May Program Titles Released This Week:
AJR – Neotheater CD/LP (S-Curve)
Indie-pop sibling trio AJR’s third full-length album Neotheater was entirely self-produced by the group in Ryan and Jack Met’s NYC apartment with portions recorded in Los Angeles. The 12 original songs spin a coming of age tale that hears the band coming to terms with the sacrifices that come with growing older now that they are in their 20s. The buoyant and uplifting music is juxtaposed with darker lyrical narratives that touch on anxiety, naiveté and searching for integrity. Effervescent track “Birthday Party” features an eerie sample taken from David Lynch’s Eraserhead. The song’s tongue-in-cheek lyrics live at the apex of wide-eyed inexperience as the song is sung from the point of view of a one-minute-old child.
Bailen – Thrilled To Be Here CD/LP (Fantasy)
Gorgeous harmonies, striking arrangements and evocative songwriting marks Bailen as an undeniable and welcome new arrival. The NYC-based trio’s debut album Thrilled To Be Here was produced by Grammy-Award winner John Congleton (St. Vincent, The War On Drugs). The group’s beguiling three-part harmonies fuel lead single “I Was Wrong”, a statement of compassion and self-reflection. Bailen’s otherworldly musicality springs from a very deep well, in fact, it’s in their DNA. Raised in New York by their classically trained parents, fraternal twins Daniel (vocals/bass/synth/guitar), David (vocals/drums), and younger sister Julia Bailen (vocals/guitar), immersed themselves in the family’s diverse record collection. The group’s highly collaborative songs are formed by three very different individuals who were all inspired by literature and a love of language. The resulting confident, meticulous songcraft of Thrilled To Be Here is rooted in the young group’s preternatural dexterity, insight and lyrical bite. [Indie-store exclusive vinyl edition is available.]
Band Of Skulls – Love Is All You Love CD/LP (Silva Screen)
In what seem like an unusual move for a traditional rock band, Band Of Skulls hired producer Richard X for their latest album Love Is All You Love. He has encouraged the band to experiment and add some electronic elements to their sound. It is still a rock album, but with an extra pop punch. “Just seconds into opening track ‘Carnivorous’ you realize this is not entirely the BoS you are familiar with. A throbbing bass line, Arabesque guitar hook and unashamedly electronic sheen…this is your invitation from the Band Of Skulls to join them for a new musical enterprise. ‘Sound Of You’ is a downright sexy torch song for the 21st century. Putting Richardson’s soulful pleading vocal front and center over a pumping bass line and Marsden’s R&B guitar licks on acid. This is an album highlight to be sure. As is ‘We’re Alive’ a thundering Glam rocking piece of cotton candy that might well have put a smile on Marc Bolan’s face, its chorus virtually commanding you (‘Come On… Come On’) to sing along. This is pop music as it should be, as it could be if more artists were willing to test their limits. Music that is catchy enough to sing along to yet complex enough to make you want to listen to it again and again.” – Concert Guide
George Benson – Walking To New Orleans CD/LP (Provogue)
George Benson gets back to Americana basics on Walking To New Orleans, the jazz guitar legend’s tribute to both piano-pounding hit machine Fats Domino and the original rock guitar hero and poet, Chuck Berry. Walking To New Orleans came about by hunkering down in a Music Row studio with a quartet of first-call Nashville cats. The album toggles between tracks written and/or recorded by Berry and Domino as though Benson were moderating a musical conversation between Missouri and Louisiana. It kicks off with a rock-solid rendition of Berry’s 1964 post-incarceration story song “Nadine (Is It You?)”, which Benson makes his own by scatting in unison with his guitar solo. Then a horn section pumps up Fats’ 1951 R&B hit “Rockin’ Chair” and his first R&B-pop crossover smash, “Ain’t That A Shame”, from 1955, with George’s guitar standing in swingingly for the originals’ sax solos. [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]
J.J. Cale – Stay Around CD/2xLP+CD (Because Music)
Stay Around is the first posthumous release of works by beloved songwriter, guitarist, and singer J.J. Cale, compiled by those closest to him – his widow, musician Christine Lakeland Cale, and friend and longtime manager, Mike Kappus. Cale – who died in 2013 and left behind a vital resounding legacy – spent his career as an “under-the-radar-giant” (New York Times) and influenced musicians as wide ranging as Neil Young (who wrote in his autobiography, “JJ’s guitar playing is a huge influence on me. His touch is unspeakable. I am stunned by it.”); Beck (who, speaking to the L.A. Times, referred to his “effortlessness…restraint and underplaying” as “very powerful”); and Eric Clapton (who, in his autobiography, called Cale “one of the most important artists in the history of rock, quietly representing the greatest asset his country has ever had”). All of the tracks on Stay Around are previously unreleased.
Catfish and The Bottlemen – The Balance CD/LP (Capitol)
Catfish and The Bottlemen make an emphatic return with their third album, The Balance. In the breaks between electrifying outdoor and festival shows in 2018, Van McCann (vocals, guitars), Johnny Bond (guitars), Robert “Bob” Hall (drums), and Benji Blakeway (bass) retreated with Irish producer Jacknife Lee (U2, The Killers) to carefully craft The Balance over a 12-month period. Recorded in seclusion at two locations – Grouse Lodge in Moate, Republic of Ireland, and The Chapel in the countryside of East Lincolnshire – the band lived and breathed the album while residing together in rural isolation. “We loved living in the same place,” says McCann. “We were staying there the whole time, so we were waking up around each other and working until we needed to go to bed. Jacknife was always up. He was the first up and the last awake. It’s good when you’re completely engulfed in recording in a place like that, living together, because every day and all day it was about the songs. We had fun too; they were the funniest album sessions we’ve done.” Set to soundtrack their journey onto yet bigger stages, the eleven-track album features the new single “Longshot” as well as the live fan-favorite “Fluctuate”.
The Cranberries – In The End CD/LP (BMG)
30 years after forming in Limerick (initially as The Cranberry Saw Us) The Cranberries release their eighth and final album In The End. With Stephen Street once again taking producer duties, the 11-track record brings a remarkable career to a fitting and powerful closure. While it is tinged with sadness following Dolores O’Riordan’s unexpected death on January 15th, 2018, In The End is not a valediction; it is a celebration, one that stands as a powerful testimony to the life and creative work of Dolores and her brothers in music. Noel Hogan, Mike Hogan and Fergal Lawler. The genesis of In The End began in May 2017 while the band were on tour. By winter of 2017 Noel and Dolores had written and demoed the eleven songs which would eventually appear on the album. In coming to terms with O’Riordan’s death, Noel, Mike and Fergal listened to the songs and, with the support of Dolores’ family, wanted to honor their close friend and collaborator by completing the record – a fitting tribute to their bandmate and friend. [Indie-store exclusive vinyl and hardback CD editions are also available.]
The Damned Things – High Crimes CD/LP (Nuclear Blast)
Nine years ago, Scott Ian – guitarist and co-founder of the legendary thrash metal outfit, Anthrax – took a meeting with Joe Trohman (guitarist and co-founder of Fall Out Boy). Sharing a love for Thin Lizzy and catchy, dirty rock ‘n’ roll, Joe and Scott hit it off and started making songs together. With the help of drummer Andy Hurley (Fall Out Boy) and the sensual yet sardonically irreverent vocals of Keith Buckley (Every Time I Die) The Damned Things were formed. The band’s well-received debut album Ironiclast was issued in 2010. Cut to nine years later and the band (now with the Alkaline Trio’s Dan Andriano on bass) returns with its Jay Ruson-produced follow-up High Crimes.
Craig Finn – I Need A New War CD/LP (Partisan)
“The world-weary characters of Craig Finn’s latest solo release, I Need A New War, have every right to call it a day. They crash on couches after accidents that don’t get talked about. They drive, battling traffic on congested streets, seeking escape on the open road. They live in less-than-ideal apartments; letting bills pile up, the power gets disconnected. The city breaks them after years spent trying. In absence of regular Hold Steady shows, frontman Craig Finn’s toured steadily in support of his solo material, dating back to 2012 debut, Clear Heart Full Eyes. And though it may be tempting to consider his solo output simply an in-between, Finn’s evolution in recent years proves otherwise. Following 2015’s Faith In The Future and 2017’s We All Want The Same Things, I Need A New War completes what Finn’s called a trilogy. Ambitiously detailed and thematically cohesive, it’s a satisfying conclusion to the saga he started a few years ago.” — NPR [Limited clear vinyl pressing also available.]
Fontaines D.C. – Dogrel CD/LP (Partisan)
Dogrel is the full-length debut album from Dublin, Ireland band Fontaines D.C. It spits, it snarls, it snaps with the very best of them. But also, it yearns, like the greatest Irish music must do. In songs like the almost unbearably sad “Dublin City Sky” there is a marriage of the lyrical to the poetic tradition that bears comparison not just with MacGowan’s (the Pogues) best work, but echoes the exquisite heartbreak of Luke Kelly’s timeless reading of Kavanagh’s “On Raglan Road”. From the short, sharp opener “Big” (surely rivaling The Stone Roses’ “I Wanna Be Adored” as an irresistible opening statement of self-confident intent) Dogrel delightfully surprises at every turn. The singles sit fully at ease along much more complex, emotionally loaded pieces such as “Roy’s Tune” and “The Lotts”, both examples of a bruised but unbowed melancholia which is the album’s true genome.
Hembree – House On Fire CD/LP (Oread)
Inspired by the boundary-pushing production, rhythm, and pastiche of hip-hop, classic beat-infused rock like Talking Heads, Blondie, and The Police, and danceable indie music like Gorillaz and St. Vincent, House On Fire is the debut album from Kansas City’s Hembree… one of NPR’s Spotlight Artists To Watch and Rolling Stone’s Best Artists We Saw At SXSW. Lead single “Culture” begins with a sonic storm of synth and drum beats while Flynn sings “the king of the culture is never really free” as a mantra. “Almost” is an upbeat, ‘80s-era stomper with a laser-sharp fuzz riff in the vein of Phoenix or later period Strokes. “Skyline” begins with a confident strum before kicking off into the synth stratosphere and showcases the gorgeous timbre of Flynn’s voice, and “Heart” is a sentimental number built from the strength of its climbing chorus about putting insignificant things aside in order to embrace what you have in the moment.
King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard – Fishing For Fishies CD/LP (ATO)
Sit back and strap yourself in as seven-headed Aussie rock beast King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard return with their new album Fishing For Fishies. Here is a world where the organic meets the automated; where the rustic meets the robotic. Where the past and future collide in the beautiful present. The fourteenth album since their 2012 debut – and their first following the release of five vastly different albums in 2017 – Fishing For Fishies is a blues-infused blast of sonic boogie that struts and shimmies through several moods and terrains. From the soft shuffle outback country of the opening title track through the sunny easy listening of “The Bird Song” (think the lysergically-soaked Laurel Canyon circa 1973) and on through the party funk of “Plastic Boogie” (which somehow summons the spirit of Stevie Wonder’s Innervisions) the road-trucking, Doors-like highway rock of “The Cruel Millennial” and “Real’s Not Real” – what The Carpenters might have sounded like had they existed entirely on vegemite and weed – it’s a dizzying, dazzling display. [Limited green colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Local Natives – Violet Street CD/LP (Loma Vista)
Produced by Shawn Everett (Alabama Shakes, Kacey Musgraves), Local Natives’ fourth studio album and follow-up to 2016’s Sunlit Youth finds the Silver Lake, Los Angeles outfit asking the existential question, “With all of the chaos in the world, where do you find your shelter?” That theme is encapsulated in the expansive single “When Am I Gonna Lose You” which Taylor Rice (vocals, guitar) explains, “I found myself in an incredible relationship that was great on so many levels, but I always felt like it was going to go away, fall apart, and crumble. This song is me diving into murky emotions of anxiety and doubt in the middle of love and joy.” Violet Street’s modern production, lush guitars and iridescent harmonies add up to form one paranoiac pop record that’s as blissful as it is evocative of the L.A. local it was recorded.
Mountain Goats – In League With Dragons CD/2xLP+MP3/2xLP+7”+MP3 (Merge)
The Mountain Goats’ In League With Dragons surges with wild tales of revenge and redemption, heroes at a crossroads, and great figures in decline. The band present twelve new songs penned by John Darnielle that luxuriate in a wide swath of sounds, from shades of the ‘80s Athens scene to swaths of outlaw country and a few motorik meditations. “Every Mountain Goats album is, on some level, a conceptual writing exercise; it seems to be how frontman John Darnielle’s brain works. But one of the remarkable things about In League With Dragons, the band’s 18th and newest album, is how far Darnielle ventures afield from the album’s whole stated idea. On a purely musical level, In League With Dragons is easily the most richly orchestrated Mountain Goats album. The band recorded the LP with Owen Pallett, and it’s fully of majestic slickness, with strings and saxophones pushing the sound ever closer to prog.” – Stereogum [A deluxe half-speed mastered colored vinyl edition with an exclusive 7” and debossed dragon scale pattern slipcase is also available.]
Reigning Sound – Abdication For…Your Love [Reissue/2011] CD/LP+MP3 (Merge)
Produced by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys and Reigning Sound frontman Greg Cartwright, Abdication…For Your Love was originally available solely as a promotional giveaway. This 2019 CD and colored vinyl LP reissue marks the first wide release of the record. In a 2011 review of the album, the A.V. Club wrote, “Reigning Sound’s allegiance is to producing great songs that move feet and rip out hearts, not to any particular scene or fashionable pose.” Paste also described it as a collection of “nicely recorded songs that sometimes rock, sometimes don’t, but are always well put together.” After the release of Abdication…, Reigning Sound put out the much-loved Shattered LP in 2014. [Limited red colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Josh Ritter – Fever Breaks CD/LP (Pytheas Recordings)
ever Breaks, the tenth studio album from acclaimed singer/songwriter Josh Ritter, was produced by Grammy Award-winning musician Jason Isbell and features contributions from Isbell (guitar and vocals) and his band the 400 Unit. Album single “Old Black Magic” received widespread critical praise. NPR proclaimed, “The combination of Ritter and The 400 Unit is magical. There is a sense of drama that give the lyrics an extra dose of power that hasn’t been heard in previous recordings. Considering the turbulent times this music was created during, the music is elevated, giving Ritter an even stronger voice while taking his career and music to a whole new level.” Of the album, Ritter shared with Rolling Stone, “The songs are very reflective of the times in which they were written. As we started coming together and playing, the songs that felt like they were gonna work really jumped out as obvious. From there on, after we recorded in August [2018] we had this really nice time to stop and listen and let the songs marinate a little bit. In that time, the world has just become even crazier. There’s a lot of the record that feels reflective of the moment it was in.”
Rodrigo y Gabriela – Mettavolution CD/LP (ATO)
Five years since their last album, Mexican acoustic rock guitar duo Rodrigo y Gabriela embark on the next chapter of their remarkable story, with the release of the most ambitious music of their 20-year career together. Entitled Mettavolution, the new album brings together Rod and Gab’s passionate interest in Buddhism, the history of human evolution and the liberation of the potential we have as a species; all expressed through the medium of two acoustic guitars. A white-hot side one that acknowledges the duo’s thrash-metal roots back in Mexico City gives way to an incredible new arrangement of Pink Floyd’s “Echoes”, inspiringly re-imagined for two acoustic guitars, which takes up the whole of the second half of the album. Long-time Floyd fans (the title track of 2009’s 11:11 album was dedicated to the band) Rodrigo y Gabriela lovingly pay homage to the Meddle-era prog-classic, while at the same time weaving their own golden threads into its timeless textures, to create something exciting, contemporary and unforgettable. [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Randy Rogers Band – Hellbent CD/LP (Tommy Jackson)
Few relationships in life are more complicated than those among band members. Music history is filled with stories of the rise and fall of creative personalities, but the Randy Rogers Band is a unique brotherhood fueled by a shared passion for making great music and a strong commitment to each other. In a business where bands come and go and membership is often a revolving door, the Randy Rogers Band has been together for more than 17 years. The culmination of their musical journey thus far can be heard on new album Hellbent. First single, “Crazy People”, is a relatable tune that paints a picture of strict parents that weren’t always so straight-laced. Another highlight on the album is “You, Me And A Bottle”, penned by Rogers. “I love love songs, and that song is a carefree kind of love song about kind of getting lost with your significant other,” Rogers says. On the other end of the emotional spectrum, “Anchors Away” is about a man who can’t commit and keeps running from love. “Wine In A Coffee Cup” paints an interesting portrait of a high-powered career woman while “Hell Bent On A Heartache” is a song Rogers first heard and fell in love with on Guy Clark’s album My Favorite Picture Of You.
Spotlights – Love And Decay CD/2xLP (Ipecac)
Spotlights’ third full-length, Love And Decay finds the Brooklyn, NY-based group further canvasing new territory. Whether it be the hummable guitar lead peeking through trudging grooves on “Until The Bleeding Stops” or the ghostly pop chorus of “Particle Noise”, they ascend to a tipping point between volumetric riffing and blissful melodies. “Xerox” bears a sense of delicate intimacy within the delivery. Meanwhile, the first single “The Age Of DecayD crescendos towards an emotionally charged harmony colored by shimmering keys and bright guitars before off-kilter riffs seesaw back-and-forth on the bridge. “‘The Age Of Decay’ encapsulates everything we do on this record,” explains Mario Quintero. “It’s got some of the heaviest moments as well as the most dynamic and melodic. It shows little bits of what we get into throughout the whole album in one track. It’s a love story in this age of decay.”
Starflyer 59 – Young In My Head CD (Tooth & Nail)
Starflyer 59’s resplendently nocturnal fifteenth studio LP, Young In My Head maintains a steady path forward for the band. Recorded at Jason Martin’s home studio and mixed by longtime friend, Grammy-nominated JR McNeely, the 10 tracks are as true as ever to the classic Starflyer 59 form: lush production under simple yet personal lyrics, accompanied by catchy, weepy guitar leads, melodic bass lines from Steve Dali, and delicate keys, courtesy of TW Walsh. On Young In My Head, Martin is again opening his musical journal about age and entropy, survival and salvation, building a compelling collection of perfervid, persistent working (art) class rock.
CDs + Vinyl:
Alberich – Quantized Angel CD/LP (Hospital Productions)
Recently released on vinyl – now available on CD. Alberich demonstrates a vision of ruthless existential electronics, a sound both commanding yet questioning in introspective spirit.
Areni Agbabian/Nicolas Stocker – Bloom CD (ECM)
On her ECM debut, improvising vocalist, folk singer, storyteller, pianist Areni Agbabian focuses the range of her skills in music that casts a quiet spell; a sparse music in which voice, piano and the subtle percussion of Nicolas Stocker continually shade into silence.
Aries – Juramento Mantarraya CD/LP (K Records)
A collection of beautiful melodies, a combination of violins, flutes, industrial sounds, and chest-rattling bass. Aries aka Isa Fdez Reviriego and co-producer Jose Vázquez create an exciting mixture of soul and free-jazz rhythms, melodies from the girl groups of the ‘60s, sunshine pop, Spanish folk and experimental electronics.
Astral Doors – Worship Or Die CD/LP (Metalville)
Since their debut Of The Son And The Father in 2003, the band from Swedish Borlänge has successfully cultivated their very own form of retro based on the musical success of legends such as Rainbow, Dio and Black Sabbath combined with elements of modern heavy metal. [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Atlin Gun – Gece CD (ATO)
Sophomore album from the Turkish psych folk band. Atlin Gun hails from Amsterdam but comes from various backgrounds (Turkish, Indonesian, Dutch) and create music that opens doors between traditional Turkish folk songs and psych. [Vinyl edition due May 3.]
Bear’s Den – So That You Might Hear Me CD/LP (Rounder)
Acclaimed UK band Bear’s Den’s third album So That You Might Hear Me follows up 2016’s critically lauded Red Earth & Pouring Rain. Pairing melodies with poignant and unsettlingly personal lyricism, the need for connection lies at the heart of the album. The band explains, “The album started out as an attempt at trying to communicate with someone honestly. Our thoughts are not all rational, not all considered or tied up with ribbons and bows. This album is an attempt to reveal the honest and difficult challenge of communicating with anyone that you really care about.”
Belzebubs – Pantheon Of Nightside Gods CD (Century Media)
New release from the heralds of northern darkness. Consisting of nine tracks, Pantheon Of Nightside Gods features a well-matured band that is not afraid to explore hitherto unknown depths. Recorded at Hellhole Studios during autumn 2018, the album features a fierce roster of guest talent, including the likes of Desibelius, ICS Vortex and Skvllcraft and more. [Vinyl edition due May 3.]
Brant Bjork – Jacoozzi CD/LP (Heavy Psych Sounds)
Lost 2010 album from the ex-Kyuss drummer and multi-instrumentalist. [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Blackbear – Anonymous CD/2xLP (Interscope)
New release from singer, songwriter and producer Matthew Musto AKA Blackbear. He has collaborated with numerous musical artists such as Justin Bieber, G-Eazy, Mike Posner, Maejor Ali, Palisades, Machine Gun Kelly, Mod Sun, Rivers Cuomo, Childish Gambino, Billie Eilish, Pharrell Williams, Miley Cyrus, Linkin Park and Jacob Sartorius. He is also a member of the alternative hip-hop and R&B duo Mansionz with Mike Posner. [Limited red colored vinyl pressing also available.]
James Brown Plays And Directs The James Brown Band – Sho Is Funky Down Here [Reissue/1971] CD (Now Again)
The Grodeck Whipperjenny – The Grodeck Whipperjenny [Reissue/1970] CD (Now Again)
Sho Is Funky Down Here and The Grodeck Whipperjenny are a pair of albums that are the result of an unlikely but highly productive musical relationship between James Brown, a superstar at the creative and commercial peaks of his long career, and David Matthews, a then young arranger-musician whose limited professional experience had little or nothing to do with the funk and soul of his collaborator.
J.J. Cale – Closer To You [Reissue/1994] CD/LP+CD (Because Music)
J.J. Cale – Guitar Music [Reissue/1996] CD/LP+CD (Because Music)
J.J. Cale – Live [Reissue/1996] CD/2xLP+CD (Because Music)
J.J. Cale – To Tulsa & Back [Reissue/2004] CD/2xLP+CD (Because Music)
J.J. Cale – who died in 2013 and left behind a vital resounding legacy – spent his career as an “under-the-radar-giant” (New York Times) and influenced musicians as wide ranging as Neil Young (who wrote in his autobiography, “JJ’s guitar playing is a huge influence on me. His touch is unspeakable. I am stunned by it.”); Beck (who, speaking to the L.A. Times, referred to his “effortlessness…restraint and underplaying” as “very powerful”); and Eric Clapton (who, in his autobiography, called Cale “one of the most important artists in the history of rock, quietly representing the greatest asset his country has ever had”).
The Californians and Friends – Early Morning Sun: 60s Harmony Pop Produced by Irving Martin CD (Teensville)
An anthology of the ‘60s UK Beach Boys-influenced band. This 80-minute overview includes the entirety of the Californians’ released output under that name and also features fourteen additional Irving Martin productions for Paul Craig, Royalty, Finders Keepers, Sight & Sound and The Tony Jackson Group.
Captain Ahab – The End Of Irony CD/2xLP (Deathbomb Arc)
“Do you love power metal even though it is just for thirtysomething LARPers? Well, good for you! Shout it to the sky! Do you like shaking your ass to some electro-clash even though your neighbor scoffs because you forgot it’s called nu-rave now? Do you want to cuddle in the morning sunlight to some ’70s soft rock, but your sweetie-pie thinks you’re making fun of him/her? Captain Ahab knows how you feel. They love all these criminalized sounds and many more, and they combine them in a way that irony would never permit.”
Celtic Frost – Morbid Tales [Reissue/1984] CD (Noise)
Celtic Frost – To Mega Therion [Reissue/1985] CD (Noise)
Celtic Frost – Into The Pandemonium [Reissue/1987] CD (Noise)
Celtic Frost – Vanity/Nemesis [Reissue/1990] CD (Noise)
Celtic Frost – Innocence And Wrath [Reissue/2017] 2xCD (Noise)
A grip of CD reissues from the metal band’s first incarnation.
Cheap Trick – The Epic Archive Vol. 3 CD (Real Gone Music)
Real Gone Music’s third-and final-package of Cheap Trick Epic rarities.
Cloud One – Spaced Out: Very Best Of CD/LP (P&P)
Produced by the legendary Patrick Adams, the studio-bound disco unit Cloud One made its debut in 1975 with the spectacular Atmosphere Strut and throughout the ‘70s became the centerpiece for P&P, Queen Constance, Golden Flamingo, Heavenly Star, and Sound of New York, all labels ran by Peter Brown & Patricia Gilyard. At a time when most music was recorded with a full army of studio musicians, Cloud One records were mostly played, arranged and mixed in their entirety by Patrick Adams himself.
Clowns – Nature/Nurture CD/LP (Fat Wreck Chords)
The Melbourne punk band’s fourth album veers from frantic punk to slower, more nuanced and psychedelic-tinged rock.
Cokie The Clown – You’re Welcome CD/LP (Fat Wreck Chords)
Fat Mike’s alter ego Cokie The Clown delivers his first full-length album. The nearly year-long recording sessions documented what truly lies beneath the madness and genius of the NOFX mastermind. Here he lays open his deepest regrets, fears, and experiences in a raw and thoughtful manner.
Craft – F**k The Universe CD/2xLP (Season Of Mist)
Swedish nihilist horde Craft unleash the long-awaited reissue of their hallmark 2005 album, commonly regarded as one of the most important black metal releases of the last twenty years.
Danko Jones – A Rock Supreme CD/LP (M-Theory Audio)
It’s long been clear that the Canadian hard rock trio Danko Jones lives and breathes – and even sweats and bleeds – rock ‘n’ roll. On the group’s new album, the aptly titled A Rock Supreme, Danko Jones – the man and the band – up the ante considerably from the moment the very first words blast from the speakers: “I’m in a band, and I love it / All I want to do is play my guitar and rock and roll.”
Deadbeat & Camara – Trinity Thirty CD/2xLP (Constellation)
Trinity Thirty is a reinterpretation of the beloved Cowboy Junkies classic The Trinity Session, for the occasion of the album’s 30th anniversary. Berlin-based Canadian producers Deadbeat and Fatima Camara bonded over a shared love of this iconic album (and their shared small-town Ontario roots) and embarked on their first-ever collaboration.
Peter Doherty & The Puta Madres – Peter Doherty & The Puta Madres CD/LP+MP3 (Strap Originals)
Peter Doherty & The Puta Madres’ eponymously titled debut album was recorded live to capture the essence and spirit of the Puta Madres at a family home overlooking a fishing village in Normandy, over four days in the summer of 2018 and mixed in Urchin Studios, London. Engineered by Dan Cox and produced by Jai Stanley, it’s a devastatingly intimate portrait of love, loss, happiness, tragedy, addiction and the power of the human soul to transcend its darker levels.
Enforcer – Zenith CD (Nuclear Blast)
New album from the heavy metal purists.
Bill Evans – Evans In England CD (Resonance)
Evans In England is a newly-discovered recording of the Bill Evans Trio featuring bassist Eddie Gomez and drummer Marty Morell captured live at the legendary Ronnie Scott’s jazz club in London, England in December of 1969. The deluxe set includes an elaborate booklet with rare photos, essays, and interviews.
Claude Fontaine – Claude Fontaine CD/LP (Innovative Leisure)
Claude Fontaine is an American girl with a French name who never felt like she fit in anywhere she happened to call home, and one particular year she was awash in a grey London fog that matched the fog and grey in her own too-recently broken heart. While living right off Portobello Road, she stumbled into the record store down the street. And in a flash of luck (or fate) that particular record store turned out to be Honest Jon’s, a long-lived spot for records collected from the furthest edges of the world. She’d never heard those old Studio One and Trojan and Treasure Isle reggae and rocksteady and dub records before – the same records that got the Clash covering Police And Thieves, and the Slits sharing a bill with Steel Pulse. And she’d never heard bossa nova and tropicalia and Brazil’s incandescent música popular Brasileira, either.
Foxygen – Seeing Other People CD/LP (Jagjaguwar)
Seeing Other People is curiously positioned as Foxygen’s most recent last-ever album. With every album the band dies; with every album the band is reborn. But unlike the last-ever Foxygen albums before it, this one seems to have a self-effacing bittersweetness that signifies some sort of passing; some sort of white flag. But it sounds in no way like a band giving up. [Deluxe colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Gardsghastr – Slit Throat Requiem CD/LP (Profound Lore)
Gardsghastr, a new black metal entity created by forces comprised of prolific members culled from elite black metal artists Bekëth Nexëhmü and Chaos Moon, have unleashed their debut album Slit Throat Requiem, an epic, bewitching, overwhelming, symphonic black metal maelstrom that harkens back to the glory of the unparalleled Norwegian black metal scene of the ’90s.
Marvin Gaye – You’re The Man CD/2xLP (Motown)
Recently released on vinyl – now available on CD. You’re The Man is a posthumous studio album by Marvin Gaye, originally intended to be released in 1972 as the follow-up to What’s Going On (1971). It was intended as another socially conscious record like What’s Going On, but following the release of its lead single, the title track “You’re The Man”, Gaye cancelled its release. 15 of the 17 songs have not previously been released on vinyl, but most were made available on CD compilations over the years.
Generation X – Generation X [Reissue/1978] 2xCD/3xLP (Chrysalis)
Expanded deluxe edition of Generation X’s debut album from 1978. Includes all the A and B-sides of their singles from the period and 11 previously unreleased outtakes, a single mix and additional mixes by engineer Alan Winstanley (Madness, Elvis Costello, Morrissey).
Guided By Voices – Warp And Woof CD/LP (GBV Inc.)
Following Guided By Voice’s sprawling double-album Zeppelin Over China, Robert Pollard has written and recorded another full-length in record-breaking time. Warp And Woof exuberantly barrels through 24 songs in just 37 minutes with a brevity similar to mid- ‘90s GBV albums Alien Lanes and Vampire On Titus.
Aldous Harding – Designer CD/LP+MP3 (4AD)
An artist of rare caliber, Aldous Harding does more than sing; she conjures a singular intensity. Her body and face a weapon of theatre, Harding dances with steeled fervor, baring her teeth like a Bunraku puppet’s gnashing grin. Her debut release with 4AD, 2017’s Party (produced with the award-winning John Parish (PJ Harvey, Sparklehorse) introduced a new pulse to the stark and unpopulated dramatic realm where the likes of Kate Bush and Scott Walker reside.
Hash Redactor – Drecksound CD/LP (Goner)
Hash Redactor is fronted by guitarist Alec McIntyre of Ex-Cult, NOTS rhythm warriors Meredith Lones on bass and Charlotte Watson on drums, and George Williford on second guitar. The band’s debut full-length is a fine underground/indie pop/rock release that’s suitable for fans of The Fall, Swell Maps and Country Teasers.
Helms Alee – Noctiluca CD/LP (Sargent House)
Helms Alee’s fifth album Noctiluca continues their tradition of blending girthy sludge riffs, deceptively clever compositions, lush instrumentation, and transcendental melodies into a potent standalone sound.
Jack Ingram – Ridin’ High…Again CD/LP (Beat Up Ford)
A13-song homage to the music and songwriters of Ingram’s home state of Texas, and a tribute in spirit to the great Jerry Jeff Walker and his classic record, Ridin’ High.
Hamish Kilgour & Th’ Bad Francs – Franklestein LP (Ba Da Bing!)
Hamish Kilgour – Funk/Fink R’MxS 10” (Ba Da Bing!)
Upon releasing Finklestein last year, a theme album about a fictitious kingdom, Hamish Kilgour simultaneously put out Funklestein which saw two side-long tracks that delved deeper into Kilgour’s fairytale world. Now, the fairytale grows even more nuanced, as Ba Da Bing presents Franklestein – a series of radical remixes which use the Finklestein sessions as a starting point but, being frank, are new compositions. Each track is an orchestra in a teacup, sounding like the best Velvet Underground boots suffused with dance beats, allowing unexpected room for autoharp, vibraphone and glockenspiel. Funk/Fink R’MxS is a companion release to Franklestein.
Kreator – Endless Pain [Reissue/1985] CD (Noise)
Kreator – Pleasure To Kill [Reissue/1986] CD (Noise)
Kreator – Terrible Certainty [Reissue/1987] CD (Noise)
Kreator – Extreme Aggression [Reissue/1989] CD (Noise)
Kreator – Coma Of Souls [Reissue/1990] CD (Noise)
Kreator – Renewal [Reissue/1992] CD (Noise)
Kreator – Cause For Conflict [Reissue/1995] CD (Noise)
Kreator – Coma Of Souls [Reissue/1997] CD (Noise)
One of the big four of Teutonic thrash metal along with Destruction, Sodom and Tankard, Essen’s Kreator helped pioneer death metal and black metal as we know it but are best known and beloved for their classic thrash metal style.
Lamb – The Secret Of Letting Go CD/LP (Cooking Vinyl)
Written and recorded in the space of a year between their home-studio in England’s South Downs and in India and Ibiza, Lamb’s seventh full-length album The Secret Of Letting Go is all about the space between sounds. From album opener “Phosphorus”’s minimalist harmonics to the dying choral embers of “One Hand Clapping” through the snaking sub-bass drops that drive the title track and “Moonshine” and into the whirl and spin of “Deep Delirium” and the simple piano loops that help “Imperial Measures” float above you, there’s space everywhere.
The Legendary Pink Dots – Five Days…Complete CD/2xLP (Cleopatra)
2016 recordings from the experimental rock icons. The genesis of the recording came from a challenge the band issued itself to record, mix and master a full length album in the span of just four days, a challenge they missed by just one day. Hours of experimental improvisation went into creating this project in what Edward Ka-Spel describes as a primeval freak-out. Available on both CD and orange colored double-vinyl.
Lissie – When I’m Alone: The Piano Retrospective CD/LP (Cooking Vinyl)
“When you take a song out of its production and strip it down to its basic elements, you get the heart of the song,” says Lissie, a sentiment which embodies her new album When I’m Alone: The Piano Retrospective. A re-imagining of her best-loved and career-defining tunes, it unclothes the songs down to their most intimate and vulnerable selves, letting her pristine voice and songwriting shine.
Nils Lofgren – Blue With Lou CD/LP (Cattle Track Road)
Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame and E Street Band member Nils Lofgren returns with his first new studio album since 2011. From searing rock tracks to tender ballads, each composition takes you along on a sonic journey with one of rock’s most respected players, displaying his incredible guitar and songwriting talents.
Lonerider – Attitude CD/LP (Escape music)
If you like Bad Company, then this is going to be a treat for you.
Lord Dying – Mysterium Tremendum CD/2xLP (E1)
New album from the Portland, OR heavy metal titans. “We set out to write a record about life, and it ended up being about death,” says Lord Dying guitarist/vocalist Erik Olson about the band’s third studio album Mysterium Tremendum. While the new record centers around death, it focuses more on what awaits us on the other side while also exploring our culture’s fear of dying, and the struggles with our own mortality.
Walker Lukens – Adult CD (Modern Outsider)
Austin-based, Houston-bred singer/multi-instrumentalist Walker Lukens has been called “one of the best songwriters in Texas”, “wonderfully inventive”, “a non-sexually intimidating version of Prince”, and a “veteran balladeer with sudden indie rock ambitions”. Adult, Lukens’ third full-length album, was produced by Jim Eno (Spoon) at this Public HiFi studio in Austin. [Vinyl edition due May 24.]
Lussuria – Scarlet Locusts Of These Columns CD (Hospital Productions)
Originally released as a limited four cassette set, this proper CD version has been mixed and remastered in proper form. Morbid esoteric ancient ambient.
M83 – Knife + Heart [OST] CD/LP (Mute)
On his third outing composing music for film, Anthony Gonzalez breaks from his own soundtracking habits with a welcome sense of playfulness.
Seth MacFarlane – Once In A While CD (Republic)
With his fifth album, the multi-talented entertainer and Grammy-nominated artist further extends his relationship to the Great American Songbook, while revealing new depths as a vocalist.
Madchild – Demons CD/LP (Battle Axe)
New album from the Juno Award winning hip-hop artist with beats from C-Lance, Rob The Viking, and Sean Chapman.
Månegarm – Fornaldarsagor CD (Napalm)
On Fornaldarsagor, Månegarm invite you on a journey to long-lost ancient times. Eight new Viking metal tracks that breathe new life into sagas and tales from a pre-Christianized, pagan era that made Scandinavia into what it is today.
Marina – Love + Fear CD/LP (Atlantic)
Love + Fear is an album set split into two eight-song collections and lands as Marina’s fourth full-length record since she released her critically-acclaimed third album, Froot, in 2015. Love + Fear are both lush, vibrant and powerful representations of the two main emotional driving forces behind human responses. Love is filled with a longing to enjoy life and a desire to unite and empower, while Fear sees Marina delve into matters of purpose and insecurity, also touching on conversations surrounding gender inequality and more broadly, the abuse of power. [Double black and white colored vinyl edition also available.]
Miguel Mendez – Love Is For The Rich CD/LP (Deathbomb Arc)
Miguel Mendez has been a member of Love As Laughter, and collaborated with musicians such a J Mascis, Farmer Dave of Beachwood Sparks, Joel Jerome of Dios, and even experimental musicians like Brian Kinsman of True Neutral Crew. On rare occasion though, Mendez puts forth his own work-a uniquely rude yet gentle form of psych-country. Raised on both ’70s ballads and ’90s gangsta rap, Miguel Mendez is at once deeply romantic and armed with a bitter tongue.
Jackie Mendoza – LuvHz CD/LP (Luminelle)
Born and raised in the border city of Chula Vista, California, Jackie Mendoza has found inspiration from her motherland of Tijuana, Mexico, to create quirky, intimate and ecstatic electronic pop, building sophisticated sonic structures and textures with Latin-driven beats.
Stephan Micus – White Night CD (ECM)
Stephan Micus is an extraordinary musical traveler, exploring the world, collecting instruments and then creating unique and exquisite pieces of chamber music. Aside from his 14-string guitar, Micus plays instruments from Armenia, Tibet, India, Egypt, Ghana, Senegal, Tanzania, Botswana, Namibia and Ethiopia, most of them in combinations never heard before.
Minimal Violence – InDreams CD/LP+MP3 (Technicolour)
A start-to-finish, full-throttle ride through raw, high energy techno. [Limited white colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Kevin Morby – Oh My God CD/2xLP (Dead Oceans)
Throughout his four solo albums and myriad records of various collaboration, Kevin Morby has recognized in his work the ubiquity of an apparent religious theme. Though not identifying as religious in the slightest, Morby-the globetrotting son of Kansas City who has made music while living on both coasts before recently returning to his Midwestern stomping grounds-recognizes in himself a somewhat spiritual being with a secular attitude towards the soulful. And so, in an effort to tackle that notion head-on and once-and-for-all, he sat down in his form of church-on planes and in beds-and wrote what would become his first true concept-album: the lavish, resplendent, career-best double LP Oh My God.
New Shrines – Retribution Therapy CD/LP (Mascot)
Nine Shrines blend the most extreme elements of active-rock/metal-core with well-crafted, melodic songwriting.
New Years Day – Unbreakable CD/LP (Century Media)
A dozen intense, boundary-melding songs that may touch on metal or goth, but are ultimately undeniable modern rock ‘n’ roll tunes.
Nine Shrines – Retribution Therapy CD/LP (Mascot)
Cleveland quintet Nine Shrines arose in 2014 from the ashes of an aggressive ‘00s Ohio band pedigree: drummer Andrew Wetzel (Attack Attack!), bassist Devon Voisine and lead guitarist Andrew Baylis, (Life On Repeat), rhythm guitarist Even McKeever (Downplay), and singer Chris Parketny (Strangers To Wolves). Their new album, Retribution Therapy, sees the band truly gel as one powerful unit, blending the most extreme elements of active rock/metal-core with well-crafted, melodic songwriting. [Red colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Tujiko Noriko – Kuro [OST] CD/LP+MP3 (Pan)
Written and directed by Joji Koyama and Tujiko Noriko, Kuro tells the tale of Romi, a Japanese woman living in the suburbs of Paris with her paraplegic lover Milou. Tending to Milou by day and working in a karaoke bar by night, Romi reminisces about a time she and Milou once lived together in Japan with a mysterious ailing man named Mr. Ono. Weaving together personal history, anecdotes, and myths, her stories soon turn ominous. Composed and recorded during the editing of the film in Berlin, the Kuro soundtrack by Tujiko Noriko (with contributions from Joji Koyama, Sam Britton, and Will Worsley), is a crucial and integral part of the film, acting not only as a glue to bind the layers of the film together, but along with the sonic palette of the film’s sound design, evokes its claustrophobic atmospheres and moments of haunting beauty.
Ela Orleans – Movies For Ears CD/LP+MP3 (Carpark)
Released last week on vinyl – now available on CD. A retrospective collection of works by Polish-born, Glasgow-based artist Ela Orleans which navigates almost two decades of songwriting in the heart of the global pop underground. This remastered collection casts an ear over what Orleans might call the ‘pop sensibility’ within her back catalogue.
Alan Parsons – The Secret CD/LP (Frontiers)
The eleven-time Grammy nominated legendary music icon and master of progressive rock returns with a new album. Features guest appearances by Jason Mraz, Lou Gramm (Foreigner), and more.
Pearlfishers – Love & Other Hopeless Things CD/LP (Marina)
Masterful, classic pop music, driven by main man David Scott’s exceptional songwriting and arrangements.
P!nk – Hurts To Be Human CD (RCA)
Eighth studio album from pop superstar. The first single from the album, “Walk Me Home”, was called “a foot-stomping anthem” as well as “an optimistic departure from the content of her previous album, Beautiful Trauma”. [Vinyl edition due June 21.]
Prince – Ultimate Rave 2xCD+DVD (Sony)
Prince – Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic [Reissue/1999] 2xLP (Sony)
Prince – Rave In2 The Joy Fantastic [Reissue/2001] 2xLP (Sony)
A three-disc bundle of Prince’s pivotal new millennium pop party dance music, Ultimate Rave brings together 1999’s Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic and its 2001 remix companion Rave In2 The Joy Fantastic (each available separately on purple colored vinyl) alongside a DVD containing the full-length performance version of Rave Un2 The Year 2000.
Reptaliens – Valis CD/LP (Captured Tracks)
Dreamwave with influences ranging from Gary Wilson-inspired jazzy lounge music, the warmth of Broadcast’s recording production, to Todd Rundgren’s outer space synth sounds.
Pete Rock – Return Of The SP1200 CD/LP (Tru Soul)
Pete Rock is widely recognized as one of the greatest hip hop producers of all time. His name is oft included in the pantheon of the greatest, alongside DJ Premier, RZA and J Dilla. In addition, Pete has one of the world’s most extensive vinyl collections, the sort of collection whose size can only be estimated – and that estimate stands in excess of 100,000 LPs. His production forte is the melding of Jazz with early ‘90s East Coast boom bap, regularly sampling classic soul greats like James Brown & Curtis Mayfield, jazz oddities like Tom Scott & Les McCann, and innumerable others. This production prowess is best demonstrated though his work with partner in rhyme CL Smooth.
Dylan Scott – Nothing To Do Town CD (Curb)
A Louisiana native with a lifelong passion for country music, Dylan Scott is the total package – a powerful singer with a deep, resonating drawl; an old soul songwriter with a young spirit; a heartthrob with an easy smile; and a dreamer who followed his father’s footsteps to Nashville.
Slick Rick – The Great Adventures Of Slick Rick [Reissue/1988] CD/2xLP (Def Jam)
Digitally remastered and expanded 30th Anniversary edition including four previously unreleased demos and two new tracks. The Great Adventures Of Slick Rick is the debut studio album hip-hop artist Slick Rick, and is among the few to receive a perfect five-mic score from The Source magazine. [Limited transparent blue colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Soak – Grim Town CD/LP (Rough Trade)
Soak returns after four years with a new album, bringing with her four years’ worth of growth, introspection and understanding. The result is Grim Town, the follow-up to her Mercury Music Prize-nominated debut Before We Forgot How To Dream, which saw her win the prestigious Choice Music Prize for Album Of The Year, the Northern Irish Music Prize, and the European Border Breaker Award, in addition to being shortlisted for a Q Award.
Sol Negro – Of Darkness And Flames CD/LP (Moribund)
Seattle’s Sol Negro unites elements of doom, progressive death, and black metal.
Steel Blossoms – Steel Blossoms CD (Billy Jam)
Discovering the music of Americana duo, Steel Blossoms, is a lot like finding yourself at a party with trusted friends … the kind who know all your secrets, share great memories and funny stories, poke fun at your foibles … and their own. Steel Blossoms is the musical collaboration of Sara Zebley and Hayley Prosser, artists (and former elementary school teachers) who met by chance at a festival in their home state of Pennsylvania, where each was performing with separate groups. They recognized an instant chemistry and a shared perspective; an appreciation for life’s moments, ironies and quirky little truths. [Vinyl edition due May 24.]
Steel Prophet – The God Machine CD/LP (Roar! Rock Of Angels)
New album from the L.A. power metal band.
Kiefer Sutherland – Reckless Me CD/LP (BMG)
His three-decade acting career is no secret, but Kiefer Sutherland has an equal passion for country rock music.
Terrorizer – World Downfall [Reissue/1989] CD (Earache)
Originally released in 1989, World Downfall is widely regarded as one of the most influential grindcore albums of all time. Hailing from Los Angeles, Terrorizer was one of the most extreme bands of a generation armed to the teeth with heavily distorted riffs, harsh vocals and scathing social commentary in the lyrics. The members went onto play in other household names in the extreme music scene such as Napalm Death, Morbid Angel and Nausea. [Vinyl edition due May 20.]
Rob Thomas – Chip Tooth Smile CD (Atlantic)
Fourth solo album from the Matchbox Twenty vocalist. Chip Tooth Smile was produced by Butch Walker and was shaped by Thomas’ 1980s influences as well as the pop-rock songs for which he’s become so well-known.
Varaha – A Passage For Lost Years CD/LP (Prosthetic)
Chicago’s Varaha play a dynamic brand of dark and somber doom/dark rock inspired metal. The band’s palette is wide and varies from monolithic, heavily distorted guitars to elegiac and nostalgic arrangements. Their music is a cinematic dance between heavy riffing counterpointed by omnipresent melodies, as well as droned parts of despair, and evocative clean guitar arrangements.
Vaura – Sables CD/LP (Profound Lore)
Introspective and somber, Sables finds the band shedding most of its post-metal heaviness in favor of experiments with brooding kosmische musik and the more avant-garde elements of new wave.
Marry Waterson & Emily Barker – A Window To Other Ways CD/LP (One Little Indian)
English folk royalty meets Australian soul in this new collaboration between Marry Waterson and Emily Barker; an album of fly-on-the-wall observations of the contradictions and disconnections of modern life. The resulting collection of songs pushes the boundaries of Barker and Waterson’s renowned roots styles, venturing into a diverse union of genres – contemporary folk, country and soul nestle comfortably alongside lilting indie and playful blues.
The Well – Death And Consolation CD/LP (Riding Easy)
New album from the heavy psych band. While The Well continue to walk an intriguing line between authentic early ’70s doom/heavy psych and frayed weirdness of dark folk-especially with their haunting unison male/female vocals-this new album also adds the stark vibe of post-punk acts like Joy Division and early The Cure.
Wolfmanhattan Project – Blue Gene Stew CD/LP (In The Red)
Recently released on vinyl – now available of CD. Wolfmanhattan Project features Bob Bert (Sonic Youth, Pussy Galore, Lydia Lunch’s Retrovirus), Mick Collins (Gories, Dirtbombs) and Kid Congo Powers (Gun Club, The Cramps, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Pink Monkey Birds). Everyone involved brings flavors from their past efforts and it’s all mixed together into one unholy rock ‘n’ roll gumbo. It’s sleazy, swampy, trashy, no-wavey, weird and rocking.
Young Scientist – Results Not Answers [Reissue/1979] CD/LP (Bureau B)
When you think of the music to have emerged from Seattle, grunge and Sub Pop are probably the first things that come to mind. But Seattle was already home to a vibrant alternative music scene back in the 1970s. One of the most prominent synthesizer acts of the period was the trio Young Scientist. Influenced by the likes of Cluster, Harmonia, and Tangerine Dream, they released their music exclusively on cassette.
This Week’s Vinyl Exclusives:
Joshua Abrams & Natural Information Society – Mandatory Reality 2xLP (Eremite)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. A grand realization of long-form psychedelic music, Mandatory Reality is a dispatch from a sound world that is increasingly unique to itself.
The Acacia Strain – Continent [Reissue/2008] LP (Prosthetic)
Two limited colored vinyl pressings (orange and pink splatter and orange and green splatter) colored vinyl pressings of the fourth studio album by the Massachusetts deathcore wrecking crew.
Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso U.F.O. – Hallelujah Mystic Garden Part Two LP (Important)
Hallelujah Mystic Garden Part Two contains a new deep-pocket groove disco version of fan favorite Pink Lady Lemonade. Side two is a slick kosmiche-electro-disco number that unfurls over a period of 20 minutes and is periodically punctuated by Makoto Kawabata’s unruly soloing.
Applaud The Impaler – Ov Apocalypse Incarnate LP (Unique Leader)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. The Virginia Beach death grinders deliver their long-awaited, crushing new full-length.
Calvin Arcenia – Cantaloupe LP (Bullseye)
Released late last year on CD – now available on vinyl. Kansas City’s beloved singer/songwriter, harpist, and multi-instrumentalist releases an album celebrating independence, love, sensuality, and wit. Shamelessly blending soul, pop, classical, and folk musical styles, Arsenia woos these sometimes-disheveled orchestrations into a surrealist dream world where romance is king and transparency is queen. Limited colored vinyl pressing.
Dorothy Ashby And Frank Wess – In A Minor Groove [Reissue/1958] LP (Real Gone Music)
Dorothy Ashby was probably the greatest-and certainly the most swinging-jazz harpist of all time, re-purposing an instrument best known for ethereal glissandos into a fully versatile voice in combo settings, capable of providing both instrumental embroidery and rhythmic drive. In A Minor Groove is one of two albums she made in 1958 with flautist/ saxophonist Frank Wess. Limited neon green colored vinyl pressing.
The Beths – Warm Blood [Reissue/2016] 12” (Carpark)
Formed when four jazz students at the University of Auckland bonded over their shared love of the pop-punk sounds of their youth, new Carpark signing the Beths’ 5-song 2016 EP is a deliriously pleasurable statement of purpose crammed with enough blissful hooks to carry through most bands’ careers. Listeners for whom the tag New Zealand indie rock brings to mind the Flying Nun sound of bands like The Clean and The Chills may be surprised to find Warm Blood’s five unstoppable tunes landing closer to artists like Slant 6 and The Breeders.
The Bloody Beetroots feat. Steve Aoki – Warp 10 Year Anniversary: 2009 – 2019 12” (Dim Mak)
In 2009, The Bloody Beetroots and Steve Aoki changed the course of dance music with “Warp 1.9”. Through three minutes and twenty-four seconds of raw, unparalleled punk rock energy, the pair ushered in the next wave of youth culture, inspiring kids to trade in their guitars for Serato and turntables. Aoki’s bleeding screams over heavily distorted, compressed instrumentation helped Warp become one of the definitive songs of the late ’00s electro era. The official 10 Year Anniversary: 2009-2019 package celebrates the legacy of Warp, featuring “Warp 1.9” alongside versions “Warp 1977”, “Warp 7.7”, and the 2016 reboot “Warp 2.0”.
Félix Blume – Fog Horns LP (Discrepant)
French sound artist Félix Blume keeps pushing the boundaries of field recording. Fog Horns captures the sounds of boat horns in Piraeus, Athens, Greece, the port city that serves some of the most important ferry routes in Greece nowadays.
The Body & Full Of Hell – Ascending A Mountain Of Heavy Light [Reissue/2017] LP+MP3 (Thrill Jockey)
The Body and Full Of Hell are both unique and influential forces in heavy music. Both artists welcome challenges and eschew self-promotion. Each artist seems driven to take risks and push boundaries of what is considered heavy.
The Briefs – Platinum Rats LP (Burger)
The Briefs ‘77-style pop punk is loud, raucous and fierce, yet cohesive and hooky and hilarious. [CD edition due June 14.]
John Coltrane – Coltrane ’58: Prestige Recordings 8xLP (Craft Recordings)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. This collection celebrates the 60th anniversary of jazz pioneer John Coltrane’s 1958 recordings for New York based indie jazz label Prestige Records, presented in a complete chronological sequence. The duration of time covered on this box set may be one calendar year, but the rate at which Coltrane’s musical abilities grew – as well as his fan base – is remarkable. These 37 tracks serve an inspiring listening session revealing all aspects of Coltrane’s approach that year.
Conflict – Standard Issue 82-87 [Reissue/1989] LP (Beat Generation)
Originally released in 1989, Standard Issue 82-87 presents British anarcho punks Conflict at their most fierce and confrontational, with a complete overview of the band´s classic early stages. Thirteen blasts total of raging, original and strongly political UK hardcore, the ideal soundtrack to a world falling again into a pit of nationalism and fascist stupidity.
Dawn Of Demise – Into The Depths Of Veracity LP (Unique Leader)
Released last week on CD – now available on vinyl. The Silkeborg, Denmark based death metal powerhouse deliver their fifth full length slab. Twelve tracks of monstrous, brutal death metal.
DJ Muggs x Roc Marciano – KAOS LP (Soul Assassins)
KAOS is a 10-song score made to soundtrack an upcoming feature film coming in Spring 2019. The film follows two childhood friends, Muggs and Roc Marci, who were brought up in different areas of New York: Hempstead, Long Island and Flushing, Queens. After a significant amount of time spent apart, they are reunited after Muggs serves out a 10-year prison bid. With hopes to rule the streets once again, the duo act out in ‘kaos’ towards anyone who tries to get in their way.
Matt Duncan – Soft Times [Reissue/2013] LP (Soul Step)
Part of the Tony Award winning cast of Hedwig & The Angry Inch, Matt Duncan’s 2013 album is back in print on vinyl. [Limited colored pressing also available.]
Es-K – Recollection LP (Cold Busted)
24 evocative beat-based compositions representing a variety of moods and contexts.
Alexis Evans – I’ve Come A Long Way LP (Record Kicks)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. From Bordeaux rolls in Alexis Evans, the next big thing of the French deep soul scene.
Gil Evans Orchestra featuring Julian “Cannonball” Adderly – New Bottle Old Wine [Reissue/1958] LP (Blue Note)
Limited 180gm audiophile vinyl LP pressing in deluxe gatefold packaging. Evans’ orchestra on this session is packed with a superb set of players, including Cannonball Adderley Art Blakey, Paul Chambers and Johnny Coles.
Kelly Finnigan – The Tales People Tell CD/LP (Colemine)
Finnigan’s new album The Tales People Tell reflects his dedication to expression through the rich American music traditions of soul, gospel, doo-wop, and R&B.
Flying Fish Cove – At Moonset LP (Help Yourself)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Flying Fish Cove is a painted dream of poetic indie pop from Seattle, WA – a band that invokes the spirits of Heavenly, Teenage Fanclub, and The Pastels.
Sebastian Fraye – Vol. 2 LP (Cold Busted)
Californian beat-maker Sebastian Fraye continues his tribute to crate-digging and dusty vinyl discoveries with the finely crafted Volume 2. 20 instrumentals constructed with samples, beats, and drops found in used bins of record shops and musty backrooms of thrift stores.
Bill Frisell/Thomas Morgan – Epistrophy 2xLP (ECM)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Further poetic takes on pieces from the duo’s beloved Americana songbook (“All In Fun”, “Red River Valley”, “Save The Last Dance For Me”), as well as another intense version of a composition by Paul Motian (“Mumbo Jumbo”), an artist whom both the guitarist and bassist knew well.
GBH – Dover Showplace 1983 LP (Cleopatra)
A rare live set from the UK punk legends recorded on their 1983 City Baby’s Revenge US tour – released on colored vinyl.
Grand Magus – Wolf God LP (Nuclear Blast America)
Released last week on CD – now available on vinyl. Wolf God rises over the heavy metal scene majestically and let the guitar riffs speak for themselves.
Damien Jurado – In The Shape Of A Storm LP (Mama Bird)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Speaking about the films that influenced his fourteenth album, In The Shape Of A Storm, Damien Jurado tosses out a list of favorites – American Graffiti, Paris, Texas, The Last Picture Show – films in which settings serve as silent, omniscient characters. But inquire about the curious way he writes songs, the hazy manner by which he seems to channel them from beyond the beyond, and the cinematic reference point he reaches for is a surprising one.
Reiko Kudo – 夜の稲 = Rice Field Silently Riping In The Night [Reissue/2000] LP (Majikick)
Like other pioneering female producers from Japan such as Non (of Non Band), Phew, and Haco, Reiko Kudo has an incredibly unique, uncategorizable, and daring voice. Rice Field Slowly Riping In The Night was Reiko Kudo’s second album under her own name. It features Tori Kudo as well as Saya and Takashi Ueno (Tenniscoats) on various instruments. The recordings took place in 2000 at Reiko and Tori’s house in the rural surroundings of Shikoku Island. All recorded music on this album sounds like it originates in a parallel dimension where time and key signatures simply don’t exist. There is nothing accidental or forced here, this is simply music created in a very different way.
La Fine Equipe – 5th Season LP (Nowadays)
After their featuring on the famous track Cheese Naan, La Fine Equipe and Fakear team up again on 5th Season. An electronic track where the breaks and heavy basses of the quatuor pave the way for Fakear’s solar and stellar melodies. The producer, who’s currently working with M.I.A, then drops his famous voices samples and drown you in a tornado of a groovy vibes. [CD edition due May 9.]
Mars – Mars Archives Volume Three: N.N. End LP (Feeding Tube)
The final volume in a series documenting the music of one of New York’s most amazing combos of the no wave era. From their more-quotidian beginnings as China, whose sound was influenced by the Velvets and Television, Mars mutated and grew in a variety of nearly unchartable directions. N.N. End documents the latter, immaculate stages of the band’s destruction of song forms once and for all.
Reba McEntire – Stronger Than The Truth LP (Big Machine)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Stronger Than The Truth is McEntire’s follow-up to her 2017 gospel project Sing it Now: Songs Of Faith And Hope. A return to her roots, the album features songs co-written by familiar names, such as Brandy Clark, Erin Enderlin, Jaida Dreyer and Leslie Satcher.
Metric – Fantasies [Reissue/2009] LP (Metric Music Int’l)
Short-listed for the 2009 Polaris Music Prize, Metric’s fourth studio album Fantasies was written mostly in exile in Argentina with only a piano and guitar, recorded mainly at the band’s own Giant Studio in Toronto and mixed at the legendary Electric Lady in NYC. It’s gilded surfaces and textured density – a heady amalgam of psychedelia, electro and rock – evoke a certain dreamlike quality.
The Moody Blues – Live At The BBC 1967-1970 3xLP (Hip-O)
Originally released on CD in 2007 – first-time vinyl edition now available. 41 BBC radio and TV performances recorded between 1967 and 1970 pressed on colored vinyl.
Janko Nilovic – Rythmes Contemporains [Reissue/1972] LP (Broc)
Digitally remastered edition of one of the most ambitious and costly records to come out of ’70s library music. This complex and protean work shines out particularly from the rich discography of this Yugoslavian composer, and according to his many fans across the world, is one of his greatest achievements.
Nitro – O.F.R. [Reissue/1989] LP (Real Gone Music)
A frenetic assault of double floor toms, lightning guitar licks and notes sung so superhumanly high that various parts of one’s anatomy clench instinctively at the sound. [Limited red colored vinyl pressing also available.]
O.A.R. – Mighty LP+7” (Red Music)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Pop rock band O.A.R. release their new album, The Mighty. The set was produced by friend Gregg Wattenberg and up-and-comer Pom-Pom (Helen Pomerantz) and is the first time O.A.R. has had a female producer. Pomerantz has brought new ideas to the table and blends O.A.R.’s organic sound with modern digital technology. [Limited pink colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Orchestra Of Constant Distress – Cognitive Dissonance LP (Riot Season)
Orchestra Of Constant Distress is: Joachim Nordwall (The Skull Defekts, iDEAL Recordings), Anders Bryngelsson (Brainbombs, No Balls) Henrik Rylander (The Skull Defekts, Union Carbide Productions), and Henrik Andersson. Through catatonic riffs and uncanny sounds, listeners are left with a situation where they do not know how to distinguish bad and good, pleasure from displeasure.
Paysage D’Hiver – Steineiche [Reissue/1998] LP (Kunsthall Produktionen)
Paysage D’Hiver – Kerker [Reissue/1999] LP (Kunsthall Produktionen)
Paysage D’Hiver – Kristall & Isa [Reissue/2000] LP (Kunsthall Produktionen)
Paysage D’Hiver – Einsamkeit [Reissue/2007] LP (Kunsthall Produktionen)
Unlimited repress of four albums from the black metal project.
Pistol McFly – Road Trip LP (Dirty Science)
Jack Kerouac wrote that the road is life. Pistol McFly possesses the same ever-questing spirit of the famed Beat Generation writer and the world’s most impactful artists. Instead of cross country road trips, however, the Los Angeles rapper has spent the better part of his life navigating the vibrant but often violent streets of South Central. While many of his childhood friends are dead or in prison, McFly has luckily evaded bullets and central booking. His insightful rhymes are his road to discovering how to rectify personal and societal tragedies.
Placebo – Live 1971 LP (We Release Jazz)
The first ever live performance and recording by Marc Moulin’s sought-after jazz-funk band Placebo, captured at Casino Kursaal during the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1971 and never released before.
James Plotkin – The Joy Of Disease: Demos & Remixes LP+CD (B.F.E.)
Progression and creativity are keywords regarding James Plotkin’s oeuvre. Beginning with the relentless, ever evolving and hallucinating music of O.L.D., through his many solo records and collaborations, to the surreal heavy-weight sound of Khanate, he’s always been bound to be personal. Proof of quality are these instrumental demos of his landmark album of experimental music The Joy Of Disease.
Potter & Tillman – …Space…Rapture LP (High Jazz)
Immaculate soul/jazz-funk fusion originally released in 1982 on POET Records. This sought-after album is an amazing and unique creative project produced and composed by David Eric Tillman including outstanding performances by some of the highest-level musicians whose common thread was their ability to kill up tempo and modal bop and excel in this jazz-funk/fusion style thanks to their up bop think quick knowledge.
Pure Bathing Culture – Night Pass LP (Infinite Companion)
Limited violet colored vinyl pressing. “Portland group Sarah Versprille + Daniel Hindman aka Pure Bathing Culture make their triumphant return and continue to elegantly carry the Fleetwood Mac torch on new single ‘Devotion’, taken from their new LP Night Pass.” – Gorilla Vs. Bear
Quantic – Atlantic Oscillations 12” (Tru Thoughts)
As the first Quantic release under his main solo moniker since 2014’s critically acclaimed Magnetica, the prolific artist has raised the stakes in the interim with further highly praised side projects including The Western Transient, Flowering Inferno, Quantic & Nidia Góngora and Quantic y Los Míticos del Ritmo. He has also relocated to Brooklyn, built his new recording studio Selva and taken a bi-monthly residency at New York club space Good Room, where this track was created, tried and tested.
Jonathan Richman – SA LP (Blue Arrow)
Released last October on CD – now available on vinyl. SA, the root note in Indian Ragas was what Ramakrishna, the much beloved mystic, told his spiritual students to search for underneath all things of this world. Richman co-produced the record alongside wife Nicole Montalbano and former Modern Lovers and Talking Heads member Jerry Harrison.
The Rippingtons featuring Ross Freeman – Open Road LP (E1)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. New album from the smooth jazz mainstay.
Samael – Solar Soul [Reissue/2007] 2xLP (Napalm)
Samael – Lux Mundi [Reissue/2011] 2xLP (Napalm)
A pair of remastered and expanded vinyl reissues from the industrial/black metal band.
Pharoah Sanders/John Hicks/Curtis Lundy/Idris Muhammed – Africa [Reissue/1987] 2xLP (Tidal Waves Music)
The brilliant Africa sessions features the quartet at their best… soulful but also searching for a strong groove at the same time. The music here is less ornamented than on most of Sanders’ studio recordings, where sextets, septets or larger lineups have been the norm, but this brilliant effort here remains every bit as compelling.
Sigrid – Sucker Punch LP (Island)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Debut album from the Norwegian singer and songwriter. Her epic songs are tales of the unexpected; fearless musical collages and shout-outs to human resilience.
Suplington – After Life LP (Youngbloods)
Through a cascade of field recordings over deep waves of ambient and classical meditations, After Life by British composer and producer Suplington is a grand yet forbearing course charted through the currents of one’s final moments. His second album to chance a curious glance beyond the veil of waking life, After Life paints a nautical panorama with a variety of guest appearances, including flutist Nadiya Darling and Brooklyn-based Archie Pelago members, cellist Greg ‘Cosmo D’ Heffernan and saxophonist Kroba.
Horace Tapscott With The Pan-Afrikan Peoples Arkestra – Flight 17 [Reissue/1978] LP (Outernational)
A cornerstone document from the Los Angeles jazz underground. [Live At I.U.C.C. reissue due May 3.]
Tortoise – TNT LP+MP3 (Thrill Jockey)
High-quality virgin vinyl repress of Tortoise’s third studio album packaged in a tip-on gatefold jacket. TNT builds upon the spare, instrumental framework of the group’s first, self-titled album, and the extended edits, melodic adventures, and klangfarben of the subsequent full-length release, Millions Now Living Will Never Die.
Twiztid – Generation Nightmare 2xLP (Majick Ninja)
The demented duo of Jamie Madrox and Monoxide – AKA Twiztid – return with a new album. Generation Nightmare takes the very best of Twiztid’s rock and rap genre crossover abilities to the next level. [CD edition due May 10.]
U.K. Subs – Endangered Species [Reissue/1982] LP (Beat Generation)
The U.K. Subs’ fourth studio album is considered by many to be their finest moment, and there’s many reasons why it could very well be: the record’s powerful sound (courtesy of the production of Nicky Garratt) did justice to a band on top of their game, recording some of the best songs of their career.
Vinterkult/Nordgeist – Nordwinter LP (Kunsthall Produktionen)
Atmospheric black metal from the Siberian desert, filled with cold and darkness.
Waldgeflüster – Mondscheinsonate LP (Nordvis)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Eight new folk-drenched black metal eyries to melt the coldest of hearts.
Weedeater – …And Justice For Y’All [Reissue/2007] LP (Season Of Mist)
Weedeater – God Luck And Good Speed [Reissue/2007] LP (Season Of Mist)
Weedeater – Jason…The Dragon [Reissue/2011] LP (Season Of Mist)
Colored vinyl reissues of three albums from the sludge metal band.
Cassandra Wilson – Glamoured [Reissue/2003] 2xLP (Blue Note)
On Glamoured, Wilson sets delivers her trademark mix of first-rate originals and adventurous covers of other songwriters’ works, this time picking material by Sting, Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Muddy Waters and Abbey Lincoln.
Wolken – Wolken 10” (Butler)
Wolken is the new project of the Dutch electro songwriter Rita Zipora and poet and musician Robin Block. Their debut EP has a dreamy summer vibe with acoustic guitar, soft synths and Rita & Robin’s beautiful voices.
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