PARAMORE – This Is Why CD/LP/CASS (Atlantic)
Available on black and clear vinyl. This Is Why is the sixth studio album by Paramore. It is the band’s first album in nearly six years, following After Laughter (2017), as well as their first album to feature the same line-up as its predecessor. Includes the single “This Is Why.”

PIERCE THE VEIL – Jaws Of Life LP (Fearless)
Available on limited orange vinyl. Since 2006, Pierce The Veil unassumingly, yet consistently have climbed their way into the hearts of millions worldwide via an unshakable devotion to making honest and hypnotic hard rock. The San Diego quartet are back with their first album in seven years, The Jaws of Life.

BRAD MEHLDAU – Your Mother Should Know: Brad Mehldau Plays The Beatles CD/LP (Nonesuch)
Free promo poster available with purchase. 2023 release. This live solo album features the pianist and composer’s interpretations of nine songs by John Lennon and Paul McCartney and one by George Harrison. Although other Beatles songs have long been staples of Mehldau’s solo and trio shows, he had not previously recorded any of the tunes on Your Mother Should Know. The album ends with a David Bowie classic that draws a connection between The Beatles and pop songwriters who followed. 

SLEEP – Dopesmoker CD/LP Reissue (Third Man)
Dopesmoker – Recorded in 1996 and not released (in slightly different edit/mix) until 1999 under the title Jerusalem, the legend and lore behind Dopesmoker would overshadow an LP of any lesser significance. But the 63-minute magnum opus dedicated exclusively to the sacrament of marijuana is not just the pinnacle of the goofily named stoner metal genre… it’s inarguably one of the most important and influential albums of all time. Double vinyl LP pressing. Reissue of the second version of the third album by stoner and doom metal band, originally released in 2003.

TENNIS – Pollen CD/LP (Mutually Detrimental)
2023 release, the sixth album from the acclaimed indie-pop duo Tennis. Produced and recorded by the husband and wife duo of Patrick Riley and Alaina Moore, this release follows Tennis’ milestone fifth album, 2020’s acclaimed Swimmer.”  We wanted to write a big album,” says Tennis’ Alaina Moore. “Instead of choruses with universal themes, I wrote with a specificity that was new to me, narrowing in on the smallest details of our lives. It is about small things with big consequences: a particle, a moment, a choice. It is me in a fragile state; sometimes inhabited freely, sometimes reacted against. It is striving to remain in a moment without slipping into dread. It is about the way I can be undone by a very small thing.”

YO LA TENGO – This Stupid World CD/LP (Matador)
2023 release, the first studio album in five years from Yo La Tengo. Recorded at YLT’s practice space in Hoboken NJ, the new material captures the collaborative energy and eclecticism that has defined the band’s career as it enters its 40th year. The double LP features a 10th track on Side D available exclusively on vinyl. 

KELELA – Raven CD/LP (Warp)
Raven is the long-anticipated sequel to Kelela’s impeccable studio debut. Kelela emerges from the tides of her higher self’s oceanic orbit with a fifteen-track, continuous play album exploring autonomy, belonging and self-renewal as healing. With all the sonic, visual, and physical sensualism that magnetized her early core fanbase, Raven finds her more certain and at ease with her creative fluidity’s exceptionality, no matter how high or wide its waves.

BENNY SINGS – Art LP  [Reissue/2011](Sings Records)
Benny Sings will release the reissue of his highly anticipated and most sought after 2011 album ‘ART’ The vinyl album is completely remastered and comes with a new, never released bonus track ‘How Can I Move On’. The vinyl comes with a 20-page songbook on clear white 180 gram vinyl. The album includes the evergreen ‘Big Brown Eyes’ & ‘All We Do For Love’ which was heavily supported by Frank Ocean on his Blonde playlist. 

EL TEN ELEVEN – Valley Of Fire LP (Joyful Noise)
There are some places where words can’t tread. There is no vocabulary for beauty that leaves us tongue-tied and speechless. There isn’t a word for the places that pluck the breath out of our bodies. Kristian Dunne learned the deficits of language when trying to describe his travels to Nevada’s Valley of Fire State Park. The only way to chronicle the journey was through music, making way for El Ten Eleven’s 13th album. Valley of Fire is an accidental – but no less meaningful – spiritual sequel to the duo’s 2022 release of New Year’s Eve, a frenzied, discotheque fever dream. Compare the album covers, both designed by Ron Fleming (YYES), and the two stand as foils of one another: The watery abstraction of New Year’s Eve counterbalances the fiery distortions of Valley of Fire. 

JJ GREY + MOFRO – Country Ghetto LP (Alligator)
Vinyl LP pressing. First-ever vinyl availability for the best-selling title of JJ Grey’s career since its original release in 2007. JJ’s intoxicating blend of Dixie-fried rock, swampy blues and gritty R&B is at its peak in these compelling, literary songs brimming with outsized characters and soul-shaking music. Tracks include fan favorites “The Sun Is Shining Down,” “War,” “A Woman” and the title song.

HOMESHAKE – Fresh Air LP reissue (Sinderlyn)
Blue & Clear Vinyl. Fresh Air turned 5 this year! In celebration, this anniversary edition is pressed on blue and clear splatter vinyl, and includes poster, insert, and 2 giant Homeshake stickers. Limited to 5000 copies. 

QUASI – Breaking The Balls Of History CD/LP (Sub Pop)
Breaking the Balls of History is Quasi’s tenth record, landing ten years after their last record, on February 10th. Three tens, which aligns with the thirty years they’ve played together. Sam Coomes and Janet Weiss have become Pacific Northwest icons, and Quasi has always felt so steadfast- their enduring friendship so generative, their energy infinite, each album more raucous and catchy and ferocious and funny than the last. While it reflects the darkness of our time, Breaking the Balls of History surges with energy and pleasure and joy. “It felt so life-affirming. I can hear in the music how happy I am to be there and to be playing at that level again,” Janet said. “I get to exist.” Sam and Janet have lived through enough to understand that nothing is permanent, and that when your faith in humanity sinks, you turn to the life force of what you can rely on: the people you trust, the community that claims you, and what you can create. You can’t control the time. But you can make a record of a time. And luckily for us, Quasi has again.

ANDY SHAUF – Norm CD/LP (Anti)
Available on black and colored vinyl. Hailed as “a gifted storyteller” (NPR Music) for 2016’s The Party and 2020’s The Neon Skyline, Andy Shauf writes albums that unfold like short fiction, full of colorful characters, fine details and a rich emotional depth. With Norm, however, Shauf has slyly deconstructed and reshaped the style for which he’s been celebrated, elevating his songwriting with intricate layers and perspectives, challenging himself to find a new direction. Under the guise of an intoxicating collection of jazz-inflected romantic ballads, his storytelling has become decidedly more oblique, hinting at ominous situations and dark motivations.

SAM GENDEL – Superstore LP (Leaving Records)
34-song SUPERSTORE is the Sam Gendel All Genre follow-up album to 2021’s 52-song Fresh Bread. SUPERSTORE is more unreleased music from the enigmatic producer/saxophonist collected from personal archives of solo recordings and collaborations in various venues. Contributing players on select tracks include Blake Mills, Gabe Noel, Kevin Yokota, and Philippe Melanson.

WIZ KHALIFA – Full Court Press LP (Diggers Factory)
Wiz Khalifa, Big K.R.I.T., Smoke DZA and Girl Talk have released their collaborative LP Full Court Press. The product of over a decade-long friendship among the artists, the new album is a timeless and upbeat rap record. On the project’s lead single, March’s “Put You On,” the group drops bars about the come-up of their respective careers. Leading up to the release, they shared more songs and accompanying music videos, including a visual for the party track “Ain’t No Fun” directed by kee and Bawwse. “Collaborating with Girl Talk, Big K.R.I.T., and Smoke DZA on this album has been a long time coming,” Khalifa said. “Putting it together and throwing the house party for the “Ain’t No Fun” video was the perfect way to wrap the album.”

REVOLTING COCKS – Big Sexy Land LP [Reissue/1996] (Cleopatra)
Deluxe red marbled vinyl reissue of the 1986 debut album from Wax Trax revolutionaries, Ministry’s Al Jourgensen, Front 242’s Richard 23, and Luc Van Acker, collectively known as Revolting Cocks!

BOHREN AND DER CLUB OF GORE – Bohren for Beginners LP (Heavenly)
Since their formation just over 30 years ago, hardly any German band has managed to create such a unique musical cosmos as the German band Bohren & der Club Of Gore from Mühlheim. With their dark instrumental tracks, Bohren have been able to gain a leg-hold fan base in recent years, and renowned musicians such as Mike Patton (Faith No More), Ry-X, John Grant, Soap & Skin and Thor Harris (Swans) have long since fallen for Bohren’s timeless songs. The wonderfully titled “Bohren For Beginners” now collects all the highlights of the Bohren catalog in partly remixed versions, as well as a new song, for the first time as a 3LP album, so that the present work show is of interest as a gateway drug for newcomers as well as for diehard fans. Since a large part of the Bohren back catalog has already been deleted for years, musical treasures are unearthed here that have lost none of their quality and will still give you goosebumps in 20 years.

BLACK BELT EAGLE SCOUT – The Land,The Water, The Sky CD/LP (Saddle Creek)
This land runs through Katherine Paul’s blood. And it called to her. In dreams she saw the river, her ancestors, and her home. When the land calls, you listen. And KP found herself far from her ancestral lands during a time of collective trauma, when the world was wounded and in need of healing. In 2020 she made the journey from Portland back to the Skagit River, back to the cedar trees that stand tall and shrouded in fog, back to the tide flats and the mountains, back to Swinomish. It is a powerful thing to return to our ancestral lands and oftentimes the journey is not easy. Like the salmon through the currents, like the tide as it crawls to shore this is a story of return. It is the call and response. It is the outstretched arms of the people who came before, welcoming her home. The Land, The Water, The Sky is a celebration of lineage and strength. Even in its deepest moments of loneliness and grief, of frustration over a world wrought with colonial violence and pain, the songs remind us that if we slow down, if we listen to the waves and the wind through the trees, we will remember to breathe. 

BRONX – Bronx IV LP [Reissue/2013] (ATO)
Called their “most accomplished record” by Kerrang upon its release in 2013, The Bronx IV  heralded a return to the band’s ferocious sound after two acclaimed Mariachi El Bronx records. This 10th Anniversary Deluxe Edition is remastered with two bonus tracks, housed in a debossed jacket and pressed on clear vinyl.

MOGWAI – Come On Die Young LP [Reissue/1999] (Chemikal Underground)
Come On Die Young, Mogwai’s iconic second album, is to be reissued on coloured vinyl. Presented in a gatefold sleeve with original artwork, the white vinyl will also come with a digital download code. 

MOGWAI – Mogwai Young Team LP [Reissue/1997] (Chemikal Underground)
The groundbreaking Mogwai Young Team, originally released in October 1997, has been remastered by original recording engineer Paul Savage. Housed in a gatefold sleeve with original artwork, the 2LP sky-blue vinyl will come with a download code. 

POST MALONE – Twelve Carat Toothache LP (Republic)
Available on both indie exclusive yellow vinyl and red/black marbled vinyl. Post Malone’s 4th studio album, Twelve Carat Toothache, is his most intimate and personal opus to date. Throughout the 14 tracks, Post takes us with him on his trials with fame, giving a glimpse into the irony of seemingly having it all, but feeling like nothing all at the same time. In an interview with Billboard, Post explained he wants the new songs to “speak more to how I’m feeling at the moment: the ups and downs and the disarray and the bipolar aspect of being an artist in the mainstream.” 

ODESZA – Summer’s Gone LP [Reissue/2012] (Foreign Family Coll)
10 year anniversary reissue of Odesza’s debut album Summer’s Gone with bonus 7” single containing remixes by Baths and Chrome Sparks. 

BURIAL – Streetlands 12” (Hyperdub)
Burial finishes 2022 with a follow up to Antidawn, the sublime three-track EP Streetlands. 

VARIOUS – I Killed The Monster LP (Shimmy Disc)
I Killed The Monster is an 11-track compilation of songs written by celebrated American music legend Daniel Johnston, whose classic LPs ‘1990’ and ‘Artistic Vice’ were produced by Kramer at his legendary Noise New York recording studio and released on Shimmy-Disc in 1990 and 1991, respectively. Available for the very first time on vinyl. Features standout tracks and performances by some of Indie music’s greatest talents, including Danielson & Sufjan Stevens, Kimya Dawson, Dot Allison, Mike Watt, Jad Fair, and Jeffrey Lewis. Kramer produced and mixed most of the songs on the LP, and he him- self delivers one of the most startling tracks on this release; Daniel’s great masterpiece, “Bloody Rainbow”.

TUBEWAY ARMY – Tubeway Army LP [Reissue/1978] (Beggar’s Banquet)
TUBEWAY ARMY was the name of Gary Numan’s band. Formed in 1977, their self-titled debut album was released at the tail end of 1978. In addition to Gary, the band consisted of Paul Gardiner on bass and backing vocals and Jess Lidyard on drums. The album was a segue from the punk-leaning sounds of their early singles, to the pioneering electronic music that Gary Numan became known for. The phrase “garagey sci-fi rock” was used in reference to this album. This album truly paved the way for Gary Numan to become an electronic pioneer. It was during the sessions for this album that he came across a minimoog synthesizer by accident in the recording studio, and the rest is history.

GOLDEN DREGS – On Grace and Dignity LP (4AD)
The beautiful third album by the Golden Dregs, On Grace and Dignity, starts with a scene of a man going on holiday in search of his “best self”. In among the personal reflections on loss of innocence and inferiority, Benjamin spins subtly interweaving narratives about survival, desperate acts of violence, loss and the limitations of community in the face of rapacious gentrification. Nevertheless, it is, appropriately for an album about home, somewhere you’ll want to spend a while. (Benjamin recorded it at his place -that’s his sister Hannah on saxophone.) Life here proceeds at a graceful pace -the bass is sturdy, organs celestial, horns softly valedictory -grounded by Benjamin’s deep voice, which seems to resonate from his feet as he delivers the sort of meticulously written lunar wisdom worthy of Lambchop’s Kurt Wagner, or the tidy yet revelatory koans of Silver Jews’ David Berman.

LISA O’NEILL – All Of This Is Chance CD/LP (Rough Trade)
Following 5 BBC Folk Awards nominations and a designation by the Guardian as Folk Album of the Year in 2019, it is fair to say that Lisa O’Neill is one of the most evocative songwriters in contemporary Irish music today. Fresh off 2018’s collection Heard a Long Song Gone for the River Lea imprint, The Wren EP in 2019 and an adaptation of Bob Dylan’s “All the Tired Horses” for the final scene of epic TV drama Peaky Blinders, O’Neill now returns with her latest album, and first for the Rough Trade label, the beautiful, resonant All Of This Is Chance.

ATARIS – So Long, Astoria Demos LP (Kung Fu)
Limited white and gold splatter colored vinyl LP pressing. Witness the making of a pop punk classic – The Atari’s 2003 album So Long, Astoria. Includes demo versions of every song on the album plus alternate versions, rough song sketches, and untitled tracks recorded at the same time. Comes with extensive liner notes from main songwriter/vocalist Kris Roe reflecting on the creation of each song!

AVENGED SEVENFOLD – City of Evil LP [Reissue/2005] (Hopeless)
Limited Transparent Red double vinyl LP pressing. City of Evil is the third studio album by Avenged Sevenfold, originally released in 2005. Co-produced by Andrew Murdock, City of Evil contains a more traditional heavy metal and hard rock sound than Avenged Sevenfold’s previous two albums, which showcased a predominantly metalcore sound. The album is also notable for the absence of screaming vocals. M. Shadows worked for months before the album’s release with vocal coach Ron Anderson, whose clients have included Axl Rose and Chris Cornell, to achieve a sound that had “grit while still having the tone”. In order to increase stamina and strength on the pedals, The Rev would sit for hours practicing until he could get up to 210 beats per minute. The album contains some of Avenged Sevenfold’s most popular and famous songs, including “Bat Country”, which is arguably their most successful to date, being one of their two singles certified Gold by the RIAA.

CAVETOWN – Lemon Boy LP (Cave Music)
The son of a professional flautist and Cambridge University’s director of music, Robin Skinner – who has performed under the name Cavetown since 2013 – has musical talent literally embedded in his DNA. At age 14, he started posting original songs and covers on YouTube alongside daily musings and behind-the-scenes vignettes, creating a barrier-free connection with his fans as they saw themselves in his music. His whole-hearted optimism and honest songwriting is reflected in effortless melodies about yearning to make sense of life. His devoted and ever-growing fanbase has built and nurtured their own underground grassroots community centered around his music. At sold-out shows around the world with multiple-night residencies in London, Los Angeles, and New York City, fans line up for hours ahead of shows, coordinating homemade art projects, and bringing their own kazoos to play along with him.

LINK WRAY – Rumble: Link Wray 1956-62 LP (Acrobat)
Guitarist and rockabilly singer Link Wray was one of the key cult figures in the history of rock ‘n’ roll and modern rock, having pioneered the technique of using power chords on a distorted electric guitar, most notably on his landmark hit “Rumble”, that was an essential feature of later heavy rock, punk and other styles. Pete Townshend of The Who said that: “If it hadn’t been for Link Wray and ‘Rumble’ I would have never picked up a guitar.” Of Shawnee native American parentage, he contracted tuberculosis while serving in the Korean War, losing a lung, and was told he might never sing again. This collection comprises as many of the A & B sides of his early singles on a variety of labels as are available to include, plus the tracks from his two albums during this era not otherwise released as singles. It naturally includes “Rumble” plus his other two chart entries “Rawhide” and “Jack The Ripper”. It’s a fascinating showcase for one of rock ‘n’ roll’s true left-field heroes, an instinctive style icon and innovator.

LYLE LOVETT – Joshua Judges Ruth LP Reissue (Curb)
LP reissue. Lyle Lovett found his space and works it to this day. He’s done so with ample style, but never lets form follow function. To listen to Joshua Judges Ruth is to hear the stories as the stars. He has cannily cast himself as the narrator, with eyes that dart, commentary that cuts and a nod of recognition to those attuned to his type of storytelling, in which moments of levity sometimes distract from a deeper gravity that always reveals itself. 

COMING NEXT WEEK
DEERHOOF – Apple O’ 20th Anniversary reissue LP
BOOGARINS – Manchaca Vol 1 + 2 CD/LP
AVEY TARE – 7S CD/LP
NICK CAVE – Dig Lazarus Dig LP reissue
NICK CAVE – Good Son LP reissue
NICK CAVE – No More Shall We Part LP reissue
SCREAMING FEMALES – Desire Pathway LP
MELANIE MARTINEZ – Cry Baby LP reissue
PETER BARCLAY – I’m Not Your Toy LP