New Releases - 1/17/20
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 Compilations
New Releases
Marcus King - El Dorado CD/LP (Fantasy)
Already a 23-year-old guitar phenomenon, the Dan Auerbach-produced El Dorado further establishes Marcus King as an innovative songwriter and one of the most soulful voices of his generation. King's solo debut, El Dorado is a contemporary sonic exploration of classic rock, blues, southern R&B and country-soul where subtle acoustics and pedal steel shines bright alongside raucous electric guitars and blistering solos. Following their previous collaboration on the song "How Long," King and Auerbach co-wrote twelve songs for El Dorado in only three days in his Easy Eye Sound studio. Debut single "The Well" is a fuzzy, electric-blues masterpiece which rumbles down the highway like Marcus' jet black El Dorado. The song's lyrics reflect on hard work and hard times. "When you have a $70 check go bad, you know times are tough," Marcus recalled and added, "'The Well' for me symbolizes the source of all my influences. It is everything that has happened to me to make me the man I am today." [Limited indie-exclusive colored vinyl pressing.]
We have a limited number of LPs signed by Marcus King. Those will be available for purchase at and after Marcus' in-store on Friday at 6PM.
Pinegrove - Marigold CD/LP (Rough Trade)
Pinegrove's new album, Marigold, is an urgent, multivalent meditation - an expanded take on the blend of alt-country, indie rock and cerebral humanism that's inspired their ardent fan community. Those familiar with the band will recognize signature elements of the band's sound: literary yet conversational lyrics, geometrically interlocking guitars, the dynamic shifting shadows of rhythm and structure. But this effort marks the most spacious, bold, and well-defined iteration of the project yet. Pinegrove has described their sound as variously as "introspective party music", and "energetic music in the folk tradition"; in any case they have combined catharsis and inventive structures with irrepressible melodies, resonant lyrics and emotive twang. Marigold finds Pinegrove expanding into the latter, spreading out over varying tempos and swelling pedal steel. But in surprising moments, Marigold can suddenly unfold into their heaviest, most unbound offering yet - a cavalier disregard of genre in favor of something honest and unique.
Of Montreal - "UR FUN" CD/LP+MP3 (Polyvinyl)
Inspired by albums like Cyndi Lauper's She's So Unusual and Janet Jackson's Control, Kevin Barnes set out to make "UR FUN" into the kind of album where every song could be a single, complete with huge hooky choruses and nostalgic dance grooves. The result is an unstoppably fun album that could also pass for a carefully sequenced greatest-hits collection if taken out of context. It is another fascinating look into what makes Barnes one of the most prolific and gifted songwriters of this decade.
The Growlers - Natural Affair CD/LP (Beach Goth Records)
Icons of the Los Angeles underground music scene, The Growlers have managed to fly under the radar of mainstream attention while building a passionate following that rivals some of the biggest acts on the festival circuit. Led by singer Brooks Nielsen and music director/guitarist Matt Taylor, the band has forged their own twisted path on the global music scene since their founding almost 15 years ago. They're the party band that grew into a traveling circus, spawning their own annual event (Beach Goth) and growing an international fanbase, while releasing six studio records that trace a line from garage psych ballads to edgy radio pop. On their self-produced new record Natural Affair, The Growlers move their DIY aesthetic into an even sturdier, synthier, dancier sound, bolstered by Nielsen's finest lyrics to date: social commentary, rhymes, and ruminations on the pleasures (and perils) of modern love.
Halsey - Maniac CD/LP (Capitol)
"Early on Halsey's excellent new album, Manic, she samples a bit of movie dialogue: 'I'm just a fucked-up girl looking for my own piece of mind. Don't assign me yours.' It's from the film Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind, spoken by the manic, pixie dream-girl heroine Clementine. But she definitely speaks for Halsey. And as you've probably guessed, the singer doesn't even come close to finding peace of mind in these songs. Still, she knows how to make it a thrilling quest. Manic is Halsey's raw autobiographical portrait of the artist as a young mess, craving her share of love and tenderness in a hostile world. Yet Halsey's Ashley Frangipane is a mess who's a hungrily ambitious artist seeing herself as a mirror for her entire generation." - Rolling Stone.
Robert Glasper - Fuck Yo Feelings CD/2xLP (Loma Vista)
Legendary genre-bending, multiple Grammy and Emmy-winning artist and producer Robert Glasper delivers his newest project, Fuck Yo Feelings. The 19-track collection is the result of a two-day session in which Glasper invited musician friends to stop by the studio and organically create together, the final result being this mixtape which sonically documents the lost art of improv and on the spot collaborations that can only come from authentic relationships and true artistry. Glasper's sound can hardly be defined but is built on his unique blend of jazz, hip-hop and neo-soul. Fuck Yo Feelings is an inspired update in that lineage, blending the personalities of himself and his collaborators that include a top-tier range of standout artists across different scenes that only Glasper could put in the same room - Yasiin Bey, Herbie Hancock, Andra Day, YBN Cordae, Terrace Martin, Baby Rose, Bilal, Buddy, Denzel Curry, Mick Jenicks, SiR, Rapsody and more.
G. Love & Special Sauce - The Juice CD/LP (Philadelphonic)
"I've been in the game a long time, but I've always considered myself a student," says G. Love. "Finishing this album with Keb Mo' felt like graduation." Recorded in Nashville with a slew of special guests including Robert Randolph, Marcus King, and Roosevelt Collier, The Juice is indeed diploma worthy. Co-produced and co-written with Grammy-winning icon Keb Mo', it's an electrifying collection, one that tips its cap to more than a century of blues greats even as it offers its own distinctly modern pop spin on the genre, mixing programmed beats and hip-hop grooves with blistering guitar and sacred steel. G. Love's lyrics are both personal and political here, artfully balancing his appreciation for the simple joys in life with his obligation to speak out for justice and equality, and his performances are suitably riotous and rousing to match, with infectious call-and-response hooks and funky sing-along choruses at every turn. [Limited indie-exclusive colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Little Big Town - Nightfall CD/LP (Capitol Nashville)
Ninth album from the Grammy Award-winning vocal group. Released the day after Little Big Town headlined historic Carnegie Hall in New York City, the first mainstream country performance featured at Carnegie Hall since Alan Jackson in 2013.
Bill Fay - Countless Branches CD/LP (Dead Oceans)
Fay, now 76, was not actually a hermit but a quiet, private person who had withdrawn from a music world changed to the point where he felt no longer involved. He returns with the third album in the celebrated second phase of his recording career. [Deluxe double vinyl pressing includes bonus tracks.]
Cursive - Get Fixed CD/LP (15 Passenger)
The veteran indie rock band's new album ripples with the visceral intensity and keen, unexpected melodicism for which Cursive has long been celebrated, as illustrated in searing first single "Barricades"; the alternately pummeling and anthemic "Black Hole Town"; and the more atmospheric, moody "Marigolds". It's their eighth LP overall and comes just a year after their last full-length, Vitriola.
Dirty Projectors - Sing The Melody CD/LP+MP3 (Domino)
Sing The Melody, the third installment in the Domino Documents series, captures Dirty Projectors at a peak in their touring powers. It sees the band head into New York City's Power Station studios to record refined, road-tested live arrangements of standout songs from 2018's Lamp Lit Prose with thrilling new vocal arrangements, as well as renditions of "Cool Your Heart" and other highlights of Dave Longstreth's writing and recording history.
... And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead - X: The Godless Void And Other Stories CD/LP (Dine Alone)
The Texas alt-rock/prog band cite Talk Talk, Laurie Anderson and Killing Joke as inspirations for the new album, X: The Godless Void And Other Stories. It comes as the duo enters their 25th year together as a band. [Indie exclusive blue vinyl.]
Sons Of Apollo - MMXX CD/2xLP (Inside Out U.S.)
New album from the Guns N' Roses, Dream Theater and Journey supergroup featuring Mike Portnoy (drums & vocals), Derek Sherinian (keyboards), Jeff Scott Soto (vocals), Ron 'Bumblefoot' Thal (guitar & vocals) and Billy Sheehan (bass).
Algiers - There Is No Year CD/LP+7"+MP3 (Matador)
Even those aware of the ideals of this outspoken act will find their latest direction on There Is No Year traversing unprecedented ground. Under the direction of producers Randall Dunn [Sunn O))), Earth] and Ben Greenberg [Uniform, Hubble), There Is No Year encompasses future-minded post-punk R&B from the trapped heart of ATL, where they began; to industrial soundscapes à la 4AD-era Scott Walker or Iggy & Bowie's Berlin period; to something like the synthetic son of Marvin Gaye and Fever Ray.
Bombay Bicycle Club - Everything Else Has Gone Wrong CD/LP (Caroline)
Everything Else Has Gone Wrong is the eagerly anticipated follow-up to the British band's acclaimed No. 1 charting, Mercury Music Prize nominated fourth album, So Long, See You Tomorrow, released back in 2014. Speaking of the record's title, vocalist/guitarist Jack Steadman explains: "This is an album for anyone who's ever turned to music in a time of need. It's about the solace one can get from listening to music or playing music. For me personally it's about the frustration of not being able to express myself to others, of leaving conversations feeling dissatisfied and misunderstood. Music's the way I'm able to truly express myself."
Mura Masa - R.Y.C. CD/2xLP (Interscope)
Raw Youth Collage is the sophomore project from British artist Mura Masa. It is intended to be a conceptual album focusing on the need for/dependency on nostalgia and regression in the wake of the often helpless feeling amongst today's youth culture; there is a general melancholia surrounding a past excitement and innocence that is longing to be recaptured, but may never have existed. Musically, these ideas will be explored through influences familiar to Alex from his childhood. [Limited red colored vinyl pressing.]
Kiwi Jr. - Football Money CD/LP (Persona Non Grata)
The four members of Kiwi Jr. All live in Toronto, though they originally hail from Charlottetown, PEI, separately finding their ways to the big city over various points in the past decade. Now, having found a common language in jangling power-pop and hyper-literate college rock, they release their debut album, Football Money.
AJJ - Good Luck Everybody CD/LP (AJJ Unlimited Ltd.)
A grim glimpse into the tidal wave reality of modern life in America, Good Luck Everybody is a collection of songs that will undoubtedly stand out in the AJJ's 15-year catalogue; while still rooted in the folk-punk sound AJJ has become known for, the album is unafraid to delve into new territories that test the limits of what the band is capable of.
Elliot Moss - A Change In Diet CD/LP (Grand Jury)
Elliot Moss' new album A Change In Diet represents a shift, a dividing line separating nearly everything he once knew from his future. The album captures a period of upheaval that altered Moss' habits, relationships, and even his songwriting. Across the 11 songs, he methodically details the nature of change and the ways it can be liberating, discomforting, and often essential.
Della Mae - Headlight CD/LP (Rounder)
In the making of their fourth album Headlight, Della Mae has claimed a more daring sense of freedom than they'd ever allowed themselves before. Boldly breaking genre convention, the Grammy Award-nominated band pushed beyond their bluegrass roots and followed their instinct to their most sonically adventurous body of work to date. And in lyrics, Della Mae has fully embraced the album's potential as a platform for change, delivering a collection of songs at turns fearlessly personal and powerfully resonant.
The Professionals - The Professionals CD/LP (Madlib Medicine Show)
The aptly titled The Professionals boasts beats by Madlib and raps by Oh No. This is some real rap shit featuring Adub, Elzhi, and Chino XL. [Vinyl edition comes housed in a die-cut, embossed jacket exclusive to the first pressing.]
Black Moon - Rise Of Da Moon CD/2xLP (Duck Down Music)
Black Moon returns with Rise of Da Moon. The 15-track album on CD and double vinyl (red) features Method Man, Smif N Wessun, and Rock of Heltah Skeltah. The project is entirely produced by Da Beatminerz.
OOIOO - Nijimusi CD/LP+MP3 (Thrill Jockey)
Nijimusi is the eighth release from OOIOO. Led by YoshimiO, they're a band that has stayed relevant long past many of their contemporaries thru constant re-inventions & explorations. It's recorded with a more traditional rock set up of two guitars, bass & drums, but thanks to an improvisational recording process and technical prowess, this is not an album that could ever get lost in the crowd.
Anti-Flag - 20/20 Vision CD/LP (Spinefarm) New album from the veteran political punk band.
Odious Mortem - Synesthesia CD/LP (Willowtip)
Blabbermouth's description of Odious Mortem's 2007 sophomore album Cryptic Implosion as "an awe-inspiring slab of accomplished death metal aggression," is even more applicable to 2020's Synesthesia. Avoiding the clinical sterility of many modern death metal productions, the band has a sound that is raw, robust, and infused with an authentic old school spirit. [Limited colored vinyl pressing.]
Compilations, Best Of's, & Sundry Collections
James Reese & the Progressions - Wait for Me: The Complete Works (1967-1972) CD/LP (Now-Again Reserve)
Trombonist, bandleader, songwriter, arranger and producer James Reese never issued an album with his Progressions band, only a series of 45s out of Spartanburg, South Carolina on his Najma label, from the late 1960s to the mid 70s. He was as ambitious as he was talented, and his ouevre ranges from brutal, deep soul to sophisticated instrumental ballads to jazz-inflected funk. Sourced from rare 45s and multi-track master tapes, Wait For Me presents both previously-issued and recently-rediscovered songs in a cohesive set that shows the brilliance still arising from the American soul and funk sub-strata. Included among them is a remix of the track "Throwing Stones" from longtime Now-Again associate Kenny Dope. Comes bundled with an extensive booklet detailing the trajectory of Reese and his band. LP includes download card for WAV files.
Reissues & From The Archives
Pale Saints - The Comforts Of Madness [Reissue/1990] 2xCD/LP/2xLP (4AD)
4AD's first album of the '90s, Pale Saints' shoegaze classic The Comforts Of Madness is receiving a long overdue reappraisal on the occasion of its 30th anniversary. Expanded with a bonus disc of rarities. [Single-disc black LP and limited double LP colored vinyl pressings.]
Rashad & Confidence - The Element of Surprise CD (Ill Adrenaline)
This critically acclaimed and much sought after underground gem from 2011 is officially re-issued for the first time. The MC/producer duo, hailing from Brooklyn and Philly, created a record with a timeless sound reminiscent of hip-hop's golden era but with a fresh, updated feel. With no guest appearances or other producers involved, Rashad & Confidence embody the sound real hip-hop heads yearn to hear, going back to the times of Gang Starr and Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth. The soulful and sample-based boom bap beats capture the essence of classic hip-hop production, while Rashad's deep and conscious lyrics slice through each track with topics ranging from various life issues to relationships or just raw lyrical display.
New on Vinyl
Futurebirds - Teamwork LP (VL4L)
Recorded at several studios (Portico, Chase Park, Rialto Row, Dialback Sound), the new LP is a snarling devil-may-care batch of 12 tunes. It encompasses a seamless blend of hard rock, psychedelic alt-country and folk stylings - something signature to the unique sound, tone and attitude of the Futurebirds.
The Replacements - Don't Tell A Soul LP clear vinyl (Rhino)
The Replacements - Pleased To Meet Me LP blue vinyl (Rhino)
Bad Company - Desolation Angels (40th Anniversary Ed) 2xLP (Rhino)
Deep Purple - Last Concert In Japan LP purple vinyl (Rhino)
Deep Purple - Made In Europe LP purple vinyl (Rhino)
Deep Purple - Stormbringer LP purple vinyl (Rhino)
Devo - Freedom Of Choice LP white vinyl (Rhino)
Devo - New Traditionalists LP grey vinyl (Rhino)
MC5 - Kick Out The Jams LP red, white, and blue splatter vinyl (Rhino)
Stevie Nicks - Bella Donna LP gold vinyl (Rhino)
Uncle Tupelo - Anodyne LP clear vinyl (Rhino)
Warren Zevon - Excitable Boy LP glow in the dark vinyl (Rhino)
Rhino Records annual "Start Your Ear Off Right" limited edition vinyl reissues. More next week!
Fall Out Boy - Believers Never Die Volume Two - Greatest Hits 2xLP (Island)
New hits collection from the alt-rock band. Includes the single "Dear Future Self (Hands Up)" featuring Wyclef Jean. The song marks the band's first new music since the August 2018 release of the three-song Lake Effect Kid EP, a love letter to their hometown city of Chicago.
Dwight Yoakam - Blame The Vain [Reissue/2005] LP (Yep Roc)
Released on vinyl for the first time in honor of the album's 15th anniversary. Dwight Yoakam occupies a singular position in contemporary country. No artist has better balanced mainstream commercial success with artistic, alt-country credibility, while somehow managing to embody both the music's most traditional and its most progressive impulses.
Levitation Room - Headspace LP (Greenway)
Headspace serves as the follow-up to Levitation Room's 2016 debut, Ethos and their first record on Brooklyn's Greenway Records. The band's fuzzy guitar-driven rock 'n' roll and freakbeat brand of psychedelia resonated with fans on singles like "Friends". Headspace sees Levitation Room display their process of maturity in sound and songwriting, exploring new territories of influence in music and instrumentation, combining folk, jazz, raga, soul/R&B, pop and of course...psychedelia.
The Twilight Sad - The Twilight Sad Killed My Parents And Hit The Road [Reissue/2008] LP (Fat Cat)
First time vinyl pressing, following worldwide stadium tours supporting The Cure. Features alternate versions and covers of Joy Division, The Smiths, and Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
Rose City Band - Rose City Band LP+MP3 (Thrill Jockey)
Mellow but upbeat, this release hits a sweet spot. Produced by Ripley Johnson, of Moon Duo and Wooden Shjips, fans of either are sure to love this record.
Pelican - Forever Becoming [Reissue/2013] 2xLP (Southern Lord)
Southern Lord presents a deluxe reissue of Pelican's 2013 album Forever Becoming, featuring vastly improved mix and mastering of the original songs replete with a revised version of the previously Japan-only bonus track "Bardo". "After four years of silence, instrumental metal standard bearers Pelican came thundering back with 2013's Forever Becoming, an 8-song album hailed as one of the most punishingly rewarding albums of the year."
Deer - Do No Harm LP (Keeled Scales)
Fourth album from the Austin folkies. [Limited orange colored vinyl pressing.]
Freddie Gibbs / Madlib - Half Manne Half Cocaine 12" (Madlib Invazion)
This exclusive 12 inch release features "Half Manne Half Cocaine" and "Palmolive" from Bandana, the critically acclaimed best-seller from Freddie Gibbs and Madlib. In addition to full instrumentals for both selections the set includes the Madlib bonus beats "Zebras In The Myst" and "Night Vision" not found anywhere else.
Brother Ali - Secrets & Escapes LP (Rhymesayers)
Secrets & Escapes is a compendium of Brother Ali's time with Evidence over the course of three trips to California, recording in a Venice garage with no regard for pleasing the internet or competing with the music industry. Ev chopped up records on old-school samplers and ran them through a compressor (two track) so they couldn't be re-arranged or mixed. Brother Ali sat with the mic and spit rhymes as they came to him, without writing or organizing them into songs. Ev smoked a lot of weed, Ali prayed a lot, and their influences on each other can be heard in the recordings.
Nicole Bus - Kairos LP (Roc Nation)
Charged up by gospel grandiosity, sun-kissed island grooves, and R&B soul, Nicole Bus is an empathetic writer, powerhouse vocalist, talented multi-instrumentalist, and impassioned performer. The Dutch-born multicultural songstress delivers a striking signature style on her 2019 debut for Roc Nation.
Da Lench Mob - Guerillas In Tha Mist [Reissue/1992] LP (Get On Down)
Possessing lyrics heavily focused on political and social justice, inspired heavily by West Coast gang culture and Islam, Da Lench Mob made waves throughout the hip-hop scene when they first appeared on the track "Rolling With Da Lench Mob", off Ice Cube's famed 1990 solo record AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted. Guerillas In Tha Mist, their 1992 debut record, was recorded in the wake of the Rodney King riots, taking its name from infamous comments made during the riots. The record was uncompromising and confrontational in its depictions of urban decay and an unjust system wreaking havoc on an economically disadvantaged Black population.
108 - Infinite Mission LP (NBN Archives)
108 was a short-lived Bay Area group consisting of rappers Encore and Grand The Visitor along with composer-producer Sedric Edwards. Released in 1996 in a run of one hundred CDs, this nugget of jazzy underground hip-hop never really got the attention it deserved until now. In the mid-90s Encore and Grand were gravitating around the San Jose hip-hop scene, releasing music in connection with Bay Area hip-hop icon PB Wolf, and Encore's first single was one of the first releases on Stones Throw in 1997. Sedric Edwards was a sound engineer when he met PB Wolf, with whom he set up a studio that Encore and Grand ended up frequenting. According to Encore: "One day, Sedric was playing some of his jazz-infused instrumentals in between sessions, and we were like: 'We should try something with this!'" Released via Wake Up Records, the album was promoted with a couple of shows in small clubs around the San Jose area, where most of the CDs were sold, but the record fizzled without distribution or promotion. It remains a mystery how this record has been slept on for over two decades.
Deee-Lite - World Clique [Reissue/1990] LP (Get On Down)
"Groove Is In The Heart" was a potent single for Deee-Lite to lead with, but the album bearing it was nothing to slouch at either. The group's debut record, 1990's World Clique was released to major commercial and critical success, owing just as much to its addictive hybrid of seductive retro aesthetics, modern dancefloor flair, and esoteric, socially conscious messaging.
Sparkle - Sparkle LP (Cultures of Soul)
In a genre that has classically been driven primarily by hot twelve-inches, it can be difficult to find a disco album that delivers the goods from end to end. Cultures of Soul Records presents a reissue of Sparkle's self-titled album, which many disco aficionados would put into this category. Sparkle was a female vocal trio from Connecticut, assembled by the producer Harold Sargent, erstwhile drummer of the sterling funk band Wood, Brass & Steel, and creator of manifold drum breaks that would go on to be sampled for decades. Originally released in 1979, the album and the group are fittingly titled as the music is a scintillating, radiant collection of shimmering disco and dazzling funk, performed by Too Much Too Soon-the multiracial R&B band that featured Evan Rogers and Carl Sturken, the writing/production team that would discover Rihanna and power her career to global dominance fifteen years later.
Samuel Jonathan Johnson - My Music [Reissue/1978] LP (Be With)
Vinyl reissue of a stellar spiritual soul/jazz-funk gem. My Music features a rich mélange of production techniques. Dripping in strings, horns, backing singers, popping funk bass lines and swooshing synth waves, it's an unusually structured cosmic two-stepper that has an irrepressible groove.
The Pharaohs - Awakening LP (Ubiquity Recordings Inc)
Limited repress. Originally released in 1971 and re-issued by Luv n' Haight in 1996, Awakening quickly became a must-have for collectors of spiritual, deep, Afro-centric Jazz. The legend of The Pharaohs starts at Crane Junior College on the West side of Chicago, where under the tutelage of James Mack, a student band called The Jazzmen was formed. A 1962 win in the best band category at Chicago's annual Harvest Moon Festival translated into the early members finding success at Chess Records as studio musicians, and after a while these musicians moved over to the South Side to the fledgling Afro Arts Theater where they joined the Artistic Heritage Ensemble, under the leadership of Phil Cohran. It was this iteration of the band that recorded Awakening.
Pharoah Sanders - Journey to the One 2LP (Theresa Records)
Originally released in 1980, contains all ten of Pharoah Sanders' performances from the Journey to the One sessions. As usual, Sanders shifts between spiritual peace and violent outbursts in his tenor solos. The backup group changes from track to track but often includes pianist John Hicks, bassist Ray Drummond, and drummer Idris Muhammad. Sanders really recalls his former boss John Coltrane on 'After the Rain' (taken as a duet with pianist Joe Bonner) and a romantic 'Easy to Remember'. Other high points include 'You've Got to Have Freedom' (which has Bobby McFerrin as one of the background singers) and the exotic 'Kazuko', on which Sanders is accompanied by kato, harmonium, and wind chimes.
Throbbing Gristle - A Souvenir Of Camber Sands: Live CD/2xLP (Mute)
A Souvenir Of Camber Sands documents Throbbing Gristle's infamous live show recorded at their 2004 performance as part of Jake and Dinos Chapman's All Tomorrow's Parties festival. The performance was dedicated to their dear friend and co-conspirator, John Balance, who passed away in November 2004. [Limited clear vinyl pressing.]
Good Rats - Tasty [Reissue/1974] LP (Uncle Rat Music)
Local legends on Long Island, NY the Good Rats seemed poised to break big in the early to mid- '70s. The band played Madison Square Garden, Nassau Coliseum, the Philadelphia Spectrum, and England's Hammersmith Odeon on bills with Rush, Journey, Kiss, Meatloaf, Aerosmith and Ozzy Osborne, while FM radio embraced the Good Rats, as well. The reason for the group's lack of long-term success is debatable, but the quality of its songs are not. A hard rock band that elegantly mixed in elements of jazz and blues, with strong musical fundamentals, and a powerful vocalist and sophisticated songwriter, Peppi Marchello.
Deserta - Black Aura My Sun LP (Felte)
As experimental as it is enthralling, 'Black Aura My' Sun applies the vapor-trailed production values and sublime dynamics of Doty's previous group projects (including post-rock band Saxon Shore and the synth-laced post-punk of Midnight Faces) to a shoegaze-y sound that splits the difference between Slowdive and Sigur Rós. [Limited colored vinyl pressing.]
Fote - Fote LP (Robot)
Following the short-lived Truth Club with Trefor Goronwy (who later went on to work with This Heat), Fote was formed in 1981 with the trio of Robert Haigh, Deborah Harding, and Trevor Reidy, and the band released two 12" EPs as well as a split 7" with Truth Club. With angular constructs of post-punk, free-form improvisations, and wicked time signatures, the tracks here shred genre boundaries, and these early foundations are heard in much of Haigh's later Sema compositions as well as in Reidy's motorik percussion with Nurse with Wound and The Monochrome Set. Curiously, Harding's vocal tensions and outright unhinged polarities in Fote sound like much of the exorcisms and brilliant psychodramas on many of Chrystal Belle Scrodd's (Diana Rogerson of Nurse with Wound) later solo albums. An absolutely essential document from the early '80s independent British post-punk scene.
François N'Gwa - Ogooué LP (Into the Deep Treasury)
Since the early '80s, Gabonese musician François N'Gwa has been jamming with instruments, synthesizers and, later on, production software exploring multiple music aesthetics from his Paris based home studio. Over the years, N'Gwa has written and produced incredible and timeless music, melting together his African music heritage with his favorite influences. New French label Into The Deep Treasury present Ogooué as a tribute to N'Gwa's homeland, compiling some of his finest pieces. Carefully restored and remastered; 180 gram vinyl; hand-painted cover artwork.
Various Artists - Oakland Blues LP (Naked Lunch)
While the history of the blues is more associated with Mississippi, Chicago, Texas, and Louisiana than the West Coast, Oakland has always been a thriving center for African American culture, and this album represents an exploration of its deep relationship with the blues. Side A consists of eight tracks of pure West Coast jump blues by the legendary pianist and singer Jimmy McCracklin, while the Side B is shared between one-man band wizard Juke Boy Bonner and the electric blues of Johnny Fuller and Jimmy Wilson & The Blues Basters. All sessions come from the 1950s archives of Bob Geddins's Irma Records, the legendary record label that became the house for the East Bay Blues sound.
Various Artists - Tasty Bubblegum Flavor: 12 Rare U.S. Bubblegum Pop Jewels 1968-1971 LP (Naughty Rhythm Records)
At the end of the Sixties, the worldwide success of Ohio Express's "Yummy Yummy Yummy" and 1010 Fruitgum Company's "Simon Says" opened up the doors to a plethora of new American bands ready to take advantage of the bubblegum pop frenzy. Jerry Kasenetz and Jeffry Katz were the producers behind many of these projects, while the bands were mostly formed by the same group of studio musicians, including the unmistakable nasal voice of singer Joey Levine. This compilation avoids the best-known cuts, giving you a tour through a dozen rare and unknown productions. Twelve stellar pop gems dated between 1968 and 1971 and a bunch of great simple melodies, sticky like chewing gum. Features Professor Morrison's Lollipop, Johnny Cymbal, Gideon, Zebra, Bleus, Hungry Tiger, The Yummies, and more.
Christoph Heemann - Perception & Association LP (Robot)
Consisting of two side-long pieces, Perception & Association was composed over a period from 2012-2018. Opening side A is "Time and Again", a startling work for tape and electronics which pulses over waves of interlocking spatial relationships, as Heemann gradually propels the listener through chapters of an unexpected and revealing sonic narrative. Side B, "The Trains", suggests not merely a travelogue, but a series of meticulously constructed episodes that reference the record's opposite side as well as the album title as a whole. In the spirit of early electroacoustic works by Jacques Lejeune, Eliane Radigue, and Jaap Vink, these new pieces continue to emphasize Heemann's ongoing filmic obsessions and firmly engage the listener with his latest cinéma pour l'oreille (cinema for the ear).
Muslimgauze - Lalique Gadaffi Handgrenade LP (Staalplaat)
Incredible late '90s dub-noise gear from Muslimgauze resurfaces along with previously unreleased, genius electro-dub goodies in the latest Staalplaat volley. 'Arab Jerusalem' (1996), found on the A-side, is a sterling example of the Manchester-based outlier at his trippy, expressive best, swirling samples of Arabic voices in a thick mist of dubwise FX with sloshing tabla and drones that seem to fade in and out of consciousness. The B-side then gives a run to three superb, unreleased gems in Muslimgauze's most prized vein of electro-dub, starting with the heatsick but urgent rhythms and intoxicating smoke curl sounds of 'Jordan River', and slipping into heavy abstraction with the boiling concrète noise vignette, 'Lalique Gadaffi Handgrenade', and pinching the pineal with his slippery arabesque, 'Desert Gulag'.
Scientist - Rids the World of the Evil Curse of the Vampires LP (Dub Mir)
1981 release; 2020 repress. This album not only ably displays Scientist's varied approach, but also clocks in as one of his best outings. Scientist keeps things lively with plenty of reverb and echo-treated percussion, ghostly piano parts, video game sound effects, and other wobbly interjections from the mixing board. The record's expert evocation of the Halloween spirit also includes some fiendishly-voiced intros, the cover art's cartoon potpourri of horror film characters, and the dubious claim made in the liner notes that Scientist mixed it all at midnight on Friday the 13th.
Steve Moore - Bliss [OST] LP (Relapse)
Critically acclaimed multi-instrumentalist Steve Moore (Zombi) presents the score to the 2019 feature film Bliss. From pulsing, panic-inducing freneticism of tracks such as "The Bite" to calm and contemplative melodies and guitar leads endearing the listener to the film's lead character, Bliss sees Steve Moore at his most dynamic, intense, and nuanced.
Criteria - Years LP (15 Passenger)
Omaha's post-hardcore heroes Criteria formed in 2003 by former Cursive co-founding member Steve Pedersen. [Limited edition blue colored vinyl pressing.]
Sodom - Out Of The Frontline Trench 12" (E1)
Recently released on CD - now available on vinyl. A new five-track EP from leading German thrash metal act. The Acacia Strain - Continent [Reissue/2008] LP (Prosthetic) Vinyl reissue of the fourth studio album by the Massachusetts deathcore wrecking crew.