CDs + Vinyl:
Barb Wire Dolls – Rub My Mind CD/LP (Motörhead Music)
Fronted by the whip-smart vocal and fashion icon Isis Queen (named after the Greek Goddess herself), Crete, Greece band Barb Wire Dolls intelligently weave sub-genres of punk, grunge, and metal, producing an urgent sound that is truly unique.
Beatrix Players – Magnified CD/LP (Cadiz Music)
Beatrix Players is a London-based all-female trio who make florid, adventurous music that operates at the interface between folk, singer-songwriter acoustica, prog and quasi classical baroque chamber pop.
Chris Bell – Looking Forward: The Roots Of Big Star CD (Omnivore)
This 22-track collection chronicles music made by and with Bell before Big Star’s iconic #1 Record—from bands with imaginative names like Rock City, Christmas Future, Icewater, The Wallabys, and more. It examines Bell’s progress as a writer, performer, and engineer leading up to Big Star in which the sounds and roots of Big Star are completely evident.
Blind Guardian – Live Beyond The Spheres 3xCD/4xLP (Nuclear Blast America)
A 22-track, three-CD live collection by the power metal band spanning the band’s 30 year, ten album career.
Randall Bramblett – Juke Joint At The Edge Of The World CD/LP+MP3 (New West)
“Juke Joint At The Edge Of The World is a record that reflects the freedom my bandmates and I have found playing together in the last few years. Some of the places we play are like the old juke joints where people dance and shout – from these people and places we’ve found the energy we need to be free to shake the music up. Now, when we improvise we know it’s going to take us to a new and better musical place. Time listening and working together has given us that. The result is that this record has more of a ‘live in the studio’ feel to it. It’s also rooted more in the soul and R&B dance music I grew up listening to and playing. Less thinking and more playing. Less analyzing and more fun.”
Broken Social Scene – Hug Of Thunder CD/2xLP (Arts & Crafts)
On Hug Of Thunder the 15 members of Broken Social Scene – well, the 15 who play on the record, including returnees Leslie Feist and Emily Haines – refract their varying emotions, methods, and techniques into something that doesn’t just equal their other albums, but surpasses them. It is righteous but warm, angry but loving, melodic but uncompromising. The title track on its own might just be the best thing you will hear all year – a song that might become as beloved as “Anthems For a Seventeen-Year-Old Girl” from their breakthrough album, You Forgot It In People. The album’s title, Kevin Drew says, captured what he wanted people to feel about the group’s comeback, and how they sound playing together again: “It’s just such a wonderful sentiment about us, coming in like a hug of thunder.” In troubled times it offers a serotonin rush of positivity: “Stay Happy” lives up to its title, with huge surges of brass that sound like sunshine bursting through clouds. “Gonna Get Better” makes a promise that the album is determined to deliver. That’s not to say it’s an escapist record: Broken Social Scene is completely engaged, wholly focused, and not ignoring the darkness that lurks outside. But there is no hectoring, no lecturing, but a recognition of the confusion and ambiguity of the world.
Death SS – In Death Of Steve Silvester [Reissue/1989] CD/LP (Shadow Kingdom)
Death SS – Black Mass [Reissue/1989] CD/LP (Shadow Kingdom)
Death SS – Heavy Demons [Reissue/1991] CD/LP (Shadow Kingdom)
One of the most cult names in international heavy metal, Italy’s Death SS have influenced numerous acts over the past three decades in their long, twisted history, equally impacting the nascent speed metal and black metal scenes with their trademark ghoulish and theatrical presentation. Their first three albums are back in-print on CD and vinyl.
Decapitated – Anticult CD/LP (Nuclear Blast America)
Seventh album from the Polish metal band. [Limited “bone with blood splatter” vinyl edition also available.]
Discipline – Captives Of The Wine Dark Sea CD (Laser’s Edge)
Detroit, MI’s Discipline has performed and recorded together since 1987, and remains one of the top bands in the American progressive rock scene. [Vinyl edition due July 21.]
Flatfoot 56 – Odd Boat CD/LP (Sailor’s Grave)
Playing a positive-natured brand of hardcore-tinged Celtic punk, Flatfoot 56 has been unleashing itself upon America and the rest of the world for over 16 years. “The tallest man in punk rock music, Tobin Bawinkel and his band of merry Celtic brethren have done it again. Towering at 6’10“, the gentle giant of punk rock comes out swinging with the first track, ‘Ty Cobb.’ His signature gravelly, husky voice continues to stand tall amidst his Celtic punk rock counterparts. The song starts with a clip of a baseball game announcer that mixes smoothly with the guitar and then, alas, the bagpipes jump in. The second track keeps up the tone and doesn’t disappoint. A lead guitar part is thrown in and is a bit of a departure from their prior albums, but it seems to blend perfectly. Indeed, Odd Boat is yet another jewel in the Flatfoot catalog. I can’t really find anything wrong with this album. It has solid production, amazing bagpipe and mandolin parts that are all mixed perfectly with the rest of the band.” – Indie Vision Music
Great Grandpa – Plastic Cough CD/LP/Cassette (Double Double Whammy)
The debut full length from Seattle WA’s Great Grandpa is bursting with grunge and pop sensibilities focused around the legendary indie rock sound that’s dominated the Pacific Northwest music scene for the past three decades. [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Haim – Something To Tell You CD/2xLP (Columbia)
Something To Tell You is the sophomore album from Haim. When the time came to record the album’s eleven tracks, Haim decided to “go in and record as a band, keeping it a little more organic. That was kind of a mission statement for the album” offered Danielle Haim. The group first announced the release of Something To Tell You with an in-studio video version of album track “Right Now,” which was shot and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson (Magnolia, Boogie Nights). Haim then released the single “Want You Back,” which Rolling Stone described as having “a Hot 100 ready sheen.” Pitchfork gave “Want You Back” its coveted Best New Track saying “Haim are pulling the rug out from under our feet in the run-up to releasing their second album.” Entertainment Weekly declared “Want You Back” sees HAIM returning to their sonic roots as a funky, pop-inspired trio, complete with groovy strings, sprightly percussion, a soulful chorus, and a spritz of electronic sheen.”
Heaven In Her Arms – White Halo CD/LP (Translation Loss)
Third full-length from Japanese post-metal hardcore band. Heaven In Her Arms combine post rock, hardcore, metal and early-‘90s screamo. RIYL: Envy, Touché Amoré, Funeral Diner, City Of Caterpillar, Loma Prieta, PG.99 and Circle Takes The Square.
Impure Wilhelmina – Radiation CD/LP (Season Of Mist)
Veteran post-hardcore troupe Impure Wilhelmina has been crafting evocative and deeply moving heavy rock for twenty years. Radiation is 10-track collection that gracefully traverses the peaks and valleys of human emotion, and underscores their command of intense, melodic, and expressive post-hardcore.
Sarah Jaffe – Bad Baby CD/LP (Kirtland)
“Throughout her career, Texas singer-songwriter Sarah Jaffe has allowed her sound to expand and evolve in exciting ways. From the beginning, she’s had a tremendous knack for heartsick ballads, but she’s also grown increasingly adept at vibrant electro-pop that incorporates her career’s detours into film scoring and even hip-hop. Jaffe’s two most recent albums, 2012’s The Body Wins and 2014’s Don’t Disconnect, showcase a fascination with science and machinery, with a futuristic sound to match. Now, on Bad Baby, she sounds as versatile as ever in songs that mix spiky synth-pop with softer, slower-burning reflections on the way human beings interact.” — WUWM
Ahmad Jamal – Marseille CD (Jazz Village)
New album by the legendary pianist and composer. [Vinyl edition due July 28.]
Jay-Z – 4:44 CD (Roc Nation)
Jay-Z’s first album since Magna Carta … Holy Grail in 2013 — 4:44 features 10 intensely personal and provocative tracks that include a few references to the marriage-baring “Lemonade” album by his wife, Beyoncé, and the recent birth of their twins.
Limbonic Art – Spectre Abysm CD (Spinefarm)
Norway’s black metal masters make their long awaited return with their first new album in almost eight years. [Vinyl edition due July 21.]
Melvins – A Walk With Love And Death 2xCD/2xLP (Ipecac)
Melvin’s first double-album find the trio of Buzz Osborne, Dale Crover, and Steve McDonald showcasing two distinct sides to the band’s music: Death, a proper Melvins’ release, and Love, the score to the Jesse Nieminen directed, self-produced short also titled A Walk With Love And Death. “This was a huge undertaking,” explained band ringleader Buzz Osborne. “All three things: the album, the soundtrack, and the film are benchmarks for us.” Drummer Dale Crover added, “A Walk With Love And Death is one giant, dark, moody, psychotic head trip! Not for the faint of heart. You’ll sleep with the lights on after listening.” The albums, which include guests Joey Santiago (The Pixies), Teri Gender Bender (Le Butcherettes/Crystal Fairy) and Anna Waronker (That Dog), were self-produced with engineer Toshi Kosai. [Limited pink vinyl pressing also available.]
M.O.D. – Busted, Broke & American CD/LP (Megaforce)
New album from veteran crossover/thrash band Method Of Destruction — a mix of hardcore, punk rock, and thrash.
Daniel Martin Moore – Turned Over To Dreams CD/LP (Sofaburn)
The idea for Turned Over To Dreams came after Daniel Martin Moore learned that close friends of his were using one of his previous albums as a bedtime lullaby routine for their children. So he decided to make some new recordings to help out.
Laura Nyro – A Little Magic, A Little Kindness: The Complete Mono Albums Collection 2xCD (Real Gone Music)
Both of Nyro’s original mono albums newly-remastered: More Than A New Discovery, originally released on Verve Folkways in 1967 and Eli And The Thirteenth Confession, originally released on Columbia in 1968.
Pickwick – Can’t Talk Medicine [Reissue/2013 CD/LP (Small Press)
Pickwick – LoveJoys CD/LP (Small Press)
Two albums from the KEXP favorites: a reissue of their 2013 debut and new album LoveJoys. Slinky, sinewy, and articulate, LoveJoys pulses with a palpable confidence. Hypnotically intricate, just-right sonic ornamentation shimmers around a thick, undulating bed of propulsive rhythm. [Limited purple vinyl pressing of LoveJoys also available.]
Public Service Broadcasting – Every Valley CD/LP (PIAS America)
Every Valley is Public Service Broadcasting’s third album. The album’s theme is focused on the industrialization decline of south Wales: It’s centered around coal mining but it’s a story which has been told around the western world and is particularly relevant given the current political climate. Known for their use of narrators from historical footage played over music, Every Valley, finds Public Service Broadcasting expanding with special guests vocals from James Dean Bradfield of Manic Street Preachers and Tracyanne Campbell of Camera Obscura. “At first, Public Service Broadcasting’s music scans as a lighthearted gimmick: A stripped-down band — led by a guy billed as ‘J. Willgoose, Esq.’ — performs dramatic instrumentals over voiceovers from old newsreels, documentaries, propaganda and public-service materials. But as the U.K. group releases its third album, it’s striking how sturdy and versatile that sound has become.” – NPR
Radiohead – OK Computer OKNOTOK 1997 2017 2xCD/3xLP+Cassette+MP3 (XL)
OKNOTOK features the original OK Computer twelve track album, eight B-sides, and the Radiohead completist’s dream: “I Promise,” “Lift,” and “Man Of War.” The original studio recordings of these three previously unreleased and long sought after OK Computer-era tracks finally receive their first official issue on OKNOTOK. [Vinyl edition includes a C90 cassette mix tape taken from OK Computer session archives and demo tapes and a notebook containing 104 pages from Thom Yorke’s library of scrawled notes of the time. Limited colored vinyl pressing due July 21.]
River Black – River Black CD/LP (Season Of Mist)
“River Black is an emotional reaction; an answer to the call of today’s heavy music. It is a creative process that journeys to the heart and soul; purging all the good, the bad and the ugly along the way. River Black was formed by guitarist John Adubato and drummer Dave Witte after the dissolution of Burnt By The Sun. The duo felt the need to keep the spirit and energy behind that going, pushing it a darker and heavier direction than anything in their collective past, and enlisted long-time friend and bassist Brett Bamberger. After working through a few different line-ups, the trio brought vocalist Mike Olender into the fold. Witte explains, ‘I’ve always had a strong connection with John and his riffs. Somehow, he’s able to pull things out of me drumming-wise that no one else can. I found a rhythm partner and brother in Brett over the years, so those two together are the ultimate wing men for me so-to-speak. Adding Mike back into the fold was the puzzle piece that had been missing the whole time we’ve been working on this project.’” – New Noise Magazine
Lucy Rose – Something’s Changing CD/LP (Arts & Crafts)
Like all folkloric stories, the making of Something’s Changing has a certain degree of serendipity. While on a quick break from the hectic tour commitments of Lucy’s top 10 charting second album Work It Out, she noticed a steady stream of tweets reaching her from Latin America. This was in addition to the unlikely statistic that her music’s most listened to city on Spotify was Mexico City. This insight gave birth to the seed of an idea that became a real labor of love over the next six months.
Ulrich Schnauss – No Further Ahead Than Today CD/2xLP (Scripted Realities/PIAS America)
At once uplifting and otherworldly, the music of Schnauss combines multilayered synthesizers with beats and ethereal vocals, serving as an aural escape route from the trappings of reality.
Del Shannon – The Dublin Sessions CD/LP (Rockbeat)
Previously unreleased album from 1977. Del Shannon was a consistent hit maker in the early 1960s.
Keely Smith – Little Girl Blue, Little Girl New [Reissue/1963] CD (Real Gone Music)
First-time CD edition of the jazz singer’s (Louis Prima/Frank Sinatra) debut album on Reprise.
The Tardo Hammer Trio – Swinging On A Star CD (Cellar Live)
Propulsive and swinging from top to bottom, Tardo Hammer sets a high bar for piano trio playing with Swinging On A Star. Buoyed by bassist Lee Hudson and master drummer Steve Williams, Hammer is at once earthy and ethereal in his nine-tune program that ranges from Gil Evans to Monk. Whether tearing into searing up-tempo bop lines, or laying into a relaxed groove, the trio plays with verve and style.
This Is The Kit – Moonshine Freeze CD/LP (Rough Trade)
This Is The Kit, led by Paris-by-way-of-Bristol vocalist and songwriter Kate Stables along with the core trio of Rozi Plain, Jamie Whitby-Coles, and Neil Smith, as well as a revolving cast of horn players, additional percussionists, strings, and others, worked with producer John Parish on new album Moonshine Freeze. Parish’s known brilliance for capturing a close-mic’ed vocal is felt here: Stables’ uniquely-textured voice is brought to the fore, and – following the tradition of exquisitely strange troubadours like Karen Dalton, Will Oldham, or Robert Wyatt – is simply arresting. [Limited red vinyl pressing also available.]
Toro y Moi – Boo Boo CD/LP+MP3 (Carpark)
“After 7 years of touring and recording, I found myself becoming self-conscious about my position in life as a ‘famous’ person, or at least my version of whatever that is. My dreams had become my reality, yet I was somehow unable to accept this new environment. I couldn’t help but fall into what might be described as an identity crisis. A feedback loop of fearful thoughts left me feeling confused. I felt as though I no longer knew what it was that I actually wanted and needed in and out of life, and at times I felt unable to even tell what was real. During this time of personal turmoil, I turned to music as a form of therapy, and it helped me cope with the pain that I was feeling. I’d listen to the same ambient song over and over again, trying to insulate myself from reality. I fell in love with space again. By the time I felt ready to begin working on a new record, I knew that this idea of space within music would be something that propelled my new work forward. The artists that were influencing what I was making included everyone from Travis Scott to Daft Punk, Frank Ocean to Oneohtrix Point Never, Kashif and Gigi Masin. I recognized that the common thread between these artists was their attention to a feeling of space, or lack thereof. I decided that I wanted to make a pop record with these ideas in mind. That idea for a record is what eventually became Boo Boo.”
Tristen – Sneaker Waves CD/LP+MP3 (Modern Outsider)
A native of South Side Chicago turned longtime Nashville resident, Tristen has released two critically acclaimed solo records – 2011’s Charlatans At The Garden Gate and 2013’s Caves – and toured extensively as a member of Jenny Lewis’ backing band. The folk-oriented Charlatans earned her praise as “Nashville’s best-kept secret” (The Boston Globe), and the more synth-pop-oriented Caves featured “tales of greed, alienation and heartache, made poignant but never saccharine by their electronically enhanced surroundings” (Nashville Scene). Now an established touring musician with finely tuned chops and a knack for lashing exceptional melodies to her singularly poetic lyrics, she travels with a practiced backing trio of top-notch Nashville sidemen. [Limited cloudy translucent vinyl edition also available.]
Twista – Crook County CD (GMG Entertainment)
New album from the rapper featuring Vic Spencer, Supa Bwe, Cap1, Blac Youngsta & B. Scott, Bodi Deeder, The Boy Illinois, Jeremih, and YP.
Steve Vai – Modern Primitive CD (Favored Nations)
Seventh installment in the Secret Jewel Box. “The bulk of the music on Modern Primitive was either written or recorded in between my first solo record Flex-Able (1984) and my second solo record, Passion And Warfare (1990).”
Various Artists – The Complete Loma Singles Vol. 1 2xCD (Real Gone Music)
The first of four volumes collecting 100+ singles from the ‘60s soul and R&B label.
Rhonda Vincent & Daryle Singletary – American Grandstand CD (Upper Management)
Not since George & Tammy and Conway & Loretta has there been a vocal duet performance like Rhonda Vincent & Daryle Singletary, two of the greatest singers in this generation of country music. Their special ability to turn a note is unmatched, and that magical sound pierces the heart and soul of anyone who loves traditional country music.
Violent Femmes – Two Mics & The Truth: Unplugged & Unhinged In America CD/LP+MP3 (PIAS America)
Violent Femmes’ new live album, 2 Mics & The Truth: Unplugged & Unhinged in America, includes rearranged classics, songs played live for the first time, spontaneous requests and random improvisations. While visiting radio stations to support their latest record I Can Do Anything, Violent Femmes and their talented backing band of multi-instrumentalists recorded this live record using special equipment and recording techniques to capture an ideal sound. “This is the first time we’ve delivered a full scale recording to the public which captures the sound and spirit of the band the way we play together when we’re working out songs in the hotel or dressing room,” says bassist Brian Ritchie. The intriguing vulnerability of a live show captured in a refined recording is unable to be matched by a polished studio session. Ritchie explains further, “This project refocuses attention upon the repertoire as a whole by stripping songs to their essentials, conveying them without artifice and removing them from any timelines. It’s the closest we’ve gotten to the essence of Violent Femmes.”
Whitehorse – Panther In The Dollhouse CD/2xLP (Six Shooter)
On their new album, Whitehorse takes a place of wholesome, conventional life and sets loose a wild animal to stalk, shred and smash its way through ideals of adult life and social conditioning. Whitehorse turns a microscope on domestic life to reveal a writhing, tangled biota of dreams and desire, despair and degradation. With Panther In The Dollhouse, the duo’s songwriting makes a clean break from autobiography to fully embrace cinematic fiction in sleek, stylized collages of neo-noir drama and high-gloss showmanship. From the grindhouse ballad of “Die Alone” to the peroxide burn of “Trophy Wife,” the new songs are full of flawed characters, foiled plans and anti-fairytales. To make this record, Whitehorse expanded their studio team with the addition of Likeminds, a pair of hip-hop/R&B producers and musicians. The beat-makers joined the returning crew of Gus Van Go and Werner F, who produced the band’s previous album, Leave No Bridge Unburned. The results bring vintage drum machines, samplers and analog synths into duo’s space twang sound.
This Week’s Vinyl Exclusives:
Behold The Brave – Behold The Brave LP (Withyn)
Born in Chattanooga and residing in Nashville, Behold The Brave has enjoyed regional acclaim as the must-see rock band in Music City. No Country For New Nashville wrote: “Their lead vocalist has a distinct Shannon Hoon (of Blind Melon) meets alt-j bravado to his voice with just a touch of Robert Plant, and their fuzzy bass driven arrangements complement it beautifully.” [Limited color vinyl pressing.]
Black Lips – Satan’s Graffiti Or God’s Art? 2xLP (Vice)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Atlanta, GA flower punk pioneers Black Lips return with their first album in three years. Produced by Sean Lennon at his studio compound in upstate New York throughout 2016, Satan’s Graffiti Or God’s Art? is the group’s most musically evolved to date, while still staying true to their original blistering take on fuzzy, dirty rock ‘n’ roll. The album features contributions by Saul Adamczewski of Fat White Family and guest vocals by Yoko Ono.
Body Count – Bloodlust LP+CD (Century Media)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Body Count’s sixth album features guest appearances by Soulfly and Sepultura frontman Max Cavalera, Megadeth mastermind Dave Mustaine and Lamb Of God vocalist Randy Blythe.
Booker T. & The MG’s – Hip Hug-Her [Reissue/1967] LP (Atlantic)
Vinyl reissue of the fifth studio album by the Southern soul band, originally released on Stax Records in June 1967. The title track was the band’s most successful single since their debut, “Green Onions.”
Tim Buckley – Sefronia [Reissue/1973] LP (Real Gone Music)
Tim Buckley – Look At The Fool [Reissue/1974] LP (Real Gone Music)
Limited 180gm vinyl reissues (colored pressings also available) of the last two records Buckley released during his lifetime. Long-time fans decried these records as sellouts, and indeed their soft ‘70s funk feel is jarring to those used to his more adventurous work. But Buckley proves himself to be one helluva R&B singer on these albums, which deserved a much larger audience than they got.
Rosanne Cash – King’s Record Shop [Reissue/1987] LP (Sony Legacy)
180gm 30th anniversary vinyl reissue. King’s Record Shop proved a pivotal album in the career of Rosanne Cash and in the emergence of Americana as an heir to traditional country music. After working on a series of albums which contained singles introducing a new wave/pop sound to America’s country charts, producer Rodney Crowell shifted gears on King’s Record Shop to bring a more roots-oriented, contemporary folk approach to the genre.
Beth Ditto – Fake Sugar LP (Capitol)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. After 17 years with garage-punk band the Gossip, Beth Ditto makes her solo debut with Fake Sugar. On the album, Ditto approaches love, loss, looking back and moving forward with all the sexiness, poignancy, power and beauty befitting such an iconoclastic artist. Fake Sugar is a mash-up of driving blues, malt-shop pop, swooning rock and countrified soul.
Evoken – Embrace The Emptiness [Reissue/1998] 2xLP (Season Of Mist)
Vinyl reissue of the funeral doom metal band’s 1998 debut album.
Goo Goo Dolls – Goo Goo Dolls [Reissue/1987] LP (WB)
Goo Goo Dolls – Jed [Reissue/1989] LP (WB)
Goo Goo Dolls – Hold Me Up [Reissue/1990] LP (WB)
Goo Goo Dolls – Superstar Carwash [Reissue/1993] LP (WB)
150gm vinyl reissues of the Goo Goo Doll’s first four albums.
Emmylou Harris – Elite Hotel [Reissue/1975] LP (Nonesuch)
Emmylou Harris – Pieces Of The Sky [Reissue/1975] LP (Nonesuch)
Emmylou Harris – Luxury Liner [Reissue/1977] LP (Nonesuch)
Emmylou Harris – Quarter Moon In A Ten Cent Town [Reissue/1978] LP (Nonesuch)
Emmylou Harris – Blue Kentucky Girl [Reissue/1979] LP (Nonesuch)
Limited 150gm vinyl reissues now available.
Hidden Orchestra – Dawn Chorus 2xLP (Tru Thoughts)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. A highly personal yet expansive work from producer and composer Joe Acheson, Hidden Orchestra’s third album is built around a collection of birdsong and other field recordings captured across many years in diverse locations around the UK and abroad. Rich in detail and character, these sonic snapshots intertwine with layers of bass, drums, percussion and eclectic instruments – including piano, electro-harp, glockenspiel, Turkish mey, clarinet and cello – for an emotive and transporting listen.
Albert King – Born Under A Bad Sign [Reissue/1967] LP (Atlantic)
Vinyl reissue of the second studio album by Albert King. Born Under A Bad Sign became “one of the most popular and influential blues albums of the late ’60s.”
Sonny Landreth – Recorded Live In Lafayette 2xLP+MP3 (Provogue)
Released last week on CD – now available on vinyl. Sonny Landreth’s unique spin on guitar playing has made him legendary. He combines the slide with fretted notes; this finger picking technique helps him create a complex, multi-layered sound onstage. Along the way Landreth has continued to develop his vision and his musical voice, growing increasingly original and diverse, expanding from blues, zydeco, folk, country and jazz into increasingly category- blurring musical excursions. Recorded Live In Lafayette is a perfect showcase of Landreth’s talents and skills; Disc One contains a full acoustic set and Disc Two his full electric set.
k.d. lang – Ingénue (25th Anniversary Edition) [Reissue/1992] 2xLP (Nonesuch)
Expanded 25th Anniversary edition released to celebrate the double platinum-selling, Grammy Award-winning album’s silver anniversary. This double-disc set includes remastered versions of the album’s original ten tracks, including its huge hit “Constant Craving,” along with eight previously unreleased performances from Lang’s 1993 MTV Unplugged episode. [CD edition due July 14.]
Pedro Laza Y Sus Pelayeros – Rito Esclavo [Reissue/1961] LP (Vampisoul)
Lisandro Meza Y Su Combo Gigante – Salsita Mami [Reissue/1970] LP (Vampisoul)
Rare cumbia, porro, mambo, cha-cha-chá, salsa repressed on vinyl.
Master P – Ice Cream Man [Reissue/1996] 2xLP (Capitol)
Vinyl reissue of the fifth studio album by New Orleans rapper.
Moderat – Live LP (Mute)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Moderat’s first-ever live album was recorded at Berlin’s Velodrom on June 5, 2016 during a sold out hometown show. In an age where technology develops at an exponential rate, the band crafted a live experience that truly exemplifies three of their homeland’s core competencies: technological innovation, musicianship and artistic expression. Instead of “pushing play”, Moderat works throughout their 90-minute performance to re-work their own music.
Municipal Waste – The Fatal Feast (Waste In Space) [Reissue/2012] LP (Nuclear Blast America)
Two pressings: orange splatter and red & yellow splatter colored vinyl. Undisputed masters of the crossover genre, Richmond, VA’s Municipal Waste returned in 2012 with their fifth full-length album in their endless quest to bring the fury, bring the laughs and bring the party to obscene new lows.
Randy Newman – Randy Newman [Reissue/1968] LP (Nonesuch)
Randy Newman – 12 Songs [Reissue/1970] LP (Nonesuch)
Randy Newman – Sail Away [Reissue/1972] LP (Nonesuch)
Randy Newman – Good Old Boys [Reissue/1974] LP (Nonesuch)
Randy Newman – Little Criminals [Reissue/1977] LP (Nonesuch)
Limited 150gm vinyl reissues now available.
Nickelback – Silver Side Up [Reissue2001] LP (Atlantic)
Nickelback – The Long Road [2003] LP (Atlantic)
Nickelback – All The Right Reasons [2005] LP (Atlantic)
Limited vinyl pressings now available.
Night Drive – Night Drive LP+MP3 (Roll Call)
Inspired by sci-fii cinematic landscapes, Night Drive create modern synthpop with infectious melodies wrapped in thoughtful lyrics.
Agnes Obel – Philharmonics [Reissue/2010] LP (PIAS America)
2010’s Philharmonics, the debut album from Danish-born, Berlin-based singer-songwriter Agnes Obel, has very much found its own flight. Its sparse, disarmingly beautiful songs have connected past the barriers of culture and language to become a pan-European hit, most notably in Obel’s former homeland.
Otis Redding – The Great Otis Redding Sings Soul Ballads [Reissue/1965] LP (Atlantic)
Otis Redding – The Soul Album [Reissue/1966] LP (Atlantic)
The Great Otis Redding Sings Soul Ballads is the third studio album by American soul singer-song writer Otis Redding, released in 1965. The album was one of the first issued by Volt Records, a sub-label of Stax Records, and Redding’s first on the new label. The Soul Album followed a year later.
Rotting Christ – Theogonia [Reissue/2007] 2xLP (Season Of Mist)
On Rotting Christ’s tenth studio album, 2007’s Theogonia, the Greek black metal gods remained faithful to their ancient blackened-gothic style while also materializing as a faster, more aggressive entity. The established melodies of the past are indeed alive but this new apparition is cloaked with deeper atmospheric and epic elements as they recall the history of their homeland.
Sam & Dave – Double Dynamite [Reissue/1967] LP (Atlantic)
Perhaps no act epitomized soul music as the secularization of gospel more than Sam & Dave. Double Dynamite was the second Sam & Dave album to enjoy significant crossover appeal.
Soundtrack – True Romance [1993] LP (Real Gone Music)
Limited “pillow feather white & blood red splatter” vinyl edition. Though it was directed by Tony Scott, the 1993 film True Romance displayed all the signature themes and images of its writer, Quentin Tarantino, from its grisly violence to its B-movie homages to its gleeful amorality. And the same could be said of the soundtrack; alongside composer Hans Zimmer’s riff on Carl Orff (which itself was an homage to another violent road movie, Badlands), True Romance offered a playlist that smacked of Tarantino in its embrace of rockabilly (Charlie Sexton, Chris Isaak), grunge (Soundgarden), honky-tonk (Shelby Lynne), and romantic machismo (Robert Palmer’s take on “[Love Is] The Tender Trap)”.
Statiqbloom – Blue Moon Blood LP (Translation Loss)
Statiqbloom is the dark hallucinogenic brainchild of Fade Kainer (Batillus, Tombs, Theologian). Drawing from the grittiness of early industrial and EBM, Statiqbloom combines hard dance beats and haunting electronics with disorienting vocals to create a pulsing raw vision of electronic music.
STRFKR – Vault Vol. 2 LP+MP3 (Polyvinyl)
A collection of rare, previously unreleased songs.
Ten Years After – Ten Years After [Reissue/1967] LP (Sundazed)
Ten Years After –Undead [Reissue/1968] LP (Sundazed)
Ten Years After – Stonedhenge [Reissue/1969] LP (Sundazed)
Ultra-rare mono mixes of Ten Years After’s first three albums.
Throttle Elevator Music – Area J LP (Wide Hive)
Thrilling sophomore release from the jazz-rock outfit, who bring a garage band attitude to some very tuneful songs. Comprised of Wide Hive label artists (The Wide Hive Players) and featuring saxophonist Kamasi Washington, who just burns on this recording without sacrificing a bit of lyricism.
Carla Thomas – Carla [Reissue/1966] LP (Atlantic)
Carla Thomas was to Memphis’ Stax Records what Aretha was to Atlantic: the label’s reigning matriarch, able to wrap her glorious voice around “B-A-B-Y” and “Let Me Be Good To You,” chart-toppers from the precocious songwriting team of Isaac Hayes and David Porter, as well as R&B standards like Willie Dixon’s “Little Red Rooster.” Backed by the Stax house combo, fronted by Booker T. and Steve Cropper, Carla also shows off her storied versatility with knockout renderings of “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” and “I Fall To Pieces.”
Waterparks – Double Dare LP (Equal Vision)
“This isn’t just a ‘pop-punk’ band and I think when people hear the album, it’ll be pretty apparent. There are songs that have elements of jazz, hip-hip, pop, indie, electronic, punk, etc.” – Awsten Knight [Limited purple and blue vinyl pressing also available.]
Cassettes:
Great Grandpa – Plastic Cough (Double Double Whammy)
The debut full length from Seattle WA’s Great Grandpa is bursting with grunge and pop sensibilities focused around the legendary indie rock sound that’s dominated the Pacific Northwest music scene for the past three decades.
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