CDs + Vinyl:
Tony Allen – The Source CD (Blue Note)
With his Blue Note-debut, The Source, Nigerian drummer Tony Allen sees a childhood dream come true. Allen says this is the “best in my life,” and with a career spanning over 50 years, that’s quite the confession for the Afrobeat pioneer and former Fela Kuti fixture. The Source represents Blue Note’s classic era while symbolizing the label’s innovative present. [Vinyl edition due September 22.]
Gregg Allman – Southern Blood CD/CD+DVD/2xLP (Rounder/Concord)
Southern Blood serves as a remarkable final testament from an artist whose contributions have truly shaped rock & roll throughout the past four decades. Gregg Allman’s first all-new recording since 2011’s Grammy Award-nominated solo landmark, Low Country Blues, is among the most uniquely personal of the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer’s career, an emotionally expansive collection of songs written by friends and favorite artists including Jackson Browne, Willie Dixon, Jerry Garcia & Robert Hunter, Lowell George and Spooner Oldham & Dan Penn. Rich with emotional texture, historical connectivity, and purity of performance, Southern Blood would be a landmark Gregg Allman record under any circumstance, its powerful subject matter and passionate presentation as emblematic an expression of his distinctive art as any prior work in the Allman canon. Though his loss leaves a vast musical space that can never truly be filled, the album stands tall as a remarkable valedictory and memorial to a true giant of American music. [CD version is available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe includes two live bonus tracks, as well as Back To The Swamp: The Making Of Southern Blood DVD. Limited hardwood-colored vinyl LP pressing also available.]
Alter Bridge – Live At The O2 Arena + Rarities 3xCD/4xLP (Napalm)
19-tracks recorded live at London’s O2 arena on November 24th, 2016. The rarities CD features the limited release tracks “Breathe”, “Cruel Sun”, and “Solace” alongside seven songs that have only been released in Japan. [Limited edition white vinyl pressing also available.]
Alvvays – Antisocialites CD/LP+MP3/Cassette (Polyvinyl)
Antisocialites is the much-anticipated follow-up to Alvvays’ 2014 self-titled debut. Across its 10 tracks and 33 minutes the Toronto-based group dive back into the deep end of reckless romance and altered dates. Through thoughtful consideration in basement and abroad, Alvvays has renewed its Scot-pop vows with a powerful new collection of manic emotional collage. The album opens with the excellent strum-‘n-thrummer “In Undertow,” a hi-amp breakup fantasy that is both crushing and charming for its level-headedness. Replete with more songs about drinking (“Forget About Life,” “Hey”), drugging (“Lollipop (Ode To Jim)”), and drowning (“Already Gone”), Antisocialites is a multipolar period piece fueled by isolation and loss. Perversely enjoyable dark drama springs from Molly Rankin’s phonetic twists, quick-sung rhymes and irreverent syllable-play. “So morose for me, seeing ghosts of me, writing oaths to me,” the self-described introvert sings on the Cocteau-pop stunner “Dreams Tonite,” the song from which the album’s name is derived. [Limited edition yellow colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Tori Amos – Native Invader CD (Decca)
Tori Amos’ fifteenth album and follow-up to 2014’s Unrepentant Geraldines is an intense feast of melody, protest, tenderness and pain. In the summer of 2016, she took a road trip through North Carolina’s Smoky Mountains. The intention was to reconnect with the stories and songlines of her mother’s family, who were from the North Carolina and Tennessee Smoky Mountain area. That winter, two seismic events knocked the plan off its axis. The fallout from the US election. And in January her mother, Mary Ellen Amos, suffered a severe stroke leaving her unable to speak. The complex influence of America’s alt-right Super PACs, lobbyists and think tanks informs much of the tension in Native Invader. [Available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe adds two bonus tracks. Vinyl edition due October 20.]
Animal Collective – Sung Tongs [Reissue/2004] CD/2xLP (My Animal Home)
Animal Collective’s second album has been reissued on their own label, My Animal Home.
Arch Enemy – Will To Power CD/2xLP+CD/CD+2xLP+7” (Century Media)
Tenth album from the Swedish veteran metal band. [Available in Regular, Deluxe, and Super Deluxe editions. Deluxe digipak edition includes bonus tracks. Super Deluxe includes a colored blood-red splatter vinyl pressing and a bonus 7” single. Limited stand-alone white colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Bash & Pop – Friday Night Is Killing Me [Reissue/1993] 2xCD (Omnivore)
When the Replacements called it quits in 1991, Tommy Stinson missed playing in a band with great chemistry and who all shared the same vision. He recruited then Replacements drummer Steve Foley, Foley’s brother Kevin, and Steve Brantseg to form Bash & Pop. Recording with Producer Don Smith (Cracker, Keith Richards, John Hiatt) and getting help from Heartbreakers Benmont Tench and Mike Campbell, Americana icon Greg Leisz, Wire Train’s Jeff Trott, and more, the band’s debut album, Friday Night Is Killing Me, arrived in January of 1993. In addition to the original 11 track release, this expanded double-CD edition includes an 18-track bonus disc adds rare singles and B-sides, their contribution to the soundtrack of the 1994 film Clerks, and 15 previously unissued performances.
Tim Berne – Incidentals CD (ECM)
Incidentals characteristically action-packed in the Berne tradition: powerful, dynamic, often fast-moving – yet also very clear in all its teeming detail. Producer David Torn plays guitar in a cameo at the climax of the modestly-titled “Sideshow” (in reality a 26-minute epic journey), soloing amid thunderous timpani and over serpentine melody outlined by sax and clarinet.
The Black Seeds – Fabric CD (Easy Star)
The Black Seeds’ sound casts a wide net, layering funk, soul, Afrobeat, and other eclectic elements over their dub/reggae foundations. [Vinyl edition due September 29.]
Blockhead – Funeral Balloons CD/LP (Backwoodz Studioz)
New album from acclaimed producer and NYC fixture.
Matthew Borne – Isotach CD/LP+CD (Leaf)
Following his celebrated moog memory project, Matthew Bourne returns to the piano for Isotach. Once again, spontaneity is the keyword where Bourne is concerned, catching on tape that pregnant moment when a piece begins to form. Skeletal piano motifs, an aching use of space and sparing cello arrangements are deployed to devastating effect.
Burn – Do Or Die CD/LP (Deathwish Inc.)
Led by vocalist Chaka Malik and guitarist Gavin Van Vlack, Burn have been pushing the boundaries of hardcore since their inception in 1990. As a whole, this 10-song slab is a melding of infectious melody, hook laden groove, and raw hardcore emotion…an invigorating modernization and continuation down the path these visionaries forged alone two decades earlier. [Limited black and cream mix colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Alex Cameron – Forced Witness CD/LP (Secretly Canadian)
“The second album from Australian sleaze-pop sensation Alex Cameron is a melodious trip of double-take lyrics and sex sex sex” (Loud And Quiet). Features guest appearances by Brandon Flowers (The Killers), Angel Olsen and Weyes Blood. [Limited white colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Cannabis Corpse – Left Hand Pass CD/LP/Cassette (Season Of Mist)
Turning a classic album title such as Entombed’s Left Hand Path into a weedy phrase would normally be punishable by having to listen to the worst of Modern Talking on continued play. Yet Cannabis Corpse not only get away with it, but the death metal and pot aficionados are actually doing exactly what their massive following is happily demanding of the Americans. Under the influence of the genre legends who preceded them, the trio give rise to an unrelenting piece of crushing, weed-themed death replete with their signature, THC-fueled, horror fiction lyrics. As tracks such as “The 420th Crusade,” “Chronic Breed” and the title track illustrate, Left Hand Pass is another massive step-forward for the band and a monumental piece of US death metal. [Limited edition picture disc vinyl edition also available.]
Bill Charlap Trio – Uptown Downtown CD (Impulse!)
Grammy Award winning pianist Bill Charlap and his longtime trio partners – bassist Peter Washington and drummer Kenny Washington – get back to the highest standards with this collection of essential melodies from Broadway, theater and jazz.
Cobra Man – New Driveway CD/LP (Goner)
Fearlessly drop into Goner Records’ first foray into the sunny summer skateboard scene: Cobra Man’s debut album showcases the wild-ass energy of The Worble skateboarding, perfectly interpreted through the minds of long-haired session musicians of ’80s Los Angeles. This infectious neon celebration will surely freshen the spirits by satisfying the search for classic innovation and fun.
Comeback Kid – Outsider CD/LP (Nuclear Blast)
Energetic, punk-propelled hardcore. [Limited clear vinyl pressing also available.]
Cymbals – Light In Your Mind CD/LP (Tough Love)
Like all the best Cymbals material, Light In Your Mind deals in unexpected contrasts. Much the same can be said of the structure of the album as a whole, eclectically comprised of melodically memorable pop songs.
Death From Above – Outrage! Is Now CD/LP (Last Gang/WB)
“Death From Above (née 1979) must have had a hell of a tough time making 2014’s The Physical World. Following up their universally acclaimed debut a full decade later, the Canadian duo had to produce something that could both recapture the manic energy of their early days and make a newly fresh impact on a musical landscape that had altered drastically since their 2006 breakup. It’s as if the last record was the sound of Jesse F Keeler and Sebastian Grainger reminding themselves what they can do together, whereas Outrage! Is Now finds them actually enjoying the process of writing and experimenting with the potent formula they concocted back at the start of the millennium. As ever, the record is powered by the combustion engine that has driven DFA’s monstrous sound from the start (and also caused their early career crash): the collision of its members’ separate musical planets. Grainger is a performer with pop on his tongue and punk in his limbs, his fierce drumming setting the speed and shape of each song while his surprisingly malleable voice searches out chorus hooks that stick in your head long after they fade away. Keeler, meanwhile, fills the void at the center of his bandmate’s uniquely literal version of pop-punk, channeling the mutant dancefloor attack he honed with MSTRKRFT through his signature, earthshaking bass tones to complete the DFA package. With this foundation of sound rooted firmly back in place, the band are now free to start breaking the firm rules they have always worked within to surpass, rather than just equal, the quality of their early releases.” –Clash Music
Deerhoof – Mountain Moves CD/LP (Joyful Noise)
Deerhoof recognizes that we are simultaneously living in two worlds, one a maniacal, mainstream monoculture hell-bent on driving humankind into extinction, the other a churning underground teeming with ideas and dogged optimism and the will to thrive and survive. Mountain Moves refutes the former by ecstatically celebrating the latter. [Limited blue colored vinyl pressing also available.]
The Ditch & The Delta – Hives In Decline CD/LP (Prosthetic)
“The Ditch & The Delta’s sound is a killer blend of fret-mangling math rock and stoner doom aggression. They strike a perfect balance between complexity, melody and no-nonsense gnarly heaviness.” – The Sludge Lord
DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince – He’s The DJ, I’m The Rapper [Reissue/1988] 2xCD (Real Gone Music)
New double-CD expanded version includes the complete, original 82-minute album taken from the original master tapes. Also included are 11 bonus tracks featuring 12” single mixes, extended remixes, etc. [Vinyl edition due October 13.]
The Dream Syndicate – How Did I Find Myself Here? CD/LP+MP3 (ANTI-)
The Dream Syndicate are at the foundation of contemporary alternative music because back in 1981 at a time when most bands were experimenting with new technology, they choose to bring back the guitar. Their seminal album The Days of Wine And Roses (1984) has been cited as influential by artists from Nirvana to the Black Crowes. Known for their incredible live performances, the band toured with everyone from REM to U2, before splitting up in 1988. In 2012 after years apart in solo projects, frontman Steve Wynn reunited The Dream Syndicate to perform at a charity festival in Spain. The reunited band took everything in baby steps. From the first day of recording the aptly titled How Did I Find Myself Here? it was apparent that the band was making an album that would live up its history and take their story into the present. Wynn says, “In a way it feels like if The Days of Wine And Roses would have been made in 2017. Which is to say that it’s true to what we did before but it’s also a whole new thing.”
Duane Eddy – Guitar Star–The Complete RCA Singles A’s & B’s CD (Real Gone Music)
The A and B-sides of all 11-original mono singles Eddy recorded for RCA.
Faith Healer – Try 😉 CD/LP (Mint)
When Edmonton’s Jessica Jalbert first began performing solo under the name Faith Healer, the alias was her way of avoiding being pigeonholed as a singer-songwriter. Now, however, times have changed: Faith Healer has blossomed into a band, with singer-guitarist Jalbert joined by drummer/multi-instrumentalist Renny Wilson. Balancing melancholy lyrics with playful moods, lush melodies with straightforward arrangements, the duo’s debut album is the sound of an introspective loner leaving her bedroom to make a rock record with her best bud.
Forced Order – One Last Prayer CD/LP+MP3 (Triple B.)
Like the pioneers in metallic hardcore before them, Forced Order combine the crushing power of Hatebreed with the manic fury of Integrity to create an entirely new chaotic sound.
Four Years Strong – Some Of You Will Like This, Some Of You Won’t CD/LP (Pure Noise)
Massachusetts pop-punk act Four Year Strong’s new release is comprised of rarities, unheard
originals, unplugged classics and reimagined favorites.
German Oak – German Oak [aka Down In The Bunker] [Reissue/1972] 3xCD/3xLP (Now Again)
The definitive reissue of a lauded and misunderstood Krautrock album as well as the first band-sanctioned reissue in the series. In this definitive Reserve Edition of the album, the German Oak trio together again after 30 years apart have approved the remastering of their ‘70s music; finally tell the story behind the creation of their dark, brooding album and the occult-obsessed record collector behind the original album’s release and its myth and they share previously unreleased music and photos. This three-CD set presents the album as it was initially released, the previously unreleased full versions of the two main songs on the original album, and other songs by the band, both rare and previously unreleased.
Fred Hersch – Open Book CD/LP (Palmetto)
Fred Hersch has long been acclaimed as an exploratory artist, an outspoken activist, an influential educator and a uniquely revelatory and lyrical pianist. As one of the most expressive voices in modern jazz, Hersch has never been shy about letting listeners glimpse his most intimate thoughts and emotions. As a companion piece to his soon-to-be-published memoir, Hersch decided to present an equally direct and vulnerable glimpse into his private musical thoughts with his 11th solo release, Open Book. The seven pieces offer some of the finest, most unguardedly emotional solo music that Hersch has created in a career unique for its profound poignancy and passion. Recorded in a South Korean concert hall on a superb Hamburg Steinway concert grand piano, the album captures the vital essence of the revelatory adventurousness and intense beauty that have made Hersch one of the most important solo artists in jazz. The centerpiece of Open Book, and the spark that ignited the album, is the nearly 20-minute improvisation Through the Forest. Unique in Hersch’s extensive discography, the stream-of-consciousness gem is a miniature masterpiece of narrative development, a compelling journey through an abstract, glimmering landscape, revealing that in his early ‘60s Hersch continues to take creative risks and daunting inventive leaps.
Micah P. Hinson – Presents The Holy Strangers CD/LP+MP3 (Full Time Hobby)
Micah P. Hinson’s new album is described by the artist as being a modern folk opera. The 14 tracks are at times sparse and haunting; at other times luscious, maybe even euphoric. From the Johnny Cash-style country single “Lover’s Lane,” to the album’s broad, spoken-word centerpiece “Micah Book One,” The Holy Strangers covers a lot of ground.
Hocico – The Spell Of The Spider 2xCD (Out Of Line/Rough Trade)
The Spell Of The Spider brings together highlights, hits, favorites and rarities from more than two decades of the Mexican hard-electro-pioneers catalog.
Jolie Holland and Samantha Parton – Wildflower Blues CD/LP (Cinquefoil)
The debut album from The Be Good Tanyas founders Jolie Holland and Samantha Parton is a page from the big book of North Americana and outsider folk.
Itchy-O – From The Overflowing CD/LP (Alternative Tentacles)
If one hasn’t experienced the disorienting power of this throbbing fifty-piece troupe of masked chaos, this is another chance to join the apocalyptic party that is Itchy-O. Infamous from Colorado to Tasmania for astounding unsuspecting audiences with their aural and visual insanity, the band unleashes an album to add to their legendary live spectacle.
Jale – Brave New Waves Session CD/LP (Artoffact)
Jale’s mix of power pop and grunge got the band signed to Sub-Pop in the ‘90s, and their previously unreleased CBC Brave New Waves session is finally released. [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Jack Johnson – All The Light Above It Too CD/LP (Brushfire/Republic)
All The Light Above It Too was recorded over the past year at Johnson’s Hawaii based Mango Tree Studio. For the first time in years Johnson handled most of the instrumentation himself, echoing the four-track recordings that launched his career over seventeen years ago. “This album shares what has been on my mind during the past year or so,” says Johnson. “A year in which I sailed through the North Atlantic Gyre for a documentary about plastic pollution in the ocean. A year in which Trump was elected as the President of the United States. A year in which I camped, surfed, got stitches, explored, dreamed, shared time and endless conversations with my family and friends…all of which inspired these songs. I usually make sketches of the songs first then set up a time to actually record the album. This time around the original sketches became the final versions. I didn’t want to lose any of the spirit that a song has in its rawest form.” To finish out the record Johnson called upon producer Robbie Lackritz (Feist, Bahamas), along with his longtime band mates to play on a few of the tracks. Poignant lead single “My Mind Is For Sale,” is a politically charged anti-Trump anthem which still manages to maintain his characteristic easy-going instrumental sound.
Julie & The Wrong Guys – Julie & The Wrong Guys CD/LP (Dine Alone)
Juno award-winning songwriter Julie Doiron began her musical journey as a founding member of ’90s East Coast indie-rock icons Eric’s Trip, the first Canadian band signed to Seattle’s famed Sub Pop Records. Meanwhile, The Wrong Guys are made up of Edmonton-born country/punk troubadour Eamon McGrath alongside Mike Peters and Jaye Schwarzer, the rhythm section of Toronto’s metal/hardcore heavyweights Cancer Bats.
Toby Keith – The Bus Songs CD (Show Dog Nashville)
New album from the country music star and three-time BMI Country Songwriter/Artist of the Year.
Kitty, Daisy & Lewis – Kitty, Daisy & Lewis [Reissue/2008] CD/LP (PIAS America)
Kitty, Daisy & Lewis – Smoking In Heaven [Reissue/2011] CD/LP (PIAS America)
Kitty, Daisy & Lewis – The Third [Reissue/2015] CD/LP (PIAS America)
Each rotating on different instruments with a set that includes R&B, jazz, soul, blues, ska, country, rock ‘n’ roll and more, Kitty, Daisy & Lewis mix up genres to perfection on their first three albums. Described as “a gift to those of us who still believe in magic” (The Observer), the London-based siblings are awesomely talented songwriters and multi-instrumentalist musicians. [New album, Superscope, due September 29.]
Ladama – Ladama CD/LP (Six Degrees)
Ladama is an ensemble of women musicians from across the Americas who, as well as performing as a touring band, strive to engage youth in their respective communities in the process of music-making, composition and audio production through collaboration and performance workshops. With rhythm and percussion driving their original compositions sung in Spanish, Portuguese and English they combine disparate, traditional roots music with pop. The result is a sonic experience through which we can view our future as a world that communicates across continents and cultures, with sound and story.
Mary Lambert – Bold CDEP/12” (Tender Heart)
Lambert delivers her truth in a queer-pop package for her new seven-song EP.
Jonny Lang – Signs CD/LP (Concord)
Anyone who originally discovered Jonny Lang through his searing instrumental work will revel in the huge guitar tones and go for broke solos on Signs, while those who have appreciated his growth as an honest and passionate songwriter will find that honesty and passion unabated. Though he long ago left blues purism behind, Lang has never abandoned its spirit of universal catharsis through the relating of personal trials. The record reaffirms his commitment to the blues and the guitar without sacrificing the modern approach that has made him such a singular artist. Signs is not merely a return to the artist’s guitar-based beginnings, but an embodiment of an even more elemental sound. Beyond focusing attention on his soloing prowess, it is about recapturing the spirit of the early blues, where the guitar was front and center, fairly leaping out of the speakers. Signs, which features funk, rock, and blues elements, is held together by Lang’s distinctive playing and singing, and the lyrics, which center on themes of embattlement and self-empowerment.
Lanzo – Omnipotent CD/LP (Cold Busted)
Chicago’s Carington Pierre, also known as Lanzo, has bestowed evidence of his cosmic hip-hop beat-o-logy to the Cold Busted label in the form of new album, Omnipotent.
Lionize – Nuclear Soul CD/LP (The End)
Over six albums Lionize have streamlined their blend of funky riffs, cyborg tales and reggae sensibilities into an original, rock whole; culminating with the propulsive Jetpack Soundtrack in 2014. Now, with seventh LP Nuclear Soul, they’re raising the bar again with their most fearless, expansive-sounding songs yet. Singer/guitarist Nate Bergman explains that it, “has elements of bands like Clutch and Deep Purple, but it’s not quite that – it’s something all its own. I think the beauty of the band right now is that all these elements touch on something familiar, but also sound new.” In writing and road testing Nuclear Soul the band aimed to redefine what it means to be a classic sounding rock ‘n’ roll band. Thematically, they also harnessed the present political climate to powerful effect. “We had no rules or ideals,” Bergman. “We just wanted to take people on a musical journey that excited them, and showed how emotionally moving the band could be.” Ultimately this is Lionize at their most arena-ready – without compromising on soul, sass or substance. It’s that wonderful space where vintage style and contemporary fire collide.
Living Colour – Shade CD/LP (MRI)
Shade, the band’s first album since the critically acclaimed The Chair In The Doorway in 2009, is Living Colour at the height of their creative powers, still experimenting as though they were upstarts instead of seasoned veterans. While the blues served as the foundation for the collection, one shouldn’t expect to hear the “down-home” style that was once the soundtrack of sharecroppers and southern juke joints before the music rode the rails north during the Great Migration. Living Colour’s blues incorporate a myriad of influences, while speaking to the politically-charged climate of the times. Shade is a sonic journey that careens from the furor of “Blak Out,” an old school thrasher that struts with a gangster boogie to “Program,” a searing, socially-spiked cocktail that nods to the band’s iconic hit “Cult Of Personality.” Stand-out tracks such as the acid funk balladry of “Two Sides” (complete with a guest appearance by George Clinton) and the Afro-punk fireworks of “Glass Teeth,” prove Corey Glover’s vocals to be stronger than ever, while guitarist Vernon Reid lives up to his reputation on album opener “Freedom Of Expression (F.O.X.)” and the soul blues of “Who’s That?” Drummer Will Calhoun points to “Invisible,” which pays homage the late Buddy Miles, among his favorites on the album.
Lomelda – Thx CD/LP/Cassette (Double Double Whammy)
Hannah Read has written and performed as Lomelda for most of her musical life. The project has been her outlet from the slow, shaggy days in her east Texas hometown of Silsbee, through moves to Waco and Austin, and into her wandering present. Her music is textural and spacious. Her words are suggestive snapshots of loosely knitted observations, depicting quiet moments between friends and lovers and half-remembered celestial occurrences. In her songs, the memory of the past and glimpses of future stretch out on either side of you, and the present is unsteady and always shifting.
Main Source – Breaking Atoms [Reissue/1991] CD/2xLP (Wild Pitch)
Digitally remastered edition of this classic 1991 album from the hip-hop group. Breaking Atoms has been noted for debuting rapper Nas, who appears on the track “Live At The Barbeque.”
Melissa Manchester – Through The Eyes of Love: The Complete Arista 7″ Singles 2xCD (Real Gone Music)
Every one of Manchester’s Arista 45rpm releases, all in their original single versions featuring 23 unique single mixes/edits, for a total of 43 tracks on two discs.
Mayday – Search Party CD (Strange Music)
New album from the Miami, FL hip-hop group featuring guest contributions from Tech N9ne, Common Kings, JL, Savannah Cristina, Stige, and Rudi Goblen.
Meridian Brothers – ¿Dónde Estás María? CD/LP (Soundway)
Meridian Brothers is a tropical/psychedelic group from Colombia, formed in 1998. Led by composer Eblis Alvarez, a pioneer of the alternative music scene in Bogotá, the band continuously explores and experiments with alternative ways of playing instruments and electronic media. Drawing from traditional Latin rock (including Colombian, Argentinean and Mexican) as well as Brazilian tropical, for this album Alvarez incorporates string instruments – in particular the cello, both bowed and plucked – a timbre rarely used in his previous works.
Midnight Sister – Saturn Over Sunset CD/LP+MP3 (Jagjaguwar)
idnight Sister is brought to you by the isolating landscape of the San Fernando Valley – its colors, diners, lunatics, neon lights. Midnight Sister’s Juliana Giraffe and Ari Bazoulian, both lifelong residents of this storied valley, have only become more inspired by the area’s mythology over the years: its two-faced magical wonderland and tragic circus. Giraffe, 23, an André 3000 fashion disciple and daughter of an L.A. disc jockey, was raised almost exclusively on disco and David Bowie. Her lyrics and lyrical melodies were composed gazing out from a tiny retail window on Sunset Boulevard. Her Rear Window-like longing allowed her imagination to run wild and cook up the wild narratives that would fill Balouzian’s compositions. [Limited blue colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Mogwai – Every Country’s Sun CD (Temporary Residence)
Every Country’s Sun takes two decades of Mogwai’s signature, contrasting sounds – towering intensity, pastoral introspection, synth-rock minimalism, DNA-detonating volume – and distills it, beautifully, into 56 concise minutes of gracious elegance, hymnal trance-rock, and transcendental euphoria. [Vinyl edition due September 22.]
Kip Moore – Slowheart CD/LP (MCA Nashville)
A reflective thirteen-track collection Rolling Stone says falls “between the rough edges of Americana, rock and the evocative storytelling of country.”
Mount Kimbie – Love What Survives CD/LP+MP3 (Warp)
The third album from Mount Kimbie is the product of three years of intense creative development, continually honed by the duo writing and rewriting their ideas to form something wholly idiosyncratic and personal. It brings together the voices of their close friends and collaborators who together represent a bright corner of young artistic talent – James Blake, Micachu and King Krule. [Limited white colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Nick Mulvey – Wake Up Now CD/LP (Harvest)
Wake Up Now is an album rooted in the conscience and all that it stands for. It’s also a record that harbors great community, welcoming a host of new and multi-talented musicians with a flourishing skillset. That sense of community was drilled home by Brian Eno in a few pre-recording meet-ups between the two, who implored Nick to open himself up more and consider sharing the weight-load.
Mutemath – Play Dead CD/2xLP/Cassette (Wojtek)
The GRAMMY-nominated electro-experimental rock band takes an unhinged and unguarded approach on their fifth album, Play Dead, while also pulling inspiration from previous albums including, 2011’s fan-favorite Odd Soul. Entertainment Weekly said lead single “Hit Parade” brings back the band’s “brand of chilled-out, soul-inflected psychedelic rock” and Fast Company called it “a behemoth of a record.” [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Names – German Nights CD (Factory Benelux)
New live album by the cult Belgian new wave group known for their past association with Factory Records and producer Martin Hannett.
The National – Sleep Well Beast CD/2xLP+MP3 (4AD)
The National’s elegant seventh full-length album follows-up 2013’s Trouble Will Find Me and their 2015 Ragnar Kjartansson collaboration A Lot Of Sorrow. “Sleep Well Beast is an album about getting old and staying together. That makes it, on some fundamental level, the most domestic album ever made by a band that’s always been pretty domestic. And yet Sleep Well Beast bursts with conflict and passion and restlessness. The National’s albums take time to reveal themselves, but Sleep Well Beast already feels like the best thing they’ve done since Boxer.” – Stereogum [Limited blue colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Nosaj Thing – Parallels CD/LP+MP3 (Innovative Leisure)
Parallels is the fourth full album released under Jason Chung’s distinctive moniker, Nosaj Thing. Masterfully dimensional, Parallels represents the acclaimed Los Angeles-based electronic producer/composer/performer’s most diverse, vital work yet. As such, Chung sees Parallels represents a kind of redemptive rebirth. The album’s compellingly elusive, uncategorizable sonics developed out of what he terms a personal and musical “identity crisis.” “The latest record from Los Angeles’ Nosaj Thing is a heady and atmospheric experience that feels like a hazy film placed atop regular reality. What it lacks in straightforward melodies, it compensates with impressionistic tones and textures that create a canvas for the listener to project onto. His collaboration with Zuri Marley, ‘Way We Were,’ is wistful and immersive. The synths feel like they exist on separate planes, giving them track a rich dimensionality, and Marley proves to be an ideal fit, nailing the song’s concept of longing for the past in both her delivery and lyrics. ‘Time flies and then you find you’re no one,’ she sings on what is perhaps the album’s strongest individual track.” – The Line Of Best Fit
Nothing But Thieves – Broken Machine CD/LP (RCA)
Broken Machine is the highly anticipated sophomore album from the British rock band and follow-up to their acclaimed 2015 eponymous debut.
Odesza – A Moment Apart CD/LP (Counter)
A Moment Apart represents Odesza’s growth, delivering a more mature sound through weighted atmospheres, shimmering synth lines and familiar feelings of nostalgia, optimism and hope. The album’s featured guests include Leon Bridges, Regina Spektor, and RY X, creating an eclectic mix that showcases group’s dynamic range. [Limited blue colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Mark Olson – Spokeswoman Of The Bright Sun CD/LP (Glitterhouse)
The follow-up of the critically acclaimed alternative country/Americana masterpiece Good-Bye Lizelle (2014) is a new step forward in post-modern folk-rock sound exploration.
Papa Roach – Infest [2000] LP (Geffen)
Papa Roach – Lovehatetragedy [2002] LP (Geffen)
First-time vinyl pressing of the second and third albums by nu-metal band.
Charlie Parr – Dog CD/LP+MP3 (Red House)
Charlie Parr is a singular songwriter who has built a dedicated, grassroots following for his haunting, topical songs and virtuosic picking, not to mention the fact that he’s on the road 300 days a year. Based in Duluth, MN, Parr’s inspiration is drawn from the alternately fertile and frozen soil of Minnesota; his songs exude a Midwestern sensibility and humility.
Gary Peacock – Tangents CD (ECM)
Some of the great bassist Gary Peacock’s finest music has been made in piano trios. Early in his musical life, Peacock established a fresh role for the bass as an independent melodic voice, a concept carried forward in the history-making groups he’s played with from Paul Bley’s and Bill Evans’ trios to Keith Jarrett’s. He is also an influential bandleader: Tangents, the second, stunning trio release with Marc Copland and Joey Baron, draws on years of shared playing in diverse contexts.
David Ramirez – We’re Not Going Anywhere CD/LP (Sweetworld)
Austin-based songwriter David Ramirez returns with a new album. We’re Not Going Anywhere finds Ramirez painting a vividly imagined picture of contemporary America through the songwriter’s own perspective of having dual American and Mexican heritage.
Allen Ravenstine and Albert Dennis – Terminal Drive CD/LP+MP3 (Smog Veil)
Archive release from the veteran musician. Terminal Drive is studio recording of a mythical piece of electro-acoustic music composed and performed in 1975 by Allen Ravenstine with assistance from Albert Dennis on string bass. [Limited red colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Thomas Rhett – Life Changes CD/LP (Big Machine/Valory)
Thomas Rhett scored his first hit in 2012, introducing a sound that mixed the southern swagger of country music with pop hooks, R&B grooves, soulful strut and the anything-goes attitude of rock. During the subsequent years, thanks to eight chart-topping singles, he is now a headliner of massive arenas. New album Life Changes is filled with songs that stretch his sound to new limits. Kicking off the set is the already chart-topping “Craving You,” and from there it carves a path as wild and wide as Rhett’s own career. There are coming-of-age country ballads, heartland rock & roll anthems, EDM-influenced pop tracks and R&B slow jams all wrapped together by the songwriting skills and elastic vocals of a frontman who’s willing to shine a light on his own milestones and mistakes.
Rodinia – Ex Anima CD/LP (Now Again)
Electronic Krautrock in line with Cluster, Harmonia, Neu!, Popul Vuh from Jay Whitefield (Poets Of Rhythm/Whitefield Brothers/Karl Hector & The Malcouns).
The Sherlocks – Live For The Moment CD/LP (Infectious Music)
“Let me start with a warning: once you’ve listened to this record, you won’t be able to stop. Sheffield’s The Sherlocks have that effect on you. They’ve been taking the underground indie scene by storm these past few years, getting bigger and bigger with every Spotify play. With performances at Glastonbury, Reading and Leeds, SXSW and Beni, sold-out UK tours, and support slots with Kings Of Leon under their belt, you’re left wondering – what can this band do next? And then they give you this album… Featuring old songs and new, this album has bangers from start to finish; coming into your ears at the beginning with ‘Will You Be There?’, you feel every single note that is played on the guitar, and when the chorus hits, you can’t help but singing along, no matter where you might be! Then comes ‘Escapade’ and title track ‘Live For The Moment’ – the band’s first two singles that put them on the map after their debut three years ago, re-booted and sounding massive!” – Gigslutz
Soundtrack – La La Land: The Complete Musical Experience [Original Motion Picture Score] 2xCD+3xLP (Interscope)
Deluxe 13”x13” custom soft touch box containing two CDs, three vinyl LPs, exclusive art, gold foil lettering, lift ribbon and limited edition numbering. Includes: The Complete Musical Experience Deluxe two CD set, Original Motion Picture Soundtrack vinyl (blue LP), the Academy Award-winning Original Motion Picture Score double LP vinyl (black LPs), a 36-page hardcover photo and lyric book, two 12”x12” color exclusive lithograph art prints, sheet music and fold-out poster.
Soundtrack – Twin Peaks (Limited Event Series Soundtrack) CD/2xLP (Rhino)
Soundtrack – Twin Peaks (Music From The Limited Event Series) CD/2xLP (Rhino)
Two soundtracks to the third season of Mark Frost and David Lynch’s cult television show. Directed entirely by David Lynch, the new 18-part limited event series picks up 25 years after the inhabitants of a quaint northwestern town were stunned when their homecoming queen Laura Palmer was shockingly murdered. Twin Peaks (Music From The Limited Event Series) is comprised of 20 tracks including songs from Roadhouse performers and key moments in the series. The 18-track Twin Peaks (Limited Event Series Soundtrack) has all six of Angelo Badalamenti’s cues, plus material by David Lynch and Angelo Badalamenti’s ’90s freestyle project, Thought Gang, and other instrumentals, including one song played in the Roadhouse (“Saturday” by Chromatics). Both albums start with a different version of Angelo Badalamenti’s Twin Peaks theme.
Sparks – Hippopotamus CD/2xLP (The End)
Musical mavericks Sparks – Californian brothers Ron and Russell Mael –release their 22nd studio album, Hippopotamus. Described as “the smartest, most consistently evolving band in the history of rock,” and internationally acclaimed as pop pioneers, Sparks are name-checked as a major influence on musicians as varied as Morrissey, Bjork, The Ramones, Faith No More, Sonic Youth, and Nirvana. Sparks’ music has always been innovative and instantly identifiable. Recorded in Los Angeles, Hippopotamus sees them take the pop form, shake it up, and create an album that is adventurous and fresh. “With Hippopotamus, we are very much deep in Sparks’ world. It’s almost like everything is here in excelsis, from the staccato drama of the title track to the classic pop of Edith Piaf (‘Said It Better Than Me’). ‘Scandinavian Design’ has that to-die-for quality of their very best. ‘Giddy Giddy’ is another run out for Sparksian carnival macabre. Hippopotamus is exactly what you’d expect and more besides.” – Record Collector [Limited edition picture disc vinyl pressing also available.]
Mike Stern – Trip CD (Telarc)
About a year ago Mike Stern, one of the highest regarded most successful jazz guitarists alive today, had a terrible accident. He broke both shoulders when he tripped running across a street in Manhattan. Trip, his upcoming 2017 release is his stunning return after multiple surgeries and a lot of gumption. More than just a comeback, this album is about Mike’s career and his musical partnerships which Mike loving refers to ‘as a trip’. A powerhouse outing, Trip features such longstanding colleagues as trumpeters Randy Brecker and Wallace Roney, saxophonists Bob Franceschini and Bill Evans, the latter a bandmate in Miles Davis’ ‘comeback band’ of 1981, bassists Victor Wooten and Tom Kennedy and drummers Dave Weckl, Dennis Chambers and Lenny White.
Stray From The Path – Only Death Is Real CD (Sumerian)
On their sixth full-length Stray From The Path survey the playing field and provide a book of bloody battle notes etched in hardcore energy, metal fire, and hip-hop poetry. [Vinyl edition due October 27.]
Susanne Sundfør – Music For People In Trouble CD/LP (Bella Union)
Acclaimed Norwegian singer-songwriter and producer Susanne Sundfør’s new album, Music For People In Trouble, was inspired by a journey made in a bid to reconnect, traveling across continents to contrary environments and politically contrasting worlds from North Korea to the Amazon jungle. “This return to sparer songwriting makes a stark contrast to the rich synthpop of Norwegian Sundfør’s last album, Ten Love Songs. This adventurous artist is far from the winsome charms of her folky 2007 debut, though; now, among the soft fingerpicking of ‘Mantra,’ or the petal-fall piano and heavenly chorale of ‘Undercover,’ there’s moody sax, meditative spoken samples and – as in ‘The Sound Of War’ or ‘Mountaineers,’ a gothically glittering duet with John Grant – throbbing, unnerving electronic textures. As the album’s title suggests, Sundfør wishes to pour oil on the choppy waters of a weary world, and the warm clarity of her voice offers beautiful moments of respite.” – The Guardian
Toadies – The Lower Side Of Uptown CD/LP (Kirtland)
Toadies’ seventh studio album serves as a “return to form” for the band according to frontman Vaden Todd Lewis. “This album is roots Toadies, full of riffs and time shifts.”
Usnea – Portals Into Futility CD/LP (Relapse)
The Portland doom quartet returns with their third full-length album – five songs and 56 minutes of expertly crafted and elegantly depressive doom/sludge.
Chad VanGaalen – Light Information CD/LP+MP3/Cassette (Sub Pop)
For an album that’s about “not feeling comfortable with really anything,” as Chad VanGaalen says, Light Information is nonetheless a vivid, welcoming journey through future worlds and relentless memories. The rich soundscapes and sometimes jarring imagery could only come from the mind of a creative polymath – an accomplished visual artist, animator, director, and producer, VanGaalen has scored television shows, designed puppet characters for Adult Swim, directed videos for Shabazz Palaces, Strand of Oaks, METZ, Dan Deacon, and The Head And The Heart, and produced records for Women, Alvvays, and others. While alienation has always been a theme of VanGaalen’s music, Light Information draws on a new kind of wisdom – and anxiety – gained as he watches his kids growing up. “Being a parent has given me a sort of alternate perspective, worrying about exposure to a new type of consciousness that’s happening through the internet,” he says. “I didn’t have that growing up, and I’m maybe trying to preserve a little bit of that selfishly for my kids.”
Various Artists – Joey Negro & Sean P Present The Best Of Disco Spectrum 2xCD/3xLP (BBE)
18 years on from the release of the very first Disco Spectrum LP, Joey Negro and Sean P revisit the project, selecting the finest cuts from this much-loved album series. Three volumes of Disco Spectrum were released on BBE between 1999 and 2002, heralding a disco revival that, almost two decades later, just keeps gaining momentum.
Carmen Villain – Infinite Avenue CD/LP (Smalltown Supersound)
Writing, recording and producing alone, Carmen’s intensely personal songs are entirely self-created in her makeshift studio, made up of tapestries of guitar, piano, programmed drums and synths, making the most she could out of her limited gear. “Hushed, sylvan songwriting from Mexican-Norwegian artist Carmen Villain, including subtly captivating production from Helge Sten (Deathprod) on ‘Quietly,’ and a ghostly highlight in collaboration with Jenny Hval on ‘Borders.’” — Boomkat
The Waterboys – Out Of All This Blue 2xCD/3xCD/2xLP/3xLP (The End)
Produced by Mike Scott and recorded in Dublin and Tokyo, Out Of All This Blue contains 23 songs with Scott’s trademark sharp lyrics set to pop music with echoes of classic R&B, country, soul and funk and underpinned by modern hip-hop production values and rhythms. String and brass sections were arranged and conducted by Trey Pollard of The Spacebomb Collective. [Available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe adds 11 bonus tracks.
Wild Cub – Closer CD/LP (Mom + Pop)
Already recognized for their alternately soaring and moody, skillfully crafted brand of indie pop, Wild Cub take a bold step forward with the grand, commanding Closer. These 11 playful and rousing songs are armed with stadium-sized choruses, yet also carry an emotional depth, and range from kinetic dancefloor-ready grooves to epic, fist-pumping rock and roll.
Neil Young – Hitchhiker CD/LP (Reprise)
Neil Young opens up his unrivaled archives to issue an unreleased new studio album. 10-track acoustic solo collection Hitchhiker was recorded in Malibu, CA at Indigo Studio in 1976 between Zuma and American Stars ‘n Bars in a single session, the resultant performances are truly breathtaking and passionate.
Zola Jesus – Okovi CD/LP (Sacred Bones)
Nika Roza Danilova has been recording music as Zola Jesus for more than a decade. For the majority of that time, she’s been on Sacred Bones Records, and Okovi marks her reunion with the label. Fittingly, the 11 electronics-driven songs on Okovi share musical DNA with her early work on Sacred Bones.
DVDs + Blu-ray:
Alice Cooper – Welcome To My Nightmare DVD (Eagle Vision)
Includes the 1976 concert film Welcome To My Nightmare and, appearing on DVD for the first time, the 1975 TV special Alice Cooper: The Nightmare.
This Week’s Vinyl Exclusives:
Zac Brown Band – Welcome Home LP+MP3 (New Elektra)
Released last May on CD – now available on vinyl. “Zac Brown isn’t just trying to sell records, he’s selling a way of life, a Southern Fried way of life, and he’s doing it very successfully. He and his band are as tight as a small community and they play a highly professional, appealingly commercial country style. His voice is a warm, comforting aubergine and the tunes are homespun and inclusive. There was a feeling they over elaborated on their last couple of albums, so on Welcome Home they are back to the simplicity of their breakthrough, The Foundation, with some songs completed in one take. It’s very skillfully produced and very easy on the ear. Ten tracks, forty minutes, job done. This is music with its feet firmly on the ground. Welcome Home evokes a family gathering in the sunshine, barbecue smoking away, a few beers being drunk, children and dogs running around. Then, dad fishes out his guitar, uncle Jimmy places his fiddle under his chin, cousin Clay tickles an ivory and they are away until the sun sets” – The Afterword.
Circa Waves – Different Creatures LP (Virgin)
Sophomore album from the British alt-rock band.
Die Krupps – Stahlwerksynfonie [Reissue/1981] 2xLP (Artoffact)
Die Krupps – I [Reissue/1992] 2xLP (Artoffact)
Die Krupps – II: The Final Option [Reissue/1993] 2xLP (Artoffact)
Three limited vinyl reissues from the German industrial group. [Limited colored vinyl pressings also available.]
Goo Goo Dolls – You Should Be Happy 12” (WB)
New EP from the alt-rock band.
Jimi Hendrix – Experience Hendrix: The Best Of Jimi Hendrix 2xLP (Sony Legacy)
Double 150gm vinyl LP pressing in gatefold jacket.
King Tubby – King Tubbys Presents Soundclash Dubplate Style: Part 2 2xLP (Dubstore)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. The legendary Sound Clash Dub Plate Style album deconstructed by King Tubby – a late ‘80s masterwork which fuses Tubby’s mythical dub techniques with the nascent sounds of ragga dancehall. This album was the first of its kind. Its purpose was to give those people who didn’t attend dances a feel of what happening inside the dance hall and also to be used in sound system clashes. All of the tracks from the album are specials. Specials are recordings which were made from rhythm tracks rented from the producers who take along an artist of their choice to do a recording.
Limp Bizkit – Significant Other [Reissue/1999] 2xLP (Interscope)
First time vinyl edition of the nu-metal/rap-rock band’s second album.
Lola Marsh – Remember Roses LP (Verve)
Lola Marsh is a Tel Aviv folk-pop band formed by producer Gil Landau and captivating vocalist Yael Shoshana Coehn. The music on their compelling debut album Remember Roses combines deep, warm, nostalgic vocals, heart-on-sleeve-lyrics and Middle Eastern guitar melodies to stunning effect. 180gm colored vinyl.
Lords Of Acid – Farstucker [2000] 2xLP (Metropolis)
Limited vinyl reissue of LOA’s fourth album. Originally released in 2000, it marks the band’s full transition from the techno of their earlier work to an industrial music outfit, with use of more live instruments.
Matchbox 20 – Yourself Or Someone Like You [Reissue/1996] LP (Atlantic)
Limited transparent red colored vinyl LP pressing of the alt-rock band’s debut album.
Mazzy Star – So Tonight That I Might See [Reissue/1993] LP (Capitol)
Back in print on vinyl. On this, the band’s second album, the core emphasis remained a nexus point between country, folk, psych, and classic rock all shrouded in mystery, and Hope Sandoval’s trademark drowsy drawl remained swathed in echo.
The Movers – Kansas City [1979] LP (Soundway)
An extremely rare and in-demand record from the disco-funk group has been unearthed and restored.
Of Mice & Men – Unbreakable b/w Back To Me 7” (Rise)
7″ single featuring two new tracks – the first since the departure of previous vocalist Austin Carlile.
Buck Owens – Live From Austin TX LP (New West)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Recorded October 23, 1988 KLRU-TV, Austin, TX.
Paradise Lost – Faith Unites Us [Reissue/2009] LP+CD (Century Media)
Paradise Lost – Tragic Idol [Reissue/2012] LP+CD (Century Media)
Two vinyl reissues from the death/doom band. Each includes a copy on CD.
Paramore – After Laughter LP+MP3 (Fueled By Ramen/WB)
Released last May on CD – now available on vinyl. Paramore are back with their fifth album and first in four years. After Laughter marks the return of drummer Zac Farro, who quit the band in 2010. The album also represents the first-time Paramore recorded an LP in their native Nashville, with the group laying down the album at the city’s famed RCA Studio B with producer Justin Meldal-Johnsen. Limited black and white marble vinyl pressing.
The Pineapple Thief – Where We Stood 2xLP (Kscope)
Bringing to close an unforgettable 14-date European Winter tour of their 2016 album Your Wilderness, The Pineapple Thief, led by post-progressive mastermind Bruce Soord and reinforced by Gavin Harrison (King Crimson) on drums with Darran Charles (Godsticks) on guitar, gave the sold-out Islington Assembly Hall in London a truly awe-inspiring gig on February 11, 2017. Where We Stood showcases a powerful performance from both band regulars and guests on tracks from Your Wilderness. [CD and Blu-ray editions due October 6.]
The Residents – Snakey Wake [Reissue/1988] LP (Cryptic Corp.)
Recorded in 1987 in tribute to their lost friend and collaborator Philip “Snakefinger” Lithman who died of a heart attack while on tour with his band The Vestal Virgins, Snakey Wake was originally released as a mail order-only CD.
Ryuichi Sakamoto – async 2xLP (Milan)
Released last April on CD – now available on vinyl. async is Ryuichi Sakamoto’s first studio album in eight years. This is his most personal release as it follows a long fight against cancer from which he emerged with a renewed and passionate creative energy. “What kind of ‘sounds/music’ do I want to listen to?” async is the answer to this question Ryuichi has asked himself for the past several years. This is the album he is the proudest of which synthesizes all of his musical and sound interests. This is a journey through analog synth, the sounds of things and of places, an imaginary soundtrack to an Andrei Tarkovsky film and many others musical surprises.
Snoop Dogg – Tha Last Meal [Reissue/2000] 2xLP (Priority)
Limited double vinyl LP reissue of the legendary rapper’s fifth studio album.
Spaceface – Sun Kids LP (Friends Records)
Dreamrock outfit Spaceface is led by Jake Ingalls who also plays guitar and synthesizer in The Flaming Lips. Something to behold, Spaceface’s music offers a refreshing approach on psychedelic rock, with transparent ’70s references but also strikingly modern elements. Their new record, Sun Kids is hazy, psychedelic pop music, elegantly composed.
Sun Ra and His Astro Infinity Arkestra – My Brother The Wind Vol. 1 (Expanded Edition) 2xLP
Now available on vinyl. Released by Sun Ra in 1970 (but recorded in 1969), My Brother The Wind is one of several albums that showcase Sun Ra’s initial reckonings with the then-recently introduced Moog synthesizer. The original My Brother the Wind LP on Saturn (catalog 521) featured four tracks, properly sequenced here on as tracks 1–4. For this expanded release, tracks 5–7 feature three complete session takes and more, with liner notes by Moog historian Brian Kehew.
Various Artists – The Stax Vinyl 7s Box 7×7” (Stax)
The ongoing celebrations to mark the 60th anniversary of the world-famous Stax Records continues with the release of The Stax 7s Vinyl Box. The attractively-packaged set contains seven 45rpm singles featuring 14 highly collectable rare groove tracks by well-known and underrated artists in the Stax family of labels.
Woolworm – Deserve To Die LP (Mint)
Woolworm, Vancouver’s most popular punk house-party band, have been at it since 2008. They are known for their searing guitar fuzz and sickly sweet vocal melodies backed by the heavy drumming of a hardcore band.
Dwight Yoakam – Live From Austin TX LP (New West)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Recorded October 23, 1988.
Zomby – Gasp! 12” (Big Dada)
Zomby, one of the UK’s most enigmatic electronic producers, underscores his already illustrious succession of releases with his new EP – a relentless, hardware-driven behemoth of beats and breaks that fit somewhere between a chugging steel factory and a darkened dancefloor.
Cassettes:
Alvvays – Antisocialites (Polyvinyl)
Antisocialites is the much-anticipated follow-up to Alvvays’ 2014 self-titled debut. Across its 10 tracks and 33 minutes the Toronto-based group dive back into the deep end of reckless romance and altered dates.
Cannabis Corpse – Left Hand Pass (Season Of Mist)
Turning a classic album title such as Entombed’s Left Hand Path into a weedy phrase would normally be punishable by having to listen to the worst of Modern Talking on continued play. Yet Cannabis Corpse not only get away with it, but the death metal and pot aficionados are actually doing exactly what their massive following is happily demanding of the Americans.
Lomelda – Thx (Double Double Whammy)
Hannah Read has written and performed as Lomelda for most of her musical life. The project has been her outlet from the slow, shaggy days in her east Texas hometown of Silsbee, through moves to Waco and Austin, and into her wandering present. Her music is textural and spacious. Her words are suggestive snapshots of loosely knitted observations, depicting quiet moments between friends and lovers and half-remembered celestial occurrences. In her songs, the memory of the past and glimpses of future stretch out on either side of you, and the present is unsteady and always shifting.
Mutemath – Play Dead (Wojtek)
The GRAMMY-nominated electro-experimental rock band takes an unhinged and unguarded approach on their fifth album, Play Dead, while also pulling inspiration from previous albums including, 2011’s fan-favorite Odd Soul. Entertainment Weekly said lead single “Hit Parade” brings back the band’s “brand of chilled-out, soul-inflected psychedelic rock” and Fast Company called it “a behemoth of a record.”
Chad VanGaalen – Light Information (Sub Pop)
For an album that’s about “not feeling comfortable with really anything,” as Chad VanGaalen says, Light Information is nonetheless a vivid, welcoming journey through future worlds and relentless memories. The rich soundscapes and sometimes jarring imagery could only come from the mind of a creative polymath – VanGaalen is an accomplished visual artist, animator, director, and producer.
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