Social Media (Grammy Program) Title Released This Week:
Gillian Welch & David Rawlings – All The Good Times CD (Acony)
The first Gillian Welch & David Rawlings collaboration to feature both of their names, All The Good Times, a collection of ten acoustic covers recorded at home, received a 2021 Grammy nomination for Best Folk Album. After a devastating tornado ravaged Nashville in the Spring of 2020 making their studio unusable, immediately followed by a global pandemic shutting down their community and touring livelihood, Welch & Rawlings were able to find the inspiration to set up recording equipment in their home living room and record ten performances on their reel-to-reel of some of their favorite songs from the likes of John Prine (“Hello In There”), Bob Dylan (“Abandoned Love”), Norman Blake (“Ginseng Sullivan”), and more. According to Uncut magazine, “The 10-song collection is the equivalent of being welcomed into Welch & Rawlings’ living room and the pair treating you to a private recital. In other words, it doesn’t get much better than this.” [Vinyl edition TBA.]
Marketing Program/ Banner/ Listening Station Titles Promoted This Week:
Chase Atlantic – Beauty In Death CD/LP (Fearless/Concord)
Representing the missing link between anesthetized woozy trap, nocturnal R&B, and psychedelically spun alternative, Chase Atlantic blur boundaries between genres through fearless experimentation and innate melodic inclinations. The Australia-born and Los Angeles-based trio boldly push forward once again on their new album Beauty In Death. The group charges up their next chapter with the lead single “Out The Roof”. “We wanted to come back strong with a song that reflected the chaotic world around us,” the band says. [Limited red color vinyl pressing also available.]
Chevelle – Niratias CD/LP (Epic)
Multi-platinum alternative rockers Chevelle return with their first new music in five years and ninth studio effort overall entitled Niratias. Produced by Joe Barresi (Tool, Queens Of The Stone Age), the follow-up to 2016’s The North Corridor is introduced by the searing science denier focused lead single “Self Destructor” and features striking artwork by Boris Vallejo (Knightriders, National Lampoon’s Vacation, ‘70s and ‘80s science fiction novel covers). Regarding the lyrical direction of the pummeling and provocative Niratias, Pete Loeffler told Blabbermouth: “It has a lot of space to it, a lot of interstellar travel to it. As you’ll see with the cover, it’s sort of space themed as well. I love the idea of the cosmos and I love Carl Sagan and Elon Musk and Neil deGrasse Tyson and all these people that look beyond and look to the future. Getting off this planet is part of that future if we can do it. It’s fascinating. It just made its way into the music.”
A Day To Remember – You’re Welcome CD/LP (Fueled By Ramen)
Introduced by the promising preceding tracks “Brick Wall”, “Degenerates”, “Resentment” and “Mindreader”, You’re Welcome marks platinum-selling band A Day To Remember’s debut album for Fueled By Ramen and the long awaited follow-up to 2016’s Bad Vibrations. Singer Jeremy McKinnon says, “You’ve waited patiently, and we can’t wait for you to hear this. There’s a lot of detail in everything we do from the mixes to the artwork, because it all tells a story. So, we made sure each element was perfect. Every line happens for a reason. We took what we envision modern music to be and made a hybrid of who we were, who we are, and who we want to be. It took a lot of maneuvering to get it right, but we feel like we did. We’re here now and very happy to present You’re Welcome.” [A limited-edition indie store vinyl pressing is available.]
Kings Of Leon – When You See Yourself CD/2xLP (RCA)
When You See Yourself sees Kings Of Leon entering 2021 with a modern bent on their sound as heard on the warm keyboard washed singles “The Bandit” and “100,000 People.” Frontman Caleb Followill explained to The Sun: “I try to write and convince myself that I’m writing about something else but a vein of my personal life flows through these songs. Sound-wise, Matthew really nerded out and found some cool vintage equipment. He was into organs and synthesizers as I was pulling teeth trying to get him to play more guitar! But when you hear that old equipment, it feels timeless and beautiful. A lot of the instruments on this album, you could’ve heard on Pink Floyd or Beatles albums. We really dug deep to find the proper equipment.” [A limited-edition indie store vinyl pressing is available.]
Jimbo Mathus & Andrew Bird – These 13 CD/LP (Wegawam Music Co. & Southern Broadcast)
These 13 is a little bit folk, a little bit gospel, a little bit bluesy, a little bit Hank, a little bit hill country, but most emphatically, it is all heart. Andrew Bird and Jimbo Mathus have climbed the height of their creative ladders in this collection of soul-strung songs, both lyrically and musically, a synchronicity between the two that feels joined in some special imaginative place that can only be visited by the best of songwriters. These 13 is about human connections that span any distance of time or geography. Bird and Jimbo had been disconnected for decades before returning to create this very personal, very vulnerable recording, and each opening himself up to the other for the purpose of powerful emotional songs. [A limited-edition indie store vinyl pressing is available.]
The Spill Canvass – Conduit CD/LP (Pure Noise)
Conduit is the The Spill Canvas’s first studio album since 2012’s Gestalt. “It’s been nine years since our last full-length album was released,” vocalist Nick Thomas says. “That said-we’re beyond ready to present our sixth LP, Conduit, to the world. Created in the rural woods of Pennsylvania over the span of a couple years, we feel it’s our most comprehensive work to date. We knew pretty early on in creating the new album that ‘Firestorm’ would be the perfect first single to reintroduce the band and begin our new chapter. Aside from overall vibe, the juxtaposition between the gospel singers and the lyrical context on desire make this tune among one of our favorites.”
William The Conqueror – Maverick Thinker CD/LP (Chrysalis/PIAS)
William The Conqueror have paid their damn dues. Like the sportsman cutting chipped teeth in the lower leagues before shooting to the very top, this band have lugged all the amps, placated the in-house sound guy for an easier life, their nails dirty, their hair unkempt. Enough. Except it’s never enough, because despite their slinky, swampy, razor-sharp, blues-drenched, guitar thrashed alt rock songs that form new album, Maverick Thinker and suggest that the door is opening for bigger rooms and broader audiences, it’s those sticky basement bar stages where the songs have always shed a skin and come alive. William The Conqueror’s protagonist is Ruarri Joseph who knows his way around a melody and a verse. Joseph’s wryness suggests life just ain’t plain sailin’ and he fizzes that sigh and lament into something that breathes heavy with heart and with soul. [Limited silver color vinyl pressing also available.]
CDs + Vinyl:
Richard Barbieri – Under A Spell CD (Kscope)
The man whose illustrious career began in the late 70s with synth-pop visionaries Japan and more recently as a member of influential art-rock band Porcupine Tree follows up 2017’s Planets + Persona with new album Under A Spell. On Under A Spell, Barbieri was intent on capturing the atmospheres and moods that his disconnected brain was conjuring rather than slaving over arrangements and melodies. [Vinyl edition due April 30.]
Black Sabbath – Heaven And Hell [Reissue/1980] 2xCD/2xLP (Rhino)
Black Sabbath – Mob Rules [Reissue/1981] 2xCD/2xLP (Rhino)
Singer Ronnie James Dio joined Black Sabbath in 1979 which resulted in two back-to-back classic albums: Heaven And Hell and Mob Rules. On those memorable albums, Dio’s soaring tenor and gothic songwriting were the perfect foil for the band’s bone-crushing mix of razor-sharp riffs, intense grooves, and dark imagery. Rhino salutes the long shadow cast by this short-lived lineup with newly remastered versions of both albums expanded with rare and unreleased music.
Bonecarver – Evil CD/LP (Unique)
The reincarnation of the seminal Spanish band Cannibal Grandpa, Bonecarver return with their debut album, Evil. Furious, brutal and executed with clinical precision. [Limited color vinyl pressing also available.]
Chase Atlantic – Beauty In Death CD/LP (Fearless/Concord)
Representing the missing link between anesthetized woozy trap, nocturnal R&B, and psychedelically spun alternative, Chase Atlantic blur boundaries between genres through fearless experimentation and innate melodic inclinations. The Australia-born and Los Angeles-based trio boldly push forward once again on their new album Beauty In Death. The group charges up their next chapter with the lead single “Out The Roof”. “We wanted to come back strong with a song that reflected the chaotic world around us,” the band says. [Limited red color vinyl pressing also available.]
Chevelle – Niratias CD/LP (Epic)
Multi-platinum alternative rockers Chevelle return with their first new music in five years and ninth studio effort overall entitled Niratias. Produced by Joe Barresi (Tool, Queens Of The Stone Age), the follow-up to 2016’s The North Corridor is introduced by the searing science denier focused lead single “Self Destructor” and features striking artwork by Boris Vallejo (Knightriders, National Lampoon’s Vacation, ‘70s and ‘80s science fiction novel covers). Regarding the lyrical direction of the pummeling and provocative Niratias, Pete Loeffler told Blabbermouth: “It has a lot of space to it, a lot of interstellar travel to it. As you’ll see with the cover, it’s sort of space themed as well. I love the idea of the cosmos and I love Carl Sagan and Elon Musk and Neil deGrasse Tyson and all these people that look beyond and look to the future. Getting off this planet is part of that future if we can do it. It’s fascinating. It just made its way into the music.”
A Day To Remember – You’re Welcome CD/LP (Fueled By Ramen)
Introduced by the promising preceding tracks “Brick Wall”, “Degenerates”, “Resentment” and “Mindreader”, You’re Welcome marks platinum-selling band A Day To Remember’s debut album for Fueled By Ramen and the long awaited follow-up to 2016’s Bad Vibrations. Singer Jeremy McKinnon says, “You’ve waited patiently, and we can’t wait for you to hear this. There’s a lot of detail in everything we do from the mixes to the artwork, because it all tells a story. So, we made sure each element was perfect. Every line happens for a reason. We took what we envision modern music to be and made a hybrid of who we were, who we are, and who we want to be. It took a lot of maneuvering to get it right, but we feel like we did. We’re here now and very happy to present You’re Welcome.” [A limited-edition indie store vinyl pressing is available.]
Deacon Blue – Riding The Tide Of Love CD/LP (earMUSIC)
Glasgow’s mainstream hit makers Deacon Blue have achieved major worldwide success since their formation in 1985 and have remained on that path of greatness ever since. Riding On The Tide Of Love is the companion album to their recent hit record City Of Love. Recorded during the ongoing pandemic, Riding On The Tide Of Love presents a mix of newly written songs and previously unheard material from the City of Love writing sessions.
Demon Hunter – Songs of Death And Resurrection CD (Solid State)
11 newly recorded “resurrected” versions of classic Demon Hunter songs from across their ten studio albums, including “I Am A Stone”, “I Will Fail You”, “Carry Me Down” and “The Heart Of A Graveyard”, plus a brand new composition, “Praise The Void”. Lush string arrangements, haunting piano, and layered vocal harmonies accompany the reimagined acoustic versions found on Songs Of Death And Resurrection. [Vinyl edition due March 26.]
The Explorers Club – Rarities Volume 1 CD (Goldstar)
Nashville-based sunshine pop band, The Explorers Club, present the long awaited 11-track collection of Rarities Volume 1 from the vaults, including the long-lost Suites EPs featuring rare covers and early mixes from the Grand Hotel album. These were previously only available via download bundles. Also featured are rare singles previously only available as limited downloads [Vinyl edition due March 19.]
Forhist – Forhist CD/LP (Debemur Morti Productions)
Forhist is the latest incarnation of Vindsval, the faceless entity behind the legendary Blut Aus Nord. Inspired by the ’90s Norwegian black metal scene, Forhist is a solitary walk in deep woods, an echo of the past, a return to the spiritual womb from which darkness first emerged. Eschewing experimentation, ‘avant-gardism’, the progressive and the dissonant, Forhist is purely a raw, intimate and poetic black metal act: a haunted dreamworld of harmonious yet savage riffs, deftly melodic leads, vocal malevolence, mystical choirs, escapist acoustics, perfectly judged drumming and neo-gothic synth, all elevated by the inimitable mark of this composer-auteur.
Fruit Bats – The Pet People CD/LP+MP3 (Merge)
“The Pet Parade”, the title track to Fruit Bats’ ninth album, might be a surprising opening track for longtime fans of Eric D. Johnson’s beloved indie folk-rock project. The six-and-a-half-minute tone poem smolders and drones over just two chords, inspired by the strange and silly community events that he saw growing up outside of Chicago, in La Grange, Illinois, in which people dressed up and showed off their pets. Decades later, The Pet Parade emerges in troubled times, living within what Johnson refers to as the beauty and absurdity of existence.
Judith Hill – Baby, I’m Hollywood CD (Regime Music Group)
The third studio album and first full length release from vocalist and songwriter Judith Hill since 2018. Her first album, Back In Time (2015) was produced by Prince.
Japan – Quiet Life [Reissue/1979] CD (BMG)
That Japan’s breakthrough record Quiet Life was released in both 1979 and 1980 is uniquely fitting for a band who were about to step out of the glam rock, post punk shadows of the late ’70s and deliver a record with a brand-new sound that would come to define the ’80s. Quiet Life was the third, final and most successful release on the Hansa Records label. A forerunner for the alternative/new wave sound of the new decade, the album would become one of the great classic British albums. [Red color vinyl and deluxe vinyl box set editions due March 26.]
Katatonia – The Fall Of Hearts CD (Peaceville)
The official follow-up to 2012’s acclaimed Dead End Kings was recorded at Stockholm’s Studio Gröndahl and Tri-lamb Studio and was self-produced by Katatonia’s Anders Nyström and Jonas Renkse. Mixing and mastering duties were carried out by Jens Bogren (Opeth, Ihsahn, Devin Townsend) at Fascination Street Studios, with Karl Daniel Lidén (Switchblade, The Ocean, Greenleaf) brought in as engineer. The dramatic yet desolate artwork was created by long time Katatonia designer and illustrator Travis Smith.
Kings Of Leon – When You See Yourself CD/2xLP (RCA)
When You See Yourself sees Kings Of Leon entering 2021 with a modern bent on their sound as heard on the warm keyboard washed singles “The Bandit” and “100,000 People.” Frontman Caleb Followill explained to The Sun: “I try to write and convince myself that I’m writing about something else but a vein of my personal life flows through these songs. Sound-wise, Matthew really nerded out and found some cool vintage equipment. He was into organs and synthesizers as I was pulling teeth trying to get him to play more guitar! But when you hear that old equipment, it feels timeless and beautiful. A lot of the instruments on this album, you could’ve heard on Pink Floyd or Beatles albums. We really dug deep to find the proper equipment.” [A limited-edition indie store vinyl pressing is available.]
Zara Larsson – Poster Girl CD (Epic)
Poster Girl is the highly anticipated follow up to 2017’s international debut So Good. Produced by Mike Sabbath (Lizzo, Meghan Trainor, Jonas Brothers), this album from the 23-year-old Swedish pop sensation contains the single “Talk About Love” (featuring Young Thug) as well as previous hits “WOW” and “Love Me Land”. [Vinyl edition due April 23.]
Lizzard – Eroded CD/LP (Pelagic)
Lizzard’s Eroded is a melting pot of invigorating riffs, heavy driven grooves and catchy vocal hooklines.
Jimbo Mathus & Andrew Bird – These 13 CD/LP (Wegawam Music Co. & Southern Broadcast)
These 13 is a little bit folk, a little bit gospel, a little bit bluesy, a little bit Hank, a little bit hill country, but most emphatically, it is all heart. Andrew Bird and Jimbo Mathus have climbed the height of their creative ladders in this collection of soul-strung songs, both lyrically and musically, a synchronicity between the two that feels joined in some special imaginative place that can only be visited by the best of songwriters. These 13 is about human connections that span any distance of time or geography. Bird and Jimbo had been disconnected for decades before returning to create this very personal, very vulnerable recording, and each opening himself up to the other for the purpose of powerful emotional songs. [A limited-edition indie store vinyl pressing is available.]
Pat Metheny – Road To The Sun CD (Modern Recordings)
A collection of two major new works composed by Metheny and performed by five of the world’s leading guitarists, Road To The Sun unveils new facets of an already expansive personal language while obliterating any genre boundaries that stand in its way. [Vinyl edition due April 9.]
Nightfall – At Night We Prey CD/LP (Season Of Mist)
At Night We Prey is the first full-length from Greek metal legends Nightfall since 2013’s Cassiopeia. It’s a very dark and personal effort, tackling the topic of Efthimis Karadimas’s battle with depression.
No Use For A Name – Rarities Vol. 2: The Originals CD (Fat Wreck Chords)
15 tracks rarities and previously unreleased demos. [Vinyl edition due April 2.]
Pink Cigs – Pink Cigs CD/LP (Heavy Psych Sounds)
Pink Cigs is a UK based heavy metal band from the steel city of Sheffield. The band was formed in 2016 by James Fidler, Cris Law, Ben Babinski and Kyle Hall. They released their first full length album in January 2020. Their style incorporates elements of ‘70s heavy metal and hard rock. [Two color vinyl variants are available: Limited pink and limited yellow.]
Revulsion – Revulsion CD (Transcending Obscurity)
A sharp and viciously groovy form of Finnish death metal that begs for repeat listens.
The Ruins Of Beverast – The Thule Grimoires CD/2xLP (Van)
The Thule Grimoires is The Ruins Of Beverast’s sixth album and continues their sonorous wanderings across anecumenical spheres that form up and embattle for the ever raging war against poisonous and verminous trespassers of human origin. The seven works evolve around discarnate, spirited protagonists that join the brave and inexorable powers of nature against their foe. These sceneries are rooted within the familiar TROB-esque experience, grim and low-bottomed monolithic tones, enriched with morbid melodic facets and surreal soundscapes.
Skold – Dies Irae CD/LP (Cleopatra)
Former Marilyn Manson and Shotgun Messiah member Tim Skold takes his industrial project Skold in a bold new direction. This fifth album leans heavy in the metal genre showcasing Skold’s aggressive guitar playing prowess with complex and catchy hooks backed by sonically elaborate keyboards. [Limited clear vinyl pressing also available.]
Small Sins – II CD/LP (Arts & Crafts)
After a decade of silence, there is finally new music from Small Sins, the pet project of Canadian writer/performer/producer Thomas D’Arcy. Volume II is a loving mix of synthetic sounds and organic textures woven together to create rousing, contemplative, and laser-focused synth-pop. With orchestral string arrangements alongside arpeggiated Moogs and overdriven guitars, layered vocals and intimate deliveries, Volume II is a unique musical experience that borrows from many but sounds like none.
Omar Sosa – An East African Journey CD (Ota)
An East African journey highlights a series of extraordinary musical encounters between Cuban pianist and composer Omar Sosa and some of the most significant musicians in East Africa. It is a highly expressive and beautiful combination of various ancient traditions with exquisite jazz and Western classical music influences.
Spelljammer – Abyssal Trip CD/LP (Riding Easy)
“The vastness of everything is something that I think about a lot,” says Spelljammer bassist/vocalist Niklas Olsson. And it certainly shows in both the expansive, sludgy sounds and contemplative lyrics of the Stockholm, Sweden based trio.
The Spill Canvass – Conduit CD/LP (Pure Noise)
Conduit is the The Spill Canvas’s first studio album since 2012’s Gestalt. “It’s been nine years since our last full-length album was released,” vocalist Nick Thomas says. “That said-we’re beyond ready to present our sixth LP, Conduit, to the world. Created in the rural woods of Pennsylvania over the span of a couple years, we feel it’s our most comprehensive work to date. We knew pretty early on in creating the new album that ‘Firestorm’ would be the perfect first single to reintroduce the band and begin our new chapter. Aside from overall vibe, the juxtaposition between the gospel singers and the lyrical context on desire make this tune among one of our favorites.”
Ian Sweet – Show Me How You Disappear CD/LP+MP3 (Polyvinyl)
Mesmeric and kaleidoscopic, shimmering with electrified unease, Show Me How You Disappear is both an exercise in self-forgiveness and an eventual understanding of unresolved trauma. Jilian Medford’s third record as Ian Sweet unfolds at an acute juncture in her life, charting from a mental health crisis to an intensive healing process and what comes after. How do you control the thoughts that control you? What does it mean to get better? What does it mean to have a relationship with yourself? [Limited edition blue color vinyl pressing also available.]
Tiger’s Jaw – I Won’t Care How You Remember Me CD/LP (Hopeless)
Described by the member’s moms as Saves The Day meets Fleetwood Mac, Tigers Jaw has been carving out their own legacy in the indie, alternative, and emo-punk genres since 2006.
Tindersticks – Distractions CD/LP (City Slang)
Stuart Staples was already nurturing seeds for a different kind of Tindersticks album before lockdown halted their tour in early 2020. If 2019’s No Treasure But Hope saw the band rediscovering themselves as a unit, the follow-up reconfigures that unit so that everything familiar about Tindersticks sounds fresh again. Distractions is an album of subtle realignments and connections from a restless, intuitive band: rich in texture and atmosphere, it lives between its open spaces and details, always finding new ways to connect with a song. [Limited blue color vinyl pressing also available.]
Various Artists – Coming 2 America (Amazon Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) CD (Def Jam)
Various Artists – Coming 2 America: Rhythms Of Zamunda (Music Inspired The Amazon Original Movie) CD (Def Jam)
Coming 2 America (Amazon Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) gathers tracks from the highly anticipated sequel of the iconic film Coming To America. The soundtrack features three new tracks from YG feat. Big Sean; Bobby Sessions feat. Megan Thee Stallion; and John Legend & Burna Boy feat. Nile Rodgers while tapping into nostalgia with classic covers from superstars such as: Teyana Taylor, Tiwa Savage, Public Enemy, and special guests featured in the film. Coming 2 America: Rhythms Of Zamunda (Music Inspired The Amazon Original Movie) yields a blend of 16 original tracks embodying the opulent countries and cultures of Pan-Africa. Boasting a wide range of superstars from across the continent, Rhythms Of Zamunda features South African superstars; Nasty C’s “Black and White” featuring Ari Lennox; “Skeletun” from Tekno; Tiwa Savage’s “Dangerous Love”, and many more.
W.A.S.P. – Double Live Assassins [Reissue/1997] CD (Madfish)
Recorded in Switzerland, Chicago, Cleveland, and Los Angeles during W.A.S.P.’s 1997 Kill F**k Die tour, Double Live Assassins captures all the excitement and electricity that is a W.A.S.P. concert.
Gillian Welch & David Rawlings – All The Good Times CD (Acony)
The first Gillian Welch & David Rawlings collaboration to feature both of their names, All The Good Times, a collection of ten acoustic covers recorded at home, received a 2021 Grammy nomination for Best Folk Album. After a devastating tornado ravaged Nashville in the Spring of 2020 making their studio unusable, immediately followed by a global pandemic shutting down their community and touring livelihood, Welch & Rawlings were able to find the inspiration to set up recording equipment in their home living room and record ten performances on their reel-to-reel of some of their favorite songs from the likes of John Prine (“Hello In There”), Bob Dylan (“Abandoned Love”), Norman Blake (“Ginseng Sullivan”), and more. According to Uncut magazine, “The 10-song collection is the equivalent of being welcomed into Welch & Rawlings’ living room and the pair treating you to a private recital. In other words, it doesn’t get much better than this.” [Vinyl edition TBA.]
William The Conqueror – Maverick Thinker CD/LP (Chrysalis/PIAS)
William the Conqueror have paid their damn dues. Like the sportsman cutting chipped teeth in the lower leagues before shooting to the very top, this band have lugged all the amps, placated the in-house sound guy for an easier life, their nails dirty, their hair unkempt. Enough. Except it’s never enough, because despite their slinky, swampy, razor-sharp, blues-drenched, guitar thrashed alt rock songs that form new album, Maverick Thinker and suggest that the door is opening for bigger rooms and broader audiences, it’s those sticky basement bar stages where the songs have always shed a skin and come alive. William The Conqueror’s protagonist is Ruarri Joseph who knows his way around a melody and a verse. Joseph’s wryness suggests life just ain’t plain sailin’ and he fizzes that sigh and lament into something that breathes heavy with heart and with soul. [Limited silver color vinyl pressing also available.]
Witherfall – Curse Of Autumn CD/2xLP (Century Media)
Third studio album from the L.A. dark and progressive melodic metal band. [Limited color vinyl pressing also available.]
Wolf King – The Path Of Wrath CD (Prosthetic)
Having lost none of their bite, everyone’s favorite Bay Area blackened heavy metal band has crafted a twelve-track opus; The Path Of Wrath tells real life tales of existential struggles and explorations of life and death. This abrasive take on mortality and the afterlife traverses themes of judgement, salvation, and looking ‘beyond the veil’. [Vinyl edition due March 26.]
Yabby You & The Prophets – Conquering Lion [Reissue/1975] CD/2xLP (Pressure Sounds)
Yabby You’s Conquering Lion stands as one of the few truly essential albums of the roots era. As devotional as anything by Burning Spear, as polemical as Bob Marley, and as militant as the Mighty Diamonds, the album also communicates a haunting spiritual quality that is uniquely its own. Amazingly, for such a coherent work, the tracks were recorded over a period of at least four years yet come together to present a single coherent vision. Here the album is presented for the first time in expanded form, together with its dub counterpart.
Neil Young – Neil Young Archives Vol. II (1972-1976) 10xCD (Reprise)
This is the second volume of the Neil Young Archives series of box sets produced by Neil Young. A definitive, comprehensive, chronological record of his entire body of released work. This box set covers the extremely productive period from 1972 through 1976. A prolific era for Neil when he released several classic albums including On The Beach, Tonight’s The Night and Zuma. Homegrown, just released, is part of this history as well. The box set features a total of 131 tracks of which 62 are either unreleased songs or unreleased alternate versions, different mixes, rare or live tracks.
This Week’s Vinyl Exclusives:
1349 – The Infernal Pathway [Reissue/2019] 2xLP (Season Of Mist)
Limited silver color vinyl reissues. Norwegian black metal titans 1349 returned in 2019 with their long awaited seventh full-length, The Infernal Pathway. Following-up 2014’s Massive Cauldron Of Chaos, the album promises a journey through chaos and madness, darkness and peril, terror and annihilation.
75 Dollar Bill Little Big Band – Live At Tubby’s LP (Grapefruit)
NYC’s 75 Dollar Bill began its prolific career in 2012, after percussionist Rick Brown, a veteran of the indie underground (Fish & Roses, Run On, V-Effect), and noise scene guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Che Chen, connected via MySpace. Since that initial jam session, when Brown began experimenting with his signature plywood crate drum rhythms, they have released three LPs and a clutch of self-released cassette and digital releases. Originally offered as a digital-only release on 75 Dollar Bill’s Bandcamp, Live At Tubby’s documents a highlight and closure of sorts; this kind of musical improvisation and community interaction being on hold for the foreseeable future.
Chet Baker – Chet Baker In New York [Reissue/1958] LP (Craft Recordings)
Chet Baker – It Could Happen To You – Chet Baker Sings [Reissue/1958] LP (Craft Recordings)
Chet Baker – Chet [Reissue/1959] LP (Craft Recordings)
Chet Baker – Plays The Best Of Lerner & Loewe [Reissue/1959] LP (Craft Recordings)
Few musicians have embodied the romantic, and ultimately tragic, jazz figure as totally as Chesney “Chet” Baker. Unschooled yet eloquent in his music, the Baker mystique has only reinforced one of the most haunting trumpet styles and ingenuous singing approaches.
Beachwood Sparks – Beachwood Sparks [Reissue/2000] 2xLP (Curation)
Vinyl reissue of the eponymous debut album by the alternative country band.
Brainticket – Cottonwoodhill [Reissue/1971] LP (Lilith)
Brainticket – Psychonaut [Reissue/1971] LP (Lilith)
Brainticket – Celestial Ocean [Reissue/1973] LP (Lilith)
Limited clear vinyl pressings of the first three albums from the Krautrock band. Along with Amon Düül, Can and Neu!, Brainticket has been cited as influences of bands such as Sonic Youth, Stereolab, Skinny Puppy, The Legendary Pink Dots and others.
The Dave Brubeck Quartet – Time OutTakes LP (Brubeck Editions)
Released last year on CD – now available on vinyl. Once the Dave Brubeck Quartet released Time Out in 1959, the world of jazz was never the same. Every note of the seven original compositions soared with wild originality and trained musical genius. ”Take Five” became the best-selling jazz single of the twentieth century. Time OutTakes is comprised of alternative takes to the masterpiece that blew the hinges off the doors of jazz.
Carach Angren – This Is No Fairytale [Reissue/2015] LP (Season Of Mist)
Limited gold colored vinyl pressing of the Dutch symphonic black metal band’s fourth album.
Carpool Tunnel – Bloom LP (Pure Noise)
Recently released on CD – now available on limited gold color vinyl. With a swirling combination of ’60s and ’70s-era classic rock and blues with the sunny sounds of SoCal-soaked surf rock, Carpool Tunnel’s debut full-length puts the quartet’s sandbar psychedelic sound on full display creating something that’s both nostalgic and fresh.
Sam Coffey & The Iron Lungs – Real One LP (Dine Alone)
The latest full-length record from Toronto outfit Sam Coffey & The Iron Lungs is a work of loving, earnest maximalism. Its proportions are ambitious and grand: blown-out gang vocals, sweeping piano, shimmering saxophone, romantic string arrangements, and thunderous guitars reign across 11 tracks.
Cryptodira – The Angel Of History LP (Good Fight Music)
Released last December on CD – now available on limited white color vinyl. 2020 started off with Cryptodira in the studio with producer Jamie King (Between The Buried And Me, The Contortionist) recording a new full-length, The Angel of History, and confirming tour offers to follow its release. The band was just about to announce the release date and pre-orders, and then Covid-19 happened. The album was pushed back, the tours were postponed, and the world went into lockdown. After weighing all options, Cryptodira wasn’t going to let the pandemic stop them.
Defeated Sanity – Passages Into Deformity LP (Willowtip)
Limited picture disc pressing. Without compromising the brutality of their sound, Defeated Sanity has stepped it up in terms of the overall production. Passages Into Deformity has a more old-school vibe to it, with a lot of early ‘90s inspired riffs and slams, but Defeated Sanity made it a point to not get away from the technical and progressive stylings they are known for.
Demigod – Shadow Mechanics [Reissue/2002] LP (Svart)
Limited color vinyl pressing of the Finnish death metal band’s second studio album.
Russell Dickerson – Southern Symphony LP (Triple Tigers)
Released last year on CD – now available on vinyl. Co-produced alongside frequent collaborator Casey Brown and a first-time collaboration with legendary producer Dann Huff, Southern Symphony is the sophomore album from multi-platinum recording artist Russell Dickerson and follow-up to 2017’s Gold-certified Yours.
The Drive – Can You Feel It? [Reissue/1975] LP (We Are Busy Bodies)
The Drive was formed by the nucleus of The Heshoo Beshoo Group’s horn section, Henry and Stanley Sithole, along with drummer Nelson Magwaza. These three had been crucial to the sound of the Heshoo Beshoo Group’s solitary 1970 Armitage Road album. The brothers were approached by guitarist Adolphus Bunny Luthuli to form a band to compete in the Alco Best Band Competition at Jabulani Stadium in April 1971. The Drive won the Alco competition and stayed together touring throughout South Africa. In September 1972 they also won best band at the Pina Culo festival in Umgababa.
Enuff Z’nuff – Enuff Z’nuff [Reissue/1989] LP (Friday Music)
Two limited 180gm audiophile color vinyl pressings (clear and purple) of the Illinois hard rock band’s debut album.
Field Works – Cedars LP+MP3 (Temporary Residence)
The mystifying ninth album in the Field Works series, Cedars combines cosmic Americana with Western ambient and Middle Eastern influences. Delicate layers of pedal steel, banjo, oud, and hurdy-gurdy float atop looping guitar drones to create a soothing, atmospheric chamber where folk and electronic music coalesce. Set to Arabic and English poetry, the song cycle examines some of Earth’s most iconic and ancient forests, revealing our complicated relationship with the natural world.
The Fleshtones – Face Of The Screaming Werewolf LP (Yep Roc)
Released last year on CD and limited color vinyl – standard black vinyl pressing now available. Legendary garage rockers The Fleshtones have been pumping out hits for over four decades, earning them the honor of being America’s Garage Rock Band. They’re one of the final remaining original CBGB bands, they’ve played on Andy Warhol’s short-lived MTV show while Sir Ian McKellen read Shakespeare over their jamming and were the last band to publicly perform at the World Trade Center’s Windows on the World. However, what’s most incredible about The Fleshtones is that they’re putting out some of their best music yet forty years into their career, as evidenced by Face Of The Screaming Werewolf.
Forbidden – Forbidden Evil [Reissue/1988] LP (Red Music Legacy)
Limited 180gm green and clear color vinyl pressing. Highly regarded as one of the true unsung heroes in metal, Bay Area thrashers Forbidden spawned such bands as Testament and Exodus. Forbidden was originally known as Forbidden Evil, under which they recorded several demo tapes. Their name was eventually changed to simply Forbidden to prevent black metal stereotypes. Forbidden Evil is also the name of their first official album.
Rory Gallagher – Live At Montreux 2xLP/2xLP+CD (earMUSIC)
Live At Montreux is a posthumous live album (originally released in 2006 on DVD) by the brilliant Irish guitarist who played the Montreux Jazz Festival a couple of times over a twenty year period. It’s a live collection recorded at the famous festival in 1975, 1977, 1979 and 1985. Gallagher was rightly famed for the virtuosity of his live performances and always delivered one compelling performance after another.
Ron Gallo – Peacemeal LP (New West)
Limited green color vinyl pressing. Gallo exits the noisy confines of the garage and goes outside where there’s no limit to embracing all aspects of himself. The result is a colorful hodgepodge of ‘90s hip-hop, R&B, weirdo pop, jazz, and punk.
Grandson – Death Of A Optimist LP (Fueled By Ramen)
Debut studio album by the Canadian American musician. Described by the alt-rocker as a “horror story with a happy ending,” the cohesive record brings together an eclectic group of collaborators including engineer Andrew Dawson (Kanye West), Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda, Blink-182’s Travis Barker, producer Krupa (Zero 9:36), and Boonn (Grandson’s longtime musical partner).
Guru Guru – Live In Essen 1970 [Reissue/2002] 2xLP (Svart)
Vinyl reissue of a rare live performance recordings of krautrock pioneers Guru Guru, from one of their earliest ever live concerts in October 1970. Three long slabs of prime classic psychedelic prog, two from the UFO album and one off Hinten, show the band at their apex, defining a sound that had never been heard before. Sourced from tapes recorded directly from the sound desk at the show, the recording quality is phenomenal for something of this vintage era. The original line-up of Mani Neumeier – drums & vocals, Ax Genrich – guitar and Uli Trepte – bass & vocals, are present and on full power. Guru Guru stood for space, psychedelic experience and electric magic.
Haken – The Mountain 2xLP (Century Media)
Vinyl reissue of the third album from British prog metal band. [Vinyl reissue of Haken’s fourth studio album, Affinity, due March 19.]
Donny Hathaway – The Best Of Donny Hathaway [Reissue/1978] LP (Friday Music)
Limited audiophile 180gm translucent gold color vinyl reissue. Donny Hathaway was one of the leading voices of the ‘70s soul renaissance and one of the more championed songwriters during his short lifetime. Much like Ray Charles, Otis Redding, and other superstars before him, Donny had the necessary ingredients of a stellar voice/musicianship and songwriting acumen which reached across the gospel, soul, rock and pop genres.
Jethro Tull – Living With The Past [Reissue/2002] 2xLP (earMUSIC)
A live documentation of Jethro Tull’s performance at the Hammersmith Apollo on November 20, 2001.
Junglepussy – Jp4 LP+MP3 (Jagjaguwar)
With a name as bold as Junglepussy and an artistry to match, Shayna McHayle is New York’s premier rap rule-breaker. Honest, funny, and freaky, her rhymes span from the explicitly audacious to the tenderly relatable. Her unfailingly confident flow accentuates her roots in Brooklyn (her parents are from Trinidad and Jamaica), and her bars land with cool impact. In the universe that is Junglepussy, relationships are complicated, vegetables are magic, and an excellently delivered flex on an ex is one punchline away.
Harvey McLaughlin – Rascality LP (Saustex Media)
Twelve tracks of throwback rock and roll that’s reminiscent of the great piano rock albums by artists such as Warren Zevon, Elton John, Tom Waits and Randy Newman with its own brand of cheekiness and an updated sensibility.
Midwife – Like Author, Like Daughter [Reissue/2017] 2xLP (The Flenser)
Like Author, Like Daughter is a portrait of Madeline Johnston’s final year as a resident of Denver’s famed D.I.Y venue Rhinoceropolis, which closed in a rash of politically motivated assaults on creative spaces across the United States. The album internalizes loss, addiction, and abandonment and wrings them through distorted power chords, melancholy leads, and sheets of drone to create building, aching monuments to past-selves and lost relationships as positivist statements of resilience and self-love.
Ministry – Trax! Rarities 2xLP (Cleopatra)
Special limited edition double clear vinyl pressing with printed inner sleeve of a collection of early tracks and versions from Al Jourgensen’s Ministry and various side projects.
Muslimgauze – Narcotic [Reissue/1997] 2xLP (Staalplaat)
Narcotic is a very clean recording compared to a lot of Muslimgauze’s later recordings. It’s crystal clear. It’s also quite accessible to the uninitiated in the huge world of Muslimgauze and would be a good starting point for those with an interest who have no idea where to begin.
Painted Shrines – Heaven And Holy LP (Woodsist)
Jeremy Earl (Woods) and Glenn Donaldson (Skygreen Leopards, The Reds, Pinks & Purples) met sometime in the mid-‘00s and bonded over a love of tambourines and DIY sounds. They shared many stages since, and their first serious collaboration was on the 2011 Woods album Sun & Shade. Around 2018, Earl was restless in upstate NY and accepted an invite to record in Donaldson’s studio in an undisclosed rural coastal town in Northern California. In a week they emerged with nearly an album’s worth of hazy folk-rock and psych-pop with touches of more outré lo-fi noise. Jeff Moller (The Papercuts) added bass, and they put the finishing touches on during quarantine. Heaven And Holy ebbs and flows like coastal fog between songs and dreamy instrumentals, splitting the difference between The Clean’s Unknown Country and The Byrds “Fifth Dimension”.
Penn Central – Right On Track LP (Tramp)
Vinyl pressing of a previously unreleased AOR/yacht rock album recorded in 1979; for those of you who are into that type of thing.
Photay – On Hold LP+MP3 (Mexican Summer)
On Hold is a series of pieces derived from 10 transmissions of audible frequencies received through a narrow band of approximately 300 to 3400 Hz. The following longitudinal waves were obtained through telecommunications systems in the Western Hemisphere during the fifth month of the year 2018. These frequencies have been manipulated by Photay to achieve a wider enveloping soundscape to both ease and inspire. To be placed On Hold is to lose a sense of power and control. To become forcefully idle until silence is broken by an unknown voice at the other end of a seemingly infinite telecommunication system.
Pop Zeus – This Doesn’t Feel Like Home (Unreleased Demos 2011-2014) LP (Two Syllable)
Whether you knew him as Mikey or Hodges, Michael Hodges aka Pop Zeus was an integral fixture in every city he lived in from Bloomington, IN, to Brooklyn, NY, to Portland, OR, and eventually the East Side of Los Angeles. Mikey was inexplicably everywhere and knew everyone intimately well. There was something about his personality that was intoxicating and he often drew you in with an ecstatic outpouring of love for some niche Rock ‘N Roller he’d just discovered, a big wet kiss on the lips, and a giant bear hug. He was more than likely the bartender at your favorite bar, the bouncer at your favorite club, and eventually the singer of your favorite band. Pop Zeus was his bedroom project-cum-rock band that began over ten years ago when he relocated from Bloomington to Brooklyn. Named after a Guided By Voices song (Robert Pollard even gave the name his blessing) Pop Zeus was his ode to power pop, lo fi, and rock ‘n’ roll. It felt like his time had come and people were finally starting to pay attention-until a motorcycle accident ended it all at the age of 29.
Reigning Sound – A Little More Time b/w Lonely Ghost 7”+MP3 (Merge)
Reigning Sound’s single “A Little More Time” b/w “Lonely Ghost” marks the first new music from the group in nearly seven years. The A-side is another welcome pint of garage rock and Memphis soul from Reigning Sound chief brewmaster Greg Cartwright, and it serves double duty as the lead single from the band’s forthcoming full-length A Little More Time With Reigning Sound [due May 21.]
Todd Rundgren – A Wizard, A True Star… Live! 2xLP (Cleopatra)
The vinyl companion to Todd Rundgren’s truly epic multi-media concert event – a front-to-back recreation of Rundgren’s enormously popular and influential 1973 album, A Wizard, A True Star. Recorded 2009 in Akron OH, this special concert was released on crystal clear DVD and CD last year and now has been pressed on deluxe rainbow swirl vinyl.
Emily A. Sprague – Hill, Flower, Fog LP (RVNG Int’l)
Emily A. Sprague’s Hill, Flower, Fog is an illumination of consciousness across six modular meditations. A place, a poem, and a homespun ode to existing in this cone of time in our universe, Hill, Flower, Fog channels the here and now and fosters a far-reaching connectedness, or lifeline, from the everyday to the cosmos.
Sylvan Esso – With Love 12” (Loma Vista)
With Love was recorded October 2-4, 2020 at the Haw River Ballroom in Saxapahaw, NC and aired as the final installment of Sylvan Esso’s three-part virtual concert series From The Satellite on December 1, 2020. The With Love EP finds Sylvan Esso reimagining six songs from Free Love, with a 10-piece dream team band of players from their tight-knit artistic community, including musicians who perform with Bon Iver and Wye Oak.
Various Artists – Numero 95 LP (Numero)
As escapism from corporate banality turned the corner in the ’90s, a new generation of vibrant, software generated soundscapes emerged. Communal access to the internet propagated the new hive mind of ideas online, giving way to smoother, stress-free textures. The PC revolution opened the gateway to ray-traced playgrounds of color and light, allowing for visions of utopic proportions to manifest themselves on screensavers far and wide. Boot up your machine, load the software on this floppy diskette, and drop out of a reality bounded by the physical laws of the universe. The eighth entry in Numero’s Cabinet of Curiosities series.
Laura Veirs – My Echo LP (Raven Marching Band)
Released last year on CD – now available on vinyl. My Echo is Laura Veirs’ eleventh studio album, and includes appearances and features from Jim James, Bill Frisell, Karl Blau, Matt Ward and others.
Venomous Concept – Politics Versus The Erection LP (Season Of Mist)
Released last year on CD – now available on vinyl. [Limited yellow color vinyl pressing also available.] If the state of today’s society is reflected in music, hardcore punk/grindcore veterans Venomous Concept return to the stage with a fitting soundtrack. On Politics Versus The Erection, Kevin Sharp (Brutal Truth), Shane Embury (Napalm Death), Danny Herrera (Napalm Death) and John Cooke (Corrupt Moral Altar) voice criticism and opinions with satirical animations, venomous lyrics, and 30 minutes of short, sharp musical blasts, creating a true hardcore punk spirit.
Winter – Into Darkness [Reissue/1990] 2xLP (Svart)
Limited deluxe color vinyl reissue. Formed in New York circa 1988, Winter played slow, deep and hard nuclear doom with a crust punk rawness, that came across like Hellhammer jamming with Amebix. Their penchant for mammoth sized and funeral-paced, wasteland droning has become a touchstone reference for bands across the whole spectrum of underground metal. This expanded vinyl reissues includes the band’s rare 1995 demo.
The Wood Brothers – Muse 2xLP (Indirecto)
Recorded at Southern Ground Studios in Nashville, TN, 2013’s The Muse mines The Wood Brothers’ timeless influences and showcases their high-lonesome harmonies, Chris’ virtuosic standup bass, Oliver’s gritty acoustic guitars, and warrior poet lyrics.
Woods – Reflections Vol. 1 (Bumble Bee Crown King) LP (Woodsist)
With no touring this year, and possibly next, Woods decided to take a deep dive into their archives and put together the first volume of their much discussed archival series, Reflections. Featuring rare and unreleased recordings from 2009-2013, including a ghost town desert jam off the side of the highway, the band’s first live performance in Big Sur, the first recorded version of “Bend Beyond” and some shelved diamonds in the rough that were finished up during quarantine. The hope is that it plays like a “lost record” from an extremely strange and fruitful period in Woods history.
Yashira – Fail To Be LP (Good Fight Music)
Recently last year on CD — now available on purple/silver color vinyl. After the passing of their friend, drummer, and co-founder Seth Howard at the tail end of 2018, Florida metal band Yashira took off most of 2019 to reevaluate their existence as a group. With the blessing of Seth’s family, Yashira decided to continue on. They recruited drummer Ryan O’Neal (Seraph/The Light) to join their ranks and continue writing their sophomore album Fail To Be.
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