New Releases - 12/6/24
Hitting The Racks
Here's your weekly rundown of what's hitting the new release racks at Grimey's
New Releases
Actress – Дарен Дж. Каннінгем LP (Smalltown Supersound)
Actress delivered his mix for RA in June and it was surprisingly all new and exclusive Actress music. When asked if this was a new album, Actress aka Darren S. Cunningham simply answered that "it's a collage - Braque". Whatever you call this, a mix, a mixtape, a collage/braque, a new album, what it is, is another Actress statement. Actress grows music. Completely unconcerned with what it is, with what format it is or what it's defined as.
Advance Base – Horrible Occurrences LP (Run For Cover)
Horrible Occurrences is the title of the new Advance Base album, and there is truth in advertising. In these songs-all centered around a fictional town called Richmond and featuring an interlinked cast of characters-you will hear stories of death and disappearance, climactic confrontations and unsolved mysteries. "Richmond is just this place where all the bad memories live," Owen Ashworth explains, and nearly 30 years into his songwriting career, none of his records have packed quite the emotional intensity of this one. And yet something alchemical happens in the telling of these tales. Like a masterful short story collection, Horrible Occurrences is inspiring and alive, idiosyncratic and electric, pulling you closer with each word.
Aurora – What Happened To The Heart? 2xLP (Glassnote Music)
Fifth studio album by Norwegian singer-songwriter and record producer. What Happened To The Heart? finds Aurora working alongside various new collaborators-including Ane Brun, Matias Tellez (girl in red, Maisie Peters), Tom Rowlands (Chemical Brothers), Chris Greatti (Yungblud, Blink-182) and Dave Hamelin (Beyonce, King Princess, Zara Larsson) among others-each bringing their own unique styles and depth to the project. [A blue color vinyl pressing is available.]
Blxst – I’ll Always Come Find You 2xLP (Red Bull)
Silver colorway. I'll Always Come Find You is the debut studio album by American rapper and singer Blxst. The album features guest appearances from 2 Chainz, Amanda Reifer, Anderson.Paak, Becky G, Fatman Scoop, Feid, Joony, Joyce Wrice, Kamasi Washington, Offset, and Ty Dolla Sign.
Bottom Bracket – I’m So Afraid Of Where LP (Run For Cover)
Blue vinyl. Bottom Bracket is back with their sophomore release, but if you haven't heard of them before, they are looking to change that and change it fast. Everything about I'm So Afraid Of Where screams urgent, as though the band got tired of waiting for the world to notice them and decided to take matters into their own hand. The vocals shoot out at a pace that would put The Gilmore Girls to shame, every sentence loaded and littered with important clues that read like a map to the heart of vocalist/guitarist Mario Cannamela. The guitars twist and churn as they push the song forward, flanked by the rhythm section of Tim Recio (bass/vocals) and Rob Diaz (drums) that drive the song and color it with details that you will only catch on repeat listens.
Paul Cauthen – Black On Black LP (Atlantic)
Celebrated for his remarkable baritone voice, which has earned him the nickname Big Velvet, Cauthen grew up singing in the church choir and cut his chops as part of a tight knit creative community in East Texas. Cauthen has steadily risen through the ranks of country and Americana, first gaining notoriety with roots duo Sons of Fathers before embarking on a solo career with his debut album, My Gospel. He's gone on to release two more much-lauded albums - 2019's Room 41 and 2022's Country Coming Down - and toured the world over. Known for his dynamic live show, Cauthen has collaborated and shared stages with Margo Price, Orville Peck, Elle King, Midland, Cody Jinks and many more.
Duster – In Dreams CD/LP/Cassette (Numero)
San Jose slowcore/space rock outfit Duster returns with the surprise album In Dreams, continuing their inclination of sonically capturing an open-ended question. These thirteen tracks hone in on their trademark dark, droning guitar tones, dialed-back percussion, and alluring hard-panned vocals while expanding and exploring synth-heavy and drum machine avenues. [A clear vinyl pressing is available.]
Rafael Anton Irisarri - Façadisms LP (Black Knoll Editions)
2024 album from the ambient/drone composer. Crafted over three years, Façadisms is a late capitalist lament of simmering electric despondency, as Irisarri's obsession with repeating motifs mirrors the cyclical nature of a tumultuous political history. The album's eight tracks heave and storm like a tempest being drained of its rage. Ashen swaths of electronics billow above smoldering embers of melody, guitar, and scattered streaks of processed strings and voice. This is the sound of majestic dissipation, of morning afters, fashioned from a mournful haze with cavernous guitars and granular twilight. A euphony of a receding tide as one sifts through the remnants of what remains: dust, delusion, and memory.
Jamey Johnson – Midnight Gasoline CD (Warner Nashville)
Award-winning singer/songwriter Jamey Johnson has served as country music's north star for nearly two decades, inspiring a generation of artists with his unforgettable albums that have built a bridge connecting traditional country with the music of today. His new album, Midnight Gasoline, is his first new solo studio album in 14 years.
Blake Lee - No Sound in Space LP (OFNOT)
Blake Lee has always been fascinated by the unknown, and space, in its isolating, mysterious vastness, embodies this theme immaculately. The open void, captured so memorably by Stanley Kubrick in 2001: A Space Odyssey, is Blake's far-reaching canvas on No Sound In Space, a cinematic meditation on the cosmos that's painted in nuanced, emotionally sincere colors. Transforming his guitar's characteristics with effects and subtle processes, he layers sustained tones and intimate improvisations, creating richly visual polychromatic utopias teeming with unknown life. Since 2011, Blake has been most known for being the guitarist and a music director for Lana Del Rey, notching up three songwriting credits on her acclaimed Ultraviolence full length. He sees his solo work is a form of escapism, a place where he can experiment and find comfort and catharsis outside of expectations and formal structure.
Lauren Mayberry – Vicious Creatures CD/LP (Island)
Vicious Creatures is the debut solo album from CHRVCHES singer Lauren Mayberry. Featuring the tracks, "Are You Awake?," "Shame," "Change," "Something In The Air," and new single, "Crocodile Tears."
Mason Ramsey – I’ll See You In My Dreams LP (Atlantic)
Taking inspirational cues from icons like Elvis, Hank Williams, Jim Croce, and Roy Orbison, the Atlantic Records crooner co-wrote every song on his new album with the project's producer, Dan Fernandez. I'll See You In My Dreams marks a significant milestone in his career, showcasing a mature, classic country and honky-tonk sound that reflects his growth as an artist since his viral debut in Walmart several years ago.
RIP Swirl - Perfectly Blue LP (Public Possession)
What does it mean to be perfectly blue? Perhaps it means swimming contently in the waters of deep, complex emotions, or simply learning to spin low moments into casual days. For electronic/shoegaze artist Luka Seifert, who makes music as RIP Swirl, the idea of being fine with not being happy all the time was the catalyst for his second album, Perfectly Blue. The two words captured something: learning to embrace being blue, while using music as a way of processing emotions. Featuring guest vocals and contributions from Winter, Maria Somerville, Alias Error, Tanukichan, and untitled (halo).
Rosé – Rosie CD (Atlantic)
Debut studio album by the New Zealand and South Korean singer. “Rosé, the nightingale of the massively popular Korean girl group Blackpink, has flown the nest and launched her first solo album “Rosie.” She’s the first of the awesome foursome to release a full-length solo record, and in English at that. Across 12-tracks, the album studies heartache over lost loves (“It’s been two years and you’re still not gone/It doesn’t make sense that I can’t move on,” she sings on “Two Years”), missed chances (“Are we lovers or friends/'Cause it’s as good as it gets” in “Call it the End”) and ambivalence over situationships that probably should’ve been nipped in the bud but staggered along, strung by the power of lust and not much else. (That one is everywhere — particularly in the dubious boyfriends of “Toxic Till the End” and “Gameboy.”) Who can’t relate?” – Cristina Jaleru, AP
Trampled By Turtles & Dead Man Winter – Always Here / Always Now LP (Banjodad)
Always Here / Always Now is a collaborative project between indie-folk band Trampled By Turtles and americana-rock band Dead Man Winter. Dave Simonett is the lead singer and main songwriter of both. In this project, each band has tackled the same set of Dave's five original songs in their own sound, with the intention of exploring the relationship between a song and the people who bring it to life. [Amber w/ smoke colorway.]
Wallice – The Jester CD/LP (Dirty Hit)
“Over the past four years and three EPs, Los Angeles native Wallice has continued to grow as a creatively intriguing prospect, documenting the early 20s female experience with scuzzy guitars and a wry wink. It’s with her debut full-length ‘The Jester’, though, that her true talents are fully revealed. Eschewing virality in favor of something ambitious and broad in scope, the album’s fourteen tracks hang around a conceptualized tale of the titular jester, in what’s a gloriously witty - and sometimes meta - metaphor of young artists today.” – DIY
White Denim – 12 CD/LP (Bella Union)
White Denim, one of the very best rock bands to emerge this millennium, have gone through rapid changes in the 2020s, and now open an exciting new chapter with the wondrous album, 12, which arrives rich in hot tunes and fresh invention. The results on 12 are intricate, hi-tech and forward-facing, yet also somehow still of a piece with the questing ambition, rootsy swing and uplifting way with melody we've come to adore about their music. [A white color vinyl pressing is available.]
Lucinda Williams – Lucinda Williams Sings The Beatles From Abbey Road CD/LP (Highway 20)
Lucinda Williams Sings The Beatles From Abbey Road features 12 Beatles songs that include classic hits such as "Can't Buy Me Love", "With A Little Help From My Friends" and "Something". Williams and her band also take on beloved deeper tracks such as "I'm So Tired", "I've Got A Feeling," and "Yer Blues". Being raised on the blues in the South, the latter is a song Williams was clearly meant to sing. Recorded at The Beatles' legendary studio in London, the new collection serves as Vol. 7 of her celebrated 'Lu's Jukebox' series and is the first new volume in almost four years.
Reissues, Comps, Live Recordings, Vault Excavations...
American Football – American Football [Reissue/1999] 2xLP (Polyvinyl)
After quietly releasing their self-titled debut album in 1999 while still in college, American Football disbanded after the album's release to focus on other projects, only to reunite 15 years later to a fanbase that had been consistently growing throughout the underground / emo scene. The album later appeared on Rolling Stone's "40 Greatest Emo Albums of All Time" list at #6, with Pitchfork giving its deluxe reissue the "Best New Reissue" title, calling it the "most influential album in the genre." To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the album's release, Polyvinyl is thrilled to announce a new remastered edition of the album with re-imagined artwork and packaging. Silver vinyl 2 LP set pressed at 45 RPM.
Tori Amos – Diving Deep: Live 2xCD/2xLP (Decca)
Tori Amos has long been renowned for never playing the same show twice. Now, these unique live performances are captured in a new live album entitled Diving Deep recorded across Tori's 2022-2023 Ocean to Ocean tour, which spanned 93 dates around the globe. The album features beloved tracks from Amos's iconic back catalog, including hits such as "Cornflake Girl." [An indie store exclusive color vinyl pressing is available.]
Nahawa Doumbia – Vol. 2 [Reissue/1982] CD/LP/Cassette (Awesome Tapes From Africa)
Released on LP in 1982 and unavailable outside Mali until now, Vol. 2 is an intimate yet powerful document of the early efforts of one of Mali's most enduring voices. Four decades of worldwide acclaim later, Doumbia is still touring the world blowing minds with her achingly emphatic singing backed by her partner guitarist N'gou Bagayoko. Vol. 2 is stark in its instrumentation-simply featuring voice and acoustic guitar-but massive in its sonic impact. Painstakingly extracted and remastered from LP by longtime ATFA audio engineer collaborator Jessica Thompson, this is the first time this recording has been cleaned-up for wider release.
The Fluid – Punch N Judy [Reissue/1986] LP (Sub Pop)
The Fluid – Clear Black Paper [Reissue/1988] LP (Sub Pop)
The Fluid – Roadmouth [Reissue/1989] LP (Sub Pop)
The Fluid – Glue [Reissue/1990] 12” (Sub Pop)
The Fluid – Overflow LP (Sub Pop)
Color vinyl pressings. The Fluid are arguably the great unsung band from the fertile underground rock scene of the late '80s and early '90s. The Denver five-piece - John Robinson (vocals), James Clower (guitar), Matt Bischoff (bass), Garrett Shavlik (drums), and the dear departed Ricky Kulwicki (guitar) - fused the fire of '80s hardcore with crunching Detroit protopunk, '60s garage rock, and '70s rock swagger. Think MC5, Faces, '70s Stones, all cranked up and really high on Sex Pistols and Black Flag singles.
Joe Henry – Invisible Hour [Reissue/2014] CD/2xLP (earMUSIC)
Joe Henry's 13th studio album Invisible Hour, recorded over four days in July 2013 at Henry's personal studio in California, tells a captivating story about resilience and the redemptive power of love. As a singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer, Henry has released numerous successful albums over the years, characterized by their rich fusion of folk, jazz, and blues influences. This record features several of his closest musical companions, including The Milk Carton Kids as well as Lisa Hannigan, who co-wrote the title track along with Henry and best-selling novelist Colum McCann.
Inepsy – Rock ‘n’ Roll Babylon CD/LP (Tank Crimes)
Reissue of the 2003 debut album from Montreal's Mötorcharged crusty metal punks Inepsy. [A blue color vinyl pressing is available.]
Interpol - Live at Third Man LP (Third Man Records)
Formed in New York City, Interpol quickly rose to prominence with their unique blend of post-punk, shoegaze, and dark wave influences. Their debut album, Turn on the Bright Lights, became a critical and commercial success, establishing the band as a major force in alternative music. Third Man Records live direct-to-acetate recordings take place in the Blue Room in Nashville, TN and are cut exclusively on a 1955 Scully lathe that originally came from King Records in Cincinnati. Recorded live in one-shot, with no overdubs, no redo's, no starting-and-stopping, the process is truly of another time, rendered obsolete by the late 1950's and only available nowadays in TMR's locations in Detroit and Nashville. Interpol was recorded live direct to acetate on June 13, 2024.
King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard – Paper Mâché Dream Balloon [Reissue/2015] LP (ATO)
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard's seventh album, Paper Mâché Dream Balloon, was recorded in 2015 using nothing but acoustic instruments, yet this lovely, lilting pop masterpiece still evokes the intoxicating exuberance of any other KGLW album - just with a more pastoral, communal feel. Available again as a single LP edition and pressed on "pink seaglass" vinyl.
Greg Mendez – Greg Mendez [Reissue/2023] LP (Dead Oceans)
Greg Mendez – First Time / Alone LP (Dead Oceans)
For Greg Mendez, reflection doesn't mean a static image in a mirror, or even a face he recognizes. It's more a kaleidoscopic mirage, where paths taken shapeshift with the prospect of paths untread, and the subconscious merges with the intentional. On his self-titled album, the Philadelphia-based songwriter and multi-instrumentalist investigates the shaky camera of memory, striving to carve out a collage that points to a truth. But there isn't a regimented actuality here; instead, Mendez highlights the merit in many truths, and many lives, and how even the hardest truths can still contain some humor. While this is technically Mendez's third full-length album, his back catalog boasts an extensive range of EPs and live recordings. He's a prolific and thoughtful songwriter, understanding the joy in impulse, and shying away from the clinical sheen of overproduction. First Time / Alone is the inverse of his 2023 self-titled album, a meticulous and labored-over collection of songs that went on to become a surprise slowburn success.
Freddie Roach – Good Move [Reissue/1963] LP (Blue Note)
After appearing on Blue Note albums by Ike Quebec, Hammond B3 organist Freddie Roach made his own run of soul jazz classics for the label including the standout 1963 date Good Move. Featuring Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Hank Mobley on tenor saxophone, Eddie Wright on guitar, and Clarence Johnston on drums.
The Rolling Stones – Welcome To Shepherd’s Bush 2xCD/2xCD+Blu-ray/2xLP (Mercury Studios)
As The Rolling Stones were preparing to play two nights at Wembley Stadium in June 1999, their first London shows in 4 years, they announced a surprise show at London's Shepherd's Bush Empire for June 8, 1999. An intimate crowd of 1, 800 lucky fans were treated to a number of rarely heard gems over the course of 96 minutes. As Mick Jagger stated from the stage that night, "If you want to see the hits go to the big place down the road." And as promised, the deep cuts were deep - "Melody" performed for the first time since 1977, while "Moon Is Up" was brought to the stage for the only time in the band's live career. Sheryl Crow, who opened the show, joins the band during "Honky Tonk Women."
Peter Tosh – Mystic Man [Reissue/1979] LP (Rhino/Parlophone)
Green colorway. Mystic Man, released in 1979, is an introspective and spiritually charged album by Peter Tosh. The album reflects his deep Rastafarian beliefs and features a mix of soulful and political tracks. Songs like "Mystic Man" and "Jah Seh No" highlight Tosh's commitment to his faith and his disdain for societal corruption. The album's production is marked by a refined sound that balances roots reggae with subtle experimentation.
The Twilight Sad – Nobody Wants To Be Here And Nobody Wants To Leave (Demos) LP (Fat Cat)
The Twilight Sad are celebrating the 10th anniversary of their acclaimed fourth studio album, Nobody Wants To Be Here And Nobody Wants To Leave, with a special limited edition Demos version. It features a full album line up of demo tracks, with the original working titles, laid down in preparation for recording the official version of the album.
Various Artists – Angel Olsen Presents: Cosmic Waves Volume 1 LP (Jagjaguwar)
A few years ago, Angel Olsen quietly formed somethingscosmic, a new imprint and a home for Olsen to have "the flexibility to release when and how I want to with the help from my longtime partners at Jagjaguwar." somethingscosmic's second release, Cosmic Waves Volume 1 is a compilation reimagined as a dialogue; side A features artists chosen by Olsen, with each artist choosing their own song for the collection. Side B is a collection of songs from the same artists but chosen by Olsen and recorded by her. Each, unsurprisingly, illuminates a star in the constellation of talents that make Angel Olsen such a spectacular and enduring artist. Hearing Olsen refract the artists' songs back to them reveals not just the depth of Olsen's imagination, but the multiple masters at work across the collection as well.
Various Artists – Bliss Out: For Days 2xLP (Numero)
The Numero Group guide to private issue new age. Featuring Laraaji, Iasos, Joanna Brouk, Don Slepian, Peter Davison, Master Wilburn Burchette, Jordan de la Sierra, David Casper, Robert Slap and 9 other pioneers of the Perrier underground. Adorned with Marcus Uzilevsky's Linear Landscapes, this 2xLP compilation is housed in a sturdy tip-on jacket and is accompanied by a 32-page booklet. The fourth world awaits. [A clear vinyl pressing is available.]
Ben Webster Meets Oscar Peterson – Ben Webster Meets Oscar Peterson [Reissue/1959] LP (Verve)
Ben Webster was, without a doubt, one of the most important and influential tenor saxophonists in jazz. Ben Webster Meets Oscar Peterson features some of his finest collaborations with Oscar Peterson, who the tenor saxophonist often stated was his favorite accompanist.