New Releases - 6/7/19

Hitting The Racks

Here's your weekly rundown of what's hitting the new release racks at Grimey's

Jump to… New Releases Reissues & Compilations New on Vinyl New on Cassette Live & in Concert Soundtracks DVDs and Bluray Books

New Releases

Dylan LeBlanc - Renegade CD/LP (ATO) 

Dylan LeBlanc's new studio album Renegade was produced by Grammy Award winner Dave Cobb (Brandi Carlile, Chris Stapleton, Sturgill Simpson) and is introduced by the scorching '80s inspired title track. Recorded at Cobb's RCA Studio A in Nashville, TN, the 10-song album features LeBlanc and his longtime band, The Pollies. Of the album, LeBlanc shares, "I wanted to write the same type of songs that matched the atmosphere the band and I were bringing live. So, I started with 'Renegade', which was fitting since I felt myself going in a new, more intense direction with this record. In the studio, I let go almost absolutely and let Dave Cobb do his work. It was a different experience for me - how focused Cobb was and how quickly we would get live takes down. Mostly in one or two takes. Never more than three. It left me spinning at how quickly it all came together. Over the course of ten days Renegade was complete and ready for mastering. And I couldn't be more excited to share it with you." [Limited red colored vinyl pressing also available.] Don't miss Dylan LeBlanc when he celebrates his new album's release with a free, all ages in-store performance at Grimey's on Friday, June 7th at 6PM!

As Cities Burn - Scream Through The Walls CD/LP (Equal Vision) 

For Scream Through The Walls, As Cities Burn turned to a familiar collaborator in producer Matt Goldman (Underoath, Meg & Dia, The Chariot) to help capture the signature frenetic energy of their live show. Goldman proved a wise decision, providing sonic clarity without sacrificing the rawness and honesty the band wanted to instill in the record. While this was the band's most collaborative record to date, primary songwriting duties remained with Cody Bonnette and his personal growth since the last record shines through on how progressive and open the album is lyrically. It deals with the destructive tendencies and emotional crutches we rely on, both on a personal level and from a larger cultural perspective. As Cody puts it, the 10-tracks on Scream Through The Walls seek to be "like a good counselor, asking the right questions to allow the listener to work through their issues on their own terms."

Ida Mae - Chasing Lights CD/LP (Vow Road) 

"We wanted to make something simple and honest and raw," says Chris Turpin, one half of the breakout British duo Ida Mae. "We wanted to make a record our way, with no compromises." That brand of fiercely unconditional commitment - to the songs, to the sound, to each other - has defined Ida Mae from the start, and it courses through the veins of the band's brilliant debut, Chasing Lights. Blending elements of vintage Delta blues and gritty rock and roll with boldly modern arrangements and fearless punk swagger, the record captures Ida Mae in its purest form, with Turpin and his longtime musical partner Stephanie Jean performing nearly everything live in the studio under the guidance of legendary producer Ethan Johns (Ray LaMontagne, Laura Marling, Kings Of Leon). It's an electrifying collection, the kind of record that feels both familiar and groundbreaking all at once, fueled by dazzling musicianship, breathtaking harmonies, and the sort of versatile, timeless songwriting that's earned the band tour dates with everyone from Greta Van Fleet and Blackberry Smoke to Marcus King and The Lone Bellow. [Limited indie-store exclusive vinyl pressing.] Ida Mae will play a free, all ages live set at Grimey's next Monday, June 10th, at 6PM!

Rickie Lee Jones - Kicks CD/LP (Other Side Of Desire) 

Kicks is an eclectic album of ten cover songs - from "Mack The Knife" written in 1928 for a German musical (known in the US as The Threepenny Opera) that became a jazz standard, to "Bad Company", the eponymous theme song for the British rock band written in 1974. The arrangement and instrumentation, by producer Michael Napolitano (Ani DiFranco), provides a fresh and modern sonic infusion on every song.

Santana - Africa Speaks CD/2xLP (Concord) 

Helmed by legendary producer Rick Rubin and featuring the soulful vocals of Afro-Latin singer Buika, Africa Speaks is the new energy infused full-length album from Carlos Santana. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame guitarist and his eight-piece band (featuring his wife, Cindy Blackman Santana, on drums), convened at Rubin's Shangri La Studios in Malibu, and in a joyous and stimulating 10-day period they recorded an astonishing number of tracks, many of them in one take. Another dramatic element in the creation of Africa Speaks came in the form of Spanish singer Buika, whose heavenly lead vocals cast a magical spell throughout the album. Inspired by the melodies, sounds and rhythms of Africa, Santana has created a truly memorable and powerful experience here that transcends generational, cultural and geographical boundaries. Santana's otherworldly, wah-driven solos take flight on the stomping groove of first taste "Los Invisibles".

Peter Frampton Band - All Blues CD (UMe) 

A collection of Frampton's favorite blues classics recorded with his longtime touring band. [Vinyl edition due August 16.] 

Silversun Pickups - Widow's Weeds CD/2xLP+MP3 (New Machine) 

Silversun Pickups has always considered their sonic density a source of pride, their four studio albums revealing additional sonic gifts with each subsequent spin, and their fifth album, Widow's Weeds, is no exception. The band members were in agreement with the album's starting point (the urgent synth-rocker "Neon Wound") and closer (the aggressive, throttling "We Are Chameleons") and admitted that everything in between, including how the rest of Widow's Weeds was sequenced and how the album unfolded, often surprised them. To make sense of these ideas, Silversun Pickups enlisted producer Butch Vig (Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, Sonic Youth). Vig and mixer Billy Bush helped craft a confident, unrestrained album in which every instrument is clearly audible. Cure-like keyboards hold their own against riffs on "Neon Wound" and the spring-loaded "It Doesn't Matter Why". In the end, recording with Vig surpassed the band members' already-high expectations.

Eagles Of Death Metal - EODM Presents Boots Electric Performing The Best Songs We Never Wrote CD/LP (UMe) 

Eagles Of Death Metal's Jesse Boots Electric Hughes tips his hat to 13 of his favorite songs with his first covers album. Includes covers of KISS, Guns N' Roses, AC/DC, Love & Rockets, Ramones, Steve Miller Band, George Michael/Wham, Mary J. Blige, Queens Of The Stone Age, The Distillers, David Bowie and others.

Stef Chura - Midnight CD/LP (Saddle Creek) 

"For most people who create art I would assume there is some kind of deep unanswerable hole in your soul as to why you're making it..." So says Stef Chura upon the release of Midnight, her gritty, vehement new album. Illuminating that search for answers with a fevered sense of exploration, Midnight is a bold leap forward from Messes, Chura's contagious debut album, with every aspect of her new work finding bold ways to express itself as it rips through 12 restless and relentless new tracks. If its predecessor was a raw, somewhat unadorned document, then Midnight is the muscular, swaggering evolution. "This album has a depth to it and a particular sound because of Will," Stef states regarding producer Will Toledo's (Car Seat Headrest) input, whose spiky nuances can be found across the length and breadth of Midnight, the record presenting an exhilarating rush of sound and color as Stef's spirited vocal finds and signature guitar sounds unravel alongside in a thrilling meeting of ideas and influences.

Eleni Mandell - Wake Up Again CD/LP+MP3 (Yep Roc) 

Inspired by her experience teaching songwriting at a women's prison, Eleni Mandell's 11th studio release, Wake Up Again, is a set of compelling personalized musical portraits and vignettes. From the dark, dreamy "Circumstance" to the noisy "Be Together", and the jagged brutality of "What's Your Handle", the album highlights Eleni's strengths as a writer and performer going back to her start under the tutelage of Chuck E. Weiss, Tom Waits and other top chroniclers of people in the shadows.

Jake Xerxes Fussell - Out Of Sight CD/LP (Paradise Of Bachelors) 

An utterly transporting selection of traditional narrative folksongs addressing the troubles and delights of love, work, and wine (i.e., the things that matter), collected from a myriad of obscure sources and deftly metamorphosed, Out Of Sight contains, among other moving curiosities, a fishmonger's cry that sounds like an astral lament ("The River St. Johns"); a cotton mill tune that humorously explores the unknown terrain of death and memory ("Winnsboro Cotton Mill Blues"); and a fishermen's shanty/gospel song equally concerned with terrestrial boozing and heavenly transcendence ("Drinking Of The Wine").

Tim Heidecker - What The Brokenhearted Do CD/LP/Cassette (Jagjaguwar) 

For the last three years, Heidecker has been waging a hellish war of upon the current presidential administration and its shady minions. Whether because of his unrelenting Twitter prodding of Trump, his spot-on impersonation of Info Wars' Alex Jones or his well of caustic Trump protest songs, Heidecker has found himself in the crosshairs of the Online alt-right community. At some point, one of those Incel or QAnon trolls started a vicious rumor that Tim's wife had, in fact, left him and the rumor caught fire across certain social channels. Instead of getting pissed off, our protagonist (antagonist?) Tim Heidecker got inspired. He knows full well that here in the music biz nothing breeds good tunes like utter heartbreak. When an artist's relationship crumbles, we label suits just rub our greedy little mitts together. From Blood On The Tracks to Shoot Out The Lights, it's a nearly universal truth: Divorce is a hit factory. So he imagined himself an awful divorce and let the hits flow. [Limited edition limited edition opaque tear blue vinyl pressing.]

Kitty Kat Fan Club - Dreamy Little You CD/LP (Asian Man) 

Debut full length album from San Jose, California indie/twee pop punk collective featuring members of Just Friends, Hard Girls, Skankin' Pickle, Ogikubo Station, Stickup Kid and more.

The Boxmasters - Speck CD/LP (Keentone) 

The Boxmasters are a '60s-influenced rock and roll band and the melodic songs on Speck are reminiscent of that era. Yep, this is Billy Bob's band.

The Barrence Whitfield Soul Savage Arkestra - Songs From The Sun Ra Cosmos CD/LP (Modern Harmonic) 

Garage & soul screamer Barrence Whitfield channels the Saturnian ruler of the omniverse with a soul-tripping exploration of Sun Ra favorites.

Mamas Gun - Golden Days CD/LP (Ubiquity Recordings)
Golden Days is the culmination of a musical journey that spans ten years and has helped fuel the vanguard of 21st century soul alongside the Dap Kings, Charles Bradley, Lee Fields, and Mayer Hawthorne. Since 2007, group founder and frontman Andy Platts (singer, composer, producer) has piloted Mamas Gun with Dave "Eighties" Oliver (keyboards) and Terry "Spiller" Lewis (guitar). Their distinctive, full-band sound stems from a shared artistic vision among the five members in Mamas Gun. "The present lineup is the best version of the band to date, built on years of important creative exploration with previous lineups," Andy declares. No matter where the needle drops on Golden Days, the brilliance of Mamas Gun shines through the grooves.

Froth - Duress CD/LP+MP3 (Wichita) 

After a two-year hiatus, Froth is back with their most fully realized work to date, Duress. Co-produced with longtime friend and collaborator Tomas Dolas (Oh Sees, Mr. Elevator) at his analog-focused Studio 22 in Cypress Park, CA, the record is unapologetically experimental yet undeniably accessible - combining some of the band's strongest hooks with left-field sounds and unexpected flourishes of electronica. Joo Joo Ashworth has matured into a talented producer in his own right, communicating his singular vision through studio technique as much as his angular, Verlaine-inspired guitar sound. As always, the rhythm section of Jeremy Katz and Cameron Allen displays a tightness and sense of mutual understanding only achieved through years of friendship and extensive touring. Duress sees the band stepping outside the shadow of their influences and into something wholly their own. It's an impressive and self-assured statement from a group only just entering their prime.

Palehound - Black Friday CD/LP+MP3 (Polyvinyl) 

The third full-length from Boston-based trio Palehound is a finespun exploration of all the forms that love can take: love between friends, love for people no longer in your life, love in the face of self-hate, love that endures through major life changes or through many tiny catastrophes. With her thoughtful narrative voice, Palehound singer/songwriter Ellen Kempner imbues each song with a radical sensitivity, an unchecked depth of feeling that ultimately sparks a greater open heartedness within the listener. [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]

Yeasayer - Erotic Reruns CD/LP (Yeasayer/Park The Van) 

Yeasayer's latest LP is perhaps their greatest. Erotic Reruns captures what it's like to be alive in 2019 with wide-eyed clarity. The songs veer from the intensely personal and romantic to the fervently political-an eminently danceable record that challenges their audience and makes them think a bit more slowly to ponder issues so germane to our maddening, speed of light era of content consumption. 

Tengger - Spiritual 2 CD/LP (Beyond Beyond Is Beyond) 

Tengger is a traveling musical family, made up of Pan-Asian couple, itta and Marqido, who create their brand of psychedelic new-age drone magic through the use of harmonium, voice, and toy instruments (played by itta) and analogue synths (played by Marqido).

Chon - Chon CD (Sumerian) 

On their self-titled third album, Chon find themselves at the confluence of a great push and pull. Their debut full-length, 2015's Grow, established their mathy, forward-thinking take on the genre, while 2017's Homey furthered that sound while incorporating brand-new influences like effect-pedal-heavy elements of electronic music and trip-hop. Now, with Chon, the trio once again have kicked down their musical guardrails - but in a way that balances their more eccentric impulses with a steadying dose of clarity and restraint. The album is brimming with some of the most forward-thinking, intricate musings the band have ever attempted, from the deep progressive propulsion of first single "Peace" to "Spike", which spins the band's youthful tech and metal influences together into a flashy riff-athon. All at once, Chon respects the trio's current listeners while inviting a broader swath of new ones in - the rare progressive rock album adroit enough to straddle that line. [Vinyl edition due July 12.]

Plaid - Polymer CD/2xLP+MP3 (Warp) 

The innovative duo of Ed Handley and Andy Turner have been expanding the realm of electronic music as Plaid since they diverged from trio The Black Dog in the early '90s. In 2019, Plaid stand alongside the likes of Aphex Twin, Autechre and Nightmares On Wax as mainstays of the Warp label as it reaches its 30th anniversary. Their adventurous and playful approach has taken them to working with Björk and drawing comparisons to fellow collaborators Mark Bell, Arca, Haxan Cloak and more recent releases by Skee Mask and Daniel Avery. They've worked with the London Sinfonietta, the Southbank Gamelan Players, composed for Felix's Machines robotic sculptures, and soundtracked events as diverse as reindeer migration in northern Europe to a level in popular platformer Little Big Planet 3. Forging ever bolder and emotive paths through electronic music, Plaid offer up their tenth studio effort, Polymer. The album's 13 tracks cover energetic bangers, bright melodic visceral rhythms and hypnotic womb-like textures.

AURORA - A Different Kind Of Human (Step II) CD/LP (Glassnote) 

The latest album by Norwegian synth-pop musician AURORA follows the release of her sophomore release, Infections Of A Different Kind (Step I), which was named one of A Bit Of Pop Music's 20 Best Pop Albums of 2018. "Though still part of the Different Kind series, Step II finds AURORA traversing more experimental territory. The location where the LP was recorded helped to inform this new, unconventional sound; the artist set up shop 'in a more lo-fi space than before,' one described as a French chateau that's 'beautiful and dreamy' and 'far away.' Much of Step II is said to focus on the ecological crisis plaguing society. We hear this on the album's latest single, 'The Seed', in which AURORA reflects on the toxic ways we treat nature and those around us. 'People say 'live like you don't care' or 'party like you don't care', but I like to care,' AURORA remarked. 'I think people do, too, now more than ever, for example when Trump was elected people became more involved politically because they were frustrated. It's a time of open ears and open eyes'." - Consequence Of Sound

Lust For Youth - Lust For Youth CD/LP (Sacred Bones) 

Pirouetting on decadence, meeting eyes with a dizzy sensation, falling and flying at the same time, Lust for Youth has continually held poise through the most vitalizing of times. Their new album, a self-titled collection of eight songs, is sure-footed where they had earlier feared to tread, and light-headed for a new set of reasons. The album is driven by a dance-pop agenda, hustling its way through up-beat peaks that level out into reflective ballads. [Limited colored vinyl pressing.]

Fred Hersch & The WDR Big Band - Begin Again CD (Palmetto) 

Pianist Fred Hersch, who needs no introduction to most well-informed jazz enthusiasts, is by and large known as a leader of trios and other small groups. Begin Again displays another side of Hersch's appreciable talents: nine of his handsome compositions, astutely recast by six-time Grammy Award winner Vince Mendoza and impressively performed by Germany's superb WDR Big Band.

Pelican - Nighttime Stories CD/2xLP (Southern Lord) 

Pelican, the instrumental quartet whose singular vision of heavy music eschews classification, presents their first full-length in six years with Nighttime Stories. The eight-song set marks Pelican's first release written front to back with guitarist Dallas Thomas, who took over guitar duties upon founding member Laurent Schroeder-Lebec's departure in 2012. In the process of writing the album the quartet endured a slew of realizations, tragedies, and glimmers of optimism that guided the creative process to the most potent work of their 19-year career. Though the new material veers towards the darker tone characteristic of Pelican's early songwriting, it's hard to imagine a previous incarnation of the band writing songs as meticulously crafted and detail-oriented as those within Nighttime Stories, where the compositions recall everything from the triumphant call-to-arms of classic Dischord, to the vicious troglodyte battery of the Melvins, to the dynamic interwoven melodies of bottom-heavy indie cult heroes Chavez. Nowhere is this evinced as clearly as on initial album single "Midnight And Mescaline", the album's lead single. [Exclusive indie-store-only vinyl pressing also available.]

Plague Vendor - By Night CD/LP+MP3 (Epitaph) 

Plague Vendor's third album By Night captures feelings of ruin and regeneration, of charisma and catastrophe, and of slashing at the night with nothing but pure electricity. Where 2016's Bloodsweat ended with a to-be-continued moment and frontman Brandon Blaine shouting "Romance!" into the silence, By Night ends with a second of feedback and noise. It's a perfectly spent finish to an adrenaline rush of a record that asks, "What just happened?" The band spent 11 days locked in at Hollywood's legendary EastWest Studios (Brian Wilson, Ozzy Osbourne, Iggy Pop) with St Vincent producer John Congleton, with all visitors banned and all distraction eliminated. When they met Congleton they connected intensely and instantly, more like co-conspirators than colleagues. With Congleton's precision production, they found their own way between the powerful-but-too-polished sound of right now and the engaging-but-aging reinterpretations of classic punk/rock albums of the '60s and '70s. The album is called By Night, because as Blaine says: "Nothing cool happens during the day."

Live & in Concert

Bob Dylan - The Rolling Thunder Review 14xCD (Sony Legacy) 

Bob Dylan - The Bootleg Series Vol. 5: Bob Dylan Live 1975 (The Rolling Thunder Revue) [Reissue/2002] 3xLP (Sony Legacy) 

A comprehensive anthology of music from the mythic first leg of Bob Dylan's groundbreaking Rolling Thunder Revue, this 14xCD box set includes all five of Dylan's full sets from that tour that were professionally recorded. The collection also provides the listener with an intimate insider's seat for recently unearthed rehearsals at New York's S.I.R. studios and the Seacrest Mote in Falmouth, MA plus a bonus disc showcasing one-of-a-kind performances from the tour. [A first-time vinyl edition of 2002's The Bootleg Series Vol. 5: Bob Dylan Live 1975 (The Rolling Thunder Revue) is also available.] 

Neil Young + Stray Gators - Tuscaloosa: Live CD/2xLP (WB) 

Neil Young's Tuscaloosa: Live features 11 previously unreleased tracks culled from a February 5, 1973 performance at the University of Alabama with his band the Stray Gators - bassist Tim Drummond, drummer Kenny Buttrey, pianist Jack Nitzsche and steel guitarist Ben Keith - who backed the iconic singer-songwriter on his landmark efforts Harvest and Time Fades Away. Tuscaloosa: Live features live versions of songs from Young's eponymous 1968 debut ("Here We Are In The Years") plus classics from his two biggest selling albums, 1970's After The Gold Rush ("After The Gold Rush") and 1972's Harvest ("Harvest", "Heart Of Gold", "Old Man", "Out On The Weekend", "Alabama"). Also included are cuts from Neil's live album Time Fades Away ("Time Fades Away", "Don't Be Denied") which would be released later in 1973 and songs from fellow catalog favorite Tonight's The Night ("Lookout Joe", "New Mama") which wouldn't be issued until 1975.

Ron Carter/Danny Simmons - The Brown Beatnik Tomes - Live at BRIC House CD (Blue Note) 

A unique and powerful collaboration between the artist and poet Danny Simmons and legendary jazz bassist Ron Carter. This live recording from BRIC House in Brooklyn captured Simmons reading poetry from his collection of prose The Brown Beatnik Tomes with projections of his own striking abstract expressionist paintings providing the stage backdrop while Carter performed solo accompaniment along with instrumental interludes from his fleet trio.

DVDs and Bluray

Various Artists - The Rolling Stones Rock And Roll Circus DVD/Blu-ray (ABKCO)

Filmed over two days in December 1968, The Rolling Stones Rock And Roll Circus starred the '60s line-up of the Stones, complete with Brian Jones. They were joined by The Who, Jethro Tull, Taj Mahal, Marianne Faithfull, Yoko Ono and the remarkable, impromptu supergroup known as The Dirty Mac, comprising John Lennon, Keith Richards, Mitch Mitchell of the Jimi Hendrix Experience and Eric Clapton. The film's soundtrack has undergone a new mix and has been expanded to 28 tracks for new 2019 editions. Bonus material includes music by the late American concert pianist Julius Katchen, introduced by Jones; three additional songs by blues titan Taj Mahal; and previously unheard recordings by The Dirty Mac of The Beatles' "Revolution" as well as "Warmup Jam".

Soundtracks

Luciano Pavarotti - Pavarotti: Music From The Motion Picture CD (Decca) 

Pavarotti: Music From The Motion Picture draws from Pavarotti's rich recorded catalog and follows the arc of the Ron Howard film. It features selections from operas such as "Turandot", "La bohème", "Aida", "Tosca" and more, as well as Italian songs and collaborations with friends such as Plácido Domingo, José Carreras ("'O sole mio", "Nessun dorma"), U2, Brian Eno, Passengers ("Miss Sarajevo"), and others. Touchingly, the complete recording of Puccini's "Donna non vidi mai", which Pavarotti dedicated to Princess Diana, is included. In addition to a special unreleased song with Andrea Bocelli, the soundtrack also features Pavarotti's duet of "Ave Maria" with Bono, available for the first time commercially. 

New on Vinyl

Miles Davis - The Complete Birth Of Cool 2xLP (Blue Note) 

In honor of the 70th anniversary of its original singles in 1949, The Complete Birth Of The Cool by Miles Davis is being released on LP. The record features Miles Davis' classic Birth Of The Cool as well as a second LP of live material from 1948, previously unreleased on vinyl. 

Ghosts Of The Forest - Ghosts Of The Forest 2xLP (Jemp) 

New release from this band led by Phish's Trey Anastasio. On Ghosts Of The Forest, Trey is joined by Phish drummer Jon Fishman and Trey Anastasio Band bassist Tony Markellis. The album was recorded over a three-day period in 2018 at The Barn in Vermont's Green Mountains.

The Lemonheads - Varshons II LP+MP3 (Fire) 

Released last February on CD - now available on vinyl. The Lemonheads follow up the critically acclaimed Varshons from nearly ten years ago with another eclectic collection of covers. Varshons II brims with the slowly matured vocal of Evan Dando as he lures a host of personal faves to his melodic lair.

Sting - My Songs 2xLP (A&M) 

Recently released on CD - now available on vinyl. My Songs is an album comprised of the 17-time Grammy Award winner's most celebrated hits from his unparalleled career, each reshaped and reimagined for 2019.

Cave In - Final Transmission LP (Hydrahead) 

Originally intended as demos, Final Transmission marks the first Cave In album in eight years and the band's last with bassist and vocalist Caleb Scofield, who was killed in a car accident last year. The opening title track is a voice memo of a song idea he sent to his bandmates the last time they saw each other. All proceeds from Final Transmission will be given to Caleb's wife and children. [CD edition due July 12.]

Mountain Man - Sings John Denver 7" (Nonesuch) 

Mountain Man releases a single featuring its take on two John Denver tunes: "Take Me Home, Country Roads" and "Around And Around".

John Floreani - Sin LP (Hopeless) 

Debut solo album from the Trophy Eyes frontman. The Australian singer explores the acoustic, melodic, and eccentric side of his songwriting in this emotional collection of songs.

Pink Floyd - The Division Bell [Reissue/1994] 2xLP (Sony Legacy) 

Limited double translucent blue colored 25th anniversary edition vinyl pressing.

Black Crowes - Lost Crowes [Reissue/2006] 2xLP (Silver Arrow) 

Limited colored vinyl pressing. Includes one green and orange swirl and one arctic swirl and one splatter colored LP.

John Mellencamp - The Best That I Could Do (1978-1988) [Reissue/1997] 2xLP (Mercury) 

Double gold colored vinyl pressing of the first greatest hits compilation album by John Mellencamp. It compiles Mellencamp's most popular material recorded during his first decade, beginning with 1978's A Biography, up through 1987's The Lonesome Jubilee.

James Taylor - One Man Band [Reissue/2007] 2xLP (Craft Recordings) 

James Taylor began his career in the late- '60s with a guitar, a suitcase and a handful of original songs. On 2007's One Man Band - recorded live over several dates at the Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield, MA in July 2007 - Taylor returned to this spirit and showcased material from the previous 40 years of his legendary career.

Keith Urban - Greatest Hits: 19 Kids [Reissue/2008] 2xLP (Capitol Nashville) 

The 2008 collection from the country superstar is now available on vinyl.

Boogie - Everything Is For Sale LP (Shady) 

The debut studio album by the rapper includes guest appearances from 6lack, Christian Scott, Eminem, J.I.D, and Snoh Aalegra, with production mainly coming from Keyel Walker and Darttny Ellis among others.

Mattson 2 - Paradise LP (Company Records) 

Paradise is the Mattson 2's second release on Chaz Bear's (fka Chaz Bundick, aka Toro y Moi) Company Records. It's the first album they've written and recorded in their home, which is a wooden cabin in the hills of San Diego. You can hear the sun in the keyboards, in the '80s-inflected jazz.

Anything Box - Peace [Reissue/1990] LP (Get On Down) 

Veterans of the synth-pop movement of the '80s and early '90s, the New Jersey trio Anything Box took their name a collection of short stories and made their name among a cult following of club-goers for their quirky, and often minimalist alt-dance music.

Akiko Yano - Iroha Ni Konpeitou LP (Wewantsounds)
Originally released in 1977. One of Yano's funkiest albums, highlighting her singing and songwriting talents, and also perhaps her best-known album in the Western world. The record is a slick mix of Japanese pop and New York funk, most of which finds Akiko accompanied by some of the best musicians of the Tokyo music scene, gravitating around the groups Happy End and Tin Pan Alley: the ubiquitous Haruomi Hosono on bass, Tatsuo Hayashion drums, Shigeru Suzuki on guitar, to name just a few. Hideki Matsutake, soon-to-be programmer-in-chief for Yellow Magic Orchestra, handles keyboard programming duties on the album as Yano plays a wide array of keyboards: Moog IIIc, Mini Moog, String Ensemble, the Fender Rhodes, Clavinet, and Yamaha CP7C. Although the album feels very accessible and funky, the complex keyboard layers underneath make the album a richly textured and inventive one once you scratch its surface.

David Axelrod - Earth Rot [Reissue/1970] LP (Now Again) 

David Axelrod (1931-2017) was producer and A&R at Capitol in Hollywood in the 1960s, working with artists Cannonball Adderley, Lou Rawls, David McCallum, among others, and the infamous group of L.A. session musicians known as the Wrecking Crew. In 1967, for Reprise Records, Axelrod composed and ghost-produced the psychedelic rock album Mass In F Minor under the guise of The Electric Prunes. This surprise hit earned Axelrod new audience, and the opportunity to release a string of albums under his own name back at Capitol. Earth Rot (1970) set Axelrod up for his final stage as an architect of jazz fusion and ensured that his productions would help future architects of hip-hop.

Nils Petter Molvaer - Khmer [Reissue/1997] LP (ECM) 

Drawing from techno, drum 'n' bass, and ambient music, Khmer concentrates on texture, abstraction and sound quality. Funky digital grooves are disrupted by shifting time signatures; weird natural sounds are rendered unrecognizable by treatments; Indo-Arabic rhythms threaten to get funky but remain joyously understated throughout. And on top of everything comes Molvaer's trumpet - lonesome, haunting and utterly majestic.

Charles Lloyd - Voice In The Night 2xLP [Reissue/1999] 

A departure and a homecoming for the "Memphis-born and California-based tenorist, introducing new music and revisiting archive favorites (including the epic 'Forest Flower'), and featuring an all-star line-up. This top-flight quartet bristles with a silent, self-assured energy... It may be subdued and serene, but this album is absolutely luminescent." - CMJ New Music Report

Airto - Natural Feelings [Reossie1970] LP (Real Gone Music) 

First vinyl reissue in over 45 years for a long-lost, pivotal jazz fusion record.

Lester Young With The Oscar Peterson Trio - The President Plays With The Oscar Peterson Trio [Reissue/1956] LP (Verve) 

A landmark collaboration between two jazz titans, this classic 1952 collection also features the stellar rhythm section of Barney Kessel on guitar, Ray Brown on bass and JC Heard on drums.

The Temptations - Cloud Nine [Reissue/1969] LP (Motown) 

Limited edition pressing on colored swirl fuchsia vinyl. Cloud Nine put The Temptations at the forefront of psychedelic soul.

Janet Jackson - Control [Reissue/1986] LP (A&M) 

Vinyl reissue of the third studio album from Janet Jackson. Control is a unique fusion of rhythm and blues, funk, pop, disco and modern synthesized percussion.

Lloyd McNeill - Soul Jazz Records Presents Lloyd McNeill: Treasures LP (Soul Jazz) Originally released on the artists own private press Baobab label in New York in 1976, Treasures is a serious collectors piece, a heavyweight and fascinating fusion of deep and spiritual jazz sensibilities blended with Brazilian and Latin rhythms and melodies. Lloyd McNeill is a cultural polymath a multi-disciplinarian flautist, painter, academic, poet, and photographer who as a musician has worked with everyone from Mulatu to Nina Simone, Eric Dolphy and Nana Vasconceles (and as a painter was befriended by Picasso).

Julie Coker - A Life in the Limelight: Lagos Disco & Itsekiri Highlife, 1976-1981 LP (Kalita Records)
The first ever compilation of music from Julie Coker, the queen of Nigerian television, collecting seven of her most sought-after Afro disco and hauntingly-beautiful Itsekiri highlife recordings. After gaining fame as Miss Western Nigeria 1957, Julie became the country's first ever (and Africa's second) female television presenter, as well as a popular national radio host. In 1976, having been surrounded by close musical friends like Fela Kuti, Julie entered the Nigerian music scene with the psychedelic highlife album Ere Yon (Sweet Songs) (1976), followed in 1981 by the disco-centric Tomorrow. Kalita Records select four recordings from Ere Yon (Sweet Songs) and three from Tomorrow, all as fresh-sounding today as they were when first released forty years ago. The track "Ere Yon" was recently re-interpreted by Anderson .Paak on his album Oxnard.

Muddy Waters - King Bee [Reissue/1981] LP (Friday Music) 

Limited 180gm gold colored audiophile vinyl pressing. Muddy's final studio album, 1981's King Bee finds the dynamic duo in fine form on a consummate set that encompasses revisits of old Chess material, stellar originals like Champagne & Reefer, and most notably his all-time classic take on Slim Harpo's King Bee.

The Butterfield Blues Band - In My Own Dream [Reissue/1968] LP (Sundazed) 

Limited red colored vinyl pressing. Fresh from their triumphant appearance at the Monterey International Pop Festival in June 1967, the Paul Butterfield Blues Band entered the studio to record their fourth album, In My Own Dream. It chronicles the evolution of the band, continuing to add elements of jazz and R&B to its traditional blues approach.

The Moody Blues - In Search Of The Lost Chord [Reissue/1968] LP (Polydor) 

Digitally remastered 50th anniversary 180gm vinyl reissue of the third album by The Moody Blues. 

Genesis - Seconds Out [Reissue/1977] 2xLP (Atlantic) 

Vinyl reissue of Genesis' second live album. Its release coincided with the departure of guitarist Steve Hackett who left the group during the album's mixing stages, thus reducing Genesis to the core trio of keyboardist Tony Banks, guitarist Mike Rutherford, and drummer and singer Phil Collins.

This Town Needs Guns - This Town Needs Guns [Reissue/2008] LP (Sargent House) 

"The band's self-titled 2008 release is a compilation of sorts that brings together material from various singles and splits released around this time. Despite this, it still manages to have a cohesive sound, and introduces the familiar version of TTNG. Gone are the distorted guitars and orchestration of earlier material (though piano is present throughout a few of the tracks), replaced with far more technical and melodic single guitar parts (courtesy of guitarist Tim Collis) that intertwine with melodic bass and groovy, driving drums by brother Sam Collis." - Heave Media

James Plotkin - The Joy of Disease: Demos & Remixes LP+CD (B.F.E. Records)
Beginning with the relentless, ever evolving and hallucinating music of O.L.D., through his many solo records and collaborations, to the surreal heavyweight sound of Khanate, progression and creativity have been the keystones of James Plotkin's oeuvre. The Joy Of Disease: Demos & Remixes showcases the initial recordings in preparation for the 1995 cult-favorite album on John Zorn's Japanese Avant label. These early home-recorded instrumental versions are supplemented by unreleased remixes from Plotkin and co-producer Mick Harris of Napalm Death/Scorn fame. "... somewhere full of stabbing psychedelic guitar loops and a slow, steady swarm of almost goth-like dirge beats that was quieter than something of the Wax Trax! or Boredoms ilk, but also subtler and simpler, with an avant-garde touch of Bruce Gilbert-styled feedback minimal electronica." --All Music

Gas - Königsforst [Reissue/1998] 3xLP+MP3 (Kompakt) 

Königsforst brings glimmers of light into Voigt's dark, magnificent forest. Melodic strings and brass are added to his signature layers of ominous intensity. The forest path is laid out by muffled kick drums as classical music loops incessantly swirl with no direction.

Daringer - Baker's Dozen: Daringer LP + flexi 7" (Fat Beats)
"I've been developing the ear for composition since my born day. My father is a jazz pianist, I grew up everyday listening to hours of his practicing solo improv. That's why my sequences are often unconventional. I grew up surrounded by a family of musicians. That had me listening to jazz, piano, horns, bass, and drums. The MPC became the most natural musical extension for me. The City of Buffalo provided the gritty, and ominous influence I became recognized for. - Daringer

Sky Civilian - Open Door LP (Atomnation)
Santa Fe, NM based artist Maggie Thornton's productions as Sky Civilian evoke a lust for the future and the far-away, but she grounds this lofty mood in familiar territory, with nostalgic, detuned synth instrumentation and four-on-the-floor percussion. Her weightless, almost-whispered vocals capture a hyper-natural feeling. The overall lyrical message is one of raw sincerity, as listeners confront unmistakable themes of loss and longing. Strange yet playful vocal production techniques grant the work a subtle pop tilt.

Helm - Chemical Flowers LP (PAN)
Long, sustained periods in the rural studio setting see Luke Younger working with an array of fragmented, disassociated sound sources, building on 2015's Olympic Mess to produce his most direct work to date. Collages are assembled and dismantled, and temporal and spatial boundaries fluctuate. Surrealist drowned world atmospheres sculpted far enough away from the source of inspiration leave plenty of room for ambiguity, tapping into a deep psychedelic undercurrent. Confused narratives, emotions and aleatory hallucinations ebb and flow throughout, occasionally recalling murky soundtrack terrain with eerie strings and ambient respite. Hollow percussion, modulating delay and curious field recordings come and go, maintaining a perpetual state of flux and evoking Editions EG influenced world-building. 

A Sagittariun - Return to Telepathic Heights LP (Running Back Incantations)
Conceived as a space western soundtrack to the cinematic interpretation of a tale of two feuding planets, Return To Telepathic Heights delivers ten chapters that journal the ultimate mission to reach the imposing tower of "Telepathic Heights", where dream telepathy has become the primary communicative tool among its peaceful and harmonious community, who have opted out of the planetary war that continues to rage. The score fittingly winds its way through the trials and tribulations of this journey, blending minimal and harmonic rhythms, industrial funk, dreamy synth wave, and transcendental techno into the rich tapestry of music that documents the Return To Telepathic Heights.

Xyn Cabal - Perfect Oracle 12" (The Death of Rave)
A staggering debut EP of hyper-present dancefloor dread and aerobic-mystic torque by Athenian artist Xyn Cabal. The nine-minute blinder "Ǝ" traverses a post-apocalyptic playground of brittle but shatterproof dembow drums, minor key synths, and black hole trance breakdowns, before "Nowei" unfurls a grimy cinematic elegy for the dispossessed. His permutations of Arabic vocals and sub-bass loops synch with upended drums in the title track, while "Veil Ordnance" pushes his rhythm programming to breathtaking, spiraling im/possibilities, and "MSF Venom" sounds the riot with slow motion Molotov drops turned into a noisy reggaeton beast.

Tujiko Noriko - Kuro OST LP (PAN)
Written and directed by Noriko and Joji Koyama, the film Kuro tells the tale of Romi, a Japanese woman living in the suburbs of Paris with her paraplegic lover Milou. Tending to Milou by day and working in a karaoke bar by night, Romi reminisces about a time she and Milou once lived together in Japan with a mysterious ailing man named Mr. Ono. Weaving together personal history, anecdotes, and myths, her stories soon turn ominous. The Kuro OST evokes the film's claustrophobic atmospheres and moments of haunting beauty. "When we first decided to 'split' the film into what might be described as two parallel layers -- the narrated story and the visual story -- we found that it opened up an 'in-between' space, a space where what is heard and seen continually wrestle with one another. We both thought of the music of Kuro as a score to this space in-between."

Puce Mary - The Drought LP (PAN)
Puce Mary breaks new ground with The Drought, evolving from the tropes of industrial and power electronics to forge a complex story of adapting to new realities. Bringing together introspective examination with literary frameworks by writers such as Charles Baudelaire and Jean Genet, Puce Mary's compositions manifest an ongoing power struggle within the self towards preservation. The seven-minute "The Size Of Our Desires" acts as the emotional tipping point of the record; amidst the ominous drone and dense feedback flutter almost-beatific melodies, while the lyrics reveal a romantic call to be swept up in the midst of an increasingly uninhabitable world. Rather than escape, The Drought dramatizes a metamorphosis in which vulnerability is confronted through regeneration. Noise and aggression no longer act as an affront to react against but part of a "corporeal architecture" where space, harmony and lyricism surface from the harsh tropes of industrial music. 

Reissues & Compilations

Grateful Dead - Aoxomoxoa [Reissue/1969] 3xCD/LP (Grateful Dead/WEA) 

This 50th Anniversary expanded triple-CD edition contains two versions of Aoxomoxoa - one fully remastered from the original 1969 mix and the other remastered from the definitive 1971 band-produced mix. The set is rounded out with a bonus disc of previously unreleased live music recorded January 24-26, 1969 at the Avalon Ballroom in San Francisco, CA. [50th Anniversary single-vinyl picture disc pressing also available, but it has not yet arrived. Hopefully it lands on Friday]

The Rolling Stones/Various  - The Rolling Stones Rock And Roll Circus 2xCD/3xLP (Abkco) 

Filmed over two days in December 1968, The Rolling Stones Rock And Roll Circus starred the '60s line-up of the Stones, complete with Brian Jones. They were joined by The Who, Jethro Tull, Taj Mahal, Marianne Faithfull, Yoko Ono and the remarkable, impromptu supergroup known as The Dirty Mac, comprising John Lennon, Keith Richards, Mitch Mitchell of the Jimi Hendrix Experience and Eric Clapton. The film's soundtrack has undergone a new mix and has been expanded to 28 tracks for new 2019 editions. Bonus material includes music by the late American concert pianist Julius Katchen, introduced by Jones; three additional songs by blues titan Taj Mahal; and previously unheard recordings by The Dirty Mac of The Beatles' "Revolution" as well as "Warmup Jam". [Stand-alone regular and deluxe DVD and Blu-ray editions also available.]

Fu Manchu - Godzilla's/Eatin' Dust +4 CD/3x10" (At The Dojo) 

Godzilla's/Eatin' Dust is the most popular release in Fu Manchu's 29 year recorded history. It is the combination of what were originally two distinct 10" releases: Godzilla (1997) and Eatin' Dust (1999). Last year, Scott Hill (vocals/guitar) found the original tapes from the Godzilla recording sessions produced by Josh Homme and unearthed a secret that had been in his garage since 1996: four songs that had never been released.

Paul Bley/Gary Peacock/Paul Motian - When Will The Blues Leave CD (ECM) 

In 1999, a year after recording the splendid reunion album Not Two, Not One, Paul Bley's highly innovative trio with Gary Peacock and Paul Motian took to the road with concerts on both sides of the Atlantic. When Will The Blues Leave documents a terrific performance at the Aula Magna di Trevano in Switzerland.

New on Cassette

Debby Friday - Bitchpunk CS (Deathbomb Arc)
Born in Nigeria, raised in Montreal, and now based in Vancouver, Debby Friday's work spans the spectrum of the audio-visual, resisting categorizations of genre and artistic discipline. She is at once sound theorist and musician, composer and performer, video artist, poet and PUNK GOD. Debby got her start in music as an internationally touring DJ known for her daring, idiosyncratic sets, opening for Mykki Blanco and Princess Nokia. Writing for Mask Magazine, John Rufo describes the artist as, "intricately dexterous and dangerous... [one who] echoes, samples, sings, speaks and reverberates through innumerable Black diasporic sonic geographic landscapes and fields." Her multi-disciplinary art practice explores themes of ritual and feminine aggression as well as discourses of power, forces of diaspora and the aesthetics of eroticism.

Books

John Doe & Tom DeSavia - More Fun In the New World: The Unmaking and Legacy of LA Punk BK (Da Capo Press) 
Picking up where the bestselling Under the Big Black Sun left off, More Fun in the New World explores the years 1982 to 1987, covering the dizzying pinnacle of L.A.'s punk rock movement as its stars took to the national -- and often international -- stage. Detailing the splintering of punk into various sub-genres, the second volume of John Doe and Tom DeSavia's west coast punk history portrays the rich cultural diversity of the movement and its characters, the legacy of the scene, how it affected other art forms, and ultimately influenced mainstream pop culture. More Fun in the New World weaves in the perspectives of musicians Henry Rollins, Fishbone, Billy Zoom, Mike Ness, Jane Weidlin, Keith Morris, Dave Alvin, Louis Pérez, Charlotte Caffey, Peter Case, Chip Kinman, Maria McKee, and Jack Grisham, among others. In addition to stories of success, the book also offers a cautionary tale of an art movement that directly inspired commercially diverse acts such as Green Day, Rancid, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Wilco, and Neko Case, ultimately following the progression of the first decade of L.A. punk to its conclusion and its eventual cultural rebirth.