Similar to the excellent 2022 CHAT PILE album, this record by MAMALEEK finds the group moving into slightly new territory without straying from their metal roots too much. A bizarre mix of metallic sludge, noise rock & occasional swinging jazz beats drenched in demented distortion.
MEAT WAVE – Malign Hex LP (Swami)
After touring with Reckless faves HOT SNAKES a few years back the great Chicago band MEAT WAVE makes their Swami Records debut with Malign Hex. These guys have been crushing it for a number of years now & they’re one of the tightest bands. Nods at Chicago’s past with hints of TAR & JESUS LIZARD & some nods at their label bosses HOT SNAKES. RECOMMENDED!!
PHOTAY & CARLOS NINO – An Offering LP (International Anthem)
Gorgeous collaboration between drummer & Int’l Anthem mainstay CARLOS NINO and the great ambient composer PHOTAY, blending synths, lite percussive touches and manipulated sounds of strings, horns and voice (also a large list of collaborators). Beautiful pastoral work that stands with the best material in either’s catalog! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
ALVVAYS – Blue Rev LP/CD/CS (Polyvinyl) *Ltd. Color Vinyl
Now with three LPs under their belt, it’s safe to say that ALVVAYS are a very consistent band – almost 40 songs in 8 years and not a bad one in the bunch. The name of the game here is still the excellent indie-pop they’ve built their rep on, but now with heavier guitar scuzz and some neat production tricks like the synth line on “Very Online Guy” (which feels to us almost like a 2022 update of KRAFTWERK’s “The Model”). Another draw is Molly Rankin’s lyrics – perfectly wry and poignant and ready to meet you where you’re at. It’s not hard to imagine ALVVAYS still cranking out great records like this one every few years a decade or two down the line, just like YO LA TENGO or TEENAGE FANCLUB. They have a big and bright future ahead of them, that’s for sure. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
BARTEES STRANGE – Farm To Table LP/CD (4AD) *Black or Ltd. Yellow Vinyl – Now available on physical formats!
This sophomore record from DC’s BARTEES STRANGE moves swiftly between gangly indie rock, processed R&B, lite lo-fi folk and large, sweeping pop anthems. This seems like a lot, but these sounds are ultimately made to cohere through BARTEES’ confident voice. On 4AD and RECOMMENDED!
CLEAR PATH ENSEMBLE – Solar Eclipse LP (Soundway)
Electronic jazz from New Zealand, inspired by 70s ECM, LALO SCHIFRIN soundtracks and lo-fi house. This is great atmospheric stuff off the Soundway label, with an appropriately loose, jammy feeling to it. A nice counterpoint to the improvised astral jazz-hop found here in the US. RECOMMENDED.
DUNGEN – En Är För Mycket Och Tusen Aldrig Nog LP/CD (Mexican Summer) *Black or Ltd. Burgundy Vinyl
The latest album from this long-running Swedish psych rock project (translated as One is Too Much and a Thousand is Never Enough) is their first since 2016’s excellent Haxan, and yet even with the large time gap the group hasn’t missed a beat. Pastoral motorik rhythms (is that possible?) merge with bright harmonies inspired by 60s psych pop, done in robust arrangements. For fans of KIKAGAKU MOYO, TEMPLES, GOAT, MOON DUO and all neo-psychedelia, this is RECOMMENDED!
KEIJI HAINO & SUMAC – Into this juvenile apocalypse… 2LP (Thrill Jockey) *Black or Ltd. Clear Vinyl
A fitting collaboration between Japanese noise legend KEIJI HAINO and experimental metal trio SUMAC. This is their third time working together, and the tumbling expressions of noise provide for some incredibly crisp and engaging heavy tones. RECOMMENDED.
AKIRA ISHIKAWA & COUNT BUFFALOES – Uganda: Dawn of African Rock LP (Mr. Bongo) *Ltd. Edition
1972 LP by the Japanese drummer Akira Ishikawa reissued in a fancy box by Mr. Bongo. This varies between hand drum beat passages to hard, bluesy psych rock like BLUES CREATION, FLOWER TRAVELLIN’ BAND to whacked-out fusion. Wild stuff! RECOMMENDED!
MARISA ANDERSON – Still, Here LP/CD (Thrill Jockey) *Ltd. Color Vinyl
Beautiful instrumentals from always reliable MARISA ANDERSON, moving from lightly strummed guitar soli to pastoral, pedal steel drenched atmospheres. This is perfect music for a grey autumn morning. On Thrill Jockey and RECOMMENDED.
The late Ohio trio EMERALDS featuring Steve Hauschildt, Mark McGuire & John Elliott was one of the more exciting underground synth/drone groups at the time & their output has aged quite well over the years. Deep & spiritual synth drone made with some basement, art-rock attitude. RECOMMENDED.
TITUS ANDRONICUS – The Will To Live 2LP/CD (Merge) *Peak Vinyl Edition – Ltd. Black & Silver Vinyl
This seventh record from Patrick Stickles & company looks towards faith and human kindness with the same ambitions as previous releases such as The Monitor and A Most Lamentable Tragedy. These songs have a bit more polish and sheen to them, but moreso as a conscious stylistic decision to lean into, say, 80s ZZ TOP but with the verbosity of a MOUNTAIN GOATS or SILVER JEWS and the empathetic, working class attitude of THE REPLACEMENTS. Always lovely to have these dudes back. EXCELLENT and RECOMMENDED!
WILCO – Yankee Hotel Foxtrot: 20th Anniversary LP/CD (Nonesuch)*2LP Black Vinyl, 2LP Ltd. Cream Vinyl, 7LP Deluxe Edition, 2CD Expanded Edition, 8CD Super Deluxe Box Set, or 11LP/CD Super Deluxe Box Set
20 Years on, YANKEE HOTEL FOXTROT, Wilco’s first for Nonesuch, holds a special place in our hearts. Here’s what we thought about it upon its release: The hell and high water that Wilco has had to go through for this album’s release would destroy most bands. But the team of Tweedy, Stirrat, and newbies Glenn Kotche and Leroy Bach (with crucial assists from Jay Bennett and Jim O’Rourke) aren’t just releasing any normal record: they are releasing one of the most (if not the most) important records of the year. Top to bottom the album is a flawless piece of rock joy. Challenging, daring, and beautifully arranged. These Chicago darlings are raising the bar for the music world. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
YEAH YEAH YEAHS – Cool It Down LP/CD (Dress Up/ Secretly Canadian) *Ltd. Yellow Vinyl
It’s been almost 10 years since the last YEAH YEAH YEAHS album & their first on Secretly Canadian. Karen O, Nick Zinner & Brian Chase are masters of cinematic pop music & that’s on full display here. This is a solid entry into their already impressive discography. RECOMMENDED.
ALEX G – God Save The Animals LP/CD (Domino) *Black or Indie Exclusive Ltd. Clear Vinyl
This 2022 album from Alex Giannascoli takes on a more pious approach (as the title implies), adopting a tone of semi-serious, semi-tongue-in-cheek evangelical fervor to explore real concepts of forgiveness, love, morality and redemption. This is perhaps the crispest sounding ALEX G record to date, with the disparate styles of country, indie folk and emo transmitting through clearer than ever. A totally unique record. EXCELLENT and RECOMMENDED!
DUSTER – Together LP/CD/CS (Numero Group)*Black or Ltd. Clear Smoke Vinyl
Together is the fantastic 2022 album by the San Jose group DUSTER. Similar to HUM, another band that broke up many years ago then reformed to make great new music, DUSTER is making some of their best music yet. The album has a sort of lo-fi & warm tone to it with dead sounding drums, tape warbled guitar sounds & buried vocals – that classic slowcore move. RECOMMENDED.
ICEAGE – Shake The Feeling: Outtakes & Rarities 2015-2021 LP/CD (Mexican Summer)*Black or Ltd. Red Vinyl
Collection of “misfit children” from Danish post-punk band ICEAGE – outtakes and non-album cuts from across their three most recent LPs. Don’t be mistaken; these songs are not disposable! The band’s raw energy shines through here brightly. Fantastic and RECOMMENDED!
MAKAYA McCRAVEN – In These Times LP/CD (International Anthem) *Black or Ltd. Ivory Vinyl
Despite releasing 6 records since 2015, the Chicago-based percussionist & composer MAKAYA McCRAVEN has been slowly sculpting this album that entire time. With a large group of talented collaborators including Junius Paul, JEFF PARKER, Macie Stewart & Brandee Younger to name a few, McCraven has created a highly listenable collection of rhythmic songs that almost all eras of jazz post 1960s, 70s film soundtracks ala Quincy Jones, 90s/00s post rock & more. RECOMMENDED!!
THE MOVERS – Vol. 1: 1970-1976 LP (Analog Africa)
Analog Africa continues their hot streak, releasing a compilation of tunes from THE MOVERS, purveyors of Zimbabwe’s Mbaqanga (aka Township Jive). The name does not lie here; the groups’ easy-shuffling rhythms are infectious, sounding like a Soweto-adjacent version of THE METERS or BOOKER T & THE MGs with their electric organ and tight drums. This compiles music from their golden era in the early 1970s. Absolutely glorious music here that is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
MYSTIC REVELATION OF RASTAFARI – Grounation 3LP (Soul Jazz)
ESSENTIAL reissue of this classic Rastafarian record by the Jamaican drummer COUNT OSSIE. Rastafarians were considered outcasts in Jamaica 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 with an almost improvisational jazz feel. This album will appeal to fans of 70s spiritual jazz like EDDIE GALE, Chicago’s own PHILIP COHRAN & even the early MOONDOG records at times. RECOMMENDED.
ALHAJI WAZIRI OSHOMA – The Muslim Highlife of Alhaji Waziri Oshoma: World Spirituality Classics 3 2LP (Luaka Bop)
The latest entry in Luaka Bop’s World Spirituality Classics series (following their superb compilations of ALICE COLTRANE’s ashram music and American gospel funk) this time turns towards a unique musical slice in Islam with Nigerian bandleader ALHAJI SIR WAZIRI OSHOMAH. This music blends the elliptical patterns of highlife with electronics reminiscent of the great WILLIAM ONYEABOR and the more raw sounds of Edo Funk coming from Benin City, all with an ecstatically religious bent. Beautiful and RECOMMENDED!
VIEUX FARKA TOURÉ & KHRUANGBIN – Ali LP/CD (Dead Oceans) *Black or Ltd. Jade Vinyl
The Houston trio KHRUANGBIN’s collaboration with LEON BRIDGES seemed so logical when we heard it that it seemed like something that would inevitably happen someday. The same can be said with this collab with Mali guitar legend Vieux Farka Touré – it just makes sense. Nice, mellow vibes backed by the great KHRUANGBIN rhythm section & plenty of space for Touré to stretch out on guitar & vocals. Really great stuff. RECOMMENDED!
OTHER IMPORTANT NEW RELEASES, REISSUES & RESTOCKS
ABBA – Gold: Greatest Hits 2LP (Capitol) *Now available on Ltd. Gold Vinyl or as Ltd. Picture Discs!
ALICE IN CHAINS – Dirt 2LP (Legacy) *Remastered– Music On Vinyl Reissue
AUTOUR DE LUCIE – L’échappée belle LP (Dot Matrix) *Remastered – Ltd. Red Vinyl
AUTOUR DE LUCIE – Immobile LP (Dot Matrix) *Remastered – Ltd. Tan Vinyl
BAD BRAINS – Quickness: Punk Note Edition LP (ORG) * Remastered w/ alternate Blue Note-style art
Wonderful reissue of this 1983 album from the sitar player AZIZ. Gentle synthesizer drone mixed in with sitar, flute & tambura as well as some sounds from nature. Remastered on Morning Trip Records and TOTALLY RECOMMENDED.
THE BETHS – Expert In A Dying Field LP/CD/CS (Carpark) *Ltd. Yellow Vinyl
More crunchy power-pop from this Kiwi quartet on their third LP, refining some of the uptempo, early-WEEZER-y parts of Jump Rope Gazers with wry singer-songwriter influence in the vein of a PHOEBE BRIDGERS or COURTNEY BARNETT. Excellent stuff on Carpark Records – RECOMMENDED!
THE BLACK ANGELS – Wilderness of Mirrors 2LP/CD (Partisan) *Black or Ltd. Indie Exclusive Color Vinyl
The first new album for THE BLACK ANGELS in five years is well worth the wait, as the sun-soaked psychedelia of their previous work gets infused with Mellotron and strings. Still more than a fair share of guitar fuzz on this one tho, often sounding like an OSEES album caught in the middle of a Jodorowsky film. RECOMMENDED!
GLORIA DE OLIVEIRA & DEAN HURLEY – Oceans of Time LP/CD (Sacred Bones) *Ltd. Lavender Swirl Vinyl
Gloria de Oliveira is a German/Brazilian singer & songwriter & Dean Hurley has been collaborating with David Lynch in sound design since 2006. Mellow dream pop with lush, orchestral passages that remind us of COCTEAU TWINS, Julee Cruise etc… RECOMMENDED.
THE DEAD TEXAN – The Dead Texan LP (Kranky) *First time ever on vinyl!
The DEAD TEXAN is a continuation of STARS OF THE LID member ADAM WILTZE’s nocturnal musical fumblings; piano and strings give a cinematic field to the guitar and synth processes. FIRST EVER VINYL PRESSING FINALLY IN 2022! HIGHLY, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE – Asphalt Meadows LP/CD (Barsuk) *Black or Ltd. Indie Exclusive Pink Vinyl
DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE return after a four year absence, and like most of us nowadays they sound absolutely psyched to be able to get out of the house and play some music with good friends. John Congleton’s rich technicolor production perfectly complements Ben Gibbard’s bittersweet indie pop jams, which at their best evoke the band’s mid-aughts peak but also Reckless faves like NEW ORDER, THE CURE, and ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN. This feels like a statement from a beloved band that still has someting to say. It’s our favorite Death Cab album in a real long time. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
RANDY HOLDEN – Population III LP/CD (Riding Easy)
40 years after recording the legendary POPULATION II album, the guitar god Randy Holden teamed up with members of CACTUS & drummer Bobby Rondinelli who played with BLACK SABBATH, BLUE OYSTER CULT & RAINBOW to name a few (!!) to make POPULATION III. Now 10 years later those sessions have finally been released. This truly does sound like a logical extension of Holden’s classic psych/proto-metal album & this also would have fit right in the 2010 sound ala reformed PENTAGRAM, Brant Bjork etc…RECOMMENDED!
NECROPHOBIC – The Nocturnal Silence LP/CD (Century Media)
ATTENTION 90s SWEDISH DEATH METAL FANS!! This classic from 1993 has been remastered & is finally available again courtesy of Century Media. Fans of other legends like ENTOMBED, DISSECTION, GRAVE, etc…will want to pick this up. RECOMMENDED.
BILL ORCUTT – Music For Four Guitars LP (Palilalia)
On this 2022 album, Bill Orcutt is on the electric guitar & the sounds are trebly & brittle. Four tracks of guitars that sometimes sound randomly layered or at other times like a demented Saharan guitar band, isolated Beefheart guitar tracks or a loop pedal gone rogue. Wild stuff! RECOMMENDED!
YOUNG JESUS – Young Jesus LP (Saddle Creek)
Total “zag” from YOUNG JESUS and John Rossiter (who is now the sole member), who brings his rich tenor to the forefront with a more spacious, lush and spiritually focused sound. Some interesting sound design on this one as well with field recordings and white noise. RECOMMENDED!
OTHER IMPORTANT NEW RELEASES, REISSUES & RESTOCKS
AALIYAH – I Care 4 U 2LP (Blackground) *2021 Reissue – Now available on vinyl!
AALIYAH – Ultimate Aaliyah 3LP (Blackground) *Now available on vinyl!
AHASVER – Causa Sui LP (Lifeforce)
AU SUISSE – Au Suisse LP (City Slang) *Ltd. Indie Exclusive White Vinyl
BEHEMOTH – Opvs Contra Natvram 2LP/CD (Nuclear Blast)
BENT ARCANA – Live Zebulon LP (Castle Face) *Black or Ltd. Color Vinyl
BLACKWINTERWELLS – Crystal Shards LP (Eyeball)
BLOOD INCANTATION – Timewave Zero LP (Century Media) *Now available on vinyl!
PI’ERRE BOURNE – The Life of Pi’erre5 2LP (Interscope) *Ltd. Clear Vinyl
CLUTCH – Sunrise on Slaughter Beach LP/CS (Weathermaker)
MILES DAVIS – That’s What Happened: The Bootleg Series Vol. 7 2LP/3CD (Legacy) *Ltd. White Vinyl
JOHN DENVER – Rocky Mountain High LP (Windstar) *50th Anniversary – Ltd. Blue Vinyl
THE AFGHAN WHIGS – How Do You Burn? LP/CD (BMG) *Clear or Ltd. Pink Vinyl
How Do You Burn? is the third AFGHAN WHIGS album since their reunion 10 years ago, but to us it comes on like a true spiritual/sonic successor to their early 90s heyday of Congregation & Gentlemen. Like those stone-cold classics, this killer deftly mixes angsty grunge & psychedelic R&B with flair: Blaxploitation movie-score strings, electric piano, twin guitar leads, and GREG DULLI in never-better voice, urged on by the spectre of his late friend & collaborator MARK LANEGAN (who guests here and gave the album its great title). The highlight is the stunning “Domino & Jimmy”, with SCRAWL’s MARCY MAYS returning to the Whigs’ fold 30 years on from “My Curse” and still matching Dulli blow-for-emotional-blow. Raw and soulful and totally unrelenting, this is easily one of the best alt-rock records of 2022. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
SARAH DAVACHI – Two Sisters 2LP (Late Music) *Black or Ltd. Indie Exclusive Green Vinyl
2022 album from SARAH DAVACHI, developing her heady style of chamber music and drone. Two Sisters makes good use of the human voice as a compliment to other instruments, intersecting with organ, violin and cello to create music that takes from both Christian and Muslim devotional music. On Davachi’s imprint Late Music and HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
STELLA DONNELLY – Flood LP/CD/CS (Secretly Canadian) *Black or Ltd. Red Vinyl
The talented Australian singer Stella Donnelly is back with her second album. Donnelly wrote a lot of the songs on piano, an instrument that she hadn’t touched since she was a kid. You can sort of tell that the songs have odd structures but it helps to set her sound apart. Her voice has a sweet & innocent quality especially when she dips into these sort of talk-singing breakdowns. Like her other records, Donnelly gets into some serious lyrical territory sometimes but there’s always a cheeky approach to it which really works. The title track is one of the most infectious pop songs we’ve heard this year & the album is solid all the way through. RECOMMENDED!
KALI MALONE – Living Torch LP (Portraits GRM)
The Swedish organist & composer Kali Malone is best known for her epic pipe organ compositions & performances but for this one she used a ARP 2500 & a few other synths along with a trombonist & bass clarinetist. Interestingly the sounds are somewhat similar to the pipe organ & perhaps that’s the idea. Two long form drones to get lost in this fall…RECOMMENDED.
SANTIGOLD is back with a new album self-released on her new label Little Jerk. Along with MIA, Santi predicted a world where futurist, electronic pop could rule, where similar artists like CHARLI, XCX Solange & Grimes have become massive pop stars. The songs are minimal with sporadic beats & simple but effective vocal melodies. Solid stuff…RECOMMENDED.
SAULT – Air LP/CD (Forever Living Originals)*Finally available on physical formats!
Air is the 6th album by the UK group SAULT in only 3 years. This one finds the mysterious group led by producer INFLO wading into the world of classical choral music, Quincy Jones soundtracks & Philip Glass influenced composition. It weirdly works in the SAULT discography though as a different way to make spiritual music. RECOMMENDED.
CHARLES STEPNEY – Step on Step 2LP/CD (International Anthem) *Black or Ltd. Gold Vinyl
This brilliant collection from Int’l Anthem focuses on Chicago composer/producer CHARLES STEPNEY, unearthing four-track basement demos of largely original – and otherwise unrecorded – material. STEPNEY’s historical mark was as a creative collaborator, drawing up the baroque arrangements for artists like MINNIE RIPERTON, TERRY CALLIER, EW&F and MARLENA SHAW, and while these recordings retain that expansive vision, the prominent feeling here is intimacy, landing somewhere in a zone between SLY STONE circa-Riot, the soundtrack work of CURTIS MAYFIELD and MULATU’s Ethiopiques. But make no mistake; STEPNEY was a visionary of his own. Intercut with interviews from STEPNEY’s family, this is an incisive look at his boundless creativity. One of the best finds of the year, this comes HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
SUDAN ARCHIVES – Natural Brown Prom Queen 2LP/CD (Stones Throw) *Black or Ltd. Orange Vinyl
LA’s SUDAN ARCHIVES returns for her fourth release on Stones Throw with Natural Brown Prom Queen, fusing sounds of hip-house into her idiosyncratic violin- soul. This is SA’s most confident and pop-forward album to date, exploring the relationships between confidence, sexuality, and introversion. Excellent and RECOMMENDED!
SHANNON WRIGHT – Dyed In The Wool LP (Quarterstick) *2022 Pressing – Clear Vinyl
The excellent 2001 album by Shannon Wright has finally been released on vinyl. Beautiful & often dark indie rock songs similar to PJ Harvey & Elliott Smith with a great backing band featuring members of SHIPPING NEWS (RIP Jason), Edith Frost & more. RECOMMENDED.
YOU’LL NEVER GET TO HEAVEN – Wave Your Moonlight Hat for the Snowfall Train LP (Seance Centre) *Repressed!
YOU’LL NEVER GET TO HEAVEN is a London, Ontario based couple & this is their 4th album. Delicate & somewhat lo-fi art pop with fragile, Julee Cruise esque vocals. There isn’t any percussion really but the music is still quite rhythmic with accented, fretless bass, repetitive bells, vibe & piano sounds & subtle background distortion. This reminds us of some favorite things like Eno, YOUNG MARBLE GIANTS, Gareth Williams & Mary Currie, Japanese furniture music, the Ghost Box label etc…RECOMMENDED.
OTHER IMPORTANT NEW RELEASES, REISSUES & RESTOCKS
RICK ASTLEY – The Best of Me LP (BMG)
BAD BUNNY – Anniversary Trilogy 3LP (Bad Bunny) *Box set including first 3 albums – back in stock!
BAD RELIGION – Generator LP (Epitaph) *30th Anniversary – Ltd. Green Vinyl
Way back in 1992, the slowcore legends CODEINE went into the studio to record their 2nd album. For a number of reasons the sessions were abandoned & the drummer Chris Brokaw quit the band. The group would eventually get a new drummer & re-record the songs that were released as their final album, the fantastic The White Birch. These versions made at Harold Dessau Recording have been remastered & released for this first time via Numero Group. They’re pretty similar to the album versions but it’s definitely cool to hear the takes with the original line-up. RECOMMENDED!
MJ LENDERMAN – Boat Songs LP (Dear Life)
WEDNESDAY guitarist MJ LENDERMAN also works as a solo singer-songwriter, crafting humorous and disarming country rock tunes that find a way to strike a balance somewhere halfway between shambolic and polished. A bit of indie fuzz of the DINOSAUR JR. and BUILT TO SPILL persuasion, as well as some country-fried funk in the LITTLE FEAT mold, all wrapped up in LENDERMAN’s touching, JASON MOLINA-esque ear for melody & lyrics. For fans of the above mentioned bands, as well as good songwriting in general, this comes RECOMMENDED.
JOHN ONDOLO – Hypnotic Guitar of John Ondolo LP (Mississippi)
Rare 50s & 60s 78 recordings collected for the first time by the East African guitarist & singer John Ondolo. Using open tunings, Ondolo had a unique playing style & some of the songs with flute & percussion accompaniment have a really interesting sound. RECOMMENDED!
STEREOLAB – Pulse of the Early Brain: Switched On Vol. 5 LP/CD (Warp)*Available as a 2CD set or a 3LP set including a limited number of copies with a mirrorboard sleeve for the same price while supplies last!
The fifth volume of STEREOLAB’s superb Switched On series comes out right ahead of their North American tour, and includes rare & live tracks such as a remix from AUTECHRE, collaborations with NURSE WITH WOUND and music used to accompany sculptures by Charles Long. Absolutely unmissable! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
OTHER IMPORTANT NEW RELEASES, REISSUES & RESTOCKS
ALEXANDER LUCAS – Alexander Lucas LP (Subliminal Sounds) *Ltd. Deluxe Edition
BLOCKHEAD – Music By Cavelight 3LP (Ninja Tune) *180g Reissue – Orange Marble Vinyl
KIKAGAKU MOYO – Kumoyo Island LP (Guruguru Brain) *Available at Wicker Park now – other shops next week!
The 5th album Kumoyo Island by the great Japanese psychedelic band KIKAGAKU MOYO is supposedly their final album. They’ve been on a farewell tour for most of 2022 & that’s great news for anyone that hadn’t been lucky enough to see them before as they’re one of the best live bands of the past decade in our opinion. For their last record, the band returned to the studio where they made their first record & the results are stunning. Driving, rhythmic songs with repetitive vocal patterns that get stuck in your head right away. These guys manage to pay their respects to flowery psych rock of the past without sounding like copycats & this might be their most unique sounding album yet. We’re truly sorry to see this band go but at least we have this last album. RECOMMENDED.
LEVIATHAN – Shadow of No Light 8xCS Box Set (Profound Lore)
Eight early LEVIATHAN demos originally released between 1998-2002 with some touch-up remastering from the original sources. These demos are important documents of the first wave of American black metal & it’s very cool that they’re available again on the cassette format. Supposedly already out of print at the label & RECOMMENDED.
LOCRIAN – New Catastrophism CD (Profound Lore)
New Catastrophism is the first album from the Chicago group LOCRIAN in 7 years. Four lengthy tracks that display the group’s talent for creating brooding dark ambient/post industrial landscapes that occasionally dip into MONO meets MOGWAI post-rock melodies. RECOMMENDED.
SALVIA PLATH – Melanchole LP/CD (Danger Collective)
This album by the New Zealand artist Daniel Johann aka SALVIA PLATH was originally released on Bandcamp in 2012 then as a limited LP run in 2018. It’s been remastered for this 2022 reissue. Lo-fi & somewhat dark lo-fi bedroom pop that sounds like a lost 90s Siltbreeze or Drag City record. Imagine a mix of early PAVEMENT, Roy Montgomery, MICROPHONES etc… RECOMMENDED.
KAITLYN AURELIA SMITH – Let’s Turn It Into Sound LP/CD (Ghostly) *Black or Ltd. Color Vinyl
Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith continues to evolve her sound on Let’s Turn It Into Sound. Quirky synth-pop that probably most reminds us of 80s Japanese greats like YELLOW MAGIC ORCHESTRA, Mariah etc…with some almost drum & bass breakdowns from time to time & even some hints of Japanese video game music. There are some occasional hints of her new age stylings but this one definitely lives in more of an art pop realm. RECOMMENDED.
OTHER IMPORTANT NEW RELEASES, REISSUES & RESTOCKS
AEVITERNE – The Ailing Facade LP (Profound Lore)
LEE BAINS + THE GLORY FIRES – Old-Time Folks 2LP (Don Giovanni)
BELIEF – Belief LP (Lex)
BLACK DEATH CULT – Diaspora LP (Profound Lore)]
BLEED – Somebody’s Closer LP (20 Buck Spin)
BLONDIE – Against The Odds 1974-1982 LP/CD (Numero Group) *Available as 4LP or 3CD Box Set w/ hardbound book!
BLONDIE – Live 1999 2LP (Ear Music) *Ltd. White Vinyl
KATE BUSH – Hounds of Love LP (Rhino) *2018 Remaster – FINALLY back in stock!
HOT CHIP – Freakout/ Release 2LP/CD (Domino) *Black or Ltd. Brown Vinyl
UK dance-rockers HOT CHIP return to Domino for their eighth album, looking to find balance between anxiety and ecstasy through their trademark synth-pop sound in the wake of the COVID pandemic and political unrest. Still a classic throwback even with more contemporary undertones.
THE MOUNTAIN GOATS – Bleed Out LP/CD/CS (Merge) *Indie Exclusive Yellow Vinyl w/ posters & postcards while supplies last!
This 20th (twentieth!) album from John Darnielle & co. draws inspiration from Hollywood action and neo-noir films of the 60s, 70s & 80s, weaving stories about bloody shootouts around songs with a bit of a snarling edge to them. The group now includes BULLY’s Alicia Bognanno as a producer and full-time band member, and her production is slick without being obtrusive. While these songs have more ambitious structures, ultimately they retain that classic MOUNTAIN GOATS feeling, now filtered through this hyper-specific prism. On Merge yet again and RECOMMENDED.
Chicago instrumental trio RUSSIAN CIRCLES returns for their first release in three years for perhaps their darkest, heaviest record yet. While the band still takes time to explore their compositions in the grand, sweeping post-rock style they are known for, Gnosis emphasizes pummeling, blackened punches of noise that puts them in closer territory to groups like THOU and BLOOD INCANTATION. This is absolutely vicious stuff here from this group. RECOMMENDED.
ELI WINTER – Eli Winter LP (Three Lobed Recordings)
Chicago’s ELI WINTER brings on a massive list of folks as collaborators for this self-titled release, (YASMIN WILLIAMS, RYLEY WALKER, DAVID GRUBBS and JAIMIE BRANCH to name a few), creating a bright, knotty piece of late summer pastoralism that both evokes experimental psych folk a la WALKER or STEVE GUNN and the gentler side of Chicago post-rock like GASTR DEL SOL or even THE SEA & CAKE at their most “analog”. An absolutely fantastic release here that comes HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
OTHER IMPORTANT NEW RELEASES, REISSUES & RESTOCKS
THE A’S – Fruit LP (Psychic Hotline)
THE ARCHIES – The Archies LP (Cleopatra) *2022 Reissue – Black, Pink & White Splatter Vinyl
BATHERS – Summer Lightning LP (Last Night From Glasgow) *Remastered – Ltd. White Vinyl
BEASTIE BOYS – Check Your Head 4LP (Capitol) *Deluxe 30th Anniversary Edition w/ Bonus Tracks
BELPHEGOR – The Devils LP (Nuclear Blast) *Ltd. Wine Red Vinyl
LUCHO BERMUDEZ Y SU ORQUESTA – The Coastal Invasion: 1946-1961 2LP (Radio Martiko)
THE BERRIES – High Flying Man LP (Run For Cover) *Ltd. White Vinyl
ERIC CHURCH – & (Ampersand) LP/CD (EMI)
COBRA STARSHIP – Hot Mess LP (Fueled By Ramen) *2022 Reissue – Ltd. Silver Vinyl
DEATH BELLS – Between Here & Everywhere LP (Dais) *Clear Vinyl, Ltd. 600
BORIS – Heavy Rocks(2022) LP (Relapse) *White Vinyl – Ltd. 1000
The 3rd entry in BORIS’ Heavy Rocks series puts a big leopard-print bow on their nearly three decades long (!!!) discography. Front-loaded with heavy thrash and proto-metal jams, it quickly bobs and weaves song-to-song but sometimes even verse-to-verse from many of the genres these iconoclasts have taken a swing at across nearly 50 albums: doom, shoegaze, garage, industrial…with a big tip of the hat to their past collaborators MERZBOW and SUNN O))) in the abstract noise passages that ominously rear their heads throughout. Another essential release from one of our favorite bands. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
DANGER MOUSE & BLACK THOUGHT – Cheat Codes LP/CD (BMG) *Black or Ltd. Red Vinyl
Following in the storied lineage of great MC & Producer team-ups like Madvillainy, Piñata, and Twelve Reasons To Die, Cheat Codes is a fantastic 2022 joint effort from DANGER MOUSE and THE ROOTS’ BLACK THOUGHT. After a few years in the proverbial Late Night TV slash MOR wilderness, both artists up their already elevated game even higher here. The guest list is stacked – RAEKWON, A$AP ROCKY, EL-P, KILLER MIKE, Chicago’s KID SISTER and more, plus an incredible MF DOOM verse from beyond the grave – but the coolest moments involve just hearing Thought go HARD in the pocket of some of Danger Mouse’s best material since Demon Days. This is a tightly focused, wildly entertaining collab between two master craftsmen. HIGHLY, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
JUST MUSTARD – Heart Under LP (Partisan) * Now available on vinyl!
Excellent sophomore record from the Irish quintet JUST MUSTARD, relishing in the steely post-punk of their fellow countrymen (and labelmates) FONTAINES D.C. but with a heavy embrace of classic trip-hop and shoegaze a la PORTISHEAD and MORCHEEBA with a little touch of MBV. There’s a lot of compelling stuff coming from the U.K. and Ireland right now in the way of punk and art rock, but this certainly stands out in a very crowded field. On Partisan and HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Killer 12″ from Analog Africa that focuses on the Gabonese musician and singer MACK-JOSS and his group ORCHESTRE MASSAKO – Started after the Gabonese army recruited MACK-JOSS to be the bandleader for their own national band. Throughout the 1970s, funds from Gabon were used to purchase recording equipment so the group could record singles, which were then pressed over in France and sent back to Gabon. This collects four of those singles (some of which feature the singer AMARA TOURE), a set of elliptical, swirling rhythms and minor key folk melodies that share some kinship to the music of Ghana. Fantastic stuff as always, and it comes HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
OTHER IMPORTANT NEW RELEASES, REISSUES & RESTOCKS
IGGY AZALEA – The End of an Era LP (Empire) *Ltd. Tri-Color Vinyl
BAD BRAINS – Rock For Light: Punk Note Edition (ORG) *Remastered w/ alternate Blue Note-style art
BAD BUNNY – Un Verano Sin Ti CD (Rimas Music)
CATERINA BARBIERI – Spirit Exit 2LP (Light Years) *Import – Black or Silver Vinyl
BLACK MAGNET – Body Prophecy LP (20 Buck Spin) *Black or Ltd. Green Vinyl
BLONDIE – Vivir En La Habana LP (BMG) *Ltd. Edition Yellow Vinyl
