New Releases - 12/15/23

Hitting The Racks

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

New Releases

Ambrose Akinmusire / Bill Frisell / Herlin Riley – Owl Song CD/LP (Nonesuch)

Composer and trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire’s new album Owl Song features a trio with two musicians Akinmusire has long admired, guitarist Bill Frisell and drummer Herlin Riley. “This is my reaction to being assaulted by information,” Akinmusire says of Owl Song. “This record is me wanting to create a safe space. Part of the challenge was: Can I create something that's oriented around open space, the way some of the records I love the most do?” He says of his collaborators, “I had a feeling of wanting to record with Bill from the first time we played - it was a duo performance, very little rehearsal. We just played through some of my songs, and it worked. One of Bill's special gifts is the ability to shape a piece he's just heard for the first time. He seems to know what the music wants before the first note.”

B. Cool-Aid – Leather Blvd. LP (Lex)

Welcome to Leather Blvd: A Black utopia conceived by B. Cool-Aid-the duo of vocalist Pink Siifu and producer Ahwlee (pronounced "Ali") - populated by an ensemble cast of characters and collaborators, including Ladybug Mecca (of Digable Planets), Big Rube (Dungeon Family), Fousheé, Mndsgn, Quelle Chris, Denmark Vassey, LIV.e and many more. [Limited-edition translucent brown vinyl.]

Beirut – Hadsel CD/LP/Cassette (Pompeii)

Hadsel is the first new full-length record since Beirut’s 2019 release, Gallipoli. Recorded in the Norwegian island of Hadsel shortly after a physical and mental break forced Condon to cancel his 2019 tour, Condon was looking for a place to recover after being left in a state of shock and self-doubt. Working in isolation, Condon explains, “I was lost in a trance, stumbling blindly through my own mental collapse that I had been pushing aside since I was a teenager. It came and rang me like a bell. I was left agonizing over many things past and present while the beauty of nature, the northern lights and fearsome storms played an awesome show around me. The few hours of light would expose the unfathomable be auty of the mountains and the fjords, and the hours - long twilights would fill me with subdued excitement. I’d like to believe that scenery is somehow present in the music.” The resulting is a collection of songs beautifully reflecting that vulnerability, sense of self-determination and belief that after collapse, one can learn to manage on their own again. [Indie store exclusive ‘ice breaker’ white vinyl.]

Benét – Can I Go Again? LP (Bayonet)

Recently released on vinyl and cassette – now available on vinyl. Can I Go Again?, the debut full-length album by Richmond, VA-based singer-songwriter Benét (Benét Nutall) is a diverse collection of contemplative, tightly-crafted indie-pop, rock, and soul tracks as emotionally resonant as they are immediate and infectious. These tracks are equally worthy of processing heart break, gaming with your friends, or finding strength in solitude-growth in time requires an embrace of seriousness as well as unbridled, shameless joy.

Berzerker Legion – Chaos Will Reign LP (Listenable)

Red w/ black vinyl. Obliterate The Weak displays the perfect balance between brutality, melody, and harmony. Being a fan of the early ‘90s Swedish Gothenburg style, with bands like At The Gates, Eucharist, A Canorous Quintet, as well as being a die-hard fan of brutal old school death metal.

Eternal Evil – The Gates Beyond Mortality CD/2xLP (Listenable)

New album from the Swedish thrash band. RIYL: Slayer, Kreator, Destruction, Exodus. [Limited-edition marbled amber color vinyl.]

Flatland Cavalry - Wandering Star LP (Interscope)

Recently released on CD, now available on vinyl. Limited edition dark water/black swirl pressing.

Marta de Pascalis - Sky Flesh LP (light-years)

Italian musician and sound designer Marta De Pascalis latest album was composed using just one instrument: the Yamaha CS-60. A slimmed-down sibling to the gargantuan CS-80 -- the analog synthesizer used by Vangelis to create his iconic Blade Runner score -- the CS-60 was released in 1977, a few years before the MIDI protocol was introduced to help standardize production methods. MIDI would change the electronic music landscape completely, offering a level of control that De Pascalis consciously relinquishes here. Working like an organologist, her compositions highlight expressiveness and timbre, harnessing the CS-60's mercurial magic to suggest deeper truths about our evolving relationship with machines. De Pascalis' melodic content is rooted in early and Renaissance music, almost cleaving it from history entirely. Fittingly, Sky Flesh is released on acclaimed Italian composer Caterina Barbieri's burgeoning Light-Years label, the ideal platform for her labyrinthine, cosmic vignettes.

Dominic Fike – Sunburn LP (Columbia)

Sunburn is Dominic Fike's highly anticipated sophomore full-length album, and the follow up to 2020's What Could Possibly Go Wrong. This 14-track collection finds the artist going back to Naples, Florida, as he sets to explore his childhood, family history and the meaning of home. The album has production credits for Dominic Fike, as well as Jim-E Stack and Kid Harpoon.

Goose – Autumn Crossing 12” (No Coincidence)

Etched color vinyl. Autumn Crossing, the newest release from Goose, is a three-song EP that showcases the band's incredible creative synergy, technical proficiency, and spellbinding vocals. The project is an auditory peregrination through the ups and downs of life. A testament to Goose's continued evolution, the work wanders through pensive optimism on "Travelers I" and epic instrumentation on "Travelers II", arriving at an epic conclusion, "Elmeg The Wise".

KMRU - Stupor LP (Other Power)

Nairobi-born Berlin-based sound artist Joseph Kamaru, aka KMRU, shares his new work Stupor on the new Helsinki-based label Other Power. His signature sonic touch emerges through electro-acoustic forms, as he configures spatial and temporal imaginaries still tethered to the experiences of the places his ear encountered. It is exactly the physical and psychological space that KMRU forges from his recordings and digital processes that stretch and transform them into prolific sound "events." For Joseph Kamaru, sound is a sensorial medium through which social, material and conceptual interpretations are manifested in his works. KMRU has carved out a serious and definitive space on the list of essential authors in ambient experimental music -- one of the most prolific and innovative artists in his field.

Meduza – Meduza CD/LP (Republic)

New release from the Italian electronic trio. The self-titled album contains their biggest hits to date alongside smash club tracks, which have been favorites from their live sets. Meduza kicks off with their biggest hit "Phone" featuring Sam Tompkins and Em Beihold.

Meitei - Kofū III CD/LP (kitchen. label)

As Japanese producer Meitei concludes his Kofū trilogy, further exploring his idea of a “lost Japanese mood,” global listeners are invited to embark on this voyage to unearth the hidden treasures of Japanese culture and the depths of the human soul. "Kofū III" is a meditation on the intangible threads that bind us to our past - a portal to Japan's veiled history, capturing the essence of Japan's elusive spirit through the enigmatic landscapes of Meitei's inner terrains. Meitei's authenticity shines through in "Kofū III," where complex emotions metamorphose into a kaleidoscopic fusion of lo-fi bliss.

Willie Nelson – Long Story Short: Willie Nelson 90 – Live At Hollywood Bowl 2xCD+Blu-ray/2xLP+Blu-ray (Sony Legacy)

On April 29th and 30th of this year, a variety of artists spanning genres and generations came together with Willie Nelson to celebrate the legend's 90th birthday for a star-studded, once-in-a-lifetime event at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. This double-LP on black vinyl is the first volume of highlights from these legendary shows and includes 21 performances. Artists performing songs from every era of Willie's seven-decade career range from Keith Richards, Dave Matthews and Tom Jones to Chris Stapleton, George Strait and Miranda Lambert; Beck, Avett Brothers and The Lumineers to Dave Matthews, Sheryl Crow and Norah Jones.

Jonathan Rado – For Who The Bell Tolls For LP (Western Vinyl)

One of the most in-demand producers in indie rock, and one half of Foxygen, Jonathan Rado's recordings for The Killers, Father John Misty, The Lemon Twigs, Whitney, and Weyes Blood devour the canon, and return something distinctly modern. On For Who The Bell Tolls For, Rado's first solo release in ten years, the producer unveils a refined version of his signature sound, intricately sculpted by anthemic maximalism and good old-fashioned studio magic. The album is an exercise in mournful maximalism, transforming the mythos of American pop music into a vibrant meditation on death.

Robbie Robertson – Killers Of The Flower Moon (Soundtrack From The Apple Original Film) LP (Masterworks)

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. The soundtrack to the recent film Killers Of The Flower Moon features an original score by the late artist Robbie Robertson, his final score and 11th collaboration with film director legend Martin Scorsese. Robertson spent much of his childhood on the Six Nations Reserve as part of his mother's Mohawk community; the emotional soundtrack is an imitable sonic companion to the film rooted in authenticity. The album features an original score of 15 tracks crafted by the late musician for Scorsese's western crime drama.

Ali Sethi & Nicolas Jaar - Intiha LP (Other People)

Singer, songwriter and author Ali Sethi had been entranced by Chilean artist Nicolas Jaar's music long before they began collaborating. Following their introduction via Indian artist Somnath Bhatt, a frequent Jaar collaborator, Sethi began to sketch out voice notes using loops snipped from Jaar's acclaimed 2020 album Telas, improvising vocalizations and seductive Urdu poems over Jaar's weightless, time-bending productions. Sethi is best known globally for his attempts to revive the ghazal, an ancient poetic form that was taken by Sufi mystics from the Arab world to Persia and throughout the Indian subcontinent, where it captivated the royal court. It's been unfashionable in the last few decades, a mannered style associated with decadence, and Sethi offers it a new lease on life through his playfully revisionist covers and renditions, combined with the improvisational approach at the core of Jaar's practice. Sethi updates the ghazal form by using his years of training in raga music, lifting metaphors that reflect his journey as an out-of- place queer kid in Pakistan who became a US citizen and now lives in New York City.

Sarah Silverman – Someone You Love CD/2xLP (Oh Us)

Emmy-winning comedian, actor, writer, and producer Sarah Silverman returns with her first comedy special since 2013's acclaimed Sarah Silverman: We Are Miracles. Recorded at The Wilbur Theater in Boston, Sarah Silverman: Someone You Love features the New England native showcasing her fearless chutzpah.

Mali Velasquez – I’m Green LP (Acrophase)

When Nashville-based singer-songwriter Mali Velasquez traded her Texas panhandle home for the verdant foothills of Tennessee, she did so with a newfound perspective that mirrored her environment, culminating in the lushly raw edge of her folk-rooted indie rock. Wistfully openhearted and incisive, Velasquez tips the fulcrum between reflection and remedy with melody-forward unction and lyrical tenderness. Her debut album, I'm Green, is a perennial introspection into the wild animal of young adulthood and the renewing realization that the person we're most often seeking permission from, crucially, is ourselves.

Reissues, Comps, Live Recordings, Vault Excavations...

The Belles – Melvin b/w Come Back [Reissue/1966] 7” (Numero)

North Miami Beach's Belles were remarkably free of any masculine influence-an all-girl, teen rock band that played instruments, wrote songs, and were a good representation of multiculturalism in the ‘60s. The Belles' lone single featured "Melvin", a gender-swapped rewrite of Them's "Gloria". "Come Back" is pure representation of girls in the garage. [Blue w/ white marble vinyl.]

Tony Bennett – The Tony Bennett Bill Evans Album [Reissue/1975] LP (Craft Recordings)

The Tony Bennett Bill Evans Album (1975) brings together two legends of modern music. Featuring just vocal and piano, without any additional musicians, the two artists selected the songs and worked out the arrangements for what was to become the first of two albums together.

The Black Crowes – The Southern Harmony And Musical Companion [Reissue/1992] 2xCD/3xCD/LP/4xLP (UMe)

Following up a breakout album like 1990's Shake Your Money Maker and runaway singles like "She Talks To Angels" and "Hard to Handle", is no easy task but The Black Crowes managed that and then some with 1992's The Southern Harmony And Musical Companion. The Deluxe 2xCD set features the original remastered album with the bonus Best Of The Box CD containing nine rare and unreleased selections from the Super Deluxe boxset. The Super Deluxe 3xCD and 4xLP boxsets includes a hymn book with insights from both Chris and Rich Robinson, sheet music and four lithographs. The reissue was overseen by Chris and Rich Robinson and album producer George Drakoulias. Featuring 14 unreleased tracks - including two studio recordings, a live February 1993 concert, and the never-before- heard live in-studio performances at the end of the Southern Harmony session - along with B-sides and the original album.

Rosanne Cash – The Wheel [Reissue/1993] 2xCD/LP/2xLP (Rumblestrip)

Rosanne Cash left Nashville in the early ‘90s. The first album she recorded in New York with John Leventhal, The Wheel, celebrates 30 years with an exclusive 30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition that features a 2023 remastered version of the original album and an additional 11 tracks from the 1993 Live From Austin City Limits and Live From The Columbia House Records Radio Hour sessions, making their digital debut. [A single-disc vinyl LP version is also available.]

The Contessas – Broken Heart b/w Gimme Gimme 7” (Numero)

Beehive sisters The Contessas only experienced a fraction of what could have been. "Broken Heart" b/w "Gimme Gimme" simply describe their short-lived experiences through ghostly string, soulful vocals, and funky rhythms. [Limited-edition peach/white marble vinyl.]

Cotton Jones – The River Strumming [Reissue/2009] LP (Suicide Squeeze)

When Michael Nau and Whitney McGraw struck out on their own in the wake of the dissolution of their beloved indie-folk outfit Page France, they continued their songwriting practice with a new project called Cotton Jones Basket Ride. As legend has it, Nau and McGraw were working on the material for their debut full-length Paranoid Cocoon (2009) when they realized they had an entire album's worth of odds-and-ends from various recording sessions. The resultant album - The River Strumming - was released in 2008 under the simplified Cotton Jones moniker.

Mac DeMarco – Some Other Ones [Reissue/2015] LP (Captured Tracks)

Canary yellow vinyl. In the summer of 2015, Mac DeMarco released Some Other Ones - a collection of original instrumental recordings DeMarco deemed his "BBQ soundtrack" - as a free digital download exclusively on Bandcamp. It was recorded in just 5 days at his home in Far Rockaway, Queens, about a year after the massive success of his third album, Salad Days, and just weeks before the release of mini-LP Another One. Originally released in conjunction with a barbecue DeMarco hosted to promote Another One and collect food bank donations, Some Other Ones soon gained cult status, now regarded amongst his fans as a key entry in his beloved catalog.

Bill Evans Trio – With Symphony Orchestra [Reissue/1965] LP (Anagram Music)

For this amazing 1965 album (released by the Verve label in February of 1966), Bill Evans and his trio (featuring bassist Chuck Israels and drummer Larry Bunker) meet a 48-piece symphony orchestra conducted and arranged by Claus Ogerman. With Symphony Orchestra includes compositions by Granados, Bach, Scriabin, Fauré, and Chopin as well as two by Evans and one by Ogerman. The results are just beautiful.

Fall Out Boy – Take This To Your Grave [Reissue/2003] LP (Fueled By Ramen)

Celebrate the 20th anniversary of Fall Out Boy's debut album Take This To Your Grave with this special limited-edition release featuring two never released demos. Pressed on ‘blue jay’ color vinyl.

Fear Factory – Genexus [Reissue/2015] LP (Nuclear Blast)

New crystal-clear w/ black & white splatter vinyl reissue of the ninth album by the industrial metal band.

Fort Minor – The Rising Tied [Reissue/2005] 2xLP (WB)

Fort Minor is a side project of Linkin Park's Mike Shinoda that he created in 2004, collaborating with multiple artists including Styles of Beyond, John Legend, Common and many more. The Rising Tied was released in 2005 and is the only album release from Fort Minor. Two limited-edition colorways are available: indie store exclusive; and ‘brick and mortar’ exclusive.

Grant Green – Green Street [Reissue/1961] LP (Blue Note)

Grant Green began his lengthy and prolific Blue Note career with the 1961 release of his debut album Grant's First Stand, a stellar soul jazz outing that featured the guitarist in an organ trio with Baby Face Willette on Hammond B3 and Ben Dixon on drums. When he returned to Van Gelder Studio next in April of that year it was once again with a trio but this time one with a leaner sound featuring Green backed by bass (Ben Tucker) and drums (Dave Bailey). The spare setting and sturdy support created spacious realms for Green to expound at length, unspooling his inventive, bluesy lines on a five-song set.

Hatebreed – The Concrete Confessional [Reissue/2016] LP (Nuclear Blast)

New clear w/ red splatter vinyl reissue of the seventh album by the metalcore band.

King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard – Nonagon Infinity [Reissue/2016] 2xCD (ATO)

Expanded double-disc edition includes an original album plus a bonus CD with 10 demos. New packaging includes a six-panel softpack with gold foil stamp and a 20-page booklet. Originally released in 2016, Nonagon Infinity remains the band biggest album. Constructed as an infinite loop, Pitchfork claimed upon its release that the record was ‘overstuffed’ with so many stomach-tossing thrills that you'll actually be jonesing to ride the roller-coaster all over again.”

MJ Lenderman – MJ Lenderman [Reissue/2019] 2xLP+MP3 (Dear Life)

Mj Lenderman is a songwriter born and raised in Asheville, North Carolina. The anatomy of an MJ record might go something like this: warped pedal steels and skuzzed out guitar; a voice reminiscent of the high-lonesome warble of a choirboy; the keen observations and reflections of a front stoop philosopher. Songs snake their way from a lo-fi home recording to something glossier made with longtime friends at Asheville's Drop Of Sun studios, but the recording setting doesn't seem to matter much - at its core, a Lenderman song rings true.

My Dying Bride – Turn Loose The Swans [Reissue/1993] LP (Peaceville)

30th anniversary marble edition. Originally released in October 1993 and recorded at Academy Studios in Yorkshire, Turn Loose The Swans saw the arrival of longtime session musician and classically trained violin and piano player Martin Powell to the My Dying Bride line-up. The album also saw the band stretching and pushing the grandiose textures and epic doom dynamics to create an opus of previously unrivalled atmosphere and stark emotion.

Phineas Newborn – A World Of Piano! [Reissue/1962] LP (Craft Recordings)

Acoustic Sounds and Contemporary Records present this new reissue of Phineas Newborn Jr's 1962 Contemporary Record debut, A World of Piano!. Recorded by legendary engineers Howard Holzer and Roy DuNann the album also features Paul Chambers (bass), Philly Joe Jones (drums), Sam Jones (bass) and Louis Hayes (drums). 180gm vinyl pressed at QRP with (AAA) lacquers cut from the original tapes by Bernie Grundman.

Plastikman – Sheet One [Reissue/1993] 2xLP (Mute)

Plastikman is just one of Richie Hawtin’s alter egos and Sheet One was the first in a series of releases that started a phenomenon with seismic influence. Its stark production was quite unlike anything else in the electronic scene at that time, and an instantly recognizable and somewhat controversial acid-blotter CD cover introduced the world to his unique sound. The album was the beginning of a long creative relationship between Richie Hawtin and Mute and soon took its place as a crucial, classic electronic album.

Sonny Rollins – Newk’s Time [Reissue/1959] LP (Blue Note)

Sonny Rollins first appeared on a Blue Note recording session in 1949 as part of Bud Powell's Modernists during a period when the saxophonist was coming up on the scene and cutting his teeth alongside bebop innovators including Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, and Miles Davis. After he began leading his own record dates in the 1950s, Rollins hooked up with Alfred Lion again and recorded four tremendous albums for Blue Note in less than a year between December 1956 and November 1957. Following two quintet dates that were released as Sonny Rollins, Volume 1 and Vol. 2, the saxophone colossus returned to Van Gelder Studio in September 1957 with a quartet comprised of pianist Wynton Kelly, bassist Doug Watkins, and drummer Philly Joe Jones to record Newk's Time (the album title was a reference to his nickname Newk due to his resemblance to Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher Don Newcombe).

Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros – Here [Reissue/2012] LP (Vagrant)

Formed in 2007 by Ima Robot frontman Alex Ebert after a brief period of existential crisis, the cultish 11-piece indie rock outfit Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros draw their inspiration from the communal musical communities that peppered Southern California (specifically Laurel Canyon) with positive vibrations during the '60s and early '70s.

Ed Sheeran – X [Reissue/2014] 2xLP (Atlantic)

Originally released in 2014, X features singles “Don't”, “Sing”, “Thinking Out Loud”, “Bloodstream” and “Photograph”. Ed Sheeran recorded X at various locations around the globe (all the while drawing on experiences and influences encountered on his over three years of unrelenting touring) with such luminary producers as Rick Rubin (Eminem, Jay-Z, Red Hot Chilli Peppers), Pharrell Williams (Daft Punk, Robin Thicke, N.E.R.D), Benny Blanco (Rhianna, Wiz Khalifa) and Jeff Bhasker (Alicia Keys, Jay-Z) adding new flavours to the classy work of key collaborators Johnny McDaid (Snow Patrol) and Jake Gosling (who produced +).

Jimmy Smith / Wes Montgomery – Jimmy & Wes: The Dynamic Duo LP (Anagram Music)

Jimmy & Wes: The Dynamic Duo is a 1966 collaborative album by American jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery and electric organist Jimmy Smith, with arrangements by Oliver Nelson. It is frequently listed among Jimmy Smith's best albums.

Vickie & The Van Dykes – I Wanna Be A Winner b/w Outcast 7” (Numero)

New York's Cleopatra label gets the Numero treatment. Hailing from Tommy Falcones swarm, Beehive lead Vickie & The Van Dykes were the sound of the coming youth revolt - Vickie had rock 'n' roll in her bones and rawhide in her voice. "I Wanna To Be A Winner," and "Outcast" were songs tailored to her rebellious personality. [Limited-edition peach & white marble vinyl.]

Pete Yorn – Pete Yorn [Reissue/2001] LP (Vagrant)

Pete Yorn's self-titled album is a captivating musical journey that encapsulates his signature blend of indie rock and folk sensibilities. Released in 2001, Pete Yorn serves as a remarkable introduction to his talents as a singer-songwriter. With a warm and raspy voice, he effortlessly weaves introspective lyrics into each track, inviting listeners to explore the depths of his emotions.