CDs + Vinyl:
Chasing Safety – Nomad CD (Cooking Vinyl)
Hailing from Cherry Hill, NJ, Chasing Safety is a captivating band best known for delivering a barrage of ferociously intricate guitar riffs, explosive choruses, and hauntingly cinematic flares.
Dropkick Murphys – 11 Short Stories Of Pain & Glory CD/LP+MP3 (Dropkick Murphys)
The Dropkick Murphys’ new album contains moments of ass-kicking Celtic punk attitude, ball-busting wisecracks, tear-jerking confessions, and upbeat words of wisdom.
Brian Eno – Reflection CD/2xLP+MP3 (Warp)
“Reflection is the latest work in a long series. It started (as far as record releases are concerned) with Discreet Music in 1975… The pedigree of this piece includes Thursday Afternoon, Neroli (whose subtitle is Thinking Music IV) and LUX. I’ve made a lot of thinking music, but most of it I’ve kept for myself. Now I notice that people are using some of those earlier records in the way that I use them — as provocative spaces for thinking — so I feel more inclined to make them public. Pieces like this have another name: they’re GENERATIVE. By that I mean they make themselves. My job as a composer is to set in place a group of sounds and phrases, and then some rules which decide what happens to them. I then set the whole system playing and see what it does, adjusting the sounds and the phrases and the rules until I get something I’m happy with. Because those rules are probabilistic (often taking the form perform operation x, y percent of the time) the piece unfolds differently every time it is activated. What you have here is a recording of one of those unfoldings.”
Janeane Garofalo – If I May CD (Comedy Dynamics)
Janeane Garofalo’s If I May, her first special in five years, takes on society’s intolerance of gluten and House Hunters International. With her unapologetic attitude, Janeane proudly states her AARP membership, her love for Febreze but the disdain for their commercials, and her disinterest in doctors.
Gone Is Gone – Echolocation CD/LP+MP3 (Rise)
Gone Is Gone is a “supergroup” featuring members of Mastodon, Queens Of The Stone Age, and At The Drive-In. [Limited edition white color vinyl pressing also available.]
Halestorm – ReAniMate 3.0: The CoVeRs eP CDEP (Atlantic)
Includes covers of Whitesnake, Sophie B. Hawkins, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, Twenty One Pilots, Soundgarden, and Metallica.
Nightwish – Vehicle Of Spirit 2xCD+DVD/2xCD+Blu-ray (Nuclear Blast)
New live release from the Finnish symphonic metal band.
Nurse With Wound – The Great Ecstasy Of The Basic Corrupt CD (United Dirter)
Available for the first time since being issued privately as a limited vinyl, United Dirter presents the CD issue of NWW’s ultra-rare 2014 two track LP, The Great Ecstasy Of The Basic Corrupt. The additional track “Circles Of Confusion” comes from the equally rare Silver Bromide LP (2013). Indulge yourself in these three immersive, ocean deep and intensely powerful tracks of sinister whimsy for the wretched.
Spill – Top Ten CD/LP+MP3 (No Sleep)
Top Ten is an instant beer and blood-soaked Rickenbacker rock ‘n’ roll signaling. The musical equivalent of a movie scene where the protagonist wakes up in their clothes, lights a cigarette, chugs a beer, and walks outside to face the terror of everyday life with a sadistic smile and understanding of the mess ahead of him. For Fans of: Archers of Loaf, Superchunk, Cheap Girls, Beach Slang. [Limited coke bottle clear vinyl pressing also available.]
Violent Arrest – Violent Arrest CD (Deranged)
Twenty years later and they’re still at it. Featuring three quarters of the former members of UK’s original hardcore blasters Ripcord, Violent Arrest burst forth with twelve brand new rippers, rippling with the same urgency and controlled rage that brought about the original notoriety of these thrashers.
Ron Wood – I’ve Got My Own Album To Do / Now Look [Reissue/1974/1975] 2xCD (Friday Music)
Twofer CD reissue of the Jeff Beck Group/Faces/The Rolling Stones guitarist’s first two solo albums.
You Me At Six – Night People CD/LP+MP3 (BMG Rights Management)
Fifth studio album by the British rockers.
This Week’s Vinyl Exclusives:
The Agnes Circle – Some Vague Desire LP (Avant!)
This London-based duo draws on elements of English post-punk and French cold wave. The eight songs on their first full-length combine angular guitars, lush and driven bass lines, hypnotic rhythms, and melodic croons.
Rashied Ali/Frank Lowe – Duo Exchange [Reissue/1973] LP (No Label)
“[Drummer] Rashied Ali is perhaps best remembered for his spare backing behind Coltrane’s solo sax on the record Interstellar Space – and we’re tempted to say that there’s a similar vibe going on here – as the record just features Ali on drums and percussion, and the great Frank Lowe on tenor, plus Japanese flute and a bit of percussion too. The approach is nice and open, in a loft jazz mode – and Frank blows with a rough-hewn emotion that brings a lot to the session, and which provides a good grounding for Ali’s sometimes loose work on drums.” – Dusty Groove
Attila – Chaos LP (Sharp Tone)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. For over 10 years Atlanta’s Attila have been making uncompromising metal with a penchant for fun and partying.
David Bowie – Legacy 2xLP (Columbia/Sony Legacy)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Legacy collects together some of Bowie’s finest singles from his first hit, 1969’s “Space Oddity” through to “Lazarus.” All formats feature a previously unreleased version of the classic 1971 single “Life On Mars?” mixed by its original producer Ken Scott.
Holly Bowling – Better Left Unsung 3xLP (The Royal Potato Family)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Holly Bowling’s Better Left Unsung is a collection of classical solo piano arrangements of the music of The Grateful Dead.
Jakob Bro/Thomas Morgan/Joey Baron – Streams LP (ECM)
Released last September on CD – now available on vinyl. On his second leader album for ECM following on from the prizewinning Gefion, Danish guitarist Jakob Bro continues to refine his trio project, with its emphases on melody, sound, space, layered textures and interaction.
Call Of The Void – AYFKM 12” (Translation Loss)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. New five-song EP from Colorado’s grinding hardcore cult.
The Chainsmokers – Collage 12” (Sony)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. The Chainsmokers is a DJ/EDM duo consisting of Andrew Taggart and Alex Pall. “If you haven’t heard of The Chainsmokers yet, it’s about time you do. Aside from topping the Hype Machine charts this year with their electro-pop-infused remixes of killer indie tracks, sassy East Coast natives Alex Pall and Drew Taggart are very cool customers, flawlessly operating the enigma that is the NYC club scene.” – Raver Rafting
Cherub – Bleed Gold, Piss Excellence 2xLP+CD (Sony)
New release from the electro-indie duo from Nashville, Tennessee. Cherub is inspired by ’80s post-disco, synth pop, and funk.
Coil – Astral Disaster (Prescription Edition) [Reissue/1999] LP (Prescription)
This rare Coil album was part of the legendary subscription-only Prescription label album series in the late 1990’s, issued in an edition of 99 signed and numbered copies, long since sold-out.
Sam Cooke – One Night Stand! Live At Harlem Square [Reissue/1985] LP (Analog Sparks)
Limited 180gm audiophile vinyl LP pressing housed in an old-style tip-on jacket. Initially recorded to be released as a live album entitled One Night Stand, the concert at the Harlem Square club (in Miami’s historically African American neighborhood of Overtown) was not released until 1985. RCA Victor, at the time, viewed the album as too gritty and raw and possibly damaging to his pop image, and quietly kept the recordings in their archive.
Carson Cox with Sam York & Austin Brown – Fire Dance b/w Rene 7” (Wharf Cat)
New single from Carson Cox (Merchandise), Sam York (Wall), and Austin Brown (Parquet Courts). The collaborators channel the glitz of Sam Falls’ shimmering cover artwork on tracks that resonate heat like August concrete in the city. These tracks are constructed from spliced disco rhythms, modulated synth lines, and searing guitars with Sam and Carson’s fevered vocals pulsing from all sides.
Deströyer 666 – Defiance [Reissue/2009] LP (Season Of Mist)
Deströyer 666 – Wildfire [Reissue/2016] LP (Season Of Mist)
Limited edition vinyl reissues of the Australian death/black/thrash metal band’s last two albums. [2016’s Wildfire is pressed on silver color vinyl.]
Art Farmer – Big Blues [Reissue/1978] LP (ORG Music)
Art Farmer and Jim Hall had a regular group for a time in the ’60s but — except for one occasion — had not played together since, until this 1978 LP. Since Farmer and Hall have long had very complementary styles (both being lyrical, harmonically advanced and thoughtful in their improvisations), it is little surprise that this set is a complete success. Now this classic record gets ORG Music’s audiophile treatment with this 180gm LP reissue, mastered from original tapes by Bernie Grundman and pressed at Pallas Group in Germany.
Fraser & DeBolt – Flight Of The Light Air Force 7”+MP3 (Roaratorio)
The majestic title track—an outtake from their second Columbia LP With Pleasure (1973)—left off for reasons of space (it clocks in at eight minutes)—could’ve been a highlight of this outsider-folk duo’s career. On the flipside are two cuts recorded live at a February 1970 concert in upstate New York with violinist Ian Guenther: their signature song “Dance Hall Girls” and a rollicking version of the Stones’ “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.”
Funkadelic – Finest [Reissue/1997] 2xLP (Tidal Waves Music)
Comprised out of sixteen carefully selected tracks and covering a six year period (1970-1976), Finest may be the best-assembled Funkadelic collection from this period yet, as both renowned band standards share space with several oft-overlooked tracks.
The Griswolds – High Times For Low Lives LP (Wind-Up)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. The Aussie alt-rockers are back with a new album.
Hassler – Fed, Worked, And Watered LP (Deranged)
Hardcore punk from Toronto.
Honus Honus – Use Your Delusion LP (MRI Associated)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. The first-ever solo album from Man Man’s Honus Honus showcases his uncanny ability to write brilliant pop songs without falling victim to convention or formula. Captivating and catchy, the songs will stick with you long after the record stops spinning. Short and sweet dystopian pop that leans hard into the hooks.
Antonio Carlos Jobim – Stone Flower [Reissue/1970] LP (ORG Music)
Recorded in 1970 at Rudy Van Gelder’s studio under the production auspices of Creed Taylor, the arrangement and conducting skills of Deodato, and the engineering expertise of Van Gelder himself, Jobim’s Stone Flower is quite simply one of his most quietly stunning works. The album is a simply brilliant, velvety, late-night snapshot of Jobim at his peak. This 180gm vinyl reissue was mastered from analog tapes by Bernie Grundman and pressed on audiophile-grade vinyl at Pallas in Germany.
k.d. lang – Shadowland [Reissue/1988] LP (Sire)
Vinyl reissue of the Canadian pop and country singer/songwriter’s solo debut. Shadowland includes lang’s collaboration with Kitty Wells, Loretta Lynn and Brenda Lee on “Honky Tonk Angels’ Medley” and was produced by Owen Bradley, who produced Patsy Cline’s best-known work.
Joe McPhee & Chris Corsano – Under A Double Moon LP+MP3 (Roaratorio)
With a career now spanning over forty years and more than one-hundred recordings, Joe McPhee has shown that in the world of creative improvised music, emotional content and theoretical underpinnings are thoroughly compatible—and, in fact, a critically important pairing. Since recording The Hated Music with Paul Flaherty in 2000, Chris Corsano has been active in far-reaching corners of the free improvised world. Recorded live in Paris during their spring 2010 tour of Europe, Under A Double Moon is McPhee and Corsano’s first album together.
Misery Index – The Killing Gods [Reissue/2014] LP (Season Of Mist)
Limited edition clear vinyl pressing of the political death/metal/grindcore band’s most recent album.
The Modern Art – Underwater Kites [1982] LP (Lion Productions)
Welcome to the darkly enchanting minimal synth-pop and psych-tinged world of The Modern Art. As an introduction to the world of Coil and Current 93 collaborator Gary Ramon and his orbiting bandmates, you can’t do better. Formed by Ramon in the early 1980’s, The Modern Art released two albums on vinyl, and a significant amount of impossible-to-find cassettes.
Josefin Öhrn + The Liberation – Mirage LP (Rocket)
Josefin Öhrn + The Liberation’s second effort Mirage sees the band sculpting sprawling, hypnotic jams into elegant nocturnal serenades with such serendipity that their actual creation remains a little hazy even to themselves. True to form, Mirage sees the band taking a chic tradition of avant-pop that extends all the way from Serge Gainsbourg and Françoise Hardy to Broadcast and Saint Etienne, and warping it mercilessly to their own darker ends.
People Skills – Gunshots At Crestridge LP (Blackest Ever Black)
Ten sunken songs, derisively adorned with rhythm and rudimentary dub effects.
Phobocosm – Bringer Of Drought LP (Dark Descent)
Released last May on CD – now available on vinyl. Sophomore album from the brooding and crushing Canadian death metal band.
Savoy – Lackluster Me [Reissue/1997] LP (Apollon/Karisma)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Savoy is a Norwegian-American rock trio consisting of Paul Waaktaar-Savoy (famous from Norwegian band a-ha) (vocals/guitars/bass/keyboards). Lackluster Me is the band’s sophomore album, originally released in 1997. “An astonishing masterpiece: dangerously catchy and unpredictably intellectual in its gloomy, monumental beauty” (Stavanger Aftenblad, October 1997).
Soundtrack – Kinky Boots: The New Musical Based On A True Story [Original Broadway Cast Recording/2013] 2xLP+MP3 (Masterworks)
Inspired by a true story and based on the Miramax motion picture written by Geoff Deane and Tim Firth, Kinky Boots features a warm and witty book by four-time Tony Award winner Harvey Fierstein (La Cage, Torch Song Trilogy, Hairspray, Newsies) and a richly diverse musical score from Grammy Award-winning singer Cyndi Lauper, in her theatrical debut.
T2 – T2 (aka Fantasy) LP (Acme)
Even though fame and fortune never came to pass for T2, their Decca album It’ll All Work Out In Boomland has become an all-time classic amongst collectors of progressive and psychedelic music. Apart from a BBC radio session, fans long assumed that Boomland was both the beginning and the end of the group’s recorded legacy. But some time back, Acme Records unearthed an eponymous second album of material, recorded in 1970 with the original line-up as demo tracks for a planned second album. This second T2 album, had it been released in 1970, could have put the band on the same level of fame with the likes of Deep Purple, Free, and King Crimson (bands with whom T2 shared a stage).
Thollem/Oliveros/Cline – Molecular Affinity LP+MP3 (Roaratorio)
The third in pianist Thollem McDonas and guitarist Nels Cline’s series of free improv trios (with a different third player each time) brings in Pauline Oliveros on v-accordion. Together they build evocative whodunit-scapes with understated tension worthy of a noirish thriller from the 1970s.
Thrawsunblat – Metachthonia 2xLP (Broken Limbs)
Thrawsunblat is a raw folk/melodic black metal band from Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada, fronted by Juno-winning Woods Of Ypres’ guitarist Joel Violette. “With Metachthonia they have created something near-impossible for the style: an album that’s equally ferocious, somber, void of pretense and utterly majestic.”—Metal Bandcamp
Uj3rk5 – Live From The Commodore Ballroom 2xLP (Primary Information)
A legendary 1980 performance (opening for Gang Of Four) by this strongly visual Canadian post-punk/art-rock group with an affinity for Devo, Talking Heads, and the Vancouver School of photo conceptualism.
Vanhelgd – Temple Of Phobos LP (Dark Descent)
Vinyl reissue of the Swedish death metal band’s 2016 album.
Various Artists – Cold Waves Of Color: Volume 4 LP (Color Tapes)
As with the other volumes you can find great examples of cold wave, minimal wave and synth electronics made by obscure British bands such as Disintegrators, Mystery Plane, Berserk In A Hayfield and Lives Of Angels — all recorded between 1980-1985, vestiges of the 1980’s UK cassette underground scene.
Vicious Cycle – Pale Blue Dot LP (Deranged)
Pale Blue Dot is a blend of traditional 1980’s American hardcore and experimental instrumentation.
Neil Young – Peace Trail LP (Reprise)
Recently released on CD and cassette – now available on vinyl. Peace Trail features all new songs that Young wrote since the release of his album Earth, this past June. This new album is primarily acoustic and reflects an intimate, sparse approach to each of the ten songs within. It was recorded at Rick Rubin’s Shangri-la Studios and features Young on vocals and guitar, Jim Keltner on drums, and Paul Bushnell on bass.
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