Social Media Program Titles Released This Week:
No social media program titles released this week.
July Marketing Program/ Banner/ Listening Station Titles Promoted This Week:
Marina Allen – Candlepower CD/LP+MP3 (Fire)
Marina Allen glides on angelic highs, surfing the husky deep; she is one of the great new voices of her generation. Writing songs that carry notes from other realms; these are kitchen table tales about love and fear, the capturing of the wild heart, sketching the breaking of dawn, bringing real life back to life. Every song on her stunning debut album Candlepower is a tick box of influences, asides, inspirations, quickfire theories, storylines and melodic progressions that galvanize a chemical reaction for each dramatic scene that unfolds on this genre-traversing seven song epic.
At The Gates – The Nightmare Of Being CD/LP/2xCD+Book/2xLP+3xCD (Century Media)
The undisputed masters of Swedish death metal deliver what can only be described as the finest album of their career to date. A concept album that explores the dark revelations contained in pessimist philosophy, The Nightmare Of Being unveils a newly liberated and adventurous At The Gates, via some of the bravest and most mesmerizing material they have ever written. Quite unlike anything the band has previously released, The Nightmare Of Being plumbs existential depths and conjures some profound questions for anyone bold enough to engage. [The deluxe expanded vinyl edition features the album on color vinyl, the band’s Live At Roadburn set on CD and LP, an instrumental version of the album on CD, and four art prints and a poster. The deluxe CD edition is packaged in a mediabook digipak and includes the Live At Roadburn set. A limited-edition indie-store exclusive vinyl edition is also available.]
Bobby Gillespie & Jehnny Beth – Utopian Ashes CD (Third Man)
“During the course of a 35-year career, ‘sensitive’ and ‘mature’ are not adjectives that have often been wheeled out to describe Bobby Gillespie’s lyrics. Indeed, the Primal Scream lead singer’s canon of work has generally favored MC5-lite rebel posturing over insight and depth. All of which makes this collaboration with former Savages frontwoman Jehnny Beth such a welcome surprise. The pair have written a set of songs located within the wreckage of a marriage that is falling apart, with both parties torn between looking back with remorse and nostalgia on what’s been lost and moving on and making a new start alone. Recorded with Gillespie’s Scream bandmates, as well as Beth’s regular foil Johnny Hostile, as much care has gone into the arrangements as the lyrics.” – The Guardian [Vinyl edition due September 24.]
Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers – Angel Dream: Songs and Music From The Motion Picture She’s The One) CD/LP (WB)
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the release of She’s The One, Warner Bros. presents a remixed, remastered and re-imagined version of the album. The original album included several songs that were left off the original Wildflowers album (recently included as the All The Rest disc in the Wildflowers & All The Rest reissue), so this re-release is an appropriate ending to the campaign celebrating the Wildflowers-era. Ryan Ulyate (Tom’s longtime engineer and producer) has remixed the audio, and the song selection is designed to work as a Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers album, rather than a soundtrack album. Four unreleased tracks have been added: the rocker “105 Degrees” (written by Petty), a cover of JJ Cale’s “Thirteen Days”, “One Of Life’s Little Mysteries” (another Petty original), and an instrumental (“French Disconnection”) in the same vein as the instrumentals on the original album. An extended version of “Supernatural Radio” is also included.
Bebe Rexha – Better Mistakes CD (WB)
Singer-songwriter Bebe Rexha’s sophomore album features guest contributions by Doja Cat, Travis Barker, Lil Uzi Vert, Lunay, Ty Dolla $ign, Rick Ross and more “Better Mistakes is by far the most challenging yet fulfilling project I have ever worked on. I wrote, recorded, re-wrote, re-recorded and then repeated that process in order to deliver an album that truly reflects who I am as a singer, songwriter and most importantly as an artist. I want to give listeners a journey of pop paradise fused with elements of rock and hip-hop. It’s important to me that my music continues to recognize ongoing themes of vulnerability, the cycle of self-destruction & self-realization, and female empowerment.” [Vinyl edition due this Fall.)
CDs + Vinyl:
3MB featuring Magic Juan Atkins – 3MB featuring Magic Juan Atkins [Reissue/1992] CD/2xLP (Tresor)
Initially released in 1992, Juan Atkins joined forces with Moritz von Oswald and Thomas Fehlmann for the second iteration of the latter duo’s 3 Men in Berlin project, producing a monumental collaboration between Berlin and Detroit that profoundly affected the path forward for techno music.
Marina Allen – Candlepower CD/LP+MP3 (Fire)
Marina Allen glides on angelic highs, surfing the husky deep; she is one of the great new voices of her generation. Writing songs that carry notes from other realms; these are kitchen table tales about love and fear, the capturing of the wild heart, sketching the breaking of dawn, bringing real life back to life. Every song on her stunning debut album Candlepower is a tick box of influences, asides, inspirations, quickfire theories, storylines and melodic progressions that galvanize a chemical reaction for each dramatic scene that unfolds on this genre-traversing seven song epic.
Asia – Aurora: Best Of Live CD/LP (Scarlet)
A selection of live greatest hits recorded in 1992 and 1997.
At The Gates – The Nightmare Of Being CD/LP/2xCD+Book/2xLP+3xCD (Century Media)
The undisputed masters of Swedish death metal deliver what can only be described as the finest album of their career to date. A concept album that explores the dark revelations contained in pessimist philosophy, The Nightmare Of Being unveils a newly liberated and adventurous At The Gates, via some of the bravest and most mesmerizing material they have ever written. Quite unlike anything the band has previously released, The Nightmare Of Being plumbs existential depths and conjures some profound questions for anyone bold enough to engage. [The deluxe expanded vinyl edition features the album on color vinyl, the band’s Live At Roadburn set on CD and LP, an instrumental version of the album on CD, and four art prints and a poster. The deluxe CD edition is packaged in a mediabook digipak and includes the Live At Roadburn set. A limited-edition indie-store exclusive vinyl edition is also available.]
Martin Barre and John Carter – Winter Setting CD/LP (Cleopatra)
Legendary guitarist for rock icons Jethro Tull, Martin Barre, teams up with songwriter, John Carter. Features highlights from Carter’s two album – 1997’s Spirit Flying Free and 1999’s Clean The Page. Barre’s dexterous and melodic playing is a perfect complement to Carter’s rich songs. [A limited-edition white color vinyl pressing is also available.]
Born Of Osoris – Angel Or Alien CD/LP (Sumerian)
Sixth album from the Illinois-based progressive metalcore band. [An ultra-clear with neon pink & black splatter color vinyl pressing is also available.
Crack The Sky – Between The Cracks CD/2xLP (Carry On Music)
The prog rock band selected their favorite tracks “that got away” from the albums they released between 1983-2015 for the compilation Between The Cracks.
Cub Scout Bowling Pins – Clang Clang Ho CD/LP (Guided By Voice)
Cub Scout Bowling Pins hop in the Magic Taxi, turn on the AM radio and time travel 40 to 45 years back in time. The project is mysteriously presented, but it’s a thinly veiled alias of the ridiculously prolific and talented Guided By Voices. Minus the usual punk and prog influences, there are strong whiffs of bubble gum, psych and soft rock with sugary doses of ornate baroque pop.
Bobby Gillespie & Jehnny Beth – Utopian Ashes CD (Third Man)
“During the course of a 35-year career, ‘sensitive’ and ‘mature’ are not adjectives that have often been wheeled out to describe Bobby Gillespie’s lyrics. Indeed, the Primal Scream lead singer’s canon of work has generally favored MC5-lite rebel posturing over insight and depth. All of which makes this collaboration with former Savages frontwoman Jehnny Beth such a welcome surprise. The pair have written a set of songs located within the wreckage of a marriage that is falling apart, with both parties torn between looking back with remorse and nostalgia on what’s been lost and moving on and making a new start alone. Recorded with Gillespie’s Scream bandmates, as well as Beth’s regular foil Johnny Hostile, as much care has gone into the arrangements as the lyrics.” – The Guardian [Vinyl edition due September 24.]
The Go! Team – Get Up Sequences Part One CD/LP+MP3 (Memphis Industries)
The Go! Team has created a musical world distinctly of their own making here. A place where routine is outlawed, and perfection is the enemy. Where Ennio Morricone meets the Monkees armed with flutes, glockenspiels, steel drums and a badass analogue attitude. We’re talking widescreen, four-track, channel hopping sounds that are instantly recognizable.
Kool Keith – Keith’s Salon CD/LP (Logistic)
Written with a libidinal urgency that has come to characterize Kool Keith’s legendary lyricism, Keith’s Salon explores our current obsessions with luxury, beauty, and notoriety. But rather than fetishize the beautiful dum-dums who walk red carpets in black Prada gowns, Kool Keith’s most recent studio album shifts our attention to the work and workers that underpin our fantasies of American excess and the good life. As such, the album is also a timely meditation, during quarantine, on the economic precarity many of us now find ourselves in.
Lord Of The Lost – Judas CD (Napalm)
Seventh album from the German dark and emotive gothic rock band.
Richard Marx – Stories To Tell: Greatest Hits And More CD (BMG)
Remastered tracks along with demos, live recordings and a 2021 version of “Hold On To The Nights”.
Michael Mayo – Bones CD (Artistry Music)
Still in his early 20s, singer-composer Michael Mayo has developed his own lush, neo-soul sound that adroitly showcases his clear tenor, which glides over luxuriant clouds of his multi-tracked vocals.
Joni Mitchell – The Reprise Albums (1968-1971) 4xCD/4xLP (Rhino)
The Reprise Years (1968-1971) features newly remastered versions of Joni Mitchell’s first four studio albums – Song To A Seagull (1968), Clouds (1969), Ladies Of The Canyon (1970), and Blue (1971). In the case of Song To A Seagull, the original mix has been recently updated by Mitchell and mixer Matt Lee. The cover art for the set features a previously unseen self-portrait Mitchell drew during the time period and includes an essay by Grammy winning singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile.
Mourning Noise – Mourning Noise CD/LP (Cleopatra)
Vintage hardcore punk rock from longtime member of Danzig and formerly of Samhain, Steve Zing. [A limited-edition multi-color vinyl pressing is also available.]
Nanowar Of Steel – Italian Folk Metal CD (Napalm)
Parody metal powerhouse Nanowar Of Steel turns to the musical roots of their homeland, bringing heavy new life to traditional Italian music on their new album Italian Folk Metal.
Carlos Niño & Friends – More Energy Fields, Current CD/LP (Internation Anthem)
A definitive new peak in the recorded continuum of prolific producer/percussionist Carlos Niño, elegantly presented in his unique ‘Spiritual, Improvisational, Space Collage’ style. Featuring contributions from more than a dozen exciting voices from the creative music constellation of Los Angeles.
Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers – Angel Dream: Songs and Music From The Motion Picture She’s The One) CD/LP (WB)
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the release of She’s The One, Warner Bros. presents a remixed, remastered and re-imagined version of the album. The original album included several songs that were left off the original Wildflowers album (recently included as the All The Rest disc in the Wildflowers & All The Rest reissue), so this re-release is an appropriate ending to the campaign celebrating the Wildflowers-era. Ryan Ulyate (Tom’s longtime engineer and producer) has remixed the audio, and the song selection is designed to work as a Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers album, rather than a soundtrack album. Four unreleased tracks have been added: the rocker “105 Degrees” (written by Petty), a cover of JJ Cale’s “Thirteen Days”, “One Of Life’s Little Mysteries” (another Petty original), and an instrumental (“French Disconnection”) in the same vein as the instrumentals on the original album. An extended version of “Supernatural Radio” is also included.
Queen – Greatest Hits [Reissue/1981] CD/Cassette (Hollywood)
Queen’s Greatest Hits was originally released in 1981 and remains the best-selling album of all time in the UK with over six million copies sold. Featuring the original UK track listing with 17 hits including “Bohemian Rhapsody”, “Another One Bites The Dust”, “Crazy Little Thing Called Love”, “Don’t Stop Me Now”, “We Are The Champions”, and more.
Reinforcer – Prince Of The Tribes CD (Scarlet)
The five-piece from Paderborn, Germany combine classic heavy metal with an epic power metal approach full of dual lead guitars and heroic melodies. [Vinyl edition due July 16.]
Bebe Rexha – Better Mistakes CD (WB)
Singer-songwriter Bebe Rexha’s sophomore album features guest contributions by Doja Cat, Travis Barker, Lil Uzi Vert, Lunay, Ty Dolla $ign, Rick Ross and more “Better Mistakes is by far the most challenging yet fulfilling project I have ever worked on. I wrote, recorded, re-wrote, re-recorded and then repeated that process in order to deliver an album that truly reflects who I am as a singer, songwriter and most importantly as an artist. I want to give listeners a journey of pop paradise fused with elements of rock and hip-hop. It’s important to me that my music continues to recognize ongoing themes of vulnerability, the cycle of self-destruction & self-realization, and female empowerment.” [Vinyl edition due this Fall.)
Stubborn Heart – Made Of Static CD/LP (One Little Independent)
Returning with their first new music in eight years, Stubborn Heart release their anticipated new album Made Of Static. Luca Santucci and Ben Fitzgerald, who have spent the last few years developing the ten brooding electro-soul tracks that make up the successor to their lauded 2012 self-titled debut, have once again struck a fine balance between ominous synth-soundscapes and introspective songwriting.
Ike & Tina Turner – Bolic Sound Sessions 2xCD (Sunset Blvd.)
Following the success of Ike & Tina Turner, Turner had the finances to create his own recording studio which he called Bolic Sound. The name Bolic derived from the maiden name of his then wife Tina Turner (née Bullock). The studio was previously a furniture store which Turner bought as a shell and had it fully renovated. The facilities began being used for Turner productions in 1970 before opening for business in March 1972. Billboard magazine described Bolic Sound as “one of the most ornate recording plants in the world.” Bolic Sound eventually burnt to the ground under mysterious circumstances, but not before Ike produced a plethora of tracks for himself and Tina Turner.
Various Artists – Soul Jazz Presents: Fire Over Babylon: Dread, Peace And Conscious Sounds At Studio One CD/LP (Soul Jazz)
A stellar selection of ‘70s roots music – classic and rare tracks recorded at Clement Dodd’s musical empire at 13 Brentford Road in the 1970s. Featured here are seminal artists such as Freddie McGregor, The Wailing Souls, The Gladiators, Horace Andy, Devon Russell, Cedric Brooks, Count Ossie, Judah Eskender Tafari alongside a host of lesser-known rare cuts made at Studio One from artists such as The Prospectors, Viceroys and Pablove Black.
Bella White – Just Like Leaving CD (Rounder)
Just Like Leaving bears a powerful authenticity that prompted Rolling Stone to praise White’s songwriting as sublime Appalachian heartbreak. In sculpting the album’s sparse but lushly detailed sound, White worked with a lineup of musicians she encountered through years of making the rounds at roots-music festivals, including Reed Stutz on mandolin/vocals; Julian Pinelli on fiddle/vocals, and Robert Alan Mackie on bass. [Vinyl edition due September 24.]
Witch Of The Vale – Commemorate CD/LP (Cleopatra)
Ethereal and haunting, Scottland’s Witch Of The Vale release their debut full-length. [A limited-edition red color vinyl pressing is also available.]
Year Of No Light – Consolamentum CD/LP (Pelagic)
Year Of No Light’s lengthy, sprawling compositions of towering walls of guitars and somber synths irradiate a sense of dire solemnity and spiritual gravity, and couldn’t be a more fitting soundtrack for such grim medieval scenarios. But there is also the element of absolution, regeneration, elevation, transcendence in the face of death. Consolamentum is dense, rich and lush and yet somehow feels starved and deprived.
This Week’s Vinyl Exclusives:
Action/Adventure – Pulling Focus LP (Pure Noise)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. There’s a big pop punk revival happening right now, and one of the genre’s most promising newer bands is Chicago’s Action/Adventure. Their new album Pulling Focus is unabashedly catchy, glossy pop punk with a hardcore/emo edge in the vein of early 2000s Drive-Thru Records or early 2010s stuff like The Wonder Years.
Alien Ant Farm – Smooth Criminal 7” (Cleopatra)
Limited edition 7” vinyl single of the alt-metal Michael Jackson cover that became a staple on radio stations across the nation, recently recorded and updated for modern rock lovers. The B-side is a remix from industrial metal pioneers Die Krupps. Available in your choice of green or purple vinyl.
Atheist – Jupiter [Reissue/2010] LP (Season Of Mist)
Limited color vinyl pressing. After seventeen years, progressive aggressive forefathers Atheist reemerged more massive than ever with Jupiter, a landmark 2010 return to earth of sonically gargantuan proportions.
Black Juju – Purple Flower – Garden Black LP (Sleazy Rider)
Greek band Black Juju sound like the classic hard and heavy rock of the ‘70s-‘80s era, in the vein of the great Black Sabbath.
Black River Delta – Shakin’ LP (Sofaburn)
Black River Delta is an alternative rock band originating from Bollnäs, Sweden. Their raw blues rock sound draws from classic blues legends like Robert Johnson, the raw style of R. L. Burnside and modern artists as The Black Keys, Gary Clark Jr. and BRMC.
Candy John Carr – The Candy John Album LP (Ship To Shore Media)
40 years in the making, The Candy John Album is the debut, solo outing from celebrated singer/songwriter and legendary Donovan percussionist.
A Certain Ratio – ACR:EPC 12” (Mute)
Limited cornflower blue color vinyl pressing. ACR:EPC is the second in a trilogy of EPs by A Certain Ratio and is dedicated to longtime ACR friend Andrew Weatherall. This EP features collaborations with Emperor Machine, Maria Uzor from Sink Ya Teeth, Jacknife Lee, and Chris Massey. It will be followed by ACR:EPR and comes after the band’s acclaimed album ACR Loco and ahead of a nationwide tour.
Chat Pile – This Dungeon Earth / Remove Your Skin Please LP (Reptilian)
A grotesque and pummeling brand of noise rock. Two 2019 EPs compiled onto one LP.
Conan – Live At Freak Valley 2xLP (Napalm)
Heavily distorted and down-tuned sounds turn the legendary fields of the German Freak Valley Festival into madness.
Larry Coryell and Eleventh House – At Montreux [Reissue/1978] LP (Culture Factory)
Limited-edition red & yellow translucent color vinyl pressing. At Montreux was recorded live at the Montreux Jazz and Pop Festival, Montreux, Switzerland, July 4, 1974.
Crushed Velvet and The Velveteers – Love & Truth LP (Vintage League Music)
Alan Evans, multi-instrumentalist and co-founder of acclaimed band Soulive, releases a powerful soul album Love & Truth under his alter ego Crushed Velvet and The Velveteers. The album evokes the classic ‘60s and ‘70s soul and funk sound of Chicago, Detroit, Memphis and NYC. It blends a retro sound with a modern sensibility, strong songwriting and powerhouse vocals from the likes of Kim Dawson (Pimps Of Joytime), Saundra Williams (Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, Saun & Starr), Lyle Divinsky (The Motet), Yanick (After Funk), and Brother GoodLove (Aztec Sun).
Dead Meadow – Live At Roadburn 2011 LP (Roadburn Productions)
Maybe it’s 2020-2021’s effect of making one extra nostalgic for live music and the festival spirit, but the intervening decade has done nothing to dull the luster of Dead Meadow’s’ exemplary Live At Roadburn 2011. The renowned Dutch festival that year featured the likes of Zoroaster, Quest For Fire, Naam, Acid King and The Atomic Bitchwax… on the first day. L.A. by way of D.C. three-piece Dead Meadow played the last day, what was then called the Afterburner, and their slot could not have been more appropriate. Sandwiched between Coffins and evening headliners Black Mountain on the main stage, they offered a mellow-heavy hour that was utterly consuming.
Dealing With Damage – Ask The Questions LP (Rad Girlfriend)
Dealing with Damage’s debut full length album brims with anger and frustration, dealing with issues within the modern political climate. The bands post-hardcore sound is reminiscent of the sounds made famous by labels like Dischord in the ‘80s and ‘90s. The music ranges from harsh and dissonant hardcore to straight forward punk rock, taking cues from the more melodic bands of the late ‘80s UK hardcore scene, and even an Americana influenced acoustic track and a fitting tribute to a legend of the political movements of the 1960s.
The Deep Dark Woods – Changing Faces LP (Six Shooter)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. On Changing Faces, The Deep Dark Woods is an Atlantic folk revivalist collective. Ryan Boldt’s delicate melodies and metallic-stringed bite rattle centuries-old folkloric ghosts and personal demons alike. The Deep Dark Woods, a band with few fixed members, is a vessel for Boldt, keyboard wonder Geoff Hilhorst and frequent collaborators, Kacy & Clayton and Evan Cheadle, among others, to find their own vocabulary for translating traditional folk forms – Irish waltzes, Broadside Ballads, ominous lullabies – to contemporary electric terms.
DMX feat. Bootsy Collins, Steve Howe, and Ian Paice – X Moves 7” (Cleopatra)
One of the final recordings made by hip-hop legend DMX just before his death this year. The rapper joins three Rock N’ Roll Hall of Famers on this rock/rap hybrid that finds the gruff MC trading verses with Bootsy Collins, riding a guitar riff courtesy of Yes/Asia guitarist Steve Howe and powered by a drum groove from Deep Purple drummer Ian Paice. Two color vinyl pressings are available: silver and red.
Dying Wish – Innate Thirst b/w Enemies In Red 7” (SharpTone)
Limited swamp green & beer color vinyl pressing of the 2020 single from the Portland, OR hardcore band.
Essenger – After Dark LP (Fixt)
Debut album from the pioneering synthwave artist. By building cinematic synthscapes with a dark, futuristic edge and infusing them with personal lyrics and songwriting touches, Essenger has crafted an immersive and beautifully produced recording that is unlike anything else in the synthwave genre.
William Fitzsimmons – Ready The Astronaut LP (Nettwerk)
Limited color vinyl pressing. The appeal of William Fitzsimmons’ sound is indicative of his unique upbringing and consequent life experience. Over the course of his career, Fitzsimmons has made his living writing a specific brand of honest and inward-looking folk songs that fearlessly and candidly examine the evolving self while dexterously communicating his talent for robust melodies and catchy instrumentation.
Frankie and The Witch Fingers – Heavy Roller [Reissue/2016] LP (Greenway)
Limited clear vinyl pressing. Bubbling up from the psychedelic tar pits of L.A., Frankie and The Witch Fingers have been a constant source of primordial groove for the better part of the last decade. Formed and incubated in Bloomington, IN before moving west to scrap with Los Angeles’ garage rock rabble, the band evolved from cavern-clawed echo merchants to architects of prog-infected psych epics that evoke a shift in reality. [A color vinyl reissue of 2013’s Sidewalk due August 6.]
Chihei Hatakeyama – Late Spring LP (Gearbox)
Japanese musician Chihei Hatakeyama’s new album Late Spring gently unfolds as a shared journeying experience through a series of rich and outstanding encounters. From the cathedral organ-like opener “Breaking Dawn” with its sub-aqua resonances, to the subtle drift of the closing track “Twilight Sea”, the album is a masterpiece of dense and beatific melodies.
Dave Holland – Another Land LP (Edition)
Over the course of an over five-decade career, bassist/composer Dave Holland has never stopped evolving, reinventing his concept and approach with each new project while constantly honing his instantly identifiable voice. He returns here with a power-packed set and a new all-star trio of jazz heavyweights, featuring superstar guitarist Kevin Eubanks and drumming prodigy Obed Calvaire. The funky, rocky, powerful collection Another Land finds the writing credits spread between the three artists.
Horrendous – Idol [Reissue/2018] LP (Season Of Mist)
Limited color vinyl pressing. Horrendous exploded out of the underground with their incredible 2018 album Idol. Drawing inspiration from both personal and national crises, the album is a methodical and unapologetic take on dynamic, progressive death metal.
Howard Johnson/XL Middleton – Can’t Get Away From Your Love 12” (MoFunk)
A modern boogie smash much in the spirit of Johnson’s heralded work with Kashif & Paul Laurence in the ‘80s.
Chris LeDoux – Wyoming Cowboy: A Collection LP (Capitol Nashville)
Legendary entertainer and rodeo world champion Chris LeDoux’s life and legacy is celebrated on this vinyl collection of fan favorites, rarities, and live tracks.
L’Orange & Namir Blade – Imaginary Everything LP (Mello Music Group)
Namir Blade controls the clouds and the concrete. With the blink of a synapse, his imagination conjures elaborate visions of valleys of death, bad Tijuana dreams, and shotgun raids. In the next breath, he’s blowing off texts, rolling out of bed around noon, and crooning falsetto pleas about his willingness to change. The Nashville’ artist’s latest, Imaginary Everything is a work of teleportation and twisted fantasy, a wig-flipping blast of surrealism and slang editorials.
Lorna Shore – Flesh Coffin [Reissue/2017] LP (Century Media)
Lorna Shore’s unique signature aesthetic spans death metal, black metal, power metal, and progressive rock for a style that encompasses brutal breakdowns, dazzling technical passages, white-knuckle-ride dynamics, and rich textured moments.
Lustmord & Karin Park – Alter LP (Pelagic)
Nordic pop diva Karin Park of Arabrot adds her ethereal, mournful voice and keys to the primordial sound of legendary electronic pioneer Lustmord for this sublime and poignant collaboration.
Lycia – Ionia [Reissue/1991] 2xLP (Avantgarde Music)
The darkwave/goth project’s debut album is available for the first time on vinyl in two different color versions.
Marianas Rest – Fata Morgana 2xLP (Napalm)
Emerging from the Finnish coastal town of Kotka, melodic death metal band Marianas Rest unleash their third studio album.
Meeco – We Out Here LP (New Def)
Meeco is a French/German pianist, producer and composer based in Berlin, Germany as well as in Paris, France. He is also an active DJ and photographer and is an accomplished jazz musician who has recorded with many jazz greats. We Out Here, a pure hip-hop album with a star-studded line-up of rappers. All of the tracks were exclusively produced on the legendary EMU SP1200, a 12-bit sampler, providing a particular grit and signature boom bap sound.
Mello Music Group – Bushido LP (Mello Music)
In feudal Japan, the Bushido Code defined the way of the samurai. It was a blueprint to conduct warfare with honor: a system built upon the qualities of rectitude and courage, honor and loyalty. In the modern world, these historical tenets may seem antiquated, or sometimes even obsolete. But the power of tradition is resolute and unyielding. The art of the rugged drum and the razor tongued rap are timeless. This is Bushido, the latest Mello Music compilation gathering the current roster and the label’s closest brethren. As always, the core shoguns are present: Apollo Brown, Oddisee, Quelle Chris, L’Orange, Joell Ortiz, Skyzoo, and Homeboy Sandman.
Laura Mvula – Pink Noise LP (Atlantic)
One of the most exciting musical talents to come out of the UK, Laura Mvula returns with new album Pink Noise. The album is an example of her newly found light, still reflecting her distinctive signature sound – her inventive, atmospheric mix of R&B, jazz, classical, and pop – but also showing the progression of an artist who has come into her own. A blend of neo-soul meets art pop in a new cosmic realm filled with confessional lyricism and compelling synth pop.
Nadia & Atmospheer – Lemon Tree’s Anno ’69 [Reissue/1978] 3xLP (Elevation)
Folk singer Soedjarwoto Soemarsono aka Gombloh was one of the biggest names in Indonesia’s pop scene in the 1980s. Nadia & Atmospheer is his first art-rock project, mixing folk and psychedelic rock even early electronic and Krautrock elements.
Of Mice & Men – Timeless 10” (SharpTone)
White in clear with black splatter color vinyl. At its best, heavy music produces songs of escape and catharsis. Few bands demonstrate this ethos as powerfully as Of Mice & Men, the multifaceted metalcore machine whose mission is to make the soundtrack for every heartbreak, melancholic rumination, and moment of triumph.
Overkill – Feel The Fire [Reissue/1985] LP (Megaforce)
Overkill is synonymous with power, precision and perseverance. Across multiple decades, the pioneering powerhouse has shaped, refined and steadily broadened a determined style of blue-collar power metal, soaring melodic hard rock and genre-defining thrash built from steadfast, muscular pulls at their own proverbial bootstraps. It all started with their 1985 full-length debut, Feel The Fire.
Phish – Lawnboy [Reissue/1990] 2xLP (Jemp)
Double lawn color vinyl reissue of Phish’s second studio album.
Plunky and Oneness Of Juju – Make A Change [Reissue/1977] 2xLP (Strut)
The definitive edition of a 1977 funk/soul classic, Make A Change, featuring the international hit “Every Way But Loose” and five previously unheard studio takes.
Quivers – Golden Doubt LP (Ba Da Bing!)
Melbourne-via-Tasmanian four-piece Quivers first released their 2018 debut We’ll Go Riding On The Hearses as hand-made cassettes. The album dealt with singer Sam Nicholson’s loss of his brother in a freediving accident, and trying to not think about that, and often coming back to ghosts, benders, water, and pissing in the snow. Their life-damaged but hopeful jangle pop has only sharpened since then, and while 2021 follow-up Golden Doubt conjures up R.E.M. or The Clean, there is a lyrical directness that sets this record apart.
Raging Nathans – Waste My Heart LP (Rad Girlfriend)
The Raging Nathans are back with an album less than a year after their last full-length album and they have stepped it up in every way. Waste My Heart is their fourth studio album, and it sees a major development in the band’s songwriting. The ability to write 1 minute and 30 second punk rock rippers with anthemic choruses is now highlighted by their penchant for writing slightly more complex songs that blend intricate guitar work with the honest and introspective lyrics.
Rare Earth – Live In Chicago 2xLP (Culture Factory)
Limited-edition red color vinyl pressing. Live In Chicago was recorded at the Arie Crown Theater in in 1974 when Rare Earth was in its prime.
Rebelution – In The Moment 2xLP (Easy Star)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Recorded remotely in the midst of the pandemic, In The Moment is deliberate and wide-ranging, infusing the quartet’s soulful, exhilarating brand of modern reggae with addictive pop hooks, alt-rock grit, and hip-hop grooves. The performances are bold and self-assured, and the production is equally ambitious, drawing on swirling reverb and trippy delay to create an immersive sonic universe that’s both futuristic and vintage all at once. Strip away the intoxicating atmospherics, though, and what remains is a work of profound reflection, a probing, revelatory meditation that balances joy and introspection in equal measure as the band contemplates the meaning of time and how to spend what precious little we have.
Saves The Day – Through Being Cool [Reissue/1999] LP (Equal Vision)
Saves The Day released their debut album Can’t Slow Down in 1998 followed by Through Being Cool in 1999. With the latter, Saves The Day successfully upgraded their powerful sound with even better songwriting, propelling the band to the next level in the punk, indie and hardcore rock communities in the process.
Spiritualized – Pure Phase [Reissue/1995] 2xLP (Fat Possum)
Recently reissued on CD – now available on vinyl. Spiritualized’s second album, Pure Phase, showcases both a more symphonic sound as well as a dreamy rock grandeur. Think of Brian Wilson and La Monte Young recording together, and you’ll have a good idea of the Spiritualized totality. Pure Phase is both beautiful and innovative; more than just psychedelic, it’s celestial.
Strapping Young Lad – City [Reissue/1997] 2xLP (Listenable)
Strapping Young Lad – SYL [Reissue/2003] LP (Listenable)
Strapping Young Lad – Alien [Reissue/2005] 2xLP (Listenable)
Strapping Young Lad – The New Black [Reissue/2006] LP (Listenable)
Limited-edition color vinyl reissues. Strapping Young Lad was a Canadian extreme metal band formed by Devin Townsend in Vancouver in 1994. Their music was characterized by the use of polyrhythmic guitar riffing and drumming, blast beats and wall of sound production.
Hound Dog Taylor & The HouseRockers – Natural Boogie [Reissue/1974] LP+MP3 (Alligator)
Natural Boogie is the wild and dangerous second album of intense, smoldering, raw electric blues from slide guitar master Hound Dog Taylor and his ragged but right HouseRockers, originally issued on Alligator in 1974. Playing an ultra-cheap Japanese guitar plugged into his cracked-speaker Sears Silvertone amp with Brewer Phillips playing bass lines on his old Fender and Ted Harvey pounding away at the drums, this three-piece blues band made a lot of wonderful noise.
Toyan with Tipper Lee + Johnny Slaughter – Murder [Reissue/1983] LP (Burning Sounds)
Producer Jah Thomas Toyan aka Ranking Toyan (born Byron Letts, died 1991) was a Jamaican reggae deejay active since the mid-1970s and best known for his early 1980s recordings.
Tristen – Aquatic Flowers LP (Mama Bird)
Aquatic Flowers, the fourth full-length from beloved Nashville songwriter Tristen, brims with incisive pop-folk tracks ruminating on the ways we attempt to feel in control in a chaotic world, the past that informs us, and how to let go in order to grow.
Tsunami Bomb – Dead Man’s Party b/w Out Of Touch 7” (Kung Fu)
A special 7” from Northern California power punk favorites. Two energetic covers – the Oingo Boingo cover that originally appeared on the 2019 Punk Rock Halloween II compilation and the newly recorded B-side, the ’80s Hall & Oates classic “Out Of Touch”. Available on purple or blue color vinyl.
The Twinkle Brothers – Rasta Pon Top [Reissue/1975] LP (Burning Sounds)
Red color vinyl reissue of a roots reggae classic.
Ellen Andrea Wang – Closeness LP (Ropeadope)
Ellen Andrea Wang’s third studio album, Closeness, features Wang on double bass and vocals, with Rob Luft on guitar and Jon Fält on Drums. In what now seems prescient, the album is an adventurous mix of traditional spirituals, soothing in their delivery, longing and personal compositions, and two carefully selected covers from Ornette Coleman (“Lonely Woman”) and Pat Metheny (“This Is Not America”). The connection between the musicians is quite evident as they approach each song with patience and absolute care for the art.
Haley Whitters – Living The Dream LP (Big Loud)
A deluxe vinyl edition of the rising country star’s 2020 album, expanded with five new songs.
:wumpscut: – Fledermaus 303 LP (Metropolis)
After 25 years as one of the most influential and prolific electro-industrial artists, 2017 saw :wumpscut: go dormant. Now, after four years of silence, :wumpscut: returns with Fledermaus 303. All songs on the album feature sounds from the classic Roland TB 303 synth, blended with malevolent dark electro.
Wytch – Exordium LP (Ripple Music)
Doom laden heavy metal from the band formerly known as Aska.
Xinxin – Xinxin LP (Preference)
A deep groove runs central throughout Xinxin’s self-titled debut record. The band is always in conversation, emphatically exploring the space around the pocket as the songs slowly bloom.
Zhrine – Unortheta [Reissue/2016] LP (Season Of Mist)
Limited-edition color vinyl reissue. Icelandic metal cult Zhrine (featuring members of Svartidaudi and formerly named Shrine) unleashed a monolithic slab of death with their 2016 album Unortheta. An imposing beast of an album, Unortheta is a twisted mass of dense and atonal riffing among some of the genre’s most elegant and cinematic arrangements.
Jeremy Zucker/Chelsea Cutler – brent ii 12” (Republic)
After receiving widespread critical acclaim, singers, songwriters and producers Jeremy Zucker and Chelsea Cutler release their new five-song EP, brent ii.
Cassette:
Queen – Greatest Hits [Reissue/1981] (Hollywood)
Queen’s Greatest Hits was originally released in 1981 and remains the best-selling album of all time in the UK with over six million copies sold. Featuring the original UK track listing with 17 hits including “Bohemian Rhapsody”, “Another One Bites The Dust”, “Crazy Little Thing Called Love”, “Don’t Stop Me Now”, “We Are The Champions”, and more.
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