September Program Titles Released This Week:
Alice In Chains – Rainier Fog CD/2xLP+MP3 (BMG)
Rainier Fog marks a few firsts for Alice In Chains. Not only is it their first album in five years but it also found the band recording in their hometown of Seattle for the first time in more than 20 years (reflected in its title). Rainier Fog was recorded at Studio X, the same facility where they tracked their 1995 self-titled LP (back when the studio was known as Bad Animals). The Rainier Fog recording process also saw the band spend time at Henson Recording Studios in Los Angeles and at the Nashville studio of producer Nick Raskulinecz. It is the third straight Alice In Chains album recorded with Raskulinecz and engineer Paul Figueroa and was mixed by Joe Barresi (Queens of the Stone Age, Tool). Rainier Fog follows 2013’s Grammy nominated The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here and is introduced by the grinding singles “The One You Know” and follow-up “So Far Under”.
Barstool Preachers – Grazie Governo CD/LP (Pirates Press)
Grazie Governo (Thank You Government) is the album that everyone angry and frustrated with the current political situation has been waiting for. The intelligent and passionate lyrics are backed by the unique, catchy, and creative songwriting that this band is becoming known for. It truly exemplifies the band’s incredible talents and creativity, and the energy and commitment that these UK upstarts are turning so many heads with. While drawing from influences spanning traditional ska, dub and reggae to harder in-your-face ska-punk, this battery of tunes never loses its focus, nor the bands unique sense of composure and approach. The message is clear and mature, timeless and 100% on-point; and the music will have everyone dancing & singing along.
The Devil Makes Three – Chains Are Broken CD/LP (New West)
The power of words isn’t lost on longstanding Americana triumvirate The Devil Makes Three – Pete Bernhard, Lucia Turino, and Cooper McBean. For as much as they remain rooted in troubadour traditions of wandering folk, Delta blues, whiskey-soaked ragtime, and reckless rock ‘n’ roll, the band nods to the revolutionary unrest of author James Baldwin, the no-holds barred disillusionment of Ernest Hemingway, and Southern Gothic malaise of Flannery O’Connor. In that respect, their sixth full-length and first of original material since 2013, Chains Are Broken, resembles a dusty leather-bound book of short stories from some bygone era. As the band began writing ideas for the LP, they veered off the proverbial path creatively. Instead of their typical revolving cast of collaborators, The Devil Makes Three stuck to its signature power trio, with one addition. This time, they invited touring drummer Stefan Amidon to power the bulk of the percussion. Another first, they retreated to Sonic Ranch Studios in El Paso, TX a stone’s throw from the Mexican border to record with producer Ted Hutt (Dropkick Murphys). [Limited blue and cream colored vinyl LP pressing.]
DeVotchKa – This Night Falls Forever CD/2xLP (Concord)
For more than a decade, Denver, CO four-piece multi-instrumental/vocal ensemble DeVotchKa has melded its influences from Eastern European wedding bands to Norteno ballads into an authentic and totally original blend of popular music. The band’s haunting, romantic sound evokes timeless images and has proved particularly attractive to filmmakers, who have used DeVotchKa songs to score countless films and commercials, most famously Little Miss Sunshine, for which they received a Grammy nod. This Night Falls Forever is DeVotchKa’s most ambitious album to date with more detailed arrangements and an overall bigger sound. From the record’s first notes it’s clear that This Night Falls Forever is a heartrending look backwards and forwards at once – the sound of searching within.
Neil & Liam Finn – Lightsleeper CD/2xLP (PIAS America)
Recorded mainly in Neil Finn’s Auckland studio, Lightsleeper bursts with melody and the trademark euphoric flips that are the Finn family trademarks. When Neil’s iconic pop sensibility meets Liam’s lo-fi atmospherics, it produces a feeling of intimacy and awe that makes it easy to wonder why the dynamic father and son duo haven’t written together sooner. The simple Finn family ethos of making music with friends and family continues right through to the personnel recruited for the album. Lightsleeper features the touring band, Sharon Finn (Neil’s wife, and Liam’s mother) plays bass on two of the songs, Elroy Finn (Liam’s brother) plays drums on seven, good friend Connan Mockasin returns for four and the legendary Mick Fleetwood turns up to play on “Anger Plays A Part”, “Any Other Way” and “We Know What It Means”.
Interpol – Marauder CD/LP+MP3 (Matador)
Interpol follow-up 2014’s El Pintor with their sixth studio album, Marauder. For the first time since 2007’s Our Love To Admire, the band has opened themselves up to the input of a producer. For two-week spells between December of 2017 to April of 2018, they traveled to upstate New York to work with Dave Fridmann – famed for recording with Mercury Rev, Flaming Lips, MGMT, Spoon, Mogwai, and countless more. In the run up to writing and recording, Sam Fogarino found himself immersed in soul drummers such as Al Jackson Jr. (Otis Redding’s drummer) and ‘80s funk producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. “How can I make sh*t swing?” was the question Sam repeatedly asked himself, and the answer is in the striding gallop of opener “If You Really Love Nothing”, the embellished skip ‘n’ bounce of “Stay In Touch” and the R&B swagger of closer “It Probably Matters”. Interpol have always been world-beaters at creating a feeling, but Marauder is where the feel is just as crucial. [Limited deluxe colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Mark Lanegan & Duke Garwood – With Animals CD/LP (PIAS America)
Over the last decade, Mark Lanegan and Duke Garwood have worked in tangent on 2013’s Black Pudding as well as on Lanegan’s solo records (Garwood contributed to 2012’s Blues Funeral and 2017’s Gargoyle after which he toured as part of Lanegan’s band). Analogue and dust flecked, With Animals sounds like Lanegan and Garwood have been holed up in a ‘60s recording studio while the apocalypse rages outside. Tracks sit on loops that sound like they’re straight out of There’s A Riot Goin’ On while sparse melodies nod in the direction of British electronic producers like Burial or Boards Of Canada. Which is not to say it sounds like any of those things – this is a weird world all of their own design. A ghost’s whistle weaves itself around a pulsing single note on “Lonesome Infidel”; “Feast To Famine’s” hard luck story floats above a guitar part so strung out and washed with distortion it’s become barely recognizable. It’s soul music for anyone who’s long since left the crossroads.
Murder By Death – The Other Shore CD/LP (Bloodshot)
The Other Shore is the eighth studio album from Louisville, KY-based indie Americana trailblazers Murder By Death. It’s an epic space-western about a ravaged earth, it’s fleeing populace, and a relationship in jeopardy. Here, the group explores untapped genres, dynamic and emotional touches, intersecting and introspective storylines, and remote edges of the galaxy. As trailblazers of the early 2000s indie-Americana style, Murder By Death finds a way of taking tried & true rock-and-roll and knocking it slightly off axis, into tottering revolutions of something eerie, emotional, immediate, lush, and uniquely theirs.
Nothing – Dance On The Blacktop CD/LP (Relapse)
Nothing’s third full-length recording, Dance On The Blacktop, is the next chapter in the band’s tumultuous story and like its predecessors, pulls from all corners of life with a focus on the bleak and despairing. Captured by renowned producer John Agnello (Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr., Kurt Vile) at Dreamland Studio in Woodstock, NY, Dance On The Blacktop is a stirring collection of songs accentuating the band’s love for all sounds ‘90s from both sides of the pond; from alternative rock and shoegaze to the realms of pop and post-punk. Across the course of 45 minutes, Nothing weave together nine tales of heightened confusion, anxiety, paranoia, depression and chronic pain juxtaposed against angelic yet apocalyptic, reverberating walls of shimmering sound. Dance On The Blacktop is a fervent, emotional tour-de-force, the sound of a band at the peak of their individuality. [Limited white colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Plain White T’s – Parallel Universe CD/2xLP (Fearless)
Since emerging in 1997, multi-platinum Chicago quintet Plain White T’s has amassed an enduring, engaging, and enigmatic catalog, spanning two gold-certified offerings All That We Needed (2005) and Every Second Counts (2006) and unshakable anthems such as the double-platinum “1,2,3,4” and platinum “Rhythm Of Love”. Among the discography, “Hey There Delilah” went quadruple-platinum, topped the Billboard Hot 100, and earned a pair of 2008 Grammy Award nominations. After a whirlwind tour cycle supporting 2015’s American Nights, the band hunkered down and began writing for would eventually comprise Parallel Universe. The band’s endlessly hummable signature melodies still shine at the center of this galaxy, but their Universe morphed into an otherworldly atmosphere of ethereal electronic pop strengthened by lush guitar tones and synth transmissions.
Rubblebucket – Sun Machine CD/LP (Grand Jury)
Co-produced by Kalmia Traver and Alex Toth, Sun Machine documents the pain of ending their romantic relationship yet emerges as an unbridled and often-euphoric celebration of their lasting connection. While the breakup inspired much of the record, Sun Machine is deeply informed by several other life-changing occurrences in recent years: Kalmia’s diagnosis with ovarian cancer in 2013, Alex’s decision to get sober after a long struggle with alcoholism, and the couple’s three-year-long attempt at maintaining an open relationship. The result is a strange and beautiful paradox: a party album rooted in radical mindfulness, a breakup record imbued with each partner’s palpable love for the other. With its airy melodies and lavish textures, dream-logic sensibilities and dancey rhythms, Sun Machine radiates the bright and joyful energy encapsulated in its title and finds Kalmia and Alex tapping into their creative instincts more freely and directly than ever before. Throughout the record, they adorn their exploration of love and sexuality and grief and healing with bursts of collage-like experimentation.
Territories – Territories CD/LP+MP3 (Pirates Press)
New album from the Calgary, Alberta punk band featuring former members of Knucklehead. “Canadians bands are often the brunt of musical jokes thanks to the likes of Nickelback, Justin Bieber, and Avril Lavigne. But seemingly forgotten by the world, Canada has a lot of amazing artists that deserve to be recognized. Today I would like to draw your attention to one punk band in particular: Territories. Coming at you from Calgary Alberta, Territories are made up of four dudes who know what a solid punk sound is. And in true punk fashion, the entire album is about 30 minutes long.” – The Punk Lounge [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Various Artists – High Times Presents: Smoke Signals Music From The Mother Plant-Volume 1 CD (Palm Oaks Entertainment)
Cannabis culture gone mainstream with this collection of deep cuts from participating artists, with tracks from Snoop Dogg, Action Bronson, Ziggy Marley, Caligula and others.
White Denim – Performance CD/LP (City Slang)
White Denim’s new album, Performance, was mainly recorded over eight weeks at the band’s new downtown Austin, TX studio, Radio Milk. Two new players were key in what James Petralli describes as “a super-collaborative record:” keyboardist Michael Hunter, a “young, humble genius with endless potential” and Conrad Choucroun, a “ridiculously solid” drummer with a long stint with NRBQ on his resume. Categorically speaking, White Denim is still impossible to narrowly pin down. There’s the glam-rock strut of “Magazin” and “It Might Get Dark”, the dueling guitars on the low-slung blues prog of “Moves On”, and the sideways jazz of “Sky Beaming”. There are plenty of pleasingly unexpected musical moments on the title track and the easy-rolling closer “Good News”, along with some seriously distorted guitar. In many ways, White Denim is the flashing light in a dark and crowded tunnel of showbiz glop. [Limited clear vinyl pressing also available.]
CDs + Vinyl:
The Amity Affliction – Misery CD/LP+MP3 (Roadrunner)
For a decade and a half now Australian metalcore act The Amity Affliction has used music to entertain while simultaneously confronting the very darkest edges of existence. Their early records instantly established the group’s twisted sound, all revved-up rhythms, soaring melodies, and full-bore vocals coming together to fashion something provocative and distinct. Following up 2016’s This Could Be Heartbreak, Misery is the group’s Matt Squire-produced sixth studio album overall and marks a mild departure from their previous efforts as heard on electrifying lead single “Ivy (Doomsday)”.
Ancestors – Suspended In Reflections CD/LP (Pelagic)
Los Angeles’ Ancestors create mighty, modern music that dovetails slow, heavy riffs and atmospheric, melodic instrumental passages, exuding a deep sense of melancholy.
Ólafur Arnalds – re:member CD/LP (Mercury)
“This is my breaking out-of-a-shell album,” explains Icelandic BAFTA-winning artist, composer, musician and producer Ólafur Arnalds about his newest recording re:member. “It’s me taking the raw influences that I have from all these different musical genres and not filtering them. It explores the creative process and how one can manipulate that to get out of the circle of expectations and habit.”
Autechre – NTS Sessions 8xCD/12xLP (Warp)
Autechre – NTS Sessions 1 3xLP (Warp)
Autechre – NTS Sessions 2 3xLP (Warp)
Autechre – NTS Sessions 3 3xLP (Warp)
Autechre – NTS Sessions 4 3xLP (Warp)
The legendary Warp Records duo returns with their first physical releases since 2013’s Exai. Originally aired across four, two-hour shows on NTS Radio, NTS Sessions is an archival release of this lauded new and original music. The items are available in Complete Box Sets (8xCD and 12xLP), and Individual Sessions (3xLP).
Basement Revolver – Heavy Eyes CD/LP (Sonic Unyon)
Debut album from Canadian indie-rock trio. There’s an air of weariness pervading Heavy Eyes, with the sleepy title summing up a general exhaustion right down to the bone, as well as hinting at a heavier direction as they deftly merge ’90s infused indie rock with fuzzy dreamy pop and poignant, yearning lyrics.
Bassnectar – Reflective (Part 3) CD (Amorphous)
The next chapter in the Reflective Series – sonic co-creations born from the exchange of ideas and inspirations, and an exploration of the interplay and ricochet that ensues. Each track has a rich story of collaboration, as ideas bounce back and forth to form these customized versions, remixes, edits, and re-imaginations.
BC Camplight – Deportation Blues CD/LP (Bella Union)
Deportation Blues is an exhilarating, dynamic document of calamity and stress, relayed through richly melodic and bold arrangements spanning singer-songwriter classicism, gnarly synth-pop, ‘50s rock ‘n’ roll and various junctures between, mirroring their maverick creator’s jarred emotions and fractured mindset in the midst of deportation and Brexit. It shows the massive mental and emotional toll the immigration process takes on those seeking naturalization.
Blood Orange – Negro Swan CD (Domino)
Producer, multi-instrumentalist, composer, songwriter and vocalist Devonte Hynes returns with his fourth album as Blood Orange, Negro Swan. “My newest album is an exploration into my own and many types of black depression, an honest look at the corners of black existence, and the ongoing anxieties of queer/people of color. A reach back into childhood and modern traumas, and the things we do to get through it all. The underlying thread through each piece on the album is the idea of Hope, and the lights we can try to turn on within ourselves with a hopefully positive outcome of helping others out of their darkness.” [Vinyl edition due October 5.]
Barry Brown – Vibes Of Barry Brown [Reissue/1981] CD/LP (Radiation Roots)
Barry Brown is one of the enigmatic roots reggae vocalists that rose up from the sound system circuit and talent shows of western Kingston, which has always formed the bedrock of Jamaican popular music. Horace Andy was an obvious vocal influence, but Brown’s phrasing was distinctly different, his slurring interjections leaning towards the dancehall style of the future.
Jonathan Butler – Close To You CD (Artistry Music)
South African born singer/guitarist Butler revisits the David-Bacharach songbook for the bulk of Close To You, and also trots out his own “Cape Town”, a decidedly ordinary eulogy to the place he calls home.
Laura Cannell & André Bosman – Reckonings CD (Brawl)
Debut album from experimental violinists Laura Cannell and André Bosman. 12th century melodies mingle with the drone of long sleeping Saxons, evoking medieval cultures on distant planets. Spontaneous composition and excursions to a medieval church capture their playing with no planning or shaping of the music beforehand, keeping the music vital and direct. Never in the building for more than half-an-hour, Reckonings is made up of visits through the seasons with wind rattling, sun burning, and snow melting.
Don Cherry, Marion Brown, Evan Parker, John Stevens – Fee Jazz Meeting: Baden Baden ’67 CD (Hi Hat)
Since 1966, the Free Jazz Meeting (now known as the SWR NewJazz Meeting) has taken place annually in Baden-Baden, Germany. This disc presents performances that were broadcast in Germany from the second of these events, which took place from December 16 through December 18, 1967.
Coil + Zos Kia + Marc Almond – How To Destroy Angels CD (Cold Spring)
Cold Spring Records present the complete recording of “How To Destroy Angels (A Slow Fade To Total Transparency)”. Recorded on August 24th, 1983 at the Air Gallery in London, UK. Personnel for the performance: John Balance (Coil), John Gosling (Zos Kia), Marc Almond (Soft Cell), and live mix by Peter Christopherson (Coil, Throbbing Gristle). Features: “How To Destroy Angels”, the complete 23-minute piece; “How To Destroy Angels (Zos Kia Remix)”, a nine-minute, unheard remix by John Gosling; and “Baptism Of Fire”, an unreleased recording of Zos Kia/Coil at Recession Studios, London, England on October 12, 1983. [Vinyl edition due September 21.]
Crack The Sky – Living In Reverse CD (Loud & Proud)
12 new tracks from the veteran American prog rock band.
Ryan Culwell – The Last American CD/LP (Missing Piece)
When Ryan Cullwell released his critically acclaimed 2015 album Flatlands, Rolling Stone hailed it as both “gorgeous and bleak,” and the intervening years of the Texas native’s life could be described in similarly contradictory terms. Culwell has touched the top and scraped the bottom, known true joy and faced pure sorrow, been blessed with luck and cursed by tough breaks. He welcomed daughters number three and four into the world, only to nearly lose his life working odd jobs just to make ends meet. It’s been a beautiful, brutal time for Culwell, one that he’s woven into the fabric of his most stunning songs yet with The Last American, his third album. Recorded in his adopted hometown of Nashville, the collection showcases Culwell at his finest, crafting poignant portraits of ordinary folks just trying to get by, men and women doing their best to make it through the day with dignity and self-respect in these trying times.
CV313 – Analogue Oceans 2xCD (Echospace)
New album from the dub techno duo of duo of Rod Modell and Stephen Hitchell. Shimmering metallic washes of color meet sub-aquatic tones, creating an immersive sonic world unlike anything heard before, this is hands down some of most engaging sound worlds this project has ever explored. Includes a Variant rework on the second disc.
Joey Dosik – Inside Voice CD/LP+MP3 (Secretly Canadian)
Joey Dosik honed his craft as part of a burgeoning Los Angeles, CA scene that reinvents classic popular music to thrive in the present tense. With Inside Voice, Dosik delivers a level of depth rarely achieved in a debut, and the result is an instant classic by any standard. It’s brimming with emotions that linger and hum. It’s catchy as hell and can haunt you for days. [Limited white colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Duncan Evans – Prayers For An Absentee CD (Prophecy)
Duncan Evans’ sophomore release is a collection of eight prayers transformed into songs that display the next step in his songwriting journey. Inspired by the likes of Nick Cave, Leonard Cohen and Swans, Evans is crafting dark folk rock that fuses elements of post-punk with singer songwriter sensibilities, tinged by psychedelia.
Evergreen – Overseas CD (Because Music)
The French trio Evergreen (previously We Are Evergreen) grew up listening to pop music from the US and the UK. Yet, like many of the most influential artists of today’s French pop scene (Fishbach, Halo Maud, etc.), they value both French and English to deliver their message. New album Overseas sees the band use a warm sound loaded with synthesizers, drawing influences from the likes of Django Django, AIR, and Metronomy to craft percussive electro-pop songs.
The Frights – Hypochondriac CD/LP+MP3 (Epitaph)
The third full-length effort from San Diego, CA band is full of addictively catchy songs about fear and frustration. [Limited blue colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Gibbonses – All We’ve Got CD (Outbound)
New release from the southern soul/Americana duo.
Girlschool – Demolition [Reissue/1980] CD (Dissonance)
As The Runaways are to American rock ‘n’ roll, Girlschool is to UK rock ‘n’ roll, the most famous all-female British hard rock export. The group first emerged in the late ‘70s as part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement and are closely associated with Motörhead. In Spring 1980 they released their debut Demolition which was produced by the legendary Vic Maile (who worked on the Who’s Live at Leeds and Motorhead’s Ace of Spades) and featured their stellar cover of The Gun’s “Race with the Devil”. Vinyl edition due September 14.]
Gringo Star – Back To The City CD/LP (Nevado Music)
Atlanta, GA indie rock band Gringo Star are back with the highly anticipated follow-up to The Sides and In Between, titled Back To The City. The album finds the band offering another fresh take of garage, psychedelic and classic rock and roll, this time even offering strings.
Marquis Hawkes – The Marquis Of Hawkes CD/2xLP (Houndstooth)
Berlin-based electronic mainstay Marquis Hawkes presents his second album. The Marquis Of Hawkes adheres to a specific sound palette whilst still displaying eclecticism across its eight tracks.
Her’s – Invitation To… CD/LP (Heist Or Hit)
In a world increasingly saturated with the ephemeral joys of simulated companionship, Her’s is an authentic Merseyside bromance between partners in crime Audun Laading and Stephen Fitzpatrick. Blossoming from a chance encounter in a university canteen, and from as far afield as Norway and Barrow, the duo found a natural chemistry through their encyclopedic love of off-kilter humor and art.
Impala – In The Late Hours CD/LP (Electraphonic)
Ten intoxicating guitar- and sax-driven instrumentals, born out of that golden era of Memphis music when rockabilly, rhythm and blues, jazz, garage and soul music collided.
Steve Janson – Corridor CD (SJ Productions)
Corridor was composed as a sound installation first aired at Cape Breton University art gallery, Canada to accompany a selection of photographic images by Jansen. A slowly evolving instrumental piece designed for playback in a gallery space with uncontrolled acoustics and no sound insulation, Corridor avoids percussive and complicated bass content and was designed to float in a live space at low level volume allowing sonic variations to subtly stimulate the ambience.
Glenn Jones – The Giant Who Ate Himself And Other New Works For 6 & 12 String Guitar CD/LP+MP3 (Thrill Jockey)
His unparalleled skill and creativity exhibit the mastery Jones possesses of his craft, further cementing his position as a pillar in Americasn Primitive guitar music. Recorded in New Jersey by Laura Baird and mixed by Matthew Azevado, The Giant Who Ate Himself And Other New Works For 6 & 12 String Guitar, make for an exceptional evening of listening. “His tunings are counterintuitive and mesmerizing; his use of partial capos and muted strings is novel and intriguing. But to Jones’ great credit, those only feel like tools for telling stories.” – Pitchfork [Limited frog green colored vinyl pressing also available.]s
Justice -Woman Worldwide 2xCD/3xLP+2xCD (Caroline)
A new live studio recording of Justice’s 2016 album Woman along with stand-out tracks from their 10-year career.
Ahmed Ag Kaedy – Orion Congregation CD/LP (Schneeball)
Led by Ahmed Ag Kaedy’s entrancing guitar licks, which seamlessly merge blues and rock with the traditional “Assouf”-style of his homeland, the pace soon quickens as the band pick up the gauntlet. The double-drummer, double-keyboard line-up produces a genuine Sensurround sound, enhanced by depth charge levels of bass action, blasts of saxophone fury, and storm clouds of electronic whooshes, sending the listener on a sonic rollercoaster with the controls set to the furthest constellation, with the volcanic drumming of Mahalmadane Traoré acting as rocket fuel.
Kool G. Rap & 38 Spesh – Son Of G Rap CD (TCF Music Group)
Features guest versus from Cormega, N.O.R.E. Meyhem Lauren, Freddie Gibbs, AZ, and guest production from Alchemist, DJ Premier, Pete Rock, Showbiz and more.
Leeched – You Took The Sun When You Left CD/LP (Prosthetic)
In just a very short time, Manchester hardcore crew, Leeched have established themselves as one of the most buzzed about bands in the UK. After listening to their caustic dystopia of chaotic hardcore, Nasum-precision grind and menacing atmospheric undercurrent akin to early Godflesh, it’s easy to understand why. Their debut full length, You Took The Sun When You Left features 11 dark, bleak and brutal tracks. [Limited blue/white splatter colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Le Shok – We Are Electrocution [Reissue/1999] CD/LP (Burger)
Le Shok is a new wave inspired garage punk band from Long Beach, CA. Originally formed in 1997 as a reaction to the sad and pathetic state of ‘90s punk, at a time when the majority of the band worked at the legendary Zed Records shop. With influences such as The Fall, Germs, and The Screamers, the group made their mark with a slew of outrageously wild live shows and a snotty, yet highly infectious lo-fi sound.
The Lightmen Plus One – Fancy Pants CD/2xLP (Now Again)
Released last March on vinyl – now available on CD. Drummer, bandleader and activist Bubbha Thomas had toured America with R&B revues, served as a session musician for Peacock and Back Beat Records, and played straight ahead jazz with legends before the political and social upheaval of the late- ‘60s led him to a path first charted by John Coltrane. 1971’s Fancy Pants is his second LP with his Lightmen band and, like the deep-set, maverick jazz issued by the likes of Tribe and Strata East, is amongst the best of the ’70s jazz underground, a collective voice of resistance to the musical and cultural status quo. This is the first time that Fancy Pants has seen reissue, and it’s presented in both the issued stereo and previously unissued mono mixes as a double-LP.
Mantar – The Modern Art Of Setting Ablaze CD/LP (Nuclear Blast)
A short, sharp shock that hones the hungry riffs and breath-taking pace of their previous records. Comprised of 12 different and catchy tracks averaging 3 or 4 minutes long, The Modern Art Of Setting Ablaze is Mantar at their most refined, no bullsh*t moment.
The March Divide – Anticipation Pops CD/LP (Slow Start)
Concise. Catchy. Honest…. Just a few words to describe the fourth album from San Antonio’s The March Divide.
Bob Marley & The Wailers – Kayo 40 2xCD/2xLP (Tuff Gong)
2018 marks the 40th Anniversary of Bob Marley & The Wailers’ Kaya. Recorded in part during Marley’s and the band’s 1977 exile in London, Kaya is very much the sibling record to Exodus. Fittingly, as Ziggy Marley revisited the original session recordings for last year’s Exodus 40 celebration, this year sibling Stephen Marley revisits the original session recordings to commemorate Kaya bringing a fresh perspective to this suite that’s quietly referred to as the ‘Peace Treaty’ album.
Monster Squad – Depression CD (Pirates Press)
New album from the hardcore punk band.
Arianna Neikrug – Changes CD (Concord Jazz)
New album from the 2015 Sarah Vaughan International Vocal Competition winner. Produced by the Grammy-winning pianist and arranger Laurence Hobgood, Changes displays Neikrug’s gift for interpreting tunes from the Great American Songbook and more recent pop and R&B classics from the ’70s.
Nonpoint – X CD (Spinefarm)
On Nonpoint’s tenth album, signature grooves hit with haymaker force bolstered by hip-hop cadences, thrashed-out six-string precision, and unshakable melodies. [Vinyl edition due August 31.]
Profezia – Dodekaprofeton CD (Moribund)
New release from the Italian avant-garde occult rock overlords.
Radius – Interpolation Tapes [Restoration 2/3] CD (Echospace)
Radius – Interpolation Tapes [Restoration 3/3] CD (Echospace)
Radius’s cassette demo restoration project returns to form with the Interpolation Tapes series. The original source tapes had aged, warped, and degraded and as a result the present release has preserved the best segments, sampled and reprocessed with a vintage Prophet 2000 sampler, studio 440 and various Linn samplers to add depth and range to the original source material. Echospace have spent nearly an entire year restoring and interpolating over 100 hours of music, processing sound and redesigning the blueprints of this long-forgotten project. Every track was originally recorded down to an old Tascam 688, an eight-track cassette recorder purchased and abused since 1992 and these tracks to our ears still sounds quite impressive, even by modern standards.
The Residents – I Am A Resident CD/LP (Crytpic Corp)
Infamous for the notoriety of nothing for over 40 years, the anonymous Residents are once again reinventing themselves with a crowd-sourced recording. For I Am A Resident!, the obscure art-rock band opened a door to endless options by inviting die-hard fans to submit their own original versions of the band’s songs and further reworked them.
Penny Rimbaud – Oh Magick Kingdom [Reissue/2011] CD (Cold Spring)
27 minutes of dark jazz, industrial, bursts of repetitive noise rock and foreboding classical cello, with the initial music laid down by New York duo Japanther, and organically interwoven with the punk poetry of Penny and other Shakespearean “voices”.
Jack Rose – Luck In The Valley [Reissue/2010] CD/LP+MP3 (Thrill Jockey)
Luck In The Valley is the 10th and final album by Jack Rose and is the yardstick by which many contemporary acoustic guitar albums are measured. The 2018 re-issue makes this contemporary classic available again for the first time since 2010. “Jack Rose, Versatile Master of the Guitar” – The New York Times
Send Request – Perspectives CD (Sharptone)
New album from the Pennsylvania pop-punk outfit. Taking splashy, energetic and enthusiastic energy and mixing it with stark, earnest emotion atop a canvas of creative, catchy instrumentation, the band blend elements from alternative rock to pop and beyond to create an infectious listening experience that brings out the sun-loving, drunk-on-nostalgia youngster in just about anyone.
Wayne Shorter – Emanon 3xCD (Blue Note)
Featuring a double-album and its companion piece – a self-penned, 84-page graphic novel – Wayne Shorter’s Emanon is the definitive look into his artistic multiverse. The standard three-CD set includes four studio tracks performed by Shorter’s quartet (pianist Danilo Perez, bassist John Patitucci and drummer Brian Blade) and the expansive, 34-piece Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, in addition to a 6-track live album featuring the quartet itself. [Vinyl edition due September 14.]
Lucie Silvas – E.G.O. CD/LP (Thirty Tigers)
With a building sheath of synth and down on it groove, Lucie Silvas digs in on “Kite”, the reckless kind of women who knows no fear. Pounding, pumping, thumping, this is a dance song about a woman getting gone, an admonition to a lover that shows the New Zealand/United Kingdom-grown songstress isn’t afraid to throw down. Not that everything the dusty blond lifts her voice to lands that aggressive. For the irrepressible Silvas who can tempest and coo, it’s about hitting the emotions bull’s eye that lends an immediacy to the songs on E.G.O, the utterly independent project that follows her critically acclaimed Letters To Ghosts.
Soundtrack – Summer: The Donna Summer Musical [Original Broadway Cast Recording] CD (Republic)
Summer: The Donna Summer Musical was nominated for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical and Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical at the 2018 Tony Awards.
Stalley – Tell The Truth Shame The Devil CDEP/12” (Next)
Released last February on vinyl – now available on CD. “The new EP, a more aggressive, no-holds-barred offering, finds Stalley keeping it real and more confident in telling his own truth, as he battles between his demons and self-conscious…Stalley’s growth and reality paired with trap sonics makes for a winning formula.” – XXL Magazine
Candi Staton – Unstoppable CD/LP (Thirty Tigers)
Unstoppable is both a celebration of Staton’s legacy and a bold step forward, with a sound that’s funky and contemporary, but still steeped in the Southern soul and blues of her Alabama roots.
Steady Holiday – Nobody’s Watching CD/LP (Barsuk)
Steady Holiday is an appropriate name for an artist whose music feels like the soundtrack to your fondest memory. Or your deepest heartbreak. Or the dream sequence from a David Lynch film. There’s a nostalgia present in Dre Babinski’s songwriting that leaves you longing for the familiarity of a bygone era – just not one you can necessarily pin down. Establishing a sound defined by her featherlight voice floating above sweeping strings, her 2016 debut Under The Influence led to opening for artists like Mitski, Unknown Mortal Orchestra and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Whereas the first record took us on a trip through the deeply personal, Dre’s sophomore album Nobody’s Watching zooms way out. From the sunny and observant to the dark and critical, the tone ranges from levity to paranoia through layers of analog synths and chilling strings played by Dre herself.
Third Eye Blind – Thanks For Everything CD (Mega Collider)
New seven-track covers EP featuring songs originally by Tim Buckley, Queens Of The Stone Age, Bon Iver, Santigold, Chastity Belt, Happy Diving and Babyshambles. [Vinyl edition due September 7.]
Träden – Träden CD/2xLP (Subliminal Sounds)
Swedish prog band Träden’s (Träd, Gräs Och Stenar) new eponymous album was recorded at the band’s countryside music workshop and in fine tradition, much of the material emerged by jamming. Then there are some songs that demanded some toil and despair. Even though the band constellation has changed successively, the majestic roar continues.
Alexander Tucker – Don’t Look Away CD/LP+MP3 (Thrill Jockey)
Alexander Tucker is a member of Grumbling Fur, his duo with Daniel O’Sullivan and has established his own comic imprint, UNDIMENSIONED. Tucker’s music brings a distinct otherworldliness, bringing the listener beyond the confines of the physical world and collages together sound that both brings you outside the atmosphere whilst simultaneously connecting you more closely to the seeds of existence. [limited quantities available on coke bottle clear coloreds vinyl.]
Steve Turre – The Very Thought Of You CD/2xLP (Smoke Sessions)
On The Very Thought Of You, virtuoso trombonist Steve Turre shows off a less celebrated side of his brilliant artistry: his moving, heartfelt way with a ballad. Luxuriating in timeless melodies and swathed in lush strings, Turre makes his horn sing with delicate lyricism and subtle beauty. Of course, the irrepressible trombonist can’t help but unleash his fiercely swinging side, peppering his ballad set with a few pulse-quickeners here and there. Turre is joined by pianist Kenny Barron, bassist Buster Williams, and drummer Willie Jones III, supplemented on four of the pieces by a string octet conducted by veteran arranger Marty Sheller.
United Ghosts – Saturn Days CD/LP (Cleopatra)
United Ghosts blend a seemingly dizzying collection of influences that range from dream pop and electronica to classic psychedelia and krautrock into a cohesive, hypnotic sound that celebrates its influences.
Urfaust – The Constellatory Practice CD/LP (Van)
Urfaust’s trademark ritual ambient mixed with epic doom black metal has never sounded so claustrophobic.
Vardan – Unholy Lightless Summer CD (Moribund)
Vardan remain at the forefront of the modern metal/rock/doom/atmospheric scene.
Various Artists – For Discos Only: Indie Dance Music From Fantasy & Vanguard Records (1976-1981) 3xCD/5xLP (Craft Recordings)
A comprehensive collection of the music that lit up a thousand dance floors in the mid ’70s and early ’80s, inspiring a revolution in the music world. For Discos Only pulls killer tracks from respected and influential independent record labels on opposite coasts – San Francisco’s Fantasy Records and New York City’s Vanguard Records – and is a veritable must-have for fans of the pioneering movement from which emerged the birth of the ‘remix,’ an innovative musical practice that prefigured house, techno and hip-hop.
Various Artists – Kompakt Total 18 CD/2xLP (Kompakt)
Kompakt’s longstanding Total series returns with its 18th iteration, the essentials of the label’s releases over 2017 and 2018, a period of intense activity.
Aaron Watson – Live At The World’s Biggest Rodeo Show CD (Big Label)
Recorded live in front of over 65,000 fans on the opening night of the 2017 Houston Rodeo, LATWBRS captures the excitement of Watson live while showcasing the humility which has made him a fan favorite.
Wilson – Tasty Nasty CD (Century Media)
Comprised of Chad Nicefield (vocals), Jason Spencer (lead guitars), Kyle Landry (rhythm guitars), James Lascu (bass) and Matt Puhy (drums), Wilson returns with an album that showcases the band’s latest musical direction that was built the members’ love for the ’90s and hip-hop.
Winged Serpents – Encomiums For Cecil Taylor CD (Tzadik)
Cecil Taylor was a powerful and unforgettable music force—a fearless visionary and one of the greatest musicians of the past century. His visceral and intense performances influenced generations of musicians, artists, poets, filmmakers and creative minds of every description. Encomiums For Cecil Taylor features six heartfelt tributes performed by the group Winged Serpents, which consists of six of the most original pianists and musical thinkers working today. Each touched by Cecil’s magic in different ways, they perform improvised tributes to this legendary genius who created a new music that transcended all genres.
Wolvennest – Void CD/LP (Van)
Wolvennest or WLVNNST is a Belgian musical project proposing a compositional process of guitar loops, repetitive beats, and synthesizers mixed to darkened hypnotic ambient vocal sounds.
Davey Woodward and The Winter Orphans – Davey Woodward and The Winter Orphans CD/LP (Tapette)
Davey Woodward has been a prolific songwriter with his bands The Brilliant Corners and The Experimental Pop Band. An indie pop legend to some, obscure outsider to most. He approaches his fourth decade making alternative music with the same enthusiasm and single mindedness as he did in the first.
Yawning Man – The Revolt Against Tired Noises CD/LP (Heavy Psych Sounds)
The aural experience of Yawning Man summarizes as an intense yet graceful kaleidoscope of polyphonic musical textures. Dramatic and flowing, dark, intense and emotional. 2018 finds the band releasing their most musically exciting recording to date with their sixth full length LP, The Revolt Against Tired Noises. The songs on this release are described as “an emotional and visceral expression of pure melodic darkness and beauty.” [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]
DVDs + Blu-ray:
Green Carnation – Last Day Of Darkness DVD+CD (Prophecy)
A 91-minute documentary and concert film based around their 2016 world tour celebrating the 15th anniversary of Light Of Day, Day Of Darkness and the grand finale in the band’s native Kristiansand. The documentary features candid behind-the-scenes and rehearsal footage from that tour and an exclusive interview with band leader and Light Of Day, Day Of Darkness composer Tchort delving into the personal and background details of Green Carnation’s most important album.
This Week’s Vinyl Exclusives:
Actor Observer – Pareidolia LP (No Sleep)
Actor Observer’s dynamic sound and electric live performance are charged with a visceral sincerity and vulnerability that many audience members find refreshing in the current age of post-hardcore.
Alborosie – Unbreakable: Alborosie Meets The Wailers United LP (Greensleeves)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Enlisting The Wailers United (former members of Bob Marley and The Wailers with the addition of Aston Barrett Jr.) for instrumental backing, Unbreakable upholds the tradition of roots-rock reggae. While honoring traditional reggae sounds, the inclusion of Alborosie’s re-visioning of the Metallica classic “The Unforgiven” featuring Raging Fyah adds an edge to the album that addresses contemporary issues with a thoroughly modern feel.
Animals As Leaders – Live 2017 2xLP (Sumerian)
Animals As Leaders reimagine, reinterpret, and refresh instrumental prog, experimental metal, modern jazz, alternative, and even world music to a point where the reaction becomes primal. Their first full length live album, recorded at various dates across the U.S. in 2017 on the band’s co-headlining Convergence Tour with Periphery, includes performances of “CAFO” (live from Las Vegas), “Tempting Time” (live from Nashville), “Tooth & Claw” (live from Seattle), “Physical Education” (live from Philadelphia) and “Arithmophobia” (live from Phoenix).
The Beat – Here We Go Love! LP (Absolute UK)
Released last May on CD – now available on vinyl. The Beat starring Dave Wakeling return with their first studio album since 1982. 13 vital songs that have their feet in the here and now, but lose none of the fire and frenzy of those timeless immediate classics that made the band’s name.
Jeff Beck – Wired [Reissue/1976] LP (Friday Music)
Audiophile 180gm translucent vinyl reissue of the third solo album by British guitarist.
Black Spirituals – Black Access/Black Axes 2xLP (Sige)
Like the resonant African-American traditions that long precede them, the Black Spirituals are equal parts choreographed and improvisational, containing simultaneously measuredly deliberate and frenetically urgent sonicities.
Jeff Buckley – Sketches For My Sweetheart The Drunk [Reissue/1998] 3xLP+MP3 (Sony Legacy)
Buckley was dissatisfied with material recorded in the summer of 1996 and early in 1997 and continued working on demo recordings to refine his sound. The album was to be titled My Sweetheart, The Drunk, but was never finished, as the rest of the band were traveling to meet Buckley at the time of his death on May 29th, 1997. It was posthumously released as Sketches For My Sweetheart The Drunk – a collection of polished studio tracks and four-track demos.
Chic – An Evening With Chic LP (Cleopatra)
Limited edition white vinyl pressing of a concert performance by Chic tearing through their & Nile Rodgers’ best-loved songs including “Le Freak”, “Everybody Dance”, “Good Times”, “We Are Family”, and more.
Chromeo – Head Over Heels 2xLP+MP3 (Atlantic)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Chromeo is an electro-funk duo from Montreal, Quebec. Formed in 2002 by childhood friends Dave 1 and P-Thugg, the widely-renowned Funklordz grooved their way to fame after the release of their sophomore album Fancy Footwork, which was nominated for a JUNO in 2008. A decade later, the inseparable drops their fifth record, Head Over Heels. “It’s our most collaborative and funk-centric album to date,” explains Dave 1, born David Macklovitch, the singer and guitarist of the group. “It has the most muscular, concept-driven songwriting. At the same time, we hear other voices and other musicians. In a way, it’s doubling down on the funk thing but also expanding the collaboration thing.” The album’s collaborators include an eclectic mix of modern-day pop artists as well as some admired stars from the era of 1970s funk, including: Jesse Johnson, guitarist of The Time, as well as Pino Palladino, who has offered bass duties for artists such as D’Angelo, John Mayer, Elton John, and the Who. Modern day stars who appear on the album include D.R.A.M., French Montana, and the-Dream.
Cypress Hill – Black Sunday [Reissue/1993] 2xLP (Sony)
Vinyl reissue of the second album from the hip-hop group. Includes “I Wanna Get High” and “Insane In The Brain”.
Dead Girl’s Party – The Things I’ve Lost LP+MP3 (Feeding Tube)
“Recorded in fits and starts, while the artists worked on their moontans amidst strong waters, the sole release by Dead Girl’s Party was originally issued on cassette by the Entr’acte label. Since that tape now goes for a ben-and-a-half, we realized it was time to make a vinyl document of these young jazz immortals. Impossible to categorize or to get off the stereo, The Things I’ve Lost is a monster for the ages.” – Byron Coley
Mac DeMarco – 2 Demos LP (Captured Tracks)
Mac DeMarco – Salad Days Demos LP (Captured Tracks)
Two collections of demos on colored vinyl offer a rare insight into Mac’s world and process.
Devilgroth – Landschaft [Reissue/2015] 2xLP (Kunsthall)
2015 album from the Siberian black metal band.
Doro – Forever Warriors 2xLP (Nuclear Blast)
Doro – Forever United 2xLP (Nuclear Blast)
Doro – Forever Warriors/Forever United 4xLP (Nuclear Blast)
“Ever a persistent force in the metal world, Doro has been metal’s queen for over three decades. A title that she has more than lived up to with quality releases over the years, even if there is still a strong reverence for the Warlock era. This time six years have passed since her last studio album, but Doro has returned with a vengeance. Forever Warriors Forever United is her first double-album, and it lives up to the expectations set in front of it. With two different albums, it’s worth looking at them individually as well. Forever Warriors is the heavier of the two discs. Forever United, feels a bit more melodic and emotional.” – Dead Rhetoric
Bob Dylan – Bob Dylan [Reissue/1962] LP (Sony UK)
The baby-faced Bob Dylan staring out from the cover of his self-titled 1962 debut album would soon become the musical spokesman of a generation. Instant Dylan landmarks like “Man Of Constant Sorrow” and “Highway 51″along with gut-wrenching versions of folk/blues classics like “Baby, Let Me Follow You Down” and “See That My Grave Is Kept Clean” made the abundant talents of this legend-to-be obvious.
Eigenlicht – Self-Annihilating Consciousness 2xLP (Gilead Media)
Since its inception in 2014, Eigenlicht has existed as an entity with reverence for the world both seen and unseen. Each member of the project has chosen a path dedicated to the study of either the natural world or the fundamental nature of knowledge and existence. Their music is built upon experiences of the past and a striving for knowledge to come.
Faun & A Pan Flute – 2014-2016 LP+MP3 (Feeding Tube)
“Although their name suggests they’re Nijinsky-obsessed acid folk wanderers, nothing could be farther from the truth. 2014-2016 is the second album by this Atlanta-based nontet, and it presents a wide swathe of styles and contrasting textures that are wildly eclectic but never very acid-folky.” – Byron Coley
The Fever – 333 Made An America LP (Roadrunner)
Los Angeles-based trio The Fever 333 is explicitly devoted to a revolutionary cause, delivering aggressive advocacy through a molotov cocktail of punk, hip-hop, and thrash.
Get Married – Songs For The Sleepless LP (Asian Man)
Debut album from the CA punk crooners.
Gorgoroth – Pentagram [Reissue/1994] LP (Soulseller)
Gorgoroth – Antichrist [Reissue/1996] LP (Soulseller)
Gorgoroth – Under The Sign Of Hell [Reissue/1997] LP (Soulseller)
Gorgoroth – Destroyer Or About How To Philosophize With The Hammer [Reissue/1998] LP (Soulseller)
Four releases from the second wave of Norwegian black metal – back in-print on limited colored vinyl.
Grant Green – Grantstand [Reissue/1961] LP (Down At Dawn)
Recorded in 1961, Grantstand is Green’s third album for the legendary Blue Note label. An excellent soulful and groovy session features Green leading a line-up consisting of Yusef Lateef (tenor saxophone, flute), Brother Jack McDuff (organ), Al Harewood (drums), and Ben Tucker (bass). Green’s guitar tone matches perfectly with McDuff’s organ sound and Lateef’s warm tenor phrasings; this is swinging soul jazz at its best.
Green Carnation – Last Day Of Darkness 2xLP (Prophecy)
Live album from the prog metal band founded by ex-Emperor bassist Terje Vik Schei’s (aka Tchort) in 1990. [Stand-alone DVD edition also available.]
Roy Haynes – Cymbalism [Reissue/1963] LP (Down At Dawn)
A very rare album by one of the master drummers in modern jazz. Recorded by the legendary Rudy Van Gelder in 1963, Cymbalism is among the albums that Roy Haynes provided for Prestige’s New Jazz series. This session finds the drummer leading an acoustic quartet with Frank Strozier (alto sax, flute), Ronnie Mathews (piano), and Larry Ridley (bass). An unpredictable hard bop-post bop transition album bearing different colors and moods.
Michael Jackson – Off The Wall [Reissue/1979] LP (Sony)
Michael Jackson – Bad [Reissue/1987] LP (Sony)
Michael Jackson – Dangerous [Reissue/1991] 2xLP (Sony)
Michael Jackson – HIStory: Continues 2xLP (Sony)
Michael Jackson – Invincible [Reissue/2001] 2xLP (Sony)
Limited picture disc vinyl LP pressings.
Jah9 – Feelings 12’ (VP)
The poet Janine Cunningham (aka Jah9) has teamed up again with legendary producer Clive Hunt to produce a fresh crop of compelling musical sojourns, summarized in the title of the extended play vinyl showcase Feelings. As well as the instrumental versions, the EP contains the hit single “Hardcore (feat. Chronixx).”
Shooter Jennings – Shooter LP (Atlantic)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. For nearly two decades, Shooter Jennings has defied expectation while constantly expanding the parameters of country, rock ‘n’ roll, and beyond. The scion of American music royalty, he has affirmed his own place in histories still to come as a truly limitless artist whose ambitious experimentation spans myriad genres and creative platforms. Ever the outlaw, Jennings has now crafted what might well be his most truly idiosyncratic work thus far, Shooter. Produced by longtime friend and collaborator, Low Country Sound founder Dave Cobb at the renowned RCA Studio A on Nashville’s Music Row, the album sees Jennings staking out a fairly straightforward goal: to simply make a great country record, singing songs about growing up and getting older, about going out and getting trashed. In short, making music for real people with real lives.
Roland Kayn – Simultan 3xLP (Die Schachtel)
First in the series of LP boxsets that documents the birth of Roland Kayn’s cybernetic music. Collapsing ideas from electro-acoustic, concrète, electronic, and computer music disciplines into what he termed “cybernetic music”, Kayn methodically and effectively worked off-the-radar towards a form of Artificial Intelligence in music from 1962 until his death in 2011. Building on his earlier studies with seminal figures such as Boris Blacher and Oskar Sala (whose FX appeared on classic Hitchcock’s), as well as time spent playing organ and piano with Ennio Morricone and Egisto Macchi’s exploratory Gruppo di Improvvisazione Nuova Consonanza, Kayn devoted his life’s work toward realizing what would become recognized among the most incredible, genuinely prism-pushing arrangements of sound ever recorded.
Olivia Kellman – On My Way LP (OK Music)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Chicago-based singer/songwriter Olivia Kellman transcends the trend, blazing fresh and inspiring trails with the release of her expansive debut album On My Way. She effortlessly mixes confessional, coming of age acoustic grace with edgy and him funky folk-pop energy. There is a heavy influence on the music of the ‘70s and ‘80s along with singer/songwriters like Carol King and Stevie Nicks.
L.A. Guns – Boston 1989 LP (Deadline Music)
Limited colored vinyl LP pressing of this live archive release from the vault of one of L.A.’s most notorious hard rock bands.
Lion’s Law – From The Storm LP (Pirates Press)
Since their first show in a Paris squat on a hot summer night in 2012, Lion’s Law have established themselves as one of the top skinhead/Oi! Bands around.
Harvey Mandel – Games Guitars Play [Reissue/1969] LP (Purple Pyramid)
Deluxe 180gm vinyl LP reissue of the 1970 masterpiece by the guitar legend (Charlie Musselwhite, Canned Heat, the Rolling Stones, and John Mayall).
Manic Hispanic – The Menudo Incident [Reissue/1995] LP+MP3 (Indesign)
Limited green vinyl LP pressing including digital download. Manic Hispanic came together in the early-1990s as part of a work release program. The idea was formed by OC Probation Officer Freddie Gomez: “I thought if I could keep these guys on a stage, they would stay out of trouble on the streets.”
Manowar – Fighting The World [Reissue/1987] LP (Metal Blade)
Manowar – Kings Of Metal [Reissue/1988] LP (Metal Blade)
Manowar – The Triumph Of Steel [Reissue/1992] 2xLP (Metal Blade)
Empowering and powerful music inspired by heroic fantasy, Manowar is above all the epic voice of singer Eric Adams and the Wagnerian compositions of bassist/leader Joey DeMaio.
Tommy McCook – Tommy McCook [Reissue/1969] LP (Radiation Roots)
Vinyl reissue of the self-titled debut by the legendary Skatalites saxophonist, originally released in 1969. Known on its initial release as The Skatalite, this is, simply put, a collection of some of the greatest ska tunes ever put to tape.
Ken McIntyre With Eric Dolphy – Looking Ahead [Reissue/1960] LP (Down At Dawn)
Ken McIntyre was a one-of-a-kind multi- instrumentalist and music educator and Looking Ahead was his debut album as leader featuring the great Eric Dolphy. The album appears as one of those extremely intriguing and yet lesser known works in jazz history.
Jackie McLean – Destination… Out! [Reissue/1964] LP (Down At Dawn)
Deep, soulful, and adventurous music performed by the Jackie McLean’s quintet featuring Grachan Moncur (trombone), Bobby Hutcherson (vibes), Larry Ridley (bass), and Roy Haynes (drums). A stellar line-up for a definitive modern jazz statement.
Mizmor – This Unabating Wakefulness 12” (Gilead Media)
A single 15-minute track that was included on the digital download card of The Psalter MMXVII – a five-year commemorative Mizmor discography cassette collection, which is long sold out. This single continues in the tradition of suffering, miserable blackened doom from ALN and his Mizmor project.
Nordlicht / Paysage D’Hiver– Füür Rouch Ruäss / Schnee (III) LP (Kunsthall)
Split release by black metal artists Paysage D’Hiver and Nordlicht, both contributing an overlength track.
Notorious B.I.G. – Greatest Hits [Reissue/2007] 2xLP (Bad Boy)
Mighty 17-track anthology from 2007 includes team-ups with Eminem, Snoop Dogg, R Kelly, Faith Evans & Mary J. Blige, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and others.
Nurse With Wound – Homotopy To Marie [Reissue/1982] 2xLP (Rotorelief)
Vinyl reissue of the fifth album by Nurse with Wound, originally released in 1982. Homotopy To Marie is “a step on from the Dadaist rock of Merzbild Schwet, with much use of tape manipulation and classical avant-garde techniques.” The four tracks from the original LP are accompanied by additional recordings from the same period.
Ogikubo Station – We Can Pretend Like LP (Asian Man)
Ogikubo Station features Maura Weaver, (Mixtapes) and Mike Park, (Skankin’ Pickle, The Chinkees). While not sounding particularly similar to the aforementioned groups, this project is likely to be eagerly received by fans of heartfelt, melodic indie rock.
Pauline Oliveros – Early Electronic Works 1959-1966 2xLP (Sub Rosa)
A collection of Pauline Oliveros’s early material, released as a part of the Sub Rosa’s Early Electronic series. Oliveros was an important American composer, born in Houston, Texas on May 30, 1932; the music she produced in the latter part of her life is akin to the breath of life, notably, through her pieces for accordion (particularly those which she herself performed).
Orquesta de Las Nubes – The Order Of Change LP (Music From Memory)
The Music From Memory label continue their unearthing of Spanish musician Suso Saiz, after releasing Rainworks in 2017, they look into one of his groups, Orquesta de Las Nubes. The Order Of Change is a compilation of their experimental and minimalist ambient/world sound with tracks taken from their releases ’83-’87 and their compilation in 1993.
Pedro The Lion – Control [Reissue/2002] LP+MP3 (Epitaph)
Vinyl reissue of Pedro The Lion’s third full-length album. Anchored by trademark rolling, indelible hooks and Dave Bazan’s vocals, which swing from sweet indictments to mournful mocking, Pedro The Lion digs deep here to examine the vast disparity between the “haves” and the “have-nots.” In early 2006, Bazan retired the Pedro the Lion moniker to continue on with solo work under his own name. [Limited yellow colored vinyl pressing also available.]
The Pink Fairies – Resident Reptiles LP (Purple Pyramid)
The legendary UK space-psych rock anarchists return with a new album.
Queensrÿche – Empire [Reissue/1990] LP (Friday Music)
Audiophile 180gm vinyl reissue of the fourth full-length studio album by the heavy metal band.
Jimmy Smith – The Sermon! [Reissue/1959] LP (Down At Dawn)
Recorded and released in 1959, The Sermon! appeared as another proof that Jimmy Smith was the most inventive organist of the bop generation. This was the product of a marathon jam session including highly energetic hard bop renditions of Charlie Parker tunes like “Confirmation” and “Au Privave” and a mind-blowing line-up featuring jazz masters of the time such as Lee Morgan (trumpet), Lou Donaldson (alto sax), Art Blakey (drums), Tina Brooks (tenor sax), Curtis Fuller (trombone), Kenny Burrell (guitar), and George Coleman (tenor sax).
Patti Smith – Outside Society [Reissue/2011] 2xLP (Sony)
Vinyl reissue of Smiths’ 2011 18-track greatest hits album. The punk rock’s poet laureate ranks among the most influential female rock & rollers of all time.
Soundtrack – 13 Reasons Why Season 2: A Netflix Original Series Soundtrack 2xLP (Interscope)
Includes tracks by Selena Gomez, OneRepublic featuring Logic, Billie Eilish featuring Khalid, Yungblud featuring Charlotte Lawrence, Colouring, Lord Huron featuring Phoebe Bridgers, and more.
Soundtrack – Deadpool 2 LP (Sony)
This 12-track collection features many recognizable hit songs featured in the film, and original songs “Ashes” by Céline Dion and “Welcome To The Party” by Diplo, French Montana, Lil Pump and Zhavia Ward.
Soundtrack – Mean Girls [Original Broadway Cast Recording] 2xLP+MP3 (Atlantic)
Double pink colored vinyl LP pressing of the Original Broadway Cast Recording of Mean Girls which has been nominated for 12 Tony Awards.
Maylay Sparks – The Rebel’s Renaissance [Reissue/2016] LP (Diggers Factory)
Fifth installment from Philadelphia’s man on the mic, Maylay Sparks. Just as the many treasured projects before, and exclusive works with hip-hop’s elite, The Rebel’s Renaissance is consistent with the golden era sound, to combine strong intense lyrical content over flowing sampled melodies & world class turntable techniques.
Sunny War – With The Sun LP (ORG Music)
Limited red colored vinyl LP pressing. Sunny War is more than just an artist; she is a force of nature that is tough to pin down. What exactly is her style? Blues or punk? Think Robert Johnson crossed with Bad Brains.
Midori Takada and Lafawndah – Le Renard Bleu LP (Midori Takada)
“On her first new release in almost 20 years, Japanese composer Midori Takada joins London-based musician Lafawndah on a short but fascinating multimedia project with mythical overtones.” – Pitchfork
Thee Hypnotics – Righteously Recharged 4xLP (Beggars Banquet)
A limited edition, colored, heavyweight vinyl box set from the ‘90s hell-raising rock ’n’ rollers. The set contains four LPs including their acclaimed debut album Come Down Heavy (1990), the swamp-rock follow-up Soul, Glitter & Sin (1991) and their Chris Robinson, Black Crowes produced third album The Very Special Speed Machine (1994), along with a fourth disc with their very first single “Love In A Different Vein” plus early demos and Peel Sessions.
Too Short – Shorty The Pimp [Reissue/1992] LP (Get On Down)
Too $hort’s legendary 1992 effort Shorty The Pimp is back in effect on vinyl thanks to the hip-hop preservationist at Get On Down. Though many don’t consider this to be one of Too $hort’s strongest releases, the project did move well over 80,000 in its first week of release landing at Number 6 on the Billboard Top 200. Taking the title from the incredibly rare 1973 blaxploitation film, Too $hort does what he does best on Shorty The Pimp: funk beats, boastful braggadocio, a few conscious rhymes and layers of straight up pimp talk.
Various Artists – Diggin For Gold: A Collection Of Demented ‘60s R&B/Punk & Mesmerising ‘60s Pop LP (Rubble)
A collection of rare and obscure 45s from around the world in an international showdown of teenage angst, despair and delinquency.
Various Artists – Girls In The Garage Volume 4 LP (Past & Present)
Various Artists – Girls In The Garage Volume 5 LP (Past & Present)
4th and 5th volumes in the series of garage rock compilations focusing on female artists.
Various Artists – Ska & Reggae Classics 2xLP (Trojan)
To mark the 50th anniversary of Trojan Records comes this double-vinyl album comprising 24 of the most celebratory Jamaican music hits from the iconic label’s legendary catalogue.
Dinah Washington – Dinah Jams [Reissue/1955] LP (Down At Dawn)
Recorded live in studio in Los Angeles in 1954, this set shows Dinah Washington leading an all-star band that included Clifford Brown/Max Roach Quintet members Harold Land (tenor sax) Richie Powell (piano), and George Morrow (bass), as well as trumpeters Maynard Ferguson and Clark Terry, alto saxophonist Herb Geller and pianist Junior Mance.
Wedge – Wedge LP (Heavy Psych Sounds)
[Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl.] Besides being a high energy rock n’ roll locomotive, Wedge is also capable of writing very catchy original material which, other than with many other bands of that genre, easily meets the standards of their heroes from the psychedelic late ’60s and hard rockin’ early ’70s.
James White And The Blacks – Sax Maniac [Reissue/1982] LP+MP3 (Futurismo)
Limited 180gm colored vinyl LP pressing including bonus track. This fantastic Redux version of one of James’ most revered records showcases his anarchic saxophone and deconstructionist approach to rock ‘n’ roll through avant-garde arrangements and a blending of contemporary jazz with a true punk ethos.
Jah Wobble – Dream World LP (Jah Wobble)
Nine new tracks that are in part inspired by Frances Truffaut, the sights and sounds of London, Brighton, and Manchester and an unexpected visit the legendary bass player made to the Stepping Hill hospital in Stockport. Dream World is a stunning collection of mainly instrumental compositions, the tracks here encompass funk, classical and jazz to reggae and an electronic sound that recalls the post punk sparseness of Metal Box.
Wolfhounds – Hands In The Till: The Complete John Peel Sessions LP (Slumberland)
[CD version due September 21.]
At the peak of media attention over the NME’s C86 cassette, The Wolfhounds recorded three four-song sessions for the BBC’s legendary John Peel Show between March 1986 and January 1987, capturing all the excitement and youthful exuberance of a band just catching the public imagination. With an energy born of sweaty, rammed gigs in London pubs and a willful experimentation nurtured in suburban bedrooms and garages away from watchful eyes, The Wolfhounds blasted their raw live sound straight to tape with little in the way of overdubs or the more considered studio polish of their excellent albums.
Yardbirds – 1966: Live & Rare LP (Repertoire)
Yardbirds – 1967: Live In Stockholm & Offenbach 1967 LP (Repertoire)
1966 features live performances from French TV Music Hall de France, the Sanremo Music Festival and the NME Poll Winners Concert. Also included are 10 rare mono studio recordings including Keith Relf solo recordings, commercials and more plus extensive liner notes by Chris Welch. 1967 features the legendary English rock group with seminal performances by Jimmy Page. The remastered performances were recorded live at the Stockholm Concert Hall, Sweden and German TV show Beat Beat Beat.
Yungblud – 21st Century Liability LP (Geffen)
Recent released on CD – now available on vinyl. Frenetic debut album from English artist aka Dominic Harrison, inspired by pop, punk, hip-hop & garage.
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