New Releases - 10/21/22

Hitting The Racks

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

New Releases

Archers Of Loaf – Reason In Decline CD/LP+MP3 (Merge)

Reason In Decline, Archers Of Loaf's first studio album since the 1998 release of White Trash Heroes, is no nostalgic, low-impact reboot. When they emerged from North Carolina's '90s indie-punk incubator, the Archers' hurtling, sly, gloriously dissonant roar was a mythologized touchstone of slacker-era refusal. But this new LP is an entirely different noise. In fact, it's a startling revelation. Guitarists Eric Bachmann and Eric Johnson, once headstrong smartasses inciting a series of artful pileups on the band's four studio albums and EP, are now a fluidly complementary, sonically advanced unit. Notably, Johnson's signature trebly lines peal clearly above the din instead of struggling to be heard. Today, singer-songwriter Bachmann's lyrics balance righteous wrath with a complex tangle of adult perspective. He still spits bile, but it's less likely to concern scene politics, music trends, or shady record labels thwarting the dreams of a young rock band. [Limited-edition ‘peak’ white w/ red & purple swirl color vinyl.]

Architects – The Classic Symptoms Of A Broken Spirit CD/LP+MP3 (Epitaph)

The Classic Symptoms Of A Broken Spirit serves as Architects' tenth studio album and follows-up 2021's critically acclaimed For Those That Wish To Exist. The band barely had time to celebrate their success when they began the process of writing the songs that make up the new record. Produced by Dan Searle and Josh Middleton, with additional production from Sam Carter at Deacon's Middle Farm Studios and their own HQ, Electric Studios in Brighton. The band were buoyed by finally being back in the room together after their last album was made mostly remote due to COVID restrictions, the result was something altogether more "free, playful and spontaneous" the band's drummer and songwriter Dan explained. [Indie store exclusive ‘eco color’ vinyl.]

Arctic Monkeys – The Car CD/LP+MP3 (Domino)

Arctic Monkeys' cinematic seventh studio album, The Car, features ten new songs written by Alex Turner, produced by James Ford and recorded at Butley Priory, Suffolk, RAK Studios, London and La Frette, Paris. Following 2018's Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino, The Car finds Arctic Monkeys running wild in a new and sumptuous musical landscape and contains some of the richest and most rewarding vocal performances of Turner's career. Turner told the Big Issue: "On this record [The Car], sci-fi is off the table. We are back to earth. I think we've got closer to a better version of a more dynamic overall sound with this record. The strings on this record come in and out of focus and that was a deliberate move and hopefully everything has its own space. There's time the band comes to the front and then the strings come to the front." [Indie store exclusive custard color vinyl.]

Babyface – Girls Night Out CD (Capitol)

Girls Night Out is a new compilation album from Babyface featuring some of today's brightest and rising female R&B stars. The 12-track, Babyface-produced album is a sonic journey through love, heartbreak and all the emotions in between, featuring vocals from Babyface alongside special guests Ella Mai, Queen Naija, Ari Lennox, Kehlani, Doechii and more. Girls Night Out bridges the classic and the current with Babyface's timeless approach to music production, exemplifying artistry at its finest. [Vinyl version due December 9.]

William Basinski & Janek Schaefer - …On Reflection LP+MP3 (Temporary Residence)

Released earlier this year on CD – now available on metallic silver color vinyl. Deploying a delicate piano passage from their collective archive, Basinski and Schaefer weave and reweave in numerous ways, forging a unified flurry of flickering notes. The sounds of various birds heard from late night windows on tour can occasionally be heard throughout, ricocheting off mirrored facades and reflecting on themselves.

Bibio – Bib10 CD/LP+MP3 (Warp)

10th album from the British folktronica musician. Bibio takes us on an unexpected & delightful journey through oneiric worlds that drift from acid folk to soul-infused beats on Bib10. [Limited-edition gold vinyl.]

Andrea Bocelli, Matteo Bocelli, Virginia Bocelli – A Family Christmas CD (Capitol)

World-famous tenor Andrea Bocelli releases his first album collaboration with his 24-year-old son Matteo and 10-year-old daughter Virginia. A showcase for their multi-generational talents, on a range of holiday favorites, A Family Christmas was produced by multi-Grammy winning composer and Academy Award-nominee Moccio. He has also contributed new arrangements for the album, which captures the festive spirit of the family. The 13-track collection features new interpretations of traditional carols arranged for their three voices, including "Away in a Manger" and "Joy To The World". Also included are popular Christmas tunes from around the world such as "Feliz Navidad" and another new song, "Il Giorno Piu Speciale", written by Federica Abbate, Cheope, Katoo and Andrea Bocelli. [Vinyl version due October 28.]

Chicago – Born For This Moment LP (BMG)

Released in July on CD – now available on vinyl. Over the entire course of 14 vibrant new songs, Born For This Moment (a.k.a. Chicago XXXVIII) encapsulates the scope and breadth of all the compositional and performance-propelled strengths at the ready in Chicago's seemingly endless arsenal of musical acumen.

The Comets – The Comets LP (Reminder)

Of all the subcultural spores dispersed by the shockwave of punk, the odds for a Brit-pop, jam-style mod revival sound germinating in a land-locked city in central Florida had to be tremendously slim. However, despite this low probability, the lack of tube stations at midnight and/or Eton rifles, or any type of local supporting scene or infrastructure, life finds a way. It also didn't hurt that Comets guitarist and lead vocalist and songwriter, Mich Shields, was himself Anglo and not just an Anglophile and thus did not have to fake his English accent.

Como Asesinar a Felipes – Luz, Figura y Sombra LP (Clouds Hill)

Como Asesinar a Felipes (CAF) from Santiago, Chile, is a quintet that displays its rhythmic existential poetry over a grounding produced by organic instruments. On the same platform elements of jazz, hip-hop, rock, classical and electronic music meet, creating a mix that has stood out for its originality, atmosphere and a lot of energy during its live performances interpreted through a signature that is uniquely their own: saturated, technicolor hues of sound painted on a dark psychedelic canvas.

Curren$y & The Alchemist – Continuance LP (Jet Life)

Following what many would consider a banner year of releases for both artists, Curren$y & The Alchemist reunite for their third collaborative album, Continuance. With a chemistry that is unmatched currently, the album sees Spitta exude effortless confidence over some of Alc's most finely crafted beats, resulting in what many would already consider a timeless piece of work. The 13-track album features a tight, yet impressive roster of guests including Boldy James, Babyface Ray, Styles P, Larry June, Havoc, and old partner in crime, Wiz Khalifa.

Daphni (a.k.a. Dan Snaith/Caribou) - Cherry CD/2xLP (Jiaolong)

Cherry is the followup to 2017's Joli Mai, and also follows Dan Snaith's 2020 album under the Caribou moniker, Suddenly. Whether in the studio or the club, Snaith's more dance-oriented creative outlet has always been a pursuit where he lets the music find its own path. Of the album, Snaith says that "it pings quickly from one idea to the next and, at least for me, hangs together in a way that feels unified. Maybe because it's hard to avoid the musical fingerprints I leave on the music I make, whether I want to or not." The component parts have this same sense of independence, the essence of Daphni always present over music that is more free-wheeling than it's ever been, almost escaping Snaith's grasp as it tumbles and spirals. New gear and ways of working meant Snaith was able to sit at the center of the music but let things get away from him a bit more as equipment began to make its own decisions before reeling it back in to suit his purposes, or as he puts it "getting the snake to eat its own tail".

The Devil Wears Prada – Color Decay LP (Solid State)

Indie store exclusive cream color. New release from the metalcore band from Ohio. Includes the single "Salt". “Color Decay speaks to loss and degradation, ailment and affliction. It's visual, just as the songs are, and deeply reflective of something once brilliant growing tarnished. The collection of ideas that make this LP express range both lyrically and musically: new layers of fuzz, new vocal effects, and new modes of percussion. It is not to be so threadbare as to say TDWP is experimenting with nuances of industrial metal, but instead to say that TDWP direly works to create a unique lane in the span of metalcore, moving past imitation towards innovation." – The Devil Wears Prada

Dry Cleaning – Stumpwork CD/LP+MP3 (4AD)

Less than 18 months after the release of their debut album New Long Leg, Dry Cleaning return with their sophomore album entitled Stumpwork. 2021 established the band as one of the biggest breakthrough indie acts of recent years. This is reflected in the ambition of their new record. For their follow-up, the London four-piece returned to the iconic Rockfield Studios to work once again with producer John Parish. Furious indie-pop anthems combine across the record with psych and prog influences, demonstrating the wealth of influences the band feed off and their deep musicality. Surrealist lyrics are as ever at the forefront, but the new album gives greater opportunity to explore bugged out guitar jams, and immersive journeys touching on krautrock territory. [Limited-edition white vinyl.]

Ernest – Flower Shops (The Album) – The Album LP (Big Loud)

Release last April on CD – now available on opaque red color vinyl pressing. Following his first project Locals Only, Ernest is back and blossoming with 11-track debut record Flower Shots (The Album). Unveiling a new, more traditionally country chapter in his sound, Flower Shops tells a complete story with Ernest at the helm, irrefutably rooted in his Nashville heritage and dancing along the boundary where country, pop, R&B, and roots music collide. The one-of-a-kind creator peppers in tropical elements reminiscent of Locals Only with heavy steel instrumentation, traditional country themes, and the troubadour's signature wordplay.

Exhumed – To The Dead CD/LP (Relapse)

Exhumed return from the depths with their macabre new album, To The Dead. The new album is the culmination of decades upon decades of nightmarish riffs, obliterating blast beats, and hellish screams from the very depths the band crawled out from. [Indie store exclusive blood red vinyl.]

Frankie Cosmos – Inner World Peace CD/LP+MP3/Cassette (Sub Pop)

Frankie Cosmos' fifth album Inner World Peace - which features "One Year Stand" and additional standouts "F.O.O.F.", "Aftershook", and "Empty Head", - was co-produced with Nate Mendelsohn and Katie Von Schleicher at Figure 8 Recording in Brooklyn, New York. The Inner World Peace album art features illustrations from band member Lauren Martin. Instant centerpiece "One Year Stand" is a small snowglobe of intimacy recalling the softest moments of Yo La Tengo's And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out. Lifted by Martin's drones on Hammond organ and synthesizer, it could be played on repeat in a loop. The voices of Kline and Martin, who have sung together since middle school, blend seamlessly. Throughout the album there are plays on the notion of feeling seen or invisible, as in "Magnetic Personality" when Kline sings "ask me how I am and I won't really say," or in "One Year Stand" when she says, "maybe I'm asking myself." [Limited-edition clear vinyl.]

Giveon – Give Or Take LP (Epic)

Released in June on CD – now available on vinyl. Following upon the success of Giveon's combined EPs, Take Time and When Its All Said And Done, the 7x Grammy nominated R&B's singer's full-length debut album, Give Or Take, continues a narrative of heart felt songwriting in singles "For Tonight" and "Lie Again" and will undoubtedly become one of this new decade's acclaimed developing artist stories. Across the record's 15 tracks, he relays his account of the past year to his mother, speaking bluntly on the ups, downs, romances, relationships, and everything in between.

God Alone – ETC LP (Prosthetic)

God Alone is a five-piece math/noise rock band hailing from Cork, Ireland, comprised of students of the CIT Cork School Of Music. They combine the dense atmosphere of post metal with elements of indie, hardcore, jazz and dance music.

Nick Hakim – COMETA LP (ATO)

COMETA is the third studio album by Nick Hakim. Recorded between studios and domestic spaces throughout Texas, North Carolina, California, and New York, this collection of romantic songs was written through different lenses, guided by Hakim's own experience falling in love in a way that made him feel like he was floating. The dizzying, out-of-body sensation is the theme that anchors this masterful album. Featuring guest appearances by Helado Negro, Alex G, Arto Lindsay, and DJ Dahl.

Inclination – Unaltered Perspective CD/LP (Pure Noise)

New release from the Louisville, KY-based straight edged hardcore band. [Indie store exclusive clear w/ silver, white, and black color vinyl.]

Carly Rae Jepsen – The Loneliest Time CD/LP (School Boy)

Her most introspective body of work to date, The Loneliest Time expands on the emotionally potent songwriting and effervescent sound that Carly Rae Jepsen has showcased on past work like 2015's critically lauded and culture-shaping E*MO*TION. In bringing her new album to life, Jepsen worked with collaborators Tavish Crowe, Rostam Batmanglij (who helmed production on The Loneliest Time's acclaimed lead single "Western Wind"), Bullion, Captain Cuts, John Hill, Kyle Shearer, and Alex Hope among others.

Jewel – Freesheelin’ Woman LP (Jewel Murray Words)

Released last April on CD – now available on vinyl. The first album in seven years from the four-time Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum singer-songwriter. The album presents Jewel's boldest and most unbridled body of work to date, revealing entirely new dimensions of her breathtaking voice. Includes the single "Dancing Slow”.

Cate Kennan – The Arbitrary Dimensions Of Dreams LP (Post Present Medium)

The Arbitrary Dimension Of Dreams is Cate Kennan's oblique exploration of memory, nighttime, and narrative. The resulting 12 compositions are brisk, evocative, and lingering. Kennan's sonic palette is vast yet harmonized, deftly matching spectral synthesizers to hazy lap steel guitars and watery analog effects. Existing in the sparsely occupied world of early melodic electronic music, her songs call to mind the sonic landscape's of Malcolm Cecil, Hans-Joachim Roedelius, and Deux Filles. Each individual track sculpts a setting, constructing an amorphous landscape of surreal musical vignettes.

Lady Aicha / Pisco Crane – N'djila Wa Mudjimu LP (Nyege Nyege Tapes)

An essential portrait of one of the Democratic Republic of Congo's most innovative contemporary outfits, and some of the most surprising hybrid music you're likely to hear.

Lord – Devotional CD/LP (Southern Lord)

Devotional is a new collaborative album with vocalist and violinist Petra Haden, who first worked with Anderson during his time in Goatsnake, as well as on the second SUNN O))) studio album, ØØ Void. Devotional is a rapturous and heady offering of wordless vocalizations, droning guitars, and heaviness explored in unexpected and intoxicating ways. Inspirations came from deep listening to Indian classical music, as well as a fascinating look at the chaotic and unbelievable life of Ma Anand Sheela and the Rajneesh community. [Limited-edition red vinyl.]

Lucky Daye – Candydrip 2xLP (RCA)

Second album from the Soul/R&B singer/songwriter.

Medicine Singers – Medicine Singers CD/LP (Joyful Noise)

The debut album by Medicine Singers is a genre-smashing kaleidoscope of sound combining traditional powwow music with elements of psychedelic punk, spiritual jazz, and electronics in a stunning blend. [Limited-edition oxblood color vinyl.]

Moiré - Circuits LP (Avenue 66)

Over the past decade, the mysterious London-based artist Moiré has perfected a syrupy, addictive brand of dance music via labels like Actress's Werk Discs and illustrious imprints like Ghostly and Rush Hour. For most of this period, Moiré seemed primarily concerned with creating alternative universe club tracks. The beats were hypnotic, if wonky. The pads were deep before they were refracted through an oblique filter. Circuits is a massive creative leap that fully breaks with the strictures of a "conventional" dance music. While there are still nods to the low-slung, slow house style Moiré's perfected in the past ("Circuit 1"), as well as the looming shadow of hardcore ("Circuit 8"), Moiré's style now billows into a liminal, cinematic zone that recalls Boards of Canada or even Seefeel's enduring, genre-free experiments. Rhythms come and go at all tempos, from Hauntological four-on-the-floor to flickering downtempo and ambient house approximations.

NNAMDÏ – Please Have A Seat LP+MP3 (Secretly Canadian)

As an artist, composer, producer, writer, and co-founder of Sooper Records, so much of NNAMDÏ's life is go/go/go, do/do/do, produce/produce/produce, with precious little time to stop. Please Have A Seat finds NNAMDÏ writing through those calmer moments as he's been able to capture them; to sit down, pause, and write twelve songs. If there is comfort here among the common themes, it's the comfort in finding wisdom and gaining confidence. Pausing, but also knowing there maybe is no real pause, that every moment is one to grow as a human, to reflect or learn. In fact, Please Have A Seat is bookended by two songs about running, about finding those moments in motion, getting out of go-brain and into something deeper, more elemental. [Limited-edition walnut brown vinyl.]

Taro Nohara - Poly-Time Soundscapes / Forest of the Shrine LP (WRWTFWW Records)

WRWTFWW Records announce Poly-Time Soundscapes / Forest Of The Shrine, a brand new release by Japanese producer Taro Nohara (Yakenohara). Eight tracks of pure environmental ambient bliss. Based in Tokyo, Taro Nohara is a producer, beatmaker, DJ, and music activist who made a mark with his electronic/ambient unit Unknown Me (of Not Not Fun Records fame). His new solo project, Poly-Time Soundscapes / Forest Of The Shrine, is a unique and modern take on Japanese environmental music, a free-floating re-interpretation of the sub-genre made famous by Midori Takada, Hiroshi Yoshimura, or Satoshi Ashikawa (and more) fused with subtle nuances of various origins: downtempo, hip-hop, sound design, chill-out, experimental. Taro Nohara's organic soundscape takes you on a mind-soothing walk-through time (or memories) and the beautiful mysteries of luscious forests -- don't resist, let yourself go, explore.

O.R.K. – Screamnasium CD/LP (Kscope)

O.R.K. features ex-Porcupine Tree bassist Colin Edwin, award-winning composer/vocalist Lef, King Crimson's Pat Mastelotto, and Marta Suitubi's Carmelo Pipitone.

Origin – Chaosmos LP (Nuclear Blast)

Recently released on CD – now available on orange w/ blue galaxy color vinyl. New album from the U.S. tech-death metal masters.

Pink Floyd – Hey Hey Rise up CDEP/7” (Pink Floyd)

For this limited-edition release, David Gilmour revisited The Division Bell track “A Great Day For Freedom” in support of Ukrainians. He has reworked the song using the original tapes which, as well as David, feature Nick Mason on drums and Richard Wright on keyboards, along with backing vocals from Sam Brown, Claudia Fontaine, and Durga McBroom.

Pinkshift – Love Me Forever LP (Hopeless)

Baltimore-based Pinkshift is a vehemently unapologetic punk band whose songs rail against prejudice and oppression while also examining in great depth the human condition. Singer Ashrita Kumar, guitarist Paul Vallejo, and drummer Myron Houngbedji smash any preconceived notions about what a punk band should look or sound like. With their raw, honest lyrics and nuanced perspective as POC individuals navigating a scene that historically did not represent them, Love Me Forever, is the debut album that loudly asks the world if they are ready for them.

Caroline Polachek – Billions b/w Long Road Home 7” (Caroline Polachek)

New single from the L.A.-based artist and the second to be taken from her upcoming, sophomore album. The single features new B-side & rework of Brooklyn-based musician, artist, composer, & Mercury Music Prize nominated producer Oneohtrix Point Never's "Long Road Home" from his 2020 album Magic Oneohtrix Point Never.

Ribbon Stage – Hit With The Most LP (K. Records)

“An indie-pop daydream desperate melody with true love's aim. A voice subtle in its delivery and powerful in its affect. Hooks, lyrics, melody, tears. I'd call it a teen tragedy but everyone's getting older, Hearts are getting bigger, but head and heart can't ever line up.”

Dawn Richard & Spencer Zahn – Pigments CD/LP+MP3 (Merge)

Pigments is a project about the power of self-expression through living art, through motion. It's also a love letter to New Orleans, Louisiana. Not strictly classical, jazz, or ambient electronica but rather a body of "movements," Pigments is an expressive soundscape that is an immersive passage through the city as seen through the eyes of a young Black girl with dreams to paint her future with the pigments given to her. [Limited-edition color vinyl.]

Simple Minds – Direction Of The Heart CD/LP (BMG)

Simple Minds' eighteenth studio album Direction Of The Heart finds the band at their most confident and anthemic best and is an inspired celebration of life, most evident on the captivating lead single "Vision Thing". Most of the tracks were written, created, and demoed in Sicily, where both Jim Kerr and guitarist Charlie Burchill live. Unable to come to the UK because of quarantine rules, the album was recorded at Hamburg's Chameleon Studios. Here they produced the album, later enlisting Andy Wright (Massive Attack, Echo & The Bunnymen) and Gavin Goldberg (Simply Red, KT Tunstall) for additional production. Guests include Sparks' frontman Russell Mael and former Ged Grimes music partner from Danny Wilson, songwriter Gary Clark. [A deluxe CD version is available.]

Sloan – Steady CD/LP (Yep Roc)

Thirty years into their career, Canadian indie rock perennials Sloan return with their 13th album: Steady. Featuring the band's trademark harmonies and every band member taking lead vocal duties on at least a couple tracks, there's no better musical commonwealth than this quartet. [Limited-edition deep purple vinyl.]

The Soft Pink Truth – Is It Going To Get Any Deeper Than This CD/2xLP+MP3 (Thrill Jockey)

Hot on the heels of the sold-out limited EP Was It Ever Real?, The Soft Pink Truth releases a super catchy, sexy contemporary disco banger Is It Going To Get Any Deeper Than This?, Throughout the ten songs of the album, the provocation to go "deeper" prompts promiscuous moves across the genres of disco, minimalism, ambient, and jazz, sliding onto and off of the dancefloor, sweeping higher and lower on the scale of frequencies, engaging both philosophical texts re-set as pop lyrics and wordless glossolalia. [Indie store exclusive crystal clear vinyl.]

Stryper – The Final Battle CD/2xLP (Frontiers)

The legendary, long-running heavy metallers return with a brand-new studio album. The Final Battle sees the band growing heavier while also maintaining their trademark melodies, virtuoso guitar playing, and airtight rhythms. [An indie store exclusive yellow color vinyl pressing is available.]

Taylor Swift – Midnights [Moonstone Blue Edition] CD/LP (Republic)
Taylor Swift – Midnights [Blood Moon Edition] CD/LP (Republic)
Taylor Swift – Midnights [Jade Green Edition] CD/LP (Republic)
Taylor Swift – Midnights [Mahogany Edition] CD/LP (Republic)

Taylor Swift's 2022 studio album Midnights is a collection of music written in the middle of the night, a journey through terrors and sweet dreams. The floors we pace and the demons we face - the stories of 13 sleepless nights scattered throughout Taylor's life. [Four color vinyl variants (color according to subtitle) are available.]

Tegan & Sara – Crybaby CD/LP (Mom + Pop)

Innovative, multi-platinum Canadian duo Tegan & Sara deliver their tenth studio album, Crybaby which was co-produced with John Congleton (Angel Olsen, Sharon Van Etten) and recorded at Studio Litho in Seattle and Sargent Recorders in Los Angeles. Crybaby consists of songs about change, and never changing, and the nostalgia aching in both their bones. [Limited-edition ‘neopolitan’ color vinyl.]

Whitmer Thomas – The Older I Get, The Funnier I Was LP (Hardly Art)

Pink color vinyl pressing. The Older I Get, The Funnier I Was, which follows Thomas' brilliant 2020 HBO special The Golden One and his Can't Believe You're Happy Here EP released earlier this year, surveys a range of emotion, and offers a broad sonic palette, moving between pop punk, electro, and the obvious influence of the singer-songwriters he grew up listening to in early childhood. It conjures the ennui of Bright Eyes alongside the barefaced storytelling of John Prine, the overstuffed lists of Fred Thomas with the lackadaisical humor of Colleen Green, among many others.

Tropical F**k Storm / King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – Satanic Slumber Party 12” (Joyful Noise)

Pink color vinyl pressing. Satanic Slumber Party is a collaborative 12" by two of Australia's finest - Tropical F**k Storm and King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard. Pumped full of booze and adrenaline, our heroes offer up 20-minutes of sax skronks, brick-heavy distortion, and punchy riffs. It's a packed party full of four guitars, three drummers, two synths, bass, harmonica, electronic sax and loads of singers and silliness. It's like “Love Shack” by the B52's except more evil.

Twain – Noon LP (Keeled Scales)

Matthew Davidson is a prolific contributor to beloved projects including Big Thief, whose latest album Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You features Davidson's distinct contributions on six songs, as well as a current member of Buck Meek's band. Davidson is also a former member of The Low Anthem, Spirit Family Reunion, and Deslondes and has toured with the likes of Langhorne Slim, Courtney Marie Andrews and more. He made his label debut as Twain with Rare Feeling in 2017. The album was aptly hailed by NPR as "at once human and otherworldly," by Consequence of Sound as "devastating, delicate, meditative" and by Uproxx as "cosmic folk, bright and sparkling, but with all the caterwauling and rough bits that the most stoic traditionalist might desire." Twain's music resonates a transcendental weight, his performances reliably noted as raw and intensely emotional. [CD version due November 18.]

Twiddle – Every Last Leaf LP (No Coincidence)

Recently released on CD – now available on mint green marble color vinyl. Every Last Leaf is an album about life and the emotions that come along with it: the good, the bad, and everything in between. It's a metaphor for the circle of life; as one leaf dies and falls off the tree, it becomes part of the Earth, feeding the very roots that gave it life and creating new life in the process. We are all infinitely unique beings, but we all share the same emotions and challenges at our core. We did our best to reflect that human experience on this record.

Alex Williams – Waging Peace CD/LP (Lightning Rod)

Alex Williams became recognized as a one-to-watch outlaw country artist, drawing comparisons to Chris Stapleton and Sturgill Simpson for his signature, cavernous vocal and gritty, go-your-own-way charisma. Now, following his critically acclaimed major label debut in 2017 (Better Than Myself), he returns with his long-awaited sophomore record Waging Peace. Produced by Grammy-winner Ben Fowler and featuring artists like Mickey Raphael on harmonica and Danny Dugmore on pedal steel, Waging Peace is rooted in country tradition and a bold, against-the-grain swagger, accompanied by Williams' organic twang and retrofuzz. Throughout 12 songs, Williams shares an unseen side of his life and his personal battle between good and evil. [Limited-edition red vinyl.]

Reissues & From The Archives

The B-52’s - The B-52’s LP (Rhino)
The B-52’s - Wild Planet LP (Rhino)
The B-52’s - Mesopotamia LP (Rhino)

Rhino “Rocktober” reissues of the first three classic B-52’s records on red, blue and orange vinyl, respectively.

Birdlegs and Pauline – Birdlegs and Pauline [Reissue/1964] LP (Numero)

Among the rarest albums from Jim Kirchstein's Wisconsin-based Cuca label, 1964's Birdlegs and Pauline runs a playful gamut of girl group soul, sultry R&B, bluesy torch songs, and junk shop doo-wop. The Rockford, Illinois-based husband and wife duo struck gold with their Top 20 R&B hit "Spring" the year prior and frequently returned to Sauk City to see if there was any additional magic up Cuca's sleeve. Gathered here are the best of Birdegs and Pauline's family album of songs, featuring several previously unissued songs found deep in the Cuca vault. [Limited-edition pink vinyl.]

Jon Brion – Meaningless [Reissue/2000] LP+MP3 (Jealous Butcher)

One of the most distinctive recordings of the early 2000s, Jon Brion's one and only solo album Meaningless is a master course in power pop-inspired art rock songwriting and production. Uniting psychedelic rock, classic songwriters, tape loop soundscapes, and chiming folk jangle, the record offers a vivid backdrop for Brion's wry observations on love, reality, and the elusive quality of meaning-all that plus a mind-bending Cheap Trick cover. More than two decades later, its emotional core remains undiminished by year's spent in the major label wringer, both before and after its creation. [An indie store exclusive blue color vinyl pressing is available. CD reissue due November 4.]

Johnny Cash – With His Hot And Blue Guitar [Reissue/1957] LP (Sun)

All legends start somewhere, and With His Hot And Blue Guitar is where the legend of Johnny Cash began. Newly remastered in honor of Sun Records' 70th Anniversary, Cash's debut album was also the first LP issued by Sam Phillips on the legendary label. The Man In Black is backed by the Tennessee Two on classic Cash hits like "Folsom Prison Blues", "Cry, Cry, Cry" and "I Walk The Line". This 70th Anniversary vinyl edition features liner notes from rock critic and Cash biographer Robert Hilburn.

Alex Chilton – Feudalist Tarts [Reissue/1985] LP (Bar/None)

Alex Chilton's Feudalist Tarts found the Big Star/Boxtops front man re-making himself as a southern fried hipster offering up original tunes like "Stuff" and sly soulful covers "B-A-B'Y" and "Thank You John" while adding a horn section to his road-tested rhythm section. Side Two features several rare Chilton tracks including "Rubber Room" and "Wild Kingdom".

Hazel Dickens And Alice Foster – Who's That Knocking? And Other Bluegrass Music [Reissue/1965] LP (Smithsonian Folkways)
Hazel & Alice – Won’t You Come And Sing For Me? [Reissue/1973] LP (Smithsonian Folkways)

Initially released in 1965, Who's That Knocking? is the first album by Hazel Dickens and Alice Gerrard. With this trailblazing record, Hazel and Alice shattered the glass ceiling of male-dominated bluegrass, which had typically relegated women to minor musical roles at best. Hazel and Alice's hard-edged, soulful harmonies were firmly rooted in the older music traditions of the rural South. Their steadfast devotion to their powerful, driving style inspired generations of women in bluegrass, country music, and even punk. Won't You Come And Sing For Me? is the duo’s second album. Their influence has been acknowledged by artists as diverse as country superstars Naomi and Wynonna Judd, champion flat-picker Molly Tuttle, and proto-feminist punk rocker Kathleen Hanna.

Duma – Duma [Reissue/2020] LP (Nyege Nyege Tapes)

Duma's self-titled debut is the most incredible injection of life-affirming, outsider energy imaginable in these dark ages; an LP that's bound to cleave opinion and upend preconceptions of what music from East Africa, or anywhere else in the world for that matter, can be. Comprising Martin Khanja (Lord Spikeheart) and Sam Karugu, Duma mete out a jaw-dropping extreme sound rooted in Nairobi's flourishing underground metal scene, where they've previously performed in bands Lust Of A Dying Breed and Seeds Of Datura.

Joe Ely – Flatland Lullaby CD (Rack’em)

Never-before-released children's album by the Texas country/roots/rock-n-roll icon. Flatland Lullaby has been in production since 1984 and is being released for the first time ever.

Faith No More – Sol Invictus [Reissue/2015] LP (Ipecac)

Limited silver color vinyl pressing. Sol Invictus is the seventh studio album by Faith No More, originally released in 2015. It was Faith No More's first studio album following 1997's Album Of The Year, marking the longest gap between two studio albums in their career.

Norah Jones – I Dream Of Christmas CD/2xLP (Blue Note)

Deluxe double-CD and double-vinyl pressings of the 2021 holiday release from the acclaimed singer/songwriter. [Indie store exclusive red vinyl.]

Kendrick Lamar – Good Kid, M.A.A.D City (10th Anniversary Edition) 2xLP (Interscope)

Kendrick Lamar delivers a special 10th anniversary edition of his breakout 2012 release Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City. The acclaimed major label debut saw the rapper crowned the "new King of the West Coast" by Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg. Billed as a "short film by Kendrick Lamar", the concept album follows the story of Lamar's teenage experiences in the drug-infested streets and gang lifestyle of his native Compton. Supported by five singles – "The Recipe", "Swimming Pools (Drank)", "Backseat Freestyle", "Poetic Justice", and "Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe" - it features production by Dr. Dre, Just Blaze, Pharrell Williams, Hit-Boy, Scoop DeVille, Jack Splash, and T-Minus, among others. The triple platinum effort earned Lamar four Grammy Award nominations including Album of the Year.

The Libertines – Up The Bracket [Reissue/2002] 2xCD/2xLP (Rough Trade)

Digitally remastered and expanded 20th anniversary edition. Up The Bracket arrived like a raging bull in a tired post-Britpop China shop and introduced the world to The Libertines, a new gang of London bohemians, whose ragged tunes, red military tunics, opiated poetry and 'live now pay never' lifestyle came to define the millennial angst of the early noughties. At the heart of the band is the blood bond bromance between the ramshackle Music Hall Jagger/Richards, Peter Doherty and Carl Barat, ably assisted by the rock-solid rhythm twins John Hassall and Gary Powell. Any bookie worth his salt would have given you short odds on this quartet surviving more than a month or two, given the teetering on the brink lifestyle they chose to lead, but here we are two decades later and our Byronic heroes, though older and wiser, are still fighting the good fight and making music every bit as vital as their debut. [Indie store exclusive red vinyl.]

Abbey Lincoln – Straight Ahead [Reissue/1961] LP (Candid)

Straight Ahead is one of Abbey Lincoln's greatest and most important recordings. A testament to her credibility and talents, the section on this album includes saxophone giant Colman Hawkins, the great Eric Dolphy on flute alto, trumpeter Booker Little, pianist Mal Waldron and the iconic drummer Max Roach.

Los Straitjackets with Big Sandy Featuring Cesar Rosas and Little Willie G. – Rock En Español Vol. 1 [Reissue/2007] LP (Yep Roc)

Nashville-based instrumental rock combo Los Straitjackets have been proving for years that rock & roll is a truly universal language by doing away with vocals, but for this album the masked guitar manglers have decided to focus on a more specific tongue - namely Spanish.

Madonna – Erotica [Reissue/1992] LP (WB)

Madonna’s groundbreaking fifth studio album, Erotica, will celebrate its 30th anniversary on October 20, 2022. In 1992, the album debuted at the top of charts around the world and has gone on to sell more than six million copies. To celebrate the anniversary, a limited edition 12” vinyl picture disc featuring the album’s title track will finally see the light of day after a three-decade delay.

Kylie Minogue – Impossible Princess ‘Reissue/1997] LP (BMG)

Originally released in 1997, Impossible Princess is Kylie's sixth studio album. It marked a further departure for Kylie from her PWL pop beginnings and reflects a more experimental, darker style influenced by late 1990s trip hop, Brit-pop, rock and electronica. [Limited-edition orange vinyl.]

My Morning Jacket – JJM Live Vol. 2: Chicago 2021 3xLP (ATO)

Translucent orange color vinyl. The second release in My Morning Jacket's MMJ Live series was recorded live at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago on November 11, 2021, and features a setlist of career highlights, including recent tracks "Love Love Love", "Complex", and "Never In The Real World", to classics such as "Dondante", "Mahgeetah", and "Phone Went West".

Olivia Newton-John – Olivia Newton-John’s Greatest Hits [Reissue/1977] CD/2xLP (Primary Wave)

Olivia Newton-John issued her first volume of hit singles in 1977. Greatest Hits (remastered) features her biggest international hits from her 1971 debut through her 1976 album, Come On Over. It contains all of Olivia's US Top 40 hits from that era including the #1 singles "I Honestly Love You" and "Have You Never Been Mellow".

Big John Patton – Oh Baby! [Reissue/1965] LP (Blue Note)

Blue Note's roster in the 1960s boasted numerous Hammond B3 organ whizzes including the soulful Kansas City-born master, Big John Patton. The dynamic quintet that he assembled for his 1965 album, Oh Baby!. Packed a punch with the B3 master joined by Blue Mitchell (trumpet), Harold Vick (tenor saxophone), Grant Green (guitar), and Ben Dixon (drums).

A Place To Bury Strangers – Exploding Head [Reissue/2009] 2xLP+MP3/LP+MP3 (Mute)

Following their eponymous debut in 2007, Exploding Head is A Place to Bury Strangers' most notable record, garnering the New York noise rock outfit critical praise and a cult fanbase. Lead by Oliver Ackermann, the band had a simple goal for 'their first proper studio album'; "to create the craziest, most f***ed-up recording ever." Recorded at their Death By Audio studios in New York and released on Mute Records in 2009, the album was critically praised for its explorative sound, taking inspiration from shoegaze icons such as Jesus & Mary Chain and My Bloody Valentine. The album has now been digitally remastered by Oliver Ackermann and is presented in three formats: deluxe double-CD, deluxe color double-LP, and standard LP.

Queens Of The Stone Age – Queens Of The Stone Age LP (Matador)

The landmark debut album from Queens Of The Stone Age is back in print on vinyl for the first time in 10 years, restored to its original sequence with artwork by Frank Kozik. Featuring obi-strip designed by longtime collaborator Boneface and pressed on standard black vinyl.

Lou Reed – Words & Music, May 1965 CD/LP/2xLP+7” (Light In The Attic)

Capturing Reed in his formative years, this previously unreleased collection of songs penned by a young Lou Reed, recorded to tape with the help of future bandmate John Cale, and mailed to himself as a "poor man's copyright", remained sealed in its original envelope and unopened for nearly 50 years. Its contents embody some of the most vital, groundbreaking contributions to American popular music committed to tape in the 20th century. Through examination of these songs rooted firmly in the folk tradition, we clearly see Lou's lasting influence on the development of modern American music - from punk to art-rock and everything in between. A true time capsule, these recordings not only memorialize the nascent sparks of what would become the seeds of the incredibly influential Velvet Underground; they also cement Reed as a true observer with an innate talent for synthesizing and distilling the world around him into pure sonic poetry. [Indie store exclusive yellow & standard black vinyl pressing, and a deluxe double-LP pressing with bonus 7” are available.]

Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers – Modern Lovers ‘Live’ CD/LP (Omnivore)

While the US might not have caught on to the magic of Jonathan Richman, the UK certainly did. Recorded at the Hammersmith Odeon, Live features Jonathan & The Modern Lovers performing classics from their first two releases to an enthusiastic crowd (the eight-minute version of "Ice Cream Man" should inform that). The set includes the recent Top 5 single "Egyptian Reggae", as well as tracks from the Modern Lovers' previously releases and new tracks. Captured on tape by Beserkley founder Matthew King Kauffman and Kenny Laguna (whose rock pedigree runs from Buddah Records through Joan Jett's biggest hits), Live is a true, time and place document of the magic that is Jonathan Richman. [Indie store exclusive yellow vinyl.]

Max Roach – We Insist! Max Roach’s Freedom Now Suite [Reissue/1961] LP (Candid)

Roach vowed after its release that he would never again play music that is not socially relevant and told Down Beat magazine, "We American jazz musicians of African descent have proved beyond all doubt that we're master musicians of our instruments. Now what we have to do is employ our skill to tell the dramatic story of our people and what we've been through." The album inspired Roach to broaden his scope as a composer and collaborate with choreographers, filmmakers, and playwrights.

Seether – Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum [Reissue/2020] 3xLP (Fantasy)

Digitally remastered and expanded triple-LP color vinyl edition. Produced by Shaun Morgan and engineered/mixed by Matt Hyde (Deftones, AFI), Seether's album Si Vis Pacem Para Bellum was recorded in Nashville over two months in December 2019 and January 2020. The album has been expanded to include all 21 songs recorded during the SVPPB session along with the alternate version of "Wasteland."

Spain – World Of Blue LP (Joyful Noise)

Limited blue color vinyl pressing. The first vinyl release of five previously unreleased tracks recorded prior to 1995's landmark Blue Moods Of Spain album by the band Spain. Includes the original studio version of signature tune "World Of Blue" featuring Petra Haden on violin. The LP was remixed and re-imagined by Kramer at his Noise Miami Studio in 2021.

Otis Spann – Otis Spann Is The Blues [Reissue/1961] LP (Candid)

Perhaps best known for his long association with the legendary Muddy Waters, Otis Spann is largely recognized as one of the greatest blues pianists of all time. First making a name for himself in Chicago during the 1940s, Spann's career kept him active up until his untimely death in 1970. Along with Muddy Waters, Spann worked with such luminaries as Howlin' Wolf, Bo Diddley, BB King, Eric Clapton, James Cotton, Buddy Guy and Big Momma Thorton.

Television - Marquee Moon LP (Elektra)

Rhino “Rocktober” reissue of this classic on clear vinyl.

Various Artists – Blue Note Re:imagined II 2xLP (Blue Note)

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Blue Note represents a goldmine of raw brain matter in the continuing mind-meld between dance-world spinners and the jazzmen of old. Like kids jumping into a pile of leaves, 13 DJs delve into the label's vaults to connect Donald Byrd fusion and Wayne Shorter hard bop with a hodgepodge of tricky needlework. The newcomers keep up with the old hats, combining respect for the originals with a jolt of modern momentum.

Various Artists – Studio One Women [Reissue/2005] 2xLP+MP3 (Soul Jazz)

Yellow color vinyl pressing. Ska, rocksteady, funky reggae, roots, dub mixes, disco mixes, they're all here from the queens of the Jamaican music scene - Studio One Women features a wide mix of classics and obscurities from the finest female voices in reggae.

Colter Wall – Western Swing & Waltzes And Other Punchy Songs [Reissue/2020] LP (Black Hole Music)

Pink color vinyl reissue of the third album from the Saskatchewan country artist. Steve Earle has said that Colter Wall is "the best young-singer songwriter I've seen in twenty years." He has toured with the likes of John Prine, Cody Jinks, Margo Price and he co-headlined a US tour with The Wood Brothers in 2019.

The Wild Ones – Last One Of The Boys b/w We’re Only Monsters [Reissue/1980] 7” (Reminder)

The Wild Ones was originally formed by Roddy (Radiation) Byers in the mid- ‘70s, before he left the band to join The Specials. His younger brother Mark, along with John Thomson and Rob Lapworth took over the band, recruiting Tony Lynch on drums. They began furiously rehearsing and honing their craft, biding their time before taking to the stage with an incredibly tight set. That quickly caught the attention of local audiences and national record companies, gaining them a growing following and recognition as a tour de force on the Coventry music scene.