New Releases - 4/5/19
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 Compilations, Best Of's & Sundry Collections New on Vinyl Live & in Concert Books
New Releases
Shana Cleveland - Night Of The Worm Moon CD/LP (Hardly Art)
Shana Cleveland has been beguiling listeners for years in her role as the superlative frontwoman for elastic surf rockers La Luz. Now Cleveland is evolving her sound on the new solo full-length Night of the Worm Moon, a serene album that flows like a warm current while simultaneously wresting open a portal to another dimension. As much a work of California sci-fi as Octavia Butler's Parable novels, Night of the Worm Moon incorporates everything from alternate realities to divine celestial bodies. Inspired in part by one of her musical idols, the Afro-futurist visionary Sun Ra (the album's title is a tip of the hat to his 1970 release Night of the Purple Moon), the record blends pastoral folk with cosmic concerns. The album occupies a vibrant headspace: UFO sightings, insect carcasses, and twilight dimensions are all grist for Cleveland's restless creativity, and they and other inspirations collide beautifully on the album's 10 kaleidoscopic tracks - a space-bound transmission from America's weirdo frontier. [Limited mint green colored vinyl pressing.] Shana Cleveland will celebrate the release of her new album with a free, all ages in-store performance at Grimey's on Friday, May 10th, at 3PM!
Weyes Blood - Titanic Rising CD/LP+MP3 (Sub Pop)
The phantom zone, the parallax, the upside down - there is a rich cultural history of exploring in-between places. Through her latest, Titanic Rising, Weyes Blood aka Natalie Mering, has designed her own universe to soulfully navigate life's mysteries. Maneuvering through a space-time continuum, she plays the role of melodic, sometimes melancholic, anthropologist. Tellingly, Mering classifies Titanic Rising as the Kinks meet WWII or Bob Seger meets Enya. The latter captures the album's willful expansiveness ("You can tell there's not a guy pulling the strings in Enya's studio," she notes, admiringly). The former relays her imperative to connect with listeners. "The clarity of Bob Seger is unmistakable. I'm a big fan of conversational songwriting," she adds. "I just try to do that in a way that uses abstract imagery as well."
Priests - The Seduction Of Kansas CD/LP (Sister Polygon)
Bred in punk, Priests play rock 'n' roll that is as intellectually sharp as it is focused on pop's thrilling pleasure centers, that is politically galvanizing without sloganeering. [Limited pink colored vinyl pressing.]
Lee Fields & The Expressions - It Rains Love CD/LP (Big Crown)
Traditional soul sensibilities are mixed with a hip-hop tinged, sample ready sound that is as much an homage to the old as to the new. Some of the songs sound like they could belong to any of the last four decades without it feeling like a throwback, while others are '60s soul through and through. Lyrically, Lee runs the gamut from gushing admonishments of love to politically charged calls to action, from proclamations of God's existence to love letters written to his wife.
Jimbo Mathus - Incinerator CD/LP (Big Legal Mess)
Jimbo Mathus has blazed a singular path as a singer, songwriter, guitarist, producer and shaman for 40 years, recording and releasing more than 300 songs that are a testament to his hoodoo craftsmanship and to the sounds, sights and spirits of his inspirations in the deep South. Mathus describes the 11 songs on Incinerator as a huge tapestry of my experiences, hard work and dedication to living a creative life.
Tyler Ramsey - For The Morning CD/LP (Concord)
Tyler Ramsey, the former Band of Horses co-writer and lead guitarist, delivers the exquisite new solo album, For The Morning. Inspired by the lush, deep green and stunning landscape of his home in the mountains outside of Asheville, NC, Ramsey threads rock, country and folk into a rich, new branch of American roots music all his own. "This album came about in the midst of a lot of change," explains Ramsey. "The birth of my daughter, a move to the country, and the steady realization that I needed to switch the road I was on in my life as a musician and songwriter. I tried to express and balance images of life as a constantly traveling and touring musician with the more connected life I live at home and the time I spend hiking in the mountains where I live." For The Morning connects the listener to this setting with dexterous guitar fingerpicking, radiant acoustic piano, affecting pedal steel and gorgeous languid vocals.
Sara Bareilles - Amidst The Chaos CD/2xLP+MP3 (Epic)
"Amidst The Chaos is a collection of songs that came to life over the last couple of years and now they are ready for you," says singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles on her fifth studio album and highly anticipated follow-up to 2013's Grammy-nominated The Blessed Unrest. "This summer, in Los Angeles, alongside some incredible collaborators and one inimitable producer named T Bone Burnett, the record came together swiftly and softly. It has been a lifelong dream to make music with T Bone, and I was so moved by his wisdom and his interest in soulful human expression, versus perfection. I want more of that in my life and it lives loud (and soft) and proud on this record and I can't wait for you to hear it. My eternal love and gratitude for your listening." Showcasing a more roots-based sound than past efforts, Amidst The Chaos is introduced by the powerful feminist anthem "Armor" and the romantically earnest "Fire", and features a guest appearance by John Legend on "A Safe Place To Land".
Molly Tuttle - When You're Ready CD/LP (Compass)
An insightful, gifted songwriter who was crowned Instrumentalist of the Year at the 2018 Americana Music Awards on the strength of her EP Rise, Tuttle has broken boundaries and garnered the respect of her peers, winning fans for her incredible flatpicking guitar technique and confessional songwriting. [Limited red colored vinyl pressing also available.]
Infamous Stringdusters - Rise Sun CD (Tape Time)
On their ninth album, the Grammy-winning quintet expand their signature sound by perfecting their seamless fusion of All-American-bluegrass and rock. [Vinyl edition due May 3.]
Reba McEntire - Stronger Than The Truth CD (Big Machine)
Stronger Than The Truth is McEntire's follow-up to her 2017 gospel project Sing it Now: Songs Of Faith And Hope. A return to her roots, the album features songs co-written by familiar names, such as Brandy Clark, Erin Enderlin, Jaida Dreyer and Leslie Satcher. [Vinyl edition due April 26.]
Brooks & Dunn - Reboot CD (SME Nashville)
Reboot is the first album in 12 years from the country music duo. The album is comprised of re-recorded duet versions of their hits with some of the hottest stars in contemporary music, including Kacey Musgraves. [Vinyl edition due April 19.]
The Drums - Brutalism CD (ANTI-)
The Drums released the critically acclaimed Abysmal Thoughts in 2017, marking the band's first release as a solo project from Jonny Pierce. Two years later, The Drums present their tremendous, self-care focused fifth LP Brutalism. Following a painful divorce and an incredibly difficult stint living solely in Los Angeles, Pierce decided it was time to face his demons, and the making of this record is a part of that process. At its core, it is a pop album with thoroughly modern production and Pierce's newfound tenderness. Back in The Drums' previous iterations, the pressure was on Pierce to maintain the innocent and nostalgic sound of this surf-pop indie band and it didn't allow him to explore sex, drug use, and darker emotions. Abysmal Thoughts was the first occasion he had chance to do that. [Vinyl is delayed]
Circa Waves - What's It Like Over There? CD/LP (Prolifica)
Recorded in just one month, Circa Waves renew their blossoming co-producing relationship with Alan Moulder (Foals, The Killers) for an album that's creatively unshackled and refuses to stay still. What's It Like Over There? fuses the visceral thrill of rock music with a slick pop sound, brimming with themes of modern ennui, emotional fragility and the inside-outs and upside-downs of relationships. While the anthemic "Movies" will appeal to the band's long-standing fanbase, the likes of "Sorry I'm Yours" and "Be Somebody Good" see Circa Waves experiment with a new progressive sound that will surprise and delight in equal measure. [Limited colored vinyl pressing.]
Maxïmo Park - As Long As We Keep Moving CD/CD+DVD/LP (Cooking Vinyl)
Long renowned as a phenomenal live band, As Long As We Keep Moving is a celebration of Maximo Park's live history, and sees the group perform hits spanning their six albums to date. The tracks were recorded live at Vada Studios, and the album beautifully capture this engaging and intimate set. [Deluxe CD edition adds a copy of the video recording of the performance.]
Ioanna Gika - Thalassa CD/LP+MP3 (Sargent House)
The debut solo album from Ioanna Gika (FKA IO Echo), Thalassa, takes its name from the primeval spirit of the sea, a nod to the singer's Greek heritage and a thematic touchstone for the self-produced 10 song set. Written in Greece during a period of familial grief and romantic dissolution, Thalassa documents an unanchored soul facing nature at its most unforgiving. Gika's unique voice is laid bare, a beacon above the black water of dense, looming production that lies beneath.
Coladera - La Dotu Lado CD/LP (Agogo Records)
La Dôtu Lado is the second album from the transatlantic project Coladera, led by Brazilian guitarist Vitor Santana and João Pires, his Portuguese counterpart, who also sings and plays guitar. With help from nearly a dozen collaborators, the acoustic trio merge traditions from Brazil, Portugal, and Cape Verde into a dialogue of guitars, percussions, and voices, bringing together the rhythms of samba and the northeast region of Brazil, the funaná, the morna, the coladera and the batuque of Cape Verde, the Portuguese fado or the Angolan lundum. Coladera was named after the rhythm born of the Morna, the traditional Cape Verdean music, which in turn is derived from Portuguese fado and Angolan lundum.
Khalid - Free Spirit CD (RCA)
Khalid's music is primarily R&B and pop. He sings in both the baritone and tenor ranges, effectively rendering him a baritenor. Khalid cites Kendrick Lamar, A$AP Rocky, Father John Misty, Frank Ocean, Grizzly Bear, Chance The Rapper, Lorde, India. Arie, and James Blake as influences. Free Spirit is his second album.
Quiana Lynell - A Little Love CD (Concord)
A feast of soul, gospel, R&B, groove and jazz, A Little Love blooms with songs about searching, trying times, buoyant love, deep reflection and social action. Lynell sings with the voice of authority and the takeaway from the album is honesty. She's a truth-seeking storyteller with a spirited resolve - covering a wide range of songs from Nina Simone to Chaka Khan, from Duke to the Gershwins, from Donny Hathaway to Irma Thomas; with the bookends of the album featuring songs by powerful modern artists Alina Engibaryan and Joshuah Campbell.
Anat Fort Trio - Colour CD (Sunnyside)
Producing an album for the first time in 15 years, Fort chose to highlight the expressive range of the trio in a much freer approach than that of their past few releases. Colour shines a new light on the trio for listeners, fully incorporating Fort's pop and rock inspirations and opening ears to the full potential of the trio's dynamic breadth on a program of original compositions by Fort.
Mike Mains & The Branches - When We Were In Love CD (Tooth & Nail)
Mike Mains & The Branches is a pop-rock band based in Michigan. Since their formation in 2012, the group has built a reputation for their fantastical instrumentation and unforgettable live performances. Mains began writing songs early in his career between shifts at a casino, which is an apt illustration of Mains' perspective on life: it's a comedy, a tragedy, and a fairytale.
Sego - Sego Sucks CD/LP (Roll Call)
Los Angeles, CA via Utah outfit Sego's second long player Sego Sucks is woven with the changes of becoming a four-piece band. Originally Spencer Petersen and Thomas Carroll, the band added members Alyssa Davey on bass and Brandon McBride on guitars and keys in 2018. The sound became more focused, but the raucous spirit that has kept people sweating since the beginning is just as tangible and primal as ever.
Big Eyes - Streets Of The Lost CD (Greenway)
Since their inception in late 2009, Big Eyes has been a musical chimera. Their distinctive heavy sound glides between punk, power-pop, and hard rock, while their songwriting retains an unwavering classic pop refinement. On their latest album Streets Of The Lost, Kait Eldridge, the bandleader and songwriter behind Big Eyes, combines straight shooting New York punk sensibilities with moody, brooding pacific northwest undertones, evoking a sense of both places the band has called home. Rounded out by the Ridenour brothers, Paul on guitar and back-up vocals, and Jeff on bass, and Scott McPherson on drums, Big Eyes' sound has never felt richer, darker, and more lived-in. [Vinyl edition due April 12.]
Eluveitie - Ategnatos CD (Nuclear Blast)
Eluveitie is a Swiss death metal band that combines traditional Celtic folk music with melodic death metal, influenced by the classic Gothenburg sound. Their name means "The Helvetian" in Gaulish and is pronounced "El-Vey-Ti". The band propels mythology, pagan belief and spirituality into our modern world. Ategnatos is a manifesto, a fast-paced, highly dramatic and embellished work on which today's society sees itself in the mirror of ancient Celtic mythology. For the album, the nine-piece worked with a string quartet and granted harpist Fabienne Erni the space her instrument deserves. Overall, Eluveitie undertook a holistic upgrade resulting in some of the catchiest, most aggressive and epic tunes the Swiss metal nobility has ever offered.
Periphery - Peripher IV: Hail Stan CD (3DOT/E1)
Periphery represents the vanguard of addictive, chaotic, challenging and cathartically inviting heavy music for the modern era. The band's triple-guitar attack and rhythmic dexterity has won them devoted adherents across underground subcultures, regardless of whether those fans were weaned on the passion-fueled sounds of the Vans Warped Tour or the progressive rock of Rush. Periphery IV: Hail Stan is the group's fifth album and follow-up to 2017's Grammy-nominated Periphery III: Select Difficulty. "If Coheed And Cambria and Muse went on a date with Meshuggah and Between The Buried And Me, fell in love, moved in together, opened a joint Facebook account, and then had a baby, it would be 2019 Periphery. Periphery IV: Hail Stan is the work of a mature prog band with tongue firmly in cheek (besides the fantastic album title that will have people tripping over their eyes... I think is easily their best album thus far; itss an absolute winner." - Pure Grain Audio
Compilations, Best Of's & Sundry Collections
Visible Cloaks, Yoshio Ojima & Satsuki Shibano - FRKWYS Vol. 15: Serenitatem CD/LP (RVNG Int'l)
The 15th installment of FRKWYS joins Visible Cloaks with Yoshio Ojima and Satsuki Shibano, two trailblazers of the Japanese avant-garde music and visual arts scenes of the 1980s and '90s. While the music excels on an environmental level, Serenitatem aims to be more than that, burning away the easy cynicism of the day and presenting itself as the kind of delocalized work of art the internet promised us decades ago - a synthesis of artistic visions, technological sophistication, futurist ambition, and, occasionally, ancient polyphony.
Live & in Concert
Professor Longhair - Live On The Queen Mary CD/LP (Capitol)
This Professor Longhair live album was recorded March 24, 1975 on the Queen Mary cruise ship docked in Long Beach, California at a private party hosted by Paul and Linda McCartney. [Deluxe 'Long Live Fess' vinyl edition includes bonus 7" plus photos & press release]
Books
Questlove - Creative Quest BK (Ecco Books)
Questlove-musician, bandleader, designer, producer, culinary entrepreneur, professor, and all-around cultural omnivore-shares his wisdom on the topics of inspiration and originality in a one-of-a-kind guide to living your best creative life. In Creative Quest, Questlove synthesizes all the creative philosophies, lessons, and stories he's heard from the many creators and collaborators in his life, and reflects on his own experience, to advise readers and fans on how to consider creativity and where to find it. Whether discussing his own life or channeling the lessons he's learned from forefathers such as George Clinton, collaborators like D'Angelo, or like-minded artists including Ava DuVernay, David Byrne, Björk, and others, Questlove speaks with the candor and enthusiasm that fans have come to expect. Creative Quest is many things-above all, a wise and wide-ranging conversation around the eternal mystery of creativity. Now available in paperback.
David Browne - Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young: The Wild, Definitive Saga of Rock's Greatest Supergroup BK (Da Capo Press)
Even in the larger-than-life world of rock and roll, it was hard to imagine four more different men. David Crosby, the opinionated hippie guru. Stephen Stills, the perpetually driven musician. Graham Nash, the tactful pop craftsman. Neil Young, the creatively restless loner. But together, few groups were as in sync with their times as CSNY. In Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young: The Wild, Definitive Saga of Rock's Greatest Supergroup, longtime music journalist and Rolling Stone writer David Browne presents the ultimate deep dive into rock and roll's most musical and turbulent brotherhood on the occasion of its 50th anniversary. Featuring exclusive interviews with David Crosby and Graham Nash along with band members, colleagues, fellow superstars, former managers, employees, and lovers - and with access to unreleased music and documents - Browne takes readers backstage and onstage, into the musicians' homes, recording studios, and psyches, to chronicle the creative and psychological ties that have bound these men together--and sometimes torn them apart. This is the sweeping story of rock's longest-running, most dysfunctional, yet pre-eminent musical family, delivered with the epic feel their story rightly deserves.
New on Vinyl
Maren Morris - Girl LP (Sony Nashville)
Recently released on CD - now available on vinyl. "Since Maren Morris established her undeniable presence in 2016 with her glowing debut album Hero, she's since become a crossover star with a voice that's elevated country music. She reflects her evolution on her sophomore album, Girl, stepping outside the confines of country music to blossom artistically in bold and beautiful ways. Morris continues to experiment sonically on Girl, blending soul and country to create a distinct sound alongside themes of love and empowerment. Across 14 soul-searching songs, Morris proves that she's a woman of integrity finding herself in different ways: through love, experimentation and, perhaps most notably, defying artistic boundaries. Girl demonstrates her unique songwriting prowess, as she eloquently moves from the inspiring title-track to songs like "Make Out With Me" that are dripping in romance, before rounding out the album with "The Bones", where she uses a withered, but unwavering home as a potent metaphor for a strong relationship." - Sounds Like Nashville
The Prescriptions - Hollywood Gold LP (Single Lock)
The Prescriptions channel a broad range of influences, from the aching, unaffected honesty of ‘70s folk titans like Neil Young, to the guitar-driven melodies of The Strokes’ early recordings and the experimental energy of Wilco. The Prescriptions will celebrate the release of Hollywood Gold with a free, all ages live performance at Grimey's on the day their record is released! (Fri 4/5 at 6PM)
Richard Swift - Dressed Up For The Letdown [Reissue/2007] LP (Secretly Canadian)Richard Swift - Ground Trouble Jaw / Walt Wolfman [Reissue/2008/2011] LP (Secretly Canadian)
Richard Swift - Atlantic Ocean [Reissue/2009] LP (Secretly Canadian)
Meticulously arranged and gorgeously recorded (including a session at Chicago's famed Wilco Loft), Atlantic Ocean is an immaculate kiss off. It's a cheeky - if not wholly acrimonious - takedown of music industry artifice and hipster culture vapidity. Across the entire album, Swift is burning bridges and the exposing trolls underneath. Alongside 2007's Dressed Up For The Letdown and 2018's posthumous The Hex, The Atlantic Ocean completes his triumvirate of meta-pop masterpieces. Two of his EPs - Ground Trouble (2008) and Walt Wolfman (2011) have also been reissued - now available on a single LP.
Chasman - Synth-E-Fuge [Reissue/1989] LP (Numero)
From the blown-out motherboard of West Philadelphia's Master Control Programmers, Charles Grossman broke off to explore his own personal outer space experience. With just a DW-8000 to keep him company, University City's loneliest cyborg issued this eight song electro-mellow statement in 1989. Spectral synths, pulsating programming, and yes-a keytar-set the soundtrack to your next game of Spy Hunter. Jam on to a sound more sophisticated.
New Order - Movement: Definitive Edition LP+2xCD+DVD (Rhino/WB)
The Movement Definitive Edition boxed set includes the vinyl LP with its original iconic sleeve designed by Peter Saville, original album CD in replica mini album sleeve, a bonus CD of previously unreleased tracks, DVD of live shows and TV appearances plus hard backed book all housed in a lift off lid box.
Ratso - Stubborn Heart LP (Lucky Number)
Larry "Ratso" Sloman has forged an impressive career as a writer for Rolling Stone, his first book On The Road With Bob Dylan, and collaborations with Howard Stern, Anthony Kiedis, David Blaine, and Mike Tyson on their best-selling memoirs and his biography of Houdini will soon be a major-motion picture. Now at 70, Ratso is releasing his debut album Stubborn Heart, blending a classic songwriting approach with a contemporary sophistication. Ratso teamed up with Vin Cacchione (Caged Animals) and an all-star cast of musicians including Nick Cave, Warren Ellis, Sharon Robinson, Imani Coppola, Yasmine Hamdan and Eddie Front.
Charles Ditto - In Human Terms [Reissue/1987] LP (Telephone Explosion)
In the mid-80's, an original form of music was discovered on the midi-capable little planet of Austin, Texas. At the age of 32, Charles Ditto would release his first solo album applying cutting edge computers and synthesizers of the era (Roland DX7, Roland MKS-20, Roland MKS-80, Sequential Circuits Profit 2000 along with a Macintosh SE), creating a unique and detailed world that was inspired by Cluster, Eno & The Residents. In Human Terms bridges the gap between contemporary classical and minimal pop. Rhythmic but melodically abstract. Microtonal and organic.
Sparrow Steeple - Tin Top Sorcerer LP (Trouble In Mind)
Sparrow Steeple's music exists in its own universe. An imagined utopia (or is it a dystopia?) of wolfmen, murderous wizards, whispering woods and leprechaun treasure. Their second album Tin Top Sorcerer arrives near the front end of 2019, just in time for spring to blossom. Comprised of three members of inscrutable indie legends Strapping Fieldhands, Sparrow Steeple specialize in mini-opuses that drift & careen haphazardly like Grimm's Fairy Tales sung by Syd Barrett - psychedelic tales of rapturous joy and sinister machinations by creatures real and imagined, all wrapped around dreamlike tunes of avant folk, psychedelia, and outsider music.
Jai Wolf - The Cure To Loneliness LP (Mom + Pop Music)
The Cure To Loneliness finds Jai Wolf completing his evolution from upstart bedroom remixer to future bass DJ to dream pop artist and builder of lush musical worlds. While still very much a dancefloor-focused endeavor, some tracks on the debut conjure the angular songs of The Strokes and Phoenix, while weaving melodies through the sugary happysad of M83 and CHVRCHES, and throw up walls of sound touched by Explosions In The Sky -all while maintaining a melodious polish and evocative groove.
Karl Denson's Tiny Universe - Gnomes And Badgers LP (MRI Associated)
Recently released on CD - now available on vinyl. The first new studio album in over five years from Karl Denson's Tiny Universe distills the sweeping stylistic range of the band's concert performances into its own authentic sound. Masterfully incorporating elements of vintage rock, old school soul and classic funk, the inimitable saxophonist/flutist/vocalist Karl Denson and his long-standing six-piece unit.
Mr. Twin Sister - Salt LP (Twin Group)
Released last November on CD - now available on vinyl. NYC cult heroes Mr Twin Sister return with their typically fascinating mix of worldly electronica, dancefloor pop, dub, and funk of all kinds. "Inside songs that capture the body-moving pulse of nightlife and the post-club comedown, the Long Island quartet follow the danceable lead of their last album." - Pitchfork
The Murlocs - Manic Candid Episode LP (ATO)
Five fellas with roots firmly placed in their own blown-out, distorted demented dance party brand of soulful R&B. [Limited neon orange colored vinyl pressing.]
Datura4 - Blessed Is The Boogie LP (Alive)
Fronted by Aussie legend Dom Mariani, who came to prominence on the music scene in the 1980s with legendary garage rock combo The Stems, and later went on to form revered power pop outfits DM3 and The Someloves, Datura4 is Mariani's return to his blues and heads-down, full-tilt boogie roots. Blessed Is The Boogie is ten new songs that build on Datura4's guitars to infinity approach of Hairy Mountain (2016) and the hard rocking, progressive blues and psychedelic stylings of debut LP Demon Blues (2015).
Bob Dylan - Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid - Original Soundtrack Recording [Reissue/1973] LP+MP3 (Sony Legacy)
Bob Dylan - Planet Waves [Reissue/1974] LP+MP3 (Sony Legacy)
Bob Dylan - Street Legal [Reissue/1978] LP+MP3 (Sony Legacy)
Vinyl reissues of Bob Dylan's 14th and 18th studio albums and his soundtrack to Sam Peckinpah's surreal 1973 Western Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid which debuted the now-classic track "Knocking On Heaven's Door".
Jean Ritchie - Singing the Traditional Songs of Her Kentucky Mountain Family LP (Fantome Phonographique)
Originally released in 1952. Jean was born in 1922 to the Ritchie family of Perry County, KY, who were considered one of the two great ballad-singing families of Kentucky celebrated among folk song scholars. The youngest of 14 children, Jean had Appalachian folk music in her blood, learning dozens of songs at a very early age from her parents and siblings. In college, she met Alan Lomax who brought her to New York, where she quickly began performing and mingling with Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, and the like. Though she would appear on Library of Congress compilations and various other Lomax related recordings, this 1952 release is her first proper album and you will not find a more beautiful example of traditional Appalachian dulcimer and folk singing than this recording.
Eric Church - Carolina [Reissue/2009] LP (Capitol Nashville)
Limited 180gm vinyl reissue of the second studio album by the country music star.
Ceschi - Sad, Fat Luck LP (Fake Four Inc.)
Ceschi's music lives in some liminal space between left-field hip hop, folk punk and indie rock. Sad, Fat Luck is part eulogy to many lost friends, part breakup album, part US-born-Latino analysis of Trump's America, and part ode to aging. Features guest vocals from Sammus & Astronautalis.
Lil Baby - Drip Harder LP (Quality Control)
Lil Baby - Street Gossip LP (Quality Control)
Drip Harder is a collaborative mixtape by rappers Lil Baby and Gunna and includes guest appearances from Drake, Young Thug, Lil Durk and Nav, production from Turbo, Wheezy and Tay Keith, among others. Also a mixtape, Street Gossip features guest appearances from Meek Mill, Gucci Mane, Gunna, Young Thug, Offset, and others.
Honey 2 Honey - A Taste Of 12" (Chapter Music)
Debut EP by the Canberra/Sydney dub R 'n' B foursome. Four songs configure elements of jazz, dub, krautrock, disco and R 'n' B into irresistible offbeat, hypnotic pop.
Joey DeFrancesco - In The Key Of The Universe LP (Mack Avenue)
Recently released on CD - now available on vinyl. On his adventurous new album, In The Key Of The Universe, the master organist turns his musical attentions to his spiritual side, tapping into a strain of metaphysical jazz that's fueled sonic searchers for more than half a century.
David Chesworth - Layer On Layer [Reissue/1981] LP (Chapter)
David Chesworth (born 1958, Stoke-on-Trent, United Kingdom) is an Australian-based composer, keyboard player, and installation artist. He has worked in the post punk band Essendon Airport, classical ensembles, theatre, opera, sound installations, etc. Layer On Layer was the beginning of David's investigations into rhythm, and remains one of his most striking works. His '70s/'80s records and productions have become sought-after collectors' items and DJ holy grails.
Richard Barbieri - Things Buried [Reissue/2004] LP (Kscope)
First-time vinyl pressing. Things Buried is an instrumental work that highlights Barbieri's unique approach to sound and mood, the music ranges from textural atmospherics to dynamic rhythmic passages. The album also features the distinctive styles of Percy Jones (Brand X) on fretless bass guitar and Andy Gangadeen (The Bays, Massive Attack) on drums.
The Caretaker - Everywhere at the End of Time - Stage 6 2LP (History Always Favours the Winners)
The Caretaker - Everywhere at the End of Time - Stage 1; Stage 2; Stage 3 LP reissues
The Caretaker dispatches the final scene of a 20 year-long act that has uncannily lurked in the shadows of so many of our listening lives. This final stage sees The Caretaker mirroring the ultimate descent into dementia and oblivion, again using a patented prism of sound to connote a final, irreversible transition into the haunted ballroom of the mind that he first stepped into in 1999. By using fusty samples from an obsolete analog format, The Caretaker perfectly and perversely bent ideas of anticipation/expectation with his arrangements, playing with notions of convention and repetition. With the outside world muted, and only the timbral residue remaining like smoke, everything moves as slow as a Lynchian dream sequence, until a conclusion so ineffably sublime occurs that can't be mentioned for fear of it waking up.
IVVVO - doG 2LP (Halcyon Veil)
IVVVO mounts an ambitious debut album for Rabit's Halcyon Veil with doG, a double LP of synth-driven panoramas painted in neon, riddled with rave tropes and rendered in hyperrealist, cinematic sound design. Across its 15 songs, the London-based, Portuguese producer spells out a narrative as vividly hypermodern as a Nicolas Winding Refn flick but set in the fashionista underbelly of London. IVVVO picks the shiniest and most affective elements of contemporary dance/rock/pop and electronica -- from deconstructed trance synths to blockbuster sound design and choral arrangements -- and then weaves them into searing, reactive expressions of modernity. The results are skizzy, veering from anxious to ecstatic and often in the space of one song. RIYL: Lorenzo Senni, Arca, Coil.
Dustin Laurenzi - Snaketime: The Music of Moondog LP (Feeding Tube Records)
Chicago saxophonist Dustin Laurenzi, a touring member of Bon Iver, first encountered the music of outsider jazz musician Moondog a decade ago while studying at Indiana University. Seeing "potential for the music to be reimagined in a more improvised context," Laurenzi formed a versatile octet designed to interpret and expand on those sounds, drawing particular inspiration from Moondog 2, which Laurenzi described as "meticulous contrapuntally and rhythmically, but also super catchy and groovy." Laurenzi assembled a dazzling group of Chicago improvisers for the group, and his inventive arrangements of the material created various paths for each musician to extrapolate on the source material. There's an inescapably human, idiosyncratic vibe to the album, coursing with raw emotion and fragile beauty that both honors the distinctive spirit of Moondog and creates something utterly fresh at the same time.
Bernard Xolotl - Last Wave CD/LP (Bureau B)
Originally released only on cassette in 1982. The French-born, California-based composer was influenced by the Berlin school of electronic music, having been introduced as a teen to the works of Musique Concrete composers like Pierre Henry and Pierre Schaeffer, although he was also inspired by the early recordings of Pink Floyd. During the early 1970s, Xolotl began creating music of his own, working in studios across Europe and the US before settling in California in 1974, where he built his own studio. Between 1978 and 1981, he recorded four solo cassette albums. On Last Wave, Xolotl expanded his musical palette with new instruments such as the Yamaha CS60 and the PPG. Includes previously unissued bonus track.
Manuel Gottsching - Inventions for Electric Guitar LP (MG.Art)
Originally released in 1975. Remastered by Manuel Göttsching. Recorded July-August 1974, Inventions for Electric Guitar is Manuel Göttsching's first solo album. Written and performed entirely by Göttsching on electric guitar, with a four-track TEAC A3340, Revox A77 for echoes, wah-wah pedal, volume pedal, Schaller Rotosound, and Hawaiian steel bar.
Robert Ashley - Private Parts LP (Lovely Music)
Originally issued in 1978. This newly mastered LP release is a must-have for aficionados as well as a perfect introductory work to Ashley's oeuvre. Ashley presented an unvarnished exposition of the inner workings of a man's mind, and on the other side, those of a woman. These two episodes were the foundation for Ashley's seven-part opera, Perfect Lives, which was performed by his ensemble throughout the 1980s and was completed for television broadcast by Britain's Channel Four. Personnel: Robert Ashley - voice; "Blue" Gene Tyranny - keyboards; Kris - tablas. Includes libretto.
David Behrman - On the Other Ocean LP (Lovely Music)
Originally issued as one of Lovely Music's first six releases in 1978. "Remarkable achievements on a purely technological level. Behrman's carefully programmed Kim-I system listens to tones played by the live performers (flute, bassoon, cello), instantly analyzes the situation, and responds by playing back electronic tones of its own. This is undoubtedly the first time that humans and electronic sound equipment have communicated with one another with high degrees of spontaneity and intelligence on both ends of the wire. But the music that results is perhaps even more remarkable. Subtle, sustained, serene, sophisticated, super." -- Tom Johnson, The Village Voice, Dec. 18, 1978
Various Artists, compiled by Deben Bhattacharya - Music on the Desert Road LP (Fantome Phonographique)
Originally released in 1957. The late Deben Bhattacharya was a noted Bengali record producer, ethnomusicologist, poet, documentarian, radio producer, and all-around renaissance man. Having moved from Northern India to London as a young man, Bhattacharya began working for the BBC as a radio producer. In 1955, Bhattacharya traveled to India to record musicians, and the success of this trip allowed him to travel again soon after to the countries of the Middle East. With recordings from Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan, as well as India and Pakistan, this LP is one of the best and earliest documents of the diverse and rich musical traditions of the Middle East. Subtitled "A Sound Travelogue", this collection is a beautiful and flowing document of the region's sound.
Nitai Dasgupta - Songs of India LP (Manufactured Recordings)
Originally released on Vic Keary's underground label, Mushroom Records, in the early '70s. While Mushroom was mostly known for hyper-rare psych, prog and acid folk, Nitai Dasgupta fits in perfectly with the label's British psych and prog artists like Simon Finn and Magic Carpet. Nitai Dasgupta was one of the most talented Indian classical singers in Great Britain. His sweetness and flexibility created a unique style complemented by his melodious voice and composing abilities. Songs Of India pleases the lovers of Indian classical and semi-classical music while enticing pop and folk fans. This LP even caught the ears of acclaimed electronic artist, Four Tet, who featured the track 'Cham Cham Cham Cham' on his NTS Radio show.
Year Of The Knife - Ultimate Aggression LP (Pure Noise)
Ultimate Aggression compiles the straight-edge hardcore band's recently released EPs Ultimate Disease (2017) and First State Aggression (2018).
Rivers Of Nihil - Where Owls Know My Name 2xLP (Metal Blade)
Released last year on CD - now available on standard black vinyl. Whereas The Conscious Seed of Light (2013) and Monarchy (2015) were thematically centered around spring and summer, respectively, 2018's Where Owls Know My Name represents the fall. And although that season is usually associated with death, for Rivers of Nihil, the autumn serves as a rebirth. Now rounded out by guitarist Jon Topore and drummer Jared Klein the Reading, PA quintet delivers an album which is often just as punishing as its predecessors while assimilating ingredients from musical genres as varied as electronica, jazz, alternative, folk, and the golden age of Shrapnel Records.
Reissues & From The Archives
Son Lux - At War With Walls And Mazes [Reissue/2008] CD/LP (Joyful Noise)
Son Lux - We Are Rising [Reissue/2011] CD/LP (Joyful Noise)
Ryan Lott's first two releases as Son Lux, At War With Walls & Mazes and We Are Rising, document a compelling musician finding a distinctive creative voice, while making strikingly original music along the way. In the last few years, Son Lux has shifted from Lott's singular vision into a three-piece ensemble featuring virtuoso musicians Ian Chang on drums, and Rafiq Bhatia on guitar. But Lott's initial Son Lux recordings still point toward an exciting musical future. [Limited colored vinyl pressings are also available.]