AIMS Marketing Program/ Featured Titles Promoted This Week:
Bad Bad Hats – Bad Bad Hats CD/LP (Don Giovanni)
Bad Bad Hats traffic in playful concepts and warm scenes of youth, celebrated for crispy, lived-in melodies, big choruses that stick for days, and an easy musicianship that carries across their eclectic, wide-ranging releases. The new album Bad Bad Hats – filled with their trademark freewheeling songs, pristine tones, and several unexpectedly funky turns – suggests a band still having deep fun creating and playing, inviting listeners new and old to live life to their heartfelt tunes. [A pink color vinyl pressing is available.]
Mark Knopfler – One Deep River CD/LP/2xLP/Cassette/2xCD+3xLP (Blue Note)
Mark Knopfler’s tenth solo studio album, One Deep River, features 12 unhurriedly elegant new songs, with his warm Geordie vocal tone, poetic storytelling lyrics and deft, richly melodic guitar playing all present and dazzling as ever. One Deep River offers an unstoppable flow of future Knopfler classics, with their customarily learned lyrics and refined guitar textures. They draw on a lifetime of genre-crossing ingredients and influences in blues, folk, rock and beyond. [The double-LP version is cut at 45 rpm for maximum fidelity. An indie store exclusive blue color vinyl pressing and a deluxe box set featuring four bonus tracks on vinyl and five bonus tracks on CD, a litho print, guitar pick, and enamel pin are available.]
Linkin Park – Papercuts CD/2xLP/Cassette (WB)
Papercuts is the first singles collection from innovative musical force Linkin Park. The career-spanning 20-track album compiles 18 essential anthems, plus the never-before-released track “Friendly Fire” recorded during the 2017 sessions for their seventh album One More Light and fan-favorite rarity “QWERTY”. Linkin Park was inspired to thoughtfully curate Papercuts by their fans’ passionate reception of the 20th Anniversary Editions of Hybrid Theory in 2020 and Meteora last year. That enthusiasm led to this comprehensive retrospective of the band’s journey so far in the span of one album. [An indie store exclusive black & red splatter color vinyl pressing is available.]
Leyla McCalla – Sun Without The Heat CD/LP (ANTI-)
On her new album Sun Without The Heat, Leyla McCalla brings more playfulness and joy than she has on previous records when she speaks to the concerns that have shaped her career, mainly including an ethos in which you must look back at lost and erased histories before you can embrace a forward vision of Afrofuturism and the importance of music making to heal and forge relationships across differences. Across Sun Without the Heat‘s ten tracks, she achieves this with music that combines jazz, Haitian Twoubadou, American blues, folk and Brazilian Tropicalismo.
METZ – Up On Gravity Hill CD/LP (Sub Pop)
On Up On Gravity Hill, the new album by Toronto power-trio METZ, the band creates a kaleidoscopic sonic world as tender as it is dark, aided once again by engineer Seth Manchester (Mdou Moctar, Lingua Ignota, Battles, The Body). For those who believe in the power of the rock band to exemplify the highest resonance of human connection, there is much on Up On Gravity Hill to lift the spirit, a puzzle worth repeated listening to unlock or just to get lost in again and again. The album contains some of the most spacious, sympathetic, and accessible songs – could we call them pop? – of their career. If this seems contradictory, well, METZ has always been something of a contradiction. In the words of guitarist/vocalist Alex Edkins, “We’ve never been heavy enough for metal or hardcore purists, but we’re way too heavy for indie rock. We just don’t have a lane-and that’s okay. We exist outside the lines of delineation. I think this record is even more like that.” [A translucent red color Loser Edition vinyl pressing is available.]
Maggie Rogers – Don’t Forget Me CD/LP/Cassette (Capitol)
“Partially inspired by the artist’s own experiences – diaristic in a way, imbued with nostalgia and slices of her past selves – partially a fictional character’s journey of self-discovery, in Don’t Forget Me Maggie Rogers finds a great balance between introspection and action. Looking inward whilst moving on and looking forward; looking at the road ahead, while the listener can close their eyes and enjoy the pop-folk ride, as if on a car trip with Rogers and her friends and characters. The album was co-produced by the singer-songwriter and Ian Fitchuk, who also co-wrote eight of the ten tracks. There’s a raw authenticity to the sound and lyrics, reminiscent of Fleetwood Mac, that can be attributed to the making process itself: most of them are first takes, and part of a deliberate decision to record for the sake of telling all these stories waiting to come out, rather than wanting to make a perfectly polished album. In the end, it pays off. Overall, Don’t Forget Me has some superb storytelling that confirms this artist’s talent for adapting life as well as fiction into music.” – Benedetta Mancusi, The Up Coming [Two color vinyl pressings are available: white; and indie store exclusive green.]
Shabaka – Perceive Its Beauty, Acknowledge Its Grace CD/LP (Verve)
After putting down the saxophone, the instrument he has become synonymous with, Shabaka returns with his first full-length album under his own name. Perceive Its Beauty, Acknowledge Its Grace is a moving suite of primarily instrumental music. Shabaka is found playing the flute on this album, and has enlisted key artists such as Andre 3000, Lianne La Havas, Moses Sumney, Floating Points and more to help build this all-encompassing aural landscape.
SiM – Playdead CD/LP (UNFD)
SiM (Silence iz Mine) conquered their native country with a vibrant mix of nü-metal and postmodern hard rock injected with hardcore attitude. Then the self-described “Reggae PUNX from Japan” broke into the US rock scene with hard-charging singles, including the No. 1 smash “The Rumbling”. With the release of Playdead, the alt-metal four-piece set their sights on the world. [A yellow w/ black splatter color vinyl pressing is available.]
Aaron Lee Tasjan – Stellar Evolution (Blue Élan)
Aaron Lee Tasjan, Nashville’s own synth-glam-rock-indie stalwart, has put the finishing touches on his new album Stellar Evolution due out on April 12th, 2024, a striking collection of hyper pop, indie rock, 80s synths and angular guitars. With his trademark sardonic wit, Aaron Lee shares poignant self-observations and reflections on the world at large, that are a clarion call and safe space for anyone who has been made to feel other. This is Aaron Lee’s most fully realized project to date, marking a culmination of Aaron Lee’s unique artistic voyage, from glam rock side person in the orbit of the New York Dolls and Lady Gaga, to breakout Grammy-nominated Nashville singer-songwriter releasing a series of critically acclaimed albums, writing alongside some of Nashville’s established and emerging stars like Yola, Natalie Hemby and Mya Byrne, to now fully embracing his singular sound.
Lizz Wright – Shadow CD/LP (Virgin)
Through an inimitable voice that the New York Times touts as, “a smooth, dark alto possessed of qualities you might associate with barrel-aged bourbon or butter-soft leather,” acclaimed vocalist and songwriter Lizz Wright sings with a soaring reflection of the cultural fabric of America. Wright is one of the great modern American singers with an illustrious 20-year career transcending social divides with her focus on love and a deep sense of humanity. [A translucent vinyl pressing is available.]
Additional Social Media Program Titles:
Girl In Red – I’m Doing It Again Baby! CD/LP (Sony)
The eagerly anticipated sophomore album from Norway born, and Oslo based singer-songwriter. This 10-song album chronicles the artist’s last two and a half years with honesty and wit, and a willingness to play around with her music.
CDs + Vinyl:
About Us – Take A Piece CD (Frontiers)
About Us is a hard rock band hailing from Nagaland, in the north-east of India. Take A Piece is their sophomore album.
Nia Archives – Silence Is Loud CD/LP (Island)
Nia Archives is the star at the forefront of the latest era of jungle. Since her emergence in 2020, her collagist soundscapes have helped bring the sound to a new generation of clubgoers (though fair warning: don’t call her a revivalist – she’s the first to point out that the scene never went away.) So, when it comes to talk of the 24-year-old DJ/producer/singer-songwriter’s much-anticipated debut album, Silence Is Loud, the odds are you’re thinking of a full-length record of weightless jungle tracks with basslines so intense they’ll leave your ears ringing.
ATEEZ – Not Okay (Standard Edition) CD (UMe)
ATEEZ – Not Okay (Limited Edition A) CD (UMe)
ATEEZ – Not Okay (Limited Edition B) CD (UMe)
New release from the K-pop superstars.
Bad Bad Hats – Bad Bad Hats CD/LP (Don Giovanni)
Bad Bad Hats traffic in playful concepts and warm scenes of youth, celebrated for crispy, lived-in melodies, big choruses that stick for days, and an easy musicianship that carries across their eclectic, wide-ranging releases. The new album Bad Bad Hats – filled with their trademark freewheeling songs, pristine tones, and several unexpectedly funky turns – suggests a band still having deep fun creating and playing, inviting listeners new and old to live life to their heartfelt tunes. [A pink color vinyl pressing is available.]
Kris Barrass Band – Halo Effect CD/LP (Earache)
One of modern hard rock’s most exciting breakouts in recent years, Kris Barras Band are bringing all-new arena-sized grit to 2024 with their new album Halo Effect.
Believer – Extraction From Mortality [Reissue/1989] CD/2xLP (Bombworks)
Believer – Sanity Obscure [Reissue/1990] CD/2xLP (Bombworks)
Believer – Dimensions [Reissue/1993] CD/2xLP (Bombworks)
Color vinyl pressings. Dive into the intricate tapestry of metal mastery.
Belmont – Liminal CD/LP (Pure Noise)
Formed by Chicago high school friends in 2014, Belmont quickly evolved from local pop-punk band to internationally lauded rock band with the release of their 2016 EP, Between You & Me, and 2018’s debut, self-titled full-length. The trio return with their third album, Liminal, which further expands their eclectic sound incorporating a fusion of pop-punk, metal, electronic music. [An indie store exclusive blue & violet color viny pressing is available.]
Blue Öyster Cult – Ghost Stories CD/LP (Frontiers)
New album by the classic rock band featuring remaining original members Eric Bloom and Donald Buck Dharma Roeser. [An indie store exclusive color vinyl pressing is available.]
Eagles – To The Limit: The Essential Collection 3xCD/6xLP (Elektra)
To The Limit: The Essential Collection thoughtfully curates 51 songs from the studio albums and live recordings the Eagles released between 1972 and 2020. All of the band’s best-known tracks are here, including the #1 hits “New Kid In Town”, “One Of These Nights”, “Best Of My Love”, “Hotel California”, and “Heartache Tonight”. The set also features plenty of fan favorites with songs like “Desperado”, “Victim Of Love”, and “In The City”. The set also includes selections from Eagles Live (1980) – including the Top 40 hit “Seven Bridges Road” – as well as songs from Hell Freezes Over (1994), The Millennium Concert (2000), Live At The Forum ’76 (2017), and Live From The Forum MMXVIII (2020).
Eidola – Eviscerate CD/LP (Rise)
New release from the Salt Lake City-based post-hardcore/progressive metal band.
James Elkington / Nathan Salsburg – All Gist CD/LP (Paradise Of Bachelors)
The duo’s third album of instrumental guitar recordings pushes their sinuous compositions into labyrinthine new shapes, interlocking and interlocutory, supported by a cast of stellar collaborators. Interwoven among the dazzling original pieces is a fascinating array of covers, ranging from traditional Breton dance tunes to a deconstruction of Neneh Cherry’s “Buffalo Stance”. “Their melody-first sensibilities are perfectly suited to each other… playfully complex guitar work that sounds as if it was tossed off in an afternoon of whiskey and laughs.” – NPR. “An intoxicating, intricate web… Wherever Salsburg and Elkington go, it’s always a pleasure.” – Aquarium Drunkard. “Sounds like winter has always been approaching, like Indian summer never quite fades, like fall isn’t built around loss.” – Stereogum
Exist – Hijacking The Zeitgeist CD (Prosthetic)
US progressive metal band Exist make their return with their fourth album, Hijacking The Zeitgeist. The album sees the group expand upon their established dichotomy of extreme metal technicality and sanguine atmospherics with an intentionally more concise approach to songwriting, resulting in the most direct and emphatic album of their 14-year career. [A limited-edition green color vinyl pressing is available.]
Fu Manchu – Go For It…Live! CD/2xLP (At The Dojo)
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the band’s debut live double album, Fu Manchu is releasing the first ever repress of Go For It… Live!, which has been out of print since the original pressing. The 22-song release was recorded on the band’s 2002 California Crossing World Tour, which marked the debut of drummer Scott Reeder. Fu Manchu is renowned for their live performances and this set doesn’t disappoint, with incendiary renditions of fan favorites such as: “Hell On Wheels”, “Mongoose”, “King Of The Road”, “Evil Eye”, and their always requested cover of “Godzilla”.
Kenny Garrett – Who Killed AI? CD (Mack Avenue)
For more than three decades saxophonist Kenny Garrett has been on the forefront of the most adventurous and creative collaborations in jazz, having performed with generations of innovators such as Miles Davis, Art Blakey, Freddie Hubbard and more. The living legend charts yet another path in his illustrious career with the release of his first ever electronic album, an avenue to explore new sounds. Who Killed AI?.
Girl In Red – I’m Doing It Again Baby! CD/LP (Sony)
The eagerly anticipated sophomore album from Norway born, and Oslo based singer-songwriter.
Haunt – Dreamer CD/LP (Iron Grip Metal LLC)
New release from the Fresno, California-based metal band. [Multiple color vinyl variants are available.]
Heavy Temple – Garden Of Heathens CD/LP (Magnetic Eye)
Where the debut full-length Lupi Amoris charged forward like a roaring mastodon, Garden Of Heathens comes across more diverse and sophisticated without losing punch or heaviness. And while the powerful vocals of frontwoman High Priestess Nighthawk provide a strong gravitational pull, Heavy Temple always remain a riff-first kind of band. [Multiple colorways are available on vinyl.]
Will Hoge – Tenderhearted Boys CD/LP (Will Hoge)
Will Hoge has a career whose milestones include Number One hits, Grammy nods, major-label record deals, and hard-won independence. Years before Americana music received its own category at the Grammy Awards, Hoge was on the frontlines, helping to pilot and popularize the genre’s blend of American roots music. In the current digital era dominated by influencers seeking shortcuts to stardom, Will Hoge proudly treads the scenic route, immersing himself in the journey rather than fixating on the destination. Unapologetically contrarian, an insurgent of authenticity, Hoge takes the helm with his fourteenth studio album, Tenderhearted Boys, where he breaks new ground by producing and playing every instrument himself.
Ellie Holcomb – All Of My Days CD (Earache)
New release from award-winning songwriter and bestselling author Ellie Holcomb. All of My Days is a beautiful collection of curated Psalms that have personally carried her through difficult times as well as played an encouraging role in the lives of her listeners through her Memory Mondays where she sings Scripture verses to songs each week. [Vinyl version due May 3.]
Tyler Hubbard – Strong CD (EMI Nashville)
Tyler Hubbard’s sophomore solo album, Strong, features 13 brand-new songs, including “Back Then Right Now”, “Turn” and “Wish You Would”.
James – Yummy CD/LP (Virgin)
Yummy is the 18th studio album from Manchester-based hitmakers James. The new album features the single “Is This Love” and was produced by Leo Abrahams and mixed by Cenzo Townsend. [An indie store exclusive red color vinyl pressing is available.]
Noah Kahan – Stick Season (We’ll All Be Here Forever) 2xCD/3xLP (Mercury)
Over the past year, Grammy Best New Artist-nominated Vermont singer & songwriter Noah Kahan has exploded from his New England roots into the global mainstream and has been touted as one of this year’s biggest and best new artists. The global sensation is back with an expanded version of Stick Season (We’ll All Be Here Forever). This expanded release showcases seven additional tracks from Kahan’s platinum-certified Stick Season album as well as his double platinum-certified, and first career Top 10 hit, “Stick Season”, and platinum-certified Top 40 hit “Dial Drunk.” [An indie store exclusive color vinyl pressing is available.]
Elizabeth King – Soul Provider CD/LP (Bible & Tire)
The third and final studio album from Memphis Sacred Soul singer Elizabeth King. With writing contributions from Will Sexton, producer Matt Ross-Spang and Billy Swan and John Paul Keith, King explores secular and sacred sounds with help of the impeccable Sacred Soul Sound Section.
King Zebra – Between The Shadows CD (Frontiers)
The fusion of youthful energy and veteran wisdom gave birth to King Zebra, and the journey accelerated with the release of their EP in 2019. The standout track “Firewalker” garnered over 2 million streams, firmly placing King Zebra on the radar of rock enthusiasts worldwide. Their presence amplified as they graced renowned festivals like Rock the Ring and Rock of Ages, sharing stages with iconic acts such as Lynyrd Skynyrd, Uriah Heep, and Rose Tattoo.
Mark Knopfler – One Deep River CD/LP/2xLP/Cassette/2xCD+3xLP (Blue Note)
Mark Knopfler’s tenth solo studio album, One Deep River, features 12 unhurriedly elegant new songs, with his warm Geordie vocal tone, poetic storytelling lyrics and deft, richly melodic guitar playing all present and dazzling as ever. One Deep River offers an unstoppable flow of future Knopfler classics, with their customarily learned lyrics and refined guitar textures. They draw on a lifetime of genre-crossing ingredients and influences in blues, folk, rock and beyond. [The double-LP version is cut at 45 rpm for maximum fidelity. An indie store exclusive blue color vinyl pressing and a deluxe box set featuring four bonus tracks on vinyl and five bonus tracks on CD, a litho print, guitar pick, and enamel pin are available.]
Linkin Park – Papercuts CD/2xLP/Cassette (WB)
Papercuts is the first singles collection from innovative musical force Linkin Park. The career-spanning 20-track album compiles 18 essential anthems, plus the never-before-released track “Friendly Fire” recorded during the 2017 sessions for their seventh album One More Light and fan-favorite rarity “QWERTY”. Linkin Park was inspired to thoughtfully curate Papercuts by their fans’ passionate reception of the 20th Anniversary Editions of Hybrid Theory in 2020 and Meteora last year. That enthusiasm led to this comprehensive retrospective of the band’s journey so far in the span of one album. [An indie store exclusive black & red splatter color vinyl pressing is available.]
Manic Eden – Manic Eden CD/LP (Music Theories)
Manic Eden was a short-lived hard rock band consisting of former members of Whitesnake and Little Caesar. Following David Coverdale’s decision to place Whitesnake on indefinite hiatus in the early 1990s, Manic Eden was founded in 1993 and had 3 members of Whitesnake from the Slip of the Tongue- era, Adrian Vandenberg (guitar), Rudy Sarzo (bass) and Tommy Aldridge (drums). Little Caesar vocalist Ron Young was the final piece of the puzzle. [A red color vinyl pressing is available.]
Phil Manzanera – Revolución To Roxy CD (Expression/BFD)
Roxy Music guitarist/esteemed record producer and Rock N’ Roll Hall Of Famer Phil Manzanera recently released a brand new memoir: Revolución To Roxy. The memoir delves into exciting musical adventures and mishaps, from the early days of Roxy to the group’s second and third acts and their induction into the Rock N’ Roll Hall Of Fame. A companion music CD of the same name is now available and features ten Phil Manzanera tracks in total, including five previously unreleased songs.
Leyla McCalla – Sun Without The Heat CD/LP (ANTI-)
On her new album Sun Without The Heat, Leyla McCalla brings more playfulness and joy than she has on previous records when she speaks to the concerns that have shaped her career, mainly including an ethos in which you must look back at lost and erased histories before you can embrace a forward vision of Afrofuturism and the importance of music making to heal and forge relationships across differences. Across Sun Without the Heat‘s ten tracks, she achieves this with music that combines jazz, Haitian Twoubadou, American blues, folk and Brazilian Tropicalismo.
METZ – Up On Gravity Hill CD/LP (Sub Pop)
On Up On Gravity Hill, the new album by Toronto power-trio METZ, the band creates a kaleidoscopic sonic world as tender as it is dark, aided once again by engineer Seth Manchester (Mdou Moctar, Lingua Ignota, Battles, The Body). For those who believe in the power of the rock band to exemplify the highest resonance of human connection, there is much on Up On Gravity Hill to lift the spirit, a puzzle worth repeated listening to unlock or just to get lost in again and again. The album contains some of the most spacious, sympathetic, and accessible songs – could we call them pop? – of their career. If this seems contradictory, well, METZ has always been something of a contradiction. In the words of guitarist/vocalist Alex Edkins, “We’ve never been heavy enough for metal or hardcore purists, but we’re way too heavy for indie rock. We just don’t have a lane-and that’s okay. We exist outside the lines of delineation. I think this record is even more like that.” [A translucent red color Loser Edition vinyl pressing is available.]
Necrot – Lifeless Birth CD/LP (Tank Crimes)
Necrot continue their ascent to the forefront of American aural extremity, pushing the boundaries of style and continuing to recast metal in their image.
Pillar – One Love Revolution [Reissue/2015] CD/LP (Blind Tiger)
One Love Revolution is the seventh album by Pillar. Originally released in August 2015, the album charted on Billboard’s Top Alternative Albums (#25), Top Hard Rock Albums (#17), Top Rock Albums (#42) and Top Christian Albums (#8). Featuring tracks “One Love Revolution”, “Disconnect”, and “We Ride”. [An orange color vinyl pressing is available.]
Maggie Rogers – Don’t Forget Me CD/LP/Cassette (Capitol)
“Partially inspired by the artist’s own experiences – diaristic in a way, imbued with nostalgia and slices of her past selves – partially a fictional character’s journey of self-discovery, in Don’t Forget Me Maggie Rogers finds a great balance between introspection and action. Looking inward whilst moving on and looking forward; looking at the road ahead, while the listener can close their eyes and enjoy the pop-folk ride, as if on a car trip with Rogers and her friends and characters. The album was co-produced by the singer-songwriter and Ian Fitchuk, who also co-wrote eight of the ten tracks. There’s a raw authenticity to the sound and lyrics, reminiscent of Fleetwood Mac, that can be attributed to the making process itself: most of them are first takes, and part of a deliberate decision to record for the sake of telling all these stories waiting to come out, rather than wanting to make a perfectly polished album. In the end, it pays off. Overall, Don’t Forget Me has some superb storytelling that confirms this artist’s talent for adapting life as well as fiction into music.” – Benedetta Mancusi, The Up Coming [Two color vinyl pressings are available: white; and indie store exclusive green.]
RPWL – True Live Crime 2xCD/2xLP/Blu-ray (Gentle Art Of Music)
2023 was the year of the Artrockers from RPWL: ‘Crime Scene’, the eleventh studio album and the nineteenth overall, entered various charts after its release: it even reached a remarkable 18th place in the German album charts! This was followed by a fantastic long European tour through eight countries with many sold-out venues.
Shabaka – Perceive Its Beauty, Acknowledge Its Grace CD/LP (Verve/Impulse!)
After putting down the saxophone, the instrument he has become synonymous with, Shabaka returns with his first full-length album under his own name. Perceive Its Beauty, Acknowledge Its Grace is a moving suite of primarily instrumental music. Shabaka is found playing the flute on this album, and has enlisted key artists such as Andre 3000, Lianne La Havas, Moses Sumney, Floating Points and more to help build this all-encompassing aural landscape.
Emile Simon – Polaris CD/LP (Vegetal)
Solid white colorway. Recorded in New York (where Emilie lived for a long time), Los Angeles, Montreal, Rome, and Paris (where she returned to settle), Polaris has its own cartography. Its universe is the standard scale, its pulsation inspired by cosmic rhythms, and it’s unique poetry both disturbs and captivates. A sign that nothing and no one can extinguish this flame within her.
Stuck Mojo – HVY1 CD/2xLP (Brutal Planet)
Prepare for a thrilling journey into the heart of rap metal. [A purple color vinyl pressing is available.]
Aaron Lee Tasjan – Stellar Evolution CD/LP (Blue Élan)
Aaron Lee Tasjan, Nashville’s own synth-glam-rock-indie stalwart, has put the finishing touches on his new album Stellar Evolution due out on April 12th, 2024, a striking collection of hyper pop, indie rock, 80s synths and angular guitars. With his trademark sardonic wit, Aaron Lee shares poignant self-observations and reflections on the world at large, that are a clarion call and safe space for anyone who has been made to feel other. This is Aaron Lee’s most fully realized project to date, marking a culmination of Aaron Lee’s unique artistic voyage, from glam rock side person in the orbit of the New York Dolls and Lady Gaga, to breakout Grammy-nominated Nashville singer-songwriter releasing a series of critically acclaimed albums, writing alongside some of Nashville’s established and emerging stars like Yola, Natalie Hemby and Mya Byrne, to now fully embracing his singular sound.
Texas & Spooner Oldham – The Muscle Shoals Sessions CD/LP (Le Label)
Recorded in the legendary ‘60s ‘Fame Recording Studios’ in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, during the summer of 2023, the historic tracks of legendary Scottish band Texas are here revisited without artifice, without cheating, in the simplest of devices. We thoughtfully rediscover 12 of the band’s greatest tracks, and two amazing covers (“Would I Lie To You” by Charles and Eddie and “Save The Last Dance” by The Drifters), simply through Sharleen Spiteri’s soulful and soaring vocals, accompanied by the delicate piano lines of American virtuoso Spooner Oldham.
These Immortal Souls – Get Lost (Don’t Lie!) [Reissue/1987] CD/LP+MP3 (Mute)
These Immortal Souls – I’m Never Gonna Die Again [Reissue/1992] CD/LP+MP3 (Mute)
These Immortal Souls – ExtraCD/LP+MP3 (Mute)
The iconic post punk band’s first two (and only) albums remastered from the original tapes at legendary Birdland Studio by Lindsay Gravina and original These Immortal Souls members Harry Howard and Genevieve McGuckin. Extra is a brand-new album including unearthed live recordings and remasters of covers tracks from across their career.
Torn Boys – 1983 CD+DVD/LP+DVD (Independent Project)
Collecting studio and live recordings, hit singles that never were, and enticing stray oddities all conceived in the span of one fecund year, 1983 chronicles the life and sonic adventure of the Torn Boys, a Stockton, California band comprising future members of Shiva Burlesque, Gary Young’s Hospital and Grant Lee Buffalo. It is, in fact, the first ever release from a group made for cultdom. Formed in late ’82 by Jeffrey Clark (vocals, electric guitar) and Kelly Foley (vocals, acoustic guitar), the Torn Boys soon welcomed Duncan Atkinson (synths, drum machine) and then nineteen-year-old Grant-Lee Phillips (lead guitar) into their ranks. At once urgent and literate, their recordings fend off basic categorization, conjuring the darker corners of neo-psychedelic California, infusing New Wave-era sensibilities with the moodier angle of home-grown, art-punk-surrealism. [Multiple colorways are available on vinyl.]
Tusks – Gold CD/LP (One Little Independent)
Following two revered albums, Dissolve in 2017 and Avalanche in 2019, London-based electronic songwriter and producer Tusks, aka Emily Underhill, has returned with her third. [An orange in clear color vinyl pressing is available.]
Týr – Battle Ballads CD (Metal Blade)
With Battle Ballads, Týr has created an album that resounds with their trademark Viking metal sound. At the same time, the band has experimented with new writing styles and musical techniques and created songs that are structurally simpler, yet musically more variegated.
The Vision Bleak – Weird Tales CD/LP (Prophecy)
The Vision Bleak’s seventh full-length Weird Tales constitutes a monumental tribute to the eponymous American pulp magazine and other tales of mystery and dark imagination. The album consists of a single track that is divided into internal chapters, which are each inspired by weird tales, poems, and other literature of horror and the macabre.
Wendy – Wish You Hell CD (SM Entertainment Co.)
Wendy of Red Velvet’s new album Wish You Hell comprises a total of six songs in various genres that showcase Wendy’s colorful K-pop spectrum.
Aaron West & The Roaring Twenies – In Lieu Of Flowers CD/LP (Hopeless)
With the third and final installment of the Aaron West trilogy, Aaron West and the Roaring Twenties presents In Lieu Of Flowers – a concept album that must be heard in full, an album that’s very existence tests the noble idea of shared communal experience, and an album that exudes humanity through the cloud of existential dread and despair. From the heart and mind of Dan Campbell (frontman of Philadelphia pop punk legends, The Wonder Years), and produced by Ace Enders (The Early November), In Lieu Of Flowers tells a story of rock bottom and redemption in the form of raw emotion, beautifully crafted storytelling, and exquisite instrumentation. [A half-pink/half white split colorway is available.]
Lizz Wright – Shadow CD/LP (Virgin)
Through an inimitable voice that the New York Times touts as, “a smooth, dark alto possessed of qualities you might associate with barrel-aged bourbon or butter-soft leather,” acclaimed vocalist and songwriter Lizz Wright sings with a soaring reflection of the cultural fabric of America. Wright is one of the great modern American singers with an illustrious 20-year career transcending social divides with her focus on love and a deep sense of humanity. [A translucent vinyl pressing is available.]
DVD & Blu-ray:
RPWL – True Live Crime Blu-ray (Gentle Art Of Music)
2023 was the year of the Artrockers from RPWL: ‘Crime Scene’, the eleventh studio album and the nineteenth overall, entered various charts after its release: it even reached a remarkable 18th place in the German album charts! This was followed by a fantastic long European tour through eight countries with many sold-out venues.
This Week’s Vinyl Exclusives:
Battlecross – Pursuit Of Honor [Reissue/2011] LP (Limited Run Vinyl)
Battlecross – War Of Will [Reissue/2013] LP (Limited Run Vinyl)
Battlecross – Rise To Power [Reissue/2015] LP (Limited Run Vinyl)
Battlecross is a thrash metal band that originated in Canton, Michigan. Their second, third, and fourth albums are now available on color vinyl.
Paul Cauthen – Room 41 [Reissue/2019] LP (Lightning Rod)
Orange swirl colorway. Cauthen first earned his reputation as a fire-breathing truth teller with the acclaimed roots rock band Sons of Fathers, but it wasn’t until the 2016 release of his solo debut, ‘My Gospel,’ that he truly tapped into the full depth of his prodigious talents. Rolling Stone called the album “a triple-barreled blast of Texas country, soul and holy-roller rockabilly delivered by a big-voiced crooner,” while Vice Noisey dubbed it “a somber reminder of how lucky we are to be alive,” and Texas Monthly raved that Cauthen “sound[s] like the Highwaymen all rolled into one: he’s got Willie’s phrasing, Johnny’s haggard quiver, Kristofferson’s knack for storytelling, and Waylon’s baritone.”
Clipping / Cooling Prongs – Tipsy b/w Midnight 7” (Sub Pop)
This new split single by Clipping and Cooling Prongs features Clippings noise-infused remake of J-Kwons 2004 hit “Tipsy” on the A side, and a harrowing ambient noise track by Cooling Prongs on the B side.
Loren Connors and Alan Licht – At The Top Of The Stairs LP (Family Vineyard)
Acclaimed guitar duo Loren Connors and Alan Licht celebrate their 30-year collaboration with release of their eighth album – At The Top Of The Stairs.
The Cult – Under The Midnight Sun And New Death Cult LP+7” (Round Hill)
2022 album w/ bonus 7”. The Cult has reveled in a storied career. From the pre-millennial iconic Love album bursting with idealism and the full-on blast of 2001’s Beyond Good And Evil to the recent biting truth of Hidden City, the band has lived their art. How the future unfolds will be decided in part by current cultures response and the group’s response. One thing is for sure, The Cult will respond. It’s what they do.
Death – Scream Bloody Gore [Reissue/1987] LP (Relapse)
Death – Leoprosy [Reissue/1988] LP (Relapse)
Death – Spiritual Healing [Reissue/1990] LP (Relapse)
Death – Human [Reissue/1991] LP (Relapse)
Death – Individual Thought Patterns [Reissue/1993] LP (Relapse)
Death – The Sound Of Perseverance [Reissue/1998] LP (Relapse)
Color vinyl reissues of the death metal band’s first, second, third, fourth, fifth and seventh albums.
Epic – Aging Is What Friends Do Together [Reissue/2008] LP (Hand’Solo)
Aging is What Friends Do Together is Epic’s third solo full-length album, his first on Hand’Solo Records, and his last official album prior to his semi-retirement. Joining Epic to rap about the personal and political with a side-serving of humor, extra dry, is an international collection of abstract MCs. Originally released on CD in 2008, Epic and Hand’Solo Records celebrate the 15th anniversary of Aging Is What Friends Do Together with a first-time release on vinyl.
Facs – North America Endless b/w Take Me To Your Heart 7” (Sub Pop)
Chicago trio Facs have been perfecting their brand of intense, cathartic art rock over the course of four ever-evolving albums. Beginning with 2018’s Negative Houses through 2021’s landmark Present Tense, the trio digs deep into the gaping maw of a black hole and pulls back whatever debris they can grasp onto. Their 2023 LP Still Life In Decay came as an addendum to their last album- a “post-event review,” if you will. The band is made up of Brian Case (90 Day Men, The Ponys, Disappears) Jonathan Van Herik (Disappears), and Noah Leger (Milemarker). This new single features an exclusive, original A side, “North America Endless”, and a cover of The Eurythmics song “Take Me To Your Heart” on the B side. White vinyl.
Hilton Felton – Family & Friends LP (Groove Diggers)
Hilton Felton is a keyboardist with a strong following amongst rare groove fans for his sophisticated, mellow, and groovy playing. He has released many albums during his career on his own label, Hilton’s Concept, Inc.
Vanessa Fernandez – Remember Me LP (Groove Note)
Featuring a fabulous mix of RnB classics such as “That’s The Way Of The World” (Earth Wind & Fire), “Lovely Day” (Bill Withers), “You’re The One I Love” (Barry White), “Kiss” (Prince) with more contemporary pop material like “I Belong To You” (Lenny Kravitz), “It Runs Through Me” (Tom Misch), “Roads” (Portishead) and others, Vanessa and Tim Pierce (arranger) have delivered a supremely satisfying and ultra-rewarding covers album, one that is also beautifully recorded (tracked and mixed by maestro Michael C. Ross).
Abba Gargando – Abba Gargando LP (Sahel Sounds)
Lo-fi Tuareg guitar from renowned Timbouctou musician ABBA Gargando. From fireside guitar with drum machines, field recordings with hypnotic electrified weddings, and impromptu collaborations with friends, from original compositions to folkloric interpretations. Recorded in refugee camps during the Malian conflict of 2012, produced on cellphones and distributed via WhatsApp across the Tuareg diaspora, ABBA Gargando’s debut recording is a glimpse into the self-recordings and DIY culture in the Sahel.
Helenor – A Public Place LP (MTN Laurel Rec. Co.)
The much-anticipated release is Helenor’s first since their 2019 DIY debut LP Something Twice. Since then, songwriter David DiAngelis expanded from a one-man bedroom pop project to a full band operation. Helenor’s sound has expanded too, featuring multiple voices and collaborators such as Vishal Nayak (Nick Hakim, Hannah Cohen) and Josh Bonati (Beach Fossils, Mac Demarco).
Heron – Twice As Nice And Half The Price LP (Trading Places)
Formed in suburban Maidenhead by singer Tony Pook, guitarist/pianist Roy Apps, and guitarist Robert Collins, Heron solidified when Collins was replaced by guitarist/mandolin player GT Moore. After a debut album recorded at the Pook family farm, specially priced double LP Twice As Nice And Half The Price achieved a fuller sound with guitarist Mike Cooper, bassist Mike Finesilver, drummer Terry Gittins, and guitarist Willie Boazman. The epic set sounds brilliant from start to finish, with strong vocal harmonies, intricate guitar interplay and excellent musical communication.
Kim Hyun-Chu – Kim Hyun-Chu Volume 1 LP (Seoul Record Fair)
Kim Hyun-Chu – Kim Hyun-Chu Volume 2 LP (Seoul Record Fair)
Kim Hyun-Chu – Kim Hyun-Chu Volume 3 LP (Seoul Record Fair)
Kim Hyun-Chu – Dong – A Records Years: 1989-1994 5xLP (Seoul Record Fair)
Color vinyl pressings. The psychedelic-tinged pop / rock sounds masterminded by Shin Joong-hyun, and the college folk scene spearheaded by Kim Min-ki formed the very heart of Korean pop music throughout the 1970s. However, this beating heart would be stifled, intentionally, as the dictatorship ramped up its repressive practices in the mid-1970s. Countless rock and folk acts were censored on charges of ‘indecency’. The leading artists of the time, such as Shin Joong-hyun and Kim Min-ki, found themselves in a situation where they could neither play concerts nor release new music. While great bands like Sanullim managed to emerge even amid such dark times, radio and TV broadcasts remained subject to government rating and censorship. Thus, music broadcasts that reached the masses consisted of little more than romantic ballads, gayo for older generations, and sanitized ‘decent’ dance music. Although the new regime that took power in the 1980s made some conciliatory gestures, censorship remained firmly in place.
Mason Jennings – Simple Life [Reissue/2002] LP (Bar/None)
Originally released in 2002, Simple Life is Jennings armed only with an acoustic guitar and some stories to tell. A raw and emotional album, it ranks among his best.
Morgan Harper-Jones – Up To The Glass LP (Play It Again Sam)
Morgan Harper-Jones explores her emotions through confessional narratives and soaring dream-pop soundscapes on her debut album. Up To The Glass is a delicate exploration of finding yourself in your twenties against a backdrop of love, self-acceptance and loss. Documenting those universally defining moments of young adulthood through the prism of Morgan’s own perspective, it explores deeply personal themes such as the passing of her grandparents, anxiously over-thinking every minor mistake, and yearning for a love that’s destined to remain unrequited. Morgan eventually found solace from those struggles through both therapy and the cathartic release of expressing herself through song. She’s an old soul with a significant appeal to her generation, her confessional dream-pop evoking influences which range from Maggie Rogers and Harry Styles to Aldous Harding and St. Vincent, and back to Joni Mitchell and Paul Simon.
Heatmiser – Dead Air LP (Frontier)
Vinyl reissue of the debut album by the alternative rock band featuring singer/songwriter Elliot Smith.
Steve Hiett – Girls In The Grass [Reissue/2019] LP (Be With)
These ten Balearic soul instrumentals are of equal necessity; a rare case of unheard material being assembled as an indispensable and coherent piece. Girls In The Grass is something super special. The light and shadow that defines Hiett’s music is arguably more compelling here. It speaks to us in a language that feels profound, yet entirely comforting and familiar. Girls In The Grass reintroduces Hiett’s languid electric blues boogie, crafted on Saturday afternoons with fellow art director Simon Kentish. Kentish would cook, pour some wine, and then utilize his arsenal of technology. He’d dial up a chugging rhythm, together with some ambient pads or keyboard textures, and anchor the weightless gauze of Hiett’s six-stringed touch.
Israel Vibration – Why You So Craven [Reissue/1982] LP (Diggers Factory)
Considered their key album by many, Skelly, Wiss and Apple are accompanied by an exceptional band: the Hi-Times Band, a studio backing band formed by Earl “Chinna” Smith and comprising himself, Anthony Creary, Christopher Meredith, Errol Nelson, Fazal Prendergast, Noel “Scully” Simms, Tony “Asher” Brissett.
KBong – Hopes And Dreams [Reissue/2014] LP (KBong Music)
KBong – Let Love Lead [Reissue/2021] LP (KBong Music)
KBong – Smile With The World [Reissue/2022] LP (Kbong Music)
KBong has made some big strides as an artist, planting his feet firmly in new grounds. His debut album Hopes And Dreams (originally released in 2014) features 14 tracks with a reggae-acoustic beach vibe that showcases KBong’s widespread talent and influences. KBong mixes up a great sound made up of tasty musical ingredients that include ska, reggae, cool California surf vibes and catchy acoustic guitar riffs. Released in 2021, Let Love Lead is now available on orange w/ bone white swirl color vinyl.
Bridget Kearney – Comeback Kid LP (Keeled Scales)
Empires rise and fall every day in the human heart and riding these cycles-stories with no beginning or end, only transformation-churns us through the reckless, ridiculous, rueful, redemptive. A founding member of Lake Street Dive and writer of some of their most enduring songs, Iowa-born and Brooklyn-based Bridget Kearney is known for writing smart, unexpected lyrics and melodies built for a heart-baring dance or an introspective drive. Kearney writes music as if filtered through a camera lens. Her stories, steeped in nostalgia and joy, construct a bittersweet framework around the memories that make us human, and shape who we are.
Kestrel – Kestrel LP (Merry-Go-Round)
Kestrel was a UK band that disbanded soon after releasing an unsung prog-rock gem of an album in 1975. Boasting an abundance of technical musicianship and inhabiting a space somewhere between golden-age prog and AOR, the band was defined by their sophisticated sense of melody and exquisite sonic balance. Unfortunately, and probably because they were so far ahead of their time, the album failed to chart and is remembered only amongst a small number of cult fans. Given the extreme rarity of the original press copies, fans have long awaited an LP reissue. [A limited-edition blue color vinyl pressing is available.]
Kim Trio – Riverside Rendezvous: 12 Hits LP (Cobrarose)
Kim Trio, a unit of siblings Kim Pa, Kim Dan, and Kim Seon, only released two albums during their short-lived music career of three years in Korea. Born into a family of prominent musicians, the trio soon moved to America where they honed their skills at local clubs. The pair of albums that capture the band’s unique Korean rendition of funky groove sounds were a major milestone in Korean gayo history and remain sought-after among today’s gayo aficionados and DJ’s. The Trio’s original songs feature sleek melodies and funky disco grooves that come to life through well-crafted musicianship. [A green color vinyl pressing is available.]
Harold Land – The Fox [Reissue/1960] LP (Craft Recordings)
Harold Land’s hard bop album The Fox was originally released in 1960, with Contemporary Records reissuing it in ’69. Featuring Harold Land (tenor sax), Dupree Bolton (trumpet), Elmo Hope (piano), Herbie Lewis (bass), Frank Butler (drums) it was produced by David Axelrod.
Lazarus A.D. – Black River Flows LP (Limited Run Vinyl)
Hailing from the crucible of Wisconsin, Lazarus AD emerged as a force to be reckoned with in the Thrash Metal scene. Known for their blistering riffs, thunderous rhythms, and intense, guttural vocals, Lazarus AD carved their niche with a sound that pays homage to the genre’s roots while pushing the boundaries of aggression and precision.
Lynks – Abomination LP (Heavenly)
After three EPs, sell-out UK tours, and a rapidly developing cult-leader status, the unapologetically uncategorizable Lynks release their debut album Abomination. Ricocheting between visceral, abject shame and giddy, hedonistic delight; Lynks takes us on a dizzying tour of modern queer culture via casual sex, references to Sean Cody, and a one-sided love affair with a straight tennis coach. Self-written, self-produced, self-effacing and self-aggrandizing, their debut album brings together half a decade’s worth of artistic and personal progression in under 40 minutes.
Mukimukimanmansu – 2012 [Reissue/2012] LP (Beatball)
Mukimukimanmansu, or MUKMAN for short, were a duo formed in the May of 2011 by two students at Korea National University of Arts. The unit was put together in a rush for a school film club’s music festival. Within just three days, they managed to create two self-written songs. Footage of their first live performance was posted on YouTube, bringing the band to wider attention. While the bare-bones ensemble simply includes an acoustic guitar by Mansu and Muki on the ‘gu-jang-gu-jang’ (a jang-gu, which is a traditional Korean drum, modded for vertical play), Mansu’s uncanny songwriting and Muki’s sheer expressiveness made for a compelling sound, making their 2012 debut album a sensation upon release. The jarringly dissonant acoustic punk, somewhat reminiscent of the Raincoats or the Violent Femmes (though neither member has made mention of this), came together with lyrical folk melodies to create something truly unique. [A pink colorway is available.]
Naughty By Nature – Hip Hop Hooray b/w Written On Ya Kitten 7” (Tommy Boy Music)
“Hip Hop Hooray” is the first single from Naughty By Nature’s third album, 19 Naughty III. Released on December 10, 1992, the song reached number one on the US Billboard Hot R&B/hip-hop Songs chart and reached number eight on the Billboard Hot 100. Their second highest charting song behind “O.P.P.”, the hit crushed any “one-hit wonder” labels and saw the group show appreciation to the genre that gave them their livelihoods. The B-side, “Written On Your Kitten”, is the third and final single from the same album, 19 Naughty III. [A limited-edition blue colorway is available.]
Osiah – Kairos 2xLP (Unique Leader)
A limited-edition white color vinyl pressing. The devastating 4th album from the UK’s heaviest Northern offering – Osiah. Produced by Andy Mallaby (Osiah, Nexilva) and mixed by Christian Donaldson (Ingested, Shadow of Intent), the album also features artwork by Shindy Reehal (Viscera, The Zenith Passage, Archspire).
Ozean – Ozone 12” (Numero)
Set your shoes to gaze mode and rip into this king size cloud of ethereal dream pop. Inspired by the spate of Brits leaning into swirling distortion and punishing volume, San Jose’s Ozean played just two shows in their brief existence, dissolving before the Scene That Celebrates Itself ever broke the silicon barrier. The quartet’s 1991 self-titled demo cassette has been remastered and pressed at 45rpm, a timeless document of late adolescent wonder and experimentation.
Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats – Tearing At The Seams [Reissue/2018] 2xLP (Fantasy)
New colorway. A staggering album of rock ‘n’ soul music. Propelled by driving rhythms, blazing hornplay, and Rateliff’s rowdy, soul drenched vocals, Tearing At The Seams‘ 12 tracks crackle with emotion and intensity. From anguished sorrow to ecstatic heights, Rateliff’s expressive tenor is unvarnished on the record’s tender R&B ballads and nitro-fueled rave-ups.
Ray & His Court – Ray & His Court [Reissue/1973] LP (On High)
The King of Miami’s Cuban music scene, the late Ray Fernandez, is featured here fronting his enormously talented family band on an album that first brought him into the spotlight. Heavily influenced by deep funk and Latin music, their psych-tinged creations also incorporated many other kaleidoscopic sound infusions, including soul, calypso, Afro-Cuban, and salsa. Fronted by Ray Fernandez, his band included his very talented wife and two sons and proved to be a highly influential group on Miami’s Latin music scene in the late ‘70s. What also made them stand out was their versatility; this group could easily shift from Cuban funk to reggae in a blink.
Jess Ribeiro – Summer Of Love LP (Labelman)
Across the ten tracks on Jess Ribeiro’s Summer Of Love, she traverses isolation, loss, tiny snatches of love, expectation versus reality, once-in-a-century pandemics and healing. It was written and recorded during a particularly unstable time, with Ribeiro living in nine different houses across a two-year period, including six months in a church outside of the city, “That instability affected my mental health,” she says. It also created the spark for her fourth album, on which she transfixes audiences as she digs deep into the present, past, and wanted future.
The Rocket Summer – Calendar Days [Reissue/2003] 2xLP (Aviate)
The seminal and sonically radiant first full-length album from multi-instrumentalist mainstay, Bryce Avary, aka The Rocket Summer is now available for the first time ever on 180gm cotton candy pink and sky-blue double vinyl with seven additional unreleased recordings including original bedroom demos, a reimagined track, rare live performance and more. Recorded while Avary was only a teenager, calendar days was the full-length beginning of now over two full decades of album releases and worldwide headlining tours to a fervent army of fans.
The Selecter – Too Much Pressure [Reissue/1980] LP (Chrysalis)
The Selecter were one of the key bands of the ska revival in the late 70’s. They were one of the few racially and sexually integrated bands on the scene. Vocalist Pauline Black wrote about sexism, racism, and social issues. Their debut release was the AA side of the Specials single “Gangsters” in the summer of 1979, which just consisted of Neol Davies and John Bradbury (of The Specials) before quickly forming a full band by the end of the year. Releasing their follow-up single “On My Radio” which reached No. 6 in the UK charts. Their debut album Too Much Pressure was released in February 1980 getting to No. 5 in the UK charts, which also included two further hit singles “Three Minute Hero” and “Missing Words”. This new half-speed cut/remaster of the ‘Too Much Pressure’. The vinyl sleeve is a 3mm spined sleeve, printed inner.
Patrick Shiroishi – Sparrow InA Swallow’s Nest b/w The Light Is Not Afraid 7” (Sub Pop)
Patrick Shiroishi is a Japanese-American multi-instrumentalist and composer based in Los Angeles who is perhaps best known for his extensive and incredibly intense work with the saxophone. Over the last decade he has established himself as one of the premier improvising musicians in Los Angeles, playing solo and in numerous collaborative projects. Shiroishi may well be considered a foundational player in the city’s vast musical expanse. He has presented work and performed at the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the International Museum of Surgical Sciences and has toured around the world in various solo and band configurations including The Armed, contemporary classical ensemble Wild Up and Upsilon Acrux. This new single features an exclusive, original A side, “Sparrow In A Swallow’s Nest”, which features Emma Ruth Rundle on vocals, backed with a new original, “The Light Is Not Afraid”, featuring Patrick on vocals.
So Pitted – Cloned LP (Youth Riot)
Despite posing as a Seattle-based music ensemble, the true origins, and motives of So Pitted remain a mystery. Eyewitness accounts and blurry cellphone footage sightings of the band have rapidly increased, putting relevant agencies on high alert. Further documentation of their activities appears in the sophomore album release Cloned.
Stepps – Waltz For Tiger Joe: Complete Recordings 2xLP (Merry-Go-Round)
The genealogy of two musicians, keyboardist Oleg Ditrich and bassist Michael Vidale, started in 1973 with the band Aragorn and continued to Bedtime Story – Snakes Alive – Original Steps – Stepps – Stepps2, for about five years. In that short period of time, the group’s name was changed six times, and musically it changed from progressive rock to jazz rock. Surprisingly, all the groups listed above left behind good quality recordings. This was possible because at the time Michael Vidale was a trainee recording engineer at his father’s recording studio Clover Studios, and, shortly after, at EMI Sydney Studios. He used the studio free time to call in his band members and record the music. All the master tapes are preserved in good condition, and it is very fortunate to be able to fully understand the evolution of the band’s musical interests and their growth through this recording. [A white color vinyl pressing is available.]
Sunny Day Real Estate – Diary [Reissue/1994] 2xLP (Sup Pop)
Limited edition on pearl vinyl limited. Sunny Day Real Estate and Sub Pop celebrate the 30th anniversary of the band’s landmark album Diary with a new pearl-vinyl edition of the remastered double LP. This new version coincides with the band’s 2024 US tour commemorating the anniversary of the album. Originally formed in Seattle in 1992, Sunny Day Real Estate featured Nate Mendel (bass), William Goldsmith (drums), Dan Hoerner (guitar, vocals) and Jeremy Enigk (vocals, guitar). Diary, the band’s first full-length album, was released in 1994 on Sub Pop, going on to become the seventh-best selling record in the label’s history with more than 231,000 copies scanned in the US alone. Diary was recorded at Chicago’s Idful Studios with producer Brad Wood and released to critical acclaim.
Various Artists – Something Weird – Hey Folks! It’s Intermission Time! LP (Modern Harmonic)
Hot dog brown colorway. Welcome to the sweet-but-savory, suspiciously sticky, and slightly sinful world of old-school movie theater intermission messages. It’s where big-band jazz, psychedelic rock, sequin-bedecked disco, virgin vanilla orchestrated pop, and more are pressed into service, with your satisfaction as the solitary goal.
Teresa Winter – Proserpine LP (Night School)
Circular patterns morphing through time, loop and ritual form the fabric of Proserpine, the latest work by Leeds-based musician, Teresa Winter. Recorded from a summer to a winter through 2021 and 2022, Proserpine is Winter’s most cohesive, focused music to date: confidently reveling in space, fixating on isolated sounds and giving way to satisfying, swirling waves of vocal and electronic buzz. On Proserpine, musical patterns revolve and intersect with each other, transmogrifying the music’s narrative. Over-arching themes emerge: continual change, elusiveness. Insubstantiality emerges into concrete reality in the form of recognizable field recordings: the purring of a pet cat, the hum of a live cable. The loops and patterns are sometimes just out of sight, the click and whirl on “Child Of Nature” is the backdrop to hymnal vocalizations by Winter, who intones spell-like text in conversation with herself.
Witchery – In His Infernal Majesty’s Service [Reissue/2016] LP (Brutal Planet)
Black & white swirl colorway. Prepare for an auditory journey into darkness that will leave an indelible mark on your soul.
ZZ Ward – Til The Casket Drops [Reissue/2012] LP (Hollywood)
ZZ Ward is a singer/songwriter whose artistry spins on a luminous axis of voice and soul. Raised on the blues with a passion for hip hop, ZZ Ward’s music straddles two distinct genres which she fearlessly melds with effortless ease. Her 2012 debut album, Til The Casket Drops, includes collaborations with Ryan Tedder, Michael Fitzpatrick (Fitz and The Tantrums), Kendrick Lamar, Freddie Gibbs, Ali Shaheed Muhammad (A Tribe Called Quest), and Pete Rock.
Ayanna Witter-Johnson – Ocean Floor LP (LSO Live)
In 1781, the Zong – a British slave ship – left Ghana with twice the number it was designed to carry, bound for Jamaica. The ship’s owners claimed that drinking water was running low and ordered the crew to throw more than 130 living enslaved people overboard. Over 200 years later, Jamaica has become a place of significance for Witter-Johnson. As a young child, she often spent her six-week summer holiday visiting extended family in Jamaica, taking trips to a favorite beach on the south coast. It was here that she witnessed a terrible fatal accident at one end of the beach, yet at the other end, a baptism and celebration was taking place. Witter-Johnson explores this spectrum of events tied together by their central themes of ancestry, family, and the ocean, noting that even amidst the darkness of death, there is still room for joy. Combining alternative R&B with classical, and with influences from soul, hip-hop and reggae, Ayanna Witter-Johnson is the definition of an eclectic soul.
Cassettes:
Mark Knopfler – One Deep River (Blue Note)
Mark Knopfler’s tenth solo studio album, One Deep River, features 12 unhurriedly elegant new songs, with his warm Geordie vocal tone, poetic storytelling lyrics and deft, richly melodic guitar playing all present and dazzling as ever. One Deep River offers an unstoppable flow of future Knopfler classics, with their customarily learned lyrics and refined guitar textures. They draw on a lifetime of genre-crossing ingredients and influences in blues, folk, rock and beyond.
Linkin Park – Papercuts (WB)
Papercuts is the first singles collection from innovative musical force Linkin Park. The career-spanning 20-track album compiles 18 essential anthems, plus the never-before-released track “Friendly Fire” recorded during the 2017 sessions for their seventh album One More Light and fan-favorite rarity “QWERTY”. Linkin Park was inspired to thoughtfully curate Papercuts by their fans’ passionate reception of the 20th Anniversary Editions of Hybrid Theory in 2020 and Meteora last year. That enthusiasm led to this comprehensive retrospective of the band’s journey so far in the span of one album.
Maggie Rogers – Don’t Forget Me (Capitol)
“Partially inspired by the artist’s own experiences – diaristic in a way, imbued with nostalgia and slices of her past selves – partially a fictional character’s journey of self-discovery, in Don’t Forget Me Maggie Rogers finds a great balance between introspection and action. Looking inward whilst moving on and looking forward; looking at the road ahead, while the listener can close their eyes and enjoy the pop-folk ride, as if on a car trip with Rogers and her friends and characters. The album was co-produced by the singer-songwriter and Ian Fitchuk, who also co-wrote eight of the ten tracks. There’s a raw authenticity to the sound and lyrics, reminiscent of Fleetwood Mac, that can be attributed to the making process itself: most of them are first takes, and part of a deliberate decision to record for the sake of telling all these stories waiting to come out, rather than wanting to make a perfectly polished album. In the end, it pays off. Overall, Don’t Forget Me has some superb storytelling that confirms this artist’s talent for adapting life as well as fiction into music.”
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