Marketing Program/ Banner/ Listening Station Titles Promoted This Week:
Black Label Society – Doom Crew Inc. CD/2xLP (eONE)
Black Label Society build their music on this simple truth, truth as self-evident on Back In Black as on the dozen songs comprising Doom Crew Inc., the eleventh album from the dependable stalwarts. Doom Crew Inc. is both a tribute to the band’s “first to bleed, last to leave” road crew and a salute to the legion whose support, stretching back to 1998, rivals that of the KISS Army. The Black Label Society biker-style battle vest “kutte” is as ubiquitous at hard rock and metal shows as a black t-shirt. Doom Crew Inc. is the fourth BLS album created at the Black Vatican, the studio built at the Zakk Wylde residence in 2010. [A limited-edition indie store exclusive clear & black ice with grey/white splatter color in color vinyl pressing is available.’
Cynic – Ascension Codes CD/2xLP (Season Of Mist)
Cynic makes its long-awaited return with Ascension Codes, the highly anticipated follow up to 2014’s critically acclaimed Kindly Bent To Free Us. Ascension Codes is the latest evolution in Cynic’s legendary career as the band is now fully immersed within the progressive rock genre, once again exploring new territory and pushing the boundaries as they boldly step outside their comfort zone to reach a new apex of musical proficiency. The album takes the listener on a cosmic journey through space and time, balancing polished technicality and moments of peaceful ambience, creating a dynamic experience that is filled with both bright energy and calming peacefulness.
Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit – Georgia Blue CD/2xLP (Southeastern)
“Georgia Blue is a labor of love. On election day 2020, when I saw that there was a good chance the state of Georgia might go blue, I came up with an idea: to record an album of Georgia-related songs as a thank you to the state and donate the money to a Georgia-based non-profit organization. I will admit my motivations were a bit selfish. For years, I’ve been looking for an excuse to record these songs with my band and some friends. The songs on this album are some of my favorite Georgia-related songs, but the tracklist is not meant to be comprehensive. I would love to cover Outkast and 2 Chainz, but I don’t think the finished product would be very good. We’re a rock band, so we covered rock songs. We have roots in blues and R&B, so we enlisted some brilliant artists to help us pull off songs by Precious Bryant, James Brown, and Gladys Knight. My favorite part of the Georgia Blue recording process was having the opportunity to work with these very special artists, and I thank them: Amanda Shires, Brittney Spencer, Adia Victoria, Brandi Carlile, Julien Baker, Bèla Fleck, Chris Thile, Steve Gorman, Peter Levin, and John Paul White. I hope you enjoy listening to these recordings as much as we enjoyed making them. Keep listening to good music and fighting the good fight.” [Special RSD Black Friday vinyl pressing is also available.]
Vanishing Twin – Ookii Gekkou CD/LP+MP3 (Fingertips)
Released 11/12/21 – Title promoted this week as part of December/January Program. Vanishing Twin explore new ground on ‘Ookii Gekkou’ incorporating elements of Afrofunk, outer jazz and avant-garde, all while referencing Sun Ra to Alice Coltrane, Martin Denny to Morricone, Can’s Holger Czukay to meditative Gamelan, or The Free Design, to library music of the late ’60s and early ’70s. Locked into their strangely accessible groove is a history of ‘other’ sound, a crafted hauntology that evinces something completely new.
Additional Social Media Program Titles Released This Week:
No additional SM titles release this week.
CDs + Vinyl:
Archgoat – Worship The Eternal Darkness CD/LP (Debemur Morti Productions)
The band’s patented synthesis of occult Finnish black/death metal, harsh punk, primal thrash and grindcore is tempered here with elements of melodic dynamism: a rhythmic crush less unrelenting, horror show vocals slightly more intelligible, a production shorn of murk highlighting potent synth-sorcery and welcome NWOBHM influences, not least guitar solos of old-school finesse.
Between You & Me – Armageddon CD/LP (Hopeless)
Released last week on neon magenta color vinyl – CD edition now available. Armageddon is a testament to perseverance as the band had just cracked ground on building this album when the global lockdowns due to the Covid Pandemic hit. They rallied together to still create amazing songs and stories with the help of Sam Guaiana at the helm as producer.
Black Label Society – Doom Crew Inc. CD/2xLP (eONE)
Black Label Society build their music on this simple truth, truth as self-evident on Back In Black as on the dozen songs comprising Doom Crew Inc., the eleventh album from the dependable stalwarts. Doom Crew Inc. is both a tribute to the band’s “first to bleed, last to leave” road crew and a salute to the legion whose support, stretching back to 1998, rivals that of the KISS Army. The Black Label Society biker-style battle vest “kutte” is as ubiquitous at hard rock and metal shows as a black t-shirt. Doom Crew Inc. is the fourth BLS album created at the Black Vatican, the studio built at the Zakk Wylde residence in 2010. [A limited-edition indie store exclusive clear & black ice with grey/white splatter color in color vinyl pressing is available.’
David Bowie – Brilliant Adventure (1992-2001) 11xCD/18xLP (Rhino/Parlophone)
The latest in an award-winning and critically acclaimed series of box sets, David Bowie Brilliant Adventure is available as an eleven CD box set and eighteen-piece vinyl box set. The collection is named after the Koto led instrumental penultimate track from the ‘hours…’ album. Along with the remastered albums Black Tie White Noise, The Buddha Of Suburbia, 1.Outside, Earthling, ‘hours…’, and BBC Radio Theatre, London, June 27, 2000, each set includes a wealth of singles, edits, single versions, B-sides and soundtrack music, along with in-depth booklets.
Cynic – Ascension Codes CD/2xLP (Season Of Mist)
Cynic makes its long-awaited return with Ascension Codes, the highly anticipated follow up to 2014’s critically acclaimed Kindly Bent To Free Us. Ascension Codes is the latest evolution in Cynic’s legendary career as the band is now fully immersed within the progressive rock genre, once again exploring new territory and pushing the boundaries as they boldly step outside their comfort zone to reach a new apex of musical proficiency. The album takes the listener on a cosmic journey through space and time, balancing polished technicality and moments of peaceful ambience, creating a dynamic experience that is filled with both bright energy and calming peacefulness.
Richard Dawson & Circle – Helsinki CD/2xLP (Weird World)
Henki is the epic joint record from Richard Dawson, the diminutive Geordie troubadour, and Circle, the genre-straddling pioneers of The New Wave Of Finnish Heavy Metal. Unlike any metal album you have heard before, Henki’s seven tracks deal with special plants throughout history, making it the greatest flora-themed hypno-folk-metal record you’ll hear this year.
Deep Purple – Turning To Crime CD/2xLP (earMUSIC)
After five decades of records made chiefly of original material, Deep Purple’s 22nd studio album consists solely of songs written and previously recorded by other artists: a criminal offense commonly described by the rock police and purists Grand Jury as “doing covers.” Studio recordings of songs previously released by Love, Huey “Piano” Smith, Fleetwood Mac, Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels, Bob Dylan, Ray Charles & Quincy Jones, Little Feat, The Yardbirds, Lonnie Donegan/ Johnny Horton, Bob Seger System, Cream, plus the “Caught In The Act” medley feat. songs by Freddie King, Booker T. and the M.G.’s, The Allman Brothers Band, Led Zeppelin and The Spencer Davis Group came to life with the band, for the first time in their career, recording them while not being in the same room. Turning To Crime is Deep Purple enjoying playing music without commercial plans nor losing their edge and drive.
Eternity’s End – Embers Of War CD/LP (Prosthetic)
Embers Of War, the new album from Christian Muenzner’s Eternity’s End features twin guitar solos reminiscent of Racer X and Cacophony, and bombastic choruses in the vein of Iron Savior and Blind Guardian. Combined with theatrics and story-telling chops that would make King Diamond proud, the results are nothing short of fantastical. Eternity’s End set out to embrace all the over-the-top elements of power metal and blend them with enough technicality and nods towards classic heavy metal to make an album irresistible to headbangers around the globe. [A limited-edition red w/ black color vinyl pressing is also available.]
Daryl Hall & John Oates – Live At The Troubador 2xCD/3xLP (BMG)
Recorded in May 2008, Live At The Troubadour sees Daryl Hall and John Oates return to the legendary Los Angeles venue they first played as a support act in the ‘70s. The set sees the duo delve into their extensive back catalogue, delighting fans with nearly two hours of hits reimagined in a stripped back format, laying bare the beauty of their classic songwriting and mastery of their craft as live performers. The recording includes incredible live performances of “Maneater”, “Out Of Touch”, “You Make My Dream” and many more.
Baligh Hamdi – Modal Instrumental Pop Of 1970s Egypt CD/2xLP (Sublime Frequencies)
Modal instrumental tracks from Baligh Hamdi – one of the most important Arabic composers of the 20th Century (writing for legends Umm Kalthum, Abdel Halim Hafez, Sabah, Warda, and many others). Features his legendary group the Diamond Orchestra with Omar Khorshid on guitar, Magdi al-Husseini on organ, Samir Sourour on saxophone, and Faruq Salama on accordion. All these musicians were discovered and recruited by Hamdi to interpret his vision of a modernized, hybrid Arabic music. Under Hamdi’s direction, this orchestra charted a new melodic direction and created a new musical language.
Ryan Hamilton –1221 CD (Wicked Cool)
Composed of singles Hamilton released over the course of 2021, 1221 is yet another example of his talent as a singer, songwriter, and musician.
Helmet – Live And Rare CD/LP (earMUSIC)
Live archive release. On January 27th, 1990, Helmet entered the stage of New York’s equally famous and infamous CBGB’s. What followed was an explosive live show, set during the earliest days of the band’s career. Getting ready to release their debut album Strap It On in March that year, Helmet propelled themselves through a staccato-heavy set of tracks that would soon earn them worldwide acclaim in the punk scene.
Insane Clown Posse – Yum Yum Bedlam CD (Psychopathic)
The 16th studio album by horrorcore duo is is the fifth Joker Card in the second Deck of the Dark Carnival Saga. Features the single “Wretched”.
Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit – Georgia Blue CD/2xLP (Southeastern)
“Georgia Blue is a labor of love. On election day 2020, when I saw that there was a good chance the state of Georgia might go blue, I came up with an idea: to record an album of Georgia-related songs as a thank you to the state and donate the money to a Georgia-based non-profit organization. I will admit my motivations were a bit selfish. For years, I’ve been looking for an excuse to record these songs with my band and some friends. The songs on this album are some of my favorite Georgia-related songs, but the tracklist is not meant to be comprehensive. I would love to cover Outkast and 2 Chainz, but I don’t think the finished product would be very good. We’re a rock band, so we covered rock songs. We have roots in blues and R&B, so we enlisted some brilliant artists to help us pull off songs by Precious Bryant, James Brown, and Gladys Knight. My favorite part of the Georgia Blue recording process was having the opportunity to work with these very special artists, and I thank them: Amanda Shires, Brittney Spencer, Adia Victoria, Brandi Carlile, Julien Baker, Bèla Fleck, Chris Thile, Steve Gorman, Peter Levin, and John Paul White. I hope you enjoy listening to these recordings as much as we enjoyed making them. Keep listening to good music and fighting the good fight.” [Special RSD Black Friday vinyl pressing is also available.]
The Jazz Butcher – Dr Cholmondley Repents: A-sides, B-Sides and Seasides 4xCD (Fire)
Limited edition bookback set gathering A-sides, the would-be hits along with B-sides, tangential 12” tracks (the C-sides), and an excellent session for Los Angeles radio station KCRW from 1989. Includes over a dozen indie chart hits including “Southern Mark Smith”, “Girl Go”, “The Human Jungle”, “16 Years” plus a host of truly eclectic Butcher tunes from his early Glass recordings through his time at Creation. This collection follows the much praised The Wasted Years covering his time at Glass and The Violent Years at Creation expanded CD sets. An essential alternative world view, tracing pop culture through the kaleidoscope of the ’80s and beyond, filled with a unique brand of wit and wisdom.
Christian McBride & Inside Straight – Live At The Village Vanguard CD/2xLP (Mack Avenue)
Christian McBride returns with his Inside Straight quintet for a new recording called Live At The Village Vanguard. This is the third album for Inside Straight, but it’s only their first live record – even though the band was originally formed purely for a live setting.
The Meteors – Doing The Lord’s Work [Reissue/2012] CD/LP (Svarte)
Over more than three decades, The Meteors have been fiercely carrying the banner of pure psychobilly. Raucous, die-hard and wildly entertaining mix of rockabilly, country, surf and punk rock combined with horror themes, 2012’s Doing The Lord’s Work would be the perfect accompaniment during a visit to the bar in Dusk Til Dawn, or a night hammering tequila and breaking the law. [A limited-edition color vinyl pressing is also available.]
Midnight – No Mercy For Mayhem [Reissue/2014] CD/LP (Metal Blade)
Midnight – Sweet Death And Ecstasy [Reissue/2017] CD/LP (Metal Blade)
There’s no current band who can mainline classic heavy metal, hard-charging punk rock, and grimy rock ‘n’ roll quite like Midnight. [Limited-edition color vinyl pressings are also available.]
Negură Bunget – Zău CD/CD+DVD/LP (Prophecy)
Final album from Negură Bunget (which translates to ‘dark foggy forest’), a Romanian folk/atmospheric black metal band. [A limited-edition white color vinyl pressing is also available.]
The Ocean – Phanerozoic Live 2xCD+DVD/3xLP (Pelagic)
The Berliners present an unusual live album that is a testimony of strange times: their Phanerozoic concept album performed live in its entirety at a time when no shows were happening anywhere in the world. On September 25, 2020, in the middle of the global pandemic, The Ocean released their ninth studio album Phanerozoic II, the concluding episode of a conceptual trilogy that began with Precambrian 13 years before – and even without any touring to support the new album release, Phanerozoic II entered the official German album charts at #9. With no end of lockdowns in sight, the band decided to thank their fans for the support with two streaming concerts, performing both Phanerozoic albums in their entirety: Phanerozoic I was streamed live from Pier 2, a big hall in the port of Bremen, on March 25, 2021.
Opera Diabolicus – Death On A Pale Horse CD/2xLP (Season Of Mist)
The Swedish doom/progressive metal combo have created the perfect horror musical with a little help from their friends Mats Levén (Candlemass, Therion, Skyblood), Snowy Shaw (King Diamond, Mercyful Fate, Therion, Notre Dame), Andy La Rocque (King Diamond) and Michael Denner (King Diamond, Mercyful Fate).
The Ophelias – Crocus CD/LP (Joyful Noise)
Through songs equally infused with references to the Bible and The Twilight Zone, The Ophelias extract mystic emotion out of the spaces between their past, present, and future. The four Ophelias members provide a wide-reaching exploration into genre, emotion, and sonic textures over the course of Crocus.
Oscar Peterson – A Time For Love: The Oscar Peterson Quartet – Live In Helsinki 1987 2xCD (Mack Avenue)
Live archive release. For nearly 80 years, legacy has been the spinal cord of the glorious jazz tradition – but maybe never more so to its fans than during these challenging days of the pandemic. Unable to hear music in person, all of us have only been able to access new music through technology, resulting in many looking back upon what may have been missed. But when one can look back on something that is at the same time entirely new, that is a most special situation. And when that something new is coming from jazz immortal Oscar Peterson – even more so. And that is exactly what is in hand with A Time for Love: The Oscar Peterson Quartet – Live in Helsinki, 1987.
Popol Vuh – Coeur de Verre [Reissue/1970] CD (BMG)
Popol Vuh – Seligpreisung [Reissue/1973] CD (BMG)
Popol Vuh – Agape-Agape (Love-Love) [Reissue/1983] CD (BMG)
Popol Vuh – Cobra Verde [Reissue/1987] CD (BMG)
Popol Vuh – Vol. 2 – Acoustic & Ambient Spheres 4xLP (BMG)
Available separately on CD and as a four-LP vinyl package. All albums have been remastered with adapted original artwork, including a bonus track on each album. The vinyl box set comes with an insert with extensive liner notes and photos, completed by three prints, a collector’s film still poster from Coeur de Verre and the original movie poster from Cobra Verde.
Potbelly / Marjinal – F**k Borders CD/LP (Pig)
Split release between the Washington (Potbelly) and Indonesian (Marjinal) punk bands.
Raw Power / Ananas – Land Of The Rising Spaghetti CD/LP (Pig)
Italian punk fused with Japanese hardcore.
Replicant – Malignant Reality CD/LP (Transcending Obscurity)
The unheralded death metal kings return with a new album.
Mark Stein – There’s A Light CD (Deko Music)
Mark Stein is best known as the lead vocalist, keyboardist, composer, and arranger of Vanilla Fudge. Filled with Mark’s trademark vocals, piano and Hammond B3 riffs, Mark delivers strong social content and convicting performances, from “We Are One” and “Racism” to his classic takes on “Ball Of Confusion” and “People Got To Be Free”.
Sunn O))) – Metta, Benevolence BBC6 Live: On The Invitation Of Mary Ann Hobbs CD (Southern Lord)
Metta, Benevolence is a live album recorded in 2019 at the BBC Maida Vale studios while the band was on tour in the UK.
Thulcandra – Dying Wish CD (Napalm)
Swedish death metal veterans Thulcandra return with a new album. [Vinyl edition due December 17.]
Uman – Chaleur Humaine [Reissue/1992] CD/LP (Freedom To Spend)
The debut album from the French duo of musicians and siblings Danielle and Didier Jean, resurfaces for the first time since its original release in 1992. Within their recording sanctuary, Danielle and Didier embraced cutting edge consumer music technology to inform the album’s esoteric, textural characteristics. This is especially notable in the processing of Danielle’s voice, inventively sampled, shifted and processed, then woven through Didier’s dream worlds. This interpretation of technology and economy of sound, gives Chaleur Humaine a soft and impressionistic sense of surrealism, guided by a human sincerity and sublimated into a landscape that feels pastoral yet universal.
Various Artists [Coldcut] – @0 CD/2xLP (Ahead Of Our Time)
Released last week on vinyl – now available on CD. @0 is a collection of ambient tracks – curated by Coldcut – to benefit mental health, featuring some incredible names in the ambient world including Sigur Rós, Julianna Barwick, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Suzanne Ciani, Laraaji, Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith, A Winged Victory For The Sullen, and many more.
DVDs + Blu-ray:
The The – The Comeback Special: Live At The Royal Albert Hall DVD/Blu-ray (earMUSIC)
What started as an unforgettable live experience now turns into something even bigger as The The release The Comeback Special. Bonus material includes interviews, radio performances from 2018, as well as an intimate insight in the form of photos and background stories told by Matt Johnson. Packaged in a mediabook. [A limited-edition clear vinyl pressing is also available.]
This Week’s Vinyl Exclusives:
James Arthur – Back From The Edge [Reissue/2016] 2xLP (Sony Legacy)
Special 5th Anniversary edition of James Arthur’s #1 album Back From The Edge including the hits “Say You Won’t Let Go” and “Train Wreck”. Alongside the original album, the vinyl also includes an acoustic version of “Train Wreck” which was not on the original album.
Autechre – Chiastic Slide [Reissue/1994] 2xLP+MP3 (Warp)
Autechre – LP5 [Reissue/1998] 2xLP+MP3 (Warp)
Long overdue vinyl reissues of the IDM godfather’s fourth and fifth albums.
Axe – Living On The Edge [Reissue/1980] LP (Deadline Music)
Two limited-edition color vinyl reissues – red and blue – of the AOR/hard rock band’s sophomore album.
Ka Baird & Pekka Airaksinen – FRKWYS Vol. 17: Hungry Shells LP+MP3 (FRKWYS)
Hungry Shells, the seventeenth entry in RVNG Intl.’s intergenerational collaborations series FRKWYS, brings together vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Ka Baird with avant-garde composer and radical performance art pioneer Pekka Airaksinen. Recorded six months before Pekka’s passing in 2020, Hungry Shells alchemizes separate but similar spiritualistic practices, canvassing Baird’s sound rituals and Airaksinen’s acid-drenched poetics into startling, surreal landscapes.
The Black Angels – Live At Levitation LP (Reverberation Appreciation Society)
Limited multicolor vinyl LP pressing. Levitation (formerly known as Austin Psych Fest) began as a simple idea in a Black Angels tour van in 2007 – “let’s invite all our favorite bands and all our friends, for our version of a music festival.” The first Austin Psych Fest was held in March 2008 and expanded to a three-day event the following year. From there the festival quickly developed into an international destination for psychedelic rock fans, with lineups spanning the fringes of indie rock, from up-and-comers to vintage legends, and capped off with headlining performances from The Black Angels each year.
Black Veil Brides – The Phantom Tomorrow LP (Sumerian)
Recently reissued on CD – now available on limited-edition red w/ clear multicolor vinyl. Committed to uncompromising expression, with a foundation in hard rock tradition and rule-breaking iconoclasm, Black Veil Brides is a transcendent celebration of life-affirming power and anthemic catharsis. A gothic vision first summoned in a small town by an isolated kid fascinated with death, rock, theatricality, and monsters (both real and imagined), Black Veil Brides is now a postmodern heavy metal institution with a legion of like-minded fans and supporters worldwide. A new chapter in the band’s ever-evolving story arrives with The Phantom Tomorrow, an ambitious sixth album pushing the music of Black Veil Brides forward without sacrificing their beloved signature sound.
The Blues Brothers – Briefcase Full Of Blues [Reissue/1978] LP (Friday Music)
180gm audiophile blue color vinyl pressing. After their phenomenal success on Saturday Night Live and with several smash comedy movies already under their belt, John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd dove headfirst into their love of soul, blues and R&B with the introduction of The Blues Brothers.
Michael Bublé – Christmas [Deluxe 10th Anniversary Edition] LP+2xCD+DVD (Reprise)
This box set includes a 48-page hardbound book, an individually numbered 12” x 12” lithograph, the original album on CD and LP (green vinyl), a seven-track bonus CD including the new songs “The Christmas Sweater” and “Let It Snow”, a DVD The Making Of Christmas, and exclusive Christmas ornament, wrapping paper and Christmas cards.
Cancer – Sins Of Mankind [Reissue/1993] LP (Peaceville)
Recently reissued on CD – now available on limited-edition color vinyl. Repress of the third album by British death metal band.
Carnifex – Graveside Confessions 2xLP (Nuclear Blast)
Red & pink w/ black swirl color vinyl pressing of the new album by the undisputed masters of blackened deathcore.
The Colorist Orchestra & Howe Gelb ft. Pieta Brown – Not On The Map LP (Dangerbird)
Recently reissued on CD – now available on limited-edition clear vinyl. Avant-garde chamber pop ensemble The Colorist Orchestra has stuck thus far to reimagining other artists’ works. Led by Aarich Jespers and Kobe Proesmans, the group uses traditional classical and bespoke instrumentation, often played in unorthodox ways, to meticulously rework an invited artist’s music into new styles and forms. However, Not On The Map, their collaborative album with Giant Sands’ Howe Gelb, breaks new ground for the ensemble as they come forth with an entire album of original collaborations. Aarich Jespers describes the album as “soft and dark.” “The layer of low, muted toms is present in almost every song. The tempo of the album is also rather slow, ideal for sitting with a glass of whiskey in hand.”
Corrosion Of Conformity – No Cross No Crown [Reissue/2018] 2xLP (Nuclear Blast)
Limited-edition beer color vinyl pressing. “It’s been a dozen years since C.O.C. recorded new material with vocalist/guitarist Pepper Keenan at the helm. In that time, there have been rumors, whispers and outright allegations that the legendary Southern rock outfit would reunite to blow the doors off the whole damn scene again. In 2014, after nearly a straight decade traversing the globe as a guitarist with New Orleans supergroup Down, Keenan reconnected with the core C.O.C. trio of Woody Weatherman, Mike Dean and Reed Mullin to hit the road hard and write and record the band’s highly anticipated tenth album, No Cross No Crown.”
Julie Doiron – I Thought Of You LP (You’ve Changed)
Julie Doiron is back with I Thought Of You, her first solo record since 2012’s So Many Days. Every bit an instant classic as only she can masterfully create, Doiron emanates a radiative force with her guitar and her unmistakably indomitable voice. Doiron is a maker of songs and a teller of stories, wielding her instruments like a craftsperson would their tools.
The Driving Stupid – Horror Asparagus Stories LP (Modern Harmonic)
Limited-edition color vinyl pressing. The Driving Stupid was formed on the East Coast by college students, three of them longtime friends from New Jersey. As more of a lark than a serious endeavor, in the summer of 1966 they drove from New Jersey to Hollywood to crack the big time, stopping off in Albuquerque, New Mexico to record some demos. They did manage to land a deal and record an album’s worth of material in Hollywood, but the album didn’t come out at the time, after the commercial death of the 45. This unreleased material, like the single, combined sloppy garage band rock with self-consciously silly lyrics, like a garage group providing the soundtrack for a Z-grade horror-science fiction film.
Steve Earle – Washington Square Serenade [Reissue/2007] LP (New West)
Steve Earle – I’ll Never Get Out Of This World Alive [Reissue/2011] LP (New West)
Limited-edition color vinyl reissues the 12th and 14th studio albums by the veteran alt country singer.
El Dos – Grinder Blues LP (Metalville)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. This maverick blues-rock supergroup consists of legendary King’s X bass player dUg Pinnick and brothers Scot Little Bihlman on drums and Jabo Bihlman on guitar. El Dos was recorded live at the Palms Studio in Las Vegas with producer Miles Fulwider, who was an integral part of the project. Originally from northern Indiana’s Chicagoland, Jabo and Scot have a long history in blues and rock. Although dUg grew up just outside of Chicago, Grinder Blues is his first project in the genre.
El Michels Affair – The Abominable EP 12” (Big Crown)
Limited-edition indie store exclusive ‘yeti baby blue’ color vinyl. El Michels Affair follow up the massive success of their full-length Yeti Season with The Abominable EP – a collection of unreleased tracks, alternate takes, and instrumentals from the Yeti Season recording sessions. EMA’s blending their signature cinematic soul sound with influences from Turkish Funk and the grittiest of Bollywood soundtracks yielded an instant classic The Fader calls “a carnival of dusty funk and soul”.
The Fall – Slates [Reissue/1981] LP (Superior Viaduct)
If The Fall truly is a cult band, then Slates both benefits from and reinforces such shrouded obsessions. In presenting these six songs as a 10” EP, the inherent and attractive difficulty of The Fall’s sound is made physical, framing the urgency of their singles from this period alongside lengthy rumblings normally restricted to long players. This LP collects the original Slates EP along with Peel Sessions Four and a Studio Outtake.
Fit For An Autopsy – Sea Of Tragic Beasts [Reissue/2019] LP (Nuclear Blast)
Mint green & pink w/ black splatter color vinyl pressing of the fifth album from the New Jersey deathcore band.
The Georgia Thunderbolts – Can We Get A Witness 2xLP (Mascot)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Whether it be on the banks of the Mississippi River or deep in the heart of the English countryside, rock ‘n’ roll lives, breathes, and burns on the outskirts. Hailing from Rome, GA, at the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, The Georgia Thunderbolts rise with a scorching signature style steeped in soulful southern swagger.
Goldfrapp – Head First [Reissue/2010] LP+MP3 (Mute)
Limited-edition color vinyl reissue. Head First remains one of Goldfrapp’s most powerful trips to date, a speedy rush of synth optimism, euphoria, fantasy and romance. With life affirming lyrics and stellar production it lifts off at full tilt and takes us on a journey to the heart of 2010. The diversity, ambition and direction of the album highlights Goldfrapp as true agenda-setters and modern British musical icons.
Gold & Youth – Dream Baby LP (Paper Bag)
Recently released on CD – now available on limited-edition color vinyl. Second album from the Canadian alt-rock band. Includes the single “The Worse The Better”.
Keiji Haino, Jim O’Rourke, and Oren Ambarchi – Each Side Has A Depth Of 5 Seconds A Polka Dot Pattern In Horizontal Array A Flickering That Moves Vertically = 一辺が5秒の深さ 横に並ぶ水玉模様 上下に移動する点滅 LP (Black Truffle)
Tenth release from the legendary trio. This time the trio present a deliriously psychedelic, fully immersive electronic set that is simultaneously unsettling, ritualistic and melancholically beautiful. Presented in a stunning gatefold sleeve with photography by Lasse Marhaug and an inner sleeve with live pics from Ujin Matsuo.
Handsome Jack – Get Humble LP (Alive Naturalsound Records)
Hailing from Lockport, NY, Handsome Jack plays a powerful and emotional fusion of boogie soul rock ‘n’ roll that has earned the admiration of fellow rock travelers such as Chris Robinson (CRB, Black Crowes), Zachary Gabbard (Buffalo Killers), and Ben McLeod (All Them Witches). With Get Humble, Handsome Jack digs again into the classic American musical lexicon to craft a timeless rock album ideal for house and block parties. The album is packed with soulful vocals, swampy guitars, countrified rock, and west coast vocal harmonies.
Devin Hoff – Voices From The Empty Moor (Songs Of Anne Briggs) LP (Kill Rock Stars)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Voices From The Empty Moor seeks to honor the mystery and beauty of Anne Briggs’ music while maintaining its own unique perspective, foregrounding powerful emotion and, hopefully, magical transformation. Bassist, composer and arranger Devin Hoff has been intensively studying the music of Anne Briggs for over a decade. Briggs was a leading light of the 1960s English folk scene, a gifted songwriter and improvisor, as well as an amateur musicologist who revived traditional English, Scottish, and Irish Traveler songs with an unpretentious approach that perhaps presaged the rebellion of punk as much as it honored tradition. The arrangements here include collaborations with musician friends that share a fascination with mining specific folk forms for universal and timeless truths; singers Julia Holter, Shannon Lay, Sharon Van Etten and Emmett Kelly; oud player Alejandro Farha; saxophonist Howard Wiley and drummer Jim White.
Imperial Triumphant – An Evening With Imperial Triumphant LP (Century Media)
New York’s most infamous avant-garde black metal crew Imperial Triumphant are back with the opulent live release An Evening With Imperial Triumphant. Recorded in the notorious Slipper Room – New York City´s legendary variety theatre – the band proves their technical excellence and outstanding musicianship live on stage.
Killer Be Killed – Killer Be Killed [Reissue/2014] 2xLP (Nuclear Blast)
Double blue and white color vinyl pressing of the 2014 album from the heavy metal supergroup founded by Dillinger Escape Plan vocalist Greg Puciato and Soulfly frontman Max Cavalera in early 2011. The lineup also features Mastodon bassist and co-vocalist Troy Sanders and Converge drummer Ben Koller.
Kingdom Come – Kingdom Come [Reissue/1970] LP (Trading Places)
180gm vinyl reissue of Sir Lord Baltimore’s Kingdom Come, originally released in 1970. Hard-rocking Brooklyn trio Sir Lord Baltimore’s highly sought-after debut album is a legendary precursor of the heavy metal genre (a 1971 Creem review of the disc perhaps the first to ever use the term).
Light The Torch – You Will Be The Death Of Me [Reissue/2018] LP (Nuclear Blast America)
Blue w/ pink multicolor vinyl reissue of the second album from the metalcore band.
Lissie – Catching A Tiger [Reissue/2010] 2xLP (Lionboy)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. “I’m so very excited to be celebrating the 11th anniversary of my debut album, Catching A Tiger! To mark the occasion, I am releasing a special edition including five songs that didn’t make the original Catching A Tiger track listing, new artwork and behind the scenes photos. It was a true pleasure to sort through old journals and hard drives, digging up treasured moments and memories. Catching A Tiger is the album that first connected me to you, my listeners for whom I’m so grateful! I sincerely hope that you enjoy this Anniversary Edition as much as I enjoyed putting it together. I hope it transports you back to the summer of 2010 and washes you aglow in sweet reminiscence!” – Lissie
Pat Metheny – Road To The Sun 2xLP+CD (Modern Recordings)
Composer, multi-instrumentalist and twenty-time Grammy-winner Pat Metheny returns with Road To The Sun, the latest chapter in an endlessly innovative career that spans nearly five decades. 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.
My Morning Jacket – Chapter 1: The Sandworm Cometh : Early Recordings, B-Sides, Covers, Y Mas [Reissue/2004] 2xLP (Darla)
My Morning Jacket – Chapter 2: Learning. Early Recordings, B-Sides, Covers, Y Mas [Reissue/2004] 2xLP (Darla)
Limited edition color vinyl reissues pressed at 45rpm for best audio quality.
Nominee – Lowlife LP (Smartpunk)
Limited pink color vinyl pressing. According to frontman Chris McLelland, “every song Lowlife sounds like Nominee, but we’ve added some new elements that we’re really excited about as well.” Nominee’s already pushed against impossible odds, tackling bipolar disorder on 2017’s Drag Me Out and addiction cycles on their 2014 debut. Their latest effort is a second wind in the boxing match against self and others with a reinvigorating coat of paint.
Oneohtrix Point Never – Returnal [Reissue/2010] LP (Editions Mego)
Limited clear vinyl pressing of the fourth album from Daniel Lopatin’s Oneohtrix Point Never project, after Betrayed In The Octagon (2007), Zones Without People (2009) and Russian Mind (2009). It sees Lopatin fine tune his craft for creation of deep atmospheres and texture even further.
Buck Owens – Buck Owens [Reissue/1961] LP (Sundazed)
Long before the silver sparkle Telecasters and Hee-Haw, Buck Owens was trodding the boards of Bakersfield bar stages, paying his dues and winning fans one twang at a time. Owens’ self-titled debut LP marked the start of his long, unprecedented career as a recording artist for Capitol Records. Bolstered by four charting singles – “Second Fiddle”, “Under Your Spell Again”, “Above And Beyond”, and “Excuse Me (I Think I’ve Got a Heartache)” – the album spotlights the hard-edged honky tonk sound that Buck had honed in the clubs.
Andrew Pekler & Giuseppe Ielasi – Palimpsests LP (Shelter Press)
Both noted for strikingly forward-thinking bodies of solo work dating back to the 1990s, the duo of Andrew Pekler & Giuseppe Ielasi – collaborators for the better part of a decade – reemerge with Palimpsests. Built from deconstructed layers of texture, tone, and arrhythmic percussiveness, the album’s two sides distill six years of work into nine splintered, airy reimaginings of minimalism – each surprising, creatively rigorous, and startlingly beautiful – that rest at the outer reaches of contemporary electroacoustic practice and musique concrète.
Sigur Rós – Með Suð Í Eyrum Við Spilum Endalaust [Reissue/2008] 2xLP (Krunk)
Vinyl reissue of Sigur Rós’ fifth studio album. “The band achieves a new unity in variety here, winding from near-glam romp and fireside-folk warmth to slow-climb grandeur.” – Rolling Stone
Slade – Slade In Flame LP (BMG)
Limited edition vinyl reissue of the Gold selling (BPI) soundtrack to Slade’s seminal 1974 film. Features the chart hits “Far Far Away” and “How Does It Feel”. Available on yellow and red splatter vinyl.
Space Ghost – Dance Planet LP (Tartlet)
Limited-edition color vinyl pressing. Emotionally charged house music.
The Stranglers – Dark Matters LP (Absolute Label Srvcs)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. The Stranglers release the long-awaited new album Dark Matters. Surviving Stranglers band members, JJ Burnel, Baz Warne, and newest member Jim Macaulay completed Dark Matters remotely during lockdowns, making it their first album since 2012. The album features the single “And If You Should See Dave…”, an honest tribute to their much-missed keyboard player Dave Greenfield who tragically passed away a year ago from Covid-19.
Swamp Dogg – Have You Heard This Story? [Reissue/1974] LP (Alive)
Green color vinyl pressing. In 1970 the Southern soul music maverick Jerry Williams, Jr. Made the most radical move of his career. Frustrated with music business politics Williams reinvented himself as Swamp Dogg, an irreverent anti-hero smashing the conventions of commercial R&B music. He’s been described as the “soul genius that time forgot,” and “a strange combination of Sly Stone’s progressive funk with Frank Zappa’s lyrical absurdism.”
The The – The Comeback Special: Live At The Royal Albert Hall 3xLP (earMUSIC)
Recently reissued on CD – now available on limited-edition clear vinyl. What started as an unforgettable live experience now turns into something even bigger as The The release The Comeback Special. Bonus material includes interviews, radio performances from 2018, as well as an intimate insight in the form of photos and background stories told by Matt Johnson. [Stand-alone mediabook DVD and Blu-ray editions are also available.]
Through The Eyes Of The Dead – Bloodlust [Reissue/2005] LP (Prosthetic)
Limited color vinyl LP pressing. Through The Eyes Of The Dead was one of the groups that pioneered the heavy and abrasive mixture of metal and hardcore that has come to be known as deathcore. Originally released in 2005, Bloodlust was the band’s second release.
Titus Andronicus – The Monitor [Reissue/2010] LP+MP3 (XL)
The Monitor is the second studio album by American indie rock band Titus Andronicus, originally released in March 2010. It is a concept album loosely based on themes relating to the American Civil War.
Toxicrose – In For The Kill LP (Golden Robot)
Second album from the Swedish dark sleaze metallers.
Various Artists – Lost Christmas: Festive Memphis Industries Selection Box LP (Memphis Industries)
Limited-edition color vinyl pressing. Compilation of (mostly) original holiday songs from Memphis industries artists in aid of Crisis’ Home for All Campaign. This year independent record label Memphis Industries has corralled their musical titans to create some holiday songs with the hope of bringing cheer and warming cockles to the cynical and season loving alike. A Christmas box of holiday musical treats from the likes of Field Music, The Go! Team, Jesca Hoop, Haley, The Phoenix Foundation, Stats, Francis Lung, Warm Digits, Rachael Dadd and The Cornshed Sisters. Chuck another log on the fire, pour yourself a large one, unwrap your brand-new turntable and slap on Lost Christmas to celebrate Christmas 2020 style.
Vels Trio – Celestial Greens LP (Rhythm Section Int’l)
Limited-edition color vinyl pressing. Vels Trio reap their jazz-fusion crop with a stellar 11-track debut album Celestial Greens. Wandering through their versatile musical vision, the LP represents the amalgamation of London’s finest jazz players; Jack Stephenson-Oliver on keys (Poppy Ajudha), Dougal Taylor behind the drum kit (Emma-Jean Thackray) and Cameron Dawson on bass (Puma Blue). The result: 40 minutes of high-fidelity worthy audio elation, destined for the album of year lists.
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