New Releases for August 7, 2015

CDs + Vinyl:

Gregg Allman – Gregg Allman Live: Back To Macon, GA January 14, 2014 2xCD/2xCD+DVD/2xDVD+Blu-ray/3xLP (Rounder)
Captured at the venerable Grand Opera House in the town where the Allmans got their start, Gregg performs 16 fan favorites with the help of his eight-piece band and special guest Devon Allman. Includes: “Whipping Post,” “Melissa,” and “Midnight Rider.” Also available on stand-alone DVD and Blu-ray.

Biotoxic Warfare – Lobotomized CD (Static Tension)
Biotoxic Warfare is a thrash/death metal band from Heraklion, Greece, formed in October 2012. Their main influences are European and American thrash and the American old-school death metal scene (Obituary, Morbid Angel, Death).

Biters – Electric Blood CD/LP (Earache)
“It’s been a considerable amount of time since an up-and-coming no-nonsense rock ‘n’ roll band has had the natural swagger and sophistication to turn heads in the music scene. The infinite effect and influence from bands like AC/DC and Guns N’ Roses in the height of ‘80’s rock music has had on the genre is still present to this very day and hoping to keep it very much alive in the modern age come four feisty guys from Atlanta, hungry to party hard and channel the spirit of rock under the banner of Biters, and their brand new hard-hitting album Electric Blood.” – Rock Revolt Magazine

Black Fast – Terms Of Surrender CD (E1)
Creating a modern twist on the energetic riffs of metal s glory days, Black Fast harness the spirit of their metal forefathers, whether exploring hand-cramp-inducing riffs or blazing through straightforward thrash.

Mike Bloomfield/Nick Gravenites – Steelyard Blues [OST/Reissue/1972] CD (Real Gone Music)
Digitally remastered edition of this soundtrack composed by former Electric Flag members Nick Gravenites and, in his first release of any kind in three years, legendary guitarist Mike Bloomfield Bloomfield and Gravenites had previously composed the soundtrack to Roger Corman’s notorious B-movie The Trip. The album features performances by a young Maria Muldaur and by former Bloomfield band-mate Paul Butterfield, along with Annie Sampson of Stoneground and Merl Saunders, later to collaborate with Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead. This soundtrack offers a spirited mixture of blues, rock and country, with stinging guitar licks from Bloomfield.

Dee Dee Bridgewater – Dee Dee’s Feathers CD/LP (OKeh)
Dee Dee Bridgewater’s new album, Dee Dee’s Feathers, is her debut album on OKeh Records. It is also the first collaboration of the three-time Grammy Award®-winning jazz singer and the Grammy Award®- winning New Orleans Jazz Orchestra (NOJO), founded by artistic director and trumpeter Irvin Mayfield. Dee Dee’s Feathers is a modern vision of New Orleans and features traditional songs such as “Big Chief,” “St. James Infirmary” and “What a Wonderful World” along with new compositions “Congo Square” and “C’est ici que je t’aime.”

Luke Bryan – Kill The Lights CD (Capitol Nashville)
New album from the country superstar.

Zachary Cale – Duskland CD/LP (No Quarter)
Taking cues from Oh Mercy/Time Out Of Mind era Dylan and Nick Cave’s work with The Bad Seeds, Duskland evokes a restless spirit, one that is informed by American myths and tall tales. Aquarium Drunkard have said of Cale’s music “[it] casts a captivating spell” while the Village Voice recently named him “the best songwriter in New York City.”

Canned Heat – Illinois Blues CD (Cleopatra)
Canned Heat get down and dirty in Illinois on this vintage live album recorded in support of the group’s ninth studio album, The New Age (1973).

Luzmila Carpio – Yuyay Jap’ina Tapes CD (Squirrel Thing/Omnian Music Group)
In the early 1990s, Luzmila Carpio’s songs inspired the Quechua-speaking people of the Bolivian Andes to Yuyay Jap-ina to “reclaim our knowledge” from a culture that marginalized indigenous people. These tapes, newly-restored and presented here capture a vibrant celebration of a people and a language that would not be silenced. Vinyl version due August 21.

Terri Lyne Carrington – The Mosaic Project: Love And Soul CD (Concord)
Grammy award winning artist Terri Lyne Carrington expands upon her highly-acclaimed 2011 Mosaic Project release and explores repertoire revolving around songs inspired by love and the soul. Once again, the all-female supporting cast is led by a who’s who of inspiring and acclaimed artists: Natalie Cole, Chaka Khan, Jaguar Wright, Valerie Simpson, Nancy Wilson, Chante Moore, Lalah Hathaway, Ledisi, Oleta Adams, Lizz Wright, Paula Cole, Jaime Taylor and Amina Claudine Myers.

Cattle Decapitation – The Anthropocene Extinction CD/LP (Metal Blade)
Defining themselves as one of the most vital, brutal, and relentless forces in extreme music, with The Anthropocene Extinction, Cattle Decapitation have delivered a volatile, apocalyptic beast that is as hideous as it is compelling.

Cowboy Lovers – Cowboy Lovers CD/LP (LBW)
A refreshing blend of proto-heavy-metal-rock-and-roll, cosmic/acid gypsy and discotheque influences. For Fans of: rock ‘n’ roll, heavy metal, heavy rock, psychedelia, classic rock, garage punk, punk and cosmic sounds.

Deaf Wish – Pain CD/LP+MP3 (Sub Pop)
Pain is a miraculously dissonant, wonderfully immediate display of Deaf Wish at their mightiest, alive with the same wild chemistry and sense of possibility that made their first recordings so vital. With more time together than they’ve ever had before, they’re found themselves confronted with ideal (yet foreign) conditions. Two-minute freakouts like “Eyes Closed” share airspace with the meditate squall of “On” and the guitar-born majesty of “Calypso.” Everything was captured in three takes or less, in a bleak, nondescript studio on the lifeless outskirts of Melbourne. Pain was mastered by Mikey Young (Eddy Current Suppression Ring, Total Control). “It’s a simple thing,” guitarist Jensen Tjhung says of their approach. “Simple takes the worry out of it. If we try to step it up and go sideways, it just doesn’t seem to work. But we’ve grown up and been through some shit. To get to this point you have to bust through a few walls. It’s easy to be new, and I think, in the end, this is what it is. When you put these people in the room, it’s Deaf Wish.”

The Delta Saints – Bones CD (Loud & Proud)
The Delta Saints, a Nashville-based band formed among Belmont College students in 2007, have stripped their roots blues sound down to its essence, having rearranged the elements into something uniquely their own. Their first proper full-length effort explores influences like Jack White, The Black Keys, My Morning Jacket, Band Of Horses and Led Zeppelin.

Mac DeMarco – Another One CD/LP+MP3 (Captured Tracks)
Like the days of Steely Dan or Harry Nilsson releasing a classic album every year (or less) comes Mac DeMarco’s Another One, a mini-LP announced one year after the release of the meteorically successful Salad Days. Written and recorded during the downtime between a relentless touring schedule, Another One is an eight-track release that expands the arsenal of Mac’s already impressive catalog, showing the maturity of Mac’s progression as songwriter: it’s a bit more refined, a bit more sophisticated, but nonetheless retains the guts and soul of classic Mac.

Iris DeMent – The Trackless Woods CD (FlariElla)
Featuring original music and melodies by Iris, The Trackless Woods (August 7) sets 18 poems by acclaimed 20th century Russian poet Anna Akhmatova to life. Hailed as one of Russia’s finest poets, Akhmatova survived the Bolshevik Revolution, both World Wars and Stalin. She lost family, friends and fellow writers to political killings and labor in the gulags. When Iris randomly stumbled upon Akhmatova’s work in a book of poetry a friend sent as a gift, she was immediately taken by the sorrow and burden of the poems, juxtaposed with Akhmatova’s lightness and transcendence in the face of inhumanity.

Dragon Crest Collective – Volume 1 CD/LP (MRI Associated)
“Pete Francis isn’t your average rock star. He defies that stereotype. In fact as his latest project Dragon Crest Collective affirms, he defies most any musical stereotype. Francis is a founding member of the indie/roots-rock trio Dispatch, a band that fellow member Brad Corrigan identifies on their website as ‘the biggest band nobody’s ever heard of.’ Dragon Crest Collective’s debut, Volume 1, draws together different influences and sounds—a vast universe with stops to the funk, jazz, hip-hop and indie rock worlds.” – Relix

The Eagle Rock Gospel Singers – Heavenly Fire CD (Ba Da Bing!)
Will Wadsworth formed The Eagle Rock Gospel Singers in the winter of 2010 following a failed relationship, a band dissolution, and a scary airplane ride. In order to re-spark his interest in music, he and his roommate, Jeremy Horton, gathered friends together to sing old Gospel songs. Inspired by their love of Washington Phillips, The Staples Singers, Mahalia Jackson, Sister Rosetta Tharpe (you know, the real classics) they held house parties just so they could perform. Vinyl version due September 25.

Enabler – Fail To Feel Safe CD (Century Media)
OH based hardcore/metal band, Enabler, led by frontman, songwriter and guitarist Jeff Lohrber, is an honest, pissed-off and heartfelt metallic hardcore band that folds thrash, death metal, punk rock and hardcore into their overall sound. Vinyl due August 14.

Fear Factory – Genexus CD (Nuclear Blast)
New album from the cyber metal band. The word “Genexus” is a hybrid is a hybrid of two words; Genesis and Nexus. This word describes the next transition in human evolution as man moves forward to a mechanical state of being. Author/computer scientist/futurist Ray Kurzweil predicts that the singularity will occur around 2045. Genexus is the term for that next evolutionary process. Where humans are machines, machines are human, and the differences are oblivious to the naked eye. Available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe adds two bonus tracks. Vinyl version due August 14.

The Flatliners – Division Of Spoils CD (Fat Wreck Chords)
The Flatliners have put out four albums and a short stack of seven-inches over the last ten years. They’ve written so many songs, in fact, that they’ve got a big pile of leftovers that, for whatever reason, didn’t make the cuts when selecting those releases’ tracklists. The Ontario band has now compiled all of those songs into one huge-ass collection called Division Of Spoils. The 16-song double LP includes covers, originals, a couple of oldies, and some unreleased material thrown in. Vinyl version due September 18.

Jackson C. Frank – The Complete Recordings 3xCD/2xLP/2xLP/2xLP (Ba Da Bing!)
While Jackson C. Frank’s eponymous 1965 album and other material has enjoyed numerous official and unofficial reissues, The Complete Recordings is the first to compile his entire recording career. This set contains a total of 67 tracks, 24 of which have never appeared before. Every song has been mastered or remastered, a number of them straight from the original, brittle reel-to-reels on which they were originally laid down. Plagued by tragedy with the most haunting music to show for it, Frank’s life can be heard through his music, which has been covered by the likes of Nick Drake, Simon & Garfunkel, Fairport Convention, Bert Jansch, John Renbourn, and many others. While never fully recognized as one of the great musicians of the ’60s, Frank clearly had his fans. Frank’s recordings span four decades of a hard-lived life, and every experience, every trial, is reflected in his voice. (Vinyl version available across three double-LP volumes.)

Georgia – Georgia CD (Domino)
Georgia is the eponymous debut album by multi-instrumentalist, producer and songwriter Georgia Barnes. Born and raised in north west London, the last few years have seen Georgia steadily establish herself as an important fixture in the city’s most singular and imaginative artistic circles, playing drums for Kwes and Kate Tempest among others before emerging as an irresistible creative force in her own right with last year’s Come In EP. Written, performed and produced by Barnes in its entirety, Georgia is the product of a young lifetime of voracious music listening — a bold, boundless 21st century amalgam that marks her out as an intuitive curator, distinctive songwriter of real spirit and self-taught producer of soulful, progressive and highly-defined electronic pop. Vinyl version due September 4.

Gnaw Their Tongues – Abyss Of Longing Throats CD (Crucial Blast)
From the frenzied, black swarms that sweep across the doom-laden death industrial of opener “Lick The Poison From The Cave Walls” that eventually resolves into a glacial haze of bleary, blasted bliss, to the hallucinatory black metal of “Through Flesh” that fuses staccato violins, terrifying choral singing and grueling mechanical doom into one of the most emotionally stirring sequences yet heard in the band’s catalog, Abyss continues the evolution of Gnaw Their Tongues’ sound.

Golden Rules – Golden Ticket CD/2xLP (Lex)
“Paul White, South London purveyor of crumpled psych-hop beats and Danny Brown’s go-to UK producer, has unveiled an album-length collaboration with Florida rapper-singer Eric Biddines. Adopting the name Golden Rules, the transatlantic duo got together when White discovered Planetcoffeebean 2, Biddines breakthrough mixtape released in 2013. He sent over some beats on the off-chance that Biddines would be interested in collaborating, and a few days later found a bunch of finished tracks in his inbox. Soon after, Biddines hopped on a plane to London to complete their debut full-length, Golden Ticket.” – Fact Mag

Gravmaskin – Volym 1 CD/LP (Electric Assault)
Volym 1 is the debut six-track album from the most promising band to come out of Uppsala, Sweden. Roughly half an hour of psyched-out instrumental hard rock with a progressive edge, played only with one guitar, two synthesizers & drums. Think the Ventures being played by Goblin, creating the soundtrack to both Carnival Of Souls and Doctor Who.

Vivian Green – Vivid CD (Make Noise, LLC)
New album from the Philly R&B songstress. The first single “Get Right Back To My Baby” features a sample from Maze featuring Frankie Beverly’s classic “Before I Let Go.”

Charlie Haden/Gonzalo Rubalcaba – Tokyo Adagio CD (Impulse)
A live album event and posthumous tribute to the late bassist Charlie Haden, who passed away in 2014. Tokyo Adagio is a legacy recording of Haden in concert with the equally iconic pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba at the Blue Note in Tokyo in March of 2005. The two great musicians had been playing together for 20 years at the time of the recording, which features the Rubalcaba/Haden collaboration, Nocturne. Also included are liner notes written by Mr. Rubalcaba, Cameron-Haden, Charlie’s widow, and Ned Sublette.

Heathered Pearls – Body Music CD/LP+MP3 (Ghostly Int’l)
Body Complex at first seems like an odd title for an album that feels very divorced from the inner environment of the human body. Of course, the term “body” can mean a number of things, and what is most exciting about Jakub Alexander’s latest offering as Heathered Pearls is the way it uses electronic music, especially techno, to weave in and out of the nuances of humankind’s physical interactions with the world around it. From the unidentifiable and minimalist object on the cover to the track titles referencing interior design and architecture, via the very makeup of each track, Body Complex feels like a journey through a space both public and internalized. Moving away from pure ambient music into the realms of techno was key in this regard, and in keeping with the artwork, Alexander carves smooth rounded edges around harsher outlines, his loops and drum patterns imbued with much of the minimalist sensuality of artists like The Field and Porter Ricks.” – The Quietus

Moa Holmsten – Bruised Arms & Broken Rhythm CD (MRI Associated)
The songs of Bruce Springsteen might seem like an odd choice for the Swedish recording artist, Moa Holmsten. After fronting the heavy metal band, Meldrum, and then releasing two dynamic and avant-garde albums of her own songs (Do You Want Me, Death? and All Blade, No Handle) Moa Holmsten and Tony Naima went into the studio in 2013 and emerged with a startlingly creative reworking of the Springsteen classic, Badlands. They had such a good time creating this cover song, they decided to try another and another and another.

IAmDynamite – Wasa Tusa CD (Que-So/Brando)
With their sophomore LP Wasa Tusa, Ann Arbor’s IAmDynamite have carved deeper into their unique style, blending elements from their musical roots of Seattle sound and ‘80s pop.

InAeona – Force Rise The Sun CD (Prosthetic)
InAeona is a post-rock band from Boston. Vinyl version due August 18.

Jack + Eliza – Gentle Warnings CD (Yebo Music)
“Jack + Eliza’s debut LP Gentle Warnings brings all the heat and fuzz of Best Coast to New York, free of their lyrical chains, while adding a spritely complexity more explicitly west coast in its musical influence, in particular, that California classic, The Beach Boys. Jazzed harmonies (‘Oh No’ featuring nigh-replicas of Brian Wilson’s) are only the beginning of what the sunshine pop-rock duo evokes.” – In Your Speakers

Syl Johnson – Complete Twinight Singles CD/2xLP (Numero)
“There are many great soul singers, but few have inspired hip-hop from its early beginning to now. Syl Johnson is a unsung pioneer of musical fusion.” – RZA. Syl Johnson began the ’60s a blues singer and session guitarist and concluded it having synthesized his own brand of gritty Chicago soul. Their first signee, Syl Johnson set the tone at Twinight Records, writing and producing fifteen 45s during his four-year tenure with the label. This double LP neatly bundles each side of each of Johnson’s Twinight 45s, from the heavily-sampled grunts on “Different Strokes,” to the ghetto-conscious “Concrete Reservation.”

Manu Katché – Touchstone For Manu CD (ECM)
Here the French drummer is joined in performances of his tunes by an outstanding cast of soloists including Jan Garbarek, Tomasz Stanko, Nils Petter Molvær, Trygve Seim, Mathias Eick, Marcin Wasilewski, Tore Brunborg, and Jacob Young.

Ben E. King – Complete Atco/Atlantic Singles Vol 1: 1960-1966 2xCD (Real Gone Music)
From his early days as a last-second replacement in The Drifters to his sterling solo career during which he scored a total of 31 pop and 24 R&B chart hits, the late, great Ben E. King was responsible for some of the most indelible recordings in pop music history. His big, beautiful baritone powered such Hall Of Fame songs as “There Goes My Baby,” “Save The Last Dance For Me,” “Spanish Harlem” and, of course, “Stand by Me,” and almost alone among R&B singers of his era he successfully transitioned into the disco era of the ‘70s with hits like “Supernatural Thing” and his acclaimed collaboration with the “Average White Band.” This is the first volume of a set that will collect all the A and B-sides of every single the singer released during his storied career recording for the Atco and Atlantic labels.

KMD – Bl_ck B_st_rds [Reissue/1994] CD (Metal Face)
The words “lost classic” get thrown around from time to time, but KMD’s sophomore album, Black Bastards, truly fits the bill. Originally scheduled for release in the spring of 1994, their label unceremoniously shelved it at the eleventh hour due to controversy over the provocative cover art. Surviving group member MF Doom (then known as Zev Love X) as fans know, his younger brother Subroc was killed in 1993 tried to release the album on other labels, but met more dead ends. Sadly, it languished in hip-hop purgatory until six years later. Even then, the album had only a limited release via small indie labels. Beyond the fact that the controversy surrounding the cover featuring the group s long-standing mascot being hanged by a makeshift gallows was unfair, the group’s fans being denied access to this album only compounded the injustice. Because musically and lyrically, it was a truly amazing record, full of youthful creativity, tinged with the stress of growing up as black men in urban America.

Krisiun – Forged In Fury CD/LP+CD (Century Media)
New album from the Brazilian death metal veterans.

La Luz – Weirdo Shrine CD/LP (Hardly Art)
Weirdo Shrine is a natural evolution of the band’s self-styled “surf noir” sound—a rawer, turbo-charged sequel that charts themes of loneliness, infatuation, obsession and death across eleven tracks, from the opening credits siren song of “Sleep Till They Die” to the widescreen, receding-skyline send-off of “Oranges” and its bittersweet epilogue, “True Love Knows.” In describing Weirdo Shrine, producer/engineer Ty Segall remarked that it gave him a vision of a “world…burning with colors [he’d] never seen, like mauve that is living.” In “Oranges,” the Brautigan poem which inspired the aforementioned track of the same name, the poet writes of a surreal “orange wind / that glows from your footsteps.” These hue-based allusions are apt: the sound of La Luz is (appropriately) vibrant, and alive with a kaleidoscopic passion. Weirdo Shrine finds them at their most saturated and cinematic.

Greg Lake – London ’81 CD (Cleopatra)
Vocalist/guitarist from the legendary prog rock bands King Crimson and Emerson, Lake & Palmer launched a solo career in 1981 and embarked on a worldwide tour captured on this live album and made available here for the very first time. Includes performances of songs from Lake’s self-titled solo debut album, plus live versions of ELP’s “Lucky Man,” King Crimson’s “21st Century Schizoid Man,” and more. Vinyl version due August 21.

Langhorne Slim & The Law – The Spirit Moves CD/LP+MP3 (Dine Alone/Dualtone)
The Spirit Moves is a raw and relatable album about transition, growth and life and one that should appeal to anyone who’s lived a little. Brutal honesty, passionate, soulful vocals, and inspired rock ‘n’ roll, that’s Langhorne Slim.

Ivy Levan – No Good CD (Cherry Tree)
No Good builds on the bold and brash swamp pop sound Levan first revealed on her 2013 EP Introducing The Dame, which sparked buzz from many major media outlets, including Billboard, who called her an entrancing pop singer with uninhibited soul-infused stylings, Allure, who noted that her music is powerful and dark, but also a bit playful, and The Huffington Post, which praised her vocal virtuosity.

Liberez – All Tense Now Lax CD/LP (Night School)
A tense, gut-wrenching listen wrought with carefully considered space, the range of techniques and the depth of atmosphere is staggering. All Tense Now Lax never settles on a simple depiction of dread, foreboding or anxiety but layers textures upon rhythms to produce towering minarets of conflicting emotion.

Lord Time – Drink My Tears CD (Universal Consciousness)
A 55-minute continuous suite of morbid outsider black metal that is positively unprecedented in the annals of metal.

Stephan Micus – Nomad Songs CD (ECM)
Nomad Songs is his 21st album for ECM; he plays nine different instruments, but emphasizes two he hasn’t used before: The first is the Moroccan genbri, a lute covered with camel-skin, played by the Gnawa in Morocco. The second is the ndingo, a lamellophone similar to the kalimba, used by the San people in Botswana. These indigenous inhabitants of Southern Africa have been pushed off their land and marginalized by the new nation states.

Miss May I – Deathless CD (Rise)
New album from the young metal band. Fast, aggressive hooks and melodic, yet brutal breakdowns. Vinyl version due August 14.

Teedra Mozes – Cognac & Conversation CD (Shanachie)
Appealing both to R&B and hip-hop fans, Teedra has released three underground mixtapes and built her fan base with constant touring. Cognac & Conversation is Teedra Moses’ second official album release. Featuring special guests Rick Ross and Anthony Hamilton, the album showcases both Teedra’s soulful singing and songwriting.

Mynabirds – Lovers Know CD (Saddle Creek)
Lovers Know is definitely new territory for songwriter Laura Burhenn, forging into ‘80s, ‘90s and futuristic soundscapes, recalling Kate Bush, Sinead O’Connor, The Jesus And Mary Chain, My Bloody Valentine and even ‘90s hip-hop and R&B. The album may be loaded with a fresh palette of new sounds (swarms of synths, gauzy electric guitars, and electronic drums), but her brooding, unmistakable voice leads the way. Lyrically this is her most personal and confessional work to date, and also her most accessible. Whereas her last album, Generals, watched from a wide angle to understand the world at a distance, Lovers Know pulls in close. “There’s something about wandering the world over,” Laura says, “that makes you realize how similar we all are – everyone searching for something, so often the same thing: love. It may sound trite, but it’s true. Love – or the lack of it – is the thing we all have in common. It can destroy us. It can break us open and let the light in. And it’s also the thing that can make us sing.” Vinyl version due August 28.

Never Shout Never – Black Cat CD/LP+MP3 (WB)
Never Shout Never is an alt/pop band from Joplin, Missouri, originally formed in 2007 as a solo project by musician Christofer Drew Ingle. The group became an instant online success story, averaging over 40,000 online plays a day, and headlining shows throughout the Midwest. Black Cat is the band’s seventh studio full-length album.

Night Beds – Ivywild CD/2xLP (Dead Oceans)
Night Beds, the musical project of 26-year-old Colorado Springs native Winston Yellen, received much acclaim for his 2013 debut album, Country Sleep, scoring plaudits for its tortured take on alt country and Yellen’s soaring vocals. But after finishing that album and before Country Sleep was even released, Yellen began experimenting with the kind of melancholic, neon-tinged R&B that makes up the mesmerizing Ivywild.

Tunde Olarian – Transgressor CD/LP+MP3 (Quite Scientific)
The Afro-futurist mix of hip-hop/R&B/punk that is Tunde Olaniran drops his first full-length album on Quite Scientific. The record showcases Olaniran’s masterful approach to mixing intelligent and conscious commentary with a slew of personal revelations and heartfelt declarations.

Lindi Ortega – Faded Gloryville CD (Last Gang)
“Canadian-born country badass Lindi Ortega has spent years going from city to city on tour. Her next stop? Faded Gloryville. The sessions were all characterized by raw in-studio performances. According to a press release, ‘The goal was to create a record as broad and varied as Ortega’s influences, which run the gamut from ‘70s country records to classic soul.’” – Exclaim

Padna – Alku Toinen CD (Aagoo)
Padna is Nat Hawks, a 38-year-old middle school English teacher living in Brooklyn. He records at home in his spare time, putting out sounds since 2001. His goal is to make sad music with all manner of tool.

Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham – The Complete Duo Recordings CD+DVD (Proper)
Collects the complete official recordings of legendary southern soul songwriters, Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham. The package includes a separate DVD of the pair performing in London during their 2006 tour, in the magnificent 17th century setting of Sir Christopher Wren’s ‘St. James’s Church,’ Piccadilly.

The Phoenix Foundation – Give Up Your Dreams CD/LP+MP3 (Memphis Industries)
“‘How does one transition to a mortal from a God?’ wonders Sam Flynn Scott, frontman for The Phoenix Foundation, on their latest track “Give Up Your Dreams.” The Wellington, New Zealand six-piece hit that sweet spot between bubblegum psych-pop, prog-rock, and deeper, existential quandaries like the one quoted above.” – Stereogum

Pissgrave – Suicide Euphoria CD (Profound Lore)
Pissgrave is a raw and brutal new death metal band hailing from Philadelphia, PA. With their debut full-length Suicide Euphoria, the band delivers the sickest, rawest, most depraved and violent death metal release of the year. Sounding unlike anything going on in the underground today, the band reveals itself as one of the most promising prospects in contemporary death metal.

Leroy Powell And The Messengers – The Overlords Of The Cosmic Revelation CD/LP (Cleopatra)
New album from Shooter Jennings guitarist and cast member of A&E’s Crazy Hearts. This highly acclaimed songwriter goes full blown space truckin’ rock with hints of classic ‘60s psychedelic fuzz to create a unique alt country album.

Elvis Presley – Today [Legacy Edition/Reissue/1975] 2xCD (Sony Legacy)
This 40th anniversary Legacy Edition contains the original 1975 album featuring the hit single “T-R-O-U-B-L-E” and 10 undubbed session mixes. Disc Two features live performances given within weeks of the album’s release. Previously issued in 1980, this constructed show has been remastered and reassembled from original source tapes to offer improved audio definition.

Pridjevi – Pridjevi CD (Trouble In Mind)
A dizzyingly psychedelic magnum-opus and a stunning debut, stitching together a seemingly disparate range of inspirations such as psychedelia, acid rock, baroque pop, Tropicalia, and Eastern ragas into an addictive, listenable whole.

Michael Ray – Michael Ray CD (WB)
Debut album from the rising country singer.

Red Sun Rising – Polyester Zeal CD (Razor & Tie)
New album from the alt-rockers. Polyester Zeal was produced by Bob Marlette (Black Sabbath, Shinedown, Seether). Includes the single “The Otherside.”

Rich Boy – Featuring… CD (RBC)
Rich Boy is known for his vocal delivery, his blunted vowels and dense drawl that exude a potent and distinct Southern swagger. Guests on Featuring… include Ty Dolla $ign & YG, Curren$y, Yelawolf, Lil Hick, Drae Jackson, Trinidad James, and more.

Indra Rios-Moore – Heartland CD (Verve)
Indra Rios-Moore’s story begins on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, continues across the Atlantic in Denmark, but as yet has not come close to reaching a climax, or thankfully an ending. Like every good story it has had twists along the way, ups, as well as downs, joy and pain, but also sacrifice and success. If art reflects life then it is little wonder that Indra’s album, Heartland is eclecticism in the extreme… it is an album that is both intensely personal but also broad in it’s musical sweep. Hardly surprising given Indra’s story.

Robbie Robertson & Alex North – Carney [OST/Reissue/1980] CD (Real Gone Music)
Though he was one of the three acting leads (along with Jodie Foster and Gary Busey) in the 1980 film Carny, it’s debatable how many fans of Robbie Robertson and his work with and without The Band are aware of this key release in his discography. That’s because, despite the pedigree of it’s cast and the colorful setting of a traveling carnival, the film bombed at the box office, weighed down by a weak script and questionable directorial choices. But the score-half composed by Robertson and half by the great Alex North (Cleopatra, Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf et al.) remains a wonderful oddity. Robertson had himself spent two years working at a carnival in his teens, so it was a subject near and dear to his heart (witness The Band’s “Life Is A Carnival”); he also reached out to friends like Dr. John and Randall Bramlett to create sonic settings alternately sleazy, strutting and funky (and don’t miss his guitar solo on “Garden Of Earthly Delights”).

Simon & Garfunkel – Concert In Central [Legacy Edition/Reissue/1982] CD+DVD/2xLP (Sony Legacy)
High-profile reunion show of the legendary folk-rock duo before one of the largest audiences of all time, recorded in Central Park, New York in 1981. Features all of Simon & Garfunkel’s greatest hits as well as selections from their solo catalogs, many newly arranged with an expanded 11-piece band with remastered audio. Features a bonus DVD with the full concert film.

Slim Twig – Thanks For Stickin’ With Slim Twig CD/LP (DFA)
Where some records have focused explicitly on sample-based songwriting, while others have been completely live-recorded, Thanks For Stickin’ With Slim Twig arrives at a perfectly produced fusion of fidelities. It hovers, glamorously caught between a cloud of obscurant, half-speed tape hiss, and the most stoned Jeff Lynne production you’ve ever heard. Twig flirts here with a variety of vibes, most often opting for a three dimensional approach whereby a warped tape aura is overlaid with colorful, laser-cut keyboard and guitar melodies.

Small Feet – From Far Enough Away Everything Sounds Like The Ocean CD/LP+MP3 (Barsuk)
Without pretension, Stockholm’s Simon Stålhamre, the gentleman behind Small Feet, covers huge swaths of emotional and intellectual ground as casually as if he were strolling out for a smoke, journeying through a shapeshifting landscape of dreams towards what another Scandinavian, Prince Hamlet, called “the undiscovered country”. Like “All And Everyone”, one of its standout tracks, From Far Enough Away Everything Sounds Like The Ocean — recorded almost entirely at an 18th century cabin on an island in central Stockholm, with occasional forays to Snavely’s own farmland hideaway outside the city — finds Stålhamre literally whistling his apocalyptic woes, employing an alchemist’s dedication to what once seemed impossible.

Dusty Springfield – Come For A Dream: The UK Sessions 1970-1971 CD (Real Gone Music)
During her 1968-1971 period with Atlantic Records in the United States, Dusty Springfield also continued to record material in England, where her Atlantic repertoire was released on Philips Records. In turn, Atlantic received rights to issue Dusty’s British recordings from the era, but chose to focus entirely on her American sessions. In fact, it wasn t until the ‘90s that some of these masters (many of which originally came out on the Philips See All Her Faces album overseas) were available Stateside, but they were scattered across several compilations and were never comprehensively assembled. Here, all of Dusty’s orphaned British recordings from her 1970-1971 Atlantic period have been gathered together for the first time.

Michael Stasis – RIP III CD (Arbutus)
Pennsylvania-born/Los Angeles-based songwriter Michael Stasis has released more than 200 tracks in recent years, but if that huge catalogue seems a little overwhelming for new listeners, Arbutus Records releases this compilation that acts as an introduction of sorts. As the title indicates, RIP III is actually Stasis’ third compilation, although it’s his first with Arbutus. The 12-track selection was largely self-recorded at home, and it showcases what Stasis refers to as a “playlist mentality” where the songs are so different that they sound as if they were made by different artists. According to an announcement, the tracks range from “homespun folk psychedelia to frenzied Californian surf-pop to widescreen cinematic tracks driven by motorik drum machines to majestically emotive ballads.” Vinyl version due August 14.

Terror – The 25^th Hour CD (Victory)
14 tracks of punishing, no-filler hardcore. Vinyl version due September 4.

Toe – Hear You CD (Top Shelf)
New album from the Japanese math rock outfit.

Tormentor – Prophetic Deceiver CD (Static Tension)
Static Tension Recordings is pleased to reissue the previously self-released 2014 Prophetic Deceiver album from Los Angeles thrashers Tormentor. “Taking inspiration from Sodom and Destruction, the band also show their understanding of Bay Area thrash and, vocally there’s a definite death metal streak that gives Prophetic Deceiver a mix of melody and extreme edge!”—Terrorizer

Obie Trice – The Hangover CD (Black Market Ent.)
New release from the rapper, the follow-up to the hit album Bottoms Up. The Hangover features Estelle, Drey Skonie, Young Buck, Tone Tone, GWenation, P8tience, Young Zeether, and J-Nutty. Includes the first single “Good Girls.”

Jonathan Tyler – Holy Smokes CD/LP (Timeless Echo)
Holy Smokes is a rockin’, groove-laden follow up to the rock opus Pardon Me, which put Tyler and his band The Northern Lights on the map when released in 2010. The new album reveals a more pensive and sophisticated Tyler who’s learned his lessons while navigating the rollercoaster of life on the road, major festivals, major labels, drugs, booze, great love, great loss and the heartbreak of mistakes you can’t change and time lost that you can’t take back. The album was co-produced by Tyler and Thom Monahan (Chris Robinson, Devendra Banhart, Vetiver) in both Tyler’s native Dallas, Texas and his adopted hometown of Los Angeles, California.

Ultimate Painting – Green Lanes CD/LP (Trouble In Mind)
Second album from this London band featuring Jack Cooper (Mazes) & James Hoare (Veronica Falls/Proper Ornaments) that coalesces their amalgam of sounds from VU-hum to Feelies jangle into a more distinctive voice. “Ultimate Painting is centered on the wiry guitar lines of Jack Cooper (Mazes) and James Hoare (Veronica Falls). Their economical three-minute songs echo the patient melodies of the Velvet Underground’s self-titled third album and the workingman’s garage-pop of New Zealand bands like the Chills and The Bats.” – Pitchfork

Uranium Club Band – Human Exploration CD (Fashionable Idiots)
In this era of blogs, instant virtual collection, and high school kids who are sometimes more informed than the maniac collectors of 25 years ago, its rare to come across a band with a truly refreshing and original take on punk rock. Well, if that’s what you’ve been waiting for, then look no further than the Minneapolis Uranium Club Band.

Useless ID – The Lost Broken Bones [Reissue/2008] CD (Fat Wreck Chords)
Initially made up of 12 tracks recorded at The Blasting Room (Rise Against, NOFX, Alkaline Trio) under the watchful eye of punk rock royalty Bill Stevenson (Descendents, Black Flag), The Lost Broken Bones now also contains seven bonus tracks culled from the same era. The resulting collection is a fantastic blaze of front-and-center, immense sounding punk rock.

Various Artists – Folksongs Of Another America: Field Recordings From The Upper Midwest, 1937-1946 CD+DVD+Book (Dust-To-Digital)
“The astonishing range of music collected here reveals the deeply hued cultures of the Midwest before and after World War II, when these field recordings were made. Folksongs Of Another America deftly combines dynamic media—CDs, a DVD, and a richly annotated book to go with them—to tell a multifaceted story. Though brimming with scholarship, the book’s crisp, clear prose reveals the music and the people who made it.”—Henry Sapoznik, author of Klezmer! Jewish Music From Old World To Our World

The Whistles & The Bells – The Whistles & The Bells CD/LP+MP3 (New West)
Debut album from Christian singer/songwriter (and former Cadillac Sky frontman) Bryan Simpson aka The Whistles & The Bells. The album was engineered by multi-Grammy winner Vance Powell (Jack White, Chris Thile, Keb Mo, Jars Of Clay). While Simpson may not have created his own genre, what he does to pre-existing ones is extraordinary. A result of his insatiable musical wanderlust, or perhaps musical fearlessness, he smashes together disparate genres of varying eras to create a rich, layered tapestry for the intense soul searching of his evocative and poetic lyrics. Traditional rock instruments of electric guitar, bass and drums collide with banjos, mandolins, Dobros, horns, Mellotrons, pianos, accordions, gongs and fiddle, coalescing in a visceral sound that is sometimes soothing, sometimes jarring but always unique and compelling. Maybe not a new genre per se but Simpson’s music certainly might disrupt the modern day algorithms of digital streaming services and come with a requirement to be filed in multiple sections at the local record store.

Chelsea Wolfe – Abyss CD/LP+MP3 (Sargent House)
Abyss opens with the disorienting lurch of “Carrion Flowers,” where Wolfe weaves a hypnotic vocal melody over monotonic industrial thuds, much as an Indian raga is constructed around a lone note or swara. On “Iron Moon,” the band pushes for extremes in its loud-quiet-loud strategy, alternating between hushed balladry and gargantuan doom. On “Dragged Out,” glacial-paced fuzz riffs underscore Wolfe’s sultry verses, until a howling wail of distortion dominates the chorus. But there are certainly moments when the brutish elements are reigned in ”Maw” could serve as a lullaby and ”Crazy Love” harkens back to the humble acoustic compositions of her Unknown Rooms album. But between them we have ”After the Fall”, the centerpiece of the album, where the abrupt tonal shifts, descending chord progressions, and climactic vocals illustrate Wolfe’s fascination with Memories, Dreams, Reflections by Carl Jung.

Worriers – Imaginary Life CD (Don Giovanni)
Back in 2008, Worriers started as something of a punk supergroup, the original lineup including Lauren Denitzio of The Measure, Mike Catalano of Hunchback, and Justin Sullivan of The Babies. But in the years since, the punk collective has mainly become the focus of the singer/songwriter Denitzio.

Wroth – Force And Wrath CD (Universal Consciousness)
Raw and savage misanthropic black metal from the Netherlands in the truest style of Ildjarn and Darkthrone.

Nao Yoshioka – Light CD (Purpose Music Group/NIA)
“Known as a progressive soul singer, Nao also pays homage to the masters and delves into the classics and Gospel while also dabbling in rock and funk. She tackles Etta James, Sam Cooke, and Nina Simone with sophistication, dedication and tremendous style. Her renditions are crisp and splendor capturing the era eerily. Hard to believe she’s a young soulstress barely 27 years old. There’s even a live recording tribute to Marvin Gaye.” – Soul Tracks

DVDs + Blu-ray:

Gregg Allman – Gregg Allman Live: Back To Macon, GA January 14, 2014 DVD/Blu-ray (Rounder)
Gregg Allman Live: Back to Macon, GA marks his first-ever official solo DVD release where, with the help of his eight-piece band and special guest Devon Allman, he delivers ferociously high-energy and emotive performances. Captured at the venerable Grand Opera House in the town where the Allmans got their start, Gregg performs 16 fan favorites including “Whipping Post,” “Melissa,” and “Midnight Rider.” Exclusive interview footage features Gregg reflecting on Allman Brothers history. Special Features include: “Stormy Monday,” “Floating Bridge,” and “The Gregg Allman Band At The H&H.” 91 minutes.

This Week’s Vinyl Exclusives:

Charles Albright – Short Skirt 7” (Sacramento)
Charles Albright has been stomping around Sacramento most of his life. A quiet child, his teenage years birthed a noisy little monster intent on making himself heard. You can find his name on a nice pile of local produce—45s, albums, and cassingles—and now he is back with one more. On his newest single, “Short Skirt,” Charles Albright (and his Charles Albright Band) blisters the balls of mid-period Black Flag with a spasmodic grnnnnt that would have knocked the worm weed out of the SST staffs’ earholes.

Ausmuteants – Mates Rates 7” (HoZac)
With an incredible, agitated, and nervously energetic sound they’ve pounded into all their own, Ausmuteants are back with another massive slab of synth punk savagery you won’t be able to wash off with just one shower.

Author & Punisher – Melk En Honing LP (Housecore)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Author & Punisher’s new is mélange of his various drone machinery together, multiple physical rhythm machines, some synth and the new electromechanical masks that began to appear in A&P performances across the US and Europe in 2014. Abandoning the typical guitar and drums set up, Author & Punisher makes aggressive rhythmic and oscillatory soundscapes from his own custom fabricated and precision machinery. Designed by Shone himself, the instruments of Author & Punisher are custom devices that begin mostly as big chunks of aluminum and steel that are worked into all manners of wheels, throttles, pedals, and masks to manipulate sound live.

Billy Talent – Hits LP+DVD (The End)
Released earlier this year on CD – now available on vinyl. Since the release of their self-titled debut in 2003, Billy Talent has cemented themselves as a generation-defining rock band.

Black Bug – Frozen Energy b/w Push You 7”+MP3 (Avant)
Avant’s second Black Bug single features vocals by Shawn Foree (Digital Leather), reestablishes the savage force of the band while at same time probing previously unknown areas. A perfect balance of straightforward, stripped-down synthetic punk and a glance to the dark side of early UK post-punk.

Black Milk – Tronic (Silver Edition) 2xLP+7” (Fat Beats)
Tronic is the third solo album by Detroit MC/producer Black Milk, originally released in 2008. Considered by many to be the LP that elevated Black to a new level after previously releasing solo efforts Popular Demand and Sound Of The City. After being out of print for over six years, the deluxe silver edition reissue of Tronic is pressed on double silver vinyl, with a bonus 7” featuring five unreleased beats.

BL’AST! – It’s In My Blood! [Reissue/1987] LP (SST)
Having formed in 1982, the highly influential Santa Cruz hardcore legend: BL’AST! released their first album, The Power Of Expression in 1985. This debut album completely blew everyone away and went on to become one of the highly sought after, “must- have” hardcore albums from the 80s’. BL’AST! were beyond intense, continually pushing the boundaries of hardcore with their advanced musicianship, unstoppable energic delivery and explosive live performances. This overwhelming power caught the attention of SST records, who released the band’s second album, It’s In My Blood! in 1987. Their third album Take The Manic Ride, was then released in 1989.

Blondes – Persuasion LP (RVNG International)
“Forget everything you thought you knew about trance-inducing (but not trance-conforming) electronic music; while in most cases you would expect a casual mental drift in which you momentarily forget your surroundings, the first two albums from Brooklyn-based duo Blondes (Zach Steinman and Sam Haar) have the unique quality of ripping an extremely particular hole in the space-time continuum, such that the Oberlin grads are conveying a talent as if it’s 20 years into the future, and they’re f**king present-day Orbital or something!” – Tiny Mixtapes

Blood Sister – Dysphoria 7” (Grabbing Clouds)
Debut single From San Francisco’s Blood Sister. Feelings of dread and despair are projected over sharp guitar tones and industrial-infused drum beats, all while retaining California pop overtones that leave you wanting to spin the whole damn thing over and over again.

David Bowie – Heathen [Reissue/2002] LP (Friday Music)
HQ-180gm audiophile translucent blue vinyl reissue of Bowie’s hard-edged 2002 album, Heathen.

Heather Woods Broderick – Glider LP+MP3 (Western Vinyl)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Heather Woods Broderick excels at distilling her experiences into a soulful melancholy that’s enduring both for its intimate relatable moments and its persistent sense of mystery. Her uncanny ear for evocative production and gorgeous vocal harmonies serves her well on her new album Glider. Throughout the album, the rich dreamlike atmospheres she creates hint at a darkness looming on the horizon, while the singularity of her ethereal voice always seems to linger long after the music has stopped. As a talented multi-instrumentalist and vocalist, Heather has had the opportunity to record and tour with plenty of incredible artists including Horse Feathers, Efterklang, and Sharon Van Etten, which has kept her moving house and traveling around the world for much of the past decade.

Brother Resistance – Rapso Takeover LP (Left Ear)
Originally released in 1986, Brother Resistance’s Rapso Take Over blends calypso, reggae, disco, funk and poetry to create the artist’s signature Rapso sound. A progressive form of poetry from Trinidad and Tobago, Rapso emerged as a means by which to articulate the daily suffering symptomatic of the social unrest afflicting the nation throughout the 1970s and ‘80s.

Zac Brown Band – Jekyll + Hyde LP (Republic)
Released earlier this year on CD – now available on vinyl. Describing Jekyll + Hyde’s direction, Zac told Rolling Stone earlier this year that it will have “things that people will expect and things that they don’t.” “Homegrown,” the band’s highest chart debut, which is bulleted at #10 on country radio this week has earned massive fan support and early praise for its “rock feel” (Country Weekly) and “intricately arranged vocal harmonies” (Billboard); “Dress Blues,” written by Jason Isbell, is a somber and stirring tribute to members of the military who have been killed in service; and “Heavy Is The Head,” which features Chris Cornell of Soundgarden.

Buck Biloxi & The F**ks – Streets Of Rage LP (HoZac)
Buck and the boys are back with a vengeance, and their new LP Streets Of Rage is going to cause quite a few dizzying episodes of pure punk euphoria so don’t even start to think you’ve heard it all yet.

Built In Sun – Built In Sun LP (Joyful Noise)
Built In Sun is a new project from Joe Plummer; drummer for The Shins, Cold War Kids and Mister Heavenly. Joe has also toured and recorded with Modest Mouse and The Black Heart Procession on drums and percussion over the last 10 years. Built In Sun was created during touring breaks between The Shins and Cold War Kids releases, originally as an instrumental idea, with inspirations landing somewhere between John Cales’ Fear, the punk vibe of the Wipers and John Reis, and his favorite soundtrack composers; John Brion and Clint Mansell.

The Byrds – Mr. Tambourine Man [Reissue/1965] LP (Friday Music)
HQ-180gm audiophile clear vinyl reissue of The Byrds’ classic debut.

Captain Beefheart – Le Nouvel Hippodrome Paris 1977 LP (Let Them Eat Vinyl)
Here’s a nice cross-section of Captain’s recorded output – with no reference to Beefheart’s recent Mercury albums but with hopeful renditions from yet-to-be-unreleased “Bat Chain Puller” including its title chug of a track – delivered by his new ensemble. The quartet kick it all into gear by picking up the “Trout Mask Replica” theme of “Hair Pie: Bake III” and the groove of “Suction Prints” yet don’t bother much with further crunch, once their leader cuts into the “Low Yo Yo Stuff” chant, renders “Electricity” funereal or taps into the “Abba Zabba” brilliant mojo.

Carmody – Sleep On Mirrors: The 1981-1985 Tapes LP (Mannequin)
As earlier compilations of “danza meccanica” have made clear, Italy gave birth to a disproportionate number of synthpop, new wave, and electronic acts in the 1980s. Mannequin goes deeper into the Italian new wave with a killer ten-track selection of Carmody. Taking their name from Robert Sheckley’s 1968 science fiction novel Dimension of Miracles, Carmody came from Torino, alongside contemporaries Monuments and Chromagain. They recorded from 1981 to 1985 and issued three incredibly rare demo tapes. Sleep On Mirrors compiles the best tracks from those tapes, highlighting some of the most peculiar minimal synth music to come out of Italy in the 1980s.

John Carpenter – Escape From New York [OST] LP (Silva Screen)
Originally released on CD in 2000, the expanded soundtrack edition of John Carpenter’s classic 1981 thriller included over 20 minutes of previously unreleased music plus music from scenes deleted from the final print. The masters were remixed from the original multitrack session tapes by long-time Carpenter associate Alan Howarth. This is the first time the expanded edition has appeared on vinyl in its complete form, including original dialogue highlights.

Cerebros Exprimidos – Mas Suicidios [Reissue/1990] LP (Munster)
First reissue of 1990 debut LP by Majorcan group, who revived the original punk rock genre in Spain in the late ’80s. Includes the band’s own compositions, with echoes of Black Flag, The Heartbreakers, and The Replacements, plus a cover of The Controllers’ “Another Day.”

Counterparts – Tragedy Will Find Us LP (Pure Noise)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Counterparts are a Canadian melodic hardcore band.

Blind Gary Davis – Harlem Street Singer [Reissue/1961] LP (Friday Music)
Reverend Gary Davis, also Blind Gary Davis was a blind African American blues and gospel singer and guitarist, who was also proficient on the banjo guitar and harmonica. His finger-picking guitar style influenced many other artists.

Discharge – Toronto ’83: In Cold Night LP (Ugly Pop)
Discharge is one of the greatest punk bands of all time, and this 1983 set captures them in ferocious form. Rescued from an old tape, the sound is violent, dirty and powerful, a raw document of a raw band blazing through 14 tracks of relentlessly furious hardcore. Fully legit and authorized, not a bootleg.

Fake Tears – Nightshifting LP (Mint)
A radiant collection of sparkling electro-pop that is simultaneously spooky and infectious, nocturnal and pop-friendly.

Frank Hurricane – F**k Wit It High: A Mystical Gangsta’s Reflection Vol. 1 LP (Feeding Tube)
“There are parts of this new Frank Hurricane record that sound like perhaps he actually built a shirt from one of those ‘rap music’ Casio keyboards and then had baby elephants squeeze him between two waterbeds with his arms outstretched so he could tap out melodies. Frank moves through the murk of this lo-fi paradise with ease and, most importantly, space. This record’s got air in it, the tones blow together like the leaves of a tree that sprouts degraded VHS tapes instead of fruit. It’s recorded in a way that calls to mind cheap cassettes and British bedrooms in the early 1980s. But it’s here and now.” – Matt Krefting

Funerary – Starless Aeon LP (Vendetta)
Formed in early 2013, Funerary from Phoenix, AZ came to pass by the adherence of five souls looking to coagulate in depression, grief, and anger. Finding solace in dwindling light, the band creates a musical presence that is powerful and progressive in the realm of doom metal by combining what can only be described as cosmic, transcending songs ridden with despair and indignity.

Gam – Eisziet LP (Dirty Knobby)
Underground German kosmic rock band Gam recorded their sole record, Eisziet, in 1978 and then shelved it after the master tape disappeared.

Gazpacho – Missa Atropos [2010] 2xLP (Kscope)
First time on vinyl. The constant drive to pigeon-hole artists often leads to the media creating all manner of new sub-genres to describe acts but few bands can share the ‘classical post-alternative ambient nocturnal atmospheric neo-progressive folk world rock’ label that one journalist gave Gazpacho while struggling to describe the band’s distinctive sound. More orthodox descriptions have suggested similarities to Radiohead, Porcupine Tree, Marillion (and even Aha) but such simplistic comparisons don’t do justice to the true nature of the band’s music.

Gel Set – Human Salad LP (Moniker)
“For years, Laura Callier has delivered creepy, on-point double entendres. On her Moniker Records debut, Human Salad, Gel Set jumps from ‘that one there / he’s a hotty / I just want to dump his body’ to a slew of tunes about basements, extrasensory perception, forests, and the abyss that allow Callier to unleash her predatory beats. ‘Ether Or,’ the first single from the album, is one of the most robust cuts in terms of production. Human Salad largely begins with exceptionally minimal beats, where Callier uses synthetic elements, as well as silence, to spin her listener into a trance.” – Secret Decoder

Myriam Gendron – Bric-á-brac b/w The Small Hours 7” (Feeding Tube)
Montreal’s Myriam Gendron sets another pair of Dorothy Parker poems to music. A special release in a beautiful letterpressed sleeve.

Ghetto Ghouls – Collisions LP (Monofonus Press)
Following last year’s internet-ally acclaimed debut and 12XU 7” here is the second full length from these Austin treble addicts. Pitchfork, Noisey, WFMU, Adhoc, Impose, etc., etc., loved the first one and this record is better. Drummer Ian Rundell is turning into one of Austin’s best recording engineers and front man Corey Anderson is remaining one of the best songwriters in town. The other two dudes are alright too.

Gus G. – Brand New Revolution LP (Dismanic Distribution)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Gus G., The Ozzy Osbourne and Firewind guitar hero, returns with his second solo offering. Fans of Slash, Halestorm and Avenged Sevenfold will love this.

Hauschka – A ndo C y LP+MP3 (Temporary Residence)
Side A features five tracks conceived during the Abandoned City sessions, a suite of songs that together form an exceptionally resonant whole. As with Abandoned City, these songs owe as much to minimalist techno as modern composition, which makes them particularly conducive to remixes. On Side B, experimental folk icon Devendra Banhart distills Abandoned City standout, “Agdam,” to barely-there, fractured clusters of solitary piano strikes and swelling synths. By comparison, Eluvium’s transformation of “Stromness” sounds almost shockingly euphoric, all cascading waves of distortion washed over a plethora of plucked piano pings.

Hawklords – 25 Years On [Reissue/1978] LP (Let Them Eat Vinyl)
Digitally remastered and expanded edition of this sole studio album from the Hawkwind spin-off project. The album, originally released in 1978, was Dave Brock and Robert Calvert’s vision of a mechanized society that perfectly embraced the influence of the musical New Wave to deliver one of the most effective albums released during Calvert’s tenure with Hawkwind.

HEALTH – Death Magic LP (Loma Vista)
HEALTH formed in Los Angeles in 2006, playing their first shows at now-legendary DIY club The Smell. They have gone on to release four critically acclaimed albums, including two remix projects that featured diverse artists from Crystal Castles to Pictureplane, Tobacco to Nosaj Thing, reflecting the band’s wide taste and reach between the rock, electronic and experimental music worlds. Their new album epitomizes their idiosyncratic blend of electronic, rock and pop styles. Having worked with outside producers and engineers for the first time, the final result is somehow bombastic yet accessible, heartbreaking and head-banging, all steeped in classic album sensibilities of songwriting and production. CD version due August 14.

House Of 909 – The Children We Were [Reissue/1997] 2xLP (Cascine)
In 1997, London trio House of 909 released The Children We Were, an album of rolling deep house gems that were as evocative as they were posh. The tracks were laced with vocals and the subject matter dealt with youth and leaving it.

Ivy – A Cat’s Cause, No Dogs Problem 7” (Katorga Works)
This new EP takes everything that was great about Ivy’s debut 12″ and condenses it into a four-track platter consisting of their strongest material to-date. Claustrophobic and judgmental hardcore punk that resembles little else these days.

Jean-Paul Sartre Experience – I Like Rain: Story of the Jean-Paul Sartre Experience 3xLP (Fire)
Six years in the making, Fire Records releases the comprehensive box set I Like Rain: The Story of The Jean-Paul Sartre Experience. Issued under exclusive license from Flying Nun Records, the three LPs and assembled bonus tracks showcase the group that best encompasses that label’s difficult arc from scrappy cult label in the ‘80s to a corporate-minded takeover in the ‘90s. From wildly crashing Christmas parties, to watching the brilliant album that could have changed their fortunes sit on the shelf, and international tours that left them undone, the band evolved, for better or worse, with the shifting fortunes around them. Now you can experience the full story, both via all of their collected studio recordings, and an extensive and entertaining oral history culled from hours of interviews with the members.

Jay-Jay Johanson – Opium LP (Le Plan)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. It was in 1996 that Jay-Jay Johanson, a young man from a cold climate, fascinated by the Bristol sound they called trip-hop and Portishead in particular, first tapped delicately on our eardrums. In only a few songs he revealed a family tree that spread its roots far and wide: on one branch Chet Baker and Lee Hazelwood, on the other John Coltrane with Johnny Hartman, and in between a whole army of jazz or symphonic recordings sampled from everywhere imaginable. Almost 20 years later he has returned with an incredible album called Opium. It contains the very essence of Johanson’s music: an ease with inventing melodies, a voice that gently caresses, and the jacked up, heady rhythms that lift and carry the songs.

Kataklysm – Of Ghosts And Gods LP (Nuclear Blast)
Released last week on CD – now available on vinyl. Of Ghosts And Gods was recorded in three different studios from Montreal, Ontario to Dallas, Texas and Sanford, Florida in order to harness the expertise of the metal industry greats who best understood that band’s talents and their vision.

Kim & Leanne – True West LP (HoZac)
The material on True West has echoes of the classic Scientists’ swampy sound especially in the tracks “Freudian Slippers” and “Get A Hold Of Your World.” And “The Science Test” is another exercise in minimalism. Salmon plays one note and Cowie plays one beat. It also has an accompanying video is just as strange. “Carry On Baggage” recalls classic Nuggets garage punk. They also manage to throw a Rolling Stones cover in “Dead Flowers.” But, you have never heard the Stones do anything like this. The album also contains a few hip hop moments, glam rock and funnily enough a couple of “rock” songs.

Amos Lee – Live At Red Rocks With The Colorado Symphony LP (ATO)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. When Amos Lee rolled into Red Rocks in August 2014 he had been on tour for almost a year in support of his fifth studio album Mountains Of Sorrow, Rivers Of Song, but this concert in particular was something special. His first headlining date at the legendary venue, and backed by the Colorado Symphony with arrangements composed just for that evening.

Bunny ‘Striker’ Lee & Friends – Next Cut! LP (Pressure Sounds)
Next Cut features a plethora of outtakes alternate mixes and slipped down the back of the sofa gems. A fine album that gives you a listen to the studio banter and a small talk that permeated Kingston’s music scene.

Little Howlin’ Wolf – The Guardian [Reissue/1982] LP (Family Vineyard)
Little Howlin’ Wolf – Cool Truth [Reissue/1985] LP (Family Vineyard)
Little Howlin’ Wolf is a street musician, bluesman, actor, storyteller and truth seeker. He is also a true outsider, whose wrenching soulfulness and fire-brained intensity have been captured in a breadcrumb trail of confounding and intentionally obscure self-released records. In the late 1960s Wolf — born James Pobiega in 1950 — was already a saxophone wailing fixture at the legendary Chicago hangout, Maxwell Street Market. By the mid-‘80s he released nearly three dozen 45s. Those singles are sprawling journeys into Wolf’s world vision, as told through his gravelly voice and an array of instruments in styles and influences not limited to: American Indian, Polish and gypsy folk musics, Voodoo, vocal chants, blues, calypso and avant jazz. Often, it’s all filtered through overdubbed abstraction. Wolf issued two LPs collecting some of those singles — The Guardian (1982) and Cool Truth (1985) — both now reissued by Family Vineyard.

mewithoutYou – Pale Horses LP (Run For Cover)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. mewithoutYou’s sixth studio album hearkens boldly to the raw intensity of 2004’s Catch For Us The Foxes, while building on the rich imagery of 2006’s Brother, Sister. Epic in scope, Pale Horses is mewithoutYou at their best, breathing fresh life into the end times, gloriously terrifying and hauntingly iconic.

Mint Mile – In Season & Ripe 12” (Comedy Minus One)
Mint Mile is the new project from Tim Midyett, formerly of Silkworm, Bottomless Pit and Ein Heit.

Morbid Angel – Altars Of Madness [Reissue/1989] LP (Earache)
Morbid Angel – Formulas Fatal To Flesh [Reissue/1998] LP (Earache)
Formative genetic material of death metal, Morbid Angel formed in 1984 and recorded its first album in 1986, being inspired by Slayer but eventually moving on to more progressive works with the genre-definitive Blessed Are the Sick in 1991. Progressive, rhythmic, complex and evil death metal with lyrics well-crafted from Sumerian and Lovecraftian domains.

Nick Diamonds – City Of Quartz LP (Manque)
Nick Diamonds’ second LP, City Of Quartz, is a giant leap forward from his 2011 debut. Blending synthesizers, drum machines and his signature Spaghetti Western guitar licks, he has forged a sound that tips a hat to perennial favorites like Eno and ELP, looks ahead to more contemporary artists like ESG and EMF, but still has two feet firmly planted in his own entirely unique world, which he’s been creating with Islands, Mister Heavenly and The Unicorns since 2003.

Philippe Petit – Multicoloured Shadows LP (Agoo)
Since he started making his own music Philippe Petit has constantly tried to expand his art, and avoid categorization. From his early days manipulating vinyl and found-sound or field recordings, he moved on to using piano, organs, vibes, synths, then cymbalum, electric psalterion, guitar, caterpillar drum-guitars built by Yuri Landman, and various other percussive devices. Composed in 2014, celebrating 30 years of activism in music, Philippe came with another new approach, twisting into unexpected turns while developing some melodies. Building up a tension in his narratives where Multicoloured Shadows of shoegaze dance with electro-acoustically-psyched-out atmospheres.

Phylums – Phylum Phyloid LP (Dirtnap)
Like a spore in a petri dish, Phylums slowly cultivated in the dank basements of Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 2011. With a common goal of creating stripped-down, primitive rock ‘n’ roll, members of Wisconsin acts Goodnight Loving, Head On Electric and Holy Sh*t! started banging out three-chord homages to the Sonics, Creedence, the Monks… any band with a simple message and no-frills attack.

Pigeons – Buoy b/w But For The Waves 7”+MP3 (Soft Abuse)
The new single finds Pigeons in a dissonant, yet pastoral rock mode, recalling Future Games-era Fleetwood Mac and Tommy Flanders’ “The Moonstone.”

Pig Eyes – 2nd Album LP (Electric Assault)
On Pig Eyes’ second album (appropriately titled 2nd Album), the Swedish psych-punks slowly step away from the straight-ahead, hardcore leanings of their first record and delve deeper into darker, more progressive territories. This isn’t to say the band — which includes members of hardcore punk band NITAD and In Solitude — as completely forgotten its roots: this is punk in the Wipers or Birthday Party tradition, which is something most bands fail to channel successfully (or even acknowledge).

Pole – Besombes Rizet [Reissue/1975] LP+MP3 (Gonzai)
Vinyl reissue of 1975 French psychedelic masterpiece created with synths of various kinds, occasionally backed up by drums and other sounds. The original double-LP release is reissued here as a single LP, with download code for original album track “Synthi Soit-Il,” absent from this LP. RIYL: Faust, Cluster & Eno.

Prefuse 73 – Every Color Of Darkness LP (Temporary Residence)
The conclusion of a triptych of new recordings, Every Color Of Darkness basks in the darkest corners of Prefuse 73’s world, finding an eerie romanticism in manic beats and damaged jazz. It’s a record that showcases his uncanny ability to excavate and exploit a source of light buried in pitch black.

Publicist UK – Original Demo Recordings 7” (Static Tension)
Publicist UK is a four-piece post-punk veritable supergroup that play incredibly vibrant yet dark music. The band is comprised of Dave Witte (Municipal Waste, Melt-Banana), Zachary Lipez (ex-Freshkills), Brett Bamberger (Revocation, ex-East Of The Wall), and David Obuchowski (Goes Cube, Distant Correspondent). The heavier backgrounds make the band an outlet to show how intensity of metal and noise interacts with melody to create riveting songwriting.

Qual – Sable LP+MP3 (Avant)
Bassist / vocalist William Maybelline moves from the pop touch of Lebanon Hangover to cruise the slums of darker and even more extreme electronics, where the vile is visible, despair exists in a frowning black tower of pain, and the yearnings of a desolate heart are concealed, trying to scratch that unscratchable rotting itch from within. Centuries of sorrow drenched in gloomy electronics that palpitate like human passions.

Rat Columns – Do You Remember Real Pain 12” (Adagio 830)
David West (Rank/Xerox, Total Control, Lace Curtain) delivers five new songs of his shoegaze driven earnest unashamed guitar pop. Five songs of wonderful frosted jangle, sad pop post punk with potential ear wings that let you melt away under the sun on some beach.

Max Richter – The Leftovers [OST] LP (Silva Screen)
Released for the first time on vinyl is Max Richter’s emotive and minimal score to Damon Lindelof’s TV series about a post-apocalyptic global event where 2% of the world’s population disappears without explanation.

Saccharine Trust – Paganicons [Reissue/1981] LP (SST)
Saccharine Trust is a post-hardcore band from California that was started in 1980 by singer Jack Brewer and guitarist Joe Baiza. The band would frequently perform with SST labelmates Minutemen and Black Flag. However, Baiza described Saccarine Trust as the “black sheep” of the SST roster. Drummer Rob Holzman appeared on their 1981 debut Paganicons but left the band to play in Slovenly, replaced by drummer Tony Cicero. Their early material was semi-improvised and often noisy (for example, the album Worldbroken was entirely improvised live, both the music and lyrics), but later became more focused and jazz influenced.

Second Sun – Hopp/Fortvivlan LP (Electric Assault)
Hopp/Fortvivlan is the debut from Second Sun, the electric folk/space rock project of Jakob Ljungberg, drummer of Swedish Death Metal band Tribulation. The idea was born on New Year’s, 2011, when Jakob was listening to the ‘70s retrospective First Daze Here from doom metal pioneers Pentagram. He soon realized Second Sun was the perfect outlet for his love of bands like Steeleye Span, Nektar, Hawkwind and Black Sabbath as well as traditional Irish folk music.

The Silver Lake Chorus – The Silver Lake Chorus LP (Six Degrees)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. The Silver Lake Chorus performs choral arrangements of indie music and exudes both the edgy, independent spirit of Silver Lake and the heart of community choral singing. TSLC’s self-titled album, produced by Aussie crooner Ben Lee, features rare and new tracks written exclusively for the chorus by the likes of Sia, Aimee Mann, The Bird And The Bee, Tegan And Sara, Ben Lee, The New Pornographers, Ben Gibbard (Death Cab For Cutie), John Roderick (The Long Winters), The Flaming Lips, and Justin Vernon (Bon Iver).

Simon & Garfunkel – The Complete Columbia Albums Collection 6xLP (Sony Legacy)
The most comprehensive Simon & Garfunkel vinyl anthology ever assembled, The Complete Columbia Albums Collection includes the duo’s five Columbia Records studio masterpieces (first released between 1964 and 1970) as well as Simon & Garfunkel’s Greatest Hits, their all-time best-selling title. All newly remastered from first-generation analog sources on HQ-180gm vinyl.

Slasher Dave – Chubbies LP (Bellyache)
It may be Halloween night at Moody’s Bowl-O-Rama, but it’s always Halloween night inside the mind of Slasher Dave. The perfect choice to score Silver Bullet Pictures’ uproarious 2014 horror-sex-comedy Chubbies (and certainly no stranger to horror films or teen sex comedies), Slasher Dave’s extensive knowledge of the genre is evident in the end result, which skillfully juggles whimsical ’80s teen-comedy cheez-whiz with the composer’s trademark they’re-coming-to-get-you aesthetic.

Slightly Stoopid – Meanwhile… Back At The Lab LP (Stoopid Records)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Slightly Stoopid are back with their eighth studio album, Meanwhile… Back At The Lab. The new collection is a 14 song journey across the band’s genre-bending fusion of styles and features guests Karl Denson (Greyboy Allstars/Rolling Stones), Ian Neville (Dumpstaphunk) Marshall “Ras MG” Goodman (Sublime), The Aggrolites, and platinum songwriter/vocalist Angela Hunte.

Slushy – Pastime Gardens LP/Cassette (Grabbing Clouds)
Debut LP from sunny Chicago garage/pop duo of Chris Kramer and Brent Zmrhal. Slushy writes sugary, infectious rockers about having fun, being young, falling asleep, not having fun, not falling asleep, being lucky, traveling through time, and falling in love with every cool girl they meet. Some of Slushy’s influences consist of The Vaselines, The Velvet Underground, The Modern Lovers, and hints of early Mick Jagger amongst others.

Soundtrack – Low Down LP (Cinewax)
This soundtrack is not only an aural companion to Low Down—the acclaimed biopic of jazz pianist Joe Albany, based on the memoirs of his daughter Amy-Jo Albany—but also the perfect primer for Albany’s lifework. Comprised of Albany’s own compositions alongside those of Coleman Hawkins, Max Roach, Thelonious Monk, and selections from Ohad Talmor’s score, this album conjures both a feel for Albany’s own avant-garde, quick-tempo, bebop jazz and a mood that evokes the life of Hollywood’s notorious jazz hustler. Features liner notes from Flea (executive producer/co-star), Amy-Jo Albany and Ohad Talmor.

Soundtrack – St. Elmo’s Fire [Reissue/1985] LP (Friday Music)
1985 was a big year for The Brat Pack and a huge blockbuster movie called St. Elmo’s Fire. Its success truly made way for several hit songs featured on the amazing soundtrack companion LP, which rode the sales and airplay charts with multiple format hit records for over a year.

 

The Strange Land/bAd bAd – Split 7” (Grabbing Clouds)
The Strange Land play dark, psychedelic prog-punk (and have been gaining momentum after touring with national acts such as Froth, Wand, CCR Headcleaner, to name a few). bAd bAd is another exciting band coming out of the Bay who play demented mariachi surf punk.

Sylvan Esso – H.S.K.T. LP (PTKF)
New 12″ EP featuring remixes by Dntel and Hercules & Love Affair.

They Might Be Giants – Glean LP (Idlewild)
Released earlier this year on CD – now available on vinyl. “They Might Be Giants are continuing their legacy of innovation and originality by re-launching the Dial-A-Song streaming service. To celebrate, they unveil a new album entitled Glean featuring songs recently featured on the music website. The Grammy winning rock band, responsible for one of the catchiest songs in history (‘Birdhouse In Your Soul’), are making a comeback with what they became famous with in 1983; the Dial-A-Song service. Originally an answering machine that allowed listeners to hear their material, the service has been reconfigured to the internet, proving that these guys are pioneers in the world of free listening.” – Contact Music

Dwight Tilly Band – Firefly b/w Living In The City 7” (HoZac)
HoZac Archival is back with their second 7” single from the Dwight Tilly Band vault, this time with two sparklingly powerful rockers, the first time for both on vinyl, culled from the Great Lost Twilley Album, and thrust onto a 7” disc for your pleasure. These two cuts are from 1980 and 1977 respectively and deliver that impossibly tight pop sound you just can’t get enough of, the kind that can turn a small outdoor get together into a raging party, and the kind that can turn a bad day into yesterday’s news.

Vacant Life – Pain Compliance 7” (Iron Lung)
The debut hardcore punk 7″ by these new young Seattle miscreants. Four tracks of nasty chorused quick mid tempo meat.

Venetian Snares – Your Face 12”+MP3 (Planet Mu)
New seven-track EP from the Canadian glitch Pegasus, released on the heels of last year’s My Love Is A Bulldozer.

Virgin Steele – Nocturnes Of Hellfire & Damnation LP (Steamhammer US)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. New album from the long-running American metallers.

Rick Wakeman – Live At The Maltings 1976 LP (Let Them Eat Vinyl)
Rick Wakeman – Live At The Hammersmith Odeon 1981 LP (Let Them Eat Vinyl)
Rick Wakeman – Night Music LP (Let Them Eat Vinyl)
A trio of limited edition color vinyl live releases from the Yes keyboardist extraordinaire.

Walter TV – Blessed LP+MP3 (Sinderlyn/Omnian Music Group)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Having moved all around Canada and settling nowhere, Walter TV are contemporary nomads. They formed their band in the basements and cottage-like houses of a beach town outside Vancouver. After Joe McMurray and Pierce McGarry moved to Montreal, they shared an apartment with a constant revolving cast of characters. In a space often overpopulated and reeking of cigarettes, they began recording Blessed. Simon Ankenman would come by periodically, and with him they would finish most of the recordings between there and L.A. The band’s two members, Joe and Pierce, were also busy touring with Mac DeMarco, acting as his backing band.

Renny Wilson – Punk Explosion/Extension LP (Mint)
Recalling snotty ’70s punk, cornball classic rock and scratchy ’90s garage punk, Punk Explosion/Extention makes more than subtle hints at the past while painting a clear picture of the future. From the lighter fare of “Youngsters” and “Clean” to the cheeky cock-rock of “Stiffed” and the guttural, cartoonish power-pop of “Escaping Alive,” Punk Ex offers a variety of leather-jacket-bound jams, as one would expect from an album made over so many years (2007-2014).

Winter Bear – Take It Back 7” (Selfish Agenda)
Winter Bear is the project of Erin Dorbin, former member of Pitchfork darlings The Cave Weddings, who takes the reigns here and knocks out a series of summertime classics, brimming with the sunshine-soaked pop perfection. After relocating to Milwaukee in 2009, Erin has gone on to make some catchy-as-hell, girl group inspired garage rock with releases on HoZaC Records and now Selfish Agenda. The snarling girl group toughness shines through the heavenly layers of vocals like a diamond in the dark, combining to form a tightly wound pop rocket, conjuring a Nikki Corvette fronting The Reigning Sound, or Shangri-Las meets Shannon & The Clams sound running through the outtakes of Buddy Holly’s songbook.

Cassettes:

Slushy – Pastime Gardens (Grabbing Clouds)
Debut LP from sunny Chicago garage/pop duo of Chris Kramer and Brent Zmrhal. Slushy writes sugary, infectious rockers about having fun, being young, falling asleep, not having fun, not falling asleep, being lucky, traveling through time, and falling in love with every cool girl they meet. Some of Slushy’s influences consist of The Vaselines, The Velvet Underground, The Modern Lovers, and hints of early Mick Jagger amongst others.