New Releases - 4/26/19

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 Soundtracks

New Releases

Josh Ritter - Fever Breaks CD/LP (Pytheas Recordings) 

Fever Breaks, the tenth studio album from acclaimed singer/songwriter Josh Ritter, was produced by Grammy Award-winning musician Jason Isbell and features contributions from Isbell (guitar and vocals) and his band the 400 Unit. Album single "Old Black Magic" received widespread critical praise. NPR proclaimed, "The combination of Ritter and The 400 Unit is magical. There is a sense of drama that give the lyrics an extra dose of power that hasn't been heard in previous recordings. Considering the turbulent times this music was created during, the music is elevated, giving Ritter an even stronger voice while taking his career and music to a whole new level." Of the album, Ritter shared with Rolling Stone, "The songs are very reflective of the times in which they were written. As we started coming together and playing, the songs that felt like they were gonna work really jumped out as obvious. From there on, after we recorded in August [2018] we had this really nice time to stop and listen and let the songs marinate a little bit. In that time, the world has just become even crazier. There's a lot of the record that feels reflective of the moment it was in." Don't miss Josh Ritter when he performs at Grimey's on release day for his new album - Friday, April 26th, at 6PM!

Local Natives - Violet Street CD/LP (Loma Vista) 

Produced by Shawn Everett (Alabama Shakes, Kacey Musgraves), Local Natives' fourth studio album and follow-up to 2016's Sunlit Youth finds the Silver Lake, Los Angeles outfit asking the existential question, "With all of the chaos in the world, where do you find your shelter?" That theme is encapsulated in the expansive single "When Am I Gonna Lose You" which Taylor Rice (vocals, guitar) explains, "I found myself in an incredible relationship that was great on so many levels, but I always felt like it was going to go away, fall apart, and crumble. This song is me diving into murky emotions of anxiety and doubt in the middle of love and joy." Violet Street's modern production, lush guitars and iridescent harmonies add up to form one paranoiac pop record that's as blissful as it is evocative of the L.A. local it was recorded.

Mountain Goats - In League With Dragons CD/2xLP+MP3/2xLP+7"+MP3 (Merge) 

The Mountain Goats' In League With Dragons surges with wild tales of revenge and redemption, heroes at a crossroads, and great figures in decline. The band present twelve new songs penned by John Darnielle that luxuriate in a wide swath of sounds, from shades of the '80s Athens scene to swaths of outlaw country and a few motorik meditations. "Every Mountain Goats album is, on some level, a conceptual writing exercise; it seems to be how frontman John Darnielle's brain works. But one of the remarkable things about In League With Dragons, the band's 18th and newest album, is how far Darnielle ventures afield from the album's whole stated idea. On a purely musical level, In League With Dragons is easily the most richly orchestrated Mountain Goats album. The band recorded the LP with Owen Pallett, and it's fully of majestic slickness, with strings and saxophones pushing the sound ever closer to prog." - Stereogum [A deluxe half-speed mastered colored vinyl edition with an exclusive 7" and debossed dragon scale pattern slipcase is also available.]

King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard - Fishing For Fishies CD/LP (ATO) 

Sit back and strap yourself in as seven-headed Aussie rock beast King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard return with their new album Fishing For Fishies. Here is a world where the organic meets the automated; where the rustic meets the robotic. Where the past and future collide in the beautiful present. The fourteenth album since their 2012 debut - and their first following the release of five vastly different albums in 2017 - Fishing For Fishies is a blues-infused blast of sonic boogie that struts and shimmies through several moods and terrains. From the soft shuffle outback country of the opening title track through the sunny easy listening of "The Bird Song" (think the lysergically-soaked Laurel Canyon circa 1973) and on through the party funk of "Plastic Boogie" (which somehow summons the spirit of Stevie Wonder's Innervisions) the road-trucking, Doors-like highway rock of "The Cruel Millennial" and "Real's Not Real" - what The Carpenters might have sounded like had they existed entirely on vegemite and weed - it's a dizzying, dazzling display. [Limited green colored vinyl pressing.]

Guided By Voices - Warp And Woof CD/LP (GBV Inc.) 

Following Guided By Voice's sprawling double-album Zeppelin Over China, Robert Pollard has written and recorded another full-length in record-breaking time. Warp And Woof exuberantly barrels through 24 songs in just 37 minutes with a brevity similar to mid- '90s GBV albums Alien Lanes and Vampire On Titus. Doyle says it's the best one yet by the current lineup!

Catfish and The Bottlemen - The Balance CD/LP (Capitol) 

Catfish and The Bottlemen make an emphatic return with their third album, The Balance. In the breaks between electrifying outdoor and festival shows in 2018, Van McCann (vocals, guitars), Johnny Bond (guitars), Robert "Bob" Hall (drums), and Benji Blakeway (bass) retreated with Irish producer Jacknife Lee (U2, The Killers) to carefully craft The Balance over a 12-month period. Recorded in seclusion at two locations - Grouse Lodge in Moate, Republic of Ireland, and The Chapel in the countryside of East Lincolnshire - the band lived and breathed the album while residing together in rural isolation. "We loved living in the same place," says McCann. "We were staying there the whole time, so we were waking up around each other and working until we needed to go to bed. Jacknife was always up. He was the first up and the last awake. It's good when you're completely engulfed in recording in a place like that, living together, because every day and all day it was about the songs. We had fun too; they were the funniest album sessions we've done." Set to soundtrack their journey onto yet bigger stages, the eleven-track album features the new single "Longshot" as well as the live fan-favorite "Fluctuate".

Kevin Morby - Oh My God CD/2xLP (Dead Oceans) 

Throughout his four solo albums and myriad records of various collaboration, Kevin Morby has recognized in his work the ubiquity of an apparent religious theme. Though not identifying as religious in the slightest, Morby-the globetrotting son of Kansas City who has made music while living on both coasts before recently returning to his Midwestern stomping grounds-recognizes in himself a somewhat spiritual being with a secular attitude towards the soulful. And so, in an effort to tackle that notion head-on and once-and-for-all, he sat down in his form of church-on planes and in beds-and wrote what would become his first true concept-album: the lavish, resplendent, career-best double LP Oh My God.

Foxygen - Seeing Other People CD/LP (Jagjaguwar) 

Seeing Other People is curiously positioned as Foxygen's most recent last-ever album. With every album the band dies; with every album the band is reborn. But unlike the last-ever Foxygen albums before it, this one seems to have a self-effacing bittersweetness that signifies some sort of passing; some sort of white flag. But it sounds in no way like a band giving up. [Deluxe colored vinyl pressing.]

Fontaines D.C. - Dogrel CD/LP (Partisan) 

Dogrel is the full-length debut album from Dublin, Ireland band Fontaines D.C. It spits, it snarls, it snaps with the very best of them. But also, it yearns, like the greatest Irish music must do. In songs like the almost unbearably sad "Dublin City Sky" there is a marriage of the lyrical to the poetic tradition that bears comparison not just with MacGowan's (the Pogues) best work, but echoes the exquisite heartbreak of Luke Kelly's timeless reading of Kavanagh's "On Raglan Road". From the short, sharp opener "Big" (surely rivaling The Stone Roses' "I Wanna Be Adored" as an irresistible opening statement of self-confident intent) Dogrel delightfully surprises at every turn. The singles sit fully at ease along much more complex, emotionally loaded pieces such as "Roy's Tune" and "The Lotts", both examples of a bruised but unbowed melancholia which is the album's true genome.

Claude Fontaine - Claude Fontaine CD/LP (Innovative Leisure) 

Claude Fontaine is an American girl with a French name who never felt like she fit in anywhere she happened to call home, and one particular year she was awash in a grey London fog that matched the fog and grey in her own too-recently broken heart. While living right off Portobello Road, she stumbled into the record store down the street. And in a flash of luck (or fate) that particular record store turned out to be Honest Jon's, a long-lived spot for records collected from the furthest edges of the world. She'd never heard those old Studio One and Trojan and Treasure Isle reggae and rocksteady and dub records before - the same records that got the Clash covering Police And Thieves, and the Slits sharing a bill with Steel Pulse. And she'd never heard bossa nova and tropicalia and Brazil's incandescent música popular Brasileira, either.

Aldous Harding - Designer CD/LP+MP3 (4AD) 

An artist of rare caliber, Aldous Harding does more than sing; she conjures a singular intensity. Her body and face a weapon of theatre, Harding dances with steeled fervor, baring her teeth like a Bunraku puppet's gnashing grin. Her debut release with 4AD, 2017's Party (produced with the award-winning John Parish (PJ Harvey, Sparklehorse) introduced a new pulse to the stark and unpopulated dramatic realm where the likes of Kate Bush and Scott Walker reside.

Craig Finn - I Need A New War CD/LP (Partisan) 

"The world-weary characters of Craig Finn's latest solo release, I Need A New War, have every right to call it a day. They crash on couches after accidents that don't get talked about. They drive, battling traffic on congested streets, seeking escape on the open road. They live in less-than-ideal apartments; letting bills pile up, the power gets disconnected. The city breaks them after years spent trying. In absence of regular Hold Steady shows, frontman Craig Finn's toured steadily in support of his solo material, dating back to 2012 debut, Clear Heart Full Eyes. And though it may be tempting to consider his solo output simply an in-between, Finn's evolution in recent years proves otherwise. Following 2015's Faith In The Future and 2017's We All Want The Same Things, I Need A New War completes what Finn's called a trilogy. Ambitiously detailed and thematically cohesive, it's a satisfying conclusion to the saga he started a few years ago." -- NPR

Marina - Love + Fear CD/LP (Atlantic) 

Love + Fear is an album set split into two eight-song collections and lands as Marina's fourth full-length record since she released her critically-acclaimed third album, Froot, in 2015. Love + Fear are both lush, vibrant and powerful representations of the two main emotional driving forces behind human responses. Love is filled with a longing to enjoy life and a desire to unite and empower, while Fear sees Marina delve into matters of purpose and insecurity, also touching on conversations surrounding gender inequality and more broadly, the abuse of power. [Double black and white colored vinyl edition.]

Lissie - When I'm Alone: The Piano Retrospective CD/LP (Cooking Vinyl) 

"When you take a song out of its production and strip it down to its basic elements, you get the heart of the song," says Lissie, a sentiment which embodies her new album When I'm Alone: The Piano Retrospective. A re-imagining of her best-loved and career-defining tunes, it unclothes the songs down to their most intimate and vulnerable selves, letting her pristine voice and songwriting shine.

Soak - Grim Town CD/LP (Rough Trade) 

Soak returns after four years with a new album, bringing with her four years' worth of growth, introspection and understanding. The result is Grim Town, the follow-up to her Mercury Music Prize-nominated debut Before We Forgot How To Dream, which saw her win the prestigious Choice Music Prize for Album Of The Year, the Northern Irish Music Prize, and the European Border Breaker Award, in addition to being shortlisted for a Q Award. 

The Cranberries - In The End CD/LP (BMG) 

30 years after forming in Limerick (initially as The Cranberry Saw Us) The Cranberries release their eighth and final album In The End. With Stephen Street once again taking producer duties, the 11-track record brings a remarkable career to a fitting and powerful closure. While it is tinged with sadness following Dolores O'Riordan's unexpected death on January 15th, 2018, In The End is not a valediction; it is a celebration, one that stands as a powerful testimony to the life and creative work of Dolores and her brothers in music. Noel Hogan, Mike Hogan and Fergal Lawler. The genesis of In The End began in May 2017 while the band were on tour. By winter of 2017 Noel and Dolores had written and demoed the eleven songs which would eventually appear on the album. In coming to terms with O'Riordan's death, Noel, Mike and Fergal listened to the songs and, with the support of Dolores' family, wanted to honor their close friend and collaborator by completing the record - a fitting tribute to their bandmate and friend.

P!nk - Hurts To Be Human CD (RCA) 

Eighth studio album from pop superstar. The first single from the album, "Walk Me Home", was called "a foot-stomping anthem" as well as "an optimistic departure from the content of her previous album, Beautiful Trauma". [Vinyl edition due June 21.]

Starflyer 59 - Young In My Head CD (Tooth & Nail) 

Starflyer 59's resplendently nocturnal fifteenth studio LP, Young In My Head maintains a steady path forward for the band. Recorded at Jason Martin's home studio and mixed by longtime friend, Grammy-nominated JR McNeely, the 10 tracks are as true as ever to the classic Starflyer 59 form: lush production under simple yet personal lyrics, accompanied by catchy, weepy guitar leads, melodic bass lines from Steve Dali, and delicate keys, courtesy of TW Walsh. On Young In My Head, Martin is again opening his musical journal about age and entropy, survival and salvation, building a compelling collection of perfervid, persistent working (art) class rock.

Band Of Skulls - Love Is All You Love CD/LP (Silva Screen) 

In what seem like an unusual move for a traditional rock band, Band Of Skulls hired producer Richard X for their latest album Love Is All You Love. He has encouraged the band to experiment and add some electronic elements to their sound. It is still a rock album, but with an extra pop punch. "Just seconds into opening track 'Carnivorous' you realize this is not entirely the BoS you are familiar with. A throbbing bass line, Arabesque guitar hook and unashamedly electronic sheen...this is your invitation from the Band Of Skulls to join them for a new musical enterprise. 'Sound Of You' is a downright sexy torch song for the 21st century. Putting Richardson's soulful pleading vocal front and center over a pumping bass line and Marsden's R&B guitar licks on acid. This is an album highlight to be sure. As is 'We're Alive' a thundering Glam rocking piece of cotton candy that might well have put a smile on Marc Bolan's face, its chorus virtually commanding you ('Come On... Come On') to sing along. This is pop music as it should be, as it could be if more artists were willing to test their limits. Music that is catchy enough to sing along to yet complex enough to make you want to listen to it again and again." - Concert Guide

Bear's Den - So That You Might Hear Me CD/LP (Rounder) 

Acclaimed UK band Bear's Den's third album So That You Might Hear Me follows up 2016's critically lauded Red Earth & Pouring Rain. Pairing melodies with poignant and unsettlingly personal lyricism, the need for connection lies at the heart of the album. The band explains, "The album started out as an attempt at trying to communicate with someone honestly. Our thoughts are not all rational, not all considered or tied up with ribbons and bows. This album is an attempt to reveal the honest and difficult challenge of communicating with anyone that you really care about."

Hash Redactor - Drecksound CD/LP (Goner) 

Hash Redactor is fronted by guitarist Alec McIntyre of Ex-Cult, NOTS rhythm warriors Meredith Lones on bass and Charlotte Watson on drums, and George Williford on second guitar. The band's debut full-length is a fine underground/indie pop/rock release that's suitable for fans of The Fall, Swell Maps and Country Teasers. Altin Gun - Gece CD (ATO) Sophomore album from the Turkish psych folk band. Altin Gun hails from Amsterdam but comes from various backgrounds (Turkish, Indonesian, Dutch) and create music that opens doors between traditional Turkish folk songs and psych. 

Alan Parsons - The Secret CD/LP (Frontiers) 

The eleven-time Grammy nominated legendary music icon and master of progressive rock returns with a new album. Features guest appearances by Jason Mraz, Lou Gramm (Foreigner), and more.

Rodrigo y Gabriela - Mettavolution CD (ATO) 

Five years since their last album, Mexican acoustic rock guitar duo Rodrigo y Gabriela embark on the next chapter of their remarkable story, with the release of the most ambitious music of their 20-year career together. Entitled Mettavolution, the new album brings together Rod and Gab's passionate interest in Buddhism, the history of human evolution and the liberation of the potential we have as a species; all expressed through the medium of two acoustic guitars. A white-hot side one that acknowledges the duo's thrash-metal roots back in Mexico City gives way to an incredible new arrangement of Pink Floyd's "Echoes", inspiringly re-imagined for two acoustic guitars, which takes up the whole of the second half of the album. Long-time Floyd fans (the title track of 2009's 11:11 album was dedicated to the band) Rodrigo y Gabriela lovingly pay homage to the Meddle-era prog-classic, while at the same time weaving their own golden threads into its timeless textures, to create something exciting, contemporary and unforgettable.

Kelly Finnigan - The Tales People Tell CD/LP (Colemine) 

Finnigan's new album The Tales People Tell reflects his dedication to expression through the rich American music traditions of soul, gospel, doo-wop, and R&B, along with some funky grooves. Alanna Royale contributes backing vocals.

Randy Rogers Band - Hellbent CD/LP (Tommy Jackson) 

Few relationships in life are more complicated than those among band members. Music history is filled with stories of the rise and fall of creative personalities, but the Randy Rogers Band is a unique brotherhood fueled by a shared passion for making great music and a strong commitment to each other. In a business where bands come and go and membership is often a revolving door, the Randy Rogers Band has been together for more than 17 years. The culmination of their musical journey thus far can be heard on new album Hellbent. First single, "Crazy People", is a relatable tune that paints a picture of strict parents that weren't always so straight-laced. Another highlight on the album is "You, Me And A Bottle", penned by Rogers. "I love love songs, and that song is a carefree kind of love song about kind of getting lost with your significant other," Rogers says. On the other end of the emotional spectrum, "Anchors Away" is about a man who can't commit and keeps running from love. "Wine In A Coffee Cup" paints an interesting portrait of a high-powered career woman while "Hell Bent On A Heartache" is a song Rogers first heard and fell in love with on Guy Clark's album My Favorite Picture Of You.

Jack Ingram - Ridin' High...Again CD/LP (Beat Up Ford) 

A13-song homage to the music and songwriters of Ingram's home state of Texas, and a tribute in spirit to the great Jerry Jeff Walker and his classic record, Ridin' High.

Steel Blossoms - Steel Blossoms CD (Billy Jam) 

Discovering the music of Americana duo, Steel Blossoms, is a lot like finding yourself at a party with trusted friends ... the kind who know all your secrets, share great memories and funny stories, poke fun at your foibles ... and their own. Steel Blossoms is the musical collaboration of Sara Zebley and Hayley Prosser, artists (and former elementary school teachers) who met by chance at a festival in their home state of Pennsylvania, where each was performing with separate groups. They recognized an instant chemistry and a shared perspective; an appreciation for life's moments, ironies and quirky little truths. [Vinyl edition due May 24.]

Bailen - Thrilled To Be Here CD (Fantasy) 

Gorgeous harmonies, striking arrangements and evocative songwriting marks Bailen as an undeniable and welcome new arrival. The NYC-based trio's debut album Thrilled To Be Here was produced by Grammy-Award winner John Congleton (St. Vincent, The War On Drugs). The group's beguiling three-part harmonies fuel lead single "I Was Wrong", a statement of compassion and self-reflection. Bailen's otherworldly musicality springs from a very deep well, in fact, it's in their DNA. Raised in New York by their classically trained parents, fraternal twins Daniel (vocals/bass/synth/guitar), David (vocals/drums), and younger sister Julia Bailen (vocals/guitar), immersed themselves in the family's diverse record collection. The group's highly collaborative songs are formed by three very different individuals who were all inspired by literature and a love of language. The resulting confident, meticulous songcraft of Thrilled To Be Here is rooted in the young group's preternatural dexterity, insight and lyrical bite.

Spotlights - Love And Decay CD/2xLP (Ipecac) 

Spotlights' third full-length, Love And Decay finds the Brooklyn, NY-based group further canvasing new territory. Whether it be the hummable guitar lead peeking through trudging grooves on "Until The Bleeding Stops" or the ghostly pop chorus of "Particle Noise", they ascend to a tipping point between volumetric riffing and blissful melodies. "Xerox" bears a sense of delicate intimacy within the delivery. Meanwhile, the first single "The Age Of DecayD crescendos towards an emotionally charged harmony colored by shimmering keys and bright guitars before off-kilter riffs seesaw back-and-forth on the bridge. "'The Age Of Decay' encapsulates everything we do on this record," explains Mario Quintero. "It's got some of the heaviest moments as well as the most dynamic and melodic. It shows little bits of what we get into throughout the whole album in one track. It's a love story in this age of decay."

Lamb - The Secret Of Letting Go CD/LP (Cooking Vinyl) 

Written and recorded in the space of a year between their home-studio in England's South Downs and in India and Ibiza, Lamb's seventh full-length album The Secret Of Letting Go is all about the space between sounds. From album opener "Phosphorus"'s minimalist harmonics to the dying choral embers of "One Hand Clapping" through the snaking sub-bass drops that drive the title track and "Moonshine" and into the whirl and spin of "Deep Delirium" and the simple piano loops that help "Imperial Measures" float above you, there's space everywhere.

AJR - Neotheater CD/LP (S-Curve) 

Indie-pop sibling trio AJR's third full-length album Neotheater was entirely self-produced by the group in Ryan and Jack Met's NYC apartment with portions recorded in Los Angeles. The 12 original songs spin a coming of age tale that hears the band coming to terms with the sacrifices that come with growing older now that they are in their 20s. The buoyant and uplifting music is juxtaposed with darker lyrical narratives that touch on anxiety, naiveté and searching for integrity. Effervescent track "Birthday Party" features an eerie sample taken from David Lynch's Eraserhead. The song's tongue-in-cheek lyrics live at the apex of wide-eyed inexperience as the song is sung from the point of view of a one-minute-old child.

Deadbeat & Camara - Trinity Thirty CD/2xLP (Constellation) 

Trinity Thirty is a reinterpretation of the beloved Cowboy Junkies classic The Trinity Session, for the occasion of the album's 30th anniversary. Berlin-based Canadian producers Deadbeat and Fatima Camara bonded over a shared love of this iconic album (and their shared small-town Ontario roots) and embarked on their first-ever collaboration.

Hembree - House On Fire CD/LP (Oread)

Inspired by the boundary-pushing production, rhythm, and pastiche of hip-hop, classic beat-infused rock like Talking Heads, Blondie, and The Police, and danceable indie music like Gorillaz and St. Vincent, House On Fire is the debut album from Kansas City's Hembree... one of NPR's Spotlight Artists To Watch and Rolling Stone's Best Artists We Saw At SXSW. Lead single "Culture" begins with a sonic storm of synth and drum beats while Flynn sings "the king of the culture is never really free" as a mantra. "Almost" is an upbeat, '80s-era stomper with a laser-sharp fuzz riff in the vein of Phoenix or later period Strokes. "Skyline" begins with a confident strum before kicking off into the synth stratosphere and showcases the gorgeous timbre of Flynn's voice, and "Heart" is a sentimental number built from the strength of its climbing chorus about putting insignificant things aside in order to embrace what you have in the moment.

The Damned Things - High Crimes CD (Nuclear Blast) 

Nine years ago, Scott Ian - guitarist and co-founder of the legendary thrash metal outfit, Anthrax - took a meeting with Joe Trohman (guitarist and co-founder of Fall Out Boy). Sharing a love for Thin Lizzy and catchy, dirty rock 'n' roll, Joe and Scott hit it off and started making songs together. With the help of drummer Andy Hurley (Fall Out Boy) and the sensual yet sardonically irreverent vocals of Keith Buckley (Every Time I Die) The Damned Things were formed. The band's well-received debut album Ironiclast was issued in 2010. Cut to nine years later and the band (now with the Alkaline Trio's Dan Andriano on bass) returns with its Jay Ruson-produced follow-up High Crimes.

Cokie The Clown - You're Welcome CD/LP (Fat Wreck Chords) 

Fat Mike's alter ego Cokie The Clown delivers his first full-length album. The nearly year-long recording sessions documented what truly lies beneath the madness and genius of the NOFX mastermind. Here he lays open his deepest regrets, fears, and experiences in a raw and thoughtful manner.

New Years Day - Unbreakable CD/LP (Century Media) 

A dozen intense, boundary-melding songs that may touch on metal or goth, but are ultimately undeniable modern rock 'n' roll tunes.

Belzebubs - Pantheon Of Nightside Gods CD/LP (Century Media) 

New release from the heralds of northern darkness. Consisting of nine tracks, Pantheon Of Nightside Gods features a well-matured band that is not afraid to explore hitherto unknown depths. Recorded at Hellhole Studios during autumn 2018, the album features a fierce roster of guest talent, including the likes of Desibelius, ICS Vortex and Skvllcraft and more.

Vaura - Sables CD/LP (Profound Lore) 

Introspective and somber, Sables finds the band shedding most of its post-metal heaviness in favor of experiments with brooding kosmische musik and the more avant-garde elements of new wave.

Craft - F**k The Universe CD/2xLP (Season Of Mist) 

Swedish nihilist horde Craft unleash the long-awaited reissue of their hallmark 2005 album, commonly regarded as one of the most important black metal releases of the last twenty years.

Gardsghastr - Slit Throat Requiem CD/LP (Profound Lore) 

Gardsghastr, a new black metal entity created by forces comprised of prolific members culled from elite black metal artists Bekëth Nexëhmü and Chaos Moon, have unleashed their debut album Slit Throat Requiem, an epic, bewitching, overwhelming, symphonic black metal maelstrom that harkens back to the glory of the unparalleled Norwegian black metal scene of the '90s.

Seth MacFarlane - Once In A While CD (Republic) 

With his fifth album, the multi-talented entertainer and Grammy-nominated artist further extends his relationship to the Great American Songbook, while revealing new depths as a vocalist.

Compilations, Best Of's & Sundry Collections

The Californians and Friends - Early Morning Sun: 60s Harmony Pop Produced by Irving Martin CD (Teensville) 

An anthology of the '60s UK Beach Boys-influenced band. This 80-minute overview includes the entirety of the Californians' released output under that name and also features fourteen additional Irving Martin productions for Paul Craig, Royalty, Finders Keepers, Sight & Sound and The Tony Jackson Group.

New on Vinyl

The National - You Had Your Soul With You b/w Hairpin Turns 7" (4AD)
Two new songs from The National from their upcoming new album 'I Am Easy To Find'. The b-side is an exclusive not yet on streaming services... 

Damien Jurado - In The Shape Of A Storm LP (Mama Bird) 

Recently released on CD - now available on vinyl. Speaking about the films that influenced his fourteenth album, In The Shape Of A Storm, Damien Jurado tosses out a list of favorites - American Graffiti, Paris, Texas, The Last Picture Show - films in which settings serve as silent, omniscient characters. But inquire about the curious way he writes songs, the hazy manner by which he seems to channel them from beyond the beyond, and the cinematic reference point he reaches for is a surprising one.

Wolfmanhattan Project - Blue Gene Stew CD/LP (In The Red) 

Wolfmanhattan Project features Bob Bert (Sonic Youth, Pussy Galore, Lydia Lunch's Retrovirus), Mick Collins (Gories, Dirtbombs) and Kid Congo Powers (Gun Club, The Cramps, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Pink Monkey Birds). Everyone involved brings flavors from their past efforts and it's all mixed together into one unholy rock 'n' roll gumbo. It's sleazy, swampy, trashy, no-wavey, weird and rocking.

Jonathan Richman - SA LP (Blue Arrow) 

Released last October on CD - now available on vinyl. SA, the root note in Indian Ragas was what Ramakrishna, the much beloved mystic, told his spiritual students to search for underneath all things of this world. Richman co-produced the record alongside wife Nicole Montalbano and former Modern Lovers and Talking Heads member Jerry Harrison.

Pure Bathing Culture - Night Pass LP (Infinite Companion) 

Limited violet colored vinyl pressing. "Portland group Sarah Versprille + Daniel Hindman aka Pure Bathing Culture make their triumphant return and continue to elegantly carry the Fleetwood Mac torch on new single 'Devotion', taken from their new LP Night Pass." - Gorilla Vs. Bear

Helms Alee - Noctiluca LP (Sargent House) 

Helms Alee's fifth album Noctiluca continues their tradition of blending girthy sludge riffs, deceptively clever compositions, lush instrumentation, and transcendental melodies into a potent standalone sound.

Cloud One - Spaced Out: Very Best Of CD/LP (P&P) 

Produced by the legendary Patrick Adams, the studio-bound disco unit Cloud One made its debut in 1975 with the spectacular Atmosphere Strut and throughout the '70s became the centerpiece for P&P, Queen Constance, Golden Flamingo, Heavenly Star, and Sound of New York, all labels ran by Peter Brown & Patricia Gilyard. At a time when most music was recorded with a full army of studio musicians, Cloud One records were mostly played, arranged and mixed in their entirety by Patrick Adams himself.

Bill Frisell/Thomas Morgan - Epistrophy 2xLP (ECM) 

Recently released on CD - now available on vinyl. Further poetic takes on pieces from the duo's beloved Americana songbook ("All In Fun", "Red River Valley", "Save The Last Dance For Me"), as well as another intense version of a composition by Paul Motian ("Mumbo Jumbo"), an artist whom both the guitarist and bassist knew well.

John Coltrane - Coltrane '58: Prestige Recordings 8xLP (Craft Recordings) 

This collection celebrates the 60th anniversary of jazz pioneer John Coltrane's 1958 recordings for New York based indie jazz label Prestige Records, presented in a complete chronological sequence. The duration of time covered on this box set may be one calendar year, but the rate at which Coltrane's musical abilities grew - as well as his fan base - is remarkable. These 37 tracks serve an inspiring listening session revealing all aspects of Coltrane's approach that year. 

Dorothy Ashby And Frank Wess - In A Minor Groove [Reissue/1958] LP (Real Gone Music) 

Dorothy Ashby was probably the greatest-and certainly the most swinging-jazz harpist of all time, re-purposing an instrument best known for ethereal glissandos into a fully versatile voice in combo settings, capable of providing both instrumental embroidery and rhythmic drive. In A Minor Groove is one of two albums she made in 1958 with flautist/ saxophonist Frank Wess. Limited neon green colored vinyl pressing.

Tortoise - TNT LP+MP3 (Thrill Jockey) 

High-quality virgin vinyl repress of Tortoise's third studio album packaged in a tip-on gatefold jacket. TNT builds upon the spare, instrumental framework of the group's first, self-titled album, and the extended edits, melodic adventures, and klangfarben of the subsequent full-length release, Millions Now Living Will Never Die.

Metric - Fantasies [Reissue/2009] LP (Metric Music Int'l) 

Short-listed for the 2009 Polaris Music Prize, Metric's fourth studio album Fantasies was written mostly in exile in Argentina with only a piano and guitar, recorded mainly at the band's own Giant Studio in Toronto and mixed at the legendary Electric Lady in NYC. It's gilded surfaces and textured density - a heady amalgam of psychedelia, electro and rock - evoke a certain dreamlike quality.

The Moody Blues - Live At The BBC 1967-1970 3xLP (Hip-O) 

Originally released on CD in 2007 - first-time vinyl edition now available. 41 BBC radio and TV performances recorded between 1967 and 1970 pressed on colored vinyl.

Reba McEntire - Stronger Than The Truth LP (Big Machine) 

Recently released on CD - now available on vinyl. Stronger Than The Truth is McEntire's follow-up to her 2017 gospel project Sing it Now: Songs Of Faith And Hope. A return to her roots, the album features songs co-written by familiar names, such as Brandy Clark, Erin Enderlin, Jaida Dreyer and Leslie Satcher.

Young Scientist - Results Not Answers [Reissue/1979] LP (Bureau B) 

When you think of the music to have emerged from Seattle, grunge and Sub Pop are probably the first things that come to mind. But Seattle was already home to a vibrant alternative music scene back in the 1970s. One of the most prominent synthesizer acts of the period was the trio Young Scientist. Influenced by the likes of Cluster, Harmonia, and Tangerine Dream, they released their music exclusively on cassette.

Astrobal - L'infini, L'univers et Les Mondes LP (Karaoke Kalk)
After collaborations with artists like Stereolab's Laetitia Sadier, Emmanuel Mario leaves behind the krautrock-inspired approach of his previous album to take conventional pop songwriting as a point of departure. Drawing on the work of pioneers like Brian Eno or Yellow Magic Orchestra, '80s electronic funk music and blue-eyed soul, shoegaze, and the rich tradition of progressive music and kosmische in his native France, his new album indicates a major development in Mario's futuristic and decidedly cosmic approach to songwriting. At the heart of the "French psychedelic new age pop for the world", as he himself has dubbed his sound, always sits a rhythmic idea -- an irresistible groove that is being complemented with intricate synthesizer harmonies and bouncing bass lines.

Aidan Baker/Faith Coloccia/Jon Mueller - See Through LP (Gizeh Records)
See Through is a new collaboration between Aidan Baker (Nadja), Faith Coloccia (Mamiffer, Mara, Sige Records), and renowned percussionist Jon Mueller. The project was brought to life through Baker exploring textural rhythms created by sampling small, sharp and abrupt sounds on the electric guitar and then sequencing them in a drum machine to form the bedrock of the tracks. Mueller then added his particular, signature brand of intricate, hypnotic percussion to the mix and the compositions began to grow and take shape. Coloccia contributed processed vocals via looping, tape manipulation, and microphone feedback; the result is an other-worldly record that seamlessly flows from beginning to end, immersing the listener in waves of ambient movements and soporific beats. 

Various Artists - Soothing Songs for Babies (Berceuses du Monde) LP (Mental Groove)
Mental Groove Records and Musée D'ethnographie De Genève present Soothing Songs For Babies (Berceuses Du Monde), curated by Madeleine Leclair, head of the MEG's department of Ethnomusicology, and Olivier Ducret of WRWTFWW Records. An inspiring collection of carefully chosen lullabies from all over the world that will please both young parents and their children, as well as (world) music enthusiasts looking for a peaceful and captivating listening. The lullabies presented here come from eighteen countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania, and America and range from the 1940s to present day. They share certain musical characteristics: simple melodies, a sequence of short patterns repeated several times in succession, an overall melodic contour following a descending line. 

Austin Clever - Pareidolia LP (Touching Bass)
The debut album from Hiatus Kaiyote drummer and self-taught, multi-instrumental producer, Clever Austin. Much like his Grammy-nominated work for HK, Pareidolia is a genre-bending sonic and emotive pilgrimage with virtuosic, percussive groove at its core, dreamily roaming across 18 tracks which slowly unfurl with the cinematic feel of a movie. Pareidolia further cements a trans-global cultural exchange between the soulful sounds emanating from Melbourne and London. "Channelling the spirit of Sun Ra, Digable Planets, and Dilla across 12 tracks of jazzy beats, spoken word and soul... expect the collection to further confirm Touching Bass as London's modern day Soulquarians."--The Vinyl Factory

J Lamotta - Suzume LP (Jakarta)
Suzume was recorded across four different studios in Berlin, involving 24 musicians from all around the globe. In contrast to 2017's 'Conscious Tree' album, which was made using found sounds and samplers, the new album sees J.Lamotta expanding her production repertoire by crafting a warm body of sound, laced with live strings and a horn section provided by her band which have toured together from Berlin to South Korea and Japan over the past three years.

Suplington - After Life LP (Youngbloods)
Through a cascade of field recordings over deep waves of ambient and classical meditations, After Life by British composer & producer Suplington is a grand yet forbearing course charted through the currents of one's final moments. His second album to chance a curious glance beyond the veil of waking life, After Life paints a nautical panorama with a variety of guest appearances, including flutist Nadiya Darling and Brooklyn-based Archie Pelago members, cellist Greg 'Cosmo D' Heffernan and saxophonist Kroba.

Ras_G - Down 2 Earth Vol. 3 LP (Ghetto Sci-Fi)
Ras_G is back from his most recent house release Dance Of The Cosmos to bring you his most smoothest lo fi golden era MPC/Sp-303/404 inspired boom bap instrumental series titled Down 2 Earth Vol.3. Back into the light featuring 12 beats and one vocal track from Up And coming South Central Los Angeles Emcee Duckwrth.

Various Artists - We Made the Future For You LP (Deathbomb Arc)
With a time travelers insight, Deathbomb Arc has been the first to release revolutionary acts years before the world caught on. From recent discoveries such as JPEGMAFIA and SB The Moor, to names that put them on the map like clipping., Deathbomb Arc truly made the future for you. This compilation brings together 15 tracks previously only available as digital-only loosies; tracks that paved the way for names that now sell out venues and make the world scream, "WTF is this crazy sh*t!". 

The Body & Full Of Hell - Ascending A Mountain Of Heavy Light [Reissue/2017] LP+MP3 (Thrill Jockey) 

The Body and Full Of Hell are both unique and influential forces in heavy music. Both artists welcome challenges and eschew self-promotion. Each artist seems driven to take risks and push boundaries of what is considered heavy. 

The Acacia Strain - Continent [Reissue/2008] LP (Prosthetic) 

Two limited colored vinyl pressings (orange and pink splatter and orange and green splatter) colored vinyl pressings of the fourth studio album by the Massachusetts deathcore wrecking crew. 

Nitro - O.F.R. [Reissue/1989] LP (Real Gone Music) 

A frenetic assault of double floor toms, lightning guitar licks and notes sung so superhumanly high that various parts of one's anatomy clench instinctively at the sound. [Limited red colored vinyl pressing.]

Weedeater - ...And Justice For Y'All [Reissue/2007] LP (Season Of Mist) 

Weedeater - God Luck And Good Speed [Reissue/2007] LP (Season Of Mist) 

Weedeater - Jason...The Dragon [Reissue/2011] LP (Season Of Mist) 

Colored vinyl reissues of three albums from the sludge metal band.

Reissues & From The Archives

Prince - Ultimate Rave 2xCD+DVD (Sony) 

Prince - Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic [Reissue/1999] 2xLP (Sony) 

Prince - Rave In2 The Joy Fantastic [Reissue/2001] 2xLP (Sony) 

A three-disc bundle of Prince's pivotal new millennium pop party dance music, Ultimate Rave brings together 1999's Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic and its 2001 remix companion Rave In2 The Joy Fantastic (each available separately on purple colored vinyl) alongside a DVD containing the full-length performance version of Rave Un2 The Year 2000. [CD version shipped late and should arrive early next week]

J.J. Cale - Stay Around CD/2xLP+CD (Because Music) 

Stay Around is the first posthumous release of works by beloved songwriter, guitarist, and singer J.J. Cale, compiled by those closest to him - his widow, musician Christine Lakeland Cale, and friend and longtime manager, Mike Kappus. Cale - who died in 2013 and left behind a vital resounding legacy - spent his career as an "under-the-radar-giant" (New York Times) and influenced musicians as wide ranging as Neil Young (who wrote in his autobiography, "JJ's guitar playing is a huge influence on me. His touch is unspeakable. I am stunned by it."); Beck (who, speaking to the L.A. Times, referred to his "effortlessness...restraint and underplaying" as "very powerful"); and Eric Clapton (who, in his autobiography, called Cale "one of the most important artists in the history of rock, quietly representing the greatest asset his country has ever had"). All of the tracks on Stay Around are previously unreleased. 

Reigning Sound - Abdication For...Your Love [Reissue/2011] CD/LP+MP3 (Merge) 

Produced by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys and Reigning Sound frontman Greg Cartwright, Abdication...For Your Love was originally available solely as a promotional giveaway. This 2019 CD and colored vinyl LP reissue marks the first wide release of the record. In a 2011 review of the album, the A.V. Club wrote, "Reigning Sound's allegiance is to producing great songs that move feet and rip out hearts, not to any particular scene or fashionable pose." Paste also described it as a collection of "nicely recorded songs that sometimes rock, sometimes don't, but are always well put together." After the release of Abdication..., Reigning Sound put out the much-loved Shattered LP in 2014. [Limited red colored vinyl pressing also available.] 

James Brown Plays And Directs The James Brown Band - Sho Is Funky Down Here [Reissue/1971] CD (Now Again) 

The Grodeck Whipperjenny - The Grodeck Whipperjenny [Reissue/1970] CD (Now Again) 

Sho Is Funky Down Here and The Grodeck Whipperjenny are a pair of albums that are the result of an unlikely but highly productive musical relationship between James Brown, a superstar at the creative and commercial peaks of his long career, and David Matthews, a then young arranger-musician whose limited professional experience had little or nothing to do with the funk and soul of his collaborator. Released on vinyl for RSD (and still in stock here), now on CD as well.

Bill Evans - Evans In England CD (Resonance) 

Evans In England is a newly-discovered recording of the Bill Evans Trio featuring bassist Eddie Gomez and drummer Marty Morell captured live at the legendary Ronnie Scott's jazz club in London, England in December of 1969. The deluxe set includes an elaborate booklet with rare photos, essays, and interviews.

Soundtracks

M83 - Knife + Heart [OST] CD/LP (Mute) 

On his third outing composing music for film, Anthony Gonzalez breaks from his own soundtracking habits with a welcome sense of playfulness.