CDs + Vinyl:
68 – Two Parts Viper CD (Cooking Vinyl)
There are some wild song titles on 68’s second album Two Parts Viper, which is certainly a different approach than the untitled songs of their 2014 debut. “The Workers Are Few” and “This Life Is Old, New, Borrowed And Blue,” “Death Is A Lottery” and “Without Any Words (Only Crying and Laughter)” are among them. The sound is equally unique – a rollercoaster of sonic emotion. Just when you think you know what will happen next, the song takes an unexpected turn. As for lyrical content, Josh Scogin usually makes the album a time capsule – writing his lyrics in short periods of time. [Limited green color vinyl pressings also available.]
Adrenaline Mob – We The People CD/2xLP+MP3 (Century Media)
Each riff is massive, every drum hit a chest-thumping pound, and each line frontman Russell Allen sings exudes power and heart.
JD Allen – Radio Flyer CD (Savant)
JD Allen’s previous recording Americana won widespread critical acclaim for its groundbreaking melodic and harmonic explorations and for its impressive emotional intensity. While that album presented Allen’s ideas with a somewhat contemplative hand, Radio Flyer moves with a more unbridled enthusiasm, testing the possibilities jazz has for individual expressionism and improvisational freedom.
All Time Low – Last Young Renegade CD/LP+MP3 (Fueled By Ramen)
Maryland pop-punk mainstays All Time Low follow-up 2015’s Future Hearts with the new release Last Young Renegade. The band’s seventh studio effort overall comes preceded by the anthemic title cut banger which sets up the ten-track collection’s lyrical narrative. Frontman Alex Gaskarth explains, “We tried a lot of new things on this album, all within the context of what we love so much about All Time Low – There’s no denying that we were binge watching Stranger Things at the time, while also reflecting on the loss of some of our favorite musicians; Prince, Bowie, George Michael. I think the influence comes through in the best ways. We all felt pulled to exciting and different places as we searched for inspiration, approaching something that’s become so familiar to us from a new direction.”
Alt-J – Relaxer CD/LP+MP3 (Canvasback/Atlantic)
Alt-J is a group that can’t be pigeonholed. Plenty of bands place a solid mix of fast- and slow-tempo songs on their albums, and while Alt-J is no exception, there’s something different about their mix of music. Literally. No two songs sound the same. They’ve got a knack for creating unpredictable music, pleasantly surprising fans with a new sound on each track. From the horse’s mouth, that’s because they’re their own harshest critics. Their past two albums have met critical success both in the UK and North America, with their debut record An Awesome Wave winning the 2012 Mercury Prize and their sophomore effort This Is All Yours earning a Grammy nomination for Best Alternative Music Album in 2015. Their new album, Relaxer, was recorded all over London – from Shoreditch to St John’s Wood, Crouch Hill to Brixton – with producer Charlie Andrew at the helm for the third time. A first taste of the album comes in the form of the broody lead single “3WW.” The stereo-heavy tune is a production gem, sending out shakers into your eardrums and guitar chords into your heart one line at a time.
Anti-Nowhere League – League Style CD/LP (Cleopatra)
Renowned UK punk rockers Anti-Nowhere League cover 10 reggae and rocksteady classics.
Dan Auerbach – Waiting On A Song CD/LP (Easy Eye Sound/Nonesuch)
Dan Auerbach’s second solo album, Waiting On A Song, is a love letter to Nashville. As such, he recruited some of Nashville’s most respected players to write and record his latest, including John Prine, Duane Eddy, Jerry Douglas, Pat McLaughlin and Bobby Wood and Gene Chrisman of the Memphis Boys. Auerbach said about working with his musical heroes: “Living in Nashville has definitely changed the way I think about music and the way that I record it. I didn’t have all of these resources before. I am working with some of the greatest musicians that ever lived.” Auerbach moved to Nashville from his native Akron, Ohio in 2010 and with this release, his first solo album in eight years, it is clear that he has made Music City his home. During the summer of 2016, taking a break from the non-stop touring he’d done with The Black Keys and the Arcs, he finally got acquainted with the city he loves so much, as well as the world-class musicians who live there, and subsequently collaborated with some of Nashville’s heavyweights. [Limited edition blue/yellow color vinyl pressing also available.]
Rachel Baiman – Shame CD (Free Dirt)
Shame, the debut full-length album from Rachel Baiman, is a work of striking importance from a fresh voice that is bound to reach many ears in the years to come. On the album’s ten tracks, Baiman commands attention with songwriting prowess and a depth of presence well beyond her 27 years. The album is a thought-provoking exploration on life as a female in America, with a strong lyrical focus on social justice issues. Despite the serious subject matter, the sound of the album remains light and centers around groove-based, largely acoustic instrumentation. Produced by Andrew Marlin of Mandolin Orange, the lush and varied musical texture heard on Shame is a departure from Baiman’s previous stripped-down duo work with 10 String Symphony. Baiman’s vocals are arresting throughout; simultaneously rich and subdued, her husky tone and unaffected delivery pair beautifully with the record’s stew of folk, alt country, and gospel sounds. [Vinyl edition due June 23.]
Beach Fossils – Somersault CD/LP/Cassette (Bayonet)
The long-awaited return of Brooklyn’s Beach Fossils, Somersault showcases a band in bloom. Augmented with more complex instrumentation, including string arrangements, piano, harpsichord, flute, and sax, the new songs offer multi-layered pop guided by sharp, poignant, and honest lyrics. Orchestral pop gem “Saint Ivy” shines with plucked strings, buoyant basslines and a propulsive, wayward, guitar. “Tangerine,” a driving, tightly wound melody, rushes forward and briefly leaves the ground due to the gossamer guest vocals of Slowdive’s Rachel Goswell. The cloudy, wistful “Social Jetlag,” bustling with samples of crowded streets, features the type of candid, off-the-cuff lyrics that make the entire effort immediately illuminating. Somersault evokes the laid-back mood of a warm, breezy city night, the air crackling with humidity and excitement. These songs pulse and pull, capturing a blend of promise and heartache. It’s beautiful and layered, a refined, sweeping creation that threads together numerous styles, textures, and themes into a refreshing, singular vision. [Limited edition red color vinyl pressing also available.]
Binker & Moses – Journey To The Mountain Of Forever CD/2xLP (Gearbox)
Travel with the duo from the realm of the now to the realms of the infinite meeting along the way Shamans, the great Besbunu, the Ultra Blacks and various other tribes, monsters and characters whilst immersing yourself in their strange rituals, potions, music and a world which has no end.
Bleachers – Gone Now CD/LP+MP3 (RCA)
After building a devoted fan-base through a year and a half of non-stop touring behind his band Bleachers’ well-received debut album Strange Desire, Jack Antonoff realized his second album needed to “sound like New York and New Jersey and the actual space I grew up in, in the most specific way.” So he built his own studio in his New York apartment and it was there in that room – surrounded by posters and flyers from punk shows he saw as a kid and his old baseball trophies and Star Wars figurines – that Antonoff created the epic, synth-driven anthems that appear on Bleachers’ new album Gone Now. “The crux of the new album is my desperately trying to find a way to become some version of an adult, and not just be a giant child,” Antonoff explains. “I thought a lot about things like, ‘Where do I want to go from here? Do I want to be a person who has this extremely vibrant relationship with their art, but their life suffers in a million other places? Where do I want to go with my life?’” [Limited red color vinyl pressing also available.]
Benjamin Booker – Witness CD/LP (ATO)
Witness is the follow-up to Benjamin Booker’s critically acclaimed self-titled 2014 debut album. Here, Booker delves deep into his passion for eccentric soul, R&B and blues. It draws on William Onyeabor’s ’70s African psych-rock, Freddie Gibbs and Pusha T while never straying too far from the garage-punk intensity that made Booker’s debut a creative breakthrough. The title track, Booker’s most profound and incisive song to date, features a guest vocal by Mavis Staples. The song’s origins date to a writing trip he took to Mexico City, during which James Baldwin’s observation that “Once you find yourself in another civilization you are forced to examine your own,” took on the weight of experience. “Am I going to be a witness?” Booker asks in the statement (and the song). “And in today’s world, is that enough?” [Limited Edition blue color vinyl pressing also available.]
David Byrne – Live From Austin, TX CD+DVD/2xLP+MP3 (New West)
This show, captured on November 28, 2001, came on the heels of his hit single, “Like Humans Do” and the release of the album Look Into The Eyeball, which was another typically eclectic musical stew reflecting a variety of styles and influences, from Philly soul to a D.C. Go-Go inspired groove and his first-ever Spanish composition, “Desconocido Soy.”
Chastity Belt – I Used To Spend So Much Time Alone CD/LP+MP3/Cassette (Hardly Art)
I Used To Spend So Much Time Alone is Chastity Belt’s third full-length album to date. Recorded live in July of 2016, at Jackpot! in Portland, OR with producer/mixer Matthew Simms of Wire, it’s a dark and uncommonly beautiful set of mood-driven rock that’s also unabashedly introspective. More personal and more direct than 2015’s marvelous Time To Go Home, I Used To Spend So Much Time Alone is a brave and often exhilarating tangle of mixed feelings and haunting melodies that connects dizzying anguish (“This Time Of Night”) to shimmering insight (“Different Now”) to gauzy ambiguity (“Stuck”). It’s a serious record but not a serious departure, defined best, perhaps, by a line that Julia Shapiro shares early on its staggering title track: “I wanna be sincere.”
Luke Combs – This One’s For You CD/LP (Sony Music Nashville)
With gritty, grizzled vocals, brazen songwriting talent and one hell of a live show, Luke Combs continues to storm onto the country music landscape with his debut album.
The Congos – Heart Of The Congos [Reissue/1977] 3xCD (VP)
This new deluxe triple-CD edition is the first to feature the now almost impossible to find original mix of the album, unavailable since producer Lee Perry withdrew the set in 1977. Also includes the more well-known remix, dubs, disco mix, seven and twelve-inch versions and a previously unreleased track. [Vinyl edition due June 30.]
Larry Coryell – At The Village Gate [Reissue/1971] CD (Real Gone Music)
This is the recording where Larry really went axe-to-axe with Jimi Hendrix, who had passed away four months prior to the January 1971 gigs that formed the basis of this release; perhaps in response, Coryell formed his own power trio of his own composed of himself, drummer Harry Wilkinson and bassist Mervin Bronson to play material that stylistically wasn’t too far removed from the funk/jazz/rock of Hendrix’s Band Of Gypsys.
Larry Coryell’s 11th House – Seven Secrets CD/LP (Savoy Jazz)
The final recording by legendary jazz fusion pioneers Larry Coryell and Alphonse Mouton. The late guitarist Coryell assembled founding members Randy Brecker (trumpet), long-timer John Lee (bass), the addition of son Julian (guitar) and the late Alphonse Mouzon (drums) to bring the rock and funk back to jazz again with a batch of eleven powerhouse tracks.
Korey Dane – Chamber Girls CD/LP+MP3 (Innovative Leisure)
Korey Dane grew up in Long Beach, California, as a skateboarder kid with a gearhead father and an English teacher mother and with a guitar he learned to love as he learned to play, letting a few inherited books and a handful of records lead him away from home and into the great American unknown. Chamber Girls was inspired by the deceptively simple ethos he’d internalized while making his debut album Youngblood: pursue greatness. Opener “Half Asleep” is a Westerberg-style wake-up call and from there it’s an album made from ash and fire, with a burner like “Hard Times” (and its swaggering Big Star guitar) only steps away from the smoky but stark “Always.” “Down In The Hole” is like Tom Waits back alley cabaret by Leonard Cohen’s deathless ladies’ man. And closer “Steady Forever” is a streak of light like the hungry young Springsteen, with lyrics hiding literature.
Jesse Davis – Red Dirt Boogie: The Atco Recordings 1970-1972 CD (Real Gone Music)
Throughout the 1960s and ‘70s, Native American guitarist Jesse Ed Davis was the “go-to” sideman for a remarkable group of musicians. Starting in the mid- ‘60s, he toured with Conway Twitty, then become a key part of Taj Mahal’s band, playing on several albums and tours including an appearance on The Rolling Stones Rock And Roll Circus and his historic pairing with Leon Russell to play on Bob Dylan’s “Watching the River Flow” at the Concert for Bangla Desh (after which he accompanied George Harrison). This 19-track collection traces the ups and downs of this supremely talented musician whose life ended tragically at the age of 43 from a drug overdose.
Dauwd – Theory Of Colours CD/LP (Technicolour)
Dauwd Al Hilali’s releases have been met with as much expectation as they have intrigue. Spending the last few years out of the limelight and in his Berlin studio, Dauwd’s music has continued to ripple through clubs as his singular, sometimes thrillingly uncertain process of experimentation has continued. Pulling inspiration from electronic music legends like Terry Riley, Raymond Scott, and the seminal Radiophonic Workshop period in the late ‘50s and ‘60s, new effort Theory Of Colours draws a unique line between influences as disparate as hazy Detroit house and early German Krautrock.
Richard Dawson – Peasant CD/LP (Weird World)
“It might not have occurred to you listening to either The Magic Bridge or the more recent Nothing Important, but there’s definitely a medieval quality to the Newcastle, UK-based Richard Dawson’s music — despite the seemingly-modern personal tales that progress on tracks like “The Vile Stuff.” Lyrically, that particular song was conjured out of a childhood trip that involved a shared alcoholic concoction; but musically, it was one recorder part shy of conjuring images of Dawson and co. dancing around a fire in shoddy, 11th century linens.” – Tiny Mixtapes
Dispatch – America, Location 12 CD/LP+MP3 (Bomber Recordings)
Five years have come and gone since the latest release from jam-band funk-reggae sensations Dispatch. With plenty of success and longevity already under their belt, the Middlebury, VT based trio have high expectations to meet on their latest effort America, Location 12. Album tracks “Curse + Crush,” “Begin Again” and the rock-driven “Skin The Rabbit” are exquisite additions to the Dispatch catalog. The rugged, guitar-driven intro immediately hooks and transitions to the well-built chorus of “Skin The Rabbit” dare the listener not to hit the repeat button upon its conclusion. Guitarist and vocalist Chadwick Stokes recently provided some additional insight behind the album in its entirety, after having recorded a vast majority of the tracks at Panoramic House, a studio located on the coast in Stinson Beach, CA: “When the fog permitted, we could watch the sun set into the sea – for two East Coast kids and a mountain boy, this is a spiritual thing… we were able to sonically stretch out in a way we never had before. We saw an opportunity to sing songs about issues that were of a real concern to us socially. Everything feels like it’s coming to a head. If we can be a band in today’s climate that brings these issues up in a non-traditional way, then that’s really fulfilling for us.”
Anneli Drecker – Revelation For Personal Use CD/LP (Rune Grammofon)
Anneli has written the album’s eight lovely songs, plays piano and keyboards and has produced the album. It largely moves in the same musical landscape as the previous album, with the Arctic Philharmonic present on six tracks and string arranger Sindre Hotvedt, guitarist Eivind Aarset and drummer Rune Arnesen on board again. If anything, a couple of the tracks show a slightly sharper rock edge than its predecessor. Anneli Drecker’s magical voice first became known through the music of her band, Bel Canto back in the ‘80s.
Eighteen Visions – XVIII CD/LP+MP3 (Rise)
While 10 years have passed since the band’s last effort, Eighteen Visions have retained their ability to craft hardcore rock anthems that are both melodic and metal at the same time. [Limited color vinyl pressing also available.]
Noga Erez – Off The Radar CD/LP+MP3 (City Slang)
Born and living just outside Tel Aviv, Erez’s freewheeling songs are energised by the politics that surround her, but are also anchored in a desire to make as many people as possible feel. Inspired by strong artistic figures such as Björk and MIA, as well as everyone from Frank Ocean to Radiohead to Kendrick Lamar to FKA Twigs, Erez is the definitive sound of the world we live in today.
Flogging Molly – Life Is Good CD/LP (Vanguard)
The social and political awareness that drives Flogging Molly’s music is never more prominent than on their new release Life Is Good – a strikingly powerful album that arrives at a strikingly key time. The sixth studio album by the renowned Celtic-punk rockers now in their 20th year is mature, well crafted, equally polished and almost aggressively topical. It is filled with rousing songs that are timeless in their sentiment, but directly related to today’s most pressing concerns: Politics, the economy, unemployment, planned boomtowns gone bust, immigration policies gone awry, and much more. Imagery abounds on Life Is Good, and one of the most memorable images might be found in “Adamstown,” the saga of a planned community west of Dublin that came to a halt in mid-construction a decade ago when the Irish economy crashed – and left little more than a ghost town in its place. Thematically, hope and inspiration are a major part of “The Hand Of John L. Sullivan,” a rollicking track about the legendary “Boston Strong Boy” who was the first ever heavyweight champion of gloved boxing from 1882-1892. And what’s uniquely distinctive about Life Is Good is that the gravity and weight of these themes never overshadow the sheer fun and exuberance felt in each song.
Gloom – Solaris CD (Metal/E1)
Gloom combine death metal, black metal, doom metal, progressive metal, post-grunge, and are occasionally described as “blackened death groove.”
Grateful Dead – Road Trips Vol. 4, No. 5: Boston Music Hall 6/9/76 3xCD (Real Gone Music)
Unlike Dick’s Picks, which saw about two-thirds of its titles go to regular retail in their original incarnations, NONE of the entries in the Road Trips series were offered to retail outlets outside of the Dead’s own website.
Marika Hackman – I’m Not Your Man CD/LP+MP3 (Sub Pop)
It’s amazing how the floodgates open when you shut out all the internal and external noise, stop pandering to stereotype, cease listening to your anxieties, and disregard the compartment society has built for you. I’m Not Your Man, begins with an impromptu hearty laugh. It’s not the sound of silliness; it’s the sound of liberation, spontaneity, and joy. 24-year-old Hackman is feeling more herself than ever. Life isn’t necessarily funnier or happier, but when there’s cause for a joke or a big ballsy statement, she’s not holding back any more. “The record’s all about female relationships, romance and breakdowns, but there’s also a dim worldview going on. ‘I’m Not Your Man’ can either mean ‘I’m not your man, I’m your woman,’ or it can mean ‘I’m not a part of this.’” Hackman cranked up the knobs in the studio, turning away from the quieter sounds of her past to realize her teenage fantasy of fronting a raucous band. “I wanted to let rip and lose control. When I was younger I wasn’t looking at Joni Mitchell. I was looking at Nirvana thinking, ‘I wanna be like that!’” To channel this feral female energy, Hackman recruited London quartet The Big Moon as her backing band. The results are a dynamic, multi-genre album tied together by razor-sharp wit.
Halsey – Hopeless Fountain Kingdom CD/LP (Astralwerks)
Grammy-nominated multi-platinum alternative pop maverick Halsey returns with her second full-length album, Hopeless Fountain Kingdom. The 13-track affair honestly exorcises moments of sorrow, pain, joy, and love through a whirlwind of poetic lyricism, cinematic production, and searing hooks. She invites a few friends such as Quavo, Lauren Jauregui (Fifth Harmony), and Cashmere Cat along for the ride, as well as producers Benny Blanco, Greg Kurstin, Ricky Reed and more. Lead single, “Now Or Never,” offers the first taste of what fans can expect from the new album, a track with a soulful refrain over dystopic, shuddering synths. The vocals segue from a delicate croon into an R&B-style bridge, highlighting her impressive range. [Limited edition red with yellow splatter color vinyl pressing also available.]
The Handsome Family – Singing Bones [Reissue/2003] CD/LP (Milk & Scissors)
Singing Bones is the sixth studio album from alternative country duo The Handsome Family (featuring Brett and Rennie Sparks), which features “Far From Any Road,” their widely recognized opening theme from the True Detective series.
H. Hawkline – I Romanticize CD/LP (Heavenly/PIAS America)
Wobbly psych guitars, punchy power-pop earworms and lyrics which observe the world through a fragmented lens, yet synths and pianos are much more prominent than on any previous H. Hawkline release.
Husky – Punchbuzz CD/LP+MP3 (Nevado Music)
The Melbourne band’s long-awaited return swaps their signature folk sound for streamlined indie rock that lopes ahead with widescreen atmosphere, dark lyrics, and newly muscled melodies.
Institute – Subordination CD/LP (Sacred Bones)
Since their first demo in 2013, the Austin expats in Institute have edged their raw anarcho punk blitz into something much more expansive and nuanced.
King Tubby’s And The Agrovators – Dubbing In The Back Yard [Reissue/1982] 2xCD (Pressure Sounds)
Originally issued on the UK based Black Music records label in 1982, Dubbing In The Back Yard was produced by Bunny ‘Striker’ Lee with expert backing from his house band The Agrovators and mixed at King Tubby’s Studio by Prince Jammy. Smooth roots tracks mixed with bass-heavy early ‘80s dancehall. [Vinyl edition due June 23.]
Kondi Band – Salone CD/LP (Strut)
Kondi Band is an inspired new Afro-electronic project, a collaboration between Sierra Leonean kondi (thumb piano) player Sorie Kondi and /DJ Chief Boima, who himself has Sierra Leonean roots.
Robert Lamm – Time Chill: A Retrospective CD (Omnivore)
As a founding member of Chicago, Robert Lamm has been writing and recording hit material for 50 years. Time Chill: A Retrospective is the first ever look back at the music Robert has been composing as a solo artist for nearly twenty years. This collection contains 15 songs that hail from solo albums Robert has been producing since 1999. Included are tracks from his collaboration with Carl Wilson of The Beach Boys and Gerry Beckley of America; previously unissued remixes by longtime Lamm producer John Van Eps (including a take on Chicago’s “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?”) and a previously unreleased version of Bobby Hebb’s classic “Sunny.”
Dua Lipa – Dua Lipa CD (WB)
The self-titled debut studio album by English singer and songwriter Dua Lipa has spawned six singles: “New Love,” “Be The One,” “Last Dance,” “Hotter Than Hell,” “Blow Your Mind (Mwah),” and “Lost In Your Light.” Lipa describes the album as “dark pop.” The lyrical themes revolve around her personal views of love, rising above, sex and self-empowerment. Commenting on the album’s direction, Lipa said “When I had taken interest with my own music, I would listen to Nelly Furtado, P!nk and Destiny’s Child, but as I grew older I found my love for hip-hop … I love the realness behind it, that’s why I try to also bind that into the music.” [CD is available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe adds five bonus tracks.]
Loathe – The Cold Sun CD (Sharptone)
The Cold Sun’ is a concept record; a compelling 35-minute-long meandering into the depths of a dark, post-apocalyptic tale.
RG Lowe – Slow Time CD/LP (Western Vinyl)
After ten years in the instrumental ensemble Balmorhea, Rob Lowe releases his first R&B-inflected solo LP. The record, while incorporating elements from pop and choral music, largely looks back on the warmth and spiritual ecstasy of early R&B through the disjunctive lens of contemporary life.
Mali Music – The Transition Of Mali CD (RCA)
Grammy Award nominated Mali Music’s new album is his sophomore release following his major label debut, Mali Is. An inspirational and upbeat mood permeates the record.
Manic Street Preachers – Send Away The Tigers: 10 Year Collectors’ Edition 2xCD+DVD/2xLP+MP3 (Sin UK)
Manic Street Preachers’ eighth studio album, Send Away The Tigers, enjoys its 10th anniversary this year and to celebrate they are releasing a special edition double-CD+DVD folio bookset. Includes the original album remastered by James Dean Bradfield, unheard demos, a bonus disc of B-sides and rare tracks plus a DVD of their full 2007 Glastonbury set, promo videos and rare/never-before-seen footage from rehearsals.
Bob Marley & The Wailers – Exodus [Reissue/1977] 2xCD/3xCD (Tuff Gong)
Deluxe and Super Deluxe reissues of Bob Marley & The Wailers’ classic album Exodus, the band’s ninth. All editions include Exodus 40 – The Movement Continues, son Ziggy Marley’s newly curated ‘restatement’ of the original album. As part of the celebration, Ziggy Marley has intimately revisited the original session recordings, uncovering unused and never-before-heard vocals, lyric phrasing and instrumentation, incorporating and transforming these various elements into brand-new session takes. [Super Deluxe vinyl edition due July 14.]
John Martyn – Head & Heart: The Acoustic John Martyn 2xCD (Island)
This double-CD collection brings together key album tracks, a scattering of live performances and various rarities, including some unreleased demo recordings.
Hugh Masterson – Lost & Found CD (Rock Ridge Music)
Hugh Masterson gives a Midwestern feel to music songwriting. After leaving his hometown of Butternut in Northern Wisconsin, he moved to Milwaukee for college. The transition proved to be dramatic, as his jaw was broken in two places after being mugged, and his house shot through five times. However, he persisted with odd jobs, working as a janitor at a bowling alley and as an apartment painter. When a touring band he played bass in broke up, Masterson started focusing on songwriting. Following a full-length album and finding allies in the music community in Nashville in 2015, Hugh moved to Tennessee. He’s a woodworker who has accepted tour slots opening for Anderson East, Nikki Lane, The Lone Bellow and Margo Price.
Miss May I – Shadows Inside CD/LP (Sharptone)
New release from the Ohio metalcore band. [Limited color vinyl pressing also available.]
Barbara Morrison – I Wanna Be Loved CD (Savant)
Barbara Morrison, one of the world’s most delightful and endearing jazz personalities, returned to the recording studio and brought her good friend, tenor saxophonist Houston Person, to record on her new album, I Wanna Be Loved.
M.T.B. – It’s Meant To Be CD (Twenty Two Music)
M.T.B., also known as Meant To Be, have been sent by the vocal gods to save R&B music.
Mutoid Man – Warm Moans CD/LP+MP3 (Sargent House)
Mutoid Man – the brainchild of Steve Brodsky (guitar, Cave In), Ben Koller (drums, Converge, All Pigs Must Die), and Nick Cageao (bass) – pushes metal’s villainous pageantry to vaudevillian levels. On the band’s sophomore LP, Mutoid Man bask in their love of frantic, ferocious, no-frills metal; no riff deemed too extreme, no drum pattern considered too absurd.
North Mississippi Allstars – Prayer For Peace CD/LP (Sony)
Prayer for Peace is North Mississippi Allstars eighth studio album and self-produced by the Dickinson Brothers. It was recorded across the country at six different studios: including the famous Royal Studios in Memphis with Boo Mitchell and their legendary father Jim Dickinson’s Zebra Ranch in Hernando, MS. Special guests on the album include bassist Oteil Burbridge (Allman Brothers Band, Dead & Company), Graeme Lesh (Midnight North, The Terrapin Family Band), vocalist Sharisse Norman, bassist Dominic Davis (Jack White), and singer/fife player Shardé Thomas, daughter of Mississippi blues giant Otha Turner.
Obey The Brave – Mad Season CD/LP+MP3 (Epitaph)
Obey The Brave churns out anthems of empowerment born of adversity. It’s the songs that embolden the spirit and exorcise personal demons, whether in the pit or on a day’s commute. Songs like “Raise Your Voice,” “Full Circle,” and “Get Real” are quintessential metalcore bangers. [Limited color vinyl pressing also available.]
One Hundred – Chaos & Bliss CD (Spinefarm)
A metal/rap/grime crossover.
Paper Tigers – In Other Words CD/2xLP+MP3 (Doomtree)
New album from the Brooklyn-based producer known for his work in the Minneapolis hip-hop collective Doomtree. [Limited white color vinyl pressing also available.]
Aaron Parks/Ben Street/Billy Hart – Find The Way CD (ECM)
The prize-winning pianist has convened a cross-generational trio featuring bassist Ben Street and drummer Billy Hart.
Particle Kid – Particle Kid CD (ORG Music)
The first full-length release from Particle Kid, the experimental musical identity of Los Angeles-based musician and visual artist J. Micah Nelson. The album sounds both familiar and oddly modern, with the spirits of future folk, funk, rock, lysergic Americana, and progressive jazz fusion all somehow woven together with deep-rooted melodies, unique improvisational elements, and remarkably intricate arrangements.
Peaking Lights – The Fifth State Of Consciousness CD/2xLP (Two Flowers)
Peaking Lights’ fifth album is an exciting listening experience invoking a story of overcoming the shadow to rise above and painted with otherworldly sounds. It’s a 12-song, nearly 80-minute journey. Thru all its peaks and valleys, the larger arc of themes within The Fifth State are about dreams, loss of innocence, strength and seeking an enlightened state of being after trials and tribulations.
Roselit Bone – Blister Steel CD/LP (Friendship Fever)
The grandeur of Mexican ranchera and the innocence of Hollywood’s singing cowboys belie a savage, dystopian take on hot-rod rockabilly, surf music, Tex-Mex, and post-punk.
Saint Etienne – Home Counties CD/LP (Heavenly/PIAS America)
Saint Etienne grew up in the Home Counties. Here are sixteen new songs they have written about a day in the life of this doughnut of shires that ring the capital, punctuated by bursts of BBC radio to remind you what time it is, and all connected by train journeys – main lines, branch lines, commutes, escapes. It begins with “Something New,” and a teenage girl creeping through the front door after staying out all night. It stops at “Whyteleafe,” and imagines what might have happened if David Bowie had remained David Jones of Bromley, stuck with a desk job. It summons up the Enfield Poltergeist on “Heather,” and the anarchy of Essex’s Plotland settlers on “Sweet Arcadia.” “Train Drivers In Eyeliner” wonders what the railway network might be like if it was organized according to ASLEF’s (the label for releases by the UK train drivers trade union, Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen) taste in music.
Trapper Schoepp – Bay Beach Amuzement Park CD (Xtra Mile Recordings)
The Zippin Pippin was Elvis Presley’s favorite ride. The King rented Libertyland August 8, 1977 to entertain friends. Decked in a blue jumpsuit the King rode the Pippin repeatedly. Presley’s late-night joyride was his last public appearance. He died 8 days later. 40 years later, Milwaukee songwriter Trapper Schoepp celebrates that rollercoaster and the other rides at the Bay Beach Amusement Park (Green Bay, WI). This six-song collection takes listeners on six different rides with each track named for said ride.
ShitKid – Fish CD (Pnklsm)
ShitKid is the project of 24-year-old Åsa Söderqvist who made her debut in 2016 with a self-titled debut EP, which quickly propelled her into being one of the most talked about new acts in Sweden. Originally from the north of Sweden, Åsa moved to Gothenburg after high school, starting a feminist punk band and acting amongst other things, before turning inward and recording what would become her debut EP on a broken computer at home, while learning to use GarageBand. The end result was a distinct sound, mixing lo-fi sensibilities and catchy songwriting with Åsa’s unmistakeable vocals. [Vinyl edition due June 16.]
SikTh – Future In Whose Eyes CD/LP (Peaceville)
A keystone in the progressive metal genre, SikTh’s legacy gave the inspiration for bands like Protest The Hero, Periphery, TesseracT and Animals As Leaders following their hiatus in 2007. Now in 2017 the intense and enigmatic frontman Mikee Goodman is joined by Alias’ vocalist Joe Rosser for a unique double-vocal attack.
Skatalites – Skatalites: Independence Ska & The Far East Sound CD/2xLP (Soul Jazz)
A selection of some of the legendary ska band’s finest and hardest-to-find cuts made at Studio One between 1963-65. The album was originally released as a collectors’ 7” box set and is now available for the first time as a CD and double-LP edition complete with ten extra bonus tracks and new extensive sleeve notes.
Slim Cessna’s Auto Club – Ciper [Reissue/2008] CD (Virtual Label)
2008’s Cipher (originally released by Alternative Tentacles) features 15 tracks strung together loosely by a recurring refrain. As always, Slim Cessna’s Auto Club lays out an intricate arrangement of handmade stringed instruments (guitar, double bass, banjo, mandolin, etc.) with flawless musicianship, as well as the curious push-and-pull vocals by co-frontmen Slim Cessna and Jay Munly. [Vinyl reissue due June 16.]
Smidley – Smidley CD (Triple Crown)
Smidley is the new project from Foxing singer Conor Murphy. His dog’s name was Smidley. He was a black lab mutt and he loved him more than anyone he’d ever met. Now he’s dead and this band is called Smidley. Smidley features guest appearances by Cameron Boucher (Sorority Noise), Eric Slick (Dr Dog, Lithuania) and Ben Walsh (Tigers Jaw). For fans of The Shins, Car Seat Headrest, Tiger Jaw, Pinegrove and Frankie Cosmos.
Ferenc Snétberger/Anders Jormin/Joey Baron – Titok CD (ECM)
A warm and involving album, with an emphasis on intensely melodic improvisation and interaction which draws the listener gently into its sound-world. The rapport between Snétberger and Jormin is evident from the outset, as both guitar and bass explore the contours of Ferenc’s compositions. Throughout, Joey Baron’s drums and cymbals provide shading and texture with restraint and subtlety.
Omar Souleyman – To Syria, With Love CD/LP (Mad Decent)
To Syria, With Love is the third album from Syrian musician Omar Souleyman. The album is a departure musically and lyrically from his previous material, with focus on more elaborate keyboard and techno elements. Completely setting politics aside, Souleyman consciously shares this personal ode to his native country with an emphasis on his emotional connection to the land and people but not without heartache in view of the nation’s current state. “It’s been six years I’ve been away, and I’m tired of looking for home and asking about my loved ones. My soul is wounded and it’s like having dust in my eyes,” Souleyman says.
Soundtrack – Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie CD (Capitol)
Original soundtrack to the 2017 animated motion picture featuring “Weird Al” Yankovic’s “Captain Underpants Theme Song,” as well as tracks by Andy Grammar, Adam Lambert, Nathan Willett of Cold War Kids and Lil Yachty.
Leeroy Stagger – Love Versus CD/LP (True North)
The 11th studio album from the Canadian singer/songwriter, Love Versus marks Stagger’s first effort for True North Records, with label president Geoff Kulawick calling him “one of the most insightful songwriters I have ever come across. He has a gift for distilling complex images, commentary and concepts into brilliantly succinct lyrical one liners.” Stagger teamed up with Colin Stewart (Dan Mangan, Black Mountain, Yukon Blonde) to produce Love Versus, creating a dream band of drummer Pete Thomas (Elvis Costello), guitarist Paul Rigby (Neko Case), keyboardist Geoff Hilhorst (The Deep Dark Woods), and Stagger’s longtime bassist Tyson Maiko. It’s been said before that love is a battlefield, and on Love Versus, Leeroy Stagger comes well-armed. His ever-evolving fusion of roots, rock and pop reaches new heights on the album, resulting in ten tracks that confirm his status as one of Canada’s best contemporary singer/songwriters.
Stevie Stone – Level Up CD (Strange Music)
New album from St. Louis rapper featuring production from Scott Storch, 808 Mafia, The Mechanics, Chris Knox and more.
Tanzania Albinism Collective – White African Power CD (Six Degrees)
The latest project from acclaimed producer Ian Brennan (Zomba Prison Project, Tinariwen).
23 songs recorded by the persecuted Albinos of Tanzania. (A mini-documentary has been created and will be released later in 2017.)
Tengger Cavalry – Die On My Ride CD (M-Theory Music)
Global music award-winning nomadic folk metal group Tengger Cavalry return with Die On My Ride which delivers the potent, inimitable metal-meets-Mongolian/Central Asian world music sound that diehard fans have come to know and love, while incorporating more personal, topical themes of racial discrimination, identity, equal rights and freedom. [Vinyl edition due June 30.]
TOPS – Sugar At The Gate CD/LP (Arbutus)
For Sugar At The Gate, Montreal’s TOPS peaced out to L.A. They lived and recorded at “Glamdale,” a mini-mansion and former brothel located in the Jewel City, Glendale, California. The unassuming record unfolds slowly, taking time to reveal itself. Like nearly everything TOPS does, multiple meanings overlap with the album’s title referring to orgasm, but also to carrot chasing, gatekeeping, and the social contract. “Living in L.A. was living out a teenage fantasy,” says vocalist-songwriter Jane Penny, “living with your band and practicing in the garage. It was also the first time we’ve ever had that much space to make music. I took the experience of living L.A. as a challenge to make music that I know is real to me, in the sense of it feeling true and containing true feelings, but also recordings of great songs, the real thing.” Layers of sarcasm and sincerity seem to enfold the group like flower petals, yet TOPS’ flawless musicianship and profound grasp of pop fundamentals are the surest sign that at the core, it’s all as real as it sounds. [Limited edition yellow color vinyl pressing also available.]
John Trudell – AKA Grafitti Man [Reissue/1992] CD/2xLP+MP3 (Inside Recordings)
AKA Graffiti Man is John Trudell’s iconic 1992 album, lauded by Bob Dylan as the best album that year in Rolling Stone (Dylan and the Grateful Dead also played it during show intermissions on their 1992 summer tour). A portion of the label proceeds from this reissue go to the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe to help support the efforts against the Dakota Pipeline (Trudell, who passed away late last year, was a Dakota Native American).
Unity – Unity CD/LP+CD (Steamhammer)
When haunting songs at the interface between hard rock and melodic metal meet with the excellent musical skills and extensive experience of all musicians involved, the result is bound to be brilliant.
Unleash The Archers – Apex CD/2xLP (Napalm)
Fourth album from the heavy metal heroes.
U2 – The Joshua Tree [Reissue/1987] CD/2xCD/4xCD/2xLP/7xLP (Island)
To mark 30 years since the release of U2’s fifth studio album The Joshua Tree, a variety of anniversary editions of this seminal record are now available. The Deluxe edition includes a live recording of The Joshua Tree Tour 1987 Madison Square Garden concert; The Super Deluxe edition adds additional rarities and B-sides from the album’s original recording sessions as well as 2017 remixes from Daniel Lanois, St Francis Hotel, Jacknife Lee, Steve Lillywhite and Flood, plus an 84-page hardback book of unseen personal photography shot by The Edge during the original Mojave Desert photo session in 1986.
Vallenfyre – Fear Those Who Fear Him CD/LP+CD (Century Media)
Inspired by the likes of Hellhammer/Celtic Frost, Autopsy, Antisect, Discharge, Nihilist/Entombed, early Napalm Death, early Bathory, and Conflict, Vallenfyre have forged a trademark sound between rotting death metal driven by a chainsaw like guitar sound, filthy doses of crust and early grind as well as crushing, depraved doom. [Limited silver color vinyl pressing also available.]
Various Artists – Mavis Staples I’ll Take You There: An All-Star Concert Celebration CD/2xCD+DVD (Blackbird Presents)
A historic, all-star concert featuring over twenty performances spanning many genres by artists including Gregg Allman, Win Butler & Regine Chassagne of Arcade Fire, Eric Church, Emmylou Harris, Bonnie Raitt, Jeff Tweedy and many more. Filmed at Chicago’s historic Auditorium Theatre, this performance brought some of the biggest names in music together to honor the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer and American icon. Throughout an unparalleled career that spans over six decades, Staples soulful songs of justice and equality have become a soundtrack for the Civil Rights Movement, and inspired multiple generations of artists. In addition to the performances, I’ll Take You There includes exclusive interviews with many of the artists, exploring Staples cultural and musical impact. The Deluxe Edition includes six extra songs plus a DVD of the entire concert including two songs not included in the broadcast version.
The Veldt – The Shocking Fuzz Of Your Electric Fur: The Drake Equation CD/LP (Schoolkids)
Shoegaze legends The Veldt return with their first new recording in fifteen years. “The new songs invite paradoxical praise: serenely assaultive and vertiginously soothing.” – The Guardian
Arthur Verocai – Encore [Reissue/2007] CD/LP (Far Out Recordings)
Encore was the highly anticipated follow up to Arthur’s eponymous debut album from 1972, which saw him joining the dots over 35 years to create a modern classic of Brazilian music that, like his debut, combined Brazilian influences with his take on American soul and cinematic experimentation. Tenth anniversary reissue, now available for the first time on vinyl.
Wheeler Walker Jr. – Ol’ Wheeler CD (Pepper Hill)
The biggest story of Wheeler Walker Jr.’s (alter ego of comic Ben Hoffman) second album Ol’ Wheeler is that everyone thought his 2016 coming out party Redneck Sh*t was a one-note joke. With more complex instrumentation – producer Dave Cobb (Sturgill Simpson, Chris Stapleton, Jason Isbell) and the same backing band of session men from Redneck Sh*t are behind the new album – and more serious themes about life on the road and the expectations from being Nashville’s enemy number one, Wheeler has turned his life into filthy art. [Vinyl edition due June 30.]
Roger Waters – Is This The Life We Really Want? CD/2xLP+MP3 (Columbia)
Roger Waters, the creative power and song writing force behind Pink Floyd, returns with his first rock album in 25 years, Is This The Life We Really Want? Waters’ last studio album, 1992’s Amused To Death, was a prescient study of popular culture, exploring the power of television in the era of the First Gulf War. The long-awaited follow-up is an unflinching commentary on the modern world and uncertain times and serves as a natural successor to classic Pink Floyd albums such as Animals and The Wall. Produced and mixed by Nigel Godrich (Radiohead, Paul McCartney, Beck, U2), Is This The Life We Really Want? includes 12 new Waters musical compositions and studio performances. Contributing musicians are: Roger Waters (vocals, acoustic, bass), Nigel Godrich (arrangement, sound collages, keyboards, guitar), Gus Seyffert (bass, guitar, keyboards), Jonathan Wilson (guitar, keyboards), Joey Waronker (drums), Roger Manning (keyboards), Lee Pardini (keyboards), and Lucius (vocals) with Jessica Wolfe and Holly Proctor.
Wednesday 13 – Condolences CD/2xLP (Nuclear Blast)
A grimly glamorous ghoul who first slithered from the cobwebbed shadows of Charlotte, North Carolina, in the early ‘90s, Wednesday 13 has firmly established himself as the world’s premier purveyor of balls-out horror punk insanity. [Limited grey and black color vinyl pressing also available.]
The Who – Live At The Isle Of Wight 2004 2xCD+DVD (Eagle Rock Entertainment)
In 2004 The Who returned to the Isle Of Wight Festival for the first time since their legendary performance in 1970. Their UK concerts in 2004 were the first in their home country since the death of founder member John Entwistle.
Gary Wilson and Tredici Bacci – Another Lonely Night In Brooklyn CD/LP+CD (Feeding Tube)
This New York City unit formed to perform classic-era faux Italian film music, but they really find their own special place as Gary’s backing group. Wilson’s best songs of longing and loss have always been built around strong narrative centers as much as melodies, but Tredici Bacci’s expansive accompaniment manages to give these narratives a width that is positively cinematic…The songs are not re-cast, but they feel a lot less compressed now, and this open-ness gives them a universality they didn’t always have.
This Week’s Vinyl Exclusives:
Brokeback – Field Recordings From The Cook County Water Table [Reissue/1999] LP+MP3 (Thrill Jockey)
Brokeback – Looks At The Bird [Reissue/2002] LP+MP3 (Thrill Jockey)
Brokeback is the solo project of Douglas McCombs of Tortoise, The Sea And Cake and various other outlets. The group’s first two albums are gorgeous listens, combining natural noises with subtle instrumentation from musicians including John McEntire and Rob Mazurek. Reissued on vinyl for the first time.
Buffalo Tom – Let Me Come Over [Reissue/1992] 2xLP (Beggars Banquet)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. 25th Anniversary Edition featuring the original album plus a previously unreleased live show from 1992. Previously loosely linked with fellow travelers Dinosaur Jr. and Uncle Tupelo via a similar three-piece format, stunning depth of songwriting and association with Boston’s Fort Apache Studios – it’s not hard to imagine Buffalo Tom wanted to stake a claim stylistically with their third album, Let Me Come Over.
Vic Chesnutt – Silver Lake [Reissue/2003] 2xLP+MP3 (New West)
At the time Silver Lake was recorded, you could count on two things with Vic Chesnutt: he would approach any topic, from the delicate to the mundane and he would take an unexpected angle. With an incisive eye and razor wit, he would always cut straight to the heart of the matter.
Merry Clayton – Gimme Shelter [Reissue/1970] LP (Real Gone Music)
White color vinyl reissue of an overlooked soul classic. (Clayton’s most famous vocal turn, of course, was her 1969 duet (“It’s just a shot away!”).
Amber Coffman – City Of No Reply LP+MP3 (Sony)
New solo album from the former guitarist/singer for the Dirty Projectors.
Avishai Cohen – Cross My Palm With Silver LP (ECM)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. For his second ECM album Avishai Cohen presents a program which puts the focus on the ensemble, on teamwork, with a quartet of the highest caliber. The adroit, almost telepathic interplay among the musicians allows Cohen to soar, making it clear why he is one of the most talked-about jazz musicians on the contemporary scene.
Davey Suicide/Twiztid – Too Many Freaks 10” (Majik Ninja)
After touring together in 2015, Davey Suicide has produced songs for Twiztid and now they have finally collaborated on a track together for the first time. This limited edition 10”vinyl features Davey Suicide and Twiztid on one side with a song by each artist on the B-side.
Dave Davies & Russ Davies – Open Road LP (Red River)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. “Dave Davies certainly doesn’t have to put any more music out into the world to secure his status as one of rock and roll’s true living legends. The lead guitarist of The Kinks changed the game when he first sliced his amp speaker with a razor blade, and his crunchy riffs have inspired punk and heavy metal bands for no less than half a century. Not what we’d call a shabby legacy. So, why bother with a new album? Well, you can call it a family thing. For his new album Open Road, Davies collaborated with his son Russ — a successful electronic musician in his own right — to create a collection of “good, honest, traditional songs” that play to each songwriter’s strengths.” – Consequence Of Sound
The Doobie Brothers – The Doobie Brothers [Reissue/1971] LP (Friday Music)
180gm audiophile reissue of The Doobie Brothers’ debut album.
Emperor X – Oversleepers International LP (Tiny Engines)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Chad Matheny, who Alternative Press described as “a spastic, legally blind, nomadic songwriter whose performances transform venues/living rooms/arts spaces into punk rock micro-raves,” has been releasing music under the Emperor X moniker since 1998. His recordings and live shows fuse the punk songwriter tradition of Billy Bragg with the experimental tape loop minimalism of William Basinski, and reveal incurable obsessions with transportation infrastructure, modernist literature, and lo-fi Chicago house tracks.
Evanescence – Fallen [2003] LP (Bicycle Music Company)
Evanescence – The Open Door [2006] 2xLP (Bicycle Music Company)
Evanescence – Evanescence [2011] LP (Bicycle Music Company)
Now available as separate vinyl editions (previously collected in the Ultimate Collection vinyl box set that was released earlier this year.)
Foreigner – 40 2xLP (Atlantic)
The best songs from Foreigner’s nine studio albums on a double-LP set.
The Garden – The Life And Times Of A Paperclip LP/Cassette (Burger)
The Garden is a constantly evolving, conceptual punk band based in Orange County, California. Established in in 2011 by twin brothers Wyatt and Fletcher Shears, the band consistently defies categorization and continues to break ground in their self-inflicted Vada Vada genre. They are the auditory invaders of the new world; borderless, informed and decentralized, slick sound released from constraint and old ideologies. [CD version due June 16.]
Ethan Gruska – Slowmotionary LP (Sire)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Ethan Gruska’s solo debut embraces a range of sounds and styles, with influences from jazz and folk to ambient and alternative. It integrates everything into a whole that is original, idiosyncratic, and embraces its own imperfections. “I really tried to let that humanity in and to not only leave these quirky blemishes in, but to highlight them,” says Gruska. “I didn’t want perfect. I wanted true. I wanted honest.” He made room for a little serendipity in his creative process, sensing that too calculated an approach would diminish the impact of the music. That spontaneity provided a wonderful counterpoint to his thoughtful and revealing lyrics. Showcasing Gruska’s hushed vocals and subtle arrangements, these songs resonate with the intimacy of an internal monologue, as though we’re sharing in his darkest worries. The results are beautifully minimalist: songs as whispered confidences, with what Gruska calls an “arctic” sound, windswept and cold, befitting lyrics that depict moments frozen in time.
Hatebreed – The Concrete Confessional LP (Nuclear Blast)
Hatebreed’s latest album now available on limited edition picture disc vinyl.
I Marc 4 – G.L.P. 1001 [Reissue/1970] LP (Sonor Music Editions)
I Marc 4 – G.L.P. 1002 [Reissue/1970] LP (Sonor Music Editions)
Rare soundtrack and library music recordings from the trio of Maurizio Majorana (bass), Antonello Vannucci (Hammond/piano), Roberto Podio (drums/percussion) and Carlo Pes (guitar).
K. Flay – Everywhere Is Somewhere LP (Night Street/Interscope)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. New album from the indie rock/hip-hop artist citing influences such as Cat Power, Tame Impala & M.I.A.
Syl Johnson – Uptown Shakedown [Reissue/1979] LP (Fat Possum)
Vinyl reissue of the 1979 album from the Hi Records soul legend.
Jerry Lee Lewis – Live From Austin, TX 2xLP+MP3 (New West)
Recorded October 17, 1983. For many years, Jerry Lee would carry a tape of this show to play for friends (and himself, many times).
Maxim Ludwig – Libra-Scorpio Cusp LP (Hit City USA)
In experience and attitude, Maxim Ludwig is a man of extremes. He has lived life with violent immoderation, recklessly drunk too much or praised the virtues of his own sobriety, eaten to excess or not at all, slept days away or skipped nights of sleeping, worked obsessively for glory or laid about with unbridled laziness. Out of joy, adventure and abandon, fiercely unafraid of consequences, he is the honest instigator in the tradition of R.P. McMurphy, Serge Gainsbourg and Norman Mailer, a true romantic artist irreverent to all but his craft. On Ludwig’s debut album we find our hero at ease by night, brimming with eccentric charisma that’s half beatnik, half Rat Pack, showing an uncanny knack for rock and roll with desperate vocals and funky grooves.
Moon Duo – Killing Time [Reissue/2009] 12” (Sacred Bones)
Limited edition red color vinyl reissue. For the uninitiated: Moon Duo is the solo alter-ego of Wooden Shjips guitarist and singer Ripley Johnson. Under the Moon Duo moniker Johnson creates expansive Krautrock influenced tapestries of warm cascading fuzz and controlled feedback, organ, and accenting keyboard. This four-song 12” is the second release and incorporates a much more concise, composed and driving sound than before. Highly recommended.
Joey Negro – Produced With Love 3xLP (Z. Records)
An extraordinary album from UK legend Joey Negro: a buoyant, life-affirming, disco-inspired album.
Willie Nelson – The Willie Way [Reissue/1972] LP (Friday Music)
180gm translucent red colored vinyl LP pressing, housed in a gatefold sleeve.
Overlake – Fall CD/LP (Bar/None)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. New Jersey based Overlake has been playing their My Bloody Valentine inspired rock ‘n’ roll since 2012. Fall is truly epic; their trademark layered guitars and breathy harmonies are complimented by sparse, sprinkled piano and elegiac, mournful violin courtesy of longtime friend Claudia Chopek.
Periphery – Periphery [Reissue/2010] 2xLP (Sumerian)
Fans of highly rhythmic and complex progressive metal (Meshuggah/Between The Buried And Me) will love Periphery.
Tom Petty And The Torpedoes – Damn The Torpedoes [Reissue/1979] LP (Geffen)
Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers – Hard Promises [Reissue/1980] LP (Geffen)
Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers – Long After Dark [Reissue/1982] LP (Geffen)
Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers – Southern Accents [Reissue/1985] LP (Geffen)
Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers – Pack Up The Plantation – Live! [Reissue/1985] 2xLP (Geffen)
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers – Let Me Up (I’ve Had Enough) [Reissue/1987] LP (Geffen)
Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers – Into The Great The Wide Open [Reissue/1991] LP (Geffen)
Tom Petty – Full Moon Fever [Reissue/1989] LP (Geffen)
Nice vinyl reissues now available.
Iggy Pop – The Idiot [Reissue/1977] LP (Virgin)
Iggy Pop – Lust For Life [Reissue/1977] LP (Virgin)
Iggy Pop – TV Eye 1977 Live [Reissue/1978] LP (Virgin)
Sorta nice 120gm vinyl reissues now available.
Rodrigo Y Gabriela – Rodrigo Y Gabriela [Reissue/2006] 2xLP (ATO)
Recently released on CD – now available on 180gm heavyweight vinyl. Includes Rodrigo y Gabriela (nine-track 2016 remaster) and Live At The Olympia Theatre 2006.
Bob Seger – Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man [Reissue/1969] LP (Capitol)
Bob Seger – Greatest Hits [Reissue/1994] 2xLP (Capitol)
Pure Seger.
Two Inch Astronaut – Can You Please Not Help LP (Exploding In Sound)
T.I.A.’s J. Robbins produced new album is built around pop-centric exploration and reflective songwriting.
Various Artists – Soul Jazz Presents: Studio One Scorcher [Reissue/2002] 3xLP (Soul Jazz)
Vinyl reissue of a collection of instrumental tracks spanning the years from the late-’60s rocksteady vogue through the onset of dancehall.
Laura Veirs – Troubled By The Fire [Reissue/2003] LP (Raven Marching Band)
“If Gillian Welch floats your boat, chances are Laura Veirs will, too, though her take on homespun Appalachia is tempered by modernist tendencies.”– Uncut
Whitney – You’ve Got A Woman b/w Gonna Hurry (As Slow As I Can) 7” (Polyvinyl)
Ever since they wrote Light Upon The Lake as Chicago froze around them during winter 2014, Whitney have tried to make the kind of songs they’d be jealous of if someone else got there first. “You’ve Got A Woman,” released on the B-side of Dutch duo Lion’s 1975 psych-pop 7″ But I Do, is precisely one of those songs.
Cassettes:
The Garden – The Life And Times Of A Paperclip (Burger)
The Garden is a constantly evolving, conceptual punk band based in Orange County, California. Established in in 2011 by twin brothers Wyatt and Fletcher Shears, the band consistently defies categorization and continues to break ground in their self-inflicted Vada Vada genre. They are the auditory invaders of the new world; borderless, informed and decentralized, slick sound released from constraint and old ideologies. [CD version due June 16.]
Roya – Roya (Burger)
Roya, the poetic Persian name of a little girl means an ominous dream, a mind trip, a fantasy. Such was the vision lead singer Rahill Jamalifard first had when hatching the idea for the band. A moody and seductive tone set against a primitive and surreal soundscape, lending its voice to somber echoes and jangles of post punk and psychedelia. [CD and vinyl editions due June 16.]
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