New Releases - 12/3/21
Hitting The Racks
Here's your weekly rundown of what's hitting the new release racks at Grimey's
New Releases
The Armed – ULTRAPOP LP+MP3 (Sargent House)
Limited-edition orange galaxy color vinyl pressing. The Armed’s first new album in over three years reaches the same extremities of sonic expression as the furthest depths of metal, noise, and otherwise heavy counterculture music subgenres but finds its foundation firmly in pop music and pop culture. As is always The Armed's mission, it seeks only to create the most intense experience possible, a magnification of all culture, beauty, and things.
Barrie – Dig b/w Frankie 7” (Winspear)
Barrie Lindsay is a soft spoken, obsessive producer and songwriter who grew up tinkering with instruments in Ipswich, Massachusetts. Whereas “Dig” floats in a seeming free-time, Barrie's second single, “Frankie”, is locked into a driving, propulsive rhythm. It's bass synth, which remains constant throughout, is meditative and hypnotic. Among skittering arpeggios and melodic hooks, the song's message asks listeners to consider capitalism. Political pop can be awkward, but Lindsay's is subtle and poignant, reflecting on Glen Campbell's classic “Wichita Lineman”, and Americans' attitudes towards labor.
Blu – The Color Blu(e) CD/2xLP (Nature Sounds)
Acclaimed L.A. rapper Blu has left an indelible mark on the hip-hop landscape, crafting an impressive catalog instilled with the essence of the vibrant city he calls home. Now, the gifted lyricist is back with the new album The Color Blu(e).
Carla Bruni – Carla Bruni / French Touch 2xCD (Verve)
Carla Bruni returns with an exciting collection of some of rock music's most classic hits performed in her signature softer, coffee house style. Depeche Mode's "Enjoy The Silence", The Rolling Stones' "Miss You", and ABBA's "The Winner Takes It All" appear on this new release, sure to enthuse both fans of Carla's as well as fans of rock staples from the last 50 years.
Calling All Captains – Slowly Getting Better LP (Equal Vision)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Debut album from the alt-rock band.
Clever – Crazy LP (Republic)
Released in May on CD – now available on vinyl. After heating up the anticipation to a boiling point, Clever unleashes his debut album, Crazy. He bulldozed the way for the record with the buzzing smash "Life's A Mess II" featuring Juice WRLD & Post Malone.
Jarvis Cocker – Chansons d'Ennui Tip-Top CD/LP (Abkco)
Recently released on vinyl – now available on CD. Chansons d'Ennui Tip-Top is the companion release to Wes Anderson's film, The French Dispatch. The album expands on the Anderson and Jarvis Cocker cover collaboration of the French pop hit "Aline" for the film. This is an entire album of French material from the same period. Cocker's signature style interprets material made known by the likes of Françoise Hardy, Serge Gainsbourg, Brigitte Bardot, Jacques Dutronc, and Christophe's "Aline."
Del Water Gap – Del Water Gap LP (Mom + Pop Music)
Del Water Gap is the solo project of songwriter and producer S. Holden Jaffe, who delivers a deeply confessional self-titled debut. Holden is inspired by "romantic encounters and dimly lit rooms" – an inspiration evident in the lush sonic landscapes and caressing lyricism found in his music. Although his work has garnered mass-appeal, listening to Del Water Gap feels like a truly intimate experience. [Limited-edition light blue vinyl.]
Delay Grounds - Genus 12" (Lapsus Records)
British producer Patrick Tipler spent his formative years immersed in psychedelia as a bassist and guitarist in various bands and groups, until his discovery of synthesizers -- along with his move to Bristol -- radically changed his vision of sound and inspired him to start recording electronic music. Genus, his third release as Delay Grounds, preserves the essence of his sound but takes things a step further, with a form of maximalist electronica, sprouting powerful torrents of high-pitched and ruff-as-rock avant-techno, glitches and mutant sound elements, combined with sweet and delicate melodies in the purest IDM style. Genus is 30 minutes of astral travelling, an experience perhaps analogous to what we would feel if we opened a vault, containing music from a lost civilization. Marbled snowy white vinyl.
Julie Doiron – I Thought Of You LP (You’ve Changed)
Julie Doiron is back with I Thought Of You, her first solo record since 2012's So Many Days. Every bit an instant classic as only she can masterfully create, Doiron emanates a radiative force with her guitar and her unmistakably indomitable voice. Doiron is a maker of songs and a teller of stories, wielding her instruments like a craftsperson would their tools.
Wendy Eisenberg - Bent Ring CD (Dear Life)
New album from the prolific Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter, improviser, and avant-buttrocker. "Bent Ring is an album about commitment, ambivalence, and joy. Appropriately, it began with a dare: can I write an album of songs that do not use the guitar at all? On this record, I am a tenor banjo-player (and a singer, and a bassist). Specifically, I play a strange, salvaged, nameless banjo. My shadow. (My other shadow is Michael Cormier, who slays the percussion). Twice, I sing a hymn that I first heard as the first track of Thelonious Monk’s Monk’s Music. On that record, what I sing is played by John Coltrane, Coleman Hawkins, Gigi Gryce, and Ray Copeland. The lyrics, by Henry Francis Lyte, beseech whatever holy constants to stay constant with us, as things move, inexorably, in living and loving. Music is motion, is beauty, is work, is love, is perspective, is constant."
F**ked Up – Year Of The Horse 2xLP (Tankcrimes)
The follow-up to 2018's critically lauded Dose Your Dreams full-length, F**ked Up's hugely ambitious Year Of The Horse is operatic in scope and artfully assembled offering up one track with a ninety-plus-minute runtime. The epic tone poem is spread across four sides that pass through the realms of metal, classical, '70s groove, and international hardcore punk to explore themes of motherhood, ecology, stewardship, and the deep myths of our civilization.
Andrew Gabbard – Homemade CD/LP (Karma Chief)
A musician whose influences span hard rock, psych, garage rock, and energetic pop, Andrew Gabbard has long been a force on the Southwestern Ohio music scene. Working with Thee Shams, The Buffalo Killers, and currently as The Gabbard Brothers with his brother Zach, Andrew is truly a prolific artist covering a wide range. The Buffalo Killers caught the attention of Dan Auerbach who produced their debut LP and Andrew is currently part of the touring band for The Black Keys. [Limited-edition camo green vinyl.]
Geese – Projector CD/LP/Cassette (Partisan)
Geese is a band that begins and ends in Brooklyn, as a project between friends to build a home studio out of a basement. Their songs are born from the same ambition: make music by any means necessary. They began recording together with sneakers as mic stands and blankets draped over the amps, all within the afternoon following a school day, up until they ran the risk of noise complaints. Recently, they signed a record deal, so they are thinking about moving on from sneaker-laden mics and blanketed amps, but their musical ethos has not changed a bit. Curiously alien, yet strangely familiar, the band's debut album, Projector, is a product of five teenagers whose love of music touches every part of their lives: their restless anxiety about their futures, and their pent-up frustration with their present-a perspective all too familiar in today's uncertain world.
Genocide Pact – Genocide Pact CD/LP (Relapse)
An overdose of gut-wrenching death metal, Genocide Pact is heavy, engrossing, and undoubtedly brutal. [Limited-edition white vinyl.]
Natalie Hemby – Pins And Needles LP (Fantasy)
Recently released on CD – now available on indie store exclusive clear smoke color vinyl. Two-time Grammy Award-winner Natalie Hemby is revered as one of the music industry's most notable songwriters creating hit after hit behind the scenes. Now, she's poised for a breakout, with the release of her exceptional sophomore album Pins And Needles. Known for the versatile sonics and storytelling that earned her eight No. 1 singles, Hemby explores a full range of her musical gifts, spanning influences – from Tom Petty to Sheryl Crow and the early ‘90s rock and roots she was raised on – with incomparable individuality. Across the 11-track collection, Hemby delivers unconventional lyrics along with her ingenious turn of phrase, ear-worm anthems to heart-rending ballads, acid-tongued and sharp-witted swagger to deep-grooved rockers.
Joshua Henry – Grow CD (BMG)
Three-time Tony nominee and Grammy-nominee Joshua Henry's debut album Grow is a kaleidoscopic spectrum of sounds that showcases Joshua's powerhouse vocals and versatile talents.
Idles Feat. slowthai – Model Village 7” (Partisan)
The A-side is the album version of “Model Village” from 2020's smash album Ultra Mono and the B-side is a special version “Model Village” featuring slowthai.
Cody Johnson – Human The Double Album 2xLP (Warner Nashville)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Human The Double Album is the sophomore major-label release from Platinum recording artist Cody Johnson. The massive endeavor is stacked top to bottom with songs that were originally rejected by other Nashville artists, for what Johnson considers as being too country for country.
Kenny Lattimore – Here To Stay CD (Sono Recording Group)
Hailed by the New York Times as a "modern soul man", Kenny Lattimore, the singer behind the hits "Never Too Busy", "For You", and the Michael Jordan hype song "Day's Like This" is back with a new album for the first time in four years.
No Bragging Rights – No Bragging Rights LP (Pure Noise)
Limited half clear with “heavy black” splatter vinyl LP pressing. New album from the California melodic hardcore band.
Palette Knife – Ponderosa Snake House & The Chamber Of Bullshit LP (Take This To Heart)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Palette Knife's layered approach to songwriting and storytelling might begin as a shock. It's a dizzying experience, one that flips channels between impassioned odes to thrifting dates and other cheapskate adventures, lamenting the person yourself or someone like you used to be, and relentless appeals to reason in a world that constantly moves the goalposts. For now, enjoy the kickoff.
Porest - Cancer in the Soft Breeze LP (Discrepant)
Contemporary and historical Porest recordings channeled from behind the somnambulistic event horizon. The now sound... The bleak oblique. The minimal and the maximal. Filmic chamber drones, meditative radio massage and forged spiritual violence bury pop ephemera into the swirling murk of de facto instrumental nihilism and orchestral context-free drama. Side A: A harmful journey into sickness and despair. You get sick and die. Side B: You are healed. You stand erect and live forever. Layered field and radio recordings back electro-acoustic experiments via electric saz, strings, balypso, reeds, and synths. Big drones, small ensembles and mood-anthems recorded by Porest and friends between 1995 and 2020 in West Oakland, Germany, Sumatra, Syria, Hanoi and London.
Sissi Rada - Nanodiamond LP (Kryptox)
Sissi Rada is one of the most talented harpists in the European contemporary classical scene as well as a producer of beautiful abstract electronica songs. Her latest album is a futuristic body of work that combines the sweet melancholy of the classical harp with subtle electronic soundscapes and Sissi Rada's magical voice. Nanodiamond takes the form of a melancholic journey through a universe of romantic harp atmospheres, fragile melodies, subtle impressionistic vibes -- based on lo-fi electronic sounds, noisy textures, raw sound design and at times almost robotic rhythmic constructions. Her subtle harmonic and melodic structures will sometimes catch you immediately and at other times will only be understood after a second or third listen, adding a magical touch. For fans of: Björk, Portishead, Mary Lattimore, Sophie, Arca, Sam Gendel, Sega Bodega.
Jeff Rosenstock – SKA DREAM CD/LP+MP3/Cassette (Polyvinyl)
SKA DREAM is a complete re-recording of Jeff Rosenstock's critically acclaimed 2020 record NO DREAM, however this time around all the songs are in the ska style.
Sloppy Jane – Madison LP (Saddest Factory)
Haley Dahl and her 21 bandmates recorded all of Madison at the Lost World Caverns in West Virginia from 3pm to 8:30am each day over the course of two weeks. To access the space, they'd enter through the back of a gift shop, down a long tunnel where they'd walk down 200 feet of stairs to reach the entrance. Dahl and her bandmates did this steep walk with a piano. The ceiling of Lost World Caverns is massively high and is a perfect dome. The inside was also 98 percent humidity, leading to both stellar sound and problems with tuning and gear. Engineer Ryan Howe sat in his parents Subaru above the cave with his mixing board and computer, and threaded cables down 90 feet through a hole in the ground to the ceiling of the cave. It's the first time someone has ever recorded an entire album in a cave, and the results are sonically stunning. That alone is a marvelous thing. Madison is an astounding, glorious record of melodrama of the highest order. [Opaque blue color vinyl.]
Vince Staples – Vince Staples CD (Motown)
Esteemed hip-hop artist Vince Staples has released his self-titled album, produced by Kenny Beats. His first full-length release since 2018's critically acclaimed FM!, the 10-track album delves not only into Staples' upbringing in Long Beach but his psyche as he learns to cope with his yesterdays and strides toward new tomorrows, picking others up along the way. Includes a 12-page booklet. [Vinyl edition due April 15.]
Swansea Sound – Live At The Rum Puncheon LP (HHBTM)
Swansea Sound is the new collaboration between The Pooh Sticks frontman Hue Williams and Heavenly's Amelia Fletcher. Debut album Live At The Rum Puncheon features a dozen indie pop bangers and finds Williams at his sardonic, satirical best. Features a dozen noisy punk songs, including the critically acclaimed singles "Indies Of The World" and "Corporate Indie Band".
Tasha – Tell Me What You Miss The Most LP (Father/Daughter Records)
Tasha’s second album, Tell Me What You Miss The Most, mingles pockets of introspection with wide, expansive, marveling at what’s yet to come. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, Tasha is a musician who writes songs that take loving and longing seriously. Whether dwelling in the sad thrum of an impending break up or the dizzying, heart thumping waltz of new infatuation, here is an album that traces one artist’s relationship to herself in love. Full of deep, invigorating inhales and relieved, joyful exhales, Tell Me What You Miss The Most is an exquisitely crafted breath of much needed air. [Limited-edition transparent bone color vinyl.]
They Might Be Giants – Book LP (Idlewild)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Book is a new phase They Might Be Giants album. Featuring "I Broke My Own Rule", "I Lost Thursday", and "I Can't Remember The Dream", Book is billed as a beacon of light amid a pretty unanimously rough period of time with the band's John Linnell describing its songs as "humorously germane to the catastrophe going on around us."
Various Artists - DIALOGUE 2LP (A-TON)
DIALOGUE was conceived as a series of musical letters written back and forth between Luke Slater, Anthony Child (aka Surgeon), KMRU, Lady Starlight, Speedy J and harpist Tom Moth (of Florence + the Machine) at the height of the pandemic between 2020 and early 2021. Using the common language of rhythmic ambient electronics, each DIALOGUE features three actors in a sonic conversation of longform improvisation between 15 and 25 minutes in length, with Luke Slater the common denominator. The results are a brooding, psychedelic exchange of melody, texture, bass, oscillation, key changes and volume swells, which organically merge into complete compositions. It's music that both reflects and transcends the artists' common reality of isolation -- a meditative, consciousness-expanding conversion of musical ideas born from necessity. Cosmic, but not escapist. And very much of its time.
The Vegabonds – Sinners And Saints LP (Blue Élan)
Nashville-based Southern rock band The Vegabonds deal with the challenge of thriving in the face of unexpected events in Sinners And Saints. With the help of Grammy-nominated producer Tom Tapley (Blackberry Smoke), the album seamlessly blends the band's myriad of influences - balancing a gritty, rocking performance with thoughtful songwriting. With something for fans of Tom Petty or The Allman Brothers, Sinners and Saints is a fresh take on a classic sound, paying homage to southern rock legends while sharing their own tales about heartache, tough times, and feeling good.
Gillian Welch & David Rawlings – All The Good Times LP (Acony)
Released earlier this year on CD – now available on vinyl. The first Gillian Welch & David Rawlings collaboration to feature both of their names, All The Good Times, a collection of ten acoustic covers recorded at home, received a 2021 Grammy nomination for Best Folk Album. After a devastating tornado ravaged Nashville in the Spring of 2020 making their studio unusable, immediately followed by a global pandemic shutting down their community and touring livelihood, Welch & Rawlings were able to find the inspiration to set up recording equipment in their home living room and record ten performances on their reel-to-reel of some of their favorite songs from the likes of John Prine (“Hello In There”), Bob Dylan (“Abandoned Love”), Norman Blake (“Ginseng Sullivan”), and more. According to Uncut magazine, “The 10-song collection is the equivalent of being welcomed into Welch & Rawlings’ living room and the pair treating you to a private recital. In other words, it doesn’t get much better than this.”
Lucinda Williams – Lu's Jukebox Vol. 5: Have Yourself A Rockin' Little Christmas With Lucinda LP (Highway 20)
While the first four installments of Lu's Jukebox found Williams tackling Tom Petty, southern soul, Bob Dylan, and ‘60s country classics, Lu's Jukebox Vol. 5 sees the Grammy-winner spreading a little Christmas cheer with takes on "Run Run Rudolph", "Merry Christmas, Baby", "Please Come Home For Christmas", and "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" among others.
Ben Watt – Storm Shelter CDEP/12” (Virgin)
Ben Watt (Everything But The Girl) releases his six-track mini album, Storm Shelter, a stripped back piano-vocal companion piece to his acclaimed 2020 album, Storm Damage. A proportion of royalty proceeds will go to the UK homelessness charity, Shelter. The mini album was recorded during rehearsals for the Storm Damage Tour in January 2020, a world tour with his new trio that was cancelled due to the pandemic. All the songs were recorded in one day at RAK Studios in London.
Reissues, Compilations, Live Recordings & Vault Excavations...
All That Remains – The Fall Of Ideals [Reissue/2006] LP (Craft Recordings)
The Fall Of Ideals is the third studio album by metalcore band All That Remains. Produced by Adam Dutkiewicz of Killswitch Engage, the album was a departure from their previous two releases as it offered a more melodic metalcore sound that the band would go on to be known for.
The Black Keys – El Camino (10th Anniversary Edition) 4xCD (Nonesuch)
This four-CD Super Deluxe set contains original remastered album, previously unreleased full live concert and BBC Session Recorded in 2012, a 2011 Electro-Vox Session, and a photo book. El Camino was produced by Danger Mouse and The Black Keys and was recorded in the band's then-new hometown of Nashville during the spring of 2011. The Black Keys won three awards at the 55thannual Grammy Awards for El Camino- Best Rock Performance, Best Rock Song, and Best Rock Album-among other worldwide accolades. In the UK, the band was nominated for a BRIT Award (Best International Group) and an NME Award (Best International Band). The week of release, the band performed on Saturday Night Live, the Colbert Report, and the Late Show with David Letterman, and later that year, went on to perform their first Madison Square Garden show.
Bush – Razorblade Suitcase (In Addition) 2xLP (Round Hill)
24 years ago, Bush bravely followed up their 1994 multi-platinum juggernaut of a debut, Sixteen Stone, with a darker, more cerebral sophomore effort in Razorblade Suitcase. Produced by Steve Albini and recorded at London's Abbey Road Studios, the album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, selling 293,000 copies during its first week of release in the US and staying alive with hit singles "Greedy Fly" and "Swallowed". To celebrate the 20th anniversary of this 3x platinum album, it has been reissued on deluxe, remastered pink vinyl and expanded with four rare bonus tracks.
Can – Live In Brighton 1975 2xCD/3xLP+MP3 (Mute)
Can’s lineup for this legendary 1975 performance features all four original members – Irmin Schmidt on keys, Jaki Leibezeit on drums, Michel Karoli on guitar, and Holger Czukay on bass. The band’s powerful influence has never diminished, and their indelible mark is apparent in the bands who freely acknowledge their importance - from Portishead, James Murphy, Sonic Youth, New Order, Factory Floor, Public Image Ltd, Mogwai, Madlib and Radiohead - as well as across other disciplines such as visual art and literature. [Limited-edition Inca Gold vinyl pressing.]
Johnny Cash – Bear's Sonic Journals: Johnny Cash, At the Carousel Ballroom, April 24, 1968 2xLP (BMG)
An historic and never-heard live concert recorded in San Francisco by innovative sound wizard Owsley Stanley. Captured in the heart of Haight-Ashbury, just days before the release of Cash's iconic At Folsom Prison album (and over six months before the arrival of the equally revered At San Quentin), At The Carousel Ballroom serves as a third essential - and wholly unique - live document from the era, a moment of cultural collision, with Cash leaning into songs about society's outcasts, while playing a venue operated by The Jefferson Airplane and Grateful Dead. [A limited-edition yellow color vinyl edition is due January 4.]
Eva Cassidy – Live At Blues Alley [25th Anniversary Edition] CD (Blix Street)
Digitally remastered 25th Anniversary Edition of Live At Blues Alley, the only solo album released during the late singer Eva Cassidy's short lifetime. Eva Cassidy's now legendary concert at Washington DC's Blues Alley nightclub on January 3, 1996, was in some ways a happy accident. Although Eva had spent years in the studio with producer Chris Biondo creating an eclectic body of work, the pair decided that a live album was the quickest way to achieve their immediate goal of creating a CD to sell at live shows. Eva cashed in a small pension from her day job at a local nursery, her Aunt Claire contributed toward the venture, the Blues Alley venue booked them during their slowest time of the year (just after the New Year's Eve blow-out), as was a live recording truck with a goal of generating enough profit to purchase a proper PA system for future shows. The result was Live At Blues Alley, released locally a scant few months before Cassidy's untimely passing from melanoma at the age of 33. [Vinyl edition due January 14.]
Spencer Cullum – Spencer Cullum's Coin Collection LP (Full Time Hobby)
Pedal steel savant Spencer Cullum is one of Nashville's most in-demand session cats and he's also half of the space-country duo Steelism. Clearly, he's had little trouble fitting in since moving from his native London. His debut solo album pays homage to the '60s and '70s psych-pop, folk and proto-prog heroes of his homeland. Along with musicians Sean Thompson and Luke Reynolds, and singing/writing partners Caitlin Rose, Andrew Combs and Erin Rae - he's bringing a bit of Britain to TN.
Descendents – 9th & Walnut LP+MP3 (Epitaph)
Named for their Long Beach practice space back in the day, 9th & Walnut features the Descendents' earliest material written from 1977 through 1980. Begun in 2002 and finished in the pandemic, the 18-track collection also includes the band's debut tracks "Ride The Wild" and "It's a Hectic World" (heard here for the first time with vocals by Milo Aukerman), and the Dave Clark Five's "Glad All Over" with the full Descendents treatment.
Doors – L.A. Woman [Reissue/1971] 3xCD+LP (Rhino)
Deluxe 50th Anniversary three CD + 180gm vinyl LP set. Includes the original album newly remastered by The Doors' longtime engineer and mixer Bruce Botnick, two bonus discs of unreleased studio outtakes, and the stereo mix of the original album on vinyl. The Doors found their mojo (and Mr. Mojo Risin') in November 1970 as they recorded L.A. Woman over six days at the Workshop, the band's rehearsal space on Santa Monica Boulevard. A success both critically and commercially, the album was certified double-platinum and contains some of the band's most enduring music, including the Top 20 hit “Love Her Madly”, ‘Riders On The Storm”, and the title track.
Dream Theater – Lost Not Forgotten Archives: When Dream And Day Reunite (Live) CD (Inside Out U.S.)
Lost Not Forgotten Archives: When Dream And Day Reunite (Live) is the 5th release in Dream Theater's archival series. Recorded in Los Angeles, Dream Theater's original 2004 release features a full live performance of the band's debut studio album, and a reunion with former members Derek Sherinian and Charlie Dominici. [Vinyl edition due December 17.]
Garbage – Beautifulgarbage [Reissue/2001] 3xCD/2xLP (Geffen)
Beautiful Garbage is the third studio album from Garbage, initially released on October 1, 2001. The album expanded on the band's musical variety, with stronger melodies, more direct lyrics, and sounds mixing rock with electronica, new wave, hip-hop, and girl groups. This brand-new Deluxe triple CD edition features newly remastered audio by Billy Bush & Butch Vig, B-sides and alternate versions with six previously unreleased selections, and a disc of remixes. [Also available as a stand-alone 180gm double LP pressing.]
Jerry Garcia Band – Jerry Garcia Band (30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition) 5xLP (Rounder Records)
Selling over 360,000 CDs since its release, the beloved self-titled album, Jerry Garcia Band, was the band's first live release recorded in the spring and summer of 1990 at The Warfield in San Francisco. The iconic lineup features John Kahn, Melvin Seals, David Kemper, Gloria Jones, and Jacklyn LaBranch. In celebration of the album's 30th anniversary, this five-LP set out is pressed on 180gm vinyl in a cloth wrapped, foil-stamped box and available in a limited edition of 10,000 copies.
Grup Ses - Beats from the Vaults (2008-2021) LP (Souk)
The Istanbul-based veteran beatmaker returns to Souk after two years with his first fully instrumental album since 2011's sought-after Beats and Pieces from Turkish Psychedelia. From 2008 on, Grup Ses started to build a version of Stones Throw and Brainfeeder-influenced beatmaking mixed with a touch of humor, blending all kinds of local recorded material like records, tapes, radio broadcasts etc., which became the building blocks of signature Grup Ses sound. Beats from the Vaults is a showcase of beatmaking aesthetics Grup Ses visited between 2008 and 2021, including various cuts available only on SoundCloud plus unheard material compiled just for this album.
The Halo Benders – God Don't Make No Junk [Reissue/1994] LP (K)
Initial collaboration between Calvin Johnson of Beat Happening and Doug Martsch of Built To Spill. These recording sessions at Olympia, WA Dub Narcotic Studio took place in 1993, just prior to the release of the debut Built To Spill album Ultimate Alternative Wavers. The combination of the two voices was a happy accident that proved to be the combos winning charm.
Eddie Hazel – Game, Dames And Guitar Thangs [Reissue/1977] LP (Real Gone Music)
Limited blue color vinyl LP pressing. Knowledge of this relatively obscure album is something of a secret handshake among axe men, because the guitar work on it is flat-out incredible. But then, you had to be a bad mutha to be in a band with George Clinton, Bootsy Collins, Bernie Worrell and the rest of the Parliament/Funkadelic mothership, and that's where a 17-year-old Eddie Hazel found himself in 1967, as the new guitar player in the Parliaments. Over the next ten years, Hazel would become an instrumental mainstay in P-Funk.
Jukebox The Ghost – Everything Under The Sun LP+MP3 (Yep Roc)
Jukebox The Ghost's Yep Roc debut celebrates its 10th Anniversary with this limited edition pressing on yellow vinyl with new liner notes from the band and nine bonus tracks on the digital download. At the time, PopMatters said of the album, "For those mourning the loss of Jellyfish, Beulah, Blur, or the sounds of XTC's or Squeeze's heydays, purchasing this album is a direct order, and not up for debate."
Trini Lopez – The Rare Reprise Singles CD (Omnivore)
Archive collection from singer-guitarist Trini Lopez containing rare sides from his years with Reprise Records.
Muslimgauze - Jackal the Invizible 2LP (Staalplaat)
Why producer Bryn Jones (Muslimgauze) would submit multiple copies of the same or similar tracks to those he worked with, often in totally different configurations, is now a permanent mystery, but it does lead to Jackal The Invizible, essentially a compilation of material from multiple other releases that Jones had also submitted at the time on its own DAT. All of the songs here were released at least 20 years ago (a few over 30) and as with practically all Muslimgauze releases they were limited and/or hard to get ahold of now. The new juxtapositions can be quite striking; shifting suddenly from the harshly distorted blurts of "Resume and Shaduf Fatah Guerrilla 1999" to the cooly nocturnal atmosphere of "Abu Nidal 1987" and then to the dubby bass pulses and rattling hand percussion of "Hand of Fatima 1999" is an experience unlike much else in Jones' oeuvre, even though all three modes are ones he has worked in before.
My Morning Jacket – Chapter 1: The Sandworm Cometh : Early Recordings, B-Sides, Covers, Y Mas [Reissue/2004] 2xLP (Darla)
My Morning Jacket – Chapter 2: Learning. Early Recordings, B-Sides, Covers, Y Mas
[Reissue/2004] 2xLP (Darla)
Limited edition color vinyl reissues pressed at 45rpm for best audio quality. Chapter 1 on "ghost color" vinyl, Chapter 2 on opaque orange vinyl.
Overkill – The Atlantic Years: 1986-1994 6xLP (BMG)
Overkill, the seminal American thrash metal band, formed in 1980 in New Jersey. They are often called 'the Motörhead of thrash metal', based on their unique playing style, which was influenced by punk rock and the new wave of British heavy metal. They were also one of the first thrash metal bands to sign to a major label (having signed to Atlantic Records in 1986) and rose to fame as part of the genre's movement of the mid-to-late 1980s, along with the 'big four' (Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax) as well as Exodus and Testament.
Röyksopp – The Lost Tapes 2xLP (Cooking Vinyl)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. The Lost Tapes is a monthly release of rare B-sides, exclusives - and even some previously unreleased tracks. Now the first 10 tracks from the series are released on vinyl for the first time.
Ryuichi Sakamoto - Esperanto LP (Wewantsounds)
Originally released in 1985 and never before released outside of Japan, Esperanto was composed for a performance by New York avant-garde choreographer Molissa Fenley. Produced and performed by Sakamoto with contributions from Arto Lindsay and Japanese percussionist Yas-Kaz, Esperanto is a fascinating instrumental work mixing electronica, ambient and synth pop. Coming after his stint with the influential Yellow Magic Orchestra, and also the worldwide success of Sakamoto's 1984 soundtrack for the film Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence (in which he starred alongside David Bowie), Esperanto was a return to Sakamoto's leftfield roots, a fascinating soundscape experimenting with new sampler technology, alternating between ambient tracks, minimalist patterns, and proto techno with a funky twist.
Samia – Before The Baby LP (Grand Jury)
Samia's 2020 full-length debut The Baby was an introduction for many, but the Nashville-by-way-of-NYC songwriter had been cultivating a fanbase with a series of singles dating back to 2017. Before The Baby collects those early Samia singles on an official 12" release for the first time.
Bola Sete – Samba In Seattle: Live At The Penthouse (1966-1968) 3xCD (Tompkins Square)
Samba in Seattle is the first official release of legendary Brazilian guitarist Bola Sete's live recordings at the Penthouse in Seattle, WA (1966-68). Produced by Zev Feldman, and mastered from the original tape reels, this Deluxe three-CD set includes a 40-page booklet with rare photos, an essay by music critic Greg Casseus, and words by guitar icon Carlos Santana, pianist/composer Lalo Schifrin, pianist/producer George Winston, and Sete's widow Anne Sete; plus a tribute by guitar great John Fahey.
Nina Simone – Nina Simone And Her Friends [Reissue/1959] CD (BMG)
Nina Simone And Her Friends is a 1959 album released by the Bethlehem Records label that compiled songs by jazz singers Nina Simone, Carmen McRae and Chris Connor. All three artists had left the label and signed with other companies by the time Bethlehem released this album. The numbers by Simone were previously unissued "leftovers" from the recording sessions for her debut album Little Girl Blue (1958) and released without her knowledge. The tracks by Chris Connor and Carmen McRae were already issued together this way as Bethlehem's Girlfriends in 1956 accompanied by the debut recording session of Julie London. [Vinyl edition due December 10.]
Thrice – Beggars [Reissue/2009] LP (Vagrant)
To take stock of California alt-rock quartet Thrice's discography is to witness the dramatic evolution of a band perpetually committed to pushing their own creative boundaries, taking their music to new and breathtaking heights of expression and challenging fans to explore each startling soundscape the group conjures, while simultaneously promoting social awareness and change. Revolver Magazine hailed Beggars as "a brooding, at times Radiohead-esque post-rock groove with a hint of blues that makes it the band's most atmospheric record to date."
Travis – The Invisible Band [Deluxe Edition] 2xCD (Craft Recordings)
Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the multi-platinum 2001 album The Invisible Band, the original album has been remastered by Grammy Award-winning engineer Emily Lazar and features the hit singles, "Sing", "Flowers In The Window" and "Side" along with B-sides, unreleased demos, live sessions and alternate takes. [Vinyl due Jan 7.]
Various Artists – Sentimental Noise 1996 – 2021 LP (Jagjaguwar)
Limited-edition metallic silver color vinyl pressing. the final chapter in a four-part series of albums, art and creative endeavors conceived in celebration of the record label's 25th Anniversary. This 17-song set uncovers new and unreleased music from some of the label's earliest friends, such as Drunk and Manishevitz, plus Jagjaguwar legends like Wilderness, Oneida and Bloomington post-rock heroes Tammar, special contributions from Jenny Hval, the mysterious noise mongers of Canada's Wold/Fauchion and Oslo's Some Nerve, and two loving tributes to the Patron Saint of Jagjaguwar, John Prine, and more.
Volbeat – Servant Of The Mind CD/2xCD/2xLP (Republic)
Volbeat's 8th studio album, Servant Of The Mind, dial their signature heavy metal, psychobilly, and punk n' roll sound up a notch while showcasing their keen songwriting and storytelling. [The deluxe double-CD edition includes four bonus tracks.]
Doc Watson – Life’s Work: A Retrospective 4xCD (Craft Recordings)
Life's Work: A Retrospective is the brand-new career-spanning compilation album from Grammy Award winning American songwriter Doc Watson. Album includes multiple recordings with his son Merle Watson, as well as features from Allison Krauss, Ricky Skaggs and more. Includes Watson's collaborations with Bill Monroe, Chet Atkins, and others. Includes 101 songs, all new extensive liner notes by author and producer Ted Olson, and a nearly 100-page book insert featuring rare photos.
The Weather Station – Ignorance 2xLP (Fat Possum)
Limited blue color vinyl pressing with additional material added. Through Ignorance, Tamara Lindeman has remade what The Weather Station sounds like, using the occasion of a new record to create a novel sonic landscape, tailor-made to express an emotional idea. Ignorance is sensuous, ravishing, as hi-fi a record as Lindeman has ever mad.
Paul Weller – Illumination [Reissue/2002/] LP (Craft Recordings)
Limited 180gm vinyl LP pressing in gatefold jacket. Includes 16-page booklet. Weller’s sixth solo studio album Illumination includes the hit singles "It's Written in The Stars" and "Leafy Mysteries" and features guest performances from Carleen Anderson, Jocelyn Brown, Kelly Jones and Noel Gallagher.