New Releases - 3/15/19
Hitting The Racks
Here's your weekly rundown of what's hitting the new release racks at Grimey's
Jump to… New Releases Reissues & From The Vaults Compilations, Best Of's & Sundry Collections New on Vinyl DVDs and Bluray Live & in Concert
New Releases
Todd Snider - Cash Cabin Sessions, Vol. 3 CD (Aimless)
After six years of making rock records, Cash Cabin Sessions, Vol. 3's folk influence marks a departure. The album was inspired by a recurring dream Todd Snider had involving Johnny Cash and was recorded at the legend's Cash Cabin Studio. Snider has long been recognized as one of his generation's most gifted and engaging songwriters, so it's no surprise he has returned with a brilliant set of songs - and make no mistake, Cash Cabin Sessions, Vol. 3 contains some of his best work as a writer. But what really jumps out on the album is Snider's growth as a musician and vocalist. He plays all the instruments on the record, and his guitar work and harmonica playing are nothing short of exceptional; not only full of feeling, but highly skilled. In regards to his guitar playing on the record, Snider says he wanted to take everything he's learned over the past 30 years and play the way he used to play really well.
Stephen Malkmus - Groove Denied CD/LP+MP3 (Matador)
Following hot on the heels of 2018's Sparkle Hard comes Groove Denied, the rejected album Stephen has been telling everyone about. Groove Denied was written in Berlin and Oregon between Malkmus' soundtrack to the Netflix series Flaked and Sparkle Hard. It finds Stephen in a playful, exploratory mode - recorded by himself in Oregon; Malkmus plays bass, organ, drum machines, a Roland 2080 and a Memorymoog alongside other instruments interspersed with loops and vocal effects. His first album as a solo artist since 2001, Groove Denied is a fine companion to Sparkle Hard, echoing the experimentation (Auto-Tune, genre-dabbling) found there.
Karen O & Danger Mouse - Lux Prima CD/LP (BMG)
Lux Prima is the first release from iconic Yeah Yeah Yeahs frontwoman Karen O and legendary musician-producer Danger Mouse. The two originally met to discuss collaboration in 2007 as mutual admirers, but in 2015, they got serious and made a plan - entering the studio with no sonic parameters and a handful of references - Lux Prima was born. "Title track 'Lux Prima' is the first song we wrote for the record," says O. "After making music for the past twenty years and embarking on making this record with Danger Mouse I knew a couple things: one was that the spirit of collaboration between us was going to be a pure one, and two was that the more I live the less is clear to me. When you create from a blurry place you can go places further than you've ever been. I think we both were excited to go far out." "'Woman' came like a bolt out of the blue when we were in the studio," adds O. "We did a first pass where I was blurting unintelligible words and Danger Mouse and I were like 'Dang! That was intense. What's that word I keep saying? Woman.' The atmosphere was volatile with it being just after the election. A lot of people felt helpless like you do when you're a scared kid looking for assurance that everything is gonna be alright. I like to write songs that anyone can relate to but this one felt especially for the inner child in me that needed the bullies out there to know you don't f**k with me. I'm a woman now and I'll protect that inner girl in me from hell and high water."
Robert Forster - Inferno CD/LP (Tapete)
Acclaimed Australian singer-songwriter Robert Forster's (formerly of the Go-Betweens) first solo album since 2015. Forster only makes records when he feels he has the songs -- on Inferno, he has nine he totally believes in, ranging from exhilarating top-ten pop, to beach shack groove, to 1977 New York strut, shot through with drama and wit. Noted producer/engineer Victor Van Vugt -- Beth Orton's Trailer Park (1996), PJ Harvey's Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea (2000) -- recorded the album, the first time he and Forster had worked together since Van Vugt engineered Forster's debut solo album in 1990.
Over The Rhine - Love & Revelation CD (Great Speckled Dog)
Critically acclaimed husband and wife duo Over The Rhine celebrates 30 years of making understated yet emotionally-charged music with Love & Revelation. Self-produced and releasing on their own Great Speckled Dog label, Over The Rhine's first new music in four years finds the beloved duo in a deeply reflective place, contemplating both personal loss and the wavering of Americas collective compass. [Vinyl edition due April 12.]
The Faint - Egowerk CD/LP (Saddle Creek)
The group that ignited an electro-pop-punk movement is back with an 11-track deep-dive into themes on modern society, the internet, and ego - specifically social media and its dark effects. Opener "Child Asleep" echoes well-loved Faint singles from the Danse Macabre days, with rapid-fire techno beats that sear so hot, your forehead will break into a sweat regardless of proximity to a dance floor. And though the synths should sound familiar to any Faint follower, the song's monotone message is at once classic and current. It's been four years since The Faint dropped a proper studio album, and more than two decades since they first tore onto the Midwest scene, alongside area staples Cursive and Bright Eyes, with anxious electro-pop-punk anthems that meshed doomsday themes with thudding dance-floor hooks.
The Cinematic Orchestra - To Believe CD/2xLP+MP3 (Domino)
Born out of the band's latest formation, To Believe is a creative partnership between founder Jason Swinscoe and longtime friend and collaborator Dom Smith, along with an extended family of regular bandmates and collaborators. Guided by a communal spirit, the changing members are consistent with their ethos, where no individual ego takes precedence. Guest vocalists include the art-soul singer Moses Sumney, legendary UK rapper Roots Manuva, longtime vocal collaborator Heidi Vogel and many more. To Believe is the product of a long period of gestation, a reflection of the kind of album they wanted to make - the kind of album, that is, they've always made: deep, textured, and layered with meaning. With artwork by The Designers Republic and mixed by 15-time Grammy Winner Tom Elmhirst, at the legendary Electric Lady studio built by Jimi Hendrix, it's a masterful return that stands as their most definitive statement as a group.
Snarky Puppy - Immigrance CD (Ground Up Music)
Immigrance, the twelfth Snarky Puppy studio album, is all about movement. "The idea here is that everything is fluid, that everything is always moving and that we're all in a constant state of immigration," explains Michael League. "Obviously the album's title is not without political undertones." Like the Grammy-winning Culcha Vulcha, Immigrance is a studio project, and it features most of the same musicians. And though it shares that project's ace musicianship and dynamic, kinetic spirit, it is also rawer and moodier than its predecessor. Several of the compositions put a newfound emphasis on delivering simpler, streamlined impact. With Immigrance, Snarky Puppy is essentially practicing what it's preached all along: People from different places can bring their various strengths and experiences, and that can be beautiful and cohesive. The band itself is a representation of that musical expression. [Vinyl edition due March 22.]
Matmos - Plastic Anniversary CD/LP+MP3 (Thrill Jockey)
Matmos' new album, Plastic Anniversary, was created using only plastic. Highlighting the crises of convenience, the duo makes music from our refuse. True to form, Matmos have assembled a promiscuous array of examples of this sturdy-yet-ersatz family of materials: dominos, styrofoam coolers, police riot shields, polyethylene waste containers, PVC panpipes, pinpricks of bubble wrap, pills, silicone gel breast implants and most horrifically synthetic human fat.
Karl Hector & the Malcouns - Non Ex Orbis CD (Now Again)
Non Ex Orbis, the jazzy worldly-funk band's third studio album, digs deeper into the Krautrock history embedded deep in the soil of their native Munich, drawing influence from three seminal bands of the 1970s experimental German rock scene: Amon Düül, Popol Vuh and Embryo. Influenced by these musical heroes, producer JJ Whitefield shapes a sound that takes the experimental approach of the classic Krautrock era and slides between beat-heavy drone and spacey, prog-rock suites. Marja Burchard, daughter of Embryo mastermind Christian Burchard, fronts the group on keyboard, vibraphone and other-worldly vocals. "Some will classify this as a retro, but for the band it simply is a form of creating," Whitefield states. "We're drawing from an established musical vocabulary which was popular at a time in Germany, when underground musical culture had its creative peak."
Christian Scott aTunde Adujah - Ancestral Recall CD (Ropeadope)
Ancestral Recall seeks to de-colonialize sound; to revise history by creating a sonic tapestry illuminating the harmony within rhythm and obliterating the previous context. Rather than bring rhythm into his sound, Adjuah begins with Rhythm, sampling West African, Indian, and other cultural rhythms and interweaving live drumming in the studio. In this way the full complexity and value of Rhythm is the foundation, and is presented in such a way that this generation can relate to.
Lauren Jenkins - No Saint CD/LP (Big Machine)
Smoky vocals and gritty candor fill the musical diary and debut collection of memories from Texas born, Carolina raised musician Lauren Jenkins who mesmerizes with her passion and authentic songwriting that blends traditional Country roots with Americana influences.
Josephine Foster - Faithful Fairy Harmony CD/LP (Fire)
Recently released on vinyl - now available on CD. Josephine raises a stained-glass lamp and shepherds us spelunking the depths of spirit in this four-part double album. Following the fame of her voice are choruses of winged entities (and a space shuttle) that ascend and descend a maze of spirituals: ritual prayers, blues laments, vestal hymns and jubilant benedictions.
Sontalk - Stay Wild CD/2xLP (Sony Masterworks)
Stay Wild, the debut album from Sontalk, follows the personal trials and triumphs of singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Joseph LeMay. By way of familial candor and visceral vulnerability, the twelve tracks comprising Stay Wild chronicle LeMay's journey of self-reflection, discovery, acceptance and ultimately, growth. The lead offering from Stay Wild, "Baby, I'm Gone", fuses a stark and soulful vocal to sinewy acoustic guitar and a glitchy beat, with LeMay's haunting voice echoing with powerful passion and plaintive poetry. "I Am A Mountain" serves as a dynamic apex and bookend to the first half of the album. With a loping pace and persistent driving beat, it illustrates the tired longing of the narrator, building to a heartbreaking crescendo that mimics the fallout of a failing relationship. Elsewhere, the album is grounded by LeMay's powerful vocals and a delicate dissonance of multifarious sonic textures that range from distorted slide guitar transmissions, sequenced beats, vinyl samples and warm electronics.
Tal Wilkenfeld - Love Remains CD (BMG Rights Management)
Tal Wilkenfeld is a musical marvel; the kind of dynamic young talent whose fresh vision and uncanny intuition puts a whole new perspective on an age-old art form. While many people know Tal as the masterly bassist with Jeff Beck and her high-profile guest appearances with legends from Mick Jagger and Prince to The Allman Bros and Herbie Hancock, music fans are about to discover an entirely new side of Tal as a vocalist, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer. On her vocal debut album, Love Remains, Tal's range of talents are on full display, achieving a stunning balance between instrumental prowess and exquisite song craft, quickly captivating the ear and soul. [Vinyl edition due April 26.]
Alexis Evans - I've Come A Long Way CD (Record Kicks)
Forget about great wines for a second, from Bordeaux rolls in Alexis Evans, the next big thing of the French deep soul scene. Following his acclaimed debut LP "Girl Bait" (2016), "I've Come a Long Way" was recorded in Bordeaux, mixed in Sydney by Dojo Cuts' and The Liberators' head honcho Nate Goldentone and mastered in LA at Golden Mastering. A strikingly original and honest deep soul and rhythm and blues album. [Vinyl edition due April 26.]
Jack Savoretti - Singing To Strangers CD/2xLP (BMG Rights Management)
Produced by Cam Blackwood (George Ezra), Singing To Strangers follows Jack Savoretti's last two gold discs Written In Scars (2014) and Sleep No More (2016). Recorded in Rome at Ennio Morricone's studio during the long, hot summer of 2018, the album features Jack's acclaimed live band: guitarists Pedro Vito and Sam Lewis; bassist Sam Davies, drummer Jesper Lind and musical director Nikolai Torp on keys.
Lasso - The Sound Of Lasso CD (Mello Music)
John Coltrane once claimed that you could play a shoestring if you're sincere, so imagine what a sincere, gifted, and unremittingly devoted artist can do with a drum machine, piano, and 13 musicians at his disposal. With The Sound Of Lasso, the Michigan composer, The Lasso, has turned these intangible emotions into lush wordless symphonies. It's a sound that's capable of channeling both the beauty of a frozen great lake and the warmth of a tropical savannah; it's psychedelic and eerily comforting, chameleonic but unmistakably the vision of a laser-focused mind. A melodic cauldron of lo-fi instrumental hip-hop, face melting beat music, tribal funk, future jazz, and Boards Of Canada-style IDM blasted into the frigid unknown. [Vinyl edition due April 12.]
The Comet Is Coming - Trust In The Lifeforce Of The Deep Mystery CD/LP (Impulse)
The Comet Is Coming - "an improvisational, intergalactic mash-up" (The Guardian) who were shortlisted for the Mercury Music Prize in 2016 - is comprised of King Shabaka (Shabaka Hutchings) on saxophone, Danalogue (Dan Leavers) on keys/synth, and Betamax (Max Hallett) on drums. With their new album, Trust In The Lifeforce Of The Deep Mystery, the trio envisage a 21stCentury take on spiritual jazz that is part Alice Coltrane, part Bladerunner. The trio are nothing short of alchemists, concocting a primordial stew of taut beats, sub-bass, and unhinged sax breaks. They paint pictures of astral planes and neon seas, with driving beats and celestial melodies. Listen to the pulsing "Blood Of The Past", on which guest vocalist Kate Tempest delivers a state-of-the-universe address that somehow simultaneously summons the spirits of William Blake, Ian Dury, Carl Sagan and Stephen Hawking, all with wide-eyed awestruck wonder. Or "Summon The Fire", perhaps their most accessible, riotous, and air-punching moment to date.
Teenage Bottlerocket - Stay Rad! CD/LP (Fat Wreck Chords)
Stay Rad features lead single "I Wanna Be A Dog", a perfect example of the snappy, punchy pop punk that this band has always excelled at.
Bouncing Souls - Crucial Moments CDEP (Rise)
You can count the number of bands who've stayed together for 30 years on two hands, and you can use just one to count those who've consistently released quality material for the duration of those three decades. The Bouncing Souls are a part of this esteemed category, and in keeping with their D.I.Y. punk roots, they've done it without a major label or corporate radio. With their new EP Crucial Moments, they show just why they've become one of the most respected and appreciated punk bands of all time.
Fallujah - Undying Light CD/LP (Nuclear Blast)
California progressive death metallers Fallujah swing upward and venture outward on new album, Undying Light. With new vocalist in Antonio Palermo (also of Underling fame) firmly in position and a no-filler, all-killer songwriting attack, Undying Light isn't just the follow-up to 2016's Dreamless, it's a massive jump forward. Whereas Dreamless wandered intelligently and resonated lithely, new tracks such as "Glass House", "Ultraviolet", "Eyes Like The Sun", and closer "Departure" find Fallujah stripped down, razor-sharp, and emotionally charged. [Limited purple/black splatter colored vinyl pressing.]
Venom Prison - Samsara CD/LP (Prosthetic)
Rising death metal band Venom Prison returns with their blistering second album, Samsara. Named after the Buddhist concept of being reborn into a never-ending cycle of suffering, the album is as abrasive as we have come to expect from this UK based five-piece; as frenetic as their 2016 debut Animus but more confidently delivered. Samsara is also more aggressive, unashamed of dynamics. It recognizes that "in order to feel impact you must have suspense," comments guitarist, Ash Gray. "To feel the hate and aggression behind low-ended discord you must feel the relief of layered melodic swells," adds fellow guitarist Ben Thomas. With this approach, Samsara is a contrasting and confrontational offer that does not hold back. [Limited colored vinyl pressing available for special order.]
Compilations, Best Of's & Sundry Collections
Various Artists - Spiritual Jazz 9: Blue Notes 2xCD/Part One 2xLP/Part Two 2xLP (Jazzman Records)
Founded in 1939 by German émigré Alfred Lion, the Blue Note record label created and defined the golden age of modern jazz on record, featuring giants such as Thelonious Monk, Sonny Rollins, Art Blakey, Lee Morgan, Herbie Hancock, and many more. Volume 9 of Jazzman's ground-breaking Spiritual Jazz series takes a close look at the deeper side of Blue Note -- from the experimental avant-garde explored by younger musicians such as Bobby Hutcherson, Joe Henderson, and Pete La Roca, to the exciting new developments in modal sounds put forward by stalwarts Hank Mobley, Jackie McLean, and Duke Pearson. The music presented here shows how musicians working with the label responded to a period of dramatic social and sonic change, charting the route toward the esoteric and spiritualized sounds that would dominate the deepest jazz of the 1970s. As ever, Blue Note had lit the path, and this new Spiritual Jazz collection shows that the progressive and underground jazz sound of the 1960s was not only the preserve of obscure artists and private pressings.
Gary Davis - A Taste of Chocolate: The Very Best of CD (Traffic Entertainment Group)
Gary Davis of Camden, NJ started Chocolate Star in 1980 with his long time compatriot Dennis "DJ" Jones after a few years spent under the wing of Peter Brown at P&P Records, but he also inherited a funky sensibility from his uncle, famed jazz organist Richard "Groove" Holmes, and studied composition and arrangement with the late jazz great Manny Albam. Playing with a band composed of very talented people from his Camden neighborhood, Davis released cut after cut of solid funk filled dance music, bridging the disco era into hip hop and the earliest forms of house.
DVDs and Bluray
Foreigner - Live At The Rainbow '78 DVD/Blu-ray (Eagle Rock Entertainment)
On April 27, 1978, after their self-titled debut album had spent a year in the US Top 20, AOR heroes Foreigner played a sold-out show at London's legendary music venue, the Rainbow Theatre. Opening with "Long, Long Way From Home", the band's legion of fans were treated to a magnificent display of musicianship and performance, including the hit singles, "Feels Like The First Time" and "Cold As Ice", as well as an exclusive preview of two tracks from the upcoming 1978 album, Double Vision.
New on Vinyl
Devo - Turn Around: B-Sides & More (1978-1984) LP (Run Out Groove)
Limited 180gm colored vinyl LP pressing. Hard-to-find and unique tracks collected from 7" and 12" singles.
New Order - Everythings Gone Green [Reissue/1981] 12" (WB)
Originally released on Factory Benelux in December 1981, this 12" features "Everything's Gone Green", which had previously been on the reverse of the band's second 7" single "Procession" in September 1981, and "Cries And Whispers" and "Mesh" whose titles were flipped on the cover causing confusion amongst fans and compilers ever since.
Finn Andrews - Once Piece At A Time LP (Nettwerk)
British/New Zealand musician, and lead singer and songwriter of The Veils, Finn Andrews reveals his most personal songwriting to date with the release of his first solo material. The resulting songs are some of the most profound and intimate pieces of work Andrews' has done. Recorded at The Lab in Auckland, and co-produced by Tom Healy (Tiny Ruins), not only do the songs' subject matter expose more of his life than before, Andrews also admits that their arrangements allowed for less to hide behind, showcasing his voice in a different way.
The Tough Sh!ts - Burning In Paradise LP (Burger)
Retro-fitted for that classic, catchy, brimming-with-energy vibe that spills over into the audience, The Tough Sh!ts capture a chilled-out yet constantly-on-the-go garage sound. Their playful partying injects enough unfiltered attitude to create a raw edge, balancing things out with that bubbly surfing backdrop - crisp and yet still loose in a way that fits one's weekend needs.
Blaqk Audio - Only Things We Love LP (BMG Rights Management)
New album by Blaqk Audio by the electronic alter ego of AFI's Davey Havok and Jade Puget. The futurepop elements of Blaqk Audio have a greater representation on this album than they did on the last. Synthpop and electropop still make up most of the record, yet these tracks have a uniquely modern feel. [Limited edition picture disc vinyl pressing.]
Future - Future Hndrxx Presents: The WIZRD 2xLP+MP3 (Epic)
Recently released on CD - now available on vinyl. The seventh full-length album from Atlanta hip-hop superstar and multiplatinum trailblazer. Future Hndrxx Presents: The WIZRD boasts a handful of blockbuster collaborations. "Unicorn Purp" (featuring Young Thug & Gunna) unites three of Atlanta's most iconoclastic talents on one psyched-out banger. "First Off" (featuring Travis Scott) threads together wildly woozy melodies as these two titans lock into a chaotic call-and-response.
Jedi Mind Tricks - Servants in Heaven, Kings in Hell 2xLP (Babygrande)
One of independent hip-hop's most renowned and respected groups Jedi Mind Tricks fifth LP, Servants In Heaven, Kings In Hell is widely considered an underground classic. Jedi Mind Tricks once again employ guest appearances from independent hip-hop's elite (Ill Bill of Non-Phixion, Sean Price R.A. The Rugged Man & more). Limited orange wax.
Russ - Zoo 2xLP+MP3 (Sony)
Released last year on CD - now available on vinyl. Russ is known for his recordings that contain hip hop and R&B elements, while combining rapping and singing on the hook. His style has been described by Uproxx as a raspy, hardbody rap flow, and lilting, almost drunken singing voice.
Ta-Ku - 25 Nights For Nujabes 2xLP (Jakarta)
Haven risen to prominence as one of Australia's most in-demand beatmakers, the Perthbased artist has found himself curator of a rapidly expanding, multi-disciplinary creative empire. From early days uploading chopped hip-hop cuts to Soundcloud, the genre-killer's prodigious credits now include ambitious projects like 50 Days For Dilla, high-profile remixes for Flume, Chet Faker, BANKS, Childish Gambino and Justin Timberlake, as well as a clutch of co-writes, production efforts and countless self-releases. Drawing inspiration from the likes of D'Angelo, James Blake and J Dilla, Ta-Ku fuses modern electronic production with soul and indie undertones.
Don Cherry - Brown Rice [Reissue/1975] LP (A&M)
On vinyl in the US for the first time since 1977, this 1975 release includes African, Indian, Arabic and '70s era Miles Davis style electric rock fusions. Featuring contributions from former Ornette Coleman bandmates Charlie Haden and Billy Higgins, and liner notes from Stanley Crouch.
Sam Rivers - Contours [Reissue/1965] LP (Blue Note)
Saxophonist and flutist Sam Rivers followed-up his striking debut Fuchsia Swing Song with the tremendous album Contours, which was recorded at Rudy Van Gelder's Englewood Cliffs, NJ studio in 1965 with a top-flight band featuring Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Herbie Hancock on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Joe Chambers on drums.
J.J. Johnson - Themes And Cues For Movies And Television LP (Family Groove) Previously Unreleased Cinematic Jazz-Funk for Film & Television by Arranger/Composer J.J. Johnson 21 tracks featuring music from Across 110th Street, Top Of The Heap, The Fuzz Brothers, The Bold Ones. Funky Moog modulations, car chases, moody library cues and a righteous soul sister preaching universal truths all revealed in these recently discovered recordings. Masterful arranging and lush orchestration by one of the giants of the Jazz & Soul/Funk Genres. Cut direct to vinyl from the reference tapes.
Steve Perry -Traces CD/2xLP (Fantasy)
Deluxe expanded vinyl edition of the former Journey vocalist's 2018 album, with lenticular cover. Traces is his first solo album in 24 years, following 1994's For the Love Of Strange Medicine.
Giles, Giles & Fripp - The Cheerful Insanity Of... LP (Cherry Red Phonograph)
Originally released in 1968, and selling less than 500 copies (according to Robert Fripp's royalty statements), The Cheerful Insanity of Giles, Giles, & Fripp is, of course, the pre-cursor to King Crimson. Drawing its influence from folk, pop, classical, and religious music, the album is a masterpiece on par with the greatest records that the British psychedelic and progressive movements had to offer.
The Knickerbockers - Rockin' With The Knickerbockers [Reissue/2006] LP (Sundazed Music)
Exploding from AM radio speakers everywhere in 1965, The Knickerbockers' "Lies" is a certified '60s classic. Much has been made over its sonic similarity to the Beatles, particularly the Lennon-esque lead vocals. Rockin' With The Knickerbockers features that song along with other hits, rarities, unissued cuts and more. The
Millennium - Begin [Reissue/1968] LP (Sundazed Music)
Limited white colored vinyl pressing. The Millennium looms large in the hearts of fans of the '60s sunshine pop genre. The studio group was the creation of legendary tunesmith/studio genius Curt Boettcher, who had previously been instrumental in the formation of the fabled '60s cult acts the Ballroom and Sagittarius. In 1968, Boettcher assembled a group of talented California singers and musicians (including singer/guitarists Lee Mallory, Sandy Salisbury, Joey Stec and Michael Fennelly and Music Machine drummer Ron Edgar) to record the Millennium's sole album, Begin, an exquisite progressive pop opus combining breezy melodies, ambitious baroque arrangements, stirring psychedelic touches and angelic vocal harmonies.
The Paul Butterfield Blues Band - The Paul Butterfield Blues Band [Reissue/1965] LP (Sundazed Music)
Limited red colored vinyl LP pressing. As young blues enthusiasts soaking up the Chicago scene in the early '60s, Paul Butterfield, Elvin Bishop and Mike Bloomfield frequently encountered one another in the South Side clubs. Butterfield and Bishop soon took their fandom one step further and formed their own blues combo, hiring away Sam Lay and Jerome Arnold from Howlin' Wolf's touring band.
Robson Jorge - Robson Jorge 1977 LP (Mad About Records)
The first vinyl reissue of this 1977 MPB/Brazilian soul album. One of the most important background figures of Brazilian soul in the '70s and '80s, arranger/producer/composer/instrumentalist Robson Jorge, together with keyboardist/arranger Lincoln Olivetti, defined the sound of the genre, writing the arrangements for most of the big MPB stars in the '80s. While Olivetti took most of the fame, Robson Jorge was perhaps the mastermind of the duo, having a measurable influence on Tim Maia and others, and this album is a testimony of his genius.
Charles Ditto - In Human Terms LP (Telephone Explosion)
In the mid-80s, an original form of music was discovered on the midi-capable little planet of Austin, Texas. At the age of 32, Charles Ditto would release his first solo album, applying cutting edge computers and synthesizers of the era (Roland DX7, Roland MKS-20, Roland MKS-80, Sequential Circuits Profit 2000 along with a Macintosh SE), creating a unique and detailed world inspired by Cluster, Eno & The Residents. In Human Terms bridges the gap between contemporary classical and minimal pop. Rhythmic but melodically abstract. Microtonal and organic. Often described as experimental electronics, tone poems or Cyber-delic-psychotropic-avant-garde.
Peddlers and the London Philharmonic Orchestra - Suite London 2LP (Glam-o-Rama)
Originally released by Phillips in 1972. A welcome reissue of the great orchestral jazz rock album, presented here with bonus tracks. Recorded at the AIR and IBC studios in London, this album has been largely plundered over the years by countless DJs and producers around the world, among them: Wagon Christ, see Musipal released via Ninja Tune in 2001, and the so-called pioneers of Japanese acid jazz, United Future Organization. Remastered for optimal sound quality. Includes bonus LP with fine singles selection from the Suite London era.
Daphne Oram - Oramics 4LP (Young Americans)
2019 repress edition. Deluxe clear wax edition, 155 minutes on eight sides of vinyl. This hugely influential, definitive collection from electronic music pioneer and founder of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, Daphne Oram, is available again via Modern Love offshoot Young Americans. Oram was a wildly original musician, inventor, and theorist who refused to bow to convention, and she more or less single-handedly created the Radiophonic Workshop in 1958 by camping out at the BBC studios for nights on end, splicing tapes and working with modified machines to carefully arrange her abstract soundscapes. Oram is also cited as the first woman to design and build an electronic musical instrument, which worked with the "drawn-sound" technique: strips of 35mm film would be manipulated and then fed into her home-made "Oramics" machine, which would "read" the film and convert it into sound. Unlike much of the Radiophonic-era material that has surfaced over the last few decades, Oram's work is often characterized by a more layered and introspective quality, offsetting playful interludes and commercial recordings with beautiful, immersive pieces like "Pulse Persephone" and "Bird of Parallax" -- highly atmospheric and experimental variants of musique concrète and tape music that still take our breath away 45 years later. Compulsory listening for anyone with even a passing interest in electronic music.
Erlon Chaves - Procura-Se Uma Virgem LP (Mad About Records)
2019 repress. A reissue of the 1971 soundtrack by prolific Brazilian composer Erlon Chaves. Working here with the Orquestra Saint Moritz, this is one of the most sought-after of Chaves's releases. This soundtrack was recorded for a Brazilian soft-core porn movie with killer organ funk instrumental tracks as well as several funky, erotic, and modal tracks, all arranged and directed by maestro Chaves. Deluxe packaging includes a thick card stock cover and obi strip.
Cannibal Corpse - Hammer Smashed Face [Reissue/1993] 12" (Metal Blade)
The long out-of-print first single by Cannibal Corpse released in 1993 is now available on 12" with a B-side etching.
Overkill - The Wings Of War 2xLP (Nuclear Blast America)
Limited grey colored vinyl pressing of the pioneering thrash band's new (and 19th) studio album.
Reissues & From The Archives
The Fall - Bend Sinister/The Domesday Pay-Off Triad-Plus! [Reissue/1986/1987] CD/LP (Beggars Banquet)
Bend Sinister is The Fall's ninth studio album and it was originally released in 1986. It was the last of three albums in a row produced by John Leckie and was named after a dystopian novel by Vladimir Nabokov. "Part musical hypnotist, part ranting mad- man, Smith was a singular figure in post-punk. His Mancunian accent, dry witticisms and plays on words were one of the Fall's most constant characteristics. Their songs were odysseys into his ever-verbose psyche, marked by repetitive rhythms and melodies." - Rolling Stone
The Alarm - Strength 1985-1986 2xCD/LP (Twenty First Century)
The Alarm's most iconic and best-selling album, Strength, is now reissued on double CD. The first CD features the original 1985 US album pressing along with singles and B-sides. All tracks have been remastered from the original master tapes. The second CD features 22 previously unreleased album session recordings including outtake versions. All additional and unreleased tracks on the CD are exclusive to the format.
X - Los Angeles [Reissue/1980] CD/LP (Fat Possum)
Recently reissued by Fat Possum on vinyl - now available on CD. Four decades after their inception, one thing is clear: X was not only one of the most influential bands to crash out of the punk movement of the late '70s, but the group's music continues to be sonically groundbreaking today. [Fat Possum reissues of Wild Gift (1981), Under The Big Black Sun (1982), and More Fun In The New World (1983) are due within the four weeks.
Steve Reid feat The Legendary Master Brotherhood - Nova [Reissue/1976] CD (Soul Jazz)
As a radical jazz artist, Steve Reid played with an extraordinary group of artists Miles Davis, Sun Ra, Fela Kuti, James Brown, Ornette Coleman, Lester Bowie and many more. He began his career as a teenager in the 1960s as a drummer at Motown. Reid was born in the South Bronx and grew up in Queens, New York, three blocks away from John Coltrane. In 1969, Reid refused to enlist to the Vietnam war and was arrested as a conscientious objector and given a four-year prison sentence. Upon his release in 1974, he formed the Legendary Master Brotherhood and the independent record label, Mustevic Sound, to release his debut LP Nova. [Limited orange colored vinyl pressing was delayed.]
Eddie Russ - Fresh Out [Reissue/1974] CD (Soul Jazz)
Eddie Russ was an important figure to emerge from the vibrant underground jazz scene that thrived in Detroit in the early 1970s, existing in the cultural and economic desolation of the city after the departure of Motown in the late 1960s. This scene included the musical collective Tribe (incl. members Wendell Harrison, Marcus Belgrave, Phil Ranelin, Harold McKinney & Doug Hammond) and Kenny Coxs Strata Records. Fresh Out was first released in 1974 on the independent Jazz Masters label. [Limited red colored vinyl pressing was delayed.]
Live & in Concert
Jerry Garcia Band - Electric On The Eel 6xCD (ATO)
On August 29, 1987 Grateful Dead frontman Jerry Garcia led both the Jerry Garcia Band and the Jerry Garcia Acoustic Band for performances at French's Camp On The Eel River in Piercy, California. Garcia would bring the JGB back to the scenic venue on June 10, 1989 and on August 10, 1991. The Electric On The Eel six-CD set collects these electric sets. [Free bonus disc of acoustic Eel recordings with purchase!]