June Program Titles Released This Week:
As Cities Burn – Scream Through The Walls CD (Equal Vision)
For Scream Through The Walls, As Cities Burn turned to a familiar collaborator in producer Matt Goldman (Underoath, Meg & Dia, The Chariot) to help capture the signature frenetic energy of their live show. Goldman proved a wise decision, providing sonic clarity without sacrificing the rawness and honesty the band wanted to instill in the record. While this was the band’s most collaborative record to date, primary songwriting duties remained with Cody Bonnette and his personal growth since the last record shines through on how progressive and open the album is lyrically. It deals with the destructive tendencies and emotional crutches we rely on, both on a personal level and from a larger cultural perspective. As Cody puts it, the 10-tracks on Scream Through The Walls seek to be “like a good counselor, asking the right questions to allow the listener to work through their issues on their own terms.”
AURORA – A Different Kind Of Human (Step II) CD/LP (Glassnote)
The latest album by Norwegian synth-pop musician AURORA follows the release of her sophomore release, Infections Of A Different Kind (Step I), which was named one of A Bit Of Pop Music’s 20 Best Pop Albums of 2018. “Though still part of the Different Kind series, Step II finds AURORA traversing more experimental territory. The location where the LP was recorded helped to inform this new, unconventional sound; the artist set up shop ‘in a more lo-fi space than before,’ one described as a French chateau that’s ‘beautiful and dreamy’ and ‘far away.’ Much of Step II is said to focus on the ecological crisis plaguing society. We hear this on the album’s latest single, ‘The Seed’, in which AURORA reflects on the toxic ways we treat nature and those around us. ‘People say ‘live like you don’t care’ or ‘party like you don’t care’, but I like to care,’ AURORA remarked. ‘I think people do, too, now more than ever, for example when Trump was elected people became more involved politically because they were frustrated. It’s a time of open ears and open eyes’.” – Consequence Of Sound
Chon – Chon CD (Sumerian)
On their self-titled third album, Chon find themselves at the confluence of a great push and pull. Their debut full-length, 2015’s Grow, established their mathy, forward-thinking take on the genre, while 2017’s Homey furthered that sound while incorporating brand-new influences like effect-pedal-heavy elements of electronic music and trip-hop. Now, with Chon, the trio once again have kicked down their musical guardrails – but in a way that balances their more eccentric impulses with a steadying dose of clarity and restraint. The album is brimming with some of the most forward-thinking, intricate musings the band have ever attempted, from the deep progressive propulsion of first single “Peace” to “Spike”, which spins the band’s youthful tech and metal influences together into a flashy riff-athon. All at once, Chon respects the trio’s current listeners while inviting a broader swath of new ones in – the rare progressive rock album adroit enough to straddle that line. [Vinyl edition due July 12.]
Perry Farrell – Kind Heaven CD/LP (BMG)
Kind Heaven, the first solo album from Perry Ferrell in over 18 years, draws heavily from a wide variety of sources, from the tumultuous political situation in the United States to ancient Messianic prophecies. Wrapping these themes in a soundscape that veers between the alt rock that made the former Jane’s Addiction and Porno For Pyros frontman a legend and experiments with electronica, the record was co-produced with David Bowie collaborator Tony Visconti and features contributions from Tommy Lee, Dhani Harrison, Taylor Hawkins and more.
Kind Heaven is an expansive set of interlinked compositions fused together by Farrell’s electrifying vocals into a rich sonic tapestry. Meticulously interwoven rock, electronic, and symphonic elements combine to yield a compelling tale told through large-scale orchestral scores (courtesy of Hollywood composer Harry Gregson-Williams), intense back-and-forth duets with Etty Lau Farrell, and flourishes of hard guitar with electronic vocal distortions.
Tommy James – Tommy Alive CD (Aura)
“Still a teenager when he signed on with Roulette Records in 1966, Tommy James had no idea the recording company was associated with the Mob. He found out later, of course, and eventually left the company but not before producing copious no. 1 hits including ‘Hanky Panky’, ‘I Think We’re Alone Now’, ‘Crimson And Clover’, and ‘Crystal Blue Persuasion’. He’s sold more than 100 million records worldwide. Long after Morris Levy, the founder and owner of Roulette Records, released James from his contract in the middle 1970s, Tommy James continues to prosper as a rock and roll legend — something he said he’s always wanted to be after getting a ukulele and later an acoustic guitar from his parents. He’s now entering his 52nd year in the business, still writing, performing, and doing a radio show on ‘60s music” (Chicago Tribune). “Alive started out as an acoustic album, but…little by little…I realized that there was no way I could interpret the songs acoustically so I gave into electricity. It was a very long time in the making. Some songs go back 30 or 40 years and some are brand new, and there are lots of different kinds of songs. If there’s one big theme, it’s that there’s absolutely no theme. I wasn’t listening to the radio or what was going on around me musically; I just recorded songs that I had wanted to do for a long time or now. It has been a labor of love: a personal statement of where I am today.” – Tommy James
Dylan LeBlanc – Renegade CD/LP (ATO)
Dylan LeBlanc’s new studio album Renegade was produced by Grammy Award winner Dave Cobb (Brandi Carlile, Chris Stapleton, Sturgill Simpson) and is introduced by the scorching ‘80s inspired title track. Recorded at Cobb’s RCA Studio A in Nashville, TN, the 10-song album features LeBlanc and his longtime band, The Pollies. Of the album, LeBlanc shares, “I wanted to write the same type of songs that matched the atmosphere the band and I were bringing live. So, I started with ‘Renegade’, which was fitting since I felt myself going in a new, more intense direction with this record. In the studio, I let go almost absolutely and let Dave Cobb do his work. It was a different experience for me – how focused Cobb was and how quickly we would get live takes down. Mostly in one or two takes. Never more than three. It left me spinning at how quickly it all came together. Over the course of ten days Renegade was complete and ready for mastering. And I couldn’t be more excited to share it with you.” [Limited red colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Luciano Pavarotti – Pavarotti: Music From The Motion Picture CD (Decca)
Pavarotti: Music From The Motion Picture draws from Pavarotti’s rich recorded catalog and follows the arc of the Ron Howard film. It features selections from operas such as “Turandot”, “La bohème”, “Aida”, “Tosca” and more, as well as Italian songs and collaborations with friends such as Plácido Domingo, José Carreras (“‘O sole mio”, “Nessun dorma”), U2, Brian Eno, Passengers (“Miss Sarajevo”), and others. Touchingly, the complete recording of Puccini’s “Donna non vidi mai”, which Pavarotti dedicated to Princess Diana, is included. In addition to a special unreleased song with Andrea Bocelli, the soundtrack also features Pavarotti’s duet of “Ave Maria” with Bono, available for the first time commercially.
Pelican – Nighttime Stories CD/2xLP (Southern Lord)
Pelican, the instrumental quartet whose singular vision of heavy music eschews classification, presents their first full-length in six years with Nighttime Stories. The eight-song set marks Pelican’s first release written front to back with guitarist Dallas Thomas, who took over guitar duties upon founding member Laurent Schroeder-Lebec’s departure in 2012. In the process of writing the album the quartet endured a slew of realizations, tragedies, and glimmers of optimism that guided the creative process to the most potent work of their 19-year career. Though the new material veers towards the darker tone characteristic of Pelican’s early songwriting, it’s hard to imagine a previous incarnation of the band writing songs as meticulously crafted and detail-oriented as those within Nighttime Stories, where the compositions recall everything from the triumphant call-to-arms of classic Dischord, to the vicious troglodyte battery of the Melvins, to the dynamic interwoven melodies of bottom-heavy indie cult heroes Chavez. Nowhere is this evinced as clearly as on initial album single “Midnight And Mescaline”, the album’s lead single. [Exclusive indie-store-only vinyl pressing also available.]
Santana – Africa Speaks CD/2xLP (Concord)
Helmed by legendary producer Rick Rubin and featuring the soulful vocals of Afro-Latin singer Buika, Africa Speaks is the new energy infused full-length album from Carlos Santana. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame guitarist and his eight-piece band (featuring his wife, Cindy Blackman Santana, on drums), convened at Rubin’s Shangri La Studios in Malibu, and in a joyous and stimulating 10-day period they recorded an astonishing number of tracks, many of them in one take. Another dramatic element in the creation of Africa Speaks came in the form of Spanish singer Buika, whose heavenly lead vocals cast a magical spell throughout the album. Inspired by the melodies, sounds and rhythms of Africa, Santana has created a truly memorable and powerful experience here that transcends generational, cultural and geographical boundaries. Santana’s otherworldly, wah-driven solos take flight on the stomping groove of first taste “Los Invisibles”.
Silversun Pickups – Widow’s Weeds CD/2xLP+MP3 (New Machine)
Silversun Pickups has always considered their sonic density a source of pride, their four studio albums revealing additional sonic gifts with each subsequent spin, and their fifth album, Widow’s Weeds, is no exception. The band members were in agreement with the album’s starting point (the urgent synth-rocker “Neon Wound”) and closer (the aggressive, throttling “We Are Chameleons”) and admitted that everything in between, including how the rest of Widow’s Weeds was sequenced and how the album unfolded, often surprised them. To make sense of these ideas, Silversun Pickups enlisted producer Butch Vig (Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, Sonic Youth). Vig and mixer Billy Bush helped craft a confident, unrestrained album in which every instrument is clearly audible. Cure-like keyboards hold their own against riffs on “Neon Wound” and the spring-loaded “It Doesn’t Matter Why”. In the end, recording with Vig surpassed the band members’ already-high expectations.
Various Artists – The Rolling Stones Rock And Roll Circus 2xCD/3xLP (Abkco)
Filmed over two days in December 1968, The Rolling Stones Rock And Roll Circus starred the ‘60s line-up of the Stones, complete with Brian Jones. They were joined by The Who, Jethro Tull, Taj Mahal, Marianne Faithfull, Yoko Ono and the remarkable, impromptu supergroup known as The Dirty Mac, comprising John Lennon, Keith Richards, Mitch Mitchell of the Jimi Hendrix Experience and Eric Clapton. The film’s soundtrack has undergone a new mix and has been expanded to 28 tracks for new 2019 editions. Bonus material includes music by the late American concert pianist Julius Katchen, introduced by Jones; three additional songs by blues titan Taj Mahal; and previously unheard recordings by The Dirty Mac of The Beatles’ “Revolution” as well as “Warmup Jam”. [Stand-alone regular and deluxe DVD and Blu-ray editions also available.]
July Program Titles Released This Week:
Stef Chura – Midnight CD/LP (Saddle Creek)
“For most people who create art I would assume there is some kind of deep unanswerable hole in your soul as to why you’re making it…” So says Stef Chura upon the release of Midnight, her gritty, vehement new album. Illuminating that search for answers with a fevered sense of exploration, Midnight is a bold leap forward from Messes, Chura’s contagious debut album, with every aspect of her new work finding bold ways to express itself as it rips through 12 restless and relentless new tracks. If its predecessor was a raw, somewhat unadorned document, then Midnight is the muscular, swaggering evolution. “This album has a depth to it and a particular sound because of Will,” Stef states regarding producer Will Toledo’s (Car Seat Headrest) input, whose spiky nuances can be found across the length and breadth of Midnight, the record presenting an exhilarating rush of sound and color as Stef’s spirited vocal finds and signature guitar sounds unravel alongside in a thrilling meeting of ideas and influences.
Froth – Duress CD/LP+MP3 (Wichita)
After a two-year hiatus, Froth is back with their most fully realized work to date, Duress. Co-produced with longtime friend and collaborator Tomas Dolas (Oh Sees, Mr. Elevator) at his analog-focused Studio 22 in Cypress Park, CA, the record is unapologetically experimental yet undeniably accessible – combining some of the band’s strongest hooks with left-field sounds and unexpected flourishes of electronica. Joo Joo Ashworth has matured into a talented producer in his own right, communicating his singular vision through studio technique as much as his angular, Verlaine-inspired guitar sound. As always, the rhythm section of Jeremy Katz and Cameron Allen displays a tightness and sense of mutual understanding only achieved through years of friendship and extensive touring. Duress sees the band stepping outside the shadow of their influences and into something wholly their own. It’s an impressive and self-assured statement from a group only just entering their prime.
Ida Mae – Chasing Lights CD/LP (Vow Road)
“We wanted to make something simple and honest and raw,” says Chris Turpin, one half of the breakout British duo Ida Mae. “We wanted to make a record our way, with no compromises.” That brand of fiercely unconditional commitment – to the songs, to the sound, to each other – has defined Ida Mae from the start, and it courses through the veins of the band’s brilliant debut, Chasing Lights. Blending elements of vintage Delta blues and gritty rock and roll with boldly modern arrangements and fearless punk swagger, the record captures Ida Mae in its purest form, with Turpin and his longtime musical partner Stephanie Jean performing nearly everything live in the studio under the guidance of legendary producer Ethan Johns (Ray LaMontagne, Laura Marling, Kings Of Leon). It’s an electrifying collection, the kind of record that feels both familiar and groundbreaking all at once, fueled by dazzling musicianship, breathtaking harmonies, and the sort of versatile, timeless songwriting that’s earned the band tour dates with everyone from Greta Van Fleet and Blackberry Smoke to Marcus King and The Lone Bellow. [Limited indie-store exclusive vinyl pressing also available.]
Plague Vendor – By Night CD/LP+MP3 (Epitaph)
Plague Vendor’s third album By Night captures feelings of ruin and regeneration, of charisma and catastrophe, and of slashing at the night with nothing but pure electricity. Where 2016’s Bloodsweat ended with a to-be-continued moment and frontman Brandon Blaine shouting “Romance!” into the silence, By Night ends with a second of feedback and noise. It’s a perfectly spent finish to an adrenaline rush of a record that asks, “What just happened?” The band spent 11 days locked in at Hollywood’s legendary EastWest Studios (Brian Wilson, Ozzy Osbourne, Iggy Pop) with St Vincent producer John Congleton, with all visitors banned and all distraction eliminated. When they met Congleton they connected intensely and instantly, more like co-conspirators than colleagues. With Congleton’s precision production, they found their own way between the powerful-but-too-polished sound of right now and the engaging-but-aging reinterpretations of classic punk/rock albums of the ‘60s and ‘70s. The album is called By Night, because as Blaine says: “Nothing cool happens during the day.”
Plaid – Polymer CD/2xLP+MP3 (Warp)
The innovative duo of Ed Handley and Andy Turner have been expanding the realm of electronic music as Plaid since they diverged from trio The Black Dog in the early ‘90s. In 2019, Plaid stand alongside the likes of Aphex Twin, Autechre and Nightmares On Wax as mainstays of the Warp label as it reaches its 30th anniversary. Their adventurous and playful approach has taken them to working with Björk and drawing comparisons to fellow collaborators Mark Bell, Arca, Haxan Cloak and more recent releases by Skee Mask and Daniel Avery. They’ve worked with the London Sinfonietta, the Southbank Gamelan Players, composed for Felix’s Machines robotic sculptures, and soundtracked events as diverse as reindeer migration in northern Europe to a level in popular platformer Little Big Planet 3. Forging ever bolder and emotive paths through electronic music, Plaid offer up their tenth studio effort, Polymer. The album’s 13 tracks cover energetic bangers, bright melodic visceral rhythms and hypnotic womb-like textures.
Yeasayer – Erotic Reruns CD/LP (Yeasayer/Park The Van)
Yeasayer’s latest LP is perhaps their greatest. Erotic Reruns captures what it’s like to be alive in 2019 with wide-eyed clarity. The songs veer from the intensely personal and romantic to the fervently political-an eminently danceable record that challenges their audience and makes them think a bit more slowly to ponder issues so germane to our maddening, speed of light era of content consumption.
Neil Young + Stray Gators – Tuscaloosa: Live CD/2xLP (WB)
Neil Young’s Tuscaloosa: Live features 11 previously unreleased tracks culled from a February 5, 1973 performance at the University of Alabama with his band the Stray Gators – bassist Tim Drummond, drummer Kenny Buttrey, pianist Jack Nitzsche and steel guitarist Ben Keith – who backed the iconic singer-songwriter on his landmark efforts Harvest and Time Fades Away. Tuscaloosa: Live features live versions of songs from Young’s eponymous 1968 debut (“Here We Are In The Years”) plus classics from his two biggest selling albums, 1970’s After The Gold Rush (“After The Gold Rush”) and 1972’s Harvest (“Harvest”, “Heart Of Gold”, “Old Man”, “Out On The Weekend”, “Alabama”). Also included are cuts from Neil’s live album Time Fades Away (“Time Fades Away”, “Don’t Be Denied”) which would be released later in 1973 and songs from fellow catalog favorite Tonight’s The Night (“Lookout Joe”, “New Mama”) which wouldn’t be issued until 1975.
CDs + Vinyl:
All Hell – Witch’s Grail CD/LP (Prosthetic)
Ten driving, raucous blackened thrash songs from the Asheville, NC natives.
The Aquabats – Super Show! Television Soundtrack: Volume One CD/LP (Kings Road)
The Super Show! Television Soundtrack: Volume 1 is the first original music from the Aquabats since 2011’s Hi-Five Soup!. After a very successful Kickstarter campaign that generated well over half a million dollars, the band was able to acquire the rights for their Emmy-award winning creation, The Aquabats Super Show.
Aviccii – Tim CD (Geffen)
Tim is the posthumous third studio album by Swedish DJ Avicii. He had been working on the album before his death, with collaborators enlisted to help finish the work. A team of writers and producers made an album described as containing elements of psychedelia, Arabian music, sounds of the Caribbean and more. All profits from sales of the album will go towards the Tim Bergling Foundation, set up following Avicii’s suicide, for mental health awareness. [Vinyl edition due August 9.]
Azymuth – Demos (1973–75) Volumes 1 & 2 CD (Far Out Recordings)
Azymuth – Demos (1973–75) Volumes 1 LP+MP3 (Far Out Recordings)
Azymuth – Demos (1973–75) Volumes 2 LP+MP3 (Far Out Recordings)
Since their debut in 1975, Azymuth has risen to rank alongside the world’s greatest jazz, funk and fusion artists. As young men in Rio de Janeiro, they stood out for both their exceptional talent as musicians, and their wild rock ‘n’ roll antics in the predominantly middle-class worlds of bossa nova and jazz. Their signature “Samba Doido” (crazy samba) sound ruptured the tried and tested musical structures of the day, resulting in what can only be described as an electric, psychedelic, samba jazz-funk hybrid. [Vinyl edition split across two volumes.]
Paul Bley/Gary Peacock/Paul Motian – When Will The Blues Leave CD (ECM)
In 1999, a year after recording the splendid reunion album Not Two, Not One, Paul Bley’s highly innovative trio with Gary Peacock and Paul Motian took to the road with concerts on both sides of the Atlantic. When Will The Blues Leave documents a terrific performance at the Aula Magna di Trevano in Switzerland.
Boogie – Everything Is For Sale CD/LP (Shady)
The debut studio album by the rapper includes guest appearances from 6lack, Christian Scott, Eminem, J.I.D, and Snoh Aalegra, with production mainly coming from Keyel Walker and Darttny Ellis among others.
The Boxmasters – Speck CD/LP (Keentone)
The Boxmasters are a ’60s-influenced rock and roll band and the melodic songs on Speck are reminiscent of that era.
Jon Bryant – Cult Classic CD/LP (Nettwerk)
Recently released on vinyl – now available on CD. In 2015, Jon Bryant joined a cult. His short-lived time in this cult would inspire the concept of his new album, Cult Classic. “After hearing awful stories of people’s experiences with the organization, I finally cut ties.” Reclaiming his independence, Bryant penned tunes everywhere from Nova Scotia and Vancouver to Seattle, Los Angeles, and Australia. He also rediscovered formative influences ranging from Jeff Buckley and The Police to Shuggie Otis and Michael McDonald, Massive Attack and The Smiths to Hall & Oates to Chris Isaac.
Michel Camilo – Essence CD (Resilience Music)
New release from the Grammy-winning jazz pianist.
Ron Carter/Danny Simmons – The Brown Beatnik Tomes – Live at BRIC House CD (Blue Note)
A unique and powerful collaboration between the artist and poet Danny Simmons and legendary jazz bassist Ron Carter. This live recording from BRIC House in Brooklyn captured Simmons reading poetry from his collection of prose The Brown Beatnik Tomes with projections of his own striking abstract expressionist paintings providing the stage backdrop while Carter performed solo accompaniment along with instrumental interludes from his fleet trio.
Comrades – For We Are Not, We Are Only Becoming CD (Facedown)
New full-length by the nowadays Colorado-based DIY post-rockers. [Vinyl edition due June 14.]
Consummation – The Great Solar Hunter CD/2xLP (Profound Lore)
Debut album from the Australian death/black metal unit. Consummation is the brainchild of vocalist / guitarist Craig Young (ex-Impetuous Ritual) who is joined by drummer David Hayley (of technical death metal wizards Psycroptic) and bassist Joel Rademaker.
Charlie Cunningham – Permanent Way CD/LP (Infectious Music)
On Permanent Way, Cunningham laughs in the face of ‘difficult second album’ syndrome and ‘acoustic-singer-songwriter’ imagery with boosted colors and dynamics, while retaining the essence of the man’s achingly personable appeal.
Current 93 – Invocations Of Almost CD (The Spheres)
An hour of music that accompanied David Tibet’s 2019 exhibition at The Begovich Gallery, Fullerton, CA. [Vinyl edition due June 21.]
Cykada – Cykada CD/LP (Astigmatic)
Cykada engages distant poles, analogue worlds crashing with electronics, Eastern influences crossing with Western, harmonizing nostalgic moments with dancefloor bangers.
Da Buze Bruvaz Present Clever 1 & Gallo Point – Kiss Da Converse CD/LP (Grilchy Party)
Straight unapologetic bully rap.
Distant – Tyrannotophia CD/LP (Unique Leader)
Debut album from the Rotterdam, Netherlands crushing downtempo/deathcore group.
Diviner – Realms Of Time CD/LP (Ulterium)
Second album from the Greek heavy/power metal band.
Bob Dylan – The Rolling Thunder Review 14xCD (Sony Legacy)
Bob Dylan – The Bootleg Series Vol. 5: Bob Dylan Live 1975 (The Rolling Thunder Revue) [Reissue/2002] 3xLP (Sony Legacy)
A comprehensive anthology of music from the mythic first leg of Bob Dylan’s groundbreaking Rolling Thunder Revue, this 14xCD box set includes all five of Dylan’s full sets from that tour that were professionally recorded. The collection also provides the listener with an intimate insider’s seat for recently unearthed rehearsals at New York’s S.I.R. studios and the Seacrest Mote in Falmouth, MA plus a bonus disc showcasing one-of-a-kind performances from the tour. [A first-time vinyl edition of 2002’s The Bootleg Series Vol. 5: Bob Dylan Live 1975 (The Rolling Thunder Revue) is also available.]
Eagles Of Death Metal – EODM Presents Boots Electric Performing The Best Songs We Never Wrote CD/LP (UMe)
Eagles Of Death Metal’s Jesse Boots Electric Hughes tips his hat to 13 of his favorite songs with his first covers album. Includes covers of KISS, Guns N’ Roses, AC/DC, Love & Rockets, Ramones, Steve Miller Band, George Michael/Wham, Mary J. Blige, Queens Of The Stone Age, The Distillers, David Bowie and others.
Earthen Sea – Grass And Trees CD/LP (Kranky)
Jacob Long’s reductionist rhythmic ambient vessel, Earthen Sea, ebbs towards a more purely elemental state on his second excursion for Kranky, Grass And Trees. He describes the creative process as one of simplifying things as much as possible, designing uncluttered spaces traced in nothing but breath, field recordings, and sounds that could be played by hand but weren’t. The results feel decentralized but dynamic, low-lit evocations of ambiguous nocturnal environments-dub techno disassembled into stray pulses and spare parts.
Enthroned – Cold Black Suns CD/LP (Season Of Mist)
For more than 25 years, the Belgian black horde of Enthroned (featuring members of Nightbringer and Emptiness) have waged war on the forces of light. Cold Black Suns, their first album in five years, spews forth regal black metal majesty forged in the fire of the genre’s early wars.
Fetid – Steeping Corporeal Mess CD/LP (20 Buck Spin)
Since 2016 Fetid has steadily swelled like a venereal boil upon death metal’s infected anatomy.
Fire! Orchestra – Arrival CD/2xLP+CD (Rune Grammophon)
Their first two albums, Exit (2013) and Enter (2014), were presented with sizable and ambitious line-ups of 28 musicians. Ritual (2016) saw it reduced to 21 and with Arrival it’s been trimmed down to a “mere” 14, with the core trio of Fire! (Mats Gustafsson, Johan Berthling, and Andreas Werliin) and the two singers Mariam Wallentin and Sofia Jernberg being the only constant members since the beginning. his “cleanup” has worked wonders, keeping the rhythm and horn sections to their bare necessities, with the string quartet expanding the canvas and bringing a new, exciting dimension to the table.
Peter Frampton Band – All Blues CD (UMe)
A collection of Frampton’s favorite blues classics recorded with his longtime touring band. [Vinyl edition due August 16.]
Burnt Friedman – Traditions in Central Europe: Explorer Series 4 CD/2xLP (Nonplace)
Original ethnic music of the peoples of the world – a modest sampling of extinct splendors, political or individual sufferings, gloomy sadness, love, resentment, exquisite delicacy, laughter and delectable wisdom of rural and urban central European music.
Fu Manchu – Godzilla’s/Eatin’ Dust +4 CD/3×10” (At The Dojo)
Godzilla’s/Eatin’ Dust is the most popular release in Fu Manchu’s 29 year recorded history. It is the combination of what were originally two distinct 10” releases: Godzilla (1997) and Eatin’ Dust (1999). Last year, Scott Hill (vocals/guitar) found the original tapes from the Godzilla recording sessions produced by Josh Homme and unearthed a secret that had been in his garage since 1996: four songs that had never been released.
Fuming Mouth – The Grand Descent CD/LP (Triple B.)
The Grand Descent takes on a ‘90s Earache Records death metal sound with a modern approach.
Jake Xerxes Fussell – Out Of Sight CD/LP (Paradise Of Bachelors)
An utterly transporting selection of traditional narrative folksongs addressing the troubles and delights of love, work, and wine (i.e., the things that matter), collected from a myriad of obscure sources and deftly metamorphosed, Out Of Sight contains, among other moving curiosities, a fishmonger’s cry that sounds like an astral lament (“The River St. Johns”); a cotton mill tune that humorously explores the unknown terrain of death and memory (“Winnsboro Cotton Mill Blues”); and a fishermen’s shanty/gospel song equally concerned with terrestrial boozing and heavenly transcendence (“Drinking Of The Wine”).
Grateful Dead – Aoxomoxoa [Reissue/1969] 3xCD/LP (Grateful Dead/WEA)
This 50th Anniversary expanded triple-CD edition contains two versions of Aoxomoxoa – one fully remastered from the original 1969 mix and the other remastered from the definitive 1971 band-produced mix. The set is rounded out with a bonus disc of previously unreleased live music recorded January 24-26, 1969 at the Avalon Ballroom in San Francisco, CA. [50th Anniversary single-vinyl picture disc pressing also available.]
Richard Hawley – Further CD/LP (BMG)
Hawley’s challenge to himself means that Further is quite possibly his most forthright album to date, clocking in at under 40 minutes. The opening track and first single, the thunderous, Rickenbacker thrasher “Off My Mind,” sets the album’s direct tone. That said, it would not be a Richard Hawley album without some sumptuous ballads displaying the man’s gift for writing the type of heartfelt songs that have made him the revered songwriter he is today.
Tim Heidecker – What The Brokenhearted Do CD/LP/Cassette (Jagjaguwar)
For the last three years, Heidecker has been waging a hellish war of upon the current presidential administration and its shady minions. Whether because of his unrelenting Twitter prodding of Trump, his spot-on impersonation of Info Wars’ Alex Jones or his well of caustic Trump protest songs, Heidecker has found himself in the crosshairs of the Online alt-right community. At some point, one of those Incel or QAnon trolls started a vicious rumor that Tim’s wife had, in fact, left him and the rumor caught fire across certain social channels. Instead of getting pissed off, our protagonist (antagonist?) Tim Heidecker got inspired. He knows full well that here in the music biz nothing breeds good tunes like utter heartbreak. When an artist’s relationship crumbles, we label suits just rub our greedy little mitts together. From Blood On The Tracks to Shoot Out The Lights, it’s a nearly universal truth: Divorce is a hit factory. So he imagined himself an awful divorce and let the hits flow. [Limited edition limited edition opaque tear blue vinyl pressing also available.]
Fred Hersch & The WDR Big Band – Begin Again CD (Palmetto)
Pianist Fred Hersch, who needs no introduction to most well-informed jazz enthusiasts, is by and large known as a leader of trios and other small groups. Begin Again displays another side of Hersch’s appreciable talents: nine of his handsome compositions, astutely recast by six-time Grammy Award winner Vince Mendoza and impressively performed by Germany’s superb WDR Big Band.
Hollis Brown – Ozone Park CD/LP (Cool Green Recordings)
Hollis Brown is a hardworking rock ‘n’ roll band that certainly lives up to the blue-collar legacy of their hometown of Queens, NY. As evidenced on their new album Ozone Park, there’s a great deal of sophistication in the mix here as well, rich melodicism and advanced harmonics that allow Hollis Brown (named after the Bob Dylan song) to blend a wealth of influences into a distinctive sound.
Rickie Lee Jones – Kicks CD/LP (Other Side Of Desire)
Kicks is an eclectic album of ten cover songs – from “Mack The Knife” written in 1928 for a German musical (known in the US as The Threepenny Opera) that became a jazz standard, to “Bad Company”, the eponymous theme song for the British rock band written in 1974. The arrangement and instrumentation, by producer Michael Napolitano (Ani DiFranco), provides a fresh and modern sonic infusion on every song.
Kitty Kat Fan Club – Dreamy Little You CD/LP (Asian Man)
Debut full length album from San Jose, California indie/twee pop punk collective featuring members of Just Friends, Hard Girls, Skankin’ Pickle, Ogikubo Station, Stickup Kid and more.
Kölsch – Fabric Presents Kölsch CD2x/LP (Fabric)
Fabric Presents Kölsch is a ten-track journey of exclusive new material by Kölsch inspired by and named after flights from his gig schedule. Drawing from the routine experience of flying from show-to-show, each track imagines its own sonic world from solitary journeys at 30,000 feet. Employing a tapestry of carefully arranged textures, he levitates his way through 60 minutes of blissful hypnotism.
Anton LaVey – Satan Takes A Holiday [Reissue/1995] CD/LP (Cleopatra)
A delightful romp through several pipe organ classics courtesy of black arts loving founder of the Church Of Satan. [Satanic red colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Lust For Youth – Lust For Youth CD/LP (Sacred Bones)
Pirouetting on decadence, meeting eyes with a dizzy sensation, falling and flying at the same time, Lust for Youth has continually held poise through the most vitalizing of times. Their new album, a self-titled collection of eight songs, is sure-footed where they had earlier feared to tread, and light-headed for a new set of reasons. The album is driven by a dance-pop agenda, hustling its way through up-beat peaks that level out into reflective ballads. [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Lvcifyre – Sacrament CDEP/12” (Dark Descent)
A 23-minute extended-play offering of cacophonous and wretched death metal savagery.
Eleni Mandell – Wake Up Again CD/LP+MP3 (Yep Roc)
Inspired by her experience teaching songwriting at a women’s prison, Eleni Mandell’s 11th studio release, Wake Up Again, is a set of compelling personalized musical portraits and vignettes. From the dark, dreamy “Circumstance” to the noisy “Be Together”, and the jagged brutality of “What’s Your Handle”, the album highlights Eleni’s strengths as a writer and performer going back to her start under the tutelage of Chuck E. Weiss, Tom Waits and other top chroniclers of people in the shadows.
Mattson 2 – Paradise CD/LP (Company Records)
Paradise is the Mattson 2’s second release on Chaz Bear’s (fka Chaz Bundick, aka Toro y Moi) Company Records. It’s the first album they’ve written and recorded in their home, which is a wooden cabin in the hills of San Diego. You can hear the sun in the keyboards, in the ‘80s-inflected jazz.
Seán McGowan – Son Of The Smith CD/LP (Xtra Mile)
Over 13 tracks, Son Of The Smith is disarming in it’s scope, surprising in its erudite tackling of life’s challenges, and strong of voice with just a dab of laddish humor – the aural personification of Seán himself. For fans of: Frank Turner, Billy Bragg, Jamie T, Skinny Lister.
Lloyd McNeill – Soul Jazz Records Presents Lloyd McNeill: Treasures CD/LP (Soul Jazz)
Originally released on the artists own private press Baobab label in New York in 1976, Treasures is a serious collectors piece, a heavyweight and fascinating fusion of deep and spiritual jazz sensibilities blended with Brazilian and Latin rhythms and melodies. Lloyd McNeill is a cultural polymath a multi-disciplinarian flautist, painter, academic, poet, and photographer who as a musician has worked with everyone from Mulatu to Nina Simone, Eric Dolphy and Nana Vasconceles (and as a painter was befriended by Picasso).
Motionless In White – Disguise CD (Roadrunner)
Fifth album by the Scranton, PA-based metal band.
Motanka – Motanka CD/2xLP (Napalm)
Ukrainian newcomers Motanka use traditional Ukrainian instruments to deliver a wholly unique mix of metal and folk with elements of modern electronica.
Nodding God – Nodding God Play Wooden Child CD/LP (House Of Mythology)
“It’s amazing how switching a couple of letters around can turn a toy into something huge and imposing. Then there’s the spaced-out Electronica with ancient Mesopotamian lyrics…it’s something that could only be the work of Current 93 figurehead David Tibet and, sure enough, the master experimentalist is back with new outfit Nodding God, whose debut album Play Wooden Child is a blissfully madcap echo through the cosmos.” – Ghost Cult Mag
Palehound – Black Friday CD/LP+MP3 (Polyvinyl)
The third full-length from Boston-based trio Palehound is a finespun exploration of all the forms that love can take: love between friends, love for people no longer in your life, love in the face of self-hate, love that endures through major life changes or through many tiny catastrophes. With her thoughtful narrative voice, Palehound singer/songwriter Ellen Kempner imbues each song with a radical sensitivity, an unchecked depth of feeling that ultimately sparks a greater open heartedness within the listener. [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Luciano Pavarotti – Pavarotti: The Greatest Hits 3xCD (Decca)
67 of the world-renowned tenor’s most well-known recordings and collaborations and includes the best of his Opera Arias, Italian Songs and Sacred Arias. The set is rounded out with a series of Great Duets that showcases The People’s Tenor performing captivating duets with a who’s who of musical superstars, including Andrea Bocelli, Céline Dion, Elton John, Eric Clapton, Mariah Carey, Stevie Wonder and more. Exclusive to the album are five previously unreleased duets with Barry White, James Brown, Lou Reed, Queen’s Brian May and Roger Taylor, and Sting.
Axel Rudi Pell – XXX Anniversary Live 2xCD/3xLP+2xCD (Steamhammer)
For three decades, the Bochum, Germany-based guitarist has ticked and worked like a Swiss clock, consistently releasing critically acclaimed, hard-rocking albums. Axel Rudi Pell celebrates his 30th anniversary as a solo artist with the 16-track triple live album, XXX Anniversary Live.
Peter Perrett – Humanworld CD/LP (Domino)
Peter Perrett returns once again with Humanworld. In this new chapter, Peter continues to dissect romance and politics with his trademark sense of sardonic wit and wry humor, if not with more vigor even and a palpable sense of immediacy. “This record has got more urgency and the songs are more concise,” Peter notes. “Don’t like words such as progression but I hope this is texturally and sonically more interesting than How The West Was Won.”
PicaPica – Together & Apart CD/LP (Rough Trade)
PicaPica’s debut album Together & Apart was recorded at the end of 2018 and is helmed by Mobo/Mercury nominated producer Sonny Johns who also plays bass on the record. The album is about health and heartache, spring and shade, love and loss and life. PicaPica are able to balance life’s joys and sorrows beautifully, effortlessly, and in continuous harmony, viewing life’s colored photographs as imagined through their silvery negatives.
Pixx – Small Mercies CD/LP+MP3 (4AD)
Although love lives at the heart of the BRIT School graduate’s second album, it has little to do with romance. Small Mercies is not a heartbreak record, nor is it a celebration of new love, or sisterly call-to-arms or vengeful catharsis. Instead, it is a series of poetic examinations of love across the experiential spectrum, from the micro (self-love) to the macro (devotional faith-inspired love, love for this planet), set to a soundtrack that mixes electronic pop and grungy guitar rock with aplomb.
Ramona – Deals Deals Deals CD/LP (Red Scare)
Ramona formed in Seattle, kicked some ass out there, then moved to Philadelphia because – if you wanna know the truth – you can buy two drinks for $4 at most any bar. So then they get asked to play shows with bands like The Lawrence Arms, The Menzingers, etc. Next they shipped up to Boston to record with Jay Maas (State Champs, Seaway, Title Fight) and cranked out Deals Deals Deals.
Max Richter – My Brilliant Friend CD (Deutsche Grammophon)
Max Richter’s soundtrack for the HBO show My Brilliant Friend a woman’s recounting of her lifelong friendship and conflicts with a girl she met at primary school in Naples during the early 1950s. [Vinyl edition due July 5.]
The Rods – Brotherhood Of Metal CD/LP (Steamhammer)
The Rods isa classic heavy metal trio which rocked their way through the ‘80s with a powerful, raw energy that led them on tours with Judas Priest, Ozzy, Motörhead, and Metallica.
Savoy Brown – City Night CD/LP (Quarto Valley)
Over 50 years of rocking the blues, Savoy Brown, with leader and founder Kim Simmonds at the helm, return with City Night, their 40th album release. 12 high energy blues rock songs.
Κυριάκος Σφέτσας – Greek Fusion Orchestra Vol.2 CD/LP (Teranga Beat)
Greek Fusion Orchestra Vol.2 is a compilation of musical pieces Kyriakos Sfetsas recorded with the group right upon the completion of the Vol. 1 material. Vol.2 is still reflective of his ambition of bringing together progressive jazz and traditional music, but it does so in a different manner. Although the element of traditional music remains present, it does not provide the compositional foundation for the songs (e.g. most pieces are no longer based exclusively on traditional musical forms). Jazzier and more complex than Vol.1, Vol.2 has a darker feeling, presenting Sfetsas not only as a musical experimentalist, but also as a demanding and distinctive composer, who truly puts his musicians through the test.
Special Request – Vortex CD/2xLP (Houndstooth)
A thrilling mix of rave, jungle, house, techno and gabber. [Limited magenta and green colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Tengger – Spiritual 2 CD/LP (Beyond Beyond Is Beyond)
Tengger is a traveling musical family, made up of Pan-Asian couple, itta and Marqido, who create their brand of psychedelic new-age drone magic through the use of harmonium, voice, and toy instruments (played by itta) and analogue synths (played by Marqido).
Through The Roots – Arrival CD (Law)
A modern blend of roots reggae, hip-hop, rock, and electronic pop.
Torb The Roach & Floppy Mac Space – Square Waves Adventures CD/LP (King Underground)
Torb The Roach teams up with Floppy Mac Space for their second album and 8-bit video game, Square Wave Adventures.
Ulver – Drone Activity CD/LP (House Of Mythology)
Drone Activity, as the name suggests, sees Ulver adopting a more minimal approach. Recorded live but heavily edited in the studio (in a manner similar to the largely improvised ATGCLVLSSCAP), this album consists of four pieces which are all over 15 minutes long.
Donnie Vie – Beautiful Things CD/LP (Deko Music)
Donnie Vie is one of rock’s biggest secrets who has been crafting melodic power pop and rock songs for over 30 years. For fans of Enuff Z’Nuff, Beatles & classic rock.
Vulture – Ghastly Waves & Battered Graves CD/LP (Metal Blade)
“We titled our second album Ghastly Waves & Battered Graves because it’s catchy, cold and metal as f**k,” Vulture guitarist Stefan Genozider declares succinctly.
The Barrence Whitfield Soul Savage Arkestra – Songs From The Sun Ra Cosmos CD/LP (Modern Harmonic)
Garage & soul screamer Barrence Whitfield channels the Saturnian ruler of the omniverse with a soul-tripping exploration of Sun Ra favorites.
Robag Wruhme – Venq Tolep CD/2xLP+7” (Pampa)
Robag Wruhme takes synthetic sounds and sampled noises, cuts them to fit, and turns them into beats without his music ever sounding pieced-together; every single percussive sound is a compact unit, bursting with melody.
Akiko Yano – Iroha Ni Konpeitou [Reissue/1977] CD/LP (Wewantsounds)
Another superb Akiko Yano album and one of her funkiest, highlighting her singing and songwriting talents. A slick mix of Japanese pop and New York funk, Iroha Ni Konpeitou was recorded in Tokyo except for the title track which was recorded in NYC with an all-star line-up consisting of Rick Marotta, David Spinozza, Will Lee, and Nicky Marrero.
DVDs + Blu-ray:
Various Artists – The Rolling Stones Rock And Roll Circus DVD/Blu-ray
Filmed over two days in December 1968, The Rolling Stones Rock And Roll Circus starred the ‘60s line-up of the Stones, complete with Brian Jones. They were joined by The Who, Jethro Tull, Taj Mahal, Marianne Faithfull, Yoko Ono and the remarkable, impromptu supergroup known as The Dirty Mac, comprising John Lennon, Keith Richards, Mitch Mitchell of the Jimi Hendrix Experience and Eric Clapton. The film’s soundtrack has undergone a new mix and has been expanded to 28 tracks for new 2019 editions. Bonus material includes music by the late American concert pianist Julius Katchen, introduced by Jones; three additional songs by blues titan Taj Mahal; and previously unheard recordings by The Dirty Mac of The Beatles’ “Revolution” as well as “Warmup Jam”.
This Week’s Vinyl Exclusives:
Airto – Natural Feelings [Reossie1970] LP (Real Gone Music)
First vinyl reissue in over 45 years for a long-lost, pivotal jazz fusion record.
Anything Box – Peace [Reissue/1990] LP (Get On Down)
Veterans of the synth-pop movement of the ‘80s and early ‘90s, the New Jersey trio Anything Box took their name a collection of short stories and made their name among a cult following of club-goers for their quirky, and often minimalist alt-dance music.
Astral Social Club & Grumbling Fur Time Machine – Plasma Splice Trifle LP (VHF)
Debut collaboration between these like-minded English underground titans, perfectly mixing the long-form pop eccentricities of Grumbling Fur with the free electric sound of Astral Social Club to produce four epic and memorable tracks. The music is dense and layered, with hidden hooks, haunting vocals, unidentifiable electronic shuddering, delicate ambience, etc. Challenging but completely accessible and beautiful stuff.
David Axelrod – Earth Rot [Reissue/1970] LP (Now Again)
David Axelrod (1931-2017) was producer and A&R at Capitol in Hollywood in the 1960s, working with artists Cannonball Adderley, Lou Rawls, David McCallum, among others, and the infamous group of L.A. session musicians known as the Wrecking Crew. In 1967, for Reprise Records, Axelrod composed and ghost-produced the psychedelic rock album Mass In F Minor under the guise of The Electric Prunes. This surprise hit earned Axelrod new audience, and the opportunity to release a string of albums under his own name back at Capitol. Earth Rot (1970) set Axelrod up for his final stage as an architect of jazz fusion and ensured that his productions would help future architects of hip-hop.
Badge Époque Ensemble – Badge Époque Ensemble LP (Telephone Explosion)
Flute, congas, bass, drums, guitar and clavinet; this unconventional arrangement of instruments intertwine to form the debut album by Badge Époque Ensemble —a group of creative improvisers assembled to perform new, largely instrumental compositions by Maxmillian “Twig” Turnbull—formerly Slim Twig (DFA Records).
Baroness – First & Second LP (Hyperrealist)
Baroness’s now-classic formative material finally sees a proper reissue with their first two 12”s compiled as one deluxe LP. A lot dirtier, punker and more metallic than their current rock-infused, catchy weirdness, First & Second is an important document in the lineage of this excellent band, and all 38 minutes of music have been completely remixed and remastered for a much fuller sound. [Baroness’s fifth album, Gold & Grey, due June 14.]
Black Crowes – Lost Crowes [Reissue/2006] 2xLP (Silver Arrow)
Limited colored vinyl pressing. Includes one green and orange swirl and one arctic swirl and one splatter colored LP.
Blancmange – Blanc Tapes 3xLP+MP3 (London)
A limited-edition vinyl boxset of Blancmange’s first three albums: Happy Families (1982), Mange Tout (1984), and Believe You Me (1985). Each release includes the original album (remastered), plus B-sides, extended versions, remixes, previously unreleased tracks and demos. “Probably the most under-rated electronic act of all time.” – Moby
The Butterfield Blues Band – In My Own Dream [Reissue/1968] LP (Sundazed)
Limited red colored vinyl pressing. Fresh from their triumphant appearance at the Monterey International Pop Festival in June 1967, the Paul Butterfield Blues Band entered the studio to record their fourth album, In My Own Dream. It chronicles the evolution of the band, continuing to add elements of jazz and R&B to its traditional blues approach.
Cave In – Final Transmission LP (Hydrahead)
Originally intended as demos, Final Transmission marks the first Cave In album in eight years and the band’s last with bassist and vocalist Caleb Scofield, who was killed in a car accident last year. The opening title track is a voice memo of a song idea he sent to his bandmates the last time they saw each other. All proceeds from Final Transmission will be given to Caleb’s wife and children. [CD edition due July 12.]
Cher – 3614 Jackson Highway [Reissue/1969] 2xLP (Run Out Groove)
Purple & clear swirl 180gm vinyl reissue of Cher’s sixth solo album.
Chocolate Watch Band – This Is My Voice LP+MP3 (Dirty Water)
The iconic California psychedelic punk legends are back with a new album. Their sizzling sonics are intact and their penchant for political rebellion is perfect for these times. [CD edition due July 12.]
Eric Church – Caught In The Act: Live [Reissue/2013] 2xLP (EMI Nashville)
Double blue colored vinyl pressing of the 2013 live album from the country music singer/songwriter.
Suzanne Ciani – Flowers Of Evil LP (Finders Keepers)
As a genuine vanguard of electronic music composition at the forefront of the modular synthesizer revolution in the late 1960s, Suzanne Ciani’s forward-thinking approach to new music would rarely look to the past for inspiration, which makes this unheard composition from 1969 a rare exception to the collective futurist vision of Ciani and synthesizer designer Don Buchla.
Curren$y x Smoke Dza x Harry Fraud – The Stage LP (SRFSCHL)
Limited purple colored vinyl LP pressing. When Curren$y, Smoke Dza and Harry Fraud got together at a Times Square recording studio one night in the summer of 2013, they didn’t know that they would be recording The Stage EP in one session. This vinyl edition includes instrumental versions on the B-side.
Miles Davis – The Complete Birth Of Cool 2xLP (Blue Note)
In honor of the 70th anniversary of its original singles in 1949, The Complete Birth Of The Cool by Miles Davis is being released on LP. The record features Miles Davis’ classic Birth Of The Cool as well as a second LP of live material from 1948, previously unreleased on vinyl.
Demons & Wizards – Demons & Wizards [Reissue/1999] 2xLP (Century Media)
Demons & Wizards – Touched By The Crimson King [Reissue/2005] 2xLP (Century Media)
Limited double 180gm vinyl reissues of the heavy metal band’s two albums. Each feature an etching on Side D. Formed in 1999, Demons & Wizards is the side project of Hansi Kürsch (Blind Guardian) and Jon Schaffer (Iced Earth).
Les Rallizes DeNudes + Be – There’s No Heaven Like Hell 2xLP (Alternative Fox)
One of the strangest and most enigmatic groups in the history of rock n’ roll, Les Rallizes Denudes, also known as Hadaka no Rallizes or Hadaka no Rarizu, were a Japanese experimental rock band that is often cited as a pioneering force of the noise rock movement. The two versions of “There’s No Heaven Like Hell”, presented here, was recorded on April 1, 1975 at Rallizes House in Fussa, a small town to the west of Tokyo, joining Mizutani with keyboardist/guitarist Taisuke Morishita’s experimental group Be, originally known as Yellow.
Dome – Dome 2 [Reissue/1980] LP (Editions Mego)
With the demise of the group Wire in 1980, founder members Bruce Gilbert and Graham Lewis joined forces to create Dome. With the assistance of engineer Eric Radcliffe and his Blackwing Studio Dome took the ethic of using the studio as a compositional tool and recorded and released three Dome albums on their own label in the space of 12 months: Dome (July 1980), Dome 2 (October 1980), and Dome 3 (October 1981). A final fourth album, Will You Speak This Word: Dome IV was released in May 1983. These albums represent some of the most beautifully stark and above all timeless exercises in studio experimentation from the early 1980s alternative music scene.
Drowse – Light Mirror LP (The Flenser)
Light Mirror’s prismatic sound reflects experimental electronic, noise pop, black metal, krautrock, and more through Kyle Bates’ distinct song-worlds. The lyrics are ruminations on the idea of multiple-selves, identity, paranoia, fear of the body, alcohol abuse, social media, the power of memory, the truths that are revealed when one is alone, and the significance of human contact.
Drudkh – Autumn Aurora [Reissue/2004] LP (Season Of Mist)
Drudkh – Blood In Our Wells [Reissue/2006] LP (Season Of Mist)
Limited clear vinyl pressings.2004’s Autumn Aurora continues in the spirit of Drudkh’s debut Forgotten Legends with the band’s trademark Slavonic pagan metal sound, which embraces epic folk-influenced melodies and creates cinematic and luxuriant atmospheres charged with melancholy. 2006’s Blood In Our Wells continued on the patriotic pagan black metal path while also introducing progressive elements into the mix with explosive results.
Electra Hydra – The Last Of Us 7” (Moondawn)
Members of this Swedish rock band share a common love for Kyuss, Fu Manchu, Entombed and Black Sabbath.
Alan Evans – Nothing To Say LP (Vintage League Music)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Alan Evans (Soulive) steps from behind the drum kit to release his first solo album which spans psychedelic rock, funk, and soul.
Marianne Faithfull – Broken English [Reissue/1979] LP (LMLR)
Limited opaque blue colored vinyl reissue of the seventh studio album by the English singer-songwriter.
John Floreani – Sin LP (Hopeless)
Debut solo album from the Trophy Eyes frontman. The Australian singer explores the acoustic, melodic, and eccentric side of his songwriting in this emotional collection of songs.
Flub – Flub LP (The Artisan Era)
Flub’s self-titled full length is progressive death metal smorgasbord of experimental ideas. Featuring members of Rivers Of Nihil, Alterbeast and Vale Of Pnath, Flub combines the ferocity of modern technical death metal and blends it with elements of deathcore, melodic death metal and neoclassical themes that create an ensemble of next level musical ideas.
Freekbass – All The Way This. All The Way That. LP (Color Red)
Freekbass, hailed by the legendary Bootsy Collins as the new spiritual warrior for the funk, serves up his new album.
Alastair Galbraith – Morse [Reissue/1993] LP (Digital Regress)
Morse’s fragmentary song suites conjure a post- ‘70s in which Syd Barrett f**ked off to Dunedin and started roadying for The Clean, or John Cale traded blow for tea and a Tascam. Untouchable in spirit and execution, Morse is a long-undersung gem of the international ‘90s underground by a bona fide NZ legend.
Gas – Königsforst [Reissue/1998] 3xLP+MP3 (Kompakt)
Königsforst brings glimmers of light into Voigt’s dark, magnificent forest. Melodic strings and brass are added to his signature layers of ominous intensity. The forest path is laid out by muffled kick drums as classical music loops incessantly swirl with no direction.
Genesis – Seconds Out [Reissue/1977] 2xLP (Atlantic)
Vinyl reissue of Genesis’ second live album. Its release coincided with the departure of guitarist Steve Hackett who left the group during the album’s mixing stages, thus reducing Genesis to the core trio of keyboardist Tony Banks, guitarist Mike Rutherford, and drummer and singer Phil Collins.
Ghosts Of The Forest – Ghosts Of The Forest 2xLP (Jemp)
New release from this band led by Phish’s Trey Anastasio. On Ghosts Of The Forest, Trey is joined by Phish drummer Jon Fishman and Trey Anastasio Band bassist Tony Markellis. The album was recorded over a three-day period in 2018 at The Barn in Vermont’s Green Mountains.
Hygiene – Private Sector LP (Upset The Rhythm)
Hygiene rail against the neoliberal madness of utility cartels, tax havens, and privatized railways, seizing the moment as the current period of interregnum sees the old ideological certainties come into question. Proving nostalgia to be an inescapable trap, the band continue to hearken back to the kind of post-punk that existed before anybody knew to affix the “post” prefix. Private Sector has the signature Hygiene sound, mixing brooding melodies with a choppy, aggressive approach, and a restricted pop sensibility. However, this ever-so-slightly-more mature record finds the band taking advantage of the musicianship of their friends, mixing in the odd viola, glockenspiel, piano and keyboard.
Fumio Itabashi – Rise And Shine: Live At The Aketa’s [Reissue/1977] LP (Studio Mule)
Rise And Shine: Live At The Aketa’s was Itabashi’s second release of 1977, and it was recorded at legendary Jazz Club in Tokyo. This album was actually recorded before his first release Toh. Jumping Board on Side A is a Japanese hard bop classic. Itabashi’s cover version of My Funny Valentine is very sweet and elegant while the main track, Rise And Shine, is one of his best work. At times the album is reminiscent of Pharaoh Sanders if he played piano.
Maryanne Ito – Live At The Atherton LP (Aloha Got Soul)
Maryanne Ito is a 36-year-old soul singer of Samoan and Japanese descent. Her award-winning 2014 debut studio album doesn’t capture the magical energy she brings to a live performance, so Aloha Got Soul recorded this with a small audience of friends and family.
Janet Jackson – Control [Reissue/1986] LP (A&M)
Vinyl reissue of the third studio album from Janet Jackson. Control is a unique fusion of rhythm and blues, funk, pop, disco and modern synthesized percussion.
Joy Division – This Is The Room LP (Lively Youth)
Live at the Electric Ballroom, recorded on a break from their tour with Buzzcocks, supported by A Certain Ratio.
The Kinks – One For The Road [Reissue/1980] LP (Friday Music)
Limited audiophile 180gm yellow colored vinyl pressing in a gatefold sleeve.
K’s Choice – Echo Mountain [Reissue/2010] LP (Music On Vinyl)
180gm transparent red colored vinyl pressing. After K’s Choice reunion concert in 2009 the band started recording new material for their album Echo Mountain, named after the studios in North Carolina. It’s an entertaining album, which peaked at number 1 in the Belgian charts and position 5 in the Dutch hit list.
Nick Kurosawa – Home LP (Aloha Got Soul)
Six-song debut EP from the O’ahu-born soul singer and guitarist. Home features Kurosawa’s timeless original songs alongside influential classics by Bobby Caldwell, Sam Cooke, and Kalapana. Home stands as an inspired stepping stone for a young, bright artist like Kurosawa, who roots himself in tradition as he explores his own sound, searching for where his voice and spirit feel most at home.
Yusef A. Lateef – Hikima – Creativity [Reissue/1983] LP (Key System Recordings)
In the early 1980s, famed jazz saxophonist and musical luminary Yusef Lateef traveled to Nigeria as a Senior Research Fellow to study, write, and teach at Ahmadu Bello University. He cut this record while there; pressed locally in Nigeria, it remained virtually unknown by jazz fans and collectors for over 30 years.
The Lemonheads – Varshons II LP+MP3 (Fire)
Released last February on CD – now available on vinyl. The Lemonheads follow up the critically acclaimed Varshons from nearly ten years ago with another eclectic collection of covers. Varshons II brims with the slowly matured vocal of Evan Dando as he lures a host of personal faves to his melodic lair.
LTD – Stop Und Fick Dich! LP (In The Red)
King Khan has scoured the earth to find the most rocking freaks of nature this side of the planet to form what he calls an all-star cream of the crop rock ‘n’ roll lifers association aka Louder Than Death aka LTD – Looch Vibrato and Aggy Sonora (of the legendary Magnetix) on guitar and drums, and Fredovitch, the mighty organ surfer of the Shrines, throws out the keys and picks up the bass. King Khan assumes the position of frontman/lead shouter/effeminate cult leader (by choice). What is born is a maelstrom of pure unadulterated, unhinged, unbelievable rock ‘n’ roll baptized in the salty sea water of Bordeaux, France, waterboarded with the finest wines, choked with the smelliest cheeses, dipped into a vat of oysters, octopus and shrimp.
Charles Lloyd – Voice In The Night [Reissue/1999] 2x A departure and a homecoming for the “Memphis-born and California-based tenorist, introducing new music and revisiting archive favorites (including the epic ‘Forest Flower’), and featuring an all-star line-up. This top-flight quartet bristles with a silent, self-assured energy… It may be subdued and serene, but this album is absolutely luminescent.” – CMJ New Music Report
Mazouni – Un Dandy En Exil/Algérie-France/1969-1983 2xLP (Born Bad)
Mazouni, a dandy shattered by his century and always all spruced up who barely performed on stage, had greatly benefited from the impact of scopitones, the ancestors of music videos. His strength lay in Arabic lyrics all his compatriots could understand, and catchy melodies accompanied by violin, goblet drum, qanun, tar (a small tambourine with jingles), lute, and sometimes electric guitar on yé-yé compositions.
John Mellencamp – The Best That I Could Do (1978-1988) [Reissue/1997] 2xLP (Mercury)
Double gold colored vinyl pressing of the first greatest hits compilation album by John Mellencamp. It compiles Mellencamp’s most popular material recorded during his first decade, beginning with 1978’s A Biography, up through 1987’s The Lonesome Jubilee.
Million Dead – Harmony No Harmony [Reissue/2005] 2xLP (Xtra Mile)
Double transparent yellow vinyl pressing of the second and final full-length album released by British band. Packaged in a gatefold sleeve with new artwork. Lead singer Frank Turner’s mother makes an appearance on the song “To Whom It May Concern”.
Nils Petter Molvaer – Khmer [Reissue/1997] LP (ECM)
Drawing from techno, drum ‘n’ bass, and ambient music, Khmer concentrates on texture, abstraction and sound quality. Funky digital grooves are disrupted by shifting time signatures; weird natural sounds are rendered unrecognizable by treatments; Indo-Arabic rhythms threaten to get funky but remain joyously understated throughout. And on top of everything comes Molvaer’s trumpet – lonesome, haunting and utterly majestic.
The Moody Blues – In Search Of The Lost Chord [Reissue/1968] LP (Polydor)
Digitally remastered 50th anniversary 180gm vinyl reissue of the third album by The Moody Blues.
Mountain Man – Sings John Denver 7” (Nonesuch)
Mountain Man releases a single featuring its take on two John Denver tunes: “Take Me Home, Country Roads” and “Around And Around”.
Nickelman – Elements LP (Urbnet)
Elements carries through a smoky lo-fi hip hop sound, intertwined with samples of jazz, soul, and rare groove beats.
Pigeondust – Moon Wisdom & Slackness LP (Cold Busted)
Producer and DJ Yuta Yamaoka – better known in the beats world as Pigeondust – resides in Chiba, Japan, and spends his days either flipping through dusty records or pulling samples from these vinyl treasures. His sound recalls classic hip hop, but with the loose spirit of jazz and a sense of sonic experimentation.
Pink Floyd – The Division Bell [Reissue/1994] 2xLP (Sony Legacy)
Limited double translucent blue colored 25th anniversary edition vinyl pressing.
Rich The Kid – The World Is Yours 2 LP (Interscope)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Second studio album by the rapper featuring guest appearances from Big Sean, Young Boy Never Broke Again, Lil Pump, Takeoff, Offset, Tory Lanez, Young Thug, Gunna, Miguel, A Boogie wit da Hoodie, Gucci Mane, Jay Critch, Nav, and Ty Dolla Sign.
David Rosenbloom – Brainwave Music [Reissue/1975] 2xLP (Black Truffle)
Pioneer of live electronics, innovator in music education, collaborator with artists as diverse as Jon Hassell, Jacqueline Humbert, Terry Riley, and Anthony Braxton, Rosenboom is renowned for his ground-breaking experiments with the use of brain biofeedback to control live electronic systems. Each of the three pieces that make up the original Brainwave Music LP integrates biofeedback with musical technology in different ways.
Bruce Russell & Luke Wood – Visceral Realists LP (VHF)
Debut album by the New Zealand duo of Bruce Russell (Dead C, Handful Of Dust, etc.) and Luke Wood. Visceral Realists is a high-concept commentary on the state of vinyl, analogue recording, music culture, art, etc. A 45rpm bullet of short bursts of free electric sound, the music here is tactile and rough but not noise music. Russell and Wood play over loops of scratchy records, with their guitars and electronics surging to get over the wall.
Samana – Ascension LP (Fat Cat)
Released last week on CD – now available on vinyl. Samana inhabit a musical space somewhere between Weyes Blood, Nico, Beach House and PJ Harvey, yet they possess a unique spirit born out of their nomadic existence. Each song is written with its own distinct weight and significance, born from the interpretation of dreams, the philosophies of ancient rituals and personal experience of love, loss and death.
Social Distortion – Poshboy’s Little Monsters LP (Radiation Deluxe)
Formed in Fullerton, CA in 1978, Social Distortion were one of the original LA punk groups and their first single was released on legendary LA punk label Posh Boy. But far rarer than that first single (“Mainliner” b/w “Playpen”) is the unreleased EP Poshboy’s Little Monsters. This EP only made it to the test pressing stage back in 1981, and featured those two tracks from the first single along with “All The Answers” and “Justice For All”. Expanded with two bonus tracks.
Sonic Youth – Battery Park, NYC: July 4th 2008 LP+MP3 (Matador)
Initially released as a bonus Buy Early Get Now addition to the 2009 release of their final album The Eternal, Battery Park, NYC: July 4th 2008 features material culled from their show at Battery Park’s River to River Festival. The tracks found on this live release span the group’s 30-year career, available to retailers as a stand-alone package for the first time.
Thee Speaking Canaries – Who Are The Sh!tbirds Playing? LP (Chunklet)
Damon Che is nothing short of a creative polymath. Don Caballero shows his mastery at the drums, but Thee Speaking Canaries? Well, it’s anybody’s guess, but his guitar histrionics show a musician who is practically bursting at the seams with crazed ideas and sounds.
Rick Springfield – Mission Magic! [Reissue/1974] LP (Master Classics)
The soundtrack to the popular Saturday morning cartoon, Mission Magic! Shows Springfield at his most energetic and vibrant era of his early career.
Sting – My Songs 2xLP (A&M)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. My Songs is an album comprised of the 17-time Grammy Award winner’s most celebrated hits from his unparalleled career, each reshaped and reimagined for 2019.
Takao – Stealth LP (Em)
Stealth is the aptly titled debut album from Tokyo-based composer/producer Takao. Gliding in under the radar with thirteen slyly sweet and subtle miniatures, these pieces are refreshing light-explosions of gentle harmony and modestly grand melodies. Fans of new age and tonal minimalism will enjoy this music, but its brevity reveals a pop-influenced aesthetic as well, and the level of care and detail in the arrangements and recording evinces a nuanced, surprisingly mature sensibility. There’s a blossoming brightness and elegant simplicity that even calls to mind gentle ghosts of Satie and Debussy.
James Taylor – One Man Band [Reissue/2007] 2xLP (Craft Recordings)
James Taylor began his career in the late- ‘60s with a guitar, a suitcase and a handful of original songs. On 2007’s One Man Band – recorded live over several dates at the Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield, MA in July 2007 – Taylor returned to this spirit and showcased material from the previous 40 years of his legendary career.
The Temptations – Cloud Nine [Reissue/1969] LP (Motown)
Limited edition pressing on colored swirl fuchsia vinyl. Cloud Nine put The Temptations at the forefront of psychedelic soul.
Norma Tanega – Walkin’ My Cat Named Dog [Reissue/1966] LP (Real Gone Music)
Limited green colored vinyl reissue of the American folk singer’s debut album. One-hit-wonder Norma Tanega is known only for “Walkin’ My Cat Named Dog”, her soulful, folky quasi-novelty song of 1966 that reached #22 in the pop charts early that year. The whimsical song’s easy-going charm, catchy chorus and vocal harmonies are irresistible, but Tanega, who has recorded several albums worth of worthy material since, was never able to follow it up with another hit record.
This Town Needs Guns – This Town Needs Guns [Reissue/2008] LP (Sargent House)
“The band’s self-titled 2008 release is a compilation of sorts that brings together material from various singles and splits released around this time. Despite this, it still manages to have a cohesive sound, and introduces the familiar version of TTNG. Gone are the distorted guitars and orchestration of earlier material (though piano is present throughout a few of the tracks), replaced with far more technical and melodic single guitar parts (courtesy of guitarist Tim Collis) that intertwine with melodic bass and groovy, driving drums by brother Sam Collis.” – Heave Media
Johnny Thunders – Room 37: The Mysterious Death Of Johnny Thunders LP (Cleopatra)
Limited red colored vinyl pressing of the soundtrack to the film that fictionalizes the final days of New York punk rock icon Johnny Thunders.
Keith Urban – Greatest Hits: 19 Kids [Reissue/2008] 2xLP (Capitol Nashville)
The 2008 collection from the country superstar is now available on vinyl.
Muddy Waters – King Bee [Reissue/1981] LP (Friday Music)
Limited 180gm gold colored audiophile vinyl pressing. Muddy’s final studio album, 1981’s King Bee finds the dynamic duo in fine form on a consummate set that encompasses revisits of old Chess material, stellar originals like Champagne & Reefer, and most notably his all-time classic take on Slim Harpo’s King Bee.
JJ Whitefield – Brother All Alone LP (Kryptox)
German guitarist, bandleader, and producer JJ Whitefield (Poets of Rhythm, Whitefield Brothers, and Karl Hector & The Malcouns) has been spearheading several musical sub-genres over the last two decades. Brother All Alone is a melting pot of styles and influences, drawing from kraut, jazz, ambient, and world music heritages.
Lester Young With The Oscar Peterson Trio – The President Plays With The Oscar Peterson Trio [Reissue/1956] LP (Verve)
A landmark collaboration between two jazz titans, this classic 1952 collection also features the stellar rhythm section of Barney Kessel on guitar, Ray Brown on bass and JC Heard on drums.
Cassettes:
Tim Heidecker – What The Brokenhearted Do (Jagjaguwar)
A fake divorce album written in reaction to vindictive rumors spread by online trolls that Heidecker’s wife Marilyn Porayko had left him.
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