December/January Program Titles Released This Week:
Bask – III CD/LP (Season Of Mist)
Hailing from the mountains of North Carolina, Bask was conceived in the fall of 2013 by guitarist Ray Worth, drummer Scott Middleton, bassist Jesse Van Note, and guitarist/vocalist Zeb Camp. The band’s new record, aptly titled III, showcases a soulful juxtaposition of Americana rock ‘n’ roll with progressive and psychedelic elements, separating Bask from your average Southern rock outfit. Conceptually, each song on III is inspired by a piece of legend, folklore, or mythology, reexamining characters and situations that are often misunderstood or overlooked. Its overlying themes also including the natural world, the cyclical nature of human experience, revenge and subverting social norms. Bask’s sound has been described as progressive and cinematic, containing glimpses of Appalachian tonality and heartfelt heaviness, something they unequivocally prove with III. While songs like “New Dominion” and “Stone Eyed” present a heavier dynamic from the band, tracks like “Maiden Mother Crone” and “Rid Of You” serve up a melancholy elegance that showcases the band’s roots, adding to the record’s vast yet cohesive dimensions.
Andrea Bocelli – Sì Forever: The Diamond Edition CD (Decca)
Bocelli’s million-selling 2018 Sì has been expanded to include six brand new tracks including duets with Ellie Goulding, Ed Sheeran, Dua Lipa, Matteo Bocelli, Jennifer Garner and more. Andrea Bocelli, one of the most beloved tenors in the world, returned with his first album of new material in fourteen years in 2018 with Sì. A return to his roots, Sì is an intimate collection of powerful, emotional songs, some featuring interpolations of classical themes (Bach and Massenet), and an all-encompassing celebration of love, family, faith, and hope. The album was recorded at his home in Italy and was produced by Bob Ezrin (Pink Floyd, Lou Reed). It includes duets with globally renowned artists and was introduced by the lead single “If Only”, co-written by Francesco Sartori and the late Lucio Quarantotto – who helped pen one of Bocelli’s biggest hits, “Con Te Partirò”. “I wanted to go back to my memories of being a young man, playing at a piano bar,” Bocelli explains. “Obviously since then, I’ve produced lots of albums, sung lots of covers, performed many other things. But at a certain point I said to myself: ‘Maybe the time has come to put my effort into finding new songs.’ Like starting all over again, as it were, in my career.”
Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds – Ghosteen 2xCD/2xLP+MP3 (Ghosteen/AWAL)
Ghosteen, the new two-part album from Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, serves as the band’s 17th studio effort overall following 2016’s Skeleton Tree. “The songs on the first album are the children. The songs on the second album are their parents. Ghosteen is a migrating spirit,” notes Cave. “On the the first album Nick Cave has written and recorded entirely since the death of his teenage son, Arthur, in 2015—he sorts through his grief and all the requisite stages, occasionally as though in real time. His mood drifts between domesticity and depravity. He empathizes with the true believers who wept beneath Jesus’ feet at the crucifixion. He latches onto friendship and love in any shape they take. He loses his faith, then fights desperately for any belief that can replace it. Scored by synthesizers, pianos, and electronics, the process is alternately harrowing and comforting for the first hour of the album, Cave’s waking nightmare on full display. [Here he] emerges with one of his most powerful albums yet, an endlessly giving and complex meditation on mortality and our collective grief.” – Pitchfork, Best New Music
Taylor Hawkins & The Coattail Riders – Get The Money CD/LP (RCA)
Produced by John Lousteau and Taylor Hawkins, and mixed by Sylvia Massy, Get The Money follows Taylor Hawkins and The Coattail Riders’ 2016 six-song mini-LP KOTA by three years and features a scope far wider than KOTA’s takes on suburbia’s bizarro underbelly. The new album finds Taylor and Coattail Riders Chris Chaney, Brent Woods and John Lousteau accompanied by an all-star supporting cast including Taylor’s fellow Foo Fighters Dave Grohl and Pat Smear, Roger Taylor, Joe Walsh, Duff McKagan, Nancy Wilson, Chrissie Hynde, Perry Farrell, LeAnn Rimes and more, collectively creating a staggering, epic sprawl that swerves from classic rock to prog and glam and all points between. Get The Money is introduced by the swaggering lead single “Crossed The Line”.
The Rolling Stones – Bridges To Buenos Aires 2xCD+DVD/2xCD+Blu-ray/3xLP (Eagle Vision)
Bridges To Buenos Aires is the latest concert release from The Rolling Stones’ endlessly fruitful archive. The full-length show from their five night sell-out residency at the River Plate Stadium in Argentina’s capital city has been restored in full and features such classics as “Gimme Shelter”, “Jumpin’ Jack Flash”, “Sympathy For The Devil”, “I Can’t Get No (Satisfaction)”, “Brown Sugar” and “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” plus a guest appearance from Bob Dylan on “Like A Rolling Stone”. Filmed and recorded on April 5, 1998, by this point the band had played to over two million people on the first two legs of the tour in North America and Japan and were in absolute top form. [Limited blue colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Slayer – The Repentless Killogy (Live At The Forum In Inglewood, CA) CD/2xLP (Nuclear Blast)
The Repentless Killogy short film is the combination of music videos from Slayer’s last full-length release Repentless, threaded through a film narrative that ends with the band performing a sold-out show at Los Angeles’ iconic Forum. Revenge, murder, bloodshed, and retribution, The Repentless Killogy is a perfectly packaged story reflecting these values that most look down upon. This is the story of Wyatt who used to run with the wrong crowd. Wyatt is a former Neo Nazi associated with a gang known as The Hand Brotherhood whose signature mark is a bloody handprint left after a murder had taken place. Wyatt left his gang after he fell in love with Gina, a woman who saved his life after a brush with death from those who wanted revenge on him and his gang. Wyatt and Gina go into hiding to start a family and escape his tarnished past. The Hand Brotherhood are not going to let this happen. The Repentless Killogy (Live At The Forum In Inglewood, CA) contains the entirety of the culminating concert, consisting of 21 tracks. [Limited indie store exclusive vinyl pressing available.]
Bruce Springsteen – Western Stars: Songs From The Film CD (Columbia)
The Western Stars film is a cinematic retelling of Springsteen’s first studio album in five years, Western Stars, as he plays the album backed by a band and full orchestra at Stone Hill Farm in Colts Neck, NJ. The film premiered at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival and was written and performed by Bruce Springsteen with special guest Patti Scialfa. The original score is by Springsteen and features each of the live performances captured in the film, including every song from Western Stars, as well as a cover of Glen Campbell’s “Rhinestone Cowboy”. [Vinyl edition due December 13.]
Allen Stone – Building Balance CD/LP (ATO)
Allen Stone’s Building Balance is his first new album in four years, spanning a time period spent figuring out how the old parts and the new parts of his universe were going to co-exist. For Building Balance, he worked with Grammy-winning producer Nasri as well as Jamie Lidell. Stone continues to draw inspiration from ‘70s funk and soul with current flexes, sitting amid D’Angelo in its sultrier moments, Stevie Wonder at its most melodic and the production of Mark Ronson at its most modern. [Limited clear vinyl pressing also available.]
CDs + Vinyl:
Acid Arab – Jdid CD/LP (Crammed Discs)
Jdid (meaning new in Arabic) sees Acid Arab taking a giant step forward on their path, and deepening the dialogue between the northern, southern and eastern shores of the Mediterranean (the northern shore extending, in this particular case, to the banks of the rivers Seine, Thames, Spree and Hudson!). It’s an intoxicating blend of sharp Western electronic music and Eastern sounds & vocals.
Against Me! – Reinventing Axl Rose [Reissue/2002] CD/LP (Fat Wreck Chords)
Against Me!’s genre-defining 2002 debut album has been hard to come by in recent years, but those days are over. Fat Wreck has got you covered with this new CD and vinyl LP repressing. The singalong choruses and visceral grit of Reinventing Axl Rose spawned countless imitators.
Agnostic Front – Get Loud! CD/LP (Nuclear Blast)
Twelfth studio album from the legendary New York hardcore pioneers. [Limited edition red colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Pete Astor & The Holy Road – Paradise [Reissue/1992] CD/LP (Tapete)
Astor is a British songwriter, singer and multi-instrumentalist, best known for his work with The Loft, The Weather Prophets and Ellis Island Sound. Paradise, recorded with his post-Weather Profits band, The Holy Road, features all his enduring musical references – from classic British guitar pop to New-York punk via the blues and even jazz – seem to blend into a fully-formed vision, one which envisions a kind of mythic America whilst always cleaving to European, and specifically British, roots.
Atlantæum Flood – One Day CD/LP+MP3 (Schoolkids)
Atlantæum Flood is a unique instrumental five-piece collective featuring Marty Willson-Piper (ex-The Church and All About Eve). Their debut album One Day is both epic and eclectic, fusing world music influences with elements of folk and progressive rock. Ranging from subtle ethereal moments with dreamy 12-string guitars to dynamic, powerful intensity with soaring lead lines against a percussive backdrop, the eight track release is a beautifully cohesive and considered cinematic soundscape.
Martin Barre – A Trick Of Memory CD/LP (Purple Pyramid)
CD and vinyl reissue of the 1994 solo album from the Jethro Tull guitarist. [Limited orange colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Blind Guardian and Blind Guardian Twilight Orchestra – Legacy Of The Dark Lands CD/LP (Nuclear Blast)
Guitarist André Olbrich and singer Hansi Kürsch from Blind Guardian hatched this project based on ideas that started up back in the 90s when Blind Guardian started using orchestral elements in their albums. Thankfully, the planets started to align and helped bring this project to fruition. The album is a full on, orchestral onslaught. Legacy Of The Dark Lands is full of dramatic and beautiful orchestrations, deep emotional moments, huge choirs, and an interesting story with a small sprinkling of voice acted parts in between the main songs.
Bishop Briggs – Champion CD (Island)
New release from the British singer/songwriter. “Bishop Briggs has never been shy about her badass side, and that rings especially true on her latest single ‘Champion’. For Briggs, the object she looked to take back was confidence in herself. The singer says the track was written at a dark time when rules and societal norms were weighing down on her. ‘‘Champion’ is a song that I wrote when my self-esteem was at an all-time low,’ she explains. ‘As a woman, I feel like I have been socially trained to be so many things at once—sexy yet sweet, confident yet humble, independent yet submissive, smart but not too smart—the list is never-ending.’” – Alt Press
Tracy Byrd – Live At Billy Bob’s Texas CD/LP (Smith Music Group)
There are many ways to describe Tracy Byrd, but unique, talented, and charismatic just seem to scratch the surface. However, there is one word that ties them all together and is true to their character: Tracy Byrd is real. Few people sing so honestly from their heart and soul. Tracy Byrd does so in just the right way, combining art, story, and song in perfect unison. [Stand-alone DVD version also available.]
Camouflage – Methods Of Silence [Reissue/1989] CD (Bureau B)
Bureau B present an expanded reissue of Camouflage’s Methods Of Silence, originally released in 1989. Founded in the southern German city of BietigheimBissingen by Heiko Maile, Oliver Kreyssig, and Marcus Meyn in the year 1984, the band Camouflage scored an unexpected international hit with their debut album Voices & Images in 1988. Methods Of Silence followed a year later; to mark the 30th anniversary of that album, the band opened up the archives to assemble a special bonus edition including a wealth of rare and unreleased recordings.
Can’t Swim – Foreign Language CDEP (Pure Noise)
New Jersey punks Can’t Swim present six blasts of anger on the Foreign Language EP. [Vinyl edition due November 22.]
Gene Clark – No Other [Reissue/1974] CD/2xCD/LP/3xSACD+Blu-ray+LP+7” (4AD)
The Byrds founding member’s ambitious 1974 psychedelic rock/folk/country/soul masterpiece has been released on single disc CD and vinyl as well as limited run double-CD edition in a hardbound book cover. This reissue includes a bonus disc of alternate studio versions of each track plus a recording of “Train Leaves Here This Morning (an Eagles hit in 1972, written by Gene and Eagles founding member Bernie Leadon). An ‘extremely limited’ deluxe box set which contains the album on silver-colored vinyl, three SACDs, an exclusive seven-inch single, and a Blu-ray disc – which includes HD versions of all tracks, a 5.1 surround mix of the album, the original 1974 vinyl master and an exclusive documentary by Paul Kendall (the director of the 2013 film, The Byrd Who Flew Alone: The Triumphs and Tragedy of Gene Clark) – and a hardbound 80 page book which features essays, extensive liner notes and previously unseen photos, is was also made. “One of the greatest albums ever made. Initially celebrated for its obscurity, No Other is now celebrated for its magnificence. It was in every way a magnum opus: epic, sprawling, poetic, choral, rococo.” – The Guardian UK
Josienne Clarke – In All Weather CD/LP (Rough Trade)
Solo debut from English singer-songwriter Josienne Clarke, whose songs have been described as “extraordinary” (Mojo), “gently exquisite” (The Observer), and “full of depth” (The Telegraph). For her songwriting prowess as a member of previous projects including the ‘60s pop leaning PicaPica and an award-winning folk duo with guitarist Ben Walker, she was named one of American Songwriter’s Best Songwriters of 2016. [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Luke Combs – What You See Is What You Get CD (SME Nashville)
New release from the country superstar. Produced by Scott Moffatt, What You See Is What You Get features 17 songs including the five tracks previously released via Combs’ The Prequel EP earlier this summer. [Vinyl edition due December 6.]
Comet Gain – Fireraisers Forever! CD/LP (Tapete)
The cultishly loved UK indie greats led by David Feck, are back with their first album in five years. “If 2014’s Paperback Ghosts was gentle and folky, Fireraisers Forever! finds them mad as hell, taking aim at a variety of subjects. One of them: nostalgia. “Mid 8Ts” is an organ-fueled anthem that may have fond memories of the days of Vespas and Beatle Boots (‘we were ’60s in the ’80s’) but argues for living in the now. ‘Old mods with bellies and hair like shit,’ they sing, adding ‘all your heydays deserve better than this.’” – Brooklyn Vegan
Joanna Connor – Rise CD (M.C. Records)
Modern blues from one of the finest musicians on the Chicago scene.
Crimeapple – Viridi Panem CD/LP (Fat Beats)
Crimeapple’s Viridi Panem is a deep dive into the complex dynamics of the eternal paper chase. It’s a conceptual piece about capitalism, greed and excess, says the charismatic heavy-bearded New Jersey-based MC, who adds that the album’s title translates from Latin into Green Bread. The eight-track project rolls out like a modern film noir starring a protagonist making connections with models in Medellín, splurging through fine dining scenarios, and navigating his way through a cast of aspirational characters lured into a clandestine contraband realm.
The Dark Element – Songs The Night Sings CD/LP (Frontiers)
The Dark Element is a musical project fronted by vocalist Anette Olzon (ex-Nightwish) together with Finnish guitarist and songwriter Jani Liimatainen (Insomnium, Cain’s Offering, ex-Sonata Arctica).
David J – Missive To An Angel From The Halls Of Infamy And Allure CD/2xLP (Glass Modern)
The new solo album by David J (Bauhaus, Love And Rockets), is an intensely personal, self-deprecating, confessional song cycle and ultimately a glowing tribute to his wife of many decades. It is intended as a cyclic swan-song, the last track, “I Hear Only Silence Now” being a new version of the song which was the first on J’s 1983 solo debut, Etiquette Of Violence. Missive To An Angel From The Halls Of Infamy And Allure features contributions from Anton Newcombe (Brian Jonestown Massacre), Toby Dammit (Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds), Paul Wallfisch (Swans), Sean Eden (Luna), Rose McGowan, Asia Argento, Emily Jane White, Annabel (lee), and the great Czech violinist Karel Holas, amongst others.
Dessa/Minnesota Orchestra – Sound The Bells: Recorded Live At Orchestra Hall CD/2xLP (Doomtree)
Live album featuring 17 of Dessa’s strongest songs, ambitiously rearranged by musician and composer Andy Thompson, and recorded live across two sold-out shows performed in March of 2019. The concerts were held in downtown Minneapolis’ Orchestra Hall, a striking venue with an unmistakable acoustic design. Executive produced by Lazerbeak and Minnesota Orchestra Director of Live at Orchestra Hall programming, Grant Meachum.
Destroy Boys – Make Room CD/LP (1234 Go)
Destroy Boys is an Oakland-based, female-fronted, melodic punk band founded in 2015. Make Room showcases the duo’s growth as songwriters and musicians with VI Mayugba’s driving sonic guitar creating a raw, gritty canvas for Alexia Roditis’s ethereal, haunting, and sometimes comical vocals. A raucously introspective road trip to early adulthood, with the feeling of a cross between Blondie and Tragic Kingdom-era No Doubt.
Fats Domino – I’ve Been Around: The Complete Imperial & ABC-Paramount Recordings 12xCD (Bear Family)
Upgraded and increased in size compared to the old box which came out in 1993 and has been deleted for years. 12 CDs versus 8 CDs, a 240-page book versus 60 pages in the old box. The music sounds much better on this box set than it ever has before due to the brilliant remastering from the original tapes.
Kyle Eastwood – Cinematic CD (Discograph)
Author of many film scores, such as Invictus and Letters From Iwo Jima, Kyle Eastwood continues to advance in his exploration and love of the seventh art by revisiting and updating classic film themes. On Cinematic, his eleventh album, he was surrounded by his loyal musicians – Quentin Collins on trumpet, Brandon Allen on saxophone, Andrew McCormack on piano and Chris Higginbottom on drums – with featured appearances by Camille Bertault and Hugh Coltman.
Eddy And The Backfires – Twenty Fight Years CD/LP (Bear Family)
New album from the veteran rockabilly band. Eight new tracks along with five covers.
Edge Of Paradise – Universe CD (Frontiers)
Formed by singer/pianist Margarita Monet and guitarist Dave Bates in 2011, Los Angeles based Edge of Paradise has made a name for themselves in the metal scene with the release of well-received independent albums and heavy touring both nationally and internationally. New album Universe brings together a symphonic and classic metal approach with more contemporary sounds like industrial and electronic influences.
Empath – Active Listening: Night On Earth CD/LP (Get Better/Fat Possum)
Recently release on vinyl – now available on CD. Noise punk band Empath broke onto the national scene with the release of the Liberating Guilt And Fear EP with renowned DIY Philly punk label Get Better Records in 2018. Over the course of 2019 Empath cemented themselves as one of the buzziest emerging bands in indie music, being heralded as “America’s most inventive young psychedelic band” by Rolling Stone Magazine. They also garnered more support from Pitchfork, FADER, Stereogum, NPR and more around “Soft Shape” and “Hanging Out Of Cars,” two standout singles from Active Listening: Night On Earth.
Entombed – Wolverine Blues [Reissue/1993] CD (Earache)
Originally released in 1993, Wolverine Blues is the highly sought after classic third album from Swedish death metal legends Entombed. The album has been specially remastered from the original master tapes using ‘FDR’ – Full Dynamic Range mastering – allowing the music’s nuances to truly shine through.
Esoteric – A Pyrrhic Existence CD/3xLP (Season Of Mist)
Funeral doom titans Esoteric return with the monolithic A Pyrrhic Existence, the collective’s first new album in eight years. Their undeniable power and time-warping arrangements are unparalleled even by doom metal standards, taking on an almost psychedelic hue at times.
Fitted – First Fits CD/LP (ORG Music)
Fitted is a new project from Bob Lee (The Freeks), Edvard Graham Lewis (Wire), Matthew Simms (Wire), and Mike Watt (Minutemen). The group first convened after just one practice to perform at Wire’s DRILL festival in 2017 in Los Angeles. On their debut album, First Fits, the freewheelin’ pysch-pop powerhouse plows through six numbers over the course of 38 minutes, with Lewis and Watt trading lead vocal duties. [Limited silver colored vinyl pressing also available.]
FKA Twigs – Magdalene CD/LP (Young Turks)
Magdalene is the second studio album by English singer and songwriter FKA Twigs. It is her first body of work since her EP M3LL155X (2015), and first full-length record since LP1 (2014) Production was handled by FKA Twigs herself, with producers including Jack Antonoff, Metro Boomin, Nicolas Jaar, Kenny Beats, Oneohtrix Point Never, Jeff Kleinman, Skrillex, Sounwave, and Michael Uzowuru. Includes the singles “Cellophane, Holy Terrain” (featuring rapper Future) and “Home With You”.
John Fogerty – 50 Year Trip: Live At Red Rocks CD (BMG)
Recorded at Red Rock Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado, on June 20th, 2019, as part of John Fogerty’s nationwide US tour celebrating 50 years since Creedence Clearwater Revival performed at Woodstock Festival in 1969. 50 Year Trip: Live At Red Rocks includes live John Fogerty and Creedence Clearwater Revival classics.
The Good Ones – Rwanda, You Should Be Loved CD/LP (ANTI-)
For The Good Ones’ album, Rwanda, You Should Be Loved, bandleader Adrien Kazigira composed over forty songs. Most were meditations on his now thirteen-year-old daughter, Marie-Claire, and the life-threatening tumor that has afflicted her left-eye. The recording was done live without overdubs on Adrien’s farm and was imbued with the passing of producer Ian Brennan’s mother during the days that they were there together as well as a former founding band member recently having succumbed to his own demons. The Good Ones renown is evidenced by the stellar musicians who collaborated with them on the new album: Wilco’s Nels Cline, TV on the Radio’s Tunde Adebimpe, Sleater-Kinney’s Corin Tucker, My Bloody Valentine’s Kevin Shields, and Fugazi’s Joe Lally.
Greet Death – New Hell CD/LP (Deathwish Inc.)
Greet Death is a three-piece post-rock band from Flint, Michigan. They initially made waves with their infectious debut album Dixieland (2017). The album was well received, with Pitchfork giving it a 7.7 rating and stating, “This is a remarkably tuneful, forthright pop-rock band that just so happens to play six-minute songs at bradycardic tempos.”
Grum – Deep State CD (Anjuna Beats)
10 tracks that show off Grum’s fresh take on progressive trance.
Have A Nice Life – Sea Of Worry CD/LP (The Flenser)
Have a Nice Life was formed in a time of Dan Barrett and Tim Macuga’s life that reflected concerns with depression and suicidal ideation. As the following for the project has grown, and Barrett and Macuga have aged and faced new life challenges with family and careers, their new album Sea Of Worry reflects just that. Dread is the primary theme that is woven throughout this release-the dread of aging, children growing up, and an increasingly uncertain future.
Hawthorne Heights – Lost Frequencies CD/LP (Pure Noise)
Ahead of their upcoming 15-year anniversary tour celebrating The Silence In Black And White alongside Emery and Oh, Sleeper, Hawthorne Heights present the fun new covers collection featuring takes on current pop songs by Kacey Musgraves and Billie Eilish.
Keaton Henson – Six Lethargies CD/2xLP (Mercury KX)
UK-based musician/composer Keaton Henson is a gifted visual artist and poet. His new album, Six Lethargies, features a turbulent yet calm orchestral score, performed by the Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, and art designed by Henson himself.
The Hit Parade – The Golden Age Of Pop CD/LP (JSH)
Would be UK pop stars The Hit Parade took fate into their hands early upon formation in 1984, circumventing fame and founding their own imprint JSH records. They operated on their own budgets and schedule, and along the way the long running cult has band earned more than a fair share of critical attention with very little promo. Over their 30+ years they’ve been described as indie icons, hailed by the NME as perfect pop, and the UK’s Arts Desk has regarded them as the very definition of twee ‘80s style indie. The Golden Age Of Pop features 12 bright new pop songs written and recorded by the band over the last three years with Raymond Watts, producer of the band’s 1986 indie classic LP With Love From The Hit Parade.
Immanifest – Macrobial CD/LP (The Artisan Era)
While taking influence from many extreme metal subgenres, Immanifest’s sound could perhaps best be described as symphonic black / death metal.
Imperial Jade – On The Rise CD/LP (Listenable)
Imperial Jade is a bluesy hard rock band born in Maresme (Barcelona) in 2012. The band was founded by five friends loving thundering classic rock tinged with crafty organic ‘70s psychedelia.
Peter Ivers –Becoming Peter Ivers CD/2xLP (Rvng Intl.)
Demos are often better than records. More energy, more soul, more guts. Peter Ivers / Becoming Peter Ivers tells the story of the late Peter Ivers, a virtuosic songwriter and musician whose antics bridged not just 60s counterculture and New Wave music but also film, theater, and music television. Collected from a trove of previously unheard demos, studio sessions, and rehearsal recordings written and recorded in Los Angeles in the mid-to-late 70s, Becoming Peter Ivers pulls back the curtains on this mischievous master of ceremonies whose exploration of the outer limits of music, and of life, came to a tragic end in 1983.
King Princess – Cheap Queen CD/LP (Sony)
Released last week on CD – now available on vinyl. At just 20 years of age, acclaimed singer, songwriter and producer King Princess (born Mikaela Straus) is fast emerging as a modern pop icon. Straus was exposed to music from a very early age, watching and learning from her recording engineer father Oliver Straus in his recording studio Mission Sound in their home city of Brooklyn. Inspired by classic rock acts like Led Zeppelin and more contemporary artists such as Jack White, she mastered several musical instruments, learnt music production and even gained insights into the industry by attending label meetings with her father. Her debut album Cheap Queen includes contributions from Tobias Jesso Jr., Father John Misty and The Dap-Kings.
Land Of Kush – Sand Enigma CD/2xLP (Constellation)
Renowned Montréal/Cairo composer Sam Shalabi returns with his exhilarating and utterly genre-bending big band Land of Kush. The trenchantly titled Sand Enigma bristles with defiant exuberance, restless creative energy, and electrifying cross-cultural expression – the band’s most accomplished, acute and accessible album to date (though don’t expect ‘easy listening’ from this boundary-pushing hydra-headed entity). Sand Enigma is a wildly diverse and hugely compelling tour de force of modern composition that pulses with emotion and experimentation, blending avant-garde, psychedelic, Middle Eastern, out-jazz, electronic, and improv/free music tropes to stunning effect.
Lankum – The Livelong Day CD/LP (Rough Trade)
Made up of brothers Ian and Daragh Lynch, Cormac MacDiarmada and Radie Peat, Dublin four-piece Lankum has gained worldwide acclaim for their first two albums and captivating, often euphoric live performances. New effort, The Livelong Day successfully blends alternative folk and psychedelia.
Ned LeDoux – Next In Line CD (Powder River)
In country music, a last name like LeDoux casts a big, storied and bittersweet shadow, but it’s one Ned LeDoux doesn’t mind standing in one bit. Having been a drummer in his dad Chris’ band Western Underground since 1998, Ned knew from an early age that he had ‘no plan b’ but to play music, “Once I got the taste of the road, and being in front of a crowd and just the sound of it, it was…freedom.”
Lost Frequencies – Alive & Feeling Fine CD (Armada Music)
Second album for Lost Frequencies, aka Felix de Laet, Belgian DJ and producer. His credit list includes remixes for Miley Cyrus, Major Lazer, LSD (supergroup comprising Labrinth, Sia, and Diplo), Estelle & Kanye West, Armin Van Buuren, and more.
Terri Lyne Carrington and Social Science – Waiting Game CD (Motema Music)
Galvanized by seismic changes in the ever-evolving social and political landscape, Grammy Award-winning drummer, producer, activist and educator Terri Lyne Carrington formed her new band, Social Science, to confront a wide spectrum of social justice issues. The band’s stunning debut double album, Waiting Game immediately takes its place alongside Carrington’s most ambitious and inventive projects, expressing an inclusive and compassionate view of humanity’s common bonds through an eclectic program melding jazz, R&B, classic and indie rock, free improvisation, hip-hop and contemporary classical music. Guests include Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Rapsody, Meshell Ndegeocello, Esperanza Spalding, Maimona Youssef, Nicholas Payton, Derrick Hodge and Kokoyi. [Vinyl edition due November 22.]
Macseal – Super Enthusiast CD/LP (6131)
Macseal is one of the most exciting bands to emerge from the vibrant, historically thriving Long Island, New York music scene in recent memory. Their unique ability to craft hook-laden earworms that also feature relatable lyrical narratives is uncanny and is impressively matched by their electrifying live shows.
Marstrander Trio – Old Times, Beautiful Boy CD (Losen)
Maestro Marstrander delivers a masterclass in composition, performance and production of vibrant, indispensable contemporary jazz music. An auspicious debut.
Mayhem – Daemon CD/LP (Century Media)
True Norwegian black metal legends Mayhem return with their sixth studio album, Daemon. By the power of darkness and with the might of black-hearted will no two Mayhem albums have been or will ever be the same. Over the course of Mayhem’s storied and groundbreaking 35-year career – from Deathcrush (1987) through Esoteric Warfare (2014) – the Norwegians have continuously challenged the orthodoxy of the genre they helped create. Originally informed by greats Hellhammer, Venom, Bathory, and Sodom, Mayhem eventually imbued their damnable attack with influences from all over the music extreme spectrum, indicated first on the harsh and angular Wolf’s Lair Abyss (1997) EP and foremost on the enterprisingly brutal and revolutionary Grand Declaration Of War (2000). In 2019, Mayhem yet again leaves holy earth scorched with Daemon.
Mammoth Mammoth – Kreuzung CD (Napalm)
The high voltage Australian outfit have seized the opportunity to boil down their hard rock formula since the release of Mount The Mountain two years ago, and the result is an electrifying sledgehammer that cements the name Mammoth Mammoth. [Vinyl edition due November 15.]
Mando Diao – Bang CD/LP (Playground Music)
Mando Diao release their eighth studio album — straight-forward, non-compromising affair completely 100% written, recorded, mixed, and produced by the band. Bang is an energetic, dark and very personal album that is spellbinding and powerful.
Loreena McKennitt – Live At The Royal Albert Hall 2xCD (Quinlan Road)
20 songs performed at the storied London venue during Loreena’s Lost Soul European Tour. Includes seven songs that have never been previously released on live recordings and six songs from her latest album, Lost Souls.
Mono – Before The Past – Live From Electrical Audio CD/LP (Temporary Residence)
Mono revisit three of their earliest songs and retrofit them with speaker-destroying upgrades. Live From Electrical Audio, recorded recently with longtime collaborator Steve Albini, shows the evolution of Mono’s execution, stripping away the strings and layers of guitar overdubs to show just how massive this band can be at their most instrumentally austere.
The Monochrome Set – Fabula Mendax CD (Tapete)
At the end of the ’70s, The Monochrome Set were part of the first wave of post punk bands. Right from the beginning, the band earned a solid reputation as purveyors of fine pop, gaining praise from ’80s contemporaries such as Morrissey and Edwyn Collins. Importantly, in later years this praise has continued with artists such as Franz Ferdinand, The Divine Comedy, and Graham Coxon, all citing the band as a key influence on their own work. New album Fabula Mendax is Monochrome Set at its most ornate, and, much like Joan Of Arc’s ensemble, features a myriad of fiddlers, pluckers, beaters, tinklers, and wailers, surrounding a central core of notorious crackpots.
Moor Mother – Analog Fluids Of Sonic Black Holes CD/LP (Don Giovanni)
New full-length by Philadelphia-based artist, poet, and musician, Camae Ayewa, who performs under the name Moor Mother. A sonic black hole is a place where fluid moves so fast that it traps all sound. To be entangled in its gravity is to feel the pressure of an unjust system — corruption so powerful that it drowns out whatever you throw at it. Analog fluids are resistance — individuals who work to create and preserve community in the face of immense darkness and cosmic pressure.
Leslie Odom Jr. – Mr CD (S-Curve)
New release from the Tony-winning singer/performer best known for his role as Aaron Burr in Hamilton.
Otherwise – Defy CD/LP (Mascot)
Since their self-titled independent debut in 2006, Otherwise’s quiet grind elevated the group to the forefront of 21st century rock. Defy was produced by Matt Good (Asking Alexandria, Hollywood Undead, Memphis May Fire, From First To Last, The Word Alive).
Pet Shop Boys – Dreamland CDEP/12” (X2)
An expanded release package for their current single, “Dreamland”. Includes the new singles “An Open Mind” and “No Boundaries” new remixes and B-sides.
Pretty Maids – Undress Your Madness CD/LP (Frontiers)
Undress Your Madness is Pretty Maids’ highly anticipated follow up to 2016’s Kingmaker. Tracks include the in-your-face melting barn burner “Serpentine”, the title track, and “Black Thunder”, along with the timeless melodic metal anthems “Firesoul Fly” and “Will You Still Kiss Me (If I See You In Heaven)” as well as the superb power ballad “Shadowlands”.
Philip B. Price – Bone Almanac CD/LP (Signature Sounds)
New solo album from the lead singer/songwriter of Winterpills. While addressing very modern dreads (environmental devastation, for one), Bone Almanac sits nicely next to John Fahey, Nick Drake, Gene Clark, Bill Callahan, John Renbourn and Joni Mitchell.
Psychic TV – Evening Sun Turns Crimson CD/LP (Sweet Nothing)
A score to Derek Jarman’s 1974 fiIm The Shadow Of The Sun recorded live at Cafe OTO, London, England on May 23, 2017. For the realization of this project Psychic TV were: Genesis Breyer P-Orridge – violin; Edley ODowd – drums and percussion; Alice Genese – flute; Jeff Berner – guitar; John Weingarten – keyboards. Live mixing by Matski; Album produced by Edley ODowd.
Quayde La Hüe – Love Out Of Darkness CD/LP (K. Records)
Since 2016 the Olympia, WA quintet have released a string of cassettes (even a limited VHS) to the underground heavy metal and hard rock music scene. Highlights of their humble beginnings include opening for Nik Turner’s Hawkwind, being featured on Radio Fenriz and performing the final year of the prestigious Wings Of Metal Fest in Montreal. Love Out Of Darkness brings a more concise and produced sound than previously recorded. A heavy rock-oriented sound characterized by elaborate song structures, melodic hooks, blistering solos and pomp-infused harmonies. Musically reminiscent of 1970s arena rock, while bringing a new depth to the genre.
Quiet Riot – Hollywood Cowboys CD/LP (Frontiers)
Widely known as the first heavy metal band to top the US pop charts, the Los Angeles quartet became a global sensation thanks to their monstrous smash hit 1983 album, Metal Health. The band has continued to record and tour throughout their 30 + year history. Their new album, Hollywood Cowboys, offers exactly what you would expect: arena-ready hard rock with strong hooks and infectious riffs.
The Residents – A Nickle If Your Dick’s This Big 1971-1972 CD (Cruz Del Sur Music)
The Residents – Not Available CD (Cruz Del Sur Music)
The Residents – The Residents Present Alvin Snow, Aka Dyin’ Dog 4×7” (Cruz Del Sur Music)
The latest in a series of archival releases that will continue throughout 2020 and beyond.
Ryuichi Sakamoto – Thousand Knives Of Ryuichi Sakamoto [Reissue/1978] CD/LP (Wewantsounds)
A reissue of Ryuichi Sakamoto’s first solo album originally released in 1978 on the sought-after Better Days label. Save for a small-scale release in 1982, this is the first time the album is being released on vinyl outside of Japan. Named after Belgian-born poet Henri Michaux’s description of a mescaline experience, the album is a reflection on how synthesizer technology might come to change the face of music.
Schammash – Hearts Of No Light CD/2xLP (Prosthetic)
New album from the Swiss black metal vanguards. Jet-black at its core whilst vast and expansive in experimentation. [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Shakespears Sister – Ride Again CDEP/12” (London)
Recently release on vinyl – now available on CD. Shakespears Sister are back with a new five-track EP; pressed on limited edition white colored vinyl. The EP includes the new single “When She Finds You”, featuring Mercury nominated UK singer/songwriter Richard Hawley.
Simply Red – Blue Eyed Soul CD/2xCD (BMG)
Twelfth studio album by British pop group – a ten track masterclass in funky, brassy soul music and emotionally charged ballads. [Deluxe edition is packaged in a hardcover casebound book with a five-track bonus disc of remixes and alternate versions. Vinyl edition due November 15.]
Sin Fang – Sad Party CD/LP+MP3 (Morr Music)
After his collaboration with Sóley and múm’s Örvar Smárason for the 2018 album Team Dreams, Sad Party sees Sindri Sigfússon take things into his own hands again. As a result of frantic and mostly improvised jam sessions, the nine pop songs are as bittersweet as the title suggests, meandering between Sin Fang’s trademark knack for catchy melodies, rich sonic textures, and advanced musical experimentalism. Psychedelic and melancholic at once, it brings Sigfússon’s many different musical facets into a consistent and irresistible flow.
Slow Meadow – Happy Occident CD (Hammock Music)
Two years following 2017’s Costero, Slow Meadow returns with its third full-length album Happy Occident, a collection of textured ambient melodies. Fueled by the anxiety derivative of modern life and the frenetic and often uncertain state of these ever-changing times, Happy Occident provides music for reflection. A soundtrack to life’s contemplative moments, and an experience akin to mindfulness meditation. [Vinyl edition due November 15.]
Snow Patrol – Reworked CD (Republic)
Issued in celebration of the band’s 25th anniversary, Reworked presents thirteen re-envisioned versions of Snow Patrol classics including “Run”, “You’re All I Have”, “Chasing Cars”, “Take Back The City”, “Crack The Shutters” and “Called Out In The Dark” plus three new songs. [Vinyl edition due December 6.]
Soundwalk Collective & Patti Smith – Mummer Love CD/LP (PIAS America)
A sonic cross-continental experience, Mummer Love is the second album in the Perfect Vision triptych collaboration between Soundwalk Collective and Patti Smith. For this body of work, Soundwalk Collective journeyed to Africa to explore the intricacies of Arthur Rimbaud’s most obscure period. A strand within the wider Islam religion, it focuses on spirituality, meditation and chanting sessions. Sufi music is about reaching a communal ecstatic state, and once you find yourself there, you are granted access to the unknown.
Thee Oh Sees – Sucks Blood [Reissue/2007] CD/LP (Castleface)
The sixth full-length album from Thee Oh Sees is now back in print on CD and vinyl. Produced by Kelly Stoltz, Sucks Blood exudes mellow vibes.
Pat Travers – Live In Concert April 30th, 1981 – Stanley Theatre Pittsburg, PA CD/LP (Purple Pyramid)
The guitar legend blows the house down on this epic concert recording from 1981. [Also available on yellow colored vinyl.]
Tribe – Hometown: Detroit Sessions 1990 – 2014 CD (Strut/Art Yard)
The first compilation bringing together the modern era recordings of Detroit’s acclaimed independent jazz collective. [Vinyl edition due November 15.]
Tsunami Bomb – Spine That Binds CD/LP (Alternative Tentacles)
Northern California’s punk rock cult favorites, Tsunami Bomb, has risen from the grave and reformed with their third full-length release, The Spine That Binds, and with it they have proven that this chapter of Tsunami Bomb not only embraces their signature style of aggressive pop-punk supplemented by a touch of darkness but have taken it even further. Honing their skills of melody while being more in-your-face and more aggressive than ever, they conjure a dark journey of discovery with each track.
Tyketto – Strength In Numbers Live CD (Frontiers)
Tyketto celebrate the 25th year anniversary of the release of their second studio album Strength In Numbers with this live release. The live album includes all the songs originally included on Strength in Numbers plus an unreleased song, “Wait Forever”, a song that was written during the recording session of that album, but that the band never managed to record and release.
Various Artists – Nigeria Soul Power 70 (Afro-Funk ★ Afro-Rock ★ Afro-Disco) CD/2xLP (Soul Jazz)
Soul Jazz Records’ Nigeria Soul Power 70 album showcases the influence of funk, rock and disco on Nigerian music during the 1970s. Originally released as a nowlong-out-of-print collectors’ 7′ RSD box, this fully expanded album release now also includes extra tracks from Sonny Okosuns, Wings, Chief Kollington Ayinla and more.
Various Artists – No Other Love: Midwest Gospel 1965-1978 CD (Tompkins Square
Tompkins Square has released acclaimed black gospel compilations over the years, including Fire In My Bones, This May Be My Last Time Singing, a Nashboro Records anthology, the complete recordings of Arizona Dranes, and When I Reach That Heavenly Shore. Record collector Ramona Stout compiled this new set of Midwest Gospel gems, many heard here for the first time since original release. She tracked down many of the original artists, and composed deep, moving liner notes about her experiences. The original 45rpm records were transferred and mastered by the Grammy-winning team of Christopher King and Bryan Hoffa.
Various Artists – Too Late To Pray: Defiant Chicago Roots CD/2xLP (Bloodshot)
A current magnifying-glass-look at some – but not even close to all – of the artists and groups making unique and special music in Chicago’s roots scene. Some of the artists you may have heard of; some are woven so tightly into the fabric of the city, it’s hard to imagine a time without them.
Brooke White – Calico CD/LP (Nevado Music)
Recently release on vinyl – now available on CD. New album from the former American Idol contestant. Calico finds itself in a place that belongs smack dab in the middle of Nashville and Laurel Canyon.
Hannah Williams & The Affirmations – 50 Foot Woman CD/LP (Record Kicks)
Hannah Williams, the British soul hurricane who sensationally became part of Jay-Z’s chart-topping 4:44 album, is primed and ready for her own national and international breakthrough. Shades of classic soul and psychedelic funk blend uniquely with modern-day flavors on a record destined to set the soul agenda for 2019 and far beyond.
Wolf Jaw – The Heart Won’t Listen CD/LP (Listenable)
Wolf Jaw’s frontman and guitarist, Tom Leighton, comments on the band’s new album: “I’ve always been inspired by the likes of Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and so on, but recently I’ve been loving bands like All Them Witches, Red Fang, Kadavar and QOTSA, then more modern blues rock players like Tyler Bryant and the Shakedown and Jared James Nichols. It’s all been thrown into a melting pot for The Heart Won’t Listen, and the result is perhaps some of our best work yet.” [Limited blue colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Work Of Art – Exhibits CD/LP (Frontiers)
A batch of unforgettable songs with soaring melodies and amazing instrumental prowess. For melodic rock/AOR aficionados.
Yung Guv – Guv I & II CD/LP (Run For Cover)
Two albums worth of power-pop bliss, psychedelic riffs, and swagger.
DVDs + Blu-ray:
Tracy Byrd – Live At Billy Bob’s Texas DVD (Smith Music Group)
There are many ways to describe Tracy Byrd, but unique, talented, and charismatic just seem to scratch the surface. However, there is one word that ties them all together and is true to their character: Tracy Byrd is real. Few people sing so honestly from their heart and soul. Tracy Byrd does so in just the right way, combining art, story, and song in perfect unison.
This Week’s Vinyl Exclusives:
45 Grave – A Devil’s Possessions – Demos & Live 1980-1983 LP (Cleopatra)
Limited edition vinyl LP from the goth punk legends featuring rare demos and live recordings including the classic anthem “Party Time”.
Adrenalin O.D. – Humungusfungusamoungus – Millennium Edition LP (Beer City)
19 remastered tracks of blazing speed-punk/hardcore/thrash mayhem. Originally released in 1986 on the band’s Buy Our Own Records label.
The APX – Amplified Experiment LP (The Sleepers Recordz)
Detroit native singer/songwriter Erika Dawn alongside her prodigy multi-talented husband Dee Rhodes are an Atlanta based electro funk/soul duo collectively known as The APX. Amplified Experiment encores the duo’s sound with a 2020 approach, fueled with the influence of the finest traditional ’80s and ’90s style funk, house, and soul.
Nina Atsuko – Play Room ～ 戯れ [Reissue/1983] LP (Studio Mule)
Vinyl reissue of Japanese singer-songwriter Nina Atsuko’s debut album, Play Room, originally released in 1983. This album is one of the most-wanted Japanese city pop albums, but it’s quite hard to find the original vinyl. Nina covered her favorite bossa nova, Latin, and American pops tunes in Japanese with the sound of ’80s urban jazz fusion. All tracks match the big Japanese city pop revival trend perfectly.
Bad Wolves – N.A.T.I.O.N. LP (Eleven Seven Music)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. N.A.T.I.O.N. is the second album from heavy metal supergroup Bad Wolves. The band consists of vocalist Tommy Vext (ex-Divine Heresy, ex-Snot, ex-Westfield Massacre), drummer John Boecklin (ex-DevilDriver), lead guitarist Doc Coyle (ex-God Forbid), rhythm guitarist Chris Cain (ex-Bury Your Dead, ex-For the Fallen Dreams) and bassist Kyle Konkiel (ex-In This Moment, ex-Scar The Martyr, Vimic). “Taking inspiration from bands such as Pantera and Fear Factory it is easy to see the connections through all their tunes. The heavy drumming, the riffs, the vocals. An epic mix of fist to the air action.” – The Weekly Spoon
Bertil Strandbergs Kvintett – Cirrus [Reissue/1973] LP (Frederiksberg Recs)
In 1973, a snowstorm almost prevented the band from making it to the studio to record this album. Cirrus, released in 1974 in tiny numbers, has since become a heralded object among jazz aficionados. Cirrus is full of melancholy. Yet it is balanced with a curiosity and an awareness of the world. Named after a white, wispy cloudscape made up of ice crystals, one can almost picture the deep woods of Sweden as the backdrop to these six compositions. The group, led by trombonist Bertil Strandberg, recorded only this album. Bertil wrote the title track which gives you a hint at how he sees the world. Bertil’s brother, Göran Strandberg is on piano and wrote most of the songs on the album. American ex-pat Ed Epstein is on tenor. Ove Gustavsson and Bjarne Boman on bass and drums respectively.
Blut Aus Nord – Hallucinogen 2xLP+MP3 (Debemur Morti Prod.)
Recently released on CD – now available on colored vinyl featuring an etched D-side. Interweaving dreamlike choirs, inimitable harmonic developments, reflective clean guitars, palpable organic drumming and a welcome rock and roll swagger, Hallucinogen is a spacious, emotionally wide-ranging record.
Thomas Brinkmann – Raupenbahn LP (Editions Mego)
Throughout his career Brinkmann has focused on the human operating amongst industry alongside rhythms that manifest as a result of technological advancement. With this new release Brinkmann makes a U-turn, looking back to the early industrial age. Comprised of recordings of various looms, Raupenbahn investigates the sonic properties and consequences of the first automatic loom as constructed by Jacques de Vaucanson in 1745. “Thomas Brinkmann acutely highlights the industrial connections that long begat synth-pop and electronic dance music in hotspots such as Düsseldorf, Manchester and Sheffield with his fascinating recordings of old weaving looms and their clanky mechanical rhythms.” – Boomkat
Apollo Brown – Sincerely, Detroit 2xLP (Mello Music Group)
Released last week on CD – now available on vinyl. Featuring over fifty Detroit artists, Apollo Brown’s new album, Sincerely, Detroit, is a love letter to the culture. From different eras and different walks of life, veterans and newcomers alike lend their styles and deliveries to the 21-track album. Featuring artists like Royce Da 5’9, Black Milk, Trick Trick, Elzhi, Slum Village and many, many more, Sincerely, Detroit is a nearly comprehensive look at the styles and flavors of Detroit.
Bt Alc Big Band – The Search For Peace LP (Ropeadope)
Recently release on CD – now available on vinyl. Since the group’s formation in 2011, the Bt Alc Big Band, led by trombonist Brian Thomas and trumpeter Alex Lee-Clark, has gained a reputation for hard grooving original compositions featuring the most talented jazz and funk musicians in Boston. The group draws from the big band traditions of Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and Thad Jones and infuses music from funk legends like James Brown, Parliament Funkadelic, and The Meters, creating an undeniably unique sound. Call it big band funk.
Can – Tago Mago [Reissue/1971] 2xLP (Mute)
Can – Ege Bamyasi [Reissue/1972] LP (Mute)
Limited colored vinyl reissues of the krautrock band’s third and fourth albums. Of all the band’s oeuvre, the unclassifiable Tago Mago has been most often cited as an influence for a host of artists including John Lydon, The Fall, Ariel Pink, F**k Buttons, Sonic Youth, Factory Floor and Queens Of The Stone Age. Ege Bamyasi finds the band transitioning from the edgy excursions of their earlier albums to the more nuanced ambience of their later fare, a sound that would lend itself to many soundtrack opportunities.
Alice Cooper – Dirty Diamonds [Reissue/2005] LP (New West)
Limited colored vinyl reissue. After the return to the garage feel of The Eyes Of Alice Cooper Alice continued down the same road with 2005’s Dirty Diamonds. However, this is generally a more satisfying album with a greater diversity of material from the AC/DC hard rock of “Woman Of Mass Distraction”, through the Stonesy “You Make Me Wanna” and “Perfect” to the country feel of the hysterical “Saga of Jesse Jane”. Although he was no longer the acknowledged prince of Shock Rock by this time, “Zombie Dance” and “Run Down Down The Devil” are reminiscent of the time when he created the model for artists like Marilyn Manson and Rob Zombie.
C.R.A.C. – All For You [Reissue/1980] LP (KingUnderground)
C.R.A.C. was formed in 1974 by bassist/vocalist Rick Cua, drummer Tommy Rozzano, keyboardist Larry Arlotta, and lead singer/percussionist Ricky Chisholm. Their name is an acronym for the founding member’s last names. Drawing inspiration from other bands in their genre, their passion for music, and the success of their first radio single, “Of The Lites”, they continued to add to their repertoire of songs written by members of the band.
Lucy Dacus – Historian [Reissue/2018] LP+MP3 (Matador)
Lucy Dacus – 2019 12”+MP3 (Matador)
“Emotionally raw and intimate… (Lucy Dacus has) a big, unadulterated voice and tattooable lyrics” (The New York Times). “Lucy Dacus’ voice has a snuggly allure, it’s tone warm, deep, and decadent” (Pitchfork). “She never sounds less than supremely confident on lyrics that make the personal political, and vice versa, accompanied by musical arrangements that are sometimes downright majestic” (Paste Magazine). [2018’s Historian is available on colored vinyl for the first time.]
Gary Davenport – Scattered Thoughts LP (Numero)
A treasure trove of early underground from San Antonio’s first punk label Closet Records. Centered around the manic energy of founder Gary Davenport, this tidy 13-song collection compiles for the first time the best of his mid-fi work in Mannequin, quirky duos with Mark Champion and Charles Athanas, and alone at the raging edge of suburban Texas. A heady mix of jangly prog, dream-punk, community college rock, and anxious alternative, achieved just as video was killing the radio star. Packaged in a heavy-weight tip-on sleeve, with an accompanying book chronicling the entire sordid affair and visual discography.
Jamael Dean – Black Space Tapes LP (Stones Throw)
Pianist, producer and jazz prodigy Jamael Dean has already collaborated and performed with the likes of Kamasi Washington, Thundercat, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson and Carlos Niño. His music reflects the dual influence of his Los Angeles contemporaries and jazz ancestors – Sun Ra, Alice Coltrane, Herbie Hancock and soul jazz drummer Donald Dean, who is also his grandfather.
Enslaved – Vertebrae [Reissue/2008] LP (By Norse Music)
Enslaved – Axioma Ethica Odini [Reissue/2010] LP (By Norse Music)
Enslaved offer up vinyl reissues of Vertebrae (2008) and Axioma Ethica Odini (2010), two albums which form an important pair musically in dynamics sonically and conceptually. By now Enslaved was up and running with the turn to the more progressive and avant-gardist directions completed with its more mellow predecessors. [CD editions due December 6.]
André Ethier – Croak In The Weeds LP (Telephone Explosion)
The second installment in a planned trilogy from the ex-Deadly Snakes frontman.
Fat Jon – Wave Motion [Reissue/2002] LP (Young Heavy Souls)
Recently released on cassette – now available on vinyl. Fat Jon the Ample Soul Physician is a hip-hop producer and rapper from Cincinnati, Ohio, and currently residing in Germany. He is known for his work with hip-hop group Five Deez and as a part of the production team for the popular anime series Samurai Champloo. In 2002, Fat Jon released Wave Motion, consisting of tracks from his two previously released EPs Dyslexic and Stasis. Double purple vinyl pressing.
Bill Frisell – Harmony 2xLP (Blue Note)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Acclaimed guitarist Bill Frisell has signed with Blue Note and releases his debut album for the label under his own name with Harmony, a gorgeous and evocative journey across the landscape of American music of the last century. The album features vocalist Petra Haden, cellist and vocalist Hank Roberts, and guitarist, bassist and vocalist Luke Bergman. Longtime fans will recognize Frisell’s ongoing calling to both honor the totality of American music and represent his personal history with integrity. “If I think back throughout my whole life, all the music that I’ve loved,” he says, “why can’t it all be there at the same time? You can play a Bob Dylan song and you can play a standard song or a Charlie Parker song, and they can fit together. Why not? There’s no reason why you can’t have ‘Lush Life’ and ‘Red River Valley’ on the same album. They’re both beautiful songs.”
Kevin Griffin – Anywhere You Go LP (BMG)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Kevin Griffin formed the alternative rock band Better Than Ezra in 1988. The band had great success in the 1990s with hits such as “Good,” “In the Blood,” and “Desperately Wanting,” and has continued in the 2000s with hits such as “Extra Ordinary,” “A Lifetime,” and “Juicy.” They continue to tour and produce new recordings, the most recent of which is All Together Now, released in September 2014. Griffin has also produced, written, and co-written songs for other artists, such as Sugarland, James Blunt, Christina Perri, Taylor Swift, Train, Howie Day, Missy Higgins, Daniel Powter, Augustana, Debbie Harry, and Josh Radin. Anywhere You Go is his debut solo album. Buoyed by minimal production, sweeping vocal harmonies, and narrative lyricism, he’s penned some of his most intimate, inimitable, and irresistible tunes to date.
M.T. Hadley – Empty LP (PIAS America)
M.T. Hadley has been praised for his thoughtful introspection and candid lyricism, which shine a light on the darker parts of life and encourage us to accept the duality of everything. His debut album, Empty, is nine songs in the key of accepting pain. He cites as influences classic songwriters like Joan Armatrading, Scott Walker and Todd Rundgren, alongside contemporary pop artists such as Ed Sheeran.
Happy Mondays – The Early EPs 4×12” (London)
The release brings together the seminal Manchester band’s first four EPs: Forty Five (1985), Freaky Dancin/The Egg (1986), Tart Tart (1987), and 24 Hour Party People (1987). The Early EPs have been remastered from the original two-inch tapes held in the Factory/London Records archive and pressed on colored vinyl. [Vinyl reissues of Happy Mondays’ first four albums – Squirrel And G-man Twenty Four Hour Party People Plastic Face Carnt Smile (White Out) (1987), Bummed (1988), Pills ‘n’ Thrills And Bellyaches (1990), and Yes Please! (1992) to follow.]
Hard Stuff – Bulletproof [Reissue/1972] LP+CD (Magic Box)
Led by underground guitar hero John Cann (formerly of Andromeda and Atomic Rooster) and also featuring bassist John Gustafson (Quatermass) and drummer Paul Hammond (Atomic Rooster), this energetic trio’s debut is packed with crunching riffs and wailing solos, and benefits from a strikingly clear production.
Eddie Harris – Bossa Nova [Reissue/1963] LP (Alternative Fox)
Tenor saxophonist Eddie Harris is best-known for his composition “Freedom Jazz Dance”, which Miles Davis brought to prominence in 1966, and for being a pioneer of the electric saxophone, yet his career is long, distinguished and varied.
Hermitude – Pollyanarchy LP (Nettwerk)
Hip-hop influenced electronic innovators Hermitude has worked tirelessly to carve out a special nook in the music scene. The duo’s album Pollyanarchy is a reflection on finding clarity in the chaos. The eleven-track album brags an assemblage of features including Buddy, BJ The Chicago Kid, Vic Mensa, Bibi Bourelly, Soaky Sirens, Vory, Wes Period, Hoodlem and more.
Iron Age – The Sleeping Eye [Reissue/2009] LP (Profound Lore)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. In 2009 Iron Age unleashed their second album The Sleeping Eye upon the world like a many-tentacled monstrosity, ripping to shreds boundaries between epic heavy metal and punishing hardcore. [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Joy – No Light Below LP (To Live A Lie)
Joy has risen from their crushing first EP and produced a masterful freshman full length that oozes hatred. Those unfamiliar with the band will be greeted with bile and blackened hardcore that can only be broiled out of the oppressive North Carolina sunshine. Breakdowns, blastbeats, Botch-esque brutality. In this modern day where nothing makes sense, Joy bash and beat you back to reality.
Karate Boogaloo – KB’s Mixtape No. 2 LP (Hope Street)
Karate Boogaloo brings you the second in their KB’s Mixtape series with songs from the ’80s that were sampled into your favorite hits. Songs by Blondie, Kraftwerk, Patti LaBelle & Stevie Nicks sampled by artists such as Destiny’s Child, Kanye West, Jay Z, Mariah Carey & Warren G, all flipped and twisted in Karate Boogaloo’s unique way.
Kele – 2042 LP (Kola)
Kele, founding member and lead singer of Bloc Party, returns with the new solo album 2042, heralded by the visceral first single “Jungle Bunny”. 2042 is Kele’s fourth solo record and, following 2017’s largely acoustic Fatherland (released under his full name and featuring a duet with Olly Alexander from Years And Years), marks something of a return to the adrenalized electronics of his previous two solo records, Trick (2014) and The Boxer (2010), whilst broadening the sonic palette by bringing in elements of his work with Bloc Party and a litany of other influences and ideas. As an artist, Kele Okereke has never stood still, relentlessly seeking new ways in which to present his luminous songs. Whilst sonically markedly different from Fatherland, lyrically 2042 picks up a thread from that record whereby Kele’s life experiences and relationships suffuse the album with some of his most personal lyrics yet. [CD due November 15.]
Hiro Kone – A Fossil Begins To Bray LP (Dais)
In her most personally narrative work to date, A Fossil Begins To Bray is the follow up on Dais Records for NYC producer Hiro Kone, furthering the dialogue set forth on her 2018 release, Pure Expenditure. While the statements on Pure Expenditure rallied behind a point of dangerous excess and injustice, the material on A Fossil Begins To Bray embark upon a journey of discovery and self-analysis, proposing a potential reorientation towards absence in hopes of illuminating potential futures. The first single, “Feed My Ancestors”, expands upon Hiro Kone’s signature take on electronic music structures. Seemingly free from the predictable contracts imposed by any one genre’s stereotypes, Hiro Kone throttles the foreboding bassline in favor of more calculated, abstract cutups that gracefully hold the track in place between hopeful utopia and something more ominous. [Limited pink colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Latrell – 1984 LP (Family Groove)
Previously unreleased Prince-influenced modern soul & boogie-funk.
Les Rallizes Denudes / The Taj-Mahal Travellers – Oz Days Live 1973 LP (Alternative Fox)
Japanese experimental group Les Rallizes Denudes is the ultimate rock ‘n’ roll enigma. Sometimes referred to as Hadaka No Rallizes or even as Hadaka No Rarizu, each appellation a variant of the name F**ked Up And Naked, which equates to being high on hard drugs, they are seen as noise-rock pioneers, yet sifting fact from fiction isn’t easy with their oddball tale. The Taj Mahal Travellers are suitably cosmic, their echoing jams featuring looped vocal chants, disjointed string instruments and sparse, off-kilter percussion; in contrast, the contributions from Les Rallizes are more standard examples of instrumental psychedelic rock, which veers more towards the acid rock end of the spectrum as this joint live 1973 performance progresses.
Madonna – Madonna [Reissue/1983] LP (WB)
Madonna – Like A Virgin [Reissue/1984] LP (WB)
Madonna – True Blue [Reissue/1986] LP (WB)
Madonna – Who’s That Girl [Reissue/1987] LP (WB)
Limited colored vinyl pressings of Madonna’s first three studio albums and her original motion picture soundtrack to the 1987 comedy Who’s That Girl (in which she also starred).
Manfred Mann – Manfred Mann Chapter Three [Reissue/1969] LP (Creature Music)
The debut album by Manfred Mann, Chapter Three was a pivot from Manred Mann’s ‘60s beat roots and focused on instrumental inventiveness. Regarded as experimental jazz rock upon release in 1969, it was one of the first three albums to come out on the legendary progressive rock label, Vertigo.
Mercury Rev, Margo Price, & Erika Wennerstrom – Sermon b/w Louisiana Man 7” (PTKF)
From their recording lair in New York’s Catskill Mountains, Mercury Rev’s founding core of Jonathan Donahue and Grasshopper with Jesse Chandler (previously in the Texas group Midlake) honor pop and country singer-songwriter Bobbie Gentry’s foresight and creative triumph with spacious invention and hallucinatory flair. “Sermon” b/w “Louisiana Man” is part of a limited run of 7”, this one featuring “Sermon” with Margo Price and a brand new cover of “Lousiana Man” withx Erika Wennerstrom of Heartless Bastards.
Juana Molina – Forfun 10” (Crammed Disc)
When Juana Molina – the unrivalled master of mysterious, sophisticated experimental pop- arrived with her band on the site of the Roskilde festival in July 2018, they found that the airline had misplaced their backline, all they had with them was Juana’s guitar. They decided to go ahead and play a set anyway, using the guitar and instruments which were onstage, i.e. a keyboard and a drum kit. They played a wild set of semi-improvised versions of Juana’s songs, to the fans delight. Now, several months later, here’s the Forfun EP, which includes four of Juana’s songs, all re-arranged and performed in that joyful punky mood.
Morphine – Good [Reissue/1992] 2xLP (Run Out Groove)
One of the most unique, original and unusual rock bands to burst onto the alternative scene in the 90s, Morphine was originally formed by vocalist/bassist Mark Sandman (d. 1999), saxophonist Dana Colley and drummer Jerome Deupree (later replaced by Billy Conway) in Cambridge, Mass in 1989. They expertly combined blues, jazz and rock elements into a very distinct style, anchored by Sandman’s deep, crooning, beat-style vocals. Run Out Groove’s deluxe expanded vinyl edition of their 1992 debut Good includes a bonus LP of alternates, live and demo tracks licensed from the Mark Sandman Estate.
The Music Improvisation Company – 1968-1971 [Reissue/1976] 2xLP (Honest Jon’s)
The African American heritage that led to jazz was melodious, vocal, churchical and field-holler-inflected. The Germans and the Dutch never made any secret of their affection for it, but British free improvisers in the late 1960s were looking elsewhere. Even so, and though the music press made a big deal a while back about the release of a 1965 rehearsal tape by Derek Bailey’s earlier Joseph Holbrooke trio (with Gavin Bryars and Tony Oxley), their early efforts were mere tentative steps along a cliff edge wearing a line safely attached to Coltrane, and there’s still a faint but distinct aftertaste of jazz in Bailey and Parker’s work with The Music Improvisation Company.
Nektar – Book Of Days [Reissue/2008] LP (Purple Pyramid)
First-time vinyl pressing of prog rock band’s 2008 album. Limited gold colored edition.
Brian Owens & The Deacons Of Soul – Soul Of Ferguson LP (Soul Step)
Soul Of Ferguson is for fans of Durand Jones & The Indications, Leon Bridges, and Marvin Gaye. Soul music isn’t something you can define, but something you can hear. With this LP, you can hear a ton of soul. Hear the echoes of some of the great soul sounds of old, from Motown to Stax. Guest vocals from Michael McDonald of The Doobie Brothers.
Andrew Pekler – Sounds From Phantom Islands LP (Fatiche)
A masterpiece of contemporary exotica. Phantom Islands are islands that appeared on historical maps but never actually existed. The status of these artifacts of European colonial expansion from the 15th to the 19th century oscillates between cartographic fact and maritime fiction. Sounds From Phantom Islands interprets and presents these imaginations as a quasi-ethnographic catalog of music and synthetic field recordings.
Carl Perkins – Discovering Carl Perkins: Eastview, Tennessee 1952-53 10”+CD (Bear Family)
Historic, early recordings by rockabilly pioneer discovered after 70 years.
Pig City – Terminal Decline LP (To Live A Lie)
Misanthropic dirges that would make a normal person question their sanity.
Pillows – FLCL Progressive/FLCL Alternative (Music From Series) 2xLP (Milan)
Double blue and yellow colored vinyl LP pressing in gatefold jacket. FLCL Progressive and FLCL Alternative are the sequel series to the cult anime classic FLCL. The Pillows work on the original FLCL series introduced them to audiences in the west, and their original compositions for the show remain among their most popular. For FLCL Progressive and FLCL Alternative, The Pillows have again created a rock dynamo.
The Police – Outlandos D’Amour [Reissue/1978] LP (A&M)
The Police – Reggatta De Blanc [Reissue/1979] LP (A&M)
The Police – Zenyatta Mondatta [Reissue/1980] LP (A&M)
The Police – Ghost In The Machine [Reissue/1981] LP (A&M)
The Police – Zenyatta Mondatta [Reissue/1983] LP (A&M)
Limited 180gm vinyl reissues.
Ryan Porter – The Force For Good LP (World Galaxy/Alpha)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. With remarkable artistry and a deep emotional charge, Ryan Porter’s album Force For Good channels a powerful spiritual electricity that speaks directly to your soul. Backed by the West Coast Get Down on his third full-length release, the acclaimed trombonist takes inspiration from the positivity of jazz pioneer: “The Force For Good is my contribution to the legacy of John Coltrane’s message of peace, love, and unity through music.”
Steve Reich & Ensemble Modern & Synergy Vocals – Tokyo Opera City May 21st, 2008 LP (Alternative Fox)
Music For 18 Musicians was first released by jazz label ECM in 1978, based around pulsing patterns of tuned percussion created by several pianists, a vibraphonist and three marimba players, along with a clarinetist, a cellist, and a violinist, as well as three vocalists, with players switching to different instruments and percussion as necessary; the masterful version presented at Tokyo’s Opera City on May 21, 2008 features the choral group Synergy Vocals, close-microphone specialists founded by BBC Singers and London Choir alumnus Micaela Haslam, who first collaborated with Reich on his 2002 Drumming release.
Renaldo & The Loaf – The Elbow Is Taboo / Elbonus LP (Editions Mego)
The Elbow Is Taboo was Renaldo & The Loaf’s fourth and last album of their initial phase prior to their return in 2010. Released by Ralph Records in America and Some Bizzare in the UK in 1987, this work represents a development in the overall sound as they utilize an 8-track recorder along with early digital effects. Disorientating and delightful, this is a must for all fans of the Loaf and for those tickled by the more deranged spectrum of song.
Roger C. Reale & Rue Morgue – Reptiles In Motion LP (Rave On Records)
Recorded in 1979, the previously unreleased Reptiles In Motion was meant to be Roger C. Reale & Rue Morgue’s second album. Reptiles In Motion features deluxe full color gatefold sleeve with liner notes, previously unseen photographs and eye-popping graphics by Cliff Mott. During the studio group’s 1978-1979 existence, a stellar lineup of rock sidemen recorded as Rue Morgue, including guitarists G.E. Smith (Daryl Hall & John Oates, Bob Dylan, Saturday Night Live Band), Mick Ronson (David Bowie, Bob Dylan, Ian Hunter) and Jimmy McAllister (The Beckies, Mick Ronson Band, Sparks), alongside drummer Hilly Michaels (Mick Ronson Band, Sparks, Ian Hunter). Reale served as the group’s primary songwriter, vocalist, and bassist.
Rollingchild – Post Party Depression LP (Burger)
Recently released on CD and cassette – now available on vinyl. Michael Anthony Bostinto, better known by his stage name Rollingchild, is an Atlanta based producer, songwriter, and recording artist who combines musical elements of 90’s hip-hop with the tonal swagger of the 1960s.
Sarchasm – Beach Blanket Bummer Pop LP (Asian Man)
From Berkeley, CA, Sarchasm is three introverts with lisps of varying severity and radically different coffee shop orders, unified by their love of superheroes, burritos, and ugly button-up shirts. They make music about mountains and friendships gone wrong.
Ty Segall – Pig Man Lives Volume 1 – Demos 2007 – 2017 4xLP (Sea Note)
Call in the hard-core fans, freaks and weirdos: Ty Segall surveys a decade of work, sharing 46 demos from his home library, the building blocks for seven different albums, as well as several unreleased songs. This limited-edition set is a turntable-busting four LPs, designed to look like a classic bootleg from the golden age of rock. Ty play all the parts, except for the part of digging it. That’s what we’re here for.
Sempiternal Dusk – Cenotaph Of Defectuous Creation LP (Dark Decent)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Five tracks of pummeling mid-tempo death played with intent and a disdain for modern death metal cliché.
Michael Seyer – Nostalgia LP (Votiv)
Japanese city pop, Brazilian boogie, 70’s soft rock, all of these influences help make Michael Seyer one of the most unique artists creating music in indie-pop today. On the EP Nostalgia the 24-year-old songwriter, born in the Philippines but raised in suburban LA, sought to create songs both fresh and timeless. The 6 track EP bares the unmistakable hallmarks of classic pop from the ‘60s and ‘70s – the kinds of songs which strove to find a perfect balance between emotion and technique. Limited colored vinyl pressing.
slowthai – Nothing Great About Britain LP (Caroline)
Debut studio album by the British rapper, featuring guest appearances from Mura Masa, as well as fellow British rappers Skepta and Jaykae.
Smoke DZA – Baconeggandtrees LP (Tuff Kong)
Seven tracks of THC infused hip-hop, joined on this adventure by Domo Genesis, Abby Jasmine, Pounds, Cory Gunz, Shoota 93 and Chelsie Denise, giving smokers the perfect soundtrack to continue their 4/20 holidays all year long.
Starset – Divisions LP (Fearless)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. The concept of Starset is a multimedia experience with a cinematic rock band at the center, set in a near future and centered around showcasing the positive and negative effects of technology on society – futuristic on one side, post-apocalyptic on the other. Think Tron meets Mad Max.
Statik Selektah – Population Control [Reissue/2011] 2xLP (Tuff Kong)
Back in 2011 Statik Selektah dropped his fourth solo album Population Control, described in his words word as his “way of saying who is legit from the new generation and I added a few of the OGs that still care about our music.” The album features: Mac Miller, Talib Kweli, Bun B, Chris Webby, Pill, Dom Kennedy, LeCrae, Joell Ortiz, Freddie Gibbs, Brother Ali, Colin Munroe, Sean Price, Styles P, Lil Fame of M.O.P., Reks, Action Bronson, Chace Infinite, Slaine, JFK, Strong Arm Steady, Jon Connor, XV, The Kid Daytona, Termanology, Josh Xantus, Saigon, Jared Evan, Kali, Gameboi, Skyzoo, Chuuwee, Tayyib Ali, Push! Montana, LEP Bogus Boys, Ea$y Money, Nitty Scott MC, Rapsody, Smoke DZA, STS, Dosage, Scram Jones and DJ Babu.
Don Slepian – New Dawn: New Music For Digital Orchestra Volume III ( [Reissue/1980] LP (Morning Trip)
Gravitating towards improvisation and experimentation, Slepian built a breathtaking sound-world that stretched the briefest of moments into an eternity of detail and depth. In 1980, Slepian self-released a series of cassette albums that built upon and perfected this practice, offering New Music For Digital Orchestra. New Dawn is one of those albums – an enthralling example of New Age euphoria, and early-electronic experimentation.
Morton Subotnick – Silver Apples Of The Moon [Reissue/1967] LP (Waveshaper Media)
In support of their forthcoming documentary Subotnick – Portrait Of An Electronic Music Pioneer, Waveshaper Media – the same team behind the modular synthesizer documentary I Dream Of Wires – presents a deluxe edition vinyl reissue of Subotnick’s landmark 1967 debut electronic release.
Styles P – S.P. The GOAT: Ghost Of All Time LP (Tuff Kong)
On his brand-new studio effort Styles P proves his key to success has always been consistency. The born in Corona, raised in Yonkers, NY native has really worked harder than most to earn the name GOAT, and by naming his album S.P. The GOAT: Ghost Of All Time you know he’s not bragging about it; in fact he’s getting his flowers while he’s alive from hip-hop connoisseurs who know fire bars when they hear them. With productions by Vinny Idol, Termanology, Dayzel the Machine, and Noah Idol among others and guest appearances by Sheek Louch, Jadakiss, Nino Man, Fame of M.O.P, Whispers and Cris Streetz, the legendary LOX and D-Block member proves once again he’s aging like fine wine.
Tempers – Private Life LP (Dais)
New York based duo Tempers, comprised of Jasmine Golestaneh and Eddie Cooper, has been diligently carving out their own unique niche within dark indie, electronica and synth-pop circles since their formation. After a series of digital singles in 2013, Tempers began solidifying its singular identity of rigorous electronic production blended with instinctual, unleashed vocals. [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Tyrant – Hold Back The Lightning LP (SPV)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Includes the 1983 single “Hold Back The Lightning” b/w Eyes Of A Stranger along with demo recordings from the golden era of British heavy metal.
Ugly – Betrayal LP (To Live A Lie)
Ugly plays a heavy detuned sludge metal sticky with riffs and seething with angry noise slithering in the undertone.
Various Artists – Electronic Voyages: Early Moog Recordings 1964-1969 LP (Waveshaper Media)
In support of their forthcoming Bob Moog documentary Electronic Voyager, Waveshaper Media has produced a compilation LP of Moog recordings from the 1960s. The first compilation of its kind, Electronic Voyages: Early Moog Recordings 1964-1969 contains tracks by Robert Arthur Moog, Herbert Deutsch, Joel Chadabe, Lothar and The Hand People, Intersystems, Ruth White, Max Brand, and Paul Earls.
Versing – Nude Descending 12” (Friends & Family)
“Versing craft a more spacious, shoegaze-informed guitar sound, coming across like an amalgam of Flying Nun Records-y melodic post-punk, loud-soft Swirlies-inspired gaze-pop, and Pavementesque collegiate nonchalance.” – Brittnie Fuller, The Stranger
The Victims – The Victims LP (In The Red)
Punk music, at its most effective, its most important, exists at a nexus of a few simple but important ideas. Punk needs to be youthful, it needs to be reactionary, it needs to be short-lived and it needs to be controversial. A group of twenty-something Australians, excitable as the frontline first wave of kids responding to both the Ramones and the Sex Pistols (yet still influenced by the New York Dolls and Stooges and Flamin’ Groovies), The Victims existed for but barely for a year from 1977-1978 and wrote songs about serial killers, high school girls and hating disco.
The Wedding Present – Tommy 30 CD/LP+CD (Scopitones)
Standard black vinyl edition. George Best became The Wedding Present’s first album in 1988. But Tommy, released one year later, was made up of the early songs from the singles and radio sessions that had catapulted them from being bedsit musicians into indie darlings. Tommy 30 is a brand-new re-recording of Tommy, which follow’s up 2017’s George Best 30.
White Denim – The Last Day Of Summer [Reissue/2010] LP (Radio Milk)
Vinyl reissue of this album from the Texas Alt-Rock trio, which was briefly available as a download-only release in 2010. Last Day Of Summer is unique in the Texan explorers’ catalog. Rather than the result of long experimentation and their usual casually eclectic approach (typified by their much-admired mixtapes), enforced restrictions offered new possibilities. It’s noticeably different in approach from their other offerings.
WHOOP-Szo – Warrior Down LP (You’ve Changed)
WHOOP-Szo is a blazing force of DIY rock. hunderous and ground-breaking, harmonious and generative, on Warrior Down, WHOOP-Szo create an emotional weather-storm that dances conscientiously between anger and discipline, frustration and hope for a concise, focused 35-minute examination of injustice, history, language reclamation, and Indigenous solidarity. [CD edition due December 6.]
The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die – Assorted Works LP (Triple Crown)
“The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die has always been a collective. We have gained and lost, grown and shed over the first 10 years. Here we are now with probably the strongest core we have had yet. We want to collect these songs you may have missed and give the chance to see us at the steps we’ve taken between albums. From our halves of splits with other bands to companion releases to others you may have heard, these songs are now together on vinyl and arranged in a new package with previously unseen art. While we take our time making the next full length, have a listen to pieces of our past.”
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