Marketing Program/ Banner/ Listening Station Titles Promoted This Week:
The Black Keys – El Camino (10th Anniversary Edition) 4xCD (Nonesuch)
This four-CD Super Deluxe set contains original remastered album, previously unreleased full live concert and BBC Session Recorded in 2012, a 2011 Electro-Vox Session, and a photo book. El Camino was produced by Danger Mouse and The Black Keys and was recorded in the band’s then-new hometown of Nashville during the spring of 2011. The Black Keys won three awards at the 55thannual Grammy Awards for El Camino- Best Rock Performance, Best Rock Song, and Best Rock Album-among other worldwide accolades. In the UK, the band was nominated for a BRIT Award (Best International Group) and an NME Award (Best International Band). The week of release, the band performed on Saturday Night Live, the Colbert Report, and the Late Show with David Letterman, and later that year, went on to perform their first Madison Square Garden show.
Johnathan Blake – Homeward Bound CD (Blue Note)
Drummer, composer, and bandleader Johnathan Blake’s Blue Note debut is a narrative celebration of life and legacy featuring his quintet, Pentad, with Immanuel Wilkins, Joel Ross, David Virelles, and Dezron Douglas. A frequent presence on Blue Note records over the past several years, Blake has contributed his strong, limber pulse and airy precision to multiple leader releases from Blue Note artists including Dr. Lonnie Smith and Kenny Barron.
Jason Boland & The Stragglers – The Light Saw Me CD (Proud Souls)
The Light Saw Me is as incisive and thought-provoking as any of Jason Boland’s previous albums and shows he truly belongs alongside the great songwriters of his time. Drawing from influences as wide as Willie Nelson’s Red Headed Stranger and Tougher Than Leather to Queensrÿche’s Operation: Mindcrime, Boland succeeded by creating a concept album that’s as ambitious as it is accessible. On the surface, The Light Saw Me traces a cowboy living in Texas in the 1890s who is abducted by aliens and ends up in Texas in the 1990s, but there’s way more to it. Packed into three distinctive interlocking parts, The Light Saw Me is layered with vivid imagery that touches on old legends (such as a spacecraft allegedly crashing in Aurora, Texas which thematically fits), conspiracies and other accounts that run contrary to reality. Referencing aliens can oftentimes be campy and corny, but Boland uses them in a fascinating fashion. [Vinyl edition due January 28.]
Jarvis Cocker – Chansons d’Ennui Tip-Top CD/LP (Abkco)
Recently released on vinyl – now available on CD. Chansons d’Ennui Tip-Top is the companion release to Wes Anderson’s film, The French Dispatch. The album expands on the Anderson and Jarvis Cocker cover collaboration of the French pop hit “Aline” for the film. This is an entire album of French material from the same period. Cocker’s signature style interprets material made known by the likes of Françoise Hardy, Serge Gainsbourg, Brigitte Bardot, Jacques Dutronc, and Christophe’s “Aline.”
Geese – Projector CD/LP/Cassette (Partisan)
Geese is a band that begins and ends in Brooklyn, as a project between friends to build a home studio out of a basement. Their songs are born from the same ambition: make music by any means necessary. They began recording together with sneakers as mic stands and blankets draped over the amps, all within the afternoon following a school day, up until they ran the risk of noise complaints. Recently, they signed a record deal, so they are thinking about moving on from sneaker-laden mics and blanketed amps, but their musical ethos has not changed a bit. Curiously alien, yet strangely familiar, the band’s debut album, Projector, is a product of five teenagers whose love of music touches every part of their lives: their restless anxiety about their futures, and their pent-up frustration with their present-a perspective all too familiar in today’s uncertain world.
Natalie Hemby – Pins And Needles LP (Fantasy)
Recently released on CD – now available on indie store exclusive clear smoke color vinyl. Two-time Grammy Award-winner Natalie Hemby is revered as one of the music industry’s most notable songwriters creating hit after hit behind the scenes. Now, she’s poised for a breakout, with the release of her exceptional sophomore album Pins And Needles. Known for the versatile sonics and storytelling that earned her eight No. 1 singles, Hemby explores a full range of her musical gifts, spanning influences – from Tom Petty to Sheryl Crow and the early ‘90s rock and roots she was raised on – with incomparable individuality. Across the 11-track collection, Hemby delivers unconventional lyrics along with her ingenious turn of phrase, ear-worm anthems to heart-rending ballads, acid-tongued and sharp-witted swagger to deep-grooved rockers.
Ice Nine Kills – The Silver Scream 2: Welcome To Horrorwood 2xLP (Fearless)
Recently released on CD – now available on indie store exclusive clear vinyl. True to horror franchise tradition, there is always a sequel… The Silver Scream 2: Welcome To Horrorwood follows in the bloody footsteps of its predecessor, paying tribute to 13 more of the most gruesome tales to ever grace the silver screen. In this latest INK offering, the last album and video series is portrayed as a work of fiction. The new story line thrusts the band into a brutal real-world slaying. The only traces of the crime are 13 songs left behind by the suspected killer.
Sturgill Simpson – The Ballad Of Dood & Juanita CD (High Top Mountain)
Inspired by such classic concept albums as Willie Nelson’s Red-Headed Stranger, Sturgill Simpson’s The Ballad of Dood & Juanita is the Grammy-winning singer/songwriter’s third album in twelve months, and his most ambitious project to date. Written and recorded in less than a week and featuring the same ace musicians who played on 2020’s Cuttin’ Grass albums, the record tells a classic American story of a Civil War-era couple torn apart by violence and reunited by love – what Sturgill calls “a simple tale of either redemption or revenge.” The Ballad Of Dood & Juanita is Simpson’s first album of all new original music since the release of 2019’s Grammy-nominated Sound & Fury. Special guest Willie Nelson is the featured lead guitarist on the track “Juanita.” [Vinyl edition – including an indie store exclusive vinyl pressing – is due February 25.]
Gillian Welch & David Rawlings – All The Good Times LP (Acony)
Released earlier this year on CD – now available on vinyl. The first Gillian Welch & David Rawlings collaboration to feature both of their names, All The Good Times, a collection of ten acoustic covers recorded at home, received a 2021 Grammy nomination for Best Folk Album. After a devastating tornado ravaged Nashville in the Spring of 2020 making their studio unusable, immediately followed by a global pandemic shutting down their community and touring livelihood, Welch & Rawlings were able to find the inspiration to set up recording equipment in their home living room and record ten performances on their reel-to-reel of some of their favorite songs from the likes of John Prine (“Hello In There”), Bob Dylan (“Abandoned Love”), Norman Blake (“Ginseng Sullivan”), and more. According to Uncut magazine, “The 10-song collection is the equivalent of being welcomed into Welch & Rawlings’ living room and the pair treating you to a private recital. In other words, it doesn’t get much better than this.”
Additional Social Media Program Titles Released This Week:
Jerry Garcia Band – Jerry Garcia Band (30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition) 5xLP (Rounder Records)
Selling over 360,000 CDs since its release, the beloved self-titled album, Jerry Garcia Band, was the band’s first live release recorded in the spring and summer of 1990 at The Warfield in San Francisco. The iconic lineup features John Kahn, Melvin Seals, David Kemper, Gloria Jones, and Jacklyn LaBranch. In celebration of the album’s 30th anniversary, this five-LP set out is pressed on 180gm vinyl in a cloth wrapped, foil-stamped box and available in a limited edition of 10,000 copies.
Tasha – Tell Me What You Miss The Most CD/LP/Cassette (Father/Daughter Records)
Tasha’s second album, Tell Me What You Miss The Most, mingles pockets of introspection with wide, expansive, marveling at what’s yet to come. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, Tasha is a musician who writes songs that take loving and longing seriously. Whether dwelling in the sad thrum of an impending break up or the dizzying, heart thumping waltz of new infatuation, here is an album that traces one artist’s relationship to herself in love. Full of deep, invigorating inhales and relieved, joyful exhales, Tell Me What You Miss The Most is an exquisitely crafted breath of much needed air. [A limited-edition transparent bone color vinyl pressing is also available.]
Lucinda Williams – Lu’s Jukebox Vol. 5: Have Yourself A Rockin’ Little Christmas With Lucinda CD/LP (Highway 20)
While the first four installments of Lu’s Jukebox found Williams tackling Tom Petty, southern soul, Bob Dylan, and ‘60s country classics, Lu’s Jukebox Vol. 5 sees the Grammy-winner spreading a little Christmas cheer with takes on “Run Run Rudolph”, “Merry Christmas, Baby”, “Please Come Home For Christmas”, and “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” among others.
CDs + Vinyl:
Asia – The Official Bootlegs, Volume One 10xCD (BMG)
The Official Bootlegs, Volume One contains Asia performances from across the world between 1982-2010. Including shows from Buffalo, USA, 1982; Worcester, USA, 1983; São Paulo, Brazil, 2007; Tokyo, Japan, 2008 and London, UK 2010, the set presents Asia at its most raw and most intimate. Packaged in an open-ended slipcase, with beautifully designed original artwork from Roger Dean, the high-quality audio for all five shows has previously been unheard.
Matt Berry – Gather Up (Ten Years On Acid Jazz) CD (Acid Jazz)
Matt Berry – Gather Up 4xCD (Acid Jazz)
Gather Up (Ten Years On Acid Jazz) is a career spanning collection from Matt Berry. The perfect summation of the past decade of musical adventures from an extraordinary musician, genuine musical maverick and sonic explorer. It pulls together a 21-track career spanning selection expertly curated by Berry. [The four CD edition, Gather Up, adds a third disc of rare and never heard before outtakes and a fourth disc of demo recordings of some songs which did, and did not, evolve into the Phantom Birds as well as five songs recorded over three festivals in 2015. Includes a 24-page hardback book. Both regular double-LP and expanded 5xLP vinyl editions are due December 10.]
Big D & The Kids Table – Do Your Art CD/LP (SideOneDummy)
Big D & The Kids Table’s ninth album was produced by Reel Big Fish’s Matt Appleton and features 20 tracks of energetic, uplifting ska-punk that’s become the band’s signature sound.
The Black Keys – El Camino (10th Anniversary Edition) 4xCD (Nonesuch)
This four-CD Super Deluxe set contains original remastered album, previously unreleased full live concert and BBC Session Recorded in 2012, a 2011 Electro-Vox Session, and a photo book. El Camino was produced by Danger Mouse and The Black Keys and was recorded in the band’s then-new hometown of Nashville during the spring of 2011. The Black Keys won three awards at the 55thannual Grammy Awards for El Camino- Best Rock Performance, Best Rock Song, and Best Rock Album-among other worldwide accolades. In the UK, the band was nominated for a BRIT Award (Best International Group) and an NME Award (Best International Band). The week of release, the band performed on Saturday Night Live, the Colbert Report, and the Late Show with David Letterman, and later that year, went on to perform their first Madison Square Garden show.
Johnathan Blake – Homeward Bound CD (Blue Note)
Drummer, composer, and bandleader Johnathan Blake’s Blue Note debut is a narrative celebration of life and legacy featuring his quintet, Pentad, with Immanuel Wilkins, Joel Ross, David Virelles, and Dezron Douglas. A frequent presence on Blue Note records over the past several years, Blake has contributed his strong, limber pulse and airy precision to multiple leader releases from Blue Note artists including Dr. Lonnie Smith and Kenny Barron.
Jason Boland & The Stragglers – The Light Saw Me CD (Proud Souls)
The Light Saw Me is as incisive and thought-provoking as any of Jason Boland’s previous albums and shows he truly belongs alongside the great songwriters of his time. Drawing from influences as wide as Willie Nelson’s Red Headed Stranger and Tougher Than Leather to Queensrÿche’s Operation: Mindcrime, Boland succeeded by creating a concept album that’s as ambitious as it is accessible. On the surface, The Light Saw Me traces a cowboy living in Texas in the 1890s who is abducted by aliens and ends up in Texas in the 1990s, but there’s way more to it. Packed into three distinctive interlocking parts, The Light Saw Me is layered with vivid imagery that touches on old legends (such as a spacecraft allegedly crashing in Aurora, Texas which thematically fits), conspiracies and other accounts that run contrary to reality. Referencing aliens can oftentimes be campy and corny, but Boland uses them in a fascinating fashion. [Vinyl edition due January 28.]
Carla Bruni – Carla Bruni / French Touch 2xCD (Verve)
Carla Bruni returns with an exciting collection of some of rock music’s most classic hits performed in her signature softer, coffee house style. Depeche Mode’s “Enjoy The Silence”, The Rolling Stones’ “Miss You”, and ABBA’s “The Winner Takes It All” appear on this new release, sure to enthuse both fans of Carla’s as well as fans of rock staples from the last 50 years.
Lomond Campbell – LŪP CD/LP (One Little Independent)
Using a combination of hardware hacking and industrial manufacturing techniques, Scottish multi-talented artist Lomond Campbell builds his own unique instruments and devices for creating sound which he combines with modular synths, piano and voice. Lead single “Engineer Of Fear” marks the arrival of his LŪP album, which came about when he was commissioned to build a custom tape-looper for King Creosote. It’s a reflective, ambient slow burner with a pattern that build using synchronized gears. [A limited-edition clear vinyl pressing is also available.]
Can – Live In Brighton 1975 2xCD/3xLP+MP3 (Mute)
Can’s lineup for this legendary 1975 performance features all four original members – Irmin Schmidt on keys, Jaki Leibezeit on drums, Michel Karoli on guitar, and Holger Czukay on bass. The band’s powerful influence has never diminished, and their indelible mark is apparent in the bands who freely acknowledge their importance – from Portishead, James Murphy, Sonic Youth, New Order, Factory Floor, Public Image Ltd, Mogwai, Madlib and Radiohead – as well as across other disciplines such as visual art and literature. [A limited-edition gold color vinyl pressing is also available.]
Eva Cassidy – Live At Blues Alley [25th Anniversary Edition] CD (Blix Street)
Digitally remastered 25th Anniversary Edition of Live At Blues Alley, the only solo album released during the late singer Eva Cassidy’s short lifetime. Eva Cassidy’s now legendary concert at Washington DC’s Blues Alley nightclub on January 3, 1996, was in some ways a happy accident. Although Eva had spent years in the studio with producer Chris Biondo creating an eclectic body of work, the pair decided that a live album was the quickest way to achieve their immediate goal of creating a CD to sell at live shows. Eva cashed in a small pension from her day job at a local nursery, her Aunt Claire contributed toward the venture, the Blues Alley venue booked them during their slowest time of the year (just after the New Year’s Eve blow-out), as was a live recording truck with a goal of generating enough profit to purchase a proper PA system for future shows. The result was Live At Blues Alley, released locally a scant few months before Cassidy’s untimely passing from melanoma at the age of 33. [Vinyl edition due January 14.]
Jarvis Cocker – Chansons d’Ennui Tip-Top CD/LP (Abkco)
Recently released on vinyl – now available on CD. Chansons d’Ennui Tip-Top is the companion release to Wes Anderson’s film, The French Dispatch. The album expands on the Anderson and Jarvis Cocker cover collaboration of the French pop hit “Aline” for the film. This is an entire album of French material from the same period. Cocker’s signature style interprets material made known by the likes of Françoise Hardy, Serge Gainsbourg, Brigitte Bardot, Jacques Dutronc, and Christophe’s “Aline”.
Jesse Cook – Libre CD (Coach House Music)
What happens when you take producer/composer/guitarist Jesse Cook’s Spanish guitar, genius Algerian multi-instrumentalist Fethi Nadjem, add in some 808 trap beats, and let them off leash? Jesse Cook’s 11th studio album, Libre.
Cutterred Flesh – Sharing Is Caring CD (Transcending Obscurity)
New release from the Czech death metal band.
Depeche Mode – 101 [Reissue/1988] 2xCD+2xDVD+Blu-ray (Rhino)
Newly upgraded expanded definitive box set edition of Depeche Mode’s 101 documentary concert film and live album chronicling the 101st and final performance of the band’s Music For The Masses world tour, recorded live at the Pasadena Rose Bowl on June 18, 1988. This new HD edition has been meticulously upgraded using 4k scans of the original film reels to create an all-new viewing experience. The 101 Blu-ray includes three previously unseen bonus performances of “A Question of Lust”, “Sacred”, and “Something To Do”, plus the official promotional video for “Everything Counts”. Additional contents include: a 48-page behind-the-scenes story of the day photo book; a 20″ x 30″ replica of original US theatrical release movie poster; a 16-page Anton Corbijn Photo Mode book as featured in the original album release, and lots of extras on the DVDs and Blu-ray. [Stand-alone Blu-ray and DVD editions are also available.]
Diablo Swing Orchestra – Swagger & Stroll Down The Rabbit Hole CD (Spinefarm)
Diablo Swing Orchestra, the fearlessly progressive, eight-piece Swedish ensemble are poised to return with their fifth album, Swagger & Stroll Down The Rabbit Hole, pairing elements of jazz, swing, classical, and progressive rock with just about everything in between. The band push musical boundaries to the extreme with humor, creativity, and a healthy dose of positive aggression.
Doors – L.A. Woman [Reissue/1971] 3xCD+LP (Rhino)
Deluxe 50th Anniversary three CD + 180gm vinyl LP set. Includes the original album newly remastered by The Doors’ longtime engineer and mixer Bruce Botnick, two bonus discs of unreleased studio outtakes, and the stereo mix of the original album on vinyl. The Doors found their mojo (and Mr. Mojo Risin’) in November 1970 as they recorded L.A. Woman over six days at the Workshop, the band’s rehearsal space on Santa Monica Boulevard. A success both critically and commercially, the album was certified double-platinum and contains some of the band’s most enduring music, including the Top 20 hit “Love Her Madly”, ‘Riders On The Storm”, and the title track.
Dream Theater – Lost Not Forgotten Archives: When Dream And Day Reunite (Live) CD (Inside Out U.S.)
Lost Not Forgotten Archives: When Dream And Day Reunite (Live) is the 5th release in Dream Theater’s archival series. Recorded in Los Angeles, Dream Theater’s original 2004 release features a full live performance of the band’s debut studio album, and a reunion with former members Derek Sherinian and Charlie Dominici. [Vinyl edition due December 17.]
Faust – 1971-1974 8xCD/7xLP+2×7” (Bureau B)
Few bands have been as innovative, influential or as irrepressible as Faust – the way they revolutionized the history of music in the space of just four years puts them right up there with The Velvet Underground. What began in a Hamburg (Sternschanze) bunker in 1970 would send shockwaves around the world. This box is the first virtually complete collection of Faust works from the years 1971-1974. In addition to the debut album, it includes the 1972 album So Far, the legendary 1973 Virgin UK release The Faust Tapes, Faust IV and, for the first time ever, the mythical, so-called Munich album Punkt, which Faust recorded at Giorgio Moroder’s Musicland Studios in 1974. For one reason or another, this last album never saw the light of day – until now. The bonus albums Momentaufnahme I and Momentaufnahme II also feature unreleased material, simultaneously affording us a fascinating glimpse of Faust’s creativity in their Wümme studio phase.
Kenny G – New Standards CD (Concord)
Since releasing his self-titled debut in 1982, Kenny G has become the top instrumental musician of the modern era and one of the best-selling artists of all time. His first new album in six years, New Standards, features 11 original compositions inspired by the jazz ballads of the ’50s and ’60s. These new ‘standards’ capture the sophistication, style and romance of this amazing time period in jazz and combine it with Kenny G’s signature sound.
Andrew Gabbard – Homemade CD/LP (Karma Chief)
A musician whose influences span hard rock, psych, garage rock, and energetic pop, Andrew Gabbard has long been a force on the Southwestern Ohio music scene. Working with Thee Shams, The Buffalo Killers, and currently as The Gabbard Brothers with his brother Zach, Andrew is truly a prolific artist covering a wide range. The Buffalo Killers caught the attention of Dan Auerbach who produced their debut LP and Andrew is currently part of the touring band for The Black Keys. [A limited-edition green color vinyl pressing is also available.]
Garbage – Beautifulgarbage [Reissue/2001] 3xCD/2xLP (Geffen)
Beautiful Garbage is the third studio album from Garbage, initially released on October 1, 2001. The album expanded on the band’s musical variety, with stronger melodies, more direct lyrics, and sounds mixing rock with electronica, new wave, hip-hop, and girl groups. This brand-new Deluxe triple CD edition features newly remastered audio by Billy Bush & Butch Vig, B-sides and alternate versions with six previously unreleased selections, and a disc of remixes. [Also available as a stand-alone 180gm double LP pressing.]
Gas – Der Lange Marsch CD/2xLP+MP3 (Kompakt)
Der Lange Marsch once again invites us to follow the deep sounding bass drum, to give in to its irresistible pull into a psychedelic world of 1000 promises. In the process, the journey leads us past stations of memories sounding from afar, from Zauberberg to Königsforst and Pop, from Oktember to Narkopop and Rausch, back and forth, now and forever.
Geese – Projector CD/LP/Cassette (Partisan)
Geese is a band that begins and ends in Brooklyn, as a project between friends to build a home studio out of a basement. Their songs are born from the same ambition: make music by any means necessary. They began recording together with sneakers as mic stands and blankets draped over the amps, all within the afternoon following a school day, up until they ran the risk of noise complaints. Recently, they signed a record deal, so they are thinking about moving on from sneaker-laden mics and blanketed amps, but their musical ethos has not changed a bit. Curiously alien, yet strangely familiar, the band’s debut album, Projector, is a product of five teenagers whose love of music touches every part of their lives: their restless anxiety about their futures, and their pent-up frustration with their present-a perspective all too familiar in today’s uncertain world.
Genocide Pact – Genocide Pact CD/LP (Relapse)
An overdose of gut-wrenching death metal, Genocide Pact is heavy, engrossing, and undoubtedly brutal. [A limited-edition white color vinyl pressing is also available.]
Glasvegas – Godspeed CD/LP (Republic Of Music)
From strident techno to joyous singalong anthems, Godspeed captures that quintessential Glasvegas essence – incomparable, uncategorisable, and ultimately music that means something. For that alone, welcome back Glasvegas – we really need you right now.
Hail Spirit Noir – Mannequins CD (Agonia)
Prolific shapeshifters Hail Spirit Noir, of Greek origin, discard their progressive robes to celebrate their 10th anniversary with a one-off, synthwave, sci-fi pop album, Mannequins.
Joshua Henry – Grow CD (BMG)
Three-time Tony nominee and Grammy-nominee Joshua Henry’s debut album Grow is a kaleidoscopic spectrum of sounds that showcases Joshua’s powerhouse vocals and versatile talents.
Kenny Lattimore – Here To Stay CD (Sono Recording Group)
Hailed by the New York Times as a “modern soul man”, Kenny Lattimore, the singer behind the hits “Never Too Busy”, “For You”, and the Michael Jordan hype song “Day’s Like This” is back with a new album for the first time in four years.
Lock Up – The Dregs Of Hades CD/LP (Listenable)
Fifth album by international deathgrind band. [A limited-edition color vinyl pressing is also available.]
John Lodge – Royal Affair And After CD (BFD)
New live release from the Moody Blues member. Royal Affair And After features incredible new live recordings of all his Moody Blues hits, plus special tributes to all his bandmates, Graeme Edge, Justin Hayward, Mike Pinder and Ray Thomas.
Trini Lopez – The Rare Reprise Singles CD (Omnivore)
Archive collection from singer-guitarist Trini Lopez containing rare sides from his years with Reprise Records.
Lunar Vacation – Inside Every Fig Is A Dead Wasp CD/Cassette (Keeled Scales)
Drawing from early influences like Rilo Kiley and Tame Impala and landing a little closer to contemporary favorites like Alvvays and Slow Pulp, Lunar Vacation make bright music replete with bliss. [Vinyl edition – including an indie store exclusive orange color vinyl pressing – available December 10.]
Katie Melua – Acoustic Album No. 8 CD (BMG)
Acoustic version of the acclaimed Georgian-British singer/songwriter’s 2020 release Album No. 8.
Moby – Reprise [Special Edition] CD+Blu-ray (Deutsche Grammophon)
Moby, the electronic music icon, goes classical. Featuring tracks from his 30-year career – including “Go”, “Porcelain”, “Extreme Ways”, and “Natural Blues” – reimagined in orchestral and acoustic arrangements along with a moving cover of Bowie’s “Heroes.” This special edition Blu-ray + CD features the full album in Dolby 5.1 + Dolby Atmos and over 2h 40min of video content including the full ‘Moby Doc’ documentary and exclusive material.
The Mother Hips – Glowing Lantern CD/LP+MP3 (Blue Rose Music)
Founded 30 years ago, The Mother Hips caught their first big break before they’d even finished college, when legendary producer Rick Rubin signed the band to his American Recordings label. In the decades to come, the group would go on to release ten critically acclaimed studio albums and cement themselves as architects of a new breed of California rock and soul, one equally informed by the breezy harmonies of the Beach Boys, the funky roots of The Band, and the psychedelic Americana of Buffalo Springfield. Praised by Rolling Stone as divinely inspired and hailed by the San Francisco Chronicle as one of the Bay Area’s most beloved live outfits, the group’s headline and festival performances have become the stuff of legend, earning them slots everywhere from High Sierra to Outside Lands alongside dates with the likes of Johnny Cash, Lucinda Williams, Wilco, and The Black Crowes. [A limited-edition gold color vinyl pressing is also available.]
NCT 127 – The 3rd Album Repackage ‘Favorite’ [Catharsis ver.] CD (SM Entertainment Co.)
NCT 127’s 3rd repackage album Favorite has three new songs of various genres, including the lead single “Favorite”, “Love On The Floor”, and “Pilot”, and is packaged with an assortment ot trinkets.
Gregory Porter – Still Rising 2xCD (Blue Note)
Gregory Porter’s new release Still Rising, is an exquisite collection of musical delights. The first disc includes five brand-new tracks, two new arrangements, and nine of Porter’s most loved global tracks. The second disc features breath-taking covers and duets, boasting songs with Moby, Jamie Cullum, Jeff Goldblum, Renée Fleming, Dianne Reeves, Lalah Hathaway, Laura Mvula, Lizz Wright, and others. The new song and first single from the album “Dry Bones,” written and produced by Troy Miller. [Vinyl edition due December 17.]
Jeff Rosenstock – SKA DREAM CD/LP+MP3 (Polyvinyl)
SKA DREAM is a complete re-recording of Jeff Rosenstock’s critically acclaimed 2020 record NO DREAM, however this time around all the songs are in the ska style.
Bola Sete – Samba In Seattle: Live At The Penthouse (1966-1968) 3xCD (Tompkins Square)
Samba in Seattle is the first official release of legendary Brazilian guitarist Bola Sete’s live recordings at the Penthouse in Seattle, WA (1966-68). Produced by Zev Feldman, and mastered from the original tape reels, this Deluxe three-CD set includes a 40-page booklet with rare photos, an essay by music critic Greg Casseus, and words by guitar icon Carlos Santana, pianist/composer Lalo Schifrin, pianist/producer George Winston, and Sete’s widow Anne Sete; plus a tribute by guitar great John Fahey.
Nina Simone – Nina Simone And Her Friends [Reissue/1959] CD (BMG)
Nina Simone And Her Friends is a 1959 album released by the Bethlehem Records label that compiled songs by jazz singers Nina Simone, Carmen McRae and Chris Connor. All three artists had left the label and signed with other companies by the time Bethlehem released this album. The numbers by Simone were previously unissued “leftovers” from the recording sessions for her debut album Little Girl Blue (1958) and released without her knowledge. The tracks by Chris Connor and Carmen McRae were already issued together this way as Bethlehem’s Girlfriends in 1956 accompanied by the debut recording session of Julie London. [Vinyl edition due December 10.]
Skid Row – The Atlantic Years (1989 – 1996) 5xCD/7xLP (BMG)
Skid Row’s The Atlantic Years 1989-1995 includes remastered versions of the band’s multi-million selling worldwide charting first three studio albums (Skid Row, Slave To The Grind, Subhuman Race) plus the B-Side Ourselves EP and the Japan-only live EP Subhuman Beings On Tour.
Sloppy Jane – Madison CD/LP (Saddest Factory)
Haley Dahl and her 21 bandmates recorded all of Madison at the Lost World Caverns in West Virginia from 3pm to 8:30am each day over the course of two weeks. To access the space, they’d enter through the back of a gift shop, down a long tunnel where they’d walk down 200 feet of stairs to reach the entrance. Dahl and her bandmates did this steep walk with a piano. The ceiling of Lost World Caverns is massively high and is a perfect dome. The inside was also 98 percent humidity, leading to both stellar sound and problems with tuning and gear. Engineer Ryan Howe sat in his parents Subaru above the cave with his mixing board and computer, and threaded cables down 90 feet through a hole in the ground to the ceiling of the cave. It’s the first time someone has ever recorded an entire album in a cave, and the results are sonically stunning. That alone is a marvelous thing. Madison is an astounding, glorious record of melodrama of the highest order. [An opaque blue color vinyl pressing is also available.]
Snotty Nose Rez Kids – Life After CD (Fontana North)
Snotty Nose Rez Kids is a Canadian hip-hop duo of Haisla (indigenous) descent from Kitimat, BC, composed of rappers Yung Trybez & Young D. Life After, tackles a lot of the lows the group felt with their career stalling due to COVID and mental health issues that have impacted them due to isolation, suicides, and deaths in their community. SNRK intends to get personal with their lyricism, much like their first two albums, yet shed a positive light and provide some much-needed empowering messaging. [Vinyl edition TBD.]
Vince Staples – Vince Staples CD (Motown)
Esteemed hip-hop artist Vince Staples has released his self-titled album, produced by Kenny Beats. His first full-length release since 2018’s critically acclaimed FM!, the 10-track album delves not only into Staples’ upbringing in Long Beach but his psyche as he learns to cope with his yesterdays and strides toward new tomorrows, picking others up along the way. Includes a 12-page booklet. [Vinyl edition due April 15.]
Richie Stephens / Mama Carmen – Mother And Son CD (Dubshot)
Reggae/R&B singer and producer of “Work” by Rihanna feat. Drake, Richie Stephens has had a long career since bursting on the scene with labelmate Shabba Ranks and performing as a member of Soul II Soul. This beautiful collaboration with his mother is as tender as it is entertaining.
Tasha – Tell Me What You Miss The Most CD/LP/Cassette (Father/Daughter Records)
Tasha’s second album, Tell Me What You Miss The Most, mingles pockets of introspection with wide, expansive, marveling at what’s yet to come. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, Tasha is a musician who writes songs that take loving and longing seriously. Whether dwelling in the sad thrum of an impending break up or the dizzying, heart thumping waltz of new infatuation, here is an album that traces one artist’s relationship to herself in love. Full of deep, invigorating inhales and relieved, joyful exhales, Tell Me What You Miss The Most is an exquisitely crafted breath of much needed air. [A limited-edition transparent bone color vinyl pressing is also available.]
Teenage Bottlerocket – Sick Sesh! LP (Fat Wreck Chords)
Recorded in November 2020 at the Blasting Room (the band’s eighth straight full-length with producer Andrew Berlin), Sick Sesh! is a little bit rougher around the edges than the last few Teenage Bottlerocket albums, from the haunting “Statistic” to the panic-inducing “Strung Out On Stress” to the buzzsaw lead of “Semi Truck”.
The Teskey Brothers with Orchestra Victoria – Live At Hamer Hall 2xLP (Glassnote)
The Teskey Brothers’ acclaimed 2020 Christmas performance with Orchestra Victoria is available on vinyl for the first time.
Theatres Des Vampires – In Nomine Sanguinis CD (Scarlet)
Stylish cinematographic and horror orchestrations, smart dark electro sounds and lush catchy/poppy vocal lines.
Therapy? – Nurses [Reissue/1992] 2xCD/LP (Virgin)
The Deluxe CD edition includes the original album remastered by Harvey Birell, and a bonus disc with demos, B-sides, and live tracks curated by drummer Michael McKeegan and mastered by Andy Pearce. Booklet contains liner notes by ex-Kerrang editor Paul Brannigan who interviewed the band about the album. Nurse was the first record by Therapy? for A&M. Released in 1992, it moved the band to a more industrial sound. The album reached #38 on the UK charts and had a Top 30 hit on the UK charts with “Teethgrinder”. [A limited-edition single disc red color vinyl LP pressing is also available.]
Tomorrow X Together – Chaotic Wonderland CD (UMe)
Tomorrow X Together – Chaotic Wonderland [Limited Edition A] CD+DVD (UMe)
Tomorrow X Together – Chaotic Wonderland [Limited Edition B] CD+DVD (UMe)
New release from the South Korean boy group – available in a variety of collectable configurations.
Travis – The Invisible Band [Deluxe Edition] 2xCD/2xLP+2xCD (Craft Recordings)
Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the multi-platinum 2001 album The Invisible Band, the original album has been remastered by Grammy Award-winning engineer Emily Lazar and features the hit singles, “Sing”, “Flowers In The Window” and “Side” along with B-sides, unreleased demos, live sessions and alternate takes.
TRNA – Istok CD (Spinefarm)
TRNA are the pioneers of celestial blackgaze; an incredible blackened post-rock three-piece from St. Petersburg, Russia. Istok, the band’s new album, translates from Russian as the origin, beginning, headspring. The original idea was about “the fountain.” For the band, personally, it symbolizes a new beginning and going back to where they started in some sense at the same time. It’s the beginning of a new path that we are yet to follow. [A variety of color vinyl editions are due December 31.]
Volbeat – Servant Of The Mind CD/2xCD/2xLP (Republic)
Volbeat’s 8th studio album, Servant Of The Mind, dial their signature heavy metal, psychobilly, and punk n’ roll sound up a notch while showcasing their keen songwriting and storytelling. [The deluxe double-CD edition includes four bonus tracks.]
Doc Watson – Life’s Work: A Retrospective 4xCD (Craft Recordings)
Life’s Work: A Retrospective is the brand-new career-spanning compilation album from Grammy Award winning American songwriter Doc Watson. Album includes multiple recordings with his son Merle Watson, as well as features from Allison Krauss, Ricky Skaggs and more. Includes Watson’s collaborations with Bill Monroe, Chet Atkins, and others. Includes 101 songs, all new extensive liner notes by author and producer Ted Olson, and a nearly 100-page book insert featuring rare photos.
Ben Watt – Storm Shelter CDEP/12” (Virgin)
Ben Watt (Everything But The Girl) releases his six-track mini album, Storm Shelter, a stripped back piano-vocal companion piece to his acclaimed 2020 album, Storm Damage. A proportion of royalty proceeds will go to the UK homelessness charity, Shelter. The mini album was recorded during rehearsals for the Storm Damage Tour in January 2020, a world tour with his new trio that was cancelled due to the pandemic. All the songs were recorded in one day at RAK Studios in London.
DVDs + Blu-ray:
Depeche Mode – 101 [Reissue/1988] 2xCD+2xDVD+Blu-ray (Rhino)
This new HD edition of 101: A film by D.A. Pennebaker, Chris Hegedus, David Dawkins has been meticulously upgraded using 4k scans of the original film reels to create an all-new viewing experience.
This Week’s Vinyl Exclusives:
Abbreviations – ABVB CD/LP (Red Zeppelin)
Abbreviations is a rock band from Dallas. Also, a pop band, an alternative band, and a supergroup (of sorts) i.e. members Ashley Leer (guitar/vox), Matt Leer (guitar), Chad Walls (bass), and Tony Wann (drums) have played in many of the city’s most active bands over the years.
All That Remains – The Fall Of Ideals [Reissue/2006] LP (Craft Recordings)
The Fall Of Ideals is the third studio album by metalcore band All That Remains. Produced by Adam Dutkiewicz of Killswitch Engage, the album was a departure from their previous two releases as it offered a more melodic metalcore sound that the band would go on to be known for.
The Armed – ULTRAPOP LP+MP3 (Sargent House)
Limited-edition orange color vinyl pressing. The Armed’s first new album in over three years reaches the same extremities of sonic expression as the furthest depths of metal, noise, and otherwise heavy counterculture music subgenres but finds its foundation firmly in pop music and pop culture. As is always The Armed’s mission, it seeks only to create the most intense experience possible, a magnification of all culture, beauty, and things.
Ásgeir – Sky Painted Grey Today 12” (One Little Independent)
Limited color vinyl pressing. These four textured, original tracks were recorded in 2019 in Hljodriti and have been tweaked over the last few months. They mark something of a return to the artist’s deep roots, working once again with his father on their poetic Icelandic lyrics, as well as enlisting the likes of John Grant and Pétur Ben for the translations, a writing relationship that worked to great effect on his debut. The collection encompasses his signature emotive delivery, delicate yet expansive folk, and intricate guitars.
Barrie – Dig b/w Frankie 7” (Winspear)
Barrie Lindsay is a soft spoken, obsessive producer and songwriter who grew up tinkering with instruments in Ipswich, Massachusetts. Whereas “Dig” floats in a seeming free-time, Barrie’s second single, “Frankie”, is locked into a driving, propulsive rhythm. It’s bass synth, which remains constant throughout, is meditative and hypnotic. Among skittering arpeggios and melodic hooks, the song’s message asks listeners to consider capitalism. Political pop can be awkward, but Lindsay’s is subtle and poignant, reflecting on Glen Campbell’s classic “Wichita Lineman”, and Americans’ attitudes towards labor.
Bat Fangs – Bat Fangs [Reissue/2018] LP+MP3 (Don Giovanni)
Limited hot-pink color vinyl LP pressing. NC/DC superghouls Bat Fangs pick up where Roky & The Aliens blasted off – cranking acid-soaked ’80s hard rock for the living and the dead. Making heady heavy music for third eyes and stiff upper lips, Betsy Wright (Ex Hex) shreds ‘n’ howls over Laura King’s (Fleshwounds, Speed Stick, The Moaners) deep-thunder drums.
Black Label Society – Stronger Than Death [Reissue/2000] 2xLP (eOne)
Black Label Society – 1919 Eternal [Reissue/2002] 2xLP (eOne)
Black Label Society – The Blessed Hellride [Reissue/2003] LP (eOne)
Black Label Society – Mafia [Reissue/2005] 2xLP (eOne)
Limited color vinyl reissues of the second, third, fourth and fifth albums by the Los Angeles heavy metal band formed by Zakk Wylde in 1998.
Bush – Razorblade Suitcase (In Addition) 2xLP (Round Hill)
24 years ago, Bush bravely followed up their 1994 multi-platinum juggernaut of a debut, Sixteen Stone, with a darker, more cerebral sophomore effort in Razorblade Suitcase. Produced by Steve Albini and recorded at London’s Abbey Road Studios, the album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, selling 293,000 copies during its first week of release in the US and staying alive with hit singles “Greedy Fly” and “Swallowed”. To celebrate the 20th anniversary of this 3x platinum album, it has been reissued on deluxe, remastered pink vinyl and expanded with four rare bonus tracks.
Calling All Captains – Slowly Getting Better LP (Equal Vision)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Debut album from the alt-rock band.
Doug Carn – Adam’s Apple [Reissue/1974] LP (Real Gone Music)
Indie store exclusive orange w/ black color vinyl pressing. Doug Carn made four records for the Black Jazz label, more than any other artist, and each one topped the previous release’s lofty standard. Adam’s Apple was his last (1974) album for the label, representing the final note in his staggeringly creative crescendo.
Johnny Cash – Bear’s Sonic Journals: Johnny Cash, At the Carousel Ballroom, April 24, 1968 2xLP (BMG)
An historic and never-heard live concert recorded in San Francisco by innovative sound wizard Owsley Stanley. Captured in the heart of Haight-Ashbury, just days before the release of Cash’s iconic At Folsom Prison album (and over six months before the arrival of the equally revered At San Quentin), At The Carousel Ballroom serves as a third essential – and wholly unique – live document from the era, a moment of cultural collision, with Cash leaning into songs about society’s outcasts, while playing a venue operated by The Jefferson Airplane and Grateful Dead. [A limited-edition yellow color vinyl edition is due January 4.]
Chicano Batman – Invisible People [Reissue/2020] LP (ATO)
Limited pink color vinyl LP pressing of the fourth studio album by Chicano Batman. The 12-song set accentuates the group’s high-spirited synthesis of tropicália, west coast psychedelia and late-’60s/early-’70s soul.
Anne Clark – Pressure Points [Reissue/1985] LP (Flying Dolphin Administration)
Anne Clark – Hopeless Cases [Reissue/1987] LP (Flying Dolphin Administration)
A poetic songwriter and lyricist, Anne Clark gained a devout legion of fans during the ’80s and because of her experiments with both dance music and more elaborate orchestral pieces, Anne Clark won the approval of club denizens and indie purists. “Hope Road” was the closest she came to a pop hit. When it comes to 1980’s synth- pop, Anne Clark is one of the names that are remembered, her incisive spoken lyrics giving her a mark of distinction among her peers.
Clever – Crazy LP (Republic)
Released in May on CD – now available on vinyl. After heating up the anticipation to a boiling point, Clever unleashes his debut album, Crazy. He bulldozed the way for the record with the buzzing smash “Life’s A Mess II” featuring Juice WRLD & Post Malone.
Spencer Cullum – Spencer Cullum’s Coin Collection LP (Full Time Hobby)
Pedal steel savant Spencer Cullum is one of Nashville’s most in-demand session cats and he’s also half of the space-country duo Steelism. Clearly, he’s had little trouble fitting in since moving from his native London. His debut solo album pays homage to the ’60s and ’70s psych-pop, folk and proto-prog heroes of his homeland. Along with musicians Sean Thompson and Luke Reynolds, and singing/writing partners Caitlin Rose, Andrew Combs and Erin Rae – he’s bringing a bit of Britain to TN.
Del Water Gap – Del Water Gap LP (Mom + Pop Music)
Del Water Gap is the solo project of songwriter and producer S. Holden Jaffe, who delivers a deeply confessional self-titled debut. Holden is inspired by “romantic encounters and dimly lit rooms” – an inspiration evident in the lush sonic landscapes and caressing lyricism found in his music. Although his work has garnered mass-appeal, listening to Del Water Gap feels like a truly intimate experience. [A limited-edition blue color vinyl pressing is also available.]
Descendents – 9th & Walnut LP+MP3 (Epitaph)
Named for their Long Beach practice space back in the day, 9th & Walnut features the Descendents’ earliest material written from 1977 through 1980. Begun in 2002 and finished in the pandemic, the 18-track collection also includes the band’s debut tracks “Ride The Wild” and “It’s a Hectic World” (heard here for the first time with vocals by Milo Aukerman), and the Dave Clark Five’s “Glad All Over” with the full Descendents treatment.
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.
Dry Ice – Dry Ice LP (Morgan Blue Town)
A compilation of 1969 recordings from psychedelic band Dry Ice now on vinyl. Features Terry Sullivan of Renaissance on drums. Ian McDonald (King Crimson, Foreigner) plays flute on one song.
The Durutti Column – A Paean To Wilson [Reissue/2010] 3xLP (Durutti)
Paean To Wilson is the 26th Durutti Column studio album, and the first to be recorded since its subject’s passing. It was also the best thing Reilly has delivered for 20 years. His music has always had an elegiac quality, expressed through virtuosic fretboard cadences, delayed and filtered into fractals of emotion. It’s a crystalline, empyrean, yet inexorably human sound that proves a perfect, poignant medium with which to salute a dead friend.
Field Guide – Make Peace With That LP (Birthday Cake Media)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Winnipeg is an interesting place. It’s cold, it’s cheap, and it’s responsible for more than its fair share of great bands and fine musicians. It’s a special thing when such a small, isolated place is chock-full of phenomenal, genre spanning music. The next generation is blissfully spared the ill-advised constructs that a normal music scene can beat into you. Such is the case for Field Guide who spent his youth on the road with his high school best friends playing to no one and getting good at music. He paid his bills by being a guitar player for hire all the while learning how to craft songs that land just like journal entries.
F**ked Up – Year Of The Horse 2xLP (Tankcrimes)
The follow-up to 2018’s critically lauded Dose Your Dreams full-length, F**ked Up’s hugely ambitious Year Of The Horse is operatic in scope and artfully assembled offering up one track with a ninety-plus-minute runtime. The epic tone poem is spread across four sides that pass through the realms of metal, classical, ’70s groove, and international hardcore punk to explore themes of motherhood, ecology, stewardship, and the deep myths of our civilization.
Jerry Garcia Band – Jerry Garcia Band (30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition) 5xLP (Rounder Records)
Selling over 360,000 CDs since its release, the beloved self-titled album, Jerry Garcia Band, was the band’s first live release recorded in the spring and summer of 1990 at The Warfield in San Francisco. The iconic lineup features John Kahn, Melvin Seals, David Kemper, Gloria Jones, and Jacklyn LaBranch. In celebration of the album’s 30th anniversary, this five-LP set out is pressed on 180gm vinyl in a cloth wrapped, foil-stamped box and available in a limited edition of 10,000 copies.
Gov’t Mule – Déjà Voodoo [Reissue/2004] 2xLP (Let Them Eat Vinyl)
2004’s Déjà Voodoo served as Gov’t Mule’s first studio album with Andy Hess (bass) and Danny Louis (keys) following the death of founding member and bass player Allen Woody. Déjà Voodoo fully encompasses the band’s heavy-hitting rock style while simultaneously showcasing a new sense of innovative songwriting explorations.
The Grip Weeds – DiG [Deluxe Edition] LP (Jem)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. The music on DiG harkens back to when the New Jersey rock/power pop band began their journey into that rock and roll night of cramped stages in smoky clubs with temperatures hovering between sweltering and lava – their love of this music made it all worthwhile. All the load-ins, broken-down vans, and questionable accounting at the door could not dampen the buzz that came from melting a room full of faces with the fury and grace that was poured into their performances.
The Groundhogs – Who Will Save The World [Reissue/1972] 2xLP (Fire)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. The final instalment to the trio of reissued masterpieces from the legendary British rock group, The Groundhogs. Treading more progressive realms, Who Will Save The World sees Tony McPhee moving away from the blues territory of their earlier releases and towards a heavier more psychedelic sound. Achieving Top 10 album success back in 1972, Who Will Save The World is the last record that features the classic line up of Tony McPhee, Pete Cruickshank and Ken Pustelnik.
The Halo Benders – God Don’t Make No Junk [Reissue/1994] LP (K)
Initial collaboration between Calvin Johnson of Beat Happening and Doug Martsch of Built To Spill. These recording sessions at Olympia, WA Dub Narcotic Studio took place in 1993, just prior to the release of the debut Built To Spill album Ultimate Alternative Wavers. The combination of the two voices was a happy accident that proved to be the combos winning charm.
Eddie Hazel – Game, Dames And Guitar Thangs [Reissue/1977] LP (Real Gone Music)
Limited blue color vinyl LP pressing. Knowledge of this relatively obscure album is something of a secret handshake among axe men, because the guitar work on it is flat-out incredible. But then, you had to be a bad mutha to be in a band with George Clinton, Bootsy Collins, Bernie Worrell and the rest of the Parliament/Funkadelic mothership, and that’s where a 17-year-old Eddie Hazel found himself in 1967, as the new guitar player in the Parliaments. Over the next ten years, Hazel would become an instrumental mainstay in PFunk.
Natalie Hemby – Pins And Needles LP (Fantasy)
Recently released on CD – now available on indie store exclusive clear smoke color vinyl. Two-time Grammy Award-winner Natalie Hemby is revered as one of the music industry’s most notable songwriters creating hit after hit behind the scenes. Now, she’s poised for a breakout, with the release of her exceptional sophomore album Pins And Needles. Known for the versatile sonics and storytelling that earned her eight No. 1 singles, Hemby explores a full range of her musical gifts, spanning influences – from Tom Petty to Sheryl Crow and the early ‘90s rock and roots she was raised on – with incomparable individuality. Across the 11-track collection, Hemby delivers unconventional lyrics along with her ingenious turn of phrase, ear-worm anthems to heart-rending ballads, acid-tongued and sharp-witted swagger to deep-grooved rockers.
Ice Nine Kills – The Silver Scream 2: Welcome To Horrorwood 2xLP (Fearless)
Recently released on CD – now available on indie store exclusive clear vinyl. True to horror franchise tradition, there is always a sequel… The Silver Scream 2: Welcome To Horrorwood follows in the bloody footsteps of its predecessor, paying tribute to 13 more of the most gruesome tales to ever grace the silver screen. In this latest INK offering, the last album and video series is portrayed as a work of fiction. The new story line thrusts the band into a brutal real-world slaying. The only traces of the crime are 13 songs left behind by the suspected killer.
Idles Feat. slowthai – Model Village 7” (Partisan)
The A-side is the album version of “Model Village” from 2020’s smash album Ultra Mono and the B-side is a special version “Model Village” featuring slowthai.
Cody Johnson – Human The Double Album 2xLP (Warner Nashville)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Human The Double Album is the sophomore major-label release from Platinum recording artist Cody Johnson. The massive endeavor is stacked top to bottom with songs that were originally rejected by other Nashville artists, for what Johnson considers as being too country for country.
Calvin Keys – Proceed With Caution! [Reissue/1974] LP (Real Gone Music)
Indie store exclusive orange w/ black color vinyl pressing. Bay Area jazz guitar legend Calvin Keys released his debut solo record, Shawn-Neeq, in 1971, and it remains one of the most beloved albums on the Black Jazz label. But that record was mere prelude for 1974s Proceed With Caution; this time around, the arrangements were more complex, the instrumentation more diverse. In short, a quantum leap forward.
Judas Knife – Death Is The Thing With Feathers LP (Translation Loss)
Brooklyn NY’s blistering indie rockers Judas Knife present Death Is The Thing With Feathers. Recorded by Kurt Ballou (Converge, Dylan Carlson) and featuring members of the beloved ‘90s bands Into Another and Garrison (both of Revelation Records), Death Is The Thing With Feathers features ten songs of insanely catch indie rock/post rock in the vein of Into Another, Handsome, Garrison, Engine Kid, Elliot and The Casket Lottery.
Jukebox The Ghost – Everything Under The Sun LP+MP3 (Yep Roc)
Jukebox The Ghost’s Yep Roc debut celebrates its 10th Anniversary with this limited edition pressing on yellow vinyl with new liner notes from the band and nine bonus tracks on the digital download. At the time, PopMatters said of the album, “For those mourning the loss of Jellyfish, Beulah, Blur, or the sounds of XTC’s or Squeeze’s heydays, purchasing this album is a direct order, and not up for debate.”
The Knife – The Knife LP (Dying Victim Productions)
The German quartet’s aim is to play fast and wild metal, bringing all their influences together. Neither strictly straightforward heavy metal nor retro-minded metalpunk, spanning both speed metal surge and fist-banging hard rock alike, Knife keep it lawless and loose across their debut album.
Like Pacific – Control My Sanity LP (Pure Noise)
Limited-edition indie store blue w/ white color vinyl pressing. “Toronto quintet Like Pacific recite the pop-punk textbook on their third album, Control My Sanity.” – Kerrang
Lynch Mob – Wicked Sensation [Reissue/1990] LP (Friday Music)
Two limited-edition color vinyl editions: green and yellow. The Lynch Mob project kicked off in 1989 after Dokken members George Lynch and Mick Brown left the band to start their own new powerhouse quartet.
Israel Nash – Topaz LP (Israel Nash)
Limited pink color vinyl pressing. “Music can be the space where people think – even just for a few minutes,” says Israel Nash. “The space is not about changing their lives or political views or their party ticket. It’s about creating something that prompts reflection in a moment – and those reflections have other chain reactions.” Nash’s magnificent new album, Topaz, is what happened when he found his answers. Nash recorded the album over the course of about a year in the Quonset hut studio he built about 600 feet from his house in the Texas Hill Country. While musician friends from nearby Austin contributed to the project, Topaz marks the first album Nash has recorded mostly on his own, both taking his time and relishing his newfound access to immediacy, punching the red button moments after an idea hit.
Buffalo Nichols – Buffalo Nichols LP (Fat Possum)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Austin, TX-based vocalist/guitarist/songwriter Buffalo Nichols – Fat Possum’s first solo blues signing in nearly 20 years – delivers his self-titled debut album on the label. The album sees Nichols wrestling with prescient topics, such as empathy and forgiveness on the poignant, ever-building melody of “How To Love”; regret and loss on moving, violin-inflected “These Things”; and the pitfalls of lives lived too close to the edge on the smooth, dynamic “Back On Top”.
No Bragging Rights – No Bragging Rights LP (Pure Noise)
Limited pink color vinyl LP pressing. New album from the California melodic hardcore band.
Order – The Gospel LP (Listenable)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Order was founded in 2013 by Anders Odden, Rene Jansen, Kjetil Manheim and Billy Messiah. The four being respectively responsible for early-stage Norwegian death metal (Cadaver) and the origin of the Norwegian Black metal (Mayhem). In 2014, Jansen sadly passed away, leaving the project unrealized. The remaining members decided to move forward despite the setback. In 2015 Stu Manx (Gluecifer) joined the band and set the band back on its quest to make unpolished raw black metal anno the 21st century.
Ozzy Osbourne + Motörhead – Hellraiser 10” (Sony Legacy)
To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Ozzy Osbourne’s No More Tears album, this 10″ black vinyl single of “Hellraiser” contains a 2021 mashup of the classic Ozzy track with Motörhead’s version.
Overkill – The Atlantic Years: 1986-1994 6xLP (BMG)
Overkill, the seminal American thrash metal band, formed in 1980 in New Jersey. They are often called ‘the Motörhead of thrash metal’, based on their unique playing style, which was influenced by punk rock and the new wave of British heavy metal. They were also one of the first thrash metal bands to sign to a major label (having signed to Atlantic Records in 1986) and rose to fame as part of the genre’s movement of the mid-to-late 1980s, along with the ‘big four’ (Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax) as well as Exodus and Testament.
Pallet Knife – Ponderosa Snake House & The Chamber Of Bullshit LP (Take This To Heart)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Palette Knife’s layered approach to songwriting and storytelling might begin as a shock. It’s a dizzying experience, one that flips channels between impassioned odes to thrifting dates and other cheapskate adventures, lamenting the person yourself or someone like you used to be, and relentless appeals to reason in a world that constantly moves the goalposts. For now, enjoy the kickoff.
David Lee Roth – Diamond Dave LP [Reissue/2003] LP (Friday Music)
Pink color vinyl pressing. This laidback, bluesy album was created with a whole host of superb players including Chic’s Nile Rodgers, Edgar Winter, Gregg Bissonette, Greg Phillinganes and many more. Includes cover versions of The Beatles, The Doors, Jimi Hendrix and more plus original songs as well as a version of the blues classic “Ice Cream Man” that Halen recorded on their debut album.
Röyksopp – The Lost Tapes 2xLP (Cooking Vinyl)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. The Lost Tapes is a monthly release of rare B-sides, exclusives – and even some previously unreleased tracks. Now the first 10 tracks from the series are released on vinyl for the first time.
Samia – Before The Baby LP (Grand Jury)
Samia’s 2020 full-length debut The Baby was an introduction for many, but the Nashville-by-way-of-NYC songwriter had been cultivating a fanbase with a series of singles dating back to 2017. Before The Baby collects those early Samia singles on an official 12″ release for the first time.
Brian Setzer – Gotta Have The Rumble LP (Surfdog)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Brian Setzer, the iconic guitarist, songwriter, vocalist and three-time Grammy award-winner, returns with his first solo album in seven years. Gotta Have The Rumble is a red-hot album from start to finish, featuring 11 all-original songs that are full of dynamism and bravado. The album is classic rockabilly at its absolute finest and showcases Setzer at the top of his career.
Swansea Sound – Live At The Rum Puncheon LP (HHBTM)
Swansea Sound is the new collaboration between The Pooh Sticks frontman Hue Williams and Heavenly’s Amelia Fletcher. Debut album Live At The Rum Puncheon features a dozen indie pop bangers and finds Williams at his sardonic, satirical best. Features a dozen noisy punk songs, including the critically acclaimed singles “Indies Of The World” and “Corporate Indie Band”.
They Might Be Giants – Book LP (Idlewild)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Book is a new phase They Might Be Giants album. Featuring “I Broke My Own Rule”, “I Lost Thursday”, and “I Can’t Remember The Dream”, Book is billed as a beacon of light amid a pretty unanimously rough period of time with the band’s John Linnell describing its songs as “humorously germane to the catastrophe going on around us.”
Thrice – Beggars [Reissue/2009] LP (Vagrant)
To take stock of California alt-rock quartet Thrice’s discography is to witness the dramatic evolution of a band perpetually committed to pushing their own creative boundaries, taking their music to new and breathtaking heights of expression and challenging fans to explore each startling soundscape the group conjures, while simultaneously promoting social awareness and change. Revolver Magazine hailed Beggars as “a brooding, at times Radiohead-esque post-rock groove with a hint of blues that makes it the band’s most atmospheric record to date.”
Thrown Into Exile – Illusion Of Control LP (Urban Yeti)
Illusion Of Control is a blend of European and American melodic death metal styles and a huge step forward for Thrown Into Exile in both song writing and presentation. The band’s second full-length effort features 10 tracks with no two songs sounding the same, each track truly has its own unique sound and feel.
The Vagabonds – Sinners And Saints LP (Blue Élan)
Nashville-based Southern rock band The Vegabonds deal with the challenge of thriving in the face of unexpected events in Sinners And Saints. With the help of Grammy-nominated producer Tom Tapley (Blackberry Smoke), the album seamlessly blends the band’s myriad of influences – balancing a gritty, rocking performance with thoughtful songwriting. With something for fans of Tom Petty or The Allman Brothers, Sinners and Saints is a fresh take on a classic sound, paying homage to southern rock legends while sharing their own tales about heartache, tough times, and feeling good.
Various Artists – Sentimental Noise 1996 – 2021 LP (Jagjaguwar)
Limited-edition metallic silver color vinyl pressing. the final chapter in a four-part series of albums, art and creative endeavors conceived in celebration of the record label’s 25th Anniversary. This 17-song set uncovers new and unreleased music from some of the label’s earliest friends, such as Drunk and Manishevitz, plus Jagjaguwar legends like Wilderness, Oneida and Bloomington post-rock heroes Tammar, special contributions from Jenny Hval, the mysterious noise mongers of Canada’s Wold/Fauchion and Oslo’s Some Nerve, and two loving tributes to the Patron Saint of Jagjaguwar, John Prine, and more.
The Weather Station – Ignorance 2xLP (Fat Possum)
Limited blue color vinyl pressing. Through Ignorance, Tamara Lindeman has remade what The Weather Station sounds like, using the occasion of a new record to create a novel sonic landscape, tailor-made to express an emotional idea. Ignorance is sensuous, ravishing, as hi-fi a record as Lindeman has ever mad.
Gillian Welch & David Rawlings – All The Good Times LP (Acony)
Released earlier this year on CD – now available on vinyl. The first Gillian Welch & David Rawlings collaboration to feature both of their names, All The Good Times, a collection of ten acoustic covers recorded at home, received a 2021 Grammy nomination for Best Folk Album. After a devastating tornado ravaged Nashville in the Spring of 2020 making their studio unusable, immediately followed by a global pandemic shutting down their community and touring livelihood, Welch & Rawlings were able to find the inspiration to set up recording equipment in their home living room and record ten performances on their reel-to-reel of some of their favorite songs from the likes of John Prine (“Hello In There”), Bob Dylan (“Abandoned Love”), Norman Blake (“Ginseng Sullivan”), and more. According to Uncut magazine, “The 10-song collection is the equivalent of being welcomed into Welch & Rawlings’ living room and the pair treating you to a private recital. In other words, it doesn’t get much better than this.”
Paul Weller – Illumination [Reissue/2002/] LP (Craft Recordings)
Limited 180gm vinyl LP pressing in gatefold jacket. Includes 16-page booklet. Weller’s sixth solo studio album Illumination includes the hit singles “It’s Written in The Stars” and “Leafy Mysteries” and features guest performances from Carleen Anderson, Jocelyn Brown, Kelly Jones and Noel Gallagher.
Wolf King – Loyal To The Soil [Reissue/2018] LP (Prosthetic)
Bay Area blackened hardcore outfit, Wolf King, showcased eleven tracks of grim, chaotic, hardcore on their 2018 full-length debut album, Loyal To The Soil.
The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die – Illusory Walls LP+MP3 (Epitaph)
Recently released on CD – an indie store exclusive clear vinyl edition is now available. Taken from the unlikely source of the video game Dark Souls, the album’s title; Illusory Walls “refers to a hidden surface that seems to prevent entry, but upon inspection is nothing more than a visual illusion,” notes vocalist/guitarist David F. Bello. The process for Illusory Walls took about a year, written and recorded remotely between the bear-filled woods of Connecticut and the streets of quarantined Philadelphia – a first for the band – due to the coronavirus pandemic. The extra time made for a more relaxed, comfortable experience in the studio, allowing the band to realize the full extent of their musical and thematic aspirations. Co-produced by vocalist/guitarist Chris Teti alongside his studio partner Greg Thomas (END, Misery Signals), Illusory Walls takes on the weight of human existence while it’s buckling under the pressure of today’s near-dystopian society. Personal anxieties and political struggles collide with a series of portentous, apocalyptic, and dramatic tunes, resulting in some of the darkest music the band has made since forming in 2009.
Cassettes:
Geese – Projector (Partisan)
Geese is a band that begins and ends in Brooklyn, as a project between friends to build a home studio out of a basement. Their songs are born from the same ambition: make music by any means necessary. They began recording together with sneakers as mic stands and blankets draped over the amps, all within the afternoon following a school day, up until they ran the risk of noise complaints. Recently, they signed a record deal, so they are thinking about moving on from sneaker-laden mics and blanketed amps, but their musical ethos has not changed a bit. Curiously alien, yet strangely familiar, the band’s debut album, Projector, is a product of five teenagers whose love of music touches every part of their lives: their restless anxiety about their futures, and their pent-up frustration with their present-a perspective all too familiar in today’s uncertain world.
Lunar Vacation – Inside Every Fig Is A Dead Wasp (Keeled Scales)
Drawing from early influences like Rilo Kiley and Tame Impala and landing a little closer to contemporary favorites like Alvvays and Slow Pulp, Lunar Vacation make bright music replete with bliss.
They Might Be Giants – Book (Idlewild)
Book is a new phase They Might Be Giants album. Featuring “I Broke My Own Rule”, “I Lost Thursday”, and “I Can’t Remember The Dream”, Book is billed as a beacon of light amid a pretty unanimously rough period of time with the band’s John Linnell describing its songs as “humorously germane to the catastrophe going on around us.”
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