December/January 2018 Program Titles Released This Week:
Anderson .Paak – Oxnard CD (Aftermath)
The third album from California singer Anderson .Paak serves is his first release on Dr. Dre’s Aftermath label. The album’s title is a homage to Anderson’s hometown. It is also a continuation of the theme which .Paak has been using for some years, which is naming his projects after coastal towns of California. These include his 2014 mixtape, Venice and his debut album, Malibu. Earlier this year, he shared with Rolling Stone that “… this is the album [he] dreamed of making in high school, when [he] was listening to [Jay-Z]’s The Blueprint, The Game’s The Documentary, and [Kanye West’s] The College Dropout.” Guests include Kadhja Bonet, Norelle, Kendrick Lamar, Dr. Dre & Cocoa Sarai, Pusha T, Snoop Dogg & The Last Artful Dodgr, J. Cole, Q-Tip, and BJ The Chicago Kid. [Vinyl edition due 2019.]
Michael Bublé – Love CD/LP (WB)
Love is the first studio album in two years from multi-Grammy Award winning artist Michael Bublé and the global superstar’s most romantic record to date. After a two-year break from public life to spend time with his family, the Canadian singer-songwriter returned to the studio with a new perspective on life and a renewed commitment to honoring the music he has always loved. Bublé co-produced the collection and brings new love to several rich classics from the American Songbook. The album opens with the idealistic and dreamy “When I Fall In Love”. It also includes a haunting take on another Rogers & Hart standard, “My Funny Valentine.” Other standouts are an ebullient “When You’re Smiling”, a swinging “Such A Night” as well as Bublé’s hand-picked favorites including “Unforgettable”, “Help Me Make It Through The Night”, and “I Only Have Eyes For You”. [Deluxe CD edition includes two bonus tracks.]
The Good, The Bad & The Queen – Merrie Land CD/LP (Studio 13)
Merrie Land is the second album from The Good, The Bad & The Queen, a band comprising of Damon Albarn, Paul Simonon, Tony Allen and Simon Tong. Produced by Tony Visconti and the band, and completed in London and Wales in 2018, during the current ongoing period in which the UK is preparing to leave the European Union, Merrie Land is a questioning good-bye letter, a series of observations and reflections on Britishness in 2018. The album sees the band’s focus move beyond London with a beautiful and hopeful paean to the Britain of today – an inclusive Britain – and the possibilities of the future. In the band’s own words, Merrie Land is a ten-song lament of Anglo-Saxosentialism marking the reluctant end of a relationship, and about picking up the pieces and seeing what can be salvaged. The band set a beautifully muted palette and lustrous finish to bring out a mood that is bruised yet unapologetically defiant and optimistic, and carries the underlying message: we will survive. In times of metaphysical trauma, the people need to forge ahead and wear armor. Here it is, set to the mood music of a nation about to be broken yet undefeated. [A deluxe edition box set featuring colored LP and CD versions of the album, a 56-page A4 hardback book, a hand-printed wood cut, a screen print, postcards, and bonus tracks is available. Limited indie-exclusive green colored vinyl pressing available as well.]
Mark Knopfler – Down The Road Wherever CD/2xLP/3xLP+CD (Blue Note)
Down The Road Wherever features 13 unhurriedly elegant new Mark Knopfler songs inspired by a wide range of subjects including his early days in Deptford with Dire Straits, a stray football fan lost in a strange town, the compulsion of a musician hitching home through the snow, and a man out of time in his local greasy spoon. The album stays true to the folk and roots-inflected ambience of his previous solo albums and introduces new elements of jazz, funk and even a hint of the rockier leanings of earlier days. Knopfler has a poet’s eye for telling details that infuse his songs with his unique psychogeography – “where the Delta meets the Tyne” as he describes it – and his warm Geordie vocal tone and his deft, richly melodic guitar playing are as breathtaking and thrilling as ever. Knopfler says: “‘Down The Road Wherever’ is a line from ‘One Song At A Time.’ I remember my pal Chet Atkins once saying that he picked his way out of poverty one song at a time, and it just stuck in my mind. You get to an age where you’ve written quite a few songs. But ‘Down The Road Wherever’ seems to be appropriate for me just because it’s what I’ve always done. I’ve always tried to make a record and also to keep my own geography happening in the songs.” [Deluxe vinyl edition includes a bonus 12” comprised of four bonus tracks, a copy of the deluxe CD, 12” guitar tablature of “Back On The Dance Floor”, and a 12” print of album artwork.]
Andrew McMahon In The Wilderness – Upside Down Flowers CD/LP (Fantasy)
Andrew McMahon’s dazzling songwriting has always been rooted in honesty. From the angst filled youth of Something Corporate, to the existential musings of Jack’s Mannequin, and again now as Andrew McMahon In The Wilderness, he’s consistently shown an uncanny ability to tap into a higher melodic frequency. The latter project’s beautiful third full-length album, Upside Down Flowers was produced by Butch Walker and follows Andrew McMahon In The Wilderness (2014) and Zombies On Broadway. It’s introduced by “Ohio”, which McMahon describes as being about his “family’s pilgrimage from a small town in Ohio to the coast of California…I suppose it’s one thing to run away but it’s another to be pulled down the road by what feels like the hand of fate.” [Limited indie-exclusive opaque yellow colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Mumford & Sons – Delta CD/2xLP (Glassnote)
Since the release of Wilder Mind in May 2015, and the collaborative Johannesburg mini-album in the summer of 2016, Mumford & Sons have found a rich, prolific vein of form in the writing for the Paul Epworth-produced Delta. Where Wilder Mind harnessed a widescreen electric sound that seemed custom built to be belted back to them from the festival main stages, Delta loses none of that sense of scale, but couples it with an intimacy that has so successfully combined to make Mumford & Sons one of the biggest bands of recent years. Delta is a record of differing shades, colors and textures. It’s also a record that marks ten years since Mumford & Sons formed and draws on that shared experience of being on and off the road. It’s a moving collection of songs perhaps more intimate and expansive, both lyrically and musically, than ever before. Introspective and reflective but married with those ecstatic stadium-sized dynamics.
Old 97’s – Love The Holidays CD/LP (ATO)
The Old 97’s present their first-ever collection of original Christmas songs, a sack full of rockin’ new Yuletide favorites, as well as the Old 97’s take on the New Year’s Eve standard, “Auld Lang Syne”. Among its many highlights are the title track, co-written with Kevin Russell (The Gourds, Shinyribs), “Gotta Love Being A Kid (Merry Christmas)” and “Snow Angels”, both co-written with acclaimed writer Ben Greenman, and the continuing saga of everyone’s favorite reindeer, “Rudolph Is Blue”, co-written by Old 97’s and Dan Bern. [Two colored vinyl pressings are available as well: regular white with red & green splatter; Limited edition candy cane & white swirl.]
RÜFÜS DU SOL – Solace CD (Reprise)
“There are few artists in the past three years that have exploded and captivated electronic music like RÜFÜS DU SOL. Since the release of their sophomore album Bloom, the trio of Tyrone Lindqvist, Jon George and James Hunt have gone on to play just about every major festival around the world, every big city multiple times and made them favorites of most big DJs. After the intense touring, they turned the page and took some time to step away and write their new album, Solace. Sonically, [their] albums have managed to bridge a gap between summery house music and a darker, more melodic style of electronic music, and Solace still keeps that same ethos, but leans towards more of the darker, dancefloor vibe. The productions are more complex with more emphasis and care taken towards drums and bass, potentially a byproduct of their years of touring and seeing how certain drops work on crowds.” – Magnet [Vinyl edition due December 7.]
The Smashing Pumpkins – Shiny And Oh So Bright, Vol. 1/No Past. No Future. No Sun. CD/LP (Napalm)
In June of 2018, The Smashing Pumpkins released their new single “Solara” ahead of their monumental Shiny And Oh So Bright Tour. The churning track was the first song in over 18 years to feature founding members Billy Corgan, James Iha, and Jimmy Chamberlin, alongside longtime guitarist Jeff Schroeder and offered the first glimpse of music from the newly reformed lineup. In September of 2018, the band formally announced the release of their tenth studio album, Shiny And Oh So Bright, Vol. 1 / No Past. No Future. No Sun. and shared its melodic mid-tempo second single “Silvery Sometimes (Ghosts)”. The highly-anticipated album features eight new Corgan-penned tracks recorded at Shangri La Studios with legendary producer Rick Rubin.
Those Damn Crows – Murder And The Motive CD/LP (Earache)
Rising from deep down in The Valleys of South Wales, Those Damn Crows have concocted an explosive ten-track album of rock ‘n’ roll dynamite. Brimming with defiant attitude, serious riffage, soulful rock vocals and an unnerving knack for infectious melody, Murder And The Motive sees the Welsh quintet spread their wings and aim for the sky. Recently signed to Earache Records, Those Damn Crows are the next outfit to follow in the footsteps of like-minded rock bands such as Rival Sons, Blackberry Smoke and The Temperance Movement. Exhilarating, arena-sized hard rock.
Various Artists – Greatest Showman Reimagined CD (Atlantic)
The Greatest Showman Reimagined sees songs from the film, all written by Grammy, Tony, and Academy Award-winning duo Benj Pasek & Justin Paul (La La Land, Dear Evan Hansen) covered by a remarkable cast of artists. The album is highlighted by a new version of “This Is Me”, performed by Keala Settle, Kesha and Missy Elliott. Other superstars contributing include Panic! At The Disco, P!nk (and her daughter, Willow Sage Hart), Kelly Clarkson, Sara Bareilles, Years & Years and Jess Glynne, MAX and Ty Dolla $ign, James Arthur and Anne-Marie, Zac Brown Band among others. The album also includes four bonus tracks, performed by Pentatonix, Craig David, Kesha, and Zendaya.
CDs + Vinyl:
Ashes Of Ares – Well Of Souls CD/2xLP (Roar! Rock Of Angels)
Second album from the power metal band comprised of Iced Earth alumni Matt Barlow and Freddie Vidales. [Limited turquois/black splatter colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Asnaketch Worku – Asnaketch [Reissue/1975] CD/LP (Awesome Tapes From Africa)
Vinyl reissue of a nearly-forgotten artifact of the remarkable icon’s singular legacy, remastered and available outside Ethiopia for the first time. From her beginnings as Ethiopia’s first theater actress in 1952 to her acclaimed film appearances to her days as a club owner-turned-master musician, Asnakech’s inimitable confidence and charm made her a household name. She earned endless accolades across the artistic spectrum.
Audiobooks – Now! (In A Minute) CD/LP (PIAS America)
Audiobooks is the new project from super-producer/mixer David Wrench (Frank Ocean, The xx, Caribou, FKA Twigs) and artist/model Evangeline Ling. The duo began making music after a chance meeting at a party. Audiobooks ride the sharp neon lines that run between the north Wales coast and the grubby heart of after-hours London. Stretched out over stuttering, glitchy glam electronics, their songs are woozy fly-on-the-wall accounts and out of body journeys through the capital at night.
B12 – Time Tourist [Reissue/1996] CD/2xLP+MP3 (Warp)
New edition of the second B12 album, originally released by Warp in 1996. Time Tourist continues the sleek, Detroit-inspired sci-fi techno moves of their Electro-Soma era but ties the tracks to a playful concept in which the tracks are presented as an educational soundtrack designed by the 22nd-century company B12 Systems.
Baring Teeth – Transitive Savagery CD/LP (Translation Loss)
Seven tracks of formidable, mind blowing tech-death-grind.
The Beta Band – Hot Shots II [Reissue/2001] CD/2xLP+CD (Because Music)
Touring extensively and supporting Radiohead in August 2002, The Beta Band made No. 3 on Q magazine’s list of 50 Bands to See Before You Die. CD version comes in a three-panel digi-sleeve with a 12-page poster booklet. [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Black Eyed Peas – Masters Of The Sun CD (Interscope)
New album from will.i.am and crew, their first in eight years. A political album loosely inspired by the graphic novel of the same name and the contemporary social climate of the United States, it is a departure from The Black Eyed Peas’ electronic dance and pop-influenced albums The E.N.D. and The Beginning, marking a return to the group’s hip-hop and boom bap style of their early career. 12 new tunes including “Back 2 Hiphop” featuring Nas.
Black Oath – Behold The Abyss CD/LP (High Roller)
Black Oath was formed in 2006 by A. Th (vocals, bass, guitar) with the intention to perform obscure and dark heavy metal, inspired by the traditional masters like Ozzy Osbourne, Iron Maiden, Mercyful Fate, Celtic Frost and Venom. Being Italian, A. Th was also influenced by home grown acts such as Black Hole, Death SS, Paul Chain, Goblin and prog rock, too. [Limited pink colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Black Tape For A Blue Girl – To Touch The Milky Way CD/LP (Projekt)
Ethereal, evocative, powerful and melancholy, Black Tape For A Blue Girl continues the resurgence of their classic sound on To Touch The Milky Way. On this, their twelfth studio album, they expand upon their sweeping atmospherics and foreboding, engaging lyricism. [Limited brown colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Kate Bush – Remastered Part I 7xCD (Rhino/Parlophone)
Kate Bush – Remastered In Vinyl I 4xLP (Rhino/Parlophone)
Kate Bush – Remastered In Vinyl II 3xLP (Rhino/Parlophone)
Kate Bush – The Kick Inside [Reissue/1978] CD/LP (Rhino/Parlophone)
Kate Bush – Lionheart [Reissue/1978] CD/LP (Rhino/Parlophone)
Kate Bush – Never For Never [Reissue/1980] CD/LP (Rhino/Parlophone)
Kate Bush – The Dreaming [Reissue/1982] CD/LP (Rhino/Parlophone)
Kate Bush – Hounds Of Love [Reissue/1985] CD/LP (Rhino/Parlophone)
Remastered Part 1 contains remastered versions of the first seven Kate Bush albums. This is the first (and definitive) program of remastering undertaken by the artist. Includes the albums The Kick Inside (1978), Lionheart (1978), Never For Ever (1980), The Dreaming (1982), Hounds Of Love (1985), The Sensual World (1989), and The Red Shoes (1993). [Remastered In Vinyl III, Remastered In Vinyl IV and Remastered Part II (11xCD) due November 30.]
Camera – Emotional Detox CD/LP+CD (Bureau B)
Customarily associated with the likes of NEU! and La Düsseldorf it is time to allow Camera to break free of the krautrock tradition. A spirit of experimentation still abounds on the new LP, but there’s also evidence that the group have taken a step towards something more pop.
Glen Campbell – Glen Sings For The King CD/LP (UMe)
18 recently unearthed and unreleased tracks from the recordings that Campbell made for Elvis between 1964 and 1968.
Can’t Swim – This Too Won’t Pass CD/LP (Pure Noise)
“Problems haunt you, infect you, and in time become a part of who you are. You might find ways to distract yourself or try and forget but every time you look in the mirror you’ll only see reminders of what you hate. Evil surrounds us and in time, becomes a part of who we are. Let this band be a reminder of that.” [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Mariah Carey – Caution CD (Epic)
Exhibiting a transcendent vocal ability, irrepressible staying power and unparalleled body of work that only a handful of artists in the modern era have achieved, Mariah Carey delivers one of the most accomplished albums of her incredible career with Caution, the best-selling female artist of all-time’s first studio effort since 2014. Produced by Grammy nominated/multiple ASCAP award winner Nineteen85, who has worked with Drake and Jordan Manswell (Daniel Caesar), atmospheric beats abound on preceding tracks like “GTFO”, with Mariah finding even more nuance in her seamlessly-spun vocal repertoire, her velvety, middle-range virtuosity once again dazzling in breathy hues. [Vinyl edition due December 7.]
Rosanne Cash – She Remembers Everything 2xCD+LP+Book (Blue Note)
Limited box set now available. Includes: Bird On A Blade illustrated book – fifty pairings of lyrics by Rosanne Cash and images by acclaimed artist Dan Rizzie; an 8” x 10” printed lithograph featuring an original Dan Rizzie illustration from Bird On A Blade; detailed personal letters of correspondence signed by Rosanne, exchanged between Rosanne and T-Bone Burnett, Elvis Costello, Sam Phillips, Joe Henry, Tucker Martine, and John Leventhal while conceptualizing the album; exclusive Rosanne Cash with Emmylou Harris and Lucinda Williams Live at SFJAZZ CD recorded at her 2017 Artist In Residency with Emmylou Harris and Lucinda Williams; a 180gm pink disc vinyl pressing; and a deluxe case-bound CD. “After reckoning with her father’s legacy on recent records, the singer offers a vivid, complex portrait of life and the compromises and love that shape adulthood.” – Pitchfork
Catch Fire – Karma Owes Me A Lifetime Of Happiness CD (Rude)
New album from the Nottingham pop-punk four-piece. [Vinyl edition due November 30.]
Causa Sui – Free Ride [Reissue2007] CD/2xLP (El Paraiso)
Imagine a tidal wave sweeping up from the 1960s through the 1970s, then cresting in the 1990s before finally crashing on the shore of the present; that’s what Free Ride sounds like. This is the heavy psych album of the Causa Sui catalog, one out of only two albums they recorded with a lead singer, and the most direct-sounding collection of tracks the band has done to date.
Chrome Division – One Last Ride CD (Nuclear Blast America)
The Oslo, Norway band Chrome Division is made up of Shagrath (Dimmu Borgir), Eddie Guz (The Carburetors), Kjell Aage Karlsen, Åge Trøite, and Tony White. The band’s style has been called dirty doomsday rock and roll and influenced by and compared to the likes of Black Label Society, Motörhead’, AC/DC and more. [Vinyl edition due November 23.]
John Coltrane – 1963: New Directions 3xCD (Impulse)
Features material from Trane’s recordings during 1963, from the albums Both Directions At Once: The Lost Album, John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman, Dear Old Stockholm, Newport ‘63 and Live at Birdland. 1963 came to be regarded as a point of transition between his previous jazz masterpieces and the genre-expanding music he went on to create. [Vinyl edition due December 7.]
Matt Corby – Rainbow Valley CD/LP (Elektra)
For a decade, Matt Corby has been pushing his own boundaries, embracing a journey of self-discovery that’s seen him wrestle a few pre-conceptions and stare down his share of demons. Now, with two ARIA Song of the Year awards on the shelf, and a No. 1 debut album, Telluric, behind him, Corby can genuinely lay claim to some hard-earned perspective. As he had with Telluric, Corby once again enlisted the help of producer Dann Hume (Amy Shark, Client Liason) and engineer Matthew Neighbour (Avalanches, Missy Higgins). Everything else – drums, strings, keys, synths, piano and vocals – he took care of himself. The results speak for themselves. Lush, multi-textured and sparked by hints of both old soul and futuristic psychedelia, Rainbow Valley is, in Corby’s words “joyous music,” but it also has the depth and perspective of an artist who understands you can’t just take the good times for granted, you have to earn them.
Chris Cornell – Chris Cornell CD/4xCD/2xLP/4xCD+7xLP+DVD (UMe)
A new collection that commemorates Chris Cornell’s life and legacy compiled by his widow Vicky, who worked extensively with Chris’ bandmates. Includes selections culled from the deep catalogs of his three influential bands – Soundgarden, Temple Of The Dog and Audioslave – as well as songs from his solo career. [Deluxe four-CD edition includes 64 tracks including 11 unreleased recordings. The Super Deluxe box includes the 64-track set on CD plus a 7xLP version and a 22-track DVD comprised of 24 videos.]
Emery – Eve CD/LP (BC Music)
On their seventh album, Emery – like a fine wine – only gets better with age. The absence of their usual screaming and overdriven guitar parts, allows for vocalist Toby Morrel’s almost ballad like vocals to shine through. In retrospect, this allows a break from the normally heavy on high-gain and thick rock riffs to show a new softer style for Emery that definitely worked well on Eve.
Esben And The Witch – Nowhere CD/LP (Season Of Mist)
Berlin/UK-based three-piece Esben And The Witch deliver their fifth album, Nowhere – haunting, tranquil passages, a primal fierceness expressed in punk-influenced, distorted riffs and the alluring voice of vocalist Rachel Davies.
Fleetwood Mac – 50 Years – Don’t Stop CD/3xCD/5xLP (Rhino)
This new compilation that touches on every era of Fleetwood Mac’s rich history and offers a deep dive into their expansive catalog by bringing together essential tracks released between 1968 and 2013. 50 Years-Don’t Stop also highlights the talented musicians who have recorded under the Fleetwood Mac banner over the years, including Peter Green, Mick Fleetwood, Jeremey Spencer, John McVie, Danny Kirwan, Christine McVie, Bob Welch, Bob Weston, Lindsey Buckingham, Stevie Nicks, Billy Burnette, Rick Vito, Dave Mason, and Bekka Bramlett.
Funeral Chic – Superstition CD/LP (Prosthetic)
Charlotte, NC’s Funeral Chic is one of the most dangerous and explosive bands in the underground circuit. On Superstition, the band splinters and reshapes black metal’s more caustic sounds into the tangible furor of hardcore, crust punk and dirty rock and roll.
Motohiko Hamase – Reminiscence CD/LP (Studio Mule)
A re-recording of Motohiko Hamase’s Remiscence, originally issued in 1986. Reminiscence is his second work for the celebrated defunct Japanese New Age record label Shi Zen, follows in a fresh shape on Studio Mule. As does the original, it features deeply touching moments of sheer pristine perfection and distributes Hamase’s inner emotional landscape with a bewitching bass performance. A soothing beauty of an album, it reflects Hamase’s search for spaces of melancholy, a rhizome of soundscapes that capture, settle and sound elusive while simultaneously being awe-inspiring.
Hiss Golden Messenger – Devotion: Songs About Rivers And Spirits And Children 4xCD/4xLP+MP3 (Merge)
Remastered reissues of Hiss Golden Messenger’s albums Bad Debt, Poor Moon, and Haw. This limited-edition deluxe box set includes Virgo Fool – a rarities compilation that will only be available physically as part of this collection. Both the four-CD and four-LP sets are housed in a cloth-wrapped, foil-stamped slipcase and feature original iconographic artwork by Sam Smith, an exclusive foldout poster, full lyrics, and new liner notes by New Yorker writer Amanda Petrusich and MOJO editor John Mulvey.
I Don’t Know How But They Found Me – 1981 Extended Play CD (Fearless)
Debut EP from the two-piece band consisting of Dallon Weekes (ex-Panic! At the Disco) and Ryan Seaman (ex-Falling in Reverse). [Vinyl edition due December 21.]
Adrianne Lenker – Hours Were The Birds [Reissue/2014] CD/LP (Saddle Creek)
Adrianne Lenker and Buck Meek – A-Sides and B-Sides CD/LP (Saddle Creek)
“Adrianne Lenker has become one of the most praised indie folk artists of the last five years.” – Consequence Of Sound
Little Mix – L M 5 CD (Sony)
The British pop superstars’ fifth album includes an A-list cast of writers and producers including Ed Sheeran, Camille Purcell, Jess Glynne, MNEK and Timbaland. [Vinyl edition due December 7.]
Dan Mangan – More Or Less CD/LP (Arts & Crafts)
More Or Less is about “witnessing birth, and in some ways rebirth,” says Dan Mangan. “It’s about feeling disconnected from a popular identity and becoming acclimated to a new one. It’s about raising kids in a turbulent world. It’s about unanswerable questions and kindness and friendship and fear.” It is an album that Mangan claims “feels more like ‘me’ than ever. More sparse. Less meticulous. More kids. Less time. More direct. Less metaphor. More discovery. Less youth. More warmth. Less chaos.” In the years since 20-year-old Dan Mangan began boxing his way into the corner of every noisy bar that would let him bring in his guitar he’s released four other albums, toured relentlessly, won a few awards, found a partner who tolerated his schedule, married that partner, then welcomed a baby into their home…which is when things changed.
Mattiel – Customer Copy CD (Burger)
With a voice that elicits images of an original female super power, Mattiel Brown offers an album of raucous retro rock and soul, balanced with a gritty contemporary lean. [Vinyl and cassette editions due December 14.]
Memphis May Fire – Broken CD/LP (Rise)
New album from the Dallas, Texas metalcore outfit.
Mkwaju Ensemble – Mkwaju CD/LP (We Release Whatever The F**k We Want)
“Over the past couple of years the We Release Whatever The F**k We Want label have formed a strong bond with Japanese composer Midori Takada. As well as giving new life to Takada’s Through The Looking Glass and Lunar Cruise LPs the label has also taken a shine to the work of Takada’s Mkwaju Ensemble group. After reissuing the band’s 1981 record KI-Motion back in June WRWTFWW have now come through with a new edition of Mkwaju (also 1981). The record sees the group collaborating with a young Joe Hisaishi, an artist you may well know from his work scoring several of the Studio Ghibli films. This music is a busy, rhythmically-driven offshoot of Takada’s vibrant post-minimalist xylophone explorations. Well worth a listen.” – Norman Records
Mocky – A Day At United CD/LP (Heavy Sheet)
As the album title reveals, this jazz/funk/soul work was recorded in one single day at the legendary independent United studio, financed by Sinatra among others. There are contributions from many friends and guests.
Montgomery Gentry – 20 Years Of Hits CD (Average Joe’s Ent.)
This collection of 12 classic Montgomery Gentry songs was re-recorded shortly before Troy Gentry’s untimely death in 2017 in celebration of the band’s milestone anniversary.
Mr. Twin Sister – Salt CD (Twin Group)
“Inside songs that capture the body-moving pulse of nightlife and the post-club comedown, the Long Island quartet follow the danceable lead of their last album.” – Pitchfork
Shawn Mullins – Soul’s Core Revival CD (MRI Associated)
“I am embarking on a recording project in conjunction with the 20th Anniversary of the release of my album Soul’s Core, which came out July 17, 1998. As you probably know, that record elevated my career to a new level and introduced my music to a worldwide audience. This is not a remix or a remaster of the original, but rather brand new recordings with new arrangements of the songs – one album will be new stripped down solo performances, some on guitar, some on piano and maybe one acapella and the second will be a new studio recording with my full band, Soul Carnival.” – Shawn Mullins [Vinyl edition due November 30.]
Needtobreathe – Acoustic Live 1 CD (Atlantic)
The Grammy-nominated South Carolina rock release their first-ever acoustic live album.
Brian Newman – Showboat CD (Verve)
Brian Newman, trumpeter, crooner and long-time bandleader for superstar Lady Gaga incorporates creative takes on rock classics as well as jazz standards. Brian has toured with Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga and has collaborated with Jose Feliciano and Dierks Bentley.
Objekt – Cocoon Crush CD/2xLP (Pan)
Objekt has continued to challenge conventions with his club output while maintaining his reputation as a DJ who deploys impeccable technical finesse in crafting elaborate narratives from a diverse and challenging palette of electronic music. Written between 2014 and 2018 in Berlin and on the road, Cocoon Crush once again sees Objekt jettisoning the functional requirements of the dancefloor.
Roy Orbison – Unchained Melodies: Roy Orbison & The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra CD (Sony Legacy)
The follow-up to A Love So Beautiful features Roy Orbison vocal performances with brand-new orchestral arrangements by The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, recorded at Abbey Road Studios. Additional accompaniment from Roy’s three sons and backing vocals from their wives and children. [Vinyl edition due November 23.]
Outloud – Virtual Hero Society CD/2xLP (Roar! Rock Of Angels)
New release from the international melodic hard rock sensation consisting of Bob Katsionis (Firewind) and NYC-based singer Chandler Mogel. [Limited red colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Perturbator – B-Sides & Remixes I CD/2xLP Blood Music)
Perturbator – B-Sides & Remixes II CD/2xLP Blood Music)
Smash dark electro hit Perturbator has crashed onto the scene with an insane force. A perfect rehash and improvement upon 1970s and 1980s analog synthesized film scores – recounting Blade Runner and the like – this is the definitive collection of the Parisian artist’s extremely sought-after remixes in a highly demanded first ever physical printing. [Limited colored vinyl pressings are also available.]
P.O.D. – Circles CD/LP (Mascot)
New album from the San Diego rock band – an amalgamation of rock, reggae, punk, metal and hip-hop.
The Posies – Amazing Disgrace [Reissue/1996] 2xCD/2xLP (Omnivore)
Reissue of the The Posies’ final Geffen full-length, remastered from original tapes. Double-CD set expanded with 23 bonus tracks—10 previously unissued. Double-LP cut at 33 RPM and pressed at R.T.I.
The Rolling Stones – Beggars Banquet [50th Anniversary Edition] CD/2xLP+7” (Abkco)
Digitally remastered edition. Beggars Banquet is the album that changed everything for the Rolling Stones. From the manner it was recorded at Olympic Studios in Barnes, London, to the track selection, a mixture of rockers (“Street Fighting Man”), blues numbers (“Prodigal Son”, “No Expectations”) and ballads (“Salt Of The Earth”), the band truly came into their own, and the Stones’ music of today is a reflection of what happened in that studio in 1968, they reached their musical manhood. While 1967’s Their Satanic Majesties was recorded after Mick and Keith’s traumatic and unjust drug bust, it was almost too soon to be reflected in their songwriting. Whereas “Sympathy For The Devil,” and much of Beggars Banquet hint at a defiance at what they’d been through, and a strength from the experience. [Vinyl edition includes a flexi 7” “Hello, This Is Mick Jagger!” London to Tokyo April 17th, 1968 phone interview.]
The Rolling Stones – Voodoo Lounge Uncut 2xCD+Blu-ray/3xLP (Eagle Rock)
Voodoo Lounge Uncut presents for the first time the full, unedited show filmed in Miami on November 25th, 1994. Features 10 performances omitted from its previous release in the ‘90s, and the full show is now presented in its original running order. Includes guest appearances from Sheryl Crow, Robert Cray and Bo Diddley.
Rush – Hemispheres [Reissue/1978] 2xCD/3xLP/3xLP+2xCD+Blu-ray (Mercury)
Rush’s classic 1978 album Hemispheres receives luxe 40th anniversary reissue treatment. Deluxe edition (both vinyl and CD) adds a bonus disc featuring previously unreleased and newly restored bonus content consisting of the band’s 1979 Pinkpop festival performance. Super deluxe edition adds a 5.1 surround mix (Blu-ray) and tons of memorabilia.
Irmin Schmidt – 5 Klavierstücke CD/LP (Mute)
With the passing of Jaki Liebezeit and Holger Czukay in 2017 – and Michael Karoli in 2001 – Irmin Schmidt is now the last living founding member of Can. 5 Klavierstücke (translated: “5 Piano Pieces”) was recorded in Irmin’s home in Southern France using two pianos – one of which was prepared to alter the piano’s typical tone and timbre. Throughout his new LP, Schmidt employs contemplative piano motifs and pairs them with improvisational percussive elements and ambient noise. The result is a subdued yet engaging atmosphere.
Sigh – Heir To Despair CD/2xLP (Spinefarm)
Heir To Despair is the eleventh studio album from Japanese outfit Sigh. While previous album Graveward (2015) was rather symphonic and orchestral, Heir To Despair points in the completely opposite direction. It’s a heavy, psychedelic, and exotic album filled with vintage keyboards and flute and inspired by progressive bands like Brainticket, Embryo, Agitation Free, Between, Gentle Giant, Os Mutantes, Modulo 1000, and Black Widow.
Soap&Skin – From Gas To Solid/You Are My Friend CD/LP (PIAS America)
The third album from Soap&Skin, the working moniker for Austrian musician and producer Anja Plaschg encompasses a range of musical allegiances: tranquil electronica, militaristic percussion, choral ambiance and earthy ethereal grandeur. An expansive, stunning, wide-reaching album of dynamic beauty.
Nita Strauss – Controlled Chaos CD/LP (Sumerian)
Debut solo album from the talented guitarist who has rocked out on stage with Alice Cooper, Femme Fatale, Jermaine Jackson, The Iron Maidens and more.
Sufjan Stevens – The Greatest Gift [Reissue/2015] CD (Asthmatic Kitty)
The Greatest Gift is a mixtape of outtakes, remixes and demos from Sufjan’s 2015 album Carrie & Lowell. Already on vinyl and digital, the mixtape arrives on CD for the first time.
Swollen Members – Live At The Fox Theatre CD/LP (Battle Axe)
Documents the Canadian hip-hop crew’s explosive live show at a sold-out concert at The Fox Theatre in Boulder, CO.
Tomorrow’s Tulips – Harnessed To Flesh CD (Burger)
“Intoxicatingly simple and ear catching, “Tomorrows Tulips lay down a sonic atmospheric of ultra-mellow southern California low-fi dream pop played and sung in the lower registers with limited and pleasingly repetitive chord changes that move across the room like the afternoon sun, highlighting bits of dust slowly dancing through the air by the smallest breeze, and causing your eternally sleeping cat to stretch out even more comfortably on his back.” – It’s Psychedelic Baby [Vinyl edition due December 14.]
Various Artists – Brainfeeder X 2xCD/4xLP (Brainfeeder)
L.A.-based label Brainfeeder is celebrating 10 years of cutting-edge releases with Brainfeeder X, a 36 track compilation. The set features a split selection of tracks from previously released material and unreleased, new music. The label of Flying Lotus has been home to a wide range of electronic, jazz, rap and funk over the last decade and has been instrumental in the careers of Kamasi Washington, Thundercat, Teebs, Lapalux and many more.
Various Artists – JD Twitch Presents Kreaturen Der Nacht CD/2xLP (Strut)
This new compilation curated by Optimo’s JD Twitch, brings together classics, rarities and oddities from Germany’s original post-punk and independent scene from 1979 to 1985.
Various Artists – Putumayo Presents Joy To The World CD (Putumayo)
Celebrate the season with a selection of holiday favorites from around the world. Features Arspop1, Lynn August, Frédérick de Grandpré, Galo Gordo, Jan Luna, Marina del Gaudio, The Mighty Diamonds, Nossa Bossa Nova, Leon Redbone, and Roman Street
Various Artists – Slow Grind Fever Volume 7 & 8 CD/LP (Stag-O-Lee)
The eighth volume in the amazing series of slow grinding R&B/soul/exotica tunes as they are being played in a club in Melbourne/Australia. 14 tunes recorded between 1954-1962 featuring Johnnie Ray, Rudy Moore, The Chestnuts, Frances Faye, Marilyn Brown, The Ideals, La Mont Anthony, Earl Haynes, Eddie Cash, Allen Page, The Chas Mcdevitt Skiffle Group, Nancy Whiskey, Debby Moore, Eddie Cooley, and Percy Mayfield.
Ryley Walker – The Lillywhite Sessions CD/LP (Dead Oceans)
On The Lillywhite Sessions, Ryley Walker and the similarly indebted trio of drummer Ryan Jewell and bassist Andrew Scott Young cover Dave Matthews’ infamously abandoned 2001 art-rock masterpiece of the same name, a record where he and his band indulged a new adult pathos and a budding musical wanderlust.
Jana Winderen – Spring Bloom In The Marginal Ice Zone CD (Touch)
The marginal ice zone is the dynamic border between the open sea and the sea ice, which is ecologically extremely vulnerable. The phytoplankton present in the sea produces half of the oxygen on the planet. During spring, this zone is the most important CO2 sink in our biosphere. On Spring Bloom In The Marginal Ice Zone the sounds of the living creatures become a voice in the current political debate concerning the official definition of the location of the ice edge. The listener experiences the bloom of plankton, the shifting and crackling sea ice in the Barents Sea around Spitsbergen, towards the North Pole, and the underwater sounds made by bearded seals, migrating species such as humpbacks and orcas, and the sound made by hunting saithe, crustaceans and spawning cod, all depending on the spring bloom.
The Wizards – Rise Of The Serpent CD/LP (High Roller)
Limited translucent yellow vinyl LP pressing. 2018 release. The Wizards come from Bilbao in Spain. They were originally formed in the spring of 2013. After having recorded a four-track demo the band started gigging for earnest in February 2014. Since then The Wizards have released two studio albums and toured mainly in Spain but also in France, Portugal and Germany. Rise Of The Serpent is the band’s third album.
Mike Zito – Blue Room CD/LP (Ruf)
Mike Zito celebrates the 20th anniversary of his very first release recorded in 1998 in St. Louis, MO. Blue Room changed everything. As the album sold, the songs began to be requested live – displacing the Cream and Hendrix covers – and Zito was heralded as an artist of rare potential. Back then, he didn’t anticipate the bitter-sweet future about to unfold – the lost years of alcoholism in the post-millennium, the salvation offered by his wife, Laura, the plaudits of Royal Southern Brotherhood in 2012 and the rising trajectory of his solo career since he picked it back up with 2015’s Keep Coming Back.
This Week’s Vinyl Exclusives:
Deena Abdelwahed – Khonnar LP (Infiné)
Deena Abdelwahed’s first album is shifting the epicenter of contemporary electronic music south. Pronounced Ronnar (an essential detail so as to avoid facile misinterpretation by French- speakers) it is a term that makes the most of Tunisia’s cultural and linguistic spectrum. It evokes the dark, shameful and disturbing side of things, the one we usually seek to hide, but which Deena instead sticks our noses in with her debut. Throughout the 45 minutes of Khonnar, Deena breaks down the codes of bass, techno and experimental music, and writes the manifesto for a generation that does not seek to please or to conform, taking back control of it’s identity – with all the attendant losses and chaos.
Amon Amarth – The Pursuit Of Vikings: Live At Summer Breeze 2xLP (Metal Blade)
This colored double LP captures the Swedish Viking metal heroes at their very best live in concert on the main stage at the 2017 Summer Breeze Open Air Festival in Dinkelsbühl, Germany.
Kelsea Ballerini – Unapologetically [Deluxe Edition] LP (Black River Ent.)
Originally released last year (and recently reissued on CD with four bonus tracks), the second studio album by the country music artist is available for the first time on vinyl.
The Band Of Heathens – A Message From The People Revisited LP (Bosh)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Americana stalwarts The Band Of Heathens recently went into their hometown studio in Austin, TX and recorded their own version of the classic Ray Charles album A Message From The People. In a time where the downtrodden need a voice again, the Heathens have delivered the message paying homage to one of the most important voices in American song history.
Imamu Amiri Baraka – It’s Nation Time – African Visionary Music [Reissue/1972] LP (Motown)
It’s Nation Time – African Visionary Music features poetry by Imamu Amiri Baraka, one of the most respected writers of his generation, as well as an ensemble cast of musicians including Lonnie Smith, Gary Bartz, James Mtume, Gwendolyn Guthrie, Reggie Workman, and Idris Muhammed.
Mandy Barnett – Strange Conversation LP (Dame Productions)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. A singer since the age of five, Mandy Barnett is a world-class vocalist whose style is deeply rooted in the classic country and pop crooning of the all-time great singers. Think Lee Hazlewood and the Tams meet Tom Waits and Greg Garing with a little Mable John thrown in.
Boogarins – Desvio Onírico (Live 2016) LP (OAR)
A collection of four extended live tracks culled from the Brazilian psychedelic rock band’s extensive worldwide 2017 tour.
James Booker – The Lost Paramount Tapes LP (General General)
James Booker was one of America’s most stunning piano players. He was born, and died, in New Orleans, and in his 43 short years created an approach to the piano that has not been matched since. His music defies classification. It’s not exactly the blues, it’s not exactly jazz, it’s not R&B, it’s not classical; it’s a synthesis of all those. In a rare alignment of some forces that could never possibly be replicated, The Lost Paramount Tapes features James Booker leading a band comprised of New Orleans’ greatest underground monster musicians recording overnight in a studio after playing a gig in Los Angeles in 1973.
David Bowie – Breaking Glass [Reissue/1978] 7” (Parlophone)
This 40th anniversary picture disc 7” version of David Bowie’s Breaking Glass EP features three previously unreleased live versions of the original EP tracks plus the addition of an unreleased live version of “Hang On To Yourself”.
Apollo Brown & Joell Ortiz – Mona Lisa LP+MP3 (Mello Music Group)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Detroit producer Apollo Brown has made a name for himself as one of hip-hop’s most legendary new producers while maintaining a golden era sound. His production credits are a who’s who of greats from Danny Brown to Ghostface Killah, Ras Kass to Westside Gunn. Brooklyn’s Joell Ortiz started on none other than Dr. Dre’s Aftermath label and built a huge buzz in the industry. He’s worked with legends like Just Blaze, Eminem, Busta Rhymes, Jadakiss, Akon, and Big Daddy Kane. Now the pair team up for their first collaborative album.
Cerrone – Afro II 12” (Because Music)
Cerrone – Supernatural (Instrumental 12” (Because Music)
Through a handful of hit songs (Love in C Minor, Supernature, Gimme Love), French disco maestro Marc Cerrone made the entire American club culture pulsate, along with the hedonists from the pre-Regan era. Like a revolving disco ball, in 2016 he issued Afro which found the producer/drummer going back to the source with a passionate tribute to Africa and it’s syncopated, spontaneous and original rhythms. Afro II, the second chapter of his Afro series, presents the two new cosmic roots nuggets Papa Oye and African Voodoo.
Stuff Combe – Stuff Combe 5 + Percussion [Reissue/1974] LP (We Release Jazz)
Vinyl reissue of a slinky bit of Swiss soul jazz from an ensemble that includes Benny Bailey, Francy Boland (played with Benny Goodman, Chet Baker) and of course drummer Combe (Stan Getz, Art Taylor).
Luke Combs – This One’s For You Too LP (Sony)
Released in June on CD – now available on vinyl. Deluxe expanded edition of the Asheville, NC country musician’s 2017 album featuring five new tracks. With gritty, grizzled vocals, brazen songwriting talent and one hell of a live show, Combs stormed onto the country music scene with his debut single “Hurricane” quickly became a staple anthem for country fans.
Crooked Still – Shaken By A Low Sound [Reissue/2006] LP+MP3 (Signature Sounds)
Originally released digitally and on CD in 2006, Shaken By A Low Sound cemented Crooked Still’s reputation as one of the premiere alternative bluegrass groups of the mid-aughts, shattering preconceptions of how traditional music was played. The album received rave reviews from publications like Interview Magazine, No Depression, and USA Today, the latter proclaiming, “Aoife O’Donovan. Remember that name, because with a sultry voice that makes her sound like a bluesier Alison Krauss, she’s about to become the newest darling of the Americana set…Shaken is stirring.” The LP package also includes a bonus CD of a previously unreleased Crooked Still set from The Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival in 2006.
Jules Deelder/Boris Van Der Lek – Jazz LP (Butler)
Limited white vinyl LP pressing. In 1980 Dutch saxophone player Boris Van Der Lek got the jazz virus and from then on there simply was no stopping him. A turbulent career followed playing on stages worldwide and with many legends of the genre. In 1987 he became a member of the ensemble The Houdini’s and a friendship with Rotterdam based writer, poet and outspoken character Jules Deelder followed. After stints with the Tough Tenors, Trio Me Reet, Livin’ Blues, Golden Earring and Hermon Brood & His Wild Romance, now time has come for a new collaboration with Jules Deelder, the night mayor of Rotterdam.
Des Demonas – Bay Of Pigs b/w Screwz 7” (Slovenly)
Washington DC band Des Demonas exploded into the national consciousness with a debut LP on In The Red a few months back. Their new single on Slovenly is “as diseased organ-soaked and fizz-drenched as it can get.”
Dispatch – Location 13 LP+7” (Bomber)
New release from the indie/roots band – pressed on colored vinyl with bonus 7”. “With honest, emotional storytelling and an eclectic sound that infuses the best elements of rock, Americana and folk, Dispatch are entering a new era with the passion and vigor of a band in its infancy and the experience of one that’s been together for more than twenty years.” – Guitar World
Drake – Scorpion 2xLP (Republic)
Released last July on CD – now available on vinyl. The 25-track fifth studio release for the Canadian hip-hop artist features guest appearances from Jay-Z and Ty Dollar $ign as well as vocals from Michael Jackson and Static Major. “Drake aims to come out stronger, more focused and more righteous than ever. … He goes hard at addressing his industry ops on Side A, and it’s full of the effortlessly cut-throat Drake we’ve come to love. … Drake gets all the way into his feelings on the second half of Scorpion.” – Exclaim
Tita Duval Y El Nuevo Ritmo De Bobby Rey – Cumbias Internacionales [Reissue/1974] LP (Vampisoul)
Arguably the strangest (yet coolest) concept record in the Discos Fuentes catalog, this compendium of trippy tropical madness masquerading as international cumbias features the venerable Argentinian showbiz couple Tita Duval and Roberto Rey.
Brian Eno – Discreet Music [Reissue/1975] LP (Astralwerks)
Brian Eno – Ambient 1 (Music For Airports) [Reissue/1978] LP (Astralwerks)
Brian Eno – Ambient 4 (On Land) [Reissue/1982] LP (Astralwerks)
Limited 180gm vinyl LP reissues. While his earlier work with Robert Fripp on No Pussyfooting and several selections from his own Another Green World feature similar ideas, Discreet Music marked a clear step toward the ambient aesthetic Eno would later codify with 1978’s Ambient 1 (Music For Airports). On Ambient 4 (On Land) – the final edition in Eno’s ambient series – his palate shifted from electro-mechanical and acoustic instruments towards non-instruments like pieces of chain, sticks and stones.
Erosion – Maximum Suffering LP (Hydrahead)
Fully damaged crust illness from the dank recess of Vancouver’s rat infested alley’s. Moldy guitars and a cantankerous rhythm section set the backdrop for a truly sickening vocal outpouring from a guy who’s more than a little off-kilter.
Eurythmics – We Too Are One [Reissue/1999] LP+MP3 (Sony Legacy)
Eurythmics – Peace [Reissue/1999] LP+MP3 (Sony Legacy)
180gm vinyl reissues of the British duo’s seventh and eighth albums.
Evergrey – The Inner Circle [Reissue/2001] CD/2xLP (AFM)
Digitally remastered and expanded edition of the Swedish dark melodic metal band’s third album. [Two limited colored vinyl pressings are also available: white and blue.]
Josephine Foster – Faithful Fairy Harmony LP (Fire)
Limited clear vinyl LP pressing. Josephine raises a stained-glass lamp and shepherds us spelunking the depths of spirit in this four-part double album. Following the fame of her voice are choruses of winged entities (and a space shuttle) that ascend and descend a maze of spirituals: ritual prayers, blues laments, vestal hymns and jubilant benedictions. The edges of the natural world are revolving backdrops from which our narrator perches upon symbolic precipice or saunters desolate snow-blanched forest, exploring eternal themes of mortality and morality, beneath the moon and in occasional dialogue with a mysterious lord of love, an ambiguous mystical figure.
Aretha Franklin – This Christmas Aretha [Reissue/2008] LP (Rhino)
First-time vinyl pressing. Aretha Franklin didn’t get around to cutting a holiday album until 2008.
Dexter Gordon – A Swingin’ Affair [Reissue/1962] LP (Down At Dawn)
In 1962, there was no stopping Dexter Gordon. The first great bebop tenor-saxophonist, Gordon came out of Billy Eckstine’s big band in 1945 to record classic bop and battle Wardell Gray at jam sessions and in 1962 was in one of his peak periods.
Gucci Mane – Trap House [Reissue/2005] 2xLP (Big Cat)
Widely ranked among the most gifted rappers of his generation, Atlanta, GA emcee Gucci Mane emerged on the scene in 2005 with his trend setting debut album, Trap House. Never a stranger to controversy, it was preceded by a highly publicized beef with Young Jeezy over the rights to lead single Icy, and a murder charge. Gucci’s breezy flow and hard lyrics are perfectly suited to the equally uptempo and catchy trap beats from Zaytoven, Shawty Redd and Nitti as heard on fellow creative classics like “Trap House”, “Black Tee”, “That’s All” and “Go Head”.
Milt Hinton – Milt Hinton And Friends: Here Swings The Judge [Reissue/1974] (ORG Music)
Here Swings The Judge is Milt Hinton’s first LP as a band leader, and includes intimate, private recordings featuring Ben Webster on tenor saxophone before his departure to Europe in 1964. The remaining tracks consist of dynamic studio recordings produced by Harry Lim and feature prominent players such as Jon Faddis and Budd Johnson.
Hollywood Rose – The Roots Of Guns N’ Roses LP (Deadline Music)
Hollywood Rose – Shadow Of Your Love b/w Reckless Life 7” (Deadline Music)
Limited archival releases of the very first demos recorded by Axl Rose and Izzy Stradlin, before they became Guns N’ Roses.
Idles – Joy As An Act Of Resistance LP (Partisan)
Standard black vinyl pressing. Joy As An Act of Resistance is the follow up to Bristol, UK five-piece Idles’ debut album Brutalism, self-released in 2017. Produced by Space and mixed by Adam Greenspan and Nick Launay (Nick Cave, Kate Bush, Yeah Yeah Yeahs), the 12-track collection takes aim at everything from toxic masculinity, nationalism, immigration, and class inequality – all while maintaining a visceral, infectious positivity. Singer Joe Talbot summarizes: “This album is an attempt to be vulnerable to our audience and to encourage vulnerability; a brave naked smile in this shitty new world. We have stripped back the songs and lyrics to our bare flesh to allow each other to breathe, to celebrate our differences, and act as an ode to communities and the individuals that forge them. Because without our community, we’d be nothing.”
Billy Idol – Vital Idol: Revitalized 2xLP (Capitol)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Billy Idol’s 1985 remix collection, Vital Idol, gets a modern-day upgrade. Revitalized features 11 brand-new remixes of his most classic and enduring hits. Lending their hands to the proceedings are electronic dance luminaries Moby, The Crystal Method and Paul Oakenfold as well as current innovators Tropkillaz, Shiba San, Juan Maclean, CRAY and RAC.
Insane Clown Posse – Bang! Pow! Boom! [Reissue/2009] 2xLP (Psychopathic)
Insane Clown Posse – The Wraith: Hell’s Pit [Reissue/2010] 2xLP (Psychopathic)
Latest in ICP’s Waxworks vinyl 180gm vinyl reissue series.
Insomnium – In The Halls Of Awaiting [Reissue/2002] 2xLP (Spinefarm)
Insomnium – Since The Day It All Came Down [Reissue/2004] 2xLP (Spinefarm)
Insomnium – Above The Weeping World [Reissue/2006] 2xLP (Spinefarm)
Insomnium – Across The Dark [Reissue/2009] LP (Spinefarm)
Limited colored vinyl reissues of the melodic death metal band’s first four albums.
Eiko Ishibashi – The Dream My Bones Dream LP (Drag City)
Riding the rails down to the past and back to the future, Eiko considers the unknown lives that her own family has lived, set to expansive pop travelogues evoking the work of pioneers like Joni Mitchell and Scott Walker, while pushing further, always further.
Cody Jinks – Less Wise: Modified Reissue 2017 LP (Cody Jinks Music)
Released late last year on CD – now available on vinyl. A remixed and remastered version of Jinks’ 2010 album, which includes a couple of alternative takes of original songs and a cover of Hank Jr.’s “Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound.”
Robert Earl Keen – A Bigger Piece Of Sky [Reissue/1993] LP (Dualtone Music Group)
Limited-edition sky-blue vinyl of Keen’s first breakthrough album.
Sandra Kerr & John Faulkner – Music From Bagpuss [Reissue/1999] LP (Earth Recordings)
A patchwork of traditional pieces, half- remembered tunes and pure improvisation. Music From Bagpuss is a testament to Sandra Kerr and John Faulkner’s musicianship that the recordings work so well, not only within the context of the television episodes, but as an album in its own right.
Lili Lewis – The Henderson Sessions LP (Louisiana Red Hot)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Lilli Lewis’ debut LP effortlessly straddles multiple musical genres with a series of deeply personal and thoroughly global songs that cut to the emotional core and tap into a powerful social consciousness: a self-portrait everyone can see if they look in the right mirror. Armed with only her piano and a soulful, stirring voice, her inspirational originals, mixed with interpretations of folk-rock classics and fresh takes on traditional blues and jazz numbers, reflect a wide range of influences held together by common threads.
Liars – Titles With The Word Fountain LP (Mute)
TWTWF (Titles With The Word Fountain) is a physical companion piece to Liars’ 2017 release, TFCF (Themes From Crying Fountain) and contains 37 minutes of new music.
Ted Lucas – Ted Lucas [Reissue/1975] LP (Yoga)
Ted Lucas, the sole published album by singer-songwriter and master guitarist Ted Lucas has achieved an almost mystical reputation amongst aficionados and collectors. Ted Lucas is a seamless marriage of moody odes and raga-style instrumentals regarded by many to be, simply put, the greatest private press folk/psych album ever recorded.
Makaya McCraven – Universal Beings LP (International Anthem)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Paris-born, New England-raised, long-time Chicago-residing Makaya McCraven has been at the forefront of genre-redefining movements in jazz since 2015, when he introduced the world to his unique brand of ‘organic beat music’ on the breakout album In The Moment.
Bob Marly & The Wailers – The Best Of The Upsetter Singles 1970-1972 7×7” (Goldenlane)
7” vinyl box set of the original 45rpm singles produced by Bob Marley & The Wailers with Lee Scratch Perry. Includes a l custom vinyl adapter.
Mercyful Fate – Return Of The Vampire [Reissue/1992] LP (Metal Blade)
Mercyful Fate – In The Shadows [Reissue/1993] LP (Metal Blade)
Mercyful Fate – Time [Reissue/1994] LP (Metal Blade)
Limited picture-disc vinyl pressings of the Dutch heavy metal band’s third and fourth LPs, along with the 1992 demo collection Return Of The Vampire which collects tracks the band recorded prior to their 1982 debut.
MewithoutYou – [Untitled] Album LP (Run For Cover)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. For eighteen years, Philadelphia’s MewithoutYou has been a banner name for fans across genres because of their kinetic and truly original style. On their latest [Untitled] Album, the band continues to create the same intensity that has captivated fans for almost two decades. While elements of the band’s signature sound still remain, there are new aspects at work. Lead single “Julia (or, ‘Holy To the LORD’ on the Bells of Horses)” is an explosive slow-burner. Marked by a soaring guitar refrain that echoes throughout the first verse, vocalist Aaron Weiss’ other-worldly lyrics are sung rather than shouted through his renown spoken-word style. As a whole the record moves like seasons – songs shift between chaos and intimacy, frailty and strength, cacophony and harmony with expert navigation.
Mindforce – Excalibur LP (Triple B)
Ten tracks of blistering cross-over influenced hardcore in the vein of Cro-Mags, Leeway, and Burn.
Mueller-Roedelius – Imagori II LP (Grönland)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Imagori II is a continuation of Hans-Joachim Roedelius (Cluster, Harmonia) and Christoph H. Müller’s collaborative efforts. The pair released their debut album Imagori on Grönland Records in 2015. Roedelius’s soundscapes joined Müller’s electronic productions and beats and they entered into a dynamic symbiosis that gave rise to music that, instead of uniting two worlds, created a new one. That process continues seamlessly here.
The Police – Every Move You Make: The Studio Recordings 5xLP+12” (A&M)
Celebrating the 40th anniversary of the multi-million selling band’s first album, Outlandos d’Amour, a limited-edition vinyl box set featuring all five studio albums is now available. The set also includes the bonus LP Flexible Strategies comprised of non-album B-sides. Remastered at Abbey Road Studios using half-speed mastering process and pressed on heavyweight 180gm vinyl.
Poppy – Time Is Up b/w In A Minute 12” (Mad Decent)
Limited die-cut picture disc pressing. “Time Is Up” is a song by singer Poppy featuring American DJ and producer Diplo. It is the second single from Poppy’s second studio album Am I a Girl?. It is an electropop song about the end of humans and the rise of robots.
Primus – Pork Soda [Reissue/1993] 2xLP (Interscope)
Primus – Brown Album [Reissue/1997] 2xLP (Interscope)
Primus’ third and fifth studio albums are reissued on double-LP, each newly remaster from the original analog tapes.
Priors – New Pleasure LP (Slovenly)
Slovenly Recordings zooms into a new universe somewhere between their trademark trashy echo-poonk and future-shock squalls with New Pleasure by Montreal quintet Priors. Hailing, scaling, and wailing from a long-scrambling Canadian scene whose rep is not as revered as it should be, Priors furiously scrunches together lacerating fuzz riffs, maniacal snare drum abuse, skittish analog shivers, and savagely scared shouting that’s sometimes double-tracked into microchip-loose robot nervousness.
The Rad Trads – On Tap LP (Hornblow)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. On Tap serves as the world’s introduction to the diverse possibilities The Rad Trads have to offer from the studio. Revered for their live shows, the album sees the five songwriters pull back the curtain on their passion for arrangement and orchestration, introducing a sea of horns, harmonies, gritty grooves, and psychedelic guitar textures.
Rainer Maria – Past Worn Searching [Reissue/1997] LP+MP3 (Polyvinyl)
Rainer Maria – Look Now Again [Reissue/1999] LP+MP3 (Polyvinyl)
Rainer Maria – A Better Version Of Me [Reissue/2001] LP+MP3 (Polyvinyl)
Rainer Maria – Long Knives Drawn [Reissue/2003] LP+MP3 (Polyvinyl)
Rainer Maria – Catastrophe Keeps Us Together [Reissue/2006] LP+MP3 (Polyvinyl)
In 1997, Rainer Maria officially became the first active band on the Polyvinyl roster with the release of their debut full-length, Past Worn Searching. Over the course of the next six years, the trio released three more albums – Look Now Look Again (1999), A Better Version Of Me (2001), and Long Knives Drawn (2003) – all of which further solidified the band as a pioneering act in the Midwestern DIY scene and beyond, anchored by poetic lyrics, Caithlin De Marrais’ powerful vocals, Kaia Fischer’s guitar and William Kuehn’s drumming. After falling out-of-print on vinyl over the years, the label properly re-introduces these four classic records (plus 2006’s Catastrophe Keeps Us Together making its first appearance on vinyl).
Lou Reed – Waltzing Matilda LP (Easy Action)
Third in the series of Lou Reed live concert albums from Easy Action, these two shows in Cleveland, OH on April 26th and San Francisco, CA on March 22nd, are taken from the 1978 Street Hassle tour.
Restorations – LP5000 LP+MP3 (Tiny Engines)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. LP5000 is everything that fans have come to love about Restorations over the course of its decade-long career: anthemic heartland rock-and-roll replete with mile-wide riffs, psychedelic chooglin – and too many guitars. [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Chris Robinson Brotherhood – Betty’s Midwestern Magick Blends 3xLP (Silver Arrow)
Available as a vinyl exclusive, triple-LP set, Betty’s Midwestern Magick Blends collects live highlights “New Cannonball Rag”, “Forever As The Moon” and “Shadow Cosmos”, as well as adapting two from The Rolling Stones’ “Down Home Girl” and “Let It Bleed”. Also includes the seldom played fan favorite, Steppenwolf’s “Magic Carpet Ride”.
The Runaways – The Best Of The Runaways LP (Mercury)
From the all-female rock band The Runaways comes an updated vinyl compilation featuring 13 of the band’s top hits.
Savak – Beg Your Pardon LP (Ernest Jenning)
Beg Your Pardon, Savak’s third release in as many years, follows a compelling progression from their past releases (2016’s Best Of Luck In Future Endeavors and 2017’s Cut-Ups) – equally the most punk rock and sublime record in their repertoire. The new album features everything from noisy careeners and ’80s hardcore nods to slightly glammy stompers and straight-up, New Zealand-inspired, guitar-pop songs (and that’s just in the first 10 minutes of side one).
Travis Scott – Astroworld 2xLP+MP3 (Epic)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Astroworld is the critically acclaimed third studio effort from the Grammy-nominated rapper/producer. Named after a closed down amusement park in Houston, the sonically diverse collection matches its rollercoaster imagery (cover art by photographer David LaChapelle) with pulsating futuristic trap symphonies and wide-ranging guests like Stevie Wonder, Kid Cudi, Frank Ocean, Drake, The Weeknd, James Blake, Swae Lee, 21 Savage and Quavo. “…the project is Travis’ best, most-progressive and most-well-rounded album to date. Hip-hop’s token rager is becoming a truly unstoppable force” – XXL
Silent Planet – When The End Began LP (Solid State)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. When The End Began captures the band’s aggressive live sound while retaining their more exploratory ambient elements.
Spontaneous Overthrow – All About Money [Reissue/1984] LP (Numero)
Synth chutes, synth ladders, popcorn 808 beats, dirge-y chants and busted sub-woofer hums from inner-galactic soul pioneers Nathaniel Woolridge and Anthony Freeman intertwine to create this hypnotic, mythical 1984 LP from Newark, New Jersey. The most damaged party record ever set to black, or the most partied cry of the heart ever howled into personal space. Probably both.
Technical Space Composer’s Crew – Canaxis 5 [Reissue/1969] LP (Grönland)
Holger Czukay made his first solo foray with the experimental electronic album Canaxis 5 (1969), on which he worked with co-producer Rolf Dammers. “…Canaxis 5 is an intriguing work…a delightful piece of history for those interested in the development of world music and collectors of Czukay’s output.” – Bleep [Vinyl edition due November 30.]
The Telescopes – Early Studio Recordings LP (Bang)
The Telescopes’ first four EPs are compiled as Early Studio Recordings, a reissue of their studio recordings from 1989 to 1990. This legendary British band was at the leading edge of the late ’80s and early ’90s shoegaze and melodic noise scene alongside the likes of The Jesus And Mary Chain.
Terrorizer – Caustic Attack LP (The End)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. A violently explosive album for increasingly turbulent times, Caustic Attack is the sound of a world nearing apocalypse. The songs conjure images of warplanes on bombing runs, giant tanks obliterating small villages and the endless rattle of machine guns mowing down everyone in sight. Pete Sandoval has long been known as one of the fastest players in death metal – the pioneer of blast beats – and he certainly doesn’t hold back here.
Tilian – The Skeptic LP (Rise)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. New solo album from Dance Gavin Dance vocalist and singer-songwriter, Tilian.
Vagabon – Infinite Worlds LP+MP3 (Father/Daughter)
Limited colored vinyl pressing. Laetitia Tamko is a multi-instrumentalist and a producer, recording since 2014 as Vagabon. Her 2017 debut album, Infinite Worlds, builds upon Tamko’s stripped-down demos that had originally circulated online and throughout the independent music community. To date, Tamko mostly listens to East and West African music nostalgic of her childhood, styles of music that influence her own in subtle ways.
Frankie Valli And The 4 Seasons – Anthology: Greatest Hits [Reissue/1988] 2xLP (Friday Music)
From 1962 to 1978, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons sold more than 100 million records, even before the invention of the compact disc prompted Seasons collectors to buy the hits all over again. For decades after their heyday, Frankie and the Seasons continued to be a top concert draw, and radio constantly played their classics, not to mention the new remixes that kept popping up on the charts. 1988’s Anthology: Greatest Hits collects all of their classics and more.
The Vandals – Peace Through Vandalism [Reissue/1982] LP (Kung Fu)
Vinyl reissue of the legendary debut EP from the SoCal pop punk rabble rousers. Features The Vandals’ signature brand of light-hearted, often laugh-out-loud funny lyrics matched with no nonsense punk rock thrashing. [Limited picture disc vinyl pressing also available.]
Various Artists – Voices Of Mississippi LP (Dust-To-Digital)
Voices of Mississippi encapsulates the life’s work of William Ferris, an audio recordist, filmmaker, folklorist, and teacher with an unwavering commitment to establish and to expand the study of the American South. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Ferris toured his home state of Mississippi, documenting the voices of African Americans as they spoke about and performed the diverse musical traditions that form the roots of the blues. This LP features blues and gospel field recordings made by Ferris between 1966 and 1974; all tracks are available on vinyl for the very first time. [Deluxe CD box set released last June.]
Akiko Yano – Tadaima. [Reissue/1982] LP (Wewantsounds)
The first release Wewantsounds’ ambitious program to release Akiko Yano’s albums outside of Japan. Tadaima. (I’m home in Japanese) is Yano’s fifth studio album and a synth-pop masterpiece, co-produced by her then husband Ryuichi Sakamoto and featuring all the musicians from Yellow Magic Orchestra (Haruomi Hosono, Yukihiro Takahashi, and Sakamoto), the group she was touring with at the time.
Yoko-Zuna – Voyager 2xLP (Loop Recordings)
New album from New Zealand electronic/hip-hop act. Voyager further expands on their unique style of combining sub-electronic frequencies, melodic moments and immense bass-synth-fueled drops. Yoko-Zuna’s unique instrumental sound joins with some of the finest new vocalist worldwide including Noah Slee, Ladi6, MeloDownz, JessB, SWIDT, P-Money and others.
Yumi Souma – EP III 10” (Cascine)
Effortless atmospheres, winsome hooks and stadium-ready finishes.
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