February Program Titles Released This Week:
Altitudes & Attitude – Get It Out CD (Megaforce)
Altitudes & Attitude is a project featuring Anthrax bassist Frank Bello and Megadeth bassist David Ellefson, will release their debut album, which follows-up their eponymous 2014 EP. Boasting a deep bench of guest stars, including Ace Frehley (ex-Kiss; the track “Late”), Gus G. (Ozzy Osbourne, Firewind), Nita Strauss (Alice Cooper), Christian Martucci (Stone Sour) and Satchel (Steel Panther), the record represents the fulfillment of a lifelong but little-known ambition for two uniquely gifted artists. As Bello puts it, “All I ever wanted to do was write good songs. I’ve always been a melody guy. I love hooks; I love catchy songs with a good riff.” A kind of rock ‘n’ roll primal-scream therapy, Get It Out is the result of nearly four years of writing and recording sessions — and decades of touring, searching, striving and living.
Frances Cone – Late Riser CD/LP (Living Daylight/Orchard)
“Timing is everything to Frances Cone. Even the band’s moniker is a nod to band mastermind Christina Cone’s family’s own impeccable chronology, borrowing the name from her great-grandfather and father, both born on September 11th decades apart. Then there’s the fact that Cone met her future bandmate and beau, Andrew Doherty, at just the right moment on just the right date — 12/12/12 — for their lives to align. This acknowledged connection to cosmic scheduling also explains why the duo have been so patient in releasing their follow-up to 2013’s Come Back LP. It’s a patience that comes through on each of the 10 tracks that make up Late Riser. Carefully crafted soar on indie pop updrafts on songs like “Failure” or the melodic opener “Wide Awake”. “Unraveling”, a lush pop number with gripping harmonies, hints at Cone’s association with Lucius, while “Arizona” hints towards Justin Vernon’s style of songwriting. Then there’s the title track, a beleaguered and powerful folk number that finds Cone at her most aggressive. Whatever the influence or particular style of sound, each song feels complete, fully realized as a coherent effort from an artist who appreciates the value in taking your time to reach the finish line.” – Consequence Of Sound
Greensky Bluegrass – All For Money CD/2xLP (Big Blue Zoo)
For more than 18 years, the members of Greensky Bluegrass have been creating their own version of bluegrass music, mixing the acoustic stomp of a string band with the rule-breaking spirit of rock & roll. As they continue to evolve and further define that sound they are breaking barriers with their seventh studio album, All For Money. Recorded at Echo Mountain Recording in Asheville, NC alongside co-producers Dominic John Davis (Jack White s longtime bassist) and Glenn Brown, this set of 12 new songs finds the band pushing boundaries and breaking new ground, welcoming old fans and new audiences alike. They’re going full steam ahead into this new era with both the passion and vigor of a band in their infancy and the knowledge and power of one that s been together for almost two decades and counting.
Joe Jackson – Fool CD/LP/LP+7” (earMUSIC)
Fool once again showcases Joe Jackson’s incredible musical diversity and unique artistic vision. If the album had a theme, it would be Comedy and Tragedy and the way they’re intertwined in our lives. It begins with the powerfully mysterious “Big Black Crowd”, which foreshadows a collection that is impossible to describe in one word but undoubtedly musically and lyrically powerful and touchingly beautiful. The striking “Fabulously Absolute” shows a different side of the record with Jackson portraying an almost snarky attitude in his voice and the music showing a very melodic drive. Despite what the title may suggest, none of Jackson’s remarkable songwriting, although multi-faceted, does in any way sound foolish. It is rather a sense of masterful craftsmanship and intent that defines Fool. The listener will find jazz, classic and – of course – pop influences that fuse to make an artistically valuable experience. [Limited deluxe vinyl pressing featuring a bonus 7” also available.]
Ronnie Milsap – The Duets CD (Riser)
Country Music Hall of Fame member Ronnie Milsap returns with a duets album featuring an A-list cast, including Billy Gibbons, Luke Bryan, Dolly Parton, Jason Aldean, Willie Nelson, Lucy Angel, Kacey Musgraves, Little Big Town, George Strait, Jessie Key, Leon Russell, Steven Curtis Chapman and Montgomery Gentry. The Duets includes one of Troy Gentry’s final recordings on the Montgomery Gentry/Ronnie duet, “Shakey Ground.” In addition, Leon Russell, who passed away in 2016, is featured on “Misery Loves Company”.
Night Beats – Myths Of Man CD/LP (PIAS America)
Written during a particularly destructive period of Night Beats, Myths Of Man is populated by fallen angels, blood-sucking wanderers, and vindictive lovers – sketches of people the band has surely come across during their cosmic roving through the underground – but the character most present is frontman Danny Lee Blackwell, himself. “Myth Of A Man can be summed up as a personal display of vulnerability and guilty conscience,” he explains, “Destroying the mythos of what it means to live and function in society.” With its bold steps forward, the album serves as both a takedown and reintroduction of the band as we know it – the strongest evidence that you’ll never be able to pin Night Beats down. While Blackwell has always fed off the musical legacy of his Texas roots – Roky Erickson and the 13th Floor Elevators, The Red Krayola, The Black Angels and more paving the way for the napalm-coated psych-rock head-trip of past albums – Myth Of A Man has him pulling from the surrogate wellspring of Nashville, TN. It was there that he worked with the eminent Dan Auerbach and a murderer’s row of battle-worn session musicians.
Neyla Pekarek – Rattlesnake CD (S-Curve)
Neyla Pekarek, formerly of The Lumineers, releases her debut album. A fitting subject for Neyla’s first solo release, Rattlesnake is a concept record about one of the strongest independent women and unsung heroes of the old west, Kate Slaughterback, better known as Rattlesnake Kate (who earned her nickname on October 28th, 1925 when she single-handedly defended herself and her 3-year-old son against 140 migrating rattlesnakes. Kate killed all 140 snakes using a shotgun). The 13 original songs on Rattlesnake, produced by Matt Ward (M. Ward, She & Him), were written as a “Folk Opera” shining a light on some of the incredible tales from Kate’s life, including her triumph over a pack of rampaging rattlesnakes, a 40-year love letter correspondence she maintained with a man she never actually met, and more. [Vinyl pressing due February 1.]
Maggie Rogers – Heard It In A Past Life CD/LP (Capitol)
Acclaimed producer/songwriter/performer Maggie Rogers’ new album, Heard It In A Past Life, includes the Pharrell Williams endorsed song that introduced Rogers to the world, “Alaska”, as well as follow-up singles “Fallingwater”, praised by NPR as “a celebration of the terrifying yet thrilling process of change” and “Give A Little”, which Pitchfork hailed as a “cathartic pop song about empathy and unity.” Co-produced with Greg Kurstin and Kid Harpoon, Rogers describes the single “Light On” as “a letter to my fans about the last two years of my life. There was so much change that happened so fast, I wasn’t always sure how to make all this stuff feel like me.”
Soul Asylum – While You Were Out / Clam Dip & Other Delights CD (Omnivore)
Soul Asylum’s last raucous indie releases before signing to major Label, While You Were Out (1986) and the mini-album Clap Dip & Other Delights (1988) have been remastered and expanded with 7 bonus cuts, including 4 never-before released, and includes liner notes by Jon Wurster (Superchunk). While You Were Out was produced by much revered Minneapolis musician Chris Osgood, leader of the groundbreaking 1976 punk band The Suicide Commandos. This set includes the full U.K.-only EP track list of the Clam Dip & Other Delights EP. [Vinyl edition due February 8.]
The Steel Woods – Old News CD/LP (Woods Music/Thirty Tigers)
The Steel Woods’ sophomore album, Old News, represents a creative leap for the southern roots rock songwriting team of Alabama native Wes Bayliss and his North Carolina partner Jason “Rowdy” Cope, who completed their first recordings barely months after they first met. Part Lynyrd Skynyrd, Allman Brothers, dual-guitar southern blues-rock with elements of R&B, country, bluegrass, gospel, blues, folk and metal, the descriptively named, Nashville-based band deepens its resolve on a theme-driven album that joins the mystery train of the past with the full-speed loco-motion of the present, seeking to bring people together with the universality of music.
Switchfoot – Native Tongue CD/2xLP (Fantasy)
Grammy award-winning rock band, Switchfoot, expands on their trademark epic soundscapes and explores new themes and textures on Native Tongue, the group’s eleventh full-length album. Amid an impressive career spanning more than 20 years, Native Tongue is an inspired work of insight and passion from a band that continues to find strength in our differences and hope in what binds us. The 14-song album recorded primarily at Melody League Studios in the band’s hometown of San Diego, CA, includes a wide array of music from the hard-hitting anthemic title-track to more reflective songs such as “Prodigal Soul”, “Joy Invincible” and “Voices”, (co-written and produced with their friends in One Republic). The band interlace empathy and introspection, urging us to “use our lungs for love and not the shadows.” Native Tongue also features a moving collaboration with Kaela Sinclair on “The Hardest Art”. [Limited indie-exclusive vinyl pressing also available.]
Toro Y Moi – Outer Peace CD/LP+MP3 (Carpark)
Following the ever-emotive Boo Boo, Toro Y Moi’s new album Outer Peace is a time capsule that captures our relationship to contemporary culture into one comprehensive, sonic package. As both a producer and designer, Chaz Bear utilizes abstract sound pairings with recognizable samples for his most pop influenced record to date, including features from ABRA, WET, and Instupendo. This is no departure from his funk and disco roots, which can be heard on “Ordinary Pleasure” later fusing into variations of house with tracks like “Freelance” and “Laws Of The Universe”. Smooth interludes melt into fast paced beats, paralleling the feeling of driving through the Bay Area, where Bear spent most of his time writing the album. Outer Peace is duality. It embodies whatever form you choose to inhabit in the moment. Listen and let your imagination become the universe. [Limited indie-exclusive vinyl pressing also available.]
CDs + Vinyl:
Abruptum – Vi Sonus Veris Nigrae Malitiaes [Reissue/1996] CD/LP (Profound Lore)
Originally released in 1996 on infamous cult black metal label Full Moon Productions, this Swedish band were always seen as one of the most bizarre, strangest, and otherworldly black metal entities.
Arch Enemy – Covered In Blood CD/2xLP (Century Media)
Arch Enemy is a Swedish melodic death metal band, originally a supergroup, from Halmstad, formed in 1995. Its members were in bands such as Carcass, Armageddon, Carnage, Mercyful Fate, Spiritual Beggars, Nevermore, and Eucharist. Covered In Blood is a compilation of all the covers the band has recorded throughout their career. [Limited gold colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Buke & Gase – Scholars CD/LP (Brassland)
Three years ago, Buke and Gase embarked on a major refinement and modernization of their instrumental creations – and embraced electronic music. Scholars began not as the title of their new record, but a new moniker for their artistic project. In a way, their long and roundabout journey has resulted in a sound that’s coincidentally in sync with our most forward-thinking contemporary artists – James Blake, Bjork/Arca, Frank Ocean. They have embraced the same computer-and synthesizer-driven creative tools that make EDM and trap music function, while existing entirely in their own, fully imagined universe of sound.
Cane Hill – Kill The Sun CDEP (Rise)
New EP from the New Orleans rockers, known for their brutal, mosh-pit-inducing songs.
DAWN – New Breed CD/LP (Local Action)
Following her acclaimed trilogy of solo albums, electronic R&B innovator DAWN (formerly Dawn Richard) returns with a new album-length project that dates back to her upbringing in New Orleans, taking in the city’s rich traditions and musical heritage. New Breed sees DAWN at her most eclectic, drawing on a wide range of influences and includes contributions from Cole M.G.N (Christine & The Queens, Ariel Pink), Kaveh Rastegar (John Legend, Sia), and Hudson Mohawke.
Dead Bolt – Trapped In Chaos CD/LP (Napalm)
The idyllic slopes and crystalline lakes of beautiful Bavaria stood no chance when Dust Bolt emerged in 2006 to encrust Germany and the rest of the world in hefty, Bay Area-influenced thrash metal featuring crossover influences and killer melodies.
Deerhunter – Why Hasn’t Everything Already Disappeared? CD/LP+MP3 (4AD)
Deerhunter’s eighth LP forgets the questions and makes up unrelated answers. It gets up, walks around, it records itself in several strategic geographic points across North America. It comes home, restructures itself and goes back to bed to avoid the bad news. From the opening harpsichord and piano figures of “Death in Midsummer”, it is impossible to tell where the record came from. Is “No One’s Sleeping” an outtake of an aborted Kinks recording session in 1977 Berlin with Eno producing? No. That is nostalgia. If there is one thing Deerhunter are making clear it is that they have exhausted themselves with that toxic concept.
The Delines – The Imperial CD/LP (El Cortez)
Sophomore album from the Portland, Oregon-based country soul band.
The End Of The Ocean – -aire CD/LP (Equal Vision)
New album from the Columbus, Ohio based post rock band.
Fever 333 – STRENTH IN NUMB333RS CD (Roadrunner)
Fever 333 is an American rapcore supergroup formed in Inglewood, California in July 2017. The three-piece band consists of former let live vocalist Jason Aalon Butler, former The Chariot guitarist Stephen Harrison and Night Verses drummer Aric Improta. STRENTH IN NUMB333RS is their debut album.
Flanders 72 – This Is A Punk Rock Club CD (Waterslide)
The Brazilian pop-punks are back with a new full-length album fueled with Ramones bubble gum pop punk.
The Flesh Eaters – I Used To Be Pretty CD/LP+MP3 (Yep Roc)
One of Los Angeles punk rock’s most widely admired yet little-heard bands makes a striking return with a new album. On I Used To Be Pretty, Flesh Eaters founding vocalist/songwriter Chris Desjardins is backed by the legendary all-star edition of the band, originally heard on the 1981 set A Minute To Pray, A Second to Die: Dave Alvin (guitar) and Bill Bateman (drums) of the Blasters; John Doe (bass) and D.J. Bonebrake (marimba and percussion) of X; and Steve Berlin (saxophones) of the Plugz (and later the Blasters and Los Lobos).
Flotsam & Jetsam – The End Of Chaos CD/LP (AFM)
12 inimitable, powerful and thrashy new songs from the veteran Arizona hard rock band. [Limited picture disc and limited orange colored vinyl pressings are also available.]
Steve Gunn – The Unseen In Between CD/LP+MP (Matador)
Getting to The Unseen In Between itself was not easy for Steve Gunn. In the summer of 2016, Gunn released Eyes On The Lines, his winning and elliptical debut for Matador. It should have been a triumphant moment, but exactly two weeks later, Gunn’s father and namesake died following a two-year struggle with cancer. This experience yielded the emotional centerpiece of the album. “Stonehurst Cowboy” is a duet for Gunn’s raw acoustic guitar and spare basslines by Bob Dylan’s musical director Tony Garnier, who’s featured throughout the album. The song distills the lessons Gunn learned from his father and it is a solemn but tender remembrance, a tribute to his father’s reputation as a tough, wise, and witty guy from far west Philadelphia.
Guster – Look Alive CD (Nettwerk)
Guster’s first new album in four years opens with a stark, haunting synth refrain and veers in unexpected directions from there. Despite having access to room after room of well-maintained analog keys, producer Leo Abrahams (Regina Spektor, Brian Eno/David Byrne, Belle and Sebastian) gravitated to a cheap Ensoniq Mirage synth from the 1980s.
Hama – Houmeissa CD/LP (Sahel Sounds)
Nigerian composer Hama presents a groundbreaking album of traditional electronic desert folk songs, hovering somewhere between early ’90s techno and synthwave. Nomadic herding ballads, ancient caravan songs, and ceremonial wedding chants are all re-imagined into pieces seemingly lifted from a Saharan 1980s sci-fi soundtrack or score to a Tuareg video game. With a deep love and respect, Hama effortlessly takes back and re-appropriates fourthworld ethno-ambient music.
Hante. – Fierce CD/LP (Metropolis)
Hante. is a one-woman project from the Paris-based Hélène de Thoury. While on the surface striking, cold, and synthetic, it becomes immediately evident that this unique blend of darkwave and striking electronics is also revealing, offering deep emotion and intimacy. The beautiful new album, Fierce, showcases an artist of passion and emotional depth using her music to face her fears.
Juliana Hatfield – Weird CD/LP/Cassette (American Laundromat)
Fast on the heels of 2018’s acclaimed Juliana Hatfield Sings Olivia Newton-John comes Juliana Hatfield’s self-produced all-originals album, Weird. Freda Love Smith (Blake Babies, Sunshine Boys) and Todd Philips (Lemonheads, The Juliana Hatfield Three) each played drums on multiple songs while Hatfield played all of the other instruments (and some additional drums). Weird is an album about disconnection and discomfort. ”I often feel cut-off from other people, from my feelings, from technology, from popular culture,” says Hatfield.
Hold Close – Time CD/LP (Hopeless)
Missouri emo rockers Hold Close release their debut full-length. Building on their success on their previous two EPs (I’ll Never Go Back / I Was Never Meant To Stay), the band use Time to explore topics such as love, loss and, of course, the passing of time.
Cody Johnson – Ain’t Nothin’ To It CD/2xLP (Warner Nashville)
New album from former rodeo bull rider turned prison guard turned budding country star. [Vinyl edition features a pair of live bonus tracks.]
Jorma Kaukonen & Jack Casady – Bear’s Sonic Journals: Before We Were Them CD (Owsley Stanley)
Recently discovered and previously unreleased music from Jefferson Airplane’s fabled guitar and bass players before they became known as Hot Tuna.
Sourakata Koite – En Hollande CD/LP (Awesome Tapes From Africa)
Sourakata Koite is a Paris-dwelling kora-player from Senegal. He is a griot, which means he is a story- and history-teller and singer. He accompanies himself on the kora. The kora (a harp-lute with 21 strings) is the most representative instrument of Manding music and culture.
Mark Lockhart – Days On Earth CD (Edition Records Ltd.)
Days On Earth epitomizes the eclectic mix of influences and genres that have shaped Lockheart’s concepts – from the expansive improvising and lush soundscapes of Polar Bear to 70’s funk, African Kora type harp melodies and soaring strings. With a heavyweight band featuring some of the leading figures of British Jazz including Liam Noble, Tom Herbert, Seb Rochford and John Parricelli, and a 30-piece orchestra, Days On Earth combines off-kilter Polar Bear grooves with unique and fascinating orchestral colors, all beautifully performed by a specially assembled crack London orchestra.
Lost Under Heaven – Love Hate What You Become CD/LP (Mute)
Love Hates What You Become captures the Manchester-based duo comprised of Ebony Hoorn and Ellery James Roberts at their most musically raw and visceral. The band wrote the album in Ellery’s native Manchester before traveling to Los Angeles to record with producer John Congleton, known for his Grammy-winning work with St. Vincent, Swans, Explosions in the Sky and Sigur Rós.
Alvin Lucier – Ricochet Lady CD (Black Truffle)
The recently composed Ricochet Lady (2016) is the only work for solo acoustic glockenspiel by the American experimental composer Alvin Lucier. Following in the manner of his pieces I Am Sitting In A Room and Vespers, Ricochet Lady embodies Lucier’s approach toward sound’s individual function and mobility within space. Created in close collaboration with Trevor Saint, a rare (if not the only) specialist of experimental music for glockenspiel, Lucier has further enhanced the sophistication of this re-imagined instrument while maintaining his devotion to letting spaces speak.
Machinefabriek – With Voices CD/LP (Western Vinyl)
With Voices is the newest recording by Dutch composer Rutger Zuydervelt under the moniker Machinefabriek. True to it’s title, the album’s eight pieces exhibit Zuydervelt’s use of tone generators, radios, synths, and other hi-fi curio to construct bewildering aural architecture around vocal contributions from Marissa Nadler, Peter Broderick, Richard Youngs, and others. [Scarlet red colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Magnum – Live At The Symphony Hall 2xCD/3xLP+2xCD (Steamhammer)
On April 19, 2018 inside Birmingham’s Symphony Hall, British rock band Magnum completed their Road To Eternity tour. [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Malibu Ken (Aesop Rock and Tobacco) – Malibu Ken CD (Rhymesayers)
Aesop Rock has been credited as one of the most verbose MC’s in hip-hop today. Known for his dense and abstract wordplay, he manipulates language to illustrate elaborate stories and difficult concepts with sharp clarity. Tobacco is a member of psych-electronic band Black Moth Super Rainbow. Known for working with pre-digital electronic instruments like analog synths and tape machines, he crafts distorted, experimentalist beats that intertwine feelings of tension and anxiety with sensations of bemusement and pleasure. Together, Aesop Rock and Tobacco are Malibu Ken. [Colored vinyl edition comes in a die cut gatefold jacket with a 2-panel wearable perforated pop out mask with elastic string, and a 4-panel full color insert with full album lyrics.]
Steve Mason – About The Light CD/LP (Domino)
Recorded at studios in London and Brighton, About The Light sees a subtle yet noticeable evolution in Steve Mason’s sound. “When I listen to this album it feels and sounds like the first ‘legitimate’ record that I have ever made. It’s hard to explain but it sounds like a ‘real’ album. I think that is partly the production, the playing and the work that I did with the band for all those months in our rehearsal room on the South Coast,” says Steve. “It’s a beautiful, confident, positive, angry, loving and gentle album which once again moves what I do forward. David Bowie said that you should always be slightly out of your comfort zone if you want to achieve greatness, and for the first time perhaps ever, I deliberately pushed myself into that place. Who doesn’t want greatness?”
John Medeski – John Medeski’s Mad Skillet CD/LP (Indirecto)
Led by the hugely influential keyboardist and featuring guitarist Will Bernard and the legendary Dirty Dozen Brass Band rhythm section of sousaphonist Kirk Joseph and drummer Terence Higgins, Mad Skillet is first and foremost a product of New Orleans.
Alice Merton – Mint CD/LP (Mom+Pop)
Platinum-selling English born, German-based singer-songwriter Alice Merton releases her much-anticipated debut album. Written by Alice and longtime co-writer/producer Nicolas Rebscher the “Why So Serious” single is a song that brings positive light into this sometimes too serious world we live in. Although sticking to Alice’s electric guitar riff-laden sound she’s come to form, this song brings a more pop filled positioning with a well-honed production and strong melody and chorus leading into a well-written bridge. [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Mister T – Black Drop CD/LP (Cold Busted)
Based out of the funky scene brewing in Athens, Greece, Mister T leads the way with another spell-binding album release. With accolades from the likes of Greg Wilson, Mark Farina (Mushroom Jazz), and Jose Padilla (Café del Mar), Mister T has become a respected name in the global beat-making scene.
Terry Ohms – Terryfirma CD/LP+MP3 (Cornelius Chapel)
On Terry Ohms’ Terryfirma, you can hear the echoes of artists such as The Rolling Stones
and Gram Parsons but opening track, “Mind Blow”, evokes the bluster of Hüsker Dü and reckless abandon of The Replacements. Other tracks like the danceable “Bring All to Front” and “We Love You” share space with the lounge guitar vibrations of “Those Eyes”, building a wide-ranging selection of liquid melodies and subtle electronic flourishes. [Limited yellow colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Oomph! – Ritual CD/2xLP (Napalm)
German trio Oomph! was raised on EBM, rock and new wave, and accidentally started a new subgenre in the ‘90s (the so-called Neue Deutsche Härte that influenced Rammstein and many more) and were crossover when crossover wasn’t even born. Ritual is their 13th album.
Orgōne – Reasons CD/LP (Killion Sound)
Orgōne delivers dirty, organic, California soul with heart; music that grabs you by the collar, pulls you to your feet and shoves you wantingly onto the dance floor.
A Pale Horse Named Death – When The World Becomes Undone CD/2xLP/2xLP+CD (SPV)
“Brooklyn Lords of Doom” A Pale Horse Named Death siphon strangely blissful melodies from apocalyptic heavy metal awash in swells of cavernous gothic keys and grunge songcraft. [Deluxe numbered box set edition features an exclusive colored vinyl version, a copy of the CD, a beanie, a patch, a guitar pick and a sticker.]
Papa Roach – Who Do You Trust CD/LP (Eleven Seven Music)
Who Do You Trust? includes some material that was left on the cutting-room floor during the Crooked Teeth sessions.
Pedro The Lion – Phoenix CD/2xLP+MP3 (Polyvinyl)
Capping off a fruitful 12-year long solo career, singer/songwriter David Bazan resurrects and reunites with both the moniker and mindset of his profoundly influential indie rock outfit, Pedro The Lion, with the follow up to their 2004 opus, Achilles Heel. The band’s new album, Phoenix, marks a return to form for the beloved group, while mapping out the emotional intricacies and childhood experiences of growing up in Phoenix, AZ – a process that would ultimately shape Bazan’s adult life. [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Lee Perry & King Tubby – Cloak & Dagger: Scratch The Upsetter CD/LP (Clocktower)
A new compilation of early Lee Scratch Perry material, including tracks recorded during the early ’70s.
Mike Posner – Real Good Kid CD (Island)
Grammy-nominated, worldwide multi-platinum selling singer-songwriter and producer Mike Posner (“I Took A Pill In Ibiza”, “Cooler Than Me”) releases his long-awaited fourth album. [Vinyl edition due March 8.]
Raven – Screaming Murder Death From Above: Live in Aalborg CD/2xLP+CD (Steamhammer)
When the British/American metal trio Raven left the Skraen stage at the end of November 2017 after their acclaimed concert in Aalborg, Denmark, brothers John (bass, vocals) and Mark Gallagher (guitar) along with new member Mike Heller (drums) didn’t foresee their show recorded for posterity. [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Lou Reed – Thinking Of Another Place 3xLP (Bang!)
Lou Reed´s first triple-live vinyl LP from 1976’s Rock´n´Roll Heart USA tour. A superb performance recorded for radio broadcast, restored and remastered, Reed plays seven tracks from that album alongside songs from Transformer (1972), Berlin (1973), Sally Can´t Dance (1974), and Coney Island Baby (1975), as well as some excellent Velvet Underground thrown in for good measure.
Trippie Redd – A Love Letter To You 3 CD (TenThousand Projects)
Fresh off the release of his video for Topanga and his debut studio album, Life’s A Trip, Multi-platinum rapper and singer Trippie Redd releases a new 16-track album featuring Juice Wrld, Emani 22, NBA YoungBoy, and Nel-Denarro.
Laurie Spiegel – The Expanding Universe [Reissue/1980] 2xCD/3xLP (Unseen Worlds)
Laurie Spiegel – Unseen Worlds [Reissue/1991] CD/2xLP (Unseen Worlds)
Expanded CD and vinyl reissues of the first two albums by the composer and computer music pioneer.
Peter Stampfel – The Ordivician Era! CD (Don Giovanni)
Welcome to The Ordovician Era in which the Peter Stampfel and Atomic Meta-Pagans become even more like themselves. Features the vocal stylings of the Stampfelettes, magical overdubs by Mark Bingham, higher quality improvs by award winning experimental vocalist Shelley Hirsch (Singing, The Big Gundown), Peter Stampfel (Holy Modal Rounders, Fugs), and more.
Subjective – Act 1: Music For Inanimate Objects CD/2xLP (Masterworks)
DJ, producer, visual artist, actor and visionary Goldie joins forces with revered engineer and producer James Davidson under the alias Subjective on their first collaborative project. Act 1: Music For Inanimate Objects features Goldie at his uncompromising, unapologetic best – fusing classical, ambient and electronic elements with the ingenuity that only a trailblazer as himself could do. Combine this with James’ own creative flair, and an engineering prowess that allows them to explore a range of tempos, emotions and sonic landscapes with complete freedom, and it’s clear to see Subjective is the making of two artists born with a predestined compatibility.
Swamp Thing – Horse Power CD/Cassette (Urbnet)
Toronto’s three-headed rap monster, Swamp Thing (Timbuktu, Chokeules & Savilion) have delivered a special sonic treat. Horse Power is their seventh full length studio album and anticipated follow up to their 2017 release, The Octagon. Produced by Savilion and Timbuktu, the thirteen track LP showcases the electric chemistry, creativity, and swagger that the three emcees bring to the table, along with some talented features including the all-star turntablist DJ iRATE, Wordburgular, and D-Sisive. [Vinyl edition due February 1.]
Thunder – Please Remain Seated CD/2xLP (BMG Rights Management)
In celebration of their 30th anniversary Thunder revisit and reinterpret a selection of their finest songs in a way you’ve never heard them before. Please Remain Seated is the sound of a band taking a strange journey into their own music, but also distilling thirty years of playing together in order to create something truly compelling, taking in flavors of rock, blues, jazz and soul along the way. [Limited edition colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Trollfest – Norwegian Fairytales CD/LP (Napalm/NoiseArt)
Oslo’s folkish madmen are back their eighth album –a concept album based on various Norwegian myths and legends.
Travis Tritt – Live At Soundstage CD+DVD (BMG Rights Management)
Travis Tritt had dominated the charts for a decade performing the kind of country music that “men identify with and females swoon over.” In this Soundstage concert, he wows the audience performing favorites such as “Modern Day Bonnie and Clyde”, “Great Day To Be Alive”, and “Anymore”.
The Twilight Sad – It Won’t Be like This All The Time CD/LP (Rock Action)
From their unassuming origins as a group of school friends drawn together by a shared passion for music to the global touring force (supporting The Cure and Editors at arenas and stadiums), they have quietly become, Scotland’s The Twilight Sad’s ascent has been forged the old way with grit, graft and four exceptional studio albums. Now signed to country mates and seminal rock band, Mogwai’s Rock Action Records, the bands fifth album does not disappoint and will certainly not disappoint fans of their previous works. It will also appeal to fans of The Cure, Frightened Rabbits, The National, Interpol and Editors.
The Vagabonds – V CD/LP (Blue Élan)
Live For Live Music has The Vagabonds to musical legends like My Morning Jacket and The Black Crowes, calling them “a force to be reckoned with,” complete with “gorgeous harmonies and impressive instrumental skills making for a perfect combination.”
Various Artists – Imagine: John Lennon 75th Birthday Concert 2xCD/2xCD+DVD/2xLP (Blackbird Production Partners)
20 performances of Beatles and Lennon solo classics recorded at The Theatre At Madison Square Garden by Aloe Blacc, Eric Church, Sheryl Crow, Brandon Flowers, John Fogerty, Peter Frampton, Juanes, Kris Kristofferson, Pat Monahan, Tom Morello, Willie Nelson, The Roots, Spoon + Chris Stapleton. [Deluxe edition featuring a DVD of the concert is also available.]
Various Artists – Las Vegas Grind! Volume 7 CD/LP (Jazzman)
Calling all turkeynecks, dirt fiends and juiceheads – often imitated, never equaled, Las Vegas Grind! Volume 7 collects another volume of demented and depraved sleaze-ball bump and grind.
- Ward – What A Wonderful Industry CD/LP (M. Ward Productions)
What A Wonderful Industry takes on a subtler shade of music industry beef, writing about the heroes and villains he’s encountered over 20 years. M. Ward’s solo work is a mixture of folk and blues-inspired Americana analog recordings; he has released nine albums since 1999, primarily through independent label Merge Records. In addition to his solo work, he is a member of pop duo She & Him and folk-rock supergroup Monsters of Folk, and also participates in recording, producing, and playing with multiple other artists. [Limited clear vinyl pressing also available.]
Whitehorse – The Northern South Vol. 2 CDEP (Six Shooter)
“A collection of blues, soul and other music from the American South, must have been fun to play: the grooves are locked down, the percussion is smart and the rhythm section is as steady as a freight train.”
Wristmeetrazor – Misery Never Forgets CD/LP (Prosthetic)
“Wristmeetrazor pack alluring darkness in a sometimes ugly, sometimes captivating sheen on their debut full-length, Misery Never Forgets. The tracks feel reminiscent of a classic screamo sound while ultimately veering off their own wild directions.” – No Echo
This Week’s Vinyl Exclusives:
Antena – Camino Del Sol [Reissue/1982] LP (Numero)
1982, Brussels: The former au pair for Rick Wakeman of Yes and two of her teenage friends are at the doorstep of Les Disques Du Crepuscule, ready to cut an album with Gilles Martin. Living on busking wages and next door to Tuxedomoon, their work results in a contemporary bossanova record that would provide a missing link between Antonio Carlos Jobim and Kraftwerk. Camino Del Sol was issued and promptly forgotten, with Isabelle Antena moving toward jazz in Asia and the others returning to France.
eden ahbez “Nature Boy” – Eden’s Island: The Music Of An Enchanted Isle [Reissue/1960] LP (Fantôme Phonographique)
Though he was originally from Brooklyn and raised by adoptive parents in rural Kansas, George Alexander Aberle, aka eden ahbez, is about as California as they come. He was discovered in the 1940s while working in one of Los Angeles’ earliest raw vegetarian restaurants and was known throughout the ’50s and ’60s for being spotted on the streets of L.A. in full white robe, sandals, and beard, and legendarily camping underneath the first L in the Hollywood sign. After writing numerous hits for jazz and pop singers, including the iconic “Nature Boy” made famous by Nat King Cole in 1948, ahbez (who spelled his name with lower case lettering because he deemed only God and Infinity worthy of capitalization) recorded his only long playing record, Eden’s Island: The Music Of An Enchanted Isle in 1960. A combination of exotica arrangements and beat era poetry, the album sold poorly at the time but has since become regarded as an exotica classic that transcends the trappings of the genre.
Jill Barber – Chansons [Reissue/2013] LP (Outside Music)
Jill Barber’s Chansons is an album of her own interpretations of classic French songs from both France and Québec. Jill meticulously curated the repertoire herself, selecting material from a long list of over thirty songs, drawn both from her own collection, and from recommendations from friends within the Francophone community.
Brant Bjork – Mankind Woman LP (Heavy Psych Sounds)
Limited gold vinyl repress of Brant Bjork’s 13th (and most recent) album. Although this is indeed a Brant Bjork record it is the first record Brant Bjork solely collaborates with a producer and co-writer, his LowDesertPunkBand guitarist and friend, Bubba Dupree. Only Brant and Bubba wrote and performed the music along with guest appearances by bass player Armand Secco Sabal, Nick Oliveri, and vocalist Sean Wheeler who has been a touring member of the LowDesertPunkBand.
David Bowie – Reality [Reissue/2003] LP (Friday Music)
Limited 180gm translucent gold & blue swirl audiophile vinyl reissue. Reality offers a gritty soundscape that’s everything we’ve come to expect from the musical icon.
Bugseed – Far East Joints LP (Cold Busted)
Buzzing in from Okinawa, Bugseed has been making a name for himself in hip-hop circles with finely constructed beats and clever sample riffs, inspiring a multitude of releases filtering across the globe. Dusty rhythms, layered loops, and ringing instrumentation represent Bugseed’s cool new take on a classic old school instrumental hip-hop sound. [CD version due February 1.]
A Cat Called Fritz – Tribulations And Life Of A Cat Called Fritz [Reissue/2015] 3xLP (HHV.DE)
Limited extended re-edition of 400 copies on triple vinyl of Fritz’ album debut on vinyl due to the strong demand. Includes the original album with features by Audessey (of Soundsci fame), T-Love, Chaotik Stylz, RepLife and others plus 10 bonus tracks.
Catsystem Corp. – Shopping@Helsinki LP (Vinyl Digital)
“A virtual trip through my past experiences in Helsinki mixed with my vision of what the world of Hiraeth looks like. Album features various recordings from my trip to Finland and multiple easy listening and WC jazz music.”
Crash – Kakadu: Lost Tapes 1977-1978 LP (Sound By Sound)
Crash is one of the most interesting jazz-rock ensembles from behind the Iron Curtain. Originating from Poland, the band performed with Sonny Rollins in the 1970s and won awards at the largest European festivals. Kakadu consists of tracks never previously released on vinyl.
CV313 – Glass City Sessions 2xLP(Minimood)
CV313’s signature dub techno sound has been a blueprint for the genre and is created on vintage hardware; all sounds, static, tones, and paranormal occurrences are left in to render it as atmospheric as it is. The five expansive recordings on Glass City Sessions are based on live recordings from a DEMF after-show night back in 2000 in Detroit.
Da Buze Bruvaz – Ni$&@tivity LP (Grilchy Party)
Da Buze Bruvaz have created a modern Blaxploitation epic in hip-hop form.
Dead C – Rare Ravers LP (Ba Da Bing)
Disguised as the meandering outpourings of vacant thought and activity dialed simultaneously from zero and ten. Formed in the cauldron of a fevered mistake resolute. Surrounded by ignorance, dis-interest, and the attention of the carefully self-selected. Recorded and burned through a thousand galaxies of dust and doubt and endless infinite wonder, transforming both time and space. Forever exiled to the very bottom of the world to reflect on the struggling desperate pile above. Recognizing any contribution as miniscule and insignificant when placed within the greatness of the other, the dominant insolent preening satisfied, continually shouting the pre-eminence of the first world order. The latest by The Dead C – Rare Ravers: it’s a long player. [CD version due February 1.]
Deep Purple – Deep Purple In Rock [Reissue/1970] LP (Rhino)
Deep Purple – Fireball [Reissue/1971] LP (Rhino)
Limited edition purple colored vinyl reissues. Deep Purple’s In Rock was originally was released on June 3rd, 1970 an was the band’s fourth studio album and the first to feature the classic Mark II line-up of Ritchie Blackmore, Jon Lord, Ian Paice plus the two newest members of the band, Ian Gillan and Roger Glover. Their 1971 follow-up, Fireball, was their first UK number one album.
John Denver – John Denver’s Greatest Hits [Reissue/1973] LP+MP3 (Sony Legacy)
John Denver’s Greatest Hits was released in late 1973 for the holiday shopping season. The collection included material from his earlier days as a songwriter (going back to 1965 on For Bobbie) to his later hit Rocky Mountain High (1972).
DJ Muggs – Soul Assassins: Dia Del Asesinato LP (Soul Assassins)
After more than 20 years since The Soul Assassins Chapter 1, DJ Muggs drops the long-awaited sequel. Like previous Soul Assassins projects, Muggs features a slew of legends including MF Doom, Raekwon, and Kool G Rap, balanced with a crop of today’s top rhyme spitters including Freddie Gibbs, Meyhem Lauren, Mach-Hommy, and Eto.
Tita Duval Y El Nuevo Ritmo De Bobby Rey – Cumbias Internacionales [Reissue/1974] LP (Vampisoul)
Vinyl reissue of arguably the strangest (yet coolest) concept record in the Discos Fuentes catalog – a compendium of trippy tropical madness masquerading as international cumbias features the venerable Argentinian showbiz couple Tita Duval and Roberto Rey.
Lee Fields & The Expressions – It Rains Love b/w Will I Get Off Easy 7” (Big Crown)
New single from the forthcoming Lee Fields & The Expressions album, It Rains Love. Another instant classic sure to wrap the world in love and soul.
Gas – Zauberberg [Reissue/1997] 2xLP (Kompakt)
Zauberberg – Wolfgang Voigt’s most fundamental (and foreboding) release under his alias Gas and perhaps of all in his untold discography – finally stands alone once again and is released in the way it’s original splendor. Originally released in 1997 on the iconic Frankfurt imprint Mille Plateaux, and then reissued in 2016 as a part of Gas Box, Zauberberg is now released on his own label, Kompakt.
Goatwhore – A Haunting Curse [Reissue/2006] LP (Metal Blade)
More molten than its gloomier predecessor, A Haunting Curse stays true to the band’s original irreverent Bathory-meets-Baal (the god of thunder) in a bullpen sensibility with punkish resolve and those inimitable Louisiana grooves for which the band has become known.
Dexter Gordon – A Swingin’ Affair [Reissue/1962] LP (Down At Dawn)
“Swingin'” is the key word for this great 1962 recording session with the Gordon’s tenor saxophone, leading an all-star quartet including Sonny Clark (piano), Butch Warren (bass), and Billy Higgins (drums). The album opens with the infectious, Afro-Cuban groove of “Soy Califa”, featuring the unique Higgins beat, and develops through some high class renditions of romantic standards such as “Don’t Explain” and “You Stepped Out Of A Dream”, plus the dynamic Latin rhythm of Warren’s “Backbone”.
Jonny Greenwood – There Will Be Blood [Reissue/2007] LP (Nonesuch)
First-time vinyl pressing of the Radiohead guitarist’s original orchestral score to the Paul Thomas Anderson film.
Gun Club – Destroy The Country LP (Cleopatra)
First ever authorized issue of this classic 1984 European bootleg. Features a performance recorded live in Italy in 1983. Limited green colored vinyl LP pressing.
HMLT x Kei-LI and Joiya – Wednesday 7” (Urbnet)
HMLT – pronounced Hamlet – is a Toronto based R&B duo, comprised of brothers Corey and Taylor Wong. The two have been honing their soulful craft for some time, establishing themselves with previous releases while performing steadily throughout Toronto. The Wednesday EP is a collaborative project with fellow Toronto R&B artists Kei-LI and Joiya.
Iman Magnetic – Back To Square One LP (Vinyl Digital)
Iman’s beats are a breathtaking time warp into the history of hip-hop. Think Patty Astor, Keith Haring, Manuel Gerullis, Pete Rock, Wu Tang and Rasul Allah (RIP).
Iron Butterfly – Live In Copenhagen 2xLP (Purple Pyramid)
Vintage live double-LP set from the psych rock powerhouse.
Jah Gumby – Humility: The Vibes Of Jah G 2xLP (Aloha Got Soul)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. What happens when a young kid from Pālolo Valley starts collecting and trading hip hop tapes at age five, discovers Gregory Isaacs at age 12 (then buys every release Isaacs ever made), learns to play almost every instrument, forms a punk band with his friends at 15 (soon morphing into legendary roots group Ooklah The Moc), amasses a vinyl collection of thousands of reggae rarities (rivaling only that of his father’s massive jazz collection), studies music theory under unsung hero and fellow Pālolo resident, guitarist Jimmy Funai, then opens his own recording studio at the turn of the millennium to produce hundreds upon hundreds of original riddims? Where else to start than with a name: Jah Gumby.
Jazz Spastiks & Penpals – Remixes: Made For The Underground 2xLP (HHV.DE)
Limited double vinyl LP pressing of the Jazz Spastiks’ remixes of the classic Penpals album Made For The Underground with features by Pete Flux, Junclassic, Marvelous Jay and others. Includes all instrumentals as well.
Los Jets – Leccion de Twist LP (Munster)
Formed in 1961, Los Jets were one of the most important bands in the emergence of rock and roll in Argentina, and were also pioneers in fusion, recording Argentine and Latin American folk songs with a rock beat. Leccion de Twist gathers tracks from their two LPs, singles and their only surviving live recording, recorded in January, 1966. Includes CD with 15 bonus tracks.
Rickie Lee Jones – Rickie Lee Jones [Reissue/1981] LP (Other Side Of Desire)
Rickie Lee Jones – Pirates [Reissue/1981] LP (Other Side Of Desire)
Vinyl reissues of the Chicago-born singer/songwriter’s first two albums.
LAPS – Who Me? LP (DFA)
The second release from MIC comes from Ladies As Pimps – LAPS for short – an anarchic Glasgow duo formed by Cass Ezeji of Golden Teacher and Alicia Matthews (Sue Zuki/ Organs Of Love). Their duets take center stage on Who Me?: the vocal performances range from the stretched, soulful projections of “Ode To Daughter” to the lawless, clipped, sweet & sour, spat-not-spoken word of “Edges”. Spirited percussion scatters in all directions and bass is smothered in tape delay, as the five tracks beat through dub, RnB, house, and way beyond, circling around acts like Madame X, The Bug, Stuart Argabright, Francois K, mashing absurdity with dread.
Le Stim – A Tribute To Muhammad Ali We Crown The King 12” (Melodies Int’l)
A disco anthem from Detroit that was originally recorded in 1980.
Julian Lynch – Rat’s Spit LP (Underwater Peoples)
New release from the experimental rocker and member of Real Estate. He cites acts as varied as Tears for Fears, Kate Bush, George Clinton, and Yes as influences behind the sound of Rat’s Spit.
Havey Mandel – Righteous LP (Purple Pyramid)
Brilliant 1970 blues rock from the Canned Heat/John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers guitarist. 180gm colored vinyl and packaged in a limited edition silver foil sleeve.
Michael McDermott – Willow Springs/Out From Under 2xLP+MP3 (Pauper Sky)
Stephen King has said that Michael McDermott is one of the best songwriters in the world. Willow Springs (1016) and Out From Under (2018) are now available for the first time as a collection on vinyl.
Joe McPhee – Nation Time [Reissue/1971] LP (Superior Viaduct)
The music on Nation Time came out of the fertile, but little-known creative jazz scene in Poughkeepsie, New York, McPhee’s home base. Two bands were deployed, one with a funky free foundation featuring guitar and organ, the other consisting of a more standard jazz formation with two drummers and the brilliant Mike Kull at the piano. Across the concert and the next afternoon’s audience-less recording session, the band was ignited by McPhee’s passion and his gorgeous post-Coltrane/post-Pharoah tenor.
Objekt – Cocoon Crush 2xLP (Pan)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Written between 2014 and 2018 in Berlin and on the road, Cocoon Crush once again sees Objekt jettisoning the functional requirements of the dancefloor. Marking a further evolution from the youthful exuberance of Flatland, Cocoon Crush explores a more introspective side, with themes of human interaction resonating throughout the record as it ruminates on a spectrum of complex moods rooted in four years of sometimes turbulent personal experience.
Pauline Oliveros – Reverberations I LP (Important)
In 2012 Important Records released Reverberations: Tape & Electronic Music 1961-1970, a 12-CD box set compiling much of Pauline Oliveros’ early and unreleased electronic work. Reverberations I is the first release in an ongoing series dedicated to releasing the entire 12-CD box set on vinyl.
Orchestre Abass – Orchestre Abass (De Bassari Togo) LP (Analog Africa)
In 1972, Orchestre Abass released two incredible singles on Polydor. These records – featuring Samarin Banza, Haka Dunia, and other Afro-funk masterpieces – were powerful enough to knock any music head out, but it wasn’t until the discovery of some unreleased material by the band that the seeds for this project were planted. 180gm pressing in a gatefold sleeve with previously unseen pictures and a detailed biography of the group.
Outrageous Cherry – Meet You In The Shadows LP (Burger)
Outrageous Cherry combined psychedelia, folk rock, art rock, and bubblegum music across more than 12 albums and nearly three decades. They attracted an international cult following and were a longstanding fixture in the Detroit rock and roll scene since their first gigs in 1991. Meet You In The Shadows is their final studio album, completed before the passing of founding lead guitarist Larry Ray.
Palaye Royale – Boom Boom Room LP (Sumerian)
Christened as both The Hottest Band of 2018 and simply the group of the year, by the English music press, Canadian fashion-rock trio Palaye Royale is a shot of adrenaline into the modern musical landscape. Summoning a thrilling spirit, with throwback sonic crunch, visual flair, and reckless live performances, the band has quickly earned a legion of obsessive cult-like loyalists, lovingly dubbed Soldiers of the Royal Council.
Axel Rudi Pell – The Ballads [Reissue/1993] 2xLP (Steamhammer)
Axel Rudi Pell – The Ballads II [Reissue/1999] 2xLP (Steamhammer)
Axel Rudi Pell – The Ballads III [Reissue/2004] 2xLP (Steamhammer)
German heavy metal guitar mastermind Axel Rudi Pell kicked off his now five releases deep ballad compilation series in 1993. The first three are available for the first time on vinyl.
The Pine Hill Haints – Ghost Dance [Reissue/2007] LP (Arkam)
“Alabama punk band’s third album, and first for K Records, is a winning set of choppy, rhythm-centric odes to Buddy Holly and Carl Perkins — mostly about girls, but often about ghosts, too.” – Pitchfork
Richard Pinhas – Iceland [Reissue/1979] 2xLP (Superior Viaduct)
Digitally remastered and expanded release featuring bonus track. Iceland was recorded in 1979 at Heldon Studios & Ramses Studios, Paris. Remixed at Devout Studios by Roger Roche, assisted by Chstian except: ‘Iceland’ remixed at Ramses Studios by Richard Pinhas and ‘Wintermusic’ recorded live in 1983 at Heldon Studios.
Porcupine – What You’ve Heard Isn’t Real LP (Dead Broke)
From Minneapolis, vocalist Casey Virock, drummer Ian Prince and bassist Greg Norton (formerly of Hüsker Dü), weave songcraft and musical sensibilities that swirl classic New Wave, British psychedelia and edgy guitars in a way that puts the band in a class with Queens Of The Stone Age and Swervedriver. They are a must-see, compelling live band.
The Quick & Easy Boys – Ninkasi Sessions LP (Dutch Records)
The Quick & Easy Boys are a power-trio from Portland, Oregon that create their own brand of rock and roll using elements from The Minutemen, The Police, and Band of Gypsies among others. Ninkasi Sessions spans disco to country, funk to soul and more.
Lee Ranaldo – Electric Trim Live At Rough Trade East LP (Mute)
Recorded at London’s Rough Trade East in the autumn of 2017, this album depicts an intimate solo performance, the first UK date on his extensive Electric Trim tour before Lee Ranaldo returned later that year with the Electric Trim trio. Live At Rough Trade East extends the work of Ranaldo’s solo canon, through his collaboration with Fernandez, Ranaldo moves into some rich new sonic territories and production techniques, experimenting with electronic beats and samples alongside live players.
Max Richter – Mary Queen Of Scots [OST] LP (Deutsche Grammophon)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Richter’s score for the historical film – a retelling of the turbulent life of Mary Stuart (Saoirse Ronan), based on the book Queen Of Scots: The True Life of Mary Stuart by Dr. John Guy.
Run-DMC – Down With The King 7” (Dinked)
Officially licensed reissue of the 1993 Pete Rock produced Golden Era classic featuring guest rhymes from Pete Rock & CL Smooth. LP mix b/w the instrumental version.
Rush – In Rio [Reissue/2003] 4xLP (Atlantic)
Following a nearly five-year break from touring, Rush returned to the stage in 2002 to support the trio’s seventeenth studio album, Vapor Trails. During the tour, Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart played to some of the biggest crowds of the band’s career, including 40,000 people at the tour’s final stop in Rio de Janeiro. First-time vinyl pressing.
Klaus Schulze – Moonlake [Reissue/2005] LP (SPV)
Klaus Schulze – Kontinuum [Reissue/2007] LP (SPV)
Klaus Schulze – Shadowlands [Reissue/2013] LP (SPV)
First-time vinyl pressings. Even more than with a band, the creative work of a solo artist is the direct and unadulterated reflection of recent experiences, a mirror of the soul, an undiluted reaction to their current life situation. This formula has always applied to German electronic music artist, composer and producer Klaus Schulze. The astonishing number of albums recorded and released by him is virtually impossible to pinpoint (experts estimate the number of releases featuring Schulze to be at least 200, but more probably 500).
She Past Away – Belirdi Gece [Reissue/2012] LP (Metropolis)
She Past Away – Narin Yalnizlik [Reissue/2015] LP (Metropolis)
This unique act blends dark-wave with an 80’s influence, post-punk era guitars with minimalist poetry sung in Turkish.
Shigeto – Weighted 12” (Ghostly Int’l)
Limited colored vinyl LP pressing. One year after Michigan-based artist Zach Saginaw released his third album as Shigeto, a genre-blending Detroit love letter called The New Monday, he returns with another eclectic display of affection for the musical community that makes Motor City music tick. The four new tracks on his Weighted EP, including a sumptuous remix from Detroit house luminary Andrés, continue to refine and augment the patchwork of jazz, hip-hop, and electronics that Shigeto has built his catalog with.
Baba Sissoko & Djana Sissoko – Fasiya LP (Blind Faith)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Never content with the ordinary, Baba Sissoko started his personal outstanding musical journey in Bamako, Mali, several years ago. Carrying on his shoulders the legacy of a legendary dynasty of Malian griots and repeating to himself that It’s getting closer and closer but I’m not there yet he broke all the boundaries, collaborating and recording with artists such as Youssou N’Dour, Ry Cooder, Buena Vista Social Club, The Art Ensemble Of Chicago and becoming the first Malian who ever deserved the stellar Obaland Awards for Best African Jazz musician of the Year 2018. His most appreciated satisfaction came few years ago when he found our that his firstborn daughter, Djana Sissoko, a young and super talented 18 years old, decided to follow his path and join him in the mission to deliver his meaningful message of peace and joy to the world.
Smog – Fragile Aesthetics LP (Vinyl Digital)
After releasing his beattape Nights For EXPEDITion and contributions on various beat samplers, Smog releases his debut album. Genre boundaries are overcome in his diverse sounding tracks that range from synthesizer-based halftime beats to organic uptempo tracks.
Snow Patrol – Final Straw [Reissue/2003] 2xLP (A&M)
Snow Patrol – Eyes Open [Reissue/2006] 2xLP (A&M)
Snow Patrol – Hundred Million Suns [Reissue/2006] 2xLP (A&M)
Snow Patrol – Final Empires [Reissue/2011] 2xLP (A&M)
Vinyl reissue of the third, fourth, fifth and sixth studio albums by the Northern Irish-Scottish alternative rock band.
Stapleton/Tibet – Threats Of Memories Double 2xLP (Dirter Promotions) The Sadness Of Things Leaders of England’s hidden reverse, Stapleton and Tibet, compile four visionary highlights of their collaborations between 1991-1998, including a previously unreleased outtake of their Musical Pumpkin Cottage album. “The Sadness Of Things” was originally released as Side One of Steven Stapleton and David Tibet’s The Sadness Of Things (1991). “The Dead Side Of The Moon” and “BubbleHead” were, respectively, sides one and two of Stapleton and Tibet’s Musicalische Kürbs Hütte (1996). “DreamBreath” is a previously unreleased outtake from Musical Pumpkin Cottage (1996)
The Suburbs – Cows b/w Baby Heartbeat 7”+MP3 (Suburbs Music)
A brand-new recording of some very old songs.
Sugarcane Jane – Southern State Of Mind LP (Arena)
New album from the Alabama Gulf Coast-based husband and wife duo of Anthony Crawford and Savana Lee.
Tankard – Best Case Scenario: 25 Years In Beers [Reissue/2007] 2xLP (AFM)
In 1982 when four longhaired metal-maniacs from Frankfurt am Main, Germany decided to found a band named Tankard, nobody expected them to still be going three decades later. Not to mention being at the top of the German thrash metal scene. [Limited green colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Teknical Development & Figub Brazlevic – Strictly 4 All 2xLP (Vinyl Digital)
Teknical Development & Figub Brazlevic – Strictly 4 All (Instrumentals) LP (Vinyl Digital)
Standing up to the scene once again with power moves for their new release Strictly 4 All. The title speaks for itself, straight to the point. Delivering jewels track after track, staying true to their unique and original style. Strictly 4 All is for all with no exceptions.
The Telescopes – Early Studio Recordings LP (Bang!)
The first four EPs, spanning 1989-1990, from the legendary British band leading the late ’80s and early ’90s shoe-gaze and melodic noise scene alongside the likes of The Jesus And Mary Chain.
Ulver – Sic Transit Gloria Mundi [Reissue/2017] 12” (House Of Mythology)
Vinyl reissue of Ulver’s “most accessible record and a full-on return to singing and vocal melodies. Whether this is or isn’t the last we’ll hear of pop music from Ulver, or as close to it as they can get, it’s been a highly rewarding and stimulating experience of dark pop magic from the wolves of Norway.” – Sputnik Music
Sharon Van Etten – Remind Me Tomorrow LP (Jagjaguwar)
Remind Me Tomorrow was written in stolen time. In the four years since Are We There, Van Etten guest-starred in The OA, performed in David Lynch’s Twin Peaks revival, and wrote her first film score and song for TV – for Kathering Dieckmann’s Strange Weather Tig Notaro’s show Tig, respectively. Van Etten also had a child and began studying psychology. In the scraps of hours between these endeavors, Remind Me Tomorrow was born [Limited clear blue vinyl pressing also available.]
Various Artists – 80’s Symphonic 2xLP (Rhino)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. 80’s Symphonic combines the original classic tracks from David Bowie, a-ha, Foreigner, Simple Minds, Simply Red, Tina Turner, Pretenders, Ultravox and more with brand new symphonic and string arrangements performed by the 50-piece London Studio Orchestra.
Various Artists – Italo Funk 2xLP (Soul Clap)
A compilation of DJs and producers who don’t fit into any conventional music scene and learned their music, by listening to avant-garde shades of Italo house, or by traveling abroad, trying to embrace the more daring sides of electronic boogies.
Various Artists – Music Of Indonesia LP (Fantome Phonographique)
Having been a crucial stop on international trade routes since as early as the seventh century, the influences on Indonesian musical traditions are deep and wide. Music Of Indonesia, recorded in 1950, is one of the earliest western documents of this rich tradition. Featuring sounds ranging from beautiful Balinese gamelan orchestras and operas to the raw power of katjapi (a variety of boat-lute), and more, this is one of the best glimpses into the Indonesian musical traditions you ever see.
Various Artists – This Is Soul LP (Atlantic)
Released last June on CD – now available on vinyl. This compilation has integral historical grounding and features the absolute best of Stax and Atlantic artists from Aretha Franklin to Percy Sledge, Otis Redding to Ben E. King.
Vintage Trouble – Chapter II – EP 1 12” (McGhee Entertainment)
Since forming in 2010, Vintage Trouble have quietly become rock ‘n’ roll’s best kept secret anointed by its very gods on international tours in every corner of the globe. Distilling swaggering rock, soulful blues, R&B (rhythm& blues) grooves, and pop ambition into a bold and brash brew, the quartet—Ty Taylor [vocals], Nalle Colt [guitar], Rick Barrio Dill [bass], and Richard Danielson [drums]—have logged 3,000 shows across 30 countries on tour with divinities such as The Who, The Rolling Stones, AC/DC, Lenny Kravitz, and Bon Jovi, to name a few. Chapter II – EP 1 includes five brand-new studio recordings, plus five acoustic versions of those songs.
Waltaa – Lose Control LP (NBN)
A truly unique hybrid R&B project spiced up with touches of jazz fusion. [CD version due February 1.]
Johnny & Edgar Winter – Together: Johnny & Edgar Winter Live [Reissue/1976] LP (Culture Factory)
Limited green colored vinyl LP pressing of the 1976 album by brothers Johnny Winter (guitar, vocals) and Edgar Winter (saxophone, vocals).
Cassettes:
Juliana Hatfield – Weird (American Laundromat)
Fast on the heels of 2018’s acclaimed Juliana Hatfield Sings Olivia Newton-John comes Juliana Hatfield’s self-produced all-originals album, Weird. Freda Love Smith (Blake Babies, Sunshine Boys) and Todd Philips (Lemonheads, The Juliana Hatfield Three) each played drums on multiple songs while Hatfield played all of the other instruments (and some additional drums). Weird is an album about disconnection and discomfort. ”I often feel cut-off from other people, from my feelings, from technology, from popular culture,” says Hatfield.
Swamp Thing – Horse Power (Urbnet)
Toronto’s three-headed rap monster, Swamp Thing (Timbuktu, Chokeules & Savilion) have delivered a special sonic treat. Horse Power is their seventh full length studio album and anticipated follow up to their 2017 release, The Octagon. Produced by Savilion and Timbuktu, the thirteen track LP showcases the electric chemistry, creativity, and swagger that the three emcees bring to the table, along with some talented features including the all-star turntablist DJ iRATE, Wordburgular, and D-Sisive.
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