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…..pick of the week…..
USED PUNK AND MORE!
While the rest of you were enjoying Canada Day celebrations, I was out scoring this killer collection of for your digging pleasure. 17 boxes, roughly 1200 records with a very low chud factor. Loads of punk, loads of original pressings, loads of awesome. We have already started cleaning and pricing these and hope to get more out real soon. Needless to say, we should have great used stuff hitting the bins all summer long.
File Under: Punk, Used
…..new arrivals…..
Black Midi: Schlagenheim (Rough Trade) LP
Black Midi – Georgie Greep (vocals/guitar), Matt Kwasniewski-Kelvin (vocals/guitar), Cameron Picton (vocals/bass), and Morgan Simpson (drums) – have a dynamic energy, playing as a musical unit that’s constantly in a state of flux and development. Schlagenheim was recorded with Speedy Wunderground producer Dan Carey, who the band praises for his quick, unfussy approach. For the album, Black Midi retouched older recordings and laid down eight of the record’s nine tracks in just five days. The process was one of refining and rebuilding tracks around the initial structures. Five hour jams would sometimes yield a riff that then became a few bars of a song. As anyone who’s been lucky enough to catch Black Midi live recently will testify, their songs are slippery creatures.
File Under: Indie Rock
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Cocteau Twins: Four Calendar Café (Universal) LP
In tomorrow… Cocteau Twins were a Scottish rock band active from 1979 to 1997. The original members were singer Elizabeth Fraser, guitarist Robin Guthrie, and bassist Will Heggie, who was replaced by multi-instrumentalist Simon Raymonde in 1983. The group has earned much critical praise for its innovative, ethereal sound and the distinctive soprano vocals of Fraser. Four-Calendar Café is the seventh album by Scottish band Cocteau Twins. It was originally released on 18 October 1993 on Fontana. The album distinguished itself from the rest of the Twins’ catalogue in two major areas: The sound was much more pop-oriented and less ambient than previous works, and Liz Fraser’s lyrics were much more intelligible than usual.
File Under: Electronic, Rock
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Cocteau Twins: Milk & Kisses (Universal) LP
In tomorrow… Milk & Kisses is the eighth and final studio album by Cocteau Twins, issued by Fontana Records in March 1996. The song “Rilkean Heart” was a homage to Jeff Buckley, who was a lifelong lover of the work of poet Rainer Maria Rilke.
File Under: Electronic, Rock
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Miles Davis: Complete Birth of the Cool (Blue Note) LP
In tomorrow… Blue Note/UMe release a double vinyl LP edition of The Complete Birth of the Cool, documenting the huge creative and cultural importance of the Miles Davis Nonet. The collection marks the 70th anniversary of the initial sessions for the Birth of the Cool album, released in 1957 as a collection of recordings from 1949 and 1950. The sessions, in a nondescript basement room behind a Chinese laundry in midtown Manhattan, saw a group of kindred spirits and jazz modernists come together to form a groundbreaking collective. They included the jazz-headliners-to-be Gerry Mulligan, Lee Konitz, Max Roach, John Lewis, arranger Gil Evans and, of course trumpeter Miles Davis, then 22, who became the bandleader, helming a creative project for the first time. The nine-piece group worked together in the studio and on stage in 1949 and 1950 to little public reaction at first. It was only seven years later, when their music came together on a full LP for the first time, that its impact was fully realized. The Complete Birth of the Cool gathers all of the collective’s music on a 2LP-set for the first time. It features the 12 sides they recorded in 1949-50 and the ensemble’s only extant live recordings, captured at the Royal Roost. This is the first time since 1957 that the recordings have been remastered for vinyl and the release also marks the first time that all the Birth of the Cool performances, both studio and live, have been available together on vinyl. The 2LP package also includes a booklet with archival photographs and an extensive new essay by the Grammy-winning American music historian Ashley Kahn. “Birth of the Cool was a proving ground of instrumental talent and of approaches,” he writes. “Each of its participants would develop ideas that came from the project in their own disparate way, collectively leading jazz into a brave, postbop world in the years that followed.” Jazz historian Dan Morgenstern adds: “There can be little doubt that these records triggered the advent of a successor style to bebop.” When Davis was later asked about the Birth of the Cool title, he said: “I think what they really meant was a soft sound. Not penetrating too much. To play soft you have to relax…” In his 1989 autobiography, he added: “Birth [of the Cool] was not only hummable but it had white people playing the music and serving in prominent roles…we shook people’s ears a little softer than Bird or Diz did, took the music more mainstream.”
File Under: Jazz
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Lou Donaldson: Mr. Shing-a-ling (Tone Poet/Blue Note) LP
In tomorrow… Funky funky Lou Donaldson – and one of the first albums to feature the tight drum work of Idris Muhammad behind Lou’s horn – so early, in fact, that Muhammad’s listed here on the label as Leo Morris, which was his original name! The group also features Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Jimmy Ponder on guitar, and Lonnie Smith on organ – and they all wail together in a sound that bridges the gap between Lou’s earlier Blue Note soul jazz, and the later funky mode of his jazz funk years! Tracks include “The Humpback,” “Peepin’,” “The Kid” and the fantastic cover of “Ode to Billie Joe” that’s as much a sample cut as “Pot Belly”! The Blue Note Tone Poet Series was born out of Blue Note President Don Was’ admiration for the exceptional audiophile Blue Note LP reissues presented by Music Matters. The label brought Joe Harley (from Music Matters), aka the “Tone Poet,” on board to curate and supervise a series of reissues from the Blue Note family of labels. Extreme attention to detail has been paid to getting these right in every conceivable way, from the deluxe gatefold jacket graphics and printing quality to superior mastering (all analog direct from the master tapes) by Kevin Gray to superb 180-gram audiophile LP pressings by Record Technology Inc. Every aspect of these Blue Note/Tone Poet releases is done to the highest-possible standard. It means that you will never find a superior version.
File Under: Jazz
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Ethnic Heritage Ensemble: Be Known Ancient/Future/Music (Spiritmuse) LP
New spiritual jazz album by the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble, led by legendary Chicago percussionist Kahil El’Zabar, an artist in a league of his own, acknowledged throughout the world as the leader in the vanguard of spiritual and afro-futuristic jazz. Alongside El’Zabar on multi-percussion & vocals is Corey Wilkes on trumpet, Alex Harding on baritone sax and Ian Maksin on cello. This is beautiful Afro-centric spiritual jazz on the forefront of the current popular jazz scene. The Ethnic Heritage Ensemble’s music… “seeks to spark a time in which heightened sensibility and higher consciousness will universally be known”.
File Under: Jazz
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Shafiq Husayn: The Loop (Nature Sounds) LP
In tomorrow… Shafiq Husayn is a talented musician, producer, songwriter, and recording artist who has worked with some of the top artists in R&B, hip-hop, soul, funk, and beyond. Perhaps best known as one third of innovative Los Angeles musical collective Sa Ra Creative Partners, Husayn has produced for the likes of Erykah Badu, Andre 3000, John Legend, Kanye West, Jurassic 5, Bilal, and many more. Shafiq’s musical roots date back to when he attended parties thrown by the Zulu Nation and Uncle Jamm’s Army, carrying crates for pioneering DJ Afrika Islam and DJing with Crenshaw High School classmates Bobcat and Battlecat. By the early 90s he was working under the alias SLJ, producing tracks for hip-hop luminaries like Ice T, Lord Finesse, and King Tee. In recent years, Shafiq has helped launch the careers of some of the most influential new artists to emerge from L.A., serving as a mentor to Anderson .Paak and working with Ty Dolla $ign before his rise to fame. His solo debut Shafiq En A-Free-Ka drew widespread critical acclaim, and he earned a Grammy for his work on Robert Glasper’s breakthrough album Black Radio. Now, Shafiq Husayn is back with The Loop, the long-awaited follow-up to Shafiq En A-Free-Ka. The eclectic album features an all-star cast of Shafiq’s most prominent collaborators, including contributions from Erykah Badu, Anderson .Paak, Hiatus Kaiyote, Robert Glasper, Thundercat, Bilal, Flying Lotus, Jimetta Rose, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, Coultrain, and more. Blending lush live instrumentation with futuristic synths and otherworldly vocals, The Loop is a genre-defying opus incorporating spaced-out funk, raw neo-soul, free jazz, hip-hop beats, and electronic elements. “Welcome to Love’s Infinite Power = The Loop,” says Shafiq. “It’s the anniversary album to ‘En A-Free-Ka’, and the continuance of an infinite cycle of music that I hope will live on in the hearts and minds of all long after I’m gone.”
File Under: Electronic, Funk, Soul, Hip Hop
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LSD Featuing Labrinth, Sia, & Diplo: s/t (Mad Decent) LP
Labrinth, Sia & Diplo Present… LSD, also known simply as LSD, is the debut studio album by the music group LSD. Originally scheduled to be released by Columbia Records on 2 November 2018, it was pushed back to 12 April 2019 digital and July 5 for vinyl!
File Under: Electronic, Pop
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Georgia Anne Muldrow: VWETO II (Mellow Music) LP
Acclaimed west coast singer, songwriter, and producer Georgia Anne Muldrow releases the new collection of astral instrumentals, VWETO II. A mixture of dreamscape and fOnk, the title VWETO is from Ki-Kongo and mean “gravity” – a fitting word for beats this heavy, despite the tracks remaining liquid gold, shimmering and flowing freely. Each instrumental journeys through sonic realms that wash over the listener with ease, taking them out of body and into the spirit plane. Distinctly west coast, yet like nothing released before, VWETO II continues its exploration of the instrumental depths through a sonic blend of fOnk, Hip-hop, Noir-Jazz, Piano-Space, and Elektro-Soul. “VWETO II is an astral funk laden mindscape,” Muldrow explains. “Best used for long term discussions, late night car ciphers, deep contemplation, clearing the air after an argument or starting a brand new day. Repeat as needed.”
File Under: Hip Hop, Funk, Jazz
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Anderson.Paak: Ventura (12 Tone Music) LP
While he was working on 2018’s Oxnard, the ever-ambitious Anderson .Paak was recording Ventura at the same time. As he explains it, both albums showcase the duality that has inspired the Grammy-award winning artist throughout his career. “Growing up in Oxnard gave me the grit and the church to find this voice of mine. One town over I went further and found my depth. [I] held one [album] back because that would have been too many songs to perform live!” Now with a more soulful sound representative of the beautiful, scenic Ventura, Anderson .Paak gives us “King James,” “Make It Better” and more – with a diverse set of features from such heavyweights as Smokey Robinson, André 3000, Nate Dogg and Brandy among others. Welcome to Ventura!
File Under: Hip Hop, Soul
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Plaid: Polymer (Warp) LP
In tomorrow… The innovative duo of Ed Handley and Andy Turner have been expanding the realm of electronic music as Plaid since they diverged from trio The Black Dog in the early 90s. In 2019, Plaid stand alongside the likes of Aphex Twin, Autechre and Nightmares on Wax as mainstays of the Warp label as it reaches its 30th anniversary, celebrating achievements in music like few others. Their adventurous and playful approach has taken them to working with Björk and drawing comparisons to fellow collaborators Mark Bell, Arca, Haxan Cloak and more recent releases by Skee Mask and Daniel Avery. They’ve worked with the London Sinfonietta, the Southbank Gamelan Players, composed for Felix’s Machines robotic sculptures, and soundtracked events as diverse as reindeer migration in northern Europe to a level in popular platformer Little Big Planet 3. In a live capacity their show straddles both a contemporary and club capacity, able to pack venues from the Sydney Opera House and Southbank to Bloc and Berghain. Forging ever bolder and emotive paths through electronic music, Plaid offer up their tenth studio effort, Polymer. The album’s 13 tracks cover energetic bangers, bright melodic visceral rhythms and hypnotic wombic textures to create perhaps their most cohesive, direct collection to date.
File Under: Electronic
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Various: Planisphere (Numero) LP
In tomorrow… Ten incredible albums culled from the deepest, weirdest co-op of record enthusiasts ever gathered under one banner. Numero Group spared no expense packaging these, pairing the idea of the Art of Compilation with living and breathing art, creating little fortune cookies baked in a factory of forgotten dreams. Video games, pyramids, trading cards, matchbooks, mazes, lottery tickets, film canisters, yearbooks and various other exercises in design absurdity. Static filled signals emanating deep from inside the walls of Laurel Canyon, bouncing off clusters of incipient late century technology are pulled through the twisted rabbit ears of a Chevy Astro Van Planisphere. The equivocal sound of hippies fresh from their back-to-land sojourns shutting drum machines through heartworm aspirations as if the music section of the Whole Earth Catalog came to life. Let out from astronomy class with an arm full of Bran and Sky label releases, these 9 nomads scribble plein-air narrations over a landscape turning its back on the sun. Bask in the reverberations of our celestial home sweet home. Planisphere, for those within the 30-40 degree zone, will provide you with a fairly discernible chart for discovery both deep-sky objects and telluric emotional pulses. Custom die-cut 2 color chipboard jacket. Clear printed sleeve with radial calendar dial. Picture disc LP with Star chart of stars visible in the night sky in the 30 degree-40 degree zone.
File Under: Electronic, Pop
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…..Restocks….
Courtney Barnett: Sometimes I Sit and Think (Mom + Pop) LP
Baroness: Gold & Grey (Abraxan Hymns) LP
Beastie Boys: Check Your Head (Def Jam) LP
Beastie Boys: Ill Communication (Def Jam) LP
Beastie Boys: To the 5 Burroughs (Def Jam) LP
Belle & Sebastian: Boy with the Arab Strap (Matador) LP
Belle & Sebastian: Tigermilk (Matador) LP
Belle & Sebastian: If You’re Feeling Sinister (Matador) LP
Belle & Sebastian: Fold Your Hands Child (Matador) LP
Black Keys: Let’s Rock (Nonesuch) LP
Black Mountain: s/t (Jagjaguwar) LP
Black Mountain: In the Future (Jagjaguwar) LP
David Bowie: Man Who Sold the World (Reprise) LP
Leon Bridges: Coming Home (Columbia) LP
James Brown: Live at the Apollo (Polydor) LP
Budos Band: s/t (Daptone) LP
Budos Band: V (Daptone) LP
Nick Cave: Kicking Against the Pricks (Mute) LP
The Clash: s/t (Epic) LP
The Clash: London Calling (Epic) LP
Daft Punk: Random Access Memories (Columbia) LP
Daktaris: Soul Explosion (Daptone) LP
Miles Davis: Round About Midnight (Columbia) LP
Drive Like Jehu: Yank Crime (Hedhunter) LP
Lauryn Hill: Miseducation of (Legacy) LP
Durand Jones & The Indications: American Love Call (Dead Oceans) LP
Durand Jones & The Indications: s/t (Dead Oceans) LP
Joy Division: Unknown Pleasure (Rhino) LP
King Geedorah: Take Me To Your Leader (Big Dada) LP
Kendrick Lamar: Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City (Aftermath)LP
Delvin Lamarr Organ Trio: Live at KEXP (Colemine) LP
Delvin Lamarr Organ Trio: Close But No Cigar (Colemine) LP
Madlib: Beat Konducta in India (Stones Throw) LP
Menahan Street Band: Make the Road by Walking (Daptone) LP
Efrim Manuel Menuck & Kevin Doria: are SING SINCK, SING (Constellation) LP
Nirvana: In Utero (Geffen) LP
Pink Floyd: Meddle (Pink Floyd) LP
Pink Floyd: The Division Bell (Pink Floyd) LP
Raconteurs: Help Us Stranger (Third Man) LP
Slits: Cut (Island) LP
Snarky Puppy: Immigrance (Ground Up) LP
Sound Directions: The Funky Side of Life (Stones Throw) LP
Unkle: Psyence Fiction (Universal) LP
Visible Cloaks, Yoshio Ojima & Satsuki Shhibano: Serenitatem (RVNG Intl.) LP
Yob: The Unreal Never Lived (Metal Blade) LP
Frank Zappa: Apostrophe (Zappa) LP
Frank Zappa: Freak Out (Zappa) LP