CDs + Vinyl:
The Allman Brothers Band – Live From A&R Studios: New York, August 26, 1971 CD (Allman Brothers Band Recording Company)
Live From A&R Studios was initially a radio broadcast that originally aired on WPLJ. This set features the band steamrolling through a set of songs including “Statesboro Blues,” “Trouble No More,” “One Way Out,” “In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed” and “Hot ‘lanta.”
Audacity – Hyper Vessels CD/LP+MP3 (Suicide Squeeze)
From the opening bedlam of barnburner “Counting The Days,” Audacity demonstrate that while their songwriting has become more nuanced, their delivery has gotten more savagely precise. With recording duties handled by longtime friend and tour-mate Ty Segall, Audacity sound like they’ve finally found someone who can capture the frenetic drive of a song like “Hypo,” the off-kilter hook of “Riot Train,” the undeniable melodic appeal of “Fire,” and the cowpunk influence of “Previous Cast.” It can be tricky to juggle the bubblegum with the piss-and-vinegar, but it’s a duality Audacity embraces.
Autolux – Pussy’s Dead CD/LP+MP3 (30th Century Records/Columbia)
Experimental pop outfit Autolux releases their new LP via Danger Mouse’s 30th Century Records. “For those of us who like our shoegaze spiked with noise, menace, stylistic experimentation, and jarring dynamic shifts, there are few greater sonic pleasures than Autolux. The only trouble is that the Los Angeles trio has eked out just two full-length albums since forming in 2001, the last of which, Transit Transit, is approaching its sixth birthday. Devotees swooned when principal member Greg Edwards revived his criminally under-appreciated prior band Failure in recent years, but worried that such a move would delay fresh Autolux music even longer. Thankfully, with the help of producer Boots, best known for his work on Beyoncé’s 2013 self-titled album, the group has wrapped work on the awesomely named new LP Pussy’s Dead.” — Noisey
Banquet – Jupiter Rose CD/LP (Heavy Psych Sounds)
The debut album by San Francisco quartet Banquet, part of the California scene that also includes bands such as Earthless, Hot Lunch, Wild Eyes, Joy, and Loom. This is the perfect soundtrack for a biker living the dream coast to coast; a musical trip on the road. Retro ’70s-style fuzzy psych rock with ripping twin lead guitars, howling vocals, and a pulverizing rhythm section. For fans of: Blue Cheer, MC5, Jefferson Airplane, Kadavar, Blues Pills. (Limited violet color vinyl also available.)
Matthew Barber & Jill Barber – The Family Album CD (Outside Music)
Channeling a vintage spirit while remaining thoroughly contemporary, Jill Barber has carved out a unique niche in the Canadian music landscape with her distinct voice and repertoire rarely confined to any one genre. She returns to Banff with her brother Matthew Barber, a Toronto-based troubadour known for his soul-searching ballads and clever hooks. His latest release, Big Romance was nominated for a Juno last year. The Family Album is a collection of songs written by the renowned Canadian siblings and songs by the likes of Neil Young, Leonard Cohen, Ian Tyson and more. Vinyl version due April 29.
Karl Bartos – Communication [Reissue/2003] CD (Trocadero)
Communication is the debut solo album by ex-Kraftwerk member Karl Bartos. Originally released by Sony Music in 2003, 13 years after Bartos left the legendary electronic group, it has now been fully remastered for this reissue, complete with the bonus track “Camera Obscura.”
B Boys – No Worry, No Mind CD/LP+MP3 (Captured Tracks)
Three psychos that came to be through fate by way of necessity, B Boys offer up to the world their sonic manifesto, No Worry No Mind. A relief from the mania, an expression of duality, an extension of Dada. Abstraction takes a triangular form: effortless guitar melodies, undulating bass lines, deep swirling grooves. Interlocking vocals bob and weave over top, resounding their mantras. You’ve got something growing out your neck, my friend. Open your self to the frequencies, and let the vibrations illuminate your being.
Marco Benevento – The Story Of Fred Short CD (MRI)
For his new album, Marco Benevento cites everything from LCD Soundsystem, Harry Nilsson, Manu Chau and Gorillaz as inspiration. Divided into two sides, The Story Of Fred Short oozes with Marco’s relentless creative spirit in songwriting, performance and production. Side A is stuffed with mesmerizing dance rock gold. Marco doubles down on the groove, using a rare Casio drum machine that’s become a recurring muse in addition to a live drummer. The B Side tells the real and imagined story of Fred Short in seven chapters of wild, heavy rock ‘n’ roll. Fred Short was a Native American man known for throwing musical bacchanals on the property Marco now lives on, in Woodstock, NY. Vinyl version due April 15.
Bibio – A Mineral Love CD/2xLP+MP3 (Warp)
Bibio reaches album number seven with the carefully constructed tales found within A Mineral Love. Picking up where his The Green EP left off, A Mineral Love beautifully ties together its influences from the ghosts of music that surrounded him during his childhood from ’90s jungle and hardcore dance tracks to late ’70s and into early ’80s American TV show themes.
Andrew Bird – Are You Serious CD/LP+7”+MP3/LP+7”+10”+MP3 (Loma Vista)
“American singer-songwriter, violinist and professional whistler, Andrew Bird, has released his 10th studio album, Are You Serious. [The album] features collaborations from singer/songwriter and classical pianist, Fiona Apple, and Blake Mills on guitar who has previously collaborated with the likes of Conor Oberst and Lana Del Rey. Are You Serious gets off to a steady start: the first track, ‘Capsized’, is a slightly more ‘indie-rock’ than the usual ‘indie-folk’ songs of Bird that sums up just how experimental Andrew Bird can be with his instruments. ‘Capsized’ is a perfect example of him ‘manipulating’ the violin to get a metallic sound that’s similar to an electric guitar. Overall, Are You Serious is an album of opposites that somehow seem to attract, this creates a strong mix of different songs that fit together flawlessly, although it feels like they shouldn’t” – Hit The Floor. [Available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe edition includes “Shoulder Mountain” and “Pulaski,” two tracks that don’t appear on the standard version (Deluxe color vinyl edition adds these tracks as a bonus 7”). Additionally, a Deluxe Box Set is available, containing the LP, 7”, and the exclusive Are We Not Burning? The Devolution Of Capsized 10”, which features four previously-unheard tracks (plus a “Sound City version” of “Capsized”). The box set also includes a 64-page book with artwork for each song on the album.]
Black Mountain – IV CD/2xLP+MP3 (Jagjaguwar)
The rock canon has many anti-heroes, Black Mountain being the latest. In the past, Can’s Tago Mago established that the only rule in rock and roll is that there are no rules. Pink Floyd’s prodigious output in the ‘70s showed us that architecture can be cool, while unskilled laborers Black Sabbath demonstrated you can make a lot from not that much. Now Black Mountain teach us that you don’t have to be afraid of the past to move bravely into the future, defining what it is to be a classic rock band in the new millennium. IV is their Houses Of The Holy, an unapologetically ambitious record made by a group of musicians who are at the peak of their powers.
Black Stone Cherry – Kentucky CD/LP+MP3 (Mascot)
They say you can’t go home again, but Black Stone Cherry proves otherwise on Kentucky. The hard-rocking Bluegrass State quartet recorded its fifth album, and follow-up to 2014’s Magic Mountain, at Barrick Recording in Glasgow, KY, where it recorded its 2006 debut album. [Limited copies available on white vinyl.]
Bleached – Welcome The Worms CD/LP+MP3 (Dead Oceans)
L.A.-based sister duo Jennifer and Jessie Clavin knew things were going to be different for their band Bleached sophomore LP Welcome The Worms. Not only had they managed to charm world renowned producer Joe Chiccarelli (Morrissey, The Strokes, Elton John) to join the sisters and their bassist Micayla Grace in the studio, but Jen and Jessie had been crawling out of their own personal dramas. While emotionally spinning, they dove head first into music. The three girls spent time writing the 10-song LP at a remote house in Joshua Tree, away from the distractions of the city. Other times Jen and Jessie worked alone, just like when they were teenaged punk brats playing in their parents’ garage, imitating their heroes The Slits, Black Flag and Minor Threat. In the studio, Chiccarelli and co-producer Carlos de la Garza (Paramore, YACHT) helped the band perfect their fervent songs into fearlessly big pop melodies. They drew inspiration from the iconic hits of everyone from Fleetwood Mac to Heart to Roy Ayers. The result is an ambitious rock record with a new found pop refinement that somehow still feels like the Shangri-Las on speed, driven forward in a wind of pot and petals, a wall of guitars in the back seat.
Bombino – Azel CD (PTKF)
After a brief 25-hour delay in Morocco on his way from Niger, Bombino arrived in Woodstock, New York to record his 2016 album at Applehead Studio with Dave Longstreth (Dirty Projectors). Longstreth proved to be a fantastic match for Bombino as this album’s producer. He has a deep respect for the Saharan music tradition and guided their sessions with a gentle but skilled hand. Fans of Bombino and Tuareg music in general will notice a few remarkable innovations on Azel. Vinyl version due April 15.
Bossk – Audio Noir CD/LP (Deathwish)
Bossk are an atmospheric post-everything band from Ashford, Kent, England. Over the course of a decade Bossk have blurred the lines between the post metal and post rock sub-genres, earning respect in the underground music scene. Opener “The Reverie” transports the listener to new dimensions through hypnotic repetition and layered instrumentation before taking a turn into stoner doom territory with “Heliopause.” Emotional instrumental “Relancer” builds to a sonic crescendo while leading to the awesome “Kobe.” A song that shifts a multitude of gears before setting into one of the more chaotic hooks the band has ever produced. “Atom Smasher” then carries some of the heaviest moments of the album before beautifully disintegrating into the touching track “Nadir.”
Boulevards – Groove! CD/LP (Captured Tracks)
Jamil Rashad, aka Boulevards, is the embodiment of funk. He evokes a spirit from a time that combined intricate production with a focus on rhythm and getting people back on the dance floor. Taking queues from pioneers such as Prince, Rick James, and Earth Wind & Fire, Boulevards seamlessly delivers cheeky, party-themed jams that range from raw and risque to soulful on his debut LP Groove!
Charles Bradley – Changes CD/LP (Dunham/Daptone)
Soul singer Charles Bradleys star has been on the rise since the release of his widely praised 2011 debut album No Time For Dreaming, and his ascent has continued long after the release of his triumphant second album, 2013s Victim Of Love. Dubbed ‘The Screaming Eagle Of Soul,’ the singer is proud to present his third album Changes, which is named for his popular, “smoldering” (SPIN) cover of the Black Sabbath track. “Bradley’s third album, Changes, continues in the general path of his previous work, with some key alterations. The rhythms inch closer to modernity, and the material suggests Bradley and his songwriting partners in the Menahan Street Band recognize there’s a limit to how many visits he can make to the well of autobiographical woe. The lyrics are a touch more upbeat — there are songs celebrating the redeeming power of love alongside ones that chronicle devastation. The music pulses with 2016 energy, achieving an appropriate, and conceptually clever, balance of vintage and modern. It’s the perfect platform for a singer determined to make up for lost time, and Bradley seizes it, transforming the trappings of classic soul into music that’s thrillingly, undeniably alive.” – NPR
Anthony Braxton – 3 Compositions (EEMHM) 2011 3xCD/Blu-ray Audio (Firehouse 12)
Braxton’s latest immersive musical system, Echo Echo Mirror House Music, is available as triple-CD box set or as a 5.1 surround sound pure audio Blu-ray, with composer’s notes and score illustrations. “Here, Braxton and six bandmates play their usual instruments, while also ‘wielding’ iPods that contain the bulk of Braxton’s discography. Each musician uses their hardware to pipe selections of old recordings into the live-performance mix. Over time, the resulting blend of improvisation, score-reading and fragmentary drops from past albums has a compelling, hypnotic effect.” [8.2] — Pitchfork
Buzzcocks – British Live Performance Series CD (Rainman)
Seminal British punk band Buzzcocks reunited in the late- ‘80s after 10 years around the time of this performance, recorded live for British “Central TV.” The same tight, fast, lyrically sharp songs that first brought them acclaim in 1977 are present here, including “Ever Fallen In Love,” “Walking Distance,” and “Autonomy,” along with some lesser-known tracks.
Bill Charlap – Notes From New York CD (Verve/¡Impulse!)
One of the world’s premiere jazz pianists, Bill Charlap has performed with many leading artists of our time, ranging from Phil Woods and Tony Bennett to Gerry Mulligan and Wynton Marsalis. Charlap and Bennet recently collaborated on a record of Jerome Kern songs and now, over nine classic songs, Charlap’s new album, Notes From New York, provides an accomplished and generously warm sample of the talent of this inimitable musician.
Cheap Trick – Bang, Zoom, Crazy… Hello CD (Big Machine)
Now into their fourth decade of recording, Bang, Zoom, Crazy…Hello marks Cheap Trick s 17th studio album and was produced by Grammy winner Julian Raymond. Pulsating riffs intertwine with the anthemic chorus in this first taste of new music in over five years from the iconic four-piece from Rockford, IL. “Power pop greats Cheap Trick made headlines a few years back for fighting against unsafe stage conditions, but now they’re back in the news for making more music. Bang, Zoom, Crazy… Hello is prefaced by a new single titled ‘No Direction Home,’ which delivers a heaping helping of the guitar riffs and catchy choruses that the band have built their career on.” – Exclaim
Child Bite – Negative Noise CD/LP (Housecore)
What started as a thoughtful-yet-spazzy art rock band in a Detroit suburb back in late 2005 has now fully mutated into an aggressive, dissonant blend of all things punk, hardcore, sludge, surf, prog rock, noise rock and metal.
CoH – Music Vol. CD (Editions Mego)
Ivan Pavlov aka CoH presents Music Vol., immersing the listener in a delicate sonic space of gentle, intimate tones. Pavlov places variations of volume and soft progressions of sound at the fore, forcing the listener to pay attention to the inner qualities of each sound — its color and vibration — while simultaneously revealing its tactile and corporeal qualities; these atmospheric settings invite the listener into complete immersion and meditation in a painstakingly continuous arc of suspense that never dissolves.
John Congleton and The Nighty Nite – Until The Horror Goes CD/LP (Fat Possum)
Until The Horror Goes, Grammy award-winning producer (St. Vincent, David Byrne, Explosions In The Sky) John Congleton’s debut full-length album as John Congleton and The Nighty Nite, is a howling, sardonic document of existential angst. It is a raw record compelled by an anxiety particular to our time and place, squarely out of fashion with the post-industrial morass of music conceived and created to sell a lifestyle. One is reminded of John Cale, whose angry, emphatic Fear debuted the week “Rock Me Gently” by Andy Kim, a saccharine soft-rock ballad, sat at the top of the charts. Like Fear, and Lou Reed’s Berlin, and Suicide’s self-titled debut, chronicles of the f**ked up human condition all, Until The Horror Goes unsettles the listener with troublesome subject matter, enhancing that discomfort with screaming violins and machine-like repetitions.
Lucy Dacus – No Burden CD/LP (Egghunt)
“Richmond-based singer/songwriter Lucy Dacus’ No Burden is an uncommonly warm indie rock record. Lead guitar lines pour in like slow columns of sunlight, and Dacus’ voice itself is a comforting blur.” – Pitchfork
Miles Davis – Melbourne ’88 CD (Hi Hat)
Toward the end of his long career, Miles Davis paid his only visit down under, performing gigs in Adelaide, Sydney, and Melbourne. This superb set at the Melbourne Concert Hall on May 2, 1988, was broadcast on ABC-FM on his final night in Australia, and finds the great man focusing on his more recent material, as well as the immortal In A Silent Way. He also tackles tracks by Michael Jackson and Cyndi Lauper, backed by one of his very best bands.
Miles Davis – Chicago Jazz Festival ’90 CD (Hi Hat)
Though it was performed as he approached the final year of his life, this remarkable live set at the 12th Annual Chicago Jazz Festival at the Petrillo Music Shell in Grant Park, Chicago, on August 30, 1990, shows no decrease in Miles Davis’s awesome power and musicality. Originally broadcast on Washington, D.C.’s WPFW-FM, it finds him tackling material from his 1980s albums Star People, You’re Under Arrest, Tutu, and Amandla, backed by arguably his finest latter-day band.
Devour The Day – S.O.A.R. CD (Razor & Tie)
The acronym for the Memphis, TN hard rock band’s new album stands for acronym “suffer, overcome and recover.”
Dinner – Psychic Lovers CD (Captured Tracks)
Dinner is Danish producer and singer Anders Rhedin. Musically, the album exists in its own space between the 80’s, 90’s and the present. The songs are pop songs held together by somewhat idiosyncratic arrangements. Opener “Cool As Ice” sounds like the soundtrack to David Lynch directing Miami Vice with overdriven synthetic strings and an equally eerie and funky slap bass that slowly grow into a pop structure. Vinyl edition due April 15.
Drab Majesty – Completely Careless (2012-2015) CD (Dais)
This release presents the full discography, to date, of Drab Majesty, the atmospheric goth/pop project of Deb Demure: that’s a couple of EP’s and an album’s worth of ‘80s-feeling tunes.
Duel – Fears Of The Dead CD/LP (Heavy Psych Sounds)
Austin, Texas-based Duel are hugely influenced by the darker sounds of early- ’70s proto-metal. Featuring two alumni of Scorpion Child (Nuclear Blast), their sound is menacing and brutally old school. Total purists, they cut right to the bone with heavy, deep grooves and blistering tone. Tough and loud; hard rock as it should be. Cover artwork by Branca Studio. For fans of: Clutch, Black Sabbath, Blue Cheer, Kadavar, Scorpion Child. (Limited red color vinyl also available.)
Duo Taufic/Barbara Casini – Terras CD (Via Veneto Jazz)
The debut collaboration between Duo Taufic and vocalist Barbara Casini, exploring the musicians’ Brazilian roots.
Duran Duran – Girls On Film: 1979 Demo CDEP/12” (Cleopatra)
Rare demo recordings by a pre-Simon LeBon Duran Duran, with Andy Wickett alongside Nick Rhodes, John Taylor and Roger Taylor. Includes the original version of “Girls On Film” plus “See Me Repeat Me,” which would later become “Rio,” and two other songs that the group shopped around to various labels, eventually signing with EMI.
Elephant Revival – Petals CD/LP (Itz Evolving)
Fifth album from the Boulder, CO transcendental folks band. Formed in 2006, Elephant Revival is known for their thoughtful, literary inspired lyrics combined with an eclectic blend of arrangements performed with traditional folk instrumentation. RIYL: The Decemberists, Bon Iver, Old Crow Medicine Show, Dave Rawlings & Gillian Welch, Josh Ritter, Emmylou Harris.
Chiemi Eri – Chiemi Eri CD/LP (Akuphone)
A collection of the work of Japanese singer Chiemi Eri (1937-1982), showcasing her magical mixture of traditional min’yō and Latin jazz. Supported by Tadaaki Misago & Tokyo Cuban Boys, the oldest and most prolific Latin jazz group in Japan, Chiemi Eri sang themes, in Japanese, mainly taken from traditional folklore, creating an original musical syncretism of so-called Western and Japanese musics.
Explosions In The Sky – The Wilderness CD/2xLP+MP3 (Temporary Residence)
The Wilderness is Explosions In The Sky’s sixth album, and first non-soundtrack release since 2011’s Take Care, Take Care, Take Care. True to its title, The Wilderness explores the infinite unknown, utilizing several of the band’s own definitions of “space” (outer space, mental space, physical geography of space) as compositional tools. The band uses their gift for dynamics and texture in new and unique ways — rather than intuitively fill those empty spaces, they shine a light into them to illuminate all the colors of the dark. From the electronic textures of the opening track to the ambient dissolve of closer “Landing Cliffs,” The Wilderness is an aggressively modern and forward-thinking work — one that wouldn’t seem the slightest bit out of place on a shelf between original pressings of Meddle and Obscured By Clouds. It is an album where shoegaze, electronic experimentation, punk damaged dub, noise, and ambient folk somehow coexist without a hint of contrivance. The progressive ambience of early Peter Gabriel, the triumphant romanticism of The Cure in their prime, and the melancholy moments of Fleetwood Mac all inform the curious beauty of The Wilderness. [Limited transparent red and opaque white color vinyl pressing also available.]
Dana Falconberry and Medicine Bow – From The Forest Came The Fire CD/LP (Modern Outsider)
“To borrow from a Jack Kerouac album title, the lyrics to Dana Falconberry’s ‘Cormorant’ feel like an amalgam of blues and haikus. The Dearborn-bred/Austin-based troubadour is adept at using natural imagery, and on this stand-out track from her new album, From The Forest Came The Fire, the themes and concision of haikus blend with the simple AAB format of traditional blues within Falconberry’s personalized indie-folk and chamber-pop framework. Over the gentle picking of banjo and pizzicato cello, Falconberry’s cool, crystalline tones quietly deliver verses that put her in an undefined relationship to natural environments, a relationship that seems to shift as the song goes along. In the first few verses, she is aloft with avian associations, being ‘as pale as a white bird’ at the start and watching ‘a cormorant in flight,’ the simple intelligence of the imagery beautifully reflecting the sparseness of the production. But then the whole track opens up with a flurry of plangent electric guitar lines, syncopated drum patterns, and wordless vocal harmonies. By the time the dynamics are dialed back down for the next set of verses, Falconberry’s perspective has altered. She has either become the cormorant or is desperately wishing that she could.” – NPR
The Field – The Follower CD/2xLP+MP3 (Kompakt)
Celebrated Kompakt staple The Field returns to the spotlight with The Follower, his fifth full-length album. His most floor-attuned work yet, The Follower continues Swedish soundsmith Axel Willner’s rich trademark sound and goes further than ever in blurring the lines between concrete experimentation, body music, and precisely laid-out arrangement.
Frankie Cosmos – Next Thing CD/LP (Bayonet)
Greta Kline’s musical output as Frankie Cosmos exemplifies the generation of musicians born out of online self-releasing. Kline initially built a reputation with her prolific catalog of bedroom recordings and as a performer and advocate of New York’s All Ages DIY scene. The beauty in Kline’s writing does not lie within immense statements and large gestures, but instead can be found in her ability to examine situations and relationships with heartbreaking sincerity. She makes a funny and dense experimental pop, sure, that pays reference to songwriters like Jeffrey Lewis, but also the arrangements of a group like Belle & Sebastian. On Next Thing she keeps the bedroom, DIY attitude, but also expands it with a range of instruments and styles. “‘I’m 20, washed up already,’ sings Frankie Cosmos on the appositely-titled ‘I’m 20,’ in what may just be the most misleading lyric of the year. With over 30 releases to her name and associated acts since 2012, the young New Yorker has been carving out a name alongside the likes of Car Seat Headrest and Alex G at the vanguard of the hyper-prolific Bandcamp generation.” – The Skinny
Robbie Fulks – Upland Stories CD/LP (Bloodshot)
Upland Stories continues and — with sprinklings of pedal steel, drums, electric guitar, and keyboards — expands the sound of Fulks’ last acoustic set. His richly emotional storytelling is illuminated by his instrumental prowess and emotional voice. At 53, he is philosophically reflective, writing “with clear eyes and a full heart.” — NPR
Giant Sand – proVISIONS [Reissue/2008] 2xCD (Fire America)
Arizonian desert-rock band Giant Sand initially released proVISIONS in 2008. The album features appearances from Gelb favorites Neko Case, Isobel Campbell and M Ward. “The Desperate Kingdom Of Love” is a cover penned by friend PJ Harvey. Recorded partly in Tucson and partly in Denmark, it’s an “array of peyote rock, twilight ballads, space cowboy soundtracks, and spooky sidetracks off the beaten path on par with the band’s best work.” – Pitchfork
Laura Gibson – Empire Builder CD/LP (Barsuk)
Singer/songwriter Laura Gibson gathered a stellar band of old friends to complement the intimate Empire Builder: guitarist/bassist Dave Depper (Death Cab for Cutie, Menomena), drummer/percussionist Dan Hunt (Neko Case) and composer/violinist Peter Broderick. Other contributors include Nate Query of the Decemberists and vocalist Alela Diane.
Graves At Sea – The Curse That Is CD/2xLP+MP3 (Relapse)
Take industrial drones, Black Sabbath-inspired riffing and super sludgy production and you get The Curse That Is, the debut from Graves At Sea. This collection of doomy sludge has taken almost fifteen years to emerge, but the band’s dense and distorted sound has always sounded modern.
Hammock – Everything And Nothing CD (Hammock Music)
Hammock returns with Everything And Nothing, the Nashville duos first full-length album since 2013s critically-acclaimed Oblivion Hymns. “Largely instrumental, with occasional (and often ethereal) male and female vocals used sparingly to complement the whole and magnify the human relevance, Everything And Nothing is a collection of rangy mood pieces. Musically and emotionally, it ebbs and flows with the kind of brooding atmospheric ambience that people like to call ‘post-rock.’ Conceptually, we are told, it’s about ‘enduring life’s trials and tribulations, and letting hope be the beacon to guide you through it.’ The sixteen tracks here represent personal struggle, taking the listener on a journey of doubt and change, hinting at oblivion but leaving us with hope and optimism” –Über Röck. Vinyl version due April 29.
Harmonia – Documents 1975 CD/LP (Gröenland)
“Grönland casually drop a rocket’s worth of virgin krautrock fuel with the previously unreleased Documents 1975 tape capturing Moebius, Roedelius, Rother and Eno playing live between their idyllic Forst studio and venues in Hamburg.” — Boomkat
The Heavy – Hurt & The Merciless CD/LP+MP3 (Bad Son)
Hurt & The Merciless marks a musical culmination for The Heavy, a mesmerizing blend of their trademark rock ‘n’ roll classicism and funk and soul grooves, with added sonic experimentation. Self-produced, the band’s main aim when recording was to capture the powerful energy of their live show—that life-affirming spark of rock ‘n’ roll when anything feels possible. The 12 track album features lead single “Since You Been Gone,” with its lolloping groove, plus the spiky garage-rock anthem “What Happened To The Love?”
iamthemorning – Lighthouse CD (Kscope)
New studio album from Russian progressive duo. Lighthouse is a rich and eclectic album, with echoes of classical music, the Canterbury scene, northern folk, jazz and electronic sounds. Vinyl version due April 15.
Isaak – Sermonize CD (Small Stone)
“With their second full-length under their current moniker, Genova-based heavy rockers Isaak hit their stride. Their earlier-2015 Heavy Psych Sounds split with Mos Generator gave advance notice of some significant growth in their sound since the 2012 release of their Small Stone debut, The Longer The Beard The Harder The Sound, but with Sermonize, they affirm more open stylizations and increased penchant for atmosphere, making the 12 included tracks a richer, more engaging listening experience.” – The Obelisk
Kaada/Patton – Bacteria Cult CD/LP (Ipecac)
Norwegian composer John Kaada and Mike Patton have partnered for Bacteria Cult, the pair’s first Kaada/Patton release since 2007’s Kaada/Patton Live DVD and the first album from the musicians since 2004’s Romances. “Working with John Kaada on this latest release was an honor and pure pleasure,” said Patton of resuming work Kaada. “His compositions have always resonated deeply with me and his orchestral arrangements for this project are harmonically dense and delicious! Each individual piece is so well constructed and inventively assembled that my vocal passages practically sang themselves. I’m hoping very much that we can seduce some eardrums and welcome listeners into this lush sonic ‘otherworld.’” “We wanted to try new things,” explains Kaada. “Fully utilizing new technologies, combined with a large orchestra, while putting more attention towards melody and structure.” The eight-song, orchestral collection exudes the music Ipecac has become well known for: eclectic, experimental and cinematic. Similar in feel to Fantômas’ Director’s Cut, as Kaada describes it, Bacteria Cult “dwells in the twilight zone where spooky and seductive meet.”
King Tubby vs Channel One – Dub Soundclash CD/LP (Jamaican Recordings)
Anyone who knows anything about dub will know that the names King Tubby and Channel One are synonymous with the finest deep-grade dub. Dub Soundclash delivers just what it promises as the two institutions go head to head. Available on vinyl or CD (six bonus tracks have been added to the CD edition).
La Chinga – Freewheelin’ CD (Small Stone)
New album from the Vancouver heavy rock band “[ranges] from psychedelic Pink Floyd rock to groovin’ ZZ Top blues, mixing Zeppelin with Buffalo and Motörhead with AC/DC.” – Angry Metal Guy
The Last Shadow Puppets – Everything You’ve Come To Expect CD/LP+MP3/LP+7”+MP3 (Domino)
Everything You’ve Come To Expect finds The Last Shadow Puppets’ Alex Turner and Miles Kane reunited with James Ford (production and drums) and Owen Pallett (string arrangements) and joined by Zachary Dawes (Mini Mansions) on bass. The album is a more open and expansive work than its predecessor, wearing its influences less obviously on its sleeve – by turns the album is soaring, snarling and breathlessly seductive. “Unlike their debut, Everything You’ve Come To Expect isn’t fixated on the ’60s baroque-pop of Scott Walker and David Axelrod, although a different vibe and era – ’70s soft-rock and blue-eyed soul – does prevail in places. The standout moments tend to be the softer, sweeter ones, with Turner putting that sardonic croon to good use on ‘Sweet Dreams, TN’ and the surreal ‘The Dream Synopsis’, while the honeyed soul-pop of ‘Miracle Aligner’ and ‘The Element Of Surprise’ sound custom-made for sunset cruises along the Pacific Coast Highway” – NME. [CD and vinyl both available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe CD features hard-book-style packaging with a 40-page booklet, while the Deluxe vinyl edition is HQ-180gm, packaged in a board-mounted gatefold sleeve with a 32-page booklet and a translucent yellow 7” featuring the bonus track “The Bourne Identity.”]
Lil Keke – Slfmade CD (Hustletown)
New album from the rapper featuring guests Scarface, Paul Wall, Z-Ro, Big Pokey and more.
Egisto Macchi – Il Deserto/Pittura Contemporanea/Pittura Moderna N.1 & 2 3xCD (Cinedelic)
Remastered reissues of four rare ’70s gems by Italian composer Egisto Macchi, collected in a deluxe box with canvas cover. Includes Il Deserto (1974), Pittura Contemporanea (1975), and Pittura Moderna No.1 and No.2 (originally released together as a double LP in 1975). Macchi cofounded the Association of New Consonance in 1960, cofounded the experimental electronic lab Studio R7 in 1967, and joined the Gruppo di Improvvisazione Nuova Consonanza that same year; in the ’70s he experimented with library music and film scores, releasing numerous noteworthy soundtracks on the Ayna label (including those reissued here), which gave him full artistic freedom.
Dave McDonnell Group – Eidetic CD (Whistler)
On this thrilling new live recording, Cincy-based saxophonist/composer Dave McDonnell rips through the workhorses in the songbook he’s been developing over the years with his Chicago ensemble. Featuring Jason Adasiewcz on vibraphone, Joshua Abrams on bass, and Quin Kirchner (Nomo, Wild Belle) on drums, the group re-interprets his songs by embracing an Occam’s Razor-like approach, opting for the most direct method of channeling his music through the ensemble.
McGuinn, Clark & Hillman – Armadillo World Headquarters Austin, TX, 1979 CD (Air Cuts)
Complete radio broadcast of original Byrds Roger McGuinn, Gene Clark, and Chris Hillman performing together at the famed Armadillo World Headquarters in Austin, Texas, on May 22, 1979. One of only a handful of FM broadcasts that capture the pivotal essence of the legendary Byrds, with a glorious smattering of classics from The Byrds songbook.
Mike & The Melvins – Three Men And A Baby CD/LP+MP3/Cassette (Sub Pop)
Three Men And A Baby was supposed to come out sixteen years ago. These are the facts we can be sure of: in 1998, around the time his band godheadSilo went on hiatus, bassist/vocalist Mike Kunka busied himself by tagging along on a tour with his friends The Melvins. Somewhere along the way, Mike And The Melvins – King Buzzo (guitar/bass/vocals), Dale Crover (drums/vocals), and Kevin Rutmanis (bass/vocals), at the time – decided to make a record together, and gave the project the imaginative moniker Mike And The Melvins. Sub Pop, ever on the hunt for music’s Next Big Thing, enthusiastically agreed to fund and release the super-group’s debut, and recording commenced sometime in 1999. It’s at that point that things got hazy. Whatever the reasons for the delay, the incomplete recording languished on a shelf from 1999 until 2015, when, much to everyone’s surprise, the involved parties reconvened, finished the recording, and delivered it post-haste to Sub Pop International Headquarters.
Guido Möbius – Batagur Baska CD/LP+MP3 (Shitkatapult)
Berlin-based musician Guido Möbius presents his fifth album, Batagur Baska. From bouncy analog synths to bossa moods, grinding industrial percussion, backward vocals, screams, and more, Möbius deals in sudden shifts from the mild and friendly to the darkly morbid, exploring the interplay between friction and harmony — sound and noise — to hold a suspenseful balance between melodiousness and discord.
Moderat – III CD/2xLP (Mute)
Intent on creating something that contrasted their own individual projects, Moderat — the trio comprised of Gernot Bronsert, Sebastian Szary (aka Modeselektor) and Sascha Ring (aka Apparat) — complete the trilogy with III. III pairs an emotional pull with sensual imagery, creating dynamic sound and depth with sophisticated lyrics and themes as they direct their gaze inward. Apparat gives unfiltered insight into his personal take on the journey we call life – he is opening up, discussing his shadow, his fears and doubts. Modeselektor reach another level, develop an intoxicating energy with their distinct rhythmical textures. One of the best parts of Moderat is their use of electronics to achieve orchestral diversity.
Deiter Moebius – Blotch [Reissue/1999] CD/LP (Bureau B)
Deiter Moebius – Nurton [Reissue/2006] CD/LP (Bureau B)
Dieter Moebius — half of the legendary duo Cluster and the godfather of electronic krautrock — passed away in the summer of 2015. In 2016, Bureau B begins rereleasing his final four solo albums, starting with his 1999 album Blotch – a work of loop-based pieces that playfully and sensuously hypnotize the listener, delving into experimental sonic atmospheres that recall Cluster’s somewhat more oblique early material. With Nurton, Moebius demonstrates his true greatness, harnessing unexpected flaws and layering seemingly arbitrary noise-based loops for supremely comforting, hypnotic atmospheres while incorporating playful digital lead sounds and a diverse sonic palette.
The Monochrome Set – Volume, Contrast, Brilliance… Unreleased & Rare Vol. 2 CD/LP (Tapete)
A collection of previously unreleased and rare gems by English post-punk band The Monochrome Set, spanning 1978 to 1991. As part of the first wave of post-punk bands, the band earned a solid reputation as purveyors of fine pop and won praise from ’80s contemporaries such as Morrissey and Edwyn Collins; later artists including Franz Ferdinand, The Divine Comedy, and Graham Coxon have cited The Monochrome Set as a key influence on their own work.
Moonsorrow – Jumalten Aika CD/2xCD/2xLP+CD (Century Media)
Seventh full-length album by Finnish pagan metal band. [CD is available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe adds a two track bonus disc of covers and a patch with alternate digipak packaging. Limited copies also pressed on clear vinyl.]
New Keepers Of The Water Towers – Infernal Machine CD (Listenable)
New album from the Swedish sci-fi prog-rock act. Vinyl version due April 15.
Willie Nile – World War Willie CD (River House)
“The dozen-song set lives up to Nile’s reputation as a world-class songwriter, a singularly energetic performer and a true rock ‘n’ roll believer. Currently in the fourth decade of a recording career that’s yielded a panoply of musical riches, the New York-bred artist is currently experiencing an exciting renaissance at a time when many of his contemporaries are winding down or giving up. World War Willie embodies the distinctive mix of urgency, introspection, idealism and self-effacing humor that’s long endeared Willie Nile to his admirers.” – The Daily Country
Novembre – Ursa CD/LP (Peaceville)
Ursa is the seventh and latest album from Italy’s atmospheric death/doom metal purveyors.
Operators – Blue Wave CD/LP (Last Gang)
Dan Boeckner (Wolf Parade, Handsome Furs, Divine Fits) presents the debut album from his band Operators. Boeckner has shown his diverse musical taste over the years; consequently, his decision to focus his attention on a new, analog post-punk project shouldn’t be surprising as it feels like nothing more than a natural progression from the first synth he bought for the debut Wolf Parade EP, to the primarily stark, digital sounds of Handsome Furs, and now the organic, melted, deeply dance driven Operators. “[Title track] ‘Blue Wave’ continues to ride the crest of ’80s sounds that propel much of Operators’ music. Kraut rock guitars slice through the electronic haze of the track as synth and horns skip hand-in-hand along the bouncy rhythm. Still, the arc of the song feels like it’s heading downwards the entire time, and like body surfing a killer curl, you know that eventually it’s all going to crash.” – Consequence Of Sound
Oranjjoolius – Oranjjoolius 2xCD (Cleopatra)
Oranjjoolius boasts an array of styles careening from grandiose rock to Dick Dale-esque surf to electro punk — all blended together in perfect chaotic harmony, and packaged here with a full-length live concert bonus disc. Guest performers include Kishi Bashi (Of Montreal, Jupiter One) and theremin player Armen Ra.
Sunny Ozell – Take A Trip With Me CD (MRI Associated)
Take It With Me is a brilliant introduction to songstress Sunny Ozell. Combining tunes that include both brand new, original songs and spellbinding re-imaginings of rarities from the American songbook, the album showcases Ozell’s stellar vocal talents. Infused with a soulful patchwork of blues, jazz, classic country, gospel and roots music, Take It With Me offers a mesmerizing journey through different musical styles and eras in a unique way.
Pacific 231 – Ethnicities CD (Rotorelief)
Ethnicities is a collection of previously unreleased recordings from Pacific 231’s post-industrial period. Successive and consecutive cuts were made before the artist put together the concept of the album as a multicultural diversity of sounds, with tropical steams, exotic journeys, electronic manipulations, urban dins, and industrial mazes. Vinyl version due April 15.
Pacific 231 & Vox Populi! – Aramesh CD (Rotorelief)
A synthesis of East-meets-West colliding with the most experimental sounds and collages. Building up stacks of multi-directional creations using binaural technology to fully immerse the listener.
Felix Pappalardi & Creation – Travelling In The Dark: Live… Denver ’76 CD (Air Cuts)
As Cream’s “fourth member,” Felix Pappalardi was already a rock legend by the time he founded Mountain in 1969. Having enjoyed worldwide success with them, in 1973 he departed to collaborate with Japanese rockers Creation. This superb live set at the Ebbets Field club in Denver, Colorado, on July 30, 1976, was broadcast on KCUV-FM shortly after the release of their first album together, and includes contemporary material as well as an epic 20-minute rendition of Mountain’s classic “Nantucket Sleighride.”
Pears – Green Star CD/LP (Fat Wreck Chords)
Pears laid siege to the punk world with their 2014 debut release Go To Prison and have been on buzz-generating rampage ever since. After spending the better part of two years turning the hardcore scene on its ear, Pears continue along the warpath with their anticipated follow up full-length Green Star. Songs tear in and out of furious hardcore and melodic punk, with ankle breaking tempo changes, frenetic guitar riffs, and impelling vocals.
Pet Shop Boys – Super CD/LP (x2)
“The Pet Shop Boys, one of the most prolific acts in electronic pop, return yet again with their Stuart Price-helmed 13th studio album Super. (Fun fact: The duo’s very first record, Please, came out in March of 1986 — almost exactly 30 years ago.) The new album, according to PSB, is meant to evoke the ‘London club scene of the early ’90s,’ which makes lead single ‘The Pop Kids’ a suitably nostalgic way to formally kick off the campaign. ‘Remember those days, the early ’90s?’ Neil declares above a dreamy throwback ’90s club pulsations while wistfully reminiscing about those halcyon days at university. ‘They called us the pop kids ’cause we loved the pop hits / And quoted the best bits, so we were the pop kids / I loved you…’ PSB have always championed an unapologetic love of disco music and pop hits, and this thumping tune is no exception: ‘We were young, but imagined we were so sophisticated / Telling everyone we knew that rock was overrated,’ Neil sings. It’s like a lyrical nod to ‘Paninaro’ (‘I don’t like rockabilly or rock ‘n’ roll particularly’) and ‘Can You Forgive Her?’ (‘She’s made you some kind of laughing stock / Because you dance to disco and you don’t like rock.’) Hey, some themes are forever.” – Pop Crush
Purple – Bodacious CD/LP (PIAS America)
The gritty Texas trio, Purple, whose music encompasses reggae, funk, pop, rock and hip-hop seamlessly are back with their sophomore album, Bodacious.
Ray Rocket – Do You Wanna Go To Tijuana CD/LP+MP3 (Rise)
Debut solo album from Ray Rocket (better known as Ray Carlisle from Teenage Bottlerocket). [Color vinyl also available.]
Anoushka Shankar – Land Of Gold CD (Deutsche Grammophon)
Anoushka Shankar returns with her fourth album on Deutsche Grammophon, Land Of Gold, a fervent response to the humanitarian crisis of displaced people fleeing conflict and poverty. With exquisite arrangements blending genres and musical collaborations, Land Of Gold is a message of enduring hope from the virtuoso sitar player, featuring guest vocalists M.I.A. (“Jump In (Cross the Line)”) and Alev Lenz (“Land Of Gold”) as well as actress Vanessa Redgrave (“Remain The Sea”).
The Sheep – War Babies CD (Stoned Circle)
Clearly taking their musical influences from bands like Jefferson Airplane while dedicated to a full-on declaration of gospel truth, and armed with fuzz guitars, Hammond organ, and the leading talents of Greg Nancarrow, The Sheep took the Christian rock scene by storm with two albums and a rock opera soundtrack. Stoned Circle takes a precarious leap into psychedelic Christian rock and invites you to an alternative heavy sabbath.
Skeletons – Am I Home? CD/LP/Cassette (Shinkoyo)
Am I Home? Is the ninth album by Skeletons, the fluctuating ensemble of musicians around composer, songwriter, and filmmaker Matthew Mehlan. The album also features Jason McMahon and an assembled wrecking crew of Greg Fox (Liturgy, Zs, Guardian Angel), Justin Frye (Pc Worship), Matt Nelson, Sam Sowyrda (Cloud Becomes Your Hand), Mike Pride, Mike Gallope (Janka Nabay, Starring), as well as Nathaniel Morgan and Caley Monahan-Ward (Extra Life, Voice Coils). The aim being the pursuit of the aesthetic of classic ‘70s epic, extended, uninterrupted recording time, with studio as instrument. This has been pushed off from the banks of jazz, pop, chamber music and has set sail for the sort of inimitable space only these musicians can create.
Slobberbone – Bees And Seas: The Best Of Slobberbone CD/2xLP+MP3 (New West)
The story goes, Slobberbone was born in a Denton, TX Park ‘n’ Go beer store parking lot in early 1992. Over the course of the next four years the band would cut their teeth and earn their chops across the Texas music landscape. 1996 brought forth the release of the band’s debut album, Crow Pot Pie. The band would release three more albums — Barrel Chested (1997), Everything You Thought Was Right Was Wrong Today (2000), and Slippage (2000) — before calling it quits. Bees And Seas: The Best of Slobberbone is a not a mere greatest hits album but more a creative retrospective, a painstakingly selected group of songs that best represent who the band is and was.
Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith – Ears CD/LP (Western Vinyl)
“Smith has been building a reputation over the past few years for her otherworldly synthesizer transmissions, typically composed on a Buchla Music Easel. Speaking on the instrument, she says ‘nothing compares to the sound of a Buchla. In my mind a Buchla synthesizer has the most human sound in it.’ For Ears she sought to avoid a computer whenever possible, using the Buchla before arranging for woodwinds and implementing granular synthesis techniques.” – Resident Advisor
Soundtrack – Miles Ahead CD (Sony Legacy)
Soundtrack to Don Cheadle’s wildly entertaining and moving exploration of Miles Davis, featuring musical highlights from Miles’ career and new recordings overseen by Grammy Award-winning jazz/hip-hop artist Robert Glasper.
Jan St. Werner – Felder CD/LP+MP3 (Thrill Jockey)
Jan St. Werner, a well-respected artist and musician known for his solo compositions, his work with Mouse On Mars, and art pieces, has created a beautifully rhythmic, instantly gripping work with his new album Felder. Werner meticulously cultivates unexpected sounds and uses them to create an album that is beautiful and complex, but also incredibly approachable. He incorporates elements of jazz, folk, drone, IDM, and various other styles into the album, highlighting his ability to effortlessly build compositions that are boundless and intricate.
The Summer Set – Stories For Monday CD (Fearless)
An infectious brand of feel-good, edgy pop-rock.
Tacocat – Lost Time CD/LP+MP3 (Hardly Art)
“Seattle punk four-piece Tacocat were ahead of their time eight years ago when they chose a moniker combining two things that would blow up on the internet. That’s just a minor observation but it’s indicative of the progressive thinking and songwriting the band laces into shoegazing awesomeness. They’re a feminist punk band, but they’re also humanist. I agree with this sentiment because I feel if you see someone dealing with the same shitty feelings as you are, even when resulting from a different system of oppression and discrimination, it’s narrow minded and ultimately detrimental to your struggle to ignore theirs. So in addition to the obvious and unapologetic feminism on Lost Time, there is a relatability that resonates and elevates it to something much bigger than this specific body of work at this moment in time. It also helps that the songs are excellent.” — Stereogum
Tancred – Out Of The Garden CD/LP+MP3/Cassette (Polyvinyl)
Out Of The Garden is a mission statement that underscores the “power” in power-pop and is punctuated by lyrics as razor-sharp as the hooks. Written over a two-year period during a break from touring, the album’s emphasis on re-defining feminine expectations was shaped by primary songwriter Jess Abbott’s experiences living in Minneapolis and working at a liquor store in a rough part of town. Abbott’s fearlessness to discuss personal topics is referenced in the album’s title, an allusion to exiting Eden and leaving behind all the restrictive cultural norms engrained in the Biblical “paradise”: tradition, purity, holiness, binary gender, heterosexuality, and the idea that anything is forbidden (especially for women). (Limited copies available on HQ-180gm translucent teal vinyl.)
Teen Suicide – It’s The Big Joyous Celebration, Let’s Stir The Honeypot CD/LP (Run For Cover)
Teen Suicide’s new album, It’s the Big Joyous Celebration, Let’s Stir The Honeypot is also, according to the band, their final record. Recorded over fourteen months with a Robert Altman-sized group of collaborators and performers, it’s both a skeleton key for the band’s earlier work and a great corrective addition to it. Updating rather than refuting all of the past themes and styles of their revered first LP I Will Be My Own Hell Because There Is A Devil Inside My Body and numerous EPs, Big Joyous Celebration shifts between punk, noise, country, house and a myriad of other electric dance genres to create something as messy, sprawling, and captivating as its mouthful of a title. Spread over 26 tracks, there is plenty that Teen Suicide’s swansong has to say for itself in the band’s distinct, captivating, and refreshingly enjoyable voice.
Ten Years After – British Live Performance Series CD (Rainman)
1989 live set from iconic blues-rock band Ten Years After. Featuring the band’s classic line-up with guitarist Alvin Lee, the set covers the band’s whole storied career.
Teddy Thompson and Kelly Jones – Little Windows CD/LP (Cooking Vinyl)
Teddy and Kelly first sang together on a George Jones track at LA’s Club Largo in 2011. It was love at first note and not long after they embarked on a bi-coastal musical relationship (she in L.A., he in NYC) writing the songs that would become Little Windows along with partner Bill DeMain. Inspired by the Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly and Sam Cooke, the ten gorgeous songs that comprise this album explore the joy and sorrows of love and the vagaries of the human heart.
Highlights include the wide-eyed wonderment of “Wondering,” the lingering nostalgia of the Instant Grat track “I Thought That We Said Goodbye,” the promises of “Make A Wish On Me,” the pleas of “Don’t Remind Me” and the self-deception of “Better At Lying.” In keeping with this classic sound, vocally reminiscent of Emmylou Harris and Gram Parsons, the album was recorded live to a 16 track tape machine by producer Mike Viola with a crackerjack band featuring Pete Thomas (drums), Davey Farragher (bass), Steve Elliot (guitar), Daniel Clarke (keys) and Teddy Thompson (guitar). Linda Thompson is the executive producer.
Henry Threadgill and Ensemble Double Up – Old Locks And Irregular Verbs CD (Pi)
“Threadgill doesn’t play a note here, but his presence is felt in the way that Ensemble Double Up—a band with two pianos, two alto saxophones, cello, tuba, and drums—coalesces and comes apart. His signatures—layered thoughts, focal shifts—are all over the piece. Solo episodes, dense environments, and strokes of individuality followed or overlapped with fearless ripostes share space as this sui generis septet does its work.” – All About Jazz
Tombs – All Empires Fall CD/LP+MP3 (Relapse)
“If [2014’s] Savage Gold was both the human and animal brain of Tombs, then All Empires Fall is pure animal: riff-based, completely ripping black metal. It’s my favorite production of a Tombs record to date, aided by the compositional atmospherics of keyboardist and second vocalist Fade Keiner.” – Metal Sucks
Trapper Schoepp – Rangers & Valentines CD/LP (Xtra Mile)
On Rangers & Valentines, Schoepp defies the limitations of the standard-issue Americana platter, hopping genres you’ll hear lots of brass, backing singers and B3 — as the songs build to delirious musical highs. His narratives, meanwhile, find subjects in the narrow margins of society, the strange twists (literal and metaphorical) in the weather, and the vagaries of a troubadour’s transient life with lyrics that flash a lacerating wit and humanist streak that’s at the core of his craft. Produced by pop polymath and Raconteurs member Brendan Benson at his Readymade Studios in Nashville, the record finds Schoepp handling vocals, guitar and harmonica.
The Underground Set – War In The Night Before [Reissue/1971] CD (Cindelic)
First reissue of one of the most important and rare Italian rock albums of the ’70s. The Underground Set was Italian band Nuova Idea, releasing under an assumed name for contractual reasons; War In The Night Before, their second album under this name, is heavier than their debut, with fuzz guitar, Mellotron, and Black Sabbath-style riffs that anticipate what would be defined, decades later, as “stoner rock.”
Jozef van Wissem – When Shall This Bright Day Begin CD (Consouling Sounds)
Van Wissem’s new eight-song effort features a couple vocal collaborations with Zola Jesus. Which is no surprise; the singer also worked on van Wissem’s score for the Jim Jarmusch movie Only Lovers Left Alive, opening the door to the “experimental dark folk/rock-orientated emphasis” he embraced this time around.
Various Artists [Paul Bowles] – Music Of Morocco: Recorded by Paul Bowles, 1959 4xCD+Book (Dust-To-Digital)
Traditional Moroccan music recorded by Paul Bowles during a four-month journey through the country in 1959. Silkscreened cigar box with foil stamping details throughout, 120-page leatherette book, and four CDs containing 4 ½ hours of audio.
Various Artists [Coilectif] – In Memory Ov John Balance & Homage To Coil CD (Rotorelief)
An alchemical, magical, mystical homage to the legacy of Coil, featuring works by Ilitch, Pacific 231, Vivenza, Vox Populi!, Étant Donnés, and more. Vinyl edition due April 15.
Various Artists [Larry Levan] – Genius Of Time 2xCD (EMI)
A compilation of most of Levan’s best-known work, including mixes and remixes of Gwen Guthrie, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Jimmy Ross, Loose Joints and Grace Jones. “The twenty-two tracks on this definitive best-of compilation capture the slippery, pliant, ecstatic sound that defined Larry Levan as a producer, DJ and high priest for a club night deemed “Saturday Mass” by its attendees.” [8.8/Best New Reissue] – Pitchfork
Various Artists [Sasha] – Late Night Tales Presents Sasha: Scene Delete CD+MP3/3xLP+MP3 (Late Night Tales)
“Imagine listening to music inspired by Frahm, Richter and Steve Reich, but made by one of the UK’s leading house and techno DJs. Away from the hubbub of the club, the craziness of Ibiza, there’s a contemplative side to everybody. Forget the beats and the sweat and the billowing anthems; this quiet, undulating, at times pastoral piece is less about songs and anthems and more about texture and atmosphere. Scene Delete is a side of Sasha you’ve never heard before. Think of Scene Delete as somewhere between a mix album, an artist album and a gentle stroll through the soundtrack in your mind. Make sure you switch off the lights before you enter.” [Includes a download code for album in continuous and unmixed modes.]
Various Artists – Algo Salvaje (Untamed 60s Beat And Garage Nuggets From Spain Vol. 2) CD/2xLP (Munster)
The second volume of Munster’s Algo Salvaje series, continuing the first legal anthology devoted to a rich period when hundreds of bands appeared all over Spain and vented their teenage rebellion through loud guitars — with amazing results. Many of the 28 tracks are reissued for the first time, including very hard-to-find records. Both formats include extensive notes by Vicente Fabuel featuring artist photos and all the original record sleeves.
Various Artists – Hamburg Elektronisch 3 2xCD (Hafendisko)
The third installment in the Hamburg Elektronisch compilation series, collecting electronic music from Hamburg. Includes tracks by DJ Koze, Remute, Smallpeople, Extrawelt, Isolée, Lawrence, Vincenzo, Boris Dlugosch remixed by Session Victim, and more, in addition to 15 exclusives by artists including Wareika, Erobique, Oliver Huntemann, RVDS, and more.
Various Artists – Upside Down: Coloured Dreams From Underworld CD (Particles)
A lysergic pop extravaganza featuring original flower power wonders from the psychedelic age way down under in Australasia, 1966-’71. From the luminous void that yields such pleasures as Peter Best and The Expression to other lysergic pop platters promising menacing feats of apocalyptic punch courtesy of Cam-Pact, The La De Das, Travis Wellington Hedge, The Wheelbarrow, Sons of Bacchus, Zoot, and The Clik, Upside Down delivers 20 long-forgotten relics with a potent collection of psychedelic misadventure. Also includes tracks by Larry’s Rebels, The Simple Image, Dave ‘n’ Lee, Autumn, The Society, Steve and the Board, and Climax 5.
Orlando Voorn – In My World CD (Rush Hour)
Released last month on vinyl – now available on CD. Dutch legend Orlando Voorn restates his unique approach to techno with In My World. With his sense for abstract melodies and drum programming, Voorn has always ranked as a true master. In My World confirms it — beautiful, suspended, rich in detail… it’s that high-tech funk.
Leon Vynehall – Rojus (Designed To Dance) CD/2xLP (Running Back)
English DJ and producer Leon Vynehall presents a work of functional club music created with samples of birds-of-paradise.
Wedding Present – Live 1993 2xCD (Scopitones)
Two beautifully mastered mixing-desk recordings of 1993 performances by The Wedding Present in Tokyo and Windsor, England.
Weezer – Weezer (White Album) CD/LP+MP3 (Crush Music)
Rivers Cuomo described Weezer’s tenth album as a “beach album,” based on his experiences “hanging around the Westside of Los Angeles, with people in Venice and Santa Monica, the beach, the Hare Krishnas, the Sikh on roller blades with the guitar, girls on Tinder within a 4-mile radius, seeing other bands, the kids from La Sera.” Sonically, Cuomo credited The Beach Boys as a major influence. The album’s producer, Jake Sinclair, was also “determined to return Weezer to their ’90s glory,” combining the “brashness and unpredictability of Pinkerton with the summer Beach Boys grunge pop of the Blue Album.”
Norman Westberg – MRI CD (ROOM40)
Newly mastered and post-produced edition of American guitarist and composer Norman Westberg’s MRI, recorded in 2012 and initially self-released. A collection of reductive rolling guitar pieces that are embedded strongly in the American minimalism tradition, expanded here to include a brand-new piece, “Lost Mine,” recorded in 2015 as an echo of the processes that led to the original recordings.
World Be Free – The Anti-Circle CD/LP+MP3 (Revelation)
World Be Free was formed with a love and appreciation for classic hardcore music and the intent to create something new and refreshing.
Yeasayer – Amen & Goodbye CD/LP+MP3 (Mute)
Amen & Goodbye is the fourth album by Brooklyn’s Yeasayer. It follows up their 2012 album Fragrant World but eschews its penchant for all things digital. The lead single, I am Chemistry features vocals from Suzzy Roche of legendary folkies, The Roches. The band recorded the album to tape, it was then given some studio sparkle by Beck drummer Joey Waronker. Amen & Goodbye is unlike any of their previous work but still retains the sounds the band are known for. Album track “Gerson’s Whistle” “flows so well that the time that passes doesn’t affect you. The driving beat behind the melodic over- and undertones will have you zoning out and bouncing your head. It’s catchy too. You really get a sense that Yeasayer has plenty of crossover potential, but they’re probably past that point of their career. ‘Gerson’s Whistle’ is one of the most enjoyable songs I’ve heard in 2016, and it could hold that place in my mind for the remainder of the year.” – Music Times
DVDs + Blu-ray:
Pentatonix – On My Way Home DVD (RCA)
The first documentary from Grammy Award-winning, platinum-selling recording artists Pentatonix, On My Way Home follows the quintet on their sold out 2015 tour featuring behind-the-scenes footage, live performances and the making of their debut album.
This Week’s Vinyl Exclusives:
Abysmal Lord – Disciples Of The Inferno LP (Hell’s Headbangers)
Released last November on CD – now available on vinyl. “Lurking in the ghoulish swamps of Louisiana are the members of bestial metal quartet, Abysmal Lord. They dropped their Storms Of Unholy Black Mass mini-album through Hell’s Headbangers last year, which I was fortunate to get the opportunity to introduce to Cvlt Nation fans. The guys are back with their debut full-length, Disciples Of The Inferno, and they prove on their latest that they have quite the admiration for bands like Proclamation and Blasphemy. More importantly, they up the intensity and tempo on most of their new material.” – Cvlt Nation
Ellen Allien – LISm [2013] 2xLP (BPitch Control)
First vinyl edition of Ellen Allien’s LISm, originally released on CD in 2013. LISm is a milestone in the history of Ellen Allien’s BPitch Control label; rarely has an album from the circle of BPC artists deviated so far from the club context. Ellen Allien radically disposes of all established musical templates and creates space for 45 minutes of sonic experiments that lie well beyond any functional paradigm; a highly emotional soundtrack for one’s inner cinema, but also a creative progression with a considerable fun factor.
Fatima Al Qadiri – Brute LP (Hyperdub)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. “After releasing an album with her underground supergroup Future Brown last year, the New York-based, Kuwait-bred musician returns as a solo artist for Brute, a follow-up to her sinogrime-inspired 2014 debut album Asiatisch. Brute explores themes of authority and ‘the relationship between police, citizens and protest worldwide, particularly of her adopted home in the United States,’ according to the label; concerns made visible in the album’s cover art, which depicts the Josh Kline sculpture ‘Po-Po’ heavily altered by art director Babak Radboy. The album ‘teeters between rage and despair,’ heard through ‘restrained percussion, sampled and processed recordings of urban protest, and [Al Qadiri’s] signature minor progressions,’ the label adds.” – Fact Mag
Baauer – Aa LP (LuckyMe)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Aa (pronounced ‘double a’) is a record that could only be made by a kid born of New York inspired by rap and dance music culture, traveling the globe sampling and processing found sounds. This is bright, stadium, urban dance music from the 26-year-old Portuguese New Yorker (via London and Philadelphia) known as Harry Rodrigues. With special guests Future, Pusha T, M.I.A, Novelist, Leikeli47, Rustie and Tirzah, also continuing his visual collaboration with multi-medium artist, Jonathan Zawada.
Bambara – Swarm LP+MP3 (Arrowhawk)
Brooklyn trio Bambara has been honing its noise/punk brutalism since forming in Athens, GA, in 2009. Swarm, the band’s second full length, pulls its approach into sharp focus, marrying the maniacal ravings of The Birthday Party and the ugliness of early Swans with the tangled cowpunk of The Gun Club and recently, Iceage, creating something wholly idiosyncratic, and ultimately more satisfying than most anything else in the current post-punk landscape. “…a lumbering Western noir…an ugly and alluring piece of noise.” – NPR
Alex Barnett – Chew From The Mind LP (Midwich Productions)
Alex Barnett is a Chicago-based electronic musician known for his work with dark ambient group Oakeater and collaborative work with Faith Coloccia in Barnett & Coloccia on Blackest Ever Black, in addition to a handful of cassettes and collaborative projects. Barnett’s personal blend of sound design and composition comes from many hours building, repairing and breaking electronics. Chew From The Mind is a raw yet elegant synthesizer album that is surreal, beautiful and evocative of previous horror-score theme work, while expanding his sound toward more raw electronic influences.
Battles – EP C/B [Reissue/2006] 2xLP+MP3 (Warp)
Battles – Mirrored [Reissue/2007] 2xLP+MP3 (Warp)
Battles – Gloss Drop [Reissue/2011] 2xLP+MP3 (Warp)
Following the 2015 release of La Di Da Di, Battles’ first new LP in over four years, Warp announced that the band’s full catalog would be back in print on vinyl. They kept their word.
Beau – That Thing Reality LP (Kitsune)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Beau consists of New Yorkers Heather Boo and Emma Rose. Their debut, That Thing Reality, is a blend of ‘70’s folk Americana laced with the effortlessly cool sound of the West Coast.
Blacklisters – Adult LP (MRI Associated)
“Blacklisters’ new album is a potent burst of noise rock that pulls in sounds from hardcore, post-hardcore, and sludge metal. Vocalist Billy Mason-Wood is typically abrasive for this style of music, which doesn’t make the band an easy listen for the layperson. But the rest of the band is tight and interesting enough that Adult starts to work as an album after a few listens, even if Mason-Wood is an acquired taste” – Pop Matters. CD version due May 13.
James Brown and The Famous Flames – Roots Of Revolution 2xLP (Southern Routes)
This new set from Southern Routes presents a complete collection of the Godfather Of Soul’s formative recording for Federal Records with The Famous Flames in late- ‘50s. This package features all of JB’s early, explosive hits including “Please, Please, Please,” “Try Me,” “Think” and many more dynamic rhythm and blues gems. Expanded CD version due April 29.
Brume – Friction LP (Rotorelief)
Friction contains a selection of tracks from the first two official Brume tapes, Frikture (1985) and Le Jour du Cochon (1987), plus the previously unreleased track “Friktion.” A very experimental electro-ethnic-industrial-oriented period, marking the change from Brume’s analog works to his electroacoustic hybrids using synthesizers and computers. Part of the Archives Des Musiques Industrielles De France.
Canyon Spells – Now That We’re Gone LP (MRI Associated)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Surging guitars, soaring vocals, and songs about cell phones — this is Canyon Spells, a six-piece alt rock band from Nashville, TN. Their debut Now That We’re Gone serves as a musical calling card and social statement alike, as singers Jimmie Linville and Michaela Thomas take on themes of love, loss, and technology.
John Carpenter – Dark Star [OST/Reissue/1974] LP+7” (We Release Whatever The F**k We Want)
Comprehensive “alien red” vinyl reissue of John Carpenter’s very feature film soundtrack. CD version due April 15.
Michael Cerveris – Piety LP (Low Heat)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. After years of high volume punk and alternative rock, Cerveris follows up his indie-rock guest star-studded 2004 Dog Eared solo debut with a return to his southern roots for this album of lushly orchestrated, melodic Americana.
Chaos UK – Sh*t Man F**ker 7” (540)
Brand new four-song EP — loud, political, and uncompromising.
Com Truise – Silicon Tare 12”+MP3 (Ghostly Int’l)
Opening with a skating sheet of synthesizer before easing into a steady, walloping beat, Silicon Tare moves Haley and the fictional Com Truise even deeper into the cosmos, discovering new lands along the way and offering a glimpse of where he may travel in the future. And if the characters at the center of his ongoing story may be in peril, Haley himself is in control. Tare also sets the stage for the final chapter in Seth Haley’s Com Truise saga, which is the first official follow-up to Galactic Melt. It’s not only the perfect prelude to that finale, but the perfect representation of Haley’s palate of robotic synth funk.
Loren Connors – The Red Painting 7”+MP3 (Family Vineyard)
The Red Painting is the first release of piano music by iconic avant guitarist Loren Connors. This piece combines Loren’s deeply moving palette of melody with a masterful control of pace and drama that ends with a guitar coda twinkling in the darkness. It’s wrenching as his glorious ‘airs’ or the distortion mangled screams of his blues. One-sided red vinyl 7” inside a silk screened sleeve.
Rob Crow’s Gloomy Place – You’re Doomed. Be Nice. LP+MP3 (Temporary Residence)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. You’re Doomed. Be Nice. is Rob Crow’s first album since his heavily publicized withdrawal from music — specifically the toxic byproducts of the lifestyle of a touring professional musician attempting to survive in an industry of diminishing returns. Rather than perform, record, and mix every note himself — a trademark of his previous solo endeavors — Crow formed Gloomy Place, a band made up of close friends that includes another member of the beloved Heavy Vegetable. Recorded and mixed by Ben Moore (Hot Snakes), You’re Doomed presents a fascinating dichotomy: dynamic, eclectic prog-pop backing alarmingly confessional, often acerbic lyrical themes.
Miles Davis – Birth Of The Cool [Reissue/1956] LP (Rumble)
Eleven tracks recorded by Miles Davis’s nonet in 1949 and 1950, Birth Of The Cool may just be the most accurately titled album ever. The tracks just bleed hipness — cool, smooth, and swinging — and practically define the genre of “cool jazz.” Unparalleled recordings required for any fan of mid-century American jazz.
Die Form – Die Form ÷ Fine Automatic 1 LP (Rotorelief)
Die Form – Die Form ÷ Fine Automatic 2 LP (Rotorelief)
French industrial group Die Form, led by Philippe Fichot, formed in the late- ’70s and released Die Form ÷ Fine Automatic in 1982, a split with Fichot’s Fine Automatic project. The complete original album is released as two separate LPs as part of the Archives Des Musiques Industrielles De France.
Dog Chocolate – Snack Fans LP (Upset The Rhythm)
Debut album by London band Dog Chocolate, a gleeful assemblage of post-punk, noise, and pop held together with Scotch tape and Blu-tac.
Tashi Dorji and Shane Parish – Expecting LP (Mie)
New collaborative album from guitarists Tashi Dorji and Shane Parish. “The eight improvisations that make up Expecting grow out of a dynamic of sharing — one fellow shows up with a tuning and maybe a string preparation, the other works out a response, and out of that comes not only a piece of music but a renewal and confirmation of a relationship in which two humans share what they love…Nowadays writers are quick to lay the term experimental music on anything dissonant. But while one could say that this music actually earns that much-abused term because it comes out of a process of proposal and problem solving, an emotionally truer term would be experiential music.” — Bill Meyer
Durutti Column – Amigos Em Portugal [Reissue/1983] LP (Durutti)
Durutti Column – Live At The Venue London [Reissue/1983] LP+CD (Durutti)
HQ-180gm vinyl reissues. Amigos Em Portugal was the pre-cursor to Without Mercy and it contains some beautiful little tunes and is highly under-rated and overlooked. Live At The Venue London was recorded April 6, 1982. This reissue includes a “reference compact disc” created from two different masters for vinyl and compact disc respectively.
The Everly Brothers – The Everly Brothers [Reissue/1958] LP (Rumble)
Possibly the most iconic LP of their entire career, The Everly Brothers’ 1958 self-titled album feature all-time quintessential jams like “Wake Up Little Susie,” “Bye Bye Love,” and “I Wonder If I Care As Much.” Shockingly, as the legend goes, “Bye Bye Love” was rejected by more than 30 singers and groups before the Everlys agreed to record it, and the rest is history.
Exhaustion/Wanders – II LP (Feeding Tube)
Second collaboration between Melbourne psych rock thugs Exhaustion and the Dutch-born tenor saxophonist Kris Wanders, a veteran of the early days of European free improvisation who performed widely with legendary figures like Peter Brötzmann, Peter Kowald, and Han Bennink and recorded some classic sides with Alexander von Schlippenbach, Fred van Hove and the obscure Dutch pianist/clarinetist Kees Hazevoet before moving to Australia in the late 1970s, where he has continued to perfect his brand of raw, soulful free jazz.
Exodus – Temple Of The Damned [Reissue/2004] 2xLP (Nuclear Blast)
The sixth album by the thrash metal band is now available on limited double red/orange colored vinyl LP pressing in gatefold jacket.
Foxtrott – Taller Us LP (One Little Indian)
Released last November on CD – now available on vinyl. Foxtrott is the sole musical domain of one Marie-Hélène Delorme — a self-taught singer, songwriter, producer and beat-maker from French-speaking Montreal. Hailing from an extended musical family, Foxtrott’s musical palette draws inspiration from disparate points on a wide spectrum, some more surprising than others: From old Cumbia to gospel, from hip-hop to reggae and from early dancehall to singer/songwriters (“I stay away from ‘fusion’” she stresses, wisely) — all have played a significant part in shaping her special musical DNA.
Lefty Frizell – Time Out For The Blues LP (Southern Routes)
With his warm, drawling vocals and downhome charm, Texas country music innovator Lefty Frizzell was Hank Williams only serious rival in the early 1950s, when Lefty made history by dominating the Top Five with three concurrent hits in early 1950s. He exerted a profound influence on every subsequent generation of singers, from George Jones to Merle Haggard and George Strait. This new compilation captures the singer at his early peak and into his sensational early- ‘60s return to form, capturing Frizzell at his irresistible best. Expanded CD version due April 29.
Grimes – Halfaxa [Reissue/2010] 2xLP (Arbutus)
Vinyl reissue of Grimes sophomore album – originally released by Lo on the format in 2011. “Lo Recordings have been loving the psychedelic sound of chillwave, glo-fi, drag etc. For them, no other act captured the fractal flow better than Canadian singer Claire Boucher aka Grimes. Amid the deluge of fine mind floss from the likes of Neon Indian, Hype Williams and Laurel Halo, Grimes sound is one of the most unique and delightful of all. Grimes audio universe where Kate Bush jams with Fleetwood Mac in a floatation tank while the spirit of Arthur Russell hovers overhead is simply stunning. One of the most distinctive sound worlds we’ve had the pleasure to inhabit for ooh…aeons.”
Gunn-Truscinski Duo – Sand City / Ocean Parkway 2xLP+MP3 (Three Lobed)
This double-LP features both of the Gunn-Truscinski Duo’s albums, Sand City and Ocean Parkway, housed together within an old style Stoughton gatefold cover bearing Anjali Bhojani’s photography on the outside a new essay by Matt Krefting on the inside. Each of the albums were pressed on two slabs of 140 gram Dutch vinyl by Record Industry.
HÆLOS – Full Circle LP+MP3 (Matador)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Every generation has their own version of the blues, music that captures a sense of melancholia and provides a sonic reflecting pool for young lovers, old souls, and the eternally heartbroken. For their darkly shaded and radiant debut album Full Circle, HÆLOS have found their blues where others go to find pure, uncut joy: the dancefloor. The London trio’s version of a night out is a million miles away from mirror balls and sweaty bodies, their rippling electronic pop conjuring the exhilarating privacy of a cavernous club’s dark pockets and the introspective comedowns that accompany rainy 5 A.M. cab rides. Throughout the album, HÆLOS reconstruct the firmament of dance sounds past and present to construct an exquisitely elegiac mood that retains a sense of presence as it conveys the pain of emotional distance.
Mary Halvorson – Meltframe 2xLP (Firehouse 12)
Released last September on CD – now available on vinyl. Mary Halvorson’s Meltframe is the product of three years of gestation and refinement. Initially conceived as a solo guitar album made up of jazz standards, the final document is comprised of modern compositions long admired by Mary, the oldest being Duke Ellington’s Solitude. The remainder of the pieces date from the early 1960s, through to Tomas Fujiwara’s contemporary When. In a twist befitting a player with such an original voice, the compositions Mary chose to interpret are not exclusively from composers who have informed her playing and music from the beginning (such as Roscoe Mitchell, Ornette Coleman, and Oliver Nelson), but also by contemporaries: Chris Lightcap, Noël Akchoté, and Fujiwara. Viewed as the personal and often revealing statement that solo documents often are, Meltframe traces Mary s path from the beginning to the present.
Helios – Yume LP (Unseen Music)
Released last September on CD – now available on vinyl. Yume takes it’s title from the Japanese word for dream and delivers an otherworldly ambient-electronic hybrid that’s cinematic in scope yet intimate in emotion. In making the album, composer and multi-instrumentalist Keith Kenniff (the sole artist behind Helios) has created a warm sonic tapestry from luminous guitar lines, elegant piano work, ingeniously-crafted rhythms, and lo-fi electronic elements.
Hide – Flesh For The Living 12” (Midwich)
Hide creates aggressive and sparse haunting music that empowers as it punishes. Hide’s name and visual aesthetic also reflects their ideology of personal autonomy as performers/humans in a world of moral judgment and surveillance. Showcasing top-notch production values and a seamless visual aesthetic, their immersive sound draws the listener into a trance state with dense, throbbing dirges.
Buddy Holly – Buddy Holly [Reissue/1958] LP (Rumble)
This 1958 LP is Buddy Holly’s debut solo album and his second LP overall. Though billed as a solo record, it features the same backing group as his first LP, The Crickets, one of the most legendary rock and roll combos of all time. It was only one year after the LP’s February 1958 release that Buddy Holly died in that infamous plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa. That info still takes a while to set in — one of the most famous and enduring icons of rock spent only a few years on the public’s radar before passing.
Janet Jackson – Unbreakable 2xLP (Rhythm Nation/BMG Rights Management)
Released last October on CD – now available on vinyl. Jackson’s first new album since 2008’s Discipline features the singles “No Sleeep” (feat. J. Cole) and “The Great Forever,” as well as the Missy Elliott collaboration “Burnitup!” The overall themes of Unbreakable include Janet’s views on where we stand today as individuals and as the inter-related elements of a planet. Some of these relate to her convictions passionately expressed in Rhythm Nation 1814, including the need to bring things out in the open and to have a dialogue. The album also marks the first time Janet Jackson has opened up about her brother Michael and with reflections concerning her youth.
James – Girl At The End Of The World 2xLP (BMG Recorded Music)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. “There are plenty of bands doing the rounds at the moment that began their career several decades ago. The nostalgia trip is a profitable one for some. There are fewer of those bands who are still making new music, and even less that are making music that is fresh and enjoyable. It’s easy to trade on past glories and regurgitate a sound that can be sold easily. James has always been the outsiders when it comes to that commercial aspect. Despite the hit singles and ferociously supportive fan base, they never quite get the respect they deserve. To prove their worth far above a legacy band, James [has just released] their fourteen studio album. While 2014’s La Petite Mort featured a smorgasbord of styles and a common theme through many of the songs, Girl at the End of the World steps up a gear and unleashes a powerhouse of keyboards and dance-fuelled beats that will take many by surprise.” – Louder Than War
Gavin James – Bitter Pill LP (Capitol)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Debut album from the Irish singer/songwriter. “Up until the start of last year there was chatter from the dogs on the streets that Dublin singer/songwriter Gavin James had left it too late to capitalize on his grassroots following – where, oh where was his debut album? James is mates with Ed (Sheeran), has supported Sam (Smith) in the US, and followed up sold-out shows at Whelan’s with dates in January at the Olympia Theatre. And there is proof on Bitter Pill that James has enough emotionally depth-charged tunes in his back pocket to take him from here to the top of the charts and back again.” – The Irish Times
Japanese Breakfast – Psychopomp LP+MP3 (Yellow K)
After a pair of bedroom pop cassettes, Japanese Breakfast (Michelle Zauner) returns with their first vinyl release, Psychopomp. The album explores Zauner’s experimental interests and hosts a wide range of sound: jarring anime samples, minimalist ballads, rhythms and synths reminiscent of Tango In The Night-era Fleetwood Mac paired with the moody intimacy of Mount Eerie. Clear vinyl.
John Johnson And Friends – Sing-A-Longs & Lullabies For The Film Curious George [OST/2006] LP (Republic)
Limited first-time vinyl LP pressing of this soundtrack to the 2006 animated film. Jack Johnson is the voice of Curious George (through his music). The songs are prominently featured within the film and are an integral part of the story. This soundtrack features nine new (at the time, obvz) Jack songs, including three duets with Ben Harper, G. Love and Matt Costa. Also includes a cover of The White Stripes “We Are Going To Be Friends” which Jack has performed live on tour.
George Jones – When My Heart Hurts No More LP (Southern Routes)
This new collection from Southern Routes celebrates honky-tonk visionary George Jones at his very best. Drawn from his extraordinary UA-Mercury years (1954-1963), when Jones was at his creative peak, this is an essential for every true country music fan. From his classic duets with Melba Montgomery, to timeless original Jones compositions “Window Up Above” and “Tender Years” to haunting ballads like “Everything Ain’t Right,” this set leaves no doubt that Jones was the King Of Country Music. Expanded CD edition due April 29.
The Kill Devil Hills – Heathen Songs [Reissue/2004] LP (Bang!)
The Kill Devil Hills are an Australian band from Perth, which, along with The Drones, formed from the ashes of Gutterville Splendour Six. This band has earned a well-deserved reputation with three absolutely magnificent albums and purely intense concerts. Heathen Songs is their long-unavailable 2004 debut album. One of Bang! Records’ all-time favorites from its back catalog, this record is a total must for fans of The Beasts of Bourbon, Johnny Cash, The Drones, and Neil Young.
Tim Kinsella – Firecracker In A Box Of Mirrors LP (Joyful Noise)
The Chicago native, Tim Kinsella (Cap’n Jazz, Owls, Make Believe, and Joan Of Arc), has cemented his place as one of the more groundbreaking, and unapologetically honest artists in the indie scene. Kinsella, known for his eccentric vocals, takes the listener on a gripping musical voyage while intricately weaving melodic hopefulness with lyrical heartbreak, and life experience. Firecracker In A Box Of Mirrors is a plethora of emotions involved with the human experience, the heart, and the guitar. Conceived while Kinsella was on a solo tour opening up for Pinback, Firecracker… is kind-of the inverse of “Joan Of Arc’s Greatest Hits”. While the latter reimagines classic JOA songs with full, robust instrumentation, “Firecracker…” has stripped away all the dense layers of these songs – leaving only a single guitar and voice. The basic, stripped-down instrumentation really allows these songs to shine in ways they never have. Orange vinyl.
Le Syndicat – Audiostatik Repress [Reissue/1983] LP (Rotorelief)
A certified head-cleaner of brutalist/bruitist/rhythmist/industrial noise. Le Syndicat’s sound evolved through a process mingling tape loops, overblown drum machine programming, shortwave radio experiments, short-circuited consumer electronics, and eventually rudimentary sampler technology. Audiostatik Repress is a visionary early- ‘80s vision of what was to come in the next decade. Part of the Archives Des Musiques Industrielles De France.
Little Howlin’ Wolf – The Guardian [Reissue/1982] LP (Family Vineyard)
Little Howlin’ Wolf is a street musician, bluesman, actor, storyteller and truth seeker. He is also a true outsider, whose wrenching soulfulness and fire-brained intensity have been captured in a breadcrumb trail of confounding and intentionally obscure self-released records. In the late 1960s Wolf — born James Pobiega in 1950 — was already a saxophone wailing fixture at the legendary Chicago hangout, Maxwell Street Market. By the mid- ‘80s he released nearly three dozen 45s. Those singles are sprawling journeys into Wolf’s world vision, as told through his gravelly voice and an array of instruments in styles and influences not limited to: American Indian, Polish and gypsy folk musics, Voodoo, vocal chants, blues, calypso and avant jazz.
Justin Moore – Justin Moore [2006] LP (Valory)
First time vinyl edition of the country singer/songwriter’s debut album.
Needtobreathe – Daylight [2006] LP (Atlantic)
Needtobreathe – The Heat [2006] 2xLP (Atlantic)
The first two albums by the Christian rock band are now available on vinyl for the first time.
Panic! At The Disco – Death Of A Bachelor LP+MP3 (Decaydance)
Released in January on CD – now available on vinyl. Produced by Jake Sinclair (Taylor Swift, Fall Out Boy), Death Of A Bachelor marks the first release from Panic! At the Disco in nearly two years, following 2013’s acclaimed Too Weird To Live, Too Rare To Die! The album’s title track, “Death Of A Bachelor,” has been described as, “It’s like some Beyoncé beats with some Sinatra vocals. It’s really crazy… [Sinatra’s] music has been a major player in the soundtrack of my life. So it’s only right that I return the favor and/or pay it forward.”
Paul Revere & The Raiders – Just Like Us! [Reissue/1966] LP (Friday Music)
Paul Revere & The Raiders – Midnight Ride [Reissue/1966] LP (Friday Music)
HQ-180gm audiophile white and translucent blue, respectively, vinyl reissues in gatefold sleeves.
Burnell Pines – Till The Day I Die LP (The Royal Potato Family)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. The Catskill Mountains’ most notable contemporary bard, Burnell Pines, returns with his latest album, Till The Day I Die — a valentine to life in the land where The Band, Van Morrison, and Bob Dylan made legendary music. Burnell taps directly into that tradition with co-producer/drummer Justin Guip, Levon Helm’s three-time Grammy Award-winning producer and right hand man. He’s joined on the recording by keyboardist Marco Benevento, Rachael Yamagata and drummers Joe Magistro (The Black Crowes) and Robert Burke (Toshi Reagon).
Elvis Presley – For LP Fans Only [Reissue/1959] LP (Friday Music)
Elvis Presley – From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee [Reissue/1976] LP (Friday Music)
Limited HQ-180gm audiophile translucent gold vinyl LP reissues in gatefold jackets.
Puff Pieces – Bland In D.C. LP (Lovitt)
Puff Pieces intends to cast itself as mere modern shrimps perched upon the shoulders of their gigantic (and benevolent) punk forebears. Their debut, Bland In D.C., has been pressed on translucent yellow-color vinyl.
Ramayana Soul – Sabdatanmantra LP (Guruguru Brain)
Jakarta, Indonesia’s Ramayana Soul create new musical colors by blending the sound of the East with the psychedelia & soul rock of the ’60s, and Sabdatanmantra is more than just a newfound romance of psychedelia—vocals broken by rhythmic shouts echoing their punk influence, tempo changes, chanting vocals dissolving into sitar and/or guitar freak-outs, this is a synthesis of new global sounds.
Rascal Flatts – Rewind [2014] 2xLP (Big Machine)
Deluxe double-vinyl edition of Rascal Flatts’ latest album.
The Replacements – The Sire Years 4xLP (Rhino/WB)
Limited four vinyl LP box set containing The Replacements four albums recorded for Sire Records: Tim (1985), Pleased To Meet Me (1987), Don’t Tell A Soul (1989), and All Shook Down (1990).
Ripper – Experiment Of Existence LP (Dark Decent)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Pure, uncompromising, ass-kicking death/thrash from Chile — on the same level as Sepultura’s Beneath The Remains, Kreator’s Pleasure To Kill, or Demolition Hammer’s Epidemic Of Violence.
Rico Rodriguez – Tribute To Don Drummond [Reissue/1969] 10” (Striker Lee)
Reissue of Tribute To Don Drummond by internationally renowned trombonist Emmanuel “Rico” Rodriguez (1934-2015). All rhythms by the Bunny Lee All Stars, with Rodriguez’s trombone overdubs and vocal interjections by Gene Rondo (aka Winston Laro). Rodriguez had the opportunity to blow over contemporary Jamaican rhythms from legendary producer Bunny “Striker” Lee, and he and Lee dedicated the album to Drummond after learning of the legendary trombonist and composer’s death in 1969.
Kim Salmon – My Script 2xLP (Bang)
Fresh solo album from The Scientists mainman — 20 new tunes of minimalist garage punk meets revved up glam rock with pristine pop hooks.
Dan Sartain – Century Plaza LP (One Little Indian)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. While Suicide and Alan Vega have long been acknowledged influences, Century Plaza finds Sartain trolling the British synth-pop wave of ’80-’84 – particularly Depeche Mode – for inspiration.
Sex Museum – Fuzz Face [Reissue/1987] LP+CD (Munster)
Sex Museum – Independence [Reissue/1989] LP+CD (Munster)
“Sex Museum formed in Madrid in 1985, with the desire to be the musical version of The Warriors, in the style of a street gang out of the mod scene. We were heavily musically influenced by ’60s American garage, English music from the ’60s and early ’80s garage revival… we shared everything, experiences, tastes, friends, drugs and the desire to grow with the music and open up a new hole in the world as commandos of garage rock.”
Soundtrack – Amy [OST] 2xLP (Republic)
Double HQ-180gm vinyl LP pressing in gatefold sleeve of the acclaimed 2015 documentary about the tragic rise and fall of British pop star Amy Winehouse.
Various Artists – Soundtrack To HBO’s Vinyl 2xLP+CD (Atlantic)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Volume 1 of the soundtrack to Martin Scorsese’s Vinyl (which debuted on HBO February 12th) is stuffed with soul, blues and rock ‘n’ roll, with tracks by Otis Redding, The Meters, Edgar Winter, Foghat, Ruth Brown, and more. It also features original music by the critically-acclaimed country singer/songwriter Sturgill Simpson (who provides the show’s theme song “Sugar Daddy”) and The Nasty Bits, a group fronted by Mick Jagger’s son James Jagger, who also appears on the show. Meanwhile, David Johansen has re-recorded some jams by New York Dolls.
Leon Stackpole – Leon 7” (Smart Guy)
Four little gestures by the Ooga Booga frontman and bon vivant. The sound of Lou Reed swapping stories with The Silver Jews in a Manhattan Bar.
Mavis Staples – Livin’ On A High Note LP+MP3 (ANTI-)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. The soul and gospel music legend takes on a set of 12 original songs written exclusively for her by a group of fine songwriters, including: M .Ward, Ben Harper, Valerie June, Neko Case, tUnE-yArDs, Nick Cave, John Baptiste, Justin Vernon, Aloe Blacc, and more.
Sufjan Stevens – Illinois [Reissue/2005] 2xLP+12” (Asthmatic Kitty)
This 10th anniversary edition of Illinois replaces balloons (which themselves replaced Superman in 2005) with rising comic book Chicago-born superhero Blue Marvel. This special color edition (“antimatter blue” and “cape white”) is expanded with a red, star-shaped 12” featuring a demo of “Chicago.”
Thy Art Is Murder – Hate [Reissue/2012] LP (Nuclear Blast)
Limited picture disc vinyl LP pressing of the second studio album by the Australian deathcore band.
Tryptikon – Eparistera Daimones [2010] 2xLP (Century Media)
Vinyl reissue of the debut album by Triptykon, the group founded by former Hellhammer/Celtic Frost singer and guitarist Tom Gabriel Warrior.
Umphries McGee – Safety In Numbers [Reissue/2006] 2xLP (Nothing Too Fancy)
Limited vinyl LP reissue containing four never before released Storm Thorgerson album art sketches. Safety In Numbers is Umphrey’s McGee’s fourth studio album. Huey Lewis and Joshua Redman both make appearances. The album contains many slower, acoustic songs and a simpler, stripped down approach with little jamming or progressive rock elements.
Unified Highway – Unified Highway LP (Audible Collision/Strange Focus)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Rebelution vocalist/guitarist Eric Rachmany and renowned producer, DJ, and remixer Amp Live (formerly of Zion I) may possess different backgrounds, but they both travel the same creative road. Now, their paths—along with a myriad of musical genres riding shotgun—intersect in Unified Highway. The duo’s self-titled debut explores this intersection via a fascinating fusion of reggae, electronic, hip-hop, alternative, and soul siphoned into unforgettable songs.
Unknown Mortal Orchestra / SILICON – Phone 7” (Jagjaguwar)
Brothers Ruban and Kody Nielson have been playing, recording and collaborating on music for decades. From the influences of their jazz musician father and dancer mother, Ruban and Kody have gone on to play in New Zealand’s The Mint Chicks, and at its end in 2010, moved on to separate projects. Ruban formed Unknown Mortal Orchestra out of Portland, while Kody collaborated with various artists and musicians before his own solo project, SILICON, took shape. At the end of 2015, as UMO’s Multi-Love and SILICON’s Personal Computer made the rounds, garnering critical acclaim, Ruban and Kody (who played keyboards and drums on UMO’s Multi-Love) took some time to rework tracks from each of their records. The theme of phones led to Kody working on UMO’s “Can’t Keep Checking My Phone,” changing it from a bouncy, sprite disco track to a sparser song filled with space, treated vocals and isolated drum breaks. Ruban’s rework of SILICON’s “Cellphone” is turned moody and dark, with a skittering beat and additional vocals.
Veruca Salt – Ghost Notes 2xLP+MP3 (El Camino Media, LLC)
Released last summer on CD – now available on limited color vinyl. Ghost Notes is the first new album from Veruca Salt featuring all original members since 1997’s certified gold album, Eight Arms To Hold You. Formed in Chicago, IL in 1993, Veruca Salt took the indie-rock world by storm with their first single “Seether” from their debut album, American Thighs. For their first record in almost two decades Ghost Notes, the band enlisted producer Brad Wood (Smashing Pumpkins/Sunny Day Real Estate/Liz Phair) who also produced their debut release.
Kevin Verwijmeren – Those Glorious Heights LP (Vynilla Vinyl/Icarus)
At the time of this release, Kevin Verwijmeren is a 23-year old science student, living in Delft, Holland. Since 2013, he has used musical patterns and melodies to create contemplative landscapes of sound. Inspired by the sound and emotion of Loscil, Tim Hecker, and Pan American, Verwijmeren constructs a musical cocoon in which to imagine a vision of a different world. Through his dark but beautiful soundscapes, he tries to break daily routine and accept the dark side of life. Those Glorious Heights was mastered by Stephan Mathieu at Schwebung Mastering and features artwork by Jan van der Kleijn. (Limited copies pressed in green marbled color vinyl.)
Gene Vincent and The Blue Caps – Gene Vincent and The Blue Caps [Reissue/1957] LP (Rumble)
The second LP from Gene Vincent and The Blue Caps, a self-titled affair, was recorded in October 1956, a mere four months after their debut, and released in 1957. Again featuring the searing guitar work of Cliff Gallup, this album captures Gene Vincent at his most mature and confident. The band was capable of running circles around basically all white rock and roll groups around at the time and this LP showcases their depth and breadth fantastically.
Vivenza – Fondements Bruitistes d’Action 1 [Reissue/1984] LP (Rotorelief)
Vivenza – Fondements Bruitistes d’Action 2 [Reissue/1984] LP (Rotorelief)
Fondements Bruitistes d’Action (Bruitist Foundations of Action), originally released in October 1984, opens the period in Vivenza’s work on bruitist sound when he started to incorporate the question of the relationship between the technological and mechanical industrial fabric, on the one hand — which makes up the reality of the modern world — and the human and social environment on the other. This is the first-ever release of the entire 1984 Fondements Bruitistes session.
Hank Williams – Ramblin’ Man [Reissue/1955] LP (Rumble)
Originally released posthumously in 1955 (two years after Hank Williams’s death in 1953), Ramblin’ Man is a wicked collection of some of the finest recordings by Hank Williams with His Drifting Cowboys, full of powerful, overwhelming weepers. It’s hard to imagine a more recognizable voice in all of country music.
John Williams – The Star Wars Trilogy [Reissue/1983] LP (Varèse Sarabande)
First released in 1983, this compilation of music from the original three Star Wars films is one of the best-selling albums ever released by film music label Varèse Sarabande.
Witchcraft – Legend [Reissue/2012] 2xLP (Nuclear Blast)
Limited double brown/gold colored vinyl LP pressing in gatefold jacket of the fourth album from the Swedish doom metal band.
Chelsea Wolfe – Hypnos b/w Flame 7” (Sargent House)
New 7” single comprised of Abyss B-sides. “‘Hypnos’ swirls in the same gloomy pools as Abyss, with weighty guitar plucks that continue its gothic strains. Blurring the divide between metal and neo-folk with gentle yet foreboding arrangements, the track finds Wolfe clawing up from a very dark place. ‘Oh, honey I put up a fight with death,’ she sings.” – Consequence Of Sound
The World – Managerial Material 7” (Upset The Rhythm)
Oakland, CA’s The World offer the only glimmers of hope in a city rapidly transforming into a wasteland of artisanal toast. Their debut 7” is all double sax attack, dub guitar tremolo, and spare and sturdy drums, anchored by the gravitational pull of Amber’s propulsive bass. The World’s a post-punk band, sure, but they’re also a dance group and a wild and revolutionary art collective. RIYL: Delta 5 and Essential Logic. Neon yellow vinyl.
La Monte Young and Marian Zazeela – Dream House 78’17 [Reissue/1973] LP (Aguirre)
This classic minimal music album is now available again on vinyl for the first time since the ’70s. This LP, initially issued on the French Shandar label in 1973, is a crucial document, preserving two manifestations of Young’s pioneering creative imagination. The first side contains a performance by the Theatre of Eternal Music in which the voices of Young and his partner Marian Zazeela are combined with the trombone of Garrett List and the trumpet of Jon Hassell. Although the immediate impression created by the music is that it changes little, close listening reveals intricate activity in the high harmonics where unexpected patterns and phantom melodies skitter across the surface of the music’s enveloping drone.
Zeitkratzer/Keiji Haino – Stockhausen: Aus Den Sieben Tagen LP (Zeitkratzer)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. The third collaboration between Keiji Haino, one of the most prolific artists of the Japanese experimental/noise scene, and the critically acclaimed Zeitkratzer ensemble, comprising stunning interpretations of Stockhausen compositions.
Cassettes:
Mike & The Melvins – Three Men And A Baby (Sub Pop)
Three Men And A Baby was supposed to come out sixteen years ago. These are the facts we can be sure of: in 1998, around the time his band godheadSilo went on hiatus, bassist/vocalist Mike Kunka busied himself by tagging along on a tour with his friends The Melvins. Somewhere along the way, Mike And The Melvins – King Buzzo (guitar/bass/vocals), Dale Crover (drums/vocals), and Kevin Rutmanis (bass/vocals), at the time – decided to make a record together, and gave the project the imaginative moniker Mike And The Melvins. Sub Pop, ever on the hunt for music’s Next Big Thing, enthusiastically agreed to fund and release the super-group’s debut, and recording commenced sometime in 1999. It’s at that point that things got hazy. Whatever the reasons for the delay, the incomplete recording languished on a shelf from 1999 until 2015, when, much to everyone’s surprise, the involved parties reconvened, finished the recording, and delivered it post-haste to Sub Pop International Headquarters.
Skeletons – Am I Home? (Shinkoyo)
Am I Home? Is the ninth album by Skeletons, the fluctuating ensemble of musicians around composer, songwriter, and filmmaker Matthew Mehlan. The album also features Jason McMahon and an assembled wrecking crew of Greg Fox (Liturgy, Zs, Guardian Angel), Justin Frye (Pc Worship), Matt Nelson, Sam Sowyrda (Cloud Becomes Your Hand), Mike Pride, Mike Gallope (Janka Nabay, Starring), as well as Nathaniel Morgan and Caley Monahan-Ward (Extra Life, Voice Coils). The aim being the pursuit of the aesthetic of classic ‘70s epic, extended, uninterrupted recording time, with studio as instrument. This has been pushed off from the banks of jazz, pop, chamber music and has set sail for the sort of inimitable space only these musicians can create.
Tancred – Out Of The Garden (Polyvinyl)
Out Of The Garden is a mission statement that underscores the “power” in power-pop and is punctuated by lyrics as razor-sharp as the hooks. Written over a two-year period during a break from touring, the album’s emphasis on re-defining feminine expectations was shaped by primary songwriter Jess Abbott’s experiences living in Minneapolis and working at a liquor store in a rough part of town. Abbott’s fearlessness to discuss personal topics is referenced in the album’s title, an allusion to exiting Eden and leaving behind all the restrictive cultural norms engrained in the Biblical “paradise”: tradition, purity, holiness, binary gender, heterosexuality, and the idea that anything is forbidden (especially for women).
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