February Program Title Released This Week:
Devon Gilfillian – Black Hole Rainbow CD/LP (Capitol)
Devon Gilfillian, hailed by Rolling Stone as one of the most exciting young artists in Nashville’s burgeoning soul scene, releases his debut album. Produced by Grammy Award-winning studio wizard Shawn Everett (Alabama Shakes, Kacey Musgraves, The War On Drugs) in his iconic Downtown LA studio, Black Hole Rainbow masters the art of blending varied influences, styles, and methods to create a powerful vibe and inspired sensibility. At its core, it’s a hip-shaking record about love-on multiple levels. As Devon puts it, “with these songs I want to instill a sense of vulnerability… I want these songs to motivate listeners to take action in their lives, and to better themselves so they can go out and give love to others.”
CDs + Vinyl:
11 Guys Quartet – Small Blues And Grooves CD (Vizztone)
Minimalist Blues instrumentals.
Aiming For Enrike – Music For Working Out CD/LP (Pekula)
New album from the Maverick electro/math/post-rock Norwegian duo.
Apocalyptica – Cell-O CD/2xLP (Silver Lining Music)
Bristling with an epically baroque life and energy, Cell-O is not just the sound of Apocalyptica returning to their expansive instrumental roots, it is the sound of Apocalyptica revisiting their deepest love with a renewed sense of knowledge and passion. [Vinyl edition features an etched D-side.]
Bad Company – Desolation Angels [Reissue/1979] CD (Atlantic)
The 40th Anniversary Edition of Bad Company’s 1979 album, Desolation Angels. Features the hit single, “Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy”. Contains newly remastered audio along with various outtakes and alternate takes of various tracks from the album.
Beach Slang – The Deadbeat Bang Of Heartbreak City CD/LP (Bridge Nine)
Drawing comparisons to Jawbreaker and The Replacements, but never approaching easy facsimile, Beach Slang paid tribute to the past by lighting a new torch with their previous critically acclaimed records. Features guest appearance by Tommy Stinson (The Replacements). [Limited red colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Bölzer – Lese Majesty CD/LP (Lightning & Sons)
Bölzer is a remarkable Swiss-Antipodean duo capable of conjuring up mighty barriers of sound with nothing but a ten-stringed guitar and an almost ritualistic percussion style. The pair describe their own stage experience as a form of spiritual rapture, an atavistic vortex woven together from the profound union of spectacle meeting spectator on a deeper plane. In the interests of extended independence and the homogenous aesthetic they are well known for, the band has taken measures to make the bulk of their popular back catalogue available on CD and vinyl via their own label Lightning & Sons. Resuming where the bombastic romanticism of 2016’s Hero left off, 2019’s Lese Majesty rings true of its namesake, the uncompromising voice of a heretic granted a contemporary audience.
Glen Campbell – Old Home Town CD (BMG)
28 tracks from Campbell’s later recordings with Warner music.
Crass – The Feeding Of The Five Thousand (The Second Sitting) [Reissue/1979/1981] CD (One Little Indian)
Remastered CD reissue of the first LP by the English punk rock band, featuring the tracks “Banned From the Roxy” and “End Result”.
Da Crime-Click – Millays Wayz To Murda CD/LP (Burger)
Da Crime-Click (II Tone, Mac Montese, Yung Madness, Big Cheese, K-D & K. Redd) started with a mixtape called Satanic Verses. It was recorded in K. Redds bedroom. He and his brother DJ Link One had moved to Memphis from California. It was a serious thing at the time just having fun. The mixtape was a hit in the ‘hood and surrounding areas they decided to hit the studio. Million Wayz To Murda is their debut album.
Fat Freddie’s Drop – Special Edition Part 1 CD/2xLP (The Drop)
New Zealand juggernaut Fat Freddy’s Drop return with a new studio album. Supremely crafted at Freddy’s own BAYS studio in hometown Wellington, the deep musical and rich vocal layers reflect Freddy’s inspiration from the black music lexicon and is a response to the crowd energy at their world dominating live shows. Special Edition Part 1 is the first release of a long envisaged double album project with separate chapters.
Field Music – Making A New World CD/LP+MP3 (Memphis Industries)
The seventh album by the English rock band is their first true concept album centered on the after-effects of WWI. [Limited red colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Georgia – Seeking Thrills CD/LP+MP3 (Domino)
Inspired by the Chicago House and Detroit Techno of the early ‘80s, Seeking Thrills is a sonic feat of exploration and excellence, with textures that reflect Georgia’s background in ethnic musicology, and hours upon hours spent rifling through records. Feminine without being saccharine, Georgia’s deep, brooding reflections carry us through euphoria, heartache and melancholy but always with the memory of the good times.
Selena Gomez – Rare CD (Interscope)
The eagerly awaited new album from the multi-platinum singer and actress. Includes the singles “Lose You To Love Me” and “Look At Her Now”.
Barry Gordon –The World Is Mine: The Complete Recordings 1964-1971 CD (Teensville)
Although he may be primarily known for the Christmas novelty song “Nuttin’ For Christmas”, Barry Gordon had an interesting career in the pop music field thereafter. The World Is Mine: The Complete Recordings 1964-1971 features two complete albums, including Barry’s unheralded concept album Pieces Of Time. Also spotlighted are various single-only sides with contributions from veteran writers like Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil, Neil Sedaka and Carole Bayer.
Haunt – Freeze CD/LP (Shadow Kingdom)
Haunt’s blend of turn-of-the-’80s heavy metal with touches of ’70s hard rock explodes with electricity and excitement at every turn.
Paul Kelly – Songs From The South 1985 – 2019: Paul Kelly’s Greatest Hits CD/2xLP (Cooking Vinyl)
One of Australia’s greatest and most enduring songwriters releases a brilliant career summary, a collection of songs that spans the depth and breadth of his illustrious career including recent studio albums, Life Is Fine and Nature.
Ben E. King – Stand By Me: The Collection CD (BMG)
Soul singer and record producer Ben E. King was perhaps best known for his international hit “Stand By Me” and as one of the principal lead singers of The Drifters – notably singing the lead vocals of one of their biggest global hit singles “Save The Last Dance For Me”. Stand By Me: The Collection brings together 28 of his finest recordings.
Moon Hooch – Life On Other Planets CD/LP (Moon Hooch)
Recorded in a series of stunning, single-take performances, Life On Other Planets may be the purest distillation of Moon Hooch’s sound ever put to tape. There’s no studio magic here, just three virtuosic musicians who seem to share a telepathic connection, one that transcends language and genre and tradition. The songs on Life on Other Planets mix elements of jazz, funk, R&B, and EDM, swirling them all into an instrumental maelstrom the band refers to as “cave music” (think house music, but more jagged and primitive).
Lotus Thief – Oresteia CD/2xCD/LP (Prophecy)
San Francisco avant-gardists Lotus Thief create visionary music that incorporates elements of doom and black metal as well as post rock. With their third record Oresteia, Lotus Thief pushes their sound further than ever, focusing on both male and female singing, feral screams, melodic versus ferocious guitar work and soaring violins. [Also available as a two-CD art-book with two bonus tracks and a red colored vinyl pressing.
Gary Moore – Parisienne Walkways CD (BMG)
28 tracks. One of rock’s most underrated guitarists (both from a technical and compositional point of view), Gary Moore is arguably one of the finest musicians that Britain has ever produced, with a career that dated back to the 1960s, there were few musical genres that he had not turned his hand to. From his early beginnings in a local rock group called Skid Row, which featured a young singer by the name of Phil Lynott, who would soon after leave the group to double up on bass and form Thin Lizzy.
Morcheeba – Parts Of The Process CD (BMG)
A selection of their greatest hits and more. 28 tracks of laid back, trip-hop funk.
Nana Mouskouri – Sacred And Spiritual CD (Wrasse)
A global pop icon, Greek-born Nana Mouskouri is one of the most recognizable and beloved singers of her generation. Her fluency in multiple languages has enabled her to reach audiences all over Europe, the Americas, and even Asia. Possessed of a distinctive, angelic soprano, Mouskouri, who burst onto the international scene in the early 1960s, was sometimes described as Europe’s answer to Barbra Streisand. Her new album is a collection of sacred songs.
Poppy – I Disagree CD/LP (Sumerian)
Third studio album by the American singer and YouTube personality. “It’s no great secret that the modern musical landscape is trending ever-quicker toward a spectrum free from genre boundaries. Rock isn’t limited to riffs, hip-hop isn’t confined to beats and samples and the precise definition of what exactly constitutes pop music has become exceedingly expansive. It might be difficult to find an artist shaking up 2020 quite as much as Poppy. Her latest work, I Disagree, continues her coverage of a massive musical landscape. The material is bold, exciting, fresh and often just plain weird. It’s exactly the shot in the arm that rock needs in the new decade.” – Riff Magazine [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Rage – Wings Of Rage CD/2xLP (Steamhammer)
Founded in spring 1983 in Herne in Germany’s Ruhr region, Rage, led vocalist/bassist Peavy Wagne,r has integrated a wide range of stylistic nuances into its musical concept. There have been releases which focused primarily on hard thrash sounds, but also recordings featuring anthemic power metal as well as albums with a – in the true sense of the word – symphonic orientation. Wings Of Rage, the latest offering by the three-piece, consists of all this and much more.
Saint Vitus – An Original Album Collection: Lillie: F-65 + Live Vol. 2 2xCD (Season Of Mist)
This twofer from the doom metal godfathers combines 2012’s Lillie: F-65 and 2016’s Live Vol. 2.
Sylvaine and Unreqvited – Time Without End CD/LP (Prophecy)
Post black metal trailblazer Unreqvited teams up with multi-instrumentalist Sylvaine for an exploration of musical paths. The outcome is Time Without End, an amalgam of shared respect and experimentation that pairs two divergent styles for one incredibly memorable listening experience. [Limited dark green colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Unreqvited – Disquiet [Reissue/2016] CD/LP (Prophecy)
Unreqvited – Mosaic II CD/LP (Prophecy)
Depressive and uplifting; a journey of massive peaks and bottomless caves. Unreqvited’s take on post black metal is one that paints a canvas of musical diversity, with elements of expansive post-rock, tortured dsbm vocals, shimmering blackgaze melodies and grandiose orchestral segments. [Limited purple and silver, respectively, colored vinyl pressings also available.]
Various Artists – Balance Presents Vivrant 2xCD (Balance)
The Swedish Vivrant label founder, DJ, and producer joins the revered Balance Presents series. Since its inception in 2015, Jeremy Olander’s label and event series, Vivrant, has become one of the most intriguing platforms for the melodic house and techno sound. With this long overdue project, Olander is bringing two discs of exclusive music from himself and friends. Includes individual tracks downloads and mixes.
Young M.A. – Herstory In The Making CD (Duck Down Music)
Highly anticipated debut album from the Brooklyn based rapper. [Vinyl edition due January 17.]
This Week’s Vinyl Exclusives:
Barren Earth – Curse Of The Red River [Reissue/2010] LP (Peaceville)
With a wealth of experience from internationally renowned acts, from former members of Finnish metallers Amorphis, to current members of Swallow the Sun, Moonsorrow, and Kreator, Barren Earth presents progressive and folk textured death/doom metal of the highest order on their 2010 debut album on Peaceville Records.
The Beau Brummels – Introducing The Beau Brummels [Reissue/1965] LP (Trading Places)
Despite borrowing the name of a historic English dandy and drawing from the sound of The Beatles, influential beat group The Beau Brummels was formed in San Francisco in 1964, when Italian-American singer Sal Valentino needed a backing band for a nightclub residency.
Chris Bell – I Am The Cosmos [Reissue/1992] LP (Omnivore)
After co-founding Big Star, the world only received two tracks of new music from Chris Bell during his lifetime – a 1978 single on the Car Records label run by Chris Stamey (dB’s, Sneakers) titled “I Am The Cosmos” b/w “You And Your Sister”. He would tragically be killed in a car accident later that same year. However, those were not the only tracks Bell had recorded in his post-Big Star years. In 1974-1975, Bell worked in the famed Château D’Hérouville near Paris, France, and later recorded at both Shoe Studios and Ardent Studios in Memphis. That material arrived in 1992 as I Am The Cosmos to great acclaim. [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Björk – Medulla [Reissue/2004] LP (One Little Indian)
Vinyl reissue. After her electronic-influenced previous album Vespertine (2001), Björk intended to make an album almost entirely a cappella constructed with human vocals. For Medulla, she collaborated with vocal artists such as Mike Patton of rock band Faith No More, beatboxers Rahzel and Dokaka, as well as Inuit throat singer Tanya Gillis.
Mark Bolan – Electronic Musik LP (Easy Action)
Mark Bolan – Pictures Of Purple People LP (Easy Action)
A revisited look at Marc Bolan’s incredible early 1960s years. Compiled from tapes originally stolen from Marc & Gloria’s home and recently repatriated. [A double-CD set gathering these two compilations is also available.]
Bölzer – Roman Acupuncture [Reissue/2012] 12” (Lighting & Sons)
Bölzer – Aura [Reissue/2013] LP (Lightning & Sons)
Bölzer – Soma [Reissue/2012] 12” (Lighting & Sons)
Bölzer is a remarkable Swiss-Antipodean duo capable of conjuring up mighty barriers of sound with nothing but a ten-stringed guitar and an almost ritualistic percussion style. The pair describe their own stage experience as a form of spiritual rapture, an atavistic vortex woven together from the profound union of spectacle meeting spectator on a deeper plane. In the interests of extended independence and the homogenous aesthetic they are well known for, the band has taken measures to make the bulk of their popular back catalogue available on CD and vinyl via their own label Lightning & Sons.
Burna Boy – African Giant 2xLP (Atlantic)
Damini Ogulu, better known by his stage name Burna Boy, is an Afro fusion singer and songwriter. Known for his smooth patois influenced delivery in a voice reminiscent of notable music legends, Burna Boy has consistently wowed fans with his original and unpredictable style and energetic performances. Across its 19 tracks, African Giant brings plenty of powerful, positive vibes and some epic collabs, including U.K. R&B singer and 2019 Best New Artist Nominee Jorja Smith, Grammy-nominated R&B crooner Jeremih, Nigerian rapper Zlatan, Jamaican dancehall artist Serani, Ghanaian singer/songwriter/rapper M.anifest, Grammy-winning trap hero Future and West Coast rap champ YG.
Christian Death – The Root Of All Evilution [Reissue/2015] LP (Season Of Mist)
Perennial gothic-rock pioneers Christian Death returned in 2015 with their long-awaited album The Root Of All Evilution. Over seven years in the making, it sees enduring genre icon Valor Kand steer the trail-blazing outfit back toward their classic roots, evoking the essence of Catastrophe Ballet but with a storied mature direction. [Limited edition purple colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Coil – Stolen And Contaminated Songs [Reissue/1992] LP (Cold Spring)
A long-awaited reissue of Coil’s 1992 album, Stolen And Contaminated Songs, comprised of over 60 minutes of outtakes and unreleased songs, evolved during the recording sessions for their prior album, Love’s Secret Domain (1991). A wealth of superb material showcasing the diversity of Coil: dark, violent, vivid, and fractured, yet cohesive and beautiful. Combined with the latest studio technology and Coil’s ever-evolving production skills, Stolen And Contaminated Songs walks a fine line between tradition and innovation, continually creating semi-abstract soundscapes with a cinematic quality.
Miles Davis – The Lost Quintet LP (Sleepy Night)
Previously unreleased lost recordings of Miles Davis and his Quintet performing live on Rotterdam radio in 1969 in support of Bitches Brew.
The Durutti Column – Fidelity [Reissue/1986] LP (Les Disques Du Crépuscule)
Fidelity features 10 tracks written and performed by Vini Reilly, with occasional guest vocals by Eley Rudge. In addition to Vini’s trademark guitar stylings, the album showcases sleek electronic textures and programmed beats. This 2019 remastered reissue features two bonus tracks and is pressed on clear and blue vinyl with new cover artwork.
Electric Looking Glass – Daffodil Tea Shoppe b/w Dream A Dream 7” (13 O’Clock)
This newer Los Angeles quartet serves up a couple of dandy gems loaded with 60’s-style baroque psychedelic flashes and smothered with sugar coated pop-psych goodness.
Emerald Web – Sound Trek [Reissue/1980] LP (Trading Places)
Pioneering space music duo Emerald Web, comprised of Bob Stohl and soulmate Kat Epple, made some of the most ethereal, divine, and healing sounds between 1979 and 1990. Crafting their debut album in a haunted mansion in northwest Connecticut, their second disc was created mostly with monophonic synths and an Oberheim DS-2 sequencer, and also features Shakahachi flutes, electronic flutes, and other standard acoustic instruments.
Ephemerals – Third Eye LP (Jalapeno)
Ephemerals fuse styles including spiritual jazz, psychedelia, and spoken word, to convey an identity that is unmistakably their own.
Marianne Faithfull – Come And Stay With Me: The UK 45s 1964-69 2xLP (ABKCO)
Double vinyl LP pressing. Collection of the A and B-sides of the ten singles Marianne recorded for UK Decca between 1964 and 1969, plus her Go Away From My World EP. All tracks are in authentic mono & mastered from the best possible sources. Producers include Andrew Loog Oldham, Mike Leander, Tony Calder and Mick Jagger.
Brunhild Ferrari & Jim O’Rourke – Le Piano Englouti LP (Black Truffle)
Two side-long realizations of Ferrari’s tape compositions recorded in concert at Tokyo’s SuperDeluxe in 2014, revised and mixed by O’Rourke in 2019. The title piece weaves an immersive web of electronics, pre-recorded piano, and field-recorded sounds, including the raging Aegean Sea, the tranquil atmospherics of a Japanese island, and the roar of a pachinko parlor. Far from a slice of audio vérité, these geographically distant sites intermingle in an unreal space where they often become indistinguishable.
Fever Ray – Plunge Remix LP (Mute)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. A new remix compilation of Fever Ray’s album Plunge, which was released after an eight-year hiatus following Fever Ray’s eponymous debut. Remixers were chosen with the goal of creating music for Fever Ray to dance to. Released over a period of almost two years, the tracks now sit together for the first time.
Groundhogs – Thank Christ For The Bomb [Reissue/1970] LP (Fire)
A hugely influential album cited as the embryo for punk, grunge and beyond. Featuring epic 1970 concepts from this far-reaching trio much praised by Underworld’s Karl Hyde, Captain Sensible, Stephen Malkmus and a host of others. Thank Christ For The Bomb is a visionary tale of cold war fear, alienation and everyday drama.
Implosion – Implosion [Reissue/1988] LP (Trading Places)
Vinyl reissue of Implosion’s self-titled album, originally released in 1988. The Italian outfit combined prog, space rock, psych, and electronic music that could have come from the early 1970s.
Mammoth Mammoth – Kreuzung LP (Napalm)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. The high voltage Australian outfit have seized the opportunity to boil down their hard rock formula since the release of Mount The Mountain two years ago, and the result is an electrifying sledgehammer that cements the name Mammoth Mammoth.
Billy Martin/Wil Blades – Shimmy LP (Royal Potato Family/Amulet)
Billy Martin and Wil Blades wanna make you Shimmy. The organ/drums duo waste no time getting right down to it on their debut album. Martin, the drummer for the legendary Medeski, Martin & Wood, and Blades, a much buzzed about young organist from the San Francisco live music scene, first came together for a low-key, one-off late night set during the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in 2011. The music that evening was so deep in the pocket that the pair knew instantly there would be more shows together in their future.
Nurse With Wound – Trippin’ Musik 3xLP (United Dirter)
Nurse With Wound has been Steven Stapleton’s main musical outlet for 40 years. He has also appeared on records by other artists and worked as a producer, remixer and, more recently, a critically acclaimed soundtrack composer. As well as his musical output Stapleton is a highly accomplished and renowned painter and sculptor often working under the guise of Babs Santini. Nurse With Wound’s Trippin’ Musik is a new colored triple vinyl LP box set comprised of all new material and features no track listing (no Side A, B, etc). This music is to be played in whichever order the listener wants to.
Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross – Bird Box [OST] 4xLP (The Null Corporation)
Extended compositions and explorations created during the Bird Box scoring sessions from Academy Award winners Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. Over two hours of music completed in various hotel rooms before and after Nine Inch Nails’ 2018 Cold, Black And Infinite US tour. The intense pace and pressures of nightly performances began to bleed through into the work. What started as a film score began to mutate and expand into something far beyond what you saw on the screen.
Mister Rogers – It’s Such A Good Feeling: The Best Of Mister Rogers CD (Omnivore Recordings)
Released last October on CD – now available on vinyl. 21 Mister Rogers classics.
Moonsorrow – Varjoina Kuljemme Kuolleiden Maassa [Reissue/2011] 2xLP (Svarte)
Vinyl reissue of the Finish pagan metal band’s sixth album.
Nine Inch Nails – With Teeth [Reissue/2005] 2xLP (Nothing)
Definitive vinyl reissue of With Teeth (2005), meticulously prepared by Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross and NIN art director, John Crawford. Remastered in 2019 with lots of details attended to that you may never notice but we care about.
Numenorean – Home [Reissue/2016] LP (Season Of Mist)
Vinyl reissue of the debut album by the Canadian black metal band’s debut album.
Laura Nyro – More Than A New Discovery [Reissue/1967] LP (Real Gone Music)
Limited colored vinyl reissue. Seldom has the title of a debut album been more apt than the one that graced Laura Nyro’s 1967 release, More Than A New Discovery. This was not the mere first foray of a budding talent. Instead, it introduced a fully-realized, remarkably mature (at the age of 19!) singer-songwriter whose singular fusion of pop, jazz, R&B, soul, Broadway, and folk sounds created some of the most beloved songs in modern popular music.
Greentea Peng – Rising 12” (Different Recordings)
South London singer and songwriter Greentea Peng releases her new EP, Rising. The seven-track set follows last years acclaimed debut EP Sensi and the simmering, viral hit “Downers” which was released this summer and is included on this EP. The blissful Earbuds-produced lead single “Mr. Sun (Miss Da Sun)”, that track sets the tone for this bright, bold EP which weaves a myriad of genres, all anchored by a mesmerizing old-soul vocal.
Pig Destroyer – 38 Counts Of Battery [Reissue/2000] LP (Relapse)
Extreme sound nihilists Pig Destroyer deliver savage grindcore that is both intentionally confrontational, and thoroughly pummeling. 2000’s 38 Counts Of Battery is still an intense register of the band’s work as ever. Fully remastered and available on LP for the very first time, 38 Counts Of Battery features the remastered Explosions In Ward 6 album, tracks from the highly sought-after (and sold out) split with Isis, their scalding demo, and much more.
Plus – No Pisar El Infinito [Reissue/1976] LP+7” (Svart)
Plus performed hard-hitting heavy rock with progressive leanings, much influenced by Led Zeppelin, Grand Funk Railroad and the like, with a Latin flavor and excellent musicianship.
SPK – Zamia Lehmanni: Songs Of Byzantine Flowers [Reissue/1986] LP (Cold Spring)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Originally released by Side Effects in 1986, Zamia Lehmanni was the third (and final) core SPK album and was Graeme Revell’s first truly solo project. He was in a period of transition, somewhere between the industrial noise of the early years and his later award-winning soundtrack work.
Sore Eros – Sore Eros LP (Feeding Tube)
After five long years of waiting, rural psych masters Sore Eros return with an extended statement of purpose. Although their partial spatial dislocation from Western Mass has seemly rendered them a studio-oriented outfit, the lovely tangles of sound they create are as optimally fried as ever. The album was helmed by engineer/producer Adam Granduciel (War On Drugs) who was the only one capable of coaxing the whole band into the studio.
Bridget St. John – Ask Me No Questions [Reissue/1969] LP (Trading Spaces)
Blessed with a distinctive voice largely defined by a rich, cello-like timbre, English singer and guitarist Bridget St. John was brought to the attention of the adventurous guitarist John Martyn by fellow singer Robin Frederick and after being introduced to him by Martyn’s poet friend, Pete Roch, was championed by BBC Radio disc jockey John Peel, who formed the Dandelion label in 1969 (with Elektra record-plugger Clive Selwood) specifically to issue St. John’s music.
Townes Van Zandt – Our Mother The Mountain: 50th Anniversary LP (Fat Possum)
1969’s Our Mother The Mountain is celebrated singer/songwriter Townes Van Zandt’s second album and first classic. Recorded in California in the Spring of 1969, once again produced by Jack Clement, it featured a stellar cast of West Coast session musicians, notably James Burton, Charlie McCoy, Don “Richie” Frost and Don Randi.
Vatican Shadow – Kneel Before Religious Icons LP (Hospital Productions)
Before another Vatican Shadow release appears on vinyl for the first time early in 2020, Hospital Productions reissue a killer 2011 tape release on a 2019 vinyl pressing after appearing on a long sold-out LP edition for Type in 2012 (did you follow that?). Remastered and slightly edited from the original 4x tape boxset, Kneel Before Religious Icons reasserts it’s place in the pantheon of Vatican Shadow’s prized early releases which, with the benefit of hindsight, arguably amount to one of this past decade’s definitive projects.
Venom – Welcome To Hell [Reissue/1985] LP (Back On Black)
Venom – Black Metal [Reissue/1982] LP (Back On Black)
Venom – At War With Satan [Reissue/1984] LP (Back On Black)
Venom – American Assault [Reissue/1985] 12” (Back On Black)
Venom – Canadian Assault [Reissue/1985] 12” (Back On Black)
Venom – French Assault [Reissue/1985] 12” (Back On Black)
Venom – German Assault [Reissue/1985] 12” (Back On Black)
Venom – Japanese Assault [Reissue/1985] 12” (Back On Black)
Venom – Scandinavian Assault [Reissue/1985] 12” (Back On Black)
Venom – Singles 5×7” (Back On Black)
Picture-disc vinyl reissues of the UK black metal band’s first three albums and standard black vinyl reissues Venom’s 1985 Assault EP series which collected studio material along with previously unreleased live tracks. Colored vinyl Singles 7” box set also available.
Waldgefluster – Stimmen Im Wind 2020 LP+CD (Nordvis)
Limited vinyl LP pressing including bonus CD edition. Germany’s Waldgefluster has returned with a recording which is in the folk influenced style of atmospheric black metal. This is a re-recording of their 2006 album Stimmen In Wimd.
Summer Walker – Over It LP (LVRN)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Summer Walker is surging, and every move the Atlanta R&B/soul singer makes seems to top the one before it. Walker’s approach to music is alternative at its core, in that she doesn’t seem to fit the popular modern artist mold. Her emotional music dissects love and womanhood in the shape of SZA, and her guitar-heavy compositions mirror what H.E.R. has put down, but there’s a punk sensibility to the ProTools-obsessed Walker, and her bedroom productions are resonating big-time.
Xysma – First And Magical [Reissue/1993] 2xLP (Svart)
1993’s First And Magical was “a new magical beginning for Xysma,” as the band themselves put it. The most perfect amalgam of death metal and rocking stoner riffs, First And Magical may still be the crown jewel in all of their discography. This expanded edition double-vinyl reissue also features a second disc with the pre-production demo that has five tracks that at times sound quite different to what the band eventually recorded for the album.
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