Social Media Program Titles Released This Week:
Spoon – Soft Effects LP”+MP3 (Matador)
Out of print for nearly five years, Soft Effects has been remastered and reissued on vinyl. Soft Effects (1997) features five of Spoon’s strongest songs and marks a leap forward in the band’s repertoire, signaling the great things to come on subsequent Spoon albums. The vinyl repress features blue sky cover never before used in physical packaging.
August Listening Station Program Title Released This Week:
The Naked And Famous – Recover CD/2xLP (Somewhat Damaged)
The Naked And Famous’ new album Recover reasserts the duo as one of modern indie-pop’s most exciting sonic trailblazers, taking them to emotionally inspired depths, while maintaining their fresh effervescence. While they have sonically mastered the art of dreamy, hook-laden synth-pop, The Naked And Famous have stuck to their guns as far as intimate storytelling. Recover is largely an autobiographical record rooted in a powerful sentiment of survival, and of the very human process of self-preservation – of saving, choosing and celebrating oneself in a world constantly trying to put us down.
Thin Lear – Wooden Cave CD/LP (EggHunt/Clandestine)
Queens-based songwriter Matt Longo (aka Thin Lear) has always been drawn to the stories of forgotten eccentrics but never haunted by their subjects. And yet, upon the reading of 1920’s occultist Netta Fornario, and her misunderstood demise on a tiny island off Scotland, he unearthed the inspiration for a surreal and ethereal collection of songs, Wooden Cave. Pulling influence from the insular world of Astral Weeks, the melodic adventurousness of Harry Nilsson, and the eclecticism of Shuggie Otis, Thin Lear creates songs existing on a sonic and lyrical island of their own. The result is eleven tracks sprawling from ornate, warm ballads, to psychedelic-tinged folk, to propulsive grooves, brimming with melody and heart. Wooden Cave, written for outsiders like Netta, radiates with a sonic glow that harkens back to ‘70s-era studio obsessives, familiar and surprising in equal measure, like a face from a dream.
CDs + Vinyl:
The Acacia Strain – Slow Decay CD/LP (Rise)
The Acacia Strain are often referred to as the heaviest band around. Any doubt of this claim will surely be silenced with their eighth album, Slow Decay, produced by Randy Leboeuf (Every Time I Die, Counterparts, Gideon). The Acacia Strain are pioneers of the deathcore genre, and for almost two decades they’ve been releasing albums that have managed to stand the test of time and become staples in the metalcore community.
Ahtme – Mephtic CD (Unique Leader)
Based in Kentucky, Ahtme bring a bile spewing brand of tech death metal with its roots planted in the realm that brought the finger bending, mind melting riffs of the likes of Necrophagist, Decapitated, Soreption and Spawn Of Possession. [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Alabama 3 – Exile On Coldharbour Lane 5xCD/2xLP (One Little Indian)
Mixing country, blues and acid house, Alabama 3 formed after Rob Spragg and Jake Black met at a party in Peckham, South London. They christened their new band First Presleyterian Church of Elvis The Divine before renaming themselves Alabama 3. They signed to One Little Indian in 1997 and released their debut album Exile On Coldharbour Lane the same year. The dissolute genre-mashing Brixton troupe’s defining moment, Exile on Coldharbour Lane fused acid house and rock and roll to spectacular effect. The track “Woke Up This Morning” became the theme music to the legendary HBO series Sopranos. [The five-CD box set includes four brand-new albums: Acid, Booze, Cocaine, and Dope; a cosmic guide through Alabama 3’s various drug habits over the years.]
Ancient Rites – The Diabolic Serenades [Reissue/1994] CD/LP (Soulseller)
Ancient Rites – Blasfemia Eternal [Reissue/1996] CD/LP (Soulseller)
Reissues of the Belgian black metal band’s first two albums.
Courtney Marie Andrews – Old Flowers CD/LP (Fat Possum)
Created in the aftermath of a long-term relationship, Old Flowers features the acclaimed singer, songwriter and musician’s most vulnerable writing across 10 new songs that chronicle her journey through heartbreak, loneliness and finding herself again after it all. Produced by Andrew Sarlo (Bon Iver, Big Thief), Old Flowers features only three musicians: Andrews (vocals, acoustic guitar, piano), Twain’s Matthew Davidson (bass, celeste, mellotron, pedal steel, piano, pump organ, wurlitzer, background vocals) and Big Thief’s James Krivchenia (drums, percussion).
Liza Anne – Bad Vacation CD/LP (Arts & Crafts)
Called bold in both sound and subject (NPR), Nashville-based artist Liza Anne pairs the sonic palette of pop-minded indie acts with the raw emotional lyrics. Produced by Kyle Ryan (Kacey Musgraves, Natalie Prass) and Justin Meldal-Johnsen (M83, Beck), her album, Bad Vacation, represents an audacious sonic leap forward, mixing full-throated rock and roll anthems with playful new wave jams and power pop earworms, all with a hint of Americana.
The Anxiety – The Anxiety CD/LP (Roc Nation)
Debut album from Willow Smith and Tyler Cole’s indie rock duo The Anxiety. Exploring heart-wrenching angsts and screamo-inspired feels, The Anxiety features ten tracks, including their hit single “Hey You”.
Arca – KiCk i CD/LP (XL Recordings)
Released last week on CD – now available on vinyl. Produced and recorded by Arca, KiCk i defines a new era of multiplex harmony for the Venezuelan artist, singer, DJ, performer and experimental music composer. Featuring guest appearances by Björk, Rosalía, Shygirl and Sophie, KiCk i is a celebration not only of the joy Arca’s been able to find in her life, but the sometimes arduous journey it took for her to find it. Her struggles to reconcile her Venezuelan heritage and her trans Latinx identity emerge as reggaetón and pop en Español. “I don’t want to be tied to one genre,” Arca says. “I don’t want to be labeled as one thing.”
Bab L’Bluz – Nayda CD/LP (Real World)
Created in Marrakech in 2018, Bab L’Bluz was born from the dream of propelling Guembri (the Gnawa’s Guitar) on the international music scene of contemporary music. A true tribute to the inexhaustible roots of Gnawa culture, irresistibly psyche, undeniably blues, bottle-fed at funk, Bab L’Bluz is a true intercontinental meeting point.
Bedsore – Hypnogogic Hallucinations CD/LP (20 Buck Spin)
Hypnogogic Hallucinations is a fitting title for the dark, lucid dreamscapes and obscure fantasia Bedsore deliver. Like an Argento film, the Roman band paint the canvas of death metal in vivid, bright washes of ornamented color and stabs of inventive horror that belies the corporeal grotesquery of the band’s name. Probing into the brain through psychedelic digression and winding hypnotic prog, a protean world of weird organic contours and mysterious meaning takes shape. A debut album of considerable imagination and subconscious peculiarity, Hypnagogic Hallucinations is an uninhibited first step for a band emboldened to travel to the farthest reaches of the possible within the celestial spheres of death metal. [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Broadside – Into The Raging Sea CD (Sharptone)
Produced by Seth Henderson (State Champs, Knuckle Puck, Real Friends), Broadside return with their third full length album, Into The Raging Sea, which is comprised of rewarding 13 tracks of alternative pop. Vinyl edition due August 7.]
Apollo Brown & Che’Noir – …As God Intended – CD (Mello Music)
Buffalo and Detroit are America’s broken dream. They are once thriving cities, now known for frigid temperatures and violent crime. The cities were birthed in a different era, forged in fire, built of cold steel. It follows that the rawest hip-hop in recent memory has bled from these two regions. No two artists exemplify this hard truth more than legendary Detroit producer Apollo Brown and Buffalo’s maverick emcee Che’ Noir. The two artists came together to create a sound as
natural as calm after the storm. The pair’s album, …As God Intended, drifts up and down city streets and offers a glimpse behind closed doors, telling the stories of gunshots, missing fathers, and playing the system. Features guest contributions from Skyzoo, Blakk Soul, Planet Asia, Ty Farris, and Black Thought. [Vinyl edition due September 4.]
Jonatha Brooke – The Sweetwater Sessions CD (Bad Dog)
The Sweetwater Sessions started out as a recording workshop at the gorgeous Sweetwater Studios in Fort Wayne, Indiana. But after a couple of preparatory conversations with co-producer Mark Hornsby, they recorded a retrospective of JBro tunes for a visceral live, in the studio record.
Cinder Well – No Summer CD/LP (Free Dirt)
Cinder Well is at the vanguard of a different kind of transatlantic folk revival, one forged amidst the uncertainty of a global pandemic. However, Irish-based songwriter Amelia Baker’s music isn’t nihilistic; instead, it strips traditional forms to their bones, creating a meditative, trance-like space for sonic healing. The sparse soundscapes and haunting stillness of her new album No Summer is not meant to be a paean to loneliness. Rather, Baker was inspired by the rich musical connectivity of the pub scene in Ireland, and her move from California to County Clare to study traditional music of the region.
Shirley Collins – Heart’s Ease CD/LP+MP3 (Domino)
Heart’s Ease follows 2017’s Lodestar, Shirley Collins’ first record in 38 years, and one that brought Shirley’s widely missed voice back to fans. An album broader and brighter in tone than Lodestar, it finds Shirley exploring warmer themes and features three songs less rooted within the folk tradition.
Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen – Bear’s Sonic Journals: Found In The Ozone 2xCD (Owsley Stanley)
Rare, early live recordings captured by the Grateful Dead’s legendary soundman Owsley Bear Stanley, including songs never-before officially released. Featuring a complete show (March 28, 1970) at the Family Dog, plus bonus tracks from five other nights at the Family Dog (February 27-March 29).
Jordan Davis – Jordan Davis CDEP (MCA Nashville)
Jordan Davis new eponymous six-song EP serves as a follow-up to his gold selling debut album, Home State. It is a bridge for his second full-length album. Jordan is nominated for the 2020 ACM Best New Male Artist Of The Year.
Jesse Dayton – Gulf Coast Sessions CDEP/12” (Blue Élan)
New release from the Austin-based guitarist, singer, songwriter and filmmaker.
Defeated Sanity – The Sanguinary Impetus CD/LP (Willowtip)
Widely regarded as the premier brutal death metal band in the world, Defeated Sanity is back with their sixth full length album. The Sanguinary Impetus sees the band raise their patented progressive brutal style to yet another level.
Executioner’s Mask – Despair Anthems CD/LP (Profound Lore)
Executioner’s Mask is the dark post-punk child of three unlikely suspects: Jay Gambit of the noise metal unit Crowhurst providing vocals, Ryan Wilson from the legendary Intestinal Disgorge lending both guitar and drum programming, and Lace And Cop Warmth’s Craig Mickle handles even more guitar. Together they offer a modern take on the classic blueprints set by bands like AFI, The Sisters Of Mercy and Red Lorry, Yellow Lorry.
Jerry Garcia/John Kahn – GarciaLive Volume 14: January 27th, 1986 The Ritz CD (ATO)
GarciaLive Volume 14 showcases a buoyant acoustic performance from Jerry Garcia and longtime friend/bassist John Kahn during the middle of a rare duo tour. Recorded on January 27, 1986 at The Ritz in New York City, Garcia and Kahn deliver two exquisite sets featuring Grateful Dead favorites (“Ripple”, “Friend Of The Devil”, “Dire Wolf”, and “Bird Song”, among others), spirited takes on Bob Dylan’s “When I Paint My Masterpiece” and “Simple Twist of Fate”, and more from Garcia’s songbook. [Vinyl edition due August 14.]
Groundhogs – Split [Reissue/1971] CD/LP (Fire)
Digitally remastered and expanded edition of the second of three ground-breaking albums by the ultimate power trio who morphed blues into hard rock and spawned punk.
Haken – Virus CD/3xLP (Century Media)
Since releasing Vector in October 2018, Haken has completed headline tours the world over, played sold-out shows across Europe and North America as support for Devin Townsend. All the while, they have been quietly, secretly working on the follow-up album. Entitled Virus, the album’s seven tracks revealing hints of influences from multiple genres, all intertwined with Haken’s own recognizable sound.
Paul Hardcastle – Hardcastle Nine CD (Trippin & Rhythm)
New release from the British jazz, pop, new age, and electronica musician.
PJ Harvey – Dry – Demos CD/LP (Island)
PJ Harvey – Dry [Reissue/1992] LP (Island)
Archive collection containing demos of PJ Harvey’s seminal 1992 debut album. Dry features the singles “Dress” and “Sheela-Na-Gig” which heralded Harvey’s burst onto the global stage. The Los Angeles Times’ Robert Hilburn described the record as “… a seductive calling card that signals the arrival of an extraordinary new artist.” NME wrote, “Polly dredges these sounds from the pit of her dissected soul and drags them out of her mouth with clenched fists,” while Pitchfork said, “On her debut, Polly Jean Harvey matched Patti Smith’s incandescence with Bessie Smith’s lasciviousness, outplayed everyone on the British indie circuit, and became an instant star.” [Dry has also been reissued this week on 180gm vinyl.]
Jon Hassell – Seeing Through Sound (Pentimento Volume Two) CD/LP (Ndeya)
A companion piece to 2018’s Listening To Pictures, this second volume in the Pentimento series presents eight new tracks by the music visionary, continuing his lifelong exploration of the possibilities of recombination and musical gene-splicing. Pentimento is defined as the “reappearance in a painting of earlier images, forms, or strokes that have been changed and painted over” and this is evident in the innovative production style that “paints with sound” using overlapping nuances to create an undefinable and intoxicating new palette.
Headcat 13 – Headcat 13 CD (Cleopatra)
An exciting new incarnation of the rockabilly project originally created by Motörhead’s Lemmy Kilmister & Danny B. Harvey, and now featuring Lemmy protégé Alan Davey and Frantic Flattops drummer Paul Vezelis joining Harvey for another round of good rockin’. The album features all new recordings of both original tunes and killer covers plus guest appearances by Jerry Lee Lewis’s niece, Annie Marie Lewis. [Vinyl edition due August 28.]
Horisont – Sudden LP (Century Media)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Sixth album from the Swedish rock grandmasters.
Howling – Colure CD/LP+MP3 (Counter)
RY X, solo alternative artist and member of The Acid and Frank, bring fans a bigger, sharper follow-up to their debut, Sacred Ground. On Colure, the Berlin-based Wiedemann and Los Angeles-based RY X conjure transcendent creations out of their contrasting musical backgrounds and environments. The album is assuredly dualistic: electronic and acoustic sounds sit comfortably side-by-side, and big melodic hooks are laced into hypnotic club productions.
Thomas V. Jäger – A Solitary Man CD/LP (Riding Easy)
Thomas V. Jäger is best known as the vocalist/guitarist in Monolord, the crushing melodic doom band. So, releasing an intimate, deeply and boldly personal album of acoustic and synth based songs hot on the heels of the Monolord’s No Comfort might seem like a risky move. And yet, that’s not even the most daring and inspiring thing about A Solitary Plan. Rather, this seven-song set is a cathartic depiction of how some very real and heart-wrenching situations were dealt with by the artist with musical therapy and, hopefully, provides a catharsis for the listener as well.
Judiciator – Let There Be Nothing CD (Prosthetic)
Fifth album from the power metal band. Let There Be Nothing is a concept album, steeped in historical references and tales of the past. However, the blood pumping through the veins of the music is rich with human emotion and rooted in universal experience, regardless of what era your fortune has dictated you dwell within. [Vinyl edition due July 31.]
Ronan Keating – Twenty Twenty CD (Decca)
Exactly 20 years after the release of his self-titled, debut solo album, Ronan Keating, returns with an album that encapsulates his many musical achievements since the millennium. Keating describes Twenty Twenty as a greatest hits of brand new music. To help him celebrate, Keating made two inspired choices: to dive into his back catalog and for some of the new tracks, to call in some friends.
Bill Kirchen – The Proper Years 2xCD/LP (Last Music Company)
Telecaster master Bill Kirchen was right there at the big bang of Americana as a founder member Commander Cody and his Lost Planet Airmen in 1967. Playing guitar has been his only job ever since. Over a ten-year period commencing in 2006, he made albums exclusively at Proper Records’ Specific Sound studio in London. All thirty-eight tracks, including some bonus material, are available on The Proper Years. Guests include Nick Lowe, Elvis Costello, Paul Carrack, Commander Cody, Dan Hicks, Maria Muldaur, Butch Hancock and more. [10 track vinyl edition also available.]
Let Us Prey – Virtues Of The Vicious CD/LP (M-Theory Audio)
Dark, melodic power thrash from frontman Marc Lopes (of Ross The Boss fame).
Make Them Suffer – How To Survive A Funeral CD/LP (Rise)
A dynamic Aussie extreme metal outfit, Make Them Suffer employs a punishing blend of deathcore and blackened symphonic death metal.
Lori McKenna – The Balladeer CD/LP (CN Records)
McKenna’s new album, The Balladeer, was produced by 6x Grammy-winner Dave Cobb (The Highwomen, Chris Stapleton, Sturgill Simpson, Jason Isbell, Brandi Carlile, John Prine) and recorded at Nashville’s historic RCA Studio A. The Balladeer is McKenna’s most personal album to date featuring songs that reflect firsthand on her relationships with her children, husband and family. Following this theme, McKenna wrote the majority of the album alone except for three tracks written with Hillary Lindsey and Liz Rose – a group collectively known as the Love Junkies.
Mondo Cozmo – New Medicine CD/LP (Last Gang)
Mondo Cozmo – the chart-topping brainchild of alternative singer-songwriter Josh Ostrander – delivers his second full-length complete with contributions from Butch Vig and Peter Hayes from Black Rebel Motorcycle Club.
Morse/Portnoy/George – Cov3r to Cov3r CD/LP (Century Music)
Neal Morse (vocals, keyboard, guitar), Mike Portnoy (drums, vocals) and Randy George (bass, keyboards) cover the work of David Bowie, Gerry Rafferty, Lenny Kravitz, Squeeze and more.
The Naked And Famous – Recover CD/LP+MP3 (Somewhat Damaged)
The Naked And Famous’ new album Recover reasserts the duo as one of modern indie-pop’s most exciting sonic trailblazers, taking them to emotionally inspired depths, while maintaining their fresh effervescence. While they have sonically mastered the art of dreamy, hook-laden synth-pop, The Naked And Famous have stuck to their guns as far as intimate storytelling. Recover is largely an autobiographical record rooted in a powerful sentiment of survival, and of the very human process of self-preservation – of saving, choosing and celebrating oneself in a world constantly trying to put us down.
Neck Deep – All Distortions Are Intentional CD/LP+MP3 (Hopeless)
Neck Deep wants to continue carving out their own unique space within rock, punk, and alternative music. They have no delusions of saving rock or being the biggest rock band out there. They understand their roots are in pop punk, but want to expand on their sound in their own way, taking inspiration from artists like The Beatles and Nirvana. [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Joell Ortiz & KXNG Crooked – H.A.R.D. CD (Mello Music Group)
Joell Ortiz & KXNG Crooked met the year they both won XXL’s coveted Freshmen Of The Year Award. The two’s careers are as legendary as any in the rap game. Joell Ortiz started by signing to Dr. Dre’s Aftermath label, then moving to Shady records as part of the Super group Slaughterhouse with Joe Budden, Royce Da 5’9 and KXNG Crooked. Add to that a fresh feature on Eminem’s album Music To Be Murdered By. Meanwhile, KXNG Crooked was signed to Virgin
Records at just 17 before joining Death Row Records. He’s had a flourishing solo career including collaborations along the way with TechN9ne, 2Pac, Benny The Butcher, Raekwon, Akon, Ray J and more. The West Coast LBC representer KXNG Crooked and Brooklyn’s Joell Ortiz have finally come together for the new joint project H.A.R.D. [Vinyl edition due September 11.]
The Real McKenzies – Beer And Loathing CD/LP (Fat Wreck Chords)
Recently released on vinyl – now available on CD. Their eleventh full-length album Beer And Loathing is a true return to form for The Real McKenzies. Dueling guitars double up against soaring bagpipes while Paul regales the listener with epic tales of alcohol-soaked debauchery, historic sagas and hard-fought personal battles. Whether you’re a McKenzie lifer or new to the game, these 12 glorious songs are sure to get your blood up and your heart pumping.
Reckless Kelly – American Jackpot / American Girls 2xCD/2xLP (No Big Deal)
For nearly 25 years, Reckless Kelly has graced the musical landscape with a high-powered form of Americana, equally rooted in raw passion, refined musicianship, and gritty authenticity. With the dual release of two new albums – American Jackpot and American Girls – the Idaho-bred band presents a beautifully detailed portrait of their beloved country, turning their nuanced songwriting to its many glories and tragedies. While one batch of songs centers on slice-of-life storytelling and the other explores the complexities of human connection, the collective body of work unfolds with a profound and often eye-opening attention to the subtleties of American Life.
The Residents – Metal Meat & Bone: The Songs Of Dyin’ Dog CD/LP (Cryptic Corp)
Recently released on vinyl – now available on CD. Realizing a career-long ambition, The Residents finally explore the blues. Having been turned on to the music of lost bluesman Alvin Snow, aka Dyin’ Dog, the group presents their interpretations of all ten of Snow’s known recordings, alongside several new compositions inspired by his work. Eric Drew Feldman, Nolan Cook, Black Francis, Carla Fabrizio, Sivan Lioncub and Peter Whitehead all contribute.
Dianna Ross – Supertonic: Mixes CD/LP (Motown)
Diana Ross has scored four consecutive Billboard #1 Dance Club Songs Chart singles over the last two years – “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”, “I’m Coming Out”, “Upside Down”, “The Boss” and “Love Hangover 2020”. This is a historical run, as each track also hit #1 during its original release. Supertonic: Mixes revisits these club hits; classic songs turned inside out. [Limited edition clear vinyl pressing also available.]
Skeleton – Skeleton CD/LP (20 Buck Spin)
Though some might be prone to lazily apply simplistic genre tags to Skeleton’s style, the reality is far more sweeping as this debut immediately reveals an excessively sharp metallic-charged juggernaut of severe force and high plains mayhem. Contained within their eponymous album are war-like hymns for the soldiers of a scorched apocalypse to come, from which a bleak alternate future will no doubt emerge. [Limited clear gold with black splatter colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Snowgoose – Making Of You CD/LP (Ba Da Bing!)
The follow-up to their critically acclaimed debut, Harmony Springs, this record sees the songwriting duo of guitarist Jim McCulloch and singer Anna Sheard supported by a who’s who of Scottish pop music, including members of Belle And Sebastian and Teenage Fanclub. Tracing a line through ’60s West Coast psychedelia and early ’70s folk-rock, Snowgoose creates something timeless and unique, which transcends its influences to assert itself as modern and forward thinking.
Spirit Possession – Spirit Possession CD/LP (Profound Lore)
Spirit Possession is a new black metal entity emerging from the Pacific Northwest and is a duo comprised of vocalist/guitarist S (Ulthar, Mastery, Pale Chalice) and drummer/keyboardist A (ex-Insect Ark). The band’s approach to their singular style of raw, schizophrenic spiraling black metal is unlike anything emerging from the black metal underground today. This self-titled debut encompasses the avant-garde, non-conformist aura of the black metal outliers of the ’90s and early ’00s, while pushing the thresholds of the forward-thinking underground black metal movement currently in the US. Through seven serpentine-like tracks, Spirit Possession emerge with an aberration of archaic black metal chaos.
Straitjacket Fits – Hail CD/LP (Flying Nun)
Hail is a documentation of a band on the up, a band flexing its potential and oozing confidence and optimism. With Hail the Straitjacket Fits were well on their way to giving the rock ‘n’ roll thing their very best shot.
STRFKR – Future Past Life CD/LP+MP3 (Polyvinyl)
STRFKR has always been a constantly evolving entity, growing over the years from rambunctious beginnings into the manicured electro-pop perfection they exhibited on their last studio album, 2016’s pristine Being No One, Going Nowhere. Future Past Life breaks new ground, dialing back some of the high-gloss production they’re known for to craft songs that are stripped down, spaced out and somehow as visceral as they are dream-like. The immaculate but danceable pop that has long been STRFKR’s calling card is pushed into exciting new places on Future Past Life. It’s a strange and beautiful sonic environment, one that finds STRFKR growing as they embrace the chance and spontaneity that brought these songs about in the first place. [Limited opaque orange colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Earl Sweatshirt – Feet Of Clay CD/LP (WB)
Released digitally last year – now available on CD and vinyl. Earl Sweatshirt is the virtuosic byproduct of Los Angeles’ fertile ground where hip-hop sowed its seeds and historic cultural movements were born. The prodigiously gifted writer, lyricist and producer grew from a zeitgeist of which contemporary collectives in hip-hop today are predicated. And while most movements are fleeting as soon as they arrive, Earl pushed forward, documented his growth and self-discovery on record and cemented himself as one of the foremost culturally relevant MC’s in the game. One who never strayed away too far from his Los Angeles beat-scene roots.
Thin Lear – Wooden Cave CD/LP (EggHunt/Clandestine)
Queens-based songwriter Matt Longo (aka Thin Lear) has always been drawn to the stories of forgotten eccentrics but never haunted by their subjects. And yet, upon the reading of 1920’s occultist Netta Fornario, and her misunderstood demise on a tiny island off Scotland, he unearthed the inspiration for a surreal and ethereal collection of songs, Wooden Cave. Pulling influence from the insular world of Astral Weeks, the melodic adventurousness of Harry Nilsson, and the eclecticism of Shuggie Otis, Thin Lear creates songs existing on a sonic and lyrical island of their own. The result is eleven tracks sprawling from ornate, warm ballads, to psychedelic-tinged folk, to propulsive grooves, brimming with melody and heart. Wooden Cave, written for outsiders like Netta, radiates with a sonic glow that harkens back to ‘70s-era studio obsessives, familiar and surprising in equal measure, like a face from a dream.
Valkyrie – Fear CD/LP (Relapse)
Virginia heavy rockers Valkyrie return with their anthemic, riff-driven new album – their first in five years.
Winter – Endless Space (Between You & I) CD/LP (Bar/None)
The power of a Winter song is hard to describe, like how the delicate world building of a good book can be more compelling than real life. There’s a make-believe, fairy tale surrealism that sets Winter’s blend of shoegaze and psychedelia apart while existing in the same universe as the ethereal dream pop of Cocteau Twins and Melody’s Echo Chamber.
X – Alphabetland CD (Fat Possum)
Alphabetland is the eighth studio album by legendary American punk rock band X. It is their first studio release in 27 years and the first with their original line-up in the past 35 years. [Vinyl edition due August 21.]
John Zorn – Les Maudits CD (Tzadik)
A concerto grosso in three movements inspired by the work of radical French poet Charles Baudelaire, and Oviri (‘savage’ in Tahitian) a touching elegy to Paul Gauguin, the influential and complex artist who helped redefine painting in the 20th century.
This Week’s Vinyl Exclusives:
ABBA – ABBA: The Studio Albums 8xLP (Capitol)
Across eight studio albums released over eight years, ABBA established themselves as one of the greatest pop groups of all time. Dominating the charts throughout the ’70s and continuing their winning streak into the early ’80s, the Swedish four-piece redefined the boundaries of pop music, with each new album charting an astounding artistic progression that remains a fabric of our culture. Decades after their last release, 1981’s The Visitors, their music has inspired stage shows, cinematic blockbusters and even themed restaurants. ABBA: The Studio Albums collects together, for the first time on colored vinyl, and with replica LP artwork, each of those releases: 1973’s Ring Ring (on red vinyl), 1974’s Waterloo (on orange vinyl), 1975’s ABBA (on silver vinyl), 1976’s Arrival (on white vinyl), 1977’s ABBA: The Album (on green vinyl), 1979’s Voulez-Vous (on blue vinyl), 1980’s Super Trouper (on gold vinyl) and 1981’s The Visitors (on yellow vinyl).
American Arson – Line In The Sand LP (Facedown)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. American Arson leans heavily on rock ‘n’ roll with a hint of post hardcore discontent and the unmistakable vocal hooks.
Archspire – Relentless Mutation [Reissue/2017] LP (Season Of Mist)
Vinyl reissue of the third studio album by the Canadian technical death metal band. Relentless Mutation is a concept album revolving around a telepathic cult called A.U.M. and their experiments on human biology. [Limited red colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Ashtray Navigations – Greatest Imaginary Hits LP+4xCD (VHF)
27th Anniversary set for the multi-dimensional midlands-crew, led by Phil Todd and Melanie O’Dubhslaine. Nearly six hours of cosmic, psychedelic, mind-boggling sounds, featuring a newly recorded LP plus four max-length CDs curated by AshNav connoisseurs Rob Hayler, Henry Rollins, Pete Coward, and Neil Campbell. The CDs are drawn from the band’s massive back catalog of mostly small run / private releases, covering activity dating back to 1994. Mining a deep well of thousand-yard stare psychedelia, Ashtray Navigations possess of one of the most exciting outré music catalogs of the contemporary era, matching the classics from any era in originality and straight-up bonkers fun. This epic release includes a full range of hypnotic jams, including sequencer-led cosmic workouts, drifty ambience, and a heavy dose of Phil Todd’s ripping, laser guitar leads.
The Ataris – …Anywhere But Here [Reissue/1997] LP (Kung Fu)
Special limited edition red colored vinyl reissue of the inspired 1997 debut album from the pop punk icons. These early tracks bristle with the raw, youthful energy that would earn the band the respect of The Descendents, NOFX, Blink 182 and others.
Baba Ali – This House 12” (30th Century Records)
The debut EP by Baba Ali (on Dangermouse’s 30th Century Records) was produced by Jamie Hince of The Kills.
Devendra Banhart – Vast Ovoid 12” (Nonesuch)
This four-song limited edition vinyl EP features three songs recorded during the sessions for his album Ma as well as the Helado Negro remix of the track “Love Song”.
Bell Witch / Arial Run – Stygian Bough Vol. 1 LP (Profound Lore)
The debut collaboration album from doom metal giants Bell Witch and Aerial Ruin (the solo folk project of singer / songwriter Erik Moggridge), under the moniker of Stygian Bough is a culmination of the work of both artists as witnessed previously on Bell Witch’s three full-length albums, where Moggrdige has contributed guest vocals. With each succeeding Bell Witch release, one has seen Moggridge’s involvement with the band developing, growing and getting more elaborate. Not only does Stygian Bough expand and broaden this alliance between the artists, but with Aerial Ruin contributing to the songwriting of this dedicated collaboration and incorporating his signature and alluring style of emotionally-driven folk, along with taking the lead vocal position, adding to the band’s caliber of unearthly towering doom, this album becomes its own singular, unparalleled doom metal entity.
The Black Sheep – Strobelite Honey [Reissue/1992] 12” (Mr. Bongo)
The Black Sheep and their 1991 A Wolf In Sheeps Clothing album – were definitely an outlier in the Native Tongues fold. They were raunchier and more playful than their peers which, given that those peers were A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul and Jungle Brothers, is really saying something. Strobelite Honey catches that difference perfectly, leaning heavily on a pair of 1980 disco samples rather than the jazz of their brethren, and taking a somewhat less chivalrous approach to women.
The Boneless Ones – Skate For The Devil [Reissue/1986] LP (Beer City)
Vinyl reissue of a skate rock/thrash metal/crossover classic.
Nicolas Bougaïeff – The Upward Spiral LP (Mute)
Limited blue colored vinyl pressing. The Upward Spiral is Nicolas Bougaïeff’s debut full-length album release on Mute, following the release of three EPs on the seminal electronic label’s techno offshoot, NovaMute.
André Bratten – Silvester LP (Smalltown Supersound)
An unlikely cross-pollination built upon a legendary late-‘80s encounter between Euronymous and Conrad Schnitzler, producer André Bratten’s Silvester is Mayhem and Conrad Schnitzler reimagined. Or deconstructed and then rebuilt. However you term it, a remix turned into a new André Bratten unlike any he has recorded before, haunted by the echoes of Mayhem’s grisly legacy as well as Klusters early industrial music’s concrete looped experiments. An album of abstract freeform structures morphing elements of kraut, techno, ambient, black metal, industrial, minimalist and drone.
Big Bill Broonzy – The Midnight Special: Live In Nottingham 1957 LP (Org Music)
This solo performance captures Big Bill’s affable personality and ability to hold the attention of an appreciative audience with his storytelling, acoustic guitar licks, and a strong singing voice that leaves an indelible impression that this man had experiences in the fields, the factories, and the railroads.
The Brutalists – We Are Not Here To Help LP (Cleopatra)
The vinyl edition of the 2019 sophomore album from L.A.’s premiere garage rock quintet featuring members of L.A. Guns and The Quireboys. The Brutalists’ music is a collective of their influences – leering blues and pub rock and R&B, and the synthesized dance ennui of post-punk seasoned with bits of ska and reggae
Brandy Clark – Your Life Is A Record LP (WB)
Released last March on CD – now available on vinyl. Few artists understand the human condition like six-time Grammy nominee Brandy Clark. Working again with acclaimed producer Jay Joyce, Your Life Is A Record takes her unerring eye for detail and a genre-melting sense of melody to examine personal truths, revelations and emancipations with wit, grace and compassion. Working with just four acoustic-based musicians, intimacy was the goal. Memphis strings and horns, guest appearances from Randy Newman (Bigger Boat) and guitarist John Osborne color in the sketches – creating a depth to what is easily Clark’s most revelatory record yet.
Thad Cockrell – If In Case You Feel The Same LP (ATO)
Recently released on CD – now available on pink colored vinyl. Thad Cockrell returns with his first solo album in over a decade. If In Case You Feel The Same taps into the tremendous depth of expression Thad has brought to co-writing for such artists as Joy Williams (on her Grammy-nominated 2019 album Front Porch), Joseph, Devon Gilfillian and Mathew Caws of Nada Surf, as well as his much beloved band Leagues. Buoyed by the support of Brittany Howard, whom he first met over a 4 a.m. pitcher of homemade margaritas, Cockrell set to work on his first solo effort in over a decade: an album that exposes his deepest insecurities and weaknesses, all for the sake of creating a transcendent connection with the audience.
The Contents Are – Live Davenport Iowa 1968 LP (Alona’s Dream)
Archive release of previously unreleased live recording featuring unheard originals from 1960’s psychedelic legends. Intense jams for the psychedelic dancehall. [CD edition due July 31.]
Cub Sport – Like Nirvana LP (Cub Sport)
Lovers of pop will obsess over Cub Sport’s hooks and 80s reinvention. Red colored vinyl pressing.
Deathbreaker – Isolate LP (Facedown)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Deathbreaker’s Isolate is comprised of ten tracks of seething metallic hardcore.
D.O.A. – Treason LP (Sudden Death)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. If an actor or a reality show host can become President and wreak havoc around the world, then surely musicians have a time honored duty of reacting to that and speaking up for regular people. Punk rock legends D.O.A. have decided to do just that.
Flower – None Is (But Once Was) LP (Ernest Jenning)
The first album in 30 years from this band featuring Ed and Richard Baluyut from Versus and Ian James from Cell. Having always remained close, while Ian was recording the most recent Versus releases, discussion turned to seeing what would happen if all four original Flower members locked themselves in the studio until an album had been written. So, it was agreed, and so it was done.
Frozen Crown – Fallen King LP (Scarlet)
Limited gold colored vinyl pressing of the debut album from Italian power metal band.
Gaerea – Limbo 2xLP (Season Of Mist)
Cathartic outfit Gaerea challenges the archetype of black metal, coloring outside of the genre’s lines with melancholy, texture and passion. Limbo devours the listener with misanthropic catharsis and cinematic agony, delivering palpable emotion for 52 uninterrupted minutes. Lose yourself in the abyss. [CD edition due August 14.]
Giles Corey – Hinterkaifeck 12” (The Flenser)
Giles Corey is the gloomy, stripped-down solo project of Dan Barrett, one of the masterminds behind the cult act Have A Nice Life. Dealing with issues like suicide, depression, and the paranormal, Giles Corey is both incredibly bleak and intimate. Features an etched B-side.
Greg Graffin – American Lesion [Reissue/1997] LP+MP3 (Epitaph)
Vinyl reissue of Greg Graffin’s (Bad Religion) long-out-of-print solo album from 1997.
Henry Green – Half Light LP (Akira)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. New release from the release from the British electronica artist.
Gregory Isaacs – Easy [Reissue/1985] LP (VP)
Gregory Isaacs – All I Have Is Love [Reissue/1986] LP (VP)
Two albums by the reggae legend reissued on vinyl.
Vince Guaraldi Trio – Peanuts Greatest Hits [Reissue/2015] LP (Craft Recordings)
Limited picture disc vinyl LP pressing. Peanuts Greatest Hits is an album of all seasons for fans of the venerable Charlie Brown and the gang.
Kooba Tercu – Proto Tekno LP (Rocket Recordings)
Arriving via a triangulation of Athens, Crete and London, yet existing at a psychic intersection between the ruins of crumbling infrastructure and an intimidating future dystopia Kooba Tercu have seen fit to take arms as only they see fit. Proto Tekno is their mission statement writ large – a potent and pulverizing collection of incendiary jams fueled by the modern age yet transcending it with vicious style. Equal parts groove-driven mantra, red blooded freak-out and experimental onslaught, this is the sound of a fearless band raging against the dying of the light.
Lantern – Dimensions LP (Dark Decent)
Finland’s Lantern return with their third full-length of timeless death metal. [CD edition due July 31.]
Let It Come Down – Songs We Sang In Our Dreams LP (Joyful Noise)
Kramer’s first one-on-one collaboration since Bongwater circled the drain 30 years ago. The results are ethereal, combining the most introspective songwriting of Kramer’s career with luminous vocal performances from Xan Tyler. Fans of Kramer’s most recent solo work on John Zorn’s Tzadik Records – as well as his extensive scroll of production work for artists like Galaxie 500, Low, and Daniel Johnston – will lose themselves in the shadowy labyrinths of Songs We Sang In Our Dreams.
Lil Wayne – Funeral 2xLP (Republic)
Vinyl edition of the rapper’s 13th album. Features guest appearances like Big Sean, Lil Baby, Jay Rock, Adam Levine, 2 Chainz, Takeoff, The-Dream, the late XXXTentacion and more.
Lowrider – Ode To Io [Reissue/2000] LP (Blues Funeral)
The ultimate edition of the debut album from the progenitors of Swedish desert-rock, fully remastered with bonus tracks. In the wake of defunct Palm Springs originators Kyuss, musicians worldwide coalesced to craft their own visions for the desert rock sound. Standing foremost among them was Lowrider, whose debut, Ode To Io, became the blueprint countless others would follow. [CD edition due August 21.]
Mansions – Big Bad LP (Run For Cover)
Mansions fourth LP, Big Bad, refers to the conscious and unconscious ways we react to our own mortality and self-sabotage the good things in life. While fans of Mansions previous releases – 2011’s Dig Up the Dead, 2013’s Doom Loop, and 2017’s Deserter – will appreciate Big Bad‘s strikingly personal lyrics and lush atmosphere, Big Bad is more indicative of a specific place in time and the visceral feelings that go along with it than it is a direct follow-up to any of the band’s previous work. Limited edition colored vinyl pressing.
Bob Marley & The Wailers – Legend (The Best Of Bob Marley And The Wailers) [Reissue/1984] LP (Island)
Limited picture disc vinyl LP pressing.
Oranssi Pazuzu – Mestarin Kynsi 2xLP (Nuclear Blast)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Finland’s Oranssi Pazuzu stretch the boundaries and connect the dots between black metal, space rock, psychedelic and experimental music. [Double swamp green and mustard yellow colored vinyl pressing.]
Pissgrave – Demo [2014] LP (Profound Lore)
First-time vinyl pressing of the death metal band’s previously cassette-only demo release.
Dan Reeder – Every Which Way LP (Oh Boy)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Every Which Ways was, as always, written, played, recorded and produced by Dan Reeder himself. Dan Reeder has been called one of the foremost outsider artists in modern folk by The New Yorker’s Ben Greenman. His music has received critical acclaim for its unique blending of blues, folk, gospel and field hollers.
Roddy Ricch – Please Excuse Me For Being Antisocial 2xLP (Atlantic)
Vinyl edition of the 2019 debut album from the rapper. Features guest appearances from Gunna, Lil Durk, Meek Mill, Mustard, Ty Dolla Sign, and A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie.
Michael Schenker Group – Markthalle Hamburg, Germany – January 24, 1981 LP (Cleopatra)
A vintage live album from Scorpions/UFO guitarist Michael Schenker and his band of rock legends including vocalist Gary Barden.
Septic Flesh – Esoptron [Reissue/1995] 2xLP (Season Of Mist)
Septic Flesh – Ophidian Wheel [Reissue/1996] 2xLP (Season Of Mist)
Septic Flesh – A Fallen Temple [Reissue/1998] 2xLP (Season Of Mist)
Limited colored vinyl reissues of the Greek death metal band’s second, third, and fourth albums.
Brian Setzer – Ignition! [Reissue/2001] LP (Surfdog)
Brian Setzer & The Brian Setzer Orchestra – The Ultimate Collection Recorded Live: Volume 1 2xLP (Surfdog)
Brian Setzer & The Brian Setzer Orchestra – The Ultimate Collection Recorded Live: Volume 1 2xLP (Surfdog)
Limited colored vinyl pressing of the Stray Cats frontman’s 2001 “back to rockabilly” album Ignition! along with two archival live sets.
Skatalites – Ska Voovee [Reissue/1993] LP+M3 (Jump Up)
Limited blue colored vinyl LP pressing plus bonus 7” single. First time on vinyl for 1993 classic album from the ska originators.
Spoon – Soft Effects LP”+MP3 (Matador)
Out of print for nearly five years, Soft Effects has been remastered and reissued on vinyl. Soft Effects (1997) features five of Spoon’s strongest songs and marks a leap forward in the band’s repertoire, signaling the great things to come on subsequent Spoon albums. The vinyl repress features blue sky cover never before used in physical packaging.
Seleh Sue – Bedroom 10” (Because Music)
After a five-year hiatus, Belgium singer-songwriter Selah Sue returns with a new EP. Written in her bedroom, it plunges us in the euphoric feeling of joy of the artist turned mother. Bedroom is ambitious as we see Selah producing for the first time in her career alongside English producer Kwes (Kelela, Solange, Tirzah).
that dog. – Retreat From The Sun [Reissue/1997] LP (Third Man)
Vinyl reissue of the third studio album by American alternative rock band.
Various Artists [Lord Finesse] – Motown State Of Mind 7×7” (Motown)
Legendary rapper, hip-hop producer, and founding member of the influential collective Diggin’ In The Crates Crew (D.I.T.C.), presents a set of handpicked Motown classics remixed and reimagined.
Venom – In League With Satan Vol. 2 2xLP (Cleopatra)
The blistering second installment of career highlights from the metal legends.
Richard Youngs – Ein Klein Nein LP (VHF)
Mysterious and minimal instrumental album by Richard Youngs, dreamt at home and recorded quickly in Glasgow’s Green Door Studio. Centered on a single piano chord and bare snare strikes, Youngs builds a haunting atmosphere in four episodes, featuring his guitar, organ, harmonica, and voice.
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