New Releases - 1/21/22

Hitting The Racks

Here's your weekly rundown of what's hitting the new release racks at Grimey's

New Releases

Anxious – Little Green House LP (Run For Cover)

The Connecticut band unpacks struggles, joys, and hard-earned realizations in a way that makes them feel wise beyond their years. Anthemic songs like lead single “In April” and guaranteed sing-along “Growing Up Song” thread the often difficult melodic-hardcore needle in a way that feels both nostalgic for the emo renaissance of yesteryear and precisely built for the current moment of genre defiant pioneering. [Limited-edition violet color vinyl.]

Billy Talent – Crisis Of Fate CD/LP (Spinefarm)

Juno Award-winning rockers Billy Talent's new album Crisis Of Fate features 10 tracks produced entirely by the band's guitarist, main songwriter, and Juno-nominated producer Ian D'Sa. It was recorded at the band's Toronto studio and mixed by the legendary Chris Lord-Alge. Billy Talent are one of Canada's most successful bands.

Boris – W CD/LP/Cassette (Sacred Bones)

In an effort to sublimate the negative energy surrounding everyone in 2020, legendary Japanese post-rock band Boris focused all of their energy creatively and turned out the most extreme album of their long and widely celebrated career, NO. The band self-released the album, desiring to get it out as quickly as possible but intentionally called the final track on the album "Interlude" with anticipation of a follow-up. The follow-up comes with W the band's debut album for their new label Sacred Bones Records. The record opens with the same melody as "Interlude" in a piece titled "I want to go to the side where you can touch..." and in contrast to the extreme sounds found on NO, this new album whispers into the listener's ear with a trembling hazy sound meant to awaken sensation. [Limited-edition sea blue vinyl.]

Jake Xerxes Fussell – Good And Green Again CD/LP (Paradise Of Bachelors)

Jake Xerxes Fussell's fourth album finds the acclaimed folksong interpreter, guitarist, and singer navigating fresh sonic and compositional landscapes on the most conceptually focused, breathtakingly rendered, and enigmatically poignant record of his wondrous catalog. Produced by James Elkington and featuring formidable players both familiar (Casey Toll, Libby Rodenbough) and new (Joe Westerlund, Bonnie Prince Billy), it includes Jake's first original compositions; atmospheric arrangements with pedal steel, horns, and strings; and cover art by Art Rosenbaum.

Greensky Bluegrass – Stress Dreams CD/2xLP (Big Blue Zoo)

As with traditional bluegrass, Greensky Bluegrass writes about their own contemporary day-to-day happenings, emotions, and experiences in the modern world. [A limited-edition indie store exclusive color vinyl pressing is available.]

The Greeting Committee – Dandelion LP (Harvest)

Recently released on CD – now available on yellow color vinyl. The Greeting Committee's "Can I Leave Me Too?" is a glimpse into the exploration of what happens when one stops living life and instead watches it happen to them as a bystander. With vulnerable personal accounts from lead vocalist Addison Sartino, members of The Greeting Committee will take you into their own sonically created reality with the help of producer Jenn Decilveo and mixer Dave Fridmann. Listen closely as the band takes you from grief to peace and every piece in between.

Nick Hakim and Roy Nathanson – Small Things LP (TMWRK)

Nick Hakim and Roy Nathanson deliver the new collaborative album Small Things. Executive-produced by Isaiah Barr of Onyx Collective, the album sees two artists who are staples in the Onyx Collective universe join forces. The creative process behind the record was an organic one: Hakim read some of Nathanson's poetry which in turn inspired several chords that became the foundation of Small Things. Nathanson puts it best: "It seems we were lucky. Looks like we got ourselves on the moon the old-fashioned way."

Walker Hayes – Country Stuff CD (Monument)

Equally upbeat and mellow, Hayes writes clever songs that mirror his brand and artistry of unconventional, unique country music. Following the high from scoring his first No. 1 with hit song “Fancy Like”, Hayes' latest album is a continuation of that success; a medley of beatboxing, sing-rapping, and witty lyrics with refreshing and vulnerable honesty that solidifies his place as a top-notch, one-of-a-kind player in the country music scene.

Becky Hill – Only Honest On The Weekend LP (Interscope)

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Only Honest On The Weekend is Becky Hill's hotly anticipated debut album, featuring the hits "Better Off Without You" and "Heaven on my Mind" – plus the Summer anthem "Remember" with David Guetta and further tracks with S1mba, Ella Eyre, Topic, and 220 Kid. "Finally, I get to introduce you to my album, my first complete body of work that I'm so in love with, proud of and excited to be putting out," says Becky. "With everything I've learnt in the music industry and in life, Only Honest On The Weekend reflects all that hard work, graft and growth."

Jana Horn – Optimism LP (No Quarter)

Optimism is the debut album from Jana Horn of Austin, Texas. Originally self-released in a small vinyl edition, now widely available. Horn says the LP, "seemed to come about indirectly, almost in passing, a feeling of being in-between things. I was really mobile at that time, living wherever...I had just discovered, late, Raymond Carver Broadcast, Sybil Baier, Annette Peacock, Richard & Linda Thompson, a short story called Car Crash While Hitchhiking by Denis Johnson. I had ‘Heart Needs A Home’ in mind, ‘The Great Valerio’; I was just really moving through the world, hanging in the shadows of the people I wanted to be. Hoping, looking out, this is Optimism. I was looking for anything."

Miles Kane – Change The Show LP (BMG)

Following a chance "no frills session" with psych-rock duo Sunglasses For Jaws at the band's Hackney studio, Miles Kane's fourth solo album Change The Show really began to take shape. "I saw myself in their energy, but also their taste and their knowledge of music," Miles explains. "It was the first time I'd felt old!" Opening with the honest soft croon of "Tears Are Falling", the album is a joyous ride from start to finish and features a surprising, but spectacular appearance from Grammy-nominated singer Corinne Bailey Rae for a duet on "Nothing's Ever Gonna Be Good Enough". It's an album that best represents Miles himself: charmingly authentic, and like nothing else you'll hear in pop music today.

Keb' Mo' – Good To Be… CD (Rounder/UMGD)

Written partially in Nashville and partially in the Compton house 5x Grammy-winner Keb' Mo' grew up in, Good To Be... weaves together past and present into a heartwarming tapestry spanning more than 40 years of sonic evolution. Joined by a variety of collaborators, including Vince Gill, famed producer Tom Hambridge, Darius Rucker, and Kristin Chenoweth, Good To Be... is a deeply cohesive and optimistic collection of music about appreciating what you've got, where you come from, and who you get to share it with. [Vinyl edition due May 13.]

Lil Lotus – ERRØR BØY LP+MP3 (Epitaph)

Lil Lotus is the creative persona of L.A. based (Dallas, Texas born) singer/producer and multi-instrumentalist John "Elias" Villagran. As Lil Lotus, Villagran employs his seemingly limitless vocal range and draws from his vast array of influences in rock, pop-punk, and hip-hop to create genre-blending music. Lil Lotus' sound has evolved pivoting decisively into a new lane that is opened in rock, and his new material is, by far, the strongest of his career. [Lmited-edition indie store exclusive black & white ‘explosion’ color vinyl.]

Little Hag – Leash LP (Bar/None)

Leash is the new album from Little Hag aka Avery Mandeville and her band of malcontents. Based in Asbury Park N.J. she is a songwriter of the highest order with punky vocal stylings that are not to be messed with. Leash is filled with songs that can tear your heart out but can also make you smile; the mark of a true rock star waiting in the wings for the world to catch up.

Logan Lynn – New Money LP+MP3 (Kill Rock Stars)

Written at home during the pandemic lockdown over the course of March-October 2020, and recorded in early 2021, New Money is a nine-song album by Portland electropop musician, Logan Lynn, produced in collaboration with longtime co-writer Gino Mari. Back to his electropop roots after collaborations with 80s popstar Tiffany, The Dandy Warhols and Styrofoam since 2018, New Money is an invitation to dance the last few years off. [Limited-edition purple & pink vinyl.]

LP – Churches 2xLP (Sota)

The lush and captivating Churches was executive produced by Mike Del Rio (Kylie Minogue, X Ambassadors, Skylar Grey). In addition to tracks produced by Del Rio, Churches includes production by Nate Campany (Tove Lo, K. Flay, Christina Aguillera) and Kyle Shearer (Becky G, Tove Lo, Carly Rae Jepsen) - collectively known as Valley Girl; Lars Stalfors (Health, Local Natives, Cold War Kids); two-time Grammy winner Dan Wilson (Adele, Pink, Leon Bridges, James Bay); Dan Nigro (Olivia Rodrigo, Carly Rae Jepsen, Sky Ferreira); and Isabella Machine Summers (Florence & The Machine).

Aoife O'Donovan – Age Of Apathy CD/2xCD/LP+MP3/2xLP+MP3 (Yep Roc)

Produced by fellow Grammy-winner Joe Henry (Bonnie Raitt, Rhiannon Giddens) and featuring guest appearances from Allison Russell and Madison Cunningham, Age Of Apathy finds Aoife O'Donovan's gift for poetic imagery and unconventionally alluring melody in full bloom as she confronts the sense-dulling barrage of the digital age. Amid symphonic arrangements that reveal a stunning mastery of her craft, Aoife puts forth a statement of defiance and radical love – one that reaffirms her as one of our most vital songwriters today. [A deluxe double-CD edition is available, in addition to two ‘bone color’ vinyl issues – single LP available now and double-LP due Feb. 25.]

Penny And Sparrow – Olly Olly CD/LP (I Love You)

Written and recorded over the past year, Penny And Sparrow's remarkable new album, Olly Olly, is a work of liberation and revelation, a full-throated embrace of the self from a band that's committed to leaving no stone unturned in their tireless quest for actualization. The songs here are fearless and introspective, embracing growth and change as they reckon with desire, intimacy, doubt, and regret, and the arrangements are similarly bold and thoughtful, augmenting the duo's rich, hypnotic brand of chamber folk with electronic flourishes and R&B grooves.

JP Saxe – Dangerous Levels Of Introspection LP (Arista)

Released last summer on CD – now available on vinyl. The new 13-track album from JP Saxe features the smash hit “If the World Was Ending” and previously released track “Line By Line” ft. Maren Morris. JP worked with several exciting people on this album including one of his musical heroes John Mayer. JP has been nominated for five JUNO awards (tied with Justin Bieber and Jessie Reyez for second most nominated artists this year) including Breakthrough Artist of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, Single of the Year, Pop Album of the Year and Fan Choice Award.

The Whitmore Sisters – Ghost Stories CD/LP (Red House)

Sisters Eleanor and Bonnie Whitmore, two of roots music's most accomplished songwriter/instrumentalist/ vocalists, release their first album together as The Whitmore sisters. [Limited-edition white w/ purple swirl vinyl.]

Years & Years – Night Call CD/2xLP (Interscope/Polydor)

Third studio album by the solo project of British singer Olly Alexander’s Years & Years project, and first since Mikey Goldsworthy and Emre Türkmen left the group in March 2021. Inspired as much by pioneering figures like Sylvester as it is French House, at the center of the record is that mermaid of a muse: a beautiful icon luring men to their death, on an album partly about those searching for love (or a lover), but ultimately finding power in themselves. [A deluxe CD edition featuring alternate packaging is available.]

John Zorn & Bill Laswell – The Cleansing CD (Tzadik)

Zorn and Laswell have been friends and musical compatriots since they first met in 1978 and have been responsible for some of the most intense and memorable music in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Recorded in early 2021, near the end of the year's pandemic lockdown, it marks the first time Zorn had touched the saxophone in over fifteen months. Laswell had spent most of the year locked in his apartment. Something special was happening that day'and after the session Laswell felt rejuvenated as if all the toxins and poisons had left his body. Soulful and essential, The Cleansing is an historic meeting and the first recorded duo project by these two Downtown magicians.

Reissues, Compilations, Live Recordings & Vault Excavations...

The Acacia Strain – Continent [Reissue/2008] LP (Prosthetic)

Limited clear orange vinyl pressing of the fourth studio album by the Massachusetts deathcore wrecking crew.

Amanaz – Africa [Reissue/1975] LP (Now Again)

Originally released in 1975 on Zambia Music Parlour. Recorded at Malachite Film Studios, Chingola, Zambia in 1975 by Geoff Kachusha Mulenga and Grayson Phiri. Produced by Amanaz and Emmanuel Mulemena; directed by Edward Khuzyawo; production arrangements by Billie David Nyati. Licensed courtesy Keith Kabwe and Isaac Mpofu.

Big Sean – Finally Famous [Reissue/2011] LP (G.O.O.D. Music)

After 10 years, Finally Famous is still a cultural phenomenon in the superstar's career. Rolling Stone described the album as a choice summertime rap record, complete with bright, breezy synth beats. Boasting features from Chris Brown, Nicki Minaj, Wiz Khalifa, The-Dream, and many others. Big Sean delivers Instagram caption worthy bars throughout these 16 tracks. While a decade has passed since its release, it continues to be relevant, club-certified, and hard-hitting.

Eva Cassidy ‎– Live At Blues Alley [25th Anniversary Edition] 2xLP (Blix Street)

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Digitally remastered 25th Anniversary Edition of Live At Blues Alley, the only solo album released during the late singer Eva Cassidy's short lifetime. Eva Cassidy's now legendary concert at Washington DC's Blues Alley nightclub on January 3, 1996, was in some ways a happy accident. Although Eva had spent years in the studio with producer Chris Biondo creating an eclectic body of work, the pair decided that a live album was the quickest way to achieve their immediate goal of creating a CD to sell at live shows. Eva cashed in a small pension from her day job at a local nursery, her Aunt Claire contributed toward the venture, the Blues Alley venue booked them during their slowest time of the year (just after the New Year's Eve blow-out), as was a live recording truck with a goal of generating enough profit to purchase a proper PA system for future shows. The result was Live At Blues Alley, released locally a scant few months before Cassidy's untimely passing from melanoma at the age of 33.

Don Cherry ‎– Where Is Brooklyn? [Reissue/1969] LP (Blue Note)

Limited 180gm vinyl pressing. Don Cherry first rose to prominence as part of the Ornette Coleman Quartet that turned the jazz world on its ear in 1959. Then, in 1965 he began his career as a leader with a run of fiery Blue Note albums including Where Is Brooklyn?, a highly interactive quartet date with Pharoah Sanders on tenor saxophone, Henry Grimes on bass and Ed Blackwell on drums. Blue Note Classic Vinyl Series is all-analog, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes.

F**ked Up – Epics In Minutes [Reissue/2003] LP (Get Better)

Epics in Minutes is the definitive landmark of F**ked Up's early days of releasing 7" records and cassettes. Released only three years into their existence on CD only, it has been remastered and made available on vinyl for the first time. The songs here are the beginning of the long journey of F**ked Up's larger than life catalogue with sounds ranging from blown out hardcore punk recorded on four track cassette, to the glorious interlocking guitar parts and narrative lyric writing that would set the tone for the rest of their musical career.

Fujiya & Miyagi – Lightbulbs [Reissue/2008] LP+MP3 (Impossible Objects)

Over the last two decades Brighton's Fujiya & Miyagi has been steadily building a vast body of work that explores 1970's Germany-tinged beats, whip smart electronica, intoxicating disco, shimmering pop and generally concocting an idiosyncratic blend of dance music that sounds utterly and uniquely their own.

Aimee Mann – Queens Of Summer Hotel LP (Super Ego)

The 2021 release from the the acclaimed singer/songwrite contains songs inspired by the book Girl Interrupted, written by Susannah Kaysen.

Dave Mason – Alone Together Again LP (BMG)

Color vinyl pressing. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of his classic first solo album, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Dave Mason has reimagined that iconic release with Alone Together Again. The newly imagined album was produced by Dave; with him on guitar/vocals, Johnne Sambataro (guitar/background vocals), Alvino Bennett (drums), Tony Patler (keyboards, bass) along with special guests John McFee, Jason Roller, Jonathan McEuen, Gretchen Rhodes, Bill Reynolds, Jesse Siebenberg, Teddy Jack Russell and Billy Mason. [All copies at Grimey’s are signed by Dave Mason!]

Jackie McLean ‎– Destination... Out! [Reissue/1964] LP (Blue Note)

Limited 180gm vinyl pressing. The innovative hard bop of Jackie McLean evolved as the '60s progressed. Inspired by Ornette Coleman, the saxophonist ventured into the avant-garde but never let go of a soulful sense of swing. Destination Out! was his masterwork of inside-out jazz with Grachan Moncur III on trombone, Bobby Hutcherson on vibes, Larry Ridley on bass and Roy Hayes on drums. Blue Note Classic Vinyl Series is all-analog, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes.

Stack Waddy – Stack Waddy [Reissue/1971] LP (Sundazed)

Limited white color vinyl pressing. Stack Waddy's debut album is one of the "must hear" discs of the early 1970s, an uncompromising roar that might cavort through that shell-shocked no man's land that sprawls between Captain Beefheart and the Edgar Broughton Band, but which winds up defiantly beholden to absolutely nothing else you've ever heard -- one reason, perhaps, why the group vanished with so little trace.

Various Artists – Blade Runner Black Lotus LP (Def Jam)

A dynamic multi-genre soundtrack with global appeal that soundtracks each episode of the 13-part series. The album boasts tracks from Alessia Cara, 070 Shake, 6lack, Iann Dior, and more across a variety of genres. Part of the American neo-noir science fiction media franchise originating from the 1968 novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? [A limited-edition green color vinyl pressing is also available.]

Various Artists – Soul Jazz Presents: Studio One Groups [Reissue/2006] CD/2xLP (Soul Jazz)

Soul Jazz Records classic Studio One Groups collection is now available as a new one-off limited edition red colored CD anniversary pressing. 15 years on from its original release Studio One Groups remains one of the toughest of all Soul Jazz/Studio One releases and features some of the biggest groups in the history of Reggae music including Bob Marley and The Wailers, Toots and the Maytals and The Heptones who all began their careers at 13 Brentford Road, under the guidance of the great producer and label owner Clement Sir Coxsone Dodd.

Weekend –La Varieté [Reissue/1982] LP (Lantern)

Formed by Alison Statton of much-loved Welsh avant- garde/indie pioneers the Young Marble Giants alongside guitarists Simon Booth and Spike, Weekend have been more than a cult band during their short career. La Varieté was their 1982 debut album a delicate collection of songs set against a jazz backdrop, switching across several musical settings including samba, cabaret, Afrobeat and truly original contemporary exotic pop.

The Wonderful World Of Louis Armstrong All Stars – A Gift To Pops LP (Verve)

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. The Wonderful World Of Louis Armstrong All Stars is the cream of the crop of current New Orleans musicians, paying tribute to the musician who started it all in the Crescent City. Comprised of new arrangements and recordings of music associated with Louis by a rotating cast of key New Orleans players including guest features from Wynton Marsalis, Common, and more.

Xiu Xiu – Dear God, I Hate Myself [Reissue/2010] LP+7”+MP3 (Kill Rock Stars)

The two biggest constants throughout Xiu Xiu's catalog are honesty and evolution. This remains true with Dear God, I Hate Myself as it delivers a look at responsibility, fear, healing, and societal roles wrapped in rich gothic pop music. The sound is still distinctly Xiu Xiu, but Jamie Stewart's vocals are finally effortless paired with vibrant melodies full of subtlety and the distinct sonic accents expected of this anticipated Xiu Xiu release. The result is a record that proves that art can be pop and pop can challenge you to look inside yourself.