New Release & Staff Picks - 3/29/24

STAFF PICKS
Lindsay - Chicano Batman
Dario - Jim White
Kimber - Ride and Jim White
Jake - Sea and Cake, Shabazz Palaces, and Ride
Zach - Chastity Belt, serpentwithfeet, and Kelly Moran

Ride – Interplay CD/2xLP/Cassette (Wichita Recordings)
Everything feels like it has been leading to Interplay, Ride's seventh album, the third since their 2015 reunion. It’s the sound of the group connecting all the dots, taking the frenzied guitar attacks, hypnotic grooves, and dreamy melodic hooks of their early work, and setting it to a more expansive sonic template, one that takes in synth flourishes, psychedelic folk, electronic beats, and noir-pop soundscapes. Interplay flows from start to finish, at times urgent and formidable, at others wistful and melancholic. It's the sound of a great British band hitting a second peak. It’s a record about perseverance, about sticking together, about finding a way forward. Nine years after coming back together, Ride keeps rewriting their story. [An indie store exclusive blue color vinyl pressing is available.]

Chicano Batman – Notebook Fantasy CD/LP (ATO)
Since forming in 2008, Chicano Batman have followed their own visionary impulses to tremendous heights—a journey that began at local dive bars and recently saw them co-headlining the legendary Hollywood Bowl. In the making of Notebook Fantasy, Chicano Batman worked with producer John Congleton (Erykah Badu, Death Cab For Cutie, St. Vincent) to double down on their hyper-creative tendencies, discovering new dimensions of their prismatic music while infusing the lyrics with an unflinching honesty. [A limited-edition clear vinyl pressing is available.]

Thee Sacred Souls – The Instrumentals LP (Penrose)
Limited red color vinyl pressing. Introducing the Instrumental album for Thee Sacred Soulsʼs critically acclaimed, self-titled debut, featuring instrumental versions of their hit singles, "Can I Call You Rose?", "Weak For Your Love", and "Future Lover".

Chastity Belt – Live Laugh Love CD/LP (Suicide Squeeze)
In their decade-plus together, the four-piece-Julia Shapiro (guitar, vocals), Lydia Lund (guitar, vocals), Gretchen Grimm (drums, vocals), and Annie Truscott (bass, vocals)-have created a resonant body of work. Live Laugh Love is a natural continuation. Against the bizarre backdrop of the past few years, Chastity Belt remained a supportive space for the members to grow and experiment, drawing on the ingredients most essential to their process since the beginning: authenticity and levity. [A color vinyl pressing is available.]

Aesop Rock – Daylight [Reissue/2002] CD/LP (Rhymesayers)
Originally released in 2002, Daylight EP was the follow-up to Aesop Rock's critically acclaimed Labor Days album, a cult classic released only six months prior. The EP was built around its titular opening song, "Daylight", one of the standout tracks from Labor Days, and continued expanding upon the range and depth of Aesop's multi-talented gifts for writing and producing. [An orange w/ blue smoke vinyl colorway is available.]

Big Boys – Where’s My Towel / Industry Standard [Reissue/1983] LP (Touch & Go)
Big Boys – Lullabies Help The Brain Grow [Reissue/1983] LP (Touch & Go)
Big Boys – No Matter How Long The Line Is At The Cafeteria There's Always A Seat! [Reissue/1985] LP (Touch & Go)
Color vinyl reissues. The Big Boys got their start in the late 1970's Austin punk scene. The band was fronted by the occasionally cross-dressing Randy "Biscuit" Turner, with Tim Kerr on guitar, Chris Gates playing bass, and a series of drummers - the best known of which is Rey Washam (Scratch Acid). Unlike the rest of the early hardcore scene of the day, they weren't afraid to stray away from superfast tempos in favor of some nice white boy skate funk. Beyond the funk tendencies, the band at times played an early brand of post-punk not unlike their contemporaries The Minutemen. Thanks to their inclusion on some of Thrasher magazine's first "skate comps," the Big Boys were hugely popular amongst the new 80's skate punk crowd.

serpentwithfeet – GRIP CD/LP (Secretly Canadian)
serpentwithfeet, the Baltimore born singer-songwriter, is taking natural steps as a versatile talent from chapter to chapter in his career. His third album GRIP is the result of these latest steps. GRIP finds its home on the dance floor of Black gay clubs and the intimate moments that happen there and afterward, no matter the location. It explores the small moments of physical touch and how they occur. Whether it be a grip around the waist or the face, serpentwithfeet manages to explore all angles. [A limited-edition clear vinyl pressing is available.]

Jim White - All Hits: Memories CD/LP (Drag City)
“Jim’s big green eyes search for the right tool (mallet, brush, etc), search you like you’re a song he wants to see if he can add to. The trap kit — so straightforward, so mysterious. Air and light, a vibration sent through prehistoric breath, particles of Saturn’s atmosphere, the dead, wet leaves you walked through...the first day of school....[All Hits: Memories] sets time free, [to] frolic, graze, and remember.” — Bill Callahan

Sea and Cake - Everybody [Reissue/2007] (Thrill Jockey)
A limited reissue of the LP is pressed on translucent “aluminum” color vinyl, packaged in a gatefold jacket with high gloss varnish, 16 page booklet, and free download card

Alejandro Escovedo – Echo Dancing CD/2xLP (Yep Rock)
“This record breathes a second life into these songs,” says Alejandro Escovedo of Echo Dancing, the Americana pioneer’s new album where he reconceptualizes the songs of his storied career. The variety of songs range from his short-lived rock quartet Buick MacKane, rarities from his ‘80s alt-country outfit The True Believers, to the celebrated songs of his solo discography from his debut album all the way to his most recent sprawling masterpiece, The Crossing. At age 73, Escovedo continues to reshape his ever-changing sound and experiment with the boundaries of Americana music. [A gold color vinyl pressing is available.]

Mr. Scruff – Ninja Tuna [Reissue/2008] 3xLP+MP3 (Ninja Tune)
The brilliant Ninja Tuna is the latest Mr. Scruff album to get a deluxe makeover. Originally released as a CD in 2008 it's now available for the first time on vinyl as a deluxe triple LP (with bonus tracks) pressed on bio-vinyl with infinity peelable tuna sticker on the cover spanning 18 slabs of "foot-tapping funk and ball-busting breaks" (Mixmag). Mr. Scruff plays the role of Skipper with consummate ease and leads a motley crew of guests including Roots Manuva, Quantic, Alice Russell, Andreya Triana, Danny Breaks, Pete Simpson, and Skuff & Inja.

Scott H. Biram – The One & Only CD/LP (Bloodshot)
On The One & Only Scott H. Biram showcases the singer's signature unapologetic style. Tracks like "No Man's Land" describe the hazards of growing up poor in a small Texas town, breathing the fumes from oil wells and brush fires. "Inside A Bar" captures the feel of an empty saloon on a slow Monday night. [A clear vinyl pressing is available.]

The Secret Sisters – Mind, Man, Medicine CD/LP (New West Recordings)
Grammy-nominated duo The Secret Sisters, made up of siblings Laura Rogers and Lydia Slagle, release their anticipated new album, Mind, Man, Medicine. Produced by The Secret Sisters, John Paul White and Ben Tanner (St. Paul and the Broken Bones, Lera Lynn), and recorded mainly at Muscle Shoals’ historic Fame Studios, Mind, Man, Medicine provides an intimate look into the lives of Laura and Lydia these last few years. Across these 11 tracks, including a collaboration with Ray LaMontagne (“All The Ways”), the sisters gracefully detail where they are now - a place of peace and calm - and the personal growth and experiences that led them there. [Several limited-edition versions are available, including autographed CD and an indie store exclusive opaque jade green color vinyl pressing.]

High Llamas - Hey Panda CD/LP (Drag City)
Opened up by the delirious alchemy of contemporary pop music, Sean O'Hagan leaps back into life with High Llamas, with a set of killer tunes reflecting on dimensional levels how definitions change over time. Arranged by Sean and produced with mix collaborator Fryars to engage the eardrums in non-stop new possibilities, Hey Panda radiates optimism inspired by the joys and sorrows felt in former lifetimes and the diverse conundrums of today alike. 

Nico – Desertshore [Reissue/1970] LP+MP3 (Domino)
Digitally remastered edition. 1970's Desertshore, like much of Nico's early work, has grown in stature with the passing of time. Hardly a pop album, the material stands alongside Chelsea Girl as some of her most accessible work, winning fans as diverse as Throbbing Gristle, Morrissey, Marc Almond, and Björk. Audio has been re-mastered from the original tapes.

Nico – Marble Index [Reissue/1968] CD/LP+MP3 (Domino)
Remastered from original tapes. Nico's haunting vocals predicted the gothic movement and co-producer and Velvet Underground's band mate John Cale's startingly modern classical production ensured The Marble Index's timeless appeal. The iconic music journalist Lester Bangs wrote, “The Marble Index is the greatest piece of 'avant-garde classical', 'serious' music of the last half of the 20th century so far,” and the New Yorker recently hailed both records as “austere miracles of will and invention.” [A stand-alone vinyl reissue of Desertshore is also available this week.]

Various Artists – The Virgin Suicides (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) [Reissue/2000] LP (Rhino)
The Virgin Suicides (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) features selections from Air, 10cc, Boston, Todd Rundgren, The Hollies, Al Green, Styx and more on vinyl. Sofia Coppola's directorial debut launched her signature remarkable use of soundtrack in her storytelling and was ranked among the 50 Best Films about High School in 2015.

Kelly Moran – Moves In The Field CD/LP+MP3 (Warp)
New York-based composer and producer Kelly Moran's intricate, experimental pieces transcend the piano's more traditional and classically imposed school of thought. On her new album Moves In The Field, Moran augments her pianistic abilities to superhuman levels to create a new strain of her singular experimental piano compositions. Hypnotic and emotive, the coming project solidifies Moran's role as one of the leading contemporary composers for the piano, constantly pushing the instrument's creative and sonic boundaries in the realms of classical and electronic music. [A clear vinyl pressing is available.]

Dent May – What’s For Breakfast? CD/LP (Carpark)
Every morning when Dent May wakes up, the first thing he says is, "What's for breakfast?" For the Los Angeles-based songwriter and pop auteur, this question is part inside joke with his girlfriend, part sitcom-style catchphrase, and part mantra about getting up every day and persevering in the face of good or bad is happening around you in your life. It's also the title of his sixth album. What's For Breakfast? is May's most immediate, nostalgic, and rollicking LP yet, one that's concerned with breaking daily routines and rediscovering the joys of songwriting. [A pink color vinyl pressing is available.]

Ratboys – The Window 2xLP (Topshelf)
Released last year on CD – now available on double pink and blue color vinyl. Ratboys have been recording and releasing music for over a decade, but their newest album, The Window, marks the first time they'd ever traveled outside their home base of Chicago to make a record, journeying to the Hall of Justice Recording Studio in Seattle to work with producer Chris Walla. The sessions with Walla (Death Cab For Cutie, Tegan and Sara, Foxing) struck the perfect balance between preparation and experimentation, injecting new life into the band's style of soft-hearted Midwestern indie rock with an ever so subtle Americana twist.

Stereolab – Aluminum Tunes (Switched On Volume 3) [Reissue/1998] 3xLP(Warp)
Aluminum Tunes is a collection of EPs and rarities from Stereolab, released in 1998. It is the third compilation in a series of rarities collections following Switched On and Refried Ectoplasm, and was stickered with the subtitle "Switched On, Volume 3".

Stereolab - Little Pieces Of Stereolab (a Switched On Sampler) CD (Warp)
A budget-priced introduction to the Switched On series, which was launched in 1992 as a way for the band to compile their many non-album tracks from one-off singles, split releases, compilation appearances, art installation commissions and more. Over the course of five volumes, the series has documented some of their best loved and most popular tracks, as well as fan favourites and intriguing deep cuts. Little Pieces… selects three tracks from each Switched On album, housed in a simple card wallet with bespoke artwork. As with the much more extensive 8CD boxset iteration, all the tracks have been remastered from the original tapes at Calyx in Berlin, personally overseen by Tim Gane.

Chrome - Scaropy LP (Cleopatra)
The incredible 13th studio album from one of the most influential experimental rock bands of the post-punk era, the surrealistic proto-industrialists Chrome! Still helmed by long-time Chrome guitarist and mastermind Helios Creed, this line-up welcomes back Hilary "Stench" Hanes who was Chrome's bass player for the band's classic '80s albums (Blood On The Moon, 3rd From The Sun, etc.) as well as familiar faces Tommy L. Cyborg, Aleph Omega, and Lou Minatti XIII! With a Stench brother back in the fold, Chrome have crafted a fiercely driven album that propels the listener forward through sonically twisted guitar noise and cascading synths for one of the most compelling recordings of the band's storied career! 

New Found Glory - Resurrection [Reissue/2014] LP (Hopeless)
Limited coke bottle green reissue of eighth studio album by New Found Glory.  

Clutch – Transnational Speedway League: Anthems, Anecdotes And Undeniable Truths [Reissue/1993] LP (Weathermaker Music)
New colorway.Transnational Speedway League: Anthems, Anecdotes And Undeniable Truths (often shortened to Transnational Speedway League) is the debut studio album by American hard rock band Clutch.

Godflesh – Post Self [Reissue/2017] LP (Avalanche Recordings)
Godflesh – A World Only Lit By Fire [Reissue/2017] LP (Avalanche Recordings)
Color vinyl reissues (blue and red, respectively) of the seventh and eighth albums by the industrial metal band.

Sarah Shook & The Disarmers – Revelations CD/LP (Abeyance)
Revelations is the most assured Sarah Shook and the Disarmers record yet because it so pointedly captures the gamut of the human experience: anger, sadness, confusion, love, and acceptance. It’s a document of Shook at the top of their game and a reflection of their own journey not just as a writer but as a person. “I’m a firm believer that if you are an artist, and you want to make better art, a big part of that isn't just exercising your musical skills, it’s growing as a human being,” says Shook. “So, every time I make a record, I want to be able to listen to it and look back on who I was then. I want to see this arc and this evolution. That's really f**king important to me.” [An indie store exclusive translucent orange w/ black swirl color vinyl pressing is available.]

Thievery Corporation – Saudade [Reissue/2014] LP (Primary Wave)
Limited transparent light blue color vinyl pressing. 2024 is the 10th Anniversary of Saudade - the seventh studio album from one of the most influential and respected names on the electronic/dance music scene, Thievery Corporation. This is the first record to be completely devoted to their Bossa Nova roots. Each track on Saudade is sung by one of five female vocalists - including LouLou Ghelichkhani, Elin Melgarejo, Karina Zeviani, Natalia Clavier, and Shana Halligan.

Ron Carter – Where? [Reissue/1961] LP (Craft Recordings)
Bass player Ron Carter's debut album Where? features Eric Dolphy (clarinet, sax, flute) and Mal Waldron (piano). The album was originally released in 1961 having been recorded at Rudy Van Gelder Studios in New Jersey.

Shabazz Palaces – Exotic Birds Of Prey CD/LP (Sub Pop)
Shabazz Palaces – Robed In Rareness CD/LP (Sub Pop)
Two new mini albums. Shabazz Palaces is masterminded by Ishmael Butler (Digable Planets), whose relentless drive to reimagine hip-hop - even as he enjoys his fifth decade on Earth - remains undiminished. When Robed In Rareness hit digital platforms in 2023, NPR Music called it "enchanting and subversive, " while Pitchfork observed that "the futurism of Shabazz Palaces has always been interwoven with the past and present, their songs scintillating tapestries of old-school shit talk, proggy psychedelia, and melodic flossing. Robed In Rareness is draped in this multiplicity as Butler and a team of close collaborators swagger across eras of rap." [Several “Loser Edition” vinyl colorways are available: translucent white and ruby red, respectively]. 

Tabor Mountain - Twilight Apologies LP (Related Records)
Tabor Mountain is a Northern California freak-pop songwriter that veers from synthpop to indie rock with splashes of eldritch samples and the best bits leftover from hair metal. Tabor Mountain is known for their unique recording process, every single sound is from a physical instrument - drum machines, real percussion, samples, keyboards (crappy yamahas preferred), guitar, bass and vocals; mediated through ancient rack systems exclusively procured by trading weed.

Sum 41 – Heaven :X: Hell 2xCD (Rise)
The final album from Canadian punk rock legends Sum 41. Spanning two discs and 20 tracks, the album features the singles “Landmines” and “Rise Up”. Since their inception in 1996, Sum 41 has been relentless, unapologetic, and unconcerned with musical boundaries. Their musical style has been described as an "eclectic meld of raucous punk-rock, thunderous heavy metal and straightforward rock" and that's certainly the case with their final album Heaven :X: Hell. [An indie store exclusive blue splatter color vinyl pressing is available.]

Comeback Kid - Trouble LP (Sharptone)
Over the last twenty years Comeback Kid have been hailed as one of the major counterparts when it has come to shaping and pioneering both the Canadian and international modern punk and hardcore sound and scene alike. Their Sharptone debut TROUBLE, featuring 4 brand new songs

Yot Club – Rufus CD (Alternate Side)
Ryan Kaiser has already made a name for himself creating daydreamy, sun-blasted, Polaroid-pop as Yot Club. With his second full-length, Rufus, Kaiser is expanding his sonic palette and challenging his own established modes of music making by letting collaborators in. The record includes co-writes with the likes of Tommy English (Carly Rae Jepsen, Kacey Musgraves), and singer Charli Adams, with Patrick Wimberly (formerly one-half of Chairlift) on mixing duties, and the result is a collection of songs that sounds bolder and brighter. From the shimmering surf-pop of opener “Stuntman” to the minor chord angst and quiet-loud-quiet pulse of "New Day", to The Strokesian swoon of album closer "Lazy Eyes", Kaiser lo-fi hooks have a new cinematic scope. It continues Kaiser's coming of age - looking back, picking it all apart, trying to work it all out, and constantly pushing forward. [A color vinyl pressing is available.]

COMING NEXT WEEK!
PHOSPHORESCENT - Revelator CD/LP
VAMPIRE WEEKEND - Only God Was Above Us CD/LP
BLACK KEYS - Ohio Players CD/LP
LIBERTINES - All Quiet On The Eastern Esplanade CD/LP
OLD 97S - American Primitive CD/LP
KATIE PRUITT - Mantras CD/LP
PERNICE BROTHERS - Who Will You Believe CD/LP
STILL CORNERS - Dream Talk CD/LP
MOUNT KIMBIE - Sunset Violent LP
FIELDS OF THE NEPHILIM - Elizium LP
SINKANE - We Belong CD/LP
KVB - Tremors CD/LP
ANIMAL COLLECTIVE - Prospect Hummer 12" reissue
FABIANA PALLADINO - Self Titled CD/LP
MATTHEW SHIPP - New Concepts In Piano Trio Jazz CD
CALEXICO - Feast Of Wire LP reissue
KHRUANGBIN - A La Sala LP
NOVO AMOR - Collapse List LP
DINOSAUR JR - Black Session: Live In Paris 1993 LP
FREDDIE GIBBS - You Only Live 2wice LP
CEDRIC BURNSIDE - Hill Country Love CD/LP
JORDANA (+TV GIRL) - Summer's Over LP