February Program Titles Released This Week:
Bombay Bicycle Club – Everything Else Has Gone Wrong CD/LP (Caroline)
Everything Else Has Gone Wrong is the eagerly anticipated follow-up to the British band’s acclaimed No. 1 charting, Mercury Music Prize nominated fourth album, So Long, See You Tomorrow, released back in 2014. Speaking of the record’s title, vocalist/guitarist Jack Steadman explains: “This is an album for anyone who’s ever turned to music in a time of need. It’s about the solace one can get from listening to music or playing music. For me personally it’s about the frustration of not being able to express myself to others, of leaving conversations feeling dissatisfied and misunderstood. Music’s the way I’m able to truly express myself.”
Robert Glasper – Fuck Yo Feelings CD/2xLP (Loma Vista)
Legendary genre-bending, multiple Grammy and Emmy-winning artist and producer Robert Glasper delivers his newest project, Fuck Yo Feelings. The 19-track collection is the result of a two-day session in which Glasper invited musician friends to stop by the studio and organically create together, the final result being this mixtape which sonically documents the lost art of improv and on the spot collaborations that can only come from authentic relationships and true artistry. Glasper’s sound can hardly be defined but is built on his unique blend of jazz, hip-hop and neo-soul. Fuck Yo Feelings is an inspired update in that lineage, blending the personalities of himself and his collaborators that include a top-tier range of standout artists across different scenes that only Glasper could put in the same room – Yasiin Bey, Herbie Hancock, Andra Day, YBN Cordae, Terrace Martin, Baby Rose, Bilal, Buddy, Denzel Curry, Mick Jenicks, SiR, Rapsody and more.
- Love & Special Sauce – The Juice CD/LP (Philadelphonic)
“I’ve been in the game a long time, but I’ve always considered myself a student,” says G. Love. “Finishing this album with Keb Mo’ felt like graduation.” Recorded in Nashville with a slew of special guests including Robert Randolph, Marcus King, and Roosevelt Collier, The Juice is indeed diploma worthy. Co-produced and co-written with Grammy-winning icon Keb Mo’, it’s an electrifying collection, one that tips its cap to more than a century of blues greats even as it offers its own distinctly modern pop spin on the genre, mixing programmed beats and hip-hop grooves with blistering guitar and sacred steel. G. Love’s lyrics are both personal and political here, artfully balancing his appreciation for the simple joys in life with his obligation to speak out for justice and equality, and his performances are suitably riotous and rousing to match, with infectious call-and-response hooks and funky sing-along choruses at every turn. [Limited indie-exclusive colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Halsey – Maniac CD/LP (Capitol)
“Early on Halsey’s excellent new album, Manic, she samples a bit of movie dialogue: ‘I’m just a fucked-up girl looking for my own piece of mind. Don’t assign me yours.’ It’s from the film Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind, spoken by the manic, pixie dream-girl heroine Clementine. But she definitely speaks for Halsey. And as you’ve probably guessed, the singer doesn’t even come close to finding peace of mind in these songs. Still, she knows how to make it a thrilling quest. Manic is Halsey’s raw autobiographical portrait of the artist as a young mess, craving her share of love and tenderness in a hostile world. Yet Halsey’s Ashley Frangipane is a mess who’s a hungrily ambitious artist seeing herself as a mirror for her entire generation.” – Rolling Stone
Marcus King – El Dorado CD/LP (Fantasy)
Already a 23-year-old guitar phenomenon, the Dan Auerbach-produced El Dorado further establishes Marcus King as an innovative songwriter and one of the most soulful voices of his generation. King’s solo debut, El Dorado is a contemporary sonic exploration of classic rock, blues, southern R&B and country-soul where subtle acoustics and pedal steel shines bright alongside raucous electric guitars and blistering solos. Following their previous collaboration on the song “How Long,” King and Auerbach co-wrote twelve songs for El Dorado in only three days in his Easy Eye Sound studio. Debut single “The Well” is a fuzzy, electric-blues masterpiece which rumbles down the highway like Marcus’ jet black El Dorado. The song’s lyrics reflect on hard work and hard times. “When you have a $70 check go bad, you know times are tough,” Marcus recalled and added, “‘The Well’ for me symbolizes the source of all my influences. It is everything that has happened to me to make me the man I am today.” [Limited indie-exclusive colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Pinegrove – Marigold CD/LP (Rough Trade)
Pinegrove’s new album, Marigold, is an urgent, multivalent meditation – an expanded take on the blend of alt-country, indie rock and cerebral humanism that’s inspired their ardent fan community. Those familiar with the band will recognize signature elements of the band’s sound: literary yet conversational lyrics, geometrically interlocking guitars, the dynamic shifting shadows of rhythm and structure. But this effort marks the most spacious, bold, and well-defined iteration of the project yet. Pinegrove has described their sound as variously as “introspective party music”, and “energetic music in the folk tradition”; in any case they have combined catharsis and inventive structures with irrepressible melodies, resonant lyrics and emotive twang. Marigold finds Pinegrove expanding into the latter, spreading out over varying tempos and swelling pedal steel. But in surprising moments, Marigold can suddenly unfold into their heaviest, most unbound offering yet – a cavalier disregard of genre in favor of something honest and unique.
CDs + Vinyl:
The Aggrolites – Dirty Reggae [Reissue/2003] CD/LP (Pirates Press)
This is the album that started it all. Cock Sparrer has Shock Troops. Rancid has Let’s Go. The Aggrolites have Dirty Reggae; and off the back of this album emerged a scene embracing that term itself, that would grow to be bigger than the band could ever be. Dirty Reggae is now in-and-of-itself a category of reggae that has taken the world by storm over the past decade-and-a-half.
AJJ – Good Luck Everybody CD (AJJ Unlimited Ltd.)
A grim glimpse into the tidal wave reality of modern life in America, Good Luck Everybody is a collection of songs that will undoubtedly stand out in the AJJ’s 15-year catalogue; while still rooted in the folk-punk sound AJJ has become known for, the album is unafraid to delve into new territories that test the limits of what the band is capable of. [Vinyl edition due January 24.]
Algiers – There Is No Year CD/LP+7”+MP3 (Matador)
Even those aware of the ideals of this outspoken act will find their latest direction on There Is No Year traversing unprecedented ground. Under the direction of producers Randall Dunn [Sunn O))), Earth] and Ben Greenberg [Uniform, Hubble), There Is No Year encompasses future-minded post-punk R&B from the trapped heart of ATL, where they began; to industrial soundscapes à la 4AD-era Scott Walker or Iggy & Bowie’s Berlin period; to something like the synthetic son of Marvin Gaye and Fever Ray.
… And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead – X: The Godless Void And Other Stories CD (Dine Alone)
The Texas alt-rock/prog band cite Talk Talk, Laurie Anderson and Killing Joke as inspirations for the new album, X: The Godless Void And Other Stories. It comes as the duo enters their 25th year together as a band. [Vinyl edition due January 24.]
Anti-Flag – 20/20 Vision CD/LP (Spinefarm)
New album from the veteran political punk band.
Gabrielle Aplin – Dear Happy CD/LP (Never Fade)
An uplifting pop record that chronicles Gabrielle’s life, and the experiences and cultures she has been inspired by whilst touring and travelling the world over the past couple of years, Dear Happy features some of Gabrielle’s most personal lyrical moments spanning a wide breadth of influences. The album displays the wonderful diversity of Aplin as both a pop star and songwriter; whether she is singing a stripped back piano ballad or a huge pop song, her lyrical content and emotive vocal delivery remain at the forefront of her music.
Black Moon – Rise Of Da Moon CD/2xLP (Duck Down Music)
Black Moon returns with Rise of Da Moon. The 15-track album on CD and double vinyl (red) features Method Man, Smif N Wessun, and Rock of Heltah Skeltah. The project is entirely produced by Da Beatminerz.
Alice Boman – Dream On CD/LP (PIAS)
Haunted Swedish songwriter Alice Boman returns from a self-imposed musical exile following a triumphant run of early releases. Penned on her grandparent’s old piano with nothing but a handheld voice recorder, 2013’s Skisser EP and 2014’s EP II, were pieced together in the sanctum of her teenage home. The tastemaker music press immediately latched onto these honest, barebones depictions of emotional fragility that documenting her innermost emotions. Three years later, wanting to try something bigger and record in a proper studio, she took 40 sketches out to a countryside retreat to whittle down, and emerged with Dream On, her first full-length album.
British Lion – The Burning CD/2xLP (Explorer1 Music LLC)
New release by this band led by Iron Maiden bassist Steve Harris. The album was recorded, engineered and mixed at Barnyard Studios by Tony Newton and produced by Harris. [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Brother Ali – Secrets & Escapes CD/LP (Rhymesayers)
Secrets & Escapes is a compendium of Brother Ali’s time with Evidence over the course of three trips to California, recording in a Venice garage with no regard for pleasing the internet or competing with the music industry. Ev chopped up records on old-school samplers and ran them through a compressor (two track) so they couldn’t be re-arranged or mixed. Brother Ali sat with the mic and spit rhymes as they came to him, without writing or organizing them into songs. Ev smoked a lot of weed, Ali prayed a lot, and their influences on each other can be heard in the recordings.
The Courteeners – More. Again. Forever. CD/LP (Ignition)
The melodic Manchester guitar group’s most confident and consistent record to date features ten new tracks that frontman Liam Fray told NME are “explosive” and designed to “blow you away live.” He adds that the record sounds a “bit LCD Soundsystem and groove-based. It’s more dancey, but obviously with real players and a human element.”
Marshall Crenshaw – Miracle Of Science CD/LP (Razor & Tie/MRI Associated)
The seventh studio album by the singer/songwriter was solely produced by himself playing most of the instruments.
Cursive – Get Fixed CD/LP (15 Passenger)
The veteran indie rock band’s new album ripples with the visceral intensity and keen, unexpected melodicism for which Cursive has long been celebrated, as illustrated in searing first single “Barricades”; the alternately pummeling and anthemic “Black Hole Town”; and the more atmospheric, moody “Marigolds”. It’s their eighth LP overall and comes just a year after their last full-length, Vitriola.
Chelsea Cutler – How To Be Human CD (Republic)
Instantly-relatable lyrics and handcrafted lo-fi soundscapes have established Chelsea Cutler as a quiet, yet disruptive, force for popular music. Within two short years, the singer, songwriter and producer went from bedroom-constructed uploads to 750 million-plus cumulative streams and acclaim from Billboard, Complex, PAPER Magazine, Refinery29, Ones To Watch and more.
Deakin – Sleep Cycle CD (Domino)
Animal Collective’s Deakin is issuing his 2016 album Sleep Cycle on physical format. Written and recorded between 2010 and 2016, it was originally released in April 2016 via digital and a limited run of cassettes. On the album, Deakin said, “Sleep Cycle is about the cycles that we go through being shut down by fear and doubt and how to return back to being awake to life. The songs were written as a form of self-medication, meditations on waking up in the face of fear.” [Vinyl edition due January 24.]
Deer – Do No Harm CD/LP (Keeled Scales)
Fourth album from the Austin folkies. [Limited orange colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Della Mae – Headlight CD/LP (Rounder)
In the making of their fourth album Headlight, Della Mae has claimed a more daring sense of freedom than they’d ever allowed themselves before. Boldly breaking genre convention, the Grammy Award-nominated band pushed beyond their bluegrass roots and followed their instinct to their most sonically adventurous body of work to date. And in lyrics, Della Mae has fully embraced the album’s potential as a platform for change, delivering a collection of songs at turns fearlessly personal and powerfully resonant.
Deserta – Black Aura My Sun CD/LP (Felte)
As experimental as it is enthralling, ‘Black Aura My’ Sun applies the vapor-trailed production values and sublime dynamics of Doty’s previous group projects (including post-rock band Saxon Shore and the synth-laced post-punk of Midnight Faces) to a shoegaze-y sound that splits the difference between Slowdive and Sigur Rós. [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Dirty Projectors – Sing The Melody CD/LP+MP3 (Domino)
Sing The Melody, the third installment in the Domino Documents series, captures Dirty Projectors at a peak in their touring powers. It sees the band head into New York City’s Power Station studios to record refined, road-tested live arrangements of standout songs from 2018’s Lamp Lit Prose with thrilling new vocal arrangements, as well as renditions of “Cool Your Heart” and other highlights of Dave Longstreth’s writing and recording history.
Drowns – Under Tension CD/LP (Pirates Press)
New album from the seasoned rock ‘n’ roll veterans. Their relentless approach to touring and spreading their rock ‘n’ roll gospel is attracting fans to see their explosive live performances. [Limited colored vinyl pressings are also available.]
Dust – The Fall Of All Things CD/LP (Supreme Chaos)
With The Fall Of All Things, the doom veterans Dust from Bielefeld hit us with their fourth album and tear everything down without any compromises. Their ultra-heavy mixture of doom, metal, sludge and rock with lots of corners and edges wafts out of the speakers in the form of five overlong songs.
Gabriel & Dresden – Remedy CD/LP (Anjuna Beats)
Following their return to the manic, disorienting life of touring, electronic duo Gabriel & Dresden sought respite in the tranquility of their Spokane studio. Here, ensconced in the stillness of nature, the next chapter of the duo’s story was written: a new album called Remedy.
Eleven Hundred Springs – Here ‘Tis CD/LP (State Fair)
“There are bands that play country, and then there are country bands. Some would say it boils down to authenticity – and in this day and age that is increasingly hard to find. But when you drop the needle on an Eleven Hundred Springs record, or find yourself at a show, you’ll know you’re listening to the real deal.”
Bill Fay – Countless Branches CD/LP (Dead Oceans)
Fay, now 76, was not actually a hermit but a quiet, private person who had withdrawn from a music world changed to the point where he felt no longer involved. He returns with the third album in the celebrated second phase of his recording career. [Deluxe double vinyl pressing includes bonus tracks.]
Marcus King – El Dorado CD/LP (Fantasy)
The debut solo album from Marcus King, El Dorado, is a revelation. Passionate, penetrating and deeply soulful, El Dorado weaves soul music, gospel, R&B and country into a something modern and classic. Teaming with producer Dan Auerbach (The Black Keys) for sessions at Auerbach’s Easy Eye Studio in Nashville, the pair co-wrote the 11 songs on El Dorado along with esteemed writers on various tracks including Pat McLaughlin, Paul Overstreet and Ronnie Bowman.
Kiwi Jr. – Football Money CD/LP (Persona Non Grata)
The four members of Kiwi Jr. All live in Toronto, though they originally hail from Charlottetown, PEI, separately finding their ways to the big city over various points in the past decade. Now, having found a common language in jangling power-pop and hyper-literate college rock, they release their debut album, Football Money.
Laumė – Waterbirth CD/LP+MP3 (Carpark)
New Zealand-born songwriter and former Yumi Zouma frontwoman and co-founder, Kim Pflaum, worked with French producer Rude Jude to craft a 13-track LP that broadens the scope of Laumė. The irresistibly vibrant and funky sounds of each instrumental are inspired by visionary pop artists like Sade, Kate Bush, and Grimes, but sit in stark contrast with the ideas explored in Pflaum’s writing.
Little Bigtown – Nightfall CD/LP (Capitol Nashville)
Ninth album from the Grammy Award-winning vocal group.
Magnum – The Serpent Rings CD/2xLP (Steamhammer)
The Serpent Rings presents Magnum the way the musicians themselves like it: rocking and at the same time melodic, straightforward but also a little playful, powerful as well as sensitive with enchanted lyrics but also with a socio-critical approach.
Steve Moore – Bliss [OST] CD/LP (Relapse)
Critically acclaimed multi-instrumentalist Steve Moore (Zombi) presents the score to the 2019 feature film Bliss. From pulsing, panic-inducing freneticism of tracks such as “The Bite” to calm and contemplative melodies and guitar leads endearing the listener to the film’s lead character, Bliss sees Steve Moore at his most dynamic, intense, and nuanced.
Elliot Moss – A Change In Diet CD/P (Grand Jury)
Elliot Moss’ new album A Change In Diet represents a shift, a dividing line separating nearly everything he once knew from his future. The album captures a period of upheaval that altered Moss’ habits, relationships, and even his songwriting. Across the 11 songs, he methodically details the nature of change and the ways it can be liberating, discomforting, and often essential.
Mr. Elevator – Goodbye Blue Sky CD (Castle Face)
For fans of Tangerine Dream, Air, Donovan (think the Hurdy Gurdy Man LP), The Troggs, Irmin Schmidt, Egg, Stereolab, and even early Mute records. [Vinyl edition due January 24.]
Mura Masa – R.Y.C. CD/2xLP (Interscope)
Raw Youth Collage is the sophomore project from British artist Mura Masa. It is intended to be a conceptual album focusing on the need for/dependency on nostalgia and regression in the wake of the often helpless feeling amongst today’s youth culture; there is a general melancholia surrounding a past excitement and innocence that is longing to be recaptured, but may never have existed. Musically, these ideas will be explored through influences familiar to Alex from his childhood. [Limited red colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Obsequiae – Palms Of Sorrowed Kings CD/LP (20 Buck Spin)
Recently released on vinyl – now available on CD. Sweeping and vast, the otherworldly scope of the guitars, the anachronistic harp interludes, the percussive precision and the range of ancient melodic beauty open portals to the immemorial. An album singularly concerned with creating a captivating world to become willfully lost in, The Palms Of Sorrowed Kings sets itself on a path that few now trod but a realm that Obsequiae tower over like the noblest kings. [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.
Odious Mortem – Synesthesia CD/LP (Willowtip)
Blabbermouth’s description of Odious Mortem’s 2007 sophomore album Cryptic Implosion as “an awe-inspiring slab of accomplished death metal aggression,” is even more applicable to 2020’s Synesthesia. Avoiding the clinical sterility of many modern death metal productions, the band has a sound that is raw, robust, and infused with an authentic old school spirit. [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Of Montreal – “UR FUN” CD/LP+MP3 (Polyvinyl)
Inspired by albums like Cyndi Lauper’s She’s So Unusual and Janet Jackson’s Control, Kevin Barnes set out to make “UR FUN” into the kind of album where every song could be a single, complete with huge hooky choruses and nostalgic dance grooves. The result is an unstoppably fun album that could also pass for a carefully sequenced greatest-hits collection if taken out of context. It is another fascinating look into what makes Barnes one of the most prolific and gifted songwriters of this decade.
OOIOO – Nijimusi CD/LP+MP3 (Thrill Jockey)
Nijimusi is the eighth release from OOIOO. Led by YoshimiO, they’re a band that has stayed relevant long past many of their contemporaries thru constant re-inventions & explorations. It’s recorded with a more traditional rock set up of two guitars, bass & drums, but thanks to an improvisational recording process and technical prowess, this is not an album that could ever get lost in the crowd.
Pain Jerk – Mission Invisible CD (Hospital Productions)
An unreleased, would-be-classic from Japanese noise hero Pain Jerk. Originally recorded immediately after the canonical Gallon Gravy classic, this is pure – definitive – loop-heavy noise energy and dynamism that would become the signature of Kohei Gomi’s electronic studies having influenced two generations of underground electronics since. Hailing from a background of Japanese punk, Kohei Gomi stayed true to the fierce ethos of independence and experimentation that reached its peak in Japan in the late ’90s.
Pale Saints – The Comforts Of Madness [Reissue/1990] 2xCD/LP/2xLP (4AD)
4AD’s first album of the ‘90s, Pale Saints’ shoegaze classic The Comforts Of Madness is receiving a long overdue reappraisal on the occasion of its 30th anniversary. Expanded with a bonus disc of rarities. [Single-disc black LP and limited double LP colored vinyl pressings are also available.]
Port Negra – Schöpfungswut CD/LP (Soulseller)
New album from the German avant-garde black metallers.
The Professionals – The Professionals CD/LP (Madlib Medicine Show)
The aptly titled The Professionals boasts beats by Madlib and raps by Oh No. This is some real rap shit featuring Adub, Elzhi, and Chino XL. [Vinyl edition comes housed in a die-cut, embossed jacket exclusive to the first pressing.]
James Reese & The Progressions – Wait For Me: The Complete Works (1967- 1972) CD/2xLP+MP3 (Now Again)
Trombonist, bandleader, songwriter, arranger and producer James Reese never issued an album with his Progressions band, only a series of 45s – some under his own name, some under that of his collaborators – out of Spartanburg, SC on his Najma label, from the late- ‘60s until the mid-‘70s. He was as ambitious as he was talented, and his oeuvre ranges from brutal, deep soul to sophisticated instrumental ballads to jazz-inflected funk.
Sons Of Apollo – MMXX CD/2xLP (Inside Out U.S.)
New album from the Guns N’ Roses, Dream Theater and Journey supergroup featuring Mike Portnoy (drums & vocals), Derek Sherinian (keyboards), Jeff Scott Soto (vocals), Ron ‘Bumblefoot’ Thal (guitar & vocals) and Billy Sheehan (bass).
Svarttjern – Shame Is Just A Word CD/LP (Soul Seller)
“Dive into Svarttjern’s basement of lust and rust. Ride the fleshtrain, bathe in the cesspool of fat, gurgle the lube or let it soak. Show your true self and shake off your invisibility cloak. Embrace your shame.”
Various Artists – 2020 Grammy Nominees CD (WB)
In celebration of the 2020 Grammy nominees, the Recording Academy’s Grammy Recordings and Warner Records join forces to release the 2020 Grammy Nominees album. The 26th installment of the best-selling series features a diverse collection of the year’s most impactful Grammy-nominated music. A portion of album proceeds benefit the year-round work of the Grammy Museum and MusiCares-two charitable organizations founded by the Recording Academy committed to music education initiatives and providing critical assistance for music people in need.
The Weeklings – 3 CD/LP (Jem)
Don’t let The Weeklings fool you, spawned in Asbury Park, NJ, the foursome have become an impressive rock ‘n’ roll ensemble, at once classic but thoroughly up to the moment.
This Week’s Vinyl Exclusives:
The Acacia Strain – Continent [Reissue/2008] LP (Prosthetic)
Vinyl reissue of the fourth studio album by the Massachusetts deathcore wrecking crew.
Afuma – Songs From The Shore LP (Blank Forms)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. In Japanese folklore, Afuma indicates a time of day marked by spiritual or mysterious encounter. In Latin, one who inhales. Together as Afuma, Stefan Tcherepnin and Taketo Shimada breathe sepulchral energies into the brooding, cosmic fringes of guitar-based song vernacular. Tcherepnin’s baritone and Shimada’s lap steel guitar intertwine, smearing across world’s-end horizons that propel Tcherepnin’s ragged, foreboding vocal delivery and it’s lyrical portents of departure, of life’s vessel unmoored onto a fathomless periphery.
Anti-Flag – Live: Volume Two LP (AF Records)
Known for their raucous live show, Anti-Flag deliver in kind with this second volume of live tracks.
Recorded over the course of three evenings at the Troubadour in Los Angeles, California, Live Volume Two spans the entire Anti-Flag catalog and catapults you from your headphones straight into the circle pit.
Baroness – First & Second [Reissue/2008] LP (Hyperrealist)
A lot dirtier, punker and more metallic than their current rock-infused, catchy weirdness, First & Second is an important document in the lineage of this excellent band, and all 38 minutes of music have been completely remixed and remastered for a much fuller sound. Available on both black and clear colored vinyl.
Antoine Berjeaut/Makaya McCraven – Moving Cities LP (I See Colors)
Bridging the spaces between the Paris and Chicago scenes, Moving Cities brings together the best of both worlds and is emblematic of a new, utterly modern jazz going through a true aesthetic revolution. Moving Cities started as a live laboratory set up by Berjeaut and McCraven; it echoes the recent evolution of international metropolises constantly torn between individualism and collective endeavors, in a disrupted geography.
Nicole Bus – Kairos LP (Roc Nation)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Charged up by gospel grandiosity, sun-kissed island grooves, and R&B soul, Nicole Bus is an empathetic writer, powerhouse vocalist, talented multi-instrumentalist, and impassioned performer. The Dutch-born multicultural songstress delivers a striking signature style on her 2019 debut for Roc Nation.
Byron The Aquarius – Astral Traveling LP (Mutual Intentions)
A stunning piece of fusion built from everything between jazz, soul, hip-hop and house.
The John Carter Octet – Dauwhe [Reissue/1982] LP (Black Saint)
Dauwhe is the first chapter in John Carter’s Roots And Folklore saga. A five-part epic journey through the African American heritage conceived by the great clarinetist-composer and performed by a stellar line-up featuring Carter himself, Bobby Bradford (cornet), James Newton (flute), Charles Owens (soprano sax, oboe, clarinet), Red Callender (tuba), Roberto Miranda (bass), William Jeffrey (drums), and Luis Peralta (percussion). This is a highly integrated form of jazz, based on the processing of different musical forms and related topics. From the ancient African mythology through the Blues experience towards the open land of creative jazz. A strong musical and cultural statement from one of the greatest west coast modern jazz composers.
Clever 1 – Da Buze Bruvaz Present: Clever 1 – Da Dirty Harry Gun Faculty LP (Grilchy Party)
Da Buze Bruvaz saga continues with Da Dirty Harry Gun Faculty. This album is Clever 1’s version of modern urban warfare. His subjects are influenced by experiences of survival in the most dangerous parts of the city and spread across the everyday minefields or boobytraps laid out in ghetto purgatory. It’s a dedication to all the real street veterans who had to gun their way out of tight situations.
Coil – Swanyard 3xLP (Infinite Fog)
Swanyard features nearly 150 minutes of unreleased, studio archive Coil recordings from 1993 – 1996. The cover art, inspired by a dream recalled by Jhon Balance, was created by Nurse With Wound’s Steven Stapleton. Second pressing on limited white vinyl.
Pascal Comelade – Les Memoires d’un Ventriloque LP (Staubgold)
Les Mémoires d’un Ventriloque (“memories of a ventriloquist”) is the long-awaited anthology of Pascal Comelade’s collaborations with singers, recorded between 1981 and 2018, and featuring Robert Wyatt, PJ Harvey, and Jac Berrocal, among many others. Almost all tracks are rare, have only been released on CDs or compilations, have been re-worked by Pascal Comelade for this release, or have never been released before.
Criteria – Years LP (15 Passenger)
Omaha’s post-hardcore heroes Criteria formed in 2003 by former Cursive co-founding member Steve Pedersen. [Limited edition blue colored vinyl pressing also available.]
The Crown – Crowned In Terror [Reissue/2002] LP (Metal Blade)
The Crown – Possessed 13 [Reissue/2013] LP (Metal Blade)
The Crown – Crowned Unholy [Reissue/2004] LP (Metal Blade)
Vinyl reissues of three albums by the Swedish death/thrash metal band.
Curved Air – Airwaves: Live At The BBC / Live At The Paris Theater LP (Purple Pyramid)
Available on vinyl for the first time ever (limited edition blue pressing), this is a must-have collection of vintage live BBC recordings from 1970, ’71 & ’76 championed by renowned BBC DJ John Peel.
Cut City – Exit Decades [Reissue/2007] LP (Specific Recordings)
Cut City formed in 2002 in Gothenburg around the local Deleted Art label, sort of the Swedish counterpart to US art-punk imprints like Three One G and Tapes Records. In May 2005 they issued a 4-song EP on the California-based Gold Standard Labs label, home to such acts as The Locust, Year Future, Mars Volta and many more. Their debut full-length, Exit Decades, was released in February 2007 on GSL.
Da Lench Mob – Guerillas In Tha Mist [Reissue/1992] LP (Get On Down)
Possessing lyrics heavily focused on political and social justice, inspired heavily by West Coast gang culture and Islam, Da Lench Mob made waves throughout the hip-hop scene when they first appeared on the track “Rolling With Da Lench Mob”, off Ice Cube’s famed 1990 solo record AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted. Guerillas In Tha Mist, their 1992 debut record, was recorded in the wake of the Rodney King riots, taking its name from infamous comments made during the riots. The record was uncompromising and confrontational in its depictions of urban decay and an unjust system wreaking havoc on an economically disadvantaged Black population.
Miles Davis – 1951-1959: The Essential Works 2xLP (Masters Of Jazz)
1951-1959: The Essential Works brings to light the path that led from The Birth Of The Cool to Kind Of Blue, in other words, a decade of modernity whose advancement can be followed on every one of these four sides.
Deee-Lite – World Clique [Reissue/1990] LP (Get On Down)
“Groove Is In The Heart” was a potent single for Deee-Lite to lead with, but the album bearing it was nothing to slouch at either. The group’s debut record, 1990’s World Clique was released to major commercial and critical success, owing just as much to its addictive hybrid of seductive retro aesthetics, modern dancefloor flair, and esoteric, socially conscious messaging.
DJ Cam – 90s LP (Iattytude)
Born in 1973 in Paris, DJ Cam has been one of the most influential artists in the French Touch era, thanks to his participation in La Yellow 357 together with Dimitri From Paris. DJ Cam is back with an instrumental hip-hop album – a tribute to his favorite producers and MC’s, and to his childhood spent in New York during the summer of ’92. Cam’s beat are infused with the cool daisy age vibes popularized by A Tribe Called Quest and J Dilla.
Eric Dolphy – The Complete Uppsala Concert Vol. 1 LP (Naked Lunch)
Recorded Live in Sweden in September 1961, the Uppsala Concert is an important document from Eric Dolphy’s first Swedish tour as leader of an obscure but talented local quartet featuring Rony Johansson (piano), Kurt Lindgren (bass), and Rune Carlsson (drums). Master Dolphy shines, as always, on all his instruments alto sax, bass clarinet, and flute, while the track list consists of a rare mix of standards plus a 20-minute long version of Dolphy’s blues “245” where every single note played by Dolphy sounds as pure gold.
Dr. John – Babylon [Reissue/1969] LP (Get On Down)
Housed in a deluxe gatefold jacket; OBI. After years of Wrecking Crew-grade session musicianship around Los Angeles, Malcolm John Rebbenack carved his own niche by the late 1960s with a distinct blend of psychedelic rock, boogie-woogie, and rhythm & blues. Taking the stage name Dr. John, The Night Tripper (later shortened to Dr. John), he developed a cult following with his music, heavily influenced by his home of New Orleans, and fascination with the voodoo religion, which was reflected in his elaborate stage shows.
Emapea – Seeds Roots & Fruits 2xLP (Cold Busted)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Accomplished Polish beat-maker Emapea has made memorable appearances on many Cold Busted label compilations – such as in the IWYMI and Bust Free series – and has been selected for inclusion in Mark Farina’s next Mushroom Jazz installment. All this activity has mouths watering for the debut full length album from Emapea, and the appearance of Seeds, Roots & Fruits doesn’t disappoint one bit. Featuring sixteen exceptional tracks ranging from hip-hop to acid jazz to psychedelic trip hop in the style of Mo’Wax, Emapea’s long player is indeed, as a wise man once said, a journey into sound.
Emcee Originate – The Journey LP (The Sleepers Recordz)
After his stunning introduction to the world of modern funk on Mofak’s Drunk Of Funk album (2018), Emcee Originate has taken the baton and is up next to represent his loose-knit musical collective with The Journey. The global impact of modern funk is full on display here: Mofak’s production feels like it would be right at home on the sun-drenched California streets, yet he hails from Marseille, France, while Originate’s casual, conversational flow fits so perfectly, you’d think he was a Snoop protégé, yet he hails from Montreal, Quebec, and carries with him the vibrancy of the city’s bubbling music scene.
Evidence – Squirrel Based Instrumentals 1 LP/Cassette (Rhymesayers)
A 26-track collection of unreleased instrumentals, packed full of emotive melodies woven into hard-hitting drum breaks. Each beat transports the listener to a hypnotic state of nostalgia, perfect for study sessions or writing your own hits.
Fall Out Boy – Believers Never Die Volume Two – Greatest Hits 2xLP (Island)
Released on November on CD – now available on vinyl. New hits collection from the alt-rock band. Includes the single “Dear Future Self (Hands Up)” featuring Wyclef Jean. The song marks the band’s first new music since the August 2018 release of the three-song Lake Effect Kid EP, a love letter to their hometown city of Chicago.
Fruition – Wild As The Night, Broken At The Break Of Day LP (Fruition LLC)
Following up the band’s acclaimed Tucker Martine-produced 2018 album, Watching It All Fall Apart, Fruition’s newest effort, Wild As The Night, conveys the emotions of our darkest, and sometimes weakest, moments. Influenced equally by acoustic music as well as rock ‘n’ roll, the eclectic, after-hours vibe comes naturally to the Portland, Oregon-based band.
The Gladiators – Symbol Of Reality [Reissue/1982] LP (Omnivore)
Albert Griffiths founded The Gladiators in 1966 after some success on his own. The group scored their first hit, produced by legendary producer Coxsone Dodd, with “Hello Carol” in 1968. During the ’70s The Gladiators made their way through releases on labels like Studio One, Upsetter, Virgin, and Groovemaster. 1980 found The Gladiators working with producer, and pre-Electric Avenue hitmaker, Eddy Grant on the album Gladiators, which also featured members of the band Aswad lending a musical hand. On 1982’s Symbol Of Reality, their first for the Nighthawk Records label, they revisited their own catalog of songs by re-recording their classics.
Goatwhore – Vengeful Ascension [Reissue/2017] LP (Metal Blade)
Limited colored vinyl reissue. A sonic manifestation of war, chaos, desolation, and emotional conflict, seamlessly bridging twenty years of the band’s signature brand of audio venom, Goatwhore’s 2017 album Vengeful Ascension finds its members at their most accomplished both individually and as a cohesive unit.
Good Rats – Tasty [Reissue/1974] LP (Uncle Rat Music)
Local legends on Long Island, NY the Good Rats seemed poised to break big in the early to mid- ‘70s. The band played Madison Square Garden, Nassau Coliseum, the Philadelphia Spectrum, and England’s Hammersmith Odeon on bills with Rush, Journey, Kiss, Meatloaf, Aerosmith and Ozzy Osborne, while FM radio embraced the Good Rats, as well. The reason for the group’s lack of long-term success is debatable, but the quality of its songs are not. A hard rock band that elegantly mixed in elements of jazz and blues, with strong musical fundamentals, and a powerful vocalist and sophisticated songwriter, Peppi Marchello.
Gülistan – Oriental Groove [Reissue/1986] LP (Hot Mule)
In the summer of 1986, inspired by gypsies from Turkey and the Balkan region, a kurdish immigrant and six Austrians locked themselves in a small rehearsal room in Vienna’s 5th district. What came out of these sessions sounded rather unusual for the local music scene. Using songs from the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East as a vehicle for improvisations based on odd scales and rhythms, and looking for ways to adapt them to their instruments and European feel, the band gave birth to their signature sound.
I Marc 4 – Thrilling Mortale LP (Vampisoul)
Welcome to the third instalment in Vampisoul’s series dedicated to the original Italian library music from the vaults of Nelson Records. In this album, the label digs deeper into the most experimental recordings in the archives of Nelson Records circa 1970-1976.
Hayden James – Between Us LP (Future Classics)
The debut studio album by the Australian songwriter and record producer represents “the journey through different stages of relationships; love, separation and ultimately hope.”
Samuel Jonathan Johnson – My Music [Reissue/1978] LP (Be With)
Vinyl reissue of a stellar spiritual soul/jazz-funk gem. My Music features a rich mélange of production techniques. Dripping in strings, horns, backing singers, popping funk bass lines and swooshing synth waves, it’s an unusually structured cosmic two-stepper that has an irrepressible groove.
Kid Dynamite – Kid Dynamite [Reissue/1998] LP (Jade Tree)
“Kid Dynamite’s first album was, and always will be, a masterpiece. It will influence hardcore bands down the line. Hell, it probably already has. If you loved Lifetime, you’ll love this. Or, if you’re just looking for a good hardcore listen, pick this up.” [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available. Vinyl reissue of Shorter, Faster, Louder (2000) due February 7.]
Bill Laswell/Coil – City Of Light [Reissue/1997] LP (Infinite Fog)
In 1997, Bill Laswell released his sixth solo album, City Of Light, which was recorded in Banaras, India and mixed in Greenpoint, NY. For this album, he invited John Balance and Peter Christopherson from Coil, they recorded a 13-minutes epic composition “Kála”, as well as Japanese ambient genius Tetsu Inoue, who decorated the album with its characteristic sound. Together they created an amazing conceptual record full of deep drones, tabla-rhythms, and ambient collages.
Legendary Shack Shakers – Live From Sun Studio LP (Chicken Ranch)
The Legendary Shack Shakers perform a live session at renowned Sun Studios in Memphis, TN.
Levitation Room – Headspace LP (Greenway)
Released last October on CD – now available on vinyl. Headspace serves as the follow-up to Levitation Room’s 2016 debut, Ethos and their first record on Brooklyn’s Greenway Records. The band’s fuzzy guitar-driven rock ‘n’ roll and freakbeat brand of psychedelia resonated with fans on singles like “Friends”. Headspace sees Levitation Room display their process of maturity in sound and songwriting, exploring new territories of influence in music and instrumentation, combining folk, jazz, raga, soul/R&B, pop and of course…psychedelia.
Lightning Bolt – Lightning Bolt [Reissue/1999] LP+MP3 (Thrill Jockey)
Since their first moment, it seems like Lightning Bolt has been as electric as their name suggests. Their eponymous first album captures that energy in a raw form. Finally available on vinyl again, this is a long-sought-after release for many fans. [Vinyl reissue of Ride The Skies (2001) due February 21.]
Little Nemo – Turquoise Fields [Reissue/1990] LP (Deanwell Global)
Originally released on Lively Art in 1990, Turquoise Fields is the French pop band’s fourth full length, playing a dark, lush, and melodic style of dreamy jangle pop later to be dubbed cold wave.
LNDN DRGS – Affiliated LP (GDF)
Compton rapper Jay Worthy and Vancouver producer Sean House are LNDN DRGS. Back with their latest project, Affiliated, a throwback mix of upbeat funk and smooth soul blended with modern gangsta rap lyrics. Affiliated features a different artist on each of the 14 songs, from new artists and rap veterans alike including Conway The Machine, Krayzie Bone, Meyhem Lauren, Iamsu!, G Perico, Larry June, Casey Veggies and many more.
Peter Lüdemann / Pit Troja – The Now Generation (Percussive Underscores) [Reissue/1983] LP (Be With)
Mind-blowing, percussion-heavy, Afro-tinged, cosmic-disco library bomb. An absolutely outstanding record from 1983 and definitely one of the hardest to find on the collectable German library label, Coloursound.
Egisto Macchi – Fauna Marina LP (AMS/Cinevox)
Egisto Macchi (1928-1992) was one of the most active composers of the sonorization and soundtrack genres together with artists such as Piero Umiliani, Alessandro Alessandroni and Ennio Morricone; he also collaborated with the latter in the experimental music project Gruppo di Improvvisazione Nuova Consonanza. Fauna Marina is among his most popular and sought-after by collectors titles: a set of eleven compositions intended to accompany the images of a hypothetical fish fauna documentary, an abstract hybrid of classical, contemporary and jazz music that is still fresh and surprising today
Blake Mills – Blake Mills [Reissue/2010] LP+MP3 (Record Collection)
Available for the first time on vinyl. Blake Mills is a Grammy-nominated songwriter, guitarist, producer, and composer based in Los Angeles. In 2010, Blake’s solo career began with this self-titled critically acclaimed album released only on a limited run of CDs and digitally.
Charles Mingus – Mingus At Antibes [Reissue/1976] 2xLP (Speakers Corner)
Mingus At Antibes was originally issued by BYG Records under the title Charles Mingus Live With Eric Dolphy In Japan in 1974. It was recorded at a live 1960 performance at the Jazz à Juan festival at Juan-les-Pins by jazz bassist and composer Charles Mingus; and was re-released by Atlantic Records in more complete form as a double album with the title Mingus In Antibes in the United States in 1976. The album captures a performance at Jazz à Juan, and features some of Mingus’s then regular musicians in a generally piano-less quintet, though the band is joined by Bud Powell.
Misery Loves Co. – Zero 2xLP (Black Lodge)
Limited red and black splatter colored vinyl pressing. The first album in 20 years from the Swedish industrial metal pioneers.
Nas – Stillmatic [Reissue/2001] 2xLP (Get On Down)
Nas’ 1994 debut Illmatic is hailed as a paragon of underground hip-hop, a turning point in East Coast rap’s development, and one of the all-time greatest debut albums in general.
Phineas Newborn Jr. – Here Is Phineas (The Piano Artistry Of Phineas Newborn Jr.) [Reissue/1956] LP (Speakers Corner)
Three years after his debut as a bandleader, Phineas Newborn found a courageous producer who was willing to allot him time in the studio to record an LP. The man from Tennessee brought with him his guitarist brother Calvin and a rhythm group made up of super stars Oscar Pettiford and Kenny ‘Klook’ Clark. What resulted was an outstanding, dazzling piano album full of fire.
Obijuan / Grimm Doza – King’s Wishes LP (Bad Taste)
Limited purple colored vinyl pressing. Originally from the Bahamas but now living internationally with no fixed abode, Obijuan is a rising 23-year-old rapper that has been active with a series of solid solo projects as well as collaborations with the likes of Philanthrope, looms., Lord Apex and Toonorth. Grimm Doza is a prolific artist from New Jersey that’s previously produced beats for Roc Marciano, Tha God Fahim, Retch and Xxxtentacion.
Of Montreal – Skeletal Lamping [Reissue/2008] 2xLP (Polyvinyl)
This limited 180gm colored vinyl reissue includes a giant die-cut poster exclusive to the LP. “A complicated and dense thrill ride packed with slinky grooves.” [New album, “UR FUN” is out this week.]
Pelican – Forever Becoming [Reissue/2013] 2xLP (Southern Lord)
Southern Lord presents a deluxe reissue of Pelican’s 2013 album Forever Becoming, featuring vastly improved mix and mastering of the original songs replete with a revised version of the previously Japan-only bonus track “Bardo”. “After four years of silence, instrumental metal standard bearers Pelican came thundering back with 2013’s Forever Becoming, an 8-song album hailed as one of the most punishingly rewarding albums of the year.”
The Pharaohs – Awakening [Reissue/1971] LP (Ubiquity)
A limited repressing of Awakening by the legendary Pharaohs which is highly sought after and has been out of print for several years.
Perry Porter – Bobby Ro$$ LP (Crane City Music)
Bobby Ro$$ is a vibe-heavy hustle through the landscape of art, blackness, and self-love. On it, Porter inhabits the alter ego of Bobby Ro$$, the trap music avatar of the much-loved PBS painter. Porter uses snippets of interviews with cultural luminaries such as Kara Walker, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Maya Angelou as a narrative lattice to paint himself into the canon of black art.
Jonah Ray – You Can’t Call Me Al 12” (Asian Man)
A crazy mish mash of Atom and His Package meets Jeff Rosenstock meets Weezer meets warmed hearts.
Rose City Band – Rose City Band LP+MP3 (Thrill Jockey)
Mellow but upbeat, this release hits a sweet spot. Produced by Ripley Johnson, of Moon Duo and Wooden Shjips, fans of either are sure to love this record.
Russian Girlfriends – In The Parlance Of Our Times LP (A-F)
“On their new album, Albuquerque punks Russian Girlfriends absolutely destroy everything in sight. In The Parlance Of Our Times comes with a dozen songs worth of blistering punk rock, hardcore energy and enough rock n roll swagger to rival The Bronx.” – Punk Rock Theory
Pancho Sanchez – Trane’s Delight 2xLP (Island Empire)
Released last year on CD – now available on vinyl. For more than three decades, Poncho Sanchez has stirred up a fiery stew of straight-ahead jazz, gritty soul music, and infectious melodies and rhythms from a variety of Latin American and South American sources. His influences are numerous, but among the more prominent figures that inform his music is the iconic saxophonist John Coltrane. On Trane’s Delight, Sanchez pays tribute to the late jazz legend with Latin-tinged re-imaginings of Coltrane classics as well as new pieces composed in honor of the tenor titan.
Hiroshi Sato – Awakening [Reissue/1982] LP (Great Tracks)
As one of the most prolific and respected keyboardists in Japan, Sato has appeared on a countless number of classic recordings as a session player in addition to the dozen-plus solo works he made over his four-decade career. He collaborated often with Haruomi Hosono and his Tin Pan Alley crew and was a member of Shigeru Suzuki’s short-lived band, Hucklebuck. Declining an offer from Hosono to join Yellow Magic Orchestra, Sato moved to Los Angeles instead and began collaborating with West Coast heavy hitters like Maria Muldaur, Spencer Davis, and Randy Crawford. [Limited blue colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Scud Mountain Boys – Massachusetts [Reissue/1996] LP (Mapache)
Reissued for the first time since the release in 1996, Massachusetts is the landmark of Scud Mountain Boys’ career. The first Joe Pernice project brings a beautiful collection of ballads. An intense, sparse, acoustic, and melancholic melodiousness album that fits into the alt-country movement with bands like Uncle Tupelo, Whiskeytown, Palace Brothers, and Lambchop.
Craig Smith / Maitreya Kali – Apache / Inca CD/2xLP (Maitreya Apache)
The first ever official, authorized release of a psychedelic mega-rarity. After a suffering an LSD-induced mental breakdown, Los Angeles-based songwriter Craig Smith renamed himself Maitreya Kali and custom-pressed Apache / Inca, a double-LP documenting his musical, personal, and spiritual journey. His message to the world, encoded on the album jackets in rambling, quasi-mystical Messianic verse, was urgent, desperate, delusional, and disturbing. Recorded between 1967 and 1971, the music tells a different story. Achingly beautiful, haunting acoustic folk songs; luminescent psychedelic folk-rock; eerie, off-kilter acid rock; fragments; field recordings – all meticulously woven into a magical, mesmerizing whole.
Sodom – Out Of The Frontline Trench 12” (E1)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. A new five-track EP from leading German thrash metal act.
Sparkle – Sparkle [Reissue/1979] LP (Four Flies)
In a genre that has classically been driven primarily by hot 12”s, it can sometimes be hard to find a disco album that delivers the goods from end to end — let alone a disco LP that could be described as ‘perfect.’ Sparkle’s self-titled album which many disco aficionados would put into this category.
Speak – Singularity LP (Dome Of Doom)
The third album from Mexico City-based artist encapsulates the movement Speak and his collaborators in Mexico City have sparked over the last decade, pulsing with many elements of life found across the region. From club bangers to songs about social unrest, the album is a unique ride that is unparalleled in representation and style.
Sun Ra Arkestra – Live In Kalisz 1986 LP (Lanquidity)
Kalisz, one of the oldest Polish cities dating back to the 10th century, historically connected with the first kings of Poland, grew into a multinational center with time as not only the Czech Brethren escaping the Habsburg monarchy found refuge here, but also prominent rabbis known across Europe used to operate and expound in the local Jewish community. In the 20th century Kalisz became a provincial city and its presence in the cultural life of Poland was most significantly marked with the International Jazz Piano Festival. It was during the 13th edition of the festival that Sun Ra Arkestra performed.
Throbbing Gristle – Part Two The Endless Not / TG Now 2xCD/3xLP (Mute)
Throbbing Gristle’s Part Two: The Endless Not was originally released in 2007, and was the band’s first full length studio record in 25 years. Pitchfork wrote, “The Endless Not features some of the subtlest songwriting of TG’s career, playing that knot of tension for all its worth and all the more disturbing for how pensive and restrained it feels.” TG Now was released in 2004 through the band’s own record label Industrial Records and was originally sold at the RE:TG live show at the Astoria in London. Mute presents Part Two: The Endless Not and TG Now together here in one colored vinyl three-LP box set and repressed on double-CD.
Throbbing Gristle – A Souvenir Of Camber Sands: Live CD/2xLP (Mute)
A Souvenir Of Camber Sands documents Throbbing Gristle’s infamous live show recorded at their 2004 performance as part of Jake and Dinos Chapman’s All Tomorrow’s Parties festival. The performance was dedicated to their dear friend and co-conspirator, John Balance, who passed away in November 2004. [Limited clear vinyl pressing also available.]
KT Tunstall – Golden State [Reissue/2016] 10” (Rostrum)
First ever vinyl release, featuring unreleased bonus track “Bad Dream”.
The Twilight Sad – The Twilight Sad Killed My Parents And Hit The Road [Reissue/2008] LP (Fat Cat)
First time vinyl pressing, following worldwide stadium tours supporting The Cure. Features alternate versions and covers of Joy Division, The Smiths, and Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
Various Artists – Elsewhere Junior I – A Collection Of Cosmic Children’s Songs 2xLP (Music For Dreams)
A thematically and sonically homogenous collage of cosmic children’s music.
Various Artists [Eric B. & Rakim] – Follow The Leader: Re-imagined As Jazz… CD/Cassette (Hay Reid & Smith)
Recently released on CD and cassette – now available on vinyl. Re-imagined instrumentals of the groundbreaking and critically acclaimed 1998 album Follow The Leader from Eric B. & Rakim.
Various Artists – The All American Powerhouse [Reissue/1976] LP (Be With)
From the Lincoln Continental that memorably adorns the cover to the tranquil funk contained within, this glowing ode to the grooving force of ‘70s American soul music is ice cool all over. With brilliant contributions from the Three Key Alans (Hawkshaw, Parker, Tew) as well as Mike Moran, Les Hurdle, and Keith Roberts, this is driving music for only the vibeiest cats. Originally released in 1976, The All American Powerhouse is one of the very best of the Themes library releases.
Various Artists – Hunter (Drama Suite) / Adventure Story [Reissue/1975] LP (Be With)
Vinyl reissue of a real library-head’s library album. Both sides of Hunter (Drama Suite) / Adventure Story are dripping with insidious grooves and dramatic spy-score themes, bursting with heavy guitars, swirling flutes, creeping piano-funk, and drum breaks galore.
Various Artists – Visual Impact [Reissue/1976] LP (Be With)
Vinyl reissue of arguably the single greatest album in KPM history. An ensemble piece of staggeringly heavy works from none other than Brian Bennett, John Scott, Steve Gray, Jim Lawless, and Johnny Pearson. Visual Impact includes the insanely ace Nuplex by Brian Bennett, a nagging, sweeping, punchy funk piece that exists in a world of its own.
Dwight Yoakam – Blame The Vain [Reissue/2005] LP (Yep Roc)
Released on vinyl for the first time in honor of the album’s 15th anniversary. Dwight Yoakam occupies a singular position in contemporary country. No artist has better balanced mainstream commercial success with artistic, alt-country credibility, while somehow managing to embody both the music’s most traditional and its most progressive impulses.
Young M.A. – Herstory In The Making LP (Duck Down Music)
Released last week on CD – now available on vinyl. Highly anticipated debut album from the Brooklyn based rapper.
Warren Zevon – Stand In The Fire [Reissue/1980] LP (Speakers Corner)
Warren Zevon had toured for quite some time as a songwriter in the rock scene, released a few singles and landed a flop with his debut LP in 1969 before the tide finally turned. Roughly ten years later, his live album – put together from a five-day residency at the Roxy Theater in West Hollywood – entered the annals of vinyl history as one of the best live albums of all time and was awarded four stars by the magazine Rolling Stone.
Warren Zevon – The Wind [Reissue/2003] LP (Mapache)
Warren Zevon knew he was dying when he began recording his final album in the fall of 2002. He had a handful of new mournful songs about mortality plus the usual assortment of familiar themes ready to go. He also had a bunch of famous friends willing to help him out one last time. Some of the best musicians of his generation joined him in the studio, giving poignant resonance to the songs, which turned out to be some of the strongest of his career. Including performances by: Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, Don Henley, Ry Cooder, Jackson Browne, Emmylou Harris, Joe Walsh, Dwight Yoakam, David Lindley, T. Bone Burnett, Jim Keltner, Billy Bob Thornton, Timothy B. Schmitt, and Tommy Shaw.
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