Marketing Program/ Banner/ Listening Station Titles Promoted This Week:
Gregor Barnett – Don’t Go Throwing Roses In My Grave CD (Epitaph)
Gregor Barnett, guitarist/co-vocalist for The Menzingers, delivers his debut release Don’t Go Throwing Roses In My Grave. Written and recorded in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Don’t Go Throwing Roses In My Grave is a sonic departure from Barnett’s more punk-leaning work with The Menzingers, drawing on the gritty, off-kilter Americana of Tom Waits or Warren Zevon as it faces down loss and doubt in search of relief and redemption. “It was this perfect storm,” says Barnett. “The band couldn’t tour, I was going through a really difficult time, and I was stuck at home watching my family struggle with illness and death and hardship. The only thing I could do was write my way through it.” [Vinyl editions – including a limited-edition indie store exclusive clear w/ black smoke color vinyl pressing – due 3/18/22.]
Beach House – Once Twice Melody CD/LP/2xLP+MP3/2xCassette (Sub Pop)
Once Twice Melody is the eighth studio album by Beach House, a double album, featuring 18 songs presented in four chapters. Across these songs, many types of style and song structures can be heard. Songs without drums, songs centered around acoustic guitar, mostly electronic songs with no guitar, wandering and repetitive melodies, songs built around the string sections. In addition to new sounds, many of the drum machines, organs, keyboards and tones that listeners may associate with previous Beach House records remain present throughout many of the compositions. [Two vinyl editions are available: Silver Edition and Gold Edition. The Silver Edition. The Silver Edition is comprised of two black vinyl LPs housed in a wide-spine jacket with poster and custom inner sleeves. The Gold Edition features two color vinyl LPs housed in separate jackets with custom inner sleeves plus two posters and a book, all enclosed in a hinged box.]
Bitch – Bitchcraft CD/LP+MP3 (Kill Rock Stars)
Bitchcraft was born in a move from New York City, where Bitch had lived for 15 years, to a log cabin in the woods. There was all the time in the world to make art, and it was there, in the cabin, that Bitch began to write some of the songs that would appear on Bitchcraft. “It gave me space to think about the biggest version of myself that I could be,” she says of those early days in the cabin. The songs she wrote were a departure from anything she’d ever written before, and she began to craft huge pop tracks with the help of her trusty violin. Then, she moved to L.A. and Bitchcraft began to shapeshift again. The resulting record is one that is full of glorious pop tracks that go in unexpected directions. Bitchcraft is like Joni Mitchell set to a click track, it’s queer Cyndi Lauper. It’s neon pink, in your face, ready to hex you with its brilliance. It’s an unbelievably fun record that is extremely capable of breaking your heart a little bit. It also makes you think about the state of the world, about evil politicians, about what it means to exist as a woman, and how to find joy along the way. [A limited-edition color vinyl pressing is available.]
Goodbye June – See Where The Night Goes CD/LP (Earache)
Produced by Grammy Award winning producer Paul Moak, See Where The Night Goes is the hotly-anticipated third studio album from Nashville rock n roll prodigies Goodbye June. 11 tracks of the very finest modern-day rock music, with a twist of southern twang and washed down with a shot of blues. A riot-worthy album of runaway rock ‘n’ roll rooted in southern blues, See Where The Night Goes brings swinging grooves, incendiary twin-attack guitars, relentless rhythm and vocals that give Steven Tyler a run for his money. Goodbye June collides with the most legendary of rock influences whilst making their own unique gleaming print on the canvas of modern rock. This is an album not to be missed by music fans who trust in rock ‘n’ roll to liberate them from the mundane.
Hurray For The Riff Raff – Life On Earth CD/LP (Nonesuch)
The Nonesuch debut of Hurray For The Riff Raff (aka Alynda Segarra) is a departure for the Bronx-born, New Orleans-based singer/songwriter. It’s eleven new “nature punk” tracks on the theme of survival are music for a world in flux-songs about thriving, not just surviving, while disaster is happening. For her eighth full-length album, Segarra drew inspiration from The Clash, Beverly Glenn-Copeland, Bad Bunny, and the author of Emergent Strategy, Adrienne Maree Brown. Recorded during the pandemic, Life On Earth was produced by Brad Cook (Waxahatchee, Bon Iver, Kevin Morby). [A limited-edition indie store exclusive clear vinyl pressing is available.]
Los Bitchos – Let The Festivities Begin! CD/LP+MP3 (City Slang
Panthers prowling through a desert. Cowgirls swaggering into a saloon and kicking up dust. Riding shotgun with a Tarantino heroine. Having the fiesta of your lives under a giant piñata with all your friends. Los Bitchos’ hallucinatory surf-exotica is as evocative as it is playful: the London-based pan-continental group could well be your new favorite party band with their instrumental voyages that are the soundtrack to setting alight to a row of flaming sambucas and losing yourself to the night. They’ve got a bun-tight knack for a groove – and they’ve got the best fringes in rock ‘n’ roll too. Their unique sound is a retro-futuristic blend of Peruvian chica, Argentine cumbia, Turkish psych and surf guitars. They are London’s answer to Khruangbin, if Khruangbin spent all weekend getting slammed on cheap tequila in a Dalston dive bar. [A limited-edition indie store exclusive color vinyl pressing is available.]
Pike vs. The Automaton – Pike vs. The Automaton CD/LP/2xLP (MNRK Music Group)
Matt Pike: “The album title, Pike vs. The Automaton, wasn’t an ego thing for me. Billy and Jon said, ‘Dude, you should use your name in this. This is your solo project.’ I said, “I don’t want to do that.” The Automaton, in Greek mythology, is the big robot that’s the guardian of the Gods, basically. It’s a soulless, big machine named Talos. The big machine that’s working against mankind at this moment. In Jason and The Argonauts, Jason and The Argonauts have to battle this big machine guy that protects the island. Basically, what the album title is saying, metaphorically, is ‘Pike against the World.'” “I made a psychedelic rock record that Sleep and High on Fire fans would like,” Pike says when asked for a CliffsNotes description of Pike vs. The Automaton. “And maybe if you’re not a Sleep or High on Fire fan, you might like it too. I think it’s interesting; it has d-beat punk, two-step. It’s got everything and it still works together, it doesn’t sound odd. It’s just an off-the-wall psychedelic rock record. [A limited-edition indie store exclusive opaque orchid color double-LP edition is available.]
Sarah Shook & The Disarmers – Nightroamer CD/LP (Abeyance)
Produced by multi-platinum, Grammy-winning producer and groundbreaking guitarist Pete Anderson (most widely known as the musical partner to Dwight Yoakam from 1986-2003, and collaborator with Lucinda Williams, Jim Lauderdale, Michelle Shocked and Rosie Flores), Nightroamer is the third album from the North Carolina band Sarah Shook & The Disarmers who merge raw country with punk grit and pop sensibilities. “Straightforward, undiluted songs about shared hardships and unlikely victories that can bring even the most polarized people together,” Sarah reveals. [A limited-edition indie store exclusive translucent blue color vinyl pressing is available.]
Shovels & Rope – Manticore CD/LP (Dualtone)
Originally planned as a stripped-down acoustic-leaning release, Manticore‘s tracks were written prior to the pandemic, but recorded during it, when Michael Trent and Cary Ann Hearst suddenly had much more time at their disposal. The duo reimagined the original arrangements, resulting in 10 new songs that range in sound from heartbreaking, stark piano to rollicking hard-rock and danceable guitar and drum numbers. Manticore reveals the band’s most personal stories about love, family, marriage, self-realization, and more to date, and it carves out its own distinct place in the Shovels & Rope canon.
Bobby Weir & Wolf Brothers – Live In Colorado CD/LP (Third Man)
Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros—consisting of Bobby Weir, Don Was, Jay Lane and Jeff Chimenti—release their first collection of recorded material. Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros: Live In Colorado is the first volume of a two-volume collection on vinyl and the second volume will be available later in 2022. Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros: Live In Colorado features a collection of songs recorded at the band’s live performances at the historic Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison, Colorado and the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater in Vail, Colorado on June 8, 9, 11, 12, 2021. These shows were the group’s first live audience concerts in over a year and featured Greg Leisz on pedal steel, along with The Wolfpack: Alex Kelly, Brian Switzer, Adam Theis, Mads Tolling and Sheldon Brown. “Been too long,” Weir said of the performances, “but I can’t think of a better place to pick it back up…” [A limited-edition indie store exclusive color vinyl edition is available.]
White Lies – As I Try Not To Fall Apart LP (PIAS America)
Arguably one of the biggest guitar bands in the UK, it’s been well over a decade since the White Lies’s breakthrough single “Death” introduced a group for whom the fragility of human existence has been a constant touchstone. Now in his 30s, chief lyricist Cave’s outlook on the great unknown has evolved. “I think the side of death or mortality that I always find interesting is the fact we all know it’s going to happen,” he says, “and how different people navigate that.” As I Try Not To Fall Apart is their most expansive record to date, taking in explosive rock, electro-pop bangers, prog-inspired invention, funk-tinged grooves and some of their most indelible hooks yet. [An indie store exclusive cream color vinyl pressing is available. Limited copies include a value-added autographed print. CD version due February 25.]
Additional Social Media Program Titles Released This Week:
Metronomy – Small World CD/LP (Because Music)
Metronomy’s Small World is a return to simple pleasures, nature, and an embracing of more pared-down songwriter sonics. So sure, things are different now Joe Mount is getting older and what’s on his mind is changing, but that doesn’t mark a change in quality for Metronomy. An immaculate set of tracks, Joe Mount’s ability as a songwriter and arranger shine through on Small World, evergreen. Metronomy continues to make great pop music – and, really, that’s all that we could ask for. [A limited-edition indie store exclusive clear vinyl pressing is available.]
Palomino Blond – ontheinside CD/Cassette (Limited Fanfare)
“… An impressive work that furthers the chunk and fuzz of 1990s indie rock on up to wuthering shoegaze heights.” – Bao Le-Huu, The Orlando Weekly [Vinyl edition due February 25.]
CDs + Vinyl:
Annihilator – Metal II CD/2xLP (earMUSIC)
Annihilator is a Canadian thrash metal band founded in Ottawa in 1984 by guitarist Jeff Waters and vocalist John Bates. Metal II is a fully re-recorded version of the band’s 2007 album, Metal. [A limited-edition translucent orange color vinyl pressing is available.]
Gregor Barnett – Don’t Go Throwing Roses In My Grave CD (Epitaph)
Gregor Barnett, guitarist/co-vocalist for The Menzingers, delivers his debut release Don’t Go Throwing Roses In My Grave. Written and recorded in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Don’t Go Throwing Roses In My Grave is a sonic departure from Barnett’s more punk-leaning work with The Menzingers, drawing on the gritty, off-kilter Americana of Tom Waits or Warren Zevon as it faces down loss and doubt in search of relief and redemption. “It was this perfect storm,” says Barnett. “The band couldn’t tour, I was going through a really difficult time, and I was stuck at home watching my family struggle with illness and death and hardship. The only thing I could do was write my way through it.” [Vinyl editions – including a limited-edition indie store exclusive clear w/ black smoke color vinyl pressing – due 3/18/22.]
Beach House – Once Twice Melody CD/LP/2xLP+MP3/2xCassette (Sub Pop)
Once Twice Melody is the eighth studio album by Beach House, a double album, featuring 18 songs presented in four chapters. Across these songs, many types of style and song structures can be heard. Songs without drums, songs centered around acoustic guitar, mostly electronic songs with no guitar, wandering and repetitive melodies, songs built around the string sections. In addition to new sounds, many of the drum machines, organs, keyboards and tones that listeners may associate with previous Beach House records remain present throughout many of the compositions. [Two vinyl editions are available: Silver Edition and Gold Edition. The Silver Edition. The Silver Edition is comprised of two black vinyl LPs housed in a wide-spine jacket with poster and custom inner sleeves. The Gold Edition features two color vinyl LPs housed in separate jackets with custom inner sleeves plus two posters and a book, all enclosed in a hinged box.]
The Birthday Massacre – Fascination CD (Metropolis)
Fascination is at once the most fully realized, expansive album from The Birthday Massacre, and the most intimate feeling to date. The band’s signature blend of captivating electronica, aggressive guitars, cinematic melodies, and beautiful vocals are on full display.
Bitch – Bitchcraft CD/LP+MP3 (Kill Rock Stars)
Bitchcraft was born in a move from New York City, where Bitch had lived for 15 years, to a log cabin in the woods. There was all the time in the world to make art, and it was there, in the cabin, that Bitch began to write some of the songs that would appear on Bitchcraft. “It gave me space to think about the biggest version of myself that I could be,” she says of those early days in the cabin. The songs she wrote were a departure from anything she’d ever written before, and she began to craft huge pop tracks with the help of her trusty violin. Then, she moved to L.A. and Bitchcraft began to shapeshift again. The resulting record is one that is full of glorious pop tracks that go in unexpected directions. Bitchcraft is like Joni Mitchell set to a click track, it’s queer Cyndi Lauper. It’s neon pink, in your face, ready to hex you with its brilliance. It’s an unbelievably fun record that is extremely capable of breaking your heart a little bit. It also makes you think about the state of the world, about evil politicians, about what it means to exist as a woman, and how to find joy along the way. [A limited-edition color vinyl pressing is available.]
Sarah Borges – Together Alone CD (Blue Corn Music)
Recorded remotely with longtime producer Eric “Roscoe” Ambel (Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, Steve Earle & The Dukes) and members of NRBQ and The Bottle Rockets, Together Alone brims with gutsy life and beats the odds.
Eric Chenaux – Say Laura CD/LP+MP3 (Constellation)
The new record by Eric Chenaux is his most immaculate and pristine. Say Laura perfectly incarnates the counter-intuitive interplay of instrument and voice that Chenaux has been revealing and reveling in throughout the past decade: his gently unhinged juxtaposition of resplendently smooth, seductively assured singing and puckish, frazzled, thoroughly destabilized guitar could come from no other musician. The five wandering, wondering ballads on Say Laura bring Chenaux’s semi-improvised but keenly intentional songwriting to its fullest, clearest, warmest and coolest articulation; uncompromising and generous, hyper-specific and loose, spartan and luxurious, elemental and ornate.
Crass – Normal Never Was – Revelations – The Remix Compilation CD (One Little Independent)
Late last year Crass took the step of making the original separate track stems of their seminal debut album The Feeding Of the Five Thousand available as a free download. With a call to take the original sixteen track recording in its pre-mix state, the intent was for people to create their own remixes and interpretations and breathe fresh life and ideas into this revolutionary music. Normal Never Was – Revelations – The Remix Compilation, is a collection of some of the stand-out remixes following their single series including 65daysofstatic, Jack Matthew Tyson and much more.
Cryptopsy – None So Vile [Reissue/1996] CD+DVD (Napalm)
Deluxe 25th Anniversary edition of the Canadian death metal band’s second album. Features a DVD of a live show from 1996.
The Cutthroat Brothers and Mike Watt – Devil In Berlin CD/LP (Hound Gawd!)
The Cutthroat Brothers, along with punk legend Mike Watt (Minutemen, Firehose, The Stooges) are back in road sharpened form. Jason Cutthroat’s grinding, straight razor slide guitar and Donny Paycheck’s (ex-Zeke) pummeling, heavy-as-hell drums beat down on you in a blues punk-soaked fever. Mike Watt provides the blood-like glue that brings the monster’s heart to life. Jack Endino (Nirvana, Soundgarden, Mudhoney) produces and mixes in his 5th collaboration with The Cutthroat Brothers, shaping Devil In Berlin to a razor-sharp edge fit to shave Satan himself.
Dagoba – By Night CD/LP (Napalm)
New album from the French modern metal band. Rigorous vocals, groove-infused guitars and hard-hitting production prove Dagoba to be on top of their game, pushing boundaries and incorporating electronic elements seamlessly into a unique modern metal formula.
Deathhammer – Electric Warfare CD (Hells Headbangers)
For over 15 years now, this insatiable Norwegian duo has been at the forefront of the burgeoning black thrash movement. Electric Warfare is their new (and fifth overall) album.
Tara Nome Doyle – Værmin CD (Modern Recordings)
Tara Nome Doyle, a 24-year-old artist from Berlin with Irish and Norwegian roots, is a charismatic voice of her generation. Værmin is her new full-length album – the second after her debut Alchemy. Værmin tells the haunting tale of a toxic relationship and is rich with symbolism and emotional wisdom. Piano, violin, synthesizers and pulsating beats create a wide space in which Tara Nome Doyle’s voice shifts between angelic heights and ominous, twisted lows. [Vinyl edition due March 11.]
Dream Tigers – Ellapsis CD/LP (Skeletal Lighting)
What would it be to see the future? To understand ourselves and our communities in the scope of time? Ellapsis isn’t afraid to ask these questions. Sonically, it’s not really shoegaze, it’s not really emo, but exists in the liminal space between, with fractured emotions evident in every note. Dynamic, harmonized vocals soar over powerful soundscapes, featuring elements of the members’ associated bands, Defeater, Caspian, and Balmorhea, yet uniquely its own.
Exek – Advertise Here CD (Castleface)
Gliding in on the twin engine discordant tones we’ve come to love from Exek comes their new transmission Advertise Here. Beats bumping up thru a flapping spring reverb, gilded production choices, stripped bass bubbling in the cauldron. With each pass of the witch’s ladle, words float in the steam over the cacophonous concoction. The coven that croons together slays together, with every layer peeling back on our ear’s tongue we will exclaim ‘wicked’-perhaps their strongest effort yet. [Vinyl edition due March 11.]
Flim & The BB’s – Tunnel [Reissue/1984] CD/LP (DMP)
Tunnel is an asset not just for every friend of jazz fusion. It represents everything a jazz fusion album should offer: Unique sound, competent musicality, combined with excellent sound quality.
Goodbye June – See Where The Night Goes CD/LP (Earache)
Produced by Grammy Award winning producer Paul Moak, See Where The Night Goes is the hotly-anticipated third studio album from Nashville rock n roll prodigies Goodbye June. 11 tracks of the very finest modern-day rock music, with a twist of southern twang and washed down with a shot of blues. A riot-worthy album of runaway rock ‘n’ roll rooted in southern blues, See Where The Night Goes brings swinging grooves, incendiary twin-attack guitars, relentless rhythm and vocals that give Steven Tyler a run for his money. Goodbye June collides with the most legendary of rock influences whilst making their own unique gleaming print on the canvas of modern rock. This is an album not to be missed by music fans who trust in rock ‘n’ roll to liberate them from the mundane.
Haunt – Beautiful Distraction CD/LP (Iron Grip Metal LLC)
New release from the Fresno-CA-based metal band.
Hurray For The Riff Raff – Life On Earth CD/LP (Nonesuch)
The Nonesuch debut of Hurray For The Riff Raff (aka Alynda Segarra) is a departure for the Bronx-born, New Orleans-based singer/songwriter. It’s eleven new “nature punk” tracks on the theme of survival are music for a world in flux-songs about thriving, not just surviving, while disaster is happening. For her eighth full-length album, Segarra drew inspiration from The Clash, Beverly Glenn-Copeland, Bad Bunny, and the author of Emergent Strategy, Adrienne Maree Brown. Recorded during the pandemic, Life On Earth was produced by Brad Cook (Waxahatchee, Bon Iver, Kevin Morby). [A limited-edition indie store exclusive clear vinyl pressing is available.]
Jonas Lindberg & The Other Side – Miles From Nowhere CD/2xLP+CD (Inside Out U.S.)
New release from Swedish progressive rock outfit. Led by multi-instrumentalist and composer Jonas Lindberg, the album consists of seven songs which span the full range of the progressive rock landscape.
Sean Khan – Supreme Love: A Journey Through Coltrane CD/3xLP (Barely Breaking Even)
Trailblazing UK jazz renegade, saxophonist Sean Khan delivers his scintillating album Supreme Love: A Journey Through Coltrane. Weaving together disparate strands of the UK music scene (jazz, dance, broken beat and electronic) together onto one record, Supreme Love is presented in three parts: autobiography, homage and encyclopedia.
Khruangbin & Leon Bridges – Present Texas Moon CDEP/12”+MP3 (Dead Oceans)
Two of the acts boldly leading Texas music into the future have now delivered a second chapter of their groundbreaking collaboration, further extending the region’s sonic possibilities. Singer/songwriter Leon Bridges, from Ft. Worth, and trailblazing Houston trio Khruangbin have joined forces for the Texas Moon EP, a follow-up to 2020’s acclaimed Texas Sun project. While the five new songs are clearly a continuation of the first EP, they also have an identity all their own-Bridges calls it “more introspective,” while Khruangbin bassist Laura Lee says it “feels more nighttime.” [An indie store exclusive limited-edition blue color vinyl pressing is available.]
Los Bitchos – Let The Festivities Begin! CD/LP+MP3 (City Slang
Panthers prowling through a desert. Cowgirls swaggering into a saloon and kicking up dust. Riding shotgun with a Tarantino heroine. Having the fiesta of your lives under a giant piñata with all your friends. Los Bitchos’ hallucinatory surf-exotica is as evocative as it is playful: the London-based pan-continental group could well be your new favorite party band with their instrumental voyages that are the soundtrack to setting alight to a row of flaming sambucas and losing yourself to the night. They’ve got a bun-tight knack for a groove – and they’ve got the best fringes in rock ‘n’ roll too. Their unique sound is a retro-futuristic blend of Peruvian chica, Argentine cumbia, Turkish psych and surf guitars. They are London’s answer to Khruangbin, if Khruangbin spent all weekend getting slammed on cheap tequila in a Dalston dive bar. [A limited-edition indie store exclusive color vinyl pressing is available.]
MAITA – I Just Want To Be Wild For You CD/LP+MP3 (Kill Rock Stars)
I Just Want To Be Wild For You is a focused, dynamic, intimate follow-up to 2020’s Best Wishes that finds MAITA deepening their sound. Over the course of 11 tracks, the record hones in on the passion that exists within moments of extreme disconnect, crafting a sonic portrait that grows and shifts with each singular emotion. MAITA allows for the heavier, cathartic moments to reach new intensities, using a palette of warm, distorted guitars, and driving drums to create indie-rock landscapes that are catchy and unfettered. The softer, more vulnerable moments of the album find their counterpart with subtle, layered, folk-inspired tracks that showcase songwriter Maria Maita-Keppeler’s lyricism with cinematic touches of grand piano and pedal steel guitar. [A limited-edition burgundy color vinyl pressing is available.]
Manic Sinners – King Of The Badlands CD (Frontiers)
New album from the Romanian melodic hard rock band. Manic Sinners’ sound has all the elements that fans of this style love: soaring vocals, crushing riffs, blistering solos, ear candy hooks, and a splendid power ballad.
Marillion – Fugazi [Reissue/1984] CD/LP (Rhino/Parlophone)
2021 stereo remix. In March 1984, Marillion released their second studio album Fugazi. It was the first Marillion album to feature Ian Mosley on drums and percussion, replacing Mick Pointer after the highly successful Script For A Jester’s Tear. It also included Fish, Steve Rothery, Pete Trewavas and Mark Kelly.
The Del McCoury Band – Almost Proud CD (McCoury Music)
The most awarded artist in the history of bluegrass, and one of the few artists with a direct connection to Bill Monroe still touring today, is back again with another stellar collection of songs, ranging from new songs that he wrote, originals from songwriting friends, and some covers that in his usual way, he puts his stamp on. [Vinyl edition due August 26.]
Metronomy – Small World CD/LP (Because Music)
Metronomy’s Small World is a return to simple pleasures, nature, and an embracing of more pared-down songwriter sonics. So sure, things are different now Joe Mount is getting older and what’s on his mind is changing, but that doesn’t mark a change in quality for Metronomy. An immaculate set of tracks, Joe Mount’s ability as a songwriter and arranger shine through on Small World, evergreen. Metronomy continues to make great pop music – and, really, that’s all that we could ask for. [A limited-edition indie store exclusive clear vinyl pressing is available.]
Kendra Morris – Nine Lives CD/LP (Karma Chief)
Kendra, while very much a New Yorker and veteran of almost two decades on the NYC scene, hails from Florida and aesthetically embodies the broader sense of American culture, bringing to her contemporary sound influences found in music and cinema dating back to the mid-20th century. Her music conjures imagery evocative of road trips to weird and wonderful places. [A limited-edition indie store exclusive coke bottle clear vinyl pressing is available.]
Chuck Loeb – Life [Reissue/1990] CD/2xLP (DMP)
Life Colors is certainly one of Chuck Loeb’s best albums. Packed with fusion-driven songs with incredible dynamics. The melodic riffs make this album a very special one.
Mortem – Slow Death 2xCD (Peaceville)
A re-recorded and reworked collection of the Norwegian death/black metal band’s Slow Death recordings (which were originally self-released in 1989 on cassette). Originally comprised of members now known from such classic bands as Arcturus, Mayhem & Thorns, Mortem was a leading act of the early Norwegian underground metal scene, their Slow Death demo is a highly inspirational work of early Norwegian extreme metal.
Necrophagous – In Chaos Ascend CD (Transcending Obscurity)
Members of Visceral Bleeding and Entrails converge to forge a style of death metal that’s both old school in sound and also contemporary in the way they inject the irresistible grooves.
Nightrage – Abyss Rising CD/LP (Despotz)
The latest album from melodic death metal band Nightrage is partly inspired by Dante’s Inferno and explores man’s continual destruction of the world we live in until the abyss opens to consume all before it. The band has embraced a harder, faster and brutal approach, still rich in melodic intent but still heavy and aggressive. [A limited-edition indie store exclusive vinyl pressing is available.]
Joan Osborne – Radio Waves CD/ (Womanly Hips)
Joan Osborne’s new collection of unearthed live in-studio radio recordings is a unique, hand-picked assortment of her favorite and most captivating live appearances culled from 100+ radio station performances over her 25-year career. [Vinyl edition due July 22.]
Overkill – The Atlantic Years: 1986-1994 6xCD/6xLP (BMG)
Released last December on vinyl – now available on CD. 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.
Pale Waves – Who Am I? CD/LP (Dirty Hit)
The second album from indie-pop band Pale Waves was recorded in L.A. over early 2020 with Rich Costey (Muse, Biffy Clyro, Sigur Ros), and is led by the unabashedly huge lead single “Change”. [A limited-edition translucent green color vinyl pressing is available.]
Palomino Blond – ontheinside CD/Cassette (Limited Fanfare)
“… An impressive work that furthers the chunk and fuzz of 1990s indie rock on up to wuthering shoegaze heights.” – Bao Le-Huu, The Orlando Weekly [Vinyl edition due February 25.]
Pike vs. The Automaton – Pike vs. The Automaton CD/LP/2xLP (MNRK Music Group)
Matt Pike: “The album title, Pike vs. The Automaton, wasn’t an ego thing for me. Billy and Jon said, ‘Dude, you should use your name in this. This is your solo project.’ I said, “I don’t want to do that.” The Automaton, in Greek mythology, is the big robot that’s the guardian of the Gods, basically. It’s a soulless, big machine named Talos. The big machine that’s working against mankind at this moment. In Jason and The Argonauts, Jason and The Argonauts have to battle this big machine guy that protects the island. Basically, what the album title is saying, metaphorically, is ‘Pike against the World.'” “I made a psychedelic rock record that Sleep and High on Fire fans would like,” Pike says when asked for a CliffsNotes description of Pike vs. The Automaton. “And maybe if you’re not a Sleep or High on Fire fan, you might like it too. I think it’s interesting; it has d-beat punk, two-step. It’s got everything and it still works together, it doesn’t sound odd. It’s just an off-the-wall psychedelic rock record. [A limited-edition indie store exclusive opaque orchid color double-LP edition is available.]
Steve Poltz – Stardust + Satellites CD/LP (Red House)
“Steve Poltz is a living example of the American music tradition, a songwriter who can bend your ear with a hooky melody, then break your heart with a wry observation about the human condition” – Popmatters. “Steve is the ultimate troubadour-a highly engaging storyteller and performer. I’m glad our paths crossed all those years ago” -Jewel. [Two color vinyl pressings are available: pink and indie store exclusive blue.]
Savage Grace – Master Of Disguise [Reissue/1985] 2xCD (Napalm)
Savage Grace – After A Fall From Grace [Reissue/1986] 2xCD (Napalm)
Deluxe double-CD reissues of the L.A. power/speed metal band’s only two albums.
Sarah Shook & The Disarmers – Nightroamer CD/LP (Abeyance)
Produced by multi-platinum, Grammy-winning producer and groundbreaking guitarist Pete Anderson (most widely known as the musical partner to Dwight Yoakam from 1986-2003, and collaborator with Lucinda Williams, Jim Lauderdale, Michelle Shocked and Rosie Flores), Nightroamer is the third album from the North Carolina band Sarah Shook & The Disarmers who merge raw country with punk grit and pop sensibilities. “Straightforward, undiluted songs about shared hardships and unlikely victories that can bring even the most polarized people together,” Sarah reveals. [A limited-edition indie store exclusive translucent blue color vinyl pressing is available.]
Shovels & Rope – Manticore CD/LP (Dualtone)
Originally planned as a stripped-down acoustic-leaning release, Manticore‘s tracks were written prior to the pandemic, but recorded during it, when Michael Trent and Cary Ann Hearst suddenly had much more time at their disposal. The duo reimagined the original arrangements, resulting in 10 new songs that range in sound from heartbreaking, stark piano to rollicking hard-rock and danceable guitar and drum numbers. Manticore reveals the band’s most personal stories about love, family, marriage, self-realization, and more to date, and it carves out its own distinct place in the Shovels & Rope canon.
JD Simo – Mind Control CD/LP (Crows Feet)
With a vault full of songs written over the past two years, both on the road and then in lockdown, it was a tough choice to select just 13 for this album. Colin James and his co-producer Dave Meszaros managed to set up three full band sessions in Vancouver for recording, and the rest was done remotely through pandemic lockdowns using studios on both sides of the Atlantic. The result is a stunning album that captures the magic that musicians can do when given the time and space.
Sleepwulf – Sleepwulf [Reissue/2020] CD/LP (Heavy Psych Sounds)
Sleepwulf – Sunbeams Curl [Reissue/2020] CD/LP (Heavy Psych Sounds)
From mountain peak to valley deep, Sleepwulf’s new album Sunbeams Curl is a journey that is dripping with the seductive sounds of riff rock psychedelic proto doom. Conjuring the sounds of bands such as Black Sabbath and Jethro Tull, Sleepwulf has summoned an album that oozes with fuzzy riffs, sordid tales and seductive occultism. If the first album was about cycles, this one is about breaking them and its consequences. [The band’s eponymous debut album is also available, along with multiple color vinyl variants of each release.]
Spirits Of Fire – Embrace The Unknown CD (Frontiers)
Heavy metallers Spirits Of Fire return with new vocalist Fabio Lione (Angra, Rhapsody), who joins original members Chris Caffery, Steve DiGiorgio, and Mark Zonder on their second album, Embrace The Unknown. Produced by Aldo Lonobile (Secret Sphere, Archon Angel, Sweet Oblivion), the album sees Spirits Of Fire picking up where they left off on their debut, with Caffery’s skillful songwriting and fiery fretwork leading the charge.
Ten – Here Be Monsters CD (Frontiers)
UK hard rock stalwarts Ten used the downtime during the worldwide pandemic to work on not one, but two new albums. The first album to be released is Here Be Monsters.
Tennyson – Rot CD/LP+MP3 (Counter)
Tennyson (aka Luke Pretty) returns with Rot, his first full-length LP. Throughout the album’s 12 tracks Luke refines the signature Tennyson sound, making his flurried beats come into focus and his already riveting hooks catchier. This is also the first project in which Luke lends his voice to almost every song, with the exception coming from a feature with singer-songwriter Rae Morris on the pained but heartfelt “Slow Dance”. Dramatic dynamics and emotional weight are the driving force of Rot, making for pop music fit for misfits.
Frank Turner – FTHC CD/LP (Virgin)
FTHC is Frank Turner’s first album since 2019. It was recorded at Abbey Recording Studios and produced/mixed by Rich Costey. It darts between punk, folk, hard rock and singer-songwriter confessionals, starting with “The Gathering” featuring Jason Isbell and Muse’s Dom Howard. The project ends with a rumination on leaving the capital after 7,300 days for a new life on the Essex coast with the bittersweet “Farewell To My City”. [A limited-edition indie store exclusive red color vinyl edition is available.]
Veonity – Elements Of Power CD (Scarlet)
For nearly a decade, the almighty Veonity of Sweden has been flying under the radar, presenting superb ultra-power metal albums. Fans of acts such as Hammerfall, Sabaton, and Sonata Arctica will find something to like here.
Bobby Weir & Wolf Brothers – Live In Colorado CD/LP (Third Man)
Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros—consisting of Bobby Weir, Don Was, Jay Lane and Jeff Chimenti—release their first collection of recorded material. Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros: Live In Colorado is the first volume of a two-volume collection on vinyl and the second volume will be available later in 2022. Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros: Live In Colorado features a collection of songs recorded at the band’s live performances at the historic Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison, Colorado and the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater in Vail, Colorado on June 8, 9, 11, 12, 2021. These shows were the group’s first live audience concerts in over a year and featured Greg Leisz on pedal steel, along with The Wolfpack: Alex Kelly, Brian Switzer, Adam Theis, Mads Tolling and Sheldon Brown. “Been too long,” Weir said of the performances, “but I can’t think of a better place to pick it back up…” [A limited-edition indie store exclusive color vinyl edition is available.]
Zadra – Guiding Star CD (Frontiers)
Zadra’s debut album, Guiding Star, is a compelling collection of hard hitting rock songs and ballads that feature guitarist/vocalist August Zadra’s powerful and emotional vocals as well as his fiery guitar playing.
Mike Zito – Blues For The Southside (Live From Old Rock House St. Louis, MO) 2xCD (Sono Recording Group)
Recorded on November 26, 2021, at the Old Rock House in St. Louis, Missouri, and produced by Mike Zito, Blues For The Southside showcases Zito (guitar, vocals) and his stellar band in full fury with special guests Tony Campanella, Dave Kalz and guitar wizard Eric Gales. The set list for that special night included tunes from Mike’s earlier albums and his tributes to Chuck Berry, Jimi Hendrix and Steve Ray Vaughan.
This Week’s Vinyl Exclusives:
alt-J – The Dream LP (Atlantic)
Released last week on CD and indie store exclusive clear vinyl – now available on black vinyl. 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.
Angélique Kidjo – Mother Nature LP (Verve)
Released last December on CD – now available on vinyl. On Angelique Kidjo’s album Mother Nature, the four-time Grammy Award-winning luminary joins forces with many of her musical progeny, including some of the most captivating young creators of West African music, Afrobeat, Afro-pop, dancehall, hip-hop, and alt-R&B. The result is a truly visionary body of work, rooted in a deep understanding of musical tradition yet endlessly forward-thinking and inventive.
Assemblage 23 – Failure LP (Metropolis)
2021 marks the 20-year anniversary of Assemblage 23’s seminal album Failure. This release consists of the original album, given a fresh mix from the ground up by Shear, and a selection of remixes of “Failure” tracks by other artists.
Bad Brains – Quickness [Reissue/1989] LP (Org Music)
Vinyl reissue of Bad Brains’ fourth full-length studio album. At the time of its release, it was the band’s best-selling album and landed them a featured MTV music video for the opening track, “Soul Craft”. This reissue marks the fifth release in the remaster campaign, re-launching the Bad Brains Records label imprint.
Bossk – Migration LP (Deathwish Inc.)
Clear vinyl. Bossk is a metallic post-everything band from Ashford, Kent, England. [A limited-edition indie store exclusive translucent white vinyl pressing is available.]
Brutus VIII – Beyond LP (Danger Collective)
Brutus VIII is Jackson Katz’s (Slow Hollows, Current Joys) rejection of his soft indie-rock band roots into no wave experimentation. Brutus VIII was started in 2013 as a solo project and after a few iterations has remained, for the most part, solo. With jarring and oftentimes abrasive live performances, Katz forces audiences to confront the expectations of a performer. The project is an exploration into the hyper masculine ideal, painting a picture of how ridiculous machismo-ism is.
Campesinos – Romance Is Boring [Reissue/2009] 2xLP+MP3 (Arts & Crafts)
Campesinos – Hello Sadness [Reissue/2011] LP+MP3 (Arts & Crafts)
Two color vinyl reissues (gold and blue, respectively. After Los Campesinos! first two albums, the band carried itself like critical favorites are expected to, with bulletproof taste and highly quotable interviews, studious enough with the canon to have a good laugh at its expense. By comparison, Romance Is Boring appeared to be the quintessential third album identity crisis – significantly longer, bursting with ideas, delving into prog and emo and other places hip bands dared not tread in 2010. Hello Sadness is Los Campesinos! shooting for a pop album. Not pop-punk, not indie-pop – punchy, pristine pop. But as with everything in life, nothing ever quite goes to plan. [A limited translucent blue color vinyl pressing is available.]
Clarence Carter – The Best Of Clarence Carter [Reissue/1971] LP (Friday Music)
180gm vinyl reissue. Originally released on the Atlantic label in 1971, The Best Of Clarence Carter includes “Patches”, “Snatchin’ It Back”, “Too Weak To Fight”, and the #6 Billboard single “Slippin’ Away”.
Eva Cassidy – Songbird [Reissue/1998] 2xLP (Blix Street)
Double 180gm vinyl pressed at 45rpm. Housed in gatefold jacket. Songbird is a compilation album of songs by singer Eva Cassidy. It was originally released in 1998, two years after her death in 1996.
Circle Jerks – Wild In The Streets [Reissue/1982] LP (Faulty)
40th Anniversary vinyl reissue of punk band’s second album.
Cloud Nothings – The Shadow I Remember LP+MP3/Cassette (Carpark)
Limited color vinyl pressing of Cloud Nothings’ 2021 album. For a band that resists repeating itself, picking up lessons from a decade prior is the strange route Cloud Nothings took to create their most fully realized album. Their new record, The Shadow I Remember, marks eleven years of touring, a return to early songwriting practices, and revisiting the studio where they first recorded together. In a way not previously captured, this album expertly combines the group’s pummeling, aggressive approach with singer-songwriter Dylan Baldi’s extraordinary talent for perfect pop. To document this newly realized maturity, the group returned to producer Steve Albini and his Electrical Audio studios in Chicago, where the band famously destroyed its initial reputation as a bedroom solo project with the release of 2012 album Attack On Memory. The Shadow I Remember announces Cloud Nothings’ second decade and it sounds like a new beginning.
JP Cooper – She LP (Republic)
Manchester’s JP Cooper is a self-made, self-taught musician who manages to exist effortlessly within two scenes generally considered to be at varying ends of the sonic spectrum. Learning his craft on the indie rock scene, but later connecting with the Sing Out Gospel Gospel Choir, John Paul Cooper’s exquisite vocal and adroitly played guitar seamlessly encompasses the best of both worlds. It’s indie with soul, soul with heart.
Wayne County & The Electric Chairs – Storm The Gates Of Heaven [Reissue/1978] LP (Spittle)
Wayne County & The Electric Chairs – Things That Mother Never Told You [Reissue/1978] LP (Spittle)
Vinyl reissues of the punk band’s first two albums.
David Crosby – For Free CD (BMG Rights Management)
Released last year on CD – now available on vinyl. On his new album For Free, David Crosby shares the latest offering from a life devoted to the pure and powerful alchemy of music. Arriving just a month before his 80th birthday, For Free finds the folk-rock legend continuing to tap into the tremendous surge of creativity he’s experienced since the making of his acclaimed 2016 album Lighthouse, this time collaborating with the likes of Michael McDonald, Donald Fagen of Steely Dan, and multi-Grammy Award-winning artist Sarah Jarosz.
Daft Punk – Discovery [Reissue/2001] LP (Daft Life Ltd.)
Vinyl reissue of the second studio album by French electronic music duo, originally released in 2001. Discovery marked a shift from the Chicago house sound prevalent on their first studio record, Homework (1997), to a house style more heavily inspired by disco, post-disco, garage house, and R&B.
The Divine Comedy – Charmed Life: The Best Of The Divine Comedy 2xLP (Divine Comedy)
Silver and gold color vinyl pressing now available. A career-spanning collection of hit singles and fan favorites including “National Express”, “Something For The Weekend”, “Songs Of Love”, “Our Mutual Friend”, “A Lady Of A Certain Age”, “To The Rescue” and “Norman And Norma”. It also features a brand-new track: “The Best Mistakes”.
The Dodos – Grizzly Peak LP+MP3 (Polyvinyl)
Released last November on CD – now available on pink color vinyl. Since 2006, The Dodos (singer and guitarist Meric Long and drummer Logan Kroeber) have been careening, almost recklessly, towards some perfect ideal of how The Dodos should sound. Meditative and sometimes painful in its emotional excavation, over the course of ten anthemic, gorgeously rendered tracks, Grizzly Peak reveals itself as that place Long and Kroeber were always desperately trying to find. Befitting a record that hits so close to The Dodos’ career-long goal, Grizzly Peak also serves as a love letter to the fans who have devoted their hearts to Long and Kroeber’s music.
Doro – Fear No Evil [Reissue/2009] 2xLP (Rare Diamonds Productions)
Doro – Für Immer [Reissue/2017] 2xLP (Rare Diamonds Productions)
Color vinyl reissues of the eleventh studio album Fear No Evil and 2017 compilation Für Immer from the German female hard rock singer.
Echo & The Bunnymen – Songs To Learn & Sing [Reissue/1985] LP (Rhino)
Originally released in 1985, Songs To Learn & Sing is a comprehensive collection of Echo & The Bunnymen’s first four albums, from their second single “Rescue”, to “The Cutter” and the anthemic “The Killing Moon”. Also included is “Bring On The Dancing Horses”, a single launched at the time in conjunction with Songs To Learn & Sing.
Stro Elliot/James Brown – Black & Loud: James Brown Reimagined By Stro Elliot LP (Polydor/UMGD)
Stro Elliot (of The Roots) puts his spin on ten James Brown classics. The remixes draw upon a variety of inspirations, from Afrobeat to electronica.
Fight – War Of Words [Reissue/1993] LP (Red Music Legacy)
War Of Words is the debut album by the American heavy metal band Fight, originally released in 1993. This is the first release Rob Halford recorded after his departure from heavy metal band Judas Priest in 1992. He brought with him drummer Scott Travis from the band and recruited three new members. The music is a mixture between the heavy metal sound created by Judas Priest and a thrash/groove sound similar to that of Pantera. Halford is also credited with playing guitar but only recorded vocals for the album. [A limited-edition indie store exclusive white color vinyl pressing is available.]
Fourplay – Fourplay [Reissue/1991] 2xLP (Evo Sound)
There was no great cunning master plan that brought noted jazz instrumentalists Bob James (keyboards), Lee Ritenour (guitar), Nathan Eat (bass) and Harvey Mason (drums) together to form a supergroup. Released in October 1991, Fourplay was a bona fide hit. This vinyl reissue features a bonus track. [A limited-edition blue color pressing is available.]
Frightened Rabbit – The Midnight Organ Fight [Reissue/2008] LP (Fat Cat)
Frightened Rabbit’s seminal album, Midnight Organ Fight, is available once more in an all-new heavyweight black vinyl repress. An unconventional three-piece with a defined personality, and a gift for being able to nail a near perfect pop song, Frightened Rabbit convey candid tales of ordinary folk with a wry, acerbic wit via an eloquent, emotive, modern garage-pop aesthetic.
The Get Up Kids – There Are Rules [Reissue/2009] 2xLP+MP3 (Polyvinyl)
Though initially received as an experimental departure from their pioneering Midwestern punk pop sound, There Are Rules has since grown among die-hard TGUK fans as being one of their most underrated and daring. Now, after years of being out of print, The Get Up Kids are proud to reintroduce fans and listeners alike to one of the most expansive releases in the beloved band’s discography. Clear blue vinyl pressing with six bonus tracks, including the Simple Science EP.
Grandaddy – The Sophtware Slump ……On A Wooden Piano LP (Dangerbird)
Pink color vinyl pressing. This new The Sophtware Slump isn’t a recontextualization of old songs as a stealth anthology for newcomers. This newly recorded The Sophtware Slump with the songs’ skeletons are the same, but the bones dance differently. Slower songs like “Undearneath The Weeping Willow” make a natural transition to this sparer presentation. Greater revelations occur with the once louder songs like “The Crystal Lake” and “Chartsengrafs”. The effect at times is that of unfolding an origami dinosaur and refashioning it into a swan. The album’s sharp melodic sense isn’t dampened at all, but the words step forward, which only enhances the aspirational lift at album’s end, about aiming toward the sky.
Jack Harlow – That’s What They All Say LP (Atlantic)
The debut studio album by the American rapper features guest appearances from Lil Baby, Big Sean, Chris Brown, Adam Levine, EST Gee, Bryson Tiller, DaBaby, Tory Lanez and Lil Wayne – the latter three who appear on the remix of Harlow’s breakout single, “What’s Poppin”.
Beth Hart – Better Than Home [Reissue/2015] LP (Provogue)
Beth Hart – Fire On The Floor [Reissue/2017] LP (Provogue)
Vinyl reissues of Grammy Nominated singer/songwriter Beth Hart’s hit albums – available for the first time on transparent vinyl limited to 500 copies each. [The vinyl reissue of 2012’s Bang Bang Boom Boom is due on March 18.]
Joe Henderson – Inner Urge [Reissue/1964] LP (Blue Note)
Joe Henderson had fully hit his stride by the time he made Inner Urge, his fourth album for Blue Note, recorded in November 1964. After a series of quintet dates, this was the tenor saxophonist’s first quartet album, and it featured an extraordinary line-up with McCoy Tyner on piano, Bob Cranshaw on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums.
The Hope Conspiracy – Death Knows Your Name [Reissue/2006] LP (Deathwish Inc.)
The Hope Conspiracy is a legendary hardcore band from Boston, MA. Death Knows Your Name is their landmark album originally released in 2006. A limited-edition indie store exclusive vinyl pressing is available.
HTRK – Rhinestones LP (N&J Blueberries)
Released last November on CD – now available on vinyl with alternate artwork. The latest by iconic slowburn Australian duo HTRK is an elegant nine song suite of windswept emotion and heartbreak noir, crafted in skeletal arrangements of guitar, voice, metronomes, and FX. Inspired by a recent infatuation with “eerie and gothic country music,” Rhinestones moves from whispered lament to acoustic eulogy to downtempo vignettes, tracing muted embers of loss and lust through haunted city streets. Taking cues from the economy and brevity of western folk but skewed through a narcotic, nocturnal lens, the album maps enigmatic badlands of strung-out beauty and lengthening shadows.
Infamous Stringdusters – Toward The Fray LP (American Vibes)
Grammy Award-winning bluegrass, folk and Americana outfit release their first full-length since 2019’s Rise Sun. Toward The Fray is the band’s first release on Americana Vibes in partnership with Regime Music Group. The album was recorded at Denver’s Mighty Fine Studios and was all written in response and reaction to the events of 2020.
George Jackson – Hair & Hide LP (George Jackson Music)
Released last October on CD – now available on vinyl. Hair & Hide is literally what bluegrass and old-time music is made of. Focusing on the raw materials of the fiddle and banjo, in tandem with the stripped back sound of only the two instruments, is both a classic and revolutionary choice on fiddler George Jackson’s sophomore record.
B.B. King – B.B King In London [Reissue/1971] LP (Friday Music)
Limited 180gm clear blue vinyl pressing housed in gatefold jacket. On this 1971 album, King is accompanied by US session musicians and various British rock and R&B musicians, including Ringo Starr, Alexis Korner and Gary Wright, as well as members of Spooky Tooth and Humble Pie, Greg Ridley, Steve Marriott, and Jerry Shirley.
Lavender Country – Blackberry Rose LP+MP3 (Don Giovanni)
Limited color vinyl pressing. Led by principal songwriter Patrick Haggerty, Blackberry Rose is Lavender Country’s first album in nearly 50 years. Their debut self-titled album, released in 1973, is universally recognized as the first ever country album to be released by an openly gay artist.
Thomas Leer – Contradictions [Reissue/1982] 2xLP (Spittle)
Vinyl reissue of Thomas Leer’s Contradictions, originally released in 1982. The Scottish musician, born in 1953 in Port Glasgow, is one of the most eclectic artists of the so-called minimal wave scene. Alongside German singer Claudia Brücken (vocalist of the hit-makers Propaganda) he formed Act a short-lived synthpop group signed to ZTT Records in the late ’80s. Licensed by Cherry Red in 1982, the double album Contradictions is the third effort in Leer high and rising career. After the seminal debut on Industrial Records with Robert Rental – The Bridge (1979) – Leer ventured on a solo career with the brave synth wave of Letter From America and his personal masterpiece Contradictions.
Logic – Boby Tarantino III LP (Def Jam)
Originally released digitally in 2021 to celebrate the 5th anniversary of his first Bobby Tarantino mixtape, Grammy-nominated, multiplatinum artist Logic brings a new chapter on Bobby Tarantino III. Features the tracks “Vaccine,” “Get Up,” “My Way,” “Call Me,” and more.
The LOX – Filthy America…IT’s Beautiful LP (Roc Nation)
Vinyl reissue of the third studio album by American hip-hop group.
Lucero – Lucero [Reissue/2001] 2xLP (Liberty & Lament)
Like the great river that flows through Memphis, the music of Lucero keeps rolling on, twisting and turning through the years, the same dark and brooding steadiness always at work. Since forming in late the ‘90s, this group of Memphis road-dogs has mixed heartfelt lyrics with the sounds of early rock and roll, classic punk, country-folk, and deep-fried Southern soul. It’s a sound that stands on the pillars of American music, born more of feeling than technique, delivered night after night to legions of fans in dive bars and theaters, and on stages as august as Red Rocks Amphitheater and the Ryman. In short, it’s music that is built to last, impervious to trends. Lucero’s eponymous 2001 debut album pressed for the first time ever on vinyl, in honor of the 20th anniversary of its release. Gatefold 180gm double-LP set with original CD artwork reformatted for vinyl.
Lee Morgan – Caramba [Reissue/1968] LP (Blue Note)
When Lee Morgan recorded his album Caramba, he was only months away from his 30th birthday, making the fact that this was his 23rd Blue Note recording even more astounding. A full-fledged master, his technical prowess on the horn matched by the emotional depth of his playing, and a composer who could conjure different moods and styles with his writing.
The Nervebreakers – Face Up To Reality LP (Steadyboy)
The Nervebreakers, punk rock pioneers and the pride of Dallas, TX, are back with a cocky collection of songs written back in the day (late ‘70s, early ‘80s).
The Numbers – Alternative Suicide LP (Radiation Deluxe)
Bristol new wave quartet The Numbers formed in 1977 with vocalist/rhythm guitarist Nick McAuley, bassist Wayne Kingston, drummer Lee Gardener and future Massive Attack guitarist Angelo Bruschini. Heavily influenced by Bowie’s Berlin trilogy, early recordings surfaced on compilations issued by the local Heartbeat label in 1979. This excellent compilation pairs those songs with unreleased demos, giving us the complete picture of a band far ahead of their time, with Bruschini already on dazzling form.
Old Dominion – Time, Tequila & Therapy LP (SME Nashville)
Released last October on CD – now available on vinyl. The fourth album from country music group Old Dominion, Time, Tequila & Therapy features the single “I Was On A Boat That Day”. Every member of the five-piece band had a hand in writing songs from the 13-track project. Gladys Knight appears on “Lonely Side Of Town”, described as a “Motown by way of Music Row soul stunner.”
Palace – Shoals LP (Fiction/Virgin)
Shoals is a profound and pensive album, boldly exploring some of life’s greatest questions over its 12 mesmerizing tracks. The album deftly explores three main existential dilemmas against a broader backdrop of wonder at the vastness and power of the ocean, concluding its arc with the stunning opus “Sky Becomes Sea”. Through diving into themes of the subconscious, dreams and existentialism, Shoals is broadly a record about living with and processing fear. [A limited-edition indie store exclusive transparent blue color vinyl pressing is also available.]
Carly Pearce – 29: Written In Stone 2xLP (Big Machine)
Released last September on CD – now available on translucent green color vinyl. The Carly Pearce expands her critically acclaimed 29 into the full-blown album/song cycle 29: Written In Stone. In classic Carly style, she captures the kind of true Country that’s become the bellwether for the two-time ACM and CMA Awards winner, developing the straightforward emotions and classic sounds that have rapidly defined one of the genre’s most important voices.
Penelope Isles – Which Way To Happy LP (Bella Union)
Recently released on CD – now available on clear vinyl. When you’re trying to make it through tough times, you need a little light to find your way. That light blazes brightly on the alchemical second album from Penelope Isles, an album forged amid emotional upheaval and band changes. Setting the uncertainties of twenty-something life to alt-rock and psychedelic songs brimming with life, color and feeling, Which Way To Happy emerges as a luminous victory for Jack and Lily Wolter, the siblings whose bond holds the band tight at its core.
Phinehas – Fire Itself LP (Solid State)
Released last August on CD – now available on vinyl. Fifth album from the California metalcore band.
Poetica – Poetica LP (Sono Recording Group)
Released last October on CD – now available on vinyl. Poetica is a stylistically expansive spoken word project merging text, voice and music in the spirit of Leonard Cohen, Patti Smith and Laurie Anderson. The concept album conceived by poet/vocalist/producer Rachael Sage with Grammy nominated cellist Dave Eggar deftly fuses jazz, classical, nubeat and Americana. Featuring clarinetist David Krakauer, guitarists Gerry Leonard (David Bowie) & Jack Petruzzelli (Patti Smith), trumpeter Russ Johnson (Elvis Costello), and drummer Quinn.
Tony Rice – California Autumn [Reissue/1975] LP (Rebel)
Tony Rice was the most influential and emulated bluegrass guitarist ever. He established the gold standard for both lead and rhythm playing, merging a deep appreciation for tradition with impactful innovation.
The Shivas – Feels So Good / Feels So Bad LP (Tender Loving Empire)
Recently released on CD – now available on clear vinyl. “Portland, Oregon-hailing psych-surf band The Shivas accomplish another time-traveling, reverb-ridden sound that refuses to get boring. Jared Molyneux’s guitar work knows when to be bright or bashful at the right times, breaking into guitar solos that possess a late-’60s groove… The Shivas seem to blissfully flourish.” – Paste
Sleigh Bells – Texis LP (Mom+Pop)
Released last October on CD – now available on limited clear vinyl. After releasing their 2010 album Treats on – which became an indie classic, deemed ‘Best New Music’ by Pitchfork, ‘phenomenal’ by Paste Magazine, ‘pop smarts’ by Rolling Stone, and a ‘game-changer’ by Stereogum – Sleigh Bells have returned with their fifth studio album, Texis.
Slightly Stoopid – Everything You Need [Reissue/2013] LP (Surfdog)
Color vinyl reissue of 2003’s Everything You Need, the album that catapulted Slightly Stoopid into a legendary band. Built on a bedrock of nasty, oceanic slabs of dubby bass, meditative vocal harmonies, rock-steady guitar licks and tightly syncopated percussive rhythms, Slightly Stoopid continued to unwind and push the envelope of a new jam-based genre they helped to create here.
SO.Crates – Beaut-i-full World / Fresh Gold Bloom-Age LP (Bedroom Suck)
Australian hip-hop/neo soul duo SO. Crates is a boom-bap prayer sent live and direct from the heart of two of the culture’s most committed students.The group features Melbourne based beatmaker and DJ Skomes alongside California-via-Adelaide MC & poet Cazeaux O. S. L. O. With a legacy built on releasing a steady flow of cold-crush records and delivering uplifting live performances to the party people, SO. Crates prove that hip-hop’s golden era is not a lost date in time, but a foundational state of mind.
SOM – The Shape Of Everything LP (Pelagic)
Recently released on CD – now available on clear vinyl. SOM’s new album’s concise compositions balance gritty riffs with airy vocal lines will appeal to fans of Deftones and Tame Impala alike, as well as shoegaze-loving connoisseurs.
The Twilight Sad – Fourteen Autumns & Fifteen Winters [Reissue/2007] LP (Fat Cat)
The Twilight Sad – The Wrong Car [Reissue/2010] 12” (Fat Cat)
The Twilight Sad – No One Can Ever Know [Reissue/2012] 2xLP (Fat Cat)
Vinyl reissues of the Scottish post-punk/indie rock band’s first and third albums, along with their 2010 EP.
Ultra Q – Get Yourself A Friend 12” (Royal Mountain)
Ultra Q is a band fronted by Jakob Armstrong – the son of Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day. The band has previously been featured in Rolling Stone, Spin, Alternative Press, etc. The Get Yourself A Friend EP was produced by Martin Cooke (Death Cab For Cutie, Of Monsters and Men) and recorded in Green Day’s studio. [A limited-edition indie store exclusive red color vinyl pressing is available.]
Wage War – Manic LP (Hopeless)
Released last October on CD – now available on vinyl Wage War has forged an ironclad hybrid of battering ram grooves, gnashing guitars and melodic hooks in the heat of those extremes. Following the most trying year in recent history, the Florida quintet only strengthened their creative bond on their fourth full-length offering, Manic. Musically, the band struck a seamless balance between bludgeoning grooves, soaring melodies, electronic fits, and battering ram riffs, straining their past, present, and future into one cohesive statement.
Water From Your Eyes – Structure LP (Wharf Cat)
Released last August on CD – now available on vinyl. Delighting in contradiction, Structure Is An ambitious LP that approaches its own impressive scope and aspiration with a tongue-in-cheek humor and a reflexive self-effacement that wonderfully reflects the personalities of its creators. Influenced by Scott Walker’s sole ‘80s release, Climate Of Hunter and the works of the colorfield painter Mark Rothko, it’s a concept album that pokes fun of the idea of concept albums, exploring high-minded ideas while subverting them and applying a hyper-focused eye for detail in the service of a series of clever misdirections. [A limited-edition indie store exclusive white color vinyl pressing is available.]
We Were Promised Jetpacks. – These Four Walls. [Reissue/2009] LP (Fat Cat)
Available again in an all new repress, We Were Promised Jetpacks’s youthful energy explodes thunderously as colossal choruses fall unfailingly into place. Every space is filled, tension bristling achingly in Adam Thompson’s vocal delivery as the rest of the band crashes around him with a perfect balance of force and harmony. The romanticism and accessibility of a pure pop sensibility is never hidden too deep.
White Lies – As I Try Not To Fall Apart LP (PIAS America)
Arguably one of the biggest guitar bands in the UK, it’s been well over a decade since the White Lies’s breakthrough single “Death” introduced a group for whom the fragility of human existence has been a constant touchstone. Now in his 30s, chief lyricist Cave’s outlook on the great unknown has evolved. “I think the side of death or mortality that I always find interesting is the fact we all know it’s going to happen,” he says, “and how different people navigate that.” As I Try Not To Fall Apart is their most expansive record to date, taking in explosive rock, electro-pop bangers, prog-inspired invention, funk-tinged grooves and some of their most indelible hooks yet. [An indie store exclusive cream color vinyl pressing is available. Limited copies include a value-added autographed print. CD version due February 25.]
The White Stripes – The White Stripes [Reissue/1999] LP (Sony Legacy)
The White Stripes – De Stijl [Reissue/2000] LP (Sony Legacy)
Vinyl reissues of The White Stripes first two albums are now available.
Cassettes:
Beach House – Once Twice Melody (Sub Pop)
Double cassette edition. Once Twice Melody is the eighth studio album by Beach House, a double album, featuring 18 songs presented in four chapters. Across these songs, many types of style and song structures can be heard. Songs without drums, songs centered around acoustic guitar, mostly electronic songs with no guitar, wandering and repetitive melodies, songs built around the string sections. In addition to new sounds, many of the drum machines, organs, keyboards and tones that listeners may associate with previous Beach House records remain present throughout many of the compositions.
Palomino Blond – ontheinside (Limited Fanfare)
“… An impressive work that furthers the chunk and fuzz of 1990s indie rock on up to wuthering shoegaze heights.” – Bao Le-Huu, The Orlando Weekly
Leave a Reply