AIMS Marketing Program/ Featured Titles Promoted This Week:
The Black Keys – Ohio Players CD/LP (Nonesuch)
Ohio Players is the multiple-Grammy Award-winning, Akron, OH native band’s twelfth studio album. Written by The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney with longtime friends Dan “The Automator” Nakamura and Beck, the celebratory, joyful “Beautiful People (Stay High)” is one of several songs on the album that feature collaborations between the band and various additional friends and colleagues, including Noel Gallagher, Greg Kurstin, and others. Speaking on the collaborative nature of the album, Carney shares, “We had this epiphany: ‘We can call our friends to help us make music.’ It’s funny because we both write songs with other people – Dan all the time [as a solo artist and producer], me when I’m producing a record. That’s what we do.” Auerbach adds, “No matter who we work with, it never feels like we’re sacrificing who we are. It only feels like it adds some special flavor.” [An indie store exclusive red color vinyl pressing is available.]
Cedric Burnside – Hill Country Love CD/LP (Provogue)
Hill Country Love is the latest studio album from Grammy-Award Winning Bluesman, Cedric Burnside. To Cedric, it is a culmination of a career that’s already seen astonishing accomplishments and only keeps growing. When Cedric prepared to record Hill Country Love, the follow-up to his 2021 Grammy-winning album I Be Trying, he set up shop in a former legal office located in a row of structures in the seat of Tippah County, a town with 5,000 residents that’s known as the birthplace of the Hill Country Blues style. The fourteen songs on the record were finished in two days, but in addition to being satisfied with the sound, Burnside believes that his eleventh album represents real creative progress.
Grace Cummings – Ramona CD/LP (ATO)
Ramona is a work of raw truth rendered in its most beautiful form. Melbourne-based Grace Cummings traveled to Los Angeles to work with producer Jonathan Wilson (Angel Olsen, Father John Misty) and dreamed up a lavishly orchestrated sound that fully accommodates the depth and scope of her vocal prowess. With its visceral reflection on grief and self-destruction and emotional violence, Ramona brings a stunning new grandeur to Cummings’ music while refusing to soften or temper its humanity. [A gold color vinyl pressing is available.]
ERRA – Cure CD/LP (Unfd)
Cure is ERRA’s sixth album, and it highlights and expands on the forward-thinking sound and guitar-driven style that the band has built its reputation on. Following 2021’s self-titled release, Cure is a stunning execution of both raw talent and surgical technicality. It’s as emotionally powerful as it is musically proficient, which is not an easy feat to achieve. Yet ERRA makes it look and sound easy. Cure is a sonic thrill ride — one that you hope will never end. [An indie store exclusive transparent black in yellow color-in-color vinyl pressing is available.]
Dustin Kensrue – Desert Dreaming CD/LP (BMG)
Dustin Kensrue, singer-songwriter (and frontman of Thrice) releases his third solo album, Desert Dreaming. Desert Dreaming is an epic alt-country masterpiece, summoning the spirit of the American southwest, flush with tremolo guitar and shuffling percussion that echo off canyon walls. In addition to his work with Thrice, Kensrue has pursued a solo career, releasing albums that highlight his versatility and proficiency as a songwriter. His solo works often feature acoustic and folk influences, allowing him to explore a different musical landscape compared to Thrice’s more electric and dynamic sound. Apart from his musical pursuits, Dustin Kensrue is known for his thought-provoking and introspective lyrics, addressing a wide range of themes from personal struggles to social and philosophical topics. His solo projects have garnered appreciation for their emotional depth and musical creativity.
Lo Moon – I Wish You More Than Luck CD/LP (Strngr Recordings)
Although it’s nine songs revolve entirely around a single unifying idea, of life and personality forged from the revelatory moments of lived experience, to describe Los Angeles band Lo Moon’s third outing, I Wish You Way More Than Luck, as a concept album wouldn’t be entirely correct. Sonically bold and ambitious, fiercely literate, and imagistic, the songs dance around their theme, not so much playing from track to track, as flowing through peaks and troughs of fervent emotion. It’s the singular work of a group of musicians whose confidence and abilities have not only scaled the heights of their ambitions but outstripped them. Luck has little to do with it. [An indie store exclusive onyx marbled color vinyl pressing is available.]
Mount Kimbie – The Sunset Violent CD/LP+MP3 (Warp)
The Sunset Violent began in a disused frat house in the American Yucca Valley. Kimbie’s founding members Dominic Maker & Kai Campos began work on their first proper album together since 2017’s Love What Survives – the decision was made to leave London. Campos and Maker relocated for a month to a town in the middle of a desert. The resulting album, finished in London with longtime confidante Dillip Harris and their band mates Andrea Balency-Béarn and Marc Pell, is 37 minutes of Mount Kimbie at simultaneously their most daring and their most giddily infectious. [An orange color vinyl pressing is available.]
Old 97s – American Primitive CD/LP (ATO)
The 13th studio album from Old 97’s arose from what vocalist/guitarist Rhett Miller refers to as a “de-evolution.” “As much as I want us to calm down and grow up, the songs that felt right for this record were mostly big and loud and brutal and dirty.” Produced by Tucker Martine and featuring appearances from Peter Buck (R.E.M.) and Scott McCaughey (The Minus 5), American Primitive is gloriously rowdy, revealing a band more attuned than ever to the raw, reckless energy of timeless rock-and-roll. [A green color vinyl pressing is available.]
Pernice Brothers – Who Will You Believe CD/LP (New West)
Joe Pernice has been writing for a long time—most of his life, in fact—and has crafted a remarkable catalog that boldly reinterprets and recasts classic American pop. Who Will You Believe may be his most moving and nuanced album yet; it’s certainly his timeliest. “These songs were all written during the same time period,” he says, “and they all seemed to tap into a mood I was in at the time. I go through spells where I’m a certain way for three or four months. I might be more reticent than usual, or more outgoing. With all of my records—and especially with this one—the songs all feel like they belong together, probably because they all arrived during the same stretch of time.” Pernice has been releasing albums for over 25 years. And with age comes a greater patience and an immense appreciation for the act of creation. Who Will You Believe showcases a beautiful balance between such sadness and moments of solemnity with warm humor and camaraderie. [Two indie store exclusive versions are available: autographed CD; and an autographed clear vinyl pressing.]
Phosphorescent – Revelator CD/LP (Verve Label Group)
Revelator is an album that speaks to “the grand sadness in life” — perennial Phosphorescent subject matter, by Matthew Houck’s estimation. In some ways, Revelator extends seamlessly from the story begun by Muchacho and continued by C’est La Vie. It finds Houck further mastering his unique blend of ragged, experiment-y classicism intertwined with ethereal, lachrymose atmospherics. Across Revelator, Houck sings from a woozy, worn headspace, but leads us to a place where dreams and reality mingle. [An indie store exclusive black ice color vinyl pressing is available.]
Katie Pruitt – Mantras CD/LP (Rounder)
Katie Pruitt is living proof of music’s power to transform the way we experience the world. With her sophomore album Mantras, mainly produced by Collin Pastore and Jake Finch (boygenius, Lucy Dacus), Pruitt looks inward to explore such matters as gender identity, self-compassion, or the lack thereof, and the struggle for peace in times of chaos and uncertainty-ultimately arriving at a body of work that speaks to the strength in undoing harmful self- beliefs and fully living your truth.
Vampire Weekend – Only God Was Above Us CD/2xLP (Columbia)
Only God Was Above Us is the fifth studio album by American indie rock band Vampire Weekend. Ezra Koenig, Chris Baio, and Chris Tomson recorded the follow-up to Father Of The Bride in New York, Los Angeles, London, and Tokyo. It sees the return of their longtime collaborator and producer, Ariel Rechtshaid and it was mixed by Dave Fridmann and mastered by Emily Lazar. Koenig wrote most of the lyrics for Only God Was Above Us in 2019 and 2020. The album’s title comes from a newspaper headline featured in a 1988 photograph by Steven Siegel. The photograph, called Subway Dream 11, doubles as the new Vampire Weekend album cover. [An indie store exclusive vinyl edition featuring alternate cover art is available.]
Additional Social Media Program Titles:
No additional social media program titles this week.
CDs + Vinyl:
Acid Mammoth – Supersonic Megafauna Collision CD/LP (Heavy Psych Sounds)
Get ready to be overtaken by a storm of pachyderm guitar riffs, wooly bass, explosive drumming, and witchy vocals. Supersonic Megafauna Collision is an unholy celebration of all things heavy, and as the album progresses it just keeps getting doomier. It is an evil and explosive album, with 666% fuzz. [Multiple vinyl colorways are available.]
Melissa Aldana – Echoes Of The Inner Prophet CD/LP (Blue Note)
Melissa Aldana’s second Blue Note album Echoes Of The Inner Prophet is a musical voyage to explore the depth of the spiritual journey. Co-produced by Aldana and Lage Lund, the album features the tenor saxophonist with Lund on guitar, Fabian Almazan on piano, Pablo Menares on bass, and Kush Abadey on drums. The 8-track set of original compositions includes six new pieces by Aldana that seek profound truths through introspection, intuition, and self-reflection – including the opening title track which is dedicated to Wayne Shorter.
Eric Bibb – Live At The Scala Theatre Stockholm CD/LP (Stony Plain)
Live At The Scala Theatre is the latest recording from blues troubadour Eric Bibb, which follows 2023’s Grammy nominated album, Ridin’. Performed in front of a live audience at Stockholm’s Scala Theatre in 2023, the atmosphere captured in these recordings is electric. As Eric reflects on his musical journey, gratitude pervades. Evolution is evident in his voice and guitar playing, with his words grounded in truth and fostering a vision of unity in a world filled with divisive rhetoric.
The Black Keys – Ohio Players CD/LP (Nonesuch)
Ohio Players is the multiple-Grammy Award-winning, Akron, OH native band’s twelfth studio album. Written by The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney with longtime friends Dan “The Automator” Nakamura and Beck, the celebratory, joyful “Beautiful People (Stay High)” is one of several songs on the album that feature collaborations between the band and various additional friends and colleagues, including Noel Gallagher, Greg Kurstin, and others. Speaking on the collaborative nature of the album, Carney shares, “We had this epiphany: ‘We can call our friends to help us make music.’ It’s funny because we both write songs with other people – Dan all the time [as a solo artist and producer], me when I’m producing a record. That’s what we do.” Auerbach adds, “No matter who we work with, it never feels like we’re sacrificing who we are. It only feels like it adds some special flavor.” [An indie store exclusive red color vinyl pressing is available.]
Cedric Burnside – Hill Country Love CD/LP (Provogue)
Hill Country Love is the latest studio album from Grammy-Award Winning Bluesman, Cedric Burnside. To Cedric, it is a culmination of a career that’s already seen astonishing accomplishments and only keeps growing. When Cedric prepared to record Hill Country Love, the follow-up to his 2021 Grammy-winning album I Be Trying, he set up shop in a former legal office located in a row of structures in the seat of Tippah County, a town with 5,000 residents that’s known as the birthplace of the Hill Country Blues style. The fourteen songs on the record were finished in two days, but in addition to being satisfied with the sound, Burnside believes that his eleventh album represents real creative progress.
Grace Cummings – Ramona CD/LP (ATO)
Ramona is a work of raw truth rendered in its most beautiful form. Melbourne-based Grace Cummings traveled to Los Angeles to work with producer Jonathan Wilson (Angel Olsen, Father John Misty) and dreamed up a lavishly orchestrated sound that fully accommodates the depth and scope of her vocal prowess. With its visceral reflection on grief and self-destruction and emotional violence, Ramona brings a stunning new grandeur to Cummings’ music while refusing to soften or temper its humanity. [A gold color vinyl pressing is available.]
ERRA – Cure CD/LP (Unfd)
Cure is ERRA’s sixth album, and it highlights and expands on the forward-thinking sound and guitar-driven style that the band has built its reputation on. Following 2021’s self-titled release, Cure is a stunning execution of both raw talent and surgical technicality. It’s as emotionally powerful as it is musically proficient, which is not an easy feat to achieve. Yet ERRA makes it look and sound easy. Cure is a sonic thrill ride — one that you hope will never end. [An indie store exclusive transparent black in yellow color-in-color vinyl pressing is available.]
Faust – Momentaufnahme III CD/LP (Bureau B)
Faust – Momentaufnahme IV CD/LP (Bureau B)
Momentaufnahme III and IV include recordings which have been previously released on other compilations such as “71 Minutes” and “BBC Sessions+”. When reviewing this material for this compilation some titles have been changed, e.g. “Ma Trompette (Alternative Version)” has been released as “Party 10” previously, “Zwölf Meter unter der Oberfläche” has been “(360)” and “Geister, die wir riefen” was “The Lurcher”. “Can’t Fly Away”, “Children’s Toy Etude”, “Beglückte Schlagbohrmaschine”, “Stay Or Leave” have been released as “Party 1”, “Party 8”, “Party 6” and “Party 9” previously and “Woke Up Outside The Dust Bin” was “Chromatic”.
Jackson C. Frank – Mystery CD/LP (Secret)
Jackson C. Frank has become a folk legend; an American folk musician and songwriter known for his brief but influential career in the 1960s. His debut album, Jackson C. Frank (1965), is considered a folk classic. It featured songs like “Blues Run The Game” and “Milk And Honey”, which have been covered by numerous artists over the years including Simon and Garfunkel, Nick Drake and Bert Jansch.
Fyear – Fyear CD/LP (Constellation)
Fyear is a power octet led by composer Jason Sharp and poet/writer Kaie Kellough, fusing spoken word voices with genre-bending compositions for electronics, two drummers, and processed saxophone, pedal steel, and violins. Fyear melds drone, modern chamber, out-jazz, ambient metal, post-hardcore, avant-rock, and electroacoustic maximalism in an integrated work the opposite of collage or pastiche; it always sounds like a wholly unified ensemble/aesthetic. Kellough’s poetic materiality conveys acute political-existential themes and plays elemental, cut-up instrumental/semiotic roles.
Garbage – Bleed Like Me [Reissue/2005] CD/LP/2xLP (Geffen)
Newly remastered reissue of the fourth Garbage studio album, Bleed Like Me, available for the first time on vinyl. Originally released in 2005 and featuring the hit single, “Why Do You Love Me”, this expanded edition features the main album, plus rare B-sides. [A stand-alone LP reissue is also available.]
Nick Gravenites with Pete Sears – Rogue Blues CD/LP (M.C.)
Rogue Blues by Chicago blues legend Nick Gravenites is his first new recording in eight years and features songs he’s never released previously. The stripped-down affair features special guest Charlie Musselwhite from his old Chicago days as well as Pete Sears and Jimmy Vivino. Gravenites wrote “Born In Chicago” for the groundbreaking East West album for Paul Butterfield in 1965. Another classic song is Nick’s “Buried Alive In The Blues”, written and recorded for Janis Joplin’s Pearl album. Gravenites scribed hits for Janis Joplin and had his songs recorded by Big Brother and the Holding Company (which he was a member for several years), Michael Bloomfield, the Electric Flag (of which Gravenites was a founding member), Pure Prairie League, Tracy Nelson, and Roy Buchanan.
Conan Gray – Found Heaven CD/LP (Republic)
Conan Gray, the critically acclaimed global pop superstar, is back with his third studio album, Found Heaven. The highly anticipated third LP includes singles “Never Ending Song”, “Winner”, “Killing Me”, and “Lonely Dancers”. Conan reigns in his magnetic new era and sound as he expresses his undeniable authenticity and originality through his art. [Two color vinyl pressings are available: indie store exclusive red w/ black; and yellow.]
Naill Horan – Show: The Encore CD/2xLP (Capitol)
After debuting atop the charts in numerous countries with his third album, The Show, Niall Horan returns with The Show: The Encore – a deluxe edition featuring nine bonus tracks. Horan collaborates with Lizzy McAlpine on a new version of “You Could Start A Cult” and teams up with John Legend to reimagine the album’s title track. The collection also includes new live recordings from the Electric Picnic festival and Spotify Studios, plus alternate versions from Niall’s Vevo Extended Play session. [A multicolor gold and red double-LP pressing is available.]
Horndal – Head Hammer Man CD/LP (Prosthetic)
“Alrik and his family eventually end up in Chicago Heights where he becomes the Head Hammer Man at Columbia Steel. They get themselves a house and his grandchildren describe Alrik as a loving but stern family man who never mentions a word about the strike, Horndal, or even Sweden to anyone. He refuses to even visit Sweden but has the picture of Hjalmar Branting, Swedish leader of the Social Democrats, on the wall in his bedroom until he died in 1970.”
Ingested – The Tide Of Death And Fractured Dreams CD/LP (Metal Blade)
Ingested’s new album, The Tide Of Death And Fractured Dreams, is not only as innovative and brutal as their last disc, the bleak, firestorm Ashes Lie Still, it showcases a band willing to expand its creativity without sacrificing the ferocity that made it one of the most impressively destructive, technical death metal bands on the scene. The Tide Of Death And Fractured Dreams is proof that once Ingested sniff out a trail of musical blood, they ravenously follow it until they’ve uncovered a festering feast.
Iron Monkey – Spleen And Goad CD/LP (Relapse)
Recorded in their native Nottingham, Spleen and Goad was mastered stateside by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege. The UK’s Iron Monkey return with their highly anticipated new album, Spleen And Goad. On the new album, the legendary band are as uncompromising ever, churning out some of the grittiest sounding sludge doom in their 25 + year history. Dubbed a “doom sludge vanguard” by The Sludgelord, Iron Monkey live up to their legacy, absolutely pummeling through each of the nine tracks on their new album. [A blue color vinyl pressing is available.]
José James – 1978 CD/LP (Rainbow Blonde)
José James – the forward-looking, genre-defying jazz singer for the hip-hop generation – has done it again. 1978 (his 12th studio album since 2008’s The Dreamer) releases an instant classic, combining James’ deep love of jazz and hip-hop with songwriting and production nods to R&B heroes Quincy Jones, Michael Jackson and Leon Ware. Produced by James and featuring an all-star ensemble including Grammy nominees Pedrito Martinez (Camilla Cabello, Eric Clapton), Marcus Machado (Daniel Ceasar, Pharoahe Monch), Jharis Yokley (Sleigh Bells, My Brightest Diamond) Chad Selph (Bilal, FREELANCE) and David Ginyard (Solange, Blood Orange), “1978” pulsates with the socially conscious feel-good vibes of Marvin Gaye, Prince and Stevie Wonder. James also skillfully explores the boundaries of Black music, featuring Brazilian rising star and recent Latin Grammy nominee Xênia França as well as Congolese-Belgian rapper/filmmaker Baloji.
Caleb Landry Jones – Hey Gary, Hey Dawn CD/LP (Sacred Bones)
Renowned as a multi-instrumentalist crafting intricate cinematic works that hover on the fringes of prog, Jones breaks new ground with a deliberate focus on live performance for his latest record. Jones has in fact intentionally designed Hey Gary, Hey Dawn with the live stage in mind, a previously missing element in his musical career. Assembling a formidable band, he sets the stage for an enthralling experience, kickstarting a month-long residency in Austin, Texas, this February, culminating in a standout performance at SXSW. The residency serves as a precursor to a series of planned US and international tours, promising to bring the album’s electrifying energy to audiences worldwide. The music is Jones’s heaviest to date, and though often reticent about direct influences and resistant to categorizations, he weaves a sonic tapestry that hints at punk and grunge elements within his signature kaleidoscopic symphonies. [A jade eco mix color vinyl pressing is available.]
Kalaha – Nord Havn CD/LP (April)
Since 2013, Danish quartet Kalaha’s multi-award-winning sound has been characterised by a melting pot of worldwide musical cultures including Brazilian Samba, Anatolian rock, African highlife, desert blues and contemporary western electronic music, resulting in acclaim from critics and vinyl connoisseurs alike. Their sixth album Nord Havn was recorded over two snowy weeks in December in the outer banks of Nordhavn – Copenhagen’s old industrial harbor – through their collection of nine original compositions Kalaha pays tribute to their hometown, and to the memory of a rapidly gentrifying area of their city. Using the harbor as a metaphor for a portal to the rest of the world, the ensemble’s trademark wide array of influences remains at the foundation of their sound; psychedelic rock, acid techno, surf rock, the Indian classical drone of a tanpura, dub, 70’s fusion and more come together in surprisingly effortless harmony.
Tori Kelly – Tori. CD (Epic)
Tori Kelly is a two-time Grammy-winning multi-platinum artist and Tori. is her first album on Epic Records. Since her debut Tori Kelly has consistently captivated audiences with a powerhouse voice, eloquent songcraft, and vibrant spirit. She was nominated for Best New Artist surrounding her first album and her genre bending catalog encompassed platinum-certified singles such a “Hollow” and “Should’ve Been Us” as well as gold-certified singles, including “I Was Made For Loving You” and “Nobody Love”. [A lavender color vinyl pressing is available.]
Dustin Kensrue – Desert Dreaming CD/LP (BMG)
Dustin Kensrue, singer-songwriter (and frontman of Thrice) releases his third solo album, Desert Dreaming. Desert Dreaming is an epic alt-country masterpiece, summoning the spirit of the American southwest, flush with tremolo guitar and shuffling percussion that echo off canyon walls. In addition to his work with Thrice, Kensrue has pursued a solo career, releasing albums that highlight his versatility and proficiency as a songwriter. His solo works often feature acoustic and folk influences, allowing him to explore a different musical landscape compared to Thrice’s more electric and dynamic sound. Apart from his musical pursuits, Dustin Kensrue is known for his thought-provoking and introspective lyrics, addressing a wide range of themes from personal struggles to social and philosophical topics. His solo projects have garnered appreciation for their emotional depth and musical creativity.
Kyle Kimbrell – Easy Truths CD/LP (Cornelius Chapel)
Kyle Kimbrell immediately recalls the likes of Dave Alvin, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, and Jason Molina with Kimbrell’s high and lonesome vocals taking the spotlight. Indeed, this guitar-driven work of alt-country feels like it could have come from the genre’s golden era in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s while still brimming with the kind of modern touch that is sure to appeal to fans of fellow Alabama artist Jason Isbell.
Marcus King – Mood Swings CD/LP (Republic)
Mood Swings is the new album from South Carolina native, Marcus King, the Grammy-nominated artist, performer, guitarist, and songwriter. The music here is deeply personal, driven by King’s emotive vocals as much as his revered guitar work, and whilst the subjects dealt with are often raw in nature (heartache, addiction, mental health), there’s always a sense of hope in the power of the voice. The album was produced by Rick Rubin at his famous Shangri-La studios in Malibu. [An indie store exclusive neon orange color vinyl pressing is available.]
The Kingdom – History Of Kingdom: Pt. VII. Jahan (Irregular Ver.) CD (GF Entertainment)
The Kingdom – History Of Kingdom: Pt. VII. Jahan (Satalistic Ver.) CD (GF Entertainment)
Kingdom is a “cinematic K-pop band” that tells the story of seven kings of seven countries with original music and powerful performances. The seven-member boy group consists of Dann, Arthur, Louis, Mujin, Jahan, Hwon, and Ivan.
The Libertines – All Is Quiet On The Eastern Esplanade CD/2xLP (Republic)
The quartet of unlikely lads have gathered from their newfound homes in France, Denmark, Margate and London to solder a strongest-ever internal bond and scale new creative heights. All Quiet On The Eastern Esplanade began its formation in September 2022 when Pete and Carl traveled to Port Antonio, Jamaica. Away from any distraction, the chemistry between the infamous songwriting duo began to bubble in earnest. [An indie store exclusive clear vinyl pressing is available.]
Locrian – End Terrain CD/LP (Profound Lore)
Experimental metal trio Locrian are a prophetic voice of decline and a pioneering force in the world of metal. Their sonic tapestry weaves elements of black metal, ambient, and experimental music, creating a genre-defying experience that pushes the boundaries of conventional metal norms. Their new album End Terrain is the proper follow-up to 2015’s Infinite Dissolution (Relapse Records) and continues in the vein of their distinguishable sonic blueprint. [Two color vinyl pressings are available: lavender; and crimson red.]
Magnolia Park – Halloween Mixtape II CD/LP (Epitaph)
Magnolia Park, the Florida based genre-bending alternative rock band who play more than 200 shows a year, release their third album, Halloween Mixtape II.
Lo Moon – I Wish You More Than Luck CD/LP (Strngr Recordings)
Although it’s nine songs revolve entirely around a single unifying idea, of life and personality forged from the revelatory moments of lived experience, to describe Los Angeles band Lo Moon’s third outing, I Wish You Way More Than Luck, as a concept album wouldn’t be entirely correct. Sonically bold and ambitious, fiercely literate, and imagistic, the songs dance around their theme, not so much playing from track to track, as flowing through peaks and troughs of fervent emotion. It’s the singular work of a group of musicians whose confidence and abilities have not only scaled the heights of their ambitions but outstripped them. Luck has little to do with it. [An indie store exclusive onyx marbled color vinyl pressing is available.]
Mount Kimbie – The Sunset Violent CD/LP+MP3 (Warp)
The Sunset Violent began in a disused frat house in the American Yucca Valley. Kimbie’s founding members Dominic Maker & Kai Campos began work on their first proper album together since 2017’s Love What Survives – the decision was made to leave London. Campos and Maker relocated for a month to a town in the middle of a desert. The resulting album, finished in London with longtime confidante Dillip Harris and their band mates Andrea Balency-Béarn and Marc Pell, is 37 minutes of Mount Kimbie at simultaneously their most daring and their most giddily infectious. [An orange color vinyl pressing is available.]
Ohio Players – Observations In Time: The Johnny Brantley/Vidalia Productions CD (Omnivore)
Observations In Time: The Johnny Brantley/Vidalia Productions is the ultimate early look at a group that would transform modern R&B multiple times, eventually becoming part of the inaugural class inducted into the Rhythm and Blues Hall of Fame in 2013. With packaging featuring new liner notes from Tim Dillinger-Curenton outlining the story, Observations In Time: The Johnny Brantley/Vidalia Productions is a perfect release to showcase a band that was always on the cutting edge of musical exploration and excellence.
Old 97s – American Primitive CD/LP (ATO)
The 13th studio album from Old 97’s arose from what vocalist/guitarist Rhett Miller refers to as a “de-evolution.” “As much as I want us to calm down and grow up, the songs that felt right for this record were mostly big and loud and brutal and dirty.” Produced by Tucker Martine and featuring appearances from Peter Buck (R.E.M.) and Scott McCaughey (The Minus 5), American Primitive is gloriously rowdy, revealing a band more attuned than ever to the raw, reckless energy of timeless rock-and-roll. [A green color vinyl pressing is available.]
Carl Palmer – Fanfare For The Common Man 3xCD+Blu-ray (BMG)
Deluxe career-spanning box set featuring Carl Palmer, Emerson, Lake & Palmer and various other Carl Palmer bands.
Paradox – Wrath CD/LP (Retroactive)
Step into a time machine and journey back to the golden age of metal with The Wrath, an album originally recorded in 1989 but unreleased until now.
Pernice Brothers – Who Will You Believe CD/LP (New West)
Joe Pernice has been writing for a long time—most of his life, in fact—and has crafted a remarkable catalog that boldly reinterprets and recasts classic American pop. Who Will You Believe may be his most moving and nuanced album yet; it’s certainly his timeliest. “These songs were all written during the same time period,” he says, “and they all seemed to tap into a mood I was in at the time. I go through spells where I’m a certain way for three or four months. I might be more reticent than usual, or more outgoing. With all of my records—and especially with this one—the songs all feel like they belong together, probably because they all arrived during the same stretch of time.” Pernice has been releasing albums for over 25 years. And with age comes a greater patience and an immense appreciation for the act of creation. Who Will You Believe showcases a beautiful balance between such sadness and moments of solemnity with warm humor and camaraderie. [Two indie store exclusive versions are available: autographed CD; and an autographed clear vinyl pressing.]
Phosphorescent – Revelator CD/LP (Verve Label Group)
Revelator is an album that speaks to “the grand sadness in life” — perennial Phosphorescent subject matter, by Matthew Houck’s estimation. In some ways, Revelator extends seamlessly from the story begun by Muchacho and continued by C’est La Vie. It finds Houck further mastering his unique blend of ragged, experiment-y classicism intertwined with ethereal, lachrymose atmospherics. Across Revelator, Houck sings from a woozy, worn headspace, but leads us to a place where dreams and reality mingle. [An indie store exclusive black ice color vinyl pressing is available.]
The Pineapple Thief – Abducted At Birth [Reissue/1999] CD (Kscope)
Featuring strong melodies and powerful choruses, this early post-progressive album (originally titled Abducting The Unicorn) is an insight into Bruce Soord’s songwriting talent and the birth of one of the UK’s leading progressive rock bands. Newly remastered by The Pineapple Thief keyboardist Steve Kitch, Abducted At Birth is reissued on CD, presented in a digipack packaging complete with a four-page booklet.
Porcupine Tree – Octane Twisted [Reissue/2012] 2xCD+DVD (Snapper Classics UK)
Octane Twisted features The Incident album in its entirety, recorded in Chicago. The end of the album contains five classic Porcupine Tree tracks also recorded in Chicago along with three highlights from the band’s landmark show at Royal Albert Hall.
Mike Post – Message From The Mountains & Echoes From The Delta CD (Masterworks)
He transformed and redefined the sound of music in TV and films over a half-century, and now the Emmy- and Grammy-winning American composer and musical man-for-all-seasons Mike Post has realized his own creative challenge in Message From The Mountains & Echoes Of The Delta, a unique new recording. In nine multifaceted movements, the album uses the sounds of bluegrass to celebrate the mingling of tradition and diverse cultural experience in American music.
Project Gemini and The Space Donkeys – Colours & Light CD/LP (Mr Bongo)
If 2022’s The Children Of Scorpio was the debut album that turned people onto the world of Project Gemini aka Paul Osborne, Colours & Light is the body of work that will be buried deep into their hearts. It is a majestic album, bringing together the worlds of folk rock, psych soundtracks and hazy cinematic funk. [An indie store exclusive magenta color vinyl pressing is available.]
Katie Pruitt – Mantras CD/LP (Rounder)
Katie Pruitt is living proof of music’s power to transform the way we experience the world. With her sophomore album Mantras, mainly produced by Collin Pastore and Jake Finch (boygenius, Lucy Dacus), Pruitt looks inward to explore such matters as gender identity, self-compassion, or the lack thereof, and the struggle for peace in times of chaos and uncertainty-ultimately arriving at a body of work that speaks to the strength in undoing harmful self- beliefs and fully living your truth.
Alice Russell – I Am CD/2xLP+MP3/Cassette (Tru Thoughts)
Alice Russell is universally acclaimed as one of the best modern soul voices of our time, while her raw talent and charisma commands attention and affection. The much-loved British soulstress returns with the most personal album of her career. I Am is vulnerable and bold while addressing how we must all work on ourselves to heal – so that we can love and connect with those and the world around us more honestly and with depth. [A black w/ white marbled color vinyl pressing is available.]
Matthew Shipp – New Concepts In Piano Trio Jazz CD (ESP-Disk’)
This group evolves in leaps and bounds. You’ve never heard a jazz piano trio sound like this album – not even this band on it’s previous album, the much-praised World Construct. That said, there is a through line from the first Matthew Shipp Trio album, 1990’s Circular Temple to New Concepts In Piano Trio Jazz.
Sinkane – We Belong CD/LP (City Slang)
We Belong is the eighth studio album from Sinkane, a band led by multi-instrumentalist Ahmed Gallab. And like many of Sinkane’s previous releases, it resists genre. It’s pop. It’s funk. It’s electronic. It blends the gritty punk newness of a ‘70s and ‘80s New York with the steady, foundational soul of the rhythms of his native Sudan. [A purple color vinyl pressing is available.]
Sonic Universe – It Is What It Is CD/LP (earMUSIC)
Embark on an intergalactic musical odyssey with Sonic Universe’s debut album, It Is What It Is. Corey Glover, acclaimed lead singer of Living Colour, and guitarist Mike Orlando from Adrenaline Mob join forces to explore new sonic dimensions. Recorded at Sonic Stomp Studios in New York City, the album kicks off with the dynamic title track, blending a powerful drumbeat, driving bass lead, and Corey’s electrifying vocals.
Still Corners – Dream Talk CD/LP+MP3 (Wrecking Light)
Beautifully arranged, elegant and wistful, Dream Talk is a set of ten carefully crafted classic songs. From the autumnal opener “Today Is The Day” to the hot summer night finale of “Turquoise Moon”, Still Corners have created a sound that is focused, stylish and seductive. Tessa Murray says, “The genesis for a lot of these songs came from dreams. Every night I would write down the dreams I could remember. While recording I would pull out my book of dreams and sing over various looped phrases Greg had been working on, the repetitive nature of the looping and singing almost felt like going into a trance. A lot of the songs came from that process, it was fun and what I thought were sort of ramblings ended up surprising us with their various meanings and imagery.” [A green color vinyl pressing is available.]
Ronnie Stone – Ride Again CD/LP (Feeltrip)
Ride Again is a lavish expansion on the sounds and styles of his previous record, 2015’s Motorcycle Yearbook; a result of countless hours spent dwelling in the shadows at nightclubs and warehouse parties over the past decade. Drawing on solace and epiphanies that stemmed from the dance floor, he weaves together elements of new wave with the groovy and persistent infectiousness of techno and house.
Aki Takase Trio – Song For Hope [Reissue/1982] CD/LP (BBE)
Aki Takase was born in Osaka in 1948 and began playing piano aged 3. Raised in Tokyo, she studied classical music at the Toho Gakuen Academy, and her musical interests developed from a starting point in classical, before going on to encompass contemporary music and jazz. Among the first jazz compositions she explored were works by Charles Mingus and Ornette Coleman and, in 1972, she moved to New York, working with, among others, Lester Bowie, John Zorn and Dave Liebman.
Thunder – Magnificent Seventh [Reissue/2005] CD/LP (BMG)
Thunder – Robert Johnson’s Tombstone [Reissue/2006] CD/LP (BMG)
Thunder – Bang! [Reissue/2008] CD/LP (BMG)
CD reissues of the seventh, eighth, and ninth studio album by hard rock band.
Tomorrow X Together – Minisode 3: Tomorrow (Ethereal Ver.) CD (Bighit Music/Hybe)
Tomorrow X Together – Minisode 3: Tomorrow (Light Ver.) CD (Bighit Music/Hybe)
Tomorrow X Together – Minisode 3: Tomorrow (Promise Ver.) CD (Bighit Music/Hybe)
Tomorrow X Together – Minisode 3: Tomorrow (Romantic Ver.) CD (Bighit Music/Hybe)
Continuing with the minisode storyline, Tomorrow X Together (TXT) is back with a new mini album titled Minisode 3: Tomorrow. This new album tells the story of finding courage and purpose amid uncertainty.
Unprocessed – …And Everything In Between CD/LP (Unprocessed)
Fourth studio album from the German progressive metal virtuosos.
Vampire Weekend – Only God Was Above Us CD/2xLP (Columbia)
Only God Was Above Us is the fifth studio album by American indie rock band Vampire Weekend. Ezra Koenig, Chris Baio, and Chris Tomson recorded the follow-up to Father Of The Bride in New York, Los Angeles, London, and Tokyo. It sees the return of their longtime collaborator and producer, Ariel Rechtshaid and it was mixed by Dave Fridmann and mastered by Emily Lazar. Koenig wrote most of the lyrics for Only God Was Above Us in 2019 and 2020. The album’s title comes from a newspaper headline featured in a 1988 photograph by Steven Siegel. The photograph, called Subway Dream 11, doubles as the new Vampire Weekend album cover. [An indie store exclusive vinyl edition featuring alternate cover art is available.]
Jane Weaver – Love in Constant Spectacle CD/LP+MP3 (Fire)
Recalibrating her singular journey in the British musical landscape with her most open-hearted, direct, and intimate collection of material yet, Love In Constant Spectacle evokes spectacular imagery and distills the artist’s vision in its purest form, elevating Jane Weaver’s inimitable sound and poetic vision to new heights. Recapturing the melancholy of her early work whilst propelling it forward, she sketches scenes as we watch new colors, shapes and languages emerge and fill the frame. Love In Constant Spectacle sees her take measured steps towards a vivid, dreamlike record, that offers resolve in the face of life’s inevitability. The foundations of Weaver’s sound are still evident – lush motorik drums, pulsating bass, custom modded synths and exotic fuzz pedals – but the stream is awash with scrabble piece poetry and Letraset lullabies leading to lush escapism, the free abandon that you’d associate with free jazz and the avant-garde. [An indie store exclusive deluxe vinyl version is available.]
Adam Wiltzie – Eleven Fugues For Sodium Pentathol CD/LP (Kranky)
The latest suite by composer (and Stars Of The Lid co-founder) Adam Wiltzie took shape following a move north from Brussels into the Flemish countryside, although it was initially inspired by a recurring dream wherein “if someone listened to the music I created, then they would die.” The album uniquely evokes and evades the allure of oblivion, keening between beauty and ruin, forever unresolved. Wiltzie cites the barbiturate of the title as both muse and sacred escape: “When you are sitting face forward on the daily emotional meat grinder of life, I always wished I could have some, so I could just fall asleep automatically and the feeling would not be there anymore.”
Witch Vomit – Funeral Sanctum CD/LP (20 Buck Spin)
On new album Funeral Sanctum, Witch Vomit expand the dark melodicism buried within the butchery of past releases, now sharpened into black obsidian, and caustically fused with the band’s hallmark brutality. [A blue color vinyl pressing is available.]
:wumpscut: – Schlossgheist CDEP (Metropolis)
Prolific and renowned dark electro act :wumpscut: returns with a new EP which features four new tracks and four instrumental versions.
X Ambassadors – Townie CD/LP (Virgin)
X Ambassadors’ Townie is inspired by the band’s experience growing up in a small town in upstate New York (hence the album title, Townie). While the lyrics are hyper-specific about the band’s own hometown, the sentiment is universal. Nostalgia not only for your hometown, but for your adolescence and the blissful naiveté of youth. Regret about how with age and the clear hindsight that comes with it, you wish you’d done things differently or appreciated them for what they really were at the time.
Bang Yedam – Only One CD (GF Entertainment)
Bang Yedam – Only One (Precious Ver.) CD (GF Entertainment)
Bang Yedam is a South Korean singer and producer. He was formerly the main vocalist of K-pop group Treasure.
Yes – Mirror To The Sky 2xCD+Blu-ray (Inside Out)
Double-CD including Blu-ray. 2023 album of high energy, intricate, lush and layered studio songs which adds to the band’s much heralded legacy, while charting a path to exciting future times ahead.
Jeppe Zacho – Introducing CD/LP (April)
Denmark’s April Records have proven time and time again their back-catalogue showcases some of the finest improvised music the nation has to offer, from internationally celebrated names including Cecilie Strange, Tomasz Dabrowski and Little North to newcomers like Nana Rashid and Tigeroak. Their latest signing, saxophonist Jeppe Zacho proudly presents his debut album, Introducing.
DVD + Blu-ray:
Mötley Crüe – The End: Live In Los Angeles Blu-ray (Mercury Studios)
On December 31, 2015, legendary rock icons Mötley Crüe completed their 35-year touring career with a spectacular final concert at Staples Center in their hometown of Los Angeles, just 10 miles from the Sunset Strip where the band’s infamous and decadent career first launched. Mötley Crüe thrilled the sold-out arena with performances of such mega-hits as “Kickstart My Heart”, “Girls, Girls, Girls”, “Home Sweet Home” and more. Crüe fans can now relive all the action for the first time in Blu-ray UHD 4K.
This Week’s Vinyl Exclusives:
ABBA – Waterloo [Reissue/1974] 2xLP (Capitol)
Celebrating the 50th anniversary of ABBA’s second studio album, Waterloo. Featuring the title track which brought the band international fame and won the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest in Brighton, UK. This double-LP set is presented in high-quality audio, half-speed mastered by Miles Showell at Abbey Road Studios. Pressed 180gm heavyweight black vinyl in a gatefold sleeve with obi-strip and certificate of authenticity.
Terry Allen – Gonna California b/w Color Book 7” (Paradise Of Bachelors)
In conjunction with the publication, by Hachette Books, of Truckload of Art: The Life and Work of Terry Allen, an authorized biography by Brendan Greaves of Paradise of Bachelors, “Gonna California” imagines an alternate reality where Allen’s long-lost first studio recordings, captured with a full band in L.A. in 1968, saw a proper release. (Instead, nearly the entire pressing was destroyed by a fire set by the so-called “Hollywood Arsonist”, and remaining copies were repurposed in artworks.) This first-ever (re)issue edition, limited to 500 copies, features recently rediscovered and remastered early (and superior) mixes of both songs; the original liner notes by Allen; an excerpt from the book; lyrics insert; and Allen’s contemporaneous visual art in an arresting gatefold jacket. No veteran country songwriter sounds more attuned to the national mood. His songs still feel like little guidebooks for staring down a harsh universe.” – The Washington Post
Art Ensemble Of Chicago – The Spiritual [Reissue/1972] LP (Org Music)
Coke bottle colorway. The Spiritual, a free jazz album recorded by The Art Ensemble of Chicago, finds the group of stellar musicians at their creative peak. With various types of percussion, though the absence of a traditional drummer, the ensemble can create vivid, freeing compositions without the confines of conventional structure. The quartet, consisting of Joseph Jarman, Roscoe Mitchell, Lester Bowie, and Malachi Favors, explore the depths of avant-garde jazz through a means that has yet to be touched on in a comparable capacity.
Derek Bailey / Simon H. Fell – At Sound 323 2xLP (Confront Recordings)
“Both Bailey and Fell are master musicians who improvise together at an intense and challenging level. This set bristles with focused energy. Both instruments sound closely mic’d so that we can hear each scrape, pluck, and bow. At times, it seems as if Mr. Bailey is on the verge of exploding and then things calm do a bit only to flare up again. Mr. Fell sounds as if he is using a peg or wooden object on his bass at times and coaxing brittle percussive sounds. I found this set to be quite exciting, that edge-of-your-seat dynamic! Pretty incredible throughout!” – Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery, New York
Tobias Becker – Studio Konzert LP (Neuklang)
The Tobias Becker Bigband unites some of the best young jazz musicians from all over Germany, Switzerland, and Austria to present Bigband Jazz in Perfektion. Tobias Becker has put together a well-rehearsed jazz orchestra with accomplished musicians who came to everyone’s attention through their own projects, big band radio broadcasts, or musical productions. CriticalJazz describes how: “(…) his big band is one of the two finest large ensembles to come out of Eastern Europe.”
Bochum Welt – Module 2 [Reissue/1996] LP (BMG)
Green colorway. 28 years after its initial limited pressing on Aphex Twin’s Rephlex label, BMG is proud to reissue this much loved and highly sought after record from electronic artist Bochum Welt.
Gary Burton – Common Ground LP (Mack Avenue)
On Gary Burton’s new album, Common Ground, the Grammy-winning pioneer of the four-mallet technique of playing the vibes not only delivered his first studio album since 2005, but also introduced his latest band, The New Gary Burton Quartet.
Byron The Aquarius – Love 4 Music LP (Low Recordings)
The 4-track EP Love 4 Music is a love-infused journey, with Side A delivering compelling club hits and Side B enveloping us in a soulful/R&B/deep house vibe.
Martin Carthy – Martin Carthy [Reissue/1965] LP (Topic)
In the early 1960s, the approach Martin Carthy took to folk music was nothing short of revolutionary, albeit a relatively quiet revolution befitting his humble nature. You wouldn’t find Carthy’s music clambering up the singles charts; his was not a face adorning the teen magazines. Instead, his influence was felt at a grass-roots level. He plied his trade in the folk clubs, which is where the likes of Bob Dylan and Paul Simon sought him out, enamored of his traditional repertoire and keen to learn songs like “Scarborough Fair” and “Lord Franklin” directly from him before adapting them for their own purposes.
Daedelus – Xenopocene LP (Dome Of Doom)
Xenopocene means Alien Age. Some have theorized our current is the Anthropocene; however, in an era where artificially generated and deep faked, what is terrestrial in origin vs U.F.O.? Daedelus’ latest LP Xenopocene, inspired by their artist-in-residency with S.E.T.I. follows a timeline from an extraterrestrial first contact through to 10k days hence and spiraling towards the nearest exoplanet 6,000+ years away. Attempting to parse out science informed fiction from the fact that in an unfathomable universe life exists outside our confines.
Celine Dion – My Love: Essential Collection [Reissue/2008] 2xLP (Sony Legacy)
Celine Dion’s My Love Essential Collection honors the classic songs that transformed her career and inspired millions. Available for the first time on double-LP black vinyl, the compilation consists of some of Celine’s biggest hits such as, the Oscar and Grammy-winning “My Heart Will Go On”, the international chart-topper “All By Myself” (her unforgettable interpretation of the groundbreaking Eric Carmen power ballad), “Where Does My Heart Beat Now” (Celine’s first English-language single) as well as the Linda Perry-penned title track, “My Love”.
Jerry Garcia Acoustic Band – Ragged But Right [Reissue/1988] 2xLP (ATO)
Jerry Garcia Acoustic Band – Ragged But Right [Reissue/2010] 2xLP (ATO)
The Jerry Garcia Acoustic Band existed from the summer of 1987 to the summer of 1988, and played fewer than 30 concerts. Led by Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead, the band included three members of the 1964 bluegrass band the Black Mountain Boys – Garcia on guitar and vocals, David Nelson of the New Riders of the Purple Sage on guitar and vocals, and Sandy Rothman on mandolin, dobro, banjo, and vocals – plus long-time Garcia collaborator John Kahn on acoustic bass, Kenny Kosek on fiddle, and David Kemper on snare drum.
Freddie Gibbs – You Only Live 2Wice LP+MP3 (Esgn)
Limited opaque red color vinyl pressing. You Only Live 2wice is the third studio album by Freddie Gibbs. Following a tumultuous time in Gibbs’ personal life, the album focuses on Freddie overcoming his obstacles and rising from the ashes anew, as reflected in the album art depicting the resurrection of Jesus. At eight tracks, the album has no features, instead using the space to let Gibbs bear his soul.
Gray – Last Of The Beats LP (Plush Safe)
Last Of The Beats is Gray’s second, official album release, with beats and sounds from the 1980s downtown New York, to somewhere into the future. Founded in 1979 by Jean-Michel Basquiat, Gray was at the cutting edge of conceptual, avantgarde music, noise and sound making. Inspired by John Cage, Stockhausen and The Velvet Underground, with their new album, Last Of The Beats Gray continues to push the boundaries of beauty and transcendence in music and art. Gray’s Last Of The Beats is also loaded with exciting collaborations by former collaborators, including King Britt and Deantoni Parks, and adds new names to this list, including: U.K. producer James Lavelle of Mo’Wax and UNKLE fame (who has done a re-mix of Gray’s Dan Asher which should be a electronic dance hit in 2024), legendary dance music producer Arthur Baker, Spike Lee actor Roger Guenvuer Smith, famed Tubes drummer Prairie Prince and writer/Warhol & GQ publisher Glenn O’Brien. The album covers a broad range of topics and styles, from Avant-garde to electronic dance vibes and will satisfy and inspire past fans of our cutting-edge music and art, as well as reach out to a newer audience of Hip Hop and spoken word enthusiasts.
Fumio Itabashi – Watarase [Reissue/1982] LP (Wewantsounds)
Wataras is hailed as one of the great Japanese jazz albums and featuring Itabashi on piano playing an inspired mix of standards and originals. Recorded in 1981 for Denon and released the following year, the album has since reached cult status among jazz connoisseurs, thanks to Itabashi’s inventive piano playing and to its cult title track, a superb soulful and spiritual composition.
Green Milk From The Planet Orange – Let’s Split LP (Silver Current)
A limited edition, full-length split album celebrating a 2024 co-tour of Japan by underground cracked-psych purveyors F***wolf from San Francisco and legendary prog-benders Green Milk from the Planet Orange from Tokyo.
Jembaa Groove – Ye Ankasa / We Ourselves LP (Agogo)
Rich in ancestral flows, between Ghana and Europe, powered by deep, conga led rhythms and seductive warm horn riffs come Jembaa Groove, whose new album and newly rendered sound, reminds us that jazz, in its contemporary, soulful form is not just a London ‘ting’. Highlife is Ghana’s colorful national tradition and is at the heart of Berlin based Jembaa Groove’s groove. And this newly crafted follow up to their debut album Susuma from 2022, goes even further in provoking new perceptions of jazz and soul music helped by young and senior blood from Ghana and its diaspora.
Halm – Runner LP (Halm Music)
Runner, the third full length album by Halm, is the result of 15 years of intense touring, a global pandemic and finding themselves in a new context, both personally and musically. Together with producer Johannes Bergenheim and engineer Roger Krieg Halm made a 10-track album of Scandinavian Americana music that flows between acoustic fragility to heavy rock riffs.
Billy Joel – Cold Spring Harbor [Reissue/1971] LP (Sony Legacy)
Billy Joel – Streetlife Serenade [Reissue/1974] LP (Sony Legacy)
Billy Joel – Turnstiles [Reissue/1976] LP (Sony Legacy)
Billy Joel – 52nd Street [Reissue/1978] LP (Sony Legacy)
Billy Joel – Songs In The Attic [Reissue/1981] LP (Sony Legacy)
Billy Joel – Live At The Great American Music Hall – 1975 LP (Sony Legacy)
Vinyl reissues of the piano man’s first, third, fourth, sixth albums along w/ two previously released live concerts.
Jordana/TV Girl – Summer’s Over LP (Grand Jury)
To celebrate the launch of their sold-out US tour, NYC indie pop upstart Jordana and L.A.-based TV Girl surprise-release a collaborative EP entitled Summer’s Over. Across its seven songs, the pair mesh TV Girl’s hypnotic, sample-heavy production aesthetic with Jordana’s plaintive-yet-playful vocal to form the perfect ode to the turning of the seasons, and the perfect celebration of their epic trek across America.
Katatonia – Discouraged Ones [Reissue/1998] LP (Peaceville)
Discouraged Ones saw a new direction change with the epic compositions of old replaced with stripped down, compact structures to make room for new vocal harmonies courtesy of Jonas Renkse (who also played drums on the album), putting an end to the growling vocal style from prior releases & giving the band a broader appeal which only helped their trajectory towards being established on the global stage. This edition of Discouraged Ones is presented on black vinyl, containing the album’s original cover artwork, including printed inner sleeve with lyrics.
Khruangbin – A La Sala LP (Dead Oceans)
Khruangbin’s fourth studio album, A La Sala (“To the Room” in Spanish), is an exercise in returning to go further and doing so on your own terms. It continues the mystery and sanctity that is the key to how bassist Laura Lee Ochoa, drummer Donald “DJ” Johnson, Jr. and guitarist Mark “Marko” Speer approach music. [An orange-in-yellow color vinyl pressing is available.]
Kid Acne – Hauntology LP (Lex)
The sixth album from Kid Acne, Hauntology, continues to trade in the humbly, self-deprecatingly off kilter. Rhyme trends read like an algorithm gone rogue, such are the adroit spinning of believe-it-or-nots and disses both sly and straight off the playground. Chicago’s Spectacular Diagnostics is back on production duty, unveiling a slew of gritty boom bap beats rattled by ray guns, loosening of nuts & bolts & outer space.
Klark Kent – Klark Kent [Reissue/1980] LP (BMG)
Klark Kent: Music Madness from the Kinetic Kid is the debut solo album of Stewart Copeland, and the first solo album recorded by any band member of The Police. The album was originally released in 1980.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo – Best Of Ladysmith Black Mambazo [Reissue/1992] LP (Shanachie)
Whether they were singing hymns or secular songs, Ladysmith Black Mombazo always raised their voices in glorious harmony. They are the unmatched masters of South African a cappella and this release documents their vocal prowess. This album is comprised of their very best performances from over a long and prestigious and celebrated career. It covers from when they burst onto the scene when they participated with Paul Simon on his hugely successful “Graceland” album and launched their years of worldwide touring to appearances on venues like Saturday Night Live and providing music for movies with major stars like Michael Jackson and Dolly Parton.
Lafayette Afro-Rock Band – Soul Makossa [Reissue/1973] LP (Strut)
Lafayette Afro-Rock Band – Malik [Reissue/1973] LP (Strut)
Blue colorways. First official remastered reissues of Lafayette Afro Rock Band’s elusive first two albums.
Lil Dicky – Penith (The Dave Soundtrack) 2xLP (BMG)
Penith serves two purposes: it’s Lil Dicky’s second album – and his first in nine years – but it’s also the soundtrack to his TV show, Dave. All 22 songs on the tracklist have appeared in one way or another on the show throughout its three critically acclaimed seasons. They don’t follow any chronological sequencing from the show but are instead positioned in a way that makes most sense for a standard rap album. [An indie store exclusive pressing is available.]
Mustard Plug – Yellow #5 [Reissue/2002] LP (Hopeless)
One of the more melodic, interesting bands of ska’s third wave, the Mustard Plug’s Yellow #5 features a mix of melodic choruses and horn charts, loudly distorted guitar and upbeat punk or rock beats. Fans of early Bosstones would like this a lot, and Plug gets extra points for not succumbing to easy novelty lyrics, instead writing about the more introspective sides of life and love.
Niney the Observer – Sledge Hammer Dub In The Street of Jamaica [Reissue/1977] LP (Burning Sounds)
Niney The Observer’s Sledgehammer Dub In The Street Of Jamaica LP has always been considered to be a long lost gem with Dub collectors. Originally released in early 1977 and pressed in a limited quantity of between 300 to 400 copies the record was a compilation of dubs devoid of vocals but high on rhythms – mixed with feeling and showcasing the talents of both musicians and mixing engineers. King Tubby’s involvement is clear, as is that of all the other parties involved such as Niney, The Soul Syndicate and The Cimarrons to name but a few.
No Doubt – The Singles 1992-2003 [Reissue/2003] 2xLP (Interscope)
Double 180gm vinyl LP pressing. No Doubt’s greatest hits album, The Singles 1992-2003, is now available for the first time on 180gm heavyweight black vinyl. The double-LP set features a 12-page booklet with lyrics, liner notes and photos.
Okvsho – A Place Between Us LP (Current Moves)
Finally, almost three years after the well-received Orange Wine EP, and three international tours, Okvsho is back with their fourth project A Place Between Us. Georg and Christoph Kiss, the two brothers behind Okvsho, are showcasing a project that is more intimate and bolder than ever, offering an insight into their thoughts, feelings, and experiences during the last two years. The unique style Okvsho has become known for in recent years has once again evolved, combining organic and electronic elements with beautiful harmonies and expressive rhythms. Okvsho’s second LP will also be the first full-length project to be released on the newly founded Zurich-based label Current Moves, with which the Okvsho-brothers aim to shape the young European jazz scene they are inspired by and an established part of.
Ol’ Gorilla Bones – Revenge Vol. 2 LP (Hand’solo)
The second volume of the Revenge trilogy proves you can’t keep a good gorilla down, or one intent on violent vengeance either, for that matter. Over the cinematic production of The Dirty Sample, Ol’ Gorilla Bones weaves tall tales of blood-soaked slayings of whackass clown shoe rappers.
Oregon – Oregon In Moscow [Reissue/2000] LP (Intuition)
The formation Oregon has surely been well-known to most jazz and classical music enthusiasts. During the past 50+ years of band history, Oregon has become a synonym for genre-crossing music of the finest. Emerging in 1970 from the legendary Paul Winter Consort, Oregon combined elements of jazz with those of symphonic classical music and what is known today under the makeshift term world music. This album was recorded strictly simultaneously, meaning that the band and the orchestra faced each other in the recording room and played the songs together. No overdubbing each other, no faking a relationship that wasn’t there; just recording and mixing with the highest standards of quality.
Palace – Ultrasound LP (Virgin)
Armed with an already extensive catalog of stunning music, Palace return their deeply personal, fourth studio album, Ultrasound. The record’s production sees the band reunited with Adam Jaffrey, eight years after working together on their debut album, and arrives off the back of Part I – When Everything Was Lost and Part II – Nightmares & Ice Cream, the band’s 2023 companion EPs. [An indie store exclusive red colorway is available.]
Papercuts – You Can Have What You Want [Reissue/2009] LP (Gnomonsong)
This obsessively all-analog effort (no computer processing here whatsoever!) cuts across several eras of dreamy sound: ’80s/’90s Creation and 4AD Records, The Zombies, ’60s French pop, even Can’s Future Days-and then there’s the inevitable connection to former tourmates Beach House and Grizzly Bear. Indeed, Beach House’s Alex Scally helped with some of the arrangements, though You Can Have What You Want is its own strain of addictive pop.
The Piano Guys – The Piano Guys LP (Masterworks/Music On Vinyl)
Limited blue color vinyl pressing. The debut album from the YouTube sensation known for viral videos of pop songs played on grand pianos, cellos and other classical instruments in exotic locales contains 12 tunes featured in their hit clips. Hear material by the likes of Beethoven, Adele, Coldplay, and Judy Garland as you’ve never heard it before, plus their distinctive takes on the Star Wars theme and One Direction’s What Makes You Beautiful: A pair of Piano Guys originals: A previously unreleased bonus track, and more.
Rail Band – Rail Band [Reissue/1973] LP (Mississippi)
One of the greatest, heaviest, and hardest-to-find guitar records from 1970s West Africa, available on vinyl for the first time in over a decade. A product of Mali’s golden age, “Rail Band” is a relentlessly soulful and hypnotic blend of American funk, jazz horns, and Afro-Cuban music, reflected through centuries-old Mandé tradition and blasted at top volume by some of the continent’s greatest artists.
Tony Rice – Church Street Blues [Reissue/1983] LP (Craft Recordings)
180gm vinyl pressing. Church Street Blues is the 1983 album from bluegrass legend Tony Rice. Featuring Rice alone on all but four tracks, the album showcases Rice’s guitar prowess and eclectic musical style. Church Street Blues features standards as well as covers from Bob Dylan, Gordon Lightfoot and more. Noting the album’s intimacy, Bluegrass Today wrote “It’s like you become closer to Rice as a person with every note that is sung or played.” [An indie store exclusive red w/ gold color vinyl pressing is available. CD version due April 12.]
Maggie Rose – No One Gets Out Alive LP (Big Loud)
On her most ambitious album yet, No One Gets Out Alive, singer-songwriter Maggie Rose proves she’s a true original. Unencumbered by genre, the album reflects Maggie’s varied influences including rock, soul, Americana, pop and folk, all colliding for a deeply satisfying listen. No One Gets Out Alive is an extension of Maggie’s journey as a respected fixture in the Nashville community, who has carved out an unconventional path for herself. She has shared the stage with an impressive array of artists including Kelly Clarkson, Heart, Joan Jett, St. Paul & The Broken Bones, and Fitz & The Tantrums, and earned her reputation as a charismatic, dynamic live performer at countless marquis festivals including Austin City Limits, Bonnaroo, and Newport Folk Fest among others.
Runner – Starsdust LP (Run For Cover)
Red colorway. Starsdust is an ambient album composed from the fragments of Runnner’s 2023 album Like Dying Stars, We’re Reaching Out. Singles “Ten” and “Eleven” are glitchy, colorful moments of reflection stretched across a few meditative minutes.
James Rushford – Turzets LP (Blank Forms)
Two new works by prolific composer-performer James Rushford for electronics, voice, piano, and portative organ. Echoes of medieval fatalism, uncanny and glitching digital voices, Shirley Collins’s little pipe organ, and the ethereal soundscapes of Klaus Schulze.
Horace Silver – Silver’s Serenade [Reissue/1963] LP (Blue Note)
Recorded in May 1963, Silver’s Serenade was the last in a fantastic run of albums that pianist Horace Silver would make with the most celebrated line-up of his Quintet featuring Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Junior Cook on tenor saxophone, Gene Taylor on bass, and Roy Brooks on drums. The core of the band had been together since 1959 and recorded hard bop classics like Finger Poppin’ and Blowin’ the Blues Away, with Brooks joining in 1960 on Horace-Scope.
Soul Glo – Songs To Yeet At The Sun LP (Secret Voice)
Clear w/ splatter colorway.If you gave Soul Glo a snapshot of what was in store for them in 2020 at the end of their first practice in 2014, you might put the space time continuum in flux. If you were to tell vocalist Pierce Jordan and guitarist Ruben Polo that everything that they had spent their first month as a band joking about, playing shows with artists from punk vets Paint It Black to Kurt Cobain’s favorites Flipper; from Memphis underground legend Tommy Wright III to platinum producer Pi’erre Bourne, were to actually happen, they might ask you if your hands were as fast as your jokes were. Despite the constant barrage of setbacks, from member changes to financial strife, to run-ins with the law, Soul Glo has both repeatedly defied the kinds of odds that would fold lesser bands, not to mention their own standards for what they believed they could endure. Simultaneously, stopping or slowing down has never exactly been on the table for them, either.
Symphorce – PhorcefulAhead [Reissue/2002] LP (Brutal Planet)
Symphorce – Twice Second [Reissue/2004] LP (Brutal Planet)
Prepare to revisit a pivotal chapter in the annals of melodic power and progressive metal with the long-awaited vinyl reissues of Symphorce’s third and fourth albums.
Tangerine Dream – Out Of This World [Reissue/2015] 2xLP (Invisible Hands)
Limited numbered 140gm double tangerine-color vinyl pressing in gatefold jacket. This 2015 release is in memory of Edgar Froese, the leader of Tangerine Dream, indispensable pioneers of experimental electronic music and space rock who sold more records than any other German band in history. They recorded more than one hundred studio albums and a similar number of movie soundtracks. Founder and leader of the band Edgar Froese passed away in Vienna on January 20, 2015. Out Of This World is a compilation put together by his widow, Bianca Froese-Acquaye, and features the music from the band’s later work that meant the most to her.
Zach Top – Cold Beer & Country Music LP (Leo33)
With a deep-rooted love for traditional music, Zach Top is poised to invigorate the country genre with his homage to classic sounds and authentic storytelling. Zach embodies the spirit of ‘90s country legends, shaped by his upbringing in Sunnyside, WA listening to classic country music while driving around his family’s ranch tending to livestock.
Tosca – No Hassle [Reissue/200] 3xLP (!K7)
15th anniversary reissue. Multi-instrumentalists Richard Dorfmeister and Rupert Huber have been friends since their Vienna schooldays. Richard later became half of the globally acclaimed DJ-producer duo Kruder and Dorfmeister, while Rupert worked in piano composition and sound-art installation.
Toy Dolls – Idle Gossip [Reissue/1986] LP (Radiation Reissues)
Tongue-in-cheek punk act Toy Dolls came together in the northeast formerly industrial town of Sunderland, England in 1979 with working-class humor at the forefront of everything and frontman Olga breaking up the Oi singalongs with searing guitar assaults. Issued on the independent Volume label as usual, the third album Idle Gossip continued in the same mold as their first two LPs.
The Used – Vulnerable [Reissue/2012] LP (Hopeless)
Three new colorways, including an indie store exclusive white & red twister pressing. Released in 2012, debuting #8 on Billboard 200, #21 Canadian Albums Chart, #65 UK Albums Chart, #18 Australia Album Chart. Vulnerable, is the fifth studio album by The Used. Production and mixing handled by John Feldman. “There are so many kids out there who are special in their own way, and I want people to understand that this record is for the misfits and for the outcasts and for anyone who’s never really fit in. There’s a place for all of us in this world. We can all find it if we just keep looking.” says front man Bert McCracken to Alt Press.
The Utopians – Look Around You LP (Badasonic)
Hailing from the vibrant music scene in Belgium, The Utopians bring a refreshing blend of funk and reggae, creating an album that transcends boundaries. Recorded and produced by the maestro Nico Leonard at Badasonic Studio, Look Around You immerses you in the hypnotic beats of reggae, complemented by the infectious grooves of funk.
Various Artists – Eccentric Soul: Consolidated Productions Vol. 1 LP (Numero)
Operating in the farthest margins of L.A.’s cutthroat music business from 1961-1991, Mel Alexander’s Consolidated Productions was among the longest running Black-owned independent record conglomerates of the 20th century. [An opaque tan colorway is available.]
Various Artists – Imagination Anthem Vol. XIII: Songs Of Bruce Cockburn LP (Tompkins Square)
For the 13th installment in Tompkins Square’s acclaimed Imaginational Anthem guitar series, Wooden Wand’s James Toth invites a host of acolytes to salute Bruce Cockburn’s magnificent career and catalog. Bill Callahan, Matt Valentine, Jerry DeCicca, Luke Schneider, Eli Winter and others perform gorgeous renditions of Cockburn hits and hidden gems. Both Tompkins Square and James believe it’s high time for a younger generation to explore Bruce’s incredibly deep, rich repertoire.
Various Artists – Reach LP (Numero)
Red colorway. A post-modern mixtape of 12 microgenres created by The Numero Group. Bending the rules of the compilation with a selection of songs bound by their soaring spirit and adventurous approach, Reach is inspirational living for algorithmic times. The only LP guaranteed to save your life during humanity’s apocalyptic demise.
Fay Victor – Life Is Funny That Way LP (Tao Forms)
Acclaimed vocalist-lyricist-arranger Fay Victor & her Herbie Nichols SUNG Quintet celebrate & thoroughly reconsider the rich legacy of jazz composer Herbie Nichols with Life Is Funny That Way, and bring it singing boldly into this century.
Vulture Feather – Merge Now In Friendship LP (Felte)
Merge Now In Friendship is about death and impermanence. It is a wilting flower beheld from a passing vehicle. It is neither lament nor declaration. The three songs that comprise this EP share a kindred thread – All arising events and phenomena; people, dreams, songs, even worlds, are all transitory in nature. We are all going to die. Someday there will be no record of any of this. It is this very truth that allows for beauty. The impermanent nature of all that arises is the apparent aspect of the essence of being. It is this essence that lends infinite openness to our experience. It is ultimately all we are about. Music is the language of this inscrutable, sublime essence. This record is a joyful attempt at music.
Jim White – Drill A Hole In That Substrate And Tell Me What You See [Reissue/2004] 2xLP (Luaka Bop)
Grab your safety goggles and your hi-viz gear, because it’s time to Drill A Hole in That Substrate And Tell Me What You See. Erstwhile druggie, drifter, storyteller, taxi-driver, and recovering Pentecostal maverick from Pensacola, Florida. It’s the 20th anniversary of Jim White’s haunting outer space alt-country classic that has a title so long nobody can remember the name of it. Featuring Aimee Mann, M. Ward, Bill Frisell, and the Barenaked Ladies-to name a few of the artists here-this album quickly rose to cult status.
Anthony Williams – Life Time [Reissue/1964] LP (Blue Note)
The precocious and prodigious drummer and composer Tony Williams had already joined the Miles Davis Quintet and participated in numerous landmark Blue Note recordings including Herbie Hancock Empyrean Isles, Eric Dolphy Out To Lunch, Andrew Hill Point Of Departure, Jackie McLean One Step Beyond, and Grachan Moncur III Evolution by the time he recorded his own adventurous debut album Life Time in August 1964, when he was still just 18 years old. Williams had no intention of playing it safe on his maiden voyage as a leader and set forth to document his uncompromising expression on this program of innovative original compositions.
Zanias – Ecdysis LP (Metropolis)
Zanias is Australian born, Berlin-based artist Alison Lewis. She creates her own brand of ethereal pop: multi-layered and as alien as it is authentically, vulnerably human. On Edycsis, Zanias takes a more atmospheric, experimental ambient approach to her signature art pop. Less lyrically driven, with her stunning voice working as another instrument to create a work of haunting ethereal beauty.
Cassettes:
Damned – Damned Damned Damned [Reissue/1977] (Radiation Reissues)
Damned – Music For Pleasure [Reissue/1977] (Radiation Reissues)
Damned Damned Damned is the debut studio album by English punk rock band The Damned, originally released in 1977. Produced by Nick Lowe, Damned Damned Damned was the first full-length album released by a UK punk group. Music For Pleasure, the band’s second album, followed later the same year.
Françoise Hardy – Françoise Hardy [Reissue/1962] (Destination Moon)
1962 debut studio album by French singer-songwriter Françoise Hardy. Like many of her following records, it was originally released without a title and to be referred to, later on, by the name of its most popular song, “Tous les garçons et les filles”. Released when Hardy was 18 years old, the album was a commercial success.
The Modern Lovers – The Modern Lovers [Reissue/1976] (Radiation Reissues)
The Modern Lovers is the debut studio album by the Modern Lovers. It was released on Beserkley Records in 1976, though the original tracks had been recorded in 1971 and 1972. Six of the original tracks were produced by John Cale. The album pointed towards alternative music genres such as punk rock, new wave, and indie rock.
Alice Russell – I Am (Tru Thoughts)
Alice Russell is universally acclaimed as one of the best modern soul voices of our time, while her raw talent and charisma commands attention and affection. The much-loved British soulstress returns with the most personal album of her career. I Am is vulnerable and bold while addressing how we must all work on ourselves to heal – so that we can love and connect with those and the world around us more honestly and with depth.
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