Social Media Program Titles Released This Week:
Brendan Benson – Dear Life CD/LP (Third Man)
Benson finds himself in an enviable spot as he enters the third decade of a remarkably creative, consistently idiosyncratic career – an accomplished frontman, musician, songwriter, producer, band member, husband, and dad. Benson’s seventh solo album, and first new LP in almost seven years, Dear Life is this consummate polymath’s most inventive and upbeat work thus far, an 11- track song cycle about life, love, family, fatherhood, and the pure joy of making music. The album sees the Michigan-born, Nashville-based artist – and co-founder, with Jack White, of The Raconteurs – reveling in a more modernist approach than ever before, fueled by a heady brew of cannabis, hip-hop, and a newly discovered interest in software drum programming.
Other Lives – For Their Love CD/LP (ATO)
Other Lives, the Oklahoma-bred outfit fronted by Jesse Tabish, return with the long-awaited follow-up to 2015’s Rituals. For Their Love is a 10-track collection with a nod to the past while progressing positively towards the future. “The album is a record reflecting human feeling in the current state of affairs – economy and politics on the individual, while the latter still has to deal with the basic struggles of finding meaning of their existence,” says Tabish. The resultant tracks show the band “trying to capture the vibe of something altogether more instant. I was adamant there would no tricks and nothing to obscure me which I had been doing psychologically and musically,” says Tabish. Joined again by drummer Danny Reisch, who played on Rituals, the band is bolstered by an array of musicians featuring strings, brass and percussion, as well as Kim Tabish and Onstott contributing choral-style backing vocals reinforcing the overall cinematic feel that permeates the album. [Limited clear vinyl pressing also available.]
Lucinda Williams – Good Souls Better Angels CD/2xLP (Highway 20)
Three-time Grammy Award winner Lucinda Williams unabashedly takes on some of the human, social and political issues of our day with her boldest and most direct album to date, Good Souls Better Angels. During the course of her celebrated four-decade, pioneering career Williams has never rested on her laurels as she continues to push herself as a songwriter. On Good Souls Better Angels, she has much she needs to get out.
CDs + Vinyl:
(0) – SkamHan CD (Napalm)
In rousing dark euphoria, Danish progressive black metal enigma (0) (pronounced: ‘zero’) lifts the veil for their debut album SkamHan, a lucid dream wrapped in growling dark melancholia. Seven explosive and oppressive tracks presented in a frenzied mania blossom into a hallucinating mixture of black, drone and post metal spiced with intense sludge and progressive influences.
999 – Bish! Bash! Bosh! CD/LP (Cleopatra)
The first new studio album in 13 years from the legendary UK punk rockers. [Green colored vinyl pressing also available.]
America – Heritage II: Demos/Alternate Takes 1971-1976 CD (Omnivore)
Sir George Martin produced seven albums by America, and Heritage II focuses in on demos and alternate takes from the Holiday, Hearts, and Hideaway albums from 1974-1976.
AWOLNATION – Angel Miners & The Lightning Riders CD/LP (Better Noise Music)
Angel Miners & The Lightning Riders is a full-throttle journey linked by a conceptual framework about good versus evil. Features guest contributions from Rivers Cuomo of Weezer on the song “’Pacific Coast Highway” and Edward Sharpe And The Magnetic Zeros frontman Alex Ebert on “Mayday!!!”.
BC Camplight – Shortly After Takeoff CD/LP (Bella Union)
Spanning singer-songwriter classicism, gnarly synth-pop and ’50s rock ‘n’ roll, Shortly After Takeoff features Brian Christinzio’s distinctive vocal and fearless approach to lyrical introspection, but represents a major leap forward in songwriting sophistication and lyrical communication.
Cassowary – Cassowary CD/LP (Fat Possum)
Cassowary is the sound of contemporary Los Angeles, a sunbaked collision of the local flavors making the world cooler and stranger. On his self-titled debut, the 24-year old multi-instrumentalist evokes everything from the loping electronics of the Low End Theory “beat scene” to the freewheeling chops of the jazz fusion resurgence, from the murky textures of Odd Future’s genre-hopping basement rap to the vintage funk revisionism of labels like Stones Throw. Altogether, Cassowary, is an artistic statement that’s as beautiful and strange as the flightless bird that shares its name.
Chatham County Line – Strange Fascination CD/LP (Yep Roc)
North Carolina’s cherished Americana band is back with their 12th studio album. Strange Fascination features newly added drums and modern effects that drive a revamped sound.
Quelle Chris & Chris Keys – Innocent Country 2 CD/2xLP (Mello Music Group)
Quelle Chris has earned accolades from publications like NPR, Pitchfork, The Needle Drop, The Wire and The AV Club for both his 2019 solo album Guns as well as his collaborative album with New York rapper Jean Grae, Everything’s Fine. Innocent Country 2 is the follow-up to the beloved collaborative cult classic Innocent Country with multi-instrumentalist Chris Keys. Featuring talents ranging from comedian Josh Gondelman to rapper Earl Sweatshirt, Innocent Country 2 is both his most ambitious and complete work to date.
Cirith Ungol – Forever Black CD/LP (Metal Blade)
Cirith Ungol first appeared on the scene with their self-financed debut album, Frost And Fire, in April 1981. It was obscure and arcane, mysterious and eccentric, epic and expansive, but most of all unfailingly, bone-crushingly heavy, dark and doom-filled. Now, as the Cirith Ungol resurrection enters its fifth year, the band presents Forever Black, Cirith Ungol’s first collection of all-new material in 29 years.
Cloven Hoof – Age Of Steel CD/LP (Pure Steel)
New album from the veteran British heavy metal band.
Nick Colionne – Finger Painting CD (Trippin ‘N’ Rhythm)
New release from the acclaimed smooth jazz guitarist.
Danzig – Sings Elvis CD/LP (Cleopatra)
14 interpretations of well-known Elvis classics and unheralded deep cuts. [Two colored vinyl pressings are also available: green and pink.]
Double Experience – Alignments CD/LP (Drakkar)
Drawing inspiration from their nerd rock forbearers in Coheed And Cambria, Weezer and Muse, Canada’s Double Experience has crafted a nerd-rock concept album with heart and mind that’s as catchy as it is complex.
The Durutti Column – Vini Reilly + WOMAD Live [Reissue/1989] 2xCD/2xLP+7” (Factory Benelux)
An expanded edition of Vini Reilly, the seventh studio album by Manchester ensemble The Durutti Column. Originally released by Factory Records in 1989, the album has now been newly remastered with 23 bonus tracks including companion EP WOMAD Live. Produced by Vini Reilly and Stephen Street (The Smiths, Morrissey, Blur), the original working title of the Vini Reilly album was The Durutti Column Sampler. “People describe them as found samples and found voices,” explained Vini at the time. “I always build up a catalogue of interesting loops and voice samples and stuff. Then I forget where I got them from a lot of the time, which is quite convenient… A lot of the time I manipulate the sample anyway, so it’s singing my tune, rather than the original tune.”
Hazel English – Wake UP! CD/LP+MP3 (Polyvinyl)
With her debut full-length album, Wake UP!, Hazel English has traded the hazy, reverb drenched production styles prevalent in her earlier work for sounds synonymous with classic pop records from the late ’60s. [Limited red colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Freddy And The Phantoms – A Universe From Nothing CD/LP (SPV)
A musical transformation that has sent the band into a heavy and sci-fi-rock universe, but without leaving their basic DNA of blues music behind. For fans of Black Sabbath, Rival Sons and Graveyard.
Ezra Furman – Sex Education [OST] CD/LP (Bella Union)
Ezra Furman’s soundtrack to the Netflix original series Sex Education. The hit show, starring Asa Butterfield and Gilian Anderson, follows the story of a teenage boy with a sex therapist mother, who teams up with a high school classmate to set up an underground sex therapy clinic at school. Gathering the music from Season 1 and Season 2, it features soundtrack exclusives alongside new recordings of some of Furman’s best loved songs.
Roger Street Friedman – Rise CD (Rock Ridge)
Roger Street Friedman is a singer, songwriter and activist based in Sea Cliff, New York, who restarted his music career in 2010 following the loss of his parents and the birth of his daughter. His critically acclaimed 2017 album, Shoot The Moon, reached #2 on the Roots Music Report Americana Country Album Chart.
Jerry Garcia – GarciaLive Volume 13: September 16th, 1989 Poplar Creek Music Theatre 2xCD (ATO)
GarciaLive Volume 13 features the Jerry Garcia Band at the Poplar Creek Music Theatre outside Chicago on 9/16/89. Alongside the band (J. Kahn, D. Kemper, M. Seals, G. Jones and J. LaBranch) Clarence Clemons (Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band) sits in on sax. On the final night of their longest and arguably finest tour, the band played repertoire favorites.
Andrew Gold – Something New: Unreleased Gold CD (Omnivore)
A collection of sixteen previously unissued tracks by Andrew Gold from 1973. In the mid-1970s, Andrew Gold’s skills as a musician and an arranger were ubiquitous, appearing on some of the biggest records of the decade by artists such as Linda Ronstadt, Art Garfunkel, and James Taylor. By 1977, he had reached the Billboard Top 10 as an artist and writer with his self-penned hit, “Lonely Boy”. In the mid ’80s and early ’90s, Andrew’s song “Thank You For Being A Friend” was used as the theme for the hugely successful NBC-TV sitcom The Golden Girls.
I Am Destruction – Nascency CD (Unique Leader)
Debut album the by Texas technical metal band. Calling to mind the slamming heaviness of Devourment as well as the pulverizing onslaught of bands such as Hate Eternal and Aborted, Nascency is an unrelentingly crushing exercise in sonic violence.
Katatonia – City Burials CD/2xLP (Peaceville)
Formed in 1991 by Jonas Renkse and Anders Nyström, and transitioning from early pioneers of the rising black/death/doom movement, to powerhouses of the progressive metallic rock genre, the Swedish connoisseurs of melancholy return with their stellar new opus, City Burials – the band’s eleventh studio album and first since 2016’s haunting The Fall Of Hearts. [Vinyl and limited deluxe CD editions include bonus tracks.]
King Diamond – Fatal Portrait [Reissue/1986] CD/LP+MP3 (Metal Blade)
King Diamond – Abigail [Reissue/1987] CD/LP+MP3 (Metal Blade)
CD and colored vinyl reissues of the heavy metal band’s first two albums.
Lilith – Safer Off CD/LP (Take This To Heart)
Lilith’s debut album Safer Off may be brimming with color and youthful exuberance – whether in the whirling synths churning across key moments or the album’s sunny guitar tones – but with every confident musical choice, there’s darkness threatening to cloud the shine. But by the end of it all, Lilith marches to their own defiant and individual beat, one leaving their old haunts – flaky exes, doomed music industry mainstays, and other dangerous games – behind.
Lustre – Ashes Of Light CD/LP (Nordvis)
Unlike most black metal artists, Lustre uses guitars and vocals as background instruments and instead uses keyboards and synths as the primary instrument. Lustre’s lyrical themes include nature, darkness, mysticism, and spirituality.
Mekong Delta – Tales Of A Future Past CD/LP (Butler)
11th studio album from the German metal band. With an orchestra arrangement, acoustic elements and instrumental numbers including the orchestra parts, the combo sets new impulses without abandoning the classic metal orientation.
Tom Misch & Yussef Dayes – What Kinda Music CD/2xLP (Moonbeam Music)
South London multi-instrumentalist Tom Misch, and Yussef Dayes, one of the UK’s most innovative young drummers, come together to bring us What Kinda Music – an astonishing collaboration between two artists of very different disciplines, and one of the most unique and seamlessly original projects of it’s like to date. What Kinda Music presents us with the DNA of both musicians, fusing so effortlessly and beautifully that it creates something else entirely. [Deluxe 180gm vinyl edition featuring three bonus tracks also available.]
New Riders Of The Purple Sage – Field Trip (Live) CD (Omnivore)
With Billboard magazine hailing the New Riders of the Purple Sage as the definitive band of the country-rock genre, 1972 was a year of major growth for the band. By the time summer rolled around, Buddy Cage was now firmly entrenched as Jerry Garcia’s replacement on pedal steel guitar and their second studio album, Powerglide, was getting rave reviews. On the live front, they were beginning to fill concert halls across the US while continuing to emerge from the shadows of the Grateful Dead with an intoxicating mix of classic and original American songwriting from the worlds of country, rock, bluegrass, and soul. August 27, 1972 found the New Riders once again on the bill with the Grateful Dead for what turned out to be one of the more legendary events in this subculture’s history.
Picturesque – Do You Feel O.K.? CD (Equal Vision)
Sophomore album from the Kentucky-based alt-rock/indie band. “Do You Feel O.K? takes a step in an entirely new direction by going deep into pop sensibilities and shedding most of their post-hardcore past.” – All Ages Zine
Whitney Rose – We Still Go To Rodeos CD/LP (MCG)
Rose is an award winning internationally lauded and critically acclaimed vocalist and songwriter whose music bends genres and transcends international boundaries. She has performed on stages or recorded with artists such as The Mavericks, Raul Malo, Dwight Yoakam, Marty Stuart, Jason Isbell, Redd Volkaert, Earle Poole Ball, The Proclaimers, Reverend Horton Heat, Midland, and many more.
Lennon Stella – Three. Two. One CD (Sony)
Debut album from Nashville-based singer, songwriter, actress, and multi-instrumentalist. Lennon Stella first rose to popularity when she was just 12 years old as part of the duo Lennon & Maisy, alongside her younger sister. The pair gained national attention with a cover of Robyn’s “Call Your Girlfriend”. Lennon then went on to star in the ABC/CMT television series Nashville as Maddie Conrad for six years. [Vinyl edition due May 22.]
Stonewall Noise Orchestra – Deathtripper CD/LP (Transubstans)
The notorious Swedish groove machine once again delivers a solid piece of high-quality heavy rock.
Sophie Tassignon – Mysteries Unfold CD/LP (RareNoise)
The haunting strains of a distant melody, the resplendent majesty of an angelic choir; the echoing cries of circling birds, the thundering clomp of charging hoofbeats; the menace of an ominous growl, the soul-stirring chime of a tolling bell, the urgency of a percussive rhythm: Sophie Tassignon conjures all of these with only that most beautiful, boundless and mysterious of instruments, the human voice. On her first solo album, Mysteries Unfold, the Belgian-born, Berlin-based vocalist transcends time and language to explore and evoke a stunning panoply of human emotion.
Steve Thomas and The Time Machine – All of These Years CD (Bonfire Recording Co.)
his own new blend of traditional bluegrass, country, and blues – a fresh offering built on forty years of experience (Del McCoury, The Osborne Brothers, Jim and Jesse, The Whites, Aaron Tippin, Barbara Mandrell, Kenny Chesney, Brooks and Dunn, John Michael Montgomery, Montgomery Gentry, Lee Ann Womack, and Lorrie Morgan).
Trick Or Treat –The Legend Of The XII Saints CD (Scarlet)
On their long-awaited sixth studio album, the happy metal crusaders have once again managed to forge an epic and entertaining sonic tale, enriched by majestic orchestrations, refined arrangements and catchy refrains.
Trivium – What The Dead Men Say CD/LP (Roadrunner)
Florida-based metallers unleash their ninth full length album What The Dead Men Say. “What The Dead Men Say is everything that is Trivium,” explains guitarist/vocalist Matt Heafy. “On this album, one can hear the proper ingredients of past, present, and future Trivium. The Trivium sound is having everything the band does – on one album.” “With the new album, we took what worked on the ‘The Sin And The Sentence’ and dialed it all up to 11,” adds bassist Paolo Gregoletto.
The Used – Heartwork CD/2xLP (Big Noise Music GRP)
Eighth studio album from the hard rock band from Orem, Utah. [Limited red colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Various Artists – Ella 100: Live At The Apollo! CD (Concord)
In 1934, 17-year-old Ella Fitzgerald took the stage at Harlem’s legendary Apollo Theater on Amateur Night, winning first prize and launching an extraordinary, decade-spanning career. Ella 100: Live At The Apollo! Was recorded during the 2016 tribute concert at the Apollo, honoring the First Lady of Song’s 100th birthday & commemorating the discovery of her talent. Features vocalists Patti Austin with David Alan Grier, Lizz Wright, Cassandra Wilson, Ledisi, The Count Basie Orchestra and more.
The Wake – Here Comes Everybody [Reissue/1985] LP+7” (Factory Benelux)
The Wake, who recorded for Factory and Sarah, mixed nervously funky post-punk with bedroom synth-pop. Singer-guitarist Gerard “Caesar” McInulty, who had previously been a member of pre-fame Altered Images, formed the Wake in 1981 with singer-keyboardist Carolyn Allen, drummer Steven Allen, and bassist Joe Donnelly, soon to be replaced by Bobby Gillespie, who would go on to greater fame with the Jesus And Mary Chain and Primal Scream.
Warbringer – Weapons Of Tomorrow CD/LP (Napalm)
Sixth studio album by the Californian thrash metal overlords.
Welicoruss – Siberian Heathen Horde CD/LP (El Puerto)
A collection of 9 dark and mythical black metal anthems with strong marching riffs and horrid growls supported by epic orchestration.
Werewolves – The Dead Are Screaming CD/LP (Prosthetic)
A supergroup of sorts, who would no doubt argue that there’s rarely anything super about them, Werewolves is Dave Haley (Psycroptic, Ruins, King), Matt Wilcock, and Sam Bean (both of The Bezerker, The Antichrist Imperium). There’s a solid case for them being the true embodiment of heavy metal in 2020 – driven forward by blind hatred and blast beats alone. Nine tracks, one hundred megatons, zero mercy. [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]
This Week’s Vinyl Exclusives:
Airbourne – No Guts. No Glory. [Reissue/2010] LP (Nettwerk)
Vinyl reissue of the Australian hard rock band’s second studio album, originally released in 2010, and the follow-up to their 2007 debut Runnin’ Wild.
Ariel Pink – The Doldrums [Reissue/2000] 2xLP (Mexican Summer)
Ariel Pink – Worn Copy [Reissue/2003] 2xLP (Mexican Summer)
Ariel Pink – House Arrest [Reissue/2006] 2xLP (Mexican Summer)
Ariel Archives revisits Ariel Pink’s historic run of albums as Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti with a series of definitive reissues and new collections. Each new edition has been restored from the original cassette masters. Each pressing is housed in a widespine jacket with obi strip.
Bonfire – Fistful Of Fire LP (AFM)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. New album from the German hard rock legends. Charismatic vocals, catchy riffs and hooks and driving grooves. Limited orange colored vinyl pressing.
Robert Calvert – Aerospaceage Inferno Live ’86 LP (Purple Pyramid)
For the first time ever on vinyl – the triumphant 1986 live concert recording featuring the solo material from former Hawkwind frontman Robert Calvert. Two colored vinyl pressings are available: blue and gold.
Cyn – Mood Swing 12” (Unsub)
Mood Swing is the highly anticipated debut EP from Cyn, the Michigan-born singer signed to Katy Perry’s Unsub Records. Cyn ensured that the EP wasn’t overly styled nor created to fit an outdated commercial standard, likening Mood Swing to a Parisian park rather than a Parisian burlesque club.
diSEMBOWELMENT – Dusk / Deep Sensory Procession Into Aural Fate [Reissue/1992/1991] 2xLP (Relapse)
diSEMBOWELMENT – Transcendence Into The Peripheral [Reissue/1993] 2xLP (Relapse)
diSEMBOWELMENT’s Dusk and Deep Sensory Procession Into Aural Fate sees the Melbourne, Australia dark devotees of devastating doom’s long sought-after EP and demo material available on vinyl for the very first time. The two recordings from 1991-92 capture a glimpse into the deathly doom the band would be renowned for. Features exclusive new art.
Originally released in 1993, diSEMBOWELMENT cemented their status as one of the underground’s most unique and enigmatic doom/death metal bands with their landmark full length, Transcendence Into the Peripheral. Crushing, atmospheric, and wholly engrossing, the album is essential listening for fans of negative music.
Dynazty – The Dark Delight 2xLP (AFM)
Recently released on CD – now available on gold colored vinyl. New album from the Swedish melodic metal band.
Duke Ellington • Charlie Mingus • Max Roach – Money Jungle [Reissue/1962] LP (Blue Note)
In 1962 Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus and Max Roach recorded Money Jungle, one of the most celebrated jazz trio albums of all time. Generational and stylistic differences between the three created fearless music. The album features some of Ellington’s indelible compositions including Caravan, Solitude, and a stunning version of “Le Fleurs Africaines” (African Flower). A Blue Note Tone Poet Series release.
First Band From Outerspace – We’re Only In It For The Space Rock LP (Transubstans)
Swedish intergalactic starfighters continue on their eternal quest of infiltrating humans with their alien psychic powers of enslaving the Neanderthals by brainwashing them with the finest space rock.
Nox Formulae – Drakon Darshan Satan LP (Dark Decent)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. The Red Black Clan of Nox Formulae returns with their second sonic grimoire of Higher Black Magic, delving deeper into the Draconian Universe and the Shadow Current emanating from the hidden and relatively unexplored realms of the Qlipha of the Concealers, Satariel, Archon of which is the second face of Lucifer, the Mighty King Lucifuge Rofocale.
Future Teens – Hard Feelings [Reissue/2017] LP (Take This To Heart)
Limited animated picture disc vinyl LP pressing. Future Teens started as a joke, and perhaps appropriately, the band played their first show in a sweaty basement while a Fourth of July barbecue raged outside. They played three songs at that 2014 show, each less practiced than the one before. The group’s debut EP Still Afraid of Allston was scruffy and full of hooks, a bedroom-pop gem that was recorded “right into the computer – we didn’t even use amps,” Radin (vocals/bass) recalls. The charming, conversational songs demanded a fuller sound in a live setting at the band’s shows in their hometown of Boston and beyond and so drummer Dylan Vadakin, guitarist Nick Cortezi, and vocalist and guitarist Amy Hoffman signed on. Hard Feelings features 10 tracks of romantic misadventure, miscommunication and mistakes.
Gabriel Garzón-Monta – Bishouné: Alma Del Huila Instrumentals 12” (Gabriel Garzón-Monta)
This EP composed, produced and performed by Gabriel Garzón-Montano includes “68”, which has been sampled by Drake on “Jungle” from his album If Your Reading This It’s Too Late as well as “Glow” from his project More Life. Other tracks from this EP such as “Keep On Running” and “Pour Maman” have been sampled by artists such as G-Eazy, Faye Webster, H.E.R, and Jacquees.
Hante. – Fierce: Remixes And More LP (Metropolis)
Limited purple colored vinyl pressing. Hante. is a one woman project from the Paris-based Helene de Thoury. Striking, cold, and synthetic, this unique blend of darkwave and electronics is also revealing, offering deep emotion and intimacy. Fierce: Remixes & More delivers previously unreleased songs, an alternative version of “Respect”, and exclusive remixes. A fitting expansion of Hante.’s trademark emotionally raw, impactful dark electronics.
The Heptones – Back On Top LP (Burning Sounds)
The Heptones are a Jamaican rocksteady and reggae vocal trio most active in the 1960s and early 1970s. They were one of the more significant trios of that era, and played a major role in the gradual transition between ska and rocksteady into reggae with their three-part harmonies. The Heptones were contemporaries of the Wailers and the Maytals, and every bit their equal in the mid-‘60s.
Him Lo – Slapyagoddamfaceoff LP (Grilchy Party)
“Gritty ‘n’ raw lyrics poured over hardcore beatz.”
Kool Keith – Saks 5th Ave LP (Volunteer Media)
Arguably poised as Kool Keith’s most sophisticated release to date, Saks 5th Ave serves as both a stepping stone forward in the artist’s prolific career, as well as a much needed reminder that the world’s most innovative emcee has a thorough grasp on far more than your average rapper. Touching on everything from the use of high fashion products to personal experiences including a near fatal car crash which occurred in 2017, The 16 track studio album produced by the versatile beat maker Dean Landon Price Beats Trotter channels Keith in a smoothly conscious state while laying down effortless bars over modern yet timeless hip hop production.
The Local Honeys – The Gospel LP (Soul Step)
The Local Honeys are Kentuckians Linda Jean Stokley and Montana Hobbs, old-time musicians who have earned a loyal fan base by being, as their debut album termed them, “Little Girls Actin’ Like Men.” Original songwriters as well as dedicated performers of the classics, the Honeys tear into hard-driving fiddle tunes and sing the high lonesome sound with the best of them.
Tiombé Lockhart – The Aquarius Years LP (Mother Tongue)
Tiombé Lockhart, known from the Platinum Pied Pipers cult classic Triple P (2005), unearths her unofficial debut album The Aquarius Years for a complete re-mastering and premiere vinyl release. An elusive masterpiece of underground R&B featuring tracks previously only available on CD that was sold during her tour and shows with PPP and Bilal in the early 2000s. Jazz phenomenon and multiple Grammy Award winner Robert Glasper is featured on the instant classic “G.P.” and a soaring cover of “California Dreaming”, which truly highlights Lockhart’s unforgettable voice that flawlessly fits Glasper’s incredible harmonies. The infamous soul singer Bilal, a lifelong collaborator of Lockhart, features on the somber stepper “Sexy Suzy On A Sunday”, where they effortlessly blend trap-like 808s with classic, soulful R&B.
Norma MacDonald – Old Future LP (Noyes)
Norma MacDonald’s voice hits the nerve that runs down the spine of the Appalachians from Canada’s east coast to the Smokey Mountains, tinging in the tension between storyteller folk and classic country. Old Future leans into nostalgia and contradiction, picking up 1960’s Dolly and Loretta vibes with a spotlight on the pedal steel while nodding to ‘70s California folk-rock with layered acoustic guitars and lush harmonies.
Roc Marciano – Pimpstrumentals LP (Marci Enterprises)
Roc Marciano is known for his bars, but with Pimpstrumentals he brings 17 instrumentals all highlighting his signature boom bap style and incomparable grit.
Mayhem – De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas [Reissue/1994] 5xLP (Deathlike Silence)
De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas is often considered to be the most important black metal album of all time. The iconic 1994 album has been remastered for vinyl from the original DAT tapes by Solslottet Studio, with guidance from Pytten himself and approved by Hellhammer. The set includes four additional LPs with artwork consisting of two different rehearsal sessions in Oslo from February and May 1992, taken directly from tapes Euronymous made, the instrumental rough mix from Grieghallen June 1992, and the rough mix with vocals from the tape Attila received after the vocal recordings in April/May 1993. The box set also includes a 96-page book with a series of in depth interviews casting light and darkness on the recording process and the glory days of Mayhem making history in the early ’90s.
Blind Willie McTell – Kill It, Kid: The Essential Collection [Reissue/2013] LP (Goldenlane)
12 of Willie’s best tracks repressed on blue vinyl.
Meatloaf – Bat Out Of Hell [Reissue/1977] LP (Epic)
Vinyl reissue of the debut studio album by rock icon Meat Loaf, as well as his first collaboration with composer Jim Steinman and producer Todd Rundgren. Its musical style is influenced by Steinman’s appreciation of Richard Wagner, Phil Spector, Bruce Springsteen and The Who.
Lee Morgan – The Cooker [Reissue/1958] LP (Blue Note)
Listening to Lee Morgan’s molten solo on A Night In Tunisia, the opening track of The Cooker, it’s hard to fathom that he was only 19 years old at the time. Recorded shortly after his dazzling performance on John Coltrane’s masterpiece ‘Blue Train’ in 1957, The Cooker was in fact Morgan’s 5th Blue Note album as a leader. Bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Philly Joe Jones are joined by baritone saxophone master Pepper Adams and the great Bobby Timmons on piano on this superbly swinging session. A Blue Note Tone Poet Series release.
Mani Neumeier – Talking Guru Drums [Reissue/2016] LP (Purple Pyramid)
Guru Guru drummer and influential percussionist Mani Neumeier offers this eclectic album of explorations into psychedelic, world, and folk music. Limited clear vinyl pressing.
The Ocean Blue – Ultramarine [Reissue/2013] LP (Korda)
The Ocean Blue’s debut record in 1989 achieved widespread acclaim and radio and MTV airplay. The band of four young high schooler from Hershey, Pennsylvania went on to release two more well-received records for Sire, the atmospheric Cerulean and alt pop Beneath The Rhythm And Sound, and a fourth record for Mercury/PolyGram, See The Ocean Blue, before leaving the majors in the late ‘90s. The band had several independent releases in the 2000s and within the last several years began working on a new full length record, their first in over 10 years. That record, Ultramarine, is now released on Korda Records, a new Minneapolis cooperative label that the band helped launch in late 2012. Ultramarine is a spectacular return to form that recalls the band’s earliest work, and should appeal to fans old and new alike.
Orange 9mm – Orange 9mm [Reissue/2000] LP (Revelation)
Orange 9mm was formed by vocalist Chaka Malik (Burn) in 1992 with Chris Traynor on guitar, Eric Rice on bass, and Larry Gorman on drums. The hardcore rhythm outfit are self-described as a result of being ‘happy and pissed off at the same time and playing at the moment.’ Orange 9mm went on to release two full-lengths on major labels East West and Atlantic, releasing videos and touring with bands such as Quicksand, Biohazard, Deftones and more. Now available again on vinyl for the first time in over 25 years. Grey colored pressing.
Paradise Phantoms – Mirage LP (The Sleeperz)
A collection of pulsating dance cuts with a pastel glow, rooted in retro funk, but cleverly spiked with rock and streamlined with pop.
The Polecats – The Very Best Of [Reissue/1999] LP (Cleopatra)
Limited edition pink vinyl reissue of the best tracks from the rockabilly revival legends.
Project Paradis – Paradis 2: Deluxe 2xLP (Mad Decent)
Mr. Carmack and Promnite have teamed up for a series of projects under the alias Project Paradis. Fusing gritty experimental sound design, hard-hitting production and dynamic machine-like soundscapes, Carmack and Promnite introduce a dystopian future where human freedom has come to an end with technological singularity manifesting itself in the form of tyrannical, artificially intelligent, all-robotic corporations, with one such corporation – Project Paradis© – whose purpose is to further the advancement of singularity.
The Sleep Eazys – Easy To Buy, Hard To Sell LP (J&R Adventures)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. The Sleep Eazys is comprised of Joe Bonamassa, Anton Fig, Michael Rhodes, Reese Wynans and John Jorgenson with special guests appearing throughout the album. Produced by Joe Bonamassa. The album pays tribute to Joe’s mentor, friend and one of the greatest guitarists of all time – the late great Danny Gatton – who fused blues, rockabilly, jazz, and country to create a unique musical style.
Dr. Lonnie Smith – All In My Mind [Reissue/2018] LP (Blue Note)
After his return to Blue Note where he first made a name for himself with a run of classic soul jazz albums between 1968-70, Hammond B-3 organ legend Dr. Lonnie Smith recorded All In My Mind during his 75th birthday celebration at the Jazz Standard in New York City with guitarist Jonathan Kreisberg and drummer Jonathan Blake. For the first time on vinyl, this five-song Tone Poet Edition features spirited interpretations of songs by Wayne Shorter, Freddie Hubbard, Paul Simon and more.
Sonikku – Joyful Death LP (Bella Union)
Released last week on CD – now available on vinyl. A fluent, fertile and full-color hybrid of vibrant Italo-house, liquid synth-pop, righteous disco and French philosophical asides, it signals Sonikku transition from feted DJ to fully formed dancefloor artist.
Stretch and Bobbito & The M19s Band – No Requests LP/5×7” (Uprising Music)
Stretch and Bobbito’s debut album No Requests explores the legendary club DJs’ vast musical knowledge with covers of songs directly from their record crates. Featuring the M19s Band, a live band of elite hand-picked musicians, the gatekeepers of ’90s hip-hop step outside their foundational genre base to produce Latin, Afrobeat, samba, jazz, reggae, and soul reinterpretations of dance floor bangers-ranging from popular to rare and obscure-which loosely depart expected structure and create new nuances to familiar tunes.
Joe Lynn Turner – The Sessions [Reissue/2016] LP (Deadline Music)
Red colored vinyl pressing. Best known for fronting Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow, Turner presents this collection of supercharged versions of rock classics. Features guest appearances by Michael Schenker (UFO), Steve Lukather (Toto), Phil Collen (Def Leppard), Brad Gillis (Night Ranger), and more.
Whim – Abuzz In The Abyss LP (Fluff & Gravy)
An album of impossibly catchy indie-pop gems, shoulder bopping singalongs, and tender ballads.
Whoarei – Love Spectrum LP (Timetable)
Debut album from Whoarei – released on Nosaj Thing’s Timetable Records imprint. Synthesized in full, the album is akin to Dam Funk collaborating to make fluorescent sub-tropical heaters with Kaytranada or Toro y Moi creating music from memory based on the legacy of Vito Ricci.
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