New Releases - 4/19/19
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
New Releases
Cage The Elephant - Social Cues CD/LP+MP3 (RCA)
"Social Cues is a satisfying collection of glitzy anthems, breezy vibes, and even some earnestly introspective highlights that showcase technical and creative maturity. From the start, the album impresses with its production courtesy of John Hill, whose work with venerated peers like Florence + The Machine and Portugal. The Man speaks for itself. Opener 'Broken Boy' immediately dishes out dissonant energy and ethereality before channeling 1960s surf rock attitude via sharp, overlapping guitar chords and steadfast rhythms. Blended with vocalist Matt Shultz's trademark presence, a fusion of 1970s punk attitude and classic Mick Jagger swagger, it's a superficial yet sufficiently gripping good time. Likewise, the consequent title track is lighter and more danceable in terms of both mix and melodies, whereas 'Night Running' is funky and spacey, entrancing the listener in easygoing colorfulness and-thanks to special guest Beck-warmly chill vocals. Further along, 'House of Glass' feels like an aggressive amalgamation of Super Furry Animals and the Last Shadow Puppets, and the punchy 'Tokyo Smoke' is lovingly ornamented by inventive effects and luscious synths amongst its resolute accessibility." - Pop Matters. Purchase the vinyl or CD at Grimey's and you'll get a wristband that gets you in the signing line for the Cage The Elephant meet & greet/signing at Grimey's this Saturday, April 20th, at 5PM! Limited colored vinyl pressing only available first come, first served, in person at Grimey's and strictly limited to one per customer.]
Will Kimbrough - I Like It Down Here CD/LP (Will Kimbrough/Soundly Music)
I Like It Down Here deals a lot with Kimbrough's home region, the South, and his roots there: the place where he knew the shortcuts to get to every gig, where he'd had a great upbringing in Lower Alabama with a close family, where he first caught on as a guitar-blazing 16-year-old pop-rock wunderkind, where the last public lynching was in 1981, and where Confederate flags fly from homes not infrequently to this day. Will Kimbrough will join us for a free, all ages in-store performance on Saturday, May 11th, at 5PM!
Johnnyswim - Moonlight CD/LP (BMG)
Moonlight is the third album from the critically acclaimed Los Angeles band led by husband-and-wife Abner Ramirez and Amanda Sudano. Legendary crooner Michael McDonald lends his immortal wail to downright anthemic album track "The Last Time".
Jade Bird - Jade Bird CD/LP (Glassnote)
"With her fiery pop-Americana, singer-songwriter Jade Bird is determined to make a name for herself in 2019 - all on her own terms. She feels a greater kinship with American songwriters such as Gillian Welch and Julien Baker than putative British forebear Jake Bugg, who famously railed against manufactured pop while employing blue-chip songwriters. Bird plays guitar and writes everything. Her self-titled debut is appropriately bold. Its 12 polished tracks shift between barn-burners, wry acoustic jangle and affecting piano ballads. Her protagonists are often jilting women or foolish men being lured away by (occasionally two-dimensional) temptresses. As a woman, she says: 'It's really interesting to confront the same expectations as white male guitarists and exceed them. That's my biggest goal, to keep smashing expectations. When people are like, oh, you're country? Well, here's an indie rock song. Now it's punk, and I know what I'm talking about. It's always been so important for me to be respected over being heralded.' Bird's tornado of personality, redoubtable conviction and sterling debut suggest the choice won't be an issue." - The Guardian
Heather Woods Broderick - Invitation CD/LP (Western Vinyl)
Heather Woods Broderick's new album Invitation is about rediscovering the everyday magic and healing potential found in nature. It's also about recognizing that even though it's not easy, we can shift our perspectives on our lives when our circumstances seem bleak. Ultimately it's about accepting the myriad little invitations the universe sends us to keep moving forward, and in so doing, redefining one's self-perception, in order to establish a new sense of equilibrium and inner peace. [Limited colored vinyl pressing.]
Wand - Laughing Matter CD/LP/Cassette (Drag City)
Wand's new generous double-album Laughing Matter is a record of love and terror experienced in epic doses. It is part fuzzy parable, travel diary, pep talk and lullaby, with Wand going as far they can, from concise guitar rock to multifarious, eclectic pastiche, rich with disruption and ascendant choruses. [This shipped late but should be here on Friday]
Diane Coffee - Internet Arms CD/LP (Polyvinyl Records)
The ever-evolving spectacle that is Diane Coffee -- the gender and genre-bending alter ego of Shaun Fleming -- takes a swan dive into a lush, digital glam wonderland with Internet Arms. Born from the fear and uncertainty of a future in which humankind is both dependent on and poisoned by technology, the album finds Diane Coffee trapped in a digital world, enslaved by AI. Fleming's anxieties became his muse as his writing explored the scenarios of this dystopian future: "It's a personal study on how I feel about living with constant blurred lines of the self and the projected self." This notion shaped the sound of Internet Arms as well, compelling Fleming to gravitate toward synths, electronic drums, and other futuristic sounds from the past and present to create his version of a digital landscape, as well as a digital version of himself.
Drugdealer - Raw Honey CD/LP (Mexican Summer)
In an era when networked access to information is nearly universal and wearing influences on your sleeve is normalized, it often feels like everything's been done. Which begs the questions: What's the point of creating? Does the world need another still life of fruit? Another film about love? Does the world need another melody? On Raw Honey, his second album as Drugdealer, Michael Collins colors these existential conundrums with lush arrangements, memetic melodies, and a vulnerable tunefulness that tries to make sense of self-doubt and connected loneliness in our shared simulacra. Raw Honey continues where The End Of Comedy left off, with Collins once again leading an ace crew of collaborators to coalesce the spirit of Drugdealer's classically modern pop. He has an ear for penning numbers that would sound as at home on Classic Rock radio as they would at Zebulon in Los Angeles. Rather than hiding behind a curtain or casually sidestepping AOR tropes, Raw Honey adheres to a modern kind of creation - one that cultivates influences and espouses reverence.
Fat White Family - Serfs Up! CD/LP (Domino)
Serfs Up! is a lush and masterful work, lascivious and personal. Tropical, sympathetic and grandiose, it invites the listener in rather than repel them through willful abrasion. In one of the most gratifying and unexpected creative volte-face in living musical memory, the band you hate to love have stormed the palace, ceased the throne, and are set to embark are on their imperial phase as overlords of a kingdom of their own making. Gregorian chants, jackboot glam beats, string flourishes, sophisticated and lush cocktail exotica, electro funk and the twin spirits of Alan Vega and Afrika Bambaataa punctuate the record at various junctures, while the dramatic production of Feet is as immaculately-rendered as Hounds Of Love-era Kate Bush. The dirt is still there of course, but scrape it away and you'll find a purring engine, gleaming chrome. [Indie-store exclusive vinyl edition.]
Motorpsycho - The Crucible CD/LP (Rune Grammofon)
2019 marks 30 years since Motorpsycho's humble beginnings in Trondheim. The Crucible starts where 2017's The Tower ended, but it soon takes on its own hue: broader lyrically, even sharper focused musically and, if possible, more idiosyncratic and insular than ever. There aren't many traditional song structures or pop format platitudes on display, and there is indeed hardly any respect paid to any trad rock song conventions on the whole album, but that's not really what one listens to Motorpsycho for anyway, is it? From the most Neanderthal of rock riffs to the most rhythmically oblique polytonal solo sections they've ever recorded, this album musically seems to sum up the extremes of the band's current interests and concerns.
KOMPROMAT - Traum und Existenz CD/LP (Clivage Music)
KOMPROMAT is a new band formed by Vitalic and Rebeka Warrior. Inspired by old Berliner techno, its music fits somewhere between Einstürzende Neubauten and Crash Course In Science. Punk, rock, dark, and sweet, KOMPROMAT smells like a battle cry and a call to prayer. It makes you wanna lift your arms in the air and dance while crying.
Stealing Sheep - Big Wows CD/LP (PIAS America) Big Wows is heavier, harder and weirder than Stealing Sheep's previous work. Bold neon pop songs with rave percussion, steelpans, dreamy segues and breathy experiments.
Yawpers - Human Question CD/LP+MP3 (Bloodshot)
The Yawpers are the sheep in wolf's clothing. Through their first three albums, the group divined a signature style-what Pitchfork described as "an expansive vision of rock 'n' roll, one that cherrypicks from various folk traditions: punk, rockabilly, blues, whatever they might have on hand or find in the trash." The sound is a front-heavy, groovy, fire & brimstone punk-blues overlying a dynamic and metaphysical roots rock. On their fourth album, Human Question, the Denver trio zooms out to a vaster and accessible stylistic and spiritual universe. The 38-minute thrill ride generates growth and cathartic self-reflection for audience and performer alike. If there was justice in this world, the Yawpers would be the savior that rock and roll didn't know it was waiting for.
Stick In The Wheel - From Here: English Folk Field Recordings Vol. 2 CD/LP (From Here)
This is not the collecting of songs to fit a pre-determined view of what folk music should be - rather, an attempt at documenting of what it is - a continuum that thrives, flourishes and persists in England; from old Northumbrian kingdoms, through the Midlands, way over to the Welsh border, with an expanding set of experimental and traditional musicians interpreting the music that roots them, in their own unique ways.
Field Medic - Fade Into The Dawn Baby CD/LP (Run For Cover)
Ten sparse, acoustic tracks that reckon with our perceptions of success and self as they face down the inevitable complications that arise from realizing any hard-won dream. [Limited blue colored vinyl pressing.]
Tim Baker - Forever Overhead CD/LP (Arts & Crafts)
Centered on kinship and the complexities of human connections, Forever Overhead features Baker's raw and observational songwriting which was at the heart his previous band, Hey Rosetta.
TR/ST - The Destroyer - 1 CD/LP (House Arrest)
The first of a pair of new albums to be released this year by Robert Alfons aka TR/ST (pronounced 'Trust'). Up first is The Destroyer - 1, which Alfons considers "really intense, sort of promiscuous in its sound," and certainly more uptempo, while the "darker" The Destroyer - 2 will be out later in the year.
Jordan Rudess - Wired For Madness CD/LP (Music Theories)
Jordan Rudess has been the full-time keyboardist with Dream Theater since 1999's Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From A Memory, as well as releasing his own acclaimed solo works with accompanying solo tours, developing his own range of award-winning keyboard apps, writing instruction books and teaching online keyboard courses. Wired For Madness is his latest solo release and features all of the drama, technique and melodicism that have become his musical hallmarks.
Julian Lage and Gyan Riley - The Book Beri'ah Vol 4: Chesed CD (Tzadik)
The duo of Julian Lage and Gyan Riley is now legendary. Featuring a high level of virtuosity tempered by elegance, love, respect and impeccable taste, their work with Zorn has produced a variety of masterpieces: a magical set of Bagatelles, the sweet midnight music of Midsummer Moons and the rocking new band Insurrection. Here they pour their soulful mastery into 10 compositions from The Book Beriah and their magical interplay is at its most telepathic as they work every possible variation out of these lyrical and adventurous Zorn compositions.
Bells Atlas - Mystic CD/LP (Tender Loving Empire)
Bells Atlas is a psychedelic R&B band from Oakland, California. On Mystic, the band digs further into their soulful aesthetic to explore both sound and storytelling.
The O'Jays - The Last Word CD/LP (S-Curve)
The final album from the legendary soul outfit.
Bernard Fowler - Inside Out CD/LP (Rhyme & Reason)
An impromptu jam session during a Rolling Stones sound check led to Inside Out, the new album by longtime collaborator/vocalist Bernard Fowler. Think back to the pre-hip-hop work of Gil Scott-Heron and you'll start to get a feel for what Fowler has done; taking classic Stones tracks, including some deep cuts, and reimagining them for a new audience.
Angelique Kidjo - Celia CD (Verve)
Angelique Kidjo reflects on an icon of the Americas, celebrated salsa singer Celia Cruz. Over ten tracks, Celia divests itself of the glamour to investigate the African roots of the Cuban-born woman who became the Queen of salsa, a music genre invented in New York by Caribbean immigrants. The album features musical assistance from Tony Allen, Meshell Ndegeocello, David Donatien, Shabaka Hutchings and Sons Of Kemet And The Gangbé Brass Band.
Wynton Marsalis - Bolden (Original Soundtrack) CD (Blue Engine)
For the original soundtrack of Bolden, nine-time Grammy Award winner Wynton Marsalis faced a nearly impossible task: bring fellow cornetist and New Orleanian Buddy Bolden, widely considered one of the fathers of jazz, back from the dead. But on this album, Marsalis enthusiastically resurrects the bawdy, brassy sound of Bolden as no one else can, throwing a Big Easy party that romps through some of Bolden's most beloved material. Featuring acclaimed vocalists Catherine Russell and Brianna Thomas and an all-star cast of instrumentalists that includes Wycliffe Gordon, Victor Goines, Marcus Printup, and more, Marsalis brings turn-of-the-century New Orleans back to life, imbuing early jazz classics popularized by Bolden and his competitor Louis Armstrong with a modern sound and energy. [Vinyl version was an RSD release and we still have some on hand]
John Patitucci - Soul Of The Bass CD (John Patitucci)
Patitucci continues his trailblazing ways on his 6-string electric bass guitar, offering a stirring interpretation of the "Allemande" from Bach's Cello Suite No. 5, and exploring new sonic terrain by applying his six as a color to some of his acoustic bass inventions.
Hot Sardines - Welcome Home, Bon Voyage CD/LP (Eleven Records Eight)
"These are times that need live music. And I don't know of anything that brings people together like the joy of hearing traditional jazz live," says Elizabeth Bougerol, co-leader of The Hot Sardines, with pianist/bandleader, Evan Palazzo.
Seaway - Fresh Produce CD/LP (Pure Noise)
Formed in 2011, Seaway has become known for their highly infectious brand of pop punk - one that strikes the perfect balance between the two styles and recalls a time when the genre centered on having fun. Fresh Produce is a collection of B-sides and alternate versions.
Compilations, Best Of's & Sundry Collections
Rolling Stones - Honk CD/3xCD/2xLP (Interscope)
New compilation from the legendary rock 'n' roll band featuring their biggest hits and classic cuts from all of their studio album spanning 1971 to 2016. The single-disc edition (and double-LP) features 20 tracks; the expanded triple-CD edition features 36 tracks plus a bonus 10-track live recorded during the band's more recent sold-out tours featuring guests Florence Welch, Dave Grohl, Brad Paisley and more. [Vinyl was delayed. Hopefully it arrives Friday...]
Stevie Nicks - Stand Back: 1981-2017 3xCD (Atlantic)
50-track career-spanning triple-CD set including solo hits, studio recordings, collaborations, soundtrack work and live cuts. [Vinyl edition due June 27.]
Various Artists - Poppies: Assorted Finery From The First Psychedelic Age CD (Craft Recordings)
Released on vinyl for RSD 2019 - now available on CD. Poppies: Assorted Finery From The First Psychedelic Age showcases the breadth of music touched by psychedelia in the late 1960s whether it be pop, folk or rock. This eclectic mix of psychedelic masters is drawn from the Vanguard, Original Sound and Stax catalogs, offering tracks from cult-classic artists such as Buffy Sainte-Marie, Southwest F.O.B., the Serpent Power and many more. [Vinyl was an RSD release. We still have a couple of copies on hand]
Aaron Neville - Love Letters: The Allen Toussaint Sessions CD (Sunset Blvd.)
Aaron Neville is the third oldest of the four Neville Brothers. The brothers were catapulted to international stardom when they started recording together in 1977, but by this point Aaron had spent the last 17 years building up a substantial catalogue of quality soul and funk. Much of this had been recorded under Allen Toussiant's guidance for Toussaint and Marshall Sehorn's Sansu Enterprises. This 25 CD collects the best recordings he made for Sansu between 1969 and the formation of The Neville Brothers in 1977.
New on Vinyl
Quelle Chris - Guns 2xLP (Mello Music Group)
Recently released on CD - now available on vinyl. "Over the years, the Detroit-raised, Brooklyn-based rapper and producer Quelle Chris has become one of the most thoughtful, inventive, bugged-out forces on the rap underground" (Stereogum). Quelle's new album, Guns, features contributions from Jean Grae, Mach-Hommy, Denmark Vessey, and Bilal Salaam, among others. "Guns is an arsenal of both sounds, styles and subjects. At its core it's about things that can be weaponized for good or evil, including ourselves. The words we say, what we fear, how we love, how we live, what we ingest, what we believe in, who we idolize, sh*t like that. Somewhat a sonic study of the question "do 'guns kill people or do people kill people?" I never start an album the same way, but one constant is I try to forget about everything I made before and do something different. Because I'm a fan too and I like hearing new things. I'd say we accomplished that with Guns. My goal with this and all albums is to create pieces people can enjoy, start to finish, for decades to come." - Quelle Chris
Ice Cube - Everythangs Corrupt 2xLP (Interscope)
Released late last year on CD, the 10th solo album from the West Coast rapper/actor is now available on vinyl.
Gorillaz - The Now Now LP (WB/Parlophone)
Limited picture disc vinyl pressing of Gorillaz 2018 album.
Shy Girls - Bird On The Wing LP+MP3 (RCA)
Limited colored vinyl pressing of the sophomore album from Shy Girls AKA acclaimed pop singer/producer Dan Vidmar. Self-produced and recorded at Shy Girls' home studio, the 11-track project features a diverse mixture of lo-fi soul, minimalist grooves, and contemporary R&B, all tied together by Shy Girls' signature warm vocals.
Wild Belle - Everybody One Of A Kind LP (Tuff Gong)
Recently released on CD - now available on vinyl. Everybody One Of A Kind is a freaked-out sonic collage of all the things that might have previously brought you into Wild Belle's universe: The breezy reggae feelings on Isles (2012) the darker edges of Dreamland (2016), and a vibrant new energy that marries past and future. The album bends genres and busts stylistic boundaries; dub reggae, soul, R&B and pop are all fair game.
Brooks & Dunn - Reboot LP (SME Nashville)
Recently released on CD - now available on vinyl. Reboot is the first album in 12 years from the country music duo. It is comprised of re-recorded duet versions of their hits with some of the hottest stars in contemporary music.
Merle Haggard - I Am What I Am [Reissue/2010] LP (Craft Recordings)
Merle Haggard - Working In Tennessee [Reissue/2011] LP (Craft Recordings)
I Am What I Am Bristles with all the arresting qualities for which this unrivaled artist is prized. Every song is imbued with the near alchemical power of his dazzling vocal performances, and Haggard's interpretive mastery and unmatched phrasing continues to bring on impressive measures of sensitivity, candor and authority. Haggard's second Vanguard album (his first was I Am What I Am) introduces a set of stellar new originals, revisits some Johnny Cash classics and puts on a new spin on his own "Working Man Blues" featuring Willie Nelson and Merle's son Ben.
Nick Cave/Warren Ellis - The Assassination Of Jessy James By The Coward Robert Ford [OST/2007] LP (Mute)
Nick Cave and Warren Ellis - of Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds, The Dirty Three and Grinderman - composed, played and produced a compelling and intense soundtrack for director Andrew Dominik's savage tale of the true West. The score captures perfectly the charismatic and unpredictable nature of its central protagonist. Like the film, Cave and Ellis' music cuts through the mythic figure of Jesse James to reveal the complex, contradictory man beneath.
Anna Tivel - The Question LP (Fluff & Gravy)
Fourth album from the Portland singer/songwriter. "Songwriters do something really special: They take details of the world around and within us, and express them in words and music in order to connect us not only to them and their work, but to each other, if not ourselves, as well. It's an infinitely generous gift they have. And the ones who can turn plain spoken language into breath-taking poetry are the rarest of the breed. Anna Tivel has that talent and more than willingly shares it with the world." - Folk Alley
Resonars - No Exit LP (Trouble In Mind)
Over the course of 22 years and six albums as The Resonars, Matt Rendon's musical vision has remained unwavering; a paean to a lost-era of analog recording, whip-smart, dynamic songwriting, and soul-stirring anthems to ignite generations. No Exit is his latest album as The Resonars. Rendon has consistently proven to have a knack for an everyman style of songwriting that doesn't seem rote or tired, lacing his melodic vocal harmonies with that melancholic joy omnipresent in the best numbers by bands like The Beach Boys, Big Star or even Simon & Garfunkel's pop hits.
The Disco Biscuits - Señor Boombox [Reissue/2002] LP (Megaforce)
First time vinyl edition of the 2002 album from the Philadelphia, PA trance fusion pioneers. The Disco Biscuits bridge the gap between electronic music and jam bands here with groovy and genre-jumping good-time party anthems that are built on stellar musicianship and improvisation and are tailor made for the stage.
Reggie And The Full Effect - Greatest Hits '84 - '87 [Reissue/1999] LP+MP3 (Reggie Records)
Reggie And The Full Effect's not-at-all accurately titled 1999 debut album Greatest Hits '84 - '87 makes a triumphant return to vinyl in a colored LP edition with three songs never released on the format after nearly two decades of being out-of-print. Brilliantly simplistic emotional pop-punk songs inter-cut with humorous insanity.
Matt Maeson - Bank On The Funeral LP (Atlantic)
Virginia Beach, VA-based singer/songwriter Matt Maeson hails from Virginia Beach, VA, where his parents played in Christian heavy-metal bands and he was barred from listening to rock on the radio. Maeson grew up traveling with his parents' outreach ministry, gaining unlikely experience by performing in prisons and biker rallies.
Khidja - In The Middle Of The Night 12" (DFA)
After turning in a wall-shaking remix of Montréal electronic duo Essaie Pas last year, Romanian production duo Khidja present their first EP for DFA. These four tracks are deep, spooky heaters - think John Carpenter in the club, with industrial basslines, frenetic melodies careening a bit out of control, and vocals echoing from the corners of the room.
Blue Velvet - In Event of Moon Disaster LP (Buh Records)
The debut album from the Lima, Peru-based synth pop/cold wave duo, mixed and produced by cult musician Mario Silvania (from legendary shoegaze band, Silvania). Their sound explores ethereal spaces through layers of vocal harmonies, effect chains, and '80s pop melodic hooks awash in early digital textures. With this release, Buh Records continues its effort to present a series of releases with some of the most important acts of the underground music scene of synthesizers of Lima.
Various Artists - Angkor Pop! LP (Highly Bongable Records)
Angkor Pop! is an exotic and ambitious compilation project showcasing the very best of Cambodia's new wave of East/West fusion groups -- acts like The Cambodian Space Project, Doch Chkae, Kampot Playboys, Bokor Mountain Magic Band, to name a few -- each covering selections from Iggy Pop's astonishing back catalogue, with the full blessing of the man himself, who seemed (and seems) rather chuffed with this tribute coming from far flung Cambodia.
Arthur - Woof Woof LP (PLZ Make It Ruins)
With Woof Woof, Arthur beams pure-pop-liminality straight into the world, full of contradictions and twists, confusion and magic. Decisions that may seem off-kilter or strange to other artists seem effortless to Arthur, pulled from another world, a world hidden to the average listener, hidden maybe for good reason. There is a valley between sound and music that Woof Woof fills in with objects seemingly grabbed at random, from voicemails to dog barks, an uneasy path is created to bridge the divide. There is a maze in Arthur's debut LP and he doesn't care if you make it out in one piece.
Black Flower - Future Flora LP (Sdban Ultra)
With a hybrid jazz based on African grooves, Ethio-oriental melodies and psychedelic dub, this Belgian five-piece creates an atmosphere where ancient and modern sounds fuse into a powerful, hypnotic, and groovy sensation. While their previous two albums bathed in an atmosphere of psychedelics, mythical figures, ancient sounds, and modern cultures, Future Flora refers to the power of plants and their importance for the future. Black Flower's musical cross-pollination of sounds and rhythms make room for a more Western touch with Romanian and Maloya (Réunion) influences, and arrangements in which Western, Oriental, and Ethiopian scales and chords are fused together to create a mix of traditional instrumentation and modern electrical vibrations.
Amnesia Scanner & Bill Kouligas - Lexachast LP (PAN)
Lexachast is an ongoing collaborative work by Amnesia Scanner, Bill Kouligas, and visual artist Harm van den Dorpel. The work is a sonic reference to the fallouts of avant-EDM and cyberdrone, while also broadly inspired by the experience derived from and exposure to algorithmic patterns as generated by van den Dorpel's specially-devised program, a unique algorithm that sources and blends various filtered imagery from DeviantArt and Flickr in real time -- with a bias towards the extreme banality and ornamental melancholia.
Arovane + Porya Hatami - C.H.R.O.N.O.S. LP (Karlrecords)
On their third album for Karlrecords, German electronic producer Arovane and Iranian sound artist Porya Hatami deliver five delicate ambient pieces, building on techniques such as granular synthesis and spectral processing to create an album rich in hazy textures and Zen atmospheres. Rich in details, carefully sound-designed, Arovane and Porya Hatami prove once more their top-notch skills when it's about creating state of the art contemporary ambient.
Haruomi Hosono, Takahiko Ishikawa, & Masataka Matsutoya - The Aegean Sea LP (Victory)
Originally released in 1979. The album is somewhat of a companion piece to the previous year's Pacific. A beautiful piece of Japanese smooth fusion-jazz with elements of traditional Greek music and Balearic grooves, it's one of Hosono's cleanest and most focused works to date. Long sought-after by collectors, this record is nearly impossible to find in original pressings outside of Japan. Essential Japanese jazz fusion.
Zior - Zior LP (Trading Places)
Originally released in 1971. British blues-rock quartet Zior had their roots in the burgeoning R&B scene that arose during the late 1960s in the southeast coastal city of Southend. By the time they recorded their self-titled debut album, issued on Larry Page's short-lived Nepentha label in 1971, they were clearly influenced by the emergent hard rock/heavy metal scene of the West Midlands, drawing from Black Sabbath's discordant riffs and occult influences, along with shrill vocal attacks in Led Zeppelin mode. The resultant Zior is a varied ride through different kinds of rock terrain, from blues rock to hard rock and on to whimsical psychedelia and prog-rock, making it hard to classify.
Bola Sete - Aqui Esta o Bola Sete... LP (Cornbread Records)
Originally released in 1957. The Brazilian-born master guitarist Bola Sete originally studied music at the conservatory of Rio while playing in his own jazz sextet and small samba combos, but he also absorbed jazz influences like Django Reinhardt and spent time in Italy. This album combines those influences beautifully in a perfect jazz samba setting, showcasing a fully-formed artist who had been a professional musician for years before releasing this album, and who could count among his admirers such disparate legends as Dizzy Gillespie and John Fahey.
Osiris - Osiris LP (Pharaway Sounds)
A reissue of the 1982 prog/psych masterpiece and debut album from cult Arabian band Osiris. A killer blend of '70s-sounding hard, progressive/psychedelic sounds with long, ripping Minimoog and analog synth attacks smashed into mellow vibes and Arabian folky touches, with hard lead guitar, exotic percussion, floating rhythm section, and English vocals. Osiris will please not only those into classic prog-rock in the vein of Camel, Yes, or Pink Floyd, but also those for looking for more challenging and unfamiliar psychedelic sounds and beats.
The 40 Watt Banana - Peeled LP (Pharaway Sounds)
Formed in 1968, the 40 Watt Banana was a unique band in New Zealand, the only group that ventured into the esoteric realm of Indo-Afro psychedelic music. Peeled includes their sought-after 45 on HMV from 1971 (the sitar-psych-dancer "Nirvana") plus previously unreleased recordings full of sitar, tabla, sarod, tanpura, trumpet, recorder, effects, and tape echo. Formed by Kevin Clark and Dave Parsons, initially as a jazz combo playing in restaurants, they soon incorporated elements of Indian and African music to their sound, after some soul searching and spiritual experiences, resulting in a looser, atmospheric sound.
Bananarama - Bananarama LP+CD (London Records)
Purple vinyl reissue of Bananarama's self-titled second album, originally released in 1984, which cemented the band as International pop superstars with five hit singles and a Top 10 with "Cruel Summer" in both the UK & USA. The album also includes the singles "Rough Justice" and "Robert De Niro's Waiting". Bananarama are often cited as the UK's most successful ever girl group, defining the '80s with their run of pop hits that soundtracked the lives of fans around the world. LP includes CD copy.
Bananarama - True Confessions LP+CD (London Records)
Green vinyl reissue of Bananarama's third album True Confessions, featuring the smash hit "Venus", which hit the top spot in the US on Billboard Hot 100. The track was a huge dance floor hit across Europe, South American and Asia. The album also includes the singles "A Trick Of The Night" and "More Than Physical". LP includes CD copy.
Bronski Beat - The Age of Consent LP+2CD (London Records)
A reissue of Bronski Beat's The Age Of Consent, originally released in 1984. This era-defining, pop classic includes debut single "Small Town Boy", a huge global hit, which continues to resonate with today's LGBT+ generation and remains a dancefloor staple. To celebrate the 35-year anniversary of Bronski Beat's forming, The Age Of Consent has been remastered and expanded. Pressed on limited edition pink vinyl and deluxe CD/Digital with 20 bonus tracks including demos, remixes, BBC session and unheard material.
Care of the Cow - Dogs' Ears are Stupid LP (Mental Experience)
Originally released only on cassette in 1983. The album is a fascinating blend of psychedelic folk, minimal electronics and post-punk weirdness: acid fuzz guitar, incredible vocal harmonies, drum machines, and analogue synths make it one of Chicago's best kept secrets. The trio of Victor Sanders, X Baczewska, and Sher Doruff had a unique and eclectic sound, experimental yet very melodic, mixing psychedelic folk-rock with art-rock and DIY/post-punk, reflecting their diverse influences: The Beatles, Fripp, Eno, Joni Mitchell, Carla Bley, Pauline Oliveros, and Eric Dolphy. Remastered from the master tapes, includes liner notes and download card.
Opeth - My Arms, Your Hearse [Reissue/1998] LP (Candlelight)
Double blue and yellow vinyl pressing of the third full-length studio album by progressive metal band.
Iced Earth - Enter The Realm [Reissue/1989] 12" (Century Media)
180gm vinyl reissue of this 1989 EP from the Tampa, Florida-based heavy metal band.
Venom - Storm The Gates 2xLP (Spinefarm)
Double picture disc vinyl LP pressing in gatefold jacket. 2018 release from the metal icons. Approaching their 40th anniversary as a band, Storm The Gates is their fifteenth studio album - the raw sound of a band who don't need tricks of technology to make their point.
Skeletonwitch - Beyond The Permafrost [Reissue/2007] LP (Prosthetic)
Skeletonwitch - Breathing The Fire [Reissue/2009] LP (Prosthetic)
Skeletonwitch - Forever Abomination [Reissue/2011] LP (Prosthetic)
Skeletonwitch - Serpents Unleashed [Reissue/2013] LP (Prosthetic)
Skeletonwitch - Devouring Radiant Light [Reissue/2018] LP (Prosthetic)
Limited picture disc pressings of five albums from the acclaimed Ohio metal quintet. An amalgamation of classic Bay Area thrash, Scandinavian death/black metal and NWOBHM.
Reissues & From The Archives
Incantation - Upon The Throne Of The Apocalypse [Reissue/1995] CD/LP (Relapse) First-time remastered audio of the death metal legend's Upon the Throne Of Apocalypse, which was originally released in 1995 and is comprised of the original rough mix of the 1994 album Mortal Throne Of Nazarene. Dynamic-yet-raw, brutal-yet-atmospheric, and death-yet-doomy, this remastered edition features the original artwork by Wes Benscoter (Slayer, Nile, Cattle Decapitation).