…..news letter #964 – less…..

Well, this might be the smallest update in a while. But sometimes less is more! The newest batch of Blue Note Tone Poet reissues are in, and the new Heliocentrics is fire. And if you don’t have that Blonde Redhead, we can’t be friends.

As always, big thanks to everyone who’s been hitting up our webstore and placing orders! It’s getting competitive around 5pm when we post up fresh used stock. If you haven’t hit up the WEBSTORE, MAYBE YOU SHOULD! If you can’t figure out the site, or don’t like to use computers, you can always call the store and we can do an order over the phone. I’ll be at the shop 11-4 week days. Stay safe!

Oh ya… if you don’t follow us on Instagram, WHY NOT?! And now you know.

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…..pick of the week…..

Blonde Redhead: Melody of Certain Damaged Lemons (Touch & Go) LP
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Blonde Redhead’s classic album, Melody of Certain Damaged Lemons, Touch and Go present a deluxe vinyl edition pressed on colored 180-gram vinyl courtesy of RTI and packaged in a full-color gatefold jacket with revised cover art and never-before-seen photos from the original recording sessions. Originally released 20 years ago in June of 2000, Blonde Redhead’s third Touch and Go album was recorded earlier that year at Bear Creek Studio in Washington State with Guy Picciotto and Ryan Hadlock. With Guy helping to shape the sound of the record, Simone, Kazu, and Amedeo found themselves in an ideal environment to create the iconic album that emerged from those sessions. Since 2017, the album has gained a rabid new fanbase after the popular TV series Rick and Morty used the song “For the Damaged Coda” as the “Evil Morty” theme music. From the first notes of “Equally Damaged,” you are drawn in – starting with a simple, twisted melody, augmented bit by bit with the rhythms and distinctive vocals and lyrics which are the center of these songs. Moved dramatically to the front of the mix, the vocals on this record are rich and melodic, sometimes recorded with three mics at once to get the depth of the sound. The instrumentation and presentation of each song create intricately layered, provocative, and genuinely emotional songs that continue to play themselves in your head for days. The mix of the guitars, the power of the drums, and the infectiousness of the rhythms, combined with the remarkable vocals and lyrics, make Melody of Certain Damaged Lemons a true masterpiece.

File Under: Indie Rock
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…..new arrivals…..

Aesop Rock: Float (Rhymesayers) LP
In 2000, Aesop Rock released his first official album, “Float”, following his steady ascent in the underground from two previous releases, the collection of works of lore, “Music For Earthworms” (1997), and the “Appleseed” EP (1999). And, while every album Aesop has done since then has captured his continual evolution as both a producer and a writer, “Float” was undeniably exceptional in its own right. For one, there was something impacting about a full-length album, 20 tracks deep, that never had any singles. Every track only existed as part of the album experience. That in mind, the album’s production is split nearly in half between Aesop Rock and longtime collaborator and good friend, Blockhead, as well as one offering from Omega One. The album’s production largely seems to have one collective goal, to immediately capture the intended mood, luring the listener in and leaving them attentive and prepared for the carefully crafted accompanying lyricism. Twenty years after its debut, “Float” is a time capsule of an artist on the brink of fully tapping into creative freedom, while the industry was simultaneously in the middle of a notable shift, which still remains a powerful statement on its own, decades later. To celebrate, Rhymesayers is re-releasing “Float” on 2xLP vinyl, available in three different, limited edition colourways!

File Under: Hip Hop
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Flaming Lips: American Head (Warner) LP
American Head is the best and most consistent studio album from The Flaming Lips since the release of their most successful brace of albums The Soft Bulletin and Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots. Similar to those records, the 13 cinematic songs on American Head are classically structured and feature the same sonic and production qualities. Kacey Musgraves (a fan who covers “Do You Realize” in her live set) is a guest on three tracks – “Watching the Lightbugs Glow” as well as the focus tracks “Flowers Of Neptune 6” and “God and the Policeman.” “Flowers of Neptune 6” serves as the first new music from The Lips since 2019’s internationally acclaimed King’s Mouth Music And Songs. Produced by Dave Fridmann and The Flaming Lips, it reflects the gentler side of the band’s paisley oeuvre and melodically flows downstream into a welcoming wormhole of wistful summer pop. “We had become a 7-piece ensemble and were beginning to feel more and more of a kinship with groups that have a lot of members in them,” explains frontman Wayne Coyne. “We started to think of classic American bands like The Grateful Dead and Parliament-Funkadelic and how maybe we could embrace this new vibe. The music and songs that make up the American Head album are based in a feeling. A feeling that, I think, can only be expressed through music and songs. We were, while creating it, trying to not hear it as sounds… but to feel it. Mother’s sacrifice, Father’s intensity, Brother’s insanity, Sister’s rebellion…I can’t quite put it into words. Something switches and others (your brothers and sisters and mother and father…your pets) start to become more important to you…in the beginning there is only you… and your desires are all that you can care about…but… something switches. I think all of these songs are about this little switch.”

File Under: Rock, Pop, Psych
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Heliocentrics: Telemetric Sounds (Madlib Invazion) LP
“The Heliocentrics’ albums are all confounding pieces of work. Drawing equally from the funk universe of James Brown, the disorienting asymmetry of Sun Ra, the cinematic scope of Ennio Morricone, the sublime fusion of David Axelrod, Pierre Henry’s turned-on musique concrète, and Can’s beat-heavy Krautrock, they have — regardless of the label on which they’ve released their music — pointed the way towards a brand new kind of psychedelia, one that could only come from a band of accomplished musicians who were also obsessive music fans. Drummer Malcolm Catto and bassist Jake Ferguson are the Heliocentrics’ masterminds and producers, and they are obsessive weirdos in today’s musical climate, searching, progressive humans who are often out-of-time with current trends. They have been playing together for nearly two decades and their collective drive is to find an individual voice. The Heliocentrics search for it in an alternate galaxy where the orbits of funk, jazz, psychedelic, electronic, avant-garde and ‘ethnic’ music all revolve around ‘The One.’ With Madilb’s label Madlib Invazion for Telemetric Sounds, the Heliocentrics have returned to develop their epic vision of psychedelic funk, while exploring the possibilities created by their myriad influences — Latin, African, and more.”

File Under: Funk
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Joe Henderson: State of the Tenor Vol. 1 (Tone Poet) (Blue Note) LP
From November 14 to 16 in 1985, the Joe Henderson trio held court at the Village Vanguard for a legendary 10-set engagement, some of which was recorded for Blue Note and released in 1986 as two volumes under the declarative banner The State of the Tenor. The saxophone titan was 48 at the time, and sat comfortably at the top of the heap among his peers. The great pugilist of the instrument, his muscular approach was reflective of the brash sensibility of the ’80s; the heavy hitters joining him onstage, bassist Ron Carter and drummer Al Foster, complemented Henderson’s take-no-prisoners style with a sense of airy restraint, swinging big when they needed to fill in the negative space. On The State of the Tenor, Volume 1, Henderson pays tribute to saxophone titans like Sam Rivers on his gorgeous ballad “Beatrice.” Henderson was hard-edged where Rivers was lush, manic and disjunctive. He further shows his tender side on the ballads “Ask Me Now,” one of two Thelonious Monk tunes on Volume 1 and a staple of his repertoire, and “Happy Reunion,” a delicate tune that features Henderson as the bull in Duke Ellington’s china shop.” On “Isotope,” Henderson’s lone original, he takes the tune in a more radioactive direction, and it is here where his explosiveness goes nuclear. “Loose Change,” Carter’s sole compositional contribution, offers a glimpse into the straight-ahead hard bop playing that made Henderson’s name. Blue Note Records has announced the continuation of the acclaimed Tone Poet Audiophile Vinyl Reissue Series in 2020. Launched in 2019 in honor of the label’s 80th Anniversary, the Tone Poet series is produced by Joe Harley (from Music Matters) and features all-analog, 180g audiophile vinyl reissues that are mastered from the original master tapes by Kevin Gray of Cohearent Audio. Tone Poet vinyl is manufactured at RTI in Camarillo, CA, and packaged in deluxe Stoughton Printing “Old Style” gatefold Tip-On jackets. The titles were once again handpicked by Harley and cover the crème de la crème of the Blue Note catalog along with underrated classics, modern era standouts, and albums from other labels under the Blue Note umbrella including Pacific Jazz and United Artists Records. 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. “The LPs are mastered directly from the original analog master tapes by Kevin at his incredible facility called Cohearent Mastering. We go about it in the exact same way that we did for so many years for the Music Matters Blue Note reissues. We do not roll off the low end, boost the top or do any limiting of any kind. We allow the full glory of the original Blue Note masters to come though unimpeded! Short of having an actual time machine, this is as close as you can get to going back and being a fly on the wall for an original Blue Note recording session.”  – Joe Harley

File Under: Jazz
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Bobby Hutcherson: The Kicker (Tone Poet) (Blue Note) LP
Recorded in 1963, The Kicker was actually vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson’s first session as a leader for Blue Note, but for reasons lost to time it was shelved, and instead Hutcherson’s album Dialogue was released as his debut two years later. First released in 1999, and getting its first-ever vinyl release here, The Kicker is a sequel to guitarist Grant Green’s masterpiece Idle Moments, which was recorded one month earlier with the exact same personnel featuring Green, tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson, pianist Duke Pearson, bassist Bob Cranshaw, and drummer Al Harewood. Blue Note Records has announced the continuation of the acclaimed Tone Poet Audiophile Vinyl Reissue Series in 2020. Launched in 2019 in honor of the label’s 80th Anniversary, the Tone Poet series is produced by Joe Harley (from Music Matters) and features all-analog, 180g audiophile vinyl reissues that are mastered from the original master tapes by Kevin Gray of Cohearent Audio. Tone Poet vinyl is manufactured at RTI in Camarillo, CA, and packaged in deluxe Stoughton Printing “Old Style” gatefold Tip-On jackets. The titles were once again handpicked by Harley and cover the crème de la crème of the Blue Note catalog along with underrated classics, modern era standouts, and albums from other labels under the Blue Note umbrella including Pacific Jazz and United Artists Records. 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. “The LPs are mastered directly from the original analog master tapes by Kevin at his incredible facility called Cohearent Mastering. We go about it in the exact same way that we did for so many years for the Music Matters Blue Note reissues. We do not roll off the low end, boost the top or do any limiting of any kind. We allow the full glory of the original Blue Note masters to come though unimpeded! Short of having an actual time machine, this is as close as you can get to going back and being a fly on the wall for an original Blue Note recording session.”
– Joe Harley

File Under: Jazz
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Jackie McLean: It’s Time (Tone Poet) (Blue Note) LP
This impassioned quintet session from 1964 weaves elements of post-bop and free jazz into a supremely spirited program of original compositions by Jackie McLean and the young trumpet sensation Charles Tolliver. McLean and Tolliver were joined by pianist Herbie Hancock, bassist Cecil McBee, and drummer Roy Haynes. While the music was classified as “the new thing” at the time, the searing cry of the blues is ever-present in McLean’s brilliant alto saxophone playing. The striking artwork is one of Reid Miles’ most memorable cover designs. Blue Note Records has announced the continuation of the acclaimed Tone Poet Audiophile Vinyl Reissue Series in 2020. Launched in 2019 in honor of the label’s 80th Anniversary, the Tone Poet series is produced by Joe Harley (from Music Matters) and features all-analog, 180g audiophile vinyl reissues that are mastered from the original master tapes by Kevin Gray of Cohearent Audio. Tone Poet vinyl is manufactured at RTI in Camarillo, CA, and packaged in deluxe Stoughton Printing “Old Style” gatefold Tip-On jackets. The titles were once again handpicked by Harley and cover the crème de la crème of the Blue Note catalog along with underrated classics, modern era standouts, and albums from other labels under the Blue Note umbrella including Pacific Jazz and United Artists Records. 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. “The LPs are mastered directly from the original analog master tapes by Kevin at his incredible facility called Cohearent Mastering. We go about it in the exact same way that we did for so many years for the Music Matters Blue Note reissues. We do not roll off the low end, boost the top or do any limiting of any kind. We allow the full glory of the original Blue Note masters to come though unimpeded! Short of having an actual time machine, this is as close as you can get to going back and being a fly on the wall for an original Blue Note recording session.” – Joe Harley

File Under: Jazz
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MF Doom: MM… Food (Rhymesayers) LP
After re-launching his career in the late nineties with a string of singles on Fondle Em Records, leading up to the instant-classic Operation: Doomsday album, MF DOOM relentlessly pushed forward, always innovating along the way, building what has become one of the most storied and revered careers in the world of Hip Hop. One apex point along that journey took place circa 2003/2004 with DOOM releasing Viktor Vaughn Parts 1 & 2, Madvillainy with Madlib (a legend in his own right), King Geedorah’s Take Me To Your Leader, and MM..FOOD all in that short and explosive timeframe. While all of those projects have been revered by fans and critics alike, MM..FOOD is the only album that officially exists as the proper follow-up to Operation: Doomsday. MM..FOOD finds DOOM digging deep into vocal soundbytes related, as well as fitting to his namesake and artistic vision, meticulously building a cohesive album narrative. Diligence in mind, his writing is as sharp, witty and often shocking as ever. Production-wise, DOOM utilizes a fine blend of familiar and obscure sample sources, complimentarily working together to both satisfy and intrigue. And, while MM..FOOD is mostly the work of a mad scientist in his secret lair, a sprinkling of super-villain team ups with Count Bass D, Madlib, PNS of The Molemen, Stahhr, and Mr. Fantastik, all add to the album’s overall flavor. Even after all these years MM..FOOD remains a satisfying feast for both returning true believers, as well as herds of new fans who happily and eventually find their listening ears in the clutches of DOOM.

File Under: Hip Hop
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Oathbreaker: Ease Me & 4 Interpretations (Deathwish) LP
Oathbreaker return with their latest release “Ease Me”. Recorded by Michael Neyt at Jetson and later mixed and mastered by Jack Shirley at Atomic Garden, the song is a near perfect Oathbreaker creation. Continuing their evolution as one the most intriguing heavy bands out there today. The song was initially released as part of the Adult Swim’s “Metal Swim 2” compilation in 2019. The track now sees a proper physical release along with diverse remixes/reinterpretations from incredible artists Jesu, Chelsea Wolfe, Wife, and Michael A. Muller. Adding new dimensions of sound to the richly emotional track.

File Under: Metal
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Old 97s: Twelfth (ATO) LP
Old 97’s, the iconic alt-country outfit fronted by Rhett Miller, returns on ATO Records with their twelfth album! Twenty-seven years in, Old 97’s still features its original lineup – Miller, guitarist Ken Bethea, bassist Murry Hammond, and drummer Philip Peeples – and Twelfth is a testament to the band’s staying power. The album’s cover image of former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach is both an homage to Miller’s childhood hero and a recognition that, in making their livings as musicians, the 97’s themselves have achieved their lifelong dreams. Loose and raw, the record is an ecstatic celebration of survival, a resounding ode to endurance and resilience from a veteran group that refuses to rest on their considerable laurels. Working out of Sputnik Sound in Nashville, Miller and his longtime bandmates teamed up once again with Grammy-winning producer Vance Powell (Chris Stapleton, Jack White), and while the resulting album boasts all the hallmarks of a classic Old 97’s record (sex and booze, laughter and tears, poetry and blasphemy), it also showcases a newfound perspective in its writing and craftsmanship, a maturity and appreciation that can only come with age and experience. Perhaps the band is growing up; maybe they’re just getting started. Either way, Old 97’s have never been happier to be alive. While Miller collaborated with writers like Butch Walker and Nicole Atkins on Graveyard Whistling, he penned everything on Twelfth himself (outside of the Spaghetti Western-esque “Happy Hour” and hypnotic album closer “Why Don’t We Ever Say We’re Sorry,” which were both written and sung by Hammond). It’s a return to form he credits in part to his increasing comfort with sobriety, a comfort that finds him effortlessly running the gamut from playful romance (the dreamy “I Like You Better”) and brash bravado (the blistering “Confessional Boxing”) to supernatural fantasy (the Kinks-ian “This House Got Ghosts”) and old-school twang (the rollicking “Bottle Rocket Baby”). It’s perhaps the jaunty “Absence (What We’ve Got)” that captures this particular moment in Old 97’s history best, though, as Miller marvels at the way things change while staying the same. “The wine turns into whiskey / And the whiskey turns to tears / It’s been this way for years,” he sings, later summing the whole magic act up with a deceptively simple confession: “This is what I do.”

File Under: Alt Country
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Lee Scratch Perry: Cloak & Dagger (Music on Vinyl) LP
Lee Perry first came to prominence working with Coxsone Dodd’s fabled Studio One. This is where Scratch earned the nickname with the wildly popular Jamaican hit record and dance craze “Chicken Scratch.” After a fall out with Dodd, Perry moved on to a stint with Joe Gibb’s Amalgamated. Again in a dispute over compensation Perry moved on to form his own label, Upsetter and established his house band, the Upsetters. By 1973 Perry had also established Black Ark, a recording studio of his own that functioned as an effective fertilizer throughout what was Jamaica’s most innovative period for sounds and recording techniques. In that year, as Perry and Black Ark entered a period of heavy dub output, Scratch recorded Cloak And Dagger. This early dub outing is a testament to Perry’s lo-fi mastery as he utilized his TEAC four-track, Soundcraft board, tape delays, phasers, reverb and any other ambient sounds he could get this hands on rather than just record instruments. Get On Down celebrates a piece of reggae history and one of Lee Perry’s crowning achievements with this reissue of Cloak And Dagger, presented here as originally issued in Jamaica in 1973.

File Under: Reggae 
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Kalyani Roy: Virtuoso of Sitar Vol 1
(Vishra) LP

First vinyl reissue of this Indian classical masterpiece recorded by Shrimati Kalyani Roy in the late 1960s. Undoubtedly one of the most talented sitar players in the history of the instrument. She is considered as one the finest female players in a field that was dominated by her male counterparts. On these recordings, a two-volume set, she is accompanied by Manick Das (tabla) and Namita Chatterjee (tambura). Recorded in Japan on September 20th, 1974. Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 (V 2011LP) come as two separate LPs.

File Under: Middle Eastern
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Kalyani Roy: Virtuoso of Sitar Vol 2
(Vishra) LP

First vinyl reissue of this Indian classical masterpiece recorded by Shrimati Kalyani Roy in the late 1960s. Undoubtedly one of the most talented sitar players in the history of the instrument. She is considered as one the finest female players in a field that was dominated by her male counterparts. On these recordings, a two-volume set, she is accompanied by Manick Das (tabla) and Namita Chatterjee (tambura). Recorded in Japan on September 20th, 1974. Vol. 1 (V 2010LP) and Vol. 2 come as two separate LPs.

File Under: Middle Eastern
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Silvia Tarozzi: Mi Specchio e Rifletto
(Unseen Worlds) LP

Silvia Tarozzi, inspired by the poet Alda Merini and her studies with composer Garret List, worked with intimate personal history to write songs of love, motherhood, and the mystery hidden behind the curtain of everyday life. Over the course of nearly a decade, Tarozzi practiced setting the poetry of Alda Merini to music and then replacing it with her own to reflect her own life experiences. As a result, Mi specchio e rifletto feels both poetic and earnestly autobiographical. ​​A longtime collaborator of Eliane Radigue and a talented free improvisor, Tarozzi inspires as sensitive awareness while echoing progressive music forebearers. Past masterpieces reverberate throughout: the gentle chamber explorations of Penguin Cafe Orchestra, the science fiction of Franco Battiato’s Fetus, the abstract free jazz flourishes of Maria Monti’s Il Bestiario, the sweetness of Caterina Caselli’s Primavera. ​​As a solo performer, Tarozzi has collaborated with composers Eliane Radigue, Pauline Oliveros, Pascale Criton, Cassandra Miller and Martin Arnold. Her musical approach was particularly influenced by the work and friendship with Oliveros. In duo with Deborah Walker, and as a member of Ensemble Dedalus, she has worked with Christian Wolff, Jürg Frey, Michael Pisaro, Catherine Lamb, Sébastien Roux, and many others. She previously released Philip Corner ‘xtreemizms: early & late on Unseen Worlds in 2018.

File Under: Experimental
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Stanley Turrentine: That’s Where It’s At
(Tone Poet) LP

What happens when you combine Stanley Turrentine’s blues-drenched tenor saxophone with Les McCann’s soulful and funky piano? You end up with one of both men’s best albums, an album considered to be one of the foundational sessions of soul jazz. Turrentine and McCann are joined on the appropriately titled 1962 Blue Note release, That’s Where It’s At by bassist Herbie Lewis (a member of McCann’s group at the time) and drummer Otis “Candy” Finch. Stand out tracks include “Smile, Stacey,” the deep blue groove of “Soft Pedal Blues” and the in-the-pocket soul of “Light Blue.” Blue Note Records has announced the continuation of the acclaimed Tone Poet Audiophile Vinyl Reissue Series in 2020. Launched in 2019 in honor of the label’s 80th Anniversary, the Tone Poet series is produced by Joe Harley (from Music Matters) and features all-analog, 180g audiophile vinyl reissues that are mastered from the original master tapes by Kevin Gray of Cohearent Audio. Tone Poet vinyl is manufactured at RTI in Camarillo, CA, and packaged in deluxe Stoughton Printing “Old Style” gatefold Tip-On jackets. The titles were once again handpicked by Harley and cover the crème de la crème of the Blue Note catalog along with underrated classics, modern era standouts, and albums from other labels under the Blue Note umbrella including Pacific Jazz and United Artists Records. 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. “The LPs are mastered directly from the original analog master tapes by Kevin at his incredible facility called Cohearent Mastering. We go about it in the exact same way that we did for so many years for the Music Matters Blue Note reissues. We do not roll off the low end, boost the top or do any limiting of any kind. We allow the full glory of the original Blue Note masters to come though unimpeded! Short of having an actual time machine, this is as close as you can get to going back and being a fly on the wall for an original Blue Note recording session.”
– Joe Harley

File Under: Jazz
Buy Here

Valium Aggelein: Black Moon (Numero) LP
Just as Duster’s landmark debut album Stratosphere was making its first orbit, Clay Parton, Dove Amber, and Jason Albertini tracked a largely improvised companion capsule under their Valium Aggelein alter ego. An ode to ’70s Kosmische, Hier Kommt Der Schwartze Mond is a skeletal space nap for the prozac generation. Remixed and remastered from the original 16 track analog tapes, the 1998 album has been adjoined by 15 period-appropriate bonus tracks. A fuzzy masterpiece, hidden in plain sight, by the most important slowcore band of all time.

File Under: Slowcore, Duster, Shoegaze
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Mike Westbrook: Marching Song Vol 1
(Audio Clarity) LP

London’s experimental jazz scene was given an unexpected shot in the arm in the mid-1960s, when the famed jazz club established at Soho’s Gerrard Street by esteemed trumpeter Ronnie Scott was served with an 18-month notice; before moving to its present location on Frith Street, Scott allowed the unfettered expressions of free jazz to be let loose, transforming the club’s regular playlists. Inspired by the excesses of the Brotherhood of Breath, the free-jazz big-band ensemble led by South African pianist, Chris McGregor, British jazz pianist Mike Westbrook began leading a big-band of his own, their Monday night jam sessions leading to a range of material, issued on a series of sublime LPs by Decca sub-label, Deram Records. The two-volume antiwar epic, Marching Song, was released at the height of the Vietnam War in 1969; along with Westbrook’s and subtle arrangements, featured musicians include trombonist Paul Rutherford, saxophonist Mike Osborne, South African bassist Harry Miller, plus guitarist Chris Spedding, who would shortly work with Jack Bruce, Pete Brown and a host of others, and enjoy a long and distinguished solo career. Vol 1’s six lengthy instrumentals include raucous opener, “Hooray!” and the contemplative “Landscape,” plus the incredible drama of the title track.

File Under: Jazz
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Mike Westbrook: Marching Song Vol 2
(Audio Clarity) LP

London’s experimental jazz scene was given an unexpected boost in the mid-1960s, when the famed jazz club established at Soho’s Gerrard Street by esteemed trumpeter Ronnie Scott was served with an 18-month notice; before moving to its present location on Frith Street, Scott allowed the unfettered expressions of free jazz to be let loose, transforming the club’s regular playlists. Inspired by the excesses of the Brotherhood of Breath, the free-jazz big-band ensemble led by South African pianist, Chris McGregor, British jazz pianist Mike Westbrook began leading a big band of his own, their Monday night jam sessions leading to a range of material, issued on a series of sublime LPs by Deram. The two-volume anti-war epic, Marching Song, was released at the height of the Vietnam War in 1969; along with Westbrook’s subdued piano and subtle arrangements, featured musicians include trombonist Paul Rutherford, saxophonist Mike Osborne, South African bassist Harry Miller, plus guitarist Chris Spedding, who would shortly work with Jack Bruce, Pete Brown and a host of others, and enjoy a long and distinguished solo career. Vol 2 has eight instrumentals, including the lovely “Home,” which hints at South African influence, the startling audio dystopia of “Introduction,” plus the driving musical cacophony of “Tension,” making maximal uses of the big-band format.

File Under: Jazz
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Various: What’s This That Stands Before Me? (Sacred Bones) LP
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of both the self-titled Black Sabbath album and ‘Paranoid,’ Sacred Bones is proud to present ‘What Is This That Stands Before Me?’, a compilation of Sabbath covers recorded by artists from across our roster. Black Sabbath stands at the crossroads of every Sacred Bones employee and artist’s musical taste, and it was a great pleasure for us to work together to reimagine some of their most beloved songs. Here you’ll find Sabbath through the filter of the post-Soviet darkwave of Molchat Doma, the experimental folk of Hilary Woods, the laid-back psych of Moon Duo, and a half dozen more genres besides. Satan’s coming ’round the bend.

1. The Soft Moon – Black Sabbath
2. Molchat Doma – Небеса и Ад (Heaven and Hell)
3. Thou – Supernaut
4. Marissa Nadler – Solitude
5. Hilary Woods – N.I.B.
6. Zola Jesus – Changes
7. Moon Duo – Planet Caravan
8. Dean Hurley – Warning (Bar Band Version)
9. Uniform – Symptom of the Universe

File Under: Indie Rock
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…..Restocks…. 
  Syd Barrett: Barrett (Harvest) LP
Syd Barrett: Madcap Laughs (Harvest) LP
Behexen: Nightside Emanations (Debemur Morti) LP
Behexen: My Soul for His Glory (Debemur Morti) LP
Brian Eno: Ambient 4: On Land (Astralwerks) LP
Brian Eno: Before and After Science (Half speed remaster) (Astralwerks) 2LP
Brian Eno: Discreet Music (Half speed Remaster) (Astralwerks) 2LP
Al Green: Green is Blues (Fat Possum) LP
Mdou Moctar: Ilana: The Creator (Sahel) LP
Modest Mouse: Lonesome Crowded West (Glacial Pace) LP
Moon Duo: Escape (Sacred Bones) LP
Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets: See Emily Play (Legacy) LP
Saade Bonaire: s/t (Captured Tracks) LP
Paul Simon: Graceland (Legacy) LP
Laurie Spiegel: The Expanding Universe (Unseen Worlds) LP
Stark Reality: Discovers Hoagy Carmichael’s Music Shop (Now Again) LP
Stooges: Live at Goose Lake (Third Man) LP
Harry Styles: Fine Line (Columbia) LP
Yo La Tengo: Electr-o-Pura (Matador) LP

…..news letter #963 – dropped…..

Yowsers! I gotta say, Remote RSD was a big success! We sold almost all of our exclusives in about 15 minutes! Almost all the pick ups are done. Our site didn’t crash, and there were minimal issues overall! Thanks to everyone who took part. We’ve all learned a few tricks and lessons for the next one.. cuz there’s another one… real soon.  Anyway, the weird thing about moving RSD into September is… there’s still other new stuff too… so read on…

As always, big thanks to everyone who’s been hitting up our webstore and placing orders! It’s getting competitive around 5pm when we post up fresh used stock. If you haven’t hit up the WEBSTORE, MAYBE YOU SHOULD! If you can’t figure out the site, or don’t like to use computers, you can always call the store and we can do an order over the phone. I’ll be at the shop 11-4 week days. Stay safe!

Oh ya… if you don’t follow us on Instagram, WHY NOT?! And now you know.

CHECK OUT OUR WEBSTORE!!! 
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWS LETTER!!!!

…..picks of the week…..

r beny: Cascade Symmetry (Dauw) LP
Cascade Symmetry is the culmination of an intense and transformative year-long period. It is an ode to new beginnings and the disintegration of the past. Recorded and mixed September – October 2017 in San Jose, CA; additional recordings and field recordings taken September 2017 in South Korea. Gear used: Eurorack modular synthesizer (Mutable Instruments, Make Noise, Orthogonal Devices, Intellijel, TipTop, Ladik, Malekko Heavy Industry, Mannequins, Qu-Bit Electronix, Doepfer), Novation Peak, Korg Electribe 2, Elektron Analog Heat, Strymon El Capistan, Hosa Technology Cables. Buy Here

r beny: Saudade (Dauw) LP
Forest drives, coastal cliffs, lost loves, aged memories like light gleaming through the trees. Modular synthesizer, Novation Peak, and cassette tape loops recorded and mixed late 2017 at home in San Jose, CA. Additional field recordings from Big Sur, CA. Buy Here

r beny: Full Blossom of the Evening (Dauw) LP
Inspired by nature and emotion. Recorded and mixed by Austin Cairns, march 2016 – august 2016 in san jose, CA. Gear used – Korg Electribe 2, Audiothingies P6, Eurorack Modular (Mutable Instruments, Intellijel, Make Noise, Moog, Alright Devices, Doepfer, Qu-Bit, Vermona, Laurentide Synthworks, Mannequins, 4MS, Bastl, Manhattan Analog, Ladik, Pittsburgh Modular), Teenage Engineering OP-1, Bastl Microgranny, Ciat-Lonbarde Cocoquantus, Apple iPad, Tascam Portastudio. Buy Here

r beny: Eistla (Dauw) LP
A recurring dream. The frozen landscapes of isolation and loneliness. Fragmented memories lost at sea. Cold, sharp light. Glowing rays of hope in the morning. It was just a dream. Modular synthesizer and guitar by Austin Cairns. Recorded and mixed Summer 2018 in Northern California. Buy Here

File Under: Ambient, Electronic

…..new arrivals…..

All Them Witches: Nothing as the Ideal
(New West) LP

All Them Witches have built a career out of playing music that can not be pigeonholed into one specific genre. Nothing as the Ideal was recorded in Studio 2 at the world famous Abbey Road with the help of longtime mixing engineer Mikey Allred. The history and vibe of that setting laid the groundwork for what was to come. The band’s signature psychedelic blues riffs, relentless drums, melodic bass lines and non-linear lyrics are all present. The resulting album is a thought provoking head banger that is the band’s most cohesive album to date.

File Under: Psych, Blues Rock
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Anthrax: Persistence of Time (Megaforce) 4LP
In 1990, while making Persistence of Time, the members of Anthrax looked up from their comic books, quit joking around, and realized they were going to die someday. But unlike its Big Four brethren (Slayer, Metallica, Megadeth), the Fourth Horseband of the Thrashpocalypse didn’t celebrate the coming of the grim reaper. The aptly named Persistence of Time opens with the ticking of a clock and unleashes heart-pounding waves of existential dread, stylistic evolution, and white-hot anger at death itself. Seething anthems like “Keep it in the Family” and “In My World” give way to straight-ahead headbangers like “H8 Red” and a rapid-paced cover of Joe Jackson’s “Got the Time.” Guitarists Scott Ian and Dan Spitz converse with mosquito whines and monster-truck thunder. “Intro to Reality” forms a prog-inspired cocoon with harmonizing twin guitars and contemplative resonance until Frank Bello’s thundering bass hacks its way out and leads straight into the bare-knuckle “Belly of the Beast.” Throughout, Charlie Benante’s virtuosic drumming accelerates and slows the crashing pulse of Anthrax’s last album until 2011 to feature Joey Belladonna’s riotous vocals. The band’s darkest affair, Persistence of Time shakes its fist at mortality, snarls at wasted life, and pits burgeoning maturity against livid, riff-driven metal. Tackling more grown-up motifs, extended arrangements, and slower time signatures than on albums past, the group manages to preserve its youthful energy while expanding beyond the borders of thrash. This 30th anniversary deluxe vinyl 4LP reissue features a remastered version of the original album plus several previously unreleased rarities including a B-side version of “I’m the Man” which leans more hip-hop than the album track, a live version of “Time,” and an early demo of “Got the Time.” The deluxe edition also features new cover artwork, which actually had been the original visual concept for the album. “I was at the height of my Salvador Dali phase, I was just absorbed in his art, and I wanted to tie the two together – Salvador Dali and time,” explained Ian. “I loved what [artist] Don Brautigam did with the original cover, but for this deluxe edition, I wanted it the way I had originally seen the cover in my head – with the clock melting, so that’s what we did.”

File Under: Metal
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Doug Carn featuring Jean Carn: Spirit of the New Land (Real Gone) LP
Of all the artists who recorded for the Black Jazz label, keyboardist and composer Doug Carn was the most prolific, releasing four albums for the imprint. 1972’s Spirit of the New Land was his second Black Jazz release, but the first one (of two) to co-feature his wife, vocalist Jean Carn, in the album title; we’ve chosen to lead with this record from Carn’s catalog not only because it’s the most collectible of the bunch, but also because it showcases his innovative approach of adding lyrics to jazz standards. Thus, both Miles Davis’ “Blue in Green” and Lee Morgan’s “Search for the New Land” are blessed with spellbinding vocals from Jean Carn set to her husband’s words, while Doug Carn originals like “Arise and Shine” and “My Spirit” soar with spiritual fervor on the wings of his wife’s five-octave range. Along for the ride are a stellar cast of players, including trumpeter Charles Tolliver, co-founder of the Strata-East label; saxophonist George Harper, who played with Herbie Hancock and Jimmy Smith among others; trombonist Garnett Brown, who appears on albums by Roland Kirk, Albert Ayler, and Art Blakey among his hundreds of album credits; tuba player Earl McIntyre, whose discography spans from Carla Bley to the Band; and drummer Alphonse Mouzon, founding member of Weather Report. Produced for reissue by Real Gone’s own Gordon Anderson and noted jazz archivist Zev Feldman, remastered by Mike Milchner at Sonic Vision, and pressed on black vinyl by Gotta Groove Records with lacquer cutting by Clint Holley and Dave Polster at Well Made Music, this beautiful, uplifting album comes with a special surprise: liner notes by Pat Thomas, author of Listen, Whitey! The Sights and Sounds of Black Power 1965-1975, that feature excerpts from a freewheeling interview recently conducted with Doug Carn himself!

File Under: Jazz
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Caustic Wound: Death Posture (Profound Lore) LP
Pacific Northwest’s Caustic Wound (featuring members of Mortiferum, Cerebral Rot, Fetid, and Magrudergrind) play unrelenting and punishing brutal death-grind that captures the aesthetic and palpitations of the classic old-school era of the genre (not exceeding 1992 of course). Their debut album, Death Posture, which follows their 2018 Grinding Terror demo, sounds like a foul relic that could have been produced in ’88-91, while upholding a powerful, dark, murky yet unyielding production. This debut eschews and lays waste to the clinical, plastic and ornamental trappings of the modern-day grind scene. In what will most likely despoil and maraud the majority of current death-grind albums, Death Posture renders total annihilation upon the feeble mortal coil.

File Under: Metal
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Mac Demarco: Here Comes the Cowboy Demos (Royal Mountain) LP
Mac DeMarco’s Here Comes The Cowboy Demos is a brand new collection of versions of tracks from the Canadian singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer’s fourth full-length Here Comes The Cowboy (2019). Released via Mac’s Record Label, the 14-track affair serves as the companion piece to Other Here Comes The Cowboy Demos, the Record Store Day exclusive featuring previously unheard compositions recorded during the Here Comes The Cowboy sessions. Introduced by the waltzing lead single, “Nobody,” DeMarco described Here Comes The Cowboy as his, “cowboy record. Cowboy is a term of endearment to me, I use it often when referring to people in my life. Where I grew up there are many people that sincerely wear cowboy hats and do cowboy activities. These aren’t the people I’m referring to.”

File Under: Indie Rock
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Brian Eno/Jah Wobble: Spinner (All Saints) LP
25th anniversary reissue of this unique coming together of Brian Eno and ex-Public Image Limited bass player Jah Wobble, also featuring Jaki Liebezeit from Can on drums. Starting life as the soundtrack to Derek Jarman’s Glitterbug, Eno passed stereo mixes of the film cues to Wobble who embellished and built upon them to construct the Spinner tracks. The resulting fusion combines icy ambience with a kind of psychogeographical funk. Printed inner sleeve with notes from both artists and a download card for full album plus two bonus tracks.

File Under: Electronic
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Brian Eno and John Cale: Wrong Way Up (All Saints) LP
30th anniversary reissue of the historic coming together of two icons of leftfield music. Having both started their careers as creative forces in seminal bands (Brian Eno’s unique synthesizer treatments in Roxy Music and John Cale’s viola and bass contributions to the Velvet Underground), they’ve appeared as guest musicians on each other’s records as far back as 1974, the year in which they also made a historic live album with Nico and Kevin Ayers at the Rainbow Theatre in London. They remained friends, and the year prior to Wrong Way Up, Eno produced Cale’s Words For The Dying album. This paved the way for the pair to write and record an album together, notably the first time Eno had delivered a collection of song-based recordings since Before And After Science in 1977. The resulting album is a triumph for both artists, containing the singles “Spinning Away” and “Been There Done That.” Printed inner sleeve with 1990 Eno interview and a download card for full album plus two bonus tracks. “Brian Eno and John Cale’s 1990 collaboration is an album of contention, contrasts, cycles, and pop songs so layered and euphoric it ranks among the best albums either artist has ever made.” – Pitchfork

File Under: Electronic, Pop
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Stan Getz/Joao Gilberto: s/t (Acoustic Sound Series) (Verve) LP
Originally released on Verve Records in 1964, Getz/Gilberto, produced by label head Creed Taylor, was an international sensation, altering the direction of jazz, pop, and the samba itself. It became the focus of a huge bossa nova craze, bringing together Stan Getz (tenor saxophone) with Brazilian stars Joao Gilberto (guitar/vocals) and Antonio Carlos Jobim (composer/pianist), who wrote and co-wrote six of the original eight tracks on the album, as well as Joao’s young wife, Astrud Gilberto. Featuring definitive sound and luxurious packaging, this all-analog Verve reissue is remastered from the original analog master tapes by George Marino at Sterling Sound, pressed at QRP, and housed in a Stoughton tip-on gatefold jacket. When Astrud was spontaneously asked to sing new English lyrics to “The Girl From Ipanema,” her charming, sultry vocals made all the difference. “The Girl From Ipanema” reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart and went to No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. Astrud is also featured on “Corcovado.” Other bossa nova classics on the album include “Só Danço Samba,” “Vivo Sonhando,” “O Grande Amor” and “Desafinado.” Backing the main artists here is the Brazilian rhythm section of Sebastiao Neto (bass) and Milton Banana (drums). In 1965, at the seventh annual Grammy Awards, Getz/Gilberto was the first jazz album to win a Grammy for Album Of The Year, while “The Girl From Ipanema” won Record of the Year. Getz/Gilberto also won Best Jazz Instrumental Album and Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical. The album’s engineering award was also the first Grammy for the late, legendary Phil Ramone, who recorded the album at his renowned A&R Recording studio. Getz/Gilberto’s wildly addictive charm proved that the bossa nova had legs and that the infectious syncopated rhythm could be leveraged as easily as the blues to captivate music listeners.

File Under: Jazz
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Joy Division: Closer: 40th Anniversary
(Rhino) LP

Joy Division recorded only two albums before singer Ian Curtis tragically took his own life in 1980. But what the Manchester quartet lacked in longevity, they more than made up for in quality. The two albums were pioneering and helped shape the sound and mood of the alternative music that followed in the band’s wake. Joy Division will be re-releasing a 40th anniversary colored 180g vinyl LP edition of their sophomore album Closer in July 2020. The release follows 2019’s reissue of the group’s ground-breaking debut album Unknown Pleasures. If Unknown Pleasures was Joy Division at their most obsessively, carefully focused, ten songs yet of a piece, Closer was the sprawl, the chaotic explosion that went every direction at once. Who knows what the next path would have been. But steer away from the rereading of his every lyric after that date, treat Closer as what everyone else thought it was at first – simply the next album – and Joy Division’s power just seems to have grown. Martin Hannett was still producing, but seems to have taken as many chances as the band itself throughout – differing mixes, differing atmospheres, new twists and turns define the entirety of Closer, songs suddenly returned in chopped-up, crumpled form, ending on hiss and random notes. Opener “Atrocity Exhibition” was arguably the most fractured thing the band had yet recorded, Bernard Sumner’s teeth grinding guitar and Morris’ Can-on-speed drumming making for one heck of a strange start. Keyboards also took the fore more so than ever – the drowned pianos underpinning Curtis’ shadowy moan on “The Eternal,” the squirrelly lead synth on the energetic but scared-out-of-its-wits “Isolation,” and above all else “Decades,” the album ender of album enders. A long, slow crawl down and out, Curtis’ portrait of lost youth inevitably applied to himself soon after, its sepulchral string-synths are practically a requiem. Songs like “Heart and Soul” and especially the jaw-dropping, wrenching “Twenty Four Hours,” as perfect a demonstration of the tension/release or soft/loud approach as will ever be heard, simply intensify the experience. Joy Division was at the height of their powers on Closer, equaling and arguably bettering the astonishing Unknown Pleasures, that’s how accomplished the four members were. Rock, however defined, rarely seems and sounds so important, so vital, and so impossible to resist or ignore as here.

File Under: Post Punk
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Logic System: Venus (Wewantsound) LP
Wewantsounds reissue Logic System’s Venus, originally released in 1981. Reissued outside of Japan for the first time in 40 years. Hideki Matsutake started his career as the assistant of Japanese electronic music master Isao Tomita in the early ’70s, he went on to work with Ryuichi Sakamoto and then Yellow Magic Orchestra as their keyboard programmer and unofficial fourth member. In 1981 he started his own Logic System project recording Venus that year in Los Angeles with Don Grusin, Nathan East, and Michael Boddicker, brilliantly mixing synth funk, ambient, and boogie with a touch of fusion jazz predating vaporwave by a mere 30 years. While the first album, Logic had a harder techno feel, the second one, Venus, was different affair. Recorded in Los Angeles at the new state of the art Yamaha Studio, it was loosely themed on the Greek goddess Venus and had a funkier more organic sound. For the album, Matsutake had asked a handful of American musicians to provide songs he would then add his synth magic touch to. The updated sound was achieved by switching from the Moog III to the E-mu modular System (which Matsutake brought over to LA) and other synths like the Prophet 5, the Roland MC-8 and TR 808, and the Yamaha GS-1, a forerunner of the DX7. The result is an amazing futuristic mix of electronic music and early ’80s funk, announcing many genres to come, from techno and house to French electro and vaporwave. From the breezy ambient synth of “I Love You” to the city pop edge of “Be Yourself” (originally written by Nathan East for Debra Laws) and the vocoder-led Daft Punk-ish “Take A Chance”, Venus is a fascinating album that both pushes the boundaries of electronic music and is yet strangely accessible and beautiful. The other key elements of Venus is the artwork designed by legendary Japanese illustrator Pater Sato. Sato had started in Japan in the early ’70s doing many album covers for Japanese artists, including Tatsuro Yamashita’s cult Spacy LP (1977) before moving to New York in 1979 to pursue a career in fashion and advertising. His airbrush style became hugely influential over the years. The original album came with a beautiful eight-panel insert illustrated by Sato which Wewantsounds has reproduced. Also includes obi strip and a second insert featuring credits and line-up, plus liner notes by Hashim Kotaro Bharoocha with an exclusive interview of Hideki Matsutake. Remastered from the original tapes.

File Under: Japan, Electronic
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Metallica: S&M 2 (Blackened) 4LP
Indie exclusive orange vinyl! Metallica and the San Francisco Symphony’s September 6 and 8, 2019 S&M2 concerts were historic on multiple levels: They served as the grand opening of San Francisco’s Chase Center, reunited the band and Symphony for the first time since the 1999 performances captured on the Grammy-winning S&M album, and featured the first-ever symphonic renditions of songs written and released since those original S&M shows. The sold out shows were rapturously received by the 40,000 fans who traveled from nearly 70 countries, as well as the media: Rolling Stone raved “the group proved that anything was possible,” Variety noted an atmosphere “buzzing with excitement,” while the Mercury News witnessed “a concert that fans will be talking about for decades to come,” and Consequence of Sound hailed “a true celebration of Metallica and their musical prowess.” Now the occasion comes to life once more with the release of Metallica and San Francisco Symphony’s S&M2. With this long-awaited Blackened Recordings release, S&M2 can be fully experienced by others beyond those who squeezed into the Chase Center over those two unforgettable evenings. S&M2 is a landmark release in the Metallica catalogue, both sonically and visually. Produced by Greg Fidelman with James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich, the S&M2 live album captures more than two and a half hours of James, Lars, Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo joining forces with the nearly 80-strong San Francisco Symphony, legendary Musical Director of the orchestra Michael Tilson Thomas, and conductor Edwin Outwater. The newly remixed and remastered audio has truly been taken to the next level from the October 2019 theatrical version that played in over 3,700 cinemas worldwide.

File Under: ‘Metal’
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Jonathan Richman: I, Jonathan (Craft) LP
Craft Recordings releases I, Jonathan – the 1992 lo-fi masterpiece from singer-songwriter Jonathan Richman – on vinyl for the very first time! I, Jonathan is a standout title from the offbeat artist’s solo catalog and features such fan favorites as “I Was Dancing in the Lesbian Bar,” “Parties in the U.S.A.” and “That Summer Feeling.” Originally released on Rounder Records, I, Jonathan is among several special reissues that will help commemorate the legendary roots label’s 50th anniversary. Hailed for his authentic storytelling and candid observations about life, Richman holds a unique place in modern musical history. The artist first emerged in the ’70s as the quirky frontman of the Boston proto-punk group, The Modern Lovers. Heavily inspired by the Velvet Underground, Richman and his bandmates soon built a cult following and garnered interest from a variety of record labels. While the founding members of the group disbanded in 1974, Richman relocated to the West Coast, where he assembled a new lineup (re-christened as Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers) and moved away from the harder, electric sounds of his earlier days. By the late ’80s, however, when he signed to Rounder, Richman was primarily a solo act. 1992’s I, Jonathan marks Richman’s fourth studio album as a solo artist and stands as one of the defining records of his career. While Richman made his return to a full-band setting in this album – engaging a variety of his musical friends to lend their talents – the songs’ arrangements remain beautifully sparse. Strongly influenced by vintage rock ‘n’ roll, Richman’s catchy, lo-fi melodies are bolstered by handclaps and vocal harmonies, while his lyrics are simultaneously candid, charming, naïve and wise. Highlights include “Velvet Underground,” in which the artist pays tribute to his musical heroes, and wonders out loud about their song “Sister Ray.” In “Parties in the U.S.A.,” Richman mourns the fact that nobody gathers for beach or block parties in the modern era of TV and stereos. “Twilight in Boston,” meanwhile, finds Richman recalling his many “Lonely walks in the twilight” around his hometown, walking past the city’s Public Gardens, the iconic swan boats, Beacon Street and Fenway Park. Perhaps the best-known song, however, is the exuberant “I Was Dancing in the Lesbian Bar,” in which he sings about the joys of letting go and dancing without the fear of uptight onlookers. Richman performed the song on Late Night With Conan O’Brien – becoming the show’s second-ever musical guest (following Radiohead). He would continue to make appearances on the popular variety show for years to come. While Richman certainly had a fervent following of fans prior to I, Jonathan, the release brought him greater exposure and has become a standout title in his impressive catalog.

File Under: Rock, LoFi
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Ulrich Schnauss: A Strangely Isolated Place (Scripted Realities) LP
Ulrich Schnauss, the highly respected German electronic music composer has taken the opportunity to remaster his entire back catalogue having recently had all his recording rights returned to him. “The second of five albums, “A Strangely Isolated Place” was originally released in 2003. It is generally regarded as a landmark electronic music statement. Ulrich’s long term AV collaborator Nat Urazmetova has re-imagined and refreshed the artwork.”

File Under: Electronic
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Elliott Smith: s/t – 25th Anniversary Expanded Edition (Kill Rock Stars) LP
Indie exclusive coloured vinyl! When Elliott Smith’s self-titled second album came out in 1995, it was ignored by the press but championed by artists from the Beastie Boys to Fugazi. To commemorate the twenty-fifth anniversary of Elliott Smith, the Kill Rock Stars label is releasing a special deluxe package, which includes a new remastering of the original record; a coffee table book of previously unseen photographs by JJ Gonson with handwritten lyrics, reminiscences from Smith’s friends and colleagues, and previously unseen photographs; and a bonus disc documenting the earliest known recording of Smith performing as a solo act. The set is a revelatory look at an under-appreciated work by an artist whose influence continues to expand seventeen years after his death.

File Under: Indie Rock
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Colter Wall: Western Swing & Waltzes and Other Punchy Songs (Thirty Tigers) LP
The music industry is no stranger to cowboys – but it’s been a long while since any with an authentic affinity for the North American West came along and carried around a love for heroes like Ramblin’ Jack Elliot and Ian Tyson. Enter 24-year-old Colter Wall, whose dusty baritone voice and deep well of stories are almost single-handedly carrying traditional western music into the future. Wall’s approach is that of a preservationist, pure as the prairie wind, and is on full display on his new self-produced album Western Swing & Waltzes and Other Punchy Songs. Wall’s 10-track ode to the themes and labors of western life picks up where his last album left off, with a reverence for his “working cowboy kin” and a whole mess of cowboy songs. Along the Blanco River bank, outside the small town of Wimberley, Wall rounded up his band, hot off a North American tour, to lay down these ten new songs at Yellow Dog Studios, deep in the heart of Texas. From his previous recording sessions with Dave Cobb at the helm, Wall began to take in what it meant to produce a record; the decision making, risk-taking, and band-leading all learned along the way. With Western Swing & Waltzes, it was Wall’s turn to take the reigns. His band. His choices. And the finished product is diverse and effortlessly cool, with an extra log or two on the fire. Songs like “High & Mighty,” cowboy poet and rancher Lewis Martin Pederson III’s ode to a legendarily tough bronco, showcase Wall’s well-curated and hard-working touring band – Patrick Lyons (pedal steel, dobro, mandolin), Jake Groves (harmonica), Jason Simpson (bass), and Aaron Goodrich (drums); joined by Emily Gimble on piano and Doug Moreland on fiddle – while others like Wall-penned “Talkin’ Prairie Boy” feature just Wall’s voice and guitar. However arranged, there’s an earnestness to these songs, roughly half of them written by Wall and half by Wall’s direct influences and fellow purveyors of honest, hard-earned tunes for the prairie and beyond. About the album, Wall said, “these songs are punchier than I am.” Giving credit where credit is due however, Wall is no slouch on the ranch. As any new cattleman would, he adds to his herd, as he does his musical legacy with Western Swing & Waltzes and Other Punchy Songs.

File Under: Country
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Yo La Tengo: Electr-o-Pura (25th anniversary edition) (Matador) LP
Continuing with their ever-expanding Revisionist History series, Matador Records presents a 25th anniversary reissue of Yo La Tengo’s 1995 album Electr-o-pura. Now in a gatefold sleeve and cut from the original 58 minute master, the new reissue is pressed for the first time on two LPs to ensure the highest quality of audio the album has had on vinyl to date! Reuniting with Painful producer and engineer Roger Moutenot, Yo La Tengo’s Ira Kaplan, Georgia Hubley and James McNew set up shop at Alex the Great studios in Nashville, TN to record their seventh studio album Electr-o-pura. Chock full with moments of pop gold like “Tom Courtenay,” melancholic ballads such as the gorgeous, Hubley-fronted “Don’t Say A Word (Hot Chicken #2),” and sweeping, feedback-laden jams like the show-stopping “Blue Line Swinger,” Electr-o-pura expands on the venturous songwriting established on Painful with stunning craft and a deepened exploration of contrasting textures, moods and atmospherics. Now 25 years since its original release, Electr-o-pura remains an electrifying document of one of America’s most beloved bands hitting their creative stride and stands as one of the most sublime records the band has released in their uninterrupted 36-year career!

File Under: Indie Rock
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…..Restocks…. 

Courtney Barnett: Sometimes I Just Sit…. (Mom + Pop) LP
Charles Bradley: Changes (Daptone) LP
Phoebe Bridgers: Punisher (Dead Oceans) LP
The Cure: Pornography (Elektra) LP
Miles Davis: Kind of Blue (Legacy) LP
Faith No More: Angel Dust (Rhino) LP
Haim: Women in Music pt III (Columbia) LP
Harmonia: Musik Von Harmonia (Gronland) LP
Jon Hassell: Listening to Pictures (Pentimento Vol 1) (Ndeya) LP
Jon Hassell: Seeing Through Sound (Pentimento Vol 2 (Ndeya) LP
Freddie Hubbard: Hub-Tones (Blue Note) LP
Madvillain: Madvillainy (Stones Throw) LP
Mission of Burma: Signals, Calls & Marches (Matador) LP
Lee Morgan: Cornbread (Tone Poet) (Blue Note) LP
Mortiferum: Disgorged from Psychotic Depths (Profound Lore) LP
OST: The Doll Squad (Modern Harmonic) LP
OST: Girl in Gold Boots (Modern Harmonic) LP
Shabaka and the Ancestors: Wisdom of Elders (Brownswood) LP
Swell Maps: A Trip to Marineville (Secretly Canadian) LP
Tengger: Nomad (Beyond Beyond is Beyond) LP
Paul Westerberg: Stereo/Mono (Vagrant) LP
Wilco: A Ghost is Born (Nonesuch) LP
Yes: s/t (Rhino) LP