New Releases - 9/6/19

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 Live & in Concert DVDs and Bluray Books

New Releases

The Highwomen - The Highwomen CD (New Elektra)

The Highwomen is a new, highly anticipated, collaborative movement formed by Brandi Carlie, Natalie Hemby, Maren Morris and Amanda Shires. "Anyone can be a Highwoman," Belinda Carlile notes. "It's about banding together, abandoning as much ego as humanly possible, holding one another up and amplifying other women every chance we get. Shoulder to shoulder. One push, one love." Continually demonstrating the importance of inclusion and collaboration, The Highwomen are joined by several guest musicians, vocalists and songwriters across their eponymous album. The project features Sheryl Crow (background vocals, bass), Yola (vocals, background vocals), Dave Cobb (acoustic/electric guitar), Jason Isbell (acoustic/electric guitar), Phil Hanseroth (bass, background vocals), Tim Hanseroth (guitar, background vocals), Chris Powell (drums) and Peter Levin (piano and keyboards) with songs written by Carlile, Hemby, Morris, Shires, Isbell, the Hanseroth twins, Rodney Clawson, Lori McKenna, Miranda Lambert and Ray LaMontagne among many others. Just CD for now as far as physical release. We just got word that vinyl will hit on October 18!

Death Cab For Cutie - The Blue EP CDEP/12"+MP3 (Atlantic)

New EP release from the eight-times Grammy Award-nominated alt rock band. Along with all new tracks "Kids In '99" and "Blue Bloods" - produced by Peter Katis (The National, Interpol, Kurt Vile) - the EP also includes "To The Ground" and "Before The Bombs", produced by Rich Costey during the recording sessions for the band's critically acclaimed ninth studio album, Thank You For Today and held for this planned subsequent EP. The fifth track on the project, "Man In Blue", was self-produced by the band itself. [Limited blue colored vinyl pressing.]

Iggy Pop - Free CD/LP (Concord/Loma Vista)

While it follows the highest charting album of his career (2016's Post Pop Depression), Free has virtually nothing in common sonically with its predecessor - or with any other Iggy Pop album. On the process that led him and principal players Leron Thomas and Noveller to create this uniquely somber and contemplative entry in the Iggy Pop canon, Iggy says: "This is an album in which other artists speak for me, but I lend my voice. By the end of the tours following Post Pop Depression, I felt sure that I had rid myself of the problem of chronic insecurity that had dogged my life and career for too long. But I also felt drained. And I felt like I wanted to put on shades, turn my back, and walk away. I wanted to be free. I know that's an illusion, and that freedom is only something you feel, but I have lived my life thus far in the belief that that feeling is all that is worth pursuing; all that you need - not happiness or love necessarily, but the feeling of being free. So this album just kind of happened to me, and I let it happen." [Limited edition colored vinyl edition also available. Pop will release his new book Til Wrong Feels Right on September 26, which will bring together selected lyrics illustrated with artwork and photos, along with reflections on his career by himself and others.]

Chrissie Hynde & The Valve Bone Woe Ensemble - Valve Bone Woe CD/LP/7x7" (BMG)

The amazing Chrissie Hynde displays yet another volte face in her incredible career with the release of her new album, Valve Bone Woe. The record features 14 tracks written by a stunning array of classic songwriters and innovators, including Brian Wilson, Frank Sinatra, Hoagy Carmichael, Charlie Mingus, John Coltrane, Nick Drake, Ray Davies and Rodgers and Hammerstein.

Tinariwen - Amadjar CD/2xLP (ANTI-)

"Amadjar" means "the unknown visitor" in the language of Tamashek, the one who seeks hospitality and who's condemned to an inner exile, within a territory or within himself. The story of Amadjar, the ninth Tinariwen album, was recorded in a natural setting. Bassist Eyadou plays a lot of acoustic guitar; percussionist Said tries his hand at new instruments; Abdallah exhumes songs that he's never played on stage with Tinariwen. And that violin that appears on several songs and reminds you of the traditional imzad - it's played by Warren Ellis, the violinist in Nick Cave's band and one of several western guests on the album. We also hear the mandolin and charango of Micah Nelson (son of the country music giant Willie Nelson, and Neil Young's guitarist), and the guitars of Stephen O'Malley (Sunn O)))), Cass McCombs and Rodolphe Burger.

Paul Cauthen - Room 41 CD/LP (Lightning Rod)

Written during a stint spent living out of a suitcase in the artist-haven that is the Belmont, Room 41 chronicles Paul Cauthen's white-knuckle journey to the brink and back, a harrowing experience that landed him in and out of the hospital as he careened between ecstasy and misery more times than he could count. Cauthen has long been a pusher of boundaries (musical and otherwise), and Room 41 is no exception, with electrifying performances that blend old-school country and gritty soul with '70s funk and stirring gospel. His lyrics take on biblical proportions as they tackle lust and envy, pride and despair, destruction and redemption, but these songs are no parables. [Limited edition colored vinyl pressing.]

Frankie Cosmos - Close It Quietly CD/LP+MP3 (Sub Pop)

Close It Quietly takes the trademark Frankie Cosmos micro-universe and upends it, spilling outwards into a swirl of references that's a marked departure from earlier releases, imagining and reimagining motifs and sounds throughout the album. The band's fourth studio release is a manifestation of their collaborative spirit: Greta Kline and longtime bandmates Lauren Martin (synth), Luke Pyenson (drums), and Alex Bailey (bass) luxuriated in studio time with Gabe Wax, who engineered and co-produced the record with the band. Recording close to home - at Brooklyn's Figure 8 Studios - grounded the band, and their process was enriched by working closely with Wax, whose intuition and attention to detail made the familiar unfamiliar and allowed the band to reshape their own contexts. On opener "Moonsea", an unaccompanied Greta begins, "The world is crumbling and I don't have much to say." Take that as a wink and a metonym for the whole album, as her signature vocals are joined by Alex's ascending bassline and Lauren's eddying synths, invoking a loungey take on Broadcast or Stereolab's space-disco experimental pop. There's much more than "not much" to say here, and it's augmented and expanded by experimentation with synth patches, textures, and other recording nuances courtesy of Wax.

Lower Dens - The Competition CD/LP (Domino)

The Competition, the fourth album from Lower Dens, is a pop album with a concept both emotionally and politically urgent. The title is lead singer/songwriter Jana Hunter's term for a socio-psychological phenomenon that, in different ways, binds us all. Modern capitalism by nature generates a psychosis that accelerates our insecurities and anxieties to the point of total overload, corroding our intimacies, our communities, and our senses of self. The album draws on influences ranging across decades of Western pop music and chronicles messy, vulnerable humanity at a time of upheaval and chaos - through immersive, four-minute songs meant to give pleasure as much as provoke self-examination. It channels an urgent, restless desire to connect. "My voice is gonna be different when I perform these songs than it was when I recorded them," Hunter says (Hunter was and is still undergoing a gender transition they had been deferring for many years). "I'm equally terrified of and excited by that, but I always want to be more myself onstage, to reach people." [Limited clear vinyl pressing.]

Melanie Martinez - K-12 CD/LP (Atlantic)

K-12 marks singer Melanie Martinez's long anticipated follow-up to her RIAA platinum certified, 2015 debut album, Cry Baby. Produced by Michael Keenan with the exception of one song produced by Kinetics & One Love (who previously collaborated with Martinez on such hits as "Dollhouse" and "Carousel"), the album serves as a soundtrack companion to an eerily enchanting new musical film, written, directed, and starring Martinez. Shot on location in Budapest, Hungary, K-12 sees Martinez starring as Cry Baby, a strong and sensitive girl who is sent off to a disturbing sleepaway school hidden underneath a grandiose façade. [Limited pink colored vinyl pressing.]

Lindsey Stirling - Artemis CD (BMG)

Titled Artemis after the Greek goddess of the sun and daughter of Zeus, Lindsey Stirling's new album takes listeners on a journey of tragedy and triumph. Each song sonically represents the upward struggle that Artemis, the hero of our journey, takes to find the light within. After a period of darkness and struggle, Artemis is transformed and eventually able to find the upside of down. [vinyl due 10/11.]

Bat For Lashes - Lost Girls CD/LP (Bat For Lashes)

Lost Girls is another brilliant full-length in Natasha Khan's incredible, acclaimed discography, mixing sounds she's always loved - heavy bass lines, synth arpeggios, Iranian pop beats, cascading choruses - with some of her finest songwriting to date. It's an album full of romance, a homage to Los Angeles where the album was recorded, to being a kid in the '80s, to films that touched and changed her life. Spanning 10 tracks, Lost Girls sees Khan dreaming up her own fully formed parallel universe, creating an off-kilter coming of age film in which gangs of marauding female bikers roam our streets, teenagers make out on car hoods and a powerful female energy casts spells and leave clues for us to follow. The women of Lost Girls are parallel to one of Khan's previous female protagonists, the tough, darkness-driven Pearl, from her 2009 lauded album Two Suns. Within the women of Lost Girls and the character Nikki Pink, Khan unfolds elements of herself; within these songs, we do the same. [Limited indie store exclusive vinyl pressing.]

Kindness - Something Like A War CD/LP (Female Energy)

Kindness returns with their third full length album - a culmination of years spent collaborating with the likes of Robyn, Jazmine Sullivan, Seinabo Sey and Cosima among many others. Guest vocal features include Robyn, Jazmine Sullivan, Seinabo Sey, Bahamadia, Cosima, Nadia Nair and Alexandria among others.

Future Teens - Break Up Season CD/LP (Triple Crown)

Get your favorite sweatpants on and call your boys Ben and Jerry; it's officially Breakup Season. Don't worry, though, because Future Teens will be your guide through all of the ups and downs on their infectious sophomore album. Recorded by the band and mixed by Andy Park (Death Cab For Cutie, K Flay, Noah Gunderson), the 10-track collection follows-up 2017 breakout Hard Feelings and is ushered in by the anthemic sing along singles "Emotional Bachelor" and "Frequent Crier".

Miss June - Bad Luck Party CD/LP (Frenchkiss)

Miss June is what happens when angst matures. Raised in the embers of punk rock, Miss June harness jagged, noisy guitars filtered through the unrivaled stage presence of frontperson Annabel Liddell, unafraid and unapologetic. Described as "some unholy union between Sonic Youth and Le Tigre" the NZ four piece, completed by the music school alumni recruited by Liddell - guitarist Jun Park, bass player Chris Marshall and drummer Tom Leggett - has built a reputation for fierce, formidable and head-spinning live shows. Combining elements of post-punk, no-wave and rock, their Tom Healy (Jen Cloher, Tiny Ruins, Die! Die! Die!) produced debut album, Bad Luck Party sees Miss June still holding close their DIY roots while creating a blistering, reckless sound full of melodic hooks and overdriven riffs that are at once immediately recognizable and yet entirely their own. Featuring lead single "Best Girl", backed with fan favorite "Twitch". [Indie store exclusive vinyl pressing.]

Sleeping With Sirens - How It Feels To Be Lost CD/LP+MP3 (Sumerian)

It starts at ground zero. By wiping the slate clean and turning the page to the next chapter, Sleeping With Sirens re-center, recalibrate, and realign on their fifth full-length, How It Feels To Be Lost. The gold-certified quintet amplify the impact of their unpredictable fretwork, velvet vocal acrobatics, and hypnotically heavy alternative transmissions without compromise. In essence, the band strips itself to the core and uncovers what it sought all along. Lead single and opener "Leave It All Behind" exudes an undeniable sense of urgency. A buoyant riff seesaws between electronic echoes before converging on a vocal crescendo topped off by a hard-hitting scream and distorted crash. The follow-up "Agree To Disagree" tempers a snaky bass line and a rush of vocals with a bold falsetto-punctuated declaration, "I like the nighttime, better." Elsewhere, the equally anthemic and addictive "Medicine" confronts Kellin Quinn's demons head on. The finale "Dying To Believe" extracts comfort from darkness beneath cover of strings and guitars with a "thank you" for the fans and reminder "to see the best in yourselves." [Limited indie store exclusive white with pink splatter colored vinyl pressing.]

Status Quo - Backbone CD/LP (earMUSIC/Edel)

"[Status Quo co-founder, lead singer and lead guitarist] Francis Rossi states that the young blood in the band, Ritchie Malone and Leon Cave, has re-energized the group and this album is the sound of a band renewed. The latest version of Quo may be a bit like Trigger's Broom, however they have swept away the cobwebs and have produced an album worthy of the legacy and undoubtedly the best album the band have produced in many years." - Get Ready To Rock!

Guaxe - Guaxe CD/LP (ORG Music)

Guaxe is a musical duo that was formed spontaneously after the encounter of two Brazilian psych rockers Dino Almeida (Boogarins) and Pedro Bonifrate (Supercordas). Both members have guested on each other's recordings and had shared the stage at a few festivals together before Supercordas' dissolution in 2016. Over recent years, Dino has paid Bonifrate and his family many short visits to his home in Paraty in coastal Brazil. During these getaways, the Guaxe album was written and recorded - with 4-track machines, computers, cranky gear, 10-string guitars, children playing, and a rainforest full of lizards all around the house.

Paul & The Tall Trees - So Long CD/LP (Big Crown)

Paul Schalda is a poet, perhaps a bit of a tortured soul, a hopeless romantic, and a guy from Staten Island. That last bit might not make sense to people who aren't from New York. His music seems to embody the unexpected overlap of The Band's Americana, Ian MacKaye's unhinged emotion, Otis Redding's raw soul, and the doo-wop melodies his father, Bill Schalda Sr. (a member of Brooklyn vocal group, The Montereys). [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]

Barns Courtney - 404 CD/LP (Capitol)

The title of Barns Courtney's new album will no doubt be familiar to anyone who's ever searched for something online and found themselves face to face with nothing. 404 is an album that explores feelings of loss and bereft inspired by life's habit of throwing up its own error pages. Courtney explores absence, frustration and the never-ending search for something that seemed like it would always be there until one day, suddenly, it wasn't: his childhood. All in all, 404 is a commentary on his journey from awe struck naivety to the dark realization of adulthood. The big picture, Barns Courtney notes, is "a weird alternative Narnia or Neverland, where all the tropes of your childhood have melted. From Pokémon to Nintendo 64, the core of my being is there: an unorthodox maelstrom of memories condensed down into this bizarre undulating world." It makes sense that the album sounds like it does. "To start with I wanted to make a punk record or a Rolling Stones album, but what came out was the synth heavy sound of 404," he says. "To do anything else wouldn't have worked. It's a strange amalgamation of influences based on everywhere I've been and some places I haven't."

Ghostface Killah - Ghostface Killahs CD (Music Generation Corp)
After several side projects, GFK returns with his first true solo album in years. He is joined by fellow Wu-Tang members Method Man, Inspectah Deck, Cappadonna, & Masta Killa. Other guests include Harley, Sun God (Ghost's firstborn son), Solomon Childs, Shawn Wigs, and Eamon. Production is handled primarily by Danny Caiazzo. Iron Man Tone continues his onslaught of colorful wordplay, and harsh street realities, as the laser beam vocalist tells it. Vinyl due later this month.

Moonchild - Little Ghost CD/LP (E1)

Little Ghost marks the fourth full length LP from the Los Angeles, CA alternative R&B trio Moonchild. Written, produced, recorded, and mixed by the band, Moonchild are multi-instrumentalists Amber Navran, Andris Mattson, and Max Bryk.

Johnny Gill - Game Changer II CD (Kavalry)

Like a blockbuster Hollywood movie that leaves fans clamoring for more, Johnny Gill delivers his eighth solo studio album, Game Changer II, which serves as the sequel to the highly successful 2014 Game Changer release. The first single from Game Changer II finds Johnny setting things off with a solid traditional R&B message song Soul of a Woman. The poignant song opens a rare window into Johnny's personal life as it was primarily inspired by his mother, Annie Mae.

Rise Twain - Rise Twain CD (Inside Out U.S.)

Rise Twain is a Philadelphia-based project helmed by Brett William Kull (Echolyn/Francis Dunnery's New Progressives) and J.D. Beck (The Scenic Route). Offering material that ranges from anthemic to plaintive and grand to intimate, the forward-thinking duo have created a truly mesmeric debut release. [Vinyl edition due September 13.]

Henrik Lindstrand - Nattresan CD/LP (One Little Indian)

Revered Swedish musician and contemporary classical composer Henrik Lindstrand returns with a brand new solo album, the brooding and euphonious Nattresan. For his second album, Henrik has returned to his roots, embracing the instrument he's played since the age of just three - the piano.

Roam - Smile Wide CD/LP (Hopeless)

Third album from the UK based pop-punk outfit. Coke bottle green colored vinyl pressing.

Senses Fail - From The Depths Of Dreams CDEP/12" (Pure Noise) A re-recording of Senses Fail's breakout debut EP, originally released in 2002.

Cognizance - Malignant Dominion CD/LP (Prosthetic) The Leeds based death-metallers present their debut album. Keeping theatrics to a minimum has yielded a lean, progressive, European extreme metal album that embodies the blueprint of old school death metal and embraces both melody and groove. [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]

Live & in Concert

NRBQ - Turn On, Tune In (Live) CD+DVD/2xLP+DVD (Omnivore)

For over 50 years, each NRBQ performance has been about breaking new ground, and about moving forward and upward. The stage is where their music is born, and where it lives, breathes, develops, and thrives. Turn On, Tune In catches NRBQ on location in two different settings; a 6-track set performed on Sirius/XM's The Loft, and a 15-song show at WFMU's Monty Hall in Jersey City, NJ. Both CD and vinyl editions include a bonus DVD featuring the professionally shot Monty Hall performance plus notes from longtime WFMU DJ Bob Brainen detailing the songs and players, while offering insight into the material and the band. Turn On, Tune In captures the spirit of this unique group of individuals on two special occasions featuring first-time live recordings of most of the material and six songs previously unrecorded by NRBQ. Terry Adams (keyboards and vocals) and Scott Ligon (guitar and vocals) consistently exhibit the musical telepathy they've developed over twelve years, along with Casey McDonough (bass/vocals), fresh off Brian Wilson's Pet Sounds World Tour, and newest member John Perrin (drums) brings his own hunger and enthusiasm for spontaneity and creativity to the group.

The Allman Brothers Band - Fillmore West '71 4xCD (Allman Brothers Band)

Four CD three-night live compilation of Allman Brothers Band concert performance at the Fillmore West in January 1971 plus a bonus track performance of Mountain Jam from the New Orleans Warehouse March 13, 1970.

New on Vinyl

The Medium - Get It While It's Hot LP (yk)
Since coming together in 2015, Nashville four-piece The Medium have crafted melodic, intricate pop rock tailor-made for summer nights and sweaty house shows. Comprising Sam Silva, Shane Perry, Michael Brudi and Jared Hicks, The Medium met by happenstance in and around Nashville, and have spent the intervening years playing live and honing their sound, which pulls from the best of '60s pop and psychedelia, '70s rock and current day lo-fi and DIY.

The Magpie Salute - In Here 10" (Eagle Rock Entertainment)

The Magpie Salute featuring The Black Crowes alums Rich Robinson, Marc Ford and Sven Pipien as well as John Hogg, Matt Slocum and Joe Magistro release a three-track EP, In Here, which is the title track to their upcoming album High Water II (due October 18.) Rich Robinson produced the EP and wrote the title track. The collection also includes "Lost Boy", a song Rich co-wrote with Marc Ford and "Passenger," which Robinson co-wrote with John Hogg. "Lost Boy" features contributions from Alison Krauss, who added vocals and fiddle to the track. Both "In Here" and "Lost Boy" will appear on High Water II. The Magpie Salute worked on High Water II during the same sessions that yielded 2018's High Water I.

Those Pretty Wrongs - Zed For Zulu LP (Burger)

Those Pretty Wrongs are Jody Stephens and Luther Russell. It's a musical partnership borne of a deep and lasting friendship, the roots of which stretch back to the early '90s, when the two were introduced. As the story goes, nary a note of music was made between them until about five years ago, when they were united in the cause of a documentary about Jody's alma mater, the legendary Memphis group Big Star.

L'Epee - Diabolique CD/LP+CD (A Recordings)
A stellar combination of the talents of The Brian Jonestown Massacre's Anton Newcombe, cinematic femme fatale Emmanuelle Seigner and ice-cool pop provocateurs The Limiñanas, L'Epee transcend artistic and traditional borders. Named in tribute to Mario Bava's 1968 cult classic Danger: Diabolik, it's a musical masterclass where elements of garage, ye-ye, sleaze rock, cult soundtracks, sci-fi, spaghetti westerns, and girl-group pop noir are combined with the cut-and-thrust zeal of a band bursting with ideas and energy.

Muna - Saves The World LP (RCA)

"Muna's first record, About U, was confessional, but Saves The World is about them. It's clear from the opening track to the final fade that the band's sophomore album is an emotional excavation. The music presses its nose into the mirror of the hardest moments of their lives: drugs, alcohol, heartbreak and suicide. Katie Gavin (lead vocals, production) says this is the most personal project she has ever been a part of." - NPR

Guster - Keep It Together [Reissue/2003] LP (Nettwerk)

Guster is a band whose signature wit, matchless charm and dynamic style continues to chart new sonic and lyrical pathways with each album. 2003's Keep It Together saw the band return on a new label with prime production courtesy of Ron Aniello (Lifehouse), Roger Moutenot (Yo La Tengo, Sleater Kinney) and David Henry.

Dawes - North Hills [Reissue/2009] 2xLP+7" (ATO)

Limited double translucent red colored vinyl including bonus 7" vinyl single. Housed in a gatefold jacket with gold foil stamp and expanded artwork plus an original 2009 promotional poster. North Hills is the debut studio album by Americana band Dawes, originally released on August 18, 2009. Upon its release in 2009, Rolling Stone hailed Dawes as The most promising purveyors of new-school country folk.

Bob Dylan - Infidels [Reissue/1983] LP+MP3 (Sony Legacy)

Bob Dylan - Real Live [Reissue/1984] LP+MP3 (Sony Legacy)

Bob Dylan - Down In The Groove [Reissue/1988] LP+MP3 (Sony Legacy)

Bob Dylan - Under The Blood Red Sky [Reissue/1990] LP+MP3 (Sony Legacy)

Vinyl reissues of Bob Dylan's 22nd, 25th, and 27th studio albums along with his 1984 live album.

Arctic Monkeys - When The Sun Goes Down b/w Settle For A Draw [Reissue/2007] 7"+MP3 (Domino)

Arctic Monkeys - Teddy Picker b/w Bad Woman [Reissue/2007] 7"+MP3 (Domino)

Arctic Monkeys - Fluorescent Adolescent b/w The Bakery [Reissue/2007] 7"+MP3 (Domino)

Arctic Monkeys - My Propeller b/w Joining The Dots [Reissue/2010] 7"+MP3 (Domino)

Arctic Monkeys - The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala b/w Little Illusion Machine (Wirral Riddler) [Reissue/2011] 7"+MP3 (Domino)

Arctic Monkeys - Suck It And See b/w Evil Twin [Reissue/2011] 7"+MP3 (Domino)

Arctic Monkeys - Black Treacle b/w You And I [Reissue/2011] 7"+MP3 (Domino)

Long out-of-print 7"s from the 5x Grammy nominees are now back in print.

LCD Soundsystem - Yeah [Reissue/2003] 12" (DFA)

Vinyl reissue of the second 12" from LCD Soundsystem, packaged in the original artwork from the 2003 UK edition.

Kendra Amalie - Intuition LP (Beyond Beyond Is Beyond)

A sweeping introduction to an artist deep into their practice, Kendra Amalie's Intuition is a star map to a new and developing sound space. An exploratory and (sometimes) shredding finger-style 12-string guitarist (both acoustic and electric), band leader, synthesist, new media creator, and experimental producer, the Wisconsin-based musician is also a songwriter occupying an ethereal zone between galaxy-brain cosmic transmissions and deep, personal expression.

Sandro Perri - Soft Landing LP (Constellation)

While Perri is rightly celebrated as one of the most singular producers in contemporary music (Boomkat) for his widely varied electronic work, his foundations as a guitarist have always anchored his 'solo' albums in one form or another. On Soft Landing, Perri's guitar playing is at the smoothly, expressively rambling heart of these tunes - while his recording and mixing acumen as a (self) producer is also on brilliant display.

Jax Jones - Snacks 2xLP (Interscope)

Jax Jones releases the full album version of his project Snacks following viral singles 'Instruction" featuring Demi Lovato, "All Day And Night" with Martin Solveig and Madison Beer, and "You Don't Know Me". The album includes six new tracks, alongside recently-released summer anthem "Harder" with Bebe Rexha.

Ray Charles - Modern Sounds In Country And Western Music Volumes 1 & 2 2xLP (Concord)

Regarded by many critics as Ray Charles's best studio albums, Modern Sounds In Country And Western Music Volumes 1 & 2 is a landmark album in American music. The album's integration of soul and country music bent racial barriers in popular music, amid the height of the Civil Rights Movement. In the process of recording the album, Charles became one of the first African-American musicians to exercise complete artistic control over his own recording career.

Albert King - Big Blues [Reissue/1963] LP (Sundazed)

Standing well over six feet and weighing in at around 250 pounds, it's no surprise that Albert King earned the nickname The Velvet Bulldozer. Standing on stage with his Gibson Flying V, named Lucy, King cut an imposing visual figure. Still, he made an even bigger impression through his recordings, reaching fans all over the world with his punchy, aggressive guitar playing and his commanding voice. Limited blue colored vinyl pressing.

Freddie King - Freddy King Goes Surfin' [Reissue/1963] LP (Sundazed)

Limited blue colored vinyl pressing. After Chess Records turned down guitarist/vocalist Freddy King several times for sounding too much like B.B, King, King Records subsidiary Federal hit pay dirt with his single "Hide Away", the lead track from Freddy King Goes Surfin'.

Donald Byrd - Chant LP (Blue Note)

Trumpeter Donald Byrd and baritone saxophonist Pepper Adams had a formidable partnership throughout the early 1960s, making a series of highly regarded hard bop albums. Yet somehow this masterful quintet session from April 1961 (which also features Herbie Hancock, sounding exceptionally fine on his very first Blue Note recording session) remained unreleased for nearly 20 years.

Evan Parker - Evan Parker with Birds LP (Treader)
2019 repress. One of Treader's most requested recordings sees the great UK free saxophonist Evan Parker on soprano and tenor saxophones, duetting with European birdsong. A fitting tribute to his friend, the celebrated soprano saxophone player Steve Lacy, who died in the year of its initial release.

BKO - Mali Foli Coura LP (Buda Musique)

Mali, Niger & Algeria are producing some of the planet's most vital rock music - BKO are "immensely rough & tough" (Rolling Stone), "a fierce modern take on traditional Malian music" (Songlines). Blending the sounds of the rural djelingoni 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.

Abdallah Oumbadougou - Anou Malane [Reissue/1995] LP (Sahel Sounds)

Tuareg guitar gets the electronic treatment, with a reissue of the cassette by legendary Nigerien composer Abdallah Oumbadougou. Produced in Benin in 1995, Anou Malane is one of the first studio recordings of Tuareg guitar. The genre, known for minimal folk ballads performed on acoustic guitar, is transformed with a full-on 90s swinging groove.

Gonzo - Ruido(s) LP (Discrepant)
After seven years of sonic interferences, calibrating the soundscape of field recordings and helping to recreate the old sounds of today, Gonzo is retiring from music. On Ruído(s), he recounts pop/electronic history through field recordings and weird-soft beats. More than compiling his seven-year history, Gonzo is more worried about understanding where he's leaving his ideas, Caretaker-style. It's a condensed catalog of Portuguese music and its sounds, a circular trip down the memory lane of a forgotten country and its landscape. Ruído(s) is a goodbye to a country and its traditions. It does it without sulking but with the most respectful loud laugh -- the Gonzo way.

Grayscale - Nella Vita LP (Fearless)

Grayscale align nostalgic confessions, '90s alternative homage, and 21st century playlist-busting ambition on their second full-length, Nella Vita. These twelve tracks urge pensive pondering, rock catharsis, and danceable elation all at once.

Lacuna Coil - In A Reverie [Reissue/1999] LP (Century Media)

Vinyl reissue of the debut studio album by the Italian gothic metal band. [New album, Black Anima due October 11.]

Watain - Lawless Darkness [Reissue/2010] LP (Season Of Mist)

As any black metal fan knows, Sweden's Watain have stormed from the hellish pits of the underground onto the covers of the biggest metal magazines worldwide. Combining severe blackness with melodies and beauty of the darkest kind, Watain kept that raw underground spirit burning with their 2010 masterpiece Lawless Darkness.

Death - Live In L.A. (Death & Raw) [Reissue/2001] 2xLP (Relapse)

Death's Live In L.A. (Death & Raw) double-LP is a testament to the band's legacy and sees the legendary Chuck Schuldiner and Co. At the height of their collective powers.

Reissues & From The Archives

Miles Davis - Rubberband CD/2xLP (WB)

Miles Davis shocked the music world in 1985 when he left Columbia Records after 30 years to join Warner Bros. Records. In October of that year, he began recording the album Rubberband in Los Angeles at Ameraycan Studios with producers Randy Hall and Zane Giles. The musical direction Davis was taking during the sessions marked a radical departure, with the inclusion of funk and soul grooves; with plans to feature guest vocalists Al Jarreau and Chaka Khan. Eventually, the album was shelved and Davis went on to record Tutu, leaving the Rubberband songs unheard and untouched for over 30 years. It was finished by the original producers Hall and Giles; with Davis' nephew, Vince Wilburn, Jr., who played drums on the original sessions for the album in 1985-86.

Throbbing Gristle - D.o.A.: The Third And Final Report Of Throbbing Gristle [Reissue/1978] 2xCD/LP+MP3 (Mute)

Throbbing Gristle - Greatest Hits - Entertainment Through Pain [Reissue/1981] 2xCD/LP (Mute)

Expanded double-CD reissues (colored vinyl editions include the bonus tracks via download). Throbbing Gristle's innovative working methods are deeply ingrained in the collective consciousness of... everything. The band's subversive dismantling of systems of social control impacted culture well beyond their time. One of the most politically and sonically antagonistic bands of all time, Throbbing Gristle has left an impact on music, culture and the arts that is immeasurable and still felt today.

Compilations...

Various Artists - Alefa Madagascar ! Salegy, Soukous & Soul From The Red Island 1974-1984 CD/2xLP+MP3 (Strut)

Strut continues its essential compilation series of Indian Ocean sounds with Alefa Madagascar, the first compilation to document the unique culture of salegy, soukous and soul on the island during the '70s and '80s.

DVDs and Bluray

Various Artists - Blue Note Records: Beyond The Notes DVD/Blu-ray (Eagle Rock Entertainment)

Beyond the Notes is a revelatory journey behind the scenes of one of the most important labels in the history of jazz - and by extension, that of American Music - Blue Note has been home to groundbreaking legends as well as present-day luminaries. Founded in New York in 1939 by German Jewish refugees, the history of the label goes beyond the landmark recordings, encompassing the pursuit of musical freedom, the conflict between art and commerce and the idea of music as a transformative and revolutionary force. The Swiss filmmaker Sophie Huber gained her filmmaking experience as a member of an award-winning Berlin film collective, for which she co-directed several films before directing her debut feature documentary, the critically acclaimed Harry Dean Stanton: Partly Fiction, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2012. Blue Note Records: Beyond The Notes is Sophie's second documentary.

Queen/ Béjart - Ballet For Life DVD/Blu-ray (Eagle Rock Entertainment)

Ballet for Life was a unique collaboration between three cultural brands: Queen, Versace and the visionary choreographer Maurice Béjart, celebrating the life and talents of legendary performers, Freddie Mercury and dancer Jorge Donn, both of whom died of AIDS. Queen + Béjart: Ballet For Life features two programs: the documentary by Lynne Wake and Simon Lupton, and a full 1997 performance of the ballet by the Béjart Ballet Lausanne. The documentary, edited by Emmy Award winner Christopher Bird, tells the story of the creation and success of the ballet featuring the great and the good of both rock and dance, including Brian May, Roger Taylor, Gil Roman, Wayne Sleep and Arlene Phillips. The performance includes incredible archive footage of Freddie Mercury, Maurice Béjart, Queen and Gianni Versace, as well as featuring Versace's stunning costume designs. The production continues to tour widely but is captured here performing at Théâtre Métropole, Lausanne in June 1997.

Santana - Santana: Live At The US Festival DVD/Blu-ray (Shout Factory)

From award-winning filmmaker and rockumentarian Glenn Aveni, Santana: Live At US Festival offers a tremendous performance from the legendary Carlos Santana, rivaling his set at Woodstock for its energy, excitement, and inspiring musicianship. Conceived by Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak and music impresario Bill Graham, the US Festival was held in September 1982.

Books

Brian T. Atkinson - The Messenger: The Songwriting Legacy of Ray Wylie Hubbard (Texas A&M University Press)

Texas singer-songwriter Hayes Carll declared, “Ray would be at the top of the list if I were gonna read about somebody’s life.” Author, journalist, and music producer Brian T. Atkinson demonstrates why Carll and so many others hold Ray Wylie Hubbard in such high regard. Atkinson takes readers into and beyond the seedy bar in Red River, New Mexico, where the incident occurred that inspired Hubbard’s most famous song, “Redneck Mother.” Hubbard tells the stories, and Atkinson enlists other musicians to expound on the nature of his abiding influence as songwriter, musician, and unflinching teller of uncomfortable truths. Featuring interviews with well-known artists such as Eric Church, Steve Earle, Kinky Friedman, Chris Robinson, and Jerry Jeff Walker, and also mining the insights of up-and-comers such as Elizabeth Cook, Jaren Johnston, Ben Kweller, Aaron Lee Tasjan, and Paul Thorn, The Messenger makes clear why so many musicians across a wide spectrum admire Ray Wylie Hubbard. Atkinson’s work makes a convincing case that Ray Wylie Hubbard’s truest and most lasting contributions will long outlive him.