Marketing Program/ Banner/ Listening Station Titles Promoted This Week:
Jack Broadbent – Ride CD/LP (Crows Feet)
Hailed as “the new master of the slide guitar” by the Montreux Jazz Festival and “the real thang” by the legendary Bootsy Collins, acclaimed English singer-songwriter and guitarist Jack Broadbent has spent almost a decade wowing international audiences with his unique blend of virtuosic acoustic and slide guitar playing, his poignant folk and blues-inspired vocals, and not least, four studio albums containing songs that range from beautiful folk ballads to raw blues to straight-up rock ‘n’ roll. His new album Ride features opening salvo “I Love Your Rock ‘n’ Roll” with Classic Rock writing, “Broadbent resolutely refuses to spoil the recording by either ramping up the volume or compressing the audio to the nth decibel. It’s a good song and leaving it unadorned emphasizes its goodness.”
Calexico – El Mirador CD/LP (ANTI-)
Calexico’s Joey Burns and John Convertino return in with their luminous tenth studio album, El Mirador; a hopeful, kaleidoscopic beacon of rock, bluesy ruminations, and Latin American sounds. Oscillating between haunting desert noirs and buoyant jolts of cumbia and Cuban son, the album is permeated by longing. The title track “El Mirador” conjures images of a lighthouse, beckoning to lost souls in the night with hypnotic bass lines and cascading percussion. El Mirador also features vocals from Guatemalan singer-songwriter Gaby Moreno, while Spanish rocker Jairo Zavala brings his signature bravado to the track ”Cumbia Peninsula”. By working with friends and recurring collaborators, Calexico also highlights the unique social and linguistic intersections at the US-Mexico border and the magnificent possibilities of a borderless world. [An indie store exclusive metallic gold color vinyl pressing is due April 22.]
Albert Cummings – Ten CD (Ivy Music Company)
Ever since the release of his first album in 2003, the blues world has opened its doors for Albert Cummings. A singer and guitarist who has played with many of the greatest players of the modern era, Cummings has received the kind of recognition that few others do. His new album Ten is a full realization of the wider possibilities of where his music can go. The 13 songs on Ten are a compelling and emotional summation of what the artist has seen and done. The single “Need Somebody” begins the album with a sonic slugfest of back-alley power, the sound that Cummings has spent his life perfecting. Vince Gill lends background vocals to the standout track “Last Call”.
Father John Misty – Chloë And The Next 20th Century CD/2xLP+MP3/Cassette (Sub Pop)
Father John Misty returns with Chloë And The Next 20th Century, his fifth album and first new material since the release of God’s Favorite Customer in 2018. Chloë And The Next 20th Century was written and recorded August through December 2020 and features arrangements by Drew Erickson. The album sees Father John Misty – aka Josh Tillman – and producer/multi-instrumentalist Jonathan Wilson resume their longtime collaboration, with Dave Cerminara returning as engineer and mixer. Basic tracks were recorded at Wilson’s Five Star Studios with strings, brass and woodwinds recorded at United Recordings in a session featuring Dan Higgins and Wayne Bergeron, among others. Chloë And The Next 20th Century features the singles “Funny Girl”, “Q4”, “Goodbye Mr. Blue”, and “Kiss Me (I Loved You)”. [A deluxe vinyl box set is due April 22.]
Kristine Leschper – The Opening Or, Closing Of A Door CD/2xLP+MP3 (ANTI-)
Kristine Leschper’s The Opening, Or Closing Of A Door, is a paean to the sensory world. It’s the first Leschper has released under her given name, having retired the moniker Mothers after eight years of performing and releasing music under it. Though both projects are guided by Leschper’s idiosyncratic approach to songwriting, they couldn’t sound more different. While Mothers drew inspiration from the stark, skeletal sounds of post-punk and contemporary folk, Leschper’s new work is practically baroque, integrating an array of synthesizers, strings, woodwinds, and over a dozen percussive instruments. “Earlier work didn’t involve recording as part of the writing process, recordings were simply made as a document of something that had been written and rehearsed. I have since discovered a deep affection for home recording and sound exploration, finding that I thrive in those rabbit holes of texture, timbre, rhythm, which can add so much complexity to the emotionality of a composition.”
Papa Roach – Ego Trip CD (New Noize)
Limited deluxe edition includes a guitar pick. Papa Roach delivers their most diverse album yet, bringing together themes of rock, rap, alternative and pop in a style that is authentically their own, on Ego Trip, their 111th full-length album of their 22-year career. Tracks released prior to the album include the hard left turn of “Swerve” featuring Jason Aalon of Fever 333 and Sueco, “Kill The Noise”, the anthemic “Dying To Believe”, and the energetic latest single “Stand Up”. The band continue to veer across traditional boundaries that most bands barely have the nerve to occupy, creating one of the most diverse and fearless discographies in rock music.
Bonnie Pointer – Like A Picasso [Reissue/2011] CD (Omnivore)
Digitally remastered and expanded edition of the final album from founding member of the Pointer Sisters with 3 previously unissued bonus tracks. After being approached by songwriters/producers Lloyd Poe and Robin Taylor to record a demo for a new Taylor Poe composition, “Answered Prayer”, Bonnie agreed and brought in sister Anita to sing background vocals with her. The 2008 session laid the foundation that resulted in an entire album’s worth of recordings using Taylor Poe’s extensive catalog of material. Originally issued in 2011, Like A Picasso was released by Poe and Taylor on the Platinum Trini Entertainment label, although a lack of funding and promotion limited its chances in the marketplace. Thirteen songs from the original recording are augmented by three previously unissued tracks.
The Regrettes – Further Joy CD/LP (WB)
The Regrettes, consisting of singer and songwriter, Lydia Night, as well as Genessa Gariano (guitar), Brooke Dickson (bass) and Drew Thomsen (drums), have written a manual for living in these times, replete with highly personalized songs about things we’re all going through. Night shares, “that phrase, ‘Further Joy,’ summarized what it meant to be on the hamster wheel of constantly chasing happiness, but in turn, that’s what makes you unhappy. I was stuck in a loop of wanting to be better, wanting to be good, and therefore I couldn’t be here. I couldn’t be present.” The desire to break free of that cycle is what the band’s third album, Further Joy, is all about, a joyous and self-aware soundtrack for those interested in what Lydia refers to as “dancing the pain away.” [An indie-store exclusive pink vinyl pressing is available.]
Role Model – Rx CD (Interscope)
Rx is the debut album from Role Model, aka Tucker Pillsbury. In this dynamic debut, he continues to explore his pop sensibilities while playing with themes of love, healing, and religion – and ultimately, the power of a woman. As Role Model, he assembles, disassembles, and reassembles different vibes, sounds, and emotions into his work. One moment, he’s crooning about his crush’s earrings over crunchy chords. The next, he’s spitting bars about staying home. Either way, the intimacy of his songwriting beckons connection. [Vinyl due in August.]
Daniel Rossen – You Belong There CD/LP+MP3 (Warp)
Daniel Rossen knew there was a lot to learn if he was finally going to finish his debut solo album. For nearly two decades, Rossen had been a crucial component of Grizzly Bear, the era-epitomizing act whose shared harmonies and interlaced textures meant he was responsible for only part of a whole. But Rossen left the close-knit nest of Brooklyn many years ago, first for an isolated patch of land in upstate New York and then for the high desert climes of Santa Fe. The whole, as it were, was now his. So Rossen bought an upright bass (one of his instruments as a kid) and played all the parts himself, along with the cello. Best known as a guitarist, he took up woodwinds, too, buying several cheap student models and learning just enough to understand the rudiments. And then, largely at home in Santa Fe, he slowly built the world that is You Belong There, a riveting 10-song reintroduction to a voice that sounds both entirely familiar and fully reenergized by the act of unfettered expression. [A limited-edition gold color vinyl pressing is available.]
Wet Leg – Wet Leg CD/LP+MP3 (Domino)
Right from the start of Wet Leg, Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers focus was fun, and a dry sense of humor ripples through the album. “I wanted to write fun songs, I didn’t want to indulge sad feelings too much, I wanted to write stuff that’s fun to listen to and fun to play,” reveals Rhian. “But then, the sad seeps through, as well.” Wet Leg is sad music for party people, and party music for sad people. It is cathartic and joyful and punk and scuzzy and above all, it’s fun. “Wet Leg was originally just supposed to be funny,” says Rhian. “As a woman, there’s so much put on you, in that your only value is how pretty or cool you look. But we want to be goofy and a little bit rude. We want to write songs that people can dance to. And we want people to have a good time, even if that might not possible all of the time.” [An indie store exclusive translucent yellow color vinyl pressing is available.]
Jack White – Fear Of The Dawn CD/LP (Third Man)
Jack White returns in 2022 with not one but two brand new albums – his first new full-length collections in over four years. Fear Of The Dawn is available now, while Entering Heaven Alive will follow in July 2022. White has been writing and recording music throughout the entirety of the past several years, creating two entirely distinctive albums – each defined by different inspirations, different themes, different moods. Introduced by the blazing single “Taking Me Back”, Fear Of The Dawn is the fourth solo studio album from the founding member of The White Stripes, The Raconteurs, and The Dead Weather. True to his DIY roots, this record was recorded at White’s Third Man Studio throughout 2021, mastered by Third Man Mastering, pressed to vinyl at Third Man Pressing, and released by Third Man Records. [An indie store exclusive translucent blue swirl/splatter color vinyl pressing is available.]
Anand Wilder – I Don’t Know My Words CD/LP (Last Gang)
Anand Wilder’s reputation as a talented multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter emerged in the Brooklyn indie rock scene of the late 2000s, where he joined his bandmates in painting on the eclectic palette of synths, strings, and harmonies that defined Yeasayer’s acclaimed psychedelic worldbeat and swerving electro-pop experiments. With I Don’t Know My Words, Wilder torques his multi-instrumentality away from electronica and global genre-hopping and makes it a lonely lockdown challenge. Ten songs, in braided strands of English folk revival, Topanga Canyon jangle, and desert blues licks, offer taut documents of a gloomy hour of collective confinement, but also elegant proofs of folk rock songcraft’s inexhaustible machinery. Wilder reveals vulnerable moments of pandemic panic and addresses the challenges of love and dedication as he follows New York’s path through the worldwide emergency, and as he confronts the personal, political, and professional reckonings that spanned it.
Additional Social Media Program Titles Released This Week:
Orville Peck – Bronco 2xLP (Columbia)
Bronco is the new album from country artist and songwriter Orville Peck. A consummate storyteller, the country rock inspired Bronco plays upon the horse theme so often found in Orville’s work, but this time with an exploration of freedom, breaking free from that which binds us and all that is wild and untamed. Bronco builds upon and follows Peck’s previous album Pony and EP Show Pony, which explored themes of love, loss and loneliness but advances the story arc in a bolder, newer, and warmer trajectory.
CDs + Vinyl:
Aerosmoth – 1971: The Road Starts Hear CD (Interscope)
A historic early recording of Aerosmith in their rehearsal room – just the band, crew, and friends captured on Joe Perry’s tape recorder. This never-before-heard performance showcases the early, raw talent of this future Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame band, one year before signing to Columbia Records, and two years before their eponymous debut, which featured many of these songs, including their enduring anthem “Dream On”.
Carley Arrowood – Goin’ Home Comin’ On CD (Mountain Home)
Carley Arrowood is an award-winning fiddler, singer, and songwriter from the mountains of North Carolina-winning the 2017 IBMA Award for Instrumentalist of the Year. Carley plays bluegrass fiddle, and she has been performing since first starting a band at age 10, in 2006. Since 2015, Carley has played fiddle with Darin & Brooke Aldridge, performed on stages across the country and world, won numerous awards, and has become a writer of gospel songs.
Maggie Belle – Starting Anew CD/LP (Splice)
Maggie Belle emerged on the music scene in 2013 in New Orleans, gaining inspiration from rhythm & blues, soul, and pop, creating a unique sound all her own. Maggie Belle has made appearances at New Orleans’ very own Jazz & Heritage Festival and Bayou Boogaloo, Texas’ River Revival Festival, as well as San Jose’s Summer Jazz Festival. The album was produced by Eric Heigle (Arcade Fire, Colin Lake, Dumpstaphunk). [A teal color vinyl pressing is available.]
Black Swan – Generation Mind CD (Frontiers)
Vocalist Robin McAuley (McAuley Schenker Group), guitarist Reb Beach (Winger, Whitesnake), bassist Jeff Pilson (Foreigner, The End Machine, Dokken), and drummer Matt Starr (Ace Frehley, Mr. Big), otherwise known as Black Swan, return with a second album.
Jack Broadbent – Ride CD/LP (Crows Feet)
Hailed as “the new master of the slide guitar” by the Montreux Jazz Festival and “the real thang” by the legendary Bootsy Collins, acclaimed English singer-songwriter and guitarist Jack Broadbent has spent almost a decade wowing international audiences with his unique blend of virtuosic acoustic and slide guitar playing, his poignant folk and blues-inspired vocals, and not least, four studio albums containing songs that range from beautiful folk ballads to raw blues to straight-up rock ‘n’ roll. His new album Ride features opening salvo “I Love Your Rock ‘n’ Roll” with Classic Rock writing, “Broadbent resolutely refuses to spoil the recording by either ramping up the volume or compressing the audio to the nth decibel. It’s a good song and leaving it unadorned emphasizes its goodness.”
Camila Cabello – Familia CD (Epic)
The Multi Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter returns with Familia, the follow up to 2019’s platinum sophomore album Romance. The new release features “Don’t Go Yet”, which premiered in 2021, along with the hit single “Bam Bam” featuring Ed Sheeran.
Zachary Cale – Skywriting CD/LP (ORG Music)
Skywriting is the latest full-length album from Zachary Cale, primarily recorded at Black Dirt Studio by Jason Meagher in upstate New York. As Cale’s seventh studio record, Skywriting takes on a new focus for the seasoned songwriter, pivoting to more of a band-focused rock album. Inspired by many years on the road, the songs that make up the album depict characters in a state of perpetual motion, or better yet a constant state of becoming.
Calexico – El Mirador CD/LP (ANTI-)
Calexico’s Joey Burns and John Convertino return in with their luminous tenth studio album, El Mirador; a hopeful, kaleidoscopic beacon of rock, bluesy ruminations, and Latin American sounds. Oscillating between haunting desert noirs and buoyant jolts of cumbia and Cuban son, the album is permeated by longing. The title track “El Mirador” conjures images of a lighthouse, beckoning to lost souls in the night with hypnotic bass lines and cascading percussion. El Mirador also features vocals from Guatemalan singer-songwriter Gaby Moreno, while Spanish rocker Jairo Zavala brings his signature bravado to the track ”Cumbia Peninsula”. By working with friends and recurring collaborators, Calexico also highlights the unique social and linguistic intersections at the US-Mexico border and the magnificent possibilities of a borderless world. [An indie store exclusive metallic gold color vinyl pressing is due April 22.]
Tanika Charles – Papillon de Nuit: The Night CD/LP (Record Kicks)
Composed and recorded while in and out of lockdowns, Papillon de Nuit is an album anchored in growth and maturity. The thematic inspiration came from an unlikely source, a creature that soars after the sun sets, but often goes unnoticed until the light shines on it. Featured guests include the multi-disciplinary artist Khari McClelland and rising Toronto rapper, DijahSB. Both Dakarai Morris-James (Joanna Majoko, BeBe Zahara Benet) and Sean “D/SHON” Henderson (“Love Overdue”, Serena Ryder) assisted with vocal arrangements across multiple songs.
Albert Cummings – Ten CD (Ivy Music Company)
Ever since the release of his first album in 2003, the blues world has opened its doors for Albert Cummings. A singer and guitarist who has played with many of the greatest players of the modern era, Cummings has received the kind of recognition that few others do. His new album Ten is a full realization of the wider possibilities of where his music can go. The 13 songs on Ten are a compelling and emotional summation of what the artist has seen and done. The single “Need Somebody” begins the album with a sonic slugfest of back-alley power, the sound that Cummings has spent his life perfecting. Vince Gill lends background vocals to the standout track “Last Call”.
Dedicated Men Of Zion – The Devil Don’t Like It CD/LP (Bible & Tire)
The Eastern North Carolina Sacred Soul all-stars, Dedicated Men Of Zion are back with the follow up to their critically acclaimed, 2020 debut album, Can’t Turn Me Around. The Devil Don’t Like It picks up where we last heard DMZ, blending traditional sacred soul offerings with the fire and passion of a touring outfit.
Destruction – Diabolical CD/LP (Napalm)
German thrash metal veterans Destruction celebrate their 40th anniversary by setting the world ablaze with a new, hard-hitting grenade in the form of their new album, Diabolical. As one of the most legendary German thrash metal bands in existence, Destruction graces the wall of fame alongside giants like Kreator, Sodom and Tankard.
Dream Theater – Lost Not Forgotten Archives: …And Beyond – Live In Japan 2017 CD/2xLP+CD (Inside Out U.S.)
From Dream Theater’s Images, Words & Beyond tour, this release showcases the first set from the band’s 2017 performance at the historic Budokan in Tokyo, Japan. Previously released as a Japan-exclusive television broadcast, and subsequently a live streaming event, this cornerstone recording from Dream Theater’s modern era is now available for fans to own for the first time.
Elzhi/Georgia Anne Muldrow – Zhigeist CD/LP (Nature Sounds)
With vivid flows that radiate effortless complexity, Detroit rapper Elzhi is among the most masterful lyricists on the planet. Georgia Anne Muldrow is a supremely talented musician, producer, and vocalist whose eclectic work blends elements of jazz, hip-hop, funk, soul, rock, and beyond. Now, Elzhi and Georgia Anne Muldrow are joining forces for the collaborative album Zhigeist. A carefully crafted mix of psychedelic instrumentation and whirlwind lyricism, the project is entirely produced by Georgia, who also contributes vocals on several tracks. An inspired fusion of styles and textures, Zhigeist is an aesthetic triumph infused with an undeniable message.
Envy On None – Envy Of None CD (Kscope)
Debut album from the band fearing Alex Lifeson (Rush), Andy Curran (Coney Hatch), Alfio Annibalini and singer Maiah Wynne. “One of my favorite things about these songs is the intimacy of them,” reveals Maiah Wynne. “It makes them feel different and more honest. There are some heavier songs too, like ‘Enemy’, and then tracks like ‘Kabul Blues’, that sound completely different to anything else.” The album closer, ‘Western Sunset’, which was penned by Alex Lifeson in tribute to his dear friend Neil Peart. It’s a highly emotive piece of music to honor a man deeply missed by the rock community at large, and even more so by those who were lucky enough to know him.” [An indie store exclusive blue color vinyl pressing is available May 6.]
Father John Misty – Chloë And The Next 20th Century CD/2xLP+MP3/Cassette (Sub Pop)
Father John Misty returns with Chloë And The Next 20th Century, his fifth album and first new material since the release of God’s Favorite Customer in 2018. Chloë And The Next 20th Century was written and recorded August through December 2020 and features arrangements by Drew Erickson. The album sees Father John Misty – aka Josh Tillman – and producer/multi-instrumentalist Jonathan Wilson resume their longtime collaboration, with Dave Cerminara returning as engineer and mixer. Basic tracks were recorded at Wilson’s Five Star Studios with strings, brass and woodwinds recorded at United Recordings in a session featuring Dan Higgins and Wayne Bergeron, among others. Chloë And The Next 20th Century features the singles “Funny Girl”, “Q4”, “Goodbye Mr. Blue”, and “Kiss Me (I Loved You)”. [A deluxe vinyl box set is due April 22.]
First Signal – Closer To The Edge CD (Frontiers)
New release from this musical union between Canadian vocalist Harry Hess (Harem Scarem) and Swedish drummer/producer Daniel Flores (The Murder Of My Sweet, Find Me). A total delight for AOR and melodic rock fans.
Fortune – Level Ground CD (Frontiers)
The melodic rock/AOR cult heroes return with their third album.
Godflesh – Long Live The New Flesh 4xCD (Avalanche)
Godflesh reformed in 2010 and have since released two albums and one EP, all on Justin K Broadrick’s Avalanche Recordings label. The Post Self album, released in 2017 garnered attention, securing the band as not only a legendary force but also a continued leader in the field of extreme rock/metal fused with industrial and post-punk music. This boxset collates all post reformation Godflesh material available, cemented by the inclusion of dub versions and remixes culled from bonuses contained on the domestic Japanese CD editions of all the reunion albums.
Good Looks – Bummer Year CD/LP/Cassette (Keeled Scales)
Born and raised in small Texas towns, the members of Good Looks met and began playing together in Austin. Songwriter Tyler Jordan grew up in a South Texas coastal town dominated by the petrochemical industry, his childhood steeped in the tension between nature and industry, exploitation abundantly present and the wealth gap on full display. His father’s church, described by Tyler as “cult-like in its intensity,” was homebase and where he learned to sing. Tyler eventually met lead guitarist Jake Ames in the late-night song-swap circles of the Kerrville Folk Festival campground (where they would also meet Buck Meek and Adrienne Lenker pre-Big Thief). They shared their mutual love of the Texas hill country canon (Blaze Foley, Townes Van Zandt, and Willie Nelson), a love of cheap diner food, thrift store baseball caps, and a healthy dose of harmless shit talking. [A violet color vinyl pressing is available.]
Jonny Greenwood – Spencer (Original Soundtrack) CD/LP (Mercury KX)
The original soundtrack to Spencer, the highly acclaimed film from director Pablo Larra¡n and starring Kristen Stewart as the late Princess Diana. It features an original score by award-winning composer Jonny Greenwood of genre-bending music that combines free jazz and classical baroque, making it a poignant accompaniment to the film. Greenwood’s past soundtrack works include Phantom Thread, There Will Be Blood, and Norwegian Wood.
Hällas – Isle Of Wisdom CD/LP (Napalm)
Isle Of Wisdom is the third studio album of the Swedish adventure rock stars, A journey through evocative sounds; a blend of ‘70s rock, folk, and psychedelic influences. This infectious collection of raucous new songs and remastered gems from their 15+ year career is once again proving that Incite indeed are the missing link between Machine Head and Lamb Of God.
Heidra – To Hell Or Kingdom Come CD/LP (Mighty Music/SPV)
Heidra is a Copenhagen based metal band playing a mix of melodic, black, and power metal with folk-themed undertones, powerful choruses and brutal growls. [A transparent green color vinyl pressing is available.]
Incite – Wake Up Dead CD/LP (Atomic Fire)
Arizona groove metal hotheads Incite return with a new album. [An indie store exclusive purple color vinyl pressing is available.]
Inglorious – MMXXI Live At The Phoenix 2xCD/2xCD+DVD (Frontiers)
MMXXI Live At The Phoenix was captured in September 2021 at Exeter Phoenix in Exeter, UK. The performance captures the British hard rockers unleashed on stage after being, like so many bands, stuck at home and unable to tour due to the worldwide pandemic. A formidable live band to begin with, the added dose of adrenaline coming from being tigers unleashed from a cage makes for a stunning live performance showcasing songs from their four studio albums, Inglorious, II, Ride To Nowhere, and We Will Ride, and their most recent studio recording, the covers album Heroine.
I Started Counting – Ejected CD (Mute)
I Started Counting – Re-Fused CD (Mute)
Ejected contains unreleased I Start Counting tracks and demos recorded in 1985 for their album My Translucent Hands (1986). Re-Fused contains unreleased tracks and demos recorded in 1986 for their album Fused (1987). The duo consisting of David Baker and Simon Leonard came together in 1982. Signing to Mute in 1984, the release of their first singles “Letters To A Friend” and “Still Smiling” were quick to follow, both produced by Daniel Miller. Their albums My Translucent Hands and Fused established a cult following for the duo, originating amongst American suburban teens who were discovering Depeche Mode and Kraftwerk for the first time. By the early 1990s, Baker and Leonard had evolved into Fortran 5, releasing three albums for the label before returning as Komputer in 1996.
The James Hunter Six – With Love CD/LP (Daptone)
Released two weeks ago on vinyl – now available on CD. With Love is a heart-shaped collection of candle-lit ballads and love songs. Plucked like so many “he loves you” petals from the vast and sumptuous garden of his Daptone Recordings, these twelve lilting melodies have been selected and sequenced with great care, tenderness, and intention by Daptone staff for the solitary purpose of compiling some of the criminally overlooked treasures in the James Hunter Six’s critically acclaimed catalog.
Kristine Leschper – The Opening Or, Closing Of A Door CD/2xLP+MP3 (ANTI-)
Kristine Leschper’s The Opening, Or Closing Of A Door, is a paean to the sensory world. It’s the first Leschper has released under her given name, having retired the moniker Mothers after eight years of performing and releasing music under it. Though both projects are guided by Leschper’s idiosyncratic approach to songwriting, they couldn’t sound more different. While Mothers drew inspiration from the stark, skeletal sounds of post-punk and contemporary folk, Leschper’s new work is practically baroque, integrating an array of synthesizers, strings, woodwinds, and over a dozen percussive instruments. “Earlier work didn’t involve recording as part of the writing process, recordings were simply made as a document of something that had been written and rehearsed. I have since discovered a deep affection for home recording and sound exploration, finding that I thrive in those rabbit holes of texture, timbre, rhythm, which can add so much complexity to the emotionality of a composition.”
Lucius – Second Nature CD/LP (Mom + Pop)
Produced by Dave Cobb and Brandi Carlile, Lucius’ highly anticipated third studio album Second Nature offers a new look into the group’s creative vision. Featuring appearances from Drew Erickson, Rob Moose, and Gabriel Cabezas, along with backing vocals from Carlile and Sheryl Crow, Second Nature proves worth the wait. “It is a record that begs you not to sit in the difficult moments, but to dance through them,” the band shares. [A limited-edition translucent pink color vinyl pressing is available.]
Fergus McCreadie – Forest Floor CD (Edition)
New release from the Scottish jazz pianist. Building on the superlative reaction to Cairn, Forest Floor develops similar traits and characteristics but imbued with even greater maturity, interaction, and vision. The Scottish folk influences developed in Cairn remain central and define Fergus’ and the trio’s sound. [Vinyl edition due May 13.]
Nurse With Wound – Opium Cabaret [Reissue/2020] CD (ICR)
Expanded edition. Contains the full Opium Cabaret album plus an additional 40-minutes of previously unreleased studio material. Four tracks, 74 minutes. The Nurse With Wound lineup for this release consisted of Steven Stapleton, Andrew Liles & Colin Potter.
Oceanator – Nothing’s Ever Fine CD/LP+MP3 (Polyvinyl)
After a handful of cassette releases, including the Lows EP in 2018, Brooklyn’s Oceanator released their proper debut album, Things I Never Said, in 2020. The album was a clear portrayal of the immense and growing talents of songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Elise Okusami and was immediately praised in the likes of Noisey, Under The Radar, Stereogum, and SPIN, who featured the band on their “20 Most Interesting New Artists of 2020” list. On the band’s sophomore album, Nothing’s Ever Fine, Okusami channels her energetic and adventurous writing style she’s become synonymous with and delivers a batch of riff-heavy songs that sound bigger and bolder than anything she’s done before. [A limited-edition pink color vinyl pressing is available.]
Papa Roach – Ego Trip CD (New Noize)
Limited deluxe edition includes a guitar pick. Papa Roach delivers their most diverse album yet, bringing together themes of rock, rap, alternative and pop in a style that is authentically their own, on Ego Trip, their 111th full-length album of their 22-year career. Tracks released prior to the album include the hard left turn of “Swerve” featuring Jason Aalon of Fever 333 and Sueco, “Kill The Noise”, the anthemic “Dying To Believe”, and the energetic latest single “Stand Up”. The band continue to veer across traditional boundaries that most bands barely have the nerve to occupy, creating one of the most diverse and fearless discographies in rock music.
Pavement – Terror Twilight: Farewell Horizontal 2xCD/4xLP+MP3 (Matador)
Matador’s complete series of expanded editions of their five studio albums culminates with this deluxe reissue of their 1999 fifth studio album Terror Twilight, originally released in 1999. Pavement is widely renowned as one of the most popular and influential bands to come out of the American underground in the last three decades This expanded reissue contains numerous unreleased recordings, plus ‘Be The Hook’ – one of three never-before-heard songs. The sets both include the original Terror Twilight album remastered from the original tapes, and for the vinyl edition, it is presented in the original Nigel Godrich track order. The set includes B-Sides from the Spit On A Stranger and Major Leagues CD EPs, Stephen Malkmus home demos, tracks from the scrapped recording sessions in New York, full band rehearsal demos and six live tracks from 1999.
Bonnie Pointer – Like A Picasso [Reissue/2011] CD (Omnivore)
Digitally remastered and expanded edition of the final album from founding member of the Pointer Sisters with 3 previously unissued bonus tracks. After being approached by songwriters/producers Lloyd Poe and Robin Taylor to record a demo for a new Taylor Poe composition, “Answered Prayer”, Bonnie agreed and brought in sister Anita to sing background vocals with her. The 2008 session laid the foundation that resulted in an entire album’s worth of recordings using Taylor Poe’s extensive catalog of material. Originally issued in 2011, Like A Picasso was released by Poe and Taylor on the Platinum Trini Entertainment label, although a lack of funding and promotion limited its chances in the marketplace. Thirteen songs from the original recording are augmented by three previously unissued tracks.
River Whyless – Monoflora CD (River Whyless)
River Whyless are a neo-traditional folk quartet from Asheville, North Carolina who bring a dose of folk-rock and an artful approach to their songwriting and arrangements. [Vinyl edition due June 10.]
Tom Rogerson – Retreat To Bliss CD/LP (Western Vinyl)
Released two weeks ago on vinyl – now available on CD. Since the release of his last album – 2017’s Finding Shore, a collaboration with Brian Eno – pianist and singer-songwriter Tom Rogerson’s life has undergone several dramatic transformations. While writing his new album Retreat To Bliss, Rogerson had a child, lost a parent, and received his own diagnosis of a rare form of blood cancer. The new decade brought him from Berlin to the Suffolk of his childhood, composing profound pieces of minimal songwriting in the church next to his parents’ home. It was working with Eno, another Suffolk native, that eventually led Rogerson back to his roots and back to a place where he could write Retreat To Bliss, his solo debut album.
The Regrettes – Further Joy CD/LP (WB)
The Regrettes, consisting of singer and songwriter, Lydia Night, as well as Genessa Gariano (guitar), Brooke Dickson (bass) and Drew Thomsen (drums), have written a manual for living in these times, replete with highly personalized songs about things we’re all going through. Night shares, “that phrase, ‘Further Joy,’ summarized what it meant to be on the hamster wheel of constantly chasing happiness, but in turn, that’s what makes you unhappy. I was stuck in a loop of wanting to be better, wanting to be good, and therefore I couldn’t be here. I couldn’t be present.” The desire to break free of that cycle is what the band’s third album, Further Joy, is all about, a joyous and self-aware soundtrack for those interested in what Lydia refers to as “dancing the pain away.” [An indie-store exclusive pink vinyl pressing is available.]
Role Model – Rx CD (Interscope)
Rx is the debut album from Role Model, aka Tucker Pillsbury. In this dynamic debut, he continues to explore his pop sensibilities while playing with themes of love, healing, and religion – and ultimately, the power of a woman. As Role Model, he assembles, disassembles, and reassembles different vibes, sounds, and emotions into his work. One moment, he’s crooning about his crush’s earrings over crunchy chords. The next, he’s spitting bars about staying home. Either way, the intimacy of his songwriting beckons connection. [Vinyl due in August.]
Daniel Rossen – You Belong There CD/LP+MP3 (Warp)
Daniel Rossen knew there was a lot to learn if he was finally going to finish his debut solo album. For nearly two decades, Rossen had been a crucial component of Grizzly Bear, the era-epitomizing act whose shared harmonies and interlaced textures meant he was responsible for only part of a whole. But Rossen left the close-knit nest of Brooklyn many years ago, first for an isolated patch of land in upstate New York and then for the high desert climes of Santa Fe. The whole, as it were, was now his. So Rossen bought an upright bass (one of his instruments as a kid) and played all the parts himself, along with the cello. Best known as a guitarist, he took up woodwinds, too, buying several cheap student models and learning just enough to understand the rudiments. And then, largely at home in Santa Fe, he slowly built the world that is You Belong There, a riveting 10-song reintroduction to a voice that sounds both entirely familiar and fully reenergized by the act of unfettered expression. [A limited-edition gold color vinyl pressing is available.]
Joe Satriani – Elephants Of Mars CD/2xLP (earMUSIC)
Satriani and his touring band, who all recorded remotely in separate areas of the world during lockdown, deliver an album-length journey that never dulls. The Elephants Of Mars crackles with an exciting new energy, briskly traveling through stylistic roads that feel freshly updated, viewed through new eyes. The guitarist had an aim to create a “new standard” when it came to crafting an instrumental guitar record. He strove to openly challenge himself to move away from what he describes as “the classic rock” tone of the past few albums he’s put out, replacing that with a new platform of his own design. “I do want to show people that the instrumental guitar album can contain far more complexity of creative elements than I think people are using right now.” [A limited-edition orange color vinyl pressing is available.]
Carol Sloane – Live At Birdland CD (Provident)
Singer Carol Sloane started singing professionally when she was 14 and at 18, she toured Germany in a musical comedy. She was with the Les and Larry Elgart orchestra during 1958-1960 and, after appearing at a jazz festival in 1960, she was heard by Jon Hendricks who later sent for her to sub for Annie Ross with Lambert, Hendricks, and Ross. Sloane made a big impression at the 1961 Newport Jazz Festival and soon cut two records for Columbia.
Sunday Drive – Breaking Boundaries CD (Stow Town)
With top-notch production from multiple award-winning producer Wayne Haun, Sunday Drive has a phenomenal new sound. Their familial blend is accentuated by harmonies as tight as their bond. They don’t stray from their Southern Gospel roots, but rather embrace them wholeheartedly.
Cole Swindell – Stereotype CD (Warner Nashville)
Fourth album from Grammy-nominated multi-platinum superstar.
Kae Tempest – The Line Is A Curve CD/LP (American)
“The Line Is A Curve is about letting go. The core of the record is that the pressures we face do not always have to be heavy burdens but can be reframed; the more pressure a person is under, the greater the possibility for release. The album plays like a chronicle of pressures – the mind-numbing pursuit of a comfortable life, the eternal striving for more, the pressures of the city, the country, the times. The pressures of maintaining relationships, of battling illness, addiction, poor mental health, the vacuous life of our online selves.” [A deluxe CD edition and an indie store exclusive translucent orange color vinyl pressing are available.]
Tindersticks – Past Imperfect: The Best Of Tindersticks ’92 – ’21 2xCD/3xCD/2xLP+MP3 (City Slang)
“Nobody was between us and the records that we made,” says Tindersticks frontman Stuart Staples. Mavens of intimate and expansive mood-song, Tindersticks have forged paths of their own unobstructed making over three decades, avidly trend-averse in their dusky and far-reaching explorations of the heart. Past Imperfect: The Best Of Tindersticks ’92-’21 maps the band’s 30-year journey across a peerless 20-track chronology. [An indie store exclusive three-CD edition featuring O-Card packaging is available. A limited-edition vinyl box set edition is due April 29.]
The Treat – The Endgame CD (Frontiers)
Ninth studio album from the Swedish melodic rock band.
Wet Leg – Wet Leg CD/LP+MP3 (Domino)
Right from the start of Wet Leg, Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers focus was fun, and a dry sense of humor ripples through the album. “I wanted to write fun songs, I didn’t want to indulge sad feelings too much, I wanted to write stuff that’s fun to listen to and fun to play,” reveals Rhian. “But then, the sad seeps through, as well.” Wet Leg is sad music for party people, and party music for sad people. It is cathartic and joyful and punk and scuzzy and above all, it’s fun. “Wet Leg was originally just supposed to be funny,” says Rhian. “As a woman, there’s so much put on you, in that your only value is how pretty or cool you look. But we want to be goofy and a little bit rude. We want to write songs that people can dance to. And we want people to have a good time, even if that might not possible all of the time.” [An indie store exclusive translucent yellow color vinyl pressing is available.]
Jack White – Fear Of The Dawn CD/LP (Third Man)
Jack White returns in 2022 with not one but two brand new albums – his first new full-length collections in over four years. Fear Of The Dawn is available now, while Entering Heaven Alive will follow in July 2022. White has been writing and recording music throughout the entirety of the past several years, creating two entirely distinctive albums – each defined by different inspirations, different themes, different moods. Introduced by the blazing single “Taking Me Back”, Fear Of The Dawn is the fourth solo studio album from the founding member of The White Stripes, The Raconteurs, and The Dead Weather. True to his DIY roots, this record was recorded at White’s Third Man Studio throughout 2021, mastered by Third Man Mastering, pressed to vinyl at Third Man Pressing, and released by Third Man Records. [An indie store exclusive translucent blue swirl/splatter color vinyl pressing is available.]
Anand Wilder – I Don’t Know My Words CD/LP (Last Gang)
Anand Wilder’s reputation as a talented multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter emerged in the Brooklyn indie rock scene of the late 2000s, where he joined his bandmates in painting on the eclectic palette of synths, strings, and harmonies that defined Yeasayer’s acclaimed psychedelic worldbeat and swerving electro-pop experiments. With I Don’t Know My Words, Wilder torques his multi-instrumentality away from electronica and global genre-hopping and makes it a lonely lockdown challenge. Ten songs, in braided strands of English folk revival, Topanga Canyon jangle, and desert blues licks, offer taut documents of a gloomy hour of collective confinement, but also elegant proofs of folk rock songcraft’s inexhaustible machinery. Wilder reveals vulnerable moments of pandemic panic and addresses the challenges of love and dedication as he follows New York’s path through the worldwide emergency, and as he confronts the personal, political, and professional reckonings that spanned it.
Michelle Willis – Just One Voice CD (Groudup Music Merch)
Just One Voice invites us into a world of doubt, anxiety, hope, balance and letting go-a process Michelle Willis skillfully guides us through with arresting arrangements that seem complex but are deceptively simple-just like her subject matter. Navigating the sounds and emotions Willis bravely lays bare, expertly produced with Fab Dupont (Andre 3000, Gregory Porter) at Flux Studios, the songs change and unfurl to reveal their meaning: giving voice to smallness, navigating indecision and change, and making room for a new chapter, which in a sense, is finding relief and resolve.
Yob – Atma CD/2xLP (Relapse)
Deluxe Remastered 10 Year Anniversary edition of Yob’s Atma full-length. The reissue sees Billy Barnett make the album volume-wide and monolithic in detail and space while keeping all of Jeff Olsen’s original amazing raw-punch production.
Zero 7 – Yeah Ghost [Reissue/2009] CD/2xLP (New State Entertainment)
Yeah Ghost is Zero 7’s fourth album from 2009, spanning everything from dance pop to acoustic folk and everything in between. It’s an idea-splattered work of genius that even includes a quartet of instrumental tracks derived from their experimental side projects and sampled, overdubbed, and rebuilt from scratch. This reissue features three bonus tracks.
This Week’s Vinyl Exclusives:
Abhoria – Abhoria LP (Prosthetic)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Abhoria was created by guitarist Vor (aka, Trevor Portz of Ashen Horde) to satiate his appetite to play classic, aggressive black metal. Recruiting some top-notch players from the L.A. metal underground to join him, he rounded out the band with vocalist Walthrax (ex- Catheter) and bassist Koszmar (Vimana). The band quickly got to work on their debut album with engineer Shane Howard (Vale of Pnath, Martriden, Helleborus), and the result is a black metal album that harks back to the ‘90s black metal scene, but with modern production. While rooted in the more brutal side of black metal, the album blends the requisite blast beats and tremolo picked guitars with many melodic passages, doom-inspired detours, and a variety of tempos.
Area21 – Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 LP (Hollywood)
Area21’s (acclaimed DJ/producer Martin Garrix and producer/songwriter Maejor, who between them have worked with some of music’s biggest artists including Bono, G-Eazy, Justin Bieber, Dua Lipa and Khalid) long-awaited debut album Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 includes previous releases such as “La La La”, “Lovin’ Every Minute”, “Own The Night” and “Followers”, but also sends six brand new tracks into the stratosphere including the lead single “Time Machine”. In “Time Machine” they contemplate going back to relive simple moments of their youth, but in the end realize that enjoying life in the moment is most important. [An indie store exclusive purple color vinyl pressing is available.]
Horace Andy – Midnight Rocker 2xLP+MP3 (On-U Sound)
Adrian Sherwood has spent a long time realizing his dream of making an album with legendary Jamaican vocalist Horace Andy, beloved by reggae fans worldwide for his classic ‘70s and ‘80s tracks for labels such as Studio One and Wackies and boasting proper crossover appeal in modern times via his frequent contributions to Massive Attack, being a mainstay of their touring line-up and singing on all their studio albums to date. Midnight Rocker has been approached in a similar fashion to the late-career quality that Sherwood coaxed out of Lee “Scratch” Perry with the Rainford and Heavy Rain albums, assembling a crack team of players and spending many months perfecting performance, arrangements, and mixing. The result is 11 remarkable tracks that sparkle with superb musicianship, carefully crafted production, and some truly beautiful vocals from Andy. [CD edition due April 15.]
Albert Ayler – First Recordings 1 LP (Sowing)
Albert Ayler – First Recordings 2 LP (Sowing)
Recorded in Stockholm in 1962, and originally released on Sonet Records, these sessions stand as Ayler’s first step into a new sonic world. Though his genius is not yet fully formed, one can easily hear he’s headed that direction, and this rare and long out of print recording is an essential piece of the history from one of America’s most uniquely lyrical voices on the saxophone.
Alan Braufman – Live In New York City, February 8, 1975 3xLP (Valley Of Search)
This recently unearthed recording captures Alan Braufman with his five-piece band in an early 1975 live radio session soon after recording his debut album Valley Of Search for the India Navigation label. This was the first meeting for William Parker and Cooper-Moore, whose musical partnership has flourished ever since.
Alessia Cara – In The Meantime LP (Def Jam)
Released last September on CD – now available on vinyl. In The Meantime is the third studio album by Canadian singer and songwriter Alessia Cara. She collaborated with Jon Levine, Salaam Remi and Joel Little among several other producers on the project.
Blut Aus Nord – Ultima Thulée [Reisuse/1995] LP (Debemur Morti Productions)
Blut Aus Nord – 777 – Sect(s) [Reissue/2011] LP (Debemur Morti Productions)
Blut Aus Nord – 777 – The Desanctification [Reissue/2011] LP (Debemur Morti Productions)
Blut Aus Nord – 777 – Cosmosophy [Reissue/2012] LP (Debemur Morti Productions)
Originating in 1994 from the ashes of Vlad, Blut Aus Nord is undisputable French black metal pioneers, always managing to progress and move forward, evolving in perpetual mutation, developing their own vision of the genre. Choosing, from the start, the total opposite path of regressive bands, Blut Aus Nord eschews all the inherent black metal clichés. The group’s approach is a fist in the face of mainstream mediocrity, becoming more macabre and sinister through a blend of innovative musical research, subliminal mental manipulation, and an incredible haunted, nightmarish feeling based on disharmony.
Convulse – World Without God [Reissue/1991] 2xLP (Svarte)
Green color vinyl repress. Beginning as a full-on death metal band in 1990, Convulse’s debut demo, Resuscitation Of Evilness, as well as their 1991 full-length debut album, World Without God, were more or less successful attempts from the Finnish veteran’s to flex their death metal muscles for the whole world. This vinyl reissue collects both.
The Cribs – Sonic Blew Singles Club 4×7” (Sonic Blew)
Following The Cribs’s 2020 album Night Network, three brothers of Yorkshire, England are back and on blistering form, brandishing eight new tracks across four 7″ singles. Released individually at the end of 2021 as part of their new 7″ Singles Club, this limited-edition release collects all four singles with an exclusive patch and sticker.
Leopard Davinci/Lous 707 – Make The Party Great Again LP (The Sleepers Recordz)
Yellow color vinyl pressing. As music in the digital age seems to be shifting back to a ‘60s era emphasis on singles over albums, those who clamor for a full-length installment of music from their favorite artists have found their thirst increasingly unquenched. Enter Leopard DaVinci & Louis 707, who are boldly filling this gap in modern funk music with their LP Make The Party Great Again. Living through an era of social distancing, event cancellations, and venue closures, making the party thrive as it once did is no small task, but this French synth-funk duo come across as extraordinarily energized to meet the challenge. It feels like every synthesizer sound ever conceived somehow lives within their arsenal, as a colorful blend of analog tones and back-cracking handclaps form the foundation for pure boogie bliss.
Bob Dylan – Bringing It All Back Home [Reissue/1965] LP (Sony Legacy)
Bob Dylan – Highway 61 Revisited [Reissue/1965] 2xLP (Sony Legacy)
Bob Dylan – Blonde On Blonde [Reissue/1966] 2xLP (Sony Legacy)
Vinyl reissues of Dylan’s fifth, sixth, and seventh albums.
Dorian Electra – My Agenda (Deluxe) 2xLP (Supernature)
Pop music agitator Dorian Electra (pronouns: they/them/theirs) make music that is unbound by gender or genre. Since the 2019 release of their acclaimed debut album Flamboyant, which Interview Magazine called a “pop magnum opus,” Electra has gained an intense cult following around the globe, that has been fueled by considerable critical support from places like Pitchfork, Billboard, Paper Magazine, FADER, Gay Times, The Guardian, and more. Electra, is known for their high-concept singles, which are each accompanied by a music video conceptualized, produced and co-directed by Electra and their co-director Weston Allen. They create a world in which camp is embraced and societal expectations and binaries are deconstructed. Their critically acclaimed project My Agenda, released in 2020, explores a deeper, darker, and even more political side, with Dorian examining the ‘crisis in masculinity’ through a queer lens.
Everyone Dies In Utah – Seeing Clearly [Reissue/2011] LP (Tragic Hero)
No, they’re not from Utah. This Texas metalcore band, formed in 2008, found a statistic that indicated the death rate in Utah usurped all other states at one point, and called themselves Everyone Dies In Utah as a joke.
Foster The People – Torches X (Deluxe Edition) 2xLP (Sony)
Deluxe double orange color vinyl pressing in gatefold jacket. Includes lyric insert. Torches X (Deluxe Edition) celebrates the 10th anniversary of the acclaimed debut album by Foster The People. Including the RIAA Certified Diamond “Pumped Up Kicks” and hits such as “Houdini”, “Helena Beat”, and “Don’t Stop (Color on the Walls)”. Exclusively for this deluxe edition, Gus Dapperton recorded a brand-new version of “Pumped Up Kicks”. Torches X (Deluxe Edition) also features some fan favorites B-sides such as “Broken Jaw” and “Chin Music For The Unsuspecting Hero”. Produced by Paul Epworth, Rich Costey, and Greg Kurstin, Torches is one of the most remarkable alternative albums of the 2010s.
Geographer – Down And Out In The Garden Of Earthly Delights 2xLP (Nettwerk)
Released last November on CD – now available on blue color vinyl. Geographer captured the interests of many over the last ten years through his unique indie-pop/rock sonic scapes that have solidified his sound. The solo project for Mike Deni, Geographer, is constantly evolving and reinventing his music, which began as an outlet for Deni after his sister’s tragic death; born from a place of grief but ultimately capturing the optimism that is inherent to persevering through life. He continues his quest in music exploration with his new album Down And Out In The Garden Of Earthly Delights – which he was inspired to name after moving to L.A. from S.F.
Grizfolk – Grizfolk LP (Nettwerk)
Released last September on CD – now available on vinyl. If Grizfolk, the band, is a study in dichotomy and contrast, then Grizfolk, the album, is the bridge where it all connects. With the release of their self-titled third full-length record, the band creates a place where folk stompers and electronic synths cozy up to the same driving backbeat and golden riffs in a pertinent and perfect way.
The Head & The Heart – The Head & The Heart [Reissue/2011] LP (Thath)
Vinyl reissue of the debut album from the Americana/folk rock band.
Honey Bane – You Can Be You LP (One Little Independent)
You Can Be You captures all the spirit of late ‘70s anarcho-punk with furious lo-fi guitars and a DIY aesthetic. It was the debut release on Crass’ then newly found label, Crass Records. Honey Bane began her musical career at the age of 14 in 1978 when she formed the punk rock band the Fatal Microbes.
Horse Feathers – House With No Home LP+7”+MP3 (Kill Rock Stars)
Limited blue with bonus gray 7” color vinyl pressing colored vinyl LP pressing. After a year of touring the US in various incarnations, Horse Feathers proceeded to record this, their second album, House With No Home. On it they have distilled their sound into a brilliant statement of minimalist Americana. Peter and Heather’s precisely arranged strings step cautiously in and around Justin’s haunting vocal lines, and the economy of music is also reflected in the lyrics a few evocative phrases tell rich stories, each word weighted and delivered with careful purpose.
Immolation – Acts Of God 2xLP (Napalm)
Recently released on CD and cassette – now available on clear w/ gold splatter color vinyl. 11th studio album from the old school NY death metal band.
Jamestown Revival – Young Man LP (Jamestown Revival)
Released earlier this year on CD – now available on vinyl. Young Man is the first Jamestown Revival album recorded in a proper studio and featuring fiddle on all tracks, and the album features no electric guitar whatsoever. It is a body of work that incorporates sounds from all aspects of “Americana” music: folk, blues, country, bluegrass, jazz, etc.
King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard – Made In Timeland LP (ATO)
Made In Timeland has been whispered about on fan message boards for almost two years. Like so many other things, it was delayed by the pandemic. It was finally released after the band’s marathon three-hour show in Melbourne and is now available on vinyl.
Bunny Lee & The Aggrovators – Dub Soundclash: Run Sound Boy Run LP (Jamaican Recordings)
Legendary record producer Bunny “Striker” Lee’s vast selection of rhythms were ever present at any sound clash or dance worth talking about in the early to mid- ‘70s. Lee was the undisputed rhythm master and on Run Sound Boy Run he is also the MC telling the crowd how it is and that any rival sound system should watch out as he has the rhythms that can reign supreme. The band cutting these timeless rhythms was a group of top Jamaican musicians Bunny had put together called The Aggrovators.
Lil Tecca – We Love You Tecca 2 2xLP (Republic)
We Love You Tecca 2 is the debut mixtape by American rapper Lil Tecca. The mixtape contains a sole guest appearance from Juice Wrld.
Nick Lowe – Dig My Mood [Reissue/1998] LP (Yep Roc)
Digitally remastered edition of the 1998 album from the veteran British singer/songwriter. Over four decades on, Nick Lowe has evolved from British pub-rock pioneer (with Brinsley Schwarz) to new wave godfather (producing Elvis Costello, among others) to post rock crooner. It’s a surprising but convincing transformation, begun with the country-inflected minimalism of 1994’s superb The Impossible Bird and pared to an even leaner chamber pop on this subdued charmer. Bird found Lowe damping his jokester’s instincts to dig deeply and soberly into romantic despair and a gnawing, midlife confrontation of self. While the tracks on Dig My Mood suggest that some of the wounds have healed, there’s still an elegiac air to the songs.
Reginald Omas Mamode IV – Stand Strong LP (Five Easy Pieces)
Classically burnished modern soul flex with strong Afro-diasporic roots, from Reginald Omas Mamode, member of the illustrious clan with Mo Colours, Jeen Bassa and fam in Omas Sextet. Running through Stand Strong are themes encompassing a distaste for humanity’s collective responses to the hierarchical systems that the ruling classes have conjured, past abuses and present economic and physical slavery on our and our children’s future. Throughout, the overall message remains of hope for a better future. There’s a subtlety in delivering these ideas and concepts: Afro Mulatto expressions and inspirations of negro spiritual are articulated with clarity through intuitive instrumentalism, raw drums, natty funk bass, soulful fender Rhodes, and Creole percussive patterns. [A limited-edition clear vinyl pressing is available.]
Mercyless – Coloured Funeral [Reissue/1993] LP (Xenokorp)
A mind-blowing piece of real unholy death metal.
Metal Cross – Soul Ripper LP (MNRK Music Group)
Recently released on CD – now available on gray & black color vinyl. Show Ripper contains the classic heavy metal of their now cult ‘80s demos “Crucifying The Virgins” and “M.A.D.H.O.U.S.E.” with a renewed power and energy. It will indeed rip your soul and leave you thirsty for more from this Scandinavian heavy metal powerhouse.
The Midnight – Horror Show LP+MP3 (Counter)
‘Bloodshot’ splatter color vinyl pressing. Through the process of making the album art for Monsters (2020) and thinking about the ephemera in a teenager’s bedroom, we began to ask ourselves questions about the television. What was that shadowy figure coming out of the static screen?” The band says, “This is our little homage to the eerie romance of the stumbled upon late night black and white horror film.” The Midnight continue to push the sonic and thematic boundaries of the synth-pop genre with impressive compositions encompassing synth-driven film scores, deep house, pop, rock and more.
Hank Mobley, Al Cohn, John Coltrane, Zoot Sims – Tenor Conclave [Reissue/1957] LP (Sowing)
Recorded in 1956 and issued in early 1957 by Prestige Records, Tenor Conclave displays an amazing all-star lineup based on four of the greatest tenor sax voices of the time, Al Cohn, John Coltrane, Hank Mobley and Zoot Sims, along with a top-class rhythm section featuring Red Garland on piano, Paul Chambers on bass and Art Taylor on drums. The result shouldn’t be seen as just a great blowing session, in fact Tenor Conclave perfectly stands as a document of the state of the art of tenor saxophone at the end of the Fifties. Four young distinctive personalities teaming up on a great album full of hard swinging music.
Nobro – Live Your Truth Shred Some Gnar 12” (Dine Alone)
Call them punk rock if you like, because Montreal quartet Nobro certainly espouses a philosophy of rejecting societal norms. But if we can now accept that punk was essentially a guy thing, then that’s just one more long-held belief the members of Nobro are here to challenge. In fact, bassist/vocalist Kathryn McCaughey founded the band almost as a challenge to herself when the aftermath of a relationship with a prominent Montreal musician made her determined to be “more than just a footnote on this person’s Wikipedia page.”
Nappynappa – Ondamicunderdacozmiklytz LP (Don Giovanni/Bad Taste)
Nappynappa is a prolific artist from Washington DC with a highly creative and free approach. Ondamicunderdacozmiklytz coalesces his expressive hip hop soundscapes alongside the many layers of eclectic influences. The album features production from long-time collaborator Black Moses, as well as Pat Cain, Zac Clare, Tooth Choir, Jelani Kwesi and Richthesupersonic.
Of Monsters And Men – My Head Is An Animal (10th Anniversary Edition) 2xLP (Republic)
To celebrate a decade since the arrival of My Head Is An Animal, Of Monsters And Men present this 10th Anniversary reissue. Originally released in Iceland in 2011, this version includes four tracks that were not on the version released in the US in 2012. Pressed on translucent red vinyl.
Orville Peck – Bronco 2xLP (Columbia)
Bronco is the new album from country artist and songwriter Orville Peck. A consummate storyteller, the country rock inspired Bronco plays upon the horse theme so often found in Orville’s work, but this time with an exploration of freedom, breaking free from that which binds us and all that is wild and untamed. Bronco builds upon and follows Peck’s previous album Pony and EP Show Pony, which explored themes of love, loss and loneliness but advances the story arc in a bolder, newer, and warmer trajectory.
Pike vs. The Automaton – Pike vs. The Automaton 2xLP (MNRK Music Group)
Standard black vinyl pressing. Matt Pike: “The album title, Pike vs. The Automaton, wasn’t an ego thing for me. Billy and Jon said, ‘Dude, you should use your name in this. This is your solo project.’ I said, “I don’t want to do that.” The Automaton, in Greek mythology, is the big robot that’s the guardian of the Gods, basically. It’s a soulless, big machine named Talos. The big machine that’s working against mankind at this moment. In Jason and The Argonauts, Jason and The Argonauts must battle this big machine guy that protects the island. Basically, what the album title is saying, metaphorically, is ‘Pike against the World.'” “I made a psychedelic rock record that Sleep and High on Fire fans would like,” Pike says when asked for a CliffsNotes description of Pike vs. The Automaton. “And maybe if you’re not a Sleep or High on Fire fan, you might like it too. I think it’s interesting; it has d-beat punk, two-step. It’s got everything and it still works together, it doesn’t sound odd. It’s just an off-the-wall psychedelic rock record.
Pip Blom – Welcome Break LP (Heavenly)
Released in January on CD – now available on vinyl. Pip Blom’s 2019 debut album, Boat, was a fresh-faced, yet gloriously fearless game-changer. Welcome Break is the self-assured older sibling who, with an additional year or two behind themselves, isn’t afraid to speak out, take lead and instigate a liberated revolution-come-bliss-out. Actively seeking out moments of creative-authenticity, be it via a slightly-out-of-tune guitar or proudly-fuzzed vocals, Pip Blom take full-circle with this eleven-track release that resonates with about as much decisive allure as it’s precursor, but this time with a bit more contemporary chaos to boot.
The Pop Group – Y In Dub LP (Mute)
Released last November on CD – now available on vinyl. Y In Dub is a complete reworking of The Pop Group’s 1979 album Y by reggae legend Dennis Bovell.
The Queers – Love Songs For The Retarded [Reissue/1996] LP (Hey Suburbia)
Vinyl reissue of the first Queers’ album with the Joe/Hugh/B-Face line-up, and one of the true milestones of ’90s punk rock. [“Let me just be very honest for a minute, prior to our son being born I used the word ‘retarded’ flippantly. I would use phrases like ‘that’s so retarded,’ ‘don’t be retarded,’ or “man…I’m so retarded’ from time to time without even thinking that I was using discriminatory language (or hate speech) toward an entire group of people. As the parent of a child with Down syndrome and someone passionate about people with Down syndrome, this is especially disappointing to me. To be honest, before I became the parent of a child with special needs over a decade ago, I didn’t know those words are as hurtful as they are.” – NoahsDad.com]
Rocket From The Crypt – Group Sounds [Reissue/2001] LP (Vagrant)
Rocket From The Crypt – Live From Camp X-Ray [Reissue/2002] LP (Vagrant)
Color vinyl reissues of the punk ‘n’ roll band’s seventh and ninth albums.
Paul Rodgers – Cut Loose [Reissue/1983] LP (Friday Music)
Grammy-nominated frontman Paul Rodgers is a musical innovator who has successfully reinvented himself over the course of a five-decade career, in the legendary bands Bad Company, Free and The Firm as well as solo. Ranked as one of the Greatest Singers of All Time by Rolling Stone, Paul is a multi-faceted creative force in the genres of rock, blues, and classic rock. Cut Loose is the definitive debut solo album in the truest sense of the word. The consummate artist delivered this critically acclaimed self-produced, written, played and sung album in 1983 upon the break-up of Bad Company. [Two color vinyl variants are available: white and blue.]
Sneers – Tales For Violent Days LP (God Unknown)
A devilish and hallucinatory march into the depths of human bleakness, odes to spirituality and guilt. Playing a southern gothic swampland voodoo. Sneers is the female-fronted music project formed by Italian singer and guitarist M. Greta Blaankart and drummer Leonardo O. Stefenelli. Started in Berlin and relocated to Rome, Sneers’ music is a devilish and hallucinatory march into the depths of human bleakness, characterized by the emotionally overpowering narrative of Blaankart’s lyrics. The band’s blood-filled poetry and luminous melancholia are odes to spirituality and guilt.
The Soul Surfers – Present: The Soul Surfers Present: Igor & Romeo’s Sound Excitement LP (Ubiquity)
After meeting and working with Janko Nilovic – the extraordinary French library maestro – on a new album, while traveling and performing together around the world for almost 10 years, Igor Zhukovsky & Romeo Miussky – the multi-instrumentalist production duo, and rhythm core of The Soul Surfers – were inspired to make a record of free, spiritual, esoteric sounds which blended on tape and made Sound Excitement happen. Drawing on their experience as soundtrack composers and using heavyweight Soviet analog equipment, including a few vintage personal instruments belonging to some legends of the Soviet leftfield music scene, Igor & Romeo started experimenting with genre-bending music. The outcome of their recordings are a mixed bag of different moods and genres.
Stillbirth – Strain Of Gods 10” (Unique Leader)
Released last November on CD – now available on vinyl. Bringing a huge Sleep/Black Sabbath drenched flavor to their special brand of brutal slamming death metal, this special EP is a pseudo surfing adventure in the insane Stillbirth universe.
The Tempers – New Meaning LP (Dais)
The New York City duo of Jasmine Golestaneh and Eddie Cooper aka Tempers specialize in a sleek strain of low-lit poetic synth-pop, the latest statement of which feels like the peak fruition of their elusive alchemy. With their self-produced New Meaning, Tempers present an album about navigating the unknown, coping mechanisms and exploring the nature of choice. It’s ten songs reflect on the creation of meaning as an access to liberation in times of transition and loss, speculating on the transformative potential that exists alongside the grief of living in a world that is in an ongoing state of crisis. [A limited-edition color vinyl ‘aqua ice’ color vinyl pressing is available.]
Rolo Tomassi – Where Myth Becomes Memory 2xLP (MNRK)
Two 180gm color vinyl pressings are now available: tan color ‘Labryinthine Edition’ and black w/ lemon yellow ‘Ice Rebirth Edition’. Rolo Tomassi is a British progressive metal band from Sheffield. The group is known for their sonic and energetic live performances, as well as their stark and consistent artistic aesthetic.
Tool – Fear Inoculum 5xLP (RCA)
This is the long-awaited limited-edition vinyl package of Tool’s Grammy winning and critically acclaimed album, Fear Inoculum. This package features five 180gm black vinyl discs, with album tracks featured on Side A, and unique etchings featured on Side B. The discs are packaged in a hard-shell box with new album art, and a bound casebook holding the vinyl along with new imagery not previously seen.
Vangelis –Juno To Jupiter 2xLP (Decca)
Released last September on CD – now available on vinyl Vangelis’ new album, Juno To Jupiter, was inspired by NASA’s ground-breaking mission by the Juno space probe and its ongoing exploration of Jupiter. It’s a multi- dimensional musical journey featuring the voice of opera superstar Angela Gheorghiu. It includes sounds from the Juno launch event on Earth, from the probe and its surroundings, and Juno’s subsequent journey that have been sent back to earth from the probe which continues to study Jupiter and its moons: 365 million miles away.
Various Artists – Yeraz Past Present And Future Armenian Sounds From Lost Angeles To Yerevan 2xLP (Critique)
Featuring virtuosos of contemporary Armenian music such as Bei Ru, Lara Sarkissian and Armen Ra, as well as shedding a light on the independent music scene in Yerevan, Yeraz… is an exercise in ethnomusicology. Classical songs and instruments collide with the full spectrum of electronic-based music from ambient to techno and everything in between, building a mosaic inside of a specific cultural context.
Morgan Wade – Reckless LP (SME Nashville)
Now available on vinyl. “Reckless pulverizes the heart into diamonds, rough-cut and powdery. Her voice, a two-ton barbell, swings across timeless melodies, often vigorous, always lilting and sweet.” – American Songwriter
Muddy Waters – Muddy Waters At Newport 1960 [Reissue/1960] LP (Friday Music)
180gm audiophile vinyl reissue in a gatefold sleeve. Great musical events are often born of both positive and negative energies clashing with one another. And so, it was at the Newport Festival in 1960, which had already been rocked by violent tumults even before it started. The allures of commerce raised its ugly head; the Mingus Band wanted their share and named a fee that the organizers were not willing to fulfill. The echo came quickly: Charles Mingus and Max Roach organized their own festival in the near-by Cliff Walk Manor Hotel, and the “Newport Rebels” were born. Tempers escalated during the Saturday night concert and a commotion broke out when masses of drunken teenagers got into a fight with the security personnel. Newport was on the brink of disaster.
Kenny ‘Blues Boss’ Wayne – Blues From Chicago To Paris LP (Stony Plain)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Kenny ‘Blues Boss’ Wayne’s new album Blues From Chicago To Paris pays tribute to two of Chicago’s blues legends, piano-pounding Memphis Slim and bass-slapping Willie Dixon. Focused when the two giants teamed up to tour the globe in the late ‘50s and early ’60s, this album presents a collection of favorites and tunes that have inspired and influenced blues players ever since.
Reinhold Weber – Complete Electronic & Phonetic Works 1968-74 2xLP (Sub Rosa)
Reinhold Weber, born in 1927, was known as a pioneer of electronic music. In his compositions, Weber placed a focus on twelve-tone music, he became increasingly fascinated in the field of computer music since the 1970s. He produced numerous works at the Studio for Electronic Music at the University of Karlsruhe.
Whatever The Weather – Whatever The Weather LP+MP3 (Ghostly Int’l)
Glacial clear vinyl pressing. Loraine James kept busy in 2020, processing the year’s turbulence through her art. The North London producer started a monthly show on NTS radio, shared several projects on Bandcamp, and recorded two Hyperdub releases, the Nothing EP and Reflection, the proper LP follow-up to her 2019 breakthrough, For You And I (which landed James, then a teaching assistant by day, the top spot on year-end lists by Quietus and DJ Mag). She also returned to a distinct creative terrain uncharted since her teenage years. In contrast to her club music sensibilities, this mode embraces keyboard improvisations and vocal experimentation, foregoing percussive structure in favor of shaping atmosphere and tone. From this divergent headspace emerged new coordinates and climates, a new outlet: Whatever The Weather.
Cassettes:
Father John Misty – Chloë And The Next 20th Century (Sub Pop)
Father John Misty returns with Chloë And The Next 20th Century, his fifth album and first new material since the release of God’s Favorite Customer in 2018. Chloë And The Next 20th Century was written and recorded August through December 2020 and features arrangements by Drew Erickson. The album sees Father John Misty – aka Josh Tillman – and producer/multi-instrumentalist Jonathan Wilson resume their longtime collaboration, with Dave Cerminara returning as engineer and mixer. Basic tracks were recorded at Wilson’s Five Star Studios with strings, brass and woodwinds recorded at United Recordings in a session featuring Dan Higgins and Wayne Bergeron, among others. Chloë And The Next 20th Century features the singles “Funny Girl”, “Q4”, “Goodbye Mr. Blue”, and “Kiss Me (I Loved You)”.
Good Looks – Bummer Year (Keeled Scales)
Born and raised in small Texas towns, the members of Good Looks met and began playing together in Austin. Songwriter Tyler Jordan grew up in a South Texas coastal town dominated by the petrochemical industry, his childhood steeped in the tension between nature and industry, exploitation abundantly present and the wealth gap on full display. His father’s church, described by Tyler as “cult-like in its intensity,” was homebase and where he learned to sing. Tyler eventually met lead guitarist Jake Ames in the late-night song-swap circles of the Kerrville Folk Festival campground (where they would also meet Buck Meek and Adrienne Lenker pre-Big Thief). They shared their mutual love of the Texas hill country canon (Blaze Foley, Townes Van Zandt, and Willie Nelson), a love of cheap diner food, thrift store baseball caps, and a healthy dose of harmless shit talking.
Leave a Reply