Ratboys / a.s.o. / Laurel Halo
Tirzah / Hotline TNT / Feeble Little Horse
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RECKLESS RECORDS STAFF – WICKER PARK, BELMONT, and the LOOP
<< JOLIE THOMPSON >>
(Wicker Park)
FAVORITES OF 2023 (in no particular order)
- Like..? by Ice Spice
Pure, raw talent. She also hung out with Kim Kardash - Praise A Lord Who Chews But Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds) by Yves Tumor
Fun and exciting experimental pop! - Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd by Lana Del Rey
Y’all may not know butttt…this is my girl. My day one. She gets better and better! This record is insightful, dynamic, and just real. Listen if you haven’t yet!!! - With a Hammer by Yaeji
Awesome pop record, cool unique sounds. - Rat Saw God by Wednesday
Did I hear someone say they like y’all-ternative… - Everyone’s Crushed by Water From Your Eyes
ATTENTION: Chicago/Brooklyn group on Matador! - Super Snooper by Snooper
Young punks from Nashville - Blackbox Life Recorder 21f / in a room7 F760 by Aphex Twin
You know what it sounds like…but it’s still awesome!! - Keeping Secrets Will Destroy You by Bonnie “Prince” Billy
Comfy and cozy with this record, nice for fall and winter I would say! - Javelin by Sufjan Stevens
If you know how I feel about Sufjan Stevens you’d know not to ask me a single thing about this record…I would not shut up for at least 10 minutes. That being said, it’s amazing! - Lemon Lights by Seablite
Blah blah shoegaze… IT’S GOOD!!! - Tracey Denim by bar italia
They’re British AND they put out two really good records this year. Can you believe it?! - Girl With Fish by Feeble Little Horse
Adorable Pittsburgh band, awesome Sophomore album. Doesn’t get better - Several Songs About Fire by A. Savage
I was so excited for this release and it did NOT disappoint! Fans of Parquet Courts and the like should check it out. - HONORABLE MENTION (we haven’t gotten it in the store yet): Sugar World by Jonatan Leandoer96
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<< PHILIP CERZA >>
(Wicker Park)
All That was East is West of Me Now // Glen Hansard // Favorite track: “The Feast of St. John”
The Ballad of Darren // Blur // Favorite track: “The Narcissist”
Black Rainbows // Corinne Bailey Rae // Favorite track: “Erasure”
Bless This Mess // U.S. Girls // Favorite track: “Futures Bet”
Careful! // Deeper // Favorite track: “Build a Bridge”
Cartwheel // Hotline TNT // Favorite tracks: “Protocol,” “Spot Me 100”
Change the Way You Think About Pain // Incendiary // Favorite track:
“Echo of Nothing”
Cousin // Wilco // Favorite track: “Evicted”
Dead Meat // The Tubs // Favorite tracks: “Sniveller,” “Round the Bend”
Desolation’s Flower // Ragana // Favorite track: “Pain”
Diagnosis // Sen Morimoto // Favorite track: “Pressure on the Pulse”
Domino // Diners // Favorite track: “The Power”
The Enduring Spirit // Tomb Mold // Favorite track: “Will of Whispers”
Hard Light // Drop Nineteens // Favorite track: “Scapa Flow”
The Holey Bible // Florry // Favorite track: “From Where You Are”
I Inside the Old Year Dying // PJ Harvey // Favorite track: “A Child’s Question, August”
Last Day of Sun // Fuming Mouth // Favorite track: “The Silence Beyond Life”
Life Under the Gun // Militarie Gun // Favorite tracks: “Do it Faster,” “Never Fucked Up Once”
Lucky for You // Bully // Favorite track: “Lose You”
No Thank You // Little Simz // Favorite track: “Gorilla”
Quaranta // Danny Brown // Favorite track: “Ain’t My Concern”
Rat Saw God // Wednesday // Favorite tracks: “Bull Believer,” “Chosen to Deserve”
The Record // Boygenius // Favorite tracks: “True Blue,” “Not Strong Enough”
Safe to Run // Esther Rose // Favorite track: “Safe to Run”
SAVED! // Reverend Kristin Michael Hayter // Favorite track:
“ALL OF MY FRIENDS ARE GOING TO HELL”
Secret Stratosphere // William Tyler & The Impossible Truth // Favorite track:
“We Can’t Go Home Again”
This Stupid World // Yo La Tengo // Favorite track: “Fallout”
Time Ain’t Accidental // Jess Williamson // Favorite track: “Hunter”
Water Made Us // Jamila Woods // Favorite track: “Practice”
Why Does the Earth Give Us People to Love? // Kara Jackson // Favorite tracks:
“no fun/ party,” “pawnshop”
The Window // Ratboys // Favorite tracks: “The Window,” “Black Earth, WI,” “It’s Alive”
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<< TIM QUINLAN >>
(Wicker Park & Belmont)
top 10 in no particular order:
1. red moon in venus by kali uchis
2. the enduring spirit by tomb mold
3. a.s.o. by a.s.o.
4. madres by sofia kourtesis
5. spirits by the circling sun
6. let’s start here by lil yachty
7. call me if you get lost: the estate sale by tyler the creator
8. ooh i rap ya by george clanton
9. a new tomorrow by zulu
10. genesis by peso pluma
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<< LUKE DAHLGREN >>
(Belmont)
Here’s my “Best of 2023”. Kept it short n sweet. All stuff that Reckless carried this year…
— NEW MUSIC —
@ – Mind Palace Music (Carpark)
AKASHA SYSTEM – Phytopia (100% Silk)
A.S.O. – a.s.o. (Low Lying)
DEAD TIMES – Dead Times (Thrill Jockey)
DORISBURG & EFRAIM KENT – Further (Boss Musik)
LAUREL HALO – Atlas (Awe)
SOFIA KOURTESIS – Madres (Ninja Tune)
MARTINOU – Chiral (Nous’klaer)
NATURAL WONDER BEAUTY CONCEPT – Natural Wonder Beauty Concept (Mexican Summer)
PROTOMARTYR – Formal Growth in the Desert (Domino)
PURELINK – Signs (Peak Oil)
A. SAVAGE – Several Songs About Fire (Rough Trade)
MASAHIRO TAKAHASHI – Humid Sun (Telephone Explosion)
TIRZAH – trip9love…? (Domino)
DANIEL VILLARREAL – Lados B (International Anthem)
— REISSUES & COMPILATIONS —
ACETONE – I’m Still Waiting. (New West)
JON HASSELL – Further Fictions (Ndeya)
HYDROPLANE – Selected Songs 1997-2003 (World of Echo)
LUSH – Spooky / Split / Lovelife (4AD)
STEVE MONITE – Only You (Soundway)
ARTHUR RUSSELL – Picture of Bunny Rabbit (Audika)
PHAROAH SANDERS – Pharoah (Luaka Bop)
LORI VAMBE – Space-Time Dreamtime (Strut)
v/a – Perú Selvático: Sonic Expedition Into the Peruvian Amazon 1972-1986 (Analog Africa)
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<< SAM BROWN >>
(Wicker Park)
Full Body 2 – infinity signature
Halloween – Self Titled
Blimp – Egg
Feeble Little Horse – Girl With Fish
Unrecovery – It’s Agreed, My Willing Test
Narrow Head – Moments of Clarity
38KEA – the hawk and the nightingale
Bar Italia – Tracey Denim
Liv.e – Girl in the Half Pearl
Luster – Dopamine Loop
Welp! – Welp!
Sideshow – JAM
Na-kel Smith – FREE POPS FR
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<< DAVE CARTWRIGHT >>
(Wicker Park)
OSSUARY – FORSAKEN OFFERINGS
LAMP OF MURMUUR – SATURNIAN BLOODSTORM
AUFGANG B – AB WERK EP
RON MORRELI – HEART STOPPER
AUTOPSY – ASHES, ORGANS, BLOOD & CRYPTS
BRENDA RAY – D’YA HEAR ME! NAFFI YEARS 1979-83
HARUOMI HOSONO – N.D.E.
ULTRADYNE – NATIVIST
R.B. – B14
VASTUM – INWARD TO GETHSEMANE
L.F.T. – HOLLOW HEAD
MORTUARY DRAPE – BLACK MIRROR
BAR ITALIA – TRACEY DENIM
PORTRAYAL OF GUILT – DEVIL MUSIC
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<< HADLEY HENDRIX >>
(Belmont)
1. Laurel Halo – Atlas
2. Ryuichi Sakamoto – 12
3. Yo La Tengo – This Stupid World
4. Kate NV – Wow
5. Deerhoof – Miracle-Level
6. Everything but the Girl – Fuse
7. Sparks – The Girl Is Crying in Her Latte
8. Actress – LXXXVIII
9. Pylon – Chomp (repress)
10. Anatomy of a Fall (movie)
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<< JON MASSEY >>
(Wicker Park & Belmont)
i think i missed a lot of good music this year but i did find time to listen to some Albums.
asterisk means we carry/carried it here at the shop
→ Here are the ones i listened to “A Lot”:
*Various – Spirit Cry Flutes and Bamboo Jews Harps from Papua New Guinea (Ideologic Organ) – spent alot of 2023 with bad tinnitus and this was the only music i found soothing at all. Half of the tracks is just dudes going “boing boing boing” on a mouth harp and then the other half is chirruping bamboo flutes. It’s seriously something else. Anyone interested in hearing something they’ve never heard before must cop
*The Tubs – Dead Meat (Trouble…) – “ex Joanna Gruesome” always makes the year end list
*Laurel Halo – Atlas (Awe) – i think i would call this “Ambient Plus”
*Ratboys – The Window (Topshelf) – “The Gang Makes An Album With Chris Walla”
*Various – Canto A Lo Divino (Mississippi) – gorgeous billion string guitar music. Probably all about Jesus but guess what so are Sufjan Stevens albums
*Asher White – New Excellent Woman (Ba Da Bing) – kind of elephant six-y textures married to really rich harmonies and lyrics
*Yo La Tengo – This Stupid World – Gods favorite band
Curling – No Guitar – this band is sick as hell
*Hydroplane – Selected Songs 1997-2003 (World Of Echo) – great retrospective from ex-Cat’s Miaow members thats somewhere between clasico indie pop and trip-hop.Thank you World of Echo, very cool!
*Erik Hall – Canto Ostinato (Western Vinyl) – this piece by Simeon Ten Holt has been recorded 1,0000 times but this version really takes it all the way into “library-based period drama soundtrack” territory
Frog – GROG – Frog’s back
→ Special award for great albums by local bands
You Are The Garden – Six Leaf Clover
Prathloons – Live Loons: The Bronze 8.4.23
*Ok Cool – Fawn – ive never felt older than when i saw this band live and they covered “A-Punk”
Model Living – Alignment
Doom Flower – Limestone Ritual (Record Label)
Half Gringa – Ancestral Home
*Tom Musick – The Many Moods of… – see you at Weegees
→ Here are albums i liked in theory and listened to a couple times and now theyre on this list:
// “normal person” category
*Subsonic Eye – All Around You (Topshelf, natürlich) – what’s going on in Singapore??
*@ – Mind Palace Music (Carpark) – new innovations in ungoogleability
*En Attendant Ana – Principia (Trouble in Mind)
*Black Country New Road – Live at Bush Hall (Ninja Tune) – i will NOT put the comma in this band name. do not ever ask me to do that
*L’Rain – I Killed Your Dog (Mexican Summer)
*Julie Byrne – The Greater Wings (Ghostly)
// “record store employee” category
*Masahiro Takahashi – Humid Sun (Telephone Explosion)
*Martinou – Chiral (Nousklaer) – fell off the dance music train in 2023. I will do better next year
*American Analog Set – For Forever (Darla) – strips away the gauzy production & showcases the evil side of what many people are calling “Death Cab for people still renting in their 30s”
*Mike Cooper – Life & Death in Paradise (Reissue)
*Drop Nineteens – Hard Light (Wharf Cat)
*Beau Wanzer + Champagne Mirrors – Gub (Sophomore Lounge)
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<< ZACH WAGENFUEHR >>
(Belmont)
If I Promise – On Departure (self-released)
Model/Actriz – Dogsbody (True Panther)
Cicada – Seeking the Sources of Streams (flau)
Tim Hecker – No Highs (Kranky)
Parannoul – After the Magic (Topshelf)
Lia Kohl – The Ceiling Reposes (American Dreams)
Mu tate – They’re With You Always (3XL)
Yo La Tengo – This Stupid World (Matador)
The Necks – Travel (Northern Spy)
Flooding – Silhouette Machine (Ghost Is Clear)
Purelink – Signs (Peak Oil)
Infant – Sigla, Sone (Warm Winters)
Wednesday – Rat Saw God (Dead Oceans)
Euclid C Finder – The Mirror, My Weapon, I Love You (Dark Trail)
Billy Woods & Kenny Segal – Maps (Backwoodz)
Rolin/ Pulice/ Powers – Prism (Cached)
Diles Que No Me Maten – Obrigaggi (Come Algo)
Sundae Painters – Sundae Painters (Leather Jacket)
Hashirat – A Place To Myself (self-released)
Asha Sheshadri – Whiplash (Recital)
Bar Italia – Tracey Denim (Matador)
Sprain – The Lamb as Effigy (The Flenser)
Erik Hall/ Simeon ten Holt – Canto Ostinato (Western Vinyl)
Great Falls – Objects Without Pain (Neurot)
Arooj Aftab, Vijay Iyer, & Shahzad Ismaily – Love in Exile (Verve)
Gridlink – Coronet Jupiter (Willowtip)
Onewaymirror – Onewaymirror (Zegema Beach)
Approaching Mountains – Ley (self-released)
herlovebeheadsdaisies – carving initials (self-released)
Feeble Little Horse – Girl With Fish (Saddle Creek)
Hysterical Love Project – Lashes (Motion Ward)
iANO – What Will We See (Dismiss Yourself)
Gia Margaret – Romantic Piano (Jagjaguwar)
Oldstar – On the Run (Rope Bridge)
Martyna Basta – Slowly Forgetting, Barely Remembering (Warm Winters)
Zorn – Zorn (Furo Bungy)
Ex Pilots – Ex Pilots (Smoking Room)
Voice Actor – Fake Sleep (Stroom)
Arthur Russell – Picture of Bunny Rabbit (Audika) *archival
7038634357 – Neo Seven (Blank Forms)
Old Saw – Sewn the Name (Lobby Art)
Raphael Roginski – Talan (Instant Classic)
The Motifs – I’m the Only One You Love… (Daisart) *archival
Gigi Masin/ Rod Modell – Red Hair Girl at Lighthouse Beach (13)
Kitchen – Breath Too Long (okwhatever)
Masahiro Takahashi – Humid Sun (Telephone Explosion)
Alice Phoebe Lou – Shelter (self-released)
what is your name? – My Name Is… (5am)
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<< ANDREW MIN >>
(Loop)
-replacements – tim (let it bleed edition)
–yeah not a new lp but hearing this incredible new mix from ed stasium, it might as well be.
-yeule – softscars
–such well crafted, intricately produced and personal music. As catchy as it is great headphone music.
-a.s.o – a.s.o.
–if u dig on trip-hop, u dig on this new duo out of berlin.
-hotline tnt – cartwheel
–sick guitar driven lp out on third man records. like blown out teenage fanclub. sugary melodies/scuzzed out production.
-caroline polachek – desire, i want to turn into you
–scratches my frou frou/imogen heap pop itch. probably the best vocalist in the game.
-bully – lucky for you
–her 4th lp might be her best yet. emotional and sooo hooky. the kind of record that makes u immediately check for tour dates.
-pinkpantheress – heaven knows
–great debut of bedroom dnb pop tunes. simultaneously feels nostalgic and like the future.
-grian chattan – chaos for the fly
–poetic and intimate solo offering from fontaines dc frontman. engaging on a totally different level but just as excellent.
-anohni & the johnsons – my back was a bridge for you to cross
–i feel this is her most accessible and moving lp yet which i think is saying a lot! as haunting as it is uplifting.
-vyva melinkolya – unbecoming
–best shoegaze release of the year, all enveloping, comforting and heavy.
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<< STEVEN RAHMAN >>
(Loop)
In 2023 I found these things worth discussing or recommending to other peoples:
–Don’t miss the opening/ support acts. I finally got to see the Smoking Popes featuring one former co-worker (Hi Eli!), & a few bands I hadn’t really heard before, including Teenage Halloween (from New Jersey), who absolutely killed during their set, so much so, I went & bought a shirt. If you like power-pop like Pup, but with a little more Punk influence, you’ll love Teen Ween’s 2023 record Til You Return.
–The best beat boxer I’ve ever seen live plays bass for Phum Viphurit. This is probably hyperbole, I’ve seen both Doug E. Fresh & Rahzel, but during Phum’s set at the House of Blues this unassuming but awesome bassist took center stage while Phum & the rest of the band took a break. Pom Tanapon picked up a mic & for 4 or 5 minutes the whole crowd sat transfixed as we saw the worldwide appeal of hip-hop music. It was such a cool little scene, a massive departure from the band’s normal psychedelic, summery, soul-adjacent guitar music, which you can hear on the record Viphurit dropped earlier this year on The Greng Jai Piece.
–50 years in Hip Hop keeps growing & expanding. Some of the best rapping I heard all year came fromwomen. Big Boss Vette on Resilience, KenTheMan on Back to 304’n, Chika on Samson, & Flyana Boss on Hello Christ…; all of these sets have incredible performances on the mic. We also got some great “grown man raps” from acts that I really love to hear from: Black Milk dropped Everybody Good, Black Thought teamed up with El Michels Affair for Glorious Game, Oddisee gave us To What End, & Open Mike Eagle’s another triumph… all took approaches that we don’t always get to see in hip hop. We also got some excellent documentation, May the Lord Watch from Rap Portraits & What Had Happened Was season 4 from Stony Island Audio.
–This was a pretty good year for R&B & Soul music. I went looking for good R&B this year, & boy howdy did I find it. Victoria Monet with Jaguar II, Jordan Ward with Forward, & Leon Thomas with Electric Dusk. And those are just the 3 I liked best. Each has a different vibe, each has a different approach, but they make you want to move, to feel & sing along.
– We were due for a ska revival & I think it’s here! I for one welcome this development. It’s a good time for Bad Times Records who put a tour on with Kill Lincoln, We Are the Union, Catbite, & J. Navarro & the Traitors this year & also released Flying Racoon Suit Moonflower. We also got an ep from Fishbone, & a ripper of a record from ska-adjacent Jeff Rosenstock with Hellmode. There’s a lot of DIY pop music happening out there right now & I’m glad people are still making fun music for fun’s sake.
I’m sure I missed something, but that’s what I remember from this year… Cheers!
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<< DYLAN SOWLE >>
(Belmont)
Hole Dweller – “Crossroads” (Dungeons Deep)
Death’s Dynamic Shroud – “After Angel” (Ghost Diamond)
Parannoul – “After The Magic” (Topshelf)
Oneohtrix Point Never – “Again” (Warp)
Bell Witch – “Future’s Shadow Part 1: The Clandestine Gate” (Profound Lore)
Fucked Up – “One Day” (Merge)
Asian Glow & Sonhos Tomam Conta – “Dreamglow” (Longinus Recordings)
Oozing Wound – “We Cater To Cowards” (Thrill Jockey)
En Attendant Ana – “Principia” (Trouble In Mind)
Sadness & Abriction – “Sadness // Abriction” (Canti Erectici Productions)
Squid – “O Monolith” (Warp)
Time Is Away [Various Artists] – “Searchlight Moonbeam” (Efficient Space)
Quest Master – “Sword & Circuitry” (Out Of Season)
Caroline Polachek – “Desire, I Want To Turn Into You” (Perpetual Novice)
Sufjan Stevens – “Javelin” (Asthmatic Kitty)
The Armed – “Perfect Saviors” (Sargent House)
Mort Garson – “Journey To The Moon & Beyond” (Sacred Bones)
Ratboys – “The Window” (Topshelf)
Tim Hecker – “No Highs” (Kranky)
Honorable Mention: Miserable People – “Miserable EP” (Rat’s Pizza) [This is my band’s tape and I’m using my year-end list to advertise it to you, dear reader. I do think it’s pretty good though.]
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<< NATHAN BROWN >>
(Loop)
Albums I Liked in 2023 (No Particular Order)
Maps – Kenny Segal and Billy Woods
Am I Good Enough – Jabee
2MM Don’t Just Stand There – Sideshow
A.S.O – A.S.O
tracey denim – Bar Italia
Call Me if You Get Lost: The Estate Sale – Tyler, the Creator
Skinemaxxx – Fly Anakin
Saturday nights – Carrtoons
Swinging Stars – Mapache
Ways of Knowing – Navy Blue
Voir Dire – Earl Sweatshirt and The Alchemist
Faith is A Rock – MIKE and Wiki
Snaxxx – Mndsgn
PS: I had the pleasure of working on one of my favorite albums of this year POTE BABY By Devin. It’s a shameless self-promo, but so much of my year was spent with some of my best friends making some music that we are incredibly proud of. Please check it out if you want.
EPs/Singles I Liked this Year (No Particular Order)
Flying High – The Alchemist
18 Tons – Smut
Scaring the Hoes: DLC Pack – JPEGMAFIA
New Heart Designs – Turnstile and BADBADNOTGOOD
Crush on You – Madlib
I Want More (Telemakus Remixes) – Sons of the James
Do you? But it’s only the best part – Marigold
Igy – Dj Harrison
Human Nature – Saba
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<< ANTHONY ILLARDE >>
(Belmont)
THE ACTION Rolled Gold (Guerssen LP)
ALESSANDRO ALESSANDRONI Storie Di Guerra (Holy Basil LP)
BUTCHER’S DOG Age Of Inversion (Violent Pest 7″)
THE DAMNED Darkadelic (Ear Music LP)
MORT GARSON Journey To The Moon And Beyond (Sacred Bones LP)
LIFE SENTENCE Demos (Alonas Dream 7″)
KURT MICHAELS Stones From The Garden (Melodic Revolution CD)
SUPERCHUNK Everything Hurts / Making A Break (Merge 7″)
DAVE SWANSON’S MYSTERY AIRSHIP D.S.M.A (Neon Cat CD)
VANISHING TWIN Afternoon X (Fire LP)
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<< SPENCER SILLS >>
(Belmont)
Sit Down For Dinner– Blonde Redhead
This Stupid World– Yo La Tengo
Welshpool Frillies– Guided By Voices
Everything is alive– Slowdive
Black Duck– Black Duck
C- Rex (reissue)
In Ribbons– Pale Saints (reissue)
Gasms– Smokey Robinson
Mogwai reissues (namely Young Team, Come On Die Young, and Government Commissions)
Happiness– Fridge (reissue)
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<< REY SAFLOR >>
(Belmont)
1. LOMA PRIETA – LAST
2. WEDNESDAY – RAT SAW GOD
3. FEEBLE LITTLE HORSE – GIRL WITH FISH
4. FLOODING – SILHOUETTE MACHINE
5. LARRY JUNE & THE ALCHEMIST – THE GREAT ESCAPE
6. THE ARMED – PERFECT SAVIORS
7. PORTRAYAL OF GUILT – DEVIL MUSIC
8. BILLY WOODS & KENNY SEGAL – MAPS
9. ZULU – NEW TOMORROW
10. FIRE-TOOLZ – I AM UPSET BECAUSE I SEE SOMETHING THAT IS NOT THERE
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<< MATT JENCIK >>
(Wicker Park)
André 3000 New Blue Sun
Ellen Arkbro Sounds While Waiting
A.S.O. A.S.O.
Meg Baird Furling
Björk & Rosalia Oral
Black Sun Ensemble Black Sun Ensemble reissue
Blonde Redhead Sit Down For Dinner
Blood Incantation Luminescent Bridge
Bar italia Tracey Denim
Lucinda Chua Yian
Shana Cleveland Manzanita
John Coltrane & Eric Dolphy Evenings At the Village Gate
Depeche Mode Memento Mori
Drop Nineteens Hard Light
Enslaved Heimdal
FACS Still Life In Decay
Laurel Halo Atlas
PJ Harvey I Inside the Old Year Dying
Horrendous Ontological Mysterium
Nabihah Iqbal Dreamer
Mag-Amplitude Wizards of Today
Midwife & Vyva Melinolya Orbweaving
Minor Threat Out of Step Outtakes
Mortuary Drape Black Mirror
Niecy Blues Exit Simulation
Nighttime Keeper Is the Heart
Arvo Pärt Tractus
Shizuka Heavenly Persona reissue
Slowdive Everything Is Alive
Stella Kola Stella Kola
Tirzah Trip9love…???
Tomb Mold Enduring Spirit
The Tubs Dead Meat
The Who Who’s Next / Life House: Super Deluxe Edition
Worm Gloomlord reissue
Neil Young Chrome Dreams
Neil Young Somewhere Under the Rainbow
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<< JAMIE DRIER >>
(Wicker Park)
A.S.O. – A.S.O.
7038634357 – Neo Seven
Tirzah – Trip9love…???
Gia Margaret – Romantic Piano
JK Flesh – No Exits
Zaumne – Parfum
Julie Byrne – The Greater Wings
Immediate Proximity – IMPROX 1+2
Hollie Kenniff – We All Have Places That We Miss
Suchi – Birdy Bell
Ciel – Orlando
Tzusing – Invincible East
Nick Cave & Warren Ellis – Blonde (soundtrack)
YoshimiOizumikiYoshiduO – To The Forest To Live A Truer Life
V/Z – Suouno Assente
Hilary Woods – Acts Of Light
Niecy Blues – Exit Simulation
KMRU – Dissolution Grip
Svitlana Nianio – Transilvania Smile, 1994
BCMC – Foreign Smokes
Paavoharju – Yon Mustia Kukkia
Flora Yin-Wong – Cold Reading
Martinou – Chiral
Midwife & Vyva Melinkolya – Orbweaving
Romance – Fade Into You
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<< LEA BOARD >>
(Belmont & The Salt Shed)
In no particular order, just some albums I really liked:
Yves Tumor: Praise A Lord Who Chews But Which Does Not Consume
Skrillex: Quest For Fire
JPEGMAFIA & Danny Brown: Scaring The Hoes
100 Gecs: 10,000 Gecs
Magdalena Bay: Mini Mix Vol. 3
Gel: Only Constant
Militarie Gun: Life Under The Gun
Model/ Actriz: Dogsbody
Uniform & Boris: Bright New Disease
White Reaper: Asking For A Ride
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<< BEN HEGY >>
(Wicker Park & Metric Coffee)
Eddie Chacon- sundown [stones throw]
Anna Meike- theatre [nettwerk]
Tirzah- trip9love…??? [domino]
Roselit Bone- ofrenda [get loud]
Slowdive- everything is alive [dead oceans]
Blue Lake- sun arcs [tonal union records]
Laurel Halo- atlas [awe]
Mandy, Indiana- i’ve seen a way [fire talk]
Kara Jackson- why does the earth give us people to love? [september]
Nourished by Time- erotic probiotic 2 [scenic route]
u-ziq- 1977 [balmat]
Kelela- raven [warp]
Gia Margaret- romantic piano [jagjaguwar]
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FRIENDS OF RECKLESS!
<< ALI BARTHWELL >>
(Writer for Last Week Tonight With John Oliver and Vulture)
Beyoncé – Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé (IMAX)
Miley Cyrus – Endless Summer Vacation
Kara Jackson – Why Does the Earth Give Us People to Love?
Kylie Minogue – Tension
Janelle Monáe – The Age of Pleasure
Olivia Rodrigo – Guts
Talking Heads – Stop Making Sense (IMAX)
Jessie Ware – That! Feels Good!
Various Artists – Barbie: The Album
Suits: Seasons 1-9 (Netflix)
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<< EMILY ELHAJ >>
(Chicago musician & Reckless alum)
ALBUMS
Dina Ögon Oas (Playground Music)
Natural Information Society Since Time Is Gravity (Eremite)
Sluice Radial Gate (Ruination)
ÆON FLUX boxset (Waxwork)
Angel Olsen Forever Means (Jagjaguwar)
PJ Harvey I Inside the Old Year Dying (Partisan)
Fielded Plus One (Backwoodz Studioz)
Dream Sitch, Michael Nau, Floating Action Long Rattle (Airloom)
Rahill Flowers At Your Feet (Big Dada)
Josiah Steinbrick For Anyone That Knows You (Unseen Worlds)
Tirzah trip9love…??? (Domino)
V/A Blacklips Bar: Androgyns & Deviants – Industrial Romance for Bruised and Battered Angels, 1992–1995 (Anthology)
Alice Phoebe Lou Shelter (self)
BC Camplight The Last Rotation of Earth (Bella Union)
Youth Lagoon Heaven Is A Junkyard (Fat Possum)
Spencer Cullum Coin Collection 2 (Full Time Hobby)
Feist Multitudes (Polydor)
Fantasy Dub & Sofia Bolt “Rendez-vous”
Sven Wunder Late Again (Piano Piano)
Dim s/t EP (Physical Medium)
Mac DeMarco Five Easy Hot Dogs & One Wayne G (MRL)
Yo La Tengo This Stupid World (Matador)
Peel Dream Magazine Magic Is Pocketed (Slumberland)
Grupo Frontera y Bad Bunny “un x100tu” (Rimas)
Mapache Swinging Stars (Innovative Leisure)
Danava Nothing But Nothing (Tee Pee)
V/A All Micro Ambient Music: Tribute to Ryuichi Sakamoto (Micro Ambient Music)
Now And Blue Space Is Burning Noon (Sloth Mate)
FURZE “Foresee His Infernal Rites” (self)
Conrad Clipper 降雨 / Rainfall (self) 2022
Dick Stusso S.P. (Hardly Art)
Daniel Lanois Belladonna (MNRK)
Duster Remote Echoes (Numero)
Voice Actor Fake Sleep (Stroom)
Jonathan Wilson Eat the Worm (self)
Niecy Blues Exit Simulation (Kranky)
Lou Tides Infinite Loop EP (self)
Charles Curtis Performances & Recordings 1998-2018 (Saltern)
Purelink Signs (Peak Oil)
Chatham Rise “Splinter” (self)
Bruce Adams You’re With Stupid (University of Texas Press) 2022 Book
REISSUES
Bowery Electric Beat (Kranky)
Michael Hurley Sweetkorn (Mississippi)
Manuel Göttsching Inventions For Electric Guitar (MG Art)
Tresa Leigh I Remember (Efficient Space)
Alain Goraguer La Planéte Sauvage (C.A.M.)
Kuku Sebsibe s/t (Little Axe)
Julee Cruise Floating Into the Night (Sacred Bones)
SHOWS
Mdou Moctar, Brunswick Ballroom
Bikini Kill, Golden Plains Festival
Crumb, Nine Lives Festival
Caroline Rose, The Fonda
Sofia Bolt, Gold Diggers
The Cure, Hollywood Bowl
Amyl & The Sniffers, Rock en Seine
The Strokes, Forest Hills Stadium
Yeah Yeah Yeahs, All Points East
Erin Rae, Tee Gee
Kara Jackson, Regency Ballroom
Cass McCombs, End of the Road
Angel Olsen, Hollywood Forever
Project Pat, Zebulon
Natural Information Society, Thalia Hall
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<< MARYA E. GATES >>
(Chicago film critic/writer at RogerEbert.com, The Playlist and more)
100 gecs – 10,000 gecs
Beach House – Become
Blur – The Ballad of Darren
Bob Dylan – Shadow Kingdom
Caroline Polachek – Desire, I Want To Turn Into You
Iggy Pop – Every Loser
Janelle Monáe – The Age of Pleasure
Kelela – Raven
Kara Jackson – Why Does the Earth Give Us People To Love?
Lana Del Rey – Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd
Mandy, Indiana – I’ve Seen A Way
Mitski – The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We
Neil Young and Crazy Horse – All Roads Lead Home
Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – Council Skies
Olivia Rodrigo – Guts
Ryuichi Sakamoto – 12
Sigur Rós – Átta
Sufjan Stevens – Javelin
Willie Nelson – I Don’t Know a Thing About Love
Yo La Tengo – This Stupid World
Youth Lagoon – Heaven Is A Junkyard
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<< ED HYNDS >>
(Matador Direct)
Here are my top picks for ’23:
Jonnine – Maritz
COBRAH – SUCCUBUS
MC Yallah – Yallah Beibe
WaqWaq Kingdom – Hot Pot Totto
Spivak – You Win Again
COUCOU CHLOE – FEVER DREAM
Saeko Killy – Morphing Polaroids
Fever Ray – Radical Romantics
Tirzah – Trip9love
The Umlauts – Slags
Tkay Maidza – Sweet Justice
Stinky Jim – Social Awareness – The Remixes
Sampha – LAHAI
Nervous Gender – Music From Hell (reissue)
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<< ANDY LARSEN >>
(Matador Direct)
Suishou No Fune – The wind is spring. There is a rainbow in the sky. Love is hiding in the waves.
Vanishing Twin – Afternoon X
Wolf Eyes and Model Home – More Difficult
S*Glass – Cesspool of the Angels
Nakibembe Embaire Group – Nakibembe Embaire Group
Emahoy Tsege-Mariam Gebru – Jerusalem
Shizuka – Heavenly Persona
Pharoah Sanders – Pharoah
Kali Malone – Does Spring Hide Its Joy
Ryuichi Sakamoto –12
John Coltrane with Eric Dolphy – Evenings At The Village Gate
Sarah Davachi – Long Gradus
Les Rallizes Denudes – CITTA’ ‘93
Milford Graves with Arthur Doyle & Hugh Glover – Children Of The Forest
Reverend Kristin Hayter – Saved!
Clara! – Pulso
Spiral Dub – Spiral Dub
Dorothy Ashby – With Strings Attached
Augustus Pablo – Roots, Rockers, & Dub
Tyvek – Overground
Tozibabe – Discography 1984-1986
Rrose- Please Touch
Sonic Youth – Live In Brooklyn 2011
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<< DAVID MARTIN >>
(Supporter of Record Stores/ Tour Manager for hire)
NEW RECORDS
Thee Retail Simps – Live on Cool Street – Total Punk
Cheater Slicks – Ill Fated Cusses – In The Red
Divine Horsemen – Bitter End Of A Sweet Night – In The Red
Lewsberg – Out And About – 12XU
Tyvek – Overground – Ginko
Lankum – False Lankum – Rough Trade
Facs – Still Life In Decay – Trouble In Mind
Sundae Painters – S/T – Leather Jacket
Meg Baird – Furling – Drag City
Lifeguard – Dressed In Trenches / Crowd Can Talk – Matador
Star/Time – Like An Owl Exploding – Means Of Production
CIA Debutante – Down Willow – Siltbreeze
Barbara Manning – Charm of Yesterday…Convenience of Tomorrow – Ba Da Bing
Lower Plenty – No Poets – Bedroom Suck
XV – On The Creek Beds On The Thrones – Ginko
Rocket 808 – House of Jackpots – 12XU
The Native Cats – The Way On Is The Way Off – Chapter Music
Famous Mammals – Instant Pop Expressionism Now – Siltbreeze
Cindy – Why Not Now? – Mt. St. Mtn. / Tough Love
Emily Robb – If I Am Misery Then Give Me Affection – Petty Bunco
Mary Lattimore – Goodbye Hotel Arkada – Ghostly
Armand Hammer – We Buy Diabetic Test Strips – Fat Possum
Natural Information Society – Since Time Is Gravity – Eremite
Xylouris White – The Forest In Me – Drag City
Son of Dribble – Son Of Dribble Against The Wind – Minimum Table Stacks
Sharp Pins – Turtle Rock – Tall Texan
Feeling Figures – Migration Magic – Perennial / K Records
Fastbacks – Z2 – No Threes
Dippers – Clastic Rock – Goner Records
Fairytale – Shooting Star – Toxic State
Civic – Taken By Force – ATO Records
Billy Woods & Kenny Segal – Maps – Backwoodz Studios
REISSUES
Weak Signal – War & War – 12XU
High Rise – III – Black Editions
Sonic Youth – Live in Brooklyn – Silver Current Records
White Heaven – Strange Bedfellow – Black Editions
Gee Gee Decorator- S/T – Coq Au Vinyl
INU – Don’t Eat Food – Mesh Key
Peter Gutteridge – Pure – Superior Viaduct
Graeme Jefferies – I’m Not Listening To Your Station – Cakekitchen Records
Tolerance – Divin & Anonym – Mesh Key
Peter Jefferies – Closed Circuit – Grapefruit
Dream Syndicate – Days of Wine and Roses box – Fire
Violin Sect – Vile Insect – Minimum Table Stacks
Zyklon B Zombies – Skull – Minimum Table Stacks
Francisca Griffin – The Spaces Between – CocoMuse
Bettie Serveert – Palomine – Matador
Playthings – S/T – Leather Jacket
Tyvek – Blunt Instrumentals – Ginko
The Sheaves – Excess Death Cult Time – Minimum Table Stacks
Da Slyme – If There’s No Rubble, You Haven’t Played – Celluloid Lunch
Dizzee Rascal – Boy In Da Corner – XL Recordings
V/A – If There’s Hell Below – Numero Group
My Dad Is Dead – Pow! / Peace Love & Murder – Scat
Shizuka – Heavenly Persona / III – Black Editions / Concentric Circles
PG Six – Parlor Tricks and Porch Favorites – Amish
Mag-Amplitude – Wizards Of Today – Zaius Tapes
EPs/SINGLES
Blast – Damned Flame b/w Hope – Ancient Grease
Married FM – EP – Self Released
Body/Head – Come On – Open Mouth / Three Lobed
Non-Plus Temps – Dark On Harmon – Self Released
CIA Debutante – The Punch b/w The Garden – Digital Regress
Thee Retail Simps – Rubble – Goodbye Boozy
Rat Nip – My Pillow – Song Book Records
Drain Brugs – Elevator b/w Nitghsifth (Mikey Young Remix) – Cannery Records
Secretors – Comparing Missile Size Vol. 1 – Roach Leg
Fastbacks – A Quiet Night – No Threes
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If you bought music from us or spent any time in our shops this year, we appreciate your support so much.
See you in 2024! — Reckless Records