New Releases - 1/19/24
Hitting The Racks
Here's your weekly rundown of what's hitting the new release racks at Grimey's
New Releases
Berhana - Amén (The Nomads Dream) LP (EGT Recordings)
Ethiopian-American artist Berhana has returned with his sophomore album, Amén: የዘላን ህልም (The Nomad’s Dream), a high-concept meditation on heritage, romance, family and individuality.
The Beths & Pickle Darling / Car Seat Headrest - Brand New Colony b/w We Looked Like Giants 7” (Sub Pop)
New 7-inch collab with The Beths and Pickle Darling covering The Postal Service while Car Seat Headrest covers Death Cab For Cutie on the b-side.
Green Day – Saviors CD/LP/Cassette (Reprise)
Green Day is not your savior. But the spirit of rock ‘n’ roll might be. And as the greatest punk band alive, they’re the loudest vessel we have… to give it a shot. Green Day is ready to flip off the famous, stupid, and contagious, by putting a mirror to the present tense like only they can, with Saviors, their inspired new studio album. Amazingly, Saviors is Green Day's 14th studio album, yet somehow this enduring power trio, Billie Joe Armstrong, Tré Cool & Mike Dirnt, remain devoted to their defiant craft that has fueled their career-long destruction of every boundary bestowed on the genre, and landed 3 East Bay punks in the Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame. [Several indie store exclusive editions are available: pink w/ black color vinyl; and autographed CD. A deluxe 180gm vinyl pressing is also available.]
Riley Green - Ain’t My Last Rodeo LP (BMLG Records)
Riley Green's new album Ain't My Last Rodeo delivers more of the signature no-gimmick, undeniably Country sound fans have come to know, love and obsess over. The music and lyrics, both heavily influenced by blue-collar roots and small town life, exemplify Green's homage to his experiences, passions and love of family.
Mary Halvorson – Cloudward CD/LP (Nonesuch)
Cloudward is the new release by Brooklyn-based guitarist, composer, and MacArthur fellow Mary Halvorson. The album features eight new compositions by Halvorson, performed with her sextet Amaryllis; the improvisatory band that performed on her critically praised 2022 albums Amaryllis and Belladonna comprises Halvorson, Patricia Brennan (vibraphone), Nick Dunston (bass), Tomas Fujiwara (drums), Jacob Garchik (trombone), and Adam O’Farrill (trumpet). Labelmate Laurie Anderson also is featured on the album track “Incarnadine.” The dual 2022 releases’ acclaim included being named Jazz Album of the Year in DownBeat’s annual Critics Poll.
Keyon Harrold – Foreverland CD (Concord Jazz)
Acclaimed trumpeter-composer Keyon Harrold makes his Concord Jazz label debut with his much-anticipated new album, Foreverland. Blending a unique hybrid of jazz, hip-hop and R&B, this special curation of ten original tracks includes special guests Common, Robert Glasper, PJ Morton and more. [Vinyl version due April 24.]
Ethan Iverson – Technically Acceptable CD (Blue Note)
Pianist and composer Ethan Iverson follows-up his 2022 Blue Note debut Every Note Is True with Technically Acceptable, a far-ranging new project that presents two different trios-Thomas Morgan/Kush Abadey and Simón Willson/Vinnie Sperrazza-performing a set of striking new Iverson originals plus singular new versions of "Killing Me Softly With His Song" and "'Round Midnight". The album concludes with the recorded premiere of Iverson's Piano Sonata which is given a tour-de-force performance by Iverson himself.
Neck Deep – Neck Deep LP (Hopeless)
Neck Deep's current outlook is "Don't Overthink it." The songs on upcoming self-titled album "are just fun, and we're not taking ourselves too seriously. We've basically done 90% of the production and recording ourselves... We've pretty much built this record fro the ground up with little to no outside help By that factor alone, it's the most Neck Deep record there's ever been, or at least since our first record, Wishful Thinking. It's the first time since then that we've done everything ourselves" explains Ben Barlow. [Two vinyl colorways are available: indie store exclusive pink and limited-edition orange.]
The Rolling Stones – Hackney Diamonds (Live Edition) 2xCD (Geffen)
This special double-CD set of Hackney Diamonds includes Live at Racket NYC, featuring seven tracks the band performed at the intimate launch event in New York City on October 19, 2023, with debut live performances of "Angry", "Bite My Head Off", "Whole Wide World", and "Sweet Sounds Of Heaven", with Lady Gaga.
Sleater-Kinney – Little Rope CD/LP (Loma Vista)
Sleater-Kinney returns with Little Rope, one of the finest, most delicately layered records in the band’s 30-year career. On the surface, Little Rope's ten songs veer from spare to anthemic, catchy to deliberately hard turning. But beneath that are perhaps the most complex and subtle arrangements of any Sleater-Kinney record, and a lyrical and emotional compass pointed firmly in the direction of something both liberating and terrifying: the sense that only way to gain control is to let it go. [An indie store exclusive blue color vinyl pressing is available.]
Slift – Ilion CD/LP+MP3 (Sub Pop)
Slift's third album Ilion is a towering work of rock music, a steamrolling record that starts at the highest peak and never lets up. If that sounds overwhelming, trust that this Toulouse, France trio have you in good hands. Ilion feels massive and oceanic, merging the furious intensity of metal and the wigged-out guitar heroics of psych rock with post-rock's epic sense of scale. ILION is the kind of music where you listen to it and think to yourself, "This came from only three people?" [A limited-edition red w/ black ‘loser edition’ color vinyl pressing is available.]
Brittney Spencer – My Stupid Life CD/LP (Elektra)
“Nashville’s new star” (CBS This Morning) Brittney Spencer releases her highly anticipated debut album, My Stupid Life. The first track, “Bigger Than The Song”, showcases Spencer’s ability to excel on the fringe of genre periphery with her honest and free-spirited songwriting. The album’s 13 tracks are a culmination of her experience during her time trying to “make it” in Music City, discovering herself in the process. The Baltimore native moved to Nashville ten years ago, and this album is Spencer’s commitment to be unapologetically herself.
Reissues, Comps, Live Recordings, Vault Excavations...
Ólafur Arnalds – For Now I am Winter (10th Anniversary Edition) LP (Mercury)
Celebrating the 10th Anniversary Edition of Olafur Arnalds For Now I Am Winter, the album has been remastered for vinyl and pressed in a limited edition clear color with exclusive art prints inside.
Black Sabbath - Master of Reality LP (Warner Bros. / Vinyl Me Please)
Black Sabbath's landmark metal album Master of Reality is the VMP Rock Record of the Month for January 2024. It's pressed on 180g Purple Orchid Splatter vinyl with AAA lacquers cut from the master tapes by Ryan Smith at Sterling Sound. Listening notes booklet by Andy O’Connor. Includes fold-out poster.
Boogie Down Productions - By All Means Necessary LP (Jive / Vinyl Me Please)
By All Means Necessary is Boogie Down Productions' revolutionary sophomore album and the VMP Hip-Hop Record of the Month for January 2024. It's available on 180g Orange vinyl with lacquers cut by Cicely Balston at AIR Mastering. Listening notes booklet by Elijah Watson.
Clifford Brown – Memorial Album [Reissue/1956] LP (Blue Note)
The incomparable trumpeter Clifford Brown recorded two leader sessions for Blue Note in 1953 (a co-led quintet date with Lou Donaldson and his own sextet date) that were compiled on the Memorial Album shortly after his tragic death in 1956. Brownie's star burns bright from the blistering "Cherokee" to the stunning ballad "Easy Living.”
Guy Clark - Old No. 1 LP (RCA / Vinyl Me Please)
Old No. 1 is Guy Clark's foundational debut album and is the VMP Country Record of the Month for January 2024. It's pressed on 180g Black & Blue Galaxy vinyl with AAA lacquers cut from tapes by Ryan Smith at Sterling Sound. Includes listening notes booklet by Natalie Weiner.
Dire Straits – Live 1978-1992 8xCD/12xLP (Rhino)
Dire Straits Live 1978-1992 features remastered, extended, and unreleased recordings from some of their most coveted live albums and performances. The collection includes Live At The Rainbow, Alchemy, On The Night, Encores, Live At The BBC, plus artwork prints and an exclusive 16-page booklet.
The English Beat - I Just Can’t Stop It LP/CD (Rhino)
New reissue of the British ska band’s thrilling debut LP, on limited edition magenta vinyl, reissued as part of Rhino’s Start Your Ear Off Right series. Features the hits 'Tears of a Clown', 'Hands Off... She's Mine', 'Mirror in the Bathroom', 'Best Friend' and 'Stand Down Margaret'.
Rogér Fakhr - East of Any Place LP (Habibi Funk)
"East of Any Place” is a treasure trove of songs unearthed alongside Rogér Fakhr's acclaimed 2021 album, "Fine Anyway." These tracks, hidden for decades and only passed between a handful of people, offer a glimpse into Rogér’s musical genius and the vibrant scene of Lebanon during a period marked by civil war and social upheaval. This release serves as a companion to "Fine Anyway," featuring studio tracks that didn't make it into the previous album. Recorded in single day sessions in the late 1970s, the songs remain untouched, preserving the rawness and authenticity of the moment with impeccable folk-driven arrangements and lyricism shining throughout "East of Any Place."
Warren Haynes – Man In Motion [Reissue/2011] 2xLP (Stax)
Translucent 180gm translucent ruby red colorway. Warren Haynes has been almost ubiquitous since he joined the Allman Brothers Band. Making his Stax Records debut, Man In Motion is Haynes' first conscious effort to fully indulge his love for this music, and his first solo record with backing musicians since 1993. Originally released in 2011, the album was co-produced with Gordie Johnson and boasts a stellar cast: George Porter, Jr. (bass,) Ivan Neville (organ, clavinet, backing vocals,) Ian McLagan (Wurlitzer, piano,) Raymond Weber (drums,) Ron Holloway (tenor saxophone,) and Ruthie Foster (backing vocals.)
La Lupe - Queen of Latin Soul / Reina de la Cancion Latina LP (Tico / Vinyl Me Please)
La Lupe's powerful and titular Queen of Latin Soul / Reina de la Canción is the VMP Classics Record of the Month for January 2024. It's here on 180g black vinyl with AAA lacquers cut from the mono master tapes by Ryan Smith at Sterling Sound. Listening notes booklet by Isabelia Herrera.
Labelle - Nightbirds LP (Epic / Vinyl Me Please)
The 50th-anniversary edition of Labelle's funk opus Nightbirds is the VMP Essentials Record of the Month for January 2024. It's here on 180g Marmalade vinyl with AAA lacquers cut from tapes by Ryan Smith at Sterling Sound. Listening note booklet by Sasha Geffen. Includes art print by Jean Pierre Consuegra.
Bud Powell – The Amazing Budd Powell, Vol. 1 [Reissue/1955) LP (Blue Note)
The amazing bebop piano genius Bud Powell made his most enduring recordings as a leader for Blue Note. Powell's 1949 and 1951 sessions were compiled in 1955 on The Amazing Bud Powell, Vol. 1. Featuring the pianist with the likes of Sonny Rollins, Fats Navarro, Roy Haynes and Max Roach on bebop classics including "Un Poco Loco" and "Bouncing with Bud".
Various Artists - Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era 1965-1968 2xLP (Rhino)
Various Artists - Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era 1965-1968 Vol. 2 2xLP (Rhino)
Newly reissued for Rhino’s Start Your Ear Off Right program, here is the original compilation that launched the garage rock revival of the ‘70s and ‘80s. Originally compiled by Patti Smith guitarist Lenny Kaye, a 2nd volume was planned but never released until earlier this year as part of the 50th anniversary box set, released for Record Store Day. Now available in 2 stand-alone editions on psychedelic psplatter vinyl.