CDs + Vinyl:
Anaal Nathrakh – Whole Of The Law CD (Metal Blade)
“The Whole Of The Law is exactly what you would expect from an Anaal Nathrakh album which is short sharp blasts of industrial/black metal drenched extremity. What stops this lesson in hate becoming nothing more than a wall of unbridled noise is the occasional moments where the band dip their toes into areas that are a little groovier and, while it is a welcome release, these moments are fleeting respites in what is, for the most part, a psychotic display of mechanical rage.” – Pure Grain Audio
Answer – Solas CD/LP (Napalm)
Contemporary hard rock with Gaelic influences — epic arrangements, airy folk melodies.
Ólafur Arnalds – Island Songs CD+DVD (Mercury Classics)
The BAFTA-winning instrumentalist and producer brings you a unique and evolving audio-visual portrait of his home country of Iceland. “This project is on a scale that has never been attempted in the classical music world before.” [Vinyl edition due December 2.]
Joan Baez – Live In ’75 CD (Air Cuts)
Joan Baez, live from the S.N.A.C.K. Benefit at Kezar Stadium in San Francisco, on March 23rd, 1975 on a bill including Bob Dylan, Neil Young and The Band. Presented here is her entire set, originally broadcasted on K101-FM.
Kurt Baker Combo – In Orbit CD/LP (Wicked Cool)
A master of hooks and melody, Kurt Baker’s music embodies a feel-good spirit wrapped in a punk rock sheen inspired by music of decades past.
Lou Barlow – Apocalypse Fetish CDEP (Joyful Noise)
The Dinosaur Jr. bassist and all-around alt rock icon releases an all-ukulele EP. [Vinyl edition due November 11.]
Brandt Brauer Frick – Joy CD/LP (Because Music)
With much more grit and growl than before, BBF draw upon genres and styles that are not conventionally associated with joy: krautrock, punk, drum ‘n’ bass, indie rock, new wave, and pretty much every other “-wave” from the ’80s.
The Brian Jonestown Massacre – Third World Pyramid CD/LP (A. Records)
BJM’s 15th album includes guest appearances include Emil Nikolaisen from the Norwegian band Serena-Maneesh, plus vocal performances by Tess Parks and Katy Lane. “‘Good Mourning,’ the opening track is a melancholic song, as the rest eight tracks are loaded with psychedelic garage elements which is endemic of BJM’s sound.” – Last Day Deaf
Brownout – Presents Brown Sabbath Vol. II CD (Ubiquity)
Austin’s Brownout unleashed the Brown Sabbath Vol. I project garnering acclaim from outlets such as NPR (50 Best Albums of 2014), Pitchfork, hardcore Black Sabbath fans and most important of all Ozzy Osbourne himself, while staying true to their Latin funk roots. Brown Sabbath Vol. II cranks up the level, rocking harder than the original with a brew of ballistic horns, pummeling guitar-riffs underscored by a funky, driving rhythm section. Ghostland Observatory’s Aaron Behrens makes a guest appearance sharing vocal duties with Brown Sabbath lead vocalist Alex Marrero. Hitting harder than its predecessor and keeping closely in line with the original Sabbath material, Brown Sabbath Vol. II crosses over more to hard rock territory.
Chasms – On The Legs Of Love Purified CD (Felte)
Chasms is the San Francisco based project of Jess Labrador and Shannon Madden. The duo crafts percussive dirges that are at once beautiful and menacing. Labrador’s haunting vocals and hypnotizing guitar work wade between rhythmic bass lines and bursts of Madden’s stinging feedback, laid on a bed of pummeling drum programming. The band’s affinity for industrial rhythms, swelling textures, precise minimalism, and chaotic eruptions of noise sounds as equally informed by shoegaze as drone and doom metal. [Vinyl edition due November 11.]
Kenny Chesney – Cosmic Hallelujah CD (Sony Music Nashville)
New album featuring the single “Setting The World On Fire” with P!nk.
Josienne Clarke & Ben Walker – Overnight CD/LP (Rough Trade)
British duo Josienne Clarke and Ben Walker have built up a following in their native country over the past five years with their at once fresh and timeless folk-rock sound and dynamic live performances. The ambitious Overnight focuses on Clarke’s magnificent voice and lyrics alongside Walker’s prodigious guitar-playing and arranging; the album features panoramic orchestration by an eclectic core of acclaimed musicians, including strings, horns, piano, double bass, and drums.
Cognitive – Deformity CD/LP (Unique Leader)
Garden State-based brutal death metal legion/recent Unique Leader signees Cognitive drop the molten bounty of their Deformity full-length.
Crowbar – The Serpent Only Lies CD/LP+CD (E1)
New album from the New Orleans sludge masters.
CRX – New Skin CD/LP+MP3 (Sony)
New Skin is the debut album from CRX, the new project for Strokes lead guitarist Nick Valensi. Produced by Josh Homme.
Datura4 – Hairy Mountain CD (Alive)
An album of ass-kickin’ rock & roll meets face-melting psychedelic soul from Dom Mariani (The Stems/DM3/Someloves) and Greg Hitchcock (You Am I/New Christs).
Nina Diaz – The Beat Is Dead CD (Cosmica)
Debut solo album from lead singer of popular alt-rock trio Girl In A Coma. [Vinyl edition due November 18.]
Dirty OG’z – We Got Now & Next CD (RBC)
A supergroup of west coast talent consisting of Kurupt of The Dogg Pound, Big Tray Deee from Tha Eastsidaz, Tha Chill from Compton’s Most Wanted, Kokane and introducing Weazel Loc from Pomona City Rydaz.
Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein – Stranger Things: Volume Two CD (Lakeshore)
“A journey through the work of groups like Goblin, who scored much of horror maestro Dario Argento’s work, and Tangerine Dream, who provided the score for a number of films, including Sorcerer, Firestarter, and The Keep” – Consequence Of Sound. [Vinyl edition due November 18.]
DJ Shadow – Endtroducing [Reissue/1996] 3xCD/6xLP (Mercury)
Endtroducing is 20 years old and to celebrate this milestone DJ Shadow has re-opened the sessions to personally curate a bonus album of remixes by a carefully selected roll call of electronic music luminaries, which he has christened Endtroducing Re-Emagined.
Nicole Dollanganger – Ode to Dawn Wiener: Embarrassing Love Songs [Reissue/2013] CD/Cassette (Run For Cover)
Nicole Dollanganger – Observatory Mansions [Reissue/2014] CD/Cassette (Run For Cover)
Nicole Dollanganger has been quietly crafting her own world since 2012. Over a number of self-released albums recorded mostly in her own bedroom and bathroom, her signature style of gothic folk is inspired by countless influences, none more than the archetype of the love song. Dollanganger’s signature lyricism is front-and-center — usually accompanied by barely more than a few lonesome chords, narratives are idyllic, yet haunting — dream-like, yet startlingly real. Now available are two early-yet-masterful pieces of Nicole Dollanganger’s catalog on CD and cassette: 2013’s Ode To Dawn Wiener: Embarrassing Love Songs and 2014’s Observatory Mansions. The thesis of Ode To Dawn Wiener is as straightforward as its subtitle, but over ten songs it becomes clear that there is much more to these songs than what they offer at the surface. Observatory Mansions shows Nicole’s songwriting progressing, with reverb-soaked guitars, echoing synths and stirring samples coming together only to intensify the pull of her stories of love, violence, sexuality and death — all of which would be horrifying if they weren’t so enchanting — a recurring yet poetic tension in Nicole Dollanganger’s world. [Vinyl editions due November 11.]
Dope – Blood Money Part 1 CD/LP (E1)
New album from the industrial metal band – the first of two parts.
Dub Spencer & Trance Hill – Deep Dive Dub CD/LP+CD (Echo Beach)
These Swiss musicians bow down low before space rock, but without bypassing pure dub.
Empire Of The Sun – Two Vines CD/LP (Astralwerks)
Australian psych-pop weirdos Empire Of The Sun had a spiritual awakening before they began writing for their third record. “Buddha was revealed to me,” says multi-instrumentalist Nicholas Littlemore. “And the theme really rushed through me: I wanted to write about plants and love and the planet.” To achieve this vision, Littlemore and bandmate Luke Steele recruited Fleetwood Mac guitarist Lindsey Buckingham, Prince’s onetime protegée Wendy Melvoin, and David Bowie collaborators Henry Hey and Tim Lefebvre for a result that’s more akin to the interstellar psychedelia of their 2008 debut than 2013’s more Top 40-radio-baiting Ice On The Dune. Said Littlemore: “There was an image we talked about very early on with this record, before we wrote the title track, ‘Two Vines,’ and that was this image of a modern city overtaken by jungle, almost like mother nature taking back the planet. He added, “All the buildings will turn back to sand. All it will be is nature again. We wanted to make something that reflected the beauty of that, and the wisdom that plants can give us about living harmoniously on this beautiful planet.”
Alejandro Escovedo – Burn Something Beautiful CD (Fantasy)
Alejandro Escovedo is the definition of a songwriter’s songwriter. While his own career has been a modest success, the biggest names in music adore the guy’s work. Bruce Springsteen calls him up at his own shows, and has appeared on Escovedo’s recordings. Ryan Adams and Whiskeytown featured him as a vocalist on several songs during the band’s active years. R.E.M. lead guitarist Peter Buck is a frequent tour-mate—and he’s also the co-writer and co-producer of Escovedo’s new album, Burn Something Beautiful. Escovedo and Buck were joined on the writing front by indie rock hero Scott McCaughey (The Minus Five), and the three had a deep collaborative process when writing songs on the album. The result is a thirteen-track set that—if single ‘Heartbeat Smile’ is any indication—recalls both vintage Escovedo and the pop-rock sensibilities of his collaborators” – Texas Monthly. [Vinyl edition due November 11.]
Roman Flügel – All The Right Noises CD/2xLP (Dial)
Adventures into contemporary/house/techno music, finest ambient works, and unique broken pieces.
Fluxion – Vibrant Forms III CD (Subwax Bcn)
If Basic Channel was too maximal for you its sibling label Chain Reaction had you covered. It’s last record was Fluxion’s Vibrant Forms II and was heralded as one of the greatest in the genre. Returning with Vibrant Forms III to Subwax Bcn its filled with Atmospheric hiss and fuzz, heart palpitating kick drums and bass, all backing warm dubby reverbed chord stabs. [Vinyl edition due November 11.]
Foreign Fields – Take Cover CD/2xLP+MP3 (Communion)
Foreign Fields is made up of Nashville-based Brian Holl and Eric Hillman. They have toured with the Counting Crows, The Lone Bellow as well as many others.
Philip Glass – The Complete Sony Recordings 24xCD (Sony)
To celebrate the 80th birthday of the legendary American composer, The Complete Sony Recordings is the first ever release of Philip Glass Sony Classical recordings together in a limited-edition box set. The 24xCD set includes the first ever release of Glassworks specially mixed for your personal cassette player on CD, a 44 minute interview with Philip Glass on Glassworks (previously only available on a Columbia 7 ), a hard bound book with the original liner notes, most penned by Glass himself, plus full discographical notes and complete libretti.
David Gray – The Best Of David Gray 2xCD/2xLP (Ith)
The Best Of David Gray is a new collection from the British singer/songwriter featuring a selection of tracks from across his extensive back catalog as well as two brand new tracks. David Gray’s early music was in a contemporary folk-rock, singer/songwriter mode; his primary instrument was acoustic guitar, with occasional piano. Starting with the release of 1998’s White Ladder, Gray began to make significant use of computer-generated music to accompany his voice and acoustic instrumentation, a technique which differentiated him from many of his peers. Despite the move to more complex music, Gray has used small-scale, often home-based, recording methods and equipment and espoused a do-it-yourself approach to music production.
Jack Grelle – Got Dressed Up To Be Let Down CD/LP (Big Muddy)
You wouldn’t expect radically progressive views in most honky-tonks, but St. Louis Americana artist Jack Grelle (pronounced Grell-EE) and his new record, Got Dressed Up To Be Let Down, have done just that. Grelle’s subversive songwriting tactics, like discussing the pitfalls of traditional masculinity within a classic country love song, owe to the person Jack Grelle is: resilient.
Guerilla Toss – Flood Dosed [2015] CD/LP (DFA)
Flood Dosed was DFA’s first release from the incomparable New York-via-Boston Guerilla Toss. Originally released only on cassette and digitally, it is now available on CD and vinyl for the first time.
Wayne Hancock – Slingin’ Rhythm CD/LP (Bloodshot)
Wayne ‘The Train’ Hancock’s new album, Slingin’ Rhythm, is a finely honed brand of juke joint rhythm sitting in the sweet spot of American music invention between country, hillbilly, jazz, and Western swing.
Happy Place – Northfield CD/LP (Exitstencil)
Happy Place is a NYC-based band of two drummers and two guitarists playing a through-composed suite of avant-garde music inspired equally by noise metal and contemporary concert music. Written by acclaimed new music composer and percussionist Will Mason during a state of extreme and protracted sleep deprivation, the music on their debut album Northfield is an exploration and celebration of the altered states of consciousness that asceticism elicits.
Steve Hauschildt – Strands CD/LP (Kranky)
New release from the electronic musician and former member of Emeralds. “Strands is a song cycle that is about cosmogony and creation/destruction myths. The title alludes to the structural constitution of ropes as I wanted to approach the compositions so that they consisted of strands and fibers which form a unified whole. This was so the songs could have the appearance of being either taut or slack without being fundamentally locked to a grid. So the sounds/tones have a certain malleability to them and sound like they’re bending through time. It’s also grittier and more distorted than my previous albums. I wanted to try and capture that moment in nature and society where life slowly reemerges through desolation, so it has a layer of optimism looming underneath. The music represents this by seemingly decaying at times but then reforms and morphs in a fluid way back to its original state.” – Steve Hauschildt
Bobby Hebb – Sunny [Reissue/1966] CD/LP+CD (Trocadero)
Bobby Hebb – That’s All I Wanna Know [2005] CD/LP+CD (Trocadero)
Reissues of the R&B/soul singer/songwriter’s first and third (and final) albums.
Helmet – Dead To The World CD/LP (earMUSIC)
Helmet came out swinging in 1990 and was pretty consistent with album releases up to 1997. After ’97, the band took seven years to release Size Matters due to a hiatus/break up, got fairly consistent again, and then hit another pause in 2010. Now a full six years later, Helmet returns with a new album, Dead To The World. “Catch phrases, punchlines, guns, bluster, ammo, incivility, impatience, murder. You, me, us, them, life, liberty and the pursuit of property. We disagree, we disrespect, discourse disappears in the age of access. When in doubt GET LOUD! It’s my way or the highway, thank you Lawrence Tierney,” says frontman Page Hamilton in a stream of consciousness comment about the new disc, adding, “Religious tchotchkes nailed to the walls of homes above razor-scarred mirrors. Do you meditate, levitate, pray? Live in L.A.! I’m a huge fan, got a perfume line, smell nice, plan my next move. Threats loom, the bad news network blooms, fear sells. Just get ‘em out, the spying neighbors, suspects, terrorists our forefathers intent. ‘If you don’t like it, leave’ and call it democracy.”
The Hidden Cameras – Home On Native Land CD (Outside Music)
Joel Gibb is the lead singer, songwriter and choir captain of the band of folk art rockers The Hidden Cameras. Since forming in Toronto in 2001, Gibb and his gang of musical provocateurs have created music and live performances legendary for their raucous celebration of freedom, sexuality and sound. Home On Native Land was written and recorded over ten years by Gibb with friends, bandmates and icons including Mary Margaret O’Hara, Rufus Wainwright, Feist, Bahamas, Ron Sexsmith and Neil Tennant. Together they form a chorus of voices over a score of dulcet tones and cool banjo rock. [Vinyl edition due November 25.]
Honeyblood – Babes Never Die CD/LP (FatCat)
Babes Never Die is the second full-length album by Scottish female duo Honeymoon, composed of Shona McVicar (drums) and Stina Marie Claire Tweeddale (guitar and vocals). “Their sound has been intensified with chunky riffage and punchy rhythms whilst they’ve retained their catchy melodies.”
Horse – For Twisted Minds Only [Reissue/1970] CD (Rise Above Relics)
Formed in South London during the late ‘60s, Horse was a band creating occult influenced progressive hard rock, ahead of its time. Guitarist Rod Roach had briefly played in an incarnation of British psych-rock legends Andromeda before forming Horse with other key member, vocalist Adrian Hawkins. Alongside bassist Colin Standring, the band also featured legendary drummer Ric Parnell, later of Atomic Rooster (amongst many others) and future star of This Is Spinal Tap (aka Mick Shrimpton). [Vinyl edition due November 4.]
Frank Iero and The Patience – Parachutes CD/LP+MP3 (Vagrant)
“Parachutes sacrifices precision for passion as Iero gasps and wails his way through the turbulent album, with emotionally-charged vocals layered over killer guitar hooks that you can’t get out of your head. Every song is raw and ragged with a unique twist, from the acoustic ‘Miss Me’s’ country tinge to Iero’s cries of, ‘Sometimes the place you’re trying so hard to escape is the only place you f*cking belong,’ in ‘Dear Percocet.’ It’s all renegade and powerful, and much closer to Iero’s My Chemical Romance days than what I’d expected: heavy guitar combined with almost overpowered vocals to create a somehow pleasantly devastating experience. Iero tears himself (and the listener!) to shreds as he howls heart-aching lyrics that are almost painfully relatable to anyone suffering from the human condition in ‘Remedy’ and ‘I’ll Let You Down,’ two of my personal favorites.” – Indientry
Jeezy – Trap Or Die 3 CD (Def Jam)
New release from the rapper. Jeezy’s street swagger and authentic style has quickly made believers out of some the biggest players in the game, from Fabolous to P. Diddy.
Laurice – Balladeer CD (Mighty Mouth Music)
International recording star Laurice is well known as a pioneer in both punk rock and dance music. What is not more generally known is that Laurice is also an accomplished singer and songwriter in the smooth jazz and ballad genres. Laurice has finally released some of his most successful ballad songs, some going as far back as 1965. Enjoy this choice bouquet of aural candy from a master of the ballad genre.
The Legal Matters – Conrad CD/LP+MP3 (Omnivore)
The Legal Matters is a guitar pop band based out of Detroit, Mi. Andy Reed, Chris Richards and Keith Klingensmith joined forces in 2014 to make the sort of music they had always loved. Mixing big guitars with big harmonies, their recorded output has one foot in the classic pop era of the ‘60s and ‘70s (Beatles, Beach Boys, Nilsson, Big Star) and one foot with the current era of classic pop (Nada Surf, The Autumn Defense.) “What The Legal Matters have done is recognize the recipe for a great power pop song: Take an inventive set of chords, sing a hummable melody over it, and layer it with harmonies. Lather, rinse, repeat” — Hook & Harmony. [The vinyl edition includes a bonus download of a vocal-only mix of the entire record.]
Le Tout-Puissant Orchestre Poly-Rythmo – Madjafalao CD/LP+CD (Because Music)
With half a century of existence, Beninese band Poly-Rythmo can easily be considered a legend of African music, alongside Fela Kuti and Tinariwen. Drawing their name from the extensive mix of influences that forged their sound (American soul and funk, Nigerian Afrobeat, French chanson, Congolese rumba, etc.), they have been impressively productive, releasing hundreds of EPs and dozens of albums from 1969 to 1980 alone. In 2014, orchestra conductor Florent Mazzoleni visited the band and decided to produce Madjafalao, recorded in the legendary African studio Satel.
Tove Lo – Lady Wood CD (Island)
“With her second record Lady Wood, Tove Lo uses a stunning Technicolor pop soundtrack to tackle the preposterous idea that women are here to be objectified by men and passive when it comes to sex. The title of Lady Wood refers to a female hard on and Lo has spoken out about the fact that references to genitalia in language are inherently derogatory to women — to be brave is to have balls, but to be cowardly is to be a pussy. The title track turns that thinking on its head, the line ‘You give me wood, give me lady wood’ is sexual expression writ large, that women have the same physical response to attraction as men do. The narratives of Lady Wood are universal; desire, love, sex, the thrill of the chase, the ups and downs of love and a demand for equality. It’s pop music of the highest caliber, music for the head, heart, feet and everywhere in between. In the battle against chauvinists at least we have artists like Lo writing brilliant pop songs that are endlessly inventive, intelligent and relatable” – The Line Of Best Fit. [Vinyl edition due November 11.]
Lotus Thief – Gramarye CD/LP (Prophecy)
Lotus Thief is a San Francisco band that merges post-black metal, space rock and ambient music, seamlessly blending the genres into a unique and greater musical whole.
Mannequin Pussy – Romantic CD (Tiny Engines)
“Punk rock is not terribly romantic, or at least not enough to get an on-air dedication from Delilah. That’s not to say punk rock doesn’t know, understand and screw up relationships — it’s just that the gooey underbelly of love and lust is mostly left to belters and crooners. Opening Mannequin Pussy’s second album, Romantic, guitarist Marisa Dabice screams, ‘I am not ashamed to be lonely, but I’m afraid to feel it so deeply,’ a confession that burns into a jangly, frenzied mess of feedback. Mannequin Pussy may not heal a broken heart quite (or at all) like Celine Dion, but the band sure knows — and sounds like — the hell that is heartbreak” – NPR. [Vinyl edition due November 4.]
Marching Church – Telling It Like It Is CD (Sacred Bones)
Marching Church, the onetime solo project and now bona fide big band formed by singer Elias Bender Rønnenfelt, has followed its leader’s muse everywhere from their early days of 4-track lo-fi tapes, to Sam Cooke-tinged soul on This World Is Not Enough, to outré free jazz on their most recent Coming Down 12″. For Telling It Like It Is, Rønnenfelt and his bandmates have foregone much of their past proclivity for wild stylistic swings in favor of thematically unified, complicated, but fundamentally cohesive song arrangements; the studio itself at times acting as an auxiliary band member. The result is the most focused vision of Marching Church yet, but one that has lost none of its swagger, and none of its power to enthrall. [Vinyl edition due November 11.]
Michael Mayer – & CD/2xLP (!K7)
As is alluded to in its title, & is a highly collaborative affair, with Mayer teaming up with somebody different on each of its 12 tracks. Having mainly worked in a solo capacity in recent years, the German producer was inspired by a series of back-to-back performances he made last year. The acts invited on board for the LP come from varied backgrounds and include the likes of Joe Goddard (of Hot Chip), Roman Flügel, Miss Kittin, Prins Thomas, Kölsch, as well as Kompakt stalwarts Jörg Burger, Wolfgang and Reinhard Voigt.
Memphis May Fire – This Light I Hold CD (Rise)
New album from the Texas metalcore outfit. Features guest appearances by Papa Roach’s Jacoby Shaddix and former My American Heart vocalist Larry Soliman.
Muslimgauze – Jerusalaam CD (Staalplaat)
Muslimgauze – Mohammad Ali Jinnah CD (Staalplaat)
Originally issued as the fourth LP in the limited edition box set Tandoori Dog (1998), Jerusalaam is now available as a stand-alone CD release. While continuing to sort through and release the material Jones left behind with his death in 1999, the Mohammad Ali Jinnah CD features material not included on 2002’s Sarin Israel Nes Ziona.
Wolfgang Muthspiel – Rising Grace CD/2xLP (ECM)
Wolfgang Muthspiel whom The New Yorker has called — a shining light — among today’s jazz guitarists made his ECM leader debut in 2014 with the trio disc Driftwood, featuring him alongside two long-time colleagues, bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Brian Blade. For his follow-up Rising Grace the Austrian guitarist has convened a very special quintet, adding jazz luminary Brad Mehldau on piano and a star among young trumpeters, Ambrose Akinmusire, to the subtly virtuosic Grenadier/Blade rhythm section.
Muuy Biien – Age Of Uncertainty CD/LP+MP3 (Autumn Tone)
Muuy Biien is a quintet based in Athens, Georgia whose sound combines quick bursts of punk rock with ambient breaks.
My Dying Bride – Meisterwerk III 3xCD (Peaceville)
My Dying Bride, the longstanding pillar of gothic doom, display why they remain so synonymous with the genre, with a three disc voyage leading us through 25 years of the best possible misery in this complete Meisterwerk collection. Meisterwerk III is a triple CD release consisting of three volumes of classic tracks spanning the whole era of the band, plus unusual and rare numbers lifted from My Dying Bride’s expansive catalogue.
Nada Surf – Peaceful Ghosts CD/LP+MP3 (Barsuk)
Nada Surf has played hundreds of live gigs over the course of the band’s 24-year history, but this past summer they tried something new: Performing with an orchestra. The New York-based band played two performances, one with the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra at a concert hall on June 17, and another with the German-based Babelsberg Film Orchestra at a film studio in front of about 50 people on June 21. Peaceful Ghosts is comprised of that second performance.
Nocturnal Habits – New Skin For Old Children CD/LP (Glacial Pace)
Nocturnal Habits marks a return for influential guitarist/vocalist Justin Trosper. His work in the seminal post hardcore band Unwound and more recently the angular rock of Survival Knife are evident in the overall sound of New Skin For Old Children, however there is a new tone, focused more sharply on the songwriting and production. The angles have been softened to create crushing, blunt force blows rather than sharp cuts. Recorded throughout the world from Italy to Los Angeles and the backwoods of the Northwest, New Skin For Old Children reunites Trosper with Sara Lund, his Unwound collaborator and so called “secret weapon,” as well as Dale Crover (Melvins), Sherry Fraser, and Scott Seckington (Two Ton Boa).
Nick Oliveri’s Mondo Generator – Best Of CD/LP (Heavy Psych Sounds)
Next year will mark two decades of existence for the instrument of sonic chaos known as Mondo Generator. The project, formed by then-soon-to-be-Queens Of The Stone Age bassist/vocalist Nick Oliveri (see also Dwarves, Bl’ast, Kyuss, etc.), released their first album, Cocaine Rodeo, in 2000 via a nascent Southern Lord Recordings and never looked back through a whirlwind of intense punk, speed metal and heavy rock.
The Olympians – The Olympians CD/LP+MP3 (Daptone)
A dramatic and cinematic journey to the outer limits of instrumental soul music, built on a foundation laid by the same craftsmen whose bricks built the legacies of Sharon Jones, Lee Fields, Charles Bradley, The Budos Band, and Menahan Street Band, and painted with lush strings, harpsichord, harp, and horns.
The Orb – COW / Chill Out World CD/LP+MP3 (Kompakt)
The Orb’s 16th album features guest appearances from Youth and Roger Eno. Featuring only the occasional presence of buoyant, gently rhythmic pulses and loops, Alex Paterson describes COW as “Our most ambient album yet”. Sounds bubble, flutter and float through various atmospheres and moods, from bucolic and picturesque, childlike wonderment, the texture of bygone memories, to the universe’s infinite depth. Whilst Alex calls it “a protest album in reverse”, Thomas Fehlmann further explains, “We didn’t intend to rehash old chill out vibes. On the contrary. It’s the 21st century and it seems like a good idea for people to sit back and chill the f*ck out, before continuing to act destructively. To chill out is to act consciously, guided from a calm center.”
Roy Orbison – The Ultimate Collection CD/2xLP (Sony Legacy)
New definitive career-spanning collection of hits by rock & roll legend Roy Orbison, including tracks from the Sun, Monument and MGM years, plus songs from Roy’s late-career works, both solo and with The Traveling Wilburys.
Out Came The Wolves – Strange Fate CD (Roadrunner)
Praised for their electrifying mix of modern rock and post hardcore, Out Came The Wolves release their debut album
Partybaby – Golden Age of Bullsh*t CD (WB)
Debut album from the ’90s-influenced alt-rockers. [Vinyl edition due December 2.]
Vinnie Paz – Cornerstone Of The Corner Store CD (Enemy Soil)
Vinnie Paz, the dynamic front man of Jedi Mind Tricks and orchestrator of the supergroup Army Of The Pharaohs, returns with his third full-length solo album. According to Paz, the sound and aesthetic of ”Cornerstone” is a heavy dose of grit and grime; “It’s a dirty record by design. It’s an homage to that era I grew up in.” Indeed, Cornerstone is filled with the type of ferocious rhymes and snarling delivery that the Philadelphia MC is known for. The growl is thick, the vocal weaponry is heavy, and Paz delivers each track with his unique blend of raw street gospel and philosophical consciousness. [Vinyl edition due November 25.]
Peals – Honey CD/LP/Cassette (Friends Records)
Honey, the second full-length album from Baltimore-based duo Peals, elevates their exploratory sound to majestic new heights of otherworldly instrumental pop while preserving the intimacy of their live shows and earlier recordings. William Cashion (Future Islands) and Bruce Willen (ex-Double Dagger) recorded much of Honey in Willen’s Baltimore home. Together they build rapturous melodies of interlocking and looped guitars that channel kosmische musik, ‘70s Eno, and new wave hooks à la Robert Smith into above-the-clouds dream soundtracks.
Annette Peacock & Paul Bley – Dual Unity [Reissue/1972] CD (Bamboo)
Using Robert Moog’s earliest synthesizers, Bley and Peacock apply the strategic use of silence to indicate its reflective nature with captivating results. Originally released in 1971, Dual Unity is a statement of immensity through synthetic minimalism and a milestone in the avant-garde, free jazz movement.
The Piano Guys – Uncharted CD/CD+DVD (Masterworks)
The Piano Guys, the unstoppable classical/pop crossover music stylists, return with their first new studio album since 2014. [Available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe adds a DVD featuring all of their recent music videos.]
The Pop Group – Honeymoon On Mars CD/LP+MP3 (Freaks R Us)
The post punk provocateurs return with a new album. Honeymoon On Mars finds the band unwaveringly incensed and resolute in their mutative sense of innovation, as Stewart elaborates: “it’s a stand against manufactured hate, a hypersonic journey into a dystopian future full of alien encounters and sci-fi lullabies.” [CD is available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe adds a five-track megamix bonus EP, a zine of cut up art by Mark Stewart, three badges, and a sticker. Limited color vinyl edition also available.]
Pure Ground – Giftgarten LP (Chondritic Sound)
The ten dark electronics tracks here largely abandon the hard, one-two rhythms of Standard Of Living and instead explore murky, acrid wastes of toxic marshes and nervous nights. Altogether sinister and strange, Giftgarten ruminates on shadow worlds and shadow selves, on catastrophes of war and of earth and of the spirit, and, most of all, on sleeplessness and its gifts and thievery.
Ramones – My Father’s Place NY 20 July 1982 CD (Rox Vox)
The Ramones released no new album in 1982, but continued to gig prolifically, despite problems within their ranks. Joey and Marky were battling alcoholism, while Dee Dee was in the grip of cocaine addiction, meaning that Johnny was taking more musical control. They were still a formidable live force, as this superb performance attests. Originally broadcast on WLIR 92.7 FM, it’s presented here with background notes and images.
Rebelution – Live At Red Rocks CD+DVD (Easy Star)
On June 3, 2016, roots reggae band Rebelution graced the stage at the historic Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison, Colorado. The eventful night was the launch party for the band’s latest album, Falling Into Place, and their summer tour. Rebelution has made Red Rocks an annual summer tour stop since their first appearance at Reggae on the Rocks in 2012, and performed again at the one-day festival in 2013 and 2014, the latter as the festival’s headlining act. As Billboard writes, “Their dynamic brand of original music weaves hypnotic threads of alt-rock and pop, retro-funk, blues, dub, even traditional Middle Eastern strains. Rachmany’s expressive voice wraps his soul-searching lyrics in beguiling melodies.” [Vinyl edition due November 25.]
Otis Redding – Live At The Whisky A Go Go: The Complete Recordings 6xCD (Stax)
In chronological order, this six-CD collection presents the entirety of Otis Redding’s performances over three nights at the famed Whisky A Go Go, on L.A.’s Sunset Strip in 1966.
River Tiber – Indigo CD (River Tiber Inc.)
“On his debut LP, the Toronto producer and singer/songwriter Tommy Paxton-Beesley, aka River Tiber, sums up the chilly, forlorn pop sound that has defined his city.” [7.8] – Pitchfork
Sam Roberts Band – Terraform CD (Paper Bag)
In March of 2016, Sam Roberts held themselves up at the Bathhouse, The Tragically Hips’ studio near Kingston, Ontario to record their sixth full-length album, Terraform. They went in with the lake still covered by ice and emerged four weeks later, in the first days of spring, bearing with them new music. In co-producer Graham Walsh of Holy F**k, the band found not just a kindred spirit, but someone willing to lead them away from well-trodden paths and into new, uncertain terrain: “Graham always pushed the sonic elements of the songs to the limit… tweaking sounds until they contributed more than just the sum of their parts… using sound to create emotion in the same way that words and melody can.” says SRB frontman and songwriter, Sam Roberts. [Vinyl edition due January 17.]
Kevin Ross – Awakening CD (Motown)
Motown singer/songwriter Kevin Ross’ compelling debut is an album of organic melodies and enduring rhythms.
Selector Dub Narcotic – This Party Is Just Getting Started CD/LP (K Records)
The debut album by Selector Dub Narcotic is an exercise in ecstatic genre-smashing, blending and up-ending. Calvin Johnson of the K label and such Olympia combos as Dub Narcotic Sound System, Beat Happening, Halo Benders and most recently The Hive Dwellers has been working under the nom de plume Selector Dub Narcotic since founding the Dub Narcotic Studio in 1993. This Party Is just Getting Started is a collaboration with NW hip-hop producer Smoke M2D6, who first began working with K producing the All Your Friend’s Friends compilation. As a member of the Oldominion crew Smoke M2D6 has produced almost every major hip-hop artist in Washington and Oregon. This Party Is Just Getting Started began with the song “All for the Sake of Rhymin'” (which samples K artist Mahjongg) and snowballed into an entire album of dance pop garage soul with Calvin’s trademark melodica wafting overall.
Serpentine Dominion – Serpentine Dominion CD/LP (Metal Blade)
“A high-profile project a long time in the making, the release of Serpentine Dominion’s debut comes with plenty of expectation. After all, a three piece consisting of Adam Dutkiewicz, George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher, and Shannon Lucas is hard to ignore. Serpentine Dominion succeeds largely because they never trap themselves in the box that many people probably expected them to play inside of. Easy to win over any fan of the bands involved, but also to those wanting some melody to accompany their death metal (“melodic death metal” this is not). While it may be the only release of its kind, and feels a tad short, it’s nonetheless an impressive accomplishment that many in the extreme community will enjoy.” – Dead Rhetoric
The Shacks – The Shacks CD/10” (Big Crown)
Both vaguely familiar and completely fresh, The Shacks are one of the most interesting NYC bands to surface in a minute. Since the release of their first single, “Strange Boy,” which they recorded with El Michels Affair, The Shacks have been compared to ‘90s indie icons like Mazzy Star, The Jesus & Mary Chain, and Broadcast.
Shifted – Appropriation Stories CD/2xLP (Hospital Productions)
On Appropriation Stories, rigorous processing and studio treatments transform classic breaks into deeply hidden components that add new layers of character to his highly developed techno sound. At first presenting itself as a dense wall-of-sound underpinned by an incessant pulse, Appropriation Stories at length reveals itself to be a much more complex work.
Slothrust – Everyone Else CD/LP (Dangerbird)
Composed of Leah Wellbaum (guitars/vocals), Kyle Bann (bass), and Will Gorin (drums), Slothrust have crafted a veritable fireworks display in Everyone Else—visceral, bone marrow cutting anthems that grab your ear in the short term and sustain their appeal over the long haul thanks to the sheer complexity and originality of the arrangements and lyrical depth. “People have always had trouble comparing us to other bands, but someone recently described us as Nirvana meets Wynton Marsalis, and I loved that,” says Wellbaum. The band, who studied music and honed their sound while enrolled at Sarah Lawrence College, are worthy of such a lofty compliment. “We all studied jazz and blues, so I often use chords and voicings that aren’t quite as conventional for contemporary rock,” she states. “Certain harmonic movement can get stale, so I try to incorporate colorful notes to give it more depth. The improvisational spirit of blues music is also something we try to always keep with us, even in more composed playing.” She goes on to say, “I am drawn to musicians a bit further outside of the rock tradition, such as John Fahey, Elizabeth Cotten, D’Angelo, and Portishead. Growing up I listened to a lot of R&B and classical music. And musicals.”
Dee Snider – We Are The Ones CD (Twisted Sister/Red River Entertainment)
We Are The Ones crackles with modern energy, from the call-to-arms manifesto of “Rule The World,” to the anthemic bonding of “So What” to the intensely synth driven “Close To You,” to the thematically soaring “Superhero.” Another significant highlight of the album is a newly re-recorded acoustic version of “We’re Not Gonna Take It” which has also been tapped as the official anthem for The Recording Academy’s advocacy efforts, including the “Fair Play Fair Pay” Act. [Vinyl edition due November 18.]
Snowapple – Tracks CD (Zip)
Amsterdam’s Snowapple lay down exquisite, whimsical folk-pop harmonies on new album, Tracks.
Soft Hair – Soft Hair CD/LP (Weird World)
Soft Hair is Connan Mockasin and Sam Dust (LA Priest/Late Of The Pier). Soft Hair was written and recorded in a wide array of locations using methods that neither Mockasin nor Dust had used previously. As a result, the record gives the listener a view into an exotic world with a blend of familiar, unfamiliar and unconventionally attractive sounds.
Aaron Lee Tasjan – Silver Tears CD/LP+MP3 (New West)
Silver Tears is a collection of songs that offer a glimpse through the eyes of one gifted songwriter and versatile musician. Whether playing guitar in the late incarnation of riotous glam-rock innovators the New York Dolls, the gender-bending, envelope-pushing sleaze ‘n’ tease arena rock band Semi Precious Weapons, the Neil Young-signed alt-country act Everest, British roots rock band Alberta Cross, Southern rock stalwarts Drivin’ N’ Cryin’ or even as frontman of the devilishly cleverly-named Heartbreakers-meets-Replacements rockers Madison Square Gardeners, East Nashville-based musician Aaron Lee Tasjan has always considered himself a songwriter first and foremost, writing his own off-kilter folk-inflected songs since he picked up his first acoustic as a teen guitar prodigy. An inspired and confident set of songs, Silver Tears careens from woozy pot paeans to brooding, cinematic observations to laid back ‘70s country-rock and galloping anthems to introspective folk and rollicking honkytonk.
Testament – Brotherhood Of The Snake CD/2xLP/Cassette (Nuclear Blast)
Eleventh studio album by the thrash metal band. [Limited color vinyl pressing also available.]
Tower – Tower CD (The End)
Raised on a diet of pure 20th century rock, New York City’s Tower delivers riffs “like a newly discovered bolt of old cloth hidden away since the days of Scorpions and Judas Priest.” [Vinyl edition due December 2.]
Titán – Dama CD (ÉPICO/ATP Recordings)
“Welcome to the world of Titan. Dama, their new album, is the latest in a long list of projects keeping the Mexican project busy. With their first new major LP in eleven years, they’ve used the time to recruit a stars like Gary Numan, Egyptian Lover and Siobhan Fahey from Bananarama/ Shakespeares Sister. [Vinyl edition due November 25.]
Tommy ’86 – Transumanism CD (Blood Music)
Heavily influenced by the synthesized sounds of the 1980s, French musician Tommy ’86 has been active since 2011. Creating records with pulsing, Euro disco sounds and a sense of adventure and humor, Tommy ’86 calls to mind the recent work of John Carpenter, and, at times, Zombi.
TOY – Clear Shot CD (PIAS America)
“Altered consciousness, dreamy detachment and a healthy streak of escapism have long been hallmarks of psychedelic music. TOY is well aware of this — but at the same time, the British band is savvy enough to know just how far a pop song can be pushed, pulled and stretched. Snatches of everyone from Can to Stereolab to MGMT can be heard in Clear Shot’s chugging-yet-supple anthems to ecstasy. ‘Dream Orchestrator’ is the catchiest of the lot; propelled by a throbbing beat and effervescent synths, it’s by far the danciest track on the album, not to mention the most forward-gazing. The chorus alone could be bottled and sold as an antidepressant, fueled as it is by easygoing hooks, squalls of breathless noise and upward-spiraling rapture. Rather than relying too heavily on the work of psychedelia’s past masters, frontman Tom Dougall and crew have put a futuristic spin on hallucinatory pop — that is, if the future were something to be viewed with romance and wonder instead of today’s all-too-pervasive doom” – NPR. [Vinyl edition due November 11.]
Ulcerate – Shrines Of Paralysis CD/2xLP (Relapse)
“Ulcerate continue to refine their strengths and use them to their advantage to create yet another monstrous album of crushing post-death musicianship.” – Heavy Blog Is Heavy
Upon A Burning Body – Straight From The Barrio CD (Sumerian)
New album from the San Antonio deathcore band.
Various Artists – African Rumba CD (Putumayo World Music)
Africa meets Cuba on this nonstop celebration of Afro-Latin dance music.
Various Artists – Beatfreak!: Rare & Obscure British Beat 1966-1969 Volume 3 CD (Particles)
Rare, obscure and virtually extinct, Volume 3 offers an intoxicating marriage of fuzz, flute and flare, delivered with disgraceful adolescent abandon.
Various Artists – French Disco Boogie Sounds 1978-1985: Selected By Charles Maurice CD/LP (Favorite)
Pursuing his fine work at digging rare music from around the world, DJ and collector Charles Maurice presents another brilliant selection of great music linked to France and French West-Indies: 12 hidden and forgotten titles, all produced between 1978 and 1985, in France, or by French artists abroad. Again, he perfectly browses and defines the great energy and quality of this specific disco/funk scene at that time, both in the underground market, or through bigger labels.
Various Artists – Japanese Traditional Music: Songs Of People At Work And Play – Kokusai Bunka Shinkokai 1941 CD (World Arbiter)
The fifth and final volume of World Arbiter’s Japanese Traditional Music marks the completion of the label’s excavation and restoration of 60 10″ 78 rpm discs of Japanese traditional music, bringing a great body of lost music to light and offering in full a legacy that has been almost entirely unavailable until now, even in Japan.
Various Artists – Keb Darge Presents: The Best Of Legendary Deep Funk 2xCD/2xLP (BBE)
Northern soul boy, crate digger and tastemaker, Keb Darge is a name which needs no introduction to lovers of rare music the world over. His ‘Legendary Deep Funk’ night at Soho’s seminal strip club turned music venue Madame Jojo’s introduced obscure dance-floor soul music to an eager London club crowd, sparking a global appetite for raw, visceral funk. To celebrate BBE’s 20th year, Keb was asked to select his greatest hits from the Deep Funk compilation series.
Various Artists [David Holmes] – Late Night Tales CD/2xLP+MP3 (Late Night Tales)
DJ and producer David Holmes is welcomed to the Late Night Tales fraternity with an evocative collection of personal songs and music, peppered with exclusive new material and rare gems. “Memory, Love, Living, Family, Friendship, Healing, Death, and The Afterworld are some of the themes I wanted to explore within this record. Although these strong themes and tracks are personal to me, I also wanted it to be a great listen that was unpredictable yet had a seamless flow – a journey that was personal to me yet to the listener a great compilation of music that they may or may not have heard before. I hope I’ve succeeded in the later.”
Various Artists – The Rough Guide To Delta Blues CD (World Music Network)
Mystery pervades this collection with scant little known about many of these Delta pioneers, from the country blues divas Geechie Wiley and Mattie Delaney to the enigmatic Mississippi Bracey. What we do know is that the first Great Migration from the South to ‘the Promised Land’ of Chicago brought more African Americans from Mississippi than any other state. With the migrants came the Delta blues which became the foundation of the classic post-war Chicago blues style and in turn shaped the development of popular music around the world.
Various Artists – Skinhead Reggae 1969: 17 Jamaican Classics CD/LP (Kingston Sounds)
The skinhead movement started around 1968 and by the following year of 1969 became the style and fashion of many British teenagers. The uniform of the skinheads consisted of boots, braces and jeans and the upbeat reggae sound seemed to match the style perfectly. Never before has a music matched a look more perfectly than the pairing of skinhead/rude boy look with the Jamaican reggae sound. Features: Bunny Lee All Stars, Derrick Morgan, SS Binns, King Horror, The Prophets, Max Romeo, The Hippy Boys, The Des All Stars and Lloyd Chambers.
Vermin Womb – Decline CD/LP (Translation Loss)
Hatred-eaten blackened deathgrind spearheaded by Ethan Lee McCarthy of Primitive Man. Vermin Womb’s abhorrent music is a place where complete annihilation and aural warfare sublimate and ascend to new, inconceivable heights, and where nihilism, misanthropy and abjection in sonic form reach new, unthinkable lows.
Votaries – Psychometry CD/LP (Wharf Cat)
After releasing two critically acclaimed albums that evaded the trappings of contemporary psychedelia, Jackson Scott’s heavily drone-rock and shoegaze influenced new outfit, Votaries, reasserts that an unabashed indifference to musical trends continues to suit his songwriting. Undulating guitars and lyrics that wantonly explore themes of eradication, annihilation, temptation, rage, and paradise recall Spaceman 3’s drug-tinged insouciance, while ethereally layered vocal harmonies pay homage to the singular production achievements of pioneers like My Bloody Valentine.
David S. Ware & Matthew Shipp Duo – Live In Sant Anna Arresi 2004 CD (AUM Fidelity)
This concert is one continuous long-form improvisation; it spans an incredibly wide range of approaches and dynamics. The ecstatic deep listening experience of free jazz performed at a highest level avails itself here in full. Their delightfully pithy trading fours encore to the concert is also included. Obviously the very deep levels of communion which were developed within the context of Ware’s Quartet inform this work. In equal evidence is each of them embracing the leaderless duo context, challenging and expanding their mutual language throughout.
Peter White – Groovin’ CD (Heads Up)
Over the years, British-born, L.A.-based Peter White has maintained a reputation as one of the most versatile and prolific acoustic guitarists on the contemporary jazz landscape. For his fifteenth recording as a leader, Groovin’, he returns to some of his favorite tracks from the ’60s and ’70s, giving each of them his own interpretation.
Whores. – Gold. CD/LP (E1)
“We’ve spent the ATL summer blasting feedback and pick slides in a sweaty, metal box,” says Whores. frontman/guitarist Christian Lembach. “This is the result. Solid. F*****g. Gold.”
Daniel Woolhouse – What’s That Sound? CD (PIAS America)
What’s That Sound? follows Woolhouse’s previous two LPs released as Deptford Goth, which marked him as a creator of sublime and ethereal electronica. Now dropping that moniker, Woolhouse maintains his reputation for crafting spellbinding and chilled out pop records, richly textured and endlessly enjoyable. [Vinyl edition due November 18.]
Tapper Zukie – Escape From Hell [Reissue/1977] CD/LP (Jamaican Recordings)
Escape From Hell makes great use of Tapper’s extraordinary Channel One rhythms cut with Sly and Robbie’s The Revolutionaries. Great rhythms matched the magic from King Tubby’s studio at the hands of Prince Jammy.
DVDs + Blu-ray:
Bob Dylan – No Direction Home (Deluxe 10th Anniversary Edition) 2xDVD/2xBlu-ray (Sony)
Martin Scorsese’s documentary No Direction Home chronicles Bob Dylan’s career in the early ‘60s, featuring never before seen footage of Dylan on tour, in the studio, and more. This Deluxe 10th Anniversary Edition includes more than two hours of new footage, including the unedited Apothecary Scene from the 1966 U.K. tour, an interview with Scorsese on the making of the film, extended interviews, and more.
This Week’s Vinyl Exclusives:
Duane Allman – An Anthology [Reissue/1972] 2xLP (Mercury)
Duane Allman – Skydog: The Duane Allman Retrospective [2013] 14xLP (Rounder/UMGD)
An Anthology consists of a selection of 19 songs that Duane contributed to and performed on, such as Aretha Franklin’s “The Weight,” Derek & The Dominos’ “Layla” and the B.B.
King Medley of “Sweet Little Angel/It’s My Own.” It also includes recordings by The Allman Brothers Band and rare solo work. Originally released in 2013 on CD, Skydog: The Duane Allman Retrospective is now available as a limited vinyl box set containing 14 180gm LPs and a 56-page book containing rare photos and essays by Scott Schinder and Galadrielle Allman. As the title indicates, the set contains a wealth of music from throughout Duane’s career, including solo stuff, Allman Brothers tracks and recordings by The Escorts, Allman Joys, 31st Of February, Hour Glass, and much more.
Alsarah And The Nubatones – Manara LP (Wonderwheel)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Alsarah And The Nubatones are fast establishing themselves as the trailblazers of East African retro pop.
The Anchoress – Confessions Of A Romance Novelist 2xLP (Kscope)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. “Catherine Ann Davies is definitely not the shy, retiring sort. The Anchoress is the latest iteration of her persona following releases under the name Catherine A.D. and collaborating on more projects than you can waft a wand at. Confessions Of A Romance Novelist is bursting at the corset, dressing female identity in a rich and varied wardrobe. Lovingly co-produced with Paul (Mansun) Draper, Davies is on startling form throughout, layering spellbinding vocal harmonies and turning her hand to a long list of instruments with names few will even recognize. Pop, rock, some spoken word and a splash of funk for “Chip On Your Shoulder” give a sense of the musical flavours which marry with the insightful, intelligent songwriting on this hugely entertaining album.” – The Line Of Best Fit
Artifex Pereo – Passengers LP (Tooth & Nail)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Sophomore album from progressive rock / post hardcore outfit.
William Bell – Bound To Happen [Reissue/1969] LP (Stax)
Bound To Happen kicks off with the magnificent, deep soul classic, “I Forgot To Be Your Lover.” In William Bell’s hands this staggeringly beautiful song, written with Booker T. Jones, would melt the coldest of cold hearts, regardless of hair coloring. In 1969, though they had split with Atlantic, the Stax operation was much as it had always been, with the same team of side men and, in this case, Booker T. Jones handling the production alongside engineer Ron Capone at the Stax studio. William Bell had been with Stax Records pretty much since the beginning, but for whatever reason he didn’t actually start having hits until the late ‘60s.
Breakdown – The ’87 Demo LP (540)
Paving the way for every hard and heavy band to follow, Breakdown’s take on hardcore was balanced with the perfect mix of hip hop’s bounce, the power and dynamics of heavy metal, and an unmistakable New York accent laced across a tough, streetwise sound that could only have come out of 1980’s New York City. This LP contains the full nine-song ‘87 Demo, released here for the first time on vinyl in its entirety, backed with a crushing live set recorded on WNYU radio’s Crucial Chaos during the summer of 1987.
Apollo Brown & Skyzoo – The Easy Truth LP+MP3 (Mello Music)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Soulful, classic, head nodding Detroit boom-bap productions lays the foundation for Brooklyn tales that are part middle Americana and part Reasonable Doubt. (LP comes in one of four different mystery colored vinyl patterns).
The Beach Boys – Live In Japan ’66 LP (Rox Vox)
Effervescent 13-track live performance by the sans-Brian Wilson line-up of The Beach Boys recorded at Sankei Hall in Osaka in January 1966.
Blue Öyster Cult – Don’t Fear The Reaper: The Best Of Blue Oyster Cult [2000] LP (Friday Music)
Limited edition 180gm vinyl LP pressing housed in a gatefold sleeve. The timeless 16-track features such classic BÖC anthems as “Don’t Fear The Reaper,” “Godzilla,” “Burnin’ For You,” and “This Ain’t The Summer Of Love,” and more.
Breakbot – 2good4me/My Toy Remixes 12” (Because Music)
Following the release of the album Still Waters earlier this year, Breakbot, which has now turned into a duo, has let other artists take control of his flagship singles “2good4me” and “My Toy.” Four of today’s most prominent producers took on the challenge to create this EP featuring Fatima Yamaha, Canblaster (one fourth of the French quartet Club Cheval), UK techno star Riton and Ed Banger Records recent protége Borussia. Translucent green color vinyl.
Danny Brown – Atrocity Exhibition 2xLP (Warp)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Atrocity Exhibition is a fresh, bold rap album — a sonic swirl inspired by the work of Talking Heads and Joy Division that sounds like nothing else from the past or present. Featuring contributions from producers like Evian Christ, Petite Noir (who also lends vocals to the world-weary clang of ‘Rolling Stone’), Black Milk, The Alchemist and frequent collaborator Paul White, the album is full of laser-beam guitars, gym-teacher whistles, creaking vocal samples, and air-raid drones. It is the most intriguing take on hallucinatory rap since the heady heights of Cold Vein or Madvillainy. Known for his wide range of collaborations, including everyone from Purity Ring, The Avalanches and Rustie to Schoolboy Q, E-40, and Ghostface Killah, Atrocity Exhibition sees a continuation of this carefully curated mix. Kelela lends her snaking vocals to the intriguingly murky “From The Ground,” Cypress Hills B-Real delivers a languid hook on “Get Hi,” and Earl Sweatshirt, Kendrick Lamar, and Ab-Soul all convene for the twinkling ominousness of album standout “Really Doe.” [Deluxe pink color vinyl pressing also available.]
James Brown and The Famous Flames – Think! [Reissue/1960] LP+MP3 (Cornbread)
Vinyl reissue of James Brown and The Famous Flames’ third studio album. 180gm with two bonus tracks.
Cara Neir – Perpetual Despair Is The Human Condition LP (Broken Limbs)
Cara Neir is a two-man project formed in 2008 based in Arlington, Texas. Unrestrained by genre barriers, the band has incorporated a revolving door of stylistic shifts in black metal, punk, screamo, grind, and hints of post-rock throughout its discography. Structurally, Cara Neir is multi-instrumentalist Garry Brents complemented by the introspective and galvanizing lyrics of Chris Francis.
Sarah Mary Chadwick – This Fits b/w This Is Familiar 7” (I Dischi Del Barone)
Two tracks of just guitar and vocals, stripped down to the bare minimum and driven by an austere ambience, recorded during the Roses Always Die sessions.
James Luther Dickinson – Dixie Fried [Reissue/1972] LP (Future Days)
The late Jim Dickinson is one of the most eclectic personages rock ‘n’ roll has ever thrown up: a musical maverick. From Sun Records and Ardent Studios in the 1960s, to sessions with the Rolling Stones, Ry Cooder and Bob Dylan, significant productions of Big Star and the Replacements, and the twisted roots rock of his own Mud Boy & The Neutrons, the man was never, ever predictable. Unsuccessful upon release, Dickinson’s solo debut Dixie Fried is now a cult item that, for many, mirrors the deliciously unexpected twists and turns of his subsequent career.
Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein – Stranger Things: Volume 1 2xLP (Lakeshore)
Two pressings: “VHS black” and clear with black smoke color LPs, each housed in a gatefold sleeve.
Drake – If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late [2015] 2xLP (Republic)
Drake/Future – What A Time To Be Alive P (Republic)
Drake – Views 2xLP (Republic)
Official vinyl editions now available.
Free Nelson Mandoomjazz – The Organ Grinder LP (Rarenoise)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Influenced principally by artists such as Black Sabbath, Electric Wizard, Sun Ra, Sonny Rollins, Albert Ayler and Wayne Shorter, Free Nelson Mandoomjazz term their music doom jazz.
Fujiya & Miyagi – EP2 12” (Impossible Objects)
The second of three vinyl EPs. EP2 can be stored in the cover of EP1.
Gaika – Spaghetto 12” (Warp)
The London artist’s first EP for Warp is a comprehensive dive into his post-industrial, dancehall-inflected sound.
Dan Hartman – Instant Replay [Reissue/1978] LP (Friday Music)
In 1978, mega artist Dan Hartman (“Free Ride,” “I Can Dream About You,” “Living In America”) was sitting on top of the world. After a long tenure performing with superstars like Muddy Waters, Johnny Winter and The Edgar Winter Group, Dan rewarded his fans once again with one of the most important club and pop songs of the era with “Instant Replay.” Featuring the classic line-up of Dan Hartman, Vinnie Vincent (Kiss), G.E. Smith (Bob Dylan) and former bandmate Edgar Winter, the Instant Replay album rapidly became a definitive album of his career.
Hound Dog Taylor’s Hand – Hound Dog Taylor’s Hand LP (Abduction)
A heavy dose of jazz, blues, and improvisation.
Infectious Grooves – The Plague That Makes Your Booty Move… It’s The Infectious Grooves [Reissue/1991] LP (Brookvale)
In celebration of its 25th anniversary, the 1991 debut album from the funk-metal supergroup has been repressed on vinyl.
Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis – Live In Cuba [2015] 4xLP+MP3 (Blue Engine)
From bebop to bolero and beyond, Live In Cuba captures nine-time Grammy Award-winning Wynton Marsalis and the world-renowned Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis’s first and only performances in Cuba. Explore the profound connections between American jazz and Afro-Cuban music on this four-LP edition.
King Dude – Sex LP (Not Just Religious)
King Dude returns with this meditation in 11 parts. Following his tradition of songwriting by divination from his good Lord Lucifer, he challenges the listener to explore the theme of sexuality through nothing other than spiritual rock ‘n’ roll.
Klangstof – Close Eyes To Exit LP (Mind Of A Genius)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. New release from the Dutch alt-rock band. “The epic soundscapes and guitars remind you of the quiet and fascinating Scandinavian nature, while the synthesizers and drum-machines sound bring an industrial feel. Klangstof continuously and unexpectedly unites the polar ends of the spectrum, in such a way that you want to both dance and cry while listening.”
Kleenex Girl Wonder – The Comedy Album 2xLP (Reasonable)
Released last March on CD – now available on vinyl. “Are you tired of the emo revival? Tired of all those beats and blips? Well, then get ready to turn your speakers up and listen to classic power-pop from Kleenex Girl Wonder! Graham Smith and his project bring you a hook-laden record of the most literate piece of pop you’ll hear in 2016, filled with over 8,000 fresh lyrics and spanning over 70 minutes. The Comedy Album is a statement piece of art that surpasses its peers in this calendar year, and frankly, any of those in the past (I’m looking at you John Darnielle!).” – Austin Town Hall
Felix Kubin und Das Mineralorchester – II: Music For Film & Theatre LP (Dekorder)
The long awaited second volume of soundtrack works by German pop and avant-garde futurist, Felix Kubin, following 2008’s Music For Theatre And Radio Play. Some of Kubin’s most adventurous and far-reaching music stems from his commissioned works for films, theatre and radio plays. Freed from conventional song formats and genre stereotypes he effortlessly combines musique concrète noises, splashes of haunted virtual orchestras, Gameboy music minuets and voice collage, interspersed with tons of suspense and gloomy industrial atmospheres.
Larkin Poe – Reskinned LP (RH Music)
Larkin Poe’s album Kin (originally released in 2014) is relaunched with five new tracks conveying the heavier more rock side of these Atlanta sisters. The album also has three new mixes of “Stubborn Love,” “Don’t,” and “Crown Of Fire.”
Lucifer’s Hammer – Beyond The Omens LP (Shadow Kingdom)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Like a time-warp to 1984, on both sides of the Atlantic, this is classic heavy metal that combines crushing energy, night-time atmosphere, moody melodicism, and huge choruses that would be ruling the radio if it was indeed 1984.
Luna – Long Players 92-99 6xLP (Captured Tracks)
This vinyl box set gathers Luna’s five albums from the ‘90s as well as a compilation of demos and B-sides recorded contemporaneously. Accompanying the records is a book featuring archival imagery, an interview with Dean Wareham conducted by Noah Baumbach, and an oral history with the band and their producers. As the majority of these records were never released on vinyl outside of limited pressings, this is a boon to longtime fans and new listeners alike.
Mare – Mare EP [Reissue/2004] 12” (Hydra Head)
Mare remains one of the enigmatic entries in the Hydra Head roster of artists, as this eponymous EP represents the band’s one and only recording. On the five songs of their eponymous EP, the band assembled a menacing composite of styles and forms — sludge-metal, math-rock, classic prog idioms, and the diaphonic harmonies from a Bulgarian chorus.
Maxwell – Maxwell’s Urban Hang Suite [Reissue/1995] 2xLP (Sony Legacy)
Maxwell – BLACKsummers’night [Reissue/2009] LP (Sony Legacy)
Limited metallic gold and metallic silver color vinyl pressings (respectively).
Katie Melua – In Winter LP (BMG Rights Management)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Seventh album from the Georgian-British singer, songwriter and musician. For In Winter, Melua went back to her native Georgia to record an album with the Gori Women’s Choir, a Georgian all-woman singing troupe. The recording provided Melua the opportunity to engage in a far richer perspective on two different cultures that are so close to her: the West and the ex-Soviet Union. She didn’t only record the album in Gori, Georgia (her country of birth), but has also been drawing from the rich traditions of carols and folk-tales from the region.
Shawn Mendes – Illuminate LP (Island)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Sophomore album from the multi-platinum singer/songwriter.
Mercyful Fate – Into The Unknown [Reissue/1996] LP (Earache)
Mercyful Fate – Dead Again [Reissue/1998] 2xLP (Earache)
Color vinyl issues (gold and blue, respectively) of metal band’s fifth and sixth albums.
Tony Molina – Confront The Truth 7” (Slumberland)
The eight offerings on Confront The Truth notch a significant advancement in his style and approach. Almost completely absent from these new songs are the overloaded guitar crunch of Dissed a\And Dismissed, or his earlier work with Ovens; it’s replaced by gentle acoustic balladry, tasteful Mellotron and piano backing, the kind of musicianship that often takes a lifetime to master. The sadness of this music has precedents in pop’s past; Tony’s revelatory turn into specific traditions of pop music speak directly to the reasons why we love music in general, and what keeps our finest players driven to create.
Moon Pool and Dead Band – Humanizer LP (Midwich)
We’ve all heard bad noise-techno records — this isn’t one of them. The danceable style is one that grows organically from the duo’s life experience. Moon Pool and Dead Band approach the music with respect, knowledge and humor. Humanizer is a party-starter that could have only come from Detroit.
Okkultokrati – Raspberry Dawn LP (Southern Lord)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Raspberry Dawn is weird, wired and quite possibly the holy grail for those looking for radical rock reinvention and new sensations in the current era. Twisted like Bauhaus meets Celtic Frost. On Raspberry Dawn, Okkultokrati thrust the hectic rock and roll that they have cultivated since their 2008 inception into more extraordinary situations. Classic ‘70s riffing, snotty punk and brash old school metal are inventively mixed with pulses and spikes of dark wave and ice cold, psychedelic repetition.
Bill Orcutt & Chris Corsano – Live At Various / Various Live 2xLP (Palilalia)
That guitarist Bill Orcutt and drummer Chris Corsano would play as a duo should come as a surprise to no one. As artists, both of them have bent sonic boundaries to the breaking point, especially as regards rock-based music, and they have long flowed through the same international sub-underground arteries. It was only a matter of time. The first fruit of their union was a brain melting LP called The Raw & The Cooked (2013), recorded on tour in 2012. Live At Various / Various Live is made up of the two Palilalia cassettes that followed it.
Our Place Of Worship Is Silence – The Embodiment Of Hate LP (Broken Limbs)
New album from the California death metal project.
Wilson Pickett – I Don’t Want No Part Time Love: The Early Years Of The Wilson Picket LP+MP3 (Cornbread)
Featuring some of his earliest recordings out of Detroit with The Falcons, and very early solo material, this collection shows the legend of soul music when he was just getting started. Though these are early recordings, Pickett’s voice is fully formed and some of these tracks are the equals of later hits like “In The Midnight Hour,” and “Ninety-Nine And A Half.” 180gm.
Rachel’s – Systems/Layers [2003] 2xLP+MP3 (Quarterstick)
Louisville-based avant-garde chamber group Rachel’s present the vinyl debut of their 2003 full-length album Systems/Layers. This double LP album release also includes the vinyl debut of Rachel’s 2005 EP, Technology Is Killing Music.
Red Pill – Instinctive Drowning LP+MP3 (Mello Music)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Instinctive Drowning is a beautifully sprawling soundscape reminiscent more of The Moody Blues or Pink Floyd than traditional hip-hop. Limited color vinyl pressing.
ScHoolboy Q – Blank Face 2xLP (Interscope)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Sophomore album from the rapper featuring guest contributions by Kanye West, Jadakiss, Lance Skiiiwalker, Vince Staples, Candice Pillay, E-40, Tha Dogg Pound, SZA, Anderson Paak, Miguel, and TF.
Set Your Goals – Mutiny! [Reissue/2006] LP (Smart Punk)
Tenth anniversary vinyl reissue of the melodic hardcore six-piece band’s debut album.
Singers & Players – Staggering Heights [Reissue/1983] LP (On-U Sound)
1983 UK dubbed-up reggae from Singers & Players, the heavyweight collective that included Prince Far I and Mikey Dread, as well as Ashanti Roy of The Congos themselves. Staggering Heights has been re-cut with plenty of bass weight for this reissue on On-U-Sound, which is served up with a bonus poster.
Soundtrack – Amer (Colonna Sonora Originale Del Film) [OST/2009] 10” (We Release Whatever The F**k We Want)
First-time vinyl release of the soundtrack for Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani’s critically acclaimed Belgian-French giallo Amer (2009). Filled with superb compositions by Italian movie score legends Ennio Morricone, Stelvio Cipriani, and Bruno Nicolai, all remastered for hardcore audiophile appreciation.
Rodger Stella – The Final Programme 7” (I Dischi Del Barone)
Two prime cuts of intense noise bliss from Rodger Stella, sort of in the vein of some One Dark Eye stuff with a psychedelic twist slightly reminiscent of C.C.C.C. Stuff flies out of everywhere.
Suburban Homes – …Are Bored 12” (Total Punk)
As contemptuous, angst ridden, and brash as ever, …Are Bored is a six track assault on complacency, hypocrisy, and modern life in general. Equal parts Swell Maps, Desperate Bicycles, Billy Childish and 100% total punk.
Sun Ra And His Arkestra – Super-Sonic Jazz [Reissue/1957] LP+MP3 (Cornbread)
Recorded in 1956 in Chicago, Super-Sonic Jazz is one of the earliest and most sought after titles from the Arkestra. Featuring Arkestra mainstays like Pat Patrick, John Gilmore, and Julian Priester, the album is, like Sun Ra always was, years ahead of its time. 180gm.
Sweetback – Sweetback [1996] 2xLP (Epic)
Sweetback is: Stuart Matthewman (guitar, saxophone), Andrew Hale (piano, keyboards), and Paul Spencer Denman (bass), musicians primarily known for their work in their band Sade, which formed in London in 1983. Following the conclusion of Sade’s Love Deluxe World Tour in 1994, Matthewman, Hale, and Denman set up their own jazz/funk/R&B ensemble project in New York, and the group’s eponymous debut album was released on Epic Records in October 1996. Guest artists on Sweetback include Maxwell, Bahamadia, and Amel Larrieux of Groove Theory.
Ta-ku & Wafia – (m)edian 12” (Future Classics)
Two of Australia’s most promising prospects have collaborated on this stand-alone release. Renaissance beat maker Ta-Ku and Brisbane-based vocalist Wafia present (m)edian.
The Telescopes – The Telescopes [Reissue/1992] LP (Radiation Deluxe)
Vinyl reissue of The Telescopes’s self-titled second album, originally released on Creation in 1992. Formed in 1987, these British shoegaze/space-rock mainstays drew inspiration from the ’60s psych and rock scene, particularly The Velvet Underground, The 13th Floor Elevators, Love, and The Byrds, as well as contemporaries such as My Bloody Valentine, and The Jesus & Mary Chain.
Various Artists –Compilation #1 [2003] 2xLP (DFA)
The CD release of DFA Records Compilation #1 came out in days of yore, when the iTunes store did not exist, when iPods were more coveted than your phone. The only way to hear the first batch of singles DFA released was to seek out the vinyl and lots of people did. This magical mythical first group of releases from DFA included “House Of Jealous Lovers” by The Rapture, “Losing My Edge” and “Give It Up” by LCD Soundsystem. This is the first time this title has ever been pressed to vinyl.
Various Artists – Limbo LP (Grosso Recordings)
A new Caribbean trip through calypso, mambo, cumbia cha-cha-chá, lena, rhythm ‘n’ blues, Latin jazz and others.
Various Artists – The Rough Guide To Calypso Gold [2008] LP (World Music Network)
The anthology of the best calypso from Trinidad from rare early recordings up to the zenith of the 1950s calypso craze. From the 1920s legendary string orchestras through the ‘40s with the emergence of King Radio, to the worldwide recognition of Calypso in the ‘50s with Lord Pretender, and the legends Lord Kitchener and The Mighty Bomber, The Rough Guide To Calypso Gold delivers a taste of real calypso.
Laura Veirs – Carbon Glacier [Reissue/2004] LP (Raven Marching Band)
“With her landmark fourth album, Veirs evoked the Pacific Northwest in climactic imagery” – Uncut. “Carbon Glacier is a cold, beautiful and engaging record that translates the bleak, isolated vastness of nature into the bleak, isolated vastness of the modern citysprawl, leaving one voice to sing in solitude” – Pitchfork. “This is an oddly beautiful album – far more engaging than you’d expect of one written in a grey Seattle winter, pondering mortality, Moby Dick and the great sheet of blackened ice after which it’s named” — The Guardian.
The Velvet Underground – The Legendary Guitar Amp Tapes Vol. 2 LP (Tummy Tapes)
Recorded through a microphone jammed in the back of Lou Reed’s amp right around the release of their third album, The Legendary Guitar Amp Tapes are formidable in their unadulterated rock & roll fire and fury. They are a revelation for anyone who hasn’t paid close attention to Reed’s dynamic guitar playing which in this set is a monolithic roar, a pulverizing electronic “kaiju” (strange beast) grinding the whole universe into pebble and sand. Paste-on covers. All tracks recorded at The Boston Tea Party on March 15, 1969.
Weezer – Weezer (Blue Album) [Reissue/1994] LP (Geffen)
Weezer – Pinkerton [Reissue/1996] LP (Geffen)
Weezer – Weezer (Green Album) [Reissue/2001] LP (Geffen)
Weezer – Maladroit [Reissue/2002] LP (Geffen)
Weezer – Make Believe [Reissue/2005] LP (Geffen)
Weezer – Weezer (Red Album) [Reissue/1996] LP (Geffen)
Standard weight 120gm vinyl reissues – each with a 12”x12” insert. All self-titled albums are pressed on their respective color vinyl.
Bobby Womack – Fly Me To The Moon [Reissue/1968] LP (Premium Cool)
Bobby Womack – My Prescription [Reissue/1968] LP (Premium Cool)
Bobby Womack – The Womack “Live” [Reissue/1970] LP (Premium Cool)
180gm vinyl reissues of the singer/songwriter’s first two albums and a live set from 1970.
Cassettes:
Delicate Features – Sky Of Earth (Not Not Fun)
Suburban St. Petersburg unit Delicate Features make sorrowful, mysterious music stitched from a strange symbiosis of trip-hop, new age, medieval lament, and Russian poetics.
Nicole Dollanganger – Ode to Dawn Wiener: Embarrassing Love Songs [Reissue/2013] (Run For Cover)
Nicole Dollanganger – Observatory Mansions [Reissue/2014] (Run For Cover)
Nicole Dollanganger has been quietly crafting her own world since 2012. Over a number of self-released albums recorded mostly in her own bedroom and bathroom, her signature style of gothic folk is inspired by countless influences, none more than the archetype of the love song. Dollanganger’s signature lyricism is front-and-center — usually accompanied by barely more than a few lonesome chords, narratives are idyllic, yet haunting — dream-like, yet startlingly real. Now available are two early-yet-masterful pieces of Nicole Dollanganger’s catalog on CD and cassette: 2013’s Ode To Dawn Wiener: Embarrassing Love Songs and 2014’s Observatory Mansions. The thesis of Ode To Dawn Wiener is as straightforward as its subtitle, but over ten songs it becomes clear that there is much more to these songs than what they offer at the surface. Observatory Mansions shows Nicole’s songwriting progressing, with reverb-soaked guitars, echoing synths and stirring samples coming together only to intensify the pull of her stories of love, violence, sexuality and death — all of which would be horrifying if they weren’t so enchanting — a recurring yet poetic tension in Nicole Dollanganger’s world.
Ekolali – Igor (Not Not Fun)
Malmö multi-instrumentalist Mattias Lagerkvist spent time in short-lived neo-Harmonia trio Cosmic Letters (alongside Martin Herterich of Sand Circles) but since 2012 his primary focus has been swirling, long-form tape delay odysseys issued under the name Ekolali.
Peals – Honey (Friends Records)
Honey, the second full-length album from Baltimore-based duo Peals, elevates their exploratory sound to majestic new heights of otherworldly instrumental pop while preserving the intimacy of their live shows and earlier recordings.
S U R V I V E – HD037 (Holodeck)
As heard on Stranger Things, S U R V I V E’s HD037 is steeped in vintage analog synths and pummeling, down-beat drum programming—an exploration of their darkest territory, with masterful melodic sensibility, texture, and arrangement.
Testament – Brotherhood Of The Snake (Nuclear Blast)
Eleventh studio album by the thrash metal band.
Holiday-Themed Action:
Neil Diamond – Acoustic Christmas CD (Capitol)
Diamond’s latest Christmas album features new material alongside his singular renditions of yuletide classics – all produced by Jacknife Lee. [Vinyl edition due November 11.]
Brett Eldredge – Glow CD (Atlantic)
“I dreamt of the day I could record all these classic songs that I’ve loved since I was a little kid. I recorded those classics in New York City and tried to give a tip of the hat to the ones that came before me — Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Ray Charles — by adding that swing and that soul to the best of my ability. When it came to actually recording, I wanted to live in the experience. We hung Christmas lights in the studio in the middle of May and had musicians from the best bands in the world all in the same room — from horns to strings.”
Kurt Elling – The Beautiful Day: Kurt Elling Sings Christmas CD (OKeh)
Inventive and fresh, The Beautiful Day reimagines the sounds of Christmas, mixing traditional carols decked out in new arrangements with songs that are revelations and rediscovered treats.
Tommy Emmanuel – Christmas Memories CD/LP (CGP Sounds)
Tommy Emmanuel is a world-renowned fingerstyle guitarist certified by Chet Atkins. Christmas Memories includes original Christmas tunes in addition to familiar favorites, with vocals by Annie Sellick.
Jackie Evancho – Someday At Christmas CD (Masterworks)
Someday At Christmas is a new collection of Christmas songs from platinum selling teenage singing sensation Jackie Evancho. The album includes classic Christmas and popular holiday songs along with newly recorded tracks.
Mannheim Steamroller – Christmas Extraordinaire [2001] LP (American Gramaphone)
First-time vinyl pressing of Mannheim Steamroller’s 2001 Christmas album.
Kacey Musgraves – A Very Kacey Christmas CD (Mercury Nashville)
Inspired by Bing Crosby, the Andrew Sisters, Nat King Cole and the classic sounds of the ‘40s, ‘50s and ‘60s, A Very Kacey Christmas features the Grammy Award-winner’s charming take on classic standards, as well as four original tracks to put her personal perspective on the holidays. “There can be a touch of sad feelings and memories during the holiday season for a lot of people so I knew when I went in to write I wanted to include all the emotions this time of year can bring out.” It’s tough to decide what the overall sound could be described as but Musgraves says it’s “part Western Swing sprinkled with bits of classic pop, hazy Hawaiian moments and child-like fun, all coming to a nostalgic and melancholy end.” Guests include Leon Bridges, Willie Nelson & The Quebe Sisters. [Vinyl edition due November 18.]
Jennifer Nettles – To Celebrate Christmas CD (Big Machine)
As a veteran in the world of holiday music (Wide Open Country), To Celebrate Christmas highlights Jennifer’s signature country twang while her enthusiastic spirit illuminates the mix of festive anthems and traditional standards.
John Oates and The Time Jumpers – Santa Be Good b/w Children Go Where I Send Thee 7” (PS)
John Oates teams up with The Time Jumpers for a swinging holiday single.
She & Him – Christmas Party CD/LP (Sony)
Christmas Party is the new holiday album from She & Him, the duo comprised of Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward. Christmas Party is the follow up to their wildly popular A Very She And Him Christmas, and this new collection features guest appearances by Jenny Lewis, The Chapin Sisters and Sonic Youth’s Steve Shelley.
Jordan Smith – Tis The Season CD (Republic)
Tis The Season sees Jordan take on twelve Christmas classics with his own style, spirit, and soul. These include standards such as “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas,” “Silent Night,” “O Holy Night” featuring The Mormon Tabernacle Choir, and “You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch.”
Straight No Chaser – I’ll Have Another… Christmas Album CD (Atlantic)
A cache of Christmas classics both old and new, including beloved carols, holiday favorites made famous by Coldplay, Mariah Carey, and Stevie Wonder, and newly penned original songs.
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