New Releases - 10/23/20

Hitting The Racks

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

New Releases

Bruce Springsteen – Letter To You CD/2xLP (Columbia)

Letter To You is Bruce Springsteen's new studio recording with the E Street Band and is a rock album fueled by the band's heart-stopping, house-rocking signature sound. Recorded at his home studio in New Jersey, Letter To You is The Boss' twentieth studio effort, and his first album with the E Street Band since 2012's High Hopes and their first performances together since 2016's The River Tour. Letter To You includes nine recently written Springsteen songs, as well as new recordings of three of his legendary, but previously unreleased, compositions from the '70s, "Janey Needs a Shooter", "If I Was The Priest", and "Song For Orphans". Springsteen is joined on Letter To You by Roy Bittan, Nils Lofgren, Patti Scialfa, Garry Tallent, Stevie Van Zandt, Max Weinberg, Charlie Giordano and Jake Clemons. [Indie store only deluxe double-LP edition.]

Will Kimbrough – Spring Break CD/LP (Will Kimbrough)

Our buddy Will Kimbrough has a new album out! Will has spent a lifetime writing songs and performing them, along the way becoming a respected recording artist, producer and musician. Kimbrough's latest endeavor, Spring Break, is a solo acoustic record in the tradition of Folkways and Vanguard folk records. "Spring Break is a tip of the artistic hat to personal favorite solo singer-songwriter albums like Skip James Today!, Nebraska, Pink Moon and Mississippi John Hurt Today!; it’s one man, a guitar, National guitar or mandolin, a harmonica on a rack, his voice, his songs," Kimbrough notes.

Lera Lynn - On My Own CD/LP (Ruby Range Records)

Lera Lynn is a Nashville based artist/songwriter/producer who got her start in Athens, Ga. She first came to national attention through her writing and performances in the HBO series True Detective. Throughout her career, nearly a decade-long run filled with four album releases and hundreds of shows on both sides of the Atlantic, Lera Lynn has balanced her fierce independence with a string of collaborations. Her new album is entirely self-produced. “The expressive and versatile songsmith took a song from start to finish — from writing lyrics and music, to playing and recording all the parts, to mixing the track with a basic studio setup at home — without input from anyone else, just to see what would happen. Pleasantly surprised with the result, she continued. As the songs multiplied throughout 2019, the idea to turn her project into a full LP emerged. The result is On My Own, a record full of vivid and varied textures.” -Nashville Scene [All vinyl copies at Grimey’s are signed by the artist! Available in the shop or online.]

Action Bronson – Only For Dolphins CD (Loma Vista)

“When Action Bronson emerged a decade ago, he was hailed as a paragon of formalist East Coast hip-hop: a buddha-sized trash-talker who kicked loquacious rhymes, toked on breakbeats, and paid tribute to New York tacos. But recent years have seen Bronson embrace something akin to Dame Dash’s octopus business strategy: keep eight revenue streams open at all times. These days, he moonlights as an author, has his own cooking show on Vice, pops up in movies like The Irishman, and dabbles in art. Beneath his growing celebrity remains a rapper, albeit one whose dedication to the form may be diluting as he spreads himself across multiple interests. Given Bronson’s expanding outlook, it seems suitable that Only For Dolphins is his most eclectic album yet. Once infatuated by the eternal truths of boom-bap, he now boasts a more diversified palette that includes 1960s Brazilian pop, Latin funk, lounge jazz, and reggae.” – Pitchfork [Vinyl edition due October 30.]

Actress – Karma & Desire CD/2xLP+MP3 (Ninja Tune)

After recent mixtape 88, Actress delivers the new Ninja Tune album Karma & Desire which includes guest collaborations from Zsela, Sampha, Aura T-09, Vanessa Benelli Mosell and Christel Well. The presence of human voices take the questing artist into new territory. "It's a romantic tragedy set between the heavens and the underworld," says Darren J. Cunningham. "The same sort of things that I like to talk about – love, death, technology, the questioning of one's being." [Limited deluxe clear vinyl.]

The Allman Betts Band – Bless Your Heart 2xLP (BMG)

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. If Down To The River was the sound of the band's combustible sparks igniting, then Bless Your Heart is their bonfire, built for the summer of 2020 and beyond; a double-album follow-up fueled by road-forged camaraderie and telepathic musical intensity, vibrantly reflecting the individual and collective experiences of these seven, all drawing inspiration from the band's symbolic hometown – a place Devon Allman calls "the United States of Americana." A conflagration of influences and invention, confidence and ambition, Bless Your Heart captures a vast, panoramic scope throughout a baker's dozen of modern rock.

Better Person – Something To Lose LP (Arbutus)

Produced by Ben Goldwasser of MGMT, Something To Lose is the debut album from Berlin-based Polish singer and balladeer Adam Byczkowski. Informed by ‘80s power ballads, gentle sophisti-pop and forgotten Euro-Pop hits, Better Person presents an introspective and personal mix of beautifully sincere vocals and timeless song craft.

Blue October – This Is What I Live For CD (Up Down Records)

“These songs should make you want to fall in love with somebody, or miss somebody, or want to do something outrageous with your life,” says Justin Furstenfeld, vocalist and lyricist for the alt-rock band Blue October. He's talking about the tracks on the quintet's tenth studio album, This Is What I Live For, introduced by lead single, "Oh My My". While Blue October's expert instrumentation is always impressive, it is the band's lyrics that have always truly set this band apart. Justin is unafraid to address uncomfortable or even ugly thoughts and emotions that many people may think or feel but are unable to articulate. The lyrics on This Is What I Live For take this confessional method even further. "This album is going to catch some people off-guard," Matt says. "A lot of it is about interpersonal relationships - years and years of marriage, growing older, and some of the issues that you may run into with that. I know that other albums are about that, but we get into some corners of life that we haven't explored before."

Joe Bonamassa – Royal Tea CD/2xLP (J&R Adventures)

Joe Bonamassa is known for taking risks and venturing into uncharted territory throughout his wide-ranging career, but now he has found a new way to surprise his fans and music lovers. Inspired by his British guitar heroes Jeff Beck, John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers, Eric Clapton and Cream and recorded at the legendary Abbey Road Studios, Royal Tea brings Bonamassa full circle. These 10 original tracks were co-written by Joe and a cast of homegrown notables including former Whitesnake guitarist Bernie Marsden, ex-Cream lyricist Pete Brown and national-treasure piano man Jools Holland.

Boy Pablo – Wachito Rico LP (U OK/777)

The artistic project of 21-year-old singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Nicolas Muñoz, the debut LP from Boy Pablo takes its title from a Chilean expression that translates “to fondness for a handsome boy”. A hybrid conceptual and autobiographical record, it traces the ebbs and flows of the titular character's love story while threading this narrative through with the Norwegian bedroom pop sensation's own experiences as a young person, blurring the identities of Wachito Rico and the real-life Nicolas Muñoz into one curious, indistinguishable whole.

Clipping – Visions Of Bodies Being Burned CD/2xLP+MP3 (Sub Pop)

Visions Of Bodies Being Burned contains thirteen scary stories disguised as rap songs, incorporating as much influence from Ernest Dickerson, Clive Barker, and Shirley Jackson as it does from Three 6 Mafia, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, and Brotha Lynch Hung. Clipping are never critical of their cultural references. Their angular, shattered interpretations of existing musical styles are always deferential, driven by fandom for the object of study rather than disdain for it. Clipping reimagine horrorcore – the purposely absurdist hip-hop subgenre that flourished in the 1990s – the way Jordan Peele does horror cinema: by twisting beloved tropes to make explicit their own radical politics of monstrosity, fear, and the uncanny.

Bootsy Collins – The Power Of The One CD (Sweetwater Sounds)

Bootsy dedicated his new album to P-Funk engineer Jim Vitti, who died in April. Bootsy considered Jim a crucial force in funk; this all-star tribute includes The Power Of The One features George Benson, Snoop Dogg, Christian McBride, Victor Wooten, Branford Marsalis, Christone Kingfish Ingram, and more.

Deradoorian – Find The Sun LP (ANTI-)

Vocalist, multi-instrumentalist and sonic visionary Angel Deradoorian has never shied away from testing aural and conceptual boundaries in her work. Fusing elements of indie rock, world music, and dance rhythms, Deradoorian launched a solo career after making a name for herself collaborating with notable acts Dirty Projectors, Avey Tare of Animal Collective, and Flying Lotus. 

Dos Monos - Dos Siki LP (Deathbomb Arc)

Dos Monos quickly became hip hop sensations with the release of their debut album 'Dos City' on Deathbomb Arc. They scored their own TV series at home in Japan and found fans all over the globe. After a series of loosie tracks (including a collaboration with Black Midi), Dos Monos are back with their second official album 'Dos Siki'. The album builds off of their noise rap approach to boom bap, exploring abstract compositions and soundscapes in new directions for the trio. Includes a guest feature from Injury Reserve.  

The Fuzz – III CD/LP (In The Red)

Charles Moothart, Ty Segall and Chad Ubovich are Fuzz. III was recorded and mixed at United Recording under the sonic lordship of Steve Albini. Keeping the focus on the live sounds of the band, the use of overdubs and studio tricks were kept to a minimum. Albini's mastery in capturing sound gave the trio the ability to focus entirely on the playing while knowing the natural sounds would land. It takes the essential ingredients of guitar-based music and rock and roll power trio and puts them right out on the chopping block.

Gorillaz – Song Machine, Season One CD/LP/2xLP+CD (WB)

Song Machine, Season One is Gorillaz's newest concept which started in January 2020, releasing brand new material episodically - as and when it happens – and has continued throughout the year. The ongoing and ever-evolving process has seen our favorite characters joined by an expanding roster of collaborators captured live in Kong Studios and beyond. The result is an 11-track collection (and 17 on the Deluxe Edition) embracing a myriad of sounds, styles, genres and attitudes from a breath-taking line-up of guest artists including Beck, Elton John, Robert Smith, ScHoolboy Q, St. Vincent, Peter Hook, 6LACK, Leee John, Georgia, Ovtavian, Kano, Roxani Arias, Fatoumata Diawara, Slowthai and Slaves. [Indie store exclusive vinyl pressing available.]

Ben Harper – Winter Is For Lovers LP+MP3 (ANTI-)

Ben Harper's new album Winter Is For Lovers unfolds entirely without words. It is a profoundly emotional story told exclusively through the nuance of sound. The narration is provided by a single lap-steel guitar and the music references blues and folk as well as flamenco, Indian and classical, but it transcends any specific style. In that, the album philosophically evokes the American Primitive movement pioneered by John Fahey and Leo Kottke, utilizing masterful playing to create an impressionistic and affecting work. [Limited edition white vinyl.]

Keaton Henson – Monument LP (PIAS America)

A singer, songwriter, composer, and illustrator who rarely performs live due to chronic anxiety, Keaton Henson emerged in the public sphere in the early 2010s with his critically acclaimed debut album Dear. His last studio album, 2016's Kindly Now, received even more attention. Following a world premiere in London by Britain Sinfonia, his orchestral work, Six Lethargies, was released on Decca imprint Mercury KX in 2019. His new effort Monument tackles his father's illness and death last year. While the subject matter is heavy, the stunning and powerful album is beautifully written with sublime lyrics.

Hypnotic Brass Ensemble - Bad Boys of Jazz 2xLP (Pheelco Records)

Hypnotic Brass Ensemble recorded this album fresh off a collaboration with Snoop Dog (Motivation), Masta Ace (Young Black Intelligent), De La Soul (Royalty Capes), while touring as the backup band for BlackStar (Mos Def & Talib Kweli) abroad. They are founders of the modern brass movement, with their Chicago style taking horn additions into myriad genres that we now see as commonplace. HBE was integral in arranging horns for Maxwell's award-winning hit "Pretty Wings" and penned the theme song to the blockbuster movie Hunger Games. This new record is the band's seventh worldwide release. After touring the live sound globally over 6 continents, HBE now offers a full suite of their original mix of jazz, hiphop, soul, and house music.  

I Don’t Know But They Found Me – Razzmatazz CD/LP (Fearless)

I Don't Know How But They Found Me or iDKHOW is a new project led by Dallon Weekes (Panic! At The Disco). iDKHOW's music is from a time when fashions were loud, melodies were infectious, and iconoclastic pop trailblazers broke through commercially without compromising artistically; those who didn't succeed despite creative courage but because of it. iDKHOW channels the legendary spirits of '60s garage, '70s glam, '80s new wave, and the early days of Britpop, merging the greatest strengths of bygone eras into a transcendent sound of the future. [Indie store exclusive white colored vinyl pressing.]

Adrianne Lenker – Songs And Instrumentals CD/LP (4AD)

Songs And Instrumentals are two distinct collections, both written and recorded in April 2020 after Big Thief's March tour was abruptly cut short due to COVID-19. After returning to the states from Europe, frontman Adrianne Lenker decamped to a one room cabin in the mountains of western Massachusetts. “I grew really connected to the space itself,” says Lenker. “The one room cabin felt like the inside of an acoustic guitar - it was such a joy to hear the notes reverberate in the space.” With a hankering to capture the feel of the space, Lenker enlisted the help of engineer Philip Weinrobe, gathering a mass of tape machines, a binaural head, and a pile of XLR cables.

Loma – Don’t Shy Away CD/LP+MP3 (Sub Pop)

Don't Shy Away is shot through with revelations, both joyful ("Given A Sign") and sober (the clear-eyed title track), and winds from moment to moment with confidence and humor. Like Loma's first effort, there's a tangible and sensuous feeling of place; insects sing in the trees, an ill-fitting door creaks in the wind. But there's also a daring and hard-won wisdom, underlined by Cross's benevolent clarinet, which often sounds like an extension of her singing voice. "Ocotillo"'s desert landscape unreels into a blazing sun; "Elliptical Days" seems to ascend endlessly like Escher's circling monks; the jubilant "Breaking Waves Like A Stone" appears out of a haze of synthesizers that pulse like fireflies. A series of guests wander through these absorbing soundscapes, including touring members Emily Lee (piano, violin) and Matt Schuessler (bass), Flock Of Dimes/Wye Oak's Jenn Wasner, and a surprisingly bass-heavy horn section. Brian Eno mixed the mantra-like "Homing," which concludes the album.

Ela Minus – Acts Of Rebellion CD (Domino)

Performed, produced and recorded entirely by herself, Colombian musician Ela Minus' debut album Acts Of Rebellion is a complex manifesto on simplicity, a call to fight, to live, to be present. It's a collection about the personal as political and embracing the beauty of tiny acts of revolution in our everyday lives. This ethos is clear in the dreamy, pulsing single "El Cielo No Es De Nadie" - "an ode to little, constant, everyday acts of love" sung in Ela's native Spanish. Using only hardware to perform, write and record, Ela creates complex, technical electronic music that exudes a warm vibrancy, along with a darker, almost celebratory understanding that our breaths aren't infinite. Her sharp, coiled words are cathartic – due in part to her approach to writing them. "I always start writing by improvising alone," she says. "Once I have some instrumentals, I'm happy with, I intuitively grab the mic and sing a phrase with a melody in it. I always keep that initial phrase."

Thurston Moore - By the Fire 2xCD (Daydream Library Series)

Thurston Moore's seventh solo album features musicians Deb Googe (My Bloody Valentine) on bass and backing vocals, Jon Leidecker aka "Wobbly" (of Negativland) on electronics, James Sedwards on guitar, and Sonic Youth's Steve Shelley. 2020 is our time for radical change and collective awareness and Thurston Moore has written nine songs of enlightenment, released to a world on fire. Taking a cue from Albert Ayler's "music is the healing force of the universe," this recording offers songs as flames of rainbow energy, love songs in a time where creativity is our dignity, our demonstration against the forces of oppression. Transparent orange vinyl and black vinyl editions are on order and should arrive in late October/early November. 

Mountain Goats – Getting Into Knives CD/LP+MP3 (Merge)

On the first of March 2020, John Darnielle, Peter Hughes, Matt Douglas, and Jon Wurster, aka The Mountain Goats band, visited legendary studio Sam Phillips Recording in Memphis, TN. Darnielle armed his band with new songs and reunited with producer Matt Ross-Spang who engineered last year's In League With Dragons. In the same room where The Cramps tracked their 1980 debut album, The Mountain Goats spent a week capturing the magic of a band at the top of its game. The result is Getting Into Knives, the perfect album for the millions of us who have spent many idle hours contemplating whether we ought to be honest with ourselves and just get massively into knives.

Nothing But Thieves – Moral Panic CD/LP (RCA)

Moral Panic is the third full-length studio album from the Southend five-piece. The 11-track collection was produced by Mikey Crossey (Arctic Monkeys, 1975) and includes the singles "Is Everybody Going Crazy?" and "Real Love Song". Moral Panic serves as the band's first new music since their 2018 EP What Did You Think When You Made Me This Way, their 2017 acclaimed album Broken Machine, which reached No. 2 on the UK album chart, and their debut self-titled album Nothing But Thieves. "This album is about the tension in the air. It's about people. It's about you," says the band.

Otto - Clam Day LP (PLZ Make It Ruins)

Clam Day showcases Otto's flair for strange electronic textures, spanning taut elastic productions, a sprawling seven-minute psychedelic production, and parallel universe pop songs. Otto's music may sound playful, but it also reveals his preoccupation with the idea of material (especially electronic) waste, and so a vague sense of decay and dread clings to the fringes of his songs. Imagine the face of a cartoon character staring at you from beneath the translucent sheen of a trash bag -- that's the funny-yet-grim space that Otto's music occupies. His songs never make clear exactly how you're meant to feel -- what would be the fun in that?

Pallbearer – Forgotten Days CD/LP (Nuclear Blast)

Carefully plotted throughout 2019, the quartet's fourth long player eschews the compositional maximalism that hoisted predecessor Heartless aloft for the heaviest groove and the most visceral hooks to come out of the Arkansans to date. Spread across eight towering tracks, Forgotten Days sees Pallbearer embracing their roots again, but this time with a doom-infused metallic spark that's infectious and transcendent. Indeed, this album is everything a Pallbearer fan could love.

Joel Ross – Who Are You? CD (Blue Note)

In 2019, vibraphonist and composer Joel Ross issued his Blue Note debut KingMaker to peer acknowledgment and wide critical acclaim. An introduction to his longstanding outfit Good Vibes, the album received nods from The New York Times' Best Jazz of 2019, NPR Music's Jazz Critics Poll and Rolling Stone's 2019 Jazz Listener's Guide. Now, expanding the breadth of his expression with his second release Who Are You?, the young artist has actualized his sound. Inspired by communication through storytelling – a method he absorbed, in part, working with such creative forces as Ambrose Akinmusire, Marquis Hill and Makaya McCraven – and with input from producer Walter Smith III, Ross assembled the album's narrative in halves. Tracks 1-7 provide setting, as well as character introductions; tracks 8-15, plot twists. Each artist advances the spirit of risk-taking, while maintaining Ross' vision for story structure. [Vinyl edition due November 20.]

Sevendust – Blood & Stone CD (BMG)

Heavy metal legends Sevendust deliver their thirteenth studio album, Blood & Stone which sees the band working once again with producer Michael "Elvis" Baskette (Alter Bridge, Tremont, Slash) who helmed 2018's All I See Is War. From the pulsating intro of album opener "Dying To Live" to closer and single "The Day I Tried To Live", Sevendust continue to push the sound they have made their own for more than 25 years. Further tracks like "Love", "Blood From A Stone", "Kill Me" and "Against The World" showcase why the band has been adored by fans and critics alike. Lajon Witherspoon, Clint Lowery, John Connolly, Vince Hornsby and Morgan Rose have raised the bar with Blood & Stone and the new material will sit perfectly alongside the band's most seminal tracks. [Vinyl edition due November 6.]

Skullcrusher – Skullcrusher 12” (Secretly Canadian)

Skullcrusher is, by all accounts, an exploration of the ways you become yourself when you aren't looking - and how that feels once you start paying attention. It's a quiet power; a hushed celebration of the tiny, understated subtleties that culminate into knowing yourself. On her debut EP, songwriter Helen Ballentine offers an airy, intense, and unflinchingly open collection of songs written about - and from - one of life's in-between gray areas, a stretch of uncertainty and unemployment, and the subsequent search for identity.

Songhoy Blues – Optimisme CD/LP (Fat Possum)

Songhoy Blues has created a distinctive sound by blending Malian cross-rhythms with Western influences such as rock and punk alongside a uniquely virtuosic guitar style. [Limited edition colored vinyl.]

Sparkle Division – To Feel Embraced LP+MP3 (Temporary Residence)

After years of producing and mentoring slews of young artists in 1990s Williamsburg, Brooklyn, William Basinski moved to Los Angeles. There he hired a young studio assistant, Preston Wendel, who eventually introduced his own works to the curious composer. That spawned a creative partnership that inspired Wendel to persuade Basinski to haul out his saxophone. Five years later, Sparkle Division has arrived with their enchanting debut album, To Feel Embraced. [Limited edition colored vinyl.]

This Is The Kit – Off Off On LP (Rough Trade)

Kate Stables' group This Is The Kit has created a name for themselves with songs that untangle emotional knots and weave remarkable stories. Off Off On is a beautifully clear distillation of Stables' songwriting gifts. The songs are exquisitely astute, the album title suggesting life's glitchy rhythms “two steps backwards, one step forwards. Swinging between good places and bad places inside and out.” [Limited edition red colored vinyl.]

Wallows – Remote CDEP/12” (Atlantic)

Following the success of their debut album, Nothing Happens, and summer smash “Are You Bored Yet?” (feat. Clairo), Wallows release their new quarantine-made EP titled Remote. Lead track is quirky love song, Nobody Gets Me (Like You). It's a sun-kissed ‘80s inspired bundle of joy which is upbeat and instant. [Limited pink colored vinyl pressing also available.]

Working Men’s Club – Working Men’s Club LP (Heavenly)

Guitars locking horns with floor-filling beats, synths masquerading as drums and Sydney Minsky-Sargeant scratchy, electrifying bedroom demos brought to their full potential by Orton's blade-sharp yet sensitive production.

Reissues, Compilations, & Vault Excavations

Baroness ‎– Red Album [Reissue/2007] 2xLP (Relapse)
Baroness ‎– Blue Record [Reissue/2009] 2xLP (Relapse)
Baroness ‎– Yellow & Green [Reissue/2012] 2xLP (Relapse)

Limited vinyl picture disc reissues of the stoner metal band’s first three albums.

Chrome – Half Machine Lip Moves [Reissue/1979] LP (Cleopatra)

Half Machine Lip Moves is the critically adored and highly influential 1979 post-punk masterpiece from the deeply mysterious San Francisco, CA experimental rock outfit, Chrome featuring the aggro-guitar stylings of Helios Creed and the krautrock meets garage-band drumming of Damon Edge.

Betty Davis - Betty Davis LP (Light in the Attic)
Betty Davis - They Say I'm Different LP (Light in the Attic)

The funk trailblazer's 1973 debut and 1974 followup, back in print on vinyl from Light in the Attic.

Electronic System – Vol. II [Reissue/1973] CD/LP (Real Gone Music)
Electronic System – Tchip Tchip (Vol. 3) [Reissue/1973] CD/LP (Real Gone Music)
Dan Lacksman – Dan Lacksman [Reissue/1973] CD/LP (Real Gone Music)

In the early-to-mid 1970s, Belgian recording engineer and synthesist Daniel Lacksman née Lanckmans recorded and released a series of pop music records, using early analog synthesizers as a central sonic element. Under an admittedly confusing array of names, Lacksman (who later founded the group Telex) created music that was equal parts innovation and ear-candy accessibility. Those often-happy-go-lucky records gained some popularity throughout Europe, but their lasting influence can be heard in the music of Portishead, Massive Attack, The Moog Cookbook, and Air, not to mention among the lengthy list of 21st century artists who have sampled these recordings. [Limited colored vinyl pressings.]

The Fall – The Frenz Experiment [Reissue/1988] CD/2xLP (Beggars Banquet)

Beggars Arkive reissue of The Fall's tenth studio album, expanded with singles and B-sides.

Roland Haynes – 2nd Wave [Reissue/1975] CD/LP (Real Gone Music)

This 1975 album is one of a kind in lots of ways. First, it's keyboardist Roland Haynes' only album. But more importantly, Second Wave has a sound and line-up unlike pretty much any other jazz fusion album to come out before or since. Anchored by a fantastic rhythm section of Carl Burnett (Cal Tjader, Vince Guaraldi and most notably Gene Harris and The Three Sounds) and Henry 'The Skipper' Franklin (leader on a couple of Black Jazz titles still to come, plus Ornette Coleman, Don Cherry, Hugh Masekela, and many others), the album features dueling Fender Rhodes tickled by Haynes and Kirk Lightsey, who played with everyone from Chet Baker to Pharoah Sanders to Sonny Stitt, not to mention a bunch of Black Jazz dates.

Drew Holcomb and The Neighbors – Live At the Tennessee Theatre 2xLP (Magnolia Music)

Recorded during 2019's Dragons tour, Live At The Tennessee Theatre captures the full sing-along energy of Drew Holcomb and The Neighbors over a two-LP set.

Ken Kesey with The Grateful Dead – The Acid Test [Reissue/1966] LP (Jackpot)

Limited yellow colored vinyl pressing of Ken Kesey's ultra-rare 1966 studio recording of The Acid Test with The Grateful Dead. Legendary documentation of the 1965-‘66 Bay Area Acid Test scene from 14 hours of the actual trip (recorded in a studio). Lots of amazing mind games and word play with Ken Kesey and Ken Babbs in good form, adlibbed poetry, fractured harmonica solos, tape loops and the Grateful Dead lurking in the background.

Little Richard – The Second Coming [Reissue/1972] CD (Omnivore)
Little Richard – Lifetime Friend [Reissue/1986] CD (Omnivore)

Naming his third album for Reprise The Second Coming may have been pushing the outrageousness a bit far but considering his previously LP was titled King Of Rock And Roll it was clear that humility was not Little Richard's strongest attribute. However, it was more a nod to the concept of the album, than the ego of the artist. Reuniting with Robert Bumps Blackwell and a host of studio musicians from the '50s, the studio team was met by some of the top session players of the early '70s at The Record Plant in Los Angeles to cut the album. After the 1984 release of his autobiography, The Quasar Of Rock And Roll, Little Richard decided to come out of retirement. It had been seven years since his last record, the gospel-focused God's Beautiful City, and over a decade from his 1970s return album run on the Reprise label (The Rill Thing, King Of Rock And Roll, and The Second Coming, plus the one that Reprise shelved at the time, Southern Child). For the new album, Richard went overseas to record in London with a powerhouse band including Billy Preston, Muscle Shoals guitarist Travis Wammack, bassist Jesse Boyce, and drummer James Stroud with producer Stuart Colman at the helm.

Ayalew Mesfin - Wegene (My Countrymen) LP (Now Again)

The fourth in a series of five reissues. Ayalew Mesfin stands aside the likes of Mulatu Astake, Mahmoud Ahmed, Hailu Mergia and Alemayehu Eshete as a legend of 1970s Ethiopia. Mesfin's music is some of the funkiest to arise from this unconquerable East African nation. Though Mesfin was forced underground by the Derg regime that took control of Ethiopia in 1974, he has returned almost 50 years later with this triumphant set of albums - the first time that his music has been presented in this form. This anthology gives us a chance to discover a rare & beautiful moment in music history, in an anthology built from his uber-rare 7" single releases. LP version contains an oversized book that tells the story of modern Ethiopian music and Mesfin's role within it. 

Pearl Jam – MTV Unplugged CD (Sony Legacy)

Released on vinyl for RSD Black Friday 2019 – now available on CD. Three days after completing their first American tour, Pearl Jam headed to New York to strip back songs from their debut album Ten, well on its way to becoming one of 1992's top rock albums. The album features all seven songs in the MTV Unplugged broadcast.

John Prine – Crooked Piece Of Time: The Atlantic & Asylum Albums (1971-1980) 7xCD (Elektra)

This limited seven-CD box set includes every studio album John Prine recorded between his debut in 1971 and 1980, presented in mini-LP sleeves: John Prine (1971), Diamonds In The Rough (1972), Sweet Revenge (1973), Common Sense (1975), Bruised Orange (1978), Pink Cadillac (1979) and Storm Windows (1980). The clamshell box also contains poster inserts and a 20-page booklet with new liner notes written by acclaimed music journalist David Fricke. [Vinyl box will be released 11/27 for Black Friday!]

Piry Reis - Piry Reis LP (Piry Reis)

Iconic and much sought after self titled LP by Piry Reis now re-issued as a deluxe edition containing an extra bonus track (spaced out Jazz interpretation of No Risco Do Relâmpago). After playing for several years with Egberto Gismonti group and other prominent Brazilian acts, Piry decided to record this album which was originally released in 1980 featuring a special guest appearance by Egberto Gismonti. 

Pete Rock – 80 Blocks Instrumentals LP (Tru Soul)

Pete Rock, whose production work helped define the ‘90s golden age, is a rare exception; Rock's one of the few musicians who made his name in the aggressively unflashy ‘90s East Coast sound and managed to stay continually relevant without capitulating to changing tastes. 80 Blocks From Tiffany's offered proof that amidst the expeditions rap music's launching into new sonic territories like EDM, noisy psychedelia, and quasi-industrial music, the classic boom-bap stuff still has a place.

John Talabot - Fin LP (Permanent Vacation)

2020 repress. On Fin, the Barcelona mastermind sets aside danceable immediacy to expand his stylistic palette more than ever, with complex song structures, intricate rhythms and super-positions of ever-evolving melodies and atmospheres. The result brings us 11 tracks dominated by dark ambiances, gaseous textures and bittersweet moods that, above all, reveal a kind of vivacity that's really hard to find in contemporary electronics.

Johnny Thunders – Live From Zurich ’85 LP (Johnny Thunders Archive)

From Johnny Thunders' personal tape archive, this recording is among hundreds of live, studio and writing session tapes he stored away for safe keeping in a box simply labeled Thunders Tapes.

Various Artists - All Things Considered Vol. 1 LP (823 Records)

Jakarta Records and Ta-ku take their joint label to the next level presenting 823’s very 1st longplayer - a compilation feat. an international line-up of already established as well as up & coming Lo-Fi producers, handpicked and curated by none other than 823 label-head Ta-ku himself. All singles off the compilation will be accompanied by customized visuals from different filmmakers catching the songs’ very own vibes. The compilation’s artwork comes along in its very own and unique 823-style.

Various Artists – Once Upon A River [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack] CD/LP (River Run Films, LLC)

Once Upon A River is the story of Native American teenager Margo Crane in 1970s rural Michigan. After enduring a series of traumas, Margo (newcomer Kenadi DelaCerna) sets out on an odyssey on the Stark River in search of her estranged mother (Lindsay Pulsipher) and befriending an elderly man who has just about given up (John Ashton). While on the water, Margo encounters friends, foes, wonders, and dangers learning how to navigate life on her own. She comes to understand her potential in the people she meets, the experiences she has, all while healing the wounds of her past. Written and directed by Haroula Rose, this midwestern gothic Americana story is, in the words of Jane Smiley for The New York Times, "an excellent American parable about the consequences of our favorite ideal, freedom." The integral original motion picture soundtrack features original songs created especially for the film by a wonderful selection of artists including Rodney Crowell, JD Souther, Will Oldham, Bridget St. John, Fran Farley, Peter Bradley Adams, and Haroula Rose.

Various Artists - Spiritual Jazz Vol. XII: Impulse! 2xCD/3xLP (Jazzman Records)

In Jazzman Records' latest chapter of Spiritual Jazz, the label returns to the source -- the Impulse! label, and the monumental influence of its most prominent artist, John Coltrane. Home to John and Alice Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders, Yusef Lateef, McCoy Tyner, and countless other musical pioneers, Impulse! was the most important and forward-thinking jazz label of the 1960s. With the music-first attitude of an independent but the clout of a major, producers Creed Taylor and Bob Thiele made Impulse! the defining imprint of a crucial decade. Here, Jazzman Records dive deep into the Impulse! catalog, bringing celebrated masterpieces from Alice Coltrane and Pharaoh Sanders into the arena, together with lesser known cuts from Phil Woods and John Klemmer as well as straight-up classics such from Yusef Lateef and Elvin Jones. 

Robert Wyatt - His Greatest Misses CD/2xLP (Domino Recording Co)

Robert Wyatt was a founding member of influential English rock bands, Soft Machine and Matching Mole, with a solo career that has lasted for over forty years. During this time he's guest edited the Today Programme, curated Meltdown Festival, and collaborated with a diverse range of artists including Björk, Brian Eno, John Cage, Carla Bley, and Scritti. His Greatest Misses is the perfect introduction to the music of Robert Wyatt, spanning his decades-long career, with selections dating from Rock Bottom (1974) to Cuckooland (2003). The world he creates through his music is a world through which the listener can move at any pace, in any direction. Limited edition green vinyl pressing available.