CDs + Vinyl:
AJR – The Click CD (AJR Productions)
Second album from this New York City-based pop trio comprised of brothers Adam, Jack and Ryan Met. Their music style has been described as “eclectic,” combining elements of pop, doo-wop, electronic, and dubstep.
Ambrose Akinmusire Quartet – A Rift In Decorum: Live At The Village Vanguard 2xCD (Blue Note)
Hailed by NPR Music as “one of the most talked-about names in contemporary jazz,” 35-year-old trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire has proven himself an artist of rare ability and wide-ranging aesthetic interests. With his expansive new double-album A Rift In Decorum: Live At The Village Vanguard, Akinmusire reaches a new pinnacle: he and his longtime bandmates Sam Harris (piano), Harish Raghavan (bass) and Justin Brown (drums) join a distinguished strata of jazz artists who’ve made live recordings in the hallowed New York City venue.
All We Are – Sunny Hills CD/LP+MP3 (Domino)
Liverpool-based All We Are return with their second album. Produced by Kwes (Solange, Kano, Loyle Carner), it follows the three-piece’s self-titled debut in 2015. Coming together while students in 2011, the trio is made up of Guro Gikling (Norway), Luis Santos from Brazil (guitars) and Richard O’Flynn from Ireland (drums). After spending much of 2015 touring and honing their sound the band started to write new material with a renewed sense of urgency and power, songs that documented the emotional rollercoaster the trio have been on in the past two years. Sunny Hills has a wobble to it, a human heartbeat and a grit that reflects the energy of the band’s thrilling live shows.
Anathema – The Optimist CD/2xLP (Kscope)
After Anathema’s 2012 award-winning album Weather Systems and 2014’s spellbinding Distant Satellites, the ambient rockers are back with their eleventh full-length. The Optimist reveals some of the darkest, most challenging and unexpected music the sextet have put their name to.
Below – Upon A Pale Horse CD (Metal Blade)
New album from the Swedish epic doom metallers. [Limited vinyl edition was released May 26.]
Chuck Berry – Chuck CD/LP (Dualtone)
Chuck is the final album and first new recordings in nearly four decades by founding rock & roll legend Chuck Berry, who passed away on March 18, 2017 at the age of 90. Comprised of ten new recordings, eight of which were written by Berry, Chuck is his first new album since 1979’s Rock It. Some of the songs on Chuck were originally conceived as far back as the 1980s, with Berry developing them in his home studio in St. Louis over many years during down time between tours. He worked on the album through 2014. When health concerns forced him to stop touring and recording in 2015, Berry continued to oversee production and planning for Chuck, enlisting his family and close friend Joe Edwards, the owner of Blueberry Hill, to fulfill his wishes that the album be completed and released. And from album highlight “Lady B. Goode,” a spiritual sequel to the iconic “Johnny B. Goode” featuring ripping solos from three generations of Berry guitarists, to the poignant country balladry of “Darlin’,” a duet with his daughter Ingrid, Chuck truly is a family affair. Along with his children Charles Berry Jr. and Ingrid Berry, the album features guest performances from Gary Clark Jr., Tom Morello, and Nathaniel Rateliff.
Big Thief – Capacity CD/LP+MP3/Cassette (Saddle Creek)
The trails that Brooklyn’s Big Thief – Adrianne Lenker (guitar, vocals), Buck Meek (guitar), Max Oleartchik (bass), and James Krivchenia (drums) – take us down on Capacity are overgrown with the wilderness of pumping souls. Lenker’s songs introduce us to a gallery of multifaceted women and deal with the complicated matters of identity – at once dangerous and curious, though never unbelievable. Lenker shows us the gentle side of being ripped open. Tricked into love, done in and then witnessing the second act of pulling oneself back together to prepare for it to all happen again, but this time to a sturdier soul, one who is going to take the punches better than ever before and deal some jabs and roundhouses of their own. The album is thick with raw, un-doctored beauty: most of the songs on Capacity were played for the first time in the studio and were recorded the same day. “There is a darker darkness and a lighter light on this album,” Lenker explains. “The songs search for a deeper level of self-acceptance, to embrace the world within and without. I think Masterpiece began that process, as a reaction from inside the pain, whereas I feel Capacity examines the pain from the outside.” [Limited edition white color vinyl pressing also available.]
The Birthday Massacre – Under Your Spell CD/LP (Metropolis)
The Birthday Massacre’s new album is a captivating hybrid of ‘80s, electronica, and aggressive guitars, fused with dark, cinematic melodic progressions.
Blacastan & Stu Bangas – The Uncanny Adventures Of Watson & Holmes CD/LP (Brick)
Cinematic underground hip-hop from Blacastan (of Demigodz) and beatmaker Stu Bangas, also featuring guest MCs like Ill Bill, Tragedy Khadafi, Nutso and Apathy. The Uncanny Adventures Of Watson & Holmes has been four years in the making, and every sample and beat and flow sits just right as a result.
Blackbear – Digital Druglord CD (Beartrap)
“The R&B singer’s new album is an effortless display of vocals over trap beats.” – The Knockturnal
Ritchie Blackmore – Live In Birmingham 2xCD (Eagle)
In June 2016 legendary guitarist Ritchie Blackmore made return to rock music as Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow played three concerts in Europe, two in Germany and one in England. This new double-CD set captures the full audio from the British show at the Genting Arena at the NEC, Birmingham.
Bokanté – Strange Circles CD (Ground Up Music)
Rich in the sounds of both delta and desert, the unusual but evocative instrumentation on Bokanté debut album, Strange Circles, blends musical worlds to convey an urgent message of social awareness against the rising tide of exclusion and human indifference. The album goes from Zeppelin-esque blues stomp to folkloric Carribbean kaladja over the course of its ten tracks, blending the extensive and varied knowledge of the individual players with a strong, yet empathetic, lyrical approach.
Lindsey Buckingham/Christine McVie – Lindsey Buckingham Christine/McVie CD/LP (Atlantic)
Two longtime members of Fleetwood Mac have joined together to record their first-ever album as a duo.
Glen Campbell – Adiós CD/LP (UMe)
Glen Campbell’s final studio album Adiós was recorded at Station West in Nashville following Glen’s ‘Goodbye Tour.’ Produced by Glen’s longtime banjo player and friend Carl Jackson, the album features Glen singing four Jimmy Webb songs that Glen never recorded but always loved, including the title track. Adiós features songs written by Roger Miller, Bob Dylan, Dickey Lee, Jerry Reed, Fred Neil, and includes a duet with Willie Nelson – “Funny How Time Slips Away” – and special guest Vince Gill on harmony vocals in “Am I All Alone (Or Is It Only Me).”
Lynn Castle – Rose Colored Corner CD/LP (Light In The Attic)
Though most of the world may not know the songs of Lynn Castle, she is an artist whose work stretches across seven decades. She has created a diverse and vast (albeit mostly unreleased) discography of pop, folk, country, gothic, rock, punk, blues, and children’s songs. Rose Colored Corner is a new collection of intimate recordings Lynn Castle made with Jack Nitzsche in 1966 and her complete recorded output with Lee Hazlewood on LHI Records.
Cigarettes After Sex – Cigarettes After Sex CD/LP+MP3 (Partisan)
Cigarettes After Sex mainman Greg Gonzalez’s ability to set a scene and sustain a mood reels you in deeply. On album opener “K.,” a tale of blossoming love etched in tiny details luxuriates over chiming guitars; on the hymn to romantic compulsion of “Each Time You Fall In Love,” the suspended animation of Angelo Badalamenti’s heart-stopping Twin Peaks music is echoed. “Sunsetz” and the gently lilting “Sweet,” meanwhile, showcase Gonzalez’s ability to weave impressionistic snapshots of romance into melodies that haunt like memories of past loves, all coalescing around his melting vocals. Elsewhere, Gonzalez mounts movies in miniature with the photographic references of “Flash” and Fitzcarraldo echoes of “Opera House,” a song so lovingly languid it could, conceivably, soundtrack a man hauling ships over mountains for love. And, just as every good film-maker knows the need for a killer finale, so Gonzalez closes the album with the retro-romantic swing and teasingly filthy put-downs of “Young & Dumb,” which brings the album to a close with good, timeless advice: “Drive your car to the beach with the song on repeat…” [Limited grey color vinyl pressing also available.]
John Coltrane – Trane: The Atlantic Collection CD/LP (Atlantic Catalog Group)
An introduction to John Coltrane’s revered Atlantic recordings. Trane: The Atlantic Collection includes the hit single “My Favorite Things,” the iconic “Giant Steps, Naimi” and more, from the “heavyweight champion” of the jazz world.
Culture – Two Sevens Clash [Reissue/1977] CD (VP)
Culture was initially recorded by producer Joe Gibbs during the post-incubation period of roots rockers music in 1976. Assisted by the excellent productions of these recordings, Culture emerged in ’77 with a unicity of symbolic sound on their debut album Two Sevens Clash. Rhythms were created as dubsonic sound of creative freedom which defied limits and revealed the natural expression of the African-Caribbean soul, mellifluous voices with the sounds/chants of the New Africanism. Songs of cultural awareness that impart an ire feel through message/magic music of truths and rights depicting the struggle, history and aspirations of an evolution. [Vinyl edition due June 23.]
Jack DeJohnette/Larry Grenadier/John Medeski – Hudson CD (Motemo Music)
Four of the world’s top instrumentalists – Jack DeJohnette (drums), Larry Grenadier (bass), John Medeski (keyboardist), and John Scofield (guitar) – unite to form this supergroup collective. Hudson features covers of songs connected to the Hudson Valley by such songwriters as Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, and Joni Mitchell.
Constance Demby – Novus Magnificat: Through The Stargate (30th Anniversary Edition) CD (MRI Associated)
Expanded reissue one of Hearts Of Space Records first releases. Originally released in 1986, Novus Magnificat: Through The Stargate is an album of symphonic, sacred music – one that built bridged classical and choral music. This double-CD 30th Anniversary Edition features the original recording re-cut by the artist to eleven movements and a second disc of never before released live recordings.
Dave Depper – Emotional Freedom Technique CD/LP+MP3 (Tender Loving Empire)
Straddling the line between pop and despair, Emotional Freedom Technique is a letter to the broken heart that won’t mend but still beats. It is a portrait of what happens when someone is flung across the world on tour – grateful to be there, grateful for the success and the adventures, but ultimately lonely. Because the songs were so deeply personal, Dave Depper decided to record them in his home, playing every instrument. Songs like “Do You Want Love” and “Communication” lean forward on cutting deep, propulsive grooves, while “EZ-101” casts ambient glitter while Depper sings, not sadly and not happily, but starkly. Grappling with loneliness, the longing for human connection and the fear thereof, Depper strings ornate synth melodies together into simple hooks that speak to the most relatable reasons we listen to pop music – to remember we aren’t alone, and to still have a good time with it. [Limited color vinyl pressing also available.]
Ani DiFranco – Binary CD (Righteous Babe)
“Ani DiFranco records arrive like MoMA retrospectives. Ani on Heartbreak. Ani on Worker’s Rights. Ani on Parenthood. Ani in Love. Each release is entirely immersive and seemingly exhaustive, not only because of the propulsive, intensely kinetic sound signature on the prolific singer-songwriter’s past work, but because her attention to the subject at hand has been laser-focused. For her 20th studio album, Binary, the MoMA retrospective might be called Ani Exhales. DiFranco’s voice has lowered and softened, her guitarwork has slowed down, she puts fewer lyrics in her songs, and her songwriter’s skin has gotten thicker. Gone is the 18-year-old girl on the street in Manhattan, raging against ‘Our father/ who art in a penthouse.’ Now she’s a woman at sea level, New Orleans in her blood, with a long view in every direction and a hard-won instinct for self-preservation. Where she used to favor immersion, DiFranco here favors integration. Binary isn’t about one thing, or two things, or even three things. It’s about everything.” – NPR [Vinyl edition due June 23.]
Exist – So True, So Bound CD (Prosthetic)
Having cut his teeth with Cynic, Defeated Sanity, and as frontman of the Death To All touring tribute to Chuck Shuldiner, it’s safe to say that Max Phelps, founder of Exist, has proven himself a more than capable performer in the progressive death metal world. [Vinyl edition due June 23.]
Freddy Fender – Lovin’ Tex-Mex Style CD (Rockbeat)
Bilingual songs rarely hit the pop charts, often perceived as novelty hits, but Fender developed a track record of bi-lingual hits, expanding the rich culture of Tex-Mex music.
Foscor – Les Irreals Visions CD/2xLP (Season Of Mist)
On this fifth album, Catalonia, Spain’s Foscor carve a multi-faceted jewel out of deep longing, their country’s characteristic melancholy, and dark foreboding heaviness. Les Irreals Visions invites the listener onto a cinematic journey through dream landscapes created by carefully arranged sonic delights and unexpected aural twists.
Game Theory – 2 Steps From The Middle Ages [Reissue/1988] CD/LP+MP3 (Omnivore)
Game Theory’s final studio album – remastered and expanded. Following up 1987’s Lolita Nation would be no easy task for the power pop band. But, Scott Miller and company were certainly up for the task. Re-teaming with producer Mitch Easter (R.E.M., Marshall Crenshaw, Velvet Crush), 2 Steps From The Middle Ages was released in 1988, and showed the band had no shortage of energy, experimentation, and excellent material. This reissue contains the original 13 songs supplemented with 11 bonus tracks – demos, live performances and covers – all previously unissued. This is another opportunity to discover this brilliant, adventurous band who, if there was any justice in the world, should have been as big as R.E.M. [Limited translucent orange color vinyl pressing also available. Includes a download for the entire CD program.]
Gov’t Mule – Revolution Come… Revolution Go CD/2xCD/2xLP+MP3 (Fantasy/Concord)
Preeminent rock band Gov’t Mule return with their tenth studio effort. Steeped in the roots and mystique of rock, blues, soul, jazz and country, Revolution Come… Revolution Go enriches Gov’t Mule’s distinguished legacy with cleverly-crafted songs, intelligent and timely lyrical commentary, and downright incendiary playing. While there are some political observations on the album, there are also introspective ruminations on life and love, like the countrified road song “Traveling Tune,” the soaring “The Man I Want To Be” and the slow-burning, reflective “Easy Times.” Throughout the record Warren Haynes’ dynamic vocals swing between rock ‘n’ roll grit and soulful crooning. Legendary Don Was co-produced on the powerful and moving “Dreams & Songs” and the thought-provoking “Pressure Under Fire.” Jimmie Vaughan makes a sizzling cameo on the super-charged “Burning Point.” “Dark Was The Night, Cold Was The Ground” is the reworking of the traditional blues instrumental originally recorded by Blind Willie Johnson to which Haynes added lyrics and the band turned into an epic gospel rock closer. [CD is available in Regular and Deluxe editions.]
The Heliocentrics – A World Of Masks CD/LP (Soundway)
The Heliocentrics are a group for which genres are meaningless and boundaries invisible. Since first appearing on DJ Shadow’s 2006 album The Outsider the group have gone on to release a string of records that float through jazz, hip-hop, psych, krautrock, and musique concrete whilst collaborating with numerous genre heavyweights from Mulatu Astake to Gaslamp Killer and picking up prestigious fans along the way, such as Madlib and the recently departed David Axelrod. [Limited color vinyl pressing also available.]
Ice Cube – Death Certificate (25th Anniversary Edition) [Reissue/1991]CD (Cubevision)
Deluxe expanded edition of the rapper’s genre-defining album.
Kreator – Endless Pain [Reissue/1985] CD/2xLP (Noise)
Kreator – Pleasure To Kill [Reissue/1986] CD/2xLP (Noise)
Kreator – Terrible Uncertainty [Reissue/1987] CD/2xLP (Noise)
Kreator – Extreme Aggression [Reissue/1989] 2xCD/3xLP (Noise)
One of the “big four” of Teutonic thrash metal along with Destruction, Sodom and Tankard, Essen’s Kreator helped pioneer death metal and black metal as we know it but are best known and beloved for their classic thrash metal style. Noise Records is pleased to kick off their Kreator reissue campaign with new expanded CD and vinyl pressings of the band’s first four studio albums.
Kronos Quartet – Folk Songs CD/LP (Nonesuch)
When Nonesuch Records celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2014, with festivals at London’s Barbican Centre and New York’s Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), Kronos Quartet joined forces with four labelmates – Sam Amidon, Olivia Chaney, Rhiannon Giddens and Natalie Merchant – to perform a concert entitled Folk Songs. The group later recorded the songs, most of which are traditional with contemporary arrangements, with Doug Petty as the album’s producer.
Lady Antebellum – Heart Break CD/LP (Capitol Nashville)
Sixth studio album from the country music trio.
The Magpie Salute – The Magpie Salute CD/2xLP (Eagle Rock Entertainment)
The Magpie Salute is a new band bringing together former Black Crowes members Rich Robinson, Marc Ford and Sven Pipien. Their eponymous debut album was recorded live in front of a small audience at Applehead Recording in Woodstock, New York apart from opening track “Omission” which is a full studio recording. The Magpie Salute has added significance as it marks the last recorded work by the late Eddie Harsch, former Black Crowes keyboard player who passed away in November 2016. The album is a mix of Black Crowes songs, new tracks and cover versions, which reflect the band’s wide-ranging roots. With half of the songs coming in at over seven minutes long, there is a musical freedom to the album enabling all the musicians to shine.
Merrimack – Omegaphilia CD (Season Of Mist)
The latest salvo of blasphemous brutality from the French black metal heretics. [Vinyl edition due July 14.]
Necrot – Blood Offerings CD/LP (Tank Crimes)
“Classic, old-school death metal at its finest.” – Paste
Zephaniah OHora with The 18 Wheelers – This Highway CD/LP (MRIS Associated)
Zephaniah OHora’s encyclopedic knowledge and burning love for old country music glows triumphantly throughout his new album This Highway, which frames his original songs right in the crossroads of a golden era in the music: the meeting of the Bakersfield and Nashville Sounds of the 1960s.
Katy Perry – Witness CD (Capitol)
Witness is the fourth studio album by the pop superstar. “All the singles (‘Chained To The Rhythm,’ ‘Bon Appétit’ and ‘Swish Swish’” are present and accounted for as well as the widely teased title track. The biggest surprise, apart from the fact that most of these titles sound like weed varietals (‘Mind Maze,’ ‘Pendulum’ and ‘Tsunami’), is the absence of collaborations. In fact, Nicki Minaj, Migos and Skip Marley are the only featured artists. This has been an interesting era for Katy with more twists and turns than an episode of Twin Peaks. Things got a little hairy when the criminally underrated ‘Bon Appetit’ came and went in a matter of weeks, but she seems to have turned it around with ‘Swish Swish’ — a song that features heavily on most Song Of The Summer countdowns.” – Idolator
Petyr – Petyr CD/LP (Outer Battery)
Fronted by pro-skater Riley Hawk, Petyr play crushing psychedelic hard rock. Steeped in equal parts hard rock and skateboarding, the band draws influence from the likes of Japanese psychedelic masters Flower Traveling Band, the hardness of Black Sabbath and the vibe of hometown scene godfathers Earthless.
Phoenix – Ti Amo CD/LP (Glassnote)
Ti Amo is Grammy-winning band Phoenix’s first album since 2013’s critically lauded Bankrupt!. Produced by the band and recorded at La Gaîté Lyrique (Paris) with the help of longtime collaborator Pierrick Devin, the band describes Ti Amo as “an album about simple pure emotions: love, desire, lust and innocence, it’s also a record about our European, Latin roots, a fantasized version of Italy: a lost paradise made of eternal Roman summers (hyper-light, hyper-clarity, pistachio gelato), juke-boxes on the beach, Monica Vitti and Marcello Mastroiani, fearless desire and Antique marble statues.” The New York Times calls Ti Amo “the band’s most unabashedly romantic record yet” and it’s ushered in by lead single “J-Boy,” a brilliant, shimmering explosion.
Pixx – The Age Of Anxiety CD/LP (4AD)
The Age Of Anxiety is a brave step forward from Pixx’s first release, 2015’s Fall In EP. A deeply personal document of heartbreak, those four folk-infused torch songs drew early critical praise, with the Sunday Times hailing it “one of the most arresting debuts of the year.” Instead of tales of loss and affairs of the heart, The Age Of Anxiety finds Hannah Rodgers ostensibly place herself outside looking in. The 12-song collection seeks to address a generation increasingly isolated by an unprecedented new world order, from the pressures of social media to ever-changing political turbulence. [Limited color vinyl pressing also available.]
Amanda Anne Platt & The Honeycutters – Amanda Anne Platt & The Honeycutters CD (Organic)
Amanda Anne Platt has been described as “easily one of the best songwriters coming out of Western North Carolina these days” (Martin Anderson, WNCW), with a voice that “sings like Carolina farmlands after a rainstorm” (Harvey Robinson, Monkeywhale Productions). She is the songwriter, lead singer, and producer of the Asheville-based Americana group The Honeycutters. With The Honeycutters she has shared the stage with Guy Clark, Amy Ray, Tony Rice, The Seldom Scene, Donna The Buffalo, Jill Andrews, The Steep Canyon Rangers, Jim Lauderdale, Ray Wylie Hubbard, and Langhorne Slim.
Populous – Azulejos CD/LP (Wonderwheel Music)
Populous is Andrea Mangia’s stage name, a musician and producer born and and raised in Italy. Hovering between IDM, pop and abstract beatmaking, Populous combines the precision of digital sounds and the analog warmth coming from soul music and shoegaze.
Rancid – Trouble Maker CD/LP+MP3/LP+7”+MP3 (Epitaph)
East Bay pop punk veterans Rancid are going on nearly 25 years together, and they’re showing no signs of slowing down. New album Trouble Maker spans 19 tracks produced by Bad Religion frontman Brett Guerwitz, who is also the founder of Epitaph. Born in the midst of the post-Reagan economic downturn in the San Francisco Bay Area, the East Bay region specifically, Rancid came to light as Armstrong and Freeman were moving forward after the first band they founded, Operation Ivy, reached a friendly demise. As Rancid, the band took up the torch of social commentary and the examination of the local scene and instantly inflamed the newly revived punk community, setting the stage for what was to come. After having seen the American dream dwindle and fade within their country, community and homes, Rancid put their description of its aftermath into their songs. [Vinyl is available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe adds a bonus 7” single.]
Rise Against – Wolves CD (Virgin)
Throughout its career, Rise Against has kept its moral compass steady, using its international punk platform to speak out for social justice. With The Black Market (2014) follow-up Wolves, the band challenges fans to join them in creating a bold new identity together. The album is about recognizing the power within; it’s a primal call for the prey to become the hunters. “In many ways, a Rise Against show is a safe space for our fans,” lead singer Tim McIlrath says. “But I realized that I don’t only want to create safe spaces, I want to create dangerous spaces where misogyny can’t exist, where xenophobia can’t exist. I want to create spaces where those sentiments don’t have any air, and they suffocate: where those ideas die. Wolves isn’t about creating a safe space, it’s about creating a space that’s dangerous for injustice.” [Vinyl edition due July 28. Cassette edition TBA.]
Schammasch – The Maldoror Chants: Hermaphrodite CD (Season Of Mist)
New album from one of the more daring multidimensional black metal bands. [Vinyl edition due June 23.]
Ray Scott – Guitar For Sale CD (Jethropolitan)
Sixth studio album from the critically-acclaimed Nashville singer-songwriter who has cuts from superstars Trace Adkins, Clay Walker and Randy Travis to his credit.
Secret Sisters – You Don’t Own Me Anymore CD/LP+MP3 (New West)
There are two ways of handling a dangerous, raging river: you can surrender and let it carry you away, or you can swim against the flow. For The Secret Sisters, there was a point after the release of their last record when they could have chosen to do neither – instead, sinking to the bottom as the weight of the world washed away their dreams. They went from touring with Bob Dylan to losing their label, purging their team, filing bankruptcy and almost permanently trading harmonies for housecleaning. The bankruptcy hit really hard, they asked their entourage “can a bailiff enter my house?” after it had happened and it was already too late and most of their possessions were gone. But there’s a mythical pull to music that kept sisters Laura and Lydia Rogers moving forward, and they came out with a biting and beautiful third LP, produced by Brandi Carlile, You Don’t Own Me Anymore. The album is a document of hardship and redemption, of pushing forward when it would be so much easier to drown in grief. And it’s a story about how passion and pure artistry can be the strongest sort of salvation – how art is left, like perfect grains of sand, when everything else has washed away. The resulting songs of You Don’t Own Me Anymore are about life when everything you think defines you is stripped away.
Shanda & The Howlers – Trouble CD (Rum Bar)
Shanda & The Howlers is a Rhythm & Blues revivalist band from Las Vegas, NV playing ‘50s – ‘60s influenced R&B, blues, & soul reminiscent of the Stax sound.
Paul Simon – The Concert In Hyde Park 2xCD+DVD/2xCD+Blu-ray (Sony Legacy)
The Concert in Hyde Park chronicles Paul Simon’s concert at the 2012 Hard Rock Calling Festival in London with career-spanning set including his most enduring hits (“Kodachrome,” “Graceland,” “Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard,” “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover”), fan favorites, and two Simon & Garfunkel classics. The concert features a reunion with the original Graceland musicians on the album’s 25th anniversary, including Hugh Masekela and Ladysmith Black Mambazo, as well as a surprise appearance from reggae legend Jimmy Cliff, performing his original songs “The Harder They Come” and “Many Rivers to Cross”, and a duet with Cliff and Simon on “Vietnam” and “Mother and Child Reunion.”
Slow Dancer – In A Mood CD/LP (ATO)
Simon Okely is lost in time. Or at least, his songs sound that way: warm, near-whispered indie-rock love letters to the ‘60s and ‘70s rhythm and blues records his parents would play on family car rides down Australia’s winding west coast, heavy on nostalgia and even heavier on imagination. With his new album, In A Mood, Okely is aiming even higher on his new material, featuring a “more expansive, more ambitious” sound that’s “less about the stories we tell ourselves when in love and more about the moods that can come creeping over a relationship” at any time. “It’s a little more tasteful, involving new instruments, like drum machines and strings,” says the 31-year-old, whose lush tales of new romance, awkward courting and ‘scraggly, mangy love that’s fading and waning’ have been striking a chord with fans of Mac DeMarco, Tobias Jesso Jr, Connan Mockasin and more.
Slum Village – Vol. 0 CD (Ne’Astra Music Group)
The mark that the late producer J Dilla left upon hip-hop during the 90s and early-to-mid 00s is undeniable, and his work with De La Soul, Busta Rhymes, The Pharcyde, and many more has long been cemented in the annals of hip-hop history. It was during his time as a member of seminal Detroit group Slum Village however that ranks as among his greatest. Vol. 0 collects ten rare Slum Village unreleased and demo tracks recorded between 1994 and 1997.
Smidley – Smidley CD/LP+MP3 (Triple Crown)
Smidley is the new project from Foxing singer Conor Murphy. His dog’s name was Smidley. He was a black lab mutt and he loved him more than anyone he’d ever met. Now he’s dead and this band is called Smidley. Smidley features guest appearances by Cameron Boucher (Sorority Noise), Eric Slick (Dr Dog, Lithuania) and Ben Walsh (Tigers Jaw). For fans of The Shins, Car Seat Headrest, Tiger Jaw, Pinegrove and Frankie Cosmos.
Soulwax – FROM DEEWEE CD (PIAS America)
“The Belgian electro-rock outfit Soulwax have aged gracefully. Over two decades on, they’ve finally found a coherent sound, layering robust synths, dusty live drums, and simple vocal melodies. If every ‘90s alternative act updated their sound as gracefully as the Belgian electro-rock outfit Soulwax, the alternative era might never have ended. Hold the band’s latest full-length up to, say, God Lives Underwater’s likeminded 1998 sophomore effort Life In The So-Called Space Age, and you might think the two titles came out no more than a couple of years apart. On closer inspection, though, FROM DEEWEE gives us a glimpse of what those ‘90s acts would sound like today had they managed to loosen up just enough to absorb modern sensibilities. FROM DEEWEE hearkens back to those halcyon days where funk, disco, krautrock, new wave, rap, and punk all flowed forth into the same pool. The main melody and wheezing steam-engine groove of ‘My Tired Eyes’ both recall classic Depeche Mode, while ‘Conditions of a Shared Belief’ wears the influence of Eddy Grant’s 1982 smash hit ‘Electric Avenue’ on its sleeve. But even at their most electronically inclined, Soulwax remain a ‘90s rock act at heart. Mining the disco era, the Dewaele brothers scuff things up, stopping just short of lo-fi.” — Pitchfork [Vinyl edition due June 30.]
Split Decision Band – Split Decision Band CD/LP (No Again)
They have been known to deep soul, funk and disco collectors for decades for their sought after 7” “Watching Out” b/w “Dazed,” long thought to be the band’s only recordings. Slit Decision Band is newly discovered, never-before-released album of devastatingly good disco and boogie from the unlikely city of Des Moines, Iowa.
Sufjan Stevens/Bryce Dessner/Nico Muhly – Planetarium CD/2xLP (4AD)
A completely reimagined version of the project originally undertaken years ago and performed in various iterations around the world, Planetarium unites Stevens’ vocals, McAlister’s beats, Dessner’s guitar performance, and Muhly’s instrumental compositions – part rock odyssey, part electronic experiment, part classical opus.
Will Stratton – Rosewood Almanac CD/LP (Bella Union)
Born in California, mostly raised in New Jersey and currently an upstate New Yorker, Will Stratton started songwriting and recording while in high school, before going on to study philosophy and music composition. He developed an intimate relationship with guitar after discovering Nick Drake, whose fluid, effortlessly beautiful style, led on to similarly cherished Britfolk icons – Sandy Denny, Richard Thompson, Anne Briggs and Bert Jansch. But Stratton’s studies led also to chamber music and minimalists Steve Reich and Terry Riley, which equally influenced his simultaneously complex and direct sound.
Suffocation – …Of The Dark Light CD/LP/Cassette (Nuclear Blast America)
New album from one of America’s premier death metal bands. [Limited blue color vinyl pressing also available.]
SZA – Ctrl CD (RCA)
“SZA has proven herself to be a talented storyteller between harmonious melodies.” — Vibe
Deb Talan – Lucky Girl CD (Nettwerk)
Deb Talan, best known as the girl from the folk pop duo The Weepies, spent six months recording the 13 songs that make up her new record Lucky Girl. Intended as a way to reclaim a part of herself after focusing on her marriage, children, band and a successful battle against breast cancer, the album is an exploration that features Deb’s pop sensibility, her signature confessional writing, and of course her unmistakable voice.
Third Eye Blind – Third Eye Blind 20th Anniversary [Reissue/1997] 2xCD/3xLP ( Elektra)
Special digitally remastered and expanded 20th Anniversary Edition of Third Eye Blind’s eponymous debut album, which features the hits “Semi-Charmed Life,” “Jumper,” “How’s It Going To Be.”
Various Artists – Music From The American Epic Sessions 2xCD (Columbia/Sony)
Airing June 6, 2017 on PBS in the United States, The American Epic Sessions, directed by Bernard MacMahon, is a feature-length film showcasing an all-star roster of contemporary artists, led by Jack White and T Bone Burnett, replicating a 1920s recording session and paying tribute to the great artists of the past. For the film, The American Epic team reassembled the very first electrical sound recording system from the 1920s, which consists of a single microphone, a towering six-foot amplifier rack, and a live record-cutting lathe powered by a weight-driven pulley system of clockwork gears. All the musical performances for the film were recorded live, and the soundtrack features many additional live performances, including those by: Alabama Shakes, The Americans, Ana Gabriel, Ashley Monroe, The Avett Brothers, Beck, Bettye LaVette, Bobby Ingano, Elton John, Frank Fairfield, Jerron “Blind Boy” Paxton, Los Lobos, Stephen Stills, Lost Bayou Ramblers, Nas, Pokey LaFarge, Christine Pizzuti, Raphael Saadiq, Rhiannon Giddens, Steve Martin and Edie Brickell, Taj Mahal, Jack White, and Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard.
Various Artists – Welcome To Zamrock! Vol.1: How Zambia’s Liberation Led To A Rock Revolution CD/2xLP (Now Again)
An overview of the Zamrock scene, from its ascension to its fall to its resurgence, presented as two volumes, both as double-LPs and hardcover book/CDs. [Vol. 2 due June 23.]
Volumes – Different Animals CD (Fearless)
Volumes’ sound is rooted in metal core with a groove-heavy, nu-metal influence. [Vinyl edition due June 23.]
Doc Watson – Live From Chicago, March, 1964: Vol. 1 CD (Rockbeat)
Rare performances recorded at Purdue University on March 19, 1964 from the bluegrass/folk/country blues/gospel legend.
This Week’s Vinyl Exclusives:
The Acorn – Glory Hope Mountain [Reissue/2007] 2xLP (Paper Bag)
Released to international critical acclaim in 2007, The Acorn’s Glory Hope Mountain was inspired by the remarkable life story of Gloria Esperanze Montoya, a Honduran refugee who fled to Canada in 1972. Based on months of recorded conversations with her son (The Acorn songwriter Rolf-Carlos Klausener), the album weaves her surreal stories of survival with experimental pop, Central American folk traditions, and Klausener’s evocative lyricism. The 2017 edition has been newly remastered and includes a never-released song, new mixes and features guest performances from Casey Mecija, Michael Feuerstack, and other gems of Canada’s underground.
Agent blå – Agent Blue LP/Cassette (Kanine)
Agent blå strikes a balance between dream pop and punk. “Crafting enormous, spiraling hooks out of a few guitar parts and rage-inflicted vocals that split the difference between heartbreak and total indifference” (Stereogum). “Agent blå exude icy coolness while delivering something vehemently mystical” (Gold Flake Paint). “Unharnessed and relentless frustrated energy” (Impose Magazine).
BADBADNOTGOOD – Lavender 12” (Innovative Leisure)
Snoop Dogg remixed BADBADNOTGOOD’s “Lavender (Ft. Kaytranada).” The original track is from BBNG’s recent album, IV, and now has a new verse added by Snoop.
Art Bergmann – Remember Her Name LP (Paper Bag)
Art Bergman is an iconoclastic singer-songwriter and a legendary figure in the Canadian punk rock alternative music scene since the late ‘70s.
Big Kizz – Eye On You 7” (Tee Pee)
Featuring the formidable lineup of musicians Axel Sjöberg (ex-Graveyard) on drums, guitarist John Hoyles (Spiders, ex-Witchcraft) on bass (!!) and vocalist/guitarist Pontus Westman from Swedish garage outfit Lady Banana, Big Kizz has arrived to chew bubblegum, kick out the jams and take names.
The Blendours – No Respect LP+CD (Eccentric Pop)
The Blendours are an Iowa mainstay more people should know about. For years they have been pumping out track after track of self-described “Ramones-core.”
The Broadways – Broken Van [Reissue/2000] LP (Asian Man)
The Broadways played aggressive punk rock in the same vein as Fifteen and Crimpshrine. After many years of being out of print, Asian Man Records is pleased to reissue The Broadway’s classic compilation Broken Van which gathered rare early cuts and previously unreleased material.
Chotto Ghetto – Monstrosity LP (Asian Man)
Chotto Ghetto, assembled in 2005, is a post-hardcore band whose technically precise yet deranged style draws influences from the likes of Faith No More and Bad Brains.
Death And Vanilla – Vampyr 2xLP+MP3 (Fire America)
An atmospheric and spaced out 78 minutes that galvanizes Moog, glockenspiel, zither and vibraphonette in a beautiful piece of claustrophobia, a timeless slice of suitably scary sound filled with an unnerving sonic vibe that sticks in the psyche.
Fats Domino – Live From Austin, TX [1987] LP+MP3 (New West)
“In my humble opinion, this is the definitive Fats Domino performance ever captured on [tape].” — Terry Lickona, producer Austin City Limits
Dying Fetus – Destroy The Opposition [Reissue/2000] LP (Relapse)
Dying Fetus – Stop At Nothing [Reissue/2003] LP (Relapse)
Dying Fetus – War Of Attrition [Reissue/2006] LP (Relapse)
Dying Fetus – Descend Into Depravity [Reissue/2009] LP (Relapse)
Dying Fetus – Reign Supreme [Reissue/2012] LP (Relapse)
The death metal/grindcore band’s last five albums are back in print on vinyl.
Hazel English – Just Give In/Never Going Home LP+MP3 (Polyvinyl)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Hazel English is a 25-year-old Oakland-based artist who makes beautifully blurry indie-pop music powered by transcendent melodies and caked in layers of Californian sunshine and redolent reverb. Limited color vinyl pressing.
En Vogue – Funky Divas [Reissue/1992] LP (Atlantic Catalog Group)
25th Anniversary vinyl reissue of En Vogue’s second album.
Faith Evans And The Notorious B.I.G. – The King & I 2xLP (Rhino)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. The King & I is a duets album featuring unreleased Biggie vocals with productions by DJ Premier, Just Blaze, Stevie J, Salaam Remi, Chucky Thompson, Puff Daddy and more. The album also features guest artist Lil Cease, Snoop Dogg, Busta Rhymes, Jadakiss, Styles P, Sheek Louch (founders of The L.O.X. hip hop group), 112, and a first-time collaboration with Lil Kim.
Lupe Fiasco – Lupe Fiasco’s The Cool [Reissue/2007] 2xLP (Atlantic)
Double vinyl LP pressing of the sophomore album from the rapper.
Florian Fricke – Die Erde Und Ich Sind Eins [Reissue/1983] LP (Wah Wah)
Issued in 1983 as a limited private pressing, Die Erde Und Ich sind Eins was Florian Fricke’s first solo LP. It features the guitar of his Popol Vuh partner Daniel Fichelsher. “You could label it as
‘body-space-music’ (Körperraummusik) where you sing inside the body and take it in such a way that every cell in the body, from the sole of the foot to the crown of the head, starts to vibrate. In order to be able to realize this I have experimented to find where speech resonates in the body. The consonants vibrate at the body walls, the bones and flesh and the vowels fill the body spaces. And that sounds like a gong-concert: it also has a great therapeutic effect.”
Gideon – Cold LP (Equal Vision)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Gideon’s fourth album features intense guest vocal spots from Jamey Jasta of Hatebreed and Bryan Garris of Knocked Loose.
Grayscale – Adornment LP+MP3 (Fearless)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Working with producer Kyle Black (State Champs, Handguns, Hit The Lights) for their Fearless Records debut album, Adornment, Philadelphia-based quintet Grayscale has certainly honed their talent for constructing strong hooks and catchy riffs. Through their unbarred emotion and unique blend of alternative rock and punk roots, the band expand their sonic palette, further illuminating their skill of creating well-narrated stories paired with palpable emotion that urges listeners to dive in and craft their own narratives. Limited color vinyl pressing.
Guru Freakout! – Mothership [Reissue/2014] LP (Purple Pyramid)
Project from Guru Guru co-founder Mani Neumeier and multi-instrumentalist /producer Jürgen Engler of Die Krupps — two epic side-long journeys into the outer reaches of spacey psychedelica and groovy prog rock.
The Handsome Family – Singing Bones [Reissue/2003] LP (Milk & Scissors)
Reissued last week on CD – now back in print on vinyl. Singing Bones is the sixth studio album from alternative country duo The Handsome Family (featuring Brett and Rennie Sparks), which features “Far From Any Road,” their widely recognized opening theme from the True Detective series.
Insane Clown Posse – Beverly Kills 50187 [1993] LP (Psychopathic)
A true classic from the menacing world of Detroit horrorcore, Insane Clown Posse’s 1993 EP Beverly Kills 50187 gets the royal picture disc reissue treatment as part of their Waxworks vinyl series.
Katatonia – Live In Bulgaria With The Plovdiv Orchestra 2xLP (Peaceville)
Double vinyl pressing of Katatonia performing their 2006 album The Great Cold Distance in its entirety with the renowned Plovdiv Philharmonic Orchestra in Bulgaria in September 2016.
The Denny Laine Band with Ron Pullman – Meant To Be Over / The Horizon LP (Ron Pullman Music)
Denny Laine, Wings-man for Paul McCartney and frontman for The Moody Blues debut album, The Magnificent Moodies, has put his musical pen to paper for the first time in years. Teaming up with writer/musician Ron Pullman they present two new live studio recordings, Meant To Be and Over The Horizon.
Jerry Lee Lewis – Live From Austin, TX [1983] 2xLP+MP3 (New West)
Jerry Lee Lewis took black rhythm & blues, white gospel and other funky Mississippi sounds and turned them into rock ‘n’ roll. He almost never made it to Austin City Limits. He cancelled one appearance, and only weeks before this recording on October 17, 1983, his wife died in a freak swimming pool accident at their home. But he did make it, and what we have here is one of the most amazing performances ever to go down on the ACL stage.
The Life And Times – Skull Map LP (Slimstyle)
The Life And Times has lived a thousand lives since their first record more than 12 years ago, after the dissolution of Allen Epley’s former band, little guy cult fave Shiner. This fifth full-length album is a sun and drug-dappled beauty, infused with a thick sonic kaleidoscope of tones.
Julie London – Julie Is Her Name Volume II [Reissue/1958] 2xLP (Analogue Productions)
Julie London – Sings Latin In A Satin Mood [Reissue/1963] 2xLP (Analogue Productions)
200-gram gatefold double LP reissues, each cut at 44rpm.
London Grammar – Truth Is A Beautiful Thing LP+MP3 (Columbia)
Second full-length album from the British trio.
Hank Marvin – Without A Word LP (Edsel)
New album from the guitar legend.
Metal Church – Classic Live LP (Rat Pak)
Live release from the veteran metal band recorded on their 2016 tour.
Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane – Complete 1957 Riverside Recordings 3xLP (Concord)
For an all-too-brief, magical time in 1957, two of the greatest musicians in history – Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane – performed together every night at New York’s Five Spot Cafe. And between April and July of that year, they made their only studio recordings together. Coltrane was poised to make a giant leap forward – and ready to learn from one of the masters, Monk.
Mumpbeak – Tooth LP (RareNoise)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Mumpbeak again conjures up memories of vintage King Crimson, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Gentle Giant and other prog-rock pioneers on new album Tooth. Limited color vinyl pressing.
Ogikubo Station – Ogikubo Station 12” (Asian Man)
Debut EP from the duo comprised of Mike Park of Asian Man Records and Mura Weaver of Mixtapes.
Pantha du Prince – The Triad: Ambient Versions 2xLP (Rough Trade)
A totally reworked ambient re-envisioning of The Triad album, which leaves behind the pulsating beats and most of the vocals of the original, creating something new, delicate, dreamy, and unutterably gorgeous.
Popul Vuh – Die Nacht Der Seele [Reissue/1979] LP (Wah Wah)
Popul Vuh – Sei still, wisse ICH BIN [Reissue/1981] LP (Wah Wah)
Vinyl reissues of the twelfth and thirteenth albums by Popol Vuh.
Raekwon – The Wild LP+MP3 (H2O)
Released last March on CD – now available on vinyl. Limited white vinyl LP pressing including digital download. New album featuring Cee Lo Green, Lil Wayne, and G-Eazy.
Richie Ramone – Cellophane LP (Rusty Knuckles)
“Cellophane is Richie Ramone’s second solo album and the nine songs on it fall between Ramones punk and the kind of rock ‘n roll you expect to hear from a band playing in some dive bar where people come for the booze and not the music.” – Punk Rock Theory
Sleeping Party People – Lingering LP (Joyful Noise)
Sleep Party People is the brainchild of Brian Batz, a Danish multi-instrumentalist who has found a voice as a unique songwriter, and has captured a singular warmth within his densely layered, futuristically choreographed instrumentation.
Sleepy Sun – Private Tales LP (Dine Alone Music)
Now five albums and more than a decade into making their own elusive brand of bold rock music, Bay Area band Sleepy Sun isn’t interested in flooding our synapses with far too many ideas on their new LP, Private Tales. They’d rather let a grander vision unfold over time, rewarding anyone with the willingness to wait it out, to actually listen.
Thunder Dreamer – Capture LP (6131)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Located on an oxbow in the winding Ohio River, Evansville, IN doesn’t immediately spring to mind as a musical center the way New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, Washington D.C., or Austin does, nor was it the birthplace of a specific scene like Chapel Hill, Omaha, or Athens. But for the members of Thunder Dreamer, the city has imbued them with a fierce Midwestern work ethic alongside this sense of Midwestern pragmatism, a steely resolve to put down their heads in dogged pursuit of their dreams. And in this artistic isolation, the band creates expansive, evocative rock music with melodies as sinuous as the river that runs past their hometown. Singer-guitarist Steven Hamilton writes of struggle, heartbreak, destructive tendencies, family, and the inherent selfishness of mankind across the eight heartfelt, searching songs on the band’s new album, Capture.
Tokyo Police Club – A Lesson In Crime [Reissue/2006] LP (Paper Bag)
“This blogger-approved Toronto quartet has the potential to become a real five-tool player in indie for a long time; Pretty Girls Make Graves’ agility, Les Savvy Fav’s curveball, the Strokes’ sweet swing–there’s no questioning the latent talent here.” – Pitchfork
Tony! Toni! Toné! – Sons Of Soul [Reissue/1993] 2xLP (Motown)
Vinyl reissue of the third studio album by the R&B group.
The Untouchables – Free Yourself: Ska Hits LP (Cleopatra)
Limited colored vinyl LP pressing. SoCal mod/ska band – widely credited as America’s first ska band – present this fantastic collection of career highlights packaged in a limited-edition color vinyl.
Various Artists – Wu Trax On Wax LP (X-Ray)
A collection of rare, undiscovered gems from some of the most famous members of the hip-hop supergroup Wu Tang Clan and their extended family. Includes tracks and performances by Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Method Man, RZA, Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, Inspectah Deck, Gravediggaz and others.
Walrus – Family Hangover LP (Arts & Crafts)
The Halifax based band’s debut LP is a fuzzed-out electric blanket of soul with unrepentant strands of authentic heaviosity. Extensive studio experimentation can be heard throughout the sonically unique record, from varispeed warble to Spacemen 3 style saucer-drone attacks.
Billy Woods – Known Unknowns 2xLP+MP3 (Backwoodz Studioz)
New album from the NYC rapper on transparent color vinyl.
ZZ Top – Cinco: The First Five LPs 5xLP (Rhino)
Limited box set containing five 180gm audiophile vinyl LPs.
Cassettes:
Agent blå – Agent Blue (Kanine)
Agent blå strikes a balance between dream pop and punk.
Big Thief – Capacity (Saddle Creek)
The trails that Brooklyn’s Big Thief – Adrianne Lenker (guitar, vocals), Buck Meek (guitar), Max Oleartchik (bass), and James Krivchenia (drums) – take us down on Capacity are overgrown with the wilderness of pumping souls.
Suffocation – …Of The Dark Light (Nuclear Blast America)
New album from one of America’s premier death metal bands.
Along with the news, Toro y Moi has released a vignette for the magnetic first single “Girl Like You.”