AIMS Marketing Program/ Featured Titles Promoted This Week:
Cloak – Black Flame Eternal CD/2xLP (Season Of Mist)
In an era that is designed to beat down and weaken the individual, Black Flame Eternal is an album that represents strength, empowerment, and total opposition. With mounting pressure to engage in modern societal tribalism, Cloak invokes a spiritual rebellion that exists beyond good and evil with album number three. While Cloak might rage against societal conventions, the Atlanta quartet embraces the rebellious and time-tested traditions of heavy metal. Whether it be the conjuring the chaotic spirit of Swedish black metal purveyors Watain and Dissection, summoning the deep, dark, and sensual groove of Danzig, or evoking the raw speed and raucous energy of Motörhead, the influence of metal’s founding fathers is deep within Cloak’s DNA.
The Exploding Hearts – Guitar Romantic (Expanded & Remastered) CD/LP (Third Man)
Legendary power-pop trailblazers The Exploding Hearts deliver an expanded and remastered reissue of their beloved sole studio album, Guitar Romantic, originally released in 2003. In the 20 years since – and the subsequent tragic deaths of three of the four band members in a van accident later that same year – Guitar Romantic has outgrown its onetime “cult” status to become an immortal touchstone of the genre. Adored the world over for its vivid depictions of young love and reckless abandon, alongside its effervescent combination of influences like the Buzzcocks, Undertones, Nick Lowe and more, Guitar Romantic is an undeniable statement from a band gone entirely too soon. The expanded and remastered reissue brings a welcome dose of new life to an album all-too-often associated with death, and with it, plenty of old favorites and unheard gems for fans to rejoice about. [A limited-edition clear w/ pink & yellow color vinyl pressing is available.]
Matchbox Twenty – Where The Light Goes CD/LP (Atlantic)
Nearly eleven years since their last release, Matchbox Twenty sounds refreshed as ever on their fifth studio album Where The Light Goes, benefiting from the musicians’ respective solo journeys. Produced by Gregg Wattenberg with Paul Doucette and Kyle Cook, the album finds the band surging with energy for another great batch of real, relevant, and relatable songs. The outing is the band’s first since 2017’s A Brief History Of Everything tour, which marked the 20th anniversary of their Diamond-certified debut album Yourself Or Someone Like You. Rob Thomas has proven one of the most highly decorated artists of recent years – releasing five solo albums and receiving three Grammy Awards, 11 BMI Awards, the first-ever Songwriters Hall of Fame Hal David Starlight Award, two Billboard “Songwriter of the Year” honors, and top five placement on Billboard’s Top 20 Hot 100 Songwriters (2000-2011). Meanwhile, Paul Doucette has scored and contributed original music to film and television series such as Utopia, For All Mankind, and more.
Arlo Parks – My Soft Machine CD/LP/Cassette (Transgressive/PIAS)
Arlo Parks sophomore album, My Soft Machine, is a deeply personal body of work; a narration of Parks’ experiences as she navigates her 20s and the growth intertwined. It follows her highly praised debut album, Collapsed In Sunbeams, which received two Grammy nominations for Best New Artist and Best Alternative Music Album, won the BRIT Award for Best New Artist, received the Honda Mercury Prize, won the BBC Introducing Artist Of The Year Award, was nominated for Breakthrough International Act at the BET Awards and reached the Top 3 on the UK Album Charts. My Soft Machine was recorded between London and Los Angeles throughout 2021/2022. Arlo worked alongside producers including Paul Epworth, Ariel Rechtshaid, Romil Hemnani (Brockhampton), Frank Ocean-collaborator Buddy Ross, and Carter Lang (SZA), whilst also self-producing a run of material on the album. The record features a guest vocal from musician and friend, Phoebe Bridgers. [Two indie store exclusive versions are available: a green vinyl colorway and a deluxe violet vinyl colorway housed in a black canvas tote bag along with a friendship bracelet, a poster, and a print.]
Water From Your Eyes – Everyone’s Crushed CD/LP+MP3 (Matador)
Life is horribly dark right now. And yet, it is not unfunny. That’s the sentiment that animates Water From Your Eyes on their new album, Everyone’s Crushed. On the follow-up to the Brooklyn duo’s 2021 breakthrough, Structure, Rachel Brown, and Nate Amos find silliness and fatalism dancing in a frantic lockstep, using heart palpitating rhythms and absurdist, deadpan lyrics to convey stories of personal and societal unease. Described by Brown as Water From Your Eyes’ most collaborative record ever, it’s a swollen contusion of an album: experimental pop music that’s pretty and violent, raw and indelible.
Additional Social Media Program Title:
Black Country, New Road – Live At Bush Hall LP+MP3 (Ninja Tune)
A brand-new album of unreleased material from Black Country, New Road, recorded at the historic music venue Bush Hall, in London at a series of unique shows at the end of December 2022. Mixed by John Parish and mastered by Christian Wright at Abbey Road, the new album and material marks a new chapter for the band as a six-piece.
CDs + Vinyl:
AJJ – Disposable Everything CD/LP (Hopeless)
Phoenix-based indie punk band AJJ is back with their 10th studio album, Disposable Everything. After years of cult-like indie success and underground critical acclaim, AJJ has continued to evolve with each album, adding more layers and texture musically, while still maintaining their trademark wit and irreverent lyricism. [A limited-edition green color vinyl pressing is available.]
Arch Enemy – Burning Bridges [Reissue/1999] CD/LP (Century Media)
Arch Enemy – Wages Of Sin [Reissue/2001] CD/LP (Century Media)
CD and limited-edition color vinyl pressings (translucent green and translucent red, respectively) of the third and fourth albums by the Swedish melodic death metal band.
Arrival Of Autumn – Kingdom Undone CD/LP (Nuclear Blast)
280 miles north of Edmonton on the highway to Alaska, you’ll find Grande Prairie, Alberta. Snow covers the ground of this small town for nearly seven months out of the year, and bear attacks aren’t uncommon. Arrival Of Autumn came to life in this place. The quintet absorb the icy emotion of their surroundings in a hard-hitting hybrid of heavy metal proficiency, metalcore intensity, and skyscraping melodic sensibility. [An orange w/ blue color vinyl pressing is available.]
Baby Rose – Through And Through CD/LP (Secretly Canadian)
Baby Rose makes healing music for the aimless and heartbroken. The Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter and producer’s uniquely rich voice naturally lends itself to her powerful, smoke-filled ballads lamenting lost loves and broken futures. “I make music to help myself get through things,” she says. The piercing honesty and vulnerability she brings to her lyrics in turn helps others process their feelings and find a place of healing. For Rose, it’s a journey that’s still ongoing. [A limited-edition ‘red rose’ color vinyl pressing is available.]
Chet Baker – Chet On Poetry [Reissue/1989] CD (Mono Jazz)
Chet On Poetry is the West Coast’s trumpet superstar last studio recording; Chet’s spiritual testament in music and probably one of his most meaningful records.
The Barnstormers – The Barnstormers CD/LP (Rhino)
The Barnestormers is a rockabilly supergroup featuring Jimmy Barnes, Jools Holland, Chris Cheney, Slim Jim Phantom and Kevin Shirley. They make the finest finger poppin’ grooves to shake your local juke joint since the glory days of fenders and fins.
Daniel Blumberg – Gut CD/LP+MP3 (Mute)
Gut is an unflinchingly raw and personal album from the Ivor Novello winning musician and composer. It is a suite of six songs performed entirely by Blumberg comprising an extraordinary, soaring vocal take and an unconventional palette of bass harmonica, Steinberger e-bass, synthesizer and electronic drums. The album makes reference to the intestinal disease Blumberg has suffered over the last few years, its songs tracing a body stripped back and rebuilt: renderings of pain, frustration and fatigue in ballads made of sinew and bone.
Boy & Bear – Boy & Bear CD/LP (Unified Music Group)
Fifth album from the Australian indie folk band. [A limited-edition orange color vinyl pressing is available.]
Ane Brun – Songs 2013–2023 CD/LP (Balloon Ranger)
It’s been ten years since Ane Brun marked her first decade as a recording artist with the release of Songs 2003-2013, a career-encapsulating double album. Now, with her international reputation flourishing, Songs 2013-2023 allows the distinguished, platinum-selling Norwegian singer songwriter to celebrate her second decade in the business – not to mention her multiple Norwegian and Swedish Grammy awards – while also illustrating the ongoing, fascinating evolution of her singular, compelling talent.
Calexico – Feast Of Wire [Reissue/2003] 2xCD/3xLP (Quarter Stick)
Deluxe 20th Anniversary Edition of Calexico’s acclaimed 2003 album Feast Of Wire. The original album has been fully remastered, includes the band’s popular cover of “Love’s Alone Again Or”. The set includes the unreleased live recording of Calexico’s 2003 performance at the China Theatre in Stockholm, Sweden, titled More Cowboys In Sweden (Live).
Cloak – Black Flame Eternal CD/2xLP (Season Of Mist)
In an era that is designed to beat down and weaken the individual, Black Flame Eternal is an album that represents strength, empowerment, and total opposition. With mounting pressure to engage in modern societal tribalism, Cloak invokes a spiritual rebellion that exists beyond good and evil with album number three. While Cloak might rage against societal conventions, the Atlanta quartet embraces the rebellious and time-tested traditions of heavy metal. Whether it be the conjuring the chaotic spirit of Swedish black metal purveyors Watain and Dissection, summoning the deep, dark, and sensual groove of Danzig, or evoking the raw speed and raucous energy of Motörhead, the influence of metal’s founding fathers is deep within Cloak’s DNA.
Combustible Edison – Forbidden Isle Of Demos CD/LP (Modern Harmonic)
This auditory hors d’oeuvre spawned the album that helped start the cocktail and exotica rebirth of the ’90s. It’s hard to call recordings as lush and beautiful as these demos, but that’s what they are. These reels preceded the band’s Sub Pop debut I, Swinger, and contain early versions of most of that album along with songs you’ve never heard on record before.
Elegant Weapons – Horns For A Halo CD/2xLP (Nuclear Blast)
Debut album from the (Judas Priest guitarist) Richie Faulkner-led Elegant Weapons featuring 10 tracks of pure raw power. Other members include Ronnie Romero (Rainbow, Vandenberg), Michael Schenker, Dave Rimmer (Uriah Heep) and Christopher Williams (Accept).
Evermore – In Memoriam CD/LP (Scarlet)
New album from the Swedish power metal band. While always adopting a heavy and aggressive tone, Evermore’s stunning melodies weave around each other and create songs that are smart-structured and yet always catchy and radio friendly. This time, the Swedish band even used a church choir to add another sonic layer to the sound. [Two limited-edition vinyl pressings are available: indie store exclusive and black w/ white marble.]
The Exploding Hearts – Guitar Romantic (Expanded & Remastered) CD/LP (Third Man)
Legendary power-pop trailblazers The Exploding Hearts deliver an expanded and remastered reissue of their beloved sole studio album, Guitar Romantic, originally released in 2003. In the 20 years since – and the subsequent tragic deaths of three of the four band members in a van accident later that same year – Guitar Romantic has outgrown its onetime “cult” status to become an immortal touchstone of the genre. Adored the world over for its vivid depictions of young love and reckless abandon, alongside its effervescent combination of influences like the Buzzcocks, Undertones, Nick Lowe and more, Guitar Romantic is an undeniable statement from a band gone entirely too soon. The expanded and remastered reissue brings a welcome dose of new life to an album all-too-often associated with death, and with it, plenty of old favorites and unheard gems for fans to rejoice about. [A limited-edition clear w/ pink & yellow color vinyl pressing is available.]
Fridge – Happiness [Reissue/2001] CD/2xLP (Temporary Residence)
Formed in 1996 by schoolmates Kieran Hebden, Adem Ilhan, and Sam Jeffers, Fridge was astonishingly prolific in their early years, releasing ten singles and four albums in just their first four years together. After a brief stint with a major label imprint – which saw the trio release their most focused album to date (Eph, 1999) – Fridge delivered their fourth album, Happiness. Originally released in 2001, Happiness was a sprawling, pastoral masterpiece – an innovative mix of acoustic clatter, electronic exploration, hip-hop production techniques, and experimental rock arrangements.
Matthew Herbert x London Contemporary Orchestra – The Horse CD/2xLP (Modern Recordings)
Challenging his considerable legacy with one of his most extraordinary projects to date, celebrated British artist, producer, composer, and experimentalist Matthew Herbert presents The Horse. Based around a full-size horse skeleton and working alongside the London Contemporary Orchestra and an expansive cast of special collaborators, this is Herbert in full flight, restlessly curious and culminating in starkly original, ritualistic music loaded with intent.
Iced Earth – Hellrider / I Walk Among You CD/2xLP (Roar! Rock Of Angels)
Iced Earth guitarist and founding member Jon Schaffer releases two ‘new’ EPs, Hellrider and I Walk Among You. Each contains rare recordings from the transition period between singer Tim ‘Ripper’ Owens’ and predecessor/successor Matt Barlow in 2007 and 2008, a particularly exciting and eventful time in the band’s history. [Multiple vinyl colorways, including a picture disc pressing, are available.]
Incendiary – Change The Way You Think About Pain CD/LP (Closed Casket Activities)
Armed with crushing metallic riffs, instantly both fresh and familiar, Incendiary populate each of their four full-length albums with irresistibly energized rhythms and adrenalized urgency. Change The Way You Think About Pain is their leanest and unapologetically meanest yet. The quintet weaned on the Long Island, New York, hardcore scene has more to say than ever. Sharply biting and insightful lyrics sit atop blunt metalcore in a perfect soundtrack to throw a brick through a window. [Two vinyl colorways are available: indie store exclusive orange and limited-edition red.]
Immortal – War Against All CD/LP/Cassette (Nuclear Blast)
Produced and recorded by Enslaved’s lead guitarist Arve Isdal at Conclave & Earshot Studio in Bergen, Norway, War Against All is the tenth studio album from Immortal. [A limited-edition ‘Baltic blue’ color vinyl pressing is available.]
JW Jones – Everything Now CD/LP (Idla)
Billboard Top 10 Blues Artist, 2020 IBC Winner, and JUNO Nominee, Canadian singer/guitarist JW-Jones is back with his 12th release. After winning Best Guitarist at the 2020 International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Jones started working on ‘Everything Now’, an all-original project with special guest Jimmie Vaughan, and production by Gordie Johnson (Big Sugar).
Judah & The Lion – Sweet Tennessee [Reissue/2013] CD (RHR Cat)
CD reissue of the 2013 release from the Nashville-based rock band.
Carole King – Carole King Home Again CD/2xLP (Sony Legacy)
Live archive release from the pop music icon. Recorded live on The Great Lawn of New York City’s Central Park on May 26, 1973. Produced by Lou Adler, Carole King Home Again is a previously unreleased concert recording and a stunning document of one of the greatest contributors to the American songbook. [A stand-alone DVD version is available.]
Kings Never Die – All The Rats CD/LP (Rat Pak)
Hailing from New York, New Jersey & and Pennsylvania, Kings Never Die walk the line between positive, uplifting messages and dead serious subject matter. A musical and lyrical mix of hardcore, punk and metal with chat or sing along vocals. [A limited-edition dark transparent vinyl pressing is available.]
Matchbox Twenty – Where The Light Goes CD/LP (Atlantic)
Nearly eleven years since their last release, Matchbox Twenty sounds refreshed as ever on their fifth studio album Where The Light Goes, benefiting from the musicians’ respective solo journeys. Produced by Gregg Wattenberg with Paul Doucette and Kyle Cook, the album finds the band surging with energy for another great batch of real, relevant, and relatable songs. The outing is the band’s first since 2017’s A Brief History Of Everything tour, which marked the 20th anniversary of their Diamond-certified debut album Yourself Or Someone Like You. Rob Thomas has proven one of the most highly decorated artists of recent years – releasing five solo albums and receiving three Grammy Awards, 11 BMI Awards, the first-ever Songwriters Hall of Fame Hal David Starlight Award, two Billboard “Songwriter of the Year” honors, and top five placement on Billboard’s Top 20 Hot 100 Songwriters (2000-2011). Meanwhile, Paul Doucette has scored and contributed original music to film and television series such as Utopia, For All Mankind, and more.
Messa – Live At Roadburn 2022 CD/LP (Svart)
2023 live release from the Italian doom metal band. [A limited-edition gold color vinyl pressing is available.]
Metal Church – Congregation Of Annihilation CD/LP (Rat Pak)
Congregation Of Annihilation features 11 all new tracks from the west coast metal veterans and continues to build upon their iconic sound the band established over three decades ago.
Mournful Congregation – The Exuviae Of Gods – Part II CDEP/12” (20 Buck Spin)
Returning with the second and final installment in the doom-laden The Exuviae Of Gods EP series, Part II once again contains two never-heard brand new Mournful Congregation tracks and a re-recording of an old classic from the band’s ’90s demo era. [A royal blue color vinyl pressing is available.]
Oceanlord – Kingdom Cold CD/LP (Magnetic Eye)
From the dark depths of the southern oceans, Australian doom trio Ocean Lord has conjured an eldritch monster of an album with their tentacled debut Kingdom Cold. Frying guitars with an extra helping of thick fuzz and a crusty top deliver a tasty doom sound. Songs that range from very slow via slow to mid-tempo with occasional outbursts of energy also stand firmly on the rock solid ground of this classic metal genre. [Two vinyl colorways are available: blue/white marble and translucent blue.]
Eliades Ochoa – Guajiro CD/LP (World Circuit)
Eliades Ochoa, the Cuban singer, songwriter and guitarist well known as one of the original members of Buena Vista Social Club, returns with his 2023 album Guajiro, a collection of beautiful and melodic songs that cements his reputation as one of the most important artists to come out of Cuba in the last century. Featuring guest artists Rubén Blades, Joan As Police Woman, and Charlie Musselwhite.
Ondfødt – Det Österbottniska Mörkret CD/LP (Black Lion)
New album from the Finnish black metal band. Akin to the long winter nights in the north, Det Österbottniska Mörkret presents a scenery of a cold and biting tension during the midwinter darkness, where even the calmness can be overwhelming and aggressive.
Arlo Parks – My Soft Machine CD/LP/Cassette (Transgressive/PIAS)
Arlo Parks sophomore album, My Soft Machine, is a deeply personal body of work; a narration of Parks’ experiences as she navigates her 20s and the growth intertwined. It follows her highly praised debut album, Collapsed In Sunbeams, which received two Grammy nominations for Best New Artist and Best Alternative Music Album, won the BRIT Award for Best New Artist, received the Honda Mercury Prize, won the BBC Introducing Artist Of The Year Award, was nominated for Breakthrough International Act at the BET Awards and reached the Top 3 on the UK Album Charts. My Soft Machine was recorded between London and Los Angeles throughout 2021/2022. Arlo worked alongside producers including Paul Epworth, Ariel Rechtshaid, Romil Hemnani (Brockhampton), Frank Ocean-collaborator Buddy Ross, and Carter Lang (SZA), whilst also self-producing a run of material on the album. The record features a guest vocal from musician and friend, Phoebe Bridgers. [Two indie store exclusive versions are available: a green vinyl colorway and a deluxe violet vinyl colorway housed in a black canvas tote bag along with a friendship bracelet, a poster, and a print.]
Pere Ubu – Trouble On Big Beat Street CD/LP (Cherry Red)
Pere Ubu unveil their 19th album, Trouble On Big Beat Street, nearly four years after their previous record for Cherry Red, The Long Goodbye. The Modern Dance (1978) marked the end of rock ‘n’ roll. Trouble On Big Beat Street marks the end of the song. Pere Ubu ended with The Long Goodbye. Pere Ubu begins again with Trouble On Big Beat Street. If you missed the last 48 years then imagine a bad attitude. Imagine Electric Light Orchestra – the version with Roy Wood – then add Muddy Waters playing guitar and Nina Simone singing.
Tito Puente and his Latin Ensemble with Special Guest George Shearing – Mambo Diablo CD (Concord Picante)
Recorded At Coast Recorders, San Francisco, CA May 1985.
Sirenia – 1977 CD (Napalm)
New album from the Norwegian gothic symphonic metal band.
Lee Small – Last Man On Earth CD/LP (Metalville)
New solo album from veteran vocalist Lee Small, who first came to light singing with Tom Galley’s Phenomena project, a band that has featured so many worldwide singers & musicians of the highest order, including Glenn Hughes, Mel Galley, Cozy Powell, Neil Murray, Ray Gillen, Keith Murrell, Scott Gorham, Tony Martin, Bernie Marsden & Brian May. Last Man On Earth is a melodic rock feast in a classic style a la Journey & Toto. [A limited-edition red color vinyl pressing is available.]
Sparks – The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte CD/LP (Island)
The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte marks Sparks’ first release on the venerable Island Records label in close to five decades, following such classics as 1974’s landmark Kimono My House, highlighted of course by the indelible hit single “This Town Ain’t Big Enough For Both Of Us”. The new release is described by Ron and Russell Mael as a record that is “as bold and uncompromising as anything we did back then or, for that matter, anytime throughout our career.” [An indie store exclusive deluxe silver vinyl colorway is available.]
Sternenmädchen – Gilles Zeitschiff 2 CD/LP (Komische Kuriere)
A work that brings back to life the spirit of space rock of the early ‘70s.
Suicide – A Way Of Life [Reissue/1988] CD/2xLP (BMG/Mute)
35th Anniversary remastered and expanded edition. Although the band barely received any credit during their career, Suicide is cited as one of the most inspirational bands of the 1970s, influencing the likes Soft Cell, Depeche Mode and The Jesus And Mary Chain, whilst garnering fans in Nick Cave, Jim Thirlwell, M.I.A., Spiritualized, Lydia Lunch, Bobby Gillespie and Savages to name a few. Originally released in 1988, more than a decade after their iconic self-titled album, A Way Of Life saw Alan Vega & Martin Rev once again team up with The Cars’ frontman Ric Ocasek to produce “nine creepily ingratiated industrial pop songs” (Pitchfork). [A limited-edition yellow color vinyl pressing is available.]
Sun Ra – Space Is The Place (Music From The Original Soundtrack) [Reissue/1993] 2xCD+Blu-ray+DVD/3xLP+Blu-ray+DVD (Modern Harmonic)
Original music composed for the film Space Is The Place, which was eventually released as a soundtrack in 1993. It also features The Mathematics Of The Altered Destiny, a previously unissued album recorded in the same soundtrack sessions but is finally being released half a century after it was recorded. This newly discovered album is heavy on the prose of Sun Ra, as he and June Tyson bestow countless bits of information and inspiration onto the listener. The film soundtrack is an entirely different journey than the 1973 Blue Thumb LP. The DVD and Blu-ray contains the entire glorious film complete with film artifacts and was sourced from the restoration prepared by Rapid Eye Movies of Germany. [Each LP of the triple-vinyl version is pressed on a different color: silver, gold and green.]
David Sylvian / Stephan Mathieu – Wandermüde [Reissue/2012] CD/2xLP (Grönland)
This CD and vinyl reissue includes one previously unreleased bonus track and was mastered by Stephan Mathieu from the original recordings.
Travis Tritt – Proud Of The Country [Reissue/1987] CD/LP (Painted Desert Music)
CD and vinyl reissue of the country music star’s debut album. Three decades after Travis Tritt launched his music career, the Southern rock-influenced artist continues to stay true and relevant to country music fans across the globe. A Marietta, Georgia native, Tritt incorporated his lifelong influences of Southern rock, blues, and gospel into his country during a honky-tonk apprenticeship that led him to Warner Bros. in 1989.
Joni Void – Every Day Is The Song CD/LP+MP3 (Constellation)
Everyday Is The Song is Joni Void’s third album for Constellation and a deeper plunge into emotive audio montage; the Montréal-based French-British producer calls it “Tape Vortex / Musique Verité / Memory Collage.” The album’s raw material relies centrally on a Walkman bought at local record shop Death Of Vinyl in spring 2020 and lost at a Backxwash show two years later, but not before hours of audio snippets were captured and archived. Everyday Is The Song is an evocative sample-based sonic diary brimming with warmth, transience and hyper-specificity where Void explores a more abstract and interstitial terrain of drifting miniatures. It remains very much a collection of songs, but relative to the more assertive and intensive tracks channeling explorations of traumatic interiority on their previous pair of acclaimed LPs.
The Waterboys – A Rock IN The Weary Land 2xCD/2xLP (Cooking Vinyl)
Digitally remastered and expanded edition. A Rock In The Weary Land is The Waterboys’ seventh studio album, originally released on September 25, 2000. The recording saw the return of the band name after Mike Scott’s two solo albums and featured contributions from two original Waterboys, Kevin Wilkinson and Anthony Thistlethwaite, and some brilliant new ones including keyboard players Thighpaulsandra and Sir Richard Naiff. NME described the album as “a masterpiece,” and Mojo called it “brazen, unapologetic, vital.” [A limited-edition color vinyl pressing is available.]
Water From Your Eyes – Everyone’s Crushed CD/LP+MP3 (Matador)
Life is horribly dark right now. And yet, it is not unfunny. That’s the sentiment that animates Water From Your Eyes on their new album, Everyone’s Crushed. On the follow-up to the Brooklyn duo’s 2021 breakthrough, Structure, Rachel Brown, and Nate Amos find silliness and fatalism dancing in a frantic lockstep, using heart palpitating rhythms and absurdist, deadpan lyrics to convey stories of personal and societal unease. Described by Brown as Water From Your Eyes’ most collaborative record ever, it’s a swollen contusion of an album: experimental pop music that’s pretty and violent, raw and indelible.
Billy Woods – Maps CD/2xLP (Billy Woods)
Maps is the 2023 album from NYC rapper Billy Woods and L.A. producer Kenny Segal, their first full collaboration since 2019’s Hiding Places. Four years after that landmark record, the duo has reunited with a vengeance. Maps is a story of the road, or roads, taken and untaken; of living the dream and dreaming of another life. It is an album about trying to find your way home, after making your home wherever you lay your head. Produced in full by Kenny Segal, Maps features Danny Brown, ELUCID (Armand Hammer), Shabaka Hutchins, Sam Herring (Future Islands), Quelle Chris, Aesop Rock, Benjamin Booker, and ShrapKnel. Segal moves effortlessly through styles, but everything is underpinned with deep basslines and mean drums laid down like railroad tracks.
DVDs + Blu-ray:
Carole King – Carole King Home Again DVD (Sony Legacy)
Live archive release from the pop music icon. Recorded live on The Great Lawn of New York City’s Central Park on May 26, 1973. Produced by Lou Adler, Carole King Home Again is a previously unreleased concert recording and a stunning document of one of the greatest contributors to the American songbook.
This Week’s Vinyl Exclusives:
Aerosmith – Get Your Wings [Reissue/1974] LP (Capitol)
Aerosmith – Toys In The Attic [Reissue/1975] LP (Capitol)
Aerosmith – Rocks [Reissue/1976] LP (Capitol)
Aerosmith – Night In The Ruts [Reissue/1979] LP (Capitol)
Vinyl reissues of Aerosmith’s 2nd, 4th, and 6th albums.
Afrorack – Afrorack LP (Hakuna Kulala)
“For a human being to be fully functional, it has to have a brain that’s working and eyes and ears and arms,” says Ugandan synth builder and producer Brian Bamanya, aka Afrorack. “Which is the same with the modular synthesizer: you have an oscillator, a VCA and all these envelopes. For it to create something meaningful, everything has to work together to create harmony.” At times, Bamanya’s meditative, bass-heavy compositions echo the psychedelic sounds of Shackleton or Adrian Sherwood’s African Head Charge.
Asia – Phoenix [Reissue/2008] 2xLP (BMG)
Phoenix is the tenth studio album by British rock band Asia, released in 2008. It was the first studio recording with the original line-up after the reunion in 2006.
Ray Barretto – Que Viva La Música [Reissue/1972] LP (Craft Recordings)
Que Viva La Música celebrates its 50th anniversary and features Barretto at his peak in the “Hard Salsa” era.
Bayonne – Temporary Time LP (Nettwerk)
Electric blue color vinyl pressing. Deeply informed by a deliberate transformation of his musical process, Bayonne’s third full-length Temporary Time ultimately makes for his most expansive work to date – an album of both painfully raw introspection and otherworldly beauty. On Temporary Time, Bayonne channels vast imagination into an elegant, yet wildly experimental form of electronic pop, equal parts meditative and mesmerizing.
Black Country, New Road – Live At Bush Hall LP+MP3 (Ninja Tune)
A brand-new album of unreleased material from Black Country, New Road, recorded at the historic music venue Bush Hall, in London at a series of unique shows at the end of December 2022. Mixed by John Parish and mastered by Christian Wright at Abbey Road, the new album and material marks a new chapter for the band as a six-piece.
Blessed By A Broken Heart – All Is Fair In Love And War [Reissue/2004] LP (Brutal Planet)
Blessed By A Broken Heart – Pedal To The Metal [Reissue/2008] LP (Brutal Planet)
Color (green and purple, respectively) vinyl reissues of the Canadian glam metal/metalcore band’s first two albums.
Blue October – Spinning The Truth Around 2xLP (Up Down)
Texas quintet Blue October formed during the post-grunge boom of the mid- ’90s when vocalist/guitarist Justin Furstenfeld began penning angst-ridden rock songs with the help of his brother, drummer Jeremy Furstenfeld, and violinist Ryan Delahoussaye. Bassist Liz Mullaly completed the band’s initial lineup.
Bombay Bicycle Club & The Staves – The Endless Coloured Ways: The Songs Of Nick Drake 7” (Chrysalis)
The Endless Coloured Ways is a collection of songs by legendary singer/ songwriter, Nick Drake, performed and recorded by over 30 incredible artists from a range of different backgrounds, genres, age groups and audiences. From Fontaines D.C. to Guy Garvey, Aurora to Feist, and Self-Esteem to David Gray, each artist has offered their own incredible take on a timeless classic.
Léonore Boulanger, Jean-Daniel Botta – Un lièvre était un très cher baiser LP (Slouch Hat)
Léonore Boulanger studied drama, experimental jazz improvisation and Persian music in Paris. Her music reflects her wide interest in African folk and in composers such as George Crumb, Teiji Ito, Harry Partch and singer Meredith Monk. For their fifth album, Un lièvre était un très cher baiser, Léonore Boulanger and Jean-Daniel Botta with percussionist Laurent Sériès compose and decompose a set of fragments of the outsider art poetry of Ernst Herbeck from Gugging center in Austria.
Brother Ali – Mourning In America and Dreaming In Color [Reissue/2012] 2xLP (Rhymesayers)
Red, white & blue color vinyl pressing. Originally released in 2012 following unprecedented changes in the music industry, Mourning In America and Dreaming In Color found Brother Ali reborn and rejuvenated. Teaming up with famed platinum-selling producer Jake One (Drake, J. Cole, Wiz Khalifa, MF DOOM), Brother Ali was prepared to tell the American story from a very different viewpoint. Inspired by his first trip to Mecca, the 2011 uprisings in the Middle East, and the Occupy movements that were building steam worldwide, Ali linked with Jake One during a two-month sabbatical in Seattle to create this brave new phase in his remarkable discography. The album presented a scathingly honest critique of America and its many flaws while simultaneously presenting a hopeful outlook for the future and its possibilities.
Cam’ron – U Wasn’t There LP (Federal Reserve)
U Wasn’t There is the long-fabled collaborative project between superstar DJ/producer/Fool’s Gold founder A-Trak and New York trendsetter/lyricist/cultural icon Cam’ron.
Caribou – Our Love [Reissue/2014] LP+MP3 (Merge)
Pink color vinyl pressing. Our Love is formed around a mixture of digital pop production, hip-hop-inspired beats, muted house basslines, and a love of shuffling garage that can be traced all the way back to the time of Start Breaking My Heart – all of which are, of course, filtered through Dan’s own unique perspective. The warm analog sounds of classic soul should not be overlooked either, for they weave themselves most intensely into the record’s DNA. In fact, Our Love is probably Caribou’s most soulful record to date.
Ryan Cassata – Greatest Hits (So Far) LP (Kill Rock Stars)
First vinyl compilation from the YouTube phenomenon, transgender, musician, speaker, activist. Limited-edition translucent with blue & pink splatter vinyl.
Charli XCX – True Romance [Reissue/2013] LP (Atlantic)
Silver color vinyl pressing. Originally released ten years ago in 2013, True Romance quickly established Charli XCX as a pop force to be reckoned with, thanks to its blend of infections hooks, club-ready beats, and confessional lyrics that explore love, heartbreak, and self-discovery.
Cock Sparrer – Cock Sparrer [Reissue/1978] LP (Pirate Press)
Cock Sparrer – Shock Troops [Reissue/1983] LP (Pirate Press)
Vinyl reissues of the pub rock/street punk/Oi! band’s first two albums.
Lucy Dacus – Historian [Reisue/2018] LP+MP3 (Matador)
For the fifth anniversary of her sophomore album, Lucy Dacus releases a limited red vinyl edition of Historian with packaging restored to the never before seen original front cover artwork.
Darkthrone – Cromlech LP (Peaceville)
Vinyl reissue of Darkthrone’s legendary 1989 demo, including additional tracks from Bootleg TV (1989) and rare rehearsal tracks from 1990.
Death Cab For Cutie – Plans [Reissue/2005] 2xLP (Barsuk)
Death Cab for Cutie’s 2005 classic double-LP Plans is back in stock on standard-weight black vinyl. Presented in gatefold packaging, Plans is the band’s platinum-selling Grammy-nominated major label debut and includes some of their most beloved songs including “Soul Meets Body”, “Crooked Teeth”, and “I Will Follow You into the Dark”. Side D includes the non-album bonus track “Talking Like Turnstiles”.
Clint Eastwood – Rawhide’s Clint Eastwood Sings Cowboy Favorites [Reissue/1962] LP (Abkco)
Rawhide’s Clint Eastwood Sings Cowboy Favorites finds Clint Eastwood (as Rowdy Yates from Rawhide) crooning his way through classic cowboy standards in a style that has been called “a kind of cross between Roy Rogers and Dean Martin.” Eastwood saddles up to standards such as “San Antonio Rose”, “Tumbling Tumbleweeds”, “Bouquet Of Roses”, “Along The Santa Fe Trail”, “The Last Round Up”, “Mexicali Rose”, “Don’t Fence Me In”, and five others.
Danny Elfman – So-Lo [Reissue/1984] LP (Rubellan Remasters)
Yellow w/ black vinyl pressing. After Oingo Boingo left A&M records, Danny Elfman’s first release on MCA records was the album So-Lo. Widely considered to be the fourth Oingo Boingo album, all band members make contributions. So-Lo takes on an even more electronic sound than the previous Boingo album, and this time relies on drum machines through several songs. The single “Gratitude” was included on the film soundtrack for the Eddie Murphy vehicle Beverly Hills Cop.
Tommy Emmanuel – Accomplice Two LP (CGP Sounds)
Tommy Emmanuel’s duet album, Accomplice Two, has an amazing variety of artists and styles. There’s songs with the rock legends Michael McDonald, Jorma Kaukonen and Little Feat; bluegrass superstars such as Billy Strings, The Del McCoury Band, Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Sierra Hull and David Grisman. Also featured are country icons Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Jamey Johnson, and Raul Malo, and guitar heavyweights Yasmin Williams, Larry Campbell, and Richard Smith.
Futurebirds & Carl Broemel – Bloomin’ LP (No Concidence)
Orange color vinyl pressing. Rock juggernaut Futurebirds’ newest LP, Bloomin‘, is a benchmark that celebrates the band’s 13 years together. The Athens, Georgia-based group tapped storied My Morning Jacket guitarist/producer Carl Broemel to create a seamless, bountiful partnership that initially came to fruition with the 2021 EP, Bloomin‘, and was followed by 2022’s Bloomin’ Too EP. Here, the Bloomin’ LP combines tracks from both EPs into a cohesive full-length vinyl release. The album ricochets from cosmic space, rock to rough around the edges, alt-country dreamscapes, sandy beach bum odes to kick-in-your-step pop ballads – all signature tones and musical avenues at the core of the band’s wide musical palette.
Asher Gamedze – Dialectic Soul [Reissue/2020] 2xLP (On The Corner)
Clear vinyl pressing of the 2020 debut album from drummer Asher Gamedze. Asher introduces the themes that constitute Dialectic Soul; free drums representing autonomous African motion, the saxophone reflecting deeply & honestly on the violence of colonialism. The teachings of Coltrane, Biko, Makeba, Malcom & others inspire the music’s positive manifestation of resistance. “Fundamentally, it is about the reclamation of the historical imperative. It is about the dialect of the soul & the spirit while it moves through history. The soul is dialectic. Motion is imperative. We keep moving.”
Stan Getz & Charlie Byrd – Jazz Samba [Reissue/1962] LP (Verve)
When Charlie Byrd toured South America in 1961, bossa nova – a melding of Brazilian samba rhythms with the harmonic structures and the cool sound of West Coast jazz – was booming. He brought back records for Stan Getz to hear, and they planned a session. The result was Jazz Samba, the first album of bossa nova by jazz artists and the one that created the bossa nova wave.
Goat – World Music [Reissue/2012] LP (Rocket Recordings)
Limited green & yellow color vinyl pressing. When the mysterious masked collective calling themselves Goat first emerged in 2012, armed with an incendiary debut album ‘World Music’ and a backstory for the ages – the band’s anonymous members hailing from the remote village of Korpilombo in northern Sweden, where inhabitants had for centuries been devoted to a form of voodoo introduced by a travelling witch doctor – there was, and there still isn’t, anyone else on earth quite like them. Their mythology enticing, their music full of sinuous grooves and manic explosions of fuzz, Goat were outliers from the very beginning.
Gong – Live At Longlaville: Salle ElsaTriolet, 27.10.74 2xLP (Madfish UK)
Formed in 1969 by Daevid Allen, one of the founding members of Soft Machine, classic albums such as Camembert Electrique, Flying Teapot and You established Gong as one of the most unique, innovative and experimental rock groups of the Seventies. Recorded in the middle of their most critically lauded Radio Gnome Invisible Trilogy era, Live At Longlaville: Salle ElsaTriolet, 27.10.74 is a previously unreleased concert recently discovered in the archives.
Grave Digger – The Last Supper [Reissue/2005] LP (Metalville)
Limited-edition translucent green color vinyl pressing of the German heavy metal band’s 2005 concept album. Features new artwork.
Al Green – Call Me [Reissue/1973] LP (Fat Possum)
2023 marks the 50th anniversary celebration of Al Green’s sixth album, Call Me, widely regarded as a masterpiece and regularly called one of the best soul albums ever made. Call Me was originally released in 1973 and debuted at No. 10 on the Billboard 200 and No. 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts and remained on the charts for 11 weeks.
Guardian Singles – Feed Me To The Doves LP (Trouble In Mind)
Auckland, New Zealand post-punk group Guardian Singles return with the follow-up to 2021’s debut with Feed Me To The Doves, a ten-track socio-political burner addressing our collective spiritual chaos that pulls influence from across the history of punk and permeates it into something decidedly Aotearoan and uniquely their own in ways that are both personal and universal. [A limited-edition ‘whirlpool blue’ color vinyl pressing is available. CD version due June 23.]
Beth Hart – Live At The Royal Albert Hall [Reissue/2018] 3xLP (Provogue)
Purple color vinyl. Live At The Royal Albert Hall captures the magic of the Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter in her element as she takes control of the iconic London venue and delivers a truly legendary performance.
Heaven’s Edge – Get It Right LP (Frontiers)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. New album from the Philadelphia hard rockers.
Hot Mulligan – Pilot [Reissue/2018] LP (Wax Bodega)
Red w/ white color vinyl pressing of Hot Mulligan’s debut full-length album. Pilot expanded on the band’s emo-leaning pop-punk sound and opened them up to a wide new audience.
The Imps – The Imps LP (Bollmora Rekords)
When The Imps formed in 1977, they were one of the first punk bands in Stockholm. They quickly became very good at their heavily New York Dolls-influenced punk rock, gigged in and around their home town and supported Dead Kennedys in Stockholm 1981. They made studio recordings in both 1980 and 1981. However none of these made it onto vinyl and the band broke up in 1982.
Zwanie Jonson – We Like It LP (Fun In The Church)
Hamburg’s very own Christoph Kähler a.k.a. Zwanie Jonson has many names. He is, depending on your perspective, thee eternal drummer, who has toured with legions of seminal German bands of all genres, he is just as well theee eternal underdog. He’s been called a fake Swede, JJ Cale from the Waterkant, taller than Jesus (sic!), but above all he’s the man who makes Hamburg look like a sweet spot at the end of Laurel Canyon, Los Angeles.
Killing Joke – XXV Gathering: Let Us Prey [Reissue/2005] 2xLP (Cooking Vinyl)
Double color vinyl pressing of the 2005 live release from the iconic British post-punk band.
King Von – What It Means To Be King 2xLP (Only The Family Ent.)
What It Means To Be A King is the first posthumous album from late Chicago legend, King Von. Known as one of the great storytellers in modern hip-hop, Von’s death in November 2020 came on the verge of him reaching superstardom, with his album Welcome To O’Block hitting number thirteen on the Billboard 200.
Kutiman – Dense 12” (Siyal Music)
Revered polymath Kutiman continues to push forward with developing his sound as we see the artist creating his first ever electric-leaning release. Not the only first, as the haunting vocals layered throughout are a result of Kutiman debuting his very own voice. Kutiman pulls elements from various musical inspirations, be it moody electronica, garage and 2-step, modern classical music, ambient or twisted R&B. The outcome is a unique, cutting edge blend of emotional pitched down vocals, melodic airy pianos and glitchy sound effects.
Harold Land – Damisi [Reissue/1972] LP (Wewantsounds)
Featuring Buster Williams (bass), Ndugu (drums), Bill Henderson (keys), and Oscar Breashear (timpani), Damisi was recorded at a crucial time when Land was shifting to a more spiritual sound. The session is a superb mix of funk and modal jazz and features monster grooves. Original gatefold sleeve with never-seen session photos; newly remastered audio; includes two-page insert including new liner notes by Kevin Le Gendre.
Yusef Lateef – Cry! – Tender [Reissue/1960] LP (Sowing)
In 1959, at the time of this recording session, Yusef Lateef was already approaching a new and more open form of jazz. A sophisticated, spiritual yet urban music form informed by non-western languages and cultures. Cry! – Tender is a deeply inventive, mostly contemplative album inspired by an original cosmopolitan vision of jazz and based on masterful playing from a bunch of solid jazz musicians including among others: Wilbur Harden – flugelhorn; Hugh Lawson – piano; Herman Wright – bass; and Oliver Jackson – drums, percussion. All under the direction of master of ceremonies Yusef Lateef on tenor sax, flute, and oboe.
Loopsel – Öga For Öga LP (DFA)
Like a dream foggily remembered, Loopsel’s Öga For Öga is tempting in its beauty yet slightly menacing in its depth. These songs, like paths into the forest, are heavily, almost creepily, reverberated, with finger-plucked guitars acting as the signposts among field recordings, pads, and the cool, calm voice of Elin Engström. A true journey from beginning to end.
Gia Margaret – Romantic Piano LP/Cassette (Jagjaguwar)
At first, Gia Margaret called the title of her new album Romantic Piano to be a bit cheeky. It’s spare, gentle piano works share more spirit with Erik Satie, Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guébrou and the Marginalia releases of Masakatsu Takagi than they do with, say, a cozy and candlelit date night. But in that cheekiness lies hidden intention: across the gorgeous set, Romantic is suggested in a more classic sense, what the Germans call waldeinsamkeit. Its compositions conjure the sublime themes of the Romantic poets: solitude in nature; nature’s ability to heal and to teach; a sense of contented melancholy. [A limited-edition ‘seaglass wave’ color vinyl pressing is available.]
Melt Trio – Consumer LP (Fun In The Church)
2022 release. Ever since their foundation in 2010, Melt Trio has evolved into one of the world’s most innovative guitar trios in modern jazz.
Midwife & Vyva Melinkolya – Orbweaving LP/Cassette (The Flenser)
Orbweaving combines the best parts of Midwife’s “heaven metal” and Vyva Melinkolya’s sentimental, classic shoegaze in a way that distinctively elevates both artists. The record explores themes of hopelessness, calling on a higher power, being alone, and the sublime horror of the natural world.
Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane – Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane [Reissue/1961] LP (Craft Recordings)
Regarded as one of the greatest jazz collaborations of all time, Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane are joined on this 1961 album by the talents of Art Blakely (drums), Wilbur Ware (bass), Gigi Gryce (alto sax) and more.
Muslimgauze – Eye For An Eye [Reissue/2001] LP (Staalplaat)
The first complete version of Eye For An Eye, including the two unreleased tracks “Sub Cahra Pt. 1” and “Sub Cahra Pt. 2” that were not on the first vinyl release. Eye For An Eye sounds very much like Muslimgauze material from 1993 (Salaam Alekum Bastard, Veiled Sisters). Much more laid back than their later output, it could be the best era of Muslimgauze.
Nas – The Lost Tapes [Reissue/2002] 2xLP (Sony Legacy)
The Lost Tapes is widely regarded as one of Nas’ most important albums showcasing his raw lyrical talent and creative genius. This compilation features such stand out tracks as “Doo Rags”, “U Gotta Love It”, and “My Way” among others. The newly remastered double-LP set features all the original tracks from 2002’s original release pressed on premium quality black vinyl with full-color labels featuring classic Nas artwork.
Nirvana [UK] – Orange And Blue [Reissue/1996] LP (Think Like A Key)
Blue color vinyl pressing of (British) Nirvana’s surprise 1996 album, which revived songs written back in the ‘60s but never released. Taking its title from one of those songs, Orange And Blue has all the idiosyncrasies you’d expect from the minds of Patrick Lyons-Campbell and Alex Spyropoulos but done with a 1990’s spin.
Nucleus – Elastic Rock LP [Reissue/1970] LP (Be With)
Nucleus – We’ll Talk About It Later LP [Reissue/1971] LP (Be With)
Ian Carr with Nucleus – Solar Plexus [Reissue/1971] LP (Be With)
Nucleus – Snakeships Forever LP [Reissue/1975] LP (Be With)
Nucleus was a Pioneering jazz-rock, progressive, psychedelic, funk & pop band from Britain, led by Ian Carr. The band existed from 1969 to 1989, with one-off reformations in 2005, 2007, 2009.
Out On The Eaves – The Ride Out LP (Red Curtain)
Navigating strong psychedelic-folk and dark horse melodic pop, Out On The Eaves is the current creative vehicle for artist Patrick Carey. After spending many years as a poetic mainstay of the Athens, Georgia music scene, Patrick crafts harrowing paths of illuminated beauty, ramshackle quests for some golden vein of purpose through form and fracture, songs to find shape in the sky to. A project born of pure essence and necessity, hard-woven and threaded with fine weather folk and lush sonic embroidery, Out On The Eaves became a space of prayers and shadows, of reckoning dreamscapes, like a psychedelic storm shelter without any walls.
Joe Perry – Sweetzerland Manifesto MKII [Reissue/2018] LP (Roman)
Limited opaque purple color vinyl pressing of the 2018 release from the legendary Aerosmith guitarist. Sweetzerland Manifesto features 11 hard-rocking original songs. Joining Perry is a Murderers Row of some of the baddest names in rock, including Robin Zander (Cheap Trick), who sings on the single “Aye, Aye, Aye”, David Johansen (New York Dolls), and Terry Reid. Even Johnny Depp got in on the action, playing drums on “Eve Of Destruction”.
Richard Pryor – Richard Pryor [Reissue/1968] LP (Ismist)
Richard Pryor – Craps (After Hours) [Reissue/1971] LP (Ismist)
Richard Pryor – Live At The Comedy Store, 1973 LP (Ismist)
Three releases by the stand-up comedian and actor now available on vinyl.
Lucky Rosenbloom – Keep Your Faith In God b/w Just Give It All To Christ [Reissue/1985] 7” (Numero)
In a club scene saturated with the Minneapolis sound, Luck Rosenbloom was searching for something different. Using Korg and Moog synths, Steinway Concert Piano and a Boss DR-110 Dr. Rhythm, he created his own funky fusion sound to spread the word of God to the mainstream. Recorded at Minneapolis’s Custom Record Studios he cut 200 copies of this elusive 45 of which only a few known copies exist. The record was promoted on his cable access TV show Lucky Mania TV where he encouraged kids to say no to drugs and take their vitamins. [A limited-edition color vinyl pressing is available.]
- Sage – Paradise Crick LP (RVNG Int’l)
Like a winding system of trails and paths cutting through a digital forest-scape, M. Sage’s Paradise Crick is shaped by time. Full of wonder and charm, designed patiently and from a rich, curious mulch of synthesized and acoustic sound, the versatile American artist and magic realist’s new suite of music is an imaginary destination and a pastoral fantasy that envisions the natural and fabricated worlds as one. Speckled with harmonica, autoharp, chimes, voice, and other alchemical mysteries, Crick‘s texture is treated as a sensorial adventure; the swamps gurgle, the lakes glisten, and the valleys breathe in robust HD.
Shinedown – The Sound Of Madness [Reissue/2008] LP (Atlantic)
The Sound Of Madness is the third studio album by alternative metal/hard rock band Shinedown, originally released in 2008. It is their first release to feature Eric Bass and Zach Myers, their only release to feature Nick Perri, and the band’s only release as a five-piece.
Simple Plan – No Pads, No Helmets… Just Balls [Reissue/2002] LP (Atlantic)
Limited crystal-clear vinyl pressing. Simple Plan’s 2002 debut studio album, No Pads, No Helmets… Just Balls, produced by Arnold Lanni (Our Lady Peace, King’s X), features 12 irresistible anti-anthems of adolescent alienation, and each one fit to burst with unstoppable hooks, melodic punk vocalizing, and shout-it-out-loud choruses.
Steely Dan – Countdown To Ecstasy [Reissue/1980] LP (Geffen)
At long last, the classic Steely Dan catalog is back on vinyl. Led by Walter Becker and Donald Fagen, Steely Dan released seven albums from 1972-1980. The vinyl series continues with Countdown To Ecstasy, the band’s sprawling 1973 sophomore LP with standouts such as “Bodhisattva”, “Show Biz Kids”, and “My Old School.” 180gm.
Stone Temple Pilots – Purple [Reissue/1994] LP (Atlantic)
Stone Temple Pilots’ acclaimed 1994 album Purple is now available on clear vinyl as part of the Atlantic 75 celebration. Includes the hits “Vasoline”, “Interstate Love Song”, and “Big Empty”.
Strapping Young Lad – 1994 – 2006 Chaos Years 2xLP (Napalm)
A retrospective compilation album from the heavy metal band led by Devin Townsend. 1994 – 2006 Chaos Years contains tracks from all of the band’s studio albums.
Swervedriver – Petroleum Spirit Daze 12” (Outer Battery)
Red color vinyl pressing of a previously unreleased original recording of Swervedriver’s debut EP Son Of Mustang Ford.
Sylvan Esso – What Now [Reissue/2017] LP (Loma Vista)
Sylvan Esso’s sophomore album, What Now, showcases the sound of a band truly fulfilling the potential and promise of their debut. Everything has evolved – the production is bolder, the vocals are more intense, the melodies are more infectious, and the songs shine that much brighter. What Now is an album of the finest songs this band has ever written, produced masterfully, and sang fearlessly to articulate our collective undercurrents of anxiety and joy.
Tame Impala – Lonerism [Reissue/2012] 3xLP (Modern Recordings)
To celebrate the 10th anniversary of Lonerism, Tame Impala present fans with a deluxe triple-LP reissue of the album that features previously unreleased demos from the era. Lonerism was Tame Impala’s breakout record. It received critical acclaim from the likes of Pitchfork and NME and is regarded as one of the best albums of 2012. This expanded deluxe edition of the album features the original album track list, two previously unreleased demos, a full side of album demos, and a deluxe 24-page booklet.
تورج شعبانخانی (Tauraj) – Me, Without You The Spring, Without You 2xLP (Fun In The Church)
Touraj created his very own way of fusing traditional and modern Iranian poetry with harmonies that are based in traditional Iranian music as much as they are in rock and pop music from the West. Touraj developed his own method of combining classical or modern Iranian poetry with harmonies that used both the melodic atmosphere of traditional Iranian music and the style of Western rock and pop music. This collection is a refined and remastered version of Touraj’s songs performed between 1973 through 1978.
Ralph Towner – At First Light LP (ECM)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. An ECM artist for his entire musical career, US guitarist Ralph Towner has built up a unique body of work in his recordings for the label. Central to his oeuvre are his solo albums, the first of which, Diary, was released 50 years ago. At First Light extends this great tradition, drawing inspiration from a broad palette of music. In addition to his own pieces, Towner also plays Hoagy Carmichael’s “Little Old Lady”, Jule Styne’s “Make Someone Happy” and the traditional tune “Danny Boy”.
Uriah Heep – Wonderworld [Reissue/1974] LP (Sanctuary)
Uriah Heep – High And Mighty [Reissue/1976] LP (Sanctuary)
Uriah Heep continue to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their formation with a pair of picture disc vinyl reissues.
Various Artists – Jesus People Music, Volume 2: The Reckoning LP (Aquarium Drunkard/Org Music)
Translucent red color vinyl pressing. No one knew what to make of the Jesus People. A loosely aligned youth movement growing out of California in the late ’60s, it found waves of hippies, burnouts, stoners, and weirdos turning to Jesus Christ. But that didn’t mean they were going to tidy up. Jesus People wore their hair long and kept their slang wiggy, extolling the highs of “the Jesus trip” and asking, “You’ve tried everything else-why not try Jesus?” Everywhere they went, from mainstream churches on the West Coast to rural communities where back to the land-types founded communes, the Jesus People inspired confusion. “The Reckoning” is the second installment in Aquarium Drunkard and Org Music’s Jesus People Music compilation series. This new eight track collection showcases a fuzzed-out, psychedelic rock sound not typically associated with Christian music as we know it today.
VNV Nation – Electric Sun 2xLP (Metropolis)
Recently released on CD – now available on clear vinyl. VNV Nation blend poetic, thoughtful lyrics with a vast repertoire of melodic dance beats & anthemic electronic, haunting ballads & post-classical soundtrack pieces. This legendary act now returns with the brilliant new album Electric Sun, combining the intimate and anthemic as only VNV Nation can.
Weathers – Are We Having Fun? LP (Sumerian)
Limited cloudy sea blue/electric blue color vinyl pressing. Weathers is not your typical alternative rock band. Inspired by the counterculture of the ’80s and ’90s, the group has garnered a reputation for creating introspective songs that resonate with the masses. Their album, Are We Having Fun?, builds on the foundation they’ve laid for themselves, but with a new edge.
Asher White – New Excellent Woman LP (Ba Da Bing!)
Asher White’s music is a complex and heartfelt reaction to the churn of the modern world. With tender intimacy and resounding anxiety, White takes a wide view through the lens of her own queer sexual politics and transgender identity; what does it mean to renew, to progress, to transform? What is lost, gained, or irreversibly altered? At 22 years old, White has developed a massive self-released discography: over a dozen albums since 2015, each one started the moment the last one was finished. New Excellent Woman is a distillation of these experiments and discoveries, a new achievement in songwriting that stands astride the cracks in the earth and lopsided ground. Songs jump between styles like a pubescent sex drive, all locked together by White’s ability to pull melody out of chaos.
Windisch Quartet – Meander LP (Fun In The Church)
Julius Windisch is a name to remember. As one of the most important protagonists of the young Berlin jazz scene between Berlin-Wedding and Neukölln, he surely has a great career ahead of him. On the one hand this is due to his social skills (can hold a top-class band together), to his technical abilities (trained pianist), but above all it his romantic disposition that sets him apart. He also has something that many jazz musicians unfortunately seem to lose during their lives: a fine sense of melody.
Lola Young – My Mind Wanders & Sometimes Leaves Completely LP (Capitol)
Lola Young’s 2023 project, My Mind Wanders & Sometimes Leaves Completely, is a new era for the young singer-songwriter. She’s testing her writing ability to confront new topics, while mining new depths of her creativity. The album sees Lola setting out with the idea that no one is perfect. Armed with a vocal that switches between soft and strong at a moment’s notice, Lola uses a folk storytelling and diaristic style to offer the listener a front seat to immersive snapshots of her life.
Zeds Dead – Adrenaline EP [Reissue/2012] LP (Virgin)
Originally released in 2012, the long-awaited vinyl release of the Adrenaline EP arrives almost 11 years later and sounds as fresh as ever. One of the most successful independent electronic acts of the past decade, Zeds Dead is a pioneering duo hailed as “trailblazers of the modern North American bass scene,” by DJ Mag.
Cassettes:
Immortal – War Against All (Nuclear Blast)
Produced and recorded by Enslaved’s lead guitarist Arve Isdal at Conclave & Earshot Studio in Bergen, Norway, War Against All is the tenth studio album from Immortal.
Gia Margaret – Romantic Piano (Jagjaguwar)
At first, Gia Margaret called the title of her new album Romantic Piano to be a bit cheeky. It’s spare, gentle piano works share more spirit with Erik Satie, Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guébrou and the Marginalia releases of Masakatsu Takagi than they do with, say, a cozy and candlelit date night. But in that cheekiness lies hidden intention: across the gorgeous set, Romantic is suggested in a more classic sense, what the Germans call waldeinsamkeit. Its compositions conjure the sublime themes of the Romantic poets: solitude in nature; nature’s ability to heal and to teach; a sense of contented melancholy.
Hot Mulligan – You’ll Be Fine [Reissue/2020] (Wax Bodega)
Hot Mulligan are on that emo bullshit. All of it: alternate tunings, capos, and twinkle riffs dangling like loose cardigan threads, but also pick slides and power chords as slick and shiny as a Drive Thru sampler CD. Painfully earnest lyrics about cars, funerals, faded pictures, and cigarettes, but also non-sequitur in-joke song titles. Shouting matches between the yelpy guy and the guy who can sorta sing for real.
Midwife & Vyva Melinkolya – Orbweaving (The Flenser)
Orbweaving combines the best parts of Midwife’s “heaven metal” and Vyva Melinkolya’s sentimental, classic shoegaze in a way that distinctively elevates both artists. The record explores themes of hopelessness, calling on a higher power, being alone, and the sublime horror of the natural world.
Arlo Parks – My Soft Machine (Transgressive/PIAS)
Arlo Parks sophomore album, My Soft Machine, is a deeply personal body of work; a narration of Parks’ experiences as she navigates her 20s and the growth intertwined. It follows her highly-praised debut album, Collapsed In Sunbeams, which received two Grammy nominations for Best New Artist and Best Alternative Music Album, won the BRIT Award for Best New Artist, received the Honda Mercury Prize, won the BBC Introducing Artist Of The Year Award, was nominated for Breakthrough International Act at the BET Awards and reached the Top 3 on the UK Album Charts. My Soft Machine was recorded between London and Los Angeles throughout 2021/2022. Arlo worked alongside producers including Paul Epworth, Ariel Rechtshaid, Romil Hemnani (Brockhampton), Frank Ocean-collaborator Buddy Ross, and Carter Lang (SZA), whilst also self-producing a run of material on the album. The record features a guest vocal from musician and friend, Phoebe Bridgers.
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