CDs + Vinyl:
MC Paul Barman – (((Echo Chamber))) CD/LP+7”+MP3 (Mello Music Group)
Recently released on vinyl – now available on CD. “MC Paul Barman is the most ambitious type of rapper. He is rhyming art. If your ears are open, MCPM is gonna plug your brain in at voltages to which you are unaccustomed. He’s a social critic with a searing conscience that makes your comfortable bourgeois house of lies tremble with each jagged line on the PB Richter scale. His rhymes are original in the sense of ‘no one has ever used that word like that before…but we will now.’ Not that (((Echo Chamber))) is hard work. It is perfectly pleasurable to bop your head along to great tracks laid down by ?uestlove (six tracks), James Poyser, Mark Ronson, Prince Paul, Kenny Segal, Memory Man, and MF Doom. Not to mention scratches by DJ Yoda and features from Masta Ace and Open Mike Eagle to boot.”
Big Big Train – Merchants Of Light 2xCD/3xLP (Plane Groovy)
New live release from the acclaimed modern prog rock outfit.
Apollo Brown & Locksmith – No Question CD/LP+MP3 (Mello Music Group)
Recently released on vinyl – now available on CD. West Coast Berkeley grad, battle rapper and musician Locksmith has hammered out a reputation as one of hip-hop’s most enlightened no punch pulling emcees, always bringing cutting lyricism that not only questions the status quo but offers deep truths for reflection. Meanwhile Detroit’s Apollo Brown has built his illustrious career on emotive productions that draw the best out of already legendary mic kings. From his work with Ras Kass and OC, Skyzoo to Ghostface Killah, Apollo repeatedly creates eyes shut, head nodding, soul stirring perfection for our greatest storytellers to lay their truth bare.
Kev Brown – Homework CD/LP+7” (Redefinition)
Hailing from Palmer Park in Landover, Maryland specifically, after a 13-year hiatus, the producer/MC has finally prepared the sophomore sequel to 2005’s influential cult classic, I Do What I Do. Though Brown is known as one of hip-hop’s elite producers from heavyweights like Diamond D, Pete Rock, Busta Rhymes, Peter Rosenberg, 9th Wonder and Jazzy Jeff, he is a man of many hats. [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Peabo Bryson – Stand For Love CD (Caroline)
Stand For Love showcases legendary recording artist, Peabo Bryson’s broad vocal range and musical skill. Counted among the world’s most dynamic and gifted vocal talents, Peabo is a world-renowned balladeer with a career that includes two Grammys, two Oscars, multiple gold albums, multiple No. 1 songs and chart-topping singles in R&B, pop and contemporary jazz. [Vinyl edition due September 14.]
Campdogzz – In Rounds CD/LP (15 Passenger)
Campdogzz is a 5-piece band from Chicago – propelled by pile-driving rhythms, insistent dual guitars, and the haunting, evocative voice of Jess Price.
Chanti Darling – RnB Vol. 1 CD/LP (Tender Loving Empire)
Chanticleer Trü would like you to know that “RNB ain’t no joke.” As frontman of Portland, OR retro-futurist electro-soul adepts Chanti Darling, Trü drinks deeply from the sacred founts of disco, boogie funk, and the dizzying universe of house music.
Commanche Moon – Country Music Deathstar CD (Edgewater Music Group)
Rooted in tradition but willing to push the limits, folk-rock and Americana band Comanche Moon is known for delivering expansive soundscapes that convey the desolation and toughness of the band’s native Texas Panhandle and often slip effortlessly into upbeat rock and roll.
Convictions – Hope For The Broken CD/LP (Invogue)
New album from the Christian metalcore quintet. [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Shemekia Copeland – America’s Child CD (Alligator)
“On her eighth album, America’s Child, produced by Will Kimbrough, a Nashvillian with quite the resume, who’s played guitar in Emmylou Harris’ band in recent years, Copeland offers a true hybrid of simmering, real-talking spirit and emphatic, folkie- and soul-style statement-making. The array of guest performers convened by Kimbrough and Copeland — including Harris, John Prine, Mary Gauthier and Rhiannon Giddens — signal Copeland’s belonging within their rootsy ranks.” – NPR
Ronnie Davis and Idren – Come Straight [Reissue/1996] CD (Omnivore)
Remastered roots reggae classic featuring two bonus tracks – part of Omnivore’s ongoing Nighthawk Records reissue campaign.
Down By Law – All In CD/LP (Kung Fu)
From the newly revitalized punk rock label Kung Fu Records comes the 2018 album from influential punk band Down By Law, the outfit founded by Dave Smalley (Dag Nasty, All).
Earth Girl Helen Brown Center For Planetary Intelligence Band – Four Satelittes Vol.1 CD/2xLP (In The Red)
The Earth Girl Helen Brown Center For Planetary Intelligence Band (E.G.H.B.C.F.P.I.B.) present the first vinyl release of their proto-lanetary series Four Satellites Vol. 1. — a compilation of Heidi Alexander’s (The Sandwitches) space psychedelic folk project’s cassette releases that features a huge cast of guests, including Ty Segall, John Dwyer, Kelley Stoltz, Mikey Young, Lars Finberg, Tim Presley, Mikal Cronin, and many, many more.
Forma – Semblance CD/LP (Kranky)
New release from the Brooklyn electronica trio. Semblence continues Forma’s mission to “broaden the idea of what an electronic music ensemble can sound like.”
Gabe Gurnsey – Physical CD/LP (PIAS America)
If you want to know what Gabe Gurnsey’s debut LP sounds like, the first thing you should do is put aside Factory Floor, the group he co-founded 13 years ago. Gone are the cold, lengthy, stripped back deconstructions of no wave electronica and industrial techno, abandoned in favor of something altogether warmer, torrid and succinct.
Helena Hauff – Qualm CD/2xLP (Ninja Tune)
A former resident of the Golden Pudel club in her hometown Hamburg, Helena’s profile and global standing has grown exponentially since the release of Discreet Desires in 2015, purely on the strength of her authenticity and her expertly curated DJ sets spanning acid, electro, EBM, techno and post punk. Gigging incessantly (and still lugging a box of records across the world) Helena’s reputation earned her an invitation to join the BBC Radio 1 Residency, she was the subject of cover features for Crack Magazine and DJ Mag, she played headline sets at Sonar and Dekmantel, and at the end of 2017 Crack Magazine declared Helena “The Most Exciting DJ In The World (Right Now)” and her ballistic BBC Essential Mix was voted the best of 2017.
Steve Hauschildt – Dissolvi CD/LP+MP3 (Ghostly International)
In search of the sublime, contemporary electronic musician Steve Hauschildt has designed grids and panoramas of sound across multiple releases through the rise and dissolution of his former band, Emeralds, an American touchstone of 2000s home-recorded psychedelic noise music. Consistent with his solo work is Hauschildt’s ability to coil his craft in precise, varied, and distinctly physical forms. Gently spinning arpeggios converse with post-industrial decay. Sonic fibers sway like pendulums from static melancholy to motorik bliss.
Ted Hawkins – Watch Your Step CD/LP (Craft Recordings)
With his rough-edged soul/country voice and simple acoustic guitar, Hawkins brings you into his moody world, full with the life of a street singer. His dark and often quirky songs, rooted in the firmament of American country music and rhythm and blues, are balanced with a surprisingly upbeat sense of humor.
Monk Higgins – Extra Soul Perception [Reissue/1968] CD/LP (Real Gone Music)
ax session man on records by Bobby “Blue” Bland, Barbara Acklin, the 5 Dutones, Charles Wright and the Watts 103rd St Rhythm Band, Alvin Cash, Otis Clay, and just about any soul artist who cut for Chess in the mid-‘60s, Milt Bland aka Monk Higgins is not what you would call a household name, but hip hop crate diggers know him well. Higgins recorded as a bandleader for the Dunhill, United Artists, and Buddah labels, but without a doubt the most hotly sought after album he ever made was Extra Soul Perception, the one-off record he cut in 1968. Backed by a crack band consisting of guitarist Arthur Adams and drummer John Guerin (probably best known for his work on Joni Mitchell’s Court And Spark) among other accomplished session cats, Higgins’ warm, earthy tenor tackles a mixture of originals and funk-infused covers. [Limited edition translucent blue vinyl pressing also available.]
Houndmouth – Golden Age CD (Reprise)
New Albany, Indiana-based rock band Houndmouth, famous for their heartfelt, introspective storytelling and rich instrumentality, make their welcome return with a new record.
Immortal – Sons Of Northern Darkness [Reissue/2002] CD/2xLP/Cassette (Nuclear Blast)
On the heels of their recently released new album Northern Chaos Gods, the pioneering Bergen, Norway black metal outfit reissues their seventh album on CD, vinyl and cassette. [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Integrity / Krieg – Integrity / Krieg [Split] CD/LP (Relapse)
Metallic horror trailblazers Integrity join forces with cult US black metal horde Krieg for an unearthly split recording.
James – Living In Extraordinary Times CD/2xLP (BMG)
Mancunian outfit James returned in May 2018 with the Better Than That EP and follow it up with their fifteenth studio album, Living In Extraordinary Times. The sessions were overseen by Mercury Prize-winning producer Charlie Andrew and rising star Beni Giles. “Hank”, which appeared on the EP and opens the record, is further evidence that James have no inclination to shy away from politics. Tim Booth is an Englishman in America, and that particular perspective on Donald Trump’s American carnage couldn’t help but have an impact on the record. As well as biting social commentary, Living In Extraordinary Times also sees Booth speak frankly about deeply personal issues. On “Coming Home (Pt. 2)” (featuring long-time collaborator Brian Eno), he writes about the pain of being a father on tour away from a young child. It also features EP title cut “Better Than That”’ where Booth urges the universe to do its worst, like a man squaring up to life itself.
Winston Jarrett and The Righteous Flames – Jonestown [Reissue/1989] CD (Omnivore)
Remastered roots reggae classic – part of Omnivore’s ongoing Nighthawk Records reissue campaign.
Kissin’ Dynamite – Ecstasy CD/LP (Metal Blade)
Pure, no-frills rock & roll from Germany.
Lambchop – What Another Man Spills [Reissue/1998] CD/2xLP+MP3 (Merge)
What Another Man Spills (1998) represented a milestone in Lambchop’s career, but not in the modern sense of a ‘landmark’ release. Building on foundations that had once sounded almost literally creaky, it expands upon the tentative maneuvers they’d undertaken with the previous year’s Thriller (1997) and gestures confidently towards its brassy successor, Nixon, which would arrive in 2000 to wild acclaim and previously unimaginable commercial success. Indeed, it sits at a crossroads between the band that Lambchop first emerged as, and the band that they would later become. [Limited deluxe colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Jim Lauderdale – Time Flies CD/LP+MP3 (Yep Roc)
Classic Americana distinctively infused with striking notes of country and soul.
LFZ – Name Plus Focus CD/LP (Castle Face)
New release from the deep improvisational and experimental band, with guitar at its heart, manipulated by electronics. For fans of JD Emanuel, Edgar Froese, Syrinx, Michael Rother, and Wendy Carlos.
Lovelytheband – Finding It Hard To Smile CD/2xLP (Century Media)
Following-up their promising 2017 EP, Everything I Could Never Say…, Finding It Hard To Smile is the catchy, synth-driven full-length debut effort from sleek L.A.-based indie-pop trio Lovelytheband featuring vocalist/guitarist Mitchy Collins, guitarist/keyboardist Jordan Greenwald and drummer Sam Price. The inviting 16-track, double-LP collection is ushered in by the infectious MGMT-esque hit single “Broken”. [Limited autographed vinyl copies also available.]
Lucero – Among The Ghosts CD/LP (Liberty & Lament)
Lucero’s ninth studio album, Among The Ghosts, was recorded at the historic Sam Phillips Recording Service, the studio built by the legendary producer after outgrowing his Memphis Recording Service/Sun Studio. Captured primarily live, it eschews the Stax-inspired horns and Jerry Lee Lewis-style boogie piano featured on some of the band’s past recordings for a streamlined rock & roll sound that pays homage to their seminal influences as it seeks to push that legacy into the future. For a band who carried the torch of the alt-country movement back in the ‘90s and helped pave the way for what is now called Americana, Lucero have re-discovered what inspired them in the first place. The ten-song LP’s title is both a tribute to the spirits which roam the streets of their fabled city of Memphis, as well as the hard road the determinedly independent band set out on 20 years ago. Among The Ghosts has a dark palette that includes tales of a haunting (“Among The Ghosts”), a drowning (“Bottom Of The Sea), a reckoning with the devil (“Everything Has Changed”), a divorce (“Always Been You”), and a shootout (“Cover Me”). And that’s just Side A.
Tunde Mabadu – Viva Disco [Reissue/1980] CD/LP (Mondo)
CD and vinyl reissue of an ultra-rare Nigerian disco-boogie album from 1980. Tunde Mabadu recorded two albums in the 70’s – Viva Disco and Bisu – as Tunde Mabadu & His Sunrise. Perfect examples of golden-era Nigerian disco and boogie, that still hold their own today.
Marlowe – Marlowe CD/LP+MP3 (Mello Music Group)
Recently released on vinyl – now available on CD. A triumph of ambition, Marlowe is a rap bricolage blending prohibition and civil rights-era samples with Asian psychedelic rock flourishes.
Mac Miller – Swimming CD (WB)
Introduced by the sonically laid-back and funk/R&B-heavy tracks “Self Care,” “Small Worlds” and “What’s The Use?”, Swimming is the latest exploratory offering from shape-shifting rapper/singer/producer Mac Miller and follow-up to 2016’s The Divine Feminine. Serving as his fifth full-length studio effort overall, it includes contributions from fellow rapper/producer J. Cole, British singer/songwriter Dev Hynes (aka Blood Orange) and composer/instrumentalist John Brion. Miller told Zane Lowe that the album is focused on space and “what it means to be inside of a record.” [Vinyl edition tentatively scheduled for October 26.]
Michael Nesmith & The First National Band Redux – Live At The Troubadour CD/2xLP (7A)
live release from the veteran singer/songwriter and former Monkee. [Limited opaque gold colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Nigeria Fuji Machine – Syncho Sound System & Power CD/2xLP (Soul Jazz)
Syncho Sound System & Power features the music of Nigeria Fuji Machine, which includes some of the country’s finest Fuji master drummers and singers, and is newly recorded by Soul Jazz Records in Lagos, Nigeria. Fuji is the heavily percussive and improvisational style of Nigerian popular music, at once modern and yet deeply rooted in the traditional Islamic Yoruba culture of Nigeria, a hi-energy street music which evolved out of the Islamic celebration of Ramadan.
NOFX – Ribbed: Live In A Dive CD/LP (Fat Wreck Chords)
The eighth edition of Fat Wreck Chord’s Live In A Dive series features the legendary L.A. punk band NOFX’s performance of their 1991 classic Ribbed.
Amanda Shires – To The Sunset CD/LP (Silver Knife)
Critically acclaimed singer/songwriter/violinist Amanda Shires’ follows up her critically acclaimed 2016 release My Piece Of Land with her highly anticipated fifth album, To The Sunset. It serves as Shires’ second album with Grammy award-winning producer Dave Cobb and represents an adventurous move with an edgier sound and attitude. Shires continues to push herself artistically and sonically, but the spotlight always shines brightly on her unmistakable songwriting style and emotive and distinctive vocals. To The Sunset is a compelling collection of narratives often told from a female perspective. The themes range from grappling with self-esteem in “Mirror, Mirror” to mental illness and addiction in standout track “Wasn’t I Paying Attention?” and the power of a changed perspective with a dash of her signature wit in “Break Out The Champagne”. Shires has a penchant for delivering her stories in ways that are intelligent and poetic yet thoughtful and warm, feeling as if coming from a good friend. One of the boldest and most honest traits about Shires is her fearless way of approaching subjects and plots within her songs. Features special guest Jason Isbell on guitar.
Sims x Air Credits x ICETEP – Arteria Verité CD/LP (Doomtree)
Rap music from the near and bleak future; or more aptly, from next week’s dystopia. Artería Verité is a concept album that ended up being more future-realist than conceptual.
Spider Bags – Someday Everything Will Be Fine CD/LP+MP3 (Merge)
Recorded in Memphis at Bunker Audio by Andrew McCalla (who also engineered Spider Bags’ seminal 2012 rock and roll party record Shake My Head), Someday Everything Will Be Fine leverages the limitations and glory of the Tascam 388, a vintage recording/mixing device that’s acquired a mythos via its association with legendary records by Dinosaur Jr., East River Pipe, the Black Keys, Ty Segall, and Thee Oh Sees to name a few. [Deluxe colored vinyl pressing also availbable.]
Spirit Animal –Born Yesterday CD (Atlantic)
On Spirit Animal’s 2018 full-length debut, Born Yesterday, the band not only proves 808s and guitars can coexist in harmony, they also craft airtight songs that would delight in any era.
The Temperance Movement – A Deeper Cut CD (Spinefarm)
Third studio album by the British blues rock band. [Vinyl edition due September 14.]
Trophy Eyes – The American Dream CD/LP+MP3 (Hopeless)
This Australian quintet blends punk influence with mainstream rock.
Ultraphonix – Original Human Music CD/LP (earMUSIC)
Ultraphonix is the new creation of Corey Glover (Living Colour) and George Lynch (Dokken, Lynch Mob) alongside the great rhythm section of drummer Chris Moore and bassist Pancho Tomaselli. The core and value of Ultraphonix lies in the songwriting and the quality of the songs. Original Human Music is an album where Glover’s profound and thoughtful lyrics sound loud, together with the warm and heavy wall of sound created by Lynch. To quote Lynch, “The album sounds like a fusion of early Chili Peppers meets King Crimson meets Judas Priest! It’s a super fun band.” Drawing on (very heavy) rock, funk and jazz influences, Ultraphonix celebrates social consciousness through great rock songs.
White Ring – Gate Of Grief CD (Rocket Girl)
Blending heavy, distorted electronics with eerie, unsettling vocals, Gate Of Grief, created over the course of seven years, pushes the boundaries even further, subverting genre ideas and mashing them all together, with industrial, metal, rave, chopped and screwed, rap, grunge, neo folk, post punk and new wave all in the mix. [Vinyl edition due August 10.]
YG – Stay Dangerous CD (Def Jam)
Third album from the Compton rapper. Includes “Big Bank”, YG’s summer banger featuring Nicki Minaj, 2 Chains and Big Sean. [Vinyl edition due August 17.]
DVDs + Blu-ray:
Alan Parsons Project – Eye In The Sky [Reissue/1982] Blu-ray Audio (Real Gone Music)
35th Anniversary reissue featuring 5.1 Surround Sound Mix (2017) and stereo HD version.
Midnight Oil – 1984 DVD (Madman Films)
the story of the sweat soaked, hard-working rock n roll band whose music galvanized a generation of young Australians.
This Week’s Vinyl Exclusives:
A.G. – The Taste Of AMBrosia LP (Slice Of Spice)
“A full meal serving for mature rap devotees who’ve grown tired of contemporary rhymesayer laziness.” [Limited red colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Daniel Avery – Song For Alpha Remixes – One 12” (Mute)
On the first remix EP born of Daniel Avery’s transcendent sophomore album, Song For Alpha, three contemporaries of modern techno offer diverse interpretations.
Blockhead – The Art Of The Sample LP (Young Heavy Souls)
New York hip-hop producer Blockhead was given access to sample de Wolfe’s music library and create his own library record. In his own words “These are not typical Blockhead songs. They’re more stripped down and focused for the purpose of being used in TV and film. For those who are unfamiliar with de Wolfe, they are a music library that has been doing music for film, radio and television for nearly 100 years. They make original music that gets plugged into all sorts of things and has been heard around the world. If you’re a producer, you have very likely sampled them and not even realized it. I was fortunate enough for them to allow me to make an album entirely out of their back catalogue.”
Blu & Shafiq Husayn – The Blueprint 2xLP (Nature Sounds)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. In recent years, Los Angeles rapper Blu has become one of hip-hop’s most prolific artists, releasing more than a dozen acclaimed projects. The gifted lyricist often joins forces with a single producer for an entire collection, leading to classic collaborative releases with Exile, Nottz, Madlib, and more. The Blueprint is a new mixtape produced by Shafiq Husayn, known as one third of visionary production team Sa-Ra Creative Partners, Shafiq has produced for the likes of Erykah Badu, Kanye West, Andre 3000, John Legend, Anderson Paak, Thundercat, Bilal, Ty Dolla $ign, Ice T, and many more
Bluestaeb – Everything Is Always A Process LP (Jakarta)
A smooth neo soul-induced epic with guest appearances by Noah Slee, Harleighblu and Melodiesinfonie.
Jeff Buckley – Sketches For My Sweetheart The Drunk [Reissue/1998] 3xLP+MP3 (Sony Legacy)
Jeff Buckley – Mystery White Boy: Live ’95 – ’96 [Reissue/2000] 2xLP+MP3 (Sony Legacy)
Vinyl reissues now available. Buckley was dissatisfied with material recorded in the summer of 1996 and early in 1997 and continued working on demo recordings to refine his sound. The album was to be titled My Sweetheart, The Drunk, but was never finished, as the rest of the band were traveling to meet Buckley at the time of his death on May 29th 1997.
The Byrds – Sweetheart Of The Rodeo [Reissue/1968] LP (Friday Music)
Limited audiophile 180gm translucent green and blue swirl colored vinyl pressing.
The Cranberries – Something Else LP (The End)
Released last year on CD – now available on limited green colored vinyl. “Something Else by The Cranberries is a strange sort of greatest hits compilation. On one hand, it does collect the Irish band’s most popular songs, dutifully released to mark the 25 years since their first formal musical release: the ethereal, fresh-faced 1992 single ‘Dreams.’ But Something Else isn’t a mercenary cash grab, bloodlessly assembled to fulfill a contractual obligation. For one, it features three brand-new songs. Every old song on it was also re-recorded in 2016 acoustically and with string accompaniment (provided by the Irish Chamber Orchestra). Rather, Something Else is a veteran band’s attempt to celebrate their own canon by reimagining and extending it. While The Cranberries’ previous and only conventional greatest hits album, Stars: The Best of 1992-2002, showcases the band’s rockier side, the only heavy song on this project is (obviously) ‘Zombie.’ Here, the swooping strings and finger-plucked guitars supply ‘Zombie’ a somber gravitas that the grungy, stricken, and occasionally grating original never offered. It’s a mood that feels apt for reflection on the Troubles in Ireland, two decades on.” – Mr. Bill Brazil
The Doobie Brothers – Southbound [Reissue/2014] LP (Friday Music)
Limited 180gm translucent gold swirl vinyl LP pressing of The Doobie Brothers’ star-studded 2014 album comprised re-recorded versions of their biggest hits. Includes contributions by Blake Shelton, Brad Paisley, Casey James, Charlie Worsham, Chris Young, Jerrod Niemann, Johnnyswim’s Amanda Sudano Ramirez, Love and Theft, Sara Evans, Toby Keith, Tyler Farr, and the Zac Brown Band.
Deli & Blue In Green – Flowers b/w Rainy Streets (Emapea Re-Works) 7” (Cold Busted)
The mix-and-match methodology goes into overdrive at Cold Busted HQ as this single combines universally lauded beat maker Emapea with fiery tunes from Blue In Green and The Deli.
The Doors – Hello, I Love You b/w Love Street 7” (Elektra)
“Hello, I Love You” became The Doors’ second #1 hit when it topped the Billboard singles chart for two weeks beginning on August 3, 1968. Now, exactly 50 years later, Rhino releases a new 7″ version of the single with its B-side “Love Street”. For this anniversary release, Rhino used mono radio mixes of the songs that were given exclusively to radio stations for airplay in 1968.
Earth – The Bees Made Honey In The Lion’s Skull [Reissue/2008] 2xLP (Southern Lord)
This new 2018 reissue contains the exclusive bonus track “Junkyard Priest” (featuring Milky Burgess on slide guitar). The audio was specifically mastered for vinyl, the lacquers were cut by Bob Weston (Shellac) and the double-LP set comes housed in a beautiful “old style” Stoughton gatefold jacket.
Electric Light Orchestra – Time [Reissue/1981] LP+MP3 (Sony Legacy)
Electric Light Orchestra – Secret Messages [Reissue/1983] LP+MP3 (Sony Legacy)
Vinyl reissues of ELO’s ninth and tenth albums.
Free Cake For Every Creature – The Bluest Star LP (Double Double Whammy)
Free Cake For Every Creature is a soft pop band currently based in Philadelphia, PA. [Limited edition colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Fugees (Refugee Camp) – Bootleg Versions [Reissue/1996] LP (Sony Legacy)
Vinyl reissue of the R&B and reggae fusion group’s 1996 remix album.
Marvin Gaye – Midnight Love [Reissue/1982] LP+MP3 (Sony Legacy)
Vinyl reissue of the 17th and final studio album by the R&B/soul legend.
Hampton Grease Band – Music To Eat [Reissue/1971] 2xLP (Real Gone Music)
In the 47-some years since its release, the Hampton Grease Band’s Music To Eat has steadily ascended the list of Greatest Cult Records of All Time so that now it resides at the tippety-top. Indeed, modern-day jam bands genuflect at the sight of the trippy cover art alone (Col. Bruce Hampton & the Aquarium Rescue Unit was an early ‘90s fixture in the movement), as the jazz/prog/psych guitar licks of Glenn Phillips and Harold Kelling gives such famous duos as Betts/Allman, Verlaine/Lloyd, and Bloomfield/Bishop a run for their money. Add a generous dollop of Pop Art surrealism delivered by Hampton’s dada-ist, Beefheart-ian roar and you’re left with an album that inhabits a rarefied realm somewhere between Trout Mask Replica, Anthem Of The Sun, Hot Rats, Happy Trails, and maybe The Allman Brothers Band at Fillmore East. Limited peach colored vinyl pressing.
Have Mercy – The Earth Pushed Back [Reissue/2013] LP (Topshelf)
Five years old and now in its seventh pressing, The Earth Pushed Back has aged beautifully, sounding every bit as timeless as it did when it came out, while still remaining in step with contemporary acts within the genre. To celebrate the album’s anniversary, Have Mercy will be hitting the road for a full US tour all summer 2018 and Topshelf put together this one-time deluxe edition pressing that comes in a gatefold jacket with new and expanded artwork.
King Diamond – The Spider’s Lullabye [Reissue/1995] LP (Metal Blade)
King Diamond – The Graveyard [Reissue/1996] 2xLP (Metal Blade)
Picture disc vinyl reissues of the heavy metal band’s sixth and seventh albums.
The Koreatown Oddity – A Beat At The Table LP (The Koreatown Oddity)
A Beat At The Table is an instrumental project by Koreatown Oddity conceptualized from Solange’s A Seat At The Table album. A deep dive into the black sounds and messages reinterpreted into 19-mins of raw beat energy as heard through the ear of KtownOdd. Limited Coke bottle clear vinyl LP pressing.
La Coka Nostra – A Brand You Can Trust [Reissue/2009] 2xLP (Suburban Noize)
Making its vinyl debut in 2018, A Brand You Can Trust is the 2009 debut album from hip-hop supergroup La Coka Nostra comprised of an all-star cast of House of Pain alumni (Everlast, Danny Boy and DJ Lethal) along with Ill Bill (Non Phixion) and Slaine (Special Teamz). Additional contributions come from such hip hop elite as Snoop Dogg, Cypress Hill, Immortal Technique, Bun B and The Alchemist.
L’Rain – L’Rain LP (Astro Nautico)
Time is twisted on L’Rain’s (Brooklyn multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, tape manipulator and vocalist Taja Cheek) eponymous debut. Rising on a wave of synths and breathy sax, the album unfolds with electric guitar arpeggios and undulating vocal swells, unwrapping a dense psychedelic arrangement grounded by clattering acoustic drum patterns and the ephemeral soars of Cheek’s voice.
Lykke Li – So Sad So Sexy LP (RCA)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. “It’s rare that an album title can summarize the essence of a musician, but ‘so sad so sexy’ has been Lykke Li’s MO since the release of her debut album Youth Novels in 2008. However, this time round, instead of dinky indie songs that contain a twee frailty, Li dives right into a pool of Tumblr-stylised depression that echoes within a spacious electronic soundscape, leaving us with nothing else to do but doggy-paddle behind her in support. In the sad pop and R&B era of Drake, The Weeknd, Lana Del Rey and SZA, Lykke Li has long worn the crown, and her fourth album plays into the self-inflicted misery of dead-end relationships and blind devotion, all the while owning the title of a Bad Woman.” – The Irish Times
Little Ugly Girls – Little Ugly Girls LP (Chapter Music)
Legendary Australian punk band Little Ugly Girls formed in Hobart, Tasmania in the very early ‘90s, but have never released a record until now.
The Love Language – Baby Grand LP+MP3 (Merge)
You may not be able to see the gorgeous landscapes behind Baby Grand, Stuart McLamb’s fourth record as The Love Language, but they’re so essential to the picture you’ll feel them in every note. Yet so much lies in the shadows behind these tracks: other states, other lives, other dreams, other relationships – fogged over, perhaps, but there nonetheless. Yes, Baby Grand has its share of breakup songs – nobody writes those better than McLamb – but this time, even as something is being mourned, something else is being worked through; as lovers have been left behind, so have places and a time in life. Listen as the heartbreak and yearning of “New Amsterdam” come crashing down into the beautiful stasis of “Southern Doldrums” (the former was inspired by Cyndi Lauper and Joy Division, McLamb claims, while the latter draws upon John Cale’s meditative solo records), or as the beautiful lift of the startling sequence of songs that make up Baby Grand’s propulsive midsection gives way to a moody instrumental called “Rain/Delay”, a collection of distant plinks and plonks struggling to assemble themselves into melody. The song “Juiceboxx” is what you’d get if Mick Jagger crooned his “Emotional Rescue” falsetto over a backing track by the Style Council, and “Let Your Hair Down” impressively suggests what “Caroline, No” might have sounded like if only it had been written by George Michael. [Deluxe colored vinyl pressing also available. CD edition due August 10.]
Nas – Nastradamus [Reissue/1999] 2xLP (Sony Legacy)
Since the release of the landmark Illmatic in 1994, Nas has proven himself to be one of hip-hop’s most potent, durable, and abiding forces. 1999’s Nastradamus served as the rapper’s fourth of eight consecutive platinum and multi-platinum albums. Issued on the cusp of the millennium, it finds him waxing poetic about the future and spirituality bolstered by beats from the likes of DJ Premier, Havoc, Timbaland, L.E.S., Dame Grease and Rich Nice.
Otis – Eyes Of The Sun LP (Purple Pyramid)
Released last year on CD – now available on vinyl. New album from southern blues rock champions. The band has earned accolades from ZZ Top guitarist Billy F. Gibbons who hailed the band’s “fine singing, authentically talented harp work, sweet guitar tones… all around enjoyable listening!”
Augustus Pablo – Live At The Greek Theater, Berkeley, 1984 LP (Cleopatra)
Spectacular live performance by the melodica master featuring his greatest hits including “East Of The River Nile,” “Cassava Piece,” “Earth’s Rightful Ruler (Java)” and more. Limited yellow colored vinyl pressing.
Elvis Presley – His Hand In Mine [Reissue/1960] LP (Friday Music)
Limited white and silver swirl colored vinyl LP pressing housed in a gatefold sleeve.
The Rationals – The Rationals [Reissue/1969] LP (Rouge)
A cornerstone band in Detroit’s ever-storied rock history, The Rationals have been cited as an influence by the likes of Bob Seger, Ted Nugent and Brownsville Station. Coming out of Ann Arbor in 1964, the group put an authentic R&B twist on the new rock ‘n’ roll styles of the British Invasion.
Rosalie – Trouble Anyway LP (Scissor Tail)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Philly-based musician Rosali (Long Hots, Wandering Shade) wrote the songs for her second album, Trouble Anyway, seeking empowerment by sharing openly on love, power, aging, suffering, confusion, self-doubt, and anger. The result is a full-bodied record that is at once sweeping and intimate – a vulnerable and powerful exploration of emotional narratives and a cohesive collection of lush, intimate rock songs, featuring Rosali’s warm, natural vocals and powerful riffing and rhythm guitar.
Soundtrack – Le Cercle Rouge [Reissue/1970] LP (We Release Jazz)
Vinyl reissue of Eric Demarsan’s jazzy hypnotic original soundtrack to Jean-Pierre Melville ‘s 1970 film noir classic Le Cercle Rouge.
Sweet – Level Headed Tour Rehearsals 1977 LP (Rouge)
In 1977 Sweet signed a new recording deal with Polydor and were on the cusp of touring the U.K. and Europe in support of their sixth album Level Headed. Released in January of 1978, it was the last album the band would record as the original four piece that had achieved so many Top 20 hits. [Limited translucent blue colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Sweet Valley – Eternal Champ LP (Ghost Ramp)
Sweet Valley – Eternal Champ II LP (Ghost Ramp)
“Sweet Valley is a Bermuda Triangle-like place, where cannabis crumbs, spilt beer, record dust and that mysterious sh*t you had to blow out of game cartridges all collect as if pulled by some gigantic junkyard magnet. Sweet Valley is a blood pact between two brothers, Nathan (WAVVES) & Joel Williams (Spirit Club), gone awesomely off the rails. Ghost Ramp is proud to present the reissue of 2012’s incredible record Eternal Champ for the first time on any physical format. The album is a benchmark for the duo and an absolute fan favorite. Sample-heavy, tripped out beats pull the listener into a psychedelic, 16-bit wonderland. Floating somewhere between video game nostalgia, cutting edge hip-hop obsession and sludged out California stoner-ism, Eternal Champ sets the standard for instrumental beat records.
Swing Out Sister – Almost Persuaded LP (Miso)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Swing Out Sister is back with a self-assured swagger to their signature cinematic jazz sound. Dipping in and out of their influences from hip-hop and neo soul to Blue Note and Motown with underlying scores that touch on blaxploitation and half remembered French films, Corinne Drewery and Andrew Connell show how their songwriting versatility has developed over the three decades since they first hit the charts.
The Way We Live – A Candle For Judith [Reissue/1971] LP (Ozit)
Tractor – Tractor [Reissue/1972] LP (Ozit)
Limited colored vinyl reissues. Tractor is a band founded in Rochdale, Lancashire, England by guitarist/vocalist Jim Milne and drummer Steve Clayton in 1971. Both had been members of a beat group, The Way We Live since 1966. They are notable for their appreciation by John Peel and Julian Cope. John Peel bought the band recording equipment and a stereo PA system.
Various Artists – Lotta Love: Sounds California 2xLP (WB)
Warner Bros. Records is celebrating 60 glorious years with a series of double vinyl compilations highlighting the greatest hits of six decades. The first collection is Lotta Love: Sounds California. The album features 21 singer-songwriter classics including hits by Emmylou Harris, Randy Newman, Gram Parsons, Bonnie Raitt, James Taylor and Brian Wilson.
X Ray Spex – Germ Free Adolescents [Reissue/1978] LP (Real Gone Music)
Clear vinyl repressing of one of the signature albums of the early British punk movement.
Cassettes:
Immortal – Sons Of Northern Darkness (Nuclear Blast)
On the heels of their recently released new album Northern Chaos Gods, the pioneering Bergen, Norway black metal outfit reissues their seventh album on CD, vinyl and cassette.
Leave a Reply