11/20/20 New Releases
NICK CAVE – Idiot Prayer: Alone at Alexandra Palace LP (Bad Seed LTD)
We’ve reached that point where pandemic records are being released. Nick Cave is one of the world’s greatest performers & he should be sweating through his fancy suit & stage diving into crowds. Instead, he’s recorded this intimate album of himself alone at a piano in an empty theatre in London playing 21 songs from throughout his career. Beautiful stuff.
CHICAGO UNDERGROUND QUARTET – Good Days LP (Astral Spirits)
After nearly a 20 year break, the CHICAGO UNDERGROUND QUARTET is reborn only now they’re spread out around the country & feature a new organist/pianist in Josh Johnson. Each musician brought in their own music which the band learned & recorded in one day. The album has an improvised feel at times but honestly it sounds much more rehearsed than it is. This is an obvious must hear for any fan of Chicago jazz & experimental music.
FLAMING TUNES – Flaming Tunes LP (Superior Viaduct)
Gareth Williams was a member of the highly influential THIS HEAT & sadly he died on Christmas Eve in 2001.The great Blackest Ever Black (RIP) reissued this on vinyl in the aughts & it was a big staff favorite & now Superior Viaduct has delivered their version with original tape cover art. The songs are a mix of ENO-esque experimental pop, lo-fi recordings that would fit in nicely on the New Zealand Xpressway label, Eastern influenced melodies & a playfulness that may remind you of Robert Wyatt’s 80’s albums, Kevin Ayers & Syd Barrett. RECOMMENDED.
JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE – Live in Maui 3LP box set/2CD W/ BLU-RAY (Legacy)
After years of speculation about a release, the 1970 live show from Maui has finally been released. Bits of the audio have been released over the years with overdubbed drums but modern tech has allowed them to use the original live drums. It’s insane to imagine Jimi Hendrix playing to only about 400 people at the base of a volcano but that’s what happened folks. Wild.
JORDAN REYES – Sand Like Stardust (American Dreams)
Chicago’s Jordan Reyes returns with this really interesting album for his American Dreams imprint. The album is a concept record about cowboys & how they fit into the fabric of our country’s history, through our stories & music. The album starts with overdubbed vocal drones that would fit well on a POPOL VUH record. There are dusty guitars, pure sounding organ drones, detuned synths that sound like affected player pianos & distorted drone blasts. Like an alternate reality Western movie soundtrack. RECOMMENDED.
RILO KILEY – Rilo Kiley LP (Little Record Co.) color vinyl
The debut EP from RILO KILEY makes its way onto vinyl for the first time! The LA quartet would come out of the gate running, with this 1999 project displaying the twangy indie folk-pop and wry lyricism that defined the rest of their career.
KAMAAL WILLIAMS – Wu Hen LP/CD (Black Focus) limited red vinyl
One of the most unique jazz records of recent memory comes in 2020 from one of the genre’s boundary-pushers in KAMAAL WILLIAMS, incorporating breakbeat, fusion, funk and deep house into a hazy, lush concoction. “Wu Hen” strikes a balance between post-bop excursions (a la CHARLES MINGUS’s “Black Saint & Sinner Lady”) and lush, DAVID AXELROD-esque arrangements updated for modern musical styles and technology. Another superb joint from the Black Focus label. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
OTHER IMPORTANT NEW RELEASES
BARTEES STRANGE – Live Forever LP (Memory Music)
BATTLES – Juice B Mixed 12” (Warp)
MARY J BLIGE – My Life: 25th Anniversary LP (Republic)
BORIS – Absolutego LP (Third Man)
BORIS – Amplifier Worship LP (Third Man)
JOHN CARPENTER – The Fog 2LP (Wax Work) 40th anniversary color vinyl
JOHN CARPENTER – Escape From New York 2LP (Wax Work) 40th anniversary color vinyl
JENNIFER CASTLE – Monarch Season LP/CD (Paradise of Bachelors)
LUKE COMBS – What You See Ain’t Always What You Get 3LP Deluxe edition (River House)
SARAH DAVACHI – Figures in Open Air 2CD (Late Music)
DIRTY PROJECTORS – 5EPs 2LP/CD (Domino) limited clear vinyl
THE EX – Disturbing Domestic Peace LP (Superior Viaduct)
THE EX – History is What’s Happening LP (Superior Viaduct)
GWAR – Scumdogs of the Universe 2LP (Pit) limited red vinyl reissue
JUNE OF 44 – Revisionist: Adaptations & Future Histories in the Time of Love and Survival LP (Broken Clover)
KHRUANGBIN – Christmas Time is Here Again 7” (Dead Oceans) available again on red vinyl!
MAMALARKY – Mamalarky LP/CD (Fire Talk) limited red vinyl
BOB MARLEY & THE WAILERS 75th Anniversary half-speed remastered LPs (Tuff Gong)
ANNA MCCLELLAN – I Saw First Light LP/CD (Father/Daughter)
ELA MINUS – Acts of Rebellion LP/CD (Domino) limited silver vinyl
NAS – Mass Appeal CD/TAPE (Mass Appeal)
STANDARDS – Fruit Island LP (Top Shelf) green & pink splatter vinyl
SYLVAN ESSO – With 2LP (Loma Vista)
PENELOPE TRAPPES – Eel Drip 12” (Houndstooth) white vinyl
WAR ON DRUGS – Live Drugs LP/CD (Super High Quality) black or limited purple vinyl
VARIOUS ARTISTS – Southeast of Saturn: Michigan Shoegaze/ Dream Pop/ Space Rock LP (Third Man)