New Releases - 8/23/19
Hitting The Racks
Here's your weekly rundown of what's hitting the new release racks at Grimey's
Jump to… New Releases Reissues & From The Vaults New on Vinyl
New Releases
Tanya Tucker - While I'm Livin' CD/LP (Fantasy)
Produced by Brandi Carlile and Shooter Jennings, While I'm Livin' marks Tanya Tucker's first release of all new material since 2002's Tanya. While I'm Livin' is largely comprised of songs written by Carlile, Tim and Phil Hanseroth and Tucker. "It's a musical biography of sorts," said Carlile, "about Tanya's real life and the places she's seen, and it's narrated by the greatest country and western singer this side of Johnny Cash." "The Day My Heart Goes Still" is a reflection of Tucker's enduring love for her late father, while "Mustang Ridge" recalls her hardscrabble childhood in central Texas. While I'm Livin' also contains some well-chosen covers including "High Ridin' Heroes," a 1987 song Shooter selected that featured David Lynn Jones and his dad, Waylon Jennings, "The House That Built Me", a track made famous by Miranda Lambert and "Hard Luck", the 1979 chestnut by country-rockers, Josefus. In many ways, the album's cornerstone is "Bring My Flowers Now", the only tune that was co-written by Tucker, Carlile and the twins. The album closer, told through Carlile's solo piano and Tucker's plaintive vocal, speaks to the importance of showing appreciation to those we love, before it's too late. Come to our listening party at Grimey's on Friday, August 23rd, at 6PM and maybe you'll win some autographed Tanya Tucker swag!
Vince Gill - Okie CD/LP (MCA Nashville)
With the album's title and varied themes, Gill helps Merle Haggard and other inspirations reclaim Okie, a term used in the past to disparage Oklahoma natives living on the West Coast during the Dust Bowl and Great Depression years. For Gill, a proud Oklahoman, it now applies to common folks with specific fears and triumphs that are broadly relatable to listeners well beyond the Sooner State. [Vinyl has yet to arrive, we're hoping for Friday delivery!]
Midland - Let It Roll CD/LP (Big Machine)
A retro-inspired brand of classic country produced by Dann Huff, Shane McAnally and Josh Osborne, the new album promises to find the good-timing trio tapping back into the throwback sound of their chart-topping debut, On the Rocks, as well as Top Five hits like "Drinkin' Problem" and "Burn Out." According to the band's Mark Wystrach, Cameron Duddy and Jess Carson, the new tunes stay true to Midland's pure-country mission - and a big part of that is simply because they've stayed away from Nashville. "We want to keep things fresh and real," says Duddy, the band's bassist. "The beauty of being in Dripping Springs [Texas] and spending so much time on the road, we don't get caught up in what's trending. We're able to follow our hearts (and our livers) to where we think country is the best."
Taylor Swift - Lover CD (Republic)
The seventh studio album by the singer-songwriter includes the singles "Me!" (featuring Brendon Urie of Panic! At the Disco) and "You Need to Calm Down" plus "The Archer". Shipped for delivery on Friday because security.
Knocked Loose - A Different Shade Of Blue CD/LP (Pure Noise)
This Kentucky-based band made a big splash with their 2016 debut album, Laugh Tracks, packing a powerful punch thanks to a combination of hardcore, metal, and punk. Fit for an Autopsy guitarist Will Putney, who produced Laugh Tracks, is back at the helm for A Different Shade of Blue. The album contains 12 songs, including first offering "...And Still I Wander South." In a press release, singer Bryan Garris said the single "is about wanting to move on, or better yourself for whatever reason, but you keep going back to the same old thing. Whether that be depression or whatever you may be going through. You always wander back to the same mindset." We're stoked to welcome Knocked Loose to Grimey's for their first in-store performance with us, in celebration of their new album on the day after it's released! The band will stick around & sign copies of their record after the performance, so pick up your copy of A Different Shade of Blue at Grimey's (while supplies last) for a wristband guaranteeing a spot in the signing line. Otherwise this is a free & all ages, affair, so come one, come all.
Jay Som - Anak Ko Orange CD/LP/Cassette (Polyvinyl)
Translating to "my child" in English, Anak Ko, features sweeping, shoegazey guitars ("Superbike"), delicate string & pedal steel arrangements ("Nighttime Drive", "Get Well"), and incredible production that showcases songwriter, producer, and creative force Melina Duterte's evolving skills in the studio ("Anak Ko"). Anak Ko presents an exciting glimpse into Duterte's creative process and solidifies her undeniable progression as one of 2019's strongest and most gifted songwriters.
Shannon Lay - August CD/LP+MP3 (Sub Pop)
There is an entire sub-genre of poetry devoted to rivers and their persistent, meditative flow. Emily Dickinson's "My River Runs To Thee" compares them to the cycle of life, while Alfred Tennyson's "The Brook" deems them eternal and Kathleen Raine's "The River" muses on the dream-state they evoke. For transcendent folk-pop artist Shannon Lay, the river is all the above: It's the metaphor driving her latest album, the exquisitely uplifting August - which doubles as an aural baptism renewing her purpose for making music. August was recorded with her longtime friend, musician Ty Segall at his home studio on the East Side. The album's opener, the mantra-like "Death Up Close" is also its centerpiece. What starts as an Eastern-influenced song morphs into an avant-garde sound bath. The title track is a mystical, folk-psych expression that builds into a gentle gallop. "Nowhere", a wistful kindred spirit to "August", evokes Nick Drake. The simple, soprano narrative "Shuffling Stoned", for instance, serves no grander purpose than to capture a snapshot of the time Lay walked into a cool record store in New York City and watched the guy working there buy some weed off his dealer, as "this tiny, little spider crawled up on the records - it was such a cool, weird moment." And "Sea Came To Shore", in which Lay's guitar finds its foil in a slightly askew violin, immediately teleports you, alone, to a breezy shore. "The ocean," adds Lay, "is a good reminder of how small we are."
Modern Nature - How To Live CD/LP (Bella Union)
Modern Nature is a project from Jack Cooper (Ultimate Painting, Mazes) and Will Young (BEAK, Moon Gangs). On their debut recording, How To Live, urban and rural intertwine. Throughout this continuous work, where no song ever really seems to end, there's a feeling of constant forward motion. It's as if the band is laying down train tracks and riding them simultaneously. [Limited translucent aqua blue colored vinyl pressing.]
Joyero - Release The Dogs CD/LP+MP3 (Merge)
Andy Stack has rightfully earned a reputation as a generous collaborator and musical polymath, both as half of the beloved duo Wye Oak and on the road and in the studio with Lambchop, Helado Negro, and EL VY. As a multi-instrumentalist and producer, Andy has an uncanny ability to construct the precise musical architecture to frame and support unique and compelling voices. With his debut solo record as Joyero, Andy puts his own voice front and center. Written and recorded primarily in Marfa, TX, during a transitional moment between records, cities, and relationships, Release The Dogs occupies its own liminal space between the natural and the man-made, between the structures we create to keep ourselves safe and the terrifying enormity that exists beyond them. Throughout the record, organic and electronic elements are seamlessly woven together into a single fabric that can be both intimate and explosive. As with Wye Oak's best records, Release The Dogs finds its own unique voice by holding opposing ideas and aesthetics in tension with each other, and inviting the listener to find their own answer.
Seratones - Power CD/LP (New West)
Seratones aptly named sophomore release Power is described by poet and author Hannif Abdurraquib as "a glorious, swelling album, [a] sonic monument, and precise lyrical tapestry." AJ Haynes bends her gloriously malleable voice seamlessly around the temples of rock, and soul, and funk. All of them, unfurling in waves of keys, staccato percussion and wailing curves of guitar. Based in Shreveport, Louisiana, Haynes and founding members, drummer Jesse Gabriel and bassist Adam Davis, form the kind of laser-focused rhythm section that you only get from bandmates who've been playing together since they were teenagers. New members Tyran Coker (keys) and Travis Stewart (guitar) bring a fresh dynamic to the band with interstellar soundscapes and entrancing melodies, all while maintaining the emotional edge and intensity from their acclaimed proto-punk debut record Get Gone. Power exemplifies a true strength in vulnerability, a kaleidoscopic view into Haynes passions, hopes, and worries: from her love of poetry to her advocacy for reproductive justice and racial equity. Hard-learned lessons from lovers and intimate friends. The struggles to adapt and overcome. Power is as much a statement as it is a question, a semiotic exploration of sound and soul.
Robert Randolph & The Family Band - Brighter Days CD/LP (Mascot Label Group)
Robert Randolph grew up playing sacred steel music - basically gospel played on pedal steel guitar - in the House Of God church in Orange, NJ, and proceeded to take his joyous, gospel-infused music out to the clubs and into the world. When it was time to record Brighter Days, after releasing the Grammy-nominated album Got Soul, Robert chose to work with producer Dave Cobb. Cobb is best-known for his work with new country stars like Chris Stapleton, Sturgill Simpson, Brandi Carlile, and Jason Isbell. Looking beyond anyone's expectations or his own preconceptions helped Randolph circle back to where it all began for him: church music. Brighter Days is a full dive back to Randolph's gospel roots, mixing it up with blues, soul, funk, and the unmistaken sound of the pedal steel guitar. Highly recommended for fans of furious slide guitarists, like Sonny Landreth, Derek Trucks and the almighty Duane Allman. [Limited purple colored vinyl pressing.]
Noah Gunderson - Lover CD/2xLP (Cooking Vinyl)
Acclaimed Seattle singer-songwriter Noah Gundersen releases his extraordinary and highly personal new album, Lover. Recorded over two years at Seattle's The Crumb studio with longtime collaborator, producer/engineer Andy D. Park (Death Cab For Cutie, K. Flay, Pedro The Lion), Lover sees Gundersen continuing to veer towards an increasingly intimate and intense creative approach, wedding intricate beats and warm natural instrumentation to a series of stark, almost dreamlike, new songs. Rich with patience and grace, songs like "Older" and "Out Of Time" reveal a remarkably gifted songwriter-artist during confrontation with life's toughest truths, somehow emerging with even greater self-awareness and understanding. "This record is deeply personal," says Gundersen. "It's about love, it's about failure, it's about drugs, it's about sex, it's about age, it's about regret, it's about itself (very meta, I know) and it's about finding peace. I think it's the most I've ever put of myself into something. It's been cathartic. I've cried a lot."
Redd Kross - Beyond The Door CD/LP+MP3 (Merge)
Redd Kross invite you to explore Beyond The Door, an album inspired by the band's "total commitment to having the best f**king time we can have while we're all still here" (what they like to call "the Party"). It's a rock and roll record and a celebration of everything brothers Jeff and Steven McDonald love, from cultures both high and low. Musically, it's guitars, bass, and drums topped with a generous portion of sweet vocal melodies often delivered with an ambiguous edge. Steven said this is the group's most collaborative album in ages, maybe ever: "Jeff is still very much the driving force behind the compositions, but with more help from me than ever. Jeff and I haven't shared this much of the writing and singing since Born Innocent in 1981." This record is also the first time longtime live members Jason Shapiro and Dale Crover (Melvins, OFF!) have played on a Redd Kross album. The first single is the title track, and is a typically super-catchy, glam-punk riff-rocker.
The Rubinoos - From Home CD/LP (Yep Roc)
Power pop legends The Rubinoos are known for turning bubblegum into gold with ridiculously catchy tunes like "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend", their cover of Tommy James & The Shondells' "I Think We're Alone Now", and the theme song to Revenge Of The Nerds. They were the backing band when Jonathan Richman recorded the alternate version of "Roadrunner" and they opened 56 shows for Elvis Costello on his Armed Forces tour. But what's most impressive is that The Rubinoos are approaching their 50th anniversary and penning some of their finest songs to date. [Limited yellow and black splatter colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Hide - Hell Is Here CD/LP (Dais)
2018's Castration Anxiety, the debut full-length from Chicago's Hide, presented an adept evolution in the journey of interdisciplinary artists Heather Gabel and Seth Sher. Trading in concrete and traditional songwriting and compositional structure for more challenging, stripped back, and cathartic arrangement, the duo ventured to reconfigure industrial music for a contemporary age. Hell Is Here, Hide's 2019 sophomore full-length, sees this evolution progress even further. Using their previously established blueprint, Gabel and Sher poke and prod at the perception of musical context, and remind the listener that feelings of anxiety, pain, and discomfort are equally as important as those of resolution. Perhaps the strongest tool utilized here is the material's dichotomy between the abrasive and the sterile. Beneath the crushing noisy exterior, sparks the familiar human voice.
Tropical F**k Storm - Briaindrops CD/LP (Joyful Noise)
"I've invented fake news as a genre of music", Gareth Liddiard observes with a laugh. Heʼs talking about "Maria 63", the closing track on Tropical F**k Stormʼs sophomore LP Braindrops. The song takes aim at the once-marginalized alt-right conspiracy theories that now seem to be a driving force behind the rise of fascism in global politics. It may be the most stupid song ever written, Liddiard jokes. Heʼs wrong, "Maria 63" is emblematic of Tropical F**k Stormʼs keen ability to mine the extreme edge of pop culture's periphery for potent musical and conceptual spice.
David Wax Museum - Line Of Light CD/LP+MP3 (Nine Mile)
The duo of David Wax and Suz Slezak, better known as David Wax Museum, return for their first full-length album in four years with Line Of Light. The record was produced by Carl Broemel of My Morning Jacket, who takes the band's folk-pop underpinnings and outfits them with serious sonic force.
Esther Rose - You Made It This Far CD/LP+MP3 (Father/Daughter)
Sophomore album from the New Orleans songwriter. Inspired by the honest writing and timeless melodies of American greats such as Hank Williams Sr. And Joni Mitchell, Esther Rose's songwriting has been called the happiest saddest music.
Jason Hawk Harris - Love & The Dark CD/LP (Bloodshot)
Jason Hawk Harris hit rock bottom during the writing and recording of his debut full-length Love & the Dark. In the last few years, the Houston-born-and-raised, Los Angeles-based musician endured life-altering hardships-illness, death, familial strife, and addiction-yet from these trials, a luxuriant and confident vision of art country emerged. With an unlikely background, Harris is a singer/guitarist/songwriter who walks his own line, one that touches on Lyle Lovett's lyrical frankness, John Moreland's punk cerebralism and Judee Sill's mysticism and orchestral sensibility.
The Po' Ramblin' Boys - Toil, Tears & Trouble CD/LP (Rounder)
After winning The International Bluegrass Music Association's 2018 Emerging Artist of the year Award, the Po' Ramblin Boys release their third album, Toil, Tears & Trouble.
Tyler, The Creator - Igor CD (Sony)
Produced entirely by Tyler, Igor features guest appearances from Playboi Carti, Lil Uzi Vert, Solange, Kanye West, and Jerrod Carmichael, along with backing vocals from Santigold, Jessy Wilson, La Roux, CeeLo Green, Charlie Wilson, Slowthai, and Pharrell, among others. [Vinyl edition due September 27.]
Raphael Saadiq - Jimmy Lee CD/2xLP (Sony)
Jimmy Lee is a deeply personal, musically ambitious work inspired by Saadiq's brother's struggles with addiction that explores the razor's edge people walk as they pursue pleasure that leads to pain - a brilliantly incisive and empathetic work. The album takes the listener from Saadiq's native Oakland to Rikers Island as he traces the everyday struggles of addiction and incarceration, taking in both the thrills and pitfalls he witnessed throughout his brother's life. Comprising narcotic funk, steely gospel affirmations, and quaking protest soul, Jimmy Lee is a resonant examination of modern life, in all its exuberance, destruction and consequence.
Jazzmeia Horn - Love And Liberation CD (Concord)
Jazzmeia's 2017 album A Social Call, which earned her a Grammy Award nomination in 2018, was a bold, political statement - a call for change. Love And Liberation is a call to action, starting with the self. Since her first release, she's been busy on the road, honing her vocal skills to a finely tuned level, writing songs of personal relevance and social message, and perfecting a fearless approach to improvisation. [Vinyl edition due September 6.]
Meth. - Mother Of Red Light CD/LP (Prosthetic)
The mind-altering outpourings of Chicago, IL experimental noise collective Meth. first blossomed as the brainchild of multi-instrumentalist Seb Alvarez. Mother Of Red Light is the anticipated full-length continuance of the unnerving narrative introduced in I Love You. Each song is a direct portal into the psyche of the plebeian-turned-Davidian leader who now wrestles with his tortured spirit and incestuous infatuation with The Choir Of Red Light's evil matriarch. [Limited colored vinyl pressing.]
Crobot - Motherbrain CD (Mascot Label Group)
Like food of the gods, rock 'n' roll nourishes the soul. Offering holy communion, Crobot proudly personify a trinity of "meat, strings, and emotion" within their music and during the raucous and raging gigs they remain known for. Striking a delicate balance between hard-charging riffs, ass-shaking funk, and out-of-this-world reflective stage attire, the Pennsylvania quartet satisfy starvation for sonic sustenance on their fourth full-length, Motherbrain. Blending funk, blues, metal and good old-fashioned rock 'n' roll into a howling vortex of Brandon Yeagley's vocals and Chris Bishop's guitar, Crobot has crafted an album of endless good time rock hooks that sound as inspired today as they would have on AOR radio in 1974. Or as Crobot describes it: "Dirty. Groove. Rock."
Ceremony - In The Spirit World Now CD/LP (Relapse)
In The Spirit World Now sees Cermenoy at the height of their creative output, as the always-evolving Rohnert Park quintet take various influences from post punk and rock to create one of 2019's most compelling and infectious records. The album is full of layered sonic fury and anxiety, each song building up to a point and then descending through a militant, catchy hook. Overall, In the Spirit World Now marks a milestone for this Northern California punk outfit who have stayed true to themselves as songwriters throughout massive sonic growth and a storied career. [Limited indie store exclusive colored vinyl pressing available.]
Reissues & From The Archives
Massive Attack - Mezzanine [Reissue/1999] 2xCD (Virgin)
Digitally remastered and expanded 20th anniversary reissue of Mezzanine featuring the original album plus an album of previously unreleased dub remixes by the Mad Professor. Widely hailed as their masterpiece and voted #15 in Q Magazine's 100 Greatest British Albums Ever (2000), Mezzanine saw the band move away from the 'rip-hop sound they had helped define to embrace rock and electronica.
The Doors - London Fog 1966 CD (Elektra)
Originally only available via a limited-edition box set and on vinyl for Record Store Day 2019. London Fog 1966 contains a previously unreleased live performance at the London Fog in Los Angeles in May 1966. It was recorded by spectator Nettie Pena before the band released their highly successful debut album on January 4, 1967. Considered the earliest known live recording of The Doors, London Fog 1966 includes versions of eventual album tracks and covers of blues standards.
Arlo Guthrie - Alice's Restaurant: Original MGM Motion Picture Soundtrack (50th Anniversary Edition) CD/2xLP (Omnivore)
Arlo Guthrie's Alice's Restaurant LP became a counter-culture touchstone when it was released in 1967. Two years later, director Arthur Penn followed up his 1967 classic film, Bonnie And Clyde, by bringing Alice to the big screen, starring none other than Arlo himself. Penn received an Oscar nomination for his direction. The soundtrack from the film featured a new recording of "Alice's Restaurant Massacree," as well other songs and music cues from the movie. That soundtrack was expanded on CD in 1998 with even more material. For the 50th anniversary of the movie, Alice's Restaurant: Original MGM Motion Picture Soundtrack (50th Anniversary Edition) contains all of the material from the 1969 and 1998 editions (while retaining the 1969 sequence), but also adds a previously unissued, live, 24-minute version of "Alice's Restaurant: Multi-Color Rainbow Roach Affair" from 1968. Packaging contains photos, images from the film, and liner notes by writer, Lee Zimmerman (author of Americana Music: Voices, Visionaries & Pioneers Of An Honest Sound), and features a new interview with Arlo.
Lala Lala - Sleepyhead CD/LP (Hardly Art)
Originally released in October 2016 as a long-since sold-out self-released cassette, the debut full-length from celebrated Chicago band Lala Lala, Sleepyhead is available on CD vinyl for the first time. Recorded in a basement over the course of five days during a typically-inhospitable Midwestern winter, Sleepyhead is an auspicious - if, at the time, criminally overlooked - debut effort from the young songwriter Lillie West and her then-lineup of supporting players (Abby Black on drums and Karl Bernasconi on bass). Unlike 2018's critically-acclaimed The Lamb, Sleepyhead is a rawer, more punked-up album with fewer lyrical metaphors obfuscating it's intimate, direct emotionality. Committed to tape in an urgent outburst of creative energy, the self-produced record eschews overdubs and takes unfussy aim at the listener's ears, heart, and the lump in their throat. Album standout "F**k With Your Friends" was a breakthrough moment for West - it was the first song she ever wrote, one that tumbled out of her fully-formed, setting her on the path that's led to her recent successes. [Limited cloud colored vinyl pressing also available.]
New on Vinyl
The Art Institute Of Chicago - We Are On The Edge (A 50th Anniversary Celebration) 4xLP (Erased Tapes)
We Are On The Edge: A 50th Anniversary Celebration is not only a commemoration of a half-century of magical music making, but also a loving tribute to the band's three original members who have passed: Lester Bowie, Malachi Favors, and most recently, Joseph Jarman. The group converged in Ann Arbor in October 16-20, 2018 for five days of rehearsals and recording. The sheer breadth of the ensemble's collective expression is staggering, ranging from Mitchell's art songs and through-composed pieces, Moye's percussion workouts, and, of course, collective improvisation.
Elton John & Taron Egerton - Rocketman - Music From The Motion Picture 2xLP (Interscope)
Recently released on CD - now available on vinyl. Directed by Dexter Fletcher (Bohemian Rhapsody) and produced by Matthew Vaughn (KickAss) Rocketman is a musical fantasy charting Elton John's breakthrough years and stars Taron Egerton (Kingsman) as Elton John, Jamie Bell (Billy Elliot) as songwriter Bernie Taupin, Richard Madden (Game Of Thrones) as manager John Reid plus Bryce Dallas Howard (Jurassic World) as Elton's mother Sheila Eileen.
Lightning Bolt - Wonderful Rainbow [Reissue/2003] LP+MP3 (Thrill Jockey)
Legendary band Lightning Bolt's Wonderful Rainbow is one of the most quintessential albums to come from the underground in the last 20 years. Included in lists like Pitchfork's "200 top albums of the 2000s" and the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, Lightning Bolt's seminal record solidified their place as pillars of the underground community.
Purple Pilgrims - Perfumed Earth LP (Flying Nun)
New Zealand dreamscape artists Purple Pilgrims release their long-awaited, sophomore record. Perfumed Earth features support input from Gary War (bass and synth from various motel rooms in the USA), Jimmy Mac (lush live drums), Joshua Kennedy (additional guitar jangle and fuzz), veteran improvisational experimentalist Jeff Henderson (saxophone on "Delphiniums In Harmony / Two Worlds Away") and a special guest appearance from six-string expressionist Roy Montgomery on "Ruinous Splendour".
Inspector 34 - Don't Worry This Is OK 7" (Sad Milk Collective)
The first full-band EP from Lowell MA's Inspector 34. With a healthy whiff of the same self-sufficient spirit as the '90s Drag City or Kill Rock Stars rosters, these four tracks are pinned together by sauntering, oddly distorted guitars tweaked with subtle effects and swooping, near-hawkish vocals that run in the same register as pre-White Stuff Neil Hagerty. Like Polvo with pinched nipples.
Lina Tullgren - Free Cell LP (Captured Tracks)
Lina Tullgren's Free Cell is masterfully arranged with strings, brass and sculpted synths throughout.
Caroline Spence - Spades & Roses [Reissue/2017] LP (Rounder)
Born into an exceptionally music-loving family, Charlottesville, VA native Caroline Spence started writing her own songs at age six and playing out in her hometown at 15. In 2015 she made her full-length debut with Somehow, a self-released effort featuring appearances by Anderson East, Erin Rae, and Andrew Combs. With her debut winning the attention of Miranda Lambert, Spence went on to deliver the deft and delicate Spades And Roses in 2017 and gain acclaim from outlets like NPR who noted that the album "occupies that Nashville sound equally at home in honky-tonks and bedrooms" and American Songwriter who hailed it as "an album of stunning beauty and lasting impact."
Dolly Parton - Jolene [Reissue/1974] LP+MP3 (Sony Legacy)
Vinyl reissue of the 13th solo studio album by Dolly Parton. The title track tells the tale of a housewife confronting a beautiful seductress who she believes is having an affair with her husband. It became Parton's second solo number-one country single; it also was a moderate pop hit for her.
Emmylou Harris - Roses In The Snow [Reissue/1980] LP (WB)
Emmylou Harris - Evangeline [Reissue/1981] LP (WB)
Emmylou Harris - Cimarron [Reissue/1981] LP (WB)
Emmylou Harris - Last Date [Reissue/1982] LP (WB)
Emmylou Harris - White Shoes [Reissue/1983] LP (WB)
Five early '80s albums from the country/folk singer/songwriter are back in-print on vinyl.
Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Jessi Colter, Tompall Glaser - Wanted! The Outlaws [Reisue/1976] LP+MP3 (RCA)
Released to capitalize on the new outlaw country movement, Wanted! The Outlaws earned its place in music history by becoming the first country album to be platinum-certified, reaching sales of one million.
Waylon Jennings - Greatest Hits [Reissue/1979] LP+MP3 (RCA)
Waylon Jennings' Greatest Hits documents his outlaw country years for RCA and includes several of his most well-known signature songs, the most recent of which had been the title track of I've Always Been Crazy, released the year before. Not counting the Mackintosh & T.J. soundtrack album and the White Mansions concept album, Greatest Hits became Jennings' eighth consecutive release to reach #1 on the charts.
Willie Nelson - Red Headed Stranger [Ressue/1975] LP+MP3 (Sony Legacy)
Vinyl reissue of 18th studio album by outlaw country singer. After the wide success of his recordings with Atlantic Records, coupled with the negotiating skills of his manager, Neil Reshen, Nelson signed a contract with Columbia Records, a label that gave him total creative control over his works. A concept album, Red Headed Stranger is about a fugitive on the run from the law after killing his wife and her lover. Willie Nelson - Always On My Mind [Reissue/1982] LP (Friday Music) Limited 180gm translucent red vinyl pressing of the 27th studio album by the legendary country singer.
Ghost Funk Orchestra - A Song For Paul CD/LP (Colemine)
Dirty, soulful production, verbed and fuzzed out guitars, mysterious vocals that feel like a lost score to a Quentin Tarantino film. The brainchild of one-man producer/musician/arranger Seth Applebaum, GFO is forging new territory and blurring the line between soul and psychedelic. [Limited gold colored vinyl pressing.]
Mingus - The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady [Reissue/1963] LP (Impulse!)
There's nothing else in jazz quite like The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady, recorded, astonishingly, in just one session on 20th January 1963. With liner notes written by Mingus's psychotherapist, the album uses ornate ensemble orchestration to produce a sound somewhere between jazz and folk.
McCoy Tyner Trio - Inception [Reissue/1962] LP (Impulse!)
The piano pioneer's 1962 debut solo album was a groundbreaking trio date featuring Art Davis on bass and his John Coltrane Quartet bandmate Elvin Jones on drums. Concentrating mainly on original compositions, Inception also featured inspired takes on "Speak Low" and "There Is No Greater Love".
Sonny Rollins - On Impulse! LP (Impulse!)
The tenor sax master attacks five standards and in the process produces some of his most intense performances on record. Taped at the Van Gelder Studio in one marathon session on July 8th, 1965, this electrifying Impulse! Records debut also featured Ray Bryant on piano and Mickey Roker on drums. Dizzy Gillespie - Swing Low, Sweet Cadillac [Reissue/1967] LP (Impulse!) A perennially popular 1967 live album from the bebop trumpet pioneer, an effervescent, electrifying quintet recording also featuring his great friend and fellow bebop legend James Moody on various saxophones and flute.
Roy Haynes Quartet - Out Of The Afternoon [Reissue/1962] LP (Impulse!)
Recorded at the Van Gelder Studio in May 1962, this classic quartet album features Roland Kirk on saxophones and several famous Haynes drum solos, most notably on his own composition "Snap Crackle".
Groove Theory - Groove Theory LP (Get On Down)
The neo-soul movement of the late 1990s fused classic soul sounds with contemporary elements, with artists such as D'Angelo and Lauryn Hill bringing the style to the mainstream, but underground acts such as R&B duo Groove Theory had laid the blueprint for their more pop-friendly acquaintances to follow. The New York pair, consisting of singer/songwriter Amel Larrieux and producer Bryce Wilson (of the legendary 80s electronic group Mantronix) helped set the tone for neo-soul, merging smooth soul arrangements and atmospherics with golden era boom-bap beats and Larrieux's siren-quality vocals. Inspired by a combination of Native Tongues, peak Marvin Gaye, and Joan Armatrading, as well as elements of breakbeat, jazz fusion, and even trip hop, Groove Theory is an often overlooked but definitive classic of the 1990s.
Inspectah Deck - Chamber 9 LP (Music Generation Corp.)
Celebrating the 25th anniversary of their debut album Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), 2019 has seen the re-emergence of Wu-Tang. Inspectah Deck has achieved underground success and critical acclaim from his CZARFACE albums with 7L and Esoteric, including recent albums with DOOM and Ghostface, respectively. Now, the Shaolin MC is back with a banging new solo album titled, "Chamber No. 9" featuring Deck shining on the mic over some classic gritty production. Album guests include Cappadonna, Streetlife, and Hellfire. Production is handled by up and coming Danny Caiazzo and Boo Bundy.
Michael Orr - Spread Love LP (Tidal Waves Music)
Originally released in 1975 on the Detroit based Sunstar label, "Spread Love" was largely ignored initially, but has since gained cult status among soul collectors worldwide. Inspired by the musical vision of Quincy Jones, Michael Orr and bass player Carey Harris assembled a cast of musicians and vocalists to create a timeless masterpiece which effortlessly blends cosmic soul, jazz, funk and gospel influences. Honey drips from Michael Orr's omnipresent rich baritone voice, and the blend of styles is handled with a bit more roughness than some other soul records of the same era.
Eric Burdon & The Animals - The Twain Shall Meet [Reissue/1968] LP (Sundazed)
Burdon and the group returned in April 1968 with The Twain Shall Meet, continuing their psychedelic journey. "Monterey" chronicled the previous summer's seminal festival while "Sky Pilot" reflected the growing anti-war sentiment as the Vietnam Conflict escalated. Steeped in a dense, layered sound full of electric guitars, sitars, strings, brass and washes of phased vocals, the album served notice that Burdon and company were totally in-step with America's youth movement. Pressed on gold colored vinyl.
Nicholas Carras - Date Bait [OST] LP (Modern Harmonic)
Nicholas Carras - High School Caesar [OST] LP (Modern Harmonic)
A jazz & rock rumble; Nicholas Carras' powerhouse score for angst-filled flick Date Bait is a tapestry of sounds from fast, jazzy pieces, dark and suspenseful moments, breezy traveling music, and the optimistic ending. With bongo jazz stylings and reprehensible ruffians, the true starring role in High School Caesar is the dark and tense compositions and wild bongo-driven percussion of his score.
Alan Lorber Orchestra - The Lotus Palace [Reissue/1967] LP (Modern Harmonic)
Gold colored vinyl pressing. Orchestrated by legendary producer Alan Lorber, this talented cast of musicians weave their way through Eastern-influenced and psychedelic interpretations of pop gems and some way-out-there originals, on an album touted as the first in the fusion of raga and jazz. Brimming with the sounds of sitar, tabla, and Gamelan percussion, this eccentric blend of Eastern and Western music includes four originally unissued bonus tracks.
Kansas - Monolith [Reissue/1979] LP (Friday Music)
Limited 180gm blue and gold colored vinyl pressing in gatefold jacket. Includes poster. Monolith is the sixth studio album by progressive rock band Kansas, released in 1979. This was Kansas' third straight studio album to hit the Billboard Top 10. The title refers to the meaning of the Siouan word Kansa, the Indian tribe for which the state of Kansas was named.
My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade Is Dead! [Reissue/2008] 2xLP (Reprise)
The Black Parade Is Dead! Is MCR's final performance as their onstage characters, the Black Parade. The Black Parade centers around a dying character called The Patient, who reflects on events in his life while he is confronted by Death in the form of his fondest memory, that of his father bringing him to see a marching band. This is based on frontman Gerard Way's belief that death comes to a person in the form of their fondest memory.
Sunn O))) - Life Metal 2xLP (Southern Lord)
Standard black double vinyl LP pressing. "Playing minimal metal at maximum volume, sound wave masseurs Sunn O))) are now entering their 21st year as the ne plus ultra of suffocating drone. Still searching for the most accurate representation of their famed, body-vibrating live performances, their eighth album, Life Metal, was recorded to tape with famed engineer Steve Albini. The result is an enveloping LP that trades their doomier inclinations for something a little more triumphant. Hildur Guðnadóttir of Icelandic art-rock staples Múm lends breathy coo, penetrating cello drone, and the esoteric halldorophone; composer Anthony Pateras accompanies the band on a Stuttgart pipe organ; and Silkworm co-founder Tim Midyett provides support on bass and baritone guitar. At the same time as they made Life Metal, the band and Albini recorded a parallel album: 'a second more meditative LP titled Pyroclasts ... which will be revealed in the autumn 2019.'" - Stereogum.
BKO - Mali Foli Coura LP (Buda Musique)
Blending the sounds of the rural (djelingoni) style of Malian music with the urban (donsongoni), BKO combine the Bamana and Mande Griot traditions with a percussive, over-driven aesthetic that pulls them into a more experimental realm, producing an urgent sound that is just at home in the bars of Bamako as in the forward-thinking clubs outside of their home country. "Mali, Niger & Algeria are producing some of the planet's most vital rock music - BKO are immensely rough & tough." (Rolling Stone)
Folkal Point - Folkal Point LP (Beat Ball Music)
In the early 1970s, three American folk-loving teenage boys from Bristol recruited Cherie Musialik to sing with them for a school concert. After making a successful debut performing tunes by the Seekers and Bob Dylan, word of the band spread to London, and Alan Green of the Midas label produced the band's album, which included mostly traditional British folk songs and a few modern American folk tunes. The band eventually disappeared from the public eye because of a lack of promotional push, but as word of the album's beauty spread among collectors, it soon came to be praised as a masterpiece of British folk. What really set this album apart was the million-dollar voice of Cherie Musialik, which has a deeply moving and enchanting quality to rival any of the greats of her time.
Sebastian - Rays of the Sun LP (Acme)
2010 release, forgotten stock. Early '70s reissue of this much in demand deep folky psych rarity with lavish arrangements like Darius meets Scott Walker: superb vocal melodies with acid leads, sitar, and 'Peppery' feel on some tracks. Undiscovered psych classic! Remastered and pressed on virgin DMM vinyl, limited to 500 copies.
Fernando Falcão - Memória das Águas LP (Selva Discos)
Recorded in 1979 in Paris but only released independently in Brazil in 1981, this album comes complete with genre-hopping explorations that swirl around ambient soundscapes, lively jazz, experimental-leanings, Afro-rhythms, and a unique blend of Latin grooves and French pop with a Brazilian accent. After participating in political movements against the Brazilian military regime in 1968, Falcao lived in exile in France for 15 years and invented sound sculptures that would be incorporated into his music. As audacious and experimental as it is seamlessly listenable, the present album takes in immersive textures one moment before breaking out into Fela Kuti-esque brass-soaked grooves the next, capturing the spirit and rhythm of Falcão's homeland combined with the lush production and art-pop approach associated with his exiled home.
Fernando Falcão - Barracas Barrocas LP (Selva Discos)
Originally released in 1987. The follow-up to Memória das Águas was recorded in São Paulo after Fernando Falcão returned from his exile in France in 1984. Falcão was still using the sound sculptures he created for Memória das Águas, with the album credits listing a "water orchestra" and his berimbau variant called balauê, but the result is a somewhat more coherent and accessible release. Lush strings, swelling brass, glowing production, and humming atmospheres fill the record, adding a beautiful yet subtly linked counterpoint to his previously explosive debut. It is very cinematic, sounding like the soundtrack of a play that only existed in the musician's mind.
Ryuichi Sakamoto & Taylor Deupree - Live in London 2LP (Thirtythree Thirtythree)
Trailblazing Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto (of Yellow Magic Orchestra) is joined by revered electronic musician Taylor Deupree on this live recording, documenting their collaboration at St John-at-Hackney Church in 2014. The two musicians develop a kinetic understanding over the recording, entering a sparse musical dialogue -- flourishes of prepared piano give way to bursts of noise and sculpted synths. Totally improvised, the performance follows their collaborations on record -- as a duo on 2013's Disappearance, and in a trio with Illuha on 2014's Perpetual.
Fahmi Mursyid - One Instrument Sessions LP (One Instrument)
Indonesian artist Fahmi Mursyid's mini-album includes six tracks that take the listener on a warm, experimental journey of varying timbres. The artist has always had a personal interest in traditional Indonesian instruments, specifically from Sundanese culture. Considering the strict guidelines One Instrument gives the artists, Mursyid has succeeded in getting the most out of his chosen instruments. With each of the six different acoustic instruments he has eluded clichè and surpassed physical limitations to shape a bold, alternative musical language. Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein - Native Son [OST] LP (Milan) Native Son is an American drama film, directed by Rashid Johnson, based upon the famous novel of the same name by Richard Wright. Adapted for the 21st Century, the film tells the story of 20-year-old Bigger Thomas, an African American youth living in utter poverty in a poor area on Chicago's South Side. The score was composed by Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein, best known for their score to Stranger Things and as members of the electronic band S U R V I V E.
Soundtrack - It's A Revolution Mother LP+DVD (Modern Harmonic)
Freaked-out hippies & surly bikers - what happens when someone who sounds like your local newscaster frantically rifling through a slang dictionary narrates a documentary depicting hippie protest, life inside a motorcycle gang, and myriad more sights from the turbulent '60s scene? Tons of campy biker craziness, anti-establishment antics, and one stellar one-liner after the other, all set to a hard rock musical score full of driving guitars. This is the first ever reissue of this platter of stoner strangeness. Pressed on cannabis green vinyl in a replica of the original record jacket. Includes a DVD of the entire freaked out film.
David Newman - Heathers - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack [Reissue/1989] LP (Varèse Sarabande)
30th anniversary release of the cult classic film comes pressed on very neon green vinyl and housed in a full color inner sleeve covered in original photos and new notes.