New Releases & Staff Picks - 11/15/24

STAFF PICKS
Lindsay – Gillian Welch, St. Vincent, and Fidlar reissue
Dario – Pijama Piyama and Colin Stetson 
Kimber – Fruit Bats reissue
Jake – JPEGMAFIA, Fruit Bats reissue, and Fidlar reissue
Zach – MF DOOM reissue and Pijama Piyama
Ash – Pijama Piyama

Gillian Welch & David Rawlings – Woodland CD/LP (Acony)
New album by the preeminent songwriting team Gillian Welch & David Rawlings. Following up their homespun GRAMMY-winning release All The Good Times, this ambitious 10 song album mingles full band tracks with intricate duet performances all tied together with the duo's signature sound and remarkable lyricism. Woodland was recorded in Nashville, Tennessee at Welch and Rawlings' own Woodland Sound Studio (newly rebuilt after the 2020 tornado) and cements the duo's iconoclastic position at the forefront of acoustic music.

Pijama Piyama - Exclusivo 10"
Phoenix-based cumbia favorites release a super limited 10", hand screened, featuring artwork from DJentrification. Pijama Piyama began in 2019 as an imaginary collective of desert degenerates known as "El Grupo Afrutado". After a short period as a solo experimental project, Pijama Piyama transitioned into a full ensemble with members; Jonathan Saillant, Pablo Bastidas, Jeanine Salmeron, MertSalahi, Ben Wise, Pedro Cortez and sometimes Jessie Demaree. Inspired by Cumbias, Salsa,Frank Zappa and the world of psychedelica, their music aims to capture a playful amalgamation that spawns a synergy—a cheeky collision of tangible past and pixelated present. The band’s diverse sonic palette and infectious energy has brought them success performing alongside local and touring acts such as Tropa Magica, Cimba Funk, Levitation Room, the Mauskavik Dance Band, Phoenix AfroBeat Orchestra and more. After two years of performing and releasing their first full album “Pijama Piyama y Los Niños De Rana, the group is excited to share the release of the first Vinyl record titled “Pijama Piyama EXCLUSIVO”

MF DOOM – MM..FOOD (20th Anniversary Edition) 2xLP (Rhymesayers)
Originally released in 2004, MF DOOM's MM.FOOD is hailed as a classic hip-hop album full of inventive production, remarkable wordplay, and unique themes. Celebrated for its seamless blend of humor, wit, and social commentary, the album ushers listeners into a bizarre world of food-related metaphors, painting a bitterly comedic portrait of a life tainted by vice, violence, and jealousy. It was a brilliant and novel concept that gave DOOM plenty of room to explore the album's subjects. Throughout MM.FOOD, DOOM embeds complex ideas within seemingly simple narratives. Overall, MM.FOOD is both a social commentary and a piece of social satire, showcasing MF Doom's ability to blend serious themes with his unique, playful lyrical style. [A sweetart marble color vinyl pressing is available.] 

St. Vincent – Todos Nacen Gritando CD/LP (Virgin Music)
Triple-Grammy-winning iconoclast St. Vincent's All Born Screaming saw countless 5-star reviews. With Todos Nacen Gritando, she delivers a fully Spanish language version of her self-produced album. Inspired by passionate singalongs at her shows in Mexico, Spain and South America, Todos Nacen Gritando answers the question: "If they can sing along in a 2nd or 3rd language, why can't I meet them halfway?" [A translucent rose color vinyl pressing is available.]

Silkroad Ensemble with Rhiannon Giddens American Railroad –American Railroad CD (Nonesuch)
American Railroad, a new album from The Silkroad Ensemble with Rhiannon Giddens is the culmination of four years of research, collaboration, and music-making, having brought Silkroad artists all across the United States to uncover and uplift the stories of those who built the transcontinental railroad and connecting railways across North America." We shed light on those who have been erased or overlooked throughout American history and merge with it Silkroad's unique ability to amplify voices from a multitude of backgrounds and cultures," Giddens says. "The result is a tapestry of stories, traditions, and musics that have shaped our multifaceted cultural identity, and that must be heard and recognized. I hope audiences will leave with a clearer sense of where we come from, how we got here, what it cost us-and that we collectively reflect on where we're headed."

TV On The Radio – Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes[Reissue/2004] LP (Touch & Go)
This limited edition 20th-anniversary release adds five bonus tracks to the album, including two previously unreleased tracks—neither available in physical format nor on digital service providers: "Dry Drunk Emperor" (a 2005 studio track) and "Final Fantasy" (a 2004 album outtake). Opaque red colorway.

Colin Stetson - Uzumaki (Anime Original Series Soundtrack) LP (Milan)
Composer Colin Stetson (Hereditary, The Menu, Color Out of Space) delivers a mesmerizing original score that is deeply intertwined with Uzumaki’s haunting narrative of obsession and psychological horror. Utilizing his unique circular breathing technique and layers of woodwinds and strings, Stetson conjures an otherworldly, swirling soundscape that lingers long after the final note. Pressed on 180-gram black and white spiral picture disc vinyl and featuring custom artwork illustrated by Junji Ito himself, this collectible vinyl package is a must-have for any Uzumaki, Junji Ito, or Colin Stetson fan.

Alvvays - Alvvays LP 10th Anniversary LP (Polyvinyl)
10th Anniversary Edition pressed on clear and blue vinyl. Now remastered and reissued with deep cut "Underneath Us" to mark a glorious decade of deadpan jangle.

The Coward Brothers – The Coward Brothers CD/LP (New West)
The Coward Brothers are Elvis Costello and T-Bone Burnett. The exact relationship between Henry (T-Bone Burnett) and Howard Coward (Elvis Costello) remains ambiguous. They often referred to themselves as "One and a Half Brothers," which might hint at their height difference or imply they were not actually siblings but were involved in an elaborate ruse. Their musical partnership, known as The Coward Brothers, was initiated by Smiley "Doc" Snipson, who discovered Henry Coward in 1956 and signed him for a UK tour… Their music, from early rock and roll hits to later, more introspective songs, is compiled in the album, The Coward Brothers. After years of silence, their story was explored in a radio program, revealing the complexity of their relationship and their enduring bond. Despite their tumultuous history, their music remains a testament to their unyielding spirit. [An indie store exclusive licorice red color vinyl pressing is available.]

Sun Ra - Astro Black LP [Reissue/1973] (Modern Harmonic)
One of a handful of albums Sun Ra released on the legendary Impulse! label in the early '70s, Astro Black provides a comprehensive picture of where the Arkestra was around the time, drawing to the end of their ultra-free period and beginning to investigate more traditional jazz forms, and even the fringes of funk. Pressed on purple vinyl!

Sun Ra - Lanquidity LP [Reissue/1978] (Strut)
Strut proudly presents a special edition, deluxe repress of Sun Ra’s classic Lanquidity, for the 25th anniversary of the label. Housed in a tip-on sleeve with OBI strip, this new special editions features an A2 poster including a rare Veryl Oakland photograph of Sun Ra in his home, as well as liner notes by Tom Buchler (Philly Jazz), Michael Ray and Danny Ray Thompson (Sun Ra Arkestra) and Bob Blank.

Josh Rouse - Nashville LP [Reissue/2005] (Yep Roc)
Josh Rouse followed his acclaimed album, 1972, with Nashville, inspired by the city where he was living at the time. Working once again with Brad Jones, Josh delivers an album that both critics and fans praised. The sound expands on the sounds he explored on his previous album. It includes the songs, “Streetlights,” “Winter in the Hamptons”, “It’s the Nighttime”. Entertainment Weekly described this album as, "Persistently gorgeous. "

Less Than Jake – Uncharted CD/LP (Pure Noise)
Set sail for uncharted waters with ska-punk legends Less than Jake. Uncharted is a culmination of the band's latest singles, including "Brand New Day", "Not My Problem", "Walking Pipebomb", and "Broken Words", with the artwork coming together to complete the treasure map. [An indie store exclusive yellow/blue/beige tricolor vinyl pressing is available.]

Eilen Jewel - Butcher Holler LP (Signature Sounds)
Butcher Holler is named for the little Kentucky town where Loretta Lynn was raised. On the tribute album of the same name, acclaimed singer-songwriter Eilen Jewell pays homage to Lynn’s humble roots and timeless, hard-hitting writing and performance style. For the first time, Butcher Holler is now available on vinyl, remastered and expanded with three brand new tracks.

Linkin Park – From Zero LP (WB)
“Before Linkin Park, our first band name was Xero. This album title refers to both this humble beginning and the journey we're currently undertaking. Sonically and emotionally, it is about past, present, and future-embracing our signature sound, but new and full of life. It was made with a deep appreciation for our new and longtime bandmates, our friends, our family, and our fans. We are proud of what Linkin Park has become over the years, and excited about the journey ahead.” [An indie store exclusive translucent magenta color vinyl pressing is available.]

The Avett Brothers – Mignonette 2xLP [Reissue/2004] (Ramseur)
Mignonette offers what the band calls 'a musical statement in honesty.' The album title was inspired by an English tale about a 19th century sea captain who was severely punished because he couldn't help but tell the truth. The Avett Brothers hope an element of truth will be felt by everyone who hears the album; they believe its presence is the common thread of great music. Album adapted into a major Broadway show opening this fall. [An indie store exclusive silver color vinyl pressing is available.]

Fidlar - Fidlar LP [Reissue/2012] (Mom + Pop)
Reissue of FIDLAR's 2012 debut, on black and white splash vinyl.

Trees Speak – TimeFold CD/LP+MP3 (Soul Jazz)
Tucson-based Trees Speak return with TimeFold, further expanding their ever-evolving sonic universe. This new album builds on their signature blend of hypnotic krautrock rhythms, post-punk angularity, and experimental soundscapes while venturing into new terrain by blending influences from avant-garde electronics to ceremonial sound forms. 

Underworld – CD (Virgin)
Strawberry Hotel, the eleventh album from Underworld (and first since 2019's epic, experimental Draft project), features the singles, "and the colour red" and "Denver luna," as well as "Black Poppies," a celestial love song, a hymn to the universe and to boundless, positive change. Ambient and beatless, "Black Poppies" is a celebration of full dancefloors and the beauty of life itself. 

Jpegmafia – I Lay Down My Life For You LP (Peggy)
Jpegmafia, a trailblazing force in experimental hip-hop, releases his latest solo project, I Lay Down My Life for You. This album, his first since 2021, is a complex and innovative work that showcases his meticulous production skills. Featuring collaborations with Denzel Curry, Vince Staples, and Buzzy Lee, the album explores themes like capitalism, conscription, and propaganda through some of Jpegmafia's most anarchic raps to date. The release is accompanied by an extensive global tour, reinforcing his status as one of the genre's most incendiary talents. White colorway.

John Cale – The Academy In Peril [Reissue/1970] CD/LP+MP3 (Domino)
John Cale – Paris 1919 [Reissue/1973] CD/LP+MP3 (Domino)
John Cale was never very kind to his solo debut, Vintage Violence. When it was released in early 1970, Cale had been out of The Velvet Underground for less than two years. He wanted to prove he could be the songwriter, the person penning the words and melodies behind which a band could work. “I was masked on Vintage Violence,” he wrote much later. “You’re not really seeing the personality.” Indeed, Cale’s personality as a polyglot seemingly interested in everything emerged more and more on his next two solo albums, his only two for Reprise: 1972’s bracing and exploratory classical sojourn, The Academy in Peril, and 1973’s masterclass in anxious but accessible songcraft, Paris 1919. By reissuing both records in tandem affirms the artistic fearlessness Cale then fostered at the edge of 30, when all of music seemed like one inviting playpen.

Jimmy Dale and The Flatlanders – All American Music CD/LP (Omnivore Recordings)
The complete known recordings from Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Joe Ely, and Butch Hancock.

Xeno & Oaklander – Via Negativa (in The Doorway Light) CD/LP (Dais)
The eighth and latest slate of refined retro-futuristic synth-pop by Liz Wendelbo and Sean McBride aka Xeno & Oaklander is named after and inspired by "the study of what not to do, a negative image of a positive, the other side, the other:" Via Negativa (in The Doorway Light). Recorded in the fall of 2023 at their modernist Connecticut home fashioned into a two-story synthesizer laboratory and mixing studio, the album is uniquely visionary in spirit yet precision in execution, a contrast central to the duo's enduring chemistry. Embryonic piano sketches were translated to nuanced modular systems, which McBride weighted with "harmonic padding," tuned percussion, and a spectral transfer device capable of "rendering spasms of rhythmic overtonal filigree." Despite the technological complexity of their craft, emotively the songs require no deciphering - these are technicolor widescreen anthems of the cybernetic age.

Fruit Bats – Mouthfuls [Reissue/2003] LP (Jealous Butcher)
Limited edition indie retail pressing on straw colored vinyl with alternate album cover.

Warren Haynes – 2xLP (Fantasy)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Million Voices Whisper is the third Fantasy solo album (following Man In Motion and Ashes & Dust) by the remarkable musician/songwriter Warren Haynes. Enlisting an all-star core of support, including New Orleans-native Terence Higgins on drums, organist and keyboard wiz John Medeski, Mule bassist Kevin Scott, and genius guitarist Derek Trucks, Haynes has been inspired to craft his best work, eleven original songs that establish a high bar in a genre that could easily be termed modern classic rock. [An indie store exclusive canary yellow color vinyl pressing is available.] 

Magazine – Real Life [Reissue/1978] LP (Integral)
Magazine – Second Hand Delight [Reissue/1979] LP (Integral)
Magazine – The Correct Use Of Soap [Reissue/1980] LP (Integral)
Color vinyl reissues. Enduringly credible, Magazine has always been the music connoisseur's choice; frequently name checked by some of the most gifted musicians of recent years including Radiohead, Morrissey, Jarvis Cocker, U2, Johnny Marr and MGMT. Magazine's sound focused on the double barrels of Dave Formula's swirling keyboards and John McGeoch's ahead-of-its-time innovative guitar work, underpinned by Barry Adamson's pulsing yet deviously irregular basslines. Atop of this sat Howard Devoto's lyrics. Leading the vanguard of post-punk, they released four groundbreaking albums before disbanding.

Mary Chapin Carpenter -  Stones in the Road (30th ANNIVERSARY, EXPANDED) (DELUXE EDITION, HIGHLIGHTER YELLOW VINYL) (Real Gone)
How could this album, one of the biggest crossover country smashes of the ‘90s and a complete artistic triumph, remain a vinyl wallflower at this late date?! Here's a special 2-LP expanded highlighter yellow vinyl edition that includes an entire bonus side featuring a live performance from 1994, the same year Stones in the Road was released! The accolades and accomplishments of this record are almost too numerous to list here: #1 on the Country charts, Top 10 on the Billboard 200 Pop charts, a #1 Country hit with “Shut Up and Kiss Me,” other charting singles like “Tender When I Want to Be,” “House of Cards,” and “Why Walk When You Can Fly?”

Tuxedo - IV LP (Funk On Sight)
Bonding over a shared love of Parliament, Zapp and other signs in the greater funk Zodiac, Mayer Hawthorne (Aquarius) and Jake One (Taurus), collectively known as Tuxedo, return with their fourth studio album, Tuxedo IV. Their powers combined have yet again yielded a bevy of absolute slappers that are packaged perfectly for dance floors in 2024. Roll the Windows Down and turn the volume up. Tuxedo is Back 4 More so Don't Think Twice. - IV LP (Funk on Sight)

Major Lazer – Guns Don’t Kill People…Lazers Do [Reissue/2009] 2xLP (Mad Decent)
Making a crater-sized impact upon arrival in 2009, the music on Major Lazer's Guns Don't Kill People... Lazers Do has undoubtedly endured, sounding as fresh today as it did 15 years ago. Diplo and Switch's first full-length under the long-running moniker represented a pitch-perfect mix of effervescent dancehall, tangy electronic melodies, and beats so hard-hitting that they feel like they're leaping out of your speakers to give you a walloping themselves.  

Thelonious Monk Septet – Monk’s Music [Reissue/1957] LP (Craft Recordings)
Monk's Music is a 1957 album by legendary jazz pianist Thelonious Monk and his Septet. Reading like a who's who of jazz, the album features players including John Coltrane (tenor sax), Coleman Hawkins (tenor sax), Art Blakey (drums) and Ray Copeland (trumpet).

Sir – Seven Sundays [Reissue/2015] LP (Fresh Selects)
Clear ice blue colorway. For Sir, before the Grammy nominations, the world tours with Kendrick Lamar and SZA, the RIAA Gold singles, the TV appearances - there was Seven Sundays. Released independently with tastemaker label Fresh Selects in 2015, the break-through album would go on to gain the attention of TDE, who signed him shortly thereafter, and the rest is history. With its 10-year anniversary fast approaching - the album now stands not only as a testament to Sir's own talents, but also a snapshot of a burgeoning scene whose time had finally come.

Various -  Super Disco Pirata - De Tepito Para El Mundo 1965-1980 LP (Analog Africa)
During the 1980s, a group of music dealers and record collectors from Mexico City joined forces to create a series of illegally manufactured vinyl records containing rare and highly-sought hits from Perú, Ecuador, Colombia and beyond. These bootleg compilations – known as “pirata” – were pressed during graveyard shift on recycled vinyl in editions of no more than 500. The anonymous manufacturers may not have realised it at the time but they were helping to consolidate and expand a love for tropical music and dance among the population of Mexico City and beyond. The records became a key element of the sonidero culture that was recently declared as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Mexico City. The double-LP Super Disco Pirata compilation contains 23 tropical floor-fillers sourced from the finest and strangest pirata LPs and includes a large booklet containing extensive notes and photos.

Royal Trux - Hand Of Glory (Remastered) (SILVER VINYL) LP (Fire)
From a long-forgotten trunk; two extended jams, twin slabs, circa 1989. Continuing Fire Records’ series of classic remastered albums from Royal Trux, ‘Hand Of Glory’ is released on silver vinyl.

COMING NEXT WEEK!
KIM DEAL - Nobody Loves You More CD/LP
FATHER JOHN MISTY - Mahashmashana CD/LP
ADRIANNE LENKER - Once a Bunch / Who Can Say 7"
SMASHING PUMPKINS - Aghori Mhori Mei CD/LP
BLACK PUMAS - Live From Brooklyn Paramount CD/LP
KILLER MIKE - Michael and the Mighty Midnight Revival CD/LP
JEFF PARKER + ETA IVTET - Way Out Easy CD
MICHAEL KIWANUKA - Small Changes CD/LP
BODY COUNT - Merciless CD/LP
CAN - Live in Keele 1977 CD/LP
ZACH BRYAN - Great American Bar Scene CD/LP
FLAT DUO JETS - White Tees CD/LP
BOYS LIFE - Home Is A Highway LP
SIMON JOYNER - Coyote Butterfly LP
KING GIZZARD AND THE LIZARD WIZARD - Teenage Gizzard LP reissue
LA DISPUTE - Vancouver LP
ANT - Collection Of Sounds Vol 2 LP
BLACK STAR - No Fear Of Time CD/LP
LARRY JUNE - Doing It For Me LP
BILL CALLAHAN - Holy Grail: Bill Callahan's Smog Dec 10, 2001 LP
LYKKE LI - Never Learn LP 10th Anniv LP reissue
DEAN AND BRITTA + SONIC BOOM - Peace Of Us CD/LP
PAPA M - Ballads Of Harry Houdini LP
RUDIMENTARY PENI -  Pope Adrian 37th Psychristiatric LP
SUNN 0))) - Metta Benevolence BBC 6 Music LP
MEGAN THEE STALLION - Megan LP
SCISSOR SISTERS - Self titled LP reissue
DRIVE BY TRUCKERS - Ugly Buildings, Whores + Politicians LP
SABRINA CARPENTER - Evolution LP
SABRINA CARPENTER - Singular Act 1 LP
SABRINA CARPENTER - Singular Act 2 LP