Boo Boo Records

December/January Program Titles Released This Week:

Van Morrison – The Prophet Speaks CD/2xLP (Caroline)

The Prophet Speaks follows a recent run of hugely acclaimed records by Van Morrison (Roll With The Punches, Versatile and You’re Driving Me Crazy), each of which has delved deep into the musical styles that have continued to inspire Van Morrison throughout his life – vocal jazz and R&B. Here, Van takes on a series of unarguable classics by the likes of John Lee Hooker, Sam Cooke and Solomon Burke (among others) and makes them unmistakably his own. Alongside these reinterpretations are six new Morrison compositions. The Prophet Speaks again finds Van working with the incredible multi-instrumentalist Joey DeFrancesco (the artist co-credited on You’re Driving Me Crazy) and his band (including Dan Wilson on guitar, Michael Ode on drums and Troy Roberts on tenor saxophone). “It was important for me to get back to recording new music as well as doing some of the blues material that has inspired me from the beginning,” Van notes. “Writing songs and making music is what I do, and working with great musicians makes it all the more enjoyable.”

CDs + Vinyl:

88rising – Head In The Clouds CD/LP (88rising Music)

New album from the pioneering music and arts collective. While all 88rising artists have excelled in their solo careers they’ve always operated with a crew mentality and it’s with this collection that they were able to bring that to life. Representing 5 countries in Asia the whole crew – Rich Brian, Joji, Higher Brothers, NIKI, AUGUST08 and Keith Ape – all flew into Los Angeles, CA to record the album for two and a half months creating a chemistry that can be felt throughout.

Anguish – Anguish CD/LP (RareNoise)

The dark, impossibly intense dirges, industrial noise onslaughts and banshee-like free jazz wailing heard throughout Anguish could be an imposing soundtrack for a dystopian, post-apocalyptic future. This powerhouse, inter-generational offering brings together an unlikely gathering of members of the New Jersey-based experimental hip-hop group Dälek (electronic musician and vocalist Will Brooks with guitarist-keyboardist Mike Mare), the Swedish free jazz group Fire! Orchestra (tenor saxophonist Mats Gustafsson, drummer Andreas Werliin) and the classic ’70s German krautrock band Faust (keyboardist and 68-year-old founding member Hans Joachim Irmler).

[Read more…] about New Releases for December 7, 2018

December/January Program Titles Released This Week:

Jon Bellion – Glory Sound Prep CD (Capitol)

After disappearing for two years, Bellion’s sophomore album Glory Sound Prep does not disappoint. The record features a seamless blend of hip-hop, rap, pop, a New Orleans jazz band, and completely random background sounds of clinking, beeping and children yelling to complete Bellion’s well-known signature style. When listening, it’s impossible to ignore the musical talent of a writer, singer and producer such as Bellion. The synth, trumpets and guitars work together to create beautiful transitions between genres. Throughout the record, Bellion consistently proves his lyrics are worth every goosebump, every “AHA!” moment, and demand to be heard as what they really are: art. With lyrics such as “If they don’t feel your thoughts, start dreaming in braille”, from the track “Adult Swim”, or the heartbreaking “When she meets God, He’ll tell her all about it/When my mother was a mother to her mom” from the eight-minute-long “Mah’s Joint”, Bellion easily weaves a large range of topics into GSP.

Big Brother & The Holding Company – Sex, Dope & Cheap Thrills 2xCD/2xLP+MP3 (Columbia/Legacy)

Columbia/Legacy Recordings celebrates the 50th anniversary of Big Brother & The Holding Company’s major label debut with the premiere release of Sex, Dope & Cheap Thrills. Issued at long last under its original title (nixed by the label as too controversial a half century ago), Sex, Dope & Cheap Thrills restores the band’s vision and intent in an essential new collection of 16 rare performances including 12 previously unreleased demos and outtakes from the mythic 1968 sessions that generated Big Brother & The Holding Company’s Cheap Thrills, the breakout album that introduced Janis Joplin to the world. It also includes liner notes penned especially for this commemorative release by Jefferson Airplane frontwoman Grace Slick and Big Brother & The Holding Company drummer David Getz. Originally released in August 1968, Cheap Thrills was an out-of-the-box smash, a No. 1 album that – building on the heat she’d generated at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival – established Janis as rock’s foremost primordial psychedelic soul singer, a musical archetype whose influence has never waned.

Distant Cousins – Next Of Kin CD (Julian)

L.A.-based folk-pop trio Distant Cousins, a multi-layered collaboration of three songwriters/producers/performers (cousin Ami, cousin Dov, and cousin Duvid) offers up a blend of music that, like the band name, suggests both deep connections and a wide variety of genres. In the studio, the cousins share various roles as producers, writers and musicians; at their live shows, however, roles are more delineated. Ami sings, plays bass, and handles looping responsibilities, Dov sings, plays drums, and acoustic guitar, and Duvid sings and is the maestro of a myriad of stringed instruments. Onstage, the band also augments it sound with “honorary cousins” as guest musicians. The 11 tracks on Next Of Kin traverse folk-pop, anthemic pop, heartland pop-rock, and bluesy hues. Select standout cuts include “Lights On”, “Running”, “In My Blood”, and “Mighty Love”. Stanky James Brown grooves, swampy New Orleans second line funk, flourishes imbue “Lights On”, a be-true-to-yourself banger. Subtle layers of meaning provoke thought on the stirring sing-along “Running”. Cultural pride swells on the tender slow burner “In My Blood”, and the rousing “Mighty Love” is a stark reminder to hold your next of kin close to protect them in these volatile times.

[Read more…] about New Releases for November 30, 2018

December/January 2018 Program Titles Released This Week:

Hippo Campus – Bambi CD/LP (Grand Jury)

On their sophomore album Bambi, St. Paul, Minnesota-bred band Hippo Campus offer up a self-reflective set of songs that drift into much darker terrain but unfold with a frenetic yet fragile beauty that makes even the most painful moments feel glorious. Partly recorded at Steve Albini’s Electrical Audio in Chicago, Bambi finds Hippo Campus working again with producer BJ Burton (Bon Iver, Low, Francis and the Lights), who handled production on their 2017 full-length debut Landmark. And in sculpting Bambi’s distinctly inventive arrangements, Hippo Campus significantly expanded their use of drum machines and synths. Throughout Bambi, Hippo Campus match their relentless self-examination with a joyfully adventurous sonic approach, ultimately transforming the emotional experience of the problems they’re exploring. On “Anxious”, urgent rhythms and untamed vocal delivery draw an unlikely power from raw vulnerability. [Indie-store exclusive pool blue colored vinyl pressing also available.]

Lone Justice – The Western Tapes, 1983 CDEP/12” (Omnivore)

Musician and producer Marvin Etzioni first saw Maria McKee and Ryan Hedgecock in a club in 1982, playing George Jones and Hank Williams covers. He convinced them they needed original material. After working and writing, Lone Justice added Dave Harrington (bass) and Don Willens (drums), the band worked up material with Etzioni and cut five of the six tracks at the famed Record Plant. An earlier session provides the sixth track. The Western Tapes, 1983 exhibits the genesis of this highly-influential band. While the original demo version of “Drugstore Cowboy” has appeared on various compilations, the remainder of the other tracks from the sessions have remained in the can. Two of the tracks appear in their earliest demo form and wound up landing on the classic 1985 debut Lone Justice, “Working Late” and “Don’t Toss Us Away” (written by Maria’s half-brother, Bryan MacLean of the classic band, Love) which would eventually become a country hit for Patty Loveless.

CDs + Vinyl:

Alien Sex Fiend – Possessed CD/2xLP (Cherry Red)

Alien Sex Fiend return with a ferocious new album. Packed with pounding rhythms, speaker- shredding guitars, squelchy synthesizers and, of course, Nik Fiend’s latest chainsaw-psychiatry outpourings, Possessed puts the Fiends back where they belong, at the top of their own rotten pile.

Ashes Of Ares – Well Of Souls CD/2xLP (Roar! Rock Of Angels)

Second album from the power metal band comprised of Iced Earth alumni Matt Barlow and Freddie Vidales. [Limited turquois/black splatter colored vinyl pressing also available.]

[Read more…] about New Releases for November 23, 2018