member of alto saxophonist Steve Coleman’s Five Elements for over 15 years, and plays regularly with the likes of such cutting-edge jazz artists as Steve Lehman, Mary Halvorson, Muhal Richard Abrams and Henry Threadgill. His music is filled with enthrallingly melodic compositional twists and turns: daring music with a firm sense of purpose.
The Flat Five – It’s A World Of Love & Hope CD/LP (Bloodshot)
The Flat Five is a Chicago-based pop vocal supergroup comprised of Kelly Hogan, Nora O Connor, Scott Ligon, Casey McDonough, Alex Hall — five in-demand musicians who individually spend much of their time touring and recording with bands like Neko Case, NRBQ, The Decemberists, Andrew Bird, Mavis Staples, Iron And Wine, Jakob Dylan, Robbie Fulks, Alejandro Escovedo, The New Pornographers, and many other heavy hitters. Their debut album features 12 irresistibly catchy, instantly hummable, and sweetly twisted pop songs written by longtime Chicago fixture Chris Ligon.
Jonny Fritz – Sweet Creep CD/LP (ATO)
Jonny Fritz is a torchbearer in that celebrated country music tradition of giant-sized personalities overflowing into song. John Hartford, Roger Miller, Billy Joe Shaver fans look to these country musicians for more than just music. They look for life, for outrageous legend, for a showmanship on and off stage that Jonny Fritz will never fail to deliver. He might not have shot anybody, or spent any considerable time in prison, but on Sweet Creep, he reminds himself and his fans, that sometimes great lives can also be pretty good ones. The album includes the lyricism of prior release Dad Country with an added air of hopefulness. Recorded in Jim James’ (of My Morning Jacket) makeshift hilltop studio in Montecito Heights, Sweet Creep reverberates with the feeling of sunny vistas. From album opener “Are You Thirsty” to the summer-crushy “Humidifier,” Sweet Creep is a freshly signed lease on life. Jonny throws himself into the new album by stripping things down to the essentials. He gathered Nashville’s Joshua Hedley and Dawes’ Taylor and Griffin Goldsmith and recorded the whole album in three days. The fresh air, freedom from studio pressures, and strong cups of tea all mix into the music, with ATVs briefly heard in the background and two senior tortoises listening at Hedley’s feet as he fiddles away. [Limited color vinyl pressings also available.]
From Indian Lakes – Everything Feels Better Now CD/LP/Cassette (Triple Crown)
From Indian Lakes is the project of California native Joey Vannucchi. His new album, Everything Feels Better Now, was recorded using vintage analog equipment, with no editing on vocals and instrumentation. “Delays were made using tape machines,” says Vannucchi, who played all the instruments heard on the album, “and other effects were made using various vintage equipment leftover from sound city studios. We used vintage synth equipment and vintage drums and guitar amps. When writing and recording this album I was really trying to capture a lo-fi aesthetic, while still retaining a sense of thoughtfulness.” Album track “Blank Tapes” is “a shimmering jam with ringing guitar rising over intricate rolling drums, and deep, sparse bass. He situates his voice in a gauzy nest that flirts falsetto as the instrumentation swells underneath him for a continually engaging excursion” – Stereogum. [Limited color vinyl edition also available.]
The Game – 1992 CD (E1)
New album from the Compton rapper. The Game further delves into his childhood and life of gang banging during a time of the nation’s high racial tensions across this set inspired by early ‘90s-era Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and 2pac.
Courtney Granger – Beneath Still Waters CD/LP (Valcour)
A master fiddler and extraordinarily talented singer, Courtney hails from the Balfa family lineage, which is evident in his powerful vocals and heavily Balfa-influenced fiddling. While for the past 8 years Courtney has been playing and touring full time with Cajun groups the Pine Leaf Boys and Balfa Toujours, Courtney has always had a deep affinity for and knowledge of classic country music. Featuring a master group of musicians and production by the renowned Dirk Powell, Beneath Still Waters is Courtney’s solo country debut.
Gurr – In My Head CD/LP (Duchess Box)
“First wave gurrlcore” band Gurr pair straightforward garage rock tunes with more psychedelic and wave elements on their debut album. “We didn’t start making music because of Kathleen Hanna,” explains singer Andreya Casablanca. “Musically we were more influenced by bands like Gun Club, Echo & the Bunnymen, the B52s or classics like the Ramones and Beatles.”
Justin Hayward – All The Way CD (Eagle Records)
First-ever best of collection covering Hayward’s (The Moody Blues) solo recordings. Features new song “The Wind Of Heaven.”
John Heneghan & His Henpecked Husbands – Ever Felt The Pain? CD/LP+MP3 (East River)
First solo album from East River String Band co-founder John Heneghan featuring special guest musicians Robert Crumb (Cheap Suit Serenade), Don Flemons (ex-Carolina Chocolate Drops), Eli Smith (Downhill Strugglers), and others. Ever Felt The Pain? includes deep country blues guitar tracks like as well as traditional country blazers. Cover art by R. Crumb. [Limited color vinyl edition with poster insert of cover art also available.]
Hippie Sabotage – Providence CD (iHipHop Distribution)
Providence fuses Hippie Sabotage’s exciting, pop-sensible brand of electronic music with impressive songwriting, alongside an array of chill vibes and heavy trap.
Horse – For Twisted Minds Only [Reissue/1970] CD/LP (Rise Above Relics)
Formed in South London during the late ‘60s, Horse was a band creating occult influenced progressive hard rock, ahead of its time. Guitarist Rod Roach had briefly played in an incarnation of British psych-rock legends Andromeda before forming Horse with other key member, vocalist Adrian Hawkins. Alongside bassist Colin Standring, the band also featured legendary drummer Ric Parnell, later of Atomic Rooster (amongst many others) and future star of This Is Spinal Tap (aka Mick Shrimpton). [Limited purple color vinyl pressing also available.]
Isan – Glass Bird Movement CD/LP+7”+MP3 (Morr Music)
On their first album since 2010’s Glow In The Dark Safari Set, Isan once more weave together electronic soundscapes, delicate rhythms and the occasional odd sound into a pulsating, ever-morphing whole. Glass Bird Movement is Antony Ryan and Robin Saville’s eighth studio album since starting the project in the late ’90s. Exchanging ideas between England and Denmark, Isan has crafted an album which is reminiscent of heyday Boards Of Canada productions, the friendlier ventures of Aphex Twin or the most focused moments of Ulrich Schnauss, if you will.
Nicolas Jaar – Sirens CD/LP (Other People)
“Sirens is a thoughtful study in contrasts, both musical and political. It’s only Nicolas Jaar’s second LP, but it is the mark of an enduring electronic composer” [BNM/8.7] – Pitchfork.
“Sirens [is] an ambitious and eclectic album that packs tons of ideas into its runtime and manages to pull them all off with a great deal of style. There’s a lot to digest here. ‘Killing Time’ crackles with his trademark, lush samples and ambient noises, its tinkling piano interjections reminiscent of Alice Coltrane or Laraaji. Midway through its 11 minutes, it morphs into a doleful ballad, Jaar’s tender vocal merging with a slow beat. ‘The Governor’ marries distorted drums and effects with layers of crackling interference, piano and treated saxophone, while ‘Leaves’ is a delicate ambient piece, its samples (of what sounds like a father and son talking in Spanish) adding a transporting quality. The centerpiece though is the superb, affecting ‘No,’ a tune which deserves to be a huge radio hit but will probably remain the secret of Jaar’s (many) fans. On this track Jaar sings in Spanish; his voice has become a hugely versatile instrument, tender one minute, forceful the next. It accompanies a cumbia beat, a nod to his Chilean roots, with a bittersweet melody best experienced through headphones to get the full spine-tingling effect. It’s probably the best thing he’s done so far.” – XLR8R
Jagwar Ma – Every Now & Then CD/2xLP (Mom + Pop Music)
New album from the Australian psych/dance project “blends Beach Boys harmonies with fiery nods to Chicago house, Madchester, Love’s Forever Changes and half-forgotten ’60s soul classics.” – Stereogum
Colin James – Blue Highways CD/LP (True North)
18th album from the Juno Award winning singer/songwriter. Blue Highways pays tribute to some of James’ longtime blues idols including Howlin’ Wolf, Jimmy Reed, Freddie King, Jr. Wells & Buddy Guy, Peter Green, Robert Johnson and William Bell to name a few.
Johnnyswim – Georgica Pond CD (Big Picnic)
Hailed by The New York Times as “a pairing of equals, a key finding its lock,” singing/songwriting duo Johnnyswim has amplified the strengths of their debut Diamonds (2014) with an album that reflects different seasons of life and love, filtered through their rousing fusion of folk, soul, pop, and rock.
JoJo – Mad Love. CD (Atlantic)
JoJo’s first new album since 2006, sees the talented singer/songwriter partnering with a number of top pop producers including Max Martin/Wolf Cousins’ Oscar Holter (P!nk, Haliee Steinfeld, Tori Kelly), Whiskey Water (Nick Jonas Feat. Demi Lovato), and songwriter Justin Tranter (Selena Gomez, Justin Bieber, Gwen Stefani).
Kayser – IV: Beyond The Reef Of Sanity CD/LP (Listenable)
Swedish thrash horde Kayser are back with a new album.
Kings Of Leon – Walls CD/LP+MP3 (RCA)
Seventh album from multi-platinum selling rock band. [Limited blue color vinyl edition also available.]
Kuedo – Slow Knife CD/2xLP+MP3 (Planet Mu)
“Flawless, romantic futurism from Kuedo, channeling the deepest thing for emotive anime scores, coldest trap beats and cinematic sound design into a magisterial second album for Planet Mu.” — Boomkat
Lemon Twigs – Do Hollywood CD/LP+MP3 (4AD)
With their debut album for 4AD, Do Hollywood, The Lemon Twigs have fused tightly constructed pop, modern psych, and British invasion melodies into a ten-song masterpiece.
Christian Löffler – Mare CD/3xLP+CD (Ki)
Christian Löffler presents his second album Mare, building upon on the downtempo melancholic sound he has crafted out when he lasts set sale with A Forrest four years ago. Mare is mostly built from sounds he recorded in a cabin by the Baltic Sea in Germany, where the electronic musician/producer set up a studio to work on the album. In addition to field recordings from the surrounding area, it incorporates an antique marimba, a mandolin zither and some custom-modified synthesizers. Mare includes four tracks with Mohna, the lead singer of Hamburg-based band Me Succeeds, as well as three tracks with Löffler himself singing.
L’Orange & Mr. Lif – The Life & Death Of Scenery CD (Mello Music)
In this collaboration with the eccentric North Carolina producer, L’Orange, Lif imagines an adjacent future called the “last society,” where culture has been obliterated and survival has taken precedence over art. In L’Orange’s words, the collaboration is “a negotiation of influences without compromise.” You can hear the producer’s trademark alchemy of classic boom-rap with glitchy fuzz, a compressed whimsy that slaps against somber scythe-like piano lines, ominous spaghetti western licks, and celestial saxophone licks. Joining the duo are artists DJ QBert, Gonjasufi and Akrobatik. Wyatt Cenac (Daily Show, Bojack Horseman) lends his voice as the narrator of our story. [Vinyl edition due November 8.]
Jamie Lidell – Building A Beginning CD (Jajulin)
British poly-genre wizard Jamie Lidell’s Building A Beginning is his sixth album and follow-up to 2013’s wild-eyed self-titled effort. Whereas his last album was a full-body immersion into strident electro and pop sounds, Building A Beginning is Lidell purifying himself in the waters of smooth, earthy psychedelic soul think the subtle low end of Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On, the swirling loveliness of Temptations’ Cloud Nine, and the beatific radiance of Steve Wonder, all imbued with Lidell’s distinctive songwriting touch and impossibly gorgeous vocals. Much of the album addresses the duality of romantic and familial love, with his new family playing a major role in its creation. Not only did his wife, Lindsey Rome, assist and writing many of the lyrics, but their newborn son was a major inspiration. No song makes that more clear than the LP’s latest single, “Julian”. Over bright, hopeful neo-soul, Lidell croons about how welcoming his now-one-year-old son has changed his outlook on life. “Now you’re here and life’s a dream/ You’re the only reality worth understanding,” he sings as he leads into the first chorus of, “I can’t believe/ The way your face/ Is taking over, taking the place/ Of all the dark I always face.” [Vinyl edition due November 11.]
Walter Lukens – Never Understood CDEP (Modern Outsider)
Walker Lukens’ soulful, emotive tenor and alt-pop songwriting have prompted comparisons to everyone from Harry Nilsson to Tom Waits and Pavement. This four song EP is a preview of his full-length record due in 2017.
The Mavericks – All Night Live Vol. 1 CD/2xLP (Mono Mundo)
“The Mavericks have been defying easy categorization since 1989 with a tasty mix of country, roots rock, Tex-Mex, Cubano and other styles into a flavor very much their own. Their spirited live shows have always been where The Mavericks really shine. [Album track ] ‘All Over Again, originally on 2013’s In Time is a great introduction to the uninitiated, showcasing the band’s multi-culti near-the-border sound, as well as Raul Malo’s powerful, Orbison-esque pipes. Guitarist Eddie Perez agrees, telling us ‘This uptempo joyous song, embodies all the sonic qualities that in my opinion, make up that distinct ‘Mavericks Sound.’ From the opening snare drum intro and ska groove, to the Latin flavored horn lines and crazy cool organ sounds. Adding a touch of Tejano accordion, driving rhythm guitars, some blazing twin guitar solos and then, a vocal performance like only El Maestro can deliver!…This is The Mavericks.’” – Brooklyn Vegan
Donny McCaslin – Beyond Now CD (Motema Music)
Deeply influenced by his extraordinary experience collaborating with David Bowie on his final release, Blackstar, Donny McCaslin created this heartfelt dedication to the Starman.
Big Dave McLean – Better The Devil You Know CD (Black Hen Music)
Juno-nominated Canadian blues legend Big Dave McLean swears he didn’t set out to make a record with a theme, but there are a lot of spiritual references on his brand new Steve Dawson-produced recording, Better The Devil You Know.
Moby & The Void Pacific Choir – These Systems Are Failing CD (Mute)
As with much of Moby’s output during his nearly three-decade long career, it’s not surprising that a spiritual and political questioning underpins These Systems Are Failing. “That quality of atmospheric sadness I’ve done so much of before isn’t here — there’s nothing quiet or ambient,” he notes. “Sonically, this record isn’t subtle: it’s big & loud, with huge kick drums & massive choral choruses.” [Vinyl edition due November 18.]
Mono – Requiem For Hell CD/2xLP+MP3 (Temporary Residence)
Requiem For Hell finds Mono returning to longtime friend and collaborator, Steve Albini. The album is heavier and scarier than most of Mono’s output to this point — hear the dizzying 18-minute title track for example — but it also carries some of their most sublime moments. This dichotomy is how one band’s obsession with conflict has manifested itself into one of underground music’s simultaneously quietest and loudest catalogs.
Monolake – VLSI CD (Monolake)
Robert Henke’s new album under his Monolake alias takes its inspiration from early techno, UK breakbeat and dubstep, African dance rhythms, future glitch, ambient and a variety of academic computer music.
Muddy Magnolias – Broken People CD (Third Generation)
American music is a mile-wide river that beckons black and white, urban and rural, dreamer and doer alike to launch their vessels. All the streams of style and genre flow into it; its tributaries are blues and jazz, mountain and folk, rock, soul and R&B. The release of the debut album by Muddy Magnolias, Broken People, marks the launch of a great new vessel onto that waterway. The album showcases a confluence of style and sound as colorful as it is unlikely, steeped in that river of influence, yet bracingly fresh. With Broken People, Jessy Wilson and Kallie North take us on an 11-song journey with its origins in two widely divergent backgrounds that came together in a friendship and creative partnership with world-changing resonance. [Vinyl edition due October 28.]
Maz – Idealist CD (GroundUP)
Though he’s primarily known as a trumpeter and composer for Snarky Puppy, Grammy-winner Mike Maz Maher is also lead vocalist for his own soulful jazz collective, Maz, which includes members of Snarky Puppy such as Michael League, Bob Lanzetti, Justin Stanton and Robert Sput Searight, among others.
Katie Melua – In Winter CD (BMG Rights Management)
Seventh album from the Georgian-British singer, songwriter and musician. For In Winter, Melua went back to her native Georgia to record an album with the Gori Women’s Choir, a Georgian all-woman singing troupe. The recording provided Melua the opportunity to engage in a far richer perspective on two different cultures that are so close to her: the West and the ex-Soviet Union. She didn’t only record the album in Gori, Georgia (her country of birth), but has also been drawing from the rich traditions of carols and folk-tales from the region. [Vinyl edition due October 28.]
Thurston Moore w/ Tom Surgal – Not Me [Reissue/1996] CD (Fourth Dimention)
Reissue of Thurston Moore and Tom Surgal’s long out-of-print 1996 collaboration. Two pieces of improvisational electronics, guitar, and drums, eleven minutes each. Includes new liner notes by Moore.
The Naked And The Famous – Simple Forms CD/LP (Somewhat Damaged)
Simple Forms is the third studio album by Los Angeles-based New Zealand indie electronic band The Naked And Famous. The band took their name from English musician Tricky’s song “Tricky Kid”, which is ambivalent about the notion of celebrity. “Simple Forms doubles down on their recognizable elements, the vocal interplay between Thom Powers and Alisa Xayalith, their knack for earworm melodies, and those soaring sing-along choruses, while introducing an on-trend, high glitz, pop-production style. Xayalith describes it as ‘amplifying’ the band’s sound, saying they were inspired by recent albums by pop artists like Taylor Swift. ‘It’s a very poppy album, a very vocal album’ she says. ‘Our poppiest to date. We love pop music and wanted to create a pop record. We hadn’t done that on our previous records.’” – NZ Herald
Olivia Newton-John/Beth Neilsen Chapman/Amy Sky – Liv On CD (UMe)
A collaborative, newly recorded eleven-song collection intended for those who wish to transcend loss while walking a journey toward new-found meaning and hope.
The Nopes – Never Heard Of It CD/LP (Magnetic Eye)
Described as ”spazz punk” and ”fringe punk,” The Nopes is an Eastbay outfit centered around Oakland and San Francisco. “The Bay Area’s well of great scuzzy garage rock never seems to run dry. Add to the list of Thee Oh Sees, Mikal Cronin, Ty Segall, et al, young Oaklanders The Nopes and their Warheads candy formula: lo-fi sourness on the outside, pure melodic sugar underneath.” — Consequence Of Sound
The Notwist – Superheroes, Ghostvillains + Stuff 2xCD/3xLP (Sub Pop/Alien Transistor)
16 live tracks recorded on Dec. 16, 2015 — the second of three nights at the UT Connewitz in Leipzig. Brothers Markus and Micha Acher have launched various musical vessels, bands and free-floating constellations over the past three decades – and yet: amid all these other speedboats and unlikely sonic barges, The Notwist has always remained the mother ship. Superheroes, Ghostvillains + Stuff documents the latest live incarnation of this very band, which also features Andi Haberl, Max Punktezahl, Karl Ivar Refseth, and Cico Beck.
Oasis – Be Here Now [Reissue/1997] 3xCD/2xLP+MP3 (Big Brother Recordings Ltd.)
Expanded reissue of the third studio album from the iconic English rock band featuring an additional two CDs of rarities & B-sides, including the ‘Mustique Demos.’ [Double-vinyl edition includes a download for all bonus tracks.]
Conor Oberst – Ruminations CD/LP (Nonesuch)
This past winter, Conor Oberst found himself hibernating in his hometown of Omaha after living in New York City for more than a decade. He emerged with the unexpectedly raw, unadorned solo album Ruminations. “I wasn’t expecting to write a record,” says Oberst. “I honestly wasn’t expecting to do much of anything. Winter in Omaha can have a paralyzing effect on a person but in this case it worked in my favor. I was just staying up late every night playing piano and watching the snow pile up outside the window. Next thing I knew I had burned through all the firewood in the garage and had more than enough songs for a record. I recorded them quick to get them down but then it just felt right to leave them alone.’ With the help of engineer Ben Brodin, he recorded all the songs in the span of 48 hours. The results are almost sketch-like in their sparseness, and they ultimately became the songs that comprise Ruminations. These tracks do not have the multi-layered instrumentation of the most recent Bright Eyes and solo albums: This is Oberst alone with his guitar, piano, and harmonica; the songs connect with some of the rough magic and anxious poetry that first brought him to the attention of the world, while their lyrical complexity and concerns make it obvious they could only have been written in the present.
Oozing Wound – Whatever Forever CD/2xLP+MP3 (Thrill Jockey)
Third album from the Chicago thrash trio. A horrifying concoction of apathy and malaise wrapped in a delectable sheet of hatred, drowned in a bath of contempt.
The Orb – COW / Chill Out World CD/LP+MP3 (Kompakt)
The Orb’s 16th album features guest appearances from Youth and Roger Eno. Featuring only the occasional presence of buoyant, gently rhythmic pulses and loops, Alex Paterson describes COW as “Our most ambient album yet”. Sounds bubble, flutter and float through various atmospheres and moods, from bucolic and picturesque, childlike wonderment, the texture of bygone memories, to the universe’s infinite depth. Whilst Alex calls it “a protest album in reverse”, Thomas Fehlmann further explains, “We didn’t intend to rehash old chill out vibes. On the contrary. It’s the 21st century and it seems like a good idea for people to sit back and chill the f*ck out, before continuing to act destructively. To chill out is to act consciously, guided from a calm center.”
Pentangle – Finale CD (Topic)
Finale was recorded live during the innovative folk band’s 2008 tour — their first in 35 years and sees the original lineup of Bert Jansch, John Renbourn, Jacqui McShee, Danny Thompson and Terry Cox revisiting their classic repertoire.
Enrico Pieranunzi Quartet – New Spring: Live At The Village Vanguard CD (CamJazz)
This is a modern, internationally-oriented jazz, entirely featuring original tracks, except for the standard “I Hear A Rhapsody,” and resulting from the interplay among four real jazz giants, who skillfully blend their forceful personalities into excellent music.
Oval – Popp CD/LP (UOVOOO)
The German glitch artist’s latest collection is filled with “club tracks” that are apparently not as lean as some of the more minimal textures of his past work.
Powell – Sport CD/LP (XL)
“Following in the [XL’s] lineage of fellow left-field electronic (not just ‘dance’ producers, mind) producers including Prodigy, SL2, and Jonny L, Powell’s sound is one that blends tight production talent with a strong knowledge of how to make proper bangers for a jilted generation. Sport is an eclectic/electric mix of late night, out and about snatches of pub chatter, fizzzzzy synth textures, flocks of angry bees stuck in a rack of Wasp synths and downtown NY, uptown Hackney out on the pi*s swagger.” – Bleep
Purling Hiss – High Bias CD/LP (Drag City)
At times carefree and apparently footloose in the world, other times intensely focused and wrathful, Purling Hiss are the orphaned kids of last century’s rock and roll generations, lost in a society that has forgotten its way but determined to find their feet again. High Bias moves with rageful, dazed humor and soulfulness against the darkening times in which we find ourselves. With no way out, Purling Hiss hit today’s bulls — head-on, employing pounding psych-rock and punk effects, slipping signature Hissian backup oo-oo-oohs and Polizze’s blistering guitar pile-ups in a full-bodied, head-ripping brew.
Real Numbers – Wordless Wonder CD/LP+MP3 (Slumberland)
“Minneapolis’s Real Numbers come from a city with a vast and storied history of indie-rock excellence, none of which they’ve chosen to absorb. In a world colonized by disciples of the Replacements’s sad-boy swagger, the quartet instead look further afield on their debut full-length, the excellent Wordless Wonder. From the opening pings of “Frank Infatuation,” the group barrel through a set of clean, bright, and altogether polite punk songs that sound more Glaswegian than they do Midwestern.” — Flood Magazine
Red Fang – Only Ghosts CD/LP (Relapse)
A record with basically no messing and very few frills, Only Ghosts begins with a thudding, metronomic drum beat and takes about 12 seconds to kick in with its mighty, thunderous groove. This might be the four piece’s way of saying: “let’s get down to business, shall we?” A little bit leaner, and actually a little meaner than before, the gravel-like delivery and vocal interplay, of ‘Flies’ is perfect for the hook, while the more rock ‘n’ roll infused ‘Cut It Short’ is better still, with its almost sleazy intention driven by the bass of Aaron Beam. And if ‘No Air’ sounds like former touring buddies Mastodon, that’s neither a shock or an insult. Red Fang aren’t going to re-invent themselves as a load of kids in skinny jeans and pretty much everyone who knows anything about the Oregon mob can equally know – give or take – what this is going to sound like. They know what they are good at and work within it, but as the psychedelic tinges to ‘I Am A Ghost’ rather neatly exemplify, they are also up for trying new things. ‘Living In Lye’ on the other hand, just wants to get its head down, horns up and take a hammer to your best china. It concludes a record that shows that after more than a decade as a band Red Fang are rather good at what they do, as well as possessing a tightness and chemistry.” – Maximum Volume
Luke Roberts – Sunlit Cross CD/LP+MP3 (Thrill Jockey)
Sunlit Cross is the unwaveringly honest and raw new album from Nashville-based Luke Roberts featuring Kurt Vile, Stephen Tanner (Harvey Milk, Music Blues), John Neff (Drive-By Truckers) and Creston Spiers (Harvey Milk). Sunlit Cross is a lullaby, Roberts says, one that pits darkness and disenchantment and the ugly side of life against levity, love, and childhood.
Jeff Rosenstock – Worry. CD/LP+MP3 (SideOneDummy)
Jeff Rosentock normally writes about his own anxiety in the most self-deprecating way possible. For this record, however, he initially challenged himself to write songs about love, but couldn’t figure out how to talk about love without addressing all the elements that try to crush it. So through talking about the uncontrollable, external stuff that’s often at the root of anxiety and depression, Jeff ended up making the most important album of his career. It is socio-political in nature, covering topics from gentrification to police brutality and more. [Limited baby blue/baby pink color vinyl edition also available.]
São Paulo Underground and Rob Mazurek – Cantos Invisíveis CD (Cuneiform)
“With their breathtaking fifth album Cantos Invisíveis, the multi-national, multi-ethnic, multi-everything São Paulo Underground sounds more confident and intrepid than ever, with a glorious program of music evoking lost haunts, enduring love, and the sheer delirious joy of making music together.”
The Seshen – Flames & Figures CD/LP (Tru Thoughts)
The Seshen is a San Francisco Bay Area-based seven-piece led by singer/lyricist Lalin St. Juste and bassist/producer Akiyoshi Ehara. Their forward-thinking sound combines synthesizers, drum machines, live percussion, and entrancing harmonies to create an unmistakable fusion of R&B, synth-pop, and electronic music.
Keely Smith – The Intimate Keely Smith [Reissue/1964] CD (Real Gone Music)
You can’t get any more popular in American entertainment than Keely Smith was in the early ‘60s. Having blown the doors out in Las Vegas, winning a Grammy, having hit after hit and lighting up television screens playing straight “man” to husband Louis Prima, she’d navigated the tricky waters of a professional and personal divorce, striking out on her own and starting her own record label, Keely Records, in partnership with close friend and mentor Frank Sinatra, under the auspices of his Reprise label. Produced by Keely’s husband-to-be and Reprise hitmaker Jimmy Bowen, 1964’s The Intimate Keely Smith is, as the steamy cover and saucy title suggest, a sexy, swinging affair and the quintessential Keely Smith recording from her Reprise period.
Leo Wadada Smith – America’s National Parks 2xCD (Cuneiform)
With America’s National Parks, visionary composer and Wadada Leo Smith offers his latest epic collection, a suite inspired by the scenic splendor, historic legacy, and political controversies of the country’s public landscapes. Writing for his newly expanded Golden Quintet, Smith crafted six extended works that explore, confront and question the preserved natural resources that are considered the most hallowed ground in the US — and some that should be.
Sons Of Balaur – Tenebris Deos CD/LP (Season Of Mist)
New album from the Norwegian black metal outfit.
Super Unison – Auto CD/LP (Deathwish Inc.)
Post hardcore from San Francisco/Oakland. [Limited pink color vinyl pressing also available.]
Swet Shop Boys – Cashmere CD/LP+MP3 (Customs)
“Kanye West and Jay Z. Drake and Future. Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz. Sure, you may be able to name a more iconic hip-hop duo than The Swet Shop Boys — Riz MC and Heems — but you’d be hard-pressed to name a pair better suited to address social justice and the unique experience of South Asian people in the U.S. and U.K. Heems, a.k.a. Himanshu Suri, is an Indian-American rapper, activist and New York City native. His counterpart is Riz MC, a.k.a. Rizwan Ahmed, an actor/rapper of Pakistani descent from London (you might recognize him from his starring role in HBO’s hit miniseries The Night Of). Heems is Hindu and Riz is Muslim. Though separated by religion, nationality and the Atlantic Ocean, the two find common ground in hip-hop and engage head-on with a post-9/11 world that’s fraught with government surveillance, Islamophobia, xenophobia, police violence and racism.” – NPR
Sybarite – Waver The Absolute CD/LP+MP3 (Temporary Residence)
Emerging from a decade-long hiatus, East Coast electronic producer and multi-instrumentalist, Sybarite (Christian Hawkins) returns with new album Waver The Absolute. “The album defies genre and expectation, and the eclecticism serves it well. The marriage of the electronic and the organic has been one that Hawkins has expertly manipulated since his days in the legendary Silver Apples in the late 1990s.” – Resident Music
Terry Malts – Lost At The Party CD/LP+MP3 (Slumberland)
Lost At The Party is Terry Malts’ third album. The driving punk (Buzzcocks, The Undertones) that has been a cornerstone of the group’s sound sits snugly with songs steeped in indie-pop and power-pop (The Chills, Dwight Twilley).
The Travelling Wilburys – Vol. 1 [Reissue/1988] CD/LP (Concord)
The Travelling Wilburys – Vol. 3 [Reissue/1990] CD/LP (Concord)
The Traveling Wilburys were George Harrison (d. 2001), Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan and Roy Orbison (d. 1988). The supergroup’s two albums are back in print on CD and vinyl.
Tuff City Kids – Labyrinth 12”+MP3 (Permanent Vacation)
Tuff City Kids – Adoldesscent CD/LP+MP3 (Permanent Vacation)
“Tuff City Kids, the production duo of German producer Phillip Lauer and Running Back boss Gerd Janson, return with their stellar new track ‘Labyrinth,’ the first taste off their upcoming first LP Adoldesscent. The single, which marks the pair’s first full vocal track, is a delicious disco affair featuring vocals from Norwegian electro-pop star Annie. The 10-track album Adoldesscent also features guest appearances from Hot Chip’s Joe Goddard, Kelley Polar, and Jasnau. The Labyrinth EP comes complete with a remix by New York house maestro Morgan Geist, a rework by Tuff City Kids themselves, and a “Drum & Bass dub” by mysterious DJ Oyster.” — Lagasta
TUNS – TUNS CD/LP (Royal Mountain)
TUNS is a Canadian indie super-group made up of Chris Murphy (Sloan), Matt Murphy (Super Friendz, Flashing Lights) and Mike O’Neill (The Inbreds). With songs that are summer sweet and jangly, TUNS has been described as “a ‘90s indie fan’s dream.”
Two Door Cinema Club – Gameshow CD/2xLP+MP3 (Glassnote)
On Two Door Cinema Club’s third album, Gameshow, the band has challenged themselves to indulge a wide and varied range of styles and influences stretching way beyond the traditional Two Door sound to take in Prince, Madonna, McCartney, Chic, Krautrock, neo soul and modernist pop. [Limited translucent blue color vinyl edition also available.]
Two Tongues – Two CD/LP+MP3 (Equal Vision)
Two Tongues is the emo supergroup consisting of Say Anything frontman Max Bemis and Saves The Day’s Chris Conley.
Unwill – Past Life CD (E1)
Unwill has been compared to Linkin Park, Deftones, Chevelle, and Underoath.
Various Artists [Marcel Dettmann] – DJ Kicks CD/2xLP+MP3 (K7)
The longtime Berghain resident and famed DJ/producer is the latest in a long line of stars to create a DJ Kicks mix (recent artists include Jackmaster, Dam-Funk and Actress). On producing the compilation, Dettmann has said: “When it came to the DJ-Kicks mix, I was sitting for weeks in my music room at home listening to records, sometimes together with the kids, editing, researching, playing games… it turned out as a good combination to be at home with the family whilst working on this music project. I was listening to a lot of music which is great, music that I hadn’t listened to for ages and certainly wouldn’t have played in a club set.”
Various Artists – Dear Jerry: Celebrating The Music Of Jerry Garcia 2xCD/2xCD+Blu-ray/2xCD+DVD (Rounder)
Dear Jerry: Celebrating The Music Of Jerry Garcia was recorded live at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia Maryland on Thursday, May 14, 2015. This historic one-night concert event honored the music of Jerry Garcia, one of the most influential musicians and cultural icons of our time. The two and half hour concert features over 20 once-in-a-lifetime performances by Phil Lesh & Communion, Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzmann’s Billy & The Kids, Mickey Hart, Eric Church, Jimmy Cliff, The Disco Biscuits, Peter Frampton, David Grisman, Jorma Kaukonen, Los Lobos, Buddy Miller, Moe., O.A.R., Grace Potter, Allen Toussaint, Trampled By Turtles, Widespread Panic, and Yonder Mountain String Band. Includes covers of Garcia classics like “Touch Of Grey,” “Friend Of The Devil,” “The Wheel” and more. [Stand-alone DVD and Blu-ray editions also available.]
Various Artists – Feel Like Going Home: The Songs Of Charlie Rich CD/LP (Memphis International)
Charlie Rich, one of the most successful country-pop crossover acts of the early ‘70s had a recording and performing career more than a decade before those genre-bending tunes earned him numerous awards. But until now, much of his output from the early ‘60s has remained relatively obscure. Rich gets his due with this tribute disc featuring performances of his tunes by Jim Lauderdale, Shooter Jennings, Will Kimbrough, Keith Sykes, Charlie Rich Jr. and more.
Vaudou Game – Kidayú CD/LP (Hot Casa)
When recording Kidayú Peter Solo (aka Vaudou Game) immersed his Lyon companions in the flourishing Afro-beat rhythms of the 1970s along with traditional song. Marked at times by James Brown-style shouts, Kidayú pairs voodoo harmonies with funk and blues.
Suzanne Vega – Lover, Beloved: Songs From An Evening With Carson McCullers CD/LP (Perpetual Sounds)
Suzanne Vega celebrates the remarkable life distinguished writer Carson McCullers with this new studio album inspired by the novelist. The songs, which she co-wrote with longtime friend and theatrical collaborator Duncan Sheik, richly capture the essence of McCuller’s insightful words and forward-thinking philosophies on gender and love.
Venom Prison – Animus CD (Prosthetic)
Animus is the debut album from the South Wales death metal filth merchants. Recorded by Tom Dring at Vagrant Recordings (Dragged Into Sunlight, Electric Wizard), Animus is 10 tracks of aural assaulting brutality. Led by frontwoman, L, Venom Prison tackles such subjects as social Darwinism, misogyny, rape culture and the rejection of God and religion. [Vinyl edition due November 18.]
Wax Tailor – By Any Beats Necessary CD/2xLP (Le Plan)
Wax Tailor aims to make you travel with his fifth studio album By Any Beats Necessary. “The album’s title reflects my determination to use all kinds of sounds and textures to get to something musical,” says JC Le Saout. “The word ‘Beat’ also draws a line towards the Beat Generation, Kerouac’s famous novel On The Road, and the quest for a better place. And so, in this time when each of us needs a little escape, I conceptualized this album as the soundtrack to a better elsewhere”. This new take on the western frontier leads us on a fabled road where blues, psychedelic rock, soul, funk and hip-hop collide. Joining him on this ride are guests Ghostface Killah, R.A. The Rugged Man, who crosses mics with up and comers A-F-R-O & Token. The album also features Tricky in a very personal duet with Charlotte Savary, Lee Fields, the godfather of the retro soul scene, Sara Genn, Mattic and Raashan Ahmad and newcomer Idil. [Limited color vinyl pressing also available.]
WOLF! – 1-800-WOLF! CD/LP (The Royal Potato Family)
Brooklyn trio WOLF! feat. Scott Metzger return with their sophomore effort. 1-800-WOLF! represents everything that eludes chest-thumping power trios and even many small jazz ensembles. Nobody shows off, there are no fireworks, no screaming solos. “This is a first take with all of us—including bassist Jon Shaw and drummer Taylor Floreth—playing together live in the same room with no overdubs to tape,” Metzger told Guitar World regarding album track “Pork n’ Slaw,” noting that the song has been featured in the band’s live sets over the years but “we’ve never been able to get a version of it in the studio we were happy with until now.”
Wormrot – Voices CD/LP (Earache)
20 ferocious slabs of punk-fueled grind in the grand tradition of early Earache releases from Napalm Death, Brutal Truth and Terrorizer.
Wrangler – White Glue CD/LP (MemeTune)
Wrangler’s White Glue features new nine new tracks, recorded with the 3D depth of analog (the ancient synthesizers in Benge’s MemeTune Studios have never sounded so good) but there’s less geek and more funk; more mod than modular in the new album’s tailored, minimalist design.
DVDs + Blu-ray:
Bryan Adams – Wembley Live 1996 DVD (Eagle Rock Entertainment)
On July 27, 1996 a sell-out crowd in excess of 70,000 welcomed Bryan Adams to Wembley Stadium on his 18 Til I Die Tour.
Extreme – Pornograffitti Live 25 Blu-ray+DVD+CD (Loud & Proud)
For the 25th anniversary of their multi-platinum album Pornograffitti, the Boston band performed the album its entirety at Hard Rock Casino in Las Vegas.
Various Artists – Dear Jerry: Celebrating The Music Of Jerry Garcia DVD/Blu-ray (Rounder)
Dear Jerry: Celebrating The Music Of Jerry Garcia was recorded live at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia Maryland on Thursday, May 14, 2015. This historic one-night concert event honored the music of Jerry Garcia, one of the most influential musicians and cultural icons of our time. The two and half hour concert features over 20 once-in-a-lifetime performances by Phil Lesh & Communion, Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzmann’s Billy & The Kids, Mickey Hart, Eric Church, Jimmy Cliff, The Disco Biscuits, Peter Frampton, David Grisman, Jorma Kaukonen, Los Lobos, Buddy Miller, Moe., O.A.R., Grace Potter, Allen Toussaint, Trampled By Turtles, Widespread Panic, and Yonder Mountain String Band. Captured and presented in HD with Dolby 5.1 surround stereo, the full length concert film includes covers of Garcia classics like “Touch Of Grey,” “Friend Of The Devil,” “The Wheel” and more.
This Week’s Vinyl Exclusives:
John Abercrombie – Timeless [Reissue/1974] LP+MP3 (ECM)
Guitarist John Abercrombie has often been associated with organists, from his formative years in the 1960s with the deep funk of Johnny “Hammond” Smith to the subtle orchestral underpinnings that Dan Wall provides for Abercrombie’s 1990s-era bands. This 1974 recording was Abercrombie’s first as a leader, and he’s joined by Jan Hammer on organ, piano, and synthesizer and Jack DeJohnette on drums.
Axis: Sova – Motor Earth LP (God?)
“Motor Earth finds Axis: Sova assimilating back down on Earth, soaking in the flawed humanity and broken systems of the world, the repetitive nature of days & days, the course of years. Who’s getting off on the mundanity? Kiss the Axis & you will find a parallel world of time. “Motor Earth” trips that trend further, rife with percolating boogie, suicidal punk shredders & cavernous rock, but this time, it’s a planet cleared of sonic brush so as to cleanly reflect the star it orbits & the moon it mirrors.”
Beastie Boys – Licensed To Ill [Reissue/1986] LP (Def Jam)
This 30th anniversary LP edition of Beastie Boys’ debut album is cut from original production masters and pressed on 180gm heavyweight vinyl. The album is back-to-back classic Beastie Boys anthems including “Hold It Now, Hit It,” “Brass Monkey,” “(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party),” “No Sleep Till Brooklyn” (featuring Slayer’s Kerry King) and “Girls.”
Blood Quartet – Deep Red LP (Feeding Tube)
Based in Barcelona, the mostly-instrumental band Blood Quartet plays insanely great avant garde rock music, with electro-Miles trumpet spread across the top like brass icing.
Califone – Roomsound [Reissue/2001] 2xLP (Dead Oceans)
Califone’s debut album covers the same rustic, slightly ramshackle back forty that Tim Rutili has been ploughing through since his previous band Red Red Meat. Only this time the tilled bedrock unveils the most vividly colored, luring crop of songs Rutili has ever harvested. The sleepy, country-blues picking and autumnal backwoods melodies are accented with striking splashes of electronic tone color, obsolete keyboards and off-kilter percussion. Lyrically, Roomsound penetrates the breath of pirates, poison apples at a tango contest and the waiting room between death and canonization where missionaries have quit and 19th-century prostitutes have been rescued for all the wrong reasons.
Cavern Of Anti-Matter – I’m The Unknown 12” (Duophonic)
Cavern Of Anti-Matter is the new band from Stereolab mainman Tim Gane, now Berlin-based and collaborating with original Stereolab drummer Joe Dilworth, and synth wizard Holger Zapf. I’m The Unknown features one brand new track and two outtakes from the Void Beats/Invocation Trex album. The title track finds the band exploring the bright plastic melodies of a lost library music soundtrack, followed by a drum machine-led technoid shuffle that recalls the raw early days of electronic music coming out of Chicago and Detroit, and ending with a shimmering, epic synth anthem.
Sam Cooke – Mr. Soul [Reissue/1963] LP (Analog Spark)
180gm audiophile vinyl repress of The King Of Soul’s eleventh studio album.
Dr. John Cooper Clarke and Hugh Cornwell – This Time It’s Personal LP (Sony Legacy)
Poet Dr. John Cooper Clarke and singer/songwriter (and founding member of The Stranglers) Hugh Cornwell team up on This Time It’s Personal. Ten covers reflecting the pair’s shared love of classic American and British pop they grew up with. [CD edition due October 21.]
Cowtown – Paranormal Romance LP (Happy Happy Birthday To Me)
Cowtown play econo, dynamic, over-stimulated rock music that embraces a heavily abridged history of rock n’ roll.
Creedence Clearwater Revival – Live In Europe [Reissue/1973] 2xLP (Fantasy)
Originally released in 1973 documenting their Mardi Gras tour this double LP showcases CCR as power trio, after the resignation of Tom Fogerty. Maligned in the past, Live In Europe documents John Fogerty and Co. at their unhinged best, ripping through a catalog of their greatest hits.
Buck Curran – Immortal Light LP (ESP-Disk)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Immortal Light is the debut solo album by guitarist/singer/songwriter Buck Curran. Curran draws inspiration from the deep well of folk and rock of the 1960s, American blues and folk music of the 1930s, British folk and psychedelic folk/rock of the ’60s and early ’70s, Indian classical music and jazz of the ’50s and ’60s. RIYL: Peter Green, Robbie Basho, Meg Baird, Pentangle, Sandy Denny, The Doors, Davey Graham, Nick Drake, Pandit Nikhil Banerjee.
Tashi Dorji & Tyler Damon – Both Will Escape LP (Family Vineyard)
Debut full-length between electric guitarist Tashi Dorji and percussionist Tyler Damon. In the long tradition of string/drum duets — from Bailey & Bennink to Haino & Yoshida — these two cleave out their own unmapped continent of sound. Across four pieces they connect lashes of ecstatic intensity and outer reaches of texture and timbre.
Dubiterian Meets The Scientist – Tribute To Augustus Pablo [2014] LP+CD (Dub Mir)
Previously digital-only – now available on vinyl. Dubiterian is a Brazilian dub music producer and melodica specialist who graduated in audio engineering in Munich, Germany. He has performed all over the world since 2004 sharing the stage with the likes of The Skatalites, The Roots Radics, Ras Michael, Fully Fullwood, Mad Professor, Sister Nancy, Ranking Joe, Gentleman, Mungos Hi-Fi, Jahtari and Soom T. He has collaborated in the studio with heavyweight producers and artists such as The Scientist, Adrian Sherwood and Dub Syndicate, amongst others. This tribute to Augustus Pablo, the great Jamaican roots reggae and dub record producer active from the 1970s onwards, is mixed by the legendary dub master Scientist.
Eddy Detroit – Black Crow Gazebo LP (Assophon)
Eddy Detroit crafts eight new songs full of his trademark twisted folk, satanic Americana, and trance voodoo magic.
Florida Georgia Line – Dig Your Roots 2xLP (BMX)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Third album from the country superstars. Guests include Tim McGraw, Ziggy Marley, and Backstreet Boys.
Flowers Must Die – Sista Valsen EP 12” (Rocket Recordings)
Flowers Must Die grew to a six-piece when the highly talented vocalist and violinist Lisa Ekelund (formerly of the band Katia) joined the collective; this EP collects of four raw jams recorded during the early sessions with Ekelund, ranging from the fuzz-heavy grooves of “Sista Valsen” through the laid-back space jazz of “Taskig Stämning Annars” and the propulsive motorik of “Kruta” to the repetitive folk drone of “Varför.”
The Front Bottoms – Needy When I’m Needy 7”+MP3 (Fueled By Ramen)
Includes two previously unreleased songs, “Tighten Up” and “Joanie,” both from the Back On Top sessions.
Fu Manchu – We Must Obey [Reissue/2007] LP (Beat Generation)
Fu Manchu – Signs Of Infinite Power [Reissue/2009] LP (Beat Generation)
Vinyl reissues of the SoCal stoner rock band’s 10th and 12th albums.
G.H. – Housebound Demigod 2xLP+MP3 (Modern Love)
Long in the making debut album from Modern Love’s most elusive operator G. Howell. Recorded with a DR550, a battered Charvel guitar and assorted pedals, recommended if you’re into Stephen O’Malley, Autechre, David Lynch, Shackleton, NWW, Demdike Stare.
Egberto Gismonti – Dança das Cabeças [Reissue/1977] LP+MP3 (ECM)
Dança das Cabeças (Portuguese for “Dance of the Heads”) is the 1977 album by Brazilian composer, guitarist and pianist Egberto Gismonti.
Wojciech Golczewski – Reality Check LP (Death Waltz Originals)
Polish born Film and TV composer Wojciech Golczewski (400 Days, We Are Still Here) delivers his debut solo LP for Death Waltz Originals. Using his knowledge of film scoring and his love of melodic modern electronica he has managed two create an absolutely flawless, beautiful synth record that soars above all others creating this style of music at the moment. 14 tracks of dystopian decayed synth workouts that are both incredibly intricate yet moving and melodic.
Guerilla Toss – Flood Dosed [2015] LP (DFA)
Flood Dosed was DFA’s first release from the incomparable New York-via-Boston Guerilla Toss. Originally released only on cassette and digitally, it is now available on vinyl for the first time (with CD edition due October 28).
John Brown’s Body – Fireflies LP (Easy Star)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Twenty years into their groundbreaking and influential career, John Brown’s Body return with an album that shows off the latest evolution of their sound. Fireflies follows up the critically acclaimed Kings And Queens (2013) and finds lead singer Elliot Martin and the rest of the band delving into even more muscular riddims (heavily influenced by classic Roots Radics and early ‘80s dancehall).
Junior Boys – Kiss Me All Night 12” (City Slang)
Junior Boys have popped back up with Kiss Me All Night, a new four-track EP the Canadian duo describes as “one more lap after the finish line” of 2016. Kiss Me All Night includes two certified Junior Boys minimal-disco cuts, “Yes” and “Baby Fat,” plus a percolating cover of John Martyn’s “Some People Are Crazy,” and the Prince-inspired title track “Kiss Me All Night.”
Diana Krall – Christmas Songs [Reissue/2005] LP (Verve)
Limited vinyl LP pressing of this 2005 holiday release from the best-selling jazz/pop vocalist and pianist.
Fela Kuti – Shakara [Reissue/1970] LP (Knitting Factory)
Fela Kuti – London Scene [Reissue/1972] LP (Knitting Factory)
Fela Kuti – Afrodisiac [Reissue/1973] LP (Knitting Factory)
Fela Kuti – Gentleman [Reissue/1973] LP (Knitting Factory)
Fela Kuti – Upside Down [Reissue/1976] LP (Knitting Factory)
Fela Kuti – Zombie [Reissue/1976] LP (Knitting Factory)
Fela Kuti – I.T.T. (International Thief Thief) [Reissue/1980] LP (Knitting Factory)
180gm vinyl reissues now available. 1,260gms of classic Afrobeat total.
Amos Lee – Spirit LP (John Varvatos/Republic)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Spirit’s 13 songs reflect both the critically acclaimed Philadelphia singer/songwriter’s musical journey over the past few years and his expansive sonic palette. Most notably, this is the first time Amos acted as his own producer. Informed by everything from his performances alongside some of the world’s most prestigious orchestras to a personal taste that spans Robert Glasper, ScHoolboy Q, and Drake, this body of work boasts an aural anatomy all its own.
Los Amigos Invisibles – The New Sound Of The Venezuelan Gozadera [1998] LP (Luaka bop)
David Byrne bought a CD in Tower Records on Broadway (when there was such a thing) because he liked the cover. It was band named Los Amigos Invisibles from Venezuela. They play a blend of disco, acid jazz and funk mixed with Latin rhythms. First-time available on vinyl.
Madonna – Ray Of Light [Reissue/1998] 2xLP (WB)
180gm vinyl reissue of Madonna’s seventh studio album.
Mars – Mars Archives Volume Two: 11000 Volts To Tunnel LP (Feeding Tube)
Recorded at CBGB and Max’s in the early months of 1978, this captures the sound of Mars around the time their first single, “3E/11000 Volts,” was released by the French Rebel label (a precursor of ZE). They’re still playing their early songs, and working out the material that would be on No New York.
Mizmor – Yodh 2xLP (Gilead Media)
The second full-length album from Portland, OR based one-man blackened-doom band.
Mr. Oizo – All Wet 2xLP+CD (Ed Banger)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Quentin Dupieux aka Mr. Oizo offers up a new collection of songs. All Wet sees Oizo collaborating with a who’s who of the current electronic/bass/pop scenes, including Skrillex, Boys Noize, Peaches and Charli XCX.
MX-80 Sound – Crowd Control [Reissue/1981] LP (Ship To Shore Phone Co.)
MX-80 Sound – So Funny LP (Feeding Tube)
Released last year digitally – now available on vinyl. Depending on how you count, So Funny is either the ninth or tenth album, MX-80 Sound has released. Regardless, it’s their first LP since the classic Crowd Control back in 1981 (a dizzying mix of free-jazz sax, thrashing guitars and absurdist lyricism, MX-80 Sound remains one of the great undiscovered bands of the late ’70s / early ’80s post-punk scene), and it’s a pretty goddamn amazing spin.
Navy Gangs – Navy Gangs 7” (No Roads)
Navy Gangs is a pop quintet currently residing in the washed out and overly demanding area of New York City. Singer/Guitarist Matthew Tillwick, Guitarist Noah Kohll, and Drummer Gavin Cordaro began orchestrating music together in 2012 at Central High School in the red light district of Omaha where they failed their junior years miserably.
Not Waving – Redacted LP (Ecstatic)
Swampy, slow techno horror themes vacillate with decayed pastoral panoramas and windows of synthetic optimism, both lush and disquietingly needling, using dissonance and sweeps of hazy noise to ultimately spell out a foreboding but dreamlike sort of electronic subterfuge and suspense that resonates with the nostalgic Stranger Things score as much as Leyland Kirby’s Intrigue & Stuff series.
Oddarrang – Agartha LP (Edition)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Finnish quintet Oddarrang has established itself as a band with an undeniably unique sound — blending monumental riffs and dynamic builds with heart-wrenching melodies that soar over a compelling and absorbing rhythmical drive. With a unique blend of cello and trombone, soaring vocals and electronic soundscapes fusing with the magma intensity of guitar, bass and drums, this is music that achieves profound beauty: elevating and primal.
Ostara – Napoleonic Blues LP (Soleilmoon)
Inspired by the famous picture of the defeated emperor at Fontainebleu, Napoleonic Blues is a reflection on the persistence of the past in the chaos of the present, history’s long shadow that refuses to dissolve. Echoing lines from the Roman poet Horace, the battle hymns of the Crusades, the rebirth of the Islamic Caliphate, the siege of Gaza, the collapse of Detroit and the meditations of St John of the Cross, this is a journey through the night and fog that lingers like the smoke of an eternal flame. Eleven songs, linked by a chain of time, the ancient stalking the modern, the lamp of the golden age lit on the pyre of the darkest days.
Panabrite – Pavilion LP (Immune)
Panabrite is Seattle musician Norm Chambers. His music evokes the prime work of ambient music’s pioneers, the top tier of kosmische-musik makers, and the more mystical end of the new-age spectrum. He weaves elements from these styles into his own distinctive tapestries, balancing melodic playfulness with compositional rigor. Pavilion is a love letter to Italian albums from the classic ‘70s era of minimalism and prog.
Gary Peacock w/ Jan Garbarek, Tomasz Stanko and Jack DeJohnette – Voice From The Past – Paradigm [Reissue/1982] LP+MP3 (ECM)
This abstract quartet recording by bassist Gary Peacock features Jan Garbarek on tenor and
soprano saxes, Tomasz Stanko on trumpet, and Jack DeJohnette on drums. The interplay
between Peacock and DeJohnette, captured roughly two years before the release of the first
Keith Jarrett standards record, is especially interesting.
People Of The North – The Caul LP+MP3 (Thrill Jockey)
People of the North is Kid Millions and Bobby Matador of Oneida. They have a fluency with experimentation that is evident throughout The Caul. The conversation between their instruments (Kid on drums and Bobby behind the organ, on guitar) on this album translates into some of the band’s most linear and stirring work to date. The Caul features performances by multi-instrumentalist Jamie Saft, a renowned keyboardist and composer who scored the Oscar-nominated documentary Murderball.
Perujazz – Perujazz [Reissue/1987] LP (Vampisoul)
Inspired by jazz fusion from the ’70s, Perujazz mix cajón drums and Afro-Peruvian, Andean and jungle sounds with jazz, rock and funk in a powerful blend full of groove and psychedelia.
Elvis Presley – Blue Hawaii [Reissue/1961] LP (Friday Music)
180gm audiophile translucent blue vinyl pressing.
Prurient – Pleasure Ground [Reissue/2006] 2xLP (Hospital Productions)
One of Prurient’s most captivating raids on the borderlands of power noise and symphonic doom rears its furious head once again for this gatefold vinyl reissue.
Qui – How To Get Ideas 10” (ORG Music)
On this 5-track EP L.A. based duo Qui demonstrate skillfully their ability to shape different elements and genres into their own brand of off-the-wall pop music. From the ballad-like acoustic guitar fingerpicking and pitch perfect vocal harmonies on “Treason” to the almost manic math-rock on “Dad,” in a world full of copycats it’s refreshing to find a band so inimitable. Features guest percussion and vocals by Dale Crover (The Melvins).
Reckless Kelly – Sunset Motel LP (No Big Deal)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Reckless Kelly celebrates their 20th anniversary with Sunset Motel, their follow up their Grammy Award winning 2013 release Long Night Moon. “Sunset Motel finds the band in familiar musical territory — bounding fearlessly between the sounds of jangling heartland rock and scrappy, hardscrabble country, with stories that refuse to dumb themselves down for mass appeal.” – Rolling Stone
Reel Big Fish – Happy Skalidays LP (Rock Ridge Music)
The first ever holiday/Christmas release from the SoCal ska band. Includes three holiday classics and three holiday originals. Gold vinyl pressing.
Reel Big Fish – Skacoustic 2xLP (Rock Ridge Music)
22 of Reel Big Fish’s biggest hits recorded as acoustic versions. Pressed on white and blue color vinyl.
RX Bandits – …And The Battle Begun [Reissue/2006] 2xLP+MP3 (Sargent House)
Tenth anniversary vinyl reissue of RX Bandits’ fifth album. Originally starting out as a practical ska band with a heavy SoCal influence, they have created a sound combining soul, reggae, punk, and progressive rock.
Terje Rypdal – Waves [Reissue/1978] LP+MP3 (ECM)
Waves is the seventh album by Norwegian jazz guitarist Terje Rypdal recorded in 1977.
Ted Sirota’s Heavyweight Dub – The Scientist Meets Ted Sirota’s Heavyweight Dub [2013] LP (Dub Mir)
The debut album from Chicago band Ted Sirota’s Heavyweight Dub was recorded, mixed, and mastered by the legendary “Dub Chemist” Overton H. Brown aka “The Scientist”. Sirota, a veteran of the Chicago music scene, decided to address his 30+ year love for Jamaican music by putting this new band together in early 2013.
Sleaford Mods – T.C.R. 12” (Rough Trade)
Equal parts classic-era punk, casio minimalism, slam poetry, growling protest chant, and poison ivy rash, Sleaford Mods are singular, and always powerful. And with their T.C.R. 12”, particularly its title track, named for the 1970s auto toy “Total Control Racing,” the Mods are surprisingly tuneful.
Sofi Tukker – Soft Animals 12” (Virtual Label Group)
“Sofi Tukker’s debut EP Soft Animals is an insatiable dance collection of jungle-pop songs with many well-executed nods towards Brazilian instruments, poets and to the national language, Portuguese.” – Paste Magazine
Tele Novella – House Of Souls LP (Yellow Year)
Lead vocalist Natalie Ribbons describes Tele Novella’s hard-to-pinpoint sound as “melodic macabre-pop.” The band embraces such retro influences — The Velvet Underground, 1960s garage bands, surf instrumental guitar licks, late 1960s baroque pop-rock.
Tenniscoats – Music Exists Disc 2 LP (Alien Transistor)
The second part of a four-part vinyl edition of Tenniscoats’ masterpiece Music Exists, a work of intimate, wonderful, psychedelic folk music. They wrote and recorded the album themselves using an analog console, a microphone, and what few instruments they had; as the project developed, they were surprised to find that they had amassed several albums’ worth of material, showcasing their unique combination of melodies and unexaggerated arrangements.
Thou – Peasant [Reissue/2008] LP (Gilead Media)
The second full-length album from Thou, deftly remastered by Adam Tucker, is finally reissued after 5 years of being out of print. This reissue has been meticulously reconstructed, with new and expanded artwork, and packaged in a thick gatefold jacket.
Shania Twain – Shania Twain [1993] LP (Mercury Nashville)
Shania Twain – The Woman In Me [1995] LP (Mercury Nashville)
Shania Twain – Come On Over [1997] 2xLP (Mercury Nashville)
Shania Twain – Up! [Country Version/Green/2002] 2xLP (Mercury Nashville)
Shania Twain – Up! [Pop Version/Red/2002] 2xLP (Mercury Nashville)
First-time vinyl editions of The Queen Of Country Pop’s first four albums.
The Twilight Sad – Fourteen Autumns and Fifteen Winters [Reissue/2007] LP (FatCat)
Vinyl reissue of the debut full-length album from the Scottish noise merchants.
Steve Vai – Passion And Warfare [25th Anniversary Edition] 2xLP (Friday Music)
180gm audiophile clear vinyl reissue of the guitar wizard’s 1990 album. Includes four bonus tracks.
Various Artists – Burkina Faso 1 LP (Sublime Frequencies)
Various Artists – Burkina Faso 2 LP (Sublime Frequencies)
Various Artists – Burkina Faso 3 LP (Sublime Frequencies)
Sublime Frequencies presents a three volume set of contemporary field recordings by Hisham Mayet, recorded in Burkina Faso during three expeditions from 2013-2015.
Various Artists – A Capitol Christmas 2xLP (Capitol)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl (each record is a unique color). Celebrating 75 years of Capitol Records, A Capitol Christmas features classic Christmas tracks from Capitol’s vast catalog. Artists include Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Peggy Lee, Ella Fitzgerald, Dean Martin and more.
Various Artists – Day Of The Dead 10xLP (4AD)
Released last May on CD – now available as a vinyl box set. This 59-track, six-hour long Grateful Dead tribute album was created and curated by brothers Aaron and Bryce Dessner of The National, and features over 60 artists from varied musical backgrounds. All profits will help fight for AIDS/HIV and related health issues around the world through the Red Hot Organization. Some of the big names included here: Jim James, The War On Drugs, The National, Kurt Vile, Mumford & Sons, Wilco with Bob Weir, The Tallest Man On Earth, Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, The Walkmen, The Flaming Lips, and so many more.
Various Artists – The Return Of The Living Dead [OST/Reissue/1985] LP (Real Gone Music)
Color vinyl reissue of the soundtrack featuring songs by The Cramps, 45 Grave, The Flesh Eaters, The Damned, Roky Erickson, The Jet Black Berries, T.S.O.L. and SSQ.
Various Artists – Studio One Radio Show CD/LP (Studio One)
Winston “The Whip” Williams first entered radio in the 1970’s at the now defunct Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation as a newscaster and disc jockey for the afternoon show ‘Whip with the Solid Kick’. He also helmed the Studio One radio show that was broadcast on JBC on Saturday Mornings. Williams specialty was his rapid-fire jive rhyming delivery alongside his alter-ego Marcus who “ate chicken on Sundays”. To date his career in radio spans four decades as newscaster and radio personality, ‘Winston in Kingston’ continues to excite listeners as the ‘radio rhyme king’ on Power 106FM.
Vatican Shadow – Media In The Service Of Terror LP (Hospital Productions)
Reflecting on a world much unchanged, even intensified since his last dispatch, Media In The Service Of Terror works classic VS signatures measured with increased momentum and propulsive energy, divided into seven parts and imbued with that dramatic melodic arrangements that works beyond the club. [This is the second pressing with alternate cover art.]
Victims – Form Hell 10” (Death Waltz Originals)
Synthesizer music inspired in equal measure by the highest and lowest expressions of the medium. For every nod to Subotnick and Mort Garson there’s a indiscrete wink aimed at Marcello Giombini and Walter Sear.
Mike Weis – Sound Practice LP (Monastral)
Third solo album from Chicago percussionist/sound artist Mike Weis of Zelienople, Kwaidan, and Good Stuff House.
Kenny Wheeler – Deer Wan [1978] LP+MP3 (ECM)
“Wheeler emerges a romanticist in the grand heroic mode. His compositions and trumpeting suggest an Olympian majesty. There is a grace and eloquence, as well as a purity of sound and purpose.” — Downbeat
Tom Zé – Fabrication Defect: Com Defeito De Fabricação [1998] LP (Luaka Bop)
You don’t need to be a polymath to love Tom Zé’s’s music, but it helps. A seminal figure of the early- ’70s Tropicalismo movement in Brazil that launched the careers of Caetano Veloso,
Gilberto Gil and Os Mutantes, among others, Zé’s is a card-carrying cultural cannibal inspired equally by both ideas and sounds.
Cassettes:
Kaazi – Zen Travel (100% Silk)
Emergent New York City producer Kaazi conceives of his woozy rhythm experiments in lofty terms – utopian extensions of self, alternate windows of perception, “something to move beyond the static,” etc. – but their mesmeric and transportive properties need little explanation. Zen Travel voyages through nine winding, textured terrains of breathy acid funk, foggy jungle dub, and violet vaporous house, inspired by youthful trips to Tokyo and the adventurous synthetic fusion of Hiroshi Yoshimura and Yasuaki Shimizu.
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