New Releases - 8/14/20

Hitting The Racks

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

New Releases

Bassnectar - All Colors CD (ATO)
Bassnectar is the brainchild of Lorin Ashton, and his open-sourced musical project is as diverse as it is imaginary, as raw as it is meticulous, and as fierce as it is stunning. Spanning the spectrum of sonic style, the music draws inspiration from every genre imaginable and supplies a synthesis of intense, wobbling basslines and hypnotic soundscapes for a devout international audience that desires the beautiful and the bestial in the same breath. Bassnectar's new studio album, All Colors, signifies a merging of music and social change. [Vinyl edition due September 25.]

Biffy Clyro - A Celebration Of Endings CD/LP (WB)
"This is a very forward-looking album from a personal perspective and a societal perspective," explains frontman Simon Neil. "The title is about seeing the joy in things changing, rather than the sadness. Change means progression and evolution. You can retain everything you loved before, but let's lose the bad shit. It's about trying to take back control." Sonically, Biffy Clyro playfully push the outer reaches of their sound to the extreme - often in the case of the same song. Opening track "North Of No South" hits hard before finding the space for the Johnston brothers to unleash some soaring Queen-style vocal harmonies, before "The Champ" throws piano, cinematic strings (conducted by Bruce Springsteen collaborator Rob Mathes at Abbey Road) and Biffy's prototyped jagged rhythms into the mix without ever losing any of its sleekness. There's the rush of "The Vertigo Of Bliss", a detour into Sub Pop-style grunge and manic shrieks which wouldn't sound out of place on a Liturgy record. But then it contorts again, first into ethereal orchestration and then with a final burst of violence. It's an ending to celebrate. [Limited edition indie store exclusive vinyl pressing.]

Big Joanie - Cranes in the Sky / It's You 7" (Third Man Records)
Big Joanie are a black feminist punk band who describe themselves as The Ronettes filtered through 80s DIY and 90s riot grrrl, with a sprinkling of dashikis. Based in London, UK, Big Joanie have opened for such notable acts as Bikini Kill, Sleater-Kinney, The Raincoats and Parquet Courts. Outside of the band all three members have strong community ties, from helping run the festival for punks of colour Decolonise Fest, coaching new talent at Girls Rock London, or launching the 'Stop Rainbow Racism' campaign which works to stop racist performances in LGBT venues. Their new single, and first release with their fans and supporters at Third Man, is a stunner. The A-side is a brilliantly re-imagined cover of Solange's anthem dedicated to un-addressed sadness, "Cranes In The Sky". Big Joanie nods to the full weight and dazzle of the original but refreshingly transforms the song with a distorted, straight-ahead vision and drive. On the B-Side, "It's You" is a shadowy post-punk burne.. crisp, surprising, no BS. Limited edition coke bottle clear pressing.

C418 - Minecraft Volume Beta 2xLP (Ghostly Int'l)
As C418, composer and producer Daniel Rosenfeld designs sounds to resonate in both physical and pixelated realms. Best known for his original soundtracks to Minecraft, the single best-selling video game of all time, he's developed a discography of instrumental music over the last decade that traverses electronic pop patterns, neo-classical dreamscapes, and sparse ambient motifs. [Limited lenticular cover edition and limited colored vinyl pressing].

Tanya Donelly and the Parkington Sisters - Tanya Donelly and the Parkington Sisters CD/LP+MP3 (American Laundromat)
Tanya Donelly and the Parkington Sisters cover some of Tanya's favorite songs by The Go Go's, Leonard Cohen, Kirsty MacColl, Split Enz, Linda Ronstadt, The Pretenders, Wings, Echo & The Bunnymen, and Mary Margaret O'Hara. [Limited teal colored vinyl pressing also available.]

Kathleen Edwards - Total Freedom CD/LP (Dualtone Music Group)
Edwards makes her long-anticipated return to music with her fifth studio album, Total Freedom. Written and recorded in Canada and Nashville with longtime collaborator/guitarist, Jim Bryson, and Grammy-winning songwriter/producer, Ian Fitchuk, Total Freedom is both a return to form and a "hard reset," one that empowered Edwards to write and perform entirely on her terms.For inspiration, she turned to Bob Seger, who's "Against The Wind" struck a chord with her: "The song just reveals itself in such an effortless way. I was like, 'That's how I want to feel on these songs being written: that's how I want it to feel when I play it start to finish.'" [CDs shipped late and will arrive next week. Vinyl is in stock.]

Fantastic Negrito - Have You Lost Your Mind Yet CD/LP (Cooking Vinyl)
After winning his second Contemporary Blues Album Grammy for the acclaimed Please Don't Be Dead, Fantastic Negrito is back with his new album Have You Lost Your Mind Yet? This record focuses on mental health, while providing commentary on the political and social state of America. Lead track "I'm So Happy I Cry" features fellow Tiny Desk winner, Tank, from Tank and The Bangas. Additional focus tracks include "Chocolate Samurai", "Searching For Captain Save A Hoe (featuring E-40)" and "How Long?" which see him exploring hip-hop, R&B, and rock in a way like never before, providing a glimpse into the full versatility of Fantastic Negrito as an artist.

Bill Frisell - Valentine CD/2xLP (Blue Note)
The debut recording of guitarist Bill Frisell's trio with bassist Thomas Morgan and drummer Rudy Royston is a wide-ranging 13-song set that mixes Frisell originals new & old, jazz standards, traditional songs, and covers. Valentine explores the creative freedom of the trio format and the profound musical relationship between these three musicians after years of touring.

Gaerea - Limbo CD/2xLP (Season Of Mist)
Recently released on vinyl - now available on CD. Cathartic outfit Gaerea challenges the archetype of black metal, coloring outside of the genre's lines with melancholy, texture and passion. Limbo devours the listener with misanthropic catharsis and cinematic agony, delivering palpable emotion for 52 uninterrupted minutes. Lose yourself in the abyss. [2xLP vinyl is available to special order.]

Eric Hilton - Infinite Everywhere CD (Monserrat House)
After 25 years as the cofounder/writer/producer of Washington D.C. downtempo group Thievery Corporation, Eric Hilton releases his first solo record. Infinite Everywhere, a trip-hop dreamscape of beautiful melodies and wistful instrumentals, is an exploration of inner space. While Thievery genre-hops across and within their albums, Hilton's solo debut is distilled, focused, more personal. The title and concept is remarkably prescient, conveying melancholia and optimism in equal measures. [Vinyl edition due September 25.]

Bruce Hornsby - Non-Secure Connection CD/LP (Zappo Productions)
Bruce Hornsby is on a roll. After taking the music world by surprise with his wide-ranging, critically acclaimed 2019 album Absolute Zero, the singer, songwriter, composer and bandleader returns with a follow-up that picks up where its predecessor left off. Non-Secure Connection features 10 new songs exploring a broad range of themes, from civil rights to computer hackers, mall salesmen to the tribulations of youth basketball. Hornsby plays piano, of course, but the songs on Non-Secure Connection also feature Hornsby's electric sitar and Chamberlin, along with guitars, horns, strings and subtle samples from sources as varied as minimalist composer John Cage and Scottish rockers Franz Ferdinand. Like Absolute Zero, Non-Secure Connection also features a wealth of collaborators: singer James Mercer of The Shins and Broken Bells, singer and poet Jamila Woods, Living Colour guitarist Vernon Reid, Bon Iver leader Justin Vernon and the late Leon Russell, who appears thanks to a demo that he and Hornsby recorded together more than 25 years ago. [Limited edition indie store exclusive vinyl pressing.]

King Buzzo - Gift Of Sacrifice CD/LP (Ipecac)
Gift Of Sacrifice is the second solo acoustic album from legendary grunge progenitor King Buzzo aka Buzz Osborne, frontman for the legendary Melvins. Buzz is accompanied throughout the record by Trevor Dunn (Mr. Bungle, Fantomas) who is credited on the album cover. A different kind of animal, Gift Of Sacrifice follow's up Buzz's last solo album, 2014's This Machine Kills Artists.

Robby Krieger - The Ritual Begins At Sundown LP (Players Club)
The first solo album in 10 years from the legendary guitarist and songwriter of The Doors.The Ritual Begins At Sundown serves as his ninth solo album overall and first since 2010's Grammy- nominated Singularity, and finds Robby once again working with long time writing partner and co-producer Arthur Barrow, a frequent collaborator of Frank Zappa throughout the '70s and '80s as well as Giorgio Moroder, Joe Cocker, Diana Ross and Janet Jackson. The album also features other Zappa alumni including Jock Ellis (trombone), Sal Marquez (trumpet), Chad Wackerman (drums) and Tommy Mars (keys) as well as Adrienne 'AeB' Bryne (flute), Vince Denham (sax), Chuck Manning (sax) and Joel Taylor (drums).

Vusi Mahlasela - Shebeen Queen CD (ATO)
Vusi Mahlasela is simply known as The Voice in his home country, South Africa, celebrated for his distinct, powerful voice and his poetic, optimistic lyrics. Recorded in his hometown of Mamelodi, South Africa, this album is a tribute to township music in honor of his grandmother Ida, The Shebeen Queen.

Arlo McKinley - Die Midwestern CD (Oh Boy)
Coming out of the eclectic Cincinnati music scene that has produced everyone from The National and Walk The Moon to Bootsy Collins, Arlo McKinley has washed his songs in the blood of street soul, country, punk and gospel - and tattooed them onto the underground. Filled with a weight, honesty and gritty-hope from rustbelt city life, McKinley rolled downriver to Memphis to Sun Studio where Grammy Award-winning producer Matt Ross-Spang (Jason Isbell, Margo Price, John Prine) gathered a working man's all-star band to record Die Midwestern. McKinley's 10 original songs bleed truth and emotion from a heart scarred by wild nights and redeemed by Sunday morning confessions. "She's Always Around", "Suicidal Saturday Night", "Bag Of Pills", and "Ghost" - a song he wrote in a funeral home parking lot after carrying the coffin of his best friend - are all songs carved out in the key of life. Filled with a hardscrabble spirit akin to the late, great Johnny Paycheck, McKinley is making a name for himself that blue-collar way - humbly stacking piles of soulful acoustic songs that hurt so good. [Vinyl edition due September 25.]

Mo Pitney - Ain't Lookin' Back LP (Curb)
The country music singer/songwriter's second album features 7 songs co-written by Mo, and was produced by Jim "Moose" Brown, and contains additional co-writing contributions from a powerhouse list of some of the best in the business.Pitney, who has been named to multiple "Artists To Watch" lists by the likes of Rolling Stone, Billboard, The Huffington Post, Bobby Bones, and Spotify, among others, is influenced by traditional country music, bluegrass, blues, and singer/songwriters like Randy Newman and James Taylor.

Reb Fountain - Reb Fountain CD/LP (Flying Nun)
Over the span of her illustrious career as an independent singer-songwriter, Reb Fountain has become well-known for her earnest and honest approach to storytelling, garnering a close following of fans around the world and in her home, New Zealand. [Limited colored vinyl pressing.]

Rumer - Nashville Tears LP (Cooking Vinyl)
Southern American folklore tells of song-catchers: individuals who possess a spiritual, almost supernatural, connection to the music of a culture. They gather important songs and preserve them, providing voices to give them life and ensuring they're remembered. Rumer is such a song-catcher. On Nashville Tears, Rumer immerses herself in the catalog of Hugh Prestwood, a songwriter whose name is spoken with reverence by his colleagues. An album to savor, Nashville Tears collects 15 of Prestwood's finest songs, many never recorded until now, revealing truths of the heart, both intimate and universal, realistic and romantic. The record is launched with the folk-rich melody "Bristlecone Pine", a tale of becoming immortalized in death by being buried the feet of neglected but steadfast tree as old as history itself. "This is one of my favorite songs from the album," Rumer notes. "I love the atmosphere and the imagery, and the musicians who played on the song brought so much talent and energy to it. I love songs about the natural world and I love that this is a song about a tree."

Shallou - Magical Thinking LP (Island)
Shallou (Joe Boston) is an L.A.-based artist, record producer and environmentalist. The Maryland native utilizes his unique sound to create music that portrays the beauty of the great outdoors and the complexity of emotions through soft textures as opposed to the typical hardness and aggression found in dance/electronic music.

Sylvie Simmons - Blue On Blue LP (Compass)
The new album by renowned singer, writer and ukulele-player Sylvie Simmons is seamless and beautiful, with its memorable songs and spacious, unexpected arrangements. Once again it highlights her intimate vocals and intelligent lyrics that at first listen, seem dreamy and gentle but hold hidden barbs and pain.

State Champs - Unplugged 12" EP (Pure Noise)
A six-track EP of stripped down versions of four brand new songs as well as two fan-favorite tracks from their Living Proof release.

Tenille Townes - The Lemonade Stand LP (SME Nashville)
Recently released on CD - now available on vinyl. The debut album from the country singer-songwriter was produced by Jay Joyce (Eric Church, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town) and consists of seven new songs as well as all five songs from Townes' Road to The Lemonade Stand EP, which includes hit singles "Somebody's Daughter" and "Jersey On The Wall (I'm Just Asking)".

Whitney - Candid LP+MP3/Cassette (Secretly Canadian)
Following their acclaimed sophomore album Forever Turned Around, Whitney return with Candid, a 10-song collection of covers of songs by Kelela, David Byrne, John Denver, Labi Siffre, and more.

Young Jesus - Welcome To Conceptual Beach CD/LP+MP3 (Secretly Canadian)
Young Jesus artfully balance the wandering riffs of previous records with irresistible hooks, woven into their characteristic swathes of improvisation to create a shimmering, molten tapestry.Indeed, Welcome To Conceptual Beach elucidates the balance between many contrasting forces: the individual and the collective, the rational and the emotive, the tame and wild. It transforms the complex musicality of much post- and math-rock into a radical, crystalline practice, vibrant and light-casting.

Reissues & From The Archives

Henk Badings/Dick Raaijmakers - Evolutions, Contrasts & Electronic Music LP (Fantome Phonographique)
One of the most prolific composers of contemporary music in The Netherlands, Henk Badings was born in Indonesia in 1907, the son of an East Indies Company army officer, and orphaned at an early age. Back in Holland, Badings worked as a mining engineer and paleontologist, but abandoned this career to devote his life to music, making an impact in 1930 with the performance of his first cello concerto. A composer of various symphonies that made use of unusual music scales and uncommon harmonic structures, Badings began experimenting with electronic music in the 1950s, composing the first side of the Electronic Music LP in 1952 for a performance at the Gravesano Music Festival, using 12 oscillators and a violin, the second side in 1958 for a ballet performed by the Hannover Opera Ballet; recorded at Philips's studio in Eindhoven, it utilizes various sound generators, the final track featuring Dick Raaijmakers, a composer and electronic music specialist then employed by Philips in the field of electro-acoustics.

Bon Jovi - Cross Road (The Best Of Bon Jovi) [Reissue/1994] 2xLP (Island)Double vinyl LP pressing. Bon Jovi's first hits collection was issued in 1994, recapping a 10-year career of massive hits including such #1's as "Livin' On A Prayer". The album also featured a then-new song, Always, which became a global top 5 hit. This release marks the first time Cross Road is available on standard black vinyl in the US and includes a bonus track, "Never Say Goodbye", not on the US CD.

Alison Chesley, Steve Albini, Tim Midyett - Music From The Film Girl On The Third Floor 2xLP (Touch & Go)A double LP of music from the film Girl On The Third Floor; creepy instrumental music as described by co-creator Steve Albini. [Limited edition colored vinyl pressing also available.]

Jerry Garcia/John Kahn - GarciaLive Volume 14: January 27th, 1986 The Ritz 2xLP (ATO)
Recently released on CD - now available on vinyl. GarciaLive Volume 14 showcases a buoyant acoustic performance from Jerry Garcia and longtime friend/bassist John Kahn during the middle of a rare duo tour. Recorded on January 27, 1986 at The Ritz in New York City, Garcia and Kahn deliver two exquisite sets featuring Grateful Dead favorites ("Ripple", "Friend Of The Devil", "Dire Wolf", and "Bird Song", among others), spirited takes on Bob Dylan's "When I Paint My Masterpiece" and "Simple Twist of Fate", and more from Garcia's songbook.

Imaginary Softwoods - Annual Flowers in Color LP (Amethyst Sunset)
Green vinyl repress! The closest thing to a definitive statement in the twelve-year history of Imaginary Softwoods, the project of John Elliott (former member of Emeralds). While each of his projects draws from the same reservoir of glittering pinpoint riffcraft and homespun surrealism and each reflects in its own fashion the awareness that a certain undercurrent of lurid horror is essential to all authentically psychedelic music, Imaginary Softwoods has always been distinguished in its relationship to a particular decades-long chain of private press loner music, or chamber music for shut-ins.  It's exactly the thing you're thinking of when you think 'I want to hear really killer polysynths and tape delay,' but it's also much more, glistening with distended reflections of Steve Roach and Steven Stapleton.  

The Knife - Shaking the Habitual: Live At Terminal 5 CD+DVD (BFD)
Shaking the Habitual: Live at Terminal 5 was filmed at the titular New York City venue. The film is, finally, a fitting end to The Knife's long career, and with its dancers, costumes, and intricate stage set-ups, it celebrates all of the eccentricity that made them so great. May their legacy rest in power, and also in spandex.

Mac Miller - K.I.D.S. [Reissue/2010] 2xLP (Rostrum)
The first-ever physical release of Mac Miller's seminal mixtape K.I.D.S. Double LP with three sides of music and one silkscreen side. Gatefold jacket packaging.

Pink Martini - Non Ouais! (The French Songs Of Pink Martini) [Reissue/2018] LP (Heinz)
First-time vinyl pressing. All of Pink Martini's French songs from its entire discography collected on one très sympathique compilation, the perfect gift for the Francophile, French student, or Paris-bound traveler in your life.

Jonathan Richman - I, Jonathan [Reissue/1992] LP (Craft Recordings)
As a founding member of the influential proto-punk band The Modern Lovers, Richman built a reputation for conveying authentic emotions and storytelling with his music. Stepping out as a solo artist in the '80s, he continued this aesthetic with simple and sparse rock and roll arrangements, and straightforward lyrics about mundane topics. 1992's I, Jonathan includes the fan favorites "I Was Dancing In The Lesbian Bar", "That Summer Feeling", and "Parties in the U.S.A."

Pharoah Sanders - Rejoice 2xLP (Theresa Records)
Originally released in 1981. Rejoice features Pharoah Sanders in excellent form, sounding much more mellow than he had a decade earlier, often improvising in a style similar to late-'50s John Coltrane, particularly on 'When Lights Are Low,' 'Moments Notice,' and 'Central Park West.' The personnel changes on many of the selections and includes such top players as pianists Joe Bonner and John Hicks, bassist Art Davis, drummers Elvin Jones and Billy Higgins, vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson, trombonist Steve Turre, trumpeter Danny Moore, a harpist, and (on 'Origin' and 'Central Park West') five vocalists.

75 Dollar Bill - Wooden Bag LP (Other Music Recording Company)
Repressed. "Wooden Bag is 75 Dollar Bill's debut record on the Other Music Recording Company label. Originally released in January of 2015, our limited vinyl debut, Wooden Bag, followed various cassette and digital EPs, and quickly sold out. Now back in print from new lacquers cut at Chicago Mastering and manufactured at Memphis Record Pressing, this re-release sounds and looks fantastic. A must-have for fans both old and new, the LP comes packaged in a custom 'disco sleeve,' which reproduces the original's hand-stamped art, and includes a download card." "The album's seven gyrating, hypnotic dances feature maracas, shakers and homemade-horn -- accented guitarscapes; imagine Yo La Tengo but with Indian music rather than the Velvets as prime inspiration."

Wilson Simonal - Tem Algo Mais LP (Honey Pie Records)
Originally released in 1963. A prominent figure in the development of Brazilian pop music, a real superstar in the '60s, and a key voice in Rio's soul scene, despite still being largely unknown outside South America. In fact, Simonal never fit completely in the dominant bossa nova sound of the period. Tem Algo Mais, originally released in 1963 was his second album, a highly distinctive and very successful formula based on the idea of a marriage between bossa nova, jazz, and stylized orchestral pop arrangements. All without forgetting Simonal's hyper-smooth vocal style, the fruit of old school Brazilian approach, and genuine '60s positive vibes.

Spoon - Girls Can Tell [Reissue/2001] CD/LP+MP3 (Matador)
Girls Can Tell served as Spoon's stunning follow-up to 1998's A Series Of Sneaks. The Austin, Texas indie rock outfit's third studio album overall finds the extremely talented Britt Daniel developing into one of the most unique voices in rock 'n' roll with a remarkable maturity and economy to his songwriting. The perfect blend of craft and cool, Rolling Stone hailed Girls Can Tell as "A start-to-finish triumph!" Upon the album's 15th anniversary, Under The Mag noted that, "Spoon have gone on to make some very good albums since Girls Can Tell, but they've never made one as great and one that expertly weaves their accessible and experimental sides quite as well."