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Marketing Program/ Banner/ Listening Station Titles Promoted This Week:
Rhiannon Giddens with Francesco Turrisi – They’re Calling Me Home CD (Nonesuch)
Rhiannon Giddens (Carolina Chocolate Drops) and Italian multi-instrumentalist Francesco Turrisi, who both live in Ireland when they aren’t on tour, have been there since March 2020 due to the pandemic. The two expats found themselves drawn to the music of their native and adoptive countries of America, Italy, and Ireland during lockdown. Exploring the emotions brought up by the moment, Giddens and Turrisi decamped to Hellfire, a small studio on a working farm outside of Dublin, to record these songs over six days. The result is They’re Calling Me Home, a twelve-track album that speaks of the longing for the comfort of home as well as the metaphorical “call home” of death, which has been a tragic reality for so many during the COVID-19 crisis. The minstrel banjo, accordion and frame drums that have become characteristic of the pair’s sound are well represented on the album, but it’s the viola and cello banjo combination that captures unexpected emotion and intensity. [Vinyl edition due June 11.]
Lynyrd Skynyrd – Live At Knebworth ‘76 CD+DVD/CD+Blu-ray/2xLP+DVD (Eagle Rock)
Southern rockers Lynyrd Skynyrd celebrate their historic Live At Knebworth ‘76 performance with this new multi-format reissue. Originally only available on the 1996 film Freebird… The Movie, this latest installment gives fans the opportunity to enjoy the 1976 performance in its entirety. Live At Knebworth ‘76 chronicles the band’s original legendary line-up featuring Ronnie Van Zant, Gary Rossington, Allen Collins, Steve Gaines, Leon Wilkeson, Artimus Pyle, Billy Powell, and The Honkettes, and honors those who were lost in the tragic 1977 plane crash. The band performed at the day-long festival with the likes of Todd Rundgren’s Utopia and The Rolling Stones, playing to a crowd of over 150,000 people, and effectively stealing the show to create a historic moment for Southern Rock.
Parker Millsap – Be Here Instead CD/LP (Okrahoma)
The fifth album from Oklahoma-bred singer/songwriter Parker Millsap, Be Here Instead emerged from a wild alchemy of instinct, ingenuity, and joyfully determined rule-breaking. In a departure from the guitar-and-notebook-based approach to songwriting that shaped his earlier work, the Nashville-based artist followed his curiosity to countless other modes of expression, experimenting with everything from piano to effects pedals to old-school drum machines (a fascination partly inspired by the early-’70s innovations of Sly Stone and J.J. Cale). As those explorations deepened and broadened his musical vision, Millsap soon arrived at a body of work touched with both unbridled imagination and lucid insight into the search for presence in a chaotic world. [A limited-edition color vinyl edition is also available.]
The Pink Stones – Introducing… The Pink Stones CD/LP (Normaltown/New West)
The Pink Stones deliver a full serving of Peach State picked country-rock from Athens, Georgia with the release of their debut album, Introducing… The Pink Stones. Mixing elements of classic cosmic country, raucous rock ‘n’ roll and fresh humor and heartaches, The Pink Stones is authoring a new chapter in the annals of Cosmic American Music. [Several limited-edition color vinyl variants are available.]
Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band – Dance Songs For Hard Times CD/LP (Family Owned)
The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band are the greatest front-porch blues band in the world. They are led by Reverend Peyton, who most consider to be the premier finger picker playing today. He has earned a reputation as both a singularly compelling performer and a persuasive evangelist for the rootsy, country blues styles that captured his imagination early in life and inspired him and his band to make pilgrimages to Clarksdale, Mississippi to study under such blues masters as T-Model Ford, Robert Belfour and David “Honeyboy” Edwards. Playing as many as 300 shows each year, the band has one of the most dedicated followings out there. Their fans and more are sure to eat up the band’s latest offering, Dance Songs For Hard Times, a country blues record that was made the right way – two feet on the ground and both hands getting dirty. [A limited-edition color vinyl pressing is also available.]
Silver Synthetic – Silver Synthetic CD/LP (Third Man)
In the midst of the thick New Orleans summer of 2017, Chris Lyons of garage punks Bottomfeeders found himself sitting on a small batch of songs that didn’t quite fit the fuzzed-out pileups of that band. The new songs were more chiming, driving but relaxed, full of little corners begging to be filled with classic pop harmonies and wayward country licks. He called in his trusted confidants: Bottomfeeders drummer and longtime musical partner Lucas Bogner – the two started playing music together at the tender age of 15 – plus bassist Pete Campanelli, and Kunal Prakash (Jeff The Brotherhood) dug the songs and signed on, and the quartet started playing in earnest, hunkering down in the practice space. By the time the band played its first gig in late 2018 at the opening of Nola’s ManRay Records, the songs had multiplied and the members of the newly christened Silver Synthetic had become genuine rock & roll craftsmen. In a world that doesn’t seem capable of swaying, Silver Synthetic’s self-titled debut shakes and boogies. [A limited edition indie store exclusive vinyl pressing is also available.]
CDs + Vinyl:
Alyssa Allgood – What Tomorrow Brings CD (Cellar Live)
On her third studio album, Chicago vocalist Alyssa Allgood wields her instrument with depth, nuance and sophistication. Through refined interpretations of classics and the debut of four stunning originals, What Tomorrow Brings invites listeners on a personal journey of despair, determination and discovery.
Steve Arrington – Down To The Lowest Terms: The Soul Sessions CD/LP (Stones Throw)
Inspired funk legend Steve Arrington returns with his uplifting and soulful new album Down To The Lowest Terms: The Soul Sessions, produced by artists including Mndsgn, Shibo, Jerry Paper, and Knxwledge. The album serves the language of his soul and portrays his diversity of influences, building on the evolution of funk, soul, blues, jazz, electronic and R&B, all united by Arrington’s uplifting spirit.
Augenwasser – Sleepdancer CD/LP (Les Disques Bongo Joe.)
Elias Raschle’s goal with Augenwasser is to emancipate himself from the classical label of singer-songwriter, in order to experiment more freely and to return to the roots of his musicality with a more electronic, experimental and emancipated sound. The boundaries between live recordings and studio productions are blurred, leaving a space where improvisation and spontaneity can easily flourish. Sleepdancer reflects this state of musical urgency, and the emotions emanate from these new pieces, pure and raw, but terribly stimulating.
Benny Sings – Music CD/LP (Stones Throw)
In an industry always pinning its hopes on the next big trend, Benny Sings is in it for the long haul. The Dutch artist has honed a signature sound while creating a colorful catalog of essential pop gems that have led to loyal global following. Benny’s songs are sophisticated and easy to fall in love with, ear-worming melodies and sticky choruses the result of years of craft that have made him the ultimate songwriter’s songwriter. Rex Orange County, with whom Benny wrote the platinum hit “Loving Is Easy”, says, “In my opinion he’s one of the most underrated producers and artists going.”
The Blips – The Blips CD/LP (Cornelius Chapel)
The Blips’s self-titled debut album sounds less like a casual experiment than a band that has been playing together for years. With The Blips sharing lead vocals, guitar, and bass duties, this surprisingly cohesive and high energy album ranges from straight-forward garage rock to hit-and-run rockers to pop ballads with massive lead parts and gang vocals.
Jetty Bones – Push Back CD/LP (Rise)
Push Back is the first full-length record from Jetty Bones, the relentlessly hopeful alt-pop solo project of Ohio artist Kelc Galluzzo. Jetty Bones’ previous releases have waded through the mires of trauma and mental illness, kick starting an open and earnest relationship between fans and Galluzzo. But this time around, Galluzzo didn’t set out to connect with others. She set out to save herself. In the end, she succeeded – narrowly. Push Back is proof. The record’s 11 songs document Galluzzo’s wrestle between two selves: the one on stage espousing hope and love, and the one in the van after the show crying helplessly, living with depression, anxiety, impostor syndrome, and suicidal ideations. The record tracks Galluzzo’s reckoning with these two selves, willing them to meet in a permanent ceasefire where they can coexist.
Breeze Brewin’ – Hindsight CD/LP (Matic)
Hindsight captures the magic of what happens when an artist sticks with what they love and shares it with the rest of the world. The 13 tracks epitomize why Breeze has been such an essential voice since he entered the scene. He delivers tack-sharp criticisms of former president Donald Trump (“Devil’s Advocate”) and the music industry (“The Application”), talks his sh*t like only he can do (“Translate It”), and gets deeply personal about friendships (“The Uninvited”) and being a teacher as a person of color (“Taking Notes”).
Luke Bryan – Born Here Live Here Die Here CD (Capitol Nashville)
This Deluxe Edition of the country superstar’s 2020 album includes six new tracks in addition to the 10 tracks from the standard version of the album, which includes the hits “Knockin’ Boots”, “What She Wants Tonight”, “One Margarita”, and “Down To One”.
Cabaret Voltaire – Dekadrone CDEP/2×12” (Mute)
Mute announce the release of three Cabaret Voltaire EPs in 2021: Shadow Of Funk, Dekadrone and BN9Drone. All three were recorded in the sessions for the band’s 2020 full length Shadow Of Fear, the band’s first studio album in 26 years. Shadow Of Funk‘s industrial tracks delve deeper into Cabaret Voltaire’s arsenal of “vocal samples, harsh rhythms and threatening detonations” (Classic Pop). Dekadrone and BN9Drone are drone pieces of transformation and transportation. If you ever wondered what it would be like to meditate on the moon, well wonder no longer [A limited-edition white color vinyl pressing is also available.]
Chris Cain – Raisin’ Cain CD (Alligator)
New release from world-renowned blues guitarist, vocalist and songwriter.
Cheap Trick – In Another World CD/LP (BMG)
Produced by longtime associate Julian Raymond, In Another World sees Cheap Trick doing what they do better than anyone – crafting indelible rock ‘n’ roll with oversized hooks, mischievous lyrics, and seemingly inexorable energy. Trademark anthems like “Light Up The Fire” and “Boys & Girls & Rock N Roll” are countered by more introspective – but no less exuberant – considerations of times past, present, and unknowable future on such strikingly potent new tracks as “Another World” and “I’ll See You Again”.
Merry Clayton – Beautiful Scars CD (Motown)
Merry Clayton is a living legend of unparalleled solar-powered vocal majesty, boldly bringing the Black American church experience across musical genres and styles. Throughout an astounding career – as a lead and background singer with the greatest artists of all-time – Merry Clayton steps into the spotlight with the gospel project, Beautiful Scars. [Vinyl edition due June 4.]
Rebecca DuMaine and The Dave Miller Trio – Someday Someday CD (Summit)
The beautiful tone of Rebecca DuMaine, her very clear articulation, her ability to dig deep into the meaning of the lyrics and the joy that she displays while singing are unchanged from the past, as is Dave Miller’s swinging solos and tasteful accompaniment of his daughter. Someday Someday is also a little different than their previous recordings. Rebecca DuMaine, vocals, Dave Miller, piano, Bill Belasco, drums, Chuck Bennett, bass.
Eisbrecher – Leibe Macht Monster CD (Metropolis)
Singer Alex Wesselsky and guitarist/producer/programmer Noel Pix have honed every aspect of Eisbrecher’s trademark heavy industrial guitar sounds, driving electro beats, and distinctive vocals. Leibe Macht Monster shows Eisbrecher in top form and pushing the boundaries of the Neue Deutsche Härte genre.
The End Machine – Phase2 CD/LP (Frontiers)
The End Machine features former classic lineup Dokken members George Lynch and Jeff Pilson with the awesome singer Robert Mason (Warrant, Lynch Mob) on lead vocals. [A limited edition red color vinyl pressing and a limited clear vinyl pressing are also available.]
Exterminated – Genesis Of Genocide CD (Comatose)
Exterminated push the limits of sonic extremity and skull-crushing death metal to breaking point.
FM – Tough It Out Live 2xCD (Frontiers)
Says the band: “Relive those heady nights on the Big 3-0 Tour when we came together to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the release of our second album, Tough It Out. We are pleased to announce the forthcoming release of Tough It Out Live – a 2-CD set of live tracks to make you party like it’s 1989! CD1 features the Tough It Out set recorded live on our tour with Gun and Dan Reed Network in December 2019. CD2 includes previously unreleased live recordings of songs which have featured in the FM set over the years.”
Future Teens – Deliberately Alive CDEP (Take This To Heart)
2020 was poised to be Future Teens’ breakout year. After releasing their sophomore LP Breakup Season, cosplaying as Carly Rae Jepsen, and zeroing on the romantic longing of fans worldwide, the Boston quartet was rising. While such a hard stop was part of every band’s story in 2020, the momentum hadn’t left the group — guitarists/vocalists Amy Hoffman and Daniel Radin, drummer Colby Blauvelt, and bassist Maya Mortman — straying too far from their central heartline. Deliberately Alive, their blustery follow-up EP, is Future Teens at their most explosive and earnest, showcasing a band in between journal volumes.
Rhiannon Giddens with Francesco Turrisi – They’re Calling Me Home CD (Nonesuch)
Rhiannon Giddens (Carolina Chocolate Drops) and Italian multi-instrumentalist Francesco Turrisi, who both live in Ireland when they aren’t on tour, have been there since March 2020 due to the pandemic. The two expats found themselves drawn to the music of their native and adoptive countries of America, Italy, and Ireland during lockdown. Exploring the emotions brought up by the moment, Giddens and Turrisi decamped to Hellfire, a small studio on a working farm outside of Dublin, to record these songs over six days. The result is They’re Calling Me Home, a twelve-track album that speaks of the longing for the comfort of home as well as the metaphorical “call home” of death, which has been a tragic reality for so many during the COVID-19 crisis. The minstrel banjo, accordion and frame drums that have become characteristic of the pair’s sound are well represented on the album, but it’s the viola and cello banjo combination that captures unexpected emotion and intensity. [Vinyl edition due June 11.]
Ollie Halsall – Lovers Leaping CD/LP (Think Like A Key)
A collection of British guitarist Ollie Halsall’s one man band demos recorded in 1979. It’s important to note this is not a ‘guitar album’ but it is more about Ollie the singer/songwriter, with results that are deeply revealing. These are three-minute pop masterpieces which owe far more to Lennon & McCartney than to John Cale or Kevin Ayers and the rest of Ollie’s more indulgent associations.
Heavy Trip – Heavy Trip CD (Roadburn Productions)
Majestic riffstorm sloping down the Coast Mountains in the province of British Columbia, Canada, orchestrated by the power trio Heavy Trip with their 2020 eponymous debut LP. The sonic equivalent to the “heroic dose” prescribed by American psychonaut Terence McKenna of mind-altering heavy psych instrumental jams packed with blazing grooves, melting riffs, creamy guitar solos and a tantalizing fragrance of Earthless, Harsh Toke or Tia Carrera. [Vinyl edition due April 30.]
Horndal – Late Drinker CD (Prosthetic)
Sweden’s Horndal return with their sophomore album. Lake Drinker is the heavy soundtrack to a true horror story about a small industrial town in Sweden being brutally murdered, left to rust away, and then fooled into believing in the false hope of prosperity, promised by big American tech. The follow up to 2019’s Remains, Lake Drinker is a cautionary tale about making a deal with the devil. But this story of urban decay is not a fairytale or fantasy, it’s rooted in the real lives of the citizens of Horndal, retold by a band whose own lives are umbilically linked to the town itself. [Vinyl edition due May 7.]
Infinite & Divine – Silver Lining CD (Frontiers)
Infinite & Divine is a new Swedish duo consisting of musician and songwriter Jan Åkesson and vocalist Tozzi (aka Terese Persson). The two had met and combined forces in 2019, recognizing that the combination of Jan’s energetic heavy riffs and musical versatility twinned with Tezzi’s raw yet melodic vocal style created something quite unique and appealing with twists and turns a-plenty.
Vijay Iyer, Linda May Han Oh, Tyshawn Sorey – Uneasy CD (ECM)
Vijay Iyer presents a powerful new trio, in which he is joined by 2 key figures in creative music, Tyshawn Sorey & Linda May Han Oh. We have an energy together that is very distinct. It has a different kind of propulsion, a different impulse and a different spectrum of colors.
Izy – Irene CD/LP (Hope Street)
Recently released on vinyl – now available on CD. Irene is the debut album from Izy (pronounced eye-zee), a Melbourne-based trio originally hailing from Cairns in Australia’s tropical north. A deeply mature album from a very young band, Irene is a 10-song collection of raw neo-soul grooves, rich vocal harmony and subtle jazz guitar.
Johan Kihlberg’s Impera – Spirit Of Alchemy CD (Metalville)
Johan Kihlberg’s Impera is the brainchild of Stockholm-born drummer Johan Kihlberg, who founded the band in 2011. Johan has spent over 30 years in the music business, working with members of legendary acts such as Kiss, Thin Lizzy, Europe, Rainbow and Mötley Crüe. Spirit of Alchemy is an album full of determination that will please both older and younger fans and will take the career of Johan Kihlberg’s Impera to the next level. [Vinyl edition due April 23.]
Emily Kinney – The Supporting Character CD (Jullian)
Emily Kinney, best known for her roles in The Walking Dead, Masters Of Sex, and Ten Days In The Valley releases the new full-length album, The Supporting Character. Produced by Benjamin Greenspan, it touches on themes of heartbreak, loss, family history, creativity and personal growth, and finds Kinney tackling difficult subjects with her trademark lyrical honesty. The album’s first single, “Fifteen Minutes”, is a love-turned-breakup song Kinney wrote for her boyfriend at the time that explains how she would easily trade the time she spent becoming successful for more time with him. [Vinyl edition due May 21.]
The Limit – Caveman Logic CD/LP (Svart)
Consisting of members of legendary punk instigators The Stooges, the founders of doom rockers Pentagram, legendary NYC punk originators Testors and infamous Portugese metal band Dawnrider, The Limit break out from the foundations of heavy rock and defy all expectations, to show a new generation what doom and punk really means.
Lynyrd Skynyrd – Live At Knebworth ‘76 CD+DVD/CD+Blu-ray/2xLP+DVD (Eagle Rock)
Southern rockers Lynyrd Skynyrd celebrate their historic Live At Knebworth ‘76 performance with this new multi-format reissue. Originally only available on the 1996 film Freebird… The Movie, this latest installment gives fans the opportunity to enjoy the 1976 performance in its entirety. Live At Knebworth ‘76 chronicles the band’s original legendary line-up featuring Ronnie Van Zant, Gary Rossington, Allen Collins, Steve Gaines, Leon Wilkeson, Artimus Pyle, Billy Powell, and The Honkettes, and honors those who were lost in the tragic 1977 plane crash. The band performed at the day-long festival with the likes of Todd Rundgren’s Utopia and The Rolling Stones, playing to a crowd of over 150,000 people, and effectively stealing the show to create a historic moment for Southern Rock.
Bill MacKay and Nathan Bowles – Keys CD/LP (Drag City)
Bill MacKay and Nathan Bowles’ debut is well titled: keys are what they play and keys unlock things too. Their trad bonafides are balanced with inquisitive playing that adds surprise as a formal songwriting and arranging tool. Spirited 21st century folk music made of equal parts bluegrass, classical, country, gospel and improv.
ManDancing – The Good Sweat CD/LP (Take This To Heart)
Mandancing didn’t know what they were getting themselves into. It’s a tale as old as time: singer/songwriter makes record in New Jersey basement, band forms, label signs them and then waits three years for a new piece of music. They were once described as sounding like if Death Cab For Cutie were having a mental breakdown. Frontman, Stephen G Kelly, says the band name might as well be For Fans Of Manchester Orchestra due to how often the comparison gets tossed about. The band, however, liken themselves to a modern day Journey, for reasons that aren’t so obvious or valid. Their sophomore LP The Good Sweat is a ride. We’re not talking your family friendly local farm hay-ride either. It is a rollercoaster. Upon entry, the dialed-in ambient drones give way to Kelly contemplating whether or not he should even strap in, and before he can come to a conclusion, the rest of the band pull you into the first descent of its cathartic depths immediately before soaring to thrilling heights. [A limited-edition white color vinyl pressing is also available.]
Merk – Infinite Youth CD/LP (Humblerag)
On his new album Infinite Youth, New Zealand artist Merk examines the blurry line between adolescence and adult-hood, and all the clarity and mess that accompanies that blurring. This is a record that thrives on a certain simplicity of rhythm, melody and lyric, and is compelled by contrast: pop songs influenced by art music, an album about adulthood that reflects heavily on what it is to be young, and a sonic world that is both expansive and deeply intimate. [A limited-edition blue marble color vinyl pressing is also available.]
Parker Millsap – Be Here Instead CD/LP (Okrahoma)
The fifth album from Oklahoma-bred singer/songwriter Parker Millsap, Be Here Instead emerged from a wild alchemy of instinct, ingenuity, and joyfully determined rule-breaking. In a departure from the guitar-and-notebook-based approach to songwriting that shaped his earlier work, the Nashville-based artist followed his curiosity to countless other modes of expression, experimenting with everything from piano to effects pedals to old-school drum machines (a fascination partly inspired by the early-’70s innovations of Sly Stone and J.J. Cale). As those explorations deepened and broadened his musical vision, Millsap soon arrived at a body of work touched with both unbridled imagination and lucid insight into the search for presence in a chaotic world. [A limited-edition color vinyl edition is also available.]
Willie Nelson – Texas Willie 2xCD (Sunset Blvd.)
The breadth and scope of Willie Nelson’s career is staggering. He first established himself as part of a new generation of progressive country songwriters in the early ’60s. Here are the obscure and rarely heard demo recordings he made prior to signing to Liberty and before RCA. All of these recordings are both musically and historically significant. 40 tracks total including 20 previously unavailable on CD or streaming services.
Onyx – Onyx 4 Life CD/LP (Cleopatra)
New release from the South Jamaica, Queens, New York City hip-hop group. [A limited edition translucent orange color vinyl pressing is also available.]
The Orb – Abolition Of The Royal Familia: Guillotine Mixes CD/2xLP (Cooking Vinyl)
The Orb release a companion piece to their recent studio album Abolition Of The Royal Familia with the gem-packed Guillotine Mixes collection. The new compilation’s concept echoes back to 1991’s Aubrey Mixes: The Ultraworld Excursions, which is a collection of versions predominantly by people who featured on the original Adventures Beyond The Ultraworld album. Guillotine Mixes features reinterpretations of tracks from a host of familiar faces, most of whom also have credits on Abolition, including Youth, Moody Boys, David Harrow, Andy Falconer, Paul Metamono and Gaudi – collectively providing an expansive journey into dance music; from acid house and Balearic beat to techno and beyond, emphasizing The Orb’s club DNA. [A limited edition white color vinyl pressing is also available.]
Owen Pallett – Island CD/2xLP+MP3 (Domino)
Recently released on vinyl – now available on CD. Almost entirely acoustic, Island begins with 13 darkened chords, and was recorded live at Abbey Road Studios with the London Contemporary Orchestra. The introduction is sound of waking up alone, and on the shore of a strange land. What follows is a shimmering and luscious orchestral album that draws across the full breadth of Pallett’s discography, from Heartland to the glittering, fingerpicked guitar that marked Pallett’s first records with their trio, Les Mouches.
Matt Panayides – Field Theory CD (Pacific Coast Jazz)
On Field Theory, guitarist and composer Matt Panayides explores new sonic landscapes by mixing electric and acoustic sounds in a set of modern, highly original jazz compositions. At once familiar yet largely unexpected, Panayides weaves together sudden pops of color, creating images that tell stories like a great abstract painting.
Gretchen Parlato – Floor CD/LP (Edition)
Grammy-nominated Gretchen Parlato returns after a six-year focus on motherhood with Flor: a project celebrating her love and admiration for Brazilian music. Flor weaves new sonic textures of guitar, cello, and percussion/drums, exquisitely complementing the intensity and delicacies of Gretchen’s signature voice.
The Pink Stones – Introducing… The Pink Stones CD/LP (Normaltown/New West)
The Pink Stones deliver a full serving of Peach State picked country-rock from Athens, Georgia with the release of their debut album, Introducing… The Pink Stones. Mixing elements of classic cosmic country, raucous rock ‘n’ roll and fresh humor and heartaches, The Pink Stones is authoring a new chapter in the annals of Cosmic American Music. [Several limited-edition color vinyl variants are available.]
Pony – TV Baby CD (Take This To Heart)
Baby, the debut LP from Toronto power-pop act Pony, feels like it’s programmed from a different era. Driven by vocalist/guitarist Sam Bielanski’s sharp vocal tones and flashy, driving rhythm, the band combines cheeky 1980s style with 1990s self-reliance and modern production sheen for an experience caught between worlds. It is hooky and vibrant, but don’t mistake exuberance for extroversion. TV Baby is an album dedicated to the indoor cats, the introverts, and those who value their independence above anything else.
Primal Fear – I Will Be Gone CD/LP (Nuclear Blast)
The German power metal band’s 13th full length. [A limited-edition pink color vinyl pressing is also available.]
The Red Step – The Red Step CD (Pravda)
Infused with a sped up version of the Southern California sunshine noir heard from Tobias Nathaniel’s legendary band The Black Heart Procession, the dark and driving music of The Red Step crosses the Sava River and drifts over the concrete towers of Belgrade’s Blokovi districts like a gray cloud tinged by a smoky red sun. [Vinyl edition due May 7.]
Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band – Dance Songs For Hard Times CD/LP (Family Owned)
The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band are the greatest front-porch blues band in the world. They are led by Reverend Peyton, who most consider to be the premier finger picker playing today. He has earned a reputation as both a singularly compelling performer and a persuasive evangelist for the rootsy, country blues styles that captured his imagination early in life and inspired him and his band to make pilgrimages to Clarksdale, Mississippi to study under such blues masters as T-Model Ford, Robert Belfour and David “Honeyboy” Edwards. Playing as many as 300 shows each year, the band has one of the most dedicated followings out there. Their fans and more are sure to eat up the band’s latest offering, Dance Songs For Hard Times, a country blues record that was made the right way – two feet on the ground and both hands getting dirty. [A limited-edition color vinyl pressing is also available.]
Max Richter – Voices 2 CD/2xLP (Deutsche Grammophon)
Voices 2 is the second album in the pioneering audio-visual Voices project, co-created with Max Richter’s artistic partner Yulia Mahr. Voices was inspired by, and features text adapted from, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Voices 2 follows directly from the first part, embodying the Universal Declaration’s aspiration to build a better and fairer world. The message at the core of Voices 2 is one of hope. Despite its somber mood, positivity and a sense of potential in a hopeful new future, runs throughout Voices 2. At the heart of Voices is a profound sense of global community and responsibility which originates from the Grammy-nominated composer’s commitment to music as activism.
Raf Rundell – O.M. Days CD/LP (Heavenly)
Last seen a couple of years back on his debut long-player Stop Lying, Raf Rundell’s second album O.M. Days features guest appearances from Chas Jankel, Lias Saoudi, Teri Walker, Andy Jenkins and Man & The Echo. Featuring on the cover a striking Keith Haring meets the Green Man image from acclaimed artist and long-time collaborator Ben Edge, the picture was inspired by the folk tale of the giant of Dawson, who is both male & female, human and vegetation and lived in the imagination of Dawson’s Hill, a stretch of South London parkland a stone’s throw away from Dawson’s Heights, the flats featured on the cover of Raf’s debut Stop Lying. [A limited-edition color vinyl pressing is also available.]
ScreamMachine – ScreamMachine CD (Frontiers)
ScreamMachine is a driving heavy metal force armed with molten metal riffs. Inspired by titans like Judas Priest, Metallica, Iced Earth, Savatage, and Accept, their aim is to deliver an aggressive and traditional heavy metal sound blended with a modern production and songwriting. Steve Di Giorgio (Testament, Death, etc.) and Herbie Langhans (Firewind, Avantasia) both guest on the band’s eponymous debut.
Schapiro 17 – Human Qualities CD (Summit)
Human Qualities is the follow-up to the 2020 debut, New Shoes: Kind Of Blue At 60. This recording brings back the 17 members of the progressive New York big band. Unlike New Shoes, which offers a thematic focus on Kind Of Blue, Human Qualities features seven Jon Schapiro originals and one arrangement – featuring a powerhouse rhythm section, fiercely swinging ensembles, and sterling solo work.
Silver Synthetic – Silver Synthetic CD/LP (Third Man)
In the midst of the thick New Orleans summer of 2017, Chris Lyons of garage punks Bottomfeeders found himself sitting on a small batch of songs that didn’t quite fit the fuzzed-out pileups of that band. The new songs were more chiming, driving but relaxed, full of little corners begging to be filled with classic pop harmonies and wayward country licks. He called in his trusted confidants: Bottomfeeders drummer and longtime musical partner Lucas Bogner – the two started playing music together at the tender age of 15 – plus bassist Pete Campanelli, and Kunal Prakash (Jeff The Brotherhood) dug the songs and signed on, and the quartet started playing in earnest, hunkering down in the practice space. By the time the band played its first gig in late 2018 at the opening of Nola’s ManRay Records, the songs had multiplied and the members of the newly christened Silver Synthetic had become genuine rock & roll craftsmen. In a world that doesn’t seem capable of swaying, Silver Synthetic’s self-titled debut shakes and boogies. [A limited edition indie store exclusive vinyl pressing is also available.]
Spirit Of The Beehive – Entertainment, Death CD/LP+MP3 (Saddle Creek)
Spirit of the Beehive’s fourth album, Entertainment, Death signals new chapters for the band on multiple fronts, being the first to feature their new three-piece lineup, as well as the first to be entirely self-recorded and produced. Guitarist/vocalist Zack Schwartz and bassist/vocalist Rivka Ravede are now joined by new member Corey Wichlin, a multi-instrumentalist who relocated from Chicago to the band’s home territory of Philadelphia. Though Entertainment, Death doesn’t cohere in a single, unifying theme, the band samples old obscure commercials throughout, many of which guided the process of writing a song instead of serving as an appendage. Schwartz describes his songwriting process as a stream-of-consciousness, while Ravede asserts that she doesn’t typically write vocal parts with any specific intention in mind [A limited-edition color vinyl pressing is also available.]
Sweet Oblivion feat. Geoff Tate – Relentless CD/LP (Frontiers)
Sophomore album from the new metal project which showcases former Queensrÿche vocalist Geoff Tate.
Taylor Swift – Fearless (Taylor’s Version) 2xCD (Republic)
2008’s Fearless was an album full of magic and curiosity, the bliss and devastation of youth. It was the diary of the adventures and explorations of a teenage girl who was learning tiny lessons with every new crack in the facade of her fairytale ending she’d been shown in the movies. This new re-recorded version is called Fearless (Taylor’s Version) includes 26 songs total, with six unreleased tracks.
Tini Thomsen – Horses & Cranes CD (Jazzhaus)
A good piece of rocking jazz, miles away from an academic approach but with a good shot of euphoric guitar and down-to-earth energy.
Treatment – Waiting For Good Luck CD (Frontiers)
Fifth full-length album from the British hard rockers.
Ray Vernon – All Wrays Lead To Rock: The Link Wray Connection CD (Bear Family)
Ray Vernon was a talented singer and producer, his career closely linked to that of his guitar-playing brother, Link Wray.
Void Vator – Great Fair Rising CD (Ripple Music)
Heavy, loud and proud, Void Vator return with their latest rapid-fire, take-no-prisoners metal assault, cranking out yet another landmark American metal blast in the form of Great Fear Rising. [Vinyl edition due April 23.]
Nick Waterhouse – Promenade Blue CD/LP+MP3 (Innovative Leisure)
In Nick’s musical and lyrical world, blue is a refraction of his life and memories – shadowing a deep, spiritual San Francisco that fostered his musical vocabulary but has now been stamped out irrevocably; evoking the endless tours, marathon recording sessions, and highs and lows of success he’s experienced in his decade-long career; conjuring romances that were doomed, loves that lingered, and hope for future days of parity and partnership; summoning spirits of people who have gone but permeate his mind forever. That’s the world of Promenade Blue – one that is vivid and magnetic, buoyed by both light and density due to Nick’s newfound collaboration with producer Paul Butler (Michael Kiwanuka, Devendra Banhart).
This Week’s Vinyl Exclusives:
Ambré – Pulp 2xLP (Roc Nation)
Limited double orange/gold and grey/blue color vinyl pressing. The Director’s Cut of 2019’s Pulp is an extended version of the project. Ambré has described it as sonically being what she envisions her movies would look like. “Soft-spoken and incredibly shy, New Orleans-native Ambré Perkins, known mononymously as Ambré, is on “a whole journey of me figuring out myself.” Thankfully, the self-taught musician uses ten silky tracks to say exactly how she feels—on Pulp.” – Essence
Laurie Anderson – Big Science [Reissue/1982] LP (Nonesuch)
Laurie Anderson’s 1982 debut album, Big Science, returns to vinyl for the first time in 30 years. In the early 1980s, Anderson was already respected as a conceptual artist and composer, adept at employing gear both high-tech and homemade in her often violin-based pieces, and she was a familiar figure in the cross-pollinating, Lower Manhattan music-visual art-performance circles from which Philip Glass and David Byrne also emerged.
The B-52’s – The B-52’s [Reissue/1979] LP (WB)
When the B-52’s self-titled album landed, there was nothing quite like their quirky blend of new wave and ’60s kitsch. The 1979 release, cut with producer (and Island Records founder) Chris Blackwell at his studio in The Bahamas, features such energetic originals as “Planet Claire” and that crustacean classic, “Rock Lobster,” which became the band’s first hit single. The Athens, GA quintet – Fred Schneider, Kate Pierson, Cindy Wilson, Ricky Wilson and Keith Strickland – knew how to throw a party, and this platinum-selling album remains as catchy as it is campy. The band went on to even greater success in the ensuing years, but they were never better than on The B-52’s, which is reissued here on vinyl.
Bakerloo – Bakerloo [Reissue/1969] LP+CD (Magic Box)
Legendary Midlands three-piece Bakerloo formed in 1968 and went down a storm in London’s underground clubs before recording this classic with producer Gus Dudgeon (who went on to fame for his work with David Bowie, Rod Stewart, and Elton John). Originally issued in August 1969, it’s an exciting blend of blues, jazz, rock, and other influences, distinguished by the superb guitar playing of Dave Clem Clempson, but their line-up was never stable and they’d split by the end of the year.
George Benson – The Other Side Of Abbey Road [Reissue/1979] LP (Friday Music)
Limited 180gm audiophile vinyl pressing. George Benson, influenced by Wes Montgomery, had only just gone from being a well-kept secret to a bright star in the celestial jazz firmament at the time of The Other Side Of Abbey Road. His youthful, happy-go-lucky ways may well have led him and his producer Creed Taylor to turn to this important 1970 Beatles covers album and – without great pathos or standing in awe – they put the music through a mincer as it were, adding a large pinch of jazz spice and a good portion of strings and Latin percussion on the way.
Bernice – Eau De Bonjourno LP (Telephone Explosion)
Bernice is the experimental pop vessel of musician/songwriter Robin Dann and her longtime collaborators Thom Gill (keyboards, guitar), Philippe Melanson (digital percussion and drums), Daniel Fortin (bass) and Felicity Williams (voice).
Between The Buried And Me – The Parallax II: Future Sequence [Reissue/2012] 2xLP (Metal Blade)
Between The Buried And Me – Coma Ecliptic [Reissue/2015] 2xLP (Metal Blade)
Vinyl reissues of the prog metal band’s sixth and seventh albums.
Art Blakey And The Jazz Messengers – Moanin’ [Reissue/1958] LP (Blue Note)
1958’s Moanin’ – featuring the great drummer w/ trumpeter Lee Morgan, tenor saxophonist Benny Golson, pianist Bobby Timmons, & bassist Jymie Merritt – was the perfect crystallization of the band’s bluesy, soulful sound, and it still stands today as perhaps the most quintessential hard bop recording of all-time.
Boomtown United – Tougher Than 1 LP (Jump Up!)
Boomtown United is St. Louis’s premier ska collective, a powerful 8-piece delivering horn driven harmony-laced 2-Tone style songs.
Albert Bouchard – Re Imaginos 2xLP (Deko Music)
Albert Bouchard is best known as one of the founding members of Blue Öyster Cult. Re Imaginos is Bourchard’s rework of the 1988 Blue Öyster Cult album Imaginos.
Tom Brock – I Love You More And More [Reissue/1974] LP (Mr. Bongo)
Vinyl reissue of a soul masterpiece from 1974.
Caffiends – Kokophobia LP (Swamp Cabbage)
Caffiends is a four-piece party pop punk band from Orlando, FL formed in 2010. Kopophobia is their third full length and has some of the most serious political songs by the band to date, yet still contains the silliness the band has become known for. Including songs about their youth, growing up, hating their jobs, sci-fi, girls and of course, coffee. For fans of NOFX, The Ergs, and Dillinger Four.
Cornell Campbell – Sweet Baby [Reissue/1978] LP (Burning Sounds)
A classic reggae album from 1978 reissued on 180gm vinyl.
Rosanne Cash with John Leventhal – Crawl Into The Promised Land b/w The Killing Fields 7” (Blue Note)
Through the pandemic and protests, Rosanne was angry and pained at the state of the nation and wrote “Crawl Into The Promised Land” on 10/20/21 to convey her outrage with a sense of hope. Written with John Leventhal, this record is intended to remind Americans that the new future is here.
Devil Childe – Devil Childe [Reissue/1980] 12” (Minotauro)
Devil Childe was a heavy/doom metal band from New York featuring Joe Hasselvander (Raven, Pentagram etc.) and Jack Starr (Virgin Steele, Burning Starr).
Elaquent / Boombaptist / Juicy The Emissary – Komfort Food LP (Cream Dream)
Mutually inspired by the work of J-Dilla, Komfort Food is a re-imagining of samples that the late Jay Dee masterfully crafted, produced in the styles of these three contemporaries. Pressed on a glazed donut, two-tone record, this album is packaged in what resembles a very familiar box of baked goods.
Elephant Micah – Vague Tidings LP (Western Vinyl)
The raw inspiration for Vague Tidings, Elephant Micah’s new album, comes from a DIY tour of the 49th state. It was a trip that went off the beaten path – sometimes a bit too far for comfort. Now, over a decade later, listeners find songwriter-producer Joseph O’Connell stationed at a creaky spinet piano, singing about the Alaskan sky. Throughout, his lyrics take a new angle on a pet theme: human encounters with the natural world. Vague Tidings places these encounters in the American west and, at times, in its sci-fi corollary, outer space. Its imagery draws from the allure of Alaska, the idea of Western prosperity, and the human relationship to wilderness more broadly. Often, O’Connell sings about the goal of capturing and commodifying nature. In poetic sketches of resource extraction industries and dark sky tourism, frontier lust runs amok. Pipelines catch fire and stars disappear, all to the tune of a stark, uncanny Americana.
Emmure – Look At Yourself [Reissue/2017] LP (Sharptone)
“This is barebones, punishing, death metal-flavored metallic hardcore, driven by the catchiest rhythmic bounce of Active Rock radio’s golden age of nü-metal.”
Female Species – Tale Of My Lost Love LP (Numero)
This is the story of two sisters who nurtured a dream for half a century and never let it die. Vicki and Ronni Gossett launched their musical career as teenagers in Whittier, California in 1966. They called themselves the Female Species. Members came and went; their base of operations moved to Las Vegas, back to L.A., and over to Nashville. Along the way their sound transformed from garage rock to lounge to country-pop, the only constant being an innate mastery of hooks and harmony. These ladies had it. Tale Of My Lost Love is the whole story from beginning to end of two sisters who gave everything to their dream, yet never made a single record… until now. Sometimes great music just isn’t enough to break through – until it is.
FKJ and Tom Misch – Losing My Way 12” (FKJ)
When FKJ (French Kiwi Juice) and Tom Misch are put in the same room you know things are about to get out of hand and you need some of that magic in your life. Sure enough, the collision of their own brands of futuristic, feel-good funky soul has us losing ourselves in Simon Boore’s “Losing My Way” for four straight great minutes.
Fleetwood Mac – Fleetwood Mac Live [Reissue/1980] 2xLP+3xCD+7” (Rhino)
Super deluxe edition includes double vinyl pressing, three CDs, and one 7” vinyl single. Includes a newly remastered version of the classic double live album with more than an hour of unreleased live music, plus unreleased demos for “Fireflies” and “One More Night” on 7” vinyl.
Blaze Foley – Live At The Austin Outhouse LP (End Of An Ear)
Live At The Austin Outhouse captures Blaze Foley, Austin’s legendary singer-songwriter, at his final appearance at the iconic Austin Outhouse venue. Recorded over two nights in 1989 just days before his tragic murder, these twelve tracks are available on vinyl for the first time. The set reveals Blaze to be as talented and soulful as his friends and running buddies Townes Van Zandt and Lucinda Williams.
Ace Frehley – Greatest Hits Live [Reissue/2006] LP (Megaforce)
Greatest Hits Live contains ten live tracks and two studio recordings. Tracks 1-6, 8 and 10 were recorded in London, England. Tracks 7 and 9 were recorded in Chicago, Illinois. The final two studio recordings were outtakes from Frehley’s previous greatest hits compilation, Loaded Deck.
Funeral Winds – Essence LP (Avantgarde Music)
New album from one of the oldest European grim/traditional black metal bands in action.
Ariana Grande – Positions LP (Republic)
Released in October of last year, the singer’s sixth studio album Positions is now available as a limited edition Coke-bottle clear vinyl pressing as well as a ‘sonic grey’ color cassette. Grande worked with a variety of producers on the album, including Tommy Brown, Anthony M. Jones, London on da Track, Murda Beatz, the Rascals, Scott Storch, Shea Taylor and Charles Anderson, accompanied by longtime co-writers Victoria Monét and Tayla Parx.
Grand Funk Railroad – Mark, Don & Mel 1969-71 [Reissue/1972] 2xLP (Friday Music)
Audiophile vinyl reissue of a compilation of early highlights from both studio and live performances while the band was managed by Terry Knight.
Jane Inc – Number One LP (Telephone Explosion)
Jane Inc is unlike any other project Toronto-based songwriter Carlyn Bezic (Ice Cream, U.S Girls, Darlene Shrug) has been a part of. It’s an incubator for experimentation. A one-woman show where Bezic helms every role, guiding the creative process in a way that feels right for her. It’s an outlet to escape real-world bummers and forge fantasies, a sonic journey through a complex reality.
Joji – Nectar LP (88Rising)
Nectar is the second studio album by Japanese singer-songwriter Joji. It features the singles “Sanctuary”, “Run”, “Gimme Love” and “Daylight” with Diplo, as well as collaborations with Benee, Lil Yachty, Omar Apollo, Yves Tumor and Rei Brown.
Katya – Vampire Fitness LP (Peg)
Limited white color vinyl pressing. Yekaterina Petrovna Zamolodchikova aka Katya, the self-proclaimed Sweatiest Woman in Show Business, delivers an international soundtrack of experimental, electronic music that you can listen to at the gym. Vampire Fitness is inspired by singers in the ‘50s, like Connie Francis, who would do multilingual albums.
Keith Kessler – Sunshine Morning b/w Don’t Crowd Me [Reissue/1968] 7” (Mapache)
This is a classic collector’s single that is highly researched and really hard to find. Stunning double-sided 7′ with a nice sunshine folk blended side A and a classic garage B-side.
The Kinks – Low Budget [Reissue/1979] LP (Friday Music)
Limited-edition 180gm red color vinyl pressing in gatefold jacket. Includes poster. Low Budget was a great success for the group, becoming their second best-selling non-compilation album, peaking at #11 on the US album charts. Musically, the album is a continuation of the band’s arena rock phase, resulting in a more rock-based sound and more modern production techniques.
Lemos E Debétio – Morro Do Barraco Sem Água b/w Retrato da Vida [Reissue/1974] 7” (Mr. Bongo)
A first-time replica reissue of a highly sought-after, rare Brazilian funk nugget from 1974.
Naomi Lewis – Cottage Songs [Reissue/1975] LP (Mapache)
Back in 1975, singer-songwriter Naomi Lewis entered the studio to record her first album, Cottage Songs. The result was a beautiful album inspired by family, friends, got and nature. And also, an obscure secret is known by very few. Lewis’ songs are equally inspired by popular music like The Beatles and Joni Mitchell as psychedelic sounds and her lyrics spill out as small diary entries, written as gift for one friend or another. Blending touchstones of soft rock, pop and dreamy singer/songwriters with Lewis’ cherubic voice, her albums have been praised as pinnacles of the privately-issued folk movement of the 1970s.
Maggot Heart – Mercy Machine LP (Rapid Eye Recordings)
Maggot Heart from Berlin is one of the most talked about forces in rock underground today. The Swedish guitarist and songwriter Linnéa Olsson, based in Berlin since 2012, has earned her band a reputation with their extensive touring (alongside Earthless and Voivod among others), cross-over hard rock sound, and punk ethos.
Bob Marley – Diamonds Are Forever Vol. 1 2xLP (Let Them Eat Vinyl)
Bob Marley – Diamonds Are Forever Vol. 2 2xLP (Let Them Eat Vinyl)
Two limited double-LP color vinyl compilations of timeless anthems from the transcendent reggae musician.
Briston Maroney – Sunflower LP (Atlantic)
Sunflower, Briston Maroney’s debut album, is the culmination of the past decade of the now-22-year old’s life. “It’s all of the things I’ve been stoked about since I was 12 coming together,” the wise-beyond-his-years, Nashville-based singer-songwriter says of the striking album. “It’s been a literal and physical relationship with the record as far as coming to a point where I understand what parts of me it represents, what it means to me as a person and what it means for my entire life.”
Pat Metheny – Road To The Sun 2xLP (Modern Recordings)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. A collection of two major new works composed by Metheny and performed by five of the world’s leading guitarists, Road To The Sun unveils new facets of an already expansive personal language while obliterating any genre boundaries that stand in its way.
Hank Mobley – Soul Station [Reissue/1960] LP (Blue Note)
On February 7, 1960, tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley with pianist Wynton Kelly, bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer Art Blakey, laid down what would become his masterpiece: Soul Station.
Paulo Morello – Sambo Pop LP (In & Out)
Guitarist Paulo Morello and his three equally talented co-musicians merge jazzy bop and the variety of rhythms, forms and moods of Brazilian music into something new and beautiful.
Peter Murphy – Should The World Fail To Fall Apart [Reissue/1986] LP (Beggars Banquet)
Peter Murphy – Love Hysteria [Reissue/1988] LP (Beggars Banquet)
Limited-edition color vinyl reissues. Rising up as the Godfather of Goth as the singer of Bauhaus, Murphy began his solo career in 1985, only enhancing his reputation as one of rock’s most commanding vocalists.
Necrodeath – Neraka 12” (Sleazy Rider)
New EP from the Italian extreme metallers.
The Offspring – Conspiracy Of One [Reissue/2000] LP (Round Hill Music)
Vinyl reissue of the sixth studio album by the multi-platinum-selling California punk stars.
Roy Orbison – The Cat Called Domino LP (Bear Family)
A vinyl compilation of the best rockabilly recordings of the young Roy Orbison from his time with Sun Records in Memphis.
Phantom Lord – Phantom Lord [Reissue/1985] LP (Minotauro)
Phantom Lord – Evil Never Sleep [Reissue/1986] LP (Minotauro)
New York City speed metal band Phantom Lord formed in 1984 and recorded two albums before splitting up.
Pure Release – On The Loose [Reissue/1980] LP (Tambourine Party)
Led by James Fernandez, this sast L.A. funk crossover is in a league of its own. It’s sunshine and feel-good vibes from top to bottom with a decidedly learned but still naive aesthetic. Fernandez stacked his band with a cast of mostly Latino local session musicians so it’s needless to say that the rhythm section punches well above its weight for a private release such as this one.
Show Me The Body – Survive 10” (Loma Vista)
Classic hard core with a modern vision.
Sid Vicious – Love Kills N.Y.C. [Reissue/1985] LP (Cleopatra)
Limited-edition picture disc of the infamous Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious’s solo album. Features
Sid’s renditions of songs made famous by Iggy Pop & The Stooges, The New York Dolls, The Sex Pistols and his cover of Frank Sinatra’s “My Way”.
Richard Sinclair – Caravan Of Dreams LP (New Platform)
Limited-edition vinyl reissue of this classic album by ex-Caravan’s member Richard Sinclair.
Philippe Cohen Solal and Mike Lindsay – Outsider LP (Ya Basta)
An album of ten astonishing pop songs, inspired by America’s most celebrated Outsider artist Henry Darger, whose lyrics written over 50 years ago, have been set to music for the first time and brought into the present day.
Steppenwolf – Live [Reissue/1970] 2xLP (Friday Music)
180gm audiophile vinyl reissue. In the late- ‘60s, Steppenwolf embodied that era’s social, political and philosophical restlessness, building an impressive body of edgy, uncompromising rock ‘n’ roll that still retains its emotional resonance to this day. The band kicked off the ’70s with their first live album Steppenwolf Live, a stellar double-LP set recorded at the Santa Monica Civic Center while in tour in support of 1969’s Monster.
Veronica Swift – This Bitter Earth LP (Mack Avenue)
This Bitter Earth takes on the song-cycle characteristics of such classic LPs as Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On, Kate Bush’s Hounds Of Love, and Mary J. Blige’s My Life. Accompanied by a team of kindred spirts that includes pianist Emmet Cohen, guitarist Armand Hirschand, flutist Aaron Johnson, bassist Yasushi Nakamura, and drummer Bryan Carter, Swift curates material that covers multiple genres, including jazz, American musicals, vintage R&B and contemporary rock. [A limited-edition color vinyl pressing is also available.]
Jimi Tenor – Sweet Sound Learning (1993 – 2000) 2xLP (Bureau B)
Jimi Tenor can look back on a career spanning almost 30 years, in which time he has released more than 20 albums on such renowned labels as Warp Records, Sähkö, and Kitty-Yo. Pop artist prestige holds no sway over the Finnish composer and multi-instrumentalist. Never resting on his laurels, he continues to hone his unique sound, which draws on elements of jazz, Afrobeat, and experimental electronic music. Deep Sound Learning shines a spotlight on unreleased tracks from 1993 to the year 2000.
The Toasters – New York Fever [Reissue/1992] LP (Jump Up)
Reissue of 1992 third wave Moon Ska Records classic on random color vinyl, housed in a double sided full color poster sleeve with rare photos. Songwriter and lead singer Rob Hingley perfected a smooth, American-inflected vocal style across these eleven tunes, creating a blueprint for the top-ranking outfit’s authentic-yet-unique revival sound.
Tones On Tail – Pop [Reissue/1984] LP (Beggars Banquet)
Originally released in 1984, Pop is the only studio album from Tones On Tail, which was a side project of Bauhaus members Daniel Ash and Kevin Haskins (pre-Love And Rockets) along with Glenn Campling.
Various Artists – Back To The Future (Music From The Motion Picture Soundtrack) LP (Geffen)
Released in 1985, Back To The Future has been a staple for fans of classic ‘80s movies. Travel back in time with the iconic soundtrack with songs like “Earth Angel”, “Johnny B. Goode”, and Huey Lewis & The News’ “The Power Of Love”.
Various Artists – Wilcovered LP (BMG)
Red color vinyl pressing. A loving tribute to Wilco from the November 2019 issue of Uncut magazine, this collection comprises 19 Wilco covers recorded by notable artists such as Courtney Barnett, Kurt Vile, Sharon Van Etten, Low, Cate Le Bon, Parquet Courts, Whitney, Low, Twin Peaks and Yo La Tengo, including one previously released version of “Jesus, Etc.” by Norah Jones’ band Puss N Boots and one recently unearthed (but never released) cover of “Casino Queen” by Billy F Gibbons of ZZ Top fame. There is not a weak moment on this album and many outstanding ones. Sure to appeal to the rabid Wilco fan base, the CD which accompanied the magazine sold out quickly and is no longer available.
Witherfall – Curse Of Autumn 2xLP (Century Media)
Curse Of Autumn is Witherfall’s third studio album and their most eclectic work to date. The new offering of L.A.’s finest dark and progressive melodic metal band was produced by Jon Schaffer (Iced Earth, Demons & Wizards), Joseph Michael (vocals, keyboards, also in Sanctuary) and Jake Dreyer (guitar, also in Iced Earth/Demons & Wizards).
Yes – The Yes Album [Reissue/1971] 2xLP (Friday Music)
Despite a fine live reputation and two well-received albums, Yes had not made the commercial breakthrough to a wider audience that some of the band’s British label mates on Atlantic had achieved. However, with the arrival of Steve Howe as guitarist, a better concept of what the band was trying to achieve in the studio with engineer/co-producer Eddie Offord and a focus on material that could be played live with the same punch as the studio recordings, 1971’s The Yes Album proved to be that vital step to a much wider audience in Europe and America.
Yung Gravy – Gasanova LP (Republic)
The second album from the platinum rapper includes features from Ski Mask The Slump God, TrippyThaKid, Bobby Raps, Young Dolph, bbno$, and Chief Keef.
Cassette:
Ariana Grande – Positions (Republic)
Released in October of last year, the singer’s sixth studio album Positions is now available as a ‘sonic grey’ color cassette. Grande worked with a variety of producers on the album, including Tommy Brown, Anthony M. Jones, London on da Track, Murda Beatz, the Rascals, Scott Storch, Shea Taylor and Charles Anderson, accompanied by longtime co-writers Victoria Monét and Tayla Parx.
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