AIMS Marketing Program/ Featured Titles Promoted This Week:
Blackberry Smoke – Be Right Here CD/LP (3 Legged)
Hailed as “the reigning heavyweight champions of Southern rock” (No Depression), Atlanta- based quintet Blackberry Smoke is back with their eighth studio album, Be Right Here, produced by Dave Cobb. Be Right Here follows 2021’s You Hear Georgia, which was the best-selling country and Americana/folk album in the country, entered at #7 on the Billboard Rock Albums chart and #4 on the Billboard Top Albums chart. Released to critical acclaim, No Depression praised the band for being “as much students of singer-songwriter folk and outlaw country as they are of jam-based, chest-pumping rock,” while Guitar World declared “Many try to reproduce that holy grail, golden-era-of-classic-rock sound through their six-string escapades, yet only a handful ultimately succeed. One such band who succeeds in spades is Blackberry Smoke, whose most recent album You Hear Georgia serves up 10 tracks of pure rock ‘n’ roll bliss.” [An indie store exclusive gold color vinyl pressing is available.]
Chromeo – Adult Contemporary CD/2xLP (BMG)
Approaching the 20-year mark of their storied career, Chromeo unveil their sixth studio album, Adult Contemporary. The aptly named LP sees the iconic Canadian duo of Dave 1 (Dave Macklovitch) and P-Thugg (Patrick Gemayel) exploring what it means to be funky in your 30s and 40s. As the riotous early 2000s era that propelled them to indie superstardom becomes the stuff of legends, the Funklordz approach this new chapter with their groove intact.
The Dream Syndicate – Live Through The Past, Darkly CD+DVD/2xLP+DVD (Label 51 Recordings)
Never-before released live audio spanning the The Dream Syndicate’s entire career from 1983 to 2023 including Karl Precoda, Paul Cutler, Jason Victor with Steve Wynn, Dennis Duck and Mark Walton. Plus, special guest Vicki Peterson of the Bangles on a searing 15-minute version of “John Coltrane Stereo Blues” from the band’s recent London appearance. Coupled with a DVD that includes a documentary features a documentary and previously unreleased one-hour 1983 live concert. [A limited-edition orange and blue double-LP vinyl pressing is available.]
Frightwig – We Need To Talk… CD/LP+7” (Label 51)
Recently released on red color vinyl – now available on CD. Pioneering feminist punk band Frightwig return with their latest album, We Need To Talk… Since forming in San Francisco in 1983, Frightwig have had two objectives: Spread joy and smash the patriarchy. For 40 years, they have succeeded on both fronts, with a mix of in-your-face hardcore energy and a fearless activist spirit. A formative influence on the Riot Grrrl movement and beyond, the band embrace fellow freaks, sinners, and misfits – and the coven of Frightwig devotees has only grown larger and stronger with time. Produced by Eric Drew Feldmen (PJ Harvey, Pixies, The Residents, Frank Black, OK Go, Captain Beefheart), We Need To Talk… includes a single dedicated to their late but forever-present drummer Cecilia Kuhn who transcended this earthly plane in 2017.
Friko – Where We’ve Been, Where We Go From Here CD/LP (Virgin)
Adding to Chicago’s long lineage of forward-thinking indie rock, Friko transform each song into a moment of collective catharsis. On their full-length debut, vocalist/guitarist Niko Kapetan and drummer Bailey Minzenberger sustain the combustible energy of their break-out single “Crimson To Chrome”, merging elements of post-punk, chamber-pop and experimental rock, magnifying their music’s exhilarating power with a barrage of spirited ensemble vocals. Poetic, explosive, and sublimely raw in feeling.
Laura Jane Grace – Hole In My Head CD/LP (Hold In My Head) CD/LP+MP3/Cassette (Polyvinyl)
In the Summer of 2022, a 10-year journey came to an end in Amsterdam. It’s final score, as the curtain closed and the lights came up, was comprised of the orchestrations that preceded and followed the final act: the buzz of a barber’s razor, the droning resonance of a tattoo machine, and the brush of electric sound from the surprise gift of a friend. For a decade, a leading figure and frontwoman of post-punk staple band Against Me!, Laura Jane Grace, had been slowly accruing black-laden bodywork by master Japanese tattoo artists Gakkin and Kenji Alucky. Beginning at her feet, Gakkin’s freehanded, organic figures and Alucky’s high-contrast geometric works had taken the three all over the world together just as it had taken inches all over Laura Jane’s figure. Finally, though this artistic exercise in time and tattoo ink came to a head, literally. All songs written & performed by Laura Jane Grace. [A limited-edition hot pink color vinyl pressing is available.]
Grandaddy – Blu Wav CD/LP (Dangerbird)
With the album title Blu Wav meant to be a literal mash-up of “bluegrass” and “new wave”, the new collection has a distinct feel, a uniform vibe, and a somewhat unexpected sound. It was conceived as Grandaddy maestro Jason Lytle was driving through the Nevada desert, and Patti Page’s “Tennessee Waltz” came across the classic country station on the radio. He was immediately intrigued by the possibilities of what it might sound like to keep the slow sway and sweet, simple lyrics of the bluegrass waltz while adding layers of dense synthesizers and the electronics of new wave. It incorporates the lo-fi lushness and sometimes-psychedelic orchestration Grandaddy is known for with Lytle’s first foray into true country. Seven of its 13 songs are waltzes, and as Lytle notes, “there’s an inordinate amount of pedal steel.” [An indie store exclusive cobalt, ruby red, and pink marble color vinyl pressing is available.]
Health – Rat Wars CD/LP (Loma Vista) CD/LP (UMG)
Health is not only making the heaviest, most genre-obliterating music of their career, they’re documenting just how insane it feels to be alive right now. It’s The Downward Spiral for people with at least two monitors and a vitamin D deficiency. Rat Wars is a definitive statement on the insanity and the insipidness of contemporary life. [An indie store exclusive translucent ruby red color vinyl pressing is available.]
IDLES – Tangk CD/LP (Partisan)
Tangk is the righteous and vibrant fifth album from madcap truth-seekers, IDLES. Pronounced “tank” with a whiff of the “g” – an onomatopoeic reference to the lashing way the band imagined their guitars sounding that has since grown into a sigil for living in love – the record is the band’s most ambitious and striking work yet. A radical sense of defiant empowerment radiates from Tangk, co-produced by Nigel Godrich, Kenny Beats, and IDLES guitarist Mark Bowen. Despite his reputation as an incendiary post-punk sparkplug, frontman Joe Talbot sings almost all the feelings inside these 10 songs with hard-earned soul, offering each lusty vow or solidarity plea as a bona fide pop song—that is, a thing for everyone to pass around and share, communal anthems intended for overcoming our grievance. [Multiple vinyl colorways are available: indie store exclusive translucent pink; orange; and translucent yellow.]
Nathalie Joachim – Ki moun ou ye CD/LP (Nonesuch)
Ki moun ou ye is the second album from Grammy-nominated Haitian American singer and composer Nathalie Joachim. Across the record’s ten intimate, original songs, Joachim ponders its title’s question: “Who are you?” Inspired by the remote Caribbean farmland that her family continues to maintain after seven generations, Ki moun ou ye travels deeper into the Haitian heritage introduced on Joachim’s Grammy-nominated 2019 release, Fanm d’Ayiti. Performed in English and Haitian Creole, the work examines the richness of the human voice-an instrument that weaves DNA, ancestry, and identity in a vibrant tapestry of Joachim’s voice and intricately sampled vocal textures, underscored by Joachim’s flute playing, violin from Yvonne Lam (Eighth Blackbird), and drums by Jason Treuting (Sō Percussion). Ki moun ou ye explores Joachim’s personal history while highlighting her voice’s role as a tool for survival, healing, preservation of self, fellowship, and an affirmation of freedom.
The Last Dinner Party – Prelude To Ecstasy CD/LP (Island)
Prelude To Ecstasy is a pendulum which swings between the extremes of human emotion – from the ecstasy of passion to the sublimity of pain – and it is this concept which binds our album together. This is an archeology of ourselves; you can exhume our collective and individual experiences and influences from within its fabric. We exorcised guitars for their solos, laid bare confessions directly from diary pages, and summoned an orchestra to bring our vision to life. It is our greatest honor and pride to present this offering to the world, it is everything we are.” – The Last Dinner Party
Levitation Room – Strange Weather CD/LP (Ras/Greenway)
East Los Angeles quartet Levitation Room’s floaty, cosmic songs are always a trip. Since forming nearly a decade ago, they’ve self-produced dizzying, otherworldly music that’s connected with fellow travelers in the hallucinogenic world of outré rock music. Led by singer and guitarist Julian Porte along with founding members Gabriel Fernandez (lead guitar) and Johnathan Martin (percussion), the band has enchanted live audiences at Desert Daze and on tour with like-minded groups Post Animal and Psychedelic Porn Crumpets. The band’s vivid sound has found them placed on popular playlists like Modern Psychedelia and the legendary super producer’s Danger Mouse Jukebox. Strange Weather’s lyrical narratives—about love in the park, life in the city, and the fact that “The world today is such an illusion”—are appropriately steeped in ’60s sonics and a dreamy, lo-fi atmosphere. It’s spacey, celestial guitar music for escaping into, and “it feels just like heaven.” [An indie store exclusive translucent orange color vinyl pressing is available.]
Mojave Phone Booth – Hollow The Numbers (Deluxe) CD/LP (Flatiron)
Deluxe edition of 2022 album. Mojave Phone Booth is an electronic /industrial/rock band featuring Tobey Torres-Doran and Mitchell J Doran, the husband-and-wife team from the electronic band, Snake River Conspiracy. Mojave Phone Booth also includes drummer Lynn Farmer of Meat Beat Manifesto. In addition to playing synths, drums, bass and guitars, Mitchell also records and produces the band’s albums.
The Pineapple Thief – It Leads To This 2xCD+Blu-ray+DVD/LP (Kscope)
Deluxe edition includes two CDs, Blu-ray, and DVD plus 52-page book. Recorded September 2020 to July 2023, It Leads To This took shape slowly but surely as the band meticulously perfected their sound. Often guarded, It Leads To This keeps it’s ace in the pack up its sleeve, biding its time until all the right pieces fall in place, giving way to a beautiful, cinematic experience on every track. Conceptually, the album represents band leaders Bruce Soord’s efforts to better understand himself and the world around him. [Stand-alone vinyl LP – including an indie store exclusive green colorway – and stand-alone Blu-ray audio disc versions are available.]
Tyler Ramsey – New Lost Ages CD/LP (Soundly Music, LLC)
Founding member of Band Of Horses, Tyler Ramsey, returns with his fourth solo, full length studio record New Lost Ages – finding him facing the harsh realities of the world as we know it. Fans of Ramsey’s former projects, Father John Misty and Lord Huron will find New Lost Ages to be a relatable reprieve – one that feels both familiar and starkly new. Traversing genre-bending terrain, the new record from Ramsey is as indie and psych-rock as it is singer-songwriter, showcasing his talent and dedication to the craft. [A limited-edition silver color vinyl pressing is available.]
Earl Sweatshirt & The Alchemist – Voir Dire CD/2xLP WB (WB)
Voir Dire, the momentous album by Earl Sweatshirt and Alchemist, undoubtedly represents the long-awaited convergence of two rap titans. Earl’s personal and intricately woven wordcraft, along with Alchemist’s treasure trove of obscure, captivating samples, combine to create an artistic chemistry that permeates Voir Dire (which translates from French to “Speak Your Truth”). Earl accomplishes just that as he delves into the analysis of specific phases of his life, particularly in the past where his reflections resonate with immense potency, meticulous detail, and profound insight. The album features notable Los Angeles wordsmith Vince Staples on two tracks and esteemed rap artist, MIKE. On Voir Dire, unmatched lyricism and remarkable maturity take center stage, while personal experiences such as new fatherhood emerge and evolve over stripped-down, spacious Alchemist production – culminating in what many consider to be the best rap album of the year.
Chelsea Wolfe – She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She CD/LP (Loma Vista)
Released last week on CD, vinyl edition – including an indie store exclusive blue colorway – is now available. “The impression left by Wolfe’s [recent] trail of extracurriculars seems a lot like that of an artist making an attempt to put as much distance between herself and where she’d been. Her first album in five years, She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She, gives added weight to that idea through songs of shedding one’s skin and setting ablaze the most self-destructive parts of the self. In a statement she described it as summoning “change, growth, and guidance,” and has elsewhere referred to it as a ‘rebirth’, though in doing so she hasn’t embraced a brighter tonal palette or a Canva portfolio full of trite aphorisms. In her saga of self-improvement and a newfound sobriety, Chelsea Wolfe has delivered one of the most stunningly dark albums of her career.” – Jeff Terich, Treblezine
Additional Social Media Program Titles:
No additional social media program titles this week.
CDs + Vinyl:
Blackberry Smoke – Be Right Here CD/LP (3 Legged)
Hailed as “the reigning heavyweight champions of Southern rock” (No Depression), Atlanta- based quintet Blackberry Smoke is back with their eighth studio album, Be Right Here, produced by Dave Cobb. Be Right Here follows 2021’s You Hear Georgia, which was the best-selling country and Americana/folk album in the country, entered at #7 on the Billboard Rock Albums chart and #4 on the Billboard Top Albums chart. Released to critical acclaim, No Depression praised the band for being “as much students of singer-songwriter folk and outlaw country as they are of jam-based, chest-pumping rock,” while Guitar World declared “Many try to reproduce that holy grail, golden-era-of-classic-rock sound through their six-string escapades, yet only a handful ultimately succeed. One such band who succeeds in spades is Blackberry Smoke, whose most recent album You Hear Georgia serves up 10 tracks of pure rock ‘n’ roll bliss.” [An indie store exclusive gold color vinyl pressing is available.]
Carnal Savagery – Into The Abysmal Void CD/LP (Moribund)
Fifth album from the Swedish death metal band. [A limited-edition translucent yellow color vinyl pressing is available.]
Chromeo – Adult Contemporary CD/2xLP (BMG)
Approaching the 20-year mark of their storied career, Chromeo unveil their sixth studio album, Adult Contemporary. The aptly named LP sees the iconic Canadian duo of Dave 1 (Dave Macklovitch) and P-Thugg (Patrick Gemayel) exploring what it means to be funky in your 30s and 40s. As the riotous early 2000s era that propelled them to indie superstardom becomes the stuff of legends, the Funklordz approach this new chapter with their groove intact.
Crawlers – The Mess We Seem To Make CD/LP (Interscope)
The Mess We Seem To Make is the eagerly anticipated debut album from Crawlers. Digging deeper into what fans already know and love about their eclectic alt-rock sound, it builds on the relationship of trust they have with producer Pete Robinson and engineer Tom Roach at Liverpool’s Coastal Studios and takes on a whole range of challenging topics; trauma, sexual politics, mental health, the general goings on in a young person’s life. ‘The deluxe CD version features alternate cover art and bonus tracks. A limited-edition blue/turquoise splatter color vinyl pressing is available.]
Crazy Lixx – Two Shots At Glory CD (Frontiers)
Two Shots At Glory serves as a commemoration of Crazy Lixx’s illustrious 20+ year career, featuring reimagined renditions of their iconic choruses, unforgettable hooks, and electrifying guitar solos, all while introducing some exciting new surprises.
The Driver Era – Live At The Greek CD/LP (Too)
Live At The Greek is the debut live album from global pop sensations The Driver Era. Fans can now experience the raw energy, passion, and talent that have made the band one of the most exciting and dynamic live acts in the music scene today. The album was recorded at the Greek Theatre in L.A. and features live performance versions of hit singles through the ages.
Durbin – Screaming Steel CD (Frontiers)
Screaming Steel will resonate with heavy metal enthusiasts, drawing inspiration from the genre’s rich heritage while maintaining a contemporary edge.
El Perro del Mar – Big Anonymous CD/LP (City Slang)
Swedish singer, multi-instrumentalist, and composer El Perro del Mar announces her first album in eight years. The musical path taken by this shape-shifter artist encompasses a spectrum: doo-wop redux, mystic ballads, electronic dance, ecstatic love songs, film soundtracks, dance scores, global pop, and more. With this record, she goes places where few dare to venture: dialogues with the dead, musings on her own mortality, and reflections on the inner darkness that she’s inherited. It’s gothic, crepuscular, moody – and magnificent. And in the end, you might just find it uplifting. She does.
Melissa Errico – Sondheim In The City CD (Concord)
Melissa Errico is the “Sondheim woman” in Sondheim In The City. Devoted to Stephen Sondheim’s songs about New York – from the beginning of his career to its climaxes – Melissa’s latest album highlights Sondheim’s artistry while she inhabits one leading lady after another. From uptown to downtown and from sophisticated skyscraper heights to naïve basement depths, Sondheim In The City is a celebration of New York and it’s legendary musical theatre composer.
Farsot – Life Promised Death CD/LP (Prophecy)
The world of Farsot is a bleak and harsh place. This pitch-black realm is ruled by warring kings that are named Death, Fear, Grief, and Hatred. The Germans’ signature musical handwriting has always been reflecting these dark avatars and their fourth album Life Promised Death is no exception. [A Limited-edition purple color vinyl pressing is available.]
Paloma Faith – The Glorification Of Sadness CD/LP (Sin/UK Ochard)
The Glorification Of Sadness” is more than an album about relationships. The celebration of finding your way back after leaving a long-term relationship, being empowered even in your failures, and taking responsibility for your own happiness. It is her most personal album to date, drawing on her own experiences with Paloma acting as the anchor to direct a deeply personal narrative and album. It’s confident. It’s cinematic. It’s empowering. It’s compelling from beginning to end, all powered by the kind of anthems that transformed her into an icon. The single is about finding the confidence of walking away from a relationship and being empowered with your own happiness, its limitless expression of pop allows it to sit comfortably next to Paloma’s many chart successors and then some. [An indie store exclusive clear vinyl pressing is available.]
Béla Fleck – Rhapsody In Blue CD (Béla Fleck Productions)
The new release from banjo great Béla Fleck expands and explores George Gershwin’s Rhapsody In Blue by paying homage to the legendary composer while redefining an American classic-just in time for its centennial.
Frightwig – We Need To Talk… CD/LP+7” (Label 51)
Recently released on red color vinyl – now available on CD. Pioneering feminist punk band Frightwig return with their latest album, We Need To Talk… Since forming in San Francisco in 1983, Frightwig have had two objectives: Spread joy and smash the patriarchy. For 40 years, they have succeeded on both fronts, with a mix of in-your-face hardcore energy and a fearless activist spirit. A formative influence on the Riot Grrrl movement and beyond, the band embrace fellow freaks, sinners, and misfits – and the coven of Frightwig devotees has only grown larger and stronger with time. Produced by Eric Drew Feldmen (PJ Harvey, Pixies, The Residents, Frank Black, OK Go, Captain Beefheart), We Need To Talk… includes a single dedicated to their late but forever-present drummer Cecilia Kuhn who transcended this earthly plane in 2017.
Friko – Where We’ve Been, Where We Go From Here CD/LP (Virgin)
Adding to Chicago’s long lineage of forward-thinking indie rock, Friko transform each song into a moment of collective catharsis. On their full-length debut, vocalist/guitarist Niko Kapetan and drummer Bailey Minzenberger sustain the combustible energy of their break-out single “Crimson To Chrome”, merging elements of post-punk, chamber-pop and experimental rock, magnifying their music’s exhilarating power with a barrage of spirited ensemble vocals. Poetic, explosive, and sublimely raw in feeling.
Mary Gauthier – The Foundling CD (In The Black)
“I was born to an unwed mother in 1962 and subsequently surrendered to St. Vincent’s Women and Infants Asylum on Magazine Street in New Orleans, where I spent my first year. I was adopted shortly thereafter but left my adopted family at fifteen. I wandered for years looking for, but never quite finding a place that felt like home. I searched for, found, and was denied a meeting with my birth mother when I was 45 years old. She couldn’t afford to re-open the wound she’d carried her whole life, the wound of surrendering a baby. The Foundling is my story.”
Laura Jane Grace – Hole In My Head CD/LP (Hold In My Head) CD/LP+MP3/Cassette (Polyvinyl)
In the Summer of 2022, a 10-year journey came to an end in Amsterdam. It’s final score, as the curtain closed and the lights came up, was comprised of the orchestrations that preceded and followed the final act: the buzz of a barber’s razor, the droning resonance of a tattoo machine, and the brush of electric sound from the surprise gift of a friend. For a decade, a leading figure and frontwoman of post-punk staple band Against Me!, Laura Jane Grace, had been slowly accruing black-laden bodywork by master Japanese tattoo artists Gakkin and Kenji Alucky. Beginning at her feet, Gakkin’s freehanded, organic figures and Alucky’s high-contrast geometric works had taken the three all over the world together just as it had taken inches all over Laura Jane’s figure. Finally, though this artistic exercise in time and tattoo ink came to a head, literally. All songs written & performed by Laura Jane Grace. [A limited-edition hot pink color vinyl pressing is available.]
Grandaddy – Blu Wav CD/LP (Dangerbird)
With the album title Blu Wav meant to be a literal mash-up of “bluegrass” and “new wave”, the new collection has a distinct feel, a uniform vibe, and a somewhat unexpected sound. It was conceived as Grandaddy maestro Jason Lytle was driving through the Nevada desert, and Patti Page’s “Tennessee Waltz” came across the classic country station on the radio. He was immediately intrigued by the possibilities of what it might sound like to keep the slow sway and sweet, simple lyrics of the bluegrass waltz while adding layers of dense synthesizers and the electronics of new wave. It incorporates the lo-fi lushness and sometimes-psychedelic orchestration Grandaddy is known for with Lytle’s first foray into true country. Seven of its 13 songs are waltzes, and as Lytle notes, “there’s an inordinate amount of pedal steel.” [An indie store exclusive cobalt, ruby red, and pink marble color vinyl pressing is available.]
Steve Hackett – The Circus And The Nightwhale CD/2xCD/CD+Blu-ray/LP (Orchard)
The Circus And The Nightwhale is the new album from legendary rock guitarist Steve Hackett. The album includes some familiar faces alongside Steve on electric and acoustic guitars, 12-string, mandolin, harmonica, percussion, bass, and vocals. Roger King (keyboards, programming, and orchestral arrangements), Rob Townsend (sax), Jonas Reingold (bass), Nad Sylvan (vocals), Craig Blundell (drums) and Amanda Lehmann on vocals. Nick D’Virgilio and Hugo Degenhardt return as guests on the drumstool, engineer extraordinaire Benedict Fenner appears on keyboards and Malik Mansurov is back with the tar.
Health – Rat Wars CD/LP (Loma Vista) CD/LP (UMG)
Health is not only making the heaviest, most genre-obliterating music of their career, they’re documenting just how insane it feels to be alive right now. It’s The Downward Spiral for people with at least two monitors and a vitamin D deficiency. Rat Wars is a definitive statement on the insanity and the insipidness of contemporary life. [An indie store exclusive translucent ruby red color vinyl pressing is available.]
The Hellacopters – Grande Rock Revisited 2xCD/2xLP (Nuclear Blast)
After the triumphant Eyes Of Oblivion, the high energy rockers turn eyes on 1999’s Grande Rock, available now in two brand-new variants: remastered and revisited, a partially re-recorded version that kicks out the jams. [A limited-edition translucent purple color vinyl pressing is available.]
Helloween – Rabbit Don’t Come Easy [Reissue/2003] CD/2xLP (Atomic Fire)
Rabbit Don’t Come Easy is the tenth studio album by German power metal band Helloween, released in 2003. It is the first Helloween album to feature Sascha Gerstner on guitars, who replaced Roland Grapow. [A limited-edition white, purple, and blue color vinyl pressing is available. New colorways of The Dark Ride, Keeper Of The Seven Keys – The Legacy, Gambling With The Devil, and My God-Given Right are also available this week.]
Home Free – Crazy(er) Life CD (Home Free)
New release from the country a cappela group.
Honeymoon Suite – Alive CD (Frontiers)
New album from the Canadian melodic rock band.
Hyu – Inaudible Works 1994-2008 CD/2xLP (Em)
Inaudible Works 1994-2008 is an important archival release alongside Henry Kawahara, Surin Phaksiri, and Cycheouts, a compilation that deciphers the labyrinth of shocking works by Hyu, a creator from Osaka who released works on Nobukazu Takemura’s Childisc and other labels from the mid- ‘90s through the 2000s. The compositions are diverse and dazzlingly unique, including microtonal drum techno, robotic pop with human voice synthesis technology, shredding and splitting funk, a collection of swinging samples of sensory overload, a drone quartet of voices and generators, a sine wave as a monad, a quest for outlandish harmonics, atonal piano pieces inspired by literature, J-pop born at the extreme of self-referentiality, and a dazzling array of other works.
IDLES – Tangk CD/LP (Partisan)
Tangk is the righteous and vibrant fifth album from madcap truth-seekers, IDLES. Pronounced “tank” with a whiff of the “g” – an onomatopoeic reference to the lashing way the band imagined their guitars sounding that has since grown into a sigil for living in love – the record is the band’s most ambitious and striking work yet. A radical sense of defiant empowerment radiates from Tangk, co-produced by Nigel Godrich, Kenny Beats, and IDLES guitarist Mark Bowen. Despite his reputation as an incendiary post-punk sparkplug, frontman Joe Talbot sings almost all the feelings inside these 10 songs with hard-earned soul, offering each lusty vow or solidarity plea as a bona fide pop song—that is, a thing for everyone to pass around and share, communal anthems intended for overcoming our grievance. [Multiple vinyl colorways are available: indie store exclusive translucent pink; orange; and translucent yellow.]
Ihsahn – Ihsahn CD/LP (Candlelight)
Ihsahn – Ihsahn [Metal] CD/LP (Candlelight)
Ihsahn – Ihsahn [Orchestral] CD/LP (Candlelight)
More than any other artist to emerge from the fertile black metal scene of the early ’90s, Ihsahn has firmly established himself as an unpredictable maverick. Frontman and chief composer with the legendary Emperor, he re-wrote the rulebook on epic extreme music across a series of albums that are still widely regarded as classics. Ihsahn’s unique approach and liberated musical ethos ensured that when he embarked on a solo career, fans were primed to expect the unexpected. Ihsahn is a full conceptual album, presented in three versions including Metal and Orchestral. [Multiple CD versions and vinyl colorways are available.]
Nathalie Joachim – Ki moun ou ye CD/LP (Nonesuch)
Ki moun ou ye is the second album from Grammy-nominated Haitian American singer and composer Nathalie Joachim. Across the record’s ten intimate, original songs, Joachim ponders its title’s question: “Who are you?” Inspired by the remote Caribbean farmland that her family continues to maintain after seven after seven generations, Ki moun ou ye travels deeper into the Haitian heritage introduced on Joachim’s Grammy-nominated 2019 release, Fanm d’Ayiti. Performed in English and Haitian Creole, the work examines the richness of the human voice-an instrument that weaves DNA, ancestry, and identity in a vibrant tapestry of Joachim’s voice and intricately sampled vocal textures, underscored by Joachim’s flute playing, violin from Yvonne Lam (Eighth Blackbird), and drums by Jason Treuting (Sō Percussion). Ki moun ou ye explores Joachim’s personal history while highlighting her voice’s role as a tool for survival, healing, preservation of self, fellowship, and an affirmation of freedom.
Les Amazones D’Afrique – Musow Danse CD/LP (Real World)
Les Amazones D’Afrique is a creative force that embraces international voices; sweet, strong harmonies that summon the rights of women and girls; and a meltdown of heritage and new gen talent. They were formed in Bamako, Mali, in 2014 by three renowned Malian music stars and social change activists, Mamani Keïta, Oumou Sangaré and Mariam Doumbia, and the collective has since expanded to involve many female artists from across Africa and the diaspora. While their cause – campaigning for gender equality and eradicating ancestral violence – is worthy enough in itself, their musical creative expression is equally powerful. Richly melodic and far-ranging, it blends pan-African styles and collaborative harmonies with gritty, contemporary pop. Musow Danse draws inspiration from hip-hop, trap, and electronic music.
Levitation Room – Strange Weather CD/LP (Ras/Greenway)
East Los Angeles quartet Levitation Room’s floaty, cosmic songs are always a trip. Since forming nearly a decade ago, they’ve self-produced dizzying, otherworldly music that’s connected with fellow travelers in the hallucinogenic world of outré rock music. Led by singer and guitarist Julian Porte along with founding members Gabriel Fernandez (lead guitar) and Johnathan Martin (percussion), the band has enchanted live audiences at Desert Daze and on tour with like-minded groups Post Animal and Psychedelic Porn Crumpets. The band’s vivid sound has found them placed on popular playlists like Modern Psychedelia and the legendary super producer’s Danger Mouse Jukebox. Strange Weather’s lyrical narratives—about love in the park, life in the city, and the fact that “The world today is such an illusion”—are appropriately steeped in ’60s sonics and a dreamy, lo-fi atmosphere. It’s spacey, celestial guitar music for escaping into, and “it feels just like heaven.” [An indie store exclusive translucent orange color vinyl pressing is available.]
Molly Lewis – On The Lips CD/LP (Jagjaguwar)
Consider this your invitation to Café Molly, a lounge bar like they don’t make them anymore. The lights are low, the martinis are ice cold, the banquettes are velvet, and the stage is set for the electrifying talent of whistler Molly Lewis. After the exotica stylings of The Forgotten Edge EP and the Tropicalia-indebted Mirage EP, Molly wanted to encapsulate the sound of Café Molly for her debut album On The Lips, a dreamy tribute to classic mood music, it conjures up misty visions of classic Hollywood jazz clubs, Italian cinema soundtracks and lingering embraces between lovers. [A limited-edition gold color vinyl pressing is available.]
Lil Peep – Crybaby CD/LP/Cassette (Death Note Music)
Crybaby is the fourth mixtape by rapper Lil Peep, originally released in 2016. [A limited-edition white color vinyl pressing is available.]
Lime Garden – One More Thing CD/LP (So Young)
Lime Garden is a Brighton four-piece who, whilst growing into adulthood together, write coming of age indie-rock with the influence of the modern pop culture that surrounds them. Their debut album One More Thing is the band’s love letter to the indie music they surrounded themselves with in their formative years, as well as a statement of love, fear, gratitude and embracing imperfections. The songs on this album challenge societal norms, breathe life into the mundane and they dream big. One More Thing is ambitious in its songwriting as well as its themes, Lime Garden welcomes new technologies to help their traditional guitar sounds flourish into pop songs for the here and now. [A limited-edition red colorway is available.]
Jennifer Lopez – This Is Me…Now CD/LP (BMG)
You may think you know the story of Jennifer Lopez, one of the most written about women in the world, but This Is Me…Now shares the real story, a piece of her soul, and she is doing it in her own inimitable style. Jennifer Lopez’s long awaited musical experience This Is Me…Now. Produced by Jennifer Lopez and Rogét Chayed, along with Angel Lopez, Jeff “Gitty” Gitelman, HitBoy, Tay Keith and INK among others, This Is Me…Now effortlessly blends R&B, contemporary pop sounds and hip-hop beats. Her signature vocals, combined with intricately crafted lyrics delve into the highs and lows of life, love, and relationships with unflinching honesty and introspection, making this Jennifer Lopez’s most honest and personal album yet. [The deluxe CD contains a 40-page booklet and 2 out of 20 possible polaroid photos. A limited-edition green color vinyl pressing is also available.]
Luciferian Rites – Oath Of Midnight Ashes CD/LP (Moribund)
New album from the Mexian black metal act. Containing 11 spiritual hymns of Satanic devotion, Oath Of Midnight Ashes heralds the classic Finnish Black Metal sound which has made Sargeist, Horna, and Behexen hell-hold names. [A limited-edition translucent red color vinyl pressing is available.]
Middle Kids – Faith Crisis Pt 1 CD/LP (Lucky Number)
The lifelong arm wrestle between head and heart sits at the center of Faith Crisis Pt 1, the third album from Sydney’s emotive indie rockers Middle Kids. Written at a time of a faith crisis, when songwriter and vocalist Hannah Joy found the structures and systems, she believed in were being tested, the record lays out the painful, frustrating, messy pieces of the logic puzzle that life requires us to complete every day. Produced by Jonathan Gilmore (The 1975, Beabadoobee), Joy and bandmates Tim Fitz and Harry Day masterfully express the sensation of being overwhelmed, swept up and dragged down in songs that exalt and lift you higher. The results grab the listener from the opening bars and don’t let go, finding the trio once again taking the bare-bones of indie-rock (guitar, bass, drums) and elevating their songs with astonishing and euphoric vocal performances, scorching production, and an incomparable pop-sensibility. [Two color vinyl pressings are available: indie store exclusive blue & yellow; and translucent yellow.]
Mojave Phone Booth – Hollow The Numbers (Deluxe) CD/LP (Flatiron)
Deluxe edition of 2022 album. Mojave Phone Booth is an electronic /industrial/rock band featuring Tobey Torres-Doran and Mitchell J Doran, the husband-and-wife team from the electronic band, Snake River Conspiracy. Mojave Phone Booth also includes drummer Lynn Farmer of Meat Beat Manifesto. In addition to playing synths, drums, bass and guitars, Mitchell also records and produces the band’s albums.
Mother Mother – Grief Chapter CD/LP (WB)
Grief Chapter is an album with songs rooted in mortality, grief, and living fearlessly. Tracks like “Nobody Escapes”, “To My Heart”, and “Head Shrink” are sure to ignite their devoted legion of fans, and undeniable alt-rock anthems “Explode!”, “Days”, “Normalize”, and “The Matrix” will sound at home on festival stages and amphitheaters they’ll be headlining in the US next summer. The album was produced by Mother Mother frontman Ryan Guldemond and mixed by the revered Rich Costey. [An indie store exclusive coke bottle green clear vinyl pressing is available.]
Nouvelle Vague – Should I Stay Or Should I Go CD/LP (PIAS America)
20 years after the release of its first eponymous album, which has since become a classic, the French group Nouvelle Vague is back with Should I Stay Or Should I Go. More than covers, Nouvelle Vague has been reinventing post-punk classics since the early 2000s, retaining their melancholy while infusing them with an air of bossa nova, revealing along the way singers who have become iconic such as Camille or Phoebe Killdeer. Should I Stay Or Should I Go includes a cover of Yazoo’s “Only You” featuring Mélanie Pain, one of the original singers of the band.
Omni – Souvenir CD/LP+MP3 (Sub Pop)
The music of Atlanta trio Omni has always swung fast and hit hard. And Souvenir, their fourth album and second for Sub Pop, packs their biggest punch yet. Following pandemic-induced downtime, they approached the album with lots of pent-up energy. Guitarist Frankie Broyles, singer/bassist Philip Frobos, and drummer Chris Yonker converted their creative fuel and affinity for indie titans like R.E.M., the Cure, and Big Audio Dynamite into sharp, driving songs that land immediately, sporting chopping riffs, staccato beats, and wiry melodies. [Loser Edition silver souvenir swirl vinyl pressing also available.]
Overkill – Taking Over [Reissue/1987] CD (BMG)
Overkill – Under The Influence [Reissue/1988] CD (BMG)
Overkill – The Years Of Decay [Reissue/1989] CD (BMG)
CD reissues of the thrash metal band’s second, third and fourth albums.
The Residents – Secret Show (Live In San Francisco) CD/2xLP (Cryptic Corporation)
To celebrate their 50th Anniversary, The Residents undertook a secret, one-off performance in their hometown of San Francisco. Joined on stage by a hand-picked cast of guest artists, the group and their friends performed a dream setlist of classics from the band’s back catalogue, including songs never performed live before. Featuring guest vocalists, a girls’ chorus, spoken word pieces, a solo piano recital, orchestral and choral arrangements, rock freakouts, mariachi interludes and, of course, The Residents themselves, we present a recording of a show that will live long in the memories of all who were there.
See You Next Tuesday – Relapses CD/LP (Good Fight Music)
“This revision of Distractions was only possible because of all the amazing artists involved, handpicked because of our love and respect of their creative visions. They all helped shape this idea into something that we could’ve only dreamed of. Thank you.” [A limited-edition coke bottle clear w/ white + black + hot pink heavy splatter color vinyl pressing is available.]
Steeleye Span – Live At The Bottom Line, 1974 CD (Omnivore)
Previously unissued performance from the iconic British folk-rock band recorded live at New York’s legendary Bottom Line.
Earl Sweatshirt & The Alchemist – Voir Dire CD/2xLP WB (WB)
Voir Dire, the momentous album by Earl Sweatshirt and Alchemist, undoubtedly represents the long-awaited convergence of two rap titans. Earl’s personal and intricately woven wordcraft, along with Alchemist’s treasure trove of obscure, captivating samples, combine to create an artistic chemistry that permeates Voir Dire (which translates from French to “Speak Your Truth”). Earl accomplishes just that as he delves into the analysis of specific phases of his life, particularly in the past where his reflections resonate with immense potency, meticulous detail, and profound insight. The album features notable Los Angeles wordsmith Vince Staples on two tracks and esteemed rap artist, MIKE. On Voir Dire, unmatched lyricism and remarkable maturity take center stage, while personal experiences such as new fatherhood emerge and evolve over stripped-down, spacious Alchemist production – culminating in what many consider to be the best rap album of the year.
Techno Animal – The Brotherhood Of The Bomb [Reissue/2001] CD/LP (Relapse)
Relapse Records is proud to announce the reissue of the highly influential Techno Animal (featuring Justin Broadrick (Godflesh, Jesu, and more,) & Kevin Martin (The Bug)) album, The Brotherhood Of The Bomb. The album was fully remastered by Broadrick and is available on CD – and for the first time ever – on vinyl. Prior to The Brotherhood of the Bomb having even been conceived, Techno Animal had already been championed/released by The Beastie Boys, collaborated with Alec Empire and the then – fledgling Dälek, but still remained in almost total obscurity. Techno Animal had barely found an audience, yet on The Brotherhood Of The Bomb, the duo had definitely found their sound.
Romain Virgo – The Gentle Man CD (VP)
In an era of vocalists, Romain Virgo stands out as one of Jamaica’s purest and greatest talents. His new album, The Gentle Man is a defining point in the career and ascension of Romain as the standard bearer of reggae’s roots in R&B and soul.
This Week’s Vinyl Exclusives:
Blind Guardian – A Twist In The Myth [Reissue/2006] 2xLP (Nuclear Blast)
After the tremendous success of 2022’s The God Machine, Germany’s metal powerhouse Blind Guardian now releases new vinyl colorways of some much sought-after recent entries in their impressive discography.
Codeine & Bedhead – Atmosphere b/w Disorder 7” (Numero)
Twin readings from Joy Division’s post-punk gospels, on 7″ for the first time. Codeine’s 1994 take on “Atmosphere” were the New York slowcore band’s final recorded moments, a glum, if not melodic, take on the Salford quartet’s requiem to solitude. On the flip, Dallas’ Bedhead tackle the opener for Unknown Pleasures, reimagining “Disorder” as jangly indie rock. Housed in an elegant black and silver sleeve, with embossed braille lettering for the visually impaired. [A limited-edition blue colorway is available.]
Barclay Crenshaw – Barclay Crenshaw 2xLP (STX&BRX)
White in tan with white splatter colorway. Channeling a love affair with classic ’90s hip-hop, an affinity for otherworldly themes and an ear for raw funk, Barclay Crenshaw uses his given birth name to bare his soul and deliver a slowed-down, emotive collection of collaborations and instrumentals. This self-titled debut album is a left-field departure from his better-known alias, Claude VonStroke, but the quality is undeniably the same. The themes of ancient alien abductions and exploration of time and space are discovered and brought to life over ten tracks that sound like a mixture of gold rope chains and new age enlightenment. Modern organic beats mixed with gorgeous melodic moments and underlying grittiness create an experience that is eclectic, expressive, and expansive. Coded art furthers the sense of mystery and the unknown, harking back to the past while gazing into the future.
Das Damen – 1986: Keeps Me Wild [Reissue/1986] LP (Dromedary)
Originally released on Sonic Youth co-founder Thurston Moore’s Ecstatic Peace! Imprint in 1986 (and later reissued by SST Records), 1986: Keeps Me Wild remains an earth-scorching touchstone in the downtown NYC underground movement and a milestone recording in the annals of American indie rock. In addition to two never-before-heard demos, it features new contributions from Dez Cadena (Black Flag), Thalia Zedek (Come), Gary Lee Conner (Screaming Trees), and John Robinson (The Fluid).
Deadmau5 – 4×4=12 [Reissue/2010] 2xLP (Mau5Trap Recordings)
Double transparent green color vinyl pressing of the fifth studio album by Canadian electronic music producer Deadmau5, originally released in 2010.
The Fall – White Lightning LP (Secret)
Limited white color vinyl pressing. Ten killer tracks spanning The Fall’s career from 1979 to 2001; just short of two-thirds of the group’s four-decade existence.
Fred Frith – Guitar Solos / Fifty 2xLP (Week-End)
Fred Frith is simultaneously a singular musical figure and a collection of musical lifetimes. He’s the composer who wrote fragile avant-garde music in the tradition of John Cage and Earle Brown, the innovator who created new concepts of underground rock with his colleagues in the band Henry Cow, and the improviser who developed his very own language on the guitar. The many facets of Frith’s musical oeuvre shimmer in vibrant and unique colors, but stand as one rainbow monolith of musical creation, never disintegrating into esoteric eclecticism. Always musically curious and unbiased, he develops his ideas in the moment, demonstrating in real time how his creative process, while free of old hat conventions and tricks, creates an immediate yet unrandom and committed music. At the core is his unique guitar playing, which is on full display across these two records. His debut, Guitar Solos (1974), opened a space beyond rock and improvised music, and now, 50 years later comes Fifty, a new solo guitar album that sounds completely different and yet familiar, that adds to his monolith of musical creation with another new vibrant color.
G.B.H. – City Baby Attacked By Rats [Reissue/1982] LP (Radiation Reissues)
Vinyl reissue – including a splatter colorway – of the debut album by the band Charged GBH, originally released in 1982.
H.E.A.T. – H.E.A.T. (2023 New Mix) 10” (earMUSIC)
H.E.A.T. – Freedom Rock (2023 New Mix) LP+7” (earMUSIC)
Ever since the release of their self-titled debut album Heat (2008) and their hit single “1000 Miles” (2009), H.E.A.T has been a worldwide media favorite with each album being praised as one of the best rock albums in the respective years. Their second studio album Freedom Rock (2009) did not lag behind. Quite the opposite, the young rock band continued their melodic rock firework. Titled “clean, crisp, catchy” by the Classic Rock Society, Freedom Rock made H.E.A.T a name to look out for within the genre.
Helloween – The Dark Ride [Reissue/2000] 2xLP (Atomic Fire)
Helloween – Keeper Of The Seven Keys – The Legacy [Reissue/2006] 2xLP (Atomic Fire)
Helloween – Gambling With The Devil [Reissue/2007] 2xLP (Atomic Fire)
Helloween – My God-Given Right [Reissue/2015] 2xLP (Atomic Fire)
New colorways. Helloween is one of the most respectable German metal exports and pioneers of German melodic speed metal.
Joe Henderson – Mode For Joe [Reissue/1966] LP (Blue Note)
Tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson capped off his run of five sublime 1960s Blue Note leader dates with his 1966 classic Mode For Joe, an album bursting with vigor and vitality that found Henderson expanding his palette with a septet of colorful figures including Lee Morgan on trumpet, Curtis Fuller on trombone, Bobby Hutcherson on vibraphone, Cedar Walton on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Joe Chambers on drums.
John Lee Hooker – I Feel Good [Reissue/1969] LP (Friday Music)
In 1969, John Lee Hooker released a rockin’ blues masterwork I Feel Good featuring his fellow blues greats Lowell Fulson on guitar, Carey Bell on bass and S.P. Leary on drums. Recorded in Paris, France, the historic recording session displays the natural country blues that would continually make John Lee Hooker a favorite with his ever-growing blues and rock audience, Thanks to blues favorites like his brilliant “I Feel Good” and his classic “Roll And Tumble”, these tunes really kick the album into overdrive.
Akira Ishikawa & Count Buffaloes – Uganda (Dawn Of African Rock) [Reissue/1972] LP (Mr Bongo)
The respected Japanese jazz drummer Akira Ishikawa was not messing around when he recorded the Uganda (Dawn Of Rock) album with his band the Count Buffaloes. For this offering, originally released in 1972 on Toshiba Records, Akira Ishikawa takes us on a deep tripped-out journey. Uganda (Dawn Of Rock) is a fusion of progressive and psych rock with African percussion workouts, dergy-wah wah blues-funk, and jazzy sensibilities; with different genres morphing and uniting as they progress.
Skip James – The Complete 1931 Sessions [Reissue/2022] LP (Org Music)
Skip James was a Delta blues artist from Mississippi. Known for his career during the Great Depression and subsequent decades, he was “rediscovered” and became much more widely recognized during the 1960’s when he was in very poor health nearing the end of his life. His playing style was primarily in a minor key, featuring complex fingerpicking. The compilation is made up of some of the earliest years of James’ career, pulling from his historic Paramount sessions, and showcases the astounding talent he possessed from the very beginning. After years of being out of print, a remastered version of The Complete 1931 Sessions has been reissued on transparent blue vinyl, featuring new artwork and liner notes.
Albert King – New Orleans Heat [Reissue/1978] LP (Friday Music)
In 1978, the amazing meeting of two musical giants Albert King and Allen Toussaint was born. The two geniuses got together and recorded one of the grooviest blues and funk albums of all time, New Orleans Heat. As blues were going through a cultural renaissance since the late ‘60s, bluesmen like Albert King were in high demand. rock, blues and urban radio stations and retailers knew a good thing, especially with New Orleans legend Allen Toussaint spearheading the project.
Mark Knight – Greatest Thing Alive 12” (Toolroom)
Chicago legend, Green Velvet, returns to Toolroom as he locks horns with label founder Mark Knight and studio partner, James Hurr, for The Greatest Thing Alive. A low slung, chunky affair that screams Miami Space terrace at 8AM.
Knxwledge – 1988 [Reissue/2020] LP (Stones Throw)
Limited purple and black color vinyl pressing of the Grammy Award-winning beatmaker Knxwledge’s album 1988. 1988 is the follow-up to Knxwledge’s hugely acclaimed 2015 album Hud Dreems. Knxwledge has collaborated with Kendrick Lamar, Anderson.Paak (as NxWorries), Joey Bada$$, Earl Sweatshirt, and more.
Kronos Quartet – Black Angels [Reissue/1990] 2xLP (Nonesuch)
Black Angels is the 1990 album by the string quartet Kronos Quartet. It includes, and was named after, George Crumb’s 1970 composition Black Angels, the composition which had inspired David Harrington to found the Kronos Quartet in 1973.
Lake Street Dive – Bad Self Portraits [Reissue/2014] LP (Signature Sounds)
Limited blue colored vinyl LP pressing featuring two bonus tracks. When Bad Self Portraits was released in 2014 Rolling Stone deemed Lake Street Dive “The year’s best new band” and the album debuted at #18 on the Billboard Top 200 chart. Their television performances have included The Late Show With David Letterman, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, The Ellen DeGeneres Show and the Today Show. Over the years, they’ve captivated massive audiences at such esteemed festivals as Newport Folk Festival, Telluride Bluegrass Festival, and Toronto Jazz Festival, in addition to headlining tours across the globe and sharing stages with acts like Brandi Carlile and Sheryl Crow.
Mike Ledonne, Groover Quartet + Gospel Choir – Wonderful LP (Cellar Live)
Mike LeDonne expands the sound of the quartet with the most beautiful instrument of all – the human voice by way of a 14-piece gospel choir.
Mansionz – Mansionz 2 LP (Island)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. The duo of Mike Posner and singer-songwriter Blackbear are Mansionz. Mansionz 2 follows 2017’s Mansionz, which featured the tracks “Gorgeous” and “STFU.”
Sarah McLachlan – Fumbling Towards Ecstasy [Reissue/1993] LP (Sony Legacy)
Sarah McLachlan’s platinum-selling third studio album, Fumbling Towards Ecstasy, debuted in 1993 to critical acclaim. Featuring the hit song “Possession”, the album showcases McLachlan’s introspective lyrics and versatility, while reinforcing her status as one of the music industry’s foremost singer-songwriters.
Tate McRae – Think Later LP (RCA)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Multi-platinum singer/songwriter Tate McRae releases her sophomore album Think Later. Executive produced with hitmaker Ryan Tedder (Taylor Swift, Beyoncé), Think Later is steeped in pop appeal and infectious hooks. Showcasing Tate’s boundless vocal talent and evolution as a songwriter, this new body of work explores the all-too-relatable feelings of falling in love and embracing the raw emotions that you experience because of leading with your intuition and heart.
Mest – Destination Unknown [Reissue/2001] LP (Smartpunk)
Vinyl reissue of the 2001 album from the Chicago-based punk band. [An indie store excusive pressing is available.]
Lee Morgan – Search For The New Land [Reissue/1966] LP (Blue Note)
Two months after recording what would become his hit record The Sidewinder, trumpeter Lee Morgan returned to Van Gelder Studio in February 1964 to create his masterful album Search For The New Land. For the session, Morgan assembled a sextet consisting of several young stars of the Blue Note roster including Herbie Hancock on piano, Grant Green on guitar, and Wayne Shorter on tenor saxophone, along with the dynamic rhythm team of bassist Reggie Workman and drummer Billy Higgins.
Róisín Murphy – Hairless Toys [Reissue/2015] LP (PIAS America)
Róisín Murphy – Take Her Up To Monto! [Reissue/2016] 2xLP (PIAS America)
Vinyl reissues of the third and fourth albums by the Irish singer, songwriter, and artist. [A red colorway of Hairless Toys is available.]
Mystic Tide – Frustration LP (Numero)
A raw-nerved hybrid of elemental Merseybeat, lugubrious surf-noir and sheer sonic assault, the remarkable legacy of Long Island’s Mystic Tide has long been venerated within the ’60s garage rock pantheon, even if their existential racket only slipped out on a series of painfully rare 45s. Now, the fruit of Joe Docko Jr and friends’ cottage industry has been refurbished in best-ever sound, along with fresh insights as to how this singular brand of noise came to be. [A limited-edition green colorway is available.]
Michael Palmer – Meets Kelly Ranks At Channell One [Reissue/1985] LP (Burning Sounds)
Michael Palmer is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall artist. Michael Palmer’s music has been part of the cultural and musical history of Jamaica and has a dedicated following among reggae enthusiasts. Michael Palmer Meets Kelly Ranks At Channel One was originally released in 1985.
Steve Roach – Structures From Silence [Reissue/1984] LP (Projekt)
Limited sea blue in ultra clear color vinyl pressing. Includes insert. Steve Roach’s 1984 Structures From Silence is an ambient classic often spoken of in the same breath as Eno’s Music For Airports. The breathing, suspended embrace of atmospheres and serene melodies instantly struck a chord with listeners in 1984; the album continues to reiterate its timeless resonations with new listeners today. This landmark recording of gentle proportions was the birth of something new: an original and pure balance between diaphanous and understated, deep and reflective.
Royal Otis – Pratts & Pain LP (Ourness)
Blue colorway. After forming in 2019 and slowly drip-feeding music into the world during the pandemic, Royel Otis garnered fans in BBC Radio 6 Music, triple j and on US college radio. To date, they have amassed over 35 million streams, covered global playlists on Spotify and Apple Music, and headed out on a debut headline tour of the UK and Europe. After releasing their first music in the form of 2021 EP Campus, the duo shared a further pair of EPs in 2022 – Bar & Grill and Sofa Kings – which slowly and carefully morphed their sound into new shapes, moving away from synths and towards guitars while keeping their signature and rare chemistry. Pratts & Pain brings everything from the band’s history together on a record that’s reverent towards their beginnings but unafraid to push forwards into new sounds. This loose, open formula for what makes a Royel Otis song is written all over Pratts & Pain, an album defined by its sense of fun and adventure. [CD version due March 8.]
Penelope Scott – Mysteries For Rats / Girl’s Night LP (Alternate Side)
Penelope Scott is a songwriter and producer who absorbs the mania and magnificence of Gen Z life in her expansive, entrancing, and extreme musical vision equally steeped in tender acoustic balladry and hyperpop paroxysms. Here she showcases both sides of her sound on the 2023 double-EP, Girls Night and Mysteries For Rats.
Searows – End Of The World LP (Lroe)
Forest green colorway. Searows is the moniker of Kentucky-born, Oregon-raised musician Alec Duckart. Duckart’s intimate, hushed and compelling debut album ‘Guard Dog’ was released independently, soon finding an audience that was already sharing snippets of his music via communities on TikTok. With no real anticipation or expectation for where he wanted the music to land, the record was greeted fondly, and received extensive co-signs from the likes of Ethel Cain and Gracie Abrams It’s a sound that often feels like Duckart is singing to you, the listener, alone, and as an admirer of the likes of Sufjan Stevens and Bon Iver, it similarly hits a raw nerve.
Bobby Sherman – Bobby Sherman’s Greatest Hits [Reissue/1971] LP (Friday Music)
Blue color vinyl pressing of the 1971 compilation from the actor turned teeny-bop popstar. Includes bonus tracks.
Six Parts Seven / Goodmorning Valentine – Kissing Distance LP (Suicide Squeeze)
“Six Parts Seven had returned to Ohio after touring out to Washington State, to record Casually Smashed To Pieces. There was down time between the recording and the actual release of that album in January 2007, and we were rehearsing, playing local shows, and collaborating, with most of us involved in other projects to keep the momentum going (Mike w/ Talons, Al w/ Beaten Awake), but the one we all came together over was recording an album with Joey Beltram, the songwriter behind Goodmorning Valentine, a local band we shared players with, a band we deeply admired. The music on Kissing Distance came together over two weekend days.”
Slayer – Show No Mercy [Reissue/1981] LP (Metal Blade)
Formed in 1981, Slayer assaulted the world with a new hybrid of metal and punk – heavier, faster, and darker than the rest – and set a new standard, defining not only a genre, but an attitude. Now celebrating its 40th anniversary, Show No Mercy is the debut studio album by American thrash metal masters, Slayer. Limited gold dust/black splatter colorway with Slayer slipmat, show flyers, photo card and booklet.
Sun Ra – Live In Roma 1980 3xLP (Holidays)
Recorded live at Teatro Giulio Cesare on March 28, 1980, comprising an astounding 27 compositions, including the highly celebrated “Astro Black”, “Mr. Mystery”, “Romance Of Two Planets”, “Space Is The Place”, “We Travel the Spaceways”, and “Calling Planet Earth”, over six vinyl sides. High among the greatest live gigs by the Arkestra captured on tape, carefully mastered by Matt Bordin at Outside Inside Studio, Live in Rome 1980 is a near perfect snapshot of the band’s versatility and range, including many of their most notably and famous songs, as well as striking renditions of the Horace Henderson penned Benny Goodman number “Big John’s Special”, Fletcher Henderson’s “Yeah Man!”, and “Limehouse Blues”, displaying Ra’s willingness to address and rework the entire, diverse history of jazz in a single go.
Sun Ra – Outer Spaceways Incorporated [Reissue/2014] LP (Org Music)
Sun Ra’s Arkestra was at its most radical during this period, alternating simple chants with very outside playing and dense ensembles. Although no precise date is given, these five cuts are thought to have been documented circa 1967-1968 by Sun Ra (piano) and his Arkestra in New York City, where the band was in residence at the time. First released for Record Store Day 2014, the title is now available on gold vinyl,
Various Artists – Discharged [Reissue/1992] LP (Radiation Reissues)
Originally released in 1992, this is an all-Discharge covers tribute compilation including Extreme Noise Terror, Concrete Sox, Disaster, Raw Noise, the legendary Japanese crusties C.F.U.D.L., among others. A lot like human sacrifice was an everyday experience for Mesoamerica as a bloody offering to the gods that birthed the world; so too is this an intense testament to the gods that started it all.
Vicious Rumors – Digital Dictator LP (Napalm)
Digital Dictator is the second studio album by heavy metal band Vicious Rumors, originally released in 1988.
Dionne Warwick – The Dionne Warwick Collection: Her All-Time Greatest Hits [Reissue/1989] LP (Friday Music)
The power trio of Dionne Warwick, Burt Bacharach and Hal David were truly responsible for some of the finest soul and crossover pop music ever recorded back in the ‘60s. With a mixture of the finest voice and charisma on the planet, plus the ingredients of specially crafted songs around their newfound artist, Scepter Records would go on to release a treasure trove of soul and Top 40 masterpieces, which have gone on to become some of the greatest sides ever waxed in modern entertainment history.
Muddy Waters, Johnny Winter, & James Cotton – Breakin’ It Up, Breakin’ It Down [Reissue/2017] LP (Friday Music)
1977 was a remarkable year. Muddy Waters earns a huge gold album with his “Hard Again” lp, which was produced by longtime fan and protege Johnny Winter. Featuring harmonica /vocalist legend James Cotton, the trio tore decided to shake things up and delivered a concert tour that was one of the most celebrated blues packages of all time. Fortunately, Columbia Records ran tape for several nights of the tour in Philly, New York, and Detroit, but they weren’t released until three decades later on compact disc “Breakin’ It Up, Breakin’ It Down”, as it became one of the crowned jewels of blues revisits in decades.
Whitechapel – The Valley LP (Metal Blade)
Limited orange color vinyl LP pressing. Live In The Valley contains songs from the albums Kin and The Valley and was recorded live at the band’s 7th annual Christmas Benefit Show on December 22, 2022 at The Mill & Mine in their hometown of Knoxville, TN.
Chelsea Wolfe – She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She LP (Loma Vista)
Vinyl edition – including an indie store exclusive blue colorway. “The impression left by Wolfe’s [recent] trail of extracurriculars seems a lot like that of an artist making an attempt to put as much distance between herself and where she’d been. Her first album in five years, She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She, gives added weight to that idea through songs of shedding one’s skin and setting ablaze the most self-destructive parts of the self. In a statement she described it as summoning “change, growth, and guidance,” and has elsewhere referred to it as a ‘rebirth’, though in doing so she hasn’t embraced a brighter tonal palette or a Canva portfolio full of trite aphorisms. In her saga of self-improvement and a newfound sobriety, Chelsea Wolfe has delivered one of the most stunningly dark albums of her career.” – Jeff Terich, Treblezine
Yirinda – Yirinda LP (Chapter Music)
Yirinda combines ancient Aboriginal language with sublime modern production. Fred Leone and Samuel Pankhurst’s music invokes thousands of generations of story and culture, while emerging as something entirely new.
Cassettes:
Laura Jane Grace – Hole In My Head CD/LP (Hold In My Head) (Polyvinyl)
In the Summer of 2022, a 10-year journey came to an end in Amsterdam. It’s final score, as the curtain closed and the lights came up, was comprised of the orchestrations that preceded and followed the final act: the buzz of a barber’s razor, the droning resonance of a tattoo machine, and the brush of electric sound from the surprise gift of a friend. For a decade, a leading figure and frontwoman of post-punk staple band Against Me!, Laura Jane Grace, had been slowly accruing black-laden bodywork by master Japanese tattoo artists Gakkin and Kenji Alucky. Beginning at her feet, Gakkin’s freehanded, organic figures and Alucky’s high-contrast geometric works had taken the three all over the world together just as it had taken inches all over Laura Jane’s figure. Finally, though this artistic exercise in time and tattoo ink came to a head, literally. All songs written & performed by Laura Jane Grace.
Lil Peep – Crybaby (Death Note Music)
Crybaby is the fourth mixtape by rapper Lil Peep, originally released in 2016.
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