New Releases & Staff Picks - 11/22/24

STAFF PICKS
Lindsay – Kim Deal, Flat Duo Jets, and Killer Mike
Dario – Jeff Parker and Mount Eerie 
Kimber – Kim Deal
Jake – Father John Misty, Papa M, Mount Eerie, and Jeff Parker
Zach – Kim Deal, Michael Kiwanuka, and Mount Eerie
Ash – Modern Baseball 

Kim Deal – Nobody Loves You More CD/LP (4AD)
Nobody Loves You More is Kim Deal's debut album, although it's technically not her first release under her own name - she self-released a 5-part, 10-song 7" vinyl series in 2013, and beyond that, she's earned her stripes as early as the late ‘80s with bands Pixies and The Breeders. Sonically versatile and infectious, the record is a celebration of Deal's unmatched artistry, nodding not only to her career highlights with celebrated bands across the alternative landscape, but also to her immovable cultural weight, including her impact on current young musicians such Olivia Rodrigo (Deal and The Breeders supported her Guts World Tour this year).  [An indie store exclusive orange color vinyl pressing is available.]

Father John Misty – Mahashmashana CD/LP (Sub Pop)
After a decade being born, Josh Tillman is finally busy dying. Mahashmashana is the sixth album by Father John Misty.  It was produced by Josh Tillman and Drew Erickson. It was engineered and additionally produced by Michael Harris.  It was arranged by Drew Erickson.  It was performed by Josh Tillman, Drew Erickson, Jonathan Wilson, Dan Bailey, Eli Thomson, David Vandervelde, Chris Dixie Darley, Jon Titterington, and Kyle Flynn.  It was executive produced by Jonathan Wilson.It was recorded and mixed at Five Star and East/West , United and Drew's House. Mahasmasana - great cremation ground, all things going thither. [A blue mash-up color vinyl pressing is available.]

Killer Mike – Michael & The Mighty Midnight Revival: Songs for Sinners and Saints CD/LP (Loma Vista Recordings)
Michael & The Mighty Midnight Revival - Songs for Sinners and Saints, a 10-song collection (including “HUMBLE ME”) that provides a bookend to the 3-time GRAMMY-winning MICHAEL era and puts the speculation about the aftermath of February 4 to bed. A tumultuous period that opened up fertile ground for Mike’s creativity. He states "This is the epilogue to MICHAEL. This is what comes after Feb 4. I had a year to live with MICHAEL and realized I had more I wanted to do with this sound before moving on." [An indie store exclusive translucent ruby red color vinyl pressing is available.]

Michael Kiwanuka – Small Changes CD/LP (Geffen)
Small Changes is the eagerly anticipated follow-up to Michael’s eponymous third LP, the Mercury Prize-winning and Grammy Award-nominated, KIWANUKA. Small Changes was produced alongside Danger Mouse and Inflo, the team behind the globally acclaimed KIWANUKA and its equally acclaimed predecessor, Love and Hate, and reaffirms his status as one of the defining singer-songwriters of his generation. [An indie store exclusive green marble color vinyl pressing is available.]

Larry June – Doing It For Me LP (The Freeminded Recs)
Picture disc pressing. After dominating 2023 with two joint albums from two of hip-hop's biggest producers in The Alchemist (The Great Escape) & Cardo (The Night Shift), Larry June is back with his first full length offering of 2024, Doing It For Me. Going back to his roots of what made him the type of man he is today and the formula that initially brought him success, the album contains no features and focuses on Larry doing things his way, for himself. From enlightening listeners on how to move like a boss and live a healthy lifestyle, to flashing what his hard work has brought, fans are sure to be able to soak up some game on how to improve their own situations. 

Sabrina Carpenter – EVOLutoin [Reissue/2016] LP (Hollywood)
Sabrina Carpenter – Singular Act I [Reissue/2018] LP (Hollywood)
Sabrina Carpenter – Singular Act II [Reissue/2019] LP (Hollywood)
Vinyl reissues of the pop icon’s second, third, and fourth albums.

Megan Thee Stallion – Megan LP (300 Entertainment)
Two colorways: silver and indie store exclusive green. Megan's 3rd Studio self-titled album Megan features Glorilla, Victoria Monet, Kyle Ricch, and the reunion of UGK amongst others.

Body Count – Merciless CD/2xCD/LP (Century Media)
The pioneering rap metal band Body Count returns with their much-anticipated 8th album. Ice-T and his crew unleash their energy more than ever on the rage-filled 12-track record, Merciless. After persevering through personal tragedies, social opposition, and an army of naysayers, the group emerges bloody but unbroken-and with more rage than ever. "It's really about that point where you can't take any more and you're done," shares Ice-T about the album. With guest appearances by George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher (Cannibal Corpse), Joe Bad (Fit For An Autopsy), and Max Cavalera (Soulfly), Merciless offers enough firepower. [An indie store exclusive blue color vinyl pressing is available.]

Sunn 0))) - Metta, Benevolence BBC 6Music : Live on the Invitation of Mary Anne Hobbs LP (Southern Lord)
In late October 2019, following a successful UK tour ending in a sold-out concert at the mythical Roundhouse in London, SUNN O))) entered studio 4 of the BBC Maida Vale. On invitation to record a live session for Mary Anne Hobbs to be broadcast on Samhain via her excellent radio show on BBC6. To enter the legendary John Peel studios was to enter a temple of music and experimentation, liberty in ideas and sound. The band was nearing the end of a long touring year around the Life Metal and Pyroclast albums. SUNN O))) had developed the compositions extensively, embracing the formative concepts of the Life Metal album conceptually and emotionally, but actualised and evolved into vast, open and bright hypersaturated arrangements. 

John Waters - Jingle Bells b/w It’s A Punk Rock Christmas 7” (Sub Pop)
The A-side single features a parody version of The Singing Dogs’ “Jingle Bells’," which takes the Christmas classic on a howling turn that should delight (and possibly dismay) dog owners everywhere. Meanwhile, the B-side, “It’s a Punk Rock Christmas,” is a raunchy spoken word yarn about the lack of the punk rock spirit during the anxiety-provoking season. The new single was produced by Grammy-winner Ian Brennan (Tinariwen, The Good Ones [Rwanda], poet Raymond Antrobus, Parchman Prison Prayer) who produced all of Waters’ previous three singles. Brennan states, "In producing John’s annual Christmas tour for over twenty years, it seemed almost negligent that he didn't have a Christmas record. Everyone from U2 to Justin Bieber to William Shatner to Bob Dylan does, and John’s wit couldn’t be a more fitting cheer for the annual holiday music canon."

Adrianne Lenker - Once A Bunch b/w Who Can Say 7” (4AD)
Earlier this year, Adrianne Lenker released her beloved new album Bright Future via 4AD. Praised as “characteristically brutal and brave” (Rolling Stone) and “a genuine competitor for the best album she’s ever been involved with,” (Paste), Bright Future has already appeared on many mid-year Best-Of lists, including The New York Times, Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, SPIN, Brooklyn Vegan, and many more. Now Lenker shares new single “Once a Bunch” as a limited edition 7” with an exclusive b-side, specifically for the independent retailers who have so fervently supported her catalog. Recorded during the Bright Future sessions and originally only appearing on the Japanese CD release of the album, the sweet, country-tinged single – already a live favorite – sees its physical release for the first time.

Doug Pearson – Wahoo! [Reissue/1964] LP (Blue Note)
Duke Pearson's great 1964 album Wahoo! was a perfect encapsulation of his talents as a pianist, composer and bandleader. Writing for a sextet featuring Donald Byrd (trumpet), James Spaulding (alto sax), Joe Henderson (tenor sax), Bob Cranshaw (bass) and Mickey Roker (drums), Pearson presents evocative originals including "Amanda," "Bedouin" and "ESP."

Mount Eerie - Night Palace CD/LP (P.W. Elverum & Sun, ltd)
Night Palace appears as a culmination of eras, arrived at after tumbling through decades of a tumultuous life and building from scratch in the settled dust. The 26 track album is a palace of many rooms, all welcoming, all varied. The songs stand vivid in their diamond sharp eloquence and distorted feedback, but only after traveling the album as a whole do we find the door. The palace is dilapidated with moss dripping through, airy, bright and open. This is a return to the beloved deep analog fuzz world of the Microphones' the Glow pt. 2 (2001) and the many thickly embroidered Mount Eerie universes that have followed. Smashed tape, breathing air organs, crackling tube amps and a welcome living reality just outside the open window all entwine to push the definition of what's "home" and what's "studio", of what's a "song" and what's at the heart of the unmediated idea itself. 

Jeff Parker & ETA IVtet – The Way Out Of Easy CD/2xLP (Nonesuch)
January 2nd, 2023. Aside from being the second of a new year, it was a pretty ordinary night at ETA in Los Angeles, where guitarist Jeff Parker - alongside his ETA IVtet with saxophonist Josh Johnson, bassist Anna Butterss, and drummer Jay Bellerose - had been holding down a regular Monday gig since 2016. At the time, nobody knew it was the first gig of the last year that ETA would be open for business. Over seven years of holding down that residency, Parker's ETA ensemble evolved from a band that played mostly standards into a group known for its transcendent, long-form (sometimes stretching out for 45 minutes or more) journeys into innovative, often uncharted territories of groove-oriented, painterly, polyrhythmic, minimalist and mantric improvised music.

Black Pumas – Live From Brooklyn Paramount 2xCD/2xLP (ATO)
After a hiatus from touring, Black Pumas returned to the road in 2024 in support of their acclaimed sophomore album, Chronicles of a Diamond. Live From Brooklyn Paramount captures the “Electric Church” live experience created by Eric Burton, Adrian Quesada and their six-piece band. The set features songs from both Chronicles and their million-selling debut, including the Grammy nominated “Colors,” “Black Moon Rising,” “More Than A Love Song” and their version of Tracy Chapman's “Fast Car.” [A ‘Brooklyn brownstone’ color vinyl pressing is available.]

McCoy Tyner & Joe Henderson – Forces Of Nature: Live At SlugsCD/2xLP (Blue Note)
Forces of Nature: Live at Slugs' is an unreleased live recording of jazz legends McCoy Tyner and Joe Henderson leading a stellar quartet with Henry Grimes (bass) and Jack DeJohnette (drums) at the hallowed lost NYC jazz shrine, Slugs' Saloon, in 1966. 

Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan – Ballad Of The Broken Seas[Reissue/2006] LP (Cooking Vinyl)
Originally released in 2006, Ballad of the Broken Seas has remained a touchstone for fans of folk and Americana, revered for its haunting melodies, rich storytelling, and the captivating interplay between Campbell's ethereal vocals and Lanegan's gravelly baritone. The album was the first in a celebrated trilogy of albums that Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan recorded together, being followed by Sunday at Devil Dirt in 2008 and Hawk in 2010.

Zach Bryan – The Great American Bar Scene CD/2xLP (WB)
“On The Great American Bar Scene, his fifth album in as many years within a steady stream of EP’s, singles and live albums, Zach Bryan continues to uphold the community he values above all. He colors his lyrics with references to songs by Tyler Childers and Johnny Cash; brings in the young Canadian troubadour Noeline Hofmann to share vocals on her ballad ‘Purple Gas’; and gives guest slots to not only John Mayer (predictable) but his fellow Oklahoman and songwriter’s songwriter John Moreland. Often a lonely voice within his own tales of botched romance and anomie, as a performer, Bryan shares space to make the point that legacies only grow through cross-pollination. And on Bar Scene, one influence-turned-friend casts a benign shadow on all the rest: the Boss himself, Bruce Springsteen.” – NPR

Thee Sacred Souls - Thee Sacred Souls LP [Reissue/2022] (Daptone)
Limited colored reissue of Thee Sacred Souls’ 2022 debut. 

The Smashing Pumpkins – Aghori Mhori Mei CD/LP (Martha’s Music 2)
A bruising and shadowy return to form from original Smashing Pumpkins members Jimmy Chamberlin, James Iha, and Billy Corgan. Recorded in the immediate aftermath of their 33-song concept album, Atum, Aghori Mhori Mei harkens back to the band’s early ‘90s canon; where guitars, bass, drums, and spiking vocals ruled.

ODESZA – In Return [Reissue/2014] 2xLP (Counter)
Red/yellow marble colorway. In Return more than delivers on the promise of ODESZA's previous work. A record with a precocious maturely and coherence, it's a start-to-finish stunner of pop-infused, electronic wonder, littered with infectious hooks and potent atmosphere.

Papa M – Ballads Of Harry Houdini LP (Drag City)
Orange colorway includes poster. The “Great Escape Artist” is back! No, not THAT one – dude’s dead! We’re talking about Papa M. And HE’s talking ‘bout Harry Houdini – in the album title, anyway, not sure about anywhere else. So, six years since his last LP, the all-acoustic A Broke Moon Rises, Papa M rolls into the shred zone, buns glazing, with his fifth full length in 25 years of Papa M-itude! Six fat-assed songs – a couple ballads, yeah, but mostly real all-out groovers here.

Bibio - Phantom Brickworks LP (Warp)
Originally released in 2017, PHANTOM BRICKWORKS is an ongoing ambient/drone project by Stephen James Wilkinson a.k.a. Bibio. The work explores the human echoes still present in various sites around Britain. Wilkinson has visited these locations, observed their gradual decline, and responded with improvised and composed music. New in 2024, a sequel titled PHANTOM BRICKWORKS (LP II) is a 10-track LP, mastered by Guy Davie and vinyl cut by Hendrik Pauler. The new record draws attention to new sites - some are intriguing, vast scars on the natural landscape, others survive only in local memories, historic clips and photographs. A few remain submerged from ordinary sights, while some exist purely as legends and stories.

Flat Duo Jets – White Trees [Reissue/1993] CD/LP (Propeller Sound Recordings)
Fronted by the late Dex Romweber. The duo’s fourth album was the first album of all original material. Produced by Caleb Southern, White Trees is a Jets’ masterpiece that proved that Romweber could diversify his band’s material without losing his recklessness and urgency. [A white color vinyl pressing is available.]

Dean and Britta / Sonic Boom – A Peace Of Us LP (Carpark)
Indie store exclusive emerald colorway. In a season where we all seek comfort, tradition, and a return to a home of sorts, a trio composed of indie music’s foundational members have gifted us A Peace of Us - an album of diverse holiday tunes filtered through their musical imaginations. Dean and Britta, well-known from their work defining a genre with Galaxie 500 and Luna, join Spacemen 3’s Sonic Boom, another bastion of indie’s collective adolescence, to bring to life a collection that draws from early ‘60s pop, garage, country, James Bond soundtracks, Christmas carols, and electronica. Dean Wareham recalls a sentiment from his DJ friend Chris: “You can experience all the emotions of Christmas through music: love and hate, joy and heartache, nostalgia, regret, anticipation, and frustration.”

Bill Callahan – The Holy Grail: Bill Callahan’s “Smog” Dec. 10, 2001 Peel Session LP (Drag City)
December 2001, Maida Vale: Bill Callahan’s “Smog” perform with demonstrative zeal for their British witness at the BBC, shimmering and hissing with a Lynchian vibe of U.S. darkness in the invariable shadows of the fallen towers. Callahan and band (Jessica Billey, Mike Saenz and Jim White) cover Stevie Nicks, Lou Reed and Smog with grey, ashen resolve and tour-torn flexibility, amassing a bruised, plaintive essence of humanity with their efforts.

Boys Life – Home Is A Highway 4xLP (Numero)
Sleep off your summer with this comprehensive 36-song/4xLP overview of Kansas City's Midwest emo pioneers. From 1993-1997 Boys Life defined this anxious strain of heartworn power pop punk, issuing a pair of standard-bearing albums between endless circling of the U.S. DIY circuit. Collected here are their Departures and Landfalls and self-titled albums, singles, split 7"s and 10", live tracks, and rare demo tape, all annotated and illustrated inside a 24-page book. [A white colorway is available.]

Modern Baseball – You’re Gonna Miss It All 2xLP+7” (Run For Cover)
Green colorway. It's been ten whole years of us listening to Modern Baseball’s iconic record You're Gonna Miss It All, and to celebrate Run For Cover has teamed with the band to deliver a deluxe anniversary edition worthy of its legacy. This version of the band's second album is a collector's delight - two discs enclosed in a heavyweight, hardcover 12" x 12" book with 96 pages of photos from longtime collaborator Jess Flynn. Each member of Modern Baseball also contributed notes to provide context to the countless photos taken while touring, recording, skateboarding, napping, swimming and a whole lot more. This deluxe edition also includes two never-before released demos of "Rock Bottom" and "Pothole" pressed on an exclusive 7". 

Rogê - Curyman II LP (Diamond West)
Latin Grammy-nominated and Brazilian Music Awards-winning artist Rogê has become a pivotal figure in the resurgence of Música Popular Brasileira (MPB). With a rich career spanning over two decades, Rogê has released seven solo albums that have solidified his place in the contemporary Brazilian music scene. In March 2023, he released his U.S. debut album CURYMAN under Diamond West Records. Produced by Thomas Brenneck of the Budos Band- who has worked with artists like Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, Jay-Z, and Amy Winehouse-the album is a celebration of samba infused with messages ofresilience and redemption. CURYMAN not only marked the launch of Brenneck's new label but also reflected Rogê's deep belief in the power of music to inspire hope and perseverance. 

Robin Carolan - Nosferatu LP (Sacred Bones)
Robin Carolan's latest soundtrack for Robert Eggers' highly anticipated Nosferatu is a haunting, gothic-infused and meticulously crafted work that draws from a vast palette of sounds, instruments, and inspirations. Following their successful collaboration on The Northman, Carolan reunites with Eggers to bring the legendary tale of Nosferatu to life, infusing the film with a score that is as complex and nuanced as the story itself. With Daniel Pioro, one of Britain's most exciting young classical musicians, at the helm as the orchestra leader and first chair for a vast majority of the recording, the soundtrack features a vast orchestration, including 60 string players, a full choir, various horns and woodwinds, a harpist, and two percussionists.  

Ant – Collection Of Sounds Vol. 2 2xLP (Rhymesayers)
Yellow colorway. Ant's production is known for its rich, textured soundscapes that blend vintage and soulful elements with deep emotional resonance. The second installment of his instrumental series, Collection Of Sounds: Vol. 2, features smooth beats, intricate sampling, and lush, jazzy layers that create an immersive Atmosphere.

Black Star – No Fear Of Time LP (Rhymesayers)
A quarter century since their 1998 debut, No Fear of Time finally reunites one of the greatest hip-hop duos of all time, Black Star. Group members yasiin bey and Talib Kweli first joined forces to deliver their iconic breakout, Mos Def and Talib Kweli are Black Star, which quickly became one of hip-hop's most revered works and launched both already-rising stars into the stratosphere. Although each has since enjoyed success and acclaim in their individual careers, they've never realigned for a sophomore follow-up to that release until now. Produced entirely by renowned beatsmith Madlib, No Fear of Time has a future vibe with vintage soul.

COMING NEXT WEEK!
100+ Record Store Day Black Friday Exclusive Titles!
WILCO - Hot Sun and Cool Shroud CD/LP
CHARLEY CROCKETT - Visions Of Dallas CD/LP
REGINA SPEKTOR - Songs CD/LP
PAINKILLER - Samsara CD
MENAHAN STREET BAND - Make The Road By Walking LP colored reissue
BJORK - Opal 12"