CDs + Vinyl:
Acid – Tales Of Contempt CD/LP (MainMan)
The second release by Acid features a whole new batch of catchy and blistering tracks with twisted lyrics from the genius mind of lead singer/guitarist Bobby Kennedy.
Ryan Adams – Ten Songs From Live At Carnegie Hall CD/LP (Blue Note)
Ten career-spanning live tracks from two special performances at New York s legendary Carnegie Hall on November 15/17, 2014. The set list includes fan favorites like “New York, New York” as well as cuts from his most recent Grammy nominated eponymous album like “Gimme Something Good.” Tracks include live performances of two new previously unreleased songs “This Is Where We Meet In My Mind” and “How Much Light.”
Ancient Sky – Mosaic CD/LP (Wharf Cat)
Mosaic is a new statement of purpose for Ancient Sky and a record that defines the band as one of Brooklyn’s heaviest and most dynamic units. With the addition of Adam Bulgasem as a second drummer, Pat Broderick’s signature swing hits even harder. Kevin Lamiell and Brandon Evans add bass and keys respectively, leaving main-man Brian Markham to handle the singular guitar, one that riffs and drones in classic Ancient Sky form. From metallic street punk, to swinging celestial psych, to the crunching terror blues, this is a band showing that maturity means knowing your strengths and also knowing how to keep pushing it.
Ray Anderson’s Organic Quartet – Being The Point CD (Intuition)
This virtuoso wind player from Chicago counts free music, New Orleans, funk, new music, bebop, rap, and big band among his influences.
Ash – Kablammo! CD/LP (earMusic)
The first full-length release in eight years for the alternative rock band from Northern Ireland. “Though they made their mark as a part of the Britpop movement, Ash’s rough-and-tumble side differentiated them, their sentimental lyrics and dreamy melodies balanced by bad-boy guitar shred. Ash created electric force fields from hazy shoegaze, galactic and glowing, with dynamic builds and climaxes that verged on combustible.” – Exclaim
Axe – Rock ‘N’ Roll Party In The Streets: The Best Of 2xCD (Cleopatra)
Double-disc career retrospective from one of the unsung heroes of classic hard rock who toured with every major metal act from Iron Maiden to Kiss to Motley Mötley Crüe.
Martyn Bennett – Aye CD (Long Tale Recordings)
Martyn Bennett was a Scottish musician born in St. John’s, Canada (d. 2005), before as a child, moving back to Scotland. He was hugely influential in the evolution of modern Celtic fusion, a blending of traditional Celtic and modern music and a formidably inventive piper, violinist, composer and producer. Aye is a compilation of the best from Martyn’s albums and delves into the rich tapestry of music that he left behind, a multi cultural approach to contemporary and modern folk music.
Biters – Electric Blood CD (Earache)
Atlanta’s rock ‘n’ roll tearaways Biters recall the early spirit and danger of rabble-rousing rock heroes, and have faithfully built upon their punk heritage and their love of ‘70s rock to deliver music that ignites, incites and excites in equal measure. An aura of recklessness and intimidation surrounds the Biters mythology. Yet amongst all of the raw riffage, teeth marks and broken glass, the band serves up instant hooks and shout-a-long choruses. This ear for melody has not been lost on others — the likes of Green Day have proclaimed Biters among their favorite new bands. Vinyl version due July 21.
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – Live In Paris 2xCD+DVD (Vagrant)
Recorded live on BRMC’s last World Tour at Theatre Trianon in Paris on 2/24/14. The CDs feature a total of 24 tracks. The DVD contains 23 tracks plus documentary film 33.3%.
Brainticket’s Joel Vandroogenbroeck – The Coloursound Box 18xCD (Cleopatra)
The first-ever CD release of Brainticket founder Joel Vandroogenbroeck’s much sought after Coloursound recordings presented in a limited edition 18xCD box set. These rare recordings were released anonymously on the German-based Coloursound label, which specialized in ambient soundscapes for use in film and television.
Bulletboys – Elefanté CD (Cleopatra)
L.A.’s own hard rock heroes. Features founding member Marq Torien pouring his heart and soul into the group’s first album of original material since 2009.
Club Nouveau – Consciousness CD (Cleopatra)
Club Nouveau returns with their sixth full-length album. Features the single “That Ain’t Love,” along with contributions from Larry Dunn (Earth, Wind & Fire), Chuck D (Public Enemy), Chubb Rock, and more.
Coin – Coin CD/LP (Sony)
Coin proudly call themselves a “product of the ’90s.” A borrowed nostalgia for the decade that isn’t uncommon among Nashvillians. Coin hasn’t adopted the detached smugness and angst often associated with ’90s alt acts and contemporary ’90s alt revival acts. They are entirely devoid of ironic, tongue-in- cheek rock ‘n’ roll posturing or odes to the joys of slackerdom. Coin is guitar driven and sonically mature, but still true to their synth-pop sensibilities.
Damaged Bug – Cold Hot Plumbs CD/LP (Castle Face)
John Dwyer has a surprise… While everyone eagerly anticipates the next Thee Oh Sees record, he’s been working tirelessly in his synth laboratory, hand-crafting a follow-up to last year’s neon-noir Damaged Bug debut — one that shakes up the snow globe considerably. If Hubba Bubba was a brush with a robotic exoskeleton on deep-space patrol, Cold Hot Plumbs visits the alien world that sent it into the cosmos. Lush, textural and psychedelic, the songs breathe with a otherworldly sadness and heart.
Steve Davis – Say When CD (Smoke Sessions)
Trombone master Steve Davis pays tribute to the music of legendary jazz trombonist and brilliant composer J.J. Johnson, including rare Johnson gems as well as perhaps his most famous composition, “Lament.”
The Deslondes – The Deslondes CD/LP (New West)
Hailed by NPR as “deft assemblers of a sound that traverses decades and styles with humble grace,” New Orleans band The Deslondes mine from the rich history of American music to craft their compelling and wholly unique eponymous debut album. Co-produced by the band and in-demand producer Andrija Tokic (Benjamin Booker, Alabama Shakes, Hurray for the Riff Raff) at his Nashville studio The Bomb Shelter, the 12 tracks are influenced by classic soul, rock ‘n’ roll, R&B, folk, roots country, swamp-boogie, honky-tonk and pre-war music and introduce a collective of gifted singer-songwriters with a deep love for the past and a palpable passion for the present.
Al Di Meola – Elysium CD (Inakustik)
Al Di Meola is one of the jazz world’s most influential guitarists, having honed his skills on the instrument for over three decades. Elysium shows that he has no plan to slow down anytime soon. The album features fourteen songs that unite contemporary acoustic guitar playing with jazz elements and a touch of ethnic flavor.
Eazy-E – 5150 – Home 4 Tha Sick [Reissue/1992] CDEP (Priority)
Reissue of Eazy-E’s debut EP after the break-up of N.W.A.
Kurt Elling – Passion World CD (Concord Jazz)
Passion World is the fifth Concord album (and eleventh overall) from vocalist Kurt Elling, living up to its title on both counts. It is indeed his most “worldly” album to date, as Elling casts his net far and wide, from Brazil to Ireland, Germany to France, Scotland to Cuba to Iceland. Guests include the brilliant veteran trumpeter Cuban émigré Arturo Sandoval; the widely lauded young vocalist Sara Gazarek; German trumpet star Till Brönner; French accordion virtuoso Richard Galliano; the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra and the world-renowned WDR Big Band and Orchestra from Germany.
Eskimeaux – O.K. CD/LP (Double Double Whammy)
Eskimeaux is the recording project of songwriter and producer Gabrielle Smith, member of Told Slant & The Frankie Cosmos Band and one of the founders of the Brooklyn-based art collective, Epoch. Since 2007, Smith has been experimenting and developing her sound into the realm of more structured songwriting, as evident with the beat driven and poetic bedroom pop that fills her new album, O.K. Co-produced by Jack Greenleaf (Sharpless) and features vocal cameos from members of Epoch, Mitski and arrangement contributions from Henry Crawford and Nick Corbo (LVL Up).
Melissa Etheridge – A Little Bit Of Me CD/CD+DVD/Blu-ray+CD (Shout Factory)
On December 12, 2014, at the historic Orpheum Theater in downtown Los Angeles, Melissa Etheridge played the final night of her national This Is M.E. tour. The show featured Melissa and her band in top form, performing new songs from her thirteenth studio album This Is M.E. as classic hits including “Come To My Window,” “I’m The Only One,” and “Like The Way I Do.” The set also features two songs which were performed exclusively at this tour stop (“Chrome Plated Heart,” and “Ruins”), and features special guests Delta Rae. Available as stand-alone audio CD or CD paired with either DVD or Blu-ray.
Faith No More – The Real Thing [Reissue/1989] 2xCD (Rhino)
Faith No More – Angel Dust [Reissue/1992] 2xCD (Rhino)
These deluxe expanded double-disc reissues include the original release accompanied by a second disc filled with rarities related to the album.
Fernandez – Many Levels Of Laughter CD/LP (Joyful Noise)
There’s a certain, undeniable feeling associated with the songwriting of J. Fernandez. There are plenty of familiar touchstones and influences deep and intricately woven; Marquee Moon guitars, an affectless, Kraftwerk-ian singing style, psychedelic dissonance and melodic structures not entirely unlike The United States of America, and a modern warmth like Chris Cohen’s work with The Curtains and Deerhoof. But, dropping these names doesn’t adequately sum up what J. Fernandez has captured here. (Limited copies pressed on clear vinyl.)
FFS – FFS CD/LP+MP3 (Domino)
FFS = Franz Ferdinand and Sparks Collaborations don’t work, or that’s what FFS would have us believe on their debut album. When the seminal Los Angeles duo Sparks and Glasgow-based quartet Franz Ferdinand decided to record together, it was a flawed and potentially disastrous idea, right? Kimono My House-era Sparks fans will recognize how FFS highlights their classic ‘pop rock’ DNA, and Franz Ferdinand fans won’t be disappointed to hear the band at their peak of their powers as they bring their exhilaratingly unique and witty modern rock sound to the collaboration. Very much a new project, FFS doesn’t truly sound like either band, but a striking and fascinating mutation.
Galantis – Pharmacy CD (Big Beat)
The Swedish producer DJ duo comprised of Christian Karlsson and Linus Elköw release their debut album. The pair ditches their anthemic melodies for a more retro feel with disco synths and funky bass lines.
Gaye Bykers On Acid – Everything’s Groovy CD (Cleopatra)
A comprehensive career retrospective from the flamboyant band who became a key player in the late ‘80s Grebo scene combining their driving hip-hop beats with psychedelic guitars and rockist lyrics.
Michael Gibbs & The NDR Bigband – In My View CD (Cuneiform)
Michael Gibbs & The NDR Bigband – Play A Bill Frisell Set List CD (Cuneiform)
Gibbs has honed a subtle and highly personal approach to arranging and composition, incorporating driving rock rhythms and asymmetrical phrasing. When first emerging, his work anticipated the jazz/rock movement of the ‘70s. Although better known as an arranger than a composer, he really is one of the great writers to emerge out of the ‘Brit-jazz’ scene, and four wonderful, new original pieces are highlighted on In My View. Recorded at the Uberjazz Festival with the NDR Bigband on Oct 26, 2013, Play A Bill Frisell Set List captures Frisell interacting with one of the world’s great jazz orchestras, exploring sleek, spacious, vividly expressive arrangements of compositions drawn from throughout his career.
HONEYHONEY – 3 CD/LP (Rounder)
The third full-length release from L.A.-based duo HONEYHONEY, 3 is an album born from fascination with the sweet and the sleazy, the light and dark, the danger and the magic. Since Ben Jaffe and Suzanne Santo released the critically-acclaimed Billy Jack in 2011, they’ve kept on the road, growing their fan base tenfold both at home and internationally. Working on this new album with Dave Cobb (the producer behind Jason Isbell and Sturgill Simpson), lead singer/banjo player/violinist Suzanne Santo and vocalist/guitarist Ben Jaffe twist their gritty, harmony-driven brand of Southern-flavored rock & roll through tales of lost souls, broken boys and girls with gold in their spit. The two songwriters also take a mirror to their own experience in lust and heartache – never shying away from revealing the messy truth. This album reflects their continued growth, and holds nothing back. It’s easy to understand why HONEYHONEY’s following ranges from lovers of the Black Keys and White Stripes to The Civil Wars. Whether they rattle, soothe or joyfully inspire, HONEYHONEY instill each song with a straight-from-the-gut honesty and elegance of storytelling that make 3 both cathartic and electrifying.
House Of Lords – Indestructible CD (Frontiers)
New album from the melodic hard rock band.
The Hunts – Those Younger Days CD (Interscope)
Debut album from the indie folk-pop sibling group. In the tradition of family member bands, The Hunts are all multi-instrumentalist that have come together with a very thorough musical upbringing. Ranging between ages 17 through 25, the siblings have been a musical staple in their community, performing since they were children. Their sound blends rural instrumentation with harmonious vocals that manage to sound sorrowful and uplifting all at the same time. Hailing from Virginia, they manage to capture all the elements of rustbelt folk with vibrant pop melodies and catchy hooks.
Jenny Hval – Apocalypse, Girl CD/LP (Sacred Bones)
Apocalypse, girl is a hallucinatory narrative that exists somewhere between fiction and reality, a post-op fever dream, a colorful time-lapse of death and rebirth, close-ups of impossible bodies all told through the language of impossible pop music. Apocalypse, girl is a very intimate, very visual beast. It dreams of an old science fiction movie where gospel choir girls are punks and run the world with autoerotic impulses. It s a gentle hum from a doomsday cult, a soft desire for collective devotion, an ode to the close-up and magnified, unruly desires. Jenny Hval has developed her own take on intimate sound since the release of her debut album in 2006. Her work, which includes 2013’s critically celebrated Innocence Is Kinky (Rune Grammophone), has gradually incorporated books, sound installations and collaborations with poets and visual artists. For Hval, language is central, always torn between the vulnerable, the explosive and total humiliation.
Ice Cube – Amerikkka’s Most Wanted [Reissue/1990] CD (Priority)
Ice Cube – Kill At Will [Reissue/1990] CDEP (Priority)
Ice Cube – Death Certificate [Reissue/1991] CD (Priority)
Ice Cube – The Predator [Reissue/1992] CD (Priority)
Ice Cube – Lethal Injection [Reissue/1993] CD (Priority)
Back in print! After his acrimonious split from N.W.A., Ice Cube launched a lucrative solo career.
Inertia – Existential CD (Metropolis)
Inertia is the creation of Reza Udhin, also keyboard player with Killing Joke. Over the past 23 years, Inertia has conjured up their own brand of electronic music, fusing danceable industrial with dark melodies, harmonized vocals, haunting lyrics, and filmic soundscapes.
Institute – Catharsis CD/LP (Sacred Bones)
After demoing for several weeks at home in Austin, the anarcho punk band Institute tracked and mixed Catharsis in just four days between Christmas and New Year’s Eve 2014, in New York City with Ben Greenberg at Brooklyn’s Gary’s Electric. “Cheerlessness” carves out the perfect trine foundation to aspect both the anthemic “Cheaptime Morals” and the much looser jam “Christian Right” (the latter featuring fellow Texan Andrew Savage of Parquet Courts). Issues of morality, sexuality and religion are all interwoven seamlessly throughout the ten tracks as the band explores new sonic astral space.
Jethro Tull – Benefit (Steven Wilson Mix) [Reissue/1970] CD (Rhino/Parlophone)
Jethro Tull – Aqualung (Steven Wilson Mix) [Reissue/1971] CD/LP (Rhino/Parlophone)
Digitally remastered and remixed by Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree). Mostly recorded in December 1969 and January 1970, Benefit was the band’s first album to feature keyboards — played by the band’s old school chum John Evan. Released in 1971, Aqualung, despite the band’s disapproval, is regarded as a concept album featuring a central theme of “the distinction between religion and God.”
Juno Reactor – Golden Sun Remixed CD (Metropolis)
“For any trance/industrial lovers out there seeking something with more depth and life, for any of you new age and world music fans who are secretly wishing your music had more testosterone, and for any music or soundtrack lover seeking something new, inventive, daring, and epic.” –Playboy
Sammy Kershaw – I Won’t Back Down CD (Cleopatra)
New album from the county music veteran.
The Knack – Normal As The Next Guy [Reissue/2001] CD (Omnivore)
The Knack’s 2001 studio album — reissued and expanded. Touching on every genre they’d previously tackled, from the pop of “Disillusion Town” and “It’s Not Me,” to the Beach Boys-psychedelia of “The Man On The Beach” and a re-recording of Serious Fun’s should-have-been-huge “One Day At A Time” (which was climbing the charts as their then label folded), Normal As The Next Guy serves as a fitting bookend to where the band came from, and what they’d achieved. And, how musically powerfully they always were.
Sonny Landreth – Bound By The Blues CD/LP+MP3 (Mascot/Provogue)
“Sonny Landreth has been, over his intriguing if too-often-underrated career, the very personification of gumbo — that savory, everything-in-one-pot dish from his adopted home of Louisiana. An astonishingly inventive slide player, he’s never been content to stay too close to home. Over the years, we’ve seen him veer off into Zydeco (during a stint with Clifton Chenier), R&B (with Allen Toussaint), fusion (2012’s Elemental Journey), goofball pop (with Jimmy Buffett) and Americana (with John Haitt). All of it, in his able hands, tends to boast the flavor of the blues, but often it’s worked more as a spice than as the basic roux. ‘Bound By The Blues,’ the title track from his new album, makes a definitive return to those roots. Landreth, in fact, directly references Muddy Waters, even as he tears into a humid, Delta-kissed riff.” – Something Else!
Large Professor – Re: Living CD/LP (Fat Beats)
Having produced one third of Nas’ Illmatic, Large Professor’s place on the pantheon of hip-hop heavyweights is already etched in stone. When you add his debut as a member of Main Source — or the fact that he has collaborated with luminaries like Pete Rock, A Tribe Called Called Quest, Busta Rhymes, Mobb Deep, Masta Ace, and Big Daddy Kane — it’s crystal clear that the man’s influence is strong in history of the hip-hop. With Re: Living, Large Professor builds on his already impressive discography with an entirely self-produced record that delivers all the crisp drums, razor-sharp scratches, and innovative uprock grooves that define his signature sound.
Last Exit – Iron Path [Reissue/1988] CD (ESP-Disk)
A pioneering hybrid of abstract heavy metal, unsettling ambient music and free improvisation from Last Exit: Sonny Sharrock (guitar), Peter Brötzmann (saxophone) Bill Laswell (bass), and Ronald Shannon Jackson (drums).
Byron Lee & The Dragonaires – Uptown Top Ranking CD (VP Records)
Uptown Top Ranking is a collection of ska, rock steady and vintage pop sounds from one of the biggest bands to emerge from the Caribbean Islands. Byron Lee’s Dragonaires have been a major force in the region for decades and this album pays tribute to a forgotten yet potent sound from the man who revolutionized the Soca genre. Hear his early and classic reggae hits on Uptown Top Ranking. Vinyl version due June 16.
Les Discrets – Live At Roadburn CD/LP (Prophecy)
On April 19th, 2013, Les Discrets gave a celebrated concert at renowned Roadburn Festival in Tilburg, Netherlands. In company with the Alcest musicians Winterhalter (drums), Neige (bass) and Zero (guitar, background vocals), mastermind Fursy Teyssier (vocals, guitar) showcased the best tunes from the first two Les Discrets albums in energetic live versions in front of an enthusiastic audience.
The Litter – Emerge [Reissue/1969] CD (Cleopatra)
Reissue of the 1969 album by the garage rock heroes. Nine classic cuts of guitar driven, fuzzed-out psychedelia.
Halie Loren – Butterfly Blue CD (Justin Time)
Through a soundtrack that includes guitars, piano, organ, double-bass, horns cellos, and layered vocals, Butterfly Blue weaves together a diverse and rich musical array of original songs, unique reads on standards, and little-known covers that have been long-treasured pieces of the international singer/songwriter’s repertoire.
Lorna Shore – Palms CD (Workhorse Music Group)
Lorna Shore’s aesthetic spans death metal, black metal, power metal, and progressive rock.
Metropole Orkest Strings – Inventors CD (Metropole Orkest)
Dutch orchestral jazz based on classical compositions, from the string section of the world’s leading pop and jazz orchestra! This first album in the MO Blue series features pieces based on compositions by Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel, and J.S. Bach. This adventurous merger of jazz and orchestral music, perhaps best described as chamber jazz, features classical melodies mixed with virtuosic jazz solos and groovy rhythms.
Mischief Brew – This Is Not For Children CD (Alternative Tentacles)
Fourth album from the Philly anarcho-punk/folk troubadours. There’s a little acoustic guitar, violin, junk percussion and even glockenspiel… but at its heart, this is a punk album. Vinyl version due June 23.
Montgomery Gentry – Folks Like Us CD (Blaster)
New album from the multi-Platinum country duo.
Muse – Drones CD/CD+DVD/2xLP (WB)
“Matt Bellamy turns his beady eye to drone warfare on a concept album that takes in pop stomp, glam rock and Elgar. Skimming through the rock stratosphere carrying a riff payload capable of leveling entire districts, Muse drift further off radar. Down on earth, the stage is set for the uprising they foresaw back on 2009’s The Resistance – protest marches are already descending on Whitehall to rally against another five years of Conservative government. But instead Matt Bellamy’s eyes are to the skies, squinting at his next obsession: drone warfare. Drones trademark Muse themes of brainwashing, warmongering superpowers, suppression of The Truth and the urgent need to fight the hand that bleeds us still resonate in 2015, but obliquely. It’s Bellamy’s job to pry open deeper socio-political dimensions as much as it is to comment on the times, and Muse’s music once more matches his adventurous intrigue” – NME. Available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe adds a DVD containing studio and live footage.
My Sleeping Karma – Moshka CD/LP (Napalm)
New album from the German heavy psych instrumentalists.
No Joy – More Faithful CD/LP+MP3 (Mexican Summer)
More Faithful is No Joy’s third full-length for Mexican Summer, and bears the fruits of a band that redefined its work ethic in the gulf of time between recording sessions. The outcome – the juxtaposition of unrest and calm, beauty and chaos, truth and fantasy, in the throes of dimed amps and hair-whipping guitar goddess rock music – is as unwavering as ever. But where Wait To Pleasure balanced textural differences with the freewheeling novelty of the studio environment, More Faithful documents a much more rigorous creative process and performance, one in which the group, recording in NYC and Costa Rica, pushed themselves to new peaks of intensity.
N.W.A. – Straight Outta Compton CDEP [Reissue/1988]
N.W.A. – 100 Miles & Runnin’ CDEP [Reissue/1990]
N.W.A. – Efil4zaggin CD [Reissue/1991]
Back in print! The godfathers of gangsta rap. ‘Nuff said.
Of Monsters & Men – Beneath The Skin CD (Republic)
Of Monsters and Men are getting bigger and barer on its sophomore album: Beneath The Skin, amplifies the sound of the Icelandic folk-rock group’s debut My Head Is An Animal while also peppering its anthems with more revealing lyrical passages. Ragnar “Raggi” Þórhallsson, who shares lead vocal and guitar duties with Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir, says that writing a more intimate record was a natural process for the band, which had grown closer while touring exhaustively behind their first album. ‘For the first album, being from Iceland, you could feel in the lyrics that we wanted to go out and explore,’ says Þórhallsson. ‘Because we’ve toured for two years, I think you can hear in this album that we’re going more inwards. We’re writing more about us instead of what’s out there. It’s much more personal’” – Billboard. Available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe adds four bonus tracks. Vinyl version due June 30th.
Onra – Fundamentals CD/LP/Cassette (All City)
Fundamentals, Parisian producer Onra’s new album, is a paean to ‘90s hip-hop and R&B long players, an album that wears its Golden Era inspirations proudly on its sleeve. Taking the production levels up a notch with a more crafted, polished sound across the whole LP, the album was produced entirely on an MPC with no computer software used.
Morgan Page – DC To Light CD (Nettwerk)
Producer/artist Morgan Page is ubiquitous within the dance music scene. DC To Light features numerous guest appearances, including tracks with Angela McCluskey and frequent-collaborator Lissie, the starlet who worked with Page on 2008’s The Longest Road. Over the years, Page has performed sets at festivals across the world, including the Coachella Arts & Music Festival, Electric Daisy Carnival, Electric Zoo, and Ultra Music Festival.
Pet Symmetry – Pets Hounds CD/LP (Asian Man)
Emo influenced punk rock featuring Evan Weiss of Into It. Over It. and members of Dowsing and Kitty Hawk.
Pig Vs. Primitive Race – Long In The Tooth CD (Metropolis)
Conceived by bassist, impresario, and Lords of Acid manager/executive producer Chris Kniker, Primitive Race features regular appearances from Graham Crabb (Pop Will Eat Itself), Erie Loch (LUXT, Blownload, Exageist), and Mark Gemini Thwaite (Peter Murphy, Tricky, Gary Numan). That core is joined by an all-star cast of contributors including Tommy Victor (Prong, Ministry, Danzig), Dave Rave Ogilvie (Skinny Puppy, Jackalope), Kourtney Klein (Combichrist, Nitzer Ebb), Mark 3KSK Brooks (Warlock Pinchers, Foreskin 500), Josh Bradford (RevCo, Stayte), Diggie Diamond (Foreskin 500), and more.
PINS – Wild Nights CD/LP (Bella Union)
Sophomore album from the Manchester all-female post-punk four-piece.
Dan Potthast – My Living Room CD/LP (Asian Man)
A batch of heartfelt songs from the lead singer of MU330.
Prinzhorn Dance School – Home Economics CD/LP+MP3 (DFA)
Prinzhorn Dance School is still recognizably the same spiky Brighton-based duo whose ultra-rigorous debut cut through the excess of 2008 like a scimitar through bacon fat. But with their trademark stripped-down intensity now winningly off-set by moments of unabashed tenderness, their third album Home Economics continues and even accelerates the move away from austerity and into human warmth begun by its acclaimed 2011 predecessor Clay Class. (Limited copies pressed on wine-color vinyl.)
Planning For Burial – Leaving [2010] 2xLP (The Flenser)
The Flenser presents the first-ever vinyl issue of Planning For Burial’s debut full-length Leaving. The 2010 album is a depressing journey though isolation and sadness now recognized as a cult classic. “Wasluck’s longing and misery plays such a role in Planning For Burial’s music that it often receives equal credit alongside the instrumentation” —Pitchfork. “Thom Wasluck feels pain, and you certainly will also.” —Sputnik Music
The Rolling Stones – Sticky Fingers [Reissue/1971] 2xCD/3xCD+DVD+7”/LP/2xLP (UMe)
Regarded as one of The Rolling Stones’ all-time great albums, Sticky Fingers captured the bands trademark combination of swagger and tenderness in a superb collection. All Deluxe and Super Deluxe formats feature a generous selection of previously unavailable material. These include the alternative version of the chart-topping single “Brown Sugar” featuring Eric Clapton; unreleased interpretations of “Bitch,” “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking” and “Dead Flowers;” an acoustic take on the anthemic “Wild Horses,” and five tracks recorded live at The Roundhouse in 1971 including “Honky Tonk Women” and “Midnight Rambler.” Remastered album plus bonus CD featuring previously unreleased alternate takes and live performances with 24-page booklet. (Super Deluxe version adds a DVD featuring two tracks from Live At The Marquee, a 7” vinyl single of “Brown Sugar” b/w “Wild Horses,” an expanded 127-page hardback book, and more.)
Arthur Russell – Corn CD/LP (Audika)
“Since Arthur Russell’s passing, Steve Knutson’s Audika Records have been celebrating his memory with a number of releases from his expansive archive of unreleased material left behind mostly on ¼” tapes. Corn is the first release of the celebrated experimental producer’s officially sanctioned material since 2008’s Love Is Overtaking Me. Corn comes from original ¼” tape test pressings from 1985 that never made it to release due to Russell’s tendency to second guess his recordings. Its material largely consists of solo work with Russell contributing his iconic cello as well as keyboards, rhythm machine programming, vocals and production with assistance from Mustafa Ahmed (percussion), Peter Zummo (trombone), and Rik Albani (trumpet).” — DIY
The Sandwitches – Our Toast CD/LP (Empty Cellar)
The Sandwitches is a band straight out of a David Lynch film. Wide-eyed beauties, hardened against the cold San Francisco air, voices bellowing like the capricious winds, sometimes low and meandering, sometimes high and haunting. Roxanne Young’s drums ramble through song after song with a strange, unpredictable and perfect lightness, while near-moans and sky-high melodies collide in a soundtrack to the end of the world. Songs on Our Toast deal with the most playful moments in a new love, the most charming parts of decay, the heart wrenching feeling of impending doom at the dawning of something new.
Seoul – I Become A Shade CD/LP (Grand Jury Music)
Seoul is a three-piece ambient pop group based in Montreal. Their sound is described as “a woozy-wonderful mélange of pulsing synths and nimble guitars.”
Sideburn – Evil Or Divine CD/LP (Metalville)
Sideburn is a classic hardrock/doom/blues/progressive band out of Stockholm, Sweden.
Claudio Simonetti – Demons [OST/1985] CD/LP (Rustblade)
30th Anniversary Edition and definitive release of the iconic horror film soundtrack composed by Claudio Simonetti for Dario Argento and Lamberto Bava’s 1980’s gore classic Demons.
Sunset In The 12th House – Mosaic CD (Prophecy)
Sunset In The 12th House is a new band founded by the Dordeduh masterminds Edmond Karban (aka Hupogrammos) and Sol Faur. Acting mainly as an instrumental band, the quartet, which is completed by Dordeduh drummer Sergio Ponti and the bass player Mihai Moldoveanu, performs a unique style that can be best described as a blend of post rock and traditional oriental music. Vinyl version due June 23.
Tamia – Love Life CD (Def Jam)
New album from the celebrated six-time Grammy Award nominated singer/songwriter whose inspired crossovers have ranged from R&B and neo soul, to gospel, jazz and hip-hop over her extraordinary career. Features collaborations with Pop & Oak, The Dream, and Tricky Stewart.
Teen Men – Teen Men CD (Bar/None)
Teen Men are Nick Krill and Joe Hobson from The Spinto Band Along with artists Albert Birney and Catharine Maloney. The Teen Men sound is a mix of melodic-psychedelic guitar, keyboard, samples and electronic/ambient tones. “… A sound akin to the soundtrack of a mellow seaside discotheque… glides with a gentle force.” — The Wild Honey Pie
A Thousand Horses – Southernality CD/2xLP (Republic Nashville)
Debut album by the country outfit. Recognized as ‘On the Verge Artist’ and ‘Artist to Watch 2015’ by USA Today.
Totalitär – Wallbreaker 1986-1989 [Reissue/2003] CD (Armageddon)
Totalitär’s greatness comes from their ability to take the Scandinavian d-beat school of hardcore and blend it with the more melodic side of punk — without losing any of the drive and intensity. Wallbreaker compiles the band’s earliest output, and includes tracks from the Snabb Livsglädje Demo – ‘86 7″, the Multinationella Mördare EP 7″, the Luftslott 7″ and the Vänd Dig Inte Om 7″, further topped off by some raw live tracks from their 1989 UK tour with Doom. Thirty tracks in all, and the booklet contains lyrics and liner notes courtesy of the band.
Tremonti – Cauterize CD (Fret12)
Sophomore album by the band fronted by Creed and Alter Bridge guitarist Mark Tremonti.
Umberto & Antoni Maiovvi – Law Unit CD/LP (Death Waltz Originals)
Law Unit is a brand new creation by maestros Umberto and Antoni Maiovvi, an original concept that in the composers’ own words “moves past the retro-futurist works of their individual solo releases to explore a world of early industrial and experimental music.” The resulting album is made up of ten dangerously cool and evocative cuts, the kind of tracks that put you in the mood for L.A. circa 2019, or the Detroit of 1987.
Uncle Lucius – The Light CD/LP (Boo Clap)
Though Austin roots band Uncle Lucius has worn a Southern rock tag for most of its 10-year existence, the band’s fourth studio album, The Light, charts a course designed to convey just how vast that musical territory really is. The Light dips into regions where blues, R&B, jazz, soul, country and gospel took form, mapping a sound that captures the true meaning of Americana.
Sharon Van Etten – I Don’t Want To Let You Down CDEP/12”+MP3 (Jagjaguwar)
One of music’s most astute cartographers of the heart, able to squeeze enormous sentiments into especially small spaces, Sharon Van Etten offers up documents of surrender and disappointment, admission and longing with this new five-song EP.
Various Artists – Des Jeunes Gens Mödernes Vol. 2: Post Punk, Cold Wave Et Culture Novo En France, 1978-1983 CD/LP (Born Bad)
The long-awaited follow-up to the 2008 Des Jeunes Gens Mödernes, with five killer previously unreleased tracks. Volume 2 continues to explore the vaults of French post-punk, electropop, and no wave. Between the late ’70s and mid ’80s, in the wake of punk wave and in parallel to other types of music like disco, funk, ska, and reggae, a prolific and chaotic music scene began to develop in France, combining the energy of rock and the nihilism of punk with electronic experimentation. Des Jeunes Gens Mödernes (Modern Young Men) reactivates this French post-punk/novo diskö/new-and cold-wave scene, highlighting a cross-section of the specific creative diversity of this scene. Includes tracks by ADN Ckrystall, X Ray Pop, Eli & Jacno, Les Fils De Joie, Les Stagiaires, Medikao, La Bande Au Col Roule, Radio Romance, A.R.T, KaS Product, Frantz Kultur & Les Krames, Meca Rythm, and Perspective Nevski.
Vatican Shadow – Death Is Unity With God [Complete Version] 3xCD (Modern Love)
Triple-CD containing all the material on original 2014 limited six-cassette release, following Modern Love’s double-LP edition containing twelve of the tracks. Some of the most feral, bleak, burned-out tape music from Dominick Fernow (aka Pruient); includes drum reduced to scorching blasts against harrowing darkside chords, haunting chorales and chiming percussions, and scything techno roil, and draws aesthetic lines between ambient black metal, Coil, Muslimgauze, and early Autechre.
Velvet Acid Christ – Dire Land CD (Metropolis)
Dire Land is a companion to the previous two Velvet Acid Christ albums, Maldire and Subconscious Landscapes, and features remixes from God Module, Decoded Feedback, Dead When I Found Her, Assemblage 23, Dead Hand Project, Controlled Collapse, and more.
Michael Vidal – Dream Center CD/LP+MP3 (Couple Skate)
After years of blazing coasts and continents, DIY enclaves and contempo-art spaces alike as the singer/guitarist of L.A. punks Abe Vigoda, Michael Vidal has stepped out of the combustible, hyper-color tropical punk of his former group, and onto his own into more pastoral, lush territory. Dream Center is a wonderful and diverse spectrum of looping, beautiful guitar pop (featured on “Dreams” and “Appraisal”) that evokes the deeper emotional shades of the likes Blue Nile and Prefab Sprout, and crystalline instrumental pieces (“Mono No Aware”) reminiscent of Durutti Column and the earlier days of Felt.
Dale Watson – Call Me Insane CD/LP (Red House)
The keeper of the true country music flame, Dale Watson’s Call Me Insane is his third Red House album and shows Austin’s king of honky tonk delivering another album of new material that continues to carry the tradition of Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, and Willie Nelson.
Mark Weinstein – In Jerusalem CD (Zoho Music)
On Mark Weinstein’s second Zoho CD release, after his debut Latin Jazz Underground, the multicultural leader teams up with four Jerusalem-based jazz musicians for a flavorful session re-interpreting classic Hasidic melodies in a jazz context.
Werkha – Colours Of A Red Brick Raft CD (Tru Thoughts)
Werkha is the project of musician and producer Tom A. Leah. After a big year in which his reputation has swiftly spread by tour supporting Bonobo and support by Giles Peterson, the rising talent releases his debut album. Werkha cites physical instrumentation, and his own live recordings, as the essential ingredient that gives his sound its consistent energy.
Young Guns – Ones And Zeros CD (Wind-Up)
Third studio album by the British alt-rock band.
Danny Zeitlin/George Marsh – Riding The Moment CD (Sunnyside)
Legendary pianist/composer Denny Zeitlin has always been adept at transitioning from one musical idiom to another, as he has found inspiration in the sounds of the acoustic piano in different groupings, and electronic music. On the new recording Riding The Moment, Zeitlin returns to spontaneous composing utilizing electronic instruments along with the acoustic piano. His co-creator is the prodigious drummer and musical conceptualist George Marsh, with whom he collaborated on his first foray into the world of electronics during the late 1960s and 1970s.
DVDs + Blu-ray:
Melissa Etheridge – A Little Bit Of Me Blu-ray+CD (Shout Factory)
On December 12, 2014, at the historic Orpheum Theater in downtown Los Angeles, Melissa Etheridge played the final night of her national This Is M.E. tour. The show featured Melissa and her band in top form, performing new songs from her thirteenth studio album This Is M.E. as classic hits including “Come To My Window,” “I’m The Only One,” and “Like The Way I Do.” The set also features two songs which were performed exclusively at this tour stop (“Chrome Plated Heart,” and “Ruins”), and features special guests Delta Rae.
This Week’s Vinyl Exclusives:
Cannonball Adderly Quintet – Live In Cologne 1961 LP+MP3 (Delta Music)
In September 1959 Julian Cannonball Adderley left Miles Davis band and established a quintet with his brother, which turned out to be much more successful than his first one! In November 1960, they set off for their first European tour as part of Norman Granz’s Jazz At The Philharmonic; the Adderley quintet was assigned the task of opening the shows. Five months later, they took the stage as headliners during this 1961 performance.
All People – Learn, Forget, Repeat! LP (Asian Man)
All People is a four-piece band out of New Orleans, Louisiana who create organ driven post punk that invokes some of the aggressive sounds of the early ’90s-taking influence from Fugazi and late-era Jawbreaker.
Alvaro – Drinkin’ My Own Sperm [Reissue/1977] LP (Feeding Tube)
Alvaro Pena-Rojas was an advertising exec who ended up living in a squat in London when he chucked his professional career to fulfill his dream of being a musician. Rooming with he-who-would-become Joe Strummer, Alvaro was a founding member of the squat’s pub-rock band, The 101ers. After the Pistols opened for The 101ers at the Nashville Rooms, Strummer felt like he was destined to become a punk, and founded The Clash. Alvaro took his own trio into the studio (along with singer Cathy Williams, then in Red Balune with her boyfriend, Geoff Leigh) and used his savings to record Drinkin’ My Own Sperm, which he then had pressed up on his own Squeaky Shoes label.
The Animals – Ark [Reissue/1983] LP (Secret)
HQ-180gm vinyl issue of The Animals 1983 comeback album. Ark marked a reunion for the five original Animals from the group’s first incarnation: Eric Burdon (vocals), Alan Price (keys), Hilton Valentine (guitar), Chas Chandler (bass), and John Steel (drums).
Ausmuteants/Housewives – Housewives/Ausmuteants [Split] 7” (Total Punk)
Two of the best Australian bands going, on one piece of wax.
Banditos – Banditos LP (Bloodshot)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Mixing elements of ’60s blues-fused acid rock, jangly boogie, garage punk scuzz, and doo-wop sweetness, the Banditos recall many, but sound like no one but themselves. Jem is a multi-faceted jewel, from the lush Cocteaus-shiver of “Crocodiles” to the exquisite Eastern climes of “China” and the R&B twist of “Poppy.” What unites all 13 tracks is a beguiling fusion of intimacy and sensuality with something more mysterious and spectral.
Barnett & Coloccia – Weld LP (Blackest Ever Black)
The duo’s second album works with synthesizers, effected vocals, raw electronic noise, field recordings, EVP techniques, tape manipulation and drum machines to create a music at once lucid and mystic.
Basement Benders – Basement Benders 7” (Dead Broke/Drunken Sailor)
This Chattanooga, TN band features members of Future Virgins, Hidden Spots, This Bike Is A Pipe Bomb, Jack Palance Band and Black Rainbow. Four gems of punk/indie pop.
The John Betsch Society – Earth Blossom [Reissue/1974] LP (Heavenly Sweetness)
The mythical Strata-East album Earth Blossom, recorded in one day and in one take, bears the hallmark of their generation’s psychedelic experiences, and in the themes and playing of the musicians we can hear a less violent form of music than the radical free jazz of New York or Chicago. Nature and environmental themes are the inspiration behind tracks touched by the spirit of Coltrane but also of Flower Power.
Boscoe – Boscoe [Reissue/1973] LP (Numero)
The private issue answer to Chicago’s Afrocentric giants Earth Wind & Fire, The Pharaohs, and the Art Ensemble, boasting an unholy conflagration of soul, funk, spiritual jazz, African rhythms, and the politics of Black Power. Come witness the invocation of death, a war for peace that black America must fight, Malcolm X’s violent passing, brains already in the grave, God’s damning of us all, and a glib parody of “The Star Spangled Banner,” all delivered by a crawling funk fusion as eager to blast us awake with harsh words as with insistent horns.
Brontosaurus – Our Animal Ways LP (People Of Paper)
On the second album from the Chicago group, the rhythm-gambling, tom-heavy rumblings of indie-rock elite such as Don Caballero or Dianogah rub elbows with the slightly mad-scientist guitar pop leanings of the New Pornographers, as well as intricate folk storytelling.
Don Cherry/Latif Khan – Magic/Sangam [Reissue/1982] LP (Heavenly Sweetness)
Recorded in 1978 in Paris, Music/Sangam features the first meeting between Don Cherry and Indian percussionist Latif Khan and the result is an incredible mixture of jazz and Indian music.
Communions – Communions EP 12” (Tough Love)
Communions, made up of brothers Martin and Mads Rehof, Jacob Van Deurs Formann and Frederik Lind Koppen, are fast-gaining attention for their transcendent melodies, delicate guitar lines and emotive pop songs about naivety and youth.
Container – LP LP (Spectrum Spools)
LP is the third full-length (and third under the title LP) from the acclaimed noise-techno pioneer, both his most insane and his most club-minded album.
Demon Eye – Tempora Infernalia LP (Soulseller)
Released last week on CD – now available on vinyl. New album of dark, groovy, and loud occult hard rock.
Dewa Budjana – Hasta Karma LP (Sireena)
Indonesian progressive jazz-rock.
Dog Party – Vol. 4 LP (Asian Man)
Brash and roaring rock a la The Ramones and The Buzzcocks. Still in their teens, this is their fourth full-length which for any band is quite an accomplishment.
John Fahey – Blind Joe Death Volume 1 [Reissue/1964/1967] LP (4 Men With Beards)
John Fahey – Vol. II: Death Chants, Breakdowns And Military Waltzes [Reissue/1965/1967] LP (4 Men With Beards)
For several years major labels had been issuing records in both mono and stereo formats. By 1967 Takoma was doing well enough financially to justify the recording of John Fahey’s first and second albums for the burgeoning stereo market. Thus Vol.1: Blind Joe Death, as the record would be titled henceforth, was recorded for the third time and it is probably this release that most people are familiar with today. For the new version Fahey recorded all but one song on the album. He recorded one new track for the reissue: “I’m Gonna Do All I Can for My Lord.” His new take of the Episcopal hymn “In Christ There Is No East Or West” would become the most well-known and oft-played song on the album. Death Chants represents a much more fully realized syncretism of the modernist and primitive poles between which Fahey wobbled. It is also the first album he deigned to release entirely under his own name and the one with which he truly began to cast a shadow across the blandly-lit landscape of the world’s subconscious.
Falling Stacks – No Wives LP (Battle Worldwide)
If you were cutting your teeth on the hard edge of Big Black, the lunacy of The Jesus Lizard and the agit-groove of Fugazi, then there is a place in your blackened heart for Falling Stacks.
Fit For Abuse – Mindless Violence [Reissue/1997] LP (Armageddon)
Fit For Abuse started in the winter of 1995 inspired to play hardcore in the vein of classic bands like Negative FX, Poison Idea, Gang Green and Negative Approach. After numerous local shows and one demo, in September of 1996 the band recorded Mindless Violence with Kurt Ballou of Converge in his original 8-Track home studio.
Flesh World – Just To Tear Me Down 7” (Iron Lung)
Flesh World – The Wild Animals In My Life LP (Iron Lung)
More of that dreamy yet jagged pop that you’ve come to know from Flesh World. “It’s not often that fuzzed-out C86 jangle and brash queercore find common musical ground, Flesh World’s inception focused less on their other bands (Limp Wrist, Needles and Brilliant Colors), and more on their mutual love for drag shows and punk gigs, as their vision took form in the under dwellings of San Francisco’s DIY scene.”—Max Mohenu/Pitchfork.
Front Line Assembly – Hard Wired [Reissue/1995] 2xLP (Artoffact)
Front Line Assembly – Live Wired [1996] 3xLP (Artoffact)
20 years ago, Front Line Assembly unleashed on an unsuspecting and since then forever humbled industrial world, Hard Wired, one of the most memorable and highest impact recordings in the genre, period. The duo of Bill Leeb and Rhys Fulber accomplished on these ten tracks nothing short of a masterpiece. Live Wired was recorded in Mainz, Germany on October 24th, 1995, and is available on vinyl for the first time.
Gallows – Desolation Sounds LP (Bridge 9)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. The UK hardcore band continues their journey into weirder, esoteric territory that stretches the genre’s boundaries and yet retains mammoth rock power.
The Grateful Dead – The Best Of The Grateful Dead: 1967-1977 2xLP (Rhino)
New collection released to celebrate the 50th anniversary of The Grateful Dead. This is the first time that there has been a double disc best of collection and it has been compiled to highlight classic favorites from a fan point of view (the existing The Very Best Of The Grateful Dead is a single disc of tracks selected based on the popularity/sales of the tracks). This set contains “The Golden Road (To Unlimited Devotion),” “Uncle John’s Band,” “Friend Of The Devil,” “The Music Never Stopped,” “Cream Puff War,” “Casey Jones” and, of course, the enormously popular “Truckin’.”
Great Discord – Duende LP (Metal Blade)
Released last week on CD – now available on vinyl. Sharing an interest in progressive music, The Great Discord founders; vocalist Fia Kempe and drummer Aksel Holmgren, began their collaboration in 2013, counting Genesis, King Crimson and contemporary acts Meshuggah and The Dillinger Escape Plan among those who have, and would inspired them.
Grant Green – Matador [Reissue/1964] LP (Music Matters/Blue Note)
During the first half of the 1960s, Grant Green was the house guitarist at Blue Note. His single note lines had the power of a saxophonist, he displayed his own brand of soul, and he was so versatile that he was a perfect fit with soulful organ combos, post-bop groups and all-star straight ahead bands, even recording Latin music, spirituals and a Western themed album. HQ-180gm.
Grounders – Grounders LP (Nevado Music)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. A collection of dense and intricate pop music influenced by krautrock and psychedelia. Recorded with Marcel Ramagnano (Born Ruffians, Absolutely Free) and David Newfeld (Broken Social Scene, Holy F**k).
Hayden – Hey Love LP (Arts & Crafts)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. On Hey Love, Hayden’s eighth full-length record, the Toronto musician and songwriter writes the most intimate passage yet in his decades-deep story. The follow-up to 2013’s Us Alone, his sonically warm and emotive debut record on Arts & Crafts, is a heartrending love letter of hope and disarray, the album’s thirteen songs among Hayden Desser’s most affective, tactile, rousing yet restrained work to date. The title track, a languid anthem exposed by chiming pedal steel, introduces this dialogue – about loves both comfortable and disconnected, exhilarating and naive – with Hayden’s woozy pre-dawn falsetto propped up by a watchful chorus.
Heights & Worship – Crucify Me 7” (ZamZam)
“Crucify Me” is a unique and powerful vision of contemporary reggae and dub that combines a propulsive, percussive one drop riddim, massive bass, warm pads, snatches of harmonica, modulating synth and sophisticated filtering and dubbing for an almost psychedelic sound-world. In contrast to the current fashion of minimalism in sound system music, they pursue a full, thick, and enveloping sound that totally represents their point of view.
H2O – CBGB OMFUG Masters: Live August 19, 2002 The Bowery Collection LP (CBGB)
A full set by these NYC hardcore legends recorded impeccably from the CBGB’s soundboard.
Immortal Technique & DJ Green Lantern – The 3rd World [Reissue/2008] 2xLP (Viper)
Fiercely political Harlem-born MC Immortal Technique stormed onto hip-hop’s stage in the early 2000s with some of the most outspoken and intelligently provocative rhymes since the heyday of Public Enemy. Attacking corporate greed and American imperialism, and touting numerous progressive causes in his lyrics, Technique can come off as much like an issue of the Nation magazine as he can a contemporary rapper.
Rick James – Street Songs [Reissue/1981] LP (Motown)
Street Songs stands tall as one of the definitive R&B/funk albums of the 1980s. A triple-platinum hit, All Music calls it “defiant, in-your-face funk. This was not only [Rick James’] best-selling album ever, it was also his best, period, and certainly the most exciting album released in 1981. James simply follows what’s in his gut and lets it rip.” Even today, the album’s signature hits, “Super Freak” and “Give It To Me Baby,” are heard everywhere and “Fire And Desire,” a towering duet with protégé Teena Marie, broke out of the album as an instant classic slow jam.
Katrina Stoneheart – Katrina Stoneheart LP (Fire Talk)
Blends gorgeous, oozy melancholic pop melody and bursts of harsh noise into the most emotive soundscapes.
cEvin Key – Music For Cats [1998] 2xLP (Artoffact)
Recorded in the mid-‘90s, Cevin Key’s first solo effort is a collaborative album like no other, sporting guest appearances from Dwayne Goettel, Genesis P. Orridge, Philth, Mark Spybey and others. This is the first-ever vinyl edition and it features updated, new photos in an exquisite double-LP gatefold sleeve.
Kid606 – Recollected Ambient Works 1: Bored Of Excitement LP (Tigerbeat6)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. While de Pedro is no stranger to ambient music, Bored Of Excitement is his first release to owe a significant debt to the Berlin School. The album consists of seven truly pastoral, piano-based compositions shrugging off any trace of his glitch signature.
Diana Krall – The Look Of Love [Reissue/2001] 2xLP (Verve)
The Look Of Love is the sixth album by Canadian jazz pianist and vocalist Diana Krall, originally released in 2001.
Laster – De Verste Verte Is Hier LP (Dunkelheit Productions)
Released last year on CD – now available on vinyl. Four tracks of signature Dutch black metal.
John Lennon – Lennon 9xLP (Capitol)
John Lennon’s eight solo studio albums, remastered from their original analogue masters, have been newly cut to vinyl from 96k digital files and pressed on HQ-180gm vinyl. Includes: John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (1970), Imagine (1971), Some Time In New York City (1972), Mind Games (1973), Walls And Bridges (1974), Rock n Roll (1975), Double Fantasy (1980), and Milk And Honey (1984).
Low Point Drains – Out Of Coke 7” (Slovenly)
Garage-punk sh!trock.
Tor Lundvall – The Park LP+MP3 (Dais)
In 2012, ambient composer Tor Lundvall presented his second instrumental piece entitled The Shipyard (2006’s Empty City being the first). After its release and universal praise, Lundvall had confided that there was a third instrumental album nearing completion entitled The Park. Fostering his natural habitat of the wooded landscapes of Eastern Long Island, Lundvall again set about capturing his portrait studies and composing a lurid and abstract soundtrack to accompany his source of inspiration.
Lydia Lunch/Retrovirus – Urge To Kill LP (Rustblade)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. No Wave iconoclast and Big Sexy Noise-queen Lydia Lunch, in conspiracy with Herculean guitarist Weasel Walter (The Flying Luttenbachers), fret-destroying bassist Tim Dahl (Child Abuse) and legendary skinsbasher Bob Bert (Sonic Youth, Pussy Galore) unleash Urge To Kill—the follow up to 2013’s face-melting live recording by this deadly combo called Retrovirus.
Major Lazer – Peace Is The Mission LP (Mad Decent)
Released last week on CD – now available on vinyl. Major Lazer is the digital reggae/dancehall project of Diplo (Philadelphia’s Wes Pentz) and Switch (London’s Dave Taylor), two globetrotting, tastemaking DJ/producers whose previous collaborations notably included production work for M.I.A. and Santigold. Peace Is The Mission is the first of what is expected to be two new albums for the year, and features Pusha T, 2 Chainz, Ellie Goulding, Chronixx, Wild Belle, Travi$ Scott, and more.
Harvey Mandel – Games Guitars Play [Reissue/1970] LP (Cleopatra)
Vinyl reissue of the 1970 album by rock ‘n’ roll guitarist Harvey Mandel featuring vocalist Russell DaShiel. Known for his innovative approach to electric guitar playing, Mandel was a professional at 20, and played with Charlie Musselwhite, Canned Heat, The Rolling Stones, and John Mayall before starting a solo career. Includes the instrumental “Ridin’ High” plus a cover of Horace Silver’s “Senor Blues.”
Midwinter – The Waters Of Sweet Sorrow LP (Mayfair)
If Midwinter’s album had been released at the time it was recorded in 1973, it would rank among the top folk-rock albums of that period. Unfortunately an official release never happened but the wonderful music was not lost.
Motörhead – Overkill [Reissue/1979] LP+MP3 (Sanctuary)
Motörhead – Another Perfect Day [Reissue/1983] LP+MP3 (Sanctuary)
Motörhead – No Remorse [Reissue/1984] 2xLP+MP3 (Sanctuary)
Motörhead – Orgasmatron [Reissue/1986] LP+MP3 (Sanctuary)
Motörhead – Rock ‘N’ Roll [Reissue/1987] LP+MP3 (Sanctuary)
HQ-180gm vinyl reissues now available.
My Morning Jacket – The Waterfall [Deluxe Box Set] 2xLP+7” (ATO)
Deluxe box set with die-cut cover featuring a sliding drawer housing contents: a 256-piece puzzle of the album cover, five custom die-cut postcards, a 7” single of “Hillside Song” b/w “I Can’t Wait,” a digital download featuring four bonus tracks, and a lock of Jim James’ hair and/or beard clipping (seasonal).
Fred Myrow & Malcolm Seagrave – Phantasm [OST/1979] LP (Mondo)
Available on Vinyl for the first time in over 35 Years, Mondo is honored to reissue Fred Myrow & Malcolm Seagrave’s iconic soundtrack to Don Coscarelli’s horror classic Phantasm. Pressed on HQ-180gm vinyl, with new artwork by Phantom City Creative and featuring all new liner notes by the film’s writer/director.
Nervosas – Nervosas LP (Dirtnap)
The second self-titled album from the hard-touring Ohio dark-punks. Nervosas is an improvement on their (also awesome) first album in every way. The fast songs are meaner and more aggressive, the slower songs are more textured and atmospheric. This goes way, way beyond the “punk kids playing post punk” thing going around these days. Fits in perfectly on the darker end of the Dirtnap Records spectrum, alongside suck fine company as The Estranged, The Splits, Autistic Youth.
Our Love Will Destroy The World – Carnivorous Rainbows LP (Ba Da Bing!)
Witness the latest rebirth of Campbell Kneale. This Wellington, New Zealand, artist is on the forefront of the world noise scene, having cut his teeth for a decade in Birchville Cat Motel and more recently as Our Love Will Destroy The World. Carnivorous Rainbows is electronic music at its most relentless; four tracks of pure, hot skree constantly rebuilding like a viper’s unpredictable strike. Some percussion rattles throughout, a few instruments are arguably perceptible, and a beautiful harmony of intensity creates a gorgeous tapestry of sounds.
Parsonsfield – Poor Old Shine/Afterparty 2xLP (Signature Sounds)
Parsonsfield is a roots/Americana band with a grassroots ethos. The Connecticut quintet prizes the human element that underpins their music, from songwriting to recording to album design. Poor Old Shine is their new LP, paired here with their 2014 debut EP Afterparty.
Carlos Perón – Dirty Songs 12” (Dark Entries)
Carlos Perón was a founding member of Yello, born in Zurich, 1952. In 1983 Carlos left Yello in order to pursue a solo career. Dirty Songs is a collection of songs he recorded between 1980 and 1986.
Oscar Peterson Trio – Live In Cologne 1963 LP+MP3 (Delta Music)
Recorded at the Gürzenicht in April 1963, the Canadian keys heavyweight is at the height of his powers, on stage with his two partners, Ray Brown (bass) and Ed Thigpen (drums).
Photon Band – Songs Of Rapture And Hatred LP (Nod And Smile)
Songs Of Rapture And Hatred brings the birth/death cycle full circle as Art Difuria and company examine life and love via beautiful Neil Young-esque songwriting.
The Pineapple Thief – 10 Stories Down [2005] 2xLP (Kscope)
The Pineapple Thief’s second album remastered and pressed (for the first time) on HQ-180gm vinyl. Formed in 1999 by founder and chief songwriter Bruce Soord, The Pineapple Thief have continued to evolve and refine their sound ever since and they’re seen by many as one of the most interesting and innovative rock bands the UK have produced in recent years.
Public Enemy – He Got Game [Reissue/1998] 2xLP (Def Jam)
He Got Game is a soundtrack and sixth studio album by Public Enemy. It was released as the soundtrack to Spike Lee’s 1998 film of the same name and was the group’s last album for Def Jam. After a four-year hiatus by the group, Professor Griff and The Bomb Squad reunited with Public Enemy for the album, which features political, sports-derived imagery by Chuck D.
RSD – World Hungry 7” (ZamZam)
ZamZam presents two fresh cuts of Bristol dubwise from King Rob Smith aka RSD. Rob has been ruling the world of dubwise dance music for two decades, helping to define the Bristol sound as More Rockers and Blue & Red, and as part of seminal UK dub/jungle/soul crew Smith & Mighty. Rob deploys his signature warm and massive bass sound with sophisticated, syncopated drum programming, strings, sweeps, samples and melodic elements that capture the past, present and future of Bristol with a wink and a nod.
Frank Sinatra – Ultimate Sinatra 2xLP (UMe)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. 25 stellar recordings representing a cross-section of Sinatra’s unparalleled recording career.
The Slow Death/The Raging Nathans – The Raging Nathans/Slow Death [Split] 7” (Rad Girlfriend)
Two brand new songs Minneapolis heroes The Slow Death and Dayton, OH’s very own The Raging Nathans.
Soft Machine – Drop LP (Sireena)
In the early seventies West Germany was a great touring area for British rock bands. Here bands like Steamhammer, East Of Eden or Curved Air got almost even greater success than in their homeland. This also included the Canterbury scene jazz-rock band Soft Machine. Drop was recorded during the tour in Germany in 1971. The tracks are known pieces from the legendary albums of the band Third (1970) and Fifth (1972), but the sound here is very dynamic and therefore novel. (Originally released by Moonjune on CD in 2009, Drop is now available on vinyl for the first time.)
Soundtrack – 41 Original Hits From The Soundtrack Of American Graffiti 2xLP (Geffen)
For those who grew up in the ’70s, this drive-in compilation of ’50s and ’60s rock and doo-wop, complete with Wolfman Jack introductions, was our introduction to this music. There are 41 jukebox hits here, and every one of them is a classic of its time (although two tracks – “At The Hop” and “She’s So Fine” are covers by the revival band Flash Cadillac & The Continental Kids). In his 1973 movie American Graffiti, director George Lucas used the music (and the presence of mysterious deejay Wolfman) as the AM-radio soundtrack to one night in suburban California, 1962. The idea was to capture and sustain an end-of-summer, end-of-innocence mood that’s in the air throughout the picture — not as a shortcut to establishing a period.
Spray Paint – Punters On A Barge LP (Homeless)
Extracting themselves from the dumpsters of Austin, Texas to create their “paranoid art punk”, No Wave sound—Spray Paint once again present the atonal throb “post-punk workouts” they do so well, this time with some kraut drum beats thrown in for good measure.
Mavis Staples – Your Good Fortune 10” (Anti)
In conjunction with the new career documentary film Mavis!, Your Good Fortune is a unique collaboration between the gospel and soul legend Mavis Staples and singer/songwriter/producer Son Little, recording two new Son Little original songs, and two vivid reworkings of Staple Singers classics. To hear Mavis’ clarion voice bedded in Son Little’s ancient/modern swirl of swamp guitar and b-boy programming is to discover the knife-edge of Mavis Staples’ art.
Stellar OM Source – Nite-Glo LP (RVNG, Intl.)
Nite-Glo is the new offering from Stellar OM Source, the outré-minded music venture of Christelle Gauldi. Tempering the freneticism unleashed on Stellar OM Source’s 2013 album Joy One Mile, Nite-Glo guides Gauldi’s rhythms to unexpected places of emotive and meditative power. The four tracks presented here were written during a transient time for Gauldi. Loss and processing the associated emotions informed those moments in which she could escape to her mobile studio set up. Recorded solely with her live hardware, Nite-Glo tears down any ornamental tapestry to uncover a core of luminescent synths, glowing 303 lines, and a burning awareness.
Al Stewart – Time Passages [Reissue/1978] LP (Friday Music)
While surpassing cult-like status with his unique brand of folk/rock on huge albums like Year Of The Cat, the multi-platinum Time Passages features some of Al Stewart’s biggest hits like the prog-rock champions “Life In Dark Water,” “Song On The Radio,” as well as the title track “Time Passages.”
Terror – CBGB OMFUG Masters: Live June 10, 2004 The Bowery Collection LP (CBGB)
West Coast hardcore/metalcore (with some East Coast roots) legends do it up live at the world famous CBGB’s. Recorded at the top of their game on June 10, 2004. Straight from the soundboard to your speakers. Rawer than raw.
Uniform – Perfect World LP (12xU)
Post-punk, synth-punk, and industrial traditions are borrowed from as needed, but the constraints placed on the process mean the result is unique to Uniform.
U/V Light – Centograph LP (Medical Records)
Debut solo effort from Kip Uhlhorn Cloudland Canyon. Kip played, sang on, engineered, mixed, and collaborated with Gabby Weiss on Centograph. Eschewing standard German comparisons that CC usually receives, U/V Light often sounds like either early electro or dance-pop but without the typical blueprint so commonly replicated these days. Kip’s rockist tendencies make this recording more interesting and fresher than those usual reference points. One could also draw some comparisons to Primal Scream’s Screamadelica, Seefeel, or Craig Leon.
Various Artists – Trojan Beatles Reggae: Vol. 2 LP (Secret)
Second volume of classic songs by the Beatles done reggae style. Artists include The Heptones, Susan Cadogan, Marcia Griffiths and more.
Various Artists – Where Have All The Flowers Gone? The Songs Of Pete Seeger Volume Two LP (Cleopatra)
Double LP featuring the songs of American folk legend Pete Seeger performed by Bruce Springsteen, Donovan, Roger McGuinn (The Byrds), Judy Collins and more.
Walks On The Beach – Adoption Tapes LP+MP3/Cassette (Scioto)
Formed from the ashes of The Black Swans by member Jerry David DeCicca (vocals) and oscillator/feedback generator extraordinaire Mike Shiflet, Adoption Tapes focuses its sights on DeCicca’s electric guitar and a notebook, and Shiflet’s guitars, computers, electronics, and power strips. (Limited copies pressed on clear vinyl.)
The Waterboys – Fisherman’s Blues [Reissue/1988] LP (Rhino/Parlophone)
HQ-180gm vinyl LP pressing of this best-selling 1988 album from Mike Scott and the ‘boys. Fisherman’s Blues marked a change in the sound of The Waterboys’, abandoning their earlier grandiose rock sound for a mixture of traditional Irish music, traditional Scottish music, country music and rock and roll. The album divided critics and fans at first but has gone on to become The Waterboys’ best-selling album.
Western Settings – Yes It Is LP (Rad Girlfriend)
Awesome punk rock from San Diego.
Winter Break – Winter Break LP (No Idea)
Debut album from these former members of Summer Vacation. Somber yet snotty punk with an introspective bent and lyrical themes of alienation, personal growth, and the strange experience that is life.
Yak – Plastic People 7” (Fat Possum)
Following the release of their debut single, “Hungry Heart,” described by Stereogum as “a track with soul-crushing, foot-stomping fury… A memorable introduction to the band” and the haunting, Suicide-esque B-side “Something On Your Mind,” hotly-tipped London trio Yak release their Plastic People EP. Having gained a reputation for their ferocious, unpredictable (the band don’t do setlists) live shows, which regularly end in singer Oli Burslem destroying his organ before hurling it into the crowd.
Yelawolf – Love Story LP (Interscope)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Executive produced by Eminem, Love Story was recorded over two years largely at Nashville’s legendary Blackbird Studios with producers Malay, WLPWR, as well as Eminem himself. The Alabama-born rapper has described the effort as “more passionate” than his debut, 2011’s Radioactive, is a collection of the artist’s myriad musical influences.
Zackey Force Funk – Money Green Viper LP (Hit & Run)
Recently released last year on CD – now available on vinyl. “Tucson-raised singer/producer Zackey Force Funk walks the line between straight-faced sincerity and pranksterish weirdness, and he’s found some cohorts in other fields to help him negotiate that paradox. The most notable of these is Tobacco, who pulled him in to work out some synthesized body-horror psych boogie as Demon Queen. But music under Zackey’s own name is still relatively overlooked, with earlier releases like 2011’s glitchy, hit-and-run Criminal Wave EP and the abstract sludge rap of Blood Brother, his 2010 teaming with brother Nathan No Face, proving ambitiously eclectic enough to make categorization elusive. The easy route is to draw parallels to Dâm-Funk with a sliver of Chromeo in his veins—the joy of electro-boogie cut through with a nod of sly loverman irreverence.” — Pitchfork
Ben Zimmerman – Baltika Years 2xLP+MP3 (Software)
Collects experiments with the Tandy Deskmate computer between 1992-2002. The six homegrown tapes used here span monochromatic drum ‘n’ bass, piano balladry, domestic field recordings and erratic noise sampling. Sequenced and prefaced by Dan Lopatin (Oneohtrix Point Never).
Cassettes:
Modern Problems – Identity (Black Dots)
An uncut brand of straightedge hardcore from the cold and unrelenting streets of Western NY from Continues a progression in the sounds and spirit blazed by Orange County, CA circa the late ’80s and early ’90s.
Onra – Fundamentals (All City)
Fundamentals, Parisian producer Onra’s new album, is a paean to ‘90s hip-hop and R&B long players, an album that wears its Golden Era inspirations proudly on its sleeve. Taking the production levels up a notch with a more crafted, polished sound across the whole LP, the album was produced entirely on an MPC with no computer software used.
Walks On The Beach – Adoption Tapes (Scioto)
Formed from the ashes of The Black Swans by member Jerry David DeCicca (vocals) and oscillator/feedback generator extraordinaire Mike Shiflet, Adoption Tapes focuses it’s sights on DeCicca’s electric guitar and a notebook, and Shiflet’s guitars, computers, electronics, and power strips. (Limited copies pressed on clear vinyl.)
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