New Releases for April 21, 2015

CDs + Vinyl:

10 Years – From Birth To Burial CD (Palehorse/MRI Associated)
From Birth To Burial, the second full-length platter issued through the band’s own Palehorse imprint, is a dark and unabashedly heavy offering from the post-grunge songsmiths.

Abiotic – Casuistry CD (Metal Blade)
Progressive metal from the not-so-progressive state of Florida.

Alabama Shakes – Sound & Color CD/2xLP+MP3 (ATO)
Alabama Shakes’ Sound & Color is the follow-up to the band’s Gold-certified debut album, Boys & Girls, which earned the group three Grammy nominations, including a nod for Best New Artist. Sound & Color demonstrates the tremendous strides made by a group of musicians who had only been playing together for a few months when they recorded their first album. From the searing single “Don’t Wanna Fight” to the garage-rock freak-out on “The Greatest” to the psychedelic space jam “Gemini,” Alabama Shakes build on the soulful blues-rock base and map a surprising, innovative new direction. (Vinyl edition is available as a limited deluxe clear or regular black pressing.)

The Alchemist & Oh No – The Alchemist & Oh No Present Welcome To Los Santos CD/2xLP (Mass Appeal)
Welcome to Los Santos features fresh tracks inspired by Grand Theft Auto V’s original score, composed by The Alchemist and Oh No in partnership with Woody Jackson and Tangerine Dream to create a uniquely ambitious album. The Alchemist and Oh No weave together a musical journey that covers every corner of the fictional world of Grand Theft Auto V and features guests from across the musical spectrum – including Earl Sweatshirt, Little Dragon, Phantogram, Freddie Gibbs, Popcaan, Killer Mike, Tunde Adebimpe and Samuel T. Herring (from Future Islands).

Alesana – Confessions CD (Revival)
New album from the North Carolina rock & roll veterans.

Apocalyptica – Shadowmaker CD/LP/2xLP+MP3 (Better Noise)
New album from the Finnish cello rockers – available on both formats in Regular and Deluxe editions.

A Silent Film – New Year CDEP (MTheory)
Recorded in a rustic studio on a pecan farm just outside El Paso Texas, the new EP from A Silent Film expands on the cinematic alternative rock of 2012’s Sand & Snow and 2010’s The City That Sleeps. Lead single “Tomorrow” marries the anthemic power of Joshua Tree-era U2 with driving synths, setting up a soaring chorus that is destined to become an unforgettable moment in their live set.

As It Is – Never Happy Ever After CD (Fearless)
New album from the Brighton-via-Minneapolis pop-rockers. Vinyl version due May 4.

The Atomic Bitchwax – Gravitron CD/LP (Tee Pee)
New Jersey’s legendary, riff-centric power trio The Atomic Bitchwax return with gargantuan riffs and jaw-dropping psych sonics on their sixth full-length LP, Gravitron. Now featuring two members of Monster Magnet bassist/vocalist Chris Kosnik and drummer Bob Pantella alongside shred-tastic gunslinger Finn Ryan, the band has perfected its unique style of NYC hard rock that High Times appropriately tabbed, “thunder-boogie.”

The Ballroom Thieves – Wolf In The Doorway CD (Blue Corn Music)
Tapped already for their adept melding of roots, indie folk and symphonic strains, Ballroom Thieves — comprised of Martin Earley (guitar), Devin Mauch (percussion) and Calin Peters (cello), (they all sing) — push it even further with an album’s worth of new material wherein no two tracks sound the same, but represent a palpably confident identity. Vinyl version due June 2.

The Beautiful Ones – Jaded Love CD/LP (6131)
At first blush, it might seem easy to dismiss The Beautiful Ones as yet another in a long line of current hardcore bands aping late ’80s NYHC conventions. Upon further investigation, a deeper and more genuine aesthetic becomes apparent, as evidenced on their new full length, Jaded Love. The NYHC elements are undeniably present, yet a broader spectrum of influences stand out as well, from such opposite ends of the spectrum as Alice In Chains to Slowdive.

Beauty Pill – Things As They Are CD/LP+MP3 (Butterscotch)
A deeply personal and political album, Beauty Pill Describes Things As They Are is an expansive production that incorporates the acclaimed live band with layers of beats and electronics. The LP showcases the band’s evolving interests in blending rock, hip-hop, ambient and jazz elements into an unexpectedly coherent and unique sound.

George Benson – The Ultimate Collection 2xCD (Rhino)
This album contains all the massive hits including “The Greatest Love Of All,” “20/20,” “Love X Love,” “Lady Love Me (One More Time),” “Give Me The Night” and “Never Give Up On A Good Thing.” This double-disc also contains various in demand duets including “Love Will Come Again” featuring Chaka Khan, “When I Fall In Love” featuring Idina Menzel and “Moody’s Mood” featuring Patti Austin.

Jerry Bergonzi – Rigamaroll CD (Savant)
Revelling in the company of long-time partners bassist Dave Santoro and drummer Andrea Michelutti, Jerry also brings Pasadena-born pianist Bruce Barth into the studio. Jerry doesn’t often record with a pianist – when one cuts their musical teeth with a pianist like Dave Brubeck the titan’s shadow must loom large over the keyboard – but he and Bruce have become muy simpatico over the years and their interplay here is remarkable indeed. With Jerry’s imaginative compositions and his intense approach to music making, this is jazz that cuts you no quarter.

Big Mike – Young Man Old Soul CD (Black Market Blue)
Much more than a music producer, Big Mike is a versatile musician whose talents include the acoustic, electric and bass guitar as well as vocal arrangement and production. The genre bending musicianship and overall composition of Young Man Old Soul features the lively, jazz themed composition “Groove Me Tonight” as well as special guests Wayman Tisdale, Elan Trotman, Lin Rountree and many more.

Blackburn – Brothers In This World CD (Electro-Fi)
Brothers In This World is the Electro-Fi debut release from one of Canada’s top blues and soul bands, Blackburn.

Black Rob – Genuine Article CD (Slim Style)
New album from the rapper – his first in four years. Guests include: Sean Price, Tek (Smif-n-Wessun), battle legend Murda Mook, up and comer Quas Amill, Ron Browz (“Arab Money”), former Bad Boy label-mate Q. Parker (112), Harley, Kali Ranks, and Quan with production by Easy Mo Bee (Notorious B.I.G., 2Pac, Miles Davis), Coptic (Boot Camp Clik, Memphis Bleek), Big French (KRS-One), The BPM Boyz, Numonics, Money L and Bishop.

Nicki Bluhm & The Gramblers – Loved Wild Lost CD/LP (Little Sur)
New album from San Francisco Americana mainstays Nicki Bluhm and the Gramblers, featuring Nicki Bluhm and her husband, Tim Bluhm (of The Mother Hips).

BoDeans – I Can’t Stop CD (Free & Alive)
Beloved rock band the BoDeans are back with a new high-energy American roots album that carries on what Kurt Neumann and a group of blue-collar kids began three decades ago in the Wisconsin heartland. Mastered by Ted Jensen and co-produced by Neumann and Sam Hawksley, I Can’t Stop was recorded during tour breaks in Nashville, Los Angeles and Kurt’s home in Austin. The music spans dark, distorted blues (“Slave”), soul (“Love Somebody,” “I Can’t Stop), and the BoDeans’ signature anthemic pop (“Oh Mama,” “October”).

Bright Like The Sun – Bright Like The Sun CD/LP (Sun Sea Sky Productions)
Bright Like The Sun’s eponymous sophomore album is the end result of a myriad influences ranging from contemporaries Maybeshewill to Explosions In The Sky. It is at once louder, softer, heavier, prettier, and filled to the brim with textures meant to tear the listener from one side of the emotional spectrum to the other. Having added a fifth member and shifting to a focus on keyboard based instruments, the band offers up a dynamic blend of intelligent and atmospheric post-rock.

Clarence Bucaro – Like The 1st Time CD (MRI Associated)
Clarence Bucaro’s new album finds the openhearted Brooklyn-based troubadour delivering a vivid set of rootsy, personally charged new compositions.

Built To Spill – Untethered Moon CD/LP (WB)
“Untethered Moon is almost undeniably a classic slice of BTS, but with a twist. You’ve got all the constituent parts present: the bracing call-to-arms opening track (‘All Our Songs’), treatises on Martsch’s various dreamstates (‘Living Zoo,’ ‘Another Day’), six-string flights of fancy where the vocals and slide lines wrap together and unwind like strands of pipe cleaner (‘Some Other Songs’), lyrical trips to the planetary rings where science and art collide (‘C.R.E.B.,’ which stands for ‘cAMP response element-binding protein,’ the cellular basis for memory formation in the brain—and a nice conceit around which to build lines such as ‘I never meant to forget you/I always forget people I really like’) and the eight-minute-plus ‘When I’m Blind,’ which closes the LP on about the most discordant note possible, like listening to Strats being ripped apart by a miter saw. The twist? The pervasive mist of sadness that hangs over the album like a low-altitude cloud layer” – Magnet. (Vinyl version was a Record Store Day 2015 exclusive.)

The Charlatans UK – Modern Nature CD/2xCD/LP+CD (BMG Rights Management)
“After losing drummer Jon Brookes to brain cancer last year, the Charlatans set up camp in Cheshire to record, in the words of Tim Burgess, ‘songs that made us happy.’ Replacing Brookes on percussion were Pete Salisbury of the Verve, plus New Order’s Stephen Morris and Gabriel Gurnsey of Factory Floor, a duo known more for metronomic precision that smile-inducing numbers. From the saddest of starting points, the Charlatans have made a joyful eulogy – and possibly the best album of their career” – The Guardian. Availble in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe adds a disc featuring four bonus tracks.

The Ray Charles Singers – Greatest Hits CD (Hit Parade)
28 carefully selected performances from the group’s classic pop choral repertoire. Led by the “other” Ray Charles, The Ray Charles Singers backed Perry Como for 35 years on radio, record and television, and pioneered a soft choral sound that transformed traditional pop standards and classic love songs into exquisite, harmony-drenched confections for the ear. The group was easy listening before the term “easy listening” existed, enveloping their listeners with a chorus of 20 vocalists.

Cyrus Chestnut – A Million Colors In Your Mind CD (HighNote)
Gospel-blues shades color several pieces and Chestnut slides easily from lush Art Tatum-like voicings to austere single note statements, from Powell-like flurries of scales to two-handed forays into Jaki Byard territories.

Children 18:3 – Come In CD (Tooth & Nail)
A fresh set of catchy punk-rock hooks and soaring melodies from the Tooth & Nail mainstays.

Christ Killer! – Nailed It CD/LP (Cubo De Sangre LLC)
Eight brutal tracks about circumcision, the holocaust, and deicide.

City Of Ships – Ultraluminal CD (Translation Loss)
“Ultraluminal, the third album by City Of Ships, sees the Austin/Brooklyn group execute some fairly radical changes to their soundscape compared to the progressive post-hardcore/post-metal of Minor World from three years ago and its excellent predecessor Look What God Did To Us? in 2009. Complex, progressive music with accessible vocals and bearable song lengths with distinct nods towards Balance & Composure, Thrice and Basement — that’s Ultraluminal for you.” – Rockfreaks

John Conlee – Classics 2 CD (Rose Colored Records, Inc.)
New release from the country music veteran.

Continuum – The Hypothesis CD/LP (Unique Leader)
Debut album from the Bay Area death metal henchmen.

Danko Jones – Fire Music CD (MRI Associated)
“The music of Danko Jones has always doubled as a form of therapy, a physical and emotional release for those times when love is unkind. Fire Music, however, is what happens when therapy doesn’t work, when all that pent-up agitation is left to stew and gets expelled into pure, merciless, violent rock ‘n’ roll fury.” – Blabbermouth

Wild Bill Davidson – Rare Wild Bill 2xCD (Sounds Of Yesteryear)
Wild Bill Davlson was a fiery jazz cornet player who emerged in the 1920s, but did not achieve recognition until the 1940s. He is best remembered for his association with the bandleader Eddie Condon, with whom he worked and recorded from the mid-1940s through to the 1960s. His nickname ‘Wild Bill’ reflected a reputation for heavy drinking and womanizing. His cornet style was generally hot and powerful, but could also be delicately melodic. This double CD features rare recordings from 1925 to 1960.

Debbie Davies – Love Spin CD (Little Dipper)
Debbie Davies’ music has always encompassed many of the blues styles as well as reflected the music she heard as a youth. So when she sings “It’s All Blues,” she is truly putting her arms around all of the blues styles from Chicago to New Orleans, New York to Austin, to L.A.

Dayseeker – Origin CD (InVogue)
Dayseeker is an Orange County, CA post-harcore band formed by ex-members of Southern Lights & Arms like Yours.

Deadly Orgone – Radiation Power Trips CD (Copepod)
An utterly focused meeting of three aesthetically attuned minds, drawn together by a shared vision of the possibilities still inherent in rock music and fused into a ferocious unit by their keen compositional senses and improvisational reflexes. Summoning hard-to-credit levels of sonic density from the two-guitars-and-drums instrumentation.

Death – N.E.W. CD/LP/Cassette (Tryangle)
Literally and metaphysical NEWness from seminal Detroit punks — life lessons from Death! Transcendence through screaming to your soul. Rock and roll. The historical sounds of Death arrive at today without missing a step. If their first record since the sessions of 1976 isn’t N.E.W., then what is?

Deez Nuts – Word Is Bond CD/LP (Century Media)
Word Is Bond showcases frontman JJ Peters at his most real. It’s a short, sharp shock of pure honesty delivered in inimitable old-school style. This is no self-indulgent opera of dull introspection; instead, this is reality rendered in tones as hard as punk can get.

Delerium – Rarities & B-Sides 2xCD (Nettwerk)
Rarities & B-Sides highlights the rich history of Delerium, who trail blazed trance and anthemic dance with “Silence” in the ‘90s. This collection also contains three new songs.

Drake – If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late CD (Cash Money)
Physical release of the Canadian artist’s new mixtape featuring two exclusive tracks “How About Now” and “My Side.” “Music is the real joy for Drake, and If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late is best enjoyed as an exercise in the casual excellence of the artist as rhymer and purveyor of hooks. The vocals are often just vampy flow experiments, but at their best these verses exhibit the weightless exhilaration of a technician at work. Drake’s never more formidable than when he’s shadowboxing, and at its flashiest, If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late feels like his Rocky run. Inspired by gauntlet tosses from adversaries high and low, Drake uses the mixtape to toast and taunt a rogue’s gallery of industry frenemies.” [8.1/BNM] – Pitchfork

Fallen – Secrets Of The Moon CD (Tranquillo)
New release from the electronic/ambient artist. Written, composed, arranged, performed, recorded, mixed and mastered between April and May 2014 with synthesizers, pianos, electric pianos, oboes, processed electric guitars, processed textures and percussion.

Fall To June – Fall To June CD (MRI Associated)
Fall To June brings an interesting blend of musicianship. This is just what my Southern roots were looking for –Brian Marshall (Alterbridge, Creed). “Fall to June show the passion and drive that rock fans so desperately need in their rockstars. It was an honor and a privilege to collaborate with them on a couple of songs.” — Brett Scallions (Fuel)

FM – Heroes And Villains CD (Frontiers)
New release from the British AOR/melodic rock veterans.

Nils Frahm – Solo CD/LP (Erased Tapes)
Berlin-based composer and pianist Nils Frahm celebrates the first annual Piano Day (March 29, 2015, the 88th day of the year) with the release of Solo. The group behind Piano Day, made up of Frahm and his closest friends, plans to support various exciting, piano-related projects; the first of these is the building of the world’s tallest piano, the Klavins 450. As the life-long dream of David Klavins, it will exceed the current record-holder, the Klavins M370. Located in Tübingen, Germany, the M370 weighs 1.8 tons, stands 12.14 feet tall, and boasts strings up to about 10 feet in length. It was on this piano, in one sitting, that Frahm recorded the eight improvised piano motifs that form the album.

Fu Manchu – Daredevil [Reissue/1995] CD/2xLP (At The Dojo)
Remastered reissue of the SoCal stoner rock band’s sophomore album. “Borrowing a phrase from This Is Spinal Tap, the sonic evolution of Southern California stoners Fu Manchu throughout the ’90s can’t even be charted. In fact, in dinosaur terms, 1995’s Daredevil finds them sun-bathing on the beach of a primordial ocean, still wondering whether leaving the water was such a good idea in the first place.”

Gift Giver – Sh!tlife CD (Century Media)
New album from the nu/tech metal band.

Good Riddance – Peace In Our Time CD (Fat Wreck Chords)
Good Riddance announced their reunion back in 2012, and Peace In Our Time marks the group’s first new album in nine years. Vinyl version due May 5.

David Gray – White Ladder [Reissue/1998] CD (IHT)
David Gray – Lost Songs ’95-’98 [Reissue/2001] CD (IHT)
David Gray – A New Day At Midnight [Reissue/2002] CD (IHT)
David Gray – Life In Slow Motion [Reissue/2005] CD (IHT)
David Gray – Greatest Hits [Reissue/2007] CD (IHT)
David Gray – Draw The Line [Reissue/2009] CD (IHT)
David Gray – Foundling [Reissue/2010] CD (IHT)
The critically and commercially successful British indie singer/songwriter’s back catalog has been reissued.

Great Lake Swimmers – A Forest Of Arms CD/LP (Nettwerk)
A Forest Of Arms is the sixth album from Tony Dekker’s Great Lake Swimmers and the follow-up to their 2012 Juno Award and Polaris Music Prize nominated New Wild Everywhere. The album is a return to Dekker’s naturalistic folk sound, as well as the process of recording in unique and unusual locations, which provided elements for some of their most dynamic songs ever recorded. Those familiar with past Great Lake Swimmers albums will recognize the thematic threads of beauty in the natural world, environmental issues and explorations of close personal ties that hold us together.

William Clark Green – Ringling Road CD (Bill Grease)
Easily one of the most talented songwriters of today, William Clark Green’s third album, Rose Queen, cemented his place as a notable artist in the Texas music scene. Now Green releases his eagerly anticipated new record, Ringling Road, which has already seen its first single, “Sympathy,” reach #1 on the Texas charts.

Gruesome – Savage Land CD/LP (Relapse)
Gruesome’s debut is an intentional homage to the first wave death metal scene of Tampa, Florida, specifically Death’s early period.

Sir Roland Hanna – This Must Be Love [Reissue/1983] CD (Progressive)
On his 1983 album, bassist George Mraz and drummer Ben Riley join jazz pianist Roland Hanna.

Hardcore Superstar – HCSS CD (Gain)
This Swedish band combines thrash metal and sleaze rock.

James Harman – Bonetime CD (Electro-Fi)
Blues legend James Harman returns with his Electro-Fi Records debut, Bonetime — his first new studio release in 12 years. Guest artists include Nathan James, Junior Watson, Kid Ramos, Candye Kane, Gene Taylor, Jeff Turmes and Kirk Fletcher.

Alan Hewitt & One Nation – Evolution CD (Red River Entertainment)
Hewitt is the keyboardist for The Moody Blues and is also a multi-platinum composer, writer and producer. Evolution is his latest excursion into fusion rock, as he is joined by dance/funk rockers One Nation.

Billie Holiday – God Bless The Child: Best Of Billie Holiday CD (Verve)
New collection from the jazz icon. Billie Holiday, born Eleanora Fagan, and nicknamed “Lady Day” by legendary saxophonist Lester Young, influenced singers, jazz and otherwise, for generations and continues to do so today. “God Bless The Child” was written by Holiday after an argument with her mother; it was to become part of her best-selling song and the one covered most often.

The Honeycutters – Me Oh My CD (Organic)
The Honeycutters is an Asheville, NC-based original country roots band.

Horsehunter – Caged In Flesh CD/2xLP (Magnetic Eye)
Horsehunter has drawn comparisons to YOB, Neurosis and Shrinebuilder. Canned, scrapped, re-written and re-recorded numerous times over an obsessive two-year period, the threateningly lyrical and brutally heavy compositions of Caged In Flesh embody Horsehunter’s perverse and maniacal precision as a band.

Impellitteri – Venom CD (Frontiers)
Impellitteri is a heavy metal band formed and led by guitarist Chris Impellitteri. The band has released numerous albums, which are notable for Chris virtuoso style of playing.

Incinerate – Eradicate Terrestrial Species CD (Comatose Music)
Technical brutal death metal.

Iron Maiden – Virtual XI [Reissue/1998] CD (Sanctuary)
Digitally remastered edition of the heavy metal giants’ 1998 album.

Gavin James – Live At Whelans CD (Capitol)
Irish singer-songwriter Gavin James commands attention with Live At Whelans, featuring James performing in the intimate environment of a rapturously received hometown show in Dublin. The album includes the soulful cover of The Magnetic Fields’ “The Book of Love.”

Joan Jett & The Blackhearts – I Love Rock ‘N’ Roll: 33 1/3 Edition 2xCD/2xLP+MP3 (Blackheart Records)
This double-disc set includes the I Love Rock ‘N’ Roll album plus a second disc of previously unreleased live recordings from New York from 1981.

Joywave – How Do You Feel Now CD (Cultco Music Hollywood)
Joywave is an eclectic group specializing in alternative pop hailing from Rochester, NY. Creating a sound that deftly jumps between genres, Joywave’s music is grounded in classic songwriting, often injected with house music’s energy, the playfulness of disco and an overarching hip-hop spirit. Their How Do You Feel? EP demonstrated the band’s pointed talent for originality while blending influences. Vinyl version due April 28.

Jus – Obsession CD (Zenith Pointe)
Justin Naundros, professionally known as Jus, has been working on his 2015 six song debut EP Obsession for the past year. Two producers, Nico Breeze and Hrmonik, added a lot of pop to the production value of the entire project. Most of the EP was recorded in various studios in the Bay Area, including two very well-known rooms at Pyramind Sound and Ghost Cat Studios. The EP also features Maryann (Bae God) of N-Crowd, Freddy Flopez, Are Too, and Tommy Gunna.

KB – Tomorrow We Live CD (Reach)
Kevin Burgess, now better known by his stage name KB, hails from Tampa, FL by way of an Air Force base close to East St. Louis. “I grew up in a structured military family. In my house, you couldn’t listen to hip-hop,” KB explains. “I used to hide in a closet and listen to it on my Walkman.” Fast forward to the present and rapper KB has released a mixtape, a widely successful debut album (Weight & Glory), an EP (100), and now his second full length studio album.

Kemuri – Mirai Wa Akarui CD (Asian Man)
Tokyo’s Kemuri have been playing energetic ska/punk for 20 years, with an emphasis on optimism and PMA. Mirai Wa Akarui collects some of the best songs from their legendary discography.

Dustin Kensrue – Catch The Fire CD/LP (Workhorse Music)
New solo record from the Thrice frontman.

Kiske/Somerville – City Of Heroes CD/CD+DVD (Frontiers)
Newest chapter of the collaboration between vocalist Michael Kiske (ex-Helloween, Unisonic, Place Vendome) and singer Amanda Somerville. Available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe adds two videos and a ‘making of the album’ DVD.

John Krautner – Fun With Gum Vol. 1 CD/LP+MP3 (Burger)
Recetnly released on vinyl – now available on CD. Super catchy solo bubblegum from Detroit legend (The Go, Conspiracy Of Owls).

The Leather Nun – Whatever CD (Wild Kingdom)
New release from the veteran Swedish post-punk/alt-rock band, their first album in 23 years. Formed in Gothenburg, Sweden in 1979 The Leather Nun rapidly became heroes of the international alternative rock scene, pioneering post-punk and grunge with their early records and powerful live performances.

Sam Lewis – Waiting On You CD (Brash)
With his compelling songs, stirring melodies, and preternaturally soulful voice, Sam Lewis has quickly established himself as one of Nashville’s most talented new tunesmiths. Waiting On You reverberates with earnest emotion and restless energy, rich with the intimate lyricism of folk, country’s raw integrity, and a lived-in muscularity born of Lewis’ captivating vocal timbre.

L’Orange & Jeremiah Jae – The Night Took Us In Like Family CD/LP (Mello Music)
Enter those bloody alleys blocked off with yellow tape and chalk outlines. Secret backrooms riddled with sly crooks and blunt smoke. Slink into the underworld, the seedy shadowland owned by Jeremiah Jae and L’Orange on their hip-hop opus, The Night Took Us In Like Family.

Low Cut Connie – Hi Honey CD/LP (Ardent)
Low Cut Connie brings old school boogie and rockabilly back to rock & roll. Taking cues from Jerry Lee Lewis, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, Chuck Berry and the like, they are piano-thumping their way across the country.

Drew Lustman – Crystal Cowboy CD (Planet Mu)
Drew Lustman drops FaltyDL alias for his new album. Crystal Cowboy is Lustman’s cleanest, most concise record to date. He often uses the speed or tropes of hardcore and drum & bass, assembling tracks a bit like Lego, but adding in his own almost opaque elements of sophisticated soul & funk to give the roughness some melodic light and emotional pull. Vinyl version due May 5.

Mac Mall – Legal Business? CD (Thizzlamic)
18 tracks of straight mackin’ featuring E40, Baby Bash, Andre Nickatina and many more.

The Marmozets – The Weird And Wonderful CD (Roadrunner)
“This impressive debut from the Yorkshire band is bursting with huge choruses and melodic hooks.” – The Guardian

Master – Collection Of Souls CD/LP (Metalhit.com)
Released in 1993, Master third proper full-length caught a band and the scene it belonged to in a state of transition. By then, although it didn’t know it, death-metal had already started its slow but sure spiral downwards under the combined weight of trendy acts and now self-doubting leaders. In the middle of this, despite two very successful albums (Master and On The Seventh Day, both already reissued by Doomentia), the relationship between Master and its label Nuclear Blast had begun to turn sour. But instead of diminishing its impact, it only magnified it. As a result, some say Collection Of Souls is, by far, their most punkish recording so far and a strike back at the then sedated and over-triggered sound that was already the norm back then.

Jimbo Mathus – Blue Healer CD/LP (Fat Possum)
New album from the Squirrel Nut Zippers frontman. It is his eleventh effort under his own name and is once again produced by Bruce Watson at his Dial Back Sound in Water Valley Mississippi. It’s the story of a man in a southern landscape who is swept insanely apart by internal and external winds. He digs deeper and deeper into the very fabric of his reality, experiencing love and lust, despair, hope and sheer animal exhilaration on levels few ever do. He is tested in every way imaginable and achieves a sort of enlightenment, gains power and understanding of life’s mysteries. Yet questions remain.

John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers – Live In 1967 CD (Forty Below)
In 1967, before there was a Fleetwood Mac, Peter Green, John McVie and Mick Fleetwood were John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers. The four musicians were only together for three months, which makes it even more remarkable that a staunch fan from Holland was able to sneak a one channel reel-to-reel tape recorder into five London clubs and capture this exciting glimpse into music history. For almost fifty years these tapes have remained unheard until John recently got them and began restoring them.

Miami Horror – All Possible Futures CD (Dine Alone)
All Possible Futures is the second album from the Australian electronic quartet. After relocating to Los Angeles for inspiration and influence, the band has found their own sound on their new studio album, littered with introspective songs and post-disco party jams inspired by the quirk of Talking Heads, New Order and INXS, through to the pop influence of Michael Jackson, Paul Simon and the dreamy aesthetic of Fleetwood Mac and Tame Impala.

Miniboone – Bad Sports CD (Ernest Jenning)
“Miniboone couple humorous, free-associative lyrics suggesting a love of Pinkerton and Brighten The Corners with detailed arrangements which cull ideas from most styles of post-British Invasion pop music.” – Prefixmag

Mirror Queen – Scaffolds Of The Sky CD/LP (Tee Pee)
NYC volume dealers Mirror Queen take guitar rock by force on the ominously titled Scaffolds Of The Sky. The band’s driving music accelerates at the distinct point where NWOBHM and heavy prog rock intersect; a direct and definite delineation of an era when urgent metallic sound was the order of the day. Mirror Queen’s twin-guitar harmonies and rhythmic gallop recall early Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, while its hook-laden, timeless riffs and instrumental fireworks reference cherished champions UFO, Blue Oyster Cult and Captain Beyond.

Modest Mouse – Interstate 8 [Reissue/1996] CD/LP (Glacial Pace)
Modest Mouse – Building Nothing Out Of Something [Reissue/1999] CD/LP (Glacial Pace)
This is a reissue of Modest Mouse’s 1996 EP Interstate 8 EP, which includes six tracks recorded live in Sunburst, Montana. In addition to the CD reissue, this is the first time it being made available on vinyl. Building Something Out Of Nothing compiles assorted tracks from the Interstate 8 EP, as well as tracks from the Never Ending Math Equation, Life Of Arctic Sounds, Broke, and Other People’s Lives singles.

Monkey – Bananarchy CD (Asian Man)
Monkey is celebrating their 20th year of music-making with more 2-tone energy and fun than ever before. On Bananarchy, they revel in big, brassy horns reminiscent of Bad Manners, and soulful rhythms not unlike the Isley Brothers.

John Moreland – High On Tulsa Heat CD/LP (Old Omens)
New album from the Oklahoma-based singer/songwriter. “I’ve seen lots of performers try to fight a noisy venue while playing on stage, but when Moreland performs, his raspy, deep voice and guitar are the only sounds. Even the bartenders stopped. Because everyone wants to hear every word of wisdom Moreland has to tell us.” – Offbeat

Damian Mudoch – Electric Tentacles CD (Prosthetic)
The brainchild of acclaimed Australian guitarist, Damian Murdoch, his unlikely alliance with two of Austria’s most sought-after session musicians, Michael Posch (drums) and Harry Stockl (bass), might raise a few eyebrows. Guaranteed to drop the jaws of everyone from traditional blues purists to metalheads to jazz-beards to rock pigs, DMTrio are as much about raw rock bombast and foot-on-the-foldback bliss as they are about maestro-like musicianship and stunning technicality.

Mylets – Arizona CD/LP (Sargent House)
Mylets debut full length Arizona is the defining work of a masterful tunesmith. Despite their complexity, the songs are never disrupted by the intricacies running beneath their hyper-infectious pop structures.

Native Construct – Quiet World CD (Metal Blade)
Native Construct is the product of collaboration between several students that began in 2011 at the storied Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. Fueled by a desire to breathe new life into the modern metal genre, Native Construct artfully blends a wide spectrum of compositional influences, ranging from classical all the way to prog metal and musical theatre. The result is a wonderfully unique sonic texture, made up of extended range guitars, theatrical vocals, and a full complement of symphonic instrumentation.

Northern Faces – Northern Faces CD (Equal Vision)
Northern Faces is an anthemic rock band whose style is driven by vibrant guitar solos and gang vocals. They’re an energetic quartet whose alternative pop rock is peppered with ripping guitar solos and dynamic builds. The band draws inspiration from many avenues including British electro-rock, but their true passion lies in the rawer edges of rock.

Passion Pit – Kindred CD/LP+MP3 (Columbia)
Kindred is the third album from Passion Pit. It was written by Passion Pit creative force and frontman Michael Angelakos and recorded in New York City, and was produced by Angelakos alongside longtime collaborators and co-producers Chris Zane and Alex Aldi, as well as Benny Blanco. Angelakos’ songwriting process for Passion Pit has always been to filter and reshape. Many sounds on Kindred that one would assume are synths are Angelakos’ voice, manipulated by computers and pedals. Angelakos frequently repurposes sound: using top 40 signifiers for outré ends, crushing weird natural and synthetic detritus together into pop.

Peach Kelli Pop – Peach Kelli Pop III CD/LP+MP3 (Burger)
Peach Kelli Pop’s third album of sticky bubblegum pop hits. “Deftly crafted pop… hooky as hell & to the point… sweet yet detached.” — Pitchfork

Rebecca Perl – Point Of No Return CD (DIY)
Sophomore release from the singer/songwriter. Born and Raised in Long Island, NY, a child of the ’80s and ’90s, Rebecca Perl announced to her family at age 13 she would be a singer/songwriter when she grew up, that’s when she decided to pick up the guitar. The pop music radio of the late ’90s carried a heavy dose of acoustic pop music, and Rebecca gravitated to that sound. Rebecca moved to Austin, Texas in September 2014 and completed Point Of No Return, marking a major event in Rebecca’s life as a songwriter and performer, leaving it all behind to start new in the culturally-rich city of Austin, TX.

Peterik/Scherer – Risk Everything CD (Frontiers)
Partnership between founding Survivor member and Ides Of March Grammy Award-winning songwriter Jim Peterik and singer Marc Scherer.

Polyphia – Muse CD (Equal Vision)
Polyphia blends the powerful elements of progressive rock with the catchy hooks of mainstream music.

The Quireboys – Saint Cecilia And The Gypsy Soul 4xCD (Off Yer Rocka)
Inspired by the success of 2009’s critically acclaimed acoustic album Halfpenny Dancer, The Quireboys entered Lemon Studios fully intending to repeat that winning formula. However, an Aladdin’s Cave of intriguing instruments and eerie samples inspired The Quireboys to push the boundaries and shift the focus. The new album, Saint Cecilia And The Gypsy Soul is packaged alongside a reissue of Halfpenny Dancer and two discs covering a 2010 live show featuring fiddles, pedal steel, mandolin, banjo and more.

Red City Radio – Red City Radio CD (Workhorse Music Group)
New album by the Oklahoma City punk band.

Kermit Ruffins & The Barbecue Swingers – #imsoneworleans CD (Basin Street)
Good times and a carefree attitude permeate this collection of originals and covers that feature the Barbecue Swingers, Kermit’s regular gigging band, for the first time in over a decade.

San Fermin – Jackrabbit CD/LP (Downtown)
Brooklyn-based baroque pop outfit San Fermin returns with their sophomore album, Jackrabbit. For the follow-up to the band’s self-titled 2013 debut, San Fermin has turned into an eight-piece ensemble, after a majority of the songs existed on frontman Ellis Ludwig-Leone’s laptop for nearly a year. Jackrabbit was produced by Peter Katis, best known for his work with Interpol and The National.

Satanic Warmaster – Fimbulwinter CD/LP (Hells Headbangers)
Recently released on vinyl – now available on CD. New album from the Finnish black metallers.

Sathanas – Worship The Devil CD (Metalhit.com)
New album from the Pennsylvania-based black metallers.

Say Lou Lou – Lucid Dreaming CD/LP (Cosmos Music)
Swedish/Australian twin sisters of Say Lou Lou have swept through the blogosphere for the last two years with their excellent dream pop. “The Kilbey-Janssons are already stars in their two homelands, Australia and Sweden, and from the sound of their upcoming debut album, Lucid Dreaming, they are going for it.” – NPR

Shattered Sun – Hope Within Hatred CD (Victory)
A potent mix of heavy thrash and melodic metal highlighted with impressive guitar riffs, gripping vocals, and memorable hooks.

Shining – IX/Everyone, Everything, Everywhere, Ends CD/LP (Season Of Mist)
Heavy metal has its share of infamous outlaws, Ozzy, Axl, Nikki Sixx, Manson. As black metal enters its third decade, Shining’s Niklas Kvarforth continues to be its leading Agent Provocateur; inciting as much consternation among the ‘true’ as he does fanaticism among the soon-to-be soiled minds of his growing legions of devotees. Kvarforth’s antics, opinions, and sometimes mere presence is accompanied by the gnashing teeth and wailing, tone-deaf opinions of the self-proclaimed genre ‘elite.’ In the true rock and roll outlaw spirit, Kvarforth’s Shining adds yet more fuel to the fire with their brazen new album IX/Everyone, Everything, Everywhere, Ends.

Frank Sinatra – Ultimate Sinatra 4xCD (Capitol)
Ultimate Sinatra presents key recordings spanning the Chairman Of The Board’s recordings for Columbia, Capitol and Reprise, together for the first time. 100 tracks celebrating 100 years. (24-track, double-LP version due July 9.)

Skinny Lister – Down On Deptford Broadway CD (Xtra Mile)
Second album from London folk-rockers.

Slow Knights – Living In A Dark World CD (MRI Associated)
As a member of pop act Scissor Sisters, Del Marquis, the creator of Slow Knights has achieved global acclaim through mainstream pop and dance charts. His group, Slow Knights, continues this philosophy of strong pop tunes while expanding the sound to include funk, soul and R&B.

Slug – Ripe CD/LP (Memphis Industries)
Slug is a brand new musical venture from the mind of Ian ‘Blackie’ Black a merrily disruptive influence on the North East music for more than a decade. The debut album Ripe was co-produced with Peter and David Brewis of Field Music at their studio in Sunderland, with the brothers adding occasional drums, synths and percussion to Ian’s elaborate home-brewed constructions.

Songhoy Blues – Music In Exile CD (Atlantic)
Songhoy Blues’ deep attachment to the home grown songs and dances of the Songhoy, both traditional styles and the modern guitar based sounds popularised by the likes of Baba Salah and above all Ali Farka Toure, was helping shape their nascent music which sought to blend the trad and the modern, the homegrown and the foreign, the youthful and the ancient. Music In Exile is their debut album, produced by Nick Zinner (Yeah Yeah Yeahs) and Marc-Antoine Moreau (Amadou & Mariam, K’naan).

Speedy Ortiz – Foil Deer CD/LP+MP3 (Carpark)
Foil Deer is the sophomore album from Massachusetts Speedy Ortiz. “I’m not bossy, I’m the boss,” Sadie Dupuis sings on first single “Raising The Skate,” invoking in spirit one half of the Carter-Knowles clan and echoing the other’s wordplay. And wordplay makes sense, considering Dupuis the band’s songwriter, guitarist, and frontwoman spent the band’s first few years teaching writing at UMass Amherst. She’s drawn to the dense complexity of Pynchon, the dreamlike geometry of Bolaño, the confounded yearning of Plath all attributes you could easily apply to the band’s 2013 debut Major Arcana, which fans and press alike have invested with a sense of purpose and merit uncommon in contemporary guitar rock.

Squarepusher – Damogen Furies CD/2xLP+MP3 (Warp)
Damogen Furies, Tom Jenkinson’s first full-length since 2012’s Ufabulum, sees Squarepusher’s powers in full flow. The techniques and craftsmanship that he has honed over the course of his career have become some of his signal qualities. He has spent the last decade creating and refining his own unique software system, and this album is the first to be made using that system exclusively. It is the culmination of years spent experimenting with and hacking hardware and software, having long since abandoned the limitations of out-of-the-box offerings. Squarepusher has remained truly experimental in part because he has rejected those limitations, choosing instead a compositional process that places the act of building instruments at its heart. On Damogen Furies we hear a truthful, unembellished representation of how those instruments sound. All of the recordings here were made in one take, with no edits.

Mavis Staples – Your Good Fortune CDEP (Anti)
In conjunction with the new career documentary film Mavis!, Your Good Fortune is a unique collaboration between the gospel and soul legend Mavis Staples and singer/songwriter/producer Son Little, recording two new Son Little original songs, and two vivid reworkings of Staple Singers classics. To hear Mavis’ clarion voice bedded in Son Little’s ancient/modern swirl of swamp guitar and b-boy programming is to discover the knife-edge of Mavis Staples’ art.

Strikeforce – Elegent Steel CDEP (MRI Associated)
Hard rock band Strikeforce is influenced by Led Zeppelin, Scorpions, and Van Halen.

They Might Be Giants – Glean CD (Idlewild)
“They Might Be Giants are continuing their legacy of innovation and originality by re-launching the Dial-A-Song streaming service. To celebrate, they unveil a new album entitled Glean featuring songs recently featured on the music website. The Grammy winning rock band, responsible for one of the catchiest songs in history (‘Birdhouse In Your Soul’), are making a comeback with what they became famous with in 1983; the Dial-A-Song service. Originally an answering machine that allowed listeners to hear their material, the service has been reconfigured to the internet, proving that these guys are pioneers in the world of free listening” – Contact Music. Vinyl version due May 19.

George Thorogood & The Destroyers – Live In ’99 CD (Sanctuary)
Reissue of 1999 live album.

Tower Of Power – East Bay Grease/Bump City [Reissue/1970/1972] CD (Friday Music)
East Bay Grease reigns as one of the most notable debuts in funk history. Bump City was their debut release for the Warner Bros. label and it also included their first hit single “You’re Still A Young Man.”

Randy Travis – On The Other Hand: All The Number Ones CD (Warner Nashville)
New collection from the country great. To coincide with the 30th anniversary of his first #1, Warner Nashville presents this collection of all of Randy’s #1 country singles. Includes “Forever And Ever, Amen,” “Diggin’ Up Bones,” “Honky Tonk Moon,” “On The Other Hand” and more.

Tribulation – Children Of The Night CD/LP (Century Media)
New album from the Swedish death metal band.

Turbo Fruits – No Control CD/LP (Melvina)
Turbo Fruits have made their name with notoriously wild live shows and frenetic rock songs about girls, drugs and frying their brains.

Julian Vaughn – Limitless CD (Trippin & Rhythm)
Now that all of the inevitable comparisons to the late Wayman Tisdale have been made, Vaughn while acknowledging his influence that he has a voice of his own and it’s his time to represent.

Rocky Votolato – Hospital Handshakes CD/LP+MP3 (No Sleep)
Seattle singer/songwriter Rocky Votolato’s new full length, Hospital Handshakes, is a surprisingly positive explosion of energy that examines themes of healing from trauma, overcoming depression, spiritual longing and finding true meaning in life. It also marks a turning point in Votolato’s career, the end result of a tumultuous transition that began after the release of his seventh album, Television Of Saints, in 2012 with the songwriter second-guessing his gift and even considering retiring from music. “It became painful for me to make music,” Votolato recalls. “I was hemmed in by the construct of who I thought I was supposed to be and I stopped believing in myself as a writer. On the surface I looked like a functioning artist, but behind the scenes I was completely blocked creatively, fighting a battle with severe depression, and struggling to keep my sanity.” Collaborating with a standout cast of Seattle musicians, including his brother Cody Votolato on electric guitar (The Blood Brothers), Eric Corson on bass (The Long Winters), Andy Lum on drums (Craft Spells/My Goodness) and Casey Foubert contributing Aux instrumentation (Sufjan Stevens), the core of Votolato’s new music is the same earnest, impassioned, seeking voice, but now with a little more perspective, the product of self-realization hard-earned from a period of darkness and doubt. Available on CD and on black/white/light blue tri-color vinyl.

Wapassou – Wapassou [Reissue/1974] CD (Lion Productions)
With their first album, legendary French art-rock band Wapassou found a distinctive musical voice: long and well-developed melodies, rhythmic support from organ—no bass and drums—prominent violin parts, and guitar doubling-up as a rhythm instrument. They often conjure up something akin to what it might have sounded like had John Cale and Stereolab formed a band in 1974, when this album was released.

Bill Wells And Aidan Moffat – The Most Important Place In The World CD/2xLP (Chemikal Underground)
Moving on from the preoccupations of the duo’s debut long-player, The Most Important Place In The World supplants the encroachment of age as a primary theme with the notion of the metropolis as femme fatale, a voluptuous siren promising opportunity and possibility “Her doors are open, her legs are spread”’ in the words of the opening song, “On The Motorway.” The tension between domesticity and devilry, temperance and temptation, is a seam that runs through the record. As with its predecessor, The Most Important Place In The World finds Moffat variously speaking, snarling and singing his candid tales along to jazz-inflected melodies so exquisite they barely belong to the gauche reality of the 21st century.

Wire – Wire CD/LP (Pink Flag)
Wire’s new album (the band’s thirteenth LP overall) is an eponymous affair that makes it nearly impossible to Google search for a description. However, according to a press release, the majority of the 11-track album was written with “an album in mind, but toured extensively first, as well as songs that (singer-guitarist Colin) Newman introduced to the group in the studio just prior to recording.” The release goes on to add that Wire the album is “full of swooning pop melodies with a ’60s tinge and an irresistible, near motorik rhythmic momentum. One can recognize certain melodic inflections, guitar and bass motifs, and drum rhythms from Wire’s idiosyncratic vocabulary but it has a remarkable freshness.”

Carolyn Wonderland – Live Texas Trio CD (Bismeaux Productions)
Carolyn’s first-ever live album is a tasteful 12-song set from shows at Antone’s in Austin, Kessler Theater in Dallas and Last Concert Cafe in Houston. Her trio plus guests Guy Forsyth and Shelley King play new original songs, a new co-write with Ruthie Foster and covers of Doug Sahm, Lean Russel and Los Lobos. Vinyl version due July 7.

Yelawolf – Love Story CD (Interscope)
Executive produced by Eminem, Love Story was recorded over two years largely at
Nashville’s legendary Blackbird Studios with producers Malay, WLPWR, as well as Eminem himself. The Alabama-born rapper has described the effort as “more passionate” than his debut, 2011’s Radioactive, is a collection of the artist’s myriad musical influences.

Adrian Younge – Presents: Something About April 2xCD (Linear Labs)
In the four years since Adrian Younge’s Something About April album first appeared, the Los Angeles-based producer and multi-instrumentalist has become his own musical cottage industry. Not only has he collaborated with musical legends ranging from The Delfonics to Ghostface Killah, Ali Shaheed Muhammad and The Souls of Mischief, his work has also been sampled by such rap giants as 50 Cent, Jay-Z and Common. This deluxe reissue package includes a bonus instrumental song from the original album sessions, “Niacin,” plus an entire extra disc of never-before-issued instrumentals. Vinyl version due May 5.

Zebrahead – The Early Years Revisited CD (Rude)
Zebrahead formed in Orange County, California in 1996. They’ve released 10 studio albums to date and are known for their eclectic musical style incorporating punk rock, rap and alternative rock. The Early Years Revisited is a selection of re-recorded hits with singer Matty Lewis.

Zombi – The Zombi Anthology CD/LP (Relapse)
Horror score-influenced two-piece Zombi unearths a chunk of older, synth-slathered sounds via a repress of their previously CD-only The Zombie Anthology.

Zombiefication – Procession Through Infestation CD/LP (Metalhit.com)
New album from the death metal band.

DVDs + Blu-ray:

The Fall – It’s Not Repetition, It’s Discipline DVD (Ozit)
Assembled over a period of 13 years by three Danish fans and with full involvement from Mark E. Smith, this film gives a real insight into the mechanisms of The Fall. Features many live clips and rehearsals. Cast list includes: Mark E. Smith, John Peel, Henry Rollins, Thurston Moore, David Gedge, Stephen Malkmus, Dee Dee Ramone, Peter Hook, Damo Suzuki, and more.

Gwar – Phallus In Wonderland [Reissue/1992] DVD (Metalblade)
Gwar, one of the world’s most disturbingly repulsive rock & roll bands, is in trouble. Representatives of the government, the clergy, and the health care communities have banded together to censor Gwar’s activities in America. Their covert organization, the self-appointed morality squad, has captured Gwar ‘member’ The Cuttlefish of Cthulu and put it on trial for obscenity. Witness the capture and initiation of a Gwar slave as he follows them from their home in Antarctica on a mission of death and destruction to save their compatriot. Watch as Gwar embraces the decadent lifestyle under the leadership of management Sleazy P. Martini.

Muddy Waters And Friends – Soundstage: Blues Summit In Chicago, 1974 DVD (Sony Legacy)
Soundstage: Blues Summit In Chicago, 1974 captures Muddy Waters along with his contemporaries Willie Dixon, Koko Taylor, Junior Wells and Pinetop Perkins. From the next generation of blues lovers and performers, Mike Bloomfield, Buddy Miles, Johnny Winter, Dr. John, Nick Gravenites are also featured — all artists who were on their way to becoming legends themselves. 59 minutes.

This Week’s Vinyl Exclusives:

Ryan Adams – Live At Carnegie Hall 6xLP+MP3 (Pax Am/Blue Note)
Six-LP HQ-180gm vinyl box set, available in two limited edition runs. This first run, available in very limited quantity, contains vinyl with yellow labels. On the second run, the labels will be blue (as opposed to yellow on the first edition). All contents of the second run will be identical to the original, including a download card for HD audio, and will be released sometime this Summer.
Live At Carnegie Hall gives those shut out of Ryan’s sold out one-man two-night stand at Carnegie Hall the chance to experience every one of the 42 career-spanning songs Ryan played over the course of November 15 and 17, 2014. The 42-track release also features two brand new, never before released Ryan Adams compositions: ‘”This Is Where We Meet In My Mind” and “How Much Light.”

Akatharsia – Demo LP (Econo Jam)
“…An extremely raw production, the absence of a bass, and extremely short, dissonant and stripped-down songs are the key elements to a release that sounds like pure f**king starvation and ruin, and in which you can literally feel the lack of life and human warmth. You can hear the rawness and desperation of No Sanctuary-era Amebix collide with the dismal and hypnotic bleakness of early Burzum, paving the way for a masterful splicing of crust punk rudeness and a hateful surge of vile early Scandinavian black metal.”—Cvlt Nation

Jeffrey Alexander – Wayfinding Beacons From Planet To Planet LP (Pome Pome Tones)
Celestial navigating inner light time-folding exercises with synthesizer, shruti box, electric guitar, bamboo saxophone, singing bowl, space echo and talking book phonograph.

Art & Language & The Red Krayola – Corrected Slogans [Reissue/1976] LP (Drag City)
The Red Crayola with Art & Language – Black Snakes [Reissue/1983] LP (Drag City)
Corrected Slogans was first pressed by Art & Language & The Red Crayola in 1976; it was the first mention of the The Red Crayola’s name on LP since 1968. The only review it received at the time was by Glenn O’Brian in Interview magazine; his response was a positive one, though he found the material ironic. By the time the album was made available to the public, it was clear that The Red Crayola would continue with Jesse Chamberlain joining Mayo Thompson. This was the start of five years of steady activity. Black Snakes was originally issued in 1983 as a co-release by Switzerland’s Rec Rec and Germany’s Pure Freunde label. With a quartet featuring synth player Allen Ravenstine doubling on soprano sax, this was a smaller group than had appeared on either of the Crayola’s two previous releases, Soldier-Talk and Kangaroo?. Mayo Thompson’s guitar in particular shines in the space allowed by this configuration.

Beauty Pill – The Cigarette Girl From The Future [2001] LP (Butterscotch)
Garnering critical acclaim (9/10 on Pitchfork as well as praise from The New York Times, The Washington Post and more), this newly expanded deluxe edition of The Cigarette Girl From The Future from DC’s Beauty Pill (originally released on Dischord) is a testament to the endurance of a great record. Musically way ahead of its time, this is sparse, angular record is infused with an equal measure of pop sensibilities and full-on tonal deconstruction.

Björk – Vulnicura LP (One Little Indian)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Vulnicura is the Icelandic artist’s eighth studio album. It was written, produced and recorded in collaboration with Venezuelan producer Arca and British musician The Haxan Cloak. Of the album’s nine tracks, six were written by Björk with two co-written with Arca and one co-written with Spaces. Six songs are produced by Björk and Arca, one by Björk, Arca and The Haxan Cloak and two by Björk. All string arrangements are by Björk. The album was mixed by The Haxan Cloak, except two songs mixed by The Haxan Cloak and Chris Elms, and mastered by Mandy Parnell.

Born/Dead – Our Darkest Fears Now Haunt Us…/EP [Reissue/2003/2005] LP (Prank)
Reissue of the debut full-length from these Bay Area political punks whose heavy sounds continue the lineage of hometown heroes Christ On Parade, Neurosis, Econochrist, Talk Is Poison, and the like. A ferocious hardcore attack ripped with caustic vocal trade-offs, intricate basslines, dark riffs, thundering rhythms, and fiercely political lyrics.

Brokedowns/Boilerman/Brickfight/Boxsledder – B-Sides 7” (Rad Girlfriend)
Four Chicago-based bands whose names all start with a ‘B’ join forces for a 4-way split 7”.

Buena Vista Social Club – Lost And Found LP+MP3 (World Circuit)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Coming almost two decades after the release of the original Grammy-winning, self-titled LP Lost And Found is a collection of previously unreleased tracks––some of which were recorded during the original album’s sessions in Havana and others from the years that followed. The studio tracks presented here were recorded at the 1996 Egrem studio sessions in Havana and during a period of rich and prolific creativity stretching into the early 2000s following the recording of the original album. Lost And Found also features live recordings from the world tours of Buena Vista’s legendary veterans.

Glen Campbell – I’ll Be Me Soundtrack LP (Big Machine)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Honored in 2012 with the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, Country Music Hall Of Fame member Glen Campbell has recorded his last song. “I’m Not Gonna Miss You” was written by Campbell and Julian Raymond specifically for a new documentary titled Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me. The soundtrack for the film also features The Band Perry and Campbell’s daughter Ashley who performs an original tune.

Ceschi – Broken Bone Ballads LP (Fake Four Inc.)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. An album five years in the making, Broken Bone Ballads was produced by Canadian beatsmith Factor and features some of Ceschi’s most raw and viceral lyrics to-date. Select vocal features include Sage Francis, iCON The Mic K!ing, David Ramos and Shosin.

Common Eider King Eider – Taaleg Uksur LP (Pesanta Urfolk)
Originally released on a super-limited cassette for last year’s Stella Natura festival, Taaleg Uksur comprises four sprawling, shape-shifting tracks, each one a unique psycho-acoustic devotional.

Crooks On Tape – In The Realm Of The Ancient Minor LP (Pure Orgone)
John Schmersal (Enon, Brainiac, Caribou, Vertical Scratchers), Rick Lee (Enon, Skeleton Key) and Joey Galvan present Crooks On Tape’s first instrumental release. The textures and sampled/looped aesthetic these men have cultivated is still very present; however these tracks offer something more akin at times to a movie soundtrack or a hypnotic meditation.

David Crosby/Graham Nash/Neil Young – San Francisco Benefit Concert LP (Vinyl Lovers)
On March 26, 1972, David Crosby and Graham Nash, always ready to lend a hand to help a worthy cause, headlined the This Sheriff’s Benefit Concert to help raise awareness of prisoner issues. The show also featured local groups Earth Rise and Stoneground, as well as Elvin Bishop. Three songs into the show, Neil Young joined the duo, a wonderful surprise as the three had not performed together since CSNY finished touring in 1970.

Holger Czukay – On The Way To The Peak Of Normal [Reissue/1981] LP (Groenland)
The second album from the former Can member is where his fantastic blend of world music, crackly vocal samples, and incredible improvisational vision came together.

D’Angelo – Brown Suger [Reissue/1995] 2xLP (UMe)
White vinyl double-LP reissue of D’Angelo’s debut album, originally released in 1995. Brown Sugar features a fusion of contemporary R&B and traditional soul music, along with elements of funk, quiet storm, and hip-hop music.

Dead Sara – Pleasure To Meet You LP (Pocket Kid)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Second album from the Los Angeles rock quartet.

Disciples – Abbara 2×12” (Khaliphonic)
Russ D aka Disciples powers are on full display here, charting a course into deepest dubwise territory.

Tashi Dorji – Blue Twelve LP+MP3 (Blue Tapes And X-ray)
This was Tashi’s first set of electric guitar recordings and was originally released in March 2014. Since then he has released a widely acclaimed LP for Ben Chasny’s Hermit Hut label and toured with luminaries and admirers like Sir Richard Bishop. This is a very special LP package on frosted clear vinyl with screen-printing that forms a photo negative of the original tape artwork when held up to the light.

Brian Gascoigne & David Briscoe – Phase IV [OST] LP (Waxwork)
Never before released in any format, and what is highly regarded as a holy grail for soundtrack enthusiasts, Waxwork Records and Paramount Pictures are honored to announce the definitive soundtrack release of the 1974 mind bending science-fiction masterpiece, Phase IV.

Giant Squid – Minoans LP (Translation Loss)
Released last year on CD – now available on vinyl. Sacramento, California’s Giant Squid has been churning out the highest of quality progressive/mind-bending rock for over 12 years. Produced by Tim Green (Melvins, The F**king Champs, Earthless, Christian Mistress) and adorned with stunning original artwork by Giant Squid frontman/guitarist extraordinaire Aaron Gregory, Minoans is dark and brooding.

Gnod – Infinity Machines 3xLP (Rocket Recordings)
Infinity Machines traverses between and beyond a variety of different headspaces, from the bleak to the beatific; yet, while touching on nocturnal jazz, soothing yet unsettling ambience, menacing aggro-industrial battery, and opiated bliss-out alike, it’s shot through with an undercurrent of fiery countercultural zeal and small-hours revelation, as if the hive-mind of their home collective had manifested itself on disc.

Goat Semen – Ego Sum Sathana LP (Hells Headbangers)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. At ground zero of the rebirth and resurgence of South American black/death at the dawn of the new millennium, these Peruvian devils delivered one of the most classic demos ever with their self-titled 2002 demo, which has seen countless re-editions in the past decade. Like a veritable travelogue across the history of South American metal barbarity the past three decades, Ego Sum Sathana surges and gnashes with all the hellfire and hatred the continent’s black/death is world renowned for.

Anthony Guerra/Patrick O’Brien – Patrick O’Brien/Anthony Guerra LP (Black Petal)
Dude from Mad Nanna collaborating with dude from Love Chants.

Guess What – Al Khawarizmi LP (Catapulte)
Third album from the cosmo-psychedelico-mystery duo Guess What. Luke Warmcop and Graham Mushnik formed Guess What in 2005. They started out working indoors only, producing obscure metaphysical music and soundtracks. Since 2008 however, the duet hit the stage, performing live a set of instrumental pieces dedicated to Russian astronaut Yuri Gagarin — hence their album Yuri Gagarin – 12 Modern Odes to History’s Greatest Spaceman. In 2010, they discovered the mighty Giallo cinema and recorded some Italian-sounding music. In the meantime, a new focus is keeping them busy: the persian mathematician and astronomer Al-Khawarizmi, and music from the Middle-East.

G-Whiz – Hook [1994] LP (Fair Warning)
Originally released only on compact disc, this 1994 Arizona pop-punk cult classic is now on vinyl for the first time. G-Whiz are the arid-climate cousins to bands like All, Descendents, Big Drill Car, Chemical People, Hard-Ons, etc.

Hollywood Undead – Day Of The Dead LP (Interscope)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Fourth album from the rap-rock band. Features the single “Day Of The Dead.”

The Insults – Stiff Love [Reissue/1979] 7” (Last Laugh)
“A rude, crude and obnoxious slice of sleaze, the track is also considered a classic piece of late ‘70s Northern Californian punk.” — Noisey

Karyn Crisis Gospel Of The Witches – Salem’s Wounds LP (Century Media)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. While select circles of people know and appreciate Karyn Crisis’ prior vocals with the metal band Crisis from 1993-2006, many are unaware of her influence and impact on the genre. This demure girl raged harder than many men, slugging it out with impactful live performances at hardcore and metal shows screaming oftentimes like a demon, other times singing like an angel.

Kelela – Cut 4 Me 3xLP+MP3 (Fade To Mind)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. “If Cut 4 Me, the first mixtape from the D.C-born and L.A.-based singer Kelela, worked as a simple production showcase for the various names associated with the dance label Fade To Mind, it would be well worth hearing. The Brooklyn producer Kingdom started the label, and he’s part of a set of like-minded forward-thinking dance music types who, collectively, have a really interesting thing going on right now. Kingdom’s sound is based in classic body-jacking old-school house music, but it’s got a design-minded sparseness to it, and he also takes stylistic cues from elsewhere: From floaty sci-fi R&B, from grime, from the British pirate-radio bass music that we were calling dubstep before Skrillex happened. His best tracks are absolute bangers, but they don’t just smash through speakers; they have a way of hovering in the air.” – Stereogum

Dario Marianelli – The BoxTrolls [OST] 2xLP (Mondo)
Composed by Dario Marianelli, and featuring songs by Loch Lomond, the soundtrack perfectly captures the whimsical and frantic energy of the fictional world of Cheesebridge, where a human boy raised by trash-collecting trolls must stop a sinister exterminator from his selfish campaign to rid the town of the titular scavengers. Available for the first time on vinyl and featuring amazing new artwork by artist Rich Kelly.

Cliff Martinez – Drive (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) LP (Lakeshore)
Cliff Martinez once drummed for the Red Hot Chili Peppers and the Dickies, but has since found more fame producing ambient electronica for movie soundtracks. Martinez provided the scores for a range of cult films, offering dark and brooding aural accompaniments to movies such as Sex, Lies And Videotape, Solaris, and Drive.

Medicine Moon – Medicine Moon 2×7” (Pesanta Urfolk)
Earthy dark folk Americana from Sammy Fielding (of Noctooa) and the outstanding vocal and musical talent of Shantel Amundson together craft some truly outstanding sounds.

No Spill Blood – Heavy Electricity CD/LP+MP3 (Sargent House)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Dublin, Ireland trio No Spill Blood’s ferocious dose of synth-laden aggression, Heavy Electricity comes across with all the brutal heft of underground metal but also with the clever intellect of post-punk bands like Killing Joke and Iceage.

Old Man Gloom – Meditations In B [Reissue/2000] LP (Hydra Head)
Originally formed in New Mexico by guitarist/vocalist Aaron Turner (Isis) and drummer Santos Montano, Massachusetts-based group Old Man Gloom has since expanded into a sort of supergroup among the Boston hardcore/metalcore scene. This is a vinyl reissue of their first album.

On And Ons – Hard To Say Goodbye b/w You And I 7” (Get Hip)
’60s influenced rock quartet from the suburbs of Sydney, Australia.

Pale Angels – Imaginary People LP (Recess)
The Transatlantic punks return with their second LP. Ten more tracks of blown out garage punk.

Pretty Pretty – Talkin’ To The Walls 7” (Rad Girlfriend)
Power pop punk rock & roll from this Ohio-based three piece.

The Prodigy – The Day Is My Enemy 2xLP (WB)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. New album from Britain’s self-styled electronic punks. A statement describing the band’s apocalyptic setting for their sixth LP includes the phrases “drones and chaos” and “a subverted militaristic snare, a distorted break, a glitched dub attack, a Middle Eastern refrain, a cacophony of in-car dissonance, a symphony of random noise soundtracking life at the edge of the night.”

The Red Krayola – Armor And Language [Reissue/1995] LP (Drag City)
Amor And Language was one of three Red Krayola releases on Drag City in 1995 (two were from the vault: Coconut Hotel and Kangaroo?). After returning to America in 1994 and producing the first Red Krayola record since Malefactor (it was appropriately self-titled), Thompson was producing new Red Krayola material at a prolific rate — Hazel was released the following year.

Roxy Music – Complete Studio Albums 8xLP (Virgin)
Includes each of the eight Roxy Music studio albums released in the ten year period of 1972-1982: Roxy Music, For Your Pleasure, Stranded, Country Life, Siren, Manifesto, Flesh And Blood and Avalon.

The Runaways – Live: Agora Ballroom, Cleveland July 19,1976 LP (Vinyl Lovers)
Live set from the all-girl rock band linked with the burgeoning new wave/punk scene.

Rush – A Farewell To Kings [Reissue/1977] LP (Mercury)
A Farewell To Kings has been newly remastered on HQ-200gm heavyweight vinyl at legendary Abbey Road Studios using the Direct to Metal Mastering (DMM) audiophile copper plating process, all from original analogue masters. The album became the Rush’s first US gold-selling album within two months of release, and went platinum. Includes the singles “Closer To The Heart” and “Cinderella Man.”

Saturnalia Temple – To The Other LP (Ajna Offensive)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Black magic metal, a dark spiritual vortex rooted in heavy and hypnotic sounds, a pure voice of the Draconian magical tradition from the forests outside Uppsala, Sweden.

Ron Sexsmith – Carousel One LP (Compass)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. The Canadian crooner’s first album in two years finds Sexsmith in surprising territory for a man often pegged as a downbeat balladeer: he’s actually contented. Carousel One (named for the luggage retrieval belt at Los Angeles airport where bags off Toronto flights are delivered) is a warm, deeply involving set of songs that showcases his great empathy and occasional sentimentality, but also his often-overlooked playfulness.

Slugga – Parasite 7” (Total Punk)
Shave your head, and lace up your boots because Slugga is here and they’re thirsty for blood. Aggressive, sneering, slime covered hardcore from Atlanta that is menacing, misanthropic, and 100% total punk.

Soundtrack – Napoleon Dynamite [OST/2004] 2xLP (Lakeshore)
Music from film featuring the original score by John Swihart along with tracks from Rogue Wave, Figurine (featuring Jimmy Tamborello of The Postal Service), Jamiroquai, Money Mark, Yaz, Bow Wow Wow, Alphaville, Fiction Company, Trio Los Panchos,Sparklemotion, When In Rome, and all your favorite “laugh out loud” classic Napoleon dialogue. 150gm blue vinyl.

Spraynard – Cut & Paste [Reissue/2010] LP (Dead Broke)
Digitally remastered deluxe edition of this 2010 album by the West Chester, PA punk pop trio. Spraynard started in the summer of 2008 when three friends (Patrick Graham, Patrick Ware, and Mark Dickinson) felt the need for a resurgence of DIY music in their hometown. They combine passionate and urgent vocals with infectious pop punk in the vein of Plow United and Osker.

State Faults – Head In The Clouds LP (Tiny Engines)
A jarring six song introduction to four best friends from Santa Rosa, CA turning emotional hardcore upside down.

The Staves – If I Was LP+MP3 (Nonesuch)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. New release from the British trio. The Staves, originally from Watford, England, are three sisters: Emily (vocals), Jessica (vocals, guitar), and Camilla (vocals, ukulele) Staveley-Taylor. If I Was was recorded in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, at producer Justin Vernon’s April Base Studios — a former veterinary clinic where he also recorded his 2012 self-titled Bon Iver album.

SW/MM/NG – Feel Not Bad LP+MP3 (Old Flame)
Released last year on CD – now available on vinyl. “Feel Not Bad brings surprisingly bright summer pop from the heart of the country. SW/MM/NG’s sound is comparable to other popular alt-rock notables. Lead singer Brian Kupillas’s singing style is very similar to The Walkmen’s Hamilton Leithauser. Despite this apparent resemblance, SW/MM/NG maintains individuality. The songs pull different punches from the typical surf anthems of summer. Where most insert high-pitched keyboard solos, SW/MM/NG brings in spacy synth touches, which heighten the ambience of youthful wonder.” – LSU Revielle

Theories – Regression LP (Metal Blade)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Debut LP by Seattle death grind outfit.

Tomb Weavers – So Alone b/w Guilt 7” (Get Hip)
A guitar-driven rock machine, heavily inspired by ‘60s garage and reminiscent of Bubble Puppy and 50 Foot Horse.

Unheard Indonesia – Pencak Silat Situbondo LP (Psychic Sounds)
The latest in the ever-expanding Psychic Sounds collection of sonic treasures is from around the world in East Java, Indonesia documented by artist and musician Arrington De Dionyso (Malaikat Dadn Signa, Old Time Relijun) during his travels. It focuses on music that accompanied a festival of Pencak Silat, which is a form of kung fu that is part combat form and part dance performance practiced in Java for many centuries with an element of trance that is reinforced by the fast paced repetitive music. This raw recording features a gloriously vibrant din of fiery double-reed wind instruments, fierce cries, jubilant flutes, and an explosive bass clarinet which all whirl endlessly atop a bed of a dense and dizzyingly assemblage of bells, cymbals, gongs that truly stirs up a visceral and wild concoction of traditional folk music and mutated free jazz.

The Very Best – Makes A King LP (PIAS America)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. New album from the Swedish-Malawian “global pop” duo comprised of Johan Hugo and Esau Mwamwaya aka The Very Best. Like albums past, Makes A King features its share of guest collaborators. Some of those guests include Vampire Weekend bass player Chris Baio, Senegalese singer Baaba Maal, London singer/songwriter Seye, and Jutty Taylor of Jutty Ranx. True to the duo’s upbeat and lively vibe, Hugo says in a press release that the album is about “celebrating the positive and the negative in life – and striving to stay happy through it all.”

Wei Zhongle – Nu Trance LP (Hairy Spider Legs/NNA Tapes)
The latest from the experimental Chicago trio explodes oppositions of globalism and hermeticism, male and female, precision and feeling. Sounding like a broadcast from the future, This Heat and ‘80 Downtown New York lay somewhere in its world mutant genetic imprint.

Williams Shift – We Were Wonderers LP (Burnt Toast Vinyl)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Williams Shift is a new project from Matthew Stone (Soporus, Saxon Shore) and Stephen Roessner (Saxon Shore, Small Signals). We Were Wonderers was recorded in various home studios, produced and mixed by Grammy award winning producer Roessner in conjunction with Stone, and features the vocalist Jill Purdy. Williams Shift comes to life as an outgrowth of the poppiest elements incorporated in songs recorded as members of the instrumental band Saxon Shore combined with the concept of the “Williams Shift” where defenders would align themselves to better field naturally pulled hits from Boston slugger Ted Williams.

Witchthroat Serpent – Witchthroat Serpent [2014] 2xLP (Emetic)
The trio were formed at the end of 2011 by Fredrik Blozann, leader of the avant garde black metal band Davulia and the former bassist of Fornication and Malhkebre, who recruited bassist Lo Klav and drummer Niko Lass to help him realize his doom laden dreams. Mining a very similar territory to Witchsorrow, or the first Electric Wizard album, Witchthroat Serpent sound at once refreshingly distinct and instantly familiar.

Jimmy Witherspoon – Spoon’s Life LP (Pure Pleasure)
A beautifully recorded session from 1980 of top quality blues performed by masters of their art. On paper it may look like a slightly odd coupling of the KC shouter Jimmy Witherspoon with a Chicago blues band comprised of the likes of George Smith (harmonica), Johnny Dollar (guitar), Sammy Lawhorn (guitar), Nick Charles (bass) and Roosevelt “Snake” Shaw (drums). However, the results more than confirm that Witherspoon is a willing and able blues singer full of unbridled passion and throughout Spoon’s Life all the musicians complement each other admirably.

Cassettes:

Aevitas – Searching For A Nail In A Pile Of Needles (905 Tapes)
New project from the artist formally known as Plasmic Formations. Josh Fink (who was also part of Meaning and a dozen other projects) debuts his new moniker with two 10-minute tracks of slowly unwinding, gauzy drone.

Afterlife/Roped Off – Split (905 Tapes)
Slowly unwinding, elated-meets-somber vibes from Afterlife, while Roped Off goes on a weirdo modular synth/electronics joy ride.

Charles Barabe – Stigmates (905 Tapes)
Barabe guides the listener through a surrealist macabre theater, outlined with chapters, each composed of different structural elements. Synths, no-input noisemakers, sampled acoustic instruments, modulators, and other weirdness abounds.

Joe Bastardo & Howard Stelzer – At Ease (905 Tapes)
A 56-minute stream of smeared synth tones, white noise, and corroded natural sound sources. An unpredictable narrative arc of hallucinatory texture generated via randomized and improvised destruction of field recordings and tape collages through modular synthesizers.

Cruudeuces – St. James (905 Tapes)
Bottom of the ocean slow-churners from the most ghetto naturalist around. Three jams, 21 minutes. Gnarled vibes recorded in a black hole.

Death – N.E.W. (Tryangle)
Literally and metaphysical NEWness from seminal Detroit punks — life lessons from Death! Transcendence through screaming to your soul. Rock and roll. The historical sounds of Death arrive at today without missing a step. If their first record since the sessions of 1976 isn’t N.E.W., then what is?

FUN/Heat Molt – Halftone Mud (905 Tapes)
Improvisational noise recorded live in Richmond, VA and subsequently remixed by each of the three of the performers.

German Army – Pennatia (905 Tapes)
“A sort of industrial collage, composed of short sketches and garbled transmissions heard best in the early morning hallucinations of a 15-hour drive. Each fragment, sequenced in a meandering stream, issues forth like a piece of evidence in an obtuse argument.” — AdHoc

Headboggle/Collin McKelvey – Split (905 Tapes)
Two 30-minute sides of squishy synth work. Headboggle offers up six monsters, a mixture of live sets, sessions at colleges, and jams. Collin McKelvey burns through one half hour of ever changing textured layers.

Steve Kenney – Night Warning (905 Tapes)
Raw mind control synth drone that runs down the walls like an opiate sap.

Andrew Kirchner – Patient (905 Tapes)
The Ohio dirt devil drags electronics through the mud, creating crude, blistering soundscapes.

Millions –The Message (905 Tapes)
Maximalist minimalism solo drone from NYC, with releases on Digitalis, Tranquility Tapes, and many more.

Naukati – Grey Veins Of The World (905 Tapes)
Naukati is the side project of Alaskan black metal auteur and aging vulgarians, Skaltros. 11 tracks of ambient dark tides named after the logging roads on Prince Wales Island where he hunts black tailed deer. Slow moving and numbing sorrow for an hour of your life.

Totem Mold Growth – Mountain Dewds (905 Tapes)
Totem Mold Growth’s first recording as a duo, providing the possibility to deliver twice as much bloopage. Side A features some insane panning saturation, while the B side gets meditated and medicated on rare bird calls.

Zinc Horder – Dusted Membrane (905 Tapes)
Cross country love between Mike Haley (905 Tapes/Wether) and Phil French (Stunned Records/Super Minerals). 12 minutes of slime static crawling along side A, then repeated backwards on side B.

Book/Miscellaneous:

Ben Chasny – Hexadic System (Book) (Drag City)
Ben Chasny – Hexadic System (Playing Cards) (Drag City)
“The greatest value of the Hexadic System is to dissolve the musical structures that have been imposed on the player’s mind — composing music without the outer-self, using the tools of games and divination,” suggests Ben Chasny (Six Organs Of Admittance, Comets On Fire), in the text of The Hexadic System. One of the concerns that led to the writing of The Hexadic System was to proceed from a multimodal understanding available to 21st century musicians, but also, to suggest an ordered approach to unfamiliar choices and techniques when composing and playing guitar music. To accent the ritual aspect of the Hexadic methodology, a custom poker sized deck of cards was designed by Steve Quenell in collaboration with Ben Chasny. Face cards pay tribute to a number of figures who have influenced Six Organs of Admittance over the years. Markings on the cards specific to the Hexadic System are a part of the custom design of the Hexadic Deck.

White Glove Test: Louisville Punk Flyers 1978-1994 (Drag City)
Edited by Mike Bucayu (Kinghorse, Maurice), Stephen Driesler, Tim Furnish (Crain, Parlour) John Kampschaefer, Douglas Maxson (Dickbrains, Your Food), and Shawn Severs. Clipped, collaged, and photocopied, meticulously hand-painted and lettered, or designed on a glowing computer screen, the 700-plus flyers collected here are a rich visual history of America’s thriving, interconnected underground, as seen from the storefronts and phone poles of Louisville, KY.