New Releases - 11/13/20
Hitting The Racks
Here's your weekly rundown of what's hitting the new release racks at Grimey's
New Releases
Lambchop – Trip CD/LP+MP3 (Merge)
In the fall of 2019, Lambchop's Kurt Wagner had a unique idea: In lieu of going on what would become an economically disastrous tour, he would invite the band to Nashville to make a record as a way to provide them with similar financial support and realize something tangible in the process. Each band member was tasked with choosing one song for the band to cover, and leading the recording session to completion each day. Trip sounds like a culmination of the band's older work and current work. There's a looseness and freedom that recalls their older sound mixed with a group sophistication and innovation derived through the process of playing together for so long. [Grimey’s exclusive pink & yellow swirl vinyl! All of the Grimey’s exclusive LPs are signed by Kurt Wagner!]
Chris Stapleton – Starting Over CD/2xLP (Mercury Nashville)
Five-time Grammy Award-winning country superstar Chris Stapleton delivers the highly anticipated new studio album, Starting Over. Of its 14 songs, he co-wrote 11, with a combination of longtime friends and new collaborators including Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench of the Heartbreakers on electric guitar and Hammond B3 organ respectively, as well as equally revered pedal steel player Paul Franklin. The Nashville Urban Choir feature on "Watch You Burn", written by Stapleton and Campbell. Three hand-picked covers augment the new material, John Fogerty's "Joy Of My Life" and two by Guy Clark, "Worry B Gone" and "Old Friends". Starting Over opens with the acoustic-based title track single which finds the talented troubadour and his whiskey-soaked soul vocals imparting, "It don't matter to me / Wherever you are is where I wanna be / And honey for once in our lives / Let's take our chances and roll the dice / I can be your lucky penny / You can be my four-leaf clover / Starting over." [Free poster print with purchase while supplies last! These are nice, full size posters and only available with in-store purchase. We’re not mailing the posters.]
AC/DC – Power Up CD/LP (Columbia)
Power Up is the long-awaited new album from AC/DC, and the band's seventeenth studio effort overall. For Power Up, the band reunited with producer Brendan O'Brien who helmed the double-platinum Black Ice in 2008 and the gold Rock Or Bust in 2014. Charged up for the next decade, AC/DC cut twelve new tracks for the album, proudly maintaining their signature sound and all of its powerful hallmarks. "This record is pretty much a dedication to Malcolm, my brother," Angus says. "It's a tribute for him like ‘Back In Black' was a tribute to Bon Scott...All of the tracks that we've got on the album were written by me and Malcolm. A lot of them were ideas we had that we knew were good AC/DC ideas at the time. But we just never got around to getting them on record." [Limited edition CD version comes in a deluxe lightbox package with illuminating AC/DC logo, battery operated two-watt speaker featuring electric guitar riff and static, USB wire, and a 20-page booklet.] Free poster with purchase while supplies last!
Aesop Rock – Spirit World Field Guide CD/2xLP (Rhymesayers)
Since his debut in the late nineties, Aesop Rock's writing has been of the highest caliber, but one thing that has continually evolved is his near-flawless and diverse flow, now perfectly infused with his personality and a gift for visual imagery. On Spirit World Field Guide, characters, inanimate objects, and their surrounding environments vividly come to life as Aesop describes each passing moment throughout the album's twenty-one chapters. Welcome to the Spirit World. Explore with intention. [Limited colored vinyl.]
Bahamas – Sad Hunk LP (Republic)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. The fifth album from Bahamas, Sad Hunk takes its title from a nickname bestowed upon the artist by his wife in reaction to how he was being portrayed in the media, “Something like ten years ago I did a photo shoot, and in all the pictures they sent back I was lit half in shadow, looking all brooding and mysterious,” says the award-winning singer/songwriter otherwise known as Afie Jurvanen. “When my wife saw the photos the first thing she said was, ‘Whoa—sad hunk,’ and after that it became sort of a joke among our friends.” It’s a fitting backstory for an album that embodies an undaunted self-awareness, each track graced with Bahamas’s wry wit and unabashed heart. In sketching Sad Hunk’s delicately composed batch of songs, Jurvanen drew much inspiration from his home life and all the joy and struggle that comes with building a family together. [Limited purple colored vinyl.]
Liam Bailey – Ekundayo CD/LP (Big Crown)
On the surface, Ekundayo is a weighty reggae record, full of new and old textured riddims. But listen more in-depth, and you'll find subject matter that's more recognizable from a modern-day R&B record.
Sara Bareilles – More Love – Songs From Little Voice Season One CD (Epic)
After quietly teasing its arrival, Grammy Award-winner and Tony and Emmy Award-nominated singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles releases More Love – Songs From Little Voice Season One. For the surprise album, Sara personally performed and recorded the ten tracks she had originally penned for Little Voice (Original Series Soundtrack). Taking the creative reins, she produced the project alongside Tyler Chester. This notably marks the first time she has unveiled her renditions of these songs. Among its ten tracks, the record includes her version of the lead single "More Love". [Vinyl version due December 18.]
The Bats – Foothills CD/LP (Flying Nun)
Spanning the last 38 years, The Bats have clocked nine incredible albums; each one seeing the band evolve with new material from the prolific songwriting hand of Robert Scott. The four-piece has created twisted wistful folk, psychedelic rock, bouncy twee pop, and everything in between, but whatever the genre, their sound is always distinctively, unmistakably The Bats.
Andrea Bocelli – Believe CD (Verve)
Internationally renowned, beloved Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli releases the breathtaking new album, Believe, celebrating the power of music to soothe the soul. It follows his record-breaking ‘Music For Hope’ performance at Easter from Milan’s historic Duomo cathedral. Believe features classic favorites, a previously unreleased track from late Italian composer, Ennio Morricone, plus "Gratia Plena" (from acclaimed film Fatima), duets with Alison Krauss and Cecilia Bartoli, and interpretations of "Ave Maria" and Leonard Cohen’s "Hallelujah." The themes explored in this new recording are deeply personal to Bocelli, who says, "The concept behind Believe is based on three words: faith, hope and charity. These are the three theological virtues of Christianity, yet – quite independently of any religious belief – they are also the three extraordinary keys to giving meaning and completeness to the lives of every one of us."
Randall Bramblett – Pine Needle Fire CD/2xLP (New West)
With Pine Needle Fire, Bramblett continues to channel his singular voice and unique storytelling approach and experiences into something insightful, tuneful and incredibly soulful. [Limited edition clear vinyl.]
Barry Cleveland - Stones of Precious Water LP (Morning Trip)
Recorded mostly in improvised sessions, Stones of Precious Water is a revelatory collection that maps its way through textural fourth world ambience, shimmering new age, gently propulsive kosmiche, and jazz-inflected prog. Six of the ten tracks contain contributions from Kat Epple and her late husband Bob Stohl (aka the epoch-defining new age duo, Emerald Web), adding flute, synthesizers, and bells.Cleveland used a basic TEAC 4-track cassette recorder, and this rudimentary piece of equipment proved to be a useful tool for compositional exploration. By flipping and reversing the tape, slowing the pitch, and altering and layering different performances, Cleveland stretched the sound of his guitar across the expanse of the tonal canvas.
Nels Cline Singers – Share The Wealth CD/2xLP (Blue Note)
The third Blue Note album by guitarist extraordinaire and Wilco bandmember Nels Cline features an expanded edition of his long-running project The Nels Cline Singers with saxophonist Skerik, keyboardist Brian Marsella, bassist Trevor Dunn, drummer Scott Amendola and percussionist Cyro Baptista. Share The Wealth is a dynamic double album created from spontaneous music-making that brims with swirling, evocative soundscapes and uninhibited explorations.
Elvis Costello – Hey Clockface 2xLP (Concord)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Recorded in Helsinki, Paris and New York, Hey Clockface is the latest Elvis Costello and Sebastian Krys production, following their collaboration on Elvis Costello and The Imposters' Grammy-winning album Look Now. Hey Clockface also features contributions from Bill Frisell, Nels Cline and Steve Nieve. "I wanted the record to be vivid, whether the songs demanded playing that was loud and jagged or intimate and beautiful," Costello said of the project's emotional and dynamic range.” [Indie exclusive transparent red vinyl shipped late and is scheduled to arrive early next week. Standard black vinyl in stock now.]
Spencer Cullum - Spencer Cullum’s Coin Collection LP (yk Records)
With an arm’s length list of credits stretching from the likes of Kesha, Caitlin Rose and Deer Tick, to Miranda Lambert and Little Big Town, pedal steel savant Spencer Cullum is one of Nashville’s most in-demand session cats. That’s in addition to making up half of acclaimed, primarily instrumental space-country duo “Steelism.” Clearly he’s had little trouble fitting in since moving from his native London to Music City by way of Detroit eight years ago, even if it’s mostly meant blending into the background. “I guess I’ve always hidden behind [the instrument],” he deadpans. “I’m always the guy who looks like he’s studying for a test in the background.” Now, with a debut solo album, Spencer Cullum’s Coin Collection, paying homage to the ’60s and ‘70s folk-rock heroes of his homeland, this Nashville sideman’s stepping out from the shadows into the spotlight. Released by Nashville’s yk Records. Along with a supporting cast of studio aces like guitarist Sean Thompson and multi-instrumentalist Luke Reynolds, as well as singing and writing partners like Rose, Andrew Combs, Erin Rae, Annie Williams and James “Skyway Man” Wallace — he’s bringing a bit of Britain to Tennessee. [All vinyl copies at Grimey's are signed by Spencer.]
Falcon Jane – Faith LP (Darling Recordings)
Falcon Jane's second album Faith started coming together at the beginning of 2019 when Sara May, the artist behind the band, experienced a string of deaths in her family. Attending a seemingly endless number of traditional Catholic funerals within the space of a year caused May to dive inwards, reassessing her own notions of memory, grief, love, ceremony and identity. [Sunset gold vinyl.]
Felt – Felt 4 U 2xLP (Rhymesayers)
Recently released on CD – now available on custom pink and teal colored vinyl. After an 11-year hiatus, Murs and Slug are back with their fourth Felt album. Sonically, Felt 4 U is overflowing with the influences of funk, soul, blues and even country flavors.
Ghost Funk Orchestra – Ghost Funk Orchestra CD/LP (Colemine)
Where will you hide when the world around you is closing in? On their latest LP, GFO invites you to close your eyes and take a dive into your subconscious. Strings and horns float around from ear to ear while their three sirens explore themes of isolation, fear of the unknown, and the fabrication of self-image. It's a soulful psychedelic journey that picks up sonically where "A Song For Paul" left off. The drums are heavier, the arrangements are more intricate, and the vocal harmonies soar over a bed of odd time signature grooves. This is an album that's meant to be listened to in the dark. So won't you join them? You're not scared... are you?
Marika Hackman – Covers LP+MP3 (Sub Pop)
During the extended stay-at-home order of the last few months, Marika felt that creating a covers record was a way of exploring new sound ideas and expressing herself without having the pressure of the blank page. Breathing new life into the songs she’s chosen, Marika reimagines work by some of the world's most beloved artists such as Radiohead, Grimes and Elliott Smith. It’s a suitably varied collection, but Marika’s intimate delivery and soft, nuanced and atmospheric touch to production, thread them all together effortlessly. [Limited navy blue & purple vinyl.]
Heathered Pearls – Cast LP+MP3 (Ghostly Int’l)
Limited ‘rust patina’ colored vinyl pressing. Since his 2012 debut as Heathered Pearls, Jakub Alexander has constructed art - music, objects, installations, performances - as a way of re-imagining fragments of his past and mapping ideas for his future. The Polish-born, Michigan-raised, New York-based artist and producer sees imagery and narrative framework as fluid components to his craft. The third Heathered Pearls full-length, Cast, returns to moodier loop formats joined by the distinctly new presence of the spoken word. The move mirrors the multitudes of its namesake: collaborators comprise a cast, healing in the bind of a cast, complex emotions and the shadows they cast.
Hum – Inlet CD/2xLP+MP3 (Earth Analog)
Hum influenced a generation of shoegaze bands, but their singularly epic sound swirls with ripples of punk and prog, too. Outside of a few scattered live shows, those glorious Hum sonics have lain dormant since the 1997 release of Downward Is Heavenward. Their first new album in 22 years has already won raves from Pitchfork, Stereogum and many others; it's a stunning return to peak form.
Yves Jarvis – Sundry Rock Song Stock LP+MP3 (Epitaph)
On Sundry Rock Song Stock, Yves Jarvis continues to refine his creative approach to the core of his being, where music and life intertwine in harmonious fashion. The latest album from the Montreal-based musician fuses genre elements into a symbiotic relationship where wistful folk, tender R&B, pastoral prog, and musique concrète experiments feed into one another to grow lush new forms. [Limited opaque green colored vinyl pressing also available. CD version due November 20.]
Parker McCollum – Hollywood Gold CDEP (MCA Nashville)
Austin-TX own, Parker McCollum releases his debut EP. The first single ‘Pretty Heart’ was chosen as On The Verge artist for iHeartRadio country stations nationally.
The Menzingers – From Exile LP+MP3 (Epitaph)
Philadelphia-based indie rockers, The Menzingers made great use of their free time during this summer's stay at home order by recording a re-imagined acoustic version of their 2019 album Hello Exile. [Limited tan vinyl.]
Molchat Doma – Monument LP (Sacred Bones)
Monument is a fitting title for the third album by Belarusian trio Molchat Doma. Indeed, it stands as a monument to everything they've achieved in their short time as a band, from whispered-about unknowns, to enigmatic underground icons, to legitimate viral sensations with hundreds of thousands of TikTok videos using their music. Monument sees them return as conquering heroes, expanding on the minimalist greatness of S Krysh Nashikh Domov and Etazhi to fully realize a more maximalist vision of their crystalline post-punk sound. Written and recorded while the band was quarantined in their hometown of Minsk during the COVID-19 pandemic, Monument is a conscious step up in songwriting and fidelity, and it reveals a band preternaturally comfortable in its own skin. [Limited colored vinyl.]
David Nance – Staunch Honey LP (Trouble In Mind)
A stunning batch of sonic manna that hums with feeling and mood; expertly crafted, but sounding simultaneously off-the-cuff. Nance dials back the squalling feedback and raging guitars found on Peaced And Slightly Pulverized into something a bit mellower, like the soundtrack to a late-night drive or late night hangs. Rusted & dusted with mid-fi, stoney brilliance. [Limited ‘fool’s gold’ colored vinyl.]
Tristan Perich – Drift Multiply CD (Nonesuch)
Drift Multiply, Perich’s largest work to date, is performed by fifty violins and fifty loudspeakers and is conducted by Douglas Perkins. Scored as one hundred individual lines of music, the piece blends violins and speakers into a cascading tapestry of tone, harmony, and noise. The violins perform from sheet music, while the speakers are each connected to custom-built circuit boards programmed to output 1-bit audio, the most basic digital waveforms made of just ones and zeroes.
Petit Biscuit – Parachute LP (Ecurie)
Petit Biscuit has established itself in a few years as the spearhead of French electronic music. Sometimes flirting with trap music, sometimes with indie rock, he never made two tracks that sound alike.
Quakers – II: The Next Wave CD/2xLP (Stones Throw)
Quakers is an ever-evolving collective of music with core members Geoff Barrow of Portishead and Australian producer Ashely Anderson. True to the group's collaborative spirit, the producers invited over twenty rappers from the Stones Throw stable and beyond to contribute to II: The Next Wave. Much like Quakers' self-titled debut, II: The Next Wave is loud, unapologetic and blunted. It's also more explicitly political, with songs that speak directly to systemic corruption, racism, and the climate crisis.
Gwenifer Raymond – Strange Lights Over Garth Mountain CD/LP (Tomkins Square)
Welsh musician Gwenifer Raymond's acclaimed 2018 debut album, You Never Were Much Of A Dancer, introduced a talented new voice on acoustic guitar. Her latest, Strange Lights Over Garth Mountain, finds Raymond moving into unexplored experimental territory, drawing from her Welsh roots.
Smith & Myers – Volume 1 & 2 2xLP (Atlantic)
Recently released on CD – now on vinyl. Smith and Myers are a duo comprised of multi-platinum artists Brent Smith and Zach Myers. Smith and Myers illuminate the depth of Brent and Zach as a duo and showcases a very different yet just as intriguing musical side of these two versatile artists. As one-half of multiplatinum band Shinedown, Brent and Zach can often be found topping the rock charts, earning mainstream recognition, and playing to sold-out arenas around the globe. With two hearts and one truth, lifelong musicians, longstanding friends, and eternal brothers Brent Smith and Zach Myers put forth a body of work encompassing vulnerability, fearlessness, honesty, outrage, love and understanding.
Luke Titus – Plasma LP (Sooper)
Luke's otherworldly fusion of jazz, neo-soul, hip-hop, pop and electronica forcefully demand recognition of his artistry in the same regard as any of his contemporaries and implicates just how strong his influence on the Chicago sound has really been.
Tomberlin – Projections 12”+MP3 (Saddle Creek)
This five-song EP, capped with a cover of Casiotone for the Painfully Alone's stunning “Natural Light”, reflects this period of intensive growth and self-discovery. The rich vocal harmonies and guitar lines that made 2018’s At Weddings so riveting still provide the EP's foundation, but new percussive backing and instrumental flourishes open the path forward for Tomberlin.
Trippie Redd – Pegasus 2xLP (Ten Thousand Project)
Recently released on CD – now on vinyl. With penetrating lyrics and a nuanced but hard-hitting vocal performance, 21-year-old Trippie Redd (Michael Lamar White IV) defies genre boundaries, embedding his melodic take on rap with rock-and-roll and heavy metal elements to create a wildly experimental yet massively appealing sound.
Reissues & From The Archives
Alice In Chains – Facelift [Reissue/1990] 2xLP+MP3 (Sony Legacy)
30th anniversary standard black vinyl remastered reissue. Not only did the album introduce the world to Layne Staley, Jerry Cantrell, Sean Kinney, and Mike Starr, it was also a pivotal album in the era of grunge music.
George Benson – Weekend In London CD/2xLP (Provogue)
Weekend In London finds Benson performing live to an intimate 50-capacity crowd at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club, one of London's most prestigious and famous venues. This hard-bitten jazzman might prefer spontaneity to setlists, but this latest live album nods to many of his countless career peaks, whether he's opening with the deathless groove of 1980's smash "Give Me The Night", revisiting fan favorites like "Love X Love" and "In Your Eyes", or breathing fresh mojo into classic covers like Dave Bartholomew's "I Hear You Knocking" and Donny Hathaway's "The Ghetto".
Boris – Absolutego [Reissue/1996] 2xLP (Third Man)
Originally released in 1996, Boris' 60-minute 13-second debut "single" Absolutego is a trek over a staggering mountain of sound. The tension builds with wave after wave of massive feedback, drums leading into a crushing crescendo of full-band repetition and clarity before descending deeper until finally reaching a surreal dive-bomb purring drone finale. This song takes notes out of the Melvins’ playbook and pushes the sound to its absolute logical and visceral extreme. It sets a solid foundation for why Boris is considered to be one of the most important metal bands of the 21st century.
Boris – Amplifier Worship [Reissue/1998] LP (Third Man)
First released in 1998, catalog staple Amplifier Worship is Boris' most intense and unrelenting album to date. Not for the faint of heart, the group incorporates mythic doom-drones, up-tempo psych-sludge and even a refreshing ribbit into their signature concoction of celestial and heavy music. Amplifier Worship is a critical chapter in the Boris canon. The album is a testament to the group's bullishness in pushing metal to its uncomfortable and unfamiliar edges. And it's also undoubtedly one of their best.
Billy Brooks – Windows Of The Mind [Reissue/1974] LP (Wewantsounds)
Active as a session musician since the '50s, Brooks played with musicians including Lionel Hampton, Cal Tjader and Ray Charles, the latter of whom signed Brooks to his sub-label Crossover Records to release Windows Of The Mind. The album was recorded in L.A. and co-produced by Charles, with a band including bassist Larry Gales, drummer Clarence Johnston, Saxophonist Herman Riley, guitarist Jef Lee and Calvin Keys.
Johnny Cash – Johnny Cash and The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra CD/LP (Sony Legacy)
Johnny Cash's archive vocal recordings are set to the orchestral backing of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at Abbey Road for this special new 12-track album. Producers Don Reedman and Nick Patrick consulted with John Carter Cash, who serves as executive producer on the record, which features a career-spanning selection of Cash's recordings. Tracks on the record include classics such as "Man In Black" and "Ring Of Fire" as well as the stunning collaboration with Bob Dylan on the timeless "Girl From The North Country".
The Cranberries – No Need To Argue [Reissue/1994] 2xCD/2xLP (Island)
Digitally remastered. Originally released in 1994, No Need To Argue the second studio album by Irish alternative rock band The Cranberries, was the band's highest-selling album and features the hit single “Zombie”. [Double CD and vinyl editions include a remaster of the album and three B-sides: “Away”, “I Don't Need”, and “So Cold In Ireland” from the original tapes plus 19 previously unreleased tracks including two songs never officially released in any format – “Yesterday's Gone”, recorded unplugged in New York in 1995 for MTV, and a demo of a track “Serious” that has previously only existed as low quality live bootlegs.
Grateful Dead – American Beauty [Reissue/1970] LP (Grateful Dead)
50th anniversary standard black vinyl LP reissue. The pinnacle of the Grateful Dead's studio output, American Beauty certainly lives up to its name. Made just months after its companion release, Workingman's Dead, the San Francisco legends' second 1970 masterpiece furthers the former work's close-knit relationship between country and folk while adding extra rock and bluegrass currents. Understated amplified passages, graceful melodies, layered singing, and old-time string flavors – including mandolin work from masterful guest David Grisman – bestow the material with easygoing, comfortable vibes.
Gregor – Destiny LP (Chapter Music)
Second album by the eccentric Australian prog rock group; pressed on limited silver colored vinyl.
Billie Holiday/The Sonhouse All Stars – Billie [The Original Soundtrack] CD/LP (Verve)
Billie is the companion thirteen song soundtrack to the James Erskine-directed documentary on the breathtaking talent of Billie Holiday. It features her band, The Sonhouse All Stars performing her classic works including “I Only Have Eyes For You”, “God Bless The Child”, “Strange Fruit” and more. The film features newly unearthed interviews from those who knew Holiday best - Charles Mingus, Tony Bennett, Sylvia Syms and Count Basie among them.
Elton John – Jewel Box 8xCD (Mercury)
Elton John – Jewel Box: Deep Cuts 4xLP (Mercury)
Elton John – Jewel Box: And This Is Me 2xLP (Mercury)
Archive collection(s) from the veteran British singer/songwriter spanning the years 1965 to 2019. An in-depth exploration of Elton John and Bernie Taupin's extensive catalog including early rarities and deep cuts personally curated by Elton.
Mandrill – Mandrill [Reissue/1970] CD (Anagram Music)
Digitally remastered reissue of the debut album by Brooklyn based band Mandrill, an eclectic funk combo founded in 1968 by the Wilson Brothers.
Bob Marley – Uprising Live!: Live From Westfalenhallen 1980 3xLP (Eagle Rock)
The Uprising Tour ran in Europe from May 30th to July 13th, 1980 with five further dates in the US in September. It was Bob Marley's last tour before his tragically early death in May 1981 at the age of just 36. The tour was in support of the Uprising album released in June 1980. A few days later on June 13th, the live show from Dortmund's Westfalenhalle was filmed/recorded for the famous German music TV series Rockpalast and is presented here on orange colored 180gm vinyl with restored audio. Bob Marley and the Wailers are on superb form and deliver a set of hit singles and classic album tracks.
John Parish & Polly Jean Harvey – Dance Hall At Louse Point [Reissue/1996] LP (Island)
PJ Harvey and John Parish's first full on collaborative album, the 1996 raw art-punk gem Dance Hall At Louse Point, is comprised of twelve songs including eleven new compositions, each with music by Parish and words by Harvey, plus a cover of the Peggy Lee standard "Is That All There Is?" which features a guest appearance from Mick Harvey of The Bad Seeds.
The Pogues – The BBC Sessions 1984-1986 CD (Rhino)
An extensive collection of BBC recordings from the band between 1984 and 1986 with 13 of the recordings previously unreleased apart from their initial airing. This 23-track album features a collection of songs from six separate live sessions - The John Peel Show (April 1984), David ‘Kid’ Jensen show (July 1984), The John Peel Show (December 1984), The Phil Kennedy Show (March 1985), the Janice Long Show (July 1985) and the Janice Long Show (November 1986). Each session is grouped distinguishing them apart from each other.
Keith Richards & The X-Pensive Winos – Live At The Hollywood Palladium 2xLP (BMG)
On December 15, 1988, Keith Richards and his incomparable band, The X-Pensive Winos, played the Hollywood Palladium. It was the penultimate show in a 12 city US tour. [Deluxe edition, which adds 10” vinyl EP with three unreleased bonus tracks, a DVD of the original concert film, a 40-page hardback book with David Frick essay featuring new interview with Keith plus extensive rare and unseen photos from his archives, and reproductions of archival materials from the tour, is available to special order.]
Ryuichi Sakamoto – Hidari Ude No Yume (Left Handed Dream) [Reissue/1981] 2xLP (Wewantsounds)
Ryuichi Sakamoto's third solo album, originally released in 1981 on the Alfa label, was recorded at the legendary Alfa Studio "A" in Tokyo and co-produced by British producer Robin Scott for a sound more rooted in pop. Sakamoto was joined in the studio by his Yellow Magic Orchestra bandmates Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi, as well as keyboard programmer extraordinaire Hideki Matsutake, violinist Kaoru Sato, saxophonist Satoshi Nakamura, and American guitarist Adrian Belew (Talking Heads, David Bowie). Together, they created a fascinating mix of pop, ambient and electronic music with elements of avant-garde and traditional Japanese music, the whole firmly rooted in a solid groove. From the funk of "Relâché" to the new wave feel of "Venezia" and the ambient minimalism of "Slat Dance," the album is remarkably consistent while displaying a wealth of global influences.
Stephen Sondheim – Sweeny Todd (The Motion Picture Soundtrack) [Reissue/2007] 2xLP (Nonesuch)
Vinyl reissue of the soundtrack to the Tim Burton-directed film.
Staple Singers – Come Go With Me: The Stax Collection 7xCD (Craft Recordings)
Released in March on vinyl – now available on CD. Come Go With Me: The Stax Collection is a set that features The Staple Singers' Stax Records studio albums (six albums), plus one disc of rarities (non-album singles and Live At Wattstax tracks). The studio albums include Soul Folk In Action, We'll Get Over, The Staple Swingers, Be Altitude: Respect Yourself, Be What You Are, and City In The Sky. Liner notes are written by Levon Williams and Langston Wilkins.
Swamp Dogg – Total Destruction To Your Mind [Reissue/1970] LP (Alive)
Limited colored vinyl pressing of the southern soul singer/songwriter/producer's 1970 album.
Various Artists – The Gospel Truth: Complete Singles Collection 2xCD (Craft Recordings)
Craft Recordings honors the music of The Gospel Truth Records, a subsidiary of Stax Records, with the first-ever complete collection of all 17 singles-and their respective B-sides issued by the imprint between 1972 and 1974. This set features in-depth liner notes by Memphis-based journalist Jared Boyd, who captured new interviews with Stax executive Al Bell, trailblazing gospel artist Rance Allen, and Mary Peak Patterson, who helped establish the label.
Various Artists – Strum & Thrum: The American Jangle Underground 1983-1987 2xCD/2xLP (Captured Tracks)
The first volume of Captured Tracks' new venture into compilations - Excavations. Inspired by Pebbles, Killed By Death, Soul Jazz and Numero Group compilations, Excavations is a series dedicated to compiling forgotten music from the 1970s - 1990s that has a connection to Captured Tracks' sound and aesthetic. Strum & Thrum aims to shed light on this forgotten era of jangly, melodic rock music that emerged from the ashes of post punk and helped kick start the indie rock boom of the early '90s that continues to this day.
Yes – The Royal Affair Tour (Live In Las Vegas) 2xLP (BMG)
Honoring the late Chris Squire and Peter Banks, this 2019 Yes concert matched prog-rock virtuosity with a heavy dose of emotion. Recorded on their North American tour, The Royal Affair Tour (Live In Las Vegas) finds Steve Howe, Alan White, Geoff Downes, Jon Davison and Billy Sherwood thrilling the crowd with a hit-loaded set.