Social Media Program Titles Released This Week:
Aesop Rock – Spirit World Field Guide CD/2xLP (Rhymesayers)
Since his debut in the late nineties, Aesop Rock’s writing has been of the highest caliber, but one thing that has continually evolved is his near-flawless and diverse flow, now perfectly infused with his personality and a gift for visual imagery. On Spirit World Field Guide, characters, inanimate objects, and their surrounding environments vividly come to life as Aesop describes each passing moment throughout the album’s twenty-one chapters. Welcome to the Spirit World. Explore with intention. [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Boris – Absolutego [Reissue/1996] 2xLP (Third Man)
Originally released in 1996, Boris’ 60-minute 13-second debut “single” Absolutego is a trek over a staggering mountain of sound. The tension builds with wave after wave of massive feedback, drums leading into a crushing crescendo of full-band repetition and clarity before descending deeper until finally reaching a surreal dive-bomb purring drone finale. This song takes notes out of the Melvins’ playbook and pushes the sound to its absolute logical and visceral extreme. It sets a solid foundation for why Boris is considered to be one of the most important metal bands of the 21st century.
Boris – Amplifier Worship [Reissue/1998] LP (Third Man)
First released in 1998, catalog staple Amplifier Worship is Boris’ most intense and unrelenting album to date. Not for the faint of heart, the group incorporates mythic doom-drones, up-tempo psych-sludge and even a refreshing ribbit into their signature concoction of celestial and heavy music. Amplifier Worship is a critical chapter in the Boris canon. The album is a testament to the group’s bullishness in pushing metal to its uncomfortable and unfamiliar edges. And it’s also undoubtedly one of their best.
Bob Marley – Uprising Live!: Live From Westfalenhallen 1980 3xLP (Eagle Rock)
The Uprising Tour ran in Europe from May 30th to July 13th, 1980 with five further dates in the US in September. It was Bob Marley’s last tour before his tragically early death in May 1981 at the age of just 36. The tour was in support of the Uprising album released in June 1980. A few days later on June 13th, the live show from Dortmund’s Westfalenhalle was filmed/recorded for the famous German music TV series Rockpalast and is presented here on orange colored 180gm vinyl with restored audio. Bob Marley and the Wailers are on superb form and deliver a set of hit singles and classic album tracks.
Molchat Doma – Monument CD/LP/Cassette (Sacred Bones)
Monument is a fitting title for the third album by Belarusian trio Molchat Doma. Indeed, it stands as a monument to everything they’ve achieved in their short time as a band, from whispered-about unknowns, to enigmatic underground icons, to legitimate viral sensations with hundreds of thousands of TikTok videos using their music. Monument sees them return as conquering heroes, expanding on the minimalist greatness of S Krysh Nashikh Domov and Etazhi to fully realize a more maximalist vision of their crystalline post-punk sound. Written and recorded while the band was quarantined in their hometown of Minsk during the COVID-19 pandemic, Monument is a conscious step up in songwriting and fidelity, and it reveals a band preternaturally comfortable in its own skin. [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]
The Who – Live At The Isle Of Wight Festival 3xLP (Eagle Rock)
At 2AM on August 30, 1970, one of the great British rock bands gave one of the most memorable concerts of their career to an audience of 600,000; the set combining some their greatest hits up to that point with a blistering run through the epochal Tommy and some new songs earmarked for their next album. Academy Award-winning director Murray Lerner was there to capture the event for posterity and more recently Pete Townshend personally supervised the remixing of the sound. As Townshend has since opined, The Who were at the very top of their game as a live act at this stage of their career and it is immediately apparent when listening to this enthralling performance. This is the undiluted, absolute power of The Who at their live peak restored to its highest sonic glory as remixed from the original 8 track tapes.
December/January Marketing Program/ Banner/ Listening Station Titles Promoted This Week:
AC/DC – Power Up CD/LP (Columbia)
Power Up is the long-awaited new album from AC/DC, and the band’s seventeenth studio effort overall. For Power Up, the band reunited with producer Brendan O’Brien who helmed the double-platinum Black Ice in 2008 and the gold Rock Or Bust in 2014. Charged up for the next decade, AC/DC cut twelve new tracks for the album, proudly maintaining their signature sound and all of its powerful hallmarks. “This record is pretty much a dedication to Malcolm, my brother,” Angus says. “It’s a tribute for him like ‘Back In Black’ was a tribute to Bon Scott…All of the tracks that we’ve got on the album were written by me and Malcolm. A lot of them were ideas we had that we knew were good AC/DC ideas at the time. But we just never got around to getting them on record.” [Limited edition CD version comes in a deluxe lightbox package with illuminating AC/DC logo, battery operated two-watt speaker featuring electric guitar riff and static, USB wire, and a 20-page booklet.]
Andrea Bocelli – Believe CD/2xLP (Verve)
Internationally renowned, beloved Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli releases the breathtaking new album, Believe, celebrating the power of music to soothe the soul. It follows his record-breaking ‘Music For Hope’ performance at Easter from Milan’s historic Duomo cathedral. Believe features classic favorites, a previously unreleased track from late Italian composer, Ennio Morricone, plus “Gratia Plena” (from acclaimed film Fatima), duets with Alison Krauss and Cecilia Bartoli, and interpretations of “Ave Maria” and Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.” The themes explored in this new recording are deeply personal to Bocelli, who says, “The concept behind Believe is based on three words: faith, hope and charity. These are the three theological virtues of Christianity, yet – quite independently of any religious belief – they are also the three extraordinary keys to giving meaning and completeness to the lives of every one of us.”
Nels Cline Singers – Share The Wealth CD/2xLP (Blue Note)
The third Blue Note album by guitarist extraordinaire and Wilco bandmember Nels Cline features an expanded edition of his long-running project The Nels Cline Singers with saxophonist Skerik, keyboardist Brian Marsella, bassist Trevor Dunn, drummer Scott Amendola and percussionist Cyro Baptista. Share The Wealth is a dynamic double album created from spontaneous music-making that brims with swirling, evocative soundscapes and uninhibited explorations.
Chris Stapleton – Starting Over CD/2xLP (Mercury Nashville)
Five-time Grammy Award-winning country superstar Chris Stapleton delivers the highly anticipated new studio album, Starting Over. Of its 14 songs, he co-wrote 11, with a combination of longtime friends and new collaborators including Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench of the Heartbreakers on electric guitar and Hammond B3 organ respectively, as well as equally revered pedal steel player Paul Franklin. The Nashville Urban Choir feature on “Watch You Burn”, written by Stapleton and Campbell. Three hand-picked covers augment the new material, John Fogerty’s “Joy Of My Life” and two by Guy Clark, “Worry B Gone” and “Old Friends”. Starting Over opens with the acoustic-based title track single which finds the talented troubadour and his whiskey-soaked soul vocals imparting, “It don’t matter to me / Wherever you are is where I wanna be / And honey for once in our lives / Let’s take our chances and roll the dice / I can be your lucky penny / You can be my four-leaf clover / Starting over.”
CDs + Vinyl:
AC/DC – Power Up CD/LP (Columbia)
Power Up is the long-awaited new album from AC/DC, and the band’s seventeenth studio effort overall. For Power Up, the band reunited with producer Brendan O’Brien who helmed the double-platinum Black Ice in 2008 and the gold Rock Or Bust in 2014. Charged up for the next decade, AC/DC cut twelve new tracks for the album, proudly maintaining their signature sound and all of its powerful hallmarks. “This record is pretty much a dedication to Malcolm, my brother,” Angus says. “It’s a tribute for him like ‘Back In Black’ was a tribute to Bon Scott…All of the tracks that we’ve got on the album were written by me and Malcolm. A lot of them were ideas we had that we knew were good AC/DC ideas at the time. But we just never got around to getting them on record.” [Limited edition CD version comes in a deluxe lightbox package with illuminating AC/DC logo, battery operated two-watt speaker featuring electric guitar riff and static, USB wire, and a 20-page booklet.]
Aesop Rock – Spirit World Field Guide CD/2xLP (Rhymesayers)
Since his debut in the late nineties, Aesop Rock’s writing has been of the highest caliber, but one thing that has continually evolved is his near-flawless and diverse flow, now perfectly infused with his personality and a gift for visual imagery. On Spirit World Field Guide, characters, inanimate objects, and their surrounding environments vividly come to life as Aesop describes each passing moment throughout the album’s twenty-one chapters. Welcome to the Spirit World. Explore with intention. [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Atmosphere – The Day Before Halloween CD/LP (Rhymesayers)
Recently released on vinyl – now available on CD. For over two decades, Atmosphere has maintained a course of rigorous output, releasing over two dozen studio albums, EP’s and collaborative side projects in as many years. In that time, the venerated duo have built a legacy out of bringing honesty, humility and vulnerability to the forefront of their music, continually challenging themselves to evolve without straying too far from their Minneapolis hip-hop roots. Atmosphere’s new album, The Day Before Halloween, is something of a detour. Cutting loose and eschewing their established norms, Slug and Ant have delivered the anti-pop answer to the content and compositions of previous albums. Over razor-sharp drums and distorted synths, The Day Before Halloween explores the life of a visual artist living in an antiquated surveillance state.
Liam Bailey – Ekundayo CD/LP (Big Crown)
On the surface, Ekundayo is a weighty reggae record, full of new and old textured riddims. But listen more in-depth, and you’ll find subject matter that’s more recognizable from a modern-day R&B record.
Sara Bareilles – More Love – Songs From Little Voice Season One CD (Epic)
After quietly teasing its arrival, Grammy Award-winner and Tony and Emmy Award-nominated singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles releases More Love – Songs From Little Voice Season One. For the surprise album, Sara personally performed and recorded the ten tracks she had originally penned for Little Voice (Original Series Soundtrack). Taking the creative reins, she produced the project alongside Tyler Chester. This notably marks the first time she has unveiled her renditions of these songs. Among its ten tracks, the record includes her version of the lead single “More Love”. [Vinyl version due December 18.]
William Basinski – Lamentations CD (Temporary Residence)
William Basinski’s reputation as the foremost producer of profound meditations on death and decay has long been established, but on his new album, Lamentations, he transforms operatic tragedy into abyssal beauty. More than any other work since The Disintegration Loops, there is an ominous grief throughout the album, and that sense of loss lingers like an emotional vapor. Captured and constructed from tape loops and studies from Basinski’s archives – dating back to 1979 – Lamentations is over 40 years of mournful sighs meticulously crafted into songs. They are shaped by the inevitable passage of time and the indisputable collapsing of space – and their collective resonance is infinite and eternal. [Vinyl edition due January 22.]
The Bats – Foothills CD/LP (Flying Nun)
Spanning the last 38 years, The Bats have clocked nine incredible albums; each one seeing the band evolve with new material from the prolific songwriting hand of Robert Scott. The four-piece has created twisted wistful folk, psychedelic rock, bouncy twee pop, and everything in between, but whatever the genre, their sound is always distinctively, unmistakably The Bats.
Benee – Hey u x CD (Republic)
New Zealand’s platinum sensation Benee releases her highly anticipated debut album, Hey u x. The genre-bending project features collaborations from Lily Allen, Grimes, Flo Milli, Mallrat, Kenny Beats and others. Includes platinum-certified smash “Supalonely” with Gus Dapperton and new bop “Night Garden” with Kenny Beats and Bakar.
George Benson – Weekend In London CD/2xLP (Provogue)
Weekend In London finds Benson performing live to an intimate 50-capacity crowd at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club, one of London’s most prestigious and famous venues. This hard-bitten jazzman might prefer spontaneity to setlists, but this latest live album nods to many of his countless career peaks, whether he’s opening with the deathless groove of 1980’s smash “Give Me The Night”, revisiting fan favorites like “Love X Love” and “In Your Eyes”, or breathing fresh mojo into classic covers like Dave Bartholomew’s “I Hear You Knocking” and Donny Hathaway’s “The Ghetto”.
BlackHawk – Just About Right: Live From Atlanta 2xCD (BFD)
Known for their smooth, brother-like harmonies, platinum-selling country music group BlackHawk returns with a double-disc acoustic live set recorded at Eddie’s Attic in Atlanta, Georgia.
Bliss Of Flesh – Tyrant CD/LP (Listenable)
Formed in 1999 in Calais, France, Bliss Of Flesh has always been a very charismatic band. Their obscure brand of non-typical, lyrically and musically thoughtful, obscure black/death metal has aroused genuine passion in many European lands. Tyrant shows Bliss Of Flesh at their more accomplished and intense hour in terms of production, songwriting and execution. The album also has no gaps between songs which makes the power reach new levels of addictive madness.
Andrea Bocelli – Believe CD/2xLP (Verve)
Internationally renowned, beloved Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli releases the breathtaking new album, Believe, celebrating the power of music to soothe the soul. It follows his record-breaking ‘Music For Hope’ performance at Easter from Milan’s historic Duomo cathedral. Believe features classic favorites, a previously unreleased track from late Italian composer, Ennio Morricone, plus “Gratia Plena” (from acclaimed film Fatima), duets with Alison Krauss and Cecilia Bartoli, and interpretations of “Ave Maria” and Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.” The themes explored in this new recording are deeply personal to Bocelli, who says, “The concept behind Believe is based on three words: faith, hope and charity. These are the three theological virtues of Christianity, yet – quite independently of any religious belief – they are also the three extraordinary keys to giving meaning and completeness to the lives of every one of us.”
Boundaries – Your Receding Warmth CD/LP (Unbeaten)
Boundaries lyrically explore escapism, insecurities, and ultimately the attempt to move forward in the face of life’s continual setbacks on Your Receding Warmth; set against a backdrop of panic-inducing riffs and earth-shattering breakdowns. They manage to paint a picture of the cold and, at times monotonous, march of life but never let the listener settle in, instead plunging them through the emotional turmoil that develops as existence becomes harsher and less forgiving as it continues.
Randall Bramblett – Pine Needle Fire CD/2xLP (New West)
With Pine Needle Fire, Bramblett continues to channel his singular voice and unique storytelling approach and experiences into something insightful, tuneful and incredibly soulful. [Limited edition clear vinyl pressing also available.]
Brokenrail – Beautiful Chaos CD/LP (Cleopatra)
New album from the rising young metal band. Beautiful Chaos showcases both their strengths and diversity with stellar musicianship, powerful vocals, melodic ballads, and of course some of the heaviest, horns-in-the-air metal riffs you’re likely to hear all year. [Limited gold and silver colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Billy Brooks – Windows Of The Mind [Reissue/1974] CD/LP (Wewantsounds)
Active as a session musician since the ’50s, Brooks played with musicians including Lionel Hampton, Cal Tjader and Ray Charles, the latter of whom signed Brooks to his sub-label Crossover Records to release Windows Of The Mind. The album was recorded in L.A. and co-produced by Charles, with a band including bassist Larry Gales, drummer Clarence Johnston, Saxophonist Herman Riley, guitarist Jef Lee and Calvin Keys.
Caroline Af Ugglas – Antingen Eller CD (Siloton)
Caroline is one of Sweden’s most beloved artists and the mastermind behind the popular TV format Clash Of The Choirs, that was broadcasted both in the US and in Sweden. She is also a recognized as an esteemed painter. [Vinyl edition due November 27.]
Johnny Cash – Johnny Cash and The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra CD/LP (Sony Legacy)
Johnny Cash’s archive vocal recordings are set to the orchestral backing of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at Abbey Road for this special new 12-track album. Producers Don Reedman and Nick Patrick consulted with John Carter Cash, who serves as executive producer on the record, which features a career-spanning selection of Cash’s recordings. Tracks on the record include classics such as “Man In Black” and “Ring Of Fire” as well as the stunning collaboration with Bob Dylan on the timeless “Girl From The North Country”.
Nels Cline Singers – Share The Wealth CD/2xLP (Blue Note)
The third Blue Note album by guitarist extraordinaire and Wilco bandmember Nels Cline features an expanded edition of his long-running project The Nels Cline Singers with saxophonist Skerik, keyboardist Brian Marsella, bassist Trevor Dunn, drummer Scott Amendola and percussionist Cyro Baptista. Share The Wealth is a dynamic double album created from spontaneous music-making that brims with swirling, evocative soundscapes and uninhibited explorations.
The Cranberries – No Need To Argue [Reissue/1994] CD/2xCD/2xLP (Island)
Digitally remastered. Originally released in 1994, No Need To Argue the second studio album by Irish alternative rock band The Cranberries, was the band’s highest-selling album and features the hit single “Zombie”. [Double CD and vinyl editions include a remaster of the album and three B-sides: “Away”, “I Don’t Need”, and “So Cold In Ireland” from the original tapes plus 19 previously unreleased tracks including two songs never officially released in any format – “Yesterday’s Gone”, recorded unplugged in New York in 1995 for MTV, and a demo of a track “Serious” that has previously only existed as low quality live bootlegs.
Death Dealer – Conquered Lands CD/LP (Steel Cartel)
After a five-year break, former Manowar guitarist Ross The Boss is back with his band Death Dealer. [Two limited colored vinyl pressings are available: red and yellow.]
Doro – Magic Diamonds: Best Of Rock, Ballads & Rare Treasures 3xCD/4xLP (Rare Diamonds Productions)
56 hits and rarities from the metal queen.
Dragged Under – The World Is In Your Way CD/LP (Mascot)
Seattle’s Dragged under strike an elusive balance between thrashed-up punk, pit-splitting hardcore, technical metal, and hook-filled alternative rock. [Limited green and clear colored vinyl pressing also available.]
The Durutti Column – Obey The Time [Reissue/1990] 3xCD/2xLP+MP3 (Factory Benelux)
Largely self-produced, and entirely instrumental, Obey the Time saw DC mainman Vini Reilly further develop his interest in electronic music, and even embrace house and techno stylings. [Limited edition transparent pink/neon yellow vinyl colored vinyl pressing also available.]
The End – Allt Är Intet CD/LP (RareNoise)
Second full-length album by The End. The powerhouse international quintet is made up of Swedish saxophonist Mats Gustafsson (Fire!, The Thing), Norwegian saxophonist Kjetil Møster (Møster!, Zanussi 5), Ethiopian-born vocalist Sofia Jernberg (Fire! Orchestra, PAAVO), Norwegian guitarist Anders Hana (MoHa!, Ultralyd), and Norwegian drummer Børge Fjordheim
(Cloroform).
Falcon Jane – Faith CD (Darling Recordings)
Falcon Jane’s second album Faith started coming together at the beginning of 2019 when Sara May, the artist behind the band, experienced a string of deaths in her family. Attending a seemingly endless number of traditional Catholic funerals within the space of a year caused May to dive inwards, reassessing her own notions of memory, grief, love, ceremony and identity. [Cassette edition due December 11.]
Ghost Funk Orchestra – Ghost Funk Orchestra CD/LP (Colemine)
A soulful, psychedelic journey.
Glacier – The Passing Of Time CD/LP (No Remorse)
New album from the power metal band.
Vivian Greene – Love Absolute CD (Sono Recording Group)
New release from the neo-soul vocalist.
Billie Holiday/The Sonhouse All Stars – Billie [The Original Soundtrack] CD/LP (Verve)
Billie is the companion thirteen song soundtrack to the James Erskine-directed documentary on the breathtaking talent of Billie Holiday. It features her band, The Sonhouse All Stars performing her classic works including “I Only Have Eyes For You”, “God Bless The Child”, “Strange Fruit” and more. The film features newly unearthed interviews from those who knew Holiday best – Charles Mingus, Tony Bennett, Sylvia Syms and Count Basie among them.
Homeboy – Don’t Feed The Monster CD (Mello Music Group)
Having grown up in Queens, New York, hip-hop was part of everything in life. This deep-rooted connection to the culture is evident when listening to his style of rhyming- bold, classic and deeply respectful. On Don’t Feed The Monster, he pulls back any pretense to show his most honest truth – a process that he needed both artistically and spiritually. Album producer (and guest vocalist) Quelle Chris has been one of the most talked about and celebrated hip-hop artists on the planet these last few years. Both producing and rapping, Quelle has released critically acclaimed albums like Guns, Innocent Country 2, and Everything’s Fine with his collaborator/wife Jean Grae. “There’s a certain mystic/magical power in words, sounds, rhythms, etc. It’s rare to come across a brother/artist like Sandman,” he says when asked about his new album with Homeboy Sandman. [Vinyl edition due January 8.]
Hum – Inlet CD/2xLP+MP3 (Earth Analog)
Hum influenced a generation of shoegaze bands, but their singularly epic sound swirls with ripples of punk and prog, too. Outside of a few scattered live shows, those glorious Hum sonics have lain dormant since the 1997 release of Downward Is Heavenward. Their first new album in 22 years has already won raves from Pitchfork, Stereogum and many others; it’s a stunning return to peak form.
Jesu – Terminus CD (Avalanche Recordings)
Justin K Broadrick is best known as a founding member of Godflesh, one of the first bands to combine elements of extreme metal and industrial music, but has also maintained a parallel career as a producer, producing records and remixes for groups such as Pantera, Isis, Mogwai and Pelican. Since 2005 he has also been creating slow, hazy, and deafening music under the moniker Jesu, and here he returns with Terminus, the first full length standalone album from Jesu since 2013’s Every Day I Get Closer To The Light From Which I Came. Terminus thematically was inspired by the concepts of rejection, dependency, nostalgia, and ultimate loneliness. Musically exploring the entire gamut of the Jesu oeuvre since its initial inception; dream pop, shoegaze, electronica and nonaligned/non genre specific heaviness. [Vinyl edition due November 20.]
Elton John – Jewel Box 8xCD (Mercury)
Elton John – Jewel Box: Deep Cuts 4xLP (Mercury)
Elton John – Jewel Box: Rarities & B-Sides 3xCD (Mercury)
Elton John – Jewel Box: And This Is Me 2xLP (Mercury)
Archive collection(s) from the veteran British singer/songwriter spanning the years 1965 to 2019. An in-depth exploration of Elton John and Bernie Taupin’s extensive catalog including early rarities and deep cuts personally curated by Elton.
Katla – Allt Thetta Helvitis Myrkur CD/2xCD/2xLP/2xLP+12”+2xCD (Prophecy)
The soul-crushing heaviness fueling Allt Thetta Helvitis Myrkur record makes Icelandic duo Katla’s melancholic 2017 debut album Móðurástin appear nearly light-hearted by comparison. [Available as a single disc CD, a double-CD artbook edition, a white colored double-LP vinyl edition and as a complete box set featuring a bonus 12” and four art prints.]
Katatonia – Dead Air CD (Peaceville)
A recording of an intimate lockdown show from the Swedish dark rock masters which was originally streamed live from Studio Grondahl, Stockholm on May 9th, 2020. [Vinyl edition due November 20.]
Lambchop – Trip CD/LP+MP3 (Merge)
In the fall of 2019, Lambchop’s Kurt Wagner had a unique idea: In lieu of going on what would become an economically disastrous tour, he would invite the band to Nashville to make a record as a way to provide them with similar financial support and realize something tangible in the process. Each band member was tasked with choosing one song for the band to cover, and leading the recording session to completion each day. Trip sounds like a culmination of the band’s older work and current work. There’s a looseness and freedom that recalls their older sound mixed with a group sophistication and innovation derived through the process of playing together for so long.
Macabre – Carnival Of Killers CD/LP (Nuclear Blast)
Prepare for another gore filled thrill ride from a band that originated in the ‘80s yet progresses to the edge of modern metal with clear production, expanded variety, and with a whole mess of nostalgic pleasure.
Mandrill – Mandrill [Reissue/1970] CD (Anagram Music)
Digitally remastered reissue of the debut album by Brooklyn based band Mandrill, an eclectic funk combo founded in 1968 by the Wilson Brothers.
Parker McCollum – Hollywood Gold CDEP (MCA Nashville)
Austin-TX own, Parker McCollum releases his debut EP. The first single ‘Pretty Heart’ was chosen as On The Verge artist for iHeartRadio country stations nationally.
Molchat Doma – Monument CD/LP/Cassette (Sacred Bones)
Monument is a fitting title for the third album by Belarusian trio Molchat Doma. Indeed, it stands as a monument to everything they’ve achieved in their short time as a band, from whispered-about unknowns, to enigmatic underground icons, to legitimate viral sensations with hundreds of thousands of TikTok videos using their music. Monument sees them return as conquering heroes, expanding on the minimalist greatness of S Krysh Nashikh Domov and Etazhi to fully realize a more maximalist vision of their crystalline post-punk sound. Written and recorded while the band was quarantined in their hometown of Minsk during the COVID-19 pandemic, Monument is a conscious step up in songwriting and fidelity, and it reveals a band preternaturally comfortable in its own skin. [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]
David Nance – Staunch Honey CD/LP (Trouble In Mind)
A stunning batch of sonic manna that hums with feeling and mood; expertly crafted, but sounding simultaneously off-the-cuff. Nance dials back the squalling feedback and raging guitars found on Peaced And Slightly Pulverized into something a bit mellower, like the soundtrack to a late-night drive or late night hangs. Rusted & dusted with mid-fi, stoney brilliance. [Limited ‘fool’s gold’ colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Nuclear – Murder Of Crows CD (Black Lodge)
Obliterating all boundaries, Nuclear’s new album Murder Of Crows ingrains the vicious cutting-edge guitars of thrash and the sonic brutality inherent to the death metal’s golden years. [Vinyl edition due December 4.]
Of Feather And Bone – Sulfuric Disintegration CD (Profound Lore)
New album from the Colorado power trio. While not only delivering a more dynamic and complex musical vision that balances the genres of pure dark death metal, blistering grind, and unrelenting bestial metal, Sulfuric Disintegration sees Of Feather And Bone become the full-on sonic killing machine that one was given a mere glimpse of with their past works. [Vinyl edition due December 18.]
Katy J Pearson – Return CD/LP (Heavenly)
Ten songs which slide effortlessly between lovelorn country, lo-fi folk and glistening, unforgettable pop. [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Tristan Perich – Drift Multiply CD (Nonesuch)
Drift Multiply, Perich’s largest work to date, is performed by fifty violins and fifty loudspeakers and is conducted by Douglas Perkins. Scored as one hundred individual lines of music, the piece blends violins and speakers into a cascading tapestry of tone, harmony, and noise. The violins perform from sheet music, while the speakers are each connected to custom-built circuit boards programmed to output 1-bit audio, the most basic digital waveforms made of just ones and zeroes.
Petit Biscuit – Parachute CD/LP (Ecurie)
Petit Biscuit has established itself in a few years as the spearhead of French electronic music. Sometimes flirting with trap music, sometimes with indie rock, he never made two tracks that sound alike.
The Pogues – The BBC Sessions 1984-1986 CD (Rhino)
An extensive collection of BBC recordings from the band between 1984 and 1986 with 13 of the recordings previously unreleased apart from their initial airing. This 23-track album features a collection of songs from six separate live sessions – The John Peel Show (April 1984), David ‘Kid’ Jensen show (July 1984), The John Peel Show (December 1984), The Phil Kennedy Show (March 1985), the Janice Long Show (July 1985) and the Janice Long Show (November 1986). Each session is grouped distinguishing them apart from each other.
Quakers – II: The Next Wave CD/2xLP (Stones Throw)
Quakers is an ever-evolving collective of music with core members Geoff Barrow of Portishead and Australian producer Ashely Anderson. True to the group’s collaborative spirit, the producers invited over twenty rappers from the Stones Throw stable and beyond to contribute to II: The Next Wave. Much like Quakers’ self-titled debut, II: The Next Wave is loud, unapologetic and blunted. It’s also more explicitly political, with songs that speak directly to systemic corruption, racism, and the climate crisis.
Gwenifer Raymond – Strange Lights Over Garth Mountain CD/LP (Tomkins Square)
Welsh musician Gwenifer Raymond’s acclaimed 2018 debut album, You Never Were Much Of A Dancer, introduced a talented new voice on acoustic guitar. Her latest, Strange Lights Over Garth Mountain, finds Raymond moving into unexplored experimental territory, drawing from her Welsh roots.
Keith Richards & The X-Pensive Winos – Live At The Hollywood Palladium CD/2xLP/2xLP+10”+CD+DVD (BMG)
On December 15, 1988, Keith Richards and his incomparable band, The X-Pensive Winos, played the Hollywood Palladium. It was the penultimate show in a 12 city US tour. [Deluxe edition adds 10” vinyl EP with three unreleased bonus tracks, a DVD of the original concert film, a 40-page hardback book with David Frick essay featuring new interview with Keith plus extensive rare and unseen photos from his archives, and reproductions of archival materials from the tour.]
Ana Roxanne – Because A Flower CD (Kranky)
The sublime songs comprising Los Angeles-based musician Ana Roxanne’s second record, Because Of A Flower, germinated gradually across five years, inspired by interwoven notions of gender identity, beauty, and cruelty. She describes her process as beginning with a drone element and a mood, then intuiting melody, syllables, and lyrics incrementally, like sacred shapes materializing from mist. The experience of identifying as intersex informs the album on levels both sonic and thematic, from spoken word texts borrowed from tonal harmony textbooks to cinematic dialogue samples and castrati aria allusions. It’s an appropriately interstitial vision of ambient
songcraft, a chemistry of wisps and whispers, sanctuary and sorrow, conjured through a fragile balance of voice, bass, space, and texture. [Vinyl edition due November 27.]
The Royal Bopsters – Party Of Four CD (Motema Music)
A master class in the art of vocal jazz and vocalese, Party Of Four demonstrates the dazzling possibilities of four voices coming together as one. Bopsters Amy London, Dylan Pramuk, Pete McGuinness, and the late Holli Ross (to whom the album is dedicated) are joined by guest lead vocalists, NEA Jazz Master Sheila Jordan (91 years young) who delivers a delightful rendition of “Lucky To Be Me” and NEA Jazz Master, the late Bob Dorough. Party Of Four displays the group’s stunning facility to swing deeply and sing passionately while navigating incredibly precise four-part harmonies.
Ryuichi Sakamoto – Hidari Ude No Yume [Reissue/1981] CD/2xLP (Wewantsounds)
Aiming to root Hidari Ude No Yume (Left Handed Dream) in pop sensibilities, Sakamoto teamed-up with British producer Robin Scott, fellow Yellow Magic Orchestra musicians Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi, Hideki Matsutake, violinist Kaoru Sato, saxophonist Satoshi Nakamura, and American guitarist Adrian Belew.
Schnellertollermeier – 5 CD/LP (Cuneiform)
Schnellertollermeier marries brutality to avant-garde rock and jazz. A classic power trio from Switzerland, the band plays with punk fury and dazzling technical dexterity to create booming, bone-rattling music that stalks, confronts and astonishes.
Staple Singers – Come Go With Me: The Stax Collection 7xCD (Craft Recordings)
Released in March on vinyl – now available on CD. Come Go With Me: The Stax Collection is a set that features The Staple Singers’ Stax Records studio albums (six albums), plus one disc of rarities (non-album singles and Live At Wattstax tracks). The studio albums include Soul Folk In Action, We’ll Get Over, The Staple Swingers, Be Altitude: Respect Yourself, Be What You Are, and City In The Sky. Liner notes are written by Levon Williams and Langston Wilkins.
Stormbringer – Stealer Of Souls [Reissue/1993] CD/LP (No Remorse)
CD and vinyl reissue of one of the holy grails of underground US metal.
Chris Stapleton – Starting Over CD/2xLP (Mercury Nashville)
Five-time Grammy Award-winning country superstar Chris Stapleton delivers the highly anticipated new studio album, Starting Over. Of its 14 songs, he co-wrote 11, with a combination of longtime friends and new collaborators including Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench of the Heartbreakers on electric guitar and Hammond B3 organ respectively, as well as equally revered pedal steel player Paul Franklin. The Nashville Urban Choir feature on “Watch You Burn”, written by Stapleton and Campbell. Three hand-picked covers augment the new material, John Fogerty’s “Joy Of My Life” and two by Guy Clark, “Worry B Gone” and “Old Friends”. Starting Over opens with the acoustic-based title track single which finds the talented troubadour and his whiskey-soaked soul vocals imparting, “It don’t matter to me / Wherever you are is where I wanna be / And honey for once in our lives / Let’s take our chances and roll the dice / I can be your lucky penny / You can be my four-leaf clover / Starting over.”
- Tex – Neon Signs & Little White Lies CD/LP (Heptown)
If you hadn’t heard J. Tex before, then this album will convert you into a believer-prepare to be baptized in the church of his guitar and voice. Jens is a legend in the making, hailing from Copenhagen, but with roots that grow deep in Detroit. His lyrics, style, and passion for music are little bits and pieces of history in the making, homages to the traditions that are the roots and Americana musical genres. The songs presented here on this album are like constant little reminders that we and the world around us are all works in progress, that with the passage of time, we grow and change, and that there is always room to wonder. [Limited orange colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Devin Townsend – Order Of Magnitude – Empath Live Volume 1 2xCD+DVD+Blu-ray (Century Media)
In the past, Devin has been told that it is simply ‘not possible’ to do all these different styles of music in one place, yet with a newfound success and significant support from the industry, he was determined to prove that not only can it be done, but in a musical climate where taking chances is typically seen as ‘unwise’, it could be done with supreme confidence and absolute lack of compromise. Empath is a bold statement with massive production values and dynamic, uncompromised musicality. This is a statement about not only pursuing creative freedom in a conservative scene, but also trying to show that heavy music is truly a valid musical tool.
Frank Turner & Jon Snodgrass – Buddies II: Still Buddies CD/LP (Xtra Mile)
Ten years ago, the two acclaimed musicians Frank Turner and Jon Snodgrass hung out, drank whisky and wrote and recorded an album together called Buddies – a lighthearted hang between friends that became a hit with fans of both artists. Fast forward a decade and the pair are still buddies, so they decided to write a follow-up. [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Various Artists – The Gospel Truth: Complete Singles Collection 2xCD (Craft Recordings)
Craft Recordings honors the music of The Gospel Truth Records, a subsidiary of Stax Records, with the first-ever complete collection of all 17 singles-and their respective B-sides issued by the imprint between 1972 and 1974. This set features in-depth liner notes by Memphis-based journalist Jared Boyd, who captured new interviews with Stax executive Al Bell, trailblazing gospel artist Rance Allen, and Mary Peak Patterson, who helped establish the label.
Völur – Death Cult CD/LP (Prophecy)
To the casual listener, Völur might ‘just’ appear to write great doom songs with an avant-garde approach using elements from folk, classical music and free jazz. Those delving deeper into Death Cult will discover a singular dark world where ancient ritual becomes modern angst, a violin has replaced all guitars, and a multitude of fascinating lyrical and musical discoveries awaits. [Limited silver colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Warfect – Spectre Of Devastation CD (Napalm)
Crushing Swedish metal with a modernized, yet classic thrash-inspired attack.
Nick Waterhouse – Live At Pappy And Harriet’s: In Person From The High Desert CD/2xLP (Innovative Leisure)
A decade ago, journalists, fans, critics, and audiophiles alike were wont to compare Nick Waterhouse to his predecessors. And it was a convenient way to categorize an artist that has since proved difficult to categorize; he had a voice that balanced somewhere between Van Morrison and Ray Charles, an aesthetic that caught the attention of style reporters at GQ, an ambitious production vision that stood out among the lo-fi rock and alternative bands of the zeitgeist. And he was disarmingly earnest in his own influences – citing artists like Mose Allison and Them as early inspiration. Live At Pappy And Harriet’s reflects the work of an artist who has seen some things. He’s studied, he’s composed, he’s receptive, he’s loose, and he’s gotten to know his own artistic practice in a way that shows up, fiery and raw, on this live, hometown record.
John Zorn – Azoth CD (Tzadik)
Jay Campbell (The JACK Quartet) and Michael Nicolas (Brooklyn Rider) are two of the greatest cellists in new music. Long-time members of Zorn’s inner circle, here they perform four compositions written expressly for them. Featuring two works for solo cello and two works for cello and rhythm section, the music is filled with spectacular leaps, intense textures, dizzying tremolos, hypnotic ostinatos, scordatura and more
This Week’s Vinyl Exclusives:
Alice In Chains – Facelift [Reissue/1990] 2xLP+MP3 (Sony Legacy)
30th anniversary standard black vinyl remastered reissue. Not only did the album introduce the world to Layne Staley, Jerry Cantrell, Sean Kinney, and Mike Starr, it was also a pivotal album in the era of grunge music.
Dorothy Ashby With Frank Wess – Hip Harp [Reissue/1958] LP (Sowing)
Limited clear pressing. Born in Detroit in 1932, Dorothy Ashby can be easily recognized as the woman who gave the harp a jazz voice. In her hands, the harp, an originally classical instrument which seemed to just scare people, became a highly versatile swinging voice able to drive a whole jazz rhythm section. Recorded in 1958 by master Rudy Van Gelder and originally released on the Prestige label, Hip Harp is a perfect example of Ashby’s artistry. At the head of a fine quartet featuring the great Frank Wess on flute, Herman Wright on bass, and master Art Taylor on drums, Ashby creates a unique combination of deeply jazz elements expressed through a totally new sound.
The Ataris – Live In Chicago 2019 LP (Kung Fu)
Recently released on CD – now available on clear vinyl. Recorded on their national tour just last year, Live In Chicago 2019 showcases the band’s ultra-melodic sound paired with supercharged energy and presents killer live versions of The Ataris’ most beloved songs.
Roy Ayers – West Coast Vibes [Reissue/1963] LP (Honeypie)
West Coast Vibes consists of Roy Ayers’s debut recording session and it can be easily seen as the purest jazz statement of his long career. Recorded in 1963 and still far from his latter-day funk-fusion output, West Coast Vibes is the result of a fine straight-ahead jazz studio session featuring Ayers’s vibraphone, Curtis Amy’s saxophone, and Jack Wilson’s piano, among others.
Bahamas – Sad Hunk LP (Republic)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. The fifth album from Bahamas, Sad Hunk takes its title from a nickname bestowed upon the artist by his wife in reaction to how he was being portrayed in the media, “Something like ten years ago I did a photo shoot, and in all the pictures they sent back I was lit half in shadow, looking all brooding and mysterious,” says the award-winning singer/songwriter otherwise known as Afie Jurvanen. “When my wife saw the photos the first thing she said was, ‘Whoa—sad hunk,’ and after that it became sort of a joke among our friends.” It’s a fitting backstory for an album that embodies an undaunted self-awareness, each track graced with Bahamas’s wry wit and unabashed heart. In sketching Sad Hunk’s delicately composed batch of songs, Jurvanen drew much inspiration from his home life and all the joy and struggle that comes with building a family together. [Limited purple colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Body Count – Bloodlust [Reissue/2017] LP (Century Media)
Originally released in 2017, Bloodlust is filled to capacity with razor-sharp riffs, street born punk attitude and belligerent lyrics. Mastermind Ice-T breathes fire and brimstone throughout. [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Boris – Absolutego [Reissue/1996] 2xLP (Third Man)
Originally released in 1996, Boris’ 60-minute 13-second debut “single” Absolutego is a trek over a staggering mountain of sound. The tension builds with wave after wave of massive feedback, drums leading into a crushing crescendo of full-band repetition and clarity before descending deeper until finally reaching a surreal dive-bomb purring drone finale. This song takes notes out of the Melvins’ playbook and pushes the sound to its absolute logical and visceral extreme. It sets a solid foundation for why Boris is considered to be one of the most important metal bands of the 21st century.
Boris – Amplifier Worship [Reissue/1998] LP (Third Man)
First released in 1998, catalog staple Amplifier Worship is Boris’ most intense and unrelenting album to date. Not for the faint of heart, the group incorporates mythic doom-drones, up-tempo psych-sludge and even a refreshing ribbit into their signature concoction of celestial and heavy music. Amplifier Worship is a critical chapter in the Boris canon. The album is a testament to the group’s bullishness in pushing metal to its uncomfortable and unfamiliar edges. And it’s also undoubtedly one of their best.
Busty and The Bass – Eddie 2xLP+MP3 (Arts & Crafts)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Eddie is the sophomore album from Montreal-based eight-piece soul-jazz collective Busty and The Bass. The 12-track collection pulls from a 60-year history of soul, funk and jazz and distills it into a record that feels both timeless and of-the-moment. Old school legends of the form, like George Clinton and Macy Gray, lend their talents to new school sounds that share a lane with contemporaries like Anderson .Paak and the Free Nationals.
Ceremony – In The Spirit World Now (Synthetic Remixes) LP (Relapse)
Limited colored vinyl LP pressing. Ceremony’s In the Spirit World Now (Synthetic Remixes) see’s the band’s critically acclaimed 2019 album reimagined with a new emphasis on synth instrumentation.
Chrome – The Chronicles I LP (Cleopatra)
Stand-alone vinyl reissue of a rare compilation from noise rock masters.
Elvis Costello – Hey Clockface 2xLP (Concord)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Recorded in Helsinki, Paris and New York, Hey Clockface is the latest Elvis Costello and Sebastian Krys production, following their collaboration on Elvis Costello and The Imposters’ Grammy-winning album Look Now. Hey Clockface also features contributions from Bill Frisell, Nels Cline and Steve Nieve. “I wanted the record to be vivid, whether the songs demanded playing that was loud and jagged or intimate and beautiful,” Costello said of the project’s emotional and dynamic range.”
Alan Davey – Eclectic Devils [Reissue/2009] LP+7” (Cleopatra)
Vinyl edition of this 2009 album from former Hawkwind bassist, current leader of Hawkestrel and all-around creative madman.
Defecto – Duality LP (Black Lodge)
Defecto’s dive into the metal scene has been fast and even frantic at times. Only a year after the release of their debut album, they supported acts like Metallica and Rammstein. Now they return with new album Duality. [Limited grey and purple marble colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Dokken – Breaking The Chains [Reissue/1981] LP (Friday Music)
Dokken absolutely exploded out of the hotbed that was the hard rock and heavy metal scene in Los Angeles, California in the early ’80s. Originally issued on French label Carrere Records in 1981 and then remixed and remastered for proper distribution by Elektra in 1983, the band’s solid debut album Breaking the Chains features the short lived but lively line-up of Don Dokken (vocals), George Lynch (guitar), Juan Croucier (bass) and Mick Brown (drums). [Two colored vinyl pressings are available: gold and red.]
The Dollar Brand Trio – Dollar Brand Plays Sphere Jazz [Reissue/1962] LP (Honeypie)
This is the first trio album from the great South- African pianist Dollar Brand (later known as Abdullah Ibrahim). One of the first African musicians to speak out from a different jazz perspective. Recorded in Johannesburg in 1962 and reissued here for the first time on LP, Plays Sphere Jazz is also one of the very first African jazz productions.
Enemy Alliance – Damnation LP (Black Star Found)
“Enemy Alliance is a brand-new project between Rodrigo Alfaro and Stefan Bratt. Rodrigo is famous for his longtime engagement with prominent groups such as Satanic Surfers, Atlas Losing Grip, Intensity, Krontrovers, Ursut, Sewn Shut…plus many more, or less known groups. Stefan is currently playing bass guitar in a renowned Swedish skate punk act named No Fun At All, but he was also a creative engine in Atlas Losing Grip during their existence as the group. Enemy Alliance represents a proper continuation of these experienced musicians, previously showcased through their participation in Atlas Losing Grip. However, this project shapeshifts the familiar sound, merges their previous experiences, and includes even more technicalities demonstrated through vigorous compositions.” – Thoughts Words Action
Faithless – All Blessed LP (BMG)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. The iconic, award-winning Faithless return with their first album in ten years entitled All Blessed. It’s an immaculate, love letter to electronic music delivered across twelve highly collaborative and intelligent tracks which perfectly capture the Faithless manifesto of “music with feeling, words with meaning”. Guests include Suli Breaks, Nathan Ball, Caleb Femi, LSK, GAIKA, Jazzie B and Damien Jurado.
Felt – Felt 4 U 2xLP (Rhymesayers)
Recently released on CD – now available on custom pink and teal colored vinyl. After an 11-year hiatus, Murs and Slug are back with their fourth Felt album. Sonically, Felt 4 U is overflowing with the influences of funk, soul, blues and even country flavors.
Flaming Tunes – Flaming Tunes [Reissue/1985] LP (Superior Viaduct)
Flaming Tunes’ sole release is perhaps the finest elegy to the ’80s home recording ethos that you’ve never heard. Originally released in 1985 on cassette (with individually hand-colored covers), this self-titled album grew out of the collaboration between childhood friends Gareth Williams and Mary Currie. Williams is best-known as a member of English art-rock band This Heat. After leaving the group in the early ’80s, he travelled to India where he studied classical Kathakali dance-an experience that would profoundly shape the music of Flaming Tunes.
Red Garland Quartet – Solar [Reissue/1962] LP (Honeypie)
Red Garland, one of the most respected pianists in jazz. Close collaborator of saxophone giants such as Charlie Parker, Lester Young, and Coleman Hawkins, and member of Miles Davis’s classic quintet. Solar consists of a solid quartet session held in New York on January 30, 1962.
Dizzy Gillespie/Charlie Parker – Town Hall, New York City, June 22, 1945 LP (Premium Cool)
Limited 180gm yellow colored vinyl pressing. Live concert recording of Dizzy and Bird from Town Hall not previously known to have been recorded. With audio restoration by Ted Kendell, the sound is excellent. This is a discovered recording of Dizzy and Bird at bebop’s inception – the equivalent of finding the Buddy Bolden cylinder. Also features Don Byas, Al Haig, Curley Russell and Max Roach.
Grateful Dead – American Beauty [Reissue/1970] LP (Grateful Dead)
50th anniversary standard black vinyl LP reissue. The pinnacle of the Grateful Dead’s studio output, American Beauty certainly lives up to its name. Made just months after its companion release, Workingman’s Dead, the San Francisco legends’ second 1970 masterpiece furthers the former work’s close-knit relationship between country and folk while adding extra rock and bluegrass currents. Understated amplified passages, graceful melodies, layered singing, and old-time string flavors – including mandolin work from masterful guest David Grisman – bestow the material with easygoing, comfortable vibes.
Gregor – Destiny LP (Chapter Music)
Second album by the eccentric Australian prog rock group; pressed on limited silver colored vinyl.
Gudars Skymning – Olycksfågel LP (Transubstans Sweden)
Olycksfågel is Gudars Skymning’s seventh album. It’s a psychedelic rock concept album about the star cruiser Olycksfågeln and its crew, at the end of their scientific exploration of a certain galaxy. The ship leaves a dead civilization behind and starts the long voyage to their own part of the universe after hundreds of years from home.
Buddy Guy & Junior Wells – Play The Blues [Reissue/1972] LP (Friday Music)
Two audiophile colored vinyl pressings: gold/clear and blue/clear. Featuring Eric Clapton, Dr. John, and members of the J. Geils Band, Play The Blues stands as one of the greatest albums ever cut by Chicago electric blues legend Buddy Guy and his studio and stage cohort Junior Wells.
Marika Hackman – Covers LP+MP3 (Sub Pop)
During the extended stay-at-home order of the last few months, Marika felt that creating a covers record was a way of exploring new sound ideas and expressing herself without having the pressure of the blank page. Breathing new life into the songs she’s chosen, Marika reimagines work by some of the world’s most beloved artists such as Radiohead, Grimes and Elliott Smith. It’s a suitably varied collection, but Marika’s intimate delivery and soft, nuanced and atmospheric touch to production, thread them all together effortlessly.
Hanoi Rocks – All Those Wasted Years [Reissue/1984] 2xLP (Cleopatra)
Vinyl reissue of the 1984 double live album from Finnish glam rockers.
Heathered Pearls – Cast LP+MP3 (Ghostly Int’l)
Limited ‘rust patina’ colored vinyl pressing. Since his 2012 debut as Heathered Pearls, Jakub Alexander has constructed art – music, objects, installations, performances – as a way of re-imagining fragments of his past and mapping ideas for his future. The Polish-born, Michigan-raised, New York-based artist and producer sees imagery and narrative framework as fluid components to his craft. The third Heathered Pearls full-length, Cast, returns to moodier loop formats joined by the distinctly new presence of the spoken word. The move mirrors the multitudes of its namesake: collaborators comprise a cast, healing in the bind of a cast, complex emotions and the shadows they cast.
Bert Jansch – Crimson [Reissue/2000] LP (Earth Recordings)
One of Bert Jansch’s later recordings, Crimson Moon is some of his finest work and sees the musician at the top of his game, with appearances from Johnny Marr, Bernard Butler and many more.
Yves Jarvis – Sundry Rock Song Stock LP+MP3 (Epitaph)
On Sundry Rock Song Stock, Yves Jarvis continues to refine his creative approach to the core of his being, where music and life intertwine in harmonious fashion. The latest album from the Montreal-based musician fuses genre elements into a symbiotic relationship where wistful folk, tender R&B, pastoral prog, and musique concrète experiments feed into one another to grow lush new forms. [Limited opaque green colored vinyl pressing also available. CD version due November 20.]
Philly Joe Jones Sextet – Blues For Dracula [Reissue/1958] LP (Honeypie)
Blues For Dracula is the debut album by American jazz drummer Philly Joe Jones which was recorded in 1958 for the Riverside label. A former child tap dancer, Philly Joe Jones was destined to become something of a percussionist. As it was, he became world renowned as the drummer of Miles Davis first great quintet, serving as the rhythm and timekeeper of that great outfit between 1955 and 1958. He left for a solo career in 1958.
Tom Keifer – The Way Life Goes [Reissue/2013] 2xLP (Deadline Music)
Colored vinyl edition of Cinderella vocalist Tom Keifer’s critically acclaimed solo album.
Lamps – People With Faces LP (In The Red)
Fourth album from L.A.’s notoriously unprolific noise-merchant trio.
lovelytheband – Conversations With Myself About You 2xLP (lovelytheband)
Recently released on CD – now available on limited edition colored vinyl. Sophomore album from the two-time Billboard Music Award-nominated Los Angeles alt-pop trio.
Low Cut Connie – Private Lives LP (Midcitizen)
Recently released on CD – now available on colored vinyl. Private Lives is a beautiful mess, alternating between raucous, full-tilt, rock and roll ecstasy and gritty, stripped-down vulnerability.
Tor Lundvall – Yule [Reissue/2006] LP (Dais)
Upstate New York artist Tor Lundvall’s music often evokes a sense of soft-focus autumnal melancholia but nowhere is this atmosphere more explicit and evocative than his self-released 2006 holiday album, Yule. Inspired by childhood memories of cold, dark evenings waiting for his mother outside shops and supermarkets while seasonal songs drifted faintly on the frozen air, the collection feels appropriately hushed and hypnagogic, half-remembered melodies heard through falling snow. Steady muted rhythmic pulses wind through wintry landscapes of icy synthetic textures, glass bells, and distant metallic echoes, occasionally framed by Lundvall’s soft, dazed vocals, narrating scenes of slushy, illuminated train stations and the lonely trees of January, still entangled with blue lights long after the season has ended.
Manticora – To Kill to Live To Kill & To Live To Kill To Live 3xLP (Vicisolom)
Sit back and enjoy 63 minutes of metal perfection. [Limited blue colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Bob Marley – Uprising Live!: Live From Westfalenhallen 1980 3xLP (Eagle Rock)
The Uprising Tour ran in Europe from May 30th to July 13th, 1980 with five further dates in the US in September. It was Bob Marley’s last tour before his tragically early death in May 1981 at the age of just 36. The tour was in support of the Uprising album released in June 1980. A few days later on June 13th, the live show from Dortmund’s Westfalenhalle was filmed/recorded for the famous German music TV series Rockpalast and is presented here on orange colored 180gm vinyl with restored audio. Bob Marley and the Wailers are on superb form and deliver a set of hit singles and classic album tracks.
The Menzingers – From Exile LP+MP3 (Epitaph)
Philadelphia-based indie rockers, The Menzingers made great use of their free time during this summer’s stay at home order by recording a re-imagined acoustic version of their 2019 album Hello Exile.
Merzbow – Pulse Demon [Reissue/1996] LP (Relapse)
Pulse Demon is one of the most celebrated releases of Masami Akita’s storied four-decade long career. Composed entirely by live noise concrete and the use of a fuzz box, Pulse Demon eschews all overdubs and studio trickery, laying Merzbow bare. What follows in these recordings is the pure essence of unfettered noise.
Nickel Creek – This Side [Reissue/2002] LP (Craft Recordings0
This Side solidifies Nickel Creek’s position as the single most original and inventive bluegrass band to emerge in the early 2000s. The album, produced by Alison Krauss, won the band a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album.
John Parish & Polly Jean Harvey – Dance Hall At Louse Point [Reissue/1996] LP (Island)
PJ Harvey and John Parish’s first full on collaborative album, the 1996 raw art-punk gem Dance Hall At Louse Point, is comprised of twelve songs including eleven new compositions, each with music by Parish and words by Harvey, plus a cover of the Peggy Lee standard “Is That All There Is?” which features a guest appearance from Mick Harvey of The Bad Seeds.
Plain White T’s – All That We Needed [Reissue/2005] LP (Craft Recordings)
15th anniversary limited opaque red vinyl LP pressing of the Chicago rock band’s sophomore album.
Pole – Fading 2xLP (Mute)
Released last week on CD – now available on vinyl. The exploration of one’s own history relates to the inspiration for Pole’s new record Fading. “The album was mostly inspired by the idea of memory loss,” explains Stefan Betke. “My mum had dementia and I saw her losing all the memory that she had accumulated over her 91 long years. When losing that memory, it turned into what she was probably like in the beginning of her life when she was born – like an empty box.” A concept album this is not however. The role of memory loss was simply a springboard for Betke, an idea for the Berlin based artist to further explore through sound. This approach gave Betke the opportunity to reconnect with his own memory and past. “You can hear some little pops and glitches in the background of this recording, which is a direct reference to the trilogy,” he says. “But you hear it relatively quietly in the background, this is a little bit of a sign from me, as my history is fading away slowly too.” Due to the multifaceted nature of Betke, the end result is an album that feels as suited for immersive headphone listening as it does to being pummeled out through a PA loud enough to feel the bass rattle your ribcage.
Max Roach – We Insist! Max Roach’s Freedom Now Suite [Reissue/1961] LP (Sowing)
Limited clear vinyl pressing. One of the major statements in the history of jazz and African American liberation movements. Max Roach’s Freedom Now Suite consists of five original compositions and performances staging and celebrating different moments and aspects of the African American history and culture.
Nina Simone – I Put A Spell On You [Reissue/1965] LP (Verve)
Nina Simone – Pastel Blues [Reissue/1965] LP (Verve)
I Put a Spell On You features some of Nina Simone’s best-known songs. With cover of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ “I Put a Spell On You”. The original version gave it an ironic theme, but Simone transformed it into a thrilling love song, complete with horns and strings, becoming one of her most well-known songs. Pastel Blues features “Be My Husband”, written by Simone’s husband/manager, Andrew Stroud. She sings a cappella, with handclapping and a hi-hat as her only accompaniment.
Smith & Myers – Volume 1 & 2 2xLP (Atlantic)
Recently released on CD – now on vinyl. Smith and Myers are a duo comprised of multi-platinum artists Brent Smith and Zach Myers. Smith and Myers illuminate the depth of Brent and Zach as a duo and showcases a very different yet just as intriguing musical side of these two versatile artists. As one-half of multiplatinum band Shinedown, Brent and Zach can often be found topping the rock charts, earning mainstream recognition, and playing to sold-out arenas around the globe. With two hearts and one truth, lifelong musicians, longstanding friends, and eternal brothers Brent Smith and Zach Myers put forth a body of work encompassing vulnerability, fearlessness, honesty, outrage, love and understanding.
The Snarlin’ Yarns – Break Your Heart LP (Dial Back Sound)
Limited white colored vinyl pressing. The Snarlin Yarns features three unique singer/songwriters, one Poet Laureate, playing, singing, and speaking. Cutting-edge bluegrass with the added edginess of a surreal poet.
Stephen Sondheim – Sweeny Todd (The Motion Picture Soundtrack) [Reissue/2007] 2xLP (Nonesuch)
Vinyl reissue of the soundtrack to the Tim Burton-directed film.
Stone Temple Pilots – Core [Reissue/1992] LP (Atlantic)
2017 remaster. Stone Temple Pilots (guitarist Dean DeLeo, bassist Robert DeLeo, drummer Eric Kretz, and vocalist Scott Weiland) debuted with the raucous Core in the fall of 1992 and by the following summer were one of the biggest rock bands in the game.
The (St. Thomas) Pepper Smelter – Soul & Pepper [Reissue/1969] LP (Discos Monterey)
Recorded in 1969, with practically the same band members as The Shain’s, The (St. Thomas) Pepper Smelter explored darker and psychedelic sounds with covers from Vanilla Fudge, Cream, Hendrix, and Music Machine, as well as various amazing songs of their own. Soul & Pepper was to be the transition towards their new projects more progressive and ’70s style than before and lead to Gerardo Manuel y Humo.
Sun Ra And His Astro-Intergalactic-Infinity-Arkestra – Live In Egypt Vol. I (Nature’s God) (Dark Myth Equation Visitation) [Reissue/1972] LP (Strut)
Sun Ra And His Arkestra – Horizon [Reissue/1972] LP (Strut)
Sun Ra And His Astro-Intergalactic-Infinity-Arkestra – Nidhamu (Live In Egypt Vol. II) [Reissue/1972] LP (Strut)
Another grip of Sun Ra vinyl reissues, this time focusing on his prolific early-‘70s period.
Swamp Dogg – Total Destruction To Your Mind [Reissue/1970] LP (Alive)
Limited colored vinyl pressing of the southern soul singer/songwriter/producer’s 1970 album.
Luke Titus – Plasma LP (Sooper)
Luke’s otherworldly fusion of jazz, neo-soul, hip-hop, pop and electronica forcefully demand recognition of his artistry in the same regard as any of his contemporaries and implicates just how strong his influence on the Chicago sound has really been.
Tomberlin – Projections 12”+MP3 (Saddle Creek)
This five-song EP, capped with a cover of Casiotone for the Painfully Alone’s stunning “Natural Light”, reflects this period of intensive growth and self-discovery. The rich vocal harmonies and guitar lines that made 2018’s At Weddings so riveting still provide the EP’s foundation, but new percussive backing and instrumental flourishes open the path forward for Tomberlin.
Toots And The Maytals – Pressure Drop The Golden Tracks [Reissue/2011] LP (Purple Pyramid)
Picture disc vinyl pressing of a selection of tracks from reggae master Frank Toots Hibbert’s golden years.
Trippie Redd – Pegasus 2xLP (Ten Thousand Project)
Recently released on CD – now on vinyl. With penetrating lyrics and a nuanced but hard-hitting vocal performance, 21-year-old Trippie Redd (Michael Lamar White IV) defies genre boundaries, embedding his melodic take on rap with rock-and-roll and heavy metal elements to create a wildly experimental yet massively appealing sound.
Various Artists – Strum & Thrum: The American Jangle Underground 1983-1987 LP (Captured Tracks)
The first volume of Captured Tracks’ new venture into compilations – Excavations. Inspired by Pebbles, Killed By Death, Soul Jazz and Numero Group compilations, Excavations is a series dedicated to compiling forgotten music from the 1970s – 1990s that has a connection to Captured Tracks’ sound and aesthetic. Strum & Thrum aims to shed light on this forgotten era of jangly, melodic rock music that emerged from the ashes of post punk and helped kick start the indie rock boom of the early ’90s that continues to this day.
Barry Walker Jr. – Shoulda Zenith LP (Holy Mountain)
The sky goes on forever in Barry Walker Jr.’s Shoulda Zenith, and it’s crackling with unexpected lightning. The Tennessee-bred, Portland-based pedal steel master subverts his instrument’s tradition for lachrymose, innocuous Rootzak™. Instead, he ventures to outward-bound strata more frequently traversed by Sonny Sharrock than Gram Parsons.
Weedeater – …And Justice For Y’All [Reissue/2001] LP (Season Of Mist)
Weedeater – Sixteen Tons [Reissue/2003] LP (Season Of Mist)
Weedeater – God Luck And Good Speed [Reissue/2007] LP (Season Of Mist)
Weedeater – Jason… The Dragon [Reissue/2011] LP (Season Of Mist)
Limited multi-colored vinyl reissues of the stoner/sludge metal band’s first four albums.
The Who – Live At The Isle Of Wight Festival 3xLP (Eagle Rock)
At 2AM on August 30, 1970, one of the great British rock bands gave one of the most memorable concerts of their career to an audience of 600,000; the set combining some their greatest hits up to that point with a blistering run through the epochal Tommy and some new songs earmarked for their next album. Academy Award-winning director Murray Lerner was there to capture the event for posterity and more recently Pete Townshend personally supervised the remixing of the sound. As Townshend has since opined, The Who were at the very top of their game as a live act at this stage of their career and it is immediately apparent when listening to this enthralling performance. This is the undiluted, absolute power of The Who at their live peak restored to its highest sonic glory as remixed from the original 8 track tapes.
Yes – The Royal Affair Tour (Live In Las Vegas) 2xLP (BMG)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Honoring the late Chris Squire and Peter Banks, this 2019 Yes concert matched prog-rock virtuosity with a heavy dose of emotion. Recorded on their North American tour, The Royal Affair Tour (Live In Las Vegas) finds Steve Howe, Alan White, Geoff Downes, Jon Davison and Billy Sherwood thrilling the crowd with a hit-loaded set.
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