Badly Drawn Boy – The Hour Of The Bewilderbeast [Reissue/2000] 2xCD/2xLP/3xLP (XL)

When The Hour Of Bewilderbeast was originally released in 2000, it was met with critical acclaim and won the Mercury Prize that year. The album is both ambitious and extremely entertaining and while it’s not a traditional pop album, it’s a continually beguiling trip through lo-fi postmodern folk, drawing as much from Harry Nilsson as it does Beck. This 15^th Anniversary reissue features 16 bonus tracks. ((Vinyl edition is available as a double-LP (Regular) and triple-LP (Deluxe) set.))

Besnard Lakes – A Coliseum Complex Museum CD/LP+MP3 (Jagjaguwar)

Unique among their furrowed brow peers, The Besnard Lakes are unafraid to marry textured, questing headphone sonics to the honeyed pleasure of radio hits past: the rapture of My Bloody Valentine entwined with the romance of Fleetwood Mac. Imagine dreamy Beach House riding Led Zeppelin dynamics, with unabashedly androgynous vocal harmonies. Channeling their obsessions with the paranormal as well as the dark arts, A Coliseum Complex Museum is populated by crypto-zoological creatures (“The Bray Road Beast,”“Golden Lion”) while also luxuriating in natural phenomena and beauty (“The Plain Moon,”“Nightingale”). These themes are sincere yet good-humored. The LP’s title jokily refers to a landmark-heavy road sign spotted on tour in Texas, the varied emotional impulses within reflected by its environmentally warped artwork.

 

Black Sabbath – Black Sabbath [Reissue/1970] 2xCD/2xLP (Rhino)

Black Sabbath – Paranoid [Reissue/1970] 2xCD/2xLP (Rhino)

Black Sabbath – Master Of Reality [Reissue/1971] 2xCD/2xLP (Rhino)

Black Sabbath – Past Lives [Reissue/2002] 2xCD/2xLP (Rhino)

Remastered and expanded editions of Black Sabbath’s first three albums, each featuring a bonus disc of outtakes. Past Lives was originally released in 2002, but consists of original live recordings from the band’s heyday. The double-disc set includes performances recorded between 1970 and 1975 when the band was at the height of it’s dark powers and includes live versions of “War Pigs,” “Paranoid,” “Snowblind” and “N.I.B.” (Vinyl editions are HQ-180gm.)

 

Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy – Pond Scum CD/LP/Cassette (Drag City)

There are no Peel sessions anymore — that tradition was buried in the pyramids with John Peel himself upon the great man’s passing. Of the thousands left in the wake, six are ascribed to Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy and of those six, three have been combined to form the deeply congruous experience of Pond Scum.

The Casualties – Chaos Sound CD/LP (Season Of Mist)

The Casualties have been an American punk rock institution for over 25 years. With Failure Sound, the New York stalwarts give voice to the street with a three fists full of smashing anthems. In an age of austerity, corporate takeover of this planet, and rising anger Chaos Sound bristles with counter-culture rage translated into energetic riffing, barking vocals and a heavy dose of rock. Fierce but always melodic, The Casualties remain a far cry from teenage poster-boy industry created sell-outs that have become associated with their style. Instead the band openly draw inspiration from the early punk legends such as The Exploited, Sex Pistols and G.B.H. Available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe features a 70cm x 100cm flag and black carabiner with The Casualties logo.

 

Chairlift – Moth CD/LP (Columbia)

Third album by the Brooklyn, New York-based synthpop duo. Moth was written and produced by Chairlift over the course of two years in the band’s own studio, which they built in an old pharmaceutical factory in Brooklyn. Throughout the recording process, Patrick Wimberly and Caroline Polachek both pursued other recording projects and collaborations – from Caroline penning a song for Beyoncé and collaborating with SBTRKT and Blood Orange, to Patrick producing for Solange and Wet. Alongside these collaborations, Moth was born. It has strong pop and R&B leanings, but pared with their own distinctly Chairlift style, and led by Caroline’s expressive vocals.

 

Cluster – Sowiesoso [Reissue/1976] CD/LP (Bureau B)

2016 re-release of Bureau B’s 2009 reissue. The fourth full-length album by legendary German electronic music duo Cluster, originally released on Sky Records in 1976.

Dwarves – The Dwarves Are Younger & Even Better Looking [Reissue/1996] CD/Cassette (Burger)

Dwarves – Lick It (The Psychedelic Years) 1983-1986 [Reissue/1998] CD/Cassette (Burger)

Dwarves – Free Cocaine 1986-1988 CD/Cassette (Burger)

Burger Records reissues a few of their favorite albums by the San Francisco punk rock mainstays.

Eleanor Friedberger – New View CD/LP (Frenchkiss)

Friedberger and her band recorded this one live-to-tape with producer Clemens Knieper. It opens with first single “He Didn’t Mention His Mother,” a beautifully lush ramble that evokes the greats of the ’70s without aping any of them too closely.

Half Japanese – Perfect CD/LP (Joyful Noise)

Half Japanese’s new album is a collection of songs that feature otherworldly sounds, chaotic rhythms, and weird time signatures, topped off with Jad Fair’s brash vocals and oddball lyrics. Its tracks run the gamut from sweet love songs with overtly sincere lyrics to manic, almost abrasive tracks that seem to end before you can fully wrap your head around them. With Perfect, the legendary indie band manages to combine elements of every genre imaginable into one strange, unpredictable, and undeniably-catchy package.

 

The High Llamas – Here Come The Rattling Trees CD/LP (Drag City)

With witty, artful musical strokes, Sean O’Hagen and The High Llamas have crafted deft musical sketches with the signature Llamas sound that has evolved over ten album releases since 1992. A colorful array of electric, acoustic, and synthetic instruments, alongside Sean O’Hagan’s gentled vocals, are deployed to transport the listener to the low-key highs and lows of the British working week an incisive, sympathetic view to the wonders slipped in between the pages and too often passed over in everyday life.

 

Charlie Hilton – Palana CD/LP+MP3 (Captured Tracks)

Enlisting Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s Jacob Portrait as producer, Hilton freely experimented with diverse sounds and moods — some minimal and some cacophonous — out of the confines of a band structure. “Funny Anyway” is truly stark, featuring only string accompaniments, with Hilton assuming a role akin to a confessional French chanteuse, while “Let’s Go To A Party” is Hilton’s cheeky take on an icy dance track with thick, bouncing synths and a chorus that echoes “I’m only happy when I’m dancing.” Alternatively, tracks like “Pony” harken back to the psychedelic strengths of Blouse, saluting bands like Broadcast and United States of America, and then there’s “100 Million,” the sole track produced by Woods’ Jarvis Taveniere that rounds out the album in a soft, acoustic and light-hearted way with labelmate Mac DeMarco lending his talents on percussion and back-up vocals.

 

The I Don’t Cares – Wild Stab CD (Dry Wood Music)

Paul Westerberg and Julian Hatfield are The I Don’t Cares.

 

Jazz Funk Soul – More Serious Business CD (Shanachie)

New album from the smooth jazz trio comprised of Jeff Lorber, Everett Harp and Chuck Loeb.

 

Jesu/Sun Kil Moon – Jesu/Sun Kil Moon CD (Caldo Verde)

Debut collaboration between Mark Kozelek (Sun Kil Moon) and Justin Broadrick (Jesu), and featuring guests Will Oldham aka Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, members of Low, Rachel Goswell of Slowdive and Isaac Brock of Modest Mouse.

Lush – Chorus 5xCD (4AD)

Formed in London in 1988 by childhood friends Emma Anderson and Miki Berenyi, Lush expertly fused melody and guitars to create a sound that was christened ‘shoegaze’ well after they released their first records. Over the course of a decade, the band (which also included Chris Acland on drums and Steve Rippon on bass, later replaced by Phil King) released three studio albums – Spooky (1992), Split (1994) and Lovelife (1996). In addition, they put out a mini-album Scar (1989) and a string of EPs that were used to create the compilationsGala (1990) and Topolino (1996), two albums that would ultimately bookend their story. Following the death of Chris Acland in late 1996, the band called it quits. Now, coinciding with the news that the remaining members are to reunite next year, the long-awaited Lush anthology is finally here. Spread over five CDs and housed in a beautiful hardbound book (designed by long-time associate and former v23 collaborator Chris Bigg), Chorusconsists of all three studio albums, both singles compilations and a wealth of previously unreleased demos, radio sessions, remixes and rarities.

Octagrape – Aura Obelisk CD/2xLP/Cassette (Sounds Familyre)

San Diego garage rockers return with their new full-length recorded with Chris Woodhouse (Thee Oh Sees, Ty Segall) and Ben Moore (Hot Snakes, Pinback). “This San Diego combo exercise some blowtorch psychedelic punk in the spirit ofMainliner, Swell Maps, Major Stars and other faves of this program.” – Brian Turner,WFMU

 

Aoife O’Donovan – In The Magic Hour 2xCD/LP (Yep Roc)

In The Magic Hour, Aoife (pronounced EEE-fah) O’Donovans follow-up to her debut, Fossils, was produced by Grammy-nominated producer Tucker Martine (The Decemberists, Neko Case) and includes special guest musicians Chris Thile, Sara Watkins and Sarah Jarosz on many songs. Lead single “Magic Hour” displays O’Donovan’s ever-evolving style and strength in songwriting. “The King Of All Birds” brings a lush orchestral arrangement, odd timing, and an erratic melody that you wont soon forget. In The Magic Hour expands past Aoife’s roots in folk and bluegrass, however, she hasn’t forgotten her roots. Limited edition double-CD adds a six-track bonus disc.

Penetration Moon – Penetration Moon CD/Cassette (Burger)

Penetration Moon’s unreleased 1991 full-length of snotty punk classics featuring Blag Dahlia of the Dwarves.

 

Pillar Point – Marble Mouth CD/LP+MP3 (Polyvinyl)

Marble Mouth speaks for itself as loudly as the records Scott Reitherman blasted in his childhood bedroom, from the twitchy post-punk of Talking Heads to the Top 40 takeovers of Michael and Janet Jackson. Featuring a hybrid approach to the presentation of its heavyweight pop hooks, the album plants one foot firmly in the ’80s, with the other exploring the outer realm of ultramodern electronic music.

Pop. 1280 – Paradise CD/LP (Sacred Bones)

Paradise builds on 2013’s Imps Of Perversion LP by venturing further outside of traditional notions of punk, and diving even deeper into outer sounds. Synthesizers, mechanized drum machines, and samplers play as critical a role on the record as the more familiar squall of Ivan Drip’s buzzsaw guitar and Chris Bug’s vocals.

Savages – Adore Life CD/LP+MP3 (Matador)

Savages’ sophomore albumis “audibly the work of a band making efforts to outrun their initial influences and trying to find a path beyond a debut that seemed so fully formed – image, sound and manifesto all neatly worked out – that it was hard to imagine how they might develop it further without tumbling into self-parody. The guitars are still serrated, but Adore Life feels looser and slightly more relaxed than its predecessor. The listener feels a little less like every song is being screamed at them, an inch and a half away from their face. The mood is, well, moodier. The lyrics are less ascetic, immersed as they mostly are in the vagaries of love and relationships.” – The Guardian

 

Ty Segall – Emotional Mugger CD/LP/Cassette (Drag City)

“Emotional Mugger neither abandons Segall’s penchant for classically raw rock ‘n’ roll attitude nor does it find him resting in place. The record makes adjustments toward more sophisticated compositions, with sudden shifts in tempo, more varied guitar effects, and unexpectedly complex drum patterns taking a more forward position in Segall’s previously slim arsenal. It’s also his messiest, most caustic album yet, taking the grit of his beloved garage rock to extreme new levels even he has never played with in his extensive discography.” – Pop Matters

Shearwater – Jet Plane And Oxbow CD/LP+MP3 (Sub Pop)

“Formed in 1999 by Okkervil River’s multi-instrumentalist Jonathan Meiburg and Will Sheff as an outlet for their quieter songs, Shearwater has evolved to cinematic music on a grand scale. Jet Plane And Oxbow is perhaps their loudest and boldest album, yet it is populated with intricate patterns and delicate passages linking it all together. Listening to the dynamic opening track ‘Prime’ with its unusual instrumentation (including hammered dulcimer), you are instantly sucked into its dreamy soundscape. Meiburg keeps the listener riveted by both the song’s beauty and its ambitious reach. “Quiet Americans” is an odd choice for the album’s first single, maybe because of the uneasiness it evokes. Even as the song’s bridge entrances you, Meiburg’s slightly dour outlook puts the listener off kilter. Yet, there is a bit of lightness in the song’s final third with some sparkling piano to tie it all up with a bow. Now, to me, ‘A Long Time Away’ is a better choice for a single, perhaps because it amps up the volume, has a great set of lyrics, and a wonderful sing-along chorus. The beat surges along with the song’s tempo and ends with the faint ringing of bells.” – Big Takeover

Tindersticks – The Waiting Room CD/LP (City Slang)

“There’s something very elemental about Tindersticks’ new album/video project, like a frayed nerve spewing forth pure, unadulterated feeling. Yet the album accomplishes this with impressively few components. It’s a quiet and tense work, with arrangements stripped to their bare essentials, emphasizing the negative space in much the same way as the donkey-headed figure sits in front of blackness on the album’s cover, made all the more striking for the simplicity of the background. Whilst Tindersticks have been making music since 1991, they have never sounded more present and more urgent than they do on The Waiting Room” – Renowned For Sound. (Vinyl format includes a companion DVD showcasing renowned filmmakers from around the globe. A track by track interpretation of the music on the album, it features new work from Christoph Girardet, Pierre Vinour, Claire Denis, Rosie Pedlow and Joe King, Gregorio Graziosi, Richard Dumas and Gabriel Sanna, and Stuart Staples.)

 

Tortoise – The Catastrophist CD/LP+MP3 (Thrill Jockey)

Simply put, Tortoise has spent nearly 25 years making music that defies description. While the Chicago-based instrumental quintet has nodded to dub, rock, jazz, electronica and minimalism throughout its revered and influential six-album discography, the resulting sounds have always been distinctly, even stubbornly, their own. It’s a fact that remains true on The Catastrophist, Tortoise’s first studio album in nearly seven years. And it’s an album where moody, synth-swept jams like the opening title track cozy up next to hypnotic, bass-and-beat missives like “Shake Hands With Danger” and a downright strange cover of David Essex’s 1973 radio smash “Rock On” sung by U.S. Maple’s Todd Rittman. Also included is the bittersweet, honest-to-goodness soul ballad “Yonder Blue,” sung by Yo La Tengo’s Georgia Hubley.

Steven Wilson – 4 ½CD/LP/Blu-ray Audio (Kscope)

An interim release between Hand. Cannot. Erase. and his next album, Steven Wilson’s 4 ½ comprises six tracks with a total running time of 37 minutes. Four of the songs originated during the sessions for Hand. Cannot. Erase. and one from the recording sessions for The Raven That Refused To Sing. The final track is a new version of “Don’t Hate Me”– a song recorded by Porcupine Tree in 1998 — based on a live recording made on the recent tour of Europe, with additional recording in the studio. The vocals on this new version are sung as a duet between Steven and Ninet Tayeb. (The Blu-ray Audio edition includes high res stereo, a 5.1 mix of the album, plus six bonus instrumentals and alternative mixes including a 5.1 mix of the 2015 version of “Lazarus.”)

John Cale – Music For A New Society [Reissue/1982] LP+MP3 (Domino)

John Cale – M:FANS [Reissue/1982] 2xLP+MP3 (Domino)

Cale’s long out-of-print 1982 masterpiece, Music For A New Society, has been remastered and is back in print on vinyl. In addition, M: FANS –a radical new reworking of that critically-lauded album — is also available. All pressed on heavyweight HQ-180-gm vinyl. (Double-CD collecting both releases due February 5.)

Cluster – Cluster [Reissue/1971] LP (Bureau B)

2016 re-release of Bureau B’s 2010 reissue. 140gm LP. Cluster’s self-titled debut was originally released by Philips in 1971; this edition is the first reissue to restore the track running order of the original Philips release. Includes liner notes by electronic avant-garde pioneer Asmus Tietchens. In 1998, The Wire listed Cluster’s self-titled debut as one of ‘100 Records That Set The World On Fire (When No One Was Listening).’

 

CocoRosie – Heartache City LP+7” (Lost Girl)

Released last year on CD – now available on limited-edition colored vinyl with bonus 7”. “Whilst they have undoubtedly produced many a moment of weird beauty over the last decade or so, CocoRosie are rarely a cosy listening experience. Sisters Bianca and Sierra Casady have a history of tapping into the uncomfortable, taboo and offbeat, both musically and lyrically. Sixth album Heartache City continues the CR lineage of both beauty and discomfort. Whilst not as overtly provocative as some of CocoRosie’s early work, there is still a raw creeping darkness to the melodies. Even during its most beautiful glimmers the album is not a relaxing experience. But neither is it an unrewarding one.” – Drowned In Sound

Kishi Bashi – String Quartet Live LP (Joyful Noise)

Kishi Bashi is the pseudonym for violin virtuoso, singer, and composer K Ishibashi, who has recorded, toured, and collaborated with artists such as Regina Spektor, Sondre Lerche, and of Montreal. String Quartet Live consists of nine songs from both 151a and Lighght, performed live by K and an accompanying string ensemble. Where his first two releases featured an array of stringed instruments, percussion and electronic elements, the new live album finds K’s familiar songs reimagined, allowing his soaring vocals to take center stage above a foundation of interweaving strings.

 

Laddio Bolocko – Live & Unreleased 1997-2000 3xLP+DVD (No Quarter)

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Laddio Bolocko was a band from New York City in the mid-‘90s who toured the US and Europe relentlessly during their four year run. Pitchfork wrote in 2003 that the group, “effortlessly converged at the service of drive and trance, occasionally jutting out unpredictably into harsher realms. Live, they were a powerhouse, and though their recorded history is brief, it demonstrates a remarkable range of expression, precision and raw power.” This set collects all unreleased material from the bands time living in a DUMBO (Brooklyn) rehearsal space and an abandoned ski lodge in the Catskill mountains, as well as live recordings from Slovenia. The DVD includes over two hours of footage shot on Super 8 film.

Sam Means – 10 Songs (Hello)
Eight years since the dissolution of his previous band, The Format, Sam Means has struck out on his own and crafted one of the first great albums of 2016 with 10 Songs.

The Notwist – 12 [Reissue/1995] 2xLP (Outer Battery)

Before Neon Golden there was the groundbreaking Shrink, and before Shrink there was 12. Originally released in 1995, 12 is an adventurous double LP and marked The Notwist’s transition between their earlier punk days and their later electronica. Influenced by the likes of Dinosaur Jr and Built To Spill, 12 has been out of print on vinyl since the late ’90s.

Talk Talk – Laughing Stock [Reissue/1991] LP (Polydor)

Laughing Stock is the fifth and final studio album by Talk Talk. Released in 1991, it was the only album the band released on the jazz-based Verve Records, after acrimoniously leaving EMI. Virtually ignored upon its initial release, Laughing Stock continues to grow in stature and influence by leaps and bounds. Picking up whereSpirit Of Eden left off, the album operates outside of the accepted sphere of rock to create music which is both delicate and intense; recorded with a large classical ensemble, it defies easy categorization, conforming to very few structural precedents. Like its predecessor, Spirit Of Eden, the album featured improvised instrumentation from a large ensemble of musicians, including as many as seven violists on occasion, and the lyrical themes are often religious.

This Heat – This Heat [Reissue/1979] LP (Modern Classics)

This Heat – Health And Efficiency [Reissue/1980] 12” (Modern Classics)

This Heat – Deceit [Reissue/1981] LP (Modern Classics)

Isn’t it so often the case that the most innovative works of art – the ones that break the ground where others follow – are the ones that seem to reach only the ears of those who take those ideas and run with them?So it is with This Heat and their releases – 1979’s This Heat, 1980’s Health And Efficiency, and 1981’s Deceit. Within each of these, the seeds of post-punk, avant rock, noise rock and post-rock can be found.

Tomorrows Tulips – Indy Rock Royalty Comb 12”+MP3/Cassette (Burger)

Brand new EP of lo-fi grunge pop from goldie-locked surfersAlex Knost and Ford Archbold.