Social Media Program Titles Released This Week:
Brijean – Feelings CD/LP+MP3 (Ghostly International)
“Do you feel what I feel too?” Brijean Murphy floats the question at the start of Feelings, the full-length Ghostly International debut from Brijean, her collaborative project with Doug Stuart. Guided by a lush mix of charismatic keyboard chords, grooving bass lines, and radiant conga-driven rhythms, the “Day Dreaming” lyric doubles as an invitation and a statement of intention. Brijean want you to move, physically, mentally, dimensionally; this is dance music for the mind, body, and soul. With Feelings, they’ve manifested a gentle collective space for respite, for self-reflection, for self-care, for uninhibited imagination and new possibilities. The album cultivates a specific vibe, a softness Murphy has come to call “romancing the psyche.” [Limited color vinyl pressing also available.]
Melvins – Working With God CD/LP (Ipecac)
Working With God is the new studio album from the legendary Melvins featuring their 1983 line-up of Buzz Osborne, Dale Crover and original drummer Mike Dillard. Released along with new reissues of 2002’s Hostile Ambient Takeover and 1987’s Gluey Porch Treatments, Working With God follows this incarnation of Melvins’ 2013 album Tres Cabrones. One of the band’s most playful and melodic efforts, the 13-track collection is introduced by “I F**k Around”, a juvenile re-imagining of The Beach Boys’ classic “I Get Around” and “Bouncing Rick”, about Osborne and Dillard’s junior-high biology teacher. “It’s reflective of our 8th grade sense of humor, which we’ve never grown out of,” Osborne said of “I Fuck Around.” “We hope Brian Wilson doesn’t get mad.” [A limited indie store exclusive silver color vinyl pressing is available. Vinyl reissues of Gluey Porch Treatments and Hostile Ambient Takeover are also available.]
Marketing Program/ Banner/ Listening Station Titles Promoted This Week:
Architects – For Those That Wish To Exist CD/LP+MP3 (Epitaph)
England-based post-metalcore quintet, Architects release their ninth studio record For Those That Wish To Exist. The self-produced album arrives as the follow-up to the band’s critically acclaimed 2018 effort Holy Hell, which took a look at the pain and despair that lay at the heart of losing a brother, bandmate, and best friend in Tom Searle, the group’s founding guitarist. On For Those That Wish To Exist, Architects examine the part we are all playing in the world’s slow destruction, and tackle the biggest questions facing the future of our planet. The record’s 15-tracks hang in a limbo between energizing positivity that it is not too late to correct our collective course, and a paralyzing negativity of defeatism; where hope and despondency are bedfellows triggered daily by the simple act of existence. A reflection of human condition, For Those That Wish To Exist calls for all of us to rise to challenge established models and strive for a collective betterment. [A limited indie store exclusive vinyl pressing is available.]
Atlin Gün – Yol CD/LP (ATO)
Altin Gün deliver their third album Yol, the full-length follow-up to the band’s 2019 LP Gece, which earned a Grammy nomination for Best World Music Album. Fronted by vocalists Merve Dasdemir and Erdinç Ecevit, Altin Gün has won worldwide acclaim for their re-imaginings of traditional Turkish folk songs through the lens of pop and psych-rock. 2020’s Coronavirus quarantine forced the band to write music in a completely new way, trading demos and ideas over email, and the resulting songs mark a new direction for the band as well, with a shift to a sleeker, synth driven Europop sound. Yol displays a noticeable dreaminess, maybe born from this enforced time to reflect. And select elements of late 1970s or early 1980s “Euro” synth pop also shine through. This new musical landscape was nurtured by certain instrument choices; namely the Omnichord, heard on “Arda Boylari”, “Kara Toprak”, and “Sevda Olmasaydi”, and the drum-machine, an instrument that is key to the gorgeous closing number, “Esmerim Güzelim”. [A limited indie store exclusive vinyl pressing is available.]
Epica – Omega CD/2xCD/2xLP (Nuclear Blast)
Omega is the final part of the metaphysical trilogy from Dutch symphonic metal titans, and is their eighth album overall. “Structurally, we’re again on familiar ground with Omega, as the band sticks to the tradition of “filling every minute on a CD”, resulting on a 70+ minute album, and a rare occurrence for an artist these days. Half of the songs on the record have a title and a subtitle, a testament for the opulence and profound meaning behind each individual track. The band itself is better than ever, and the close bond between each member truly reflects on the overall feeling of the album. Production is once again top-notch, even surpassing previous outings, relaying once again on renowned producer Joost van den Broek, proving he is the perfect choice for the job, helping the band reach new heights with each release. It only gets better for Epica, album after album, and Omega is the living proof of that fact” – Sonic Perspectives. [Deluxe double-CD edition includes four bonus tracks. A limited color vinyl pressing is also available.]
Menahan Street Band – The Exciting Sounds Of Menahan Street Band CD/LP (Daptone/Dunham)
Menahan Street Band, a veritable supergroup of some of today’s most prolific songwriters, arrangers, and producers return with this beat-forward, cinematic masterpiece. If you have spent any time hanging out in bars, cafes, or casually tuning into NPR in the last 10 years you should be well versed in MSB’s catalog. Their unique brand of instrumental soul has not only been the foundation for some of modern hip-hop’s most successful beats, it has also become the perennial soundtrack and veritable vibe-generator for countless parties, art shows, and restaurants throughout NYC and abroad. While this album carries the aesthetic torch that MSB has skillfully woven into the tapestry of their DNA, it also delves deeper into the experimental, exotic sounds that fill many of the coveted Sound Library and Soundtrack LPs of the late sixties and early seventies – an amalgamation of Moog synths, electric pianos, drum machines, and a bevy of analog instrumentation, that ebb and flow in lush swells of Morriconian grandeur.
Willie Nelson – That’s Life CD/LP (Legacy/Sony)
Honoring the enduring inspiration of Frank Sinatra, That’s Life is Willie Nelson’s second album of classics made famous by The Chairman Of The Board. Willie’s first ode to Frank, 2018’s My Way, earned Willie the Grammy for Best Traditional Pop Solo Album, and That’s Life finds Nelson (who has penned a few standards himself) inhabiting 11 more of the most treasured songs in the Great American Songbook including the title track, “Luck Be A Lady”, “Nice Work If You Can Get It”, “I’ve Got You Under My Skin”, “You Make Me Feel So Young”, and “I Won’t Dance” (a duet featuring Diana Krall). These performances come alive in a musical landscape animated by lush string and vibrant horn arrangements. The That’s Life album cover features a brand-new painting of Willie and his iconic guitar, Trigger, standing in the glow of a twilight streetlamp, evoking classic Sinatra album covers of yore.
Bones Owens – Bones Owens CD/LP (Blank Ranch)
The self-titled, full-length debut from Bones Owens is a selection of songs both gloriously gritty and undeniably euphoric. In a bold departure from the moody Americana of his acclaimed EPs Hurt No One and Make Me No King, the Missouri-bred musician’s new release delivers a powerful sound deeply inspired by ’60s garage-rock, Hill Country blues, and the swampy roots-rock of bands like Creedence Clearwater Revival (“the first record I remember stealing from my dad when I was ten and just starting to play guitar,” according to Owens). A potent showcase for his formidable guitar work – a talent he’s displayed in performing with artists as eclectic as Yelawolf and Mikky Ekko – Bones Owens arrives as a full-tilt expression of Owens’ wildest impulses, all swinging rhythms, and swaggering riffs.
Wesley Schultz – Vignettes CD/LP (Dualtone Music Group)
Vignettes sees Wesley Schultz, the Grammy Award-nominated singer-songwriter-guitarist and co-founder of The Lumineers exploring his myriad influences and early inspirations with a series of starkly beautiful cover versions spanning such legendary artists as Bruce Springsteen, Tom Waits, Sheryl Crow, Jim Croce, Derek and the Dominos, and Warren Zevon.
Lucy Spraggan – Choices CD (Cooking Vinyl)
It has been twelve months since singer-songwriter Lucy Spraggan chose to get sober, and life has changed a lot for the English singer/songwriter as a result. In fact, the present-day Lucy Spraggan is, in a multitude of ways, unrecognizable from the person of yesteryear. Control – both relinquishing it and taking it back – plus rediscovering oneself, is a recurring theme of the past year and Spraggan’s new album Choices. Aptly named, the songs that comprise the collection offer insight and introspection that saw her let go of alcohol, embrace exercise and a healthier lifestyle, move onwards through a divorce and find solace in its wake. Needless to say, it may have been necessary, but it was by no means easy. In conclusion, “it’s really just been an enlightening thing.” [Vinyl edition due March 26.]
Neil Young with Crazy Horse – Way Down In The Rust Bucket (Live At The Catalyst, 1990) 2xCD/4xLP/4xLP+2xCD+DVD (WB)
Recorded on November 13, 1990 in Santa Cruz, Way Down In The Rust Bucket represents one of the most significant and storied shows of Neil Young’s fabled career. Staged just after the release of Ragged Glory – the striking album that preceded and influenced the impending explosion of similarly energetic, distortion-addled rock that became known as grunge and changed the face of popular music – the set finds Young pairing with his longtime cohorts in Crazy Horse and turning in a marathon performance for the ages. Intended as a loose rehearsal for an arena tour at the Catalyst Club, a venue whose intimate confines only seems to stoke the band’s energy, passion, and enthusiasm (not to mention its connection with the audience), it is the stuff of legend. [Deluxe edition contains both vinyl and CD formats as well as a DVD of the entire concert directed by Bernard Shakey, including one extremely memorable and exclusive cut: a 13-minute version of “Cowgirl In The Sand” not on the CD or LP versions.]
Adrian Younge – The American Negro CD (Jazz Is Dead)
“The American Negro is an unapologetic critique, detailing the systemic and malevolent psychology that afflicts people of color. This project dissects the chemistry behind blind racism, using music as the medium to restore dignity and self-worth to my people. It should be evident that any examination of black music is an examination of the relationship between black and white America. This relationship has shaped the cultural evolution of the world and its negative roots run deep into our psyche.” Featuring various special guests performing over a deeply soulful, elaborate orchestration, The American Negro reinvents the black native tongue through this album and its attendant short film (TAN) and four-part podcast (invisible Blackness). The American Negro – both as a collective experience and as individual expressions – is insightful, provocative and inspiring and should land at the center of our ongoing reckoning with race, racism and the writing of the next chapter of American history. [Vinyl edition due May 7.]
CDs + Vinyl:
Age Of Woe – Envenom CD (Lifeforce)
New album from the Swedish/German/Finnish doom death outfit.
Architects – For Those That Wish To Exist CD/LP+MP3 (Epitaph)
England-based post-metalcore quintet, Architects release their ninth studio record For Those That Wish To Exist. The self-produced album arrives as the follow-up to the band’s critically acclaimed 2018 effort Holy Hell, which took a look at the pain and despair that lay at the heart of losing a brother, bandmate, and best friend in Tom Searle, the group’s founding guitarist. On For Those That Wish To Exist, Architects examine the part we are all playing in the world’s slow destruction, and tackle the biggest questions facing the future of our planet. The record’s 15-tracks hang in a limbo between energizing positivity that it is not too late to correct our collective course, and a paralyzing negativity of defeatism; where hope and despondency are bedfellows triggered daily by the simple act of existence. A reflection of human condition, For Those That Wish To Exist calls for all of us to rise to challenge established models and strive for a collective betterment. [A limited indie store exclusive vinyl pressing is available.]
Atlin Gün – Yol CD/LP (ATO)
Altin Gün deliver their third album Yol, the full-length follow-up to the band’s 2019 LP Gece, which earned a Grammy nomination for Best World Music Album. Fronted by vocalists Merve Dasdemir and Erdinç Ecevit, Altin Gün has won worldwide acclaim for their re-imaginings of traditional Turkish folk songs through the lens of pop and psych-rock. 2020’s Coronavirus quarantine forced the band to write music in a completely new way, trading demos and ideas over email, and the resulting songs mark a new direction for the band as well, with a shift to a sleeker, synth driven Europop sound. Yol displays a noticeable dreaminess, maybe born from this enforced time to reflect. And select elements of late 1970s or early 1980s “Euro” synth pop also shine through. This new musical landscape was nurtured by certain instrument choices; namely the Omnichord, heard on “Arda Boylari”, “Kara Toprak”, and “Sevda Olmasaydi”, and the drum-machine, an instrument that is key to the gorgeous closing number, “Esmerim Güzelim”. [A limited indie store exclusive vinyl pressing is available.]
Julien Baker – Little Oblivions CD/LP+MP3 (Matador)
Little Oblivions is the third studio album by Julien Baker. Recorded in Memphis, TN, the record weaves together unflinching autobiography with assimilated experience and hard-won observations from the past few years, taking Baker’s capacity for storytelling to new heights. It also marks a sonic shift, with the songwriter’s intimate piano and guitar arrangements newly enriched by bass, drums, keyboards, banjo, and mandolin with nearly all of the instruments performed by Baker.
Balthazar – Sand CD/LP (PIAS America)
Led by Jinte Deprez and Maarten Devoldere who unite both on writing duties and as frontmen, Balthazar continue to satisfy their thirst for soulful alt-pop.
Madison Beer – Life Support CD (Epic)
Debut album from the 21-year-old pop singer-songwriter.
The Black Crowes – Shake Your Money Maker: 2020 Remaster CD/2xCD/LP (American)
Digitally remastered edition of the debut studio album by rock band The Black Crowes, which was originally released on February 13, 1990 on Def American Recordings. It is the only album by the band to feature guitarist Jeff Cease. [The expanded double-CD edition includes the original album, remastered; three never-before-heard studio recordings; and two unreleased demos from the band’s early incarnation as Mr. Crowe’s Garden; and B-sides. The Super deluxe three-CD and four-vinyl LP editions are due March 19.]
Blanck Mass – In Ferneaux CD/LP (Sacred Bones)
What is the utility of pain? Can it do anything but fester? In Ferneaux explores pain in motion, building audio-spatial chambers of experience and memory. Using an archive of field recordings from a decade of global travels, isolation gave Blanck Mass an opportunity to make connections in a moment when being together is impossible. The record is divided into two long-form journeys that gather the memories of being with now-distant others through the composition of a nostalgic travelogue. The journeys are haunted with the vestiges of voices, places, and sensations. These scenes alternate with the building up and releasing of great aural tension, intensities that emerge from the trauma of a personal grieving process which has perhaps embraced its rage moment.
Brijean – Feelings CD/LP+MP3 (Ghostly International)
“Do you feel what I feel too?” Brijean Murphy floats the question at the start of Feelings, the full-length Ghostly International debut from Brijean, her collaborative project with Doug Stuart. Guided by a lush mix of charismatic keyboard chords, grooving bass lines, and radiant conga-driven rhythms, the “Day Dreaming” lyric doubles as an invitation and a statement of intention. Brijean want you to move, physically, mentally, dimensionally; this is dance music for the mind, body, and soul. With Feelings, they’ve manifested a gentle collective space for respite, for self-reflection, for self-care, for uninhibited imagination and new possibilities. The album cultivates a specific vibe, a softness Murphy has come to call “romancing the psyche.” [Limited color vinyl pressing also available.]
Cloud Nothings – The Shadow I Remember CD/LP+MP3/Cassette (Carpark)
For a band that resists repeating itself, picking up lessons from a decade prior is the strange route Cloud Nothings took to create their most fully realized album. Their new record, The Shadow I Remember, marks eleven years of touring, a return to early songwriting practices, and revisiting the studio where they first recorded together. In a way not previously captured, this album expertly combines the group’s pummeling, aggressive approach with singer-songwriter Dylan Baldi’s extraordinary talent for perfect pop. To document this newly realized maturity, the group returned to producer Steve Albini and his Electrical Audio studios in Chicago, where the band famously destroyed its initial reputation as a bedroom solo project with the release of 2012 album Attack On Memory. The Shadow I Remember announces Cloud Nothings’ second decade and it sounds like a new beginning.
Alice Cooper – Detroit Stories CD/CD+DVD/CD+Blu-ray/2xLP (earMUSIC)
Named for the city that launched the original Alice Cooper group on the road to success 50 years ago, Detroit Stories follows last year’s Breadcrumbs EP as a modern-day homage to the toughest and craziest rock ‘n’ roll scene there ever was. [Limited CD+DVD edition includes a full live performance. Deluxe CD+Blu-ray box set adds a t-shirt, a face mask, a torch light and three stickers.]
Culted – Nous CD/2xLP (Season Of Mist)
Hailing from the icy expanse of the Canadian prairie to the Nordic coast of Sweden, Culted unleash their new full-length of industrial metal. Nous was born as a result of its creators attempting to destroy the ego (that chatter and everything outside of pure consciousness that attempts to sabotage you of peace and rob you of the moment) and instead, open themselves up to the nameless muse of sound. Nous sees Culted’s collective agony transformed into nihilistic dissonance. Each song drags the listener into the abyss, and through nightmarish caverns of darkness and suffering.
The Dan DeChellis Trio – The Ongoing Dream CD (Deko Music)
A genre-defying performer, dedicated educator, and omnivorous listener, Dan DeChellis has lived his musical vision for over 40 years, leveraging strict classical training into deep-dive explorations of modern classical improvisation, free improvisation, jazz, rock, and ambient music. For fans of Brad Mehldau, Bobo Stenson, George Winston.
Demon King – The Final Tyranny CD (The Artisan Era)
Hailing from Nashville, TN, Demon King aim to be one of the reigning champs of the death metal world. With [Vinyl edition due March 12.]
Bob Dylan – 1970 3xCD (Legacy/Sony)
74 previously unreleased studio recordings from 1970, most taken from the sessions for the New Morning and Self Portrait albums. Also included are the nine songs from Dylan’s legendary recording session with George Harrison.
Jimmy Edgar – Cheetah Bend CD/LP+MP3 (Innovative Leisure)
Looking back, Jimmy Edgar has a lot to be proud of. Over the course of the last decade-and-a- half, the Detroit native has proven both a celebrated favorite and consistent fixture of dance music in its multitudinous forms. Looking over the arc of his lengthy and diverse discography, both under his own name as well as pseudonymously, it’s hard not to see him as one of the most innovative producers and skilled sound designers to emerge this millennium, an artist whose legacy has touched untold numbers of home listeners and dance floor revelers alike. [Limited gold color vinyl pressing also available.]
Einherjer – Dragons Of The North [Reissue/1996] CD (Napalm)
CD reissue of an album from the golden era of Norwegian extreme/Viking metal.
Epica – Omega CD/2xCD/2xLP (Nuclear Blast)
Omega is the final part of the metaphysical trilogy from Dutch symphonic metal titans and is their eighth album overall. “Structurally, we’re again on familiar ground with Omega, as the band sticks to the tradition of “filling every minute on a CD”, resulting on a 70+ minute album, and a rare occurrence for an artist these days. Half of the songs on the record have a title and a subtitle, a testament for the opulence and profound meaning behind each individual track. The band itself is better than ever, and the close bond between each member truly reflects on the overall feeling of the album. Production is once again top-notch, even surpassing previous outings, relaying once again on renowned producer Joost van den Broek, proving he is the perfect choice for the job, helping the band reach new heights with each release. It only gets better for Epica, album after album, and Omega is the living proof of that fact” – Sonic Perspectives. [Deluxe double-CD edition includes four bonus tracks. A limited color vinyl pressing is also available.]
Evergrey – Escape From The Phoenix CD/2xLP (AFM)
The Swedish dark melodic metal masters return with their twelfth album. [Two limited color vinyl pressings are available: blue/green swirl and clear blue.]
Frànçois & The Atlas Mountains – Banane Bleue CD/LP+MP3 (Domino)
Banane Bleue (French for ‘Blue Banana’) is a nomadic and truly European record, hailing from rented workspaces in some of the continent’s key cities – Berlin, Athens and Paris – and recorded with instruments that were often borrowed from likeminded musicians.
Henry Franklin – The Skipper [Reissue/1971] CD/LP (Real Gone Music)
Though it’s hard to pick a winner among the estimable Black Jazz catalog, this 1972 release from bassist Henry The Skipper Franklin would have to be near the top of the list. Franklin got his start woodshedding with Latin maverick Willie Bobo in the mid-’60s and went on to play with The Three Sounds, but probably his most notable gig prior to this debut album was his stint in Hugh Masekela’s band (that’s Franklin playing bass with Masekela at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival). For The Skipper, Franklin assembled a crack outfit that included a horn section of trumpeter/flugelhornist Oscar Brashear (Bobby Hutcherson, Ry Cooder, Donny Hathaway) and tenor & soprano sax man Charles Owens (Buddy Rich, Horace Tapscott, John Mayall) along with a Masekela bandmate in electric pianist Bill Henderson and ace drummer Michael Carvin (Pharoah Sanders, Lonnie Liston Smith, Freddie Hubbard).
Gatuplan – Kampen Gar Vidare! CD/LP+7” (Sound Pollution/Wild Kingdom)
Veteran punk rock bass player Inge Johansson (known from bands such as The (international) Noise Conspiracy, Against Me!, CSS, Cryssis and Stilett) releases his first solo album under the name Gatuplan. Gatuplan’s music is rooted in old school punk rock, mixed with all the influences that comes from Inge’s lifetime as a fan of music and a life on the road. [Vinyl edition includes a bonus pink (or white) 7” single. Deluxe edition is packaged in a bag.]
Glitterer – Life Is Not A Lesson CD/LP+MP3 (ANTI-)
With roomier drums and more electric-guitars-per-square-inch than ever, Life Is Not A Lesson has a way of evoking an alternate-universe version of Guided By Voices, one with a hardcore-punk background.
Josh Groban – Harmony CD (Reprise)
Deluxe edition including six bonus tracks, including “Nature Boy” (from Moulin Rouge), “I’ll Stand By You” (a duet with Helene Fischer), and “I Can See Clearly Now”.
PJ Harvey – Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea – Demos CD/LP (Island)
A collection of unreleased demos of every track written for the fifth PJ Harvey studio album Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea, including demos of “Good Fortune”, “A Place Called Home” and “This Is Love”. Audio has been mastered by Jason Mitchell at Loud Mastering under the guidance of longtime PJ Harvey collaborator Head. Features brand new artwork with previously unseen photos by Maria Mochnacz. [Stand-alone vinyl reissue of Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea is also back in print on vinyl.]
Iotunn – Access All Worlds CD (Metal Blade)
New album from the Danish power metal band.
Jupiterian – Protosapian CD (Transcending Obscurity)
New album from the sludge/doom/death metal band from São Paulo, Brazil.
Nicolas King – Act One: Celebrating 25 Years Of Recordings CD (Provident)
Pop/jazz singer Nicolas King put together 17 tracks that represent a journey he considers the end of childhood and the launch into the next act of his career as an adult. The result is a compilation of new studio tracks, selections from previous solo albums, and archival numbers.
Korpse – Insufferable Violence CD/LP (Unique Leader)
Hailing from The Netherlands, death metal destructors Korpse deliver ten tracks of jaw dropping carnage. During Insufferable Violence‘s thirty-eight minutes of chaotic punishment and depravity the band seem on a mission to turn their listener to dust beneath a perpetual deluge of immensely heavy slam breakdowns, inhuman vocals, grinding speed and aggression. [Limited translucent red color vinyl pressing also available.]
Dom La Nena – Tempo CD (Six Degrees)
KCRW states that Brazilian singer/songwriter/musician Dom La Nena “sings barely above a whisper though her melodies can penetrate the darkest heart.” She has been championed by outlets such as The Washington Post, The Boston Globe and NPR’s All Things Considered and is one half of the popular French duo Birds On A Wire. Includes the single “Todo Tiene Su Fin”.
The Lebras – Faded CD/LP (Out Of The Past LLC)
Jason Weinheimer’s day-job is making other musicians sound great. As a producer at his Fellowship Hall Sound studio, he’s attracted some of Americana’s most lauded songwriters and performers: John Moreland, Hayes Carll, Shinyribs, John Fullbright, among many others. But Weinheimer hasn’t given up recording his own music, sporadically releasing records under the moniker The Libras, hand-picking collaborators from years on the road and in the studio.
Lost Horizons – In Quiet Moments CD/2xLP+MP3 (Bella Union)
Lost Horizons is a collaboration between Simon Raymonde, former bassist of the Cocteau Twins, and drummer Richard Thomas, whose past resume includes Dif Juz and The Jesus And Mary Chain. Their haunting, low-key indie pop combines elements of dance-rock and Bowie-esque singer songwriter folk. [Limited color vinyl pressing also available.]
Steve Lukather – I Found The Sun Again CD/2xLP (Players Club)
Over the course of five decades Steve Lukather has placed an indelible stamp on pop culture. Alongside his tenure as the only member of Toto to never take a hiatus from the band, he has performed on thousands of albums as a session musician. He continues to be Toto’s band leader, a member of Ringo’s All-Starr Band, and a solo artist performing with multiple ensembles. [Limited color vinyl pressing also available.]
Maxïmo Park – Nature Always Wins CD/LP (Prolifica)
An album of our times, Newcastle band Maxïmo Park return with their seventh record Nature Always Wins. The album arrives as something of an examination, zeroing in on the notion of the self, identity as a band, and that of humanity as a whole. The album’s title nods to the famous Nature vs Nurture debate. Discussing whether change is capable under the influence of time, perspective, environment or if we are destined to be bound by our own genetics, it asks, “who are we, and who do we want to be, and do we have any control over it?” [Deluxe double vinyl pressing also available.]
Melvins – Working With God CD/LP (Ipecac)
Working With God is the new studio album from the legendary Melvins featuring their 1983 line-up of Buzz Osborne, Dale Crover and original drummer Mike Dillard. Released along with new reissues of 2002’s Hostile Ambient Takeover and 1987’s Gluey Porch Treatments, Working With God follows this incarnation of Melvins’ 2013 album Tres Cabrones. One of the band’s most playful and melodic efforts, the 13-track collection is introduced by “I F**k Around”, a juvenile re-imagining of The Beach Boys’ classic “I Get Around” and “Bouncing Rick”, about Osborne and Dillard’s junior-high biology teacher. “It’s reflective of our 8th grade sense of humor, which we’ve never grown out of,” Osborne said of “I Fuck Around.” “We hope Brian Wilson doesn’t get mad.” [A limited indie store exclusive silver color vinyl pressing is available. Vinyl reissues of Gluey Porch Treatments and Hostile Ambient Takeover are also available.]
Menahan Street Band – The Exciting Sounds Of Menahan Street Band CD/LP (Daptone/Dunham)
Menahan Street Band, a veritable supergroup of some of today’s most prolific songwriters, arrangers, and producers return with this beat-forward, cinematic masterpiece. If you have spent any time hanging out in bars, cafes, or casually tuning into NPR in the last 10 years you should be well versed in MSB’s catalog. Their unique brand of instrumental soul has not only been the foundation for some of modern hip-hop’s most successful beats, it has also become the perennial soundtrack and veritable vibe-generator for countless parties, art shows, and restaurants throughout NYC and abroad. While this album carries the aesthetic torch that MSB has skillfully woven into the tapestry of their DNA, it also delves deeper into the experimental, exotic sounds that fill many of the coveted Sound Library and Soundtrack LPs of the late sixties and early seventies – an amalgamation of moog synths, electric pianos, drum machines, and a bevy of analog instrumentation, that ebb and flow in lush swells of Morriconian grandeur.
Moonspell – Hermitage CD/2xLP (Napalm)
Thirteenth studio album from the gothic metal pioneers. [Vinyl edition includes an exclusive bonus track, the Candlemass cover “Darkness In Paradise.”]
Mouse On Mars – AAI CD/2xLP+MP3 (Thrill Jockey)
Mouse on Mars, the Berlin-based duo of Jan St. Werner and Andi Toma, approach electronic music with an inexhaustible curiosity and unparalleled ingenuity. Operating in their unique orbit within dance music’s nebulous ecosystem, the duo’s hyper-detailed productions are inventive, groundbreaking but always possessing a signature joyful experimentation. A genre-less embrace of cutting-edge technologies have ensured that each Mouse on Mars release sounds strikingly modern, a fact made more remarkable when one reflects on the duo’s 25 years of making music. New album AAI (Anarchic Artificial Intelligence) takes Toma and Werner’s fascination with technology and undogmatic exploration a quantum leap further. Collaborating with writer/scholar Louis Chude-Sokei, a collective of computer programmers and longtime Mouse On Mars collaborator/percussionist Dodo NKishi, the duo explores artificial intelligence as both a narrative framework and compositional tool, summoning their most explicitly science-fiction work to date.
The National – The National [Reissue/2001] CD/LP (4AD)
The National – Sad Songs For Dirty Lovers [Reissue/2003] CD/LP (4AD)
The National – Cherry Tree [Reissue/2004] CDEP/12” (4AD)
Remastered reissues of The National’s first two albums and first EP.
Willie Nelson – That’s Life CD/LP (Legacy/Sony)
Honoring the enduring inspiration of Frank Sinatra, That’s Life is Willie Nelson’s second album of classics made famous by The Chairman Of The Board. Willie’s first ode to Frank, 2018’s My Way, earned Willie the Grammy for Best Traditional Pop Solo Album, and That’s Life finds Nelson (who has penned a few standards himself) inhabiting 11 more of the most treasured songs in the Great American Songbook including the title track, “Luck Be A Lady”, “Nice Work If You Can Get It”, “I’ve Got You Under My Skin”, “You Make Me Feel So Young”, and “I Won’t Dance” (a duet featuring Diana Krall). These performances come alive in a musical landscape animated by lush string and vibrant horn arrangements. The That’s Life album cover features a brand new painting of Willie and his iconic guitar, Trigger, standing in the glow of a twilight streetlamp, evoking classic Sinatra album covers of yore.
Nightshift – Zöe CD/LP/Cassette (Trouble In Mind)
The band that became Nightshift formed in 2019 in the ecosystem of Glasgow’s current indie scene. The city’s fertile and creative group of musicians have been committed to pushing the boundaries of and blurring the lines between DIY, punk, experimentalism and indie pop for decades now; a home to bands like Shopping, Vital Idles, Current Affairs, Still House Plants, Richard Youngs and Happy Meals as well as forebears like Orange Juice, Teenage Fanclub and Yummy Fur. Nightshift slot right in with all mentioned, featuring members from current indie stalwarts Spinning Coin, 2 Ply and Robert Sotelo. Unlike the band’s previous album, the songs on Zöe weren’t conceived live in the band’s practice space, but rather pieced together and recorded remotely during quarantine lockdown, with each member composing or improvising their parts in homes/home studios, layering ideas over loops someone made and passing it on.
NOFX – Single Album CD (Fat Wreck Chords)
NOFX’s fourteenth full-length studio album, Single Album comes complete with a six-minute post-hardcore opener, a meta send-off for the band’s best-known song, and even a piano ballad. Recorded at San Francisco’s Motor Studios with Bill Stevenson and Jason Livermore (Rise Against, Alkaline Trio, Teenage Bottlerocket), the 10-song collection has been described as “unpredictable” and the band’s “most personal” to-date. “I wanted to make a perfect double album, and I didn’t accomplish that. So, I decided to just make a single album, hence the title,” says Fat Mike. [Vinyl edition due March 19.]
Nurse With Wound – To The Quiet Men From A Tiny Girl [Reissue/1980] CD (United Diaries)
Nurse With Wound – Merzbild Schwet [Reissue/1980] CD (United Diaries)
Nurse With Wound – Trippin’ Musik [Reissue/2019] 2xCD (United Diaries)
CD reissues of NWW’s second and third albums plus an expanded double-CD edition of 2019’s Trippin’ Musik which features 35 minutes of extra material not on the vinyl edition.
Oceanator – Things I Never Said CD (Polyvinyl)
Recently released on vinyl – now available on CD. Oceanator’s debut full-length, Things I Never Said, sees NYC multi-instrumentalist Elise Okusami hyperbolically equating early adulthood malaise with apocalyptic destruction. The type of anxieties that form when thoughts bottle up and stress gets the best of you. Throughout the record, allusions to intrusive thoughts and depression-induced stasis are weaved in between references to falling skies, rolling fires, and the possibility of the world literally falling apart. However, while Okusami’s emotional and physical solitude makes for a resilient foe, Things I Never Said is ultimately a record about finding comfort in the face of destruction, whether it be through appreciating the little things or forming a bond with someone you can mutually confide in about mental afflictions. There’s no concrete resolution to the album, but rather a vital reminder that love and friendship, both with others and herself, will always reign victorious in our darkest moments.
Bones Owens – Bones Owens CD/LP (Blank Ranch)
The self-titled, full-length debut from Bones Owens is a selection of songs both gloriously gritty and undeniably euphoric. In a bold departure from the moody Americana of his acclaimed EPs Hurt No One and Make Me No King, the Missouri-bred musician’s new release delivers a powerful sound deeply inspired by ’60s garage-rock, Hill Country blues, and the swampy roots-rock of bands like Creedence Clearwater Revival (“the first record I remember stealing from my dad when I was ten and just starting to play guitar,” according to Owens). A potent showcase for his formidable guitar work – a talent he’s displayed in performing with artists as eclectic as Yelawolf and Mikky Ekko – Bones Owens arrives as a full-tilt expression of Owens’ wildest impulses, all swinging rhythms, and swaggering riffs.
Pinegrove – Amerpland, NY CD/2xLP (Rough Trade)
Founded by childhood friends Evan Stephens Hall and Zack Levine, Pinegrove have already crafted three fantastic albums – Everything So Far (2015), Cardinal (2016), and Skylight (2018) – and achieved massive critical acclaim and a widespread and devoted listenership. The band’s latest album (and first for Rough Trade) Marigold, arrived in January of 2020, and its themes of reflection and resilience have resonated through an especially tumultuous year. Now with tours cancelled and time on their hands, the band have decided to put together something special for their fans.
Pom Poko – Cheater CD/LP+MP3 (Bella Union)
Norwegian quartet Pom Poko met while all studying at the Trondheim Music Conservatory in Norway. They began playing and writing together and quickly began to garner interest from a wider audience. The group cite a range of influences on their unique sound, including “(West)-African music like Oumou Sangaré and Ali Farka Touré; indie bands like Vulfpeck, Palm and KNOWER; noisy high-energy bands such as Hella and Death Grips; and music with interesting lyrics such as Jenny Hval and Nick Drake.
Portrayal Of Guilt – We Are Always Alone CD/LP (Closed Casket Activities)
Obscuring lines and bending all genre norms, Portrayal of Guilt shatter the extremes of screamo, hardcore, black metal, death metal, powerviolence, and noise. [Limited color vinyl pressing also available.]
Pounder – Breaking The World CD/LP+CD (Shadow Kingdom)
New album from the Los Angeles heavy metal band.
Gene Russell – Talk To My Lady [Reissue/1973] CD/LP (Real Gone Music)
In between acting as producer on all of the Black Jazz label releases, keyboardist Gene Russell also cut two fine albums for the imprint, of which this is the second, released in 1973. Judging by the quality of their respective solo outings for the label, the fact that Russell’s band includes bassist Henry Franklin and guitarist Calvin Keys bodes very, very well for the quality of this record.
Wesley Schultz – Vignettes CD/LP (Dualtone Music Group)
Vignettes sees Wesley Schultz, the Grammy Award-nominated singer-songwriter-guitarist and co-founder of The Lumineers exploring his myriad influences and early inspirations with a series of starkly beautiful cover versions spanning such legendary artists as Bruce Springsteen, Tom Waits, Sheryl Crow, Jim Croce, Derek and the Dominos, and Warren Zevon.
Will Sellenraad Trio – Star Hustler CD (Deko Music)
Will Sellenraad has earned a growing reputation of being at the forefront of creative musicians working in New York City. Known for his brilliant improvisations and his compelling, melodic compositions, Sellenraad is a mainstay on the NYC scene, and beyond. For fans of Peter Bernstein and Pat Metheny.
Smerz – Believer CD/LP+MP3 (XL)
Smerz is the Nowegian duo of Henriette Motzfeldt and Catharina Stoltenberg. Known for the “carefully shaped, deconstructed pop” (Boomkat) of their debut EPs Okey (2017) and Have Fun (2018), Smerz seamlessly weave together techniques and sounds pulled from chamber and classical music, hip-hop, R&B, and hard electronics, with the end product always resulting in something altogether uncanny.
Lucy Spraggan – Choices CD (Cooking Vinyl)
It has been twelve months since singer-songwriter Lucy Spraggan chose to get sober, and life has changed a lot for the English singer/songwriter as a result. In fact, the present-day Lucy Spraggan is, in a multitude of ways, unrecognizable from the person of yesteryear. Control – both relinquishing it and taking it back – plus rediscovering oneself, is a recurring theme of the past year and Spraggan’s new album Choices. Aptly named, the songs that comprise the collection offer insight and introspection that saw her let go of alcohol, embrace exercise and a healthier lifestyle, move onwards through a divorce and find solace in its wake. Needless to say, it may have been necessary, but it was by no means easy. In conclusion, “it’s really just been an enlightening thing.” [Vinyl edition due March 26.]
Stereolab – Electrically Possessed (Switched On Volume 4) 2xCD/3xLP (Warp)
The fourth in the Switched On series that compiles Stereolab’s non-album tracks and sought after deep cuts. Following on from the first volume released in 1992, 1995’s Refried Ectoplasm, and 1998’s Aluminum Tunes, the long-awaited fourth installment spans 1999-2008 in the Stereolab story and collates three LPs worth of material, all remastered from the original tapes and overseen by the band. It features all the tracks from out-of-print and sought after mini-album The First Of The Microbe Hunters, one-off and impossible to find tour 7″s, compilation tracks, art installation work and a couple of unreleased outtakes from the Mars Audiac Quintet and Dots And Loops recording sessions.
Summoning The Lich – United In Chaos CD (Prosthetic)
Taking inspiration from the best elements of Lord Of The Rings, Magic The Gathering, Dungeons & Dragons, and Adventure Time, and wrapping it up in a fantastical death metal parcel, Summoning The Lich has an attention to detail and commitment to storytelling that is second to none. Their debut album United In Chaos tells the tale of the rise of the Lich and fall of the Kingdom Rodor – and the spread of his wicked influence across the land as his power grows. [Vinyl edition due March 12.]
Terminal Bliss – Brute Err/Ata CD/LP (Relapse)
A veritable who’s who of Virginia punk, Terminal Bliss features vocalist Chris Taylor and guitarist Mike Taylor (Pg. 99 and Pygmy Lush), drummer Ryan Parrish (Darkest Hour, Iron Reagan, City of Caterpillar) and bassist Adam Juresko (City of Caterpillar). The band is inspired by the likes of Born Against, Gauze and Void – not to mention Black Flag, Crass, Negative Approach, Disrupt, Necros, Crossed Out and Disclose.
Thumbscrew – Never Is Enough CD/2xLP (Cuneiform)
The sixth album in seven years from one of the most exciting and active groups in boundary-pushing jazz. Constantly taking the simple, ‘guitar trio’ line-up into new territories, their music is a masterclass of musical interplay and focused forward momentum.
Tika – Anywhere But Here CD/LP (Next Door)
“Anywhere But Here encompasses many different themes – the exploration of my queerness, lost love, abuse, abandonment – and all the things I wanted to get away from. I titled the album Anywhere But Here because I wrote each song when I was living in a home that I didn’t want to be. In hindsight, ‘here’ was exactly where I needed to be. I was certain that the problem was where I was living. Sometimes, in the most frugal spaces, I would dream about what it would be like to not be without. It helped me realize that the problem wasn’t the spaces but rather the discomfort that I had within myself. It took years to awaken to this reality. We’re all good and we’re all bad. How we see the world influences how we function together as one humanity. I pray we all push through together.” [Limited color vinyl pressing also available.]
Bonnie Tyler – The Best Is Yet To Come CD (earMUSIC)
12 brand new studio recordings filled with the pure joy of ‘80s pop.
Mika Vainio – Last Live CD/2xLP (Editions Mego)
Last Live is demonstrative of the singular way in which Vainio harnessed elemental electronics to his will. Recorded at Cave12, Geneva, on 02.02.17, the set is presented here post-edited by Stephen O’Malley and Carl Michael Von Hausswolff, at EMS, Stockholm, to unleash a definitive blast of raw electronic forces that speak unflinchingly to the unpredictable nature of his improvised noise. Quite simply, Vainio is unmatched in his field for this sort of work, and this session stands as testament to the inspirational conviction and devastating effect of his music.
Various Artists – J Jazz Volume 3: Deep Modern Jazz From Japan 2xCD/3xLP (BBE)
Since the first volume in February 2018, the J Jazz compilation series has showcased some of the most creative, inspired, and sought-after jazz recorded in Japan during a golden period spanning the 1960s to the 1980s. Illustrating the richness and versatility of the composers and musicians on this collection, the music spans a wide yet coherent range of styles: samba, funk fusion, modal, spiritual, post-bop, and bossa all combine to present an aural portrait of a jazz scene that was constantly moving and shifting its multiple musical centers of gravity.
Various Artists – This Is Jamaica Ska [Reissue/1965] CD (Studio One)
When first released, This Is Jamaica Ska followed in the footsteps of the successful Ska Authentic releases and also marked the first time that Clement Dodd began to showcase on LP his new discovery, The Wailers, who had begun tearing up the dances in Kingston with Simmer Down.
Joseph Williams – Denizen Tenant CD/2xLP (Players Club)
Joseph Williams fronted Toto as a lead vocalist from 1986 to 1988 and was featured on the albums Fahrenheit (1986) and The Seventh One (1988). He also appeared on the 2006 release Falling In Between and in 2010 returned to the band, becoming frontman and lead vocalist, a tenure that continues to today. Denizen Tenant features a dozen new recordings. [Limited color vinyl pressing also available.]
Neil Young with Crazy Horse – Way Down In The Rust Bucket (Live At The Catalyst, 1990) 2xCD/4xLP/4xLP+2xCD+DVD (WB)
Recorded on November 13, 1990 in Santa Cruz, Way Down In The Rust Bucket represents one of the most significant and storied shows of Neil Young’s fabled career. Staged just after the release of Ragged Glory – the striking album that preceded and influenced the impending explosion of similarly energetic, distortion-addled rock that became known as grunge and changed the face of popular music – the set finds Young pairing with his longtime cohorts in Crazy Horse and turning in a marathon performance for the ages. Intended as a loose rehearsal for an arena tour at the Catalyst Club, a venue whose intimate confines only seems to stoke the band’s energy, passion, and enthusiasm (not to mention its connection with the audience), it is the stuff of legend. [Deluxe edition contains both vinyl and CD formats as well as a DVD of the entire concert directed by Bernard Shakey, including one extremely memorable and exclusive cut: a 13-minute version of “Cowgirl In The Sand” not on the CD or LP versions.]
Adrian Younge – The American Negro CD (Jazz Is Dead)
“The American Negro is an unapologetic critique, detailing the systemic and malevolent psychology that afflicts people of color. This project dissects the chemistry behind blind racism, using music as the medium to restore dignity and self-worth to my people. It should be evident that any examination of black music is an examination of the relationship between black and white America. This relationship has shaped the cultural evolution of the world and its negative roots run deep into our psyche.” Featuring various special guests performing over a deeply soulful, elaborate orchestration, The American Negro reinvents the black native tongue through this album and its attendant short film (TAN) and four-part podcast (invisible Blackness). The American Negro – both as a collective experience and as individual expressions – is insightful, provocative and inspiring and should land at the center of our ongoing reckoning with race, racism and the writing of the next chapter of American history. [Vinyl edition due May 7.]
This Week’s Vinyl Exclusives:
21 Savage & Metro Boomin – Savage Mode II LP (Epic)
Recently released on CD – now available on red color vinyl. Savage Mode II is a collaborative studio album by Atlanta-based rapper 21 Savage and American record producer Metro Boomin. The album serves as a sequel to the duo’s extended play Savage Mode (2016) and features guest appearances by Drake, Young Thug, and Savage’s cousin Young Nudy.
156/Silence – Irrational Pull LP (Sharptone)
Limited milky/beer color vinyl pressing. 156/Silence combine vicious breakdowns and soaring melodies in the vein of genre pioneers like Poison The Well, Norma Jean and Daughters. They craft songs that scream at the darkness but also whisper to the light.
Abramis Brama – Enkel Biljett [Reissue/2014] LP (Black Lodge)
Abramis Brama’s 2014 studio album was planned for vinyl in its release year, but has now been re-designed and expanded with three exciting bonus tracks and liner notes by Fredrik Lindström. Concert staples “Blåa Toner” and the title track are featured from a now legendary show at stoner rock festival Krökbacken, which was cut short by a horse thief, alongside previously unreleased track Självdör. [A limited transparent vinyl pressing and a black vinyl edition with bonus patch are also available.]
Anamanaguchi – Power Supply [Reissue/2009] 12”+MP3 (Polyvinyl)
Anamanaguchi – Dawn Metropolis [Reissue/2009] LP+MP3 (Polyvinyl)
Multi-color vinyl reissues of two chiptune classics. Hyper-melodic, digital power pop.
Anthrax – Volume 8 – The Threat Is Real [Reissue/1998] LP (Megaforce)
Vinyl reissue of the eighth studio album by American thrash metal band.
Benny The Butcher – Burden Of Proof LP (Griselda)
Released last year on CD – now available on vinyl. With Burden Of Proof, Benny took his time and holed up in L.A. with Hit-Boy to craft a masterpiece; and the one producer methodology, though a somewhat new concept for Benny, aids the albums musical variance, depth and diversity. It’s still gritty and vintage but coupled with the melodic and anthemic production of Hit-Boy; Benny’s Pyrex vision raps have never sounded more festival ready.
Celeste – Not Your Muse LP (Interscope)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. 24-year-old Celeste was the UK breakout artist of 2020. “A once-in-a-generation talent… The finest British soul singer to emerge in years” (NME). Earlier this year, she made her US TV debut on the Late Late Show with James Corden who tweeted, “I dare you not to love her. I dare you.” Tracks from Not Your Muse have seen heavy usage in film and TV including Disney/Pixar’s SOUL, the Netflix film The Trial Of The Chicago 7, Grey’s Anatomy, and Bridgerton.
Ray Charles and Ray Charles And the Count Basie Orchestra – The Best Of Ray Charles: The Atlantic Years 2xLP (Atlantic)
Double blue color vinyl pressing of the 1994 compilation featuring Charles’ Atlantic era hits such as “What’d I Say”, “The Right Time”, and “I’ve Got A Woman”.
Clearbody – One More Day LP (Smart Punk)
Debut LP from North Carolina shoegaze/emo/indie rock trio.
Jarvis Cocker – Further Complications [Reissue/2009] 2xLP (Rough Trade)
Remastered vinyl reissue of Jarvis Cocker’s (Pulp) second solo album. Further Complications was produced by Steve Albini after the pair met at Pitchfork music festival. Albini’s touch is noticeable on some of the rockier numbers and has delivered some brilliant fuzz and driving beats.
Deftones – White Pony: 20th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition 4xLP+2xCD (WB)
To mark the 20th anniversary of their 2000 alt-metal opus, White Pony, Deftones reissue the album with a companion disc of remixes titled Black Stallion. The collection features an eclectic cast of contributors that reflects White Pony‘s far-reaching impact across the worlds of metal, hip-hop, indie, and electronic music. The first taste of Black Stallion is a reimagining of “Knife Prty” by synth-pop mavericks Purity Ring. Other remixers include icons like Robert Smith of The Cure, DJ Shadow, and Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park alongside genre-bending heavyweights: dark-pop favorites Phantogram, electronic experimentalist Squarepusher, beatsmith Clams Casino, renowned record producer Salva and noise artist Blanck Mass, to name just a few.
DMX Krew – Loose Gears LP (Hypercolour)
Self-styled ‘house husband, record producer’, DMX Krew, continues his effortless stretch of releases that date back to the early ‘90s, with a new album. His deft melodies and mechanical, electro-tinged beats have made for some classic albums in his repertoire.
Robert Ealey and His Five Careless Lovers – Live At The New Blue Bird Nite Club [Reissue/1973] LP (Record Town)
Robert Ealey, Texas blues legend on the Fort Worth scene, self-released Robert Ealey and His Five Careless Lovers LP on the Blue Royal label in 1973. Limited translucent blue color vinyl pressing.
Empyrium – Über den Sternen 2xLP/2xLP+CD+7”+Book (Prophecy)
With their sixth full-length, Über den Sternen, an allegorical German rendering of their band name meaning Above the Stars, Empyrium still draw from the magic and spirits of wild places, nature’s beauty, and human relics of ages long past. [Dark green color vinyl pressing also available. The deluxe box set edition features 180gm transparent vinyl and includes a copy on CD, a hardcover book, a bonus 7” single and wall flag.]
Fleetwood Mac – Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac [Reissue/1968] LP (Blue Horizon)
Fleetwood Mac – Mr. Wonderful [Reissue/1968] LP (Blue Horizon)
Fleetwood Mac – Pious Bird Of Good Omen [Reissue/1969] LP (Blue Horizon)
Vinyl reissues of the first two albums by Fleetwood Mac, back when they were a British blues rock band, and prior to their becoming one of the biggest pop/rock bands in the world in the mid- ‘70s/’80s. 1969’s The Pious Bird Of Good Omen consists of their first four non-album UK
singles and their B-sides, two other tracks from their previous two albums, and two tracks by the blues artist Eddie Boyd with backing by members of Fleetwood Mac.
Fortíð – World Serpent LP (Prophecy)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. New album from the Viking/black metal band. [Curacao transparent vinyl pressing also available.]
French Cassettes – Rolodex LP (Tender Loving Empire)
Rolodex‘s lush and angular guitars supplied by Mackenzie Bunch are tone-setting centerpiece, from the unfurling, harp-like strums on opener “Dixie Lane” to the shimmering dance riffs on “Utah”. [Limited edition plum color vinyl pressing also available.]
Camila Fuchs – Kids Talk Sun LP (Felte)
Released last year on CD – now available on vinyl. Camila Fuchs creates experimental electronic pop with spectral vocals and avant-garde sensibilities. Currently based in Lisbon, the project was formed by Camila de Laborde (Mexico City) and Daniel Hermann-Collini (Munich) in London in 2012. It was produced and mixed by Peter Kember (Sonic Boom, Spacemen 3), whose mixing credits include artists such as Panda Bear, Beach House, Moon Duo and MGMT. Filled with a youthful sense of wonder, Kids Talk Sun is a meditation on childhood, as well as the exchanges between humans, between humans and nature, and within nature itself.
Fun. – Some Nights [Reissue/2012] LP (Fueled By Ramen)
Limited silver colored vinyl pressing of the second album from the American pop rock group.
Giovannie and The Hired Guns – Giovannie and The Hired Guns LP (Giovannie and The Hired Guns)
This group out of Stephenville, TX has made a name for themselves in the Texas music scene where they’re known for playing thrilling shows that will always keep you on your toes. The band is made up of Giovannie Yanez (vocals/acoustic guitar), Chance Bannister (lead guitar), Adam Urbanczyk (rhythm, lead guitar), Alex Trejo (bass guitar) and Milton Toles (drums).
Conan Gray – Sunset Season 10” (Republic)
Gray’s debut 5-track EP has been described by The Roar as “[capturing] this dullness of youth in an anything-but-dull, dreamy album.” Limited color vinyl pressing.
PJ Harvey – Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea [Reissue/2000] LP (Island)
Produced by PJ Harvey, Rob Ellis and Mick Harvey. Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea was originally released in November 2000, and features “Good Fortune”, “A Place Called Home” and “This Is Love”. Includes duet with Radiohead’s Thom Yorke on “This Mess We’re In”.
In 2001 it won the Mercury Music Prize.
Human Fortress – Epic Tales & Untold Stories LP (Massacre)
New album from the German power metal band. [Limited red colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Ill Bill – La Bella Medusa LP (Uncle Howie)
Released last year on CD – now available on vinyl. With a hardcore mind and explicit tongue, prolific NY rapper/producer Ill Bill keeps the spirit of underground hip-hop alive with an affinity for dusty sampling and a lyrical spectrum that ranges from vulgar and horrific to deeply insightful and pained.
Incantation – Vanquish In Vengeance [Reissue/2012] LP (Listenable)
Incantation – Dirges Of Elyzium [Reissue/2014] LP (Listenable)
Transparent red color vinyl pressings of the death metal band’s eighth and ninth studio albums.
Jefferson Airplane – Surrealistic Pillow [Reissue/1967] LP (Legacy/Sony)
Jefferson Airplane – Volunteers [Reissue/1969] LP (Legacy/Sony)
Jefferson Airplane – The Worst Of Jefferson Airplane [Reissue/1970] LP (Legacy/Sony)
180gm remastered vinyl reissues. Jefferson Airplane formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay area during the summit of the counterculture that swept the country, and soon became a household name with appearances on radio, television, and top selling albums. They recorded hit singles such as “White Rabbit”, “Volunteers”, “Embryonic Journey” and “Somebody To Love” and smash albums such as Volunteers, Surrealistic Pillow, Bark and Takes Off. Their first compilation album, The Worst Of Jefferson Airplane, includes the band’s hits up to 1970.
Jeremiah Johnson – Unemployed Highly Annoyed LP (Ruf)
Released last year on CD – now available on vinyl. Eight striking tunes with a familiar nod to Southern-style musicality from the multi-talented blues and roots rocker.
Chaka Khan – Epiphany: The Best Of Chaka Khan LP (Rhino)
Limited burgundy colored vinyl pressing of the 1996 compilation from the soul/R&B icon. Includes her hits “I’m Every Woman”, “I Feel For You”, and “Through The Fire”.
Killer Be Killed – Reluctant Hero LP (Nuclear Blast)
Limited black and silver swirl color vinyl pressing. Featuring Max Cavalera, Greg Puciato, and Troy Sanders, Killer Be Killed are borderline esoteric at times and yet remain unrelenting in heaviness and groove. [Cassette edition also available.]
The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble – Here Be Dragons [Reissue/2009] 2xLP+MP3 (Denovali)
An act combining profound musical sensibilities, deeply emotional harmonies and an acute ear for genre inter-breeding, The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble placed itself and the confluent of dusty, gritty jazz and low-end doom-laden drones, and came up with a sound which is at the same time warm and dark, brooding and misty, cinematic and dynamic.
Killing Joke – Killing Joke [Reissue/1980] LP (Spinefarm)
Silver/black color vinyl reissue of seminal post punk band’s debut album.
Liar, Flower – Geiger Counter 2xLP+MP3 (One Little Independent)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Stylistically varied, Geiger Counter ranges from raw, bewildering, venomous rock to gentle folk musings.
Lil’ Kim – Notorious K.I.M. [Reissue/2000] 2xLP (Atlantic)
Limited pink and black color vinyl pressing of the second album from the female rapper.
Lilys – The 3 Way [Reissue/1999] LP (Sundazed Music)
A dapper departure from Lilys’ noise and shoegaze beginnings, The 3 Way quietly streaked across the night sky in stylistic retrograde at the end of the rock ‘n’ roll century. This panoply of musical influences renders vintage 1960s mod rock and buttoned-up orchestral pop through the abstract expressionism of Kurt Heasley and company.
Lustre – The Ashes Of Light LP (Nordvis)
Release last year on CD – now available on white color vinyl. New album from the
Swedish one-man black metal/ambient act.
Max I Million – Uncut Gems LP (Coalmine Music)
Swedish producer Max I Million is back on his hip-hop steez with an instrumental album that blends left-field creativity with boom-bap vibes. It’s equal parts futuristic and nostalgic, a distinctive combination of sounds that never gets too comfortable, nor too experimental.
Melvins – Gluey Porch Treatments [Reissue/1987] LP (Ipecac)
Melvins – Hostile Ambient Takeover [Reissue/2002] LP (Ipecac)
In correlation with the release of their new album Working With God, Melvins offer up colored vinyl LP reissues of 1987’s Gluey Porch Treatments and 2002’s Hostile Ambient Takeover, the latter of which appears on the format for the first time.
Mogwai – As The Love Continues 2xLP+MP3 (Temporary Residence)
Standard black vinyl edition now available. Mogwai has advanced without a plan since they were teenagers; there have been no secretive meetings to work out the master plan. It is rare to hear a band that has been going for this long and have this many albums behind them – ten records in and still no disappointments or mistaken creative left turns. You may know what to expect, but you will never get the same. Both transcendent and surprising, As The Love Continues shows that Mogwai are still offering solace from the mundane, supplying the soundtrack to whatever movie you are making in your head. Produced by Dave Fridmann the album features contributions from Atticus Ross (“Midnight Flit”) and Colin Stetson (“Pat Stains”) and arrives almost exactly 25 years after the release of the Mogwai’s debut single, “Tuner” b/w “Lower.”
Mouth Of The Architect – The Violence Beneath [Reissue/2010] LP (Translation Loss)
A decade after it was originally released, atmospheric post-metal outfit Mouth Of The Architect’s 2010 EP The Violence Beneath finally gets the proper vinyl treatment for the first time. The follow up to their critically acclaimed 2008 album Quietly, The Violence Beneath breathed new life into the post rock/metalgaze scene with Thrasher Magazine hailing it as “intelligent, thought provoking music that will tear your face off.”
Jacqui Naylor – The Long Game LP (Ruby Star)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Known for her ability to seamlessly weave genres and styles from different eras, Jacqui Naylor creates a meaningful collection of love songs, replete with R&B inspired original compositions, Latin imbued jazz standards and sensitively crafted rock anthems.
Oily Boys – Cro Memory Grin LP (Static Shock)
Thirteen turbocharged tracks indebted to the pleasures and pitfalls of their lives in the modern city of Sydney, Australia and to the first and second waves of international extreme music freaks and loonies: pure fucking aggression.
Alexei Orechin – Mirages LP (Deko Music)
Released last year on CD – now available on vinyl. Mirages showcases Orechin’s diverse and ever evolving style of composition, ranging from moments of melodic solitude to fractal experimentalism. For fans of Ryuichi Sakamoto, Boards of Canada, Linda May Han Oh, Supersilent, Nels Cline, Makaya McCraven, and Haruka Nakamura.
Carl Palmer – Working Live, Volume 1 LP/LP+CD (earMUSIC)
Working Live, Volume 1, is a solo album by the English drummer and percussionist Carl Palmer (Atomic Rooster, The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown, Asia, Emerson, Lake & Palmer). It is also the first to feature his new solo band at that time. The trio, simply called Palmer, includes the famous drummer along with bassist Dave Marks and guitarist Shaun Baxter. The record features live interpretations of some of Palmer’s best-known songs, originally recorded with ELP and on his solo albums.
Evan Parker – Saxophone Solos [Reissue/1976] LP (Otoroku)
Evan Parker – Six Of One [Reissue/1980] LP (Otoroku)
Recorded by Martin Davidson in 1975 at the Unity Theatre in London, at that time the preferred concert venue of the Musicians’ Co-operative, Parker’s densely woven and often cyclical style has yet to form on Saxophone Solos; instead, throaty murmurs appear under rough-hewn whistles and calls – the wildly energetic beginnings of an extraordinary career. Six Of One beautifully captures the detail in Evan Parker’s high frequency split tones for which he is now perhaps better known.
Parquet Courts – Light Up Gold [Reissue/2012] LP (What’s Your Rupture)
Parquet Courts – Sunbathing Animal [Reissue/2014] LP (What’s Your Rupture)
Limited translucent sea blue/green repress. Little was said about Parquet Courts’ debut effort, American Specialties. Released exclusively on cassette tape in 2011, the quasi-album was an odd collection of four-track recordings that left those who were paying attention wanting more. A year of woodshedding live sets passed before the Courts committed another song to tape. The band’s first proper LP, 2012’s Light Up Gold, is a dynamic and diverse foray into the back alleys of the American DIY underground. Bright guitars swirl serpentine over looping, groovy post-punk bass lines and drums that border on robotic precision. [2014’s Sunbathing Animal has also been repressed and is available on glow-in-the-dark vinyl.]
Marika Politissa – All Parts Dark LP (Mississippi)
Marika Politissa Frantzeskopoulou was a Greek singer from Constantinople, renowned for her precise, fluid and graceful performances and depth of feeling. Backed by some of the best musicians of the era on lyra, violin, oud, kanonaki and guitar, Marika’s repertoire and techniques drew from Byzantine and Ottoman musical traditions.
Riverside – Out Of Myself [Reissue/2003] LP+CD (Century Media)
Poland’s pioneering progressive rockers Riverside finally see their legendary 2003 debut Out Of Myself reissued on vinyl.
Sivuca – Sivuca [Reissue/1973] LP (Real Gone Music)
Brazilian multi-instrumentalist (accordion, piano, keyboards, guitar), composer, and arranger Sivuca started making records back in the mid ’50s and recorded for a number of labels in the States, including Reprise and RCA, but it is this record, made in 1973 for the Vanguard label, that is the one that collectors worldwide have zeroed in upon. Limited purple color vinyl pressing.
Slow Corpse – Bite Your Tongue LP (Tender Loving Empire)
Bite Your Tongue is the second full-length release from Slow Corpse; the indie-rock power couple, Mitchell Winters and Brenton Clarke. At 14-tracks, 37-minutes, the album leaps effortlessly from R&B, to punk, bedroom pop, and hip-hop; showcasing a whole new sonic direction for the duo.
Spinners – The Best Of Spinners [Reissue/1979] LP (Friday Music)
180gm translucent gold color vinyl pressing. In 1979, superstar R&B veterans Spinners were rewarded by their label Atlantic Records with their first greatest hits album simply titled The Best Of Spinners. Featuring the classic line-up of the Phillipe Soul Wynn, Henry Fambrough, Pervis Jackson, Bobbie Smith and Billy Henderson, these Detroit superstars ruled the charts for many soulful years.
Tash Sultana – Flow State [Reissue/2018] 2xLP (Mom + Pop Music)
Vinyl reissue of the debut studio album by the Australian singer-songwriter. At the ARIA Music Awards of 2018, Flow State won the ARIA Award for Best Blues and Roots Album. At the J Awards of 2018, the album was nominated for Australian Album of the Year.
Tall Black Guy – Airplane Mode LP (Fat Beats)
Generally speaking, albums are created over the course of a few weeks, months, or years. However when it comes to Airplane Mode, not only has it spanned the latter, but it’s DNA was formed across two continents, a multitude of significant life changes, and an overall renaming of the project’s title. What started as a collaboration effort morphed into a sonic space that Tall Black Guy used to highlight questions many of us frequently ask, but struggle to answer; “Why am I here? Am I enough? What makes me happy? How do I move forward? What does real love feel like?” Although the answers may be different for us all, Airplane Mode sets the path that the listeners use to reach their own conclusion.
Toto – Falling In Between Live 3xLP (earMUSIC)
Toto – 35th Anniversary Tour – Live In Poland 3xLP (earMUSIC)
Falling In Between Live, which was recorded in Paris in 2007, captures one of Toto’s most spectacular concerts. 35th Anniversary Tour – Live In Poland sees Toto celebrating their 35th Anniversary at the Atlas Arena in Lodz, Poland during their 2013 World Tour.
U.K. Subs – Killing Time [Reissue/1988] LP (Cleopatra)
A gorgeous vinyl reissue of Brit punk icons UK Subs’ 1988 album Killing Time, which hasn’t been in print on vinyl since its original release.
Various Artists – Virtual Dreams (Ambient Explorations In The House & Techno Age, 1993-1997) 3xLP (Music From Memory)
When house and techno exploded out of America in the mid-1980s, a whole generation was redefined not only musically but also culturally and chemically speaking. Peaking, quite literally, with a second ‘Summer of Love’ in 1988, millions of young people across the world would experience the life-changing ups of a brave new world but with it of course, came the downs; enter the concept of a ‘chill-out’ room. From ambient and early chill-out classics to lesser-known one-off projects, as well as ambient deviations by some of house and techno’s leading producers, Volume One of Virtual Dreams features tracks by Bedouin Ascent, LA Synthesis, LFO, Marc Hollander, Mark Pritchard & Kirsty Hawkshaw, Richard H. Kirk and more.
Venom – Calm Before The Storm [Reissue/1987] LP (Back On Black)
Vinyl reissue of the last album from Venom’s early Cronos era. Calm Before The Storm has been confusingly reissued several times under different titles such as Metalpunk, Beauty & The Beast, or Under A Spell.
Cassettes:
Cloud Nothings – The Shadow I Remember (Carpark)
For a band that resists repeating itself, picking up lessons from a decade prior is the strange route Cloud Nothings took to create their most fully realized album. Their new record, The Shadow I Remember, marks eleven years of touring, a return to early songwriting practices, and revisiting the studio where they first recorded together. In a way not previously captured, this album expertly combines the group’s pummeling, aggressive approach with singer-songwriter Dylan Baldi’s extraordinary talent for perfect pop.
Killer Be Killed – Reluctant Hero (Nuclear Blast)
Featuring Max Cavalera, Greg Puciato, and Troy Sanders, Killer Be Killed are borderline esoteric at times and yet remain unrelenting in heaviness and groove. [Limited black and silver swirl color vinyl pressing also available.]
Nightshift – Zöe (Trouble In Mind)
The band that became Nightshift formed in 2019 in the ecosystem of Glasgow’s current indie scene. The city’s fertile and creative group of musicians have been committed to pushing the boundaries of and blurring the lines between DIY, punk, experimentalism and indie pop for decades now; a home to bands like Shopping, Vital Idles, Current Affairs, Still House Plants, Richard Youngs and Happy Meals as well as forebears like Orange Juice, Teenage Fanclub and Yummy Fur. Nightshift slot right in with all mentioned, featuring members from current indie stalwarts Spinning Coin, 2 Ply and Robert Sotelo. Unlike the band’s previous album, the songs on Zöe weren’t conceived live in the band’s practice space, but rather pieced together and recorded remotely during quarantine lockdown, with each member composing or improvising their parts in homes/home studios, layering ideas over loops someone made and passing it on.
Puscifer – Existential Reckoning (BMG)
Released late last year on CD and vinyl – now available on cassette. Puscifer, one of the many side-projects led by Tool/Perfect Circle frontman Maynard James Keenan, returns with their fourth full-length effort, Existential Reckoning which follows-up 2015’s Money Shot. The experimental rock band’s current lineup is rounded out by singer-keyboardist Carina Round and multi-instrumentalist Mat Mitchell while guest contributions here are also made by Greg Edwards (Failure), and drummers Gunnar Olsen and Sarah Jones.
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