CDs + Vinyl:
Abyssal – Antikatastaseis CD (Profound Lore)
Third full-length release from mysterious death metal entity. For fans of Portal, Mitochondrion, Impetuous Ritual, Ulcerate, Wormed, Artificial Brain.
Andy Human And The Reptoids – Andy Human And The Reptoids CD/LP (S-s Records)
In an era when artists do little more than tweak their influences, Andy Human And The Reptoids take the past, hint at the future, and turn it all into the now. With punk energy, a new wave sense of economy, and the tap of power pop, these guys fold in Roxy Music, Devo (both the art and the pop sides), early Eno and Pere Ubu, while making sounds that are very much their own.
Darol Anger/Barbara Higbie – Tideline [Reissue/1982] CD (Adventure Music)
“In 1980, Windham Hill’s newly empowered executive producer Will Ackerman heard my first release Fiddlistics and liked the lone, lonesome piano and violin duet on that recording. He wanted more of that feeling; Barbara Higbie and I managed to give him that and more. Barbara, my Northern California compatriot that I had actually met two years prior in Paris while she was busking around the continent, had an ear for odd time signatures that sound perfectly normal, her perfectly tilted melodies, and tough, joyful groove fit right in with all the surging, leaping music happening around us. I finally felt ready to sing out my own story on a fiddle borrowed from my best friend. Our total conviction about the music made everything come together for Tideline.” — Darol Anger, 2015
Asia – Axis XXX Live San Francisco MMXII 2xCD+DVD (Frontiers)
Asia celebrated the 30th Anniversary of their self-titled debut album with a concert at the Regency Ballroom in San Francisco in 2012. This is a documentation of that performance. Also available on stand-alone Blu-ray.
Bad Assets – Ponco CD (Deer Lodge)
Whiskey drenched, roots rockin’ party country music.
Baby Dee – I Am A Stick. CD/LP (Tin Angel)
“Dee’s songs read like short stories: though they easily blend in with whatever state you’re in, there are details and details to take in. Except for the occasional divertissement indebted to her humorous, ‘dark cabaret’ side (and to her past as a street performer), most of her songs are exquisitely moody and spacious, much like Current 93’s piano-only masterpiece Soft Black Stars or Kate Bush’s A Sky Of Honey. Take ‘Unheard Of Hope’ from A Book Of Songs For Anne Marie (2010): just three notes on the piano and her meandering voice, typically divided between singing and recitative. It could hardly be more stripped-down, but Dee’s a master in keeping you on your toes. I Am A Stick travels at different speeds. What has remained intact is Dee’s ability as a storyteller. ‘Big Love’ tells the story of a nun who failed to keep her vow of chastity, and of how a merciful St. Brigit intervened to interrupt her unwanted pregnancy. Segmenting the plot into a series of short scenes, Dee swings and captivates for nearly six minutes. As with all Dee’s best songs, it’s creepy, tragic and oddly funny.” – Drowned In Sound
Meg Baird – Don’t Weigh Down The Light CD/LP (Drag City)
Like Meg’s previous LPs (and much of Espers output,) the foundation of Don’t Weigh Down The Light is her lyrical, precise, and propulsive fingerstyle guitar work and a voice that moves from soaring and tender to soothing and spellbinding. A voice that more than a few have likened to folk’s greatest female voices: Sandy Denny, Jacqui McShee, and Shirley Collins.
The Beaumonts – Hey Ya’ll It’s The Beaumonts CD (Saustex Media)
Rock & roll country devoid of gimmickry of any sort.
Bikini Kill – The CD Version Of The First Two Records [Reissue/1994] CD (Bikini Kill)
The First Two Records is a compilation of Bikini Kill’s self-titled and Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah vinyl reissues that were released by their label in 2012 and 2014 respectively. The self-titled EP, originally released in the fall of 1992 and reissued on BK Records in 2012 is comprised of four songs recorded by Ian MacKaye on July 3, 1991, at Inner Ear Studios; one song from the band’s 1991 demo cassette, recorded by Pat Maley (Yo-Yo Studios); and one song recorded during Bikini Kill’s live performance April 4th, 1992, at Washington, D.C.’s Sanctuary Theater.
Black Mountain – Black Mountain [10th Anniversary Deluxe Edition] 2xCD/2xLP+MP3 (Jagjaguwar)
The work of a small collective of musicians operating from Vancouver, Canada, far from any industry buzz but firmly in the eye of their own storm of creativity, Black Mountain’s debut album was, of course, a beginning, but it also marked an ending – for Jerk With A Bomb, the group that preceded Black Mountain. Their jaunt across the world as guests of perhaps the biggest band in the world right then is a tale for another time, perhaps: the start of Black Mountain’s next chapter, and all that followed. For now, savor the compact, spacey brilliance of that cosmic, heavy and subtle debut album, expanded now with a raft of delicious bonus tracks scavenged from the Black Mountain Army archives.
Elijah Blake – Shadows & Diamonds CD (Def Jam)
Blake has become the secret weapon behind hits from Rick Ross, Rihanna, Nas, Common, Alicia Keys, and Usher with whom he penned his Grammy-winning “Climax.” Shadows & Diamonds includes “I Just Wanna,” produced by the legendary No I.D. Available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe adds three bonus tracks.
Breaking Benjamin – Dark Before Dawn CD/2xLP (Hollywood)
Breaking Benjamin singer/guitarist Benjamin Burnley has seen Kurt Cobain: Montage Of Heck six times since its release earlier this month. Not only can you hear the influence of Nirvana in Breaking Benjamin’s post-grunge sound, but Burnley can relate to the late Nirvana frontman’s struggle with a stomach ailment that led him to self-medicate with heroin and ultimately contributed to his suicide. Burnley, too, has been suffering from a number of undiagnosed ailments since 2007, but he has no plans to go out like Cobain. Instead, he’s fighting through the pain on tour with a reconstituted line-up of Breaking Bad that includes guitarist Jasen Rauch, formerly of the band Red, who collaborated with Burnley on Dear Agony, Breaking Benjamin’s 2009 album; guitarist/vocalist Keith Wallen, formerly of Adelitas Way; bassist/vocalist Aaron Bruch, from Forever Oeuvre; and drummer Shaun Foist, formerly of Picture Me Broken.
Leon Bridges – Coming Home CD/LP (Columbia)
Sweet soul music. After hearing one of Leon Bridges’ songs, a friend asked if he listened to a lot of Sam Cooke. “I knew about him but had never really listened to his music,” says Bridges, whose new album, Coming Home, is steeped in such retro R&B sounds. “After that, I started venturing out and digging in.” The Atlanta-born, Ft. Worth-based singer also developed a taste for vintage fashion as he expanded his musical palette to include the likes of Curtis Mayfield, Jesse Belvin and even some singers outside the soul realm. “Lately, it’s been Townes Van Zandt, Bobby Womack and Van Morrison.”
Bully – Feels Like CD/LP+MP3 (Sony)
Bully is the name for the Nashville quartet that is transforming familiar ’90s alt-rock (Dinosaur Jr, Pavement, Weezer) into smart, sharp-edged millennial indie rock — an apt description for the band’s churning guitars, rambunctious rhythms, and tightly coiled intensity.
Bunnygrunt – Vol. 4 CD/LP/Cassette (Happy Happy Birthday To Me)
They started off twee but spent so much time on the road that they learned how to rock. The missing link between Teenage Fanclub and Teenage Wasteland, like a bat out of hell baby, Bunnygrunt was born to run. They’ve been tearing it up for years now—legends of the underground teaching the indie kids how to rock and the rockers how to weep.
The Cairo Gang – Goes Missing CD/LP (God?)
Playing with other artists over the years, Emmett Kelly has exhibited an encompassing approach to music which lends flexibility to The Cairo Gang’s song-style. He’s a harmony singer of supreme skill, bringing not only a sweet and supple voice but also a tremendous sympathy to the singing of it (as anyone who’s caught Cairo onstage with the Bonnie ‘Prince’ will ever know).
Larry Campbell & Teresa Williams – Larry Campbell & Teresa Williams CD (Red House)
Having performed with everyone from Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, and Keith Richards to Paul Simon and Mavis Staples, Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams breakout with their self-titled debut album. A scorching collection of roots-rock songs featuring eight originals and three covers including one song performed with the great Levon Helm before his passing.
Cayucas – Dancing At The Blue Lagoon CD/LP+MP3 (Secretly Canadian)
As Zach Yudin and his twin brother and bandmate, Ben, went in to create their new album, what it all came back to was something personal. While they now call Los Angeles home, they drew from the nostalgia of their childhood growing up in Davis, CA; the nostalgia in their music that is as much about a place they’ve never been as any actual experience. And it was that wandering imagination and a punchy California dream that eventually grew to become Dancing At The Blue Lagoon. While their sun-drenched, jangly, sometimes melancholic sound is quintessentially Californian, the album very much their California. It’s the sound of kids from the suburbs who fantasize in Technicolor, whose view of the Golden State is its own form of idealism.
Chic – An Evening With Chic CD+DVD (Cleopatra)
A CD+DVD package of funk legend Nile Rodgers leading the mighty Chic through a hit-filled set of classics on this live recording from 2004.
Citizen – Everybody Is Going To Heaven CD/LP+MP3 (Run For Cover)
Haunting these ten songs is a foreboding, dark atmosphere masterfully crafted by producer Will Yip, and an immediate, intense energy is palpable from even the first grimy seconds of the opener, “Cement.” As with every one of Citizen’s releases, Mat Kerekes’ signature vocal delivery here is a trademark feature, demonstrating the emotional tension that boils over on this release. As cathartic as ever, he duels between a soft croon and a haunting scream, confronting his demons on tracks like “My Favorite Color” echoing the tormented refrain, “my heart still beats for nothing”. And while most of the record is an intense and noisy onslaught, songs like “Heaviside” and “Yellow Love” act as armistices, each aching in reverb-drenched consonance. (Limited copies also available on baby blue vinyl.)
Creepoid – Cemetery Highrise Slum CD/LP (Collect)
After releasing two albums with No Idea, an EP for Graveface, and countless miles logged on the road with everyone from Against Me! and Balance And Composure to Kurt Vile and A Place To Bury Strangers, Philadelphia’s Creepoid lands at Collect Records for Cemetery Highrise Slum—a document of stunning growth that finally crystallizes the promise of an already feverishly loved band. Produced and mixed by Peter Mavrogeorgis (The National, Sharon Van Etten) at Dollhouse Studios in Savannah, GA, Creepoid have stripped away at the reticence of previous albums for a bold and focused effort that places equal measure on high definition and playful ambiguity alike. That critics have never quite been able to contain Creepoid’s style—they’ve been called everything from punk and psych to dream-pop and grunge—is not as much a conflict as it is a statement, and on Cemetery Highrise Slum, the band finds itself at this idiosyncratic intersection of their own design: This is how it feels when a feisty, aggressive impulse agrees to be led by a firm, but graceful hand.
De Lux – Generation CD/LP+MP3 (Innovative Leisure)
On their full-length 2014 debut Voyage, L.A duo De Lux learned how to take their influences and create a sound all their own—a beyond-their-years synthesis of post-punk, disco, funk and of course synthesizer wizardry, drawing inspiration from the same combination of agitation and exhilaration that helped LCD Soundsystem and Talking Heads deliver some of the most danceable social commentary ever. Generation is a maturation and continuation of the sound heard on their full-length, but with darker moments. “It’s a sort of Less Than Zero for the post-Social Network era,” says the band.
Desaparecidos – Payola CD/LP+MP3 (Epitaph)
More than a decade after putting out their first album, Desaparecidos return with a follow-up that breathes new life into their brutal fusion of protest music and punk. Though the band never truly parted ways, vocalist/guitarist Conor Oberst, guitarist Denver Dalley, keyboardist Ian McElroy, bassist/vocalist Landon Hedges, and drummer Matt Baum have spent much of the past 13 years pursuing other ambitions (including Oberst’s work as a solo artist and Bright Eyes frontman).
D.O.A. – Don’t Turn Yer Back (On Desperate Times) [1984] CD/LP (Sudden Death)
D.O.A. did their first full-on tour of the UK and Europe in 1984. It was gruel-a-thon: 50 shows in 60 days in 10 different countries. At the end, the band was about to return to Vancouver when they got an offer from the BBC to record a “live in the studio” session. So, the day before the flight home, Canada’s punk pioneers paid a visit to BBC Headquarters in London. Steel Pulse was just finishing up their session before D.O.A. took over the studio and reeled off an explosive four-song set for the UK’s top DJ John Peel.
Fist City – Everything Is A Mess CD/LP (PIAS America)
“Garagey slop at its best: on this second ‘official’ album, Alberta surf-punx Fist City nail something potent, poppy and purposeful. The ramalama urgency of ‘Bad Trip’ and ‘Hey Little Sister’ indicates a band determined to get into your head by burrowing into your feet and hips, while ‘F**k Cops’ (with its two-fingered dismissal of ‘racist pigs’) splatters searing venom across a mean-tempered shuffle. It’s a noise that rages and swings so hard you’ll be left with no choice but to listen – like Sonic Youth launching jellybeans at the heads of Man or Astroman?, and effortlessly cool with it.” – The Skinny
Fogg – High Testament CD/LP (Tee Pee)
Warped riff-riders Fogg worship at the altar of the almighty riff, conjuring leaden tombs of amp-destroying sound. The towering Ft. Worth, Texas trio cranks howling psychedelic metal and ’70s biker doom topped with gnarly shredding and strangely unique vocals that hover distantly over landslides of chest rattling bass and drum tumble. High Testament deals heavy quantities of hazy hooks and woozy timbres, which combine to paint a dreamy aesthetic; a hazy, neon form that sounds like metal chords trapped in a never-ending film dissolve.
Nils Frahm – Music For The Motion Picture Victoria CD/LP+MP3 (Erased Tapes)
“Music For The Motion Picture Victoria finds Frahm at his most restrained. It’s as sparse as his other album of 2015, Solo, but with an even greater emphasis on ambience, rather than prettiness. The music begins with chords flanked by silence, widely spaced out, and he doesn’t raise the pulse much more from there. It’s not as expressive or as lyrical as his main work, presumably letting the film’s narrative and images do the heavy lifting on that front; complimenting the picture rather than distracting from it. It is a score, after all.” – Drowned In Sound
Freedom Hawk – Into Your Mind CD (Small Stone)
The Virginia trio’s brand of heavy rock capitalizes on the best of the heavy ‘70s, but presents a fuzzy take that’s modern and based around quality songwriting rather than style-over-substance retro posturing.
Jerry Garcia Band – On Broadway: Act One – October 28th, 1987 3xCD (Round)
The first installment in a new archival series celebrating Jerry Garcia’s magical thirteen night run on Broadway. On Broadway: Act One presents three complete, previously unreleased sets from the October 28th, 1987 performances at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre in NYC: the early and late Jerry Garcia Acoustic Band sets and the Jerry Garcia Band’s electric evening set. Highlights are many, but include “I Ain’t Never,” “Bright Morning Stars,” “Run For The Roses” and Bob Dylan’s “Tangled Up In Blue.”
Good Lovelies – Burn The Plan CD (Six Shooter)
Good Lovelies both fulfill and defy their so-called musical destiny as a “folk trio.” What makes Burn The Plan special is that the band’s considerable strengths — winsome songwriting, impeccable vocals, and triangulated charisma — don’t tell the full story. There’s a new spirit of adventurousness that gives the album an extra spark; the album is permeated with textures and tones from musical worlds away.
Carl Hall – You Don’t Know Nothing About Love (The Loma/Atlantic Recordings 1967-1972) CD (Omnivore)
Carl Hall’s four-octave range first came into prominence on the gospel sides he cut in the 1950s for labels like Vee-Jay and Savoy. His later acting work on Broadway (Inner City, The Wiz, and Truly Blessed: A Musical Celebration Of Mahalia Jackson) and in the film version of Hair was renowned. But, it’s the soul sides he cut for the Loma and Atlantic labels, with producer Jerry Ragovoy, that are truly sought after. You Don’t Know Nothing About Love: The Loma/Atlantic Recordings 1967-1972 collects the singles from this area and adds an astonishing 13 previously unissued tracks, brand new to soul collectors, who have up until now, only had the aforementioned single sides issued on the original 45s.
Hard Left – We Are Hard Left CD/LP+MP3 (Emotional Response)
A hard-mod/punk band featuring members of Boyracer, Juke, Whorl, Black Tambourine, and Lunchbox, borne out of a desire to explore leftist political ideas and marry them to rabble-rousing music worthy of the worldwide struggle against capital. We Are Hard Left is a concise and explosive punk record, packed with anthems of resistance and calls to action.
Chihei Hatakeyama – Moon Light Reflecting Over Mountains CD (Room40)
Drawing upon a broad swath of aesthetic references, Hatakeyama seamlessly melts glacial ambient drifts with richly harmonic guitar strata that echo the gliding motions of My Bloody Valentine, Ride, and Cocteau Twins.
Hawksley Workman – Old Cheetah CD/2xLP (Six Shooter)
Hawksley Workman is not afraid to be strange. After over a decade in the business, this hyper-prolific, perpetually restless creative force continues to push the boundaries of experience and the heights of his successes well outside the comfort zone. In fact, Hawksley Workman’s comfort zone is probably not all the comforting to most: it’s left of left field and nowhere near the beaten path. Call him a lone wolf, an odd duck or a strange bird; just don’t call him ordinary.
Helm – Olympic Mess CD/2xLP (PAN)
“Luke Younger’s Helm undergoes a captivating metamorphosis from noise agitator to industrial ambient alchemist with Olympic Mess, his new album for PAN. Prompted by a period of personal turmoil and a chaotic lifestyle on the road playing support for Danish punks, Ice Age; Younger expands his sonic palette here with nods to the loop-based structures and textural sensuality of balearic disco, dub techno and industrial music. When filtered into his patented mix of hi-fidelity electro-acoustic process, field recordings and intricate noise, the juxtapositions seemingly consolidate the exhausting, narcotic highs of playing live night-after-night with the serenity of ambient come-down tones and suspended states of dance/noise music delirium.” – Boomkat
Bill Horist – Mutei: Music for Davida Monk’s Dream Pavilion CD (Important)
Varies wildly from dark drone to plaintive and playful; from meditative ambience to squalls of visceral noise.
Iggy & The Stooges – Psychophonic Medicine 3xCD (Cleopatra)
Disc One includes studio outtakes from Iggy’s monumental solo albums including two never before released tracks as well as a special bonus track of Iggy’s duet with Best Coast’s Bethany Cosentino that was featured on HBO’s True Blood. Discs Two and Three contain electrifying live performances including the first ever CD release of the epic Paris Palace 1979 show as well as a newly discovered audio source for Pop’s San Francisco performance in 1981.
Lyfe Jennings – Tree Of Lyfe CD (Ral)
Known as one of the most authentic R&B singer’s around, Lyfe brings his personal life experiences to his music. His lyrics are raw, gritty and truthful and often address real life social issues. Recently, Lyfe made headlines for penning a tribute song titled “Baltimore” to speak to the bleeding hearts of all who were impacted by the death of Freddie Gray. Tree Of Lyfe was co-written and co-produced by Lyfe Jennings and the majority of the album was recorded at his home studio. The album features duets with Algebra Blessett and Demetria McKinney.
Rickie Lee Jones – The Other Side Of Desire CD/LP+MP3 (The Other Side Of Desire)
Two-time Grammy winner Rickie Lee Jones exploded onto the pop scene with her groundbreaking self-titled debut and has fearlessly experimented with her sound and persona over 15 critically acclaimed albums. Her latest, The Other Side Of Desire was written, recorded and rooted in the city of New Orleans, where Jones lives on the opposite side of the street made famous by Tennessee Williams. Produced by John Porter (of Roxy Music) and Mark Howard, this is the first new music Jones has written in over a decade. “This work is inspired by many years of sitting with all the events of my life until I had something to paint with,” says Rickie. “I came to New Orleans to write and to live a different way than what I have known on the West Coast… Here is another record then, made of my imagination, and whatever else that has no words, using the clay of this place and the shapes of my eyes to form some kind of picture of my life, or my heart, that I alone can understand, and hopefully that others can enjoy.”
Royce Wood Junior – Ashen Tang CD/LP (PIAS America)
“Royce Wood Junior has played in Jamie Woon’s band, contributed to Kwabs’ album, and done a few sick remixes, but now he’s focusing on his own work. His 12-track LP The Ashen Tang is a lively blend of soul and pop with a funky kick to it and a message we can all relate to. Royce explains, ‘If you fucked up today, midnight will be along soon. Try again tomorrow.’ There are a lot of new acts blending a retro spirit with a modern twist, but few sound as natural as Royce Wood Junior.” – Pigeons And Planes
Jaakko Eino Kalevi – Jaakko Eino Kalevi CD/LP (Weird World)
Jaakko cuts a cool, Zen-like figure – a street-smart sage who sings in English but expresses his most intimate thoughts in Finnish. He wrote, performed, recorded and sang almost everything on the record himself with a few guest vocals by Suad Khalifa and Sonja Immonen. The album was mixed in New York by Nicolas Vernhes (The War On Drugs and Run The Jewels) and the warmth he added helped draw the songs together and underlined the unusual, head-turning quality of Jaakko’s songwriting.
Tori Kelly – Unbreakable Smile CD/LP (Capitol)
Tori Kelly first rose to attention when her cover of Frank Ocean’s “Thinkin Bout You.” The pop vocalist’s new album Unbreakable Smile guest appearances by Daye Jack, Ed Sheeran, and LL Cool J.
Janet Klein & Her Parlor Boys – It’s The Girl! CD (Couer de Jeanette)
Janet Klein & Her Parlor Boys — merrymakers of whoopee and purveyors of rare and scintillating jazz, vaudeville and tin pan alley tunes of the 1920s and ‘30s — present their eighth CD release.
Sonny Knight And The Lakers – Do It Live CD/LP (Secret Stash) Live R&B reminiscent of the tightly orchestrated performances of James Brown, Sam & Dave.
Kronos Quartet – One Earth, One People, One Love: Kronos Plays Terry Riley 5xCD (Nonesuch)
Kronos Quartet – Sunrise Of The Planetary Dream Collector CD (Nonesuch)
In honor of groundbreaking American composer Terry Riley’s 80th birthday, Nonesuch Records releases a five-disc box set of four albums of his work composed for, and performed by, his longtime friends and champions Kronos Quartet. Riley and Kronos met more than 35 years ago, and since then, the quartet has commissioned 27 works from him, more than from any other composer in the group’s history. The One Earth, One People, One Love set includes three albums previously released by Nonesuch: the two-disc album Salome Dances For Peace (1989), Requiem For Adam (2001), and The Cusp Of Magic (2008)-as well as a new disc called Sunrise Of The Planetary Dream Collector: Music Of Terry Riley (which is also available as a separate stand-alone disc).
Lamb – Backspace Unwind CD/LP+CD (Butler/Music On Vinyl)
Backspace Unwind is the long awaited new Lamb album. The sixth album of the electronic music duo contains ten new songs written by Andy Barlow and Lou Rhodes with four featuring string arrangements by Tom Trapp. The vinyl version contains a bonus track that’s not available elsewhere.
n.Lannon – Falling Inside CD (Badman)
“Marin native Nyles Lannon, aka n.Lannon, a musician and composer best known for his work with his band Film School, turns in this skillfully produced solo album, his third, in the esoteric genre known as folktronica. Lannon, who lives in San Rafael with his wife and two children, blends the sound of acoustic folk pop with modern electronica on the 11 songs on Falling Inside, an album he wrote, produced and performed with help from drummers Alex Kemp and Jimmy Haun, and some vocal support on a couple of tracks by Kristin Dyrud and Odessa Chen.” – Marin Independent Journal
Les Rhinoceros – III CD (Tzadik)
Manic and zany mixture of heavy metal riffs, world music, noise, math rock, klezmer, reggae, minimalism, soundtracks and sick improvisation.
Lindemann – Skills In Pills CD/LP (WB)
New collaboration featuring Rammstein vocalist Till Linderman and Hypocrisy/Pain vocalist Peter Tagtgren.
Linden – Rest And Be Thankful CD/LP+MP3 (Slumberland)
Joe McAlinden is a member of the fertile Scottish music scene that gave the world Orange Juice, Pastels, & Teenage Fanclub. He decided he wanted to get back to his roots for the new Linden record. Headed to Argyll with bandmates, and created a studio in an old fisherman’s croft. Surrounded by and trying to capture the serenity of the area, these are song to rest your weary head to.
Marker Starling – Rosy Maze CD/LP (Tin Angel)
“Chris A Cummings has been hanging around the margins of Toronto’s music scene for years under the guise of Mantler. Now, as Marker Starling, he’s making an unlikely push for mainstream recognition. He would probably have more success if this was 1973, where his impossibly plush meld of early solo Paul McCartney melodies and Steely Dan jazz chords would be right at home, but there’s still a timeless quality to Rosy Maze. Fuelled by Wurlitzer electric piano, ‘Husbands’ is a flowing, sun-dappled tale of ‘a weekend with the boys,’ while ‘Uphill Battle’ and ‘Only Speak Your Name’ are immaculate, mannered and blessed with killer choruses. Elsewhere, Cummings could almost be Al Green or Curtis Mayfield, finding the smoothest soul in his muso creations.” — NME
Mike Marshall and Darol Anger – Chiaroscuro [Reissue/1985] CD (Adventure Music)
This reissue of Chiaroscuro (originally released by Windham Hill Records in 1985) shines a light on two of the architects of today’s new acoustic music movement: mandolinist Mike Marshall and violinist Darol Anger. Darol and Mike’s recording output and collaborations over that past 35 years reads like a who’s-who of string instruments in the world today. From Edgar Meyer, Bela Fleck, Jerry Douglas, Chris Thile, Bruce Molsky, to the Turtle Island Quartet, Pychograss, Vasen, and Hamilton de Holanda to name a few.
Jim McIver – Sunlight Reaches CD (Green Monkey)
Jimm McIver is an independent pop-song-magi with deep Seattle roots. He writes intelligent, beautiful and sometimes ridiculous songs. He sings them with the voice of a dark angel, a wilted rose petal, and a lion roaring.
Hardy Morris – Hardy & The Hardknocks: Drownin
Former frontman for Southern psych-rockers Dead Confederate and Diamond Rugs unleashes his outlaw country grunge for us to enjoy again. “Drownin On A Mountaintop blasts out of the garage like some high-octane muscle car full of friends” – Patterson Hood, Drive By Truckers
Motopony – Welcome You CD/LP (eOne)
“[Welcome You] starts off with the song, ‘Welcome You,’ a very majestic song that almost reminds me of the artist Sting in the beginning, and then as you carry on throughout the song you hear lovely vocals and guitar that welcome you into the album. The second track is the single, ‘Daylights Gone,’ because of its lyrics that make you want to sing along and upbeat melody, it’s truly a tune. Another song I like is, ‘1971,’ the fourth track on the album, it kind of reminds me of PEACE in a way, and it takes things back to a slower pace with roaring vocals. My favorite is called ‘Molly,’ and it has a great sound behind it with vocals that compliment it very well. The eleventh track, ‘Where It Goes,’ is very interesting and I like it quite a bit because it sounds a bit Egyptian and was a great way to end the album.” – The Girls At The Rock Show
Kacey Musgraves – Pageant Material CD (Mercury Nashville)
The sophomore album by the singer/songwriter — the follow-up to 2013’s Same Trailer Different Park. Musgraves co-wrote Pageant Material with an impressive roster of songwriters that includes longtime collaborators Shane McAnally and Brandy Clark, the duo who famously co-penned CMA Song of the Year “Follow Your Arrow” with Musgraves for her debut. Vinyl version due July 10.
Najee – You, Me And Forever CD (Shanachie)
As the title implies, the album represents Najee’s exploration into the world of sensuality and romance, interspersed with some fantastic, spirited grooves that have made Najee a smooth jazz favorite. Featuring keyboard great Alex Bugnon.
Nappy Roots – The 40 Akerz Project CD (Nappy Roots Entertainment Group)
The 40 Akerz Project is Nappy Roots’ first new album since 2011’s Nappy Dot Org and the first since the departure of Big V. The album was born out of Nappy Roots’ members Skinny Deville and Fish Scales meeting and collaborating with Atlanta producer 808 Blake of SMKA.
The Orb – Moonbuilding 2703 AD CD/2xLP+CD/3xLP+CD (Kompakt)
Another major slice of psychedelic synth bliss, obscure loops, and deep ambient textures tossed in swinging breakbeats and powerful basslines. (Vinyl version is available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe includes two exclusive jams plus a J Dilla tribute.)
Parlour Tricks – Broken Hearts/Bones CD/LP (Bar/None)
Village Voice’s ‘Best Pop Band In NYC 2014,’ Parlour Tricks has been hailed as “the perfect combo of pretty and gritty” — The Wild Magazine. Consisting of Lily Cato, Morgane Hollowell, DeeDee Golub (vocals), Brian Kesley (bass), Terry Moore (drums), and Angelo Spagnolo (guitar), Parlour Tricks creates a kind of indie pop symmetry that sounds “’50s nostalgic, ‘90s familiar, and 2020 progressive all at once” — The Most Definitely. “The three-part harmonies are so big and bold and powerful they could knock down buildings… the kind of songs that sound best while dancing on a bed.” — Village Voice
Perzonal War – The Last Sunset CD/LP (Metalville)
For more than 16 years, Perzonal War has ranked among the elite bands of the German underground metal scene. The band utilize their unique, no compromise approach to songwriting in order to deliver hard hitting material that is full of heavy riffs, scintillating guitar work, pounding drums and confident, aggressive vocals with great melodies.
Pro-Pain – Voice Of Rebellion CD (Steamhammer US)
Aggressive, meticulous, passionate, righteous — all distinguishing traits that have come to symbolize the fundamentals of metal/hardcore pioneers Pro-Pain. Their new album, Voice Of Rebellion, is available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe adds three bonus tracks. Vinyl version due July 24.
The Receiver – All Burn CD/LP (Kscope)
The symphonic dream prog duo from Columbus, OH is comprised of brothers Casey (vocals, synths/keyboards, bass) and Jesse Cooper (drums/vocals). Formed in 2005, the band was picked up after only a few live performances by New York based Stunning Models On Display Records and and released their debut album Decades in 2006. They have been featured on MTV2’s Bands On The Rise and have songs included on the FX Network’s series Dirt as well as a number of independent shorts and films.
Recess Monkey – Hot Air CD+DVD (Recess Monkey)
An ambitious, multilayered album of songs produced by John Vanderslice. Hot Air blends complex orchestrations, high-energy hooks and clever lyrics for the whole family. T Accompanies a 40-minute animated story on a bonus DVD.
Reno & Smiley – Classics Live 1957 CD (Rockbeat)
Bluegrass Hall Of Famers Don Reno and Red Smiley straddled the lines between acoustic harmony country and hardcore bluegrass, the duo and their band The Tennessee Cut-Ups were hitting their stride when these tunes were recorded in 1957. Recorded at New River Ranch in Rising Sun MD, this album features a nice mix of sacred and country tunes, this disc is sure to appeal to fans of Flatt & Scruggs, Bill Monroe, The Stanley Brothers and Blue Sky Boys as well as Reno and Smiley themselves.
Pete Rock – Petestrumentals 2 CD/2xLP (Mello Music)
The sequel to the 2001 classic that helped define the hip-hop instrumental record.
The Royal Jesters – English Oldies CD/2xLP (Numero)
Twenty-eight homespun stunners from the Alamo City’s scrappiest souleros. The Royal Jesters were the kings of San Antonio’s cross-cultural teen scene in the 1960s, soundtracking lovelorn slow dances with their heartsick harmonies. For the first time, English Oldies gathers the best early doo-wop, R&B, and blazing Latin rock and soul from these Tex-Mex masterminds — a simmering melting pot of diverse regional flavors, best served hot.
The Safe Distance – Do More Songs CD (Emotional Response)
Transatlantic supergroup The Safe Distance (comprised of Simon Williams aka Crayola of Sarandon/A Witness and Stewart of Boyracer) reveals a potent brand of psych-off-beat-pop. “A riotous slab of indie pop, gloriously DIY in its approach, trebly bass thunders and guitars strum almost percussively as the wiry melody lines cast jagged shadows over the top. It all winds up to the swirling finish that’s enough to leave you breathless at the end.” — Backseat Mafia
Neil Schon – Vortex 2xCD/2xLP (Music Theories)
Guitar great Neal Schon most notable for his career with Santana, and as lead guitarist of Journey since 1973, releases an instrumental double-disc Vortex. Schon’s guitar style has been described as soulful, taking inspiration from 1960s-era soul singers Aretha Franklin and Gladys Knight, and blending it with blues, similar to B.B. King.
Screeching Weasel – Baby Fat Vol. 1 CD (Recess)
Act One of a rock opera by American idiots Screeching Weasel. Includes 32-page libretto.
Skylab – Skylab #1 [Reissue/1994] CD (Tummy Touch)
Skylab – Skylab #2 1999 [Reissue/1999] CD (Tummy Touch)
In the shadow of trip-hop’s rise in the mid-‘90s, Skylab was formed as a supergroup of sorts comprising Japanese duo Love TKO, part of Mo’ Wax act Major Force, and UK producers Howie B and Mat Ducasse. They released their debut, #1, in 1994 and followed that up five years later with #2: 1999. In both cases Skylab’s live experimentation – including guitars, synthesizers, Rhodes, sampling, and live dubbing – provided a counterpoint to the limp and predictable onslaught of downtempo hip-hop and electronic music that characterized much of that era.
Canaan Smith – Bronco CD (Mercury Nashville)
New release from the country artist. Bronco is the follow-up to his self-titled EP, released earlier this year. Canaan has toured with Dan + Shay as well as Dierks Bentley and many others.
Corey Smith – While The Gettin’ Is Good CD/LP (Sugar Hill/Welk)
The self-penned album was produced by Keith Stegall, best known for his work with Zac Brown Band and Alan Jackson. Corey has carved out a successful career by writing and singing not about the idealized country imagery of trucks and bonfires, but by depicting truthfully the experience of growing up far from big-city sidewalks.
Trey Songz – Trigga Reloaded CD (Atlantic)
Trigga Reloaded is an expanded repackage of last year’s Trigga. This contains the original 13 tracks from the standard album, plus “What’s Best For You” from the Trigga deluxe set and four brand new songs
Son Lux – Bones CD/LP (Glassnote)
Son Lux, founded by New York’s Ryan Lott, began as a solo exploration of the jagged, icy line between the strange and the familiar, in which sonic structures supplant the conventions of pop form. Over the last eight years, though, the name has taken on myriad meanings, just as the work has subsumed sounds and collaborators. Now, Son Lux is a band. A trio, to be exact; one that has meticulously woven together dizzying percussion, fraying guitar, symphonic bluster, and haunting vocals into a quaking and vivid post-pop (post-everything) burst called Bones.
Supuration – Reveries CD (Listenable)
Reveries contains brand new recordings of old tracks initially written in 1990 and freshly mastered by thy death metal master himself Dan Swanö. Added bonus tracks are cover of Anthrax’s “Among The Living,” Twisted Sister’s “The Beast” and Pardise Lost’s “Shattered.”
The Sure Fire Soul Ensemble – The Sure Fire Soul Ensemble CD/LP (Colemine)
The Sure Fire Soul Ensemble is a heavy, original, cinematic soul band from San Diego.
Swans – Filth [Reissue/1983] 3xCD (Young God)
Expanded reissue package constitutes a definitive picture of Swans in the years 1982-1983/4. Disc One feature the Swans’ original debut LP Filth from 1983, with the line up of M.Gira, Norman Westberg, Roli Mosimann, Harry Crosby, and Jonathan Kane. Also features versions of “Strip/Burn,” “Heatsheet,” “Blackout,” “Clay Man,” “Stay Here,” and “Weakling,” all recorded live. Disc Two includes Body To Body material comprised of various studio outtakes and live recordings 1982-85, with a nine-minute version of “Raping A Slave,” recorded live in Berlin, 1984 (originally released with Filth on YGD-11) while Disc Three features the Debut 12” EP #1, originally released in 1982, plus additional live performances from NYC and London.
Richard Thompson – Still CD/2xCD/2xLP (Fantasy)
“Richard Thompson’s 16th solo album Still closes with an unusual homage to his longstanding sources of inspiration. It’s called ‘Guitar Heroes,’ and though it’s predominantly a standard jump blues, it’s laced with extended interludes in which Thompson — arguably the most under-appreciated guitar hero currently recording — tips his hat to Django Reinhardt, Les Paul and other titans. Each detour is rendered in an idiomatically correct rhythm, and each shows Thompson’s command of the relevant style. It’s like a high-speed history class, taught by one who has pondered, in depth, the signature sounds and moves of the greats” – NPR. Produced by Jeff Tweedy. Available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe adds a bonus CD containing five songs from a previously unreleased session entitled The Variations EP.
Vanum – Realm Of Sacrifice CD (Profound Lore)
Vanum is a new band formed by two of America’s most respected underground black metal musicians: K. Morgan of Ash Borer and M. Rekevics of Fell Voices/Vorde/Vilkacis. Over the years, the like-minded musicians developed a comradeship, sharing split releases and touring together. However, Vanum marks the first time both artists have collaborated musically. With the goal of creating a certain expression of dark atmospheric music with each album, Vanum treads ground familiar to fans of Morgan’s and Rekevics’s respective repertoires.
Various Artists – Cherrystones: Critical Mass / Splinters From The Worldwide New-Wave, Post-Punk And Industrial Underground 1978-1984 CD/2xLP (Touch Sensitive)
Cherrystones tunes us in to fourteen groups separated by locale but united by a restless urge to create on their own terms. From Rizzo’s nihilistic Moogie-boogie to a preteen Chandra’s isolated no-wave. Through Dojoji’s Downtown-via-Lagos punk-funk and Fote’s dark, industrial groove, Critical Mass presents a snapshot of an international underground enthralled with the possibility of the new. Sympathetic sounds of the psychedelic ghetto.
Various Artists – Last Of The Garage Punk Unknowns Volumes 3 & 4 CD (Crypt)
Prime slabs of mid-‘60s USA garage punk aceness with liner notes, band photos, and label scans. Note: This is an entirely new series, and none of these tracks were on the old series Garage Punk Unknowns. Features cuts by The Zounds, The Last Image, The Five Counts, The Sound Carnival, The Tortians, The Mystics, and many more. (Also available as separate volumes on vinyl.)
Versus The World – Homesick/Roadsick CD (Kung Fu)
Vinyl version due July 17. The dense, pop-punk pedigree of Versus The World is the foundation for some of the most exciting post-hardcore troubadour jams to ever emerge from the west coast. Homesick/Roadsick is their new full-length album — featuring members of Lagwagon and The Ataris.
Virgin Steele – Nocturnes Of Hellfire & Damnation CD/2xCD (Steamhammer US)
New album from the long-running American metallers – Available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Vinyl version due July 24.
VNV Nation – Resonance CD/LP (ANA)
Resonance features many of the best-known VNV Nation songs, performed purely with orchestra and voice. No other studio instruments were used as the goal was for the release to be as authentic as possible.
Walter TV – Blessed CD (Omnian Music Group/Sinderlyn)
Having moved all around Canada and settling nowhere, Walter TV are contemporary nomads. They formed their band in the basements and cottage-like houses of a beach town outside Vancouver. After Joe McMurray and Pierce McGarry moved to Montreal, they shared an apartment with a constant revolving cast of characters. In a space often overpopulated and reeking of cigarettes, they began recording Blessed. Simon Ankenman would come by periodically, and with him they would finish most of the recordings between there and L.A. The band’s two members, Joe and Pierce, were also busy touring with Mac DeMarco, acting as his backing band. Vinyl version due August 7.
Jessica Lee Wilkes – Lone Wolf CDEP (Trade Root Music Group)
Lone Wolf, the debut release from Jessica Lee Wilkes, will scorch you with the fire of a fearless femme fatale. Hearkening back to ‘50s rock & roll and rhythm and blues, Wilkes injects these forms with a raw vigor that shakes the dust off a classic sound.
John Wiese – Deviate From Balance CD/2xLP (Gilgongo)
Recorded throughout Europe/UK, Australia, and the US, Deviate From Balance includes scored ensemble pieces featuring over 20 musicians on each, recorded in Melbourne and Portland, as well as audio documentation of installation pieces “Wind Changed Direction,” a four-channel sound piece presented in the garden of the Getty Center (curated by Liars), and “Battery Instruments,” an eight-channel piece presented at HSP in New Zealand, now heard for the first time.
Will Sessions – Mix Takes CD (Fat Beats)
Whether referencing music by jazz greats Herbie Hancock and Bob James or reinterpreting beats by J Dilla, Madlib, and Black Milk, it’s all presented with seamless transitions in the style of a mixtape, and Mix Takes both showcases the band’s individual talents and reflects the airtight performances that have made them one of the hottest live bands in Detroit.
Wolf Alice – My Love Is Cool CD/2xLP+MP3 (RCA)
Debut album from the London four-piece. “Wolf Alice manage to provide a mature and authentic experience with their debut effort. They blend pop and folk influences on tracks like ‘Turn To Dust’ and ‘Silk’ seamlessly with grungy anthems ‘Your Love’s Whore’ and ‘Giant Peach’, the latter of which boasts some stunning riffs that push you onto the edge of your seat. In fact, this contrast is one of the defining themes throughout the album. ‘Giant Peach’, a track filled with distorted guitar-work and climactic build-ups that wouldn’t seem out of place on a Sonic Youth album, sits right next to ‘Swallowtail’, an acoustic ballad with a vocal performance from drummer Joel Amey. The distinction between light and shade is one that Wolf Alice make superbly, a sharp contrast that is ready to embrace you or grab you by the neck with barely a moment’s notice.” – Redbrick
Young And Heartless – The Pull Of Gravity CD/LP (Fearless)
“One very noticeable thing about Young and Heartless is singer Jeremy Henninger’s resemblance to Jesse Lacey of Brand New, and if you like that band you might dig these guys too. The album is pretty diverse with the post-hardcore chug of ‘Desk Rot,’ the briskly strummed acoustic rocker ‘Weather Die,’ the slower softly strummed dirge ‘Virgin,’ and bits of post rock coming through on multiple tracks.” – Brooklyn Vegan
John Zorn – Pellucidar – A Dreamers Fantabula CD (Tzadik)
Pellucidar – A Dreamers Fantabula features some of Zorn’s catchiest melodies and plenty of fiery solos from Marc Ribot, Jamie Saft, and Kenny Wollensen. Blends soul, surf, jazz, minimalism, rumba, tango, samba, exotica in classic Dreamers style.
DVDs + Blu-ray:
The Rolling Stones – From The Vault: The Marquee Club Live In 1971 DVD+CD/Blu-ray+CD (Eagle Rock)
From The Vault is a series of live concerts from The Rolling Stones archive which are getting their first official release. The Marquee Club Live In 1971 is the latest addition to the series. The show was filmed at London’s legendary Marquee club on March 26, 1971, shortly after the finish of the band’s 1971 UK tour and about a month before the release of the Sticky Fingers album in late April. Mick Taylor was now fully integrated into the group and the band had used the tour to showcase some of the tracks from the forthcoming album. The show at the Marquee was filmed for American television and four songs from the Sticky Fingers album were featured, including the rarely performed “I Got The Blues.”
This Week’s Vinyl Exclusives:
39 Clocks – Subnarcotic [Reissue/1982] LP (Luxury Products)
Germany’s self-crowned “Psycho Beat” combo, 39 Clocks were a low-lit shadow unit inhabiting a cultural corner all their own. Subnarcotic may be their finest moment, distilling and stretching the art-primitivism of their debut to its logical breaking point. Oozing out shock waves of bad acid trips, decayed guitar, and the dull stomp of a tiny beatbox, Subnarcotic is American garage and proto-punk filtered through some shadow-filled masterpiece of German expressionism.
Action Swingers – Quit While You’re Ahead [1994] LP (In The Red)
First ever vinyl pressing of this slapdash punk rock lost classic from Action Swingers. Originally released in 1994 Quit While You’re Ahead is a stellar compilation of rushed and sloppy rock songs. With the likes of J Mascis and Bob Bert passing through their ranks, Action Swingers are long overdue a reappraisal.
Ryan Adams – Burn In The Night 7” (Pax Americana)
The latest in Ryan Adam’s series of 7” vinyl singles.
Advaeta – Death And The Internet LP (Fire Talk)
With a complex sound that is heavily melodic, loud, and textural, Advaeta grind velvet harmonies and lush noise into a landscape that is both evocative and wholly enveloping. “A jagged knife chased by a soothing balm.” – Pitchfork
Pekka Airaksinen – Buddhas Of Golden Light [Reissue/1984] LP (Arc Light Editions)
Reissue of legendary underground 1984 release from Nurse With Wound-listed founding member of Finnish improv group The Sperm. Characterized by out-of-sync rhythms, intense dynamics, and feverish visions — his approach is consciously unpolished, spontaneous, and improvised, resulting in a cosmic electro-jazz sound fusing free jazz and the 808.
Aminadav Aloni – Once [1974] LP (Dual Planet)
From the bizarre Polish-cinema-inspired imagery of the album’s artwork to the private-press aesthetics of the original LP, the Once soundtrack has long been a mysterious artifact among rare film and electronic music collectors alike. Written and directed by ‘the father of virtual reality’, the obscure art film is an allegorical tale of ‘Creation’ and ‘Destruction’ and the battle for humanity. With no surviving prints of the film traced to date, all that remains is the remarkable soundtrack. Composed by Israeli-born classical composer, Aminadav Aloni, the score is a collection of otherworldly spatial analogue electronics, field recordings and strong overtones of haunting Jewish liturgical music whose synergy create a soundtrack as beguiling and enigmatic as the film itself.
Ólafur Arnalds – Broadchurch [OST] LP (Mercury)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. A vital element in the success of record-breaking 2013 British drama Broadchurch was the hauntingly beautiful, BAFTA Award-winning score by young Icelandic composer Ólafur Arnalds.
Ata Kak – Daa Nyinaa b/w Bome Nnwom [1994] 12” (Awesome Tapes From Africa)
One of the greatest left-field dance floor jammers — a joyously idiosyncratic balancing act of highlife, R&B, rap and house music, quietly released in 1994.
Bad Daddies/Hard Left – Split 7” (Emotional Response)
Five-track split EP from Northern California punks Bad Daddies and hard-mod band, Hhard Left. Bad Daddies contribute three of their raw, untouched, pissed off, feedback-drenched-and-screeching cuts, while Hard Left have 2 exclusive tracks to this release
Perk Badger – Do Your Stuff 7” (Numero)
The Mighty Pearstine “Perk” Badger cut a handful of sides for his own Hit Sound (& Hit Bound) and the local Miami Wax-Wel labels in the late ‘60s and early ‘70’s. Raw, magical, heavy-hitting funk, featured on Numero’s Eccentric Soul: The Outskirts Of Deep City.
Aiden Baker/Thisquietarmy Hypnodrone Ensemble – The Shape Of Space LP (Calostro)
In May of 2014, Canadian experimental/ambient guitarists Aidan Baker and Eric Quach (aka Thisquietarmy), who have frequently performed and collaborated together, recruited three drummers—David Dunnett, Jérémie Mortier, and Felipe Salazar—to accompany them for a performance at NK in Berlin. The resulting performance—a freeform, semi-improvisational study in rhythmic, psychedelic, atmospheric spacerock—was documented as a CD release on Belgium’s Consouling Sounds under the moniker Hypnodrone Ensemble. Following a second performance in September 2014 at Incubate Festival in Tilburg, NL, Hypnodrone Ensemble, with the addition of Gareth Sweeney on bass, entered Golden Retriever Studios in Berlin to record a follow-up to their live debut. The results, edited down from several hours’ worth of recorded material and mastered by James Plotkin, became the album The Shape Of Space, released as a limited LP (100 translucent vinyl, 400 black vinyl) by new Berlin label Calostro Recordings.
Beat Detectives – Climate Change LP (Not Not Fun)
Climate Change marks Minneapolis/Brooklyn block party brain-scrambler trio Beat Detectives’ debut on the vinyl format after a splatterpaint trail of tapes for the 1080p, 100% Silk, Where To Now, Moon Glyph, and Night People labels. The album’s 14 cuts coast and crunk within a Quaalude Quadrangle of blasted dub (“Roaring Lion”), Cro-Magnon acid (“Reward Card,” “Three Pointer”), hijacked funk (“Dead Girl At A Party,” “Sands Of Slime”), and smeared low rider bass grease (“Magic Island Ripper,” “When You Wake Up”), spliced with speaker-blown samples and singer Oakley Tapola’s dazed, glazed vocals.
Born Cages – I’m Glad I’m Not Me LP (Razor & Tie)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. The musicians in Born Cages were naturally drawn to each other back in 2011. Each had made his imprint on the fertile New York scene, and their bond proved instantaneous. Within their first year together, the band s self-released online demos stirred major buzz. Soon, NYC’s most prominent rock radio station, Q104.3FM started giving them frequent airtime, they were dubbed Artist On The Verge by New Music Seminar and their in-studio performance at the Gibson showroom was featured in Times Square, and they shared the stage with the legendary Guns N Roses for two sold out shows. The band’s debut album album, I’m Glad I’m Not Me, is a delicate alchemy of raw guitars and shimmering electronics powers.
Boyracer/American Culture – Split 7”+MP3 (Emotional Response)
Boyracer, armed with a fuzzbox and a carefree revolving line up, have been transatlantically crafting their buzzsaw assault. Denver’s American Culture take their cues from powerpop greats, such as The Shoes and The Records, and mixing in a little JAMC and Dinosaur Jr.
Camp Lo – Ragtime Hightimes LP (Nature Sounds)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Ragtime Hightimes finds the legendary Bronx duo and the equally heralded beat smith utilizing live instrumentation in order to build what they like to call “time-traveling art.”
Car Crash – Car Crash 7” (Secret Mission)
Three tracks of blown out, pure-punk rock that perfectly combines the US ’70s KBD spirit with the blown out Japanese rock ‘n’ roll sound that bands such as Teengenerate and Registrators made popular around the world in the early ’90s.
Chicago – Chicago Transit Authority [Reissue/1969] LP (Friday Music)
HQ-180gm audiophile vinyl reissue of Chicago’s debut album.
Christian Death – Halloween 1981 LP (Cleopatra)
Limited edition purple vinyl reissue of the earliest known recording of this legendary gothic death rock band fronted by the inimitable Rozz Williams performing an entrancing live set on Halloween.
Eric Copeland – Remixes 12” (DFA)
Wild interpretations of Black Dice member’s 2013 album Joke In The Hole – featuring Panda Bear, Larry Gus, Fhloston Paradigm, Anthony Naples. Random color vinyl.
The Debutantes – Adam’s Apple b/w Kids 7”+MP3 (Emotional Response)
Sounding more sun-soaked than their home turf of Ireland, The Debutantes wash of layered noise, hazy vocals and strummed guitars ring out in heart-melting dream pop.
Bo Diddley – I’m A Man: Live ’84 LP (Cleopatra)
Limited edition 12” picture vinyl of blues rock legend Bo Diddley performing some of his best songs live.
Arnold Dreyblatt – Second Selection 2xLP (Black Truffle)
Double-LP collection of archival recordings by seminal minimalist composer, performer, instrument builder and visual artist. Eleven pieces selected by Oren Ambarchi from his extensive archive of previously unreleased recordings; recorded in beautifully varying fidelity between 1978-1989, the pieces range from solo works to documents of various iterations of long-running Orchestra Of Excited Strings.
Easter And The Totem – The Sum Is Greater Than Its Parts [Reissue/1985] LP (S-s Records)
Reissue of second album from London band. Pop-enhanced post-punk for fans of The Fall, Echo & The Bunnymen, Newtown Neurotics, The Smiths, etc.
Faith Healer – Cosmic Troubles LP (Mint)
New release from Jessica Jalbert aka Faith Healer. Before Jessica began recording under the Faith Healer moniker, she fostered a tight collaborative friendship with fellow Edmonton-bred polymath Renny Wilson. So when Jalbert set about creating her first album as Faith Healer, she naturally called on her old buddy to help out. The result of these productive sessions is the debut LP Cosmic Troubles. Jalbert wrote this material while absorbing a steady diet of psychedelic rock from the ’60s and ’70s. This fixation translates into inventive songs that combine the sun-kissed sparkle of classic pop harmonies with head-swimming trippyness and forays into thundering fuzz.
James Fella + Filthy Grin – I Need To Borrow A Broom (I’m Local) 7” (Gilgongo)
“The empty room, like the rest of the house, had a concrete floor. Littered with miscellaneous pieces of wood, random bicycle parts and unidentified metal objects, the room itself was essentially the instrument of choice. Cables ran under the door and through the air conditioning vents. Of all of the times that I had recorded various things with Gerald Biggs (Filthy Grin) at Yobs, this was by far the most unorganized, but ultimately the most organic and cathartic.”—James Fella
FlexFab – Manoir LP (Feelin’ Music)
Packed with twisted rhythms, bewitched bass, dynamic soundscapes and odd-tronica melodies, “Manoir” is a cutting-edge and banging mini-album that breaks the boundaries of the beats genre.
Brandon Flowers – The Desired Effect LP (Island)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. New solo album by The Killer’s frontman. “Ex-cons, lost angels, stalkers, the struggling, the lonely and the damned. If Brandon Flowers’ 2010 solo debut Flamingo celebrated home, faith and the romance of the Mojave Desert, his second, The Desired Effect, takes a grittier view on Fabulous Las Vegas. On ‘Diggin’ Up The Heart’, a housebreaker returns from the state pen tormented by dreams of damnation and unable to change his criminal ways. ‘Lonely Town’ sees a jilted loner break into his ex’s house, knife in hand and reason running red. A hooker from a broken home – “born lost and dirt blonde” – sneers at the kerb-crawling traffic during ‘Never Get You Right’. Throw in a terminal illness and some hard drugs and HBO would be biting Brandon’s hand off to make it into a mini-series.” – NME
Folque – Folque [Reissue/1974] LP (Round 2)
On this seminal Norwegian album originally released on Philips in 1974, Folque, inspired by UK peers like Steeleye Span and Fairport Convention and Swedens Kebnekaise, set off to create their own domestic take on progressive folk-rock with Norwegian lyrics. Armed with the traditional Harding fiddle, dulcimer, mandolins, electric guitars, glorious vocals and a set of songs based on the traditional Norwegian folk music heritage along with some adaptations of traditional English repertoire they created this utterly unique and legendary album.
Fort Lean – Quiet Day LP (Ooh La)
Title track “Quiet Day” “rolls along with the force of a steamroller, flattening your mood into the gloomy, gray overtones of hanging out at home during a rainstorm. But alone time doesn’t necessarily have to be depressing, sometimes sitting with your thoughts at home is cathartic in its own hushed way. Clouded by angst and a prominent bassline, I’m also getting early Weezer vibes from how enjoyable their ennui is.” – Stereogum
Gazpacho – Missa Atropos [2010] 2xLP (Kscope)
First time on vinyl. The constant drive to pigeon-hole artists often leads to the media creating all manner of new sub-genres to describe acts but few bands can share the ‘classical post-alternative ambient nocturnal atmospheric neo-progressive folk world rock’ label that one journalist gave Gazpacho while struggling to describe the band’s distinctive sound. More orthodox descriptions have suggested similarities to Radiohead, Porcupine Tree, Marillion (and even Aha) but such simplistic comparisons don’t do justice to the true nature of the band’s music.
Gloop Nox And The Stik People – Continuing Where The Beatles Left Off LP (Trubee)
After decades of crawling through life’s vicissitudes, John Trubee and Jim Nevius reformed Gloop Nox And The Stik People in 2011 to record their songs just for the fun of it. The band got its start in 1973 in central New Jersey—where the members were in high school— playing music that could be described as progressive rock leavened with juvenile humor.
Guapo – Obscure Knowledge LP (Cuneiform)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Guapo started their life as a heavy bass/drums duo playing post-hardcore, noisy rock, but in the two decades since, they have expanded their instrumentation and their stylistic references to become one of Europe’s most highly respected ‘muscular and modern’ experimental/progressive rock bands.
Dan Hartman – Instant Replay LP (Friday Music)
In 1978, mega artist Dan Hartman (“Free Ride,” “I Can Dream About You,” “Living In America”) was sitting on top of the world. After a long tenure performing with superstars like Muddy Waters, Johnny Winter and The Edgar Winter Group, Dan rewarded his fans once again with one of the most important club and pop songs of the era with Instant Replay. HQ-180gm red vinyl reissue.
Hiatus Kaiyote – Choose Your Weapon LP (Masterworks)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Second full length album by the Melbourne based Grammy Award nominated band. Stereogum singled them out as a ‘Band To Watch’ and Giles Peterson (BBC Worldwide) named them ‘Breakthrough Artist Of 2013.’ Legendary producer/songwriter Salaam Remi handpicked Hiatus Kaiyote as the first signing for his Flying Buddha label. Questlove, Erykah Badu, Pharrell and Prince have gone out of their way to plug the band.
Nick Jaina – Sea Of Japan 7” (Fluff And Gravy)
The two tracks on Nick Jaina s new 45 are textbook examples of Nick’s typically brilliant indie-pop songwriting, flush with melodic hooks and lyrical gems. “Sea Of Japan;” and the B-side, “Delta Of Venus;” were recorded during the sessions for Nick’s 2013 full-length album, Primary Perception, which was featured by NPR’s Heavy Rotation and All Things Considered.
Kåre & The Cavemen – Jet Age 2xLP [1997] (Round 2)
First-time vinyl edition of this Norwegian classic, originally released in 1997. Led by guitar ace Knut Schreiner (who later became Euroboy in the infamous Turbonegro), Kåre & The Cavemen were inspired by exotica, bargain bin easy listening records, surf movies, Dick Dale and Link Wray, hinting to the dark seriousness of post-Pet Sounds Beach Boys and high flying Wrecking Crew-sessions.
Jorma Kaukonen – Ain’t In No Hurry LP (Red House)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Ain’t In No Hurry, Jorma Kaukonen’s third solo record on Red House Records, is a blend of American roots, blues, rockers and Jorma originals including a lost Woody Guthrie lyric that Jorma and producer Larry Campbell put to music.
Knxwledge – Hud Dreems LP (Stones Throw)
“By definition, Hud Dreems is an instrumental release, yet the producer skillfully arranges these verbal fragments to liven the procession. In doing so, the album breezes through golden-era rap and R&B while remaining very much in the now. It properly showcases Boothe’s wide-ranging sonic palate and offers a hearty glimpse into musical yesteryear. As a result, Hud Dreems feels remarkably nostalgic. It’s a fully realized effort, bridging a gap between older and younger listeners, and serving as a nice starting point for new Knxwledge consumers. If Kendrick brought you here, Hud Dreems will make you stay for a while.” – Pitchfork
The KVB – Mirror Being LP+MP3 (Invada)
Berlin based duo, The KVB, recently spent a week at the Invada Bristol studios recording their next album — which will be released towards the end of the year. In the meantime the label has pressed their recent limited edition instrumental album Mirror Being on frosted clear vinyl.
Leaf Rapids – Lucky Stars LP (Idla)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Leaf Rapids is a new band from Keri Latimer. Best known for her four albums with Juno award-winning group Nathan, she’s also released a solo album, and has recorded for television, installation and short films, most notably for her soundtrack contributions for Courtney Hunt’s Oscar-nominated, Frozen River in 2008 and Theremin parts for Guy Maddin’s short film Only Dream Things in 2012. She has collaborated with her husband Devin Latimer, who also plays bass with Nathan, to explore new musical ideas that incorporate the feeling of open space that has fascinated her since moving to the prairie town of Winnipeg, Manitoba. To facilitate this, Latimer reached out to Steve Dawson, the legendary Juno Award-winning Canadian roots musician and producer who had recently relocated to Nashville.
Byron Lee & The Dragonaires – Uptown Top Ranking 2xLP (VP Records)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Uptown Top Ranking is a collection of ska, rock steady and vintage pop sounds from one of the biggest bands to emerge from the Caribbean Islands. Byron Lee’s Dragonaires have been a major force in the region for decades and this album pays tribute to a forgotten yet potent sound from the man who revolutionized the Soca genre. Hear his early and classic reggae hits on Uptown Top Ranking.
Les Discrets – Live At Roadburn LP (Prophecy)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. On April 19th, 2013, Les Discrets gave a celebrated concert at renowned Roadburn Festival in Tilburg, Netherlands. In company with the Alcest musicians Winterhalter (drums), Neige (bass) and Zero (guitar, background vocals), mastermind Fursy Teyssier (vocals, guitar) showcased the best tunes from the first two Les Discrets albums in energetic live versions in front of an enthusiastic audience.
Louder – Tear Me Up 7” (Secret Mission)
On their third record, (and only the second that made it stateside) following their great LP available through Sorry State Records—Osaka, Japans’ Louder kick out another great pair of catchy, punk rock tunes. Riff-heavy and loud, with catchy pop hooks that come fast and stay with you long after, Louder are clearly influenced by ’70s punk and the wildness of the garage punk sound that came with the generation before them.
Lyrics Born – Real People LP (Mobile Home)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Funk has always been a part of what Lyrics Born does — his unique vocal swagger dishes out melody and rhyme with equal aplomb. For Real People, he turned the production over entirely (also a first) to his NOLA colleagues, giving them space to do what they do best, and him the freedom to write. Mercurio and Ellman wrangled a host of talent to execute the vision: Trombone Shorty, Ivan Neville, the Preservation Jazz Hall Band, Corey Glover (Living Colour), Corey Henry (Rebirth Brass Band), David Shaw (The Revivalists), and Billy Martin. Amidst all that quirk, soul, and raw talent, LB was reborn.
Matchess – Somnaphoria LP (Trouble In Mind)
Second album from Chicago musician Whitney Johnson (Verma) fuses elements of contemporary classical music and modern experimental electronic music with neo-new age mysticism.
Sidney Miller – Linguas De Fogo [Reissue/1974] LP (Sol Re Sol)
A seamless mesh of Brazilian pop, psychedelia and bossa nova, Linguas De Fogo could almost be mistaken as tropicalia—if Miller hadn’t distanced himself from the genre.
Mischief Brew – This Is Not For Children LP (Alternative Tentacles)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Fourth album from the Philly anarcho-punk/folk troubadours. There’s a little acoustic guitar, violin, junk percussion and even glockenspiel… but at its heart, this is a punk album.
Monophonics – Sound Of Sinning LP (Transistor Sound)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. “Five-piece funk-infused group Monophonics have been floating around the music world for over eight years now, and it’s pretty clear that they’ve already built their alcove in terms of style. Their latest album, Sound of Sinning, backs up the claim admirably, and if you’ve never come across their work, all you need to know is that they’ve taken up the chore of turning back the clock and exposing their listeners to a dormant but amazing style of vocal-injected vintage soul.” — Hilldilly
Nekrogoblikon – Heavy Metal LP (Razor & Tie)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Third studio album by the Los Angeles-based melodic death metal band.
Noon:30 – Finding Release 12” (Happy Happy Birthday To Me)
Noon:30 is art. Noon:30 is rage. Noon:30 is Noon:30. It’s that feeling in your throat when you’re chasing someone you’re unable to catch, the desperation and the heat, when it feels like the whole world’s laughing at you. It’s enough to make you want to kill someone. But even as they rage, Noon:30 strives for transcendence. From ambient to explosive, from sparseness to overload, from acapella to industrial, from frozen to ferocious, from a dream to a nightmare. Most of Finding Release isn’t safe for the radio.
The Offspring – Americana [Reissue/1998] LP (Original Recordings Group)
With integrity intact and a hearty combination of poppy punk and wit throughout, The Offspring’s fifth album is a raucous ride through America as seen through the eyes of a weary, but still optimistic, young kid. Riffs on political correctness, ’70s radio fodder, and suburban disquiet are spread thick on Americana. HQ-180gm.
Orgasmo Sonore – Revisiting Obscure Library Music LP (Cineploit)
Orgasmo Sonore is the moniker utilized by Canadian artist Frank Rideau, who has delved into obscure film music previously for releases on Cineploit Records, with Revisiting Obscure Library Music being the musician and composer’s first foray into the vast library music genre, here recreating twelve iconic library tracks from such composers as Italy’s Bruno Nicolai, Piero Umiliani and Alessandro Alessandroni to France’s Jacky Giordano and Bernard Fevre. It’s no secret that Orgasmo Sonore has chosen to mine particularly the ‘60s and ‘70s library scene here, for connoisseurs of the genre have longed championed these decades as a time when library music was its most fantastic and funky peak.
The Pineapple Thief – 10 Stories Down [2005] 2xLP (Kscope)
The Pineapple Thief’s second album remastered and pressed (for the first time) on HQ-180gm vinyl. Formed in 1999 by founder and chief songwriter Bruce Soord, The Pineapple Thief have continued to evolve and refine their sound ever since and they’re seen by many as one of the most interesting and innovative rock bands the UK have produced in recent years.
Psychic Baos – Society’s Lien On Peace Of Mind b/w Can’t Help Us Down 7” (Magnetic South)
“You’re on a muddy BMX track in eastern Tennessee and there’s a band playing what sounds like the Chocolate Watch Band melting in hellfire.”
Brian Reitzell – Hannibal: Original Television Soundtrack Music 2xLP (Mondo)
Featuring 20 cues from the first two seasons of the hit television show, (10 from each) curated by the composer himself. This compilation is essential for Hannibal fans, just in time for the Season Three premiere. Featuring an informative interview with the composer, and original artwork by Phantom City Creative.
Retribution Body – Aokigahara LP (Type)
Two long slabs of low-frequency drone. Unlike many contemporary drone records, Aokigahara is an acoustic recording made in a concert hall, something that adds a certain magic that’s impossible to recreate using software trickery. Matthew Azevedo’s use of the space is the record’s power, and occasionally you find yourself focusing not on the booming sub-bass but the airy flutter around it, or the echoing distortion that rips through like thunder.
Buddy Rich – Birdland LP (Lightyear)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Previously unreleased live album featuring Buddy Rich and his Killer Force Band at the peak of their performing years. This rare, and all original production was recorded with Buddy’s permission by bandmate Alan Gauvin, who has also now mixed and edited the project together. Buddy Rich was an intimidating figure — or at least some of his peers thought so — because of the man’s relentless musicianship. The intensity of the drums within the songs was off the charts. You can easily see how it could scare other musicians.
The Rolling Stones – From The Vault: The Marquee Club Live In 1971 LP+DVD (Eagle Rock)
From The Vault is a series of live concerts from The Rolling Stones archive which are getting their first official release. The Marquee Club Live In 1971 is the latest addition to the series. The show was filmed at London’s legendary Marquee club on March 26, 1971, shortly after the finish of the band’s 1971 UK tour and about a month before the release of the Sticky Fingers album in late April. Mick Taylor was now fully integrated into the group and the band had used the tour to showcase some of the tracks from the forthcoming album. The show at the Marquee was filmed for American television and four songs from the Sticky Fingers album were featured, including the rarely performed “I Got The Blues.”
> Araw “Trio” XI – Gazebo Effect 2xLP (Sun Ark Records)
Araw “Trio” XI is a new configuration of the Sun Araw Band, the live-action collaborative branch of Sun Araw. Over the course of several studio dates in Hollywood, California, “Trio” players Cameron Stallones, Alex Gray and Mitchell Brown successfully planted a garden of “non-dimensional” objects, not only spontaneously generating these objects but also mastering their nurture and cultivation. Gazebo Effect is a nocturnal stroll into the depths of the garden, it’s upper lawns and outbuildings.
Schooner/Can’t Kids – Schooner/Can’t Kids 7” (Sit-n-Spin)
Schooner play delightfully experimental pop/rock, augmenting perfectly intuitive song structures with unexpected, though balanced textures. Can’t kids offer up a labyrinth of mutating rhythms and harmonized vocals that wonderfully boil into screeches, howls, and wails.
Sideburn – Evil Or Divine LP (Metalville)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Sideburn is a classic hardrock/doom/blues/progressive band out of Stockholm, Sweden.
Carly Simon – Hotcakes [Reissue/1974] LP (Friday Music)
HQ-180gm vinyl reissue of Simon’s 1974 album featuring the hit single “Mockingbird” which features James Taylor.
Sleaford Mods – A Little Ditty b/w I’m Sh*t At It 7”+MP3 (Emotional Response)
Sleaford Mods musical strengths lie in their minimalist approach, immediate and gloriously raw. Scattershot vocal delivery sits perfectly over the stripped down crude beats and punk bass, where lyrics are often bleak social commentary, full of bile and delivered with (genuine) working class rage, but not without humor, but all soaked in the impossible realities of the everyday. B-side is exclusive to this release.
Sly And The Family Stone – Live At The Fillmore East October 4th & 5th, 1968 2xLP (Epic)
In October 1968, in the wake of Dance to the Music and Life, Sly and the Family Stone performed a two-night, four-show stand at the legendary Fillmore East in New York. Epic Records recorded all four of these concerts (two shows per night) with plans to release a live album that would consist of selections from these performances but the release was shelved until now. This is the non-RSD version, now available as a wider release. Complete four-disc CD version due July 17.
Soft Shoulder – Fabric 7” (Gilgongo)
Soft Shoulder – Stair 7” (Gilgongo)
Soft Shoulder – Von Guts 7” (Gilgongo)
Raw and junky no-wave punk.
Sorority Rose – Joy, Departed LP (Topshelf)
Released last week on CD – now available on vinyl. Joy, Departed shows growth in Sorority Rose’s songwriting while taking influences from Brand New, introducing more atmospheric and angular guitars while keeping true to the bands quirky, honest lyrics.
Soundtrack – Keep On Keepin’ On 2xLP (Varese Sarabande)
Original soundtrack to the film featuring performances by Clark Terry and his protégé Justin Kauflin, with original score by Justin Kauflin and Dave Grusin. Quincy Jones not only co-produced this film about his friend and mentor Clark Terry (which revolves around Clark’s friendship with stage fright-stricken piano prodigy Justin Kauflin), but he also produced this superb soundtrack, which serves as a virtual “best of Clark Terry” collection, featuring many of his most iconic recordings, including his performances with some of the all-time jazz greats: Duke Ellington, Oscar Peterson, Count Basie, and Quincy Jones.
Soundtrack – O Brother, Where Out Thou? [Reissue/2000] 2xLP (Lost Highway)
Double-LP picture disc edition. In order to capture the sound of Mississippi circa 1932 for the film, the Coen Brothers commissioned T-Bone Burnett, a masterful producer whose work with artists like Elvis Costello, Sam Phillips, Joseph Arthur, and Counting Crows has earned him a special place in the folk-rock hall of fame, to research and re-create the country, bluegrass, folk, gospel, and blues of the era.
Angelo Spencer – Love In The Morning LP (K Records)
Angelo Spencer’s third album is his most danceable work so far. Love In The Morning is a short, precise, and undeniably groovy affair. With re-purposed autotune and raw, uncompressed sound recorded by Djan (the man behind the Larsen Records sound), the album is minimal yet so full. These guys don’t joke around. This sh*t was made for dancing!
The Squires – Going All The Way With The Squires LP+7” (Crypt)
16 tracks of garage-folk-punk genius, remastered and expanded with eight unissued cuts, liner notes and color photos. Also includes a bonus 7″ featuring two additional tracks.
The Stark Reality – Roller Coaster Ride [Reissue/1969] 2xLP+MP3 (Now Again)
Despite their relatively short career, The Stark Reality’s catalog is among the most celebrated and storied in the world of far-out psychedelic jazz in which they operated. Their album Roller Coaster Ride has long been one of the most sought-after pieces of their catalog.
Rod Stewart – An Old Raincoat Will Never Let You Down [Reissue/1969] LP (Mercury)
Rod Stewart – Gasoline Alley [Reissue/1970] LP (Mercury)
Rod Stewart – Every Picture Tells A Story [Reissue/1971] LP (Mercury)
Rod Stewart – Never A Dull Moment [Reissue/1972] LP (Mercury)
Rod Stewart – Smiler [Reissue/1974] LP (Mercury)
HQ-180gm vinyl reissues of the singer/songwriter’s first five albums.
Strategy – Noise Tape Self 2xLP (Further)
Portland, OR producer/multi-instrumentalist Paul Dickow delves ever deeper into his more ambient inclination sand tape loop experiments. Previous albums on Kranky, Idle Hands, 100% Silk.
Sun Ra & His Intergalactic Myth Science Solar Arkestra – Sleeping Beauty [Reissue/1979] LP (Ks Art Yard Series)
Reissue of one of the more delicate recordings of Sun Ra’s 28-strong Arkestra. Inspired space-age lullaby music, with drummer Luqman Ali keeping the narcotic funk nd dreamy solos from other key Arkestra players like John Gilmore, Michael Ray, and Marshall Allen.
Sunset In The 12th House – Mosaic LP (Prophecy)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Sunset In The 12th House is a new band founded by the Dordeduh masterminds Edmond Karban (aka Hupogrammos) and Sol Faur. Acting mainly as an instrumental band, the quartet, which is completed by Dordeduh drummer Sergio Ponti and the bass player Mihai Moldoveanu, performs a unique style that can be best described as a blend of post rock and traditional oriental music.
Tomboy – Sweetie 12” (Ride The Snake)
If you’ve been searching for the perfect soundtrack for stuffing boys in lockers, your prayers have been answered. Tomboy’s unique flavor of pissed-off bubblegum is sure to suit your needs. Hailing from Boston, Tomboy is a refreshing and vital collision of revenge-fueled doo wop and sugar-coated punk fury—leveling all in their path and in the process creating a feminist dance party for the ages.
Tough Age – I Get The Feeling Central LP+MP3 (Mint)
This twelve-song collection is built on the bedrock of scuzz pop—simultaneously sweet and ear-splittingly loud. From the thunderous glam-stomp of “Chutes & Ladders” to the ominous surf instrumental “Landau, Luckman & Lake” to the self-dubbed “Evil Donovan” psych-pop of “Castigation,” it’s a thrilling listen that zigs where one expects it to zag.
John Trubee And The Ugly Janitors Of America – Nude Women Exdocrius LP (Trubee)
John Trubee And The Ugly Janitors Of America – A Blind Man’s Penis And Other Smash Hits LP (Trubee)
“There are two distinctly different groups of musicians on these records—one band in Los Angeles, another band in San Francisco. They are all one, organic whole as The Ugly Janitors Of America. I invented this band in 1983 in North Hollywood, California to perform and record my music. Any and all musicians I have conscripted since then are all part of the same organic, whole band and party of my plan to bring my music—made on nothing but my ideas, shoestring, and some duct tape—to the world. Our music reflects all the joy, madness, passion, sorrow, agony and excitement in life, which is often so difficult to directly express. Music is our greatest expressive outlet for all the joys and madness and sorrows and passions in life.”—John Trubee
Try The Pie – Domestication LP (Salinas)
Ex members of Sourpatch from San Jose, CA playing jangly indie-pop.
Turbowolf – Two Hands LP (Spinefarm)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. “Turbowolf are undoubtedly one of 2010’s most interesting emerging acts. Their crazy mix of punk, heavy metal and stoner rock with touches of neo-psychedelia, found on the excellent self-titled debut, helped them break into the British underground scene and subsequently all over Europe. Relentless touring and most probably the fear of avoiding a sophomore slump have constantly delayed the release of a sequel. Four years later, after steadily unveiling a number of singles, Two Hands finally sees the light of day. Nevertheless, it was worth the wait, as this effort is just as essential as its predecessor.” – Sputnik Music
Tyme – Land Of 1000 Dances b/w Cry For The Trees 7” (Crypt)
Raw-assed unissued 1967 Connecticut garage punk blaster. A 100-mile-per-hour screeching fuzzblastin’ brutal version of the Kenner/Pickett classic. Backed with a truly great folk-punk original, “Cry For The Trees”.
Alceu Valença – Molhado De Suor [Reissue/1974] LP (Sol Re Sol)
First-time reissue of 1974 album from Brazilian artist — an innovative and vital mix of traditional northeastern Brazilian music and rhythms with folk rock and psychedelia.
Various Artists – Back From The Grave Volume 2 LP (Crypt)
Crypt’s second offering in their Back From The Grave series, features total cuts by The Lyrics, The Canadian Rogues, The Unrelated Segments, The Outsiders, The Mods, The Hatfields, The Reasons Why, Ralph Nielsen & The Chancellors, The Novas, The Mystics, The Children Of Darknss, plus more
Various Artists – Last Of The Garage Punk Unknowns Volume 3 LP (Crypt)
Various Artists – Last Of The Garage Punk Unknowns Volume 4 LP (Crypt)
Prime slabs of mid-‘60s USA garage punk aceness with liner notes, band photos, and label scans. Note: This is an entirely new series, and none of these tracks were on the old series Garage Punk Unknowns. Features cuts by The Zounds, The Last Image, The Five Counts, The Sound Carnival, The Tortians, The Mystics, and many more.
Various Artists – Las Vegas Grind 2: Louie’s Limbo Lounge LP (Crypt)
Crypt’s second offering in their Las Vegas Grind series, features cuts by Frank Motley & His Motley Curew, Pancho Villa, The Epics, The Empallos, Big Bo & The Arrows, The Noisemakers, Del-Valaros, The Canadian Rogues, The Lyrics, The Upsetters, plus more.
Steve Von Till – A Life Unto Itself LP (Neurot Recordings)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. A Life Unto Itself is a perfect description for the 25-plus years Von Till’s spent forging a unique and influential sound. As with his previous solo works, Von Till’s weathered, distinctive voice and sparse acoustic guitar provides the foundation. Quiet and subdued for the most part, these songs still evoke vast emotional power as Von Till’s raspy whisper dives deeply inward and speak of visions, memories and self-reflection in a way both seasoned and exposed. Guests include viola master Eyvind Kang, pedal steel wizard J. Kardong and percussionist Pat Schowe.
Juan Wauters – Who Me? LP+MP3 (Captured Tracks)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Inspired by both the arrangements of Uruguayan songwriter Jaime Roos and the production of American master Dr. Dre, this collection of songs presents his continued approach to existential questioning through pop music.
Ricked Wicky – Jargon Of Clones 7” (GBV Inc.)
Ricked Wicky – Tomfoole Terrific 7” (GBV Inc.)
Two 7” singles from King Heavy Metal, the forthcoming second album by Ricked Wicky, the new project of Guided By Voices’ mastermind Robert Pollard, joined by GBV’s Kevin March (drums), long-time collaborator Todd Tobias (bass) and secret weapon, Nick Mitchell (guitar). The A-sides are majestic and hook-filled — classic Pollard rock. The non-LP B-sides are written and sung by Mitchell. “Quite Worthy”: power pop/glam rock/’70s AM radio fuel this harmony-laden nod to Joseph Campbell-esque advice to “Follow Your Bliss.” “Dissonance” is baroque chamber pop, acoustic guitar and cellos, harkening to early Jeff Lynne/Roy Wood.
Wild Classical Music Ensemble – Tapping Is Clapping LP (Born Bad)
Originally the band focused on free improvisation—sound and object experimentation tied together with orchestration signals and experimental music notations—Wild Classical Music Ensemble has since begun incorporating punk rock riffs from guitarist Kim Verbeke, broadening their sound into a free-punk-noise-rock hybrid.
Zoltan – Sixty Music Zoom LP (Cineploit)
The UK progressive synth group known as ZOLTAN have been turning heads since arising in 2010 as one of the most interesting projects signed to a then-fledgling Austrian label by the name of Cineploit Records. Sixty Minute Zoom takes the building blocks of influence carved from the likes of film composer Fabio Frizzi, Italian prog giants Goblin and Pittsburgh duo Zombi and erects here a monument to their own creativity and unique compositional eye.
Zomes – Near Unison LP (Near Unison)
From the band. “These visceral and gently imaginative songs come from a year long musical sketch-sharing practice that led the band towards simple compositions inspired by the melodies and intimate storytelling of Swedish and American folk music.”
Cassettes:
Bunnygrunt – Vol. 4 (Happy Happy Birthday To Me)
They started off twee but spent so much time on the road that they learned how to rock. The missing link between Teenage Fanclub and Teenage Wasteland, like a bat out of hell baby, Bunnygrunt was born to run. They’ve been tearing it up for years now—legends of the underground teaching the indie kids how to rock and the rockers how to weep.
Book:
Banned In DC: Photos And Anecdotes From The DC Punk Underground (Sun Dog Propaganda)
After nearly ten years out of production, Banned In DC is finally back in print. It was thought that the sixth edition—which was released in 2005—would be the final version of the book, as the many of the negatives used to make the printing plates had deteriorated beyond use. However, due to consistent demand, Cynthia Connolly decided to undertake the laborious task of recreating the book, hewing as closely as possible to the original design only this time as a permanent digital negative. Assembled by Cynthia Connolly, Leslie Clague and Sharon Cheslow and originally released in December of 1988, Banned In DC collects hundreds of photos, flyers, and stories documenting the DC punk scene of the mid-’80s.
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