New Releases - 10/19/18
Hitting The Racks
Here's your weekly rundown of what's hitting the new release racks at Grimey's.
FedEx (they're the worst) somehow managed to lose an entire pallet with some of our new release orders, after they arrived in Nashville. We've scrambled to source most of the new releases that went missing but some things may not arrive until later in the day and, in some cases, not until Monday. Please call us if you want to verify something is here before driving over (615-226-3811). Don't worry, we've got your Jason Isbell covered! Don't use FedEx if you can help it. Every carrier makes mistakes but FedEx doesn't care about fixing them (in our experience).
Jump to… New Releases For the Holidaze Reissues & From The Vaults Compilations, Best Of's & Sundry Collections New on Vinyl Soundtracks
New Releases
Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit - Live From The Ryman CD/2xLP (Southeastern Records)
Live From The Ryman was primarily recorded during Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit's six sold-out nights at Nashville's legendary Ryman Auditorium in 2017. The double album features 13 live versions of songs from Isbell's last three critically acclaimed, award-winning studio albums - Southeastern (2013), Something More Than Free (2015) and The Nashville Sound (2017) - including the Grammy winning tracks "24 Frames" and "If We Were Vampires" plus fellow standouts "Cover Me Up", "Something More Than Free" and "Elephant", fully documenting Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit's emergence as one of the finest live bands on the road today. [Limited indie-exclusive vinyl pressing.]
Greta Van Fleet - Anthem Of The Peaceful Army CD/LP (Republic)
Vintage Michigan rock 'n' rollers Greta Van Fleet offer up their highly anticipated debut album. Drawing inspiration from song-based artists like Neil Young, Bob Dylan and Joan Baez, and stylistic comparisons to Led Zeppelin due to piercing lead singer Josh Kiszka's uncanny resemblance to Robert Plant, epic first single "When The Curtain Falls" ushers in Greta Van Fleet's classic rock revival.
Will Oldham - Songs Of Love And Horror CD/LP (Drag City)
Songwriter Oldham, guitar and voice operating in quiet tension and ultimate accord, revisits songs that made him (that he made) and others in new versions that quiver like fresh young things in the air of today.
Richard Ashcroft - Natural Rebel CD/LP (BMG)
As the frontman for the epic British drone-pop band The Verve, Richard Ashcroft proved himself to be a spiritual descendant of rock & roll icons like Mick Jagger and Jim Morrison. Rivetingly charismatic, menacingly serpentine, and possessed of an almost shamanic intensity, he embraced and articulated the anthemic fervor of rock music with a power and eloquence unparalleled by any of his contemporaries. Ashcroft's fifth solo studio album, Natural Rebel, features 10 new self-penned songs, produced by the singer-songwriter alongside Jon Kelly (Paul McCartney, Kate Bush) and Emre Ramazanoglu (Bobby Gillespie). "With experience comes knowledge and for me, this is my strongest set of songs to date," notes Ashcroft. "All my favorite sounds distilled into something that will hopefully give my fans lasting pleasure. It is for them. Music is power." [Limited indie-exclusive vinyl pressing.]
Yoko Ono - Warzone CD/LP (Chimera Music)
Following 20 albums over 50 years, Yoko Ono's Warzone is a strikingly different record from those she has previously made. Revisiting and reimagining 13 songs from her past work, spanning 1970-2009, the lyrics and messages are still pertinent perhaps even more pertinent-in 2018. Recent US presidents and many of our world leaders have never served in the military, yet they continually nourish and serve the corporate-infused military industrial complex, keeping the world in a perpetual warfare. Warzone further builds the legacy of an artist unparalleled in her unique and singular vision. With its stripped-down recordings and arrangements, and a particular emphasis on Yoko's voice and lyrics, the content of her message rings clear and unencumbered, with wisdom and fortitude her power has intensified with time and life experience. [Limited indie-exclusive vinyl pressing also available.]
Cloud Nothings - Last Building Burning CD/LP+MP3 (Carpark)
Last Building Burning is the product of eight days with producer Randall Dunn (Sunn O))), Wolves In The Throne Room, Boris) in Texas studio Sonic Ranch. Clocking in at just over half an hour, the eight-song album sees Cloud Nothings capture their onstage appeal with help from Dunn, who Dylan Baldi describes as "technically minded without relying on technology to perfect the live sound." In that, Last Building Burning is a return to Cloud Nothing's sharpest form - the unhinged, feverish, guitar-heavy sound that they explode with onstage - without their early angst. "It's not an angry record," says Baldi. "It's a very joyous thing for me. And it feels so nice to scream again, especially when you know people in the crowd will be screaming along back at you." [Limited indie-exclusive vinyl pressing.]
Minus The Bear - Fair Enough CDEP/12" (Suicide Squeeze)
With their final EP, Fair Enough, Minus the Bear closes the book on their hybrid of art-rock, indie pop, and warehouse party appeal. [Limited coke-bottle green colored vinyl pressing.]
Disturbed - Evolution CD/LP/2xLP (WB)
Multi-platinum hard rockers Disturbed unleash their seventh full-length album. Evolution makes good on the promise of its title. Disturbed unwaveringly cling to the uncompromising spirit that solidified them as a history-making force, while boldly progressing at the same time. Reteaming with Immortalized producer Kevin Churko behind the board at the Hideout in Las Vegas, Disturbed retain their signature thunderous grooves and hypnotic heaviness as they further refine their ambitious melodies and penchant for progression, spanning the gamut of their potential. [Deluxe CD and vinyl editions include four bonus tracks.]
Ace Frehley - Spaceman CD/LP (E1)
New release from the legendary rocker and former Kiss member. Amongst Ace's post-Kiss recorded output, Spaceman might be the closest link to his widely acclaimed 1978 solo record, both in spirit and execution. [Limited silver colored vinyl pressing.] Also, special props to Nashville's own Thee Rock N' Roll Residency, who just became Ace Frehley's new touring band!
John Grant - Love Is Magic CD/2xLP+MP3 (Partisan)
Released last week on vinyl - now available on CD. "Each record I make is more of an amalgamation of who I truly am," declares John Grant. "The more I do this, the more I trust in myself, and the further along I go." Even when the Michigan-born musician released his debut solo album Queen Of Denmark in 2010, Grant laced sumptuous soft-rock ballads with an array of spacey, wistful synthesizer sounds, increasingly adding taut, fizzing sequencers, nu-synth-disco settings and icy soundscapes to the mix on 2012's Pale Green Ghosts and 2015's Grey Tickles, Black Pressure, the latter The Guardian described as, "variously agonizing, hilarious, uplifting and moving: another bravura display from a unique songwriting talent." Now, with his fourth solo album, Love Is Magic, Grant has continued evolving, creating his most electronic record yet, in collaboration with Benge (Ben Edwards), solo artist, analogue synth expert/collector and a member of electronica trio Wrangler. [Deluxe colored vinyl edition features gatefold sleeve packaging, a 24-page photo booklet and a 16-page hymn booklet.]
Elle King - Shake The Spirit CD/2xLP (RCA)
Three-time Grammy-nominated and platinum-selling alternative blues-rock artist Elle King - who the New York Times says, "has Adele's determination and Joan Jett's stomp, Brenda Lee's high-voiced bite and some AC/DC shriek" - returns with her second studio album, Shake The Spirit, which documents an emotionally challenging, yet artistically productive period of her life. "I decided to call it Shake The Spirit because I was shaken to the core over the last year and a half," King said of the record. "I was literally talking to ghosts. But making the album not only changed my life, it saved my life. It's like when you see somebody who is struggling, you want to shake them. Putting this record out is like shaking myself awake." The album is launched by the brassy blues-based stomper "Good Thing Gone" and the soulful, show-stopping ballad "Shame".
Neneh Cherry - Broken Politics CD/LP (Smalltown Supersound)
Cherry and her collaborators continue to expand her ever-widening sonic palette to craft truly singular and potent electronic pop.
Empress Of - Us CD/LP (Terrible)
Lorely Rodriguez, the artist known as Empress Of, recorded her new album, Us, all over Southern California: Topanga Canyon, Ojai, at a recording studio "with no windows," and at her home in Highland Park. She would later invite collaborators - Dev Hynes (aka Blood Orange), L.A. production duo Sam Griesemer and Jerome Potter of DJDS, Spanish electronic producer Pional - but the resulting project remains a showcase of Rodriguez' skill both as a lyricist and a producer. Empress Of's debut, Me was released almost three years ago, in 2015. As the name suggests, it presented a deeply personal exploration of her emotional world. So personal, she says, it was difficult to perform. "It was, like, every day, just giving myself to the audience," she says. With Us, Rodriguez wanted to facilitate a more equal exchange of energy between herself and her listeners, to create a "community." "It's not just love songs. It's about different experiences of the heart," she says. "I want it to be like a mirror, and [the audience] sees a little bit of themselves in every song."
Morgan Saint - Alien CDEP (Epic)
One listen to Morgan Saint's warm delivery, dreamy instrumentation, and lush lyrical poetry, and you're somewhere else. The New York songstress invites you back into that world with her second EP, Alien and its seductive lead track "On Fire". As adept at creating accessible pop soundscapes as she is at mining her more melancholic reflections, she's woven a cathartic blend here adding colorful new layers to her thought-provoking repertoire that continues to challenge musical norms. [Vinyl edition due November 2.]
Tess Parks & Anton Newcombe - Tess Parks & Anton Newcombe CD/LP (A. Records)
Second full-length album from Tess Parks and Anton Newcombe (leader of long-running psychedelic collective The Brian Jonestown Massacre). "Parks' gravelly voice, which sounds like she just woke up from heavy sedation, overflowing with so much ennui it almost seems aggressively lethargic, and Newcombe's deft hand for masterfully subtle psychedelic arrangements - complement the other in a swirl of dark, hazy dreamscapes." -- Exclaim [Limited 180gm clear vinyl pressing.]
Weakened Friends - Common Blah CD/LP+MP3 (Don Giovanni)
Weakened Friends is a low pressure outlet for emotionally volatile music. On Common Blah, the Portland, ME trio use volume - instrumental and emotional - to reassert a sense of control in a time when daily life has slid out of tune. The album also features guest shredding by peer and kindred spirit J Mascis on the song "Hate Mail".
Cave - Allways CD/LP/Cassette (Drag City)
Chicago, IL groove masters Cave return with their first full-length album in five years, the exotic cosmic funk-rocker Allways. Loaded with space, groove, and rock.
How To Dress Well - Anteroom CD/LP+MP3 (Domino)
A single continuous piece of 21st century psychedelic music featuring Tom Krell's most bewitching sound experimentation to date.
Papercuts - Parallel Universe Blues CD/LP (Slumberland)
Over the course of five stellar albums, Papercuts' Jason Quever has shown himself to be a top-notch song-writer and producer, equally at home with lush, baroque textures and more stripped-down arrangements. His skill in the studio has helped him build-up an enviable resume recording, producing and playing with artists including Luna, Beach House, Cass McCombs, Dean Wareham/Dean & Britta and Slumberland's own The Mantles. Papercuts' new album Parallel Universe Blues reflects Quever's recent move from long-time musical home San Francisco to Los Angeles and all of the searching and self-exploration that accompanies leaving your home, your friends and your scene. [Limited edition white colored vinyl pressing.]
Timmy's Organism - Survival Of The Fiendish CD/LP/Cassette (Burger)
"I've been on almost every single underground garage punk label there is." - Timmy Vulgar
Buxton - Stay Out Late CD/LP (New West)
On their new album Stay Out Late, Houston's Buxton deliver another set of emotionally engaging songcraft, with an organic warmth that affirms the subtle musical chemistry that's been honed over the years of the band's existence. Buxton's spacious sound is ideally suited to the vivid lyrical insights of singer/guitarist Sergio Trevino, whose restless romanticism is reflected in such indelible new tunes as "This Place Reminds Me of You," "Jan", "Haunt You" and "Hanging On The Coast". Trevino credits the three-year gap between Buxton albums to a bout of writer's block he battled following Half A Native. Another key factor in Trevino's getting back in touch with inspiration was his discovery of Talk Talk's visionary 1991 post-rock album Laughing Stock. The album was given to Trevino by a friend while on vacation in California, and he was moved and inspired by the time he spent listening to it while surrounded by a forest full of redwoods. Throughout Stay Out Late's 11 tracks, it's clear that Buxton's longstanding dedication to their craft has once again yielded potent musical results.
The Brother Brothers - Some People I Know CD/LP (Compass)
Identical twins Adam and David Moss of The Brother Brothers bring their blood harmonies and real-life observations to carry on the folk tradition for a new generation. With minimal instrumentation, meaningful lyrics, and their incredible harmony blend, the siblings draw on the energy and creativity of Brooklyn, New York, for their full-length debut album, Some People I Know.
Martha Scanlan - River & Light CD (Rock Ridge Music)
Scanlan has appeared on Woodsongs Old-Time Radio Hour, NPR's World Cafe Next, Mountain Stage. She has collaborated and shared the stage with a variety of roots musicians including Alison Krauss, Emmylou Harris, Levon Helm, Ollabelle, Ralph Stanley and Norman and Nancy Blake and members of Black Prairie and the Decemberists.
Elliott Peck - Further From The Storm CD/LP+MP3 (Blue Rose Music)
As one of the most sought-after vocalists on the West Coast, Elliott Peck has made a name for herself lending harmonies to everyone from Phil Lesh and Bob Weir to Jackie Greene and Reid Genauer. As a member of the band Midnight North, she's appeared on bills with the likes of Bonnie Raitt and The Mother Hips and slayed festivals from Lockn' to Hardly Strictly Bluegrass. Further From The Storm is Peck's first release under her own name. She writes with a breezy vulnerability, a plainspoken and unflinching honesty that belies her songs' subtle sophistication as she draws on classic country, blues, R&B, and jazz.
Doe Paoro - Soft Power CD (ANTI-)
Transforming pain into transcendence is the genius of many pop artists, but Doe Paoro brings an entirely new depth to that process. On her third album Soft Power, the L.A.-based singer-songwriter digs into her own frustration and anguish, and ultimately comes away with a newfound strength that's profoundly inspiring. Naming Carole King among her inspirations, Doe notes that the new record's urgent feel comes partly from reconnecting with the instinctive approach of her earliest songwriting. [Vinyl is available for special order]
Jr. Thomas & The Volcanos - Rockstone CD/LP (Caroline)
Jr. Thomas & The Volcanos' sophomore effort Rockstone is more than just a love letter to the roots of Jamaican music. It's an actual love letter. Tom McDowall aka Jr. Thomas explains, "I could write a musical love letter to all things I loved: my wife, my family, my friends, my band mates. I could write a song to tell me to chin-up when times were tough. I could give gratitude to the Jamaican artists that paved the way for the beautiful music we now call reggae. I could write a song about what it's like to lose someone important to you. Or write a song to invigorate me spiritually. Music is healing and that's the best therapy there is for me." Rockstone isn't just another throwback record to an era gone by. It's a record that takes risk within the genre, but more importantly it's a genuinely honest record. "I called the album Rockstone because true love cannot be defeated," he adds. "It lives forever. We write tributes on our tombstones because they live on beyond our lives as a remembrance of something special and important to us." [Limited colored vinyl pressing.]
Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis featuring Rubén Blades - Una Noche con Rubén Blades CD (Blue Engine)
Late in 2014, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis welcomed a very special guest to their Manhattan stage: nine-time Grammy-winning singer, songwriter, actor, and activist Rubén Blades. For one very special night music-directed by the JLCO's bassist and "emerging master in the Latin jazz idiom" (DownBeat), Carlos Henriquez, the worlds of salsa and swing collided. Backed by one of the world's leading big bands, Blades took the audience on a tour through his greatest hits. In their write-up of the show, the New York Times said "Mr. Henriquez's arrangements delivered consistently... Radically beautiful." Now, Una Noche con Rubén Blades captures this historic concert, with the Maestro singing some of his own beloved compositions, including "Pedro Navaja", "Patria", and "El Cantante", as well as swinging through standards like "Too Close For Comfort" and "Begin The Beguine".
Herb Alpert - Music Volume 3: Herb Alpert Reimagines The Tijuana Brass CD (Herb Alpert)
On his new album, Music Volume 3: Herb Alpert Reimagines The Tijuana Brass, the beloved and prolific trumpeter Herb Alpert returns to some of his most iconic songs and transforms them with brand new arrangements, recordings, and modern production. Alpert takes material he made famous in the 1960s and infuses it with the style and musicianship that is still earning him accolades after decades of recording and performing. Includes "A Taste Of Honey", "Whipped Cream", "The Lonely Bull", and many more.
James Francies - Flight CD (Blue Note)
22-year old Houston-born NYC-based pianist and composer James Francies makes his debut with Flight, an album that presents a bold new vision from one of the brightest young stars in jazz. Francies, who frequently sits in with The Roots on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, has already performed with a wide array of artists including Chris Potter, Pat Metheny, Stefon Harris, José James, Ms. Lauryn Hill and Nas.
deM atlaS - Bad Actress CD/LP+MP3 (Rhymesayers)
Growing up in a dysfunctional home in Minneapolis, there were two things Joshua Turner turned to for comfort when his parents fought: the records he'd listen to on a loop to drown out their conflict and the atlas he'd pore over to pretend he was anywhere else. Turner's all grown up now, but his sources of childhood refuge continue to play an integral role in his life. In his spare time, he draws maps for fun, and, under the name deM atlaS, he's composing his emotionally complex hip-hop records aimed at listeners who are in need of some sonic solace of their own.
The Jack Moves - Free Money CD (Everloving)
From the crummy and rude glory hole bandits of Newark's Penn Station to the cherry blossom lovers found just north of the city, there's a thread that stitches these disparate elements. Kids run across the boulevard as the soundtrack wafts over the streets. The few bucks forked over to the pregnant lady down on her luck could be the same notes used to cop a flavorful bouquet for a romantic conquest. The triggerman's itchy index is used both to spill rivals and thrill lovers. The Jack Moves are what this sounds like on wax. Painted by a sound reflective of the city's seaside soul, skate-funk punks and the Newark Jack Swing played from transistor radios and boomboxes placed on competitive window sills, The Jack Moves narrative is artfully carried out on the band's sophomore offering. [Vinyl edition due November 2.]
Soulfly - Ritual CD/LP (Nuclear Blast)
Two decades into their storied career, Soulfly's eleventh full-length lives up to the promise of its name with a metallic ceremony of the highest order. The iconic gold-certified quartet cast their word in bludgeoning riffs, thunderous percussion, and menacing growls.
Arkells - Rally Cry CD/LP (Last Gang)
Arkells have built a reputation as one of the most passionate, high-energy, live-rock authorities working today. Recorded between ongoing pockets of touring, their new album, Rally Cry, aims to best capture the unmistakable spirit and energy from their live show.
Whitesnake - Unzipped CD/2xCD/5xCD+DVD/2xLP (Rhino)
A collection of unplugged and acoustic-based performances recorded over the past 20+ years. Available Regular, Deluxe and Super Deluxe editions. Deluxe double-CD and double-LP versions add live concert recorded on 7/5/97 in Tokyo, Japan. Super Deluxe adds live performances recorded in Warsaw, Stockholm, Cologne, Paris, New York along with rehearsal versions, demos, videos, and more.
For the Holidaze
Los Straitjackets - Complete Christmas Songbook CD (Yep Roc)
Compiles the entirety of two Los Straitjackets Christmas albums (2002's 'Tis the Season For Los Straitjackets and 2009's limited edition Yuletide Beat), a limited edition 45 single (2011's "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" b/w "Silver Bells"), a song from Yep Roc's 2007 Oh Santa! Compilation, and the live version of "Linus & Lucy" from the band's 2015 tour with Nick Lowe. [Vinyl edition due December 7.]
Lindsey Stirling - Warmer In The Winter CD/2xLP (Concord)
Critically-acclaimed electronic violinist Lindsey Stirling re-releases her hit 2017 holiday album Warmer In The Winter as an expanded Deluxe Edition complete with five bonus tracks and three never-before released songs. Warmer In The Winter went on to become the best-selling new Christmas album of 2017, outselling such pop music heavyweights as Gwen Stefani and Sia. This new Deluxe Edition features last year's renditions of holiday favorites such as "Carol Of The Bells", "Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy" and "You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch" with Sabrina Carpenter, as well three holiday originals Trombone Shorty, Alex Gaskarth of All Time Low, and Becky G.
Martina McBride - It's The Holiday Season CD (Broken Bow)
Country superstar Martina McBride takes on nine holiday classics.
Reissues & From The Archives
The Cranberries - Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We? [Reissue/1993] 2xCD/4xCD/LP (Island)
25th Anniversary reissue remastered At Abbey Road under the supervision of the band's Noel Hogan. Expanded with a disc of B-sides. [The four-CD deluxe box set comes in a clamshell box and features 5 demos only available on a 300 issue limited release cassette and 30 unreleased tracks including demos from the album recording sessions, early cassette demos, live tracks from '91-'94 (including their first ever live recording) and John Peel and RTE radio sessions. The single B-sides are also included, alongside a sleeve note detailing the band's rise to fame + postcards and a poster.]
Barenaked Ladies - Stunt [Reissue/1998] CD+DVD/2xLP (WB)
20th Anniversary Edition featuring several bonus tracks along with a DVD that includes the 1999 documentary Barenaked In America, directed by long-time fan Jason Priestly, about the band's Stunt tour. The DVD features nearly 90 minutes of live performances and behind-the-scenes footage. [The 180gm double-LP edition includes the two bonus tracks "She's On Time" and "Long Way Back Home."]
Compilations, Best Of's & Sundry Collections
R.E.M. - Best Of R.E.M. At The BBC 2xCD/8xCD+DVD/2xLP (Craft Recordings)
R.E.M. grew up with the BBC, and this historic relationship is celebrated across this collection which beautifully illustrates the career trajectory of one of modern music's greatest bands. R.E.M. At The BBC is available as double-CD and double-LP editions, as well as a Super-Deluxe eight-CD+DVD box set edition which comprises a treasure trove of rare and unreleased live and studio recordings culled from the BBC and band archives. The double-disc editions collect 20 in-studio performances and live broadcast highlights.
Various Artists - Stax '68: A Memphis Story 5xCD (Craft Recordings)
2018 marks the 50th anniversary of a pivotal year for Stax Records and for American history: 1968. This period immediately follows the untimely passing of Otis Redding; it's the year that Stax parted ways with Atlantic Records, and it's also when Martin Luther King was assassinated in Memphis. This set compiles every single (A and B sides) released on Stax and its subsidiary labels in '68 - over 120 iconic songs from era-defining artists.
Various Artists - Switched-On Eugene CD/LP (Numero)
Switched-On Eugene documents the Eugene Electronic Music Collective and some of the many synthed-out figures in and around Oregon's iconic hippie stronghold during the 1980s. Whether connected by membership, geography, or the tape trading scene, the artists in and around the EEMC shared compelling visions of the future we now inhabit, vividly captured on home-recorded tapes and distributed via zines, classifieds, and local radio. Switched-On Eugene is a deep dive into a heretofore forgotten sonic microcosm unlike any other.
Permanent Green Light - Hallucinations CD (Omnivore)
First ever compilation of '90s cult favorites fronted by The Three O'Clock and Game Theory member Michael Quercio. Features tracks from long out-of-print indie releases, plus three previously unissued demos.
New on Vinyl
Jeff Buckley - Live At Sin-é [Reissue/2003] 4xLP (Sony Legacy)
First time on vinyl - 34 Songs recorded live during Jeff Buckley's café days in the summer of 1993.
Broncho - Bad Behavior LP (Park The Van) If Tom Petty wrote dystopian pop songs with enough reverb to drown out the dismay of the dying world around him, it might sound a lot like Bad Behavior's third track "Boys Got To Go". There's something immediately classic and groovy about this song that will have you belting it out of your car window.
Alkaline Trio - Is This Thing Cursed? LP+MP3 (Epitaph) According to Alkaline Trio, new album Is This Thing Cursed? is a cousin or sibling to 1999's Maybe I'll Catch Fire. Dan Andriano explains, "the songwriting process is almost like what it was back in the day. We would just kind of write a song, be excited about it, then move on. We wrote in that spirit in the studio. I really feel like we made a record that the old school fans are going to dig."
Rise Against - Career 8xLP (Hip-O) Eight album career box set pressed on 180gm vinyl and including exclusive oral history and never before seen photos from the band. The collection includes: The Unraveling, Revolutions Per Minute, Siren Song Of The Counter Culture, The Sufferer & The Witness, Appeal To Reason, Endgame, The Black Market, and Wolves.
Steady Hands - Truth In Comedy LP (Lame-O) What is now the 7-piece folk-punk powerhouse Steady Hands began as a folk troubadour side-project for Sean Huber, the drummer of Modern Baseball. Inspired by Billy Bragg, Bruce Springsteen, Frank Turner and other classic punk influenced singer-songwriters, Huber began thrashing his way through Philadelphia bars and basements in 2012. Over the past 6 years, Huber and his band has perfected the art of crafting songs that found the perfect blend of polished rock and soulful punk, the happy medium between pretty and gritty.
Haerts - New Compassion LP+MP3 (Arts & Crafts) Haerts is a New York-based folk-pop band exploring lush organic sounds, undeniable hooks, and soaring melodies. The duo pairs the energy of Lucius and First Aid Kit with the mesmerizing vocals and rich production of Fleetwood Mac.
Donna Missal - This Time LP (Harvest) Recently released on CD - now available on vinyl. Rising New Jersey singer/songwriter Donna Missal's mighty set of pipes fit somewhere between the smoky pop softness of Lana Del Rey, the soulful strength and grit of Alabama Shakes' Brittany Howard and the retro rocker howl of Janis Joplin. The songstress' trifecta appeal carries her with a lighted torch to the forefront of today's crowded musical landscape. Her striking debut single, "Keep Lying", blew up after it premiered on Zane Lowe's Beats 1. About the Tim Anderson (Solange, BANKS, Halsey) produced follow-up "Girl", Lowe said, "I love the modern production, the feel of it. But it also has like a timeless, latter-day Prince vibe to it."
Silicon Teens - Music For Parties [Reissue/1980] LP (Mute) Silicon Teens was one of the world's first manufactured electronic pop bands. The group were publicized as a quartet with members named Darryl, Jacki, Paul and Diane, but in reality these individuals did not exist and for media interviews their parts were played by actors, with the band's lead singer Darryl portrayed by musician Frank Tovey.
Various Artists - Turkish Freakout: Psych-Folk Singles 1969-1980 2LP (Bouzouki Joe)
2018 repress. Turkey is often referred to as the meeting point between East and West, a statement verified by this selection of choice Turkish grooves. The western rock, psych, funk and jazz influences that began to be incorporated into traditional Turkish sounds during the late 60s and 70s can be heard here, as the Anadolu pop sound of Turkey balanced these new elements with the complex sounds and rhythms developed over many years. All tracks are referenced from their original 7 inch releases, painstakingly tracked down from various sources in and around Istanbul. The marriage of these styles is original, captivating and bound to freak you out. Includes Erkin Koray, Ersen, Beyaz Kelebekler, Baris Manco, Cem Karaca, and many more.
Gaye Su Akyol - Istikrarli Hayal Hakikattir LP (Glitterbeat)
Turkish musician Gaye Su Akyol's work as a singer-songwriter, producer, and audio/visual conceptualist simultaneously navigates the storied past, the hyperconnected present and the unscripted future. Growing up in cosmopolitan Istanbul listening to Anatolian music icon Selda Bağcan and Kurt Cobain, Akyol skipped right over the tired Oriental/Occidental paradigmatic clichés. The album combines influences from the Anatolian pop/rock genre that emerged in Turkey during the '60s and the '70s with Turkish classical music scales and vocal aesthetics, and various subgenres of rock (psychedelic, post-punk, surf), bringing together strong ballads, Turkish folk tunes, the conventional guitar-bass-drums trio with percussion, joined by violin, oud, cumbush, and new additions baglama (Turkish native instrument), electronic beats, and wind instruments like saxophone and trumpet, all together making up a very rich instrumental palette.
The Beta Band - The Three EPs (20th Anniversary Remaster) 2LP+CD (Because Music)
A compilation of The Beta Band's early music, dating from 1997-1998. The Beta Band formed in St. Andrews, Scotland, in 1996, and their unique musical and aesthetic approach to everything they did set them far apart from their musical contemporaries. Together for a relatively short period of time, the three albums and three EPs that they released between 1996 and 2004 would nonetheless help define them as one of the most exciting and cherished bands of their generation.
The Beta Band - The Beta Band 2LP+CD (Because Music)
A reissue of The Beta Band's 1999 self-titled debut. With high anticipation for The Beta Band on the heels of their successful EP releases, the band originally planned to record the album in four separate continents, but financial constraints slimmed the recording locations down. However, the album was still recorded in a variety of locations, pulling inspiration from sources as diverse as Jamaican reggae, Disney's The Black Hole (1979) and Bonnie Tyler's "Total Eclipse of the Heart".
The Dears - Missiles [Reissue/2008] 2xLP (Dangerbird) Tenth anniversary vinyl reissue. Recorded quickly, 2008's Missiles is a feast of stripped-down arrangements and raw emotion served up like a rustic meal, its songs polished but still containing traces of the rough soil from which they were born.
Simon & Garfunkel - Wednesday Morning 3 A.M. [Reissue/1964] LP+MP3 (Sony Legacy) Simon & Garfunkel - Sounds Of Silence [Reissue/1966] LP+MP3 (Sony Legacy) Simon & Garfunkel - Parsley Sage Rosemary & Thyme [Reissue/1966] LP+MP3 (Sony Legacy) Simon & Garfunkel - Bookends [Reissue/1968] LP+MP3 (Sony Legacy) Simon & Garfunkel - Bridge Over Troubled Water [Reissue/1970] LP+MP3 (Sony Legacy) Limited 180gm vinyl reissues of Simon & Garfunkel's five studio albums.
Jerry Solomon - Past The 20th Century [Reissue/1971] LP (Modern Harmonic) Jerry Solomon - Virginity For All! Private Press 45s 1966-1969 2xLP (Modern Harmonic) Seemingly unable to find an immediately-available niche in the outside world, Jerry Solomon spent the '60s & '70s carving his own niche and world into the grooves of records. Gone are the wobbly rock 'n' roll beats of Jerry's earlier contributions, and in their place are droning minor-key melodies, irregular percussive jabs, toy piano strums, and impenetrable lyrics delivered in a self-overdubbed and echo-laden style.
Sam Cooke - The Best Of Sam Cooke [Reissue/1962] LP+MP3 (RCA) Vinyl reissue of Cooke's second greatest hits album which contains most of his most well-known hits from 1957 to 1962.
N*E*R*D - Seeing Sounds [Reissue/2008] 2xLP (Interscope) N*E*R*D's (Pharrell Williams, Chad Hugo and Shay Haley) third album, Seeing Sounds is a blistering mash-up of booming hip-hop beats and rollercoastering rock riffs, rumbling crunk rhythms and scintillating soul music. Whereas their first album, In Search Of..., was an imaginative, exploration of identities, and their second album, Fly Or Die, sought out the range of genres and sounds that have influenced the group Seeing Sounds grinds everything together, evoking a sound that is untethered by preconceptions and convention.
Willie Nelson - Make Way For Willie Nelson [Reissue/1967] LP (Friday Music) Limited translucent gold and blue swirl audiophile vinyl pressing. Out of print for decades on vinyl, Willie Nelson's pre-outlaw era 1967 RCA Victor release, Make Way For Willie puts the music legend's versatile interpretation skills on full display with eleven countrypolitan covers of pop and country favorites to go along with the lone original "One In A Row". Teaming up with Elvis Presley producer Felton Jarvis, Willie's rich and breezy vocals are front and center throughout, helping establish him as not just a go-to songwriter but a gifted performer in his own right.
Wolves In The Throne Room - Two Hunters [Reissue/2006] 2xLP (Southern Lord) Wolves In The Throne Room - Black Cascade [Reissue/2009] 2xLP (Southern Lord) Wolves In The Throne Room - Celestial Lineage [Reissue/2011] 2xLP (Southern Lord) Coinciding with Southern Lord's 20th anniversary in 2018, the label has reissued of all three of their acclaimed albums from Cascadian black metal band Wolves In The Throne Room.
ALU - Die Vertreibung Der Zeit (1980-1986) LP (Bureau B)
ALU's inception as descendants of the psychedelic group Sand came in 1980. Even on these early recordings, the project's sonic orientation is discernible: sequencer-driven, simplistic rhythmic structures layered over fragments of free text, a common thread tracing ALU's musical contours through various successive metamorphoses. Their brittle sound is closer to the likes of Nocturnal Emissions or Cabaret Voltaire in England than to their German counterparts, their music touching on genres such as electro, techno or IDM which would only materialize years later. Repetitive sequences sound like taut loops, their frequencies tuned to allow the original sample to shine through in skeletal fashion.
Colin Potter - Rank Sonata LP (Hallow Ground)
2018 repress. Colin Potter has been a central figure in the UK's DIY and post-industrial underground since the late '70s. Rank Sonata encloses sounds of organic techno, somnambulistic dub, and dream-ambient. The nearly-20-minute track "A Wider Pale of Shale" sounds absolutely timeless, with an interplay between ambient and beat-driven passages that could play all night long. Elsewhere, Potter brilliantly weaves abstract sounds into an unexpected multi-layered dub track, and deep, slow reverb-rhythms give the record a touch of darkness and melancholy. Rank Sonata is a brilliant piece of music full of technical sophistication and innovation.
Rabit - Life After Death LP (Halcyon Veil)
Life After Death marks a further advancement in the development of Rabit's own distinct musical language. Realized through genre-free expressions that pull inspiration from Surrealist art to DJ Screw, Enigma, and Japanese ambient artists like Hiroshi Yoshimura, the album has an exploratory, transcendental core. Life After Death is in some ways the sonic equivalent of an early Alejandro Jodorowsky movie, or maybe even like being guided through a tarot reading by Jodorowsky himself. It's an alchemical, mysterious and captivating listen, yet also futuristic. Rabit is thus further removed from his early work for labels like Tri Angle by building himself a more dreamlike, fluid universe.
Hús - Nevember LP (Kervid)
Rólant av Reyni is an electronic producer from the Faroe Islands. As Hús, his productions are at times hazy, melancholic instrumentals that would fit a Sofia Coppola dream sequence and at times dark and bleak tinted by London's Deptford, where his debut Nevember was written. Peering out from underneath saturated beats, Hús forges soundscapes with the harmonic sensibility and grace of Nils Frahm and Boards Of Canada and the desolate undercurrent of Burial.
Kadodi - Kadodi LP (Nyege Nyege Tapes)
After almost 15 years of peddling his own music on the streets of Mbale, Robert Mugamba's Kadodi finally gets a proper introduction to the outside world. Kadodi pairs a transfixing percussive soundtrack with modern electronic contribution, extending privileged insight to the way ancient practices meet modernism near the Equator in East Africa and rendering a set of mesmerizing, rhythm-melodic percussion and crowd hollers. Placing ageless ritual music alongside its club descendents, the results find tradition frictionlessly reconciled with modernism, drawing bridges between tribal identities and ancient belief systems, and clubs as contemporary sites of ritual enactment.
Teresa Winter - What the Night is For LP (The Death of Rave)
Unfolding around recollections of a bad dream about being murdered by her boyfriend and hidden under a hotel bed, Teresa's new side expands upon the morbid, psycho-sexual and occult fascinations of her cultishly acclaimed previous album in a singular and unpredictable style of composition where avant-classical, acid-house and ambient dream-pop collapse in a confounding and traumatic account of her hauntological reality. Recorded in Northern England amid the socio-political tumult of 2018, What The Night Is For is concerned with notions of liberation and repression, both sexual, psychic and political, which feel ever more impending in the nocturnal, criminal state of mind conjured by capitalism's end times.
Motohiko Hamase - Reminiscence LP (Studio Mule)
A re-recording of Motohiko Hamase's Remiscence, originally issued in 1986. A soothing beauty of an album, it reflects Hamase's search for spaces of melancholy, a rhizome of soundscapes that capture, settle and sound elusive while simultaneously being awe-inspiring. As with his album Intaglio, the 66-year-old artist recorded most of the original Reminiscence material anew, while keeping the moving musical story arc of the original album. The result is a dazzling, blue mood seething, a strongly hypnotic long-player, full of personality and hybrid ambient electronic jazz spheres that open doors to unheard sound universes and that perfectly work for all those stress-relieved souls that love the disclosure of the mind and seek for a "refuge from nasty reality."
Soundtracks
John Carpenter - Halloween [OST] CD/LP (Sacred Bones)
When the new Halloween movie hits theaters in October 2018, it will have the distinction of being the first film in the canon with creator John Carpenter's direct involvement since 1982's Halloween III: Season of the Witch. The new soundtrack pays homage to the classic Halloween score that Carpenter composed and recorded in 1978, when he changed the course of horror cinema and synthesizer music with his low-budget masterpiece. Join us tomorrow morning (Fri Oct 19) at 6PM for a spooky Halloween listening party at Grimey's with tricks, treats and prizes!
Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody [Soundtrack] CD (Hollywood)
For the first time ever, audio tracks from Queen's legendary performance at Live Aid are being released as part of the soundtrack album to Bohemian Rhapsody, the new feature film celebrating the band, their music and their extraordinary lead singer Freddie Mercury. Recorded at the historic Wembley concert in July 1985, these Live Aid songs are among the rare gems and unheard versions from the band's rich catalogue. Alongside the show-stopping Live Aid performances of "Bohemian Rhapsody", "Radio Ga Ga", "Hammer To Fall" and "We Are The Champions", the album features other rare live tracks spanning Queen's entire career, new versions of old favorites, and a choice selection of the band's finest studio recordings, among them some of Queen's biggest hits. [Vinyl edition due January 2019.]
Factory Floor - Metropolis 2xCD (Heart Of Data)
Factory Floor was commissioned by curator Chris Bell of London's Science Museum to write a live score for Fritz Lang's 1927 silent cinematic landmark, Metropolis. The 150-minute brand new score was first performed at the Science Museum's IMAX on April 28th 2017, coinciding with the 90th anniversary release of Metropolis and as part of the acclaimed Robots exhibition and event series.