Social Media Program Titles Released This Week:
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October Marketing Program/ Listening Station Titles Released This Week:
Artemis – Artemis CD (Blue Note)
Artemis – the jazz supergroup comprised of pianist and musical director Renee Rosnes, clarinetist Anat Cohen, tenor saxophonist Melissa Aldana, trumpeter Ingrid Jensen, bassist Noriko Ueda, drummer Allison Miller, and featured vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant – release their self-titled debut album on Blue Note Records. The group is distinctive not only for bringing together seven singular artists, each renowned for their own remarkable solo career; but for its multi-generational and globe-spanning line-up with members hailing from the US, Canada, France, Chile, Israel, and Japan. Artemis conjures a powerful collective voice from seven of the most acclaimed musicians in modern jazz. Artemis is a superb nine-song set that features material composed and/or arranged by each of the band’s six instrumentalists. Artemis unfurls with a dynamic flow, stunningly eclectic yet entirely cohesive. [Vinyl edition due September 25.]
Elizabeth Cook – Aftermath CD/2xLP (Agent Love)
A fixture of Nashville’s singer-songwriter circles, Elizabeth Cook channels a season of divorce, addiction, and misdiagnosed mental health into her latest album Aftermath. She enlisted the talents of producer Butch Walker (Greenday, Weezer, Avril Lavigne) to record the album in January of 2019 at Walker’s Ruby Red Studios in Santa Monica, California. Aftermath is Cook’s seventh full-length album, and musically, it is her most adventurous and rock-influenced. The collection echoes the southern rock of Tom Petty, the Allman Brothers, and Lynyrd Synyrd that Cook grew up on.
Delta Spirt – What Is There CD/LP (New West)
“The fourth studio album from Delta Spirit is a lush, epic foray into arena-ready rock, more so than anything they’ve done before. Into The Wide, as it’s so aptly titled, feels grand and big, like it’s ready to move mountains. They’ve always had a knack for creating pop rock head bangers, but on Into The Wide they’re honing in on it with each and every last-night-of-our-lives chorus. There’s urgency here, and it shines through in almost every song like bursting fireworks on the fourth of July. This collection of songs does feel more pop heavy than anything Delta Spirit has done previously, but the record is cohesive and they never lose themselves in any of it. Lead vocalist Matthew Vasquez has always had a gorgeous voice, but it’s showcased more than ever on Into The Wide. The record almost serves as a reminder that he’s such a great singer and we’re thankful for it. Wide is full of more radio-ready songs than we’re used to hearing from Delta Spirit, but it never feels like a sellout. In fact, it feels like it’s going to make a killer tour with live shows that are energetic and electrifying.” – Glide Magazine [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Flaming Lips – American Head CD/2xLP (WB/Bella Union)
American Head is the best and most consistent studio album from The Flaming Lips since the release of their most successful brace of albums The Soft Bulletin and Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots. Similar to those records, the 13 cinematic songs on American Head are classically structured and feature the same sonic and production qualities. Kacey Musgraves (a fan who covers “Do You Realize” in her live set) is a guest on three tracks – “Watching The Lightbugs Glow” as well as the focus tracks “Flowers Of Neptune 6” and “God And The Policeman”. “Flowers of Neptune 6” serves as the first new music from The Lips since 2019’s internationally acclaimed King’s Mouth Music And Songs. Produced by Dave Fridmann and The Flaming Lips, it reflects the gentler side of the band’s paisley oeuvre and melodically flows downstream into a welcoming wormhole of wistful summer pop. [Limited indie store exclusive vinyl pressing available.]
Marilyn Manson – We Are Chaos CD/LP (Loma Vista)
As chaos envelopes the world, Marilyn Manson penned the perfect prescription with the aptly titled concept album, We Are Chaos. Co-produced by Manson and Grammy Award winner Shooter Jennings (Brandi Carlile, Tanya Tucker), the ten-track opus was written, recorded, and finished before the pandemic blanketed us all. Manson’s painting, Infinite Darkness, which can be seen on the album cover, was specifically created to accompany the music. Manson on working with Shooter Jennings: “When Shooter and I decided to start making this album almost two years ago, we were both doing tours so we had to work around our schedules. Shooter and I had a shared love for Bowie’s era with Brian Eno. And I wasn’t afraid to try new things with him writing the music. He also helped me to be unafraid to try old things. As a producer he really pushed me to be both new and still true to what the core of Marilyn Manson is. His perspective added the trans-dimensional element that I was always looking to tap into.” [Limited indie store exclusive vinyl pressing available.]
Mastodon – Medium Rarities CD (WB)
Medium Rarities is the first rarities collection from Mastodon covering their entire career. The compilation features one brand new song – “Fallen Torches”. It also includes a bevy of classic covers, soundtrack contributions, instrumentals, B-sides, and live recordings on one complete package for the very first time. Among an eclectic array of covers, the musicians tackle “A Commotion” by Feist, “A Spoonful Weighs A Ton” by The Flaming Lips, “Atlanta” by Butthole Surfers, and “Orion” by Metallica. It also features soundtrack cuts such as “White Walker” (from the Game Of Thrones inspired mix tape) and the soundtrack song “Cut You Up With A Linoleum Knife” (Aqua Teen Hunger Force). Meanwhile, they get under the hood with instrumental versions of “Asleep In The Deep”, “Toe To Toes”, “Jaguar God”, and “Halloween”. [Vinyl edition due October 16.]
Stray Cats – Rocked This Town: From LA To London CD/2xLP (Surfdog)
Brian Setzer, Lee Rocker, and Slim Jim Phantom reunited in 2019 to celebrate their 40th anniversary, released their first new studio album in 26 years appropriately titled 40, and toured Europe and America, celebrating 40 years of timeless rock ‘n’ roll and rockabilly. Rocked This Town: From LA To London documents that critically acclaimed tour and features the Stray Cats classics “Stray Cat Strut”, “Rock This Town”, “Fishnet Stockings”, “Rumble In Brighton” and “Runaway Boys”, as well as several brand-new scorchers from the 40 album. You won’t believe this much rock ‘n’ roll fire is coming from three guys, all raw and completely live the way it was played on stages around the world.
CDs + Vinyl:
Æther Realm – Tarot [Reissue/2017] CD/2xLP (Napalm)
Expanded reissue of the North Carolina melodic death metal quartet’s sophomore album. [Limited creamy white colored vinyl pressing also availbale.]
Alabama 3 – Exile On Coldharbour Lane 5xCD (One Little Indian)
Mixing country, blues and acid house, Alabama 3 formed after Rob Spragg and Jake Black met at a party in Peckham, South London. They christened their new band First Presleyterian Church of Elvis The Divine before renaming themselves Alabama 3. They signed to One Little Indian in 1997 and released their debut album Exile On Coldharbour Lane the same year. The dissolute genre-mashing Brixton troupe’s defining moment, Exile on Coldharbour Lane fused acid house and rock and roll to spectacular effect. The track “Woke Up This Morning” became the theme music to the legendary HBO series Sopranos. This five-CD box set includes four brand-new albums: Acid, Booze, Cocaine, and Dope; a cosmic guide through Alabama 3’s various drug habits over the years.
America – Greatest Hits In Concert CD/2xLP (Inakustik)
Live release from the iconic folk/pop outfit. [Vinyl edition cut at 45rpm.]
Artemis – Artemis CD (Blue Note)
Artemis – the jazz supergroup comprised of pianist and musical director Renee Rosnes, clarinetist Anat Cohen, tenor saxophonist Melissa Aldana, trumpeter Ingrid Jensen, bassist Noriko Ueda, drummer Allison Miller, and featured vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant – release their self-titled debut album on Blue Note Records. The group is distinctive not only for bringing together seven singular artists, each renowned for their own remarkable solo career; but for its multi-generational and globe-spanning line-up with members hailing from the US, Canada, France, Chile, Israel, and Japan. Artemis conjures a powerful collective voice from seven of the most acclaimed musicians in modern jazz. Artemis is a superb nine-song set that features material composed and/or arranged by each of the band’s six instrumentalists. Artemis unfurls with a dynamic flow, stunningly eclectic yet entirely cohesive. [Vinyl edition due September 25.]
Martin Barre – A Summer Band [Reissue/1993] CD/LP (Purple Pyramid)
Deluxe reissue of the 1993 album from the legendary Jethro Tull guitarist featuring all new artwork. [Limited yellow colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Boy Hits Car – Worldwide Alive CD/LP (Cleopatra)
The melodic hard rockers proudly present their first ever official live album. [Limited edition red colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Canedy – Warrior CD (Sleaszy Rider)
A giant, epic, powerful and melodic heavy metal album.
Paul Collins/The Beat – Another World: The Best Of The Archives CD/LP (Alive)
Culled from Paul Collins’ personal archives Another World: The Best Of The Archives compiles previously unreleased material going back to 1978 and the early days of the Paul Collins’ Beat. None of the songs have been released before in any form and all have been carefully remastered.
The Contents Are – Live Davenport Iowa CD/LP (Alona’s Dream)
Previously unreleased live recording featuring unheard originals from ‘60s psychedelic legends The Contents Are. A rare nine song document of The Contents Are’s expansive live sound. Intense jams for the psychedelic dancehall circa 1968 from these true legends of Midwestern rock ‘n’ roll.
Elizabeth Cook – Aftermath CD/2xLP (Agent Love)
A fixture of Nashville’s singer-songwriter circles, Elizabeth Cook channels a season of divorce, addiction, and misdiagnosed mental health into her latest album Aftermath. She enlisted the talents of producer Butch Walker (Greenday, Weezer, Avril Lavigne) to record the album in January of 2019 at Walker’s Ruby Red Studios in Santa Monica, California. Aftermath is Cook’s seventh full-length album, and musically, it is her most adventurous and rock-influenced. The collection echoes the southern rock of Tom Petty, the Allman Brothers, and Lynyrd Synyrd that Cook grew up on.
Chick Corea – Plays 2xCD (Concord)
Plays is a captivating and intimate double album of solo performances. Showcasing his charming rapport with enthusiastic audiences in these spirited renditions, he’s in good company throughout, engaging with a list of icons represents a wide swath of musical history, from the classical repertoire of Mozart and Chopin to jazz influences like Bill Evans and modern pop sensibility of Stevie Wonder. Several pieces are reprisals or spontaneously improvised. [Vinyl edition due October 16.]
Matt Costa – Yellow Coat CD/LP (Dangerbird)
Produced by Alex Newport, Yellow Coat is a masterpiece of heartbreak, equal parts lost ‘60s AM radio hits, folk-pop beauty and dark night of the soul music. Yellow Coat is the product of Costa penning letters to himself about the end of a relationship that had lasted almost a decade.
The Crests – The Best Of The Crests Featuring Johnny Mastro: 16 Fabulous Hits CD (Omnivore)
Though there were other integrated ’50s vocal groups, The Crests demonstrated that musical and racial harmony went hand in hand. Several integrated 1950s vocal groups preceded them, notably The Meadowlarks and Dell-Vikings, but this young quartet from the lower East Side of Manhattan took the concept to the ultimate; they found heavenly unity by crooning sweet doo-wop.
Dark Rites – Dark Hymns CD (Brutal)
Dark Rites shape their music with the highest proficiency in unrelenting-intensity phrasal-riff death metal that vary its texture and pauses inertia long enough to ram a militant and uncompromising aesthetic down the throats of their listeners.
The Death Wheelers – Divine Filth CD/LP (Riding Easy)
From beyond the gutter, The Death Wheelers bring you their second album, the soundtrack to the fictional bikesploitation flick that never was: Divine Filth. Drawing inspiration from instrumental rock, proto-metal, punk and funk, the band embalms the listener in their sonic world of decay, groove and debauchery. Surfing the line between Motörhead, The Cramps and Dick Dale, the Canadian quartet uncompromisingly blends rawness and power in their riff-fueled compositions.
Delta Spirt – What Is There CD/LP (New West)
“The fourth studio album from Delta Spirit is a lush, epic foray into arena-ready rock, more so than anything they’ve done before. Into The Wide, as it’s so aptly titled, feels grand and big, like it’s ready to move mountains. They’ve always had a knack for creating pop rock head bangers, but on Into The Wide they’re honing in on it with each and every last-night-of-our-lives chorus. There’s urgency here, and it shines through in almost every song like bursting fireworks on the fourth of July. This collection of songs does feel more pop heavy than anything Delta Spirit has done previously, but the record is cohesive and they never lose themselves in any of it. Lead vocalist Matthew Vasquez has always had a gorgeous voice, but it’s showcased more than ever on Into The Wide. The record almost serves as a reminder that he’s such a great singer and we’re thankful for it. Wide is full of more radio-ready songs than we’re used to hearing from Delta Spirit, but it never feels like a sellout. In fact, it feels like it’s going to make a killer tour with live shows that are energetic and electrifying.” – Glide Magazine [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Demolizer – Thrashmageddon CD/LP (Target)
Debut album by the Danish thrash metal band.
Dave Deporis – For The Birds And Children CD/LP (Orphan Fields)
Dave Deporis was a prolific and unique American singer-songwriter primarily active in the New York and California music scenes, most notably as part of the NY anti-folk resurgence of the early ‘00s. Taking inspiration from classical, folk and traditional world music, lyrically intensive singer-songwriters like Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen, alternative, grunge and post-punk artists of the late 1980s and early ‘90s, Dave sought to make music which was both refined and fiercely non-elitist .Deporis’ work has been described as emotionally moving in its raw intensity and artistic truth, with subjects ranging from apocalyptic premonitions to the most simple feelings of love and belonging.
The Duprees – The Coed Albums: You Belong To Me / Have You Heard CD (Omnivore)
Signed to Coed in 1962 from a demo tape left at the label, The Duprees, some of them still teenagers upon signing, combined the sounds of big band orchestrations with harmony-heavy vocals. The Coed Albums collects You Belong To Me (1962) and Have You Heard (1963).
Ronnie Earl & The Broadcasters – Rise Up CD (Stony Plain)
For his 40-year career as a blues musician, Ronnie has transfixed audiences with his distinct brand of emotion-laden blues. Following the immensely successful Beyond The Blue Door album released last year, Ronnie continues to perform with his outstanding band The Broadcasters on his latest release: Rise Up, an album filled with songs that remind us of the comfort brought by family and community.
Everything Everything – Re-Animator CD/LP (Everything Everything)
New release from the Manchester-based art rock bands. Everything Everything has twice been shortlisted for the Mercury Music Prize and has received five nominations for Ivor Novello Awards. Re-Animator is their first album since 2017’s A Fever Dream.
Flaming Lips – American Head CD/2xLP (WB/Bella Union)
American Head is the best and most consistent studio album from The Flaming Lips since the release of their most successful brace of albums The Soft Bulletin and Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots. Similar to those records, the 13 cinematic songs on American Head are classically structured and feature the same sonic and production qualities. Kacey Musgraves (a fan who covers “Do You Realize” in her live set) is a guest on three tracks – “Watching The Lightbugs Glow” as well as the focus tracks “Flowers Of Neptune 6” and “God And The Policeman”. “Flowers of Neptune 6” serves as the first new music from The Lips since 2019’s internationally acclaimed King’s Mouth Music And Songs. Produced by Dave Fridmann and The Flaming Lips, it reflects the gentler side of the band’s paisley oeuvre and melodically flows downstream into a welcoming wormhole of wistful summer pop. [Limited indie store exclusive vinyl pressing available.]
PJ Harvey – To Bring You My Love: Demos CD/LP (Island)
PJ Harvey – To Bring You My Love [Reissue/1995] LP (Island)
PJ Harvey’s third album To Bring You My Love, which celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2020, receives a heavyweight vinyl LP reissue alongside an album of previously unreleased demos. The 10 track collection To Bring You My Love: Demos includes early versions of the singles “Down By The Water”, “C’mon Billy”, and “Send His Love To Me”. The audio has been mastered by Jason Mitchell at Loud Mastering under the guidance of longtime PJ Harvey collaborator John Parish. The release also features new artwork with previously unseen photos by original photographer and designer Maria Mochnacz.
Ihsahn – Pharos CD/LP (Spinefarm)
New album from prog metal guitarist/composer/songwriter Vegard Sverre Tveitan. Ihsahn’s Pharos is musically and conceptually like a reversal of previous EP, Telemark. Where that EP was all about the familiar, close to heart and home, Pharos is taking a distant perspective, a journey, in a more exploratory mindset. Going into Pharos was more like taking on a challenge. Binding them together is the structural similarities of three original songs and two cover songs that influenced its direction. [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Logic – No Pressure CD (Def Jam)
Logic, 6ix and No I.D. come full circle for a sequel to his debut album, Under Pressure, with the first new music since Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind.
Maggot Heart – Mercy Machine CD/LP (Rapid Eye)
Linnéa Olsson’s Maggot Heart is back with their sophomore album, Mercy Machine. The Swedish guitarist and songwriter, based in Berlin since 2012, has made her band a much talked about force in the underground with their extensive touring (alongside Earthless and Voivod among others), cross-over hard rock sound, and punk ethos.
Marilyn Manson – We Are Chaos CD/LP (Loma Vista)
As chaos envelopes the world, Marilyn Manson penned the perfect prescription with the aptly titled concept album, We Are Chaos. Co-produced by Manson and Grammy Award winner Shooter Jennings (Brandi Carlile, Tanya Tucker), the ten-track opus was written, recorded, and finished before the pandemic blanketed us all. Manson’s painting, Infinite Darkness, which can be seen on the album cover, was specifically created to accompany the music. Manson on working with Shooter Jennings: “When Shooter and I decided to start making this album almost two years ago, we were both doing tours so we had to work around our schedules. Shooter and I had a shared love for Bowie’s era with Brian Eno. And I wasn’t afraid to try new things with him writing the music. He also helped me to be unafraid to try old things. As a producer he really pushed me to be both new and still true to what the core of Marilyn Manson is. His perspective added the trans-dimensional element that I was always looking to tap into.” [Limited indie store exclusive vinyl pressing available.]
Mastodon – Medium Rarities CD (WB)
Medium Rarities is the first rarities collection from Mastodon covering their entire career. The compilation features one brand new song – “Fallen Torches”. It also includes a bevy of classic covers, soundtrack contributions, instrumentals, B-sides, and live recordings on one complete package for the very first time. Among an eclectic array of covers, the musicians tackle “A Commotion” by Feist, “A Spoonful Weighs A Ton” by The Flaming Lips, “Atlanta” by Butthole Surfers, and “Orion” by Metallica. It also features soundtrack cuts such as “White Walker” (from the Game Of Thrones inspired mix tape) and the soundtrack song “Cut You Up With A Linoleum Knife” (Aqua Teen Hunger Force). Meanwhile, they get under the hood with instrumental versions of “Asleep In The Deep”, “Toe To Toes”, “Jaguar God”, and “Halloween”. [Vinyl edition due October 16.]
Reba McEntire – Rumor Has It [Reissue/1990] CD/LP (MCA Nashville)
The modern Queen of Country Reba McEntire releases a 30th Anniversary Edition reissue of her seminal 1990 album Rumor Has It which yielded the signature hits “Fancy” and “You Lie”. Co-produced with Tony Brown (Vince Gill, George Strait, Steve Earle), the triple platinum affair peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Country albums chart and became Reba’s first album to enter the mainstream Top 40. The release features the album’s original ten songs plus a live acoustic version of “Fancy” that McEntire recorded at the Ryman Auditorium.
Neal Morse – Solo Gratia CD/CD+DVD//2xLP+CD (Century Media)
New release from the former Spock’s Beard guitarist featuring longtime Neal Morse Band members Mike Portnoy (drums), Randy George (bass) and Eric Gillette (guitar) as well as Bill Hubauer and Gideon Klein. Embarking upon a new concept around the Apostle Paul – particularly his transformation from being a persecutor of early Christians to experiencing his own vision of the ascended Jesus and his subsequent conversion – Morse finds ample material for an intriguing story-line to fuel his prog explorations on Solo Gratia.
Over The Voids – Hadal CD/LP (Nordvis)
A masterful balance between atmosphere and aggression. Both melody and dissonance have their place here, and the forceful arrangements bristle with harsh energy. Interspersed with the frantic aural attacks are bleak passages, at times adorned with chanted clear vocals and haunting acoustic guitars.
Persekutor – Permanent Winter CD (Svart)
Conceived in rural Transylvania by a heavy metal enthusiast named Vladislav Bârladeanu, Persekutor follow in the great tradition of early rock-based black metal masters like Venom, Celtic Frost and Bathory, channeled through the vicious, unflinching efficiency of AC/DC. [Vinyl edition due October 2.]
The Pineapple Thief – Versions Of The Truth CD/LP (Kscope)
Over the last half-decade, The Pineapple Thief – led by musical polymath Bruce Soord and bolstered by the involvement of master drummer Gavin Harrison – has rapidly ascended to the upper echelons of Europe’s alternative rock scene. Versions Of The Truth is the latest installment in the band’s rise to success. The band’s anthemic 2018 release Dissolution garnered worldwide acclaim. Versions Of The Truth represents a conceptual progression from Dissolution (a contemplation on our ‘post truth’ world) and lyrically tackles similar themes, but from a more personal perspective. Reflecting on how there can be more than one ‘version of the truth’, the album’s songs revolve around the impact the media can have on our lives and the people we love.
Sam Prekop – Comma CD/LP+MP3 (Thrill Jockey)
Sam Prekop’s boundless imagination is guided by his strong sense of melody. For more than 25 years, as a solo artist or as part of The Sea and Cake, Prekop creates a singular sound inventive and warm. His distinctive vocals, guitar playing and work on modular analog synthesizers are inventive, delicate, and always bear his signature sense of melody. Comma finds Prekop for the first time working extensively with beat programming, focusing his enveloping synthesizer pieces around a newfound rhythmic pulse. [Limited edition white colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Eric Revis – Slipknots Through A Looking Glass CD (Pyroclastic)
A highly skilled master of sound and sense, Grammy award-winning bassist and composer Eric Revis has crafted his artistic legacy around asking the same question again and again. Over the years, the critically-acclaimed artist’s willingness to traverse the unknown has prompted collaborative partnerships with Branford Marsalis, Nasheet Waits, Kris Davis, Peter Brötzmann and Jason Moran. Slipknots Through A Looking Glass explores new territory alongside familiar travelers: drummer Chad Taylor, pianist Kris Davis and saxophone masters Darius Jones and Bill McHenry.
Duke Robillard – Stretchin’ Out CD (Stony Plain)
New release from the blues guitarist. Duke Robillard’s career path was forged in 1967 when he founded the iconic Roomful Of Blues, later holding down the guitar spot in The Fabulous Thunderbirds (following Jimmie Vaughan’s departure), then working with rockabilly maverick Robert Gordon and recording two albums with the Legendary Blues Band (a sterling group of former members of Muddy Waters bands).
Saor – Aura [Reissue/2014] CD/2xLP (Season Of Mist)
Expertly transitioning between atmospheric black metal, Celtic folk, and traditional Scottish sounds – the wildly exploratory music of Saor knows no limitations and seeks out every opportunity to expand on its potential. The band’s 2014 second album Aura has been remastered and expanded for this CD and vinyl reissue. [Limited edition colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Self Hypnosis – Contagion Of Despair CD/2xLP (Svart)
New album from the extreme UK progressive doom metal band featuring members of Esoteric.
Sepsiss – Almost 11 CD (Pavement Ent.)
Sepsiss is a female fronted metal band from Manchester, NH founded in 2010 by Melissa Wolfe and William Savant. They combine a traditional heavy metal sound with modern rhythms, light synths, and a blend of urban hardcore.
Skeletal Remains – The Entombment Of Chaos CD/LP (Century Media)
The Entombment Of Chaos is the fourth album by LA’s death metal act Skeletal Remains, who have been inspired by the genre’s legends of the ‘80s and ‘90s like Death, Morbid Angel, Gorguts, Obituary, Cannibal Corpse and Pestilence yet manage to combine old school roots successfully with an up-to-date, massive sound and their own inimitable intensity. [Limited edition colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Skillet – Victorious: The Aftermath CD (Atlantic)
Victorious: The Aftermath features all twelve original tracks from 2019’s Victorious, plus eight additional tracks, including two brand new unreleased songs and five reimagined songs.
Stray Cats – Rocked This Town: From LA To London CD/2xLP (Surfdog)
Brian Setzer, Lee Rocker, and Slim Jim Phantom reunited in 2019 to celebrate their 40th anniversary, released their first new studio album in 26 years appropriately titled 40, and toured Europe and America, celebrating 40 years of timeless rock ‘n’ roll and rockabilly. Rocked This Town: From LA To London documents that critically acclaimed tour and features the Stray Cats classics “Stray Cat Strut”, “Rock This Town”, “Fishnet Stockings”, “Rumble In Brighton” and “Runaway Boys”, as well as several brand-new scorchers from the 40 album. You won’t believe this much rock ‘n’ roll fire is coming from three guys, all raw and completely live the way it was played on stages around the world.
Neil Swainson Quintet – 49th Parallel [Reissue/1988] CD/LP (Real To Reel)
CD and vinyl reissue of the debut album from one of Canada’s most important bassists. Neil Swainson has played with George Shearing, Diana Krall and countless others. Featuring tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson and trumpeter Woody Shaw. 49th Parallel was Woody Shaw’s last studio recording.
Ulver – Flowers Of Evil CD/LP (House Of Mythology)
New album from the Norwegian cult band. The band stated: “Flowers Of Evil finds the wolf pack exploring the fear and wonder of mankind’s fall from redemption. Visions similar to those of Orsini come to mind, as untamed life abounds…”
Uniform – Shame CD/LP (Sacred Bones)
An industrialized mill of grating guitars, warped electronics, war-torn percussion, and demonically catchy vocalizations. [Limited smoke colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Various Artists – Bent Arcana CD/LP (Castleface)
This is the first interstellar transmission from five days of electrified and improvised sessions recorded at Stu-Stu-Studio, edited down to forty minutes for your earballs. “Bent Arcana is the inceptive chapter in what I hope to be several releases showcasing these types of off-the-cuff musical compositions. So you can try your fry on and turn off. This one is very much on the ECM / ’70s hard fusion / prog-kraut tip. It is a many pronged weapon, swung by the spontaneous sentinel.” – John Dwyer
Suzanne Vega – An Evening Of New York Songs And Stories CD/2xLP (Cooking Vinyl)
An Evening Of New York Songs And Stories finds Suzanne Vega revisiting some of her most New York-centric repertoire in a stunning live recording on which she is backed by longtime guitarist, Gerry Leonard, bassist Jeff Allen and keyboardist Jamie Edwards. Recorded at New York City’s famed Café Carlyle in early 2019, the album includes both familiar songs like “Luka” and “Tom’s Diner” and deep cuts from her catalog like “Frank and Ava” and “Ludlow Street”.
Adam Wade – The Coed Albums: And Then Came Adam / Adam And Evening CD (Omnivore)
From his debut album, And Then Came Adam (1960), funk/soul/pop artist Wade sent two songs up the charts: “Tell Her For Me” made it to #66, and “Ruby” fared a little better at #58. His follow up album, Adam And Evening (1961), saw the song “Gloria’s Theme” check in on the charts at #74. Though his single releases fared far better than album cuts, Wade’s albums were lush affairs with ornate arrangements and harmony-laden choruses courtesy of The Bel-Aire Singers. Unfortunately for Wade, towards the end of 1961, his most successful year, the principals at Coed dissolved their partnership necessitating a label switch by the singer.
This Week’s Vinyl Exclusives:
Blackbear – Everything Means Nothing LP (Alamo)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Multi-platinum selling singer, songwriter and producer Blackbear drops the new album Everything Means Nothing, a fine blend of smooth R&B/hip-hop and pumping dance-pop with features from Lauv and Trevor Daniels, as well as a Marshmello produced track. The 29-year-old artist, who recently became a father, introduces the collection with the propulsive cuts “Queen Of Broken Hearts”, “Hot Girl Bummer” and “Me & Ur Ghost”. In his unflinching honesty about his own demons and depression, Blackbear creates a powerful sense of solidarity – ultimately moving forward with his longtime mission of “inspiring everyone to be more unapologetic about who they are.”
Lucrecia Dalt – No Era Sólida LP (RVNG Int’l)
An introspective path to unworldly surroundings where self becomes sound, and a compass for the searchers of musical possession. Swelling with cosmic oscillations and rhythmic tremors, No Era Sólida‘s sound materializes through new experiments with harmonic distortion in tape delay and Dalt’s continued abstraction of percussion and pulse. This atmosphere of auditory illusion is lush for vocal experimentation.
Dawn Ray’d – The Unlawful Assembly [Reissue/2017] LP (Prosthetic)
Dawn Ray’d returned in 2017 with their first full length LP and second ever release, The Unlawful Assembly. The record is divided into two parts, The Wild Service and The Wild Magic. From the clean singing of “A Litany To Cowards” to the thrashing pace of “Emptiness Beneath The Great Emptiness,” The Unlawful Assembly is a multi-pronged attack, but with one consistent message, inaction is not an option. This is a 10-song strong call to arms, these are battle hymns for the coming class war. [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Martin Denny – Exotica [Reissue/1957] LP+MP3 (Jackpot)
Vinyl reissue of Martin Denny’s debut #1 album originally released in 1957. Original mono recording preferred by Martin Denny and featuring Arthur Lyman and Augie Colon. Exotica spawned an entire genre and the birth of the Tiki/Cocktail movement starts here. Three colored vinyl pressings are available: red; turquoise; and lime.
Diamond Dogs – Weekend Monster LP (Wild Kingdom)
Released last week on CD – now available on vinyl. A combination of Mott The Hoople, ‘73-era UK glam, Roy Wood-era ELO, lots of early ‘70s Bowie and The Faces. [Limited green colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Morgan Fisher and Lol Coxhill – Slow Music [Reissue/1980] LP (Aguirre)
This pioneering work took weeks of intense experimenting and has been cited as an influence by several top Japanese artists such as Haruomi Hosono of YMO.
Grit – Grit [Reissue/1972] LP+MP3 (Sommor)
First ever reissue of this ultra-rare acetate from 1972; psychedelic hard-rock with furious drumming and stunning lead guitar by this unknown until now London based band.
PJ Harvey – To Bring You My Love [Reissue/1995] LP (Island)
25th anniversary 180gm vinyl reissue. Produced by Harvey with Flood and John Parish, the same stylistic evolution which separated Dry (1992) from Rid Of Me (1993) is taken a step further on 1995’s To Bring You My Love. No longer relying on the guitar, bass and drum format of standard rock, Harvey takes cues from the likes of indie instigator Trent Reznor to define the new vibe in alternative rock. To Bring You My Love‘s casual mix of organic and inorganic sounds replaces Harvey’s earlier electric precision with a deadlier, more brooding sound.
Helloween – Unarmed – Best Of 25th Anniversary [Reissue/2010] 2xLP (Nuclear Blast America)
Helloween – 7 Sinners [Reissue/2010] 2xLP (Nuclear Blast America)
Helloween – Straight Out Of Hell [Reissue/2013] 2xLP (Nuclear Blast America)
Digitally remastered clear vinyl pressings of the German power metal band’s 25th Anniversary compilation as well as their 13th and 14th studio albums.
Joy Division – Love Will Tear Us Apart 12” (Cleopatra)
Limited picture disc vinyl pressing. Features recordings by the legendary Manchester band from the Martin Hannett tapes, newly remastered, plus a 12” bonus remix.
Alvin Lucier – Vespers LP (Blume)
“Vespers” (1969) and “Chambers” (1968), the two works featured on this LP, witness Lucier rethinking the material and conceptual possibilities of music at every turn. First released as Lucier’s contribution to the Sonic Arts Union’s lone LP, Electronic Sound, in 1972, Vespers is a work generated by two equal actors – the performers and the space that they occupy. Conceived following a chance encounter with hand-held echolocation technology – the Sondol, a pulse oscillator that emits short, sharp pulses at variable repetition speeds, producing echoes from the reflecting walls of a space to register relative location and orientation it stands as one of the first works in history within which the decisions made during the performance are solely based on acoustics, allowing sound to be equally the content and structural determiner.
Merzbow – Dadarottenvator [Reissue/1995] LP (Urashima)
Vinyl reissue of this 1995 album by the Japanese noise musician.
Bob Moses – Desire LP+MP3 (Domino)
Bob Moses – the electronic duo of Tom Howie and Jimmy Vallance – wrote a concept record for the club. Presented over six continuously mixed tracks, Desire is a love tale for the digital age: all about the positives and pitfalls of humanity’s driving wants, especially in these technology driven times.
Joell Ortiz & KXNG Crooked – H.A.R.D. LP (Mello Music Group)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Joell Ortiz & KXNG Crooked met the year they both won XXL’s coveted Freshmen Of The Year Award. The two’s careers are as legendary as any in the rap game. Joell Ortiz started by signing to Dr. Dre’s Aftermath label, then moving to Shady records as part of the Super group Slaughterhouse with Joe Budden, Royce Da 5’9 and KXNG Crooked. Add to that a fresh feature on Eminem’s album Music To Be Murdered By. Meanwhile, KXNG Crooked was signed to Virgin Records at just 17 before joining Death Row Records. He’s had a flourishing solo career including collaborations along the way with TechN9ne, 2Pac, Benny The Butcher, Raekwon, Akon, Ray J and more. The West Coast LBC representer KXNG Crooked and Brooklyn’s Joell Ortiz have finally come together for the new joint project H.A.R.D.
Primitive Man – Scorn [Reissue/2013] 2xLP (Relapse)
Primitive Man – Caustic [Reissue/2017] 2xLP (Relapse)
Denver’s nihilistic trio Primitive Man reissue their first and second full-lengths of soul-crushing blackened doom and noise-ridden claustrophobia on vinyl.
Protagonists – 1983 – 1985 LP (Alona’s Dream)
13 tracks of mid- ‘80s suburban Chicago punk.
Hania Rani – Home LP (Gondwana)
Composer and pianist Hania Rani splits her life between Warsaw, where she makes her home, and Berlin where she studied and often works. Her debut album Esja, a beguiling collection of solo piano pieces, was released to international acclaim in 2019. If the compositions on Esja were born out of a fascination with the piano as an instrument, then her follow-up, the expansive, cinematic Home finds Rani expanding her palate: adding vocals and subtle electronics to her music as well as being joined on some tracks by bassist Ziemowit Klimek and drummer Wojtek Warmijak. [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Rival Consoles – Articulation LP (Erased Tapes)
London producer and electronic music humanizer Ryan Lee West aka Rival Consoles returns with his highly anticipated, compelling and cohesive new record Articulation. Following 2018’s acclaimed double-album Persona, on which Ryan experimented with ambient soundscapes using an improvisational and spontaneous approach to his compositions that explored the extent to which electronic music can mimic our feelings and help better understand them, Articulation conversely was conceived using a very visual way of thinking.
Schammasch – Contradiction [Reissue/2014] 2xLP (Prosthetic)
Schammasch – The Maldoror Chants: Hermaphrodite [Reissue/2017] LP (Prosthetic)
Two vinyl reissues from the Swiss spiritual black-metal avant-gardists.
Static-X – Project: Regeneration Vol. 1 LP (Otsego)
Vinyl pressing of the seventh studio album by industrial metal band. Project: Regeneration Vol. 1 features part of the last recordings of deceased front man Wayne Static, who died in 2014, with his role being filled by a new front man credited as Xer 0.
Richard And Linda Thompson – I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight [Reissue/1974] LP (Island)
Richard & Linda Thompson – Pour Down Like Silver [Reissue/1975] LP (Island)
Richard & Linda Thompson – Hokey Pokey [Reissue/1975] LP (Island)
180gm vinyl reissues of the British folk duo’s first three albums.
Thundermother – Heat Wave LP (AFM)
Recently released on CD – now available on yellow colored vinyl. 13 rock ‘n’ roll tracks; all killer no filler.
Charles Tolliver – Connect LP (Gearbox)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Jazz trumpet legend, founder of the uber-cool Strata East label that spawned Gil Scott Heron, is back with his first studio album in 13 years. Connect features the Charles Tolliver All-Stars, comprising some of the most experienced jazz musicians of New York: Jesse Davis on alto saxophone, Keith Brown on piano, Buster Williams on double bass, and Lenny White on drums. The album also bridges together New York and London by featuring leading British saxophonist Binker Golding on two tracks, (Binker & Moses, Moses Boyd Exodus, Zara McFarlane).
Venom Prison – Animus [Reissue/2016] LP (Prosthetic)
Venom Prison delivers a punishing blend of death metal that makes most landslides look lightweight. [Limited multi-colored vinyl pressing also available.]
WaqWaq Kingdom – Essaka Hoisa LP (Phantom Limb)
The thrilling new LP of minyo footwork by the utterly bananas Japanese duo WaqWaq Kingdom; Shigeru Ishihara aka DJ Scotch Egg (Seefeel) and Kiki Hitomi (King Midas Sound and co-founder iconic Japanese dubstep-noise duo Dokkebi Q). Uniquely omnivorous in their approach, their endless range of stylistic adventures sees WWK drawing lines between traditional Japanese and contemporary electronic, Jamaican dancehall and 8-bit techno, African polyrhythms and experimental music, with plenty more helping to color a powerful, vibrant palette. Two limited colored vinyl pressings are available: light blue and pink marble.
Chip Wickham – Blue To Red LP (Lovemonk)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Soaring flute melodies, lush harp arpeggios and glistening Rhodes keys interact across six journeying, spiritual jazz compositions leaning on a rich palette of sounds beyond borders, space and time. Channeling the spirit of Alice Coltrane and Yusef Lateef via the lens of a hip-hop, electronic and club music educated ear, Blue to Red encompasses Wickham’s disparate set of production influences with his Manchester and spiritual jazz.
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