Marketing Program/ Banner/ Listening Station Titles Promoted This Week:
alt-J – The Dream CD (Atlantic)
The Dream is an album of intrigue, beauty and humanity – a coalescence of everything that has made alt-J a global band with true staying power. True-crime inspired stories and tales of Hollywood and the Chateau Marmont rub shoulders with some of the band’s most personal moments to-date. The album was created after a period of rest for the band following their seismic world tour in support of previous record Relaxer. It is a record that is the sound of a band growing as songwriters and storytellers. [A limited-edition indie store exclusive vinyl pressing is due 2/18.]
Dan Andriano & The Byegones – Dear Darkness CD/LP+MP3 (Epitaph)
Multifaceted singer-songwriter and instrumentalist Dan Andriano (Alkaline Trio) delivers the debut album from his new project Dan Andriano & The Bygones featuring Bay Area musicians Randy and Dylan Moore and Nick Kenrick. The self-produced project finds Andriano venturing into deeply personal lyrical territory while also pushing the limits of just what his unclassifiable sound can be. Andriano first began work on what would become Dear Darkness during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, writing demoes and raiding his archives of unfinished ideas, doing so more out of a deep-seated need to create than with any true end project in mind. Having spent so much of his life touring and making music, the time off forced by the pandemic was foreign to Andriano, who, at moments, struggled with how to use this newfound freedom, but also found it to be fruitful for his creative process.
Big Thief – Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You CD/2xLP+MP3 (4AD)
Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You is a sprawling double-LP exploring the deepest elements and possibilities of Big Thief. To truly dig into all that the music of Adrianne Lenker, Max Oleartchik, Buck Meek, and James Krivchenia desired in 2020, the band decided to write and record a rambling account of growth as individuals, musicians, and chosen family over four distinct recording sessions. In Upstate New York, Topanga Canyon, The Rocky Mountains, and Tucson, AZ, Big Thief spent five months in creation and came out with 45 completed songs. The most resonant of this material was edited down into the 20 tracks that make up DNWMIBIY, a fluid and adventurous listen. [A limited-edition indie store exclusive vinyl pressing is available.]
Boulevards – Electric Cowboy: Born In Carolina Mud CD/LP (Normaltown)
“I was born in the North Carolina mud,” says Jamil Rashad, better known as Boulevards, one of the most idiosyncratic artists making music in the Tarheel State. His fourth album, Electric Cowboy: Born In Carolina Mud, is caked in the soil where he grew up, mired in the muck of this place – not stuck but freed. Grounded in personal experience and haunted by personal demons, Electric Cowboy is an album that reaches out, that embraces the world, that mixes the confessional and the communal. But the dominant sound – the dominant mindset – is funk: gritty, warm, weird, charismatic. [A limited-edition indie store exclusive signed red & black color vinyl pressing is available.]
Ethan Iverson – Every Note Is True CD (Blue Note)
Pianist and composer Ethan Iverson makes his Blue Note debut with the remarkable Every Note Is True, an engaging and evocative date featuring a masterful new trio with bassist Larry Grenadier and legendary drummer Jack DeJohnette. The album is an opportunity for Iverson to look back at and expand upon his own musical history as he revisits the pop/rock influenced jazz style of The Bad Plus, the influential trio that the pianist co-founded in 2000.
Amos Lee – Dreamland CD/LP (Dualtone)
With one foot in the real world and the other in a charmed dimension of his own making, Amos Lee creates the rare kind of music that’s emotionally raw yet touched with a certain magical quality. On his eighth album Dreamland, the Philadelphia-born singer/songwriter intimately documents his real-world struggles (alienation, anxiety, loneliness, despair), an outpouring born from deliberate and often painful self-examination. But, thanks to a palpable sense of playfulness, Dreamland embodies an unpredictable and endlessly imaginative sound – a prime showcase for Lee’s warmly commanding voice and soul-baring songwriting. With the release of Dreamland, Lee hopes that his songs might inspire others to live more fully and free of fear.
Dusty Locane – Untamed CD (Empire)
Having quickly risen to the top of the New York hip-hop scene, the mercurial Brooklyn-based drill rapper, Dusty Locane, drops his debut album, Untamed. At 20 tracks, the album showcases Dusty’s lyrical chops as an emcee and star power and versatility that makes him a unique artist. Working with fellow New York artists Rah Swish, KG More Breesh, 8anditt & 3Kizzy, as well as rising labelmates OBN Jay & Yung Bleu, Dusty speaks on how he became king of the streets and looks to prove why he deserves to stay on top for years to come.
Paper Route Empire – Long Live Young Dolph CD (Empire)
The second Paper Route Empire compilation and tribute album to the late Memphis legend, Young Dolph. Featuring PRE label members Key Glock, Snupe Bandz, Big Moochie Grape, Kenny Muney, PaperRoute Woo, Chitana & Joddy Badass, as well as singer Ricco Barrino, the 8-track album illustrates the magnificent impact and legacy Dolph left behind and looks to see the silver lining in the loss of a man that was loved and admired by people all over the world. [Vinyl edition due August 5.]
Slash featuring Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators – 4 CD/4xCD+Cassette/LP/Cassette (BMG)
4 is Slash’s fifth solo album and fourth overall with his band featuring Myles Kennedy (vocals), Brent Fitz (drums), Todd Kerns (bass & vocals) and Frank Sidoris (guitar & vocals). A vibrant rock album fueled by memorable guitar hooks and compelling melodies, big choruses, and even bigger riffs; 4 builds on the legacy of Slash (Feat. Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators)’s prior work. For 4, Slash and the band traveled across the country together to Nashville, TN, and recorded the new album at the historic RCA Studio A with producer Dave Cobb (Chris Stapleton, John Prine, Jason Isbell, Brandi Carlile), revealing a stunning new sound and style all captured live in the studio. Cobb shared the band’s desire to lay down the tracks live, in the studio including guitar solos and vocals – a first for the group. [A limited-edition indie store exclusive purple color vinyl pressing is available. Also available: A deluxe four-CD box set including the
cassette Live Rehearsal Tape 5/28/21, a 36-page photobook, a poster, patch, and guitar pick. The deluxe vinyl box set edition is due March 4.]
Spoon – Lucifer On The Sofa CD/LP+MP3 (Matador)
Spoon’s tenth album, Lucifer On The Sofa, is the band’s purest rock ‘n’ roll record to date. Texas-made, it is the first set of songs that the quintet has put to tape in its hometown of Austin in more than a decade. Written and recorded over the last two years – both in and out of lockdown – these songs mark a shift toward something louder, wilder, and more full-color. Lucifer On The Sofa was co-produced by Spoon and Mark Rankin (Adele, Queens of the Stone Age), with contributions from Dave Fridmann and Justin Raisen. Britt Daniel describes the album as, “the sound of classic rock as written by a guy who never did get Eric Clapton…I spent a lot of 2018 and 2019 listening to ZZ Top.” [A limited-edition indie store exclusive orange color vinyl pressing is available.]
Urge Overkill – Oui CD/LP (Omnivore)
Nash Kato and Eddie “King” Roeser met at Northwestern University, formed Urge Overkill (named after a George Clinton/Parliament lyric), and soon released a Steve Albini produced EP on Restless Records. After a string of acclaimed releases on Touch & Go Records (including the Stull EP, containing their cover of Neil Diamond’s “Girl, You’ll Be A Woman Soon”, which became a hit after being featured in Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction), the band moved to Geffen Records and issued a pair of albums which took over alternative radio. It wasn’t until 2011 that Urge Overkill released new music, when they returned with Rock & Roll Submarine. Now, a decade later, Urge Overkill release Oui. The new album features twelve new tracks from Kato and Roeser – eleven are Urge originals, with the opener (and first single) being a cover of Wham!’s “Freedom!”. [A limited-edition indie store exclusive vinyl pressing is available.]
Various Artists – Broken Hearts & Dirty Windows: Songs of John Prine, Vol. 2 CD (Oh Boy)
Broken Hearts & Dirty Windows: Songs Of John Prine Vol. 2, the follow up to the original 2010 tribute record, adds to an esteemed legacy for Oh Boy Records which celebrates its 40thanniversary in 2021. Featuring your favorite artists interpreting their favorite John Prine songs, including Brandi Carlile, Nathaniel Rateliff, Amanda Shires, Tyler Childers, Margo Price, Valerie June, Jason Isbell, Bonnie Raittr, John Paul White, Iris DeMent, Emmylou Harris, and Sturgill Simpson, proceeds from each track will go to a charity of the respective artist’s choosing. [Vinyl edition due April 29.]
Additional Social Media Program Titles Released This Week:
Redeye Fresh Baked Program
CDs + Vinyl:
Eve Adams – Metal Bird CD/LP (Basin Rock)
Eve Adams offers solace within life’s shadows. Un-numbing senses with anthems of surrender and tender-hearted tales that tingle with Californian folk-noir, her album Metal Bird takes flight with the turbulence and romance of Hollywood’s golden age, and meditates on the mysteries of love, death, insecurity and loneliness. Like a match struck in a cobwebbed attic, Adams’s voice is a fiery detective, unafraid to explore the unseen, the liminal spaces between mourning and rapture, between the coldness of a corpse and the heat of cremation.
alt-J – The Dream CD (Atlantic)
The Dream is an album of intrigue, beauty and humanity – a coalescence of everything that has made alt-J a global band with true staying power. True-crime inspired stories and tales of Hollywood and the Chateau Marmont rub shoulders with some of the band’s most personal moments to-date. The album was created after a period of rest for the band following their seismic world tour in support of previous record Relaxer. It is a record that is the sound of a band growing as songwriters and storytellers. [A limited-edition indie store exclusive vinyl pressing is due 2/18.]
Amorphous – Halo CD (Affiliated)
Rock and metal music have always been a haven for those who have bigger stories to tell; who have grander emotions to convey. For more than thirty years, Finnish figureheads Amorphis has done their best to carve their very own niche in heartfelt yet aggressive, melancholic yet soothing tunes. [Vinyl edition due March 11.]
Dan Andriano & The Byegones – Dear Darkness CD/LP+MP3 (Epitaph)
Multifaceted singer-songwriter and instrumentalist Dan Andriano (Alkaline Trio) delivers the debut album from his new project Dan Andriano & The Bygones featuring Bay Area musicians Randy and Dylan Moore and Nick Kenrick. The self-produced project finds Andriano venturing into deeply personal lyrical territory while also pushing the limits of just what his unclassifiable sound can be. Andriano first began work on what would become Dear Darkness during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, writing demoes and raiding his archives of unfinished ideas, doing so more out of a deep-seated need to create than with any true end project in mind. Having spent so much of his life touring and making music, the time off forced by the pandemic was foreign to Andriano, who, at moments, struggled with how to use this newfound freedom, but also found it to be fruitful for his creative process.
Author & Punisher – Krüller CD/2xLP (Relapse)
Author & Punisher returns after a three-year gap with a mind-blowing album in Krüller. Wielding upgraded machines, a new sensory stratagem, and a crafty curation of top-tier collaborators, proprietor Tristan Shone emerged from the time off refined and re-tooled. [A limited double pink and orange colored vinyl pressing is available.]
Beuys & Pissoff – Creamcheese Dusseldorf – 1968 CD/LP (Rotorelief)
The experimental project Pissoff was founded in the late 60s by multimedia-artist Eberhard Kranemann and some friends who studied together at the Düsseldorf Academy Of Fine Arts. The chaotic, loud and sound-wise undisciplined band took part in various events at this location and other places. Due to the intense fluctuation of band-members the performances by Pissoff was characterized by continuously changing participants and variations of the involved equipment: cello, violin, clarinet, tenor saxophone, flute, vocals, electric guitar, electric bass guitar, organ and drums. In 1968 Pissoff performed together with Joseph Beuys who was professor of sculpture at the Art Academy at that time.
Big Thief – Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You CD/2xLP+MP3 (4AD)
Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You is a sprawling double-LP exploring the deepest elements and possibilities of Big Thief. To truly dig into all that the music of Adrianne Lenker, Max Oleartchik, Buck Meek, and James Krivchenia desired in 2020, the band decided to write and record a rambling account of growth as individuals, musicians, and chosen family over four distinct recording sessions. In Upstate New York, Topanga Canyon, The Rocky Mountains, and Tucson, AZ, Big Thief spent five months in creation and came out with 45 completed songs. The most resonant of this material was edited down into the 20 tracks that make up DNWMIBIY, a fluid and adventurous listen. [A limited-edition indie store exclusive vinyl pressing is available.]
Mary J Blige – Good Morning Gorgeous CD (300 Entertainment)
New release from the R&B superstar, her first album since 2017’s Strength Of A Woman. Features the singles “Good Morning Gorgeous” and “Amazing” (featuring DJ Khaled).
Priscilla Block – Welcome To The Block Party CD (Mercury Nashville)
Listed as a MusicRow 2021 Next Big Thing Artist and a 2021 CMT Next Women of Country inductee, Block is undoubtedly the breakout female country star of the past year and is poised to become one of Nashville’s acclaimed truth-tellers with a voice for her generation.
Blood Red Shoes = Ghosts On Tape CD (Jazz Life)
After years spent living on opposite sides of the Atlantic world events threw Laura Mary Carter and Steven Ansell of Blood Red Shoes back together into what has become the must fruitful era of their 17 years together. And that brings us back to Ghosts On Tape. It appears that like David Lynch’s The Lost Highway; nothing is linear in the world of Blood Red Shoes. [Vinyl edition due March 25.]
Boulevards – Electric Cowboy: Born In Carolina Mud CD/LP (Normaltown)
“I was born in the North Carolina mud,” says Jamil Rashad, better known as Boulevards, one of the most idiosyncratic artists making music in the Tarheel State. His fourth album, Electric Cowboy: Born In Carolina Mud, is caked in the soil where he grew up, mired in the muck of this place – not stuck but freed. Grounded in personal experience and haunted by personal demons, Electric Cowboy is an album that reaches out, that embraces the world, that mixes the confessional and the communal. But the dominant sound – the dominant mindset – is funk: gritty, warm, weird, charismatic. [A limited-edition indie store exclusive signed red & black color vinyl pressing is available.]
Bronze Nazareth & Roc Marciano – Ekphrasis CD/LP (Black Day In July)
Wu-Tang official’s Bronze Nazareth and Roc Marciano combine forces on Ekphrasis. A vivid and often dramatic verbal description of visual art. The Wu-Tang official emcee provides descriptive rhymes over Roc Marciano production to paint a picture with vivid and graphic detail with assistance from the likes of Fashawn, Skyzoo, Termanology, Roc Marciano, Boldy James, Lord Jessiah, Killah Priest, and Brizz Rawsteen.
Rob Burger – Marching With Feathers CD/LP (Western Vinyl)
Rob Burger’s keyboard work can be heard in everything from Guggenheim showcases to the blockbuster film Ocean’s 8 – in addition to albums by John Zorn, Laurie Anderson, and Iron & Wine – but the moonlit compositions he spins up on his own may be his most compelling work.
His newest solo venture, Marching With Feathers, departs from the controlled exotica and kosmische of 2019’s The Grid towards a genreless seesaw of electrified apprehension and capacious piano rumination.
The Cactus Blossoms – One Day CD (Walkie Talkie)
One Day is the third album from the Cactus Blossoms – featuring eleven songs written, produced, and harmonized by brothers Jack Torrey and Page Burkum. Recorded and mixed by longtime collaborator Alex Hall using a mobile rig in Page’s Minneapolis basement, the album continues the evolution of the band’s signature blend of country, soul, and ‘60s rock sounds, all anchored by the brothers’ core sibling harmony vocal style. [Vinyl edition due May 13.]
Carambolage – Carambolage [Reissue/1980] CD/LP (Tapette)
Carambolage – Eilzustellung-Exprès [Reissue/1982] CD/LP (Tapette)
Carambolage – Bon Voyage [1984] CD/LP (Tapette)
Carambolage never set out to be a “girl band” but they were one of the first German new wave bands whose members were all female. The punk alliance comprising Britta Neander, Elfie-Esther Steitz and Angie Olbrich emerged organically from the environs of Ton Steine Scherben, friends united by a common interest in musical experimentation. At a time when anything that could be labelled “Neuen Deutschen Welle” (German New Wave) was stamped accordingly, the trio played by their own rules. The eponymous debut album Carambolage, produced by Rio Reiser and R.P.S. Lanrue in the summer of 1980 and released on the Scherben label David Volksmund Produktion, could not be constrained by NDW marketing concepts. Instead, the disc was defined by its “colossal, inventive sound” which fed on Elfie’s curiously autodidactic “Fantasiegriffen” guitar style and her “Fresenhagen sparrow” voice, counter-balanced by Angie’s organ and inimitable basslines and energized by Britta’s relentless drumming. Backed by quirky organ and ragged drums, Elfie spits her lyrics with emphatic simplicity.
City Lights – Before The Sun Sets CD (Frontiers)
City Of Lights is an exciting melodic hard rock collaboration between British newcomer songwriter/guitarist Neil Austin and Greek vocal sensation Manos Fatsis (Odyssey Desperado/Hideaway). They deliver hard-edged melodic anthems driven by crunching riffs and lush keyboard textures combined with soaring, passion-filled vocal melodies.
Cult Of Luna – Long Road North CD/2xLP (Metal Blade)
For more than two decades, Sweden’s Cult Of Luna has forged a sound that has grown incomparable to that of others. As soon as listeners hit play, they are in familiar yet refreshingly new Cult of Luna territory, the pulsating rhythms of “Cold Burn” pummeling, and Persson’s savage roar tearing through the layers of guitar. As is the case with every album from the band in recent years, there is a lot of shifting of dynamics and sonic density, and perhaps more so than usual on The Long Road North. [A double transparent white color vinyl pressing is available.]
Da Buze Bruvaz Presents Clever 1 – Kevlar Ski Jacketz CD/LP (Grilchy Party)
In this world there is the constant war between organized levels of underground economics and the subsidized laws of the land, Clever 1 plays his role as the head of resistance against police, judicial/prison systems, the federal government, pants, and other everyday annoyances.
Degreed – Are You Ready CD (Frontiers)
Sixth album from the Swedish rockers. Are You Ready reveals a more straightforward and focused direction for the band’s sound; still extremely melodic and catchy, and not without some outstanding instrumental parts.
Empath – Visitor CD/LP (Fat Possum)
On Visitor, Empath sought to one-up the range of sounds heard on their previous album. During what he calls West Philly Christmas (the week undergrads at UPenn move out and leave piles of high-quality garbage out on the street) Randall Coon recovered a suitcase organ with a sound bank from a Jamiroquai record preset on it, which he later played on the album, in addition to running samples on Ableton and acquiring a brand new synth; Jem Shanahan, who plays a ‘90s children’s keyboard, had Portrait filter it in such a way that it sounded “less childlike”; Catherine Elicson’s vocals, buried deep in the mix on “Active Listening: Night On Earth”, take center stage; and Garrett Koloski’s drums are as capacious as they might be in a live set. [An indie store exclusive color vinyl pressing is available.]
Escape From The Zoo – Countin’ Cards CD (Fat Wrech Chords)
“t’s very rare to find music that makes you think, feel and want to mosh simultaneously, but with Countin’ Cards, Escape From The Zoo has struck the perfect balance between all three.” – PiratePirate
Ethan Iverson – Every Note Is True CD (Blue Note)
Pianist and composer Ethan Iverson makes his Blue Note debut with the remarkable Every Note Is True, an engaging and evocative date featuring a masterful new trio with bassist Larry Grenadier and legendary drummer Jack DeJohnette. The album is an opportunity for Iverson to look back at and expand upon his own musical history as he revisits the pop/rock influenced jazz style of The Bad Plus, the influential trio that the pianist co-founded in 2000.
Girish & The Chronicles – Hail To The Heroes CD (Frontiers)
New album from the buzzworthy Indian hard rockers. [A clear vinyl edition is due March 18.]
Alicia Keys – Keys 2xCD (RCA)
New release from the 15-time Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter. Keys – the album – offers a dual, one-of-a-kind sonic experience – the Originals version contains all new songs that are quintessentially Alicia, reminiscent of the groundbreaking soundscape that everyone has come to know and love since her debut. The Unlocked Version heightens the listening experience as Alicia samples her Keys originals with the help of Grammy Award winning producer Mike WiLL Made-It for a fresh irresistible vibe. The 26-track double album features guest appearances from Khalid & Lucky Daye on “Come For Me” (Unlocked), Lil Wayne on “Nat King Cole” (Unlocked), Brandi Carlile on “Paper Flowers” (Originals), Pusha T on “Plentiful” (Originals) and Swae Lee on “LALA” (Unlocked).
Amos Lee – Dreamland CD/LP (Dualtone)
With one foot in the real world and the other in a charmed dimension of his own making, Amos Lee creates the rare kind of music that’s emotionally raw yet touched with a certain magical quality. On his eighth album Dreamland, the Philadelphia-born singer/songwriter intimately documents his real-world struggles (alienation, anxiety, loneliness, despair), an outpouring born from deliberate and often painful self-examination. But, thanks to a palpable sense of playfulness, Dreamland embodies an unpredictable and endlessly imaginative sound – a prime showcase for Lee’s warmly commanding voice and soul-baring songwriting. With the release of Dreamland, Lee hopes that his songs might inspire others to live more fully and free of fear.
Elise Legrow – Grateful CD (BMG)
Elise Legrow releases her second album Grateful. Grateful marks LeGrow’s first album of originals, following her 2018 critically acclaimed debut Playing Chess, which featured her interpretations of tunes from the legendary Chess Records. As its name suggests, Grateful centers on LeGrow’s gratitude as she celebrates joy, processes grief and seeks personal connection in a moment of chaos.
Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio – Cold As Weiss CD/LP (Colemine)
Over the course of the last five years, the Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio has established themselves as the world’s premier funky organ trio. The organ trio, along with founder and manager Amy Novo, continues to devise the perfect blend of raw, passionate music and engaging industry practices. [An indie store exclusive translucent blue color vinyl pressing is available.]
Lionville – So Close To Heaven CD (Frontiers)
Over the course of their previous four albums, Lionville has come to be held in extremely high regard by fans of melodic rock/AOR.
Dusty Locane – Untamed CD (Empire)
Having quickly risen to the top of the New York hip-hop scene, the mercurial Brooklyn-based drill rapper, Dusty Locane, drops his debut album, Untamed. At 20 tracks, the album showcases Dusty’s lyrical chops as an emcee and star power and versatility that makes him a unique artist. Working with fellow New York artists Rah Swish, KG More Breesh, 8anditt & 3Kizzy, as well as rising labelmates OBN Jay & Yung Bleu, Dusty speaks on how he became king of the streets and looks to prove why he deserves to stay on top for years to come.
Dustin Lynch – Blue In The Sky CD (Broken Bow)
New album from the country music artist, the follow-up to his 2020 album Tullahoma.
Moonchild – Starfruit CD/LP+MP3 (Tru Thoughts)
Starfruit is the fifth album from L.A. trio Moonchild (Amber Navran, Andris Mattson, and Max Bryk). The result of ten years spent working and growing together, Starfruit showcases the respect, musical understanding, and love the trio have, both for each other and for the noteworthy list of collaborators featured on the album. Bringing a host of beautiful melodies and personal lyrics, Starfruit beholds offerings from Lalah Hathaway, Alex Isley, Tank and The Bangas, Rapsody, Ill Camille, Mumu Fresh, Chantae Cann and Josh Johnson.
Jason Mraz – Lalalaovesongs CD/LP (Atlantic)
The greatest love songs from Jason Mraz in one collection, featuring “I’m Yours”, “I Won’t Give Up”, “Lucky (feat. Colbie Caillat)”, “Have It All”, “Love Someone”, and many more timeless hits and fan favorites.
My Dying Bride – For Darkest Eyes 2xCD (Peaceville)
Live archive release. My Dying Bride has been the leading light of doom metal since the debut album As The Flower Withers was released back in 1992. Influenced by acts such as Celtic Frost and Candlemass, the British band’s heavy atmospherics have carved a huge worldwide following over the years to stand as one of the true enduring and distinguishable pillars of the genre. For Darkest Eyes contains the band’s iconic 1996 performance from Krakow, Poland, featuring numerous classic doom anthems from their early years.
Night Shop – Forever Night CD (Dangerbird)
Night Shop is the solo project of Justin Sullivan (Babies, Worriers, Kevin Morby’s band, Flat Worms). Justin co-produced the album with Jarvis Taveniere, and the band on Forever Night includes Hand Habits’ Meg Duffy on bass (they both played in Morby’s band), Evan Weiss (Slang Chickens, Sparks) on guitar and Tiffanie Lanmon (Jess Williamson) on drums. [Vinyl edition due February 25.]
Nurse With Wound – Gyllenskold Geijerstam & I At Rydberg’s 2xCD (Rotorelief)
Another early release from Nurse with Wound gets the remastering treatment, but more than that, this updated book edition CD reissue doubles the amount of material found on the original LP, providing alternate, reworked versions of each of the original issue’s pieces. Recorded in 1983, this album stands as one of Stephen Stapleton’s earliest ventures into his unpredictable tape loop Dadaism, yet somehow it all seems timeless. This has a lot to do with the spotless sound quality, rendering every plundered tone and woozy manipulation in crystalline clarity.
Once Human – Scar Weaver CD/LP (earMUSIC)
Formed in 2014, Once Human has steadily established themselves as one of the most distinctive and destructive metal bands of the modern era. With Scar Weaver, Once Human delivers their very own and unique style of modern American metal in combination with a groovy technical, melodic death metal attitude – all in the veins of bands such as Lamb Of God, Arch Enemy, Machine Head or Jinjer. On the album Lauren provides a strong mix and range of hellish extreme vocals alongside with more melodic vocals. [A limited-edition clear vinyl pressing is available.]
Paper Route Empire – Long Live Young Dolph CD (Empire)
The second Paper Route Empire compilation and tribute album to the late Memphis legend, Young Dolph. Featuring PRE label members Key Glock, Snupe Bandz, Big Moochie Grape, Kenny Muney, PaperRoute Woo, Chitana & Joddy Badass, as well as singer Ricco Barrino, the 8-track album illustrates the magnificent impact and legacy Dolph left behind and looks to see the silver lining in the loss of a man that was loved and admired by people all over the world. [Vinyl edition due August 5.]
Alan Parsons – One Note Symphony: Live In Tel Aviv 2xCD+DVD (Frontiers)
A stunning live performance from Alan Parsons and his incredibly skilled band of musicians and with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. [A stand-alone Blu-ray edition is also available. Vinyl edition due March 18.]
Pedro The Lion – Havasu CD/LP+MP3 (Polyvinyl)
After a 15-year hiatus, Seattle, WA’s David Bazan reformed his legendary project Pedro The Lion with the release of 2019’s Phoenix, its first new album in over a decade. Phoenix became an instant critical darling, with publications such as NPR saying “It’s a feat to reignite an old flame after 15 years; it’s another thing altogether to make it burn brighter than ever,” and Vulture calling it “Bazan’s best work in years and a worthy successor to a back catalog beloved by indie rock and emo fans for over 20 years.” With Havasu, Bazan continues his prolific trajectory while planting the seeds for darker stories ahead. [A limited-edition translucent peach color vinyl pressing is available.]
Richard Pinhas – Iceland [Reissue/1979] CD/LP (Bureau B)
Richard Pinhas’ album Iceland was first released in 1979 and is his third solo work, also the first after the split from Heldon. This album seems like a long, inward-looking journey and is like a kind of counterpoint to the expansive sci-fi worlds and the bombastic prog of Heldon; on Iceland you will find long, sublime tracks next to short, rougher sketches. Echo guitars, rhythm machines and the washed-out warmth of analog synthesizer sounds create a very peculiar, chilling atmosphere.
Pouya – Blood Was Never Thick As Water CD (Pouya)
Independent hip-hop artist Pouya releases his fourth studio album, Blood Was Never Thick As Water. Lyrical Lemonade says, “He’s one of the most creative minds in music right now. His songs are always versatile and complex, considering he fills them with a plethora of true stories and experiences, and his music videos never disappoint.”
Rudimentary Peni – Death Church [Reissue/1983] CD/LP/Cassette (Sealed Records)
Digitally remastered edition. The words legendary, seminal, and classic get thrown around at will these days, but Rudimentary Peni’s debut album is all of them. Recorded over two days at Southern Studios by John Loder and originally released in 1983 by Crass off-shoot label Corpus Christi, Death Church showed a band moving away from the urgency of their two early 7″ singles and into their own realm. Creating a template that bands have been trying to replicate ever since, while ticking all the boxes to become a genre-defining album. Iconic artwork, a unique sound and their own lyrical universe.
Elvie Shane – Backslider CD (Wheelhouse)
Singer-songwriter Elvie Shane releases his debut full length album Backslider. Shane co-wrote the set that embodies the crunchy hooks of classic rock with the everyday poetry and nostalgia of country music and the emotional electricity of Gospel and R&B – all with a punchy edge.
Nina Simone – Feeling Good: Her Greatest Hits And Remixes 2xCD (Verve)
This new album gathers the most iconic songs recorded throughout her career and includes seven remixes by some of the hottest, in-demand DJs worldwide. The first single from the set is a remix by English DJ/producer Joel Corry (Charli XCX, Ed Sheeran) of the timeless classic “Feeling Good”. The album includes seminal songs such as “Mississippi Goddam”, “Strange Fruit”, “I Loves You Porgy”, “I Put A Spell On You”, and Nina Simone’s timeless version of “Feeling Good”.
Slash featuring Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators – 4 CD/4xCD+Cassette/LP/Cassette (BMG)
4 is Slash’s fifth solo album and fourth overall with his band featuring Myles Kennedy (vocals), Brent Fitz (drums), Todd Kerns (bass & vocals) and Frank Sidoris (guitar & vocals). A vibrant rock album fueled by memorable guitar hooks and compelling melodies, big choruses, and even bigger riffs; 4 builds on the legacy of Slash (Feat. Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators)’s prior work. For 4, Slash and the band traveled across the country together to Nashville, TN, and recorded the new album at the historic RCA Studio A with producer Dave Cobb (Chris Stapleton, John Prine, Jason Isbell, Brandi Carlile), revealing a stunning new sound and style all captured live in the studio. Cobb shared the band’s desire to lay down the tracks live, in the studio including guitar solos and vocals – a first for the group. [A limited-edition indie store exclusive purple color vinyl pressing is available. Also available: A deluxe four-CD box set including the
cassette Live Rehearsal Tape 5/28/21, a 36-page photobook, a poster, patch, and guitar pick. The deluxe vinyl box set edition is due March 4.]
Spirit Was – Heaven’s Just A Cloud CD/LP (Danger Collective)
When his primary music project, LVL UP, stopped working together in 2018, prolific multi-instrumentalist and illustrator Nick Corbo began working on a new body of music and visual art as Spirit Was. On his debut studio album Heaven’s Just A Cloud, haunting, beautiful scenes of the natural world feel just as represented in the warm, classic, wooden floors of country rock as they do in the dark, droning, shadows of doom and black metal. [A limited-edition coke bottle green color vinyl pressing is available.]
Spoon – Lucifer On The Sofa CD/LP+MP3 (Matador)
Spoon’s tenth album, Lucifer On The Sofa, is the band’s purest rock ‘n’ roll record to date. Texas-made, it is the first set of songs that the quintet has put to tape in its hometown of Austin in more than a decade. Written and recorded over the last two years – both in and out of lockdown – these songs mark a shift toward something louder, wilder, and more full-color. Lucifer On The Sofa was co-produced by Spoon and Mark Rankin (Adele, Queens of the Stone Age), with contributions from Dave Fridmann and Justin Raisen. Britt Daniel describes the album as, “the sound of classic rock as written by a guy who never did get Eric Clapton…I spent a lot of 2018 and 2019 listening to ZZ Top.” [A limited-edition indie store exclusive orange color vinyl pressing is available.]
Cat Stevens – Harold And Maude (Original Soundtrack) CD/LP (A&M)
Timed to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the landmark film’s release, this new CD and 180gm version of the soundtrack combines nine Cat Stevens originals as well as – for the first time – additional dialogue and instrumental music from the film. This new edition will also feature enhanced packaging including liner notes, lyrics, transcription of movie dialogue, and photos from the 1972 Paramount Pictures production.
Trentemøller – Memoria CD/2xLP/Cassette (In My Room)
Danish composer, musician and producer Trentemøller releases his new studio album Memoria. Anders Trentemøller’s sixth studio album, Memoria, seems to exist at the confluence of inspiration, coincidence, and maybe even a little bit of the supernatural. A recent, unanticipated drop of four songs, in the form of two singles – “No One Quite Like You”, and “Golden Sun” – might leave one surprised to find that a full album’s worth of material was also waiting in the wings. As with most Trentemøller releases, it’s a body of songs that are thematically linked by many melodic threads.
Urge Overkill – Oui CD/LP (Omnivore)
Nash Kato and Eddie “King” Roeser met at Northwestern University, formed Urge Overkill (named after a George Clinton/Parliament lyric), and soon released a Steve Albini produced EP on Restless Records. After a string of acclaimed releases on Touch & Go Records (including the Stull EP, containing their cover of Neil Diamond’s “Girl, You’ll Be A Woman Soon”, which became a hit after being featured in Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction), the band moved to Geffen Records and issued a pair of albums which took over alternative radio. It wasn’t until 2011 that Urge Overkill released new music, when they returned with Rock & Roll Submarine. Now, a decade later, Urge Overkill release Oui. The new album features twelve new tracks from Kato and Roeser – eleven are Urge originals, with the opener (and first single) being a cover of Wham!’s “Freedom!”. [A limited-edition indie store exclusive vinyl pressing is available.]
Various Artists – Broken Hearts & Dirty Windows: Songs of John Prine, Vol. 2 CD (Oh Boy)
Broken Hearts & Dirty Windows: Songs Of John Prine Vol. 2, the follow up to the original 2010 tribute record, adds to an esteemed legacy for Oh Boy Records which celebrates its 40thanniversary in 2021. Featuring your favorite artists interpreting their favorite John Prine songs, including Brandi Carlile, Nathaniel Rateliff, Amanda Shires, Tyler Childers, Margo Price, Valerie June, Jason Isbell, Bonnie Raittr, John Paul White, Iris DeMent, Emmylou Harris, and Sturgill Simpson, proceeds from each track will go to a charity of the respective artist’s choosing. [Vinyl edition due April 29.]
Eddie Vedder – Earthling CD (Republic)
The new solo album from Eddie Vedder includes the tracks “Long Way”, “The Haves”, and more. It was produced by Andrew Watt and features special guest artists.
Voivod = Synchro Anarchy CD (Century Media)
Closing in on 40 eventful years of existence, Canada’s progressive sci-fi metal innovators Voivod introduce their 15th studio album Synchro Anarchy. Following 2018’s highly praised and Juno Award winning The Wake album and 2020’s stellar Lost Machine – Live release, Synchro Anarchy reaffirm Voivod as one of the most fervently creative bands on the planet. [Vinyl edition due February 25.]
Kanye West – Donda 2xCD (Def Jam)
Deluxe Edition of the record-shattering Donda, featuring four bonus tracks plus fan-favorite verses from Andre 3k, Kid Cudi and more.
Zeal & Ardor – Zeal & Ardor CD/LP (MVKA Music)
Swiss firebrand alchemists Zeal & Ardor release their self-titled new album. Hissing and seeping justifiable rage from every pore – yet not an unrelenting musical battering – the 14-track opus was recorded by Marc Obrist and Manuel Gagneux at Hutch Sounds and mixed/mastered by Will Putney at Graphic Nature Audio. All songs were written by the softly spoken, multi-lingual frontman Gagneux, with some German lyrics intermixed with the English. [An indie store exclusive white color vinyl pressing is available.]
DVDs + Blu-ray:
Alan Parsons – One Note Symphony: Live In Tel Aviv Blu-ray (Frontiers)
A stunning live performance from Alan Parsons and his incredibly skilled band of musicians and with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.
This Week’s Vinyl Exclusives:
Ashford & Simpson – So So Satisfied [Reissue/1977] LP (Rhino)
Limited green color vinyl pressing of this 1977 album from the soul duo.
Axe – Axe [Reissue/1979] LP (Deadline Music)
Two color vinyl pressings of the hard rock band’s 1979 debut album: silver and translucent blue.
Bears In Trees – and everybody else smiled back LP (Counter Intuitive)
Released last November on CD – now available on vinyl. Bears In Trees is more than just England’s premiere dirtbag boyband. They are a symbol of what can be possible when you combine musical talent with love, passion, friendship, and dedication.
Big Boy Pete – The Cosmic Genius Of Big Boy Pete 1966-1979 – Volume 2 LP (Mono-Tone)
This mysterious British guitarist (real name Pete Miller) cut some oddball non-hits in the ’60s that have amassed quite a reputation among psychedelic collectors but were really hard to find until now. As with Volume 1, Volume 2 features one side of some of Pete’s best ’60s stuff and side two unreleased or little-known gems from the ’70s – ranging from wild and fuzzy garage to psych pop and freaky country-rock. Includes psychedelic color inner cover with lyrics and a text written by Pete Miller himself.
Body Void – Bury Me Beneath This Rotting Earth LP (Prosthetic)
Limited pink, white, and blue color vinyl pressing. Bury Me Beneath This Rotting Earth is both a clarion call and the sound of devotion. The expansive sounds and sludgy atmospherics make this a definitive doom record but with a progressive edge that hints at noise, punk and black metal.
Booka Shade – Movements [Reissue/2006] 2xLP (Blaufield Music)
Double vinyl pressing of the second studio album by German electronic music duo.
Boy Harsher – The Runner (Original Soundtrack) LP (Nude Club)
Augustus Muller and Jae Matthews’ fifth release entitled The Runner (Original Soundtrack) is not a traditional album. Rather, it is the soundtrack to a short film, also entitled The Runner. The film, written, produced, and directed by the duo, is a searching horror film, attached to a meta-style ‘documentary’ about Boy Harsher’s recording process. The album includes several distinct components: cinematic arrangements, vocal features, and of course classic Boy Harsher dark pop. [An indie store exclusive translucent violet color vinyl pressing is available.]
Brandy – The Best Of Brandy [Reissue/2005] 2xLP (Atlantic)
Limited color vinyl pressing of the first greatest hits album by R&B singer Brandy. The album comprises nearly all of Norwood’s 1994-2004 singles, compiling her first four studio albums Brandy (1994), Never Say Never (1998), Full Moon (2002) and Afrodisiac (2004), as well as songs she contributed to film soundtracks such as Waiting To Exhale (1995) and Set It Off (1996).
Brötzmann, Graves, Parker – Historic Music Past Tense Future 2xLP (Black Editions)
The first ever album to feature the meeting of Peter Brötzmann, Milford Graves and William Parker. Three of the towering figures in the history of free jazz forge an incredibly vital free music born from lifetimes of uncompromising, ceaseless artistry.
Disclosure – DJ Kicks 2xLP+MP3 (!K7)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. For a duo whose youthful energy rejuvenated the world of house music at the start of the 2010s, it seems incredible that Disclosure is now into their second decade of musical life. The incredible vigor of those early records, the spark of invention and ever-onward musical thrust, remains with the Disclosure brothers, Howard and Guy Lawrence, to this day. Their third album, 2020’s Energy, was aptly named, with house, breakbeats, disco, UK Garage, electro, soul, R&B, hip-hop and a globe-trotting array of percussion combining to bracing effect, as the Lawrence brothers spat musical life into the face of the pandemic. The emphasis throughout DJ Kicks is on motion. Here, Disclosure keeps the energy high, with a mix that showcases the wonderful malleability of a house beat in the right hands. From sub bass to disco samples to 303 tweaks, all is welcome in Disclosure’s house, with the mix allowing individual songs space to breathe even as the pace remains hare footed.
Kahil El’zabar Quartet – A Time For Healing LP (Spiritmuse)
Released in November on CD – now available on vinyl. Chicago’s legendary spiritual jazz shaman Kahil El’Zabar returns, leading an enviable ensemble of homegrown young masters.
William S. Fischer – Circles [Reissue/1970] LP (Real Gone Music)
Limited black ice color vinyl pressing. An utterly mind-blowing mix of Sly Stone funk, heavy Hendrix-y metal, Southern soul, jazz fusion, and Stockhausen-esque explorations on the Moog synthesizer.
Fort Romeau – Beings Of Light LP+MP3/Cassette (Ghostly Int’l)
After a run of critically acclaimed singles and EPs, British producer Michael Greene, aka Fort Romeau, returns to the full-length format with Beings Of Light, the long-awaited follow-up to 2015’s Insides. While a prolific DJ who orients many of his productions for the dancefloor, Greene still sees the album as the ultimate statement of intent, “a space to stretch out, to speak in full paragraphs rather than stunted sentences.” [A limited-edition silver halide color vinyl pressing is available.]
Nick Frater – Earworms LP (Big Stir)
New album from Croydon, England-based singer, songwriter, producer and all-around musical renaissance man Nick Frater.
G.B.H. – City Baby Attacked By Rats [Reissue/1982] LP (Radiation Deluxe)
G.B.H. – Leather, Bristles, No Survivors And Sick Boys… [Reissue/1982] LP (Radiation Deluxe)
G.B.H. – Charged [Reissue/1983] LP (Radiation Deluxe)
Street punk pioneers Charged G.B.H. formed in Birmingham in l978, the name referencing original bassist Sean McCarthy’s trial for grievous bodily harm. The in-your-face hardcore of EP Leather, Bristles, Studs And Acne, paved the way for super-charged debut LP, City Baby Attacked By Rats. With a touch of Motörhead and Sabbath beneath their straight-up hardcore, City Baby is where the legend begins, capturing G.B.H. at their bloodiest.
The Glands – The Glands [Reissue/2000] LP (New West)
Limited green color vinyl pressing. The critically acclaimed eponymous middle record, The Glands has been remastered and features the band’s definitive sequence including five rare songs. There is an enormous and curiously shaped hole in the story of The Glands, the on-again/mostly off-again duo or quartet or sometimes quintet but let’s just say band from Athens, Georgia, who released only two albums of weird, irascible, irresistible indie rock before band leader Ross Shapiro died in 2016.
Grouplove – Never Trust A Happy Song [Reissue/2011] LP (Atlantic)
It’s been ten years since Grouplove met on a commune in Greece and brought the idea of forming a band back to California. They’d never have anticipated making it this far: five albums, multiple chart-topping singles across alternative and pop formats, a Grammy nomination, and critical acclaim from outlets such as Rolling Stone, which heralded the group as “a band who have perfected big, radio-friendly rock songs.” As their debut album Never Trust A Happy Song approaches its tenth anniversary, Grouplove is ready to celebrate with the fans by releasing a limited edition vinyl, pressed on 180gm green vinyl.
Haiku Hands – Haiku Hands LP+MP3 (Spinning Top)
Rebellious, experimental and wildly unconventional, Haiku Hands was primarily recorded in Melbourne with Joel Ma (Joelistics) and features emblematic collaborations with SOFI TUKKER, Mad Zach, Machine Drum, Mirac, Elgusto of Hermitude and Lewis CanCut. Featuring lead singles “Fashion Model Art”, “Not About You”, “Manbitch”, and “Onset”, the 12-track LP probes themes including technology, relationships, the absurd and social commentary.
Holy Hive – Holy Hive LP (Big Crown)
Released last September on CD – now available on vinyl. In 2020 Brooklyn’s Holy Hive introduced us all to something we didn’t know we needed. Homer Steinweiss’ thickly pocketed drumming paired with Paul Spring’s floaty falsetto vocal produces a sound that’s like a salve. It’s been dubbed folk soul and Holy Hive not only expertly overlay the more apparent musical aspects of folk and soul – but they also draw from the more profound: being able to pull traditions from the past and make them their own. [A limited-edition indie store exclusive translucent pink w/ blue splatter color vinyl pressing is available.]
Isolated Gate – Hapax Legmenon 12”+MP3 (Darla)
Isolated Gate is Ian Masters (Pale Saints) and Tim Koch (CPU, Ghostly International). Hapax Legomenon is a distillation of ideas brought together in playful collaboration across the sea. The EP travels sonically through Krautrock clouds, poppy fields of fragmented melody and even dips into subterranean experimental bunkers of fractured ambience.
Kevin Hearn – There & Then 2xLP (Celery)
Aqua blue color vinyl pressing. Kevin Hearn is best known as a multi-instrumentalist from Barenaked Ladies, the multi-platinum selling band he’s played with for almost two decades. One of the most respected Toronto musicians of the past 25 years, Hearn’s solo albums take the listener on a journey of boundless creativity often driven by adventure and experimentation.
Jail Socks – Coming Down LP (Counter Intuitive)
“If you’re tuned into the emo scene you may well have heard the buzz behind the Charlotte, North Carolina-based band Jail Socks. The band first made waves in 2018 with their debut EP, No Promises, and then followed quickly with their 2019 EP It’s Not Forever. Those two years already showed a band growing by leaps and bounds. The riffs got tighter, the hooks catchier, and their energy was undeniable. Coming Down, the band’s debut album only continues the trend with what is easily Jail Socks’ most potent set of songs yet.” – Under The Radar [CD edition due February 25.]
Karma Sutra – Be Cruel With Your Past & All Who Seek To Keep You There LP (Sealed Records)
Karma Sutra was an anarcho pacifist band from Luton, Bedfordshire who formed in the early ‘80s after the demise of the legendary the Phallic Symbols. Karma Sutra only had one release at the time – an album self-released in 1987 called Daydreams Of A Production Line Worker which came towards the end of their lifetime. Be Cruel With Your Past & All Who Seek To Keep You There is a new collection the band’s early demos and compilation tracks.
Katatonia – Brave Murder Day [Reissue/1996] LP (Peaceville)
Katatonia – Dethroned & Uncrowned [Reissue/2013] LP (Peaceville)
Katatonia was formed in 1991 by Anders Nyström and Jonas Renkse. Their debut album, Dance Of December Souls was released in 1993, gaining the band recognition for their eclectic brand of gothic doom/death metal and joining acts such as Paradise Lot and My Dying Bride as one of the genre’s defining bands. Originally released in 1996, second album Brave Murder Day is a true classic. Dethroned & Uncrowned is a radical reinterpretation of 2012’s Dead End Kings.
Kehlani – You Should Be Here [Reissue/2015] LP (Atlantic)
Kehlani – SweetSexySavage [Reissue/2017] 2xLP (Atlantic)
Vinyl reissues of the contemporary R&B singer’s debut mixtape You Should Be Here and full-length album SweetSexySavage (which has been expanded with two bonus tracks for this vinyl edition).
LANNDS – lotus deluxe LP (Run For Cover)
Pink color vinyl pressing. Rania Woodard is a queer, black woman living in the south. North Florida isn’t known for its progressiveness, but that’s where she and Brian Squillace formed LANNDS, a dreamy, psychedelic take on electro-pop that pushes back at the environment it’s created in.
Le Butcherettes / Death Valley Girls – The Universe b/w When I’m Free 7” (Run For Cover)
Clear w/ opaque pink splatter color vinyl. Le Bucherettes takeon one of Death Valley Girls’ most cosmic numbers, the kaleidoscopic centerpiece off Under The Spell Of Joy album, “The Universe”. Death Valley Girls offer up a new tune-the deliciously ecstatic “When I’m Free”. Like every great Death Valley Girls song, it’s a celebration of life bolstered by rock ‘n’ roll riffage, spiritual organ, dizzying sax, and Bonnie Bloomgarden’s de‑ant and triumphant vocals.
Les Coronados – N’Importe Quoi [Reissue/1984] LP (Mono-Tone)
First ever vinyl reissue of the France cult garage band Les Coronados’ N’Importe Quoi, originally released in 1984. A perfect mix of wild garage, offbeat influences (for the times) like Alex Chilton, Kevin Ayers, or Harry Nilsson, and French twisted ’60s pop, all done in their own original and even eccentric style: savage but well read, loose but subtle.
Life Sentence – Life Sentence [Reissue/1986] LP (Radiation Deluxe)
Legendary Chicago hardcore punks Life Sentence began their self-titled debut in 1985 with vocalist/bassist Joe Losurdo, drummer Tom O’Connor, guitarist/vocalist Eric Brockman and vocalist Ray Morris. Morris quit before the record was finished and the band became a trio with Losurdo taking over the lead vocals duties with occasional help from Brockman. Above O’Connor’s pounding rolls, Losurdo’s melodic bass lines and Brockman’s scathing lead licks, Losurdo and Brockman spit furious lines about police harassment, the futility of war, unemployment, and other burning issues, as well as punk’s commercialization; raw, raging, and excellently executed, this is first-rate US Midwest hardcore, influential in its day, and still blistering.
Fenne Lily – On Hold [Reissue/2018] LP (Dead Oceans)
On Hold, a tender collection of expressive, open-hearted songs, was Fenne’s first foray into songwriting, written during her teenage years. Writing her own songs was initially a “therapy exercise” for Fenne, who is normally reserved when it comes to talking about her feelings. The album, self-released in 2018, organically found a large audience online, which grew after she opened for Lucy Dacus and Andy Shauf’s North American tours last spring. Surrounding it’s release, The Line of Best Fit deemed Fenne “a new and extraordinary voice capable of wringing profound and resonant moments out of loss.” [A limited-edition lime green color vinyl pressing is available.]
Los Retros – Looking Back LP (Stones Throw)
Los Retros is the young Mexican American singer-songwriter whose music has captured the hearts of fans around the world. He broke onto the scene with the viral single “Someone To Spend Time With” in 2019. Looking Back is his third EP. Los Retros was just sixteen when he first began recording in his family’s living room on an old four-track. The recordings comprising Looking Back grew out of these early sessions. Fan favorite, they are now officially released for the first time. [An indie store exclusive yellow w/ green & pink color vinyl pressing is available.]
Matrimony – Kitty Finger [Reissue/1989] LP+MP3 (Kill Rock Stars)
Released in December on CD – now available on vinyl. Matrimony emerged from the scrum of yobbos making noise in late-’80s Australia (Cosmic Psychos, Lubricated Goat, etc.), a nearly all-female band of punk-pop minimalists as raw emotionally as musically. Building songs around simple, repetitive bass lines and the languidly morose vocals of one Sybilla, the band reveals its disaffection more through what it doesn’t say than what it does.
Naked Gypsy Queens – Georgiana LP (Provogue)
Naked Gypsy Queens is a timeless rock & roll band for the modern world. Rooted in a mix of amplified blues, hard-charging grooves, and dual lead guitars, they build upon the larger-than-life sound of their he-roes from the 1960s and ’70s, keeping the flame burning for old-school hard rock while using their own 21st century fuel.
Nino Palladino and Blake Mills – Notes With Attachments LP (Impulse)
Vinyl edition of the 2020 album from renowned bassist Pino Palladino and celebrated multi-instrumentalist and producer Blake Mills. The record was recorded in stages over the course of two-plus years. It features drummer Chris Dave, saxophonists Sam Gendel, Marcus Strickland and Jacques Schwartz-Bart and keyboardist Larry Goldings, among others.
Joe Pass – For Django [Reissue/1964] LP (Blue Note)
For Django, recorded for Pacific Jazz in 1964, has long been considered a classic by jazz guitarist Joe Pass. He pays tribute to Django Reinhardt without attempting to emulate him in any way. Rather, he honors him by using his own style with fellow guitarist John Pisano as well
as bassist Jim Hughart and drummer Colin Bailey. Highlights include Rosetta, Nuages, and Fleur D’ Ennui. Part of Blue Note’s Tone Poet Series featuring all-analog, remastered sound.
Penelope Antena – Beamorose LP (Youngbloods)
Existing in the liminal space between Bon Iver, James Blake, and Imogean Heap, Beamorose builds upon the signature shapeshifting vocals of Penelope Antena (heir to the famed synthpop band Antena and Marc Moulin’s “Placebo”) by twisting Americana, gospel, and folk through a kaleidoscopic lens, crafting a unique and soulful form of avant-pop.
Planningtorock – Gay Dreams Do Come True 12” (Human Level)
Planningtorock is a self-taught, non-binary musician, who has spent a decade-plus queering sound and vision. They have four critically acclaimed studio albums of left-field dance and various collaborations, operas, film scores and remixes. “Gay Dreams Do Come True” is a personal celebration and a political declaration all in one.
Porter Ricks – Porter Ricks [Reissue/1997] 2xLP (Mille Plateaux)
Porter Ricks is a collaboration between Thomas Köner and Andy Mellwig. Following the re-release of the legendary album Biokinetics, which is superb subaquatic dub techno, Mille Plateaux re-release Porter Ricks’ first album on the label, a self-titled album released in 1997. The album demonstrates the move to a kind of discoid funkiness with an underlying almost organic rhythm might, but still, it’s not music for beautiful souls. Instead, it combines funkiness with alien sonic fluxes and the rhythm of a killing mover.
Rivers Of Nihil – Work 2xLP (Metal Blade)
Limited yellow & aqua color vinyl pressing. Reading, Pennsylvania’s Rivers Of Nihil has never fit neatly into a box, but with 2018’s Where Owls Know My Name, they transcended all labels applied to them. Returning in 2021 with The Work, they have forged further into new territory, delivering an album that is as cerebral as it is visceral, and that covers a staggering sonic range, definitively placing them in a category of their own.
Saint Etienne – Foxbase Alpha [Reissue/1991] LP (Heavenly)
Limited green color vinyl pressing of the debut studio album by Saint Etienne, originally released in 1991. The album was recorded in a style which drew on the club culture and house music of the time, but also incorporates the group’s characteristic love of 1960s pop, with tracks also bridged by samples from films or by short songs.
Dan Sartain – Arise, Dan Sartain, Arise LP (One Little Independent)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. At the request of Dan Sartain’s family, wife and daughter, One Little Independent presents this album which Dan finished a few months before his death on March 20, 2021. 100% of all the profits from this release, both the artists share, and the record company share, are being paid into a trust fund for Dan’s young daughter. It has been released as Dan intended – nothing has been changed. Arise, Dan Sartain, Arise is comprised of thirteen wickedly wisecracking, vintage surf-rock bangers, this concise and classic record incorporates everything that’s made Dan Sartain the genres favorite underdog over the last two decades.
Conrad Schnitzler & Pharmakustik – Schubkraft LP (Rotorelief)
Schubkraft is the third and final album of the Schnitzler/Pharmakustik-triology and contains two long pieces of thrust generated force and propulsive power. Sound-wise, it is an album combining mechanically driven rhythms and propelling velocity with rusty organic textures.
Shame – Drunk Tank Pink 2xLP (Dead Oceans)
Deluxe double-LP edition on limited-edition translucent red color vinyl. There are moments on Drunk Tank Pink where you almost have to reach for the sleeve to check that this is the same band who made 2018’s Songs Of Praise. Such is the jump Shame has made from the riotous post-punk of their debut to the sprawling adventurism and twitching anxieties laid out here. The South Londoner’s blood and guts spirit, that wink and grin of devious charm, is still present, it’s just that it’s grown into something bigger, something deeper, more ambitious and unflinchingly honest.
Slayer – Haunting The Chapel [Reissue/1984] 12” (Metal Blade)
Limited red and black color vinyl pressing of the 1984 EP by the legendary thrash metal band.
Bruce Soord with Jonas Renkse – Wisdom Of Crowds [Reissue/2013] 2xLP (Kscope)
As Wisdom Of Crowds was originally written with Renkse’s voice in mind, Soord sought out the acclaimed Katatonia vocalist to complete the compositions and release the music to the masses in 2013. Despite the rigorous schedules of The Pineapple Thief and Katatonia, the two musicians were eventually able to connect to record an album that swings between fragile acoustic motifs and pounding rock riffs. The partnership unleashed an unparalleled imaginative force that gives listeners more with every listen – a progressive album for curious fans of either Katatonia or The Pineapple Thief.
Soulwax – Much Against Everyone’s Advice [Reissue/1998] LP (PIAS America)
Vinyl reissue of the second studio album by the Belgian alternative rock band.
Sophie & The Broken Things – Delusions Of Grandeur LP (Petaluma)
Debut full-length album from the Nashville-based Americana band. [CD version due February 25.]
Tyrant – Legions Of The Dead [Reissue/1985] LP (Shadow Kingdom)
Tyrant – Too Late To Pray [Reissue/1987] LP (Shadow Kingdom)
Limited-edition color vinyl reissues of the California heavy/power metal band’s first two albums.
Reuben Vaun Smith – Sound From The Workshop 2xLP (Soundway)
A sonic odyssey through lo-fi Balearic and Afro-Caribbean influenced synth.
Various Artists – Life Is Ugly So Why Not Kill Yourself [Reissue//1982] LP (Radiation Deluxe)
Various Artists – Life Is Boring So Why Not Steal This Record [Reissue/1983] LP (Radiation Deluxe)
Various Artists – Life Is Beautiful So Why Not Eat Health Foods? [Reissue/1983] LP (Radiation Deluxe)
First-ever vinyl reissues for these seminal compilations of early California Hardcore punk. Bands included are Germs, Zurich 1919, Vox Pop, Minutemen, Shattered Faith, Minutemen, Anti, and many others.
Vitalic – Ok Cowboy [Reissue/2005] 2xLP (Different)
Vitalic’s debut album, Ok Cowboy blends innovation with emotion and power with poise. On this double-LP set you’ll discover symphonic rave, champagne rock ‘n’ roll, blissful space-disco, robotic opera and curdled gallic folk.
The Wandering Hearts – The Wandering Hearts LP (Cooking Vinyl)
Released last August on CD – now available on vinyl. The Wandering Hearts return with their self-titled new album. The trio – Tara Wilcox, Chess Whiffin and AJ Dean-Revington – started writing for the album by drawing on personal experiences. Themes and stories emerged that reflected how they’ve supported each other, both within music and life in general. They’re topics that are universally relatable: life, death, love and fear. To maximize the potential of the material, The Wandering Hearts called upon the expertise of producers Simone Felice and David Baron. The duo’s magic touch had previously inspired numerous acclaimed artists including The Lumineers, Jade Bird and Bat For Lashes. Most of the album was crafted at the pair’s mountain top studio near Woodstock, NY. It was a location that further fueled the band’s creativity, from the striking scenery of the local area to the historic instruments, notably a celesta once owned by Thelonious Monk. The result is an album which brims with hope, even in the darkest of times.
Orlando Weeks – Hop Up LP (PIAS)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Arriving in the wake of his critically acclaimed debut solo album A Quickening, Weeks once again leans into themes of new life & parenthood, but whereas his previous work catalogued the emotions, expectations and anxieties that accompany imminent parenthood, Hop Up is an altogether more joyous and life affirming statement. Featuring inspiring contributions from Katy J Pearson, Willie J Healey and Ben Reed.
Emily Yacina – Remember The Silver LP (Danger Collective)
Remember The Silver is the debut studio album by New York by-way-of Pennsylvania musician Emily Yacina. Written over the span of two years and recorded/co-producer with Eric Littmann (Julie Byrne, GABI, Yohuna) Remember The Silver represents a fundamental shift in Yacina’s approach and method to bringing her songs into the world. Across its 12 songs, the album weaves an intimate and prismatic picture of the spark of new love, the way grief clings to the spirit and the small moments where magical things still feel possible.
Cassettes:
Bo Burnham – In Side (The Songs) (Imperial Distribution)
Now available on cassette. Critically acclaimed soundtrack to Bo Burnham’s Netflix musical comedy special Inside. Features all the music from Inside, including “All Eyes On Me”, “Welcome To The Internet” and “Bezos I”. Shot and performed by Bo Burnham, alone, over the course of a very unusual year. Nominated for 6 Emmys including best variety series, writing, directing, song, musical direction and editing. [An indie store exclusive coke bottle clear color vinyl pressing is due March 18.]
Fort Romeau – Beings Of Light (Ghostly Int’l)
After a run of critically acclaimed singles and EPs, British producer Michael Greene, aka Fort Romeau, returns to the full-length format with Beings Of Light, the long-awaited follow-up to 2015’s Insides. While a prolific DJ who orients many of his productions for the dancefloor, Greene still sees the album as the ultimate statement of intent, “a space to stretch out, to speak in full paragraphs rather than stunted sentences.”
Rudimentary Peni – Death Church [Reissue/1983] (Sealed Records)
Digitally remastered edition. The words legendary, seminal, and classic get thrown around at will these days, but Rudimentary Peni’s debut album is all of them. Recorded over two days at Southern Studios by John Loder and originally released in 1983 by Crass off-shoot label Corpus Christi, Death Church showed a band moving away from the urgency of their two early 7″ singles and into their own realm. Creating a template that bands have been trying to replicate ever since, while ticking all the boxes to become a genre-defining album. Iconic artwork, a unique sound and their own lyrical universe.
Slash featuring Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators – Cassette (BMG)
4 is Slash’s fifth solo album and fourth overall with his band featuring Myles Kennedy (vocals), Brent Fitz (drums), Todd Kerns (bass & vocals) and Frank Sidoris (guitar & vocals). A vibrant rock album fueled by memorable guitar hooks and compelling melodies, big choruses, and even bigger riffs; 4 builds on the legacy of Slash (Feat. Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators)’s prior work. For 4, Slash and the band traveled across the country together to Nashville, TN, and recorded the new album at the historic RCA Studio A with producer Dave Cobb (Chris Stapleton, John Prine, Jason Isbell, Brandi Carlile), revealing a stunning new sound and style all captured live in the studio. Cobb shared the band’s desire to lay down the tracks live, in the studio including guitar solos and vocals – a first for the group.
Trentemøller – Memoria (In My Room)
Danish composer, musician and producer Trentemøller releases his new studio album Memoria. Anders Trentemøller’s sixth studio album, Memoria, seems to exist at the confluence of inspiration, coincidence, and maybe even a little bit of the supernatural. A recent, unanticipated drop of four songs, in the form of two singles – “No One Quite Like You”, and “Golden Sun” – might leave one surprised to find that a full album’s worth of material was also waiting in the wings. As with most Trentemøller releases, it’s a body of songs that are thematically linked by many melodic threads.
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