7/24/20 NEW RELEASES
BELL WITCH / AERIAL RUIN – Stygian Bough Volume I LP (Profound Lore) color vinyl
“Stygian Bough” is the collaboration between giants from the Pacific Northwest, BELL WITCH & AERIAL RUIN, the solo acoustic guitar project of Erik Moggridge. The album starts off with a dark acoustic piece & then evolves into heavy, progressive doom that BELL WITCH is now famous for. The album then alternates between those two styles in a truly epic fashion. The last BELL WITCH album “Mirror Reaper” is a good touchstone for this but “Stygian Bough” takes it to a new level for sure. RECOMMENDED.
BLUES CREATION – Blues Creation LP (Audio Clarity)
Reissue of the debut album by the Japanese blues rock band BLUES CREATION. This album was originally released in 1969 & features covers of Sonny Boy Williamson, Blind Willie Johnson, Willie Dixon & more. Their take on the songs is aggressive with heavy bass guitar, intense soloing & raw vocals that put this more in STOOGES & BLUE CHEER territory than LED ZEP or THE ‘STONES. If you like your blues a little more “fried” then this is for you.
COUNT OSSIE & THE MYSTIC REVELATION OF RASTAFARI – Grounation 3LP (Dubstore)
ESSENTIAL reissue of this classic Rastafarian record by the Jamaican drummer Count Ossie. Rastafarians were considered outcasts in the 50s when Ossie was getting his start but they gradually became accepted in the music scene. In 1973 Count Ossie released this incredible album of music dedicated to the Africans that were brought to Jamaica as slaves. Heavy & repetitive percussion & a almost improvisational jazz feel, this album will appeal to fans of 70s spiritual jazz like Eddie Galem Chicago’s own Philip Cohran & even the early MOONDOG records at times. RECOMMENDED.
ELDER – Omens LP (Armageddon)
The band of U.S. ex pats now based in Berlin known as ELDER return with their 5th album. Melodic & progressive, metallic hard rock with some tasteful synth programming & soaring vocals. Fans of early MASTODON, TORCHE, BARONESS etc… will eat this up. RECOMMENDED.
GUIDED BY VOICES – Vampire on Titus LP (Scat) color vinyl
BACK IN PRINT!! Though the Dayton legends were already a few albums deep when this came out, “Vampire on Titus” was the album that started it all for them really. This has been out of print for years & it’s definitely one of the most requested GBV records. RECOMMENDED OF COURSE!
JON HASSELL – Seeing Through Sound: Pentimento Volume Two LP/CD (Ndeya)
Second volume of the “Pentimento” series from ambient and experimental trailblazer JON HASSELL following 2018’s stellar “Listening to Pictures”. The trumpet- touched raga of his early work is still present here, but this new series pays even closer attention to the electronic rhythms of modern techno and IDM, as well as drawing from German rock experimentalists like NEU! or CAN – as well as from the sonic textures of post- rock composers like GROUPER or JULIANNA BARWICK. At 83, HASSELL has not stopped pushing at the edges of what “fourth world” can mean, still bringing his listeners into thrilling sonic territory. RECOMMENDED!
PROTOMARTYR – Ultimate Success Today LP/CD (Domino) ltd. blue vinyl
Since their inception twelve years ago, Detroit’s own native sons PROTOMARTYR have always channeled the profound anguish of alienation, both interpersonal and institutional. 2017’s “Relatives In Descent” shot that alienation through the lens of American life at large, exploring the winnowing of opportunity laid bare after the 2016 election. Now, when those themes could not be more clear, PROTOMARTYR builds upon them on “Ultimate Success Today”. The band’s signature rhythmic punk and washed out crescendos continue to get larger, punchier and more poignant, supporting the weight of the lyrics with grace. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
SKELETON – Skeleton LP/CD (20 Buck Spin)
This is the debut album from the Austin, TX band SKELETON. Melodic but crushing metal that scratches so many itches for us. There are so many memorable riffs on here, tons of tempo changes & even some clean intros that would make James Hetfield blush. Things that come to mind are CRAFT’s excellent “Fuck the Universe”, later DARKTHRONE, MOTORHEAD, SLAYER etc…This is definitely going to be on our end of the year list. RECOMMENDED.
OTHER IMPORTANT NEW RELEASES
LIZA ANN – Bad Vacation LP (Arts & Crafts)
DEVENDRA BANHART – Vast Ovoid LP (BMG)
BLUES CREATION – Blues Creation LP (Audio Clarity)
DRAB CITY – Good Songs for Bad People LP (Bella Union)
PJ HARVEY – Dry LP (Island) the PJ Harvey vinyl reissues are finally starting!
PJ HARVEY – Dry – Demos LP (Island) the PJ Harvey vinyl reissues are finally starting!
JESUS & MARY CHAIN – Barrowlands Live LP/10”/CD (Demon)
KLEIN – Lifetime LP (Ijn)
LET IT COME DOWN – Songs We Sang in Our Dreams LP (Shimmy-Disc/Joyful Noise)
BARBARA LYNN – The Atlantic Years LP (Run Out Groove)
MANSIONS – Big Bad LP (Bad Timing)
NIHILOXICA – Kaloli (Crammed Discs)
MIGUEL NOYA – Canciones Intactas LP (Phantom Limb)
NECK DEEP – All Distortions Are Intentional LP (Hopeless)
100 GECS – 100 Gecs & the Tree of Clues LP (Dog Show) ghostly “green” vinyl
LAURENCE PIKE – Prophecy LP (The Leaf Label) ltd. yellow vinyl
QUICKSAILS – Blue Rise LP (Hausu Mountain)
SELENA – Ones LP (Capitol)
PATRICK SHIRIOSHI – Descension LP (Thin Wrist)
STRAITJACKET FITS – Hail LP (Flying Nun)
WAQWAQ KINGDOM – Essaka Hoisa LP (Phantom Limb)
WINTER – Endless Space LP (Bar None)