STAFF PICKS

kimber – john zorn
lindsay – neko case
dario – faun fables
jeff – floating points

THIS WEEK’S NEW RELEASES
The AmazingAmbulance CD/LP+MP3 (PTKF)
Despite reflecting Chris Gunrup’s often-bleak worldview, the music is expansive and beautiful, marked by playing that is as much free jazz as rock — pure music without any showiness. The songs unfold slowly, without a traditional verse/chorus structure, spinning gauzy webs of shimmering mystery with their own inimitable dynamic of sinuous, swirling guitars; rich, ambient bass lines; crisp percussion and restrained, church-like, keyboard textures.


The Body All The Waters Of The Earth Turn To Blood [Reissue/2010] CD/2xLP+MP3 (At A Loss)
All The Waters Of The Earth Turn To Blood was originally released in 2010 and has gone through multiple pressings. This is the first time it has been readily available on both CD and double-LP formats in some time. All The Waters… was released before The Body signed to Thrill Jockey and appeared on many 2010 favorite lists worldwide, including Decibel, Brooklyn Vegan, About.com, Stereogum, NME, and The Quietus, even bagging a #4 spot on NPR Music’s top 10 metal/drone albums of the year as well as a #6 spot on Pitchfork’s Reader’s Choice top 10 metal albums in their year-end reader’s poll. [Limited white vinyl edition also available.]


Faun Fables Born Of The Sun CD/2xLP (Drag City)
“Finally, the hot summer yodel jam you didn’t know you’d been waiting for is here! Dawn McCarthy and Nils Frykdahl, the psych-folk masterminds behind Faun Fables, are back with a new album — it promises tunes inspired by theater, folklore, and… yodeling.” – Tiny Mixtapes


John FruscianteForegrow CDEP/12” (Acid Test)
Frusciante uses elements of John Carpenter’s eternal scores, the drum programming DNA of jungle and footwork, and a Roland TB-303 to craft a lurching, lysergic beauty.


Charlie HunterEverybody Has A Plan Until They Get Punched In The Mouth CD (Ground Up)
Since 1993, Charlie Hunter’s mindboggling guitar technique has garnered him critical acclaim and recordings with some of the most prestigious names in jazz and pop. Now with his 17th album, the title of which refers to a quote once uttered by heavyweight boxing champion Iron Mike Tyson, Hunter returns to his quartet to perform 10 all-new blues, rock, jazz and Latin-flavored songs alongside bandmates Kirk Knuffke (cornet), Bobby Previte (drums), and Curtis Fowlkes (trombone).


Look ParkLook Park CD/LP (Yep Roc)
Look Park is the debut album from Chris Collingwood, lead singer and founding member of Fountains of Wayne, under the moniker Look Park. It features his pop sensibilities and unmistakable vocals he made famous in Fountains.


MSTRKRFT Operator CD/LP (Last Gang)
After a five-year hiatus, Canadian electronic Music pioneers MSTRKRFT (Jesse F. Keeler & Al-P) are back. Their new album, Operator, is driven by distorted drumbeats, hauntingly hypnotic synths, and booming cinematic soul.


John Zorn Sacred Visions CD (Tzadik)
Sacred Visions presents two Zorn masterpieces touching upon the medieval world. The Holy Visions Is A Mystery Play in eleven strophes concerning the life, work and philosophy of 12th century composer, healer and visionary mystic Hildegard von Bingen, and is one of Zorn’s most beloved and acclaimed works for voice. Here is it coupled with Zorn’s latest string quartet The Remedy Of Fortune, six tableaux depicting the changing fortunes of romantic love, which was inspired by the work of 12th century troubadour Guillaume de Machaut and receives a precise and passionate reading by the brilliant JACK quartet. Two brilliant modern compositions drawing on medieval spirituality, both sacred and secular.


Neko CaseBlacklisted [Reissue/2002] LP (ANTI-)
Neko CaseFox Confessor Brings The Flood [Reissue/2006] LP (ANTI-)
If you didn’t snag one of the recent color vinyl reissues, don’t fret: standard black vinyl reissues are now available.


Floating PointsKiuper LP (Luaka Bop/Pluto)
Floating Points presents two nice side-long cuts that continue his exciting evolution into expansive full-band electronic jams. Both “Kuiper” and the B-side track “For Marmish Part II” are compositions with lots of room for change and growth, the artist clearly as hypnotized as the listener by the pulsing momentum.


MetronomyPip Paine(Pay The £5000 You Owe) [Reissue/2006] 2xLP+CD (Because Music)
Released in 2006, Pip Paine(Pay The £5000 You Owe) was a collector edition limited to 2500 units and thereafter released only once for Record Store Day in 2013. This Album initiated the Metronomy buzz thanks to the tracks “You Could Easily Have Me” and “Tricks or Treats”. This new version includes four bonus tracks: “Are Mums Mates”, “Hear To Wear”, “Another Me To Mother You” and the unreleased track “In The D.O.D.” Original packaging, gatefold, double vinyl, with a CD included.

 

NEXT WEEK’S NEW RELEASES
DEATH GRIPS – Bottomless Pit CD/LP
MODEST MOUSE – Night On The Sun CD/LP reissue
FEA (girl in a coma) – Self-Titled CD/LP
BOUNCING SOULS – Simplicity CD/LP
DESCENDENTS – Hypercaffium Spazzinate CD/LP
OWEN – King Of Whys CD/LP
CHRIS ROBINSON – Anyway You Love We Know How You Feel CD/LP
BIRTHDAY PARTY – Hee Haw LP reissue
BIRTHDAY PARTY – Junkyard LP reissue
THEE OH SEES – Live in San Francisco LP
HOLE – Live Through This LP reissue
R.E.M. – Dead Letter Office LP reissue
R.E.M. – Eponymous LP reissue
R.E.M. – Life’s Rich Pageant LP
SQUIRREL NUT ZIPPERS – Hot LP reissue
SISTERS OF MERCY – Vision Thing Era LP boxset