New Releases for May 6, 2022

Marketing Program/ Banner/ Listening Station Titles Promoted This Week:

Arcade Fire – WE CD/LP (Columbia/Sony)

WE is the new album from Canadian rock band Arcade Fire. This is the sixth Arcade Fire studio album and is made up of seven songs that speak to this moment with unique directness. Written, recorded, and released during a critical historical juncture, they are divided into two distinct sides, “I” and “WE.” If the “I” side of the record evokes and embodies our holed-up anxiety and lack of physical connection, the “WE” side captures the excitement of new possibilities and the elevating thrill of committing to one another socially and personally. Produced by Nigel Godrich, Win Butler and Régine Chassagne, WE is a 40 minute epic as much about the forces that threaten to pull us away from the people we love, as it is inspired by the urgent need to overcome them. [An indie store exclusive white color vinyl pressing is available.]

Aurora – The Gods We Can Touch CD/2xLP/Cassette (Glassnote)

Aurora’s The Gods We Can Touch is an elegant and celestial but provocative album about shame, desire, and morality, all seen through the narrative prism of Greek mythology. In each of the album’s 15 songs we meet a different God. On “Exist For Love”, it’s Aphrodite; We also meet Persephone, queen of the damned (on “Heathens”), Morpheus (“This Could Be A Dream”) and Peitho, the personification of seduction and persuasion (“A Dangerous Thing”). “The Greeks had gods and goddesses for everything,” Aurora notes. “For anxiety, for wine, for sex… Long ago when this concept of gods and goddesses started, they were more human, more relatable, and almost touchable. Most importantly, they had flaws.”

AWOLNATION – My Echo, My Shadow, My Covers And Me CD (Better Noise Music)

AWOLNATION’s new album My Echo, My Shadow, My Covers And Me is a fiercely collaborative and celebratory project. It’s an eclectic collection of masterfully crafted and carefully curated covers, with each track featuring at least one acclaimed musical artist. It includes epic re-imaginings of classics like “Wind Of Change” by the Scorpions, “Take A Chance On Me” by ABBA, and “Beds Are Burning” by Midnight Oil; and features collaborations with artists like Portugal The Man, Brandon Boyd of Incubus, Jewel, Beck, Taylor Hanson and more. [Vinyl edition due June 3. Cassette version TBD.]

Belle And Sebastian – A Bit Of Previous CD/LP+MP3 (Matador)

A Bit Of Previous is a classic Belle And Sebastian album preoccupied with songs and melodies that won’t leave your head and lyrics that can make you smile and ponder and sometimes be melancholic. It’s an album self-produced and recorded by Belle And Sebastian (with contributions from Brian McNeil, Matt Wiggins, Kevin Burleigh and Shawn Everett) and their most hands-on since The Boy With The Arab Strap. So, what is a A Bit Of Previous? It’s a bit of everything, and a lot of what makes Belle And Sebastian so special and enduring. It’s a band tackling the insight, experience and responsibility that come with getting older with humor and irreverence and lyrical exactitude and musical bravado. It’s one of the UK’s most beloved pop portraitists asserting themselves as an infallible source of energy and fun. [An indie store exclusive color vinyl pressing is available.]

Halestorm – Back From The Dead CD/LP (Atlantic)

Halestorm has grown from a childhood dream of siblings Lzzy and Arejay Hale into one of the most celebrated rock bands of the last two decades. Produced by Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters, Mastodon, Alice In Chains) with co-production by Scott Stevens (Shinedown, Daughtry, New Years Day), new album Back From The Dead quickly evolved from songwriting exercises into a matter of survival for Halestorm. Lead singer Lzzy Hale says: “We started writing this album about three months B.C. (Before COVID). Once we went into lockdown and were unable to perform and tour, I fell into a dark place and something of an identity crisis. This album is the story of me carving myself out of that abyss. It is a journey of navigating mental health, debauchery, survival, redemption, rediscovery, and still maintaining faith in humanity.” [An indie store exclusive translucent red color vinyl pressing is available.]

Ibeyi – Spell 31 CD/LP+MP3 (XL Recordings)

Ibeyi features French Afro-Cuban twin sisters Lisa-Kainde and Naomi Diaz. Performing from a young age, the daughters of famed Cuban percussionist Ánga Diaz, have released two critically acclaimed albums, a self-titled debut in 2015 and Ash in 2017. Spell 31 is their boldest offering yet, an antidote to apathy in a divided world. Ethereal, crystalized signature Ibeyi harmonies are fused with gospel, persuasive percussion, momentous deeply resonant bass, and electronic neo soul expressions, transporting us into a sublime rawness that is refined by Richard Russell’s precise hand and synthesized into astonishing clarity.

Jim Lindberg – Songs From The Elkhorn Trail CD/LP+MP3 (Epitaph)

On his new solo acoustic debut, Songs From The Elkhorn Trail, Jim Lindberg takes a much more introspective turn, producing an album that is at once a personal reflection of life, a testament to family and friends, and a look at the fleeting nature of those relationships, and the resulting consequences of loneliness and alienation. With many of the songs being over 25 years in the making, the album is a heartfelt look at Lindberg’s life story. His late father who passed away in 2018 of Alzheimer’s Disease is a huge inspiration for the record, having encouraged him in many aspects of his life; from buying him his first guitar to supporting him quitting his job and going on tour with Pennywise.

Ella Mai – Heart On My Sleeve CD (Interscope)

Heart On My Sleeve, Ella Mai‘s sophomore album, is finally here. When speaking about the new album, Mai shared, “I poured my whole heart into this album, more so than ever before. I am overly excited for this sophomore journey. Let’s do it all over again!” she continued. Earlier this year, Mai released “DFMU”, which was her first single in two years. The artist’s last album debuted back in 2018. The eponymous project includes some of her chart-topping hits such as “Boo’d Up” and “Trip”. “It’s still me and it’s elevated,” Mai spoke to Billboard about Heart On My Sleeve. “Just in life, I’m a different woman. I’m more mature and I’ve experienced different things than I did when I was a 23-year-old. I’m surer of myself as an artist. I’ve been able to tour the world and I think that opens your eyes up a lot more.”

Leyla McCalla – Breaking The Thermometer CD (ANTI)

Haitian American artist Leyla McCalla draws upon her experience as a bilingual multi-instrumentalist and New Orleans resident to create distinctive music that reflects both her past and present. Her new album, Breaking The Thermometer, is captivating, fueled by rich, sophisticated melodic work and intoxicating Afro-Caribbean rhythms, and the juxtaposition of voices – English and Kreyòl, personal and political, anecdotal and journalistic – is similarly entrancing, raising the dead as it shines a light on the enduring spirit of the Haitian people. McCalla isn’t just some detached observer here, though; she writes with great insight and introspection, examining her own personal journey of growth and self-discovery as she uncovers the Radio Haiti story as well as the broader understanding of what Democracy and unalienable human rights means to each of us, no matter where we’re from. [Vinyl edition due June 24.]

My Idea – Cry Mfer CD (Hardly Art)

The closer you are to someone, the crueler you can treat them, but if they love you, they’re inclined to forgive you. Lily Konigsberg and Nate Amos forgive each other now, but they were in a bad way when they recorded Cry Mfer – which is not to say their debut album is a sonic bum out. Cry Mfer proves you can still make pop music while spiraling. When not using the other party as an emotional punching bag, Nate and Lily used one another as a creative filter and sounding board – pushing, prodding and challenging themselves to “mess with different sounds,” harkening to, Nate says, “songwriting duos who seem to have their own language that other people don’t quite understand.” In life, as in art, they share a language, a hive mind. Cry Mfer is, true to the band’s vision, a beautiful mess of different sounds, completely and effortlessly genreless (though if pressed to label it, the band settles on “Truth Or Dare Pop”). While a milieu of myriad styles, from folk to dance, the album’s main through line is truth, regardless of how much the expression thereof may hurt. [An opaque red color vinyl pressing is due May 13.]

Pink Mountaintops – Peacock Pools CD/LP (ATO)

Pink Mountaintops’ first new album in eight years features 12 songs sparked from Stephen McBean’s magpie-like curiosity for a wild expanse of cultural artifacts: David Cronenberg, Disney Read-Along records from the ’70s, early Pink Floyd, mid-career Gary Numan, John Carpenter movies, and Ornette Coleman live videos. Featuring counterculture icons like Steven McDonald (Redd Kross) and Dale Crover (Melvins), Peacock Pools alchemizes those obsessions into a body of work with its own enchanting power. [An indie store exclusive color vinyl pressing is available.]

Aaron Raitiere – Single Wide Dreamer CD/LP (Dinner Time)

When a few friends offered to make a debut record on him, Nashville songwriter Aaron Raitiere simply agreed to go along with it. In the four years since that first session for what would become Single Wide Dreamer, the auspicious project has retained its casual charm even as its guest list gradually expanded. Anderson East and Miranda Lambert, who co-produced the album, now appear alongside Nashville musicians like Dave Cobb, Natalie Hemby, Ashley Monroe, and Waylon Payne, as well as Robert Randolph, Foy Vance, and Bob Weir. With a laid-back, speak-singing delivery, Single Wide Dreamer immediately conveys Raitiere’s contentment in living a low-key life. And although every song on the album could be considered a love song in its own way, what really ties them together is his observant writing, which is sometimes reflective, sometimes irreverent, but always inspired by his own experiences.

Emeli Sandé – Let’s Say For Instance CD (Chrysalis)

Internationally renowned British singer-songwriter Emeli Sandé delivers the new album Let’s Say For Instance. Her first release on an independent label, Let’s Say For Instance marks a new era of Emeli’s expansive artistry after a decade on stage and on the airwaves. Exploring new sonic territory through shades of classical, disco, nostalgic R&B and more, it sees Emeli freeing herself from the expectations of others, flexing her holistic skills as a songwriter, producer, and vocalist in new, versatile ways. In her words: “‘an ode to resilience, rebirth, and renewal.” The album features the hit single “Brighter Days”, alongside fellow singles “Look What You’ve Done”, and “Family”. [Vinyl due September 9.]

Silverstein – Misery Made Me CD (UNFD)

Filled with moments of relentless energy throwing back to their punk and hardcore roots to visionary moments of modern heavy, Silverstein’s Misery Made Me fastens the group’s status as torchbearers of the scene on all fronts. It’s both intriguing and inspiring that a band – who could have merely rested on the impressive legacy they’ve already cemented – would continue to dig deep and find the inspiration to reach people in meaningful new ways. On Misery Made Me, Silverstein ultimately find themselves spring-boarding off the heights they’ve reached over the past handful of years. [Vinyl edition – including an indie store exclusive translucent blue color pressing – due July 22.]

Soft Cell – *Happiness Not Included CD/LP (BMG)

Soft Cell – legendary frontman Marc Almond and producer/instrumentalist Dave Ball – return with their fifth studio album *Happiness Not Included. It represents their first new album since they issued Cruelty Without Beauty back in 2002. One play of *Happiness Not Included reveals all the traits that fans first adored Soft Cell for: that distinctive and striking balance between light and shade, hope and despair, the personal and the universal. “In this album I wanted to look at us as a society: a place where we have chosen to put profits before people, money before morality and decency, food before the rights of animals, fanaticism before fairness and our own trivial comforts before the unspeakable agonies of others,” Almond notes. “But in the album, there is also a belief that there is a utopia if we can peel back the layers and understand what really matters.” Bell adds, “Recorded remotely during a world pandemic. Science fiction stories for the 21^st century.” [A limited-edition yellow color vinyl pressing is available.]

Terror – Pain Into Power CD/LP (Pure Noise)

For two decades Terror has been relentless. The band has achieved a kind of longevity that’s exceedingly rare, managing to stay both consistently active and consistently ferocious – a feat that’s taken them from their underground roots to being one of the most legendary groups in hardcore. Now on their eighth studio album, Pain Into Power, the band have bridged the gap between their past and present, with original guitarist Todd Jones returning to the fold to produce an extraordinarily visceral record that proves Terror’s future is looking as fast, heavy, and aggressive as ever. [An indie store exclusive translucent w/ black & silver color vinyl pressing is available.]

Richard Thompson – Music From Grizzly Man CD/LP (No Quarter)

Richard Thompson’s score for Grizzly Man – Werner Herzog’s 2005 documentary film of real life and death in the Alaskan wilderness – is one of the best-kept secrets in the British guitarist’s epic canon: an instrumental masterpiece disguised as a movie soundtrack. Recorded over two days as Thompson played live in the studio to Herzog’s footage – mostly alone, at times in chamber settings with cello, piano, and percussion – these tenderly detailed melodies and quietly visceral improvisations are cinema in their own right, rendered with pictorial instinct and the dazzling technique forged in Thompson’s lifelong passage through traditional folk, psychedelia, North African modes and intensely personal songwriting.

Waterboys – All Souls Hill CD (Cooking Vinyl)

After blazing a trail with 2020’s critically acclaimed Good Luck Seeker, The Waterboys waste no time in delivering again with All Souls Hill. Lead track “The Liar” is a creeping, groove-laden masterpiece, taking a powerful, descriptive swipe at Trump and the lies and deceit that infest those in power. “’The Liar’ is a comment on recent and still-current events, and both the song and video speak for themselves,” says frontman Mike Scott. “All Souls Hill is mysterious, otherworldly, tune-banging and emotional,” he continues. “Its nine songs tell stories, explore dreamscapes, and cast a cold but hopeful eye on the human drama.” [Vinyl edition – including an indie store exclusive color vinyl pressing – due June 24.]

Suki Waterhouse – I Can’t Let Go CD/LP+MP3 (Sub Pop)

Nowadays, voice memos, videos, and pictures chronicle our lives in real-time. We trace where we’ve been and reveal where we’re going. However, Suki Waterhouse catalogs the most intimate, formative, and significant moments of her life through songs. You might recognize her name or her work as singer, songwriter, actress but you’ll really get to know the multi-faceted artist through her music. Memories of unrequited love, fits of longing, instances of anxiety, and unfiltered snapshots interlock like puzzle pieces into a mosaic of well-worn country, ‘90s-style alternative, and unassuming pop. She writes the kind of tunes meant to be grafted onto dusty old vinyl from your favorite vintage record store, yet perfect for a sun-soaked festival stage. These compositions comprise her debut album, I Can’t Let Go. [A limited-edition metallic gold color vinyl pressing is available.]

Alison Wonderland – Loner CD/LP (Astralwerks)

Hugely acclaimed electronic music artist Alison Wonderland delivers her third album Loner, the follow-up to 2018’s Awake. “For me, Loner felt like a rebirth,” she says. “I owe it to whoever else is out there who was like me, wishing that they had an album like this to empower them to feel less alone and know that it’s all going to be okay one day.” Turning as always to music for inspiration, she revisited her previous albums for the first time in a long time. “I realized that I have always seen myself as the victim of my story,” she notes. “This time, something shifted in me, and I decided that I didn’t want to be the victim anymore. Instead, whatever I wrote from here would empower me, and help me find strength in this loneliness.” Self-written and produced single “New Day” is described as “the sound of Alison falling in love with life and the potential each day holds.” [A limited-edition clear vinyl pressing is available.]

Neil Young – Royce Hall 1971 CD (Reprise)

During Neil Young’s long and storied career, some of his concerts have gained mythic status, thanks to the practice of bootlegging. Recorded on January 30, 1971, this previously unreleased concert was performed at gorgeous Royce Hall on the campus of UCLA in Los Angeles, near the end of the singer/songwriter’s 1971 solo tour. Young played 16 solo acoustic numbers that night, accompanying himself on guitar and harmonica. The track list features beloved classics like “Old Man”, “Heart Of Gold”, “Ohio”, “Cowgirl In The Sand”, “Don’t Let It Bring You Down”, and “Down By The River”, plus the timeless version of “The Needle And The Damage Done” that appears on 1972’s Harvest, one of the greatest albums of all time. [Vinyl edition due June 3.]

Additional Social Media Program Titles Released This Week:

No additional social media program titles this week.

CDs + Vinyl:

!!! – Let It Blue CD/LP+MP3 (Warp)

Let It Be Blue contains 11 tracks that incorporate a multitude of styles and genres, easily becoming their most eclectic release yet. The band has taken a new approach to recording over the past two years, primarily working in the box to start, as opposed to their usual studio focused approach. The result, a prominent electronic / dance-leaning edge pervades the band’s familiar sonic motifs and songwriting, pushing the towards new dynamic limits for the New York mainstays. [An indie store exclusive blue color vinyl pressing is available.]

Agressor – Arrival 2xCD (Season Of Mist)

Two CD set containing digitally remastered editions of Neverending Destiny (1990) and Towards Beyond (1992), both including re-recorded bonus tracks. Agressor became the first French metal act to be signed by an international label after recording the demo, Orbital Distortion in 1989. A year later, the band began cooperating with Philippe Druillet for the visuals of their debut album, Neverending Destiny, which received a warm welcome with its combination of brutal thrash riffing and what would now be considered an early form of technical death metal. Their sophomore full-length, Towards Beyond (1992) was produced by Börje “Boss” Forsberg of Bathory and Black Mark fame and came with ultra-heavy passages on top of their trademark technical riffing.

Terry Allen – Smokin The Dummy [Reissue/1980] CD/LP (Paradise Of Bachelors)

Terry Allen – Bloodlines [Reissue/1983] CD/LP (Paradise Of Bachelors)

Recorded exactly two years after acclaimed visual artist and songwriter Terry Allen’s masterpiece Lubbock (on everything), the feral follow-up Smokin The Dummy is less conceptually focused but more sonically and stylistically unified than its predecessor – it’s also rougher and rowdier, wilder and more wired, and altogether more menacingly rock & roll. Bloodlines compiles thematically related but disparate recordings from miscellaneous sources both theatrical and historical: two songs written for plays; two full-band reprises of selections from Juarez; the irreverent hellfire-hitchhiker-on-highway ballad “Gimme A Ride To Heaven Boy” (featuring Joe Ely); and the poignant eponymous ode to the arteries of ancestry and landscape (the debut recording of eight-year-old Natalie Maines, later covered by Lucinda Williams).

The Americans – Stand True CD/LP (Loose Music)

Every few years, musicians arrive on the scene with an undeniably fresh approach to a tried-and-true genre. Showcasing this with unparalleled proficiency is the acclaimed Los Angeles-based Americana band The Americans. Upon hearing their sophomore studio effort Stand True it’s evident why revered producer T Bone Burnett raved, calling them, “genius twenty-first century musicians that are reinventing American heritage music for this century.’ [A limited-edition silver color vinyl pressing is available.]

Arcade Fire – WE CD/LP (Columbia/Sony)

Aurora – The Gods We Can Touch CD/2xLP/Cassette (Glassnote)

AWOLNATION – My Echo, My Shadow, My Covers And Me CD (Better Noise Music)

Belle And Sebastian – A Bit Of Previous CD/LP+MP3 (Matador)

Brandt Bjork And The Bros – Somera Sól CD/LP (Heavy Psych Sounds)

CD and multiple colorway vinyl reissues of the sophomore album from the stoner rock band.

The Black Crowes – 1972 CD/LP (Silver Arrow)

The Black Crowes return with a new collection of covers entitled 1972. The six-track set features takes on The Rolling Stones’ “Rocks Off”, Rod Stewart’s “You Wear It Well”, Little Feat’s “Easy To Slip”, T-Rex’s “The Slider”, David Bowie’s “Moonage Daydream”, and The Temptations’ “Papa Was A Rollin’ Stone”. [A limited-edition silver color vinyl pressing is available.]

Black Eye – Black Eye CD (Frontiers)

Black Eye is a new band centered around vocalist David Readman (Pink Cream 69). Their self-titled debut is a melodic metal album with big choruses, powerful rhythms, and huge solos that showcase the powerful voice of Readman.

BoyWithUke – Serotonin Dreams CD (Republic)

Singer-songwriter and producer Boywithuke new album, Serotonin Dreams, features collaborations with blackbear, Powfu, and mxmtoon and includes the hit “Toxic”.

The Builders And The Butchers – Hell & High Water CD/LP (Badman Recording Co.)

The Builders And The Butchers were formed in the fall of 2005 in Portland, Oregon. The band’s first two years consisted of busking, playing house shows, and showing up unannounced anywhere around Portland where people were gathered. Folks began to take notice and the band transitioned slowly, going from playing on the floor of venues unplugged to gradually adding a mic here, an amp there, until they organically grew into one of the most exciting live acts in the Pacific Northwest. Even when plugged in, a cornerstone of almost every Builders show is playing on the floor at some point during the set. The Builders wrote their sixth studio album Hell & High Water together as a band in a boat house in the marina where bass player Willy Kunkle lives.

Basia Bulat – The Garden CD/2xLP+MP3 (Secret City)

Introducing The Garden: a strings album and a retrospective from a room in Montreal with the windows open, and the wind moving, and the leaves changing, and a spring-colored secret on the tip of Basia Bulat’s tongue. The Garden gathers fourteen string arrangements by three different arrangers (Owen Pallett, Paul Frith, and Zou Zou Robidoux), revisiting material from all five of Bulat’s studio albums.

Christian Death – Evil Becomes Rule CD/LP (Season Of Mist)

With the release of their 17^th studio album, Christian Death show no signs of faltering or slowing down. The godfathers of death rock have simultaneously perfected and redefined their signature sound, which has served as a core inspiration for many bands of both the past and present, such as Danzig, Celtic Frost, and Type O Negative, to name just a few. Evil Becomes Rule isn’t merely a musical endeavor, but an artistic expression that blends elements of gothic rock, post-punk, and dark pop, cultivating a poetic aesthetic that is certain to continue to influence the next wave of gothic rock.

Sheryl Crow – Sheryl: Music From The Feature Documentary 2xCD (A&M)

Two CD companion piece to Sheryl Crow’s documentary, Sheryl, featuring 35 songs spanning three decades of music from the nine-time Grammy Award winner. Three new songs are included with her hits “If It Makes You Happy”, “Soak Up The Sun”, “All I Wanna Do”, “My Favorite Mistake”, “Redemption Day”, and many more.

Deathbell – A Nocturnal Crossing CD (Svart)

Recently released on vinyl – now available on CD. Deathbell is a five-piece band from Toulouse/France, that create eerie and heavy fuzz-laden doom.

Desaparecidos – Read Music, Speak Spanish [Reissue/2002] CD (Saddle Creek)

2022 finds the 20th Anniversary Edition of Desaparecidos’ Read Music, Speak Spanish into a world in which the dread and disenfranchisement detailed throughout the album feel as pertinent today as they did then. The characters and settings may have changed, but the startling narrative has not. In late 2001, Conor Oberst, Denver Dalley, Landon Hedges, Ian McElroy, and Matt Baum spent a week at Presto! Recording Studio in Lincoln, NE recording a punk album. That debut album, released in the post-9/11 fog of early 2002, screamed out observational commentary on urban development, the sacrifice of human value for the dollar bill, and the new American Dream in a way that felt distinctly out of sync with the hyper-patriotic atmosphere of peak G.W. Bush-era America. [Two color vinyl editions – including an indie store exclusive pressing – are due May 20.]

Ellevator – The Words You Spoke Still Move Me CD (Arts & Crafts)

Ontario-based trio Ellevator present their debut album, The Words You Spoke Still Move Me. Produced by former Death Cab for Cutie member Chris Walla, the band says, “We went full prog-rock on this one and tapped into some mythological nerdery. It’s easy to imbue elemental stories like this with all sorts of meanings… this one is about killing the things that hold us captive and returning to the water, whatever that is for you.” [Vinyl edition due July 29.]

Bill Fay – Still Some Light: Part 2 CD/2xLP+MP3 (Dead Oceans)

Bill Fay has always sung about attempting to understand the most universal questions: those of nature, spirituality, humanity. His songs are “calming hymns for another chaotic time”, he says. His influence can be traced through many artists’ works, and so it only seemed right to celebrate this with a collection of newer voices interpreting his timeless tracks. Originally released in 2010 by David Tibet (Current 93), Still Some Light was released as a double CD, made up of ‘70s album demos (Disc One) and 2009 home recordings (Disc Two). This year, for the first time, this collection of recordings will be pressed to vinyl and released digitally, presented alongside contemporary reimaginings of the tracks by Kevin Morby, Steve Gunn, Julia Jacklin and Mary Lattimore. Bill Fay’s words and melodies remain unaffected by the passing of time and changing trends; and here alongside the original recordings, these reinvented versions still calmly guide us through another moment of chaos.

Fozzy – Boombox CD (Fozzy)

The first album in five years by the powerhouse rockers fronted by Chris Jericho Fozzy.

Hail Spirit Noir – Mannequins CD (Agonia)

Prolific shapeshifters Hail Spirit Noir, of Greek origin, discard their progressive robes to celebrate their 10th anniversary with a one-off, synthwave, sci-fi pop album, Mannequins.

Halestorm – Back From The Dead CD/LP (Atlantic)

Halestorm has grown from a childhood dream of siblings Lzzy and Arejay Hale into one of the most celebrated rock bands of the last two decades. Produced by Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters, Mastodon, Alice In Chains) with co-production by Scott Stevens (Shinedown, Daughtry, New Year’s Day), new album Back From The Dead quickly evolved from songwriting exercises into a matter of survival for Halestorm. Lead singer Lzzy Hale says: “We started writing this album about three months B.C. (Before COVID). Once we went into lockdown and were unable to perform and tour, I fell into a dark place and something of an identity crisis. This album is the story of me carving myself out of that abyss. It is a journey of navigating mental health, debauchery, survival, redemption, rediscovery, and still maintaining faith in humanity.” [An indie store exclusive translucent red color vinyl pressing is available.]

Hermitude – Mirror Mountain CD (Nettwerk)

The multi-instrumentalist duo – Luke Dubber (aka Luke Dubs) and Angus Stuart (aka El Gusto) holed up together in Angus’ home with a pared-back music setup, a process that was all about taking back control over how and why they make music as Hermitude. The duo recorded vocal sessions in-person to create a more intimate experience. [A clear vinyl pressing is due June 10.]

Ibaraki – Rashomon CD/2xLP/Cassette (Nuclear Blast)

Ibaraki – the name for a terrifying Japanese demon taken from feudal legend – is more than a solo record for Trivium frontman, Matt Heafy. As he tells it, it’s the end-result of a journey to find his voice. It’s personal, it’s deep, and as he explains, its inspirations include everything from an adoration for the extremes of black metal, to the exuberant storytelling of Gerard Way, to the adventuresome worldliness of tragic bon viveur Anthony Bourdain. It’s a reflection of his multifaceted interests as well as a profound affirmation of his Japanese American identity, and one that led him to confront one of his family’s most tragic moments. [A clear w/ red, white & black splatter color viny pressing is available.]

Ibeyi – Spell 31 CD/LP+MP3 (XL Recordings)

Invocator – Excursion Demise [Reissue/1991] CD/LP (Napalm)

Invocator – Weave The Apocolypse [Reissue/1993] CD/LP (Napalm)

Invocator is a Danish technical thrash metal band founded in the mid ’80s by Esbjerg-based guitarist/singer Jacob Hansen.

The Jesus And Mary Chain – Damage And Joy CD (Cooking Vinyl)

Originally released in 2017 on the band’s own label Artificial Plastic and now being reissued by Fuzz Club Records, Damage And Joy is the seventh studio album from Scottish alt-rock legends The Jesus And Mary Chain. The long-awaited follow-up to 1998’s Munki, Damage And Joy was the band’s first studio album in nearly two decades and contained brand new material alongside reimagined versions of songs that had been released in various forms by the Reid brothers in between the Mary Chain’s 1999 break-up and 2007 reunion.

Joyfultalk – Familiar Science CD/LP+MP3 (Constellation)

Another vibrantly divergent stylistic take on the analog materiality and sensibility of electronic composer-producer Jay Crocker. Familiar Science rallies contributions from a quintet of musicians into a cosmic recombinant combo-still shot through with Joyfultalk’s singular mixing desk kinetics, but this time deep-diving into gnarled and twisted, sliced ,and diced out-jazz. Crocker draws inspiration from 1980s M-Base music, Ornette Coleman’s harmolodic funk, and more recent touchstones like The Comet Is Coming, later Tortoise, or Squarepusher’s Music Is Rotted One Note.

Anna Kaluza – Am Frankfurter Tor CD (Relative Pitch)

Anna and Jan first met in 2004 when they started playing together in different combinations as the Kaluza Quartet (with trombonist Christof Thewes and drummer Kay Lübke), trios with pianist Niko Meinhold or with drummer Michael Griener and various others. In 2020 they played their first duo concert on a boat in Berlin (Hosek Contemporary) and decided to continue with their work as duo. The same year they went to Christian Betz’ studio in Friedrichshain to record their music.

Brennen Leigh – Obsessed With The West CD/LP (Signature Sounds)

On twelve all original songs, Leigh’s supple winking voice and multi-instrument fluency, her interplay with Ray Benson, and the undeniable chops of the Wheel serve up a treat on Leigh’s seventh album, Obsessed With The West. With cameos from Emily Gimble and Katie Shore, and all the players getting their moments in the sun, Leigh – a two-time winner of the Texas Music Awards Best Female Vocalist award – demonstrates on the terrific jump ‘40s rhythm and blues of “Comin’ In Hot” and the lonesome cowboy musing of “Riding Off Onto Sunset Boulevard” why Rodney Crowell and Lee Ann Womack have recorded her songs.

Jani Liimatainen – My Father’s Son CD/2xLP (Frontiers)

The new solo album from the guitarist/songwriter includes guest lead vocals from Björn “Speed” Strid (Soilwork, The Night Flight Orchestra), Tony Kakko (Sonata Arctica), Timo Kotipelto (Stratovarius), Anette Olzon (The Dark Element), Renan Zonta (Electric Mob), Pekka Heino (Brother Firetribe), and Antti Railio (Celesty, Diecell).

Jim Lindberg – Songs From The Elkhorn Trail CD/LP+MP3 (Epitaph)

Darlene Love – The Many Sides Of Love – The Complete Reprise Recordings Plus! CD (Real Gone Music)

50 years of criminally overlooked recordings by the great R&B and rock vocalist. Darlene Love’s work for Phil Spector gets most of the ink, and understandably so, but this 15-track collection captures her rare singles for the Reprise label with the vocal groups The Blossoms and The Wildcats, plus her own solo work, all newly remastered by Mike Milchner at Sonic Vision.

Ella Mai – Heart On My Sleeve CD (Interscope)

Melissa Manchester – Live ’77 2xCD (Real Gone Music)

21 joyful, sensual, romantic, optimistic, soulful, spellbinding, and ultimately empowering live tracks from the singer-songwriter.

Market – The Consistent Brutal Bullshit Gong CD/LP (Western Vinyl)

Released last week on transparent dark blue color vinyl – now available on CD. Recording engineer and multi-instrumentalist Nate Mendelsohn and his band use lyrical maximalism for the powers of good. Where Market’s previous home recorded releases shifted genre restlessly, on The Consistent Brutal Bullshit Gong Mendelsohn took a core band of longtime collaborators to a house in rural Massachusetts where they carved out space for his words to speak through with humor and intensity.

Master – Master [Reissue/1990] CD (Napalm)

Master ‎– On The Seventh Day God Created…Master [Reissue/1991] CD (Napalm)

Master – Collection Of Souls [Reissue/1993] CD (Napalm)

Master – Faith Is In Season [Reissue/1998] CD (Napalm)

Classic ‘90s death metal. Master was originally founded in 1983 and based in Chicago, Illinois. Later relocated to Uherské Hradiště, Moravia, Czech Republic.

Leyla McCalla – Breaking The Thermometer CD (ANTI)

Merzbow – Material Action 2 (N-A-M) [Reissue/1983] CD (Important)

First time on CD for this classic Merzbow duo album from 1983. Material Action is a favorite among early Merzbow free-music, junk-noise workouts. Psychedelic improvised instrumental energy abounds on this essential early recording.

Midland – The Last Resort: Greetings From CD (Big Machine)

Midland likes their music straight-up. Hardcore country, the kind you find in forgotten bars in Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, wherever the neon’s buzzing, but not quite dead. The Grammy-nominated trio plots a resurgence of their thick harmonies, tart lyrics, and steel guitar with The Last Resort: Greetings From. Unfiltered, they want their country 120 proof. Whether it’s a cheating song, a heartbreak ballad, or a shoot-out-the-lights romper, they savor the emotions with a gusto unseen for decades.

Kylie Minogue – Infinite Disco LP (BMG)

Clear vinyl pressing. Fans are invited to return to Infinite Disco, the worldwide performance spectacular, originally broadcasted in 2020. The 18-song record features the full track listing on Kyle Minogue’s No. 1 album Disco, as well as some very special Kylie classics specially re-arranged by long-time Kylie collaborators Biff Stannard and Steve Anderson.

Motor Sister – Get Off CD/LP (Metal Blade)

Motor Sister is a hard rock band comprised of vocalist/guitarist Jim Wilson (Mother Superior), guitarist Scott Ian (Anthrax), bassist Joey Vera (Armored Saint), drummer John Tempesta (White Zombie) and vocalist Pearl Aday (Pearl). Get Off is their first collection of songs in seven years. [A limited-edition blue w/ red color vinyl pressing is available.]

Munya – Voyage To Mars CD (Luminelle Recordings)

Josie Boivin’s dream has always been to be a musician. Well, that and to go to Mars. “I love space. I love aliens. I love thinking that we’re not alone in this big, strange universe,” says the Montreal-based singer and multi-instrumentalist who records as Munya. “Those things give me hope.” Both the longing to make music and the desire for interplanetary travel come together in Boivin’s new album, Voyage To Mars. Named for Georges Méliès’ classic silent film Le Voyage dans la Lune, the record feels beamed in from another planet, suffused with an otherworldly light. It’s music that looks out to great darkness of the sky and the stars beyond for the inspiration to pursue your dreams. [Vinyl edition due June 17.]

My Idea – Cry Mfer CD (Hardly Art)

Graham Nash – Graham Nash: Live – Songs For Beginners / Wild Tales CD/2xLP (Proper)

Graham Nash: Live is the unique project on which Nash revisits his first two classic solo albums, Songs For Beginners and Wild Tales, recorded live in concert. The live albums were recorded in 2019, each in their entirety with their songs in familiar sequence. Nash was joined on stage by a seven-piece band led by his longtime collaborators, Shane Fontayne (guitar and vocals) and Todd Caldwell (keyboards and vocals).

Night Tempo – Ladies In The City CD/LP/Cassette (Hip-O)

Night Tempo, the South Korean producer/DJ, and instrumentalist in the recent international boom of City Pop, releases his first major-label album, Ladies In The City. It includes the preceding singles, “Love Actually (featuring Crystal Tea)”, “Wonderland (featuring BONNIE PINK)”, and “Night Light (featuring Sayumi Michishige)”, as well as “Tokyo Rouge (featuring Maki Nomiya)”. [A limited-edition CD version packaged in a 10” paper sleeve with album cover art sticker, and a limited-edition clear vinyl pressing, is available.]

Osaka Popstar – Ear Candy CD/LP (Misfits Records)

Ear Candy debuts all-new material and ‘sweet’ new recordings by Osaka Popstar wrapped in a candy-coated punk-rock package sure to induce a sugar rush. Fronted (and produced) by longtime Misfits and Ramones collaborator John Cafiero on vocals, with Dean Rispler (formerly of NY performance art-rock band The Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black) switching off on guitar and bass duties, with Jon Wurster (of Superchunk, Bob Mould & The Mountain Goats) on drums.

Ou – One CD/LP (Inside Out U.S.)

Debut album from Beijing progressive metal quartet Ou (pronunciation: “O”).

Paris Combo – Quesaco? CD (Six Degrees)

Completed just before the tragic death of their lead-singer Belle du Berry in 2020, Paris Combo’s new release, Quesaco?, comes as an unexpected and moving parting gift. Quintessentially Parisian, yet timeless and international with a deceptively light touch, their music weaves together elements of Django Reinhardt-inspired gypsy jazz and Latin music, as well as cinematic and various exotic influences, and it’s clear from listening to the new album that Paris Combo has lost none of their magic.

Astor Piazzolla – The American Clavé Records 3xCD/3xLP (Nonesuch)

The American Clavé Records marks the first time the great Argentine composer, bandleader, and bandoneón player’s trio of landmark albums – Tango: Zero Hour, La Camorra: The Solitude Of Passionate Provocation, and The Rough Dancer And The Cyclical Night (Tango Apasionado) – are issued as a set, now remastered.

Pink Mountaintops – Peacock Pools CD/LP (ATO)

Pure Reason Revolution – Above Cirrus CD/LP+CD (Inside Out U.S.)

Cinematic prog rockers Pure Reason Revolution return with their fifth studio album, Above Cirrus, their second since reuniting in 2019. Of the album Above Cirrus, PRR’s Chloë Alper comments: “Since Pure Reason Revolution’s reformation I feel that this band has embraced its identity and it’s place within the Progressive rock genre with a force, confidence and grandeur that radiates through the work. This new record fills me with as much pride as it does head-to-toe tingles.” [A limited-edition lilac color vinyl pressing is available.]

Aaron Raitiere – Single Wide Dreamer CD/LP (Dinner Time)

Reef – Shoot Me Your Ace CD/LP (Raging Sea)

New album from the Glastonbury rockers, produced by Duran Duran/Power Station guitarist Andy Taylor.

Penny Rimbaud – Kernschmelze III – Concerto For Improvised Cello CD (One Little Independent/Caliban)

Rimbaud supplies electronic backing to the sonic wizardry of cellist Kate Shortt. Translated from the German, “kernschmelze” means “meltdown”, generally nuclear. However, it can also mean “the process or state of irreversible breakdown or decline” which, in the context of this recording, Penny Rimbaud sees as the catastrophic social effects of COVID-19 through punitive politicization.

Riverby – Absolution CD (Take this To Heart)

The road to Absolution began with a fine-tuned comb through Riverby’s influences, everything from the Dragon Age series of role-playing games to a brush with the Pixies and Talking Heads.

Rope – In The Moment: The Music Of Charlie Haden CD/LP (Hora)

Rope (named after the eponymous film by Alfred Hitchcock) is a veteran Italian piano trio featuring Fabrizio Puglisi, pianist extraordinaire, along with the solid and sensitive rhythm section of Stefano Senni on bass and Zeno DeRossi on drums. Their new release, In The Moment: The Music Of Charlie Haden comes as an impassioned celebration of an iconic musician whose musical contributions spanned decades of creative jazz from the fifties to the present day. The moving voice of Petra Haden joins the trio in a memorable version of traditional song “Shenandoah”, a favorite of her father who recorded it many times in the final years of his incredible career.

Saâda Bonaire – 1992 CD/LP (Captured Tracks)

Recently recovered from a cellar in East Berlin, 1992 compiles the cult German studio project Saâda Bonaire’s long-lost early nineties material. Produced between Bremen and New York City, the 12 songs presented here capture the group’s attempts at steering their trademark fusion sound (reggae, Afro-funk, Eastern music, and sultry German female vocals) into uncharted nu jazz, trip-hop, and house territories.

Emeli Sandé – Let’s Say For Instance CD (Chrysalis)

Savage Republic – Tragic Figures [Reissue/1982] 2xCD/2xLP (Real Gone Music)

Remastered and expanded edition of the post-punk/industrial band’s debut album. While Savage Republic echoed krautrock legends Can, post-punkers Public Image Limited (Savage Republic opened for PiL on their 1982 West Coast dates), avant-garde guitar players like Glenn Branca and Rhys Chatham, scrap metal industrialists Einstürzende Neubauten, and Bay Area sludgecore nihilists Flipper, their unlikely product of (mostly) UCLA undergrads sound like no other record before or since. [A limited-edition red color vinyl pressing is available.]

John Scofield – John Scofield CD (ECM)

With a career spanning over half a century, marked by influential collaborations with jazz greats like Miles Davis and Joe Henderson as well as several dozen genre-bending leader dates, it’s striking that this is Scofield’s first ever guitar-solo recording.

Sea Power – Everything Was Forever CD/LP (Absolute Label SRVCS)

Sea Power (formerly British Sea Power) release their first new album in five years. Their music has won them some remarkable admirers – Lou Reed, David Bowie, and London’s National Maritime Museum. Indeed, the BSP fanbase now includes Doctor Who, Harry Potter and Sherlock Holmes. Peter Capaldi is a confirmed BSP fan.

Silverstein – Misery Made Me CD (UNFD)

Simple Plan – Harder Than It Looks CD (Simple Plan Inc.)

From their new millennium rise to MTV superstardom through pop-punk’s modern resurgence that has introduced their iconic, multi-platinum sound to new audiences around the world, Simple Plan has been an indelible part of pop culture for more than two decades because they’ve never lost sight of what got them there in the first place: their fans. Harder Than It Looks is their first since 2016’s Taking One For The Team.

Brix Smith/Marty Wilson-Piper – Lost Angeles CD/LP (Cadiz Music)

Recently released on vinyl – now available on CD. Legendary musical pioneer Brix Smith recorded Lost Angeles with Marty Willson-Piper in 1997 and this long-lost gem includes some of her best work to date. Originally intended to be a follow on from her influential and much-loved project Adult Net, Lost Angeles was written in Los Angeles during her break from The Fall (1992-1994) and recorded in 1997 in Penzance during her second stint in The Fall. Lost Angeles (which over the years Brix has referred to as ‘the lost album’) is the missing puzzle piece from Smith’s long and varied career. A must have for any fan of Brix’s songwriting, and a great starting point for those that are not familiar with her previous work.

Soft Cell – *Happiness Not Included CD/LP (BMG)

Jeff Scott Soto – Complicated CD (Frontiers)

Eighth studio album from veteran hard rock vocalist Jeff Scott Soto (Sons Of Apollo, ex-Yngwie Malmsteen, Journey).

Spencer – Are U Down? CD/LP+MP3 (4AD)

Written, recorded, and produced by Spencer during the pandemic, Are U Down‘s 11 songs blend R&B, hip-hop, funk, indie, pop, jazz, and soul to create a sound that feels both analog and digital, honoring the past whilst staying firmly in the present. Spencer integrates neo-soul vocal fireworks, hip-hop flow and pop ambition into an album steeped in a New York summer.

Starchaser – Starchaser CD (Frontiers)

Starchaser is a new Swedish melodic heavy metal band formed by former Tad Morose guitarist Kenneth Jonsson. Vocalist Ulrich Carlsson (Shaggy, ex-M. ILL. ION), bassist Örjan Josefsson (Cibola Junction), drummer Johan Koleberg (Wolf, Therion, Hammerfall, etc.), and keyboardist Kay Backlund (Lions Share, Nils Patrik Johansson, Impera, etc.) round out the lineup.

Stand Atlantic – F.E.A.R. CD/LP (Hopeless)

Australian four-piece, Stand Atlantic are back with their third album, F.E.A.R., which includes hit single “deathwish ft. Nothing, nowhere.” and “pity party ft. Royal & The Serpent.” F.E.A.R. was born out of chaos, frustration, and uncertainty. This album is for those who don’t fit the narrative, who see the cracks and exist in-between. It serves as a reminder that when you feel expectations are walking you down the wrong path, F* Everything And Run. [An orange color vinyl pressing is available.]

STÖNER – Totally… CD/LP (Heavy Psych Sounds)

New desert/stoner/low punk project from Brant Bjork (Kyuss) and Nick Oliveri (Queens Of The Stone Age). [Several vinyl colorways are available.]

Sunflower Bean – Headful Of Sugar CD/LP (Mom & Pop Music)

Marked by two vocalists who often take turns within a song, Sunflower Bean is an indie rock trio out of NYC. The band describes Headful Of Sugar as “an album about outsiders, searching for meaning in the desert of modern life, disillusioned but hopeful. All of the opulence we’re surrounded by is just sugar, connection to others is the real sustenance.” [A limited-edition orange color vinyl pressing is available.]

Syberia – Statement On Death CD (Mental Blade)

Having leaned in the direction of post-metal on 2019’s Seeds Of Change, Barcelona’s Syberia has enthusiastically embraced the genre on fourth album Statement On Death. Transcending their origins as an instrumental rock band, they show a great many more sides to their songwriting without losing their unique signature sound.

Norma Tanega – I’m The Sky: Studio And Demo Recordings 1964-1971 CD/2xLP (Anthology Recordings)

I’m the Sky: Studio And Demo Recordings 1964-1971 compiles the enduring and unheard work of Norma Tanega, the musician, painter, activist, teacher, and dreamer. Tanega’s lifelong pursuit of art and individualism was revolutionary in its implicit defiance of societal norms. I’m the Sky represents the unbridled spirit of her California homeland and exemplifies Tanega’s exceptional song craft and lyricism. This double album edition includes an insert booklet containing liner notes and never-before-seen photos and ephemera.

Tenniscoats – Papa’s Ear CD/2xLP+MP3 (Morr Music)

Japanese duo Tenniscoats has been running together for more than ten years, and their music is all about catching the moment. They are true improvisers inside their own musical world. Papa’s Ear adds a new facet to their universe – deeper, more intense, but with still-visible signs of their trademark playfulness, despite the fact that the album was recorded during dark wintertime.

Terror – Pain Into Power CD/LP (Pure Noise)

Therion – Beyond Sanctorum [Reissue/1992] CD (Napalm)

Therion ‎– Symphony Masses: Ho Drakon Ho Megas [Reissue/1993] CD (Napalm)

Therion – Lepaca Kliffoth [Reissue/1995] CD (Napalm)

CD reissues of the second, third and fourth albums from the Swedish metal band.

Richard Thompson – Music From Grizzly Man CD/LP (No Quarter)

Three Days Grace – Explosions CD/LP (RCA)

Canadian rockers Three Days Grace release their seventh studio album, Explosions. Of the album, singer Matt Walst states: “In these crazy and divided times, everyone needs something to take the edge off.”

Tómarúm – Ash In Realms Of Stone Icons CD (Prosthetic)

Tómarúm, which translates from Icelandic to “empty space,” exists as a sonic vessel used to explore the mental void left by extreme emotional pain. Formed in 2017, the progressive black metal duo from Atlanta, Georgia tackles topics such as depression, anxiety, loss, and worthlessness over songs inspired equally by atmospheric black metal and technical death metal: melancholy, tremolo picked chords, aggressive pedal-point riffs and shred solos galore glide over precise and dynamic drumming, and are further accentuated by fretless bass, tasteful orchestrations, and a wide variety of vocal styles. [A limited-edition color vinyl pressing is due May 20.]

Upon A Burning Body – Fury CD (Seek & Strike LLC)

New release from San Antonio, Texas metal group.

Sharon Van Etten – We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong CD/LP+MP3/Cassette (Jagjaguwar)

Sharon Van Etten has always been the kind of artist who helps people make sense of the world around them, and her sixth album, We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong, concerns itself with how we feel, mourn, and reclaim our agency when we think the world – or at least, our world – might be falling apart. [A limited-edition smoke color vinyl pressing is available.]

Warpaint – Radiate Like This CD/LP (Virgin)

Radiate Like This – Warpaint’s anticipated new record and their first in almost six years – arrives with its own very modern mythology intact, continuing the strange, brilliant, beautiful story of the band and quite neatly picking up where 2016’s Heads Up left off. If the previous album was the coming of age, Radiate Like This presents Warpaint mk II in all their glory, a luminous coalescence of sound and vision, an album that pulsates with ideas, energy and – most crucially – gorgeous melodies. [An indie store exclusive yellow color vinyl pressing is available.]

Waterboys – All Souls Hill CD (Cooking Vinyl)

Suki Waterhouse – I Can’t Let Go CD/LP+MP3 (Sub Pop)

Windwaker – Love Language CD (Fearless)

Windwaker examine the aftershocks of love and the changes made in its wake over a soundtrack tilt-a-whirling from moments of insane heaviness to heavenly release. [Vinyl edition due June 17.]

Alison Wonderland – Loner CD/LP (Astralwerks)

Neil Young – Royce Hall 1971 CD (Reprise)

Neil Young – Dorothy Chandler Pavilion 1971 LP (Reprise)

A famous bootleg titled I’m happy that y’all came down. A live solo acoustic show recorded at Los Angeles Dorothy Chandler Pavilion on February 1, 1971. This was the last night of Neil’s 1971 solo tour, that also featured the shows have been released as the much-loved albums Massey Hall and Young Shakespeare. The show was marked by the first time Neil played harmonica live. This album features 15 songs including “On The Way Home”, “Heart of Gold”, “The Needle And The Damage Done”, and “A Man Needs A Maid”. [Vinyl edition due June 3.]

Neil Young – Citizen Kane Jr. Blues CD (Reprise)

A fan favorite bootleg that is usually called Live At The Bottom Line. A surprise solo acoustic performance following a Ry Cooder show on May 16, 1974. Notably features songs that would be included on On The Beach. The album title comes from Neil introducing the opening song with that title; a song that later became “Push It Over The End”. [Vinyl edition due May 20.]

Denny Zeitlin with George Marsh and Mel Graves – The Name Of This Terrain CD/LP (Now-Again)

CD and vinyl issue of one of record collecting’s ultimate finds: the missing entry in jazz pianist/composer/psychiatrist Denny Zeitlin’s discography, a wonderful and weird fusion of avant-classical, jazz, funk, rock, and electronic music. The Name Of This Terrain was recorded and pressed in a scant, custom run as a demo in 1969 -and it so defied its own existence that, even after it’s producer died and his copies were discovered, Zeitlin steadfastly resisted it’s release for almost 20 years, destroying his remaining demos so not to posthumously suffer the same ignominy. Following his reappraisal, this album is issued with its creator’s blessing and guidance.

This Week’s Vinyl Exclusives:

The Acacia Strain – The Dead Walk [Reissue/2006] LP+MP3 (Prosthetic)

Silver color vinyl reissue of the metalcore band’s third album. Seasick grooves, thrash precision, doom vulnerability, and vocal convulsions.

Ásgeir – The Sky Is Painted Gray Today 12” (One Little Independent)

Limited-edition color vinyl pressing. Four textured, original tracks, that have been long gestating, were recorded for the most part in 2019 in Hljodriti and have been tweaked over the last few months. They mark something of a return to the artist’s deep roots, working once again with his father on their poetic Icelandic lyrics, as well as enlisting the likes of John Grant and Pétur Ben for the translations, a writing relationship that worked to great effect on his debut. The collection encompasses his signature emotive delivery, delicate yet expansive folk, and intricate guitars.

Lex Baxter – The Soul Of The Drum [Reissue/1963] LP (Real Gone Music)

Green color vinyl repress. If Les Baxter’s 1951 album Ritual Of The Savage invented exotica, his 1963 album The Soul Of The Drums perfected it.

Benny Sings – Beat Tape II LP (Stones Throw)

Benny Sings’ latest release Beat Tape II is the successor to Benny’s 2018 project Beat Tape, and follows his 2021 album, Music. Beat Tape II is a mixtape-style record with some of the best beats Benny has created over the years. It features wide variety of artists including JONES, Cola Boyy, Mocky, Marc Rebillet, St. Panther, Rae Khalil, Kenny Beats, GRAMMY nominee Cory Henry, the Koreatown Oddity and more.

Steven Bernstein & The Hot 9 – Manifesto Of Henryisms (Community Music, Vol. 3) LP (The Royal Potato Family)

Bernstein first saw the late, great New Orleans pianist Henry Butler play in 1984. “He was genius-level brilliant, man,” he says, still marveling. “I couldn’t believe there was a guy who could sound like the most ancient music and the most futuristic music at the same time.” (Which is an apt description of Bernstein’s music too.) Fourteen years later, Bernstein took Hal Willner’s recommendation and hired Butler to play in the touring band that played the score for Robert Altman’s film Kansas City. In 2013, the two musicians formed The Hot 9, the name a tip of the fedora to Louis Armstrong’s landmark Hot Five and Hot Seven sessions of the 1920s. They released the acclaimed Viper’s Drag album the following year and toured until Butler’s untimely passing in 2018.

Billow Observatory – Stareside LP (Joyful Noise)

Blue color vinyl pressing. The genesis of ambient duo Billow Observatory came in summer 2004, when Denmark’s Jonas Munk (also known for his solo project, Manual), was first introduced to Detroit, Michigan’s Jason Kolb’s work with Auburn Lull. A split EP between Manual and Auburn Lull was discussed, and although this didn’t materialize, the duo began exchanging ideas and audio files, finally meeting in person during 2007 when they played a show together in Michigan. As time passed, their work on a debut album began to coalesce into what would become Billow Observatory.

Peter Brötzmann Chicago Tentet – Ultraman vs Alien Metron Mars Williams LP (Corbett Vs Dempsey)

Archival sessions now available on a single-sided LP featuring a silkscreen of artwork by Brötzman on the B-side. In the first years of its existence, starting in 1997, the Peter Brötzmann Chicago Tentet worked as a collective, inviting all and any of its participants to contribute compositions to the band’s repertoire. Eventually, the Tentet would jettison scores and pre-planned structures altogether, opting for free improvisation, but on their early tours and initial recordings they played pieces written by the various band members. The Peter Brötzmann Chicago Tentet was a sensationally versatile free music ensemble, capable of going into all sorts of unexpected territory.

Gerald V. Casale – Aka Jihad Jerry & The Evildoers [Reissue/2005] LP (Real Gone Music)

Re-branded red color vinyl pressing with bonus track. In 2005, Devo’s Gerald V. Casale released the notorious Jihad Jerry & The Evildoers album Mine Is Not A Holy War as a limited-edition CD from Cordless Recordings. With contributions from his Devo bandmates Josh Freese, Bob Casale, Bob Mothersbaugh, and Mark Mothersbaugh, it is considered to be the “lost” Devo album.

Ezra Cohen – Sweet Million LP (Dead Broke)

Debut album from the New England singer-songwriter. After two EP’s on his own and years of cutting his teeth touring, playing and booking the New Hampshire DIY scene (with his bands Notches and Charles), Ezra truly delivers as a solo artist, perfectly capturing his melodic and infectious pop rock songs for all the world to hear.

Eric Copeland – Spiral Stairs LP (Les Albums Claus)

Eric Copeland is a NYC- based experimental musician and a core member of Black Dice. Eric is also one-half Terrestrial Tones duo, finding Animal Collective’s Avey Tare on the other end of that project. Copeland continues his path of deconstruction forming tracks of scrapped samples, damaged loops, and controlled chaos. On the new album Spiral Stairs, Eric Copeland offers seven avant-pop tracks packed with playful sequences, groovy bass lines, and catchy voiceovers.

Corrupted Ideals – Join The Resistance [Reissue/1991] LP (New Red Archives)

Red color vinyl reissue of the 1991 album from the Long Beach politico punk rawkers.

Larry Coryell with Paul Wertico and Mark Egan – Tricycles [Reissue/2003] 2xLP (In & Out)

We once again hear the one-time associate of Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, Dizzy Gillespie, and many other superstars in an intimate jazz setting. For this Tricycles, Coryell teamed up with two very special companions: Mark Egan, a pupil of the late Jaco Pastorius, and Paul Wertico, praised as an “impressionist painter”. The abilities of this exceptional troika are most impressively captured on this 2003 album.

John Craigie – Mermaid Salt LP (Zabriskie Point)

Indie store exclusive ‘smoke swimming pool’ color vinyl pressing. Portland, OR-based singer, songwriter, and producer John Craigie adapts moments of solitude into stories perfectly suited for old Americana fiction anthologies. Instead of leaving them on dog-eared pages, he projects them widescreen in flashes of simmering soul and folk eloquence. On his 2022 full-length album, Mermaid Salt, we witness revenge unfurled in flames, watch a landlocked mermaid’s escape, and fall asleep under a meteor shower.

Robert Cray Band – Nothin But Love [Reissue/2012] LP (Provogue)

Robert Cray Band – In My Soul [Reissue/2014] LP (Provogue)

Blue color vinyl reissues of a pair of albums from the iconic blues guitarist.

Cuco – Wannabewithu [Reissue/2016] LP (Cuco)

The vinyl edition of Cuco’s previously digital-only debut album Wannabewithu features a limited-edition zoetrope animation on each side of the LP. (A zoetrope is a pre-film animation device that produces the illusion of motion by displaying a sequence of drawings or photographs showing progressive phases of that motion.) Wannabewithu is a milestone release that mixed relatable and catchy psych-bedroom pop songs in English and Spanish, endearing Cuco to other first-generation Latin Americans and fans of young indie artists.

The Cutthroat Brothers and Mike Watt – The King Is Dead LP (Hound Gawd!)

The Cutthroat Brothers is a duo of real-life barbers, the Sweeney Todds of rock music, Jason Cutthroat on vocals & guitar and Donny Paycheck on drums. For The King Is Dead, the duo called on punk rock icon Mike Watt to join in the proceedings. Jack Endino (Mudhoney, The Sonics, Screaming Trees, L7, Soundgarden) produced mixed and mastered the album, which is steeped in themes of blood, death, drugs, sex, black magic, and bad relationships.

Daft Punk – Homework [Reissue/1997] 2xLP (Daft Life LTD)

Daft Punk – Alive 1997 [Reissue/2001] LP (Daft Life LTD)

Homework is the debut studio album by the French electronic music duo Daft Punk, originally released in 1997. As the duo’s first project on a major label, they produced the album’s tracks without plans to release them, but after initially considering releasing them as separate singles, they considered the material good enough for an album. Homework‘s success brought worldwide attention to French house music. Issued in 2001, Alive 1997 is comprised of 45 minutes of non-stop live mixing that showcases Daft Punk’s unique and influential DJ style. Alive 1997 served as the group’s second release of 2001, coming on the heels of the critically acclaimed album, Discovery.

Dark Sanctuary – Iterum 12” (Avangarde Music)

New EP from the French ‘neoclassical goth’ metal ensemble.

Def Leppard – Pyromania [Reissue/1983] 2xLP (Mercury)

Def Leppard – Retro Active [Reissue/1993] 2xLP (Mercury)

Vinyl reissues. Pyromania is the third studio album by Def Leppard, originally released in 1983 and the first album to feature guitarist Phil Collen, who replaced founding member Pete Willis. Retro Active is a compilation album featuring touched-up versions of B-sides and previously unreleased recordings from the band’s recording sessions spanning 1984 to 1993.

Matt Deighton – Villager [Reissue/1995] LP (Acid Jazz/People Tree)

Villager is the debut solo album by Mother Earth singer, Paul Weller band member and erstwhile Noel Gallagher replacement in Oasis, Matt Deighton. A pastoral folk album that sits perfectly alongside Nick Drake’s Bryter Later and Solid Air by John Martin. Originally released in 1995 it garnered great reviews from NME, Q and the Guardian, and on its 2011 reissue was named by Mojo as a Buried Treasure. Pressed on milky clear transparent vinyl.

Doris Duke – I’m A Loser [Reissue/1970] LP (Trading Places)

Emotive soul singer Doris Duke got her start backing gospel artists and was a mainstay at the Apollo in the early 1960s, cutting some demos for Motown that remain unreleased. After a debut single that made little impact (credited to Doris Willingham), she became Doris Duke at the behest of Swamp Dogg, who produced this acclaimed solo debut, I’m A Loser, regarded by many as one of the best “deep soul” albums ever issued.

Justin Townes Earle – Single Mothers / Absent Fathers 2xLP (Vagrant)

Multi-color vinyl reissue. Absent Fathers was recorded alongside Single Mothers as a double album, but as the singer-songwriter began to sequence it, he felt each half needed to make its own statement and they took on their own identities. Single Mothers was released in September 2014 and combined with Absent Fathers, perfectly showcases exactly why JTE is considered a forefather of Contemporary Americana. The albums were recorded live with his four-piece touring band with only days of rehearsal leading up to recording to keep the ideas fresh. No overdubs, no other singers, no additional players – just a real, heartfelt performance capturing the moment.

Eddie Spaghetti & Frank Meyer – Motherf***in Rock N Roll LP (Kitten Robot)

Vinyl pressing of the 2021 album from this duo comprised of the Supersuckers’ Eddie Spaghetti and the Streetwalkin’ Cheetahs’ Frank Meyer.

Editors – In Dream [Reissue/2015] LP (PIAS America)

Vinyl reissue of the fifth studio album by the English indie rock band.

Embryonic Development – Heresy Of The Highest Order LP (Unique Leader)

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. New release from the death metal band, the follow-up to their 2014 album Reptilian Agenda.

Envy On None – Envy Of None LP (Kscope)

Indie store exclusive blue color vinyl pressing of the debut album from the band fearing Alex Lifeson (Rush), Andy Curran (Coney Hatch), Alfio Annibalini and singer Maiah Wynne. “One of my favorite things about these songs is the intimacy of them,” reveals Maiah Wynne. “It makes them feel different and more honest. There are some heavier songs too, like ‘Enemy’, and then tracks like ‘Kabul Blues’, that sound completely different to anything else.” The album closer, ‘Western Sunset’, which was penned by Alex Lifeson in tribute to his dear friend Neil Peart. It’s a highly emotive piece of music to honor a man deeply missed by the rock community at large, and even more so by those who were lucky enough to know him.”

The Gil Evans Orchestra – Live At Fabrik Hamburg 1986 3xLP (Jazzline)

By the 1980’s, Gil Evans orchestra’s repertoire was a distinctive blend of Hendrix tunes, original pieces from band members and the occasional nod to Gil’s earlier recordings. The set at Hamburg includes four songs from the Hendrix book, although just one of these (“Up From The Skies”) was part of the original studio album. Regular appearances in Europe meant that the band had now acquired a younger following, such as many in the audience at Fabrik, one well accustomed to its rock-referent concerts.

Faith No More – Sol Invictus [Reissue/2015] LP (Ipecac)

Limited gold color vinyl pressing of Faith No More’s 2015 reunion (and most recent) album.

Ben Folds Five – Complete Sessions At West 54^th [Reissue/1999] 2xLP (Real Gone Music)

Color vinyl reissue of the first live album to be released from the ‘vintage’ years of Ben Folds trio (consisting of Folds, drummer Darren Jessee and bassist Robert Sledge).

Fontaines D.C. – Skinty Fia LP (Partisan)

Standard vinyl pressing. 2020’s A Hero’s Death saw Fontaines D.C. land a No. 2 album in the UK, receive nominations at the Grammys, BRITs and Ivor Novello Awards, and sell out London’s iconic Alexandra Palace. Now the band return with their third record in as many years: Skinty Fia. Used colloquially as an expletive, the title roughly translates from the Irish language into English as “the damnation of the deer”; the spelling crassly anglicized, and its meaning diluted through generations. Part bittersweet romance, part darkly political triumph – the songs ultimately form a long-distance love letter, one that laments an increasingly privatized culture in danger of going the way of the extinct Irish giant deer.

Dana Gavanski – When It Comes LP (Flemish Eye)

Released last week on CD – now available on clear vinyl. There’s something mesmerizing about the fingertips of Dana Gavanski. Conducting each note with a light gracefulness, they appear to dance whilst aiding their owner in expressing the stories behind each of her lighter-than-air tones. When It Comes is Dana at her most vulnerable, arriving where introversion and extroversion meet, as the Canadian-Serbian artist – unafraid of extremes – seamlessly blends her love of music from the ‘50s – ‘70s with mythology. Dana’s latest chapter is an ode to the voice as an instrument -one with the power to intricately deliver words to tug at -and tie knots in- every heartstring.

Kenneth James Gibson – Groundskeeping LP (Meadows Heavy)

Groundskeeping is the third LP of ambient and modern classical works from composer Kenneth James Gibson. Decaying string arrangements, haunted piano melodies, hypnotic synthesizers, choral voices, hissing organs, and textured guitars play with melancholy and darkness while somehow staying hopeful. Sculpted in his cabin studio in the San Jacinto Mountains, Gibson captures the sound of previous work, but with greater expansiveness and detailed emotion. Kranky artist Less Bells make guest appearances.

Françoise Hardy – Françoise Hardy [Reissue/1962] LP (Destination Moon)

Limited gold color vinyl pressing. A seminal album of the French ye-ye era, Françoise Hardy’s self-titled debut (known in the US as The ‘Yeh-Yeh’ Girl From Paris!) was released shortly after her debut single “Oh Oh Chéri” in 1962. The success of this album, along with its hit “Tous Les Garçons Et Les Filles”, made the eighteen-year-old French bombshell a huge star in Europe and an icon of the French fashion and music industries.

Girls Against Boys – House Of GVSB [Reissue/1996] 2xLP (Touch & Go)

Seminal post-hardcore band Girls Against Boys are celebrating the 25th anniversary of the 1996 release of their critically acclaimed album House Of GVSB with a double vinyl reissue of the album. Packaged in a full-color gatefold jacket, side A and B are the original album remastered by Bob Weston (Shellac). Side C and D feature odds and ends from the band’s ‘90s era work including sought-after B-sides, singles, compilation tracks, and one previously unreleased recording [An indie store exclusive white color vinyl pressing is available.]

Wendell Harrison – An Evening With The Devil [Reissue/1973] LP (Now-Again)

The Tribe co-founder’s debut remixed from the original multi-track master tapes under the direction of its creator and lacquered by Bernie Grundman. The Tribe label, one of the brightest lights of America’s 1970s jazz underground, receives the Now-Again reissue treatment. This is your chance to indulge in the music and story of one of the most meaningful, local movements of the 20th Century Black American experience, one that expanded outwards towards the cosmos.

The High Water Marks – Proclaimer Of Things LP (Minty Fresh)

The fourth album from The High Water Marks, a band comprised of Hilarie Sidney, co-founder of Elephant 6, one of the most influential musical collectives of the past 30 years and songwriter/drummer of The Apples In Stereo. Proclaimer of Things is a 39-minute blast of hook-laden numbers that careen and roll mightily away with jangling precision and indie rock smarts.

Marquis Hill – New Gospel Revisited LP (Edition)

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. New release from the fearless and formidable composer and trumpeter. New Gospel Revisited is an extraordinary live recording that reimagines his debut as a leader with a new band, a new focus and a sharpened ear as a bandleader, composer, and performer. The set is breathtakingly good with a band that sounds as inventive and creative as it reads on paper. Sharing the stage for this album, New Gospel Revisited is an A-list band including Walter Smith III, Joel Ross, James Francies, Kendrick Scott and Harish Raghavan.

Hot Water Music – Hot Water Music 12×7” (Equal Vision)

12 translucent flexi-disc singles. In 2017, Hot Water Music vocalist/guitarist Chris Wollard stepped away from playing live with the band to focus on his mental health. While the other members – Chuck Ragan (vocals/guitar), Jason Black (bass) and George Rebelo (drums) – understood and supported his decision, it did nevertheless bring the future of the band into question. After a chance encounter between Rebelo and The Flatliners’ Chris Cresswell, Cresswell ended up stepping into Wollard’s shoes for a performance at The Fest that year, which would eventually lead to him becoming a permanent member (with Wollard continuing to record with the band).

Huntsmen – American Scrap [Reissue/2018] LP (Prosthetic)

Limited color vinyl pressing. Much like Dylan, Springsteen and Waits, Chicago’s Americana metal outfit, Huntsmen, continue the long-standing tradition of storytelling in their music. Huntsmen just do it with volume higher and more metallic grit.

Ryan Hurd – Pelago LP (SME Nashville)

Released last October on CD – now available on vinyl. New release from the country music singer/songwriter.

Jackson+Sellers – Breaking Point LP+MP3 (ANTI-)

Released last October on CD – now available on vinyl. Jackson+Sellers’ (the collaborative creation of singer-songwriters Jade Jackson and Aubrie Sellers) L.A.-written, Nashville-recorded album, Breaking Point is a masterclass in unexpected vocal harmonic convergence, soundtracked by raw guitars, driving drums and a singular pop-rock sound that weaves a sonic thread between ‘70s rock, ‘90s raucous roots, and modern indie pop. They exchanged lead vocals, reflecting on their own experiences of vulnerability, isolation, sensitivity, and autonomy. They drew on changes in their personal relationships, intuitively capturing each other’s personal experiences, often before they had even discussed them with each other. Jackson reflected, “This is an album that pays homage to unique, independent women who created their own path, wrote their own songs, and had their own sounds.”

B.B. King – Completely Well [Reissue/1969] LP (Friday Music)

180gm audiophile color vinyl reissue of B.B. King’s 1969 commercial breakthrough. Over his towering career, B.B. King developed one of the world’s most identifiable guitar styles. He borrowed from Blind Lemon Jefferson, T-Bone Walker, and others, integrating his precise and complex vocal-like string bends and his left-hand vibrato, both of which have become indispensable components of rock guitarist’s vocabulary. His economy, his every-note-counts phrasing, has been a model for thousands of players, from Eric Clapton and George Harrison to Jeff Beck. B.B. has mixed traditional blues, jazz, swing, mainstream pop and jump into a unique sound.

Kings Of Nuthin’ – Punk Rock Rhythm And Blues [Reissue/2010] LP (Svart)

Kings Of Nuthin’ – Old Habits Die Hard [Reissue/2010] LP (Svart)

Color vinyl reissues. “Boasting tenor, baritone sax, piano and even washboard amidst the standard rock instrumentation, the Kings Of Nuthin’ command an impressive arsenal and an eight-man roster. Even more importantly, they have the style and swagger to boot, led by the crotchety vocals of Torr Skoog and with guest windpipes by Lenny Lashley (Darkbuster/the Piss Poor Boys), Kevin Stevenson (the Shods), Stephanie Dougherty (Deadly Sins), and guest bass saxophone by Dana Colley of famed Mass jazz band Morphine.” – Punknews

Kishi Bashi – 151a [Reissue/2011] LP (Joyful Noise)

Clear vinyl pressing. They say that you spend your entire life writing your first album, piecing every formative moment, scribbled turn of phrase, and thematic epiphany into a fantastical collage. Multi-instrumentalist K. Ishibashi (aka Kishi Bashi) disproves that adage. The title of Kishi Bashi’s 2011 debut album, 151a, is a riff on the Japanese phrase “ichi-go ichi-e,” roughly translating to “one time, one place.” That’s exactly what this debut is: A singular time, an inimitable place, a launchpad for bigger and better things to come.

Mary LaRose – Out Here LP (Little (I) Music)

Forward looking jazz vocalese artist Mary LaRose leads a stellar ensemble including Jeff Lederer (clarinet), Tomeka Reid (cello), Patricia Brennan (vibes), Nick Dunston (bass) and Matt Wilson (drums) with special guests through her vocalese interpretations of the compositions of Eric Dolphy.

The Last Ten Seconds Of Life – The Last Ten Seconds Of Life 2xLP (Unique Leader)

Two limited-edition colorways: gold w/ black splatter and silver w/ black splatter. The career-defining new album from Pennsylvania’s heaviest straddles nu metal, rock, death metal and downtempo genres.

Leatherface – Cherry Knowle [Reissue/1989] LP (Rad Girlfriend/Little Rocket)

Cherry Knowle is Leatherface’s first full length and is considered to be a hardcore classic.

Rita Lee – Built Up [Reissue/1970] LP (Future Shock)

In the mid- ’60s, Sao Paulo born vocalist Rita Lee met brothers Arnaldo and Sergio Dias Baptista and founded the most important Brazilian rock group of all time, Os Mutantes. In 1970, she released her first solo album Build Up, though she remained with Os Mutantes until the end of 1972, when she left the band.

Nick Lowe – The Impossible Bird [Reissue/1994] LP+MP3 (Yep Roc)

As a member of both Rockpile and Brinsley Schwarz, as a producer for Elvis Costello, Graham Parker, the Damned, and the Pretenders, and as a solo artist with his own Top 20 hit, Nick Lowe seemed to have his finger in every pub-rock pie there was. Unlike so many of their punk pals, the pub-rockers had a sense of craft and tradition which enabled them to outlive the moment, and that’s why Lowe is still making strong, fascinating records nearly 20 years after the heady days of 1976 – ’78. Lowe’s 1994 album The Impossible Bird is a low-key, easy-going album which has a lot more to do with 1956 country music than with 1978 punk.

M.A.G.S. – Say Things That Matter LP (Take This To Heart)

Released earlier this on CD – now available on vinyl. M.A.G.S. is the solo moniker for Buffalo-bred, Los Angeles-based artist Elliott Douglas. His style seamlessly glides between genres ─ from funky garage to minty alt-pop ─ and hooks you in almost immediately.

The Manson Family – Sings The Songs Of Charles Manson LP (Survival Research)

Reissue. Recorded at the infamous Spahn Ranch in 1970 while their leader Charles Manson was facing trial for the murder of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca, The Manson Family Sings is a highly disconcerting listen. Beneath the harmonic brilliance and folksy innocence of these campfire-styled recordings are the hallmarks of Manson’s twisted worldview, rendering a dystopian edge to what is otherwise compelling singalongs.

Mermaid Chunky – Vest LP (Faith Recordings)

Green color vinyl pressing. “Titillation. And lots of it. This is an ongoing feeling that completely applies to Mermaid Chunky from the moment upon being presented with the band name in question, right through to hearing the final notes of this half hour sweet sonic adventure that is their debut album. Building up fun layers of loops seems to be part of their shtick… So much is to latch on to here; it would be interesting to see what emanates out of this project in future.” – Bearded Magazine

Millencolin – For Monkeys [Reissue/1997] LP+MP3 (Epitaph)

‘Psychedelic green’ color vinyl pressing of the third album by the Swedish punk band.

Valorie Miller – Only The Killer Would Know LP (Blackbird)

On her first new album in five years, Valorie Miller writes about one of the most beautiful pieces of land near Asheville, North Carolina – but not in a way one would expect. The narrative of Only The Killer Would Know emerged after Miller discovered that her acre of land in Swannanoa sat adjacent to, if not in the middle of, a hazardous waste area overseen by the government.

Mom Jeans. – Sweet Tooth LP (Mom Jeans)

Pink & black color vinyl pressing. Sweet Tooth feels like an eternal dessert-before-dinner, a rejection of the idea that we need to suffer before we get to the good stuff.

Moon Duo ‎– Occult Architecture Vol. 1 [Reissue/2017] LP (Sacred Bones)

Moon Duo ‎– Occult Architecture Vol. 2 [Reissue/2017] LP (Sacred Bones)

Moon Duo ‎– Stars Are The Light [Reissue/2019] LP (Sacred Bones)

Color vinyl reissues. Moon Duo is a side project of psychedelic-space-drone rock band Wooden Shjips.

Tom Morello – The Atlas Underground Fire LP (Mom + Pop Music)

Blue color vinyl pressing. Following the 2018 release of his most ambitious album yet, The Atlas Underground, legendary musician and two-time Grammy winner Tom Morello returns with his latest project – a follow-up album entitled The Atlas Underground Fire. Morello’s remarkable guitar playing is on full display on the record fusing rock, alternative and electronic music together with collaborations from a mix of music icons and cutting-edge artists. The acclaimed list of collaborators includes Bruce Springsteen, Eddie Vedder, Chris Stapleton, Mike Posner, Damian Marley, and others.

Mt. Joy – Live At Red Rocks 2xLP (Dualtone Music Group)

Mt. Joy’s climb into the musical stratosphere owes a great deal to their highly energetic and passionate live performances. They’ve sold out room after room across the country, have toured with arena acts like The Lumineers, among many others, and fans the world over flock to their shows. So, when the coronavirus pandemic sidelined the touring industry, Mt. Joy felt the effects in a significant way. Fast forward to May 22, 2021: artists and fans alike are finally emerging, and Mt. Joy steps on the stage at Red Rocks Amphitheater, playing the biggest show on record since live music began to open back up.

The Muslims – Gentrifried Chicken LP+MP3 (Epitaph)

Indie store exclusive white color vinyl pressing of The Muslims 2020 album. Drawing from the influence of the most legendary artists and revolutionaries of our time, The Muslims has successfully synthesized the “f* you” energy of the oppressed into an ass-kicking, head-smashing, fascist-punching sonic experience. This all-queer, black & brown punk band emerged onto the US music scene shortly after the election of 2016 and have been chugging white tears and destroying lives ever since.

The Offspring – Ignition [Reissue/1992] LP (Epitaph)

30th anniversary edition pink/yellow/clear vinyl pressing of the second album by the punk rock band.

Otis – Eyes Of The Sun [Reissue/2017] LP (Purple Pyramid)

Vinyl pressing of the 2017 (and most recent) album from southern blues rock champions. Otis has earned accolades from ZZ Top guitarist Billy F. Gibbons, who hailed the band’s “fine singing, authentically talented harp work, sweet guitar tones… all around enjoyable listening.”

Outlaw Order – Dragging Down The Enforcer [Reissue/2008] LP (Svart)

Official vinyl reissue of the debut (and thus far only) album by the Eyehategod side project Outlaw Order, originally released in 2008. Walking on a similar path as their mothership EHG, Outlaw Order do their best to push the dirty, sludge-ridden envelope even further. [A limited-edition red color vinyl pressing is available.]

Pan•American – The Patience Fader LP (Kranky)

The glacial distillation of Pan•American aka Mark Nelson’s “romantic minimalism” achieves unique fruition on his latest Kranky collection, The Patience Fader. A suite of solo guitar instrumentals accented with lap steel, harmonica, and twilit atmospherics, the strings smear and sparkle in elegant, windswept swells, a guitar mode once described by Brian Eno as “Duane Eddy playing Erik Satie.”

Jerry Paper – Free Time LP (Stones Throw)

Free Time by Jerry Paper is a synth-pop, weird-rock, bizarro-muzak masterpiece. This playful and joyous album captures Jerry Paper’s unique persona and tells the story of their self-discovery as a nonbinary artist. [An indie store exclusive red w/ yellow & blue color vinyl pressing is available.]

Paradise Lost – Tragic Illusion 25 [Reissue/2013] 2xLP (Napalm)

Vinyl reissue of a compilation album of B-sides, covers, bonus tracks and three exclusive songs from the death/doom rockers.

Paramore – All We Know Is Falling [Reissue/2005] LP (Fueled By Ramen)

Limited silver vinyl color vinyl pressing of the the debut studio album by Paramore, originally released in 2005. The production was led by James Paul Wisner, Mike Green, Nick Trevisick, and Roger Alan Nichols. All songs were written by vocalist Hayley Williams and guitarist Josh Farro. Mostly categorized as a pop punk album, the album received mostly positive reviews and has been labeled a “scene classic”.

Queensrÿche – Condition Hüman [Reissue/2015] 2xLP (Napalm)

Against the formidable obstacles of an ever-changing cultural landscape, the rise and fall of various musical trends, and the near collapse of the record industry itself, Queensrÿche secured a triumphant legacy as one of hard rock’s most respected and celebrated acts. 2015’s Condition Hüman sees vocalist Todd LaTorre deliver the performance of a lifetime on what was his sophomore recording effort with the band.

Marty Robbins – Sings Gunfighter Ballads And Trail Songs [Reissue/1959] LP (Real Gone Music)

Limited black ‘gunsmoke swirl’ color vinyl pressing of the original mono version of what most folks consider to be the greatest postwar album of Western music.

Roots – Deeper Roots [Reissue/1975] LP (We Are Busy Bodies)

Produced by Almon Memela, the long out of print sophomore album by South Africa’s Roots sees a proper vinyl resissu.e Originally released on the Highway Soul label in 1975, the album blends jazz and funk with signature South African motifs. Roots was led by the master saxophonist Barney Rachabane.

Sadurn – Radiator LP (Run For Cover)

Coke bottle clear vinyl pressing. Intimacy is manifested in every moment of Radiator, the debut album from Philadelphia’s Sadurn. This feeling of closeness, of being able to lend your every sense to one’s confessions of internal conflict, is due in large part to the circumstances under which this album was created. Much of the world fell apart in 2020, but Sadurn tucked themselves away in a Pocono’s cabin, creating and recording what would become their first full-length. Within the confines of their close quarters, passing animals as the only auditory witness to a makeshift recording studio created by moving furniture, Sadurn created an album that will break your heart and then slowly piece it back together.

Dusty Springfield – The Complete Atlantic Singles 1968-1971 2xLP (Real Gone Music)

The Complete Atlantic Singles 1968-1971 presents the A and B-sides of all dozen singles Springfield recorded for the label in their original mono single mixes. These singular sides highlight how the move to a more R&B sound at Atlantic (also aided by producers Gamble & Huff and Jeff Barry with such players as The Memphis Boys and The Sweet Inspirations) brilliantly capitalized on the smoky tones of Dusty’s mezzo-soprano to create some of the most potent blue-eyed soul ever recorded.

Sun Ra Arkestra – Live At Babylon [Reissue/2015] 2xLP (In & Out)

Forever alterable, young again and freshly strengthened, the Sun Ra Arkestra under the direction of Marshall Allen presents itself on Live At The Babylon, the 14-piece Centennial Dream Arkestra at Istanbul’s Babylon music club. It is a landing to the spot on the hundredth birthday of its founder, Jack-of-all-trades Sun Ra, kicking off the jubilee tour 2014, which led the band around the globe. The ensemble sparks with a briskness that is testimony to the timelessness and infinity of the mission. The jubilee-concert at the Babylon is an illustration of to the enthusiasm of the brothers Mehmet and Ahmet Uluğ.

The Sun Ra Arkestra Meets Salah Ragab Plus The Cairo Jazz Band ‎– In Egypt [Reissue/1983] LP (Strut)

Strut present the final instalment in their series of reissues of Sun Ra’s historic recordings in Egypt with The Sun Ra Arkestra Meets Salah Ragab In Egypt plus the Cairo Jazz Band, originally released on Greek label Praxis in 1983. [CD edition due June 10.]

Tourist – U [Reissue/2016] LP (Monday)

Tourist – Everyday [Reissue/2019] LP (Monday)

UK-based Grammy-winning producer and composer Tourist (William Phillips) has worked his magic on tracks by Sam Smith (he co-wrote Smith’s “Stay With Me”, and was one of the winners of the 2015 Grammy for Song of the Year) and Chvrches as well as a series of impressive tracks for himself. Classically trained, Tourist is a close affiliate of Disclosure.

McCoy Tyner/Freddie Hubbard Quartet – Live At Fabrik Hamburg 1986 3xLP (Jazzline)

In 1986 master trumpeter Freddie Hubbard was on stage at the “Fabrik” as a guest performer joining the trio of one of the leading pianists of contemporary jazz: McCoy Tyner, whose extremely powerful touch always added a highly energized percussive quality to his virtuous performance.

The Vampires Of Dartmoore – Dracula’s Music Cabinet [Reissue/1969] LP (Finders Keepers)

Finders Keepers presents this uber-rare soundtrack to a film that never existed, performed by an imaginary pop group. Incredible Polanski inspired German hip hop psychsploitation beats from 1969. This is the movie soundtrack to a film that never existed. This is the movie soundtrack by the band that was never requested. These were the sound library musicians who had to invent their own clients and imaginary cast, crew, and plot to get their music heard, by a niche audience, before floating deep into the depths of the rare record reservoir gasping for breath.

Eddie Vedder – Ukulele Songs [Reissue/2011] LP (Republic)

Ukulele Songs comprises a fine mixture of original material penned by Vedder that he initially performed live, alongside vintage classics and standards. Guest vocalists include Glen Hansard and Cat Power’s Chan Marshall.

Watain – The Agony & Ecstasy Of Watain LP (Nuclear Blast)

Indie store exclusive white color vinyl pressing of the seventh studio album from the black metal band.

We Came As Romans – Cold Like War [Reissue/2017] LP (Sharptone)

Limited white color vinyl pressing of the fifth studio album by metalcore band We Came As Romans. Cold Like War was the band’s first album to feature new drummer David Puckett, who replaced longtime drummer Eric Choi, and their last with singer Kyle Pavone before his death in August 2018.

Wet – Letter Blue LP (30SF)

Letter Blue is Wet’s third album, guided as always by the New York three-piece’s magnetic singer-songwriter Kelly Zutrau. But this is also Wet’s most collaborative release, with co-writing and co-production from Toro y Moi’s Chaz Bear, as well as Frank Ocean’s go-to keyboardist Buddy Ross. Notably, founding guitarist Marty Sulkow has rejoined the group, alongside their nimble producer Joe Valle. Altogether, they’ve helped to create Wet’s most natural-feeling and playful songs to date.

Emily Jane White – Alluvion LP (Talitres)

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Emily Jane White’s new album Alluvion is about personal and collective grief resulting from the loss of human life and the loss of our natural world. Produced and arranged by multi-instrumentalist Anton Patzner (Foxtails Brigade, Judgement Day), Alluvion was written and recorded during the height of the pandemic. More so than on any previous release, Emily almost completely eschews folk arrangements and instrumentation. Alluvion edges the borders of shoegaze and electronic pop without losing sight of the light within the gloom, the hope inside the void.

The Who – My Generation [Reissue/1965] LP (Geffen)

The Who – A Quick One [Reissue/1966] LP (Geffen)

Half-speed master vinyl reissues.

Young Prisms – Friends For Now [Reissue/2011] LP (Kanine)

Young Prisms – In Between [Reissue/2012] LP (Kanine)

Purple and blue (respectively) color vinyl pressing. Fans of dream-pop, shoegaze, noise-pop, psychedelia, and love songs look no further than San Francisco’s Young Prisms. Formed in the late 2000s by life-long friends Matt Allen and Giovanni Betteo alongside Stefanie Hodapp and Brooklyn based drummer Jordan Silbert, Young Prisms is not only back with new music, but reissues of their debut LP, Friends For Now. Young Prisms plays a fiercely loud and sneakily melodic brand of shoegaze that also traces along the edges of noise pop scrappiness and neo-psych dreaminess.

Cassettes:

Aurora – The Gods We Can Touch (Glassnote)

Ibaraki – Rashomon (Nuclear Blast)

Night Tempo – Ladies In The City (Hip-O)

Sharon Van Etten – We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong (Jagjaguwar)

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