CDs + Vinyl:
A-ha – Hunting High & Low [Reissue/1985] CD/4xCD+DVD (Rhino)
Remastered eissue of the Norwegian trio’s 1985 debut album, featuring the hit “Take On Me.” The Super Deluxe five disc (four CDs + DVD) edition includes a 60-page hardback book filled with rare photos and stories about the making of the album. The set also features various B-sides and more than two dozen rare tracks.
Nat Adderly – For Duke And Cannon (Sextet Live At Sweet Basil) CD (Squatty Roo Recordings)
Cornetist Nat Adderley, brother and musical partner of alto sax great Cannonball Adderley, is featured here fourteen years after his brother’s death, but still going strong, live at Greenwich Village’s legendary Sweet Basil. Never replacing his brother, but at very least, two great alto men are needed to fill the master’s shoes: in this case Vincent Herring and Sonny Fortune, who are playing snakes throughout, doing justice to their predecessor.
Air Waves – Parting Glances CD/LP (Western Vinyl)
In 2010 Nicole Schneit aka Air Waves released Dungeon Dots, an album Aquarius Records called “…pretty much perfect pop music.” For her new album Parting Glances, Schneit enlisted friends from Brooklyn’s music community to contribute to the record, including members of Woods, Crystal Stilts, Ava Luna, and Hospitality. Additionally, Jana Hunter of Lower Dens contributes vocals to two songs. The album’s title comes from the 1986 film Parting Glances in which Steve Buscemi portrays a gay man navigating the difficulties of being in a relationship in Reagan-era New York. More than just identifying with the story, Schneit is interested in the in the lasting effect of the parting glances we share with strangers in our everyday encounters.
Alabama – Southern Drawl CD (BMG Recorded Music)
Southern Drawl is the veteran country band’s first collection of original material in 14 years, and a follow-up to 2001’s When It All Goes South.
All Them Witches – Lightning At The Door [Reissue/2014] CD/LP+MP3 (New West)
Reissue of the band’s 2014 release with two bonus tracks “Romany Dagger Remended” and “Surface To Air Whistle.” Nashville-based All Them Witches impress in both their cohesiveness of sound and their obvious drive toward an individual approach. Their blend of blues rocking grooves and heavy psych-derived jamming comes through clearly, they soon became known for their engaging live shows.
Dave Alvin And Phil Alvin – Lost Time CD/LP (Yep Roc)
Dave Alvin & Phil Alvin follow up their previous album, the Grammy nominated Common Ground, with this collection of blues songs from various artists that inspired the Alvin Brothers at a very early age. Common Ground focused exclusively on Big Bill Broonzy songs. With Lost Time the Alvin brothers dig in to the music of James Brown, Leadbelly, Willie Dixon, Blind Boy Fuller and Leroy Carr, among other greats. But they cover four songs by Big Joe Turner, as tribute to the blues legend they met as teens, and who became their friend and mentor.
Annihilator – Suicide Society CD/2xCD/2xLP+MP3 (UDR)
As usual, guitar wizard Jeff Waters Handles all songwriting duties, plays all guitar and bass, engineers, produces, mixes and masters Suicide Society… and Waters is also back commanding lead vocal duties, as he did on the critically acclaimed King Of The Kill (1994) and other Annihilator albums over the years. With Suicide Society, Annihilator goes headfirst into some of the most technically perfect crisp, and crushingly taut, riffs Waters has ever produced. Although Waters’ vocals keep traces of styling from his King Of The Kill album, they now evoke a surprising blend of legends such as Staley Osbourne, Hetfield and Mustaine. CD is available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe features a lenticular cover and is expanded with a bonus disc including commentary on all nine album tracks.
Atreyu – Long Live CD/LP (Spinefarm)
After a three-year hiatus, embers started to glow again for Southern California metal trailblazers Atreyu. They hit the studio with producer Fred Archambault (Avenged Sevenfold) began cutting what would be their sixth album, Long Live (and first since 2009’s Congregation Of The Damned). “From the first ‘go’ uttered by Alex Varkatzas on the title track, Atreyu lets it rip with a brisk pound on the verses. They make no bones they’re still a metalcore act as the breakdowns manifest and Varkatzas volleys his squelchy yelps with drummer and clean singer Brandon Saller. ‘Live To Labor’ thereafter plants down the pedal through its popping verses. As with the opening number, the breakdown arrives at the expected spot and the choruses rain with engulfing harmony.” — Blabbermouth
Baio – The Names CD/LP (Glassnote)
On his own, Vampire Weekend bassist Chris Baio makes warm, homespun, gently emotive dance-pop. He’s been releasing singles and EPs for a few years, and has now released his first-ever solo album, The Names. The album takes its title from Don DeLillo’s 1982 novel. “The Names is a record that has reverberated through my mind for much of the last five years,” Baio said in a press release. “Its themes began to take shape when I moved from New York to London in 2013.”
Battles – La Di Da Di CD/LP+MP3 (Warp)
Battles are the Networked Band, or perhaps the-band-as-network. An island chain linked by a unique combination of artistry, experimentation, technology and singular focus. A band that holds computerized loops in their brains, leaves sweat on their machines and whose sonic heartbeat is almost brutally human. Dave Konopka, Ian Williams and John Stanier have turned the tables on themselves this time, confronted their own ideas of what Battles is and here on their third album, have willed an answer to that question into existence. As the name might imply, La Di Da Di is a mushrooming monolith of repetition. Here is an organic techno thrum of nearly infinite loops that refuse to remain consistent. The rhythmic genus of Battles is here as ever; full frontal, heightened and unforgiving the gauntlet through which melody and harmony must pass, assailed at every turn.
Geneviève Bellemare – Melancholy Fever CD (Verve)
Recorded in London and L.A., Melancholy Fever arrives as the follow-up to Bellemare’s 2014 debut EP Live And Die, which NPR hailed as “carefully composed, but her singing makes it all feel intuitive.” On the new album, Bellemare worked with producers Mitchell Froom (Paul McCartney, Elvis Costello), Tony Berg (Nickel Creek), Paul O’Duffy (Amy Winehouse), and Busbee (Ingrid Michaelson) to dream up a brightly arranged breed of pop, which, when paired with classic drum breaks, results in a stark and soulful sound that isn’t easily categorized.
Berner/The Jacka – DS3: Drought Season 3 CD (Bern One Entertainment)
The Jacka and Berner reunite for the last installment of their Drought Season trilogy. Recorded prior to Jack’s death, DS3 features appearances from Husalah, Rydah J Klyde, Cormega, Freeway, J Stalin, Richie Rich, Paul Wall, Ampichino.
Big Brave – Au De La CD/LP (Southern Lord)
Building spectacular, inverted rock constructions that sound many magnitudes bigger than one would suspect a trio was capable of, Big Brave has been in existence since 2012, with members spread across two guitars and drums respectively. Second full-length, Au De La lulls and lurches between passages of rhythmic noise pollution and vocal led awe, using considered juxtapositions of force and restraint to warp the senses across the forty-five minute playing time. Remarkably quiet at times, their ambiance is not one of minimalism, but of dawning, foreboding power with the need to be vented, and when the hot flushes of blighted percussion and monochromatic guitar scrapes arrive, they arrive with triumphant force.
The Black Dahlia Murder – Abysmal CD/LP (Metal Blade)
Since 2001, the Michigan quintet have focused their efforts on writing music that embraces all the finest qualities of melodic death metal yet does not shackle them, giving them room to constantly evolve and grow as musicians. With Abysmal the band have once again progressed while retaining the signature sound that has won them their devoted legion of fans, and making it clear that their best is not in their past.
Blackalicious – Imani Vol. 1 CD (Black Mines)
Ten years after 2005’s The Craft comes Blackalicious’ self-release, Imani, Vol. 1. Three years in the works, the album stays true to rapper Gift Of Gab’s clever tongue-twisting wordplay and DJ/producer Chief Xcel’s unique beats. First volume of a trilogy. Vinyl version due October 16.
Blackmore’s Night – All Our Yesterdays CD/CD+DVD (Frontiers)
All Our Yesterdays is Blackmore’s Night ninth studio album. Despite Ritchie Blackmore’s past as a guitar player in Deep Purple and Rainbow, he is now in another stage of his musical life, concentrating on modern folk, renaissance and progressive rock music. Besides Ritchie’s talents, the other selling point for Blackmore’s Night is vocalist Candice Night, wife of Ritchie Blackmore who could be described as a younger, and folksier, version of Stevie Nicks. CD available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe adds a DVD featuring two music videos and an extensive interview with Ritchie Blackmore and Candice Night on the making of the new album. Vinyl version due October 16.
Black Violin – Stereotypes CD (Universal Music Classics)
Wilner Wil B Baptiste (viola) and Kevin Kev Marcus Sylvester (violin) are Black Violin, a duo who radically fuse hip-hop and pop with classical music to create a kaleidoscope of sounds uniquely their own. Classically trained musicians, they have opened for such diverse top names in music as Kanye West, 50 Cent, Aerosmith and Tom Petty, and also creatively collaborated with the likes of Wu-Tang Clan, Linkin Park, Wyclef Jean and Alicia Keys, the latter for the Billboard Music Awards.
Bless The Fall – To Those Left Behind CD (Fearless)
New album from the Arizona metalcore band.
Bleubird – Lauderdale CD (Fake Four Inc.)
Raised by a owner-child hippie mother and an immigrant father with an intolerance for bullshit, Bleubird was permitted to freely bump Poison Clan and Circle Jerks at a very early age. He was mentored by his older brother and next door neighbor who taught him to love bass music and guided him towards the wonders of skating, fighting and punk rock. This diverse family landscape cultivated the interesting perspective you hear in Bleubird’s music.
Bob Moses – Days Gone By CD/2xLP+MP3 (Domino)
Occupying the fertile ground between organic band and electronic production project, Brooklyn-via-Vancouver electronic pop duo Bob Moses draw on the two poles to vividly resonate across both. Days Gone By, the debut album from Tom Howie and Jimmy Vallance, plays with a sonic duality that combines the elegantly icy with an indelibly human touch. Alternating between dancefloor burners and moments of reflective repose, the album is not in a rush to get to its destination, preferring to slowly seduce rather than swagger into submission, weaving a rich spectrum of sensation over the course of its ten tracks.
Boy – We Were Here CD (Nettwerk)
We Were Here is the follow up to their 2013 critically acclaimed debut album Mutual Friends, featuring the infectiously catchy “Little Numbers,” The ladies behind Boy — Valeska Steiner and Sonja Glass-captured the hearts of North American fans in 2013, when they made their stateside live debut with sold-out tour dates, including a successful run at SXSW, where they came out a favorite among festival attendees and landed on numerous ‘Best Of’ lists. Their new album finds Boy spreading their wings, exploring new textures and musical approaches while remaining true to their aesthetic. We Were Here is a sharp burst of delightful melodies, perfectly poised craft and mischievous grace.
Randall Bramblett – Devil Music CD/LP+MP3 (New West)
Randall Bramblett’s latest release is built upon a foundation of R&B and soul, but also spreads its wings with rock & roll fervor and a willingness to improvise. Devil Music was inspired by the biography, Moanin’ At Midnight: The Life And Times Of Howlin’ Wolf. In the book, Hubert Sumlin tells a story of Howlin’ Wolf crying all the way from Mississippi to Chicago. Wolf and his band had been on tour when they decided to make a stop at his boyhood home in White Station, Mississippi. Wolf wanted to take his mama money and show her who he’d become. She opened the door, saw who it was and she slammed the door in Wolf’s face. She told him she didn’t want his money and didn’t want anything to do with him. Wolf played “Devil Music.”
Charlie Belle – I Don’t Want To Be Alone CD (Fanatic)
“Texan mid-teens make melodic indie-pop feel like a viable option for the first time in eons. The average age of Charlie Belle is 15. Now, there are adolescent rock bands who do a high-energy thing that can’t help telegraphing their youth, but that’s not what Charlie Belle are about. In fact, listen to their plaintive melodic indie-pop, to the singer with her sweet seen-it-all voice and the polished performances of the rhythm section, and you would assume they were in their early-to mid-twenties.” – The Guardian
Carroll – Carroll CD (E1)
Carroll’s exercise in writing perfectly eff’d up pop gems yielded an LP that sounds like a pop approach to writing heady, woozy, psychedelic rock. Vinyl version due November 6.
Chief Keef – Bang 3 2xCD (RBC)
Features production by Chief Keef, Zaytoven, Chopsquad DJ, DP Beats and others, plus features by Mac Miller, ASAP Rocky, Lil B and Jenn Em.
Christian Mistress – To Your Death CD/LP+MP3 (Relapse)
An eight-song excursion in pure American heavy metal.
Circa Waves – Young Chasers CD/LP (Virgin)
New release from the British indie band. Young Chasers (not to be confused with their 2014 EP of the same name) includes the hit single “T-Shirt Weather.” The New York Times compares them to the “relentless rhythm-guitar drive of The Strokes.”
Steven A. Clark – The Lonely Roller CD/LP+MP3 (Secretly Canadian)
Whether it’s someone searching or someone who doesn’t want to be found, we can’t help but be drawn to the drifters. Steven A. Clark is that next stranger to roll into town, a restless artist recasting R&B. He’s a straight-talker in a genre filled with wish-fulfillment, whimsy and clichéd beats; think the Outlaw Josey Wales raised on N.E.R.D. and 808s & Heartbreak. “Alt-R&B auteur Steven A. Clark has a knack for killing ‘em softly. Case in point: ‘Lonely Roller,’ a sensual cut off of his just-released Late EP. The Best New Artist alum describes a Las Vegas tryst gone dull, but uses fervid croons and impassioned guitar riffs to deliver the message. Over a funky rhythm section and cracking handclaps, a would-be paramour pleads with him, ‘You know I want you.’ In response, Clark devastates her with a simple declaration: ‘I can’t be falling in love.’” – SPIN
Eddie Cochran – Complete Releases 1955-62 2xCD (Acrobat)
Eddie Cochran was one of the iconic figures of the rock ‘n’ roll era, his mystique and legendary status heightened by his tragic death in a road accident in 1960 when he was only 22. This 57-track 2-CD collection brings together every recording which he released during his brief career, including his early singles as part of The Cochran Brothers before he joined the Liberty label, plus tracks which were released posthumously on LPs through to 1962.
Loren Connors – Live In New York CD (Family Vineyard)
Live In New York is an album seemingly simple as its title. Yet Loren Connors — captured here in cinéma vérité quality at two performances six days apart in November 2014 — is anything but straightforward. During the past 40 years the guitarist has not only developed an iconic sound but continues to reshape it and challenge himself, and the listener, in accepting radical permutations of the blues. Across these three pieces, Connors builds upon the vision captured on his last studio album, 2011’s Red Mars, where transparent, ghostly notes slowly unravel against a canvas of black drones and funeral tolls. In addition — maximist, distorted six-string solos, that were once a hallmark of Loren’s early-90s performances, make a mighty return here.
David Cook – Digital Vein CD (Analog Heart Music)
Digital Vein is the third studio album from David Cook, the season seven winner of American Idol (2008). Available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe adds three bonus tracks.
Chris Cornell – Higher Truth CD (UMe)
Produced by Brendan O’Brien (Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam, Neil Young), Higher Truth displays the Soundgarden frontman’s constant evolution as a master songwriter, lyricist and musical craftsman telling human stories which transcend musical genres. His fifth album, Higher Truth was inspired by the stark arrangements of musicians like Nick Drake, Daniel Johnston and White Album-era Beatles. Available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe adds a bonus remix of “Our Time In The Universe.” Vinyl version due November 16.
James Cotton – Live At Antone’s Nightclub [Reissue/1988] CD/LP (Texas Music Group)
James Cotton – Mighty Long Time [Reissue/1991] CD/LP (Texas Music Group)
Live At Antone’s Nightclub marks the reunion of Cotton with his former guitarists Matt Murphy and Luther Tucker, pianist Pinetop Perkins, and Muddy Waters’ ex-rhythm section (bassist Calvin Jones and drummer Willie Smith). Mighty Long is a sort of back-to-the-roots release from the veteran blues harp wizard.
Darlingside – Bird Say CD/LP (More Doug)
Darlingside are a Massachusetts-based ensemble whose sounds is an eclectic blend of ‘60s folk, clever wry wit, classical arrangements, soaring harmonies and a modern indie-rock sensibility. On Birds Say, Darlingside breathe life into a collection of cinematic, intelligent and deeply moving songs.
Deep Purple – From the Setting Sun… (In Wacken) 2xCD+DVD/3xLP (earMUSIC)
Deep Purple – …To the Rising Sun (In Tokyo) 2xCD+CD/3xLP (earMUSIC)
A pair of live concerts recorded during Deep Purple’s recent, ongoing NOW What?! tour (2013 and 2014, respectively) with accompanying DVD shot in HD. Also available on stand-alone Blu-ray.
Darwin Deez – Double Down CD/LP (Lucky Number)
A vibrant slice of pure pop perfection, Double Down showcases Darwin Deez’s dexterity for experimentation with different sonic textures, genres and lyrical allegories.
Robert DeLong – In The Cards CD/2xLP (Glassnote)
Robert DeLong has a thing for tarot, but that shouldn’t be too surprising. The rise of the Los Angeles dance-pop provocateur and one-man band seems fated thus far. In 2013, his self-fulfilling “’Global Concepts” single became an international hit and he’s been following it around the world since, from dives to clubs to nearly every festival you’ve ever heard of. Now the man returns from the neon wilderness with his most diverse and beat-driven work yet: In The Cards. DeLong’s second album boldly swirls electronic strains techno, house, drum & bass, electro, trip-hop with rock composition and emotive soul. Each song is an aural world unto itself where DeLong probes a different angle of the record’s theme: Is the story of our lives written in the cards or are we free to make our destinies? Ultimately, is there a difference?
Lana Del Rey – Honeymoon CD /2xLP (Interscope)
Fourth studio album by singer Lana Del Rey, which she started planning just two months after releasing her third studio album Ultraviolence (2014). (Limited copies pressed on translucent red vinyl.)
Destruction Unit – Negative Feedback Resistor CD/LP (Sacred Bones)
“The Arizona DIY psych-sludge bashers in Destruction Unit have spent the past couple of years transforming themselves into a beast of a touring band, and now they’re ready to follow up their 2013 album Deep Trip. The band’s new LP is called Negative Feedback Resistor, and they got some help from Adult Swim in putting it together. Former Dirty Beaches mastermind Alex Zhang Hungtai and Germs drummer Don Bolles make appearances on the album, and the first single is a headlong skree-pound called “If Death Ever Slept.” — Stereogum
Devil City Angels – Devil City Angels CD/LP (Century Media)
Devil City Angels definitely has no shortage of professionals in its ranks Tracii Guns of L.A. Guns on guitar, drummer, Rikki Rockett of Poison, Rudy Sarzo of Quiet Riot and Ozzy Osbourne on bass, and singer Brandon Gibbs of The Gibbs Brothers and Cheap Thrill. “The opening number ‘Numb’ rolls its funky course atop Rudy Sarzo’s rumbling bass with a shake to Rikki Rockett’s beat and a snake to Tracii Guns’ riffs. ‘All My People’ thereafter is a checked-down sing-along blues number with humping verses and Aerosmith-kissed grooves. Guns and Sarzo’s notes are wicked tight and Brandon Gibbs coaxes every ounce of juice from the song he can before summoning listeners to crank up the next cut, ‘Boneyard.’ Aerosmith and The Allman Brothers figure into this track with subtle swampiness emitted from Tracii Guns’ backend guitar slides.” – Blabbermouth
Do Or Die – Picture This 2 CD (Rap-A-Lot)
Do Or Die is a rap trio originally from the Westside of Chicago, consisting of group members Belo Zero, N.A.R.D. and AK. The first Picture This was released in 1996. Picture This 2 features Rick Ross, Twista, Johhny P, Che V and Mocha.
Dr. John – The Atco/Atlantic Singles 1968-1974 CD (Omnivore)
Mac Rebennack aka Dr. John The Night Tripper, is one of the most colorful and talented figures in rock ‘n’ roll history. A true New Orleans music legend, he began his career playing sessions for famed producer Cosimo Matassa, working with local legends like Allen Toussaint, Professor Longhair, and Art Neville, among others. Throughout the the late-‘60s and well into the ‘70s, Dr. John would build a cult following with his flamboyant stage show, where he would often wear Mardis Gras costumes and headdresses. This would be a prolific period for the veteran musician, as he recorded seven albums for Atco in six years. The Atco/Atlantic Singles 1968-1974 collects 22 tracks from the period, with extensive liner notes by critic and historian Gene Sculatti.
James Elkington & Nathan Salsburg – Ambsace CD/LP (Paradise Of Bachelors)
The second album of astonishing duets by guitarists James Elkington (who has toured and/or recorded with Jeff Tweedy, Richard Thompson, and Steve Gunn, among others) and Nathan Salsburg (an accomplished soloist deemed by NPR “one of those names we’ll all associate with American folk guitar”) is a sublime suite of nimble, filigreed compositions by two singular stylists.
Duke Ellington – Black Power CD (Squatty Roo)
1969 marked Duke Ellington’s 70th year, and in honor of the occasion, Jazz Impresario George Wein sent Ellington and his band out on a European tour, a 70th birthday tour, so to speak. In a brief concert series entitled ‘Newport To Paris,’ for the first time on record we have the chance to hear Duke and the band performing live in Paris, and the Salle Pleyel in November, 1969. On this night we hear Duke and his orchestra in rare form, presenting a few of such newly written compositions, featuring luminaries like Cootie Williams, Johnny Hodges, Lawrence Brown, Russell Procope, Paul Gonsalves, Cat Anderson and more.
Brian Ellis – Escondido Sessions CD (El Paraiso)
Along with members from Radio Moscow, Corima, and Psicomagia, Ellis has cooked up a set of seriously vital jazz-rock, taking up where Miles Davis, Tony Williams, and Donald Byrd left off in the ’70s.
Tommy Emmanual – It’s Never Too Late CD/LP (CGP)
Quality is laced throughout It’s Never Too Late, the first regular studio album featuring Emmanuel completely solo without guests since 2000. An accomplished finger style player, Emmanuel frequently threads three different parts simultaneously into his material, operating as one-man band who handles the melody, the supporting chords and the bass all at once.
Farao – Till It’s All Forgotten CD/LP (Arts & Crafts)
Farao is the musical identity of Norwegian singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Kari Jahnsen. Hailing from Ulnes, a small village of 500 people in the Nordic mountain valley of Valdres, Farao creates intricate, enchanting music that reflects the dramatic yet serene environments of her origin. Her songs bear a vibrant surface beauty, while deftly revealing the depths within.
Robert Forster – Songs To Play CD/LP (Tapete)
In 2008, Robert Forster, one of Australia’s most respected singer-songwriters, released The Evangelist, a work that was widely regarded as his best solo album; it more than lived up to the many high points of his legendary band The Go-Betweens. His new album, Songs To Play, is comprised of ten very different Robert Forster songs recorded on a mountaintop half an hour from his Brisbane home, in an analog studio, with a troop of young musicians: talented multi-instrumentalists Scott Bromley and Luke McDonald (from The John Steel Singers), Matt Piele (drummer from Forster’s touring band), and violinist and singer Karin Baumler.
The Front Bottoms – Back On Top CD/LP+MP3 (Fueled By Ramen)
“The Front Bottoms have spent the last seven years building up a reputation grassroots style. From self-released albums to unassailable live shows, the New Jersey quartet has garnered praise from journalists and fellow musicians alike. They’ve opened for everyone from Brand New to Say Anything, and completely stole the show at this year’s Skate and Surf Festival. Now, after a pair of acclaimed albums on Bar/None Records, the band makes their Fueled by Ramen debut with Back On Top. Considering how close to the end of summer Back On Top drops, it’s fitting that the album’s latest single is an ode to summer love. ‘Summer Shandy’ strolls along on staccato guitar notes and a sturdy marching drum, punctuated here and there with the sudden burst of trumpets. Frontman Brian Sella’s rambling lyrical delivery is the song’s true centerpiece, though, as he pines about a romance he knows will never last.” –Consequence Of Sound
Masayoshi Fujita – Apologues CD/LP (Erased Tapes)
Berlin-based Japanese vibraphonist and composer Masayoshi Fujita, after releasing more ambient-based electronic recordings of the vibraphone under his el fog alias, became more interested in the sound of the vibraphone itself. He started to compose acoustic pieces and released his first solo album under his real name, titled Stories, in early 2013. Apologues sees Fujita use an array of instruments besides his lead instrument for the first time, such as the violin, cello, flute, clarinet, French horn, accordion, piano, and snare drum — played by friends, but arranged by Fujita himself.
Erroll Garner – The Complete Concert By The Sea 3xCD [Reissue/1956)
Iconic jazz artist Erroll Garner’s greatest concert album and one of the best selling jazz albums of all time, The Complete Concert By The Sea celebrates its 60th Anniversary on September 19. This three-CD box set contains the complete set, 11 previously unreleased tracks, the original edited Columbia release from 1956 and bonus material including announcer Jimmy Lyons and interviews with the Erroll Garner trio: Denzil DaCosta Best, Eddie Calhoun, and Garner himself, recorded directly after the concert.
David Gilmour – Rattle That Lock CD/CD+DVD/CD+Blu-ray/LP+MP3 (Columbia)
Rattle That Lock is the new solo album by David Gilmour, the voice and guitar of Pink Floyd. This is his fourth solo album, and the first since 2006’s On An Island. The album’s primary lyricist is Gilmour’s long-term writing partner, Polly Samson, and was co-produced by David Gilmour and Roxy Music’s Phil Manzanera. There are several versions available: The single Regular disc version; a double disc Deluxe box version that adds either a DVD or Blu-ray featuring ten bonus audio-visual tracks, four bonus audio tracks, the complete album in surround sound, and expanded packaging with memorabilia; and as a single-disc HQ-180gm vinyl edition in a gatefold jacket with download.
Golden Void – Berkana CD/LP+MP3 (Thrill Jockey)
Golden Void is the new face of Bay Area psychedelic music. It’s a rich tradition and like many of the tradition’s greats, Golden Void’s songs are firmly rooted in melody and not afraid of exploration. The band’s hooks get stuck in your head and their riffs transport you to the astral plane. Golden Void’s undeniable twist, setting them apart from their city’s lineage, is the influence of classic bands like Sabbath and Pentagram. The quartet, Isaiah Mitchell (Earthless) on guitar and vocals, Camilla Saufley-Mitchell on keyboards and vocals, Aaron Morgan on bass and Justin Pinkerton on drums, achieves a perfect balance of muscular riffs, soaring melodies, and hazy atmosphere on Berkana, their sophomore album.
Grateful Dead – 30 Trips Around The Sun: The Definitive Live Story (1965-1995) 4xCD (Grateful Dead/WEA)
30 Trips Around The Sun: The Definitive Live Story features one unreleased live song from each year of the band’s career plus one special re-released track from the band’s earliest recordings, under the name The Emergency Crew. Every year from 1965-1995 is represented. Also featured is an essay by Dead aficionado Jesse Jarnow dissecting every track in the collection.
Glen Hansard – Didn’t He Ramble CD (Anti)
Didn’t He Ramble is Hansard’s most intimate and elegant record since his work in Once and features guest appearances by John Sheahan (Dubliners), Sam Beam (Iron And Wine) and Sam Amidon. Glen Hansard is the celebrated principal songwriter and vocalist/guitarist for the influential Irish group The Frames. Whether busking the streets of Dublin, where he got his start, or headlining a gig, Hansard has garnered a reputation as an unparalleled frontman. He is also one half of the acclaimed duo The Swell Season. In 2007, he and Czech songstress Markéta Irglová took home the Academy Award for Best Original Song for “Falling Slowly” off the Once soundtrack. In 2013, the Broadway adaptation, Once The Musical, won eight Tony Awards including the top musical prize. Most recently, Hansard has won critical acclaim for his moving interpretations of the songs of Jason Molina of Songs:Ohia. Vinyl version due October 9.
Harlot – Proliferation CD/LP (Metal Blade)
Second album from Melbourne, Australia’s reigning and defending kings of thrash metal.
Tom Harrell – First Impressions CD (HighNote)
“Both Debussy and Ravel transformed the world of music by creating a new sensibility of beauty of sound,” says trumpeter/composer, Tom Harrell, who himself is known for his superb lyricism and poetry in his playing and writing. With his nine-piece chamber ensemble, Harrell interprets the works of these two French composers. The personnel includes the members of his working band of over 10 years – Wayne Escoffery, Danny Grissett, Ugonna Okegwo, and Johnathan Blake; a notable jazz woodwind player, Charles Pillow on flutes; and three string players who are equally adept at classical and jazz repertoires – Meg Okura (violin), Rubin Kodheli (cello), and Rale Micic (guitar).
HeCTA – The Diet CD/LP+MP3 (Merge)
“I don’t think anyone saw HeCTA coming. This is a surprising group: A disco-house trio made up of three members of the long-running orchestral alt-country band Lambchop, including Lambchop frontman Kurt Wagner. But the group attacks its chosen sound with way more confidence and poise than anyone could’ve anticipated” – Stereogum. “…a lean, well-toned dance record with vigorous beats and the clear pulse of a fully fit album.” – Deviate Magazine
Helious – Yume CD/LP (Unseen Music)
Yume takes it’s title from the Japanese word for dream and delivers an otherworldly ambient-electronic hybrid that’s cinematic in scope yet intimate in emotion. In making the album, composer and multi-instrumentalist Keith Kenniff (the sole artist behind Helios) has created a warm sonic tapestry from luminous guitar lines, elegant piano work, ingeniously-crafted rhythms, and lo-fi electronic elements.
Carlos Henriquez – The Bronx Pyramid CD (Blue Engine)
Carlos Henriquez’s The Bronx Pyramid marks the Bronx-born, Nuyorican bassist’s first album as a leader and the emergence of a fully fledged Latin jazz master. Joined by guest stars Rubén Blades and Pedrito Martinez and band members including drummer and fellow Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra member Ali Jackson, Henriquez expertly blends modern jazz with Latin rhythms, demonstrating why he’s been performing with greats like Tito Puente, Eddie Palmieri, and Celia Cruz since he was 14.
Hibou – Hibou CD/LP (Barsuk)
The idea of “home” plays a prominent theme in the short history of Peter Michel and his Seattle-based band Hibou. “I actually recorded half of the new album at my parents’ home,” says the 21-year-old about Hibou’s debut full-length release. “There are moments on the record where you hear my dad cooking or hammering,” he adds. The self-titled debut LP features 11 songs (including four new versions of songs previously released as the Dunes EP) and is a lush, driving mix of ’80s inspired pop, fueled by twisting reverbed-out guitar melodies, elegant arrangements, and a love of soda, summertime nostalgia, and trips to Peter’s inspirational point in Seattle: the fittingly-named Discovery Park. “I’ve written a ton of the melodies for the band there,” he says. “It’s my favorite place in the world.”
Steve Hillage – Madison Square Garden 1977 CD/LP (Cleopatra)
A vintage live performance from Gong guitar guru and one of the most innovative guitarists of his era.
Home Free – Country Evolution CD (Sony)
The third studio album from the country quintet and winners of NBC’s The Sing-Off Season 4, is a high-energy affair rich with their trademark tight harmonies.
Homeshake – Midnight Snack CD/LP+MP3 (Omnian Music Group)
Homeshake is the pseudonym and solo project of Edmonton-born, Montreal-based musician Peter Sagar. Midnight Snack explores Sagar’s dizzying time on the road as touring guitarist with Mac DeMarco, reflecting on the loneliness that plagued him towards the end of his run, and the longing for life back home in Montreal. When the mounting pressures of this lifestyle began to take a toll, Sagar left the band to focus on his own music and to rebuild the infrastructure of his life. While many of the new tracks meander through anxiety and despair, it is also a witness to a return to safety.
John Lee Hooker & Friends – House Of Blues CD (Klondike)
Unreleased 1995 broadcast of killer live show with Charlie Musselwhite, Taj Mahal, Ry Cooder, John Hammond, Lazy Lester and The Duke Robillard Band.
Horisont – Odyssey CD/2xLP (Rise Above)
Big of moustache and tight of trouser, Horisont drink from the bottomless wellspring of inspiration that’s been bubbling up through the layers of time since the birth of the blues – or Blue Oyster Cult at the very least. Theirs is a sound that harks back to the dawn of the ‘70s, when a new clutch of heads decided it was time to harsh the ‘60s hippies’ mellow and paint it black; those years when the twin spirit of hard rock and prog rose to redefine sound.
Jóhann Jóhannsson – Sicario [OST] CD (Varese Sarabande)
Original soundtrack to the 2015 film. Johann Jóhannsson is the reigning Oscar winner of the Academy Award for Best Score for his work on Theory Of Everything.
The Kickback – Sorry All Over The Place CD/LP (Julian/InKind)
The Kickback is influenced by a broad array of irreverent, cerebral, and sometimes outlandish, cultural references. They cite Hunter S. Thompson, post-post-modernism, an inflated sense of self-importance, large families, David Foster Wallace, The Wire, big sounds and then quiet sounds, David Lynch, harmonies, Michael Keaton, and entitlement, as their conceptual inspirations. Sorry All Over The Place is an invigorating 10-song collection that fuses ‘60s bubblegum sentimentality with modern indie rock’s quirky confessionals and wiry musicality. “Following what seems to be an upsurge in the Chicago area with new bands of different musical directions and a revitalized music scene of all colors, The Kickback are part of that number. Well-crafted, intelligent pop-rock with a clean, crisp sound, this album is instantly pleasing by virtue of the writing and singer/main songwriter Billy Yost’s vocals.” – Pop Dose
King Midas Sound/Fennesz – Edition 1 CD/LP+MP3 (Ninja Tune)
London dub outfit King Midas Sound, led by Kevin Martin (the Bug), have teamed up experimental guitarist Fennesz for the first of four collaborative projects.
Ruth Koleva – Rhythm Slave CD (Flatline Collective)
Hot on the heels of a critically acclaimed debut album, Ruth Koleva presents a collection of remixes by some of the most respected names in contemporary dance music. The Bulgarian artist, still only 25, has become a national treasure, sharing the stage with legends including imperious jazz vocalist Bobby McFerrin, mentoring on popular talent show Music Academy and performing a sold-out concert to more than 1,300 guests at Bulgaria Hall with the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra. As a vocalist and songwriter she excels in all things soul and nu-classic R&B — think Erykah Badu and Jill Scott — but as a music fan her tastes extend much further.
Kraanium – Chronicles Of Perversion CD (Comatose Music)
Comatose Music and Norwegian sickos Kraanium team up once again for their next slab of bloody depravity. Eleven tracks of stomach wrenching, pure guttural brutality as you would expect.
Kreng – Cooties [OST] CD (Milan)
Cooties is a horror comedy film directed by Cary Murnion and Jonathan Milott. Starring Elijah Wood, Cooties tells the story of an isolated elementary school hit by a mysterious virus. It transforms the kids into a feral swarm of mass savages eating and slaughtering everyone crossing their path. Kreng composed a very unique score for Cooties. It is an homage to the various styles of horror film music. It has a very wide scope ranging from classical compositions to purely ‘80s synth pieces.
La Butcherettes – A Raw Youth CD/LP (Ipecac)
“Teri Gender Bender, founder and lead singer of garage punk outfit Le Butcherettes, has one of the best stares in showbiz. As demonstrated in her supremely memorable Tiny Desk Concert, Gender Bender (Teresa Suárez by birth) makes direct and unblinking eye contact with individual audience members and the camera, confronting and reversing the viewer/performer dynamic. Confrontation is a cornerstone of the Guadalajara band’s identity and appeal, and is the guiding principle of ‘Shave The Pride,’ off Le Butcherettes’ new album A Raw Youth. Describing the song, Gender Bender says she originally wrote a diatribe against a bearded lover hiding behind ‘masses of hair,’ but after rewrites, ‘the outrage and frustration are this time directed in particular to Society’s ‘beard.’’ The beard symbolizes our unwillingness to view all perceptions of [a] story … hiding behind the mass media.” – NPR
Leaves Eyes – King Of Kings CD (AFM)
Again returning to Norwegian roots, the gothic/symphonic metal band has woven an elaborate Viking concept story on King Of Kings. Available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe adds a bonus disc and expanded digibook packaging. Vinyl version due October 2.
Darlene Love – Introducing Darlene Love CD/2xLP (Columbia)
Legendary vocalist Darlene Love presents her first new album in decades. Introducing Darlene Love was produced and arranged by E Street Band great Stevie Van Zandt, and is comprised of all new recordings and features never-before-heard and classic songs from a superstar cast of songwriters. Elvis Costello and Bruce Springsteen contribute two tracks each to the 14-song album, and Stevie Van Zandt penned three songs. Other writers include Jim Webb, Linda Perry, Desmond Child, Joan Jett, longtime songwriting team Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, Michael Des Barres, and more.
Lucero – All A Man Should Do CD/LP (ATO)
Lucero has shifted their sonic approach a bit on All A Man Should Do, noting “we felt comfortable enough to take some chances with a palette of new tones that sound understated yet powerful, bringing life to the stories behind the lyrics without overshadowing them.” As for the lyrics, Ben Nichols’ latest group of lines read like chapters from his life on the duality of relationships, getting older, finding where you want to be in this world. Also joining the band on the album is Big Star’s Jody Stephens. Appropriately, he’s added backup vocals to Lucero’s cover of his band’s “I’m In Love With A Girl.” This marks the first-ever cover to appear on a Lucero studio LP.
¡Mayday! – Future/Vintage CD (Strange Music)
New album from the Miami, FL hip-hop group — a follow-up to their 2014 collaboration with Murs. Guests include Femi Kuti, Ryan Myagi Evans, Tech N9ne & Stige.
Rose McDowall – Cut The Cake With A Knife CD/LP (Sacred Bones)
Cut With The Cake Knife was recorded by Rose McDowall in 1988 and 1989 following the break up of her group Strawberry Switchblade. Produced with the aid of several musicians in several studios, the album features songs written for the fabled second Strawberry Switchblade album. More importantly, perhaps, it showcases the honest, direct and life-affirming songs of one of the greatest unsung songwriters of the modern pop era at a tumultuous time in her career.
John Mclaughlin & The 4th Dimension – Black Light CD (Abstract Logix)
Black Light includes eight original McLaughlin compositions, including a heartfelt homage to his departed colleague, collaborator, and friend Paco De Lucia – with whom McLaughlin had intended to compose an album’s worth of new material just before De Lucia’s death. McLaughlin has returned to acoustic guitar for a tribute to his friend, entitled “El Hombre Que Sabia” and brings forth from the instrument a depth of sadness and admiration beyond words.
Katharine McPhee – Hysteria CD (E1)
Katharine McPhee, an accomplished actress and singer, first burst onto the scene in 2005 on Season 5 of American Idol where she was the runner up. Katharine currently stars as Paige Dineen on CBS hit drama Scorpion. She also played an integral role in NBC s hit series Smash — where she starred opposite Debra Messing — executive produced by Steven Spielberg.
Meat Wave – Delusion Moon CD/LP+MP3 (SideOne Dummy)
“The title track comes in just under two minutes with a raw, grungy drive of distorted guitars, pounding drums and a fittingly repetitive lyric that will no doubt embed itself in your mind. For fans of current acts like Diamond Youth and Lyger” – Alternative Press. (Limited copies pressed on gold vinyl.)
Mercury Rev – The Light In You CD/LP (Bella Union)
The Light In You is Mercury Rev’s first new album since 2008’s Snowflake Midnight. Frontman Jonathan Donahue addressed the gap between albums in a press release: “It was one of those otherworldly life sequences, when everything you think is solid turns molten, but also, when something is worth saying, it can take a long time to say it, rather than just blurt it out.”
On the title, Donahue said, “You can go as deep as you want with the title, on a metaphorical, spiritual level, or just poetic license. It’s the beacon that shines and allows us to see ourselves – and then there’s the music between Grasshopper and I, which is how we reflect each other. The arc of the album, lyrically, is someone who’s gone through an incredible period of turbulence, sadness and uncertainty, and as the album progresses, a light appears on the water.”
Metal Allegiance – Metal Allegiance CD/CD+DVD/LP (Nuclear Blast)
A collaboration of some of heavy metal’s most notable performers consisting of members of Testament, Slayer, Mastodon, Megadeth, Lamb Of God, Dream Theater, Pantera, Machine Head, Exodus, Kings X, and many more. Available in Regular and Deluxe editions.
Metric – Pagans In Vegas CD/2xLP (Metric Music)
The Canadian synth pop band’s first album in three years is explores the band’s sonic influences, paying homage to inspirational artists like Depeche Mode, Joy Division and Underworld. Frontwoman Emily Haines explained that the aim was to capture “the romance of another time without falling into nostalgia.” The new songs bring together acoustic and synthetic sounds that provide the framework to explore “the quandaries of life in an age where bad news is unavoidable and great art is a life-saver.” The writing process found guitarist/producer James Shaw experimenting with a CS80 synth at his Toronto studio, while Haines discovered an array of acoustic instruments during time spent in Nicaragua and Spain. The differing approaches resulted in enough material for two albums — the second of which is expected in 2016. (Limited copies pressed on red vinyl.)
Meg Meyers – Sorry CD (Atlantic)
Meg Myers has been bubbling on the underground alternative scene since 2011 with her song “Monster.” As time went on, the Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter’s promising career reached another milestone when she signed to Atlantic Records in 2013. The bigger platform brought more success after her two EPs—Daughter In The Choir and Make A Shadow—garnered positive responses from music critics for her emotionally-charged songs like “Desire.”
Mac Miller – GO:OD AM CD (WB)
Third album from the Pittsburgh, PA rapper. The album starts with “Doors,” featuring a beat by Tyler, The Creator. Mac lets us know where he’s at: “Ain’t sayin’ that I’m sober, I’m just in a better place.” With that, we’re introduced to the latest chapter in Mac’s life.
Mindless Self Indulgence – Pink 1990-1997 CD/2xLP+MP3 (Metropolis)
Written by little Jimmy Urine in his 20s and produced by little Jimmy Urine in his 40s, this retro 1990s album is the lost puzzle piece in the formation of the unique MSI sound, which would eventually anger a few, with 19 tracks including 15 never-before-heard MSI songs, tracks off the self-titled ep, hidden songs, an audio diary from 22-year-old Jimmy Urine, a picture anatomy of what you need to make an MSI song, and finally after 20 years the reveal of the origin of the band’s name.
Mishka – Roots Fidelity CD (Mishka Music)
Mishka is a true icon of modern reggae music. Roots Fidelity is his seventh full length album and the first for his own Mishka Music imprint. The album is a return to the more traditional singer/songwriter smooth reggae style that gained Mishka thousands of fans including superstars like Kenny Chesney, Zac Brown, and Jimmy Buffett. Vinyl version due October 16.
Modern Pain – Peace Delusions CD/LP (Bridge 9)
Modern Pain’s Peace Delusions is described by its creators’ peers as if In Utero was a hardcore punk record. Peace Delusions resembles a golden artifact unearthed from the 1980s American hardcore underground, harnessing the unbridled aggression of groundbreaking acts like SSD, Poison Idea and Infest and filtering it through the caustic, ashy atmospheres and unfettered noise rock of Texan predecessors Scratch Acid and the Jesus Lizard, as well as Moss Icon’s murky, wordy pathos.
Moon – Render The Veils CD (Moribund)
Swirling, densely layered black metal from Australia.
Motion City Soundtrack – Panic Station CD (Epitaph)
Panic Stations was named after nautical structures that act as warning posts in the oceans. The music itself is invigorated and propulsive. “Lose Control” builds into an intense, emotionally raw chorus that mirrors Pierre’s plea to relinquish control while “TKO” pares the music down to it’s lively rock ‘n’ roll core, focusing on the deft combination of guitars and rhythms and revealing the fervor of MCS’ live performance. “Over It Now,” a raucous standout, amps up that performance energy, reminding fans of the band’s infectious enthusiasm for the stage, which the band bought on tour recently for their successful 10-year anniversary tour of Commit This To Memory. Vinyl version due October 16.
My Dying Bride – Feel The Misery CD/LP (Peaceville)
With crushing epic doom spanning eight tracks, and featuring the return of original guitarist Calvin Robertshaw to the fold, this is undoubtedly amongst the band’s heaviest, darkest, and most majestic works, marking My Dying Bride’s 25th anniversary in punishing style.
Leigh Nash – The State I’m In CD/LP (One Son)
More than two decades into her career, singer-songwriter Leigh Nash shines a light on her Texas roots with The State I’m In, a solo album that plants it’s feet on both sides of the border. In classic country style, she sings about heartache and bad luck in a voice that swoons, sweeps and swaggers, back by a band whose members include Emmylou Harris’s pianist.
Of Feather And Bone – Embrace The Wretched Flesh CD (Good Fight Music)
“Of Feather And Bone are a three piece hardcore/power violence band based out of Denver. With their new album, Embrace The Wretched Flesh, they are looking to make a statement, and if not a statement, a fist-sized hole in your head. With a 24-minute runtime over ten tracks, OFAB waste no time unleashing their ferocity on the listener with first track ‘Ordained In Fire,’ a blistering power violence track that offers not only pure speed and crushing blast beats, but chunky, heavy mosh sections as well, setting the stage for the album to come.” – New Noise Magazine
Operation Mindcrime – The Key CD (Frontiers)
Following his split with Queensrÿche, singer Geoff Tate put together the band Operation: Mindcrime. The Key, the first album in a trilogy, is Geoff s first release under this moniker and collects musical elements from various periods of Queensrÿche catalog. As expected, metal, progressive and original elements compromise the musical stylings of this debut release.
Ought – Sun Coming Down CD/LP (Constellation)
Ought returns with their second full-length album, following a break-out year for the Montréal quartet that saw its 2014 debut More Than Any Other Day make well-deserved waves, with a Best New Music nod from Pitchfork and appearances on countless year-end lists. Sun Coming Down maintains the band’s tight, twitchy, economical sound. Ought pursue an artistically apposite austerity in committing these new songs to tape, referencing the arid and unvarnished production of no-wave and early indie rock while balancing carved-out angularity against an evolving comfort with textural coalescences and measured pacing. It makes for an album that’s consistently, insistently propulsive but also feels unhurried and pleasantly unhyped.
Phases – For Life CD/LP+MP3 (WB)
Phases is a tight-knit and talented group of four friends — Z Berg, Alex Greenwald, Jason Boesel, and Michael Runion. True to their creativity and sense of humor, their record For Life is fun, but it also showcases their top-notch musicianship.
Pinetop Perkins – Pinetop’s Boogie Woogie [Reissue/1992] CD/LP (Texas Music Group)
Pinetop Perkins – Live At Antoine’s 1 [Reissue/2000] CD/LP (Texas Music Group)
Many of the songs on Pinetop’s Boogie Woogie are Perkins standbys like “Kidney Stew,” “Caldonia,” and of course, “Pinetop’s Boogie Woogie,” but the backing here is so stellar (sidemen include harpists James Cotton and Kim Wilson, guitarists Matt Murphy, Jimmy Rogers, Hubert Sumlin, and Duke Robillard, and several driving rhythm sections).Pinetop Perkins spent the bulk of his career playing in bands, and the 1995 live set Live At Antoine’s 1 recorded the month he turned 82, is very much a band album. Perkins sings in a creaky, breathy voice and plays piano in his trademark barrelhouse style, but his accompaniment, consisting of regular bassist Calvin Jones and drummer Willie Smith, plus guests Kim Wilson on harmonica.
Pole – Wald CD/2xLP (Pole)
Wald begins immediately, ends abruptly, and is divided into three acts of three tracks each. It is the first studio album under Stefan Betke’s Pole moniker in eight years… half an eternity in the digital age — yet the pieces on Wald seem timeless, or to have fallen from time.
Ray Price – The Complete Singles As & Bs: 1950-1962 3xCD (Acrobat)
Ray Price was one of the most popular and respected singers in country music, with a fine baritone voice and a very wide vocal range, which gave him a reputation as one of the very best singers in country during the ’50s and ’60s. He came to fame during the early ’50s as a contemporary of the likes of Hank Williams and Lefty Frizzell, and during ac hart career that lasted forty years racked up more than 75 hits. This 78-track triple-CD collection, which includes thirty-six of those chart entries, focuses on the first important decade and more of his career, and comprises every A & B side which he released from his 1950 debut through to 1962.
Primitive Parts –Parts Primitive CD/LP (Trouble In Mind)
Parts Primitive is the debut album from London-based band Primitive Parts; consisting of Sauna Youth, Monotony and Male Bonding alumni Lindsay Corstorphine (guitar/vocals) Kevin Hendrick (guitar) and Robin Christian (drums). The album consists of ten close-knit and succinct songs that aim to evoke a sonic space that could be an imagined 1970s. “Miracle Skin,” “Signal,” “Rented Housing” and “Troubles” are influenced equally by the dynamic Australian garage rock of The UV Race, Eddy Current Suppression Ring and Total Control as they are by the pop sensibilities and British charm of early Eno, The Kinks and Blur.
Lee Ranaldo – Ambient Loop For Vancouver [Reissue/2006] CD (Important)
Ambient Loop For Vancouver (2004) is a single, full length track (53’43), with contributions from Alan Licht on guitar, Christian Marclay on turntables, and William Hooker on drums. This CD was originally only available packaged inside the 10th Anniversary edition Renaldo’s first book Road Movies, which was published by Soft Skull Press in 2004. A recently discovered limited overrun of those original CDs is now being made available on it’s own for the first time. Packaged in a screen printed Arigato pak.
Dave Rawlings Machine – Nashville Obsolete CD (Acony)
Acony Records proudly presents Nashville Obsolete, the highly anticipated second album from Dave Rawlings Machine. Recorded on analog tape at Woodland Sound Studios in Nashville, TN, the record features seven original compositions written by Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings. Produced by Rawlings, Nashville Obsolete highlights the brilliant musicianship of Dave Rawlings and Gillian Welch on lead vocals and guitar, Paul Kowert (Punch Brothers) on bass, Willie Watson on vocals and guitar and guest appearances from Brittany Haas (fiddle) and Jordan Tice (mandolin).
Otis Redding – Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul [Reissue/1965] 2xCD (Rhino/Atlantic)
Otis Blue is considered to be Otis’ breakthrough album where he fully found his unique voice. It was his third and most beloved album, and it’s widely considered to be one of the greatest soul albums of all time. In honor of its 50th anniversary, Rhino has reissued the classic record as an expanded double-CD package.
Reflections – The Color Clear CD (E1)
The Color Clear demonstrates Reflections’ knack for the merciless death-core onslaught of bands like Suicide Silence and All Shall Perish, the unrelenting bottom end crunch of the legendary Pantera and the esoteric/atmospheric trippy experimentalism of France’s Gojira.
The Residents – Wormwood (Curious Stories From The Bible) [Reissue/1998] CD (Cryptic Corporation)
Though some of the Bible is abysmal and boring, much of it is entertaining and important reading. The Residents have tackled this book in all its complexity without the responsibility of the scholar. Though many months have gone into research, the intent of the music and lyrics remain within the realm of the inspired poet. The stories and ideas represented here are definitely in the Bible. The desire is to neither vilify nor sanctify the book, but to allow it to be humanized. For the Bible to be looked upon as spiritually uplifting is good and useful, but that view overlooks the Bible’s abundant images of plague, torture, and cruelty. It is this dichotomy that gives balance and substance to the book. Without both, the dark and the light, there is no measure of either, only the bland reassurances that pass for organized religion today.
Keith Richards – Crosseyed Heart CD/2xLP (UMe)
Third solo album by the Rolling Stones guitarist. “As always, Richards’ ragged voice is an instrument that’s more serviceable than distinguished — it’s the equivalent of a crude raft that can take the user from one bank of a river to the other, not traverse long distances with tremendous style or panache. Yet Richards gets emotions across in the album’s 15 songs, and that’s always been what rock ‘n’ roll is about. The album opens with the title track, just Richards playing guitar and croaking a vocal that connects him with the Delta blues, which has always been a cornerstone of his guitar-playing. Several songs offer up big Stones-like rockers with beefy grooves and tasty guitar work, which is probably what most listeners look for in a Richards album.” – L.A. Times
Ritual Killer – Exterminance CD/LP (Season Of Mist)
Ritual Killer is a New Orleans-based cult black metal outfit consisting of Sammy Duet on guitar (Goatwhore, ex-Acid Bath), Zak Nolan on drums (ex-Goatwhore), James Harvey on bass (Goatwhore), and Jordan Barlow on vocals.
Roger Lion – Roger Lion CD (Team Love)
As Roger Lion, Joe Pernice and Josh “Budo” Karp make acoustic music for a hip-hop world. Vinyl version due October 9.
Akira Sakata & Jim O’Rourke with Chikamorachi & Merzbow – Flying Basket CD/2xLP (Family Vineyard)
Flying Basket is a zonked and fantastic double album of avant jazz, discord and deconstructed rock by five master practitioners. It also marks the debut collaboration by a pair of Japan’s legendary transgressors — saxophonist Akira Sakata and noise pioneer Masami Akita, aka Merzbow. For the past ten years Sakata has rededicated himself to fiery free jazz alongside guitarist Jim O’Rourke and monstrous rhythm section Chikamorachi — Chris Corsano (drums) and Darin Gray (double bass, percussion).
Salad Boys – Metal Mania CD/LP (Trouble In Mind)
Salad Boys came together at the end of 2012 with members from other illustrious Christchurch groups T54, Bang! Bang! Eche! and the Dance Asthmatics. Recorded, the Salad Boys are deceivingly charming, presenting a careful but curious balance of well-informed pop melodies, hypnotizing rhythms and heady instrumentation. They perform a wondrous assault: a charged up blitz of clanging guitars, intoxicating drones, head-down acid repetition and an abundance of dazzling pop hooks.
Sean Nicholas Savage – Other Death CD/LP (Arbutus)
This is Savage’s highest fidelity recording to date, with daring, captivating, and as always minimal and soft production style. In contrast to his usual introspection, Other Death is immediately more upbeat, uptempo, confident, inspired and delivers more consistent pop singles than any of his previous records.
Say Hi – Bleeders Digest CD/LP (Barsuk)
“If we’ve learned anything from the fact that teen paranormal romance is now a legit genre of modern literature, it’s that we love relating to the unknown. Or, more specifically, the undead. Eric Elbogen, aka Say Hi has been keen to this fact since the summer of 2006, when dropped Say Hi’s breakthrough LP Impeccable Blahs. Not only is the record a well-oiled machine of synth-pop magnificence that, with its deceptively addictive nature alone, would make you consider an occult presence surrounding it – it’s also 100% lyrically confined in the world of vampires. After four more LPs and a soundtrack album, Say Hi has returned to this formidable world to give the album a sequel: Bleeders Digest. The only thing better than the pun of its namesake is the content therein. Eric continues to shine as one of Barsuk’s most consistent stars, with another record of pitch perfect synth pop excellence and an extended vampiric metaphor that gives us a wonderful parallel on the intentionally inward lives we oft find ourselves leading.” — KEXP
Scale The Summit – V CD (Prosthetic)
Vinyl version due October 2. “Scale The Summit is commonly referred to as an instrumental rock band, and falls into this category often. When experiencing them though, there is no denying, there is a strong metal influence. This drives the band to create special and monumental pieces that bridge the gap between rock and metal in a way that abandons the ‘rock rules’ and ventures into passages that were made for those who desire more than simple hard rebellious music.” – Metal Injection
John Schott – John Schott’s Actual Trio CD (Tzadik)
A veteran of Junk Genius with Ben Goldberg, T.J. Kirk with Charlie Hunter as well as varied projects with Tom Waits, John Zorn and many others, John Schott is one of the most dynamic guitarists out of the Bay Area. For his third CD on Tzadik he presents an exciting guitar trio with two of his closest musical associates. Beautiful compositions, spare and lean, and fabulous telepathic improvising makes this one of John’s best CDs to date.
Serial Butcher – Brute Force Lobotomy CD (Unique Leader)
Serial Butcher return with their forth studio release of audio carnage with Brute Force Lobotomy. The full-length album brings technical, catchy and memorable slabs of musical technique that only Serial Butcher are known for again keeping their sound fresh and original. Brute Force Lobotomy is a must have for fans of traditional, well, written and produced death metal. Vinyl version due October 2.
Shelf Life – Everyone Make Happy CD/LP (Lefse)
“Shelf Life is longtime Philadelphia sideman/recording engineer Scotty Leitch, recently seen drumming for Alex G. He’s stepping out front to release his first album of solo material, Everyone Make Happy, on the venerable Lefse label. Album opener ‘The Curse’ is a homespun ’90s-style indie rock chestnut delivered with warmth and idiosyncrasy. Lazy acoustic strums and trippy keyboards serve as the basis for Leitch’s charmingly twee narration, filtering memories of early Modest Mouse and Built To Spill through his own distinct musical perspective. It’s one of those introductions that leaves a huge impression without making a big show of it.” — Stereogum
Shinedown – Threat To Survival CD (Atlantic)
Multi-platinum band Shinedown unveils first new album in three years.
Lucie Silvas – Letters To Ghosts CD (Furthestpoint)
Critics liken Letters To Ghosts to artists ranging from Adele to Fleetwood Mac to Bonnie Raitt.
Kim Simmons And Savoy Brown – The Devil To Pay CD (Ruf)
Driven by classic blues and age-old human truths but dragged into contemporary relevance by stinging musicianship, The Devil To Pay was born during a white-knuckle burst of inspiration, arriving during Savoy Brown’s 50th year as pack-leaders of the British blues scene.
SoLow Redline – #homelessrapper CD (Wicked Ent.)
SoLow RedLine was discovered in Chicago subway’s red line where he was rapping for money and honing his skills.
Soundtrack – Love & Mercy CD (Capitol)
This soundtrack features Brian Wilson’s new end-title song “One Kind Of Love,” performances of classic Beach Boys tracks by Paul Dano, who plays Brian in the film and the score by Atticus Ross.
Skylar Spence – Prom King CD/LP+MP3 (Carpark)
When Ryan DeRobertis announced the name change of his project from Saint Pepsi to Skylar Spence, there was no indication of any stylistic departure, though the change arrived with a musical shift toward faster tempos and more pristine production. Whereas Saint Pepsi had often used decades-old boogie, disco, and new wave as grist for the sampling mill, Skylar Spence is intent on trafficking more overtly in those genre aesthetics through his own production techniques and vocal contributions. With Prom King, DeRobertis reorients his music for his new full-band live act and winds up with an album full of tight and enveloping dance tunes.
Stratovarius – Eternal CD/LP (earMUSIC)
If Stravovarius’ previous studio work Nemesis was occasionally flirting with pop choruses and experimental sounds, Eternal is a long ride through the purest symphonic speed metal.
Superhuman Happiness – Escape Velocity CD (The Royal Potato Family)
Superhuman Happiness create music for a dance party inhabited by the emotionally complicated. Led by Stuart Bogie—a perpetually in-demand songwriter, arranger and performer whose resume includes stints with Arcade Fire, David Byrne, Iron & Wine, TV On The Radio and Antibalas—the Brooklyn-based ensemble construct instantly infectious and relentlessly rhythmic records that makes bodies move. Underlying the groove, however, are lyrical concepts that take a long look at the human condition. Their latest LP, Escape Velocity, is a seven-track effort that explores how human made technologies inversely shape our internal emotional landscapes. Vinyl version due November 13.
Patrick Sweany – Daytime Turned To Nighttime CD (Nine Mile)
Last year, in between long tours, Sweany and his wife bought their first home together. They spent all of their free time renovating it, while Sweany crammed writing and recording in the downtime. “I’d been going nuts listening to certain records while I sanded the walls and pulled out crooked nails: Bobbie Gentry’s ‘Ode To Billie Joe,’ Allen Tousaint’s work with Lee Dorsey, and the record Bobby Charles did with the band.” Daytime Turned To Nighttime has the same loose, warm feel as those southern soul staples.
Sweet Billy Pilgrim – Motorcade Amnesiacs CD/2xLP (Kscope)
Fourth studio album from the UK based, Mercury Prize nominated experimental art rockers. Not ones to respect musical boundaries, Sweet Billy Pilgrim have thrown every ounce of their belief and passion into the genre spanning excellence of Motorcade Amnesiacs, an album of adventurously inspired melodies, intertwining riffs and eclectic rhythms, heavenly harmonies and thought provoking lyrics.
Tank – Valley Of Tears CD (Metal Mind)
British heavy metal legends Tank return with their tenth studio album. Vinyl version due November 27.
Taste – What’s Going On: Taste Live At Isle Of Wight CD (Eagle Vision)
Originally formed in Cork, Ireland in 1966 by Rory Gallagher, Taste had a brief but influential career, releasing two studio albums in 1969 and 1970 and disbanding shortly after their legendary appearance at the 1970 Isle Of Wight Festival. This expanded CD is released to coincide with the newly restored 16mm film footage appearing this week on DVD and Blu-ray. It includes four additional tracks which were not included on the original 1971 album. Rory Gallagher would go on to enjoy an acclaimed and highly successful solo career and this electrifying show by Taste is an early example of Rory’s justified reputation as the ultimate live performer.
Telekineses – Ad Infinitum CD/LP+MP3 (Merge)
Telekinesis’ Michael Benjamin Lerner faced with a bout of writer’s block in the early stages of crafting Ad Ininitum. While working from his home studio, he allegedly realized he’d maxed out the power-pop direction of his first three records, the last of which being 2013’s Dormarion. He explained: “I went down to the basement and started playing the same chords I always play… I just felt like I’d exhausted everything I knew. I was not excited at all. I just could not make another power-pop album.” Vintage synthesizers and drum machines helped the indie artist steer himself back in the right direction. “Michael Benjamin Lerner spent two years learning about vintage synthesizers and forgetting about guitars and drums. Though he sought a new sound, the resulting Ad Infinitum sounds surprisingly like classic Telekinesis.” – Pitchfork
TesseracT – Polaris CD/CD+DVD/2xLP (Kscope)
“Since the announcement of a full-length studio album with the reunion of Daniel Tompkins, curiosities and expectations have been stacking up to pedestal heights. Choosing to return from the more ambience-driven quintet, Skyharbor, Tompkins seems to have fused his approach from both bands for an eclectic synthesis. With the complete lineup reunited for third LP, Polaris, a cohesive greatness is inevitable. It should also be noted the chosen record labels, Kscope (known for Steven Wilson and Anathema) and eOne Music (roster ranging from Black Label Society to The Contortionist), may be indicative of both the catchy, experimental prog-rock ahead” – Metal Injection. (Limited etched vinyl pressing also available.)
Thrushes – Exposing Seas CD (New Granada)
With its swirling, reverb-drenched guitars and dreamy yet plaintive vocals, Seas brings to mind a mix of the classic shoegaze era-gone-by, Hounds Of Love Bush-isms and a splash of ‘90s emo-progenitors Rainer Maria. Recorded and produced by J. Robbins (Jawbox, Burning Airlines, Office Of Future Plans).
Timeflies – Just For Fun CD (Island)
Third studio album by the American pop duo.
Toadies – Heretics CD (Kirtland)
Heretics finds Toadies in a stripped-down mode, working mostly with acoustic instruments. The new song “In the Belly of a Whale,” recalling the grunge era, opens the record but the majority of the cuts are well-known cuts from the band’s previous releases, deconstructed, re-arranged and re-imagined. One cover song is included: Blondie’s “Heart Of Glass,” slowed down and performed in such a way as to bring out the song’s sadness, an emotion that was there in the original but that was belied by Debbie Harry’s cooing delivery.
Tsjuder – Antiliv CD/2xLP (Season Of Mist)
Available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe adds five bonus tracks and is packaged in a digibox with a flag and patch. “When your battleaxe is refracting the rays of a full moon, wolves are howling and ice is forming on the forest firs, mopey post-black metal, or the various Satan-neutral experiments that have been committed in the movement’s name, aren’t really going to cut it. Thank the dark lords and pagan deities then, that true Norwegian black metal is still alive, and defiantly pumping blood through it’s cold, cold heart. Having reunited in 2010 after a four-year layoff, Oslo’s Tsjuder have continued to fly the flag for the unreconstructed essence of light-snuffing black metal and Antiliv, their follow-up to 2011’s Legion Helvete, is an adrenaline-guzzling blast of scabrous and scything ferocity rampaging like a tribe of White Walkers descending on a vegan picnic full of Deafheaven fans.” – Team Rock
The Turnpike Troubadours – The Turnpike Troubadours CD (Bossier City)
The Turnpike Troubadours self-titled album features the quintet’s signature blend of roots rock, folk, and raw country played with grit, passion, and conviction.
Vardan – From The Pale Moonlight CD (Moribund)
From The Pale Moonlight is perhaps Vardan’s most emotive recording to date. Exhibiting Vardan’s characteristically grim ‘n’ forsaken brand of Burzumic black metal, the album shows many somber shades of melody, miserable and mesmerizing to the bitter end, with bouts of well-timed (and very emotive) speed dragging the melancholy to hysteric, horrific ends.
Various Artists – Curiosity Shop: A Collection Of Rare Aural Antiquities And Objet D‘art From The British Isles 1967-1972 CD (Particles)
A colorful collection of obscured and exuberant pop nuggets — the psychedelic effects have gone and the lightshows have blown, but their lingering presence in the aftermath of the hallucinogenic haze is, though less defined, strangely evident. The end of the explosive decade that brought us the fab four and gave us the pop star was proving to be a turning point in both musical and political terms. Curiosity Shop Two provides a precious insight into the changing times with an illustrious soundtrack to furnish the senses. Rare and obscure artifacts by Steve and Stevie, Pythagoras Theorem, Ian Campbell Group, Dr. Marigold’s Prescription, Juan and Junior, Marc Reid, Casuals, Ten Feet, Jonathan Kelly, Julie Sullivan, Soft Slipper, Galliard, Noel Harrison, Barry Hopkins, Lori Balmer, Polly Niles, Davey Payne, and Sasperella.
Various Artists – Daptone Gold II CD/2xLP (Daptone)
A collection of Daptone favorites and exclusive killers — 21 tunes hand-picked by Daptone staff, musicians, and fans.
Various Artists – Mykki Blanco Presents C-Ore CD (Dogfood Music Group/!K7)
“Earlier this year, Mykki Blanco announced plans to switch his focus from music to investigative journalism, and while many outlets (including this one) took that to mean an end to Blanco’s music career, it seems that was never the plan. Blanco has teamed with !K7 to launch Dogfood Music Group, a label that aims to give voice to underground artists that share his vision and ‘transcend conventional cultural boundaries/constructs.’ The label’s first release will be the C-ORE compilation, which includes tracks by Blanco and Dogfood Music Group members Yves Tumor, Violence and PsychoEgyptian. All four are multi-disciplinary artists, and their sound draws from rap, punk, noise, industrial, grime and beyond.” — Fact
Various Artists – Upside Down Volume Four 1965-1970: Coloured Dreams From The Underworld CD (Particles)
20 more lysergic ‘60s psych pop nuggets from Oz and New Zealand: Zoot, Chapter lll, Avengers, Alison Gros, Final Four, Third Party, Ronnie Burns, Oak Apple Day and more.
Various Artists – You Got What I Want: 24 Classic Blues Songs From The 1920s Vol. 12 CD (Blues Images)
A colletion of some of hardest to find, pre-war blues songs ever recorded. In addition, these tracks were remastered from the finest known copies of each of the original 78 rpm records.
Vieux Farka Touré & Julia Easterlin – Touristes CD (Six Degrees)
New album from famed Malian singer/guitarist Vieux Farka Touré and rising American singer Julia Easterlin. The two met in New York in 2014 and as Vieux recalls, “within about one or two hours we had created four songs together.” Touristes features six originals, three covers — including songs from Bob Dylan and Fever Ray — and one case of a new song built upon an old one.
Vision – Inertia CD/LP+MP3/Cassette (Burger)
Brit-pop by way of East L.A., Vision’s debut album Inertia is chock full of intense 100 mph post-punk grunge blasts. “L.A.’s equivalent to England’s ‘working class’ is the native without a safety net; the local band with more soul in their war-torn Chucks than an entire band of surfers embracing faux-poverty while collecting vintage tube amps.” — LA Weekly
Weatherbox – The Cosmic Drama CD/2xLP (Topshelf)
Originally released on Doghouse Records, this reissue features fully remastered audio with bonus tracks and an unreleased version of “They’re Ready For Us To Come Home.”
Elyse Weinberg – Greasepaint Smile CD/LP (Numerophon)
The unreleased second album by an original lady from the canyon. Recorded and recanted in 1969, Greasepaint Smile is more assured than its self-titled, Tetragrammaton-issued predecessor. Weinberg’s finger-picked acoustic is layered over distant drumming, while her gravel-pit voice evokes life, love, and mortality. Fellow Torontonian Neil Young sears “Houses” with his signature fuzz-tone, casting chaos over the beautiful ballad, while J.D. Souther, Kenny Edwards, and Nils Lofgren, pick up the slack. Masterfully produced by David Briggs, Greasepaint Smile has climbed out of the canyon and is bound for every turntable east of the 405.
Windhand – Grief’s Infernal Flower CD/2xLP+MP3 (Relapse)
The Richmond, VA doom outfit follow up 2013’s Soma with new album Grief’s Infernal Flower. “You really can’t go wrong with super thick sludge metal. It blends some of the best riffs and stomps of heavy metal with atmospheric fuzz and effects. The sickest doom and sludge is usually made of incredibly tight production and creativity, which is why Grief’s Infernal Flower was produced by the legendary Jack Endino at the one and only Soundhouse Recording in Seattle, WA. Endino’s prolific work has touched on everything from Nirvana to High On Fire to smaller bands that we back hard, like Cancers.” – Noisey/Vice
Witchsorrow – No Light, Only Fire CD (Candlelight)
“There isn’t any light at all in what we do,” says frontman Necroskull. “I’m not a very nice person, I don’t like people, I pretty much hate everything. It weakens me, and it comes out through in the music. We’re not the band out high-fiving everyone and pouring shots down your throat. We’re the ones singing about waiting for the end to come, that we’re all children of the grave.”
Zardonic – Antihero CD (E1)
It’s Skrillex meets Slayer.
John Zorn – Inferno CD (Tzadik)
The third CD from Zorn’s most dangerous new instrumental ensemble is inspired by the work and thought of Swedish playwright, poet, painter, philosopher, novelist, alchemist and occultist August Strindberg, whose dark brooding visions were a precursor to expressionism, surrealism and more. Featuring the long form composition “Inferno,” named after one of Srindberg’s most startling texts, the music touches upon metal, jazz, minimalism, atonality, ambient and more. White hot burning intensity from the mind of downtown NY’s eternally youthful hell-raiser performed by a virtuoso trio forged from the worlds of jazz and metal.
DVDs + Blu-ray:
The Boomtown Rats – Live In Germany ’78 DVD+CD (Gonzo)
An unreleased live set from The Boomtown Rats featuring Bob Geldof. Here is the undiluted towering energy, speed, anger and sheer joy of playing in one of the great British/Irish bands at their peak and in their prime.
Deep Purple – From the Setting Sun… (In Wacken) Blu-ray (earMUSIC)
Deep Purple – …To the Rising Sun (In Tokyo) Blu-ray (earMUSIC)
A pair of live concerts recorded during Deep Purple’s recent, ongoing NOW What?! tour (2013 and 2014, respectively), filmed in HD.
Taste – What’s Going On: Taste Live At Isle Of Wight DVD/Blu-ray (Eagle Vision)
Originally formed in Cork, Ireland in 1966 by Rory Gallagher, Taste had a brief but influential career, releasing two studio albums in 1969 and 1970 and disbanding shortly after their legendary appearance at the 1970 Isle Of Wight Festival, which is the centerpiece of this film. The core of What’s Going On is the band’s performance at the festival on August 28th but it is encapsulated by a documentary on the history and importance of Taste and setting the scene for their Isle Of Wight Festival appearance.
This Week’s Vinyl Exclusives:
Alpine – Yuck LP (Votiv Music)
Released last June on CD – now available on vinyl. “The sound of the Australian indie-pop band Alpine is so spare and meticulous, it’s hard to believe it emanates from a six-piece group. While there’s guitar, bass, keyboards and drums at play behind frontwomen Phoebe Baker and Lou James, Alpine builds its songs up harmonically, allowing its sound a sense of space not unlike modern R&B or the likes of jj and Lykke Li. ‘Light’ was a descriptor tagged to 2012’s A Is For Alpine, and it’s easy to be smitten by that seemingly effortless attribute.” – Boise State Public Radio
Atlas Genius – Inanimate Objects LP+MP3 (WB)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Produced by Atlas Genius and Frederik Thaae, Inanimate Objects is the follow-up to the band’s 2013 full-length debut, When It Was Now, which was hailed by Rolling Stone as a “spritely, melodic debut album.”
Lou Barlow – Brace The Wave LP (Joyful Noise)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. “Lou Barlow’s circuitous path as a recording artist has taken him through key roles in Sebadoh and Dinosaur Jr., not to mention The Folk Implosion, which cracked the pop charts with ‘Natural One’ back in the ’90s. He’s also put out a bunch of solo work, both under his own name and in the bedroom-recording project Sentridoh, but in recent years he’s focused more on repairing old professional relationships. That’s meant rejoining Dinosaur Jr., in which he once feuded famously with bandleader J Mascis, and putting out 2013’s Defend Yourself, the first new Sebadoh record in 14 years. Brace The Wave keeps Barlow’s sound stripped to its barren bones, an approach suited to the pleas and confessions therein.” – NPR
Beirut – No No No LP+MP3 (4AD)
Now available on vinyl. “Finding a new love sparked the creativity and songwriting that went into the making of No No No. Condon and his bandmates, bassist Paul Collins and drummer Nick Petree, worked on the new album in the fall of 2014, finally recording it in two weeks live in the studio. Last June, videos of Beirut playing several new songs at Brooklyn’s Northside Festival appeared online. One of them is ‘No No No,’ the title track to the nine-song collection. It’s a jaunty, syncopated, playful tune with a simple yet anthemic melody. The horn arrangements bring depth to the song’s spirited repetition. It’s undeniably Beirut — and a joyfully welcome return.” – NPR
The Bellfuries – Workingman’s Bellfuries LP (Hi-Style Enterprises)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. If you go back and listen to early rockabilly, you’ll see how much it has in common with R&B and rock and roll. (That’s early R&B, not the electronic and vocal stuff that passes for R&B these days). When you put the two together, it’s clear that one grew from the other. The Bellfuries prove the connection between rockabilly and early R&B with the new album Workingman’s Bellfuries.
Boys Life – Departures And Landfalls [Reissue/1996] LP+MP3 (Topshelf)
Departures And Landsfalls is the Kansas City emo band’s definitive release. The album has been remastered for vinyl, comes with expanded packaging inside a gatefold LP jacket and includes a digital download of a live set with three unreleased songs.
Frankie Broyles – Color Set b/w Capturer 7” (Lefse)
New single from the Deerhunter guitarist (Monomania). “’Color Set’ definitely inhabits similar headspace to Deerhunter, but Broyles matches a crooner’s authority with spare lo-fi production in a way that reminds me of Jens Lekman or Merchandise.” — Stereogum
Captain Beefheart And The Magic Band – Batlight Clearkid 1970s LP (Ozit)
Vinyl compilation of great Captain Beefheart live material recorded in Europe, taken from John Peel’s personal collection of live reel to reel tapes and assembled by him in 2002 and passed across for release on the Dandelion label.
CFCF – Radiance And Submission LP (Driftless)
The newest record by Montreal’s CFCF is a loving transmission from the in-between, a soundtrack of non-time, non-being, non-death. Featuring art by Matsuda Matsuo, its eight songs share a stunning ethereality; they quiver and glow like sunlight beaming through closed eyelids. Adding acoustic guitar to his trademark warm synths and masterful electronic production, CFCF’s Michael Silver has made an album that plays like a dreamtime paean to ECM and Windham Hill’s catalogs of meditative folk explorations.
The Delta Saints – Bones LP (Loud & Proud)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. The Delta Saints, a Nashville-based band formed among Belmont College students in 2007, have stripped their roots blues sound down to its essence, having rearranged the elements into something uniquely their own. Their first proper full-length effort explores influences like Jack White, The Black Keys, My Morning Jacket, Band Of Horses and Led Zeppelin.
Delta Spirit – History From Below [Reissue/2010] LP+MP3 (Dualtone)
Originally issued in 2010, San Diego-bred five-piece Delta Spirit’s second full-length, History From Below was produced by My Morning Jacket’s keyboardist Bo Koster and Eli Thomson and followed up the band’s critically acclaimed debut, 2008’s Ode To Sunshine. The 11-track effort was captured at Prairie Sun Studio C in Cotati, CA, the same place Tom Waits has recorded brims with incredibly deep and moving songs that are alternately grand and explosive, rock and rustic, always eloquent and melodic.
Diamond Center – Crystals For The Brass Empire LP (Funny/Not Funny)
Diamond Center’s first full length carved into vinyl gallops out of the gate, taking the listener down a long and winding path full of lush psychedelia, fuzz, and folk.
Diamond D – Dat’s That Sh*t LP (Dymond Mine)
“Dat’s That Sh*t is a collection of beats I made that went on to became hits for various artists (including Mos Def, Busta Rhymes, Pharoahe Monche and more). These beats came straight from the Akai mpc 2000 and Akai 950 directly recorded to the DAT tapes… Nothing was mixed or mastered and the beats appear in the form the artists heard them originally before we went into full productions… Enjoy the rawness and grittiness.” — Diamond D
John Fahey – The Great San Bernardino Birthday Party [Reissue/1966] LP (4 Men With Beards)
Fahey’s never recorded an album that was more thoroughly of its moment. From the groovy flute and twangy sitar accompaniment to the backwards guitar, this Birthday Party is a charmingly trippy ‘60s time capsule. But it isn’t a two dimensional one. The album gains immense depth from the tension between his sweeping, fingerpicked melodies and discordant string-battery. It’s the audible battle between yearned for rose colored luminescence and ankle blistering hellhound darkness that enables this record to transcend its hippie dreaminess.
Faith No More – The Real Thing [Reissue/1989] 2xLP (Rhino)
Faith No More – Angel Dust [Reissue/1992] 2xLP (Rhino)
Recently reissued on CD – now available on vinyl. Deluxe double vinyl LP pressings include the original release accompanied by a second LP filled with rarities related to the album. After extensive touring for their 1989 album The Real Thing, the band returned in 1992 with Angel Dust. It climbed to Number 10 on the US album charts and would later be recognized as one of the most influential releases of the era. The album swings between extremes-aggressive and disturbing, but also beautiful and soothing-showing off every facet of the band’s quirky eloquence on such diverse tracks as “Midlife Crisis,” “Jizzlobber,” “R.V.” and “Small Victory.”
The Fratellis – Eyes Wide, Tongue Tied LP (Cooking Vinyl)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. At the heart of Eyes Wide, Tongue Tied there’s a fun, energetic soul reminiscent of their 2006 debut. It’s wonderfully vibrant, playful and the stories and characters it projects embody the spirit of L.A. (the first place Jon Fratelli ever went to outside Scotland). With recognizable nods to ‘70s Cali-rock, rockabilly and glorious hints of Americana and country layered high, it’s a glorious homecoming with roots in both Scotland and L.A.
Future – DS2 2xLP (Epic)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Third studio album by rapper Future. The album serves as the sequel to his breakout mixtape Dirty Sprite (2011). Future hails from the Kirkwood neighborhood of Atlanta, Georgia. After releasing a series of moderately successful mixtapes between 2010 and 2011, Future signed a major-label deal with Epic Records and fellow American rapper Rocko’s A1 Recordings, which helped launch Future’s own label imprint, Freebandz.
Gatherers – Quiet World LP (Equal Vision)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Second album from the New Jersey post-hardcore act.
Jerusalem In My Heart – If He Dies, If If If If If If LP (Constellation)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Radwan Ghazi Moumneh returns with a second full-length album from his acclaimed Jerusalem In My Heart (JIMH) project, conceived and recorded in his dual homes Montréal and Beirut. Moumneh expands his compositional palette on If He Dies, If If If If If If, exploring new deconstructions and juxtapositions of both traditional and popular Arab musical currents, with an album that oscillates between powerfully emotive vocal tunes and instrumental works that primarily make use of Radwan’s expressive acoustic playing on buzuk and zurna as a point of departure.
Johnny Jewel – The Other Side Of Midnight LP (Italians Do It Better)
Jewel’s epic instrumental — from the forthcoming Dear Tommy full-length — is now available on vinyl.
Mick Karn – Three Part Species [2006] 2xLP (Kscope)
Mick Karn is the former bassist with Japan/Rain Tree Crow/Dalis Car. Three Part Species is his seventh solo album, originally released on his own MK Music label in 2006. Here, Karn blends elements of electronica, hip-hop, jazz, world music and pop. First time on vinyl.
Khemmis – Absolution LP (20 Buck Spin)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Often within the scope of a single song, Khemmis veers effortlessly between the crushing heaviness of Southern sludge and the somber melodicism of traditional doom, cohesively weaving the disparate styles into their own immediately recognizable form. The band incorporates dual vocals, sometimes harsh, but mostly via a stunningly smooth classic doom/heavy rock style that even adamant fans of Pete Stahl and Wino will applaud.
B.B. King – Live At The Regal [Reissue/1965] LP (Geffen)
B.B. King – Live In Cook County Jail [Reissue/1971] LP (Geffen)
HQ-180gm vinyl reissues of a pair of classic B.B. King live albums.
Magnif/J. Dilla – The Shining Pt. 2 b/w The Last 7” (Ghost City)
Detroit MC/Producer, Magnif brings out not one, but two exclusive and unheard J. Dilla beats for his first official solo release. Both instrumentals are exclusive to this vinyl release. Mag first worked with Dilla back in 2003, while still part of Lawless Element. Both songs are recorded and mixed by “Young RJ” Rice (Slum Village). “The Shining Pt. 2” features cuts from DJ TJ The King (Jay Electronica, Royce Da 5’9”, and more). “The Last” features live keys from Vernon Da German (J. Dilla, Dwele, Ess Band, and more).
Briana Marela – All Around Us LP+MP3 (Jagjaguwar)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Briana’s lyrics are forceful, and throughout her second album, All Around Us, traditional song structure gives way to plainspoken declarations that pull back the record’s shroud. Her first single, “Surrender” is musically delicate at first, with flickering blips and chords that float into earshot like fireflies. “Take Care Of Me” is the album’s brightest and most immediate song, a buoyant celebration of friendship with a skittering beat and a warm, sweet melody. And title track “All Around Us” is a stark but inspiring beauty, built on the memory of a family member of Briana’s who passed away, and the sadness of not being able to say “goodbye” or “I love you” one last time. It is the balance of the abstract and the intimate that makes Briana Marela and All Around Us so special.
Mild High Club – Timeline LP (Circle Star)
Mild High Club is the home for the musical output of Alexander Brettin, a jazz-schooled musician transplanted from the Midwest to Los Angeles. Premiered originally via Stereogum, they write of the blissed out psych track, “it feels like a lost ’60s tune, each note sustained with a twirl of vibrato creating an elongated nonchalant West Coast vibe… it’s sweet, in all senses of the word.” Recording with a Fostex four-track cassette recorder, MacBook, 12-string electric guitar, PortaSound keyboard, bass, drum machine, software instruments “and whatever was lying around,” Brettin began recording Timeline in 2012. CD version due September 25.
Mind Over Mirrors – The Voice Calling LP+MP3 (Immune)
Mind Over Mirrors, the Chicago-based solitary reeling of Jaime Fennelly with guest vocalist Haley Fohr (Circuit des Yeux, Thrill Jockey) present The Voice Calling. Using the Indian pedal harmonium, synthesizers, tape delays, and voice, Fennelly and Fohr create dynamic and strangely accessible music that feels at once devotional and measureless. Mind Over Mirrors has been praised by Pitchfork’s The Out Door as one of the most innovative duos in exploratory music and has recently shared stages with Steve Gunn, Daniel Bachman, and more.
Ashley Monroe – The Blade LP (WB)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Sophomore album by the American country music singer/songwriter. The Blade includes “On To Something Good,” “The Blade” and “I Buried Your Love Alive.”
Mountain Movers – Death Magic LP (Safety Meeting)
Many bands described as “low-fi” only begin that way, and as the artist improves, so does the level of fidelity. But the Mountain Movers have upended the usual trajectory. After their ambitious and incredibly realized album Let’s Open Up The Chest (2008), a hi-fidelity studio production, subsequent releases were grounds for experimentation and home recording, resulting in a sound that some might call low-fi. For the Mountain Movers, this experimentation was a quest for an elusive tone, a far-off texture, and anyone who has seen their live shows over the last few years has witnessed the Mountain Movers distill their formula into something organic, pure, and unmasked.
Peter & The Test Tube Babies – The Loud Blaring Punk Rock LP [Reissue/1985] LP (Let Them Eat Vinyl)
Yellow vinyl reissue of the English punk rock band’s fourth album.
Phish – Rift [1993] 2xLP+MP3 (Jemp)
Rift is Phish’s fourth official studio album and the next to be issued on vinyl for the first time.
Plain White T’s – American Nights LP (MRI Associated)
Released last March on CD – now available on vinyl. It’s been years since the Plain White T’s kicked off their career in the Chicago suburbs, playing a mix of pop, punk and melody-driven rock & roll in basements and clubs across the metro area. American Nights is the band’s first independent album since 2001.
P.O.D. (Payable On Death) – The Awakening LP (T-Boy)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. New release by the veteran Christian alt-metal band. Produced by longtime collaborator Howard Benson, The Awakening features special guests Maria Brink from In This Moment and Lou Koller from Sick Of It All.
Frank Sinatra – Strangers In The Night [Reissue/1966] LP (Reprise)
Frank Sinatra – The World We Knew [Reissue/1967] LP (Reprise)
HQ-180gm vinyl reissues, released in conjunction with Sinatra’s centennial year.
Small Faces – From The Beginning [Reissue/1966] LP (Mercury)
Small Faces – From The Beginning [Reissue/1967] LP (Mercury)
Limited HQ-180gm audiophile vinyl LP represses of a pair of albums by the iconic British quartet featuring Steve Marriot, Ronnie Lane, Kenny Jones and Ian McLagan. The band is remembered as one of the most acclaimed and influential mod groups of the 1960s. With memorable hit songs and one of rock’s first concept albums, they later evolved into one of the UK’s most successful psychedelic acts before disbanding in 1969. Lane, Jones and McLagan would later form The Faces with Rod Stewart and Ron Wood.
Statik Selektah – Lucky 7 LP (Duck Down)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. New album from the Boston Rapper. Lucky 7 includes appearances by Hannibal Buress, Action Bronson, Royce Da 5’9, Bun B, Sean Price, Styles P and more.
St Germain – Tourist [Reissue/2000] 2xLP (Nonesuch)
St Germain is the stage name of Ludovic Navarre and based on the story of the Count of St. Germain, a mysterious and eccentric man from the 18th century who claimed to be several hundred years old. St Germain is among the leading French masters to have established the ‘French Touch’: the French Traxx EP and Motherland EP’, both released in 1993, introduced his style: a mix of deep house, jazz and lounge; sampling and real instruments playing side to side.
The album ‘Boulevard’ (1995) and the track “Alabama Blues” (reworked by Todd Edwards at the same period) made St Germain a success worldwide. Five years later, the album Tourist (2000) had an tremendous impact with the famous singles “Rose Rouge,” “Sure Thing” and “So Flute.”
Donna Summer – Love To Love You Baby [Reissue/1975] LP (Mercury)
Limited vinyl LP repressing, released to coincide with the album’s 40th Anniversary. Love To Love You Baby was the first studio album by singer, songwriter and disco trailblazer Donna Summer to be released in the United States. “Love To Love You Baby” was Summer’s first single and first hit in America, reaching #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in early 1976.
TesseracT – One [Reissue/2011] LP+CD (Century Media)
Formed as a studio project back in 2003 by guitarist Acle Kahney, TesseracT immediately eschewed all well-established notions of what metal should sound like and swiftly became a unique and daring entity. By 2007, Acle had recruited a line-up worthy of his groundbreaking compositions and this new band embarked upon a quest to inject some originality and excitement back into an often myopic and lazy British metal scene. Color vinyl.
UK Subs – In Action [Reissue/1986] 2xLP (Let Them Eat Vinyl)
Clear vinyl repress. Upon its original release in 1986, In Action marked the band’s tenth anniversary and collects a mix of tracks recorded up to that point.
Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats – The Night Creeper LP (Rise Above)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats’ new album is comprised of ten tracks of the type of sonic psyche-frazzling heaviness and blood-drenched pop that have made them one of Britain’s great cult bands. Recorded at Toe Rag studios in early 2015 with engineer Liam Watson (White Stripes, Tame Impala, Electric Wizard), their fourth opus The Night Creeper finds the quartet in full-on death-tripping, third eye-widening mode. Here songs ooze louche evil over flesh-melting riffs that creep like hot magma bubbling up through the earth’s crust at their own malevolent pace.
Vaadat Charigim – Sinking As Stone LP+MP3 (Burger)
Released last June on CD – now available on vinyl. Sophomore record from Israeli shoegaze and dream pop trio.
Young Fathers – Soon Come Soon b/w Everyguy 7” (Big Dada)
Young Fathers had got together for a wild night in a studio ran by a man called Daddy Kev. Under the influence of surf, skunk and earthquakes they got choral, and so the end of the world became a pop song. “Soon Come Soon” lives on its own, it’s not part of an album: this is a singular single.
Yung – These Thoughts Are Like Mandatory Chores LP (Fat Possum)
Yung are a energetic indie rock group very keen on DIY aesthetics: the artwork and production of this EP was handled by the band themselves. These Thoughts Are Like Mandatory Chores bounces along vigorously with a nicely overdriven guitar sound, sharp slices of feedback punctuating the songs here and there.
Cassettes:
Rémy Charrier – Cowries (Umor Rex)
Rémy Charrier is a French audiovisual artist based in México City. With a classic formation made sporadic due to frequent changes of residence, his approach to music was for a while basically made of improvisation exercises with a piano. After a couple of previous releases in the shape of a duo-project in France, Cowries is his first solo work. Includes download.
Gultskra Artikler – Destroy Music (Umor Rex)
Gultskra Artikler is a project of Moscow-based Alexey Devyanin, who has to this date several releases including four albums in the marvelous German label Miasmah. Destroy Music is an exercise in —literally— destroying the music Alexey has been listening in recent years. Taking samples from countless sources, creating new patterns and then trashing them, these pieces are something we might call sound recycling, and there are plenty of moments of endless collage and layers. Includes download.
Roberto Carlos Lange – Plural People (Umor Rex)
Roberto Carlos Lange is a Brooklyn based composer of Ecuadorian descent and a conceptual visual artist, also known for his work as Helado Negro. Plural People is a collection of music and sound pieces from 1999 to 2011. It all starts back in 1999 when Roberto was 19 and exploring computer synthesis parallel to making music with samplers like the MPC 2000 XL. Includes download.
Scott Tuma – Eyrie (Immune)
Scott Tuma is a luminary of the Chicago musical landscape from his days as guitarist in pioneering Chicago alt-country band Souled American to his work in the Boxhead Ensemble and Good Stuff House (with Matt Christensen and Mike Weis of Zelienople) and his collaborations with Jim White (Dirty Three, Xylouris White), Jim Becker (Califone), Jason Stein, Ben Boye, and Jaime Fennelly (Mind Over Mirrors).
Vision – Inertia (Burger)
Brit-pop by way of East L.A., Vision’s debut album Inertia is chock full of intense 100 mph post-punk grunge blasts. “L.A.’s equivalent to England’s ‘working class’ is the native without a safety net; the local band with more soul in their war-torn Chucks than an entire band of surfers embracing faux-poverty while collecting vintage tube amps.” — LA Weekly
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