CDs + Vinyl:
999 – Live & Loud [Reissue/1995] CD (Interference)
Explosive versions of tracks from 999’s first three albums from 1978-1979. Originally released in 1995 as a split live compilation with Sham 69.
Anjou – Epithymia CD/2xLP (Kranky)
Ambient power duo Anjou’s 2017 sophom*ore statement continues in the vein of their 2014 debut, unfurling a full hour of mesmeric synthetic drift and veiled melodic undertow. Comprised of Mark Nelson (of pioneering post-rock experimentalists Labradford and Pan·American) and Robert Donne (of Labradford, Aix Em Klemm, Cristal), the group works largely in long-form suites of sound, alternately spacious and dense. Epithymia‘s six pieces embrace flux and ambiguity: drones swell and shudder, hushed currents of noise glitch and dissolve, atmospheres congeal and liquefy. As with the participants’ prior projects, Anjou evokes a shadowed, mysterious mood, variously melancholy and transcendent. The album is an accumulation of craftsmanship and experience, blurred forms traced in light and fog.
Arbouretum – Song Of The Rose CD/LP+MP3 (Thrill Jockey)
The Baltimore torch-bearers have long been famed for their ability to entwine elegant songwriting with an erudite poetry, both sonically and lyrically. Weaving contemplations on philosophy, mysticism, redemption, and the implications of human progress, Arbouretum’s songwriting on Song Of The Rose sees the band further refine this artistry. “Dave Heumann continues to steer the band on a course that swerves between the heavy/heady poles of ‘70s-inspired rock, with an eye on anthems and a foot planted on the muddy earth.” – Exclaim
Art Of Anarchy – The Madness CD (Century Media)
Lead guitarist Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal hails formerly from Guns N’ Roses, while bassist John Moyer first rose to fame as a member of Disturbed. Twin brothers Jon Votta (guitar) and Vince Votta (drums), meanwhile, gained a reputation as fixtures on the New York music scene. The most recent addition to the group is Scott Stapp, the founder and lead singer of Creed. Stapp replaces the late Scott Weiland as AOA’s lead singer.
Ballyhoo! – Girls. CD/LP+MP3 (Right Coast)
The Baltimore reggae-rockers are back with their sixth studio album.
Bardo Pond – Under The Pines CD/LP+MP3 (Fire)
So complex and substance-affected was their evolution, Bardo Pond have been creating their dreamy riffs for 26 years alongside a myriad of side projects. Under The Pines sees them delve into the subconscious with their transcending cosmic post-rock. Over 41 minutes Bardo Pond’s fermentation, their languid throb and textured groove (flute, violin, Isobel Sollenberger’s haunting vocals) sounds like cathartic dream pop wrapped in a delicately constructed barbwire shroud.
Johan Berthling/Martin Küchen/Steve Noble – Threnody, At The Gates CD/LP (Trost)
A recording from November 1, 2015, of the trio of Johan Berthling (double bass), Martin Küchen (tenor and soprano saxophones, retardophone, flute), and Steve Noble (drums and percussion).
Betty Who – The Valley CD (RCA)
Australian-born pop singer Betty Who makes vivacious yet bittersweet music that calls to mind divas such as Whitney Houston, Robyn, and Katy Perry. The 25-year-old Australian-born and Los Angeles based pop star is hoping that 2017 keeps her busy, after she broke out with the dance-pop hit “Somebody Loves You” in 2014 and spent most of last year on the road. Since then, Who (real name: Jess Newham) has moved to Los Angeles, gotten into a serious relationship and experienced the personal growth that she says naturally comes when you enter your mid-20s. “On this album, there’s still grieving about my last relationship, or talking about friendships that have fallen apart over the past couple of years due to the nature of my job — but I also think it’s much more self-assured.”
Blutengel – Leitbild CD/2xCD (Out Of Line)
Tenth studio album from German futurepop band. Available in Regular and Deluxe editions. The deluxe double CD edition includes a bonus disc containing five extra tracks and various remixes.
Boondox – The Murder CD/LP+MP3 (Majik Ninja)
New album from the rapper featuring guest contributions from Twiztid, Jamie Madrox, Bubba Sparxxx, Blaze Ya Dead Homie, The R.O.C., Lex The Hex Master, G-Mo Skee and
Young Wicked.
Daniel Brandt – Eternal Something CD/LP (Erased Tapes)
Daniel Brandt, co-founder of Germany’s electroacoustic ensemble Brandt Brauer Frick, joins the Erased Tapes family with his solo debut album. What started off as a more simplistic idea soon evolved into something a lot more complex as the London and Berlin based music producer traveled across the world, experimenting with various other artists and different instruments. From his father’s cabin based in the German countryside with access to nothing but cymbals, to being surrounded by guitars in Joshua Tree, his unexpected journey soon progressed into what became his first solo album. Daniel played nearly all instruments himself with the only exception being fellow musicians Florian Juncker on trombone, Manu Delago on hang drum, and Andreas Voss on cello.
Braveyoung – Misery & Pride CD/LP (The Flenser)
Portland OR’s Braveyoung return with a new album of somber instrumentals. Brooding drones and chamber string arrangements shape these stripped-down eulogies, but the menace of their punk roots remains.
Brewer & Shipley – A&R Recording ’71 CD (Echoes)
Brewer & Shipley, live at A&R Recording Studios, New York on December 9, 1971. Captured at the pinnacle of Mike Brewer and Tom Shipley’s celebrated career, their acoustic performance for WPRJ-FM is adequate proof of a consummate partnership that extends beyond mere words, written or sung. Two immensely talented writers and musicians, unplugged long before VH1 coined the term. For beautifully handcrafted classic songs, look no further.
The Bug Vs Earth – Concrete Desert CD (Ninja Tune)
“This is a total dream-come-true collaboration for fans of pulverizingly heavy music: Dylan ‘Extra Low Frequency Version’ Carson’s Earth project and Kevin ‘Skeng’ Martin’s The Bug, producing together. After two tracks together last year, the pair have now made a full album, and it’s a seething, bristling blast of a listen” – Norman UK. [Expanded vinyl edition due May 5.]
The Cairo Gang – Untouchable CD/LP/Cassette (God?)
The Cairo Gang’s music is a refreshing dip in the pools of classic youth-pop, with songs of star-crossed breakthroughs and guitars cross-talking with a bejeweled ennui and a sly sting that appeals to a higher order. They serve up sweet-and-sorrow reveries on Untouchable, a breathtaking series of entanglements and attempts to break free –a trace of dolor wafting through their dancing riff-works.
Cannibale – No Mercy For Love CD (Born Bad)
Still unknown in rock territory, French band Cannibale gets its name from its “kind of exotic garage” music whose humid tropical groove is slowly eating up all the stereotypes about Born Bad Records releases. If there’s cannibalism to be found in No Mercy For Love, it’s in reference to the Caribbean rhythms here-and-there, and to the psychedelic sound from the backwoods that make this first album a peculiar occurrence in the land of strikes and wine drinkers. It is a surprising mixture of cumbia, African rhythms and garage music — a kind of missing link between Fela Kuti, The Doors, and The Seeds.
Ceeys – Concrete Field CD/LP (1631)
Ceeys, the instrumental duo of Potsdam-based brothers Sebastian and Daniel Selke, perform an impressive hybrid of principally cello and piano, but also authentic electronic instruments from East Germany. The tracks on Concrete Fields present a sensitive array of nebulous melancholy moods, combining fragile cello-piano units, creeping synth pads, vivid field recordings, and fragmentary beats.
Chapelier Fou – Kalia CD/LP (Ici D’ailleurs)
Chapelier Fou, aka Louis Warynski, presents the very first instalment released as a record for the digital art installation project Les Métamorphoses de Mr. Kalia project, on which Béatrice Lartigue and Cyril Diagne, of French artists’ collective Lab212, invited Fou to work on 2014. The nine songs presented on Kalia are effective and concise. All are based on a simple idea from which the artist extracts its maximum potential to give a stripped-down result. Kalia shows that Chapelier Fou’s music is a breeding ground for research, experimentation and cohesiveness — an interaction, a dialogue and perpetual questioning.
Billy Childs – Rebirth CD (Mack Avenue)
On his new album Rebirth, Billy Childs reaches back to the start of his almost astoundingly varied musical experience—leading a small jazz band of state-of-the-art musicians with his piano playing. An accomplished symphonic writer, he has also amassed a career’s worth of jazz originals that can swing hard, dazzle with intricacy, touch you with direct simplicity, or mesmerize with crystalline lyricism.
Michel Cloup Duo – Ici Et Là-Bas CD/LP (Ici D’ailleurs)
Following 2013’s Minuit Dans Tes Bras, Michel Cloup is back with another instalment of his personal history — this time in a duo with the drummer Julien Rufié (Eryn Non Dae). Michel explores the many paths his own history has taken and creates a universal story which is at the heart of current events. The compositions are crystal clear and without embellishments although more arranged and less minimalist than on the two previous albums. Cloup on the records: “Ici Et Là-Bas is a little like my musical identity card and in any case it reflects all my obsessions — rock, French ‘chanson’, spoken-word, groove, experimentation, psychedelia, power or gentleness.”
Jessi Colter – The Psalms CD (Sony Legacy)
The striking new album by Jessi Colter features 12 original, spontaneous recordings, with lyrics drawn from the most timeless and sacred poems, the Psalms. Recorded with world-renowned producer/guitarist/author, Lenny Kaye with whom Jessi became dear friends while he worked on her late husband Waylon Jennings autobiography, The Psalms encapsulates the universal yet simple joyous mysteries of this spiritual text resulting in an altogether unique and transfixing album. [Vinyl edition due April 21.]
Samantha Crain – You Had Me At Goodbye CD/LP (Ramseur)
“Oklahoma-born singer-songwriter Samantha Crain’s fifth album You Had Me At Goodbye shows off her folk balladry and experimental spirit with a greater pop emphasis. Written in her home state at the back end of winter and recorded by John Vanderslice at his Tiny Telephone Studios in San Francisco, You Had Me… makes for a luxurious if over-rich listen. In its cozy atmosphere and lush woodwind and string instruments, You Had Me… follows in the lineage of recent records like Eleanor Friedberger’s New View and Natalie Prass’ self-titled debut” – The Skinny. [Limited color vinyl pressing also available.]
Creeper – Eternity, In Your Arms CD (Roadrunner)
Since 2014, Creeper have been invigorating the rock scene with their carefully curated horror-punk, which evokes early AFI and My Chemical Romance.
Cut Up – Wherever They May Rot CD/LP (Metal Blade)
With an impressive collective past in the extreme side of metal and the ambition to blaze the trail of musical violence, Cut Up has come to claim the throne. Combining grinding death metal with a modern approach and high musicianship, yet always with key focus on brutality, these Swedes are notorious for bringing the gore wherever they go.
Cyanide Pills – Sliced & Diced CD/LP (Damaged Goods)
Keeping the spirit of ’78 alive, Cyanide Pills’ mix of punk blasts and melodic power-pop has never sounded better. With razor-sharp twin guitars, a pounding rhythm section and unmatched lyrical barbs, Sliced And Diced is one of the best albums you’ll hear in 2017. [Limited pink color vinyl pressing also available.]
Bobby Darin & Johnny Mercer – Two Of A Kind [Reissue/1961] CD (Omnivore)
Anyone who is a fan of a swinging big band and pop vocals knows the names Bobby Darin, Johnny Mercer, and Billy May. This new edition of Two Of A Kind features the original 13 tracks with 7 previously unissued performances—5 alternate takes, and 2 songs recorded for, but left off the album. These additional recordings offer a glimpse into the studio to witness the joy the artists shared in this collaboration.
Dickey/Maneri/Shipp – Vessel In Orbit CD (Aum Fidelity)
Vessel In Orbit presents the first new group music in over a decade from singular drummer-composer Whit Dickey. It is a richly melodic and deeply focused album; structural integrity and emotional resonance are paramount throughout. Created together with the impeccable improvisers Mat Maneri on viola and pianist Matthew Shipp, each of these men has a lifetime commitment to creative music, and they share a musical relationship with one another that dates back decades. Dickey’s wonderfully inviting compositional structures provide fruitful platforms for his esteemed colleagues and, par for his work as a leader, he cedes the spotlight to the collective as a whole. Wide-open listening and fluid expression abound here.
Jackie Edwards – Mister Peaceful CD/LP (Kingston Sounds)
Jackie Edwards’s voice can be heard on hundreds of ska, r&b, soul, and rocksteady records. In fact, all the incarnations that evolved from reggae. He was at the birth of Island Records and his distinctive soulful voice has rightly given him the moniker of the Original Cool Ruler. With Mister Peaceful, Kingston Sounds have compiled some of Jackie Edwards’s finest songs — all cool tunes in different reggae styles but all sung to perfection.
Eliane Elias – Dance Of Time CD (Concord)
Dance Of Time builds upon the success of the 2015 release Made In Brazil but delivers its own distinctive sound by providing a contemporary play on classic Brazilian songs from Elias’ youth and musical career.
Erasure – From Moscow To Mars: An Erasure Anthology 12xCD+DVD (Mute)
30 years after the release of their debut album, Erasure (Andy Bell and Vince Clarke) celebrate their incredible career and friendship with a 13 disc anthology box set charting their award-winning songwriting partnership. From Moscow To Mars includes all of the band’s 50 singles, a CD from both Vince and Andy compiling their favorite tracks, CDs of remixes (from Martyn Ware, William Orbit, Little Boots, Youth, Shep Pettibone, Chris & Cosey, to name but a few), B-sides, live material and rarities plus a radio documentary about the band and the Wild! concert, available on DVD for the first time.
Esplendor Geometrico – Fluida Mekaniko CD/2xLP (Geometrik)
The cult band based in Madrid and Rome present their new album. Fluida Mekaniko highlights Esplendor Geometrico’s inclusion of voices and sonorities of African, Arab, and Asian music. Industrial neo-tribalism, where mechanical rhythms hypnotize, like mantras, inducing a trance.
Bill Evans – On A Monday Evening (Live) CD/LP (Fantasy)
On A Monday Evening offers jazz fans a rare treat: an unreleased (and never bootlegged) concert recording of The Bill Evans Trio, featuring Eddie Gomez and Eliot Zigmund. Captured live at Madison, Wisconsin’s Union Theater on Monday, November 15, 1976, this recording finds Evans at the top of his game, performing both contemporary compositions from that era, as well as his longstanding signature tunes to a packed house.
Feral Ohms – Feral Ohms CD/LP/Cassette (Silver Current)
Feral Ohms is a power trio from Oakland, California, led by Comets On Fire/Howlin Rain/Heron Oblivion guitar and voice fireball Ethan Miller along with animal drummer Chris Johnson (Drunk Horse/Andy Human) and the loudest bassist in fifteen counties, Josh Haynes (Nudity). The band turns the spatial pyrotechnics and expansive spirit of classic psychedelia inside out, dragging it through the punk rock era kicking and screaming and boils it down into a series of explosions that start at needle drop and end when the record does.
Fink – Sunday Night Blues Club Vol. 1 CD (R’coup’d)
Fink is an artist who fails to sit in genre. His career has spanned a creative output of albums that have touched on, and been informed by, everything from soul and acid house to more orchestral expressions, like “Yesterday Was Hard On All Of Us” as used in the Selma soundtrack. His latest album once again shifts gear and arrives as a modern blues volume inspired by his love of artists like John Lee Hooker, T-Bone Walker, and Chuck Berry, and was recorded in one day at his Berlin studio and co-produced with Flood (U2, PJ Harvey, Warpaint). [Vinyl edition due April 21.]
Craig Finn – We All Want The Same Things CD/LP+MP3 (Partisan)
Shortly after the release of Faith In The Future in September 2015, Craig Finn got together with producer Josh Kaufman to talk about making another record. He had been writing a ton, and wanted to follow up quickly on the last album. He had been thinking about love and partnership in modern times, and had written a lot of songs about couples. Love seems like the biggest mystery in our modern days — no amount of science or advances in technology can help us fully understand the notion of love and the role it plays in our lives. But Finn also thought about the search for love as an antidote for loneliness, and how so often modern partnership can be an alignment of self-interests. We make teams with each other to combat the world around us. There is a beauty in that for sure, but it also can fray around the edges. We lean against each other to keep ourselves upright, make uneasy truces, and push forward into uneasy times. The songs Finn had written dwelled on this. Finn and Kaufman started working in short sessions starting November 2015 and kept it going over the next year. As on Faith In The Future, percussionist Joe Russo and engineer Dan Goodwin were prominent parts of the sessions. They had developed a vocabulary and a style of working that felt comfortable — maybe like a band making their second or third record. That said, they also wanted create something different and new, so they invited a lot of other people to collaborate.
Johnny Flynn – Sillion CD/LP (Transgressive)
The fourth album from the indie singer/songwriter Johnny Flynn — expect lyrics of storytelling with a folk-influenced sound, for fans of Mumford & Sons, Bear’s Den, Matthew And The Atlas and Eliza & The Bear.
Ruthie Foster – Joy Comes Back CD (Blue Corn Music)
10 tracks from the Austin artist, nine of which are by a diverse array of writers from Mississippi John Hurt, Sean Staples and Grace Pettis, daughter of renowned folk singer Pierce Pettis, to Chris Stapleton and Black Sabbath. Yes, Black Sabbath; Foster re-imagines “War Pigs” as a jam session with Son House. She also covers the Four Tops’ ”Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever, written by Ivy Jo Hunter and Stevie Wonder.
Mark Fry – Dreaming With Alice [Reissue/1972] CD/LP (Merlins Noise)
Merlins Nose Records present a reissue of Mark Fry’s Dreaming With Alice, originally released in 1972. Recorded by a 19-year-old Mark Fry, Dreaming With Alice is a beautifully naive kind of psychedelic folk with dreamy vocals and a peaceful atmosphere. The direction, despite all psychedelic elements, is definitely determined by British folk music of the ’60s and ’70s. A must have for all fans of acid folk from the late ’60s to the early ’70s era.
GaBLé – JoLLy TrouBLe CD/LP (Ici D’ailleurs)
GaBLé move further from the collage, DIY or chaotic rock style they have been known for on JoLLy TrouBLe. 13 songs with subtle arrangements that highlight the combo’s immediately attractive side and vocal talents. Rock, folk, song, jazz and of course electronic glitch or analog, even experimental music all at once. Sunny, benevolent pop, bursts of noise, psychedelic slow burns, punk riffing, and faux ballads.
Diamanda Galás – All The Way CD/LP (Intravenal Sound Operations)
“‘All The Way’ is nominally a love song, but in contrast to say, Frank Sinatra’s Karo-sweet 1957 definitive rendition of the song, Diamanda Galás’ version is bitter and broken down. The song serves as the title track for a new record of frigid and gothic jazz and blues standards, Galás’ first in nearly a decade.” – Pitchfork
Eric Gales – Middle Of The Road CD/LP+MP3 (Provogue)
New album from the blues guitarist featuring guest appearances by Lauryn Hill, Gary Clark Jr, Eugene Gales, LaDonna Gales, Lance Lopez, Raphael Saadiq and Christone ‘Kingfish’ Ingram.
Jackie Gleason – Music For Lovers Only [Reissue/1955] CD (Real Gone Music)
The go-to make-out record for an entire generation, restored to its full, 16-track length.
Gnoomes – Tschak! CD/LP (Rocket Recordings)
Gnoomes, a threesome hailing from Perm, Russia, create a marriage between the experimentation of krautrock and the lineage of Warp Records. Torrents of guitar, noise, and electronic extrapolations, both bliss-fully kosmische and aggressively abrasive.
Gold Star – Big Blue CD/LP+MP3 (Autumn Tone)
Marlon Rabenreither, better known as Gold Star, is a singer, songwriter and producer from Los Angeles, CA. Marlon spent most of his early music career playing dive bars around Los Angeles in rock and roll bands and eventually found that he had a passion for Americana. Big Blue is a mix of late ‘60s rock and roll with the soul of early blues and country music.
Jacques Greene – Feel Infinite CD/LP (LuckyMe)
Jacques Greene is the enigmatic, young artist who broke out of a generation of independent electronic labels. He crafted a musical blueprint that inspired a generation who were raised on, and looked to bring together the intersection of contemporary music growing up in the ’90s: hip-hop, R&B, house, and techno. At its heart, Feel Infinite is a world of music connected to the utopian idea of club culture – music about the club, rather than specifically club music in and of itself.
John Hammond – Walkin’ Blues Live… Chicago & Toronto CD (Klondike)
Bluesman John Hammond live at the Chicago Blues Festival, Chicago in 1991 and at Albert’s Hall, Toronto in 1992.
Herbie Hanco*ck – VSOP II Tokyo 1983 CD (Hi Hat)
Herbie Hanco*ck featuring Ron Carter, Branford Marsalis, Wynton Marsalis, and Tony Williams, live from NHK Hall, Tokyo, Japan on May 19, 1983.
Tobias Hellkvist – Kaskelot: Reissue + Remixes CD (Home Normal)
Tobias Hellkvist – Vesterhavet (Extended) CD (Home Normal)
Kaskelot is one of Swedish electro-acoustic composer Tobias Hellkvist’s little known releases which first appeared on Home Normal’s sub-label Tokyo Droning back in 2011. Being a Japan-exclusive, it was incredibly limited and has long been sold out. After many years of discussing a reissue of Kaskelot, Home Normal decided to expand on the original, and developed a list of remixers to expand on the original pieces which have since been remastered. In Offthesky and Segue, are two dear friends of the label and also the two artists that opened the Tokyo Droning label. Many will know of the work of Chihei Hatakeyama. Other great artists such as Steve Pacheco, Simon Bainton, Porya Hatami, and Chris Herbert also provide remixes. Vesterhavet was his first proper full-length since 2010’s Evolutions and 2012’s Everything Is Connected, and was originally digital-only.
Hite – Light Of A Strange Day CD (Six Degrees)
Hite is singer, multi-instrumentalist and producer Julia Easterlin based in NYC. She is perhaps best-known by her collaboration with Vieux Farka Touré on the album Touristes. Initially, she built her reputation by looping and layering her voice to create her music. Light Of A Strange Day is a natural progression away from loops and into more flexible forms of storytelling.
Drew Holcomb and The Neighbors –Souvenir CD/LP (Magnolia Music)
Nashville-based singer-songwriter teams up with wife and neighbors to create formidable alt-country. Formed in 2006 by Drew Holcomb (lead vocals, guitar, harmonica), the band includes Nathan Dugger (guitar, keys), Rich Brinsfield (bass), Jonathan Womble (drums), and Grant Pittman (keys). Drawing influence from Tom Petty and Bob Dylan, Drew Holcomb and The Neighbors have found their place in today’s landscape of singer/songwriter Americana. Drew and his band have developed their sound through extensive touring, performing alongside John Hiatt, Don Henley, The Avett Brothers, Ryan Adams, Los Lobos, Susan Tedeschi, Needtobreathe, Robert Earl Keen and more.
Hoodoo Rhythm Devils – Live… Old Waldorf, San Francisco ’77 CD (Echoes)
Originally signed to Capitol Records in 1971, Hoodoo Rhythm Devil’s debut LP, Rack Jobbers Rule went by largely unnoticed, but simultaneously helped in launching the band’s live career, which was certainly more successful than their recorded legacy. Capturing a band like HRD live is no mean feat, but their appearance at the Old Waldorf is one that is relatively unmatched in this area. This set originally aired on May 17, 1977 on KSAN.
Imaginary Tricks – Skommel CD/LP (Friendship Fever)
Skommel is the debut album from Queens, NY’s Imaginary Tricks. Building upon a lifelong affair with guitar noise and love for buttery R&B classics, these songs are reflections of psych-tinged rock and pop obsessions, abused by years of a relentless search for something stranger, stronger, and free.
Jean-Michel Jarre – Oxygene Trilogy 3xCD/6xLP+3xCD (Sony Legacy)
Jean-Michel Jarre – Oxygene 3 LP (Sony Legacy)
40 years after the huge international impact of Oxygene, and 20 years from its second volume Oxygene 7-13, Jean-Michel Jarre is fulfilling a trilogy of albums with Oxygene 3, containing seven newly composed and recorded pieces, consistently titled parts 14-20. His inspiration for the newly added parts on Oxygene 3 was not to go back in time, but to add a sense of “now” to his iconic piece of work. [The Deluxe Oxygene Triology box set includes copies on clear vinyl and on CD, as well as a coffee-table book featuring rare photos and notes.]
The Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis featuring Jon Batiste – The Music Of John Lewis CD (Blue Engine)
Few captured the sleek, swinging sophistication of jazz better than pianist, composer, and bandleader John Lewis, who had a long, deep, personal relationship with Jazz At Lincoln Center. “He used to always call our program a miracle,” says Wynton Marsalis. “He used to always say, ‘Keep that miracle going.’” In 2013, when the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis set out to honor the legacy of the Modern Jazz Quartet’s maestro, they teamed up with New Orleans’ own Jon Batiste. The bandleader of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and a prodigious pianist in his own right, Batiste joined the JLCO to tackle some of Lewis’s most iconic tunes during a sold-out concert in Rose Theater, The House Of Swing. From the blistering bebop of “Two Bass Hit” to the down-home blues of “2 Degrees East, 3 Degrees West”—from small group configurations to the big band might of the full JLCO—The Music Of John Lewis captures the elegance and soulfulness of Lewis’s daring compositions.
The Jesus And Mary Chain – Damage And Joy CD/LP/Cassette (Artificial Plastic)
“Last month, Creation Records founder Alan McGee claimed that The Jesus And Mary Chain, the great ’80s and ’90s noise-pop alchemists, had recorded a new album and that it would be coming out in March. This was f**king awesome news; in all their years as functioning recording artists, The Jesus And Mary Chain never recorded a single bad song. But it was also hearsay. So it’s even more f**king awesome to confirm that, yes, there is a new Jesus And Mary Chain album. This will be the band’s first since 1998’s Munki, and as Pitchfork reports, the brothers Jim and William Reid recorded it with producer Youth, a member of Killing Joke, who also played bass. Their touring drummer Brian Young also joined them, as did bassist Phil King, fresh off of the aborted Lush reunion. In a 2015 interview with Rolling Stone, Reid said he and his brother, guitarist William Reid, had ‘f**k-loads of songs,’ but, ‘We disagree about a lot of things to do with it, like how to record it, where to record it. Now we’re starting to come around to agreeing with each other, which is kind of strange territory for me and William.” — Stereogum
Jethro Tull – Jethro Tull: The String Quartets CD/2xLP (The End)
A new album by Ian Anderson and the Carducci Quartet featuring the classic songs of Jethro Tull, arranged and orchestrated by John O’Hara. Ian plays flute on most of the tracks and even sings a few lines here and there to provide his trademark sounds in the context of classical music traditions. “Living In The Past,” “Aqualung,” “Locomotive Breath” and “Bungle In The Jungle” are among the album track listing but appear, along with their fellow musical travelers, under more cryptic titles to differentiate them from the original recordings and arrangements. Ian says, “Perfect for lazy, long sunny afternoons, crisp winter nights, weddings and funerals.” He forgot to add, perfect also after a night of wild, abandoned sex or to celebrate the win of your favorite football team. Essentially, anytime music for sophisticated lovers of classic rock too afraid to wear their Tull t-shirt at the village barbecue.
Bridget Kearney – Won’t Let You Down CD/LP (Signature Sounds Recordings)
In the 12 years she has toured the world as a member of the soul-pop sensation Lake Street Dive, Bridget Kearney has fine-tuned many things — voracious collaborating, acclaimed bass playing, and harmonizing, to name a few. But the skill she has honed most obsessively is songwriting. While still a student at The New England Conservatory of Music, Kearney won the grand prize in the John Lennon Songwriting Contest, a harbinger of things to come. Now, Kearney steps into the spotlight with her first solo effort, a wry, big-hearted pop album entitled Won’t Let You Down. Shades of The Beatles, Wilco, Fleetwood Mac, and even Nick Cave can be detected, as the album swerves from ’60s pop to modern indie-rock.
Mamadou Kelly – Politiki CD (Clermont Music)
Mamadou Kelly transforms desert blues with modern sophistication. His third album, Politiki brings Kelly and his group BanKaiNa together with Grammy-winning steel guitarist Cindy Cashdollar, drummer Susie Ibarra, bassist Jake Silver, and guitarist Dan Littleton, into a dynamic fusion.
B.B. King – A&R Studios, New York ’71 CD (Klondike)
The late 1960s and early ’70s announced a new era for the pioneering bluesman B.B. King. The world had woken up to one of America’s truest icons and would finally hail his legacy in music. His October visit to New York’s A&R Studios was just one of numerous dates that filled King’s diary to bursting point that year. Having toured Europe and recorded with the cream of London’s blues players at Olympic Studios, and with an appearance on Ed Sullivan’s flagship show, it was time to host his latest four album releases.
Freddie King – Ebbet’s Field, Denver ’74 2xCD (Klondike)
Colorado’s Ebbets Field was a familiar blues venue that had been graced by all and whose audience would never tire of visiting greats. The arrival of Freddie King on May 27th, 1974 in Denver, promised an abundance of euphoric blues picking from a legendary Chicago figure.
Kingston All-Stars – Presenting Kingston All-Stars CD/LP (Roots & Wire)
The Kingston All-Stars project is a celebration of the heyday of vintage reggae spearheaded by Canadian producer, engineer, and musician Moss Raxlen. Revolving around a robust core of legendary session players, the lineup features: Sly Dunbar, Jackie Jackson, Hux Brown, Ansel Collins, and more.
Massive Ego – Brutal Suicide 2xCD (Out Of Line)
The British act returns with a new electro pop album. Features a bonus album containing five addional new songs, plus remixes from Blutengel, Ashbury Heights, CHROM, Ludovico Technique, Nature Of Wires, Ash Code and Neroargento.
Paul McCartney – Flowers In The Dirt [Reissue/1989] 2xCD/3xCD+DVD+MP3/2xLP+MP3 (Capitol)
Special expanded deluxe edition includes a bonus disc containing nine demo tracks with Elvis Costello. One of the most critically acclaimed albums of the ‘80s, nominated for both BRIT and Grammy Awards, Flowers In The Dirt saw Paul McCartney team up with Elvis Costello to co-write a third of the album (“My Brave Face,” “You Want Her Too,” “Don’t Be Careless Love” and “That Day Is Done”) as well as boasting production credits from producers such as Mitchell Froom, Trevor Horn, David Foster, Steve Lipson, Elvis Costello and Paul McCartney himself. Digitally remastered. [Also available as a triple-CD+DVD edition that includes two CDs of bonus demos and acoustic versions, a DVD with 10 music videos, the 1989 VHS documentary Put It
There and a “making-of” film plus a digital download that includes additional demos, B-sides, alternate mixes and more.]
Me & That Man – Songs Of Love & Death CD/LP (Cooking Vinyl)
This new project from Nergal (Behemoth) follows the sinister and dark lead from those that laid the path: Johnny Cash, Nick Cave, Mike Ness, Tom Waits and others. [Limited color vinyl pressings also available.]
Memoriam – For The Fallen CD/LP (Nuclear Blast)
Memoriam was primarily developed to fill the void that was left following the tragic death of Martin “Kiddie” Kearns, the drummer from Bolt Thrower, back in September 2015. Bolt Thrower subsequently placed all activity on hold for the foreseeable future which gave vocalist Karl Willetts an opportunity to develop a new project with friends that had expressed interest in forming a band for some time. Rounded out by Frank Healy (bass), Andy Whale (drums) and Scott Fairfax (guitars), Memoriam is an old-school death metal band, maintaining the high standards set by their previous groups, focusing on the themes of death, loss and war. [Limited green and “beer” color vinyl pressings also available.]
Raul Midón – Bad Ass And Blind CD (Artistry Music)
Bad Ass And Blind finds Midón expanding his range compositionally, tapping into the linear modal harmony explored by such jazz composers as Miles Davis and Wayne Shorter. Album highlight “Wings Of Mind” utilizes this technique with a sophistication that brings to mind jazz-savvy pop acts like Steely Dan. “As a listener, you don’t need to know anything about the Phrygian or Dorian modes to get this music – it just sounds different, intriguing, and exotic.”
Coco Montoya – Hard Truth CD (Alligator)
From the radio-friendly, gospel-inspired shout-out to love, “I Want To Shout About It,” to the haunting “Devil Don’t Sleep” to the icy-hot cover of Albert Collins’ “The Moon Is Full,” Hard Truth covers a lot of emotional ground. Montoya’s unpredictable guitar playing and smoking soul vocals blend effortlessly with a backing band featuring renowned musicians including bassist Bob Glaub (Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Jerry Lee Lewis), keyboardist Mike Finnigan (Jimi Hendrix, Etta James, Taj Mahal), guitarists Billy Watts (Eric Burdon) and Johnny Lee Schell (Bonnie Raitt), and Braunagel on drums. Slide guitar master Leroy Parnell guests on “Lost In The Bottle.”
The Moonlandingz – Interplanetary Classics CD/LP (Chimera Music)
Hailing from Sheffield, England, The Moonlandingz brings together bloodthirsty NME cover boys Lias Saoudi and Saul Adamczewski (of Fat White Family) with oddball synth twiddlers Adrian Flanagan and Dean Honer (of The Eccentronic Research Council). Produced by Sean Lennon, the whole is even loonier than the sum of its parts. Interplanetary Class Classics is a feast of swirling juddering synths, wailing guitars, motorik stomp and extraordinary songwriting. Includes guest vocals by Yoko Ono, Rebecca Taylor (Slow Club), Randy “Cowboy” Jones (The Village People) and Phil Oakey (The Human League).
Mark Murphy – Wild And Free: Live At The Keystone Korner CD (HighNote)
When Mark Murphy died in October 2015, the obituaries claimed that he had been almost the last of his kind. Murphy, it was said, was a man who embodied the spirit of postwar bohemia, the On The Road Kerouac generation who fought against the straight life of prosperity and numb consumerism they saw all around them. With a catalogue of more than 40 albums under his own name as well as numerous collaborations, Mark Murphy resisted orthodoxy. He could very likely have enjoyed a successful mainstream career had he remained a crooner in the vein of Mel Tormé or Jack Jones, but he had greater ambition to carry the jazz vocal flame.
Janka Nabay & The Bubu Gang – Build Music CD/LP (Luaka Bop)
“All I am about is making history” says Janka Nabay. After a string of cassette releases, Nabay became a star of electronic bubu music back home in Sierra Leone. But he was soon forced to escape his homeland’s explosive civil war in the 1990s. Over the years, Nabay gradually rebuilt his musical life in the United States while supporting himself working at hotels and fried chicken restaurants. Nabay’s bubu music may sound futuristic, but its existence spans centuries. The original bubu is cloaked in mythology: as legend has it, a young bubu boy took the music from witches 500 years ago, brought it to the public at large, and sacrificed his own life in the process. Over time, bubu evolved into a music played collectively on percussive instruments and bamboo horns. Upon the arrival of Islam in Sierra Leone, the hypnotic sound of bubu music was adapted for processionals during Ramadan. As Janka says: “Bubu is an old, old music, but people don’t know about it. You can add new things into the beat if you know it really well, and make your own sound out of it.”
New Street Adventure – Stubborn Sons CD/LP+MP3 (PIAS America)
Just as Curtis Mayfield chronicled the social upheavals of mid- ‘70’s America and Elvis Costello cast a perspicacious eye over Thatcher’s Britain, New Street Adventure reflect the turbulent world we live in today. Teaming up once more with Mitch Ayling (The Milk) following his work on their debut, Stubborn Sons was recorded in a seven-day blitz in an Essex Studio. The album marks the advancement and persistence of the band featuring pulsating grooves, mellifluous Moogs and fuzz guitars which underpin ten tracks that encapsulate the world around them – social politics mixed with a healthy measure of humor.
Nytt Land – Fimbulvinter CD (Cold Spring)
Notably outstanding on the Russian scene and largely compared with the legendary Wardruna, Nytt Land are unique in their devotion to ritual northern music and tradition. Their approach, using genuine native hand-crafted instruments, and true Old Norse, help them to grasp the true spirit of ancient northern music like no one in Eastern Europe has done before. Their music is mostly based on the sources from Poetic Edda, performed in original Old Islandic. Fimbulvinter is enriched with instruments like bagpipes and trembita (Alpine horn), and throat singing, skillfully used to illustrate the occurrence of the forces of chaos; chthonic monsters in the world of men and gods.
Oddisee – The Iceberg CD (Mello Music Group)
The prolific MC, producer and musician Oddisee’s new album, The Iceberg, is a plea for humanity to dig deeper in search of understanding and common ground. The album is a distillation of stereotypical tropes in hip-hop and beyond, 12 tracks about money, sex, politics, race and religion that appear superficial until his multi-dimensional lyrics unfurl to expose the complexities of individuality and identity: How we see ourselves and how others see us. Deeply soulful, and shot through with jazz, go-go, gospel, thick R&B and hard beats, The Iceberg is a timely, poetic statement. The album was recorded and produced by Oddisee at his own studio in Brooklyn, made with live instrumentation performed by Oddisee and members of his band, Good Company.
Miles Okazaki – Trickster CD (Pi Recordings)
Trickster is guitarist Miles Okazakiâ’s first album in five years. Perhaps best-known as a member of Steve Coleman and Five Elements, with whom he has played for the last eight years, Okazaki has also built a solid reputation for himself as one of the most adventurous composers and guitarists on the current scene. The New York Times says of Okazaki, “Even by the standard of his hyper-literate post-bop peer group, Mr. Okazaki is an unusually calculating musical thinker,” and as a guitarist, “exceedingly skilled with a head for rhythmic convolution.”
On Fillmore – Happiness Of Living CD/LP (Northern Spy)
“On Fillmore is the duo of Glenn Kotche and Darin Gray, who between them have played with amazing artists from Chris Corsano and Jim O’Rourke to Wilco. Happiness Of Living includes yet more musical collaborators, all adding up to an impressive suite of spontaneously-composed and texturally-varied music.” – Norman UK
Kelly Lee Owens – Kelly Lee Owens CD/LP (Smalltown Supersound)
Kelly Lee Owens has dabbled in many various form of electronic music, but seems most comfortable and comforting in this atmospheric world with a beat, combining the spectral pop of Grimes with techno and the gentle krautrock of Broadcast.
Pallbearer – Heartless CD/2xLP (Profound Lore)
Pallbearer further expand their sound by harnessing classic traditional metal and the prog aesthetic while remaining true to the essence of their signature sound.
Paris Combo – Tako Tsubo CD (DRG)
Fronted by the charismatic vocals of chanteuse Belle du Berry, Paris Combo has struck a chord with critics and audiences alike with their fun-loving mix of swinging gypsy jazz, cabaret, French pop and Latino and Middle Eastern rhythms.
William Parker & Stefano Scodanibbio – Bass Duo CD (Aum Fidelity)
Bass Duo presents the historic and only performance meeting of these two renowned and innovative bass masters, each representing distinct musical traditions; both fully committed to the summit at hand. It was recorded during the Udin & Jazz 2008 Festival in Udine, Italy at Teatro San Giorgio. Both William Parker and Stefano Scodanibbio are bassists, composers and improvisers possessing a deep sense of musical poetry, organic inventiveness, and personal style.
Patria – Magna Adversia CD/LP (Soulseller)
Patria’s new album Magna Adversia offers ten tracks under the tenuous line between black metal and experimental avant-garde music, mixing the South American metal madness with the classic and dark Scandinavian vein.
Pink Floyd – 1965-1967 Cambridge St/Ation 2xCD+DVD+Blu-ray (Pink Floyd Records)
Pink Floyd – 1968 Germin/ation CD+DVD+Blu-ray (Pink Floyd Records)
Pink Floyd – 1969 Dramatis/ation 2xCD+DVD+Blu-ray (Pink Floyd Records)
Pink Floyd – 1970 Devi/ation 2xCD+2xDVD+Blu-ray (Pink Floyd Records)
Pink Floyd – 1971 Reverber/ation CD+DVD+Blu-ray (Pink Floyd Records)
Pink Floyd – 1972 Obfusc/ation 2xCD+DVD+Blu-ray (Pink Floyd Records)
Following the massive The Early Years 1965-1972 collection (released last November), six of the seven volumes included in that hearty box are now available individually (for those fans who’d rather not miss a mortgage payment).
Piri – Voces Querem Mate? [Reissue/1970] CD/LP (Far Out)
The first recording by the relatively unknown singer songwriter Piry Reis is dreamy, ethereal, groovy Brazilian psych-folk at its finest. A highly sought after jewel of twisted psychedelic.
Pontiak – Dialectic Of Ignorance CD/LP+MP3 (Thrill Jockey)
Dialectic Of Ignorance’s expansive structures echo the rugged, hazy climbs of the Blue Ridge Mountain setting of Pontiak’s lives, but don’t be fooled; this is no mere collection of pastoral instrumental landscapes. Having opened their own brewery in August 2015, the Carney brothers have had the opportunity to reassess their creative process through brewing. The lessons learned from this experimentation have had a formative effect on the both the process underlying and subsequent sound of this album. Potent from the first note, “Tomorrow Is Forgetting” fuses Van Carney’s tenacious, stony guitar riffing with his brothers’ blistering vocal harmonies, in a five-minute minimalist stoner opus that relentlessly cranks up the intensity.
Philippe Baden Powell – Notes Over Poetry CD/LP (Far Out Recordings)
Philippe Baden Powell (son of Brazilian musical legend, Baden Powell de Aquino) is reinventing Brazilian jazz in the lineage of his father’s generation. Balancing the classical with the spiritual, the cinematic with the introspective, and sensitivity with a distinctly Brazilian groove, Notes Over Poetry calls upon the inspiration of the many musical and artistic greats Philippe has been surrounded by throughout his life. Classically Brazilian in its roots, but global in its outlook, Notes Over Poetry sits as comfortably next to Tom Jobim’s 1971 album Wave as it does to Robert Glasper’s Black Radio (2011).
Power – Electric Glitter Boogie CD/LP (In The Red)
Power’s sound is raw but full. The band recorded live with minimal overdubs, and the songs continually disintegrate into white heat guitar noise before slamming back into manic amphetamine lockstep. In eight numbers, they traverse an entire history of hard rock, electric glitter boogie, thug glam, raw power punk.
RaeLynn – WildHorse CD (WB)
“Between the ages of 17 and 22, Texas singer and songwriter born Racheal Lynn Woodward weathered the overnight visibility that comes with television singing competitions and the intense process of being groomed for Nashville professionalism. She was schooled in Music Row co-writing methods and sent out to sweet talk radio gatekeepers, before swapping record labels and waiting on the delayed release of her beguiling debut album, WildHorse. Produced by two of RaeLynn’s frequent co-writers, Nicolle Galyon and Jimmy Robbins, the 12-track collection deploys programmed beats and synths in a supple, atmospheric way. RaeLynn sounds about as acclimated to the rhythmic cadences of pop and R&B as Maren Morris did on her breakthrough album last year. But it’s there that the two artists’ approaches diverge; where Morris swaggers, RaeLynn exudes spunk.” — WVIA
Marc Romboy – Voyage De La Plantète CD/2xLP+MP3 (Hype)
Romboy’s first solo album in over eight years signifies an exciting new chapter as he experiments with his sound, pushing the boundaries between classical and electronic music to create both an emotional and atmospheric experience. Voyage De La Plantète combines the strange, fascinating sounds of electronic music with the sublime beauty of classical music to create an extraordinary sonic experience for the listener.
Kevin Ross – The Awakening CD (Motown)
Official debut album from the Atlanta-based R&B artist.
Laetitia Sadier Source – Find Me Finding You CD/LP (Drag City)
Laetitia has relentlessly followed her music through different dynamics and into a variety of dimensions over the course of four solo albums since 2010 (not to forget her three albums with Monade and the long era of Stereolab)—but the nature of the construction here stands distinctly apart from her recent albums. Sadier was inspired by a mind’s-eye envisaging of geometric forms and their possible permutations. As she sought to replicate the shapes in music, this guided the process of assembly for the album. Features longtime collaborators Emmanuel Mario and Xavi Munoz, keyboard and flutes from David Thayer (Little Tornados), synths and electronics from Phil M Fu, and guitar from Mason Le Long, with guest appearances from Hot Chip’s Alexis Taylor and cornet work from Rob Mazurek.
Safar – In Transit CD (Ruptured)
Safar is the Lebanese duo founded in 2013 by Mayssa Jallad (vocals, various percussion) and Elie Abdelnour (acoustic and electric guitars, bass). Safar’s music consists of a very personal take on American and British psychedelic folk, infused with modern pop and rock references, as well as subtle references to the Lebanese golden age of ’60s surf.
Conrad Schnitzler/Pole – Con-Struct CD/LP+CD (Bureau B)
Pole, the Düsseldorf-native musician Stefan Betke, takes part in the Con-Struct series. Jens Strüver’s Con-Struct series started from the idea of “con-structing” new compositions, not remixes, from the archived material of Conrad Schnitzler.
The Skatalites – Foundation Ska [Reissue/1997] 2xCD/2xLP (Studio One)
An essential collection from one of the greatest Jamaican groups. 32 tracks total.
Slaughter & The Dogs – Cranked Up Really High [Reissue/1995] CD (Interference)
A compilation featuring some of the band’s earlier material, originally released in 1995.
Snakehole – Interludes Of Insanity CD/LP (Wharf Cat)
Snakehole has returned, and on the Miami/Philadelphia noise rock duoʼs new LP, Interludes Of Insanity, KC Toimil and Autumn Casey and up the clarity, volume, crunch, and sophistication in a major way. Recorded by the prolific and precise Ben Greenberg (Uniform, Mission Hubble) in Hudson, New Yorkʼs cavernous Waterfront Studios, Interludes Of Insanity showcases the duo’s headway into layering and experimentation.
Spectres – Condition CD/LP (Sonic Cathedral)
Techno-like structures, kinetosis-inducing dirges, white noise, and wordplays, are counterbalanced by brutal assaults and experiments with guitars based on, as singer/guitarist Joe Hatt puts it, “brutalizing them and letting the feedback do the talking.”
Spiral Stairs – Doris & The Daggers CD/LP (Nine Mile)
It’s been eight years since Scott Kannberg aka Spiral Stairs (founding member of Pavement and Preston School of Industry), released any new music. Yet second album Doris & The Daggers is well worth the wait, showcasing the most personal and emotional music Kannberg has ever written and reflecting the life changes that occurred over those years. The album was recorded over a series of short sessions at Exactamundo studios in Eagle Rock, CA. Long-time low-end foil Matt Harris returned on bass duties, while the drum-stool was adopted by Broken Social Scene’s Justin Peroff. The trio cut 30 songs in all, while a number of Scott’s close musical friends stepped in to make some key contributions. Along with the lyrical wit and Scott’s unerring knack for tuneage as embraceably familiar as a beloved sweater; these songs are full of life, stories engagingly told, and a sense of affection for everything that happens within them.
Spirit Of The Beehive – Pleasure Suck CD (Tiny Engines)
With their third release, Pleasure Suck, Philadelphia’s The Spirit Of The Beehive continue to slowly rot your brain with sad, beautiful pop songs and sweet melodies buried under noisy, psychedelic rock. Traversing the ghostly back-roads of indie rock with hypnotizing results, there’s a certain air of mysteriousness that surrounds the band and their music. [Vinyl edition due April 7.]
Becca Stevens – Regina CD (Ground Up Music)
“Stevens is a Brooklyn-based jazz composer with a background in Appalachian folk and classical guitar, and she stitches that eclectic background together with alarming precision. That’s to say nothing of a voice that tangles beauty with terror in a way that would give Shakespeare the shivers. ‘Queen Mab’ is the first single from Stevens’ new record Regina and she lifts the lyrics directly from the Shakespearean speech it is named after. Her musical treatment has all the ephemeral qualities a poem about a nymph of dreams should evoke. But rather than float into overly dainty territory, Stevens drops down into a grimy beat… then presses notes against each other–notes that feel like they want to soar, but are stuck in the sort of crunchy jazz chords that grasshopper wings might make if they tried to flutter under water. It all swells into a vocal round of Shakespearean verse that is as intoxicating and disorienting as the presence of Queen Mab herself. — NPR, Songs We Love
Midori Takada – Through The Looking Glass CD/LP/2×12” (We Release Whatever The F**k We Want)
Reissue of Japanese percussionist Midori Takada’s sought after and timeless ambient/minimal album Through The Looking Glass, originally released in 1983 by RCA Japan. Considered a holy grail of Japanese music by many, Through The Looking Glass is Midori Takada’s first solo endeavor, a captivating four-song suite capturing her deep quests into traditional African and Asian percussive language and exploring contemplative ambient sounds with an admirably precise use of marimba. The result is alternatively ethereal and vibrant, always precise and mesmerizing, and makes for an atmospheric masterpiece and an unparalleled sonic and spiritual experience. [Limited audiophile vinyl pressing also available.]
Today Is The Day – Temple Of The Morning Star: 20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition CD+DVD/2xLP (The End)
This year marks Today Is The Day’s 25th anniversary as a band and the 20th anniversary of their seminal 1997 album Temple Of The Morning Star, which has been remastered and expanded for the occasion with rare and previously unreleased material. Led by visionary frontman Steve Austin, Today Is The Day reigns as one of the most unique and influential underground metal bands of the past two decades. The band’s violent and anthemic style, which blends metal, noise, psychedelia, and rock, has won worldwide acclaim ever since the debut album, Supernova, first hit in the early ‘90s. Nine studio albums have been released on such labels as Amphetamine Reptile and Relapse — including modern-day classics like Willpower, Temple Of The Morning Star, and In the Eyes Of God — and the band’s changing lineup has included such musicians as Brann Dailor and Bill Kelliher, who would later go on to form Mastodon. Today Is The Day has toured the world with Motörhead, Helmet, The Melvins, Morbid Angel, Converge, Napalm Death, Neurosis, Eyehategod, Unsane, Coalesce, and many more. Steve Austin has also made a name as a producer, helping create seminal albums for Lamb Of God, Converge, Deadguy, and more.
Tonsartssbandht – Sorcerer CD/LP+MP3 (Mexican Summer)
Sorcerer is the first full-length studio album from Andy and Edwin White, the Florida/New York duo known as Tonstartssbandht, since 2011’s Now I Am Become. On Sorcerer, the brothers chart a heavenly course above the storm and stress, one explored over years of touring and through a poetic language forged between performers and siblings. This is Tonstartssbandht at the height of their song and story — craft, channeling pure motion and emotion through a soulful filter at the speed of sorcery.
Trey Songz – Tremaine The Album CD (Atlantic)
Although it’s been three years since the release of Trey Songz last official studio album Trigga the R&B sensation has not exactly been quiet. His last project Intermission I and II was an EP full of gems that were also mastered by Mark Christensen here at Engine Room Audio. Rather than chase trends in a genre that is in a phase of transition, Trey has patiently sat back and focused on his sound for this upcoming album. Tremaine The Album features “Nobody Else But You” and “Playboy” which provide the classic heart throb signature of Trey Songz’s sound while “She Lovin It” comes in with a more fresh and experimental approach.
Tuxedo – Tuxedo II CD/LP+MP3 (Stones Throw)
The prolific and diverse hip-hop producer Jake One has teamed up with blue-eyed soul singer Mayer Hawthorne for their second collaboration, appropriately entitled Tuxedo II. Their alter egos — Aquarius (Mayer Hawthorne) and Taurus (Jake One) — are dressed up in tuxedos and presented by Stones Throw founder Peanut Butter Wolf (a man known to dress up himself) as descendants of the one-word moniker family of funk, where you will find groups such as Chic, Shalamar, Plush, and Zapp. It’s another dose of retro disco funk that will have you busting out your own tuxedo and dusting off those dancing shoes.
Various Artists [Jazzanova] – Jazzanova. The Remixes 2006-2016 CD/2xLP (Sonar Kollektiv)
Features Jazzanova remixes of tracks by Malika Ayane, Joe Bataan, Heritage Orchestra, Furry Phreaks with Terra Deva, Spinning Motion, Paul Randolph, Atjazz feat. Dawne B, Outlines, and Hugh Masekela.
Various Artists [Special Request] – FabricLive 91 CD (Fabric)
Paul Woolford, aka Special Request, provides a continuous mix for the 91st installment of Fabric’s mix series. Following a slightly surreal and cavernous beginning, the classic UK techno of Caustic Window (an alias of Richard D. James – Aphex Twin) opens up proceedings and laying the foundation of the mix. Also features: Aleksi Perälä, DJ Stingray, Plastician, Claro Intelecto, Polygon Window, Abul Mogard, Dexter, Alden Tyrell, Stanislav Tolkachev, Shapednoise, Justin K Broadrick, Rood Project, DJ Future & Eric Electric, Keith Fullerton Whitman, Nolige, ASC, Carl Craig, and Mika Vaino.
Various Artists – Classic Piedmont Blues From Smithsonian Folkways CD (Smithsonian Folkways)
With a selection of indelible recordings made over 70 years, Classic Piedmont Blues captures the essence of this fascinating blues tradition. Originating in the foothills of Southern Appalachia, the Piedmont blues served as a breeding ground for cross-pollination between traditions: rural and urban, black and white, country and coastal. Swept up on the tide of the Great Migration, it was carried from the Carolinas and Virginia, north and east through Maryland and Washington, D.C., to New York City and back again. Featuring influential artists like John Jackson, Cephas & Wiggins, Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee, and many others, this collection offers an illuminating overview of the Piedmont style.
Various Artists – Hustle! Reggae Disco [Reissue/2002] CD/3×12” (Soul Jazz)
This compilation features non-stop killer reggae versions of original funk and soul classics in a disco style. Reggae disco updates of seminal classics by Anita Ward (“Ring My Bell”), Chaka Khan (“I’m Every Woman”), Michael Jackson “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough,” Sugarhill Gang (“Rappers Delight,” here performed by Derrick Laro and Trinity for producer Joe Gibbs) and more, all showing the hidden but inseparable link between the dance floors of New York, Kingston, and London. Expanded reissue featuring five extra tracks.
Various Artists – Popular Electronics: Early Dutch Electronic Music From Philips Research Laboratories 1956-1963 [Reissue/2004] 4xCD (Basta)
Popular Electronics showcases the first commercially produced popular electronic music; works or film, theater, and ballet; hybrid compositions that mix electronics with conventional instruments; novelties sound effects and experimental works.
Various Artists – Prix Presque Rien Prize 3xCD (Association Presque Rien)
In 2010, Brunhild Ferrari decided to make public some of Luc Ferrari’s original sound archives by offering a selected collection of recordings to other composers who may wish to use the material for the creation of original musical works. This edition presents the Presque Rien Prize winners and other selected works of the first three biennial contests, the most recent contest having taken place in December 2015. Features: Masashi Isai, Bryan Jacobs, Elsa Justel, and more. Includes three CDs in individual digipak sleeves as well as a 68-page booklet in English, French, and Japanese with liner notes written by the composers, their biographies, title tracks, photos, and an introduction by Brunhild Ferrari.
Various Artists – Typical Girls Volume 2 CD/LP (Emotional Response)
16 more of the greatest current female fronted independent punk and pop bands from around the world, with tracks from: Cold Beat, Midnite Snaxxx, The World, Neighborhood Brats, Black Abba, Flesh World, Bent, Junita y Los Feos, Naked City Lights, Patsy, Skinny Girl Diet, Levitations, Suss c*nts, Soft Tug, Sex Stains, and Moss Lime.
Clint Walker and the Sunset Serenaders – Inspiration [Reissue/1959] CD (Real Gone Music)
Much like his namesake Clint Eastwood, Clint Walker was the star of a TV western (Cheyenne) who parlayed his TV stardom into a recording contract, and, like Clint, being a TV cowboy he went country on this 1959 Warner Bros. release. Or rather country gospel, for Clint’s Crosby-like croonings reveal a somewhat gentler soul than his steely-eyed counterpart. In fact, Clint is a heck of a singer, and the label surrounded him with top-notch talent, in this case arranger/conductor Ralph Carmichael, vocal arranger Jimmy Joyce and Hollywood’s finest session men including organist Buddy Cole for what is an unexpectedly musically satisfying affair that has since become something of a cult classic.
Lewis Watson – Midnight CD/2xLP (Cooking Vinyl)
With Midnight, Lewis Watson has developed his much-adored acoustic-pop sound into something altogether more ambitious, yet even more affecting. Drawing upon inspiration from a disparate range of influences including Death Cab For Cutie, Coldplay and Bon Iver, the album expands Watson’s musical world far beyond his debut. It also features a duet with Lucy Rose on the achingly emotional “Slumber.” The song “Little Light features elements of his signature style sound with a more amplified sound included as well. The drumbeats and electric guitar show that Lewis can create a song out of anything. His talents are endless as he has mastered the acoustic ballad as well as these new, very slightly heavier songs.
Wolf Eyes – Undertow CD/LP+MP3 (Lower Floor Music)
Times of chaos ring the bells for the newest sea-bottom R&B sound lurch from radical sonic artists Wolf Eyes. New release Undertow finds the trio diving into new depths of the electronic and free jazz infected world.
Frank Zappa – Civilization Phaze III [Reissue/1994] 2xCD (Zappa Records)
Frank Zappa – Frank Zappa Plays The Music Of Frank Zappa: A Memorial Tribute [Reissue/1996] CD (Zappa Records)
Frank Zappa – Everything Is Healing Nicely [Reissue/1999] CD (Zappa Records)
Frank Zappa – FZ:OZ [Reissue/2002] 2xCD (Zappa Records)
Frank Zappa – Joe’s Corsage [Reissue/2004] CD (Zappa Records)
Frank Zappa – Joe’s Domage [Reissue/2004] CD (Zappa Records)
Frank Zappa – Joe’s XMAsage [Reissue/2005] CD (Zappa Records)
Frank Zappa – Imaginary Diseases [Reissue/2006] CD (Zappa Records)
Frank Zappa – Buffalo [Reissue/2007] 2xCD (Zappa Records)
Frank Zappa – Joe’s Menage [Reissue/2008] CD (Zappa Records)
Frank Zappa – One Shot Deal [Reissue/2008] CD (Zappa Records)
Frank Zappa – Philly ‘76 [Reissue/2004] 2xCD (Zappa Records)
Frank Zappa – Congress Shall Make No Law [Reissue/2010] CD (Zappa Records)
Frank Zappa – Greasy Love Songs [Reissue/2010] CD (Zappa Records)
Frank Zappa – Hammersmith Odeon [Reissue/2010] CD (Zappa Records)
Frank Zappa – Feeding The Monkies At Ma Maison [Reissue/2011] CD (Zappa Records)
Frank Zappa & The Mothers Of Invention – Carnegie Hall [Reissue/2011] 4xCD (Zappa Records)
Frank Zappa – A Token Of His Extreme [Reissue/2013] CD (Zappa Records)
Frank Zappa – Joe’s Camouflage [Reissue/2014] CD (Zappa Records)
Frank Zappa – Dance Me This [Reissue/2015] CD (Zappa Records)
20 competitively priced reissues from The Vault.
Zëro – San Francisco CD/LP (Ici D’ailleurs)
Zëro’s – the reincarnation of Bästard! and initiators of the French post-rock movement, Deity Guns fifth album, San Francisco. Ozkär Krapö on the album: “… the tracks flow fluidly together as a whole despite the complexity of the arrangements and the multiple cinematographic or musical references, with both sides of the record containing a mix of contained violence and tense atmospheres. What is surprising about San Francisco is the tracks which are almost pop (in the best sense of the term, as The Feelies or Wire were immense pop groups) with their dynamic faux laidback nonchalance make you want to jump in the car with the radio on full blast and speed down an ocean road…”
John Zorn – There Is No More Firmament CD (Tzadik)
There Is No More Firmament is a remarkable collection of recent compositions from 2013–2016 that showcase the range, variety and continued creativity of Zorn as he enters his sixties. Connected together with a thread of intensity, magic and madness, the music tells a twisted and complex story of a magical descent into madness. The compositions include two works for brass ensembles, a woodwind quintet, jazz piano trio, string trio and two solo pieces for clarinet and trumpet, with the outrageous trumpet solo Merlin appearing in two realizations—one by jazz master Peter Evans and another by the European classical virtuoso Marco Blaauw.
This Week’s Vinyl Exclusives:
Angels & Airwaves – I-Empire [Reissue/2007] 2xLP (SRC Vinyl)
Standard black vinyl reissue of the Blink-182 side-project’s sophom*ore album.
Arms Aloft – What A Time To Be Barely Alive LP+MP3 (Gilead Media)
The unsung heroes of the American DIY punk community return with their new album.
Kali Bahlu – Cosmic Remembrance [Reissue/1967] LP (Merlins Noise)
Merlins Noise Records present the first official reissue of Kali Bahlu’s Cosmic Remembrance, originally released in 1967. Tapped in a cosmic game, Kali provides four narrations with a bright and sometimes piercing voice, unveiling her visions. This isn’t the typical flower pop with colorful harmonies; Kali speaks, screams, laughs, and sings with that lovely lunatic expression on a base of droning music. A really mystifying atmosphere with stoned and enchanted stories.
The Beatles – 1962 The Audition Tapes [Reissue/1983] LP+MP3 (Cornbread)
Recorded on January 1, 1962, in London, The Beatles, in their Lennon/McCartney/Harrison/Best incarnation, recorded these 12 rollicking covers for the Decca label in just under an hour. They were eventually rejected by the label and went on to sign with EMI subsidiary Parlophone, and the rest, as they say, is history. 180gm.
Elmer Bernstein – To Kill A Mockingbird [Reissue/1976] LP (Doxy)
Vinyl reissue of one of the simplest and most delicate film scores ever composed.
Borzoi – Surrender The Farm 7” (12XU)
“I haven’t seen a better live band than Austin’s Borzoi in the last two years. That I’ve been under house arrest during that stretch should not diminish the importance of that statement. Either way, they’ve pivoted from a powerful debut 7” for Austin’s Pau Wau label to a genre-obliterating, pneumatic noisy-as-f**k-all four-song EP on 12XU.”
Glen Campbell – Gentle On My Mind [Reissue/1967] LP (Capitol Nashville)
Glen Campbell – Wichita Lineman [Reissue/1968] LP (Capitol Nashville)
Glen Campbell – Galveston [Reissue/1969] LP (Capitol Nashville)
Vinyl reissues of Campbell’s sixth, twelfth, and thirteenth albums.
Captain Marryat – Captain Marryat [Reissue/1974] LP (Shadoks Music)
Captain Marryat were from Glasgow, Scotland and they recorded this demo album in 1974, released in a tiny pressing on the Thor label, hoping to get an EMI or Chrysalis deal, who both showed interest in the band at the time. Five musicians, great organ, vocals, extra heavy fuzz-guitar with drums and bass – amazing underground songs, influenced by Deep Purple, Uriah Heep and Beggars Opera — a true lost classic. 180gm transparent white vinyl pressing.
José Juis Castillejo – Tlalaatala LP+Book (Alga)
A killer reading of José Luis Castillejo’s Tlalaatala book by Fernando Millan, recorded in Madrid in 2001. Comes in cardboard box with stamp; includes the original-2001-press 400-page-creative-book with the same title.
Vic Chesnutt – Is The Actor Happy? [Reissue/1995] 2xLP+MP3 (New West)
Faithfully remastered and complete with six bonus tracks, Vic Chesnutt’s fourth studio album is back in print on vinyl. “For all the literary depth, melodic strength, and honest performances included here, it’s essential to know that Chesnutt’s songs are equal parts silly and serious, heartbreaking and hilarious. That’s the gravity of the situation, and that’s why you should listen” (Pop Matters). “Not just arguably his finest release, but also his most extroverted” (Pitchfork).
Clarinette – The Now Of Then LP (Feeding Tube)
Clarinette began making tapes for broadcast on KPFA’s Assassination’ Rhythm in the mid-80’s, in time the project went dormant until some tapes were found in 1999. One of those tapes made it to Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore who asked to release an LP. Tapes from those early years along with newly recorded material were released in 2002 as Haze. The band has been an active recording project since. The Now Of Then is the their seventh album.
co*kegoat – Drugs & Animals LP (Path Less Traveled)
Drugs And Animals is a tall refreshing Long Island Ice Tea in a craft co*cktail world. It’s trashy, it will get you f**ked up, and you’ll probably wake up in a strange place needing a double dose of antibiotics. To quote producer/engineer Andy Nelson during the recording sessions, “This album is dense.” Since their 2013 debut LP Vessel, countless group texts have helped co*kegoat achieve growing friendships, razor sharp focus, mental stability, financial instability and a more advanced writing process. In other words, they are beyond stoked to get this record to your earholes.
René Costy – Expectancy: Collected Library Gems From The 70’s 2xLP+MP3 (Sdban)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. A reputed classical violinist and music teacher on the one hand, a curious jazz cat on the other. A business man and control freak, but an artist and free spirit as well. Still, rather little is known about René Costy. Small wonder: the Belgian musician and composer was in many, if not all, respects a singular man. The lure of international show business was wasted on him and consequently, his name has remained a well-kept secret. But cream always rises to the top. Some twenty years after his passing, his work – finally – goes global. Expectancy: Collected Library Gems From The 70’s is a selection out of more than 400 tracks from a virtuoso, a versatile and insatiable artist. It’s hard to underestimate the importance of this compilation, which focuses on Costy’s library music production from the ’70s.
Dark – Anonymous Days LP (Void)
For the first time on vinyl, the killer second offering by UK psych monsters Dark. Anonymous Days is the second studio album from Dark recorded 23 years after the first, the famous and highly collectable (and stone cold psychedelic classic) Round The Edges, and contains songs written between 1974 and 1995.
Miles Davis – Conception [Reissue/1951] LP+MP3 (Cornbread)
Following the 1949 and 1950 recordings compiled on Birth Of The Cool, which created the sub-genre of cool jazz, Miles Davis had already moved onto the next thing, because that’s what an innovator does. By 1951 he was recording hard bop of the highest order on a variety of formats, including 10” and 7”. This LP compiles a number of those recordings, and the fact that the entire record was recorded on one day, October 5, 1951, would be surprising if it weren’t the one and only Miles Davis. Featuring Art Blakey; Sonny Rollins; Walter Bishop, Jr.; Tommy Potter; and Jackie McLean in his very first recording session, this is classic ’50s Miles Davis. 180-gram vinyl.
Miles Davis and The Lighthouse All-Stars – At Last! [Reissue/1985] LP+MP3 (Cornbread)
Recorded at the Lighthouse Café in Hermosa Beach, CA, on September 13, 1953, this is a historic recording for many reasons, and one of the earliest meetings of East and West Coast jazz artists. While Miles Davis and Chet Baker need no introduction, Harold Rumsey might. He was a West Coast jazz bassist who, in 1949, formed the Lighthouse All-Stars, a longstanding group that performed at the Hermosa Beach club every Sunday night for nearly a decade. Though he might not be a household name, his group’s alumni include Jimmy Giuffre, Shorty Rogers, Max Roach, Bud Shank, Sonny Criss, Hampton Hawes, Shelly Manne, and more. This is a brilliant window into the 1950s L.A. scene, and Davis’s particular ability to fit into nearly any jazz setting with ease. 180gm.
The Dove & The Wolf – I Don’t Know What To Feel 12” (Fat Possum)
The young women in this Philly-via-Paris duo meditate on their post-Bataclan world with Rumours-esque melodies and lovely harmonies. “The EP was born out of a time of fear, however the result is a tender showing of strength. The songs are not political—the duo purposely shunned such an idea—but touch on the humanizing effect of a dehumanizing event, how the human condition brings people together in the face of tragedy.”— Noisey
The Eureka Brass Band – Dirges LP (Mississippi)
Recorded in a New Orleans alley on a Sunday afternoon in 1951, this is a truly unique field recording of a jazz band playing dirges intended as a soundtrack to the parade to the graveyard during a traditional New Orleans funeral. It’s beautiful mesmerizing music and about as deep as it gets. The Eureka Band played hundreds of funerals— dirges to the graveyard and raucous joyous sounds on the way out. Here we have just the dirges. Some of the finest trombone, trumpet, sousaphone, clarinet, sax and drumming you’re likely to ever hear.
Brad Fiedel – Terminator 2: Judgement Day [Reissue/1991] 2xLP (UMe)
This vinyl reissue of the official T2 soundtrack album coincides with the 3D/4K re-release of the film. Double fronted gatefold vinyl featuring both the old and new cover designs.
Ben Folds – The Unauthorized Biography Of Reinhold Messner [Reissue/1999] LP (Analog Spark)
Ben Folds – Songs For Silverman [Reissue/2005] LP (Analog Spark)
The audio for these vinyl reissues has been sourced from the original mix reels and mastered by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio. Records were plated and pressed at RTI on 180gm vinyl and housed in a Stoughton jacket with a four page booklet.
Fossil Aerosol Mining Project – The Day 1982 Contaminated 1971 LP (Helen Scarsdale Agency)
Dissociated fragments from nearly lost genre films of the 1970s, reconstituted, filtered by scratched celluloid, bad splices, dropouts, and damaged control tracks. Within piles of reversed tape loop miasma and time-lag accumulation, Fossil Aerosol Mining Project’s mesmerizing and hypnogogic studies of uncanny dislocations magnify grit and errors. Re-assembly of the materials—often culled from 35mm film and quarter-inch magnetic tape found in abandoned drive-in movie theaters and warehouses—interweaves ready-mades with their own disintegration.
Fruit Bats – Live At Pickathon LP (Easy Sound)
The Fruit Bats Live At Pickathon is the sixth release in this ongoing series. Ten tracks hand-picked and lovingly remixed by Eric D. Johnson, wrapped up in special thick 24 pt. reverse board matte jackets with a little spot gloss for extra special feel. Pressed on 150 gram black vinyl.
FYPM – Dumbed Down LP (Tank Crimes)
FYPM aka F*** You Pay Me. Fast, negative, anthemic dark hardcore done correctly, from Cleveland and fronted by hardcore legend Tony Erba. Economic desperation. The wrong color on a pregnancy test. Dropping your phone into the sh****r. 3:17 a.m. at Steve’s Hot Dogs. They sound a lot like that.
Gary Wrong Group – Gary Wrong Group 2xLP+MP3 (12XU)
16-song, career-spanning compilation dragging together the most malevolent bits this Mobile, AL assemblage has released on Chad Booth’s own Jeth Row label as well as assorted sides for Total Punk, Bat sh*t, Scavenger Of Death and Pelican Pow Wow. Apocalypse-level murky madness from one of the US underground’s most crucial characters.
Gin Blossoms – New Miserable Experience [1992] LP (A&M)
Gin Blossoms – New Miserable Experience [1992] 2xLP (SRC Vinyl)
Gin Blossoms – Congratulations I’m Sorry [Reissue/1996] LP (A&M)
First time on vinyl! In the late 80’s Gin Blossoms indelible jangle-pop sound was evolving during radio’s diverse mix of hair bands and grunge music. Taking their name from a caption on a W.C. Fields photo, Gin Blossoms hit the big time with their 1992 album New Miserable Experience. The title of their third album, Congratulations I’m Sorry, according to the lead singer Robin Wilson, came from the response band members usually received from people who both wanted to congratulate the band for the success of New Miserable Experience, while then offering apologies for their friend and former band member Doug Hopkins. [Deluxe color double-vinyl edition of New Miserable Experience mastered at 45RPM also available courtesy of SRC Vinyl.]
Gloam – Hex Of Nine Heads 2xLP+MP3 (Gilead Media)
Hex Of Nine Heads was originally only released on cassette and is now given a deluxe vinyl treatment with new and expanded artwork. “Gloam are masters of the darkest crafts and with Hex Of Nine Heads they have proven this point beyond what can be humanly debated. They are one of America’s finest black metal bands and just keep getting better and blowing my f**king mind at every release.” — CVLT Nation
Dexter Gordon – Take The ‘A’ Train LP (ORG Music)
Recorded live in July of 1967 at the legendary Jazzhus Montmartre in Copenhagen, Denmark Take The ‘A’ Train finds tenor saxophonist extraordinaire Dexter Gordon and his fine quartet (pianist Kenny Drew, bassist Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen and drummer Albert “Tootie” Heath) swinging hard and stretching out on three stellar numbers which clock in at eight to fifteen minutes in length. Gordon caresses the melodies, creates solos that are full of swing, wit, and inspiration, and makes every phrase sound personal, fresh and original.
Gorgoroth – Destroyer, Or About How To Philosophize With The Hammer [Reissue/1998] LP (Soulseller)
19 years after its original release this classic Norwegian black metal album is back in print on color vinyl.
Grand Funk Railroad – Live Album [Reissue/1970] 2xLP (Friday Music)
Limited edition 180gm double vinyl LP pressing housed in a gatefold sleeve. This no-nonsense band from Michigan defined the sound of early working class hard rock groups with their over-the-top sound, Mark Farner’s heavy riffing, Mel Schacher’s hard-hitting bass lines and Don Brewer’s intricate and funky drums.
The Tubby Hayes Quintet – Modes And Blues 8th February 1964 LP (Gearbox)
This is a previously unreleased mono recording of Modes And Blues from The Tubby Hayes Quintet’s weekly Ronnie Scott’s residency captured on February 8, 1964. Regarded as one of the masterworks of British modern jazz, Modes And Blues shows the Quintet at the very height of its powers, channelling the new musical flavors and inspiration that Tubby Hayes had absorbed from the cutting edge of jazz and the new directions of John Coltrane.
Haruomi Hosono, Shigeru Suzuki, and Tatsuro Yamash*ta – Pacific [Reissue/1978] LP (Victory)
Reuniting the best session musicians Japan had to offer to make an album that would evoke the atmospheres of the South Pacific islands, the kind of places Japanese people spend their vacations. Pacific is a treat to the ears; its theme of the southern Pacific ocean and its warm cerulean waters relax its listeners with a fusion of city pop, soft jazz, and that good old 1970s funk while remaining surprisingly fully instrumental throughout all contributions from artists Haruomi Hosono, Shigeru Suzuki, and Tatsuro Yamash*ta. A true cult LP and an inspiration for a lot of so called “vaporware” music.
Mick Jenkins – The Healing Component LP (Cinematic Music)
Jayson Jenkins aka Mick Jenkins is a hip-hop recording artist born in Huntsville, AL and raised on the south side of Chicago, IL. Jenkins is a member of Free Nation, a hip-hop group that promotes creative thought without accepting narrow views imposed by the powers that be. Mick’s debut studio effort, The Healing Component, is in reference to love being a healing component and love being able to heal all and features guest spots by BADBADNOTGOOD, theMIND, Ravyn Lenae, J-Stock, Noname & Xavier Omar and Michael Anthony.
Kitchen People – Trendoid LP (Oops Baby)
Sophom*ore album from Australia’s most hyperactive synth quintet. All twelve tracks here are nothing less than punk rock ‘n’ roll.
Lars Lundberg & Mats Lodén – Rebecca LP (Shadok Music)
Shadoks Music present Lars Lundberg and Mats Lodén’s Rebecca, originally pressed in 200 copies only. The two friends from Luleå initially started a band (Savannah) with Benny Sjödin, which broke up in 1975. After the split, Lars and Mats became heavily oriented towards early British progressive music incorporating influences such as Pink Floyd, Traffic, David Bowie, and Tyrannosaurus Rex. The songs on Rebecca can be described as whimsical and psychedelic with no political ambitions whatsoever. Cool electric underground songs – some go in the direction of the best Tony Caro & John.
Macho Boys – Macho Boys LP (Neck Chop)
Portland’s Macho Boys are many things: A punk band. Feminists. Partial wrestling enthusiasts, etcetera etcetera. But as far as most listeners are concerned, Macho Boys should be commended for being one thing in particular: ’80s hardcore revivalists.
The Mandrake Memorial – 3 Part Inventions LP+7” (Flashback)
Having made two superb psychedelic albums and gigged with The Doors, Frank Zappa, Pink Floyd, The Velvet Underground and many others, in June of 1969, The Mandrake Memorial came to London. The plan was to record with famed producer Shel Talmy (The Kinks, The Who, Pentangle), but when that fell through, they persevered alone. Long thought to be lost, 3 Part Inventions anticipates the woozy, dream-like vibe of their 1970 masterpiece Puzzle, combining eerie vocals, trippy guitar and otherworldly electronics to create a unique whole. Transferred directly from the master tape, it is available for the first time, together with a detailed band history, rare images, two previously unheard outtakes from a 1969 acetate.
Walter Marchetti – Antibarbarus [1998] 2xLP (Alga Marghen)
A reissue of Antibarbarus, issued as a compact disc in 1998. The Antibarbarus cycle of five pieces makes use of original tapes coming from the same recording sessions that originated some of Marchetti’s major musical works realized in the ’80s, collected in his two CDs — Vandalia (1989) and Per La Sete Dell’orecchio (1984). In Antibarbarus, the temporal continuum restores the mimesis of the phenomenal regression of musical time, crystallized in a framed-length which gets estranged from subjective domain.
Mazozma – Heavy Death Head LP (Feeding Tube)
“Michael Turner, famed resident of Louisville/Lexington KY, main cog in the splendid Warmer Milks and valuable presence in many other ensembles, has recently migrated to New England. And we are honored to have him amongst us. As a way of making him feel “to home,” Feeding Tube has released his most recent slab of insane solo aktion, Heavy Death Hand, as splendidly ‘out’ an LP as anyone could ask for.”
Multiple Man – New Metal LP (DKA)
Full-featured cinematic excess in the form of “8 nu tracks of burning chrome, cross continental hi-NRG, firm handshake electronic body music” as the band describe it in their own words.
New York Dolls – New York Dolls [Reissue/1973] LP (Mercury)
New York Dolls – Much Too Soon [Reissue/1974] LP (Mercury)
When the New York Dolls released their debut album in 1973, they managed to be named both ‘Best New Band’ and ‘Worst Band’ in Creem Magazine’s annual reader’s poll. Along with the Velvet Underground and the Stooges, New York Dolls were one of the first bands of the early punk rock scenes. Although their original line-up fell apart quickly, the band’s first two albums—New York Dolls (1973) and Too Much Too Soon (1974)—became among the more popular cult records in rock.
Nova Collective – The Further Side LP (Metal Blade)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. “A group made up of instrumental superstars from a few very well-known progressive bands Between The Buried And Me, Haken, Trioscapes, and Cynic, the foursome’s new album The Further Side is an energetic, creative, and enjoyable listen from the first few notes. They describe themselves as ‘fusion, weaving progressive rock influences with world music, jazz and classical, to create something entirely new that is pure aural candy for prog/jazz fans’” – The Prog Report
Old Graves – Long Shadows LP (Vendetta)
Old Graves is a band from British Columbia, Canada. Long Shadows starts with acoustic guitar, giving the music a progressive and folk feeling. After a minute, the music goes into more of a dark, heavy and melodic direction; the vocals are mostly high-pitched depressive black metal screams and synths are also brought into at times. Throughout the recording, the music alternates between both the heavy and acoustic parts while a great portion of the tracks are very long and bring in a lot of modern atmospheric and post black metal elements.
Anthony “Crystaline” Pasquarosa & John “Sunburned” Maloney – My Pharaoh, My King LP (Feeding Tube)
This new duo LP, the first recorded by guitarist Tony Pasquarosa and drummer John Maloney (aka The Meatball Twins), is a masterpiece of lateral drift. Recorded as something like a tribute to the spirit of Farrell “Little Rock” Sanders (also known as “The Son” in the saxophonic Holy Trinity, along with Coltrane’s “The Father,” and Ayler’s “The Holy Ghost”) there is no music here specifically recalling Sanders’s work. But much of it seems to spring from a place that is illuminated by Sanders’s artistic freedom, and his utilization of Middle Eastern symbols and motifs both inside his music and as part of his artistic statements. Tony’s acoustic guitar playing makes me think of the work of India’s great string master, Brij Bhushan Kabra. Raga-like twirls and filigree emerge like puffs of wet smoke, drifting away lazily in the sharp light of a winter’s afternoon.
Noam Pikelny – Universal Favorite LP (Rounder/Concord)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Noam Pikelny has emerged as the preeminent banjoist of his generation. He is a founding member of Punch Brothers, a three-time Grammy Nominee and was awarded the first annual Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass in 2010. Universal Favorite is the fourth record Noam Pikelny has released under his own name, but it’s truly his solo debut. The album features Pikelny playing lovely originals and covers that showcase his unique approach to the banjo and compositional flair. He recorded the tracks without accompaniment, coaxing a wide array of sounds and colors out of his instruments, embracing the challenges and exploring the new possibilities of the solo setting. And, for the first time in his career, Pikelny even sings. It turns out he has a striking deadpan baritone that conveys humor and melancholy in equal measure. This album, he says, is ‘the most personal statement I’ve put forward. The setting couldn’t be more stark and I think it lays bare my musical core. Most importantly, it’s an incredibly honest solo album, in that there are honestly no other people on this record other than me.”
Pilots On Dope – Udopeia – The Remixes 2xLP (PMG)
A remix album of Pilots On Dope’s 2014 album Udopeia that cleverly covers a wide musical spectrum, from exotic Latin sounds through to contemporary electronic remix culture. The original’s sound has its roots in Brazil’s broad-ranging musical traditions, including bossa, samba and Afro Brazil, and evokes the golden age of the ’60s. The remix project brings together a wide range of producers who made history with Vienna electronic, a distinctive genre with its striking funk riffs and sampling as key elements. Includes Stereotyp, Richard Dorfmeister, Corrado Bucci, Rainer Trüby, and more.
Planetary Assault Systems – The Light Years Reworks 3xLP (Mote Evolver)
Luke Slater provides six full sides worth of material, injecting the spirit of classic Planetary Assault Systems into new sonic organisms. Using motifs from past P.A.S. successes, Luke Slater and his cohorts join here to make something radical and revitalizing: too cohesive for a “compilation album” and with too much autonomy granted to the guest remixers to be a simple “tribute.” Features: Marcel Fengler, Lucy, Function, Kamikaze Space Programme, and more.
Rainbow Band – Rainbow Band [Reissue/1970] 2xLP (Shadoks Music)
Denmark’s Rainbow Band was formed in late 1969 as a super-group consisting of Peer Frost (ex-Young Flowers), Lars Bisgaard (ex-Maxwells), Carsten Smedegaard (ex-Beefeaters), Bent Hesselmann, and the former jazz players Niels Brønsted and Bo Stief. They played jazz-influenced progressive rock in the style of Burnin Red Ivanhoe and Traffic’s self-titled second album (1968).
CJ Ramone – American Beauty LP (Fat Wreck Chords)
Released last week on CD – now available on vinyl. “American Beauty is the record I’ve been working towards since I started putting out records as CJ Ramone. My songwriting has definitely grown up some, but the raw energy is still there. Steve Soto, Dan Root, and Pete Sosa helped me drive every track home in a way that only veterans of the business can do, with engineer/co-producer Paul Miner throwing gas on the fire every step of the way.”
Otis Redding – Live At The Whiskey A Go Go: The Complete Recordings 2xLP (Stax)
Otis Redding’s legendary performances from 1966. Featuring highlights from the historic three-night stand at The Whiskey A Go Go, newly mixed and mastered from the original 4-track tapes. 180gm.
Max Richter – Three Worlds: Music From Woolf Works 2xLP (Deutsche Grammophon)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. The brand new album from Max Richter features music crafted from 2015’s outstanding ballet production Woolf Works, a critically-acclaimed ballet triptych by choreographer Wayne McGregor, inspired by the life and works of English novelist Virginia Woolf. Following the success of Sleep, this album showcases different sides of Max Richter’s vast palette of sounds, Three Worlds: Music From Woolf Works shows Max’s passion for both lavish string and piano melodies, but also his virtuoso electronic side.
Run River North – Superstition EP 10” (Nettwerk)
Los Angeles based sextet Run River North release B-sides from their recent album Drinking From A Salt Pond along with alternate versions of the single “29” and a cover of The Killers’ song “Mr. Brightside” which has been a fan favorite at the band’s live shows.
Nina Ryser – I Hope All Your Dreams Come True LP (Feeding Tube)
“This is the vinylization of the fourth solo album (originally released on cassette by Ramp Local) by Nina Ryser, she of the trio, Palberta. Palberta’s releases have all been quite amazing—ragged bags filled with musical lumps of the finest kind imaginable. Comparisons have been drawn (and quite rightly) between Palberta and units ranging from Kleenex to Aunt Sally to the Raincoats, so anticipation for this new album was kite-high and rising. I Hope All Your Dreams Come True veers from the rockist traits Palberta sometimes displays to a sound far more personal, electronics-spattered and specifically warped, momentarily reminding this listener of individual post-X Ray Spex projects by both Poly Styrene and Lora Logic.”
Salami J.R. – A Man Who Can’t Write A Song 7” (Feeding Tube)
Salami J.R. (aka Joey Pizza Slice) has maintained his position near the top of the ladder of those who seek to destroy and celebrate pop music in equal measure. Since his whole creative approach is literally singing along with songs he already wrote, this is one of Joey’s boldest existential statements yet. Mr. Slice builds his songs slowly, in layers, with melodic focus shifting in and out quickly, and a naïf quality recalling many of the bedroom pop genies of the last century.
Tony Sheridan and The Beat Brothers – My Bonnie [1962] LP+MP3 (Cornbread)
English singer/songwriter Tony Sheridan (1940-2013) may be famous for only one thing: performing with The Beatles in their earliest incarnation. But in 1961 and 1962, he was a top beat performer and a charismatic singer in his own right. Featuring two songs backed by The Beatles (“My Bonnie” and “The Saints”), his 1962 debut LP is a work of classic early-‘60s European beat and early rock and roll. Essential for any Beatles collector and any fan of early-‘60s Euro-beat. This reissue includes five bonus tracks and is pressed on 180-gram vinyl.
Six Feet Under – Torment LP (Metal Blade)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Six Feet Under return with their 12th studio album and a more aggressive approach, with even more modern blast beats throughout.
Slugdge – Dim & Slimeridden Kingdoms [2015] 2xLP (Willowtip)
First time on vinyl. British death metal band from Lancashire, UK. Limited edition color vinyl pressing.
Smart Dads – Bummer Summer LP (Radio Raheem)
“In our humble opinion, San Antonio, Texas’ the Smart Dads are the embodiment of lo-fi cassette punk at its finest. This LP contains the only recorded output by this short-lived group of military school misfits, who self-released a 7-track cassette in 1982 with an obnoxious 7”-sized insert, inconveniently housed in an oversized zip-lock bag with a badge clipped to the front. This record is a testament to what we at Radio Raheem HQ love—100% junk, full-on punk, completely sincere, and scarcely heard.”
Sorex – Portrait Of A Prisoner LP (Radio Raheem)
Hailing from Redondo Beach, California, Sorex released just a single 7” EP—three tracks of no-fi, snotty-yet-abrasive beach hardcore—in a 200-copy micro pressing in 1985, and played a scant dozen or so shows up and down the California coast before fading into hardcore record collector obscurity. Radio Raheem’s crack team of hardcore archaeologists have since managed to rescue Sorex’s elusive EP from the collector ghetto and tack on an 17 additional tracks, culled from the band’s 1984 demo tape and sessions for a never-released 1985 LP, all accompanied by a 16-page, full-color booklet full of rare photos, flyers and ephemera.
Sorority Noise – Forgettable [Reissue/2014] LP (Flower Girl/Triple Crown)
Formed in 2013 Sorority Noise has recorded as number of singles, EP’s and two full lengths to date (most recent album, You’re Not As _ As You Think, was released last week). On the heels of that release, Forgettable, the band’s debut album, is back in print on vinyl via lead singer Cameron Boucher’s label Flower Girl Records.
Soundtrack – Kids [Reissue/1995] LP (MVD Audio)
The alt rock classic soundtrack featuring Folk Implosion is back in print on vinyl. Random color pressings were manufactured: blue, green, yellow and red.
Soundtrack – The Lion King [Reissue/1994] LP (Walt Disney)
Soundtrack – Songs From Tangled [Reissue/2010] LP (Walt Disney)
Vinyl picture disc reissues.
Soundtrack – Valley Of The Dolls [Reissue/1967] LP (Phillips)
Originally released in 1967, The Valley Of The Dolls soundtrack won an Academy Award for Best Music (Scoring of Music Adaptation or Treatment). Now reissued on vinyl to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the film.
Spirit – Live At The Ash Grove, 1967 Volume 1 2xLP (Flashback)
A never before released, live recording from Spirit – the first ever recordings of the band, recorded in the summer of 1967.
Aaron Sprinkle – Real Life LP (Tooth & Nail)
A throwback to the ’90s in many ways, Sprinkle’s sixth solo album features appearances by Memphis May Fire’s Matty Mullins, Eisley’s Sherri-Dupree Bemis, Say Anything’s Max Bemis, and Stephanie Skipper. Limited color vinyl pressing.
Jacqueline Taieb – Jacqueline Taieb: Her 1967 Debut Album [Reissue/1967] LP (Merlins Noise)
This 1967 yé-yé debut album is as scarce as gold dust, fetching high prices among collectors if they find a copy in good condition. Her intense brand of fiery, late ’60s beat, refined with tinges of garage rock, can be considered as an ear candy for ’60s aficionados.
Thigh Master – BBC 7” (12XU)
Brisbane’s Thigh Master make their first US tour this spring and no less an authority than Sir Douglas Mosurock has said the quartet’s Early Times debut LP “is loaded with sunny, ragged hooks and big, sloppy sing-alongs,” likening the combo to, “a lost Flying Nun band.” Both songs on this 7” dial up the ragged and dial down the sing-along.
Various Artists – The Harbinger Sound Sampler 2xLP (Harbinger Sound)
The Harbinger Sound Sampler features a selection of new, unreleased or very scarce tracks pulled from the label’s diverse roster of artists. Among this double-LP set you will find exclusives from the Sleaford Mods, Consumer Electronics, Steve Ignorant’s Slice Of Life amongst others. Legends such as The Urinals and Chaos UK mix with newer upstarts such as The Lowest Form, Pisse, Massicot, and Karies.
Various Artists – Strategies Against The Body Volume Two LP (DKA)
“DKA presents the follow up to our 2015 synth compilation Strategies Against The Body. We’ve spent the last year compiling brand new tracks from our favorite working artists, veterans and newbies alike, to bring you the latest and greatest in synth music. Volume Two pulls together DKA veterans Xander Harris and Tifaret with new additions Anticipation and Pyramid Club, as well as presenting special (for now) one off tracks from Passing, Colin Gorman, Weiland, Videograve, Ariisk, Celldod, and Spatial Relation in a cross-continental exploration of the dark side of the oscillator.
Vile Creature – A Steady Descent Into The Soil LP+MP3 (Gilead Media)
A Steady Descent Into The Soil is the debut LP from St. Catharines, Ontario’s Vile Creature. Crafted during winter 2014 and recorded in an abandoned school house in rural Canada, the record acts as a cull of emotions derived from the inherent violence and hatred experienced growing up queer around the millennium, a time much less hom*o-positive than today’s landscape. Three songs of fuzzed-out atmospheric doom are sprawled over nearly 40 minutes, creating a record described as “wonderfully unique” and “undeniably original” by Noisey and Metal Injection, respectively.
Wckr Spgt (with Don Bolles) – Dense Pack 10” (Shrimper)
Captured in one take with no overdubs, Dense Pack recalls Reagan-era sentiments that seem as prescient as they are punk. Music made up on the spot and improvised with an inspired vigor that lets the humor and insight shine through. Wckr Spgt, which is comprised of Dave Carpenter (bass), Joel Huschle (vocals), Mark Givens (guitar), and are joined here by punk rock revolutionary Don Bolles (The Germs) on drums, poke fun at politics, social/sexual systems, and the military-industrial complex. Recorded in the Los Angeles studio of the legendary Paul Roessler and produced by LA icon Geza X, Dense Pack delivers twenty tracks that are concise, chaotic, and full of energy — useful as either the source of retrospective contemplation or the soundtrack to the next revolution.
Cassettes:
Åmnfx – Moscow Beat (100% Silk)
Russian producer Vasily Skobeev’s recording alias, Åmnfx – an abbreviation of the phrase “amen to FX” – alludes to the transformative power of multi-effects on devotional music. His own tracks convincingly demonstrate this principle, routing piano, drum machines, samples, soft synths, and field recordings through a selection of pedals and amplifiers to condense and color the sound, adding grit, grain, space, and shadow.
The Cairo Gang – Untouchable (God?)
The Cairo Gang’s music is a refreshing dip in the pools of classic youth-pop, with songs of star-crossed breakthroughs and guitars cross-talking with a bejeweled ennui and a sly sting that appeals to a higher order. They serve up sweet-and-sorrow reveries on Untouchable, a breathtaking series of entanglements and attempts to break free –a trace of dolor wafting through their dancing riff-works.
Feral Ohms – Feral Ohms (Silver Current)
Feral Ohms turns the spatial pyrotechnics and expansive spirit of classic psychedelia inside out, dragging it through the punk rock era kicking and screaming and boils it down into a series of explosions that start at needle drop and end when the record does.
The Jesus And Mary Chain – Damage And Joy (Artificial Plastic)
JAMC return with their first new album in almost 19 years.
Porest – Modern Journal of Popular Savagery (Nashazphone)
Released last year on vinyl – now available on cassette with bonus track. RIYL: Negativland, Eugene Chadbourne, Sun City Girls. “MJoPS pits post-globalized hate pop, cabalistic text-to-speech drama and violent tape music against soapbox anthems and swirling barbed-wire psychedelia – sometimes within the same track.” — Randall Dunn, March, 2016
Books:
John Dwyer – Exploded Globes: An Annotated Collection Of Posters 1999-2016 (Castle Face)
For the very first Castle Face book — a selection from the dusty vaults of John Dwyer’s prodigious poster output. Bold, brash, lovingly imperfect prints embellished with some stories of the nights in question as told by the man himself… don’t miss out on this or your coffee table will never forgive you.
Raster-Noton Source Book 1 (Raster-Noton)
The publication Source Book 1 represents the beginning of a comprehensive and authorized review of the past 20 years of the influential minimal electronic/glitch/techno/et. al label. The main part of this first Source Book comprises the extensive catalog of all releases and series published between 1996 and 2016. Tabular listings of various formats and products that were distributed or curated by Raster-Noton complete the catalog. Includes the Archiv 4 CD, which is only available with the book.
