Marketing Program/ Banner/ Listening Station Titles Promoted This Week:
Aaliyah – I Care 4 U [Reissue/2001] CD (Empire)
I Care 4 U is the first posthumous compilation album by the “Princess of R&B,” Aaliyah. Following her tragic and untimely passing, Blackground Records released a posthumous record including songs from her studio albums and previously unreleased tracks and demos, as well as hit singles and recordings that ultimately did not land on any previous albums. This 2001 compilation album was a commercial success and debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 and was certified platinum. It features the previously unreleased “Miss You.”
Aaliyah – Ultimate Aaliyah [Reissue/2005] 2xCD (Empire)
Ultimate Aaliyah is the second and final compilation album by R&B singer Aaliyah. Originally released by Blackground Records in only the UK, Australia, and Japan, the 2005 double album features one disc of Aaliyah’s greatest hits and a disc entitled Are You Feelin’ Me? containing material from soundtracks and featured work with labelmate Timbaland.
Cimafunk – El Alimento CD (Terapia Productions)
El Alimento (translation: the nutrient) is the monumental second album from Cimafunk, the Cuban medical-student-turned-Latin-funk-star who crash-landed onto the music scene with his debut album Terapia in 2017 and an electric live show that been compared to that of James Brown. The sonically dynamic collection masterfully blends Afro-Cuban sounds and rhythms with global funk, hip-hop and soul—resulting in a progressive, head-bopping celebration of black music’s power to eclipse borders and cross-pollinate across cultures. Written and recorded over the last year, the album served as an alimento for the soul, a motivation to persevere through the pandemic, as Cimafunk spent countless hours studying decades of musical influences to help understand who he is musically and culturally, and thus, where he wanted this album to take him. As innovative funk forefather George Clinton (Parliament-Funkadelic), who sings alongside Cimafunk on the opening track “Funk Aspirin”, says: “Cimafunk takes it back there while keeping it in the now. It’s what we do, always reinventing the Funk to keep it fresh.” [Vinyl edition due in 2022.]
The Record Company – Play Loud CD (Concord)
The Record Company has outgrown the home recording of previous records and enlisted Grammy Award-winning producer Dave Sardy (Fall Out Boy, A Perfect Circle, Modest Mouse) to work with them on their third studio album, Play Loud. It also finds the band collaborating with outside songwriters for the first time ever, including Kevin Griffin and Sam Hollander on single “How High”. The result is a sonic growth both in music and in songwriting, highlighting an ever-evolving band bringing rock back to the masses. On Play Loud, the group stretches out artistically and explores their far-flung influences. “On the first two albums, people might have thought we were three guys who sit around a campfire, praying to Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker, and we’re not,” notes bassist Alex Stiff. “We’re three different guys with different musical tastes. It’s time for all of us to show our individuality, and this record shows us evolving.” [Indie store exclusive vinyl edition due October 29.]
Billy Strings – Renewal 2xLP (Rounder)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. One of the top emerging artists across all genres of music, Billy Strings has made his most ambitious album to date with Renewal, a 16-song collection that effortlessly positions him as a singular talent-one who reveres the history of the acoustic music that inspired him, while pushing it forward into new spaces and audiences through his incredible live shows. Serving as a reflection of Strings’ diverse musical influences, Renewal reaches well beyond bluegrass with elements of heavy metal, jam bands, psychedelic music and classic rock – even though it’s still primarily an acoustic record. The album follows his Grammy Award-winning project, Home, as well as industry recognition ranging from Pollstar’s Breakthrough Artist of the Pandemic to the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Guitar Player of the Year and New Artist of the Year.
Thrice – Horizons/East CD/LP+MP3 (Epitaph)
Dynamic and explorative California-based rock band Thrice return with their eleventh studio album, Horizons/East. The release exemplifies art as a work of recognition – the human task of perceiving oneself amid details, disasters, and blessings as a relentlessly relational phenomenon, among others. In this, Horizons/East is the rare rock album on which interrelatedness is a theme, painting an adventurous and lush landscape mixed by Scott Evans, that the band self-produced and recorded at their own New Grass Studio. With Horizons/East, Dustin Kensrue and his bandmates address, with candor and courage, the fragile and awkward arrangements that pass for civilization, while inviting us to dwell more knowingly within our own lives. Without surrendering any of the energy and hard edge of their previous albums, they’ve given us a profoundly meditative work, which serves as a musical summons to everyday attentiveness.
Trivium – In The Court Of The Dragon CD (Roadrunner)
“How long does a ‘return to form’ have to last until it’s just ‘form’? You all know Trivium’s story at this point: the highs of instant classic Ascendancy, the troughs of The Crusade and Vengeance Falls and the stunning redemption of 2017’s The Sin And The Sentence and last year’s What The Dead Men Say. Weirdly, despite all of this contextual weight, when approaching In The Court Of The Dragon you just never really ever felt in any doubt that Trivium 2021 would or could let you down. The band have just been so good, so reliable, in the last five years that you really shouldn’t be surprised to hear that (spoiler alert) this album is another exceptional effort.” – Metal Hammer [Vinyl edition TBA.]
The Velveteers – Nightmare Dayream CD (Easy Eye Sound)
Nightmare Daydream, the debut album from the formidable rock trio, The Velveteers, is the culmination of the raw power and electric voice of singer/guitarist Demi Demitro with the primal rhythm of two drummers, Baby Pottersmith and Jonny Fig. Fused with the studio prowess of Grammy Award winning producer, Dan Auerbach, the album is a crushing combination of ‘70s style psychedelia and the hard rock of the California desert. [Vinyl edition due November 5.]
The Wild Feathers – Alvarado CD (New West)
In December of 2020, The Wild Feathers hauled off to a pre-civil war-built cabin in VanLeer, TN where the ideas and songs from Alvarado met for the very first time. In the past, the band typically liked to collect all the tunes they’ve written over the past year, brainstorm, conceptualize, and rehearse isolated in a cabin before heading into the studio. This time for their fourth studio album, they decided to bring the studio to the cabin. The guys spent a week jamming and creating while having the ability to capture the performances while they were fresh. Produced by the band, Alvarado is the truest representation of The Wild Feathers to date. No outside musicians, no outside opinions, just us playing our new songs in a room with the best mics we could find. [Indie store exclusive vinyl edition due October 29.]
The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die – Illusory Walls CD (Epitaph)
Taken from the unlikely source of the video game Dark Souls, the album’s title; Illusory Walls “refers to a hidden surface that seems to prevent entry, but upon inspection is nothing more than a visual illusion,” notes vocalist/guitarist David F. Bello. The process for Illusory Walls took about a year, written and recorded remotely between the bear-filled woods of Connecticut and the streets of quarantined Philadelphia – a first for the band – due to the coronavirus pandemic. The extra time made for a more relaxed, comfortable experience in the studio, allowing the band to realize the full extent of their musical and thematic aspirations. Co-produced by vocalist/guitarist Chris Teti alongside his studio partner Greg Thomas (END, Misery Signals), Illusory Walls takes on the weight of human existence while it’s buckling under the pressure of today’s near-dystopian society. Personal anxieties and political struggles collide with a series of portentous, apocalyptic, and dramatic tunes, resulting in some of the darkest music the band has made since forming in 2009. [Indie store exclusive vinyl edition due December 3.]
Yung Bleu – Moon Boy CD (Vandross Music Group)
Yung Bleu, also known as, Bleu Vandross, is a rising hip-gop/R&B artist from Mobile, Alabama. After scoring several major hits and a series of smash love anthems, the multi-talented artist scored his first Billboard Hot 100 hit with “You’re Mines Still,” a joint single featuring Drake, which debuted at #52 and still stands on the charts. It’s parent EP, Love Scars: The Five Stages Of Emotions, likewise hit the Billboard 200 Chart. Following the success, Yung Bleu delivers his debut album, Moon Boy, which features the hit song “Baddest (feat. Chris Brown & 2 Chainz),” that includes appearances from H.E.R, Big Sean, John Legend, Kehlani, Kodak Black, Davido, Moneybagg Yo, Jeezy, Gunna & A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie.
Additional Social Media Program Titles Released This Week:
Noah Gundersen – A Pillar Of Salt CD (Cooking Vinyl)
Noah Gundersen returns with his much-anticipated new album, A Pillar of Salt. The project is a return to form for Gundersen, coupling heartfelt lyrics with his signature understated vocal performance. Featuring singles “Sleepless In Seattle” and “Atlantis”, a stunning duet with Phoebe Bridgers, fans old and new will be celebrating this triumphant piece of art. [Vinyl edition due January 28.]
Caitlin Rose – Own Side Now (Deluxe Anniversary Issue) LP+7” (ATO)
Nashville’s Caitlin Rose celebrates the 10-year anniversary of her debut album Own Side Now with a deluxe fully remastered vinyl LP + bonus 7″ reissue. Rose released Own Side Now in 2011 to instant acclaim from critics, who praised her crystal-clear vocals and her ingenious lyricism – equal parts heartbroken and defiant – and compared her to her musician heroes Stevie Nicks and Linda Rondstadt. The deluxe reissue also features two unreleased bonus tracks – “Only Lies” and “Whatchoo” included on the accompanying 7″. Although steeped in the country tradition, Caitlin’s music is not constrained by that heritage. Her confessional style and wry observations place her very much in the 21st Century, but it is her heart wrenching honesty, lyrical prowess and dexterous lyrical delivery that sets her apart from her peers.
CDs + Vinyl:
Aaliyah – I Care 4 U [Reissue/2001] CD (Empire)
I Care 4 U is the first posthumous compilation album by the “Princess of R&B,” Aaliyah. Following her tragic and untimely passing, Blackground Records released a posthumous record including songs from her studio albums and previously unreleased tracks and demos, as well as hit singles and recordings that ultimately did not land on any previous albums. This 2001 compilation album was a commercial success and debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 and was certified platinum. It features the previously unreleased “Miss You.”
Aaliyah – Ultimate Aaliyah [Reissue/2005] 2xCD (Empire)
Ultimate Aaliyah is the second and final compilation album by R&B singer Aaliyah. Originally released by Blackground Records in only the UK, Australia, and Japan, the 2005 double album features one disc of Aaliyah’s greatest hits and a disc entitled Are You Feelin’ Me? containing material from soundtracks and featured work with labelmate Timbaland.
Alien Weaponry – Tangaroa CD (Napalm)
In the past few years, no emerging metal band has shaken up the international metal scene like Alien Weaponry – featuring 21-year-old Henry de Jong (drums), 19-year-old Lewis de Jong (guitars, vocals) and 21-year-old new bassist Tūranga Morgan-Edmonds. Tangaroa coalesces Alien Weaponry’s growing maturation with an undisturbed songwriting process, resulting in their most complex, inspired, honest and informed material yet. [Vinyl edition due October 29.]
Allergies – Promised Land CD/LP (Jalapeno)
13 tracks of feel-good funk, hip-hop swagger, and dusty vintage loops; a dayglo blast of super positive sampledelia.
…and Oceans – Cypher [Reissue/2002] CD/LP (Season Of Mist)
With the fourth album Cypher, Finnish black metal outfit …and Oceans completed their transformation from predominantly symphonic influences to industrial inspirations.
Antichrist Siege Machine – Purifying Blade CD/LP (Profound Lore)
“Each track on here is a weapon wielded by wickedness and hatred directed at the heart of Christendom. Faces of black evil, shields hardened with the cracked ribs of the dead.”
Atmosphere – WORD? CD/LP (Rhymesayers)
Steering back toward their signature sound, the album further highlights producer Ant’s undeniable talents as the project leans into the classic boom-bap aesthetic, bringing a unique energy out of Slug’s wisdom, wit and delivery.
Susana Baca – Palabras Urgentes CD/LP (Real World)
In the 50th year of her musical career Susana Baca has no intention of surrendering her creativity to the will of others and Palabras Urgentes is not just another album in her discography. It is more than that. It is a musical creation, a collection of songs, intended to take on today’s difficult times. The album was not created to be just a beautiful distraction or to charm the listener. On the contrary, Susana has recorded this album as a form of protest and to spark debate – and the listener must understand this to really understand the album – but, also, to encourage us to cherish and value the time we are given and to live in the fullest sense.
BadBadNotGood – Talk Memory CD/2xLP (XL)
On Talk Memory, the trio of Alexander Sowinski (drums), Chester Hansen (bass) and Leland Whitty (guitar/woodwinds), return to their instrumental beginnings and pay homage to the musicians, composers, innovators and influences that first informed their work. As a result, the album is an aural odyssey about collective balance and harmony, with all the sense of psychedelic narrative that entails. With guests that include the iconic Brazilian producer and musician Arthur Verocai alongside Laraaji, Terrace Martin, Karriem Riggins, Brandee the Younger, plus the legendary Russell Elevado (D’Angelo’s Voodoo) at the mixing helm, BadBadNotGood have created a heartfelt expression of joy for the music and community they feel lucky to inhabit.
Bad Brains – Rock For Light [Reissue/1983] CD/LP (Org Music)
CD and vinyl reissue of the second full-length album by the Washington D.C. hardcore punk band. This reissue marks the fourth release in the remaster campaign, re-launching the Bad Brains Records label imprint.
Julia Bardo – Bauhaus, L’Appartamento CD (Wichita)
Bauhaus, L’Appartamento, produced and mixed by Younghusband’s Euan Hinshelwood, firmly establishes Bardo’s musical adventurousness and prowess, and marks a cathartic and self-affirming moment for an artist who found her voice by realizing it’s been there all along. Each track on the album opens a new door. [Vinyl edition due October 15.]
Between The Buried And Me – Colors II CD/LP (Sumerian)
Now available on CD. Tenth studio album from American progressive metal band.
James Blake – Friends That Break Your Heart CD/2xLP (Republic)
With over two years having passed since the release of his critically acclaimed 2019 album Assume Form, UK singer, and electronic musician James Blake returns with his fifth studio album Friends That Break Your Heart. Said to be a concept album, it features 12 tracks including collaborations with SZA, JID, SwaVay, and Monica Martin. As the first taste of the album, the projects lead single “Say What You Will” hooks listeners into what Blake has to come. The song’s deep production glides in and out as the focus of the track to make room for Blake’s stunning vocals. “The song is about finding peace with who you are and where you’re at regardless of how well other people seem to be doing,” Blake says. “Comparison really is the thief of joy.”
The Breathing Process – Labrynthian CD (Unique Leader)
Fourth album from the blackened deathcore band. [Vinyl edition due March 4.]
Bummer – Dead Horse CD/LP+MP3 (Thrill Jockey)
Kansas City trio Bummer mirror the absurdity of modern life with a balance of dark humor, dejected nihilism and righteous fury. Their music spills out in torrents of skull-crushing riffs, gargantuan bass and caustic howls delivered at breakneck speed with gleeful abandon.
Cancer – To The Gory End [Reissue/1990] CD (Peaceville)
To The Gory End is the first album by British death metal band Cancer. The cover artwork was censored in some countries, with only the band’s name and album title left on a black background. [Vinyl edition due November 12.]
Cannabis Corpse – Blunted At Birth [Reissue/2006] CD/LP (Season Of Mist)
Cannabis Corpse was formed by Municipal Waste bassist LandPhil Hall (bass/vocals) and his brother Josh Hallhammer Hall (drums) out of a mutual love of brutal Floridian death metal (Cannibal Corpse, Morbid Angel, Deicide, Obituary) and weed. The band’s earliest recordings (2006’s Blunted At Birth and 2008’s Tube Of The Resinated) are primal homages to their influences; where relentless, jackhammer beats and sick, guttural vocals lay the foundation for twisted tales of crazed weed mayhem. [A limited picture-disc vinyl pressing is also available.]
Cimafunk – El Alimento CD (Terapia Productions)
El Alimento (translation: the nutrient) is the monumental second album from Cimafunk, the Cuban medical-student-turned-Latin-funk-star who crash-landed onto the music scene with his debut album Terapia in 2017 and an electric live show that been compared to that of James Brown. The sonically dynamic collection masterfully blends Afro-Cuban sounds and rhythms with global funk, hip-hop and soul—resulting in a progressive, head-bopping celebration of black music’s power to eclipse borders and cross-pollinate across cultures. Written and recorded over the last year, the album served as an alimento for the soul, a motivation to persevere through the pandemic, as Cimafunk spent countless hours studying decades of musical influences to help understand who he is musically and culturally, and thus, where he wanted this album to take him. As innovative funk forefather George Clinton (Parliament-Funkadelic), who sings alongside Cimafunk on the opening track “Funk Aspirin”, says: “Cimafunk takes it back there while keeping it in the now. It’s what we do, always reinventing the Funk to keep it fresh.” [Vinyl edition due in 2022.]
DPR Live – Iite Cool CD (Dream Perfect Regime)
New release from the South Korean singer/rapper.
John Dwyer / Ryan Sawyer / Peter Kerlin – Moon-Drenched CD/LP (Castleface)
Now available on CD. The same crew as the boundary pulsing improvisation record Bent Arcana has made a trajectory shift and picked up Ben Boye along the path. The aptly named Moon-Drenched is the second installment from these sessions and keeps a heavy-lidded late-night perspective on things as it eases from the somewhat familiar liminal twilight of skittering hues of black-blue and snaking street groove, to fizzing off into the ether in pursuit of lunar prism beams heretofore unseen. The more rhythmically dialed bits here have a lysergic halo of strangeness to them, and the wispy bits between are spun of iridescent gossamer. It sounds like a frizzled message from a future just filthy with guitar hoots echoing off neon-splattered high rises, oil-slicked waterways and skittering digital beasts.
Eclipse – Wired CD/LP (Frontiers)
New album from the Swedish hard rock quartet. [A limited-edition color vinyl pressing is also available.]
Efterklang – Windflowers CD (City Slang)
For over twenty years, Efterklang have been pushing the barriers of experimental, electronic, emotional chamber-pop. Announcing their sixth studio album Windflowers, the Danish trio of Mads Brauer, Rasmus Stolberg and Casper Clausen continue a creative journey that’s brought them closer together, even as their lives grow apart. Channeling the motifs of hope and change its namesake flora represents, the album sees their many years of collaboration and experimentation distilled into some of their finest and most direct melodic moments to date. [Vinyl edition due October 22.]
Kurt Elling – SuperBlue CD (Edition)
Grammy winning vocalist Kurt Elling returns in style with an album of boisterous funk and indelible beats supported by the funky Charlie Hunter, Corey Fonville and DJ Harrison of groove merchants Butcher Brown. [Vinyl edition due November 12.]
Joe Ely – Love In The Midst Of Mayhem CD (Rack’Em)
Love In The Midst Of Mayhem features 10 recordings finished during the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020. Joining Ely on the album are guitarists Mitch Watkins, Rob Gjersoe, Bradley Kopp, bassists Roscoe Beck, Glen Fukunaga, Gary Herman, Jimmy Pettit, drummers Davis McLarty, Pat Manske, Steve Meador, keyboardists Joel Guzman (also on accordion), the late Reese Wynans and the late Bill Ginn.
Newton Falkner – Interference (of light) CD (Battenberg Records)
New release from the British singer/songwriter. Four years on from his last studio album, Newton Faulkner has been working throughout lockdown from his recording studio in East London, exploring several new and unexplored styles and musical ideas, using them as the building blocks for this album. Twisting these inside out, he has pushed himself further and further. “Interference (of light) certainly highlights Faulkner’s vocal development throughout and pleasingly tuneful vocal arrangements pepper the whole album.” – AllMusic Magazine [Vinyl edition due November 5.]
Sam Fender – Seventeen Going Under CD/LP (Interscope)
Almost two years since the release of Sam Fender’s critically acclaimed debut album, Hypersonic Missiles, debuted at #1 on the UK album chart, he now readies its follow-up. Seventeen Going Under is a coming-of-age story. It’s the story of a young teen losing his innocence, but then finding strength to stagger blindly into adulthood and all that entails. [A deluxe CD edition is also available.]
Field Guide – Make Peace With That CD (Birthday Cake Media)
Debut album from the Winnipeg indie artist. [Vinyl edition due November 5.]
Roger Glover – Snapshot + CD (earMUSIC)
Digitally remastered and expanded edition featuring five bonus tracks. Snapshot is the fourth solo album by Deep Purple bassist Roger Glover, originally released in September 2002. It features Randall Bramblett, Warren Haynes and Gillian Glover. [Vinyl edition due November 19.]
Goat – Headsoup CD/LP+7” (Rocket Recordings)
When a mysterious masked collective called Goat first emerged in 2012, armed with an incendiary debut single ‘Goatman’ and a backstory for the ages – the band’s anonymous members claimed to hail from the remote and cursed village of Korpilombo in northern Sweden, where inhabitants had for centuries been devoted to a form of voodoo introduced by a travelling witch doctor – there was no one else on earth quite like them. Their mythology enticing, their music full of sinuous grooves and manic explosions of fuzz, Goat were outliers from the very beginning. [A limited-edition cyan color vinyl pressing is also available.]
Noah Gundersen – A Pillar Of Salt CD (Cooking Vinyl)
Noah Gundersen returns with his much-anticipated new album, A Pillar of Salt. The project is a return to form for Gundersen, coupling heartfelt lyrics with his signature understated vocal performance. Featuring singles “Sleepless In Seattle” and “Atlantis”, a stunning duet with Phoebe Bridgers, fans old and new will be celebrating this triumphant piece of art. [Vinyl edition due January 28.]
Natalie Hemby – Pins And Needles CD (Fantasy)
Two-time Grammy Award-winner Natalie Hemby is revered as one of the music industry’s most notable songwriters creating hit after hit behind the scenes. Now, she’s poised for a breakout, with the release of her exceptional sophomore album Pins And Needles. Known for the versatile sonics and storytelling that earned her eight No. 1 singles, Hemby explores a full range of her musical gifts, spanning influences – from Tom Petty to Sheryl Crow and the early ‘90s rock and roots she was raised on – with incomparable individuality. Across the 11-track collection, Hemby delivers unconventional lyrics along with her ingenious turn of phrase, ear-worm anthems to heart-rending ballads, acid-tongued and sharp-witted swagger to deep-grooved rockers. [Vinyl edition due December 3.]
Hiromi – Silver Lining Suite CD (Telarc)
Hiromi’s 2021 album, Silver Lining Suite, pairs her virtuosic and emotive piano with a string quartet assembled by violinist Tatsuo Nishie, concertmaster of the New Japan Philharmonic. Devised for a series of live-streamed concerts at the Blue Note Tokyo during the Covid pandemic, the results blur the lines between classical music and jazz, crafting a vibrant hybrid possessed of the fervent, rock-inspired energy and cinematic beauty that Hiromi has always instilled in her music. [Vinyl edition due February 18.]
Houston – IV CD (Frontiers)
New release from the Swedish AOR band.
Park Hye Jin – Before I Die CD (Ninja Tune)
Before I Die – entirely written, produced and performed by the South Korean-born and now L.A.-based the producer, rapper, singer, and DJ – follows the release of her hugely successful How Can I EP and comes on the heels of a string of collaborations. Includes the single “Let’s Sing Let’s Dance”, a wistful dance track that places Hye Jin’s mantra-like vocals over piano keys and rumbling bass. Elsewhere on the record, she continues to expand her sonic palette, drawing on a range of influences that take in electronic, rap/hip-hop and downtempo sensibilities to present the most complete vision yet of her sound. [Vinyl edition due October 22.]
Anna Leone – I’ve Felt All These Things CD/LP (Half Awake)
Dive into Anna Leone’s debut album I’ve Felt All These Things and discover her deepest thoughts, with a sweet and tender folk.
Reba McEntire – Revived Remixed Revisited 3xCD (MCA Nashville)
Revived Remixed Revisited is a reimagined collection of her most iconic songs. Revived features exciting new arrangements of fan favorites like “Is There Life Out There” and “Can’t Even Get The Blues” recorded with Reba’s touring band. Remixed takes songs like “Little Rock” and “I’m A Survivor” and spins them in ways like you’ve never heard Reba before. Revisited, produced by the Grammy Award-winning Dave Cobb, strips back songs like “Somebody Should Leave” and “Consider Me Gone” to let the raw power of Reba’s vocals shine and features a long-awaited pairing between Reba and Dolly Parton on Reba’s most famous duet, “Does He Love You”. [Vinyl edition due November 12.]
Loreena McKennitt – The Visit: The Definitive Edition 4xCD+Blu-ray Audio (UMe)
The Visit: Definitive Edition celebrates 30 years since Loreena’s award-winning album propelled her onto the international stage. This deluxe, hardback book contains four CDs, one audio Blu-ray disc, a 32-page illustrated booklet, and hours of previously unreleased content, including the first-ever surround sound mixes of Loreena’s music.
Oh Wonder – 22 Break CD (Republic)
By their own design, Oh Wonder has always flown a little below the public radar. Josephine Vander Gucht and Anthony West have played music together since 2014 and have been quietly romantically involved since 2013. By the time they confirmed their engagement on No One Else Can Wear Your Crown, life was going smoothly: then of course the pandemic hit, and a 120-date world tour was subsequently and heartbreakingly canceled. This deeply personal time in their private lives is the subject of Oh Wonder’s fifth studio album, 22 Break. [Vinyl edition due November 5.]
Old Dominion – Time, Tequila & Therapy CD (SME Nashville)
The fourth album from country music group Old Dominion, Time, Tequila & Therapy features the single “I Was On A Boat That Day”. Every member of the five-piece band had a hand in writing songs from the 13-track project. Gladys Knight appears on “Lonely Side Of Town”, described as a “Motown by way of Music Row soul stunner.”
- Raekwon – Where I’m At Now CD/LP (Father/Daughter)
New release from New York City-based singer/songwriter Steven Reynolds aka S. Raekwon. Recorded between New York City and a six-month stint at his girlfriend’s parents’ home in Edwardsville, IL during the pandemic, Where I’m At Now is the album S. Raekwon made for himself with a clarity that arrived as he located his missing pieces in the world. His time in the Midwest proved influential on Reynolds; it is where he reconnected with the Black side of his family, his father’s, and took part in the worldwide protests against police brutality. [A limited color vinyl pressing is also available.]
The Record Company – Play Loud CD (Concord)
The Record Company has outgrown the home recording of previous records and enlisted Grammy Award-winning producer Dave Sardy (Fall Out Boy, A Perfect Circle, Modest Mouse) to work with them on their third studio album, Play Loud. It also finds the band collaborating with outside songwriters for the first time ever, including Kevin Griffin and Sam Hollander on single “How High”. The result is a sonic growth both in music and in songwriting, highlighting an ever-evolving band bringing rock back to the masses. On Play Loud, the group stretches out artistically and explores their far-flung influences. “On the first two albums, people might have thought we were three guys who sit around a campfire, praying to Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker, and we’re not,” notes bassist Alex Stiff. “We’re three different guys with different musical tastes. It’s time for all of us to show our individuality, and this record shows us evolving.” [Indie store exclusive vinyl edition due October 29.]
Sleigh Bells – Texis CD (Mom + Pop Music)
Sleigh Bells’ sixth album Texis is the sound of the duo letting go of all hang-ups and inhibitions and allowing themselves to embrace making the sort of loud, colorful, genre-melting music only they could make. “We stopped worrying about whether or not we’re in or out of our comfort zone, or if we were being repetitive or formulaic,” says guitarist and composer Derek Miller. “In the past we were pretty obsessed with tearing up the rule book and starting from scratch for every record as a means to do something new or different,” he says. “For Texis we didn’t worry about any of that stuff, we just pushed the first domino and hoped that something exciting and inspiring would happen.” [Vinyl edition due February 18.]
Nate Smith – Kinfolk 2: See The Birds CD (Edition)
Kinfolk 2: See The Birds is the highly anticipated follow up to the 2017 Grammy-nominated album Kinfolk: Postcards From Everywhere. Featuring the diverse and all-star talents of Brittany Howard, Amma Whatt, Joel Ross, Kokayi, Michael Mayo, Regina Carter, Stokley and Vernon Reid, Kinfolk 2: See The Birds is the inspired and emphatic album that exemplifies Nate Smith’s artistry as one of the most exciting, dynamic and innovative drummer-composers of his generation, adept across multi-genres and styles. [Vinyl edition due November 5.]
Jeff Scott Soto – The Duets Collection – Volume 1 CD/LP (Frontiers)
The hard rock vocalist teams up with Erik Martensson (Eclipse, W.E.T.), Dino Jelusick (Animal Drive, Dirty Shirley), Eric Martin (Mr. Big), Johnny Gioeli (Hardline), Deen Castronovo (Revolution Saints), Nathan James (Inglorious), Russell Allen (Symphony X), Renan Zonta (Electric Mob), Mats Leven (Candlemass, TSO), BJ (Spektra, SOTO), and Aliro Netto, on his first album of duets. [A clear vinyl pressing is also available.]
Craig Taborn – Shadow Plays CD (ECM)
Over the last decade, Craig Taborn has continued to refine and develop his approach of the solo, reaching new high ground with Shadow Plays, a stunning live recital from Vienna’s Konzerthaus. In this fully improvised concert, recorded in March 2020, Craig explores sounds and silences, swirling colors, densities and forms, creating new music in the moment with both poetic imagination and an iron grip on his spontaneously generated material.
Thrice – Horizons/East CD/LP+MP3 (Epitaph)
Dynamic and explorative California-based rock band Thrice return with their eleventh studio album, Horizons/East. The release exemplifies art as a work of recognition – the human task of perceiving oneself amid details, disasters, and blessings as a relentlessly relational phenomenon, among others. In this, Horizons/East is the rare rock album on which interrelatedness is a theme, painting an adventurous and lush landscape mixed by Scott Evans, that the band self-produced and recorded at their own New Grass Studio. With Horizons/East, Dustin Kensrue and his bandmates address, with candor and courage, the fragile and awkward arrangements that pass for civilization, while inviting us to dwell more knowingly within our own lives. Without surrendering any of the energy and hard edge of their previous albums, they’ve given us a profoundly meditative work, which serves as a musical summons to everyday attentiveness.
Trivium – In The Court Of The Dragon CD (Roadrunner)
“How long does a ‘return to form’ have to last until it’s just ‘form’? You all know Trivium’s story at this point: the highs of instant classic Ascendancy, the troughs of The Crusade and Vengeance Falls and the stunning redemption of 2017’s The Sin And The Sentence and last year’s What The Dead Men Say. Weirdly, despite all of this contextual weight, when approaching In The Court Of The Dragon you just never really ever felt in any doubt that Trivium 2021 would or could let you down. The band have just been so good, so reliable, in the last five years that you really shouldn’t be surprised to hear that (spoiler alert) this album is another exceptional effort.” – Metal Hammer [Vinyl edition TBA.]
Trouble – Psalm 9 [Reissue/1984] CD/LP (Hammerheart)
Trouble – The Skull [Reissue/1985] CD/LP (Hammerheart)
Trouble – Trouble [Reissue/1989] CD/LP (Hammerheart)
Trouble – Manic Frustration [Reissue/1992] CD/LP (Hammerheart)
Trouble – One For The Road [Reissue/1994] CD/LP (Hammerheart)
Trouble is one of the most influential doom acts from the ‘80s, playing a unique mix of old school doom-metal and psychedelic rock with clean vocals combining the lumbering heaviness of Black Sabbath and the dual guitars of Judas Priest.
Untamed Land – Like Creatures Seeking Their Own Forms CD (Napalm)
Following the underground success of their 2018 debut, Between The Winds, Ohio-based project Untamed Land – the world’s very first metal band incorporating the feral sounds of classic, old western cinematics – unbridles their sophomore album, Like Creatures Seeking Their Own Forms. While exploring influence and nuances from various strains of atmospheric metal, Untamed Land traverse wild new frontiers – evoking the ambiance of classic Ennio Morricone/Spaghetti Western soundtracks and traditional old western instrumentals.
The Velveteers – Nightmare Dayream CD (Easy Eye Sound)
Nightmare Daydream, the debut album from the formidable rock trio, The Velveteers, is the culmination of the raw power and electric voice of singer/guitarist Demi Demitro with the primal rhythm of two drummers, Baby Pottersmith and Jonny Fig. Fused with the studio prowess of Grammy Award winning producer, Dan Auerbach, the album is a crushing combination of 70s style psychedelia and the hard rock of the California desert. [Vinyl edition due November 5.]
The Violent Femmes – Why Do Birds Sing? 2xCD/LP (Craft Recordings)
Digitally remastered edition. Why Do Birds Sing? is the fifth studio album from Violent Femmes, and their last with original drummer, Victor DeLorenzo and features the hit “American Music”, as well as a cover of Culture Club’s “Do You Really Want To Hurt Me”. [The deluxe double-CD edition features a complete 1991 live set from the Boat House in Norfolk, VA, plus previously unreleased outtakes/alternate takes with new liner notes by Jeff Slate.]
Joshua Ray Walker – See You Next Time CD/LP (State Fair)
See You Next Time marks Joshua Ray Walker’s third full-length album in three years as the final installment in a trilogy that originated in 2019. The whole idea with the trilogy was to use the honky-tonk as a setting where all these different characters could interact with each other, says Walker, who drew immense inspiration from the local dive bars he first started sneaking into and gigging at as a teenager growing up in East Dallas.
Wayward Sons – Even Up The Score CD/LP (Frontiers)
UK hard rockers Wayward Sons return with their third album. [A limited-edition color vinyl pressing is also available.]
We Are Scientists – Huffy CD (Masterworks)
Jet-skis ripping across a jewel-green bay. Piña Coladas on ice, shredded in the blender. An alligator drops into a sick-ass guitar solo, then takes the last chorus up a notch with an unusual harmony you simply didn’t see coming. This is Huffy, the brand-new studio album from We Are Scientists. Ten tracks recorded and produced by the band, and mixed by ear-athlete Claudius Mittendorfer, in a package that only you can complete. [Vinyl edition due October 29.]
The Wild Feathers – Alvarado CD (New West)
In December of 2020, The Wild Feathers hauled off to a pre-civil war-built cabin in VanLeer, TN where the ideas and songs from Alvarado met for the very first time. In the past, the band typically liked to collect all the tunes they’ve written over the past year, brainstorm, conceptualize, and rehearse isolated in a cabin before heading into the studio. This time for their fourth studio album, they decided to bring the studio to the cabin. The guys spent a week jamming and creating while having the ability to capture the performances while they were fresh. Produced by the band, Alvarado is the truest representation of The Wild Feathers to date. No outside musicians, no outside opinions, just us playing our new songs in a room with the best mics we could find. [Indie store exclusive vinyl edition due October 29.]
Sam Williams – Glasshouse Children CD (Mercury Nashville)
Glasshouse Children is an introspective meditation on hurt and healing, growth and loss, and sin and redemption, but more than that, it’s a reckoning with fate and free will and the family ties that bind us. Sam’s skyscraping vocals shine through these ten lush, cinematic songs, as he delivers gut- wrenching, honest, and plainspoken lyrics with raw vulnerability and deep empathy.
The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die – Illusory Walls CD (Epitaph)
Taken from the unlikely source of the video game Dark Souls, the album’s title; Illusory Walls “refers to a hidden surface that seems to prevent entry, but upon inspection is nothing more than a visual illusion,” notes vocalist/guitarist David F. Bello. The process for Illusory Walls took about a year, written and recorded remotely between the bear-filled woods of Connecticut and the streets of quarantined Philadelphia – a first for the band – due to the coronavirus pandemic. The extra time made for a more relaxed, comfortable experience in the studio, allowing the band to realize the full extent of their musical and thematic aspirations. Co-produced by vocalist/guitarist Chris Teti alongside his studio partner Greg Thomas (END, Misery Signals), Illusory Walls takes on the weight of human existence while it’s buckling under the pressure of today’s near-dystopian society. Personal anxieties and political struggles collide with a series of portentous, apocalyptic, and dramatic tunes, resulting in some of the darkest music the band has made since forming in 2009. [Indie store exclusive vinyl edition due December 3.]
Akiko Yano – Ai Ga Nakucha Ne [Reissue/1982] CD/LP (Wewantsounds)
Digitally remastered. Yano recorded Ai Ga Nakucha Ne, her sixth studio album, with Japan’s Mick Karn, Steve Jansen, and David Sylvian at London’s Air Studios. The album exhibits her distinctive electro-pop sound, with lyrics sung in both Japanese and English.
Yung Bleu – Moon Boy CD (Vandross Music Group)
Yung Bleu, also known as, Bleu Vandross, is a rising hip-gop/R&B artist from Mobile, Alabama. After scoring several major hits and a series of smash love anthems, the multi-talented artist scored his first Billboard Hot 100 hit with “You’re Mines Still,” a joint single featuring Drake, which debuted at #52 and still stands on the charts. It’s parent EP, Love Scars: The Five Stages Of Emotions, likewise hit the Billboard 200 Chart. Following the success, Yung Bleu delivers his debut album, Moon Boy, which features the hit song “Baddest (feat. Chris Brown & 2 Chainz),” that includes appearances from H.E.R, Big Sean, John Legend, Kehlani, Kodak Black, Davido, Moneybagg Yo, Jeezy, Gunna & A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie.
This Week’s Vinyl Exclusives:
Snoh Aalegra – Temporary Highs In The Violent Skies LP (Roc Nation)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Snoh won Best New Artist at the 2020 Soul Train Awards and Best New R&B Artist at the iHeartRadio Music Awards. The artist is also a known commodity in the fashion space having worked with some of the biggest brands and designers in the world.
Bad Business Club – Naked Neighbor LP (Bad Business Club)
Second album from the effervescent nu-disco act.
F.S. Blumm & Nils Frahm – 2X1=4 LP (Leiter)
Limited green color vinyl pressing. Nils Frahm and F. S. Blumm, a revered mainstay of the German underground for over two decades, release their fourth collaborative album. 2X1=4 finds the duo unexpectedly exploring a dub-influenced universe, though in truth it’s one already familiar to both.
Cannibal Corpse – Eaten Back To Life [Reissue/19990] LP (Metal Blade)
Vinyl reissue of the debut album by the death metal legends.
The Charlatans – The Charlatans [Reissue/1995] 2xLP (Beggars Banquet)
Double marbled yellow color vinyl pressing of the British alt rock band’s fourth album.
The Cocktail Slippers – Shout It Out Loud! LP (Wicked Cool)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Fifth album from the raucous five-piece all-woman rock band from Oslo, Norway.
Domingæ – Æ LP (Sacred Bones)
Musician and filmmaker Domingæ is probably best known as the founder of experimental psych band Föllakzoid. Written whilst stranded in Mexico and Tokyo on her way to a world tour with Föllakzoid, her new debut solo album has taken the decompositional system she devised for the band and added the depth of inner exploration and a symbiotic relationship with musical craft.
Duran Duran – Thanksgiving Live: The Ultra Chrome Latex & Steel Tour 2xLP (Mountain Man Music)
Silver and clear color vinyl. Recorded Live on Thanksgiving Day 11/27/97 in Pleasure Island, Orlando, Florida for the Big Band Radio Broadcast.
Dori Freeman – Ten Thousand Roses LP (Blue Hens Music)
New release from the Galaxy, Virginia-based singer/songwriter. “After three albums of beautiful country-folk songs, has this gifted Virginian — who’s cited everyone from Iris DeMent to Peggy Lee to the Louvin Brothers as influences — traded low-key charisma for a wilder, bad-ass persona? Not exactly. While her gorgeous new album, Ten Thousand Roses, is filled with pointed reflections on class, inequality, desire, and self-determination, Freeman issues her blunt observations with unfailing poise, giving the album a quietly subversive power.” – No Depression
Charlie Haden – Nocturne [Reissue/2001] LP (Decca)
Released in 2001 and awarded a Grammy in 2002 for Best Latin Jazz Album, Charlie Haden’s Nocturne is an extraordinary album defying all labels and schemes both inside and outside jazz. Latin jazz, ballads, songs, World Music. No single label is satisfactory, since the musical heritage that made this album possible is so vast, as are the musical experiences of the jazz personalities gathered on this record.
Bob James – Take Me To The Mardi Gras 7” (Evosound)
“Take Me To The Mardi Gras” is a song by the American singer-songwriter Paul Simon. It was the fourth single from his third studio album, There Goes Rhymin’ Simon (1973), released on Columbia Records. Smooth jazz keyboardist Bob James made an instrumental cover of the song for his 1975 album Two, whose intro has since become a widely recognized drum break.
Jefferson Starship – Freedom At Point Zero [Reissue/1973] LP (Friday Music)
Two limited audiophile 180gm color vinyl pressings: orange and clear. In 1973, Grace Slick and Paul Kantner formed Jefferson Starship with fellow Jefferson Airplane alumni David Freiberg, Papa John Creach, and John Barbata, as well as guitarist Craig Chaquico and Pete Sears on bass and keyboards.
Jan Jelinek – The Raw And The Cooked LP (Fatiche)
The Raw and The Cooked brings together five sound collages that deal with the consistency of material and its mutability. Solid, raw, boiling, powdery, liquid, broken and folded – categories which describe the nature of material.
Hank Jones – Sarala [Reissue/1995] LP (Decca)
Released in 1995, Sarala marked it’s time by generating a genuine enthusiasm for Mandingo music, encouraging many Western musicians to go to Mali and explore this music at its very source. Fruit of the reunion of Hank Jones (an African American musician and one of the most gifted pianists of his generation) and Cheick-Tidiane Seck (a reputed arranger, bandleader, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Mali) the album is a symbiosis – one of the spirit and the heart – of two genres.
Kairos Creature Club – Join The Club LP (Greenway)
Color vinyl pressing. Details are sparse, but here’s what is known about Kairos Creature Club: The project–which is referred to by members as a multilevel interrogative self-enlightenment organization–was founded by Kairos (Lena Simon/La Luz), Billy Creature (Glenn Michael Van Dyke/BOYTOY), Daddy Braids (Matt Shaw/The Mother Gooses) and Lee Savage (James Scott Rubia/Animal Clinic). The group and associated movement have been variously defined as a cult, a business, and a new band. The project seems to include global collaboration and has attracted international celebrities like Sarah Palin (One Sentence Supervisor) and Lucas Harwood (King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard).
Liam Kazar – True North LP (Woodsist)
Liam Kazar makes joyful rock songs so irresistible they feel timeless. Just ask Jeff Tweedy. “I love everything about Liam. His voice, his songs, the way he plays instruments, his smile, his cooking… Everything,” says Tweedy.
Kiefer – Within Days 12” (Stones Throw)
Kiefer’s Between Days is the third of a trilogy made in collaboration with visual artist Mason London, following Superbloom and Bridges EPs. Kiefer considers the trilogy as a single cohesive project, with his new songs building upon the sound of the previous ones. Between Days soundtracks the isolation of the pandemic in a warm and comforting way, featuring classic Kiefer beats as well as covers including The Cure track that inspired the EP title.
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – Live In Asheville ’19 2xLP (Oglio/ Needlejuice)
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – Live In Brussels ’19 2xLP (Oglio/ Needlejuice)
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – Live In Paris ’19 2xLP (Oglio/ Needlejuice)
In 2020, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard put together the “Bootlegger” project: a series of live albums & demo collections that they allowed anyone to put onto any audio format. Needlejuice Records has created stunning vinyl versions of each of these albums.
Abbey Lincoln featuring Stan Getz – You Gotta Pay The Band [Reissue/1991] 2xLP (Decca)
You Gotta Pay The Band is the second of ten albums Abbey Lincoln recorded for Verve in the 1990s. Produced by Jean-Philippe Allard at French Polygram Jazz, this session is also arguably one of the best of her career. For one thing, the choice of colleagues was exactly right for her sense of what music should be. She asked for Stan Getz, Allard produced him, and the result is some of Getz’s most deeply and gently attentive playing on record.
Low Hum – Nonfiction LP (Last Gang)
Low Hum, the kaleidoscopic creation of artist Collin Desha, lives in a lo-fi meets hi-fi futurism: a mixture of oceanic tranquility, dreampop sensibilities, heavy fuzzed-out riffs juxtaposed alongside melodious synth and vocals with refreshing punch.
Jesse Malin – Sad And Beautiful World LP (Wicked Cool)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. NYC-based alternative/Americana singer-songwriter Jesse Malin follows up 2019’s Sunset Kids with Sad And Beautiful World which takes its name from a line in Jim Jarmusch’s 1986 cult-classic Down By Law. The 18-track collection was largely produced by Malin’s long-time guitarist Derek Cruz and Geoff Sanoff with Sunset Kids producers Lucinda Williams and Tom Overby helming “Backstabbers” and “The Way We Used To Roll”.
Minus The Bear – Infinity Overhead [Reissue/2012] LP (Dangerbird)
Limited pink color vinyl reissue: part of the Ten Bands One Cause initiative that has raised over $250,000 for Red Door Community, an organization that provides community support for both those diagnosed with cancer and their caretakers. Minus the Bear’s fifth studio full-length album, 2012’s Infinity Overhead, marked not only a return to form in direction, instrumentation and creation but also one of the band’s most aggressive and confident records to date.
Mono – Beyond The Past – Live in London with the Platinum Anniversary Orchestra 2xLP+MP3 (Temporary Residence)
Beyond The Past – Live In London With The Platinum Anniversary Orchestra documents Mono’s extraordinary performance from the Beyond The Past event that celebrated the band’s 20th anniversary, which took place at the historic Barbican Centre in London, England on December 14, 2019. For that once-in-a-lifetime event, Mono selected a memorable lineup of old and new friends, including fellow Japanese underground icons, Boris and Envy, as well as French post-metal legends, Alcest, and UK collaborators A.A. Williams and Jo Quail. [A limited color vinyl pressing is available.]
Kevin Morby – A Night At The Little Los Angeles Sundowner 4-Track Demos LP (Dead Oceans)
“This is quite simply the sound of me alone in a room with a four-track to catch my songs as they fell out of my mouth.” [A limited silver color vinyl pressing is also available.]
The Notorious B.I.G. – Ready To Die [Reissue/1994] 2xLP (Bad Boy)
Vinyl reissue of the debut studio album by the legendary rapper.
Our Place of Worship Is Silence – Disavowed, And Left Hopeless LP (Translation Loss)
Uncompromising and utterly bleak, Our Place of Worship Is Silence present their newest offering – seven songs of cripplingly depressing blackened death.
P!nk – All I Know So Far: Setlist LP (RCA)
Now available on vinyl. P!nk’s second live album by American singer, and soundtrack to the documentary film P!nk: All I Know So Far.
Caitlin Rose – Own Side Now (Deluxe Anniversary Issue) LP+7” (ATO)
Nashville’s Caitlin Rose celebrates the 10-year anniversary of her debut album Own Side Now with a deluxe fully remastered vinyl LP + bonus 7″ reissue. Rose released Own Side Now in 2011 to instant acclaim from critics, who praised her crystal-clear vocals and her ingenious lyricism – equal parts heartbroken and defiant – and compared her to her musician heroes Stevie Nicks and Linda Rondstadt. The deluxe reissue also features two unreleased bonus tracks – “Only Lies” and “Whatchoo” included on the accompanying 7″. Although steeped in the country tradition, Caitlin’s music is not constrained by that heritage. Her confessional style and wry observations place her very much in the 21st Century, but it is her heart wrenching honesty, lyrical prowess and dexterous lyrical delivery that sets her apart from her peers.
Slothrust – Everyone Else [Reissue/2016] LP (Dangerbird)
Limited clear vinyl pressing. Above all the overriding ethos of Slothrust’s Everyone Else is its sense of inclusiveness: all people, every feeling, quiet, loud, any time signature. The band’s 2012 debut Feels Your Pain, and its successor 2014’s Of Course You Do, established the band as a breed apart, serving up deceptively clever epics that veer satisfyingly between incandescent riffing and pop hooks, winsome anxiety and powerful heft.
The Specials – Protest Songs 1924 – 2012 LP (Island)
Released last week on CD – now available on vinyl. These specially chosen protest songs spanning almost 100-year show The Specials are still pissed off.
Billy Strings – Renewal 2xLP (Rounder)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. One of the top emerging artists across all genres of music, Billy Strings has made his most ambitious album to date with Renewal, a 16-song collection that effortlessly positions him as a singular talent-one who reveres the history of the acoustic music that inspired him, while pushing it forward into new spaces and audiences through his incredible live shows. Serving as a reflection of Strings’ diverse musical influences, Renewal reaches well beyond bluegrass with elements of heavy metal, jam bands, psychedelic music and classic rock – even though it’s still primarily an acoustic record. The album follows his Grammy Award-winning project, Home, as well as industry recognition ranging from Pollstar’s Breakthrough Artist of the Pandemic to the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Guitar Player of the Year and New Artist of the Year.
Suburban Lawns – Suburban Lawns [Reissue/1981] LP (Superior Viaduct)
If your brain has a shortlist of bands that instantly evoke new wave, Suburban Lawns deserve a slot right next to the likes of Devo, Talking Heads and the B-52’s. After putting out two singles on their own Suburban Industrial imprint, the Lawns signed to I.R.S. Records and released their debut LP in 1981. While the band gained cult status thanks in part to a Jonathan Demme-produced music video which aired on Saturday Night Live, their self-titled album would sadly be the five-piece’s only full-length statement.
Sugarcult – Start Static [Reissue/2001] LP (Craft Recordings)
Sugarcult’s debut album avoids settling into the comfortable, predictable territory of a single genre. Instead, the band brings together the universal qualities from all the music they love. In doing so, the band was able to deliver the three hit radio singles “Bouncing Off The Walls”, “Pretty Girl” and “Stuck In America” that ultimately brought them to mainstream success. This release celebrates the 20th anniversary of the album and features three bonus tracks.
Taraka – Welcome To Paradise Lost LP (Rage Peace)
Red color vinyl. Since the breakup of legendary cult psych-rock band, Prince Rama, former front-girl Taraka Larson has thrown herself headlong into the dark existential world of her inner teenager, finding refuge in her busted electric guitar while drifting homeless through Peru, the Catskills, and a Texas gallery where she lived in isolation with a seven-foot-long constrictor-snake in a simulated Garden of Eden. A departure from Prince Rama’s sparkly esoteric-pop sound, her debut solo record (on her self-founded record label), Welcome To Paradise Lost, is a playful yet powerful query into the human condition… a raw, dirty, surreal journey through the labyrinths of disenchantment and the failures of utopia, an orgiastic celebration of ennui and disillusion, drenched in distortion.
Veps – Open The Door 12” (Kanine)
Turquoise color vinyl. The debut EP from this Oslow band showcases a songwriting sensibility far beyond their youthful teen years and seamlessly blends a ‘90s indie with classic pop hooks.
World Goes Round – There Is No Planet B LP (Viper)
Frank Musker, Elizabeth Lamers, Jeff Hull and Marty Walsh, four good friends living in Laurel Canyon in 1989, writing hits for major artists including Queen, Linda Ronstadt, Chaka Khan, Supertramp, Jeffery Osborne, Air Supply, and John Fogerty, recorded an album of their own original songs which got lost in their success as songwriters. Rediscovered in 2019, the group and friends were surprised to hear lyrical themes that are more topical now than when they wrote them over 30 years ago. The music captures the spirt of that momentous time, but is enduring and timeless, as history has proven.
Yashira – Fail To Be LP (Good Fight Music)
Limited pink, black and white color vinyl pressing. After the passing of their friend, drummer, and co-founder Seth Howard at the tail end of 2018, Yashira took off most of 2019 to reevaluate their existence as a group. With the blessing of Seth’s family, Yashira decided to continue on. They recruited drummer Ryan O’Neal (Seraph/The Light) to join their ranks and continue writing their sophomore album Fail To Be.
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