November Program Titles Released This Week:
Bad Wolves – N.A.T.I.O.N. CD (Eleven Seven Music)
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 [Vinyl edition due November 8.]
Big Star – In Space [Reissue/ 2005] CD/LP (Omnivore)
Big Star formed in 1971, and in their brief four years together, created three albums that consistently make “Best Of All-Time” lists. Eighteen years after officially disbanding, original members Alex Chilton and Jody Stephens joined forces with The Posies’ Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow for a live performance, which led to a tour (documented on Live In Memphis), and years of concerts. While the live shows were a joy and surprise, a bigger surprise happened in 2005. After over a decade playing together: a new studio album. In Space featured new twelve tracks (eleven originals and a cover of The Olympics’ “Mine Exclusively”) recorded where Big Star began, at the classic Ardent Studios. The new line up was creating a new chapter for the band while minding and honoring its past. [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Black Marble – Bigger Than Life CD/LP (Sacred Bones)
Minimal synth stylist Black Marble releases his third studio album, Bigger Than Life. “For the album, the Los Angeles transplant has signed to Sacred Bones Records, joining a cast of musicians that includes David Lynch, John Carpenter, and Jim Jarmusch. While his sparse lo-fi pop might sound great behind any of their filmmaking, his music has also drawn comparisons to the work of John Maus, Cold Cave, and other recent champions of 1980s synth pop. On the single ‘One Eye Open’, he channels the pulsing rhythms of Oppenheimer Analysis, Unovidual, and others on the UK imprint Minimal Wave with the slick precision of years spent tinkering with analog gear. In a press statement, Christ Stewart says the song ‘is about the idea of an artist as sort of a sacrificial lamb.’ ‘‘One Eye Open’ is loosely based on the visual metaphor of a high wire artist in a three ring circus who elicits oohs and aahs from the crowd, but after a while starts to perform with one eye open as they grow restless.’” [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Joe Bonamassa – Live At The Sydney Opera House CD/2xLP (J&R Adventures/Ingrooves)
Live At The Sydney Opera House is a brand-new live album from “arguably the world’s biggest blues guitarist” (Guitar World) Joe Bonamassa featuring recordings from the two-time Grammy-nominated blues king’s 2016 performance at one of the world’s most legendary venues. This includes previously unreleased versions of tracks from his album Blues Of Desperation. His backing band for his Sydney performance includes Late Night With David Letterman’s Anton Fig (percussion), Nashville recording legend Michael Rhodes (bass guitar), Rock & Roll Hall of Famer and member of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, Reese Wynans (keyboards), Paulie Cerra (saxophone), and Lee Thornburg (trumpet), with Mahalia Barnes, Juanita Tippins, and Gary Pinto on backing vocals.
Cigarettes After Sex – Cry CD/LP (Partisan)
Clocking in at nine songs, Cry is a compact collection, but its brevity belies its depth. While the Cigarettes After Sex’s sound may be most associated with the romantic pop music of the late ‘50s and early ‘60s, Gonzalez pushes into more unexpected sonic territory on the album, reaching back to his childhood in El Paso, TX, to draw subtle melodic influence from ‘90s Tejano stars like Selena and mainstream pop country artists like Shania Twain. Frontman Greg Gonzalez pushes himself lyrically on the album, too, tackling sex with the graphic frankness of Henry Miller or Leonard Cohen as he renders unabashed, sometimes explicitly erotic scenes with a casual candor. Writing with a filmmaker’s eye, he captures tiny moments with a rich, cinematic detail that manages to locate the profound within the mundane. [Limited indie store exclusive vinyl pressing available.]
Cloak – The Burning Dawn CD/LP (Season Of Mist)
Cloak is back with The Burning Dawn, a riff-heavy and groove-laden offering that takes the gothic nuances of its predecessor with added urgency in a more aggressive, vehement spirit. Conceptually, the record comes from a place below the surface where the sleepless and sinister dwell and is absorbed by the darkest of dreams and the most primal desires. While rippers like “A Voice In The Night” and “Tempter’s Call” deliver a fury of soulful aggression, songs like “Lifeless Silence” and “The Fire, The Faith, The Void” offer a darker, gothic essence, ultimately displaying Cloak’s multi-faceted and dynamic musical diversity.
Harry Connick Jr. – True Love: A Celebration Of Cole Porter CD/2xLP (Verve)
Comprised exclusively of Cole Porter compositions, True Love highlights Connick’s talents as pianist, singer, arranger, orchestrator and conductor, as he breathes new life into popular songs from The Great American Songbook including “Anything Goes” and “You Do Something To Me”. “This is the first time I’ve taken a deep dive into another artist’s repertoire, and Cole Porter was my #1 choice for the project. His lyrics are witty and nuanced, and he takes risks as a composer that I find appealing” Connick said. Cole Porter’s body of work, composed primarily for Broadway and Hollywood, comprises one of the central chapters in the Great American Songbook. It is not surprising that Porter would appeal to Connick since, like Connick, he wrote both music and lyrics and redefined what it meant to be the complete songwriter. Connick, whose success in several styles of music as well as film, theater and television has similarly reshaped the notion of what it means to be the complete entertainer.
Michael Cronin – Seeker CD/LP+MP3 (Merge)
Seeker is Mikal Cronin’s fourth and finest full-length to date. Recorded live with a crew of close friends and engineer Jason Quever at Palmetto Studios in Los Angeles, it finds Cronin pushing his often-devastating power pop into darker territory. “Fire – specifically its cycle of purging and reseeding the landscape – is a central theme to the record. Death and rebirth,” says Mikal. “I was looking for something: answers, direction, peace. I am the seeker.” “Lead single ‘Show Me’ is a song about feeling small in an overwhelming world,” adds Cronin. “There’s a not-quite-subtle hint of the Heartbreakers in the instrumentation and arrangement, having asked many friends to play or sing. It’s one of my favorite songs from the album.”
Editors – Black Gold – Best Of Editors CD/2xLP (PIAS America)
In continuation of what’s been one of the most prolific creative streaks of their 15-year career, Editors release the new best of album Black Gold featuring 13 tracks from their six studio albums, alongside three brand new offerings: “Upside Down”, summer festival anthem “Frankenstein” and the gothically dramatic title track “Black Gold”. From their Mercury Prize shortlisted debut The Back Room (2005), to No. 1 debuting An End Has A Start (2007), platinum-selling In This Light And On This Evening (2009), sprawling, transitional The Weight Of Your Love (2013), moody, self-produced In Dream and their sixth top-10 album in a row, 2018’s explosive Violence (2018), Editors has refused to either stay still or compromise. Black Gold is a chance to reflect on the past 15 years, but it also offers a glimpse into a very exciting future for one of the UK’s most enduring and perhaps unexpected musical success stories of this century. [Limited edition white colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Fit For An Autopsy – The Sea Of Tragic Beasts CD/LP (Nuclear Blast)
New Jersey six-piece band Fit For An Autopsy deliver their fifth studio album, The Sea Of Tragic Beasts which is introduced by lead single “Mirrors”. Producer, guitarist, principal songwriter and co-founder Will Putney comments, “You carry things with you, for better or worse. ‘Mirrors’ illustrates the darker side of this idea. It’s also a testament to how the decisions you make can have a resonating effect on the ones around you. Clearly this song was born out of a personal struggle, but in end it’s a reflection on the greater human condition of love and dependency; not being able to release yourself from the darkness around you. Our new record dives head-on into some difficult topics, ‘Mirrors’ is the tip of the iceberg.” [Limited blue and black colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Geowulf – My Resignation CD/LP (PAIS America)
On their sophomore album, My Resignation, London-via-Australia dream-pop duo Geowulf has a lot to say. The follow-up to their debut, Great Big Blue, represents an overall holistic growth. Loneliness is discussed at great length with brutal honesty; learning not only to accept it but also to love the space it provides. They also tackle the difficulties navigating the expectations we put upon ourselves and others. Pepper in life’s heartbreaks and breakups, and it proves to be a beautiful mess. If teenagers have all the coming-of-age movies and novels to make sense of life’s do’s and don’ts, My Resignation is for the twenty-somethings.
Goodbye June – Community Inn CD/LP (Earache)
Goodbye June are three cousins who formed after the death of guitarist Tyler Baker’s brother in June (hence the band name), vowing to honor his memory with their soulful and life affirming sound. Having parted ways from major label Interscope after the release of their debut album Magic Valley (2017), Goodbye June’s earthy, authentic sound continued to flourish and develop with Community Inn, a set of songs rich in texture, soul and bluesy atmosphere. Fusing hard rock licks with deep Southern blues and gospel swing, in part influenced by the band’s strict Pentecostal Church upbringing (a way of life they scorned for a career in rock ‘n’ roll), the sound competes sonically with the new wave of hard rock acts like Greta Van Fleet, while adding layers of color that references a wide spectrum from Led Zeppelin to Kings Of Leon. [Limited indie store exclusive vinyl pressing available.]
Jinjer – Macro CD/LP (Napalm)
Ukrainian progressive groove metal wrecking machine Jinjer return with their long-awaited new album, Macro, and once again prove why the unique blend of singer Tatiana Shmaylyuk’s beautifully aggressive harmonies and vocal hooks and the band’s sheer technical brilliance and precision have set them apart from the pack. From the album’s opening track “On The Top”, which showcases all of their trademark sounds at once, to the superior musicianship and delivery of tracks like “Pausing Death” and “Home Back”, to the viciously heavy reggae induced vibe on “Judgement (& Punishment)”, Jinjer demonstrate their versatility. [Limited indie store exclusive vinyl pressing available.]
Toby Keith – Greatest Hits: The Show Dog Years CD (Show Dog Nashville, LLC)
The 2005 launch of his own record label Show Dog Nashville was a vital step in Toby Keith’s journey to complete musical freedom, and the Oklahoma country music star is marking the creative control he’s enjoyed since with new compilation Greatest Hits: The Show Dog Years. The collection features more than a dozen tracks with four newly recorded songs, including his evocative “Don’t Let The Old Man In”, featured in Clint Eastwood’s 2018 film The Mule, and his current single, “That’s Country Bro”, which he recently performed live on NBC’s Today, the CMT Music Awards and The Voice finale. Two other previously unreleased tracks are “American Ride (Official Remix)”, featuring DJ KO, and “Back In The 405”, a co-write with Colt Ford that celebrates a hometown girl’s return.
Little Scream – Speed Queen CD (Merge)
On her third album, Little Scream offers us a reflection on class and poverty in America. Speed Queen began as bits of prose written while touring Cult Following across North America – observing the slow entropy of the US, ruminating on her own low-income upbringing in a flyover state, and, as she says, “taking it all in from the privileged position of being a new Canadian.” The title, which alludes to the opiate crisis, refers to a washing machine. Little Scream says, “When you’re struggling, nothing says you’ve made it more than getting your own washing machine. Speed Queen is about the dream of making it and feeling desperately close but missing it.” [Vinyl edition due November 1.]
Allison Moorer – Blood CD (Autotelic)
Blood is the first solo album in four years from the Academy, Grammy, Americana and Academy of Country Music award nominated artist. The album serves as a companion piece to her new autobiography, Blood: A Memoir, a detailed account of Moorer and her sister’s (Grammy Award winner Shelby Lynne) childhood growing up in a troubled home in Southern Alabama, which ended with the well-documented murder-suicide of her parents in 1986. Much of what the public has known about the tragic event begins and ends there. For years, Moorer had avoided going into the traumatic details of the abuse, alcoholism, intimidation, poverty and neglect that existed prior to the deaths – and for good reasons – which she addresses in the memoir. Moorer also addresses the fact that there was so much more to her family than tragedy, darkness and what people thought they knew. There was love, there was a protective mother, there was the bond of sisterhood and there was music. There was always music. The album Blood serves as a song cycle featuring ten tracks that directly connect to the people, emotions, trauma, and state of mind that are all detailed so eloquently in the memoir.
Van Morrison – Three Chords & The Truth CD/2xLP (Caroline)
Three Chords & The Truth is truly something wonderful – fourteen new original compositions that effortlessly encapsulate the Van Morrison sound and showcase his talents as one of our generation’s most celebrated songwriters. His sixth album in just four years, Three Chords & The Truth is further proof that Van Morrison is one of the greatest recording artists of all time and six decades into his career is still a creative force to be reckoned with. The album features contributions from legendary guitarist Jay Berliner and a duet with The Righteous Brothers’ Bill Medley (“Fame Will Eat the Soul”). Explaining what it was like to record the album, Van said: “You’re just plugging into the feeling of it, more the feeling of it… when they’re playing…It’s like reading me. So, I think there’s more of that connection.” The new collection is introduced by the elegant blues ballad” Dark Night Of The Soul”. [Limited white colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Puss N Boots – Dear Santa CDEP (Blue Note)
New Christmas-themed EP from alt-country trio Puss N Boots, comprised of acclaimed singer/songwriter Norah Jones on guitar, singer/bassist Catherine Popper and singer/guitarist Sasha Dobson. Puss N Boots first formed in 2008 as a live band performing around Brooklyn venues. After years of live performances, the trio decided to make a full-length album which resulted in their 2014 Blue Note Records debut No Fools, No Fun. The five-song collection includes four new original tunes plus a live rendition of the Christmas classic “Silent Night”. [Vinyl edition due December 20.]
Rex Orange County – Pony CD/LP (RCA)
Pony is both simple and smart: five songs laying open the troubles that beset Rex over the last year or so, then five tracks teeing up how he turned things round. Or, as he puts it: “The first half to me is the angry, reflective thing. And the second half is: now I’ve gotten over it.” On “10/10”, lead single and album curtain-raiser, there is positivity and uplift, even as there’s a bite and edge to the lyrics. while “Face To Face” blooms with kaleidoscopic, multi-tracked vocals and an energetic spring in its step. “Never Had The Balls” features pizzicato strings, birds tweeting and a cracking fuzzy guitar solo, and the closing run of songs includes the Randy Newman-esque “Every Way”, a classic piano ballad, and “It Gets Better”, glowing with strings and beats. Rex Orange County signs off with his best vocal and affecting, mournful brass on the quietly epic “It’s Not The Same Anymore.”
Rings Of Saturn – Gidim CD/LP (Nuclear Blast)
Alien themed tech-death masters Rings Of Saturn return with their fifth full-length studio album, Gidim. Lucas Mann comments, “We always try to raise the bar with each album made. Gidim is a callback to Rings Of Saturn’s roots. The fan favorite parts of Dingir and Lugal Ki En have been considered for inclusion and expansion on Gidim.” The album includes guest performances from Dan Watson of Enterprise Earth, Charles Caswell of Berried Alive and Yo Onityan. [Limited indie store exclusive colored vinyl pressing available.]
Swans – Leaving Meaning. CD/LP+MP3 (Young God)
Leaving Meaning. is Swans fifteenth studio album and the follow up to 2016’s The Glowing Man. “Leaving Meaning. is the first Swans album to be released since I dissolved the lineup of musicians that constituted Swans from 2010-2017,” says Michael Gira. “Swans is now comprised of a revolving cast of musicians, selected for both their musical and personal character, chosen according to what I intuit best suits the atmosphere in which I’d like to see the songs I’ve written presented. In collaboration with me, the musicians, through their personality, skill and taste, contribute greatly to the arrangement of the material”. Guest artists include The Necks, Anna and Maria von Hausswolff, Baby Dee, Ben Frost, Jeremy and Heather of A Hawk And A Hacksaw and more. [Vinyl edition includes a download card with all extended mixes and additional track.]
Yeule – Serotonin II CD/LP (Bayonet)
Yeule is the manifested reflection of Nat Ćmiel. An ongoing project since 2012, Yeule’s music is as ethereal as it dynamic, reflective of her nomadic upbringing. Though she grew up and attended school in Singapore for most of her life, her family traveled often, developing emotional connections with places far from home that left her searching, unmoored, putting forth a creation that is in constant metamorphosis. Obsessed with tinkering and discovery, she began building her own synths. There is a complex, intuitive, and deeply personal nature to her music making. With a launchpad, keyboard and microphone she morphs her original cinematic classical compositions into electronica. More clues to her process can be found in her other mediums. As a practicing visual artist, her paintings emanate her deep connection to the process of mark making, both visually and sonically. Her first full length, Serotonin II, is the fully realized result of this process, resonating with her “mutable self-expression.” She describes this as “the stifling psychological haze turned into perfume.” [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Neil Young and Crazy Horse – Colorado CD/2xLP+7” (New Elektra)
Neil Young and Crazy Horse return with a brand-new studio album, Colorado, which marks the legendary collaborators’ first new music together since 2012’s Psychedelic Pill. As with every Young release, the resultant audio fidelity is nothing short of astonishing and sounds as if one is present on the studio floor with the band during the recording. “We believe we have a great Crazy Horse album, one to stand alongside Everybody Know’s This Is Nowhere, Rust Never Sleeps, Sleeps With Angels, Psychedelic Pill and all the others, Young said. Colorado is dedicated to the iconic singer/songwriter’s late longtime manager Elliot Roberts with Young adding that, “Elliot loved this record. He said, ‘It’s the songs’.” [The three-sided double-vinyl set features etched artwork on Side D plus a bonus 7” vinyl single with two non-album tracks.]
CDs + Vinyl:
The Abruptors – Love And Other Disasters CD/LP (Asian Man)
Buffalo, NY – home of the Bills, snow, cold, more cold, the Goo Goo Dolls, and of course The Abruptors. This seven-piece band plays a mix of rocksteady, soul, ska, reggae, and R&B influenced by every era of the Jamaican sound from The Skatalites, Millie Small, Toots and the Maytals, the Specials and The Selecter to the Slackers, Dance Hall Crashers, Deals Gone Bad and Hepcat.
Aephanemer – Prokopton CD/LP (Napalm)
Integrating musical elements from Scandinavian melodic death metal, Slavic traditional music and classical symphonies, Aephanemer bring some freshness to the modern metal scene.
Airbourne – Boneshaker CD/LP (Spinefarm)
With the creation of Boneshaker, all-action Aussie rockers Airbourne decided to take the bolder path; to align with Nashville’s six-time Grammy Award-winning producer Dave Cobb, whose credits include both Chris Stapleton and the A Star Is Born soundtrack. The result is straight-down-the-line pure rock ‘n’ roll. [Deluxe CD version features bonus tracks. Limited splatter colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Jan Akkerman – Close Beauty CD/2xLP (Music Theories)
The renowned Dutch guitarist who shot to fame during the 1960s and 1970s with bands like Focus, Brainbox and The Hunters, and was once voted Best Guitarist in the World by Melody Maker, releases a new solo album, Close Beauty.
Alcest – Spiritual Instinct CD/LP (Nuclear Blast America)
For principal songwriter and frontman Neige, Alcest has always been a gateway to the otherworldly, a means of exploring his spirituality. An elemental two-piece, completed by long-serving drummer and creative confidante Winterhalter, their new album Spiritual Instinct finds Neige at his most personal. [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Alunah – Violet Hour CD/LP (Heavy Psych Sounds)
Violet Hour sees the energy of Alunah’s dark, doom-tinged hard rock being cranked up with the arrival of guitarist Dean Ashton (bassist in Diamond Head) alongside the soaring vocals of Sian Greenaway and rhythmic foundation of Dan Burchmore and Jake Mason.
Soren Andersen – Guilty Pleasures CD/LP (SPV)
Danish guitarist/producer Soren Andersen – who has worked with Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple), Mike Tramp (White Lion), Marco Mendoza and Tommy Aldridge (Whitesnake, Thin Lizzy), Joe Lynn Turner (Rainbow), Pretty Maids, The Dead Daisies, The Answer, Dave Mustaine (Megadeth), Eric Martin and Billy Sheehan (Mr. Big), Artillery, Tygers Of Pan Tang, Phil Campbell (Mötorhead), Electric Guitars, and Jesper Binzer (D: A: D) – delivers the new solo guitar album.
Armagedda – Only True Believers [Reissue/2003] CD/LP (Nordvis)
On its surface, Only True Believers was built upon the firm foundation of Darkthrone’s classic 1992-1994 years – which, it must be said, so are thousands of other black metal releases, conservatively speaking, past and present. Where Armagedda differ at this point is in their fervent, feverish execution that’s almost swinging. The trance-inducing tempos are brisk and pulsing, instilling that ancient diabolism so crucial to true all-caps black metal, but underpinning them is a distinctly levitational aspect that’s largely down to the unique swing of the drumming. [Limited white colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Ka Baird – Respires CD/LP (RVNG Int’l)
The second solo album by Ka Baird blurs the line between word and action, definition and possibility. Spirited yet restrained, bearing it’s wildly thrummed heart strings and inner calm alike, Respires ventures toward the unknown, charting the shifting ground of experimental music and the rewards born of risk. Tapping the ecstatic energy and cathartic experience of Baird’s live sets, pushing the extremes of psychological and physical release, Respires represents an unquestionable leap for an artist already out on a limb.
James Blunt – Once Upon A Mind CD/LP (Atlantic)
After flirting with electronica on his last album, Blunt returns to what he does best on Once Upon A Mind – writing classic songs that touch both the heart and the head. Once Upon A Mind sees Blunt collaborating with a variety of producers resulting in a freshness that resonates throughout the eleven-song collection, with highlights including the poignant ballad “Monsters”, pop-infused “5 Miles” and the country tinged “Halfway”.
Curt Boettcher & Friends – Looking For The Sun CD/LP (High Moon)
Best known for his groundbreaking contributions to what later became known as sunshine pop, and his hit productions for The Association (“Cherish”, “Along Comes Mary”), Curt Boettcher formed the pioneering rock bands The Ballroom and The Millennium, and contributed heavily to classic pop-psych album Sagittarius created and crafted by legendary producer Gary Usher (Beach Boys, Byrds). A Hollywood-based producer and arranger in the Phil Spector mode – whose sessions he participated in – Boettcher was innovative in utilizing the studio as an instrument – an approach that made a lasting impression on a young Brian Wilson.
Billy Bragg – Best Of Billy Bragg At The BBC 1993-2019 CD (Cooking Vinyl)
Billy Bragg performances at the BBC from the early 80s through to the present. The album, fully remastered and featuring many previously unreleased tracks, includes selected highlights from sessions for John Peel, David Jensen, Janice Long, Phill Jupitus, Bob Harris, Tom Robinson and more, and offers a fascinating chronological perspective on the development of one of the UK’s most beloved entertainers. [Vinyl edition due November 15.]
The Casualties – Until Death – The Studio Sessions CD/LP (Cleopatra)
Legendary street punk band re-recorded some of the highlights from their extensive catalog dating all the way back to their 1997 debut album.
Chtonica – Typhomanteia: Sacred Triarchy Of Spiritual Putrefaction CD/LP (Concilium)
Converging somewhere in the middle between the agonizing and pummeling death-doom of early Incantation and Disembeowelment and the twisted and serpentine blackened chaos of bands like Beherit and Portal, Cthonica have then crawled beyond their influences and any threshold of familiarity by adding layers of decaying noise and sepulchral dark ambient to their abhorrent extreme metal creation, as well as subduing to deranged religious and occult philosophical notions to transcend into the quintessence embodiment of all ritualistic aural abominations.
Cirith Ungol – I’m Alive 2xCD/+2xDVD/2xLP (Metal Blade)
Capturing Cirith Ungol at the peak of their darkened, mystical powers before a rapturous crowd at the Up the Hammers festival in Athens, Greece, this recording showcases the magic and might of the long running heavy metal band onstage. [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Consumers – In Computers CD/LP (The Flenser)
Consumer formed in 2017 to generate reptile-brain, late capitalist agitprop. Its main tools are over-processed riffs played at high volume, impressionistic slogans, and soundscapes built from analog synths, broken electronics, and tape loops. Past your well-stocked garage, descending into Mammon’s deep world of darkness, with regional coupon circulars in hand, Consumer offers doomy, electro, post-whatever.
Patrick Crowley – Mechanical Fantasy Box CD/2xLP (Dark Entries)
Archive collection from the electronic dance music pioneer. Mechanical Fantasy Box is a collection of 13 unreleased songs recorded between 1973-80. Featuring Patrick’s first electronic compositions in the Electronic Music Lab at CCSF when synthesizers were new technology to songs made at his semi-professional studio on Minna Street equipped with an Oberheim DS-2 digital sequencer. The sounds moves from funk to kraut to psychedelic ambient electronics inspired by Tomita and Krafterwerk.
Dante Fox – The Roots Of Great White 1978-1982 CD/LP (Deadline Music)
From the vault of powerhouse vocalist, Jack Russell, comes this almost lost collection of early demo recordings featuring Russell’s earliest recorded collaborations with guitarist Mark Kendall, which formed the foundation of ’80s hard rock icons Great White. Includes songs that would eventually find their way onto Great White’s 1984 self-titled debut album.
Dawn Ray’d – Behold Sedition Plainsong CD/LP (Prosthetic)
Two years after the release of their debut album, The Unlawful Assembly, British black metal trio Dawn Ray’d return with Behold Sedition Plainsong; a call to arms and a potential catalyst for positive radical change.
Deathprod – Occulting Disk CD/LP (Smalltown Supersound)
Deathprod, a.k.a. Helge Sten, has been deeply embedded in the Oslo music community for decades, but his brooding soundscapes and deliberate process make him seem sometimes like a phantom. Occulting Disk is an anti-fascist ritual. Recorded in Oslo, Reykjavik, Berlin and Los Angeles between 2012 and 2019. Liner notes by Will Oldham.
Desert Sessions – Vols. 11 & 12 CD/LP+MP3 (Matador)
In 1997, Josh Homme (Queens Of The Stone Age) and a handful of friends retreated to the desert of Joshua Tree, CA in order to isolate themselves from the distractions and comforts of their everyday lives. What began as a casual writing and recording session amongst friends has since become a project of legend. Spanning 12 volumes over the course of two decades, Desert Sessions has featured some of music’s most cherished icons stepping out of their comfort zones and collaborating with one another to create some of the most exciting music of their careers. After nearly 16 years since its last entry, the longest-running mix tape in existence returns with two new volumes in its already storied catalog.
Al Divino/Raticus – Cryptex: Murderous Materials CD (Tenement Music)
Raticus quest to continue to contribute to the hip hop culture, leads him up the I-90, where hip hop is alive and well represented by Al Divino. Al Divino and Raticus combine to create a hip-hop stew with rugged rhymes and melodic tracks. Pushing the boundaries of underground hip hop on this project, Al Divino continues to show he is on a different level, different wavelength carving a new path, a new standard of hip-hop. [Vinyl edition due November 8.]
Edenbridge – Dynamind 2xCD/2xLP (Steamhammer)
The Austrian melodic metal act’s material always features – along with its symphonic qualities – an important emotional-spiritual side.
Ethereal Kingdoms – Hollow Mirror CD/2xLP (SPV)
Denmark’s newest symphonic metal act, Ethereal Kingdoms, deliver a unique and modern take on theatrical symphonic metal.
Lorenzo Feliciati and Michele Rabbia – Antikythera CD/LP (RareNoise)
Italian bassist-producer-arranger Lorenzo Feliciati joins forces with fellow countryman, master drummer Michele Rabbia. Named for an ancient Greek mechanism that was used to predict astronomical positions and eclipses for calendar and astrological purposes, Antikythera traverses a myriad of moods, from graceful and haunting soundscapes to dramatic crescendos to intimate piano trio pieces, while showcasing his remarkable facility on fretted and fretless basses, keyboards, electric guitar and samples.
Fink – Bloom Innocent CD (R’coup’d)
Fink is UK-born, Berlin-based founding singer-songwriter/musician Fin Greenall, alongside bandmates Tim Thornton (drums, guitar) and Guy Whittaker (bass). On their new album Bloom Innocent, Fink has again collaborated with pioneering producer Flood (PJ Harvey, U2, Foals, Warpaint, The Killers) as they did on their sixth studio album, Resurgam (2017). [Vinyl edition due November 1.]
Fleetwood Mac – Rumours [Reissue/1977] 4xCD (WB)
This expanded four-CD edition of Rumours includes the original album and the B-side “Silver Springs”, a dozen unreleased live recordings from the group’s ’77 world tour, an entire disc filled with unreleased takes from the album’s recording sessions, and an additional disc of outtakes.
Guided By Voices – Sweating The Plague CD/LP (GBV Inc.)
Being a fan of Guided by Voices can feel like standing in a ticker-tape parade and reaching out to grab at stray releases as the endless flurry coats your (insert favorite noun here).
Larry Gus – Subservient CD/LP (DFA)
Larry Gus (real name Panagiotis Melidis) returns to DFA with his fourth release for the label. More pop-oriented than his previous albums, Subservient is a lush combination of crisis funk pop and trad Mediterranean grooves.
Haystack – The Sacrifice CD/LP (Threeman Recordings)
New album by the power noise rock trio.
Iguana Death Cult – Nude Casino CD/LP+MP3 (Innovative Leisure)
Iguana Death Cult reemerge from their concrete cavern with a ragged and convulsive post-punk attack akin to Devo, The Gun Club, and Richard Hell. Nude Casino sporadically evokes their more hedonistic tendencies, but the album’s crisper, more unvarnished sonic makeup illustrates a seething skepticism as a counterbalance. Frontman Jeroen Reek finds himself teetering in demented neurosis between vivid dream states and stark reality.
ISAN – Lamenting Machine CD/LP (Morr Music)
Arriving just over 20 years since their now-classic debut LP, ISAN’s new side finds that not much has changed in their self-contained world of gilded and exquisitely melodic small sound composition, and nobody’s complaining. Future-proofed by their feel for low-key melancholic ambiguity, they maintain a line of music that’s sweetly primed for warmth. “Eternal charmers ISAN investigate the melancholy inner life of their machines with a typically tender touch in a very user-friendly, gorgeous album of burbling electronica.” — Boomkat
Simon Joyner – Pocket Moon CD/LP (Grapefruit)
“For his new album Pocket Moon, Joyner opted to engage in a risky artistic challenge. Instead of leaning on his fertile pool of Omaha musicians (the amorphous Ghosts band), he asked friend and frequent collaborator Michael Krassner to assemble unknown players on his behalf specifically for this recording. He then traveled from his home base to Krassner’s ‘7-Track Shack’ studio in Phoenix to record the album, abandoning the literal and figurative comfort zone of old habits and home field advantage. Krassner’s wrecking crew is sturdy, versatile, and complementary. Utilizing a wide range of instruments and textures, the band contributes additional nuance to each of the ragged, sublime songs here. The result is another song cycle stylistically unified, dynamic and rich.” – James Jackson Toth
The Kinks – Arthur Or The Decline And Fall Of The British Empire [Reissue/1969] 2xCD/4xCD+4×7”/2xLP (Sanctuary)
The hugely well-respected and historically important Kinks seventh studio album by The Kinks celebrates its 50th anniversary. Without doubt, Arthur Or The Decline And Fall Of The British Empire is one of the greatest rock albums ever made, a near perfect example of Ray Davies’ incredible storytelling ability in what was an innovation in 1969: a concept album. Both remastered CD and vinyl editions include singles & BBC mixes as well as Dave Davies solo tracks. The Super Deluxe box set features four CDs comprising 81 tracks in total, five of them unreleased and 28 previously unreleased versions, a 68-page softback book, four 7” singles from the album, and a bespoke metal & enamel Kinks logo pin badge.
Bill Kirchen & Too Much Fun – Tombstone Every Mile CD/LP (Last Music Company)
CD and vinyl reissue of the rockabilly guitarist’s debut album.
Konradsen – Saints And Sebastian Stories CD/LP (Cascine)
Konradsen is the Oslo-based duo of Jenny Marie Sabel and Eirik Vildgren. Together they create pensive pop songs that explore the interior and weave a world uniquely their own. Konradsen’s material is simultaneously sparse and full, a layered patchwork of hushed vocals, muted piano, atmospheric electronic productions and ambient folly. Their debut album, Saints And Sebastian Stories, is a collection of arrestingly beautiful piano-based pop songs, underpinned by a loose, hymnal quality, and imbued with a nostalgic warmth.
Kraak & Smaak – Pleasure Centre CD/LP (Boogie Angst)
A glorious record packed with future classics, flitting between funky dancefloor focused jams and more relaxed downtempo affairs. Pleasure Centre has a definite US West Coast vibe to it and sees them fuse classic ‘70s and ‘80s yacht rock, dream pop, and indie influences in with their signature electronic funk sound.
Leprous – Pitfalls CD (Inside Out U.S.)
New release from the Norwegian prog rock band. [Vinyl edition due November 15.]
Mooch/Raticus – New York State: The Renaissance CD (Tenement Music)
Mooch continues to shine lyrically with one of the stand out voices in the rap game. Raticus provides the soundscape with his turntables and MPCs setting the tone for the journey through the streets. [Vinyl reissue due November 8.]
Motörhead – Bomber [Reissue/1979] 2xCD/3xLP (Sanctuary)
Motörhead – Overkill [Reissue/1979] 2xCD/3xLP (Sanctuary)
Motörhead – 1979 7xLP+7” (Sanctuary)
For Motörhead, 1979 was a vital year that saw the band release two of its heaviest and most definitive albums. The era is given the completist archival treatment, with Overkill and Bomber reissued on CD and on half-speed mastered 180gm vinyl cut from the original master tapes. The 1979 box adds the “No Class” 7”, and a Rest Of ’79 LP that includes ten B-sides, outtakes, and rare tracks.
Negativland – True False CD/LP (Seeland)
True False is Negativland’s full length return to all original music that could be mistaken for actual songs, albeit ones sung by dozens of sampled vocalists who have never met. Who’s even in Negativland these days? Didn’t half of them die a few years ago? For this album, the band consists of Mark Hosler, David Wills, Peter Conheim, Jon Leidecker, as well as the dearly departed Don Joyce, Richard Lyons and Ian Allen. Containing tapes from the earliest years of the band (including dozens of samples that will be very familiar to regular listeners of their radio program Over The Edge), the team began work in earnest in 2012, folding the decades on top of each other until they finally resembled all the feelings that tomorrow has for today.
Nightstalker – Great Hallucinations CD/LP (Heavy Psych Sounds)
New album from the legendary stoner rockers. For fans of: Black Sabbath, Motorhead, Monster Magnet, Kyuss. [Limited edition colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Norma Jean – All Hail CD (Solid State)
New album from the metalcore act. After nearly 20 years, the group identifies more as an artistic collective than a traditional band. [Vinyl edition due November 15.]
Norman – Buzz And Fade CD/LP (Hey Amigo)
The longstanding indie rock band question the usefulness of memory on their fourth studio album, Buzz And Fade. The sweeping synthesizers and anthemic guitars that have defined Norman for over a decade shine through on these energetic songs, and the band characteristically hints at different eras of rock and different eras of their own musical past while taking them in a new direction entirely.
Gary Numan – Replicas: The First Recordings 2xCD/2xLP (Beggars Arkive)
Gary Numan – The Pleasure Principle: The First Recording 2xCD/2xLP (Beggars Banquet)
Two special titles to commemorate the legendary albums Gary Numan/Tubeway Army issued in 1979. Each is available on CD and colored vinyl. While both albums have remained in print, these releases concentrate on the early recordings made prior to the completed albums and present their evolution. The tracks have been sequenced as they appeared on the original tapes and the audio has been taken from the high-resolution digital transfers.
Amy O – Shell CD/LP (Winspear)
Amy Oelsner’s homemade pop songs sparkle with these eternal truths: that storytelling is part of being alive, and excavating the past is part of growth. Oelsner, who records as Amy O, is a lifer of the indie-pop underground for whom songwriting is a way of processing the passing of time. Her latest, Shell, brims with poetic granular details of everyday life; it’s her third studio album, and tenth including her many years of home recordings. [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Sean O’Brien and His Dirty Hands – My Colors Dark CD/LP+MP3 (First Cold Press)
My Colors Dark is the eighth solo album for singer/songwriter Sean O’Brien and His Dirty Hands. O’Brien is the former lead singer of several California-based rock groups going back in time almost 25 years; including Meantime, a power pop quartet that eventually mutated into the Davis, CA psychedelic cowboys, True West, Denim TV and The Mariettas. Featuring performances from members of: Camper Van Beethoven, Engine 88, Pearl Harbor & The Explosions, Chuck Prophet and the Mission Express, and singer/songwriters Chris Von Sneidern and Laura Benitez.
Old Dominion – Old Dominion CD/LP (RCA)
Contemporary country with rock instrumentation and hip-hop overtones.
Lucky Peterson – 50 – Just Warming Up! CD/LP (Jazz Village)
New album from American blues legend and multi-instrumentalist.
Grace Potter – Daylight CD/LP (Fantasy)
Over the course of her acclaimed career, Grace Potter has carved out a flourishing yet unconventional place among the best songwriters and singers in rock and roll. The Waitsfield, Vermont native has released six albums, guested with everyone from Kenny Chesney to The Rolling Stones, created her own music festival (Burlington’s Grand Point North) and become one of the most admired live performers in contemporary music. Now, after a four-year hiatus, Grace returns with Daylight.
Pride & Glory– Pride & Glory [Reissue/1994] CD/LP (E1)
Pride % Glory was a side project for Black Label Society guitarist Zakk Wylde. This was his first self-fronted project, before releasing his first solo-album, Book Of Shadows, in 1996. After that he formed Black Label Society in 1998, which remains his current band.
The Restarts – Uprising CD/LP (Pirate Press)
Contains pointed political critiques on gentrification, mental health, origins of homophobia, addiction, & the circus that is Brexit. This is Restarts unapologetic and defiantly angry. Expect their usual brand of relentless thrash punk, ska anthems, and back-to-basics old school punk.
Reuben & The Dark – Un love CD/LP (Arts & Crafts)
Un love is a collection of lush and beautiful songs about endings and hope for the future. This record reflects an ease in Reuben as a songwriter and performer, while he deals with his most heartfelt subject matter. The album’s sound blends Reuben’s deep, soulful alt-folk with lush but breezy production that carries it’s dark but cathartic emotion.
Rollingchild – Post Party Depression CD/Cassette (Burger)
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. [Vinyl edition due November 8.]
Sempiternal Dusk – Cenotaph Of Defectuous Creation CD (Dark Decent)
Five tracks of pummeling mid-tempo death played with intent and a disdain for modern death metal cliché. [Vinyl edition due November 8.]
The Soul Rebels – Poetry In Motion CD/LP (Artistry Music)
New Orleans-bred staple The Soul Rebels return with their first official album in over seven years.
Ringo Starr – What’s My Name CD/LP (UMe)
Ringo’s 20th studio album features brand new recordings with special guests Paul McCartney, Joe Walsh, Edgar Winter, Steve Lukather and Dave Stewart.
Kelley Stoltz – My Regime CD/LP (Banana & Louie)
Kelley Stoltz enters his 20th year in the record business with the release of his tenth full-length album. A long-time DIY, home recording multi-instrumentalist, Stoltz again engineers, mixes, and plays all the instruments on the album and his unique brand of ’60s/’80s pop, garage-rock, and folk sounds seem to have gotten better with age.
Subhumans – Internal Riot CD/LP (Pirate Press)
CD and vinyl repress of the punk band’s 2007 album.
Jim Sullivan – Jim Sullivan [Reissue/1972] CD/LP (Light In The Attic)
Jim Sullivan – If The Evening Were Dawn CD/LP (Light In The Attic)
On March 4, 1975, Jim Sullivan mysteriously disappeared outside Santa Rosa, New Mexico. His VW bug was found abandoned, his motel room untouched. Some think he got lost. Some think the mafia bumped him. Some even think he was abducted by aliens. If The Evening Were Dawn contains 10 acoustic solo recordings that have never seen the light of day.
Teebs – Anicca CD/LP (Brainfeeder)
The L.A. electronic music producer’s new album features a superb cast of his musical friends including Panda Bear (Animal Collective), Sudan Archives, Ringgo Ancheta aka MNDSGN, Anna Wise, daydream Masi, Former Boy, Pink Siifu and Thomas Stankiewicz.
Tyrant – Hold Back The Lightning CD (SPV)
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. [Vinyl edition due November 8.]
Vacivus – Annihilism CD (Profound Lore)
New album from the UK death metal unit. [Vinyl edition due November 8.]
Various Artists – Congo Revolution (Revolutionary And Evolutionary Sounds From The Two Congos 1955-62) CD/2xLP (Soul Jazz)
Congolese rumba – a wild combination of African, jazz and Latin influences. Congo Revolution was first released as a sampler 7” box set for RSD, and this expanded release includes a 50-page booklet/double gatefold and inner sleeves containing extensive text explaining the evolution of the music and history of the two Congos.
Various Artists – Love Is All I Bring CD/2xLP (Trojan)
Love Is All I Bring showcases the very talented female performers of Trojan Records, who in the world of reggae, can often be overlooked. Featuring vocals from the likes of Millie Small, Althea & Donna, Marcia Griffith, Phyllis Dillon, and Susan Cadogan plus productions by Sonia Pottinger, this all female collection also includes personal album notes from musician Rhoda Dakar. Split across a pair of LPs, with ‘hits’ on one and ‘rarities’ on the other, this collection comprises some of the greatest reggae tracks, whilst highlighting the importance and talent of Jamaican female artists.
Vastum – Orifical Purge CD/LP (20 Buck Spin)
A distinctive blend of sinister atmosphere, punishing brutality, and an unparalleled lyrical and visual imagery that traces connections between perversion, mortification, and an abyssal mysticism of sin.
The Wedding Present – Tommy 30 CD/LP+CD (Scopitones)
Recently released on vinyl – now available as stand-alone CD. 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. [Limited edition blue colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Frank Zappa – Halloween 73 Highlights CD (UMe)
Single-disc highlights disc of two shows recorded at the Auditorium Theater in Chicago 10/31/73.
Zonal – Wrecked CD/LP (Relapse)
The brainchild of Justin Broadrick (Godflesh/Jesu/JK Flesh) and Kevin Martin (The Bug/King Midas Sound) present their monumental Relapse Records debut. Zonal continues where their previous collaboration Techno Animal left off, and combines a brutal ongoing obsession with beats, bass, dub, drone, noise and riff. Under their new guise, the enigmatic duo pushes the parameters and atmospheres that have earned them critical acclaim further and deeper; Zonal’s sound has become ever more corrupted, corroded, slower and lower; with the theme of exploring inner/outer space acts as the gelling agent for this shockingly monolithic sound.
This Week’s Vinyl Exclusives:
Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell – Very Uncertain Times LP (Rise Above)
Purveyors of nuts-out, ragged and riotous proto-metal since 2008, Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell have dedicated the last decade to kicking against the pricks and whipping up a thunderous storm of gritty, snotty and irresistible heavy rock. [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available. CD edition due November 1.]
Ancient Shapes – A Flower That Wouldn’t Bloom LP (You’ve Changed)
A Flower That Wouldn’t Bloom is the third offering from Daniel Romano’s flower pop super group Ancient Shapes.
Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – Loverboy [Reissue/2002 2xLP+MP3 (Mexican Summer)
Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – Underground [Reissue/2007] LP+MP3 Mexican Summer)
Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – Odditties Sodomies Vol. 1 [Reissue/2008] LP+MP3 (Mexican Summer)
Ariel Pink’s historic run of releases as Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti unfolded in Los Angeles while Ariel was in his early twenties. Born Ariel Marcus Rosenberg in 1978, and raised in the Beverly Glen neighborhood of Beverly Hills, Ariel went to Beverly Hills High School and then UC Santa Cruz for a year before transferring to CalArts, a reputable art school in Valencia just north of Los Angeles. Ariel departed CalArts early however to concentrate on music: he presented his early masterpiece The Doldrums as a senior thesis project and then left without a degree. Following The Doldrums, and its rudimentary predecessor Underground, Ariel Pink released a half-dozen more albums that culminated in Worn Copy, the last album before Arie’s five-year hiatus from releasing new music. Ariel Archives tries to reckon with the remarkable volume of outstanding music Ariel Pink made during this time.
AFI – All Hallow’s E.P. [Reissue/1999] 10” (Craft Recordings)
Limited 10” vinyl picture disc pressing. The All Hallow’s E.P contains three original songs and a cover of the Misfits song “Halloween”.
Aggression – Greatest LP (Cleopatra)
A limited-edition career retrospective from the most influential hardcore punk band.
Ray Alder – What The Water Wants 2xLP (Inside Out U.S.)
Released last week on CD – now available on vinyl. Debut solo album from the Fates Warning vocalist.
Gary Allan – Smoke Rings In The Dark [Reissue/1999] LP (MCA Nashville)
20th anniversary vinyl reissue of the country singer-songwriter’s third album.
As I Lay Dying – Shaped By Fire LP (Nuclear Blast)
Limited gold/black splatter colored vinyl pressing now available. Shaped By Fire is infamous metalcore outfit As I Lay Dying’s first record since 2012’s Awakened and vocalist Tim Lambesis’ controversial release from prison in 2016 after being convicted in a murder-for-hire plot to kill his estranged wife. The 12-track collection is preceded by the singles “My Own Grave”, “Redefined” and the title cut, “Shaped By Fire”.
Bhleg – Aril LP (Nordvis)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. When the spirit of summer, the rays of the sun goes out, another fire is lit. A fire that burns nature into autumn colors, where the landscape turns into a reflection of its own flames. When the fire becomes ash, life slowly but surely falls into hibernation to broaden the path for Ragnarök and the winter of life. The duo Bhleg returns with yet another creation built upon the roots of ancient Scandinavia.
Black Sabbath – Dehumanizer [Reissue/1992] LP (Rhino)
Originally released in June 1992, Dehumanizer was Sabbath’s first studio album in over a decade to feature vocalist Ronnie James Dio and drummer Vinny Appice, and their first in nine years to feature original bassist Geezer Butler.
Blacktop Mojo – Under The Sun LP (Sand Hill)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. A hard-driving Southern rock unit based out of Palestine, Texas, Blacktop Mojo’s fiery blend of post-grunge, classic rock, and metal falls somewhere between Soundgarden, Black Stone Cherry, and Lynyrd Skynyrd.
The Body – Remixed 2xLP+MP3 (Thrill Jockey)
The Body has been consistently releasing the most forward-thinking work in heavy music, both on their own and in collaboration for the last 20 years, collaborating with the likes of Thou, Full Of Hell, Uniform, The Haxan Cloak, The Assembly Of Light Choir, Krieg, Braveyoung, and Vampillia. To celebrate their 20th anniversary, The Body chose to release a special limited double LP of remixes from their previous albums.
Tina Brooks – Minor Move [Reissue/1980] LP (Blue Note)
Soulful hard bop tenor-saxophonist Tina Brooks’ passionate full sound and forward-looking style, along with his exceptional compositional gifts, made him a powerful force during his prime years. Brooks only led four sessions for Blue Note during his lifetime with the 1958 recorded/1980 released Minor Move being his first. It finds him fronting a first rate hard bop line-up featuring pianist Sonny Clark, trumpeter Lee Morgan, bassist Doug Watkins, and drummer Art Blakey.
Nora Brown – Cinnamon Tree LP (Jalopy)
Nora Brown, at 13 years of age, plays with beauty and depth in the performances captured on her debut album Cinnamon Tree. Produced by legendary musician Alice Gerrard and recorded at Studio 808a, an old farmhouse in Floyd, Virginia, the songs, stories and instrumentals on this record draw the listener in. They are poignant and transformative, challenging listeners to allow this old and outsider music into their present day life, alongside the music on the radio, TV, and front pages of the internet.
Candy Claws – Ceres & Calypso In The Deep Time [Reissue/2013] LP (Twosyllable)
Vinyl reissue of the landmark third album by the psych-shoegazers. This version is pressed on white vinyl and includes an exclusive poster print featuring new artwork by Ryan Hover and a new poem by lyricist Jenn Morea.
Carta’ P. / Parental (of Kalhex) – Beautiful Mess LP (HHV.DE)
Carta’ P. aka The Obvious Wonder who hails from the talent rich city of Mount Vernon, NY debuts with his full length solo album. In collaboration with French producer Parental, the two combine to mix melodic samples, strong baselines and infectious drums in conjunction with stories about women, relationships, life as an adult, money, children and family.
Charge – Charge [Reissue/1973] LP (Sommor)
An impossible-to-find, private psychedelic hard-rock album. Charge was a British power-trio born from the ashes of local South Coast heavy-blues bands Baby Bertha and Sweet Poison.
Carla Dal Forno – Look Up Sharp LP (Kallista)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Dal Forno beckons a bold new era in her peerless output pushing her dub-damaged DIY dispatches to the limits of flawless dream-pop.
Dogbreth – Ever Loving LP (Asian Man)
Since 2010, Dogbreth’s Tristan Jemsek has been charming his devoted following with guitar-driven power pop songs that poetically and tenderly capture specific emotional moments. Formed and grown in Phoenix, AZ, with Jemsek as the only steady member, the band has evolved over the years through three full-length albums and dozens of tours before landing in Seattle, WA. New album Ever Loving is yet another solid slab of laidback and melodic indie rock.
Dowsing – Sky Coffin LP (Asian Man)
Sky Coffin, Dowsing’s fourth record overall and third full length effort, finds the band diving deeper and deeper into a more intense and more powerful and polished sound as compared to their 2012 debut. It’s still very much a Midwest emo band and record, but it’s hard not to notice the progression and maturity that has this band sounding stronger than ever. Huge hooks, big guitars and great melodies comparable to bands like Dikembe, American Football, Promise Ring and Algernon Cadwallader.
Dr. John – Voodoo Hex LP (Cleopatra)
Psychedelic splatter colored vinyl pressing of this anthology from the recently departed king of New Orleans R&B.
Ehlder – Nordabetraktelse LP (Nordvis)
Although an otherwise-new entity, Ehlder’s roots are nearly as old as the forests of their native Sweden: Ehlder is the latest creative face of the ever-prolific Graavehlder (formerly known as Graav). Nordabetraktelse bears Graavehlder’s unmistakable magick – ancient, solemn, almost monastic. Black metal on the surface, but only barely; beneath that foundation, in the dirt and gravel and of the earth, exist a woodland mysticism and mesmerizing songcraft beyond compare.
Elaquent – After Midnight LP (Urbnet)
Sona Elango, as the multi-talented Elaquent, captures a catalogue of experiences and feelings that span time zones. She has created a reflective sound weaving themes of travel and personal growth into the core of his music.
Matt Embree – 2019 LP (MDB)
Limited picture disc vinyl pressing. Matt Embree is a singer and guitarist best known as the frontman of the Rx Bandits. Embree has, in the past ten years of his career, established himself as a socially outspoken and musically diverse singer/songwriter/musician. He has contributed to a number of hip-hop, alternative, art, progressive, and psychedelic rock bands and musical groups such as Rx Bandits, The Sound Of Animals Fighting, Dispatch, Apotheke, Pebaluna, and Biceratops, among others.
Ethereal Kingdoms – Hollow Mirror LP (SPV)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Denmark’s newest symphonic metal act, Ethereal Kingdoms, deliver a unique and modern take on theatrical symphonic metal.
Samantha Fish – Kill Or Be Kind LP (Rounder/Concord)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. The genre-bending guitarist, singer, and songwriter Samantha Fish offers up a new edgy roots album.
Fitz & The Tantrums – All The Feels LP (New Elektra)
Recently reissued on CD – now available on vinyl. Multi-platinum artists Fitz And The Tantrums have quickly grown from independent upstarts to bonafide hitmakers. The L.A.-based band follows-up their double platinum eponymous 2016 effort and biggest hit to date “HandClap” with their much-anticipated fourth full length, All The Feels. Brimming with imagination, energy, and genre-smashing scope, the modern pop combo is at the top of their game on the album’s anthemic singles “All The Feels” and “123456”. Frontman Michael “Fitz” Fitzpatrick says, “So many highs and lows this last year but we’ll make it through together. We are so excited to finally share what we’ve been working so hard on. All The Feels has all the emotions. We hope you love it as much as we do.”
The Flamin’ Groovies – Teenage Head [Reissue/1971] LP (Culture Factory)
Pink vinyl reissue of the third studio album by the American rock band, originally released the same year as the Rolling Stones’ classic album Sticky Fingers. Mick Jagger reportedly noticed the similarities between the albums and thought the Flamin’ Groovies did the better take on the theme of classic blues and rock ‘n’ roll revisited in a modern context.
Fly My Pretties – The Studio Recordings Part One LP (Loop Recordings)
With a rich history as a live act, The Studio Recordings Part One represents the first studio recordings in the New Zealand folk rock band’s 15-year history and presents some of their finest tracks in a new setting. Featuring members of The Black Seeds, The Phoenix Foundation, Hollie Smith, Mike Fabulous (Lord Echo), LA Mitchell (Terrible Sons), and more.
Roberto Fonesca – Yesun LP (Mack Avenue)
Released last week on CD – now available on vinyl. Combining jazz sensibility and deep roots in the Afro-Cuban tradition, Yesun is the Havana-born artist’s ninth solo album. The record delves into the music of Fonseca’s homeland of Cuba while keeping its sights set firmly on the future, weaving in electronic beats, spoken word, retro-modern keyboards, Fonseca’s vocals and more.
GoGo Penguin – Ocean In A Drop (Music For Film) LP (Blue Note)
This five-track EP stems from GoGo Penguin’s celebrated live soundtrack for Godfrey Reggio’s 1982 cult documentary Koyaanisqatsi. Recorded live, the expansive project carries a sense of poetry; the title nods to a quote from 13th-century Sufi scholar Rumi: “You are not a drop in the ocean. You are the entire ocean in a drop.”
Grant Green – Born To Be Blue [Reissue/1962] LP (Blue Note)
Grant Green’s 1962 album Born To Be Blue featuring Ike Quebec is often thought of as the sister album to Quebec’s classic Blue And Sentimental, which was recorded for Blue Note just three months prior and also showcased the deep chemistry between the soulful guitarist and tenor saxophonist. Quebec’s deep, soul-drenched tenor sound matches beautifully with hard bop masters Green and pianist Sonny Clark, along with the tried-and-true rhythm section team of Sam Jones and Louis Hayes.
Grouper – A I A : Alien Observer [Reissue/2011] LP (Kranky)
Grouper – A I A : Dream Loss [Reissue/2011] LP (Kranky)
Essential. “Two of the most beguiling albums of [2011], exquisitely realized and singularly evocative” (The Quietus). “This music feels both spacey and expansive and also oddly intimate and grounded, the work of someone who has mastered her tools and knows how to get the most out of them” (Pitchfork). “Harris finds a way to dive deeper in simple and unassuming ways” (NPR).
Guillermo Portabales – El Carretero [Reissue/1996] LP (World Circuit)
Recently reissued on CD – now available on vinyl. Guillermo Portabales (1911-1970) was a unique performer of the Cuban guajira rhythm, whose influence and popularity has reached far beyond his native Cuba to North and South America and West Africa. His music had a significant influence on the artists who eventually came together as Buena Vista Social Club (a cover of one of his most famous songs “El Carretero” features on the multi-million selling Buena Vista Social Club album), as well as notable Senegalese artists Orchestra Baobab and Cheikh Lô. This collection of his classic ‘60s recordings was compiled by Nick Gold specifically for release on World Circuit in 1996.
The Haunted – Road Kill [Reissue/2010] 2xLP (Back On Black)
Vinyl reissue of the second live album by Swedish thrash metal masters.
Hawthorne Heights – Fragile Future [Reissue/2008] LP (Victory)
First-time vinyl pressing. Hawthorne Heights’ pivotal 2008 album, Fragile Future was recorded in the wake of the death of bandmate Casey Calvert from an accidental overdose. And although the sound here is still distinctly Hawthorne Heights, the music and the band, had understandably evolved. With their trademark strong melodies and hooks still intact, Hawthorne Heights broadened their sound to emerge with a collection of 12 deliciously genre-free songs. [New album Lost Frequencies due November 8.]
Hollow Coves – Moments LP (Nettwerk)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. The Brisbane indie folk act deliver their anticipated debut full-length album.
In Love With A Ghost – Let’s Go LP (Parapente)
The emotional winter songs of this young Parisian producer can only make you fall in love. Soft silk-draped melodies wander freely in the ethereal atmosphere of a music dedicated to a fantasy world. Between elegance and restraint, the intimate dreams of the author are revealed.
The Jackson 5ive – Get It Together [Reissue/1973] LP (LMLR)
Translucent red colored vinyl reissue of the eighth studio album by The Jackson 5. Get It Together was one of the earliest albums to experiment with a pre-disco sound, released at a time before the genre was mainstream. The album was a breakaway from the group’s bubblegum soul sound as they came up with a more funk-oriented sound.
Hobo Johnson – The Fall Of Hobo Johnson CD/LP (Reprise)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. The Fall Of Hobo Johnson is comical rapper-rocker-poet Frank Lopes Jr. aka Hobo Johnson’s third album. “It is a mix of songs and poems I’ve had floating around in my head for the last few years,” says Lopes Jr. “I’m really proud of it and hope that it makes everyone feel a little less alone and a little more like they want to stay alive.” The Fall Of Hobo Johnson is introduced by the unhinged guitar-driven anthem “Typical Story” and the spirited, horn-adorned confessional “Uglykid”.
Locksley Hall – Locksley Hall LP (Gear Fab/Out-Sider)
This relatively unknown Spokane, WA psychedelic band recorded this eerie and haunting LP in the Spring of 1969, produced by Sonics engineer Kearney Barton and longtime Northwest guitarist Ned Neltner (Mark Five, Gas Company, Junior Cadillac). The beautiful vocals of Shannon Svenson and the band’s style is reminiscent of It’s A Beautiful Day, Jefferson Airplane, and Big Brother & The Holding Company.
Charlie Megira – Tomorrow’s Gone 2xLP (Numero)
The bastard love child of Elvis and Lux Interior, Israeli guitarist Charlie Megira brewed a heady amalgam of ’50s trash rock, surf-y tremolo, and reverb-drenched goth during his all-too-brief 44 trips around the sun. He recorded seven albums worth of material in 15 years, primarily issued on CD-R, most of which is now unreadable or in a landfill. Tomorrow’s Gone is the first collection of Megira’s work; a 24-track double album accompanied by a lavish booklet that documents his tragic existence. Armed with only an Eko guitar, a black tuxedo, and his signature wrap-around shades, Charlie Megira was a mold-breaking artist who disintegrated while we were all staring at our phones.
Freddie Mercury – Mr. Bad Guy [Reissue/1985] LP+MP3 (Hollywood)
Freddie Mercury/Montserrat Caballé – Barcelona [Reissue/1988] LP+MP3 (Hollywood)
Freddie Mercury – Never Boring LP+MP3 (Hollywood)
Vinyl reissues of the Queen frontman’s lone two solo albums and recent compilation of his “best solo songs”, Never Boring.
Mndsgn – NoMaps LP (Mndsgn Limited)
2011’s NoMaps traces a transitional period between two coasts, soundtracking Mndsgn’s transplant from New Jersey to Los Angeles. The 15 tracks take their own detours, in and out of softsynth compositions, textured loops and hard bops to illustrate relocation and its reflective nature.
Mr. Muthaf**kin’ eXquire – Mr. Muthaf**kin’ eXquire LP (Chocolate Rabbit)
Mr. Muthaf**kin’ eXquire – the self-titled debut album – is long overdue, arriving over a decade in to the rapper’s career and following several strong mixtape and EP releases. The album marks the start of a new phase for eXquire which finds him retaining his trademark potty-mouthed raps whilst introducing a more reflective, thoughtful outlook.
Negative Approach – Tied Down [Reissue/1983] LP (Touch & Go)
Born in 1981 in Detroit, MI, Negative Approach was the undisputed champ of Midwestern hardcore in the early to mid-’80s.
Nekromantix – 3 Decades Of Darkle 2xLP (Cleopatra)
Limited green colored vinyl companion to the concert film by the Danish-American psychobilly all-stars.
Neptune Power Federation – Memoirs Of A Rat Queen LP (Cruz Del Sur Music)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. New album from the Australian psychedelic rock and roll occultists.
Matsuo Ohno – Roots Of Electronic Sound [Reissue/1975] LP (Survival Research)
Futuristic synthesizer specialist and sound designer Matsuo Ohno was responsible for the sound design of a broad range of film, television, and radio soundtracks, most famously the animation series Astro Boy which he began working on in 1963 together with his assistant, Takehisa Kosugi. The five suites of tracks that make up the Roots Of Electronic Sound album were recorded between 1963 and 1966, initially released on the ALM label in 1975.
Bobby Oroza – This Love Instrumentals LP (Big Crown)
The instrumental version of Bobby’s instant classic 2016 debut album. Pressed up on translucent red colored vinyl.
Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry – Life Of The Plants 12” (Stones Throw)
The Life Of The Plants EP pairs the iconic dub reggae pioneer’s signature voice and lyrics with the modern psychedelic dub sound of Peaking Lights and Ivan Lee.
Rascal Flatts – Greatest Hits Volume 1 [Reissue/2008] 2xLP (Hollywood)
First time vinyl pressing of the country group’s 2008 hits collection.
Robedoor – Negative Legacy LP/Cassette (Deathbomb Arc)
Recently released on cassette – now available on vinyl. The filthiest of dungeon crawling synth-noise acts has returned. Let the universe howl in despair, Robedoor delivers Negative Legacy. Here, Robedoor dive deeper into murky beats than they ever have before, while introducing a new element of melodic vocals to resonate through their unlit caves of hopelessness.
Rotting Christ – Thanatiphoro Anthologio 3xLP (Back On Black)
Originally released in 2007 and now available on limited edition clear vinyl.
Thanatiphoro Anthologio (Deadly Anthology in Greek) is a compilation album spanning the entire career of the Greek extreme metal band.
Mitch Ryder and The Detroit Wheels – Take A Ride [Reissue/1966] LP (Sundazed)
Motor City legends Mitch Ryder and The Detroit Wheels set unsurpassed standards for balls-out American white-boy R&B. Attacking rock and R&B with a startling, head-on frenzy, the group created a rock-n-soul dynasty still without equal. Take A Ride is the band’s breakout 1966 debut. Limited gold colored vinyl.
Samael – Era One/Lessons In Magic #1 [Reissue/2006] 2xLP (Back On Black)
Colored vinyl reissue of the 2006 album by the Swiss metal act Samael. This edition sees the album paired with Lessons In Magic #1, which consists of nine instrumental songs of electro/ambient music.
Saves The Day – Through Being Cool: TBC20 [Reissue/1999] LP (Equal Vision)
20th anniversary vinyl reissue of the second album by Saves the Day. It has a more melodic sound than their first album, Can’t Slow Down, which was a more punk/hardcore driven record.
Scorpions – Crazy World [Reissue/1990] LP (Mercury)
Scorpions – Face The Heat [Reissue/1993] 2xLP (Mercury)
Scorpions – Love Bites [Reissue/1990] 2xLP (Mercury)
Limited 180gm vinyl LP pressings of the 11th and 12th studio albums and the live set Loves Bites by the German hard rock band.
Shakespears Sister – Ride Again 12” (London)
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. [CD edition due November 8.]
Shark Attack!! – Big Chief b/w Bamboula 7” (Superjock)
New Orleans’ finest surf rock band, brings you two scorchers on this new limited aqua blue colored vinyl 7”.
Signs Of The Swarm – Vital Deprivation LP (Unique Leader)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Sophomore album from the deathcore titans.
Simple Minds – Live In The City Of Angels 4xLP (BMG)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Referencing their first live album, 1987’s Live In The City Of Light, this new live collection once again finds Simple Minds 30 years later scaling the heights of their mid- ‘80s heyday day as they performed at the Orpheum Theatre, Los Angeles on October 24, 2018.
Skinny Puppy – VIVIsectVI [Reissue/1988] LP (Nettwerk)
Skinny Puppy – Rabies [Reissue/1989] LP (Nettwerk)
Vinyl reissues of the fourth and fifth studio albums from the Canadian electro-industrial band.
Slowthai – Nothing Great About Britain LP (Caroline)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Debut studio album by the British rapper, featuring lead single “Doorman” and other singles “Peace Of Mind” and “Gorgeous”. Nothing Great About Britain features guest appearances from Mura Masa, as well as fellow British rappers Skepta and Jaykae.
The Soul Chance – The Soul Chance LP (Obeah)
Limited red colored vinyl LP pressing od the debut long player from the California reggae/soul group.
Sunn O))) – Pyroclasts LP (Southern Lord)
Meditative sister album to the drone metal band’s recent album Live Metal. Produced by legendary engineer Steve Albini.
Superchunk – Acoustic Foolish LP+MP3 (Merge)
Acoustic Foolish is a complete re-recording of their classic 1994 album Foolish. Long considered to be one of the most tender and well-received albums in their storied history, the band was interested in re-exploring what the songs mean to them 25 years later.
Surfaces – Where The Light Is LP (Ten Thousand Project)
Surfaces’ music has been praised for its genre-bending, feel-good music that has been compared to the likes of Sugar Ray and Rex Orange County.
Tiger Army – Retrofuture LP (Rise)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Retrofuture is Tiger Army’s sixth full-length and arrives a full two decades after their debut. Produced by Ted Hutt (The Gaslight Anthem, Old Crow Medicine Show, Lucero), the LP’s concept is elaborated on by frontman Nick 13: “Retrofuturism is generally a visual aesthetic, but it got me thinking, it’s the perfect description for our sound! The gear and instruments are mostly 1950s and 60s, but while the tones may be classic, we’ve always tried to push into uncharted territory musically with each release.”
Tyrnaround – Colour Your Mind [Reissue/1986] LP (Guerssen)
Originally issued as a 12” mini-album in 1986, Tyrnaround’s Colour Your Mind has become a touchstone of 1980s neo-psychedelia and almost certainly one of the best records of the second psychedelic era. Influenced by classic ’60s British psychedelia, it was also inspired by The Dukes of Stratosphear’s 25-O-Clock and perhaps exceeds that record’s trip factor with the acid-infused title track – featured on Amorphous Androgynous’ Wizards Of Oz compilation, and also famously covered by Vibravoid – blending searing acid fuzz guitar, swirling keyboards, surreal lyrics, and sumptuous early Floyd-like harmonies.
Gino Vannelli – Powerful People [Reissue/1974] LP (LMLR)
Translucent orange colored vinyl reissue. Features the single “People Gotta Move” which was Vannelli’s first hit in the United States, when disco music was gaining popularity.
The Vapor Caves – Feel Yourself LP (Sign Yourself Music)
The Vapor Caves is a Texas-bred, R&B/modern funk duo. They have drawn comparisons to such acts as Robyn, The Internet, Chromeo, & Tuxedo.
Various Artists – Once Upon A Time In Hollywood [OST] 2xLP (Sony)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. The soundtrack to Quentin Tarantino’s latest film features over 20 standout tracks from artists such as Paul Revere & The Raiders, Deep Purple, and Neil Diamond, as well as vintage radio advertisements, creating a true time capsule of a golden era of filmmaking.
Vatican Shadow – Washington Buries Al Qaeda Leader At Sea 2xLP (Hospital Productions)
Unmissable for anyone with their head in the belly of modern electronic gloom.
Lorette Velvette – Don’t Crowd Your Mind LP (Mono-Tone)
A compilation of songs from Lorette Velvette, originally on rare 45s and CDs. The collection sees the ex-Panther Burns and Hellcats member with guests like Alex Chilton, Mick Collins, Lee Baker, Doug Easley. Garage blues and raunch ‘n’ roll, originals songs, and startling covers the true Memphis sound, savage and soulful.
Venom – Live From The Hammersmith Odeon Theatre 1985 [Reissue/2017] 2xLP (Back On Black)
Vinyl reissue of Venom’s epic 1985 concert, originally recorded as part of the Live From London series.
Verite – New Skin LP (Verite)
Pink vinyl LP pressing in gatefold jacket. New Skin is about the middle. It’s the messy and uncomfortable and mundane reality of being in relationship that no one talks about. It’s about the nuance of love in all of its unflattering angles and complexity. This record is her internal dialogue from the last two years trying to find meaning while loving someone the best she could. This record is about commitment.
Vintersea – Illuminated LP (M-Theory Audio)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Fronted by Malaysian-born singer Avienne, whose vocal range spans from haunting melodies to fierce growls, the Portland, OR-based Vintersea delivers heavy, emotionally powerful and technically intriguing music that is undeniably inspired by the majesty of America’s Pacific Northwest.
Wednesday 13 – Necrophaze LP (Nuclear Blast)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. The Duke of Spook has returned once more from beyond the grave to unleash Necrophaze, the latest full length offering from the ghouls of Wednesday 13. Heavily influenced by the real life night terror occurrences of Wednesday himself, historical serial killers, and a slew of ‘80s horror films, the ideas behind Necrophaze are bizarrely familiar, frightening, and a hell of a lot of fun. To top it off guest appearances are made by the likes of Alice Cooper, Cristina Scabbia, Jeff Clayton and Alexi Laiho. [Limited mint green/purple swirl colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Junior Wells – You’re Tuff Enough [Reissue/1968] LP (Cleopatra Blues)
Vinyl reissue of the 1968 album by blues legend Junior Wells that collects his recordings from the Blue Rock label that found Wells experimenting with a funky, James Brown-inspired sound.
Brooke White – Calico LP (Nevado Music)
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. [CD edition due November 8.]
Wipers – Land Of The Lost [Reissue/1986] LP (Jackpot)
Vinyl reissue of the fourth studio album by the punk rock band, originally released by Restless/Enigma in 1986. Wipers was a punk rock group formed in Portland, Oregon in 1977 by guitarist Greg Sage. They are considered as the first Pacific Northwest punk band. [Two colored vinyl pressings are available: blue & gray and green.
Wun Two & Hubert Daviz – Nosferatu LP (Wun Two)
Limited picture disc vinyl LP pressing. Wun Two remains one of the most envied lo-fi hip-hop producers on the planet. Inspired in part by composers Maurice Jarre and Bernard Herrmann, Wun Two wanted to create a project that didn’t emote the somewhat-depressive feelings of certain scores, but an atmosphere of tension and suspense so often associated with Hitchcock and Stephen King novels.
Zimmer – Zimmer 2xLP (Roche Musique)
Debut album from French electronic music composer Baptiste Mours.
Cassettes:
Fat Jon – Wave Motion (Young Heavy Souls)
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. [Vinyl edition due November 8.]
Rollingchild – Post Party Depression (Burger)
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.
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