CDs + Vinyl:
Animals As Leaders – The Madness Of Many CD (Sumerian)
New (fourth) album from the instrumental modern progressive pioneers.
Joan Armatrading – Me Myself I World Tour CD (Savoy Jazz)
New live release documenting the singer/songwriter’s 2014-2015 solo world tour which was billed as both her first world tour and the last major tour of her career. The tour album written, arranged and performed by Joan– was recorded in October of 2015 at The Barns at Wolf Trap, the intimate concert space of the world renowned DC area venue and contains her biggest hits spanning her entire career. [Stand-alone DVD version also available.]
Daniel Bachman – Daniel Bachman CD/LP+MP3 (Three Lobed)
Guitarist and former wunderkind Daniel Bachman, at 26, can no longer be considered “precocious.” On even his earliest recordings Bachman’’s guitar prowess and compositional voice were staggeringly mature. His growth has been continual and, frankly, amazing — the ultimate product of this growth, 2015’’s River, showed a phenomenal level of maturity and, in turn, continued to convert faithful. His new self-titled album continues that staggering growth — in composition, sound, and technique — and offers a sort of trapped in amber glimpse of where he presently stands. It is a full and complete collection of truly engrossing songs that sees Bachman’s sonic arsenal expand to include elements of drone (generated by all acoustic instruments) and field recordings alongside his ever-present prowess and strength on the acoustic guitar.
Balkan Beatbox – Shout It Out CD/LP (Digital Monkey)
Fifth album from the Israeli musical group founded by Tamir Muskat, Ori Kaplan and now including Tomer Yosef as a core member. Balkan Beatbox plays Mediterranean-influenced music that incorporates Jewish, Eastern Europe and Middle Eastern traditions, Gypsy punk, reggae and electronica. On Shout It Out the band delve deeper into their reggae influences than on recent offerings.
The Band – The Last Waltz [40th Anniversary Edition] 2xCD/4xCD+Blu-ray/6xLP (Rhino)
Digitally remastered 40th Anniversary Edition of the soundtrack to the critically acclaimed concert film. Available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe features 54 tracks total, adding rehearsals and outtakes including performances not featured in the film. Six-LP vinyl edition also available.
Yishak Banjaw – Love Songs 2 CD (Terenga Beat)
Yishak, composer and keyboard player from Addis Ababa known to his country for his innovative compositions and unique sound. His ability to transform traditional Ethiopian songs into spacey minimal-wave gems creates an ultra-hypnotic and psychedelic atmosphere, a sound that you have never experienced before. A genuine talent who carried the long tradition of Ethiopia into another level. [Vinyl edition due December 2.]
Biosphere – Cirque [Reissue/2000] CD (Biophon)
This reissue of the fourth full album from ambient pioneer features six bonus tracks and new artwork. Wrote Jon Savage in Mojo: “Coming to prominence with 1992’s Microgravity – which along with the first couple of Aphex/Polygon Window CDs, defined the genre ambient – Geir Jenssen as Biosphere has made three of the ’90s best albums, culminating with last year’s
near beat-less Substrata. The idea – as it always was thanks to Eno’s On Land (1982) – is music as environment (reflecting, creating): working from his base in Tromso, Arctic Norway, Jenssen offers a polar, Apollonian exploration of the human psyche.”
Black Sabbath – Paranoid [Reissue/1970] 4xCD (Rhino)
This Super Deluxe edition of Black Sabbath’s sophomore album includes the 2012 remaster and a rare 1974 quad mix folded down to stereo, plus two concerts from 1970 (Montreux and Brussels). The four-disc set comes with a hardbound book with extensive liner notes featuring new interviews with all four band members, rare photos, and memorabilia, a poster, as well as a replica of the tour book sold during the Paranoid tour.
Blue Rodeo – 1000 Arms CD/LP (Telesoul)
“Blue Rodeo may be three decades into their career but they’re still finding new and refreshing ways to tackle their music and it shows on this dazzling new uptempo record.” – CBC
Body/Head – No Waves CD (Matador)
Body/Head is the duo of Kim Gordon (Sonic Youth, Free Kitten) and guitarist Bill Nace (Northampton Wools, Celyon Mange). They play experimental, free-form guitar drones highlighed by Gordon’s unmistakable voice. Their sound is an immersive, three-dimensional experience and no two performances are similar. No Waves was recorded on March 24th, 2014 during Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, TN at the Bijou Theater. [Vinyl edition due November 25.]
David Bowie – Legacy CD/2xCD (Columbia/Sony Legacy)
David Bowie’s iconic, shape-shifting catalog is up for reexamination on this new compilation, Legacy, which gathers the singer’s biggest singles onto your choice of single-disc or double-CD set. Bowie’s site calls Legacy “an introduction to a world of incredible music, just waiting to be enjoyed by a whole new generation.” The two-disc version culls 40 of Bowie’s greatest hits (single-disc consists of 20 tracks) from his breakthrough single “Space Oddity” to his closing Blackstar track “I Can’t Give Everything Away,” many presented in the form of their single edits. Legacy also collects the hits made in collaboration with other artists: “Under Pressure” with Queen, “Dancing In The Streets” with Mick Jagger, and his vocals on Pat Metheny Band’s “This Is Not America.” Additionally Legacy features an unreleased 2016 remix of “Life On Mars?” created by original Hunky Dory producer Ken Scott. The compilation is the latest in a string of posthumous releases following Bowie’s January death, including his recent box set Who Can I Be Now? (1973 – 1975) and the upcoming Lazarus Cast Album, featuring Bowie’s final recordings.
Bright Eyes – Digital Ash In A Digital Urn [Reissue/2005] CD/LP+MP3/Cassette (Saddle Creek)
Bright Eyes – I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning [Reissue/2005] CD/LP+MP3/Cassette (Saddle Creek)
Bright Eyes – Cassadaga [Reissue/2007] CD/2xLP+MP3/Cassette (Saddle Creek)
Remastered reissues now available (these titles were included in The Studio Albums 2000-2011 box set).
Tas Cru – Simmered And Stewed CD (Vizz Tone)
Raucous, rowdy, gentle, sweet, eccentric, quirky, and outright irreverent are all words that fittingly describe Tas Cru’s songs and testify to his reputation as one of the most unique bluesmen plying his trade today. Simmered And Stewed consists of eleven songs flavored in most part by resonator, cigar box and acoustic guitar. The album features harmonica, honky-tonk piano, Hammond B3 organ and rich backing vocals.
Dead Can Dance –Garden Of Arcane Delights/The John Peel Sessions [Reissue/1984] CD/2xLP (4AD)
Garden Of The Arcane Delights is the only EP released by Dead Can Dance, coming out in 1984 and acting as a bridge between their first two albums. Its sleeve a sketch by Brendan Perry, depicting “primal man deprived of perception, standing within the confines of a garden containing a fountain and trees laden with fruit… a Blakean universe in which mankind can only redeem itself, can only rid itself of blindness, through the correct interpretation of signs and events that permeate the fabric of nature’s laws.” This new expanded version sees the EP faithfully pressed on to one piece of a vinyl with a second disc being added, compiling both of the band’s sessions for John Peel, recorded in the same time period. Single CD version also available.
Domkraft – The End Of Electricity CD/LP (Magnetic Eye)
“I’ve heard Domkraft‘s The End Of Electricity, and I’ll tell you three things about it: First, it crushes. The bass tone? You gotta hear it. Groove, lumbering. Riffs, pummeling. All that stuff that means it’s really, really heavy.” – The Obelisk
Downfall Of Gaia – Atrophy CD/LP (Metal Blade)
“Black metal is by no means unexplored territory for anyone who wants to bring depth and meaning to the genre outside of the occult, and Downfall Of Gaia is no exception to it, but it all comes to a culmination with Atrophy… a record about the absurdity of life and human existence and the constant dialog between life and death.” – Head-Banger Reviews
Ronnie Dunn – Tattooed Heart CD (Nash Icon)
New from the country music artist best known as the latter half of duo Brooks & Dunn. Tattooed Heart includes the single “Damn Drunk,” which features Kix Brooks. The 13 tracks were recorded in Nashville with Rascal Flatts’ Jay Demarcus serving as producer on 11 of them and longtime pal Reba McEntire contributing to “Still Feels Like Mexico” with Tommy Lee James producing. [Vinyl edition due December 9.]
Bob Dylan – Bob Dylan: The 1966 Live Recordings 36xCD (Sony Legacy)
A monumental 36-disc box set featuring every known recording from the mythic and controversial 1966 tour of the US, UK, Europe and Australia. With the exception of the Manchester concert (May 17, 1966) released as Bob Dylan Live 1966: The Bootleg Series Vol. 4 in 1998, a pair of songs appearing on the 1985 Biograph compilation and a smattering of others, the overwhelming majority of tracks and performances presented here are previously unreleased in any format–official or bootlegged–and are being made available now for the very first time.
Rik Emmett & RESolution9 – RES9 CD/LP+MP3 (Provogue)
Two founding members of Triumph (Gil Moore and Mike Levine) reunite with Rik as special guests on album track “The Grand Parade,” a song that conjures 1979’s “Suitcase Blues.” Additionally, legendary guitarist Alex Lifeson of Rush performs on two stellar tracks, with James LaBrie of Dream Theater contributing guest vocals on two cuts.
Enigma – The Fall Of A Rebel Angel CDx2xCD/LP (Republic)
Over 25 years since the release of their groundbreaking debut album, MCMXC a.D., Enigma returns with a new album. [Available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe adds a disc of bonus tracks.]
Face Of Oblivion – Cataclysmic Desolation CD (Comatose Music)
New album from the Minnesota technical death metallers.
Fatso Jetson – Fatso Jetson CD/LP (Heavy Psych Sounds)
New album from the Californian desert rock progenitors.
Carla dal Forno – You Know What It’s Like CD/LP (Blackest Ever Black)
“Smoky and ominous, Australian singer/songwriter Carla dal Forno’s You Know What It’s Like simmers, both musically and thematically, while she inhabits the gloom of her arrangements like a ghost.” – Pitchfork
Dizzy Gillespie & Friends – Concert Of The Century: A Tribute to Charlie Parker CD/2xLP (Justin Time)
On Nov 24th, 1980, Dizzy Gillespie invited five jazz legends — Milt Jackson, James Moody, Hank Jones, Ray Brown, & Philly Joe Jones — to join him onstage in Montreal to play tribute to the legendary Charlie Parker. A limited quantity bootleg LP of the concert soon appeared and then disappeared from the marketplace and the tapes lay dormant for over 30 years.
The Griswolds – High Times For Low Lives CD (Wind-Up)
The Aussie alt-rockers are back with a new album. [Vinyl edition due December 9.]
Merle Haggard – Down Every Road 1962-1994 4xCD (Capitol Nashville)
This 100-track set not only covers Haggard’s classic ’60s Capitol years, but also his 1977-1994 MCA, Curb and Epic sides as well as his ’70s Capitol recordings. A full 55 of Merle’s biggest singles are here, from “The Fugitive” through “Okie From Muskogee,” “If We Make It Through December,” and “Pancho And Lefty.” Along the way there’s early Tally tracks, three unissued cuts and a host of tracks from Merle’s long-out-of-print Capitol LPs.
Cory Hanson – The Unborn Capitalist From Limbo CD/LP (Drag City)
Solo debut full-length from Wand’s Cory Hanson. “Cory‘s songs stand in stark contrast to the all-or-everything hive-mind of Wand, and the austere nature of the arrangement Cory on acoustic, with sparing rhythmic accompaniment and a careful use of string quartet – lends weight to the straightforward narratives wove into the songs. Tales of apartments being torn apart; walking in nature; escape from a sealed bag; people fornicating and drowning as mom floats in space. Terrible things are happening here – but dry-eyed Cory details savagery and seeming non-sequitur with compassion and perseverance, as the strings color the space around the songs him with inflections from phases of pop music, all of which evokes the mission style of his homeland, the sunny (yet-shadowy) south of California.” – The Fat Angel Sings
The Hold Steady – Almost Killed Me [Reissue/2004] CD/LP+MP3 (French Kiss)
The Hold Steady – Separation Sunday [Reissue/2005] CD/LP+MP3 (French Kiss)
Remastered from the original tapes with bonus material. [Limited color vinyl pressings also available with bonus tracks available via accompanying download: Almost Killed Me (blue) and Separation Sunday (white).]
Illium Sphere – Glass CD/LP (Ninja Tune)
“Earlier days on the Fat Cat roster built to Manchester producer Illum Sphere finding his rightful home at Ninja Tune, and in Glass we find his second full length for them. A darker and more concise beat led outing, and probably as “straight up” as Illum Sphere goes, with a clear and defined synth palette.” – Norman Records
In Flames – Battles CD/2xLP (Eleven Seven Music)
Battles is the twelfth album from Swedish metal band In Flames. Recorded in Los Angeles, the 15-track album sees the band taking a new approach while staying true to their vision and encompassing their unique, signature sound. In Flames brought in Grammy-nominated producer Howard Benson (Papa Roach, My Chemical Romance, The Used) as a collaborator. “I think being in California really affected this album in the sense that we had a studio in the house that we were staying at and the vibe was really relaxed which lent itself to productivity,” says vocalist Anders Fridén. “It really helped having a producer who could make us focus on what we needed to accomplish and keep us on track,” he adds. “This was a very new approach for us because we’ve never let anyone else in the way we did with Howard,” says guitarist Björn Gelotte. “[2014’s] Siren Charms had a very dark vibe to it,” he contines. “We recorded it at a cold, damp and dark time during the year in Berlin so it gave it a certain melancholy to the record. Now recording in L.A. with the sunshine it’s a different energy.” [Limited picture disc vinyl pressing also available.]
Islands – Return To The Sea [Reissue/2006] CD/2xLP (Manque Music)
Tenth anniversary reissue of Islands debut album. (Vinyl edition mastered at 45rpm.) “On their debut record, Return To The Sea, Montreal’s Islands have crafted a rich, exciting, and emotionally deep sounding album that carries on the freewheeling spirit and sound of the Unicorns as well as that of the Elephant 6 bands of the late ’90s. You see, Islands singer/guitarist/songwriter/producer Nick Diamonds and drummer Jaime were members of the Unicorns and they have taken the strengths of that band, amplified and adjusted them, added a few more vital ingredients, and come up with a disc that satisfies on a variety of levels and rates among the best indie rock around.” – AllMusic
Joe – #mynameisjoethomas CD (BMG Rights Management)
Twelfth album from R&B crooner.
Jóhann Jóhannsson – Arrival [OST] CD (Deutsche Grammophon)
Jóhannsson worked with several singers and vocal ensembles and combined both classical and avant-garde elements in his compositions, augmenting his already unique approach of combining orchestral writing with digital sound processing. Among those appearing are the prestigious Theatre Of Voices, conducted by Paul Hillier, and artists such as Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe and Hildur Guðnadóttir, known for their unique musicianship. Jóhannsson also integrated some found sounds from the legendary avant-garde vocalist Joan La Barbara into his score.
Steve Kilbey and Martin Kennedy – Inside We Are The Same CD/LP (Inevitable Recordings)
New collaboration between The Church mainman Steve Kilbey and All India Radio founder Martin Kennedy. Lush atmospherics blend with soaring space-rock and blissful melodies over 11 tracks.
Kula Shaker – K [Reissue/1996] CD/LP (BMG Rights Management)
With a blend of ‘60s rocking, Britpop and Indian mysticism, K was born from the influences of George Harrison, The Grateful Dead, The Kinks, Deep Purple and the Doors. The album combined an onslaught of volume, overdriven guitars, and catchy melodies resulting in an album that remains an excellent blast of colorful neo-psychedelia. It produced four classic hit singles including “Grateful When You’re Dead,” “Tattva,” “Hey Dude” and “Govinda” and became the fastest selling British debut album of 1996.
John Lennon and Yoko Ono – Unfinished Music No. 1. Two Virgins [Reissue/1968] CD/LP (Secretly Canadian)
John Lennon and Yoko Ono – Unfinished Music No. 2. Life With The Lions [Reissue/1968] CD/LP (Secretly Canadian)
Two Virgins is a curious and amazing suite recorded over one weekend in Spring 1968 at Lennon’s Kenwood home: Distant conversations; comedic role playing and footsteps; laughter, birdcalls and plunking piano lines; silly songs and space; tape delay stretching shrieks, bass rumbles and moans to the moon and back again. The now-iconic cover (featuring Ono and
Lennon standing nude together) notwithstanding, nothing about Two Virgins is safe. It would be a risky move today for artists in the larger, pop culture conversation just as it was a risky move in 1968. But this is an uncomfortably private, two-person dialogue about – and celebration of – experimentation, inspiration and play. And these two souls bravely let us look through the keyhole. 1969’s Life With The Lions is the sound of Ono and Lennon validating their love as something impenetrable and timeless. It’s when we, the listener, begin to fully understand that the scope of their recording efforts was much more than a recording collaboration, and something closer to a performative documentary, a declaration of “Our life and our love is our art – every nitty, gritty part of it.”
Lex The Hex Master – Contact CD (Majik Ninja)
First full-length album from Queens, NY rapper Lex The Hex Master. Features include Twiztid, Boondox, Chris Rivers, Billy Danze of MOP and Blaze Ya Dead Homie.
Arto Lindsay/Paal Nilssen-Love – Scarcity [Reissue/2013] CD (PNL)
Arto Lindsay – electric guitar and vocals; Paal Nilssen-Love – drums and percussion. Recorded live in concert at Audio Rebel’s Quintavant, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, July 2nd 2013.
Little Walter – Boom Boom CD/LP (Black Knight)
Classic early work from Little Walter – the kind of tight, sharp, Chicago cuts that first got him notice – served up with plenty of raw guitar in the grooves, and lots of Walter’s amazing harmonica over the top.
Marvin Gardens – 1968 CD/LP+MP3 (High Moon)
This revelatory anthology of electric-folk/garage-psych alchemists Marvin Gardens easily warrants oft-overused terms like “lost gem,” and “buried treasure.” Comprised of never-before-heard Warner Bros. audition demos, an extremely rare, self-released, 7” EP (only 100 were pressed), and an inspired live performance from the legendary Matrix club in San Francisco, 1968 captures virtually all recorded evidence of a dynamic and mesmerizing band that existed for only a couple years at the tail end of the ‘60s.
Frankie Miller – Frankie Miller’s Double Take CD/CD+DVD/2xLP (UMe)
Frankie Miller is a well beloved artist from the ‘70s British rock/folk scene who has been paralyzed since a 1994 brain hemorrhage. Frankie’s friends have recorded an album of his unreleased songs. Alongside Frankie’s original vocal, this album features new recordings from Elton John, Rod Stewart, Kid Rock, Joe Walsh (The Eagles), Willie Nelson, Huey Lewis, and more. [Available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe adds a DVD ‘making of the album’ documentary.]
Minihorse – Big Lack CDEP (Friendship Fever)
“Ypsilanti, Michigan’s Minihorse make pleasingly bummed out guitar pop in the grand tradition of Grandaddy, The Comas, or Ambulance LTD. The EP’s opening cut, ‘Blueblack,’ is fuzzy and warm like your oldest, best-loved sweater.
Ennio Morricone – Conducts Morricone: His Greatest Hits CD (Sony Classical)
Recorded in Rome in 1998 with the orchestra and choir of Accademia di Santa Cecilia featuring singers Gemma Bertagnolli, Dulce Pontes and Angelo Branduardi.
Ennio Morricone and Czech National Symphony Orchestra – Morricone 60 CD/2xLP (Decca)
Morricone 60 is the first album of Ennio Morricone’s greatest hits conducted, recorded and curated by the composer himself and marks the 60th anniversary of his career.
Kassem Mosse – Disclosure CD/2xLP (Honest Jon’s)
Disclosure is a subtly intense offering of lush drum-machine nocturnes, gnarly electronica and glorious dives deep into zoned-out dubspace from Kassem Mosse. Evolutionary music, continuously engaged with experimentation both in the studio and the club. Whether prepared solo, or jointly with his spar Mix Mup, a Kassem Mosse recording is less of a stand-alone creation than the next thrilling new fragment clipped from an evermutating, unstoppable groove.
Muddy Waters – Elevate Me Mama CD/LP (Black Knight)
The music that put Muddy Waters on the map – the kind of hard-burning, electrified work that made his work on the Chicago scene of the postwar years such a groundbreaking force! Muddy’s sound from this time inspired countless others – not just through his warm collaboration with other Chicago artists, but also in the way these singles spun out in the blues underground and had a life of their own – spanning the globe, and turning on generations of new musicians in the process.
The Neal Morse Band – The Similitude Of Dream 2xCD/2xCD+DVD/3xLP+2xCD (Metal Blade)
“This is the double concept album fans of progressive rock have been waiting for, whether they know it or not.” [CD version is available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe adds a bonus ‘making of the album’ DVD.]
Kassem Mosse – Disclosure CD/LP (Honest Jon’s)
Disclosure is a subtly intense offering of lush drum-machine nocturnes, gnarly electronica and glorious dives deep into zoned-out dub-space.
Alex Niggemann – Balance Presents Alex Niggemann CD (Balance)
Niggemann steps up to the plate with an emotive, murky, and deep selection of grooves.His work has always been focused around deep atmospherics and mysterious melodies.
NRBQ – High Noon: A 50-Year Retrospective 5xCD (Omnivore)
“Leave it to always unpredictable NRBQ—a band that kicked off their 1969 debut with covers from Eddie Cochran and Sun Ra—to open this sumptuous boxed set career retrospective with their newest recordings. Perhaps not surprisingly, that leadoff tune on disc one of this compilation, 2015’s “Love In Outer Space,” is another Sun Ra composition, which brings this still active group’s catalog full circle. There have been other attempts at assembling NRBQ’s erratic recording history (1990’s terrific Rhino released Peek-A–Boo was a quarter century ago and only covered two decades), but none can touch this labor of love. The 106 songs, crammed onto five discs, take us on a six-plus hour journey from 1966’s home demo of ‘Heartbreaker’ through 2015. No (well, few) NRBQ stones are left unturned with previously unreleased cuts sitting next to the act’s most memorable tracks. The result is a rollicking, eclectic and charming listen. Any band that can fill five discs with life affirming, uniquely American music, mixing diverse styles with offhand aplomb and a wry smile, can a lay claim to being one of this country’s finest outfits. Just push play on any of these discs to see why.” – American Songwriter
Leslie Odom Jr. – Simply Christmas CD (S-Curve)
Simply Christmas features soulful jazz versions of classics such as “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” “The Christmas Song,” “First Noel” and more. “I get asked about recording a Christmas album a few times a week. I hope we’ve made a record you’ll gladly add to your collection of holiday classics,” said Odom Jr. in a statement. “Simply Christmas was a real pleasure to sing and create. It’s filled with everything that is special to me about the holidays.” The move follows the success of the Tony winner’s self-titled debut jazz album, released this past June, just before he completed his run as the original Aaron Burr in Broadway’s Hamilton.
Yoko Ono – Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band [Reissue/1971] CD/LP (Secretly Canadian)
This long-overdue vinyl reissue of Yoko Ono’s seminal, but massively under-appreciated Plastic Ono Band has all the makings of a classic rock nostalgia trip: Ono, John Lennon, Ringo Starr, Klaus Voorman and free-jazz legend Ornette Coleman. All the pieces are here to stir up a dangerous amount of nostalgia. But once the needle drops, the record achieves something exactly perpendicular to nostalgia. Released in 1971, the album not only influenced the approach of other musicians for decades, it also sounds absolutely modern 44 years out, eternally fresh despite the forward march of time. Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band not only predicted the intersection of the avant-garde and rock that would take place in the second half of that decade, the album would sound right at home at where that intersection is happening today.
Owel – Dear Me CD (Equal Vision)
Sophomore album from the New Jersey-based indie outfit. [Vinyl version due December 16.]
Pavo Pavo – Young Narrator In The Breakers CD/LP+MP3 (Bella Union)
“Last year Brooklyn quintet and Dave Longstreth associates Pavo Pavo, the band formerly known as Plume Giant, impressed us with their single ‘Ran Ran Run.’ The first advance track from their new album Young Narrator In The Breakers is even better. ‘Wiserway’ is a psychedelically inclined chamber-pop duet that gorgeously floats through the space between Grizzly Bear and Sparklehorse.” – Stereogum
Washington Phillips – Washington Phillips And His Manzarene Dreams CD (Dust-To-Digital)
Dust-To-Digital’s inaugural release, 2003’s Goodbye, Babylon, included two recordings by a mysterious gospel musician from Texas named Washington Phillips, who died in 1954. After fielding inquiries about the hauntingly beautiful songs from listeners around the world, in 2013, Dust-To-Digital checked in with Michael Corcoran, the leading researcher on Phillips, to see if any new information had been uncovered. Indeed, Michael had some leads, but he would need a working budget to track them down. Three years later, in 2016, after combing through various archives and talking with the last surviving people from the Simsboro-area who remembered Phillips, the name of Phillips’s homemade instrument (the Manzarene) has been revealed, in addition to the time, place, and manner of his death and many anecdotes about his life. Dust-To-Digital now share this story with Washington Phillips And His Manzarene Dreams, a 76-page hardcover book by Michael Corcoran accompanied by a CD of recordings made by Phillips between 1927 and 1929.
Pink Floyd – Cre/ation: The Early Years 1967-1972 2xCD (Sony Legacy)
Pink Floyd – The Early Years 1965-1972 11xCD+8xBlu-ray+9xDVD+5×7” (Sony Legacy)
Set across two CD’s, Cre/ation: The Early Years 1967-1972 charts the evolution of the band and bears witness to their part in cultural revolutions, from their earliest recordings and studio sessions to the years prior to the release of The Dark Side Of The Moon. From the single “Arnold Layne,” to a live recording of “Atom Heart Mother,” you will see the invention of psychedelic progressive rock via an insightful collection that explores the Pink Floyd story from the time Roger Waters, Richard Wright, Nick Mason and Syd Barrett met at London’s Regent Street Polytechnic, through to Syd’s departure and David Gilmour joining to form the iconic lineup. Also available: The Early Years 1965-1972 — a comprehensive 28-disc box set that sees Pink Floyd delve into their vast music archive to produce a deluxe package that includes seven individual book-style volumes, featuring much previously unreleased material. The Early Years box set contains unreleased tracks, BBC Radio Sessions, remixes, outtakes and alternative versions over 11 hours, 45 mins of audio (made up of 130+ tracks) and live and TV performance in over 14 hours of audio-visual material. The content includes over 20 unreleased songs, more than seven hours of previously unreleased live audio and over five hours of rare concert footage, along with five meticulously produced 7″ singles in replica sleeves, collectible memorabilia, feature films and new sound mixes.
Radkey – Delicious Rock Noise CD/LP (Another Century)
Barely out their teens, the three brothers Radke (the band-name being a play on their family name) have a sound that reflects The Misfits or Volbeat with a live show to match. Delicious Rock Noise is a lean, mean, punk-infused riot.
Leon Redbone – Long Way From Home CD (Third Man)
Long Way From Home is a never-before-released collection of the earliest known recordings from the mysterious performer. Over the ensuing years he has appeared throughout North America, Europe, Australia and Japan and released thirteen albums of his unique music, a panoply of early music styles that he delivered with his singular laconic idiosyncratic style. A true champion of early American ragtime, blues and jazz, Leon Redbone has spent a lifetime preserving that musical tradition while exposing successive generations to a rich musical heritage of which they might not otherwise have become aware. Recorded in 1972 by Dave Benders for WBFO Radio at the University of Buffalo and features some of the rst Leon Redbone recordings. [Vinyl edition due November 25.]
Steve Reich/Terry Riley – Six Pianos/Keyboard Study #1 CD (Film)
After the widely noticed performance at the Acht Brücken Festival 2016 at Cologne’s Philharmonic Hall, Gregor Schwellenbach, Hauschka, Erol Sarp (of Grandbrothers), Daniel Brandt and Paul Frick (both of Brandt Brauer Frick) and John Kameel Farah release their interpretation of Steve Reich’s Six Pianos as a studio recording. [Vinyl edition due November 25.]
Robbie Robertson – Testimony CD (Capitol)
Robbie Robertson, of The Band, is set to release his autobiography November 15, titled Testimony. This companion piece highlights some of the career highs from Robbie’s career that he writes about in the book, including playing with The Hawks, The Band, Bob Dylan and his own solo work.
Romare – Love Songs Part Two CD/2xLP (Ninja Tune)
Archie Fairhurst, aka Romare, gets amorous with his second album. A kind of follow-up or development of his second ever release, a four track EP entitled Love Songs: Part One, Love Songs: Part Two, explores every nook and cranny of the romantic impulse from dirty sex to religious fervor across ten tracks which develop and expand upon the casual brilliance of his debut, Projections, establishing him as one of the most exciting, confident and distinctive producers in electronic music right now.
Rotten UK – That Is Not Dead CD (Hell’s Headbangers)
Rotten UKs vision of punk is a highly dynamic and nuanced one. A good deal of that stems from a gloomy current of anarcho-punk running throughout the record.
Ruinous – Graves Of Ceaseless Death CD (Dark Decent)
A high altitude bombardment of shrapnel-laden death metal brutality, with enormous drums, bulldozer riffs and the kind of vocalizations usually reserved for asylum fires.
Sad13 – Slugger CD/LP+MP3 (Carpark)
Slugger, the debut LP from Sad13 aka Sadie Dupuis, prioritizes self-possession in every sense. Sadie, who fronts the dynamite grunge-pop band Speedy Ortiz, forewent her usual modes of collaboration on Slugger, writing and producing the record herself – “to exorcise my control-freaky demons,” she says. After Sadie moved to Philadelphia in early 2016, “Slugger” quickly began to take shape: “I wrote and played and recorded almost all of it in the two weeks I was subletting a friend’s tiny bedroom,” she says. Fittingly, directness, self-determinism, and intimacy are the bedrocks of the album’s overall tone. Sadie maintains her dignified wit even in less-than-ideal entanglements, as on opening track “<2,” styled to resemble the level of affection of which a heart is capable when it has been twisted out of shape. “I’m in less than two with you,” sings Dupuis, her crystalline voice steadfastly delicate and assured, recalling self-proprietary forebears like Liz Phair and Fiona Apple. Imitating the reflexive wordplay of Slugger’s lyrics, Sad13’s bedroom recordings are largely about bedroom-based themes. She chews on what it means to give and receive consent, sexual and romantic autonomy, finding new modes of enjoying love and boning after destructive partnerships, shredding joyously past misogyny and other exclusionary gender politics, and so many more exploratory, non-exploitative areas of love. [First vinyl pressing on limited buttercup color LP.]
Emeli Sandé – Long Live The Angels CD (Capitol)
Sophomore album from the Scottish soul-pop singer. [Vinyl edition due December 16.]
The Silence – Nine Suns, One Morning CD/LP+7” (Drag City)
“Nine Suns, One Morning is one of the most explosive, far-ranging albums you will hear in 2016. The Silence employ a great variety of instruments with tremendous discipline, always in service of the songs, which share a goal of finding new lines of expression, no matter where the starting point. This makes for incredibly exciting progressive rock music!”
Silver Apples – Beacon [Reissue/1997] CD/2xLP (Whirly Bird/Chickencoop)
Silver Apples – The Garden [Reissue/1998] CD/LP (Whirly Bird/Chickencoop)
Beacon is the fourth album for the Silver Apples, the “reunion album,” produced by Steve Albini and originally released in 1997 on CD only. The Garden was stitched together from tracks that were to be the band’s third album. Released as CD only in 1998, it is comprised of seven complete songs from 1969 and seven drum instrumentals recorded in 1968. Both are available for the first time on vinyl. [Limited color vinyl pressings are also available.]
Simple Minds – Simple Minds Acoustic CD (Caroline)
As a group who formed in the punk era and found their mojo through a shared love of Bowie, Kraftwerk and electronic dance, Simple Minds are not natural acoustic adventurers, but they have done a remarkable job here adding fresh nuance to brilliant songs. [Vinyl edition due December 2.]
Sleigh Bells – Jessica Rabbit CD/LP+MP3 (Torn Clean)
“There’s a point in every party where things start to come unglued. The hour is in doubt. Revelry dissolves into a disjointed blur. Altered states of consciousness have begun to fade, but the ground hasn’t yet rushed up to break the fall. Jessica Rabbit is the sound of that limbo. The fourth album by the duo known as Sleigh Bells is a 14-song testament to the power of a celebration gone weird. Where the duo’s first three albums trafficked in huge beats, huge guitars and huge hooks, the new record takes these elements and chops them up. Then resequences them. Then uses that as the raw material for a scathing, fragmentary kind of pop. On ‘Throw Me Down The Stairs,’ singer Alexis Krauss stalks the perimeter of the song with a seething edge to her voice: ‘I’m kicking dirt, pulling down trees / One by one,’ she explodes, just as multi-instrumentalist Derek Miller slices and dices riffs and rhythms into a hash of haywire electronics. But it also dips abruptly into quiet, melodic passages of reprieve — a formula used throughout the album, most effectively on ‘Rule Number One,’ whose abrasive, industrial-glam stomp gives way to a lighter-waving anthem of a coda. All those whiplash changes within each song take a while to get used to. But once you’ve caught on, it makes for a delirious rush.” – KRCB
Soundtrack – Trainspotting [OST/Reissue/1996] CD/2xLP (Rhino/Parlophone)
A 20th anniversary reissue of the original soundtrack from the iconic drama Trainspotting. Based on the Irvine Welsh novel of the same name, the film version of Trainspotting directed by Danny Boyle became a cult sensation. Centered around the heroin subculture of Edinburgh in the 1980s, the film is occupied with surrealism, black comedy, and most importantly – a killer soundtrack with songs from Iggy Pop, New Order, Blur, Pulp, Primal Scream, Underworld and more.
Still Corners – Dead Blue CD/LP (Wrecking Light)
Summer’s end is greeted with the arrival of Dead Blue, a fittingly dark and introspective third LP from dream-pop duo Still Corners. Written in a house along the English seaside, the album owes its name to the waters resting just beyond the window. Greg and Tessa—who formed the project in 2009 and went on to release two acclaimed records with Sub Pop—chose the quiet locale, in contrast to London, as a means of resetting and slowing down. The material that came to be is a self-described exploration of inner fears and desires; a “haunting, brooding return,” says longtime fan Gorilla Vs. Bear.
Sting – 57th & 9th CD/LP (A&M)
57th & 9th is the twelfth solo studio album by British singer/songwriter Sting, his first rock album in 13 years. “It’s rockier than anything I’ve done in a while.” [CD is available in Regular, Deluxe and Super Deluxe editions. Deluxe adds three bonus tracks. Super Deluxe adds a DVD featuring an interview with Sting and a video of him performing bonus track “Next To You” live.]
Superjoint – Caught Up In The Gears Of Application CD/LP (Housecore)
Former Pantera and current Down frontman Philip Anselmo’s Superjoint Ritual project — now known simply as Superjoint for legal reasons — includes guitarists Kevin Bond (Christ Inversion, Artimus Pyledriver, and Jimmy Bower (Down, Eyehategod), drummer José Manuel Gonzalez (Warbeast, Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals) and bassist Stephen Taylor (Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals, Woven Hand, 16 Horsepower. Caught Up In The Gears Of Application is a pure assault of hardcore-influenced metal. Following up two 21st century gems in Use Once And Destroy and A Lethal Dose Of American Hatred, Superjoint is looking to add a vicious and philosophical third chapter to the band’s legacy. “The title track pretty much sums up the overall feel of the LP,” says Anselmo. “It speaks for itself, loudly, clearly, and passionately, whatever a person’s definition of that would be. Let the music do the talking and shape the lyrics to fit your own life.”
A Tribe Called Quest – We Got It From Here… Thank You 4 Your Service CD/LP (Sony)
A Tribe Called Quest release their final album and first full-length in 18 years. It comes months after the passing of founding member Phife Dawg, and caps off a legacy that stands as an important piece in rap’s history.
Twin Limb – Haplo CD/LP (Suretone)
Twin Limb is a trio from Louisville, KY formed by Maryliz Bender (drums, vocals), Lacey Guthrie (accordion, vocals), and Kevin Ratterman (sampled sounds, guitar, percussion), who have also served as Jim James’ backup band. Guthrie’s accordion does some very sinister things, underpinning the music with a luxurious darkness that connects folk and psychedelia. It’s the same with the vocals, as Guthrie and Bender wrap their voices one around the other like they’re telling secrets, creating another bridge between the familiar and the disarming. Bender keeps the drums simple and purposeful, often parsing out her beats in short, sharp bursts with a precision that never feels forced. Ratterman is the final wild card, using guitars and samples in unexpected ways that feel both post-punk and experimental. “While some records want to take you to another world or aspect of your being, this novel/album is all about another, picturesque dimension. Although Haplo is loaded with so much human sentiment, that you might find yourself crying from its pretty words and rhythms, i.e. “Sara”, what makes it phenomenal is that it seems from another dimension. In this dimension, magic is not only real, but it enacted by your feelings with light emanating from love and darkness descending from doubt, which is true of one’s spirit.” – Diandra Reviews It All
Umphrey’s McGee – ZONKEY CD (Nothing Too Fancy Music)
Umphrey’s McGee has been arranging and performing original mashups live for over eight years. It was only a matter of when, not if, some of those innovative concoctions would find their way into a studio. And that when has arrived. ZONKEY is an album of 12 unique mashups, conceived, arranged and executed by the band. It is as seamless as it bizarre, playful as it is razor sharp. Bits and pieces of classic songs are culled from 40+ years of popular music from ‘70s reggae to ‘80s pop to ‘90s metal and everywhere in between. From Radiohead mashed with Beck, The Weekend with Fleetwood Mac, Talking Heads with Bob Marley, Metallica with Gorillaz… nothing is off limits. “ZONKEY clearly pays homage to some of our favorite artists and songs. While we’ve tried to reproduce the spirit of the original compositions and recordings, we’ve also tried to have some fun with the structure as we’ve often combined seemingly dissimilar musical elements to create a new vibe altogether,” notes keyboardist Joel Cummins.
Various Artists [Daniel Avery] – DJ Kicks CD/LP (!K7)
Avery’s mix takes in a selection of brooding, introspective techno including music from In Aeternam Vale, Rrose, Planetary Assault Systems and Avery himself, among others. “Electronic music is unique in that, whilst it has an immediate effect on the body, the culture surrounding it has the ability to run deep into your life,” says Avery. “Whenever I’m in a club, I want to give myself up to music. This is the very thing that excites me the most. Witnessing a DJ create an atmosphere in a room from the ground up takes patience and effort from everyone present but when the pivotal moments hit, your watch stops ticking.”
Various Artists [Scuba] – Fabric 90 CD (Fabric)
Berlin-based Scuba, aka Paul Rose, presents the 90th installment of the world’s leading house and techno mix series from Fabric. Paul Rose’s Fabric appearances have evolved over the years from bass music Fridays to the house and techno of Saturday nights. Rose’s ability to select, sequence and stitch together 42 tracks over 75 minutes is remarkable. A diverse range of artists get called upon to build a dark, seductive atmosphere. It means that among the bumping lo-fi techno and cavernous bass sounds, there is a palpable sense of being lost in the rave. Paul Rose is the founder of Hotflush Recordings.
Various Artists – Circus Days: Pop Psych Obscurities 1966-1972 [Reissue/2011] 6xCD (Particles)
Over 100 of the finest pop, psych and popsike gems ever mined. Dating from the glory days of British flower power, the set encompasses performances both by familiar acts (Vashti, Arzachel, The Factory) and lesser-known ones (Rhubarb Rhubarb, Blue Yoghurt, The Katdz), and even a smattering of clowns (Bob Monkhouse, Peter Cook & Dudley Moore spring to mind).
Various Artists – Girls On 45 CD (Teensville)
Teensville’s fourth volume of classic ‘60s girl pop and Northern soul obscurities from the vaults of both small and big labels, all presented in mono.
Various Artists – Killed By Deathrock Volume Two CD/LP (Sacred Bones)
After the initial blast of punk rock bands made their impression on the youth of the late 1970s, subgenres quickly emerged. Some preferred the faster, louder aggression of hardcore, others the angular danceability of post-punk, some the raw and more personal homemade sound of DIY, and so on. Looking back among and between these genres we now recognize various blends of punk, post-punk, goth rock, industrial, and DIY as “deathrock.” In 2014, Sacred Bones Records launched the series Killed By Deathrock to document an entire scene of bands that haven’t yet received proper recognition. This is the second volume of that series.
Various Artists – The Life & Songs Of Emmylou Harris: An All-Star Concert Celebration CD+DVD/CD+Blu-ray (Rounder)
“If you’re a songwriter, you always wanted her to record one of your songs,” said Steve Earle of his friend, Emmylou Harris at a star-studded tribute concert honoring the country songstress last year. Earle joined several of those lucky writers, along with a long list of collaborators, friends and disciples at the event, billed The Life & Songs Of Emmylou Harris: An All-Star Concert Celebration. Held at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C., the show boasted a set-list spanning four decades of Harris’ iconic catalog. Lucinda Williams sang “Hickory Wind,” a 1974 Gram Parsons hit later recorded by Harris, who toured in Parsons’ band and recorded several albums with the late singer. Another frequent duet partner, Rodney Crowell sang “You’re Still On My Mind” — a song he first heard Harris sing when she was playing coffee shops in Washington back in the early Seventies. Vince Gill and Sheryl Crow teamed for “Two More Bottles Of Wine,” while Shawn Colvin, Patty Griffin and Conor Oberst harmonized on “The Pearl.” All were backed by a house band of country greats: Buddy Miller, Don Was, Sam Bush, Audley Freed, Fred Eltringham, Matt Rollings, Greg Leisz and Sara Watkins. Other artists on the bill included Lee Ann Womack, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Chris Coleman, Chris Hillman, Iron & Wine, Alison Krauss, Kris Kristofferson, Daniel Lanois, Martina McBride, The Milk Carton Kids, Herb Pedersen, Shovels & Rope, Mavis Staples, John Starling, Trampled by Turtles, Holly Williams and Emmylou Harris herself, who joined friends on several tunes.
Various Artists – Punk 45 – Les Punks: The French Connection – The First Wave Of French Punk 1977-80 CD/2xLP+MP3 (Soul Jazz)
Soul Jazz Records’ new Punk 45 release documents the first radical underground punk bands to come out of France including Metal Urbain (the first group ever to be signed to Rough Trade Records), Marie et Les Garcons, Asphalt Jungle, through to the earliest experimental cold wave/minimal wave electronic groups such as Kas Product, Charles de Goal and A3 Dans le WC who emerged at the start of the 1980s.
Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble – In The Beginning [Reissue/1992] LP (Acoustic Sounds)
200gm vinyl LP pressing housed in a gatefold sleeve.
Rhonda Vincent and The Rage – All The Rage: In Concert Volume One CD (Upper Management)
A 60-minute concert, recorded live at Bethel University in McKenzie, Tennessee. [Stand-alone DVD version also available.]
Wakrat – Wakrat CD/LP (Earache)
Founded by bassist/vocalist Tim Commerford, responsible for arguably the most iconic protest song in the last 30 years during his time with Rage Against The Machine, the band Wakrat is two French nationals and one American anarchist, namely guitarist/vocals Laurent Grangeon and drummer Mathias Wakrat. With a tight mix of punchy, rhythmic and dynamic punk rock, fueled by political dissent and an undiminished subversion and questioning of authority, Wakrat provides a much needed battle cry of societal angst wrapped in sonic urgency.
Mike Watt – Ring Spiel Tour ’95 Live CD/2xLP (Sony)
Archive live release recorded at Metro in Chicago in 1995 and featuring an all-star backing band consisting of Dave Grohl and William Goldsmith on drums and Pat Smear and Eddie Vedder on guitar.
Witchtrap – Trap The Witch CD (Hell’s Headbangers)
Witchtrap’s fourth album of relentless, grit-n-grime, voracious speed-thrash from Columbia.
Wolf People – Ruins CD/LP+MP3 (Jagjaguwar)
Wolf People are time travellers, their tools mythology, history, hauntology, big riffs, bigger beats, electricity. Influences upon Ruins come in all shapes, size, contours and hues: the discovery of proto Sabbath/Zeppelin Scottish band Iron Claw, the lesser known landscapes of rural Bedfordshire, backstage Taekwondo stretches, Scandinavian psychedelia, fleeting rural epiphanies, Dungen, Trees, Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac, and a group holiday on a remote Finnish island. Limited clear pressing.
You Blew It! – Abendrot CD/LP+MP3 (Triple Crown)
“Following releases on Topshelf and Jade Tree, You Blew It! have now — like their past tourmates Sorority Noise just did — signed to Triple Crown Records for their next album. The album is called Abendrot, and it’s quite a change from the Kinsella-style emo of their earlier records. ‘Autotheology’ is the album’s first single … it’s a slow-burner with biblical references in the lyrics and a climax that kinda reminds me of Manchester Orchestra” – Brooklyn Vegan. [Limited pink or white color vinyl pressings also available.]
DVDs + Blu-ray:
Joan Armatrading – Me Myself I World Tour CD (Savoy Jazz)
New live release documenting the singer/songwriter’s 2014-2015 solo world tour which was billed as both her first world tour and the last major tour of her career. The tour album written, arranged and performed by Joan– was recorded in October of 2015 at The Barns at Wolf Trap, the intimate concert space of the world renowned DC area venue and contains her biggest hits spanning her entire career.
The Rolling Stones – Havana Moon Blu-ray+2xCD/DVD+Blu-ray+2xCD (Eagle Vision)
Havana Moon captures the historic, once in a lifetime concert by The Rolling Stones in Havana, Cuba. Directed by Paul Dugdale (Adele, Coldplay) this epic, record breaking concert features the hits “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” “It’s Only Rock N Roll,” “Gimme Shelter,” “Brown Sugar,” “Satisfaction” and many more. Filmed at the end of the América Latina Olé Tour 2016. [A Deluxe edition is also available which gathers all formats (sans vinyl) into a 60-page hardback book package.]
Rhonda Vincent and The Rage – All The Rage: In Concert Volume One DVD (Upper Management)
A 60-minute concert, filmed live at Bethel University in McKenzie, Tennessee.
This Week’s Vinyl Exclusives:
2Pac – 2Pacalypse Now [Reissue/1991] 2xLP (Interscope)
This is the first time 2Pac’s debut album has been made available on vinyl since 2008 and is reissued one day before the album celebrates its 25th anniversary. 180gm.
Autechre – Incunabula [Reissue/1993] 2xLP+MP3 (Warp)
Autechre – Amber [Reissue/1994] 2xLP+MP3 (Warp)
Autechre – Tri Repetae [Reissue/1995] 2xLP+MP3 (Warp)
The first three albums from IDM pioneers Autechre are back in print on vinyl.
Lou Barlow – Apocalypse Fetish 10”+MP3 (Joyful Noise)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. The Dinosaur Jr. bassist and all-around indie rock icon releases an all-ukulele EP. Clear vinyl pressing.
Blonde On Blonde – Rebirth [Reissue/1970] LP (Vinilisssimo)
First official vinyl reissue of Blonde On Blonde’s second album, originally released in 1970. It would take two lives to listen to the entire discography of all the prog-psych UK bands from the late ’60s to early ’70s. Funny enough, some of them just needed a two to four year career to record a bunch of LPs and make musical history, underground history anyway. Although Blonde On Blonde achieved only modest commercial success, their second album, Rebirth, is an exquisite piece of progressive rock that should not remain under the radar to those into melodic progressive rock.
The Byrds – The 1978 Reunion Concert LP (Live On Vinyl)
The Byrds, 1978 Reunion Concert, live at The Boarding House, San Francisco, February 9th, 1978. Originally recorded for broadcast on KSAN-FM, the entire broadcast is presented here together with background notes and images.
Carcass – Heartwork [Reissue/1993] LP (Earache)
Sixth vinyl repress of a melodic death metal classic.
Chasms – On The Legs Of Love Purified LP (Felte)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Chasms is the San Francisco based project of Jess Labrador and Shannon Madden. The duo crafts percussive dirges that are at once beautiful and menacing. Labrador’s haunting vocals and hypnotizing guitar work wade between rhythmic bass lines and bursts of Madden’s stinging feedback, laid on a bed of pummeling drum programming. The band’s affinity for industrial rhythms, swelling textures, precise minimalism, and chaotic eruptions of noise sounds as equally informed by shoegaze as drone and doom metal.
Comrades – Lone/Grey LP (Facedown)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Comrade’s sophomore album “is incredibly balanced, dancing between two primary styles, a Venn Diagram of melodic emotional and heavy grit” – HM Magazine.
Dazzling Killmen – Face Of Collapse [Reissue/1994] 2xLP+MP3 (Skin Graft)
Was Dazzling Killmen a hardcore band? A metal band? The world’s gnarliest progressive-rock quartet? “Yes” is the easy answer, but only because it’s easy to rewind through two decades of genre fragmentation to hear Dazzling Killmen’s influence on any number of math-metal, prog-core and similarly classified bands.
Dead Can Dance –Within The Realm Of A Dying Sun [Reissue/1987] LP (4AD)
Dead Can Dance – Toward The Within [Reissue/1994] 2xLP (4AD)
Vinyl reissues of Dead Can Dance’s third album and their 1994 live LP.
Delta Spirit – Delta Spirit [Reissue/2012] LP (Dualtone)
Limited edition orange color vinyl reissue of Delta Spirit’s self-titled third album.
Nicole Dollanganger – Ode to Dawn Wiener: Embarrassing Love Songs [Reissue/2013] LP (Run For Cover)
Nicole Dollanganger – Observatory Mansions [Reissue/2014] LP (Run For Cover)
Recently reissued on CD and cassette – now available on vinyl. Nicole Dollanganger has been quietly crafting her own world since 2012. Over a number of self-released albums recorded mostly in her own bedroom and bathroom, her signature style of gothic folk is inspired by countless influences, none more than the archetype of the love song. Dollanganger’s signature lyricism is front-and-center — usually accompanied by barely more than a few lonesome chords, narratives are idyllic, yet haunting — dream-like, yet startlingly real. Now available are two early-yet-masterful pieces of Nicole Dollanganger’s catalog on CD and cassette: 2013’s Ode To Dawn Wiener: Embarrassing Love Songs and 2014’s Observatory Mansions. The thesis of Ode To Dawn Wiener is as straightforward as its subtitle, but over ten songs it becomes clear that there is much more to these songs than what they offer at the surface. Observatory Mansions shows Nicole’s songwriting progressing, with reverb-soaked guitars, echoing synths and stirring samples coming together only to intensify the pull of her stories of love, violence, sexuality and death — all of which would be horrifying if they weren’t so enchanting — a recurring yet poetic tension in Nicole Dollanganger’s world.
Enya – Shepherd Moons [Reissue/1991] LP (Reprise)
Enya – Memory Of Trees [Reissue/1995] LP (Reprise)
Vinyl reissues of the third and fourth albums from the new age singer.
Alejandro Escovedo – Burn Something Beautiful 2xLP (Fantasy)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Alejandro Escovedo is the definition of a songwriter’s songwriter. While his own career has been a modest success, the biggest names in music adore the guy’s work. Bruce Springsteen calls him up at his own shows, and has appeared on Escovedo’s recordings. Ryan Adams and Whiskeytown featured him as a vocalist on several songs during the band’s active years. R.E.M. lead guitarist Peter Buck is a frequent tour-mate—and he’s also the co-writer and co-producer of Escovedo’s new album, Burn Something Beautiful. Escovedo and Buck were joined on the writing front by indie rock hero Scott McCaughey (The Minus Five), and the three had a deep collaborative process when writing songs on the album. The result is a thirteen-track set that—if single ‘Heartbeat Smile’ is any indication—recalls both vintage Escovedo and the pop-rock sensibilities of his collaborators.” – Texas Monthly
The Faint – Capsule: 1999-2016 3xLP (Saddle Creek)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Seventeen years ago, The Faint ushered in the return of synthesizers to the modern musical landscape with the release of 1999’s Blank-Wave Arcade. The world took note and the dance-rock movement of the early ‘00s followed in its wake. In the ensuing years, the band’s consistent evolution cemented their status as one of the most forward thinking and influential forces in dance-rock. Capsule: 1999-2016, surveys The Faint’s most renowned output over that time span, while also looking at what the future holds for the acclaimed Omaha electro-punks. 17 tracks from the era are included in this retrospective, with contributions from Blank-Wave Arcade, Danse Macabre, Wet From Birth, Fasciinatiion, Doom Abuse, and 2016’s “Young & Realistic” single; as well as two brand new songs, “Skylab1979” and “ESP
Fluxion – Vibrant Forms III LP (Subwax Bcn)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. If Basic Channel was too maximal for you its sibling label Chain Reaction had you covered. It’s last record was Fluxion’s Vibrant Forms II and was heralded as one of the greatest in the genre. Returning with Vibrant Forms III to Subwax Bcn its filled with Atmospheric hiss and fuzz, heart palpitating kick drums and bass, all backing warm dubby reverbed chord stabs.
Emmylou Harris & The Hot Band – Amazing Grace Coffee House Evanston Il 15 May 1975 LP (Live On Vinyl)
The complete WXRT-FM broadcast of Emmylou Harris’s May 1975 performance at The Amazing Grace Coffee House, Evanston, IL.
Hastings Of Malawi – Vibrant Stapler Obscures Characteristic Growth [Reissue/1981] LP (Sub Rosa)
Three strange characters who had appeared on the first Nurse With Wound album spent precisely one night in a studio making Vibrant Stapler Obscures Characteristic Growth, using whatever ideas, instruments and objects they could get their hands on, including telephones. The results are actually genuinely deranged-sounding, which is to say excellent.
Hidden Orchestra – Wingbeats 12” (Tru Thoughts)
Dark orchestral textures, with field recordings, bass, and layers of drums and percussion.
Waylon Jennings – Dreaming My Dreams [Reissue/1975] LP (Fat Possum)
Remastered by Rob Santos, Waylon Jennings classic 1975 album “Dreaming My Dreams” is reissued through Fat Possum Records on vinyl LP.
Paul Kelly & Charlie Owen – Death’s Dateless Night LP (Cooking Vinyl)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. New collaboration between legendary Australian songsmith Paul Kelly and journeyman guitarist Charlie Owen (Tex, Don & Charlie/New Christs/Beasts Of Bourbon). Includes originals and songs by The Beatles, Leonard Cohen, Hank Williams and others.
Jamie Lidell – Building A Beginning LP (Jajulin)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. 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.”
Lifesick – 6 0 1 LP (Southern Lord)
Released late last year on CD – now available on vinyl. Lifesick is an overwhelmingly hard-hitting Danish act that takes aggressive, mosh-primed hardcore and introduces it to morbid, extreme metal.
LNZNDRF – Green Roses 12” (4AD)
LNZNDRF – the trio of Ben Lanz and brothers Bryan and Scott Devendorf –release two brand new songs on this limited edition white 12” vinyl.
Tove Lo – Lady Wood LP (Island)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. “With her second record Lady Wood, Tove Lo uses a stunning Technicolor pop soundtrack to tackle the preposterous idea that women are here to be objectified by men and passive when it comes to sex. The title of Lady Wood refers to a female hard on and Lo has spoken out about the fact that references to genitalia in language are inherently derogatory to women — to be brave is to have balls, but to be cowardly is to be a pussy. The title track turns that thinking on its head, the line ‘You give me wood, give me lady wood’ is sexual expression writ large, that women have the same physical response to attraction as men do. The narratives of Lady Wood are universal; desire, love, sex, the thrill of the chase, the ups and downs of love and a demand for equality. It’s pop music of the highest caliber, music for the head, heart, feet and everywhere in between. In the battle against chauvinists at least we have artists like Lo writing brilliant pop songs that are endlessly inventive, intelligent and relatable.” – The Line Of Best Fit
Liz Longley – Weightless LP (Sugarhill)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Weightless is the follow-up to Longley’s 2015 self-titled release, which garnered praise from American Songwriter, Huffington Post and CMT Edge, to name a few. The new album delivers bold, thick pop with rock-and-roll edges. The starkly personal lyrics explore complexities and even dysfunction of relationships. Her award-winning songwriting is stronger than ever, and producer Bill Reynolds, the bassist of Band Of Horses (also produced the Avett Brothers, Lissie) helps embrace a lush pop-rock approach which marks a musical evolution for Longley. “Liz Longley’s singing never fails to thrill and enthrall. Her voice and tone, touched with the slightest of country inflections, pours out like clean, crystalline water.” – The Ark
Mahjun – Mahjun [Reissue/1973] LP (Souffle Continu)
Mahjun – Mahjun [Reissue/1974] LP (Souffle Continu)
Solid orange (1973 self-titled) and solid blue (1974 self-titled) vinyl reissues of the first two albums by Mahjun, one of the most innovative French prog underground bands. Their music is a subtle mix of spiritual jazz, pop music, folk and avant-garde reminiscent of Full Moon Ensemble, Brigitte Fontaine or the Thêatre du Chêne Noir.
Major Stars – Motion Set LP (Drag City)
“Having been active since the last century, veterans Major Stars prepare to release yet another rough ‘n’ ready slice of psychedelic-rock. As the ninth offering from the Massachusetts-incepted outfit, Motion Set recognises its predeceasing catalogue whilst still exploring new ideas and stretching into unfounded spaces.” – Norman Records
The Manson Family – Sings The Songs Of Charles Manson [Reissue/1986] LP (M-T Archives)
Freak folk, acid-country, twisted campfire jamboree, psych-gospel made by scuzzed out dune buggy death trippers, gadflies to the stars, dope dealers to the flower power elite. Recorded in 1970 but originally released in 1986, this cult album by members of the Family contains private recordings (made at the notorious Spahn Ranch) of Charles Manson’s unpublished songs while he was embroiled in legal proceedings.
Marching Church – Telling It Like It Is LP (Sacred Bones)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Marching Church, the onetime solo project and now bona fide big band formed by singer Elias Bender Rønnenfelt, has followed its leader’s muse everywhere from their early days of 4-track lo-fi tapes, to Sam Cooke-tinged soul on This World Is Not Enough, to outré free jazz on their most recent Coming Down 12″. For Telling It Like It Is, Rønnenfelt and his bandmates have foregone much of their past proclivity for wild stylistic swings in favor of thematically unified, complicated, but fundamentally cohesive song arrangements; the studio itself at times acting as an auxiliary band member. The result is the most focused vision of Marching Church yet, but one that has lost none of its swagger, and none of its power to enthrall.
The Men – Devil Music LP (We Are Men)
“For awhile, The Men were releasing a new album every year, and each time they returned sounding radically different. They kicked things off with 2011’s noisy Leave Home, mellowed out some on 2012’s Open Your Heart, dusted off classic rock records for 2013’s New Moon, and embraced the heartland with 2014’s Tomorrow’s Hits. You know, essentially an arc like The Replacements. It’s been awhile since we’ve heard from them, but they’re finally back with their fifth effort, Devil Music, which they’re self-releasing via their own We Are Men label. Based on the album’s first single, ‘Lion’s Den,’ the Brooklyn rockers are revisiting their crunchy salad days, delivering an explosion of experimental rock that’s led by some Lynchian sax.” – Consequence Of Sound
Morbid Angel – Altars Of Madness [Reissue/1989] LP (Earache)
Classic death metal back in print on vinyl.
Moreno +2 – Music Typewriter [2000] LP (Luaka Bop)
Domenco +2 – Sincerely Hot [Reissue/2003] LP (Luaka Bop)
Kassin +2 – Futurismo [2007] LP (Luaka op)
The +2s is a Brazilian band from Rio de Janeiro that composes samba but, at the same time, incorporates the sounds of funk and psychedelia into their music. The music group consists of Moreno Veloso, Domenico Lancelotti, and Alexandre Kassin (who also recorded the music to the anime Michiko to Hatchin). Each of them released a single album under their name with the suffix “+2” meaning “and two others.” This is the first time each title has been available on vinyl.
L’Orange & Mr. Lif – The Life & Death Of Scenery LP (Mello Music)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. 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.
Papa M – Highway Songs CD/LP/Cassette (Drag City)
Beloved Slint-guitarist David Pajo has dusted off one of his best projects, Papa M, for a new album. “Classic Pajolian magma simmering to a crispy boil in a series of 21st century blues, broke folk, ur-metal and verite diary sketches made somewhere between the mental ward and the intensive care unit.”
Periphery – Periphery III: Select Difficulty 2xLP+CD (Sumerian)
Released in July on CD – now available on vinyl. New release from the progressive metal band.
Iggy Pop – Search And Destroy Live In Chicago 1988 LP (Live On Vinyl)
Iggy Pop, live at Chicago’s Caberet Metro on 12th July 1988.
The Rolling Stones – Havana Moon 3xLP+DVD (Eagle Vision)
Havana Moon captures the historic, once in a lifetime concert by The Rolling Stones in Havana, Cuba. Directed by Paul Dugdale (Adele, Coldplay) this epic, record breaking concert features the hits “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” “It’s Only Rock N Roll,” “Gimme Shelter,” “Brown Sugar,” “Satisfaction” and many more. Recorded at the end of the América Latina Olé Tour 2016.
The Roots – Illadelph Halflife [Reissue/1996] 2xLP (Geffen)
Vinyl reissue of The Roots’ third album.
Hillary Scott & The Scott Family – Love Remains LP (Capitol Nashville)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. New release from Lady Antebellum’s Hillary Scott & The Scott Family. The collection of 13 songs features Hillary’s mom Linda Davis, father Lang Scott and little sister Rylee Scott, all produced by Ricky Skaggs.
Sleaford Mods – Live At So36 LP (Harbinger Sound)
Sleaford Mods’s third Berlin show took place at Kreuzberg’s legendary SO36 club. The band took to the stage on a hot sweaty June night and played to a sold out audience. The show was captured by a German documentary crew and this limited edition album captures the highlights of that incendiary performance.
Soundtrack – Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back [Reissue/1980] 2xLP (Sony Classical)
Soundtrack – Star Wars Episode VI: The Return Of The Jedi [Reissue/1980] 2xLP (Sony Classical)
Limited edition reissues pressed on 180gm gold color vinyl.
Space Art – Space Art [Reissue/1977] LP+CD (Because Music)
Space Art – Trip In The Center Head [Reissue/1977] LP+CD (Because Music)
Space Art – Play Back [Reissue/1980] LP+CD (Because Music)
Space Art – Remix 2×12”+CD (Because Music)
Space Art, the duo of Roger Rizzitelli and Dominique Perrier, is a legendary group that is considered a great pioneer of French electronic music. Their only three albums are have been repressed on vinyl. Remix is a double 12″ duo’s classic French electro tracks with contributions by Prins Thomas, Psychemagik, Daniele Baldelli, and Marco Dionigi.
Britney Spears – Glory LP+MP3 (RCA)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Ninth studio album from the pop superstar. “In an interview with Ryan Seacrest, Britney promised that Glory is probably ‘the most hip-hop album’ she’s made to date (though she later said only two or three songs ‘go in the direction of more urban’). So far we’ve heard three remixes that prove she’s still got something for her club people too” – Billboard.
Temple Of The Dog – Temple Of The Dog [Reissue/1991] 2xLP (Interscope)
Recently reissued on CD – now available on vinyl. 25th anniversary reissue of Temple Of The Dog’s landmark, platinum certified 1991 album — a tribute to Andrew Wood, the former lead singer of Malfunkshun and Mother Love Bone, who died on March 19, 1990 of a heroin overdose. Newly mixed by Brendan O’Brien, this reissue is available in four configurations, including Regular single-disc, a double-disc set including demos and unreleased tracks, and a four-disc Super Deluxe set featuring a total of 48 unreleased tracks and/or mixes.
Various Artists – In Case You Missed It: 15 Years Of Dualtone LP (Dualtone)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. To celebrate Dualtone’s 15-year anniversary, they have put together a compilation of great songs to showcase the talented artists Dualtone has worked with over the years and features some of our favorite tunes you may have missed. Also included are new recordings from The Lumineers, Shakey Graves, Ivan & Alyosha, Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors and Langhorne Slim & The Law.
Various Artists – Shanghai’d Soul: Episode 4 LP (Numero)
“Everybody’s still talking about the good ol’ days! A rough and rugged collection of Numero Group classics that have inspired swarms of killer beats. A head nod to the sounds of Shaolin, the thirteen chambers of Shanghai’d Soul have led a generation of lyrical chefs and production geniuses to compose some of their most ominous hip-hop. Bound by heavy drums, moody chords, and haunting melodies, Gods and Earths alike will appreciate the raw funk and smoother-than-a-Lexus soul that come together like Voltron on this special compilation.”
The Whigs – Live In Little Five LP+MP3 (New West)
Five albums, fourteen years, hundreds of shows and thousands of miles have melded the Athens, GA power trio The Whigs into a live tour-de-force. For the first time, fans old and new can take their legendary live show home in all its limited edition vinyl glory. The ten-song collection spans the band’s entire catalog, featuring long-enduring fan favorites alongside new, unreleased material. Recorded and produced by acclaimed engineer David Barbe (Drive-By Truckers, Deerhunter, Animal Collective), Live In Little Five captures the band at the height of their rock ‘n’ roll might.
Cassettes:
Bright Eyes – Digital Ash In A Digital Urn [Reissue/2005] (Saddle Creek)
Bright Eyes – I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning [Reissue/2005] (Saddle Creek)
Bright Eyes – Cassadaga [Reissue/2007] (Saddle Creek)
Remastered reissues now available (these titles were included in The Studio Albums 2000-2011).
Papa M – Highway Songs (Drag City)
Beloved Slint-guitarist David Pajo has dusted off one of his best projects, Papa M, for a new album. “Classic Pajolian magma simmering to a crispy boil in a series of 21st century blues, broke folk, ur-metal and verite diary sketches made somewhere between the mental ward and the intensive care unit.”
For The Holidays:
David Bazan – Dark Sacred Night CD/LP+MP3 (Suicide Squeeze)
David Bazan – Christmas Bonus LP+MP3 (Suicide Squeeze)
“There is something that is underrepresented in Christmas music, and that’s just how uncomfortable the holidays can be for a lot of folks,” David Bazan says about his collection of holiday songs Dark Sacred Night. Back in 2002, David Dickenson of Suicide Squeeze Records approached Bazan and asked if he would be interested in doing a 7″ of Christmas carols. The result was the “I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day” b/w “Oh Come, Oh Come Emmanuel” single released under Bazan’s Pedro The Lion moniker. He followed it up with “The First Noel” 7″ in 2003 and “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” in 2005. Even after retiring the Pedro The Lion project, Bazan continued his run of Yuletide singles for Suicide Squeeze under his own name. These limited edition 7″s are all long out of print, but David Bazan and Suicide Squeeze have chosen ten of the fourteen tracks, remixed and remastered the material, and collected them on Dark Sacred Night. David Bazan’s Christmas Bonus is a limited edition one-sided 12″ that serves as a companion piece to Bazan’s Dark Sacred Night. Pressed on white vinyl, the B-side features an etching of a wreath.
Luciano Pavarotti and César Franck – Christmas With Pavarotti 2xCD (Decca)
An outstanding selection of Pavarotti Christmas classics, including traditional and modern songs.
Trans-Siberian Orchestra – Ghosts Of Christmas Eve LP (Atlantic)
First-time vinyl pressing of the soundtrack to the 2001 holiday DVD release.
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