AIMS Marketing Program/ Featured Titles Promoted This Week:

The Baseball Project – Grand Salami Time! CD/2xLP (Omnivore)

Fourth release featuring Scott McCaughey (The Minus 5/Young Fresh Fellows), Steve Wynn (The Dream Syndicate), Peter Buck and Mike Mills (R.E.M.) and Linda Pitmon (Filthy Friends). All in all, a fancy pedigree but, as Wynn points out, “this is our only band that plays stadiums”—true story as The Baseball Project has performed full sets along with the National Anthem and “Take Me Out To The Ball Game” at major league parks in Boston, Chicago, Milwaukee, Denver, Minneapolis, Philadelphia and more minor league and spring training fields, as well as having thrown out some exceptional first pitches (nothing but strikes!) as well. Grand Salami Time! was recorded at Mitch Easter’s fabled Fidelitorium Studios in Kernersville, North Carolina, with the entire band performing live together in the same room, a joyous experience that seemed impossible to imagine only one year before. Mitch adds guitar on a few tracks and the record also features appearances by Stephen McCarthy (The Long Ryders) and Steve Berlin (Los Lobos).

Neko Case – Wild Creatures CD/2xLP+MP3 (ANTI-)

Wild Creatures pulls together some high points of feral joy from 21 years of solo work by Neko Case. The Virginian marked Neko’s debut as a solo artist in 1997. She delved into darkness in 2000 with Furnace Room Lullaby, scrawled Blacklisted in 2004 and recorded The Tigers Have Spoken live the same year. In 2006, she dreamed Fox Confessor Brings The Flood, and in 2009 unleashed Middle Cyclone. She plumbed her own life in 2013 for The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, the Harder I Fight, The More I Love You, and raised hell in 2018 with Hell-On. Now in her third decade of recording under her own name, she’s just getting started. The career retrospective Wild Creatures contains 23 of Neko’s most impactful tracks from her discography as well as the new song “Oh, Shadowless”. [An indie store exclusive eco-mix vinyl colorway is available.]

Grian Chatten – Chaos For The Fly CD/LP (Partisan)

Chaos For The Fly is the debut solo album from Grian Chatten, vocalist of Dublin’s critically-acclaimed band Fontaines D.C. Rare moments of respite from a relentless touring schedule afforded Chatten the opportunity to start work on something for himself, occupying a completely different headspace from his hugely successful work within Fontaines D.C. Co-produced by the band’s longstanding producer Dan Carey, the album is arguably the most poetic from Chatten. Each song has a sweep of color and texture that breathes life into his lucid tales. Over its nine tracks, Chaos For The Fly is a record that takes in all of life’s rich emotions, transporting the listener to a place you not only want to visit, but will find yourself returning to again and again. [A limited-edition white color vinyl pressing is available.]

[Read more…] about New Releases for June 30, 2023

AIMS Marketing Program/ Featured Titles Promoted This Week:

Cable Ties – All Her Plans CD/LP+MP3 (Merge)

All Her Plans, the third album from Melbourne, Australia’s Cable Ties, finds the trio of Jenny McKechnie, Shauna Boyle, and Nick Brown at their punchiest and most assured. The ferocious, kraut-influenced blend of post-punk and garage rock of Merge debut Far Enough remains, but McKechnie’s lyrics invite the listener closer than ever before. The urgency and fury that have marked Cable Ties’ output thus far is more nuanced on All Her Plans. The unfettered rage of their calls to action endures-tackling subjects like broken mental healthcare systems and the burden of familial care that is largely placed on women-while holding space for gratitude, love, and acceptance. [An indie store exclusive blue color vinyl pressing is available.]

Eric Clapton – The Definitive 24 Nights 6xCD+3xBlu-ray/8xLP+3xBlur-ray (Reprise)

Eric Clapton – 24 Nights: Blues 2xCD+DVD/2xLP (Reprise)

Eric Clapton – 24 Nights: Rock 2xCD+DVD/3xLP (Reprise)

Eric Clapton – 24 Nights: Orchestral 2xCD+DVD/3xLP (Reprise)

In 1990 and 1991, Eric Clapton performed 42 nights at the Royal Albert Hall in London; 18 shows in 1990 and 24 in 1991. During the run of these shows Clapton performed with three different line-ups: a rock band, a blues band, and an orchestra. The huge undertaking of rehearsing for performances of three distinctly different genres and set lists was made more challenging by the rock show line-ups varying from 4, 9 or 13 band members. Guest musicians included Buddy Guy, Albert Collins, Robert Cray, and Phil Collins. The orchestra was conducted by the late Michael Kamen. Many of the performances were filmed and recorded and the huge amount of audio and film material has been painstakingly restored and the quality upgraded. The rock, blues and orchestral shows are now available as stand-alone concerts on LP and CD. The CD formats also come with the film of the show on DVD. Additionally, the limited-edition The Definitive 24 Nights deluxe box sets include 47 songs and almost 6 hours of music on 6 CDs or 8 LPs and 3 Blu-ray’s.

[Read more…] about New Releases for June 23, 2023

AIMS Marketing Program/ Featured Titles Promoted This Week:

Bonny Doon – Let There Be Music CD/LP+MP3 (ANTI-)

In a world of urgency, there’s little regard for the spiritual, emotional, or physical well-being of musicians. The creative process, often hidden from the listeners, remains a mystery, though we may pick up clues in the songs themselves. Throughout the ten tracks in their new album Let There Be Music, you can hear the spaciousness Bonny Doon allowed themselves since their 2018 sleeper cult-classic Longwave. Their latest musical journey is one that has big payoffs for devoted followers and undeniable rewards for anyone just stumbling across the band for the first time. The album serves as less of one conceptual story, and each song as their own individual offerings of putting words to the ordinary experience of being alive. The band is at their most dynamic and the songwriting deftly explores new terrain. Let There Be Music is brimming with small truths – both profound and mundane, comforting, and difficult – and we are invited to revel in them all.

Deer Tick – Emotional Contracts CD/LP (ATO)

Emotional Contracts, Deer Tick’s latest full-length album, explores the existential challenges that arise with the passage of time, infusing each song with the band’s trademark untamed spirit, honed over nearly two decades. Prior to collaborating with producer Dave Fridmann (The Flaming Lips, Spoon, Sleater-Kinney), the Providence-based quartet spent months crafting demos in a persistently flooded warehouse in their hometown, braving a broken heating system and gaping roof holes to shape the album’s 10 passionately eloquent tracks. Emotional Contracts embodies the spirited energy of its creation, offering a poignant yet invigorating portrayal of aging gracefully without losing one’s essence. With guest appearances by Steve Berlin (Los Lobos), Courtney Marie Andrews, Vanessa Carlton, Kam Franklin, Angela Miller and Sheree Smith, the album adds an even greater vitality to their feverish collection of timeless rock ‘n’ roll. [An indie store exclusive red w/ black color vinyl pressing is available.]

Drive-By Truckers – The Complete Dirty South CD/2xLP (New West)

In 2004 the Drive-By Truckers released what would become the bestselling album in their illustrious catalog. The Dirty South is a concept album that examines the state of the South, and unveils the hypocrisy, irony, and tragedy that continues to exist. The album features live show staples like, “Tornadoes”, “Where The Devil Don’t Stay”, and “Puttin’ People On The Moon”, as well as rarities like “Goode’s Field Road” and “Daddy’s Cup”. The Complete Dirty South is a band-led rework of the original album. Principal member, Patterson Hood, took the reins and reimagined this record as it was originally intended. The complete version features resequenced audio, three additional tracks, and four remixes along with updated vocals. [A limited-edition reposado color vinyl pressing is available.]

[Read more…] about New Releases for June 16, 2023