New Releases for April 7, 2023

AIMS Marketing Program/ Featured Titles Promoted This Week:

Blondshell – Blondshell CD/LP (Partisan)

In the past few years, Sabrina Teitelbaum aka Blondshell has transformed into a songwriter without fear. The hook-filled songs on her self-titled debut are clear-eyed statements of and about digging your way towards confidence, self-possession, and relief. All of this is powered by brilliant, crystalline melodies, and gigantic choruses that are wrapped with shredding guitars. Teitelbaum grew up in a classic rock-loving household. During an era of sleek teen pop, her most formative childhood obsession was the Rolling Stones. In high school, she discovered new indie-rock bands by scouring NYC venues with her fake ID in hand-these shows instilled in her a love for lyrics with specificity and intensity. [A limited-edition clear vinyl pressing is available.]

Daughter – Stereo Mind Game CD/LP (Glassnote)

Returning with their first studio album for seven years, Stereo Mind Game is a new chapter for Daughter. The group’s third record follows Not To Disappear (2016) and soundtrack Music From Before The Storm (2017). After more than a decade spent depicting the darkest emotions, the trio of Elena Tonra, Igor Haefeli and Remi Aguilella present their most optimistic record yet. Connection and disconnection permeate Stereo Mind Game‘s twelve songs literally and figuratively. In the intervening years since the Ivor Novello-nominated Music from Before The Storm (2017), the band has moved away from their initial London base. However, despite the physical distance – further exacerbated by the pandemic – Daughter continued to meet and write together. [An indie store exclusive color viny pressing is available. Standard vinyl and cassette versions due April 21.]

Devon Gilfillian – Love You Anyway CD/LP (Fantasy)

An intoxicating, genre-crossing game changer, rising singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Devon Gilfillian’s second full-length studio album Love You Anyway spans soul, hip-hop, R&B, and rock, all under the banner of Black joy. Love You Anyway confronts as well as comforts; chronicling Gilfillian’s journey as a Black artist living in 21st century America, the album’s 10 original tracks, (all co-written by Gilfillian) are as much about fighting for what you believe in: equity and representation, as it is about love, finding it, making it, and channeling it into every facet of our lives. Conjuring the raw, sexy emotions of his predecessors and the next-level production grooves of his R&B and hip-hop contemporaries, Gilfillian is taking soul music into an exciting and restorative new future. [A limited-edition clear vinyl pressing is available.]

Ellie Goulding – Higher Than Heaven CD/LP (Polydor)

Higher Than Heaven is the eagerly anticipated fifth studio album from multi-platinum British superstar Ellie Goulding. Enlisting some of pop music’s finest – including Greg Kurstin, Koz, and Andrew Wells – the record sees Ellie put her own spin on modern pop music. Higher Than Heaven is jam packed with infectious hits that see her signature vocals take center stage while the production is pop music at its finest – stomping basslines, soaring synths and euphoric melodies. [An indie store exclusive color vinyl pressing is available.]

Ruston Kelly – The Weakness CD/LP (Rounder)

Pushing forward with the intensely self-aware truth-telling he’s always brought to his music, Ruston Kelly immersed himself in the making of his third full-length effort The Weakness: a blisteringly honest, but profoundly hopeful album that reveals our potential to create strength and beauty from painful experiences. The Weakness finds Kelly collaborating for the first time with producer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Nate Mercereau (Sharon Van Etten, Leon Bridges, Maggie Rogers), who welcomed the artist into his Los Angeles-based Studio Tujunga. “The way I’d always worked in the past is that the song comes first, and the production helps to lift its meaning and intent,” Kelly explains. “But this time there was a much greater focus on creating a sonic atmosphere that speaks just as loudly and feels just as emotional as the lyrics and voice.” [An indie store exclusive blue color vinyl pressing is available.]

The Len Price 3 – Chinese Burn [Reissue/2007] CD/LP (Wicked Cool)

UK garage rock band, The Len Price 3, release an expanded edition of their 2007 album, Chinese Burn. The Len Price 3 comprises Glenn Page on guitar and vocals, Steve Huggins on bass, and Neil Fromow on drums. “The Len Price 3 has a classic garage rock sound—think The Strokes or The White Stripes. ‘The Last Hotel’ has more of a folk-rock feel, while ‘Break Your Neck’ reminds me of The Sex Pistols. Almost all the songs on the album clock in between 1:30 and 2 minutes.” – Jessica Young, The Voice

Manchester Orchestra – The Valley Of Vision CD/LP (Loma Vista)

The Valley Of Vision finds the Manchester Orchestra reinvigorated once again, delivering a serene salvo of songs that defy the heavy weight of adulthood, faith and self-redemption through sounds unlike anything they have made before. Following their previous 2021 LP, The Million Masks Of God – an acclaimed collection that cried for help as it explored a man’s encounter with the angel of death – The Valley Of Vision puts forth a collective, cathartic expression of gratitude that is brought to life in the cinematic songwriting of frontman Andy Hull. An evolution from its predominantly guitar-driven past, the band almost completely abandons the instruments it is used to, and instead plays with primitive yet powerful piano leads and shimmering atmospheres, backed by sub-synth frequencies of bassist Andy Prince and shapeshifting sounds of drummer Tim Very. [An indie store exclusive translucent blue viny colorway is available.]

Mister Rogers – Back In The Neighborhood: The Best Of Mister Rogers, Volume 2 CD (Omnivore)

Even though Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood ceased production in 2001 (with Fred Rogers passing away two years later), the show has been available and viewed every year since its debut in 1968. Back In The Neighborhood: The Best Of Mister Rogers, Volume 2 is another definitive excursion into the music and legacy of Fred Rogers. It contains 15 tracks drawn from You Are Special, Coming And Going, Bedtime, and You’re Growing including seven unique edits. Also featured is “What Would You Like To Do Today” plus five previously unissued tracks.

Mudhoney – Plastic Eternity CD/LP/Cassette (Sub Pop)

The absurdities of modern life have always been prime subject matter for Seattle-based foursome Mudhoney, and the band take aim at all of them with typical barbed humor and muck-encrusted riffs on their eleventh studio album, Plastic Eternity. From taking on climate change from the perspective of the climate if the climate tried to play guitar like Jimi Hendrix (“Cry Me An Atmospheric River”) to a driving rock and roll song about taking drugs meant for livestock (“Here Comes The Flood”) to a classic punk attack on treating humans like livestock (“Human Stock Capital”), Plastic Eternity is a run through all the proto-genres of guitar rock with a keen eye on the inanities of the world in the 2020s. [A limited-edition gray color vinyl pressing is available.]

NF – Hope CD/2xLP (NF Music)

Hope is the fifth studio album from chart-topping, multiplatinum rapper, NF. Known for rapping quick-witted lyrics over hip hop beats and cinematic production, NF has built a loyal fan base that has earned him over 30 billion global streams and established NF as one of the most consumed artists today. Hope is a 13-track album boasting instant hits, such as “Happy”. “Motto”, and Grammy-nominated features with singer/songwriter Julia Michaels on “Gone”, and rapper Cordae on “Careful”. [An indie store autographed CD edition and a limited-edition white color vinyl pressing is available.]

Overcoats – Winner CD/LP (Never Fall Back/Thirty Tigers)

The third full-length from Overcoats, Winner takes place in the kind of New York City spaces meant for unencumbered dreaming: fire escapes and rooftops, downtown late at night, the majestic Manhattan skyline as glimpsed from the George Washington Bridge. But in paying homage to the city that formed them, singer/songwriters Hana Elion and JJ Mitchell set their storytelling against a sonic backdrop more reminiscent of wide-open landscapes-an unbridled and euphoric sound that evokes the wild rush of hitting the road with your closest confidant, with no destination in mind. In its intimate reflection on belonging, independence, and undeniable wanderlust, Winner decisively makes the case for defying all confines and living in your own charmed reality. [An indie store exclusive clear vinyl pressing is available.]

Walter Smith III – Return To Casual CD/LP (Blue Note)

Saxophonist and composer Walter Smith III has signed with Blue Note Records and enters a new era of his band leading career with the release of return to casual, the long-anticipated follow-up to his 2014 recording Still Casual. Eight original works (and one new arrangement) all composed within weeks of each other layer, displace, dismantle, and reassemble among the Houston native’s fellow artists. Reprising their bandmate roles, pianist Taylor Eigsti, guitarist Matt Stevens, bassist Harish Raghavan, and drummer Kendrick Scott reveal a seasoned depth of dimension alongside featured guest appearances by trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire and pianist James Francies.

Yaeji – With A Hammer CD/LP (XL)

With A Hammer was composed across a two-year period in New York, Seoul, and London, begun shortly after the release of What We Drew and during the lockdowns of the Coronavirus pandemic. It is a diaristic ode to self-exploration; the feeling of confronting one’s own emotions, and the transformation that is possible when we’re brave enough to do so. In this case, Yaeji examines her relationship to anger. It is a departure from her previous work, blending elements of trip-hop and rock with her familiar house-influenced style, and dealing with darker, more self-reflective lyrical themes, both in English and Korean. Yaeji also utilizes live instrumentation for the first time on this album – weaving in a patchwork ensemble of live musicians and incorporating her own guitar playing. [An indie store exclusive pink color vinyl pressing is available.]

Additional Social Media Program Titles:

Wednesday – Rat Saw God CD/LP/Cassette (Dead Oceans)

Rat Saw God is an album about riding a bike down a suburban stretch in Greensboro while listening to My Bloody Valentine for the first time on an iPod Nano, past a creek that runs through the neighborhood riddled with broken glass bottles and condoms, a front yard filled with broken and rusted car parts, a lonely and dilapidated house reclaimed by kudzu. Four Lokos and rodeo clowns and a kid who burns down a corn field. Roadside monuments, church marquees, poppers and vodka in a plastic water bottle, the shit you get away with at Jewish summer camp, strange sentimental family heirlooms at the thrift stores. The way the South hums alive all night in the summers and into fall, the sound of high school football games, the halo effect from the lights polluting the darkness. It’s not really bright enough to see in front of you, but in that stretch of inky void – somehow – you see everything. [A limited-edition purple vinyl colorway is available. Also available this week: vinyl reissues of the band’s 2020 LP I Was Trying To Describe You To Someone and 2021 LP Twin Plagues.]

CDs + Vinyl:

Aara – Triade III: Nyx CD/LP (Debemur Morti Productions)

The Swiss melodic black metal band’s fifth full-length since 2019, Triade III: Nyx is a succinctly elegant display of power and class, a paring down, tightening-up and condensation of the forceful yet nimble style the band are renowned for. [A limited-edition gold with black color vinyl pressing is available.]

Angels Of Light – The Angels Of Light Sing “Other People” [Reissue/2005] CD/LP (Young God)

Angels Of Light – We Are Him [Reissue/2007] CD/2xLP (Young God)

Angels of Light was formed by Michael Gira immediately after the 1997 termination of Swans. With an ever evolving and changing cast of musicians, the albums felt like a huge departure sonically to what had gone before, yet listening back now, they sound like an essential part of Gira’s journey to Swans current iteration.

Aphyxion – Ad Astra CD/LP (Circular Wave)

New album from the Danish metalcore band. Four years after their album Void, Aphyxion dive even deeper on their fourth studio album Ad Astra: pain, spirituality, uncertainty, duality. [A limited-edition white color vinyl pressing is available.]

Blondshell – Blondshell CD/LP (Partisan)

Emil Brandqvist Trio – Layers Of Life CD/2xLP+MP3 (Skip)

The Emil Brandqvist Trio is an established major player on the European jazz circuit. Emil himself doesn’t pass up the chance to set special accents by featuring a venerable Moog synthesizer.

Daniel Caesar – Never Enough CD/2xLP (Republic)

Third album from the Grammy-winning singer/songwriter and musician. Includes the singles “Do You Like Me?” and “Let Me Go”. Caesar effortlessly floats across the gamut of contemporary R&B.

Ava Cassidy with the London Symphony Orchestra – I Can Only Be Me CD/LP/2xLP (Blix Street)

I Can Only Be Me is a landmark collaborative album with the London Symphony Orchestra. Eva Cassidy’s original vocal parts have been isolated and accompanied by new arrangements written by Oscar-shortlisted Christopher Willis and Emmy-winning William Ross. Utilizing recent advances in machine learning technologies, the existing vocal part has been painstakingly restored and enhanced to reveal previously unheard levels of clarity and depth. The result is an emotive, atmospheric album, familiar yet different, lush soundscapes perfectly accompanying pristine vocals. [A deluxe hardcover CD edition and deluxe 180gm audiophile 45rpm double-LP is available.]

Allan Clarke – I’ll Never Forget CD/LP (BMG)

After returning unexpectedly from a 20-year retirement with successful comeback album Resurgence in 2019, the voice of The Hollies – Allan Clarke – is back with I’ll Never Forget. The album reunites Allan with his old Hollies bandmate, Graham Nash of Crosby, Stills And Nash fame. The two old friends from Manchester began writing together during the pandemic after over 40 years, resulting in the effortlessly catchy Buddy’s Back, a tribute to the rock & roll great The Hollies were named after. Graham’s beautiful trademark harmonies are present throughout the album, but this is very much Allan’s record.

Cycheouts – Cycheouts’ Counterattack: Best Cuts 1995 – 2000 CD/2xLP (Em)

This collection chronicles the legacy of underground Japanese techno legends Cycheouts – pronounced ‘psyche outs’ in English. Originally formed in 1994, the group quickly became a centerpiece of Osaka’s underground electronic scene.

Dark Sanctuary – Cernunnos CD/LP (Avantgarde Music)

Pioneering French dark atmospheric music since 1996, Dark Sanctuary is back with their eighth album (their first in 14 years).

Daughter – Stereo Mind Game CD/LP (Glassnote)

Desire Marea – On The Romance Of Being CD/2xLP+MP3 (Mute)

Recorded live with an ensemble of thirteen musicians, On The Romance Of Being consists of eight movements that sonically sprawl across post-gospel, spiritual jazz, black classical and the ancient music of the Nguni and Ndau peoples and elicits a sincere conversation between the erotic and spiritual.

Dicky Continental – Un CD/LP (Acid Jazz)

Dicky Continental is Rich Thair – drummer and co-founder of pioneering band Red Snapper. The album, Un, is the sound of Rich’s live drums and percussion, field recordings from travels, dirty breaks, and samples from his chaotic record collection. The two singles taken from the album (“Make Them Disappear” and “Split”) both feature the luxurious vocals of Jo Sims. There’s a live string quartet, broken piano and the sounds of malfunctioning vintage equipment from Rich’s studio for a unique sonic soundscape.

Discretion – Iron Times CD/LP (Massacre)

New album from the German death metal band.

Elysion – Bring Out Your Dead CD/LP (Massacre)

New album from the Greek goth metal band.

FACS – Still Life In Decay CD/LP (Trouble In Mind)

Chicago trio FACS (guitarist Brian Case, bassist Alianna Kalaba & drummer Noah Leger) has been perfecting their brand of intense, cathartic post-punk over the course of four ever-evolving albums, beginning with 2017’s Negative Houses thru 2021’s landmark Present Tense, which saw the trio dig deep into the gaping maw of a black hole & pulling back whatever debris they could grasp onto. Their newest Still Life In Decay comes as an addendum to the last album – a “post-event review” if you will. [A limited-edition red color vinyl pressing is available. Cassette version due April 21.]

Falaise – After All This Time CD/LP (Flowing Downward)

On their fourth full-length album, Italian post-black metal duo Falaise keep exploring introverted feelings of isolation and loneliness, conducted through waves of raging black metal and dreamy melodies devoted to the greatest luminaries of post-rock and blackgaze.

Frenzal Rhomb – Cup Of Pestilence CD (Fat Wreck Chords)

New album from the veteran Australian punk band. Drink long and deep of its zest. It’s lifegiving succor. It’s mad riffs. “Frenzal Rhomb’s tenth studio album, The Cup Of Pestilence, covers everything from drug dealers to drug cooks, to actually taking drugs. Really diverse stuff. But is it any good? The answer is a hard no – because it’s better than good – it’s absolutely fucking awesome.” – Dave Mullins, Wall Of Sound

Robbie Fulks – Bluegrass Vacation CD/LP (Compass)

Robbie Fulks’s adventurous spirit has defined a critically acclaimed 30-year career that has included 15 solo albums and two Grammy nominations. He came to national attention as a defining artist of the alt-country scene in the 1990s, with releases on the Chicago-based indie Bloodshot Records, North Carolina’s Yep Roc, and Los Angeles’s Geffen Records. Bluegrass music has always been a part of Fulks’s musical vision but his new album, Bluegrass Vacation is his first purely bluegrass endeavor. Paired with a cast that features some of the brightest stars of the genre including Sam Bush, Sierra Hull, Ronnie McCoury, Tim O’Brien, Alison Brown, John Cowan, and Jerry Douglas, the result is one of the most remarkable bluegrass albums of the century. In the end, Fulks plants his flag firmly in the bluegrass tradition, a genre that built the steppingstones Fulks walks on today. [A limited-edition blue color vinyl pressing is available.]

Kepi Ghoulie – Ramones In Love CD/LP (Pirate Press)

To many people, the Ramones are their Beatles… The music has all kinds of depth and emotions, and though the Ramones are best known for their bombastic non-stop song delivery. This offering showcases the romance and poignance of the catalog of a band that has not only launched a thousand punk bands, but also warmed a million hearts.

Devon Gilfillian – Love You Anyway CD/LP (Fantasy)

Ellie Goulding – Higher Than Heaven CD/LP (Polydor)

Ben Gregory – Episode CD/LP (Transgressive)

Episode is the debut solo album from Blaenavon’s Ben Gregory. An album expansive in scope, it explores the singer’s own relationship with close family, personal identity and mental health.

Harold Grosskopf – Oceanheart + Ocean Revisited 2xCD/2xLP (Bureau B)

Formerly the drummer with kosmische band Ashra as well as a collaborator with many prog rock bands, German electronic musician Harald Grosskopf released his second solo album Oceanheart in 1986. Capturing a time when krautrock was beginning to meld with new age ambience, it’s a smooth, polished, and danceable collection that often borders on yacht-rock. Comes with a re-worked new version of the album, Ocean Revisited, made in 2022.

Heathen Foray – Oathbreaker CD/LP (Massacre)

Heathen Foray began their journey with the ambition to blend the heaviness of death metal with lighthearted and catchy melodies that will stay in your mind long after you heard them. This authentic mix, seasoned with folk music elements, paid off, as the band’s sing-along themes and skull splitting riffs earned them a following of underground metal fans and media tastemakers.

Susanna Hoffs – Deep End CD (Baroque Folk)

Susanna Hoffs, cofounder of the multi-platinum-selling Bangles, career solo artist, and one of pop music’s premier interpreters, has partnered with legendary producer, Peter Asher (James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt, 10,000 Maniacs) to curate and record a collection of Susanna’s favorite classic and contemporary popular songs, including gems by the Rolling Stones and Squeeze, and newer songs by Billie Eilish, Ed Sheeran, Joy Oladokum and Brandy Clarke.

Jana Horn – The Window Is The Dream CD/LP (No Quarter)

A Rothko-esque color field set to music, The Window Is The Dream ventures even deeper into Horn’s inner space than her stark, acclaimed debut Optimism, which earned her an ‘artist to watch’ tag from The Guardian upon its release last year. For her second record, Horn travelled to upstate New York to record with a few musical touchstones in mind: the electro-primitivism of the Silver Apples, austere rhythm kings This Heat and The Raincoats’ time bending Odyshape, however the resulting 10 songs are an entry into a world which is very much her own.

Bert Jansch – Bert At The BBC 8xCD/4xLP+MP3 (Earth Recordings)

Bert At the BBC is a comprehensive collection of Jansch’s appearances at the BBC, featuring over eight hours of rare and unreleased recordings, including live-on-air spots, studio sessions and full concerts straight from the BBC vaults, delving further into this legendary performer’s canon. Bert Jansch was the very essence of folk music, providing inspiration for everyone from Paul Simon and Neil Young to Led Zeppelin and countless folk revivalists. This unparalleled limited-edition compendium is available as a 4xLP and 8xCD set, housed in a coffee-table book set with a lavish 40-page book tracing the recordings from Bert’s earliest moments at the BBC. It includes interviews and insights from Lauren Laverne, Jools Holland, Johnny Marr, Jacqui McShee, Bob Harris, Bernard Butler, Mark Radcliffe and many more. 20 broadcasters, producers and collaborators contribute at length to the booklet, with great affection for this gentle, maverick genius.

Joey Bada$$ – 2000 CD/2xLP (Columbia)

2000 arrives nearly 10 years to the date after Joey Bada$$’s classic mixtape, 1999, marking a new chapter for the 27-year-old multi-hyphenate while closing another one. The album title serves as a reminder for the world that time is a concept and it’s just been one long year since Joey and Pro Era exploded onto the scene in 2012. The new project features previously released singles “Zip Codes”, “Survivors Guilt”, “Where I Belong”, and “Head High”, alongside guest appearances from Diddy, Capella Grey, Chris Brown, JID, Larry June and Westside Gunn.

Kärbholz – Kapitel 11: Barrikaden CD/2xLP (Metalville)

New album from the German hardcore band. [A limited-edition fan box including the CD, beanie w/ woven band logo, bottle opener w/ logo, two beer coasters, a sticker and autograph card is available. Also available: a yellow vinyl colorway.]

Ruston Kelly – The Weakness CD/LP (Rounder)

Kiss – Kiss Off The Soundboard CD/2xLP (UMe)

Kiss’s fifth authorized Soundboard live release is from the November 28, 1984, Animalize Tour show from the Mid-Hudson Civic Arena in Poughkeepsie, NY featuring the only known (albeit incomplete) soundboard recording with Mark St. John. “Young And Wasted” and “Rock And Roll All Nite”.

The Len Price 3 – Chinese Burn [Reissue/2007] CD/LP (Wicked Cool)

Linkin Park – Meteora: 20^th Anniversary 3xCD/4xLP (WB)

Contains Meteora, LPU Rarities 2.0 and Live Rarities 2003-2004. Meteora, Linkin Park’s ground-breaking second album, was released in March 2003 and included the global hit singles “Somewhere I Belong”, “Faint”, “Numb”, “Breaking The Habit”, and “From The Inside”.

Andy Fairweather Low – Flang Dang CD/LP (Last Music Company)

Flang Dang is Andy’s first solo album since 2006 After an interval of sixteen years, here he is again at his sweet and soulful musical best with the kind of record that will surely delight his fans. Every song on the album was written by Andy and oozes with the blues and gospel style that he has made his own.

Madness – One Step Beyond [Reissue/1979] 2xCD (Union Square)

One Step Beyond is Madness’ seminal debut album, recorded in just three weeks and originally released in October 1979. The album – one of the most important in the 2Tone ska revival of the late ’70s and early ’80s – received much critical praise and includes the classic hit singles “One Step Beyond…”, “My Girl”, “Night Boat To Cairo” and “The Prince”. The special reissue includes 18 bonus tracks (including demos, B-sides, and BBC John Peel Session tracks) alongside brand-new liner notes which include interviews with founder Madness members Chrissyboy Foreman, Mike Barson, Mark Bedford and Daniel Woodgate.

The Mamas & The Papas – The Mamas & The Papas [Reissue/1966] CD/LP (Sundazed)

This iconic foursome’s captivating brand of harmony-laden pop remains as effortlessly appealing today as when it was first released, and their self-titled 1966 sophomore LP is one of their most beloved and enduring sunshine pop efforts. Includes the infectious hits “I Saw Her Again” and “Words of Love”. [A limited-edition violet color vinyl pressing is available.]

Manchester Orchestra – The Valley Of Vision CD/LP (Loma Vista)

Kameron Marlowe – We Were Cowboys CD/2xLP (SME Nashville)

Produced by award-winning industry veteran Dann Huff, We Were Cowboys features 16 tracks. Wow. “I’ve been working on this project for the better part of two years, and I’ve lived a lot of life in that time,” said Marlowe. “This album encapsulates it all – nostalgia, romance, heartbreak, and everything in between. I couldn’t be prouder of this project, and I’m incredibly excited for fans to get a deeper look at who I am through these songs.”

Mister Rogers – Back In The Neighborhood: The Best Of Mister Rogers, Volume 2 CD (Omnivore)

Morta Skuld – Dying Remains [Reissue/1993] 2xCD/LP (Peaceville)

30th Anniversary edition of the classic 1993 debut from the brutal US death/doom metal band. Morta Skuld formed in Milwaukee in 1990, going on to release three albums on Peaceville Records (initially via legendary sub-label Deaf Records) in the early-mid- ‘90s. Dying Remains was the band’s debut, released in 1993. [A limited-edition red color vinyl pressing is available.]

Motorpsycho – Ancient Astronauts CD/LP (Rune Grammofon)

Most of Ancient Astronauts was recorded in Amper Tone studio in Oslo during five days in August with old compadre Deathprod at the helm as producer. All four tracks are basically the band playing live in the studio, with the odd keyboards, bits of guitar and the vocals added afterwards. Some of it is in turns frantic and angular or grandiose and hypnotic and is mined from the same sources as the band’s more explorative music from recent years. Meaning there aren’t many choruses to hang on to here, but plenty of mouthwatering music for fans and prog heads alike.

Mudhoney – Plastic Eternity CD/LP/Cassette (Sub Pop)

µ-Ziq – 1977 CD/2xLP (Balmat)

Under a slew of aliases, chief among them µ-Ziq, British artist Mike Paradinas revolutionized leftfield electronic music in the 1990s – coincidentally, this year marks the 30th anniversary of his debut album, Tango N’ Vectif, for his friend and sometime collaborator Aphex Twin’s Rephlex label-and his label Planet Mu has built up a formidable catalog of visionary, forward-looking records, mapping virtually every corner of the electronic spectrum. With 1977, he turns the clock backward in a sense, and not just with the album’s title: Rooted in classic ambient and electronic sounds, these 15 tracks evoke the anything-goes spirit of the early ’90s, before the tools and tropes had calcified into cut-and-dried styles.

NF – Hope CD/2xLP (NF Music)

North Americans – Long Cool World CD/LP (Third Man)

North Americans-the project from Los Angeles guitarist Patrick McDermott and Portland’s Barry Walker on pedal steel-release their album Long Cool World via Third Man Records. Long Cool World strips away most of the musical collaborators, allowing Walker and McDermott to settle on an approach that is at once intricate and simple, creating hypnotic music that loops and layers, with subtle shimmers of noise or quiet psychedelic freakouts hiding beneath McDermott’s unshowy but emotionally affecting guitarwork and Walker’s pedal steel hum. [An indie store exclusive cream color vinyl pressing is available.]

Overcoats – Winner CD/LP (Never Fall Back/Thirty Tigers)

Patto – Patto [Reissue/1970] CD/LP (Think Like A Key)

Despite being criminally underrated at the time of its release in 1970, the debut album by Patto has been recently gaining respect as one of the finest jazz-rock fusion albums ever recorded by a British group. This new edition features fresh spectral ‘demix’ and remaster by Prof. Stoned which sheds new light on the band’s remarkable interaction.

Michel Petrucciani – Michel Petrucciani: The Montreux Years CD/2xLP (BMG)

Live archive release. A collection of some of Michel Petrucciani’s best Montreux Jazz Festival live performances.

Powerwolf – Interludium CD/2xCD (Napalm)

Powerwolf is undoubtedly one of the most celebrated and successful German heavy metal bands. Interludium features six new studio tracks, including the single “Sainted By The Storm” and the intriguing “My Will Be Done”. [A limited-edition double-CD version is available.]

Rae Sremmurd – Sremm 4 Life CD (Interscope)

New release from the Mississippi rap duo.

The Reds, Pinks & Purples – The Town That Cursed Your Name CD/LP+MP3 (Slumberland)

Dedicated “to everyone who ever tried to start a band in the Bay,” The Reds, Pinks & Purples’ The Town That Cursed Your Name is at once achingly local and heartrendingly universal. Over the last few years, The RPPs’ Glenn Donaldson has attracted a lot of attention with his gorgeous, lyrical pop and for good reason; his almost-paradoxical combination of productivity and peerless quality has delivered six albums and countless singles in just three years, and that’s only what has actually been released. [A limited-edition blue color vinyl pressing is available.]

Rise Of The Northstar – Showdown CD (Atomic Fire)

New album from the French crossover metal band.

Rudimentary Peni – Cacophony [Reissue/1988] CD/LP/Cassette (Sealed Records)

Reissue of the 1988 album from the anarcho-punk band. Cacophony is the second Rudimentary Peni album. Released after the band returned from their first hiatus following a series of personal events that changed the band forever. The thirty track LP keeps turning heads 34 years after its release.

Pharoah Sanders – Live At Fabrik: Hamburg 1980 CD/2xLP (Jazzline)

This release in a series of live recordings of concerts from the Fabrik in Hamburg-Altona, one of those hidden treasures from the archive of the NDR, was intended to bring back the memory of changes and revolutions in the world of jazz of more than four decades ago. This concert formed part of the then fifth edition of what was still called the New Jazz Festival, a summit of German, European and US-American musicians.

Sarah & The Safe Word – The Book Of Broken Glass CD (Take This To Heart)

Sarah & The Safe Word’s fourth album The Book Of Broken Glass is an existential journey of 13 songs that weave in and out of their signature queer cabaret-punk mixed with rock arrangements, folky undertones and sometimes even and late ‘90s early 2000s nu-metal vibe.

Shamir – Hope [Reissue/2017] CD/LP (Kill Rock Stars)

Shamir’s art is a synthesis of the full spectrum of human emotion; sensual, furious, yearning, joyful. The freedom in his self-produced and released Hope, although tethered through style to greats (like Miss Nina Simone, Prince, and Taylor Swift) is based almost entirely on a hyper specific, fully autonomous, embodied expression of personhood. Originally-and somewhat begrudgingly released via SoundCloud in 2017, Hope was received with the sort of enthusiasm that marks this work as a truly iconic, world building project that only Shamir could have constructed. [A limited-edition green color vinyl pressing is available.]

Walter Smith III – Return To Casual CD/LP (Blue Note)

Soilwork – Chainheart Machine [Reissue/2000] CD/LP (Listenable)

Digitally remastered, expanded, and overhauled edition of the Swedish metal band’s sophomore album. [A limited-edition blue vinyl colorway is available.]

Bobo Stenson – Sphere CD/LP (ECM)

The Bobo Stenson Trio’s ability to cover far-reaching idioms and wide-ranging repertoire within the scope of their personal diction has become both hallmark and custom. The New York Times says the pianist “makes sublime piano-trio records without over-playing. It’s pulsating, lumpy with long improvised phrases; it’s alive.” Charting a subtle and idiosyncratic path through originals and melodies derived from various Scandinavian composers, the group proves of a particularly supple alchemy on Sphere.

Ralph Towner – At First Light CD (ECM)

An ECM artist for his entire musical career, US guitarist Ralph Towner has built up a unique body of work in his recordings for the label. Central to his oeuvre are his solo albums, the first of which, Diary, was released 50 years ago. At First Light extends this great tradition, drawing inspiration from a broad palette of music. In addition to his own pieces, Towner also plays Hoagy Carmichael’s “Little Old Lady”, Jule Styne’s “Make Someone Happy” and the traditional tune “Danny Boy”.

Trees Speak – Mind Maze CD/LP+7”+MP3 (Soul Jazz)

Trees Speak’s sound is characterized by a combination of German krautrock motoric-beat rhythms, angular New York post-punk attitude, ‘60s spy soundtracks, psych, rock, jazz, and ‘70s synthesizers and vocoders. There is also a cosmic spatial awareness to their sound; both personal inner space and galactic outer space, as well as a willful pushing of sonic boundaries.

Stanley Turrentine – Mr. Natural [Reissue/1964] LP (Blue Note)

Stanley Turrentine’s 1964 recording Mr. Natural featured the soulful tenor saxophonist and Blue Note stalwart at the helm of a cutting-edge modern jazz group with Lee Morgan on trumpet, McCoy Tyner on piano, Bob Cranshaw on bass, Elvin Jones on drums, and Ray Barretto on congas for three songs. This stereo Tone Poet Vinyl Edition was produced by Joe Harley, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original analog master tapes.

Various Artists – Late Night Basie CD/LP (Primary Wave)

The spirit of Basie lives on in the swingin’-est, most surprising musical collaboration this side of late-night featuring Terence Blanchard, Talib Kweli, Larkin Poe, Lettuce & others. Late Night Basie captures the essence of the man and his music. [An indie store exclusive turquoise color vinyl pressing is available.]

Matthew Logan Vasquez – As All Get Out CD (Nine Mile)

As lead singer and chief songwriter for rock stalwarts Delta Spirit, Vasquez has toured to world multiple times, played nearly every premier festival in the US and Europe, and appeared on Late Night with Conan O’Brien and Later With Jools Holland. On his latest release, As All Get Out, however, Vasquez reflects more on his new day-to-day experiences: raising two young children in the Texas Hill Country with his partner, recently entering full-time sobriety, and generally dealing with all the complexities of an adult life. As always, however, Vasquez wraps these tales in the charismatic, guitar-driven pop-rock people have come to expect from his Delta Spirit songs.

Wednesday – Rat Saw God CD/LP/Cassette (Dead Oceans)

Rat Saw God is an album about riding a bike down a suburban stretch in Greensboro while listening to My Bloody Valentine for the first time on an iPod Nano, past a creek that runs through the neighborhood riddled with broken glass bottles and condoms, a front yard filled with broken and rusted car parts, a lonely and dilapidated house reclaimed by kudzu. Four Lokos and rodeo clowns and a kid who burns down a corn field. Roadside monuments, church marquees, poppers and vodka in a plastic water bottle, the shit you get away with at Jewish summer camp, strange sentimental family heirlooms at the thrift stores. The way the South hums alive all night in the summers and into fall, the sound of high school football games, the halo effect from the lights polluting the darkness. It’s not bright enough to see in front of you, but in that stretch of inky void – somehow – you see everything. [A limited-edition purple vinyl colorway is available.]

Steven Wilson – Insurgentes [Reissue/2009] CD/2xLP (Kscope/Snapper Classics UK)

Acclaimed for his work with Porcupine Tree, Opeth, and Anja Garbarek amongst others, Steven Wilson’s debut album Insurgentes was released on Kscope in 2009. Comprising 10 then-new tracks that range from ballads and anthems to all-out industrial noise assaults, the dark, cinematic and richly textured album represents two years’ worth of creative output and numerous recording sessions worldwide in studios from Mexico City to Japan and Israel.

Yaeji – With A Hammer CD/LP (XL)

Brandee Younger – Brand New Life CD/LP (Impulse!)

Brandee Younger is defying expectations. Over the past 15 years, she has worked relentlessly to stretch boundaries for harpists. In 2022, she broke new ground by becoming the first black woman nominated for a Grammy for Best Instrumental Composition. An ever-expanding artist, the album builds on her already rich oeuvre, transcending genre. As the title suggests, Brand New Life is about forging new paths. It features originals by Brandee, reinterpretations of Dorothy Ashby classics, and more.

John Zorn – 444 CD (Tzadik)

In 2020 Brian Marsella joined the heavy metal organ trio Simulacrum to spawn the astonishing fusion quartet Chaos Magick. This fourth CD in their ever-expanding legacy is a magical collection of instrumental music at its finest. Tighter and wilder than ever, Medeski, Hollenberg, Grohowski, and Marsella perform with a remarkable rapport in this provocative new direction from Downtown alchemist John Zorn, who has been exploring new musical worlds and confounding expectations since the 1970s.

This Week’s Vinyl Exclusives:

Arcturus – Constellation / My Angel [Reissue/1994/1991] LP (Prophecy)

Arcturus – Aspera Hiems Symfonia [Reissue/1996] LP (Prophecy)

Arcturus – La Masquerade Infernale [Reissue/1997] LP (Prophecy)

Arcturus and The Deception Circus – Disguised Masters [Reissue/1999] LP (Prophecy)

Arcturus – The Sham Mirrors [Reissue/2002] LP (Prophecy)

Arcturus is an avantgarde/progressive metal band from Oslo, Norway.

Chet Baker – Chet Baker Sings And Plays With Bud Shank Russ Freeman And Strings [Reissue/1955] LP (Blue Note)

Following the success of his vocal debut Chet Baker Sings in 1954, Pacific Jazz brought the rising star trumpeter back into the studio for the sequel Chet Baker Sings And Plays which showcased both sides of Baker’s artistry on a set of standards including his timeless rendition of “Let’s Get Lost.” This mono Tone Poet Vinyl Edition was produced by Joe Harley, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original analog master tapes.

Beat Bronco – Another Shape Of Essential Sounds LP (Rocafort)

Red color vinyl pressing. The Beat Bronco Organ Trio are back with 10 heavy-weight instrumental tracks of the finest quality. Another Shape Of Essential Sounds sees the Madrid trio stick to their winning formula with a psychedelic twist: sublime Hammond organ grooves, nifty guitar work and dynamic drums combine to produce a rich, uplifting, and vintage sound. Straight to the point, no fillers, and no messing around with the longest cut just over four minutes, these are irresistible, foot-tapping tunes which sound as good on the dance floor as at a dinner party.

The Beat Farmers – Van Go [Reissue/1986] LP (Curb)

Van Go is the second album by rock band the Beat Farmers, originally released in 1986. It was the band’s first album for Curb Records.

The Bee Gees – Spicks And Specks [Reissue/1966] LP (Reel)

White color vinyl pressing. Spicks And Specks is the second album from The Bee Gees, released under the tutelage of Australia’s Festival Records in 1966. Written mostly by the then-teenager Barry Gibb, the twelve cuts are packed full of rich vocal harmonies and simple soft-rock acoustic arrangements – the definitive ‘60s pop sound.

The Beths – Expert In A Dying Field LP+MP3/Cassette (Carpark)

Limited beige color vinyl pressing. The third LP from the New Zealand quartet, 2022’s Expert In A Dying Field, contains 12 jewels of tight, guitar-heavy songs that worm their way into your head, an incandescent collision of power-pop and skuzz. With Expert, The Beths wanted to make an album meant to be experienced live, for both the listeners and themselves. They wanted it to be fun — to hear, to play — despite the prickling anxiety throughout the lyrics, the fear of change and struggle to cope. Elizabeth Stokes’ songwriting positions her somewhere between being a novelist and a documentarian. The songs collected here are autobiographical, but they’re also character sketches of relationships – platonic, familial, romantic – and more importantly, their aftermaths. The shapes and ghosts left in absences.

Braid – Frame & Canvas [Reissue/1998] LP+MP3 (Polyvinyl)

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of Braid’s iconic 1998 album, Frame & Canvas, Polyvinyl and the band are thrilled to announce a new version of the album, completely remixed, remastered, and repackaged for 2023. Originally recorded and mixed in the span of just five days with producer J. Robbins (The Promise Ring, Against Me!) at Inner Ear Studios in Arlington, VA, Frame & Canvas would eventually become a genre-defining staple and essential listening for indie/emo fans. [A limited-edition silver colorway is available.]

The Brand New Heavies – The Brand New Heavies [Reissue/1990] LP (Acid Jazz)

The Brand New Heavies’s seminal self-titled debut album exploded in the summer of 1990, defining the sound of that summer, while establishing both the band and the Acid Jazz label. With a fresh take on their influences – ’70s jazz funk and two-step soul – combined with a London warehouse party vibe, it began the group’s journey to international success, with 16 Top 40 hits. It features raw funk cuts “BNH” and “Sphynx”, as well as “Dream Come True” and “Stay This Way” – both of which would become US R&B and UK Pop hits. Its legacy lives on in this special edition blue vinyl repress.

Brii – Sem Propósito LP (Flowing Downward)

Psychedelic, melodic atmospheric, black metal.

Brijean – Angelo LP+MP3 (Ghostly Int’l)

Angelo features nine songs Brijean has crafted and carried with them through a period of profound change, loss, and relocation. The months surrounding the acclaimed release of Feelings, their full-length Ghostly International debut in 2021 which celebrated tender self-reflection and new possibilities, rang bittersweet with the absence of touring and personal loss. They explored new moods and styles, reaching for effervescent dance tempos and kaleidoscopic backdrops, vibrant colors in contrast to their more somber human experiences. Angelo beams with positivity and creative renewal – a resourceful, collective answer to “what happens now?” Limited-edition pink & blue color vinyl pressing.

Heather Woods Broderick – Labyrinth LP (Western Vinyl)

On Labyrinth, Heather Woods Broderick serves as our reflective host, subverting expectations of conventional songcraft with impressionistic language and quietly relentless explorations of the human experience that’s at once light and dark, more circular, and less linear. “Many of us yearn for stillness and peace, as an escape from the movement all around us,” she explains when asked about the themes of the album. “Yet movement is perpetual, happening all the time on some level. It’s as wild as the wind, yet eternally predictable in its inevitability. It is linear in part, but infinite in its circuitry. Our lives just punctuate it.” [A limited-edition white w/ gray color vinyl pressing is available.] CD version due April 21.]

Bobby Callendar – Rainbow [Reissue/1969] 2xLP (Akarma)

This bizarre, Alan Lorber-produced psychedelic album appeared originally in 1969 on Boston Sound. Bobby Callendar was an incredibly gifted poet and lyricist whose complex texts could only be compared to Scott Walker; the concepts of a UK artist of Indian heritage post-psychedelia were augmented by the lush arrangements of Paul Harris and Bob Gallo. The cast of musicians on this album included some of the highest-caliber sidemen of the time, most notably Richard Davis, the master bassist of Van Morrison’s Astral Weeks fame (not to mention a jazz musician in his own right), the guitars of Eric Gale and Hugh McCracken, and the astonishingly subtle Burnard Purdie on drums. The album is a rich and complex exploration of Eastern-inspired psychedelic rock and folk centered on the incredibly complex texts and vocals of Bobby Callendar.

Cannibal Corpse – The Bleeding [Reissue/1994] LP (Metal Blade)

Cannibal Corpse – Vile [Reissue/1996] LP (Metal Blade)

Limited-edition splatter color vinyl pressings (translucent red and red & silver, respectively) of the death metal band’s fourth and fifth studio albums.

Chicken Grass – Chicken Grass LP (Cattrack)

Chicken Grass is a Finnish six-piece band with a rustic, New Orleans-inspired sound. With over two decades of passionate live shows under their belt, these professional musicians and missionaries of groove have a deep understanding of funk and soul.

Chiodos – Bone Palace Ballet: Grand Coda [Reissue/2007] 2xLP (Equal Vision)

Bone Palace Ballet is the second album by post-hardcore band Chiodos, originally released in 2007.

Cradle Of Filth – Existence Is Futile 2xLP (Nuclear Blast America)

Black vinyl pressing. Every song on 2022’s Existence Is Futile is a nihilistic anthem, showcasing the different ways in which we have become a true plague to this planet – from a philosophical, religious but also ecological point of view. Mixed with the band’s typical gothic vibes, sophisticated nods to literature, film, and religion, and elaborate poetic lyrics, Existence Is Futile cements the band’s undisputed status as one of the most influential extreme metal bands.

Dampe – Glow 12” (High Praise)

Opening with the hypnotic arpeggio of title track “Glow”, the EP launches headfirst into a spinning world of driving rhythms and grainy synth textures. “Ravey Emo Tool (Like Me)” provides a welcome moment of cloud parting serenity. “Twenty Two Savanna” utilizes twisting, contorted breakbeats colliding against trance-like euphoria inducing synth patterns and shuttered vocals.

Ami Dang – The Living World’s Demands LP (Leaving)

Hailing from Baltimore, Punjabi-American sitar player, songwriter and ambient musician Ami Dang unites the disparate worlds of Indian classical music and dreamy synth-infused song composition on beguiling new album The Living World’s Demands.

Dead Horses – Brady Street LP (Vos & Wolff)

Milwaukee duo Dead Horses return with Brady Street, their first full-length since their breakthrough 2018 album, My Mother The Moon, which found the band lauded by NPR, Rolling Stone, Noisey, Billboard and more for their intimate, folk-inspired songs. The duo, songwriter Sarah Vos and upright bassist Dan Wolff, came together in college. Dan had previously played in punk bands but the two bonded over folk music and a shared upbringing in the church. Together, they weave together a patchwork of classic and contemporary influences that span trad roots, indie-folk, and other experimental musical idioms with songs that are personal, revelatory, and relatable, brimming with imaginative phrases, poetry, vulnerability, and a feeling of redemption.

Deafheaven – Infinite Granite [Reissue/2021] 2xLP+MP3 (Sargent House)

Clear w/ silver & black color vinyl pressing. Over the course of their first ten years, Deafheaven’s music vacillated between tormented beauty and harmonic rage – a hybrid of black metal’s malice and shoegaze’s sublime wall-of-sound. On their fifth album, Infinite Granite, Deafheaven are no longer toying with the juxtaposition of pitting metallic abrasion against swirling grandeur. Quite the opposite: Infinite Granite is a bold and brave leap forward, a gorgeous and invigorating album brimming with style and splendor. In the context of their catalog, it takes on a whole other layer of defiant beauty.

Deathbringer – 2xLP (Unique Leader)

Released last summer on CD – now available on vinyl. New album from the Belarusian death metal band.

Debt Rag – Lost To The Fantasy LP (Post Present Medium)

Adult punk from Olympia, Washington.

De La Soul – De La Soul Is Dead [Reissue/1991] 2xLP (Chrysalis)

140gm black vinyl in custom printed sleeves in a customer printed jacket. De La Soul quickly became one of the most revered, game-changing artists in hip-hop and forever cemented their legacy in the hearts and minds of fans around the world. Despite their rapid success and recognition, De La Soul continued to prove themselves as one of the most original, authentic and creative groups in hip-hop, with the release of their sophomore album, De La Soul Is Dead on May 14, 1991. Featuring once again, the production of visionary producer Prince Paul, their second album further fanned the flames; landing on charts around the world, receiving a five-mic rating in The Source and securing Gold status by the RIAA.

Delerium – Signs 2xLP (Metropolis)

Recently released on CD – now available on limited-edition white color vinyl. Delerium has explored any number of aspects of electronic music, ceaselessly evolving and exploring, seemingly traversing genres in search of the exquisite. Signs is a masterwork of hypnotic rhythms and enveloping ambience, with stunning vocal contributions from Mimi Page, Phildel, Inna Walters, and KANGA. Each singer’s unique voice elevates Signs, adding levels of aching beauty and romanticism. [A limited-edition white color vinyl pressing is due April 7.]

Deströyer 666 – Phoenix Rising [Reissue/2000] LP (Season Of Mist)

Deströyer 666 – Wildfire [Reissue/2016] LP (Season Of Mist)

Marbled color vinyl reissues (black w/ white and silver w/ black, respectively) of the Australian death/black/thrash metal band’s third and seventh albums.

DJ Koze – Amygdala [Reissue/2013] 2xLP (Pampa)

10th Anniversary vinyl edition of the 2013 album from the German DJ and music producer.

Emapea – Zoning Out, Vol. 2 [Reissue/2019] LP (Cold Busted)

Polish beat master Emapea has been a producer to watch. Early in 2018 he unveiled Zoning Out, Volume 1, an album intended for chilling while deep in thought, or for getting into that crucial head-nod zone, like when the DJ drops the dopest beat. On Zoning Out, Volume 2 Emapea takes his jazzy sensibilities and fresh drum patterns and ups the ante, delivering 18 mandatory cuts that swerve and shimmy while exhibiting pure dopeness.

Exocrine – The Hybrid Suns LP (Unique Leader)

Released last summer on CD – now available on vinyl. Continuing to push the boundaries of extremity and precision playing, Exocrine is the bridge between the ferocity of Archspire and Cryptopsy, and the potent progressive leanings of Obscura.

Extinction A.D. – Culture Of Violence LP (Unique Leader)

Released early last year on CD – now available on vinyl. The Long Island metallers return with their new album, Culture Of Violence. Essential listening for fans of Slayer, Megadeth, Testament and Pantera.

Nathan Fake – Crystal Vision 2xLP (Cambria)

For his sixth album, the British electronic musician with previous releases on Ninja Tune and Border Community returns to his own label for a 10-song album that makes its way through ambient, IDM, melodic techno, and minimal house.

Godley & Crème – Fly Away: The Frabjoy & Runcible Spoon Sessions 1968 – 1969 LP (Gueressen)

First-ever vinyl release of the long rumored 1969 studio album (plus related acetate and 45 only tracks) from pre- Hotlegs/10cc duo Godley & Creme, during their days as Frabjoy And Runcible Spoon. Classic UK late ‘60s psychedelic/folk/pop sound recorded at Advision Studios with support from future 10cc colleagues Graham Gouldman and Eric Stewart.

The Grateful Dead – On From The Vault [Reissue/1991] 3xLP (Future Days)

Newly remastered by Joe Gastwirt. For a legacy filled with legendary performances, The Grateful Dead Live at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco on August 13^th, 1975, stands out.

Groovie Ghoulies – Born In The Basement [Reissue/1994] LP (Pirate Press)

Groovie Ghoulies – Fun In The Dark [Reissue/1999] LP (Green Door Recording)

Vinyl reissues of the second and fifth albums by the horror-pop-punk mainstays. [A clear w/ blue smoke colorway of Fun In The Dark is available.]

Emm Gryner – Business & Pleasure LP (Highwire)

Business & Pleasure is infused with the sunshine soul and stellar playing of the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. The album embodies a new take on yacht rock that sails deep into the 2020s.

Halestorm – The Strange Case Of… [Reissue/2012] LP (Atlantic)

Vinyl reissue of the PA alt-rock/heavy metal band’s second album.

Annie Hall – Memories That Never Happened 12” (Central Processing)

Memories That Never Happened begins with the title-track, a twitchy yet wistful cut which perfectly matches its name. There’s bite to the broken-beat electro pulse, growling bass and robotic declamations of “it’s Annie”, but the makeup of the track is simultaneously rather rose-tinted, particularly when some chemtrails of a synth lead enter later. The overall effect is as thoughtful as it is stimulating, akin to the halcyon productions of Daniel Avery.

Lebanon Hanover – Tomb For Two LP (Fabrika)

Lebanon Hanover’s third studio outing is an iconic record that marks the end of a trilogy of albums released in little more than a year’s time, book ended a period of prolific songwriting and DIY production, that effectively captures a sound reminiscent of the underground music heard circa 1981. Tomb For Two also features some of the band’s most famous songs. With this record, the band cemented their legacy of creating anthems for the disenchanted, defying gender stereotypes and roles, and uniting in solidarity with their fellow outcasts who, together, defy normalcy even in the wake of ostracization. [Two colorways are available: gold and black w/ silver.]

Mick Harvey – Delirium Tremens [Reissue/2016] LP+MP3 (Mute)

Mick Harvey – Intoxicated Woman [Reissue/2017] LP+MP3 (Mute)

Color vinyl pressings (yellow and red, respectively) of the third and fourth volumes of Mick Harvey’s Serge Gainsbourg translation project.

Hideous Divinity – Cobra Verde [Reissue/2014] LP (Unique Leader)

Hideous Divinity’s 2014 album Cobra Verde, based around Werner Herzog’s 1987 film of the same name and crowned, “an uber-brutal, churning platter of tech-y death metal” by Decibel Magazine. Nine tracks of meticulously executed brutality.

Al Hirt – Greatest Trumpet Hits [Reissue/1979] 2xLP (Reel)

30 original arrangements, styled and newly recorded by American trumpeter and bandleader Al Hirt.

Cissy Houston – Cissy Houston [Reissue/1970] LP (Reel)

Cissy Houston is the self-titled debut album by Grammy award winning American soul-singer Cissy Houston, mother of Whitney Houston. The album was originally released in 1970 on Janus Records (US) and Major Minor (UK). Cissy Houston features pop/soul covers of famous songs by the likes of Burt Bacharach, Bobby Darin, Melanie, Sam & Dave, The Ronettes and The Beatles. Pressed on limited-edition white color vinyl with bonus track.

Calvin Johnson – Gallows Wine LP/Cassette (K. Records)

Rock ‘n’ roll is dead. Gallows Wine is a wake for its charred remains. Calvin Johnson traveled to Columbus, Mississippi to record Gallows Wine with the combo Hartle Road at their Pompeii studio. Columbus, in Lowndes County, is the childhood home of Tennessee Williams (just down US Route 45 from White Station, birthplace of Howlin’ Wolf). You wanted Calvin Johnson howling beyond the magnolia curtain; you got it.

Mike Knott – Strip Cycle [Reissue/1995] LP (Lost In Ohio)

In 1995, Mike Knott was unstoppable. His bands L.S. Underground and Bomb Bay Babies had grown to become staples of the southern California rock circuit. Through his successful indie label Blonde Vinyl, he had produced and released over 20 albums. Most notably, his group Aunt Bettys had been signed by Elektra Records after a bidding war between labels and was primed for wide success. Knott also released three critically acclaimed solo records. Each showed a distinct style and approach, with influences ranging widely from Bauhaus to Tom Petty to Dinosaur Jr. And while his band Aunt Bettys were preparing their major label debut, he sat down and wrote his fourth, Strip Cycle. Strip Cycle is unlike anything Knott has released before or since.

Les Rallizes Dénudés – ’77 Live [Reissue/1991] 3xLP (Temporal Drift)

Mizutani / Les Rallizes Dénudés – Mizutani / Les Rallizes Dénudés [Reissue/1991] LP (Temporal Drift)

Les Rallizes Dénudés – ’67-’69 Studio Et Live [Reissue/1991] LP (Temporal Drift)

Recently reissued on CD – now repressed on color vinyl (red, clear, and purple, respectively as well as standard black). Temporal Drift presents the first-ever officially sanctioned reissue of celebrated Japanese cult band Les Rallizes Dénudés’ three albums, originally compiled and released in limited quantities on CD in 1991. These reissues follow the label’s release of The OZ Tapes in 2022, as part of the label’s ongoing series of Les Rallizes Dénudés reissues. Led by the enigmatic Takashi Mizutani, Les Rallizes Dénudés has gained an almost mythical status the world over with their delicate balancing act between transcendent psychedelia and pure sonic assault, maintaining its status as an underground phenomenon throughout their three-decade existence and beyond.

Lightning Love – Blonde Album [Reissue/2012] LP (Lost In Ohio)

Pink & blue splatter on white color vinyl. “A perfect 27 minutes of pop with evergreen lyrics addressing the all-too-relatable regrets of shortsighted recklessness in love and in life, combined with the profound endearment of hearing a vocalist whose intonation already makes her sound so effortlessly earnest in her vulnerability finding pristinely eloquent couplets to express that specific state of desperation that rides along the very thin line between a revelatory breakthrough or a total breakdown. But you never get weighed down by all the utterly poignant heartache because the propulsive drums, with dynamics down to a tee, switch superbly between soft brushes to eruptive stampedes, all while perfectly complimenting the pound of the piano; our accompanying guitar, meanwhile, bends its way into melodic phrases that are so bewitchingly catchy that you don’t know whether to grin or cry.” -Jeff Milo, Ideas Adrift

Los Mac’s – Kaleidoscope Men [Reissue/1967] LP (Musica Entretenimiento)

Kaleidoscope Men is a psychedelic album clearly influenced by the Beatles’ Sgt Pepper’s, and by the groups of the then called Californian sunshine pop. A mature album, with excellent vocal and instrumental arrangements that flies from the confines of the world to a universal sound with fluidity and elegance.

Magnolia Electric Co. Sojourner 4xLP (Secretly Canadian)

The Sojourner boxset is the accumulated work of thirteen musicians, five locations, four recording engineers, three filmmakers, two designers and one songwriter. The albums that are included in the boxset are from four distinct recording sessions that Magnolia Electric Co recorded following the release of their debut studio album What Comes After The Blues.

Meatball – Atomic Butterfly LP (Dewolfe Music)

One-part groovy fun, another part sixties British Pop, Atomic Butterfly is a hip-shaking toe-tapper of a record from start to finish. With melodic lines from the horn section and deep in-the-pocket drum grooves, the album will have the party dancing from the moment the needle drops. [A limited-edition ruby red colorway is available.]

Meshuggah – Nothing [Reissue/2002] 2xLP (Atomic Fire)

Meshuggah – Koloss [Reissue/2012] 2xLP (Atomic Fire)

Limited-edition color vinyl pressings (blue and red, respectively). Formed in 1987 in Umeå, Sweden, Meshuggah have gone on to be called “one of the ten most important hard and heavy bands” by Rolling Stone and have earned the respect and admiration from fans and musicians alike.

Mice Parade – Bem-Vinda Vontade [Reissue/2005] LP+MP3 (Bubble Core)

Clear vinyl pressing. Out-of-print for the last 15 years, 2005’s Bem-Vinda Vontade is Mice Parade’s best-selling album. Stereolab’s ultra rare remix of the album’s first track, “Warm Hand In Farmland,” is included with the download card, as a digital bonus to this Anniversary edition pressing.

Midnight Magic – I Found Love 12” (Razor-N-Tape Reserve)

Although recorded over 10 years ago in Midnight Magic’s nascent early period that produced many of their legendary hits, “I Found Love” never received an official release; until now it has been heard only by select ears and lucky concertgoers. The package comes with a grip of luminous remixes by Dimitri From Paris & DJ Rocca, Sophie Lloyd, Perel and Derrick Carter, some solicited at the time of recording and some brand new, but all exceptionally fresh.

Mister T – Synchronized Roots LP/Cassette (Cold Busted)

Mister T., the renowned Greek purveyor of beats, returns with Synchronized Roots, another fantastic album encompassing the many styles of the prolific producer. With a heavy dollop of funk providing the main ingredient, Mister T. deftly throws generous pinches of reggae, soul, hip-hop, and electronica into his rhythmic concoctions.

Money Man – Big Money LP (Black Circle)

Clear vinyl. Money Man (Born: Tysen Jay Bolding), famous with the name Big Money was born in New York, but raised in Decatur, Georgia. He attempted to break into the music industry in the early 2010’s but paused to focus on his finances. The rapper emerged in 2016 with three mixtapes featuring the likes of Young Thug, Akon, Gucci Mane, and others that earned him a significant following. Over the next few years, this momentum continued with the release of seven more successful mixtapes. Big Money features guest artists G Herbo, Nardo Wick, Benny the Butcher, BJ Jroc, Peezy, and Juney Knotzz.

Moody Mundy – Mother Nature [Reissue/1980] LP (Real Gone Music)

Limited pink color vinyl pressing. Loaded with bass-heavy, disco-soul grooves over which Mundy’s voice floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee, Mother Nature lives up to the collector’$ hype.

Muslimgauze – Lo-Fi India Abuse [Reissue/1999] LP (Kontakt Audio)

Muslimgauze – Khan Younis [Reissue/2020] LP (Other Voices)

Lo-Fi India Abuse was recorded in 1998, some tracks are “pure” Muslimgauze and some are re-mixs of tracks from Systemwide’s Sirius CD (see also Systemwide Meets Muslimgauze At The City Of The Dead 12”). Nearly all the tracks have hand percussion in varying tempos and intensities and at least one-half make use of electronic noise surges. The sound is very crisp and clean, extremely well produced, recorded, and nicely varied throughout the length of the disc. Khan Younis is a compilation of assorted late ‘80s and early-mid’ ‘90s compilation tracks.

Nai Palm – Needle Paw [Reissue/2017] 2xLP+MP3 (Brainfeeder)

Double pink color vinyl pressing. Naomi “Nai Palm” Saalfield is the composer, guitarist and tour de force frontwoman of 3x-Grammy-nominated group Hiatus Kaiyote. Nai and her group have been cosigned by Erykah Badu, accompanied by Q-Tip, and sampled by Drake, Kendrick Lamar, and Anderson. Paak. Upon its original release in 2017, Pitchfork gave the album an 8.0 rating, saying of Nai “her performance as vocalist, producer, arranger, and musical director confirms her talents-and, in her interpretive care, reaffirms listening as an act of love.”

Rachika Nayar – fragments (expanded) LP+MP3 (RVNG Int’l)

Rachika Nayar’s fragments (expanded) is a collection of sonic miniatures constructed from guitar loops created in the familiar comforts of her own bedroom. These cyclical, meditative pieces stem from an intimate part of Nayar’s creative practice, revealing a deep source of self-exploration and restoration. A collision of midwestern emo and post-rock influences with virtuosic minimalist guitar, fragments (expanded) provides an intimacy between Nayar and those listening in parallel spaces, activating our collective past, and shared unconscious experience. This expanded vinyl edition adds a full extra side of previously unreleased pieces.

Neutral Milk Hotel – On Avery Island [Reissue/1996] 2xLP+MP3 (Merge)

Jeff Mangum creates a world of his own on this amazing 1996 debut from Neutral Milk Hotel. On Avery Island is full of trombone, keyboards, overdriven acoustics, and beautiful songs. On this anniversary reissue, the complete version of “Pree-Sisters Swallowing A Donkey’s Eye” as originally intended completes the album.

Organectomy – Nail Below Nail LP (Unique Leader)

Released last July on CD – now available on vinyl. The third full length offering from New Zealand’s heaviest band sets a new standard for the slam genre. Nail By Nail is a lesson in punishing brutality and the sound of a band at the very top of their game. Essential for fans of Disgorge, Devourment and Abominable Putridity.

Giuliano Palma & The Bluebeaters – The Album [Reissue/1999] 2xLP (Record Kicks)

Clear vinyl pressing. The Bluebeaters landmark debut album from 1999 receives a first-ever vinyl release. Featuring band’s hits like Cher’s “Believe” or Black’s “Wonderful Life” all cooked in a strictly mid- ‘60s Jamaican blue beat and rocksteady style.

Bruce Palmer – The Cycle Is Complete [Reissue/1970] LP (Akarma)

After leaving Buffalo Springfield because of a drug bust, bassist Bruce Palmer released this 1970 solo album for Verve Forecast. Consisting of only four tracks, The Cycle Is Complete seamlessly explores psych, folk and jazz territories to cultivate a sound that now seems decades ahead of its time.

Charlie Pride – Greatest Songs LP (Curb)

Vinyl hits collection by the late country music icon.

The Psychotic Monks – Pink Colour Surgery 2xLP (Fatcat)

After two fiery albums, Silence Slowly And Madly Shines in 2017 (Alter K) and Private Meaning First in 2019 (Vicious Circle/Fatcat Records), The Psychotic Monks return with their third album, Pink Colour Surgery. Recorded and produced by Daniel Fox of Gilla Band – it’s composed in part by improvisations and is presented as an act of resistance to ambient violence. Disconcerting at first sight, this new opus operates in the dark. Its very structure takes the listener on an initiatory trip full of secret corners.

Quinn XCII – The People’s Champ LP (Republic)

Released earlier this year on CD – now available on vinyl. Platinum-certified singer/songwriter Quinn XCII (pronounced Quinn Ninety-Two) emerged with a disarmingly catchy and dynamic personal style of his own punctuated by alternative nuances and unexpected (yet undeniable) pop prowess. His fifth full-length album The People’s Champ comprises 13 brand-new tracks including the singles “Backpack” and “Common” featuring Big Sean.

Rawlsmatic – Role Reversal LP (Fivese7En Music)

This genre-bending album takes the listener on a sonic journey through moments of gritty hip-hop as well as lush soul/R&B soundscapes, also providing a glimpse into modern jazz. World champion battle DJ, Rhettmatic, reminds you why he’s one of the most respected DJs in the world with his masterful scratches throughout the album. In a time where musicians are scrambling to copy whatever the latest trend in music is, more than ever.

Red Handed Denial – I’d Rather Be Asleep LP (Paid Vacation)

Released last July on CD – now available on vinyl. (PS next July is just around the corner!). Toronto metalcore band Red Handed Denial delicately balances heavy subject matter with soaring melodies.

Rotting Christ – The Heretics [Reissue/2019] LP (Season Of Mist)

Limited clear and black marbled vinyl pressing of the Greek metal band’s 2019 (and latest) album.

Running Wild – Gates To Purgatory [Reissue/1984] LP (Noise)

Vinyl reissue of the debut studio album by the German heavy metal band. Gates To Purgatory predates their piracy themes and has mostly satanically-influenced lyrics but also features songs with anarchic and libertarian (in the sense of European libertarianism) themes.

Scene Queen – Bimbocore Vol. 2 LP (Hopeless)

Blending heavy music, metal, and rock, with modern pop, and a whole lot of pink (the color), Scene Queen’s follow-up to BIMBOCORE is decidedly catchy, unpredictable, and wildly satisfying.

The Serpent Power – The Serpent Power [Reissue/1967] LP (Akarma)

The Serpent Power was amongst the many bands that emerged during those heady folk/psychedelic rock days of 1967 but, unlike many of their contemporaries who went on to build solid careers, their arrival was only to be a brief spell in the sun as this delightful album was to prove their sole release as a full band.

Shizuka – Heavenly Persona [Reissue/1994] 2xLP (Black Editions)

Few artists have left behind a legacy as enigmatic and captivating as Shizuka Miura. Amidst the Tokyo underground, she was a spectral figure, creating ghostly, childlike dolls and writing haunting, other-worldly songs. She formed Shizuka in 1992 with Maki Miura, known for his staggering guitar work in legendary groups Fushitsusha and Les Rallizes Dénudés. Their music bloomed with a fragile, yet explosive mystical power; an atmospheric alchemy of psychedelic rock, folk and noise with Shizuka’s ethereal vocals invoking loneliness, yearning and dark Providence.

Siena Root – Revelation LP (Atomic Fire)

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. “Dynamic root rock experience” is the term that Siena Root uses to describe its music, and it is exactly this experience what makes the Swedes’ album “Revelation” so attractive for the listener: an uncompromising mixture of mesmerizing rhythms, heavy riffs, beautiful solos, and emotional vocals.

Silverstein – Miserysolos,, Me LP (UNFD)

Standard black vinyl repress. Filled with moments of relentless energy throwing back to their punk and hardcore roots to visionary moments of modern heavy, Silverstein’s Misery Made Me fastens the group’s status as torchbearers of the scene on all fronts. It’s both intriguing and inspiring that a band – who could have merely rested on the impressive legacy they’ve already cemented – would continue to dig deep and find the inspiration to reach people in meaningful new ways. On Misery Made Me, Silverstein ultimately find themselves spring-boarding off the heights they’ve reached over the past handful of years.

Sol Invictus – In The Rain [Reissue/1995] LP (Prophecy)

Limited-edition transparent green color vinyl reissue of the Tony Wakeford- (Death In June) led dark neofolk/neoclassical band’s 1995 album.

Soreption – Jord LP (Unique Leader)

Formed in 2005 in Sundsvall, Sweden, technical metal masters Soreption is known for their razor-sharp technical riffs, schizophrenic time signatures topped with catchy chugging grooves and intense vocals.

Delee Sosimi – The Confluence LP (Wah Wah 45s)

Afrobeat ambassador Dele Sosimi’s album The Confluence has been recorded and produced with Essex musician Sam Duckworth, aka Get Cape, Wear Cape, Fly; and a team of specially assembled musicians under the banner of The Estuary 21 – with the name of the nearby river and the year, being a clue to future Confluence projects. Recorded over a multitude of sessions in 2021, this set of songs flow with the sounds of Afrobeat, jazz, and worldly pop, and feelings of freedom, strength, and collaborative dynamism as a balm for life changing events.

Eddie Spaghetti – Old No. 2 [Reissue/2005] LP (Reptilian)

Limited color vinyl LP pressing. Supersuckers frontman Eddie Spaghetti released his second solo album in as many years with 2005’s Old No. 2. Like his previous solo disc Sauce, Old No. 2 is dominated by covers, though Eddie wrote a whopping four new songs for this set, and since this album boasts a significantly lower goofiness quotient than his previous go-round, he offered some solid and literate country-rock tunes.

Various Artists – 20: Hotflush Recordings 3xLP (Hotflush)

Born in 2003, Hotflush stands as one of electronic music’s most influential labels. A multi-dimensional imprint that helped define the development of bass music throughout the mid-2000s, in the last decade it would evolve towards the liminal spaces between house, techno, and beyond – a journey which has given the dancefloor some of it’s true underground classics. This celebratory release covers every era and stylistic area of the Hotflush output.

Various Artists – Mid-Atlantic Story Vol. 3 LP (Numero)

For the lowriders, the souleros, and for any armchair drag racer who still has a record player within reach, Mid-Atlantic Story pays tribute to the aftermarket sounds of soul music, inspired by the record industry’s metric trunk load of cruising compilations, legitimate and otherwise, that soundtracked an entire subculture. This getaway ride mixtape strips aesthetics from the timeless East Side Story series and poaches music from the greater Chesapeake Bay region. Roll with a jacked-up masterpiece. [A limited-edition tri-color vinyl pressing is available.]

Vektor – Black Future [Reissue/2009] 2xLP (Earache)

Originally released in 2009, Black Future is the debut album from the Arizona thrash metal band.

Vltimas – Something Wicked Marches In [Reissue/2019] LP (Season Of Mist)

Clear w/ black color vinyl pressing. Vltimas, the band featuring Rune “Blasphemer” Eriksen (ex-Mayhem, Aura Noir), David Vincent (ex-Morbid Angel) and Flo Mounier (Cryptopsy), unleashed their powerhouse debut album Something Wicked Marches In in 2019. A behemoth of death metal extremity, Something Wicked Marches In sees these titans bring their prodigious talents to bear on a commanding synthesis of their storied histories.

Voïvod – Nothingface [Reissue/1989] LP (Real Gone Music)

Voïvod – Angel Rat [Reissue/1991] LP (Real Gone Music)

Voïvod’s commercial peak and one of their many artistic peaks, 1989’s Nothingface marked a move away from the Quebec metal band’s thrash beginnings to a more progressive rock sound. Produced by Terry Brown of Rush fame, 1991’s Angel Rat moved the band further into spacy psychedelic territory. Limited-edition color vinyl pressings (red and blue, respectively).

A Wake In Providence – Eternity LP (Unique Leader)

Released last October on CD – now available on vinyl. Eternity is the most ambitious offering from A Wake In Providence. As one of US deathcore’s initial leading beacon acts, A Wake In Providence rose to notoriety for their explosive live shows with then-vocalist Will Ramos, now in Lorna Shore. With the addition of powerhouse Adam Mercer in 2017 taking over vocals, AWIP released A Darkened Gospel followed by the album The Black Sun: The Blood Moon in 2019. 2022 saw them exploding back into the spotlight with an unstoppable new opus, Eternity.

Nick Waterhouse – The Fooler LP+MP3 (Innovative Leisure)

Released last week on CD – now available on vinyl. The title of the sixth album from Californian singer-songwriter Nick Waterhouse is more than just the name of one of its tracks. The Fooler is both a clue and a red herring. The Fooler is the observed and the observer, narrator and subject, truth and lie. The Fooler is the shadow and reflection of a city the artist knows sufficiently well to wander with his eyes closed, and a place which very possibly never even existed. The Fooler is not so much an unreliable narrator as a constantly shifting perspective. The Fooler is the new album by Nick Waterhouse, and it’s a lot. Recorded by Mark Neill (Black Keys; Los Straightjackets; Dave Cobb) in Valdosta, Georgia, it’s a song-cycle of sorts, the arc of the album telling a tale of a city and its denizens. The result is a record that offers up new riches and fresh perspectives with every spin.

Wednesday – I Was Trying To Describe You To Someone [Reissue/2020] LP (Dead Oceans)

Wednesday – Twin Plagues [Reissue/2021] LP (Dead Oceans)

“I Was Trying To Describe You To Someone radiates warmth. It reminds me of warm-cool nights, coming of age movies, and everything in-between. The record moves between these kinds of warm nostalgia” – Emjay Troxclair, Slumbermag. “On its second album [Twin Plagues] the Asheville five-piece goes big and loud, scaling up its shoegaze-indebted sound while frontwoman Karly Hartzman buries an undercurrent of anxiety beneath the clutter.” – Pitchfork

Worriers – Warm Blanket LP (Ernest Jenning)

Limited red color vinyl pressing. Lauren Denitzio has always been the type of songwriter to say exactly what’s on their mind. Over the course of the past decade with their band Worriers, they’ve addressed gender liberation, capitalist violence, and searing heartbreak, all over the band’s signature style of triumphant chords and subtle pop sensibilities. Worriers was always a band that shined with feelings of ecstatic potential, offering a sense of liberation amidst the chaos of the world. And yet, on their album Warm Blanket, they’ve never sounded freer.

Cassettes:

Calvin Johnson – Gallows Wine (K. Records)

Mister T – Synchronized Roots (Cold Busted)

Mudhoney – Plastic Eternity (Sub Pop)

Rudimentary Peni – Cacophony [Reissue/1988] (Sealed Records)

Wednesday – Rat Saw God (Dead Oceans)

Rat Saw God is an album about riding a bike down a suburban stretch in Greensboro while listening to My Bloody Valentine for the first time on an iPod Nano, past a creek that runs through the neighborhood riddled with broken glass bottles and condoms, a front yard filled with broken and rusted car parts, a lonely and dilapidated house reclaimed by kudzu. Four Lokos and rodeo clowns and a kid who burns down a corn field. Roadside monuments, church marquees, poppers and vodka in a plastic water bottle, the shit you get away with at Jewish summer camp, strange sentimental family heirlooms at the thrift stores. The way the South hums alive all night in the summers and into fall, the sound of high school football games, the halo effect from the lights polluting the darkness. It’s not bright enough to see in front of you, but in that stretch of inky void – somehow – you see everything.

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