New Releases & Staff Picks – 9/10/21
Staff Picks
Lindsay – Amyl and the Sniffers, Low
Dario – Heartless Bastards, Low
Zach – Kero Kero Bonito, Homeshake, Amyl and the Sniffers
Kimber – Low
Amyl and The Sniffers – Comfort To Me CD/LP (ATO)
Amyl and the Sniffers, the Melbourne, Australia rock band fronted by Amy Taylor, deliver their second album, Comfort To Me. It’s the follow-up to the band’s 2019 self-titled debut album, which won acclaim for its “pure, uncut rock’n’roll fun” (Pitchfork) and its modern update on ‘70s punk – “spiky, wild, provocative, and a little dangerous with a fierce live reputation” (The Fader). Taylor and her bandmates wrote Comfort To Me during the pandemic while quarantining in the same house together, spending more time refining the songs than they had previously. “The nihilistic, live in the moment, positivity and panel beater rock-meets-shed show punk was still there, but it was better,” says Taylor. “The whole thing was less spontaneous and more darkly considered. The amount of time and thought I put into the lyrics for this album is completely different from the EPs, and even the first record. ” [A limited-edition red vinyl pressing is available.]
Czarface & MF Doom – Super What? (Black and White Edition) (Get On Down)
Superhero? Supervillain? Super WHAT? CZARFACE & MF DOOM‘s newest team-up record Super What? is, much like the Avengers’ arch-enemy Thanos…inevitable (and all-powerful!). The icon MF DOOM unleashes his wizardry and wordplay throughout the record, while CZARFACE (bolstered by the legendary Wu-Tang Clan’s Inspectah Deck and Esoteric) slashes through each of the Czar-Keys’ produced tracks as the team raises the bar on their previous LP, Czarface meets Metalface (2018).
Low – Hey What CD/LP+MP3 (Sub Pop)
Focusing on their craft, staying out of the fray, and holding fast their faith to find new ways to express the discord and delight of being alive, to turn the duality of existence into hymns we can share, Low present Hey What. These ten pieces – each built around their own instantaneous, undeniable hook – are turbocharged by the vivid textures that surround them. The ineffable, familiar harmonies of Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker break through the chaos like a life raft. Layers of distorted sound accrete with each new verse – building, breaking, colossal then restrained, a solemn vow only whispered. There will be time to unravel and attribute meaning to the music and art of these times, but the creative moment looks forward, with teeth.
Homeshake – Under The Weather LP (Sinderlyn)
Limited-edition indie store exclusive grey color vinyl pressing. Unlike most of us, Peter Sagar – also known as Homeshake – was staying at home a lot, long before the pandemic. Sagar wrote the majority of his fifth studio album, Under The Weather, in 2019, when he was going through a long, unrelenting period of sadness. Under the Weather follows Sagar’s life and the depression that consumed him in 2019 – after a brief album intro, it jumps right into “Feel Better”, a reflection on attempting to buck up when the weather outside is grim. The album is hazy and moody, the pace slow as syrup, and from beginning to end, a fog falls over every synth and guitar line.
Spiritualized® – Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space [Reissue/1997] CD/2xLP (Fat Possum)
Originally released in 1997 (on the same day as Radiohead’s OK Computer), Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space is the third full-length effort from Jason Pierce’s post-Spacemen 3 project Spiritualized, and his most brilliant work to date. A hypnotic, narcotic, psychedelic gospel album full of confessional songs about heartbreak and drug abuse, this record is a flat-out masterpiece which received a “10.0” rating from Pitchfork and that NME placed at No. 1, just ahead of the aforementioned OK Computer, in their Album of the Year Poll. [A limited-edition blue vinyl pressing is available.]
Idles – Joy As An Act Of Resistance LP reissue (Partisan)
Limited magenta colored vinyl LP pressing. Joy as an Act of Resistance is the second studio album by British rock band Idles, originally released in 2018. The album peaked at #5 on the UK Albums Chart on 7 September 2018.
A Beautiful Life is the first new music from Heartless Bastards since 2015’s Restless Ones. The album was produced by Kevin Ratterman (Strand Of Oaks, Jim James, White Reaper) and includes guest appearances by Andrew Bird on “The River”, Greggory Clifford (White Denim) on drums, Jesse Chandler (Mercury Rev, Midlake) on keys, flute, clarinet; David Pulkingham (Patty Griffin) on guitar, and Bo Koster (My Morning Jacket) on keys. The music is a mélange of blues rock, rock and singer-songwriter material which surround themes about self-love and awareness, mental health, the environment, and consumerism. [A limited-edition indie store exclusive color vinyl pressing is available.]
Andrew W.K. – God Is Partying CD (Napalm)
Internationally acclaimed hard rock musician and God of partying, Andrew W.K., marks another extraordinarily intense chapter in his fabled and perplexing tenure as a pop culture icon, with his fifth full-length rock album, God Is Partying. Hovering in the fluorescent spotlight of his legendary party power, God Is Partying sees Andrew W.K. ransack the corners of the human psyche, reaching a triumphant apex in his catalog nearly 20 years after the release of his chart-topping 2001 full-length debut, I Get Wet. Showcasing his indisputable musical chops, God Is Partying features Andrew W.K. performing all the album’s instruments, in addition to co-producing the album with Grammy Award-winning engineer, Ted Young. Channeling the manic euphoria that has compelled Andrew W.K.’s auditory insignia for decades, God Is Partying is comprised of nine exhilarating exaltations soaked with a flood of epic energy – often traversing nearly impenetrable lyrical themes while remaining refreshingly relatable, inspiring, and vital for survival.
Riddy Arman – Riddy Arman CD/LP (La Honda)
Not too long after the unexpected success of her Western AF session, Riddy Arman began an intensive six-day recording session at Mississippi Studios in Portland, Oregon. Hopeful, and longing to capture the essence of deeply personal stories from her life, she teamed up with producer Bronson Tew and tracked nine songs for her self-titled debut. “Recording these songs brought me back to the times that inspired them, but instead of reliving the pain, the studio magic empowered me to overcome it,” Arman says of her experience. Album track “Problems Of My Own” is rooted in classic country songwriting, exploring the darkness that can lurk within family life. With simple references to classic scenes, such as bacon frying in cast iron pans, the song explores the urge to escape painful surroundings.
Samantha Fish – Faster CD (Rounder)
On her new album Faster, Samantha Fish joins forces with super producer Martin Kierszenbaum (Lady Gaga, Sting) and imbues even more intensity into her electrifying brand of blues/rock-and-roll. With Fish accompanied by legendary drummer Josh Freese (Guns N’ Roses, Nine Inch Nails, The Replacements) and bassist Diego Navaira (The Last Bandoleros), the result is a singular body of work both irresistibly galvanizing and emotionally raw. Fish on lead single “Twisted Ambition”: “It’s empowering, it’s about confidence, it’s about flipping this power structure… and taking charge of your life.” [An indie store exclusive CD version is available. Vinyl edition due September 17.]
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – Butterfly 3000 LP (KGLW)
Recently released on CD – now available on limited red, yellow, and blue color vinyl. KGLW’s 18th studio album, Butterfly 3000, might be their most fearless leap into the unknown yet; 10 songs that began life as arpeggiated loops composed on modular synthesizers, before being fashioned into addictive, optimistic and seductive dream-pop. It sounds simultaneously like nothing they’ve done before, yet unmistakably Gizz, down to its climactic neon psych-a-tronic flourish.
Matthew E. White – K Bay CD/2xLP+MP3 (Domino)
K Bay, Matthew E. White’s first solo album in six years, is the astounding record he has forever aspired to make. A bold reclamation of independence and identity, K Bay establishes White as one of his era’s most imaginative artists. These 11 pieces are retro-futurist magic tricks that feel instantly classic and contemporary, the product of a musical mind that has internalized the lessons of his idols and used them to build a brilliant world of his own.
A Place To Bury Strangers – Hologram LP (Dedstrange)
Recently released on CD – now available in two limited-edition color vinyl editions: neon orange and indie store exclusive red & transparent blue. Hologram is the first release from New York post-punk legends A Place To Bury Strangers on their own newly formed label, Dedstrange. Hologram is the follow up to their highly regarded fifth album, Pinned, and is a sonic return to A Place To Bury Strangers’ rawest, most unhinged sound. With songs addressing the decay of connections, friendships lost, and the trials and tribulations of these troubled times, Hologram serves as an abstract mirror to the moment we live in. Written and recorded during the on-going global pandemic and in the midst of the decline of civilization, Hologram is a sonic vaccine to the horrors of modern life.
Mercury Prize and Grammy nominated Fontaines D.C. are back with a twist. They partnered up with the ‘Baron of Techno’ Dave Clarke for a remix and an edit of “Televised Mind”, the third single from their 2020 album, A Hero’s Death. The surging churn of “Televised Mind” is still intact with Dave expanding it and turning the track into a robust, chugging slice of full-vocal punk-funk. He’s deftly married the raw musical attitude of the band with his own dark, propulsive beat.
Booker T. & The MG’s – The Complete Stax Singles Vol. 1 (1962-1967) CD/2xLP (Real Gone Music)
Last week we saw Volume 2, this week we’ve got Volume 1! They recorded 49 single sides for Stax under the name of Booker T. & the MG’s, and you’ll find the first 29 (yes, 29!) of ‘em right here, released on a single CD or double-LP pressed in red vinyl. As with all of our singles collections, we have very carefully vetted these songs to make sure they are the correct mono single versions, with mastering by Dan Hersch at d2 Mastering, and tape research and sourcing by Mike Johnson and Aaron Kannowski with help from Bill Inglot.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions – This Year’s Model [Reissue/1978] CD/LP (UMe)
Originally released in 1978, Elvis Costello & The Attractions’ album, This Year’s Model, has been newly remastered with the addition of “Big Tears” and “Radio Radio”.
Béla Fleck – My Bluegrass Heart CD (BMG)
My Bluegrass Heart is the third chapter of a trilogy which began with the 1988 album, Drive, and continued in 1991 with The Bluegrass Sessions. The project features a who’s who of some of the greatest instrumentalists in bluegrass music’s history alongside some of the best of the new generation of players mandolinists Sam Bush, Sierra Hull, and Chris Thile; fiddlers Michael Cleveland and Stuart Duncan; celebrated multi-instrumentalist Justin Moses, bassists Edgar Meyer and Mark Schatz, and the amazing Bryan Sutton and Molly Tuttle on guitar. [Vinyl edition due October 29.]
Kero Kero Bonito – Civilisation CD/CASS (Polyvinyl)
Kero Kero Bonito is a London-based experimental pop trio, comprised of bilingual Anglo-Japanese singer Sarah and producers Gus and Jamie. Having previously made college radio indie (“Time ‘n’ Place”, “#1 NACC 2018”) and viral Casio megahits (“Flamingo”, “I’d Rather Sleep”), the six track Civilisation mini album compiles the lost world junk pop of the band’s Civilisation I and Civilisation II EPs. Civilisation was inspired by the art pop lineage of artists like Kate Bush, David Sylvian and Peter Gabriel, with a sonic palette informed by Warp’s Artificial Intelligence series, homemade new age music and early digital synth experiments.
Martin Sexton – 2020 Vision CD (Kitchen Table)
Recorded in Los Angeles and Longmeadow, MA, and produced by John Alagia, (Paul Simon, John Mayer), 2020 Vision, written during the summer of 2020, is a snapshot into a year when the world stood still, yet life somehow filled in for Sexton. 2020 Vision follows Sexton’s consistent reflections on America, which has always trickled into his music since his 1996 rendition of “America The Beautiful”.
Slothrust – Parallel Timeline CD/LP (Dangerbird)
Leah Wellbaum has never been afraid of her own humility or honesty. But she’s never quite examined it the way she has now with Parallel Timeline. On Slothrust’s latest album, bandleader Leah Wellbaum pushed herself to try and understand her own spirituality on a deeper level, putting a lens on the core wound of the human experience, the idea that we’re alone. With Parallel Timeline, Wellbaum explores the feeling of being trapped inside her own consciousness while simultaneously searching for a meaningful connection to the universe, and all the mysteries it contains.
Southern Culture On The Skids – At Home With Southern Culture On The Skids CD/LP (Scots Sound Inc.)
At Home with Southern Culture On The Skids consists of 11 tracks recorded and mixed in Rick Miller’s living room with some additional tracks recorded at his studio, The Kudzu Ranch. The songs on the album are a combination of the band’s unique mix of musical genres: rock & roll, surf, folk, and country, all a bit off-center, what Rick proudly calls “our wobbly Americana.” Rick goes on, “We put a few more acoustic guitars on this one, as you would expect if you recorded in your living room, but it still rocks like SCOTS. So put your headphones on, get in your favorite chair/sofa/recliner, put on At Home with Southern Culture On The Skids and let’s hang out for a while.”
The Vaccines – Back In Love City CD/LP/Cassette (Super Easy)
Back In Love City, the 2021 album produced by Daniel Ledinsky (Rihanna, Carly Rae Jepson), Andrew Maury (Lizzo, PostMalone) and Fryars (Pharrell Williams, Mark Ronson), sees The Vaccines both perfecting their winning formula, and pushing their sound forward, evolving from their previous foundations with an album that reflects on escapism as a necessary part of modern living.
We Were Promised Jetpacks – Enjoy The View CD/LP (UK Big Scary Monster)
Since releasing 2018’s The More I Sleep The Less I Dream, We Were Promised Jetpacks’ Adam Thompson, Sean Smith and Darren Lackie have embraced change head-on. Amicably parting ways with guitarist Michael Palmer, leaving a notable empty fourth corner in their practice room, it marked a transitory moment in the band’s acclaimed career, and one that would be cemented by events to come. Entering 2020 as a trio with a handful of songs written and a small tour under their belts, the world around them came to a sudden halt. Yet despite the unquestionable hardship that the lockdown brought with it, for a band looking to rebuild following a dramatic change, it also proved to be a blessing in disguise. The result, Enjoy The View, is the product of a more settled band. Fifteen years into their career, the trio is more focused than ever.
Modest Mouse – The Golden Casket 2xLP (Epic)
The Golden Casket heralds another new chapter in the band’s unpredictable evolution. Produced with Dave Sardy and Jacknife Lee in Los Angeles and in Modest Mouse’s studio in Portland, the album hovers in the liminal space between raw punk power and experimental studio science, frontman Isaac Brock explores themes ranging from the degradation of our psychic landscapes and invisible technology, to fatherhood. The twelve tracks behave like amorphous organisms, undergoing dramatic mutations and mood swings that speak to the chronic tug-of-war between hope and despair that plays out in Brock’s head.
Juana Molina – Segundo [Reissue/2000] 2xLP (Crammed Discs)
Originally released in 2000, Segundo is the album which started Juana Molina’s international career. Initially releases in Argentina and Japan, it was eventually picked up by the Domino label in 2003. This special 21-year anniversary edition includes a booklet containing original texts and drawings by Juana, and previously unpublished photos.
The Nerves – One Way Ticket [Reissue/2008] LP (Alive)
Limited clear purple colored vinyl. Compilation of tracks by the legendary power pop trio featuring Jack Lees, Peter Case (The Plimsouls), and Paul Collins (The Beat).
Sa-Roc – The Sharecropper’s Daughter (Bonus Vinyl) 12” (Rhymesayers)
Gold/white/black multi-color vinyl pressing. The Sharecropper’s Daughter (Bonus Vinyl) 12” contains six new tracks serving as a companion piece to Sa-Roc’s already acclaimed Rhymesayers debut, The Sharecropper’s Daughter, released in October of 2020. These new songs further showcase Sa-Roc’s sharp skills as a lyricist, and her gift for captivating melodies and engaging content, featuring production from Sol Messiah and Evidence, as well as a guest verse from MF DOOM.
Hayley Williams – Flowers For Vases/Descansos LP (Atlantic)
Hayley Williams, lead singer of Paramore, recently celebrated the surprise release of her second solo project, Flowers For Vases/Descansos. The gripping album was written and performed in its entirety by Hayley Williams, a career first for the music industry titan. Recorded at her home in Nashville, the 14-track album spans from stories of love to stories of loss. “In a world that often requires us to ignore our deepest needs, Hayley Williams does not provide a light at the end of the tunnel or a closed door, but a new body, a new tongue, and possibly a new frame of reference to survive and even thrive,” wrote NPR.
Daniel Romano – Cobra Poems CD/LP (You’ve Changed Records)
Cobra Poems is a set of 10 new originals by Daniel Romano and the group of exceedingly well-dressed talents known as the Outfit. Here, they display an ever-increasing swagger and a rare ability to synthesize a shocking amount of rock history into something new, relevant, immediate, and yes, poetic.