New Releases - 9/23/22
Hitting The Racks
Here's your weekly rundown of what's hitting the new release racks at Grimey's
New Releases
5 Seconds Of Summer – 5SOS5 CD (BMG)
Multi-platinum selling Australian pop-rockers 5 Seconds Of Summer return with their highly anticipated fifth studio album 5SOS5 which is introduced by the anthemic lead single and album opener "Complete Mess". The track was created during a writing trip in Joshua Tree, CA and is the first song to be entirely written and produced by the band, with Michael Clifford (vocals/guitar) handling the production. It is the first time in over a decade that the band have completely taken control of their destiny. [Deluxe CD edition contains five bonus tracks.]
9ms - II LP (Squama)
II is the second album from drum experimentalists Simon Popp and Florian König aka 9ms. Following up on their 2021 debut Pleats, the Munich-based musicians further expand their toolbox of synthesizers, effects, and tonal percussion to create a dark and dense fusion of trip hop, krautrock, and dub.
Barry Adamson – Steal Away 12”+MP3 (Mute)
The Steal Away EP was written and recorded at the time Adamson was writing his memoir Up Above the City, Down Beneath The Stars. The record ended up becoming an intrinsic part of the book writing process with Barry explaining, "The book is the past, the record is the past present. I needed to write it to get through the book, to stay present." Sitting amongst Barry's diverse catalog, Steal Away EP presents a refreshing vibrancy and western-like feel that further demonstrates Adamson's multifaceted ability in songwriting. [Limited edition pearl blue vinyl.]
Alex G – God Save The Animals CD/LP+MP3 (Domino)
"God" figures in the ninth album from Philadelphia, PA based Alex Giannascoli's LP's title, its first song, and multiple of its thirteen tracks thereafter, not as a concrete religious’ entity but as a sign for a generalized sense of faith (in something, anything) that fortifies Giannascoli, or the characters he voices, amid the songs' often fraught situations. Beyond the ambient inspiration of pop, Giannascoli has been drawn in recent years to artists who balance the public and hermetic, the oblique and the intimate, and who present faith more as a shared social language than religious doctrine. As with his previous records, Giannascoli wrote and demoed these songs by himself, at home; but, for the sake of both new tones and "a routine that was outside of my apartment," he asked some half-dozen engineers to help him produce the "best" recording quality, whatever that meant. The result is an album more dynamic than ever in its sonic palette. [Indie store exclusive clear vinyl.]
Kelsea Ballerini – Subject To Change CD (Black River Entertainment)
The two-time Grammy nominee previously teased Subject To Change in April, and said that the '90s-tinged "Heartfirst" set the tone for what's to come. "There is a lot of nostalgia to this record," she said. "It does sound really '90s-inspired, '90s country and '90s pop... I just wanted to start this next chapter with something that feels good. It's breezy, it's happy, and I hope people hear that." [Indie store exclusive autographed CD.]
Steve Bates – All The Things That Happen LP+MP3 (Constellation)
Steve Bates is an artist and musician known for his work with post-rock ensemble Black Seas Ensemble, duos with Timothy Herzog and Sophie Trudeau of Godspeed You! Black Emperor, amongst others, as well as a series of digital-only sonic explorations on his own label, The Dim Coast. All The Things That Happen is his first full-length album for Constellation. For this album, Bates pursued a more stripped-down exploration of the noisier terrain of the cheap timbre and tonality of the much-loved Casio SK-1 keyboard sampler. These sounds were fed through a variety of electronics, effects, amps, cassettes recorders to shift into their current form heard on these tracks.
Jessie Baylin - Jersey Girl CD/LP (Missing Piece)
Jersey Girl is more than just another record for Jessie Baylin; it’s a radical act of self-actualization, a moving work of reflection and rebirth from an artist who’s spent the better part of her adult life running from her roots. Written and recorded with GRAMMY-winning producers Daniel Tashian and Ian Fitchuk (Kacey Musgraves, Birdy), the collection marks Baylin’s first release since the passing of her longtime collaborator Richard Swift, whose influence looms large here even in his absence, and it signals the start of a profound new chapter, one marked by love and empathy for the face staring back in the mirror. The songs are lush and dreamy here, drawing on a hazy palette of warm guitars and vintage keyboard tones, and Baylin’s performances are nothing short of mesmerizing, her tender voice front-and-center in the mix as she grapples with guilt and shame, pain and healing, purpose and identity. Baylin’s the first to tell you this wasn’t an easy record to make—in fact, it wasn’t a record she intended to make at all—but sometimes the biggest breakthroughs come from the most unexpected places. [Limited edition black, white & silver vinyl. All copies are signed by Jessie! Available in the shop and in the Grimey's webstore.]
Beth Nielsen Chapman – Crazytown CD/LP (Cooking Vinyl)
Beth Nielsen Chapman returns with her first full length LP since 2018's Hearts Of Glass. Twice Grammy-nominated and a legend in the folk and singer/songwriter world, she's written for & with the likes of Bonnie Raitt, Elton John, Willy Nelson, and Faith Hill over her impressive 40-year career.
The Comet Is Coming – Hyper-Dimensional Expansion Beam CD/LP (Impulse!/Verve)
The Comet Is Coming return with their second full length album on Impulse! Records. King Shabaka, Danalogue, and Betamax's newest effort finds the trio creating a musical landscape that is equally cerebral as it is physically enthralling. While containing elements of jazz throughout, this release leans further into heavy dance-hall themes, providing hypnotic, electronic soundscapes to dance to while keeping you intellectually stimulated.
Divino Niño – Last Spa On Earth CD/LP/Cassette (Winspear)
Divino Niño are no strangers to bold reinvention. When Camilo Medina and Javier Forero – friends whose bond dates to their childhoods in Bogotá, Colombia – moved to Chicago and recruited guitarist Guillermo Rodriguez to form a band, they were psych-pop outsiders playing live shows with a drum machine. With the addition of drummer Pierce Codina, their 2019 breakthrough and debut LP for Winspear, Foam, solidified their place as local indie rock mainstays. Soon after, multi-instrumentalist Justin Vittori joined to round out their lineup. Once again, with their masterful, unpredictable, and eminently danceable new album, the band has done something radical: They totally upended the way they write songs, eschewing practice room jams for unrelentingly collaborative beats, implied grooves for immersive dance floor heaters, and mellow vibes for frenetic doses of reggaeton, electropop, and trap on their most adventurous and ambitious work to date. [Limited-edition ‘pink guava’ vinyl.]
Doctor Bionic – The God State LP (Colemine)
Clearwater blue color vinyl pressing. Deep, hard hitting soul-jazz meets dub instrumental analog grooves for your psyche.
Dr. John – Things Happen That Way CD/LP (Rounder/UMGD)
Posthumous release from the New Orleans legend. Throughout his six-decade long career, Dr. John embodied a near-mythic multitude of musical identities: Global Ambassador of New Orleans funk, jazz, and R&B, visionary bluesman, rock 'n' roll innovator, and a massively revered high priest of psychedelic voodoo. Things Happen That Way, his final studio album, adds another dimension to his musicality: a lifelong affinity for country & western. [Indie store exclusive ‘Garden District green’ vinyl will be released 10/14.]
Nils Frahm – Music For Animals 3xCD/4xLP (Leiter Verlag GMBH)
Nils Frahm returns with an expansive album, Music For Animals, his first fresh studio material since 2018's All Melody and 2019's associated All Encores. Containing ten tracks and clocking in at over three hours long, it's an ambitious and compelling set different to anything Frahm's released to date - in fact, it finds the Piano Day founder declining to use a piano - but at the same time retains many of the qualities that have set the influential musician's work apart over much of the last two decades.
Gaerea – Mirage CD/2xLP (Season Of Mist)
Behind black shrouds of obscurity and desolation, the men of Gaerea deliver their odes in cascading maelstroms of aggression and beauty with full-length number three, 'Mirage.' Emerging from the age of pandemic to whatever awaits humanity next, the Portuguese horde remains on the frontlines of the next generation of extreme metal. [Limited digipak CD edition includes bonus tracks.]
Heart Of Gold – Tom LP (Run For Cover)
Jade green color vinyl pressing. Heart Of Gold is a band from Minneapolis, Minnesota. To be even more specific, they're three guys from Fridley and Columbia Heights, two towns on the north end of the Twin Cities. These facts are important: the three members of Heart To Gold share an intimate and reciprocal relationship with their hometowns. They celebrate and support one another. The band's second full-length record, Tom, is a swaggering, scrappy punk rock love letter to their hometowns and all the glory, pain, conflict, and reward that come from being of a place and a community and seeing both through, even to bittersweet ends.
Boney James – Detour CD (Concord)
Four-time Grammy-nominee, multiplatinum-selling saxophonist Boney James' new album, Detour, marks his 18th release as a leader. Detour showcases 10 original tracks including "Coastin'" featuring iconic vocalist Lalah Hathaway. Also featured is trumpeter Dontae Winslow, known for his work with the West Coast Get Down.
Joan Jett & The Blackhearts – Changeup 2xLP (Sony Legacy)
Joan Jett & The Blackhearts’ first acoustic album, Changeup, features chart-toppers like “Bad Reputation” and “Crimson and Clover”, as well as deeper cuts, stripped down and reimagined. Changeup showcases Joan’s signature, blistering sound with an immediacy that allows listeners to delve into the lyrics in a completely new way. The 20-track, double vinyl set, is at once intimate while capturing all the ferocity and menace that Joan Jett is known for.
Killing Joke – Lord Of Chaos 12” (Spinefarm)
Clear vinyl pressing. Killing Joke’s latest EP features two brand-new recordings, plus two reworkings of songs from their 2015 album, Pylon.
Jorg Kuning - Chosta-del-sol 12" (Wisdom Teeth)
Enigmatic Welsh producer Jorg Kuning lands on Facta and K-LONE's Wisdom Teeth imprint with a four-track EP of psychedelic, sun-kissed modular house-and-techno. Like so many great artists emanating from the lush Welsh valleys, Jorg creates distinctly pastoral dance music that is in equal parts playful, deep, melodic and eccentric. Opener "Chosta-del-sol" is a noodling polyphony of warm pads, warping plucks and oozing modular noise that stretches and sprawls over a sun-baked house beat, while the two-stepping rhythms of "Ex-tensor" provide a bruk backbone for a constantly-crescendoing symphony of warbling chords, glitching melodies and fluttering pads.
Nikki Lane – Denim & Diamonds CD/LP (New West)
Released last week at Grimey’s for Nikki’s in-store performance. Now available everywhere! From the first bass note within the driving drum beat you can tell something is different about the new record from Nikki Lane. The backbeat feels like a gutsy strut while the lead guitar feels like a revved-up engine shifting gears. Denim & Diamonds comes out firing, spit shining the cowboy boots and tossing on a jean jacket. Produced by Joshua Homme (Queens Of The Stone Age), Denim & Diamonds has the Highway Queen embracing a more rock-oriented sound while still maintaining the heartfelt outlaw country sound she has developed across her previous three releases. Denim & Diamonds still has the f**k-off flare of which Nikki has come to be known. Her stylized, story-telling lyrics are all there as well as her catchy country hooks. The outlaw country sound is now balanced out with a gritty guitar and a machine gun snare that echoes the sound of ‘70s rock. [Indie store exclusive opaque yellow vinyl. All copies at Grimey’s are signed by Nikki! Available in the shop and in the Grimey's webstore.]
Jim Lauderdale – Game Changer CD (Missing Piece)
At any given time, you're likely to find Jim Lauderdale making music, whether he's laying down a new track in the studio or working through a spontaneous melody at his home in Nashville. And if he's not actively crafting new music, he's certainly thinking about it. "It's a constant challenge to try to keep making better and better records, write better and better songs. I still always feel like I'm a developing artist," he says. This may be a surprising sentiment from a man who's won two Grammys, released 34 full-length albums, and taken home the Americana Music Association's coveted Wagonmaster Award. But new album Game Changer is convincing evidence that the North Carolina native is only continuing to hone his craft.
Charles Lloyd – Trios: Ocean CD/LP (Blue Note)
As a sound seeker, Charles Lloyd's restless creativity has perhaps found no greater manifestation than on his latest masterwork, an expansive project that encompasses three albums with an overarching theme, each presenting him in a different trio setting - a Trio of Trios. Trios: Ocean features guitarist Anthony Wilson and pianist Gerald Clayton.
Cass McCombs – Heartmind LP+MP3 (ANTI-)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. 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.
Makaya McCraven – In These Times CD/LP (Nonesuch)
In These Times is a collection of polytemporal compositions inspired as much by broader cultural struggles as McCraven's personal experience as a product of a multinational, working class musician community. With contributions from over a dozen musicians and creative partners from his tight-knit circle of collaborators - including Jeff Parker, Junius Paul, Brandee Younger, Joel Ross, and Marquis Hill – In These Times was recorded in five different studios and four live performance spaces while McCraven engaged in extensive post-production work at home. Featuring orchestral, large ensemble arrangements interwoven with the signature "organic beat music" sound that's become his signature, the album is an evolution and a milestone for McCraven, the producer. [Indie store exclusive ivory color vinyl.]
Mobley – Cry Havoc! 12” (Last Gang)
Cry Havoc! finds Mobley exploring themes of power, alienation, and dissent with an artful clarity that demands repeat listening. The EP introduces a retro-futuristic world of seductively sinister melodies, distorted synths, jagged cuts, and propulsive rhythms.
Modern Nomad – There It Is, There You Are LP (Colemine)
Modern Nomad is the recording project of multi-instrumentalist and songwriter, Tom McLean. He has been recording and writing his own music after being inspired by the jangly psychedelic pop sounds of The Beatles, and the deep atmospheric grooves of the likes of Tame Impala and Toro y Moi since he was 16. The best way to describe There It Is, There You Are is “psych indiepop that drips with positive vibes”.
Municipal Waste – Electrified Brain LP (Nuclear Blast)
Recently released on CD – now available on indie store exclusive yellow vinyl. Since 2001, Municipal Waste have uncompromisingly stuck to their guns as hard-partying and even harder-hitting torchbearers of 21st century thrash metal. The Richmond, VA quintet have transformed from a cult favorite into metal mainstays for a generation. Municipal Waste maintain course as vicious and vital as ever on their new album, Electrified Brain.
Beth Orton – Weather Alive CD/LP (Partisan)
Many musicians turn inward when the world around them seems chaotic and unreliable. Reframing one's perception of self can often reveal new personal truths both uncomfortable and profound, and for Beth Orton, music re-emerged in the past several years as a tethering force even when her own life felt more tumultuous than ever. Indeed, the foundations of the songs on Orton's stunning new album, Weather Alive, are nothing more than her voice and a "cheap, crappy" upright piano installed in a shed in her garden, conjuring a deeply meditative atmosphere that remains long after the final note has evaporated. [Limited-edition clear vinyl.]
Pale Waves – Unwanted CD/LP (Dirty Hit)
Pale Waves have been on a personal and artistic journey since the release of their debut album, My Mind Makes Noises in 2018. These experiences have begun to inform their songs in recent years and are what jump to the fore on their new album. Unwanted is a record that reaches out into the passionate community of misfits and LGBTQI fans around the band, tapping into darker emotions than ever before while also striking a fresh tone of defiance.
Razor – Cycle Of Contempt CD/LP (Relapse)
Anyone that cut their metal teeth with The Big Four, and then dug a little deeper into the indie scene, should receive a major endorphin rush when they discover that speed and thrash masters Razor are about to release their first studio offering in 25 years. The album, Cycle Of Contempt, is a direct, cutthroat record that pulls no punches and takes no prisoners. [Limited-edition neon yellow vinyl.]
Shackleton - The Majestic Yes 12" (Honest Jon's Records)
Killer EP. Next-level Shackleton. Taking off from Beaugars Seck's foundational sabar drum rhythms -- recorded by Sam in Dakar in February 2020 -- Shackleton has constructed a trio of intricately layered, luminous, enchanted, epic excursions. The second is more dazzled and meandering, with jellied bass, insectile detail, and discombobulated jabbering; the third is more liquid, fleet of foot, and psychedelic, with a grooving b-line and funky keyboard stabs, scrambled eastern strings and hypnotic vocalese. The overall mood is wondrous, twinkling with light, onwards-and-upwards; an uncanny, dubwise mix of the ancient and the futuristic.
Caroline Shaw / Attacca Quartet – Evergreen CD (Nonesuch)
New release from Pulitzer Prize and Grammy Award-winning composer Caroline Shaw and Attacca Quartet. Evergreen is five original works by Shaw: three pieces written for string quartet –“Three Essays”, “Blueprint”, and “The Evergreen” - and two songs written for string quartet and voice. It also includes an interpretation of a twelfth century French poem, which the Quartet performs with Shaw on vocals.
Todd Snider – Live: Return Of The Storyteller CD/2xLP (Thirty Tigers)
Live: Return Of The Storyteller – Todd Snider's third live album and nineteenth overall - plays like a masterclass by one man with a guitar and a freewheeling imagination. Threading his husky-voiced phrasing through a likable cosmic cowboy manner, he invites you on a tour of tunes humorous ("Big Finish," and the have-meets- have-not "In Between Jobs"), Proustian ("Play a Train Song", "Too Soon To Tell", and the lump-in-the-throat snapshot of John Prine on "Handsome John") and heart-worn ("Like A Force Of Nature", "The Very Last Time", "Roman Candles"). As the fifteen-song set unfolds, you can feel a tangible bond building between Snider and his fans. While the album captures what Snider laughingly calls his "second tour - because I went out on the road in '94 and never went home until the pandemic" - it acts as both a summing up of a 30-year career and a look ahead. [Indie store exclusive blue vinyl. All copies at Grimey’s are signed by Todd!]
The Soft Moon – Exister CD/LP/Cassette (Sacred Bones)
Sonically, Exister is expansive and potent. The opening “Sad Song”, which unfurls with a dense brooding atmosphere, The Soft Moon’s Luis Vasquez describes it as almost a ballad, while tracks such as “The Pit” capture the opposite end of the musical spectrum, exploding as a thundering piece of industrial techno complete with gut-churning levels of bass. “Monster” - a song that follows a human metamorphosis into an unrecognizable and destructive being - seamlessly combines a deeply melodic, almost electro pop, vocal hook with a slow build atmospherics to create something equally beautiful and unsettling. “Become The Lies” explores the devastating consequences of being lied to by your own family and is a post-punk stomper, merging charging basslines, pummeling drums and snaking guitars, all of which combine explosively. [Limited-edition crystal clear vinyl.]
Space Of Variations – Imago LP (Napalm)
Unstoppable Ukrainian metalcore unit Space of Variations ascend to the next level of mind-bending modern metal on their new in-your-face full-length, Imago.
Tamino – Sahar LP (Djinn)
The arrival of Tamino is enough to make even an agnostic ponder predestination. The grandson of one of Egypt's most famed singers, the great Muharram Fouad, Tamino came to the guitar as a teenager only after finding a rare resonator in his late grandfather's attic. He plays it now alongside the oud, dual links to his cultural past that he uses to understand and articulate his emotional present. And when Taminosings of mystery and wonder, romance, and surrender, worry and hope, you see that he's been to those places, returning to share what he's witnessed in a voice as strong as it is delicate, captivating as it is comforting. That is precisely how Sahar, his spellbinding second album, sounds-as though Tamino were born to sing these songs, and we were meant to witness [An indie store exclusive vinyl pressing is available. CD version due October 14.]
Tirzah – Highgrade LP+MP3 (Domino)
A full reworking of the ten tracks on Tirzah's acclaimed second album Colourgrade, Highgrade has remixes from the likes of Arca, Actress, Lafawndah, Loraine James and Speakers Corner Quartet. Moving through orchestral jazz, deconstructed R&B and minimal, glitchy electronica, Highgrade, like all Tirzah's music is not easily definable by genre, and all the better for it.
Toledo – How It Ends CD/LP (Grand Jury)
Dan Álvarez de Toledo and Jordan Dunn-Pilz have a special bond. Growing up in Newburyport, Massachusetts, the two were fast and unshakable friends through sleepovers, school choir practices, and discovering formative bands, to the point that now, as roommates in Brooklyn, they finish each other’s sentences. This shared history and obvious love for each other are tangible in their songwriting project Toledo, named after the Spanish town and Álvarez’s familial namesake. Their music, which is full of seamless harmonies throughout, skirts the softer edges of indie rock and the darker fringes of pop with each song imbuing a heaping dose of vulnerability and emotional openness. On How It Ends, the two dive into each other’s family histories and traumas as they navigate their own lives as twenty-something musicians. These tracks are striking for their blunt honesty but also for the way Álvarez and Dunn-Pilz’s real-life chemistry translates on record: the 12 songs are as tender as a warm hug and as clarifying as a needed reality check. [Indie store exclusive coke bottle clear vinyl shipped late and should arrive next week.]
Train – AM Gold LP (Columbia)
Recently released on CD – now available on gold color vinyl. First new album in five years and 11th overall. “Writing songs is hard. Not compared to so many things I suppose, but it's difficult to create something that you love, and then other people love as well. Writing songs for two and a half years in front of video screens instead of being in the presence of other humans has been a long, strange trip. And now here we are," frontman Pat Monahan shares. "It has to start with love. Love that goes into work comes out of work. We love this album and our fans.”
Vieux Farka Touré & Khruangbin – Ali CD/LP (Dead Oceans)
Ali Farka Touré trekked the world, bringing his beloved Malian music to the masses. Dubbed "the African John Lee Hooker," one could hear strong connections between the two; both employed a bluesy style of play with gritty textures that elicit calm and fury in equal measure. While the influence of Black blues music prevailed, Touré created a West African blend of 'desert blues' that garnered Grammy awards and widespread reverence. Though he transcended in 2006, Ali's musical legacy lives on through his son, Vieux aka "the Hendrix of the Sahara," an accomplished guitarist and champion of Malian music in his own right. On Ali, his collaborative album with Khruangbin, Vieux pays homage to his father by recreating some of his most resonant work, putting new twists on it while maintaining the original's integrity. The result is a rightful ode to a legend. [Limited-edition jade color vinyl.]
Various Artists - Spring Snow LP (Mirae Arts)
A compilation of eight leading experimental artists from different cultures and musical backgrounds who were asked to freely reflect on the word 'nostalgia.' Li Yilei's "SHI", meaning "time" in Japanese, sets the stage with its free-form synth notes and traverse rhythms. The listener is then presented with a memory of an orchestra, conducted by Lucy Liyou, leading to euphoric moments from Sawako and Gonima. Side B explores the melancholic and sometimes painful side of nostalgia and youth. Forest Management opens the journey with a late-night rumination, which seems to loop endlessly. Jiyoung Wi, from South Korea, reflects on her birth and upbringing, and leverages her own voice to narrate the story.
Venom Inc. – There’s Only Black CD (Nuclear Blast)
Sophomore album from the extreme metal pioneers. Almost 40 years after their inception, the revitalized 1989 - 1992 Venom line-up of guitarist Jeff "Mantas" Dunn and vocalist/bassist Tony "Demolition Man" Dolan and the new addition of drummer Jeramie 'Warmachine' Kling have returned with the follow-up to their acclaimed debut, Avé. [Clear w/ black yolk & gold splatter color vinyl edition due October 14..]
Virgil / Steve Howe – Lunar Mist CD/LP+CD (Inside Out U.S.)
Steve Howe's second collaboration with his son Virgil continues the journey that is fueled by the love and energies he draws from his wife Jan and their family, a passion for the guitar, and of course, the never-ending drive to create and perform music. The Yes guitarist's creative passion has put him on an experimental lifelong journey, with each new album a venture into genre-bending territory.
The Wonder Years – The Hum Goes On Forever LP (Hopeless)
The Wonder Years is a band. That descriptor both defines and understates the rock band that has released some of the most life-affirming, cultural touchstones of the 2010's and 2020's. On the band's fifth full length studio album, The Hum Goes On Forever, The Wonder Years created the most "The Wonder Years" album in their career. With their trademark call-backs to previous songs/albums, and thought-provoking and heartfelt vulnerability on display, The Hum Goes On Forever is one for The Wonder Years' fans, for anyone who listens, anyone who needs it, everyone who's grown up with the band and has sought, and continues to seek, refuge in their songs. [Limited edition blue vinyl.]
Reissues, Compilations, Live Recordings & Vault Excavations...
ABBA – Gold – Greatest Hits [Reissue/1992] 2xLP (Capitol)
ABBA's all-time best-selling album features 19 timeless hits such as "Dancing Queen" and "Mamma Mia". Available in two editions: gold color and picture discs in a die-cut sleeve.
After Dinner - Paradise of Replica LP (Aguirre Records)
Originally released in 1989. After Dinner's Paradise of Replica is a concise nugget of tomfoolery that occupies a whimsical no man's land between art pop, Japanese folk music, and full-assed Art Zoydian avant proggery. Assembled by the enigmatic chanteuse and composer known simply as Haco, After Dinner was less a band and more of a loose art collective that utilized a plurality of different musical disciplines stapled together through free improvisation sessions. This record is a scrapbook of bells, strings, and koto humming under Haco's ethereal vocals, but Paradise of Replica is far from an impenetrable scholastic endeavor -- in fact, there's something of an Elephant 6-like quality in its ability to warp conventions while still coming off more or less like pop music.
Alice In Chains – Dirt [Reissue/1992] 2xLP (Sony Legacy)
Digitally remastered edition. Dirt, the critically acclaimed and 5x Platinum certified, studio album from Alice in Chains is celebrating its 30th anniversary. The album features some of the band's biggest hits including "Them Bones", "Would?", and "Rooster".
Aqua – Aquarium [Reissue/1997] LP (Geffen)
2022 marks the 25th anniversary of Aqua's first album Aquarium and iconic global hit “Barbie Girl”.
Bad Brains – Quickness [Reissue/1989] LP (Org Music)
Quickness is the fourth full-length studio album by Bad Brains, originally release by Caroline Records in 1989. The audio was mastered by Dave Gardner at Infrasonic Mastering. This limited "Punk Note" edition comes with alternate packaging artwork from designer John Yates (Stealworks). The artwork is a nod to Reid Miles and Francis Wolff, and their amazing work at the Blue Note label.
Blur – Bustin’ + Dronin’ [Reissue/1998] CD/2xLP (Parlophone)
Originally released in 1998 in Japan-only, this compilation features remixes of tracks from Blur’s 1997 eponymously titled, number one album. Bustin' + Dronin' features nine remixes by William Orbit (tracks 1, 6, 7 & 9), Adrian Sherwood (2 & 8), Moby (4), Thurston Moore (5) and John McEntire (7).
Cerberus Shoal – Cerberus Shoal [Reissue/1995] LP+MP3 (Temporary Residence)
Peach color vinyl pressing. The long out-of-print, eponymous debut album by the prescient, genre-scrambling collective, Cerberus Shoal, showcases their humble beginnings as a progressive punk band with extraordinary promise. Recorded in 1994 and originally released the following year, Cerberus Shoal distilled the band's earliest creative and philosophical influences - the rhythmic post-hardcore of Dischord Records; the disarming histrionics of Ebullition and Gravity Records; and the ominous, patient dynamics of Slint and Moss Icon - into a concise six-song document that is as much a snapshot of an era as a blueprint for much that followed.
Chick Corea – The Montreux Years CD/2xLP (BMG)
Chick Corea: The Montreux Years showcases some of the legendary pianist's remarkable Montreux Jazz Festival live performances. The set includes brand new liner notes, as well as rare photos from his Montreux shows. Combos featured include Chick Corea Quartet, Chick Corea New Trio, Chick Corea Freedom Band, Chick Corea Akoustic Band, and Chick Corea Elektric Band, plus an appearance by The Bavarian Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra.
Ani DiFranco – Living In Clip [Reissue/1997] 3xLP (Righteous Babe)
Newly remastered for colored triple vinyl in deluxe packaging, this landmark album by Ani DiFranco features her trio from 1995-1996 with Andy Stochansky (drums) and Sara Lee (bass). Twenty-five years later the album is recognized as a point of entry that radically expanded DiFranco's audience, and a historically important testament to the relationship between Ani as a live performer and the devoted community she created with her fans.
Dio – Dio At Donington ’83 CD/2xLP (BMG)
Dio – Dio At Donington ’87 CD/2xLP (BMG)
Archival live releases. Limited-edition CD and vinyl editions feature lenticular covers.
Dio – Killin The Dragon [Reissue/2002] LP (BMG)
Limited red and orange color vinyl pressing. Killing The Dragon is the ninth studio album by heavy metal band Dio. It was originally released May 2002 via Spitfire Records and was produced by frontman Ronnie James Dio.
Discordance Axis – JouHou [Reissue/1997] CD (Willowtip)
Available for the first time on CD in more than a decade, the Discordance Axis album JouHou is presented in it's original format - a CD packaged in a DVD case. It features multiple bonus tracks from their split 7" with Plutocracy and split 7" with Melt Banana, plus an excerpt from a live 1997 Tokyo show. Recorded by Bill T. Miller, JouHou is lean and relentless with every bit of fat trimmed out of the 18-minute run time.
Duster – Together CD/LP/Cassette (Numero)
Gather your loved ones, Together is here. Duster's fourth album is a 13-song exploration of comfortable, interplanetary goth. A sonic Vaseline of submerged guitars, solder-burned synths, and overdriven rhythm tracks. "I know people say, 'Oh Duster music so sad, we've even said it ourselves before," Clay Parton said. "But it's a lot more like absurdism than nihilism." [Limited-edition ‘cigarette smoke’ color vinyl.]
Fennesz - Black Sea 2x10" (Touch)
Originally released in 2008, Black Sea was Fennesz's follow-up album to 2004's Venice. Stylus Magazine's Nick Southall wrote: "Fennesz does with sound what Stan Brakhage did with film, altering its very fabric and texture, employing disorder and error as forms of communication and expression. He forces you to learn a different method of perception and interpretation, to look beneath the chaos that seems to govern the movements of life and find the patterns beneath." Black Sea features guitars that rarely sound like guitars; the instrument is transformed into an orchestra. Fennesz lists the elements used to make the compositions: "Acoustic and electric guitars, synthesizers, electronics, computers and live-improvising software lloopp." While the original vinyl edition of this album featured only 6 of the 8 tracks included on the CD release, this double 10" set brings the full album to vinyl for the first time.
Grateful Dead – Madison Square Garden 3/9/81 3xCD (Grateful Dead)
Madison Square Garden, the world-famous New York City arena, was a home away from home for The Grateful Dead, a reliable sanctuary where the band would ultimately play 52 shows, a record at the time. The venue's fine acoustics combined with the fans' unbridled energy consistently brought out the best in the Dead. At the band's 2015 induction ceremony into Madison Square Garden's Walk Of Fame, Bobby Weir said "This place was both horrifying and titillating with an audience that was discerning but ravenous. We had to rise to the occasion every time."
Grateful Dead – Fillmore East 2-11-69 [Reissue/1997] 3xLP (Friday Music)
Triple vinyl LP pressing in tri-fold jacket. 17 stellar performances.
Lightnin’ Hopkins – Lightnin’ In New York [Reissue/1961] LP (Candid)
Recorded November 15, 1960, at the Nola Penthouse Sound Studios in New York, Lightnin' In New York captures the legendary bluesman in classic form, including some rare solos on the piano. Produced by Candid Records label co-founder, famed music critic and social activist, Nat Hentoff, and recorded at a time when Hopkins was being "rediscovered" by white audiences, the bluesman was reluctant in accepting his new role as an "artist" before predominantly white audiences.
Iceage – Shake The Feeling: Outtakes & Rarities 2015–2021 LP+MP3 (Mexican Summer)
Shake The Feeling: B-Sides & Rarities 2015–2021 surveys the sound surrounding Iceage's last three albums, Plowing Into the Field Of Love, Beyondless and Seek Shelter. A study in the powerful song form and raw execution that have defined the Danish band as rock 'n' roll's saviors, this essential collection digs deep into the Iceage vault for unheard and rare cuts that both devotees and the uninitiated alike will relish. [Indie store exclusive ‘Bordeaux red’ color vinyl.]
Insomnium – Shadows Of The Dying Sun [Reissue/2014] LP (Svart)
Vinyl reissue of the Finnish melodic death metal band’s sixth studio album.
Damien Jurado – Waters Avve S. [Reissue/1997] LP+MP3 (Sub Pop)
Blue color vinyl pressing. 2022 promises to be a banner year for Damien Jurado. Not only does the year mark the songwriter's 50th birthday, but it also sees the summer release of his 18th studio album, the impressionistic and tuneful Reggae Film Star. And hang on, there's more: on September 23rd, 2022, Sub Pop Records reissues Jurado's debut full-length, 1997's Waters Ave S. The work of a young artist driven by complex inner visions, the LP offers a fresh chance to examine how far Jurado has come in the 25 years since its release-but also demonstrates how much of his point of view and vivid scenecraft was firmly in place from the very start.
Kinks – Muswell Hillbillies [Reissue/1971] LP (BMG)
Kinks –Everybody’s In Show-Biz [Reissue/1972] 2xLP (BMG)
Kinks – Muswell Hillbillies / Everybody’s In Show-Biz 6xLP+4xCD+Blu-ray (BMG)
The deluxe box set features newly remastered versions of Muswell Hillbillies (1971) and Everybody’s In Show-Biz (1972) on both vinyl and CD, as well as 11 new remixes courtesy of co-founder Ray Davies. An accompanying Blu-ray features a previously unseen, digitally restored 1971 home movie. Further bonus material includes a 52-page deluxe hardcover book, a Kinks metal badge, glossy photo prints of the band and a “London Roots” map highlighting historical Kinks-related locations. [Stand-alone vinyl reissues of Muswell Hillbillies and Everybody’s In Show-Biz are also available.]
Jerry Lee Lewis – The Killer Keys Of Jerry Lee Lewis LP (Sun)
Celebrate the career of rock 'n' roll's original wild man with this remastered retrospective of his greatest hits at his original home, Sun Records. Jerry Lee Lewis revolutionized rock piano with hits like, "Great Balls Of Fire", "Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On", and brought country sensibilities to tracks like "Born To Lose", and "Turn Around". Explore the best of The Killer with this collection of favorites, alternate versions, and deep cuts. 180gm pressing.
Marina and The Diamonds – Electra Heart [Reissue/2012] 2xLP (Atlantic)
Double magenta-colored vinyl LP pressing housed in a gatefold jacket and wrapped in an iridescent slip case. The "Platinum Blonde Edition" is the definitive version of Marina and The Diamonds' acclaimed sophomore album Electra Heart. This limited-edition set includes the rare tracks "EVOL" and "Electra Heart" available on vinyl for the first time ever. Also included are the massive TikTok hits "Bubblegum Bitch" and "Primadonna" as well as fan favorites "How To Be A Heartbreaker" and "Teen Idle".
Minus The Bear – Lost Loves [Reissue/2014] LP (Dangerbird)
Lost Loves lives up to its title quite literally as a collection of hard to let go songs pulled from the band's past seven odd years of writing, recording, and releasing records. “Inevitably some of your favorite songs are going to be cut in the necessity of creating the right sequence for that particular time” says bassist Cory Murchy. “Regardless of the reason they weren't included, it wasn't for lack of love and appreciation of the songs themselves.” [Limited edition neon yellow vinyl.]
Joni Mitchell – The Asylum Albums (1972–1975) 4xCD/5xLP (Elektra)
Joni Mitchell was at a turning point 50 years ago. After making four acclaimed albums with Reprise Records, including her 1971 masterpiece Blue, she left the label to join the brand-new Asylum Records in 1972. Over the next seven years, Mitchell would record some of the most acclaimed music of her career while changing her musical direction by adding more jazz elements into her songwriting. The evolution culminated in 1979 with Mingus, her collaboration with jazz titan Charles Mingus, and her studio last album for Asylum. Explore the beginning of that prolific era with The Asylum Albums (1972–1975), the next installment in the Joni Mitchell Archives series. The collection features newly remastered versions of For The Roses (1972), Court And Spark (1974), the double live album Miles Of Aisles (1974), and The Hissing Of Summer Lawns (1975).
Monster Magnet – 4-Way Diablo [Reissue/2007] 2xLP (Napalm)
Reissued last week on CD – now back in-print on vinyl. Recorded in four different studios (Sound City Studios, American Studios, The Sunset Lodge and Hydeaway Studios) throughout 2006-2007, 4-Way Diablo is the seventh offering from legendary riff masters Monster Magnet. Featuring rippers such as "Wall Of Fire", "You're Alive", and a cover of an obscure Rolling Stones song "2000 Lightyears From Home", 4-Way Diablo is a true gem in the Monster Magnet catalog.
Motörhead – Iron Fist [Reissue/1982] 2xCD/LP (Sanctuary)
40th anniversary expanded double CD-book edition and stand-alone black & blue color vinyl pressing. Iron Fist is repositioned as a vital snapshot of Motörhead at a crucial period when they found themselves caught in the tornado ignited by success and, in true Motörhead style, careered into their next phase at such velocity it transcended logic or reason to become this trio's final kamikaze joyride. Forty years later, with fall-out long dissipated and a proper mastering job that avoided it at the time, Iron Fist sounds like prime Motörhead with the gloves and seatbelts off.
Mountain City Four – Mountain City Four CD (Omnivore)
Historic, early recordings from Kate and Anna McGarrigle's beginnings as members of the Mountain City Four. In 1963, Jack Nissenson and Peter Weldon recruited Kate McGarrigle to form a trio. A few months later, Kate's sister Anna joined, and the group became the Mountain City Four. Playing locally at Montreal folk clubs, the band developed a loyal and substantial following and played into the 1970s. The McGarrigles origins shine brightly on Mountain City Four which contains sixteen previously unissued recordings from 1963-1964, 1969-70, and a final one in 2012 two years after Kate's passing which featured members of the Mountain City Four's extended family. The tracks include classics like Bill Monroe's "Blue Moon Of Kentucky", the traditional "Will The Circle Be Unbroken", Sister Rosetta Tharpe's "This Train", and "All The Good Times", written by Lead Belly and Alan Lomax.
NEU! – 50! 5xCD (Groenland)
NEU!, the legendary Krautrock duo of Michael Rother and the late Klaus Dinger, celebrate the 50th anniversary of their self-titled debut album with the NEU! 50! box set. Includes albums NEU!, NEU! 2!, and NEU! 75, plus the NEU! Tribute Album, a NEU! stencil and booklet. The Tribute Album features reworkings by The National, Idles, Man Man, Mogwai, Guerilla Toss, Alexis Taylor, and more. [Vinyl edition due October 21.]
New Riders Of The Purple Sage – Lyceum ’72 CD (Omnivore)
“The last night of the Grateful Dead’s 1972 European tour was memorable for a host of reasons, and prime amongst them, was the fun fact that the whole extended musical ‘family’ of the Grateful Dead was reunited at the London gig in the Lyceum Ballroom just off the Strand.” So begins Grateful Dead Tour Manager Sam Cutler’s liners to this piece of exceptional music history. New Riders Of The Purple Sage emerged as a band showcasing the songwriting of John Dawson and pedal steel guitar musings of Jerry Garcia, and their original line-up included Garcia and the Dead’s Mickey Hart on drums. While the Dead’s material from that tour has been issued on their recent Europe ’72 and Lyceum ’72 releases, the New Riders Of The Purple Sage Lyceum ’72 documents the last night of the New Riders appearances with them on those classic dates.
Opera IX – Sacro Culto [Reissue/1998] 2xLP (Peaceville)
Sacro Culto is the second studio album by Italian symphonic black metal band Opera IX, originally released in 1998. Beginning with this album, Opera IX started to gradually include elements of gothic metal in their sound.
Queen – A Night At The Opera [Reissue/1975] LP (Hollywood)
Nothing succeeds like excess, at least that's the case with Queen's breakthrough classic, A Night At The Opera. On one level, the title is a reference to the band's operatic pretensions as evidenced here on the classic "Bohemian Rhapsody". It also happens to be the title of a Marx Brothers movie, and the reference isn't lost on Queen, who seldom scaled the heights of pomprock without a knowing wink. The album is remembered for its meticulously produced bombast, but the truth is that there's a wide variety of material here, from the gorgeous piano-based "You're My Best Friend" and the McCartneyesque "39", to the music-hall-style "Lazing On A Sunday Afternoon" and the pedal-to-the-metal rockers "Death On Two Legs" and "I'm In Love With My Car". A Night At The Opera is widely considered to be the quintessential Queen album and justifiably so.
Risco Connection – Risco Version 3x12” (Strut)
The first ever official compilation bringing together the complete in-demand reggae/disco singles by Risco Connection between 1979 and 1980.
Trouble – Live In Stockholm [Reissue/2005] 2xLP (Napalm)
Live In Stockholm has Trouble riffing through a fantastic greatest hits setlist.
Various Artists – With Love Volume 1: Compiled By Miche 2xLP (Mr Bongo)
A curated selection of rare Brazilian, gospel, modern soul and jazz-fusion fire.
Mal Waldron – Searching In Grenoble: The 1978 Solo Piano Concert 2xCD (Tompkins Square)
Searching In Grenoble: The 1978 Solo Piano Concert is a previously unissued recording of jazz icon Mal Waldron's mesmerizing performance at the "Five Days Of Jazz" series in Grenoble, France on March 23, 1978. Waldron was Billie Holiday's final accompanist, played with John Coltrane, Charles Mingus and Jackie McLean, and recorded dozens of solo albums before his passing in 2002.
Neil Young – Time Fades Away CD (Reprise)
Time Fades Away - the first live album released by Neil Young was recorded in 1973 on a tour with The Stray Gators. Released in October 1973, it was the follow-up to Neil's hugely successful, multi-platinum album Harvest and many of the musicians who played on Harvest appear on this album. Although acclaimed by fans and critics, Neil was reportedly unhappy with the album and after its initial release on vinyl it remained out-of-print for decades. The album was finally released on CD for the first time (& remastered for vinyl) in 2017 as part of the Official Release Series 5-8 box set.