Marketing Program/ Banner/ Listening Station Titles Promoted This Week:
Drug Church – Hygiene CD/LP (Pure Noise)
Everyone’s favorite punk rock agitators, Drug Church, have returned. Hygiene is their highly anticipated fourth full-length. Drug Church is one of the most singular bands in modern guitar music and on Hygiene the band’s uncompromising nature has resulted in a bold leap forward. The Albany and Los Angeles-based five-piece has a unique ability to make distinctly outsider music that’s also welcoming and instantly satisfying, as evidenced by Hygiene‘s lead singles “Million Miles Of Fun” and “Detective Lieutenant”. The two songs represent the essential tension between overt melody and visceral aggression that fuels Drug Church – the former pushing the band’s seamless blend of hardcore bite and massive, ’90s-indebted hooks to its most anthemic point, while the latter shows off a level of tunefulness never heard in their catalog. [A limited-edition indie store exclusive yellow w/ blue color vinyl pressing is available.]
Franz Ferdinand – Hits To The Head CD/2xLP+MP3 (Domino)
Hits To The Head is a 20-track greatest hits collection showcasing the world-conquering success of Franz Ferdinand’s career to date. Alongside 18 classics the album features two brand-new tracks “Billy Goodbye” and “Curious” co-produced by Alex Kapranos, Julian Corrie and Stuart Price. Talking about the process of picking tracks for the album, Kapranos said: “It’s the same as writing a set-list for a festival: you want to play the songs you know people want to hear. The hits. Bring the hits to the head. The heart. The feet.” [A deluxe CD edition featuring book packaging and a limited-edition indie store exclusive red color vinyl pressing are available.]
Ghost – Impera CD/LP/Cassette (Loma Vista)
Grammy-winning Swedish theatrical rock outfit Ghost, one of the most esteemed and celebrated bands in the world today, return with their fifth psalm, Impera, fronted by the newly anointed Papa Emeritus IV. Produced by Klas Åhlund and mixed by Andy Wallace, its dozen songs take on themes of isolation and demigod worship, as well as colonization of both space and mind. And all with the infectious hooky brand of rock their fans have grown accustomed to. Impera finds Ghost transported hundreds of years forward from the 14th century Europe Black Plague era of its previous album, 2018’s Prequelle. [A limited-edition indie store exclusive orchid color vinyl pressing and cassette edition are available.]
Jeremy Ivey – Invisible Pictures CD/LP+MP3 (ANTI-)
Juxtaposing raw, unflinching personal reckonings with jaunty, buoyant melodies and rich, kaleidoscopic production, Invisible Pictures is indeed a revelation. Though the songs are rooted in a 21st century swirl of chaos and uncertainty, the record is, at its core, an undeniably feel-good collection, one that refuses to surrender to the existential ache it so artfully captures. Instead, Ivey embraces the sheer, unmitigated joy of creative freedom and sonic exploration here, drawing on everything from flamenco and classical music to vintage indie rock and British Invasion tunes to craft a passionate, transcendent album more reminiscent of John Lennon or Elliott Smith than anything coming out of Nashville these days. [A limited-edition indie store exclusive coke bottle clear vinyl pressing is available.]
A Place To Bury Strangers – See Through You CD/LP (Defari/Dedstrange)
A Place to Bury Strangers defund post-punk orthodoxy with the most audacious and varied songwriting of their career on their sixth album, See Through You. Following up on 2021’s highly acclaimed Hologram EP, the rebooted lineup – vocalist/guitarist Oliver Ackermann plus drummer/vocalist Sandra Fedowitz and bassist John Fedowitz (both of Ceremony East Coast) – delivers an overclocked set of futuristic electronic punk music encoded with punishing industrial rhythms, swirling voltage-starved guitars, and unclassifiable auditory annihilation. Across thirteen tracks recorded in seclusion throughout the nihilistic absurdity of the coronavirus pandemic, See Through You is proof-positive that the group hailed as ‘The Loudest Band in New York’ is still finding new ways to push the needle deeper in the red. [An indie store exclusive yellow /w black color vinyl pressing is available.]
Rex Orange County – Who Cares? CD/LP (RCA)
Who Cares? is Rex’s first studio album since 2019’s critically acclaimed album, Pony. Who Cares? was made in close partnership with musician Benny Sings, over the course of a few sessions in Sings’ Amsterdam studio. After spending the bulk of 2020 quarantined back home in the UK due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Rex made the trek to Amsterdam that fall to record with Sings. What started as sessions without expectations turned into an incredibly productive 48-hour window of recording with Benny, prompting a follow-up trip to Amsterdam. The subsequent 10 days of work together produced his fourth album, made in close partnership with Benny, that is a playful record by an artist in a playful mood. The album also finds Rex reunited with Tyler, The Creator, who contributes a verse to “Open A Window”, which marks the first time the two have collaborated since Tyler’s 2017 album Flower Boy.
Shaman’s Harvest – Rebelator CD/LP (Mascot)
The storyline seems obvious: The Missouri based hard-rockers, Shaman’s Harvest, assembled this project during a global pandemic that debilitated the entire music industry. “This was the hardest record we’ve ever made, on every level,” says the lead singer Nathan Hun. “Hard” has kinda been universal lately. But the road to Rebelator was even rockier than the band expected: natural disasters, logistical nightmares, an extreme case of collective writer’s block. “We struggled the whole way,” Hunt adds with a gruff baritone chuckle. Luckily, they had time on their side. After a couple grueling years of touring behind their last album, 2017’s Red Hands Black Deeds, Shaman’s Harvest were creatively and personally drained. So, founding members Hunt and Hamler, along with guitarist Derrick Shipp and drummer Adam Zemanek hit the reset button hard, and wound up with their richest, most well-rounded album to date. [Two limited-edition color vinyl pressing are available: splatter and gold.]
Additional Social Media Program Titles Released This Week:
Dirty Heads – The Best Of Dirty Heads LP (11-7)
Released last July on CD – now available on vinyl. The Best Of Dirty Heads contains some of the band’s biggest hits to date, including their unprecedented viral smash hit “Vacation”, the song behind the ubiquitous #VacationTransition challenge on TikTok and a new version with guest vocals from multi-Grammy winner Pat Monahan of Train. Over their career, Dirty Heads have been inhaling alternative, hip-hop, reggae and rock and exhaling one irresistible, infectious anthem after another.
People Years – XIV LP (Cornelius Chapel)
Released last November on CD – now available on vinyl. People Years is a dream of an amalgamated spitball wadded by the nerdy version of you and made from subterranean and atmospheric particles of bands like Luna, Pavement, Pink Floyd, and LCD Soundsystem, loaded into a straw, and launched into the midnight hair of that Robert Smith-worshipping goth girl named Summer, who sat a few rows in front of you in class.
CDs + Vinyl:
Bryan Adams – Soy Happy It Hurts CD/LP (BMG)
So Happy It Hurts is the highly anticipated 15th studio album from acclaimed singer-songwriter Bryan Adams. Co-written and produced by Adams, the album features 12 newly recorded tracks including “So Happy It Hurts”, “Always Have, Always Will”, and “Never Gonna Rain”. [Regular and Deluxe CD editions are available. The deluxe CD features a lenticular cover and a 32-page booklet with exclusive photos.]
Adult. – Becoming Undone CD/LP (Dais)
After a quarter century of nearly nonstop activity, dystopian Detroit synth-punk institution Adult. has perfected a strain of stylistic cohesion in the album format, “but for this we wanted something that’s falling apart.” Becoming Undone, the ninth official full-length by co-founders Nicola Kuperus and Adam Lee Miller, explicitly succeeds in this aim, simultaneously rejecting and reflecting the planetary discord that inspired it. [A limited-edition color vinyl pressing is available.]
Kee Avil – Crease CD/LP+MP3 (Constellation)
The debut full-length album by Kee Avil, a project led by Montréal producer and guitarist Vicky Mettler. Crease is a singular expression of deconstructed electroacoustic postpunk songcraft: chiseled minimalist guitar, sinuous low-end electronics, various prepared instruments, a panoply of organic and digital samples creating alternately twitchy and propulsive rhythm, all galvanized with the intimacy of her finely wrought lyricism and vocals. Bound by an outstanding production sensibility throughout, Crease unfolds one oblique earworm hook after another, with compositional innovation anchored to an inscrutable and compelling voice across 10 songs of tremendous and imaginative sonic detail.
Andy Bell – Flicker CD/2xLP (Sonic Cathedral)
Flicker is the second album from Ride guitarist and songwriter Andy Bell. The 18-track album finds Andy moving towards classic songwriting. Stylistically, the album takes in everything from modern psychedelia to fingerpicked folk, whimsical baroque pop, and Byrdsian 12-string beauty.
Alex Cameron – Oxy Music CD/LP+MP3 (Secretly Canadian)
Alex Cameron has always been a great storyteller, finding his ways into the depths of the places where not many others are looking, and Oxy Music continues that trajectory. It’s filled with stories of people who fall outside the system and exist in the grey areas of life. And much like 2017’s Forced Witness, Oxy Music is a work of fiction. In its design – it’s music, lyrics and tracklist – lies the journey a person can take, if the circumstances present themselves – down the road of heavy drug and alcohol abuse. Initially inspired by Nico Walker’s Cherry, Cameron was spurred into yet another commentary on American Life, this time about the opioid crisis that has taken over the country. [A limited-edition teal color vinyl pressing is available.]
Cruzados! – She’s… Automatic! CD/LP (Deko Music)
For fans of The Blasters, Los Lobos, Jason and The Scorchers. She’s… Automatic! delivers the band’s signature rock & roll sound and spirit that first put Cruzados on the map some 30 years ago.
Dday One – Manu Propria CD/LP (The Content Label)
Manu Propria – a Latin phrase meaning “with one’s own hand” – is the name of the adventurous project from proficient sample-based producer Dday One. The term also signifies the hand-crafted nature of the album’s compositions, meticulously assembled using nothing but vinyl records, a turntable, and a hardware sampler. The process emphasized human touch, intention, and an application of experience, not unlike other manual arts like assemblage or painting. The result is Manu Propria, a collection of 10 deftly constructed tracks layered with beats, soundscapes, and musical snatches from distant sources.
The Defaced – Charlatans CD/LP (ViciSolum Productions)
New album from the Swedish groove/thrash metal band.
Disassembler – A Wave From A Shore CD/LP (Western Vinyl)
Via tape loops and synth motifs sent from LA to NY, sound artist Christopher Royal King has teamed with violinist and composer Christopher Tignor toward richly timbral, emotionally gripping works of spontaneity that unfurl immense details with each replay while marrying west coast outboard-ambient to studied east coast modern classical. The resulting debut album, A Wave From A Shore, exhibits both artists’ sonic identifiers falling in and out of cooperation before binding into a new entity distinct from either’s solitary palettes. [A limited-edition color vinyl pressing is available.]
The Districts – Great American Painting CD/LP (Fat Possum)
Great American Painting is the rare album that shines a bright light on all that’s wrong in the world but somehow still channels a galvanizing sense of hope. With equal parts nuanced observation and raw outpouring of feeling, the Philadelphia-based band confront a constellation of problems eroding the American ideal (gentrification, gun violence, the crushing weight of late capitalism), ornamenting every track with their explosive yet elegant breed of indie-rock/post-punk. [An indie store exclusive gold color vinyl pressing is available.]
Kit Downes/Petter Eldh/James Maddren – Vermillion CD (ECM)
Kit Downes joins forces with long-time collaborators Petter Eldh on bass and James Maddren on drums for a carefully assorted piano trio program that treads gentle lyricism and bold creative outbursts in equal measures. Replete with subtle twists and turns, the trio offers its idiosyncratic take on the piano trio format, producing unexpected harmonic alterations and animated rhythmic flashes as they flesh out distinct musical forms.
Drug Church – Hygiene CD/LP (Pure Noise)
Everyone’s favorite punk rock agitators, Drug Church, have returned. Hygiene is their highly anticipated fourth full-length. Drug Church is one of the most singular bands in modern guitar music and on Hygiene the band’s uncompromising nature has resulted in a bold leap forward. The Albany and Los Angeles-based five-piece has a unique ability to make distinctly outsider music that’s also welcoming and instantly satisfying, as evidenced by Hygiene‘s lead singles “Million Miles Of Fun” and “Detective Lieutenant”. The two songs represent the essential tension between overt melody and visceral aggression that fuels Drug Church – the former pushing the band’s seamless blend of hardcore bite and massive, ’90s-indebted hooks to its most anthemic point, while the latter shows off a level of tunefulness never heard in their catalog. [A limited-edition indie store exclusive yellow w/ blue color vinyl pressing is available.]
Edge Of Forever – The Days Of Future Past – The Remasters 3xCD (Frontiers)
On the heels of the release of the band’s latest studio album, Seminole, the band’s first three studio albums have been remastered and assembled in one package: Feeding The Fire (2004), Let The Demon Rock ‘N’ Roll (2005), and Another Paradise (2009).
Michael Feinstein – Gershwin Country CD (Craft Recordings)
Michael Feinstein reimagines the timeless Gershwin songbook through the contemporary lens of country music. Co-produced by Kyle Lehning, Gershwin Country pairs Feinstein with the biggest names in country, including Dolly Parton, Alison Krauss, Brad Paisley, and Rosanne Cash.
Find Me – Lightning In A Bottle CD (Frontiers)
Find Me is an ongoing AOR collaboration between Swedish musician, songwriter, and producer Daniel Flores (The Murder Of My Sweet) and singer Robbie LaBlanc (Blanc Faces, ex-Fury).
Franz Ferdinand – Hits To The Head CD/2xLP+MP3 (Domino)
Hits To The Head is a 20-track greatest hits collection showcasing the world-conquering success of Franz Ferdinand’s career to date. Alongside 18 classics the album features two brand-new tracks “Billy Goodbye” and “Curious” co-produced by Alex Kapranos, Julian Corrie and Stuart Price. Talking about the process of picking tracks for the album, Kapranos said: “It’s the same as writing a set-list for a festival: you want to play the songs you know people want to hear. The hits. Bring the hits to the head. The heart. The feet.” [A deluxe CD edition featuring book packaging and a limited-edition indie store exclusive red color vinyl pressing are available.]
Gazpacho – Fireworking At St. Croix CD/2xLP (Kscope)
Due to reasons which most fans will be aware of by now, Gazpacho’s The Fireworker album tour was cancelled. Stuck with the predicament of having a well-honed show rehearsed and the prospect of a long period off the road, the band had a decision to make. The idea of a live stream which would reach fans far and wide quickly presented itself and the band had a perfect setting in their very own rehearsal space in beautiful Fredrikstad. The resulting live set is a very moody trip into the world of The Fireworker, captured on October 25th, 2020. [A stand-alone Blu-ray version is available.]
Georgia Statellites – Lightnin’ In A Bottle: The Official Live Album 2xCD (Cleveland Int’l)
Live archive release. In 1988, The Georgia Satellites rolled into Cleveland, Ohio for a blistering Monday night at local watering hole Peabody’s, formerly the punk haven Pirates Cove.
Ghost – Impera CD/LP/Cassette (Loma Vista)
Grammy-winning Swedish theatrical rock outfit Ghost, one of the most esteemed and celebrated bands in the world today, return with their fifth psalm, Impera, fronted by the newly anointed Papa Emeritus IV. Produced by Klas Åhlund and mixed by Andy Wallace, its dozen songs take on themes of isolation and demigod worship, as well as colonization of both space and mind. And all with the infectious hooky brand of rock their fans have grown accustomed to. Impera finds Ghost transported hundreds of years forward from the 14th century Europe Black Plague era of its previous album, 2018’s Prequelle. [A limited-edition indie store exclusive orchid color vinyl pressing and cassette edition are available.]
Glacier Veins – Lunar Reflection CD/LP (Equal Vision)
Inspired by the Moon, Portland, OR-based dream punk group Glacier Veins releases their second full-length album, Lunar Reflection.
Grateful Dead – Road Trips Vol. 1 No. 4: From Egypt With Love 2xCD (Real Gone Music)
There are only a few lucky souls who witnessed the Grateful Dead playing perhaps the most mysterious and majestic venue of them all, the desert grounds surrounding the Great Pyramid of Giza. So, when the newly inspired band returned home to San Francisco in the fall of 1978, they and promoter Bill Graham arranged for a five-night stand at Winterland complete with a slide show of their Egyptian escapades to bring a little Middle Eastern flavor to their beloved Bay Area venue.
PJ Harvey – The Hope Six Demolition Project – Demos CD/LP+MP3 (Island)
A collection of unreleased demos written for the ninth PJ Harvey studio album The Hope Six Demolition Project, originally recorded in London and Dorset in 2012, including demos of “The Wheel” and “The Community Of Hope”. Features brand new artwork with cover art based on a drawing by Polly Jean Harvey, plus previously unseen photos by Maria Mochnacz and Seamus Murphy. [A vinyl reissue of the original version of The Hope Six Demolition Project is also available this week.]
Hell Militia – Hollow Void CD/LP (Season Of Mist)
Ten years have passed since French underground black metal Hell Militia released their previous studio album Jacob’s Ladder. Since the band regrouped in 2018, the tumult of recent years, the pandemic and real life’s comings-and-goings were perfect ammunition for the creation of Hollow Void. The band’s orthodox, unrelenting approach coalesce into an album that exploits the true nature of black metal: savage, unforgiving, and grim.
House Of Shakira – Lint XXV 2xCD (Frontiers)
This double-CD reissue of the Swedish rocker’s debut album includes a never-before released version of the full album featuring lead vocals by the band’s original singer, Mikael Eriksson.
Jenny Hval – Classic Objects CD/LP (4AD)
Classic Objects is a map of places; past places, like the old empty Melbourne pubs Jenny Hval’s band used to play in, public places the Norwegian musician missed throughout lockdown, imagined, future places, and impossible places where dreams, hallucinations, death, and art can take you. It is interested in combining heavenly things and plain things. Classic Objects is Hval’s version of a pop album. Every song has a verse and a chorus. There are interchangeable moments of complexity, interesting melodies throughout, and a feeling of elevation and clarity in the choruses. [An indie store exclusive vinyl pressing is available.]
Invocator – Excursion Demise [Reissue/1991] CD/LP (Hammerheart/Napalm)
Invocator – Weave The Apocalypse [Reissue/1993] CD/LP (Hammerheart/Napalm)
Invocator is a Danish technical thrash metal band founded in the mid ’80s by Esbjerg-based guitarist/singer Jacob Hansen. An insane combination of high-speed technical thrash with a hint of death metal is the order of the day on their groundbreaking first two albums.
Jeremy Ivey – Invisible Pictures CD/LP+MP3 (ANTI-)
Juxtaposing raw, unflinching personal reckonings with jaunty, buoyant melodies and rich, kaleidoscopic production, Invisible Pictures is indeed a revelation. Though the songs are rooted in a 21st century swirl of chaos and uncertainty, the record is, at its core, an undeniably feel-good collection, one that refuses to surrender to the existential ache it so artfully captures. Instead, Ivey embraces the sheer, unmitigated joy of creative freedom and sonic exploration here, drawing on everything from flamenco and classical music to vintage indie rock and British Invasion tunes to craft a passionate, transcendent album more reminiscent of John Lennon or Elliott Smith than anything coming out of Nashville these days. [A limited-edition indie store exclusive coke bottle clear vinyl pressing is available.]
Kiss – Off The Soundboard: Live In Virginia Beach 2xCD/3xLP (UMe)
Off The Soundboard documents a live recording from Kiss’ mighty Rock The Nation Tour in Virginia Beach, Virginia on July 25, 2004. The set features explosive takes of all-time classics like “Rock And Roll All Nite”, “Detroit Rock City”, “Deuce”, “Love Gun”, “Shout It Out Loud”, “Lick It Up”, “I Love It Loud” and more performed by Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer.
Konvent – Call Down The Sun CD/LP (Napalm)
After their debut full-length album Puritan Masochism took the entire doom and heavy metal scene by storm upon its release in 2020, critically acclaimed Danish blackened death doom outfit Konvent return with a sophomore offering that doubles down on the band’s songwriting talent and brutal, heavy sound.
Ned Ledoux – Buckskin CD (Powder River)
The third full-length album from country music singer Ned Ledoux (son of late rodeo champion/country singer Chris LeDoux) delivers songs that transcend mere entertainment to celebrate a life that many aspire to, but few actually live.
Messa – Close CD/LP (Svart)
Messa’s rising trajectory hits the stratosphere on their immense new album Close. Soaring out of the Italian doom rock underground in 2014, Messa has been rapidly garnering a frenzied throng of devotees, in thrall to their monumental and broad-ranging soundcraft. [A limited-edition gold color vinyl pressing is available.]
The Monochrome Set – Allhallowtide CD/LP (Tapete)
Having amassed a formidable catalog of releases on several key labels over five decades, including Rough Trade, Dindisc, and Cherry Red, The Monochrome Set release their new studio album on Tapete Records, the band’s home for the last eight years and five albums. The indie pop veterans have been hard to pin down over this time. Their instantly recognizable sound and darkly hilarious lyrics have always set them apart. Bid’s cerebral Brit wit spikiness and debonair tones melded to infectious melodies and deft songcraft of a cinematic and literary quality have been quietly influential over a diverse set of artists since their inception and throughout different stages of their career, so they can count the likes of Graham Coxon, Iggy Pop, Alex Kapranos, Neil Hannon, Johnny Marr, and Jarvis Cocker as fans.
Mysterines – Reeling CD (Harvest)
Reeling was made under the watchful eye of acclaimed producer Catherine Marks (PJ Harvey, Wolf Alice, The Big Moon) over three weeks in between lockdowns at Assault & Battery Studios in London. It was recorded live to capture the intensity of the songs. Grief, self-destruction, and heartache run heavy through the record, but all are brought together by the blackest of humor.
Nation Of Language – A Way Forward CD/LP (PIAS America)
Released last week on vinyl – now available on CD. Nation of Language’s A Way Forward is more relaxed and confident than anything the Brooklyn band have done before. Released in May of 2020, their debut album, Introduction, Presence, did so much better than they’d ever imagined it would that they felt it best to trust themselves and follow their instincts on the resulting follow-up. Those instincts led them to a record more rooted in Krautrock and early electronic music, with influence from artists like Kraftwerk, Laurie Spiegel, and Cluster. A Way Forward feels even more like a journey than its predecessor, something that can be followed from start to finish with greater emotional peaks and valleys and new sonic landscapes being explored.
Necrophobic – Hrimthursum [Reissue/2006] CD/LP (Century Media)
Recently reissued on vinyl – now available on CD. With thirty years of active, nefarious service under their bulletbelts, Necrophobic are undisputed legends of the death and black metal underground. With 2006’s Hrimthursum, their fifth full-length album, Necrophobic injected its blasphemous attack metal with melody and atmospherics, not to mention a great attention to instrumental detail.
New Horizon – Gate Of The Gods CD (Frontiers)
Vocalist Erik Gronwall and songwriter/producer/multi-multi-instrumentalist Jona Tee, former bandmates in H.E.A.T., continue their musical partnership with New Horizon, their new power metal brainchild. [Vinyl edition due April 15.]
Oddland – Vermilion CD (Target)
New album from the Finnish prog masters. Aggressive tones, spacious textures, and glorious melodies. [Vinyl edition due March 25.]
Lewis Ofman – Sonic Poems CD/2xLP (Virgin)
Lewis Ofman, a young French electronic music artist and multi-instrumentalist, finally unveils his first album Sonic Poems. Co-produced by Tim Goldsworthy (Massive Attack, LCD Soundsystem, The Rapture…), Sonic Poems wonderfully takes up the universe that the youngster has been building for everything over the past few years.
Teddy Pendergrass – John Morales Presents Teddy Pendergrass: The Voice – Remixed With Philly Love 2xCD/3xLP (Barely Breaking Even)
This exploration of 1970s Philly soul at its apex focuses on one of the era’s defining voices, Theodore DeReese Pendergrass. Born in Philadelphia in 1950, Pendergrass sang church music at age two, and was ordained a minister at ten years old. Having learned drums and played in local bands during his teens, at 20 he was hired as a drummer for the Blue Notes by group leader Harold Melvin. After being spotted singing along onstage, he was soon appointed lead singer, and the rest is history… The masterful, revealing remix work of John Morales affords these classic songs improved clarity, allowing each individual player more space to be heard and modernizing the recordings without ever losing sight of the original spirit.
Art Pepper/Warne Marsh – Unreleased Art, Vol. 9: Art Pepper & Warne Marsh At Donte’s April 26, 1974 3xCD (Omnivore)
Recorded at the legendary Los Angeles club, this set includes jazz standards from Thelonious Monk, Count Basie, Charlie Parker, and Ray Noble, plus tracks by Oscar Hammerstein III, Jerome Kern, and Harold Arlen.
A Place To Bury Strangers – See Through You CD/LP (Defari/Dedstrange)
A Place To Bury Strangers defund post-punk orthodoxy with the most audacious and varied songwriting of their career on their sixth album, See Through You. Following up on 2021’s highly acclaimed Hologram EP, the rebooted lineup – vocalist/guitarist Oliver Ackermann plus drummer/vocalist Sandra Fedowitz and bassist John Fedowitz (both of Ceremony East Coast) – delivers an overclocked set of futuristic electronic punk music encoded with punishing industrial rhythms, swirling voltage-starved guitars, and unclassifiable auditory annihilation. Across thirteen tracks recorded in seclusion throughout the nihilistic absurdity of the coronavirus pandemic, See Through You is proof-positive that the group hailed as ‘The Loudest Band in New York’ is still finding new ways to push the needle deeper in the red. [An indie store exclusive yellow /w black color vinyl pressing is available.]
Rex Orange County – Who Cares? CD/LP (RCA)
Who Cares? is Rex’s first studio album since 2019’s critically acclaimed album, Pony. Who Cares? was made in close partnership with musician Benny Sings, over the course of a few sessions in Sings’ Amsterdam studio. After spending the bulk of 2020 quarantined back home in the UK due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Rex made the trek to Amsterdam that fall to record with Sings. What started as sessions without expectations turned into an incredibly productive 48-hour window of recording with Benny, prompting a follow-up trip to Amsterdam. The subsequent 10 days of work together produced his fourth album, made in close partnership with Benny, that is a playful record by an artist in a playful mood. The album also finds Rex reunited with Tyler, The Creator, who contributes a verse to “Open A Window”, which marks the first time the two have collaborated since Tyler’s 2017 album Flower Boy.
Rust N’ Rage – One For The Road CD (Frontiers)
Rust N’ Rage is small town Finnish group united under a common cause: rock ‘n’ roll.
Set It Off – Elsewhere CD (Fearless)
Set It Off has never been your standard emo band. Or pop group. Or pop-punk band. They are all of those things and more. Just listen to the lead singles from the new album Elsewhere – moody, melodious pop-rock with fast rapping tearing up the break. The album is about embracing who you are unapologetically and without filters. [A limited-edition pink color double-vinyl edition is due July 15.]
Shaman’s Harvest – Rebelator CD/LP (Mascot)
The storyline seems obvious: The Missouri based hard-rockers, Shaman’s Harvest, assembled this project during a global pandemic that debilitated the entire music industry. “This was the hardest record we’ve ever made, on every level,” says the lead singer Nathan Hun. “Hard” has kinda been universal lately. But the road to Rebelator was even rockier than the band expected: natural disasters, logistical nightmares, an extreme case of collective writer’s block. “We struggled the whole way,” Hunt adds with a gruff baritone chuckle. Luckily, they had time on their side. After a couple grueling years of touring behind their last album, 2017’s Red Hands Black Deeds, Shaman’s Harvest were creatively and personally drained. So, founding members Hunt and Hamler, along with guitarist Derrick Shipp and drummer Adam Zemanek hit the reset button hard, and wound up with their richest, most well-rounded album to date. [Two limited-edition color vinyl pressing are available: splatter and gold.]
Soul Revivers – On The Grove CD/2xLP (Acid Jazz)
Soul Revivers’s On The Grove is an ambitious and passionate collaboration project from Nick Manasseh and David Hill. It features musicians spanning seven decades, including Jamaican legends Ernest Raglin, Ken Boothe, Earl 16, and Devon Russell alongside contemporary artists including jazz trumpeter Ms. Maurice and vocalist Alexia Coley.
The Sully Band – Let’s Straighten It Out CD (Blue Élan)
A platter of 10 classic soul and R&B rave-ups is served up hot on the debut album from this well-oiled San Diego band fronted by Bob “Sully” Sullivan, a do-it-yourself entrepreneur, national radio and TV host who channels his powers of persuasion into the role of magnetic frontman.
Tanya Tagaq – Tongues CD (Six Shooter)
You don’t think about what’s underfoot until it stirs. Tanya Tagaq, an experimental, improvisational, exceptional artist, has felt the land beneath her shake. To survive, you must know what you’re doing. To survive, you must trust in the body. Tagaq’s power, her voice, still comes from this place, where to defy nature is doom. Tongues enters deep chasms and dangerous spaces. Produced by Saul Williams and mixed by Gonjasufi, Tagaq’s Tongues speaks not to horrors and crisis, as previous Tagaq albums wordlessly, powerfully encircled, but directly of these things. [Vinyl edition due March 25.]
Widowspeak – The Jacket CD/LP (Captured Tracks)
On Widowspeak’s sixth album, they expertly pepper in slow-core, dream-pop, Pacific Northwest indie, and outlaw country, resulting in a ‘60s-meets-‘90s aesthetic. But the duo also wields their own aesthetic feedback loop as a tool of its own, a way to better tell multi-layered stories in their own RIYL language. This sense of sonic nostalgia adds another layer to lyrics that reflect on old selves, invented and true. The Jacket is a present and comfortable record, imbued with a sense of collective pause and the ease of a band at the top of their game. For all its familiar textures, it still feels entirely fresh within that canon: proudly a guitar record, a rock record, a songwriter’s record. [A Coke bottle clear vinyl pressing is available.]
Hank Williams – I’m Gonna Sing: The Mother’s Best Gospel Radio Recordings 2xCD/3xLP (BMG)
The performances heard here were recorded on acetate discs (meant to be played only once or twice) that were shelved in 1951, and they gradually faded from common memory. In the 1970s the acetates were saved from the trash by a WSM employee and eventually given to Hank’s daughter, Jett. On behalf of the estate, Jett fought an eight-year battle to establish ownership, finally winning the right to release these recordings.
Wolverine – A Darkened Sun LP (Sensory)
The four tracks on Wolverine’s A Darkened Sun score revolve around a common theme, but each piece of this concept release is open to its own interpretation. In its cinematic form, however, A Darkened Sun tells the story of a young and seemingly lonely woman in distress. Contemplating her existence, she realizes she has lost part of herself while succumbing to the expectations of modern society. Our protagonist embarks on a somewhat existential journey, and as the narrative unfolds across the story’s four chapters, she is forced to confront her inner self. The storytelling rests heavily on metaphorical expression, with some instances of intertextuality that pays homage to other works.
Wolves At The Gate – Eulogies CD (Solid State)
Unrestricted by genre conventions and determined to raise the bar with each successive album, Wolves At The Gate deliver music and a message with a firm commitment to passion and authenticity. Tirelessly seeking out the light in seemingly overwhelming darkness, the Midwestern post-hardcore group balances soaring melodies with unrelenting metal and emotional heaviness.
Woo – Paradise In Pimlico LP (Quindi)
After their celestial Arcturian Corridor opened proceedings on Quindi Records, London-based brothers Clive and Mark Ives are back with a new record. When Woo first began recording at home in the early ‘70s, Clive and Mark were the embodiment of furtive genius. Since re-emerging in 2013, they’ve released scores of albums, collaborated with Seahawks, and have now struck up a productive relationship with Quindi. On Paradise In Pimlico, you’re hearing a very different sound to the one gently creaked out on early classics like “Into The Heart Of Love”. This is fulsome, contemporary production rich in detail and artful sound design, but crucially, Clive and Mark’s gorgeously melodic approach remains open and inquisitive, even with the sheen and shimmer of modern studio techniques.
DVDs + Blu-ray:
Gazpacho – Fireworking At St. Croix Blu-ray (Kscope)
Due to reasons which most fans will be aware of by now, Gazpacho’s The Fireworker album tour was cancelled. Stuck with the predicament of having a well-honed show rehearsed and the prospect of a long period off the road, the band had a decision to make. The idea of a live stream which would reach fans far and wide quickly presented itself and the band had a perfect setting in their very own rehearsal space in beautiful Fredrikstad. The resulting film is a very moody trip into the world of The Fireworker, captured on October 25th, 2020. No fixes, no polishes, no light show and no nothing. Not even catering. Just the pure rendition of the music along with a surprise or two for those of you who have been with the band for a while.
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – Butterfly 3000 (Ocular Edition) Blu-ray (KGLW)
10 music videos from Butterfly 3000 stitched seamlessly together and compiled on high-definition Blu-ray.
This Week’s Vinyl Exclusives:
Álvaro S. S, & His Jamming Sessions – Vol. 1 LP (Liquidator Music)
Álvaro S. S. & His Jamming Sessions is a Latin Ska project leaded by Mexican bass player Álvaro Sosa.
Amorphous – Halo LP/LP+CD (Affiliated)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. 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. [The limited-edition deluxe boxset includes a white vinyl pressing, a bonus CD (Live In Europe), a slip mat, a poster-flag, and button pins.]
Aywee Tha Seed – Smokey Ways To Chill LP (Beat Jazz Int’l)
2021 release by the Paris-based producer. 16 driving tracks full of headnod breaks and drums, always with that certain Aywee groove. Features are provided by fellow producers Tech Flips, ØDYSSEE and Alcynoos.
Bastards Of Soul – Corners LP (Eastwood Music Group)
Bastards of Soul released their debut album in February 2020, a week before the US went into lockdown. Despite that, Spinnin’ became a hit for the band, selling through two pressings despite no live support. They spent the remainder of the year writing their second album and as Summer 2021 approached, they hit the studio to record Corners at famed Niles City Studio in Ft. Worth, Texas. Corners shows the band hitting their stride as songwriters, weaving together 9 tunes that are intricate yet always soulful.
The Beat Angels – The Gutter Snobs LP (Drastic Plastic)
After two decades, the long awaited unreleased third album by Arizona punkers, The Beat Angels, is now available on limited-edition white color vinyl. Produced and mixed by Gilby Clarke (Guns N’ Roses). This album is a hybrid of kickass powerpop, punk, ’70s-glam, and soaring Cheap Trick-y choruses.
Don Beto – Nossa Imaginação [Reissue/1979] LP (Mad About)
Don Beto was born in Uruguay and became one of the most forerunners of soul music in Brazil. In 1979, he recorded Nossa Imaginação LP which featured arrangements by the legendary producer Lincoln Olivetti, and was awarded the Golden Globe in 1979.
Big Wild – Superdream LP+MP3 (Counter)
Red color vinyl pressing of Big Wild’s 2019 debut album. As Big Wild, producer and composer Jackson Stell crafts lush soundscapes and sweeping melodies that challenge the status quo of electronic music. A former hip-hop producer, previously going by J Beatz in his native Massachusetts, Stell launched the Big Wild project in 2012 following a life-altering trip to Big Sur, California. His musical muse and spiritual home at the time of its inception, California was the ultimate inspiration that fueled the Big Wild sound: atmospheric electronic music powered by a wide-spanning emotional range.
Blu – For Sale 12” (Nature Sounds)
Acclaimed L.A. rapper Blu has crafted a remarkable discography, partnering with a series of exceptional producers to deliver cohesive collections showcasing his vivid lyricism and effortless flows. Now, Blu is turning to talented SoCal beatsmith Sirplus, a protégé of famed producer Exile who has worked with the likes of Planet Asia, Edo G, MED, Cali Agents, and more.
Byrds – Byrds [Reissue/1973] LP (Friday Music)
Limited 180gm color vinyl LP pressing in gatefold jacket. Celebrate the Byrds’ 1973 reunion album produced by David Crosby (The Byrds, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Crosby, Stills & Nash). Remastered impeccably by Joe Reagoso (The Byrds/Souther Hillman Furay) from the original Asylum Records tapes. [Two color variants are available.]
Calibro 35 – Traditori Di Tutti [Reissue/2013] LP (Record Kicks)
Red color vinyl reissue of the legendary Italian crime funk combo’s 2013 album. The band has been sampled by Dr. Dre and Jay-Z. Includes bonus tracks.
Joey Cape – A Good Year To Forget LP (Fat Wreck Chords)
Released last August on CD – now available on vinyl. A Good Year To Forget, a record that was written during a year that saw singer-songwriter Joey Cape lose his father, separate from his wife of 20 years, contract COVID, and move back in with his parents as a result of a livelihood lost. Pretty heavy themes here but all extremely relatable.
The Chameleons – The Chameleons Live At The Camden Palace 3xLP (Moochin’ About)
Recorded in 1984 for a special performance for a satellite TV broadcast, this iconic gig at The Camden Palace features The Chameleons at the top of their game and includes songs taken from Script Of The Bridge and What Does Anything Mean?. Released on vinyl for the first time, this album also includes four bonus tracks from the 1985 Arsenal concert, which was recorded for an independent Catalonian local TV channel.
Cobra The Impaler – Colossal Gods LP (Listenable)
Limited-edition red color vinyl edition. A band of brothers and a pantheon of five, Cobra The Impaler is headed by guitarist Tace DC (ex-Aborted, Hæster, Horses On Fire) who confesses to a ravenous craving to write heavy guitar-based music combined with melodic vocals. Joining Tace is an ensemble of respected metal heroes from the Belgian and international metal scene, who all have some sort of connection to the designer-axeman.
Billy Cobham – Spectrum [Reissue/1973] LP (Friday Music)
Limited edition clear blue vinyl pressing. On his aptly titled 1973 solo debut, Spectrum, Billy Cobham revealed his interest and aptitude for the rock, jazz, and funk genres. Cobham’s impressive list of collaborators here include keyboardist Jan Hammer, guitarist Tommy Bolin, electric bassist Lee Sklar and Ray Barretto on congas. Cobham was fresh off his success with the Mahavishnu Orchestra when he recorded Spectrum. The guitar licks from Bolin (Zephyr, James Gang, Deep Purple), who overdosed three years later, are particularly memorable and he merges beautifully with Cobham’s Mahavishnu band mate Hammer.
Current 93 – If A City Is Set Upon A Hill LP (House Of Mythology)
Two unique 180gm vinyl pressings: clear and translucent curacao. Current 93 is the long running project of David Tibet, who has collaborated with a wide range of musicians over the years. If A City Is Set Upon A Hill is no different in that includes guest spots from the likes of Alasdair Roberts and Andrew Liles. It continues Tibet’s interest in folk and mysticism and follows on from the hugely successful 2018 work The Light Is Leaving Us All.
Dead Lord – Dystopia 12” (Century Media)
Six face-melting tracks of rocktivity including some previously unreleased goodness.
Der Blutharsch And The Infinite Church Of The Leading Hand – Wish I Weren’t Here [Reissue/2019] LP (WKN/Tesco)
Der Blutharsch And The Infinite Church Of The Leading Hand + Skullflower – A Collaboration LP (WKN/Tesco)
Der Blutharsch And The Infinite Church Of The Leading Hand – Cosmic Trigger: Retriggered LP (WKN/Tesco)
Der Blutharsch And The Infinite Church Of The Leading Hand – Rejoice LP (WKN/Tesco)
Formerly the inventor of “military pop”, Der Blutharsch has evolved in their history towards a sort of real kinky dark rock band. Gone are the times of provocative images – on their journey towards new territories DB are reincarnated and now invite you to celebrate life and love together. This smattering of vinyl release covers several years (past and present).
Dirty Heads – The Best Of Dirty Heads LP (11-7)
Released last July on CD – now available on limited-edition color vinyl. The Best Of Dirty Heads contains some of the band’s biggest hits to date, including their unprecedented viral smash hit “Vacation”, the song behind the ubiquitous #VacationTransition challenge on TikTok and a new version with guest vocals from multi-Grammy winner Pat Monahan of Train. Over their career, Dirty Heads have been inhaling alternative, hip-hop, reggae and rock and exhaling one irresistible, infectious anthem after another.
Tara Nome Doyle – Værmin LP (Modern Recordings)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. 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.
Drunk Uncle – Look Up (Blue Skies) LP (Count Your Lucky)
Drunk Uncle hail from Austin, TX, but their namesakes are probably drawn from someone you know. Think about your last family get together – Uncle Bill is halfway through a six-pack when the alien conspiracy theories start pouring out of his mouth. He starts chaotic and loud, then gets quiet and sad as he keeps drinking. His mood will swing wildly in-between emotions. His speech is raw, and his vulnerability is beautiful. Bottle that energy up into music form and you have Drunk Uncle.
Duke Ellington & John Coltrane – Duke Ellington & John Coltrane [Reissue/1962] LP (Verve)
The classic 1962 album Duke Ellington & John Coltrane introduces the rising jazz saxophone innovator performing with the long-established piano institution Duke Ellington.
Exek – Advertise Here LP (Castleface)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. 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.
Fiendsh – Hayashi Reborn LP (Cold Busted)
The title of the Bangkok-based producer’s long-awaited follow-up to 2016’s To The End refers to the Hayashi, a group of instrumentalists in Japanese Noh theater. Noh often revolves around themes of life, so with this album the Fiendsh alter-ego takes on the role of the Hayashi of the young beat-producer’s life. The album’s sounds are introspective and rich, combining deep rhythms and warm melodies. Sometimes a hint of Fiendsh’s Thai culture drops in, but mostly the influences are straight from the well of hip-hop, soul, and jazz classics.
Flako – Mesektet – Ten Year Anniversary Edition 2xLP (Project Mooncircle)
When being described as “Hardly a typical album, primarily a beat tape in the spirit of Dilla’s Donuts. An intriguing album that is a testament to his talent” by Resident Advisor shortly after its original release in 2011, Flako’s Mesektet left a lasting impression on many and marked the beginning of an exciting career as a music writer and producer. Now considered a classic, Mesektet gets a complete revamp in form of a double-LP edition including three exclusive newly unearthed beats.
Maia Friedman – Under The New Light LP (Last Gang)
Following a breadth of experience as a collaborator and multi-instrumentalist, Maia Friedman’s densely textured pop is wise and evokes the sensuality of touch, feeling and image – a sonic form of empathy. Maia has spent the past four years as a member and co-vocalist of Dirty Projectors and Coco (ft. members of Lucius). [CD version due March 25.]
Kenny G – New Standards LP (Concord)
Released last December on CD – now available on vinyl. Since releasing his self-titled debut in 1982, Kenny G has become the top instrumental musician of the modern era and one of the best-selling artists of all time. His first new album in six years, New Standards, features 11 original compositions inspired by the jazz ballads of the ’50s and ’60s. These new ‘standards’ capture the sophistication, style, and romance of this amazing time period in jazz and combine it with Kenny G’s signature sound.
Harleckinz – From The Levels Below [Reissue/1995] LP (90s Tapes)
Founded in 1989 in Berlin, Germany, conscious hip-hop trio Harleckinz is multicultural and multilingual with diverse ethnic backgrounds: American (New York), German, Jamaican, Spanish, and Turkish.
PJ Harvey – The Hope Six Demolition Project [Reissue/2016] LP+MP3 (Island)
180gm vinyl reissue. PJ Harvey recorded The Hope Six Demolition Project behind one-way glass, as part of a public installation at London’s Somerset House. Originally released in 2016, it features the singles “The Wheel”, and “The Community Of Hope”.
The Horrible Crowes – Elsi (10 Year Anniversary) LP (Side One Dummy)
Silver color vinyl pressing. On September 6, 2011, The Horrible Crowes (famously known as a side project of The Gaslight Anthem, made up of Ian Perkins and TGA founder Brian Fallon) released their debut album Elsie to critical acclaim. The album was produced by Ted Hutt, whose other production credits include legendary records by The Gaslight Anthem, Flogging Molly, The Bouncing Souls, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, The Dropkick Murphys, Violent Femmes and countless others.
The Knitters – Poor Little Critter On The Road [Reissue/1985] LP (Fat Possum)
It’s been 37 years since the release of Poor Little Critter On The Road, the debut album from The Knitters, the original alt-country band comprised of three members of X, one Blaster and a Red Devil. It was in 1985 that Exene Cervenka, John Doe and DJ Bonebrake joined Dave Alvin and Jonny Ray Bartel to record the critically acclaimed debut for a sound that Alvin described as “It’s like if the guys at Sun Records dropped LSD and made a record with Lead Belly and the Carter Family. That’s what The Knitters sound like.”
Madara – Snapshots LP (Beat Jazz Int’l)
18 tracks full of mellow vibes with slaps of dusty jazzyness and headnod kicks & drums.
Main Source – Breaking Atoms [Reissue/1991] 2xLP (90s Tapes)
With Breaking Atoms, Main Source – the trio comprised of K-Cut, Sir Scratch and Large Professor – delivered a timeless classic in the cannon of hip-hop history. The album features cameos by a young Nasty Nas, Joe Fatal and Akinyele as well as a co-production by Pete Rock.
Mannish – Audio Sedative [Reissue/1995] LP (90s Tapes)
Vinyl reissue of the mid- ‘90s underground charmer Audio Sedative by Los Angeles-based duo Mannish, consisting of rappers Jekill and Jive. The dope production was mostly handled by B-Zar (better known as American actor Balthazar Getty) and the cuts were provided by a young DJ Nu-Mark who later became known as a member of Jurassic 5.
Marina – Ancient Dreams In A Modern Land LP (Atlantic)
Released last June on CD – now available on vinyl. On Marina’s new 10-track project, Ancient Dreams In A Modern Land, major themes range from the impending climate crisis doom, wealth disparity, gender and racial inequality to choosing yourself in a relationship. The new album is self-written and sees Marina (Welsh singer-songwriter Marina Lambrini Diamandis) co-producing six tracks for the first time alongside James Flannigan (Lana Del Rey, Dua Lipa) and Jenn Decilveo. The album was preceded by the release of three singles “Man’s World”, “Purge The Poison”, and the title track “Ancient Dreams In A Modern Land”. Vogue acclaimed “Since her idiosyncratic Family Jewels debuted in 2010, the singer-songwriter has attained one of pop’s most devoted followings…. ‘Man’s World’ advances her sound further, while retaining the ethereal hooks that have sustained Diamandis as one of the most consistently innovative acts in alt-pop.”
Johnny Marr – Fever Dreams Pts 1 – 4 2xLP (BMG)
Standard black vinyl pressing. In the wake of his time leading The Healers, Johnny Marr’s solo career has given rise to three UK Top Ten albums – The Messenger (2013), Playland (2014) and 2018’s Call The Comet. He now returns with his most expansive work to date, Fever Dreams Pts 1 – 4. It was created during the long, uncertain period that followed the arrival of the UK’s first lockdown, when his focus was pushed into both his interior life and evoking the emotional states of others. “It’s an inspired record, and I couldn’t wait to get in and record every day,” he says. “But I had to go inwards.” The new album reflects his multi-faceted past but takes his music somewhere startlingly new. “There’s a set of influences and a very broad sound that I’ve been developing – really since getting out of The Smiths,” he says. “And I hear it in this record. There are so many strands of music in it. I think it’s the most ambitious solo record I’ve done.” [A limited-edition indie store exclusive turquoise color vinyl pressing was released a few weeks ago.]
The Mars Volta – Tremulant [Reissue/2002] 12″ (Clouds Hill)
Limited color vinyl LP pressing. From the very beginning, The Mars Volta was conceived as more than simply a new vehicle for Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and Cedric Bixler-Zavala. The group was to be a rebirth, a redrawing of their creative frontiers, a repudiation of the stylistic provincialism that had ultimately spelled the end of their previous band, At The Drive-In, a year earlier.
Carson McHone – Still Life LP+MP3 (Merge)
Limited-edition indie store exclusive purple color vinyl pressing. Carson McHone’s new album, Still Life, quivers like a tightrope, with songs about existing within the tension of the in between and surviving beyond the breaking point. These are stories of sabotage, confusion, and surrender. The album is a testament to the effort of reaching, sometimes flailing, for understanding and for balance. Still Life invites us to gasp at our own reflection and acknowledge the unsettling beauty in this breath. McHone wrote the songs of Still Life in quiet moments between tours in her hometown of Austin, then recorded in Ontario with Canadian musician and producer Daniel Romano. The phrasing and tones recall John Cale, The Kinks, Richard and Linda Thompson – like-minded artists of the late ’60s and early ’70s, another era of transition and innovation.
Melvins – Five Legged Dog 4xLP (Ipecac)
Multi-color vinyl pressing. A four-LP set of the Melvins greatest hits and cover songs, all done acoustically.
Messiah – Fatal Grotesque Symbols ⸗ Darken Universe 12” (High Roller)
Messiah – Fracmont LP (High Roller)
Limited-edition color vinyl pressings of the Swiss death/thrash metal band’s most recent (2020) releases.
Methyl Ethel – Are You Haunted? LP (Future Classic)
Recently released on CD – the new album from the Australian art rock band is now available on purple color vinyl.
Midlake – The Trials Of Van Occupanther [Reissue/2006] LP+7”+MP3 (Bella Union)
Limited 180gm gold color vinyl LP pressing w/ 7” single. Includes a B2 pull-out poster, handwritten lyrics and previously unseen photos. The cover artwork has been reimagined in a fittingly flushed, hallucinatory painting by neo-impressionist (and pavement-scorching skateboarder) Brian Lotti. The bonus 7” features two previously unreleased tracks: the plaintive rolling lament of “The Fairest Way” and the revelatory psychedelic swirl of “Festival”, both of which were recorded before original vocalist Tim Smith departed the band.
Gary Moore – Live From London 2xLP (Provogue)
2020 release now available on vinyl. When Gary Moore stepped onto the stage of London’s Islington Academy on December 2nd, 2009, it was a true one-off, showcasing one of blues-rock’s biggest names in an intimate club setting. Nobody in the sell-out crowd that night suspected the great Irish bluesman was close to the end. But when Moore died fourteen months later, aged just 58, the show took on added poignancy, cherished as one of his last stands.
Nichts – Made In Eile [Reissue/1981] LP (Cargo Edition)
Recorded in 1981 in just four days and making waves afterwards, Made In Exile contains the NDW/punk pop hit “Radio” as well as critic and fan favorites “Eingeschlossen”, “Hallo Kartoffelsalat”, “10 Bier Zuviel” and “Wer Bist Du”.
Origami Angel – Gami Gang 2xLP (Counter Intuitive)
Whether you’re on a journey towards self-acceptance, or locking yourself away for days, it’s safe to say the human experience can be an emotional rollercoaster; Gami Gang explores the highs and lows, and all the twists and turns in between. In similar fashion, joyous and anthemic tunes find themselves winding their way into their somber and soft-spoken counterparts, swerving through explosive bridges along the journey.
People Years – XIV LP (Cornelius Chapel)
Released last November on CD – now available on vinyl. People Years is a dream of an amalgamated spitball wadded by the nerdy version of you and made from subterranean and atmospheric particles of bands like Luna, Pavement, Pink Floyd, and LCD Soundsystem, loaded into a straw, and launched into the midnight hair of that Robert Smith-worshipping goth girl named Summer, who sat a few rows in front of you in class.
Pool Boy – All Inclusive LP (Noire & Blanche)
Pool Boy is the side project of Swiss-born Canadian producer Cyril Hahn. From an art student staying afloat with a menial job in a coffee shop to being Annie Mac-approved, his rise to prominence is a modern-day internet success story. His new album, All Inclusive, is a sun-drenched record bouncing between Balearic, house, and ambient vibes. It has that light, exotic sound that you will be increasingly obsessed with.
Pretty Boy Floyd – Size Really Does Matter LP (Deadline Music)
Limited-edition purple color vinyl pressing of the second album from glammy gutter rock heroes.
Glen Ricks – Ghetto Boy LP (Liquidator Music)
Glen Ricks is one of a kind, a powerful singer and a songwriter with a unique soul tone who is known as the Al Green of Jamaica.
Alanna Royale – So Bad You Can Taste It LP (Soul Step)
Alanna’s voice takes center stage while being supported by blaring horns and a thumping rhythm section. Everything you could want in a soul record; you will find on So Bad You Can Taste It. For fans of Sharon Jones, Lady Wray, and The Monophonics.
Sloth Fist – Mothman Is Real LP (Quiet Panic LLC)
Hailing from Dallas, TX, Sloth Fist is a five-piece punk/rock ‘n’ roll band that combine the melodic sense of The Descendents and Teenage Bottlerocket with the fierceness of bands like Motörhead and Turbonegro. Catchy with hooks galore.
Tha God Fahim – Dump Gawd: Shot Clock King (Vol. 1 & 2) LP (Nature Sounds)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Atlanta emcee Tha God Fahim remains a true outlier, releasing new music at a remarkable pace without sacrificing depth or quality. Recently, the talented artist linked with Montreal producer Nicholas Craven for two masterful new EPs within the span of a month, drawing widespread praise in the process. Now, both volumes of Dump Gawd: Shot Clock King are available in one physical release. Featuring guest vocals from Your Old Droog, this two-part collection unites powerful creatives forces, with Fahim weaving consistently inventive street parables over Craven’s cinematic, soul-drenched production.
Irma Thomas – Full Time Woman: The Lost Cotillion Album LP (Real Gone Music)
Limited-edition blue color vinyl pressing. Irma puts her own distinctive, ever-soulful stamp on such tunes as the standard “Time After Time”, Bobbie Gentry’s 1969 hit, “Fancy”, and Billy Walker’s country hit, “Tell Me Again”, alongside the funky “She’s Taken My Part”, (the flipside of “Full Time Woman”), and R&B-flavored original material including the highlights “Waiting For Someone”, “Our Love Don’t Come Easy”, and two early ’70s Philly soul cuts, “No Name” and “Adam And Eve”.
Svartsot – Kumbl LP (Mighty Music/SPV)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Kumbl features 12 tracks that present a mixture of some relatively unknown and other more popular folk and late medieval songs from Denmark and across Northern Europe.
Trace Mountains – House Of Confusion LP (Lame-O)
Pink color vinyl pressing. Trace Mountains’ new album evokes the free-flowing nature of influences like Tom Petty or Built To Spill, all-throughout imbued with the energy of country icon Emmylou Harris’ cult classic and band favorite, Wrecking Ball.
Adia Victoria – A Southern Gothic LP (Atlantic)
A Southern Gothic was executive produced by T Bone Burnett, and features guest contributions from Jason Isbell, Margo Price, and Matt Berninger of The National. A Southern Gothic is Adia’s third album and marks the follow up to 2019’s critically acclaimed Silences, produced by Aaron Dessner. Around its release, The Songwriters Hall of Fame presented Adia with the Holly Prize which recognizes and supports a new “all-in songwriter.”
Various Artists –You Need This! An Introduction To… Klinkhamer Records 2xLP (Barely Breaking Even)
Featuring mostly cuts from the late ‘70s and early to mid-80s, You Need This: An Introduction To… Klinkhamer Records explores some true ‘holy grail’ records, mainly from across Holland, but also roaming as far as Chicago and Italy in search of sublime jazz, blues and even gospel sounds.
Various Artists – V4 Visions: Of Love & Androids 2xLP (Numero)
During the UK house rave-olution of the early ’90s, London’s V4 Visions imprint documented the confluence of street soul, deep house, swingbeat, and jungle sounds emanating from the clubs and pirate radio signals. Over the course of half a decade, V4’s unparalleled 12″ output referenced every significant Black British music scene: from lover’s rock to jazz-funk, sound system reggae to hip-hop, new jack swing to garage, from artists Ashaye, Julie Stapleton, Maureen Mason, Rohan Delano, The Wades, and Endangered Species. This 18-track double LP is the first critical overview of the label, with extensive notes by Simon Reynolds, era-defining photographs, and fresh remasters, all housed in a glorious foil-stamped gatefold tip-on sleeve. [A limited-edition red color vinyl pressing is available.]
Various Artists – Yeraz Past Present & Future Armenian Sounds LP (Critique)
Featuring virtuosos of contemporary Armenian music such as Bei Ru, Lara Sarkissian and Armen Ra, as well as shedding a light on the independent music scene in Yerevan, Yeraz is an exercise in ethnomusicology. Classical songs and instruments collide with the full spectrum of electronic-based music from ambient to techno and everything in between, building a mosaic inside of a specific cultural context.
Marcin Wasilewski Trio – En Attendant LP (ECM)
Released last October on CD – now available on vinyl. The multifaceted Polish group illuminates a characteristically wide span of music on En Attendant, an album of collectively created pieces other works including Carla Bley’s timeless “Vashkar”, The Doors’ hypnotic “Riders On The Storm” and a selection from Johann Sebastian Bach’s Goldberg Variations.
Leslie West – Unusual Suspects [Reissue/2011] LP (Provogue)
Leslie West – Still Climbing [Reissue/2013] LP (Provogue)
Leslie West – Soundcheck [Reissue/2015] LP (Provogue)
Leslie West was an American blues rock guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He died at the end of 2020. His last three albums are now available on limited edition red color vinyl.
Wet Tuna – Eau’d To A Fake Booke 1 & 2 2xLP (Hive Mind)
Unique covers by Wet Tuna – a collaboration between Matt Valentine (MV) and Pat Gubler (PG Six). Deep-fried rural psychedelia, primitive drum-machine grooves and woozy country-funk – including unlikely covers of The Blackbyrds, Michael Hurley and Jimmy Cliff.
Cassette:
Ghost – Impera Loma Vista)
Grammy-winning Swedish theatrical rock outfit Ghost, one of the most esteemed and celebrated bands in the world today, return with their fifth psalm, Impera, fronted by the newly anointed Papa Emeritus IV. Produced by Klas Åhlund and mixed by Andy Wallace, its dozen songs take on themes of isolation and demigod worship, as well as colonization of both space and mind.
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