New Releases - 7/7/23
Hitting The Racks
Here's your weekly rundown of what's hitting the new release racks at Grimey's
New Releases
African Head Charge – A Trip To Bolgatanga CD/LP+MP3 (On-U Sound)
New release from the psychedelic dub ensemble. [Limited-edition glow in the dark vinyl.]
Tony Allen / Adrian Younge – JID018 LP (Jazz Is Dead)
With each subsequent release, Jazz Is Dead continues to exalt the legacies of iconic musicians who have shaped the fabric of Jazz across generations, genres, and continents. For their latest installment, the label connected with the late great Tony Allen, best known for his foundational work as the drummer for Fela Kuti's Africa 70, and later Egypt 80. Over the course of Allen's recording career, he defined the Afrobeat sound, meshing funk, and jazz influences with Nigerian highlife to create a cross-cultural dialogue that has gone global. [Indie store exclusive brown vinyl.]
Anohni & The Johnsons – My Back Was A Bridge For You To Cross CD/LP+MP3 (Secretly Canadian)
Anohni’s sixth studio album shape-shifts through its subject matter: the loss of loved ones, inequality, alienation, privilege, denial, ecocide and the tidal power of Earth, isolation, Future Feminism, and the intention that we might yet transform our ways of thinking, our religious ideas, our societal structures, and our relationships with the rest of nature. [A limited-edition white vinyl..]
Gus Dapperton – Henge CD/LP (WB)
Alt-pop icon Gus Dapperton's vast and ambitious new album Henge builds a new world – tugging the listeners between night and day, socializing and solitude. The Warwick, NY native constructed the album with the concept of entering an underworld as the sun goes down and trying to get home before dawn – or risk being stuck in a time loop. Sonically the album delivers a contemporary eclectic sprawl, at times landing between ‘80s new-wave and ‘70s funk. Collaborators include Cruel Santino, Ocean Vuong, and BENEE – who Dapperton reunites with musically following their double-platinum viral hit "Supalonely". Dapperton's music maintains the intimacy that made his previous offerings so resonant – including the singles "Horizons", "Wet Cement", and "Don't Let Me Down". [An indie store exclusive autographed CD version and an indie store exclusive red color vinyl pressing are available.]
Jackson Dean – Greenbroke LP (Big Machine)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Fast-rising singer/songwriter Jackson Dean is earning a reputation for his old-school, gritty, outlaw style of Country following a breakout year that landed him on Pandora's Ten for 2023 All Genre, Spotify's Hot Country Artists to Watch 2023, CMT Listen Up Class of 2023, as well as a slew of other artist-to-watch lists.
The Dust Coda – Loco Paradise CD (Earache)
London-based trailblazers The Dust Coda release their latest album Loco Paradise; a pleasurable, tempestuous rock 'n' roll journey. Recorded during the hazy summer heat of 2022, Loco Paradise saw the band take residence together at the divinely picturesque Chapel Studios in Lincolnshire, with producer Charlie Russell (Kasabian, Jamiroquai, Wargasm) at the helm. "This album really captures the band at the top of its game. We locked ourselves away in the studio together for a week to live and breathe the creation of Loco Paradise. Just six people constantly feeding off each other 24 hours a day for 7 days to give life to these songs and elevate them to a place beyond our expectations. The result is a 54-minute testimony of pure, organic rock 'n' roll music."
Dominic Fike – Sunburn CD (Columbia)
Sunburn is Dominic Fike's highly anticipated sophomore full-length album, and the follow up to 2020's What Could Possibly Go Wrong. This 14-track collection finds the artist going back to Naples, Florida, as he sets out to explore his childhood, family history & the meaning of home. The album has production credits for Dominic Fike, as well as Jim-E Stack and Kid Harpoon.
Gabriels – Angels & Queens CD/LP (Atlantic)
Los Angeles soul trio Gabriels presents the full-length release of their debut album, Angels & Queens. The 13-track record, released via Atlas Artists/Parlophone Records, was produced by Grammy winning fellow Compton local, Sounwave. Angels & Queens Part I was released in September 2022, picking up widespread acclaim across the globe. Its release was governed by the band's desire to push through the release of new recordings and deliver the record in two distinct chapters. The second chapter, Angels & Queens, incorporates a brand-new recording of the band's seminal debut single, "Love and Hate In A Different Time", and songs that have already become staples of the band's live set including "Offering", "Glory", and "Great Wind". [An indie store exclusive silver color vinyl pressing is available.]
Grouplove – I Want It All Right Now CD/LP (Glassnote)
Los Angeles' Grouplove blends a quirky, '90s-style indie rock sensibility with a spirited, arena-ready roar. It's a sound they debuted on 2011's Never Trust A Happy Song, which spawned the number one Billboard Alternative Songs Chart hit "Tongue Tied". They have continued to straddle mainstream and indie success, playing festivals around the globe and remaining Top 20 Billboard Alternative chart regulars with albums like 2013's Spreading Rumours and 2020's Healer. In March 2021, Grouplove returned with their surprise fifth album, This Is This. New album I Want It All Right Now was produced by Grammy-winning producer John Congleton [Indie store exclusive pink w/ white vinyl.]
PJ Harvey – I Inside The Old Year Dying CD/LP (Partisan)
PJ Harvey's tenth studio album I Inside The Old Year Dying marks her first release in seven years, following her 2016 UK No. 1 The Hope Six Demolition Project. On this album, which was recorded with long-time creative collaborators John Parish and Flood, PJ Harvey builds a sonic universe somehow located in a space between life's opposites, and between recent history and the ancient past. Scattered with biblical imagery and references to Shakespeare, all these distinctions ultimately dissolve into something profoundly uplifting and redemptive.
David Kushner – Footprints I Found LP (Virgin)
Limited silver metallic with brown/yellow splatter color vinyl pressing. Footprints I Found is a collection of stories written and performed by David Kushner. The seven-song EP deals with topics on loss, love, mental health, hope and new beginnings. Amidst viral success of single "Daylight", the vinyl release brings you deeper into Kushner's world in the lead up to his upcoming album.
Lifeguard – Crowd Can Talk / Dressed In Trenches LP+MP3 (Matador)
A composite of two EPs by Lifeguard. Crowd Can Talk was originally released in the summer of 2022 by Chicago label Born Yesterday, while Dressed In Trenches features five brand new and unreleased songs. Crowd Can Talk / Dressed in Trenches is also available on vinyl for the first time (A and B-sides of a 12"). Crowd Can Talk and Dressed In Trenches are closely related. They were recorded in separate sessions, but at the same studio (Electrical Audio) and with the same engineer (Mike Lust) and within the space of 12 months. Each finds the band refining its voice - honing songs that are succinct, hooky, and propulsive. There's a newly disciplined attention to detail. Lifeguard write together through collaboration and improvisation, but they've learned to streamline their sound, to make each hook, beat, and gesture purposeful.
Little Dragon – Slugs Of Love CD/LP+MP3 (Ninja Tune)
Little Dragon, the much-loved Grammy-nominated Swedish band, return with Slugs Of Love. Recorded in the musical oasis of their Gothenburg Studio – the same studio they have worked in for almost 20 years – on Slugs Of Love they bring their distinctive blend of soulful pop, electronics and R&B – all underpinned by lead singer Yukimi Nagano's instantly recognizable vocals – to the fore across 11 tracks that encapsulate the full range of their diverse individual musical influences. [Indie store exclusive orange w/ black & blue splatter vinyl.]
Local Natives – Time Will Wait For No One CD/LP (Loma Vista)
Living in L.A.: There are a lot of people looking for that one trick that will help the new them emerge fully realized, successful and happy. It's a worthwhile, but doomed, pursuit and the best we can hope for is to be present in a moment. Local Natives' fifth studio album, Time Will Wait For No One, comes at a moment of personal metamorphosis. Former selves melting away, some becoming fathers, some enduring periods of isolation, loss, and identity crisis. Time Will Wait For No One is a mantra of reassurance in response to relentless changes. It was recorded across famed Los Angeles recording studios with producer John Congelton. [Indie store exclusive canary yellow vinyl.]
Mama Terra – The Summoned LP (Acid Jazz)
The Summoned is a conceptual journey through life and the universe. This incredibly ambitious and exciting debut album closes with “Like Tears In Rain”, inspired by some dialogue from the movie Blade Runner: "I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. Beginning with “Ruptura”, born out of turning a negative experience into a positive one, the album travels through “Sunday”, a spiritual song inspired by the 'big bang' and mourning those whom Marco has lost on this sacred day of rest.
Donny McCaslin – I Want More LP (Edition)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. I Want More by Donny McCaslin is a groundbreaking and visionary album that challenges traditional boundaries and sets new standards in the world of jazz.
Miles Miller – Solid Gold CD/LP (Thirty Tigers)
If you're a fan of the country, Americana, and bluegrass world, it's without a doubt you've already heard Miles Miller from his unwavering groove and feel, to his seamless high lonesome harmonies. Recording and touring globally with artists like Sturgill Simpson, Tyler Childers, and Town Mountain, he made a name for himself as "the" drummer for the country/Americana surge of the last decade. While drumming and singing put him on the map, playing guitar is Miles' first love. The pandemic provided time to bring years of song ideas to life. Honing in his songwriting while slowly crafting his voice and vision, it became evident that the time had come to step away from the drum kit and create a career of his own namesake.
Montoya – El Nido LP (ZZK)
Third album by Italy-based Colombian producer Montoya; five instrumental tracks and six collaborations with Latin American artists, including Colombians Nidia Góngora on "Soñé", Montañera on "Sierra", and Pedrina on "Nubecita". It also features Mexican artist Pahua on "Flor del Mar", the Peruvian Lara Nuh on "El Faro" and the Franco-Venezuelan La Chica on "Palosanto". Starting from the name itself ("The Nest"), an evocation of home, El Nido is also a Filipino municipality on the island of Palawan, a place that turned out to be Montoya's last live experience before the pandemic.
Odonis Odonis – Icon 12” (Felte)
Red color vinyl pressing. Odonis Odonis have proven time and time again that they're not interested in doing the same thing twice. Since their beginnings, the Toronto outfit led by core duo Constantin Tzenos and Denholm Whale, have put out five full-length albums, and played countless shows and festivals across North America and Europe, all while following their musical instincts. In the past eleven years, they've thrillingly explored genres including post-punk, EBM, industrial, shoegaze, pop, and surf rock.
Pink Spiders – Freakazoid LP (Pure Noise)
New album from Pink Spiders! This is the fifth album from the Nashville-based rockers. Pink Spider’s first record in five years overflows with mesmerizing hooks and dance-floor ready anthems. [Indie store exclusive black w/ pink vinyl.]
The Raven Age – Blood Omen CD/LP (Sony)
The Raven Age has established themselves as one of the finest in modern British metal, thanks to two brilliant albums, 2017’s Darkness Will Rise and 2019’s Conspiracy. The band has toured heavily across the globe with the likes of Killswitch Engage, Anthrax and Tremonti. The new album Blood Omen pushes everything further: the choruses are made for arenas, the riffs are taut, direct, and free of fat. It all makes for a grand musical stage on which the record’s concept plays out.
Saloli – Canyon LP (Kranky)
Portland pianist Mary Sutton second's full-length for Kranky delves deeper into her roots as a Cherokee Nation citizen (Saloli, pronounced like "slowly," is the Cherokee word for "squirrel"). The album is intended to evoke "a day in the life of a bear in a canyon in the Smoky Mountains," with each track channeling a different emotion or experience in its daily explorations. As with her 2018 debut, The Deep End, the entirety of Canyon was composed and performed live on a Sequential Circuits MultiTrak synthesizer - but this time routed through a delay pedal. This refraction adds a lyrical spatial quality, as though "echoing off canyon walls." It's music both gentle and adventurous, curiously rooting through soils and streams, in a sustained state of discovery.
Skrillex – Don’t Get Too Close LP (Atlantic)
Don't Get Too Close sees Skrillex stretching his multi-hyphenate prowess even further with an intricate and beautiful pop structured album offering up some of his most vulnerable and intimate work to date. After spending much time during the pandemic at Rick Rubin's Shari-La Studios and traveling around Europe endlessly collaborating with some of the most forward thinking and avantgarde voices in music, Skrillex was inspired with this project and delivered something completely open, brave and organic that is unique not just for him but for the music landscape at large and can be felt from the title track where he sings alongside close collaborator Bibi Bourelly.
Teri Gender Bender – Catspeak 10” (Clouds Hill)
Teri Gender Bender – Outsiders 10” (Clouds Hill)
It is simply impossible to label Teri Gender Bender within a specific genre. This doesn't come as a surprise looking at her musical accomplishments so far: Primarily known for her exceptional performances as frontwoman and multi-instrumentalist of Mexican garage punk band Le Butcherettes, she has also contributed vocals on numerous records for Omar Rodríguez-López, as well as collaborating with musical luminaries such as Melvins and Iggy Pop. As a solo artist, Teri has outgrown any kind of categorization, presenting herself gender-fluid, cheeky and colorful. She has moved far beyond common genre boundaries, inviting us to embrace and celebrate oneself's weirdness and quirkiness.
Reissues, Comps, Live Recordings, Vault Excavations...
Acid King – Acid King [Reissue/1994] LP (Riding Easy)
When Acid King pressed up their self-titled debut EP on a tape and started handing them out at shows with business cards, it wasn't an aesthetic choice. It was 1993. And while the world was still reeling in the aftermath of grunge breaking big on rock radio, this dirty-as-hell trio founded by guitarist/vocalist Lori S. was digging into even heavier vibes. Born out of Lori's shiftless days of wasted youth hanging around Chicago-area public parks, Acid King laughingly adopted the name from the book Say You Love Satan and its subject Ricky Kasso, a local drug dealer who killed a friend over angel dust, thereby becoming the stuff of Satanic Panic local news broadcasts all over the country.
Bettie Serveert – Palomine [Reissue/1993] LP+7”+MP3 (Matador)
In celebration of the 30th anniversary of Bettie Serveert's debut, Matador Records has released a limited transparent orange LP+7" of Palomine. Heralded in its original four-star review by Rolling Stone as "untamed and free as pop gets," the '90s classic will sees first pressing by Matador since the album's original release in 1993. The LP package is accompanied digitally by the release of four previously unavailable era-appropriate tracks on streaming (three of which can be found on the accompanying "Brain-Tag" 7") and newly remastered versions of the "Kid's All Right", "Palomine", and "Tomboy" music videos on YouTube. Palomine is featured as the first installment of Matador's Revisionist History catalog series in 2023.
Body Count – Manslaughter [Reissue/2014] LP (Sumerian)
Indie store exclusive black w/ yellow vinyl reissue of Body Count's fifth studio album, Manslaughter. Fronted by Ice-T, the legendary rapper, producer and actor delivers the band's signature blend of rap-fueled metal with rage-driven lyrics that can't be ignored.
Jackson Browne – Late For The Sky [Reissue/1974] CD/LP (Inside Recordings)
Jackson Browne – Running On Empty [Reissue/1977] CD/LP (Inside Recordings)
Newly remastered. Jackson Browne's third album Late For The Sky touches on themes of love, loss, and life itself. It includes the beautiful title track, "Fountains Of Sorrow", "For A Dancer", and "Before The Deluge". Browne was joined by David Lindley and his stellar group, along with guests Dan Fogelberg, Don Henley, and J.D Souther. Running On Empty is comprised of ten live performances recorded in 1977 between August 17 and September 18 by Browne and his band. They recorded these songs in natural settings, such as a Holiday Inn hotel room, a backstage rehearsal space, on a tour bus, and on stage.
Caamp – Lavender Days [Reissue/2022] LP (Mom + Pop Music)
Caamp – By & By LP (Mom + Pop Music)
By & By is the new album from the latest Midwest folk rock sensation, Caamp. The band formed when childhood friends Taylor Meier and Evan Westfall bonded over a shared love for Ohio and music. By & By includes key tracks "Penny Heads Up", "No Sleep", "By and By" and "Peach Fuzz". [Their 2022 album Lavender Days is also available this week on orchid & tangerine color vinyl.]
Sonny Clark – Sonny Clark Trio [Reissue/1958] LP (Blue Note)
The supremely swinging pianist Sonny Clark hit the Blue Note scene in 1957 with a burst of creativity recording three albums in three months including the sublime Sonny Clark Trio, a six-song set of bebop themes and standards featuring bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Philly Joe Jones. Part of Blue Note’s Tone Poet series.
Gal Costa – India [Reissue/1973] LP (Mr Bongo)
Gal Gosta is one of the all-time greats. An inspirational, iconic figurehead in Brazilian music, her outstanding career ran from 1967 up until 2022 (the year she died). Making her mark initially as one of the principal figures in the Tropicália movement of the ‘60s, she remained a trailblazing beacon that lit the way for decades to come. India is a post-Tropicália masterpiece that was originally released in 1973 on the Philips record label. It features a stellar line-up of musicians including Gilberto Gil, Arthur Verocai, Dominguinhos, Rogério Duprat and Tenorio Jr. among others.
Cradle Of Filth – Damnation And A Day [Reissue/2003] 2xLP (Century Media)
Damnation And A Day (subtitled From Genesis to Nemesis...) is the fifth studio album by English extreme metal band Cradle of Filth. [Indie store exclusive gray vinyl.]
Bill Evans – Waltz For Debby [Reissue/1962] LP (Craft Recordings)
Waltz For Debby, the fourth and final album by one of the most influential groups in jazz history, the Bill Evans Trio, was originally released in 1962 as a companion to Sunday At The Village Vanguard.
Rory Gallagher – All Around Man: Live In London 3xLP (UMe)
All Around Man: Live In London is a 23-track live album of unreleased material taken from a previously undocumented period of one of the greatest guitarists of all-time. This exhilarating album is pulled from two nights at the Town & Country Club (now The O2 Forum) in London in December 1990. All Around Man: Live In London was recorded from the shows that supported Gallagher's eleventh, and sadly, last studio album Fresh Evidence that was released in May 1990. This album features captivating live versions of tracks from that album as well as songs from the 1987's Defender album plus other career favorites.
Andre Gibson – Apart: Demos (1980 – 1984) LP (Numero)
Recorded in various basements and professional studios around Chicago between 1980 and 1984, the Apart Demos documents 12 intimate and stripped-down sketches, demos and unreleased tracks by Andre Gibson and the Universal Togetherness Band as they pivoted to solo careers. From heartfelt tributes to lovers adorned by a silky Fender Rhodes to disco party-starters about spiritual gratitude, Andre Gibson universally lets us into his heart and brings it all together in the end. [A limited-edition white colorway is available.]
Beverly Glenn-Copeland – Beverly Glenn-Copeland [Reissue/1971] CD/LP (Transgressive)
Beverly Glenn-Copeland is a singer and songwriter who was born in Philadelphia but has spent most of his life and career in Canada. He is a trans man. Glenn-Copeland started his career as a folk singer incorporating jazz, classical, and blues elements. Beverly Glenn-Copeland was released in 1971.
Hot Tuna – 3xCD Collection (Mercury Studios)
Upon achieving massive success as founding members of the Jefferson Airplane, longtime friends Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady would soon look for other ways to expand their love of traditional blues and rock, evolving into the inventive and successful Hot Tuna. One of the first jam bands of its kind, the duo has continued either acoustically or as full-tilt rockers for over five decades now, and their importance is measured by their amazing run of chart albums and concerts going back to the late sixties. 3xCD Collection features reissues of three live albums: Live At Sweetwater 1, Live At Sweetwater 2, and Live In Japan. The package features the CDs in mini jackets, housed in a slipcase with a poster of the cover art.
Ill Biskits – Chronical Of Two Losers [Reissue/1995] LP (Real Gone Music)
Clear vinyl pressing. Ill Biskits was a one-and-done, German-born, Virginia-based hip-hop duo composed of Deeda and Kleph Dollaz (R.I.P.) whose undeniable abilities on the mic and introspective, deep rhymes were mixed into hypnotic beats courtesy of D.I.T.C. producer superstars Buckwild and Lord Finesse.
Janet Jackson – janet. [Reissue/1993] 2xCD (Virgin)
Commemorating the 30th anniversary of Janet Jackson's seminal, Grammy Award-winning fifth studio album, this set features the original album, plus seven bonus tracks. Released in 1993, it was her third consecutive #1 album on the Billboard 200 and has sold more than 14 million copies worldwide. It features six Top 10 singles, including the #1 hits "That's The Way Love Goes" and "Again".
Nicki Minaj – Queen Radio: Volume 1 3xLP (Republic
Queen Radio: Volume 1 features Nicki Minaj's biggest hits to date, all on one album, including her latest Billboard Hot 100 #1 "Super Freaky Girl".
Hank Mobley – A Caddy For Daddy [Reissue/1965] LP (Blue Note)
Tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley had been recording for Blue Note for a decade when he made his excellent 1965 album A Caddy For Daddy featuring a first-class sextet with Lee Morgan on trumpet, Curtis Fuller on trombone, McCoy Tyner on piano, Bob Cranshaw on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums. Part of Blue Note’s Tone Poet Series.
Overkill – I Hear Black [Reissue/1994] LP (BMG)
Overkill – W.F.O. [Reissue/1994] LP (BMG)
Vinyl reissues of the sixth and seventh albums by the American thrash metal band.
Owsley – Owsley [Reissue/1997] LP (Real Gone Music)
Tan color vinyl reissue. You probably heard Alabama-born multi-instrumentalist Will Owsley before you heard of him; he was a mainstay in the bands of Amy Grant and Shania Twain during the mid- '90s. He then pulled a Tom Scholz of Boston-style maneuver and recorded his own album, which he shopped to the major labels as a take-it-or-leave-it deal. The Giant label bit, as well they should have; Owsley is one of the better power pop albums of the '90s and certainly one of the best power pop debuts ever to come down the pike (that this self-recorded album got a Grammy nom for best engineered album is further testimony as to Owsley's many talents). You'll hear a little Cars, a little Todd Rundgren, and a healthy helping of Owsley's former bandmate Ben Folds, but the crunch of Owsley's guitars makes sure the "power" gets as much play as the "pop."
Art Pepper – So In Love [Reissue/1980] CD/LP (Omnivore)
Originally reissued as part of the Promise Kept: The Complete Artist House Recordings boxed set, now available separately. So In Love (originally issued in 1980) features Pepper's takes on classics from Thelonious Monk, Cole Porter, and Hoagy Carmichael, plus a pair of originals including "Blues For Blanche." The CD and Digital add three bonus performances from the sessions. The AllMusic review by Scott Yanow noted: "Pepper is in excellent form throughout the album, giving these songs heart-wrenching interpretations".
Pool-Pah – The Flasher LP (Real Gone Music)
Limited black w/ white swirl ‘night sky’ vinyl pressing. 1973: the sexual revolution was on, streaking was taking college campuses by storm, and Deep Throat was edging pornography ever closer to the mainstream. Against this backdrop, a talented New York band with the unlikely moniker of Pool-Pah teamed up with up-and-coming singer-songwriter, musician, and arranger Rupert Holmes to write and record an unforgettably far-out soundtrack (renamed The Flasher) blending rock, psychedelia, jazz, prog, pop, and electronica.
RÜFÜS DU SOL – Live From Joshua Tree LP (WB)
A live album and film shot and recorded in the sprawling desert plains of Joshua Tree, California. First released in March 2020, the release of the film was a turning point for the group, catapulting them to stardom as one of the most in-demand live acts in the world. Available on vinyl for the first time, listeners can experience this seminal moment in the band's history and savor the music that emerged from this unforgettable performance. Comprised of members Tyrone Lindqvist, Jon George, and James Hunt, RÜFÜS DU SOL occupy the intersection of entrancing indie music and intelligent electronica. [Indie store exclusive vinyl.]
Screaming Females – Ugly [Reissue/2012] LP (Don Giovanni)
Screaming Females – Rose Mountain [Reissue/2015] LP (Don Giovanni)
Color vinyl reissues (white and red, respectively) of the New Jersey punk trio’s fifth and sixth albums.
The Stranglers – 4xCD Collection (Mercury Studios)
The Stranglers are an English rock band who emerged via the punk rock scene. Scoring 23 UK top 40 singles and 19 UK top 40 albums to date in a career spanning five decades, the Stranglers are one of the longest-surviving bands to have originated in the UK punk scene. This 4xCD package features reissues of four of their late '90s albums: About Time, Written In Red, Friday The Thirteenth Live At The Royal Albert Hall, and Coup de Grace. The set features the CDs in mini jackets, housed in a slipcase.
Sun Ra – Saturn XIII 10” (Press Pop)
A limited-edition Sun Ra 10” EP cut at 45rpm. Four tracks, two unreleased. The live recording Of “Just Friends” was only issued on a rare 1982 Saturn album entitled Just Friends. Few copies were pressed that album track (released here) is almost unknown to Ra fans. This is the first reissue of this track in any format. The location and actual date of the recording are unknown. It sounds like a home rehearsal, and probably dates from the 1970s.
Taylor Swift – Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) 2xCD/2xCassette/3xLP (Republic)
The (Taylor’s Version) of Taylor Swift’s 2010 album Speak Now is now available. The album includes 22 songs, six of which are previously unreleased songs from her vault. [Limited-edition orchid marble vinyl and violet marble vinyl versions are available.]
Various Artists – The Endless Coloured Ways: The Songs Of Nick Drake 2xCD/2xLP+7” (Chrysalis)
The Endless Coloured Ways is a collection of songs by legendary singer/ songwriter, Nick Drake, performed and recorded by over 30 incredible artists from a range of different backgrounds, genres, age groups and audiences. From Fontaines D.C. to Guy Garvey, Aurora to Feist, and Self-Esteem to David Gray, each artist has offered their own incredible take on a timeless classic. [A limited-edition gray color vinyl pressing with bonus 7” is available.]
Waxahatchee – Cerulean Salt [Reissue/2013] LP (Don Giovanni)
Limited cerulean blue vinyl pressing. On her second full-length record as Waxahatchee, former P.S. Eliot singer Katie Crutchfield's compelling hyper-personal poetry is continuously crushing. Cerulean Salt follows American Weekend - a collection of minimal acoustic-guitar pop written and recorded in a week at her family's Birmingham home. On this record, Crutchfield's songs continue to be marked by her sharp, hooky songwriting; her striking voice and lyrics that simultaneously seem hyper-personal yet relentlessly relatable, teetering between endearingly nostalgic and depressingly dark. Whereas before the thematic focus of her songcraft was on break ups and passive-aggressive crushing, this record reflects on her family and Alabama upbringing. American Weekend was mostly just Crutchfield and her guitar, Cerulean Salt is occasionally amped up, with a full band and higher-fi production.
Wham! – The Singles: Echoes From The Edge Of Heaven CD/2xLP (Sony Legacy)
Celebrating 40 years of one of the biggest and best-loved pop acts of all time, this is what the fans have been waiting for - Wham! The Singles: Echoes From The Edge Of Heaven. The compilation is available on single-disc CD (16 tracks) and double-LP (20 tracks) [A deluxe 12x7” vinyl box set featuring carrying case, a hardback book, a solid metal key ring, a badge, postcards, a numbered certificate and a bonus cassette including additional tracks is available for special order.]