Marketing Program/ Banner/ Listening Station Titles Promoted This Week:
49 Winchester – Fortune Favors The Bold CD/LP (New West)
With their latest album, Fortune Favors The Bold, Russell County, Virginia-based 49 Winchester is ready and roaring to break onto the national scene with its unique brand of tear-in-your-beer alt-country, sticky barroom floor rock ‘n’ roll, and high-octane Appalachian folk. Fortune Favors The Bold is not only a record that showcases the current state of 49 Winchester, but also a melodic stake in the ground of how this group is constantly evolving and taking shape, sonically and lyrically. But it’s also about looking into the rearview mirror with a genuine appreciation for where you came from and what you’re made of. [An indie store exclusive autographed CD edition and a translucent orange color vinyl pressing is available.]
Omar Apollo – Ivory CD (WB)
Ivory is the debut album from Mexican American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Omar Apollo. “The beauty of Ivory is that even through complex production choices and rich sonic flourishes, it always feels effortless. The LP is a bountiful trove of genres and technique; crack it open and sharp guitar licks, celestial harmonies, aching soul melodies, and even touches of ranchera come tumbling out. Even when the album is splaying out in multiple directions, Apollo’s sense of maturity grounds the project, and the songs stay playful yet tender, free yet focused. Across all the terrain it covers, a central message shines through, popping out like a Magic Eye: Omar Apollo is a freaking star.” – Rolling Stone
Bear’s Den – Blue Hours CD/LP/Cassette (Communion)
Blue Hours sees the much-loved folk-rock duo – made up of Andrew Davie and Kevin Jones – once again team up with producer Ian Grimble on what is one of their most personal records to date. Davie says: “Blue Hours is a kind of imaginary space you get into at night, a place where you process difficult things or where you try to figure everything out.” Themes on the album include both self-reflection and mental health after both struggled with the latter in recent years. “It’s the main over-arching theme with this record,” Davie explains. The pair describe the conceptual blue hours headspace that gives the new album it’s title as being “somewhere between a hotel, a mental health hospital, a bar that stays open later than anywhere else, a paradise, a dream, a nightmare and an endless sea of corridors and staircases leading you to rooms that represent memories – good, bad, happy or difficult.” [An indie store exclusive white color vinyl pressing is available.]
The Black Keys – Dropout Boogie CD/LP (Nonesuch)
After 10 albums, the last five of which have gone top 10 or better, six Grammy awards, and sold-out tours around the world, The Black Keys are back: The duo, called “one of the best rock ‘n’ roll bands on the planet” by Uncut, delivers its eleventh studio album, Dropout Boogie. Ushered in by lead single, “Wild Child”, Dropout Boogie features collaborations with Billy F. Gibbons (ZZ Top), Greg Cartwright (Reigning Sound), and Angelo Petraglia (Kings Of Leon). As they have done their entire career, the duo of Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney wrote all the material in the studio, and the new album captures several first takes that hark back to the stripped-down blues rock of their early days making music together in Akron, Ohio, basements. [An indie store exclusive white color vinyl pressing is available. Includes bumper sticker while supplies last.]
Lyle Lovett – 12th Of June CD/LP (Verve)
Lyle Lovett’s first album in over 10 years, 12th Of June, combines Lovett’s famed gift for storytelling with his customized fusion of jazz, country, western swing, folk, gospel, and blues elements in his music. It’s a much-anticipated new entry to a 14-album career in which he became the winner of the Americana Music Association’s inaugural Trailblazer Award in 2014. His other career distinctions have included being named Texas State Musician and a member of both the Texas Heritage Songwriters’ Association Hall of Fame and the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame.
Delbert McClinton – Outdated Emotion CD/LP (Hot Shot)
Outdated Emotion is Delbert McClinton’s 27th studio album, and a bit of a return to his roots. While McClinton wrote just a handful of songs on the album, he puts his unmistakable footprint and charm on classics and deep cuts from some of his favorite songwriters such as Hank Williams and Jimmy Reed, pulling from across traditional blues, honky tonk, R&B, and more.
Misery Index – Complete Control CD/LP (Century Media)
Two decades into their venerable careers, Baltimore death metal savants Misery Index are back with their new record, Complete Control. Their seventh studio album is a riff-driven assault that captures the tension of the modern condition and channels it into nine songs of ripping end-times death metal. Spewing with Orwellian invective and razor-sharp songwriting, Complete Control is a much-needed hammer to the face; a wake-up call for the disaffected and dispossessed. [A limited-edition red color vinyl pressing is available.]
Moon Tooth – Phototroph CD/LP (Pure Noise)
Produced by Josh Wilbur (Trivium, Lamb Of God), Phototroph is the new album from Long Island quartet Moon Tooth. Vocalist John Carbone says, “The theme of plants growing towards the light was just something I kept coming back to in different songs. Our previous record, Crux, was like a crossroads and was dealing with a lot of negative shit. Phototroph is about walking from the middle and picking a road that goes onward and upward on a brighter path.” Ghost Cult Mag calls it “a wonderfully eclectic one that mixes many disparate influences into one cohesive, and thoroughly absorbing, whole. From prog, rock, NWOBHM, and grunge to name but a few, Phototroph is a sprawling, unique and engaging offering…A vast and varied metal album that grabs your attention from the off, its ambition and restless spirit cannot help but raise a smile.” [An indie store exclusive blue w/ yellow color vinyl pressing is available.]
Mandy Moore – In Real Life CD/LP (Verve Forecast)
Mandy Moore’s new album, In Real Life, follows Silver Landings, the critically acclaimed 2020 album that marked her first new body of work in over a decade. In Real Life brings a new level of self-possession to Moore’s songwriting, imbuing each track with both detailed storytelling and lucid self-reflection. From the very first seconds of the album’s opening title track, Moore fully immerses the listener in her intimate lyricism and kaleidoscopic sound. Produced by Mike Viola (Andrew Bird, Ondara, Lori McKenna), In Real Life expands on the whirlwind creative momentum Moore first set into motion on Silver Landings. To that end, Moore matches the album’s potent emotional current with a gloriously unpredictable sound, touched with elements of everything from jangly college-rock to cinematic synth-pop to classic singer/songwriter simplicity.
The Muffs – Really Really Happy [Reissue/2004] CD/LP/LP+7” (Omnivore)
Really Really Happy is the album that kicked off the second phase of The Muffs career. After eight years and four albums, The Muffs had written, recorded, and toured non-stop. After a break, the group was ready to do it all again, and was approached by friends (and sisters in law) Charlotte Caffey (Go•Go’s) and Anna Waronker (that dog.), who had just started their own label – Five Foot Two Records. McDonald, bassist Ronnie Barnett, and singer/guitarist/songwriter Kim Shattuck had a new home and were ready to do it all again. And so, they did. [An indie store exclusive vinyl pressing featuring a bonus 7” is available.]
Tank And The Bangas – Red Balloon CD/LP (Verve)
Best New Artist Grammy nominee and critically acclaimed band Tank And The Bangas return with their third studio album, Red Balloon. The new long-player was born out of a pandemic-ordered break from the band’s rigorous touring schedule. The hiatus gave the band space to grow, allowing them to reunite as a more unified group. This new work pushes the band to a new level, shedding light on their unique observations and reflecting on the ills of America while also celebrating the beauty of Black life. “This has been one of the best attempts thus far at capturing what happens when we’re all playing at the same time,” notes the band. “Red Balloon is coming straight for your heart and your neck. It’s going to make you bop and think and love, hopefully, and even love people that look different.”
Additional Social Media Program Titles Released This Week:
Bob Moses – The Silence In Between LP (Astralwerks)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Grammy Award-winning duo Bob Moses delivers their highly anticipated third album, The Silence In Between. One of the most anthemic moments here, “Love Brand New” finds Vancouver-bred musicians/producers Tom Howie and Jimmy Vallance tapping into their deep-rooted love for ’90s alt-rock and left-of-center dance music. Written with Michel Zitron and John Martin (a Swedish production duo known for their work with the likes of Avicii and Swedish House Mafia), the track encompasses a glorious collision of moody guitar tones, mercurial textures, and wildly propulsive beats as Bob Moses channel the dizzying euphoria of new romance. As their boldest and most viscerally charged output to date, The Silence In Between amplifies the unbridled energy that’s made Bob Moses a repeat winner of Resident Advisor’s Best Live Act prize.
Immanuel Wilkins – The 7th Hand 2xLP (Blue Note)
Released earlier this year on CD – now available on vinyl. Alto saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins follows-up his acclaimed debut, Omega, with another striking album featuring his remarkable quartet with pianist Micah Thomas, bassist Daryl Johns, and drummer Kweku Sumbry, plus appearances by flutist Elena Pinderhughes and the Farafina Kan Percussion Ensemble. It consists of an hour-long suite comprised of seven movements that strive to bring them closer to complete vesselhood by the end, where the music would be entirely improvised and channeled collectively.
CDs + Vinyl:
49 Winchester – Fortune Favors The Bold CD/LP (New West)
With their latest album, Fortune Favors The Bold, Russell County, Virginia-based 49 Winchester is ready and roaring to break onto the national scene with its unique brand of tear-in-your-beer alt-country, sticky barroom floor rock ‘n’ roll, and high-octane Appalachian folk. Fortune Favors The Bold is not only a record that showcases the current state of 49 Winchester, but also a melodic stake in the ground of how this group is constantly evolving and taking shape, sonically and lyrically. But it’s also about looking into the rearview mirror with a genuine appreciation for where you came from and what you’re made of. [An indie store exclusive autographed CD edition and a translucent orange color vinyl pressing is available.]
Matt Andersen – House To House CD (Sonic Records LTD)
This is Matt Andersen’s ninth studio album, recorded in his home studio and highlighting his songwriting in an intimate setting. “Matt Andersen has drawn from the best roots music has to offer over his decades-long career: down and dirty blues, heart-wrenching soul, life-affirming gospel, and introspective singer-songwriter balladry. These sounds, textures, and influences are laid bare on House To House…” – No Depression. [Vinyl edition due June 3.]
Omar Apollo – Ivory CD (WB)
Ivory is the debut album from Mexican American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Omar Apollo. “The beauty of Ivory is that even through complex production choices and rich sonic flourishes, it always feels effortless. The LP is a bountiful trove of genres and technique; crack it open and sharp guitar licks, celestial harmonies, aching soul melodies, and even touches of ranchera come tumbling out. Even when the album is splaying out in multiple directions, Apollo’s sense of maturity grounds the project, and the songs stay playful yet tender, free yet focused. Across all the terrain it covers, a central message shines through, popping out like a Magic Eye: Omar Apollo is a freaking star.” – Rolling Stone
Albert Ayler – Revelations: The Complete ORTF 1970 Fondation Maeght Recordings 4xCD (Anagram Music)
Revelations is the first complete, authorized release of the free jazz icon’s penultimate concert appearance. It features more than two hours of previously unreleased music from stereo masters recorded by France’s ORTF (Office de Radiodiffusion-Télévision Française). The lavish packaging includes a 100-page booklet with unpublished photos, essays by Ayler scholar Ben Young, producer Zev Feldman, and saxophonist Jeff Lederer, and recollections from Ayler’s bandmates.
Chet Baker – Live In Paris: The Radio France Recordings 2xCD (Anagram)
Recently release on vinyl – now available on CD. Live In Paris: The Radio France Recordings includes previously unreleased live performances from 1983-1984 by the famed trumpeter/vocalist Chet Baker. The dazzling performances by his drumless trios are complemented with essays by journalists Ashley Kahn and Franck Bergerot, and Pascal Rozat of INA France. Plus, interviews and statements from Baker sidemen, Sonny Rollins, Archie Shepp, David Murray, Carla Bley, John Zorn, Carlos Santana, Joe Lovano, and many more.
Bear’s Den – Blue Hours CD/LP/Cassette (Communion)
Blue Hours sees the much-loved folk-rock duo – made up of Andrew Davie and Kevin Jones – once again team up with producer Ian Grimble on what is one of their most personal records to date. Davie says: “Blue Hours is a kind of imaginary space you get into at night, a place where you process difficult things or where you try to figure everything out.” Themes on the album include both self-reflection and mental health after both struggled with the latter in recent years. “It’s the main over-arching theme with this record,” Davie explains. The pair describe the conceptual blue hours headspace that gives the new album it’s title as being “somewhere between a hotel, a mental health hospital, a bar that stays open later than anywhere else, a paradise, a dream, a nightmare and an endless sea of corridors and staircases leading you to rooms that represent memories – good, bad, happy or difficult.” [An indie store exclusive white color vinyl pressing is available.]
Big Deal – First Bite CD (Frontiers)
Big Deal is a new Serbian hard rock/metal band featuring Srdjan Brankovic (guitars), Nevena Brankovic (keyboards, vocals, and classical pianist), Ana Nikolic (vocals), and Marko Milojevic (drums). The band’s music is a fascinating mix of their prog and metal influences meshed with their love of ’80s hard rock.
The Black Keys – Dropout Boogie CD/LP (Nonesuch)
After 10 albums, the last five of which have gone top 10 or better, six Grammy awards, and sold-out tours around the world, The Black Keys are back: The duo, called “one of the best rock ‘n’ roll bands on the planet” by Uncut, delivers its eleventh studio album, Dropout Boogie. Ushered in by lead single, “Wild Child”, Dropout Boogie features collaborations with Billy F. Gibbons (ZZ Top), Greg Cartwright (Reigning Sound), and Angelo Petraglia (Kings Of Leon). As they have done their entire career, the duo of Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney wrote all the material in the studio, and the new album captures several first takes that hark back to the stripped-down blues rock of their early days making music together in Akron, Ohio, basements. [An indie store exclusive white color vinyl pressing is available. Includes bumper sticker while supplies last.]
Bloodywood – Rakshak CD (Bloodywood Media)
New release from the metal band based in New Delhi, India.
Blut Aus Nord – Ultima Thulée [Reissue/1995] CD (Debemur Morti Prod.)
Ultima Thulée initiated Blut Aus Nord’s bold journey toward transcendence through black metal. One of the first albums to emerge from the now-legendary French underground scene, Ultima Thulée showcases a cold and primitive, yet no less uniquely atmospheric Blut Aus Nord compared with the twisted, dissonant trailblazer evident on more recent releases.
Graham Bonnet – Day Out In Nowhere CD (Frontiers)
On Day Out In Nowhere, Graham Bonnet is joined by long-time bandmates Beth-Ami Heavenstone (bass) and Conrado Pesinato (guitar), as well as keyboardist Alessandro Bertoni and drummer Shane Gaalaas. The album also sees performance and co-writing guest appearances from Jeff Loomis (Arch Enemy, Nevermore), John Tempesta (The Cult, White Zombie), Mike Tempesta (Powerman5000), Roy Z (Halford, Bruce Dickinson) and Don Airey (Deep Purple, Rainbow), to name a few.
Cage Fight – Cage Fight CD (Candlelight)
Featuring TesseracT guitarist James Monteith and former Eths vocalist Rachel Aspe, Cage Fight’s eponymous debut is one of the most furious hardcore records to emerge from the UK in years. Dealing in vicious, old-school hardcore aggro, the anger and frustration of this album is the perfect catharsis for our times.
The Chainsmokers – So Far So Good CD (Columbia)
So Far So Good is the fourth studio album from Grammy award-winning and Billboard Chart topping artist/producer duo The Chainsmokers. The 13-track full-length album was written across Hawaii, Joshua Tree, New York City and L.A. from 2020 to 2021. It was written and produced by Alex Pall and Drew Taggart with additional contributions from frequent collaborators Emily Warren, Ian Kirkpatrick, and Whethan.
Chrystabell – Midnight Star CD/LP (Love Conquered)
A sci-fi fantasia assembled as a collection of episodes, Midnight Star tells the story of a beneficent being seeking to save humanity from life on a troubled Earth. Chrystabell fully transports listeners into a dimension of her own making with a collision of post-disco, synth-pop and space-age psychedelia. [A 180gm red color vinyl pressing is available.]
Dream Theater – Lost Not Forgotten Archives: Falling Into Infinity Demos 1996-1997 2xCD/3xLP+2xCD (Inside Out U.S.)
This release contains the original demos from the recording sessions of one of Dream Theater’s most highly regarded albums, Falling Into Infinity. Recorded throughout 1996 and 1997, this collection additionally includes rare material not formally released as part of the final studio album.
Ecstatic Vision – Elusive Mojo CD/LP (Heavy Psych Sounds)
Ecstatic Vision continues down their unique warpath mixing heavy psych rock, Detroit-rock, proto-punk, and world music. [Multiple vinyl colorways are available.]
Famyne – II: The Ground Below CD/LP (Svarte)
Garden-fresh trailblazers from the UK, Famyne drag doom kicking and screaming into the 21st Century on epic new album The Ground Below. The LP is a brave and inimitable statement which re-draws a line in the sands of metal tradition. Famyne boldly march over the limits, re-riffing the rules, washing listeners in pristine waves of hypnotic melody on eight tablets of stone-carved tracks. [A limited-edition blue color vinyl pressing is available.]
Faust – Punkt. CD/LP (Bureau B)
After the overwhelming success of last year’s 1971-74 box set release, containing the first four studio albums and for the first time ever this lost ‘last’ album recording, Punkt gets a deserved and necessary standalone release to the relief of fans and collectors and the undoubted future gratification of those yet to experience the magic in these recordings.
Ferris & Sylvester – Superhuman CD (Archtop)
After writing hundreds of songs together, Ferris & Sylvester have evolved their sound into a distinct combination of blues, Americana and rock ‘n’ roll, sitting them somewhere between the Alabama Shakes, Jack White, and First Aid Kit. Their raw honest songwriting about their life together earned them a place in Rolling Stone’s ‘Top 10 Americana Acts You Need To Know’ a place on BBC Introducing’s ‘Best of 2020 list and an Emerging Artist Award at the UK Americana Awards. [Vinyl edition due May 27.]
Florence + The Machine – Dance Fever CD/2xLP (Republic)
Florence + The Machine’s fifth studio album, Dance Fever was written and produced through the haze of two lockdowns in London and NYC with producers Jack Antonoff and Dave Bayley (Glass Animals). It sees Florence at the peak of her powers, coming into a fully realized self-knowledge, poking sly fun at her own self-created persona, playing with ideas of identity, masculine and feminine, redemptive, celebratory, stepping into her place in the iconic pantheon. The LP nods to dance, folk, ‘70s Iggy Pop, longing-for-the-road folk tracks a la Lucinda Williams or Emmylou Harris and more, ultimately arriving somewhere that Florence describes as “Nick Cave at the club.” [An indie store excusive autographed CD edition, and an indie store excusive grey color vinyl pressing, are available.]
Steve Forbert – Moving Through America CD (Blue Rose Music)
Steve Forbert has been a pioneer of the folk, roots-rock sound for more than four decades, navigating the twists and turns of an acclaimed career that’s taken him from gold records to Grammy nominations, from New York City’s CBGB to Nashville’s Bluebird Cafe, from his 1978 debut album and now to his 22nd studio album, the vital and versatile Moving Through America. [A blue color vinyl edition is due October 14.]
Groundation – One Rock CD/LP (Easy Star)
One Rock keeps their sound and legacy moving ever forward through nine intense songs featuring complex arrangements, moving melodies, and lyrics that touch on the human condition, human spirit, and the state of the world. Always a group to respect their elders and forebears, Groundation makes history yet again by bringing together the legendary reggae vocal groups like Israel Vibration, The Abyssinians, and The Congos.
Mary Halvorson – Amaryllis CD (Nonesuch)
Mary Halvorson – Belladonna CD (Nonesuch)
Mary Halvorson – Amaryllis & Belladonna 2xLP (Nonesuch)
Amaryllis is a six-song suite performed by a newly formed sextet of master improvisers, including Halvorson, Patricia Brennan (vibraphone), Nick Dunston (bass), Tomas Fujiwara (drums), Jacob Garchik (trombone), and Adam O’Farrill (trumpet). The Mivos string quartet joins for three of the songs, making this the largest ensemble for which Halvorson has written to date. The suite showcases Halvorson’s many musical influences from jazz, experimental, new music, and beyond. Belladonna is a set of five compositions written for Halvorson on guitar plus The Mivos Quartet: Olivia de Prato (violin), Maya Bennardo (violin), Victor Lowrie Tafoya (viola), and Tyler J. Borden (cello). It is Halvorson’s first time writing for a string quartet. Mivos’ parts are through-composed and augmented by Halvorson’s guitar improvisations.
David Hillyard & The Rocksteady 7 – Plague Doctor CD/LP (ORG Music)
David Hillyard & The Rocksteady 7 are back with their first LP since their 2018 album, The Giver. The new album, Plague Doctor, blends the Rocksteady 7’s signature sound, which combines elements of American jazz and Jamaican influences, with classic Brazilian rhythms and themes. The Rocksteady 7 features some of the best players in the current ska and reggae scene, including members of NYC ska staples The Slackers and percussionist Larry McDonald (Toots & The Maytals, Gil Scott-Heron. Lee “Scratch” Perry).
Introtyl – Adfectus CD/LP (Target)
With a relentless approach to death metal, as a result of a too many Monstrosity and Deicide diet in their formative years, the Mexican female-fronted metal band base their approach in technical perfection and ultimate brutality.
Thomas Leer & Robert Rental – The Bridge [Reissue/1979] CD/LP+MP3 (Mute)
The Bridge was originally released on Throbbing Gristle’s Industrial Records label in 1979 and is an early electronic avant-garde synth-pop masterpiece, seeing the likes of John Foxx, Propaganda, Art of Noise and ABC citing the pair as key influences.
Lonerider – Sundown CD/LP (Escape Music)
In 2019, the debut album Attitude by Lonerider was released, a band that not only features Steve Overland (FM, Solo, Shadowman), Steve Morris (Heartland, Shadowman) and Chris Childs (Thunder) but legendary drummer Simon Kirke of Free and Bad Company fame. The band come across like Bad Company mixed with Shadowman and their debut Attitude was loved by many. Lonerider have the feel of that classic Bad Company that we know and love, yet the songs are modern, fresh, and vibrant. [A limited-edition smokey color vinyl pressing is available.]
Lyle Lovett – 12th Of June CD/LP (Verve)
Lyle Lovett’s first album in over 10 years, 12th Of June, combines Lovett’s famed gift for storytelling with his customized fusion of jazz, country, western swing, folk, gospel, and blues elements in his music. It’s a much-anticipated new entry to a 14-album career in which he became the winner of the Americana Music Association’s inaugural Trailblazer Award in 2014. His other career distinctions have included being named Texas State Musician and a member of both the Texas Heritage Songwriters’ Association Hall of Fame and the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame.
Jesse Mac Cormack – Solo CD/LP (Secret City)
New release from the Montreal singer-songwriter.
Mallrat – Butterfly Blue CD (Nettwerk)
Mallrat’s prized pop songwriting has become a beacon the music industry eagerly follows, and on her debut album Butterfly Blue, she embodies the spirit of its titular creature – but without the delicacy that keeps you at a distance. Over a dozen clever and open-hearted tracks, Mallrat – aka Grace Shaw – draws you in close and shows you the world through her wide, hopeful eyes. [Vinyl edition due June 3.]
Maserati – 37:29:24 [Reissue/2001] CD/LP+MP3 (Temporary Residence)
Maserati – Language Of Cities [Reissue/2002] CD (Temporary Residence)
Maserati is a band from Athens, Georgia whose sound is best described as a combination of post-rock and psychedelic influences. Their music is instrumental, relying on the standard rock instrumentation of guitar, bass, and drums. [The vinyl reissue of Language Of Cities is due June 17.]
Delbert McClinton – Outdated Emotion CD/LP (Hot Shot)
Outdated Emotion is Delbert McClinton’s 27th studio album, and a bit of a return to his roots. While McClinton wrote just a handful of songs on the album, he puts his unmistakable footprint and charm on classics and deep cuts from some of his favorite songwriters such as Hank Williams and Jimmy Reed, pulling from across traditional blues, honky tonk, R&B, and more.
Misery Index – Complete Control CD/LP (Century Media)
Two decades into their venerable careers, Baltimore death metal savants Misery Index are back with their new record, Complete Control. Their seventh studio album is a riff-driven assault that captures the tension of the modern condition and channels it into nine songs of ripping end-times death metal. Spewing with Orwellian invective and razor-sharp songwriting, Complete Control is a much-needed hammer to the face; a wake-up call for the disaffected and dispossessed. [A limited-edition red color vinyl pressing is available.]
Moderat – MORE D4TA CD/LP (Monkeytown)
Created largely during a time when touring (and most traveling) was off the table, MORE D4TA is an album that wrestles with feelings of isolation and information overload-issues that have become particularly pronounced over the past two years. The ten songs on MORE D4TA are rooted in collaboration, but long before any of its tracks were laid down, Moderat spent months hanging out and getting musically reacquainted, indulging in extended bouts of experimentation, and slowly fleshing out ideas as they dove into modular composition, field recordings and other sonic oddities. But no matter how far the band ventures into music’s outer realms, they always wind up back in their own unique soundworld, a place where emotive pop and fluttering electronic soundscapes walk hand in hand. [A deluxe 180gm vinyl pressing is available.]
Monophonics – Sage Motel CD/LP (Colemine)
Monophonics cordially invite you to attend the grand re-opening of the once thriving, once vibrant establishment, the legendary Sage Motel. A place where folks experience the highs and lows of human existence. A place where big dreams and broken hearts live, where people arrive at without ever knowing how they got there. It’s where folks find themselves at a crossroads in life. [An indie store exclusive transparent orange color vinyl pressing is available.]
Moon Tooth – Phototroph CD/LP (Pure Noise)
Produced by Josh Wilbur (Trivium, Lamb Of God), Phototroph is the new album from Long Island quartet Moon Tooth. Vocalist John Carbone says, “The theme of plants growing towards the light was just something I kept coming back to in different songs. Our previous record, Crux, was like a crossroads and was dealing with a lot of negative shit. Phototroph is about walking from the middle and picking a road that goes onward and upward on a brighter path.” Ghost Cult Mag calls it “a wonderfully eclectic one that mixes many disparate influences into one cohesive, and thoroughly absorbing, whole. From prog, rock, NWOBHM, and grunge to name but a few, Phototroph is a sprawling, unique and engaging offering…A vast and varied metal album that grabs your attention from the off, its ambition and restless spirit cannot help but raise a smile.” [An indie store exclusive blue w/ yellow color vinyl pressing is available.]
Mandy Moore – In Real Life CD/LP (Verve Forecast)
Mandy Moore’s new album, In Real Life, follows Silver Landings, the critically acclaimed 2020 album that marked her first new body of work in over a decade. In Real Life brings a new level of self-possession to Moore’s songwriting, imbuing each track with both detailed storytelling and lucid self-reflection. From the very first seconds of the album’s opening title track, Moore fully immerses the listener in her intimate lyricism and kaleidoscopic sound. Produced by Mike Viola (Andrew Bird, Ondara, Lori McKenna), In Real Life expands on the whirlwind creative momentum Moore first set into motion on Silver Landings. To that end, Moore matches the album’s potent emotional current with a gloriously unpredictable sound, touched with elements of everything from jangly college-rock to cinematic synth-pop to classic singer/songwriter simplicity.
Kevin Morby – This Is A Photograph CD/LP+MP3 (Dead Oceans]
Produced by Sam Cohen (who also worked on Morby’s Singing Saw and Oh My God), This Is A Photograph features musical contributions from longtime staples of Morby’s live band, as well as old friends and new collaborators alike. If Oh My God saw Morby getting celestial and in constant motion and Sundowner was a study in localized intent, This Is A Photograph finds Morby making an Americana paean, a visceral life and death, blood on the canvas outpouring. As Morby reminds us early on, time is undefeated. So, what do we do while we’re still here? This is a photograph of that sense of yearning. [A limited-edition ‘gold nugget’ color vinyl pressing is available.]
The Muffs – Really Really Happy [Reissue/2004] CD/LP/LP+7” (Omnivore)
Really Really Happy is the album that kicked off the second phase of The Muffs career. After eight years and four albums, The Muffs had written, recorded, and toured non-stop. After a break, the group was ready to do it all again, and was approached by friends (and sisters in law) Charlotte Caffey (Go•Go’s) and Anna Waronker (that dog.), who had just started their own label – Five Foot Two Records. McDonald, bassist Ronnie Barnett, and singer/guitarist/songwriter Kim Shattuck had a new home and were ready to do it all again. And so, they did. [An indie store exclusive vinyl pressing featuring a bonus 7” is available.]
Opeth – In Cauda Venenum (Extended Edition) 3xCD (Atomic Fire)
Triple CD contains the Swedish and English versions of Opeth’s album In Cauda Venenum with new illustrations by internationally renowned Travis Smith in the booklet. In addition, there is also a third CD including three previously unreleased bonus tracks, both in English and Swedish. [Vinyl edition – including an indie store exclusive pressing – due May 27.]
Pineapple Thief – Give It Back CD/LP (Kscope)
Give It Back features 12 new versions of earlier works including songs taken from the albums Little Man, All The Wars, Tightly Unwound and more. Frontman Bruce Soord’s newly recorded vocals and guitars, new Gavin Harrison drum parts, new mixing by Soord & Harrison and mastering by Steve Kitch propel this new release into a must-have that showcases the evolution of The Pineapple Thief. [The deluxe CD+DVD version is due June 10.]
Gregory Porter – Water CD/2xLP (Blue Note)
Gregory Porter’s debut studio album, Water – originally released in 2010 under the Motema Music label – is now reissued on Blue Note Records. The tracks include love stories such as “Illusion and Pretty”, and protests for African-American civil rights like “1960 What?” which recounts the 1967 Detroit riots. Water was hailed by fans and critics alike, elevating Porter to the status of the next great jazz star and marking the beginning of his successful career. [A limited-edition clear vinyl pressing is available.]
The Rolling Stones – Live At The El Mocambo 2xCD/4xLP (Interscope)
A legendary event in the incredible 60-year history of the Rolling Stones is now available for the first time in full. Live At The El Mocambo marks the first official appearance of the group’s two famous secret concerts at the 300-seat capacity Toronto club in March 1977. It features the full set from their March 5th show, plus three bonus tracks from the March 4th gig, newly mixed by Bob Clearmountain.
Skills – Different Worlds CD/LP (Frontiers)
Skills is comprised of vocalist Renan Zonta (Electric Mob), guitarist Brad Gillis (Night Ranger), bassist Billy Sheehan (Mr. Big, The Winery Dogs, Sons Of Apollo), and drummer David Huff (GIANT).
Sasha Alex Sloan – I Blame The World CD (RCA)
The follow-up to her 2020 critically praised debut, Only Child, I Blame The World finds singer-songwriter Sasha Alex Sloan embracing the weary apathy of the world around her and ushering in a bold new era of musicality. Sasha describes the new album as an “honest, non-hopeful” collection of work, distinctly encapsulating the all-too-relatable emotions of despondency and isolation through unflinching and insightfully nuanced lyricism and a razor-sharp sensibility.
State Champs – Kings Of The New Age CD/LP (Pure Noise)
“Pop-punk favorites State Champs establish themselves as scene leaders on excellent fourth LP, Kings Of The New Age.” – Kerrang [An indie store exclusive yellow color vinyl pressing is available.]
St. Michael Front – Schuld & Suhne CD (Prophecy)
This Hamburg, Germany duo combines chanson and Schlager, neofolk, pop, and soundtrack with audible relish. [Vinyl edition due May 27.]
Harvey Sutherland – Boy CD/LP (House Anxiety)
Recently released on vinyl (including a green color pressing) – now available on CD. Melbourne-based producer, DJ and instrumentalist, Harvey Sutherland recorded his debut album Boy between London, Los Angeles and Harvey’s own Swimming Pool Studio with a string of special guests including the inimitable DāM-FunK, who features on lead single, “Feeling Of Love”. Boy takes the base elements of funk and fires them through a prism of influences – the hyper-produced studio pop of Todd Rundgren, the luscious grooves of New York boogie and the harsh snap of coldwave.
Tank And The Bangas – Red Balloon CD/LP (Verve)
Best New Artist Grammy nominee and critically acclaimed band Tank And The Bangas return with their third studio album, Red Balloon. The new long-player was born out of a pandemic-ordered break from the band’s rigorous touring schedule. The hiatus gave the band space to grow, allowing them to reunite as a more unified group. This new work pushes the band to a new level, shedding light on their unique observations and reflecting on the ills of America while also celebrating the beauty of Black life. “This has been one of the best attempts thus far at capturing what happens when we’re all playing at the same time,” notes the band. “Red Balloon is coming straight for your heart and your neck. It’s going to make you bop and think and love, hopefully, and even love people that look different.”
Tinariwen – The Radio Tisdas Sessions [Reissue/2001] CD/2xLP+MP3 (Wedge)
Recently reissued on vinyl – now available on CD. The 20th Anniversary edition of Tinariwen’s first studio album The Radio Tisdas Sessions has been remastered for vinyl. It includes an unreleased bonus track, exclusive photos, and brand-new liner notes.
Tinariwen – Amassakoul [Reissue/2003] CD/2xLP+MP3 (Wedge)
Recently reissued on vinyl – now available on CD. Amassakoul was Tinariwen’s breakthrough album, originally recorded in Mali and the UK in 2003. Now remastered for vinyl with a bonus unreleased track, exclusive photos, and brand-new liner notes.
Tomorrow X Together – Minisode 2: Thursday’s Child (END Ver.) CD (Bighit Music/Hybe)
Tomorrow X Together – Minisode 2: Thursday’s Child (HATE Ver.) CD (Bighit Music/Hybe)
Tomorrow X Together – Minisode 2: Thursday’s Child (MESS Ver.) CD (Bighit Music/Hybe)
New release from the K-Pop supergroup; each includes 64-page photo book, a lyric card set with envelope, stickers, a logo paper toy set, a poster, a post card (random 1 of 5 of each version), a lenticular card (random 1 of 5 of each version) and photo card (random 1 of 5 of each version).
Various Artists [Erik Satie] – Fragments CD/2xLP (Deutsche Grammophon)
Fragments is a project that moves between planes. Between classical and electronic music, between streaming-at-home and art-installation, between old and new. Each year, Fragments will be inspired by the works of one composer. The result will be a series of albums, where a selection of the most interesting electronic artists creates a whole new take on one composer’s work. The first album will kick off with works by French minimal music pioneer Erik Satie.
Visions Of Atlantis – Pirates CD/2xLP (Napalm)
New album from the Austrian symphonic power metal band.
Wiki – Half God CD/LP+MP3 (Wikset Enterprise)
Recently released on vinyl – now available on CD. Wiki has become a fixture of New York City hip-hop since, at 17 years old, he founded the boundary defying group Ratking, whose aggressive style represented a new generation of city kids and artists, hungry for innovation and raw energy.
Emma Wilson – Wish Her Well CD (Emma Wilson Music)
Double UK Blues Awards finalist and Number 1 IBBA artist Emma Wilson releases her much-anticipated studio album described as “Gold waiting to be found” and “Excellent, as expected.”
Zero Hour – Agenda 21 CD (Frontiers)
New album from the recently reformed progressive metal band.
This Week’s Vinyl Exclusives:
Amyl and The Sniffers – Comfort To Me 2xLP (ATO)
Double clear smoke color vinyl pressing. The second album from Amyl and The Sniffers, is both heavier and more awesome than their debut. MOJO Magazine raved, “Skin-shedding, lethal, self-sufficient, cool – no wonder Amy Taylor digs snakes. With Comfort To Me, she proves she can be whoever she wants while The Sniffers confound preconceptions of how a great rude and righteous rock n’ roll band can still be.”
Chris Bathgate – The Significance Of Peaches LP (Quite Scientific)
Ivory white color vinyl pressing. After a five-year hiatus encompassing the birth of a son, a third coast to west coast and back to the third coast move, and an ongoing global pandemic – Chris Bathgate returns with The Significance Of Peaches. On this, his sixth full-length album, the NPR and BBC-lauded artist is found ruminating on time spent living in the National Forests of Michigan while homeless, his emergence into fatherhood, and yes, the significance a certain stone fruit has played throughout his life. Sonically, The Significance Of Peaches leans heavily on the structural support of parlor organ and Bathgate’s signature multi-tracked percussion – surprisingly sparse use of guitar and strings sheathed in the middle – his haunted vocals and perching atop it all.
bbno$ – Eat Ya Veggies LP (bbno$)
Limited purple color vinyl pressing of the 2021 release from Canadian rapper, singer, and songwriter Alexander Gumuchian AKA bbno$ (baby no money).
Beyond Grace – Our Kingdom Undone LP (Prosthetic)
Released last September on CD – now available on blue color vinyl. Following their critically well received debut album, Seekers, in 2017 – Our Kingdom Undone sees the British death metal band refining and redefining their sound into something that’s simultaneously more intricate and more intense.
BMX Bandits – Life Goes On [Reissue/1993] LP (Last Night Glasgow)
Vinyl reissue of the Scottish indie rock/pop band’s third album. [An indie store exclusive green colorway is available.]
The Bobby Lees – Skin Suit LP (Alive)
Limited clear blue color vinyl pressing. Skin Suit was produced by underground punk legend Jon Spencer of the Blues Explosion. The Bobby Lees is a young bone-shaking garage rock band out of Woodstock, NY. Punk rock music for the new millennium? Depends on who cares.
Bob Moses – The Silence In Between LP (Astralwerks)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Grammy Award-winning duo Bob Moses delivers their highly anticipated third album, The Silence In Between. One of the most anthemic moments here, “Love Brand New” finds Vancouver-bred musicians/producers Tom Howie and Jimmy Vallance tapping into their deep-rooted love for ’90s alt-rock and left-of-center dance music. Written with Michel Zitron and John Martin (a Swedish production duo known for their work with the likes of Avicii and Swedish House Mafia), the track encompasses a glorious collision of moody guitar tones, mercurial textures, and wildly propulsive beats as Bob Moses channel the dizzying euphoria of new romance. As their boldest and most viscerally charged output to date, The Silence In Between amplifies the unbridled energy that’s made Bob Moses a repeat winner of Resident Advisor’s Best Live Act prize.
Bongzilla & Tons – Doom Sessions Vol. 4 LP (Heavy Psych Sounds)
Another color vinyl pressing. A split album between doom-sludge legends Bongzilla and the Italian heavy sludge band Tons.
Michael Bublé – Higher LP (WB)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Produced by Greg Wells and Bob Rock along with Alan Chang, Jason ‘Spicy G’ Goldman and Paul McCartney, Higher serves as Michael Bublé’s first studio album in three years and eleventh studio effort overall. The 11-track collection catapults the star’s enormous talent into the stratosphere as he continues his ongoing journey reinventing and interpreting the music of America’s most beloved standards amongst others. Fitting perfectly throughout these gems are a handful of Bublé originals that further cement his gift for writing and performing great pop tunes and luscious ballads. An irresistible and uplifting collection from the ultimate romantic once again reminds us that the thrill of exploring the subject of love and romance continues inspiring this artist and the world.
Alex Chilton – High Priest [Reissue/1987] LP (Bar/None)
Limited-edition sky-blue color vinyl repress with rare vacation photos. “What it lacks in polish, it more than makes up in charm, verve and just plain ol’ soul. This could be what rock ‘n’ roll is all about” – Trouser Press. 1987’s High Priest was the first full-length album since 1979’s Like Flies On Sherbert from Big Star front man Alex Chilton.
Albert Collins – Ice Pickin’ [Reissue/1978] LP (Alligator)
Limited vinyl pressing of the Grammy-nominated Alligator debut by The Master of the Telecaster, Albert Collins. An essential part of any blues collection, the album features all-time fan favorites like “Master Charge”, “Honey Hush” and “Conversation With Collins”. Revered as a true blues legend, Albert Collins’ greatest success came after he signed with Alligator and cut Ice Pickin.’ It won the Best Blues Album of the Year Award from the Montreux Jazz Festival, in addition to being nominated for a Grammy, and has been inducted into the Blues Hall Of Fame.
Dälek – Precipice 2xLP (Ipecac)
Recently release on CD – now available on vinyl (including an indie store exclusive gold color pressing). For their 2022 release – and eighth album overall – Precipice, Dälek unleashes a work that is practically bristling with fury and power. Predominantly the work of the core duo, Will Brooks, aka MC Dälek and Mike Manteca (Mike Mare), Precipice features a guest appearance of Adam Jones of Tool on one of the album’s tracks.
Rino De Filippi – Nel Mondo Del Lavoro [Reissue/1972] LP (Sonor Music Editions)
Vinyl reissue of a masterwork of Italian library music.
Desmond Dekker & The Aces – This Is Desmond Dekkar [Reissue/1969] LP (Sanctuary)
Vinyl reissue of a ska/rocksteady classic. For unknown reasons, Dekker is credited as Dekkar on the album’s cover.
Diatom Deli – Time-Lapse Nature LP (RVNG Int’l)
Diatom Deli’s Time-Lapse Nature is a channel between cerebral ascension and somatic memory, tethered to the micro-present though humbled by a beyond. Dilated by celestial fluctuations and dynamic flutters, the reverberations from the Taos-based artist’s new album culminate through airy tests of vocal layering, longing guitar laments, and discreetly sourced sound, compelling Deli’s commitment to esoteric precision and impulse. [An indie store exclusive green & white marbled color vinyl edition is available. CD version due May 27.]
The Dillinger Escape Plan– Irony Is A Dead Scene [Reissue/2002] 12”+MP3 (Epitaph)
Limited orange with black and white splatter color vinyl pressing of the third EP by the mathcore band.
Dinner Party –Dessert LP (Sounds Of Crenshaw)
Limited fruit punch and canary yellow colored vinyl pressing. This is the remix album to the critically acclaimed super group, Dinner Party, entitled Dessert. Terrace Martin, Robert Glasper, 9th Wonder, and Kamasi Washington assemble an all-star supporting cast, featuring artists such as Snoop Dogg, Cordae, Buddy, Rapsody, & Herbie Hancock.
Matt Dorrien – Blue Pastoral LP (Mama Bird)
Blue Pastoral is recommended if you like Randy Newman, Tobias Jesso Jr, Andrew Combs, etc. In the artist’s own words about the album: “My coming-of-age album. It is a collection of observations on my life, career, the road, the political atmosphere of the world, and finding redemption in compromise. Musically, I further explore early American music, Jazz origins, Baroque writing, Brazilian rhythms, and finally utilize my college training in orchestration.” [Two colorways are available: indie store exclusive blue and a limited-edition clear. CD version due July 1.]
Drouth – Knives Labyrinths Mirrors [Reissue/2017] LP (Translation Loss)
Vinyl reissue of the blackened atmospheric death metal band’s debut album.
Electric Light Orchestra Part Two – Electric Light Orchestra Part Two [Reissue/1990] LP (Renaissance)
Limited transparent gold color vinyl pressing. Electric Light Orchestra Part Two was a band formed by Electric Light Orchestra drummer and co-founder Bev Bevan. The band also included former ELO bassist and vocalist Kelly Groucutt and violinist Mik Kaminski for most of its career, along with conductor/keyboardist Louis Clark, who toured as a guest with the original ELO in its later years.
Duke Ellington Meets Coleman Hawkins – Duke Ellington Meets Coleman Hawkins [Reissue/1963] LP (Verve)
Even though Duke Ellington and Coleman Hawkins had both been well-known jazzmen since the early 1920s, it wasn’t until 1962 – at least 20 years after Duke first suggested it – that these two recorded their only session together. High points include an exuberant “The Jeep Is Jumpin'”. an interesting remake of “Mood Indigo”, and a few new Ellington pieces.
El Ten Eleven – New Year’s Eve LP (Joyful Noise)
White color vinyl pressing. The music of El Ten Eleven has been embraced by fans of many genres – from math rock, to jazz, to lo-fi hip-hop. The duo’s sound is sharply evocative in mood and feeling, yet simultaneously abstract and meditative.
Faster Pussycat – Greatest Hits [Reissue/2000] LP (Friday Music)
Two color vinyl pressings: pink and purple. From the depths of the mid ‘80s L.A. glam rock scene, a bunch of attitude-driven, misguided youth brought to the surface their brand of alley cat rock. Not glam, not punk but somewhere in between, with an attitude and swagger all their own.
From Autumn To Ashes – Abandon Your Friends [Reissue/2005] LP (Vagrant)
First-time vinyl pressing of the third album from the post-hardcore band.
Peter Gabriel – Birdy: Music From The Film [Reissue/1985] 2xLP+MP3 (Real World)
Limited half-speed mastered vinyl LP pressing. Includes digital download. Recorded in 1984, and originally released in March 1985, Birdy marks the first occasion that Peter worked with French-Canadian producer and multi-instrumentalist Daniel Lanois who went onto co-produce both Peter’s So and US albums. The soundtrack to the Alan Parker movie of the same name – the tale of a Vietnam vet who harbors Icarus-like ambitions to fly – it finds Peter flexing his creative muscles free of any commercial pressures and has a number of tracks build out of elements of existing tracks from Peter’s third and fourth solo albums.
Peter Gabriel – Passion: Music For The Last Temptation Of Christ [Reissue/1988] 2xLP+MP3 (Real World)
Double half-speed mastered vinyl LP pressing. Passion: Music for The Last Temptation Of Christ was released a year after Martin Scorsese’s controversy-laden film first hit the big screen in 1988. Passion tends to be regarded as a work in its own right rather than just being a movie soundtrack. It features additional music to that which was included in the film; this extra material was the result of Peter continuing to record and to resolve “unfinished ideas.” Built on a foundation of Middle Eastern and North African rhythms and melodies, Passion is unsurprisingly Peter’s most spiritual work, no more so than when the alternately ascending voices of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Youssou N’Dour and Peter himself interweave on the title track.
Red Garland Quintet – Soul Junction [Reissue/1960] LP (Sowing)
Recorded in November 1957 and released in 1960 on Prestige Records, Soul Junction is the highly celebrated Red Garland release featuring the young John Coltrane on tenor sax and Donald Byrd on trumpet. Garland’s ultra-relaxed piano fits perfectly with the steady groove provided by George Joyner on bass and Art Taylor on drums, while Coltrane and Byrd often steal the show with outstanding solos. This is a marvelous quintet digging deep into the blues idiom and the soulful side of jazz.
Sam Gendel and Antonia Cytrynowicz – Live A Little LP/Cassette (Psychic Hotline)
Ten fully improvised songs by acclaimed experimental multi-instrumentalist Sam Gendel and eleven-year-old Antonia Cytrynowicz. The album was recorded in one sitting, back-to-back, in the sequence they appear with no preparation or premeditated ideas.
Girl K – Girl K Is For The People 12” (Take This To Heart)
By taking inspiration from 1980s sonic templates, Girl K Is For The People finds a young band at their most refreshed and focused, empowered by the colorful and danceable songs, as modern neuroses darken the corners. Finished pre-pandemic, the EP captures a band on the edge of a new breakthrough but still unsure of how to wield its exciting power. Enveloped by 1980s saving graces like track fadeouts, sparkling keyboards, and wide-open production, anxious journal entries are tucked behind neon-lit signage.
Greyhaven – This Bright And Beautiful World LP (Equal Vision)
Recently release on CD – now available on vinyl. Greyhaven is a four-piece progressive post-hardcore group from Louisville, Kentucky.
Hefner – We Love The City [Reissue/2000] LP (Where It’s At)
Hefner’s third long player, We Love The City eschewed the band’s former broken indie-folk sound in favor of a bouncy, urban, blue-eyed soul, and an expanded line up including Hammond organs, Wurlitzer pianos and brass sections.
The Hellacopters – Eyes Of Oblivion LP (Nuclear Blast)
Recently released on CD – now available on silver & gold color vinyl. New album from the legendary Swedish high energy rock ‘n’ roll band
John Holt – 1000 Volts Of Holt [Reissue/1973] LP (Trojan)
The best-selling single artist Trojan album of all time, 1000 Volts Of Holt set the standard for a new uptown style of reggae by successfully blending raw Jamaican rhythms with highly sophisticated arrangements, courtesy of some of the UKs leading musical talent.
Hydroplane – Hydroplane [Reissue/1997] LP (Efficient Space)
Hydroplane reinstates their formidable 1997 debut of sublime guitar atmospherics, fragile lyricism and droning incidentals with an overdue vinyl reissue.
Larry June – Orange Print LP (The Freeminded)
Released last summer on CD – now available on vinyl. The San Francisco legend, Larry June, returns with the aptly titled Orange Print, which maps out his own vision for success. With themes of health, wealth, numbers, and diversifying your income streams, Larry June flexes the philosophies that have helped him go from street hustler to made man. Features include Money Man, Trae The Truth, and Dej Loaf.
Killer Mike – R.A.P. Music [Reissue/2012] 2xLP (Watertower Music)
R.A.P. Music, the fifth studio album by rapper Killer Mike was originally released in 2012 and is finally back in-print on vinyl. Production was handled by rapper and producer Jamie “El-P” Meline; the album was the first collaboration between Killer Mike and El-P, who would later form the critically acclaimed duo Run The Jewels. [A limited-edition green color vinyl pressing is available.]
Less Of Memory – Unnecessary Evil LP (Goldstar Recordings)
Mono version. On 2014’s Sisyphus Says, the Lees of Memory led by ex-Superdrag frontman John Davis with able assistance from guitarist Brandon Fisher (also formerly of Superdrag) and drummer Nick Slack debuted with a heady blast of shoegazey squall. Unnecessary Evil (mixed in mono) is more streamlined and sonically varied, a closer cousin, perhaps, to the classic output of Davis’ former band, and it’s even better than its predecessor.
Aaron Lewis – Frayed At Both Ends 2xLP (Valory)
Released earlier this year on CD – now available on red & blue color vinyl. After 10 years in Nashville, two No. 1 country albums and several hundred thousand miles playing shows, Aaron Lewis recognizes the part of America that no one is speaking to – or for. Frayed At Both Ends is his measure of the wages of being a grown-up in today’s world, an American in a nation torn apart and a man seeking love and redemption in the words of his songs.
Fergus McCreadie – Forest Floor LP (Edition)
Recently release on CD – now available on vinyl. New release from the Scottish jazz pianist. Building on the superlative reaction to Cairn, Forest Floor develops similar traits and characteristics but imbued with even greater maturity, interaction, and vision. The Scottish folk influences developed in Cairn remain central and define Fergus’ and the trio’s sound.
Dan Melchior – CB Odyssey LP (Feeding Tube/Sophomore Lounge)
One of the great joys of the ever-evolving catalog of Dan Melchior is hearing where in the spectrum of styles that he has mastered each record falls. From studio recordings to lo-fidelity home experiments, full band rockers or plaintive solo excursions, fans never know what they are going to get until the needle drops. Those of us who have followed Dan on his prolific pathways are ready for anything but always assured that the spirit of the artist himself, one unique enough to be its own in any form, will deliver and somehow deal with the ramifications of an increasingly maddening world.
Keb’ Mo’ – Good To Be… 2xLP (Rounder/UMGD)
Released earlier this year on CD – now available on vinyl (including an opaque red color pressing). Written partially in Nashville and partially in the Compton house 5x Grammy-winner Keb’ Mo’ grew up in, Good To Be… weaves together past and present into a heartwarming tapestry spanning more than 40 years of sonic evolution. Joined by a variety of collaborators, including Vince Gill, famed producer Tom Hambridge, Darius Rucker, and Kristin Chenoweth, Good To Be… is a deeply cohesive and optimistic collection of music about appreciating what you’ve got, where you come from, and who you get to share it with.
Los Golden Boys – Cumbia De Juventud LP (Mississippi)
Formed in 1961 by the legendary brothers Pedro Jairo and Guillermo León Garcés, Los Golden Boys quickly rose to the top of the Colombian “música tropical” scene by combining popular rock and twist influences with cumbia, gaita, porro and other local styles.
Mother Of Millions – Orbit 12” (ViciSolom Productions)
New EP from the Greek prog metal quartet.
My Idea – Cry Mfer LP (Hardly Art)
Released last week on CD – now available on opaque red color vinyl. The closer you are to someone, the crueler you can treat them, but if they love you, they’re inclined to forgive you. Lily Konigsberg and Nate Amos forgive each other now, but they were in a bad way when they recorded Cry Mfer – which is not to say their debut album is a sonic bum out. Cry Mfer proves you can still make pop music while spiraling. When not using the other party as an emotional punching bag, Nate and Lily used one another as a creative filter and sounding board – pushing, prodding, and challenging themselves to “mess with different sounds,” harkening to, Nate says, “songwriting duos who seem to have their own language that other people don’t quite understand.” In life, as in art, they share a language, a hive mind. Cry Mfer is, true to the band’s vision, a beautiful mess of different sounds, completely and effortlessly genreless (though if pressed to label it, the band settles on “Truth Or Dare Pop”). While a milieu of myriad styles, from folk to dance, the album’s main through line is truth, regardless of how much the expression thereof may hurt.
Orchestre Les Volcans du Benin – Vol. I [Reissue/1980] LP (Acid Jazz)
Originally released in 1980 on the Alberika label, Orchestre Les Volcans du Benin’s Vol.1 has long been a holy grail LP for Afro-Cuban aficionados. It now sees its first official reissue on Acid Jazz Records, with four infectious tracks across the two sides, including Latin dancefloor dynamite and a DJ must-have, “Oya Ka Jojo”.
Art Pepper – Art Pepper +11 [Reissue/1960] LP (Craft Recordings)
Released as part of the Acoustic Sounds Series celebrating 70 years of Contemporary Records, saxophonist Art Pepper’s classic big band album, Art Pepper + Eleven, features modern jazz classics by Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, and more. First released in 1960 and recorded by legendary engineers Roy DuNann and Howard Holzer, this reissue features all-analog mastering from the original tapes by Bernie Grundman.
Piledriver – Metal Inquisition [Reissue/1984] LP (Shadow Kingdom)
Since it’s original release in 1984, Piledriver’s bolt-from-the-blue debut Metal Inquisition has found a legion of fans worldwide, over successive generations and spanning all stripes of metal.
Pillow Queens– Leave The Light On LP (Royal Mountain)
Recently release on CD – now available on vinyl. Pillow Queens is a rock band based in Dublin, Ireland. Their new album Leave The Light On comes at a time where things are rapidly accelerating for the band. After the success of their first record, 2020’s In Waiting, Pillow Queens went on to play bigger venues, festivals, and were invited to play James Corden. After receiving airplay on BBC Radio 1, BBC Introducing, Radio X, and Amazing Radio, they embarked on 2 UK tours, along with support shows for Pussy Riot, Idles, and Future Islands.
Rammstein – Zick Zack 7” (Virgin)
Rammstein release a special, limited edition 7″ vinyl of their single “Zick Zack” and “Zick Zack (RMX by Boys Noize).”
Rare Earth – Get Ready [Reissue/1969] LP (Anagram Music)
Limited 180gm vinyl LP pressing. Get Ready is the legendary platinum-selling album by Rare Earth. It includes the full-length version (21:30) of the title track, originally penned by Smokey Robinson. The edited single version peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1970. It is remembered as the first song longer than 16 minutes to be a dance hit in European discotheques.
Reef – Shoot Me Your Ace LP (Raging Sea)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. New album from the Glastonbury rockers, produced by Duran Duran/Power Station guitarist Andy Taylor.
Reverend Horton Heat – Revival [Reissue/2008] LP (Yep Roc)
Reverend Horton Heat – Laughin’ & Cryin’ With The Reverend Horton Heat [Reissue/2009] LP (Yep Roc)
Limited color vinyl pressing of the 8th and 10th studio album from the legendary rockabilly slinger.
Roxy Music – Stranded [Reissue/1973] LP (Republic)
Roxy Music – Country Life [Reissue/1974] LP (Republic)
Vinyl reissues of Roxy Music’s third and fourth albums. Stranded gave Roxy Music their first #1 album in the UK and brought with it an undeniable presence that would see the American audience take note. It was becoming all too clear that Roxy Music was ahead of their time. Country Life is deemed to be Roxy Music’s most consistent and sophisticated album. Musically and lyrically, the album has been considered more cynical and hard rocking than their previous work.
School Of Seven Bells – SVIIB [Reissue/2016] LP (Vagrant)
Color vinyl reissue. Throughout 2012 School Of Seven Bells was working on a follow up to the critically acclaimed Ghostory. When producer/guitarist Benjamin Curtis was diagnosed with T-Cell Lymphoblastic Lymphoma in 2013 the band took a break. Prior to passing, Benjamin had recorded his portion of the record in its entirety, both before he was diagnosed and after, between treatments. Alejandra Deheza picked up where they left off and finalized what would become 2016’s SVIIB, the band’s fourth and final album.
Skatune Network – Ska Goes Emo 1 (Counter Intuitive)
Limited edition green color vinyl pressing of the emo/punk/ska crossover album.
Slipknot – Iowa [Reissue/2001] 2xLP (Roadrunner)
Double translucent coke bottle green color vinyl pressing of the nu metal band’s sophomore album.
Luke Steele – Listen To Water LP (Harvest)
Luke Steele’s debut solo album, Listen To The Water, began in the gathering storm of late 2019. A fourth Empire Of The Sun album was on hold, a global pandemic was on the horizon and L.A. was conspiring to set Luke and his family adrift on a new adventure. The album is a work of pointed words cloaked in a richly swirling atmosphere, capturing the blend of innocence and wisdom, which questions without the need for answers. Pedal steel dances among the acoustic guitars and percussive nuances. [CD version due June 3.]
Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway – Crooked Tree LP (Nonesuch)
Recently release on CD – now available on vinyl. Recorded live at Nashville’s Oceanway Studios, Crooked Tree was produced by Tuttle and Jerry Douglas and features collaborations with Sierra Hall, Old Crow Medicine Show, Margo Price, Billy Strings, Dan Tyminski, and Gillian Welch. The album explores Tuttle’s lifelong love of bluegrass – a genre she first discovered though her father, a music teacher and multi-instrumentalist, and her grandfather, a banjo player. Across these thirteen original tracks, all written or co-written by Tuttle, she simultaneously honors the bluegrass tradition while also pushing the genre in new directions.
Various Artists – Ebirac All-Stars LP (Numero)
“Boricua blue’ color vinyl pressing. Holed up in the bustling Puerto Rican community centers of Chicago’s west side, the salseros featured on Ebiriac All-Stars make up the best of Carlos Ruiz’ Ebirac label, which ran throughout the ‘70s and produced some of the best unheard salsa records of the time.
Various Artists – Penrose Showcase: Vol. 1 LP (Penrose)
Vinyl repress. 14 sides of sweet soul from some of the most exciting groups on the SoCal ‘souldies’ scene. Featuring: Thee Scared Souls, Thee Sinseers, The Altons, Los Yesterdays, and Vicky Tafoya.
Various Artists – The Rough Guide To Legends Of The Delta Blues LP (Rough Guide)
This collection brings together six pioneering figures whose legacies encapsulate the very essence of the Delta blues – the cornerstone of American popular music and the bedrock of rock ‘n’ roll. Like arrows through time, these seminal tracks belie the age in which they were recorded.
Various Artists – We Are The Children Of The Sun 3xLP (Barely Breaking Even)
Selected by British DJ and vinyl hunter Paul Hillery, new BBE Music compilation We Are The Children Of The Sun showcases a shimmering collection of rare folk funk and AOR with a distinctly Balearic feel. Former tour DJ for Polyphonic Spree and the man behind YouTube channel and mix series Folk Funk & Trippy Troubadours, Paul Hillery’s lovingly handpicked musical assembly takes in strummed soft rock, blissful beach beats, the soft fizz of electronica, all carried to your ears by a gentle summer breeze.
Leif Vollebekk – New Waves (Live Recordings ’19– ‘21) 12” (Secret City)
This live EP is a collection of recordings from Leif Vollebekk’s performances that took place between 2019 and 2021 at various locations. In this enduring worldwide pandemic, the album is a beaming ode to the unique connection live music brings, an amalgam of feelings that can only be shared with an audience.
The Wandering Hearts – The Wandering Hearts LP (Cooking Vinyl)
Released last August on CD – now available on vinyl. The Wandering Hearts return with their self-titled new album. The trio – Tara Wilcox, Chess Whiffin and AJ Dean-Revington – started writing for the album by drawing on personal experiences. Themes and stories emerged that reflected how they’ve supported each other, both within music and life in general. They’re topics that are universally relatable: life, death, love and fear. To maximize the potential of the material, The Wandering Hearts called upon the expertise of producers Simone Felice and David Baron. The duo’s magic touch had previously inspired numerous acclaimed artists including The Lumineers, Jade Bird and Bat For Lashes. Most of the album was crafted at the pair’s mountain top studio near Woodstock, NY. It was a location that further fueled the band’s creativity, from the striking scenery of the local area to the historic instruments, notably a celesta once owned by Thelonious Monk. The result is an album which brims with hope, even in the darkest of times.
Muddy Waters – Electric Mud [Reissue/1968] LP (Anagram Music)
Electric Mud is the fifth studio album by Muddy Waters, with members of Rotary Connection playing as his backing band. Released in 1968, it imagines Muddy Waters as a psychedelic musician. Producer Marshall Chess suggested that Muddy Waters recorded it to appeal to a rock audience.
Wilderun – Epigon 2xLP (Century Media)
Double color vinyl pressing. With their fourth studio album, progressive metal elemental force Wilderun has managed to deliver an equally timeless and epic masterpiece. Epigone stretches to a total of over an hour of listening experience and makes the hearts of all fans of Opeth, Haken and Devin Townsend beat faster. On their new long player, the hottest contenders for the prog metal throne traverse a variety of musical extremes, such as epic orchestral passages followed by hard guitar riffs, leaving nothing to be desired.
Immanuel Wilkins – The 7th Hand 2xLP (Blue Note)
Released earlier this year on CD – now available on vinyl. Alto saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins follows-up his acclaimed debut, Omega, with another striking album featuring his remarkable quartet with pianist Micah Thomas, bassist Daryl Johns, and drummer Kweku Sumbry, plus appearances by flutist Elena Pinderhughes and the Farafina Kan Percussion Ensemble. It consists of an hour-long suite comprised of seven movements that strive to bring them closer to complete vesselhood by the end, where the music would be entirely improvised and channeled collectively.
Wormwitch – Heaven That Dwells Within [Reissue/2019] LP (Prosthetic)
Heaven That Dwells Within is the follow up to 2016’s Decibel Magazine Year End charting Strike Mortal Soil. The riffs are stronger, the overall feel is darker, and the band’s love of black metal dimly shines through much more than their past releases. The album was mixed and mastered by V. Santura (Triptykon, Schammasch), giving it that gloomy touch.
Cassettes:
Mac DeMarco – Here Comes The Cowboy [Reissue/2019] (Mac’s Record Label)
Metallic gold color cassette. Here Comes The Cowboy is the first album to be released on his new independent label, Mac’s Record Label. The album features the lead single “Nobody”.
Bear’s Den – Blue Hours (Communion)
Blue Hours sees the much-loved folk-rock duo – made up of Andrew Davie and Kevin Jones – once again team up with producer Ian Grimble on what is one of their most personal records to date. Davie says: “Blue Hours is a kind of imaginary space you get into at night, a place where you process difficult things or where you try to figure everything out.” Themes on the album include both self-reflection and mental health after both struggled with the latter in recent years. “It’s the main over-arching theme with this record,” Davie explains. The pair describe the conceptual blue hours headspace that gives the new album it’s title as being “somewhere between a hotel, a mental health hospital, a bar that stays open later than anywhere else, a paradise, a dream, a nightmare and an endless sea of corridors and staircases leading you to rooms that represent memories – good, bad, happy or difficult.”
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