Social Media Program Titles Released This Week:
Chicano Batman – Invisible People LP (ATO)
The L.A.-based quartet made up of Eduardo Arenas, Carlos Arevalo, Bardo Martinez and Gabriel Villa, follow-up the critically acclaimed breakthrough Freedom Is Free with their most sonically varied and cohesive album to date. Mixed by Grammy-winning engineer Shawn Everett (Beck, Alabama Shakes) the 12-song set accentuates the group’s high-spirited synthesis of Tropicalia, west coast psychedelia and late-’60s/early-’70s soul. [CD edition due May 29.]
Diet Cig – Do You Wonder About Me? CD/LP (Frenchkiss)
They’ve been compared to tornadoes, firecrackers, and lightning storms, and described as genuine, unapologetic, and down-to-earth. And now Alex Luciano and Noah Bowman of gutsy rock duo Diet Cig are back with their sophomore full-length, Do You Wonder About Me?, the follow-up to 2017’s Swear I’m Good At This. The new record marks a more intentional, self-assured Diet Cig; not only in Luciano’s radically intimate, acerbic lyrics, but in the duo’s sound as well. [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]
CDs + Vinyl:
Æther Realm – Redneck Vikings From Hell CD/LP (Napalm)
North Carolina’s Aether Realm reach melodic death metal maestro status with their latest full-length offering.
American Aquarium – Lamentations CD (New West)
“This is a record about the things that break people. Religion, politics, addiction, love, money, family, history. I believe it is an empathetic look at the other side. A group of stories about losing everything and still finding the will to stand back up and fight for the things that matter the most.” – BJ Barham
Blended Brew – Shove It Down CD/LP (SPV)
Blended Brew’s second album takes the rich sounds of ‘70s rock and mixes it up a bit.
Car Seat Headrest – Making A Door Less Open CD/LP+MP3 (Matador)
Created over the course of four years, Making A Door Less Open is the result of a fruitful ‘collaboration’ between Car Seat Headrest, led by Will Toledo, and 1 Trait Danger, a CSH electronic side project consisting of drummer Andrew Katz and Toledo’s alternative persona, ‘Trait.’ To realize this, the band recorded the album twice: once live with guitars, drums and bass, and once in a MIDI environment using purely synthesized sounds. During the mixing process, the two approaches were gradually combined using elements of each, with additional overdubs.
Kenny Chesney – Here And Now CD (Warner Nashville)
With Here And Now, the high energy songwriter/superstar delivers 12 tracks that lift up, inspire, acknowledge and validate people right where they are. Long on passion, joy, introspection and love, it is Kenny Chesney’s way to help you check in with your world, find grace where you are and annex the No Shoes Nation state of mind anytime, anywhere.
Dave Douglas – Dizzy Atmosphere CD (Green Leaf)
In making Dizzy Atmosphere, Dave Douglas’s tribute to the great trumpeter, composer and humanist Dizzy Gillespie, Douglas said he wanted to explore Dizzy’s experimental and wide open mind as well as the influence of his music. This album shines a light on the whole legacy of Gillespie, one of America’s finest artists. The original music Douglas wrote swings and shimmers with a grace reminiscent of the great man.
Orrin Evans – The Intangible Between CD (Smoke Sessions)
New album from the jazz pianist.
Ghostpoet – I Grow Tired But Dare Not Fall Asleep CD/LP (PIAS America)
Nominated twice for the Mercury Prize, Ghostpoet’s fifth album, I Grow Tired But Dare Not Fall Asleep, is the soundtrack to a world in a state of flux. Edgy, hypnotic and at times eminently groovy, he pushes his five-piece band further into alt-rock territory while remaining deeply connected to his indie sensibilities.
Havok – V CD (Century Media)
Fifth studio album by the thrash metal band [Vinyl edition due June 19.]
Hot Country Knights – The K Is Silent CD (Capitol Nashville)
With a sound that recalls Country music’s acid washed golden era, the ’90s influenced band Hot Country Knights release their debut album.
Humanity Delete – No One Survives This Game CD (Metal Bastard)
Debut album from the death metal band. No One Survives This Game consists of eight tracks of technically proficient extreme metal paired with irresistible melodic strains and a haunting atmosphere
Jackboys – Jackboys CD/LP (Cactus Jack/Epic)
Jackboys is a collective and group of rappers signed to Scott’s Cactus Jack Records, which is made up of Scott himself, Sheck Wes, Don Toliver, Luxury Tax, and Scott’s DJ, Chase B. Their eponymous debut features guest appearances from Rosalía, Lil Baby, Quavo and Offset from the trap trio Migos, Young Thug, and Pop Smoke.
Joan As Police Woman – Cover Two CD/LP (Sweet Police)
Wildly acclaimed Brooklyn songwriter, Joan As Police Woman, returns with her new album, Cover Two. This is Joan’s second album reinterpreting songs by other artists and once again, the choices are unpredictable and intriguing. The track list features Prince’s “Kiss”, Neil Young’s “On The Beach”, Outkast’s “Spread” and more.
JoJo – Good To Know CD (Clover Music/WB)
Fourth studio album by the singer-songwriter. JoJo said in a press release that good to know earned its title “because of everything I’ve learned in the past few years — every piece of feedback, criticism (internal or external), whatever it is — it’s all just information. And it’s all good!”
Damien Jurado – What’s New, Tomboy? CD (Mama Bird)
New release from the Seattle-based indie-folk veteran. [Vinyl edition due June 5.]
King Diamond – Them [Reissue/1988] CD/LP+MP3 (Metal Blade)
King Diamond – Abigail [Reissue/1989] CD/LP+MP3 (Metal Blade)
CD and colored vinyl reissues of the heavy metal band’s third and fourth albums.
Rob Luft – Life Is The Dancer CD/LP (Edition)
The British guitarist returns with his second album following acclaimed debut Riser (2017). With the same line-up, Life Is The Dancer confirms all the praise and promise of an artist of the moment and commands attention for its brilliance and originality.
George Lynch and Jeff Pilson – Wicked Underground [Reissue/2003] CD (Deadline Music)
Reissue of the 2003 album from former Dokken bandmates George Lynch & Jeff Pilson. [Vinyl edition due May 8.]
Man Man – Dream Hunting In The Valley Of The In-Between CD/LP+MP3/Cassette (Sub Pop)
Honus Honus (aka Ryan Kattner) has devoted his career to exploring the uncertainty between life’s extremes, beauty, and ugliness, order and chaos. The songs on Dream Hunting In The Valley Of The In-Between, Man Man’s first album in over six years, are as intimate, soulful, and timeless as they are audaciously inventive and daring.
Morning In May – Somewhere In Slumber CDEP (Needful Things)
Debut EP from the Cleveland, OH emo band.
Nihilist – Carnal Leftovers [Reissue/1999] CD/LP (Threeman Recordings)
Digitally remastered edition of the compilation by the legendary Swedish death metal gods later known as Entombed. [Limited clear vinyl pressing also available.]
Nytt Land – Cvlt CD/LP (Infinite Fog)
Ritual songs of ancient Siberia and Scandinavia in an atmospheric mix of traditional throat singing, authentic musical instruments, overdriven guitars and electronic music.
Oozelles – Oozelles CD/LP (ORG Music)
Los Angeles-based outfit Oozelles (pronounced: oo-ZELZ), who made their debut last year with a seven inch on Third Man Records, are back with their first full length album. The group features members and ex-members of Warpaint, Starlite Desperation, Dante Vs Zombies, Sex Stains, Detroit Cobras, and many others. They describe their unique, eclectic, weirdo punk sound as a stickier, subtropical Birthday Party, Contortions or Can ghost writing for The Gun Club or The Flesh Eaters. [Limited coke bottle clear vinyl pressing also available.]
Ride – Clouds In The Mirror CD/LP+MP3 (Wichita)
Ride handed the entirety of their highly acclaimed sixth studio album, This Is Not A Safe Place, to mysterious London act, Pêtr Aleksänder, who stripped the songs back to just the band’s vocals and added their customarily beautiful string arrangements, keys and synth textures beneath them. The results take Ride deep into the neo-classical / ambient territory that a couple of the remixes of their previous album hinted at.
Jack Russell’s Great White – Once Bitten Acoustic Bytes CD/LP (Deadline Music)
The founder/vocalist’s stripped down versions of the band’s hit singles including “Save Your Love”, “Rock Me”, and many more. [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Darrell Scott – Darrell Scott Sings The Blues Of Hank Williams CD/LP (Soundly Music)
With his latest album, Sings The Blues Of Hank Williams, well-traveled troubadour Darrell Scott ventures deep into the heart of Williams’ darkness to explore the beauty in the pain as crafted by the soul of a master.
Tech N9ne – Enterfear CD (Strange Music)
The veteran MC’s latest project features collaborations with Krizz Kaliko, Flatbush Zombies, King Iso, Navé Monjo and more.
Mike Tramp – Second Time Around CD (Target)
Mike Tramp is a Danish singer and songwriter who is best known for his work with the hard rock bands, White Lion and Freak of Nature. Since 1998 he has released several solo albums. Second Time Around is comprised of recently re-recorded versions of some of his faves from his back catalog. [Vinyl edition due May 15.]
Vader – Solitude In Madness CD/LP (Nuclear Blast America)
The Polish death metal legends return with their 16th studio album.
Wheeler Walker Jr. – Fuck You Bitch: All-Time Greatest Hits CD/LP (Pepper Hill)
Wheeler Walker, Jr. has been bringing his provocative brand of tongue-in-cheek country music to the world for years with the equally accomplished and amusing albums Redneck Shit (2016), Ol’ Wheeler (2017) and WWIII (2018). With all music produced by the great Dave Cobb, Wheeler’s star power is undeniable and connects on a multitude of levels with an array of people.
William Elliott Whitmore – I’m With You CD/LP+MP3 (Bloodshot)
William Elliott Whitmore returns with all original material for his eighth full-length album. The album centers around the theme of unity and togetherness with family, friends, and the human race.
Zero Kama – Zero Kama 3xCD/3xLP (Infinite Fog)
Zero Kama was an experimental music project founded by Zoe DeWitt in 1983. Its elusive musical style, the implied occult symbolism as well as its short-time existence, whose backgrounds remained unknown for a long time, have been contributing to the cult status of this project until now.
This Week’s Vinyl Exclusives:
Alesana – Try This With Your Eyes Closed [Reissue/2005] LP (Tragic Hero)
Alesana’s 2005 debut is available on vinyl for the first time. Try This With Your Eyes Closed captures a unique moment in time, transporting the listener to the tiny practice space in North Carolina where a young Alesana were first discovering the je ne sais quoi that would make them a screamo mainstay.
Amyl And The Sniffers – Live At The Croxton 7” (ATO)
Three live tracks from their award-winning debut album. Renowned for their chaotic, ball-tearing live show, band members smash through hooks at breakneck pace while human firework Amy Taylor lights up the stage – an exhilarating ride that routinely leaves fans covered in blood, sweat and saliva.
Scott Bomar – Dolomite Is My Name (Music from the Netflix Film) LP (Mondo)
Eddie Murphy’s 15-year-old pet project about Rudy Ray Moore is one of the best feel good films in recent memory. Featuring music by Scott Bomar, the soundtrack is a loving homage to ‘70s funk and Blaxploitation scores that sounds contemporary and fresh rather than just leaning on the past. It’s fun, reverential and funky as all hell.
Terry Callier – Turn You To Love [Reissue/1979] LP (Speakers Corner)
Easily Terry Callier’s most underrated album may in the first moment be somewhat astonishing for its rather disparate mix of numbers. Unlike the works by other soul mates, Callier’s songs demonstrate not how soul should be but rather what soul can be. His musical language does away with angry attitudes, and cultivates instead deep and sincerely felt sentiment.
Dissection – The Somerlain [Reissue/1993] 2xLP (Black Lodge)
Double vinyl LP pressing with etched D-side of the debut album by the Swedish black metal band. The highly influential release was dedicated the album to Euronymous, who had been murdered in August the same year. [Deluxe vinyl edition including a slipmat and a limited purple colored pressing are also available.]
Tod Dockstader – Aerial 1 [Reissue/2005] 2xLP (Important)
Tod Dockstader’s Aerial series, an electronic/drone masterpiece, is cherished among fans of the artist’s work. 15 years in the making, the Aerial series is sourced from his life-long passion for shortwave radio. Dockstader collected over 90 hours of recordings, made at night, and comprised of cross signals and fragments plucked from the atmosphere. Opening with airwave drones, Dockstader gradually allows elements to slowly come and go, summoning an ominous atmosphere of ethereal clouds. Malignant placidity continues, giving the feeling of eavesdropping upon late-night audio activity not unlike discovering number stations while sweeping the dials. Backward voices, deep echoing choruses of conversations flowing under the surface, ocean sounds, pulsing electro-rhythms, all seem to be created via the collaging of many hours of source recordings. A masterwork of collage and juxtaposition by an overlooked pioneer of American electronic music.
The Art Farmer Quartet featuring Jim Hall – “Live” At The Half-Note LP (Speakers Corner)
The repertoire in this session from December 1963 is something of a surprise – five standard swing numbers plus the little-known “Swing Spring” by Miles Davis. Hall, who made a special appearance with “I’m Getting Sentimental Over You”, was the ideal musical partner for Farmer, since both musicians were in command of a similar gentle and pensive style of improvisation, which was more complex than one expected. From the 22 tracks recorded, only these five have survived.
Flevans – Accumulate LP (Jalapeno)
Gathering up all his favorite styles – funk, soul, disco, house, quirky pop and cinematic sounds, Flevans has created an album that draws from all but is still undeniably his own.
Raviv Gazit – Ze [Reissue/1988] LP (Fortuna)
Vinyl reissue of a mid-‘80s early electronica LP by keyboardist Raviv Gazit. The album was composed entirely on the Synclavier synthesizer in the basement of the Tel-Aviv University in 1985. Gazit was ahead of his time composing cold yet blissful electronic music for film and theatre which he later released as an album.
Niall Horan – Heartbreak Weather LP (Capitol)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Irish singer/and songwriter and former One Direction member Niall Horan follows-up his 2017 Flicker with the highly-anticipated sophomore release, Heartbreak Weather. Featuring his new single “No Judgement” and uptempo number “Nice To Meet Ya”, this body of work showcases his unique musicianship and magnetic vocal range. “When I listen to albums, I like to listen to them start to finish. With Heartbreak Weather, I wanted to tell the story that was in my head, hopefully lead people down the storytelling lane of an album track listing versus just ‘I’m gonna skip to the next one,’” explains Horan. “I was trying to think how I could write a different album than the usual…I wanted to write songs from different sides or from someone else looking in.”
Iasos – Angelic Music [Reissue/1978] LP (Fact Of Being)
Iasos – Realms Of Light [Reissue/2001] LP (Fact Of Being)
Philosopher Alan Watts has said, “Iasos is doing the classical music of the New Age.”
Locate S, 1 – Personalia LP (Captured Tracks)
Working under various aliases since 2014 – including CE Schneider Topical, Jepeto Solutions, Christina Schneider’s Genius Grant and now Locate S, 1 – Christina Schneider explored everything from groovy garage rock to minimalist bedroom pop to Syd Barrett-style psychedelia. Buoyed by her desire to create the same crazy, powerful feeling she gets when she hears an ABBA or Kate Bush song, she reached again for the outer limits of pop music and recorded Personalia, her sophomore album as Locate S, 1. [Limited green colored vinyl pressing.]
Psychic Ills – Never Learn Not To Love b/w Cease To Exist 7” (Sacred Bones)
After decamping from public view for the last couple years, Psychic Ills are back at work on the follow up to their 2016 opus, Inner Journey Out, which is scheduled for release this fall. To announce the arrival of this much anticipated album, they are releasing a limited edition single, “Never Learn Not To Love” b/w “Cease To Exist”, featuring their takes on both of these long mythologized songs. Originally appearing on The Beach Boys’ 1969 album 20/20, credited to Dennis Wilson and with changes to the arrangement and lyrics, “Never Learn Not To Love” was written as “Cease To Exist” by a then unknown songwriter named Charles Manson.
Gil Scott-Heron – Nothing New [Reissue/2014] LP (XL)
While recording his 2010 comeback album I’m New Here, singer/poet Gil-Scott Heron also re-recorded new versions of some of his more well-known tracks. Originally released posthumously for Record Store Day 2014, the album is back in print on vinyl.
Shabaka and The Ancestors – We Are Sent Here By History 2xLP (Impulse!/Verve)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Spiritual jazz pacesetters Shabaka & the Ancestors, led by Shabaka Hutchings, release their sophomore album, We Are Sent Here By History. It’s the follow-up to their 2016 breakout Wisdom Of Elders, which established them as leading lights in the contemporary jazz scene. Says Hutchings: “We Are Sent Here By History is a meditation on the fact of our coming extinction as a species. It is a reflection from the ruins, from the burning. A questioning of the steps to be taken in preparation for our transition individually and societally if the end is to be seen as anything but a tragic defeat. For those lives lost and cultures dismantled by centuries of western expansionism, capitalist thought and white supremacist structural hegemony the end days have long been heralded as present with this world experienced as an embodiment of a living purgatory.”
Nina Simone – 1957-1962: The Essential Works 2xLP (Masters Of Jazz)
Nina Simone was an exceptional artist. She was gifted with a precocious talent and she played music at home and in church. Nina originally counted on becoming the first black female classical pianist; her plans were thwarted and that frustration no doubt permeated almost her entire career. She has left us some of the most beautiful chapters in jazz and soul music, among them the 23 titles that appear in this album.
Gabor Szabo – Dreams [Reissue/1968] LP (Ebalunga!!!)
Vinyl reissue of a rare Eastern and psychedelic jazz LP by the famous Hungarian guitarist, originally released in 1968. Expanded with two bonus tracks: the radio version of “Fire Dance” and “Ferris Wheel” from a 1969 7” single.
Various Artists – Friends [OST/Reissue/1994] 2xLP (Reprise)
Special 25th anniversary commemorative pink colored vinyl pressing with an etching on Side-D. Contains tracks from The Rembrandts, Lou Reed, Pretenders, Hootie & The Blowfish, Grant Lee Buffalo, k.d. lang, Lou Reed, Joni Mitchell, R.E.M., Toad The Wet Sprocket, Barenaked Ladies and Paul Westerberg.
Kanye West – Jesus Is King LP (GOOD Music/Def Jam)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Jesus Is King is the ninth studio album by rapper and producer Kanye West. The album follows a Christian theme, with West describing it as an “expression of the gospel.”
Cassettes:
Man Man – Dream Hunting In The Valley Of The In-Between (Sub Pop)
Honus Honus (aka Ryan Kattner) has devoted his career to exploring the uncertainty between life’s extremes, beauty, and ugliness, order and chaos. The songs on Dream Hunting In The Valley Of The In-Between, Man Man’s first album in over six years, are as intimate, soulful, and timeless as they are audaciously inventive and daring.
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