New Releases - 8/19/22

Hitting The Racks

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

New Releases

The A’s – Fruit LP (Psychic Hotline)

Not to be confused with the late '70s/early '80s new wave band, The A's is Amelia Meath (Sylvan Esso, Mountain Man) and Alexandra Sauser-Monnig (Daughter of Swords, Mountain Man). The duo's debut album Fruit is wild, weird cosmic cowboy songs performed on hair, ice chunk, nylon shorts, gravel, guitar, and more.

American Aquarium – Chicamacomico LP (Losing Side)

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl, including an indie store exclusive clear w/ green & black color pressing. “Chicamacomico is a record about loss. Over a six-month span at the end of 2019/beginning of 2020, I lost my grandmother, my mother and watched as the world fell into a 2+ year pandemic that decimated businesses, relationships, and dreams. This is a record about dealing with those losses. My hope is these songs serve a salve for anyone else experiencing loss. A reminder that you are not the only one that lost a friend this year, or a parent, or a loved one. There's a special kind of hope that comes from that realization. I am not alone. We enlisted Brad Cook (Bon Iver, Nathaniel Ratliffe, Waxahatchee) to produce the record and traveled to Sonic Ranch, a world-renowned recording complex tucked in the middle of a 1,700-acre pecan orchard, in the Texas border town of Tornillo. Over the course of ten days, we watched these songs go from simple folk ruminations into fully formed band arrangements.” – BJ Barham

Felicia Atkinson - Image Language 2xLP (Shelter Press)

Image Language is a stunning album that dips fourth-world MIDI oddness into silvery pools of cinematic intrigue, juxtaposing dislocated poetry with disorienting jazz and electronics that belong alongside works by Bohren & der Club of Gore, Robert Ashley, Christina Vantzou, David Toop and Colleen.

Babyface Ray – Face 2xLP (Wavy Gang)

Released last March on CD – now available on black & red stripe color vinyl. Following the commercial success of the 2021 album Unf*ckwitable and an overall banner year for the Detroit rapper, Babyface Ray comes with the aptly titled and highly anticipated album, Face, which sees him stake his claim as "The Face of the City." Production on the twenty-track album is largely handled by 808 Mafia, DJ Esco and others, and features appearances from Icewear Vezzo, Yung Lean, Pusha T, G Herbo, Wiz Khalifa, 42 Dugg & Landstrip Chip. With an already impressive list of cosigns from artists such as Future and Tyler, The Creator, Babyface Ray continues his all-out assault to put Motor City on the map and isn't taking his foot off the gas anytime soon.

Caterina Barbieri - Spirit Exit 2xLP (Light-Years)

Spirit Exit is Caterina Barbieri's time machine, primarily composed with a modular synth rig she thinks of more like a mechanical fortune teller. Whereas previous releases were constructed on lengthy tours, capturing only snapshots of continually evolving works, Spirit Exit represents the producer's first album fully written and recorded in her home studio amidst Milan's two-month pandemic lockdown in 2020. It was during this extended isolation she found inspiration from female philosophers, mystics and poets spread across time, but united in their strength at cultivating vast internal worlds. [Limited edition silver color vinyl pressing]

Belphegor – The Devils LP (Nuclear Blast)

Recently released on CD – now available on ‘wine red’ color vinyl. Twelfth album from the diabolical death metallers.

The Berries – High Flying Man LP (Run For Cover)

White color vinyl pressing. The Berries is the project of vocalist, guitarist and main songwriter Matt Berry, a Washington native who's spent the past few years living in Los Angeles. High Flying Man feels like a cautionary phrase - it's hard to remove the connotations of Icarus, some of the more-unfortunately famous Flying Wallendas or even just a guy in the middle of a heater at the blackjack table. It's the promise of an adrenaline rush fighting against the eventuality of a comedown on the horizon - a feeling perfectly channeled in the songs.

Eric Church - & CDEP/12” (EMI Nashville)

Commercial release of this EP that was previously only available through the Church Fan Club as part of the Heart & Soul album collection released in 2021. This 6-track CD completes the Heart & Soul song cycle.

Conan – Evidence Of Immorality CD/2xLP (Napalm)

Hear the roar of battle. Smell the stench of spilled blood. A thousand heads piled high like a grim mound of suffering. England’s doom metal masters Conan strike again.

Five Finger Death Punch – AfterLife CD/2xLP/Cassette (Better Noise)

Multi-platinum hard rock powerhouse Five Finger Death Punch release AfterLife, their highly anticipated new studio album. Last month, the band released the first official single and title track from AfterLife, which was met with critical praise as Loudwire deemed it a “hard-hitting rock radio gem you'd hope for from 5FDP, starting with a solitary atmospheric guitar lick, giving way to bullet-like drums and a fleshed out full band assault brimming with energy and a pulsing low end.” The band’s longtime collaborator Kevin Churko (Ozzy Osbourne, Papa Roach, Skillet) helmed the producer duties of this ninth and arguably most diverse record yet from the band. [Indie store exclusive yellow vinyl.]

Heilung – Drif CD/2xLP (Season Of Mist)

Drif is enigmatic world music collective Heilung's most immersive and successful work to date. In their own words: "Drif means ‘gathering’. A throng of people, a horde, a crowd, a pack. In symbiosis with the album title, Drif consists of a flock, a collection, a gathering, a collage of songs, that much like little flames were seeking towards each other, to join, to bond, to create, and be greater together. This album has very clearly dictated its own path. Our attempts to tame it was repeatedly fruitless and once we came to this realization, the creative flow surged forward with immense force. So much so that sometimes it felt like the songs wrote themselves. All the songs on Drif have their own stories. They have each their place and sense of belonging, with inspiration not only from Northern Europe, but from the ancient great civilizations."

Hot Chip – Freakout/Release CD/2xLP+MP3 (Domino)

Freakout/Release is another dizzying high in a multi-decade career that's seen Hot Chip continuing to innovate and develop a rich, resonant songcraft. And while they continue to operate at peak form, the album also feels like a new chapter for the group – a collection of flesh-and-blood songs that finds the band reaching into the darkness to emerge as a true creative unit, their gazes fixed positively on the future ahead. [Indie store exclusive brown vinyl.]

Rafael Anton Irisarri - Agitas Al Sol LP (Room40)

From Rafael Anton Irisarri: "Sometimes it's hard to go back and speak to work that was made in the past. Things change, but they also stay the same in some ways. I feel this strongly coming back to these pieces. Agitas Al Sol was a companion suite of materials that was composed alongside my album Solastalgia. For those with a keen eye for wordplay, they might notice each title is an anagram of the other. In some respects, this is a very fitting sonic analogy too for the pieces from the two records. They mirror each other in various ways, harmonically in the very least, but they also share the same deep sense of pressure that forged them so acutely. To come back to these pieces, I was struck by how much they expand on the ideas contained in Solastalgia. Whereas Solastalgia might have been me breathing in, this set of pieces is a deep, deep exhale. Remember to breathe."

Early James – Strange Time To Be Alive CD/LP (Easy Eye Sound)

Alabama's native son, Early James, returns with his sophomore album, Strange Time To Be Alive. The lyrical wordsmith conjures the ghosts of great southern gothic writers from Eudora Welty to William Faulkner, while channeling the haunted spirits of Tom Waits and Townes Van Zandt. The album evokes a timeless amalgam of forsaken blues, wistful folk, and Tin Pan Alley crooning, anchored by the singer's unmistakable voice that sways from gravel-filled shouts to pained, forlorn whispers. [Limited-edition brown vinyl.]

Jukebox The Ghost – Cheers CD (BMG)

Cheers is an arena-sized, ebullient toast to surviving and thriving in the face of hard times, conjuring up ‘70s-era Queen and McCartney-styled song suites, without sacrificing any modern punch. On Cheers, Jukebox The Ghost combines their memorable choruses, cheerful melodies, and Freddie Mercury-esque vocals with the hip-hop-influenced energy of Twenty One Pilots, the modern piano balladry of Andrew McMahon, and the joyful energy of Walk The Moon. By almost any measure, it's their most ambitious and cohesive creative effort to date.

Lightning Bolt – Oblivion Hunter LP+MP3 (Thrill Jockey)

Lightning Bolt redefines what it means to be DIY. An utterly singular band in every way, unbridled creativity and energy propel them well past most categorical boundaries, least of which is the boundary between band and audience. Theirs is an immersive experience - a sound so huge it can swallow us all. [Deluxe edition rainbow splatter vinyl.]

Lera Lynn – Something More Than Love LP (Ruby Range)

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Something More Than Love began as a song about Lynn's absolute surrender to the realities of new motherhood but quickly morphed into a song about the shared experiences that bind us together. It's the story of a life cycle that repeats, every termination point becoming a starting line, every edge giving way to the circular slope of the ouroboros.

Cass McCombs – Heartmind CD (ANTI-)

On Heartmind, Cass McCombs enters the double-digit-album phase of his career, a quantitatively rarified place for any songwriter; rarer still, though, is the fact that he does not yet seem to have settled into a qualitative sound or pattern, of singing the same thought twice (or perhaps even once). Songs like "Karaoke" are a god-level burst of power-pop perfection, as fetching as anything Cass has ever cut. The springy staccato guitar, the vaporized electric keys, the melody seemingly born for singing or clapping or dancing along: Cass triangulates a perch of his very own out among The Go-Betweens, The dB's, and The Cure, and vibrates there, a beacon. And then, of course, there is the song's playful if painful lyrical conceit – the lover who is making all the sacred motions of commitment but whose feelings may be no more deep or real than someone simply reading the lyrics for "Vision Of Love" or "Stand By Your Man" from some crowded bar's TV screen. [Vinyl edition due September 23.]

Mothica – Nocturnal CD (Rise)

Catchy trauma fueled alt-pop. Growing up in Oklahoma, Mothica found openly talking about mental health struggles to be taboo and looked to the internet for a sense of community. Though Mothica has been writing music since she was a kid, she did not begin pursuing music until she was 18 producing and releasing her songs independently online. Embarking on a journey of self-expression and exploration through music, Mothica has since released a handful of EPs, countless singles, and her 2020 debut record Blue Hour.

The Mountain Goats – Bleed Out CD/2xLP+MP3 (Merge)

Maybe you are just like John Darnielle: In the depths of the pandemic winter at the end of 2020, the Mountain Goats frontman passed the time trapped at home in North Carolina watching pulpy action movies, finding comfort in familiar tropes and sofa bound escapism. But you are not really like Darnielle, unless the action movies you found comfort in included French thrillers like 2008's Mesrine, vintage Italian poliziotteschi, or the 1974 Donald Pleasence mad-scientist vehicle The Freakmaker. The Mountain Goats’ new album Bleed Out is a cinematic experience unto itself. One song about preparing to exact bloody revenge begat another song about the act of exacting bloody revenge and then more songs about and the causes and the aftermath of being driven to exact bloody revenge, each delivered with the urgency and desperation deserving of their narrators and circumstances. [Limited-edition yellow vinyl.]

Oneida – Success LP (Joyful Noise)

Experimental psych-punk institution Onedia return with Success, the band's most guitar-centric, rocking album in decades. Long straddling the gray area between the NYC punk/psych/rock community and the art/experimental world, the music of Oneida is celebrated for its mix of abstract, atmospheric sounds and pulsing, hammering anthems. Success finds the band getting to the core of what makes minimal rock music so good - songs pared back to beat and melody with a limited number of guitar chords.

oso oso – sore thumb LP (Round Hill)

Limited clear vinyl pressing. Nothing goes quite like you plan it, and the same could be said for oso oso's fourth full-length, sore thumb. The album is an unexpected and unintentional return-to-form; a capsule of early 2021 when oso's Jade Lilitri (he/him; vocals/guitar/bass/drums) and his late cousin Tavish Maloney (he/him) holed themselves up at producer Billy Mannino's (Bigger Better Sun) Two Worlds Recordings. For a solid month, the three of them practically lived at the studio, crafting this entire album together in between nerf gun fights and psychedelic trips. The idea was to spend that month writing and demoing, then take a month off to decide where and who to work with to bring it to life-but everything happens for a reason.

David Paich – Forgotten Toys CD/LP (Provogue)

If you've listened to music in the last 50 years, you were likely hearing David Paich. Besides being the co-founder of iconic rock band Toto, he has contributed to more than 2,000 albums. Music is the soundtrack of our lives, and David is one of its architects. With his diverse catalogue, he has been kicking around song ideas for a solo album for some time. For as much as it may be a "solo" album, on Forgotten Toys Paich is joined by Joseph Williams as co-producer and sometimes co-vocalist, former Toto bandmate Steve Lukather, Brian Eno, Michael McDonald, Ray Parker Jr., Don Felder, and Steve Jordan of The Rolling Stones. [Limited-edition transparent blue vinyl.]

Panic! At The Disco – Viva Las Vengeance CD/LP (Fueled By Ramen)

Panic! At The Disco's seventh studio album, Viva Las Vengeance shows a change in process for frontman/songwriter Brendon Urie, having cut everything live to tape in Los Angeles alongside his production partners, Jake Sinclair, and Mike Viola. The cinematic musical journey is about the fine line between taking advantage of your youth, seizing the day, and burning out. The songs take an introspective look into his relationship with his decade plus career including growing up in Las Vegas, love, and fame. "Viva Las Vengeance is a look back at who I was 17 years ago and who I am now with the fondness I didn't have before. I didn't realize I was making an album and there was something about the tape machine that kept me honest," shares Urie. [Indie store exclusive neon orange vinyl.]

Joe Rainey – Niineta LP (37D03D)

Joe Rainey is a Pow Wow singer. On Niineta he demonstrates his command of the style - faithful to tradition - accompanied by cinematic, bass-heavy production from Andrew Broder. Rainey's voice can celebrate or console, welcome or intimidate, and each note conveys a clear message: We're still here. We were here before you, and we never left. [Limited edition clear smoke vinyl.]

Gerry Read - Lean on Something 12" (Circus Company)

North London-by-way-of-Suffolk soundsmith Gerry Read delivers his first release for Circus Company. The title track "Lean on Something" starts things off in fine and classic Read form, with knocking found-sound percussion, fizzing textures and slick use of chopped and disorienting vocal sample bits, as the track layers unfold into a whimsical and wondrous melodic stargazing anthem. "Wooer at the Well" then follows and picks up the tempo with those fly live acoustic drum lines that gives Gerry's tracks that special beyond-electronic feeling, while once again the deft layering of such a rich sound palette builds and builds giving other mavericks like Four Tet a sincere run for their money.

Rock Eupora – Pick At The Scab CD/LP (Single Lock)

Rock Eupora, the moniker for Mississippi-bred, Nashville-based artist Clayton Waller, has always been a heart-on-your-sleeve musical endeavor. From his earliest recordings, Waller has never been afraid to ask the big, searching questions of life. Catchy, hooky pop sensibilities have similarly been a consistent through-line in Rock Eupora's catalogue. Featuring singable, fuzzed-out guitar hooks and stuck-in-your-head-all-afternoon choruses, the discography of Rock Eupora - including three full-length albums, two EPs, and a smattering of singles to date-brings to mind Blue Album-era Weezer or the high-energy, hard-charging, harmony-laden early Beatles singles. These defining features are still present in Pick At The Scab, Rock Eupora's latest full-length album, and yet, something feels different. [All vinyl copies at Grimey’s are signed by Clayton of Rock Eupora.]

Russian Circles – Gnosis CD/LP+MP3 (Sargent House)

Russian Circles latest album, Gnosis, eschews the varied terrain of their past work and bulldoze a path through the most tumultuous and harrowing territory of their sound. As was the case for so many artists in the age of COVID, the obstacles of geography and isolation forced Russian Circles to reevaluate their writing process. Rather than crafting songs out of fragmented ideas in the practice room, full songs were written and recorded independently before being shared with other members, so that their initial vision was retained. While these demos spanned the full breadth of the band's varied styles, the more cinematic compositions were ultimately excised in favor of the physically cathartic pieces. [Indie store exclusive translucent orange vinyl.]

Rich Ruth - I Survived, It's Over CD/LP (Third Man Records)

Recorded under a loft bed in the guest bedroom of his Nashville home, Michael Ruth aka Rich Ruth’s “I Survived, It’s Over” starts in a humble space. And while many contemporary music projects are produced in such an environment, “I Survived, It’s Over” sets itself apart in its transformative properties as well as its transparency. What we have here is honest sound exploration, session musician-level instrumentation, and a true love for nature run through the fingers of a dude who can channel some acute and undeniable magic. Underneath the swell of the strings and the shredding of the guitars, this record has hard working, rustbelt, drum-heavy roots all over it (which makes sense as Ruth hails from outside of Toledo, the album was mixed by John McEntire from Chicago band Tortoise). Many of the flutes, saxophones, pedal steel, and other instruments were recorded remotely because we live in the future, but this only adds to the collage of sampled and sample-able material that Rich Ruth has to offer. "I Survived, It's Over" will sit perfectly on your shelf between Alice Coltrane and Hiroshi Yoshimura. [Indie-exclusive blue vinyl.]

Silverstein – Misery Made Me LP (UNFD)

Recently released on CD – now available on indie store exclusive translucent blue vinyl. Filled with moments of relentless energy throwing back to their punk and hardcore roots to visionary moments of modern heavy, Silverstein's Misery Made Me fastens the group's status as torchbearers of the scene on all fronts. It's both intriguing and inspiring that a band - who could have merely rested on the impressive legacy they've already cemented - would continue to dig deep and find the inspiration to reach people in meaningful new ways. On Misery Made Me, Silverstein ultimately find themselves spring-boarding off the heights they've reached over the past handful of years.

Silversun Pickups – Physical Thrills CD/2xLP (New Machine Recordings)

Physical Thrills, Silversun Pickups' sixth studio album and the follow-up to 2019's Widow's Weeds, was produced by Butch Vig (Nirvana, Garbage, Smashing Pumpkins, Green Day, Foo Fighters) and mixed by Billy Bush. Physical Thrills spans through an eclectic mix of distorted synths, pop-tinged danceable tunes, pared-down ballads, and a collection of "dream shanties" melodies that are all interconnected with each other into a cohesive body of work. Features "Scared Together" and "Alone on a Hill". [Indie exclusive violet color vinyl.]

SPELLLING – The Turning Wheel LP+MP3 (Sacred Bones)

Pink color vinyl pressing. Red velvet curtains draw back to reveal a cosmic wheel of fortune, floating in the deep black, star studded theater of infinite space. A whirl of timbres, personalities, and stories. The Turning Wheel revolves around themes of human unity, the future, divine love and the enigmatic ups and downs of being a part of this carnival called Life. Venturing to push the boundaries of her primarily synth-based work, SPELLLING took on the ambitious task of orchestrating and self-producing an album that features an ensemble of 31 collaborating musicians. The Turning Wheel incorporates a vast range of rich acoustic sounds that cast SPELLLING's work into vibrant new dimensions.

Spirit Adrift – 20 Centuries Gone LP (Century Media)

20 Centuries Gone is a collection of two new original songs and six cover songs that span the timeline of Spirit Adrift's most foundational influences. Featuring artwork by Brian Mercer (Lamb Of God, High On Fire, Mastodon), and mixed by Zeuss (Overkill, Crowbar, Municipal Waste), this release is a powerful journey through the past, present, and future of one of classic metal's most exciting new band. [A limited-edition translucent ‘sun yellow’ vinyl.]

SRSQ – Ever Crashing CD/LP (Dais)

Ever Crashing, the second LP by Kennedy Ashlyn aka SRSQ [pronounced 'seer-skew'], is the summation of a nearly three-year journey of soul searching, songwriting, and self-discovery: "I became myself in the process of making this record." From the first choral swells of opener "It Always Rains", it's clear this collection exists on an ascendant plane, capturing an artist in super bloom. Every song hits like a single, heaving with guitar, synth, strings, live drums, and oceans of Ashlyn's astounding voice, balletic and illuminated. The tracks gleam with detail, often assembled from as many as 100 separate tracks, all of which were written and played solely by Ashlyn - a feat of world-building as daunting as it is devastating. [Limited edition blue seaglass wave color vinyl.]

Thick – Happy Now CD (Epitaph)

Since first forming in 2014, New York trio Thick have triumphed at turning the harshest truths into wildly exhilarating punk songs. On their second album Happy Now, vocalist/guitarist Nikki Sisti, vocalist/bassist Kate Black, and vocalist/drummer Shari Page deliver their most complex and confessional work yet, exploring everything from self-sabotage and insecurity to victim-blaming and destructive relationships. Raw, irreverent, and brutally honest, Happy Now ultimately offers both joyful catharsis and much-needed instruction for living well in turbulent times. "Most of our songs lean toward optimism, even when there's a lot of pain in them," says Sisti, who refers to Thick's output as a "living diary." "It's not about toxic positivity or trying to force yourself into happiness; it's about recognizing that it's okay to feel a whole spectrum of emotions, and then getting to the other side and really growing from your experiences." [Vinyl edition – including an indie store exclusive pressing – due November 4.]

Total Heat – Totally Real LP (Org Music)

Totally Real is the debut album from Total Heat, a chameleon music project led by Ross Wallace Chait. Taking leads from the musical legacy of Laurel Canyon, where he was raised, he's always admired the rock 'n' roll songwriting craft despite an insatiable tendency toward experimental music and improvisation. Love of music guided him through a slew of bands in his teenage years, deep experiences playing jazz, countless noise cassette releases, two years as Randy Newman's right-hand man, ties to the Coltrane family, international tours on drums with Girlpool among others, and, most significantly, a truly unique stylistic sensibility that blends it all. The album is a testament to how music can capture the life experience of an individual not only by what it says, but by how it sounds.

Walter Trout – Ride 2xLP (Provogue)

New album by the veteran blues guitarist.

Watkins Family Hour – Watkins Family Hour Vol. II CD/LP (Thirty Tigers)

"This record celebrates two decades of Watkins Family Hour with songs that have been with us since the beginning and songs that have recently reached us. Similarly, we are joined by musicians, some of whom we met in the early days, and some more recently; musical heroes and friends who have come to be family. Among them are Tyler Chester and David Boucher who produced this album with us. Their contributions brought out a unique life in these songs. A life that embodies the spirit of musical collaboration crossing generations and genres. It's what drew us to [Los Angeles venue] Largo in the first place, and it's what continues to inspire us to this day." - Watkins Family Hour

Why Bonnie – 90 In November (Keeled Scales)

Debut album from the Texas quintet. Why Bonnie, crashes into existence with a squeal of feedback and a burst of distorted guitar. It's a dynamic introduction to a more raw-edged indie sound from a band who have matured from bedroom dream pop into a sophisticated rock act, their evolving sound a reflection of the journey undertaken by songwriter Blair Howerton on this vividly rendered collection of songs. [Indie store exclusive ‘peacock green’ vinyl pressing.]

Patricia Wolf - See-Through LP (Balmat)

See-Through finds the Portland, Oregon musician and field recordist continuing to develop her signature style of ambient, balancing radiant soundscaping with a carefully expressive sensibility. Where her previous album was largely written in response to the death of a loved one, See-Through represents a kind of rebirth. Wolf wrote all new material for an August 2021 broadcast on the online radio platform 9128 Live, working with a lean setup of Octatrack, Roland Synth Plus 10, Make Noise 0-Coast, and Novation Summit, and many of these tracks appear on See-Through; the through line holding them together is their exploratory spirit and clarity of vision.

Wombo – Fairy Dust CD/LP (Fire Talk)

Fairy Rust, the new album from Wombo, contemplates the spaces in-between - a meeting of the physicality of the land with the fluidity of the imagination, to uncanny effect. Across twelve tracks, sharpened guitar work, distorted freakouts and downtempo musings weave together a tapestry of sound that's both intoxicating and effortless. Where one minute it's all deadpan post-punk energy, and the next Stereolab on a mountain top. The music functions as their own localized language that feels uniquely out-of-body. Conceived over the course of the last two years, the record is steeped in its own time warp of escapism and influenced by fairy tales like the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Anderson that blend surreal situations with the mundane. Flirting with prog, pop, and effervescent post-punk, Wombo's forward-thinking approach set them apart as one of the most exciting up-and-coming bands right now. [Indie store exclusive ‘melted cloud’ color vinyl.]

Wu-Lu – Loggerhead CD/LP+MP3 (Warp)

Emerging as leader of the punk-rap awakening, Wu-Lu has an innate ability to deliver his unique point of view through an ever-evolving and always innovative sound. Drawing on many streams of influence, it is music for the underrepresented, for those without a voice, and for those who struggle to breathe. [Limited-edition green vinyl.]

Reissues, Compilations, Live Recordings & Vault Excavations...

Black Spirits – Black Spirits: Festival Of New Black Poets In America [Reissue/1972] LP (Motown)

Black Spirits: Festival Of New Black Poets In America features contributions from Amiri Baraka (LeRoi Jones), The Original Last Poets, Stanley Crouch, Norman Jordan, and more. Produced by Woodie King Jr., the 28-track collection of spoken word performances was recorded at Harlem's iconic Apollo Theater and subsequently released by Motown Records' Black Forum in 1972.

Candlemass – Ancient Dreams [Reissue/1988] LP (Peaceville)

Candlemass was formed by bassist and songwriter Leif Edling in Stockholm, Sweden in 1984, and is well known for its epic doom metal, having a great influence over a generation of the genre's subsequent greats such as Paradise Lost and My Dying Bride. Candlemass themselves took a large influence from Black Sabbath. Ancient Dreams was Candlemass' third album, and it featured a natural progression of slow-mid tempo epic arrangements from their previous release, Nightfall.

Stokely Carmichael – Free Huey [Reissue/1970] LP (Motown)

Limited apple red color vinyl pressing. Originally delivered at a "Free Huey" rally on February 17, 1968, at the Oakland Auditorium, Stokely Carmichael opened his speech by calling for the celebration of Huey P. Newton's birthday not "as Huey Newton the individual, but as Huey Newton, part and parcel of Black people wherever we are on the world today." This passionate critique of American racism, imperialism, and capitalism was released by Motown Records' Black Forum in 1970, the year his conviction was reversed.

Cobra Starship – Hot Mess [Reissue/2009] LP (Fueled By Ramen)

Silver color vinyl pressing – part of the FBR25 25th anniversary reissue series. Produced by Cobra Starship with additional production from Kevin Rudolf (Lil’ Wayne, Justin Timberlake, Kanye West), Mike Caren (Bruno Mars, David Guetta, Jason Derulo), and others, Hot Mess made a spectacular chart debut upon its original 2009 release, debuting in the top 5 on the overall Billboard 200 – the band’s best-ever chart performance.

DIIV – Oshin [Reissue/2012] 2xLP (Captured Tracks)

DIIV craft a sound that is at once familial and frost-bitten. Indebted to classic kraut, dreamy Creationrecords psychedelia, and the primitive-crunch of late- ‘80s Seattle, the band walk a divisive yet perfectly fused patch of classic-underground influence on their debut LP. To commemorate the 10th anniversary, the deluxe double-LP edition combines the Oshin tracklist with the original Oshin demos recorded by Smith, and two live cuts recorded at storied Brooklyn DIY venue Shea Stadium - including the never released "Yuk". [Also available for special order: Sometime / Human / Geist which collects DIIV's inaugural three 7"s, repressed for the first time since their original releases in 2011.]

Duran Duran – Pop Trash [Reissue/2000] CD (BMG)
Duran Duran – Astronaut [Reissue/2004] CD (BMG)
Duran Duran – Red Carpet Massacre [Reissue/2007] CD (BMG)
Duran Duran – All You Need Is Now [Reissue/2010] CD (BMG)

CD reissues of the veteran pop group’s ‘00s albums – their 10th, 11th, 12th, and 13th overall.

Marianne Faithfull – No Exit [Reissue/2016] LP (earMUSIC)

Yellow color vinyl pressing. For her 50th anniversary as a singer and international rock icon, Marianne Faithfull released a very special treat for her fans. No Exit presents a best-of collection of her live performances all over Europe and it truly shows why Marianne has reached such unparalleled stardom over the years.

Mort Garson – Mother Earth’s Plantasia [Reissue/1976] LP+MP3 (Sacred Bones)

Plants date back from the dawn of time, but apparently, they loved the Moog, never mind that the synthesizer had been on the market for just a few years. Most of all, the plants loved the ditties made by composer Mort Garson. Few characters in early electronic music can be both fearless pioneers and cheesy trend-chasers, but Garson embraced both extremes, and has been unheralded as a result. The cult classic that is Mother Earth's Plantasia is now being repressed on a bunch of new plant inspired colors in celebration of Sacred Bones 15th year anniversary.

Fela Ransome Kuti & The Africa 70 – Roforofo Fight [Reissue/1972] LP (Knitting Factory)

Limited clear yellow vinyl pressing. Roforofo Fight is the fourth in the series of celebratory Fela 50th Anniversary reissues. Like Fela's other early ‘70s releases he uses each side of his LPs to create a deep groove that pulls the listener in and follows with metaphoric lyrics that call out and critique the corrupt hangover of colonialism.

Madonna – Finally Enough Love – 50 Number Ones 3xCD (Rhino)
Madonna – Finally Enough Love – #1s Remixed CD/2xLP (Rhino)

Madonna made history once again when she topped the Dance Club Songs chart for the 50th time, making her the first and only recording artist to have 50 No. 1 hits on any single Billboard chart. To celebrate this historic milestone, Madonna curated two new collections: Finally Enough Love - 50 Number Ones, a new 50-track collection that includes her favorite remixes of those chart-topping dance hits that have filled clubs worldwide for four decades. The single CD and double-LP version, titled Finally Enough Love - #1s Remixed, is an abridged 16-track version. [An indie store exclusive vinyl edition is available.]

Pelican – Australasia [Reissue/2003] 2xLP+MP3 (Thrill Jockey)

Pelican's debut album Australasia, originally released in late 2003 by Hydra Head Records, is a landmark record in the shifting tides of heavy music that took place at the turn of the millennium. 20 years since its release and with several sold-out represses, Australasia is a proven essential for any listener exploring the bounds of rock music. Now issued as a deluxe double-LP edition newly remastered for vinyl and complete with three never-before-released bonus songs, including a remix by James Plotkin and digital downloads of early Pelican live recordings. [Indie store exclusive translucent orange vinyl.]

Gretchen Peters – The Show – Live From The UK 2xCD (Proper)

2022 marks the 25th year since US singer-songwriter Gretchen Peters first set foot on a UK stage and she is celebrating the anniversary in style with the release of a live album recorded during a 2019 UK tour with her band and an all-female Scottish string quartet. The Show: Live From The UK is a beautifully presented set featuring a hardback cover and a collection of evocative live photographs documenting the concerts at which the recordings took place. CD 1 captures 10 tracks Gretchen and her band performed with the string quartet and CD 2 highlights 8 tracks from Gretchen and her band.

Oscar Peterson – We Get Requests [Reissue/1964] LP (Verve)

Nothing less than one of the great jazz piano trio albums of all time. First released in 1964, We Get Requests features all-time-classic versions of "The Girl From Ipanema", "Quiet Nights" and "The Days Of Wine And Roses".

The Pyramids – Aomawa: The 1970s Recordings 4xLP (Strut)

Strut present the first box set release to bring together the 1970s recordings of The Pyramids, led by Idris Ackamoor. As students at Antioch College, Ohio, alto saxophonist Idris Ackamoor, flautist Margaux Simmons and bass player Kimathi Asante created three lasting monuments in sound - Lalibela, King Of Kings, and Birth / Speed / Merging, a trio of albums produced without any label backing or distribution between 1972 and 1976. Their music is unique among the varied canon of avant-garde and experimental music of 1970s America: high intensity African-styled percussion topped with songs, chants, and horns, laced with African instruments, and arranged into long, flowing suites that surge and roll. [CD version due September 23.]

R.E.M. – Chronic Town [Reissue/1982] CDEP/12”/Cassette (A&M)

40th Anniversary Edition of the debut EP from R.E.M. featuring "Gardening At Night", "Wolves, Lower", and more. [A limited-edition picture disc vinyl pressing is available.]

Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers – Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers [Reissue/1976] CD/LP (Omnivore)

Jonathan Richman formed The Modern Lovers in 1970 in Boston with Jerry Harrison (Talking Heads), and Ernie Brooks and David Robinson (The Cars). The band recorded a series of demos, first with John Cale (The Velvet Underground) and later with producer Kim Fowley. Both sets of demos were eventually released, but not until the original group had disbanded. In 1975 Jonathan relocated to California and secured a recording deal with Beserkley Records. By 1976 he had pulled together a new version of The Modern Lovers. This group included the holdover David Robinson from the original band and added, Leroy Radcliffe and Greg 'Curly' Keranen (The Rubinoos). Co-Produced by Beserkley founder Matthew King Kauffman and Glen Kolotkin (Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin), the self-titled release delivered on Richman's desire for more acoustic and harmony-based material with tracks like "New England" and "Here Come The Martian Martians". [An indie store exclusive red color vinyl pressing is due September 16.]

Emma Ruth Rundle & Thou – May Our Chambers Be Full [Reissue/2020] LP+MP3 (Sacred Bones)

Blue & purple galaxy color vinyl pressing. Stemming out of an offer from Roadburn Festival organizer Walter Hoeijmakers, mutual acquaintances, and a shared love of each other's output, May Our Chambers Be Full is the first recorded document of collaboration between Emma Ruth Rundle and Thou. While their solo material seems on its face to be quite disparate, both groups have spent their respective careers lurking at the outer boundaries of the heavy metal scene, the artists having more in common with DIY punk and it's spiritual successor, grunge. May Our Chambers Be Full straddles a similar, very fine line both musically and thematically. While Emma Ruth Rundle's standard fare is a blend of post-rock-infused folk music, and Thou is typically known for its downtuned, doomy sludge, the conjoining of the two artists has created a record more in the vein of the early '90s Seattle sound and later '90s episodes of Alternative Nation, while still retaining much of the artists' core identities.

Savatage – Edge Of Thorns [Reissue/1993] 2xLP (MRI Associated)
Savatage – Handful Of Rain [Reissue/1994] 2xLP (MRI Associated)

What would metal have been without the input of brothers John and Criss Oliva. Edge Of The Thorne is the last album on which Criss Oliver was involved before his death. Handful Of Rain is first and only Savatage album with Alex Skolnick as guitarist.

Wayne Shorter – Adam’s Apple [Reissue/1966] LP (Blue Note)

Wayne Shorter had already set a high bar over the course of his first several Blue Note albums, which included all-time jazz classics including Night Dreamer, JuJu, and Speak No Evil, but 1966's Adam's Apple featuring Herbie Hancock on piano, Reggie Workman on bass, and Joe Chambers on drums immediately joined the ranks of the saxophonist's greatest recordings and remains a pinnacle artistic statement of Blue Note's fertile post-bop era. Shorter composed five of the session's six tracks including the grooving title track, which surely had producer Alfred Lion dancing around Rudy Van Gelder's studio.

Tall Dwarfs – Unravelled: 1981–2002 2xCD/4xLP+MP3 (Merge)

Unravelled: 1981–2002 shines a loving light on lo-fi pioneers Tall Dwarfs, the prized New Zealand duo of Chris Knox and Alec Bathgate. The collection compiles songs from Tall Dwarfs' two decades of recordings. [The vinyl edition includes a 20-page collector's booklet of photos, comics, posters, and other ephemera.]

TesseracT – Polaris [Reissue/2015] LP (Kscope)

Originally formed as a studio project by guitarist Acle Kahney, TesseracT is a band full of melody, dynamics and groove, they sit outside the bounds of any genre specificity to truly create a sound that has always been pioneering and creative; an unstoppable force of off-kilter riffs, soaring melodies & disorientating atmospherics. In 2015, the band found a new creative energy when they reunited with original singer Dan Tompkins. Polaris was an evolution from previous release Altered State and features skillful experimentation with sounds and tones, plus a deeper exploration of the core attributes that define TesseracT's trademark sound.

Various Artists – Eccentric Deep Soul LP (Numero)

The next installment of our "Eccentric" single LP compilation series, in the same style as our Eccentric Funk and Eccentric Disco releases. A simple digestible run-down of our favorite genre specific tracks. All killer no filler. Focusing on Deep Soul for this one. The only divorce record you'll ever need to own. [A yellow & purple spatter on clear color pressing is available.]

Various Artists – Rise Jamaica!: Jamaican Independence Special 2xLP (Trojan)

Marking the 60th anniversary of Jamaica's independence in August 2022, this celebratory album collection showcases an array of major hits and previously unissued tracks all of which were recorded in the year that the island became a sovereign nation: 1962. The first half focuses on the biggest home-grown sellers of the year, featuring ska and R&B hits by such celebrated foundation artists as Jimmy Cliff, Derrick Morgan, Owen Gray and Don Drummond, while he second half comprises previously unissued recordings, produced by the country's leading sound system operator-turned-record producer, Duke Reid.

War – War [Reissue/1971] LP (Avenue)
War – All Day Music [Reissue/1971] LP (Avenue)
War – The World Is A Ghetto [Reissue/1972] LP (Avenue)
War – Deliver The World [Reissue/1973] LP (Avenue)
War – Why Can’t We Be Friends [Reissue/1975] LP (Avenue)

War's head-nodding mix of music and message started a revolution 50 years ago that continues to win over the hearts and hips of fans around the world. War was founded in the late-1960s by producer/songwriter Jerry Goldstein and British singer Eric Burdon, who was eager to seek out new collaborators after several years with The Animals. Goldstein spotted the musicians who would become War playing clubs in L.A. Soon after, Burdon started playing shows with the band and he clicked with the musicians, who were able to back his improvisational flights-of-fancy with the ease of jazz masters.

Muddy Waters & The Rolling Stones – Live At Checkerboard Lounge Chicago 1981 2xLP (Mercury)

Red and white color vinyl pressing. On November 22nd, 1981, in the middle of their mammoth American tour, the Rolling Stones arrived in Chicago prior to playing 3 nights at the Rosemont Horizon. Long influenced by the Chicago blues, the band paid a visit to Buddy Guy's club the Checkerboard Lounge to see the legendary bluesman perform. It didn't take long before Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood and Ian Stewart were joining in on stage and later Buddy Guy, Junior Wells and Lefty Dizz also played their part.

Larry Young – Unity [Reissue/1965] LP (Blue Note)

Until the emergence of Larry Young, Blue Note's Hammond B3 organ tradition was firmly rooted in soul jazz, having been established by B3 trailblazer Jimmy Smith and soulful players the likes of Big John Patton and Baby Face Willette. However, Young brought an entirely new perspective to the instrument by placing it in a more adventurous post-bop context, an innovative approach that recontextualized its possibilities. Young had introduced these inclinations on his excellent 1964 Blue Note debut Into Somethin', but with his 1965 album Unity he created a singular masterpiece with a cast of modernist jazz visionaries: trumpeter Woody Shaw, tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson, and drummer Elvin Jones.

Neil Young and The Restless – Eldorado [Reissue/1989] CD/LP (Reprise)

In April 1989, Neil Young released the 5-track mini-album Eldorado on CD in Japan and Australia under the name Neil Young and The Restless. Neil (guitar & vocals) was backed by Rick Rosas on bass and Chad Cromwell on drums, with long-time Crazy Horse band-mate Frank "Poncho" Sampedro contributing guitar on the title track. Long sought after by Neil Young fans, this wonderful album and guitar tour-de-force finally gets a worldwide release on CD, and the first US release on vinyl outside of Australia.