CDs + Vinyl:
Anderson/Stolt – Invention Of Knowledge CD/2xLP+CD (Inside Out Music)
“Roine Stolt (The Flower Kings, Transatlantic) is a usually pretty Stoic-looking fellow. But when he appeared on the main stage of Progressive Nation At Sea, as part of the Transatlantic-cored backing band for Jon Anderson (of Yes fame), the man was beaming from ear to ear for the entire set. And with good reason – it was a magnificent performance, during which Stolt got to play guitar for one of the original creators of the genre we love, and a hero of his teenage years. Friendships and mutual admiration societies aplenty were formed that night, and this particular collaboration was suggested. Co-produced by Solt and Anderson, Invention Of Knowledge features performances by a veritable who’s who of Progressive masters, inter alia Jonas Reingold (The Flower Kings, Karmakanic and The Fringe), undoubtedly one of the greatest bassists in the world, Felix Lerhrmann (also of The Flower Kings), one of the most underestimated drummers in Prog, keys men Lalle Larson (Karmakanic) and Tom Brislin (Renaissance), multi-instrumentalist Daniel Gildenlow (Pain Of Salvation), and a host of other big names.” – The Prog Report
Aphex Twin – Cheetah EP CD/LP+MP3 (Warp)
The Aphex Twin Cheetah EP uses digital sound generation techniques combined with wave sequencing technology to bring you sounds with movement and depth rarely found on records today. To assure you that your Cheetah EP will give you many years of enjoyment, please be sure to read the owner’s manual carefully before attempting to operate the Cheetah EP. All forms of Cheetah EP come encased in high gloss packaging with silver foil detailing to ensure a high-quality product experience. We sincerely hope that having battled through the programming of the Cheetah EP, you will have now become familiar with the exceptional potential of this record.
Arashi: Akira Sakata/Johan Berthling/Paal Nilssen-Love – Semikujira CD/LP (Trost)
Arashi is: Akira Sakata (alto saxophone, clarinet, voice), Johan Berthling (double bass), Paal Nilssen-Love (drums and percussion). The Wire on their previous self-titled first release as a trio, Arashi: “There are moments on this album when the energy is so furiously intense it feels like it’s going to spin out of control and take someone’s eye out.”
The Avalanches – Wildflower CD/2xLP (Astralwerks/XL)
16 years after the release of their critically acclaimed, award-winning debut Since I Left You, The Avalanches return with their second album, Wildflower. Created by the band’s core duo Robbie Chater and Tony Di Blasi, Wildflower is like The Beach Boys’ Smile re-imagined in the Daisy Age: a mind-bending cartoon road movie that’s best viewed with closed eyes and an open mind. Here’s what Chater has said of the 16 year hiatus: “What kept us going during the making of the record was a belief in the day-to-day experience of music as a life force – an energy capable of changing your life. Hearing a certain song on a certain morning can change your day; it can make the world look different. It can change the way you perceive light refracting through the atmosphere for the rest of the afternoon. Literally changing the colour and feeling-tone of our world.” Wildflower includes 21 tracks and features from Danny Brown, MF Doom, Toro y Moi, Camp Lo, Biz Markie, and more.
BADBADNOTGOOD – IV CD/2xLP+MP3 (Innovative Leisure)
BADBADNOTGOOD is the talented young quartet of Matthew Tavares on keys, Chester Hansen on bass, Alex Sowinski on drums and Leland Whitty on saxophone. They formed and became inseparable friends at Humber College’s Music Performance program in 2011 and have been on a critically acclaimed, rule bending musical journey ever since. IV continues their forward thinking progression, sounding something like a jam session in space between Can, John Coltrane, Herbie Hancock’s Headhunters, Weather Report, Arthur Russell and MF Doom. With tracks like “Time Moves Slow” featuring haunting vocals from Sam Herring of Future Islands, the syncopated groove of “Lavender,” a collaboration with Montreal based producer Kaytranada, the rumbling fusion build of “Confessions Pt. II” featuring Colin Stetson on the bass sax, “Love” which is highlighted with smokey left field raps from Mick Jenkins and the epic chords of “Speaking Gently,” IV is an exploration in post-genre virtuosity.
Mark Barrott – Sketches From An Island 2 CD/LP (International Feel)
Mark Barrott’s music acts as a bridge between his own spirituality and creative expression. “Humanity is facing a big challenge at the moment. We’re at a fork in the path.” he muses, “More so than ever people are now pushing the boundaries, taking more drugs and seeking sensory overload, driven in part by the hedonism traditionally associated with dance music. For me, it’s time to focus more on making healing music, on trying to find the balance between all this wonderful technology and the freedom it gives us with the natural world. I am telling stories of everyday life in Ibiza. Soundtracking my life here through local field recordings, dusty synths, some African percussion and a bit of slide guitar. This music is a lot more like folk music, taking mood, atmosphere and composition and threading stories around that framework.”
Bernz – See You On The Other Side CD (Strange Music)
Debut solo album from Bernz of the Miami-based Strange Music hip-hop duo !Mayday! The album features contributions from Tech N9ne, Krizz Kaliko, Ces Cru, Stige, Thirstin Howl III, Wrekonize, A.G. Lyonz, Kiddo, Helen Tess, and Jareen Benton.
Biffy Clyro – Ellipsis CD/LP (WB)
As is tradition, writing sessions for the album saw Biffy Clyro – Simon Neil (vocals/guitar) and the Johnston brothers James (bass) and Ben (drums) working in the intimate environment of their practice room. They then headed to Los Angeles for recording sessions with producer Rich Costey (Music, My Chemical Romance, Sigur Ros). Citing influences as diverse as Tears For Fear’s Songs From The Big Chair album, DJ Arca and Deafheaven, Simon Neil has described Ellipsis as “more of a punch to the nose than a big cuddle.” Lyrically, the album’s songs tackle personal issues with the idea of “fighting back” a recurring theme. Such themes are also apparent in the album’s visceral first single “Wolves Of Winter” which captures Biffy Clyro’s famous blend of angular riffs, pummeling rhythms and strident hooks. Says Neil: “‘Wolves Of Winter’ is about us being wolves on a patch and if you come onto that patch, we’ll tear you limb-from-limb.” [CD version is available in Regular and Deluxe editions.Limited color vinyl pressing also available.]
Big Business – Command Your Weather CD/LP (Joyful Noise)
Recorded in Joshua Tree, CA, Command Your Weather sees Big Business return to its original two-man lineup of Jared Warren and Coady Willis. It is a haunting dream about the struggle for dominance of will over the power and unpredictability of nature. Or it is just a really great rock record – it depends on how weird you’re willing to get.
Brady Bills – Sunday Morning Guitar CD (Shadow Mountain)
A collection of sacred hymns performed on solo guitar.
Blueset – Rock Machine [Reissue/1974] CD (Shadoks Music)
Recommended Swedish rock for fans of hard rock in general. Heavy blues-psych, stoned hippie vibes, heavy guitar work, great English vocals and strong bass and drum grooves.
Boris – Pink [Deluxe Edition/Reissue/2006] 2xCD/3xLP (Sargent House)
Expanded deluxe reissue of Boris’ 2006 album, featuring an additional album’s worth of previously unreleased tracks recorded during the Pink album sessions in 2004-2005. The bonus Forbidden Songs collects nine tracks of the same hyperactive, accessible and aggressive caliber of the original album, available here for the first time, mixed (with additional editing and arrangement) in 2015 and mastered in January 2016. Like the original US vinyl release, the Pink [Deluxe Edition] vinyl reissue has three longer edits of songs that were truncated on the original CD issue.
David Bowie – Outside [Reissue/1995] CD (Rhino/Parlophone)
David Bowie – Hours [Reissue/1999] CD (Rhino/Parlophone)
CD reissues of David Bowie’s 19th and 21st studio albums. Outside was his reunion with Brian Eno, whom Bowie had worked with most famously on his Berlin Trilogy in the 1970s. Hours was written by Bowie and guitarist Reeves Gabrels.
Boys Night Out – Black Dogs CDEP (Good Fight Music)
Comeback EP from the Canadian post-hardcore band. [Vinyl edition due August 5.]
The Breath – Carry Your Kin CD/LP (Real World)
The Breath, making their debut on Real World Records, are a new UK band comprised of Stuart McCallum – guitarist of The Cinematic Orchestra – along with fellow Cinematic alumni, pianist John Ellis and drummer Luke Flowers, and the extraordinary Irish singer Rioghnach Connolly. Born out of Manchester’s fertile music scene, the band mix Irish folk influences with mesmerizing guitar riffs, anthemic themes and powerful hooks – with Connolly’s soulful vocals woven within the electronic fabric of McCallum’s distinctive sound-world.
Brötzmann/Parker/Drake – Song Sentimentale CD/LP (Otoroku)
Song Sentimentale, featuring unique material on each format, was recorded on January 27-29, 2015, at Cafe OTO. was recorded on January 27-29, 2015, at Cafe OTO. Outside of the double-CD release Never Too Late But Always Too Early (2003) there has been scant documentation of one of the most dynamic pairings in all free jazz. Song Sentimentale rectifies this anomaly with a full-blown audio account of the breathtaking communicative heights obtained by these three legends of the living.
Larry Carlton/Steve Lukather – At Blue Not Tokyo CD (335)
Larry Carlton and Steve Lukather share the stage once again in this exceptional live recording at the famous Blue Note in Tokyo Japan. This 7-song concert features amazing tunes such as the famous Robert Johnson “Crossroads” and The Beatles “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.”
Car Seat Headrest – Teens Of Denial CD/2xLP+MP3 (Matador)
With Teens Of Denial, his first real “studio” album with an actual band, Will Toledo moves from bedroom pop to something approaching classic rock grandeur and huge (if detailed and personal) narrative ambitions, with nods to the Cars, Pavement, Jonathan Richman, Wire, and William Onyeabor.
Mark Chesnutt – Tradition Lives CD (BFD)
12 original tracks, all soaked in pure honkytonk country.
Chevelle – The North Corridor CD/LP+MP3 (Epic)
Multiplatinum alternative rock band Chevelle return with their eighth full-length album, The North Corridor. Since the release of their full-length debut Point #1 in 1999, Chevelle have stood at the forefront of hard rock, consistently evolving and progressing while delivering a series of ubiquitous and unescapable anthems. Marking their third consecutive collaboration, the band teamed up with producer Joe Barresi (Queens Of The Stone Age, Tool, Coheed And Cambria) for The North Corridor. With its thick guitars, hauntingly hypnotic vocals, and crushing rhythm, ablum single “Joyride (Omen)” siphons the aggression of early Chevelle, while boldly progressing once again.
Circulation – Tank Tracks [Reissue/1969] CD (Shadoks Music)
Circulation was formed by pupils at Bedales School, Petersfield, Hampshire, England in the late 1960s. The band composed its own music but also played many of the rock and blues classics of the time. Stoned and trippy with cheesy organ and raw guitars.
Eric Copeland – Black Bubblegum CD/LP (DFA)
Recorded at Copeland’s old practice space in South Williamsburg, Black Bubblegum contains songs with more conventional sounds and songwriting than any of his previous releases. While there are similarities with Copeland’s earlier work in the drum patterns, major scales and vocals, Black Bubblegum moves away from his trademark psychedelic dub towards strange and fantastical pop; imagine Arthur Russell going into the studio with the Ramones. Wanting to take a more “hands-on” approach to these recordings, Copeland exchanged sample-driven tech and hardware for keyboards, guitars and effect pedals, creating a new sound that is oddly easy to digest despite its rejection of melody in favor of discord and dissonance.
Cradle Of Filth – Dusk And Her Embrace… The Original Sin CD (Napalm)
In 1996, Cradle Of Filth released its much-loved record Dusk… And Her Embrace, but did you know that what you are hearing isn’t actually the original version of that record? The record was originally recorded in 1995 and was called The Original Sin, but lawsuits and a band split caused the record to never be released in its original format … until now.
Ian William Craig – Centres CD/2xLP (FatCat)
Ian William Craig is a trained operatic vocalist who combines his voice with analog synthesizers, reel-to-reel machines, and faulty tape decks to create sublime cascades of unpredictable decay and beauty.
Deadlock – Hybris CD (Napalm)
Fans love these Germans for their brand of technical death metal which flirts with borderline pop-laden melodies, trance and beats.
Deepakalypse – Floating On A Sphere CD/LP (Everloving)
Debut album from the forward-thinking folk/soul/punk artist.
Defiled – Towards Inevitable Ruin CD/LP (Season Of Mist)
New album from the Tokyo death metal stalwarts. “Stripped down and raw as a skinned carcass.” – Terrorizer
J Dilla – The Diary Instrumentals CD/LP+MP3 (Mass Appeal/Pay Jay)
Back in April, after a very long wait, J Dilla’s long-lost solo album, The Diary, was released. Now, the instrumental tracks from that LP are available on their own. Some of the producers on the album include Madlib, Pete Rock, and Karriem Riggins.
DJ Spinna – Presents: The Wonder Of Stevie Volume 3 CD/2xLP (BBE)
“One of the hardest working men in the industry and one of Stevie Wonder’s biggest fans – DJ Spinna – has given us a perfect tribute to the living legend in the form of this project. DJ Spinna has compiled this dope set of Stevie Wonder’s music, influence and sound as a follow-up to his Wonderfull party series that he made to celebrate the life of the iconic musician. The Wonder Of Stevie Volume 3 includes song versions you’ve never heard before in addition to jams that reflect the singer’s influence in the industry.” – Deviant Noise
Will Downing – Black Pearls CD (Shanachie)
New release from the soul great featuring guest appearances by Kirk Whalum and Najee and a full string ensemble.
Dust Bolt – Mass Confusion CD (Napalm)
“Eleven tracks of break neck paced thrash metal.” – Metal Addicts
Echo & The Bunnymen – Nothing Lasts Forever CD+DVD (Secret)
CD and DVD doublepack of Echo & The Bunnymen’s gig at Shepherd’s Bush Empire in London on November 1, 2005.
Emarosa – 131 CD/LP (Hopeless)
Emarosa returns with their fifth album and first for Hopeless Records. The Lexington, KY band teamed up with producer Casey Bates (Portugal The Man, Pierce The Veil, Memphis May Fire) to bring out the their dynamic post-hardcore sound.
Exotic Adrian Street And The Piledrivers – Shake Wrestle ‘N’ Roll CD/LP/Cassette (Burger)
Adrian Street is a Welsh professional wrestler known for his flamboyant, androgynous wrestling persona, brought to prominence in the 1970s and 1980s. For its 30th anniversary, Burger Records is now reissuing his cult classic Shake Wrestle ’N’ Roll with all the original artwork depicting Street with his sensational valet and wife, the Lovely Linda.
The Flying Burrito Brothers – From Another Time CD (United States Dist.)
Live archive release. Although The Flying Burrito Brothers undoubtedly known for their first two albums when they were fronted by Gram Parsons, it is a little known fact that various configurations of the group appeared on and off until the present day. The original band dissolved after the last founding member, Chris Hillman, took Perkins with him to join Manassas. Berline, Bush and Wertz continued with their own band, Country Gazette. Roberts assembled a makeshift
Flying Burrito Bros group to fulfill contractual commitments for some 1973 European live shows, then initiated a solo career before forming Firefall with Michael Clarke. This live album from 1976 proves that even without Parsons, on a good night with the wind behind them, nobody could touch these country rock sizzlers.
Frameworks – Smother CD/LP(Deathwish, Inc.)
Since their 2011 inception, Gainesville’s Frameworks have become a favorite of many in the emotional hardcore scene. The band creates music in the vein of Touche Amore, Explosions In The Skey, Modern Life Is War, and other uniquely powerful bands.
Kenny Garrett – Do Your Dance CD/LP (Mack Avenue)
New release from the jazz saxophonist. Kenny Garrett and his band are known worldwide to entice audiences to make them want to get up and groove. Be it in Spain where a Cameroonian leapt up and broke out some African moves and was joined by a break-dancer; in Germany where a trained ballet dancer was brought to his feet; in Poland where a fan literally jumped from the balcony onto the stage-the spectacle is always the same: the spirit takes over and the movements come naturally. It is this spirit that Garrett has instigated and witnessed from stages around the world that fills Do Your Dance.
Gone Is Gone – Gone Is Gone CDEP/12”+MP3 (Black Dune/Rise)
This rock supergroup includes members of Mastodon, Queens Of The Stone Age and At The Drive-In. [Limited color vinyl also available.]
Heart – Beautiful Broken CD (Concord)
“Heart, essentially sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson – has a problem. A good problem, but a problem nonetheless. When you’ve FINALLY been recognized as a Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame band – Good LORD, why did that take so long? – you’re almost at the legacy stage. If you’re still making music, everything you put out is compared to the stuff you did that got you enshrined in the first place. And you can be gol-dang sure someone will say, ‘Yeah, but it’s not (fill in the blank).’ Well, OK, let me be the one to say it. Beautiful Broken, the 16th album from the sisters and whichever players they choose to surround themselves with in this current incarnation, isn’t Dreamboat Annie and it’s not Little Queen. So what? Bleeping. What? The album actually has only three new songs on it, and technically the title cut was a bonus cut on Fanatic, Heart’s 2012 LP. The rest are reimagined versions of songs that appeared on Passionworks (1983), Private Audition (1982), and Bébé Le Strange (1980). The cut that’s getting the biggest press is ‘Beautiful Broken’ partly because Metallica’s James Hetfield chimes in on vocals with Ann Wilson, and even adds a few lyrics to the song. But the tune I love the most – and I mean love – is a new one, ‘Two,’ sung by Nancy Wilson. A rolling poignant ballad, it showcases a voice that’s often overshadowed by her sister’s Maria Callas-quality operatic vocals. Grade: A.” – Cleveland.com
Marek Hemmann – Moments CD/LP+MP3 (Freude Am Tanzen)
In Moments, Hemmann takes the listeners – and certainly the dancers – on a journey through different spheres of contemporary electronic music. He manages to unite euphoria and sweet melancholy, playful and sublime sounds, warmly shifting basses and sweeping synth-melodies.
Rob Ickes/Grey Hensley – The Country Blues CD (Compass)
Fun pervades the 11 tracks of The Country Blues, even when the subject matter as mournful as the post-romance desolation of Hank Williams’ classic “May You Never Be Alone.” It continues through the powerful Sonny Boy Williamson blues shouter, “One Way Out,” the mixed regret and determination of Merle Haggard’s “Won’t Give Up My Train,” into the grassy dexterity of their original, “Everywhere I Go.” They mix it up with insouciant funk of “Never Can Pray Enough,” imported from the Wood Brothers and the southern rock of Charlie Daniels on “Willie Jones?” Then there’s the jazzy tour de force instrumental, “Biscuits And Gravy,” written by Ickes as a kind of tribute to pedal steel master Buddy Emmons and even a nod to the Grateful Dead in “Friend Of The Devil,” a dazzling staple of the duo’s live shows.
Inter Arma – Paradise Gallows CD/2xLP (Relapse)
Dense, funereal, and richly evocative, Paradise Gallows is a vibrant blend of doom, post-metal, sludge, avant-garde, black and death metal, and is a singular and powerful new addition to the band’s discography.
The Julie Ruin – Hit Reset CD/LP+MP3 (Hardly Art)
Mixed by Eli Crews (with whom the band worked on Run Fast), Hit Reset expands on the The Julie Ruin’s established sound: dancier in spots and moodier in others, with girl group backing vocals and even a touching ballad closer. “Throughout Hit Reset, Kathleen Hannah faces down the abuse she’s suffered in her life, beginning in a youth spent with a father she feared: ‘Slept with the lights on, on the floor / Behind a chair that blocked the door,’ she sings in low tones in the album’s opening title track. Hit Reset is by her own admission some of her most personal work, the result of insights she’s gained about how her all-too-common childhood experiences connect to both her adult struggles with chronic illness and her life as a feminist. Hit Reset takes a wide perspective on an adult woman’s decision to ‘be more hellbent on living than that I am just surviving.’ Some songs are tender; others, like ‘Mr. So And So,’ an anti-ode to an entitled male fan, are amiable sarcastic. But the music always generates joy.” — NPR
Khost – Needles Into The Ground CD/LP+MP3 (Cold Spring)
Material by Khost that has been elementally transformed by Justin Broadrick of Godflesh. The original Khost material – taken from their second album Corrosive Shroud – is dense, multifaceted, and purgatorial.
Konx-om-Pax – Caramel CD/LP (Planet Mu)
Tom ‘Konx-om-Pax’ Scholefileld’s Caramel is quite a different record from the dark, mould-pocked ambience of his debut Regional Surrealism. Although primarily a beatless album, it’s one with a big smile on it’s face.
KUF – Gold CD/2xLP (Macro)
KUF is a three-piece, featuring keys, bass and drums. They cook up a sound that is as warm, cozy and exciting as it is utterly alien.
Kutiman – 6AM CD/LP (Siyal)
Songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, orchestra leader, digital mixologist, filmmaker, “psychedelic funk architect” Kutiman is perhaps best known for his innovative YouTube mash-up project ThruYOU. He also received an honorable mention in Time’s 50 Best Inventions of 2009, performed at YouTube’s launch exhibition at the Guggenheim Museum in New York City, and has travelled to Krakow, Jerusalem, Tokyo, Riga, and New York to create original audio/visual montages of each city’s atmosphere. The second release off Kutiman’s own label will be kicked off with his much-anticipated sophomore album 6am. 6am really does prove Kutiman has no musical boundaries; it is an album filled with psychedelic rock n’ roll roots, dips into deep funk/soul grooves and even adds underlying influences from Africa and the Middle East.
Frankie Lee – American Dreamer CD/LP (Loose Music)
American Dreamer is the debut full-length album from singer/songwriter Frankie Lee. Lee has spent the last three years working on a hog farm in rural Minnesota and developing songs for his studio debut. Many of these songs reflect his change in focus from the guitar to the piano, a move necessitated by a farming accident that crushed three of the fingers on his left hand. “With echoes of Springsteen, Dylan and Ryan Adams, Frankie Lee is no avant-garde trailblazer. The Mississippian eulogizes being ‘born in a summer storm’ and even ‘a little house we call home.’ After picking up songwriting tips from Merle Haggard and Roky Erikson on his travels, the diagnosed narcoleptic’s wonderfully laconic delivery brims with simple wisdom. But beneath the familiar glow of his beautifully burnished Americana lurks a restless, angry soul.” – The Guardian
Left Lane Cruiser – Beck In Black CD (Alive)
Previously released on marble color vinyl for RSD 2016, Beck In Black is now available on CD. “It’s safe to say that punk, garage, or deep blues has a bee line to my heart and soul and makes up part of my very being. That said one of the finest purveyors of said sounds, Left Lane Cruiser, who made my favorite record of 2015 Dirty Spliff Blues, has an incomparable anthology of sorts – a loving collection of LLC material from the onset line-up of Freddy J IV on the vocals and guitar crunch and Breen Beck on the boom bap drum kit and blowing some harp — a fleeting piece of envelope pushing blues to add to your collection.” – No Depression
Lord Of War – Suffer CD/LP (Unique Leader)
Lord of War’s Suffer drags it’s listeners into a dark sonic realm where elements of science fiction, horror, and sheer unbridled brutality collide. Priding themselves on keeping an expansive repertoire and a “something for everyone” ethos, Suffer delivers over forty-five minutes of unearthly aggression, seamlessly intertwining engaging technicality, relentless viciousness, and deadly precision.
Luna 13 – Dark Side Of The Sun CD (Cleopatra)
Dark, edgy electronic music from the L.A. witchstep/deathtronica duo.
Magic Source – Earthrising CD/LP (Favorite)
Bjorn Wagner of The Mighty Mocambos, Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band and Mocambo Records, is renowned for creating an authentic and hard-hitting raw funk sound. This new project is a step towards a new style: analog-electronica, or so-called cosmic disco sound. The rhythm section hints at the great history of dirty funk and bouncing R&B, but the grooves are firmly of today: dance–centered, thrillingly interactive and broken up at the best possible joints.
Masked Intruder – Love & Other Crimes CDEP/12” (Pure Noise)
The Madison, WI pop-punk act returns with a new six-track EP.
Sean McConnell – Sean McConnell CD/LP (Rounder)
For one so relatively young, Sean McConnell has an impressive musical resume, from coffeehouses in Harvard Square to Texas roadhouses to major songwriting credits in Nashville. His self-titled album marks a personal and professional breakthrough, a career-defining record, with Sean McConnell ready for prime time, yet still blessed with all the soulfulness and reflective storytelling for which he is already respected and admired.
MC Kresha & Lyrical Son – Rapsodat N’ Rap T’ Sotit 4xCD (Soulfood)
Kosovarian rappers MC Kresha and Lyrical Son are two of the most notorious hip-hop artists from the Balkans. In the early years of Albanian rap, they were the first one to release mix tapes and down to the present day they’ve kept the groundbreaking mode up. This fanbox release of the duo’s second collaborative album contains four CDs (including instrumental versions), a t-shirt, and a signed autograph card.
Metronomy – Summer 08 CD/LP+CD (Because Music)
Entirely written, played and produced by Metronomy himself, Summer 08 finds the multi-instrumentalist reflecting on his experiences around the time that Metronomy first landed a major breakthrough with Nights Out. “I wanted to make another record with the naivety of Nights Out: ten tracks, straight up, upbeat. Write another banger, then another, and don’t really think about it.” The result is a mature, eclectic pop record in the vein of OutKast, David Bowie and Daft Punk.
Wymond Miles – Call By Night CD (Sacred Bones)
Wymond Miles was raised in the working-class small towns of the American West. On Call By Night, the singer’s latest widescreen opus, Miles masterfully evokes that lost landscape, all while grappling with issues of fatherhood, privacy, PTSD, police brutality, and love. The album adds a critical new chapter to the Fresh & Onlys guitarist’s story as an artist, and reasserts him as a major voice in contemporary songwriting.
Róisín Murphy – Take Her Up To Monto CD/LP+MP3 (PIAS America)
Róisín Murphy gained recognition in the 1990s as one-half of the electronic music duo Moloko with her then-boyfriend Mark Brydon. After the two ended their romantic relationship, Murphy embarked on a solo career, releasing her debut solo album, Ruby Blue, written and produced with Matthew Herbert, to critical praise in 2005. Her second solo album, Overpowered, was released in 2007. After an eight-year hiatus (which nonetheless included several singles, vocal features, and side projects), her third album Hairless Toys was released in 2015; it was subsequently nominated for the Mercury Music Prize. While the album title Monto comes from an old Irish folk song performed by the Dubliners, Murphy’s new full-length offers up disco rhythms, “dark cabaret” and textures of pop, electronica and house music.
Aparna Nancherla – Just Putting It Out There CD (Secretly Canadian)
New album from the stand-up comedian. Just Putting It Out There retains a warm, broad appeal as it progresses, inviting listeners into Nancherla’s own personal headspace. Her frank discussion of mental illness is both self-effacing and revealing.
New Rome – Nowhere CD (Room40)
New Rome is the latest project from Polish composer Tomasz Bednarczyk. His previous Room40 editions stamped out a virgin territory in Poland contemporary electronica community, deservedly earning him a revered standing amongst the emergent generation of Polish producers. Taking on a more rounded sensibility than previous projects, Nowhere is still guided by a strongly emotive and melancholic theme. The album transcribes the experience of falling into and emerging from winter.
Night Verses – Into The Vanishing Light CD (Graphic Nature/Equal Vision)
From the early days as Archives – where a fresh-out-of Tides Of Man Tilian Pearson recorded a killer demo with them – to an EP and then a connecting full-length, Night Verses have continued to evolve and take the scene by storm. [New single “A Dialogue In Cataplexy” is] “more of a progression with Tool-esque bas arpeggios, blistering tremolo guitar picking, drummer Aric Improta’s untouchable fills, and singer Douglas Robinson’s ease with transitioning from hard shouts to emotional, shrouded melodies.” – Under The Gun
Nonpoint – The Poison Red CD/2xLP (Spinefarm)
New release from the Fort Lauderdale heavy metal band.
Oiseaux-Tempete – Unworks & Rarities 2012-15 CD/LP (Sub Rosa)
Since 2012, French “free rockers” Oiseaux-Temete have been making instrumental and experimental rock that’s heavy, provocative, and in no way intended for just a casual listen. Pushing new boundaries, this opus crystallizes precious moments of sonic-bloom, from ambient soundscapes to free-noise and krautrock inflected improvisation. [Limited gold color vinyl edition also available.]
Pauline Oliveros + Musiques Nouvelles – Four Meditations/Sound Geometries CD/LP (Sub Rosa)
Pauline Oliveros surrounded by Belgian ensemble Musiques Nouvelles, performing two long pieces for orchestra.
Omni – Deluxe CD/LP (Trouble In Mind)
Atlanta band Omni play lo-fi pop that channels the spectre of the late ‘70s and early ‘80s.
Overtone Ensemble – Overtone Ensemble CD (Important)
Four pieces by Tim Catlin’s four-piece Overtone Ensemble, using Catlin’s self-made “vibrissa” instruments as well as massed hand-bells, quarter-tone bells, e-bowed acoustic, re-tuned glockenspiels, wine glasses, and long wire instruments.
Dominique Pifarely Quartet – Trace Provisoire CD (ECM)
Dominique Pifarely: violin; Antonin Rayon: piano; Bruce Chevillon: double bass; Francois Merville: drums. Dominique Pifarelys quartet, with long-time musical companions Chevillon and Merville and newer associate Antonin Rayon, provides a marvelous context for the full range of the French violinist’s expression.
Prince – MPLSound [Reissue/2009] 2xLP (Because Music)
On MPLSound, Prince took his retro mission to offer up such tight, funky electro grooves as “(There’ll Never B) Another Like Me” and “Ol’ Skool Company.” The album is part of what was originally released as a triple album was also released as a double LP with Lotusflow3r.
“Prince played every instrument on MPLSound just like the old days, only now he gets obsessive with Pro Tools. He isn’t as bawdy as he once was (becoming a Jehovah’s Witness will do that), but he’s still got a lot of humor and swagger. On the funky ‘(There’ll Never B) Another Like Me,’ he sings about his beauty routine (it involves olive oil in his hair), and on the seven-and-a-half-minute ‘Ol’ Skool Company,’ he covers issues from the TARP bailout to the state of radio (‘If the White House is black / We gotta take the radio back’).” — Rolling Stone, 2009
Radio Moscow – Live In California CD/2xLP (Alive)
76 minutes of the trio’s unique brand of high-energy psychedelic rock ‘n’ roll recorded live over two nights at The Satellite club in Los Angeles in December 2015.
The Rave-Ups – Town + Country [Reissue/1985] CD (Omnivore)
While the members of The Rave-Ups held day jobs in the mailroom at A&M Records, they were able to use the label’s studios at night and during lunch breaks to record what would become a genre-defining release. Enlisting the help of producer Stephen Barncard (Grateful Dead’s American Beauty) as well as the legendary pedal-steel player Sneaky Pete Kleinow, Town + Country appeared on the scene in 1985. The album gained enough attention to get the band featured in John Hughes’ classic 1986 film, Pretty In Pink. Sadly, their “Positively Lost Me” did not make the official soundtrack album, and Town + Country fell out of print. This reissue features the album’s original 10 songs, plus a whopping 11 previously unissued bonus tracks-including live radio performances recorded at the legendary KCRW, as well as 1986 material co-produced by Steve Berlin (Los Lobos).
Red Sleeping Beauty – Kristina CD/10” (Shelflife)
A heartfelt mix of memorable pop melodies an timeless electronica.
The Residents – Daydream B-Liver [Reissue/1991] CD (Klanggalerie)
Daydream B-Liver was released by The Residents’ Fan Club UWEB in 1001. It is an assortment of music from the years 1971-1991.
ScHoolboy Q – Blank Face CD (Interscope)
Sophomore album from the rapper featuring guest contributions by Kanye West, Jadakiss, Lance Skiiiwalker, Vince Staples, Candice Pillay, E-40, Tha Dogg Pound, SZA, Anderson Paak, Miguel, and TF.
Solomun – Selected Remixes 2009-2015 CD (Diynamic)
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. [Vinyl edition due July 22.]
Spellcaster – Night Hides The World CD/LP (Prosthetic)
New release from the Portland-based heavy metal band.
Jack Stankiewicz – Hideland CD/2xLP (Recognition)
Hideland goes beyond easy-to-pigeonhole genres with its microcosm of utopian sound constructs. The constantly morphing and 3D landscape of the album is a perfect place of seclusion and refuge for lost souls and seasoned listeners alike.
Switchfoot – Where The Light Shines Through CD/2xLP (Vanguard)
For the first time in 10 years, Switchfoot went back into the studio with producer John Fields and worked on their 10th album, Where The Light Shines Through. Moving forward inevitably means looking back, and there is a lot of nostalgia flowing through the studio these days. According to band member Jon Foreman, the name Switchfoot comes from a surfing term. “We all love to surf and have been surfing all our lives so to us, the name made sense. To switch your feet means to take a new stance facing the opposite direction. It’s about change and movement, a different way of approaching life and music.” [Available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe adds three bonus tracks.]
Tangents – Stateless CD/LP (Temporary Residence)
Stateless is the second full-length album from genre-hopping post-everything experimentalists Tangents. In a delectable hybrid of styles, Stateless cuts up and weaves together rich instrumental passages from the multi-talented ensemble of musicians whose collective resume spans decent swathes of recent experimental history: British electronic music producer Ollie Brown (Icarus, Not Applicable); Adrian Lim-Klumpes (Triosk, 3ofMillions) on piano, Rhodes, vibraphone and marimba; Peter Hollo (FourPlay String Quartet) on cellow; and the duo Spartak (free improviser Evan Dorrian and singer/songwriter Shoeb Ahmad on drums and guitar respectively.) Sparse metal-coated drum hits stumble over glistening reverse vibes, Saharan guitar licks, Fender feedback and washes of filtered piano. Moments of acoustic jazz surface, flowing into stoic upbeat anthems, drenched with multilayered patterns of glitched strings.
Terry – Terry HQ CD/LP+MP3 (Upset The Rhythm)
“A nervy throwback to that late ‘70s era when punk began to mutate in countless directions, matching a deadpan vocal with an incessant chord progression and piling on the sonic chaos. ‘Why would you say sorry for that?’ they wonder aloud, and certainly there’s no need to apologize for keeping this strain of musical antagonism alive.” – Stereogum
TTNG – Disappointment Island CD/LP+MP3 (Sargent House)
“As This Town Needs Guns, they were one of my favorite math rock groups – now as TTN, they’re back to wreak havoc. They weren’t very accurate with naming this album. Nothing here disappoints – ridiculous guitar tapping, polyrhythms from outer space and vocals that just work so well amid it all. Nope, nothing here disappoints me at all. If you’re new to math rock, TTNG might take you by surprise. They are subtle masters of their craft, piecing together intricate bars of odd meter with such flow that it’s impossible to get lost.” – Slug Magazine
Vanna – All Hell CD/LP (Pure Noise)
Sixth studio effort from the Boston post-hardcore/hardcore punk band.
Various Artists [Jackmaster] – DJ Kicks CD/2xLP (!K7)
Jack Revill’s selection contains exclusive tracks from Tessela, Allcatraz Harry and Denis Sulta alongside older cuts from the likes of Robert Hood, Ricardo Villalobos, Mike Dunn and Lory D.
Various Artists – Greg Benson’s Divine Disco: American Gospel Disco 1974-1984 CD/2xLP (Cultures Of Soul)
Greg Belson’s Divine Disco is a snapshot in time encapsulating the raw power of a spiritual performance, set to the pulsating 4/4 rhythms that were in vogue with the dance floors of the day.
Various Artists – One-Derful! Collection: Midas Records CD/2xLP (Secret Stash)
The fifth installment of the One-Derful! Collection focuses on the Midas imprint of this legendary R&B label group. This series – covering the years 1962-1971 – marks the first in-depth study of what was once one of Chicago’s most prominent African-American run labels. Within the grooves of these 25 tracks lie southern funk and soul from Bernie Sharp & The Sharpies and Bobby Mack, strong female leads from Irene Scott and No No Starr, and storming group vocals by The Inspirations and The Compliments, and much more.
Various Artists – Tanbou Toujou Lou: Meringue, Kompa, Kreyol, Voudou Jazz & Electronic Folklore From Haiti 1960-1981 CD/LP (Ostinato)
“From the scarcity in which these records exist, and in a country that recently experienced an infrastructure-leveling earthquake, crate-digging for late-era, 20th Century Haitian music in Port-au-Prince sounds like an incredibly quixotic endeavor. This endeavor was taken on by Vik Sohonie – an American DJ, record collector, writer and record label founder dedicated to preserving Afro-Atlantic sounds. Sohonie traversed a post-earthquake Haiti, combing through old radio station offices, private collections stored in musty basements, record stores that had crates of ‘plaques’ (Haitian slang for LPs) that had been held in the back of stores long past the hope of recouping a profit on these outdated forms of media. The purpose and end result is a beautiful, long-running compilation that provides a sampling of various and distinctive Caribbean and Haitian genres – not necessarily by displaying classic cut after classic cut, but by finding the nuance and blend between genres that present a seamless mix from end to end.” – Slug Magazine
Various Artists – Venezuela 70: Venezuelan Experimental Rock In The 1970s CD/2xLP (Soul Jazz)
Soul Jazz Records new Venezuela 70 is the first-ever album of its kind to take a look at the groundbreaking experimental rock music made in the country in the ‘70s during a time when the country was both a modern cultural and economic powerhouse in Latin America on account of wealth from its vast oil supplies. Whilst much of 1960s Venezuelan rock music emulated British and American styles, the 1970s saw the evolution of a new generation of creative artists who explored the possibilities of mixing rock with elements of electronica, funk, jazz, and Latin rhythms, linking them with Venezuelan roots music, creating a new sound which blended a multitude of new and old world influences.
Glauco Venier – Miniatures: Music For Piano & Percussion CD (ECM)
The 15 miniatures of this modestly titled recording include new music by Italian pianist Glauco Venier as well as adaptations of Gurdjieff, Komitas, Dufay and more. Miniatures is a quiet and thoughtful disc, in which solo piano is augmented by subtle, discreet percussion.
Miroslav Vitous – Music From Weather Report CD (ECM)
The great Czech bassist returns once more to the music of Weather Report, the group he co-founded with Joe Zawinul and Wayne Shorter in 1970.
Whitechapel – Mark Of The Blade LP (Lakeshore)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Mark Of The Blade sees the Knoxville metal band emphasizing groove over blastbeat-driven death metal violence.
Michal Wolski – La Mer CD (Recognition)
Eight extended compositions that recall those special moments when sound becomes a movement of a kinetic sculpture, an abstract painting, or a cinematic report from Arctic solitude. Wolski consciously shapes complex and saturated forms, further developing his penchant for the darker alleys of synthesis and sound design. In his varied and consistent narration, one can find a whole range of references to noblest protoplasts such as Pan Sonic, Rhythm & Sound, or Vatican Shadow.
Wolverine – Machina Viva CD (Sensory)
New album from the Swedish prog band.
Woodkid & Nils Frahm – Ellis CD/LP (Erased Tapes)
Directed by renowned artist JR, Ellis is a lens through which the story of Ellis Island is captured and retold by the words of one immigrant. Starring Robert de Niro and featuring the visually arresting Unframed art installation, which inhabits the abandoned Ellis Island hospital complex, the short film takes you on a compelling journey through the crumbling hallways of what once stood as the gateway to America. Entwined with this unfolding narrative is a score composed by multi-talented Woodkid, performed and co-written by Nils Frahm.
Zephyr – Going Back To Colorado/Leaving Colorado [Reissue/1971] 2xCD (Sunset Blvd)
Expanded 45th anniversary reissue of the second and final studio album by one of Colorado’s best-known rock bands Zephyr that featured the guitar wunderkind Tommy Bolin. This double-CD set adds a bonus disc of live material from 1969-1971 recorded in Boulder, Colorado and San Bernardino, California with the original lineup of Tommy Bolin, vocalist Candy Givens, organist John Faris, bassist David Givens and drummer Bobby Berge.
This Week’s Vinyl Exclusives:
5599 – Heureusement Que Ie Sang Seche Vite LP (Nashazphone)
5599 is a new duo featuring France’s electronic improvisation giant Jean-Marc Foussat on EMS Synthi AKS and current golden boy Augustin Brousseloux on electric guitar and alto saxophone. Heureusement Que le Sang Seche Vite features three tracks where guitar and saxophone interplay with analog synthesizer to create psychedelic, dense and textured soundscapes of aggressive noise onslaughts and moments of bliss.
Abhomine – Larvae Offal Swarm LP (Hells Headbangers)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. “Similar to early Morbid Angel, Abhomine reside in that netherworld somewhere between death metal and black metal with an underlying menace of grindcore.” – Angry Metal Guy
All-American Rejects – When The World Comes Down [Reissue/2008] LP (Doghouse)
Limited clear vinyl pressing in a gatefold jacket.
Barbarian – Cult Of The Empty Grave LP (Hells Headbangers)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. “Eschewing modern sounds for the tried and true way of first wave, Barbarian burst forth with their third full length, Cult Of The Empty Grave. While Barbarian rages forth in a primitive hellstorm of speeding, thrashing riffs and chest thumping rhythms, the heard of the music is heavy metal plain and simple.” The Metal Archives
Sandra Bell – Dreams Of Falling [Reissue/1991] LP (Straight To Video)
Sandra Bell’s album Dreams Of Falling is an experimental tour de force that ranges from ethereal sound collage to poetic industrial noise. Originally released as a cassette on New Zealand’s Xpressway label in 1991, the record also features Peter Jefferies, Peter Gutteridge, Alastair Galbraith, Kathy Bull, David Mitchell and Bruce Blucher. Essential listening for any NZ underground music fan.
Bezier – Cosmologist 12″ (Hnytrx)
“Cosmos,” a celebration of the late ‘80s/early ‘90s KIIS FM universe, is built around an infectious freestyle hook that morphs into a seven-minute tour of intersecting styles. “Ether” begins as gothic night-driving electro, but breaks into fantasy-scapes inspired by Italo and 1980s Japanese anime theme songs. The final track, “d. Quelle,” clocks in at over 11 minutes, incorporating bebop jazz solos drawn from his early exposure to improvisation techniques by Charlie Parker and Cannonball Adderley.
Duncan Browne – The Wild Places [Reissue/1978] LP (Music On Vinyl)
After two critically acclaimed albums showing his Renaissance influenced acoustic guitar picking, Duncan Browne went full-on electric half way through the ‘70s with both his newly formed band Metro (featuring Peter Godwin) and several solo albums. The Wild Places is the first of these electric solo albums, featuring the hit single title track. Originally released in 1978, the music has a sense of drama closer to Bryan Ferry and Roxy Music than his previous efforts.
The Browning – Isolation LP (Spinefarm)
Recently released on CD 00 now available on vinyl. In what could be described as nothing short of ‘adventurous,’ The Browning’s music takes influences from all across the metal spectrum and heavily fuses them with hardstyle, trance and other areas of electronic music. Color vinyl.
Cal Rock & Roll – Homegrown [Reissue/1982] LP (Out-Sider)
Vinyl reissue of a totally under-the-radar private press rarity from 1982. Homegrown is rich with ‘60s and ‘70s influences — a psychedelic/hard rock affair full of distorted guitar and freaky synths with some mellowed-out folky moments.
Cibo Matto – Stereotype A [Reissue/1999] 2xLP (Rhino)
Stereo Type A is the second studio album by Cibo Matto released in 1999. As the group disbanded in 2001, it was their last studio album prior to their 2011 reunion. While having a strong focus on atmospheric and ambient sounds and melody (particularly in “Moonchild”), Stereo Type A also contains a broad range of styles, reaching in to hip-hop territory in “Sci-Fi Wasabi” (with vocals by Duma Love), and heavy metal in “Blue Train.” Several critics noted the album’s difference from the group’s debut, regarding it positively as a progression of style and a maturation.
Bill Converse – Warehouse Invocation 12″ (Dark Entries)
Immersed in the early days of the ‘900s Midwest rave scene, Bill Converse began DJing at a young age in Lansing, MI. Luminaries such as Claude Young, Trazz, and Twonz were key early influences. Since Moving To Texas in 1998, he has experiment with analog techniques in varied studio bunkers. Early techno, noise, ambient, tape, and paranormal processing are all part of his uncanny sound palette. Warehouse Convocation is Converse’s debut 12” release, collecting material from a cassette release on Obsolete Future plus a new unreleased song.
Elizabeth Cook – Exodus Of Venus LP (Agent Love Music)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. For fans of the Florida-born and raised Cook, a Grand Ole Opry regular, SiriusXM Outlaw Country hostess and David Letterman favorite, Exodus Of Venus will be something of a shock. If she maintains the tang of her drawl, what emerges beyond Cook’s always vibrant and vivid sense of detail is a song cycle soaked in turpentine, musk and honey.
Dead Can Dance – Dead Can Dance [Reissue/1984] 2xLP (4AD)
Dead Can Dance – Spleen And Ideal [Reissue/1985] 2xLP (4AD)
Dead Can Dance – Into The Labyrinth [Reissue/1993] 2xLP (4AD)
Quintessential early-period 4AD – back in print on vinyl. (Into The Labyrinth features new album art and an altered track sequence.)
Decka – Isolated 12″ (Spe:c)
Bottom heavy techno cuts from Bristol.
Jack DeJohnette/Ravi Coltrane/Matthew Garrison – In Movement 2xLP (ECM)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. There is a lot of history concentrated in Jack DeJohnette’s adventurous new trio. Fifty years ago, as a guest with John Coltrane’s group, Jack DeJohnette played with the fathers of Ravi Coltrane and Matthew Garrison, and the program of In Movement opens with Coltrane’s harrowing and still pertinent elegy “Alabama.” Other covers include the classic “Blue In Green” by Miles Davis and Bill Evans (Jack is one of the few musicians to have played in the bands of both men) and “Serpentine Fire,” from the songbook of Earth, Wind And Fire (a tribute to Maurice White, who also collaborated with Jack in the early years).
The Districts – Telephone [2012] LP+MP3 (Fat Possum)
A reissue of The Districts’ 2012 debut album — previously digital-only — now available on vinyl. “The Districts have an immediate sound that carves a niche in a cluttered music scene with power, brains and nuance far beyond their years. It seems today that nobody has a new sound. Telephone, the aptly named 13-song record, does not create a new one. They do, however, carve a developed, strong, folk-rock sound from the likes of bands like Deer Tick, Dr. Dog, Kings Of Leon, and Delta Spirit. In one sense it’s heartland rock, in another, it’s jamming folk, and it all ties in with decent songwriting.” – The Huntington News
Evans Pyramid – Never Gonna Leave You b/w Dip Drop [Reissue/1978] 12” (Cultures Of Soul)
The mysterious Evans Pyramid has garnered acclaim from record collectors and DJs alike all over the world including Floating Points, Gilles Peterson, DJ Kon, Soul Clap, Dimitri From Paris, and many others. “Never Gonna Leave You” is a sublime disco masterpiece inspired by an emotional break up, wine, and Marvin Gaye. The B-side “Dip Drop” is a left field party jam for the dancefloor with all the bells and whistles.
T-Model Ford – Bad Man [Reissue/2002] LP (Fat Possum)
Nine smoking tracks of primo blues produced by the legendary Jim Dickinson – back in print on vinyl for the first time in 10 years.
Ghost Bath – Moonlover LP (Nuclear Blast)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Moonlover is the second studio album by American black metal band Ghost Bath.
Golden Flamingo Orchestra – Guardian Angel Is Watching Over Us 12” (Queen Constance)
“An exceedingly rare joy, this one. Recorded in 1979 in an almost bankrupt New York, when Manhattan – imagine! – could still be a dangerous place and riding the subway was strictly for the brave, this is a touching and profoundly funky tribute to the vigilante volunteer security force, before things went a little stale for them. With bass as heavy as a rolling stock, and field recordings from the subway tannoy echoing along almost empty train carriages late at night, Margo Williams’s vocals supply the inner city funk menace with some almost ethereal soul.” – The Guardian
Philipp Gorbachev – Unlock The Box 2xLP (PG Tune)
From imaginary places like The Delta, down to the dirty District, and with reverence for the heritage of Russian avant-garde, Unlock The Box pictures a static and demodulated dance floor. With the recording process involving a wide range of digital and analog instruments, Gorbachev approached the album with his signature hybrid production. Similarily, his lyrics travel between both English and Russian, continuing the innovative linguistic style from the Silver Album.
Gutter Instinct – Age Of The Fanatics LP (Prosthetic)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Debut album of caustic, flesh-ripping death metal from Sweden’s Gutter Instinct.
Hallelujah The Hills – A Band Is Something To Figure Out LP (Discrete Pageantry)
“We last heard from Boston’s Hallelujah The Hills on 2014’s Have You Ever Done Something Evil? – a mix of deep hooks, clever lyrical turns, and gut-punch feeling. With their follow-up, A Band Is Something To Figure Out, Hallelujah The Hills don’t replicate that success, but rather they open up a new set of challenges. The darker textures and scuffed-up edges of this record make it seem leaner than its predecessor, but these songs are thick with layers.” – Pop Matters
Heart – Dog & Butterfly [Reissue/1978] LP (Friday)
Heart – Bébé Le Strange [Reissue/1980] LP (Friday)
Heart – Passionworks [Reissue/1983] LP (Friday)
Limited edition HQ-180gm color vinyl reissues (blue, white, and purple, respectively).
The Honorary Title – Anything Else But The Truth [Reissue/2004] 2xLP (Doghouse)
Limited color vinyl reissue of indie rock band’s debut album (dark red with black starburst). Includes bonus tracks not included on the original CD.
John Lee Hooker – Great [Reissue/1963] LP (Southern Routes)
26 classic recordings from the late 1940s and early ‘50s. Includes the original ten-track 1963 LP The Great John Lee Hooker.
Lightnin’ Hopkins – Lightnin’ And The Blues [Reissue/1955] LP (Southern Routes)
Lightnin’ Hopkins – Sings The Blues [Reissue/1961] (Southern Routes)
A pair of vinyl reissues by the legendary bluesman, including his 1955 debut, Lightnin’ And The Blues.
The Instant Automatons – Sincerely Making A Noise LP (Beat Generation)
Instant Automatons were leading figures in the largely cassette-based UK Bad Music scene of the late ‘70s. Between 1977 and 1982, using a bedroom full of homemade gear plus some conventional instrumentation, core members Protag (later of Alternative TV, Blyth Power and Zounds) and Mark Lancaster forged a warped hybrid of traditional songcraft and lo-fi primitive post punk. Curated by Mark Lancaster, Sincerely Making A Noise dusts off curiosities from the band’s archives. HQ-180gm.
Søren Juul – This Moment LP (4AD)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Juul’s first album under his own name, having previously recorded under the moniker Indians. “The Danish singer-songwriter Soren Juul isn’t afraid to mix things up. After scoring a solo hit in 2013 with the album ‘Somewhere Else,’ recorded under the pseudonym Indians, Juul returns this summer with his first album under his own name, This Moment. “With a moniker, it’s kind of like you’re protecting yourself,” says Juul, whose spare yet evocative songs have garnered comparisons to Bon Iver and M83. ‘I don’t really need the safety net anymore.’” – New York Times
Kaytranda – 99.9 % 2xLP (XL)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti and raised in the city of Montreal, 23-year-old Canadian artist Kaytranada is widely regarded as one of the most important new producers in the musical landscape today. Since the age of fourteen, when he first began to DJ and when his brother introduced him to music production software, his output has been relentless. He’s produced for artists such as Mobb Deep, Kali Uchis, Freddie Gibbs, The Internet, & Talib Kweli and remixed the likes of Disclosure, Pharrell, Missy Elliot, Janet Jackson, and others. Last year he was tapped by the legendary Rick Rubin who has acted as a mentor, eventually signing him to a publishing relationship. 99.9% will be Kaytranada’s first debut album on XL Recordings.
Eric Krasno – Blood From A Stone LP (Feel)
“For nearly two decades, Eric Krasno has been an omnipresent figure in popular music. We’ve heard his virtuosic, innovative guitar playing with Soulive and Lettuce (both of which he co-founded), seen him onstage supporting the likes of the Rolling Stones and The Roots, watched him take home multiple Grammy Awards, and benefited from his deft, behind-the-scenes work as a producer and songwriter for everyone from Norah Jones, Tedeschi Trucks, and 50 Cent to Talib Kweli, Aaron Neville, and Allen Stone. Krasno’s rousing new solo album Blood From A Stone reveals a previously unknown and utterly compelling side of his artistry.”
Les Rallizes Denudes – France LP (Bamboo)
Recently released on CD – now available on viny. This just might be the single greatest side of OTT psych/noise guitar oblivion ever put to disc from the most legendary Japanese underground group of all time.
Los Mirlos – Cumbia Amazónica [Reissue/1978] LP (Pharaway Sounds)
14 tracks by the mythical Peruvian Chicha band, all recorded between 1972-1980.
John Mayall’s Blues Breakers – Live In 1967 Volume Two LP (40 Below)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. In 1967, before there was a Fleetwood Mac, Peter Green, John McVie and Mick Fleetwood were John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers. The four musicians were only together for three months, which makes it even more remarkable that a staunch fan from Holland was able to sneak a one channel reel-to-reel tape recorder into five London clubs and capture this exciting glimpse into music history. For almost fifty years, these tapes have remained unheard until John recently got them and began restoring them with the technical assistance of Eric Corne of Forty Below Records. Corne adds “While the source recording was very rough and the final result is certainly not hi-fidelity, it does succeed in allowing us to hear how spectacular these performances are.”
Brownie McGhee & Sonny Terry – Back Country Blues [Reissue/1958] LP (Southern Routes)
Singer/guitarist Brownie McGhee and his lifelong musical partner, blind harp-man Sonny Terry, are best known as champions of the Piedmont-style blues pioneered by artists such as Blind Blake, Blind Willie McTell and Blind Boy Fuller.
Minus The Bear – Interpretaciones del Oso [Reissue/2007] LP+MP3 (Suicide Squeeze)
Turquoise and gold swirl color vinyl reissue. Remixed versions of tracks Minus The Bear’s sophomore album, Menos El Oso, featuring interpretations by P.O.S., Fog, Tyondai Braxton, Plan B, Alias, and more.
Misfits – Friday The 13th LP (Misfits)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Four new horror-punk anthems for the new millennium, each written by founding fiend Jerry Only (bass/vocals). An homage to ‘80s era slashers, classic sci-fi and everything in between.
Modest Mouse/764-HERO – Whenever You See Fit [Reissue/1998] LP+MP3 (Suicide Sqeeze)
Limited half blue and half yellow color vinyl LP pressing.
Dudley Moore – Bedazzled: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack [Reissue/1967] LP+CD (Trunk)
The soundtrack to cult British movie Bedazzled (1967) written by Peter Cook and Dudley Moore. A sublime musical mixture of pop, jazz, psyche and stupidity. This rare score sadly became the victim of terrible bootlegs in the late ‘90s as the first pressing is very hard to find.
My Dying Bride – The Thrash Of Naked Limbs [Reissue/1992] 12” (Peaceville)
The Thrash Of Naked Limbs was released amidst an intensely creative period for MDB in their formative years. The EP arrived swiftly on the back of their debut album, As The Flower Withers, and helped solidify My Dying Bride’s reputation as leaders of the UK gothic doom/death metal scene. HQ-180gm.
Odonis Odonis – Post Plague LP (Felte)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Toronto underground staple Odonis Odonis broke out in 2011 with their scrappy, blown out debut, Hollandaze. The dynamic trio instantly began turning heads with their signature “industrial surfgaze” sound. Their post-apocalyptic anthems construct scenes of sci-fi horror and saturate them with industrial strength synth beats.
Orphan Swords – Weehawken EP 12″ (Clan Destine)
Orphan Swords are a Brussels-based duo that crafts some of the most menacing modern electronics in the game.
Charlie Parker – Bird (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) [Reissue/1988] LP (Friday Music)
Limited HQ-180gm translucent blue vinyl reissue. Initially, when Columbia owned the Bird film project, the studio executives wanted to hire musicians to re-record all of Parker’s music, largely because most of the original recordings were in mono, and considered of insufficient sound quality to accompany a feature film. Eastwood had some recordings of Parker made by Parker’s wife, Chan, from which he had a sound engineer electronically isolate Parker’s solos. Contemporary musicians such as Ray Brown, Walter Davis, Jr., Ron Carter, Barry Harris, and Red Rodney were hired to record backing tracks on modern sound equipment. Dizzy Gillespie was on tour at the time of recording, so trumpet player Jon Faddis was brought onboard to record his parts. Most of the tracks are up-tempo, including a delighted nightclub audience as a part of the scenery.
Porest – Modern Journal Of Popular Savagery LP (Nashazphone)
Porest’s fourth long-player is a damning collection of fuzzed-out guitars and keyboards, epic modulated grooves, “samples” and far-out field recordings that index the colonization of our consciousness. Features Richard Bishop (Sun City Girls), Peter Conheim (Negative Land), and Jake Rodriguez (Bran…Pos).
Protein – The Secret Garden 12″ (Alien Transistor)
Beginning with meandering sound layers and shifted delay effects, a rhythm emerges, rising slowly from the depths to the dark surface, clicks and cuts, in their gracile aesthetic at times reminiscent of Mouse On Mars. Protein cites and paraphrases the inspiration which he draws from artists like Neu! Or Harmonia, decouples it from its past and treats it with dubby distortion.
The Quick – Untold Rock Stories 2xLP/Cassette (Burger)
There’s not much real proof that The Quick ever existed, beyond their influence on The Dickies and ‘80s glam-punk bands like Redd Kross and Celebrity Skin. Though The Quick never toured outside of California, they did have a lot of curiosly loyal and zealously passionate local fans, including members of The Stylistically Dissimilar Germs. As The Quick released just one album, this LP of largely previously unreleased material will be something of a godsend to their followers. Filled-to-overflowing with 77 minutes of music, it includes two album-length demo sessions, the first produced by Kim Fowley over the course of two days in 1976 for Mercury Records, the second by David Campbell (Beck’s father) ovewr the course of six months in late 1977 and early 1978 for Elektra.
Penny Rimbaud’s L’Academie Des Vanites – Yes Sir The Truth Of Revolution LP (Cold Spring)
Rimbaud presents a reworking of Crass’s album Yes, Sir, I Will, which he originally wrote in 1982 at the height of the Falklands conflict. Over 30 years later, in 2014, Rimbaud rewrote Yes Sir for the Rebellion Festival, from what he describes as a more Taoist viewpoint, realizing the element of aggression as a veil for its essential message of love and peace.
Leann Rimes – Blue [Reissue/1996] LP+MP3 (Curb)
Limited 20th anniversary blue vinyl LP pressing.
Rogue Wave – Descended Like Vultures [Reissue/2005] LP+MP3 (Sub Pop)
Rogue Wave’s second album is back in print on vinyl — a free-flowing album that includes equal amounts of tension, release and resolution. In the process they made a brilliantly layered, expertly crafted album that changes shape with repeated spins.
Sam Shalabi – Isis And Osiris LP (Nashazphone)
A dystopian fantasia for ud ruminations and iterated tape manipulations. Shalabi’s work is an experimental synthesis of modern Arabic Music that incorporates free improvisation, traditional Arabic music, noise, classical, text, and jazz.
Shallow Cuts – Empty Beach Town LP+MP3 (No Idea)
One part Minneapolis and two parts San Diego, members of Dan Padilla, Madison Bloodbath, Dear Landlord, and Gateway District got together for beers and accidentally started a band. On the quest for an endless summer — or at least a late night burrito.
Shetahr – Hidden Dragon 7” (Kraak)
This trio is born out of the underbelly of the Bruxhells underground scene. Through their many energetic live shows, which blasted audiences away in Europe, they evolved into a tight unit writing short no wave songs based on poppy hooks. The ghost of Arto Lindsay and DNA is woven through their sound, if he would dance with the Beat Happening.
Soundtrack – Miles Ahead 2xLP (Sony Legacy)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Soundtrack to Don Cheadle’s wildly entertaining and moving exploration of Miles Davis, featuring musical highlights from Miles’ career and new recordings overseen by Grammy Award-winning jazz/hip-hop artist Robert Glasper.
Stealers Wheel – Stealers Wheel [Reissue/1973] LP (Music On Vinyl)
Based on the multiple talents of Gary Rafferty and Joe Egan the first Stealers Wheel album became an instant critical and commercial success. Released in 1973, the album reached the upper regions of the charts, boosted by the hit single “Stuck In The Middle With You” (which got a cinematic revival in 1992 through Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs). With a line-up so unsteady, the fate of Stealers Wheel was soon sealed after their third album in 1975 and Rafferty would go on reaching massive solo results, but this album shows their songwriting quality as a duo in full as they tackle anything from Beatle-esque pop, mountain rock and West Coast melancholy.
Todd Terje & The Olsens – The Big Cover Up 2xLP (Olsen)
Covers of disco classics from the Norwegian boy wonder.
Various Artists – Britxotica Goes East! Persian Pop And Casbah Jazz From The Wild British Isles! LP (Trunk)
A compilation of music created by post war jazz musicians and showgirls from London. A magic carpet ride to a place where the sphinx, Sheiks, sand dances, tales of yashmaks, Turkish coffee, bizarre belly dances and caravans of camels are the magical, musical norm.
Various Artists – Soul Jazz Presents Coxsone’s Music 2: The Sound Of Young Jamaica – More Early Cuts From The Vaults Of Studio One 1959-63 3xLP (Soul Jazz)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Soul Jazz’s latest exploration into the Coxsone vaults yields yet more earthly delights. This time, we go early to the Roots stage: ’59-’63. Featuring early material by Roland Alphonso, Don Drummond, Tommy McCook (all of whom would form The Skatalites), Toots and The Maytals, young singers such as Bob Marley and The Wailers, Delroy Wilson, Owen Gray all captured in their formative days. The music here spans a wealth of styles – Jamaican rhythm and blues, jazz, gospel, proto-ska, Rastafarian – all of which were drawn upon to create the future sounds of Jamaican reggae.
Vitalic – Film Noir 12″ (Correspondant)
Vitalic presents two new tracks on Film Noir inviting the listener to a spatial journey. Unusual, unknown, fascinating, powerful and sometimes dark’ this project defines itself as a cold disco.
Rufus Wainwright – Rufus Does Judy At Carnegie Hall [2007] 3xLP (Analog Sparks)
In celebration of Rufus’ 10th anniversary concerts of this historic performance, the original album has been pressed on vinyl for the first time. Rufus Does Judy at Carnegie Hall is the sixth album (and first live album) by the Canadian-American singer-songwriter. The album consists of live recordings from his sold-out June 14-15, 2006 tribute concerts at Carnegie Hall to the legendary Judy Garland.
Cassettes:
75 Dollar Bill – Wood/Metal/Plastic/Pattern/Rhythm/Rock (Thin Wrist)
“Title holders of the best band in New York award, cross-pollinating the rural blues of James Davis with microtonal Saharan desert blues, subtle improvisation, complex polyrhythms and unique instrumentation.” – Love Gloom Cash Love
Big Neck Police – Don’t Eat My Friends (Ramp Local)
Big Neck Police is a Brooklyn/Philadelphia based rock band made up of Mac Kelly, Hugo Stanley, and Paco Cathcart. A loud, caustic “power-trio” with little going on in the way of effects, the trio find their peculiar dynamism instead in the subversion of the punk orthodoxies they appear to revel in — specifically, through improvisation.
Exotic Adrian Street And The Piledrivers – Shake Wrestle ‘N’ Roll (Burger)
Adrian Street is a Welsh professional wrestler known for his flamboyant, androgynous wrestling persona, brought to prominence in the 1970s and 1980s. For its 30th anniversary, Burger Records is now reissuing his cult classic Shake Wrestle ’N’ Roll with all the original artwork depicting Street with his sensational valet and wife, the Lovely Linda.
The Quick – Untold Rock Stories (Burger)
There’s not much real proof that The Quick ever existed, beyond their influence on The Dickies and ‘80s glam-punk bands like Redd Kross and Celebrity Skin. Though The Quick never toured outside of California, they did have a lot of curiosly loyal and zealously passionate local fans, including members of The Stylistically Dissimilar Germs. As The Quick released just one album, this LP of largely previously unreleased material will be something of a godsend to their followers. Filled-to-overflowing with 77 minutes of music, it includes two album-length demo sessions, the first produced by Kim Fowley over the course of two days in 1976 for Mercury Records, the second by David Campbell (Beck’s father) ovewr the course of six months in late 1977 and early 1978 for Elektra.
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