CDs + Vinyl:
American Nightmare – American Nightmare CD/LP (Rise)
American Nightmare is a dark hardcore record that pays homage to groups who have always influenced the band ranging from Negative Approach, SSD, and The Cro-Mags to Joy Division and Siouxsie And The Banshees.
Laurie Anderson & Kronos Quartet – Landfall CD/2xLP (Nonesuch)
Inspired by Laurie Anderson’s experience of Hurricane Sandy, Landfall is the first collaboration between the iconic storyteller/musician and the groundbreaking Kronos Quartet. Landfall juxtaposes lush electronics and strings with Anderson’s powerful descriptions of loss, from water-logged pianos to disappearing animal species to Dutch karaoke bars.
Angra – Omni CD (earMUSIC)
“If there is any band that put South American heavy metal on the world stage, it’s Brazil’s Angra. Formed better than a quarter century ago by guitarist Rafael Bittencourt, Angra has dropped eight albums and toured the world extensively, sharing the stage with many of their European counterparts. Now, Angra returns with their ninth album, Omni. Their sound and arrangements are expansive and technical, bombastic and soaring. By example, a song such as ‘Insania’ begins with a brash opening only to drop into a bass and drum line that sounds like jazz rock fusion. This juxtaposition of heaviness and fusion continues throughout but allowing for a ripping guitar solo in the center. Somewhat similar is ‘Magic Mirror,’ where the large majestic riffage leads to Fabio Lione’s voice lilting over a fusion of drums and light electric guitar. But this then yields to more aggressive power metal, getting heavier and leading to a middle solo. Then at the 4:30 mark the power metal bluster abruptly ends, allowing for a breakdown of piano, symphonic synths, and a smooth bass line. Omni is another exceptional album of melodic progressive power metal from this seminal band. I would expect nothing less. Get it. Easily recommended.” – Dangerdog Music Reviews
Ataraxy – Where All Hope Fades CD (Dark Decent)
“Ataraxy are a Spanish death metal band and this is their second album. The band combine their death and doom metal influences well across these tracks. Where All Hope Fades comes across as a real old-school treat, so much so that you can easily imagine it being a lost gem from the ‘90s.” – Wonderbox Metal
Belle and Sebastian – How To Solve Our Human Problems CD/3×12” (Matador)
This CD release combines the tracks from three vinyl EPs. The How To Solve Our Human Problems EP project is the latest installment in a career that has always pursued a singular and delightful vision of what pop represents and what it can achieve, a career that has seen them triumph against the odds to win a Brit award, be one of the first bands to curate their own festival, and play at the London residence of the US ambassador. Belle and Sebastian’s new music has the timeless blend of joy and melancholy that has always characterized them. [Stand-alone vinyl pressing of Part 3 is also available this week.]
Born Ruffians – Uncle Duke & The Chief CD/LP+MP3 (Yep Rock)
Produced by Richard Swift (Foxygen, The Shins), Uncle, Duke & The Chief is a record less concerned with what sounds hip than what feels good. In the Ruffians case that meant shedding some of their artier influences (the Pixies, Talking Heads) and reconnecting with the sounds they first heard on their parent’s turntables as kids: Buddy Holly, The Everly Brothers, and pre-psychedelic Beatles. It’s about going back to the deepest, most satisfying itch to scratch, says lead singer Luke Lalonde. And in doing so, the album takes you back to a time when the Ruffians sounded less like a band and more like a gang, raising a wild ruckus and speaking in telepathic tongues. [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Calibro 35 – Decade CD/LP (Record Kicks)
The sixth studio album form Italian super cult combo. Decade marks 10 years of Calibro 35’s first release and it’s the very first album recorded by Calibro with an orchestral-inspired enlarged line-up that features horns, strings and various percussion instruments.
Brandi Carlile – By The Way, I Forgive You CD/LP (Atlantic)
Brandi Carlile’s highly anticipated new album was helmed by Grammy Award-winning producer Dave Cobb and acclaimed musician Shooter Jennings, and was recorded at Nashville’s historic RCA Studio A. By The Way, I Forgive You includes 10 new songs written by Carlile and longtime collaborators and bandmates Tim and Phil Hanseroth. Of their close relationship, Brandi comments, “The Twins and I have been in a band for so long now. And not just a band, we are literally a family. When you create art with twins, it becomes unclear when I end and where they begin.” In addition to Carlile (vocals, guitar, piano), Tim Hanseroth (vocals, bass), Phil Hanseroth (vocals, guitar), Cobb (guitar, percussion) and Jennings (piano, organ), the album features Chris Powell (drums), Josh Neumann (cello), John Mark Painter (French horn) as well as string arrangements and conducting by the late Paul Buckmaster (Elton John, The Rolling Stones).
Car Seat Headrest – Twin Fantasy CD/2xLP+MP3 (Matador)
Will Toledo always knew he would return to 2011’s Twin Fantasy. He never did complete the work. Not really. Never could square his grand ambitions against his mechanical limitations. Listen to his first attempt, recorded at nineteen on a cheap laptop, and you’ll hear what Brian Eno fondly calls “the sound of failure” – thrilling, extraordinary, and singularly compelling failure. Will’s first love, rendered in the vivid teenage viscera of stolen gin, bruised shins, and weird sex, was an event too momentous for the medium assigned to record it. Now Toledo releases a new version of Twin Fantasy on Matador Records. “It was never a finished work,” Will says, “and it wasn’t until last year that I figured out how to finish it.”
The Choir – Artifact: The Unreleased CD (Omnivore)
Unreleased material from Cleveland legends, whose members would eventually form Raspberries. The Choir’s first release was an acclaimed single on Canadian-American Records (eventually picked up by Roulette). It gained them opening spots for The Who and The Yardbirds among others, but the group eventually dissipated and morphed into other bands including the James Gang, and eventually, Raspberries. Artifact: The Unreleased Album showcases 10 tracks, recorded in 1969, making their first appearance anywhere. They resonate with the original Choir vibe, adding in post-British Invasion influences like Procol Harum. Recently unearthed by Suma Recordings operator Ken Hammon’s son, they have been lovingly restored by Tommy Allen and Ducky Carlisle, whose work has been universally lauded after their work on Raspberries’ Pop Art Live.
Barbara Dane – Hot Jazz, Cool Blues & Hard-Hitting Songs 2xCD (Smithsonian Folkways)
This double-CD retrospective reflects over 60 years of Barbara Dane’s eclectic musical history in folk, blues and jazz. The 38 tracks include 14 never-before-released recordings, featuring collaborations with Lightin’ Hopkins, the Chambers Brothers, Doc Watson, Pete Seeger, Memphis Slim and Willie Dixon, Art Hodes, and more.
Dark Funeral – Where Shadows Forever Reign CD (Century Media)
Reissue of the sixth album from the Swedish black metal band.
Lee DeWyze – Paranoia CD (Shanachie)
Singer/songwriter Lee DeWyze broke through as the winner of the 2010 American Idol season but has been one of the few Idols to achieve a successful post-Idol career that has evolved musically into the alternative music realm. As a result, his music has been featured in many television shows including The Walking Dead, Elementary, Suits, Nashville and others, as well as NASCAR commercials and the national campaign song for Blue Cross/Blue Shield. His previous album, Oil & Water, debuted in the Top 10 of the Billboard Folk chart.
Ektomorf – Fury CD/LP (AFM)
New album from the Hungarian heavy metal band. [Limited blue colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Emapea – Zoning Out Volume 1 CD/LP (Cold Busted)
Emapea, the renowned beat-maker from Poland, burst upon the scene with multiple compilation appearances on Cold Busted, an inclusion on Mark Farina’s Mushroom Jazz 8, and his stunning debut album Seeds, Roots & Fruits. Fans and headz worldwide have been clamoring for a follow-up, but all Emapea wanted to do was just ‘zone out.’ And that’s what happened, with the release of Emapea’s twenty song album Zoning Out, Volume 1.
Esbe – Bloomsday CD/2xLP (Cold Busted)
Esbe is an multi-genre music producer from Los Angeles, California. He is known for his atmospheric instrumental production which incorporates sound elements from extensive use of jazz and soul samples. His latest release is a collection of 19 essential instrumentals.
Extinction A.D. – Decimation Treaty CD (Good Fight Music)
The Long Island metal vets return with another unrelenting and ferocious thrash explosion.
Eyes Set To Kill – Eyes Set To Kill CD (Century Media)
New release from the Phoenix, Arizona-based post-hardcore band.
For The Fallen Dreams – Six CD (Rise)
New album from the Lansing, MI melodic metalcore band.
Geowulf – Great Big Blue CD/LP (PIAS America)
Geowulf’s new album elegantly cruises through glittering guitar lines and melodies as soft as sand, calling to mind the poise of Lana Del Rey, and the ethereal beauty of Mazzy Star.
Solomon Grey – Human Music CD (Mercury)
A collection of intricately crafted songs, delving into themes of choice, love and loss – written by the band at the time singer Joe Wilson’s mother was diagnosed with a terminal illness. Human Music was influenced by her passing. Solomon Grey explain, “The album is fundamentally about exploring loss and finding out how integral it is to life. That’s where it started for us but as with all of these things it can mean whatever you want it to.” [Vinyl edition due March 9.]
Tigran Hamasyan – For Gyumri CD/LP (Nonesuch)
For Gyumri, the third Nonesuch recording from pianist/composer Tigran Hamasyan, is a companion to 2017’s An Ancient Observer. Hamasyan named the album in tribute to his hometown of Gyumri, Armenia. “These songs are musical observations about the world we live in now,” he says, “and the weight of history we carry with us.”
Heavatar – Opus II: The Annihilation CD (earMUSIC)
A side venture for those who don’t quite get Van Canto’s a cappella metal (we do), Heavatar features lead VC throat Stefan Schmidt, alongside drummer Jörg Michael (ex-Stratovarius and literally 85 other bands), lead guitarist Sebastian Scharf and bassist Daniel Wicke. The idea, in effect, is to take those multi-layered, dominant choral choices out of Van Canto and place them into a regular metallic context. The band’s 2013 Opus I – All My Kingdoms certainly passed the muster; so does the aptly-named Opus II: The Annihilation. Heavatar has scattered about enough true-form metal riffs and power metal basics that they fit comfortably aside the style’s most explosive and prancing acts. And look at it this way: If Van Canto ever goes belly-up, Schmidt can land quite comfortably in Heavatar and not lose a dash of pomp.
Imperial State Electric – Anywhere Loud CD/2xLP (Psychout)
Live album from the Swedish rockers recorded between 2014 and 2016.
I’m With Her – See You Around CD/LP (Rounder)
I’m With Her, the band of Sara Watkins, Sarah Jarosz, and Aoife O’Donovan, offer up their collaborative full-length debut. Co-produced by Ethan Johns (Ryan Adams, Laura Marling, Paul McCartney) and the band and recorded at Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios in Bath, England – See You Around is a warmly textured, yet stripped down twelve track affair filled with fine-spun narratives, breathtaking harmonies, and layers of lush guitar tones. The album is comprised of 11 originals, penned by the band in Los Angeles and Vermont, plus the never before released Gillian Welch-penned “Hundred Miles.” With each member playing guitar and handling various aspects of the instrumentation – including fiddle and ukulele for Watkins, mandolin and banjo for Jarosz, piano and synth for O’Donovan – the band cut most of the album live, performing just a few feet away from each other in the tracking room. All through See You Around, I’m With Her exhibits a refined musicality that reflects their deep musical roots.
Jinjer – Cloud Factory [Reissue/2015] CD/LP (Napalm)
Beauty and the Beast – Jinjer unify both worlds, as they flare up the time-honored contrast of good and evil. This is extremely groovy, disharmonic Djent – technically tricky like progressive death metal with a flip side of sensual jazz, tumbling delightfully between nu metal and metalcore. [First-time vinyl edition also available.]
Barney Kessel – Live At The Jazz Mill 1954, Vol. 2 CD/LP (Modern Harmonic)
More unearthed tape from a jazz icon! This second volume of Jazz Mill recordings shows Barney Kessel firmly at the top of his game. Once again, Kessel and the Jazz Millers (pianist Pete Jolly, drummer Art Kile, and bassist Gene Stoffell) interpret a variety of standards from The Great American Songbook and each arrangement serves to demonstrate the group’s superb chops and collective creativity. This is Barney in his salad days when he was topping all the major jazz polls and emerging as one of the most important guitarists of that or any subsequent era. [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]
LARS – Last American Rock Stars CD (Majik Ninja)
Detroit natives Bizarre of D12 fame and horrorcore legend King Gordy team up for a brand-new rap project. Last American Rock Stars features Majik Ninja labelmates G-Mo Skee and Twiztid as well as Chicago fast rapper Twista.
Elise LeGrow – Playing Chess CD/LP+MP3 (S-Curve)
Elise LeGrow’s debut album is a sublime collection of dramatically reimagined songs from the Chess Records catalog.
Loma – Loma CD/LP+MP3 (Sub Pop)
Loma’s enigmatic debut feels beautifully adrift in time and space. It’s an album that takes you to a place you’ve never been, with a rare confidence in the strength of its own vision. Though it was recorded off a dirt road in rural Texas, there’s no hint of country here: from the first airy notes of “Who Is Speaking?” to the decaying choir of “Black Willow,” Loma create a hypnotic world of their own, where rustling leaves, fuzzed-out bass, panting dogs, prepared pianos, and a wilderness of percussion form a backdrop for Emily Cross’ translucent voice. She is a steady, clear-eyed presence throughout, even among the heart-pounding pulses of “Relay Runner,” the skittering drums of “Dark Oscillations” and the galloping release of “Joy”; in sparer songs like “Shadow Relief” and the haunting “I Don’t Want Children,” she’s a fearless ally, swimming calmly with you against a powerful undertow. There’s something here for lovers of Nina Nastasia or Broadcast, but also Linda Thompson, or The Silver Apples – even early Pink Floyd. But most of all, this arresting and mysterious album marks the arrival of a band whose first steps already feel timeless.
Nicolas Masson/Colin Vallon/Patrice Moret/ Lionel Friedli – Travelers CD (ECM)
After two ECM albums with the cooperative trio Third Reel, Swiss reedman Nicolas Masson presents a quartet for which he is the sole composer. The group has existed for a decade with unchanged personnel, touring as Nicolas Masson’s Parallels, and the leaders writing for it always encourages creative responses from the players. Amid the changing musical landscapes in which these travelers move, you will encounter some of Colin Vallon’s prettiest ballad playing, richly melodic bass from Patrice Moret, and subtle drum commentary from Lionel Friedli. Plus, of course, plenty of Masson’s pure-toned saxophone and elegant clarinet.
MAST – Thelonious Sphere Monk CD (World Galaxy/Alpha Pup)
MAST’s Thelonious Sphere Monk is a cosmic journey reinterpreting the great Thelonious Monk Song Book in celebration of his 100th birthday. MAST tackles sixteen Monk compositions, including the acclaimed “Round Midnight,” “Blue Monk,” “Straight No Chaser,” “Epistrophy” and “Well You Needn’t.” As well as more obscure titles like “Misterioso,” “Pannonica,” “Friday The 13th” and “Bemsha Swing.” MAST, aka Tim Conley, pays homage to the significant history of Thelonious Monk and his esteemed compositions while bringing them into the future using modern electronic bleeps, bloops, and beats.
Monophonics – Mirrors CDEP/12” (Transistor Sound)
Monophonics are back with a six-song EP that fuses the complimentary and explosive soul, rock and funk influences, proving themselves to be the rightful inheritors of the Bay Area’s impressive psychedelic soul sound. [Limited coke bottle clear vinyl pressing also available.]
Neil Morse – Life & Times CD/LP (Metal Blade)
Now in his mid-50s and his children grown up, there is a sense on his new album, Life & Times, that Neal Morse (Spock’s Beard) is looking around and taking stock. “I’ve come through a lot of difficult times and I’m in a fairly content place now,” he says. “You can feel that on some of the songs.” Much of this ‘acoustic-orientated, singer/songwriter’ album was written while he was travelling around the world on The Road Called Home tour in 2017, with some of the songs being inspired by the places he visited, while others are from spending time with his family. [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]
David Murray feat. Saul Williams – Blues For Memo CD (Motema Music)
Released just in time for Black History Month, Blues For Memo is a new album by saxophonist David Murray and poet Saul Williams. Williams and Murray met in 2014 at the funeral of the revolutionary poet Amiri Baraka, at which Williams performed a poem and Murray (who worked with Baraka in the past) was in attendance. The chance encounter led to a collaboration between the two artists, with Williams sending Murray a collection of poems to set to music.
Nipsey Hussle – Victory Lap CD (Atlantic)
Debut album from the Los Angeles rapper featuring guest appearances from YG, Diddy, Kendrick Lamar, The-Dream and CeeLo Green and Marsha Ambrosius, among others.
Onra – Nobody Has To Know CD/2xLP (All City)
The new album from the versatile French producer reflects on the various aspects of a secret relationship pulling from R&B, new jack swing and funk to soundtrack the passions of attraction. The album digs into late ’80s and early ’90s jams for smooth and rich sounds.
The Orielles – Silver Dollar Moment CD/LP (PIAS America)
The Orielles is a close-knit unit of two sisters and their best mate – Esme on vocals and bass, Sidonie on drums and Henry on guitar. Their debut album, Silver Dollar Moments, announces itself as a proper slice of indie pop goodness right from the jangling, sunshiny chords of the opening track. It takes all kinds of turns, into ESG-ish yips and funk, dreamy-playful harmonies, disco synth-pows, stoner bongos and unsettling submerged vocals. This young British band’s sound flows from the fountain of indie pop – fresh, catchy and altogether enjoyable.
Ought – Room Inside The World CD/LP+MP3 (Merge)
On Room Inside The World – Ought’s third album – growing up doesn’t mean mellowing out so much as it means learning to pay attention, listening carefully and openly, staying somewhere long enough to really understand where you are. Recorded at Rare Book Room in Brooklyn with producer Nicolas Vernhes (Deerhunter, Animal Collective, Silver Jews), Room Inside The World explores themes that have always concerned the band – identity, connection, survival in a precarious world – but with a bolder, more nuanced sound palette. Vibraphone, justly intonated synthesizers, drum machines, and a 70-piece choir suffuse the precise post-punk breakdowns that spangled Ought’s first two albums, giving rise to an emotional complexity that pushes their characteristically taut sound to greater depths. Together, they constructed a (digital) moodboard to set their intentions: Brian Eno and Stereolab synths, the Mekons’ 1985 album Fear and Whiskey, and Gerhard Richter and Kenneth Anger’s sexy, fluorescent hyperreal all made it into the melting pot.
Penthouse Penthouse – Cruise Control CD (Alpha Pup)
Right in time for Valentine’s Day, Cruise Control is a smooth and sultry nine-tracker of R&B-tinged pop songs. In the short time since the group’s formation, they have collaborated with the likes of Djemba Djemba, Mr. Carmack, Stwo, Chloe Martini, Marvel Alexander & Promnite and have been billed with acts such as XXYYXX, Sweater Beats, Salva, and the Glitch Mob.
Perverted Ceremony – Sabbat of Behezaël CD/LP (Nuclear War Now)
Following their self-titled EP, The Brussels band return with their uniquely abominable variety of black metal on their full-length debut.
Pianos Become The Teeth – Wait For Love CD/LP+MP3 (Epitaph)
The Baltimore indie post-hardcore band release their new album. Produced and engineered by Will Yip, Wait For Love shows the band reconciling their aggressive past with the atmospheric turns of Keep You. The album eschews stylistic traps in order to focus on songwriting and feels like a full-realization of what the band have hinted at in the past.
The Plot In You – Dispose CD/LP (Fearless)
The fourth full-length effort from The Plot In You finds the Ohio outfit offering up their unique take on modern rock and transcending genres from metalcore to alternative. [Limited clear smoke translucent vinyl LP pressing also available.]
Pop Evil – Pop Evil CD/2xLP (Entertainment One)
Pop Evil smashes through the odds like a battering ram, weathering the trials and tribulations of paying dues with a steadfast resilience owing much to their blue collar and middle class backgrounds, and building a worldwide audience one fan at a time. As the moniker promises, Pop Evil conjures aggressive riffs and hard charging sing-a-longs with emotional heft and melodic power in equal measure. It’s music by the people, for the people.
Ryan Porter – Spangle-Lang Lane CD/LP (World Galaxy/Alpha Pup)
Running in parallel with the powerful wave of transformation that occurred with the advent of recording technology in the 1800s, children’s music has been a critically important part of the evolving pace of modern culture. Through the entire body of children’s music, few have truly deviated from the normal harmonic and melodic structures of past composers. West Coast Get Down co-founder Ryan Porter presents Spangle-Lang Lane, a collection of music that revamps and puts a facelift on some of the world’s most beloved children’s songs.
Richard Russell – Everything Is Recorded CD/LP (XL)
Everything Is Recorded is the full-length debut solo album from record producer and XL Recordings co-founder Richard Russell featuring vocal contributions from Sampha, Giggs, Ibeyi, Obongjayar, Infinite and Wiki & Syd plus instrumental contributions from Kamasi Washington, Damon Albarn, Rachel Zeffira, Peter Gabriel and Owen Pallett. The 12-track collection follows up the accomplished Close But Not Quite EP and is ushered in by the raw and emotional lead single “Show Love” with R&B singers Syd and Sampha.
Jamie Saft – Solo A Genova CD/LP+MP3 (RareNoise)
Solo A Genova is Saft’s highly emotive take on jazz standards and other uniquely American compositions. Recorded at the beautiful Teatro Carlo Felice in Genova, Italy in an acoustically marvellous space, the album showcases Saft on a 9-foot Steinway Model D piano in the service of a number beguiling piano arrangements of tunes by Curtis Mayfield, Jimmy Jam/Terry Lewis, John Coltrane, ZZ Top, Stevie Wonder, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Charles Ives, Miles Davis and Bill Evans.
Ryuichi Sakamoto – Async Remodels CD (Milan)
As one-third of Yellow Magic Orchestra and an Academy Award-winning composer for his work on the soundtrack for The Last Emperor, synth pop innovator Ryuichi Sakamoto is among the most groundbreaking artists to have emerged since the late ‘70s. A musician’s musician, Ryuichi Sakamoto has created intriguing musical unions with artists such as David Sylvian, Iggy Pop, Tony Williams, Bootsy Collins, Jacques Morelenbaum and many others. Following the massively successful release of the electronic masterpiece async in 2017, Ryuichi Sakamoto’s first studio album in eight years, Milan is proud to announce the remix compilation async remodels. async remodels features a dozen remixes of async’s tracks by a who’s-who of experimental giants – everyone from late Icelandic composer Jóhann Jóhannsson (Arrival, Sicario) to Oneohtrix Point Never (composer of Good Times) to Arca (producer of Bjork’s numerous releases) have gotten their hands dirty remixing Sakamoto’s work. Even reworks by the Canadian synthpop duo Electric Youth and Austin-based synthwave legends S U R V I V E are included [Vinyl edition due March 2.]
Senses Fail – If There Is Light It Will Find You CD/LP (Pure Noise)
The seventh full-length album from the New Jersey-based post hardcore band.
Shannon & The Clams – Onion CD/LP (Nonesuch)
Oakland-based, indie garage punk quartet Shannon & The Clams, known for a diverse sound that incorporates elements of doo-wop, early rock & roll, classic R&B, garage psych, and surf rock as influences, releases their fifth album, Onion, this time working with producer Dan Auerbach and Easy Eye Sound. The song “Backstreets” is guitarist Cody Blanchard response to the Ghost Ship fire, and particularly the issues of artist housing and being forced to make your own way in a society that is not arranged to accommodate artists. Album closer “Don’t Close Your Eyes” is Shannon’s response, an inspirational ballad urging those suffering through loss to not give up in the midst of tragedy. “It’s Gonna Go Away,” is the album’s biggest stylistic departure, mixing elements of soul, disco, R&B, psychedelia, the Zombies, chanting and baroque while opener “The Boy” is quintessential Clams, a heavily’ 60s rock inspired track with a mournful hook.
Andy Sheppard Quartet – Romaria CD (ECM)
Andy Sheppard’s quartet extends the musical explorations begun on the 2015 release Surrounded By Sea, an album praised by Télérama for its poignant serenity. In this new program of compositions by Sheppard (plus the title track by Brazilian singer-songwriter Renato Teixeira), the drones and washes of Eivind Aarsets guitar and electronics aided by the generous acoustics of Luganos Auditorio Stelio Molo RSI help to establish a climate in which improvisation can take place. There’s a highly atmospheric, ambient drift to the music which Sheppard clearly finds liberating, as do Michel Benita and Seb Rochford, free to move in and out of conventional rhythm section roles and to make impassioned statements of their own. [Vinyl edition due March 2.]
Shinya Fukumori Trio – For 2 Akis CD (ECM)
An ECM debut for a unique Japanese-French-German trio, with a lyrical sound of its own. Drummer-leader Shinya Fukumori, also the principal composer for the band, is an imaginative melodist at several levels, and the attention to timbre and detail and space which distinguishes his drumming is also reflected in the color-fields of his free-floating ballads. The spaciousness of the music leaves room for expression to tenorist Matthieu Bordenave and pianist Walter Lang.
The Skids – Burning Cities CD/LP (Nobad)
Four decades after they formed – in the white-hot summer of 1977 – The Skids are back. The post-punk pioneers, currently on a hugely successful comeback tour, release their fifth album Burning Cities. The album was produced by Verve and Primal Scream studio legend Youth, re-unites founding members Richard Jobson (vocals) and Bill Simpson (bass) with Mike Baillie (drums). Stepping in for the late Stuart Adamson is his long-time Big Country band mate Bruce Watson.
Superchunk – What A Time To Be Alive CD/LP+MP3 (Merge)
After the shocking, and for many, demoralizing result of the 2016 election, “I didn’t buy the silver lining some were promoting that ‘well, at least art and music will be great now!’,” says Superchunk co-founder and frontman Mac McCaughan. “Obviously, any sane person would gladly trade four to eight years of terrible music for not having our country dismantled to satisfy the whims of a vengeful child and his enablers.” What A Time To Be Alive is Superchunk’s first album in over four years. It features more guest backing vocalists than any previous Superchunk album, including Sabrina Ellis (A Giant Dog, Sweet Spirit), Katie Crutchfield (Waxahatchee), Stephin Merritt (The Magnetic Fields), Skylar Gudasz, and David Bazan. It’s a record, says Mac, “about a pretty dire and depressing situation but hopefully not a record that is dire and depressing to listen to.” Indeed, like so much of Superchunk’s music in the band’s nearly three decades together, the songs on What A Time to Be Alive meet rage and anxiety head-on with the catharsis and exhilaration of loud punk fire and vulnerable pop energy. Like 2013’s I Hate Music, which focused on death, loss, and the role of music in an aging life, the new record brings spirit to the frontlines of pain – it’s as defiant as it is despairing, as much a call to arms as a throwing up of hands.
Tal National – Tantabara CD/LP (Fat Cat)
Tantabara is the latest installment of Tal National’s attempt to make a global audience dance. The album was recorded in their hometown of Niamey, Niger, again with Chicago engineer Jamie Carter at the controls. The band have always carved a huge sound out of limited resources, which means using a remote recording rig in a dusty makeshift studio and working with minimal recording equipment and musical instruments on the verge of disrepair. This all adds to the band’s communal spirit, though, and opening their home up as a studio means that everybody gets to be involved in the process. Over the 8 tracks on Tantabara, there are 8 different vocalists – 7 of whom are full time members of the band.
Robert Earl Thomas – Another Age CD/LP (Captured Tracks)
There are a million songs dressed in white t-shirts and American denim, songs that drift through open spaces in some busted sedan, over lost highways that become tributaries to eventual static, crawling traffic and stifling density. There are a million more songs about being wild and green in the cities and outside them: a song about love for every person on this earth. Another Age, the debut album from Robert Earl Thomas, avoids inhabiting these clichés even as it embraces their personal influence: this is an album about small moments with big emotional footprints, told humbly and honestly. There are stylistic nods to Bruce Springsteen and Dire Straits, Arthur Russell’s more folk-leaning output, and the various collaborations of Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne.
Umii (Reva DeVito + B. Bravo) – This Time CD (Fresh Selects)
The debut release from a new duo made up of Portland singer, Reva DeVito, and Cali funk producer/musician, B. Bravo. The project is equal parts summer dance party BBQ vibes and ‘90s R&B slow jam inspired for the after party make-outs.
U.S. Girls – In A Poem Unlimited CD/LP+MP3 (4AD)
Meg Remy’s second release for 4AD, In A Poem Unlimited, was tracked in collaboration with Toronto-based instrumental collective the Cosmic Range, and features arrangements by long-time contributors Maxmilian Turnbull and Louis Percival. The dizzying buffet of live grooves represent an inversion of the dusty, sample-based minimal textures of Half Free, Remy’s euphoric 4AD debut.
Vision Of Atlantis – The Deep & The Dark CD (Napalm)
New album from the Austrian symphonic metal masters. The varied and fascinating voice of Clémentine Delauney provides for hauntingly beautiful duets with Siegfried Samer’s classic power metal infusions, embodying the symphonic metal cake: From the grandiose album title track “The Deep & The Dark”, folklore elements in “Ritual Night” to the up-tempo juggernaut “Return To Lemuria”, Visions Of Atlantis bring all their assets in this mystical adventure.
Jim White – Waffles, Triangles & Jesus CD/2xLP (Joyful Noise)
Released in 2017 as import-only – now available stateside. Jim White gets around. When he’s not releasing his own critically acclaimed solo albums he splits his time producing records for other songwriters, exhibiting his visual art in galleries and museums across the US and Europe and publishing award winning fiction. His sixth solo studio album, the bizarrely titled Waffles, Triangles & Jesus, is a mind-bending joy ride of sonic influences featuring a bevy of his hometown Athens’ roots musicians, plus west coast indie darlings Dead Rock West, and rock and roll maverick Holly Golightly.
Wild Beasts – Last Night All My Dreams Came CD/2xLP+MP3 (Domino)
Wild Beasts will play their final ever shows in February of 2018, and Domino bids the band a bittersweet farewell with Last Night All My Dreams Came True – a live studio album/career-spanning collection which features songs from each of Wild Beasts’ studio efforts with an emphasis on Boy King. Looking back on Wild Beasts’ back catalog and the themes they tackled, there is a sense of prescience – toxic masculinity, gender fluidity, the conflicts surrounding class, politics and art were no bandwagon jumps, often becoming hot topics in the media several years after they’d been eloquently dealt with on record.
J.D. Wilkes – Fire Dream CD/LP (Big Legal Mess)
A sense of place has long permeated the music of J.D. Wilkes. He’s a native of Paducah, KY, a city located at the confluence of various rivers and cultures – an area where musical variety is in the air and in the blood memory of its people. “Of course, there’s bluegrass and hillbilly songs, but also blues, jazz, old time fiddle music, jug band music, even swamp rock,” says Wilkes. “It’s a great intersection there. I think I epitomize that in the way that I write and perform.” Wilkes’ solo debut, Fire Dream, represents the apotheoses of that vision: a hillbilly-gypsy epic, it’s an album of art damaged cabaret music, leavened by Latin rhythms and high lonesome hollers. Call it boho bluegrass – maybe what Tom Waits would sound like if he were a Kentucky Colonel (a title that Wilkes happens to hold).
Marlon Williams – Make Way For Love CD/LP+MP3 (Dead Oceans)
Known for his effortlessly distinctive voice, Make Way For Love marks New Zealand singer/songwriter Marlon Williams’ exponential growth as an artist. Throughout 11 originals, he explores new musical terrain and reveals himself in an unprecedented way in the wake of a fractured relationship. While Make Way For Love draws on Marlon’s own story, it captures the vagaries of relationships we’ve all been through: the bliss (opener “Come To Me”); ache (“Love Is a Terrible Thing”); nagging questions (“Can I Call You”); and bitterness (“The Fire Of Love”, whose lyrics Williams says he “agonized over” more than any). [Limited white colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Windhand / Satan’s Satyrs – Satan’s Satyrs / Windhand [Split] CD/LP (Relapse)
Two of Virginia’s finest heavy bands team up for an amp-worshipping, acid trip from hell. Includes two brand new songs of smoldering gloom and grief from Windhand paired with three tracks of devilish, fuzz-drenched metal/punk from Satan’s Satyrs. [Limited gold colored vinyl pressing also available.]
George Winston – Winter Into Spring [Reissue/1982] CD (Valley)
Expanded CD reissue of the third solo album by pianist George Winston, originally released in 1982. Winter Into Spring was inspired by the transition of the seasons and was the follow-up to his 1980 album, Autumn. Includes the bonus track “(Love Echoes In The) Pine Hills”.
Norma Winstone – Descansado – Songs For Films CD (ECM)
A creative journey into the world of cinema with new arrangements – by Klaus Gesing and Glauco Venier – of music by Nino Rota, Michel Legrand, William Walton, Bernard Herrmann, and Ennio Morricone for the movies of Scorsese, Godard, Wenders, Jewison, Zeffirelli, Olivier and more. Several of the arrangements incorporate new words by Norma Winstone who, in addition to being one of the great jazz singers, has long been a sensitive lyricist. For this project, her acclaimed trio with Gesing and Venier is augmented by two special guests: Norwegian improvising percussionist Helge Andreas Norbakken and Italian classical cellist Mario Brunello.
DVDs + Blu-ray:
Van Morrison – In Concert DVD/Blu-ray (Eagle Vision)
Filmed at the BBC Radio Theatre, Sir Van Morrison performs an intimate In Concert show. The Belfast born Van the Man performs a selection of tracks, old and new, from his iconic back catalogue through to Keep Me Singing. Also included is the 60-minute bonus concert Up on Cyprus Avenue, recorded on his 70th birthday to celebrate this milestone.
This Week’s Vinyl Exclusives:
Agrimonia – Awaken CD (Southern Lord)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Agrimonia’s sound has always been dense, immersive, ambitious even, and on Awaken their prog-infused form of expansive metal has evolved into something more energetic, dynamic, and powerful.
The Apples In Stereo – Velocity Of Sound [Reissue/2002] LP (Yep Roc)
The last of four Apples In Stereo vinyl reissues courtesy of Yep Roc (previous reissues included Tone Soul Evolution (1997), Her Wallpaper Reverie (1999), and The Discovery Of A World Inside The Moone (2000). For their fifth album, Velocity Of Sound, The Apples in Stereo cranked up the guitars and made what Robert Schneider proclaimed is their ode to The Ramones. It is a set of short and sweet tunes, most of which clock in at under three minutes.
Harry Belafonte – Belafonte At Carnegie Hall: The Complete Concert [Reissue/1959] 5xLP (Analog Productions)
Audiophile 200gm 45rpm set including bonus tracks previously unavailable on vinyl.
Belle and Sebastian – How To Solve Our Human Problems (Part 3) 12” (Matador)
How To Solve Our Human Problems EP project is the latest installment in a career that has always pursued a singular and delightful vision of what pop represents and what it can achieve, a career that has seen them triumph against the odds to win a Brit award, be one of the first bands to curate their own festival, and play at the London residence of the US ambassador. Belle and Sebastian’s new music has the timeless blend of joy and melancholy that has always characterized them. [CD and vinyl box set collecting all three volumes also available this week.]
Calibro 35 – SuperStudio b/w Gomma 7” (Record Kicks)
“SuperStudio” is the main theme for a movie that doesn’t exist, starring Clint Eastwood and Pam Grier saving earth from the invasion of deadly robots from another planet” and it’s pure dynamite. On the flip you’ll find “Gomma”, an album outtake that is an irresistible funk groovy shaker.
Cannabis Corpse – Left Hand Pass LP (Season Of Mist)
Limited edition yellow colored vinyl pressing of the parody Richmond, VA death metal band’s latest (2017) album.
Carach Angren – This Is No Fairytale [Reissue/2015] LP (Season Of Mist)
Limited transparent green & black mix colored vinyl reissue of the Landgraaf, Netherlands black metal band’s fourth album.
Chocolate Watch Band – The Inner Mystique [Reissue1968] LP (Sundazed)
The Inner Mystique, the hypnotic second album by the Chocolate Watch Band, takes up exactly where its sacred predecessor left you: looking for your perfect match at the local Love-In. When lead singer par excellence Dave Aguilar grabs you by the lapels and tells you “I’m Not Everybody Else,” you have no choice but to believe him. He’s not. And when he cools down enough to extol the virtues of “Medication,” who could doubt his sincerity? Especially when he stokes the fires to the boiling-point where medication may not really make much difference. But the real stunner here is their exhilarating cover of Bobby D’s “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue.” In typical CWB interpretive bliss, nobody has ever done this hallowed song any better.
John Coltrane – Chasing Trane 2xLP (UMe)
Now available on 180gm vinyl. 11 tracks from the film, Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary (also available on CD, DVD and Blu-ray). Set against the social, political and cultural landscape of the time, it brings saxophone great John Coltrane to life, as a man and an artist.
Barbara Dane and The Chambers Brothers – Barbara Dane And The Chambers Brothers [Reissue/1956] LP (Smithsonian Folkways)
During the Civil Rights Movement, activist singer Barbara Dane collaborated with the then up-and-coming quartet The Chambers Brothers to record a powerful politically charged gospel and rock album that spoke directly to the issues of the day. The vinyl reissue of Barbara Dane and the Chambers Brothers, which includes a liner note booklet and digital download, is part of Folkways Records’ 70th anniversary celebration series, revisiting some of the most iconic and influential albums released on the record label. The vinyl album also serves as the companion piece to a new Barbara Dane double-CD retrospective: Hot Jazz, Cool Blues & Hard-Hitting Songs (now available).
Craig David – The Time Is Now LP (RCA)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Seventh studio album by the British singer. Guests include JP Cooper, Bastille, AJ Tracey, Ella Mai, Kaytranada and GoldLink.
Dirty Art Club – Basement Seance 2xLP (Dirty Art Club)
Entering the Dirty Art Club is like letting an encyclopedic sample curator soundtrack a vibrant psychedelic cartoon dream. Conceived in North Carolina, fragments of sun-kissed soul and dusty psyche-rock sounds are stitched together and intertwined with live instrumentation recorded in a home studio setup to convey a woozy and soulful experience. It’s a blend that’s been refined on Dirty Art Club’s latest album, Basement Seance, which is themed around sampling rare “old songs and records that barely anybody’s heard” and reanimating them into a new life.
DJ Woody – Flexin Hard LP (Woodwurk)
World Champion turntablist, DJ Woody’s innovative Flexi-disc scratch record series Flexicuts gets a vinyl release. Flexin Hard consists of all the scratch samples from Flexicuts 1 and 2, but this time on 12” yellow vinyl. Ten unique skip-proof scratch phrases per side plus the phrases combined into a full sentence.
Pete Drake – The Fabulous Steel Guitar Sound Of Pete Drake LP (Modern Harmonic)
The sound of Nashville nightlife, circa 1962. Steel guitar pioneer Pete Drake slides and glides through a glimpse of what Music City instro sounds were like mid-century – the kinds you might hear at any neon-draped honky tonk – including everything from sexy-swing to country-cool across a dozen original tunes. Mastered from the original analog mono reels and pressed on colored vinyl.
Dr. Octagon – Octagon Octagon b/w Blue Flowers 12” (Get On Down)
With the celebrated return of Dr. Octagon (Dan the Automator, Kool Keith and DJ QBert) in 2017 – including their first-ever live performances – fans are sure to keep gobbling up the space weirdness that first surfaced more than 20 years ago. Get On Down presents a unique picture disc, featuring the original Octagon album artwork by the legendary artist Pushead. The infamous doctor’s head and lower torso reach above and below the actual 45 rpm playing surface, as if trying to escape their two-dimensional status. On the A-side is a brand-new Dr. Octagon song, “Octagon Octagon,” which picks up where the original energy left off. It’s a dark and grooving glimpse into Keith’s rubberband mind, jumping abstractly from line to line, chock full of equal parts charisma and dementia. On the flip is the song for which the group is most well-known, “Blue Flowers.” The version presented here is the amazing “Prince Paul’s So Beautiful” remix, which first appeared on a Mo Wax 12″ in the UK in late 1996.
Bob Dylan – Bob Dylan’s Greatest Hits [Reissue/1967] LP+MP3 (Sony Legacy)
Standard vinyl reissue of Dylan’s first best-of compilation.
Exile – Baker’s Dozen LP (Fat Beats)
8th installment of Fat Beats’ Baker’s Dozen instrumental series. Every volume’s limited vinyl pressing features one artist and twelve tracks, and comes equipped with a 5×7” postcard insert that features a photo of the artist’s workspace along with the equipment used in their music-making process. This volume highlights L.A. hip-hop producer Exile, who has worked for an array of artists including Mobb Deep, Big Sean, Aloe Blacc, Snoop Dogg, Wiz Khalifa & Fashawn.
Dick Garcia – A Message From Garcia [Reissue/1956] LP (Modern Harmonic)
A mid-mod guitar jazz gem pressed on colored vinyl. Jazz guitar autodidact and 1956 Downbeat Critics Poll winner Dick Garcia struts his stuff while the likes of Bill Evans, Gene Quill, and John Drew try to keep up.
Garoad – VA-11 HALL-A: Official Soundtrack 2xLP (Black Screen)
Soundtrack to Sukeban Games’ cyberpunk bartender game VA-11 HALL-A on limited edition 180g pink/blue double vinyl.
Grime-n Starfunkle – Sushi Breaks 7” (Illect)
A 7” break record that is the compilation of a decade’s worth of crate digging, sampling and beat making. Sushi Breaks is chock full of original sounds and samples not used on previous break albums, plus original sounds from one of hip hop’s legendary emcees and producers, Fab Five Freddy.
Holly – 15 Hours To LA 12” (Alpha Pup)
The Goldie Award winning producer/DJ debuts on Alpha Pup with a four track EP on orange & black splatter vinyl. Across 15 Hours To LA, Holly uses otherworldly synth tones, dissonant staccato, heavy low end, and frenzied digital drum-work, providing a synthetic journey where technicality and style meet at a unique crossroads.
Inquisition – Bloodshed Across The Empyrean Altar Beyond The Celestial Zenith [Reissue/2016] 2xLP (Season Of Mist)
Limited colored vinyl pressing. In 2016, Inquisition unleashed their long-awaited seventh album Bloodshed Across The Empyrean Altar Beyond The Celestial Zenith. Long known for some of the most powerful black metal of the genre, the cult metal firebrands invoked their most magnificent cosmic darkness yet here.
Josh One – Time Stamp LP (Boomnote Music)
Josh One drops his third multi-genre producer album. Time Stamp features Divine Styler, Uncle Imani (Pharcyde), Blu, Ta’Raach, Tabi Bonney, Shirt & Shana Halligan.
Mark Kozelek and Sean Yeaton – Yellow Kitchen LP (Caldo Verde)
Yellow Kitchen is the collaborative release from Sean Yeaton of Parquet Courts and Mark Kozelek of Sun Kil Moon and Red House Painters who first met at a Dutch music festival. The six-track collection marks Kozelek’s fourth full-length effort of 2017 alone, and was recorded in December 2016 through May 2017 between Pennsylvania and California. It includes guest appearances by Will Oldham (aka Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy), Holly Throsby, Steve Shelley (Sonic Youth), and Jim White (The Dirty Three).
Kuzich – Dawn Chorus 12” (823)
With Kuzich first official release, we get a taste of his unique versatility & multi-instrumentalism in every track. The Perth (AUS) born musician is no stranger to the music industry – having toured extensively as a drummer with acts like Tame Impala, Ta-ku, Drapht, The Growl, Cameron Avery and many more. In between tours he has always been known to float & explore corners of the earth that lead him to meeting colorful personalities and creating soulful eclectic music. He’s always hoarded his own music – which has led to layers and layers of passion, perspectives and percussion.
Laughing Hyenas – Merry Go Round [Reissue/1987] 2xLP (Third Man)
Laughing Hyenas – You Can’t Pray A Lie [Reissue/1989] LP (Third Man)
Third Man Records worked closely with Touch and Go Records and the surviving members of Laughing Hyenas to craft deluxe vinyl reissues of the band’s entire catalog. The seminal Michigan group’s releases have been lovingly re-mastered for vinyl. The double-LP edition of Merry Go Round includes all six cuts from the 1987 vinyl debut, as well as the five bonus tracks that were included on the 1995 CD release. Also available is a straight reissue of their 1989 release You Can’t Pray A Lie. The Hyenas didn’t record throwaways.
Liv.E – Frank 12” (Dolan/Street Corner Music)
Frank is the latest release from Dolfin Records, a Texas indie label with a prominent underground roster that includes rapper Lord Byron, producer Ben Hixon, R&B singer Jon Bap, and former Stanley Clarke drummer Mike Mitchell. Liv.E is one of the newer artists on the label, having previously collaborated with Hixon through a series of DJ parties in Dallas (“New Math Mondays”). Hixon and Bap have significant marks on this project, providing production, mixing, and background vocals. The beats they lend are often heavy on the drums, with short, hazy riffs that resemble Dilla-style syncopated loops.
Magic In Threes – Finnish Funk b/w Shot Through The Grease 7” (KingUnderground)
A funk 45 inspired by ‘70s soundtracks. Heavy beats with diabolical melodies are the name of the game for The A-side, “Finnish Funk”. On the flip side “Shot Thru The Grease” has more of a loping feel to it with ample portions of moody thematic elements. Like a score to a lost 1970s Italian action film, these tracks hit like a hardnosed detective closing in on his next collar.
Majid Jordan – Space Between 2xLP (WB)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. New release from the critically acclaimed Toronto duo. Includes the singles “Body Talk” and “My Imagination” (featuring dvsn). The Space Between also includes the buzzing hit “One I Want” (featuring Partynextdoor), and “Phrases.”
Kendrick Lamar – Damn: Collector’s Edition 2xLP (Aftermath)
Collectors double clear vinyl LP pressing with the track list reversed.
Marduk – Plague Angel [Reissue/2004] LP (Century Media)
180gm vinyl reissue. 2004’s Plague Angel was the first release featuring current vocalist Mortuus (Funeral Mist, Triumphator) who played a pivotal role in Marduk’s reinvigoration after the departure of previous singer Legion. He brought a new level of vocal and lyrical intensity plus a frightening stage presence into the game catapulting the group to new heights.
John Mayall and The Blues Breakers – Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton [Reissue/1966] LP (Sundazed)
1966’s seminal Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton marked John Mayall’s emergence as a major recording artist, as well as his commercial breakthrough. The 12-song LP, considered by many to be the most influential British blues album of all time, marked the official introduction of Mayall’s long-running, ever-evolving combo The Bluesbreakers. Mayall shares the spotlight here with soon-to-be-superstar guitarist Eric Clapton (who quit the Yardbirds in order to pursue his blues muse with Mayall), along with future Fleetwood Mac co-founder John McVie on bass and Hughie Flint on drums. Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.
Leon McAuliff – Swingin’ Western Strings of Leon McAuliff [Reissue/1962] LP (Modern Harmonic)
Legendary Hall of Famer Leon McAuliff’s long-lost platter of delicious rural-route steel guitar and twin fiddle sounds, mixed with a frenetic, rockin’ country band on cuts – a southern stew steeped in the Houston native’s Texas roots. Recorded in Dallas in 1962, Swingin’ Western Strings of Leon McAuliff was a showcase for McAullif’s distinctive steel guitar playing and his skill as a bandleader as he directs his band through a dozen new instrumental arrangements of western swing and honky tonk classics. Mastered from the original analog mono reels and pressed on colored vinyl.
Les McCann – Layers [Reissue/1973] LP (Get On Down)
This incredible 1973 album – long a favorite of forward-thinking hip-hop producers and DJs – washes over listeners from the first chords of the incredible album opener, “Sometimes I Cry”, led by McCann’s array of analog synthesizers and backed by an excellent rhythm section (Donald Dean on drums, Ralph McDonald on percussion and Jimmy Rowser on bass). These keyboard-drenched grooves sat alongside record stacks brimming with Stevie Wonder, Funkadelic, Marvin Gaye’s ‘70s soul and, of course, Miles Davis’ space funk experiments of the era (like Bitches Brew).
Morbid Angel – Kingdoms Disdained 6×7”+CD (Silver Lining Music)
Limited Super Deluxe edition featuring a 7” leatherette book with six 7” vinyl discs housed in pocket with alternating artwork pages, all housed in a custom-made cube box including a digipak of the demo recordings for the album tracks and more. The forefathers of death metal music return with their ninth studio album, originally released in December 2017.
Dan P. & The Bricks – When We Were Fearless LP (Asian Man)
Dan P. and the Bricks is a 2 Tone influenced 10-piece ska powerhouse from Santa Cruz, CA, featuring members of MU330 and Slow Gherkin. With a 5-piece horn section, two guitars, organ, bass, and drums, the goal is big sound and big fun! When We Were Fearless is the project’s second full length LP ushered in by vibrant lead single “Only Words.” For fans of The Specials and Blue Meanies.
Prince Paul – Itstrumental 2xLP+MP3 (Female Fun)
For the first time Prince Paul’s cult-classic 2005 album Itstrumental is seeing a proper commercial vinyl reissue. The colored double-LP includes an accompanying download card of the phenomenal unreleased Prince Paul project Redux and features revised and updated artwork from original designer/visual artist Ray Johnson.
Professor Shorthair – NOLA Breaks Vol. 6 7” (Superjock)
Professor Shorthair keeps bringing the boom bap treatment to a couple of funky New Orleans classics. Lee Dorsey’s “Get Out Of My Life, Woman” is the perfect blend of ‘90s hip-hop and NOLA funk with its hard hitting drums and sharp cuts. The Gaturs “Gator Bait” transforms from an instrumental funk jam into a B-Boy banger with added vocal samples and drum breaks. Green colored pressing.
Asha Puthli – Asha Puthli [Reissue/1973] LP (8th/CBS)
Asha Puthli – She Loves To Hear the Music [Reissue/1974] LP (8th/CBS)
Originally released in 1973, stylistic Indian diva Asha Puthli’s eponymous debut album was arranged and produced by Del Newman (Elton John, Cat Stevens, Carly Simon, Rod Stewart) and features singular funky disco psyche covers of George Harrison (“I Dig Love”), J.J. Cale (“Right Down Here,” “Lies”), Bill Withers (“Let Me In Your Life”) and John Lennon (“Love”). Cover art by Mick Rock. Originally released in 1974, She Loves To Hear the Music is the second solo album from stylistic Indian diva Asha Puthli who made a name for herself working with John Hammond and Ornette Coleman. Featuring production from Teo Macero, Del Newman and Paul Phillips, it follows a similar framework to that of her eponymous 1973 debut with singular funky disco psyche covers of Cole Porter’s “Night And Day,” Neil Sedaka’s “Laughter In The Rain” and Van McCoy’s “You’ve Got To Tell Her.”
Ride – Tomorrow’s Shore 12” (Wichita Recordings)
On the heels of their triumphant return with Weather Diaries, the band’s first new record in 21 years, Ride present an EP of brand new material recorded in late 2017 with Erol Alkan and Alan Moulder at the helm once more.
Roger – The Many Facets Of Roger [Reissue/1981] (8th/WB)
“An artist known to mold genres, the man who went simply as Roger is probably most famous for bringing Peter Frampton’s synthesized talk-box into urban music,” writes Uproxx. “More notably, he helped pioneer the bouncy and digital-synth sound that’s become commonplace amongst not only the rap world, but also pop and techno.” The Many Facets Of Roger is the platinum-certified 1981 solo debut from versatile Zapp frontman Roger Troutman.
Sonny Rollins – Way Out West [Reissue/1957] 2xLP (Craft Recordings)
Way Out West, originally recorded for the Contemporary label in 1957, qualifies as an all-time Sonny Rollins classic. Culled from a 3 A.M. session with bassist Ray Brown and drummer Shelly Manne, the material collected here demonstrates why Rollins was considered the top tenor saxophone in jazz at the time of the recording. This deluxe edition celebrates this landmark album in Rollins’ career with a full second LP of rare and previously unreleased bonus material and deluxe packaging.
Saucy Lady – Town b/w Honey B 12” (Cultures Of Soul)
Cultures of Soul Records has teamed up with local Boston disco queen Saucy Lady to put together a 12”, released in conjunction with their Tokyo Nights – Female J-Pop Boogie Funk compilation. Saucy Lady is a character with an attitude of confidence and sensuality. She represents in her music what we’ve all admired about the disco era. Saucy Lady brings back the eclectic, outrageous fashion and cultural diversity that comprised the nightclub scenes in the ’70s and ’80s.
Solar Shield – Solar Shield LP (Austin Boogie Crew)
Modern funk mixed with electronic beat music.
Songs: Ohia – Travels In Constants [Reisue/2001] LP (Temporary Residence)
Scarcely available in its original CD-only edition of 1,000 copies, the Travels In Constants single-track EP has finally been remastered and reissued for the vinyl format. Completing this reissue is “Howler,” another lengthy Songs: Ohia track that, like Travels In Constants, was recorded and released in 2001 in an edition of only 1,000. These tracks are amongst the most abstractly beautiful and alarmingly delicate music that Molina ever committed to tape.
The Strawberry Alarm Clock – Incense and Peppermints [Reissue/1967] LP (Sundazed)
Mastered from the original stereo UNI reels, Sundazed’s vinyl edition also features the album’s unique original cover art. Colored vinyl pressing also available.
Sun Kil Moon – Ghosts Of The Great Highway [Reissue/2003] 2xLP (Rough Trade US)
One time only vinyl re-press of Sun Kil Moon’s 2003 cult classic. Virtuously stoic Americana – all shimmery guitars, measured tempos, malevolent moods, and wandering melodies. His voice sounds like Neil Young’s, especially in the effortlessness with which he hits the high notes then returns to a lower, earthier texture.
Testament – Live At The Filmore [Reissue/1995] 2xLP (Nuclear Blast)
Testament – Demonic [Reissue/1997] LP (Nuclear Blast)
Testament – The Gathering [Reissue/1999] LP (Nuclear Blast)
Testament – First Strike Still Deadly [Reissue/2001] LP+MP3 (Nuclear Blast)
Testament – Live At Eindhoven [Reissue 2009] LP (Nuclear Blast)
Limited 140g colored vinyl LP pressings housed in a gatefold sleeves.
Various Artists – Jazz For Hi-Fi Lovers [Reissue/1956] LP (Modern Harmonic)
Colored vinyl reissue of a smart set of fine beat-era jazz.
Voodoo Glow Skulls – Band Geek Mafia [Reissue/1998] LP+MP3 (Epitaph)
Limited orange colored vinyl LP pressing of a fan favorite from the Riverside, CA ska punk band.
Walking Papers – WP2 2xLP (Loud & Proud)
Recently released on CD – now available on 180gm vinyl. Walking Papers’ music is instantly familiar, yet profoundly forward-thinking, blending impactful singer/songwriting, ‘90s alternative and classic rock into a transcendent amalgam of breathtaking sounds and melodies. Featuring Jefferson Angell (The Missionary Position), Benjamin Anderson (The Missionary Position), Duff McKagan (Guns N’ Roses, Velvet Revolver), and Barrett Martin (Screaming Trees, Mad Season), the band unleashes their moody and carnal second album WP2.
‘Little’ Roy Wiggins – The Fabulous Steel Guitar Artistry Of ‘Little’ Roy Wiggins [Reissue/1964] LP (Modern Harmonic)
Pedal steel virtuoso ‘Little’ Roy Wiggins presents a collection of Hawaiian-themed instrumentals, showcasing his tone, touch and approach in the guise of a tour through the islands, circa 1964. Mastered from the original analog mono reels and pressed on colored vinyl.
Cassettes:
Eytreg – One’s Hidden Agony (Urbnet)
20 instrumental hip hop/R&B tracks. Teppei Sano, or Eytreg (8-reg), as he is better known by in the music world, is a Japanese beat maker, born and raised in Niigata, Japan. He currently resides in Toyko, and has actively been releasing music since 2015. Eytreg’s music is an extraction of jazz, soul, R&B, and trap music, with inspiration and cues from legendary hip-hop predecessors. His unique method of restructuring these genres and sounds results in the innovative creation of something that is his very own.
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