June Program Titles Released This Week:
Apex Manor – Heartbreak City CD/LP+MP3 (Merge)
Requiring less than two weeks of studio time to complete, it’s accurate to say that Apex Manor’s Heartbreak City was captured more than it was recorded due to the “everybody in the same room” live sessions featuring songwriter Ross Flournoy on guitar and vocals, Dan Allaire (The Brian Jonestown Massacre) on drums, and Rob Barbato on bass and production duties. The raucous result is a sonic spectacle that cleverly balances aggressive Dinosaur Jr-esque guitars with dreamy synth work that’s reminiscent of The Cure, all mixed together with spirited instrumental performances, nuanced melodicism, and lyrics that swing wildly between being cryptic and being profound. In short, it’s everything there is to love about early ‘90s pre-commercialized alternative rock but with a refreshingly modern absence of pretense or nostalgia. [Limited red colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Kishi Bashi – Omoiyari CD/LP (Joyful Noise)
Imagine being forced from your home. Imagine being sent to a prison camp with no trial, and no promise of release. Imagine all this happened simply because of the language you speak, the shade of your skin, or the roots of your family tree. For over 120,000 Japanese Americans, this was a reality during World War II. It’s a reality that Kishi Bashi seeks to reckon with on his latest release, Omoiyari. The strong conceptual elements of Omoiyari are driven by Kishi Bashi’s captivating musical score. Stepping away from his past loop-based production model, he embraced a more collaborative approach when recording, and for the first time included contributions from other musicians, such as Mike Savino (aka Tall Tall Trees) on banjo and bass, and Nick Ogawa (aka Takenobu) on cello. Kishi Bashi’s spectacular trademark violin soundscapes are still an essential component of his sound, but the focus of Omoiyari is centered squarely on its songs. [Exclusive indie-store-only colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Pip Blom – Boat CD/LP (Heavenly/PIAS America)
Dutch artist Pip Blom’s debut album Boat is as energetic as it is infectious. Recorded in a shipping container on the banks of the Thames in East London, its ten songs, alluding to the album’s title, ferry you through Pip’s headspace via expertly crafted compositions gelled together through their unassuming depth. There’s the kinetic combination of guitars from Pip herself and brother Tender Blom, the effortlessly captivating vocal range which can be authoritative and intent like in the driving album opener “Daddy Issues”, or soothing and warm as heard in melodic middle track “Bedhead”. Then there are the choruses that seem to stop songs in their tracks and lift them into a different stratosphere. Boat is an open book of Pip Blom, delivered via her undeniable knack for writing hook-laden, three to four-minute songs.
Death Angel – Humanicide CD/2xLP (Nuclear Blast)
Ascending from the depths, the almighty Bay Area thrash metal stalwarts are back with their ninth album, Humanicide. A return to the wolves alongside a survivalist pack mentality are what fuel the powerful themes erupting from these fresh death metal anthems. In a modern capitalist society where selfishness reigns and communal help and survival are things of the past, Death Angel produce sounds and symbols that point out the truths of attempting to exist safely in the present day. The title itself describes a plain in which humans, after generations of violence, regression, and hate, have finally extinguished themselves into dust. The wasteland they left behind is populated only by those creatures that passionately depend on their pack for survival: the wolves. [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Lee “Scratch” Perry – Rainford CD/LP+MP3 (On-U Sound)
The mighty Upsetter returns with nine brand new tracks recorded with longtime friend and collaborator Adrian Sherwood. Rainford is the culmination of over two years work and recording sessions that span Jamaica, Brazil and the UK. Determined to craft a work of lasting power, Sherwood likens to the album to the work that Rick Rubin did with Johnny Cash on the American Recordings series, a deeply personal work (the album title refers to Lees birth name) and arguably the strongest batch of original material that Perry has released for many years. From the atmospheric field recording and wah-wah guitar of album opener “Cricket On The Moon”, to the gothic cello embellishment on “Let It Rain”, the chopped-and-compressed horn section of “Makumba Rock”, to the layered, carefully arranged backing vocals like a heavenly chorus throughout the record, this is an album with true love, care and attention poured into its every groove. [Limited gold colored vinyl pressing also available.]
The Police – Everyone Stares: The Police Inside Out DVD/Blu-ray (Eagle Rock Entertainment)
Everyone Stares is a first-person account of The Police’s ascent from obscurity to worldwide fame as well as an astute and sometimes hilarious commentary on the pop culture of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Culled from over 50 hours of Super 8 movies Copeland shot during the acclaimed trio’s heyday, the film offers an insider’s perspective on touring, the other band members and the adoring fans that puts the audience in the drummer’s seat.
*repeat repeat – Glazed CD/LP (Dangerbird)
On their second album Glazed – produced by Patrick Carney of The Black Keys – *repeat repeat deliver a batch of songs entirely true to the album’s title; sugary and sticky and impossibly shiny, all glistening harmonies and candy-coated hooks. But beneath the gloss lies something more jarring and jagged, a raw vitality generated by the Nashville band’s buzzy rhythms and blistering guitar work. Fortified by the distinct creative alliance of husband-and-wife duo Jared and Kristyn Corder, the result is an album that finds an unlikely power in irrepressible sweetness. “We wanted to make a record about seeing the world through a fresh set of colors.”
Sacred Paws – Run Around The Sun CD/LP+MP3 (Rock Action/Merge)
Sacred Paws have a natural inclination not to take things too seriously. You can hear it all the way through a conversation with its two members, guitarist Rachel Aggs and drummer Eilidh Rodgers, punctuated by rolls of giggles and thoughtful pauses, and you can hear it in the light touch they bring to their music, a jangly blend of indie pop full of fizzing world rhythms and bright horns. Run Around The Sun brims with upbeat reflections on growing up and looking back. Shimmering guitar riffs dance between snappy beats and swooning melodies that will have crowds committing to far more than a simple head-bob. “I think we’d get bored if it was too slow,” Eilidh says. “We’d never want to play something live that people couldn’t dance to. It would feel strange to us. It’s kind of the whole point.” [Limited green colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band – The Traveler CD/LP (Concord)
We are all travelers. And for the last quarter-century, riding shotgun with Kenny Wayne Shepherd has been one of the greatest road-trip in rock ‘n’ roll. Gone is the young Louisiana gunslinger who erupted onto the early-‘90s scene with his burn-it-down guitar solos and gut-punch songcraft. Now 41, Shepherd is even more magnetic, still pushing his Fender Strat where others fear to fret while diving deep into human truths and global concerns with an honesty that only comes with wisdom. The Traveler was recorded in Neptune Valley, Los Angeles, where the production team of Shepherd and Marshall Altman led a crack-squad studio band and sculpted a track listing that can be both savage and soothing.
Sinkane – Dépaysé CD/LP (City Slang)
Sinkane is unique in that he is one of few artists that has a real, tangible stake in our current cultural and political climate, and it shows in the music. For the new album Dépaysé (a French word meaning “to be removed from one’s habitual surroundings”) Ahmed Gallab didn’t just write a few protest songs in the style of the familiar Sinkane sound. Rather, you can feel the difference, the change that has taken place in the art. The falsetto of the earlier records is almost entirely gone in favor of an aggressive, clearly stated tenor. There is almost nothing in the lyrics that is ambiguous or even difficult to understand, and even the music’s poppier moments are confrontational and bombastic. And while the album is reflective of what the band has become musically, a wild raging force to be reckoned with live, it is at its heart about what real frustration feels like and what real change could require.
Gaahls Wyrd – Gastir: Ghosts Invited CD/LP (Season Of Mist)
The infamous Gaahl (Gorgoroth, Wardruna) is a grim and imposing personification of black metal’s iconoclasm. Now he returns with his new band Gaahls Wyrd and their massive debut album, Gastir: Ghosts Invited. Borne out of a project honoring the legacy of his first band Trelldom, Gaahls Wyrd continues on the left-hand path that has defined his music for the past 25 years. As “From the Spear”, “Ghosts Invited” and the epic “Carving The Voices” illustrate, his ghastly vocals are the cutting edge of a full-strength assault of pure Norwegian black metal. Gaahls Wyrd is one of the best new metal bands to arise in the last decade, and Gastir: Ghosts Invited is a towering monument of black metal malevolence and majesty.
CDs + Vinyl:
1914 – The Blind Leading The Blind CD (Napalm)
1914’s music is a caustic blend of doom, black metal and old-school death metal.
A-Wa – Bayti Fi Rasi CD/LP (S-Curve)
Critically acclaimed Yemenite-Israeli trio A-Wa defy genre boundaries with a delightful union of rap-style beats, high-energy electronic propulsion, hypnotic harmonies, and mainstream resonances. Bayti Fi Rasi is comprised of 14 undeniable anthems sung in Yemeni Arabic dialect and backed by indigenous instrumentation, swaths of electronic orchestration, and gritty hip-hop bounce.
Azymuth – Águia Não Come Mosca [Reissue/1977] CD/LP (Mr. Bongo)
Golden-era Brazilian jazz-funk-fusion featuring lush Rhodes, soaring synths, fusion guitars and the inimitable drum grooves of Ivan Mamao Conti.
Babylon A.D. – In The Beginning CD (Perris)
12 demos that snagged the hard rock band a record deal.
Bikini Kill – Pussy Whipped [Reissue/1993] CD/LP (Kill Rock Stars)
Bikini Kill – Reject All American [Reissue/1996] CD/LP (Kill Rock Stars)
Bikini Kill was a feminist punk band that was based in Olympia, WA and Washington, DC, forming in 1990 and breaking up in 1997. They are credited with instigating the Riot Grrrl movement in the early ’90s via their political lyrics, zines, and confrontational live performances.
Carousel Kings – Plus Ultra CD/LP (Victory)
On Plus Ultra, Carousel Kings go far behind the limitations of pop-punk, adding a deeper and subtle, diverse selection of material, including a whopping ten guest appearances.
The Cerny Brothers – Looking For The Good Land CD (Cleveland Int’l)
A strong collection of 12 hope-filled Americana songs.
Chai – Punk CD/LP+MP3/Cassette (Burger)
Chai is an adventure where all-things are pink, a sound that fuses the likings of Basement Jaxx, CSS, and Tom Tom Club, lyrics catered to self-empowerment and re-defining the definition of kawaii or cute, and indescribably fun visuals that’ll surely absorb you whole.
Cosmonauts – Star 69 CD/LP+MP3/Cassette (Burger)
Calling their distorted, amped sound drug punk, Cosmonauts are a California-based garage punk band known for their simple, physically powerful songs and punishing stage volume.
Darkthrone – Old Star CD/LP (Peaceville)
The longstanding duo of Fenriz and Nocturno Culto return with their first studio album since 2016’s Arctic Thunder. Old Star displays a mastery of the art of the riff, with its six epic tracks taking in the best of the old school of heavy and extreme metal combined with a large dose of doom channeled through the grime of the underground.
The Darts – I Like You But Not Like That CD (Alternative Tentacles)
The Darts explode onto the scene with a fiercely classic sound that invests deeply in late ’60s garage while incorporating tones of horror-punk and psychrock. [Vinyl edition due June 21.]
Eluvium – Piano Works CD/LP+MP3 (Temporary Residence)
Pianoworks is Eluvium’s first solo piano album since his sophomore album, An Accidental Memory In The Case Of Death (2004). Inspired by the quiet thoughts and solitary observations of children – and the evolution/dissolution of that ephemeral, uncorrupted wonder of simple joy – Pianoworks begins with a song about children’s piano lessons, and culminates with an etude driven by the struggle to hold onto innocence and imagination as adulthood settles in.
Fujiya & Miyagi – Flashback CD/LP+MP3 (Impossible Objects)
After the ambitious three EP trilogy Impossible Objects Of Desire in 2017, Fujiya & Miyagi release their seventh full length album. “Flashback started life as our funk record,” says Fujiya & Miyagi’s David Best. “Yet once we got into the production stage our embryonic funk songs moved closer to electro in feel. Although this is our funkiest album to date and the funk is deliberate.” [Limited red colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Rory Gallagher – Blues CD/3xCD/2xLP (UMe)
A collection of rare and unreleased recordings of Rory Gallagher playing strictly blues material. It ranges from previously unreleased tracks from Rory’s archive, special guest sessions that with legendary blues artists (Muddy Waters / Albert King), lost radio sessions and more.
Gemma – Felling’s Not A Tempo CD/LP+MP3 (Double Double Whammy)
Gemma is Felicia Douglass and producer Erik Gundel, a collaboration where Douglass’ playful hooks soar over Gundel’s lush, grooving beats. Gundel has a knack for stacking emotions that seem at odds: for channeling feelings of deep introspection and ecstatic joy at the same time, matching a sentiment that often drives Douglass’ lyricism. Together, they’re masters of upbeat tunes exploding with feelings, a type of healing, happy-sad soul-funk. [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Gloryhammer – Legends from Beyond The Galactic Terrorvortex CD/LP (Napalm)
Third album from the Scottish symphonic metal band. [CD is available in regular and deluxe editions.]
Lisa Hannigan & Stargaze – Live In Dublin CD/LP (PIAS America)
Mercury Prize nominated Irish singer-songwriter Lisa Hannigan is reminiscent of introspective folk artists such as Nick Drake, while delving into the eccentric impulses of musicians like Kate Bush.
Hootie & The Blowfish – Cracked Rear View [Reissue/1994] 2xCD2xCD+DVD/LP (Atlantic)
25th Anniversary edition. The digitally remastered and expanded 2xCD edition is packed with rare recordings including early versions of many of their biggest hits recorded in 1990 and 1991 and only available previously on cassettes sold at their live shows; the band’s five-song 1992 Kootchypop EP; and other unreleased and rare studio tracks. The Deluxe 2xCD+DVD edition adds includes a live recording of the band’s February 3, 1995 concert at Nick’s Fat City in Pittsburgh, PA.
Frank Iero and The Future Violents – Barriers CD/LP (UNFD)
For Frank Iero, making music has always been a coping mechanism. But it’s also much more than just a way of dealing with the hardships of life – it’s a means of stepping back to take in the hurricane that is life, both in all its glory and devastation and acknowledging the things you could, and maybe should, have done differently. Regret flows through Barriers, Iero’s third solo record, more than anything he’s ever made before.
Daniel Knox – Chasescene CD/LP (H.P. Johnson Presents)
Murder ballads met by Shakespearean tragedy against a backdrop of Lynchian contemporary America. Guests on Chasecene include vocals from Jarvis Cocker and Nina Nastasia, the late saxophonist Ralph Carney (Tin Huey, Tom Waits), David Coulter, Jason Toth of The Handsome Family, and more.
Left Lane Cruiser – Shake And Bake CD/LP (Alive)
Headed by singer/guitarist Joe Evans IV, Left Lane Cruiser is a bona fide blues rock band from the American Midwest. Far from pretending to be rambling hobos for the sake of a manufactured image, Left Lane Cruiser has been genuinely living the blues for over a decade.
Rosie Lowe – YU CD/LP (Wolf Tone)
“The smoky-voiced R&B multi-instrumentalist charts the ups and downs of a relationship with the help of guests like Jay Electronica and Floating Points. Lowe is only growing as an artist, and YU heralds a bright future.” – Pitchfork
L7 – Scatter The Rats CD/LP (Blackheart)
The first L7 album in 20 years, Scatter The Rats embodies everything that made the band so iconic in the first place – the distortion-heavy riffs and headbanging rhythms, sludgy grooves and indelible melodies. And in their lyrics, L7 achieve a direct transmission of raw feeling, often spiked with biting commentary on the chaos of the world today.
Lycia – A Line That Connects [Reissue/2015] CD/2xLP (Projekt)
Haunting, bleak, moody and atmospheric, Lycia’s 10th album is a heavy record with shifting sonics and a full-band sound thanks to a return to the classic mid- ‘90s Lycia lineup of Mike VanPortfleet, David Galas, and Tara Vanflower.
Duff McKagan – Tenderness CD/LP (Hip-O)
Guns N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan’s new solo album is a reflection on his experiences traveling the globe over two and a half years on GNR’s Not In This Lifetime tour.
Ian Noe – Between The Country CD/LP (National Treasury)
Ian Noe draws on the day-to-day life of Eastern Kentucky on his debut album, Between The Country. Recorded in Nashville with unhurried production by Dave Cobb, these 10 original songs introduce a number of complicated characters, diverse in their own downfalls but bound together by Noe’s singular voice.
Operators – Radiant Dawn CD/LP (Last Gang)
Operators is a Montreal based project created by Daniel Boeckner, (Wolf Parade, Handsome Furs, Divine Fits), Devojka, and Sam Brown (Divine Fits, New Bomb Turks). Radiant Dawn features nine tracks which meld raw analog hardware with Boeckner’s distinct voice to create an immersive cinematic sound. Interspersed between the tracks are instrumental intertitles that amplify the album’s 1970s sci-fi dystopian feel.
Buck Owens and The Buckaroos – The Complete Capitol Singles: 1971-1975 2xCD (Omnivore)
The third and final volume in a series chronicling every one of Buck’s historic Capitol singles from the ’50s, ’60, and ’70s. Taken from the original stereo masters, The Complete Capitol Singles: 1971-1975 collects the A- and B-side to all 21 singles from that period, including 9 Top Ten hits, in their original, chronological form.
The Phonometrician – Mnemosyne CD/LP (Lost Tribe Sound)
Debut album from Mexico City based multi-instrumentalist, film composer and sound preservationist Carlos Morales, who creates under the name The Phonometrician. At its core, Mnemosyne is album built around finger-picked acoustic guitar, somewhat classical or folk styled in nature, yet it’s much more than that. Morales deploys a very specific palette of instrumentation to realize his musical vision, it’s as if the classical guitar is slowly being worn away and devoured by an onslaught of looping, ever-shifting analog sound creatures, scattering for cover when the light hits them directly, continuously eating away at the strings.
Thomas Rhett – Center Point Road CD/LP (Valory)
Fourth studio album by the country music singer. Includes collaborations with Little Big Town, Jon Pardi, and Kelsea Ballerini.
- Robbins – Un-Becoming CD/LP (Dischord)
Before Jawbox reunites for a tour this summer, singer J. Robbins drops a new solo album.
Romy – Celluloid Self LP (Climax)
Romy (Agender, Macromantics) makes dark driving electronic music with definite pop undertones. Tinges of techno, moments of minimal synth and elements of electro coalesce into a cinema of sound. A fierce powerhouse of urgency and energy, this is future matriarch music.
Royal Republic – Club Majesty CD/LP (Nuclear Blast)
This Swedish rock ‘n’ roll band mix riffy guitars, king-sized tunes and jet-packed beats with their own eclectic tastes and inimitable joie de vivre.
Justin Rutledge – Passages CD/LP (Outside Music)
New album from the Juno Award-winning artist. Justin Rutledge has fans in Gordon Lightfoot and Man Booker Prize winner Michael Ondaatje (who co-wrote “Boats On Passages”) and has been hailed by The Line of Best Fit as “strong as Neil Young in his prime” along with The Toronto Star proclaiming “Rutledge can spin a yarn just as well as Bruce Springsteen.”
Samana – Ascension CD (Fat Cat)
Samana inhabit a musical space somewhere between Weyes Blood, Nico, Beach House and PJ Harvey, yet they possess a unique spirit born out of their nomadic existence. Each song is written with its own distinct weight and significance, born from the interpretation of dreams, the philosophies of ancient rituals and personal experience of love, loss and death. [Vinyl edition due June 7.]
Doug Seegers – A Story I Got To Tell CD/LP (BMG)
After years of struggling with drug and alcohol abuse, the then 62-year-old homeless Nashville street musician Doug Seegers’ life changed overnight. A hit song catapulted him to superstar status in Sweden and since then he’s played hundreds of sold out shows. And in the spring of 2018, Doug Seegers recorded his first international album in Los Angeles with master producer Joe Henry. The result is the emotional eleven-song album A Story I Got to Tell.
Steven R. Smith – A Sketchbook Of Endings CD/LP (Soft Abuse)
With nearly 25 years of solo recordings and releases to his credit, hermetic Californian Steven R. Smith goes back to the start with A Sketchbook Of Endings, the first solo release under his own name in eight years. The album continues Smith’s exploration of the intersection of moody post-punk and cinematic psychedelia, delivered in lysergic pop song-length spurts.
Team Dresch – Personal Best [Reissue/1995] CD/LP+MP3 (Jealous Butcher)
Team Dresch – Captain My Captain [Reissue/1996] CD/LP+MP3 (Jealous Butcher)
Team Dresch – Choices, Chances, Changes: Singles & Comptracks 1994-2000 CD (Jealous Butcher)
Combining the brazenness of Riot Grrrl with the angst dirge of grunge, Team Dresch didn’t just raise the stakes of queercore: They created two near-perfect albums about longing, freedom, and belonging over guitar riffs as epic and intense as Jody Bleyle and Kaia Wilson’s poetic couplets.
Texas Hippie Coalition – High In The Saddle CD/LP (E1)
Backyard barbeques, barroom brawls, tent revivals, and big rock festivals alike are suitable environments for the Red Dirt Metal of Texas Hippie Coalition, a band with a sound so devilishly electrifying that they had to come up with a new genre to describe it. High in the Saddle is a record full of unashamed, full-throttle ass kicking.
Urochromes – Trope House CD/LP (Wharf Cat)
On their first long player, Urochromes complement their catchy-as-f**k punk bangers with colorful experimental rock that choogles forth like the waters of the Mississippi River Delta where it was recorded.
Various Artists – Vision & Revision: The First 80 Years Of Topic Records 2xCD/2xLP (Topic)
British folk artists interpret a song of their choice from Topic’s vast back catalog. Includes tracks by Martin Simpson, Richard Thompson, Lankum, Peggy Seeger, John Smith, Sam Lee, Martin Carthy, Olivia Chaney, Lisa ONeill, Oysterband, Nancy Kerr, Chris Wood, Josienne Clarke & Ben Walker, Lisa Knapp, Kitty Macfarlane, Sam Kelly & The Lost Boys, Emily Portman & Rob Harbron, Rachael McShane & The Cartographers, Eliza Carthy & Olivia Chaney and The Oldham Tinkers.
Venom – In Nomine Satanas CD/2xLP/10xLP+7” (Sanctuary)
Often cited by the likes of Metallica, Behemoth, Celtic Frost and Mayhem as major influences, Venom is an English extreme metal band formed in 1979 in Newcastle upon Tyne that came to prominence towards the end of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. In Nomine Satanas is a celebration of the band’s formative years, containing 22 of their evilest songs. [Deluxe eight-LP box set edition collects the remastered albums Welcome To Hell (1981), Black Metal (1982), At War With Satan (1984), Possessed (1985), Eine Kleine Nachtmusik (1986), Sons Of Satan Rare And Unreleased, and the planchette-shaped 7” picture disc single Bloodlust. All pressed on colored vinyl.]
The Warlocks – Mean Machine Music CD/LP (Cleopatra)
New album from the L.A. psych rock band, inspired by everything from Stereolab to Krautrock to death rock.
Juan Wauters – La Onda De Juan Pablo LP (Captured Tracks)
Juan Wauters – Introducing Juan Pablo LP (Captured Tracks)
Not long ago, Wauters released La Onda de Juan Pablo, an album that allowed him to reinvent himself and start writing a separate chapter in his exciting career. Now, as a companion and as a prequel, he releases Introducing Juan Pablo. La Onda de Juan Pablo was a travelogue of sorts, with its anthropological efforts, its parade of Latin American musicians and its choice to only feature Wauters’ native tongue. Introducing Juan Pablo, on the other hand, goes back and forth between Spanish and English. It is, in short, more faithful to the inter-culturalism that Wauters experiences daily.
DVDs + Blu-ray:
The Police – Everyone Stares: The Police Inside Out DVD/Blu-ray (Eagle Rock Entertainment)
Everyone Stares is a first-person account of The Police’s ascent from obscurity to worldwide fame as well as an astute and sometimes hilarious commentary on the pop culture of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Culled from over 50 hours of Super 8 movies Copeland shot during the acclaimed trio’s heyday, the film offers an insider’s perspective on touring, the other band members and the adoring fans that puts the audience in the drummer’s seat.
This Week’s Vinyl Exclusives:
Agent Blå – Morning Thoughts LP (Kanine)
Formed while they were teenagers, Swedish band Agent Blå released their self- titled debut album in 2017. Now, just barely two years older, they return with a new collection of songs full of the dark pop that they have become known for.
Ash – ’94-’04: The 7” Singles Box Set 10×7” (Echo)
10 exclusive double A-side singles curated by the Britpop band.
BBC Radiophonic Workshop – The Radiophonic Workshop [Reissue/1975] LP (Silva Screen)
After the release of BBC Radiophonic Music (1971), and Fourth Dimension (1973), this was the third album to be produced by the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, coming out in February 1975. Where the first album focused on showcasing commissioned TV themes, and the second was mainly Paddy Kingsland’s project, most of the tracks on this album were written by the Workshop’s composers specially for the release.
Jeff Beck – Blow By Blow [Reissue/1975] LP (Friday Music)
Limited edition 180gm gold colored vinyl pressing.
3RA1N1AC – Electro-Shock For President [Reissue/1997] 12” (Touch & Go)
Brainiac began in 1992 as the basement experiments of Dayton, OH natives Tim Taylor (vocals, synth), and Juan Monasterio (bass), who first met playing cello in fifth grade. Upon completing the lineup with Michelle Bodine (guitar) and Tyler Trent (drums), they released two full-lengths and toured vigorously, establishing themselves as the latest peg in Ohio’s diverse musical timeline. Jim O’Rourke produced 1997’s Electroshock For President EP, which found Brainiac continuing their transition into a more electronic rock band. On May 23, 1997, only weeks after the EP’s release, Tim lost his life in a car accident. He was 28. A feature length documentary exploring Brainiac’s music, legacy, and loss, entitled Transmissions After Zero is due this year.
Marion Brown – Three For Shepp [Reissue/1967] LP (Superior Viaduct)
In 1966, when Marion Brown was ready to make his first record as a leader, he was standing on the shoulders of giants. Formative associations with Ornette Coleman and Sun Ra established him as a saxophonist to watch, and he had already appeared on free jazz landmarks Archie Shepp’s Fire Music and John Coltrane’s Ascension. Originally released on Impulse!, Brown’s debut lays down three startling originals and three tunes by Shepp-echoing his mentor’s 1964 homage to Coltrane, Four For Trane.
John Cameron – Jazzrock [Reissue/1972] LP (Be With)
Jazzrock is an aggressive, percussion-heavy album with an energy that leaves jaws on the floor. Breaks and beats for days with electric piano, bass loops, and pounding percussion. Funky jazz with a deep, tough, soundtrack feel.
Church Of Misery – Master Of Brutality [Reissue/2001] LP (Rise Above Limited)
Church Of Misery – The Second Coming [Reissue/2004] LP (Rise Above Limited)
Church Of Misery – Houses Of The Unholy [Reissue/2009] LP (Rise Above Limited)
Church Of Misery – Thy Kingdom Scum [Reissue/2013] LP (Rise Above Limited)
Influenced by early Black Sabbath and ‘70s-era heavy rock, with lyrics dedicated to famous serial killers like Manson, Dahmer, Ramirez, etc., doom metal band Church Of Misery was formed in the spring of 1995 and released their debut album, Master Of Brutality, in 2001 via Southern Lord.
Combichrist – The Joy Of Gunz [Reissue/2003] 2xLP (Out Of Line)
Combichrist – Everybody Hates You [Reissue/2005] 2xLP (Out Of Line)
Combichrist – What The F**k Is Wrong With You People? [Reissue/2007] 2xLP (Out Of Line)
Combichrist is an aggrotech/industrial metal band formed in 2003 by Norwegian vocalist Andy LaPlegua. Their first three albums are now available for the first time on vinyl. Limited colored pressings.
Company Of State – Company Of State 7” (Tidal Waves Music)
Vinyl repress of a rare Belgian classic electro new wave single from 1983. Company Of State was influenced by a wide array of artists such as Joy Division, Velvet Underground & Edith Piaf.
Depeche Mode – Black Celebration – The Singles 5×12” (WB)
Depeche Mode – Music For The Masses 7×12” (WB)
From the beginning of their career Depeche Mode have been at the forefront of remix culture; creating their own classic extended mixes back in the early ‘80s and over the years amassing a collection of remixers of their songs that pretty much charts the history of cutting edge dance music.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer – The Anthology 4xLP (BMG)
Originally released around the time of the deaths of Keith Emerson and Greg Lake, this 2016 anthology from the legendary progressive rock giants is now available on vinyl.
Fabio & Groovrider – 30 Years Of Rage Part One 2xLP (Above Board)
Fabio & Groovrider – 30 Years Of Rage Part Two 2xLP (Above Board)
Fabio and Grooverider have been at the forefront of UK dance music for over three decades. This is the roots of their story told through music. The two London DJ’s are part of the DNA of the global jungle/D&B movement and they have remained relevant, cutting edge, authoritative and essential to this truly underground art-form since its inception.
The Fleshtones – Layin’ Pipe b/w Lady Nightshade 7” (Yep Roc)
In a career that spans over four decades, garage rock superheroes The Fleshtones are one the last standing original CBGB bands.
Neal Francis – These Are The Days 7” (Karma Chief)
Liberated from a self-destructive past and born anew in sobriety, Francis has captured an inspired collection of songs steeped in New Orleans rhythms and Chicago blues.
Jerry Garcia – Almost Acoustic [Reissue/1988] 2xLP (ATO)
Almost Acoustic is a live album by the Jerry Garcia Acoustic Band. Held in high esteem by fans for superb sound quality and fine musical selection, it contains songs that were recorded from late November to early December of 1987 at the Warfield Theatre in San Francisco and the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles.
Gifted Gab – Cause & Effect LP (Crane City Music)
Gabrielle ‘Gifted Gab’ Kadushin was born and raised in Seattle, WA’s Central District. She’s shared stages with DJ Quik, Rakim, Cam’ron, Slick Rick, Method Man, and Lupe Fiasco, and received accolades from hip-hop heavyweights XXL, VH1, and Dope. TIME magazine counts her amongst the top seven female rappers in America right now. Her lyrical dexterity and street-smart prowess marries the ’90s hip-hop sounds of female emcees Queen Latifah, MC Lyte and Bahamadia with Bay Area legends like Mac Dre and E-40.
Romolo Grano/Gianni Oddi – Le Montagne Della Luce LP (Four Flies)
Romolo Grano (composer) and Gianni Oddi (arranger and conductor) join forces for a trippy and funky journey exploring both the heart of Africa, and its deepest mysteries. Originally composed for an Italian TV documentary in 1975 and released on a very rare and sought-after 7” this reissue adds three recently-discovered archival cuts.
Tom Green – The Tom Green Show LP (Ship To Shore)
Tom Green – prankster, provaocateur, pundit – has a lot on his mind, and this bracing, inventive album lays it all out. A dazzling pastiche of social and political commentary, autobiography and general Tom-foolery, The Tom Green Show mixes hip-hop, punk rock, goth rock, confessional folk, electronica and signature novelty tunes into a heady stew spiced with samples from Green’s TV shows, movies and stand-up comedy routines.
Alan Hawkshaw – The Road Forward [Reissue/1977] LP (Be With)
This collection from 1977 is a brilliantly varied blend of silky smooth synths, funk-fueled clavichord grooves, and soft focus space beats.
Alan Hawkshaw/Keith Mansfield – Beat Incidental [Reissue/1969] LP (Be With)
The dream team of Alan Hawkshaw and Keith Mansfield are here at the helm of one of the most legendary of the legendary KPM albums, originally released in 1969. Beat Incidental is psychedelic pop-soul that hits hard thanks to fuzz guitars, growling flutes, deep Hammond grooves, and drum breaks galore: it’s basically drama jazz.
Hey Zeus – X LP (Argonauta)
Heavy rock ‘n’ roll with punk attitude. [CD edition due June 14.]
Hunter Complex – Open Sea LP+MP3 (Death Waltz)
10 tracks of supreme synth goodness that are at the same time retro and yet totally futuristic. Limited blue colored vinyl pressing.
Hyperculte – Massif Occidental LP (Les Disques Bongo Joe)
The duo, formed by the cream of Genevan experimental scene (Simone Aubert in drums, guitar and singing and Vincent Bertholet in double-bass and singing) will carry you away with their brand of disco, pop, kraut, punk and post rock trance.
The Jackson 5ive – Dancing Machine [Reissue/1974] LP (LMLR)
Limited opaque brown colored vinyl pressing the The Jackson 5ive’s ninth studio album.
Billy Joel – The Bridge [Reissue/1986] LP (Friday Music)
Limited edition 180gm red and orange colored vinyl pressing.
JR JR – Invocations/Conversations 2xLP (Love Is EZ)
New album from the band formally known as Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. [CD edition due June 21.]
Bruce Katz Band – Crescent Crawl [Reissue/1992] LP (Sledgehammer)
Bruce Katz is prolific on the keys. A five-time nominee for the Blues Music Award for Pinetop Perkins Piano Player of the Year, Katz has performed on over 70 albums and toured with Gregg Allman, Ronnie Earl, Duke Robillard and John Hammond. In 1992, after many years as a side-man, Katz stepped out for his debut with Crescent Crawl. The all-instrumental album, featuring Katz on both piano and Hammond B-3 organ, blurred the line between blues and jazz thanks in part to the use of an upright bass.
Khalid – Free Spirit 2xLP+MP3 (RCA)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Khalid’s music is primarily R&B and pop. He sings in both the baritone and tenor ranges, effectively rendering him a baritenor. Khalid cites Kendrick Lamar, A$AP Rocky, Father John Misty, Frank Ocean, Grizzly Bear, Chance The Rapper, Lorde, India. Arie, and James Blake as influences. Free Spirit is his second album.
King Hobo – Mauga LP (Weathermaker Music)
King Hobo – the side project featuring Jean-Paul Gaster (Clutch), Per Wiberg (Opeth, Spiritual Beggars), and Thomas Andersson (Kamchatka) – return with their awaited follow-up to their eponymous 2008 debut.
The Kinks – Sleepwalker [Reissue/1977] LP (Friday Music)
Limited 180gm colored vinyl pressing. “Sleepwalker emphatically testifies to the dramatic artistic revival of Ray Davies, whose supreme talents as a writer have been so distressingly overlooked during the first half of the 1970s. Sleepwalker really is the group’s strongest and most organized album in years.” – Melody Maker
Lungbutter – Honey LP (Constellation)
Montreal noise rock trio Lungbutter combine rich layers of Melvins-style guitar distortion, muscular drums and mantric sung-spoken vocals reminiscent of Life Without Buildings. Arresting, abstract and visceral.
Model Zero – Model Zero LP (Black Gladiator)
Memphis band Model Zero features members of Ex-Cult, Aquarian Blood, and Jack Oblivian’s backing band The Sheiks, mix garage rock with vintage electronics for a post-apocalyptic party band sound.
Nightmares On Wax – Back To Nature – Ricardo Villalobos Remixes 12” (Warp)
Following the release of last year’s album Shape The Future, Nightmares On Wax return with two new takes by longtime associate and DJ Ricardo Villalobos for standout album-cut “Back To Nature (feat. Kuauhtli Vasquez & WixarikaTribe)”.
Offset – Father Of 4 2xLP (Quality Control)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. The debut studio album by rapper Offset features guest appearances by J. Cole, Cardi B, Travis Scott, 21 Savage, Big Rube, Gunna, CeeLo Green, Quavo and Gucci Mane.
Om – Live LP (Outer Battery)
Inspired by classic 70’s bootlegs, Al Cisneros from Om wanted to capture the raw live feel of their 2013 European tour on vinyl.
Onyx – 100 Mad CD/LP (Cleopatra)
New album from the hip-hop veterans featuring guest appearances by Planet Asia, Tha God Fahim & Lil Fame plus production by Snowgoons, The Alchemist and more.
Pandit Kanwar Sain Trikha – Three Sitar Pieces [Reissue/1971] LP (Manufactured)
Mostly known for hyper-rare psych, prog and acid folk, Pandit Kanwar Sain Trikha’s 1971 album Three Sitar Pieces fits in perfectly with their British psych and prog label mates like Simon Finn, Magic Carpet, and Chillum.
Phish – Billy Breathes [Reissue/1996] 2xLP+MP3 (Jemp)
Phish – Slip Stitch And Pass [Reissue/1996] 2xLP+MP3 (Jemp)
Released last year as limited Record Store Day/Black Friday releases, Phish’s sixth studio album (Billy Breathes) and second official live album (Slip Stitch And Pass) are available on 180gm black vinyl.
Resina – Traces – Remixes 12” (Fat Ca/130701t)
Warsaw-based cellist Resina follows up last year’s brilliant Traces album with a new EP featuring one of its standout tracks, “Trigger”, plus a set of remixes from four of her favorite artists: Ben Frost, Lotic, Abul Mogard and 130701 labelmate, Ian William Craig.
SassyBlack – Wakanda Funk Lounge 7” (Crane City Music)
A svelte slab of hologram funk delivered directly from the Black Panther nation of Wakanda.
Secret Band – LP2 LP (Rise)
From the artistic forces that brought you Dance Gavin Dance comes Secret Band.
Sex Gang Children – Blind! [Reissue/1985] LP (Cleopatra)
Limited blue colored vinyl reissue of the 1985 album by the goth rock band.
Sasha Sloan – Loser 12”+MP3 (RCA)
The second EP from the rising Russian-American singer/songwriter.
Stereo MCs – Connected [Reissue/1992] LP (Island)
Limited 180gm vinyl reissue of the 1992 album by the British hip hop/electronic dance group.
Tamino – Amir LP (Arts & Crafts)
Released last October on CD – now available on vinyl. Amir is a debut album of introspective and otherwordly tunes from the Belgian/Egyptian artist. Includes “Indigo Night” which features Radiohead’s Colin Greenwood on bass guitar.
Traffic – The Studio Recordings 1967-1974 6xLP (Island)
50 years after Steve Winwood jumped ship from chart toppers The Spencer Davis Group and quit the bright lights in favor of the countryside and jam sessions with Jim Capaldi, Dave Mason and Chris Wood, we celebrate Traffic’s influential legacy with this limited edition Island records studio collection. Boasting all six studio albums recorded for the label remastered from the original tapes and presented in their original and highly collectible ‘first’ Island pressing form (gatefold sleeves, pink eye labels etc.), the set also includes a related and super rare facsimile promo poster for each album.
The True Loves – Last Famous Words 7” (Colemine)
Bringing together undeniable grooves and classic soul sounds, The True Loves’ focus is clear: create modern soul music that never loses sight of the originators yet remains steadfast in pursuit of that ‘next fiery groove’.
This Kind Of Punishment – In The Same Room [Reissue/1987] LP (Superior Viaduct)
With This Kind Of Punishment, Graeme Jefferies and Peter Jefferies produced some of most adept DIY sounds to emerge from New Zealand’s 1980s post-punk scene. After their phenomenal self-titled debut and classic A Beard Of Bees (1984), the brothers would make one last album together, In The Same Room. Originally released in 1987 on Flying Nun, In The Same Room is perhaps the straightest rock offering in TKP’s esteemed catalogue.
The Three Tremors – The Three Tremors 2xLP (Steel Cartel)
Released in February on CD – now available on colored vinyl. The Three Tremors is a new metal supergroup featuring Tim “Ripper” Owens (Judas Priest, Iced Earth), Harry “The Tyrant” Conklin (Jag Panzer), and Sean “The Hell Destroyer” Peck (Cage, Denner/Shermann, Death Dealer).
Tate Tucker – Shangri La 10” (Harvest)
LA-based recording artist Tate Tucker is one of the best rappers that you may not have noticed (yet).
Frank Turner – Poetry Of The Deed [Reissue/2009] 2xLP (Xtra Mile)
Limited tenth anniversary double-LP vinyl reissue of the third studio album by the English singer-songwriter.
Unturned – Sunk LP (No Sleep)
Unturned has been recognized as a powerhouse in Minneapolis alternative music. Using punchy riffs, fast precise drums, and a pounding bass all combined with a smooth swelling ambience and soaring vocals, Unturned creates a blend of contemporary pop-punk and emo.
Upcdownc – I, Awake 2xLP (Upcdownc)
Post-rock/progressive/sludge/horror-synth outfit Upcdownc combine Swans-like repetitive dynamics with Black Sabbath style riffs and John Carpenter-esque synths.
Vinyl Williams – Opal LP (Requiem Pour Twister)
2018 release – now available on ‘doublemint & sea blue’ colored vinyl. Throughout his art, both musical and visual, Lionel (aka Vinyl) Williams is always exploring the syncretistic territory between reality and dreams, between earth and space. For him music is a chance to transmute qualitative opposites into the center, to dissolve all illusions of duality. As chaos and disorder is an illusion, with Opal, Vinyl Williams is trying to reach a new state of celestial harmony. The result of which is an album fueled with mysticism and space age utopia, ten kaleidoscopic lush pop songs that takes you into a transcendental journey.
Cassettes:
Chai – Punk (Burger)
Chai is an adventure where all-things are pink, a sound that fuses the likings of Basement Jaxx, CSS, and Tom Tom Club, lyrics catered to self-empowerment and re-defining the definition of kawaii or cute, and indescribably fun visuals that’ll surely absorb you whole.
Cosmonauts – Star 69 (Burger)
Calling their distorted, amped sound drug punk, Cosmonauts are a California-based garage punk band known for their simple, physically powerful songs and punishing stage volume.
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