CDs + Vinyl:
Aeges – Weightless CD (Another Record Co.)
Los Angeles based Aeges huff in Queens Of The Stone Age’s desert-born riffs, marry them to post-hardcore angst and spit out a riffy, melodious, volume-charged sound. Having counted members of Pelican, 16 and Juliette Lewis and The Licks in its rank, Aeges has been concocting it’s sound for the past four years: gigging with bands as diverse as Coheed & Cambria, Thrice and TOOL.
Afro-Haitian Experimental Orchestra – Afro-Haitian Experimental Orchestra CD/LP (Glitterbeat)
Afrobeat drummer Tony Allen was asked to come to Haiti and play with an assortment of leading Haitian musicians recruited by the Haitian National Bureau of Ethnology. Out of the chaos, Allen stepped up as music director, laying down beats to which were added super bass lines, voodoo rhythms, chants, and more. This album was assembled from rehearsal tapes after plans to record the live performance were thwarted by technical difficulties.
The Amazing – Ambulance CD/LP+MP3 (PTKF)
Despite reflecting Chris Gunrup’s often-bleak worldview, the music is expansive and beautiful, marked by playing that is as much free jazz as rock — pure music without any showiness. The songs unfold slowly, without a traditional verse/chorus structure, spinning gauzy webs of shimmering mystery with their own inimitable dynamic of sinuous, swirling guitars; rich, ambient bass lines; crisp percussion and restrained, church-like, keyboard textures.
Apocalyptica – Plays Metallica By Four Cellos [Reissue/1996] CD/LP (Odyssey Music Network)
Remastered reissue. As the album’s title suggests, this is a tribute album, made from instrumental cello covers of Metallica songs.
Baptism – V: The Devil’s Fire CD/LP (Season Of Mist)
New album from the Finnish cult black metal outfit.
Barbarisms – Browser CD/LP (Control Freak Kitten)
“Pitched somewhere between the playful jangle of Jeffrey Lewis and the off-kilter wisdom of Guided By Voices…a captivating slice of lo-fi wonder that shines like a gem shimmering in a pool of darkness.” — Loud & Quiet
Big Smo – We The People CD (Warner Music Nashville)
New album from the hick-hop artist.
The Birthday Massacre – Imagica CD/LP (Metropolis)
The Birthday massacre has dug into their past with this collection of songs recorded under their original moniker Imagica.
Black Crown Initiate – Selves We Cannot Forgive CD/LP (E1)
A contemplative study of the mind, the spirit, and the nature of reality itself may seem incongruent with the trappings of heavy metal to the uninitiated casual observer. But those who descend into the darkest subterranean abyss of the art form’s most aggressive nihilism, only to soar under protection of a meditative cloak of aural pleasure, are those who may share in the near-supernatural wonder and inward carnal primitivism alike found within the progressive death metal of Black Crown Initiate. Selves We Can Not Forgive, the band’s sophomore album, is a lean and focused collection that jettisons the extraneous fat found too often within ambitious metal bands, striking a balance between fearless adventurousness and methodical might. The band’s keen awareness of the degradation and deterioration of culture powers much of the creative exploration on their new album, whether that decay is seen in art, politics, or anywhere else in society.
Blut Aus Nord/Ævangelist – Codex Obscura Nomina CD (Debemur Morti)
“This split LP from Blut Aus Nord and Ævangelist explores black metal’s capacity to accommodate an array of sounds and moods, not just grimness.” — Pitchfork
The Body – All The Waters Of The Earth Turn To Blood [Reissue/2010] CD/2xLP+MP3 (At A Loss)
All The Waters Of The Earth Turn To Blood was originally released in 2010 and has gone through multiple pressings. This is the first time it has been readily available on both CD and double-LP formats in some time. All The Waters… was released before The Body signed to Thrill Jockey and appeared on many 2010 favorite lists worldwide, including Decibel, Brooklyn Vegan, About.com, Stereogum, NME, and The Quietus, even bagging a #4 spot on NPR Music’s top 10 metal/drone albums of the year as well as a #6 spot on Pitchfork’s Reader’s Choice top 10 metal albums in their year-end reader’s poll. [Limited white vinyl edition also available.]
Bron Area – The Trees And The Villages [Reissue/1983] CD (Glass Redux)
First reissue of the debut LP by English band Bron Area, originally released on Glass Records in 1983. Bron Area started life as a duo of Martin Packwood and Steven Parker in March 1979, emerging from a community of musicians in Nuneaton, England, that also included Martyn Bates and Peter Becker of Eyeless in Gaza, Reluctant Stereotypes, Kevin Harrison, and others, documented by the Ambivalent Scale Recordings label.
Matt Brown – Walk Into The Light CD (Rock Ridge Music)
Matt Brown is an old soul, and that is evident in the music he creates. With a voice seasoned by influences such as Ray Charles & Bill Withers and guitar styling steeped in the tradition of Eric Clapton & Stevie Ray Vaughn, Brown’s artistry is filled with as much blue-eyed soul as his baby blue Fender Telecaster, “Stella Blue.”
Jane Bunnett – Spirits Of Havana/Chamalongo [Reissue/1991/1997] 2xCD (Linus Entertainment)
June marks the 25th Anniversary of Spirits Of Havana, Jane Bunnett’s landmark 1991 album. It was the first major collaboration of North American and Cuban musicians, preceding Buena Vista Social Club by several years.
Capsize – A Reintroduction: The Essence Of All That Surrounds Me CD (Equal Vision)
“For seasoned fans of the Southern Californian four-piece, this LP is exactly what has come to be expected of the band; fast, urgent guitar riffs laced with a combination of melodic harmonies and angst-ridden lyrics.” – Mosh/Hit The Floor
Coil – The Ape Of Naples [Reissue/2005] CD/2xLP (Important)
Coil – The New Backwards [Reissue/2008] CD/LP (Important)
The Ape Of Naples is Coil’s highly celebrated final album completed by Peter Christopherson following the tragic death of John Balance in 2004. Often noted for being a fan favorite, The Ape Of Naples uses Balance’s final recordings and material recorded at Trent Reznor’s studio in New Orleans to create a deep, heavy masterpiece. The New Backwards, created in 2007, was originally included in The Ape Of Naples box set released on Important in 2008 and was constructed by Peter Christopherson using material from the Backwards sessions, recorded in the early ’90s for a planned release on Trent Reznor’s Nothing Records label. The New Backwards, like The Ape Of Naples, is an intense fan favorite and an essential part of the Coil catalog.
Cortex – Troupeau Bleu [Reissue/1975] CD (Underdog)
Reissue of the first and most famous album recorded by French jazz-funk legends Cortex. Recorded in two days in July 1975, it is a real musical UFO, an unclassifiable record, a mixing of a thousand flavors.
Crown The Empire – Retrograde CD (Rise)
New album from the Dallas post-hardcore outfit. [Vinyl edition due August 26.]
Defeated Sanity – Disposal Of The Dead // Dharmata CD/2xLP (Willowtip)
Considered by many to be the best brutal death metal band in the world, Defeated Sanity return with what is essentially a split album with themselves. Disposal Of The Dead is Defeated Sanity in their most primal form: a caveman-esque display of audio barbarity, that is stripped down, raw, and unrelenting. Whereas Dharmata is an homage to old school progressive death metal: jazzy guitar runs, flip-flopping time signatures, and songs that stretch past the five-minute mark.
Denouncement Pyre – Black Sun Unbound CD (Hell’s Headbangers)
“I love Australian metal, and Denouncement Pyre is no exception. Formed in 2003, this Melbourne blackened-death quartet impressed me with ferocious 2010 debut World Cremation, only to somehow top it with 2013’s Almighty Arcanum. As the swirling riffs of instrumental opener ‘Abnegate’ and first proper track ‘Deathless Dreaming’ indicate, Black Sun Unbound is quite different from its predecessor. Dense, ambitious, and stuffed with energetic fretwork, this album could peel the infamous ‘246 riffs!’ sticker off of Dark Angel’s Time Does Not Heal and slap it on its own cover without fear of false advertising.” – Angry Metal Guy
Despised Icon – Beast CD/LP (Nuclear Blast)
New album from the Montreal based deathcore pioneers.
Dio – A Decade Of Dio: 1983-1993 6xCD (Rhino)
A Decade Of Dio brings together their first six studio albums, each featuring newly remastered audio. Includes: Holy Diver (1983), The Last In Line (1984), Sacred Heart (1985), Dream Evil (1987), Lock Up The Wolves (1990), and Strange Highways (1993). [Vinyl edition due October 4.]
DJ Drama – Quality Street Music 2 CD (E1)
Fifth album from the hip-hop artist with appearances from Lil Uzi Vert, Meek Mill, Lil Wayne, Chris Brown, August Alsina, Mac Miller, Post Malone, Trey Songz and Ty Dolla $ign among others.
Dragonforce – Killer Elite 2xCD/2xCD+DVD (Spinefarm)
22 career-spanning tracks including hits and live material. Dragonforce combines elements of thrash, speed and power metal. Available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe adds a DVD featuring all of the band’s videos.
Peter Erskine Trio/John Taylor/Palle Danielsson – As It Was 4xCD (ECM)
The newest addition to ECM’s Old And New Masters Series is a box set reprising the four albums recorded by Peter Erskine’s American-British-Swedish trio with John Taylor and Palle Danielsson between 1992 and 1997: You Never Know, As It Is, Time Being and Juni. If its core concept as a piano trio led by a drummer was unorthodox, the group was nonetheless influential, and the recordings provide an excellent environment for appreciating the distinctive writing and playing of John Taylor.
Euge Groove – Still Euge CD (Shanachie)
New set of Euge Groove’s trademark funk/jazz grooves.
Gil Evans & Jaco Pastorius – Live Under The Sky Tokyo ’84 2xCD (Hi Hat)
Best-known for their respective contributions to the music of Miles Davis and Weather Report, Gil Evans and Jaco Pastorius are true giants of 20th Century jazz and fusion. This rare collaboration, performed at Yomiuri Land Open Theater East, Tokyo, Japan on July 28, 1984, finds them both at the peak of their powers, driving each other on to new heights. Sadly, they would both be dead within four years, but it stands as a remarkable testament to their genius. Originally broadcast on NHK BS Channel 1.
Faun Fables – Born Of The Sun CD/2xLP (Drag City)
“Finally, the hot summer yodel jam you didn’t know you’d been waiting for is here! Dawn McCarthy and Nils Frykdahl, the psych-folk masterminds behind Faun Fables, are back with a new album — it promises tunes inspired by theater, folklore, and… yodeling.” – Tiny Mixtapes
Flox – Homegrown 2xCD (Echo Beach)
Anglo-French artist Flox has been sowing his “nu reggae” seeds for years now in venues all around France, and a new genre has sprouted, somewhere between roots reggae and electro. Deeply influenced by the Jamaican culture, from Linton Kwesi Johnson to The Police, to the more modern Fat Freddy’s Dop, Flox released his fifth album, Homegrown, in his home country France in late 2015.
Forevermore – Integral CD (Solid State)
“A conceptually driven album that follows string theory (someone more well-versed in physics than I will have to explain that one), Integral is intense, energetic and immersive, sounding like someone put Northlane, Napoleon and 65DaysofStatic in a blender, dusted it with some Meshuggahand put it on high speed. Silky smooth and catchy while retaining plenty of punch and power, Forevermore’s latest album is one that will make even skeptics of progressive music listen twice before they reach a final judgment.” – New Transcendence
John Frusciante – Foregrow CDEP/12” (Acid Test)
Frusciante uses elements of John Carpenter’s eternal scores, the drum programming DNA of jungle and footwork, and a Roland TB-303 to craft a lurching, lysergic beauty.
Gap Dream – This Is Gap Dream CD/LP+MP3/Cassette (Burger)
For the uninitiated, Gap Dream began in 2010, in Ohio, then relocated to Burger Records’ Fullerton shop in 2012. Fast forward to 2016 and you’ll find an artist who straddles the line between a bubblegum Lou Reed, and Led Zeppelin at a skater rink. Except This Is Gap Dream isn’t jive — it’s artistic martyrdom, a stylistic shift from the critically-acclaimed Shine Your Light (2013) — where Fulvimar’s palette included German electro, synth beats on his MacBook, and ‘60s bubblegum. There’s still that, along with the brilliant simplicity and acid-licking fun. But on 12 tracks that piece together such diverse influences as ‘50s rock & roll, G-funk and deathrock, Gap Dream (a gifted melodist), delivers a symphony that’s as cheeky as the lead single, “College Music,” a catchy loner anthem, to an electric symphony on tech-neurosis titled “Modern Rhythms,” and “Rock and Roll,” which sounds like something written for a Danish crime thriller, that’s at once chill and driving — a meditation on going mad, sort of.
Frode Gjerstad Trio – Steam In The Casa CD (PNL)
Recorded live in concert at Case Del Popolo, Montreal, Canada on the 27th of November 2015. Personnel: Frode Gjerstad (alto saxophone, Bb clarinet); Jon Rune Strøm (double bass); Paal Nilssen-Love (drums, percussion).
John Gorka – Before Beginning, The Unreleased I Know – Nashville, 1985 CD (Red House)
Since his 1987 Red House release, I Know, introduced renowned artist John Gorka to the public, the Minnesota-via-New Jersey guitarist and songwriter’s insight, wit and honesty has made him one of the most respected, beloved songwriters currently carrying on the folk tradition. Before Beginning, The Unreleased I Know – Nashville, 1985, brings never-before-heard, studio versions of John’s earliest material to the public after three decades. Recorded spontaneously with a full band of top Nashville players and Shawn Colvin and Lucy Kaplansky on harmony vocals these sessions provide a fascinating look into the road not taken, an alternate musical direction this now well-known artist chose to forego.
Gucci Mane – Everybody Looking CD (Atlantic)
Everybody Looking is Gucci Mane’s first album since his being released from prison. After his release from prison, Guwop quickly got back in the studio with his day one producer, Zaytoven, who expressed nothing but excitement at Gucci Mane getting back to work. He told HipHopDX that his friend didn’t skip a beat after being locked away for three years. “Gucci is a guy that I think that has a sound that has created a way, even if you listen to the music today, it’s all, like 90 percent of it stems from the rap music that Gucci really created maybe 10 years ago,” he said, “so he just got out and got back to business, got back to doing what he do. Just like me, the sound I’ve created and the sound I have I’ve been doing since we’ve started, so there’s nothing that we really had to go and change. Of course we kinda sparked it up a little bit, added a few new things, we started working. But for the most part, he got back to doing what he been doing before he left. He knew how to do that so good, as you can see, he dropped so much music while he was gone, people hardly know he was gone.”
Hammers Of Misfortune – Dead Revolution CD (Metal Blade)
New album by San Francisco progressive metal heroes. [Vinyl edition due August 5.]
Heavy Drag – Savana Ghost CD/LP (Limited Fanfare)
Debut album from the Miami psych-rock trio. “Thread a smart needle on their way down into the druggy netherworld, punctuating their narcosis with power, noise and darkness. Their mammoth plod packs every bit the tonnage that their name promises, but they’re also soaring and charged with guitars that peak at wuthering shoegaze heights.”—Orlando Weekly
Hedningarna – Kaksi! [Reissue/1992] CD (Silence)
Hedningarna – Trä [Reissue/1994] CD (Silence)
Hedningarna – Hippjokk [Reissue/1997] CD (Silence)
With an electrified goat stomach, home-built and electrified ancient instruments, Hedningarna took the world by storm with their version of Nordic folk music. Heavy and hypnotic with the two Finnish female voices on top.
(Hed)P.E. – Forever CD (Pavement Ent.)
10th studio album from the Huntington Beach, CA punk rock/gangsta rap band.
Charlie Hunter – Everybody Has A Plan Until They Get Punched In The Mouth CD (Ground Up)
Since 1993, Charlie Hunter’s mindboggling guitar technique has garnered him critical acclaim and recordings with some of the most prestigious names in jazz and pop. Now with his 17th album, the title of which refers to a quote once uttered by heavyweight boxing champion Iron Mike Tyson, Hunter returns to his quartet to perform 10 all-new blues, rock, jazz and Latin-flavored songs alongside bandmates Kirk Knuffke (cornet), Bobby Previte (drums), and Curtis Fowlkes (trombone).
Sophie Hutchings – Wide Asleep CD/LP (Preservation)
Sophie Hutchings is a pianist and composer from Sydney. She began teaching herself piano at an early age before any tuition, developing her unique style through countless hours of secret practice. With Wide Asleep, Hutchings has taken her compositional scope into larger realms of sound and feeling. It is her most searching work, based on ideas on consciousness between sleep and wakefulness. In her most dazzling and poignant pieces to date, Hutchings’ piano lines extend with both electricity and elegance, winding through strings, textured ambience and choral voices.
It’s A Beautiful Day – Live In The Studio, San Francisco ’71 CD (Rox Vox)
Formed in mid-1967, and led by David La Flamme’s virtuoso violin playing, It’s A Beautiful Day was an integral part of the San Francisco music scene in the late ’60s and early ’70s. Originally broadcast on KSAN-FM 95.5, this superb studio set from the Pacific High Recording Studios, offers a selection of classics from their first two albums, their self-titled It’s A Beautiful Day (1969) and Marrying Maiden (1969).
The Jumping Jacques – Let Them Eat Cake CD (Zeitgeist)
Let Them Eat Cake collects The Jumping Jacques’ two albums, The Jumping Jacques (1968) and Sugar & Spice (1969). The brainchild of French arranger and bandleader Jacques Hendrix, this remarkable vocal ensemble combined breathtaking scat singing with irresistible pop melodies to create some of the most fresh and original harmony pop of the 1960s.
Large Unit – Ana CD (PNL)
Large Unit – 2015 2xCD (PNL)
Large Unit is the 11+-piece group led by Norwegian drummer Paal Nilssen-Love. Ana is a result of his strong connection to Brazil. The first disc of 2015 was recorded at the Casa del Popolo club in Montreal. It features small units of the Large Unit, short free-improvised pieces from one duo and three trios. The second disc captures the Large Unit at the Earshot Jazz festival in Seattle. It features new arrangements of older pieces.
Lil Durk – Durk 2X CD (Def Jam)
New album from the Chicago-based rapper featuring collaborations from Future, Ty Dolla $ign, Yo Gotti, Kid Ink, Dej Loaf, Young Thug and more.
Look Park – Look Park CD/LP (Yep Roc)
Look Park is the debut album from Chris Collingwood, lead singer and founding member of Fountains of Wayne, under the moniker Look Park. It features his pop sensibilities and unmistakable vocals he made famous in Fountains.
Stephen Ragga Marley – Revelation Part II: The Fruit Of Life CD (Ghetto Youths International)
The Fruit Of Life is the second installment of Stephen Ragga Marley’s two part series, following Revelation Part I: The Root Of Life (2011). Whereas The Root Of Life is more a traditional roots reggae album, The Fruit Of Life utilizes a diversified sonic palette to express the far-reaching impact Jamaican music has had on various genres, especially hip-hop. Produced by Marley, The Fruit Of Life features a variety of guest collaborations with Rick Ross, Pit Bull, Damian ‘Jr. Gong’ Marley, Iggy Azalea, Waka Flocka Flame, Dead Prez, Rakim, DJ Khaled, Busta Rhymes, Wyclef Jean, Shaggy, Black Thought (of The Roots), Bounty Killer, Sizzla, Capleton, Ky-Mani Marley, Jo Mersa and more.
Melissa Menago – Little Crimes CD (Chesky)
Philadelphia based singer and songwriter, Melissa Menago is known by many as the lead vocalist for rock group, June Divided. With a combination of original work, classic covers, and unique medleys, Little Crimes shows off her incredible songwriting and creativity to match her timeless voice.
Mokadelic – Gomorrah [OST] CD/LP+MP3 (GDM/Goodfellas)
The original soundtrack of Gomorrah, the acclaimed Italian television crime drama inspired by Roberto Saviano’s 2008 best-selling book of the same title. Mokadelic is influenced by Mogwai, Explosions In The Sky, and Godspeed You! Black Emperor, without forgetting the lessons from the great Italian soundtrack composers of the ’60s and ’70s. [Limited red color vinyl edition also available.]
Moksha – The Beauty Of An Arbitrary Moment CD (Jazzland)
Jazzland Recordings are proud to present Moksha’s beautiful debut album, The Beauty Of An Arbitrary Moment which combines jazz, Nordic cool and Indian fire. Moksha create a distinctly unique blend of jazz, Indian Raga, atmospheric improvisation, complex rhythms, textured expressionism, and spacious sonic architecture.
Hedvig Mollestad Trio – Black Stabat Mater CD/LP (Rune Grammofon)
Hedvig Mollestad Trio are part of new progressive wave of Norwegian “avant jazz ‘n’ rock”, with an ability to turn the full force of heavy rock and electric jazz to demonic purposes. With Black Stabat Mater the trio are venturing into more free and open landscapes, Mollestad truly coming into her own as a solo guitarist as well as a riff-meister previously compared to the likes of Tony Iommi and Jimmy Page. There is enough riffing here to satisfy the head-bangers.
Money Chicha – Echo En Mexico CD (Vampisoul)
Money Chicha is an Austin, Texas-based group featuring members of the Grammy-award winning Latin orchestra Grupo Fantasma and its offshoot funk outfit Brownout. They perform a fuzzed-out, reverb-drenched and percussion-heavy style of music inspired by the sounds of Peru and Colombia in the ’60s and ’70s. [Vinyl edition due August 19.]
MSTRKRFT – Operator CD/LP (Last Gang)
After a five-year hiatus, Canadian electronic Music pioneers MSTRKRFT (Jesse F. Keeler & Al-P) are back. Their new album, Operator, is driven by distorted drumbeats, hauntingly hypnotic synths, and booming cinematic soul.
The New Low – Continuance CD (Razor & Tie)
New album from the Salt Lake City alternative rock outfit.
Henrik Munkeby Nørstebø – Melting Into The Foreground CD/LP (Sofa)
Melting Into Foreground is the second solo album from trombone player Henrik Munkeby Nørstebø. The first track is solo trombone. No effects. He is using the whole spectrum of his instrument, from pure tones to noise and the barely audible, in an attempt to find the balance between the intuitive and the strictly constructed.
Numenorean – Home CD/LP (Season Of Mist)
“Numenorean are about to turn a lot of heads. Where their post-black metal counterparts chose to adorn the covers of their albums with bright colors and stylized type, recreations of space age memories, or surrealist photography, the Calgary-based band have picked something much more striking. Outside of potential shock value, the [cover] photo finds its meaning well within the record’s declared purpose. Conceptually, the album writhes among our innate longing for a return to a childlike innocence, which you can nearly see on the bloodied young girl’s face. As the band writes in a statement, despite the violence and tragedy of her death, she ‘doesn’t have to go through all the pain and sorrow of becoming an adult.’ Meanwhile, Numenorean invite listeners (i.e., those that have remained existing) to observe and reflect upon what’s been lost as time goes on.” – Consequence Of Sound
Sanford Parker – Lash Back CD/LP (War Crime)
Six track debut from Sanford Parker (Buried At Sea, Minsk), metal producer extraordinare (Pelican, Voivod, Nachmystium, Corrections House and a thousand others). Lash Back is dark, heavy and at times an unsettling blend of industrial and electric music, sure to appeal to Parker’s vast and diverse fan base. For fans of Corrections house, Jesu, Mirrors of Psychic Warfare and James Plotkin.
Periphery – Periphery III: Select Difficulty CD/2xLP+CD (Sumerian)
New release from the progressive metal band.
Ragnarök – Ragnarök [Reissue/1976] CD (Silence)
Ragnarök’s melodic, harmonic and calm instrumental music made a great background for red wine and late night conversations on the high schools all around Sweden in 1976. Also, the critics were delighted and described the music as fresh and sparkling as a spring creek.
Revocation – Great Is Our Sin CD/LP (Metal Blade)
“I feel like it’s safe to call Revocation one of the most well-known and respected technical death metal bands of our time with their discography already being mind-blowing and genre defining to say in the very least. And like with many monolithic acts there looms the question of when their albums begin to become lackluster, for Revocation with Great Is Our Sin the answer to that is very satisfying: not any time soon.” – Headbanger Reviews
Rhyton – Redshift CD/LP+MP3 (Thrill Jockey)
Rhyton is the Brooklyn based trio of Dave Shuford (D. Charles Speer and The Helix, No Neck Blues Band), Jimy SeiTang (Stygian Stride) and Rob Smith (Pigeons) Rhyton take ancestral forms, instrumentation and scales, primarily sourced from Middle Eastern and Greek traditions, and incorporate them into the context of scorching improvised rock. On Redshift, Rhyton expand their sound and defy expectations by creating a galactic country throw-down, exemplified by the otherworldly cover of Joe Walsh’s “Turn To Stone.”
Warren S. Richardson, Jr. – Warren S. Richardson, Jr. [Reissue/1969] CD (Zeitgeist)
Warren S. Richardson Jr. was in fact a pseudonym for the young Bill Spooner, later to achieve cult legend status with the Tubes. The sole album he released under that name is a raunchy set of fuzz-propelled blues-rock, which sank without trace upon its original release in August 1969. It makes its long overdue return to CD here.
Steve Roden/In Be Tween Noise – Every Color Moving (1988-2003) 6xCD (Sonoris)
Every Color Moving consists of six discs, covering seven hours of the first fifteen years of Steve Roden’s musical activities. The first four discs contain unreleased works and impossible to find small editions. The last two discs offer a selection of tracks made for compilations during the same period. From the surprising early experiments to the development of his often imitated but never equaled “lowercase” aesthetic, these are some of Roden’s earliest works, documenting numerous rare and unreleased recordings. The discs are accompanied with a 32-page booklet with an essay and extended track notes, written by the artist.
The Senior Service – The Girl In The Glass Case CD/LP (Damaged Goods)
As with all great instrumental music, it weaves its web of magic through the light and shade created from the brush of keys, plucking of strings and beating of skins, with the occasional splash of color provided by brass, vibes and theremin. A collection of songs with an orchestral sensibility juxtaposed with an urgent garage rock crash bang wallop.
David Shea – Piano 1 C CD (ROOM40)
David Shea presents Piano 1, composing and performing solo, acoustic piano pieces.
Sheriffs Of Nothingness – Silent Night At The Crooked Forest CD/LP (Sofa)
Sheriffs Of Nothingness is a string duo consisting of Norway’s most distinguished artists in contemporary music: Kari Rønnekleiv as a performer and Ole Henrik Moe mostly as a composer. Moe and Rønnekleiv won the Norwegian Grammy for best contemporary album in 2007, and in 2011, Moe was nominated for the Nordic Council Music Award. Sheriffs Of Nothingness’ interplay is remarkable. They move inside their music like one organism with all kinds of materials and passages. It’s a true joy listening to their playfulness and at the same time, their profound musical awareness in everything they do.
Tak Shindo – Mganga! [Reissue/1958] CD/LP (Sundazed)
Afro-Asian exotica — Jungle beats and lush rhythms from the famed film and television composer. An early stereo marvel from the original 1958 tapes.
Sinner DC – MEG/CDG CD (Mental Groove)
Sinner DC have built a solid, yet discreet reputation on the international electronic music scene.
MEG/CDG‘s backbone contains music from Romania, Niger and southern United States, from the mid ’30s to the early ’50s. The album title and song names are IATA airport codes. The music explores the limits of the panoramic vision of the duo through hypnotic landscapes and imaginary places.
Spacetravel – Dancing Therapy CD (Perlon)
“Triggering just the right senses, these eight fabulously swinging mecano-tracks from dark-blue funk laboratories hit the alert button, widen the attention span, and hone gut-instincts as dancers encounter the floor as if it was their first time.”
The Subs – A Decade Of Dance CD/2xLP (541)
A best-of album containing 18 previously released tracks and one new single. Since 2006, The Subs have become a household name in the Belgian electronic music scene.
Keith Sweat – Dress To Impress CD (Ral)
12th album from the smoove R&B vocalist.
Sweet Billy Pilgrim – We Just Did What Happened And No One Came [Reissue/2005] CD/LP (Kscope)
Remastered reissue of the debut album from the UK-based, Mercury Prize-nominated experimental art rockers.
Koko Taylor – Live At The Chicago Blues Festival 94 CD (Echoes)
The entire WBEZ-FM broadcast of Koko Taylor, “Queen of the Blues,” live from the 11th annual Chicago Blues Festival on Sunday June 5th, 1994.
Terra Tenebrosa – The Reverses CD (Debemur Morti)
Born from the ashes of cult Swedish post-hardcore band Breach, since 2009 the enigmatic entity that is Terra Tenebrosa have created masterfully imposing concoctions of sulphurous, tormented black metal and demonic hardcore.
Adam Topol – Regardless Of The Dark CD (Everloving)
He’s sat behind the drum kit for everyone from Eddie Vedder, Joey Santiago, Ziggy Marley and Jack Johnson to legends like Jimmy Cliff and David Gilmour. He has explored Afro-Cuban rhythms and percussion via Ritmo Y Canto, dabbled in dubby electronic reggae with Culver City Dub Collective and to the far edges of soul jazz. He has never made the same record twice. [Vinyl edition due August 5.]
Tortusa – I Know This Place – The Eivind Aarset Collages CD (Jazzland)
John Derek Bishop, aka Tortusa, creates extraordinary sound collages featuring the unique musical sonics of Eivind Aarset on I Know This Place – The Eivind Aarset Collages. Tortusa is a Norwegian-American electronic musician and composer who fuses and transforms organic sounds and rhythms with both digital and analog manipulation and sound design. He draws inspiration from classical and jazz music, as well as contemporary electronic music. Utilizing samples from Eivind Aarset’s catalog on Jazzland Recordings, Tortusa creates a new set of compositions and soundscapes, melodic, wistful, dreamlike, meditative, unsettling, evocative, stirring, contemplative and personal.
Trust Punks – Double Bind CD/LP (Wharf Cat)
Trust Punks’ new album, Double Bind, reveals the band on a tear through an Australasia that’s a precarious and nasty place for the young and the restless. This Heat, Polvo, and Can, to Wire, The Birthday Party and Stereolab—it’s all in here, synthesized and absorbed into something new and hungry. “Double Bind scratches at nastier surfaces—the corroded post-hardcore Slint of mouth-breather Britt Walford, rather than David Pajo’s ambient leanings—and administers scathing self-scrutiny to the band’s existence & environs.”—Pitchfork
Unmerciful – Ravenous Impulse CD/LP (Unique Leader)
New album from the Kansas-based death metal horde, which unites the extreme metal ingenuity of bassist Jeremy Turner (ex-Origin), guitarists Justin Payne and Clint Appelhanz (ex-Origin), drummer John Lonstreth (Dim Mak, Origin, ex-Gorguts etc.), and vocalist Kris Bolton (D.F.W.B.). “Cue up all the clichéd death metal verbs like crushing, relentless, savage, brutal, and so forth — Ravenous Impulse will have you spouting them all before the end of the album. There’s no higher principle that the band operates on other than to oppress your senses and give you an audial bludgeoning. And for that, Unmerciful does exactly what the doctor has prescribed.” – Dead Rhetoric
Jean-Claude Vannier – Electro Rapide [Reissue/2011] CD/LP (Finders Keepers)
A collection of rare and unreleased archive material from the studio archives of Jean-Claude Vannier. Vannier is globally recognized as one of the key exponents of the Gallic pop cognoscenti to make the significant change from ’60s yé-yé to the brooding conceptual pop which defined the following decade.
Various Artists – 391 Vol. 4: Umbria – Voyage Through The Deep ‘80s Underground In Italy 2xCD (Spittle)
The 391 project was born in 1983 from the desire of two troubled teenagers, from a boring provincial town, Ascoli Piceno, to give life and form to a series of compilations on tape, a picture of the Italian music underground. The intent was to geographically organize the musical material, probing the new wave and post-punk groups region by region: A mapping of Italy’s music, representing the most radical of the new national rock scene, and be a group that grew up in the aftermath of the post-77 explosion, trying to capture its very essence.
Various Artists – Basket Full Of Dragons: A Tribute To Robbie Basho Vol. II CD (Obsolete Recordings)
Second collection of both original compositions and new interpretations of Robbie Basho songs. This volume features: Steffen Basho Junghans, Richard Osborn, Glenn Jones, Paolo Laboule Novellino, Yair Yona, Tammam Saeed and many more. The past volume, We Are All One, received great press: Acoustic Guitar Magazine placed it amongst its “Best Albums of 2010”, Pitchfork gave it a rating of 7.8, Guitar Player Magazine named it an “Editors Top Pick” and Mojo Magazine rewarded it four stars.
Various Artists – Dustin E Presents… Cornflake Zoo: Episode Two CD (Particles)
Grab yourself a bellyful of Sweden, Poland, Spain, Germany, Belgium, Holland, the USA and Finland in twenty tracks of the most disgraceful, undignified juvenile absurdity to reach the auditory senses. Features: The Outsiders, The Raves, Niebiesko Czarni, Evolution, Omega Red Star, Ola And The Janglers and more.
Various Artists – Inna NICE UP! Fashion CD/LP (NICE UP)
Undoubtedly one of the most iconic and legendary reggae labels to come out of the UK, Fashion Records has a rich and deep history. Inna NICE UP! Fashion aims to bring new life to some of these legendary tracks by having modern day producers rework them in their own style and introduce them to a new audience. From the frantic breakbeats of rave-revivalist Special Request and the bottom-end sonics of Toddla T & Melé, to the modern minimalist dancehall-tech of Machinedrum and the digital dub drone of The Bug, there is plenty to get excited about here.
Various Artists – Mixed Up Minds Part Eleven: Obscure Rock & Pop From The British Isles 1970-1974 CD (Particles)
Mixed Up Minds investigates the overlooked underbelly of British rock and pop from the late 1960s and early 1970s. Part Eleven of the intrepid series captures a further glimpse of the verbal rumblings from British suburbia with twenty melodic musings from a variety of unsung wonders whose place in the British pop phenomena is now safely secure.
Various Artists [DJ Mark Farina] – Mushroom Jazz 8 CD/LP (MRI)
Over 20 tracks that epitomize the soulful, jazzy, and hip-hop influenced sound of Farina’s pioneering Mushroom Jazz movement.
Various Artists – Nigeria Freedom Sounds! CD/2xLP+MP3 (Soul Jazz)
Charting the vibrant popular music scene of early ’60s Nigeria, Soul Jazz’s new compilation Nigeria Freedom Sounds! is the latest collection of music to look back at the country’s vastly rich musical heritage. Reveling in its newly gained independence from Britain, the young nation saw an explosion of popular music in the years between 1960 and ‘63 as traditional Nigerian styles like juju and apala coalesced with Ghanaian highlife, Caribbean calypsos and mambo. Only ever released on 45s, the collection paints a vivid picture of a scene often overshadowed by the stars the country produced in the following years.
Various Artists – Sky Girl CD/2xLP (Efficient Space)
Sky Girl is a mysteriously unshakeable compilation, a deeply melancholic and sentimental journey through folk-pop, new wave, and art music micro presses that span 1961-1991. It’s a DIY collection of different genres, from different countries across different decades that are all bound by the same longing sentiment – deftly compiled by French collectors DJ Sundae and Julien Dechery.
Various Artists – Under the Influence Volume Five: A Collection Of Rare Soul And Disco Compiled By Sean P 2xCD/2xLP (Z)
Sean P has been collecting records since his early years, producing and releasing his own edits way before they became the norm and is widely recognized as one of the foremost fountains of musical knowledge so to say he is a stalwart of the underground music scene is well deserved.
For his Under The Influence compilation, he went even deeper and much more across the board with tracks taking in Afro, soul, funk, disco, Brit-funk, dub and jazz with many of the tracks costing hundreds if you were able to find the originals.
Velvet Crush – Pre-Teen Symphonies CD (Omnivore)
Velvet Crush proved the past was the future by taking elements from classic ‘60s melodies, ‘70s power pop, and ‘80s reinvention. Having signed with England’s Creation Records (Oasis, My Bloody Valentine, Teenage Fanclub) in the early-‘90s, it was 1994’s Teenage Symphonies To God (the title being a play on Brian Wilson’s description for what would become SMiLE), co-produced by the legendary Mitch Easter, that gained them a foothold in America. What was the genesis of that record? Find out with Pre-Teen Symphonies, a collection of 16 previously unissued tracks from that album’s period. The set includes eight demos (including one for the classic single “Hold Me Up”) and eight tracks recorded live in 1994 at Cabaret Metro in Chicago.
Vvolk – Book Of Air CD/LP (Sub Rosa)
The music of Vvolk is played by a group of 18 improvisers with roots in jazz and classical music. The group investigates performing and improvising music, in close relation to present time.
Pierce Warnecke – Memory Fragments CD (ROOM40)
Based in Spain, composer and visualist, Pierce Warnecke has developed an elegant auditory hallucination with his debut edition Memory Fragments. Known widely for his collaborations, with Matthew Biederman, Frank Bretschneider and Ketev, this edition represents Warnecke’s first solo outing. Recorded over the better part of three years, Memory Fragments ties together his interests in electro-acoustic sound, field recordings and harmonic incongruities.
Waxen – Weihung Auf Satan CD (Moribund)
What if Ritchie Blackmore or Yngwie Malmsteen recorded a black metal album? The answer is Weihung Auf Satan.
Jane Weaver – The Watchbird Alluminate [Reissue/2011] CD/LP (Bird)
Remaining faithful to her influences of Germanic märchen tales, Eastern European children’s cinema and mechanical pop music, Jane Weaver expands her critically acclaimed Fallen By Watchbird concept album with The Watchbird Alluminate, a ten chapter sequel-of-sorts, by employing a cast of new actors and narrators to reinterpret her surreal “cosmic aquatic folklore” twelve months after the first installment. Here, Jane experiments with volks-music in its purest, most innocent form using modern tools to retell and recycle second hand stories. Inspired by post-war cinematic interpretations and hand-me-down mistranslations of global folk tales Jane has collaborated with a close-knit group of musicians, noisemakers and vocalists/narrators to create automatic-music and re-illuminate an eleven-page novella about telepathy, technology, lost-love, wiccan, war and watchbirds.
Witherscape – The Northern Sanctuary CD/2xLP+CD (Century Media)
Following up on 2013’s highly acclaimed debut album, The Inheritance, Witherscape return with another mesmerizingly dense conceptual album. The band features singer, multi-instrumentalist and producer extraordinaire Dan Swanö (Edge Of Sanity, Bloodbath, Nightingale, etc.) on vocals/keyboards/drums pairing up with fellow Swedish multi-instrumentalist Ragnar Widerberg on guitars/bass. Musically, The Northern Sanctuary manages to seamlessly blend the best elements of ‘70s and ‘80s prog/hard rock with atmospheric yet subtle extreme metal.
Wooden Horse – II [Reissue/1973] CD (Prog Temple)
Originally formed in Sydney, Australia, this folk-rock quintet completed their line-up upon moving to London in 1970, and are best-known for featuring vocalist Susan Traynor, better-known as Noosha Fox. Released in June 1973, their second and final album is more electric and diverse than their mellow self-titled debut.
Michiyo Yagi/Lasse Marhaug/Paal Nilssen-Love – Angular Mass CD (PNL)
Koto virtuoso Michiyo Yagi joins the longstanding Norwegian duo of drummer Paal-Nilssen-Love and electronics wizard Lasse Marhaug for a session of extended improvisations. Presented here as Angular Mass. Galvanized by Nilssen-Love’s arsenal of sounds and textures, Yagi drives the most traditional of Japanese instruments to non-idiomatic and percussive extremes while Marhaug’s abstractions reach heights of surprising lyricism. A veritable atlas of strange and wonderful sonic terrain, Angular Mass invites the listener to an unforgettable adventure.
Michiyo Yagi/Joe McPhee/Paal Nilssen-Love/Lasse Marhaug – Soul Stream CD (PNL)
An intense free-jazz blowout was expected when these unique personalities assembled. Michiyo Yagi (electric 21-string koto, 17-string bass koto); Joe McPhee (pocket trumpet, tenor and alto saxophones); Lasse Marhaug (electronics and objects); Paal Nilssen-Love (drums and percussion).
Yeesh – Confirmation Bias CD/LP+MP3 (Tiny Engines)
“While Chicago trio Yeesh has a sound that feels akin to San Diego post-hardcore acts such as Drive Like Jehu and Hot Snakes, its closest modern comparison would be to its Chicago compatriots in Meat Wave. For Yeesh’s second album, Confirmation Bias, the band has joined up with Tiny Engines, the label that got lumped in with the recent crop of emo bands but has never been focused on one specific sound” – A.V. Club. [Limited color vinyl pressing also available.]
Zior – Every Inch A Man [Reissue/1973] CD (Prog Temple)
Zior are revered as one of the best British underground hard rock bands of the early ’70s. This is their second and final album, which only appeared in Germany in 1973. It is a significant rarity today. A gritty collection of organ and guitar-fueled rockers, it’s sure to appeal to fan of other early ’70s British acts such as Black Sabbath, Deep Purple and Leaf Hound.
John Zorn – Sacred Visions CD (Tzadik)
Sacred Visions presents two Zorn masterpieces touching upon the mediaeval world. The Holy Visions Is A Mystery Play in eleven strophes concerning the life, work and philosophy of 12th century composer, healer and visionary mystic Hildegard von Bingen, and is one of Zorn’s most beloved and acclaimed works for voice. Here is it coupled with Zorn’s latest string quartet The Remedy Of Fortune, six tableaux depicting the changing fortunes of romantic love, which was inspired by the work of 12th century troubadour Guillaume de Machaut and receives a precise and passionate reading by the brilliant JACK quartet. Two brilliant modern compositions drawing on mediaeval spirituality, both sacred and secular.
DVDs + Blu-ray:
Miles Ahead DVD/Blu-ray (Sony Pictures)
Miles Ahead is a wildly entertaining exploration of one of 20th century music’s creative geniuses, Miles Davis, featuring a career defining performance by Oscar nominee Don Cheadle in the title role. In the midst of a prolific career at the forefront of modern jazz, Miles Davis (Cheadle) virtually disappears from public view for a period of five years in the late 1970s, his musical voice stifled and numbed by drugs and pain medications. Dave Braden (Ewan McGregor), a wily music reporter, forces his way into Davis’ life and, over the next couple of days, the two men unwittingly embark on a wild and sometimes harrowing adventure to recover a stolen tape of the musician’s latest compositions. Plagued by years of regret and loss, Davis flirts with annihilation until he once again finds salvation in his art.
N.W.A. & Eazy E: Kings Of Compton DVD (E1)
This inclusive documentary takes a unique look at the influential West Coast gangsta rap group through never-before-seen candid interviews, personal photos, and touching stories giving insight into the real men behind the records.
This Week’s Vinyl Exclusives:
Abaddon – Blues Tomorrow b/w Gotta Have It [Reissue/1968] 7” (Alona’s Dream)
From the vaults of the legendary Golden Voice Recording Co. comes an official repress of this sought after garage-punk thumper from 1969. This limited edition reproduction 7″ is sourced from the original tapes and comes in a handsome picture sleeve.
Air – Twentyears 2xLP+3xCD (Rhino)
Super Deluxe edition of Air’s first anthology featuring two HQ-180gm color vinyl LPs as well as three-CDs: the first CD contains the 17-track comp of songs selected by the band; the second gathers 14 rare and unreleased tracks; and the third features Air remixes for other acts, including David Bowie, Beck, Depeche Mode and Neneh Cherry.
Allman Brothers Band – Allman Brothers Band [Reissue/1969] 2xLP (Mercury)
Allman Brothers Band – Idlewild South [Reissue/1970] LP (Mercury)
Allman Brothers Band – At Fillmore East [Reissue/1971] 2xLP (Mercury)
Allman Brothers Band – Eat A Peach [Reissue/1972] 2xLP (Mercury)
Allman Brothers Band – Win, Lose Or Draw [Reissue/1975] LP (Mercury)
Allman Brothers Band – Wipe The Windows, Check The Oil, Dollar Gas [Reissue/1976] 2xLP (Mercury)
Allman Brothers Band – Enlightened Rogues [Reissue/1979] LP (Mercury)
Allman Brothers Band – Live At Ludlow Garage 1970 [Reissue/1990] 3xLP (Mercury)
Limited HQ-180gm vinyl LP pressings. Each has been remastered from original analog tapes by Keven Reeves to 192kHz 24-bit audio and then cut on copper plates using Abbey Road Mastering’s Direct Metal Mastering (DMM) lathe. The original artwork of each title has been faithfully reproduced.
Amadou & Mariam – Welcome To Mali [Reissue/2008] 2xLP+CD (Because Music)
Originally released in 2008, Welcome to Mali is the fifth studio album by Mali musicians Amadou & Mariam, available again in a deluxe gatefold vinyl edition. Includes CD. Features “Sabali (feat. Damon Albarn)”
American Authors – What We Live For LP (Island)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Second studio album from the American indie rock band. Well known for the single “Best Day Of My Life,” American Authors achieved worldwide recognition after that song was featured on TV shows, commercials, movies and video games.
James Arthur Manhunt – Digital Clubbing LP (12XU)
A crazed, yet shockingly coherent career highlight for a guy whose excursions into guitar chaos in a variety of guises/cities would’ve incapacitated lesser men. Or women.
Belly – Star [Reissue/1993] 2xLP+CD (4AD)
20 years on from disbanding, Belly is reunited and performing again. To complement, Star has been reissued on marble color vinyl with updated gatefold artwork.
Breanna Barbara – Mirage Dreams LP (No Roads)
“Swaggering, smoky blues rock, with fuzzed-out riffs, organs, and Breanna’s attitude-fueled voice leading the way.” – Brooklyn Vegan
Boora and Mr. Robberhood – Soviet Aesthetics Vol. 1 LP (Kingunderground)
The title Soviet Aesthetics Vol.1 was derived from the idea of conveying the Soviet art form on vinyl, using only soviet samples and synthesizers to present the new Russian-style: Golden Era ’90s-influenced, instrumental hip-hop. The initial cover concept was slightly different to how it materialized, quite plain and simple; with the traditional Soviet white and black color scheme and a cover photo taken by Volodya Kurashev, a Soviet sculptor at the exhibition for Eugene Vucetic.
John Butler Trio – April Uprising [Reissue/2010] 2xLP (Because Music)
Vinyl reissue of the 2010 album from the Australian guitarist. April Uprising is a focused, diverse and accessible album, showcasing innovative sounds from the trippy steel drum detail on “Take Me” to the roaring radio chorus of “To Look Like You”; the tender ache of “Steal It” and “Fool For You” to the rustic folk of “Ragged Mile” and the hysterical Rock attack of “C’mon Now”, to the single, a rock disco classic “Close To You” where John let’s rip with the electric telecaster. Between the epic opening track “Revolution” and a whispered acoustic coda “A Star is Born”,
dedicated to John’s son, April Uprising is an album that combines the personal, the political and the musically memorable with skill and passion.
Neko Case – Blacklisted [Reissue/2002] LP (ANTI-)
Neko Case – Fox Confessor Brings The Flood [Reissue/2006] LP (ANTI-)
If you didn’t snag one of the recent color vinyl reissues, don’t fret: standard black vinyl reissues are now available.
Cavalier Song – Blezard LP (God Unknown)
Cavalier Song inscribes modern hymns that celebrate a merging of the imagination and material forms. Their cinematic stares study earthy landscapes and post-industrial wastelands, constructing a range of sonic artworks that meditate on the human condition, stirring memory and desire within definitions of a terrible sublime. The results are a series of lush, yet darkly affective, symphonic abstractions. Cavalier Song deploy a post-minimalist sensibility, referencing a range of art forms including painting, sculpture and literature. Musical influences include Philip Glass, Swans, Grouper, John Coltrane and King Crimson, each echoing a fascination for repetition, duration and modal improvisation.
Charnier – Charnier EP 12” (Weyrd Son)
Charnier is a Brussels based trio developing a large range of frantic and highly energetic sounds composed by a wavy bass and gloomy vocals. Stark electronics, frenetic beats, glassy but straightforward guitar sounds, in the purest postpunk tradition, all mixed with a powerful and rocky aesthetic. Clear blue vinyl with black smoke.
Chicago – Chicago X [Reissue/1976] LP (Friday Music)
Limited edition HQ-180gm vinyl LP pressing housed in gatefold sleeve.
Patsy Cline – Greatest Hits [Reissue/1967] LP (MCA Nashville)
This album, first released in 1967, collects Patsy Cline’s biggest hits. Producer Owen Bradley surrounds Cline’s full-throated, emotionally charged vocals with lush, sophisticated arrangements that set the standard for Nashville’s ‘countrypolitan’ sound. On standard weight vinyl.
The Ornette Coleman Quartet – Tribes Of New York LP (Jeanne Dielman)
A collection of early ’60s recordings by The Ornette Coleman Quartet. The Ornette Coleman Quartet is one of the most important groups in the history of jazz, a truly groundbreaking group that featured the brilliant Don Cherry, Charlie Haden and Ed Blackwell. In the early ’60s this quarter of young guns recorded some of the earliest examples of “free jazz” and were on the vanguard of a new jazz that would shape everything from the spiritual jazz of Strata East and the downtown “skronk” of John Zorn. These recordings were not released on LP at the time. Fantastic collection of one of the greatest jazz quartets in history.
The Cramps – Teenage Werewolf… Live LP (Interference)
Original radio broadcast of The Cramps live at Club 57, New York City on August 18, 1979.
Elysia Crampton – Elysia Crampton Presents: Demon City LP (Break World Record)
“Crampton has been one of the leaders of a revolution happening in electronic music. The defiantly heterogeneous genderqueer aesthetic of artists like Arca, Rabit, Lotic, and Crampton comprise an increasingly borderless, intelligent, and expansive sound that is hard to describe but radically visceral in effect. Overall, the sound of Demon City is one of the best showcases of Crampton’s ability to invite the historical sounds of huayño, cumbia, and many more sonic vernaculars into a vast electronic landscape. In this album she finds the perfect middle ground between the archivist’s sensibility and the futurist’s optimism. Her music has always made one feel a little lost in time and space, and in Demon City she’s created a special extraterrestrial zone that barely lasts half an hour, where if you just listen you can get a glimpse into a realm of possibility you desperately want. A place in the world where difference is celebrated, and healing and growth are givens.” [8.2] — Pitchfork
Cursed – Three: Architects Of Troubled Sleep [Reissue/2008] LP (Deathwish, Inc.)
Cursed was Canada’s metallic monstrosity fronted by vocalist/lyricist Chris Colohan (formerly of The Swarm, Left For Dead, and Ruination.) In 2008, the band unleashed what many consider to be their hardest hitting album, Three: Architects of Troubled Sleep.
Bobby Darin – The Bobby Darin Story – Greatest Hits [Reissue/1961] LP (Friday Music)
Limited edition HQ-180 gram vinyl LP pressing housed in a gatefold sleeve.
Miles Davis & John Coltrane – Deutsches Museum Munchen – March 22nd 1960 LP (Doxy)
Miles Davis & John Coltrane – Deutsches Museum Munchen – April 3rd 1960 LP (Doxy)
Miles Davis & John Coltrane – Den Haag – April 9th 1960 LP (Doxy)
A trio of live shows from the legendary Miles Davis and John Coltrane, recorded during their 1960 European tour.
Deep Pockets – Nice Life 7″ (Dead Broke)
Deep Pockets is a Brooklyn, New York based indie/punk rock band including members of Everything Sucks, Weed Hounds, Brain Slug, NYC Headhunters, and more NYC punk/hardcore acts.
Drab Majesty – The Heiress b/w The Demon 7″ (Weyrd Son)
Drab Majesty is the solo project of Deb DeMure who self describes his music as “tragic wave” or goth mid-fi. Drab Majesty combines pulsing synthesizers accent with colorful post-punk in all the right ways.
Earth, Wind And Fire – Earth Wind And Fire [Reissue/1971] LP (Rhino)
Earth, Wind And Fire – The Need Of Love [Reissue/1971] LP (Rhino)
140gm vinyl reissues of the legendary soul funk band’s first two albums.
Floating Points – Kiuper LP (Luaka Bop/Pluto)
Floating Points presents two nice side-long cuts that continue his exciting evolution into expansive full-band electronic jams. Both “Kuiper” and the B-side track “For Marmish Part II” are compositions with lots of room for change and growth, the artist clearly as hypnotized as the listener by the pulsing momentum.
Gaudi – EP 10”+MP3 (RareNoise Ltd.)
“Spacious, spacey, heavy mystical dub pulses with invincible groove, majesty and might.” – Igloo Magazine
The Get Up Kids – Something To Write Home About [Reissue/1999] LP (Doghouse)
Standard weight black vinyl reissue – no download card.
Guerilla Toss – Live In Nashville LP (Feeding Tube)
The latest stop on the brilliant arc of the Guerilla Toss trajectory, Live In Nashville captures the unpredictable ecstasy of the band in live performance.
Helm – Olympic Mess Remixes 12” (Pan)
Limited white label/hand-stamped 12” remix companion to Helm’s 2015 album Olympic Mess. Remixes by Beatrice Dillon and N1L.
Roscoe Holcomb – Across The Rocky Mountain LP (Jeanne Dielman)
Roscoe Holcomb is one of the most legendary figures of Appalachian music and a huge influence on the ’60s folk scene. Playing banjo, guitar, and singing in that beautiful high lonesome sound, this compilation spans his recordings from the late ’50s and early ’60s, mostly done in the “field” with a single microphone. A coal miner for most of his life, Roscoe knew the world he sang of all too well, his authenticity is unassailable. Though he found some success in the ’60s thanks to the Greenwich Village scene, Holcomb stayed a laborer in Kentucky and passed away in 1981 at the age of 68, suffering for years from asthma and emphysema, the results of his years in the coal mines. Essential Americana.
Howard/Wiggan/Mapp – From Dust We Came… To Dust We Return LP (Dirter Promotions)
Noah Howard was an American alto saxophonist and a member of the avant-garde jazz movement of the 1960s and, amongst many influential albums, made the seminal Black Ark album with Arthur Doyle in 1969. This album came about as a result of Justin Wiggan’s love of Howard’s music. Five years after Howard’s death in 2010, Justin was in touch with his wife, Lieve Fransen, and learned that Noah had made a large number of private recordings playing solo on the alto saxophone. Lieve gave Justin access to these recordings and the freedom to develop an album in which he built electronic soundscapes around these solo passages. He then asked Chris Mapp to add bass lines to the foundation. The resulting music has been composed and edited by Wiggan to form this album.
Tracey Hugh – Malawi Grooves 1950 ’57 ’58 LP (SWP)
With grooves by Cewa, Mang’anja, Tumbuka and Tonga musicians, this album represents only some of Malawi’s many rich musical cultures. Eight of its fifteen tracks feature the bangwe board zither, an amazing seven-stringed instrument that is sometimes strummed and sometimes plucked. Also features pure wizardry by a tuned drum ensemble, a magical xylophone duet, an extraordinary big band of kazoos and exquisite acapella singing by both men and women.
Jazz Finger – Beachy Head b/w Moroccan Car Park (D. Harwood Remix) 7″ (Distraction)
Eschewing the routine trappings of “tunes” and “melodies” in favor of drone and a strong cinematic sensibility, Jazzfinger bring their own unique brand of visual and aural exorcism. They start noisily. They incessantly build layers of white noise onto of layers of unwieldy dissonance. They recreate an auditory Armageddon with amps. They end noisily. They also unleashed 600 live crickets onto the audience at a gig once. They have dozens and dozens of LPs, tapes, CDRs and lathe cuts out on a multitude of DIY labels.
Kaleo – A/B LP (Atlantic)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Firmly a phenomenon in their home country of Iceland, the four-piece band Kaleo descends upon foreign shores, bringing their gorgeous blend of folk, blues, country, and rock to a wider mainstream audience in America. Their isolated heritage inspires a unique take on familiar sonic elements, resulting in diversity and freedom on each and every breathtaking track. Recently featured on Rolling Stone’s ’10 New Artists You Need to Know’ their song “Way Down We Go” was used in the original soundtrack of the American series Blindspot, the FIFA 16 soundtrack, the Season 5 finale of the TV series Suits, and the trailer for Season 4 of Netflix series Orange Is the New Black.
Ben E. King – Stand By Me… And More Of His Classics LP (Jambalaya)
This collection includes some of the greatest tracks ever from the late, great, Ben E. King, one of Harlem’s favorite sons and a truly iconic R&B vocalist.
Andrezej Korzynski – Possession LP (Finders Keepers)
Previously unreleased electro/orchestral/experimental score for Andrzej Zulawski’s surrealist 1981 horror classic, Possession. These 25 cues were written and recorded exclusively for the 1981 award-winning film starring Isabelle Adjani and Sam Neil, but due to the progressive, stark and modernist nature of the finished film, less than half of them made it on to the actual director’s cut — leaving many of the tracks on this package totally unheard outside of Korzynski’s studio.
Mary Lattimore & Jeff Zeigler – Music Inspired by Philippe Garrel’s Le Révélateur LP+MP3 (Thrill Jockey)
Harpist Mary Lattimore and guitar/synthesizer player Jeff Zeigler present their score to French director Philippe Garrel’s 1968 silent film Le Révélateur. The duo of Mary Lattimore (harp) and Jeff Zeigler (guitar, synthesizer, production) blend ancient classical traditions with modern improvisation and electronic performance.
Jeff McDonald – Jeff McDonald LP (Bang!)
Jeff Mcdonald, co-leader of Redd Kross, recorded this self-titled music gem back in 1997 in Los Angeles and now it is being released on vinyl for the very first time. Recorded between Redd Kross’ masterpieces Phaseshifter and Show World, that is exactly what this record sounds like, a mix between both albums. Spine shivering melodies full of rock, glam, pop melodies, choruses and beauty.
Metronomy – Pip Paine (Pay The £5000 You Owe) [Reissue/2006] 2xLP+CD (Because Music)
Released in 2006, Pip Paine (Pay The £5000 You Owe) was a collector edition limited to 2500 units and thereafter released only once for Record Store Day in 2013. This Album initiated
the Metronomy buzz thanks to the tracks “You Could Easily Have Me” and “Tricks or Treats”. This new version includes four bonus tracks: “Are Mums Mates”, “Hear To Wear”, “Another Me To Mother You” and the unreleased track “In The D.O.D.” Original packaging, gatefold, double vinyl, with a CD included.
Hedvig Mollestad Trio – Evil In Oslo 2xLP+CD (Rune Grammofon)
While the nine live performances presented here all come from their first three studio albums, most are lengthy workouts, again showing Hedvig as a very confident and accomplished solo guitarist. Recorded at Oslo clubs John Dee and Buckley´s, Evil In Oslo is simply a kick-ass live album, with a very high level of musicianship and a perfect balance between freedom and discipline.
Ennio Morricone – La Cugina [OST/1974] LP (Overdrive)
La Cugina is the soundtrack of one of the most sought after Italian sexy comedies. The music is composed, orchestrated and conducted by Ennio Morricone. Jazzy and lush textures featuring choir I Cantori Moderni di Alessandroni, Oscar Valdambrini on flugelhorn, and Edda Dell’Orso on vocals. First time on vinyl — HQ-180gm color pressing.
Mothers – Accessory Cloud b/w Easy As Possible 7” (Grand Jury)
A companion single to the recent When You Walk A Long Distance You Are Tired album for Athens, Georgia’s Mothers.
Muslimgauze – Ali Zarin 2xLP (Staalplaat)
“A never before heard album from Muslimgauze that features the freestyling forty minute title track spread across both sides of a whole 12″ and reveals a side to this most alluring of producers that lands in the space between Jamal Moss, Russell Haswell and the Night Slugs crew. These live sounding recordings fold in selections of halftime drum & bass and hip-hop tempo rhythms, but with bold studio techniques and tricks they toast an otherworldly feel, quickstepping any sampled cut and paste action with ease.’ — Bleep
Neon – My Blues Is You [Reissue/1983] 12″ (Spittle)
Neon – Dark Age [Reissue/1984] 12″ (Spittle)
Neon – Red Light [Reissue/1986] 12″ (Spittle)
Neon was part of the Florence dark wave/electronic scene of the 1980s, together with Pankow, Diaframma, early Litfiba.
Paal Nilssen-Love – News From The Junk Yard LP (PNL)
News From The Junk Yard is sonically dense, at times resembling the music of Merzbow or Organum but also reveals Paal’s interest in world music like Indonesian gamelan and Ghana Gahu music.
Phil Ochs – Live Again! LP (Rockbeat)
Phil Ochs was a topical songwriter who was at the forefront of the folk music scene in the 1960s-‘70s. In the spring of 1973, he embarked on a small US tour that included this stop at The Stables in East Lansing Michigan. This previously unreleased recording sparkles in performance and recording. It features a mix of tunes through the entirety of Phil’s career in a generous program of eighteen songs. The disc also features the previously unreleased “Ballad Of The Carpenter,” recorded in March of 1974 in Chicago.
Opeth – Lamentations: Live At Shepherd’s Bush Empire 3xLP (Music For Nations/Sin UK)
Previously only available on DVD, Lamentations is now available on triple HQ-180gm vinyl.
Adam Payne – Famous Blondes LP (Selection)
On Famous Blondes, Adam Payne summons up an imaginary internal myth-making Los Angeles, standing over-dressed, unshod, and sun-caked. No genre, style, or sound is hands-off. There’s late-night folk funk, ham-fisted fey glam, neon go-kart slow burners and even doo-wop filth. Denuded of pomp, the free-range honeyed melodies blow from every bodily humor. Rinky dink keys tap along the highway shoulder. Layered guitar leads tunnel through alien lakeside causeways. Sampled rhythms tumble down the chaparral.
Phon.o – Fractions EP 12” (Bpitch Control)
Berlin-based producer Phon.o presents Fractions EP. The hypnotic drive of “Run” has a dramatic arrangement of the partly frisky, partly menacing Detroit strings evoking nostalgic memories. “Brooklyn Shuffle,” with its swinging flow at 128 BPM, builds another bridge between London, New York, and Berlin by unfolding his UK garage sound, including two-step drums, melodic synths, and the well-known vocal bits.
Prince – Lotusflow3r / MPLSound [Reissue/2009] 2xLP+2xCD (Because Music)
This is a deluxe gatefold release composed of two slabs of vinyl (Lotusflow3r and MPLSound also included on CDs) as well as a poster. “On LotusFlow3r Prince has a specific mission: showcasing his long-underrated guitar playing. Whether it’s the spare funk of ‘Wall Of Berlin,’ the metal grind of ‘Dreamer’ or the hazy cover of ‘Crimson And Clover,’ the music kicks into high gear when Prince starts soloing, delivering one epic facemelter after another in a style halfway between David Gilmour’s and Eddie Hazel’s.” — Rolling Stone, 2009
Puro Instinct – Autodrama LP (Manifesto)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. New album from the two-piece fantasy electro-pop sister-duo. “The lush, shimmery lead single ‘Tell Me’ hints at these shadowy themes, as the subtle groove is on some classy, almost quiet-stormy ‘80s vibes, while Piper’s haunting dusky vocals extend a fiery, breathless plea to a prospective lover. It’s an intoxicating and sweetly seductive slow burn that feels like a major step forward for the group.” — Gorilla vs. Bear
John Roberts – Plum LP (Brunette Editions)
John Roberts, Travel Almanac co-founder presents his third album Plum on Brunette Editions. Recorded between New York, Los Angeles, and Berlin over a period of two years. Tyler Pope of LCD Soundsystem contributes to “Gum.” Comes with a full color outer sleeve with printed inner sleeve.
Claudio Rocchetti – Kennedy Pantheon : Alte Meister LP (Second Sleep)
Claudio Rocchetti is a key figure in the European experimental scene. An enthusiastic traveler and a deep researcher, Rocchetti is known for creating a strong sonic universe made with fragile melodies and electro-acoustic incursion. Kennedy Pantheon : Alte Meister is time travel made by field recordings, stolen tales, historical documents and interviews.
Samaris – Black Lights LP (One Little Indian)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. New album from the Icelandic electronica trio.
Scientist – Dub Landing [Reissue/1981] LP (Dub Мир)
Scientist – In Dub [Reissue/1981] LP (Dub Мир)
Scientist – World At War [Reissue/1981] LP (Dub Мир)
Classic dub back in print on vinyl.
Solomun – Selected Remixes 2009-2015 4xLP (Diynamic)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Melodic house pioneer and Diynamic figurehead Solomun presents a compilation of some of his best-loved remixes from 2009 to 2015 — a great overview of the multiple facets of his unique yet ever evolving production style.
Soulwax feat. Chloë Sevigny – Heaven Scent 12” (Deewee)
Heaven Scent is a modern disco take with a suitably classic feel that has Chloë Sevigny, actress of note, reading the poem “Prayer To Saint Thérése” over a percussion-led low-down groove.
Sun Ra – Blue York LP (Jeanne Dielman)
A collection of unreleased tracks from Sun Ra’s Arkestra circa 1963. Herman Poole Blount, better known to the world as Sun Ra, lived more musical lives in his 79 years on this planet (and others) than seems possible. In the ’30s he was the most rigorous bandleader in Birmingham, heading the Sonny Blount Orchestra and filling every waking moment with music or philosophical discussions, by the ’40s he had moved to Chicago and performed with luminaries such as Wynonie Harris, Fletcher Henderson and Coleman Hawkins. By the ’50s he had changed his name to Sun Ra and began performing with longtime Arkestra bandmates John Gilmore and Marshall Allen. By the 1960s, Sun Ra’s vision of spiritual free jazz was fully formed. This collection focuses heavily on the masterful tenor saxophone of John Gilmore.
Templehof & Gigi Masin – Tsuki LP (Cascine)
Nine tracks of exquisitely designed modern ambient with a blissful tinge of the beach, sun and sea.
Terry – 8 Girls 7″ (Aarght)
Sleek, laid-back, lo-fi punk from Melbourne. Composed of members of Total Control, Dick Diver, and other linchpins of the scene.
Tesla – Psychotic Supper [Reissue/1991] 2xLP (Geffen)
Psychotic Supper is ranked in Rock Hard Magazine’s book of The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time.
They Might Be Giants – Why? CD (Idlewild)
Released late last year on CD – now available on vinyl. The latest kids album from TMBG, Why? is “memorable songs in a family-friendly package with none of that pandering aftertaste.”
Piero Umiliani – Genti e Paesi del Mondo [Reissue/1975] LP (Black Sweat)
First reissue of Italian maestro Piero Uimiliani’s Genti e Paesi del Mondo (Peoples and Countries of the World), originally released in 1975 on his Omicron imprint. Echoes the Germanic stylings of Wolperath’s Plank Studio and Herzog-era Popol Vuh with sparse, eerie electronic confections sparring in unison alongside moody transgressional vibes.
Piero Umiliani as Moggi – Tensione [Reissue/1979] LP (Black Sweat)
First reissue of Italian maestro Piero Uimiliani’s Tensione, released under his mysterious Moggi moniker in 1979. Distressed electro beacons and Moog synthesizers are unleashed as de-tuned predatory Carpenter-esque synth patterns come to the fore on this intra-personal exploration of the disturbed inner psyche.
Piero Umiliani as M. Zalla – Mondo Inquieto [Reissue/1974] LP (Black Sweat)
First reissue of Italian maestro Piero Uimiliani’s 1974 compositional library piece Mondo Inquieto, released under his alter ego guise of M. Zalla. Ambient tensions are represented via a dramatic cross-fertilization of orchestral strings, layered synths and primeval percussion.
Up-Tight – Up-Tight LP (Desastre)
Up-Tight is a three-piece psych group based in Hamamatsu, Japan with a history dating back to 1992. The ghosts of The Velvet Underground, Les Rallizes Dénudés and Amon Düül loom large over their personal feedback song-destruction universe. This LP is the first reissue of their original CD-R-only release in Japan in 1999.
Wayfarer – Old Souls 2xLP (Prosthetic)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Sophomore album from the atmospheric blackened metal band.
Wreck And Reference – Indifferent Rivers Romance End LP (The Flenser)
“On their third full-length album, California nightmares Wreck And Reference sink even further into the lightless void they’ve been haunting since the project’s inception. Their music sounds cold, slick, and futuristic—but the future they envision is a portrait of Orwellian despair, a Metropolis rendered in pitch black and dried blood. Indifferent Rivers Romance sees the pair—Ignat Frege and Felix Skinner—ramp up their use of icy synthesizers and unexpected influences for maximum unsettling impact.” — Noisey
Cassettes:
Alexandre Bazin – Full Moon (Umor Rex)
Alexandre Bazin is a Paris-based composer. Full Moon combines his perpetual musical influences —film music and experimentalism— as the departure point for his Umor Rex debut. Eleven stunning compositions with a neo-classical signature, an obsessive focus on structure and a refined sense of melody. (Includes download.)
Galactic Zoo Dossier – Issue #10 (Drag City)
After a four-year wait, “the world’s greatest psychedelic underground hand-drawn pro-zine” is back, and celebrating its 10th issue and 20th anniversary. Features sixteen interviews with legends like Arthur Brown, Cosmus, Edgar Broughton, Shirley Collins, Peter Daltrey of Kaleidoscope, Judy Dyble of Fairport Convention, Jesse Hector, and others. Also included is a cassette compilation with unreleased music from Comus, Bang, Broughton, Richard Pinhas, Dyble, Michael Yonkers, Red Square, Daltrey, Michael Chapman, and others.
Gap Dream – This Is Gap Dream (Burger)
12 tracks that piece together such diverse influences as ‘50s rock & roll, G-funk and deathrock.
Maar – Absolute Delay (Umor Rex)
Translucent drones and traces of field recordings are deployed to create shifting degrees of focus, while flickering electronics are pieced together in a disorienting mosaic. The end result is impossible to locate, an exploration of a landscape that is alternately claustrophobic and mesmerizing. (Includes download.)
Brett Naucke – Executable Dreamtime (Umor Rex)
Brett Naucke is an experimental and electronic composer based in Chicago, IL. Working largely with modular synthesis, each track of Executable Dreamtime is made up of a single patch. (Includes download.)
Siavash Amini & Matt Finney – Familial Rot (Umor Rex)
Siavash Amini (Tehran-based musician) returns to Umor Rex with a collaboration with Matt Finney. Like in Till human voices wake us (Umor Rex 2014), where poems by T.S. Eliot were the starting point for the compositions, in Familial Rot each track tries to capture the emotion inside the words of Matt, and to score the images created with those vocal elements. With spontaneous words springing from an improvisational exercise, Matt evokes family tragedies and separations. Siavash Amini expands the scope of the words with refined ambient and drone introspection. (Includes download.)
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