STAFF PICKS

Kimber – Sharon Jones
Lindsay – Sharon Jones, Mavis Staples
Dario – Sharon Jones
Dominic – Mavis Staples, Electric Wizard

THIS WEEK’S NEW RELEASES

The Adicts – And It Was So! CD/LP/Cassette (Nuclear Blast)
With their Clockwork Orange Droog attire, infectious high energy, uptempo music and unforgettable performances, The Adicts are no strangers to the scene having formed in the 1975 in Ipswich, England. Over 40 years later the punk legends are still intent on raising sonic hell with their eleventh studio album.

Baths – Romaplasm CD/LP (Anticon)
Less outwardly grim than the darker half of the last Baths LP, Obsidian, but twice as bittersweet, Romaplasm reimagines approachable electronic pop songs as pieces of scaffolding that can be lived in, expanded and retracted, or torn down entirely. [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]

Karl Blau – Out Her Space CD/2xLP (Bella Union)
Out Her Space is a gorgeous, languid and hook-infested gumbo of soul, funk, some jazzy blowing and Afro-pop, to arrive somewhere else entirely. The album testifies to Blau’s studio skills, as he captures the glimmering, humid depths of those sweltering southern influences, despite his north-western heritage. Out Her Space plays with humanitarian themes, against a backdrop of self-immolating American politics. For starters, the title was equally inspired by Blau’s, “overwhelming feeling to point out that men, in general, need to listen, to stop being so assertive and to get out of her space, let her balance again.”

Dan Deacon – Rat Film [OST] CD (Domino)
On Rat Film, Dan Deacon’s inspired soundtrack to the provocative essay-film of the same name, one of electronic music’s most exciting artists delivers his first full record devoted to modern composition. [Vinyl edition due December 1.]

Electric Wizard – Wizard Bloody Wizard CD/LP+MP3 (Spinefarm)
Wizard Bloody Wizard is the latest/9th studio album from Electric Wizard; produced by guitarist/vocalist Jus Oborn and guitarist Liz Buckingham and mixed by Oborn, this 6-track all-analog affair is the follow up to 2014’s Time To Die. Conceived to form a single piece of vinyl these half-dozen tracks see The Wizard pursuing a more streamlined path, maintaining the essential, revered elements of their sound while simultaneously taking a broader view, operating in a world beyond fashion, niche or cult.

Charlotte Gainsbourg – Rest CD/2xLP+CD (Atlantic)
Charlotte Gainsbourg’s fourth studio, Rest, is a stunning eleven track collection produced by SebastiAn (Frank Ocean, Kavinsky), except the title track which was composed and co-written by Daft Punk’s Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, and “Songbird in a Cage,” composed and written by Paul McCartney. Rest also features collaborations with Owen Pallett, NZ’s own Connan Mockasin, and others. SebastiAn’s background in electronic music accorded with Gainsbourg’s desire for a sound with a disquieting, mechanistic edge, inspired by Giorgio Moroder and, perhaps unsurprisingly for a revered, award-winning film actress, movie soundtracks. Lead single “Rest” is a poignant, modern lullaby-like song, steering Gainsbourg toward a forensically focused approach to lyric writing. “Those were the first words that I actually sang on the album,” she explains. “I came in with all my bunches of lyrics…It was too much, really, and Guy-Man was saying, ‘you can’t say all that, you have to simplify it,’ and he reduced it to three words! It felt so innocent in a way, but it was exactly what I needed at that time.” Rest marks Gainsbourg’s achievement of the lyrical confidence to get unprecedentedly candid, and to trust her own words’ ability to communicate universal pains of loss through personal ones.

Green Day – God’s Favorite Band CD/2xLP (Reprise)
22 hits spanning Green Day’s prolific 31 year career, plus a brand new song “Back In The USA” and a new duet with Miranda Lambert on “Ordinary World.”

Sharon Jones & The Dapkings – Soul Of A Woman CD/3xCD/LP+MP3 (Daptone)
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings’ final studio album, Soul Of A Woman is a lush, orchestral masterpiece. A true testament to the life and career of Daptone’s fearless leader and one of the world’s greatest performers. In the year prior to her death from pancreatic cancer in 2016, Sharon Jones toured and performed tirelessly, and was also the subject of the acclaimed documentary Miss Sharon Jones!. The songs on Soul Of A Woman exemplify two distinct sides of the band’s sound. Side One showcases the grittier, bluesy material like “Matter Of Time” and “Sail On” giving Sharon the room to flex her vocal prowess. Side Two takes on a more sophisticated orchestral mood. Tracks like “When I Saw Your Face” and “These Tears (No Longer For You),” capture a soft vulnerability in Sharon’s vocals that draws you deep inside, and yet they remain nuanced with the signature toughness that never allow you to forget she’s steering the ship. [Limited red colored vinyl pressing also available. Also, a Deluxe triple-CD bundle adds her previous albums Give The People What They Want and I Learned The Hard Way.]

Talib Kweli – Radio Silence CD (Javotti Media)
The Brooklyn hip-hop artist’s new album features guest appearances from Rick Ross, Anderson .Paak, BJ The Chicago Kid, Waka Flocka, Jay Electronica, Robert Glasper, Bilal, Yummy Bingham, Amber Coffman and Myka 9; stellar production courtesy of The Alchemist, Oh No, Kaytranada, J. Rhodes and Robert Glasper. [Vinyl edition due December 1.]

Morrissey – Low In High School CD/LP/Cassette (BMG)
On his eleventh studio effort, Morrissey’s talent for combining political statements and beautiful melodies is more prevalent than ever as he captures the zeitgeist of an ever-changing world.Recognized as one of the most influential artists of all time, Morrissey is widely credited as a seminal figure in the emergence of indie rock and Britpop. After The Smiths, Morrissey achieved greater success as a prolific solo artist. All 10 of his solo albums have entered the Top 10 on the UK album charts, including three entries at No. 1. Releasing his debut solo album Viva Hate in 1988, he has since released a number of critically acclaimed follow-ups, including Kill UncleYour Arsenal and the comeback album You Are The Quarry after a five-year hiatus in 2004. Morrissey’s music acts as a rite of passage for all who discover alternative music. His lyrics, at times blunt and fearless, other times vulnerable and poignant, continue to resonate with listeners around the world with their unmatched emotional depth and theatrical, poetic delivery. [Limited clear vinyl and green pressings also available.]

Mavis Staples – If All I Was Was Black CD/LP+MP3 (ANTI-)
Mavis Staples has again joined forces with songwriter-producer (and Wilco frontman) Jeff Tweedy for his new album If All I Was Was Black. The history Mavis recalls from her early years touring with her family as The Staple Singers, the prejudice, ugliness and danger; well it’s all still here. In response, the singer has delivered 10-songs about contemporary America today, a present day filled with ghosts of the past. Despite all this, the mood ring on Mavis’ new album is set to love, which runs through and over the fury and despair. The songs move less like a hammer and more like the tide, with Mavis countering the anger with an eye toward the work that is required to bring change. She is singing the world as it is, but also a way forward. Mavis is sure that the answer is to lift each other up. She’s not embracing the anxious hesitation of respectability politics but the possibilities of love.

Throbbing Gristle – Second Annual Report [Reissue/1977] 2xCD (Mute)
Throbbing Gristle – 20 Jazz Funk Greats [Reissue/1979] 2xCD (Mute)
Throbbing Gristle – The Taste Of TG: A Beginner’s Guide To the Music Of Throbbing Gristle [Reissue/2004] CD (Mute)
Remastered reissues of the second and third albums by the English industrial music pioneers along with their 2004 compilation. [CD editions add a disc of bonus tracks. Remastered vinyl reissues due November 24.]

The 6ths – Wasps’ Nests [1995] LP+MP3 (Captured Tracks)
Originally released in 1995 on CD and 7” box set, Wasps’ Nests is the acclaimed, tongue twisting debut from the 6th’s – the side project of The Magnetic Fields’ Stephin Merritt featuring guest vocal appearances by a who’s who of ‘90s indie rock royalty including Dean Wareham (Luna), Georgia Hubley (Yo La Tengo), Mark Robinson (Unrest), Lou Barlow (Sebadoh), Mary Timony, Amelia Fletcher (Heavenly/ Talulah Gosh), Robert Scott (The Bats), Chris Knox, and more. [Limited white colored vinyl pressing also available.]

Ed Askew – A Child In The Sun – Radio Sessions 1969-1970 LP (Drag City)
“If you, the discerning record collector, has even a passing interest in the posthumously named genre ‘acid folk’, surely the name Ed Askew is in your golden pantheon. Ed unearthed four reels of radio sessions taped in 1969–70, performing songs from his first two albums (and the totally previously unreleased track, “Green Song”). The tapes were meticulously studied by Galactic Zoo Disk honcho Plastic Crimewave (of Galactic Zoo Dossier, er, fame), and the best versions were extracted for this release.”

Bitchin Bajas – Bajas Fresh 2xLP/2xCassette (Drag City)
“While flowing towards a wholeness, the four sides of Bajas Fresh feature distinct approaches, approaching the ephemeral with subtle tweaks from new angles. Eschewing the grainy expansiveness of the self-titled album, this new one has an almost monolithic approach, whether spitting forth with Harmonia-styled data riffs, finding Denny-esque South Pacific exotica within a classic Sun Ra piece or teasing out almost imperceptible inflections inside the epochal fizz and whir with glassy-eyed, glacial patience.”

Fujiya & Miyagi – Transparent Things [2006] LP (Impossible Objects Of Desire)
Over the last decade or so Brighton’s Fujiya & Miyagi have been steadily building a vast body of work that explores ’70s Germany-tinged beats, whip smart electronica, intoxicating disco, shimmering pop and generally concocting an idiosyncratic blend of dance music that sounds utterly and uniquely their own. The group have decided to revisit their 2006 classic, Transparent Things, and for the first time release the full album on vinyl. Transparent Things managed to look deeper and further beyond the zeitgeist whilst simultaneously remaining in it.

Nine Inch Nails – The Downward Spiral [Reissue/1994] 2xLP (Nothing)
Nine Inch Nails – The Fragile [Reissue/1999] 3xLP (Nothing)
“We want to present the catalog as it was intended to be, with no compromises,” Reznor said of the NIN vinyl reissue series. “That means a careful remastering of the audio from the original sources, a painstaking recreation of the artwork, pristine materials, some surprises and an insane attention to detail.”

Nine Inch Nails – Add Violence LP (Nothing)
Nine Inch Nails – Not The Actual Events LP (Nothing)
The first new Nine Inch Nails music since 2013’s Hesitation Marks, 2016’s Not The Actual Events ushers in a new era of the band and is the inaugural installment in a three-part EP series which also includes 2017’s Add Violence. Recorded with now official band member Atticus Ross, the 5-track EP is heavy, textured and mercurial and includes guest appearances by Dave Grohl (drums) on “The Idea Of You, ” Dave Navarro (guitar) on “Burning Bright (Field On Fire)” and wife Mariqueen Maandig (vocals) on “She’s Gone Away.” 180gm pressing.

The Pharcyde – Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde [25th Anniversary Edition] 2xLP/2xLP+3×12” (Craft Recordings)
Released last week on CD – Regular and Deluxe vinyl editions now available. Listening to 1992’s Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde 25 years after its release, its sense of timeliness is unmistakable. Every song on the album inverts a hoary hip-hop cliché. With classics like “Oh Sh*t,” “Otha Fish,” “Ya’ Mama,” and the now-ubiquitous “Passin’ Me By,” Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde remains essential and enduringly unique – a rite of passage for any serious hip-hop fan. Featuring brand-new liner notes by leading music writer Jeff Weiss (Pitchfork, Passion Of The Weiss), this Deluxe 25th Anniversary of the gold-certified album features the original album in its entirety, plus an entire disc of bonus material featuring rare cuts, remixes, and a capellas.

Pink Floyd – A Collection Of Great Dance Songs [Reissue/1981] LP (Pink Floyd Records)
Pink Floyd – Delicate Sound Of Thunder [Reissue/1988] 2xLP (Pink Floyd Records)
Back in print on vinyl.

Portugal. The Man – Waiter: “You Vultures!” [Reissue/2006] LP (Fearless)
Portugal. The Man – Church Mouth [Reissue/2007] LP (Fearless)
First two records by Portugal. The Man – back in print on vinyl.

Silver Apples – Contact [Reissue/1969] LP (Jackpot)
Limited colored vinyl LP pressing. The 1969 follow up to Silver Apple’s debut found the duo digging into the far reaches of their songwriting psyches for a darker and more emotionally charged set of songs.

Sun Ra – Space Is The Place [Reissue/1973] LP (Jackpot)
Limited colored vinyl LP pressing in gatefold jacket. In the endless ocean of Sun Ra recordings, 1973’s Space Is The Place ranks among the very best but more importantly stands as the most immediately understandable of his records. This masterpiece touches flawlessly on elements of many of Ra’s multiple phases and provides both a mission statement for and a gateway to his immaculate body of work.

SZA – Ctrl LP (RCA)
Released last June on CD – now available on vinyl. “SZA has proven herself to be a talented storyteller between harmonious melodies.” — Vibe

Lucinda Williams – This Sweet Old World LP (Highway 20)
Limited edition pink colored vinyl pressing available November 17 – part of this year’s Ten Bands One Cause pink vinyl campaign in support of Breast Cancer Awareness and Gilda’s Club NYC Produced by Lucinda Williams and Tom Overby, This Sweet Old World – recorded to mark the 25th anniversary of the original 1992 album Sweet Old World – features all-new renditions of the record’s 12 songs, some of which have been dramatically rearranged and rewritten.

 

NEXT WEEK’S NEW RELEASES

IN ADDITION TO BLACK FRIDAY RELEASES:
NOEL GALLAGHER (High Flying Birds) – Who Built The Moon CD/LP
BJORK – Utopia CD/LP
SUFJAN STEVENS – Carrie + Lowell Live LP
WU-TANG – Saga Continues LP
JASON MOLINA – Black Sabbath Covers LP
PRAYERS – Baptism Of Thieves CD/LP
A CERTAIN RATIO – CD/LP reissues
KILBEY/KENNEDY (THE CHURCH) – Glow and Fade CD/LP
XIU XIU – A Promise LP reissue
MADVILLAIN – Four Tet Remixes LP
CLAP YOUR HANDS SAY YEAH – Some Loud Thunder LP reissue