Social Media Program Titles Released This Week:
No Social Media Program titles this week.
December/January Marketing Program/ Banner/ Listening Station Titles Promoted This Week:
Arctic Monkeys – Arctic Monkeys Live At The Royal Albert Hall 2xCD/2xLP+MP3 (Domino)
Recorded at the start of the band’s Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino tour, Arctic Monkeys Live At The Royal Albert Hall features 20 of the band’s finest moments to date. “On June 7, 2018 we played a very special show at London’s Royal Albert Hall,” notes the band. “All the proceeds from that memorable night were donated to War Child UK in support of the vital work they do protecting, educating and rehabilitating children who have experienced the trauma of conflict and the horror of war. The situation that was bad in 2018 is now desperate and those children and their families need our help more than ever. To enable War Child UK to reduce their funding deficit and continue their valuable work, we are happy to be able to release a live album, recorded that evening at The Royal Albert Hall. All proceeds will go direct to the charity. We thank all our fans in advance for their support of this release and in turn for their support of War Child UK.”
Jamie Cullum – The Pianoman At Christmas CD (Capitol)
Multi-platinum, Ivor Novello Award-winning musician Jamie Cullum delivers the holiday big band album The Pianoman At Christmas featuring ten original songs boasting a total of no fewer than 57 musicians. The festive set was recorded over five days at Abbey Road Studios, with producer Greg Wells, known for his work with Adele, Dua Lipa, and on the soundtrack for The Greatest Showman. It’s introduced by the first single “Turn On The Lights”, a joyful celebration of the season that sets Cullum’s keyboard work against a symphony of strings, horns, and expansive orchestral percussion. [Vinyl edition TBD.]
Russell Dickerson – Southern Symphony CD (Triple Tigers)
Co-produced alongside frequent collaborator Casey Brown and a first-time collaboration with legendary producer Dann Huff, Southern Symphony is the sophomore album from multi-platinum recording artist Russell Dickerson and follow-up to 2017’s Gold-certified Yours. “Southern Symphony is hands down the best work I’ve created,” said Dickerson, “It’s the best songs I’ve written. It’s sonically the best we’ve created. This album is ten honest and true tracks that tell the story of how I’ve grown as an artist and a man. I could not be more proud of every song on this album.” Southern Symphony is packed with humble and heartfelt ballads about love and nostalgia matched with his signature “RD party” anthems, including one of Russell’s biggest collaborations to date on “It’s About Time”’ featuring multi-platinum recording artists, Florida Georgia Line. Also includes the singles “Love You Like I Used To” and “Never Get Old”. [Vinyl edition due February 12.]
King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard – K.G. CD (KGLW)
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard return with new album K.G., their sixteenth since forming in 2010. In the wake of a global pandemic, it’s a collection of songs composed and recorded remotely after the six members of the band retreated to their own homes scattered around Melbourne. K.G. is a pure distillation of the King Gizzard sound, one that cherry picks the best aspects of previous albums and contorts them into new shapes via defiantly non-western rock scales. K.G. is the second volume in the band’s “microtonal” series that began with 2017’s Flying Microtonal Banana. “FMB was one of the purest and most enjoyable recording experiences we’ve had, and the ideas just kept coming,” explains de facto bandleader/multi-instrumentalist Stu Mackenzie. “It’s almost like an album that normal people make.” [Vinyl edition due December 11.]
King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard – Live In San Francisco ’16 CD/2xLP (ATO)
Recently released on vinyl – now available on CD. Just under a month after delivering their award-winning 2016 album Nonagon Infinity, King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard took the stage at San Francisco’s The Independent for a set both wildly frenetic and meticulously executed. In one of their final club gigs before bursting onto the international scene – soon selling out amphitheaters and headlining festivals – the Melbourne septet laid down a breakneck performance that, in the words of SF Weekly, “made every organ ache just right.” Multi-tracked and impeccably mixed, Live in San Francisco ’16 simultaneously channels the massive energy of King Gizzard’s set while echoing the sweaty intimacy of the 500-capacity venue. The set captures an extraordinary moment in the band’s increasingly storied history, a 13-song spectacular likely to leave every listener awestruck and adrenalized. [A deluxe colored vinyl pressing housed in a mirror board jacket is also available.]
Moe. – This Is Not, We Are CD 2xCD (ATO)
Hailed by American Songwriter for their “mind-bending musicality,” Moe. is treasured for their mesmerizing musical synergy, unfettered showmanship, and smart, resonant songcraft. For three decades, the band has corralled myriad musical forms on a truly original journey rich with crafty, clever songwriting and astonishing resourcefulness. This Is Not, We Are – which marks the twelfth studio album from Moe. and first since 2014’s acclaimed No Guts, No Glory – includes eight new songs written by members Chuck Garvey, Alan Schnier, Rob Derhak, Jim Loughlin, and Vinnie Amico, most of which have been fine-tuned over the past two years while the band has spent time on the road. “We kind of went back to our roots a bit,” Derhak says. “We just wanted to do something that made us feel inspired like we had felt when the band first started. But it also has everything that we’ve picked up along the way, all the good baggage – and maybe some of the bad – that we’ve dragged along for the past 30 years.” [Limited blue colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Various Artists – Promising Young Woman [Original Soundtrack] CD (Capitol)
Everyone said Cassie (Carey Mulligan) was a promising young woman until a mysterious event abruptly derailed her future. Now, wickedly smart and tantalizing cunning, she’s leading a secret double life when a chance encounter gives her a chance to right the wrongs of the past. The official soundtrack, from Capitol, will include 15 songs by female artists & Anthony Willis’ reimagining of Britney Spears hit “Toxic.” Features DeathbyRomy, FLETCHER, Cyn, Maya B, Donna Missal, Sky Ferreira and more.
The White Stripes – The White Stripes Greatest Hits CD/2xLP (Third Man)
The first-ever official anthology of recordings from the iconic rock duo, Jack and Meg White, is an essential career-spanning collection highlighting 26 previously released songs – from late ‘90s flashes of brilliance through early 2000s underground anthems, masterful MTV Moon Man moments, Grammy-grabbing greatness, and worldwide stadium chants…the songs here are as wide-ranging as you can imagine. In an era of streaming where the idea of a “Greatest Hits” album may seem irrelevant – that an act’s most streamed songs are considered their de facto “hits” – we wholeheartedly believe that great bands deserve “Greatest Hits” and that a large part of Third Man Records’ and The White Stripes’ successes have been built on zigging when the rest of the music business is zagging. Thus, for a great band with great fans, a greatest hits compilation for The White Stripes is not only appropriate, but absolutely necessary.
CDs + Vinyl:
Monty Alexander – Love You Madly: Live At Bubba’s 2xCD (Resonance)
Love You Madly: Live At Bubba’s is a previously-unissued recording of the Jamaican jazz piano icon Monty Alexander captured live in Fort Lauderdale, FL at Bubba’s Jazz Restaurant on August 6, 1982. Recorded by legendary engineer Mack Emerman, Live At Bubba’s features bassist Paul Berner, drummer Duffy Jackson and the acclaimed percussionist Robert Thomas, Jr. This deluxe limited-edition double-CD set includes an extensive booklet with photos, essays and interviews.
Arctic Monkeys – Arctic Monkeys Live At The Royal Albert Hall 2xCD/2xLP+MP3 (Domino)
Recorded at the start of the band’s Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino tour, Arctic Monkeys Live At The Royal Albert Hall features 20 of the band’s finest moments to date. “On June 7, 2018 we played a very special show at London’s Royal Albert Hall,” notes the band. “All the proceeds from that memorable night were donated to War Child UK in support of the vital work they do protecting, educating and rehabilitating children who have experienced the trauma of conflict and the horror of war. The situation that was bad in 2018 is now desperate and those children and their families need our help more than ever. To enable War Child UK to reduce their funding deficit and continue their valuable work, we are happy to be able to release a live album, recorded that evening at The Royal Albert Hall. All proceeds will go direct to the charity. We thank all our fans in advance for their support of this release and in turn for their support of War Child UK.”
Blue Öyster Cult – Live At Rock Of Ages Festival – July 30th 2016 CD+DVD/2xLP (Frontiers)
BOC’s live set on the second day of the Rock of Ages Festival in on July 30th, 2016 in Seebronn, Germany. [Stand-alone Blu-ray edition also available.]
Whit Boyd Combo – Party Girls (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) CD/LP (Modern Harmonic)
Recently released on vinyl – now available on CD. While the 1969 film may be lost to obscurity, thanks to the discovery of the original audio reels this funk-fueled soundtrack is finally seeing the light of day. Sexy time sounds of grooving organ, bass, drums, and brass; there’s even a down and dirty booty-shaker of a James Brown cover. The perfect accompaniment to get you in the mood for a lascivious love-in.
Whit Boyd Combo – Dracula (The Dirty Old Man) Original Motion Picture Soundtrack CD+DVD (Modern Harmonic)
This 1969 occult odyssey is crudely crafted, probably improvised, and constantly dumbfounding – yet there’s a different kind of magic at work with the soundtrack. Sounding like it was recorded during the witching hour in Dracula’s basement through the prism of a weed-soaked haze, the music is stoner exotica of the highest caliber; the organ sounds like it could blow a fuse at any moment, the sax and guitar battle in a war of licks, and the drums and bass provide a driving foundation for the chaos. Crawling out of a time rotted tomb for the first time, including four bonus cuts not available on the LP plus a DVD of the entire awful film. [Vinyl edition due February 12.]
Cryptodira – The Angel Of History CD (Good Fight Music)
“Cryptodira are one of the most fascinating and distinctive progressive metal bands in the scene today.” – Everything Is Noise [Vinyl edition due January 15.]
Jamie Cullum – The Pianoman At Christmas CD (Capitol)
Multi-platinum, Ivor Novello Award-winning musician Jamie Cullum delivers the holiday big band album The Pianoman At Christmas featuring ten original songs boasting a total of no fewer than 57 musicians. The festive set was recorded over five days at Abbey Road Studios, with producer Greg Wells, known for his work with Adele, Dua Lipa, and on the soundtrack for The Greatest Showman. It’s introduced by the first single “Turn On The Lights”, a joyful celebration of the season that sets Cullum’s keyboard work against a symphony of strings, horns, and expansive orchestral percussion. [Vinyl edition TBD.]
Deafheaven – 10 Years Gone CD/2xLP+MP3 (Sargent House)
Deafheaven are celebrating the first decade of their illustrious career with a new studio-recorded live album, 10 Years Gone. There is no denying the absolute power of Deafheaven’s live show. Since the days of their now-legendary 2010 demo, the band put on raw performances that combined the sonic assault of black metal with an uplifting emotional quality. The latter comes through in frontman George Clarke’s throat-shredding vocals, which are even more visceral and affecting in person. [Limited double green and yellow colored vinyl pressing also available.]
The Deviant – Rotting Dreams Of Carrion CD/LP+CD (Soulseller)
Rotting Dreams Of Carrion marks the return of the Norwegian heathens after being cloaked in darkness for three years. The Deviant was formed by Violator in 2003 and later accompanied by former members from the cult death metal act 122 Stab Wounds as well as Gehenna and has already received much praise for their merciless style of extreme blackened death metal.
Russell Dickerson – Southern Symphony CD (Triple Tigers)
Co-produced alongside frequent collaborator Casey Brown and a first-time collaboration with legendary producer Dann Huff, Southern Symphony is the sophomore album from multi-platinum recording artist Russell Dickerson and follow-up to 2017’s Gold-certified Yours. “‘Southern Symphony’ is hands down the best work I’ve created,” said Dickerson, “It’s the best songs I’ve written. It’s sonically the best we’ve created. This album is ten honest and true tracks that tell the story of how I’ve grown as an artist and a man. I could not be more proud of every song on this album.” Southern Symphony is packed with humble and heartfelt ballads about love and nostalgia matched with his signature “RD party” anthems, including one of Russell’s biggest collaborations to date on “It’s About Time,” featuring multi-platinum recording artists, Florida Georgia Line. Also includes the singles “Love You Like I Used To” and “Never Get Old.” [Vinyl edition due February 12.]
Bill Evans – Live At Ronnie Scott’s (with Eddie Gomez & Jack DeJohnette) 2xCD (Resonance)
Live At Ronnie Scott’s is the third official Resonance release of previously-unissued recordings of the Bill Evans trio with Eddie Gomez and Jack DeJohnette. The nearly two hours of music has been remastered from the original tape reels. Live At Ronnie Scott’s was captured in July of 1968. On the cover of this deluxe double-CD set is a never-before-published drawing by artist and illustrator David Stone Martin. Package includes an extensive booklet with rare photos, essays and interviews.
Rory Gallagher – Best Of CD/2xCD/2xLP (UMe)
A compilation of his legendary songs from his career, including tracks from Rory’s seminal first band Taste through to his last studio album Fresh Evidence (1992). [Deluxe double-CD edition includes a bonus disc.]
Gama Bomb – Sea Savage CD/LP (Prosthetic)
Inspired by Victorian horror and maritime adventures such as Moby Dick, Gama Bomb’s new album Sea Savage is presented as a 19th Century play, with Act One and Act Two playing out on side A and side B of the record respectively. The pelagic tale follows the crew of the steamer ‘S.S. Gama Bomb’ as they voyage in search of a real-life Yeti, only to go slowly mad on the high seas. It also features songs about ’80s and ’90s movies, because Gama Bomb cannot help themselves. [Limited edition colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Jerry Garcia & Merl Saunders – GarciaLive Volume 15: May 21st, 1971 Keystone Korner 2xCD (ATO)
GarciaLive Vol. 15 showcases a free-spirited performance from Jerry Garcia, Merl Saunders and drummer Bill Vitt at the celebrated and cozy San Francisco jazz club Keystone Korner. The trio, aided by saxophonist Martin Fierro on five songs, fuses R&B, jazz and rock across two adventurous sets. Extended takes on Saunders’s own “Man-Child” and “Save Mother Earth” punctuate the performance alongside rare gems including David Crosby’s “The Wall Song” and Stevie Wonder’s “I Was Made to Love Her”.
G.I.S.M. – DETESTation [Reissue/1984] CD/LP+CD (Relapse)
Originally released in 1984, Detestation has since remained one of the most innovative, bewildering, extreme, and wildly influential albums in the punk and metal canon. To say Destestation was ahead of its time would be a huge understatement – it incorporated elements from so many genres: hardcore, punk, heavy metal, glam, thrash, industrial, and experimental.
Grandson – Death Of A Optimist CD (Fueled By Ramen)
Grandson’s debut EP trilogy of Modern Tragedy 1, 2, and 3, which turned Canadian-American singer, songwriter, and musician Jordan Edward Benjamin into a vocal spokesperson on some of today’s most pressing political and social issues, Death Of An Optimist continues grandson’s dynamic search for meaningful change with some of his most clear-eyed and assertive songwriting yet.
Grateful Dead – American Beauty [Reissue/1970] (Grateful Dead)
Digitally remastered edition. The crown jewel of the Dead’s studio output! Featuring the 50th Anniversary remastered audio.
Gun Club – Miami [Reissue/1982] 2xCD/2xLP (Extra Term Audio)
Digitally remastered and expanded edition of the L.A. rock bands sophomore record, expanded with a bonus disc of demo tracks.
Gustaf – Mine b/w Design 7” (The Royal Potato Family)
Formed in 2018, Brooklyn’s Gustaf have built the kind of buzz that feels like it comes from a different era. The excitement about their danceable, ESG-inspired post-punk found early champions in all quarters, catching the attention of luminaries like Beck (who had the band open for him at a secret loft party) and New York no wave legend James Chance.
Lucas Joyner – ADHD CD/LP (Twenty Nine Music)
As if his prodigious musical output weren’t enough, Worcester, MA rapper Joyner Lucas is also a dedicated philanthropist, innovator, and entrepreneur. ADHD – as well as all previously released ADHD tracks – was created entirely on the groundbreaking artist’s platform, Tully. Founded in 2015 by Lucas and manager/technology entrepreneur Dhruv Joshi, the Tully App puts the power of production, promotion, and distribution into the hands of the creators themselves, enabling the artist and their teams to better utilize digital tools while streamlining invention and the collaborative process.
King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard – K.G. CD (KGLW)
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard return with new album K.G., their sixteenth since forming in 2010. In the wake of a global pandemic, it’s a collection of songs composed and recorded remotely after the six members of the band retreated to their own homes scattered around Melbourne. K.G. is a pure distillation of the King Gizzard sound, one that cherry picks the best aspects of previous albums and contorts them into new shapes via defiantly non-western rock scales. K.G. is the second volume in the band’s “microtonal” series that began with 2017’s Flying Microtonal Banana. “FMB was one of the purest and most enjoyable recording experiences we’ve had, and the ideas just kept coming,” explains de facto bandleader/multi-instrumentalist Stu Mackenzie. “It’s almost like an album that normal people make.” [Vinyl edition due December 11.]
King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard – Live In San Francisco ’16 CD/2xLP (ATO)
Recently released on vinyl – now available on CD. Just under a month after delivering their award-winning 2016 album Nonagon Infinity, King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard took the stage at San Francisco’s The Independent for a set both wildly frenetic and meticulously executed. In one of their final club gigs before bursting onto the international scene – soon selling out amphitheaters and headlining festivals – the Melbourne septet laid down a breakneck performance that, in the words of SF Weekly, “made every organ ache just right.” Multi-tracked and impeccably mixed, Live in San Francisco ’16 simultaneously channels the massive energy of King Gizzard’s set while echoing the sweaty intimacy of the 500-capacity venue. The set captures an extraordinary moment in the band’s increasingly storied history, a 13-song spectacular likely to leave every listener awestruck and adrenalized. [A deluxe colored vinyl pressing housed in a mirror board jacket is also available.]
Little Richard – Southern Child CD/LP (Omnovire)
Released last week on limited edition vinyl for RSD Black Friday – CD edition now available. Southern Child was originally recorded and intended for release in 1972. Following 1971’s King Of Rock And Roll, Little Richard did something no one would have expected-he allowed his up-til-then, unrecognized country-rock leaning to emerge. Further, unlike its predecessor, all 14 songs on Southern Child were written or co-written by Richard. While there is the funk, rock and soul one would expect from Richard during this period, Southern Child is a predominantly country-rock affair.
Magic Dance – Remnants CD (Frontiers)
Recently, the Long Island NY band’s sound has evolved into a heavier and more guitar-oriented style, leaning more towards classic AOR, with strong hints of the sounds of the mid- ‘80s.
The Mahones – 30 Years Is All We Got To Show For It CD/LP (True North)
For 30 years, The Mahones have been performing their distinctly Canadian form of Irish Punk in bars, pubs and music halls around the globe. Throughout 1990 to 2020, the band members have come and gone, but the sound has remained constant over 11 studio albums, two live recordings, a collection of acoustic versions and an earlier compilation marking their 25-year milestone.
Bob Marley & The Wailers – The Complete Island Recordings 11xCD (Island)
The Complete Island Recordings includes all nine Bob Marley & The Wailers studio albums recorded for Island Records, featuring their most celebrated releases, including Catch A Fire, their 1973 label debut, and Rastaman Vibration, their 1976 breakthrough album in the United States, along with two live albums, Live! and Babylon By Bus.
Shawn Mendes – Wonder CD/LP (Island)
Grammy nominated Shawn Mendes returns with his fourth studio album, Wonder, the follow up to his 2018 platinum Shawn Mendes. Featuring current single, also entitled “Wonder” plus 13 other tracks recorded this year. [Limited deluxe edition includes 160 page Wonder zine with CD + collectible card pack.]
Moe. – This Is Not, We Are CD 2xCD (ATO)
Hailed by American Songwriter for their “mind-bending musicality,” Moe. is treasured for their mesmerizing musical synergy, unfettered showmanship, and smart, resonant songcraft. For three decades, the band has corralled myriad musical forms on a truly original journey rich with crafty, clever songwriting and astonishing resourcefulness. This Is Not, We Are – which marks the twelfth studio album from Moe. and first since 2014’s acclaimed No Guts, No Glory – includes eight new songs written by members Chuck Garvey, Alan Schnier, Rob Derhak, Jim Loughlin, and Vinnie Amico, most of which have been fine-tuned over the past two years while the band has spent time on the road. “We kind of went back to our roots a bit,” Derhak says. “We just wanted to do something that made us feel inspired like we had felt when the band first started. But it also has everything that we’ve picked up along the way, all the good baggage – and maybe some of the bad – that we’ve dragged along for the past 30 years.” [Limited blue colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Neal Morse – Jesus Christ The Exorcist (Live at Morsefest 2018) CD+DVD (Frontiers)
In 2018, acclaimed prog rocker Neal Morse returns with a new live set where Neal and band performed his then new album, Jesus Christ The Exorcist in its entirety. [Stand-alone Blu-ray edition also available.]
Palace – Rock And Roll Radio CD (Frontiers)
Palace, the brainchild of Swedish vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Michael Palace, returns with an excellent new ‘80s-influenced AOR album.
Steve Perry – Traces – Alternate Versions And Sketches CD/LP (Fantasy)
Traces – Alternate Versions & Sketches is an acoustic version of the 2018 album Traces by the former Journey frontman.
Persuader – Necromancy CD (Frontiers)
Originally formed in 1997 in the north of Sweden, Persuader is a melodic, in your face power metal band.
Chris Potter – There Is A Tide CD (Edition)
It’s a year no one will forget, a year in which the global lockdown was shared by all, and yet experienced in a million different ways. For Chris Potter, a musician who has been on the road continuously since the 1990s, whose raison d’etre is playing live, lockdown presented both a challenge and an opportunity. It’s a tribute to his creativity, personal integrity and huge musical talent that Chris was able to take on this challenge and make something unbelievably fresh from the opportunity. [Vinyl edition due January 8.]
Margo Price – Perfectly Imperfect At The Ryman CD/2xLP (Loma Vista)
In 2018, Margo Price claimed her rock star status at the Mother Church of Country Music. She was headlining the Ryman Auditorium for the first time ever, in a sold-out run of three nights that she had admittedly spent more time planning than her wedding. Now, Margo revisits the career-changing residency with the release of the live album, Perfectly Imperfect at The Ryman. With special guest appearances from Jack White, Emmylou Harris and Sturgill Simpson.
Red City Radio – Paradise CD/LP (Pure Noise)
Punk-rockers Red City Radio return with Paradise; 12 songs that can, if you want them to, act as a kind of mirror of the soul – one that you can look into to analyze who and where you are and, more, importantly, what you can do, even if things seem overwhelmingly bad, to push through. This isn’t some kind of cheesy self-help record, though. It’s full of the same trials and tribulations that have always plagued Red City Radio.
The Ries Brothers – Paint Your Emotion CD (Controlled Substance)
The Ries Brothers (Charlie and Kevin Jordan Ries), two South Florida brothers in their early ‘20s share ‘Paint Your Emotion,’ their debut LP produced by John Agnello (Kurt Vile, Sonic Youth, Social Distortion) – a lyrically and sonically adventurous record that introduces a new kind of classic Americana.
Lee Ritenour – Dream Catcher CD (Players Club)
Lee Ritenour (Fourplay) celebrates 60 years of playing guitar with a first ever solo guitar album. [Vinyl edition due January 15.]
The Rolling Stones – Sticky Fingers (Spanish Version) [Reissue/1971] CD (Interscope)
The Rolling Stones – Made In The Shade [Reissue/1975] CD (Interscope)
The Rolling Stones – Time Waits For No One (Anthology 1971-1977) [Reissue/1979] CD (Interscope)
The Rolling Stones – Sucking In The Seventies [Reissue/1981] CD (Interscope)
The Rolling Stones – Rewind 1971-1984] [Reissue/1984] CD (Interscope)
Limited Edition Super High Material CDs. Each includes a Japanese OBI-strip and a lyric booklet featuring lyrics and Japanese translations.
Sonny Rollins – Rollins In Holland: The 1967 Studio & Live Recordings 2xCD (Resonance)
Rollins In Holland: The 1967 Studio & Live Recordings is Resonance Records’ first archival release from the Saxophone Colossus, Sonny Rollins. This deluxe set officially sanctioned by Rollins includes three different previously unissued 1967 performances with bassist Ruud Jacobs (bass) and Han Bennink (drums). With extensive booklet of unseen photos and essays by Aidan Levy and Frank Jochemsen, plus interviews with Sonny Rollins and Han Bennink, a remembrance of Ruud Jacobs, and more.
Emma Ruth Rundle & Thou – May Our Chambers Be Full CD/LP (Sacred Bones)
Stemming out of an offer from Roadburn Festival organizer Walter Hoeijmakers, mutual acquaintances, and a shared love of each other’s output, May Our Chambers Be Full is the first recorded document of collaboration between Emma Ruth Rundle and Thou. While their solo material seems on its face to be quite disparate, both groups have spent their respective careers lurking at the outer boundaries of the heavy metal scene, the artists having more in common with DIY punk and it’s spiritual successor, grunge. [Limited dark purple colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Dino Saluzzi – Albores CD (ECM)
An album of soliloquies. After highly acclaimed music from the family band and orchestra, here is the great Argentinean bandoneon player Dino Saluzzi in his first purely solo project in decades. Recorded in Buenes Aires, it’s a powerful reminder of his gifts as an intimate musical storyteller of great subtlety. Reaches back to early memories with Don Caye, a touching dedication to Dino’s father. Reflects upon the fleeting passage of time, instrument and performer breathing as one.
Sculptor – Untold Secrets CD (Frontiers)
While hailing from South America, Sculptor’s sound is more akin to a different part of the globe, specifically the early years of the revered Göthenburg style emanating from Sweden and popularized by bands like Dark Tranquility, Soilwork, In Flames, and the like.
Secret Machines – Awake In The Brain Chamber CD/LP (TSM)
In a world turned upside down, The Secret Machines are back, and looking for light in the chaos. Awake In the Brain Chamber, the band’s fourth LP and first recorded output in more than ten years, is the sound of things falling apart, with the hope of dawn touching the horizon. If there is a crack in everything, Curtis and Garza are more interested in the light coming in. Curtis’ darkly prophetic lyrics speak of isolation and fear, while Garza’s frenetic, pounding drum beats sound of the four horsemen. But just when things look their worst, the Machines’ beautifully ethereal space-rock takes us away to a different, safe destination: A place with angels, where dreaming is alright, and life blooms from a new disaster.
Cat Stevens – Mona Bone Jakon [Reissue/1970] 2xCD/LP/2xLP+4xCD+Blu-ray (A&M)
Deluxe two CD 50th anniversary edition including bonus disc. Digitally remastered with 2020 mix. With the original release of Mona Bone Jakon came a new sound that forged Cat Stevens’ signature style. Produced by Paul Samwell-Smith, the album features Lady D’Arbanville as well as fan favorites “I Wish, I Wish” and “Maybe You’re Right”. “Katmandu” features Peter Gabriel on flute. [Super Deluxe double-LP + four-CD + Blu-ray box set features the new 2020 remix and remaster, previously unreleased demos and 1970-1971 live performances plus the 2020 mix in hi-def Blu-ray audio.]
Swans – Children Of God [Reissue/1987] 2xCD/LP (Young God)
By 1986/7 Swans had run its course with the physical assault of sound they had employed previously for the most part. Michael Gira states “I wanted to move on to other things and didn’t want to get stuck in some style, which in our case had the potential of becoming cartoonish if we’d continued in that direction. So, I pushed the music into unfamiliar territory.” [Both editions include the 1987 live album Feel Good Now – as a bonus CD and as an accompanying download with the vinyl pressing.]
Told Slant – Point The Flashlight And Walk CD/LP+MP3 (Double Double Whammy)
Told Slant is the solo recording project of Brooklyn songwriter Felix Walworth (they/them). Known for their bare, down-tempo, guitar-driven arrangements and understated lyricism, Walworth releases their first album in four years, Point The Flashlight And Walk. [Limited blue colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Twice – Eyes Wide Open (Retro Version) CD (JYP/Republic)
Twice – Eyes Wide Open (Story Version) CD (JYP/Republic)
Twice – Eyes Wide Open (Style Version) CD (JYP/Republic)
New album from the K-pop girl band. “While the album absolutely retains Twice’s absurd knack for earworm verses and hooks, its sound is without a doubt the most mature the group has yet attempted. It draws from the 1980s in particular, slamming through glistening synth-pop (emphasis on pop, naturally) and nostalgic club ballads in equal measure.” – Beats Per Minute
Unruly Child – Our Glass House CD (Frontiers)
Melodic rockers, Unruly Child, return with their new album, Our Glass House.
Vanden Plas – The Ghost Xperiment – Illumination CD/2xLP (Frontiers)
In 2019, German progressive metal band Vanden Plas delivered part one of their two part concept album, The Ghost Xperiment. Entitled The Ghost Xperiment – Awakening, the album ended on a cliffhanger, where during a séance, Gideon Grace, the main character, at last encounters the ghosts who have haunted him since his childhood. Now comes the dramatic conclusion of the story with their new album, The Ghost Xperiment – Illumination.
Various Artists [Khruangbin] – LateNightTales CD/LP (LateNightTales)
Hot on the heels of Mordechai, the critically acclaimed third album from US psych-rockers Khruangbin, the Texas trio are set to become the latest act to present their own LateNightTales in the popular, long-running musician-curated album series. A mind-blowing selection of tracks that cross borders and cultures and reflect Khruangbin’s deep love of global grooves – from Asian pop to Nigerian reggae – Japanese mellow groove to Latina flavas .
Various Artists – Pop Ambient 2021 CD/LP (Kompakt)
Wolfgang Voigt’s Pop Ambient series of compilations turns 21 with another selection of wistful/drift tunes from Joachim Spieth & Pepo Galán, Max Würden, Leandro Fresco & Thore Pfeiffer, Yui Onodera and more.
Various Artists – Promising Young Woman [Original Soundtrack] CD (Capitol)
Everyone said Cassie (Carey Mulligan) was a promising young woman until a mysterious event abruptly derailed her future. Now, wickedly smart and tantalizing cunning, she’s leading a secret double life when a chance encounter gives her a chance to right the wrongs of the past. The official soundtrack, from Capitol, will include 15 songs by female artists & Anthony Willis’ reimagining of Britney Spears hit “Toxic.” Features DeathbyRomy, FLETCHER, Cyn, Maya B, Donna Missal, Sky Ferreira and more.
The White Stripes – The White Stripes Greatest Hits CD/2xLP (Third Man)
The first-ever official anthology of recordings from the iconic rock duo, Jack and Meg White, is an essential career-spanning collection highlighting 26 previously released songs – from late ‘90s flashes of brilliance through early 2000s underground anthems, masterful MTV Moon Man moments, Grammy-grabbing greatness, and worldwide stadium chants…the songs here are as wide-ranging as you can imagine. In an era of streaming where the idea of a “Greatest Hits” album may seem irrelevant – that an act’s most streamed songs are considered their de facto “hits” – we wholeheartedly believe that great bands deserve “Greatest Hits” and that a large part of Third Man Records’ and The White Stripes’ successes have been built on zigging when the rest of the music business is zagging. Thus, for a great band with great fans, a greatest hits compilation for The White Stripes is not only appropriate, but absolutely necessary.
Barney Wilen Quartet feat. Tete Montoliu – Barney And Tete – Grenoble ’88 2xCD (Anagram Music)
The only recorded testimony of the reunion of two jazz giants: French tenor and soprano saxophonist Barney Wilen and Spanish pianist Tete Montoliu. All tracks from this concert, which took place in Grenoble, France on February 12, 1988, are previously unreleased. The group is completed by the bassist Riccardo del Fra (Chet Baker) and drummer Aaron Scott (McCoy Tyner.) This release includes specially prepared liner notes as well as never before published photos from the actual performance.
Amy Winehouse – The Collection 5xCD (Republic)
A five-CD collection featuring the albums Frank (2003), Back To Black (2006) and Lioness: Hidden Treasures (2007). In addition to these three albums, the set contains Live In London, a concert recorded at the Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London in 2007 and a collection of remixes from Frank and Back To Black, such as a Hot Chip remix of “Rehab”, and a Kardinal Beats remix of “Love Is A Losing Game”. These two discs appear on CD for the first time as part of this set. [The 7” vinyl singles box set 12 x 7: The Singles Collection is also available this week.]
Yungblud – Weird! CD/CD+Book (Geffen)
The title track single “Weird!” – an instantly resonant anthem for this strange moment in time. With its candid confessions of fear and anxiety, it showcases the singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist’s uncompromising honesty and larger-than-life energy. Despite its incredibly relevant chorus, “Weird!” was written prior to the shelter-in-place orders. Built on frenetic beats, shimmering guitar work, and particularly soulful vocals from Yungblud, the track captures a mood of uncertainty that the 22-year-old artist felt his listeners might find relatable. [Limited box set includes a CD and Yungblud’s Twisted Tales Of The Ritalin Club: Vol. 2 graphic novel. Vinyl edition due January 15.]
Yusuf – Tea For The Tillerman [Reissue/1970] CD/2xCD/LP/5xCD+2xLP+Blu-ray (A&M)
Digitally remastered editions. Deluxe edition adds a CD of demos and live tracks. Super Deluxe adds Yusuf’s new interpretations, Tea For The Tillermaný, a CD of demos/outtakes/alternate versions including two previously unreleased tracks, a CD of 25 live performances including previously unreleased tracks recorded at the Troubadour, hi-def Blu-ray audio including previously unreleased live TV performances, including tracks performed live at KCNET.
DVDs + Blu-ray:
Blue Öyster Cult – Live At Rock Of Ages Festival – July 30th 2016 Blu-ray (Frontiers)
BOC’s live set on the second day of the Rock of Ages Festival in on July 30th, 2016 in Seebronn, Germany.
Neal Morse – Jesus Christ The Exorcist (Live at Morsefest 2018) CD+DVD (Frontiers)
In 2018, acclaimed prog rocker Neal Morse returns with a new live set where Neal and band performed his then new album, Jesus Christ The Exorcist in its entirety. [Stand-alone Blu-ray edition also available.]
This Week’s Vinyl Exclusives:
Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso UFO – The Ripper At The Heaven’s Gates Of Dark [Reissue/2011] 2xLP (Riot Season)
Double vinyl reissue of the 2011 album from the renowned Japanese Cosmic freak-out heavyweights. The collective recorded the album in the aftermath of the Japan disaster at their mountaintop retreat where the collective still reside.
Aghast – Hexerei Im Zwielicht Der Finsternis [Reissue/1995] LP (Infinite Fog)
Hexerei I’m Zwielicht Der Finsternis is the real dark and gloomy ambiance played in a classical dark wave vein. Minimalism in musical content, compensated by spooky and ice-cold vocals that will haunt you.
The Allman Brothers Band – Fillmore West 1-31-71 LP (Allman Brothers Band)
Available for the first time on vinyl, this double-LP set is culled from the critically acclaimed Fillmore West ’71 four-CD box set. Prepared from reel-to-reel soundboard masters, Fillmore West 1-31-71 presents The Allman Brothers Band in high gear.
Tori Amos – Live At Montreux 1991 & 1992 [Reissue/2007] 2xLP (earMUSIC)
Live At Montreux 1991 & 1992 captures two live performances by the provocative pianist and singer Tori Amos at the famous Montreux Jazz Festival. The first performance was recorded before and the second after the release of her first solo album.
Atmosphere – To All My Friends, Blood Makes The Blade Holy: The Atmosphere EP’s [Reissue/2010] 2xLP (Rhymesayers)
Similar to their now-legendary Lucy Ford release, Atmosphere had originally conceived To All My Friends, Blood Makes The Blade Holy as two separate EP’s (To All My Friends and, of course, Blood Makes The Blade Holy). Much like Lucy Ford, the desire to simplify the concept for the sake of tour merchandising and retail distribution led them to join the two EP’s together, packaged onto one CD. However, unlike Lucy Ford, neither of these individual EP’s were ever made available for purchase on vinyl.
Bad Company – Live At Wembley LP+MP3/LP+CD (earMUSIC)
Live At Wembley captures British rockers Bad Company full of energy and enthusiasm in their home country in 2010 following their highly anticipated reunion. Paul Rodgers, Mick Ralph and Simon Kirke (bassist Boz Burrell died in 2006), accompanied by guitarist Howard Leese and bassist Lynn Sorensen, deliver a live show full of classics.
Badge Époque Ensemble – Self Help LP (Telephone Explosion)
Self Help is an exploratory record that dances across time and genre, guided by fidgety miniatures and jazz-inflected collage. While constructed from the inspiration of soul, funk and film music, BÉE mediates those influences having first digested them through the productions of
Madlib & the RZA. Throughout, the band pool together their instrumental chops, moving from fluid and serpentine R&B to meditative, minimalistic piano, evoking a contrast of virtuosity and self-surrender.
The Bangles – Sweetheart Of The Sun [Reissue/2011] LP (Real Gone Music)
Limited purple with pink swirl colored vinyl pressing of the 2011 record released by The Bangles – then a trio of Susanna Hoffs and Debbi and Vicki Peterson.
Beyoncé – Homecoming: The Live Album 4xLP (Columbia)
Homecoming: The Live Album features Beyoncé’s historic headlining Coachella performance on two weekends in April 2018. Includes 52-page booklet.
Black Creatures – Wild Echoes LP (Center Cut)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Representing the strange land of Kansas City, Missouri, The Black Creatures blur the lines of genre, blending their cohesive stylings of contemporary music-pop, hip-hop, dance, R&B, EDM, and soul sounds-with cinematic and storytelling sci-fi fantasy elements and themes.
Blondie – Live LP/LP+CD (earMUSIC)
Limited pink and purple colored vinyl pressing. Blondie’s first concert in 17 years took place on February 10, 1999, at the New York’s town hall, was an emotional one. This live album features the founding members Debbie Harry, Chris Stein, Jimmy Destri and Clem Burke and includes highlights of their earlier career as well as songs of their hit album No Exit.
Bonobo – Black Sands [Reissue/2010] 2xLP (Ninja Tune)
Limited double red colored vinyl pressing in gatefold jacket. Influenced by the divergent, bass-driven strands of the UK electronic music scene at that time, multi-instrumentalist Simon Green artfully fitted those evolving sounds into his own wider vision on Black Sands. Ten years on, the record stands as the launch pad for Green’s stealthy but unstoppable rise to being one of the biggest electronic artists of our times.
Toni Braxton – Spell My Name LP (Island)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. New album from the multi-platinum, Grammy-winning megastar.
- Carey – All We Grow [Reissue/2010] LP+MP3 (Saddle Creek)
All We Grow was and is a convergence of S. Carey’s young lifetime spent immersed in music: his Waltz For Debby-era Bill Evans inflected jazz tendencies; his performance degree in classical percussion from the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire; his central role in the gale force power of the Bon Iver live show; his hints of Mark Hollis’ Talk Talk.
Celebrity BBQ Sauce Band – Celebrity BBQ Sauce LP (Mohagani Music)
Celebrity BBQ Sauce Band is a group that expresses jazz-fusion, and funk into stunning electronic music.
The Chain Gang Of 1974 – Honey Moon Drips Red LP+MP3 (Diggers Factory)
So the story goes, Chain Gang of 1974 mastermind Kamtin Mohager wasn’t moved to create music until he heard Tears For Fears’ classic ’80s weeper “Everybody Wants To Rule The World” playing as part of the Real Genius soundtrack.
Charlie – No Second Chance [Reissue/1978] LP (Renaissance)
Charlie – Lines [Reissue/1978] LP (Renaissance)
Slick jazz rock in the style of Toto, later period Doobie Brothers, Les Dudek, Boz Scaggs, etc.
Chubby & The Gang – Speed Kills LP (Partisan)
Featuring members of Gutter Knife and frontman Chubby Charles from Boss and Crown Court, you’re hard pressed to find a rock ‘n’ roll band that plows through you like this in 2020. Speed Kills is the youthful aggression and speed found in the fastest and pissiest hardcore teamed with the musical sensibilities of early Rock and Roll, proven by the opening lick on Mockba as well as the heartfelt sensitivity of Trouble’s 1960’s girl-group vibe. Harmonica and organ, sing-a-longs and dog-piles.
Coil – Sara Dale’s Sensual Massage 2xLP (Infinite Fog)
A long-awaited complete version of Sara Dale’s Sensual Massage soundtrack with eight exclusive and unheard tracks. Sara Dale’s Sensual Massage was a delightful erotic video with a mystic soundtrack by Coil. Quite unusual for the band dreamy ambient, almost spa-relaxed soft harmonies, bland tribal rhythms, chimes, and birdsong but still with dark mysterious and inimitable Coil musick’s charm. However, the second part of the album explores more rhythmic structures that reminiscent of the The Gay Man’s Guide To Safe Sex soundtrack.
Communic – Hiding From The World 2xLP (AFM)
Released last week on CD – limited translucent orange colored vinyl pressing now available. This Norwegian trio delivers a skillfully-crafted combination of progressive, power, thrash and doom metal.
Com Truise – In Decay, Too 2xLP+MP3 (Ghostly Int’l)
In Decay is a compilation album by American electronic musician Seth Haley’s project Com Truise, originally released in 2012. The record is a collection of tracks that, before its release, were only available as demos found on Haley’s internet mixtape series Komputer Kasts and his SoundCloud account. These early tracks, some of which were produced before the release of Cyanide Sisters (2010), showcase Haley exploring an electropop funk music sound that would later come to define the Com Truise project.
The Constant Sound – The Constant Sound 12” (Lion)
Vinyl reissue of one of the Holy Grails of 1960’s sunshine pop and lyte psych.
Inferi – Of Sunless Realms 12” (The Artisan Era)
Inferi is an American technical death metal band forged in the depths of Nashville, TN. Multiple colored vinyl variants were pressed.
Deep Purple – Total Abandon – Australia ’99 [Reissue/1999] 2xLP/2xLP+2xCD (earMUSIC)
Total Abandon was recorded in April 1999 in Melbourne while the mighty Deep Purple was touring Australia. With the Mk VII power line-up consisting of Ian Gillan (vocals), Roger Glover (bass), Ian Paice (drums), Jon Lord (keyboard) and Steve Morse (guitar) the band hit the stage in top form. [Limited yellow and green colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Dio – Live In London Hammersmith Apollo 1993 [Reissue/2014] 2xLP+2xCD (earMUSIC)
Ten years after their formation in 1983, Ronnie James Dio and his band, consisting of Vinny Appice, Jeff Pilson and Tracy G, rocked the famous Hammersmith Apollo in London. The versatile singer, who also used to be the front man of Black Sabbath and Rainbow, took this performance as a chance to deliver a classic rock feast at its best as well as to capture another important part of his legacy.
Dream Sitch – Dream Sitch LP (PIAPTK/Org Music)
While there haven’t been many silver linings from the hellish year that has been 2020, we can definitively point to one: Dream Sitch, a collaboration between frequent co-conspirators Michael Nau (Cotton Jones, Page France) and Seth Kauffman (Floating Action). The pair wrote, recorded, and mixed the self-titled debut for their new project remotely during quarantine; ten songs in just ten days. The release showcases the strength of both songwriters and multi-instrumentalists in a unique way, using their tools and talents to craft a beautiful album, so cohesive that it’s hard to imagine them working from afar.
Duvchi – This Kind Of Ocean LP+MP3 (Bella Union)
New release from the award-winning Swedish songwriter and producer.
Brian Eno with Jon Hopkins & Leo Abrahams – Small Craft On A Milk Sea [Reissue/2010] 2xLP+MP3 (Warp)
Small Craft On A Milk Sea is a 2010 album by British musician and record producer Brian Eno. The album was recorded with collaborators Jon Hopkins and Leo Abrahams in 2009 and 2010.
Esquire – Esquire [Reissue/1987] LP (Renaissance)
Vinyl reissue of the debut album by this band fronted by Nikki Squire, then the wife of Yes bassist Chris Squire. The album features musical assistance from Chris Squire, Yes drummer Alan White, Yes producer (and former singer 1979-80) Trevor Horn and Chris and Nikki’s eldest daughter, Carmen Squire.
Finneas – What They’ll Say About Us 7” (Oyoy)
Finneas is the brother of pop star Billy Eilish and her producer and co-writer.
Freak Heat Waves – Zap The Planet LP (Telephone Explosion)
The follow up to 2017’s Beyond XXXL finds the Freaks taking a fearless, inventive leap to create the greatest departure from their previous work. There are no fads here, no accidents either.
Freak Heat Waves give us a record full of lo-fi digital grit and early MIDI instrumentation. Dirty samples crackle as they skate over immense analog synths.
Marvin Gaye – Live In Montreux 1980 [Reissue/2003] 2xLP/2xLP+CD (earMUSIC)
Recorded live at the Montreux Casino on July 7, 1980 during the Montreux Jazz Festival, this album includes moving renditions of such classics as “Let’s Get It On”, “Ain’t That Peculiar”, “Inner City Blues”, “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”, “What’s Going On” and of course “I Heard It Through The Grapevine”.
Michael Giacchino – Travelogue Volume 1 LP (Death Waltz)
Academy Award-winning composer Michael Giacchino’s debut non-soundtrack album. Travelogue Volume 1 is indebted to the easy listening wonders of such legendary musicians as Martin Denny and Lex Baxter (both of whom pioneered the lounge music of the ’50s & ’60s). [CD version due December 18.]
Laura Groves – Private Road 12”+MP3 (Bella Union)
“This record, made mostly on my own, became both a channel for the expression of an inner world and an imagined soundtrack to my physical journeys through the city. It is rooted in the stories, atmospheres, mistakes and wrong turns, desires and layers of meaning that run through and play out in the landscapes we inhabit. The songs are snapshots of late night journeys across the river, the sparks of love that transform us and keep us going, the dead ends that the mind can lead us down, the erotic; the visible and invisible places we pass through as they merge and are erased and overwritten. The ability and opportunity to create and connect through music is a gift and I’m so happy to be able to share these new explorations with you.” – Laura Groves
Gruppo D’Improvvisazione – Nuova Consonanza [Reissue/1975] LP (AMS/Cinevox)
Gruppo di Improvvisazione ‘Nuova Consonanza’ was a composers’ collective who had been active between 1964 and 1980, dedicated to group experimentation and musical improvisation, a field which they are today considered pioneers of: it’s almost certain that no one before them had ever used music instruments, conventional and not, in such unusual way. And there’s no doubt that nobody had approached improvisation in music with such a methodical and ‘studied’ way as they did. The main members of the group were Egisto Macchi, Franco Evangelisti and Ennio Morricone, joined for this release by Mario Bertoncini, Gualtiero Branchi, Giovanni Piazza and Jesus Villa Rojo; the same Evangelisti defined the collective ‘the first and only group formed by composers-performers’. This LP was the only one published on the Cinevox Record label in 1975, and consists of 50 minutes of abstract music, indecipherable and devoid of any ordinary compositional structure.
Heaven Sent & Ecstasy – The Greatest Love Story [Reissue/1980] LP (P-Vine)
Originally issued in 1980, this is the only studio album from US soul/rare groove unit, Heaven Sent & Ecstasy.
Inferi – Of Sunless Realms LP (The Artisan Era)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Inferi is an American technical death metal band forged in the depths of Nashville, TN. The band formed in 2006 and set themselves outside of the generic pack by mixing melodious, yet technical musicianship rarely seen in today’s extreme metal acts.
Etta James – Live At Montreux 1975 – 1993 2xLP/2xLP+CD (earMUSIC)
Etta James made many appearances at the Montreux Jazz Festival across her long and distinguished career, from her first concert in 1975 through to her last one in 2008. This album assembles the best performances from the first 20 years of her alliance with the festival, when she was at her absolute peak. [Limited edition red colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Jesu – Terminus LP (Avalanche Recordings)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Justin K Broadrick is best known as a founding member of Godflesh, one of the first bands to combine elements of extreme metal and industrial music, but has also maintained a parallel career as a producer, producing records and remixes for groups such as Pantera, Isis, Mogwai and Pelican. Since 2005 he has also been creating slow, hazy, and deafening music under the moniker Jesu, and here he returns with Terminus, the first full length standalone album from Jesu since 2013’s Every Day I Get Closer To The Light From Which I Came. Terminus thematically was inspired by the concepts of rejection, dependency, nostalgia, and ultimate loneliness. Musically exploring the entire gamut of the Jesu oeuvre since its initial inception; dream pop, shoegaze, electronica and nonaligned/non genre specific heaviness. [Limited gold and white splatter colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Katla – Allt Thetta Helvitis Myrkur 2xLP+12”+2xCD (Prophecy)
Complete book/box set featuring the album on white colored vinyl, a bonus 12” and four art prints. The soul-crushing heaviness fueling Allt Thetta Helvitis Myrkur record makes Icelandic duo Katla’s melancholic 2017 debut album Móðurástin appear nearly light-hearted by comparison.
Makoto Kawabata/Richard Pinhas/Manongo Mujica – Alturas LP (Buh)
When Acid Mothers Temple and Richard Pinhas visited Lima for the first time, in November 2017, to participate in the experimental music festival Integraciones, Luis Alvarado, the director of Buh Records and curator of the festival, summoned the Japanese and the French musicians to Manongo Mujica’s studio and invited Juan Luis Pereira (El Polen) to join them for a recording session. Alturas is the result.
Late Night Final – Wonderful Hope LP (Bella Union)
With nods to the likes of Vangelis, Tangerine Dream, KLF’s seminal Chill Out album and contemporary artists such as Amulets and Kelly Lee Owens, Late Night Final retains Public Service Broadcasting’s playful ear for a tune which weaves understatedly through the record’s beautifully immersive cerebral soundscape. [CD edition due December 12.]
Lee Morgan – The Sidewinder [Reissue/1964] LP (Blue Note)
Limited 180gm pressing. Lee Morgan’s magnum opus comeback, The Sidewinder, was a coronation. The prodigious trumpeter debuted on Blue Note in 1956 at the age of 18, but personal problems in the early-60s forced him off the scene temporarily. His rebound recording was an assured, energetic set of 5 indelible originals with Joe Henderson (tenor sax), Barry Harris (piano), Bob Cranshaw (bass), and Billy Higgins (drums).
Lil Mosey – Certified Hitmaker (AVA Leak) 2xLP (Interscope)
Lil Mosey’s new album now available on vinyl. The artist added three tracks to Certified Hitmaker (AVA Leak). Previously released singles, “Back At It” featuring Lil Baby, “Top Gone”, and Lil Mosey’s undeniable hit “Blueberry Faygo” appear on the release along with tracks “Bands Out The Roof,” “My Dues”, and “Focus On Me”.
Logic – No Pressure 2xLP (Def Jam)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Logic returns with No Pressure, reuniting with legendary super-producer No I.D. Logic, 6ix and No I.D. come full circle for a sequel to his debut album, Under Pressure, with the first new music since Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind.
Loudblast – Manifesto LP (Listenable)
Released last week on CD – now available on vinyl. Manifesto is an immediate death metal crusher, permeated with a ‘straight for killing’ feel while still delivering enough subtle thriving groove to strike deadlier and enhancing that original head banging death metal powerful trademark.
Seth MacFarlane – Great Songs From Stage And Screen 2xLP (Republic)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Grammy-nominated vocalist Seth MacFarlane releases his sixth studio album, Great Songs From Stage & Screen. This collection of tender ballads and up-tempo tunes is full of rich, iconic vocals that harken back to Hollywood’s Golden Age. The multi-hyphenate is well-known for his work in the television and film industries which has earned him numerous nominations and Emmy Awards.
MisterWives – Superbloom 2xLP (Fueled By Ramen)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. An intensely personal reflection on growth in unexpected places, New York City-based group MisterWives’ Superbloom is a 19-track epic (including five tracks also featured on the group’s 2019 EP Mini Bloom), that marks a moment of major transformation for frontwoman Mandy Lee and her bandmates. “This album unfolds my journey of finding a superbloom within the barren desert and the needed juxtaposition of the two in order to grow,” says Lee. Inspired by a trip to California’s Antelope Valley, Lee comments on the title track single, “Standing amongst the vast and vibrant flowers that weren’t supposed to grow in the desert terrain, I was moved by its beauty and accurate representation of where I was at in life. Just like the flowers, I had grown in unexpected places. After experiencing a not-so-graceful and incredibly turbulent fall to rock bottom, I picked myself up and slowly grew through the pain. I felt an awful lot like these resilient little poppies that came out the other side against all odds – and I think that deserves congratulations.” [Limited yellow colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Alanis Morissette – Live At Montreux 2012 [Reissue/2013] 2xLP/2xLP+CD (earMUSIC0
On July 2, 2012 Morissette returned to Montreux as part of her Guardian Angel Tour to support her album Havoc And Bright Lights. It was her third appearance at the festival. [Limited orange colored vinyl pressing also available. Stand-alone Blu-ray edition due December 11.]
The Mr. T Experience – Alternative Is Here To Stay! b/w New Girlfriend [Reissue/1995] 7” (Sounds Rad)
The second in a series of reissues of the MTX Lookout! catalog of releases by Sounds Rad. Originally released in 1995 as standalone 7” single (Lookout!/Mint Records) the record is easily one of the band’s most memorable releases-a gateway record for new fans riding the crest of the mid- ‘90s pop-punk explosion.
Róisín Murphy – Risn Machine LP (Skint)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. The alt-pop icon’s new album Róisín Machine is a career best – a collection of shimmering nu-disco gems she’s been perfecting with long-time collaborator Richard Barratt, aka DJ Parrot, for the last decade.
Nav – Good Intentions 2xLP (XO)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Toronto-native Nav releases his new album, Good Intentions, which includes features from rap heavy weights like Young Thug, Future, Lil Uzi Vert, Gunna, Lil Durk, Don Toliver and Pop Smoke.
Nelly – Country Grammar [Reissue/2000] 2xLP (Motown)
Double translucent blue vinyl pressing. The 20th-anniversary edition of Country Grammar includes bonus tracks “Icey”, “Come Over”, “Country Grammar” (Instrumental), and “Ride Wit Me” (Instrumental).
N*E*R*D – Nothing [Reissue/2010] 2xLP (Interscope)
Tenth anniversary vinyl reissue. Sonically, Nothing was inspired by the late ‘60s and early
‘70s and features production from Daft Punk, and The Neptunes.
Stevie Nicks – Live In Concert: The 24 Karat Gold Tour 2xLP (BMG)
Recorded during the sold out 24 Karat Gold Tour in 2017, this release features a set-list of fan favorite Nicks songs from her solo career and as a member of Fleetwood Mac including “Gypsy”, “Rhiannon”, “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around”, “Edge Of Seventeen”, “Stand Back”, “Landslide”, as well as the first ever live recording of “Crying In The Night”, and other live rarities. [2xCD+DVD and Blu-ray editions due January 15.]
Ocean Hills – Santa Monica LP (AFM)
Released last week on CD – now available on vinyl. The new band fronted by former Ignite singer Zoli Téglás delivers up-to-date stadium rock with an alternative touch. [Two colored vinyl pressings are available: Limited translucent orange and limited clear light blue.]
Pain Of Salvation – The Perfect Element: Part 1 [Reissue/2000] LP (Century Media)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Remixed and remastered anniversary edition of the Swedish progressive metal/rock innovators’ third studio album.
Katy J Pearson – Return LP (Heavenly)
Recently released on CD – now available on limited colored vinyl. Ten songs which slide effortlessly between lovelorn country, lo-fi folk and glistening, unforgettable pop.
Phew – Phew [Reissue/1981] LP (P-Vine)
Phew is a Japanese female vocalist, well known as a member of the legendary punk band Aunt Sally. Undoubtedly, this album is one of the important records of Japanese new wave and German krautrock history.
Refused – The Malignant Fire 12” (Spinefarm)
New from the Swedish hardcore legends.
Sanisidro – A Lo Pesau, A Lo Bajo Y A Lo Llano LP (Slovenly Recordings)
Cinematic elements evocative of Nino Rota, Angelo Badalamenti and Gustavo Santaolalla come to mind, as do the deeply progressive ‘New Flamenco’ manifestos of Lole y Manuel. This could be considered quite a stretch coming from an artist whose main influence is the traditional folk music of the Mediterranean, with its tales of the woes of shepherds and farmers, or concern with the psychological development of a child’s mind. [CD version due December 11.]
Sepultura & Les Tambours du Bronx – Metal Veins – Alive At Rock In Rio [Reissue/2014] 2xLP (earMUSIC)
In 2013, Sepultura played a spectacular show in their home country at the legendary Rock In Rio Festival, accompanied by the French percussion ensemble Les Trambours du Bronx.
Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band – Straight To You: Live 2xLP (Mascot Label Group)
Released last week as CD+DVD and CD+Blu-ray combo editions – now available on vinyl. It’s been a decade since the Grammy-nominated Live In Chicago, when the ferocity of Kenny Wayne Shepherd and his band was last captured live. Since then the multi-platinum selling Shepherd has gone from strength to strength, releasing four studio albums and touring the world over several times – from Brazil to Europe, India to Canada and the US to Australia and beyond. The band were only weeks into The Traveler World Tour when the Covid-19 pandemic broke, and the world came to a standstill. This show took place at the famous Leverkusen Jazzstage for the iconic German TV show, Rockpalast on November 25, 2019.
Shining – X – Varg Utan Flock [Reissue/2018] LP (Season Of Mist)
Limited edition gold colored vinyl pressing. As is their wont, Shining use black metal as a foundation upon which to build epic and radical songs that smash all genre convention.
Sinbreed – When Worlds Collide [Reissue/2010] LP (Ulterium)
Vinyl reissue of the debut album from by the German power metal band.
Slash featuring Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators – Live At The Roxy 25.9.14 [Reissue/2015] 2xLP/2xLP+CD (earMUSIC)
On September 25, 2014, shortly after the release of their World On Fire album, Slash together with Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators hit the stage at the legendary Roxy Theatre on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood. The atmospheric venue, steeped in rock history, gave fans a brilliant opportunity to see the band up close and personal as they delivered a set that covered recent solo tracks, including several from the new album, and classics from Slash’s career with Guns N’ Roses and Velvet Revolver. [Limited gold colored vinyl pressing also available.]\
Jonathan Something – Cannibal House Blues LP (Solitaire)
Though still at the very beginning of his career, Jonathan Something’s catalog already displays a skillful musical command, a puckish sense of humor, and a knack for absurdist but pointed send ups that at times make him feel like an indie rock Andy Kaufman. Partly inspired by his interests in anime, classic horror/sci fi cinema and video games, Cannibal House Rules is a synth-driven album of pop songs that draw on the cultural ephemera of the mid- ‘80s, blending the sounds of Italo disco and top 40 new wave with John Carpenter’s Big Trouble In Little China and Brad Fiedel’s The Terminator scores on a release that is structured to play like the soundtrack from a non-existent film.
Spacehog – The Chinese Album [Reissue/1997] LP (Real Gone Music)
Instead of merely playing at being a glam-rock band, Spacehog here crafts a fully-realized sound and aesthetic, with nods to such artists as Queen, Badfinger, The Kinks, and even R.E.M. (Michael Stipe makes an appearance on the mellow “Almond Kisses”). And the songwriting (e.g. “Lucy’s Shoe”) is consistently strong, making The Chinese Album one of the late ’90s’ great lost records.
Sun Ra Arkestra – Swirling 2xLP (Strut)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. The planets align once again as the mighty Sun Ra Arkestra, under the direction of the maestro Marshall Allen, release their first studio album in over 20 years. Recorded at Rittenhouse Soundworks in Philadelphia, the new recording represents the continuation of a heartfelt rebirth of the Arkestra under Allen’s guidance since Sun Ra left the planet in 1993.
Survivor – The Best Of Survivor LP (Friday Music)
Limited edition blue and black colored 180gm vinyl audiophile pressing.
Mikael Tariverdiev – Visions In Black & White LP (Earth)
Visions In Black & White is a collection of rare jazz and improvised themes by one of the greatest Russian film composers Mikael Tariverdiev (1931-1996). Transferred from the original tapes and beautifully remastered, these recordings manage to retain their original ambiance and capture a master at work. Originally composed for cinema and TV movies of the 1960s and 1970s, it centers on Mikael playing at the piano and keyboard. Many of the compositions can be described as jazz, a genre whose troubling story in the Soviet Union meant they probably would not have existed outside the context of a film score.
George Thorogood & The Destroyers – Ride ‘Til I Die [Reissue/2003] 2xLP+CD (earMUSIC)
On 2003’s Ride ‘Til I Die, George Thorogood & The Destroyers cover a selection of songs by the greatest blues and rock musicians of their time (including Chuck Berry, J.J. Cale, Eddie Cochran, and John Lee Hooker) creating new versions that are so convincingly interpreted by the band that they could pass for Thorogood originals.
Toto – 25th Anniversary – Live In Amsterdam 2xLP+CD (earMUSIC)
Toto was formed in Los Angeles in the late ‘70s by a group of friends who had been working as in demand session musicians. They went on to epitomize the classic American pop/rock sound of the ‘80s and ‘90s with hit albums and singles including “Hold The Line”, “Africa”, “I Won’t Hold You Back” and the multi-Grammy winning “Rosanna”.
Trees – Trees 4xLP (Earth Recordings)
It’s now over fifty years since Trees’ formation and, although ‘acid folk’ has now become a sub-category in the lexicon of record dealers and music critics, and although founder member David Costa feels the original noughties reissue helped consolidate a gathering wave of curiosity, they themselves remain in the shadows. This eponymous collection brings together both albums adding shiny alternate mixes of key tracks along with a selection of radio sessions and demos, all sounding brighter and cleaner than ever before. [CD edition due December 18.]
McCoy Tyner – The Real McCoy [Reissue/1967] LP (Blue Note)
Limited 180gm vinyl LP pressing. In 1967, pianist McCoy Tyner was ready for a new start, leaving seminal John Coltrane Quartet and Impulse! Records two years prior. His Blue Note debut, The Real McCoy, firmly established him as a creative force. The album features a world class quartet with Joe Henderson (tenor sax), Ron Carter (bass) and Elvin Jones (drums).
War On Women – Wonderful Hell LP (Bridge Nine)
Limited bone white colored vinyl pressing. A lot has happened since War On Women burst out of Baltimore’s activist community in 2010 as an unapologetically intersectional feminist hardcore punk band. Recorded with the band’s guitarist and co-founder Brooks Harlan alongside J. Robbins at his Magpie Cage Studios, Wonderful Hell is a call to action, even when every step forward feels like it’s met with a landslide back.
Jim White – Misfit’s Jubilee LP (Fluff & Gravy)
Jim White is known for his catalog of dark ruminations on all things Southern. His latest outing, Misfits Jubilee, features a nonstop parade of manic, blue-collar conflagrations exploring realms dark and light, mystic and mundane, cynical and heartfelt; all presented within a buoyant, hook-laden sonic framework. Misfit’s Jubilee draws from an array of original songs penned by White over the span of several decades. Scattered among the recent compositions are songs back-burnered in previous epochs by White’s major label handlers, who deemed them too extreme for his “brand”. With no such middleman constraints this go-round, in Misfit’s Jubilee White has found the perfect vehicle to unleash his twisted take on Southern folk rock.
The Who –Who [Deluxe & Live At Kingston] 6×7”+CD (Interscope)
Recently released on CD – now available as a six-7” vinyl box set plus CD. The Who release a new version of 2019’s album Who featuring an updated version of “Beads On
One String” newly remixed by Pete Townshend and acoustic tracks from the band’s only live shows of 2020. The songs on the deluxe version of Who were recorded in Kingston on Valentine’s Day this year exactly 50 years to the day since The Who’s seminal show at Leeds which became the infamous live album Live At Leeds.
Steven Wilson – 12 Things I Forgot 12”+MP3 (Arts & Crafts)
Boasting soaring acoustics that hit the stratosphere, 12 Things I Forgot is culled from Steven Wilson’s impending sixth album The Future Bites, which explores ways that the human brain has evolved in the internet era. Where 2017’s To The Bone confronted the (then) emerging global issues of post truth and fake news, The Future Bites places the listener in a world of 21st century addictions. It’s a place where on-going, very public experiments with nascent technology on our lives take place constantly; where clicks and tiks have become more important that human interaction.
Amy Winehouse – 12 x 7: The Singles Collection 12×7” (Republic)
A once-in-a-generation talent and a pure jazz artist in the most authentic sense, Amy Winehouse wrote and sung from the heart using her musical gifts to analyze her own problems. The combination of her raw honesty and supreme talent resulted in some of the most original and adored songs of the modern era. The new 12 x 7: The Singles Collection box set is comprised of tracks from Winehouse’s albums: Frank, Back To Black, and Lioness: Hidden Treasures. Includes “Stronger Than Me”, “Rehab”, and “Love Is A Losing Game”, all of which won the Ivor Novello Award in ‘04, ‘07 and ‘08, plus the Grammy Award winning Tony Bennett duet “Body And Soul.” The singles come housed in individual picture sleeves while the release also features a 20-page lyrics booklet and a set of art cards.
ZZ Top – Live In Germany 1980 [Reissue/2009] 2xLP+CD (earMUSIC)
With their 1973 album Tres Hombres, ZZ Top achieved their well-deserved breakthrough in the US. Their success in Europe is mainly accredited to their brilliant live album recorded as part of the Rockpalast Night in the Essen Grugahalle, Germany.
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