New Releases for September 30, 2016

CDs + Vinyl:

The Agonist – Five CD (Napalm)

Along with Despised Icon, Beneath The Massacre and Cryptopsy, The Agonist is a part of the extreme metal scene with their fine-tuned mixture of melodic death metal and metal core.

Gerald Albright – G CD (A Train Entertainment)

Once again Albright shows off on bass guitar while never letting you down with his own unique sound displayed on alto, tenor, and baritone saxophones.

Alcest – Kodama CD/LP/3xLP (Prophecy)

Kodama the fifth album from blackgaze pioneers, Alcest, marks the French duo’s ferocious return to the stylistic maximalism of it’s early albums while continuing the band’s relentless pursuit for new sounds and fresh ideas. “Kodama” is the Japanese word for ‘tree spirit’ and ‘echo’ and from the album’s structure and dynamics to its cinematic sound, Kodama indeed echoes Alcest’s 2010 classic, Écailles de Lune. [Limited Deluxe vinyl box edition also available (45RPM/ clear vinyl/etching) with six art prints and a lyric sheet.]

Alsarah And The Nubatones – Manara CD (Wonderwheel)

Alsarah And The Nubatones are fast establishing themselves as the trailblazers of East African retro pop. [Vinyl edition due October 14.]

Asphyx – Incoming Death CD/LP (Century Media)

New album from the Dutch doom metal pioneers.

Auras – Heliospectrum CD (E1)

Debut album from the Canadian progressive metal upstarts.

Bad Seed Rising – Awake In Color CD (Roadrunner)

Following their successful summer on this year’s Vans Warped Tour and a support slot with I Prevail, young Maryland quartet Bad Seed Rising will release its debut album,

Banks – The Altar CD/LP (Harvest)

Goth R&B artist Banks follows up 2013’s brooding Goddess with her sophomore effort.

Kamau Bell – Semi-Prominent Negro CD (Kill Rock Stars)

Comedy special featuring socio-political comedian W. Kamau Bell, who brings his characteristically biting and hilarious take on the real issues of contemporary America from gentrification to raising his family in a post-Obama nation.

Bellows – Fist & Palm CD/LP+MP3 (Double Double Whammy)

Bellows is the bedroom-recording project of songwriter and producer Oliver Kalb. The sound of Bellows is sensory and delicate, subtle and quiet but erupting with frantic wobbling drums, large orchestral sections and bursts of noise that push the conventions of pop and folk. [Limited cyan color vinyl pressing also available.]

Big Jesus – Oneiric CD/LP (Mascot)

Big Jesus contrasts loud and heavy fuzz-laden tones with soft, pop-melodic vocals to create their own unique brand of music. The result is ethereal rock ‘n’ roll that’s multi-faceted and powerful: Loud and soft; bludgeoning and dreamy; progressive and classic…all at the same time. On Oneiric, the band showcases six brand new songs and four previously self-released tunes, which have been remixed and rerecorded. The result is a trippy group of lush, accessible songs with the surreal feel of a Fellini film. “The most striking feature about Big Jesus’ new album Oneiric is the contradiction of thick distorted melodies which should belong in the grunge scene, against the light vocals which would blend seamlessly with a pop song, the fusion becomes very odd. ‘SP’ is the opening track on the album which contains very heavily fuzzed laden guitar riffs but the vocal melodies are popular hooks which draw you into the sickly sweet melodies the band have forged.” – Hit The Floor

Brant Bjork – Tao Of The Devil CD (Napalm)

“Californian Mr. Bjork can be safely regarded as one of the pillars of the desert rock/stoner scene through his work with Kyuss, Fu Manchu, Mono Generator and so on. My slightly haphazard and inexpert expectations were met and exceeded. Tao Of The Devil is a solid rock album first and foremost. You don’t have to be a Kyuss consumer to enjoy this, just a consumer of well executed heaviness with stoner and blues goodness stirred in” – Midland Metalheads. [Limited blue color vinyl edition also available.]

Blonde Redhead – Masculin Féminin 2xCD/4xLP (Numero)

Teeming with the energy and grit of pre-Giuliani Manhattan, Blonde Redhead’s long out-of-print early recordings have finally crawled their way out of the ’90s basement. Weighing in at 37 tracks, Masculin Féminin compiles the band’s first two albums for Steve Shelley’s Smells Like Records, their period singles, extant demos, and radio performances. Dozens of previously unpublished photographs illustrate two lengthy essays on this essential New York band’s formative years. This is the latest installment in Numero Group’s 200 Line series which has also included releases from Unwound, Bedhead, Codeine, White Zombie and The Scientists.

Bon Iver – 22, A Million CD/LP+MP3/Cassette (Jagjaguwar)

22 stands for Justin Vernon. The number’s recurrence in his life has become a meaningful pattern through encounter and recognition. A mile marker, a jersey number, a bill total. The reflection of ‘2’ is his identity bound up in duality: the relationship he has with himself and the relationship he has with the rest of the world. A Million is the rest of that world: the millions of people who we will never know, the infinite and the endless, everything outside one’s self that makes you who you are. The other side of Justin’s duality is the thing that completes him and what he searches for. 22, A Million is thus part love letter, part final resting place of two decades of searching for self-understanding like a religion. And the inner-resolution of maybe never finding that understanding. When Justin sings, “I’m still standing in the need of prayer” he begs the question of what’s worth worshipping, or rather, what is possible to worship. If music is a sacred form of discovering, knowing and being, then Bon Iver’s albums are totems to that faith. The ten songs of 22, A Million are a collection of sacred moments, love’s torment and salvation, contexts of intense memories, signs that you can pin meaning onto or disregard coincidence.

Boston Manor – Be Nothing CD/LP (Pure Noise)

“Boston Manor’s managed to craft a near perfect debut album, writing better songs than bands who have been in the industry for years longer and finding the perfect balance between emo-rock and pop punk.” – Stitched Sound

Scott Bradlee’s Post Modern Jukebox – The Essentials CD (Concord)

How did Miley Cyrus’ “We Can’t Stop” become a ’50s-style doo-wop number? Since when was Meghan Trainor’s “All About That Bass” about an upright bass fiddle? At what point did Macklemore’s “Thrift Shop” evolve into a ’20s hot jazz tune? And whose idea was it to rework Lorde’s “Royals” into a polished ballad sung by a sad clown? It’s all part of the topsy-turvy world of Postmodern Jukebox, an ongoing musical project spearheaded by pianist and arranger Scott Bradlee, who takes contemporary pop and rock tunes and fashions new arrangements for them that cast them in an unpredictable variety of musical styles from the past. The Essentials is a compilation album of Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox’s greatest hits spanning their entire career. Artists featured on the album include Haley Reinhart, Kate Davis, Casey Abrams, Morgan James, Robyn Adele Anderson and many more.

Brain Tentacles – Brain Tentacles CD/LP (Relapse)

“Noisy metal and jazz might not be the most common blending of styles but that isn’t stopping Brain Tentacles. The veteran trio (featuring members of Municipal Waste, Yakuza and Keelhaul) creates a sound that is equal parts frantic metal and jazz on ‘The Sadist,’ the first single off Brain Tentacles’ new self-titled record.” — Decibel

Doyle Bramhall II – Rich Man CD/2xLP (Concord)

Rich Man (Bramhall’s first album in 15 years) reflects both his extensive experience in the interim with such artists as Eric Clapton, whom he’s worked closely with for more than a decade (and who hails him as one of the most gifted guitarists he’s ever heard) and Sheryl Crow, for whom he composed songs for and produced the 2011 album 100 Miles From Memphis, as well as an intensive spiritual and musical journey that took him to India and Africa in search of new sounds and an inner peace sought following the death of his legendary father Doyle Bramhall. “I read a quote from Charles Mingus,” he said. “He felt like he was not playing his music as much as creating the sound of his life and experiences through the medium of his music. I looked at his life and related to that, and tried to capture the same thing on this album.” Rich Man, then, manifests Bramhall’s “life journey to find my voice and grow as a creative person and as a man to get to this place, which is now the beginning for me.”

Apollo Brown & Skyzoo – The Easy Truth CD (Mello Music)

Soulful, classic, head nodding Detroit boom-bap productions lays the foundation for Brooklyn tales that are part middle Americana and part Reasonable Doubt. [Vinyl edition due October 28.]

Danny Brown – Atrocity Exhibition CD (Warp)

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.” [Vinyl edition due October 28.]

Paul Brown – One Way Back CD (Woodward Avenue)

On his latest set, two time Grammy winning guitarist Paul Brown keeps the deep funk and cool urban vibe flowing while tapping deeper into his lifelong blues influences.

BT – Electronic Opus CD (Black Hole)

For the Electronic Opus release, fourteen beloved BT tracks have been reworked and reimagined into a fantastical exploration of classical arrangements, electronic dance frequencies, and experimental sound editing techniques.

Tim Burgess & Peter Gordon – Same Language, Different Worlds CD/2xLP (O Genesis)

The Charlatans frontman originally met New Yorker Peter Gordon in 2012 and they decided then on a music collaboration. Burgess had been a longtime fan of Gordon’ s work with Arthur Russell and The Love Of Life Orchestra. Same Language, Different Worlds was produced by Gordon in New York and features many of his and Tim’ s previous collaborators: Ernie Brooks who played with Arthur Russell on the first Modern Lovers album, trombone player Peter Zummo, conga player Mustafa Ahmed, and Nik Void from Factory Floor.

Eric Clapton – Live In San Diego (With Special Guest JJ Cale) 2xCD (Reprise)

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. [Vinyl edition due November 4.]

Si Cranstoun – Old School CD (Ruf)

Si has already been dubbed the king of vintage — when it comes to taste, he says, it’s ‘40s, ‘50s, & ‘60s all the way. “I felt it was time to rip it up, have some all-out retro fun and inject a high-octane dose of energy for the vintage dancefloors,” says the London-born soul man.

Dakota Suite/Vampillia – The Sea Is Never Full CD/LP (Karaoke Kalk)

“Together with Vampillia Dakota Suite has sculpted a truly epic record spanning musical styles from ambient and experimental to post-rock and neo-classical. Suffice to say, the result is nothing short of a breathtaking emotional impact.” – Resident

Deacon Blue – Believers CD/LP (EarMusic)

Eighth album from the veteran Scottish pop band. Believers is the third part of a trilogy that begun with The Hipsters in 2012 and continued with A New House in 2014. As such it continues a songwriting trajectory that is all rich, idiosyncratic and sharply honed at once- and inevitably colored by a sense of urgency to make sense of recent events, both personal and global.

Dillon – Live At Haus der Berliner Festspiele CD/2xLP+CD (BPitch Control)

Born in Brazil, raised in Cologne and based in Berlin, Dominique Dillon de Byington, aka Dillon, has always had a clear vision of her art. Her two previous albums, This Silence Kills and The Unknown, told a coherent story and together carried her live shows. Her live shows demonstrate a magical interchange between the dark-melodic songs of both albums. In 2015, she developed a unique concert with a six-piece women’s choir for the Berlin Foreign Affairs Festival. The choir accompanied her and Tamer Fahri Özgönenc, her collaborator and co-producer of her first two albums, in the live performance at the Haus der Berliner Festspiele, held in July 2015.

Dødheimsgard – Monumental Possession [Reissue/1996] CD (Peaceville)

CD reissue of the progressive/avant garde black metal band’s second album.

D/P/I – Composer CD/LP (Shelter Press)

D/P/I (Alex Gray) is a musician, DJ and visual artist from USA; he has made music under the alias of Deep Magic and as a part of various Sun Araw Trios, Duos and Quartets. Now, most of the time, he plays drums, guitar, or saxophone at home for his other half and two cats. “This isn’t a ‘techno’, ‘experimental’, ‘abstract’, ‘dance’, ‘IDM’, or any ‘genre’ of album. I hope you know what I mean. I hope that music hasn’t lost the quality of inter-being ‘beyond categorization’. I also hope that, to a small extent, this album can act as a beacon of creativity for future generations, who are currently being completely saturated by marketing content for products and media that will do nothing but confuse and distract them.” — Alex Gray, July 2016

Drive-By Truckers – American Band CD/LP+7” (ATO)

“Drive-By Truckers are pretty damn pissed. Not ‘drunk pissed,’ but ‘pissed pissed’ – thoroughly miffed at the odious political climate that hangs heavy over the United States in the run up to the presidential election; utterly disgruntled at the startling rise of ill-informed prejudices held by an unthinking public, brainwashed by the embarrassing media circus of the far right. American Band the first Truckers album since the band began 20 years ago not to feature the vibrant, colorful illustrations of the unmistakable Wes Creed on its sleeve. The mood is bleaker – much bleaker – and instead we have merely a subdued grey image of the national flag at half-mast. The deep-rooted distrust and resentment of the music here may not be immediately apparent to the most casual of listeners. Mike Cooley is no stranger to the Jagger aping blues rock jam of ‘Kinky Hypocrite,’ having adopted such a persona before on the likes of ‘Three Dimes Down’ and ‘Gravity’s Gone,’ and you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s party time when this one plays, while sparring partner Patterson Hood’s ‘Sun Don’t Shine’ seems on the surface to be a kind of soulful ballad feasibly inspired by his late friend and R&B musician Eddie Hinton. But it doesn’t take much of a genius, once you’ve sat and paid proper attention to the lyrics, to recognize the sorrow, the anger, and above all, the exasperation of these most poetic of world weary observers.” — God Is In The TV. [Limited red color vinyl edition also available.]

Emerson, Lake & Palmer – Trilogy [Reissue/1972] 2xCD (BMG Rights Management)

Emerson, Lake & Palmer – Brain Salad Surgery [Reissue/1973] 2xCD (BMG Rights Management)

Emerson, Lake & Palmer – Welcome Back My Friends To The Show That Never Ends – Ladies And Gentlemen [Reissue/1974] 2xCD (BMG Rights Management)

Latest in the ongoing reissue series of ELP’s back catalog. Emerson, Lake & Palmer were one of the most successful, innovative and ground breaking British groups of the golden age of progressive rock. The band is notable for their classical and jazz influenced compositions, virtuoso musicianship and over-the-top live performances. [Vinyl reissues of these three titles due October 21.]

Entombed – The Best Of Entombed CD (Earache)

This compilation spans the entire career of the band that defined the Swedish death metal sound. Formed in the late 80’s, Entombed was originally called Nihilist and had a huge reputation on the underground death metal scene.

Epica – Holographic Principle CD/2xCD/2xLP (Nuclear Blast)

“With lashings of sumptuous orchestration and a never-ending stream of ingenious but brutal metal riffs and propulsive rhythms underpinning the whole explosive enterprise, this is an album that raises the bar for the entire symphonic metal genre.” [CD is available Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe adds a bonus instrumentals disc.]

Sully Erna – Hometown Life CD/LP+MP3 (BMG Rights Management)

Sophomore solo album from the Godsmack vocalist/guitarist. Composed by Sully on piano and acoustic guitar and produced in his New Hampshire studio, Hometown Life offers a departure from the tribal, world music feel and experimentation on 2010’s Avalon; the new album’s ten songs are more accessible, sonically and musically precise.

Sam Evian – Premium CD/LP+MP3 (Saddle Creek)

Premium is the glistening debut album from New York-based Sam Evian. The sound recalls a sunbaked cassette of Pet Sounds or George Harrison’s “Apple Scruffs,” composed with glowing guitar chords, aching pedal steel, Wurlitzers and iconic 20th-century synths. Inspired by the soulful sounds of Jackson Browne, Shuggie Otis, Sly and the Family Stone, and The Band, as well as contemporary influences such as Cass McCombs, Mac DeMarco and Chris Cohen, this is music meant for the close-up experience: spacious, dreamy, fun, and disarmingly open and honest. Premium was recorded with Austin Vaughn (Here We Go Magic, Luke Temple), Brian Betancourt (Hospitality, Here We Go Magic, Luke Temple), Michael Coleman (Chris Cohen’s band). Other guest performers include vocalists Cassandra Jenkins and Hannah Cohen, Shahzad Ismaily, Eddie Barbash (saxophonist on the Colbert show), Dan lead (Cass McCombs) and Steve Marion (aka Delicate Steve). [Limited color vinyl pressing also available.]

EZTV – High In Place CD/LP+MP3 (Captured Tracks)

Many of EZTV’s foundational inspirations — the Feelies’ jangle, the upside-down pop architecture of Arthur Russell’s The Necessaries, Shoes’ aching harmonies — are back in play on their sophomore album, High In Place.

The Faint – Capsule: 1999-2016 CD (Saddle Creek)

Seventeen years ago, The Faint ushered in the return of synthesizers to the modern musical landscape with the release of 1999’s Blank-Wave Arcade. The world took note and the dance-rock movement of the early ‘00s followed in its wake. In the ensuing years, the band’s consistent evolution cemented their status as one of the most forward thinking and influential forces in dance-rock. Capsule: 1999-2016, surveys The Faint’s most renowned output over that time span, while also looking at what the future holds for the acclaimed Omaha electro-punks. 17 tracks from the era are included in this retrospective, with contributions from Blank-Wave Arcade, Danse Macabre, Wet From Birth, Fasciinatiion, Doom Abuse, and 2016’s “Young & Realistic” single; as well as two brand new songs, “Skylab1979” and “ESP.” [Vinyl edition due October 28.]

Marianne Faithful – No Exit CD+DVD/CD+Blu-ray (EarMusic)

A best-of collection of Marianne Faithfull’s acclaimed live performances in Europe in 2014, recorded during her 50th anniversary tour. Includes a DVD of the 2014 Budapest concert video.

La Femme – Mystère CD/2xLP (Born Bad)

With a more psychedelic sound and numerous female guest vocalists that slice through the starkest of electro beats, La Femme celebrate their wonderful city Paris and tackle the enigmatic questioning of falling in and out of love.

Robert Finley – Age Don’t Mean A Thing CD/LP (Big Legal Mess)

Produced by Bruce Watson and Jimbo Mathus, Age Don’t Mean A Thing traverses the classic Booker T & The MGs-esque Memphis groove of “I Just Want To Tell You,” the tough soul-blues of the title track, “Snake In My Grass,” and “Is It Possible To Love 2 People,” the romantic deep soul of “Make It With You,” danceable funk on “You Make Me Want To Dance,” and organ-soaked heartache of “It’s Too Late.” The 62 year-old north Louisianan singer proves himself a powerful songwriter, penning seven of the album’s nine tracks himself

Free Nelson Mandoomjazz – The Organ Grinder CD (Rarenoise)

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. [Vinyl edition due October 28.]

Angelica Garcia – Medicine For Birds CD (WB)

“Angelica Garcia’s songs take unexpected swoops. Sometimes it’s the music, which is steeped in country-rock and blues, with flickers of indie-rock desolation; sometimes it’s her voice, which is sure and conspiratorial, bendy and grounded. Most often, though, it’s her words, which come together in surprising patterns, a blend of old-timey formalism and magical storytelling.” – The New York Times

Erroll Garner – Ready Take One CD (Sony Legacy)

Erroll Garner was one of the great American Jazz pianists of the 20th century, yet very few know his name or his music. Ready Take One is the first completely new Garner studio album in nearly 25 years. Recorded during a prolific five-year period beginning in 1967, the album’s 14 songs are previously unreleased, having only recently been discovered. [Vinyl edition due December 2.]

Gojira – Terra Incognita [Reissue/2000] CD/2xLP (Listenable)

Reissue of the French extreme metal band’s debut album. First time on vinyl!

GosT – Non Paradisi CD/2xLP (Blood Music)

The lord of slasherwave returns with his most sinister work to date – a bleak and progressive descent into the heart of spiritual darkness.

The Growlers – City Club CD (Cult)

“Surf-rock eccentrics the Growlers, who host Orange County’s annual Beach Goth festival, return with a new album called City Club. They performed with Julian Casablancas at last year’s Beach Goth fest, and he must’ve had fun, because the Strokes frontman produced their new LP and released it on his Cult Records label. His influence is clear on first single and title track ‘City Club,’ a slick, subtly funky groove that contrasts nicely with Brooks Nielsen’s gritty vocals” – Stereogum. [Vinyl edition due Octover 14.]

Halshug – Sort Sind CD/LP (Southern Lord)

Second album from raw D-Beat Punk destroyers. Sort Sind (Black Mind) is for fiends of: Discharge, Skitsystem. Pure Mayhem!

Hammock – Raising Your Voice… Trying To Stop An Echo [Reissue/2006] CD/LP (Hammock Music)

Reissue of the Nashville post rock band’s second album. In his review for AllMusic, James Mason stated that, with this album, Hammock “leave behind the dream pop scene from whence they came, and become a band creating truly unique music — transcendent shoegaze,” further stating that this album left Hammock “at the top of their game.” Joe Tangari, writing for Pitchfork, suggested that Raising Your Voice… was “an unassuming record that speaks to all those things in our lives that aren’t tangible,” and that the music was “meant to be a contrail in a solid blue sky, a smear of sound that goes oddly well with any number of emotional states.”

Betty Harris – The Lost Queen Of New Orleans Soul CD/2xLP+MP3 (Soul Jazz)

Betty Harris’ The Lost Queen Of New Orleans Soul collects together the steady stream of amazing soul and funk singles issued by Betty Harris from 1964 to 1969, under the musical guidance of legendary composer, musician and producer extraordinaire Allen Toussaint, a collection which truly captures the heart and soul of the city of New Orleans during this era. Betty Harris’s powerful, fiery soulful vocals found a perfect accompaniment with the New Orleans’ players that Toussaint put together to back her, which by the time of her funk classic “There’s A Break In The Road” were the legendary supertight, superfunk New Orleans group The Meters.

Jimi Hendrix – Machine Gun: Jimi Hendrix The Fillmore East First Show 12/31/69CD (Sony Legacy)

As the ’60s came to a close, Jimi Hendrix pushed the boundaries of funk, rock and R&B with a brand new group, Band Of Gypsys. Together with bassist Billy Cox and drummer Buddy Miles, Hendrix unveiled stunning, newly written material across four shows at the legendary Fillmore East in New York City. Machine Gun: The Fillmore East First Show 12/31/69 marks the first time Band of Gypsys’ first show has ever been released in its entirety. [Vinyl edition 180gm.]

Jenny Hval – Blood Bitch CD/LP (Sacred Bones)

“Contemporary pop culture teems with unfiltered first-person narratives and cathartic self-exposure, from search-engine-optimized ‘it happened to me’ essays to the highbrow family memoirs of authors like Maggie Nelson. At its worst, the form is trashy; at its best, it can convey ideas that extend far beyond the confessor, tapping into something both intensely intimate and universally political. The avant-garde Norwegian singer Jenny Hval pulls off this feat with a rare grace, layering prose poems, both spoken and sung, over synths, pulsing house rhythms, and noise-rock fuzz. Where Hval’s last studio album, Apocalypse, Girl, served as a withering feminist commentary on the sexual politics of American consumer culture (sample lines: ‘I beckon the cupcake/The huge capitalist clit’; ‘I grab my c*nt with my hand that isn’t clean’), Blood Bitch, deconstructs the menstrual cycle, the aging body, and the symbiotic relationship between lovers, vampires, and prey” – The Village Voice. [Limited red color vinyl pressing also available.]

Infinity Crush – Warmth Equation CD/LP+MP3/Cassette (Joy Void)

Infinity Crush is the duo of guitarist/keyboardist/instrumentalist Derrick Brandon and principle songwriter Caroline White. In addition to taking immense influence from friends like Ray and Elvis Depressedly, Caroline also credits Angel Olsen as an inspiration in the arrangement of her songs, and Alex G as a major player in making her think differently about crafting a melody. Warmth Equation is a collection of twelve short songs that work toward interpreting loss and grief through different lenses.

Invoking The Abstract – Aural Kaleidoscopes CD/LP (Unique Leader)

Debut album from the South Carolina instrumental tech metal band.

Itasca – Open To Chance CD/LP (Paradise Of Bachelors)

The music of L.A.-based guitarist/singer/ songwriter Kayla Cohen is mutable and multivalent, richly allusive of the hermetic worlds of private-press canyon-cult mystics and East Coast noiseniks alike. Her adept fingerstyle guitar work — nimble but unshowy, always at the service of framing her plaintively unspooling modal progressions and gorgeous, moonlit voice — centers these melancholy pastorales in a hazy, heat-mirage space equally suggestive of familiarity and distance, community and anomie. Itasca’s enchanting, acid folk-inflected Open To Chance is also the first to feature a full band.

Kestrels – Kestrels CD/LP (Sonic Unyon)

Halifax noise pop power trio Kestrels return with their new self-titled LP. “Now a mainstay in Halifax, Kestrels have developed quite a following with their instantly recognizable brand of intelligently crafted, hazily psychedelic melodies and sweeping drones.” – Beatrroute

Justin Peter Kinkel-Schuster – Constant Stranger CD/LP (Big Legal Mess)

Solo LP from the lead singer of Water Liars. “The 11 songs on Constant Stranger feel like snapshots documented, processed, and archived, filled with stories and images of how the small and often overlooked everyday moments affect the larger ones. There’s a weary yet warm, resigned yet hopeful, realist yet romantic nature to Kinkel-Schuster’s writing, which here strikes as an attempt at reconciling – or reckoning – the complicated and changeable nature of memory and all human relationships. With evocative imagery of the natural world, Constant Stranger seamlessly blends these deeply personal ruminations on family, lovers, a musician’s transient life, and the frequently confounding nature of existence – and creates a universally felt home for memory, gratitude, acceptance, and regret.” – HearYa

Krief – Automanic CD/2xLP (Culvert)

Having spent over a decade as Montreal’s noir-pop group The Dears’ guitar player, Patrick Krief is no stranger to melancholic pop tunes. Following a devastating string of deaths in his life, and the end of a romance, Krief dealt with emotional trauma the way musicians do: by pouring all the heartbreak and grief and despair and fear into writing. His creative drive came with a dark underside of self- destruction, a phase he’s grateful to have emerged from relatively unscathed — stronger, even, but forever changed. All of this is reflected in the 20 songs that make up Automanic Red and Automanic Blue, an unconventional double album.

Dom La Nena – Cantando CDEP (Six Degrees)

Brazilian born, Parisian resident, Dom La Nena has recorded a beautiful new EP of cover versions of some of her favorite songs.

James Leg – Blood On The Keys CD/LP+MP3 (Alive)

Fervid solo album of glorious rock ‘n’ roll and garage soul from the Black Diamond Heavies mainman.

Chuck Loeb – Unspoken CD (Shanachie)

Master jazz guitarist Chuck Loeb again rolls out yet another fine project — a great blend of the sophistication of traditional jazz chops, contemporary flair, and exoticism.

Lordi – Monstereophonic (Theaterror vs. Demonarchy) CD/LP (AFM)

Lordi is a Finnish hard rock and melodic heavy metal band, originally formed in 1992 by the band’s lead singer, songwriter, visual art designer and costume maker, Mr. Lordi. The band is known for their monstrous look and the horror elements in the stage performance and music videos. “With catchy songs and screaming riffs, the horrific lyrics will stick in your mind whether you like it or not.”

Lustmord – Dark Matter CD (Touch)

Lustmord, often credited as the originator of dark ambient, presents Dark Matter. Dark Matter was derived from an audio library of cosmological activity collected between 1993 and 2003; the audio was gathered from various sources including NASA (Cape Canaveral, Ames, The Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Arecibo), The Very Large Array, The National Radio Astronomy Observatory and various educational institutions and private contributors throughout the USA.

Machinedrum – Human Energy CD/2xLP+MP3 (Ninja Tune)

With Human Energy, Travis Stewart (aka Machinedrum) has made a career-defining album. From opener “Lapis,” Machinedrum sets out his stall — an arpeggio ascending to heaven which, apparently building towards the mother of all drops, instead fades up and off into the ether. The music throughout is scintillating: from the mind-candy riffs of “White Crown” (featuring some crazy guitar work from Tosin Abasi of progresive metal band Animals As Leaders), the ecstatic d&b finale of “Do It 4 U” (an absolute stand-out with showstopper vox from singer-of-the-moment DAWN), the smile-inducing, melodic brilliance of “Color Communicator,” or the precision and build of first single “Dos Puertas,” featuring Rihanna collaborator Kevin Hussein. [Limited color vinyl edition also available.]

Mandolin Orange – Blindfaller CD/LP+MP3 (Yep Roc)

For their third album, Chapel Hill, N.C.-based folk duo Mandolin Orange delves into themes of love, loss and morality. Formed in 2009 after meeting at a bluegrass jam at a local Tex-Mex restaurant, Mandolin Orange has garnered acclaim over the last seven years for their dedication to the craft of roots music.

Marillion – F.E.A.R. CD/2xLP (EarMusic)

Marillion’s eighteenth studio album (F**k Everyone And Run) features five brand new tracks consisting of 17 parts. “For a band who are eighteen albums down the line, one might almost forgive Marillion for resting on their laurels yet with F.E.A.R. they have released an album which is dense, emotional, cathartic and explosive. Rarely has a band sounded so on tune and what is all the more remarkable is that F.E.A.R. stands side by side with anything they have ever done before.” – Ech(((o)))es And Dust

Reed Mathis & Electric Beethoven – Beathoven CD (The Royal Potato Family)

After cutting his teeth in Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey and Tea Leaf Green, bassist extraordinaire Reed Mathisestablished himself in the Grateful Dead world with membership in Billy & The Kids, The Rhythm Devils, Mickey Hart Band, Steve Kimock Band and the Golden Gate Wingmen. But Mathis’ first love was always Ludwig van Beethoven. With his new Electric Beethoven project, Mathis did the unthinkable and fused all of his worlds together, bringing old world masterpieces by Beethoven to today’s premiere musical improvisers – an elite class of live performers who have individually made names for themselves in every genre except classical: jazz, funk, folk, blues, and jam rock. Reed Mathis’ new album Beathoven presents Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 and Symphony No. 6, in their entirety, with an “orchestra” that features members of Phish, Pearl Jam, Galactic, Greyboy Allstars, The Barr Brothers, along with Joe Russo, Marco Benevento, and more. [Vinyl edition due December 9.]

John McEuen – Made In Brooklyn CD (Chesky)

The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band founder’s new album is a time capsule of American roots music and features guest performances from Steve Martin, David Bromberg, David Amram, John Carter Cash, and a dozen other well-known stars of the genre.

Microwave – Much Love CD/LP (Side One Dummy)

“While there’s very little ‘new’ in music, clever and expressive bands can still find new ways to make their mark. It’s a concept well understood by Atlanta’s Microwave and implemented wonderfully on their genre-hopping second album, Much Love. In fact, Much Love exists in a place where genre is almost irrelevant, sitting legs splayed and reclining all over what we would call ‘alternative’ music. There’s flashes of grunge, punk, post-hardcore, post-punk and a hundred other sub-genres, yet Microwave live by their own rules, pinching and pillaging to make an album that hops around as much as mischievous silver-stealing magpie.” – Already Heard

Tor Miller – American English CD/LP (Glassnote)

“With its roots in the mid-century South, few genres can claim to be as essentially American as soul. It seems an odd quirk, then, that in the 21st century, the genre has found the most success in the hands of British artists like Estelle, Adele and the late Amy Winehouse. While not exclusively a British phenomenon, few Americans in recent years have managed to match their success. Enter Tor Miller, the latest singer in a wave of male solo artists that has—unsurprisingly—been largely dominated by Brits like Sam Smith, James Bay and Ed Sheeran. With piano-heavy ‘70s throwbacks, soaring tributes to his hometown of New York, and cover art that evokes late-century noir, the 22-year-old Brooklynite brings the genre back across the Atlantic on an aptly-titled debut album, American English.” – Metro Weekly (Washington’s LGBT Community Magazine)

Morbid Angel – The Best Of Morbid Angel CD (Earache)

Twelve of the best tracks from one of death metal’s biggest and most influential bands. Morbid Angel is widely renowned as the kings of the death metal genre with their revolutionary and unapologetic sound.

William Michael Morgan – Vinyl CD (Warner Music Nashville)

“Mississippi native William Michael Morgan is an up and coming country artist who has already made quite the impression on the industry and critics alike with his debut single, ‘I Met A Girl,’ which has reached number 34 on the Country Airplay chart. [Title track] ‘Vinyl’ finds Morgan serenading his lady love, telling her that their love is classic, like a vinyl record, and lasting. I can’t help but think of Joe Nichols when listening to Morgan; they have similar voices, both real country voices. If you’re looking for some great, traditional sounding country music, this is the one for you.” – For The Country Record

Van Morrison – Keep Me Singing CD/LP (Caroline)

Keep Me Singing is Van Morrison’s 36th studio album to date and consists of 13 tracks — 12 original songs written and performed by Morrison, as well as a cover of the blues standard “Share Your Love With Me” — written by Alfred Baggs and Don Robey and previously recorded by artists such as Aretha Franklin and Kenny Rogers. The dozen originals on the new album circle around themes of letting go of old hurts (“Too Late”), of valuing the bonds of friendship (“Every Time I See A River”), of acknowledging the past without being governed by it (“Memory Lane”) and of remaining open to love (“Let It Rhyme”). Over time, Morrison has become more interested, and adept, at delving into deeply personal territory in his songs, even using the compositions as a window into the realm of his spirituality. “In the early days, I was just finding archetypal songs,” said the singer, songwriter and instrumentalist whose body of work is as celebrated as Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell and other rock poet-musicians. [Limited vinyl edition featuring a lenticular cover also available.]

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band – Circlin’ Back – Celebrating 50 Years CD (Warner Music Nashville)

Live set recorded at The Historic Ryman Auditorium with some close friends. Contains two bonus tracks not included in the PBS airing of the concert.

Noctem – Haeresis CD (Prophecy)

Fourth album from the Iberian extreme metal band.

Oathbreaker – Rheia CD/LP/Cassette (Deathwish Inc.)

“The proud continent of Europe musically has seen fit to hit us hard with a new assemblage of tunes from Oathbreaker. Oathbreaker hail from Belgium and spit melancholy and intricate heavy metal dirges out like they have originated from Hell’s own hearth. Blistering is the name of the game with these blokes. Rheia features the Morticia-like banshee wail of Caro Tanghe. If she doesn’t get under your skin like the sharpest blade in the shed, nothing will. This Brugghe, Belgium native brings her black-clad cronies into sharp black metal focus. Yet you don’t need to be a black metal fan to enjoy this album as the amalgam of everything from sludge metal to alternative is mixed in also. And with Jack Shirley firmly in charge of the recording — from mixing to mastering — you are in for a volcanic avalanche” – Death Scream. [Limited blue color vinyl pressing also available.]

Okkultokrati – Raspberry Dawn CD/LP (Southern Lord)

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.

Opeth – Sorceress CD/2xCD/2xLP (Nuclear Blast)

“Opeth, the blistering Swedish quintet, are back with their twelfth studio album Sorceress. Since their inception in 1990 Opeth have continuously evolved and their love of experimentation is clear as they never make the same album twice. With Sorceress the band take another step forward and, as the band’s guitarist Fredrik Åkesson said, ‘Sorceress is more intense, darker and heavier than the previous two albums.’ Opening and closing with ‘Persephone’ and ‘Persephone (Slight Return)’ the 11 track album is a kind of circle. They start with an extremely beautiful and melancholic acoustic intro that soon dissolves into the urgent and complex keyboard that opens the title track. ‘Sorceress’ starts in the most proggy way, but it soon becomes dark and metal in a progressive manner with Åkerfeldt’s vocals at their best and conveying one of the heaviest moments of the album. ‘Sorceress’ can be considered the song that best represents the new album and the blend of sounds Opeth display in it” – Ech(((o)))es And Dust. [CD is available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe double-CD edition adds five bonus tracks. Limited Pink vinyl edition also available — Part of the Ten Bands One Cause benefit for Gilda’s Club NYC, an organization that provides community support for both those diagnosed with cancer and their caretakers.]

Pixies – Head Carrier CD/LP (PIAS America)

With their new album and second since reforming in 2004, David Lovering, rhythm guitarist/vocalist Black Francis and guitarist Joey Santiago officially welcome bassist Paz Lenchantin to the Pixies’ permanent line-up. Lenchantin has been the band’s touring bassist since January 2014, and played an integral part in the recording of Head Carrier. “When talking about the modern incarnation of the Pixies, it’s hard to avoid discussing the absence of bassist Kim Deal, who was a huge part of what made the band so memorable to begin with. Luckily, new bassist Paz Lenchantin proves more than capable of filling her shoes, and actually contributes vocals to ‘All I Think About Now,’ which is one of the album’s most poignant moments. Head Carrier thrives for one simple reason: it sounds like a Pixies album.” “There are bits of enthralling guitar throughout, and the album as a whole feels like a combination of the catchiness of ‘Here Comes Your Man’ and the futurism of Bossanova. If the letdown of Indie Cindy caused you to lose faith in the Pixies, let Head Carrier bring you back to the flock. It’s one of the best albums of 2016, and an incredible return to form for an all-time great band” – Uproxx. [Limited Pink vinyl edition also available — Part of the Ten Bands One Cause benefit for Gilda’s Club NYC, an organization that provides community support for both those diagnosed with cancer and their caretakers.]

Poom – 2016 CD/2xLP (Poom)

Recently released on vinyl – now available on CD. Poom differ from the French song scenery with their electronic sounds inherited from the French touch, their love for funk and disco and a hint of symphonic orchestra. The influences of French artists such as Michel Legrand, Daft Punk, Gainsbourg or Air are apparent on 2016.

John Prine – For Better, Or Worse CD (Oh Boy)

“John Prine was once touted, along with every other gravelly young huckster with a guitar, as the new Dylan. If this latest release is any indication, he’s more like the new George Jones. For Better, Or Worse is an anthology of classic country duets by the likes of Jones and other deities of the Grand Ole Opry. Prine has revisited them accompanied by a sorority of Nashville’s rootsiest songbirds to parry and spar in break-up songs and make-up songs. Prine did something similar with In Spite Of Ourselves in 1999. This follow-up is another almanac of historical pleasures. They include George Jones’s mournful ‘Color Of The Blues,’ sung with Susan Tedeschi, and Buck Owens’s courtroom barney ‘Mental Cruelty’ (with Kacey Musgraves, who once wrote a song called ‘John Prine,’ giving as good as she gets). With Miranda Lambert Prine even sounds cheerful on Hank Williams’s ‘Cold, Cold Heart.’ And why shouldn’t he? He sings the enchanting ‘40s love duet ‘My Happiness’ with Fiona Prine, the third Mrs P. This marriage of Prine and the great country songbook is made in heaven” – The Art Desk. [Vinyl edition due October 14.]

Public Access T.V. – Never Enough CD/LP (Cinematic Music)

Retro indie-rock ‘n’ roll for fans of The Strokes, Fidlar and Palma Violets.

Steve Reich – The ECM Recordings 3xCD (ECM)

Steve Reich celebrates his 80th birthday on October 3, and The ECM Recordings brings together the landmark albums Music For 18 Musicians, Music For A Large Ensemble, Violin Phase, Octet and Tehillim in a limited edition set to mark the occasion.

Rituals Of Mine – Devoted CD (WB)

Devoted is a primal sonic rarity that delves head first into the heaviest subject matter of loss, love and heartache. It is unapologetic in crossing the electronic/R&B genres while creating a world all its own. Sounds like Massive Attack/Portishead meets the Weeknd.

Emma Ruth Rundle – Marked For Death CD/LP (Sargent House)

The Los Angeles singer-songwriter Emma Ruth Rundle has been a part of heavy, doomy bands like Red Sparrowes and Marriages. And on her own, she makes intense internal music.

Saint Vitus – Live Vol. 2 CD/2xLP (Season Of Mist)

The godfathers of American doom release a new live album.

Aubrie Sellers – New City Blues CD (Warner Music Nashville)

From the cutlery in the blender indictment of surface beauty “Paper Doll” to the Lone Star drive of “Just To Be With You” and the tumbledown melody of “Sit Here and Cry,” this is a high energy box cutter of emotion: 14 songs marked by the bite and punch of smart girls who know there’s more to life than a cold beer and cut-offs. “I tell people there’s not a lot of happy songs,” the Texas/Nashville hybrid cautions. “But they’re not unhappy songs, either. It’s life… the way it is, and what’s wrong with that?” There’s a definite viscerality to New City Blues.

Ravi Shankar – In Hollywood 1971 CD (Northern Spy)

Released on vinyl for RSD 2016 – now available on CD. This is a treasure of a recording as it is not only a live recording of a rare morning concert but it was also an “at home” performance Ravi Shankar did for some special friends at his residence on Highland Avenue in Hollywood, California in 1971. It was during this gathering that he spoke about his distress over the plight of the people of East Pakistan (later known as Bangla Desh) in the aftermath of Cyclone Bhola. Being Bengali himself, he talked about wanting to do something to alleviate the suffering. George Harrison, in attendance that day, listened and from those conversations the seed was sown for what would later become the Concert for Bangladesh.

Skálmöld – Vögguvísur Yggdrasils 2xCD (Napalm)

Fifth album from the Reykjavik-based Viking metallers.

Skinny Lister – The Devil, The Heart, & The Fight CD/LP (Xtra Mile Recordings)

The six piece British folk band return with their third album.

Regina Spektor – Remembering Us To Life CD/2xLP (Sire)

Remember Us To Life is composed entirely of all new songs recently written by Spektor, a change from past albums when she would record songs written throughout her career. Spektor gave birth to her first child in 2014 and she spent considerable time writing during and after her pregnancy. Says Spektor “I made more art and felt more inspired than I had in a long time.” “In many ways it’s classic Spektor, lilting and lovely with percussive twists and glossy pop polish, but [album track] ‘Bleeding Heart’ also embraces nimble strings and surprising synths that skip throughout. An artist who blossomed from NYC’s fertile music scene in the early 2000s to become arguably the most commercially successful of her peers, and yet she’s still retained that punkish chutzpah (noted at the two and half minute mark) that we fell for when she was playing plinking keys and clattering with her drumsticks back in 2003” – Vice/Noisey. [CD is available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe adds three bonus tracks. Double-LP vinyl edition contains the three bonus tracks.]

Suicidal Tendencies – World Gone Mad CD/2xLP (Suicidal)

Twelfth studio album from Venice Beach’s legendary hardcore punk/heavy metal band. [Limited opaque blue vinyl pressing also available.]

S U R V I V E – RR7349 CD/LP (Relapse)

Formed in 2009, the prolific Austin, TX experimental synth quartet S U R V I V E has released two full-lengths and numerous EPs/singles since their inception, including recent contributions to the soundtrack for the acclaimed indie horror film The Guest. Additionally, two of the group’s members recently scored the soundtrack for the much buzzed about sci-fi/horror show Stranger Things. The synth quartet’s sophomore full-length and Relapse debut, RR7349, is a dark, sweeping exercise in analog synth mastery. The pulsating, nine-song instrumental release showcases immense diversity between tracks RR7349’s compositions range from grim tom-tom thunder to space-age epics, pairing tense plodding grooves with meditative ambience and driving, rhythmic beats. Inspired by IDM and horror scores alike, RR7349 is simultaneously ominous and hopeful; tense and relaxed; percussive and melodic.

Tee Mac featuring Marjorie Barnes – Night Illusion CD/2xLP+MP3 (Soul Jazz)

Originally released in 1980, Night Illusion is an Afro soul classic that’s ventured deeper into obscurity over the years, and still remains relatively unknown outside of Nigeria.

Temple Of The Dog – Temple Of The Dog [Reissue/1991] CD/2xCD/2xCD+DVD+Blu-ray (Interscope)

25th anniversary reissue of Temple Of The Dog’s landmark, platinum certified 1991 album — a tribute to Andrew Wood, the former lead singer of Malfunkshun and Mother Love Bone, who died on March 19, 1990 of a heroin overdose. Newly mixed by Brendan O’Brien, this reissue is available in four configurations, including Regular single-disc, a double-disc set including demos and unreleased tracks, and a four-disc Super Deluxe set featuring a total of 48 unreleased tracks and/or mixes. The vinyl edition is due November 11.

Thou – Peasant [Reissue/2008] CD (Gilead Media)

Back in print on CD. “The sludgiest of the sludge, Thou’s Peasant turns water into oil and air into fumes.” – Sputnik Music

Yann Tiersen – Eusa CD/LP (Mute)

Tiersen’s latest is his first ever album of solo piano music.

Truckfighters – V CD/LP+CD (Century Media/Fuzzorama)

If you are interested in groovy, stoner-influenced, progressive and melodic hard rock you probably know about Truckfighters already. “The best band that ever existed” as Josh Homme (Kyuss, Queens Of The Stone Age, Eagles Of Death Metal) said in the 2011 “fuzzomentary” Truckfighters. You might also know the story about how Niklas ‘Dango‘ Källgren teamed up with bassist and vocalist Oskar ‘Ozo’ Cedermalm in a worn down rehearsal space in Örebro, Sweden in 2001 and how the first song they ever recorded, ‘Desert Cruiser,’ since then has gone on to become a desert rock anthem. You probably also know that the band itself has gone on to release four full-length albums. V continues the Truckfighters tradition of blending big riffs, dynamism and intricate songwriting.

Ultimate Painting – Dusk CD/LP (Trouble In Mind)

Most groups would kill to have one talented songwriter in their ranks, but Ultimate Painting is comprised of two singular voices in Jack Cooper and James Hoare. The pair’s distinctive song writing styles began to blur a bit with previous album Green Lanes, but on Dusk it’s hard to tell where Cooper ends and Hoare begins. Their tunes weave in and out of each other like the duo’s respective six-strings, spiraling around each other in a laconic dance. Album opener ‘Bills’ dives head-first into a crystalline pool of jangle, furthering the duo’s rep as purveyors of the Verlaine/Lloyd legacy, but despite the evident influence of American guitar pop both past and present, the group’s recorded an album that feels decidedly English. Cooper’s abstract poeticism balanced perfectly alongside Hoare’s alluring and universal pop leanings. The group’s discovered a simple lushness in Dusk’s arrangements, sometimes only with subtle additions like Hoare’s recently acquired Wurlitzer piano that drives tunes like ‘Lead The Way ’ or washes underneath others like ‘Monday Morning, Somewhere Central’. They’ve tapped into the subtle grace that infects the mood and emotions experienced at times like sunrise and dusk.

Vangelis – Rosetta CD (Decca)

The iconic composer of Chariots Of Fire and Blade Runner and pioneer of electronic music returns with a brand new album devoted to music inspired by his long-held passion for space, as well as marking 50 years since he first signed to Decca.

Walking On Cars – Everything This Way CD (Caroline)

Debut album from the Irish alt-rock quintet. [The vinyl edition was released last February.]

Warehouse – Super Low CD/LP (Bayonet)

Warehouse is a five-piece band from Atlanta, GA. The band formed while many of its members were attending school for various useless degrees. Taking inspiration from the 1980’s Athens, GA scene (Pylon, R.E.M., The B-52’s) and having a mutual taste for bands like Stereolab and Abstract Expressionist visual art, they quickly took on a post-punk style characterized by the spidery and interlocking guitar riffs of Alex Bailey and Ben Jackson, filled by the effortless drums of Doug Bleichner and the agile racing bass riffs of Josh Hughes.

Nick Waterhouse – Never Twice CD/LP+MP3 (Innovative Leisure)

A cool and elegant post-post-modern cocktail of 1950s R&B and club jazz, mixed with 1960s soul and boogaloo, and shaken with a minimal contemporary sensibility, Never Twice finds the artist taking his time, refining his vision, and speaking with new authority. “There’s been a prominent R&B revival over the last few years, with new artists coming in to modernize the sounds of the likes of old school Usher and Toni Braxton. But true, soulful rhythm and blues has also produced a number of noteworthy musicians recently, those who harken back to the roots of Ray Charles and Bo Diddely. That’s where San Francisco’s Nick Waterhouse comes from, the kind of bluesy swing that feels lovingly throwback without sounding aged.” – Consequence Of Sound

Bob Weir – Blue Mountain CD/2xLP (Columbia/Legacy)

Before he co-founded the Grateful Dead, Bob Weir spent a summer working and living on a ranch in Wyoming, sparking a lifelong fascination with the stories and songs of the American West. Blue Mountain, Weir’s first solo album in over 10 years, brings his musical journey full circle. Rooted in the great American tradition of cowboy songs, Blue Mountain features 12 original recordings with a wide range of guest musicians, including: Steve Kimock, Jay Lane and Robin Sylvester (RatDog), Joe Russo, (Furthur cohohrt), Bryce Dessner, Aaron Dessner, and Scott Devendorf (The National), and Brooklyn music scene veterans Jon Shaw, Ray Rizzo, Rob Burger and Nate Martinez. Brooklyn pop-trio The Bandana Splits, comprised of Annie Nero, Lauren Balthrop and Dawn Landes, provide backing vocals. [Limited clear vinyl pressing also available.]

White Laces – No Floor CD (Egg Hunt)

No Floor finds White Laces foregoing their traditional guitar/bass/drums setup to explore more electronic and sample-based composition and introduces three-part harmonies featuring the band’s newest member on record, Tori Hovater.

Luke Winslow-King – I’m Glad Trouble Don’t Last Always CD/LP (Bloodshot)

Electric and sentimentally raw, I’m Glad Trouble Don’t Last Always is part sonic travelogue, part handbook on navigating the stages of grief. It pulses through Luke Winslow-King’s geographical stomping grounds, starting with the pre-war jive of New Orleans, traveling the bloodlines that flow along the Mississippi River toward the Delta bottleneck-slide, and the funky meter of Memphis R&B. Further north, it takes a right for an infusion of greasy Chicago blues, and arrives at the headwaters of his birthplace in rural Michigan for some tell-‘em-like-it-is confessionals. “While he’s still informed by blues and gospel, his sound is now fully electric, and he’s never been more confident as a lead singer…Lovers of modern, soulful roots-rock will key right into the opening ‘On My Way’ (which evokes Warren Haynes solo projects), and anyone who wishes Clapton would get a little grittier should go for ‘Watch Me Go.’” — Offbeat Magazine

The Wytches – All Your Happy Life CD/LP+MP3 (PIAS America/Heavenly)

The Wytches second album All Your Happy Life draws on a lifetime’s worth of new experiences shoehorned into two whirlwind years since their acclaimed debut album Annabel Dream Reader. There’s no difficult second album syndrome here. This black-hearted set is a combination of heavy comedown psychedelia and bilious and brilliant baroque ‘n’ roll. It’s portentous and scathing. Scabrous and bold. Utterly nihilistic. Influences and inspiration is drawn from unexpected places – reading Tolstoy’s stories of dysfunctional relationships on the tour bus, digging the warm Hammond-and-acoustic tones of Elliot Smith, loads of underground metal band – but mainly it is informed by observing small town English life with new eyes, having traversed the planet on that first wave of success that followed their 2014 debut. It’s not so much the sound of the calm after the storm, but the howling vortex that follows in its wake.

John Zorn – 49 Acts Of Unspeakable Depravity In The Abominable Life And Times Of Gilles de Rais CD (Tzadik)

The fifth CD by Simulacrum, an organ trio of unparalleled power that brings the sounds of heavy metal, blues, funk and jazz together with modern classical music. Tighter than ever and able to stop and start at breakneck speed, Medeski, Hollenberg and Grohowski are at their raging best as they blaze through Zorn’s wildest flights of fancy—a ten-movement suite evoking a sick and decadent descent into madness. Driven by an intense and powerful fury, this CD contains some of the craziest sounds you are ever likely to hear as genres, noise, instrumental colors and driving rhythms collide head-on.

This Week’s Vinyl Exclusives:

Airbag – Identity 2xLP (Paper Bag)

Released in April on CD – now available on vinyl. Fans of Porcupine Tree, Frost, and RPWL will like this up-and-coming progressive rock band.

Alcest – Le Secret [Reissue/2005] LP (Prophecy)

The French “blackgaze” band’s first release (more on the black side of the metal spectrum) is back in print on vinyl.

Anthrax – For All Kings 2xLP (Megaforce)

Limited Pink vinyl edition — Part of the Ten Bands One Cause benefit for Gilda’s Club NYC, an organization that provides community support for both those diagnosed with cancer and their caretakers.

The Avenging Disco Godfathers Of Soul – This Is The Invasion [Reissue/2002] LP (Foreign Sounds)

Rising from the ashes of Index For Potential Suicide, The Avenging Disco Godfathers Of Soul come forth with a whirling and devastating onslaught of electronic noise, bludgeoning hardcore, angry screaming, meandering ambient sounds, and chaotic craziness. Surreal and post-modern hardcore that utilizes the traditional instruments as well as xylophone, trumpet, and electronic gadgetry.

Avett Brothers – Live, Vol. Four 2xLP+DVD (Republic)

Released last December on CD – now available on vinyl. Continuing the tradition of official concert releases, Live, Vol. Four captures last year’s sold out New Year’s Eve concert in Raleigh, NC at PNC Arena. This set contains two new songs; “Satan Pulls The Strings,” and “Rejects In The Attic.”

Susana Baca – Susana Baca [1997] LP+MP3 (Luaka Bop)

The Peruvian singer’s debut album is now available on vinyl for the first time.

Courtney Barnett – Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit [2015] LP (Mom + Pop Music)

Limited Pink vinyl edition — Part of the Ten Bands One Cause benefit for Gilda’s Club NYC, an organization that provides community support for both those diagnosed with cancer and their caretakers.

Bitori – Legend Of Funaná: Forbidden Music Of The Capes LP (Analog Africa)

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. A masterpiece that many Cabo Verdean consider the finest recording of Funaná (a frenetic, soca-style dance music made by and for the working classes). Despite its roots in colonial oppression, here is the sound of absolute joy.

The Black Eyed Peas – Behind The Front [Reissue/1998] 2xLP (A&M)

The Black Eyed Peas – Elephunk [Reissue/2003] 2xLP (A&M)

The Black Eyed Peas – The Complete Vinyl Collection 12xLP (A&M)

180gm vinyl reissues of the hip-hop group’s first and third albums. (The Complete Vinyl Collection collects all six of The Black Eyed Peas’ studio albums: Behind The Front, Bridging The Gap, Elephunk, Monkey Business, The Beginning and The E.N.D.)

Black Keys – Chulahoma [2006] LP (Fat Possum)

Limited Pink vinyl edition — Part of the Ten Bands One Cause benefit for Gilda’s Club NYC, an organization that provides community support for both those diagnosed with cancer and their caretakers.

Jim Breuer and The Loud & Rowdy – Songs From The Garage 2xLP (Metal Blade)

Limited Pink vinyl edition — Part of the Ten Bands One Cause benefit for Gilda’s Club NYC, an organization that provides community support for both those diagnosed with cancer and their caretakers.

Laura Cantrell – Not The Tremblin’ Kind [2000] LP (Spit & Polish/Diesel Only)

Laura Cantrell – At The BBC: On Air Performances And Recordings 2000-2005 LP (Spit & Polish/Shoeshine)

Laura Cantrell’s debut album, Not the Tremblin’ Kind, is a mix of originals and covers by little known yet superb songwriters like George Usher, Joe Flood, Amy Allison, and the Volebeats’ Bob McCreedy — resulting in an evocative blend of neo-traditionalist country. At The BBC compiles the best of her on-air performances from 2000-2005, recorded at the BBC s famous Maida Vale recording complex, the Broadcasting House studios in London, and the more informal setting of ‘Peel Acres,’ John Peel’s home studio. Both titles are now available for the first time on vinyl.

Chicago – Chicago 16 [Reissue/1982] LP (Friday Music)

Limited edition 180gm vinyl LP pressing housed in a gatefold sleeve.

Chrome Waves – Chrome Waves [Reissue/2012] 12” (Foreign Sounds)

Chrome Waves is a psychedelic black metal band comprised of guitarist Jeff Wilson of Nachtmystium and Wolvhammer, vocalist Stavros Giannopoulos of The Atlas Moth and Twilight, and drummer/bassist Bob Fouts from The Gates of Slumber and Apostle of Solitude.

Coffins – Mortuary In Darkness [Reissue/2005] 2xLP (Osmose Productions)

Coffins – Sacrifice To Evil Spirit [Reissue/2005] 2xLP (Osmose Productions)

Coffins – The Other Side Of Blasphemy [Reissue/2005] 2xLP (Osmose Productions)

Vinyl reissues of the doom/death metal band’s first three albums.

The Dead Ships – Citycide LP+MP3 (Nevado Music)

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. In the three years since the Dead Ships traded punches at their first living room practice, the Los Angeles, CA-based howling garage rock trio have toured the shadiest parts of the continent, slept on the grimiest couches, and been named one of the city’s best live shows. Feral and soulful, they most recently released the first of two EPs, produced by Broken Social Scene’s Brendan Canning and now offer up their debut full-length, Citycide.

Decrepit Birth – Diminishing Between Worlds [Reissue/2008] LP (Osmose Productions)

Technical Brutal Death Metal band from Santa Cruz, California.

Deep Purple –In Concert ’72 [Reissue/1980] 2xLP+7” (Rhino)

Deep Purple was listed in the 1975 Guinness Book Of World Records as “the globe’s loudest band” for a 1972 concert at London’s Rainbow Theatre. Recorded the same year, this set captures the band’s performance at Paris Theatre, London, March 9^th, 1972. Includes a bonus 7” featuring “Encore: Lucille” b/w “Maybe I’m A Leo.”

John Denver – Poems, Prayers And Promises [Reissue/1971] LP (Night Fever Music)

John Denver – Rocky Mountain High [Reissue/1972] LP (Night Fever Music)

180gm color vinyl reissues now available (“RCA orange” and clear blue splatter, respectively).

Dinosaur – Together As One LP (Edition)

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Dinosaur, led by trumpeter and composer Laura Jurd, blend elements of folk, jazz and rock into a sound that is both formidable and compelling.

The Doobie Brothers – Stampede [Reissue/1975] LP (Friday Music)

The Doobie Brothers – One Step Closer [Reissue/1980] LP (Friday Music)

Limited 180gm audiophile pressings.

Exploded View – Exploded View LP (Sacred Bones)

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Exploded View is a new collaborative project helmed by the UK-born, Berlin-based political-journalist-turned-musician Anika. After playing a string of 2014 solo shows in Mexico with a backing lineup composed of local producers Martin Thulin, Hugo Quezada and Amon Melgarejo, Anika and her new bandmates discovered a chemistry that they simply had to capture on tape.

The Fleshtones – The Band Drinks For Free LP+MP3 (Yep Roc)

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. One of the most energetic bands in the business, The Fleshtones celebrate their 40th anniversary with the release of their 21st album, The Band Drinks For Free. Featuring 12 songs about love, deceit, and death in classic Fleshtones style, the album carelessly (to the purists) tosses together the fuzz-guitar and Farfisa organ riffs of so-called ‘garage rock’ with rockabilly, soul, and surf.

Manuel Göttsching – Inventions For Electric Guitar [Reissue/1975] LP (M.G. Art)

Recorded July-August 1974 and originally released in 1975, Inventions For Electric Guitar is Manuel Göttsching’s (Ashra Temple) first solo album. Written and performed entirely by Göttsching on electric guitar, with a four-track TEAC A3340, Revox A77 for echoes, wah-wah pedal, volume pedal, Schaller Rotosound, and Hawaiian steel bar. 180gm.

Heaven Shall Burn – Wanderer 2xLP+CD+MP3 (Century Media)

Munich, Germany’s Heaven Shall Burn specializes in highly controversial and politicized death metal fused with hardcore; a hybrid style often referred to as deathcore. Combining their militant defense of social concerns (racism, corruption, animal cruelty, veganism, etc.) with a seemingly boundless metallic wrath, the group’s brutalizing sonic onslaught has drawn comparisons to traditional death metal bands like England’s Bolt Thrower, as well as the less regimented, but equally emphatic work of Sweden’s The Haunted.

Hour Of Penance – Disturbance [Reissue/2003] LP (Osmose Productions)

Hour Of Penance – Pageantry For Martyrs [Reissue/2005] LP (Osmose Productions)

Vinyl reissues of the Italian tech metal band’s first three albums.

Impaled Nazarene – Latex Cult [Reissue/1996] LP (Osmose)

Impaled Nazarene – Vigorous And Liberating Death [Reissue/1996] LP (Osmose)

Blasphemous black metal from Finland – back in print on vinyl.

Inanimate Existence – Calling From A Dream LP (Unique Leader)

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. The NorCal technical death metal outfit returns with their third full-length release.

Iron Butterfly – Live [Reissue/1970] LP (Friday Music)

180gm audiophile vinyl pressing.

Jah9 – 9 LP (VP)

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Janine “Jah9” Cunningham is a Jamaican reggae vocalist, dub poet, social activist, and yogi.

King Curtis – The Best Of King Curtis [Reissue/1968] LP (Friday Music)

Limited edition 180gm vinyl LP pressing. King Curtis was the greatest R&B instrumentalist of all time.

King Geedorah – Take Me To Your Leader [Reissue/2003] 2xLP+MP3 (Big Dada/Ninja Tune)

“It’s no secret that MF DOOM had one hell of a run between the late 1990s and early 2000s, returning from the wilderness with 1999’s classic Operation Doomsday, collaborating with Madlib on 2004’s Madvillainy, dropping Special Herbs mixtapes like it was going out of fashion and introducing two alter-egos, Viktor Vaughn and the space monster King Geedorah. Released back in 2003, Take Me To Your Leader is arguably the most cinematic of DOOM’s albums from this period: entirely produced by him, it’s all dramatic strings, skyscraping samples and reflections on earth from Geedorah’s ‘alien perspective on humans.’” — Fact

Kool Keith – Feature Magnetic LP (Mello Music)

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. “In a world filled with cheesecake rappers, one man Kool Keith, has assembled a phenomenal team to bring you madness. Critics are calling it sensational. So stop what you’re doing and get ready for a journey you’ve never taken before. The ultimate adventure into Feature Magnetic. You will never be the same. Free association, sci-fi, sextastic, horrorcore, Kool Keith invented it all. His newest excursion into rhyme finds a who’s who of rappers holding it down alongside Keith. From Dirty Nasty to Slug, MF Doom to Bumpy Knuckles, Mac Mall to Rass Kass — the best to have ever done it spit hotter fire than even Dylan. Like butterscotch ice cream on your crotch or eating dead bok choy with Soldier Boy, you’ve got to think about it. Get cozy and sit inside the paragraph. This is Feature Magnetic, Kool Keith’s newest reality breaker.” [Limited color vinyl pressing.]

Legendary Stardust Cowboy – Launch Pad Favorites 2xLP (Munster)

An anthology of the brilliant and unique five-decade career of The Legendary Stardust Cowboy. Unhinged whooping, hooting and hollering rock ‘n’ roll genius of the kind that helps you get through life. Featuring his best-known songs plus rarities, this is the first ever vinyl compilation of The Ledge’s work from 1968 to the present day.

Eric Lindell – Matters Of The Heart LP (Red Parlor)

Released last April on CD – now available on vinyl. On Matters Of The Heart roots musician Eric Lindell continues his long-time collaboration with legendary Texas guitarist, Anson Funderburgh, whose phenomenal lead playing adds even more layers of blues and soul to the album. Another friend of Lindell’s, Luther Dickinson (North Mississippi Allstars, The Black Crowes), co-produced some of the tracks and adds some fantastic resonator slide guitar.

Low – The Exit Papers LP+MP3 (Temporary Residence)

At the turn of the 21st Century, sandwiched between Secret Name and Things We Lost In The Fire, Low released The Exit Papers as part of Temporary Residence Ltd.’s long-running CD subscription series, Travels In Constants. A sparse suite of six mostly instrumental pieces composed for a film that never existed, The Exit Papers still stands as Low’s most haunting and experimental work. Originally released exclusively on CD in a scarce edition of only 1,000 copies, Low helps celebrate the 20th anniversary of Temporary Residence by finally releasing The Exit Papers on vinyl.

Maroon 5 – Songs About Jane [Reissue/2002] LP (Interscope)

Maroon 5 – It Won’t Be Soon Before Long [Reissue/2007] LP (Interscope)

Maroon 5 – Hands All Over [Reissue/2010] LP (Interscope)

Maroon 5 – Overexposed [Reissue/2012] LP (Interscope)

Maroon 5 – The Studio Albums 5xLP (Interscope)

180gm vinyl reissues now available. [The Studio Albums box set adds 2014’s V.]

Loreena McKennitt – Parallel Dreams [1989] LP (Verve)

Loreena McKennitt – The Mask And Mirror [Reissue/1994] LP (Verve)

Loreena McKennitt – An Ancient Muse [2006] LP (Verve)

Each title pressed on 180gm vinyl.

Mew – Frengers [Reissue/2003] 2xLP (SRCVinyl)

2003’s Frengers (“not quite friends but not quite strangers”) is the breakthrough third album and first international release from Danish alternative rock band Mew which Spincalled, “experimental enough to woo fans of Radiohead and straight forward enough to lap up lovers of Coldplay.”

Morta Skuld – Dying Remains [Reissue/1993] LP (Peaceville)

First-time vinyl reissue of the Milwaukee death metal band’s debut album.

My Chemical Romance – Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge [2004] LP (Reprise)

Limited Pink vinyl edition — Part of the Ten Bands One Cause benefit for Gilda’s Club NYC, an organization that provides community support for both those diagnosed with cancer and their caretakers.

Negură Bunget – Zi LP (Prophecy)

Negură Bunget is a black metal band from Timișoara, Romania whose atmospheric sound incorporates elements of progressive metal and Romanian folk music.

New Orleans Suspects – Kaleidoscoped LP (Louisiana Red Hot)

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Kaleidoscoped is the fourth New Orleans Suspects album in as many years. “Many of these songs are still groove-based, but now it’s their own groove. The opening “Get It Started” combines bits of James Brown, the Meters and Dirty Dozen into a seamless whole. The song builds to a false ending before Jeff Watkins’ sax takes it to jazzier territory, yet the central riff never lets up. “You Got the Fire” and “Round Up Dem Suspects” respectively throw fresh spins on vintage local R&B and funked-up Indian chants; and you’ve always got to love a band that will write itself a theme song. Frequent touring partners Paul Barrere and Fred Tackett join in for “Dixie Highway,” but the arrangement is more slinky and sax-driven than anything Little Feat would come up with. It sounds like the Feats joining the Suspects, not the Suspects becoming the Feat.” – Offbeat

Painkiller – Execution Ground [Reissue/1994] 2xLP (Karlrecords)

The seminal 1994 double album Execution Ground by original Painkiller line-up of Bill Laswell, John Zorn and Mick Harris. On vinyl for the first time.

Red Hot Chili Peppers – The Getaway 2xLP (WB)

Limited Pink vinyl edition — Part of the Ten Bands One Cause benefit for Gilda’s Club NYC, an organization that provides community support for both those diagnosed with cancer and their caretakers.

Revenge – Scum.Collapse.Eradication [Reissue/2012] LP (Osmose Productions)

A “blast-attack-raze (as in raze to the ground) style of black metal. For sheer energy and ferocity, few bands can match Revenge.” – Metal Archives

Rihanna – Anti 2xLP (Roc Nation)

Released earlier this year on CD – now available on vinyl. A double LP set with ambitious packaging – including a six-panel 3 pocket jacket and five lithos. Featuring hit single “Work” starring Drake, Anti also includes a cover of Tame Impala’s “New Person, Same Old Mistakes” and a collaboration with SZA.

Silvo Rodriguez – Los Clasicos de Cuba 1 – Los Grandes Exitos [Reissue/1990] LP+MP3 (Luaka Bop)

In that annoying way of Westerners to compare people from another culture to someone in their own, Silvio was often compared to being Bob Dylan of Latin America. This was not only because he sang songs of political importance but also because he could fill stadiums and he sang poetry.

Leopold Ross/Bobby Krlic/Atticus Ross – Almost Holy [OST] LP (Sacred Bones)

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Ukraine’s social and political institutions faced massive change, including an increasingly corrupt government and crippled infrastructure. A number of the nation’s youth wound up homeless and addicted to a lethal cocktail of injected cold medicine and alcohol. Steve Hoover’s documentary Almost Holy follows a pastor named Gennadiy Mokhnenko, who saves street kids, at times by forcible abduction, and brings them to his Pilgrim Republic rehabilitation center — the largest organization of its kind in the former Soviet Union. The film’s depiction of a country in the grip of poverty, addiction, and warfare is made even more powerful by its captivating electronic score by award-winning composer Atticus Ross, his brother Leopold Ross, and Bobby Krlic (The Haxan Cloak).

Rotting Christ – Κατά Τον Δαίμονα Εαυτού ‎[Reissue/2013] 2xLP (Season Of Mist)

Vinyl reissue of the Greek extreme metal band’s 2013 album.

Ed Sheeran – X [2014] 2xLP (Atlantic)

Limited Pink vinyl edition (45RPM 180gm double-LP) — Part of the Ten Bands One Cause benefit for Gilda’s Club NYC, an organization that provides community support for both those diagnosed with cancer and their caretakers.

Sikth – Death Of A Dead Day [Reissue/2006] 2xLP (Peaceville)

Vinyl reissue of the prog metal band’s sophomore album.

Nina Simone – Broadway – Blues – Ballads [Reissue/1964] LP (Verve)

Nina Simone – In Concert [Reissue/1964] LP (Verve)

Nina Simone – I Put A Spell On You [Reissue/1965] LP (Verve)

Nina Simone – Pastel Blues [Reissue/1965] LP (Verve)

Nina Simone – High Priestess Of Soul [Reissue/1966] LP (Verve)

Nina Simone – Let It All Out [Reissue/1966] LP (Verve)

Nina Simone – Wild Is The Wind [Reissue/1966] LP (Verve)

A selection of mid-‘60s albums from the legendary singer/songwriter/pianist are back in print on vinyl. Nina’s voice drew heavily on other music forms. It was infused with gospel, blues, soul, jazz, R&B, and folk.

Simple Plan – Taking One For The Team LP+MP3 (Atlantic)

Released last February on CD – now available on vinyl. Taking One For The Team is the multi-platinum band’s fifth studio full-length and first new album in five years. Hard-hitting punk-fueled tracks alongside songs that delve into everything from reggae to delicate acoustic balladry.

Skillet – Unleashed LP+CD (Atlantic)

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. New album from the multi-platinum Christian rock band – “a twelve track set of heart-pounding anthems and high volume hooks.” – Planet Mosh

Slaughter Beach, Dog – Welcome LP (Lame-O)

Slaughter Beach, Dog is the side-project from Modern Baseball’s Jake Ewald. The project works as a counter to his ultra- personal work with MoBo, every song written from the perspective of his fictional characters living in Slaughter Beach.

Soft Cell – The Art Of Falling Apart [Reissue/1983] LP+12” (Mercury)

The Art Of Falling Apart is the second full length album by Soft Cell, reaching number 5 on the UK charts. This reissue features the epic “Martin” (based on the obscure George Romero psycho/vampires movie) on a bonus 12” which was included in the original release.

Soundtrack – Game Of Thrones Season 6 3xLP (Watertower Music)

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Original music composed by Ramin Djawadi for the sixth season of HBO’s Game of Thrones.

The Starting Line – Say It Like You Mean It [Reissue/2002] 2xLP (SRCVinyl)

Formed in 1999 in Churchville, PA outside of Philadelphia, The Starting Line – Ken Vasoli (vocals, bass), Matt Watts (guitar), Tom Gyskiewicz (drums), Mike Golla (guitar), and Brian Schmutz (keyboards) — were revered for their invigorating blend of punk-pop, indie rock and emo earnestness which garnered the group accolades throughout their career. Limited blue color vinyl pressing with etched D-side.

Stiff Little Fingers – Pure Fingers – St. Patrix: Live In Glasgow 1993 2xLP (Let Them Eat Vinyl)

Pure Fingers is a live album cut by the Stiff Little Fingers a few years after their reunion, recorded on St. Patrick’s Day in 1993, at the Barrowland Ballroom in Glasgow, Scotland, an occasion that has become an annual event for the band. The gig set list contained a mixture of old favorites like the aforementioned classics from the original incarnation of the band along with newer tracks created after their reformation. Limited color vinyl pressing.

Sting – The Dream Of The Blue Turtles [Reissue/1985] LP (A&M)

Sting – Nothing Like The Sun [Reissue/1997] 2xLP (A&M)

Sting – The Soul Cages [Reissue/1991] LP (A&M)

Sting – Ten Summoner’s Tales [Reissue/1993] LP (A&M)

Sting – Mercury Falling [Reissue/1996] LP (A&M)

Sting – Brand New Day [1999] 2xLP (A&M)

Sting – Sacred Love [2003] 2xLP (A&M)

Sting – The Studio Collection 11xLP (A&M)

180gm vinyl reissues of Sting’s seven solo albums recorded for A&M (including first-time vinyl editions of Brand New Day and Sacred Love). [The Studio Collection vinyl LP box set includes all eight of Sting’s A&M solo studio albums, adding 2013’s The Last Ship to round out the set.]

Various Artists – First Class Rock Steady LP (VP)

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. First Class Rocksteady commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Island sounds that preceded Jamaican reggae. The collection captures early work from some of the genre’s defining artists including Lee “Scratch” Perry, The Techniques, Desmond Dekker, Johnny Nash and many others.

Various Artists – The Rough Guide To Sahara Blues LP (World Music Network)

Contemporary blues music coming out of the Sahara region is of course today influenced by a host of musical movements; including the work of the African-American blues greats, the rock ‘n’ roll revolution, hip-hop, current affairs, digitization and more. Today, as is tradition in the blues, much of the artistic subject matter covered by the musicians on this compilation is tied to searing pain and deep set troubles.

Various Artists – Soul Safari Presents Township Jive & Kwela Volume 4 (1940-1965) LP (Ubuntu Publishing)

Another outstanding collection of rare gems from the International Library of African Music (ILAM) Archives, South Africa.

Various Artists – Surinam Funk Force LP (Rush Hour)

A compilation of highly collectable and rare Surinamese 45’s and LP cuts. ‘70 and ‘80 funk music from the Surinamese dance floors.

Vertical Horizon – Everything You Want [Reissue/1999] LP (SRCVinyl)

Vertical Horizon was founded in the early-‘90s, but it was seven years before lead singer Matt Scannell’s songs became the radio hits that brought the popular grass roots band to national attention. Limited 180gm red color vinyl reissue.

Woven Hand – Star Treatment 2xLP+MP3 (Sargent House/Glitt)

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. “[Woven Hand’s] David Eugene Edwards has been treading some of the same territory as Cave for a long time now. His music deals in the same darkness, the same obsessiveness. His songs are steeped in the history of American music, of folk and country and blues, and yet they owe as much to some of the clanging, confrontational forms that followed: punk, metal, hardcore, noise-rock. His songs sound like incantations, like prayers bubbling up from below. He’s not Cave, but he’s cut from the same cloth.” — Stereogum

Cassettes:

Bon Iver – 22, A Million (Jagjaguwar)

The ten songs of 22, A Million are a collection of sacred moments, love’s torment and salvation, contexts of intense memories, signs that you can pin meaning onto or disregard coincidence.

Infinity Crush – Warmth Equation (Joy Void)

Infinity Crush is the duo of guitarist/keyboardist/instrumentalist Derrick Brandon and principle songwriter Caroline White. In addition to taking immense influence from friends like Ray and Elvis Depressedly, Caroline also credits Angel Olsen as an inspiration in the arrangement of her songs, and Alex G as a major player in making her think differently about crafting a melody. Warmth Equation is a collection of twelve short songs that work toward interpreting loss and grief through different lenses.

Oathbreaker – Rheia (Deathwish Inc.)

“Oathbreaker hail from Belgium and spit melancholy and intricate heavy metal dirges out like they have originated from Hell’s own hearth.” – Death Scream