CDs + Vinyl:
Bryan Adams – Get Up CD/LP (UMe)
New release from the Canadian AOR/melodic rocker. Bryan Adams’ 13th studio album is a solid collection of rock songs, from the fast and furious uptempo tracks such as lead song “Brand New Day,” ‘You Belong To Me,” and “Thunderbolt,” to the gentler songs such as “Don’t Even Try” and “We Did It All.” Produced by Jeff Lynne (ELO, Traveling Wilburys).
Ryan Adams – 1989 CD (Pax Americana/Blue Note)
Produced by Adams, the first news of this reinterpretation of 1989 was revealed last month on the Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter’s Instagram (misterryanadams) with the post “Taylor Swift 1989 full album cover night 1. As played by the Smiths.” Several subsequent posts of song snippets revealed much more range than that including a take on “Bad Blood” that Vanity Fair called “a lovely Heartbreaker-era style version” referencing Adams’ classic debut, a string quartet-enhanced version of “Blank Space,” what Adams promised to be the “guaranteed saddest version of ‘Welcome To New York’ ever — or your tears back,” and more. Vinyl and cassette editions due December 11.
Alberta Cross – Alberta Cross CD/LP (Dine Alone)
“For the better part of a decade, Alberta Cross was the creative outlet for friends Petter Ericson Stakee and Terry Wolfers. However, following the release of 2012’s Songs Of Patience, Wolfers found himself tied up in several other projects, leaving Stakee to soldier on by his lonesome. He did just that, setting up shop recently in an abandoned church to write and record Alberta Cross’ self-titled third album. Stakee calls the visceral number ‘Isolation’ a return of sorts to the ‘rawness of the way I started out, my first mini-album The Thief & The Heartbreaker.’ He adds that the song is ‘the perfect example of the sound and feel of the whole record,’ one that ‘was inspired by a series of late night jams we had in New York City prior to recording. I really wanted to capture that live soulful organic sound.’ – Consequence Of Sound
All Them Witches – Dying Surfer Meets His Maker CD (New West)
Heavy, heady and hypnotic, All Them Witches concoct a powerful and potent psychedelic sound that fuses bluesy soul, Southern swagger and thunderous hard rock. “There are undoubtedly some throwback vibes to their sound, but ATW sound like they have bigger goals in mind than simply being a retro band. Album single ‘Dirt Preachers’ has clear production and the kind of big, catchy melodies that could’ve broke on the radio just as easily in 1975 as 2005. It probably won’t now though, which says more about rock radio than it does about the strength of this song” – Brooklyn Vegan. Vinyl version due November 20.
Trey Anastasio – Paper Wheels CD/2xLP (Rubber Jungle/ATO)
Tenth solo album from the Phish guitarist. Recorded at The Barn and inspired by the immediacy of Stax-era recordings, Trey Anastasio recorded the songs for Paper Wheels live, often in one or two takes. The Trey Anastasio Band on this album includes Ray Paczkowski on keyboards, Tony Markellis on bass, and Russ Lawton on drums, with a horn section consisting of trombonist / vocalist Natalie Cressman, trumpeter / vocalist Jennifer Hartswick, and instrumentalist James Casey. The horns add a jazzy funk vibe to the songs, while the rhythm section provides a tighter feel than what you’d expect from Phish. The jamming is nice and focused, with Trey shining on guitar. (Available on CD and on HQ-180gm 45rpm double-LP splatter vinyl in a die cut gatefold package with six unique sleeves.)
Anathema – A Sort Of Homecoming 2xCD+DVD (Kscope)
Directed by Lasse Hoile (Steven Wilson, Katatonia, Opeth), A Sort Of Homecoming is a concert film of Anathema’s homecoming show on March 7, 2015 in the spectacular setting of the Liverpool Cathedral. The concert was described by Prog magazine as “a once-in-a-lifetime experience that words can barely do justice.” Also available on stand-alone Blu-ray disc.
Apparat – Multifunktionsebene, Tttrial And Eror. Duplex 3xCD/3xLP (Shitkatapult)
Apparat’s first three albums, originally released in 2001, ’02, and ’03, are reissued as a deluxe box set. Hardly any other musician at the interface between electronic and pop is as greatly cherished and passionately admired as the Berlin-based Apparat. He merges the inexhaustible sound- worlds of electronic music with the emotional depth of indie. He makes music to rock out to and to drift away to, to sing along to and to dive into.
Ólafur Arnalds and Nils Frahm – Collaborative Works 2xCD (Erased Tapes)
Comprises three vinyl EPs Loon, Stare, and Life Story Love And Glory as well as seven new songs from their Trance Frendz studio film.
Maki Asakawa – Maki Asakawa CD/LP (Honest Jon’s)
Japanese jazz singer and cult icon Maki Asakawa released dozens of albums and worked with musicians like Ryuichi Sakamoto before her death in 2010 aged 67. This new retrospective collects some of Asakawa’s work from the 1970s, revealing a smoky, noirish style that recalls Nico and Scott Walker as well as Nina Simone and Billie Holliday.
Babes – Untitled (Five Tears) CD/LP (Barsuk)
Babes—the pop-rock family five-piece from Los Angeles—release their full-length debut with Untitled (Five Tears). Noisey premiered the lead single “I’ve Got A Reason To Keep On Living,” saying it “crests a sunny surf-pop wave. Yet there’s an element of obsession lurking in these beachy grooves.”
Jaye Bartell – Loyalty CD/LP (Headway Recordings)
“There are some musicians that cannot be casually heard. For the music of Jaye Bartell, background listening just will not do. His is an ethereal folk aesthetic with a misleading simplistic charm. And if your lazy ear is not careful, the result may bring a plague upon your house. The haunting baritone vocal and its poetic delivery derives more from literary sources than musical ones. Combined with slow and pensive song structures, Bartell’s work calls to mind anything from romance, beauty, trust and hope; to fear, envy, sexuality and violence. For fans of Leonard Cohen, Nick Cave, Angel Olsen, Neil Young, Skip Spence.” – Noise Trade
The Beach Bullies – We Rule The Universe [Reissue/1980] CD/LP+MP3 (Manufactured Recordings)
In January of 1980, James Smith’s band, The Containers (which, at one time, featured his friend Robyn Hitchcock of The Soft Boys on guitar) suddenly broke up and he was left on his own. Armed only with his guitar, a drum machine and his flatmate’s girlfriend, Jill Fricker, to sing backup vocals, he forged ahead with his new project: The Beach Bullies. The Beach Bullies somehow managed to sound simultaneously classic and exceptionally ahead of their time, characterized by alternating vocals and a minimal aesthetic reminiscent of their contemporaries The Television Personalities and Young Marble Giants, as well as acts that would come later, such as The Vaselines, The Pastels, and Small Factory. This LP presents their long out of print original album, along with a digital download of previously unreleased demos and rough mixes intended for a follow-up release that never came to fruition.
Beach House – Thank Your Lucky Stars CD/LP+MP3 (Sub Pop)
Recently released on vinyl – now available on CD. Surprise sixth LP comes less than two months after Depression Cherry. “It was recorded at the same time as Depression Cherry, but for us, it’s very much a different record. All of its songs were written after the DC songs. Along the way we realized that we didn’t want it to be released in the traditional manner. Mainly, we just wanted our listeners to hear it first.”
Beach Slang – The Things We Do To Find People Who Feel Like Us CD/LP+MP3 (Polyvinyl)
“Beach Slang frontman James Snyder has been a staple on the Philly punk scene for just about forever. Now in his forties, Snyder used to front the journeyman pop-punk band Weston. He is not exactly the sort of guy you expect to see leading a buzzy new band, and yet he is doing exactly that. Beach Slang, Snyder’s new band, plays full-throated and hooky classic rock through a punk lens. They make road-trip ragers that will make you think of both Springsteen and the Descenedents, and they sound absolutely full of life in the same way that Japandroids do.” – Stereogum
Birds And Arrows – Edge Of Everything CD (Birds And Arrows)
Birds and Arrows have been an integral part of the North Carolina Triangle music scene for going on 10 years, Andrea and Pete Connolly define their sound through intertwining vocals and impeccable collaborative song craftsmanship. This seventh release is the follow up to 2013’s Coyotes. Edge Of Everything was produced and recorded by Chris Stamey of the dB’s plus a wonderful cast of musicians.
Cilla Black – The Hit Singles CD/LP (Varese Sarabande)
Next to The Beatles, Cilla Black was Brian Epstein’s greatest success story. Between 1963 and 1971, she had 11 Top Ten hits in the UK, with two reaching #1. Produced by George Martin, her biggest chart success in the US was “You’re My World.” She had a huge following in the States because of her association with The Beatles. Lennon and McCartney wrote two of her biggest singles, “It’s For You,” and “Step Inside Love.” This new collection features all of her biggest and best-loved recordings.
Blond:ish – Welcome To The Present CD/2xLP+CD (Kompakt)
Flexing the psychedelic and spiritual influences that informed their Lovers In Limbo EP (2012), Inward Visions (2013), and Wunderkammer (2014), this material presents itself not so much as the collection of DJ-ready peak-time bangers that some would’ve expected, but as what one might admiringly call a total trip. Here, each track is part of a bigger story, accomplishing its role in a vibrant, colorful mix of electronic moods, field recordings, traditional instruments, and polyglot vocals.
John Cage & David Tudor – Live At The San Francisco Museum Of Art January 16th 1965 CD (Air Cuts)
Broadcast on KPFA radio on David Tudor’s 39th birthday (January 20, 1965), this historic concert with John Cage thundered through the sculpture court of the San Francisco Museum of Art on January 16, 1965, before a capacity audience that included such Bay Area arts dignitaries as Darius Milhaud. The volume level was raucous, and live electronic music has never sounded more vibrant.
Caravan Palace – Robot CD (Le Plan)
Created in their Parisian studios, where the electro-pioneers fuse hedonistic house and old school jazz to glorious effect, Robot evokes the spirit of a modernistic Quintette du Hot Club de France.
Car Seat Headrest – Teens Of Style CD/LP+MP3 (Matador)
“Those who are coming to Car Seat Headrest with a fresh set of ears will have no trouble spotting the influences that fueled the creation of Teens Of Style. The album is a compilation that repackages the best of Toledo’s bedroom indie rock from over the years, but it could just as easily be mistaken for a compilation of artists that once appeared on Matador themselves. There’s the droll, meandering vocal delivery of Pavement’s Stephen Malkmus, a dense whirlpool of guitars à la Guided by Voices, and a strange kind of intimacy that’s reminiscent of early Modest Mouse. Even though he’s got a full band to back him now, Toledo still sing-slurs like he just tossed back a bottle of wine and stumbled into a confessional booth by himself. The results are inspired and cringe-worthy by turns, with enough lightning flashes of wisdom to balance out the rolling thunder of narcissism, teen angst, and 21st century trivialities.” – Consequence Of Sound
Peter Case – Hwy 62 CD/LP+MP3 (Omnivore)
Peter Case, founding member of the Nerves and leader of The Plimsouls, and one the first troubadours of the post-punk era, returns with his first album of new songs since 2010’s Wig!. Guests on Hwy 62 include Ben Harper, Jebin Bruni (PIL), Cindy Wasserman and David Carpenter (Dead Rock West), D.J. Bonebrake (X), Don Heffington (Lone Justice), and others. “Everybody says I’m a troubadour, since I perform alone and bring the tales. The challenge was to make a “troubadour album” that rocks with electric energy — Ben Harper and D.J. Bonebrake were key to that,” says Case. “HWY 62 connects east with west, north and south. I’m connecting three-chord rock ’n’ roll, to all kinds of American music, bringing together stories I’ve lived and found along the way, music about now.”
Cheatahs – Mythologies CD/LP (Wichita)
Since the release of their self-titled debut album last year, London quartet Cheatahs have remained prolific, recording two new EPs and and now a full-length follow-up. Sophomore LP Mythologies marks an evolution for the guitar-driven band: “More electronic and experimental,” observes Dummy Mag. “A departure from the visceral shoegaze sound… with layers of haunting synths, insouciant vocals and gradually-building instrumental backdrops of emphatic drums and barbed guitar riffs.”
The Chills – Silver Bullets CD/LP (Fire)
First new album in nearly two decades from the New Zealand alt-pop band. “If there is one characteristic that has defined the music of the New Zealand group the Chills over the course of their 35-year, on-and-off, up-and-down existence, it’s their ability to summon a kind of effortless beauty. Their best songs occur in soft focus, the vocals of frontman and sole consistent member Martin Phillipps hushed and controlled, his guitar lines sturdy and gleaming like gold thread.” — Pitchfork
Cicada Rhythm – Cicada Rhythm CD (Normaltown)
A Julliard-trained standup bassist and a train-hopping troubadour walk into a bar…sounds like the lead into a nerdy joke, but it’s not. It is the recipe that yielded the elegant and eponymous Normaltown Records debut from Cicada Rhythm. A diverse and adventurous 12-song collection that slides easily between folk, rock, blues and Americana, each song soars with an authenticity crafted by primary members Andrea Demarcus and David Kirslis. The album was recorded in a diverse range of environments (like 200-year-old church) with acclaimed producer Drew Vandenberg (Deerhunter, of Montreal). Vinyl due November 20.
Circa Survive – Juturna: 10 Year Anniversary Edition 2xCD/3xLP (Equal Vision)
Pennsylvania alternative rock outfit Circa Survive burst onto the scene in 2005 with their debut album Juturna. This expanded deluxe edition includes the bonus track “Suspending Disbelief,” 11 demo versions, and six B-sides. The 3xLP Deluxe pressing features olive/cream splatter, orange/cream speckled and pinkish red/clear haze vinyl with an etching on the F-side.
Martin Courtney – Many Moons CD/LP+MP3 (Domino)
Many Moons is the solo debut from Martin Courtney, the principal songwriter of Real Estate. After the 2014 release of their third album, Atlas, Courtney started writing some songs while waiting to head out on tour. He’s created an album of soft psychedelia that sonically recalls The Kinks and Big Star and that lyrically reveals his life as a family man, father, and touring musician. Many Moons is breezy and full of subtle introspection. It’s an elliptical document of Courtney’s transition into family life and fatherhood written through the filter of being away from his loved ones and home.
Cowboy Junkies – Notes Falling Slow 4xCD (Razor & Tie)
This four CD box set includes remastered versions of the three studio albums that Cowboy Junkies released in the ‘00s (Open, One Soul Now and At The End Of Paths Taken) and a fourth disc consisting of songs that were written during the making of the three studio albums, but never completed or released. In the summer of 2015, the band re-imagined and re-recorded all the songs for this collection. The resulting recordings have a touch of the band’s trademark psychedelia with a large dose of it’s folk roots.
Def Leppard – Def Leppard CD/LP (Mailboat)
New release from the melodic hard rockers, their 11th studio album overall and first in seven years. Recorded earlier this year at front man Joe Elliott’s studio in Dublin, Ireland, the album features 14 tracks in total. Said Joe Elliott, “This album came together very organically. We didn’t sit down to create an album but started writing together and suddenly had 14 songs. Although we recorded it over a period of a year while we were out touring, it really came together in 9 or 10 weeks. It all had a very organic flow to it and we are excited for our fans to now hear it.” Includes the single “Let’s Go.”
Dieuf-Dieul de Thies – Aw Sa Yone 2 CD/2xLP+MP3 (Teranga Beat)
The second volume of previously unreleased early-’80s recordings by Senegalese band Dieuf-Dieul de Thies, demonstrating their ability to move from Mbalax to Afro-Cuban and Afro-jazz ballads without losing any of their original psychedelic sound and unique identity.
DJ Paul – Master Of Evil CD (Psychopathic)
Debut album for Da Mafia 6ix and The Killjoy Club member DJ Paul.
Draconian – Sovran CD (Napalm)
Founded in 1994 in the Swedish Säffle, Draconian gradually refined their sound of melodic death metal with elements of black metal, becoming more ponderous and doomy over time.
Drive-By Truckers – It’s Great To Be Alive 3xCD/5xLP+3xCD (ATO)
Epic, career-spanning live set from the Drive-By Truckers recorded in San Francisco last fall.
Patterson Hood says: “We sequenced it to be like kind of an ultimate DBT set list. We never use a set list from night to night so the show is ever evolving, but for this it was like, what would be the ultimate three hour show we could play right now?”
Drug Church – Hit Your Head CD (No Sleep)
“Albany, New York punk outfit Drug Church has been known to operate at extreme levels, in both a technical and personal sense. Fronted by Self Defense Family’s Patrick Kindlon, the band has carried the hardcore torch passed down through the likes of Fugazi and Black Flag, their 2012 self-titled debut EP earning them a reputation for self-loathing songs riddled with bombastic guitar licks and deafening drums. This sound showed up in full force on their first full-length album, 2013’s well-received Paul Walker. Now, Drug Church is ready for round two with their sophomore LP, Hit Your Head.” – Consequence Of Sound
El Vy – Return To The Moon CD (4AD)
El Vy (pronounced like a plural of Elvis; rhymes with ‘hell pie’) is the musical collaboration between Matt Berninger, vocalist and lyricist of The National, and Brent Knopf, the Portland musician and producer best known for his work in Menomena and his more recent band, Ramona Falls. Vinyl version due November 27.
Escape The Fate – Hate Me CD/LP+MP3 (Eleven Seven Music)
New album from the post-hardcore band. Hate Me is Escape The Fate’s first without lead guitarist and founding member Monte Money. “Lyrically, a lot of these tracks are based around the hate we’ve received over the years and just embracing that and using it to our own advantage,” says frontman Craig Mabbitt. “I’ve had to step up to the plate lately, for the fans as much as anything else, because they take the name Escape The Fate very seriously and I owe them something for that, for all the support they’ve shown us over the years. It’s very humbling for me to be able to listen to this collection of songs and think about where we’ve come from and what we’ve been through to get to this point.” (Vinyl edition includes download with bonus tracks.)
Expert Alterations – You Can’t Always Be Liked CD/LP+MP3 (Kanine)
Baltimore’s premier indie-pop trio Expert Alterations have one eyebrow arched as they survey the surrounding pop landscape — they know they can do better. Strip it down, keep it lean, sweat off the fat. Despite their propensity for reducing the elements of pop to its essential core, Expert Alterations are minimal, but not skeletal — their bones are strong and their songs linger long after the music is over.
Fat Freddy’s Drop – Bays CD/LP+MP3 (The Drop)
New album Bays by the New Zealand seven-piece band opens with the slow burn funk of ‘Wairunga Blues,” and then journeys through a hybrid of reggae, jazz with techno rhythms underpinning Freddy’s signature horns and Joe Dukie’s soulful and introspective vocals, arriving finally on the crooked blues jam of “Novak.” (Limited copies pressed on white vinyl.)
Foxing – Dealer CD/LP+MP3 (Triple Crown)
Sophomore album from St. Louis, Missouri quintet Foxing. “It’s an album that embraces weeping piano ballads and orchestral indie rock as much as climactic post rock or glitchy downtempo. Sometimes a few of those things appear on one song, like ‘Night Channels’ which manages to tackle The Antlers’ intimacy and Explosions In The Sky’s soaring breadth in just over four minutes. It’s a rich-sounding record too, where even the distorted guitars sound clean. But it’s not clean in a sunny, spring-y way. It constantly feels weighed down by sorrow, the kind of thing you reach for in late fall or the dead of winter. In the lyrics there’s allusion to religion and war, vivid imagery (‘soaking blood through a dogwood lung’), and often an overwhelming feeling of guilt.” — Brooklyn Vegan
Jerry Garcia/David Grisman/Tony Rice – Extra Large Pizza Tapes 3xCD (Acoustic Disc)
The informal once-in-a lifetime jam session that brought guitar icons Jerry Garcia and Tony Rice together with their mandolin-picking host David Grisman was recorded in Dawg Studios on two successive evenings in February, 1993. This Extra Large 170-minute edition of the legendary session includes 16 previously unissued alternate takes in addition to the original master takes in their original sequence. This unique collection also features more of the personal repartee, which made the original release so endearing and insightful — the anatomy of this very special jam.
Gazpacho – Molok CD (Kscope)
New album from the Norwegian Art-rock progressive outfit.
GEMS – Kill The Ones You Love CD/LP+MP3 (Carpark)
When Lindsay Pitts and Clifford John Usher first met, their connection was instantaneous. That bond still fuels their art. As GEMS, they self-released the Medusa EP in 2013, a debut with a remarkably mature sound. On Medusa, Lindsay’s haunting and deeply emotive vocals provide the backbone for Clifford’s dark and dreamy production, balancing gauzy atmospherics with emotional heft. That mix finds new tension and release on GEMS’ first full-length album, Kill The One You Love. The record more deeply indulges in the group’s evocative shadow pop, influenced by R&B production and shoegaze.
Gentle Giant – Octopus [Reissue/1972] CD/Blu-ray+CD (Alucard)
Digitally remixed and remastered edition of Gentle Giant’s iconic album Octopus. It has been remixed by Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree/Kscope) and has an added bonus live 15-minute concert mix of “Excerpts From Octopus” by Steven Wilson from the band’s 1976 tour. New sketches by Roger Dean are included in the packaging as well as both the artwork from the USA album and the UK album. (Blu-ray edition features 96/24 PCM and in DTS 5.1 Surround Sound Master Audio as well as instrumental mixes of five of the original eight tracks from the album in 96/24 PCM, and a flat transfer of the original mix of the album (taken directly from the original quarter inch tape.)
Get Scared – Demons CD (Fearless)
For Demons, the band’s third full-length and the follow-up to 2013’s Everyone’s Out To Get Me, Get Scared recorded with producer Erik Ron (D.R.U.G.S., Panic! At The Disco, Saosin).
- Love & Special Sauce – Love Saves The Day CD/LP (Brushfire)
- Love’s tenth studio album, Love Saves The Day, features guest artists Lucinda Williams, Citizen Cope, David Hildago of Los Lobos, Ozomatli, DJ Logic, Money Mark, Zach Gill and Adam Topol. The album features the down and dirty “trashcan blues” style of G. Love with his his long-term Special Sauce rhythm section of James “Jimi Jazz” Prescott and drummer Jeffrey “The Houseman” Clemens. Robert Carranza, engineer and producer (Jack Johnson, Beastie Boys, Mars Volta) recorded the group live with few edits to capture the raw and unfiltered electricity of the tracks. Love Saves The Day is the fullest realization of the hip-hop blues that G. Love first pioneered with Special Sauce in the early ‘90s.
The Great Tyrant – The Trouble With Being Born CD/LP (Relapse)
The Great Tyrant were a three-piece experimental rock band from Denton, TX active in the late ’10s who released one full length album and a few singles to cult acclaim. On the eve of the completion of their second full length, The Trouble With Being Born, bassist Tommy Wayne Atkins unexpectedly passed away. The remaining two members of The Great Tyrant continued on as Pinkish Black, but The Trouble With Being Born lay unreleased until now.
Lalah Hathaway – Lalah Hathaway Live CD (eOne)
Hathaway recorded her album live at the historic Troubadour Theater in Los Angeles earlier this year, in the same place where her father recorded half of his seminal 1972 album Donny Hathaway Live.
Hooded Menace – Darkness Drips Forth CD/LP+MP3 (Relapse)
Recorded and mixed by Chris Fielding (Electric Wizard, Primordial, etc) Hooded Menace employ a new approach on their latest effort, expanding their writing across four mammoth, dense tracks that nearly all exceed ten minutes a piece. Cavernous vocals preside over Lasse Pyykko’s rocky riffs, while the band’s unshakable rhythmic core provides a grim backbone for the record. Perfect for fans of crushing doom and old-school death metal.
H.P. Lovecraft – Live May 11 1968 [Reissue/1991] LP (Sundazed)
Live May 11 1968 is a live album by the American psychedelic rock band H.P. Lovecraft and was released in 1991. The eight tracks included on the album were all recorded at The Fillmore West in San Francisco, California on May 11, 1968, soon after the band’s original bass player Jerry McGeorge had been replaced by Jeffrey Boyan. The album consists of material taken from the band’s first two studio albums and is blessed with very good sound quality considering the era in which it was recorded.
Imagine Dragons – Smoke + Mirrors [Expanded] CD (Interscope)
Deluxe version of Imagine Dragons’ hugely successful 2015 album Smoke + Mirrors, featuring
Six bonus tracks including “Monster,” “Battle Cry” and “Warriors.”
J Dilla – Dillatronic CD/3xLP (Vintage Vibes)
41 rare instrumentals that showcase Dilla’s undeniable electronic influences. (Available on single CD and as a three volume LP set. Each LP volume comes with a limited edition, glow-in-the-dark embossed jacket and is pressed on colored vinyl.)
The Jack Moves – The Jack Moves CD (Wax Poetics)
The Jack Moves is a Newark, NJ old school soul style duo consisting of singer and multi-instrumentalist Zee Desmondes — who has a mean falsetto — and drummer/producer Teddy Powell. Vinyl version due November 20.
The Jam – Fire & Skill: The Jam Live 6xCD (Polydor)
This box set features six previously unreleased concerts, one from each year of The Jam’s major-label career. Included are shows at the 100 Club (1977), Music Machine (1978), Reading University, (1979), Newcastle City Hall (1980), Hammersmith Palais (1981), plus one of their final gigs at Wembley Arena (1982).
Chris Janson – Buy Me A Boat CD (Warner Music Nashville)
Debut album album from this newcomer on the country scene. Janson has written singles for Justin Moore and Tim McGraw among others.
Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis – Big Band Holidays CD (Blue Engine)
A compilation of holiday classics performed live by the world-renowned Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis. Special guests on Big Band Holidays include some of today’s commanding new voices in jazz: René Marie, Cécile McLorin Salvant and more. Every December for more than a decade, the critically acclaimed Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis and an all-star roster of guest vocalists have explored the canon of holiday standards to perform new and traditional arrangements of Yuletide favorites. Vinyl due November 13.
Johnny Jones – Doin’ The Best I Can: A Chicago Pianist-About-Town And His Fellow Musicians 2xCD (JSP)
This is the very first series reissue of this amazing and vital Chicago Blues pianist and singer. He was ‘first call’ piano player for some of the greats including Elmore James and Tampa Red and his own recordings although few in number are of the highest quality — he was a distinctive pianist and singer who was immediately recognizable.
Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings – It’s A Holiday Soul Party CD/LP (Daptone)
The band offers up a succinct soulful soundtrack to this holiday season.
Jono El Grande – Melody Of A Muddled Mason CD/LP (Rune Grammofon)
Jono El Grande (Jon Andreas Håtun) is a self-taught composer, musician, conductor, painter, and prankster and remains an outsider on the far margins of the Norwegian experimental music scene. He lists movements like Rock In Opposition and the Canterbury scene and artists and composers like Frank Zappa, Stravinsky, Magma, Henry Cow, and Gentle Giant as sources of inspiration. With his releases and stage shows he has now established his own signature, with mature compositions, refined arrangements, improved guitar playing, and the introduction of subtle vocals.
The Marcus King Band – Soul Insight CD (Evil Teen)
Call him the next Duane Allman or Derek Trucks, but whatever ever you do, don’t call Marcus King a child prodigy. Sure, the 19-year-old guitar shredder’s talent shimmers with the same resonance as his heroes, but he’s been wielding an axe since he learned to talk — he started playing when he was two, and got his first guitar (a Squier Strat) at age seven, landing his first paying gig a year later. Now virtual road warriors, Marcus and the band have toured throughout the South and Southeast developing a fervent fan base and honing their craft, their sound and spirit drawing significant influence from the aforementioned Duane Allman and Warren Haynes to Marvin Gaye, Ray LaMontagne, Gary Clark Jr. and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Vinyl version due November 13.
Kool Keith & Ray West – Couple Of Slices CD/LP (Red Apples 45)
Couple Of Slices pairs the production of Ray West and the lyrics of the legendary Kool Keith. Keith’s wizardry intertwines with Ray West’s melodies to create a mood of sarcastic romance at the same time setting rappers straight. Proudly recorded in the Bronx, all the writing and concepts were done together in the studio. Mixed with great detail by Phil Moffa at Butcha Sound NYC with features from AG of DITC, Cormega, 3rd Eye & Dyin Breed.
Mark Kozelek and Nicolás Pauls – Dreams Of Childhood: A Spoken Word Album CD (Caldo Verde)
Dreams Of Childhood is a collection of 12 poems written by street kids in Argentina, translated Argentine actor/musician Nicolás Pauls, Federico Novik, Pablo Cubarle and Catalina Morano. Performed in English by Mark Kozelek and in Spanish by Nicolás Pauls. Executive producer Nicolás Pauls. All proceeds will go to La Casa de la Cultura de la Calle (The Streets House of Culture) which is a nonprofit civil organization that seeks the social inclusion of kids with no homes by giving them art, music, theatre and photography classes.
Billy J. Kramer with The Dakotas – The Very Best Of Billy J. Kramer with The Dakotas CD (Varese Sarabande)
This new greatest hits collection features all of Kramer’s best-loved and biggest hit songs. He was closely associated with The Beatles, having hits with seven Lennon and McCartney songs, including “Bad To Me,” “I’ll Be On My Way,” “I’ll Keep You Satisfied,” “I Call Your Name,” “Do You Want To Know A Secret,” and “From A Window,” several of which The Beatles never recorded themselves. The collection also includes the oldies radio staple “Bad To Me.”
Laurel Halo – In Situ CD (Honest Jon’s)
Experimental techno producer Laurel Halo makes her formidable return with a double EP on Honest Jon’s Records. In Situ is her first release for the iconic London label, following her two grandiose albums on Hyperdub — 2012’s Quarantine and 2013’s Chance Of Rain.
Jeffrey Lewis & Los Bolts – Manhattan CD/LP+MP3 (Rough Trade)
Manhattan, the first studio album in four years by NYC native Jeffrey Lewis, is at once a big step forward – he recorded with a full band, and worked with producer John Agnello (Kurt Vile, Dinosaur Jr., Phosphorescent) to craft a big, warm, crackling rock sound – as well as a look back, lyrically, toward the city, people, and streets that have influenced and informed his art throughout his life.
Little Simz – A Curious Tale Of Trials + Persons CD (AGE 101/Kobalt)
Born and raised in North London, the young wordsmith known as Little Simz brings a new level of intelligence, creativity and musicality to the global hip-hop arena. At just 21 years of age, nothing could have prepared Little Simz for her meteoric rise over the past year. Charismatic, fierce and lyrically mature, the rapper and musician caught the attention of Jay Z’s Life + Times platform in 2013, seeing them premiere her fourth mixtape Blank Canvas; Simz catapulted into a whole new arena. That recognition subsequently won her an invite to support Schoolboy Q on his Oxymoron tour and positioned her to become rap’s next great hope with support and accolades from Complex, Vevo, i-D, XXL, Variety, The Independent and The Guardian to name a few.
Lomelda – Forever CD/LP (Punctum Music)
Lomelda is an art rock band from Waco, TX. Their sound features strong female vocals, loose spacey guitars, and intricate emotional percussion. Lead by the songwriting of Hannah Read, the group creates music that is both accessible and exploratory, nostalgic and challenging. Read’s simple guitar stylings range from mellow, woody rhythmic patterns to heavy droning textures, while the dynamic drumming of Zach Daniel adds weight to the subtleties of the songs.
Lionel Loueke – GAÏA CD (Blue Note)
Rock-infused new album from acclaimed Beninese guitarist Lionel Loueke. On GAÏA, Loueke reunited with his longtime trio featuring bassist Massimo Biolcati and drummer Ferenc Nemeth for a session produced by Don Was that was recorded live in the studio with an intimate audience in attendance.
Low Lumens – Dawn/Dusk CD/Cassette (Burnt Toast Vinyl)
Low Lumens is the moniker for the Pittsburgh based artist and musician Danny Bracken. His creative practice explores interactions between video, sound, and physical space, ranging from immersive, multi-sensory installations to small-scale sculptures. Born into a family of musicians, sound occupies a central role in his work; taking the form of film scores, installations, and stand-alone recordings. At the heart of these investigations lies an interest in the relationship between humans, the natural world, and technology.
Seth MacFarlane – No One Ever Tells You CD (Republic)
Third full-length album from the multi-talented entertainer/artist. No One Ever Tells You features both originals and covers. MacFarlane teamed up with Grammy Award-nominated composer Joel McNeely for the project.
Made To Break – Before The Code CD/LP (Trost)
Improviser, composer, and saxophonist extraordinaire Ken Vandermark’s group Made To Break return with a new bassis and renewed energy.
Mano le Tough – Trails CD/LP (Permanent Vacation)
Mano le Tough spends a lot of time in the club. In 2014, the Irish-born artist played more than 100 gigs all around the world — landing at number eight on Resident Advisor’s annual DJ Poll in the process — but when the time came to make Trails, the follow-up to his lauded 2013 debut album Changing Days, he knew that a little time away from the dance floor was in order. As such, he took a break from DJing, decamped to the Swiss countryside, and adopted a new routine, one that involved waking up at dawn each day and taking long meditative runs through the hills and forests overlooking Lake Zurich before planting himself in the studio. The resulting flood of inspiration produced Trails. It’s full of slow-brewing, melody-driven tracks, many of them featuring Mano’s emotive vocals.
Steve Martin & Edie Brickell – So Familiar CD/LP (Rounder)
Comedian, actor, author, playwright, and musician Steve Martin joins up with his fellow Texas native Edie Brickell (singer/songwriter who initially burst onto the national scene as New Bohemians frontwoman) on this, their second studio album collaboration.
Maserati – Rehumanizer CD/LP+MP3 (Temporary Residence)
Maserati is a band obsessed with process. Specifically, they’re obsessed with the process of marrying the past to the future — retro futurists hellbent on forging Krautrock and classic rock into one motorik, monolithic vehicle. Consequently, Rehumanizer is a marriage of man and machine that plays like a supergroup comprised of Gary Numan, Cluster, and Pink Floyd.
M.E.D./Blu/Madlib – Bad Neighbor CD/LP (Bang Yahead Ent.)
With 100% beats by Madlib, Bad Neighbor is the brainchild of MED and Blu, who instantly clicked a decade earlier on tour with Emanon. The album is an exclamation point on the idea that began with The Burgundy EP, expanded to include Dam Funk and Mayer Hawthorne on The Buzz EP, and continued until contributions from Anderson. Paak (Dr. Dre’s Compton), Hodgy Beats (Odd Future), and the one-and-only MF DOOM made Bad Neighbor ready to launch.
Momus – Circus Maximus [Reissue/1986] CD (Omnian Music Group)
Nick Currie, the wildly prolific and much loved writer, artist and musician known as Momus began his career in 1986 with the acclaimed album Circus Maximus, a quietly striking collection of inventive acoustic songs. While his later work would bring him to altogether different realms, on first listen, it’s obvious Momus’ signature charm and inventive lyricism arrived fully formed, making the record an immensely enjoyable listen from start to finish. Mixing a lively folk troubadour style worthy of Bert Jansch, along with a sunny voice befitting Donovan, Momus delivers what some consider the template for early Belle & Sebastian.
Ben Monder/Pete Rende/Andrew Cyrille/Paul Motian – Amorphae CD (ECM)
Guitarist Ben Monder first recorded for ECM as a member of the Paul Motian Band on Garden Of Eden in 2004, and Amorphae was originally conceived as a series of duets for Ben and Paul. A first exploratory duo session was recorded in 2010. After Motian’s death the following year it was decided to expand and complete the project with another highly influential and innovative drummer, Andrew Cyrille, adding also Pete Rende on synthesizer on two pieces. So here we hear Monder solo, in duo with Motian, in duo with Cyrille, and in trio with Cyrille and Rende.
Moonsville Collective – Heavy Howl CD (Rock Ridge Music)
Orange County/Los Angeles-based Americana string band Moonsville Collective, known for its traditional mix of old time, folk, country, bluegrass, and rhythm and blues and has become an integral part of both the California surf and motorcycle cultures.
Ron Morelli – A Gathering Together CD/2xLP (Hospital Productions)
A Gathering Together is comprised of “feverish déjà vu loops, brittle noise, f**ked rhythms, scrap metal percussions, Pro-One metal synths, and an injection of near-buried, Drano vocal samples” – Resident Advisor. “There are occasional hallmarks of dance music—a whoosh of sub-bass here, a vandalized vocal line there—but there will be, as Bill Callahan might have it, no dancing. Rhythms recall mechanical or industrial processes, pitched too fast or too slow for physical interaction.” – Pitchfork
Alanis Morissette – Jagged Little Pill [20th Anniversary Ediiton] 2xCD (Atlantic)
Alanis Morissette – Jagged Little Pill [20th Anniversary Ediiton] 4xCD (Atlantic)
Deluxe 20th Anniversary editions each include the remastered audio of the original 1995 album plus a disc of ten unreleased demos from the era handpicked by Morissette from her archives, offering a deeper and more personal look at the classic album. The four-disc version adds an unreleased concert from 1995 as well as 2005’s Jagged Little Pill Acoustic.
Van Morrison – Astral Weeks [Reissue/1968] CD (Rhino)
Van Morrison – His Band & The Street Choir [Reissue/1970] CD (Rhino)
Remastered reissues, each expanded with previously unreleased versions of several album tracks.
My Disco – Severe CD (Temporary Residence)
Australian trio My Disco has always employed space as an instrument. Space between notes; space between instruments; even space between albums. More than just a title, Severe pushes their subtle, intensely focused, minimalist sound to its most terrifying extreme. It is bleak, occasionally uncomfortable, and unpredictably profound. Severe is an album of aggravated tonal darkness and long breaths of disturbing silence, punctuated by pounding stabs and heavy, hypnotic rhythms. Vinyl edition due December 4.
The Necks – Vertigo CD (Northern Spy)
The Necks’ 18th album is an eventful, kaleidoscopic tone poem set against a darkly shimmering background. Slowly but inexorably moving forward, it crosses many frontiers yet remains true to the mission and mood established in the opening stanzas of this cinematic 44-minute journey. A work able to be viewed either as a whole, or two symmetrical halves, Vertigo sees The Necks once again offer an excursion in sound that reflects both the light and darkness of some preternatural world.
Joey Negro – Le Freak: Music Inspired By Chic CD/2xLP (Z. Records)
The Z Records label, run by Dave Lee aka Joey Negro, is arguably the contemporary go-to disco label, and it was only a matter of time before Lee would delve into his vinyl vaults and pull out a selection of tracks inspired by the late-’70s Chic sound.
The Neighbourhood – Wiped Out! CD (Columbia/Sony)
Wiped Out! Is The Neighbourhood’s second album and follow-up to 2013’s I Love You. The first single “R.I.P. 2 My Youth” – which is actually the last track on the album – blends rocky shades of Foals with minimalist hip-hop. The track is both playful and despairing: ‘I’m just telling the truth / You can play this at my funeral / Tell me sister don’t cry and don’t be sad / I’m in paradise with Dad.’ Speaking of the song to KROQ Los Angeles, the band said, “Sometimes your youth — some people have it taken away from them earlier and some people get to wait a little longer before you have to grow up, but either way the world kind of hits you.”
The New Appalachians – From The Mountaintop CD (Chesky)
Award-winning cellist Dave Eggar, along with his trio Deoro consisting of Chuck Palmer and Tom Pirozzi, makes a pilgrimage to Appalachia, capturing natural and pure folk music, recorded in a “binaural-plus” process with a single microphone. Other featured musicians include Noah Wall, Jake Baine, Tommy Norris, and Tyler Hughes.
Larry Ochs – The Fictive Five CD (Tzadik)
Founding member of the Rova Sax Quartet, Larry Ochs has worked with many of the greatest musicians in Creative Music—Steve Lacy, Fred Frith, Wadada Leo Smith, Terry Riley, George Lewis, John Zorn, Derek Bailey and countless others. His newest ensemble is an update on the classic New York Contemporary Five and features Larry’s Shepp-tinged tenor sax along with some of the best young players out of New York’s Downtown scene. Ochs is particularly excited by both the ensemble sound and the music here, a set of pieces he considers to be among his strongest and most successful blendings of composition and improvisation. Fabulous and soulful, The Fictive Five is a tremendous achievement by this West Coast master of surprise.
Joan Osborne – Relish [Reissue/1995] CD/2xLP (Mercury)
Digitally remastered and expanded 20th Anniversary Edition includes three bonus tracks, one of which is previously unreleased. Joan Osborne’s 1995 album Relish is grounded in blues, soul and gospel.
Pantera – History Of Hostility CD/LP (Rhino)
A a nine-track Pantera primer that includes some of Pantera’s finest tracks from five studio albums.
Gilles Peterson Presents Sun Ra & His Arkestra – To Those Of Earth… And Other Worlds 2xCD/4xLP (Strut)
Strut follow up their Marshall Allen-curated In The Orbit Of Ra compilation with a newly curated set from the immense 125 LP back catalogue of jazz maverick, DIY philosopher and self-professed member of an “angel race,” Sun Ra. To Those Of Earth… And Other Worlds is a hand- picked selection from BBC 6 Music DJ Gilles Peterson, long-time champion of Ra’s music and the UK’s leading tastemaker for jazz-based sounds.
Sam Phillips – Sam Phillips: The Man Who Invented Rock ‘n’ Roll CD (Yep Roc)
Sam Phillips: The Man Who Invented Rock ‘n’ Roll was curated by Peter Guralnick (Last Train To Memphis: The Rise Of Elvis Presley) and accompanies his landmark Sam Phillips biography of the same title. These tracks are a hand-picked selection of Sam Phillips productions that illustrate Phillips’ unique (sounds and sense) approach to recording and his cosmic genius. A celebration of the period (1950-1961) in which Sam played a revolutionary role in the music business, this collection includes big hits, near misses and never-was tracks that encompass blues, country, gospel, R&B, and the birth of rock & roll. Vinyl due November 27.
Pictureplane – Technomancer CD/LP (Anticon)
The 11 songs heard here — fleshed out using sonic scraps of industrial, darkwave, ’80s EBM, ’90s house — aren’t purely paranoiac. As the title implies, Technomancer is as much about rediscovering the magic in our relationship with our machines. “Sick Machine” opens the album with squelching retro-futurist synth and thick fuzzy bass, quickly taking a hard left into bounding bleak-pop as Egedy coos about finding euphoria in the ruins of shopping malls.
Pinkish Black – Bottom Of The Morning CD/LP+MP3 (Relapse)
“Pinkish Black swings moods like none other. Since 2010, the Fort Worth, Texas, duo has stuck to synths, drums and Daron Beck’s Gothic croon without the urge to expand — but it evolves expansively anyway. Bottom Of The Morning, the band’s third record, all but abandons Pinkish Black’s previous metallic tendencies for the eerie heft of ’70s Italian horror-movie soundtracks (think Goblin or Ennio Morricone on a sinister jazz kick). The nine-minute title track runs through a woozy left-hand boogie, washed over with synths and Jon Teague’s breathy drumming until the doomy, fuzzed-out denouement as Beck announces, ‘Everything’s the same again, but everything is not the same.’” – NPR
Elvis Presley with The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra – If I Can Dream CD/LP (Legacy)
An exciting revisit of Elvis’ work, If I Can Dream focuses on the iconic artist’s unmistakable voice, emphasizing the pure power of The King of Rock and Roll. Recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London with acclaimed producers Don Reedman and Nick Patrick, the 14-track album features Elvis’ most dramatic original performances augmented with lush new arrangements by The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
Rabit – Communion CD/LP (Tri Angle)
For the past few years Rabit (aka Houston, Texas based producer Eric Burton) has steadily worked his way up through the underground, via a series of acclaimed 12” and EP releases, each one signaling a shift into increasingly bolder and more challenging territories. He’s been at the center of some of the most exciting, emerging electronic ‘scenes’, sharing ties with both the Berlin based, dance deconstructionists of Janus (Lotic, M.E.S.H.) and with UK based grime experimentalists like Mumdance and Logos. With the release of his debut album, Communion, the follow up to his acclaimed EP (and Tri Angle debut) Baptizm, Rabit shows no signs of letting up. As a sound designer Rabit has continued to push himself into new and compelling territories, reshaping various ‘club’ sounds into something alien and unpredictable, but with the release of this album he’s heavily politicized his music in a way he’d only hinted at before.
Ram – Svbversvm CD/LP (Metal Blade)
Fourth album from the Swedish heavy metal stalwarts.
Recondite – Placid 2xCD (Acid Test)
When Recondite aka Lorenz Brunner emerged in 2012 with his debut album, On Acid, everyone was still learning about the German producer’s inward-looking dancefloor sound. A few years later, his sinewy jams have proved near — universal — like an underground Zelig, he’s fit perfectly everywhere from Rodhad’s Dystopian label to Ghostly International and Innervisions. With Placid, Recondite’s full-length return to Acid Test, he indulges his more outre tendencies — and a welcome return it is. Digipak double CD includes the first-ever CD edition of On Acid. Placid features an appearance from Tale Of Us; On Acid features remixes by Tin Man and Scuba.
Otis Redding – Soul Manifesto 1964-1970 12xCD (Atlantic)
This collection features the eight studio and live albums that Redding recorded between 1964 and 1967, as well as several essential posthumous sets. The set offers an in-depth look at the Redding’s remarkable career, including his 1964 debut Pain In My Heart and 1967’s King & Queen, an album he recorded with singer Carla Thomas and the last studio album released during his lifetime. Soul Manifesto also comes with four posthumous releases, including 1968’s The Dock Of The Bay, which topped the R&B chart that year and featured Redding’s classic “(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay.”
Lou Reed – The Sire Years: Complete Albums Box 10xCD (Rhino)
Collects eight incredible Lou Reed albums in a quirky 10xCD clamshell box including: New York, Songs For Drella, Magic And Loss, Set The Twilight Reeling, Perfect Night In London, Ecstasy, The Raven and Animal Serenade.
Kwaku Obeng Rim & Kasa and Rim & Believers – Too Tough / I’m Not Going To Let You Go [Reissue/1982/1983] CD/2×12” (BBE)
Following hot on the heels of BBE’s well-received reissue of his first album, Rim Arrives, the label now present the two other key records that have made this a cult figure for lovers of both African music and disco in its widest sense. Too Tough, a superb three track EP from 1982, on Sum-Sum Records, was credited to Rim and Kasa, whilst he issued the cracking 12” I’m Not Going To Let You Go as Rim And The Believers for Harmony Records the following year.
Roots Manuva – Bleeds CD/2xLP+MP3 (Big Dada)
Drawing upon production assistance from young British producer, Fred, together with musical heavyweights Four Tet, Adrian Sherwood and Switch’s new production team, With You, the title of the record is, in the man’s own words, an “egocentric jest of daring to do things in the tradition of Jesus: I’m ready to bleed for the art form.” It is, of course, also a reference to the way in which genres, in the sonic world of Roots Manuva, have a tendency to bleed into one another, so that hip-hop, reggae, techno, funk, neo-classical, all blend together to create “liquid soul, the blood, the bleeds that paint infinite sacred wonders in our dreams and unfold in our day-to-day.”
Satan’s Satyrs – Don’t Deliver Us CD (Prosthetic)
Arriving from Herndon, Virginia in a psychic blizzard of garage-birthed fury and fuzz-crazed abandon, Satan’s Satyrs stand proud as a malignant manifestation of all that’s debauched and demented in heavy music. Vinyl version due November 27.
Saviors – Palace And Vision CD/LP (Listenable)
California’s Saviors continue to forge ahead with towering riffs, colossal rhythm, monumental guitar harmonies and an obsession with the end of times, the occult, psychedelics and the arcane. Rooted in hardcore punk but preferring to cruise in outer space, the lysergic hessians of Saviors have always brought a ton of swing and swagger to their forward-charging heavy metal.
Saxon – Battering Ram CD (UDR)
Legendary British heavy metal quintet Saxon’s 21st studio album, Battering Ram, boasts a clinically ‘heavy’ echo of their glorious NWOBHM sound. Vinyl edition due December 4.
Marc Scibilia – Out Of Style CD (I.R.S. Nashville)
The sounds on Marc Scibilia’s debut span from singer/songwriter narratives to dance beats, drawing on folk, pop and rock. The album is one of the first from the new Capitol Records imprint I.R.S. Nashville.
Sheer Agony – Masterpiece CD (Couple Skate)
Montreal’s Sheer Agony started in late 2010, when Christian Simmons and Jackson Macintosh started amassing tape-based studio equipment in their apartment. Initially looking to fuse Sell Out-era Who with The Homosexuals and The Soft Boys, the two found compatriots in Markus Lake and Greg Napier and put their vision to tape, resulting in a few songs on Bandcamp that lead immediately to a now very much out-of-print 7″ with the great Canadian label Fixture. Several North American tours later, Sheer Agony have emerged with Masterpiece, their debut long player for Couple Skate. Heavy players in the sprawling, potent DIY scene of Montreal and Drones Club, which has produced too many great bands and labels to list, Sheer Agony perfectly channel the weird energy of their scene and aforementioned influences into a potent blend of neo-psych swirl and proto-punk succinctness. Vinyl due December 4.
Skindred – Volume CD (Napalm)
With their massive nu-metal style guitar shredding, grooving beats, dub and electro inserts, and the vocal diversity of frontman Clive “Benji” Webbe (ex-Dub War), these islanders continue to hit hammer, anvil, and stirrup mercilessly.
Son Volt – Trace [Reissue/1995] 2xCD/LP (Rhino)
Double-CD version of Trace that featuring newly remastered sound and more than two dozen unreleased bonus tracks. The second disc contains an unreleased live performance recorded at The Bottom Line in New York’s Greenwich Village on February 12, 1996. At the show, the band played nearly every song from Trace, covered Del Reeves “Looking At The World Through A Windshield,” and performed “Cemetery Savior,” a tune that wouldn’t surface until the following year on Son Volt’s sophomore release, Straightaways. [The album has also been reissued on single-disc HQ-180gm vinyl.]
Laura Stevenson – Cocksure CD/LP (Don Giovanni)
With influences ranging from The Lemonheads, Liz Phair, and The Replacements, to early Weezer and the Smoking Popes, Cocksure maintains Stevenson’s unique vulnerability, and steadfast devotion to a solid and honest melody. In the writing process, she challenged herself to be true to whatever was going to come out of her, with many of the tracks featuring melodies that were purely stream of consciousness.
Straight No Chaser – The New Old Fashioned CD (Atlantic)
Fifth album from the beloved a cappella outfit. The New Old Fashioned includes the group’s Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons / One Republic medley “Beggin’/Counting Stars” and their rendition of Bob Dylan’s “Make You Feel My Love.”
Styles P – A Wise Guy And A Wise Guy CD (Phantom Entertainment)
New album from NY hip-hop mainstay Styles P — known for his work with the LOX and the D-Block collective. Features guest appearances by Jadakiss, Sheek Louch, Tyler Woods, Dave East, Snyp Life, and Chris Rivers, among others.
Sun City Girls – Torch Of The Mystics [Reissue/1990] CD/LP (Abduction)
Torch Of The Mystics, the most popular and revered Sun City Girls album, was recorded in the summer of 1988 and became the first LP released on the Majora label in January of 1990 in an edition of 1000 copies (the original CD version was released by Tupelo Recording Company in 1993 and is long out of print). Reissued here for the first time, this record has influenced and inspired a wide variety of musicians and artists and continues to blow the minds of those hearing it for the first time today. Arguably as unique a ‘psychedelic’ statement as anything else that has appeared since the early 1970s, Torch Of The Mystics cannot easily be compared to any other album you’ve heard.
Sun Club – The Dongo Durango CD/LP (ATO)
Baltimore natives Sun Club blister through songs like powerful electrons, both on wax and on stage, proving themselves to be one of the most energetic indie rock band touring today. Jim Derogatis of the Chicago Tribune applauded their strong pop sensibility, as WXPN admired their ability to ride a unique line between the gritty punk and a flowery surf-rock aesthetic. “‘Summer Feet’ is the second listen from the four-piece crew’s [new] nine-track effort, which comes after a metamorphosis over ten years from metalheads to a grunge band to indie-pop songwriters not unlike their jangly spirit animals on the other coast, Local Natives. Drummer Devin McCord keeps a lightly driving pace not unlike the spokes of bike wheels hitting the hot concrete, while joyously gulping vocals sail overhead.” – SPIN
Sunder – Sunder CD/LP (Tee Pee)
“Listening to the debut album by French band Sunder, the most obvious signpost isn’t an older band like Blue Cheer, Iron Butterfly, or Uriah Heep, but rather new band Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats. The same swing, the same reliance on 1960s accoutrements like Farfisa and mellotron, the same dark lyrical themes. However, what sets Sunder apart from Uncle Acid and other practitioners of occult/psychedelic heavy rock is the singing, which eschews detachment in favor of genuine emotion. When Julien Merét belts out his lead vocals, you feel it.” — Pop Matters
Gabor Szabo – Magical Connection CD (Hi Hat)
Born in Hungary in 1936, Gabor Szabo became a major name on the emerging US jazz fusion circuit in the 1960s. By the mid-’70s he was firmly established as one of the most popular guitarists in the style, influencing Carlos Santana, George Benson, and many others. This superb live set was taped at the Agora Theatre in Cleveland in 1976 for broadcast on the Agora Radio Network’s New World of Jazz show, to coincide with the release of Szabo’s classic 1976 Nightflight LP. The complete broadcast is presented here in digitally remastered sound with background notes and images.
Teramaze – Her Halo CD/2xLP+MP3 (Music Theories)
Progressive Australian metal.
The Thing – Shake CD/2xLP (The Thing)
The Norwegian-Sweden free jazz trio — intense, passionate, and precise — continue to define their own genre within a genre on their new album, Shake. Mats Gustafsson: tenor and baritone saxophones; Ingebrigt Haker Flaten: electric and double bass; Paal Nilssen-Love: drums and percussion. Additional guests on Aim: Anna Hogberg (alto saxophone) and Goran Kajfes (cornet).
Thor – Metal Avenger CD/LP (Cleopatra)
Joining Thor on Metal Avenger: Henry Rollins (Black Flag), Fast Eddie Clarke (Motörhead), Cheetah Chrome (The Dead Boys), Jay Jay French (Twisted Sister), Joey Shithead (D.O.A.) and many more.
Timmy’s Organism – Heartless Heathen CD/LP+MP3/Cassette (Third Man)
Fronting some of the most original, compelling and unpredictable bands (not only in Detroit, but the world) for over two decades, Tim Lampinen’s work with the Epileptix, Clone Defects, and Human Eye has always held a rapturous cult following. Yet his work with his current trio, Timmy’s Organism, presents Lampinen (aka Timmy Vulgar) along with bassist Jeff Giant and drummer Blake Hill, ready for their close-up. With Heartless Heathen the group touches on their artistic and spiritual forbears of Captain Beefheart and Destroy All Monsters, while amply ramping up the slop culture rapture of classic punk ‘n’ roll like Chrome, Crime, and the Damned as well as contemporaries like Thee Oh Sees. There’s a reason why Lampinen won a $25,000 Kresge Grant for his work with his bands… he creates music that borders on art, live shows that border on theater.
Twitching Tongues – Disharmony CD/LP (Metal Blade)
L.A.’s Twitching Tongues channel a variety of hardcore and metal influences.
Under The Church – Rabid Armageddon CD (Pulverised)
New album from the Swedish death metal band.
Ursula 1000 – Voyeur CD/LP (Insect Queen Music)
After releasing his five previous albums on Thievery Corporation’s Eighteenth Street Lounge imprint, Voyeur is the debut on Ursula’s own Insect Queen Music label. For this new adventure, Ursula is bringing in a real tropical summer feel. “Supersonic Sounds” is a Latin funk bomb that name checks Ursula and is the perfect theme song to lead things off.
Various Artists [Mathew Jonson] – Fabric 84 CD (Fabric)
Canadian Mathew Jonson is one of electronic music’s most distinctive voices. Fabric 84 is a recording of his standout live set at Fabric’s 15th birthday in October 2014. Performing in a Japanese bunny suit, Jonson opens with Cobblestone Jazz’s “Northern Lights” before launching into spine-tingling live versions of his own classics like “Marionette,” “Decompression,” and “Learning To Fly”; a host of tracks unheard outside his live show; and his remixes for Subb and Kevin Saunderson’s “Inner City”; plus his and The Mole’s remix of “If” by Tobias; and “Octopus Brains” by Units And Measurements (feat. Deadbeat).
Various Artists – Ork Records: New York, New York 2xCD/4xLP (Numero)
Where in the mythos of punk is there room for a frizzy-haired cinephile San Diegan? How could the defining rock attitude and look of the late 1970s get brainstormed by two go-nowheres from a boarding school in Hockessin, Delaware — a D student and kid voted Most Unknown by his senior class? Forget the worn-out yarns about London gobbers and safety-pin piercings — the true story of the birth of punk rock on 45 is the story of Ork Records, captured by Numero Group on four hefty LPs (or two shiny compact discs) and told across 120 (184 for the CD) high-gloss pages filled with insider photos and sordid details. It is a story populated by iconic names like Television, Alex Chilton, Lester Bangs, Richard Hell, The Feelies, Patti Smith, Talking Heads, Brian Eno, Blondie and the Ramones. And it’s a tale told from the hallowed grounds of CBGB, Max’s Kansas City, and Ardent Studios. It all began with Terry Ork, a Jewish SoCal film nerd enthralled by Andy Warhol’s posse as they made a transgressive surfing flick, who moved cross-country to manage a movie memorabilia shop on the grubby streets of the Lower East Side. Made in the shadow of disco and dereliction in late ‘70s Manhattan, Ork Records: New York, New York is not just the genesis of punk, it is the birth of the New York City scene and indie culture as we know it.
Various Artists – We Love Disney CD/2xLP (Verve/Walt Disney)
Includes tracks from NE-YO, Tori Kelly, Gwen Stefani, Fall Out Boy, Jessie J, Lucy Hale & Rascal Flatts, Jason Derulo, Kacey Musgraves, Ariana Grande, Jessie Ware and many others. Also features a collection of vocalists uniting to sing “It’s A Small World.”
The Velvet Underground – Loaded [Reissue/1970] CD (Atlantic)
Single-disc remastered edition of Loaded with four bonus tracks.
The Velvet Underground – Loaded: Re-Loaded 45th Anniversary Edition 5xCD+DVD (Atlantic)
Includes: The original album remastered in both stereo and mono; A generous selection of demos, early versions and alternate mixes from that era; A newly remastered/re-edited version of Live At Max’s Kansas City; Two high resolution mixes, plus a surround sound mix in DTS and Dolby Digital; An unreleased May 1970 concert recorded in Philadelphia. The final disc is an audio only DVD that features three different mixes of Loaded: Surround Sound Remix in DTS and Dolby Digital; 96/24 High resolution Stereo Downmix; 96/24 High resolution Original Stereo Mix.
(For the Surround Sound and Stereo Downmix, the original track listing has been re-sequenced slightly to include the segue that was originally planned for “I Found A Reason/Head Held High.”)
Video – The Entertainers CD/LP+MP3/Cassette (Third Man)
There’s no band that can lay claim to being the true best in the business, except Video. Crawling from the musical wasteland that is Texas, their intentions are simple: they want to own the world. While the band features members of Bad Sports, Wiccans, Radioactivity, and the Wax Museums (just to name a few), Video stands on its own as one of the most powerful and visceral bands active today. Combining equal parts snotty punk, hard rock, and melodic dissonance, Video are pioneers of their own subgenre, “hate wave.” Going well beyond the confines of paint by numbers punk, and generic, flaccid garage rock, Video forges a new cult like movement.
Vowws – The Great Sun CD/LP (Cleopatra)
Debut full length album by Australian/Iranian industrial-pop duo. Features a duet with Gary Numan (“Losing Myself In You”) plus a guest appearance by Thor Harris (Swans/Shearwater).
White Fang – Chunks CD/LP+MP3/Cassette (Burger)
110% party punk brought to you by the always-reliable Burger label.
Whitechapel – Brotherhood Of The Blade CD+DVD (Metal Blade)
New live release from the Knoxville, Tennessee-based deathcore band. The CD features the band captured live at The International in their hometown. The DVD features a documentary plus the live show at The International.
The Wild Poppies – Heroine: The Complete Wild Poppies Collection (1986-1989) CD (Manufactured Recordings)
Originating from Wellington, New Zealand and arriving in the UK at the back end of the ’80s, The Wild Poppies and their warm wall of sound resided somewhere between the jangle pop of other indie scene favorites such as The Rain Parade and The Church and the proto-shoegaze of Loop, Spacemen 3 and My Bloody Valentine. Heroine: The Complete Wild Poppies Collection is an expanded reissue of their 1987 debut, including B-sides, rarities and unreleased demos.
Wolf Eyes – I Am A Problem: Mind In Pieces CD/LP+MP3/Cassette (Third Man)
Having eschewed the “noise” moniker to describe their sound in favor of the self-proclaimed “trip metal”, Wolf Eyes are at the forefront of a wide-ranging, experimental, impossible-to-categorize world. With over 500 releases since their inception in 1997, the group has been lauded by Thurston Moore, Henry Rollins and countless other stoned basement malcontents. With previous full-lengths on labels like Sub Pop and Troubleman, I Am A Problem: Mind In Pieces is their debut release for Third Man Records and signals an ever-so-slight shift with the appearance of guitar and even drums. I Am a Problem is as much a classic Wolf Eyes record as no one would’ve ever predicted such a pulverizing left-turn at this juncture of their career. This is social audio dissent.
The Yawpers – American Man CD/LP (Bloodshot)
The Yawpers Bloodshot debut, American Man, taps into the disparate, murky pools of the American musical lexicon; dark country to kinetic punk, acid blues to flared jeans boogie, low-brow backdrops pitted against high-minded literary references.
Yoko And The Oh No’s – Yoko And The Oh No’s CD/LP (Autumn Tone)
Yoko & The Oh No’s are three kids from Chicago – Max Goldstein on vocals, Max Loebman on guitar, and Stef Roti on drums – a raging trio fueled by Taco Bell, rock & roll myths, and pilfered booze. It doesn’t quite add up how kids this young (Max L. just graduated high school) managed to tap into a vibe this classic. The band’s self-titled full-length debut is crammed with classic rock riffs, swinging beats, and up front, the sassy, done-up style of Max G. emoting loosely and wildly like a young David Johansen fronting the New York Dolls, possessing a crooner’s voice and a taste for style. The prevailing mood in modern indie garage rock is one of stylistic indifference, but that’s not how Yoko & The Oh No’s come across; these kiddos don’t just care, they care a lot.
Alana Yorke – Dream Magic CD/LP (Paper Bag)
“The pure and haunting voice of Halifax singer/songwriter Alana Yorke has elicited comparisons to Kate Bush and Enya. On her striking debut album Dream Magic, she conjures evocative soundscapes around her vocals and fluent piano playing” — New Canadian Music. “Driven by her piano-playing and hypnotic, versatile vocals, Yorke’s debut showcases an impressive array of alt-pop gems.” — Exclaim!
John Zorn – James Moore Plays The Book Of Heads CD+DVD (Tzadik)
Composed 1976–78 and now studied by guitarists the world over, The Book Of Heads is one of Zorn’s most popular and oft-performed compositions. Utilizing a hermetic language of meticulously notated sounds inspired by contemporary classical extended techniques, the idiosyncratic guitar languages of free improvisation, cartoons, film noir, world music, philosophy and more, they receive a virtuosic reading by James Moore, founding member of the Dither guitar quartet. This special edition contains both a CD and a beautifully produced DVD of a film by Stephen Taylor showcasing the eclectic techniques involved in all its insane glory.
DVDs + Blu-ray:
Black Stone Cherry – Thank You: Livin’ Live Birmingham, UK October 30th 2014 DVD+CD/Blu-ray+CD (Eagle Rock Entertainment)
In October 2014, Kentucky hard rockers Black Stone Cherry brought their ‘Magic Mountain’ tour to Europe taking in shows in Scandinavia, Germany, France, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, Belgium, Ireland and the UK. 131 minutes.
Katy Perry – The Prismatic World Tour Live DVD/Blu-ray (Eagle Rock Entertainment)
Lavish 145-minute live set recorded on Perry’s recent Prismatic World Tour.
Rolling Stones – From The Vault: Live At The Tokyo Dome 1990 DVD/Blu-ray (Eagle Vision)
Latest installment in the From The Vault series of previously unreleased Rolling Stones live shows. This set is taken from the Rolling Stones performance at the Tokyo Dome in 1990, one of ten shows the band performed at the venue in support of Steel Wheels. 137 minutes.
Frank Zappa & The Mothers Of Invention – Roxy: The Movie DVD+CD/Blu-ray+CD (Frank Zappa)
Frank Zappa’s concerts at the Roxy Theatre in Holywood in December 1973 are legendary. Frank & The Mothers played three nights on December 8th, 9th & 10th and these shows formed the basis of the Roxy & Elsewhere album that was released in 1974. However, the performances were also filmed in 16mm and this footage has been sitting in the Zappa vault ever since. Now fully restored by the Zappa Family Trust this live concert film is being made available for the first time. It captures Frank and the Mothers at the height of their powers and includes material that is unique to these performances. 116 minutes.
This Week’s Vinyl Exclusives:
Avicii – Stories 2xLP (Island)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Sophomore album from the Swedish DJ featuring guest appearances by Zac Brown Band, Chris Martin and Martin Garrix.
Battalion Of Saints – Battalion Of Saints 7” (Southern Lord)
Southern Lord proudly announces the raging return of legendary West Coast punk heathens, Battalion Of Saints. Led by surviving member George Anthony, the band has three furious brand new songs that kick ass just as effectively as their classics.
The Beach Boys – Surfin’ USA [Reissue/1963] LP (Rumble)
Released in 1963, Surfin’ USA is the second studio album from The Beach Boys. Though not yet fully formed, the genius that Brian Wilson had on display on 1965’s Pet Sounds was beginning to show through here, as he began experimenting with double tracked vocals and took a stronger production role overall. Featuring the classic title track, as well as “Shut Down,” and their version of “Misirlou,” and with the timeless cover photo of surfing legend Les Williams riding a monster wave, “Surfin’ USA” is a stone surf classic.
Jeff Beck – Beck, Bogart, Appice [Reissue/1973] LP (Friday Music)
On the whole, the super groups of the ’70s didn’t last very long. This certainly applies to the Anglo-American trio made up of guitarist Jeff Beck, bassist Tim Bogert, and drummer Carmine Appice. As early as 1970, the British Beck wanted to engage the two American musicians for a joint project. This plan however had to be postponed for two years because Beck had a serious car accident and needed time to recover. 1973 finally saw the release of the trio’s first and only studio album, which not only demonstrated Beck’s powerful- hectic style of guitar playing but also allowed his musical companions to show off their respective skills.
Big Grams – Big Grams 12” (Epic)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. New release from this musical project featuring Big Boi and Phantogram. The Atlanta rap vet and NY electro-pop duo first worked together on Big’s 2012 solo album Vicious Lies And Dangerous Rumors, and they clicked so much that it blossomed into a fully realized joint venture.
Black Breath – Slaves Beyond Death LP (Southern Lord)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Slaves Beyond Death arrives three years after Black Breath’s 2012-released Sentenced To Life, a revered album of morbid metal anthems laced with a deadly allure that few could resist. A foul den of thrashing potency, reanimated hardcore muscle and icy death metal, it’s a record that partly sets the tone for this nefarious third chapter of the band, but it’s safe to say that Slaves Beyond Death represents a harder, bleaker Black Breath than ever before.
Blood, Sweat & Tears – B, S & T 4 [Reissue/1971] LP (Friday Music)
HQ-180gm blue vinyl in tri-fold cover. The legendary Blood, Sweat & Tears set the music world on fire back in the late-’60s with their hypnotic blend of rock, jazz, and soul, augmented with brilliant and skillful musicianship.
The Blues Brothers – The Blues Brothers [OST/Reissue/1980] LP (Friday Music)
Limited edition HQ-180gm blue colored audiophile vinyl LP pressing.
Born Ruffians – Ruff LP+MP3 (Yep Roc)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Born Ruffians’ new album Ruff is a collection of scrubbed raw anthems that are defiantly optimistic, imaginatively arranged and performed with a sense of bloodlust. Over four albums, the group has developed a signature aesthetic that encompasses tightly wound, trapezoidal songs frothing over with hooks and wryly cathartic lyrics, garnering favorable comparisons to such quirky pop infiltrators as the Talking Heads, The Pixies and The Strokes.
David Bowie – Hours [Reissue/1999] LP (Friday Music)
HQ-180gm blue vinyl. 1999’s Hours which served as David Bowie’s twenty-third solo album, harkened a return to the sounds of the Hunky Dory days.
Buena Vista Social Club – Buena Vista Social Club [Reissue/1997] 2xLP (World Circuit)
The original Buena Vista Social Club album became a surprise international bestseller and the most successful album in the history of Cuban music. It was recorded for World Circuit Records by Ry Cooder over seven days in Havana in 1996, bringing together many of the great names of the golden age of Cuban music in the 1950s, several of whom were coaxed out of retirement for the sessions. In the years that followed the original release, Buena Vista veterans toured the world and were the subject of a celebrated feature film directed by Wim Wenders.
Children Of Bodom – I Worship Chaos LP (Nuclear Blast)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Ninth studio album by the Finnish melodic death metal band.
Christian Death – The Path Of Sorrows [Reissue/1993] LP (Cleopatra)
Limited edition colored vinyl pressing — available in both blue or red — of the 1993 album by deathrock legends Christian Death.
Christine And The Queens – Christine And The Queens LP (Atlantic)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Christine And The Queens’ Héloïse Letissier has already made a name on the back of her shadowy pop songs in her native France. This US edition features some translations of songs from the triple platinum French version as well as a few new songs and collaborations with Tunji Ige and Perfume Genius. “It’s challenging, Christine says, to be attempting full-scale U.S. crossover success while also combatting the norms of an industry she’s attempting to pierce, but she wouldn’t have it any other way. “The thing that bothers me is that sometimes I do interviews and they’re like, ‘Oh, so you’re like the good woman, ‘cause you’re not trivializing your body,’’ she says. ‘You’re not a whore. You’re not selling your body like Miley Cyrus.’ I love Miley! She’s punk rock, she’s crazy, she’s sexual, and that’s cool. I can be complex like that. I would love to be perceived as a male rock star. You can take a picture of me and not airbrush it. Embrace my defects.” – SPIN
Claptone – Charmer LP (Different/PIAS America)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. “The man with the golden-scooped beak – better known as Claptone – has lifted the lid on his hotly-tipped debut album called Charmer. With a string of break-out remixes and singles, the German producer has been building a lot of momentum.” – Harder Blogger Faster
Philip Corner – PoorManMusic [1966] LP (Alga Marghen)
A previously unpublished Fluxus experimental/minimal classical masterpiece.
Crebain – Night Of Stormcrow LP (Foreign Sounds)
Vicious, one-man USBM beast Crebain unleashes it’s classic 2003 demo Night of Stormcrow for a proper vinyl release via Foreign Sounds. Aquarius Records praised Crebain calling the project “Less atmospheric than Xasthur, and less f**ked up than Leviathan, but equally true and black, Crebain follows his own dark path straight to the pits of hell.”
Crowbar – Crowbar [1993] LP (eOne)
First time on vinyl for the sludge metal band’s sophomore album.
Deadboy & The Elephantmen – We Are Night Sky [2006] LP (Fat Possum)
Deadboy & The Elephantmen was an American alt-rock band from 2000 to 2007. “Mention the White Stripes and you’ll have a fair idea where Deadboy & The Elephantmen stand. The major difference is that singer-guitarist Dax Riggs (a former member of cult rockers Acid Bath) and drummer Tessie Brunet don’t operate by so many rules: The group’s sound veers freely from fuzzed-out blues to ludicrously campy glam rock, the frontman doesn’t sound so much like a carnival barker as the freak show, and they don’t have to wear those stupid red and white T-shirts. Sure, all that doesn’t make them quite as great as Jack ‘n’ Meg. But songs like “Ancient Man” and “Stop, I’m Already Dead” are good enough to shove ridiculous comparisons aside and temporarily just get on with the business of rocking out in earnest.” — Aidin Vaziri/ San Francisco Chronicle
Giovanni Di Domenico and Jim O’Rourke – Arco LP (Die Schachtel)
This LP features the collaborative effort of Belgium- based composer Giovanni di Domenico (of Italian origins) and avant-everything master Jim O’Rourke. A long composition for strings and electronics, Arco is a piece for sustained tones and drones, vividly immersive and almost physical.
DMX – …And Then There Was X [Reissue/1999] 2xLP (Def Jam)
In 1999, DMX released his best-selling album …And Then There Was X, which featured the hit single “Party Up (Up in Here).” The album went many times Platinum back in the day and was nominated for Best Rap Album at the 2001 Grammys.
Dogs On Acid – Dogs On Acid LP (Jade Tree)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. The songs on Dogs On Acid at times feel effortless in the best way: “The Prick” stomps like Pinkerton-era Weezer; the playful hooks of “Flushed” make for an earworm surprise; and ‘90s indie-rock influences like Pixies, Built To Spill and Archers Of Loaf shine through on songs such as “Make It Easy.” But above all, Dogs On Acid is an album with a distinct personality, the result of the band rejecting desires to overthink things and play what feels right.
Ian Drennan – Flower Of Love LP (Underwater Peoples)
Flower Of Love is the third album by artist, composer and musician Ian Drennan. The album will complete a trio of a typical, meditative records that Drennan has composed using partially automated software processes. Uncrowded textures and sequences show Drennan’s equal sensitivity to the physical and temporal elements of sound, placing his music in a lineage that includes other transitional noise, avant and musique concrete outfits who have hybridized influences towards more individualized ends.
J.B. Dunckel – Summer [OST] LP (Prototyp)
J.B. Dunckel (one-half of French electronic pop duo Air) presents his original soundtrack for the 2015 film The Summer Of Sangaile.
Eels – The Complete Dreamworks Albums 8xLP+MP3 (Geffen)
Eels – Electro-Shock Blues [Reissue/1998] 2xLP (Geffen)
Eels – Daisies Of The Galaxy [Reissue/2000] LP (Geffen)
Eels – Souljacker [Reissue/2002] LP (Geffen)
Eels – Shootenanny! [Reissue/2003] LP (Geffen)
The Complete Dreamworks Albums includes the following Eels albums, each repressed on HQ-180gm vinyl: Beautiful Freak (1996), Electro-Shock Blues (1998), Daisies Of The Galaxy (2000), Souljacker (2001), Shootenanny! (2003), as well as the exclusive double-LP live album Electro-Shock Blues Show (2002) which is on vinyl for the first time.
Elbow – Asleep In The Back [Reissue/2001] 2xLP (Polydor)
Elbow – Cast Of Thousands [Reissue/2003] 2xLP (Polydor)
Elbow – Leaders Of The Free World [Reissue/2005] 2xLP (Polydor)
Elbow – The Seldom Seen Kid [Reissue/2008] 2xLP (Polydor)
HQ-180gm vinyl reissues cut at 45rpm and featuring gatefold jackets, identical to the versions released in a 2012 limited edition UK boxset.
Nico Fidenco – Zombi Holocaust [1980] LP (Mannequin)
Nico Fidenco’s score for the 1980 Italian zombie film Zombi Holocaust is a thing of beauty and great depth — a rich blend of electronic/synthesizer tracks, experimental electronics, and soaring acoustic and orchestral numbers with tinges of Spaghetti Western soundtracks, frenetic drumming coupled with woodwind instruments, and chants and manipulated wordless vocals.
Blind Boy Fuller – The Rough Guide To Blues Legends: Blind Boy Fuller LP+MP3 (World Music Network)
During his short but prolific recording career, Blind Boy Fuller became one of the most influential and best-selling bluesmen of his era. Fuller was to the East Coast blues what Robert Johnson was to the Delta blues. With songs brimming with wit and soulfulness, his strikingly original and energetic guitar arrangements have been an inspiration to countless artists ever since including Bob Dylan, Ry Cooder, Dave Van Ronk and Donovan. HQ-180gm vinyl LP pressing includes digital download with extra tracks.
Peter Gabriel – 1 [Reissue/1977] 2xLP+MP3 (Real World)
Peter Gabriel – 2 [Reissue/1978] 2xLP+MP3 (Real World)
Peter Gabriel – 3 [Reissue/1980] 2xLP+MP3 (Real World)
Peter Gabriel – 4 [Reissue/1982] 2xLP+MP3 (Real World)
Limited numbered double HQ-180gm vinyl LP (half-speed remastered) pressings in gatefold sleeves, including download cards with a choice of hi-res 24-bit/96k or 16-bit/44.1k files.
Serge Gainsbourg – Serge Gainsbourg Et Le Cinema LP (Doxy)
Compilation featuring Gainsbourg’s early productions for the cinema, cut at 45rpm for audiophile quality. 15 tracks total.
Gang Of Four – Solid Gold [Reissue/1981] LP (Rhino)
Solid Gold is the second album by British post-punk band Gang of Four. Two of Solid Gold’s tracks, “Outside The Trains Don’t Run On Time” and “He’d Send In The Army,” are re-recordings of songs previously released as a single in the UK. HQ-180gm.
Grateful Dead – Dick’s Picks Volume Six [1997] 5xLP (Brookvale)
Numbered limited edition HQ-180gm five-LP pressing. After sticking to the 1970s for each of the previous volumes, the preeminent live concert series from the Grateful Dead moves into the ’80s with Volume 6. The complete three-hour concert is a remarkable snapshot of the Dead’s live output in their third decade on the road. Originally released on CD in 1997, Volume 6 is now the latest installment in Brookvale Records’ Dick’s Picks Vinyl Series.
Greys – Repulsion 7”+MP3 (Carpark)
Repulsion finds Toronto post-punks Greys evolving yet again. Where their debut full length, If Anything, had the band maniacally bludgeoning the listener with cacophonous noise and gingerly placed hooks, this new EP sees the young four-piece stretching their muscles. They experiment with dynamics and embrace melody, while still retaining their knack for raucous squalls of guitar feedback.
Vince Guaraldi Trio – Charlie Brown’s Holiday Hits [1998] LP (Fantasy)
A festive collection of classic tunes featured in the beloved Peanuts television holiday specials, all with the sophisticated, yet accessible jazz stylings of the Vince Guaraldi Trio. The album includes titles from A Charlie Brown Christmas, It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving and Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown. First time on vinyl.
Larry Gus – I Need New Eyes LP (DFA)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. 2013’s Years Not Living was a masterpiece of composition, pushing sampling to its limits within a conceptual framework provided by Life A User’s Manual, George Perec’s postmodern fiction masterpiece. I Need New Eyes treads familiar sonic ground to Larry Gus’ previous works — but his beatmaker percussion, shill falsetto vocals, and found sounds form a gestalt more concise and clear than ever. The references to literature continue — the title is based on a supposed quote by Proust, “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” In spite of the of the heavy conceptual themes, there is a true jubilance to the sonics of the record. Twinkling synths and orchestral stabs mingle with handclaps and a thundering kick drum on All Graphs Explored, while funk guitars and endless layers of percussion and brass build around Larry’s bilingual vocals, climaxing in a double-timed drum solo. This is a record for fans of Caribou, Can, Panda Bear, and self-reflection.
Harmonia – Complete Works 5xLP+MP3 (Groenland)
Few bands match the pastoral beauty and majesty of Harmonia, the short-lived German band that existed from 1973 to 1976. The krautrock supergroup, brought together Dieter Moebius and Hans-Joachim Roedelius of Cluster, and Michael Rother of NEU!, who were later joined by Brian Eno. This set contains five vinyl records: Deluxe, Harmonia & Eno ’76 / Tracks & Traces, Harmonia Live 1974, and the previously unreleased Documents 1975, plus extras: a lush 36-page booklet including previously unreleased photography documenting the history of Harmonia, the original Harmonia live poster, and a beautiful pop-up presenting the Harmonia headquarters in Forst.
Hawkwind – Live At The Astoria LP (Mirumir)
This LP contains the British space-rock band’s performance at London’s Astoria on December 19, 2007, at their annual London Christmas gig. Features founder Dave Brock and the return of keyboardist Tim Blake.
Helloween – Keeper Of The Seven Keys Part I [Reissue/1987] LP (Sanctuary)
Helloween – Keeper Of The Seven Keys Part II [Reissue/1988] LP (Sanctuary)
The Keeper Of The Seven Keys series are the second and third studio albums by Helloween, originally released in 1987 and 1988. Part I marks the first appearance of vocalist Michael Kiske, and is considered the album that created the genre of European-style power metal.
The Internet – Ego Death 2xLP (Sony)
Released last Summer on CD – now available on vinyl. Ego Death features guest appearances from Janelle Monae, Tyler, The Creator, and Vic Mensa. The band says Ego Death is about “being vulnerable and honest. It’s about us growing up as a band and as individuals, and the challenges we’re facing and learning from. It’s about us acknowledging our egos and the egos around us, and using them the best way we know how.” It’s a record that connects the dots between Digable Planets, Erykah Badu’s Baduizm, the warm, inviting breezes of the West Coast, and the stories that only happen very late at night or very early in the morning, all played by musicians who are carrying the soul torch for the new generation.
Rafael Anton Irisarri – A Fragile Geography LP (Room40)
“A Fragile Geography was two years in the making, and marks a difficult and transitional period in the American producer’s life. Not only did he move from Seattle, where he was a staple of the local electronic music scene, to upstate New York, but he was robbed in the process and lost almost all of his gear. The record is also said to reflect “the tensions of contemporary America, contrasting passages of great beauty and calm with harrowing waves of density and pressure.” – Resident Advisor
Philip Jeck – Cardinal 2xLP+MP3 (Touch)
Philip Jeck writes: “To make this record I used Fidelity record players, Casio keyboards, Ibanez bass guitar, Sony minidisc players, Ibanez and Zoom effects pedals, assorted percussion, a Behringer mixer and it was edited it at home with minidisc players and on a laptop computer.” This gatefold double LP comes with a download code for Jeck’s Live In Caen, recorded by Franck Dubois on February 28, 2015, at Impressions Multiples #4 (Caen/Cherbourg).
Keep Shelly In Athens – Now I’m Ready LP (Friends Of Friends)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. At eight songs and 45 minutes, Now I’m Ready strikes a concise, yet imposing figure, each individual effort comprised of enough peaks and valleys to bring the listener to the edge and back again. Lifted off by lead single “Fractals”, Now I’m Ready is not your typical indie effort, un-beholden to tempo and style, the album skips across genre tropes with ease, each track guided by producer R??’s singular aesthetic and vocalist Myrtha’s unmistakable crescendos. And whether you’re locked into a long road trip, careening around a city or looking over the Mediterranean, Keep Shelly In Athens bring an arresting pathos to the proceedings, felt everywhere from the breakbeat-led madness of “Hollow Man” to the ever-building, hypnotic vocal qualities of title track “Now I’m Ready.”
King 180 – That Place Where Pain Lives 10” (Roadrunner)
New EP from the Flint, MI metal band.
Laced – Laced 7” (Bayonet)
Laced was formed in Brooklyn, NY by Dustin Payseur (Beach Fossils), Ian Judd (Couple Skate Records), and Ryan Naideau (Warthog, Nude Beach) in late 2013. Combining moments of dissonance with intricate melodies, Laced draws from the ethos of jazz, hardcore punk and psychedelic music to create an aggressive yet harmonious sound.
Le Butcherettes – Shave The Pride 7” (Ipecac)
According to press for the track, the original title was “Pogonophobia,” meaning the fear of beards. That’s because the song originated from Teri Gender Bender’s frustration at a lover who hid behind the “masses of hair” that made up his beard. However, the song eventually changed until “the outrage and frustration are this time directed in particular to Society’s ‘beard,’” Teri told NPR. “The beard symbolizes our unwillingness to view all perceptions of [a] story … hiding behind the mass media.”
Le Chant Funebre – Ghosts At Deathbed LP (Foreign Sounds)
Ghosts At The Deathbed is the debut release from Neill Jameson (Krieg/Twilight/N.I.L.), Jeff Wilson (Wolvhammer, Abigail Williams, Chrome Waves, Missing, ex-Nachtmystium) and Lord Kryptok (Bringers Of Disease, Acheron) aka Le Chant Funebre. Four tracks of atmospheric, blackened/ambient/doom.
Le Volume Courbe – I Wish Dee Dee Ramone Was Here With Me LP (Ring The Alarm)
French singer/songwriter and producer Le Volume Courbe’s sophomore album I Wish Dee Dee Ramone Was Here With Me features My Bloody Valentine’s Kevin Shields singing on Roky Erickson cover “I Love The Living You” and shooting a toy gun on “The House” and Martin Duffy of Primal Scream playing piano on “Monte Dans Mon Ambulance.” Marrionneau also covers Nico’s “Le Petit Chevalier” alongside her own original compositions.
Maxïmo Park – A Certain Trigger [Reissue/2005] LP (Warp)
Maxïmo Park – Missing Songs [2005] LP (Warp)
To celebrate the 10-year anniversary of Maxïmo Park’s debut album, A Certain Trigger, Warp has reissued it on vinyl. The album was nominated for the 2005 Mercury Prize. The B-sides and demos collection, Missing Songs, has never been available on vinyl until now.
Eugene Mirman – I’m Sorry (You’re Welcome) 7xLP+MP3 (Sub Pop)
I’m Sorry (You’re Welcome) is the culmination of a long-time dream of Eugene Mirman’s. It includes a vast array of sounds that can be described as varyingly poignant, erotic, practical, romantic, mind-altering, educational, and humorous. Need to learn Russian? Eugene provides. Meditation sounds? Eugene provides. The sound of a grown man crying? Eugene provides. Oh, also, this release contains a full set of live standup recorded at Columbia City Theater in Seattle, WA June 6, 7, & 8, 2014.
Miss May I – Deathless LP+MP3 (Rise)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. New album from the young metal band. Fast, aggressive hooks and melodic, yet brutal breakdowns. White vinyl pressing.
Mono/Poly – Paramatma [2010] 2xLP (Hit & Run)
Paramatma is the Supreme Soul, but in this case it’s the supreme sound. After two years of toiling, Mono/Poly debuted his first full-length release, Paramatma, on May 25, 2010. The album is a mix of dubstep beats, astral soundscapes, Eastern philosophy, Metaphysics, and politics. Paramatma has a range of sound that is as cohesive as it is open to experimentation, and the album is less individual tracks and more elements of a musical journey.
Napalm Death/Voivod – Napalm Death/Voivod 7” (Century Media)
Split 7” single featuring Napalm Death’s “Phonetics For The Stupefied” b/w Voivod’s “Forever Mountain.”
Night Birds – Mutiny At Muscle Beach LP (Fat Wreck Chords)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. An unrepentantly raw blast of punk rock that evokes the spirit of Adolescents, Dead Kennedys, Germs, D.I. and Circle Jerks, while further integrating modern influences and a healthy dose of passionate innovation.
Odesza – Light EP 12” (Counter)
The genesis for Light began in 2014. Little Dragon asked Odesza to do a remix of a song off their last album, Nabuma Rubberband, but their label accidentally sent Odesza the stems for a new song that was not on that album. In the midst of their 2014 North American tour in support of In Return, Odesza was too busy to complete a remix. Months after the remix idea was shelved, Odesza and Little Dragon played a co-headline show in Boston, inspiring an idea to write a new Odesza track and build it around the Little Dragon vocal stem.
The Offspring – Ixnay On The Hombre [Reissue/1997] LP (ORG Music)
Ixnay On The Hombre is the fourth studio album from The Offspring. Previously out of press for years, the album has been brought back to vinyl for the first time since its original 1997 release. HQ-180gm.
The Pollies – Not Here LP (Single Lock)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Not Here finds The Pollies shedding their alt-country skin in favor of experimental noise and unadulterated risk. Jay Burgess is the songwriter behind the group, and on the album he hits on all the familiar topics — love, loss, regret and triumph with an edge and ferocity that shows up on tracks like “Lost” and “Jackson.”
Rehasher – Make The Noise LP (MRI Associated)
Rehasher is the side project of Less Than Jake’s Roger Lima and originally featured members of Bullets To Broadway and Coffee Project. Make The Noise is a complete solo effort, with only the drummers brought in from elsewhere. (Alex Klausner (The Savants of Soul, Waxed Curbs, Assassinate the Scientist), John Mamo (Nothing In The Dark) and Kyle MacDougall (Protagonist, Teen Agers). It was recorded by Roger himself in his own studio, The Moathouse and mixed by Descendents/ALL punk legend Stephen Egerton.
Graeme Revell – The Crow (Score) [OST/1994] LP (Varese Sarabande)
Original soundtrack score to the 1994 motion picture composed by Graeme Revelle.
Satan – Atom By Atom LP (Listenable)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. New studio album from British heavy metal veterans.
Shrine – Rare Breed LP (Century Media)
Rare Breed exists in a space that once was was bleeding with razor sharp lines separating punks, metal heads and hippies, where a violent clash in the parking lot of the Cuckoo’s nest was inevitable. CD version due January 22, 2016.
Semi Hendrix – Breakfast At Bansky’s 2xLP (Mello Music)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Semi Hendrix is the acid inside the headband and the fork inside the electrical socket. It’s hard-core hip-hop. Guest spots include Brothers Voodoo, Cee-Lo and Raheem DeVaughn, Teedra Moses, Kurupt, Montego Meli, and Alice Russell. (Limited picture disc or colored vinyl pressings.)
The Brian Setzer Orchestra – Boogie Woogie Christmas [2002] LP+MP3 (Surfdog)
White vinyl pressing.
Shigeto – Intermission CDEP/12”+MP3 (Ghostly International)
Two years after Shigeto released his second full-length, No Better Time Than Now, the busy Detroit polymath, born Zach Saginaw, has finally taken a break from his endless hustle to update everyone on his current musical headspace. “I’ve been on the road for a long time now and also have been working on other projects,” he explains. With projects that include working on a new live ensemble arrangement, playing electronics in a jazz quartet, recording with Detroit rappers, and building a new studio, it’s no wonder we haven’t heard much from him since 2013. “I haven’t found the next step for me yet. I’ve been making loads of music as always, but I’m still looking for that concrete new path.” Shigeto’s Intermission EP takes its title quite literally, then, presenting a snapshot of the artist’s transition between ideas and inspiration. Indeed, listening to these six eclectic tracks evokes a dynamic sense of exploration, excitement, and stylistic freedom.
Simple Minds – The Vinyl Collection 1979-1985 7xLP (Virgin)
The once-upon-a-time (pun intended) arena rock band’s early releases are definitely worth revisiting. All were recorded before the band’s breakthrough single “Don’t You (Forget About Me).” Quite surprising these weren’t reissued by Superior Viaduct: Real To Real Cacophony (1979), Life In A Day (1979), Empires And Dance (1980), Sons And Fascination (1981), Sister Feelings Call (1981), New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84) (1982), and Sparkle In The Rain (1984).
Slayer – Repentless LP+CD/Blu-ray+CD+DVD (Nuclear Blast)
Limited Edition box set edition of Slayer’s new album includes a vinyl picture disc, a CD/Blu-ray in a digipak, a live audio CD and DVD in cardboard slipcases, a 12” photo card and printed autographs, and a 12″ fold-out poster. (Blu-ray, DVD and live audio CD are from the Live At Wacken 2014 concert. Blu-ray also features a documentary.)
So Hideous – Laurestine LP (Prosthetic)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. New York-based four-piece So Hideous blends metal, ambient and classical sounds on their second LP, Laurestine.
Soundtrack – Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story [OST/Reissue/1993] LP (UMe)
Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story is the soundtrack to the 1993 American biographical drama that tells the story of actor and martial artist Bruce Lee, composed by Randy Edelman.
Phil Spector – A Christmas Gift For You [Reissue/1963] LP (Sundazed Music)
Limited HQ-180gm red vinyl LP pressing.
Starsailor – Love Is Here [Reissue/2001] LP (Parlophone)
HQ-180gm vinyl LP pressing of the 2001 debut studio album by indie rock band Starsailor.
Tempel Of Baal – Mysterium LP (Agonia)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. “With this new opus, this French Black/Death Metal band delivers a new take on issues of spirituality, expressing themselves through a myriad of styles and soundscapes which are flawlessly amalgamated into a brooding yet brutal onslaught.” – Metal Temple
Ugly Casanova – Sharpen Your Teeth [Reissue/2002] 2xLP+MP3 (Sub Pop)
Ugly Casanova is Isaac Brock, of Modest Mouse. Or, possibly, it is a mysterious savant named Edgar Graham, who imposed himself on Modest Mouse at the Denver show of the band’s 1998 tour, introduced himself as Ugly Casanova, and, through a haze of unnerving instability, shared some rough songs with the band. His songs, though delivered hesitantly… shamefully, even… displayed unmistakable talent. By the end of Modest Mouse’s tour, Ugly Casanova, with much reluctance, was persuaded to record some of these songs and hand them over to record labels for issue as singles or parts of compilations. Predictably, immediately after he had done so, he disappeared. Produced by Brian Deck and Isaac Brock at Glacial Pace Studios (Oregon), Ugly Casanova’s songs are here performed by Misters Brock and Deck, as well as John Orth (Holopaw), Tim Rutili (Califone, Red Red Meat), Pall Jenkins (The Black Heart Procession), and a handful of like-minded collaborators. This 2015 vinyl edition includes four bonus tracks originally released on long-deleted 7” singles.
The Underachievers – Evermore: The Art Of Duality LP (RPM MSC Distribution)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. 15 new tracks from the Brooklyn rap group.
Urge Overkill – The Stull EP [Reissue/1992] LP (Touch & Go)
With their gold medallions polished and maroon velvet blazers fresh from the cleaners, Urge Overkill recorded the Stull EP with legendary producer Kramer. Originally released in 1992, The Stull EP is an eclectic collection of songs and musical styles that explore the themes of death, darkness, the depths of the Chicago music scene, the joy of vinyl and style — with a soon-to-be-interntational hit “Girl, You’ll Be A Woman Soon” from the 1994 cult classic Pulp Fiction leading the way.
Various Artists [Prins Thomas] – Paradise Goulash 3xLP (Eskimo)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Prins Thomas tips his cap to Paradise Garage, the original New York nightclub, with this three-disc compendium, a marathon adventure into his ingenious and groundbreaking style mischievously titled Paradise Goulash. Each disc is a gentle wandering through his musical mind with tracks from Robert Hood, Actress, Marcellus Pittman, Young Marco, I: Cube, Hieroglyphic Being, and many more.
Various Artists – (Cease & Desist) DIY Cult Classics From The Post-Punk Era (1978-1982) LP (Optimo Music)
Collects 15 UK 7 singles recorded between 1978 and 1982, compiled by JD Twitch to showcase the DIY spirit of those times. Includes tracks by Tesco Bombers, Sara Goes Pop, People In Motion, Nancy Sesay & The Melodaires, The Distributors, Dorothy, Thomas Leer, Visitors, The Murphy Federation, The Cro-Tones, Fatal Microbes, Spunky Onions, The Fakes, and The Prats.
Various Artists – Serenade: Night Ballads From Bethlehem 10” (Sundazed)
Eight late-night torch songs, beautifully lamenting lost love from the matchless archives of Bethlehem Records. Includes cuts by Helen Carr, Audrey Morris, Johnny Hartman, Julie London, Chris Connor, Herb Jeffries, and Nina Simone.
V8 – Un Paso Mas En La Batalla [Reissue/1984] LP (Beat Generation)
Vinyl reissue of a seminal album of Argentinean metal. HQ-180gm.
Violent Soho/Spraynard – Split 7”+MP3 (SideOneDummy)
Limited green colored vinyl split release from Australian rock band Violent Soho and Spraynard, a punk band from Pennsylvania.
The Vitals – Gold Night 10”+MP3 (ORG Music)
Gold Night is the follow up to The Vitals’ 2012 debut album, Qualia. After spending time on the road, showcasing at SXSW, and continuing their strong California presence, the band worked on their sophomore effort in their hometown of Los Angeles. Recorded almost entirely live in the studio, Gold Night showcases The Vitals’ raw sound that fans are treated to at their dynamic live shows.
The Wake – Here Comes Everybody + Singles 1983-1987 2xLP (Captured Tracks)
Captured Tracks offer up a period of The Wake which has not been available on vinyl since its initial pressings on Factory Records two and a half decades ago. Long considered their masterwork, Here Comes Everybody is post-punk at its most lush and alluring. With an underlying urgency peppered with a frost of delicate melody, the influence of The Wake can be seen in a myriad of sub-genres within the independent community and is often cited as a key influence on the Captured Tracks label roster.
J.W. Warren – Life Ain’t Worth Livin’ LP (Big Legal Mess)
Obscure country blues recorded in 1981 and 1982 in Ariton, Alabama. (The CD version was released by Fat Possum in 2005.” “That country blues was a folk form is aptly demonstrated on this album of acoustic field recordings made at the Ariton, AL, home of J.W. Warren by folklorist George Mitchell in 1981 and 1982. Warren’s songs are all based on proven country blues templates, and with the shift of a line or two, he makes each his own, giving this unhurried, gentle album tremendous charm.” — AllMusic
The White Buffalo – Love And The Death Of Damnation 2xLP+MP3 (Unison Music Group)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. With poignant narratives as dark and deadly as a drug deal gone south, to big, bold anthems of love, the strength to survive and a rebel-like resilience, The White Buffalo’s Jake Smith delivers relatable lyrics on simple terms; sometimes raw, booming and dangerous, other times soft, sincere and soulful. Clear vinyl pressing.
The Who – Live At The Isle Of Wight Festival 1970 3xLP (Eagle)
This new edition of The Who’s legendary performance at the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival features newly remixed sound. The Who were one year and three months into their Tommy tour when they played their second engagement at the Isle of Wight Festival (which they famously started at 2:00 A.M.). As in 1969, they played most of their famous rock opera, which by this time was quite familiar to the festival crowd.
The Who – The Track Records Singles 15×7” (Geffen)
Third volume of a four-part set of classic Who singles by labels (Brunswick, Reaction, Track and Polydor), released to coincide with the band’s 50th anniversary and rise of vinyl. Containing 15 7′ singles from the band’s Tracks Records era — pressed on heavyweight vinyl with paper sleeves (reproducing the period graphics front and back with die-cut center holes). Housed in a rigid ‘lid-and-tray’ outer box. Contains 7′ sized 20-page color booklet with liner notes about each release and period memorabilia.
Cassettes:
Low Lumens – Dawn/Dusk (Burnt Toast Vinyl)
Low Lumens is the moniker for the Pittsburgh based artist and musician Danny Bracken. His creative practice explores interactions between video, sound, and physical space, ranging from immersive, multi-sensory installations to small-scale sculptures. Born into a family of musicians, sound occupies a central role in his work; taking the form of film scores, installations, and stand-alone recordings. At the heart of these investigations lies an interest in the relationship between humans, the natural world, and technology.
Timmy’s Organism – Heartless Heathen (Third Man)
Fronting some of the most original, compelling and unpredictable bands (not only in Detroit, but the world) for over two decades, Tim Lampinen’s work with the Epileptix, Clone Defects, and Human Eye has always held a rapturous cult following. Yet his work with his current trio, Timmy’s Organism, presents Lampinen (aka Timmy Vulgar) along with bassist Jeff Giant and drummer Blake Hill, ready for their close-up. With Heartless Heathen the group touches on their artistic and spiritual forbears of Captain Beefheart and Destroy All Monsters, while amply ramping up the slop culture rapture of classic punk ‘n’ roll like Chrome, Crime, and the Damned as well as contemporaries like Thee Oh Sees. There’s a reason why Lampinen won a $25,000 Kresge Grant for his work with his bands… he creates music that borders on art, live shows that border on theater.
Video – The Entertainers (Third Man)
There’s no band that can lay claim to being the true best in the business, except Video. Crawling from the musical wasteland that is Texas, their intentions are simple: they want to own the world. While the band features members of Bad Sports, Wiccans, Radioactivity, and the Wax Museums (just to name a few), Video stands on its own as one of the most powerful and visceral bands active today. Combining equal parts snotty punk, hard rock, and melodic dissonance, Video are pioneers of their own subgenre, “hate wave.” Going well beyond the confines of paint by numbers punk, and generic, flaccid garage rock, Video forges a new cult like movement.
White Fang – Chunks (Burger)
110% party punk.
Wolf Eyes – I Am A Problem: Mind In Pieces (Third Man)
Having eschewed the “noise” moniker to describe their sound in favor of the self-proclaimed “trip metal”, Wolf Eyes are at the forefront of a wide-ranging, experimental, impossible-to-categorize world. With over 500 releases since their inception in 1997, the group has been lauded by Thurston Moore, Henry Rollins and countless other stoned basement malcontents. With previous full-lengths on labels like Sub Pop and Troubleman, I Am A Problem: Mind In Pieces is their debut release for Third Man Records and signals an ever-so-slight shift with the appearance of guitar and even drums. I Am a Problem is as much a classic Wolf Eyes record as no one would’ve ever predicted such a pulverizing left-turn at this juncture of their career. This is social audio dissent.
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