Fruit Bats – A River Running To Your Heart CD/LP+MP3 (Merge)
Fruit Bats have often showcased love songs where people and locations meld into one. It’s a loose song structure that navigates what Eric D. Johnson calls “the geography of the heart.” Those pathways extend straight through the newest Fruit Bats album, aptly titled A River Running To Your Heart. Self-produced by Johnson – a first for Fruit Bats – with Jeremy Harris at Panoramic House just north of San Francisco, it’s Fruit Bats’ tenth full-length release. After two decades of making music, hard-earned emotional maturity has clearly seeped into Johnson’s already inviting songs. [An indie store exclusive blue w/ cream color vinyl pressing is available.]

Dom Flemons – Traveling Wildfire LP (Smithsonian Folkways)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Dom Flemons has built a reputation on presenting 100 years of American roots music, but now, with Traveling Wildfire, his own songwriting prowess comes into the spotlight. Carefully selected from his personal repertoire, these original songs reveal his love of country, western, blues, Americana, bluegrass and folk music as they tell of true love, family legacy, survival, time travel, and the juxtaposition between light and dark. Traveling Wildfire weaves through the themes of hope and humor as it rises above the hard times with strength and lightheartedness.

Temples – Exotico CD/2xLP (ATO)
Produced by Sean Ono Lennon and mixed by Dave Fridmann (Beach House, Spoon, The Flaming Lips), Temples fourth full-length album Exotico takes place on an impossibly utopic island dreamed up by the four band members. With its resplendent collage of psychedelia, krautrock, and time-bending dream-pop, Exotico brings that world to life in crystalline detail, all while exploring an entire spectrum of existential themes: impermanence, mortality, our connection with nature and the wild immensity of the mind. [An indie store exclusive pink color vinyl pressing is available.]

The Flaming Lips – Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots [Reissue/2002] 5xLP (WB)
The Flaming Lips’ Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots was released in 2002 and is the band’s best-selling album, certified Gold in the US with over 700,000 albums sold. The album features one of the band’s most iconic songs – “Do You Realize?” – plus the singles “Fight Test”, “Ego Tripping At The Gates of Hell”, and the title track. The 20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition five-LP Vinyl box set includes the original album, B-sides, demos, and radio sessions, and other assorted rarities. 56 tracks total, of which over 30 are previously unreleased, and 40 that will be available on vinyl for the first time.

El Michels Affair & Black Thought – Glorious Game CD/LP (Big Crown)
Glorious Game is a remarkable debut partnership in more ways than one. Michels provides his bottom-heavy, soul-tinged production for Black Thought who gives us some of the more personal and transparent verses we’ve ever heard from him. [A limited-edition sea blue transparent color w/ OBI strip is available.]

Angel Olsen – Forever Means 12” (Jagjaguwar)
Last year’s Big Time brought Angel Olsen to a deeper, truer sense of self than ever before. Born from the twin stars of grief and love, the album delivers a  beautiful sense of certainty, the sure-footed sound of an artist fully, finally at home with herself. But within that wisdom comes the realization that there is no finish line, no destination or static end point to life while you’re living it, and Forever Means collects songs from the Big Time sessions that hold this common theme. They are, in Olsen’s words, “in search of something else.” [A limited-edition pink color is available.]

The Tallest Man On Earth – Henry St. CD/LP+MP3 (ANTI-)
Kristian Matsson returns as The Tallest Man On Earth with Henry St., his sixth studio album following 2012’s There’s No Leaving Now, 2015’s Dark Bird Is A Home, and the self-released I Love You, It’s A Fever Dream in 2019. Henry St. notably marks the first time he recorded an album in a band setting. “My entire career I’ve been a DIY person – mostly fueled by the feeling that I didn’t know what I was doing, so I’d just do everything myself,” he explains. But now, longing for the energy that’s only released when creating together with others, Matsson invited his friends to come and play. Nick Sanborn (of Sylvan Esso) produced Henry St., which includes contributions from Ryan Gustafson (The Dead Tongues) on guitar, lap steel and ukulele, TJ Maiani on drums, CJ Camerieri (of Bon Iver) on trumpet and French horn, Phil Cook on piano and organ, Rob Moose (of Bon Iver, yMusic) on strings and Adam Schatz on saxophone. An overarching theme of Henry St., he says, is “how to be a person in this world.” [An indie store exclusive translucent red color vinyl pressing is available.]

Fenne Lily – Big Picture CD/LP/Cassette (Dead Oceans)
From the first line to the last, Big Picture finds Fenne seeking clarity in the uncertain; comfort in the uncomfortable. A gorgeous and gripping portrait of Fenne’s last two years, Big Picture was rarely easy for its author to produce but its contents offer a brilliant catharsis. Started haltingly after a period of writer’s block, the songs that would make up her latest work were pieced together over the course of the pandemic, in an effort to self-soothe. [A limited-edition ultramarine color vinyl pressing is available.]

Florence + The Machine – Dance Fever (Live At Madison Square Garden) 2xLP (Republic)
A collection of live recordings from her Dance Fever Tour, recorded at two sold-out September 2022 Madison Square Garden dates in New York City, Dance Fever sees Florence at the peak of her powers, coming into a fully realized self-knowledge, poking sly fun at her own self-created persona, playing with ideas of identity, masculine and feminine, redemptive, celebratory, stepping into her place in the iconic pantheon.

Feist – Multitudes CD/LP (Interscope)
Multitudes serves as the 11-time Juno Award-winning artist’s sixth full-length album and first release since 2017’s critically acclaimed Pleasure. The 12-track collection took shape soon after the birth of Feist’s daughter and the sudden death of her father, a back-to-back convergence of life-altering events that left the Canadian singer/songwriter with “Nothing performative in me anymore.” Amid meditations on mortality, connection and the frenetic state of the human condition, Multitudes ultimately radiates an ineffable sense of hope. [An indie store exclusive clear vinyl pressing is available.]

Natalie Merchant – Keep Your Courage CD/2xLP (Nonesuch)
Keep Your Courage is Natalie Merchant’s ninth solo studio album and first of new material since 2014’s self-titled record. An eclectic album, produced by Merchant, it features two duets sung with vocalist Abena Koomson-Davis (Resistance Revival Chorus), contributions from the Celtic folk group Lúnasa and Syrian virtuoso clarinetist Kinan Azmeh, and horn arrangements by jazz trombonist Steve Davis. There are lush orchestrations throughout by seven composers including Gabriel Kahane, Stephen Barber, Colin Jacobson, and Megan Gould. Keep Your Courage comprises nine original songs by Merchant as well as an interpretation of “Hunting The Wren” by Ian Lynch of the Irish band Lankum..

Metallica – 72 Seasons CD/2xLP/Cassette (Blackened Recordings)
Metallica return with their long-awaited twelfth studio album 72 Seasons. Issued via the band’s own Blackened Recordings, the 12-track collection was produced by Greg Fidelman with James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich and clocks in at over 77 minutes. 72 Seasons is Metallica’s first full length collection of new material since 2016’s Hardwired…To Self-Destruct. Speaking on the concept of the album title, James said, “72 seasons. The first 18 years of our lives that form our true or false selves. The concept that we were told ‘who we are’ by our parents. A possible pigeonholing around what kind of personality we are. I think the most interesting part of this is the continued study of those core beliefs and how it affects our perception of the world today. Much of our adult experience is reenactment or reaction to these childhood experiences. Prisoners of childhood or breaking free of those bondages we carry.” [An indie store exclusive vinyl pressing is available.]

Mike Lindsay featuring Guy Garvey, Katherine Priddy – The Endless Coloured Ways: The Songs Of Nick Drake 7” (Chrysalis)
The Endless Coloured Ways is a collection of songs by legendary singer/songwriter, Nick Drake, performed and recorded by over 30 incredible artists from a range of different backgrounds, genres, age groups and audiences. From Fontaines D.C. to Guy Garvey, Aurora to Feist, and Self-Esteem to David Gray, each artist has offered their own incredible take on a timeless classic. 

Hank III – Damn Right Rebel Proud [Reissue/2008] LP (Curb)
Blue colorway. Damn Right Rebel Proud is the fourth studio album released by Hank Williams III, an American musician, singer, and multi-instrumentalist, known for his unique combination of country music, punk rock, and heavy metal.

Neil Young with The Santa Monica Flyers – Somewhere Under The Rainbow 1973 2xCD/2xLP (Reprise)
Neil Young and The Santa Monica Flyers (Neil Young, Nils Lofgren, Ben Keith, Billy Talbot, Ralph Molina) played London’s Rainbow Theatre on November 5th, 1973, with the first half of the concert dedicated to Neil Young’s masterpiece album Tonight’s The Night. The intense concert was recorded by Pete Long, and includes riveting versions of the Tonight’s The Night tracks, plus Young classics “Cowgirl In The Sand”, “Don’t Be Denied”, and “Flying On The Ground Is Wrong”.

David Bowie – Aladdin Sane [Reissue/1973] LP (Parlophone)
50th Anniversary half-speed master version of Bowie’s iconic 1973 album. [A limited-edition picture disc pressing is also available.]

Earth Crisis – To The Death [Reissue/2009] LP (Svart)
Earth Crisis, the legendary American hardcore band, reunited in 2007 after playing what was meant as a last show in 2001. After the successful one-off concert the band decided to embark on a number of US and European dates and also signed a deal with Century Media, which resulted in this highly acclaimed comeback album, To The Death. For many fans, To The Death was a revelation: clean but powerful production, creative songwriting that at times harks back to the band’s classic ‘90s records and performance that holds nothing back. [A limited-edition green colorway is available.]

Nathaniel Rateliff – Closer [Reissue/2015] 12” (Mod y Vi)
Vinyl repress of the 2015 EP from the singer/songwriter.

The Wood Brothers – Heart Is The Hero CD/LP (Honey Jar/Thirty Tigers)
The Wood Brothers have learned to trust their hearts. For the better part of two decades, they’ve cemented their reputation as freethinking songwriters, road warriors, and community builders, creating a catalog of diverse music and a loyal audience who’ve grown alongside them through the years. That evolution continues with Heart is the Hero, the band’s eighth studio album. Recorded analog to 16-track tape, this latest effort finds its three creators embracing the chemistry of their acclaimed live shows by capturing their performances in real-time direct from the studio floor with nary a computer in sight. An acoustic-driven album that electrifies, Heart is the Hero is stocked with songs that target not only the heart, but the head and hips, too. [An indie store exclusive clear vinyl pressing is available.]

The Cinematic Orchestra – Every Day [Reissue/2002] 3xLP+MP3 (Ninja Tune)
Triple translucent red color vinyl pressing housed in gatefold jacket. Includes four bonus tracks. The Cinematic Orchestra mark the 20-year anniversary of their celebrated album, Every Day with this limited reissue replete with bonus tracks “Oregon” and “Horizon (feat. Niara Scarlett)” as well as two tracks previously unreleased on vinyl in “Semblance” and the unearthed “Flite (Original Version)”. The release features new artwork from the original designer, Openmind, and gatefold sleeve complete with Gilles Peterson’s original liner notes as well as a selection of previously unseen photographs presented on a 12″ card insert.

Bill Withers – Live at Carnegie Hall [Reissue/1973] LP (Sony Legacy)
Newly Remastered – 50TH Anniversary Edition. Bill Withers’ Live At Carnegie Hall was recorded 50 years ago on a rainy Friday evening, but it is still regarded as one of the best live performances in the history of Soul music. With beautiful renditions of his classics “Ain’t No Sunshine”, “Use Me”, “Grandma’s Hands” and of course his biggest hit “Lean On Me”, this shouldn’t come as a surprise. Withers’ brand of melancholy Soul plucks at your heartstrings and creates a wistful yearning, but it is still one of the most uplifting pieces of music you will ever find.

The Ahmad Jamal Trio – The Awakening [Reissue/1970] LP (Verve)
By 1970, pianist Ahmad Jamal’s style had changed a bit since the 1950s, becoming denser and more adventurous while still retaining his musical identity and signature elegance. Jamal’s trio – bassist Jamil Nasser (whose double-timing lines are sometimes furious) and drummer Frank Gant – deliver intriguing performances, showing that Jamal was continuing to evolve. Verve By Request Series features transfers from the analog tapes remastered on 180-gram vinyl.

Sonido Verde De Moyobamba – Sonido Verde De Moyobamba LP (Analog Africa)
Formed in 1980 by guitar prodigy Leonardo Vela Rodriguez, Sonido Verde de Moyobamba created some of the hardest, craziest Cumbia to emerge from the Peruvian jungle. With distorted, surf-addled guitar facing off against lysergic organ and hyperactive tropical rhythms, Sonido Verde conjured the organic sound of the dense forests surrounding their hometown while riding their dance-party grooves to dizzying psychedelic peaks. Compiled by Analog Africa, Sonido Verde de Moyobamba presents eight ultra-rare tracks of guitar and organ madness drawn from the band’s five albums recorded for Discos Universal between 1981 and 1987. Pressed on Sun Yellow colored vinyl, housed in a screen-printed jacket and strictly limited to 2000 copies, Sonido Verde is a definitive trip into the heart of the jungle.

Xylouris White – The Forest In Me CD/LP (Drag City)
More in tune now with the rhythm of the sun and moon, Xylouris White speak to each other across great distances with the intuition and fellowship that can only be found over years in each other’s company. The duo consists of Greek singer and laouto player George Xylouris and Australian drummer Jim White. With fewer distractions, appreciative of the freedom to play with new sounds and spaces, they carve The Forest In Me from unbelievably thin air.

Boy Harsher – Lesser Man [Reissue/2017] LP (Nude Club)
Lesser Man (Extended Version) is the first release of Boy Harsher`s imprint, Nude Club Records, originally released on cassette by Soft Science in (2014), and Night People (2015). The album was reissued by the infamous Berlin goth label aufnahme + wiedergabe in Nov 2017 on 500 copies, and sold out in less than two weeks. Remastered by Thomas P. Heckmann at Trope Mastering, Lesser Man (Extended Version) includes the dark wave hit, “Pain” and the unreleased track “Run” which was recorded during the Lesser Man session.

Patrick Watson – A Mermaid in Lisbon LP (Secret City)
This 4-track vinyl EP is a compilation of the three songs from the digital EP A Mermaid in Lisbon and the single “Lost with You” by Patrick Watson. About A Mermaid in Lisbon, Patrick Watson said “The inspiration for these three pieces came the last time I was walking the streets of Lisbon. It’s my favourite place to wander, it just generally feels like the streets are singing this wonderful melancholic sound for your walk, that pulls you into small winding roads, that make you feel like you’ll get lost and never return. Hence the mermaid title. It’s an incredible place and it was the one place in the world I missed most during the quarantine.”

Peru Selvatico – Sonic Expedition into the Peruvian Amazon 1972-1986 LP (Analog Africa)
Less than a hundred miles inland from the capital city of Lima lies the great Peruvian jungle, an untamed land of impenetrable forests and endless winding rivers. In its isolated cities, cut off from the fashions of the capital, a unique style of music began to develop, inspired equally by the sounds of the surrounding forests, the roll of the mighty Amazon and Ucayali Rivers, and the rhythms of cumbia picked up from distant stations on transistor radios. With the arrival of electricity, a new generation of young musicians started plugging in their guitars and trading in their accordions for synthesizers: Amazonian cumbia was born. With eighteen tracks from some of the greatest names in Amazonian cumbia, Perú Selvatico is both the improbable soundtrack to a beach party on the banks of the Amazon and a psychedelic safari into the sylvan mysteries of the Peruvian jungle.

COMING NEXT WEEK
EVERYTHING BUT THE GIRL – Fuse CD/LP
RUN THE JEWELS – RTJ Cu4tro LP
DR DRE – Chronic reissue CD/LP
ST PAUL AND THE BROKEN BONES – Angels in Science Fiction CD/LP
DAUGHTER – Stereo Mind Game CD/LP
MARS VOLTA – Que Dios Te Maldiga Mi Corazon CD/LP
SUBLIME – $5 at the Door CD/LP
EASY STAR ALL STARS – Ziggy Stardub CD/LP
ESTHER ROSE  – Safe To Run CD/LP
RODRIGO Y GABRIELA – In Between Thought A New World CD/LP
CIRCA SURVIVE – Blue Sky Noise LP
NATURAL LINES – Self Titled CD/LP (Matt Pond PA)
PORTRAYAL OF GUILT – Devil Music LP
BENNY SINGS – Young Hearts CD/LP
CROSSES – Permanent Radiant LP
LIARS – Sisterworld LP
WAR ON DRUGS – Deeper Understanding LP reissue
WHITE STRIPES – Elephant reissue