September Program Titles Released This Week:
Alice Cooper – A Paranormal Evening At The Olympia Paris 2xCD/2xLP (earMUSIC)
Alice Cooper is known as one of rock’s greatest entertainers with a career spanning over 40 years. A Paranormal Evening At The Olympia Paris – recorded during Alice’s recent 2017 European Tour – gives listeners the chance to witness one of these fine and legendary theatrical performances on record. Supported by his outstanding band, the ‘master of shock rock’ takes the audience on a thrilling journey through the darkness, performing big hits like “Poison”, “School’s Out” and “No More Mr. Nice Guy” as well as the new classic “Paranoiac Personality” off of his latest studio album Paranormal. [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Idles – Joy As An Act Of Resistance CD/LP (Partisan)
Joy As An Act of Resistance is the follow up to Bristol, UK five-piece Idles’ debut album Brutalism, self-released in 2017. Produced by Space and mixed by Adam Greenspan and Nick Launay (Nick Cave, Kate Bush, Yeah Yeah Yeahs), the 12-track collection takes aim at everything from toxic masculinity, nationalism, immigration, and class inequality – all while maintaining a visceral, infectious positivity. Singer Joe Talbot summarizes: “This album is an attempt to be vulnerable to our audience and to encourage vulnerability; a brave naked smile in this shitty new world. We have stripped back the songs and lyrics to our bare flesh to allow each other to breathe, to celebrate our differences, and act as an ode to communities and the individuals that forge them. Because without our community, we’d be nothing.” [Limited pink colored vinyl edition also available.]
Iron And Wine – The Weed Garden CDEP/12”+MP3 (Sub Pop)
Iron & Wine follow up their 2018 Grammy-nominated full-length Beast Epic with Weed Garden, a collection of material that began about three years ago. The six-song EP features songs that were part of the writing phase for Beast Epic but went unfinished. They were part of a larger narrative for principal songwriter Sam Beam, who ran out of time to get them where they needed to be for inclusion on Beast Epic. Weed Garden also includes the fan favorite “Waves Of Galveston”. While on tour last fall, the final pieces of material took shape and a sense of urgency prevailed in bringing these characters full circle. To resolution. To completion. In January, Beam and company hunkered down in Chicago at The Loft recording studio to capture these six songs. No more, no less.
The Kooks – Let’s Go Sunshine CD/2xLP (Lonely Cat/Awal Recordings)
The Kooks bold new long-player Let’s Go Sunshine distills their timeless sound into its purest form while pushing it forward into a more expansive and mature space. It’s a moving, energizing and timelessly melodic record that’s incisive in its portrait of modern British urban life. The heart and soul of the album lies in its hymns of lost innocence, fading relationships and the process of break-up and recovery. It’s the sound of an ambitious, confident band stepping out and making a statement with their definitive album. Let’s Go Sunshine sees the band cement their status as true bastions of British guitar pop and take their rightful place at the table next to the celebrated bands that influenced them in their infancy, over a decade ago. [Limited white colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Amos Lee – My New Moon CD/LP (Dualtone)
Singer/songwriter Amos Lee says his seventh studio album My New Moon is “a dedication…it’s an offering – an altar of sorts to those who have shared their sorrows with me.” It is a product of profound human experiences; loss, grief, hope, healing, love, sorrow, and rejuvenation. Each track on My New Moon takes a journey through these intense and personal experiences. Opening track “No More Darkness, No More Light” was rewritten entirely after the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, and speaks to the hope for change that lies in amongst tragic situations and challenges. “Little Light”, written for a young girl who beat cancer, is a positive message of spreading light for the world to see, even if you’re facing hardship. “Hang On, Hang On” reflects the helplessness that comes after the loss of a loved one, “Crooked” brings to light the difficult and confusing times we’ve faced throughout history in America, and “I Get Weak” is a beautifully dark love song to something that might kill you, but you need it to go on living. The album reflects the darkness and the light that we all both experience and bring into the world, and how through these personal experiences and hard times, we grow more connected to one another.
Mass Gothic – I’ve Touted You Long Enough CD/LP+MP3/Cassette (Sub Pop)
I’ve Tortured You Long Enough is the tongue-in-cheek title of Mass Gothic’s second album. Husband/wife duo Noel Heroux and Jessica Zambri have always dipped in and out of each other’s creative spaces, advising on their respective outputs and supporting one another. But, until this record, they had never completely committed to doing an entire album as a duo, sharing an equal load. The result is a record packed with the tension, chaos and beauty of a fluid and cathartic two-way conversation. In a universe that increasingly threatens our abilities to communicate and coexist, their creative union isn’t just inspired but important. The final product recalls the frantic energy of Animal Collective and the celestial torch-bearing of Bat For Lashes and reveals a remarkable arc. It begins from a place of uncertainty, disquiet, and self-doubt, and concludes with the comfort in knowing that you can be both independent and successful in a relationship.
Troye Silvan – Bloom CD/LP (Capitol)
Bloom is an incomparably sweet and intimate work, and yet it’s so well-named because from that base unfurls something grand and universal. It’s also full of bops—a dizzy swirl of ‘80s synth-pop, crisp modern production, timeless balladry, and joyous dance—whose bold streaks and subtle shades effortlessly bridge arty to accessible. Sivan executed his vision with care, first writing with trusty collaborator-confidants Bram Inscore, Allie X, and Leland, then taking those songs to producer Ariel Rechtshaid (HAIM, Usher, Kelela) and starting another batch in Sweden with Max Martin’s MXM crew. He worked from a sonic moodboard—everyone from Madonna to This Mortal Coil, Phil Collins to Perfume Genius, Drake to Sky Ferreira—and emerged with a sound distinctly his own, but broad enough to span the liberating pulse of “My My My!”, the epic stadium-rock of “Animal”, and the cozy feel of Ariana Grande duet “Dance To This”. [Deluxe vinyl edition also available.]
Aaron Lee Tasjan – Karma For Cheap CD/LP (New West)
Karma For Cheap is Aaron Lee Tasjan’s third LP. While the stylistic shift from his palpably stoned ‘70s-country-channeling 2015 debut, In The Blazes, to his more sophisticated, introspective and lushly produced 2016 follow-up, Silver Tears, was relatively incremental, Karma’s rocked-up Brit-pop-influenced Beatles-Bowie-Badfinger vibes underscore a significant departure. The album boldly re-imagines these vintage sounds, pushing the boundary of what can be considered Americana. The roots of the new album stretch deep, drinking up the sounds of a Southern California childhood spent listening to The Beatles – back to the very first pre-teen year he picked up a six-string and started figuring out all the pretty little chords in those Lennon-McCartney tunes. Back to the pure, blissful unfiltered innocence of falling in love with music for the first time. [Indie-store exclusive red/orange colored vinyl version also available.]
Various Artists – King Of The Road: A Tribute To Roger Miller 2xCD (BMG)
This 37-track, double-CD set includes artists from all genres paying tribute to one of the greatest songwriters/performers of all time. Miller was a singer-songwriter, musician, and actor, widely known for his honky-tonk-influenced novelty songs and his chart-topping country and pop hits “King Of The Road”, “Dang Me”, and “England Swings”, all from the mid-1960s Nashville sound era. Miller died in 1992 and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame three years later. Guest artists on this tribute include Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Merle Haggard, Kacey Musgraves, Cake, John Goodman, Brad Paisley and many more.
CDs + Vinyl:
1939 Ensemble – New Cinema CD/LP (Jealous Butcher)
It is common, when describing an album, to reference the stylings of similar groups, thereby assuring the purchaser of a compatible listening experience. And yet, such a common task arrives at truly uncommon results when attempting to define and compare the multi-dimensional experience of 1939 Ensemble’s fourth release, New Cinema. If experiencing casually, the listener might catch moments of rhythmic guitar-and-hi-hat symbiosis akin to Battles, reverberating trumpet calls harkening to Miles Davis, effects-heavy swells that could have graced Jaga Jazzist’s mighty A Livingroom Hush or head-turning beat drops as deep as Amon Tobin’s Supermodified.
Alkaline Trio – Is This Thing Cursed? CD (Epitaph)
According to Alkaline Trio, new album Is This Thing Cursed? is a cousin or sibling to 1999’s Maybe I’ll Catch Fire. Dan Andriano explains, “the songwriting process is almost like what it was back in the day. We would just kind of write a song, be excited about it, then move on. We wrote in that spirit in the studio. I really feel like we made a record that the old school fans are going to dig.” [Vinyl edition due October 19.]
Anemone – Silver Star CD/LP (Butler)
Debut album from the Rotterdam-based psychedelic Britpop band. Raw and psychedelic soundscapes, Madchester grooves and ‘90s pop songs. [Limited 180gm green and white colored vinyl LP pressing also available.]
The Band – Music From Big Pink [Reissue/1968] CD/2xLP/CD+Blu-ray Audio+2xLP+7” (Capitol)
In celebration of the 50th Anniversary of The Band’s landmark debut album, Music From Big Pink has been digitally remastered and reissued on CD and vinyl featuring a new stereo mix of the album, produced by Bob Clearmountain from the original four-track analog master. This new mix achieves a striking clarity and incorporates some previously unreleased chatter from the studio sessions. For the LP, Chris Bellman cut the vinyl lacquers for the album’s new stereo mix at 45rpm at Bernie Grundman Mastering, expanding the album’s vinyl footprint from one LP to two. [Super deluxe edition includes the CD, Blu-ray Audio, double-vinyl LP and a 7” single with a hardbound book.]
Beanpole – All My Kin CD/LP (Chimera Music)
All My Kin is the strange and somewhat unbelievable album collecting the music of an artist by the name of Beanpole. “Starving artist” must have been their mode of recording as stories of farming, eating, and disfigured animal-human hybrids course throughout the record. Very little is known about Beanpole, but it is widely recognized by collectors that most of the music originated from the late 1980s and early 1990s. Some sources maintain Beanpole is still active, although evidence remains unsubstantiated. Primus’ Les Claypool claims he attempted to release a decade’s worth of Beanpole recordings on his Prawn Song label in the ’90s.
Beyond The Black – Heart Of A Hurricane CD/2xLP (Napalm)
Energetic, straight forward, uncompromising, symphonic metal.
Big Red Machine – Big Red Machine CD/LP/Cassette (Jagjaguwar)
New collaboration between Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon and The National’s Aaron Dessner. Each song includes a large number of collaborators via the PEOPLE platform. PEOPLE is a steadily growing group of international artists who have come together to create and share their work freely, with each other and everyone. It was born out of a wish to establish an independent and nurturing space in which to make work (generally around music) that is collaborative, spontaneous and expressive in nature and where all unnecessary distractions or obstacles that get in the way are removed.
Black Mirrors – Look Into The Black Mirror CD/LP (Napalm)
A prime example of all the wonderful stuff that can happen when you sell your soul to snotty garage rock, blues, psychedelia and stoner rock.
The Brutalists – The Brutalists CD/LP (Cleopatra)
Debut album from the brand-new project featuring founding L.A. Guns member Mick Cripps and London Quireboys founder Nigel Mogg. The Brutalists is a mix of the members’ influences from the dirty, leering blues of pub rock to the urgency of street punk and the synthesized dance ennui of post-punk.
Anna Calvi – Hunter CD/LP+MP3 (Domino)
The third album from Anna Calvi, is the embodiment of the feeling of truly letting go. For the experimental, art-rock singer-songwriter it was a catharsis, and an opportunity to be more truthful than she ever had been before. It was time to stop holding back. Unapologetic and no prisoners spared, Hunter is an album of harder percussion, darker lyricism, and more thrashing guitars than Calvi has used before, walking us through a journey exploring power within femininity, transcending sexual taboos and breaking the laws of gender conformity.
Chicago – Chicago II [Reissue/1970] 2xCD+2xLP+DVD (Rhino)
Limited Collector’s Edition containing two CDs, two vinyl LP pressings and a DVD. Features the Soundstage performance on CD and DVD, as well as the original Chicago II album remixed by acclaimed producer Steven Wilson on both CD and double-LP.
Circles – The Last One CD/LP (Season Of Mist)
Australian progressive powerhouse Circles combines djent influences with extreme metal, stadium-like riffs and soaring vocals.
Deaf Poets – Change & Bloom CDEP/12” (Waxromantix)
Deaf Poets is a garage/alternative rock duo formed in Miami Beach, FL and currently reside in Brooklyn, NY. Their music is the embodiment of hard-hitting drums with distortion-soaked guitars. Childhood influences such as Jimmy Page and Kurt Cobain led the duo to combine elements of ’70s rock, with the aggressiveness of ’80s punk, and an added aspect of ’90s grunge to define their sound.
Darwin Deez – 10 Songs That Happened When You Left Me With My Stupid Heart CD/LP (Lucky Number)
An equal mix of indie, wacky, Beck, and Fleetwood Mac, Brooklyn’s Darwin Deez is skilled at mixing sunshine pop with some indie attitude and lo-fi dissonance, but he’s been known to drive audiences crazy with his offbeat, Napoleon Dynamite-like dance routines.
Delgrès – Mo Jodi CD/LP (Jazz Village)
Born in Paris to Caribbean parents, Delgrès’s vocalist/guitarist Danae Pascal has long searched for the link between his love of the blues and the music of his ancestral home of Guadeloupe. This captivating trio gives voice to the slaves from the French Caribbean island who found refuge in New Orleans. Their name honors Louis Delgrès, a leader and hero who gave his life fighting against Napoleon’s reinstatement of slavery in Guadeloupe in 1802. The group’s blend of Mississippi Delta blues, Caribbean rhythms and Big Easy funk is injected with a dose of caustic trance rock that calls to mind Touareg soul, John Lee Hooker and the Black Keys.
Jim Ford – Harlan County [Reissue/1969] CD (Varèse Sarabande)
Jim Ford was an American singer-songwriter whose songs have been recorded by Aretha Franklin, Bobby Womack and the Temptations among others. Nick Lowe has cited Jim Ford as his biggest musical influence, and Sly Stone once called him the baddest white man on the planet. His 1969 album Harlan County features Dr. John on piano and keyboards, James Burton on guitar (Elvis Presley, Gram Parsons, Elvis Costello, Roy Orbison), and Jim Keltner, (Traveling Wilburys), on drums.
Slim Gaillard – Groove Juice: The Norman Granz Recordings + More 2xCD (Verve)
A multilinguistic singer, songwriter, performer and comedian, Gaillard swung in every genre with a uniquely funny, yet seriously musical, style. More than a crazy cult figure, he’s a hero to kids for his ditty “Down by the Station”, and his “Oronee” songs pepper the soundtrack of the FX series, Better Things. This collection presents every track he cut for Norman Granz’s pre-Verve labels, plus 16 rare singles recorded for MGM, and 10 previously unreleased alternate tracks.
Great Peacock – Gran Pavo Real CD/LP (Ropeadope)
Recently released on vinyl – now available on CD. Call it rock, call it alt-country, call it the blues, or call it pop – an important element of this music is its self-reflection. While the songs transform the human condition to a positive assimilation of sounds, the lyrics speak of real life and feelings with a certain lament about the destiny of it all.
Grant Green – 5 Original Albums 5xCD (Blue Note)
Guitar icon Grant Green is represented by five of his most famous Blue Note albums, including Idle Moments featuring Joe Henderson on tenor and Bobby Hutcherson on vibes, and I Want To Hold Your Hand which showcases all-star backing from drummer Elvin Jones and organist Larry Young. Also includes Street of Dreams, The Latin Bit, and Grant’s First Stand.
Tord Gustavsen Trio – The Other Side CD (ECM)
Over the last decade Tord Gustavsen has experimented with other ensemble forms and formats, but on The Other Side – recorded at Oslo’s Rainbow Studio in January 2018, he returns decisively to the piano trio with faithful drummer Jarle Vespestad and excellent new bassist Sigurd Hole. Hole’s approach to his instrument, drawing on folk influences as well as modern jazz, is ideally suited to Gustavsen’s slowly-developing, deeply melodic pieces. Produced by Manfred Eicher. [Vinyl edition due September 14.]
Charlie Haden – 5 Original Albums 5xCD (Verve)
Legendary Keith Jarrett/Ornette Coleman bassist Charlie Haden presents five classic solo albums recorded between 1991 and 2001, featuring a superb array of guests including guitarist Pat Metheny, saxophonist Ernie Watts and pianists Kenny Barron, Hank Jones and Gonzalo Rubalcaba. Includes Haunted Heart, Steal Away, Night And The City, The Art Of The Song, and Nocturne, each remastered from the original audio tapes.
Hyro The Hero – Flagged Man CD (Century Media)
On his new album the rap/rock artist gets assists from Korn’s Munky and more.
Bob James Trio – Espresso CD/LP (Evosound)
Bob James, the Grammy Award-winning jazz keyboardist, arranger, record producer, record executive, and founding member of Fourplay, returns with his first solo-led project in 12 years. Album tunes, penned by James, reflect the same inventiveness and musical fluency that persuaded Quincy Jones to become his mentor and champion back in 1963.
Mari Kalkun – Ilmamõtsan CD/LP (Nordic Notes)
In the Võro language of Southern Estonia, Ilmamõtsan means “in the wood of the world”. It’s also the title of the third album from Estonian singer Mari Kalkun, and a step sideways from her previous band-led offering, 2015’s Tii Ilo. Throughout Ilmamõtsan, Kalkun reconfigures the traditional to fit a vision of music which reflects its milieu. She plays the accordion, harmonium, kannel (the Estonian zither), chimes, bells and the luuvuur – the bone spinner.
KEN Mode – Loved CD/LP (Season Of Mist)
KEN (Kill Everyone Now) Mode unleash a caustic new album. Loved sees the Juno-winning power-trio (in the most literal sense of the term) return to their noise-rock roots in the most thunderous of ways.
Ali Akbar Khan – The Rough Guide To Ali Akbar Khan CD (World Music Network)
The foremost virtuoso of the sarod in modern times, Ali Akbar Khan was instrumental in popularizing Indian classical music in the west. This Rough Guide showcases his sublime talent and intuitive command of melody and rhythm which led violin legend Yehudi Menuhin to dub him “the greatest musician in the world.”
Jacques Loussier – Plays Bach: 5 Original Albums 5xCD (Decca)
Five classic jazz albums in one artist-themed budget-priced box. Pianist Jacques Loussier showcases his world-renowned fusion of jazz and classical music on five classic Plays Bach collections on Decca.
Nick Mason – Unattended Luggage 3xCD/3xLP (Rhino/Parlophone)
A co-founding member of Pink Floyd, Nick Mason is the only constant member of the group, performing on all their albums as well as all of their live shows. Unattended Luggage is a further celebration of his undeniably significant contribution to music. The set contains the albums Fictitious Sports, Profiles and White Of The Eye. Fictitious Sports is Nick’s debut solo album which was originally released in 1981 and saw him collaborate with a variety of different musicians including Robert Wyatt and Carla Bley. Profiles is a collaboration with 10cc guitarist Rick Fenn – it was Nick’s second album outside of Pink Floyd and was released in 1985 as Mason + Fenn. White Of The Eye is a soundtrack for a British thriller movie of the same name, Nick once again collaborated with Rick Fenn. Originally released in 1987, in conjunction with the film’s release, this is the first time the record has been made available for over 20 years, and the first time it will appear on CD.
Jackie McLean – 5 Original Albums 5xCD (Blue Note)
Five classic jazz albums in one artist-themed budget-priced box. Includes Capuchin Swing, Bluesnick, Let Freedom Ring, Demon’s Dance, and Jacknife.
Hank Mobley – 5 Original Albums 5xCD (Blue Note)
Five classic jazz albums in one artist-themed budget-priced box. Tenor titan Hank Mobley demonstrates his hard bop and soul jazz credentials on five classic 1960s Blue Note albums: No Room For Squares, Roll Call, Peckin’ Time, Reach Out! and Another Workout which features Miles Davis’s rhythm section: Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers and Philly Joe Jones.
Mogwai – KIN [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Music] CD/LP+MP3 (Temporary Residence)
The staggeringly prolific force that is Mogwai return less than a year after their standout new album, Every Country’s Sun, to provide the soundtrack to the anticipated, acclaimed new sci-fi major motion picture, KIN. Like their beloved soundtracks to Atomic and Les Revenants, KIN uses the band’s original score as the genesis and point of departure for an expanded, fully developed album of new songs. KIN is cinematic maximalism and synth-rock minimalism delivered with the signature introspective grace that has defined and refined Mogwai’s decades-long reputation. [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Lee Morgan – 5 Original Albums 5xCD (Blue Note)
Five classic jazz albums in one artist-themed budget-priced box. Includes Delightfulee, The Cooker, Leeway, The Rumproller, and Search For The New Land.
Morrissey – This Is Morrissey CD/LP (WB)
New best-of collection from the former Smiths frontman and controversial solo artist. Contains studio classics, live tracks and the alternative Mael mix of the ever-popular “Suedehead”.
The Oakland Elementary School Arkestra – The Saga Of Padani CD/LP (Modern Harmonic)
Avant jazz from Marshall Allen, Fred Frith, Terry Riley, & schoolkids. The Saga Of Padani presents the odyssey of 4th, 5th & 6th grade students from novice musicians into an avant-garde ensemble. An ensemble that engenders an array of sonic textures which never remain static or stagnant, but flow in a way that it’s always surprising, often starling and astonishing. [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Omnium Gatherum – Burning Cold CD/2xLP (Century Media)
A dark, heavy and vivid adventure through the troubled human psyche and the turbulent world around us, but it’s also an exhilarating and big-hearted celebration of the rejuvenating power of gloriously bombastic heavy music. [Limited blue colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Passenger – Runaway CD/2xCD/LP (Nettwerk)
Passenger is Mike Rosenberg, the Brighton-born singer/songwriter known for busking his way to the global hit “Let Her Go” which topped the charts in 19 countries. Produced by Rosenberg, along with longtime collaborator Chris Vallejo, his tenth studio album Runaway is largely inspired by the North American landscape and geography, both musically and lyrically, and taps into Rosenberg’s family roots in New Jersey. [Deluxe double-CD edition also available.]
Pet Shop Boys – Behaviour: Further Listening 1990-1991 2xCD/LP (Rhino/Parlophone)
Pet Shop Boys – Very: Further Listening 1992-1994 2xCD/LP (Rhino/Parlophone)
Pet Shop Boys – Bilingual: Further Listening 1995-1997 2xCD/LP (Rhino/Parlophone)
Digitally remastered and expanded double-CD set and single-disc vinyl reissues. The expanded CD editions feature Further Listening bonus tracks.
Madeline Peyroux – Anthem CD/2xLP (Verve)
Eight albums and 22 years since her debut Dreamland, Madeleine Peyroux continues to challenge the confines of jazz, venturing into the fertile fields of contemporary music with unfading curiosity. Peyroux’s new album, Anthem, finds the singer-songwriter collaborating with writers/musicians Patrick Warren (Bonnie Raitt, JD Souther, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Lana Del Rey, The Red Hot Chilli Peppers), Brian MacLeod (Sara Bareilles, Leonard Cohen, Tina Turner, Ziggy Marley) and David Baerwald (Joni Mitchell, David and David, Sheryl Crow), who are also the basic rhythm section players on the album. Together, they cast a sober, poetic, and at times philosophical eye on the current state of the world.
The Pineapple Thief – Dissolution CD/LP (Kscope)
Dissolution is the follow-up album to 2016’s Your Wilderness and The Pineapple Thief’s second album to feature King Crimson and Porcupine Tree drummer Gavin Harrison. The new material establishes the band’s intent to elevate themselves to new heights, with a desire to develop their songwriting and technical capabilities.
Gilberto Y Los Intocables Rodriguez – Sabor Maracuya Desnuda CD/LP (Empty Cellar)
This is modern Chicano soul creased down the middle of Bay Area Guanguanco street rhythms, accompanied by overdriven bass and expressionist trumpet lines in full color. Groove-laden tracks bring the cruise to life and steal a kiss on the tropics of an eternal brown-eyed summer.
Saintseneca – Pillar Of Na CD/LP+MP3 (ANTI-)
Saintseneca’s Zac Little has been thinking a lot about memory. Not necessarily his memories, though they creep in often, too. Rather, he mulls over the idea of memory itself: its resilience, its haziness, how it slips away as we try to hang on, the way it resurfaces despite our best efforts to forget. Memory is the common thread running throughout the Columbus, OH folk-punk band’s fourth album, Pillar Of Na.
Trygve Seim – Helsinki Songs CD (ECM)
Norwegian saxophonist Trygve Seim’s new album, Helsinki Songs, is a set of tunes that reference Igor Stravinsky and Jimmy Webb, and includes pieces dedicated to each of Seim’s gifted bandmates. It also tips the hat, obliquely, to Ornette Coleman and Bill Evans. The quartet plays superbly throughout, with outstanding solos from leader Seim and pianist Kristjan Randalu.
Archie Shepp – 5 Original Albums 5xCD (Impulse!)
Tenor sax firebrand and avant-garde hero Archie Shepp presents a collection of his most famous Impulse! albums of the 1960s: Four For Trane, On This Night, Fire Music, Mama Too Tight and The Way Ahead.
Jake Shimabukuro – The Greatest Day CD (JS Productions/Mailboat)
Jake Shimabukuro is well known in Hawaii and Japan due to his early solo career in the early 2000’s and his international fame that happened in 2006 when a video of him went viral, playing a rendition of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” was posted on YouTube without his knowledge. He returns with a new album, The Greatest Day.
Horace Silver – 5 Original Albums 5xCD (Blue Note)
Groundbreaking pianist/composer/arranger and soul-jazz/hard bop hero Horace Silver is captured on five classic Blue Note albums of the early 1960s, including the famous Doin’ The Thing recorded live at New York City’s Village Gate by Rudy Van Gelder.
Jimmy Smith – 5 Original Albums 5xCD (Blue Note)
Hammond B-3 Organ maestro Jimmy Smith is represented here by his legendary Blue Note debut album, The Champ, and four subsequent albums for the label: Live At The Club Baby Grand Vols. 1 & 2, House Party and Plays Fats Waller.
Sungjae Son/Yuhlee Kim/Suwuk Chung/Soojin Suh – Near East Quartet CD (ECM)
The Near East Quartet has been a force in Korean music since 2010, juxtaposing elements of contemporary jazz and traditional Korean music with pure sound exploration to create new forms. Saxophonist/clarinetist Sungjae Son and guitarist Suwuk Chung have been members from the outset and the group has been strengthened with the integration of pansori singer Yulhee Kim and highly creative drummer Soojin Suh. On their ECM debut the NEQ plays five compositions by Sungjae Son and three Korean traditionals.
Son Volt – Okemah And The Melody Of Riot CD/2xLP (Transmit Sound)
Recently released on vinyl – now available on CD. Anchored by Jay Farrar’s songwriting and propelled by a renewed rock and roll aesthetic catalyzed by a cast of new players, Son Volt’s Okemah And The Melody Of Riot was produced by Farrar himself. Originally released in 2005, this reissue includes bonus content – unreleased studio recordings and live versions of album tracks.
Status Quo – Down Down & Dignified At The Royal Albert Hall CD/2xLP (earMUSIC)
Status Quo – Down Down & Dirty At Wacken CD/2xLP+DVD/Blu-ray Audio (earMUSIC)
Status Quo’s pair of new ‘twin’ live albums capture the legendary band delivering two sets, each full of hits, energy and passion, while each offering a radically different tone and style of delivery.
Steve’n’Seagulls – Grainsville CD (Spinefarm)
Steve’n’Seagulls is a Finnish band playing bluegrass versions of classic rock tracks, such as their viral hit of AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck”, with an arsenal of instruments ranging from accordion, banjo, Cajon, double bass and so forth. [Vinyl edition due September 14.]
Stillbirth – Annihilation Of Mankind CD/LP (Unique Leader)
Classic hooks, top notch production and exciting new elements help solidify the sound that has placed the group among the elite of extreme music. Explosive, unrelentingly, and massively heavy, the aptly titled Annihilation Of Mankind is a must have for all brutal death metal and slam enthusiasts.
Still Corners – Slow Air CD/LP (Wrecking Light)
Evoking the atmospheric sounds Still Corners are known for, Slow Air continues the band’s journey with an album full of tension and brooding all the while wrapped in a reverb laden dream.
Stone Sour – Hydrograd [Deluxe Edition] 2xCD (Roadrunner)
Special double-CD edition of the hard rockers’ 2017 album. This Deluxe Edition adds rare and unreleased tracks from the Hydrograd recording sessions and more.
Tash Sultana – Flow State CD/LP+MP3 (Mom + Pop)
Tash Sultana is a young, dynamic Melbourne artist. Her vocals shine with a magical quality, she has a natural gift for melody and her instrumental dexterity is from another planet. Sultana enjoys eschewing musical boundaries, including the very notion of what a solo multi-instrumentalist can do. This fearless DIY ethos comes through now more than ever in the 15 instruments used to create her highly-anticipated album Flow State. [Limited deluxe colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Swingin’ Utters – Peace And Love CD/LP (Fat Wreck Chords)
The rebellious spirit of the Swingin’ Utters is as present as ever on Peace And Love, although the band looks and sounds a little bit different this time around, thanks to their new rhythm section of Tony Teixeira on bass and Luke Ray on drums. It’s also been four years since the Utters’ last full-length, so all three songwriters in the band had a stockpile of material when they headed into the studio. “This is, by far, our absolutely most political record we’ve ever done. We don’t generally write very pointedly political songs. We tend to be a little more vague and abstract. But this one is pretty pointedly disgusted and pissed off and really directly attacking these fuckin’ people in office.”
Szun Waves – New Hymn To Freedom CD/LP (The Leaf Label)
Sometimes in improvised music there can be a distance between listener and players, a sense you’re sitting back and admiring their interplay and abstraction – but with Szun Waves’ second album, New Hymn To Freedom, you’re right in there with them, inside the playing, experiencing the absolute joy the three musicians feel as they circle around each other, exploring the spaces they’ve opened up. [Limited white colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Joanne Shaw Taylor – The Dirty Truth [Reissue/2014] CD (Sony)
Joanne Shaw Taylor – Wild [Reissue/2014] CD (Sony)
British singer/guitarist Joanne Shaw Taylor is a bona fide star with famous fans across the guitar world, including Joe Bonamassa, Susan Tedeschi, Derek Trucks, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Wilko Johnson, Glenn Hughes and John Mayall. [Vinyl edition due September 28.]
Thou – Magus CD/LP (Sacred Bones)
While sonically Magus may be a continuation of 2014’s Heathen, thematically it stands as a stark rebuttal, a journey beyond the principles of pleasure and pain. FFO alienation, absurdity, boredom, futility, decay, the tyranny of history, the vulgarities of change, awareness as agony, reason as disease.
Various Artists – Putumayo Presents Ska Around The World CD (Putumayo World Music)
From Kingston to St. Petersburg, ska, the forerunner to reggae, continues to inspire musicians and fans in all corners of the planet. Features Akatz, Chris Murray, The New York Ska-Jazz Ensemble, Orquestra Brasileira de Música Jamaicana, The Pepper Pots, Sarazino, The Skatalites, The St. Petersburg Ska-Jazz Review, Tula and Zazí.
Various Artists – The Soul Of Baltimore: The Ru-Jac Records Story 1963-1980 4xCD (Omnivore)
Rare singles and previously unissued ’60s/’70s soul/R&B. he Baltimore soul/R&B label Ru-Jac Records was founded in 1963 by local promoter Rufus Mitchell and investor partner Jack Bennett (their names forming the Ru-Jac name). The label primarily released regional soul/R&B singles from 1963 until the mid- 1970s, when Mitchell stepped away to focus on another business venture.
The Vintage Caravan – Gateways CD/2xLP (Nuclear Blast)
4th studio album from the Icelandic classic rock trio.
Warm Drag – Warm Drag CD/LP (In The Red)
Warm Drag are a musical two piece, a two-sided conversation, two devils on your shoulders, one of them telling you to take that drug, sleep with that person and steal that car, the other devil whispering to hit the reverb pedal and turn the volume all the way up. The band listens to both devils, and they are bringing their samplers-and-switchblade post-noir noise disco to audiences with their self-titled debut. The two people in the band do specific things: Vashti Windish sings, the way Siouxsie sang power, the way Nico sang allure, the way Patti sang sex, while Paul Quattrone makes the noise with two Akai MPC 1000 samplers. These beats pummel or seduce, usually simultaneously, with synths that soar like Morricone or pump like DAF, and with gloriously twangy guitars that clang and echo like Duane Eddy spiraling down a k-hole.
We The Kings – Six CD (S-Curve)
We The Kings return with their new album to celebrate the band’s appearance all summer long on the final run of the Vans Warped Tour.
Why Don’t We – 8 Letters CD (Atlantic)
Debut full-length album from the boy band.
Wild Nothing – Indigo CD/LP (Captured Tracks)
From the opening drum beat, chiming guitar, and sweeping synth of “Letting Go” to the Bryan Ferry vocal turn on “Oscillation” to the ’80s-heavy blips, clicks, and strut of “Partners in Motion,” it’s clear that Indigo is at once vintage Wild Nothing and a bold, new leap into a bigger arena. [Limited blue colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Wstr – Identity Crisis CD/LP (Hopeless)
Sophomore album by English pop punk band Wstr (pronounced “waster”).
YG – Stay Dangerous CD (Def Jam)
The rapper’s third studio album features guest appearances from 2 Chainz, ASAP Rocky, Ty Dolla Sign, Quavo, Mozzy, Jay 305, Big Sean, YoungBoy Never Broke Again and Nicki Minaj. [Vinyl edition due September 21.]
This Week’s Vinyl Exclusives:
Amebox – Slovenia 86 LP (Amebix)
UK hardcore punks Amebix live in Slovenia in 1986 playing songs off of their first two albums Arise! (1985) and Monolith (1987). Originally issued as a limited pressing CD in the 1990s, this fully authorized first time (colored) vinyl pressing finds the audio cleaned up and remastered and adorned with new artwork.
AnastasiaMax – The Haunt 12” (Waxromantix)
AnastasiaMax is a sibling fronted duo from Boca Raton, Florida. Merging genres of alternative indie, rock and roll garage, and blues. 15-year-old Anastasia has been playing at local venues since the age of 9, complimented by older brother Maxamillion, now 18. Their four piece live set up sound is strong and full with deeply rooted influences such as Jack white, Billie Holiday, The Kills, Ray Charles, Royal Blood and Nina Simone.
David Bazan – Care LP+MP3 (Polyvinyl)
As much of a follow-up to 2005’s synth-heavy Headphones album as it is to 2016’s Blanco, Care (2017) also finds David Bazan getting back to the calm minimalism of early Pedro The Lion. Produced, recorded, and mixed by Bazan and legendary Oregon-based producer Richard Swift, bare synthesizers dominate the tracks, giving Care an intimate, personal sound. The vocals are close, mirroring the experience from the front seat at a house show. Steady, sparse beats tie the ten tracks together, thrumming a boom-tap, boom-tap like a thread.
Marc Bolan – Babe Shadow 7” (Easy Action)
Four demo tracks recorded in 1972; three songs (“Broken Hearted Blues”, “Tenement Lady”, “The Street & Babe Shadow”) feature Marc at home on an acoustic guitar whilst “Darling” is bolstered by the presence of T. Rex bassist Steve Currie and French musician Andre Herve.
Boogarins – Lá Vem a Morte Smoke LP+MP3 (OAR)
Deluxe pressing of acclaimed Lá Vem a Morte Smoke release from Brazilian psych masters Boogarins. Originally released as a surprise drop last summer, this dark and hypnotic set carried the group to recent appearances at Coachella, and Rock In Rio. Features three bonus tracks including a trippy version of The Kinks’ classic “No Return” originally recorded for MOJO Magazine. 180gm smoky clear vinyl.
The Byrds – Dr. Byrds & Mr. Hyde [Reissue/1969] LP (Sundazed)
A key transitional touchstone in The Byrds’ fabled canon, 1969’s Dr. Byrds & Mr. Hyde was the next stop in the band’s pioneering country-rock trajectory and the first album by the post-Gram Parsons lineup. With leader Roger McGuinn at the helm of a stellar new edition of the band featuring guitar god Clarence White, drummer Gene Parsons and bassist John York, Dr. Byrds & Mr. Hyde sees The Byrds bridging the gap between the psychedelic flights of the group’s mid-’60s albums and the down-home, country-based style developed only months earlier with Sweetheart Of The Rodeo. Limited clear vinyl pressing.
Deaf Poets – Lost In Magic City LP (Waxromantix)
Deaf Poets is a garage/alternative rock duo formed in Miami Beach, FL and currently reside in Brooklyn, NY. Their music is the embodiment of hard-hitting drums with distortion-soaked guitars. Childhood influences such as Jimmy Page and Kurt Cobain led the duo to combine elements of ’70s rock, with the aggressiveness of ’80s punk, and an added aspect of ’90s grunge to define their sound.
Depeche Mode – A Broken Frame: The 12” Singles Collection 3×12”+MP3 (Rhino)
Depeche Mode – Speak & Spell: The 12” Singles Collection 3×12”+Flexi Disc+MP3 (Rhino)
The Depeche Mode 12″ singles collector’s edition box set series launches with the release of Speak & Spell: The 12″ Singles Collection and A Broken Frame: The 12″ Singles Collection. Each set in the series will contain the singles from the corresponding Depeche Mode album on audiophile-quality 12″ vinyl, with audio remastered from the original tapes and cut at the legendary Abbey Road Studios.
Erasy – The Doom b/w Under The Moonlight 7” (Doom Stew)
Erasy is a Brazilian band that sails through doom/sludge and stoner rock-metal. Able to satisfy the hunger for good sludge/stoner rock everywhere with an audacious sonorous overlook of their own.
Faust – The Faust Tapes [Reissue/1973] LP (Superior Viaduct)
Faust stand among the most influential creative forces to have emerged from Germany in the late ’60s and early ’70s. Along with Can, Agitation Free, Neu! And others, Faust rejected the Anglo-American norms of rock ‘n’ roll to start a back-to-basics and uniquely Teutonic revolution in sound-later dubbed by the UK press with the semi-derogatory term “krautrock”.
Stan Getz – Café Montmartre [Reissue/2002] LP (Verve)
The famous Café Montmartre in Copenhagen, Denmark was the site of these live recordings, made between 1987 and 1997. Bassist Rufus Reid and drummer Ben Riley join Barron and Getz in the earlier sessions, Victor Lewis takes over for Riley in the later sessions. A wonderful survey of Getz’ late, live performances.
Hildur Guðnadóttir – Sicario: Day Of The Soldado LP (Varese Sarabande)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Score to the sequel to the globally successful film, Sicario, which earned composer, Johann Johannson an Oscar nomination. Day Of The Soldado was composed by Hildur Guðnadóttir, a collaborator on Johannson’s score, and a well-respected classically trained cello player who has recorded as a solo artist and collaborated with The Knife, Animal Collective, Hauschka, and Fever Ray.
Charlie Haden & Pat Metheny – Beyond The Missouri Sky (Short Stories) [Reissue/1997] 2xLP (Verve)
Vinyl reissue of the 1997 Grammy winning collaboration between Charlie Haden and Pat Metheny. It contains original Charlie Haden and Pat Metheny compositions as well as some undiscovered gems by Jimmy Webb and Johnny Mandel. Also included are covers of music by Roy Acuff, Henry Mancini, and Haden’s son Josh.
Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson – Highwayman [Reissue/1985] LP (Sundazed)
Frequently Referred To As “The Mount Rushmore Of Country Music,” The Highwaymen were country music’s first bona fide supergroup. The majority of their singles were not credited to “The Highwaymen” but to ‘Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson.
Chase Huglin – Will The Sun Ever Come Back LP (InVogue)
Will The Sun Ever Come Back illustrates that Huglin has advanced the acoustic singer/songwriter genre in a positive way, carrying the torch forward from such luminaries as The Rocket Summer, The Lyndsay Diaries and even Dashboard Confessional.
Jethro Tull – 50th Anniversary Collection LP (Rhino/Parlophone)
A 10-track single-disc retrospective that gathers key tracks from Jethro Tull’s 21 albums.
Bettye LeVette – The 1972 Muscle Shoals Sessions LP (Run Out Groove)
Bettye Lavette may not be a household name like Aretha or Otis, but her talent as a soul singer is just as mercurial. She has cultivated a 55+ year career that led to three Grammy nominations, a W.C. Handy Award for Comeback of the Year, 2008’s Best Contemporary Female Blues Singer, all of which tell the story of perseverance personified. The music on this record is from her 1972 sessions at Muscle Shoals Sound, backed by the famous house band of Barry Beckett, Jimmy Johnson, David Hood and Roger Hawkins. These tracks were never released at the time of recording and this brand-new collection includes all of her Muscle Shoals recordings plus two bonus tracks recorded the same year in Detroit, all making their debut on vinyl after 46 years.
Raul Lovisoni / Francesco Messina – Prati Bagnati Del Monte Analogo [Reissue/1979] LP (Superior Viaduct)
Of all the releases on Italy’s legendary Cramps Records, Raul Lovisoni and Francesco Messina’s seminal LP from 1979 has long remained among the most beloved. Prati Bagnati Del Monte Analogo not only introduced the world to the work of two gifted composers, but also is notable for being produced by electronic pioneer Franco Battiato. A sister album to Prati Bagnati would be Giusto Pio’s breathtaking Motore Immobile, likewise graced with the maestro’s gentle hand around the same time.
Mamaleek – Out Of Time 2xLP (The Flenser)
Fifth album from the San Francisco Bay Area-based black metal weirdos.
Steve Marriott – Get Down To It 2xLP (Wapping Wharf)
A 22-track double-LP career-spanning rarities anthology of vocalist/guitarist Steve Marriott (Small Faces, Humble Pie) with loads of unreleased material including recently discovered live ’60s tracks and on through two more decades to the 1991 reunion with old Humble Pie pal Peter Frampton.
John McLaughlin/Al Di Meola/Paco De Lucía – The Guitar Trio [Reissue/1996] LP (Verve)
The Guitar Trio is a reunion album by celebrated acoustic guitar virtuosos Paco de Lucia, Al Di Meola and John McLaughlin, released in 1996 after 13 years without playing together.
Moonspell – Wolfheart [Reissue/1995] 2xLP+CD (Century Media)
Vinyl reissue of the debut studio album by the Portuguese gothic metal band. [Limited blue colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Graham Nash – Over The Years… 2xLP (Atlantic)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Over The Years… highlights songs from the iconic CSN 1969 debut and its successor, 1970’s Déjà Vu, for which Neil Young joined the group. Also includes 15 demo recordings, 12 of which have never been released.
Nonpoint – X LP (Spinefarm)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. On Nonpoint’s tenth album, signature grooves hit with haymaker force bolstered by hip-hop cadences, thrashed-out six-string precision, and unshakable melodies.
Obituary – Obituary LP (Relapse)
Obituary – Ten Thousand Ways To Die [Reissue/2016] LP (Relapse)
Limited double green colored vinyl LP pressing of the legendary metal band’s recent 2017 album and first-official vinyl pressing of their eleven-track live set Ten Thousand Ways To Die.
Iggy Pop – Bookies Club 870, Detroit 1980 LP (Easy Action)
Issued legally for the first time with restored and speed corrected audio – licensed from Iggy Pop himself – this local radio recorded September 1980 hometown gig captures the Godfather of Punk during a string of dates in small U.S clubs after the lengthy Soldier World Tour. [CD edition due September 28.]
Prong – Cleansing [Reissue/1994] LP (Century Media)
Vinyl reissue of fourth album by heavy metal band. [Limited red colored pressing also available.]
Rejoicer – Energy Dreams LP (Stones Throw)
Rejoicer (Yuvi Havkin) is a producer from Tel-Aviv, who splices together funk, hip-hop, breakbeats and jazz.
Paul Simon – One-Trick Pony [Reissue/1980] LP+MP3 (Sony)
Paul Simon – The Rhythm Of The Saints [Reissue/1990] LP+MP3 (Sony)
Vinyl reissues of Simon’s fifth and eighth albums. Paul Simon’s musical career has spanned seven decades, with his fame and commercial success beginning as half of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, formed in 1964 with Art Garfunkel. The duo split up in 1970 at the height of their popularity and Simon began a successful solo career.
Soundgarden – A-Sides [Reissue/1997] 2xLP (A&M)
Available for the first time on vinyl as a 180gm double-LP-set, A-Sides is a 1997 compilation album spanning Soundgarden’s career up that point and last official release until 2010’s Telephantasm. The 17-track collection gathers classic material from Ultramega OK (1988), Louder Than Love (1989), Badmotorfinger (1991), Superunknown (1994) and Down On the Upside (1996) like “Loud Love”, “Jesus Christ Pose”, “Outshined”, “Rusty Cage”, “Spoonman”, “Black Hole Sun”, “The Day I Tried to Live”, “Fell On Black Days” and “Blow Up The Outside World” plus “Bleed Together” which appeared on import copies of the “Burden In My Hand” single.
Soundtrack – Even More Dazed And Confused: Music From The Motion Picture [Reissue/1993] LP (Real Gone Music)
Limited purple with pink splatter vinyl edition.
Soundtrack – Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy: Primary Phase Original Soundtrack 3xLP (Demon/Edsel)
Limited triple 180gm pink vinyl LP set and housed in a beautiful 12″ x 12″ hardback book featuring newly commissioned sleeve notes and including an exclusive note from author Neil Gaiman (American Gods, Coraline, Stardust).
Soundtrack – Manhunter [Music From The Motion Picture Soundtrack] 2xLP (Waxromantix)
Double 180gm blue vinyl LP pressing in die-cut gatefold jackets shattered mirror board inner sleeves, and all new artwork by Midnight Maurader. Available for the very first time in any format, the complete Manhunter soundtrack and film score have been remastered. “Michael Mann’s 1986 film was a critical and commercial flop, but its soundtrack has proved a major inspiration for the music supervision on projects like Drive and Stranger Things.” [8.0] – Pitchfork
Sufjan Stevens – The Avalanche: Outtakes And Extras From The Illinois Album! [Reissue/2006] 2xLP (Asthmatic Kitty)
First-time on vinyl. Limited “hatchback orange and avalanche white” colored pressing.
Suicidal Tendencies – Lights… Camera… Revolution! [Reissue/1990] LP (Century Media)
180gm vinyl reissue of the fifth studio album by crossover thrash band. [Limited green colored pressing also available.]
Swervedriver – Ejector Seat Reservation [Reissue/1995] 2xLP (Music On Vinyl)
The Oxford based alternative rock band released their third studio album Ejector Seat Reservation in 1995. Despite the little promotion and disappointing sales the album is widely considered as one of their strongest records.
The Trongone Band – Keys To The House LP (Harmonized)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. The Trongone Band’s sound falls perfectly between southern rock ‘n’ soul and Americana jam [Limited colored pressing also available.]
Umphrey’s McGee – Hall Of Fame: Class Of 2017 2xLP (Nothing Too Fancy)
A robust collection of the best of the best live tracks Umphrey’s McGee performed in 2017 as voted on by the fans. [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Various Artists – Rough Guide To Hokum Blues LP (World Music Network)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. This Rough Guide presents classic recordings from the heyday of the hokum craze – a collection of humorous songs which show a fun and racy side to the blues. Featuring many legendary country bluesmen including Blind Lemon Jefferson, Big Bill Broonzy, Blind Willie McTell and Charley Patton, plus by blues divas Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey and Memphis Minnie.
Watain – Sworn To The Dark [Reissue/2007] 2xLP (Season Of Mist)
Vinyl reissue of an immense discharge of magic and death that stands as the band’s ultimate black metal monolith [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Cassettes:
Big Red Machine – Big Red Machine (Jagjaguwar)
New collaboration between Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon and The National’s Aaron Dessner.
Mass Gothic – I’ve Touted You Long Enough (Sub Pop)
I’ve Tortured You Long Enough is the tongue-in-cheek title of Mass Gothic’s second album. Husband/wife duo Noel Heroux and Jessica Zambri have always dipped in and out of each other’s creative spaces, advising on their respective outputs and supporting one another. But, until this record, they had never completely committed to doing an entire album as a duo, sharing an equal load. The result is a record packed with the tension, chaos and beauty of a fluid and cathartic two-way conversation. Justin Vernon and The National’s Aaron Dessner.
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