CDs + Vinyl:
Marc Almond / Soft Cell – Hits & Pieces: The Best Of Marc Almond and Soft Cell 2xCD (Mercury)
This compilation traces Almond’s singles career from Soft Cell through to his solo work and collaborations. Highlights include “Tainted Love,” “What!,” “Say Hello Wave Goodbye,” the Gene Pitney duet “Something’s Gotten Hold Of My Heart,” his interpretation of Scott Walker’s cover of Jacques Brel’s “Jacky” with its epic kitchen sink production from Trevor Horn, a cover of Donna Summer’s “I Feel Love” with Bronski Beat, “Melancholy Rose” and “Ruby Red” from the Mother Fist album, a Tony Visconti produced nugget “The Dancing Marquis,” last year’s “The Velvet Trail,” the glam stomper “Varieté” and a cover of “The Days Of Pearly Spencer.”
Laurie Altman – Sonic Migrations: Music Of Laurie Altman 2xCD (Neos)
Laurie Altman’s musical compositions on Sonic Migrations represent, in some way, a passage: A passage through places (globally), history and events, words, sonic environments, people’s lives and their mutual emotions. The pieces are the by-product of a time span of some 25 years, encompassing diverse ensembles and sonic frameworks, far-flung influences, textures, and feelings. Features: Clipper Erickson (piano), Manhattan String Quartet, and The Sensor Augmented Bass Clarinet (SABRE), a bass clarinet equipped with various sensors with which a computer can be controlled.
Bülent Arel – Electronic Music 1960-1973 CD/LP (Sub Rosa)
Bülent Arel’s (1919-1990) work occupies a special place in the history of electronic music, with one thing being certain: Arel’s work is still fresh, groundbreaking, and it always look outs for the next adventure in sound. Sub Rosa present a collection of his works here as part of their Early Electronic series.
Art Alfie – Reveries Of CD/LP (Studio Barnhus)
Art Alfie, aka Stockholm’s Oscar Wedrén, present an intricate and personal debut. Reveries Of begins with a simple electrical hum — a starting signal for the appearance of a vibrant array of sound, shifting before us in seemingly random motion. Before you know it, all those pulsating melodies, razor-cut hi-fi-house beats and drunken robot jazz ensembles start forming into patterns, secretly and perfectly designed.
Cameron Avery – Ripe Dreams, Pipe Dreams CD (ANTI-)
Cameron Avery has arrived as a new breed of nocturnal crooner, a train-wreck romantic creating timeless, ambitious music for the modern age. Utilizing his soulful wit, shrewd arrangements, and a deep, husky baritone, Avery harnesses the dark power and humor of artists like Nick Cave, Scott Walker, and Tindersticks to expertly walk the fine line between vulnerable and venerable. Melancholic machismo is written into the very DNA of Ripe Dreams, Pipe Dreams. From the classical, finger-picked guitar on the opener “A Time and Place” and the orchestral vamping of “Do You Know Me By Heart?” to the bombastic, self-assured swagger of “Dance with Me.” He takes an emotive page from the Leonard Cohen songbook-of-longing on “Big Town Girl” just as naturally as he thumbs an aggressive note of Bad Seed strut and Cramps rut on “Watch Me Take It Away.” And by the time he purrs that earnest refrain of “Baby, it’s you” on the album’s closer “C’est Toi,” Avery has surely mastered that drunken tightrope dance. Now a resident of New York City, Avery looks to continue his search for the ultimate sensations from a fresh vantage point. [Vinyl edition due March 24.]
Johannes Bauer/ Peter Broetzmann – Blue City (Live At Blue City Osaka / Japan 16. October 1997) CD (Trost)
Following the death of German trombonist Johannes Bauer in May 2016, Peter Brötzmann decided to pay tribute to the many years of comradery and collaboration he and Bauer shared, from Globe Unity in the ’70s to the Peter Brötzmann Group and the Chicago Tentet. This disc presents a previously unreleased recording of a beautiful live duo performance from Osaka, 1997, which had been waiting in Brötzmann’s archives for a release. Peter Brötzmann: tenor and alto saxophones, tárogató, B-flat clarinet; Johannes Bauer: trombone.
Cindy Lee Berryhill – The Adventurist CD (Omnivore)
“Cindy Lee Berryhill is an unparalleled electric folksinger. She traveled a long distance to write the songs on The Adventurist. You can hear it in the beauty, sadness and unhinged moments that have become signature elements of all of her work.” —John Doe (X, The Knitters). With co-production from Grammy-winner Sheldon Gomberg (Ben Harper, Peter Case, Rickie Lee Jones), David Schwartz (television composer for Northern Exposure, Arrested Development, Deadwood), and others, The Adventurist showcases orchestral arrangements, chunky rock guitar, and as Berryhill friend and fan Dave Alvin puts it—“raw nerve lyrics.” It is an album full of songs that are a tribute to the love shared with her late husband, but will definitely resonate with everyone who takes this journey.
Andrew Bird – & The Mysterious Production Of Eggs [Reissue/2005] CD/LP (Wegawam)
Chicago singer/songwriter/violinist Andrew Bird updates the traditions of small-group swing, German lieder, and New Orleans jazz, mixing Gypsy, folk, and rock elements into his distinctive style. His 2005 album (originally issued on Ani DiFranco’s Righteous Babe label) is back in print on CD and vinyl.
Black Map – In Droves CD/LP (Metal/E1)
A meditation on big riffs that lurch and churn, dripping with atmosphere, powering bold and evocative statements.
Kath Bloom – This Dream Of Life CD (Caldo Verde)
This Dream Of Life, Kath Bloom’s 19th album, was recorded over the last five winters in Los Angeles with friends. In true method fashion Kath slept in the studio that the recording took place. The album features guests Avi Buffalo, Imaad Wasif and Mark Kozelek. “Bloom sounds like a woman who has spent years in the wilderness… An earthy, unpretentious presence, she can snap a heart like a twig.” – Pitchfork
Brad Pot – Brad Pot CD/LP (Slovenly)
New album from the Australian punks.
Barry Brown – I’m Still Waiting [Reissue/1983] CD/LP (Radiation Roots)
Roots reggae star Barry Brown has a readily identifiable vocal style that has long made him among the most preferred of many roots reggae fans. Drawing largely from the blueprint provided by Horace Andy, but changing that into something all his own through a unique form of vocal phrasing, interspersed with ad-hoc slurs, Brown was initially discovered through the many amateur talent contests that fringed his west Kingston ghetto neighborhood during the early 1970s; he was also making an impact at the same time by performing live on local sound systems.
Pieta Brown – Postcards CD (Lustre)
It was in hotel rooms across the country that Pieta Brown wrote most of the songs on her gorgeous new album, Postcards. Like any touring musician, she was on the road to survive, balancing the rewards of performing music for a living with the challenges of trying to stay connected to loved ones and other artists while in motion. So, when she was finally stationed at home, she decided to send out some postcards. These weren’t just any postcards, though, these were musical postcards, the stripped-down, acoustic shells of new songs she’d written while traveling, and she sent them to folks like Mark Knopfler, Calexico, Mason Jennings, David Lindley, Carrie Rodriguez, Caitlin Canty, and The Pines among others. Her instructions to each were simple: write back. “Collaborating with other musicians and elevating a song beyond its outlines has become one of my favorite things about making music,” says Pieta. “I’m interested in what other people can bring to a song, especially musicians I admire. Music is very magnetic. And I have been so drawn to and inspired by all the collaborators inside these Postcards.”
Bush – Black & White Rainbows CD (Caroline)
New album from the grunge rockers – their seventh overall.
Buzzcocks – Time’s Up! [Reissue/1976] CD/LP+MP3 (Domino)
Time’s Up is Buzzcocks’ 1976 album of demos originally released as a bootleg. Featuring the founding line-up of Howard Devoto (vocals & songwriter), Pete Shelley (guitar & songwriter), Steve Diggle (bass guitar) and John Maher (drums), Time’s Up was recorded at Revolution Studios in Stockport, England on the October 18th, 1976. The session preceded the recording of Buzzcocks’ groundbreaking debut Spiral Scratch, and features demos of the EP’s four tracks — an EP now recognized as one of, if not the, most important records of the punk explosion.
Erol Büyükburç – Hop Dedik [Reissue/1976] CD/LP (Pharaway Sounds)
Years before Baris Manco and even before the fame of Erkin Koray, Erol’s flamboyant outfits and spontaneous behavior brought a youthful, pop-oriented world to Turkish audiences. Hop Dedik is his first proper album. While not exactly psychedelic, Erol’s album shows how far the mix of Anatolian melodies and Western production could reach and provides some great examples of Turkish pop spiced with psych, disco, and funk.
Byul.org – Selected Tracks For Nacht Dämonen CD/LP (Alien Transistor)
Selected Tracks For Nacht Dämonen compiles rare and early recordings of Seoul’s Byul.org, an influential creative collective known for its multidisciplinary/one-stop shop approach, and post-punk-inspired DIY aesthetics.
Can’t Swim – Fail You Again CD/LP (Pure Noise)
“Can’t Swim have returned following their debut EP last year to release their first full-length Fail You Again. The album is the first release to feature new drummer Andrea Morgan taking Danny Rico’s place as he shifts to guitar. It takes a stylistic stance between indie, emo, pop punk and grunge with tendencies of all four throughout. With some tracks holding pace and power and others slow and steady, the album demonstrates just how good Can’t Swim really are.” – Musicology.uk.com
Neko Case – Live From Austin TX [Reissue/2006] CD+DVD/LP (New West)
This debut Austin City Limits performance on August 9, 2003 captures songs from Neko Case’s three seminal solo releases at the time, combining elements of country, gospel and punk for a very unique sound. [Also available for the first time on 180gm vinyl.]
Cassius – 1999 [Reissue/1999] CD (Because Music)
Cassius – Au Reve [Reissue/2002] CD (Because Music)
Cassius – 15 Again [Reissue/2006] CD (Because Music)
CD reissues of the French electronica duo’s first three albums. When Cassius’ debut album first appeared, the world was looking for a fresh sound to follow the global supremacy of Oasis and Blur. Daft Punk and Air had begun to popularize the “French touch,” and the first Cassius album became one of the key pieces in the genre.
Century Palms – Meet You CD/LP (Derranged)
Century Palm is Paul Lawton (Ketamines), Andrew Payne (Zebrassieres), Penny Clark (Tough Age) and Jesse Locke (Dirty Beaches). The band crib shamelessly from Wire, Neu!, and Eno-era Roxy Music, modern Australian bands like Total Control, and failed experiments from earlier, abandoned projects. There are many instances of droning synths ruining perfectly nice pop songs.
Chickenfoot – Best + Live 2xCD (Chickenfoot, LLC)
The band featuring legendary front man Sammy Hagar, guitar god Joe Satriani and the classic rhythm section of bassist Michael Anthony (Van Halen) and drummer Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers) have recorded a new classic song for this release. Disc One features the best of Chickenfoot and Chickenfoot III plus live covers and one new song. Disc Two captures Chickenfoot live in concert.
Alex Cline’s Flower Garland Orchestra – Ocean Of Vows 2xCD (Cryptogramophone)
Percussionist-composer Alex Cline’s new double CD drew inspiration from four poems by Buddhist teacher Thic Nhat Hanh, together with excerpts from the Avatamsaka Sutra, performed with his all-star 14-piece Flower Garland Orchestra featuring Nels Cline, Yuka C. Honda, Areni Agbabian, G.E. Stinson, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, Jeff Gauthier and many other top names of the L.A. creative music community.
Condemned – His Divine Shadow CD (Unique Leader)
Third album from the brutal San Diego death metalers. [Vinyl edition due March 31.]
René Costy – Expectancy: Collected Library Gems From The 70’s 2xCD (Sdban)
A reputed classical violinist and music teacher on the one hand, a curious jazz cat on the other. A business man and control freak, but an artist and free spirit as well. Still, rather little is known about René Costy. Small wonder: the Belgian musician and composer was in many, if not all, respects a singular man. The lure of international show business was wasted on him and consequently, his name has remained a well-kept secret. But cream always rises to the top. Some twenty years after his passing, his work – finally – goes global. Expectancy: Collected Library Gems From The 70’s is a selection out of more than 400 tracks from a virtuoso, a versatile and insatiable artist. [Vinyl edition due March 24.]
Cozmic Corridors – Cozmic Corridors CD/LP+MP3 (Mental Experience)
Cozmic Corridors is an underground kraut-kosmische monster, recorded and produced circa 1972-73 in Cologne by Toby “The Mad Twiddler” Robinson for his Pyramid label.
Daddy Longlegs – Daddy Longlegs [Reissue/1970] CD (Prog Temple)
Playing a warm, good-natured mixture of country, blues and pop, expatriate American band Daddy Longlegs was an instant hit with British underground audiences.
Damaged Bug – Bunker Funk CD/LP (Castleface)
Urgent falsetto morbidities detail Damaged Bug’s most rhythmically adventurous offering yet: Bunker Funk — syncopating lush landscapes with moon-shot death rays. “Fans of Terry Riley’s Shri Camel (1980) or Julianna Barwick’s The Magic Place (2013) will like this one . . . meditative synth drones and soundscapes that sound almost sacred in places.” — Faris Badwan (The Horrors, Cat’s Eyes)
Dapayk & Padberg – Harbour CD/LP+MP3 (Fenou)
Musician, producer and machine enthusiast Niklas Worgt and singer Eva Padberg have been traveling and performing together as Dapayk & Padberg since 2003. Harbour is their fifth album together. Trip-hop, late-night pop, selected skits – programmed loops combine with Eva’s associative, metaphoric lyrics to form gentle, flowing, and sometimes stormy interplay.
Darkest Hour – Godless Prophets & The Migrant Flora CD/LP (Southern Lord)
A bastard child born of the mid- ‘90s punk/metal/hardcore movement, Washington, DC’s Darkest Hour combine the passion, energy, and soul of punk/hardcore with the style, speed, vengeance and fury of melodic speed/thrash/death metal.
Eddie ‘Lockjaw’ Davis – The Prestige Collection 1958-1961 4xCD (Enlightenment)
Among the main protagonists credited with linking the big band era with the soul jazz scene that emerged during the late 1950s, Eddie Lockjaw Davis remains a notable influence on jazz saxophonists to this day. While perhaps not always displaying the finesse of his contemporaries, Davis produced a tone that was wholly unique and capable of emitting an aggressive, bluesy sound alongside lines of great tenderness and sensitivity. The flexibility of his playing lent itself to rhythm and blues, swing, hard bop and Latin jazz over the years, and while his early career featured Davis supporting some of the finest artists of the period, his greatest records came when he took up the role of bandleader, notably during his tenancy with the Prestige label. This collection features the eight albums by Eddie Lockjaw Davis as leader released on the Prestige label between 1958 and 1961. Presented here with delightful, remastered audio and in their completion, the set includes over five hours of extraordinary music in total, and serves as the perfect introduction to this maestro’s work, or as a welcome reminder of a musician whose enormous contributions to the jazz genre are, on occasion, criminally overlooked.
Dead Sea Fruit – Dead Sea Fruit [Reissue/1967] CD (Prog Temple)
This good-humored British quintet have been likened to the Kinks, the Mothers of Invention, and the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band. Based in France, they appeared on TV with Salvador Dali and performed in London venues including the legendary UFO, but made no commercial breakthrough and broke up in 1968, leaving behind one rare album.
Dek Trio: Ken Vandermark/ Elisabeth Harnik/Didi Kern – Burning Below Zero CD (Trost)
A new improvised music trio that features Austrians Elisabeth Harnik (piano) and Didi Kern (drums), and American Ken Vandermark (reeds)
Demdike Stare – Wonderland CD (Modern Love)
Single-CD edition now available. From the clipped hard-style of the opening “Curzon,” through the jaunty dancehall mutations of “Animal Style” and “FullEdge,” exotica/house refractions on “Hardnoise,” the frankly ridiculous, bass-bin destroying jungle ructions on “Sourcer,” or the extended tease of “Overstaying,” Wonderland is probably the most enjoyable and loose-limbed hour of music in Demdike Stare’s catalog, or that you’ll likely hear in these weird, angst-ridden times.
Dillinger – Answer Me Question [Reissue/1997] CD/LP (Radiation Roots)
Answer Me Question shows Dillinger on fearsome form, his relaxed rhyming toasts tackling sound system matters, the Rastafari lifestyle, action movie subplots, the highs and lows of romantic relationships, the need to help the less fortunate, and other burning issues of the day with biting wit and verbal dexterity, all delivered over tough Aggrovators rhythms.
Al Di Meola – Morocco Fantasia CD/LP (Inakustik)
Al Di Meola’s fantastic appearance in 2009 also represented a summit of different cultures and religions — Al Di Meola (guitar), Peo Alfonsi (2nd guitar), Fausto Beccalossi (accordion), Gumbi Ortiz (percussion), Victor Miranda (bass), Peter Kaszas (drums), and with special guests from Morocco, Said Chraibi (oud), Abdellah Meri (violin) and Tarik Ben Ali (percussion). On his third trip to Morocco, the public gave this exceptional guitarist a rousing reception and showed its openness towards Western music — and Al Di Meola wowed the audience with a special repertoire.
Champion Jack Dupree – Live At Rockpalast: Cologne 1980 2xCD+DVD (Made In Germany Music)
Because Champion Jack Dupree lived and toured in Germany for an extended period of time, many older blues fans will remember his live shows, which were a mixture of barrelhouse blues and boogie, stories and mostly saucy jokes. On the other side, there also were his very emotional, often autobiographical slow blues. The concert DVD presents all facets of this great barrelhouse piano player and singer; it is fun to watch, offers musical pleasures and makes you realize that there are hardly any true characters left in the blues who would ask for another beer even in a TV studio, before the show goes on.
Steve Earle – Live From Austin TX [Reissue/2008] CD+DVD/2xLP (New West)
Earle’s first appearance on Austin City Limits captures the excitement and free spirit of his seminal debut album, Guitar Town, which was nothing less than a collection of personal odysseys. [Available for the first time on 180gm vinyl.]
Emika – Melanfonie CD/LP (Emika)
The crossover between electronic music and classical composition has never been in more vibrant and dynamic health. Multifarious musician Emika explores this fertile ground on her ambitious new opus Melanfonie: her first orchestral composition, some four years in the making. While many rebel from their classical training never to return to it explicitly, Emika has always been attracted to the potential and freedoms offered by the symphony form. As well as taking inspiration from her electronic music background in composing the music itself, Emika also applied some of production and playback principles from that realm to create a piece whose every element has been carefully considered.
Lawrence English – Cruel Optimism CD/LP (ROOM40)
Lauren Berlant’s keen analysis of the relations of attachment was a jumping off point from which a plague of unsettling impressions of suffering, intolerance, and ignorance could be unpacked and utilized as fuel over and above pointless frustration. Cruel Optimism is a meditation on disillusionment and powerlessness, and an encouragement to press forward towards more profound futures. Contributions in various forms from: Mats Gustafsson, Tony Buck, Chris Abrahams, Norman Westberg, and more.
Evocation – Shadow Archetype CD/LP (Metal Blade)
New album from the Swedish death metallers.
Fink – Sunday Night Blues Club Vol. 1 CD/LP (R’coup’d)
Fink is an artist who fails to sit in genre. His career has spanned a creative output of albums that have touched on, and been informed by, everything from soul and acid house to more orchestral expressions, like “Yesterday Was Hard On All Of Us” as used in the Selma soundtrack. His latest album once again shifts gear and arrives as a modern blues volume inspired by his love of artists like John Lee Hooker, T-Bone Walker, and Chuck Berry, and was recorded in one day at his Berlin studio and co-produced with Flood (U2, PJ Harvey, Warpaint).
Flagship – The Electric Man CD/LP+MP3 (Bright Antenna)
The Charlotte, North Carolina-based band’s second full-length album delivers atmospheric rock with passionate vocals, pop-minded melodies, rapturous orchestral soundscapes, and themes that run the gamut from love and loss to fear and despair to hope and happiness. [Limited multi-color vinyl pressing also available.]
Fleetwood Mac – Tango In The Night [Reissue/1987] CD/2xCD/3xCD+DVD+LP/LP (Rhino)
Reissue of Fleetwood Mac’s final studio album featuring the quintet of Lindsey Buckingham, Mick Fleetwood, Christine McVie, John McVie and Stevie Nicks. It contains several hit
singles including “Big Love,” “Seven Wonders,” “Everywhere,” and “Little Lies.” [Available in Regular, Deluxe and Super Deluxe editions. Deluxe adds a disc of rare recordings and non-album tracks. Super Deluxe adds a third CD featuring 12” remixes and more, a DVD containing five music videos, and the 180gm vinyl repress.]
Galactic Empire – Galactic Empire CD/LP+MP3 (Rise)
Debut album from the Star Wars-themed metal band. The band is comprised of Carson Slovak and Grant McFarland from Pennsylvania’s Atrium Audio (notable for producing August Burns Red, Rivers Of Nihil) and members of Alustrium with a cameo from Black Crown Initiate frontman James Dorton as the voice of Darth Vader. [Limited orange splatter color vinyl pressing also available.]
Jerry Garcia – GarciaLive Volume Eight: November 23rd 1991 Bradley Center 2xCD (ATO)
Double-disc archive release of the Jerry Garcia Band’s November 23rd, 1991 performance at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, WI. The fall ’91 tour as a whole is widely regarded as one of Garcia’s finest and this particular Saturday evening serves as a further testament to the legend.
Jackie Gleason – Music For Lovers Only [Reissue/1955] CD (Real Gone Music)
The go-to make-out record for an entire generation, restored to its full, 16-track length.
Roger Goula – Overview Effect CD/LP (One Little Indian)
London-based composer Roger Goula mixes chamber and orchestral elements with analogue synths to produce canvasses of immense scope, stark beauty and – at times – thrilling drama. Incorporating electronics is nothing new in the contemporary classical scene, but their inclusion here is so purposeful and apt that their impact is all the greater.
Greg Graffin – Millport CD/LP+MP3 (ANTI-)
Millport is the new solo album from the Bad Religion frontman. “Millport delivers a stirring though perhaps unexpected reinterpretation of the classic Laurel Canyon country-rock sound alongside Graffin’s insightful lyricism, all propelled by some esteemed colleagues from the L.A. punk scene, including Social Distortion members Jonny ‘Two Bags’ Wickersham, Brent Harding and David Hidalgo Jr., with Bad Religion co-founder Brett Gurewitz producing. The resulting record is less a reinvention then a creative liberation — a group of Los Angeles musicians at the peak of their game, playing a brand of music they genuinely love. As Graffin explains: ‘This feels as exciting to me as when we made the BAD RELIGION record ‘Suffer’. Like everything had been leading up to the songs and they just happened totally organically in this short intense burst. I’m really just doing what I did back then, which is write songs that mean something to me and deliver them in a way that is completely honest’” – Blabbermouth. [Limited color vinyl pressing also available.]
Catherine Graindorge/Hugo Race – Long Distance Operators CD (Sub Rosa)
Long Distance Operators is a collaboration between the Australian musician Hugo Race and the Belgian violinist Catherine Graindorge. Hugo Race is a singer, songwriter, producer, and author, who has a long and wide-ranging history, from the trans-global Dirtmusic and his groups True Spirit and Fatalists, to his origins in the ’80s Melbourne post-punk scene with Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds and The Wreckery. Catherine Graindorge is a Belgian violinist, composer, and actress, known for her work with the Belgian groups Monsoon and Nox, and more recently with Détroit (Bertrand Cantat and Pascal Humbert), John Parish or the German singer Andrea Schroeder. She also plays and composes for theater and cinema.
Jen Grant – Paradise CD/LP (Ba Da Bing!)
Jenn Grant’s Paradise opens into an expanded realm never before explored by the songwriter. Following Compostela’s 2015 Juno nominations of Triple A Album Of The Year and Songwriter Of The Year, Paradise adds to Grant’s usual insight and intimacy a whole new dimension of wisdom. Songs unfold gradually, guided by her nuanced and soulful voice, mining a deepened honesty that touches upon balladry, R&B and electronic music along the way.
Johnny Griffin – Riverside Collection 1958-1962 4xCD (Enlightenment)
In a career spanning over six decades, Johnny Griffin has carved out a reputation as one of hard bop s pioneering musicians. Dubbed The Little Giant due to his modest stature and hard-edged sound, his fast, controlled and harmonic style has featured on some of the finest records created within the genre. Although known for playing in support of many big names in jazz — Thelonious Monk, Dizzy Gillespie, Art Blakey etc. — as well as for his partnership with fellow sax man Eddie Lockjaw Davis, it was as bandleader that Griffin produced his best work, with his output for Riverside Records in the late 1950s and early 1960s being considered his career highlight by most critics and fans.
Havok – Conformicide CD/2xLP+CD (Century Media)
Havok’s Conformicide is undoubtedly their Master Of Puppets or Rust In Peace moment, filled with a set of tunes that fume, spit, and storm high-end, pit-slaying thrash.
Heat Exchange – Reminiscence [1972] CD/LP (Out-Sider)
Formed in Toronto, Canada, in the late ’60s, Heat Exchange mixed hard rock with psychedelic, heavy progressive and funk-rock sounds. In 1972, after three fantastic 45s, the band recorded more material with the intention of releasing an album, but the album deal fell through.
High Plains – Cinderland CD/LP (Kranky)
High Plains is the duo of Scott Morgan and Mark Bridges. Morgan, based in the Canadian Pacific Northwest, is predominantly known for his drifting, textured soundscapes released under the pseudonym Loscil. Bridges is an accomplished, classically-trained cellist residing in Madison, Wisconsin. The two met in Banff, Alberta, while they were there on residencies at the Banff Centre for the Arts in 2014. Inspired by Schubert’s Die Winterreise and the rolling landscapes of their surroundings, Cinderland evokes a shadowy, introspective and dizzying winter journey. It takes cues from classical, electronic and cinematic musical traditions but is mostly a product of the rugged, mythic landscape: vast and sprawling with a wild, uncertain edge. The recording was made with a portable studio and all sounds were sourced on site, most notably from Bridges’ cello, the resident Steinway D piano, and field recordings collected from the local soundscape.
Lightnin’ Hopkins – Live In Denver CD (Klondike)
Lightnin’ Hopkins live from Ebbet’s Field, Denver, Colorado on April 25th, 1974. The Texas giant of blues makes a welcome return to Denver for another unique display of blues artistry. Having had his life committed to the big screen and having been backed by 13th Floor Elevators, Lightnin’ was about to devour the next decade with the same righteous intent — stubborn, flashy, and damned inspirational. This CD features the entire KCUV FM broadcast of that show.
Julia Hülsmann Trio – Sooner & Later CD (ECM)
Berlin-based pianist Julia Hülsmann returns to the trio format.
Hurray For The Riff Raff – The Navigator CD/LP (ATO)
“‘The first words still had roots, like a James Brown syllable,’ the late New York poet Sekou Sundiata once wrote. He was talking about how language is undergirded with sound, how the beats underneath every sentence intertwine, connecting every tongue from Africa to the South Bronx. In the many albums she’s recorded as Hurray For The Riff Raff, Alynda Segarra has told her own stories through the various idioms of American roots music, mastering folk declarations, country’s laments, and the secret histories embedded in the blues. But Segarra heard something else beneath all the choruses she learned: a rhythmic reality, the history of her own people in shifting time signatures. These word roots are what she uncovers in her rich, courageous new album, The Navigator. For this project, she’s enlisted new collaborators, notably the versatile guitarist Jordan Hyde and several percussionists, including Juan-Carlos Chaurand and Norka Hernández-Nadal. Relating the saga of a particular wandering woman – Segarra’s alter ego, Navita Milagros Negron – and of a people displaced through exile, segregation and gentrification, The Navigator repositions roots music as an anti-nostalgic tool: a truth-telling device. And it does so through the undercurrents of Cuban son, Puerto Rican bomba, and Nuyorican salsa, interwoven with doo-wop, rock and gospel soul” – WHRO. [Limited white color vinyl pressing also available.]
Jay Som – Everybody Works CD/LP+MP3/Cassette (Polyvinyl)
On her first proper album as Jay Som, Melina Duterte solidifies her rep as a self-made force of sonic splendor and emotional might. If last year’s aptly named Turn Into compilation showcased a fuzz-loving artist in flux—chronicling her mission to master bedroom recording—then the rising Oakland star’s latest, Everybody Works, is the LP equivalent of mission accomplished.
JFDR – Brazil CD/LP (White Sun)
FDR – the latest project from young and prolific Icelandic songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jófríður Ákadóttir (Samaris, Pascal Pinon, Gangly) – releases her debut solo full-length album. Brazil sees a blend of cyclical guitar parts, soft minimal soundscapes, and poetic wanderings of a journey that ends where it began. Drawing from classical, folk, and electronic backgrounds, JFDR amalgamates the sounds of changing seasons, her voice a current that moves through rough seas to smooth waters.
Judah & The Lion – Folk Hop N Roll CD (Judah & The Lion)
This deluxe version of “Folk Hop N Roll,” from Nashville band Judah & The Lion, includes four new studio tracks and adds a total of 7 songs previously unavailable on CD. Working with producer Dave Cobb (Jason Isbell, Chris Stapleton) to mesh the sound of the Beastie Boys with Mumford & Sons, the band spawned a new genre “folk hop.” Named by Rolling Stone a “2017
Artist You Need To Know.”
Valerie June – The Order Of Time CD/LP (Concord)
Unfolding like a novella, June sketches detailed, three-dimensional portraits of real people struggling with dreams, defeat, hope and life, in this 12-track song cycle. Musically, the genre-defying singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist has redefined herself again, infusing inspirations like Tom Waits, Nina Simone, Leonard Cohen and Fela Kuti into her unique blend of folk, blues, gospel and soul. As in life, a harrowing bite of bitterness can surely be felt in many of these songs and on others; June’s ethereal soundscapes prove the perfect setting for her honeyed, childlike voice as she pleas for simplicity and a better world.
Rebekka Karijord – Mother Tongue CD/LP (Control Freak Kitten)
Largely written following the traumatic arrival, three months early, of her first baby, Rebekka Karijord’s Mother Tongue is comprised of eleven extraordinary songs tracking her experience with uncommon honesty and unshrinking courage. Like a collection of short stories, Mother Tongue chronicles the events surrounding her pregnancy and the agony of nearly losing her daughter, but it’s much more than an album about childbirth.
Las Rosas – Everyone Gets Exactly What They Want CD/LP (Ernest Jenning)
A combination of wit and humor with sneering, whip-smart garage rock. “Luminous, moon-eyed pop vibes, delivered with authority and muscle.” — Pitchfork
Les Marquises – Night Full Of Collapses CD (Ici D’ailleurs)
Night Full Of Collapses is reminiscent of Badalamenti’s compositions for Twin Peaks or the first records by Bohren & Der Club of Gore — disturbing and offbeat atmospheres that also recall Talk Talk and Psychic TV.
Lone Piñon – Días Felices CD/LP (L.M. Dupli-cation)
Lone Piñon is an acoustic trio from New Mexico whose music celebrates their region’s cultural roots. Using violin, accordion, guitar, guitarrón, upright bass and harmony vocals in Spanish, English, and Nahuatl, the group has revived and updated the Chicano string band style that once flourished in New Mexico, bringing a devoted and explosive musicianship to Northern New Mexican polkas and chotes, virtuosic Mexican huapango and son calentano, and classic borderlands conjunto.
The Luyas – Human Voicing CD/LP (Paper Bag)
The Luyas’ retro-futurist songs are drenched in echo, and built from guitars, French horn, piles of keyboards, drums and percussion. Singer/guitarist Jessie Stein expands the band’s already wide musical vocabulary when she plays the Moodswinger — a 12-string electric zither designed by the Dutch experimental luthier Yuri Landman.
Magnetic Fields – 50 Song Memoir 5xCD/5xLP (Nonesuch)
50 Song Memoir chronicles the 50 years of songwriter Stephin Merritt’s life with one song per year. Merritt began recording on his 50th birthday: February 9, 2015. Unlike his previous work, the lyrics on 50 Song Memoir are nonfiction—in Merritt’s words, “a mix of autobiography (bedbugs, Buddhism, buggery) and documentary (hippies, Hollywood, hyperacusis).” As he says in the album’s liner note interview with his friend, the author Daniel Handler, “I am the least autobiographical person you are likely to meet. I will probably not write any more true songs after this than I did before, but it’s been interesting working on it.” In addition to his vocals on all 50 songs, Merritt plays more than 100 instruments on the set, ranging from ukulele to piano to drum machine to abacus.
Laura Marling – Semper Femina CD/2xLP (More Alarming Records)
“English singer-songwriter Laura Marling’s latest offering to British folk is Semper Femina (translates from Latin to Always A Woman), her sixth album since 2008 and a quietly bold ode to womanhood. ‘I started out writing Semper Femina as if a man was writing about a woman…And then I thought it’s not a man, it’s me’ was the heavily re-quoted tagline from Marling preceding the album’s release, explaining the near-exclusive female subjects and perspectives in every song. Semper Femina makes both delightful and thought-provoking listening. The variance of third and first person in the lyrics makes a refreshing change from the voices of pop, who are by and large rather self-centered sounding, and makes for a less-than-straightforward exercise in lyrical interpretation. Marling leads us away from the naming and shaming culture so often seen in pop; for example the ‘she’ of The Valley who ‘mourns the morning’ could be Marling, the listener, or a fictional character. For an album of relative track-to-track sameness – a commendation rather than a criticism, since a sonically cohesive body of work requires great dexterous sensitivity – it traverses emotional landscapes, inducing tears in one song, smiles the next. These are conscientious songs that contain a whole host of sensibilities, and paint a multitude of emotional colours upon a canvas of homely, English acoustic folk instrumentation.” – The Sphinx
Jackie Mittoo – The Keyboard King [Reissue/1976] CD/LP (Radiation Roots)
Mittoo’s delightful organ workouts, completely reconfiguring hits by John Holt, Johnny Clarke, Cornell Campbell, and Bunny & Skully, among others.
Moğollar – Moğollar [Reissue/1976] CD/LP (Pharaway Sounds)
Makam madness gives way to instrumental prog on this burned-out last album from Moğollar, Turkey’s Anadolu pop heroes. Moğollar was the band that never had a singer attached for long, and yet even more than Baris Manco or Erkin Koray, they consciously highlighted what was different about the new sounds of the era. Incredible fusion of ancient Anatolian melodies and instruments with prog/psych with occasional, piercing fuzz guitar. RIYL: John Berberian, Devil’s Anvil, and vintage Turkish psych.
Mokoomba – Luyando CD/LP (Out Here Records)
Luyando means “mother’s love” in Tonga, a language that is spoken by the first inhabitants of the Zambezi Valley of Southern Africa. But beyond the word, Luyando goes to the heart of Mokoomba’s music. Lyrical and beautifully breezy, Luyando is a spiritual journey into the heart of Zimbabwean society, culture, and tradition. On the album, Mokoomba modified their rock-band oriented line-up to record a more raw, acoustic set. The songs are rooted in the local traditions and life in their hometown of Victoria Falls, a town on the Zambezi River.
Mondkopf – They Fall, But You Don’t CD (In Paradisum)
They Fall, But You Don’t is the most straightforward and cohesive Mondkopf album to date due to his switch to analog synthesizers. They Fall was been recorded live in his room in Paris in the sadly memorable month of November 2016. The record has something familiar with Mondkopf’s previous output with the raw textures and half-light atmospheres, but the rest is a radical change for him. The synth pads of They Fall are neither retro nor futuristic.
R Stevie Moore / Jason Falkner – Make It Be CD/LP+MP3 (Bar/None)
The New York Times dubs R Stevie Moore a “lo-fi legend;” he has over 400 releases to his credit since he started making music in 1968. Jason Falkner is a power pop pioneer who started his career in the ‘80s with The Three O’clock and is a founding member of Jellyfish. He has released numerous solo records and has worked with such greats as Beck, Air, Aimee Mann, Travis and Paul McCartney. Moore and Falkner are legends on their own but, as Make It Be loudly announces, their voices, performances, and arrangements have always been a match made in heaven waiting to be realized here on earth.
Mothership – High Strangeness CD/LP (Ripple Music/Heavy Psych Sounds)
New album from the Dallas heavy rock forerunners. “They demonstrated last time out that their songwriting could take a multifaceted approach to classic-style heavy rock, working in elements of psychedelia at a whim and more measured execution, and much to its and the band’s benefit, High Strangeness follows suit in not only expanding their palette, but doing so with a more stripped-down, from-the-stage sound.” – The Obelisk
Peter Murphy – Bare-Boned And Sacred CD (Metropolis)
New live album from the former Bauhaus vocalist.
Murs – Captain California CD (Strange Music)
Brand new album from the South Central Los Angeles native. For two decades now, Murs has been one of the most prolific, yet underrated emcees in the game both as a solo act and as a member of Living Legends.
Nova Collective – The Further Side CD (Metal Blade)
“A group made up of instrumental superstars from a few very well-known progressive bands Between The Buried And Me, Haken, Trioscapes, and Cynic, the foursome’s new album The Further Side is an energetic, creative, and enjoyable listen from the first few notes. They describe themselves as ‘fusion, weaving progressive rock influences with world music, jazz and classical, to create something entirely new that is pure aural candy for prog/jazz fans’” – The Prog Report. [Vinyl edition due March 24.]
Augustus Pablo – Augustus Pablo At King Tubby’s [Reissue/2005] CD/LP (Radiation Roots)
This multi-faceted compilation, first issued on Bunny Lee’s Attack label in 2005, compiles memorable melodica interpretations of some of Lee’s greatest productions, recorded over dub cuts of immortal numbers such as Cornell Campbell’s “Queen Of The Minstrel” and John Holt’s “My Desire.”
Planning For Burial – Below The House CD/LP (The Flenser)
In terms of genre, Planning For Burial is often simply characterized as “gloom,” which can be seen as a blend of slowcore, shoegaze, doom, ‘90s alt rock and drone, and this album offers nine sullen and frequently heavy songs that brim with nostalgia and suburban ennui.
Porter Ray – Watercolor CD/LP+MP3/Cassette (Sub Pop)
Watercolor is the long-awaited label debut from Seattle’s Porter Ray. Porter is a Seattle based MC who caught the attention of Shabazz Palaces’ Ishmael Butler, who signed him to the label in 2014. Watercolor is a snapshot of Porter’s life and the lives of his friends growing up in Seattle. The album captures a specific time period, before things began rapidly changing around their neighborhoods, and it delves into the experiences that shaped Porter, the situations he and his friends survived, and how they overcame the adversity they faced. Porter’s influences – including hip-hop classics like Nas’s Illmatic, Common’s Be, and Mos Def & Talib Kweli’s …Are Black Star – shine through in both the beats and production, and his deeply personal lyrics. Watercolor is led by the singles “Sacred Geometry” (feat. Cashtro, Palaceer Lazarro of Shabazz Palaces), “Lightro [Looking For The Light]” (feat. Stas Thee Boss), “Arithmetic” (feat. Infinite & Stas Thee Boss), and “Bulletproof Windows” (feat. Nate Jack & Thad). The album also includes performances from Jus Moni, Debra Sullivan, and Chimurenga Renaissance.
Pronoun – There’s No One New Around You. CDEP/12” (Rhyme And Reason)
“It doesn’t take long to get lost in a song. Good tracks have the potential to pull you in, to let you forget about the physical world standing in front of you. But Brooklyn-based Alyse Vellturo, also known as the indie-synth project Pronoun, has crafted an entire world in her music capable of prolonging exposure to reality. With delicacy and care, ‘Snowed In // There’s No One New Around You.,’ the last song on pronoun’s debut EP There’s No One New Around You. brings listeners into a dreamy, yet harsh reality.” – Atwood Magazine
Rävjunk – Uppsala Stadshotell Brinner Igen. CD (Shadoks Music)
Scandinavia’s best punk-psych band from Uppsala, Sweden. This second album includes tracks from rare singles and EPs released from 1979-1980, as well as completely unknown tracks picked by Peter Ericson (drums). Uppsala Stadshotell Brinner Igen. Is a great selection of songs influenced by the early pre-punk period ala Stooges/MC5, longer jamming guitar tracks of German kraut and space-rock bands and the heavy psych movement.
Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band – Front Porch Sessions CD/LP (Family Owned)
Southern Indiana-bred singer-guitarist Reverend Peyton is the bigger-than-life frontman of Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band. He has earned a reputation as both a singularly compelling performer and a persuasive evangelist for the rootsy country blues styles that captured his imagination early in life and inspired him and his band to make pilgrimages to Clarksdale, Mississippi to study under such blues masters as T-Model Ford, Robert Belfour and David “Honeyboy” Edwards. Front Porch Sessions maintains a potent level of intensity throughout, from the upbeat optimism of the album-opener “We Deserve A Happy Ending” to the blunt slice-of-life rural reality of “One More Thing” to the rollicking, playful swagger of “Shakey Shirley,” “One Bad Shoe” and “Cornbread And Butterbeans.” Meanwhile, the instrumentals “It’s All Night Long” and “Flying Squirrels” demonstrate the Rev’s nimble, imaginative guitar work.
Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever – The French Press CD/LP+MP3 (Sub Pop)
In early 2016, the release of Talk Tight put Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever on the map with glowing reviews from SPIN, Stereogum, and Pitchfork, praising them as stand-outs even among the fertile landscape of Melbourne music. Chock full of snappy riffs, spritely drumming and quick-witted wordplay, Talk Tight was praised by Pitchfork “for the precision of their melodies, the streamlined sophistication of their arrangements, and the undercurrent of melancholy that motivates every note.” The band was born from late night jam sessions in singer/guitarist Fran Keaney’s bedroom and honed in the thrumming confines of Melbourne’s live music venues. The French Press levels up on everything that made Talk Tight such an immediate draw. Multi-tracked melodies which curl around one another, charging drums and addictive bass lines converge to give each track its driving momentum. Honed through their live shows, this relentless energy carries the record through new chapters in the band’s Australian storybook.
Klaus Schulze – Androgyn CD (Made In Germany Music)
Single-disc reissue of Klaus Schulze’s Androgyn (originally released 2002 as part of the strictly limited and long exhausted 5xCD boxset Contemporary Works II).
Shed – The Final Experiment CD/LP (Monkeytown)
Under the moniker Shed, René Pawlowitz has published three highly ambitious albums in which he defines his work more and more as his own way of musical narration; The Final Experiment is definitely the temporary highlight of this evolution. It establishes Shed conclusively as one of the most interesting and substantial active electronic music artists.
The Shins – Heartworms CD/LP+MP3 (Columbia)
“Get ready to have your life changed all over again. Heartworms, The Shins’ first full-length release since 2012’s Port Of Morrow, has been done for some time, but was delayed to give the music-industry fat cats at Columbia Records more time to promote the album (and lead singer James Mercer to tinker with it, as he told Portland radio station KBOO last summer). The result of all this tinkering, according to the press release announcing the album, is a ‘return to the handmade,’ lest you were concerned that The Shins were losing their twee edge. Overall, this album sounds like an earnest, personal effort for Mercer, who produced all the album tracks except for penultimate song ‘So Now What.’ The first single from the album, ‘Name For You,’ is a ‘resounding call for female empowerment’ inspired by Mercer’s three daughters.” – A.V. Club
Shobaleader One – Elektrac CD/2xLP+MP3 (Warp)
A suite of live versions of Squarepusher classics, drawn from his unparalleled 20 year catalog. “You get the sense that for Tom Jenkisnon — flanked by his fantasy electro-jazz-pop unit comprising Arg Nution, Company Laser, Sten t’Mech, Strobe Nazard — has been biding his time for this one, and probably got the nudge when AFX knocked out his Computer Controlled Instruments session. It’s basically how Squarepusher’s music might have sounded if he came of age in the ‘70s jazz fusion era that he deeply fetishizes.”
sir Was – Digging A Tunnel CD/LP (City Slang)
The sir Was “sound” is built around supple grooves, is strangely haunting and yet inexplicably exhilarating, voices ricocheting off one another as they address loneliness, it’s solution and the requisite compromises. A jam session of Beck, David Crosby, J Dilla, and D’Angelo might not sound much different to his style. “Joel Wästberg’s sir Was project is the meeting point between jazz, old school hip-hop, and electronica; the Swede blurs boundaries in the most insouciant of fashions, refreshing and reassuring.” — Line Of Best Fit
Elliott Smith – Either/Or: Expanded Edition CD/2xLP (Kill Rock Stars)
Either/Or is widely regarded as Elliott’s best album, and remains his best-selling. To commemorate the 20th Anniversary of this masterpiece, Kill Rock Stars proudly presents Either/Or: Expanded Edition. This album features the original tracks carefully remastered from original tapes under the supervision of Larry Crane, owner of Jackpot! Studios and archivist of the Estate of Elliott Smith. The additional content features five live multi-track recordings from the Yo Yo A Go Go Festival in Olympia WA in 1997, as well as three previously unreleased studio recordings and one B-side gem. [The double LP vinyl edition is packaged in a gatefold jacket that includes an insert of the original liner notes, a postcard of the original master tapes, and several never-before seen photos. A limited yellow color vinyl pressing is also available.]
Soundgarden – Ultramega OK [Reissue/1988] CD/LP+MP3/Cassette (Sub Pop)
Hailed as grunge innovators, Soundgarden redefined rock music for a generation. In the ‘80s, the band — singer/guitarist Chris Cornell, guitarist Kim Thayil, bassist Hiro Yamamoto, and drummer Matt Cameron — combined a punk ethos, brutal metal soundscapes, and Cornell’s ravenous roar to capture the attention of the masses. Jagged and ferocious, their music was deeply at odds with the synth-pop and hair metal which dominated the ‘80s airwaves. This remixed and expanded reissue of Ultramega OK is a long-planned “correction” of the legendary band’s Grammy-nominated debut full-length. After worldwide success, a breakup, a reunion, and many albums and tours, Soundgarden acquired the original multi-track tapes to the album and handed them over to longtime friend and engineer Jack Endino (Nirvana, Mudhoney, Screaming Trees, Skin Yard) to create this fresh mix. The band also dug out six early versions of songs recorded in 1987, raw bonus tracks the band now refers to as Ultramega EP.
Soundtrack – Beauty And The Beast CD/2xCD (Walt Disney)
Score by eight-time Oscar-winning composer Alan Menken. Available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe adds 25 bonus tracks including demos and more.
Strongman – No Time Like Now CD (Sonic Unyon)
A slab of reinvigorated 21st century blues.
Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives – Way Out West CD/LP (Superlatine)
Stuart’s 18th studio album is a collection of newly written originals, instrumentals and rare covers.
Sun Dial – Made In The Machine CD/LP (Sireena)
Made In The Machine delves deep into the surrealistic worlds of sci-fi and space rock, with hints of early kraut and dark psych music.
Sunny Sweeny – Trophy CD (Aunt Daddy)
“When country singer Sunny Sweeney began playing the dive bar circuit in her native Texas 15 years ago, being able to silence a rowdy drunk with a cutting quip, or laugh about a broken down touring van, was an essential skill. ‘I feel like being able to find the humor in any situation helped me more with my music career than anything else I did,’ she explained. On her fourth album, Trophy, Sweeney puts that sense of humor to use. On the snarky title track, she reclaims the insult ‘trophy wife’ while delivering a message to her husband’s ex: ‘He’s got a trophy now for putting up with you.’” – The Tennessean
Tennis – Yours Conditionally CD/LP (Mutually Detrimental)
“One of the first and most important rules of being in a band is: Never sleep with your bandmates. Things are good for a while, sure … until they’re not. And once they’re not, the ship can wreck real fast. Tennis is one of those rare examples where the combination of relationship dynamics and creative collaboration actually works, and it’s largely because music for them serves as a source of mutual growth and not as a source of competitive imposition. Nonetheless, Alaina Moore, the better half of the husband and wife duo, told me over the phone a couple of weeks ago, ‘If I hadn’t met Patrick [Riley], I wouldn’t be doing this at all.’ For Tennis, infectious indie pop is an extension and public manifestation of their relationship and not a confused byproduct of artistic passion. Some couples go on bike rides, some take Eurotrips and some take cooking classes. It just so happens that one of Moore and Riley’s favorite couple outings is an endeavor with an audience. On Tennis’ new album, Yours Conditionally, Moore acknowledges the balance that she’s had to strike. ‘The [album’s] title reflected the conclusion that I belong to the world, that I have a boundary where I’m trying to find how much I allow myself to be devoted to my husband and my fans,’ she said.’” – Rutger Rosenborg/NBC San Diego
Josh Turner – Deep South CD (MCA Nashville)
With his rich, deep voice and distinctive style, Josh Turner is one of country music’s most recognizable artists. Deep South is his sixth album.
UV-TV – Glass CD/LP (Derranged)
Stuck somewhere in the middle of Florida is UV-TV. Rose Vastola, Ryan Hopewell and Ian Bernacett write melancholy pop songs with jagged, abrasive edges. Combining strong hooks with chainsaw guitars and blissful treble, comparisons to Black Tambourine, JAMC and The Shop Assistants fit best. It’s shoegaze stripped of its fat and fluff.
Various Artists [Hernan Cattaneo] – Balance Presents Sudbeat 2xCD (Balance Music)
Co-founder of the acclaimed Sudbeat label, Hernan Cattaneo, presents a compilation comprising entirely of unreleased, exclusive material from the label’s roster. Disc One is a slow-burning, downtempo affair that rounds-up Sudbeat’s less dancefloor-focused output. Disc Two comprises heady arpeggios, chunky grooves, distant, solemn pianos and more.
Various Artists – Sly & Robbie Present Taxi Gang In DiscoMix 1978-1987 CD/2xLP (Cree)
The selections on this compilation demonstrate exactly how much Lowell ‘Sly’ Dunbar & Robert ‘Robbie’ Shakespeare have learned from the roots of reggae, American rhythm & blues and soul, and these versions of contemporary and vintage soul songs show Sly and Robbie at their very best on covers of Little Willie John’s “Fever,” Al Wilson’s “Show & Tell,” “Tony Joe White’s “Rainy Night In Georgia” (as covered in soul by Brook Benton), The Delfonics’ “Don’t Break Your Promise,” The Impressions’ “You Must Believe Me,” The Spinners’ “Could It Be I’m Falling In Love” and a brace of Marvin Gaye covers in “Sexual Healing” and “Inner City Blues.” All are sung with panache and feeling by the various vocalists and backed up with superior rhythms, showcased here with full-length versions, from Sly and Robbie.
Various Artists [Young Marco] – Selectors 002 CD (Dekmantel)
Dutch DJ and producer Young Marco presents an umixed selection of tracks from his own vinyl archives, drawing from dollar-bin records, avant-garde records, club records, and rarities, all bound together by a refreshing sense of naiveté. Includes tracks by Danny Boy, Gerrit Hoekema, Ghostwriters, Larry Heard, Wolf Müller, The Force Dimension, Frank Youngwerth, Green Baize, Ray Tracing, and Personal FX.
Various Artists – Beatfreak! Vol. 5: Rare and Obscure British Beat 1964-1967 CD (Particles)
Rare, obscure and virtually extinct, Volume Five offers an intoxicating marriage of fuzz, more fuzz and a bit more fuzz, delivered with disgraceful adolescent abandon. Features: The Redcaps, The Little Darlings, Lee Grant And The Capitols, The Cheetahs, The Deejays, Liverpool Five, Tracy Rogers, Bean And Loopy’s Lot, The Chanters, The Jynx Pack, The In-Betweens, Jimmy Powell And The Five Dimensions, Steve Darbishire, Terry Brandon And The Beatmen, The Cheynes, The Fairies, Bad Boys, The Pete Best Combo, and Downliners Sect.
Various Artists – Curiosity Shop: A Rare Collection of Aural Antiquities and Objets d’Art: Volume Five 1965-1969 CD (Particles)
A colorful collection of obscured and exuberant pop nuggets recorded in the British psychedelic period. Features: Billy Fury, Crocheted Doughnut Ring, Gates Of Eden, Fingers, Don Fardon, The Deejays, The Nicolquinn, Executives, The Cymbaline, Gilbert, St. David’s Road, Ian And The Zodiacs, Cecil McCartney, Noel Harrison, Frugal Sound, Judi Smith, Chris Farlowe, and Cartoone.
Various Artists [Keb Darge and Cut Chemist] – Present The Dark Side: 30 Sixties Garage Punk And Psych Monsters CD/2xLP (BBE)
Picking up where they left off on the 2007 compilation Lost & Found – Rockabilly & Jump Blues, Keb Darge & Cut Chemist join forces once again, this time to explore the wonderful world of ‘60s garage music.
Various Artists – Eskimo Recordings Presents: The Red Collection 2xCD (Eskimo)
Across 13 tracks, The Red Collection segues between left-field electronic pop, disco, and house, taking the listener from the frozen north, to the souks of the Middle East and beyond. Includes bonus mix CD of all 13 tracks.
Various Artists – This Time Will Be Different: The Sweet Soul Of Philadelphia: 1968-1982 CD/LP (Interstate)
Various Artists – This Love Is For Real:The Sweet Soul Of Chicago: 1968-1981
The first two parts in Interstate Records’ regional soul series. This Time Will Be Different documents the emerging Philly soul sound, as influenced by Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff, but with a focus on more obscure artists and releases. This Love Is For Real documents the Chicago sound, as popularized by Curtis Mayfield, The Chi-Lites or Impressions, but with a focus on more obscure artists and releases.
The Velvet Underground – The Boston Tea Party January 10th 1969 CD/2xLP (Spyglass)
The Velvet Underground – The Boston Tea Party January 11th 1969 CD/2xLP (Spyglass)
The Boston Tea Party was the leading underground rock club, and something of a home from home for the Velvet Underground. Lou Reed even described it as his favorite place to play in the late ’60s. These superb live sets were taped there on Thursday, July 10th and Friday, July 11th, 1969 and finds the quartet performing numerous tracks from their recently released third album, 1969.
Norman Westberg – Jasper Sits Out CD (ROOM40)
A CD release of Norman Westberg’s (Swans) Jasper Sits Out, originally released on CDR in 2014. Instead of relying on volume to achieve a specific sonic state, Norman’s solo practice relies on a sense of swaying harmony and orbiting loops to create a tonally dense and personal sound world. Jasper Sits Out reflects Norman’s interest in minimal structures and the processes of iteration that are formed through the manipulation of looping fragments.
Western Addiction – Tremulous CD/LP (Fat Wreck Chords)
Western Addiction broke onto the scene with unyielding fury over a decade ago with their hardcore debut Cognicide. 12 years and two EPs later, the band is back with a brand new album brimming with the same hardcore explosive fervor they have become known for.
Kathryn Williams & Anthony Kerr – Resonator CD/LP (One Little Indian)
“Look past the quite frankly not-very-good cover art for The Resonator, and you will find an interesting leftwards turn in folk singer/songwriter Kathryn Williams’ career. She has set aside her own material and embraced the vibraphone of Anthony Kerr: together, the pair have taken on a set of jazz standards, making them into something new.” – Norman UK
Winter Family – South From Here CD (Ici D’ailleurs)
Winter Family’s dark, saturated and dense music is described as “death swing,” “weird wave” or “funeral pop.”
Stevie Wonder – Live At The Regal Theater, Chicago, June 1962 CD/LP (Jamalaya)
Practically the entire world has heard Stevie Wonder’s June 1962 Motortown Revue performance at the Regal Theater in Chicago — they just might not know it. That’s because the electrifying hit version of “Fingertips,” released the following year, was recorded at that fateful gig. Included here is that hit performance along with the rest of Wonder’s show from that evening, a night that he and the backing Motortown band were absolutely on fire.
Yuksek – Nous Horizon CD/LP (Partyfine)
Nous Horizon is Yuksek’s great studio album comeback released on his own label Partyfine.
His characteristic sound, midway between post-disco, house, and pop, shines through on its various tracks.
DVDs + Blu-ray:
Eric Clapton – Live In San Diego (With Special Guest JJ Cale) DVD/Blu-ray (Reprise)
Released last year on CD and vinyl – now available on DVD and Blu-ray. On March 15, 2007, Eric Clapton’s world tour stopped at San Diego’s iPayOne Center (originally the San Diego Sports Arena and now the Valley View Casino Center). The band lineup for the tour consisted of Derek Trucks and Doyle Bramhall II on guitars, Chris Stainton and Tim Carmon on keyboards, Willie Weeks on bass, Steve Jordan on drums, and backing vocalists Michelle John and Sharon White. During the set, Clapton’s long-time musical inspiration, JJ Cale, sat in for five songs, including three from their Grammy- winning 2006 album The Road To Escondido.
This Week’s Vinyl Exclusives:
Aketi Ray/Alpha & Omega – Mirror/Reflect 12” (Steppas)
Aketi Ray are an all-acoustic dub-jazz group from London playing compositions grounded in the instrumental music from post-independence Jamaica, Ethiopian, U.S. jazz, West African percussion traditions, and UK steppas.
Todd Albright – Detroit Twelve String Blues & Rags LP (Third Man)
Todd Albright is a country blues, finger-style 12-string guitar player and singer living in Detroit, Michigan. An evening’s sonic evocations of pre-WWII Blues covers an extensive selection of material recorded in the 1920s and 30s. Playing the 12 string guitar, Todd brings to life an era composed of Blind Lemon Jefferson, Sylvester Weaver, Blind Willie McTell and Leadbelly, among others. Todd’s history playing the blues reaches over 25 years, though he does not remember a time that a guitar wasn’t in his hands. He first heard the country blues at the age of twelve, thanks to a gifted John Lee Hooker record from his sister. The experience was a profound one—the blues felt right, and he immediately became a self-taught student of the genre aiming solely to interpret the sounds of the masters. Todd has performed across the U.S, both as a solo musician and alongside his former country blues string band, The Staving Chain. Throughout the years, Todd has enjoyed sharing the stage with notable musicians and friends such as Dakota Dave Hull, Roy Book Binder, Charlie Parr, and Paul Geremia.
John Andrews & The Yawns – Bad Posture LP (Woodsist)
Singer/songwriter John Andrews’ band, The Yawns, has been crystallized with staples from the New England freak scene: Rachel Neveu and Lukas Goudreault (MMOSS/Soft Eyes) and Joey Schneider. Bad Posture was mixed with headphones at the foot of Emma Critchett’s grave, who lived in The Yawns’ house during the 1800s. The record is an ode to her and all who have lived there. It paints a picture of living in the “freecountry” on the precipice of a rapidly changing political climate.
Animals As Leaders – The Madness Of Many 2xLP+MP3 (Sumerian)
Released last November on CD – now available on vinyl. New (fourth) album from the instrumental modern progressive pioneers. Limited cream color or transparent blue color vinyl pressings are available.
Applehead – Applehead’s Rache LP (Pre-Cert Home Entertainment)
This hang-dried and un-cured collection of low-brow electronics, oblique movie-tones, cold-funk, ready-made poetry and domestic plunderism spans five years since Andy Votel aka Applehead’s 2011 self-titled debut.
Bohren & Der Club Of Gore – Dolores [Reissue/2008] 2xLP (Play It Again Sam)
Vinyl reissue of the 2008 album by the German doom jazz cult band.
Brötzmann/Van Hove/Bennink plus Albert Mangelsdorff – Elements [Reissue/1971] LP (Cien Fuegos)
Brötzmann/Van Hove/Bennink plus Albert Mangelsdorff – Couscouss De La Mauresque [Reissue/1971] LP (Cien Fuegos)
Brötzmann/Van Hove/Bennink plus Albert Mangelsdorff – The End [Reissue/1971] LP (Cien Fuegos)
Early-‘70s free jazz from the trio of Peter Brötzmann, Fred Van Hove, and Han Bennink — back in print on vinyl.
Ry Cooder – Live At The Bottom Line LP (Rox Vox)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Ry Cooder live in New York on May 16th, 1974. By 1974, Ry Cooder was firmly established as one of America’s leading guitarists and arrangers. This superb live set was broadcast on WNYU-FM, just after the release of his classic Paradise And Lunch album (1974), and finds him tackling a typically eclectic range of material.
Daughters – Hell Songs [Reissue/2006] LP (Hydra Head)
While they utterly baffled listeners with 2003’s debut Canada Songs, the spastic, blunt screamo the Rhode Islanders blasted through on that breakneck debut turned out to only be a warning of how subversive, innovative, and unrepentant they could be.
Sarah Davachi – All My Circles Run LP (Students Of Decay)
Released last October on CD – now available on vinyl. All My Circles Run is the third full-length release by Montreal-based electro-acoustic composer Sarah Davachi. In a move that may surprise followers of her previous output, the five compositions on this record eschew synthesizer entirely, each focusing on a different instrument, including strings, voice, organ and piano. What remains consistent, however, is her striking attention to detail and a commitment to tonal possibilities that characterize all of her work.
Miles Davis Quintet – Freedom Jazz Dance: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 5 3xLP (Sony Legacy)
A three-LP collection chronicling Miles’ musical evolution in the studio from 1966-1968 working with his “second great quintet,” the latest edition in Columbia/Legacy’s acclaimed Miles Davis Bootleg Series provides an unprecedented look into the artist’s creative process, drawing on full session reels including all rehearsals, partial and alternate takes, studio conversation and more. Includes the master takes of performances which would eventually appear on the Miles Smiles (1967), Nefertiti (1968) and Water Babies (1976) albums alongside more than two hours’ worth of previously unreleased studio recordings.
Bob Dylan – Walkin’ Down The Line: 1962-1963 Demos And Rare Tracks LP (Jambalaya)
After the 1962 release of his self-titled debut LP, Bob Dylan spent the rest of that year and 1963 working on songwriting demos for his various publishing company clients. This wonderful LP compiles the best songwriting demos from that fruitful period. Along with early versions of stone-cold classics like “Masters Of War,” “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right,” and “The Times They Are A-Changin’,” this collection of a young Dylan at the start of his brilliant six-decade career also includes beautiful, long-forgotten obscurities like “All Over You,” and “Walkin’ Down The Line.” Essential early demos from America’s greatest songwriter.
Emotional – The Band LP (Death)
The Band’s nine tracks are full of stripped down twangy culls that reveal a likeness to Gram Parson and Rosanne Cash.
Thomas Giles – Velcro Kid 2xLP+MP3 (Sumerian)
Released last November on CD – now available on vinyl. Tommy Rogers, the visionary vocalist and keyboardist of critically - acclaimed progressive metal act, Between The Buried And Me, has dabbled in solo releases since 2004. Testing the limits of what he can do naturally with his voice, Rogers’ strikingly beautiful falsetto and dynamic range conjures tales of anxiety, collapse, and strength. Exploring combinations of the outré genres of both post-rock and electronic, the music’s emotionally resonant yet textural sounds draw reference to artists such as Radiohead, Smashing Pumpkins, the Verve, Beck, Oasis and Spiritualized, balancing both rock and electronic impulses. Limited transparent green color vinyl pressing also available.
Katharina Grosse and Stefan Schneider – Tiergarten LP (TAL)
Tiergarten is the first collaborative album by German performing artist Katharina Grosse and Stefan Schneider (of Kreidler and To Rococo Rot). It is is an instrumental album of two performers on analog synthesizers interacting, communicating, contemplating, and complementing each other through their instruments and intuitions.
Growing – Disorder LP (Important)
At first listen, one may be tempted to refer to this as “return to form” for the band: sonically heavy side-long pastoral excursions being a hallmark of their earlier recordings. But Disorder stands more as a refinement of Growing’s evolving sonic palette, employing dissonance as liberally as harmony, delivering the listener’s ear to a rather unsettling “comfort zone.” The effect could be stated as one of submersion. Disorder is neither revival nor bookend for Growing. Disorder is another mile marker on the long open road, both figuratively and literally.
Nick Hakim – Where Will We Go Pt. I & II LP (ATO)
Vinyl edition of the singer/songwriter’s first two self-released EPs. Limited milky white color pressing.
John Lee Hooker – That’s Where It’s At! [Reissue/1969] LP (Stax)
Fantastic vinyl reissue from the blues legend, originally released by Stax in 1969.
Michael Hurley – Redbirds At Folk City LP (Feeding Tube)
Live set recorded at Folk City on July 17, 1976. “This was probably the first time Hurley brought his band out of the hills. Guitar, bass, drums, piano and trumpet, all of them beautifully in sync and swinging like the rural hippie boogie band they were—tested by long nights in halls filled with rowdy snowmobilers and the women who love them.” – Byron Coley
George Jones – George Jones & The Smoky Mountain Boy LP (Rounder)
Classic recordings from the early ‘70s — a selection of classic bluegrass and folk songs originally writing by Fred Rose, A.P. Carter, and Roy Acuff.
Kangding Ray – Hyper Opal Mantis CD (Stroboscopic Artefacts)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. French-born, Berlin-based composer and producer David Letellier, aka Kangding Ray, uses the combination of slowly swelling melodies and emotionally charged machine sounds to gives way to a sensitive, rhythmic symphony of staggering beauty – a juxtaposition of organic and synthetic, of acoustic instrumentation and digitized beats. Hyper Opal Mantis is a triptych on three states of desire: Hyper is the primal, sensual lust, Opal is the emotional catharsis, a blissful desire for love. Mantis, like the insect it refers to, is the destructive, fatal attraction.
Lorna Shore – Flesh Coffin LP (Cooking Vinyl)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Lorna Shore’s unique signature aesthetic spans death metal, black metal, power metal, and progressive rock for a style that encompasses brutal breakdowns, dazzling technical passages, white-knuckle-ride dynamics, and rich textured moments.
Miniature Tigers – I Dreamt I Was A Cowboy LP (Yebo Music)
“Two things are striking about this album from the get-go. There’s a warmth and intimacy to opener ‘My Girl Forever’ that sticks around for the length of the album. Miniature Tigers’ mastermind Charlie Brand, it turns out, is pretty good at producing indie-pop that sounds honestly romantic. That warmth makes a cheesy sentiment like, ‘You will be my friend forever / You will be my girlfriend’ sound lovely. The other thing is the song’s opening electric guitar riff, which sounds slightly out of tune. That riff runs through the entire song and eventually normalizes even though it never ends up being quite in tune. It’s a weird element and a portent that Brand is going to re-embrace the off-kilter sounds that dominated Miniature Tigers’ early records. This kind of unabashed romanticism shouldn’t really work. And in the past, Miniature Tigers’ attempts at straight-up love songs haven’t always been successful. But Brand’s honesty goes a long way here, and his willingness to use unusual sounds cuts through the cheese to make the album just a bit weird.” – Pop Matters
Moggi aka Piero Umiliani – Double Face [Reissue/1981] LP (Overdrive)
180gm vinyl reissue of a hard-to-find Italian library record.
The Mute Gods – Tardigrades Will Inherit The Earth LP (Inside Out U.S.)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Nick Beggs (Steven Wilson, Steve Hackett), Roger King (Steve Hackett) and Marco Minnemann (Joe Satriani, Aristocrats) deliver adventurous rock effort infused with timely perspectives on the state of religion, politics, media, and the environment.
Night Riots – Love Gloom 2xLP+MP3 (Sumerian)
Combining elements as Depeche Mode, The Killers and The Cure; Night Riots have curated a unique and distinguished sound for the alternative listener.
Nouvelle Vague – Nouvelle Vague [Reissue/2004] LP+MP3 (Kwaidan)
Nouvelle Vague – Bande À Part [Reissue/2006] LP+MP3 (Kwaidan)
Nouvelle Vague – 3 [Reissue/2009] LP (Kwaidan)
Vinyl color vinyl reissues of the French lounge/Latin/pop/bossanova band’s first three albums.
Áine O’Dwyer – Gegenschein LP (Penultimate Press)
Áine O’Dwyer – Locusts LP (Penultimate Press)
Hailing from Ireland, but resident in London, Áine O’Dwyer is a multi-instrumentalist and singer, best known for her lyrical harp playing on collaborations with Mark Fry and The A. Lords, United Bible Studies, Piano Magic and Richard Moult, among a host of others. She released two albums in 2016 – both of which are now available in the U.S.
Officer! – Never Mind The Bucket LP (Blackest Ever Black)
Blackest Ever Black marked its fifth anniversary in 2015 with events at the ICA in London and Berghain in Berlin. The former featured an unforgettable performance from Mick Hobbe’s Officer!, the shape-shifting group’s first performance in twenty-odd years. For this show Hobbs—surely the UK DIY underground’s greatest living songwriter—was joined by longtime collaborators Mary Currie of Flaming Tunes and Joey Stack, with Tilly Bean, Ed Bernez, and Lydia Fischer. The live recording of this set, Never Mind The Bucket, comprises songs from Dead Unique, the ‘lost’ 1995 album, a smattering of earlier classics from the ’70s-’80s (including “Life At The Water’s Edge” and “Dogface”) and heart-rending covers of “Beguiling The Hours” and “The Best Weapon” from Mary Currie and the late Gareth Williams’s peerless Flaming Tunes album.
øjeRum – When Birds Fly, The Eyes Of Heaven Can Rest LP (Aurora Borealis)
Two extended tracks of ethereal, haunting, and otherworldly beauty from Danish multi-disciplinary artist øjeRum.
Abdou El Omari – Nuits D’ete Avec Naima Samih LP+MP3 (Radio Martiko)
First issue of this previously unreleased oriental psych monster from the organ king of Casablanca, combining traditional rhythms with spaced out modern sounds. Nuits D’ete Avec Naima Samin is the second part of Abdou El Omari’s Nuits-trilogy. This album contains heavenly compositions for the Moroccon diva Naima Samih and some moody instrumentals in a similar vein to the previous album, Nuits D’ete.
Open City – Open City LP (Open City)
Open City’s self-titled debut full-length is ten songs of hardcore punk for this modern world, indebted in sonics and in ideology to forebears on labels like Dischord, Gravity and Kill Rock Stars.
Orquesta El Macabeo – El Entierro [2011] LP (Peace & Rhythm)
Orquesta El Macabeo – La Maldición Del Timbal LP+CD (Peace & Rhythm)
Since 2008, Puerto Rico’s rebel salsa dura band Orquesta El Macabeo has continuously raised the bar on tropical Latin dance music with their uncompromising blend of diverse beats for the dancefloor and original lyrics for the head (and the heart). This limited reissue of their sophomore effort El Entierro (“The Burial”), originally released in 2011 and made available here for the first time on vinyl, will have you enjoying the mix of old and new between the grooves. Their fourth album, La Maldición Del Timbal is an eight-track bombshell that proves how far their spirited blend of indie salsa, punk rock attitude and Afro-Boricua beats have come along.
Ornament – A Lion Is A Lion 12” (Sleeping Giant Glossolalia)
Long-awaited 12” EP from one-half of the founding core lineup of long-running experimentalists/upstarts Growing. Following up his 2015 release Protest Music, Joe Denardo’s Ornament returns with an EP of expansive soundtracks asking the listener to dream of alternative futures, dystopias, new ways.
Charlie Parker / Dizzy Gillespie – Bird & Diz [Reissue/1952] LP (Dol)
Originally booked as performed by the “Charlie Parker Quintet,” these tracks were recorded on June 6, 1950 in an unknown recording studio, New York City.
Scout Pare-Phillips – Door Left Open LP (Dais)
Crashing crescendos of guitar, autoharp, cello and keyboards, combined with acoustic and electronic percussion by longtime musical collaborator, Emil Bognar-Nasdor (Dawn Of Humans, Rosenkopf), provide a lush backdrop befitting Scout’s torch songs, complimenting the rich timbre of her classically-trained voice.
Max Richter – On the Nature Of Daylight – Music From The Film Arrival 12” (StudioRichter)
This is the first record released on Max Richter’s brand new label StudioRichter — a 12” vinyl edition of On The Nature Of Daylight, which is the title track from the soundtrack to Denis Villeneuve’s hotly-tipped new movie Arrival. Includes the original quintet recording and the later recording for full string orchestra.
Sigha – Metabolism 2xLP+CD (Token)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. James Shaw aka Sigha’s second album is a heady and inherently propulsive work, realized in a fashion more akin to high-fidelity sound design than processes traditionally associated with the techno genre, while incorporating emotive leads that sit squarely and comfortably in the foreground and build toward rapturous crescendos.
Sothy – Chansons Laotiennes 12” (Akuphone)
Rare cosmic Lao synth pop recorded in Paris 1980. Slow-paced drums with off beats softly phased with guitar and misty synthesizers. The lam soeng was one of the most renowned stylistic variations of a popular Lao musical genre.
Idrissa Soumaoro – Ampsa LP (Mississippi)
A classic and seldom heard LP from Bamako. Not just your average Malian LP, Ampsa features has to be heard to be believed organ, hypnotic guitar and amazing sweet vocals. A truly great LP and must have for fans of Malian music. A faithful reproduction of the original with the addition of liner notes by Florent Mazzoleni. A co release with Singasongfighter.
Todd Terje – Jungelknugen 12” (Olsen)
Two tip-top reworks of an as yet unreleased original. Taking the console for A-side manoeuvres, Four Tet scans the star maps and picks out a particularly jazzy path to a distant dance floor dimension. Over on the flip, Olsen regular Prins Thomas gets in on the action.
Thundercat – Drunk 4×10” (Brainfeeder)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Stephen Bruner aka Thundercat returns with his follow up to 2015s The Beyond / Where he Giants Roam. Produced by Flying Lotus, Drunk features vocal performances by Michael McDonald & Kenny Loggins, Kendrick Lamar, Wiz Khalifa and Pharrell.
Tusks – False EP + Remixes EP LP (One Little Indian)
Tusks – aka London based artist and producer Emily Underhill – releases a second set of songs as the False EP following her self-produced debut EP Ink. The sound of late night London, it’s packaged together here with the False Remixes EP which features evocative reworks of the four tracks by Baile, Submotion Orchestra, Throwing Snow and Junk Son.
Various Artists – Ghost Woman Blues LP (Mississippi)
Compilation of absolutely must have country blues — a mix of well-known artists playing their signature songs and more obscure musicians. Highlights include Bukka White’s elemental “Fixin’ To Die,” Lottie Kimbrough’s seldom heard “Don’t Speak To Me,” George Carter’s haunting “Ghost Woman Blues,” Willie Brown’s existential “Future Blues,” Monroe Moe Jackson’s wild “Go Away From My Door” and many more hits. The real stuff and some of Mississippi Records’ all-time favorite tunes.
Venom – Skeletons In The Closet 2xLP (Wax Maniax)
An essential collection of demos, out-takes, alternate mixes and radio cues from the black metal legends, recorded during the band’s glory years of 1980-1985.
Paul Weller – Music From The Film Jawbone LP (WB/Parlophone)
Weller’s first film score — a collection quite unlike anything else from his extensive discography as can be heard on the album’s sprawling 21-minute opener “Jimmy / Blackout,” an experimental sound collage which provides much of the film’s score and underlying mood.
Zeds Dead – Northern Lights 2xLP (Caroline)
Released last November on CD – now available on vinyl. Debut album from the Canadian electronic duo known for their exploration of a diverse variety of genres that combine aspects of UK garage, house, electro house, hip-hop, glitch, drum and bass, and more.
Cassettes:
Jay Som – Everybody Works (Polyvinyl)
On her first proper album as Jay Som, Melina Duterte solidifies her rep as a self-made force of sonic splendor and emotional might. If last year’s aptly named Turn Into compilation showcased a fuzz-loving artist in flux—chronicling her mission to master bedroom recording—then the rising Oakland star’s latest, Everybody Works, is the LP equivalent of mission accomplished.
Roberto Carlos Lange – Cutups (Cassauna)
Cutups is a series of works by Roberto Carlos Lange (Helado Negro), created by processing audio recordings of orphaned sounds found on his hard drive. Roberto on Cutups: “There’s an idea of sound composting that happens on my hard drives, I have so many recordings of improvisations, performances and general noodling that it all comes together over time becoming some sort of nutrient for other work. All these pieces are from 2010-2016, they have a similarity in aesthetic and process.”
Porter Ray – Watercolor (Sub Pop)
Watercolor is the long-awaited label debut from Seattle’s Porter Ray. Porter is a Seattle based MC who caught the attention of Shabazz Palaces’ Ishmael Butler, who signed him to the label in 2014. Watercolor is a snapshot of Porter’s life and the lives of his friends growing up in Seattle.
Soundgarden – Ultramega OK [Reissue/1988] (Sub Pop)
Remastered and expanded reissue of the grunge/hard rock band’s debut album.
Matthias Urban – Dialoge____Gideon’s Disease (Cassauna)
Tape recorders, 78rpm records, cymbals, floor tom, environmental recordings, contact microphones, hydrophones, magnetic sensors/cartridge, metasomatose, DSPm, etc. Additional sounds and photography by Simon Christoph Krenn.
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