Social Media Program Titles Released This Week:
Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever – Sideways To New Italy CD/LP+MP3 (Sub Pop)
Aussie rock/pop outfit Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever’s second record Sideways To New Italy sees the band interrogate their individual pasts and the places that inform them. In clicking the scattered pieces back into place, they have crafted for themselves a new totem of home to carry with them no matter where they end up. The album is inspired by New Italy – a village near New South Wales’s Northern Rivers – the area drummer Marcel Tussie is from. A blink-and-you’ll-miss-it pit-stop of a place with fewer than 200 residents, it was founded by Venetian immigrants in the late-1800s and now serves as something of a living monument to Italians’ contribution to Australia, with replica Roman statues dotted like souvenirs on the otherwise rural landscape.
CDs + Vinyl:
16 – Dream Squasher CD/LP (Relapse)
16’s bouldering guitars crash into one another, set atop equally pulverizing bass and drums. Thunderous riffs express equal parts melancholy and fury.
Badly Drawn Boy – Banana Skin Shoes CD/2xLP (One Last Fruit)
Always one to wear his heart on his sleeve, Damon Gough’s ninth album as Badly Drawn Boy is a truly personal and heartfelt collection of songs. A huge statement of intent and one of the most glorious, colorful warming, honest pop record you’ll hear this year.
Boogie Belgique – Time For A Boogie [Reissue/2013] CD/LP (Cold Busted)
Boogie Belgique was formed in 2012 by Oswald Cromheecke, quickly growing into one of the top artists in European trip-hop and electro-swing circles.
Covet – Technicolor CD/LP (Triple Crown)
Technicolor effortlessly blends instrumental math-rock with elements of post-rock and post-metal, juxtaposing delicate melodies with propulsive rhythms.
Descartes A Kant – Victims Of Love Propaganda CD/LP (Cleopatra)
Mexico’s superb noise rock cabaret troop unleash its brand-new album.
The Devonns – The Devonns CD/LP (Record Kicks)
The Devonns dust off the golden age of ‘70’s Chicago Soul with their self-titled album.
Dion – Blues With Friends CD (KTBA)
Blues With Friends is packed with a great batch of songs written during a productive time coming off his latest release. When the legendary Joe Bonamassa was eager to be involved, it inspired Dion to invite others to join the project. He says, “I wanted the best musicians alive like Jeff Beck, Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon, Van Morrison and more to take them in unexpected directions. Wayne Hood, my producer, brought out the best of them.” [Vinyl edition due July 17.]
Thomas Dutronc – Frenchy CD/LP (Verve)
The great guitar enthusiast and humble disciple of Django Reinhardt, Thomas Dutronc returns with the project he has always dreamed of: Frenchy. After four albums and hundreds of concerts in France, Thomas returns with a French-themed album addressing the greatest classics of the French musical heritage. Dutronc honors the work of the great French songwriters whose melodies have toured the world. Features Diana Krall, Iggy Pop, Billy Gibbons, Jeff Goldblum, Haley Reinhardt and more.
El Michels Affair – Adult Themes CD/LP (Big Crown)
Adult Themes takes El Michels Affair’s cinematic soul aesthetic literally and sends the listener on a journey through a whirlwind of moods and energies. [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Emery – White Line Fever CD (BC Music)
On their eight album, Emery – like a fine wine – only gets better with age. White Line Fever will clearly appeal to the hardcore OG Emery fans as well as to newcomers just getting into the band. [Vinyl edition due June 26.]
End – Splinters From An Ever-Changing Face CD/LP (Closed Casket Activites)
Counterparts frontman Brendan Murphy has another band, a sort of heavy-hardcore supergroup called End. He’s in End with Fit For An Autopsy guitarist Will Putney, who’s been producing records for bands like Knocked Loose and Vein in recent years, and with members of bands like Shai Hulud, Misery Signals, and Reign Supreme.
Four Tet – Sixteen Oceans CD/2xLP+MP3 (Temporary Residence)
Following up 2017’s New Energy, Sixteen Oceans once again showcases the producer at the top of his game – dropping sublime melodies one minute and rough rollers the next.
Ghost Inside – Ghost Inside CD/LP+MP3 (Epitaph)
The Ghost Inside is a Los Angeles-based hardcore band. They began as a group of friends in El Segundo, CA united by their shared passion for bands in the hardcore scene. The group stands for authenticity, dedication, perseverance and the most literal adherence to the core values behind their craft. Sonically, the group places equal emphasis on deeply personal vocals, urgent riffing and pile-driving breakdowns within the framework of their heavily melodic modern hardcore. [Limited opaque magenta colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Hinds – The Prettiest Curse CD/LP (Mom + Pop Music)
Each time they take the stage, Madrid-bred rock band Hinds create a kind of wild magic, a feel-good free-for-all often complete with synchronized dancing and giddy crowd-surfing from the members themselves. While the band’s first two albums channeled the euphoric energy of their live show in their gorgeously punchy take on garage-rock, their The Prettiest Curse adds entirely new texture to their sound. [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Leifur James – Angel In Disguise CD/LP (Night Time Stories)
Angel in Disguise is London based Leifur James’ second album. It comes after an incredible few years for the artist. 2018 saw James release his esteemed debut album, A Louder Silence on Night Time Stories, and follow up remix EP that championed upcoming electronic talent including Bruce, FaltyDL and Whities producer, Coby Sey, on rework duties; projects which captured the attention of key tastemakers including Resident Advisor, Pitchfork, Mixmag, Electronic Sound and Future Music UK.
Sarah Jarosz – World On The Ground CD (Rounder)
Three-time Grammy winner Sarah Jarosz returns with World On The Ground, her first new album in four years. The soulful and gorgeous collection – produced by John Leventhal (Rosanne Cash, Elvis Costello) and recorded in his Manhattan home studio – follows Jarosz’s Grammy-winning 2016 release Undercurrent. World On The Ground is a collection of stories both real and imagined exploring the tension and inertia of small-town living. Jarosz, a native of Wimberley, TX (pop. 2,626) and current NYC resident, explores the desire for escape set against the ease of staying put. The album is populated by sensitive souls, aimless wanderers, and back-porch daydreamers. [Vinyl edition due July 10].
LA Priest – Gene CD/LP+MP3 (Domino)
Arriving four years after the iconoclast variously known as Sam Dust, La Priest thrilled the world with the cosmic pop of his debut album Inji, Gene is named after a new modular drum machine Sam dreamt up and built alone. Working in isolation for more than two years, soldering iron in hand, Sam designed Gene using 150 electrical circuits he made up himself.
Little Steven – Born Again Savage [Reissue/1999] CD (UMe)
Digitally remastered edition of Little Steven’s fifth solo album. Born Again Savage found him rocking hard like the old days, aided by Jason Bonham and U2’s Adam Clayton. Politics and religion are on his mind as he and the band turn the volume knobs way up.
Melenas – Dias Raros CD/LP (Trouble In Mind)
Indie pop quartet Melenas hail from Pamplona, Spain, a picturesque region nestled just south of the Pyrenees. Such beauty can’t help but inform the band’s songwriting, but Melenas aren’t content to just sit placidly & take in the scenery. Dias Raros hums right from the get-go, peppering their garage-pop punch with elements of lysergic dream pop, melancholic indie rock and strident guitar jangle. [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Mt. Joy – Rearrange Us CD/LP (Dual Tone Music Group)
Mt. Joy’s star rose quickly from a bedroom project to a well-oiled machine dubbed your new folk-rock heroes by Rolling Stone upon the 2018 release of their self-titled debut record. Their highly anticipated sophomore album Rearrange Us is sonically rich and expansive; producer Tucker Martine’s Portland studio and creative input widens the capabilities of Mt. Joy’s already bright sound, and allows the growing sophistication of the songwriting and the arrangements to really shine.
Muzz – Muzz CD/LP+MP3 (Matador)
The debut album from Paul Banks (Interpol), Matt Barrick (The Walkmen) and Josh Kaufman (Bonny Light Horseman). The resulting songs are dark and gorgeous, expansive and sparse, like Cormac McCarthy prose stretched across a cowboy painting of a sunset.
P22 – Human Snake LP (Post Present Medium)
P22 is a Los Angeles band formed in 2015 by Sofia Arreguin, Nicole-Antonia Spagnola, Justin Tenney, and Taylor Thompson. P22 borrows their name from the famed Los Angeles mountain lion who crossed both the 405 and 101 freeways to disperse in Griffith Park. Puma concolor number twenty-two. A band is always a utopian proposition. P22 is a prudent exercise in the collective rearing of offbeat protest tunes in punk’s tomb. Think the intellect and political prowess of Crass, played by west coast punkers of the early SST variety.
Pineapple Thief – Little Man [Reissue/2006] CD/2xLP (Kscope)
Digitally remastered edition. Little Man is an astounding emotional, atmospheric and satisfying piece of art, and should be essential for any avid prog fan.
Dan Reeder – Every Which Way CD (Oh Boy)
Every Which Ways was, as always, written, played, recorded and produced by Dan Reeder himself. Dan Reeder has been called one of the foremost outsider artists in modern folk by The New Yorker’s Ben Greenman. His music has received critical acclaim for its unique blending of blues, folk, gospel and field hollers. [Vinyl edition due July 24.]
Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever – Sideways To New Italy CD/LP+MP3 (Sub Pop)
Aussie rock/pop outfit Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever’s second record Sideways To New Italy sees the band interrogate their individual pasts and the places that inform them. In clicking the scattered pieces back into place, they have crafted for themselves a new totem of home to carry with them no matter where they end up. The album is inspired by New Italy – a village near New South Wales’s Northern Rivers – the area drummer Marcel Tussie is from. A blink-and-you’ll-miss-it pit-stop of a place with fewer than 200 residents, it was founded by Venetian immigrants in the late-1800s and now serves as something of a living monument to Italians’ contribution to Australia, with replica Roman statues dotted like souvenirs on the otherwise rural landscape.
John Scofield, Steve Swallow, Bill Stewart – Swallow Tales CD (ECM)
Guitarist John Scofield celebrates the music of his friend and mentor Steve Swallow in an outgoing and spirited recording, made old school style in just one day in New York in March 2019.
Phil Seymour – If You Don’t Want My Love: Archive Series 6 CD (Sunset Blvd)
In his short career, Phil Seymour was hailed by Shelter Records founders Leon Russell and Denny Cordell, received production offers from Phil Spector, played with Tom Petty, Chris Spedding, the Textones, Roy Orbison and Del Shannon, and counted among his friends and fans people from the worlds of power pop, roots rock, new wave and indie rock. If You Don’t Want My Love: Archive Series 6, contains eight previously unreleased tracks recorded prior to his record deal with Boardwalk, including productions by Denny Cordell and Phil Spector.
Frank Sinatra – Nice ‘N’ Easy [Reissue/1960] CD/LP (Capitol)
Digitally remastered and expanded edition, released in celebration of the 60th Anniversary of Frank Sinatra’s 1960 album, Nice ‘n’ Easy. Features the original 12 tracks like “The Nearness of You”, as well as full sessions of “I’ve Got A Crush On You” and “Nice ‘n’ Easy” that include previously unreleased alternate takes and reveals Sinatra studio chatter.
The Staples Singers – Let’s Do It Again [OST/Reissue/1975] CD (Omnivore
The Staples – Pass It On [Reissue/1976] CD (Omnivore)
Remastered CD reissues of The Staples.Curtis Mayfield-produced albums Let’s Do It Again and Pass It On. The Staple Singers are an American musical treasure. In the ’50s they were among the greatest of the post-war gospel groups.
Tenci – My Heart Is An Open Field CD/LP (Keeled Scales)
A confident, deeply beautiful debut album from the Chicago four-piece. My Heart Is An Open Field is filled with nuance- breaths of saxophone and flute, and touches of cello, piano, and pedal steel are hung on the sturdy folk songs of Jess Shoman, whose voice and range cuts through these dreams like a loved one’s voice. [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Jennifer Touch – Behind The Wall CD/LP (FatCat)
Touch comes from a punk background, growing up in Berlin during the fall of the wall, makes gritty techno & electronic music while singing lush, dreamy vocals… Suffice to say it’s quite a mixture of experiences and influences. In Jennifer Touch’s world, music is like life – incalculable, rich in experience and emotion, and most of all unlimited.
Trixie Mattel – Barbara CD/LP (ATO)
For years, singer/songwriter Trixie Mattel has broken boundaries not only for drag performers in the music world but also for LGBTQ+ artists in the genres of country, folk and Americana. Barbara is laid out to reflect a vintage double-sided album. Side A features a plugged-in late ’60s/early ’70s vibe. Side B hearkens back to the introspective folk. [Yellow colored vinyl pressing including a foil stamped poster is also available.]
Joe Louis Walker – Blues Comin’ On CD/LP (Cleopatra Blues)
Soulful blues phenom, and Blues Hall Of Fame inductee, Joe Louis Walker is joined by a host of talented friends and peers on his new studio album. Features guest performances by fellow blues icons Keb’ Mo’, Eric Gales, and Albert Lee plus Detroit soul singer Mitch Ryder,
harmonica virtuoso Lee Oskar, Hot Tuna’s Jorma Kaukonen, punk rock vocalist Charlie Harper, legendary session player Waddy Wachtel, and many others. [Limited white colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Westerman – Your Hero Is Not Dead CD/LP+MP3 (Partisan)
Your Hero Is Not Dead is an album about empathy and compassion, struggle and release, and all the ways we contradict and battle within ourselves. The project is full of supremely crafted, groove-hinged songs about moral, political, and ethical grey areas that find Westerman attempting to resolve external issues by looking inward.
This Week’s Vinyl Exclusives:
The Ataris – Blue Skies Broken Hearts Next 12 Exits [Reissue/1999] LP (Kung Fu)
White colored vinyl reissue of the sophomore album from the power punk heroes.
Ahwlee – VII LP (Rap Vacation)
Just in time for the remake of arguably the most iconic and influential turn based role playing video game of all time, Ahwlee drops VII; a seventeen track album sure to stir up the nostalgic memories of boxy and pixelated 32 bit goodness that inspired many of us in the ‘90s all the way up to now. Ahwlee tastefully presents us this tribute album as a testament of the weeks of his life spent beating this game countless amounts of times.
Bonus Points – Off Topic 12” (Cold Busted)
Bonus Points delivers a dazzling take on boom-bap beats and future funk.
Sandy Bull With Billy Higgins – Fantasias For Guitar And Banjo [Reissue/1983] LP (Alternative Fox)
Fantasias For Guitar And Banjo is the debut album by folk guitarist Sandy Bull, originally released in 1963 through Vanguard Records. Bull recorded the album accompanied by Billy Higgins, a session jazz drummer who had previously appeared on early Ornette Coleman records. Together, they recorded three original pieces as well as interpretations of “Carmina Burana Fantasy” and “Non nobis Domine”.
Federal Duck – Federal Duck [Reissue/1968] LP (Munster)
Federal Duck was one of many college bands to pop up during the psychedelic years. Their eponymous album was recorded at Groove Sound Studios, NYC, in 1968 and includes a number of quality tracks, mixing elements of jazz, country, and soft psychedelia.
The Free Nationals – The Free Nationals 2xLP (OBE)
Double gold-nugget colored vinyl LP pressing. Widely known as Anderson. Paak’s band, The Free Nationals step out on their own with their debut, self-titled, album. With features that include the first official posthumous verse from Mac Miller, along with heavyweights such as, Anderson. Paak, Kali Uchis, Daniel Caesar, JID, Syd, Westside Gunn, Conway, Benny Sings, Unknown Mortal Orchestra and more.
Gang Starr – Jazz Thing [Reisue/1990] LP (Mr. Bongo)
The now-legendary duo of DJ Premier and Guru dropped Jazz Thing at the height of hip-hop’s
sampling of jazz, which had led to a creative leap forward for the genre.
Gift Of Dreams – Mandroid [Reissue/1983] LP (Everland)
‘80s synthesizer pop meets soul and funk music from the ‘70s.
Steve Hillage – Madison Square Garden 1977 [Reissue/2015] LP (Purple Pyramid)
Orange vinyl reissue of this vintage live performance from Gong guitar guru and one of the most innovative guitarists of his era.
I, Ced – Interpretations LP (Mofunk)
I, Ced has been something of a best kept secret among creators and aficionados of modern soul music. His wide array of skills ranges from production to vocals, keys, and studio mixing.
Clifford Jordan – These Are My Roots – Clifford Jordan Plays Leadbelly [Reissue/1965] LP (Pure Pleasure)
Clifford Jordan hailed from Chicago, hometown of hard-driving, so-called tough tenorists like Gene Ammons and Eddie Lockjaw Davis. While Jordan shared their unnerving bravado, his tone is different, an alluring tone, simultaneously rough around the edges and ephemeral. A sought-after sideman, Jordan recorded with stalwarts as Lee Morgan and Max Roach in the late ‘50s and early ‘60s, as well as a series of high standard solo albums.
Sondre Lerche – Patience LP (Sondre Lerche LLC)
Norwegian indie-pop auteur Sondre Lerche has returned with his most ambitious and eclectic work to date in the form of his ninth studio album, Patience. Written over six years, and recorded mainly in Norway, the inspiration came from ambient music, running marathons and a quest for serenity. At 16, Lerche’s melodic debut, Faces Down, won a Best Newcomer Norwegian Grammy; it was followed by Two Way Monologue. Patience gives homage to these early works but with wisdom he’s gained over the years.
Leroy & The Drivers – The Sad Chicken [Reissue/1970] 7” (Ubiquity)
This Deep Funk classic has been a favorite by DJ’s and collectors alike.
Maddie & Tae – The Way It Feels 2xLP (Mercury Nashville)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Award-winning duo Maddie & Tae are drawing praise for their new music anchored around their stellar vocal pairings and “some of the tightest harmonies on Music Row” (Rolling Stone). They have toured with the likes of Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood. Includes bonus poster.
Nas – The World Is Yours [Reissue/1994] 7” (Mr. Bongo)
Presented for the first time on 7”, the vocals of the album version and the Pete Rock instrumental on the flip provide the perfect opportunity to enjoy and compare the work of two masters at the top of their game.
Gregorio Paniagua – Batiscafo [Reissue/1980] LP (Munster)
Batiscafo anticipated a wave of avant-garde Spanish music in the ’80s with key figures such as Suso Sáiz, Pep Llopis, Ishinoana, or Finis Africae, who are now being rediscovered and admired outside Spain. It is a highly original and imaginative record that continues to surprise listeners forty years on, with its bold combination of early electronic music, classicism, experimentation and psychedelia.
Pete Rock x Camp Lo – 80 Blocks From Tiffany’s 2 2xLP (Soul Brother)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Bronx duo Camp Lo have teamed up with the one and only Pete Rock to drop 80 Blocks From Tiffany’s (a mixtape series available as a full length). With the projects name paying homage to the BX gangs of the ‘70s, it’s only right that they bring it back to hip-hop’s essence in the video, graffiti, b-boys, rhymin’ on the project stairways, two turntables and a mic.
Ryuichi Sakamoto – Aile De Honnêamise – Royal Space Force (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) [Reissue/1987] LP (Alternative Fox)
Vinyl reissue of Ryuichi Sakamoto’s Aile De Honnêamise – Royal Space Force, originally released in 1987. Synth wizard Ryuichi Sakamoto was a composer and arranger since the mid-‘70s and burst into the world’s greater consciousness in Yellow Magic Orchestra .
Pharoah Sanders – Pharoah [Reissue/1977] LP (Alternative Fox)
In 1977, Sanders cut Pharaoh for the New York-based underground jazz label India Navigation, with the excellent laid-back epic “Harvest Time” featuring Pharaoh’s wife Bedria on harmonium, as Ohio-born double-bassist Steve Neil and former Mongo Santamaria guitarist Tsiji Munoz and former Joe Thomas keyboardist Jiggs Case craft subtle melodic backing; on Side Two, percussionist Lawrence Killian and drummer Greg Bandy drive the rhythm, as Sanders himself sings.
The Scruffs – Teenage Tragedies 1974-1979 LP (Mono-Tone)
Hailing from Memphis, Tennessee, The Scruffs are best known for their classic power-pop LP Wanna Meet The Scruffs? issued in 1977. They started to record a follow-up album with John Fry at Ardent Studios, supposedly entitled Teenage Gurls. In 1978, due to interest from Warner Bros. In New York City, the band moved to the Big Apple, playing at CBGB and Max’s Kansas City. One year later, leader Stephen Burns returned to Memphis to finish the recordings which survived for years in his archives. They eventually resurfaced only on CD, in 1998, released as, Teenage Tragedies. Now available on vinyl.
Terea – Terea [Reissue/1977] LP (Everland)
The music on Sharon Robinson’s sole album under her Terea moniker could easily be regarded as some of the greatest late ‘70s black music. Smooth funk with a silkier edge and piercing synthesizers, soul pop with lush arrangements, giant harmonies and a cinematic atmosphere or warm and soulful ballads.
Marcos Valle – Marcos Vallle [Reissue/1983] LP (Vampi Soul)
Marcos Valle is one of the few artists you cannot miss if you have the slightest interest in Brazilian music. Whether your taste is focused on bossa jazz, samba, psych folk or soul, Valle has surely recorded a great album for you.
Various Artists – Detroit Punk Archive Presents The End Of The Night (1976-1983) 2xLP (Hold Fast)
29 songs including twelve previously unreleased tracks by Detroit first wave punk/new wave groups. 180gm vinyl pressing.
Various Artists [Mr. Scruff] – Mr. Scruff DJ-Kicks 2xLP (!K7)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. As a DJ, Andy Carthy aka Mr. Scruff plays across the board, flitting between soul, funk, hip-hop, jazz, reggae, Latin, African, ska, disco, house, funk, breaks, soundtracks and loads more. As a producer he makes music that draws on these influences, with a large dose of cheek and good humor. 2020 sees Mr. Scruff kicking off the 25th anniversary of the DJ-Kicks series.
Varsity – Fine Forever LP (Run For Cover)
Released last week on CD – now available on vinyl. For their third full-length, Varsity takes their talent for making melodic pop into brand new territory – combining upbeat grooves, talented and varied instrumentation and captivating storytelling.
Mal Waldron & Gary Peacock – First Encounter [Reissue/1971] LP (Alternative Fox)
After playing with Mingus, Coltrane, Lady Day, and Abbey Lincoln, inventive jazz pianist Mal Waldron moved to Europe and first reached Japan in 1970, where he met Idaho-born double-bassist Gary Peacock, who had played with Art Pepper, Bud Shank, Bill Evans, and free-jazz giant Albert Ayler before moving to Japan to study Zen Buddhism. First Encounter, recorded in Tokyo in 1971 for French producer Herve Bergerat, shows that the intense pairing was quite natural, the harmonic dissonance of Waldron’s “She Walks In Beauty” contrasted by the up-tempo groove of Peacock’s “What’s That”; future Native Son founder Hiroshi Murakami makes important contribution on drums.
Butch Walker – American Love Story LP (Ruby Red Recordings)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. New release from the Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter and producer. American Love Story is a rock opera – a love story about hate, partially inspired by his upbringing in Cartersville, Georgia, that examines social and racial divides in America.
Hannah Williams & The Affirmations – 50 Foot Woman: The Instrumentals LP (Record Kicks)
Limited clear vinyl pressing. The Instrumentals from 2019’s critically acclaimed album 50 Foot Woman by Hannah Williams & The Affirmations. Recorded strictly on tape at ATA Records and mixed and produced by Shawn Lee, this album captures all of the visceral power of The Affirmations. Hannah Williams turned heads worldwide when the hip-hop superstar Jay-Z sampled her heart-stopping vocals on “Late Nights & Heartbreak” for the title track, “4.44” on his 2017 album of the same name.
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