New Releases - 3/8/19

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… Comps, Best Of's, & Sundry Collections New on Vinyl Live & In Concert Books

New Releases

Patty Griffin - Patty Griffin CD/2xLP (PGM/Thirty Tigers) 

Patty Griffin's self-titled collection represents an extraordinary new chapter for the incomparable singer-songwriter and immediately stands among the most deeply personal recordings of her remarkable two-decade career. The album - which follows 2015's Grammy Award-nominated Servant Of Love - collects songs written during and in the aftermath of profound personal crisis, several years in which she battled - and ultimately defeated - cancer just as a similar and equally insidious disease metastasized into the American body politic. Yet as always, like very few others, Griffin's power lies in how, as Holly Gleason in the Martha's Vineyard Gazette observed, "her songs seem to freeze life and truth in amber." It's in how Griffin can express the strikingly intimate while never making it about herself, all wrapped in sparse arrangements that breathe an incomparable force and import into her songcraft.

Maren Morris - Girl CD (Sony Nashville) 

"Since Maren Morris established her undeniable presence in 2016 with her glowing debut album Hero, she's since become a crossover star with a voice that's elevated country music. She reflects her evolution on her sophomore album, Girl, stepping outside the confines of country music to blossom artistically in bold and beautiful ways. Morris continues to experiment sonically on Girl, blending soul and country to create a distinct sound alongside themes of love and empowerment. Across 14 soul-searching songs, Morris proves that she's a woman of integrity finding herself in different ways: through love, experimentation and, perhaps most notably, defying artistic boundaries. Girl demonstrates her unique songwriting prowess, as she eloquently moves from the inspiring title-track to songs like "Make Out With Me" that are dripping in romance, before rounding out the album with "The Bones", where she uses a withered, but unwavering home as a potent metaphor for a strong relationship." - Sounds Like Nashville [Vinyl edition due April 4.]

Whisperer - Am I the Meadow or the Mountain? CD/LP (self-released)
If a good vocalist is someone who recognizes their gifts and limitations and sorts out how best to work within those boundaries then Sam Fuller-Smith is in the enviable position of possessing not only an effortless tenor but a craftsman's command of that tool. None of the pitfalls of the typical modern male vocalist, the over-annunciation, the pinched whine, the emotionally empty affectation, are to be found here. Instead, there's only a pure reed of a voice and its methodically constructed accompaniment. Fuller-Smith achieves a delicate balancing act in that his songs are impressionistic yet direct, even deceptively so. They don't tell stories nor are they about particular situations, but are the stuff of his experiences and his attempts to work through the way he encounters them. They are forward-looking and modern despite being rooted in the past. This is American Music without being Americana. It bears none of the tired genre-markers of that over-conscious, overwrought and increasingly closed system. Fuller-Smith wrote these songs in Seattle after moving back there from an interlude of a few years in Nashville. Sam would venture to Nashville from the Pacific Northwest several times from 2016-2018 to put this music down with engineer, multi-instrumentalist and friend Rodrigo Avendaño; two sessions of four songs each, followed by two overdub sessions. The duo work fast and don't question much. This is borne out by the effortless sound of the recordings. Nothing feels fussed over. Every decision made seems inevitable. For me, their work brings to mind the too-brief working relationship of Damien Jurado and Richard Swift; one is the songwriter, the other the sonic architect.

Pinegrove - Skylit CD (Pinegrove) 

Recently released on vinyl - now available on CD. "Completed in 2017 and shelved for almost a year, Pinegrove's third record is smaller, softer, and closer to the chest. Recorded and produced by Hall and guitarist Sam Skinner at a house in upstate New York, Skylight focuses on atmosphere and abstraction. While Cardinal was defined by anthemic eruptions of longing, these 11 songs move patiently and often disregard verse-chorus song structures in favor of loose vignettes." - Pitchfork

Nick Waterhouse - Nick Waterhouse CD/LP (Innovative Leisure) 

Nick Waterhouse's eponymous fourth album was recorded at the finest working studio in Los Angeles, Electro Vox Recorders, and co-produced by Paul Butler (The Bees, Michael Kiwanuka, Devendra Banhart), the master of all things warm, rich and wooly. Nick's songs here are personal, but personal in the way that "Please Mr. Postman", "What's Going On" and "Cathy's Clown" are - intimate, direct, yet still malleable enough for listeners to suffuse their own life stories into the mix. The album is thick with talented players, including Andres Rentaria, Paula Henderson and the staggering, howling saxophone of Mando Dorame. All of the new Waterhouse songs sound big. Brawny and muscular. The lyrics are suspicious, outraged and, at times, very vulnerable (muscle is just flesh, after all). Waterhouse uses an economy of words to deliver complex, coded messages. He offers up equal parts criticism of the time we live in and innate human flaws. He paints relationships under the cover of darkness, slashing through neo-noir fantasies that are romantic, blood-spattered and bracingly aware of the powerlessness felt among people, amid the rapid onslaught of commercialism and technological progress. 

Meat Puppets - Dusty Notes CD/LP (Megaforce) 

Dusty Notes is the first Meat Puppets studio album to feature the original trio (Curt and Cris Kirkwood and returning drummer Derrick Bostrom) since 1995's No Joke! Since the band debuted in the early '80s, Curt has continually proven himself to be among the most brilliant songwriters of his generation. Time after time, album after album, he's demonstrated an extraordinary ability to draw upon various roots and rock styles en route to a unique new vision of what the Meat Puppets can be. His latest contributions, especially songs such as "Warranty", "On", "Nine Pins", and "Outflow" could be forgotten gems from Nashville, Bakersfield and Laurel Canyon. Dusty Notes also features keyboardist Ron Stabinsky, a jazz-trained virtuoso adept at any style, and Curt's son Elmo, whose old-school rock-guitar grit ideally complements his father's spacier explorations. Intuitive, inspired and overflowing with genuine musicianship, it's the sort of band that transforms what Curt describes as "simple yet engaging" songs into majestic maiden voyages. [Exclusive indie-store vinyl pressing.]

Foals - Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost: Part 1 CD/LP (WB) 

Foals return with two new albums in 2019: Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost - Part 1 and Part 2, a pair of releases, separate but related. Part 1 is now available, with Part 2 following in the Autumn. Eager to break the traditional pop song structure which they felt they were becoming increasingly tapered to, the 20 tracks defy expectation. There are exploratory, progressive-tinged songs which occasionally break the 10-minute mark alongside atmospheric segues which make the music an experience rather than a mere collection of songs. Yet the band's renowned ability to wield relentless grooves with striking power also reaches new heights. Part 1's lead single "Exits" is a case in point, featuring frontman Yannis Philippakis conjuring the image of a disorienting world via a contagious vocal melody. It's a fresh anthem for Foals' formidable arsenal, but also an ominous forecast. "Exits" signposts what to expect thematically from Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost. The title is a warning that anything - from the tiniest fleeting moment of inspiration through to the planet's own biological diversity - can be under threat of being irrevocably erased.

The Coathangers - The Devil You Know CD/LP (Sacred Bones) 

The Devil You Know takes the Atlanta trio's vitriolic punk, playful house party anthems and heart worn ballads and melds them into a new sound that retains all their former live show glories while revealing a new level of songwriting and nuance.

Amanda Palmer - There Will Be No Intermission CD/2xLP (Cooking Vinyl) 

There Will Be No Intermission, Amanda Palmer's third solo effort and first in more than six years, is the multi-faceted artist's most powerful and personal collection to date, with songs that tackle the big questions: life, death, grief and how we make sense with it all. While the themes may be dark, the album's overall sonic and lyrical mood is one of triumph in the face of life's most ineffably shitty circumstances. Beginning with the epic Bill-Hicks-inspired "The Ride", it sees Palmer revealing her heart in total, turning the coals of fraught experience into musical diamonds. Themes of death and reproduction recur throughout, including "A Mother's Confession", a funny, honest, slice-of-life ramble detailing Palmer's failings as a new mother, and "Machete" written in tribute to her best friend, Anthony following his untimely passing from cancer. "Voicemail For Jill" chronicles a different sort of death as Palmer reaches out to a friend on her way to an abortion clinic. Lead single "Drowning In The Sound" explores hidden connections between political unrest, the impending uncertainty of Hurricane Harvey, climate change, the solar eclipse, internet-hate and, bizarrely, Taylor Swift. One of the more lavishly produced songs on the album, the song combines Palmer's singular style of piano-taming with a restrained chorus that pays sonic homage to two diverse but connected mentors: Prince and Ani DiFranco. [Exclusive indie-store vinyl pressing.]

The Wild Reeds - Cheers CD/LP (Dualtone) 

The Wild Reeds are a band led by women, and that matters. Not a sister band, not a girl group, but a band fronted by three women, all talented singers, songwriters, and multi-instrumentalists in their own right. Cheers was born out of a strange and painful time, full of tough break-ups, family deaths, and discord within the band itself. The 13 songs are snapshots from that upheaval, touching on illness, therapy, heartbreak and disconnection from three perspectives. Some of the sunniest songs contain the darkest undercurrents, and The Wild Reeds don't shy away from sadness or open endings.

David Gray - Gold In A Brass Age CD/2xLP (IHT/AWAL) 

David Gray's 11th album, Gold In A Brass Age, finds the singer-songwriter in renewed creative form. "With this album, my default position was to do everything differently. I didn't think 'this would be a good hook or 'these lyrics could work for a chorus'. I was keen to get away from narrative. Instead of writing melodies, I looked for phrases with a natural cadence, so that the rhythm began with the words. I reimagined where a song might spring from and what form it could take." The album's first single, "The Sapling", "has a positive vibe and reflects Gray's new drive, with a bouncy yet soft baseline and lyrics that are inspiring and accomplished and all about finding your way through and rising up, despite not knowing the route always. The whole album seems aimed to hit that tone and trend, to find the brightness in a melancholy status. And, it's an easy listen this single, and one to find a gentle hope from to match the challenges of life. Gray is on-form and we recommend you find a place for this on your playlist, it's the perfect groove to lighten up to." -- GSGM

James Morrison - You're Stronger Than You Know CD (Stanley Park) 

A modern British take on a classic soul and Motown, echoing influences such as Van Morrison, Otis Redding, The Band and Dusty Springfield. 

Dido - Still On My Mind CD/LP (BMG) 

Dido is back with her first new album in five years. Still On My Mind encapsulates a variety of styles and genres, ranging from her love of hip-hop to her folk roots, but ultimately the entire record carries a dance and electronic music sensibility, even on the tracks with no beats. At the core, it's about the songs which capture the beautiful essence of Dido personally and emotionally. The first taste of the album is "Hurricanes". From the first few notes of this powerful track, Dido's voice has never sounded bigger and better, making you realize how much we've missed that sound. Dido describes the making of Still On My Mind as "an absolutely magical experience. I wanted to capture the feeling I still get from listening to music, just that rush like you don't need anything more than this." [Exclusive indie-store vinyl pressing.]

Stella Donnelly - Beware Of The Dogs CD/LP (Secretly Canadian) 

Delivered entirely with a sarcastic wink and a full heart, Beware Of The Dogs proves across 13 life-affirming songs the power in sticking up for yourself, your friends, and what's right. The album showcases an artist totally in command of her voice, able to wield her inviting charm and razor-sharp wit into authentically raw songs. It's a resounding statement of purpose in recent memory and most importantly, it's a portrait of Donnelly taking charge. [Limited colored vinyl pressing.]

SASAMI - SASAMI CD/DLX LP+MP3 (Domino) 
SASAMI is the sound of reveling in the warmth and magic of analog recording, building a sonic home for "a mix of a diary and a collection of letters, written but never sent, to people I've been intimately involved with in one way or another," explains songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Sasami Ashworth. This eponymous release showcases her years of studying music theory and classical performance as well as a decade of making music "in almost every way you can" in the Los Angeles area. It shines with tiny, intricate details that pepper the album at every turn. We first heard from Ashworth during her stint playing keys, bass, and guitar with Cherry Glazerr, and, after the release of two singles ahead of this album, lots of other folks have heard from her, as well. She has kept extremely busy in support slots with Mitski, Soccer Mommy, Snail Mail, Japanese Breakfast, Liz Phair, and The Breeders, to name a few. SASAMI was recorded at Studio 22 in Los Angeles, written and produced by Sasami Ashworth, JooJoo Ashworth, and Thomas Dolan.

Indoor Pets - Be Content CD/LP (Wichita) 

Produced by the band's lead guitarist and Kris Harris and mixed by Claudius Mittendorfer (Ash, Yak, Parquet Courts etc), this is a fourteen song riot of urgent, tightly crafted rock songs with endless undeniable melodies and choruses that will get stuck in your head - think Weezer's and Fidlar's debut albums. [Limited white colored vinyl pressing.]

Ben Dickey - A Glimmer On The Outskirts CD/LP (SexHawkeBlack/Dualtone) 

Little Rock, Arkansas native Ben Dickey has been turning heads toward the silver screen with his acting debut portraying Blaze Foley, a singer-songwriter in the 1970s and '80s, in the Ethan Hawke-directed biopic film Blaze. A seasoned musician in his own right, Dickey's affecting performance as the troubled troubadour gracefully showcases his natural talent, both in acting and in music.

Chatham County Line - Sharing The Covers CD/LP+MP3 (Yep Roc) 

Sharing The Covers is a tribute to those whom Chatham County Line hold dear, and a chance for the group to perform modern and traditional classics in the bluegrass-style they're known for. On the 13-track collection, CCL takes the familiar and adds a touch of originality to create a wholly new and inventive roster of covers by Tom Petty, Alton Delmore, John Lennon, The Louvin Brothers, Beck, James Hunter, and more.

Steve Davis - Correlations CD (Smoke Sessions) 

One of the most acclaimed trombonists of his generation, Steve Davis has been a member of some of jazz's premiere ensembles: Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, Chick Corea's Origins, the Jackie McLean Sextet, Benny Golson's New Jazztet, the Christian McBride Big Band, and the all-star collective One For All. With Correlations, Davis introduces a powerhouse group all his own, a new multi-generational sextet that weaves together a thrilling new sound from myriad common threads.

Tesla - Shock CD/LP (UMe) 

Tesla's eighth studio album features 12 new tracks produced and co-written by Phil Collen (Def Leppard).

Buckcherry - Warpaint CD (Red Music) 

The hard rock band returns with their eighth studio album. The first single, "Bent", is anthemic but raw, with big drums and even bigger guitars. Warpaint delivers an aural punch, a refreshing boldness even on the ballads, and stellar lead guitar work (check out the fretwork on "Vacuum").

Youth Fountain - Letters To Our Former Selves CD/LP (Pure Noise) 

Full-length debut album from Vancouver B.C.-based two-piece emo/pop-punk band.

SeeYouSpaceCowboy - Songs For The Firing Squad CD/LP (Pure Noise) 

Defining themselves as "sasscore," SeeYouSpaceCowboy is a refreshing blend of early 2000's popular heavy screamo bands such as The Blood Brothers and Every Time I Die mixed with the brutality of today's hardcore. The band's hyper-literate and socially conscious lyrics merge with sporadic breakdowns to fill a void in today's metal and hardcore. Songs For The Firing Squad is a collection culled from their first two years as a band, along with two new tracks.

Misery Index - Rituals Of Power CD (Season Of Mist) 

Misery Index return in furious fashion with their sixth full-length album, Rituals Of Power which finds the American icons putting on a hard hitting display of strength and brutality grown out of the experience gained as a relentless touring machine. The general trend of their continuous evolution to incorporate less core elements and move towards classic death metal hits a new high water mark here. Revolving around the concept of "truth", Misery Index deliver nine crushing tracks which tackle how "truth" has been constructed and molded throughout history as a means to uphold power, regimes and ideologies. [Vinyl & deluxe CD are available for special order]

MZ.412 - Svartmyrkr CD/LP (Cold Spring Records)
Swedish behemoths MZ.412 return with their first full-length in 12 years, once again asserting their dominion as the true kings of black industrial. This album is dedicated to the true hell of the north -- Helheim -- and the giant goddess that rules it, Hel. From blackened ritual incantations, to bleak yet beautiful dark ambient arrangements, to harsh bombastic orchestrations, MZ.412 blur the lines between music, magick and reality. 

Compilations, Best Of's & Sundry Collections

Various Artists - Joni 75: A Birthday Celebration CD (Decca) 

The all-star tribute salutes Mitchell as a boundary-breaking artist highlighting her songs throughout her career. Featured performers include Brandi Carlile, Glen Hansard, Emmylou Harris, Norah Jones, Chaka Khan, Diana Krall, Kris Kristofferson, Los Lobos with La Marisoul, Cesar Castro & Xochi Flores, Graham Nash, Seal, James Taylor, and Rufus Wainwright.

Live & in Concert

Paul Weller - Other Aspects: Paul Weller Band & Orchestra Live At The Royal Festival Hall 2xCD+DVD/3xLP+DVD (WB/Parlophone) 

In October 2018, Paul Weller performed two extraordinary concerts at London's prestigious Royal Festival Hall with an orchestra. The second of these shows was recorded and filmed. Other Aspects, Live At The Royal Festival Hall features an eclectic 25 track career spanning collection. As well as classics from Weller's rich back catalog, the bulk of the performance features 11 songs from his latest album, True Meanings, which was released last September.

New on Vinyl

Weezer - Weezer (The Black Album) LP (Crush Music) 

Released last week on CD - now available on vinyl. Weezer (The Black Album) was produced by TV On The Radio's Dave Sitek, with whom the band worked for the first time. The album's songs were entirely written on piano by frontman Rivers Cuomo for the first time in Weezer history, creating some of the most satisfyingly awesome songs in the entire hits-filled Weezer catalog. With band members switching up instruments in the studio, and choruses filtered through Sitek's own encyclopedic musical references of everything from Gorillaz to Can to Pink Floyd, Weezer (The Black Album) is the bold next step in the winning streak of acclaimed albums they've released since 2014.

Caetano Veloso - Caetano Veloso [Reissue/1968] LP (Third Man) 

Caetano Veloso's self-titled debut solo album is one of the most important and influential Brazilian (and, dare we say, South American) albums of all time. With the release of this seminal album, Veloso would become the leading voice of Tropicália. The songs on Caetano Veloso immediately connected with people. Alegria, Algeria was his breakout hit that gained traction as a hymn for liberty advocates, juxtaposing images of Coca Cola, guerrilla groups, bombs and Brigitte Bardot as part of the everyday experience.

New Order - Ceremony (Version 1) 12" (WB) 

New Order - Ceremony (Version 2) 12" (WB) 

Recordings in East Orange, New Jersey, during the US visit the previous September, New Order's first single might, in an alternative universe, have been Joy Division's next. Both the original version (released on 12" in March 1981) and the alternative, re-recorded version (released later that year) have been remastered and pressed on heavyweight vinyl.

The Antlers - Hospice [Reissue/2009] LP+MP3 (Frenchkiss) 

Limited edition white colored vinyl LP pressing. Though singer/guitarist Peter Silberman had previously released two solo works under the moniker of The Antlers, 2009's Hospice represented the full-length debut as a trio rounded out by drummer Michael Lerner and keyboardist/multi-instrumentalist Darby Cicci. An elaborate song cycle dealing with life, death, and all the in-between, the album earned rapturous praise while also striking a deep chord in a generation of listeners.

The Promise Ring - The Horse Latitudes [Reissue/1997] LP (Epitaph) 

Nestled between the emotionally terse 30 Degrees Everywhere and the pop explosion of Nothing Feels Good, this singles and unreleased songs compilation sees The Promise Ring in a number of different musical phases. [Limited clear colored vinyl LP pressing.]

Neil Young - Dead Man [Reissue/1996] LP (Vapor) 

All instrumental pieces provided by Young interspersed with memorable movie sound bites.

Various Artists - A Salute To The Thin White Duke: The Songs Of David[Reissue/2015] LP (Cleopatra) 

Kittie, Dum Dum Girls, Electric Six, Rogue Wave, Heartless Bastards, The Muffs, and more cover Bowie hits including "Heroes", "Ashes To Ashes", "Space Oddity", "Changes", "Rebel Rebel", "Moonage Daydream" and many more.

Justus Proffit - L.A.'s Got Me Down CD/LP (Bar/None) 

"Tempered by the sights and sounds of Los Angeles, the songs on Justus Proffit's debut album tell the tales of growing up in the shadow of the Hollywood sign. I don't think I know anyone that can write a song as impetuous or dope as him." - Melina Duterte aka Jay Som

Light Conductor - Sequence One LP (Constellation) 

Light Conductor is the twilight slow-burn modular synthesis duo of Stephen Ramsay (Young Galaxy) and Jace Lasek (The Besnard Lakes). The pair have been kicking out these slow jams for years, in between their separate touring and producing duties, and have decided it's time to share. Sequence One is their first album: a warm shimmering sonic hug of enveloping drone and hypnotic arpeggiation flowing along buoyant filter-sweeping eddies and waves.

William Basinski - On Time Out Of Time LP+MP3 (2062/Temporary Residence) 

On Time Out Of Time is a suite of works originally commissioned for the 2017 installations 'ER=EPR' and 'Orbihedron' by artists Evelina Domnitch and Dmitry Gelfand (in collaboration with Jean-Marc Chomaz and LIGO) for the exhibition, 'Limits of Knowing' at Martin-Gropius-Bau, Berlin by curator, Isabel de Sena. These works utilize, among other things, exclusive source recordings from the interferometers of LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory) capturing the sounds of the merging of two distant massive black holes, 1.3 billion years ago.

Old Time Relijun - See Now And Know 12"+MP3 (Temporary Residence) 

The unearthly combo from Olympia, Washington returns with their first new music in almost a decade. See Now And Know is typical OTR: sexy, untethered, and sing-along at the edge of the volcano fun. Sam Ashley/Werner Durand - I'd Rather Be Lucky Than Good/Love Among The Immortals CD (Unseen Worlds) A new recording collaboration of Sam Ashley and Werner Durand. Sam Ashley's mystic parables imbued with benevolent humor are drawn from a lifelong pursuit of a present-day shamanism. Werner Durand's wind work on invented and traditional instruments stems from the minimalist tradition, routed through his unique study of obscure world musics.

Helado Negro - This Is How You Smile LP (RVNG Int'l) 

Miami-born, New York-based artist Roberto Carlos Lange embraces a personal and universal exploration of aura - seen, felt, emitted - on his sixth album. This Is How You Smile derives from Jamaica Kincaid's Girl, a story she wrote in the form of a mother's sole, complicated, but loving voice, speaking a How to litany of advice ranging from domestic chores to what a daughter, an immigrant and young woman of color, must do to protect herself in a world that was not designed by or for her. This is how joy, or it's visage, at turns comforts, constricts, or becomes armor.

Henry Jamison - Gloria Duplex LP (Akira) 

Recently released on CD - now available on vinyl. On his second record, Gloria Duplex, the Vermont songwriter deconstructs ideas of masculinity from boyhood to adulthood and what it means to be a white, middle class male in America today. Recorded over a two-week period in New York City during January 2018, the album features an all-star cast including producer Thomas Bartlett (Sufjan Stevens, The National, St. Vincent) string arranger Rob Moose (Bon Iver, Arcade Fire, Phoebe Bridgers) and mixer Patrick Dillett (Rhye, David Byrne, Glen Hansard).

Daniel Blumberg and Hebronix - Liv LP (Mute) 

Liv - which preceded 2018's Minus by several years - is an unreleased studio album, recorded over three days at Sarm West (Bob Marley, Exodus) live from start to finish (with additional vocals and saxophone added at a later date) by Daniel Blumberg, Billy Steiger, Kohhei Matsuda and Tom Wheatley.

James Brown - Motherlode [Reissue/1993] 2xLP (Polydor) 

Originally a 1988 compilation album focusing on James Brown's funk recordings of the late 1960s and early 1970s, and including live performances and remixes as well as studio recordings, this is the first vinyl edition of the 2003 expanded edition of Motherlode. Highlights include a live "Say It Loud - I'm Black And I'm Proud", "I Got Ants in My Pants (And I Want To Dance)", the chart hit "She's The One", and more.

Eddie Bo and The Soul Finders - Hook & Sling LP (Tuff City) 

Featuring George Davis on guitar, James Black on drums, and Fred Kemp on sax, this is an illuminating body of work that supplements what we know about New Orleans funk.

Bunk Johnson & Leadbelly - At New York Town Hall 1947 2xLP (ORG Music) 

Pressed to vinyl for the first time with redesigned artwork, this 20-track live double LP collection captured At New York Town Hall 1947 is filled with a set of players from all over the jazz, folk, and blues communities.

David Torn/Tim Berne/Ches Smith - Sun Of Goldfinger CD/LP (ECM) 

Guitarist-composer David Torn returns alongside alto saxophonist Berne and percussionist Ches Smith.

Earl Hines - My Tribute To Louis: Piano Solos By Earl Hines [Reissue/1971] LP (ORG Music) 

Twelve days after Louis Armstrong died, his old friend Earl Hines recorded a solo tribute to the great trumpeter/vocalist. This album, one of three that Hines recorded in a two-day period, features eight songs associated with Satch.

Josh Turner - I Serve A Savior LP (MCA Nashville) 

Released last October on CD - now available on vinyl. New faith-based album from the multi-platinum-selling country star.

Eagles - Hell Freezes Over [Reissue/1994] 2xLP (Geffen) 

Originally released in 1994 following a 14 year-long break up, Hell Freezes Over celebrates its 25th anniversary with a remastered reissue.

Meat Loaf - Hits Out Of Hell [Reissue/1984] LP+MP3 (Sony Legacy) 

Vinyl reissue of the 1984 compilation album by Meat Loaf. It comprises seven Jim Steinman songs including "Modern Girl" from Bad Attitude, which came out at about the same time.

New Kids On The Block - Hangin' Tough [Reissue/1988] 2xLP Picture Disc (Sony Legacy) 

NKOTB celebrate the 30th anniversary of their breakthrough album Hangin' Tough with an expanded reissue on picture-disc vinyl.

Frank Harris & Maria Marguez - Echoes LP (Strangelove Music)
Echoes is the ethno-wave love child of collaborators Frank Harris and Maria Marquez. A collection of sublime songs dating back to '85, avant-pop flourishes are married here to the heart strings of a synthetic Amazon -- think Music From Memory's Outro Tempo compilation meets a tropical Sade. With contemporary interest in South American electronic music, Echoes is a window into two musicians' prescient dreamings of tradition, melody, and technology. Reveling in the embrace of Maria's Venezuelan roots and folklore visions, combined with the lush sonic alchemy of Frank's custom Synclavier synth station, the music resonates with a charged future/primitive electricity.

Various Artists - Antologia de Musica Atipica Portuguesa Vol. 2: Regioes LP (Discrepant)
In 1959, Michel Giacometti moved to Portugal and dedicated the following thirty years of his life recording traditional music all over the country, and his Antologia De Música Atípica Portuguesa creates an anthology of current sounds to the future. You can see it as history being made or a broad catalog of sounds that live and breathe the experimental and electronic sounds that are happening in Portugal. In this second volume, each track connects with a different province, with styles ranging from detailed and processed field recordings to haunting waltz, from upbeat march music to modern experimental jazz-electronics, constantly leaving a trail of past, present, and future. 

Weval - The Weight 2LP (Kompakt)
Weval's sophomore album breaks their pop-mellow, nostalgia-friendly style further out in the open as they arrive "at this place again were everything felt spontaneous, new and exciting, like we had in the beginning". There's heavy showers of funk drops pouring from endless bars of thunderstorm clouds and laid-back riffs beating a restrained poolside-party kind of pulse, but also sensual vocals rising from beneath the sheets and rueful polaroid-filtered ambiences. Weightless and airy, yet texturally dense and widely magnetic overall, The Weight is a synthesis of the duo's multi-angle take on electronic music: blissed-out, heartening and infinitely free.

Jonny Nash - Make a Wilderness LP (Music from Memory)
The Gaussian Curve member's latest album Make A Wilderness was created over the course of 2017-2018 and is heavily influenced by descriptions of landscape and environment in the work of authors Shusaku Endo, J.G. Ballard, and Cormac McCarthy. Fragments from a land that is a largely silent place. An ancient place. A non-place. A wilderness.

Maria Somerville - All My People LP (self-released)
Building from a reputation of enthralling live shows, Maria Somerville releases her debut LP, which draws on conventional folk forms alongside post-punk, traditional Irish motifs, starry eyed pop, and hypnotic drones to create wholly original music that is a product of its environment. Somerville channels the wilderness of the Irish landscape through dense, ethereal soundscapes and bare boned percussion interspersed with ghostly vocals that are ever-present and all encompassing, like crystalline glints of sunshine peeking through dark stormy clouds.

Recent Arts - Skin LP (Non Standard Productions)
Recent Arts is a duo formed by visual artist Valentina Berthelon and musician Tobias Freund. Skin, featuring Barbie Williams on vocals, is their second album. Together they build live performances using video projections and experimental sound "charged with symbols, stories and poetry" thus generating sound environments that invite listeners to enjoy the music while deeply connecting with perceptions of the world and sense of realities within it. Written and produced by Tobias Freund at Non Standard Studios, Berlin 2018. 

Trux - Eleven LP (Office Recordings)
Following long-player Orbiter on Avenue 66 and an untitled single for Office Recordings earlier last year, mysterious producer Trux follows up with a brand-new mini LP simply titled Eleven. Throughout the record, textures of mind-bending ambient, dreamy harmonics and crushed, lo-fi experiments are manipulated across the eight track 12".

Reissues, Unearthed Classics & Digs From The Vaults...

Leo Bud Welch - The Angels In Heaven Done Signed My Name CD/LP (Easy Eye Sound) 

Leo Bud Welch, the deceased delta bluesman, spent his life honing his musical craft. The Mississippi native and 30-year lumberjack performed as a gospel singer in his small hometown for years before he made his first record when he was in his 70s. The influence of the region he called home, his years of musicianship, and his well lived life blended together to create music that was as unique as he was. The posthumous album, The Angels in Heaven Done Signed My Name, was produced by Dan Auerbach at his Easy Eye Sound studios in Nashville, Tennessee just before Leo's death in December of 2017 and also features performances by the late Richard Swift.

Whitesnake - Slide It In [Reissue/1984] CD/2xCD/6xCD+DVD/2xLP (Rhino) 

Digitally remixed and remastered edition of the hard rock band's 1984 album. Available in Regular, Deluxe and Super Deluxe editions. Deluxe includes the newly remastered UK and US mixes along with a selection of bonus tracks. Super Deluxe adds unreleased live and studio recordings, music videos, concert footage, and a new interview with Whitesnake founder and lead singer, David Coverdale.

Books

Ryan H. Walsh - Astral Weeks A Secret History of 1968 BK (Penguin Books)
Van Morrison's Astral Weeks is an iconic rock album shrouded in legend, a masterpiece that has touched generations of listeners and influenced everyone from Bruce Springsteen to Martin Scorsese. In his first book, acclaimed musician and journalist Ryan H. Walsh unearths the album's fascinating backstory - along with the untold secrets of the time and place that birthed it: Boston 1968. A mesmerizing group of boldface names pops to life in Astral Weeks: James Brown quells tensions the night after Martin Luther King, Jr. is assassinated; the real-life crimes of the Boston Strangler come to the movie screen via Tony Curtis; folk music star Mel Lyman decides he is God and controls the lives of his many followers via acid, astrology, and an underground newspaper called Avatar. From life-changing concerts and chilling crimes, to acid experiments and film shoots, Astral Weeks is the secret, wild history of a unique time and place. Now available in paperback.

Taylor Jenkins Reid - Daisy Jones & The Six BK (Ballantine Books)
A gripping novel about the whirlwind rise of an iconic 1970's rock group and their beautiful lead singer. Written as an oral history that takes in the sex, drugs and rock'n'roll milieu of late sixties/seventies Los Angeles, the steady ascent and untimely breakup of the band is chronicled in this riveting and unforgettable novel. Taylor Jenkins Reid is a talented writer who takes her work to a new level with Daisy Jones & The Six, brilliantly capturing a place and time in an utterly distinctive voice.