CDs + Vinyl:
3MA – Anarouz CD (Six Degrees)
3MA is the meeting of three string-instrument virtuosi, emblematic of their countries in Africa, but also of generous artists who share a musical passion, a reciprocal dialogue and a beautiful friendship. The group is comprised of Ballaké Sissoko (kora), Driss El Maloumi (oud), and Rajery (valiha).
Alkaloid – Liquid Anatomy CD/2xLP (Season Of Mist)
With a pedigree including current and former members of Blotted Science, Obscura, Necrophagist and more, Alkaloid have spent decades advancing extreme, forward-thinking metal.
Amorphous – Queen Of Time CD/2xLP (Nuclear Blast)
13th album from the Finnish metal band. [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Joan Armatrading – Not Too Far Away CD (BMG Rights Management)
19th album from the British singer-songwriter and Ivor Novello award winner. For fans of Rickie Lee Jones, Janis Ian, Suzanne Vega and Joni Mitchell. [Vinyl edition due May 23.]
Armored Saint – Symbol Of Salvation [Reissue/1991] CD/LP (Metal Blade)
CD and Colored vinyl reissue – part of the Metal Blade Originals series. In July/August 2018, Armored Saint will embark on a North American tour, commemorating this 1991 classic. On this special run, the band will perform Symbol Of Salvation in its entirety, with select shows to be recorded for a live DVD.
Ash – Islands CD/LP (Liberator Music/Infectious Music)
Islands is Ash’s seventh studio album since their inception in 1992. The title of the album alludes to the unique environments in which its constituent songs were birthed. In the spring of 2016, following a whirlwind Japanese tour to close out the touring cycle for 2015’s Kablammo! album, Ash frontman Tim Wheeler undertook a visit to the picturesque island of Naoshima, renowned worldwide for its modern art installations, architecture and sculptures. Wheeler found the island’s tranquil, meditative atmosphere conducive to both reflection and creativity, and as he immersed himself in his craft, new song ideas began to ferment and flow. Islands is a cathartic collection for the singer, inspired, says Wheeler, ‘by me trying to get my head around a break up that didn’t make any sense to me.’ Self-produced, and recorded at the band’s own Atomic Heart Studio, where every Ash release since Twilight Of The Innocents has been committed to tape, the album cycles through the full Kübler-Ross grief model – denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance – with Wheeler laying bare his emotions in unflinching detail.” – Vinyl Radar
At The Gates – To Drink From The Night Itself CD/LP (Century Media)
The Swedish melodic death metal pioneers unleash their indomitable spirit, ceaseless ingenuity, and raw power on their sixth full-length effort. [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]
David Axelrod – Song Of Innocence [Reissue/1968] CD (Now-Again)
Celebrated as psychedelic, the birth of jazz-fusion, the harbinger of hip-hop, Song Of Innocence is a hybrid that no one, not even Axelrod himself, could describe. Grounded by Wrecking Crew vets Earl Palmer and Carol Kaye’s funk, torn between the juxtaposition of musical elements, put at ease, Axelrod’s sweeping arrangements, which utilize brass and strings in a way that no one of his era did. It’s both violent and sublime.
The Kurt Baker Trio – Let’s Go Wild! CD/LP (Wicked Cool)
While continuing in the tradition of the power pop sound Baker has been known for, the Combo also brings in elements of pub rock, garage and no holds bar wild rock ‘n’ roll a la The MC5, The Remains, Eddie and the Hotrods and Redd Kross.
Courtney Barnett – Tell Me How You Really Feel CD/LP+MP3/Cassette (Mom + Pop Music)
The Grammy and Brit nominated Courtney Barnett returns with her second album. Tell Me How You Really Feel follows her critically acclaimed 2015 debut album Sometimes I Sit And Think And Sometimes I Just Sit and recent collaborative record, Lotta Sea Lice, with Kurt Vile. One of the most distinctive voices in music, Courtney is known for mixing witty observations with unflinching self-assessment – fast forward to now and although all of the cleaver turns of phrase and an eye for story telling are still there; this new collection of songs sees a more serious and outwardly tone capturing the current social landscape yet still retaining moments of intimacy and warmth. [Deluxe CD edition with expanded booklet and red colored vinyl pressing also available. All formats include digital download.]
Thomas Bartlett & Nico Muhly – Peter Pears: Balinese Ceremonial Music CD (Nonesuch)
Nine songs written by Thomas Bartlett (aka Doveman) and Nico Muhly plus three gamelan transcriptions by ethnomusicologist Colin McPhee, which inspired the new songs. Bartlett and Muhly play pianos and keyboards on the album, and Bartlett sings, joined by other musicians on strings and metallic pitched percussion. McPhee recorded a suite of Balinese ceremonial music with Benjamin Britten in 1941. Muhly says: “The project is named after Peter Pears, who was Britten’s partner and also an observer and collaborator of a larger community of musicians, writers, and thinkers.”
James Bay – Electric Light CD/LP (Republic)
A singer/songwriter with a penchant for crafting moving and evocative folk-pop, James Bay hails from the North Hertfordshire market town of Hitchin in England.
Bombino – Deran CD/LP (Partisan)
On his new album, Deran, Bombino and crew have conjured up a roving mystery tour of contemporary Saharan sounds across10 songs of rare maturity and power that mark a turning point in the career of a guitarist and songwriter who was born in the shade of an acacia tree about 80 miles north west of the ancient town of Agadez, and has since risen to forefront of the new Tuareg guitar generation. Highlights include the raw diesel rock of the opener “Imajghane” (‘The Tuareg’), the camel gait lope of “Tenesse” (‘Idleness’), the tender lilt of “Midiwan” (‘My Friends’) and the ‘Tuareggae’ style that is Bombino’s unique contribution to desert music on the song “Tehigren.” All the desert is there, harsh and gentle, tragic and playful. But more than anything Deran had to be honest and true. The pressure to be the authentic voice of his culture and his home on the world stage weighs heavy on Bombino. “You have to begin with the question of who you are,” he says. “You’re a Tuareg. With all the travels, all the experience of world, it’s as if I’m making myself remember where I come from. Where I come from will always be my home, my memory.” Simple, raw, true, that was the brief. “We wanted him to take a deliberate step out of the shadow of the celebrity producer,” says Bombino’s manager, and Deran producer, Eric Herman. “Apart from that, the idea was to take this raw, spontaneous, unadulterated approach to capturing his songs.”
Joe Bonamassa – British Blues Explosion Live 2xCD/3xLP (J&R Adventures)
Guitarist extraordinaire Joe Bonamassa’s salute to the icons of British blues features the music of Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Jimmy Page. Joe recently paid tribute to his heroes during a short but very sweet tour of Britain – five performances only. This show, presented across a variety of formats, was recorded at Greenwich Music Time at The Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich, London on July 7, 2016. As one of the world’s leading guitarists and a passionate devotee to the sacred form of art that is the British Blues, there is no person more qualified to preach this music than Bonamassa. For the first time, with this unforgettable performance, he was able to give special homage to the British guitarists who inspired him the most. [Stand-alone DVD and Blu-ray editions also available.]
The Brokedowns – Sick Of Space CD/LP (Red Scare Industries)
This foursome is a little weirder, a little smarter, and a little heavier-sounding than your average punk band.
BTS – Love Yourself: Tear CD (Bright Entertainment)
New release from South Korean seven-piece pop boyband BTS (aka The Bangtan Boys).
Burn The Priest – Legion: XX CD/LP (Epic)
A full-length covers album that reflects on the greatness of classic punk, hardcore, crossover and noise – rock subgenres by the Lamb Of God side-band. [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Matt Costa – Santa Rosa Fangs CD/LP (Dangerbird)
Santa Rosa Fangs is a stirring, stunning, and cinematic look and listen into the sometimes autobiographical, sometimes fictional journey of the venerable California musician Matt Costa through the tangled groves and grapevines of his home state. Produced by Peter Matthew Bauer (The Walkmen) and Nick Stumpf (French Kicks), the songs on Santa Rosa Fangs center around a fictional young woman named Sharon, her two brothers Ritchie and Tony, and their story of love, loss and coming of age in California, replete with long distance love affairs and nostalgic romances. Rather than setting out to create a specific narrative, Costa began noticing a theme in the new songs as he wrote them: an unconscious embodiment of the surroundings in which he himself had grown up. “I’ve interwoven my own stories into a fictional idea of what Santa Rosa Fangs is, from my own time spent living in Northern and Southern California and years driving up and down the coast, seeing the landscape and where life can pull you within one state,” Costa explains. “It’s the characters’ story and my story, too, contemporary but still tortured by the past. It’s a window into a time period but spoken as if it’s the present. The beauty of love and loss doesn’t have a date on it; it’s timeless.”
The Dark Red Seed – Becomes Awake CD/LP (Prophecy)
The Dark Red Seed is the musical outlet of Tosten Larson, guitarist for Seattle dark folk musician King Dude. Larson notes that the three albums that most inspired Becomes Awake are Spiritualized’s Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space, The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and No Quarter: Jimmy Page & Robert Plant Unledded.
Elder Brother – Stay Inside CD/LP (Pure Noise)
Sophomore album from the indie-rock duo. “Considering that Elder Brother by themselves are very much small fries within an enormous emo pond, you certainly won’t be able to tell. Dan Rose and Kevin Geyer’s experiences in Daybreaker and The Story So Far respectively might have laid down the foundations, but on its own, this is the sort of side project that could go blow for blow with any number of established acts.” – The Soundborard
Elina Duni – Partir CD (ECM)
After two highly acclaimed albums with her jazz quartet, Elina Duni issues an intimate recording of love, loss and leaving. An entirely solo affair, Partir features the Tirana-born vocalist accompanied by her own piano, guitar and frame drum, interpreting songs from very diverse sources, from folk songs and chansons to songs of singer-songwriters.
Eternal Summers – Every Day It Feels Like I’m Dying… CD (Kanine)
Fifth album from the Roanoke, VA based indie rock band. Specializing in anthemic dream pop and post punk, with colors of new wave and 90’s guitar fuzz, the band has broken their release-a-year clip to take some time to live a little. With a tempered songwriting process that has spanned over two years, the group finds themselves documenting the many ways that one can cope with disappointment, fear, loss of control, loneliness and depression. The result is Every Day It Feels Like I’m Dying… [Vinyl edition due June 29.]
Family Of The Year – Goodbye Sunshine, Hello Nighttime CD/LP (WB)
Goodbye Sunshine, Hello Nighttime represents a turning point for L.A.-based indie rockers Family Of The Year as the last few years have proved to be simultaneously maddening, marvelous, and ultimately majestic. Led by siblings Joe and Sebastian Keefe, the group made writing retreats to Mount Washington and Bear Valley Springs in order to craft the new music during 2016. However, pressure increased, communication eroded, a once defined creative identity became obscured, and Joe and Sebastian endured the passing of their mom. However, the turmoil led to a breakthrough for the band; Reinvigorated and re-inspired, they rebuilt their friendships and finished writing and recording with a new creative clarity, going deeper than ever before. Produced by Greg Wells (Adele, Dua Lipa, The Greatest Showman), the 12-song set is earmarked by heartfelt introspective storytelling and rich instrumentality, re-emerging with their most hypnotic and heartfelt body of work to date, awash in dreamy hummable harmonies and robust percussion.
Fister – No Spirit Within CD/LP (Listenable)
New release from the St. Louis, MO-based doom metal band.
Five Finger Death Punch – And Justice For None CD (Prospect Park)
The seventh full length studio album from Five Finger Death Punch, And Justice For None, features their smash cover of The Offspring’s “Gone Away” alongside such rock radio staples as “Sham-Pain,” “When The Seasons Change,” “Blue On Black” and “I Refuse.” One of the most successful groove metal bands of the 2010s, Five Finger Death Punch have been a staple of the Billboard charts since their formation in 2005. The Los Angeles-based outfit formed around the talents of former U.P.O. guitar player Zoltan Bathory, former W.A.S.P. guitarist Darrell Roberts, vocalist Ivan Moody (Motograter/Ghost Machine), bass player Matt Snell (Anubis Rising), and former W.A.S.P. drummer Jeremy Spencer. [Limited deluxe autographed CD in a digipak sleeve with three bonus tracks also available. Vinyl edition due June 15.]
Forest Swords – DJ-Kicks CD/2xLP (!K7)
Like much of his own output, Forest Swords’ DJ-Kicks dances around pristine electronics to embrace more organic textures: 80s post punk (Anna Domino, Dead Can Dance), classic 90s British electronica (Orbital, Disjecta), and smokey digi-dub (Rhythm & Sound), all rub up alongside some of the most forward-facing producers working today (Demdike Stare, Laurel Halo) and avant garde explorers (David Toop, Kara-Lis Coverdale). The compilation shifts through rhythms and emotions: from pop icon Neneh Cherry’s primal thudding to the zombified throb of exclusive Forest Swords track “Crow.”
Frog Eyes – Violet Psalms CD/LP (Paper Bag)
Seventeen years after their teetering debut, Vancouver band Frog Eyes unveil their eighth and final album Violet Psalms – a giddy lament; a gnashing jubilee; a rain-drenched allocution on hope vs. horror, paradise vs. pride, Marx and Brexit and bad acid trips. [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Gas – Rausch CD/2xLP+MP3 (Kompakt)
Wolfgang Voigt’s sixth album under his Gas moniker, Rausch, starts almost how we’d expect it to. Following last year’s Narkopop, Voigt continues down a similar path with a rich, cinematic effort of blooming ambient music. Voigt masterfully plays with textures and sound on Rausch and incorporates them precisely, which is one of the fascinating things about his new music as Gas. His earlier work is relatively static: unchanging, hypnotic loops that begin how they end. On Rausch, Voigt gingerly adds bits and pieces that temporarily change that idea that can break the listener’s concentration. In its brief seven tracks, Rausch barely makes it over an hour mark, but in that time frame, Voigt gives his listener a lot to unpack and offers the idea that he still has a lot more to say.” – The Line Of Best Fit
Gomez – Bring It On [Reissue/1998] CD/4xCD/2xLP (Virgin)
20th Anniversary Edition of the Mercury Prize winning debut album by Gomez. Bring It On has been re-mastered and reissued as a single CD and as a Super-Deluxe four-CD set which contains the original, classic album and 35 previously unreleased tracks including 25 demos (recorded between January 1996 and August 1997) – 13 of which are appearing on an official Gomez release for the first time.
Tim Green – Her Future Ghost CD (Cocoon)
Her Future Ghost is effectively composed similar to an electronic romantic film soundtrack: “My concept and direction for Her Future Ghost was to write a film score for a film that doesn’t actually exist.” says Tim. “As an avid film score lover, I wanted to create a body of work that took certain traits from common film score practices. For example, different themes that repeat throughout, like character themes that evolve and mutate. As well as a narrative and story that develops through the music.”
Jonny Greenwood – Bodysong [Reissue/2003] CD/LP (XL)
Greenwood’s first original score for a film, back in-print on CD and vinyl. Simon Pummell’s BAFTA winning 2003 documentary Bodysong tells the story of an archetypal human life using images taken from all around the world and the last 100 years of cinema. The images span the microcosm (inside the body), through the individual (the first cry of a new-born baby), to the macrocosm (accumulated archive footage of ritual celebration and the carnage of war). The editing, music, and the mythic narrative arc of the material is designed to take the viewer on a roller coaster tour of the human body and life cycle. Every possible depiction of the human life from microscopic medical to portraits and newsreels, from births to deaths, are cut to a music track by Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood to create a mythic narrative of the arc of a single life.
John Wesley Harding – Greatest Other People’s Hits CD (Omnivore)
First hitting the scene in the late ’80s, Wesley Stace, professionally known then as the singer-songwriter John Wesley Harding, scored some early musical success, especially on the college radio airwaves with songs like “Here Comes The Groom,” “The Devil In Me” and an unlikely cover of Madonna’s “Like A Prayer.” Over 20 albums and collections later, he tends a multi-faceted career as a novelist, singer-songwriter, festival curator, University teacher, and variety show host. Greatest Other People’s Hits is a collection of covers of songs by artists as varied as Bruce Springsteen, George Harrison, Roky Erickson, Madonna, Pete Seeger, and Serge Gainsbourg among others. In addition to Harding’s renditions of songs by those great composers, the new version adds tracks originally recorded by The Velvet Underground and Conway Twitty as well as performances with Lou Reed and Rob Wasserman, Kelly Hogan, Rick Moody, and Elizabeth Barraclough joining the LP’s collaborations with The Minus Five, Fastball, Eric Bazilian, The Universal Thump, and Bruce Springsteen. [Vinyl edition was released on Record Store Day 2018.]
Trent Harmon – You Got ‘Em All CD (Big Machine)
Debut album from the American Idol champion and country music singer-songwriter.
Hekate – Totentanz CD/LP (Prophecy)
Hekate was formed in 1991 and is one of the foremost protagonists of German neofolk. Over the course of five albums, the group has combined folk, medieval and classical music with striking percussion and electronic elements to create a distinctly individual style, which reaches its temporary climax on their sixth record Totentanz (“dance of death”).
Mayuko Hino – Lunisolar CD (Cold Spring)
The second solo album from the “Queen Of Japanese Noise.”
Hunee – Hunchin’ All Night CD/3xLP (Rush Hour)
Hunee, aka Hun Choi, is a Korean Berliner who has been drawn in music since a very young age. Hunchin’ is a collection of his favorite dancefloor cuts from the ’70s to modern times. Features Carlos Maria & Nuno Canavarro, Aby Ngana Diop, Michael Ozone, Stanislas Tohon, Raphael Top-Secret, Don Laka, Ron Trent, Villa Abo, and Hunee.
Sean Khan – Palmares Fantasy Feat. Hermeto Pascoal CD (Far Out)
For his new album, Palmares, London-based multi-instrumentalist and one of Europe’s finest saxophonists Sean Khan ventures to Rio de Janeiro to collaborate with iconic Brazilian polymath Hermeto Pascoal. Taking its title from the escaped slave settlement Palmares in the Northeast of Brazil during the 1600s, Palmares Fantasy is Khan’s utopian jazz message for the world, and it features Azymuth drummer Ivan “Mamao” Conti, bassist Paulo Russo, guitarist Jim Mullen, and guest vocals from Brazilian chanteuse Sabrina Malheiros, and Cinematic Orchestra frontwoman Heidi Vogel.
Ray LaMontagne – Part Of The Light CD/LP+MP3 (Columbia)
Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Ray LaMontagne returns with his seventh studio effort, Part Of The Light, which was wholly written and produced by the artist. With a voice that recalls a huskier, sandpapery version of Van Morrison and Tim Buckley, Ray LaMontagne joins such artists as Iron & Wine in creating folk songs that are alternately lush and intimately earthy. Each release from his catalogue over the last 13 years carries its own character and feel. Having worked with producers Ethan Johns, Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys and Jim James of My Morning Jacket, Ray’s vast sonic catalogue has been called everything from “a perfect throwback to the lost art of the album-length format,” from Entertainment Weekly to “epic and magical,” from Rolling Stone and “gorgeous and ambitious,” from Esquire. NPR’s All Things Considered said that Ray throughout the course of his career “has continued to push himself in different directions,” while People called Ray a “marvel of nature.” [Limited clear vinyl pressing also available.]
Landing – Bells In New Towns CD/LP (El Paraiso)
Landing’s sound has always been multi-textured, alluding to many different genres at once. There’s the heavy oscillating drones and the fuzzy, motoric psychedelia, the lush ambient soundscapes and shimmering, dreamy vibes — all tied together by that characteristic sense of fluid progression. On this record the ethereal components of their sound are firmly anchored by a tight, steady low-end.
Meyhem Lauren – Glass CD (Srfschl)
A staple of the modern underground hip-hop scene, Queens rapper Meyhem Lauren owes much of his sound to that of the halcyon days of the 90s East Coast scene. Over the years Meyhem Lauren has worked alongside veterans and revered figures as DJ Muggs of Cypress Hill, Madlib, Freddie Gibbs, Czarface, Sean Price, Roc Marciano, J-Love, and his childhood friend Action Bronson, with whom he frequently appears in the Vice TV program F**k, That’s Delicious. Now he and producer and frequent collaborator Harry Fraud have teamed up to release Glass, their nine-track collaboration which includes guest appearances by Action Bronson, Westside Gunn, Conway, Big Body Bes, and Hologram.
Okkyung Lee – Cheol-Kkot-Sae Steel.Flower.Bird CD (Tzadik)
Okkyung Lee’s newest project has her delving deep into her Korean roots to create an amazing long-form piece combining electronics, improvisation, composed melodies and noise with Korean traditional music. The piece unfolds like a ritual, making these disparate and unusual pairings seem totally organic and natural. Performed by an all-star international ensemble of musicians from Korea, Norway, Britain and the United States (Song-Hee Kwon, Jae-Hyo Chang, John Butcher, John Edwards, Ches Smith, Lasse Marhaug), this is one of the most compelling fusions of Korean traditional and contemporary music ever created. Shamanistic, primal and astonishing.
Fenne Lily – On Hold CD/LP (INgrooves)
Debut album from the UK singer-songwriter. Raised in the wilds of rural Dorset to punk and Queen-loving parents, Fenne Lily first picked up the guitar aged 15. Just one year later and she’d written the delicate but powerful “Top To Toe,” which deftly tackled social anxiety over softly picked guitar; a song about bleak adolescence that almost everyone could relate to. Self-released, it saw the young unknown attract global attention for her sublime songwriting ability and sharp emotional intelligence, as well as her gifted way with melody, drawing comparisons to the likes of Laura Marling as well as the swooning sounds of Angel Olsen, Sharon Van Etten and underground 1960s psychedelic greats like Linda Perhacs.
Lords Of Acid – Pretty In Kink CD/2xLP (Metropolis)
New album Pretty In Kink features all the best attributes of Lords Of Acid: the raw techno-carnality of their debut Lust to the experiments and electro-thrash later albums like Voodoo-U and Farstucker. New singer Marieke Bresseleer joins LOA mastermind Praga Khan and longtime collaborator Erhan Kurkun.
Low Cut Connie – Dirty Pictures (Part 2) CD/LP (Contender)
This little act from South Philly continues to dig in their corner of the sandbox, looking for something useful and real to offer their fans. Low Cut Connie is the hardest-working band in show business — no matter what the pay, what size the venue, no matter what definition of success is applied, Adam Weiner and the rest of the crew try to light the fire at every show and with every record. Dirty Pictures (Part 2) reminds all of us, all the little people, to keep our fires lit at any cost.
Colin Macleod – Bloodlines CD (BMG)
The debut album from the Scottish singer-songwriter, Bloodlines is a heartfelt assortment of songs that delve deep into his ancestry, background and lifestyle from the rugged landscapes, to the fishing villages and remote Gaelic-speaking communities that go back 600 years – a land full of mystery and magic tucked away in the Hebrides ‘Isle of Lewis’ which is home for this multi-faceted artist and renaissance man. It’s the perfect backdrop and setting for stories to be whisked up, imagination provoked running wild, thus creating a massive amount of inspiration. Comprised of eleven gorgeously woven songs that bear many emotions from dreamy, to moody and exhibit a wide range in musicality that’s both modern and epic, Bloodlines was produced by the revered Ethan Johns (Kings If Leon, Ryan Adams). It’s folk music in one aspect of Scottish folklore with the makeup and appeal for a wide audience. Close your eyes and you see the landscapes, rolling hills, wide open space and cinematic settings.
Stephen Malkmus And The Jicks – Sparkle Hard CD/LP+MP3 (Matador)
Sparkle Hard is light ’n’ breezy, head-down heavy, audacious, melancholic and reflective, goodtime and bodacious, and it pulls off the smartest trick: it’s both unmistakeably The Jicks and – due to the streamlining of their trademark tics and turns, plus the introduction of some unexpected flourishes (Auto-Tune! A fiddle! Guest vocalist Kim Gordon! One seven-minute song with an acoustic folk intro!) – The Jicks refashioned.
Ziggy Marley – Rebellion Rises CD/Cassette/LP (Tuff Gong)
Eight-time Grammy award winning musician and reggae icon Ziggy Marley releases his seventh full-length solo studio album, Rebellion Rises. Fully written, recorded and produced by Marley, this passionate and indelible collection of music encourages people to stand together in activism through love. “The rebellion begins in the mind, the melody, and the music,” assures Ziggy. “We are a conduit of that. The rebellion is consciousness. Now the consciousness starts spreading, we become aware and we rise”” No track embodies this message better than the album’s title track and official first single “Rebellion Rises.” A manifesto with a chant-like chorus, the song emboldens its listeners to use the power we all have as instruments of positive change around the world. “The better side of humanity, cannot let the side of humanity that push negativity and hatred be more willing,” Marley explained in a recent interview. “It cannot happen. It’s a battle of wills. We’ve got to have more will.”
Paul McCartney – Thrillington [Reissue/1977] CD/LP (Capitol)
Wings – Greatest [Reissue/1978] CD/LP (Capitol)
Paul McCartney – Chaos And Creation In The Backyard [Reissue/2005] CD/LP (Capitol)
Paul McCartney – New [Reissue/2005] CD/LP (Capitol)
Digipak CD and 180gm vinyl reissues now available.
Nellie McKay – Sister Orchid CD/LP (Palmetto)
Conjuring the image of a lonely all-night truck stop along Highway 1 on the California coast, all but lost in the fog that comes creeping along the shoreline…Sister Orchid speaks of the night, the outsider, the plaintive wail of those lost at sea. The album was conceived in solitude, executed in darkness. It comes from a place of quiet, a world of low lights and cool drinks, up against a hard wall. An oasis of hungry eyes and easy promises, warm as a biscuit, the kind of place your mother warned you against.
Dave McMurray – Music Is Life CD (Blue Note)
On Dave McMurray’s Blue Note-debut, the Detroit native delivers a cohesive program of modern jazz that bristles with unalloyed soul.
Brad Mehldau Trio – Seymour Reads The Constitution! CD/LP (Nonesuch)
Seymour Reads the Constitution! finds pianist Brad Mehldau and his longtime trio, which includes drummer Jeff Ballard and bassist Larry Grenadier, performing three Mehldau originals combined with interpretations of pop songs (Paul McCartney, Brian Wilson), jazz tunes (Elmo Hope, Sam Rivers), and one work from the American songbook (Frederick Loewe’s “Almost Like Being in Love”).
Alice Merton – No Roots CD (Mom + Pop Music)
At the age of five English/Canadian singer-songwriter Alice Merton started taking classical piano lessons, four years later she was introduced to vocal training. After spending many years being classically trained, Alice discovered the art of songwriting through one of her high school courses in Germany. She then went on to study songwriting and pursue her dream of becoming a professional singer/songwriter. During her studies she started working with various producers. Finding the right producer is like finding a missing puzzle piece, you know it’s there somewhere, but it takes a really long time to find. However, after being introduced to Nicolas Rebscher, a Berlin-based producer, she knew she had found her match. Creating a very analog and organic pop sound, going back to the basics of drum and bass driven music, they combined their individual styles to develop a style of their own. Nicolas Rebscher’s arrangements were the perfect addition to Alice’s melodies, combining the depth and softness in her voice, with his energetic and charismatic sounds. [Vinyl edition due June 8.]
Mos Generator – Shadowlands CD/LP (Listenable)
Mos Generator formed during the Winter of 2000 in Port Orchard, Washington from the ashes of a decade-long on-again-off-again collaboration between its three members, all of which are long time veterans of the road and studio. The need to strip down to the basics of hard rock was apparent from the start and continues to be the foundation for the band’s recent material.
NDE – United (Through Iron And Blood) CD (Cold Spring)
Deranged black metal vocals over uncompromising, blood-soaked death industrial, rhythmic power noise, and claustrophobic power electronics.
Nocturnal Graves – Titan CD/LP (Season Of Mist)
Australian war machine Nocturnal Graves make their long awaited return with the vicious, Titan. Their first new album in five years, Titan sees the veteran band (featuring current and former members of Destroyer 666 and Denouncement Pyre) unleash hell once again with their brutish take on razor-wire, Satanic death metal.
Nytt Land – Ođal CD (Cold Spring)
Ođal is inspired by the traditional music of the indigenous peoples of Siberia, the Old Icelandic epic and the atmosphere of classic Norwegian black metal.
Obliterate – Impending Death CD/LP (Unique Leader)
Pushing the Canadian death metallers abilities to new levels and creating a sound that explores a greater level of extremity, Impending Death maintains Obliterate’s deathcore roots while bringing a more intense and crushing death metal approach.
oOoOO and Islamiq Grrrls – Faminine Mystique CD/2xLP (Nihjgt Feelings)
Faminine Mystique is an allusion to the Betty Friedan book Feminine Mystique (1963) that inspired the second wave feminist movement in the US. The album’s 13 songs are framed by fragments of lost, forgotten, or discredited 20th century artists and genres: the well-crafted guitar solos of ’80s metal; jazz guitarist Barney Kessel; the “Ashley’s Roachclip” drum break; Milli Vanilli; a Kool DJ Red Alert radio show barely audible on some bedside clock radio in some blue collar town on the outskirts of Manhattan; a freeform saxophone solo over a two minute, feminist juke-punk anthem; The elusively simple but dreamy vocals of a France Gall or Astrud Gilberto. All blended into the compressed sounds of modern pop and RnB.
Overkill – Live In Overhausen 2xCD+Blu-ray/2xLP (Nuclear Blast)
Recorded and filmed in the German town of Oberhausen, Germany, Overkill performed two of their classic records live. The first half of the release contains the band performing their entire 1991 classic, Horrorscope; the second half contains the band performing their 1985 debut, Feel The Fire. [Limited orange with green & yellow splatter colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Parquet Courts – Wide Awake CD (Rough Trade)
Parquet Courts’ fifth record since their formation eight years ago is about independence and individuality but also about collectivity and communitarianism. Love is at its center. There’s also a freshness here, a breaking of new territory that’s testament to the group’s restless spirit. In part, this may be attributed to the fact that it’s produced by Brian Burton, better known as Danger Mouse, but it’s also simply a triumph of their songwriter’s art. “An urgent, fantastic return that sees the band at the very top of their game, and more together than ever.” – DIY Mag [Deluxe vinyl edition featuring dual booklets of original artwork by the band’s Andrew Savage also available.]
Quiet Slang – Everything Matters But No One Is Listening CD/LP+MP3 (Polyvinyl)
There’s something almost cheeky about the title of James Alex’s new project: Quiet Slang. As the name implies, Alex is embracing minimalism, smothering the fuzz in favor of a cello, a piano, and his voice. Everything Matters But No One Is Listening is a collection of 10 Beach Slang covers. [Limited clear vinyl pressing also available.]
Rat Scabies – P.H.D. Prison Hospital Debt CD/LP (Cleopatra)
Debut solo album from legendary co-founder and former drummer of punk rock icons The Damned.
Max Rault – It’s A New Day Tonight CD/LP+MP3 (Wick)
Michael Rault’s second full-length, It’s A New Day Tonight, has its home in the darkness, like much rock and roll – many of its songs look at nocturnal activities, particularly sleep. It’s A New Day Tonight has the loose-limbed feel of a lost album by ’70s bands that bridged the gap between folk-rock’s open-hearted strumming and power pop’s crisp, melody-forward confections – Wings, Badfinger, Big Star, 10cc – yet possesses an energy shot through with 21st-century optimism.
Otis Redding – Dock Of The Bay Sessions CD/LP (Atlantic)
The 12-song Dock Of The Bay Sessions collection was compiled with input from Roger Armstrong of Ace Records and Otis biographer Jonathan Gould and has the Redding family’s full endorsement. Although the individual tracks have been previously released across a smattering of posthumous albums and compilations, this marks the first time they have been assembled to resemble what this album could possibly have been. In the liner notes, musician-journalist Bob Stanley writes: “This album is the first indication of a new Otis Redding, one that has slayed audiences in Europe, one which won him a whole new crowd at the Monterey International Pop Festival.”
Red Hare – Little Acts Of Destruction CD/LP (Dischord)
Like their debut Nites Of Midnite (2013) and their stop-gap 7”, Lexicon Mist (2016), Little Acts Of Destruction was recorded and mixed by longtime collaborator and friend J. Robbins. These 14 songs are a heady/hearty mix of the familiar and new that bristle with the energy of Washington D.C. sound they helped shape. [The CD version of this release includes the tracks from Red Hare’s Lexicon Mist 7” single.]
Ike Reilly – Crooked Love CD (Rock Ridge)
Crooked Love is Ike Reilly’s eighth studio album, produced by Reilly and his longtime collaborator and guitarist Phil Karnats (Secret Machines, Tripping Daisy, Polyphonic Spree). Informed by Reilly’s colorful life experiences, his gallows humor and the current political landscape, the songs are poetic, greasy, topical, lustful, self-deprecating and hilarious. Karnats had witnessed Reilly writing and recording demos in hotels, dressing rooms and tour buses and knew he wanted a production that allowed for confident, relaxed takes. In order to provide the most intimate and comfortable environment possible, Reilly and Karnats created a dark, live room vibe with ancient microphones positioned in covert places that allowed the whole band to be in the same space, unencumbered by headphones and isolation booths. The production is decidedly not slick, yet the improvisational nature of the playing is sophisticated in its simplicity. [Vinyl edition due June 22.]
Remember Sports – Slow Buzz CD/LP (Father/Daughter)
New album from the Philly via Ohio indie punks.
Rotten Sound – Suffer To Abuse CDEP/12”” (Season Of Mist)
Rotten Sound have firmly established themselves as one of the leading acts of the grindcore scene. Expertly wielding the fierce brutality and massive aggression of their genre, the Finns add intelligent songwriting, effective arrangements, and musical proficiency as well as subtle death metal elements to their sound. Their new EP Suffer to Abuse, which is not to be confused with their latest full-length album, Abuse To Suffer (2016), embodies those aforementioned virtues to the point. [Limited 12” vinyl pressing with etched B-side also available.]
Saweetie – High Maintenance CDEP (WB)
“The “ICY GRL” rapper’s debut EP is a low-stakes but gratifying listen, full of witty one-liners and cheeky quotables.” – Pitchfork
The Sheepdogs – Changing Colours CD/LP (Dine Alone Music Inc.)
New album from the Canadian-based five-piece guitar-driven rock band. “This album has a much wider range of sounds on it: trombone, clarinet, Latin percussion, pedal steel, fiddle and banjo all make an appearance,” the band said in a statement. “The title Changing Colours really lends itself to these different sounds on the record… We were also lucky to work with newcomer Jim Bowskill whose guitar wizardry is almost outshone by his fine mandolin playing and singing.”
She Spread Sorrow – Midori CD (Cold Spring)
The third album by Italian artist She Spread Sorrow (Alice Kudalini), Midori tells a story – the escape from a harsh reality that becomes an echo of nightmares and visions, a house that is the scene of fear and anguish, a soul that is lost in pain to an epilogue of death and purification. The gloomy, intense, dream-like sound, sometimes distorted, sometimes angelic is the soundtrack of a dramatic story, but also of relief.
The Sidekicks – Happiness Hours CD/LP+MP3 (Epitaph)
The Sidekicks – Runners In The Nerved World [Reissue/2015] CD/LP+MP3 (Epitaph)
Nearly three years in the making, Happiness Hours follows The Sidekicks’ acclaimed 2015 album Runners In The Nerved World (which has been reissued on CD and vinyl). Produced, engineered, and mixed by John Agnello (Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr., Kurt Vile), Happiness Hours features some of the sunniest, most ebullient songs the Ohio-based band have ever recorded – all adorned with ringing guitars, charging drums, and soaring vocals. That dynamic is more than apparent on the infectious lead single “Twins Twist.” With its warm harmonies and shining melody, bouncing groove and bittersweet lyrics, “Twins Twist” also reveals the more narrative-driven direction that The Sidekicks pursued in creating Happiness Hours. As vocalist/guitarist Steve Ciolek explains, those narratives reach squarely toward a kind of universal experience. “They are relative to my life, but they aren’t just about me,” says Ciolek, whose bandmates include drummer Matt Climer, guitarist/vocalist Toby Reif, and bassist/vocalist Ryan Starinsky. “Unlike when you’re a kid, when every song has to be about falling in love or breaking up – about me, me, me – you get to a point when you really want your art to be inclusive. You want everyone to be able to locate themselves somehow in your songs.”
Örvar Smárason – Light Is Liquid CD (Morr Music)
Eight precious electronic pop songs that show Smárason (múm, FM Belfastb) both as a gifted songwriter and producer. It’s an update of the sound that made múm one of the most revered Nordic acts since the 2000s, but it’s also slightly reminiscent of Boards Of Canada’s pastoral beats or even the transcendental tracks of Arca and Björk.
Sonologyst – Silencers (The Conspiracy Theory Dossiers) CD (Cold Spring)
Eerie drones, oscillations from the ether, distorted dark matter, signals from other dimensions… The music of Sonologyst fluctuates between scientific sonic documentaries and psychedelic abstraction, illuminated by early experimentation of the ’50s and ’60s, as well as future possibilities of the electronic and electro-acoustic.
Matthew Sweet – Tomorrow’s Daughter CD (MRI)
Seasoned singer/songwriter/producer/multi-instrumentalist Matthew Sweet is currently in the midst of a personal musical renaissance that’s seen him produce some of the most compelling and ambitious music of his three-decade career. That certainly applies to Tomorrow’s Daughter, on which such instantly memorable new tunes as “Belong,” “Run Away,” “Lady Frankenstein” and “Out of My Misery” demonstrate his uncanny ability to tap into a bottomless well of pop history to craft music that’s effortlessly catchy yet deeply personal. The follow-up to the artist’s acclaimed 2017 set Tomorrow Forever is a persuasive testament to the enduring qualities of Sweet’s adventurous, emotion-charged songcraft. The 12 new songs abound with the punchy melodic sensibility, playful sonic experimentalism and introspective lyrical insight that have been constants in his expansive catalog. [Vinyl edition due June 15.]
Steve Tibbetts – Life Of CD (ECM)
One-of-a-kind guitarist and record-maker Steve Tibbetts has an association with ECM dating back to 1981, with his body of work reflecting that of an artist who follows his own winding, questing path. The BBC has described his music as an atmospheric brew… brilliant, individual. Life Of, his ninth album for the label, serves as something of a sequel to his 2010 release, Natural Causes, which JazzTimes called music to get lost in. Like the earlier album, Life Of showcases the richness of his Martin 12-string acoustic guitar, along with his gamelan-like piano and artfully deployed field samples of Balinese gongs; the sonic picture also incorporates the sensitive percussion of long-time musical partner Marc Anderson and the almost subliminal cello drones of Michelle Kinney.
Nedelle Torrisi – Only For You CD (Frenchkiss)
Los Angeles-based Nedelle Torrisi has been a musician since the day she was born. And while her early years focused on jazz, her career – from her previous solo albums to her work with Cryptacize (her band with Chris Cohen) – has always contained more of a ‘90s R&B sensibility. That appreciation is evident on her new album, Only For You. There is a sonic thread between this album and Torrisi’s last release, 2015’s Advice From Paradise, but the writing on the new album is intentionally tighter, and the production cleaner. She co-produced the album with Billy Uomo of the band Babes who also played and programmed drums. Jeremy Gara of Arcade Fire lent his skills along with many other talented L.A.-based musicians. “Good Love” was produced by the band Inc., Kenny Gilmore (Ariel Pink) produced “Show Me Your Face” and “Vision Of Love.” David Greenbaum (Beck) and Gilmore mixed the album. Beyond her own work, Torrisi has contributed and played with a number of artists and bands whose ranks include Ariel Pink, Dev Hynes and Sufjan Stevens.
Trrmà – Trrmà CD (Auand)
Trrmà, an instrumental duo formed by Giovanni Todisco (percussion) and Giuseppe Candiano (synths), present a record composed of five movements that mix acoustic percussion with synthesis. Symphonic and Mediterranean percussion built polyrhythmic structures to create primitive and ancient imagery connected to synthesizers, which draw dystopic and sci-fi soundscapes.
TT (Warpaint) – LoveLaws CD/LP (Caroline)
TT, also known as Theresa Wayman, vocalist and guitarist of Warpaint, releases her debut solo album, LoveLaws. The 10-track collection reflects Wayman’s personal growth and growth as a musician over the past fourteen years, as well as enabling her to explore ideas that are otherwise difficult in a band setting. The album was written by a mother of a twelve-year-old son “coming from a position of what it’s like to have and to get unconditional love.”The record is also about the ups and downs of romance, viewed through Wayman’s experience as a traveling musician, where the routine can be maddening in its loneliness and where relationships are difficult. The songs were her way of processing this loneliness. The result is an album that, in Wayman’s words, is: “down tempo, pretty sexy, and a bit emotional. I’m a romantic person in a world where a relationship is difficult. But I also needed to be on my own and not force having a relationship.”
TT plays bass, guitar, and synth on the album, and programmed the drum beats on most of the tracks. She also had a little help from Warpaint bandmates Jenny Lee Lindberg (bass) and Stella Mozgawa (drums).
Various Artists – Flowers From The Ashes: Contemporary Italian Electronic Music CD (Stroboscopic Artefacts)
There is a sensibility of decadence and corroded grandeur etched within the album, reminding you that historically “decadent” times have nonetheless resulted in some of the boldest acts of individual and collective creativity. Includes tracks by Silvia Kastel, Andrea Belfi, Marco Shuttle, Ninos Du Brasil, Alessandro Adriani, Chevel, Lucy, Lory D, Caterina Barbieri, and Neel.
Various Artists – Outlaws & Armadillos: Country’s Roaring ’70s CD (Sony)
Willie Nelson. Waylon Jennings. Kris Kristofferson. Jessi Colter. Bobby Bare. Jerry Jeff Walker. David Allan Coe. Cowboy Jack Clement. Tom T. Hall. Billy Joe Shaver. Guy Clark. Townes Van Zandt. Tompall Glaser. Today, all names synonymous with the word “outlaw,” but 40 years ago they started a musical revolution by creating music and a culture that shook the status quo on Music Row and cemented their place in country music history and beyond. The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s upcoming major exhibition, Outlaws & Armadillos: Country’s Roaring ’70s, will explore this era of cultural and artistic exchange between Nashville, TN and Austin, TX, revealing untold stories and never-seen artifacts. The exhibition, which opens May 25 for a nearly three-year run, will explore the complicated, surprising relationship between the two cities.
Various Artists – Sea For Yourself CD+DVD/2xLP+DVD (Modern Harmonic)
CD and vinyl reissue of a legendary surf/funk/psych soundtrack. Created by an incredible aggregation of California music royalty including Rick Henn, Dennis and Daryl Dragon, plus other friends – this ultra-scarce, in-demand soundtrack for Hal Jepsen’s 1972 film A Sea For Yourself features an astounding journey of styles from funky, freeform workouts to homegrown, back-porch rock to breezy, bossa-tinged instrumentals. A fine blend of surfing and music, the film put together the world’s best surfers practicing their art in France, Australia, California, and Hawaii with a powerful original soundtrack. Includes a DVD of the original feature film. [Limited blue colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Various Artists – This Is Trojan Rocksteady 2xCD (Trojan)
Even though the rock-steady era only lasted a couple years (right before reggae arrived in full force), that short window produced a wealth of classic, influential sides. This Is Trojan Rocksteady is comprised of 50 cuts from that golden age of Jamaican music.
Various Artists – Warsaw’s Jewish Mermaid: Syrena Recordings From The Orvomaa Archive 1909-1933 CD (Renair)
Until its destruction during the War, Warsaw, together with Berlin, was at the cultural and intellectual intersection of East and Western Europe. Known as the Paris of the East, its musical, literary, artistic, and theatrical flourishing was in no small part due to its extraordinary ethnic and cultural diversity. Most traces of this period vanished in the devastation of the 1940s but thanks to the survival of some precious recordings made in this period you can hear echoes of that rich culture. The Syrena (Mermaid) label covered all aspects of musical activity in Poland between 1909 and the end of the 1930s. All human life is on this CD. You will hear people arguing, soldiering, going bankrupt, and praying. They also dance to Klezmer bands, meet the devil, fail to have sex, complain about modern girls, and of course, eat.
Ryley Walker – Deafman Glance CD/LP (Dead Oceans)
“I was under a lot of stress because I was trying to make an anti-folk record and I was having trouble doing it. I wanted to make something deep-fried and more me-sounding. I didn’t want to be jammy acoustic guy anymore. I just wanted to make something weird and far-out that came from the heart finally. I was always trying to make something like this I guess, trying to catch up with my imagination. And I think I succeeded in that way.”
Kelly Willis – Back Being Blue CD (Premium)
New album from the Austin-based singer-songwriter.
YFN Lucci – Ray Ray From Summerhill CD (Think It’s A Game)
Debut album from the Atlanta rapper. Features a respectable roster of guests including T.I., Dreezy, Wale, Offset, Meek Mill, and YFN Trae Pound.
DVDs + Blu-ray:
Jeff Beck – Silo On The Run: The Jeff Beck Story DVD/Blu-ray (Eagle Rock Entertainment)
The story of the legendary guitarist’s career, from early days learning guitar solos with his friend Jimmy Page, through The Yardbirds, The Jeff Beck Group and his multifaceted solo albums. Contributors include Eric Clapton, David Gilmour, Jan Hammer, Jimmy Page, Joe Perry, Slash, Rod Stewart, Ronnie Wood and more.
Joe Bonamassa – British Blues Explosion Live DVD/Blu-ray (J&R Adventures)
Guitarist extraordinaire Joe Bonamassa’s salute to the icons of British blues features the music of Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Jimmy Page. Joe recently paid tribute to his heroes during a short but very sweet tour of Britain – five performances only. This show, presented across a variety of formats, was recorded at Greenwich Music Time at The Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich, London on July 7, 2016. As one of the world’s leading guitarists and a passionate devotee to the sacred form of art that is the British Blues, there is no person more qualified to preach this music than Bonamassa. For the first time, with this unforgettable performance, he was able to give special homage to the British guitarists who inspired him the most. [Stand-alone DVD and Blu-ray editions also available.]
This Week’s Vinyl Exclusives:
Against All Logic – 2012-2017 2xLP (Other People)
Much like Kerrier District did to disco, A.A.L. (Against All Logic) borrows heavily from the samples and sounds ingrained deep within Nicolas Jaar’s listening habits and evidently a record collection packed to the brim with classic soul, house, and most importantly, funk hooks. Keenly twisting these sounds and filtering them through a studio set up that’s leaning heavily on the beefed-up kick drums and reverb units to make a well-executed homage to these sounds, pieced together with the inherent idea of making the listener unable to resist the urge to move, be it in a bedroom, basement, or just sat in work staring at a computer screen.
Kevin Ayers – Joy Of A Toy [Reissue/1969] LP (4 Men With Beards)
Vinyl reissue of the debut solo album from the bassist and principal songwriter of the Soft machine originally released in 1969. With Ayers playing an impressive list of instruments and bandmate Robert Wyatt on drums for most of the songs, much of Joy Of A Toy recalls early Soft Machine, and features Ayers prog-pop songwriting sensibilities in full force. Reissued on limited edition opaque yellow vinyl in a deluxe tip-on jacket, gatefold sleeve.
The Black Dahlia Murder – Unhallowed [Reissue/2003] LP (Metal Blade)
The Black Dahlia Murder – Ritual [Reissue/2011] LP (Metal Blade)
The Black Dahlia Murder – Everblack [Reissue/2013] LP (Metal Blade)
Limited colored vinyl reissues of the death metal band’s first, fifth and sixth albums.
Blackfoot – Strikes [Reissue/1979] LP (Friday Music)
1979’s Strikes is the long out of print, platinum-certified third full-length effort from heavy Southern rock band Blackfoot, formed at the onset of the ’70s by Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist Rickey Medlock.
The Breeders – Pod [Reissue/1990] LP (4AD)
The Breeders – Last Splash [Reissue/1993] LP (4AD)
The Breeders – Tittle TK [Reissue/2002] LP (4AD)
The Breeders – Mountain Battles [Reissue/2008] LP (4AD)
In October 2017, The Breeders announced their return to 4AD, along with a new album, All Nerve, released in March 2018. The label is also reissuing their previous four albums on vinyl including Pod (1990), Last Splash (1993), Title TK (2002) and Mountain Battles (2008).
The Brian Jonestown Massacre – Hold That Thought 10” (A. Recordings)
“Hold That Thought” announces The Brian Jonestown Massacre’s forthcoming two albums to be released in 2018 (June and September, respectively). White-colored 10″ vinyl.
Peter Brötzmann – Machine Gun [Reissue/1968] LP (Cien Fuegos)
Peter Brötzmann – Machine Gun / Alternate Takes [Reissue/1968] LP (Cien Fuegos)
Vinyl reissue of the second album by jazz saxophonist Peter Brötzmann, released on the Bro label in 1968, later reissued on the FMP label in 1971. Machine Gun was an octet recording often listed among the most notable free jazz albums. Also available: an album of alternate takes.
Leroy Carr & Scrapper Blackwell – Naptown Blues [Reissue/1973] 1929-1934 LP (Yazoo)
As the classic sound of blues developed in the pre-World War II years, numerous individual artists found success performing and recording throughout the deep South, but relatively few groups and duos. The combination of Leroy Carr & Scrapper Blackwell bucked this trend, attracting audiences with their intricate marriage of Carr’s pleasant blues piano to Blackwell’s proto-jazz guitar melodies.
Celldöd – Fragmenterade Minnen LP (DKA)
Industrial funk with flares of body music and techno.
The Cranberries – No Need To Argue [Reissue/1994] LP (Plain)
Limited 180gm vinyl reissue of the Irish rock band’s second album. Assorted pressings on clear and colored vinyl.
The Daysleepers – Drowned In A Sea Of Sound [2008] LP (Clairerecords)
Imagine the sounds of the Cure, Cocteau Twins, The Chameleons and Slowdive rolled into one.
Division Of Laura Lee – Hollow Pricks 7” (Lovitt)
A musical tornado from Gothenburg, Sweden.
Espen Eriksen Trio with Andy Sheppard – Perfectly Unhappy LP (Rune Grammophon)
Espen Eriksen Trio was formed in 2007 and released their first album in 2010. Their music relies on highly melodic and lyrical instrumentals and a “less is more” approach and is often credited for its unique voice within today’s jazz scene by the international press. The aptly named Perfectly Unhappy features eight new songs by the pianist, all written with this collaboration in mind.New
The Fuzztones – Dark Zone [2009] 2xLP (Bang)
New York City legends The Fuzztones released this collection of their darkest sounds only on CD in 2009 and it had come the time to put it out on vinyl. Rare tracks focusing on their shadiest material. Dark psychedelic and fuzzed-up songs.
The Garden – Mirror Might Steal Your Charm LP+MP3 (Epitaph)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Taking the audience away into a still unfathomed sound world and bringing back some of the scuzzier elements of their earlier work, the duo’s more guitar focused third album is another sublime slice of post-modern pop. Welcome back to a land that’s familiar, slightly out of sync, and a little bit unnerving.
G-Eazy – The Beautiful & Damned 2xLP+MP3 (RCA)
Released last year on CD – now available on vinyl. Third album from the Oakland-based rapper includes the single “No Limit” featuring A$AP Rocky and Cardi B. The album also includes collaborations with Halsey, Kehlani, E-40, Charlie Puth, Anna of The North and others.
Anthony Green – Studio 4 Acoustic Session LP (Memory Music)
To celebrate the release of his 2016 album Pixie Queen, Anthony Green (renown singer of Circa Survive and Saosin) performed a number of songs from his catalog at Studio 4 in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania.
Guru – Jazzmatazz, Vol. 1 [Reissue/1993] 3xLP (Blue Note)
Deluxe triple vinyl reissue of the debut solo studio album from Guru, one half of the hip-hop duo Gang Starr. includes the original album, the instrumentals and a third bonus LP of rare remixes and a 12-page booklet that features rare images from the original Jazzmatazz photo shoot.
Hawkwind – Hawkwind [Reissue/1970] LP (4 Men With Beards)
Hawkwind’s 1970 debut is the perfect introduction to what was going to be a long and peculiar journey. A galactic blues-rock sound rightfully compared to Pink Floyd’s early work: hippie rock grooves and interplanetary guitar rides, echoed vocals and nonstop instrumental voyages. This is where it all began: (as original ads for the album proclaimed) “Hawkwind Is Space Rock.” In a gatefold sleeve on limited edition opaque blue vinyl.
Horseshoes & Hand Grenades – The Ode LP (Tape Time)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. After seven years, three albums, innumerable sold out shows, and countless beers, bluegrass mavericks Horseshoes & Hand Grenades appropriately consider themselves a “family” on a wild, wonderful, and often whacky roller coaster. The bond between the quintet fuels their creativity and chemistry on stage and in the studio.
Insomnium – One For Sorrow [Reissue/2011] 2xLP+CD (Century Media)
Vinyl reissue of the fifth studio album by Finnish melodic death metal band.
Gregory Isaacs – Roxy Theater 1982 2xLP (Cleopatra)
Reggae legend Gregory Isaacs blows the roof off of Hollywood’s Roxy Theatre with the help of a superstar backing band The Roots Radics.
Kansas – The Best Of Kansas [Reissue/1984] LP (Friday Music)
Limited red colored audiophile vinyl LP pressing housed in a gatefold sleeve.
King Diamond – Fatal Portrait [Reissue/1986] LP (Metal Blade)
King Diamond – Abigail [Reissue/1987] LP (Metal Blade)
King Diamond – “Them” [Reissue/1988] LP (Metal Blade)
Limited edition picture disc vinyl reissues of the Danish heavy metal band’s first three albums.
Lenny Kravitz – Greatest Hits [Reissue/2000] 2xLP (Virgin)
First-time US vinyl pressing. Originally issued in 2000, the triple platinum compilation showcases the many strengths inherent in the grooves of Kravitz’s first five albums – 1989’s Let Love Rule, 1991’s Mama Said, 1993’s Are You Gonna Go My Way, 1995’s Circus, and 1998’s 5 – by assembling 15 of the best tracks from the first stage of his celebrated career.
Steve Lacy/Yuji Takahashi/Takehisa Kosugi – Distant Voices [Reissue/1976] LP (Aguirre)
Renowned for remarkable solo concerts that confirmed his mastery of the soprano horn and that carried its instrumental language into previously unexplored regions, Steve Lacy loved to collaborate with musicians who could inspire him to stretch the boundaries of his own artistry. During the summer of 1975 Lacy toured Japan, and that June he entered a Nippon Columbia studio in Tokyo with Yuji Takahashi and Takehisa Kosugi, two adventurous kindred spirits, guaranteed to fire Lacy’s creative imagination. The fascinating outcome of that dynamic session is Distant Voices, an album without parallel in Lacy’s extensive discography.
The Steve Miller Band – Children Of The Future [Reissue/1968] LP (Capitol)
The Steve Miller Band – Sailor [Reissue/1968] LP (Capitol)
The Steve Miller Band – Brave New World [Reissue/1969] LP (Capitol)
The Steve Miller Band – Your Saving Grace [Reissue/1969] LP (Capitol)
The Steve Miller Band – 5 [Reissue/1970] LP (Capitol)
The Steve Miller Band – Rock Love [Reissue/1971] LP (Capitol)
The Steve Miller Band – Recall The Beginning… A Journey From Eden [Reissue/1972] LP (Capitol)
The Steve Miller Band – The Joker [Reissue/1973] LP (Capitol)
The Steve Miller Band – Fly Like An Eagle [Reissue/1974] LP (Capitol)
The Steve Miller Band – The Complete Albums 1 9xLP (Capitol)
Fifty years after the Steve Miller Band’s first two Capitol Records albums were released in 1968, the acclaimed group’s first nine studio albums have been remastered.
Michael Nesmith & The First National Band – Magnetic South [Reissue/1970] LP (Sundazed)
Michael Nesmith & The First National Band – Loose Salute [Reissue/1970] LP (Sundazed)
Michael Nesmith & The First National Band – Nevada Fighter [Reissue/1971] LP (Sundazed)
Limited edition colored vinyl reissues. The heralded solo debut of Michael Nesmith, Magnetic South features the artist’s hybrid of cowboy-‘n’-western country music and rock sensibilities, highlighted by “Joanne,” one of the earliest singles with the California-country sound to become a major hit record. The second LP from Michael Nesmith and the First National Band, Loose Salute features the country-rock pioneer’s hit single “Silver Moon” alongside dreamy, near-psychedelic studies on western motifs and melodies, funky swamp sounds, and straight-up country readings in the inimitable Nesmith style. Nevada Fighter completes a trilogy of LPs by the one-time Monkee and again, the First National Band, augmented by members of Elvis’ ‘70s touring band and other Wrecking Crew heroes.
New Found Glory – Makes Me Sick Again LP+MP3 (Hopeless)
Limited pink with yellow splatter colored vinyl LP pressing with printed inner sleeve and digital download. Pop-punk stalwarts New Found Glory return with Makes Me Sick Again, the deluxe follow-up to 2017’s Makes Me Sick, featuring two b-side tracks, alternative artwork and new vinyl colors
Pennywise – Never Gonna Die LP+MP3 (Epitaph)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Never Gonna Die is the twelfth full-length effort from Pennywise and the legendary Southern California punk institution’s first of new songs with singer Jim Lindberg, guitarist Fletcher Dragge, drummer Byron McMackin, and bassist Randy Bradbury in over a decade.
Pink Floyd – Relics [Reissue/1971] LP (Pink Floyd)
Pink Floyd – Pulse (Live) [Reissue/1995] 4xLP (Pink Floyd)
Relics (subtitle: A Bizarre Collection of Antiques & Curios) is a 1971 compilation album by Pink Floyd. The album was released in 1971. Originally released in 1995, Pulse (Live) was compiled by James Guthrie, using various performances from the band’s 1994 Division Bell tour across the UK and Europe featuring David Gilmour, Nick Mason and Richard Wright. The album includes The Dark Side Of The Moon performed in full live, as well as a whole side dedicated to the show’s encore. The four-LP set includes four different inner sleeves, each inside individual outer sleeves, plus a 52-page hardback photo book, all encased in a thick card slipcase.
Redd Kross – Oh Canada! [2016] LP (Bang)
Originally self-released in 2016 on CD, Redd Kross now present this live album recorded in Canada in 1997 during their Show World American tour on vinyl. Redd Kross expose themselves here at their peak of glammest rocking attitude. Melodies, electricity, choruses… Redd Kross at their best.
Segregates – Burston LP (Cleopatra)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Debut album from the UK power trio inspired by Motörhead.
Jesper Siliya – Giant Steps [Reissue/1978] LP+CD (Shadoks Music)
This album by Jesper Siliya was released originally on the same label as Chrissy Zebby Tembo’s My Ancestors. Jesper Siliya used to play with the Ngozi Family and most likely, they played with him here. Giant Steps is his sole album as a band leader, and it’s a great one — very catchy, simple but beautiful compositions, you’ll find yourself singing these songs in your sleep. Heavy fuzz-guitar is all over the album — Fuzz guitars all over with African beats and political lyrics.
Bruce Springsteen – The Album Collection Vol. 2 1987-1996 10xLP (Sony Legacy)
Collects remastered editions of the five studio and live albums recorded and released by Bruce Springsteen for Columbia Records between 1987 – 1996 plus remastered editions of the EPs Chimes Of Freedom (1988) and Blood Brothers (1996) (available for the first time on vinyl). Albums included: Tunnel Of Love (1987), Human Touch (1992), Lucky Town (1992), In Concert/MTV Plugged (1993), and The Ghost Of Tom Joad (1995).
Taj Mahal Travellers – August 1974 [ Reissue/1975] 2xLP (Aguirre)
Vinyl reissue of a monumental work by the Japanese experimental music ensemble.
Tenniscoats – Music Exists Disc 4 LP (Alien Transistor/Afterhours)
Alien Transistor and Tokyo-based label Afterhours release the vinyl-version of Volume 4 of Tenniscoats’ masterpiece Music Exists – a magical quadruple release by the Japanese experimental folk luminaries.
Michal Turtle – Return To Jeka LP (Music From Memory)
Delving further into the archives of British musician Michal Turtle, Return To Jeka brings together eight previously unreleased works recorded between 1983 and 1985. Drawing extensively on the use of percussion and electronics, these songs bring together elements which were not only in many aspects visionary but also sound like little else.
Various Artists – Heads Records – South African Disco-Dub Edits 12” (Soundway)
Off the back of the recent Gumba Fire compilation, Soundway releases a four-track, dancefloor-orientated EP drawing from the short-lived Heads label out of South Africa, which lasted a brief two years between 1982 and 1984.
Waveless – As One More Folded Paper Crane LP/Cassette (Moniker)
Waveless has been touring the DIY circuit of damp basements and abandoned warehouses for the last three years. Cutting their teeth as a fast-paced punk band, Waveless has shifted into something that is dense and buzzy, and also melodic and melancholy. The trio take notes from bands like Hüsker Dü, Sonic Youth, and the Pixies, capturing the energy and sound of the underground as they reshape it.
Wax Idols – Happy Ending LP (Etruscan Gold Ltd.)
Oakland four-piece Wax Idols reinvigorate the mutated aesthetics of varying strains of post-punk, post-hardcore, and classic pop-rock. Hether Fortune’s powerful voice (as songwriter, arranger, producer, singer, and guitarist) is at the center, but the group’s work together is what makes Wax Idol’s energy so vital. Their fourth album Happy Ending is an exploration of the abstraction and finality of death from philosophical, political, and personal perspectives. Despite the heavy subject matter, Hole drummer Patty Schemel notes the collection’s ‘amazing pop melodies [found] inside dark, soulful soundscapes’ and the Mars Volta’s Cedric Bixler-Zavala calls it ‘a glacial invocation of anthemic horizons.
Cassettes:
Courtney Barnett – Tell Me How You Really Feel (Mom + Pop Music)
The Grammy and Brit nominated Courtney Barnett returns with her second album. Tell Me How You Really Feel follows her critically acclaimed 2015 debut album Sometimes I Sit And Think And Sometimes I Just Sit and recent collaborative record, Lotta Sea Lice, with Kurt Vile. One of the most distinctive voices in music, Courtney is known for mixing witty observations with unflinching self-assessment – fast forward to now and although all of the cleaver turns of phrase and an eye for story telling are still there; this new collection of songs sees a more serious and outwardly tone capturing the current social landscape yet still retaining moments of intimacy and warmth. [Deluxe CD edition with expanded booklet also available. All formats include digital download.]
Fosil Sangiran – Khayal Kuno (Helen Scarsdale Agency)
Fosil Sangiran – Pasar Fosil (Helen Scarsdale Agency)
Fosil Sangiran is the pseudonym for Seattle polymath Matt Shoemaker (1974-2017). The two recordings that have been uncovered from his archives under this moniker were recorded during a lengthy sabbatical in Java, Indonesia between 2012 and 2013. These two posthumous recordings celebrate the life and art of Matt Shoemaker who took his own life in 2017.
Ziggy Marley – Rebellion Rises (Tuff Gong)
The Eight-time Grammy award winning musician and reggae icon releases his seventh full-length solo studio album.
Quiet Slang – Everything Matters But No One Is Listening (Polyvinyl)
There’s something almost cheeky about the title of James Alex’s new project: Quiet Slang. As the name implies, Alex is embracing minimalism, smothering the fuzz in favor of a cello, a piano, and his voice. Everything Matters But No One Is Listening is a collection of 10 Beach Slang covers.
Waveless – As One More Folded Paper Crane (Moniker)
Waveless has been touring the DIY circuit of damp basements and abandoned warehouses for the last three years. Cutting their teeth as a fast-paced punk band, Waveless has shifted into something that is dense and buzzy, and also melodic and melancholy. The trio take notes from bands like Hüsker Dü, Sonic Youth, and the Pixies, capturing the energy and sound of the underground as they reshape it.
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