Staff Picks
Lindsay – Kassi Valazza and Witch
Caleb – Juan Wauters  
Dario – Protomartyr and y La Bamba
Zach – Protomartyr
Kimber – Tinariwen

Protomartyr – Formal Growth In The Desert CD/LP+MP3 (Domino)
Since their 2012 debut, Protomartyr has mastered the art of evoking place: the grinding Midwest humility of their hometown, as well as the x-rayed elucidation of America that comes with their vantage. The group’s sixth album, Formal Growth In The Desert, was recorded at Sonic Ranch in Tornillo, TX with producer Jake Aron. “The desert is more of a metaphor or symbol,” singer Joe Casey says, “of emotional deserts, or a place or time that seems to lack life.” The “growth” came from a period of colossal transition for Casey, including the death of his mother. But life does go on, and Casey describes the great theme of Formal Growth In The Desert as an embrace and acknowledgment of that fact: a 12-song testament to “getting on with life,” even when it feels impossibly hard. [An indie store exclusive blue color vinyl pressing is available.]

Beach Fossils – Bunny CD/LP (Bayonet)
Brooklyn bedroom-pop trailblazers Beach Fossils’ new album Bunny is a triumphant return for one of the 2010s most influential NYC bands. Bunny is a precise blend of the luscious dream-pop atmospheres they notoriously honed on their earliest projects, the post-punk vigor expressed on Clash The Truth, and the warm sophisticated songwriting of Somersault. Composer Dustin Payseur peppers the album equally with descriptions of the joy of fatherhood and the existential pleasure of smoking cigarettes out of a car window with friends – Bunny features Beach Fossils’ most personal lyrics to-date. A collection of new favorite tracks for fans of every era of Beach Fossils, Bunny proves to be the culmination of a decade’s worth of growth and experience. [A limited-edition blue color vinyl pressing is available.]

De La Soul – Stakes Is High [Reissue/1996] 2xLP/Cassette (Chrysalis)
Stakes Is High is the fourth studio album by De La Soul, originally released in 1996. Stakes Is High was critically lauded for its music, lyricism, and its overall message concerning the artistic decline rap music began to face in the mid- ‘90s. The title track and first single was produced by J Dilla and the album’s second single, “Itzsoweezee (HOT)”, with only Dave on vocals, was accompanied by a creative music video. The album spawned a third single “4 More”, featuring Zhane. The album did provide a launching pad for future star rappers and actors Mos Def, who appeared on the track “Big Brother Beat” and Common who is featured on “The Bizness”.

Witch – Zango CD/LP (Desert Daze Sound)
Witch was the first band in Zambia to release a commercial album – 1973’s Introduction. Blending the rock and roll sounds of UK rock bands like The Rolling Stones, Cream, and The Beatles together with more traditional African rhythms, Witch pioneered a new genre dubbed Zamrock, and during their brief yet prolific existence, Witch (an acronym for We Intend To Cause Havoc) were the most revered band in the country. Zango is the band’s eighth studio album and was recorded at the same studio where the original band’s sensational 1975 album Lazy Bones had been made some 46 years prior: DB Studios. [A limited-edition yellow color vinyl pressing is available.]

Bob Dylan – Shadow Kingdom CD/2xLP (Legacy)
Shadow Kingdom finds Bob Dylan performing revelatory 21st century versions of songs from his storied back catalog – including fan favorites like “Forever Young” and “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue”, and deep catalog gems like “Queen Jane Approximately” and “Wicked Messenger”. Originally reinterpreted for an exclusive streaming film event, which aired in July 2021, Shadow Kingdom will now be available for the first time on CD and as a double vinyl LP with an etching on the D-side. The album’s setlist includes 13 original songs handpicked by Dylan for his Shadow Kingdom performance plus the closing instrumental, “Sierra’s Theme”.

Bully – Lucky For You CD/LP+MP3/Cassette (Sub Pop)
Lucky For You is Bully’s most close-to-the-bone album yet. It’s an album that’s searing and unmistakably marked by its creator’s experiences, while still retaining the massive sound that Alicia Bognanno has become known for over the last decade. Her fourth album draws from personal pain and the universal struggle that is existing, learning, and moving on – and it’s all soundtracked by Bognanno’s rock-solid melodic sensibilities and a widescreen sound that’s impossible to pin down when it comes to the textures explored. These ten songs are simply the most irresistible Bognanno’s put to tape yet, making Lucky For You her greatest triumph to date in a career already packed with them.

Cowboy Junkies – Such Ferocious Beauty CD/LP (Cooking Vinyl)
Such Ferocious Beauty is vintage Cowboy Junkies and another dimension from the lo-fi Canadian band comprised of, well, family. Written between the long isolating summer of 2020 and 2021, Michael Timmins would take leave of his family, travel to a cottage to focus on writing, armed with books from DH Lawrence, Walt Whitman, David Whyte, the Bible, the Odyssey and a desire to make sense of this phase of his life. While these ten songs serve as aural Rorschach takes on emotions, life, even fate, an unspoken common ground unites them. From the haunted blues of “Hell Is Real” to the languishing meander of “Knives Are Drawn”, both delivered from singer to the listener, observing, cautioning, drawing back the curtain. They eventually come down to the same place: the individual and looking out into the world, asking ‘How do I fit into this? How do I keep my humanity?’ [A limited-edition green color vinyl pressing is available.]

Ben Folds – What Matters Most CD/LP (New West)
“More than anything, I wanted to make an album that was generous, that was useful,” says Ben Folds. “I want you to finish this record with something you didn’t have when you started.” Indeed, Folds’ masterful new collection, What Matters Most, isn’t so much a statement as it is an offering, an open hand reaching out to all those wounded and bewildered by a world that seems to make less and less sense every day. Recorded in East Nashville with co-producer Joe Pisapia, the album marks Folds’ first new studio release in eight years, and it’s a bold, timely, cinematic work, one that examines the tragic and the absurd in equal measure as it reckons with hope and despair, gratitude and loss, identity, and perspective. The songs are bittersweet here, hilarious at times, but often laced with a quiet sense of longing and dread: a text message goes unanswered; an old classmate descends into the dark depths of internet conspiracies; a relationship unravels in the middle of a lake. [A limited-edition autographed and color vinyl pressing is available.]

Foo Fighters – But Here We Are CD/LP/Cassette (RCA)
But Here We Are is the new album from Foo Fighters and marks the band’s return after a year of staggering losses, personal introspection, and bittersweet remembrances. A brutally honest and emotionally raw response to everything Foo Fighters have endured recently, But Here We Are is a testament to the healing powers of music, friendship, and family. But Here We Are is in nearly equal measure the eleventh Foo Fighters album and the first chapter of the band’s new life. Sonically channeling the naiveté of Foo Fighters’ 1995 debut, informed by decades of maturity and depth, But Here We Are is the sound of brothers finding refuge in the music that brought them together in the first place 28 years ago, a process that was as therapeutic as it was about a continuation of life. [A limited-edition white color vinyl pressing is available.]

Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – Council Skies CD/2xCD//LP (Orchard)
From the evocative album title to the cover art, to the lyrics themselves, Council Skies sees Noel Gallagher reclaiming his past and paying homage to his Mancunian roots. His most varied and accomplished solo record to date, Noel’s fourth solo studio album is a record framed by confidence, risk-taking, surefooted creative freedom, and great emotional depth. Council Skies was recorded at Noel’s own Lone Star Sound Recording Studios in London, with the album’s lusciously orchestrated strings recorded at the legendary Abbey Road Studios. Produced by Noel with long-time collaborator Paul ‘Strangeboy’ Stacey, the album also features performances from Johnny Marr on three tracks, including the single “Pretty Boy”. Council Skies takes its title from a book by revered northern illustrator and friend of Noel, artist Pete McKee. It covers themes of youthful yearning, and unbridled ambition.

Rancid – Tomorrow Never Comes CD/LP+MP3 (Epitaph)
Carrying the same raw energy since their 1991 inception, Rancid has been deemed by Stereogum as “incapable of making a bad album.” The Berkeley, California, punk stalwarts continue that streak with the release of their highly anticipated tenth studio album Tomorrow Never Comes. The 16-track collection was produced by longtime collaborator, Bad Religion guitarist and Epitaph founder, Brett Gurewitz. Their first new music since 2017’s Trouble Maker, the band introduces Tomorrow Never Comes with the exhilarating title track and lead single. Highlighting their collective ear for melodic rock hooks and catchy, sing-along choruses, the song is complete with the familiar wailing guitars and punishing punk rock rhythms that have solidified Rancid as the legends they are. [An indie store exclusive vinyl pressing is available.]

Tinariwen – Amatssou CD (Wedge)
Some people have commented that Tinariwen have always been a country band, albeit a North African take on that most North American of genres. That idea is magnified on new album Amatssou, which finds the Tuareg band’s trademark snaking guitar lines and hypnotic rhythms blending seamlessly with pedal steel, piano and strings from guest musicians including Daniel Lanois, the embellished arrangements lending the songs an epic, universal application. Full of poetic allegory, the lyrics call for unity and freedom. There are songs of struggle and resistance with oblique references to the recent desperate political upheavals in Mali and the increasing power of the Salafists.

Rufus Wainwright – Folkocracy CD/2xLP (BMG)
Rufus Wainwright returns with Folkocracy, a star-studded album of folk music reinventions that sees the 2x Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter joined by a spectacular collection of friends, family members, and other special guest artists that includes Brandi Carlile, John Legend, David Byrne, Sheryl Crow, Nicole Scherzinger, Chaka Khan, Andrew Bird, ANOHNI, Susanna Hoffs, Van Dyke Parks, Madison Cunningham, and many more. Produced by longtime collaborator Mitchell Froom (Paul McCartney, Crowded House), Wainwright says “This album is almost like a recorded birthday party and birthday present to myself. I just invited all the singers that I greatly admire and always wanted to sing with.”

y La Bamba – Lucha CD (Tender Loving Empire)
Lucha, y La Bamba’s seventh album, is a thematic narrative that explores multiplicity – love, queerness, Mexican American and Chicanx identity, family, intimacy, yearning, loneliness. Born out of isolation during the COVID-19 lockdowns, the album reflects the artist’s struggles and growth as a person and artist. The album is a battle cry to fight to be seen and accepted and is a collection of sonically sprawling and bold tracks that document the parallel trust the artist has built with herself to allow the songs to guide how they should be sung or sound.

Tom Waits – Closing Time (50th Anniversary Edition) 2xLP (ANTI-)
2023 marks fifty years since Tom Waits released his landmark debut album Closing Time. Called “a minor key masterpiece filled with songs of late-night loneliness” by All Music Guide, Closing Time features the distinctly lyrical storytelling and blending of jazz, blues and folk styles that would come to be associated first with Waits. This 50th anniversary edition is presented on double 180gm LP cut at 45 RPM with half speed mastering by London’s Abbey Road Studios. [An indie store exclusive clear vinyl pressing is available.]

Desmond Dekker – Essential Artist Collection CD/2xLP (Trojan)
Long before Bob Marley’s rise to pre-eminence, the title of the world’s leading reggae performer rested firmly with another young singer from Kingston, Jamaica: Desmond Dekker. Between 1967 and 1970, Desmond enjoyed a succession of international hit singles, breaking new ground with singles such as “007”, the first Jamaican-produced single to break into the UK top twenty, and “Israelites”, the first reggae single to reach the Number One spot in Britain and to breach the US chart. Further triumphs followed thereafter, with major chart hits including “It Mek”, “Pickney Gal”, “You Can Get It If You Really Want” and “Sing A Little Song”, all of which cemented his place in history as Jamaica’s first global superstar.

Eluvium – (Whirring Marvels In) Consensus Reality – Volcanic Earth CD/LP+MP3 (Temporary Residence)
New album by Eluvium – the renowned moniker of prolific modern composer, Matthew Robert Cooper. Taking initial inspirations from T.S. Eliot’s The Waste Land and Richard Brautigan’s All Watched Over By Machines Of Loving Grace, (Whirring Marvels) inherently deals both with humankind’s need for meaning, and the emergence of algorithms reflecting the feedback loops of humankind’s interactions with machines themselves. This complicated relationship that we have with technology, automations, and algorithms – and the influence they in turn have on shaping our image of the world – is the mechanized heart and soul of an album that almost instantly establishes itself as a peak in Eluvium’s inimitable catalog. [A limited-edition ‘volcanic earth’ color vinyl pressing is available.]

Generationals – Heatherhead CD/LP+MP3 (Polyvinyl)
As Generationals, Grant Widmer and Ted Joyner have been stretching the boundaries of pop music for over a decade. From Con Law, their ebullient 2009 debut, to their adventurous and groove-infused LP from 2019 Reader As Detective, the New Orleans based duo have made songs that are consistently immediate and memorable. Even though their music always sounds effortless, they approach their songwriting with an auteur-like perfectionism: constantly tweaking and fine-tuning their craft. [A limited-edition white color vinyl pressing is available.]

Ben Harper – Wide Open Light CD/LP (Chrysalis)
“Wide Open Light is a family of songs I’ve written. I’ve selected them with the care one might put into a personal photo album. To that effect, I’d call it a sonic family photo album, each track a close relative to the next. The story behind this record is simple. I have been writing songs now for over 30 years. It’s what I long to do, love to do, and at times feel I need to do, and hope to continue doing until the ink runs dry and the notes fade. But for now, Wide Open Light. Deliberately minimalist, the songs themselves do as much of the heavy lifting as the production (produced by myself, and my longtime collaborators Danny Kalb and Jason Mozersky). Featured guests on the album include Jack Johnson guitar, vocals on ‘Gone For Good’, Shelby Lynne vocals on ‘8 Minutes’, and Piers Faccini vocals on ‘Wide Open Light’. – Ben Harper

Jack Johnson – In Between Dub CD/LP (Republic)
In March 2020, Jack Johnson reached out to Lee “Scratch” Perry to produce a dub remix album based on Jack’s most loved recordings. On August 29, 2021, the project was brought to a halt as Scratch departed this physical world. In 2022, Jack and Subatomic Sound System, Perry’s band of the last decade, connected directly and discovered they had all the pieces to bring Lee “Scratch” Perry’s three creations to completion. In Between Dub also features dubs from Dennis Bovell, Scientist, Mad Professor, Nightmares On Wax, and more. [An indie store exclusive white color vinyl pressing is available.]

Norah Jones – Little Broken Hearts [Reissue/2012] CD/2xCD/LP/3xLP (Blue Note)
Norah Jones defied expectations with her fifth studio album Little Broken Hearts, a striking collaboration with Danger Mouse that arrived a decade after her debut Come Away With Me, prompting SPIN to call it “the 2nd essential record of Norah Jones’ career.” [The Deluxe Edition – on CD and vinyl – features an expanded 31-track set curated by Jones with rare bonus tracks, alternate versions, remixes, and a previously unreleased live version of the album recorded for Austin City Limits in 2012.]

Kassi Valazza – Kassi Valazza Knows Nothing CD (Fluff & Gravy)
There is a cult-like fascination growing around Kassi Valazza following the self-release of her 2019 debut album Dear Dead Days and her surprise 2022 EP Highway Sounds. She is seated squarely at the vanguard of new American songwriters strengthening and broadening the sound of country music as she tours with celebrated acts such as Melissa Carper and Riddy Arman. The Southwestern native resides in Portland, a hotbed of songwriters producing albums that both bear the torch and bend the arc of American roots music. Valazza’s new album, Kassi Valazza Knows Nothing, is a spellbinding collection of songs that dangle like protective magic talismans, catching dreams and glinting light.

Various Artists – Yo! Boombox – Early Independent Hip Hop, Electro And Disco Rap 1979-83 2xCD/3×12”/3×12”+7”+MP3 (Soul Jazz)
Yo! Boombox is the new instalment of Soul Jazz Records’ Boombox series on the early days of hip-hop on vinyl, featuring some of the many innovative underground first-wave of early rap and disco rap records made in the USA between 1979-83. The album includes the first releases of seminal groups such as Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five and The Funky Four Plus One More, through to rarities and little-known obscurities such as the Carver Area High School band’s “Get Live 83”, an awesome record made at a Chicago high school. [An indie store exclusive pressing featuring a bonus 7” is available.]

Rob Crow & Kramer – Hymns 7” (Shimmy Disc)
“In 2022, the pandemic seemed to be receding to the point where artists could work together again, literally side by side. So, as a kind of ‘follow-up’ to my Joyful Noise 2020 Artist-in-Residence box set, I revisited the notion of a limited-edition vinyl box celebrating the joys of collaboration. I thought about it for a good long while, and eventually, it felt good. I then put the idea under a microscope and found that it felt even better when I minimized the project to six 33rpm EP’s on 7″ vinyl.”

Passion Pit – Gossamer [Reissue/2012] 2xLP (French Kiss)
Double color vinyl pressing (including an indie store exclusive pressing). Gossamer is the second studio album by electropop band Passion Pit, originally released in 2012. Recorded in 2011 in Los Angeles and New York City, the album was produced by Chris Zane and lead singer Michael Angelakos.

Helene Smith – I Am Controlled By Your Love LP (Numero)
Teenage melancholy from the original Miami Sound Machine. Backed by the infamous FAMU Marching 100 Band and Frank Williams’ crack shot players The Rocketeers, I Am Controlled By Your Love compiles sides from Helene Smith’s ’60s tenure with the Deep City, Lloyd, Reid, and Blue Star labels. A sweltering album of twelve deeply soulful, alternate universe hits from the First Lady of Miami Soul. [A limited-edition metallic silver color vinyl pressing is available.]

Surprise Chef – Friendship 12” (Big Crown)
Friendship is a six song 12″ EP that picks up where the last album left off and pushes their sound in new directions as they take on different energies and make them their own. The EP opens with “Rosemary Hemphill”, a gorgeous yet haunting tune that takes the listener through a myriad of musical changes and moods. “Friendship Theme” is a bouncy and energetic number with an infectious and driving topline that is sure to move dancefloors around the globe. [A limited-edition blue color vinyl pressing is available.]

Tomakawk – Mit Gas [Reissue/2003] LP (Ipecac)
Tomakawk – Anonymous [Reissue/2007] LP (Ipecac)
Vinyl reissues (including indie store exclusive colorways) of Tomahawk’s second and third albums. Tomahawk is an experimental alternative metal/alternative rock supergroup from the United States. They formed in 2000 when Fantômas, Mr. Bungle and Faith No More singer Mike Patton and The Jesus Lizard guitar player Duane Denison started swapping tapes with the intention of collaborating. Duane Denison then recruited ex-Helmet drummer John Stanier (also playing with Battles), while Mike Patton brought Melvins/Cows bass player Kevin Rutmanis into the fold.

McCoy Tyner – Time For Tyner [Reissue/1969] LP (Blue Note)
On his third Blue Note album, pianist McCoy Tyner assembled a quartet with Bobby Hutcherson (vibraphone), Herbie Lewis (bass), and Freddie Waits (drums) for an album rich in ethereal textures that deliver visceral performances of three expansive Tyner originals and three radically reinvented standards. Part of Blue Note’s Tone Poet Series featuring all-analog remastering and luxe packaging.

Juan Wauters – Wandering Rebel LP (Captured Tracks)
Blue color vinyl pressing. There’s freedom to be found in consistency. Until recently, Juan Wauters may not have agreed with this statement. As a touring musician and multinational citizen, transience had always come naturally to him. Circumstance, however, recently prompted him to reconsider the benefits of staying in one place. His most introspective work to date, Wauters’ sixth solo album Wandering Rebel finds the artist taking stock of how he’s changed, how the world sees him, and what he wants out of life. Written mostly during an extended break from touring, the songs on Wandering Rebel are candid reflections on subjects like career (“Wandering Rebel”), romantic commitment (“Amor Amor”), mental health (“Nube Negra”) and the personal toll of touring (“Let Loose”).

Link Wray – Sings And Plays Guitar [Reissue/1964] LP (Sundazed)
Pink color vinyl pressing. Unquestionably one of the most iconic rock guitarists of all time, Link Wray rumbled out of the gates with a string of instrumental hits starting in the late ’50s. This album presents another side of Link with nary an instrumental in sight, this time pairing his blistering fretwork with vocal tunes perfectly suited for the teen hops that Link and company tirelessly played for years.

Avenged Sevenfold – Life Is But A Dream… CD/2xLP/Cassette (WB)
Avenged Sevenfold’s new album, Life Is But A Dream, is a timeless work of art that blurs genres. Best served as a whole and consumed en masse to truly appreciate its musical breadth and sonic depth, it marks the band’s boldest statement and most revolutionary work to date. Written and recorded over the span of four years, it was produced by Joe Barresi and Avenged Sevenfold in Los Angeles and mixed by Andy Wallace in the Poconos, PA. Inspired by Albert Camus’ The Stranger, the album is a journey through an existential crisis; a very personal exploration into the meaning, purpose and value of human existence with the anxiety of death always looming.

The Revivalists – Pour It Out Into The Night CD/LP (Concord)
The Revivalists make the kind of rock ‘n’ roll that grabs you and doesn’t let go. On their fifth full-length release, the New Orleans outfit was inspired to create a life-affirming album that in many ways connects to the original seed of inspiration for the band’s name. Introduced by the single “Kid”, Pour It Out Into The Night is a celebration of resilience, living for who you are and what you’re about. With an infectious melody and piano peeking through bright acoustic guitar, intricate layers of the band’s distinctive instrumentation power a euphoric chantable chorus: “Hey kid/ Just sing the songs that wake the dead then/ You keep them ringing in your head, yeah/ You gotta get it off your chest/ Don’t worry about the mess.” As the world came to a standstill in the years since their last album, Take Good Care, personal experiences and life challenges abounded, with band members having their first children, getting married, and navigating the mental hurdles of lockdown. [An indie store exclusive vinyl pressing is available.]

Open Mike Eagle – Rappers Will Die Of Natural Causes LP (Auto Reverse)
Limited edition 10th anniversary reissue on silver vinyl featuring 2 tracks never before on vinyl & alternate cover art!

Count Basie and His Orchestra – The Transcription Recordings LP (Hindsight)
This collection of rare swinging big band transcriptions was originally intended for Radio Broadcast only during the Second World War in 1944. Basie’s orchestra personnel was ever-changing as thousands of musicians were called for duty, which affected the many dance orchestras of the ’40s. These recordings here feature incredible talents of the time, including Bill “Count” Basie, Artie Shaw, Rudy Rutherford, Illinois Jacquet, Lester Young, Harry “Sweets” Edison, Jimmy Rushing and Thelma Carpenter. Comes pressed on heavyweight translucent mint green colored vinyl with detailed liner notes, imagery about wartime transcription recordings, and quotes from Big Bill Basie himself.

Corrosion of Conformity – In The Arms Of God LP reissue (M Label Group)
In the Arms of God is the seventh studio album by American heavy metal band Corrosion of Conformity, released on April 5, 2005. Last pressed on vinyl in 2018; To date, it is the only album of the band to not feature drummer Reed Mullin and the last to feature Pepper Keenan on vocals and guitar until 2018’s No Cross No Crown. The record was a proper step sideways, one which saw the band embracing old-school fans’ demands for thrash, as well as new converts’ desires for catchy. It was one of those rare cases where both sides could be satiated.

Corrosion of Conformity – Live Volume LP (M Label Group)
Recorded April 20, 2001, in Detroit, MI, Live Volume is the first live album by Corrosion of Conformity and first time back on vinyl since 2016. Although the group began with strong punk leanings, indeed they were one of the first groups to merge punk and metal, the selections on this album eschew the material from that era.

Matt & Kim – Grand LP (Fader)
Yellow/orange & black splatter. Includes a bonus 7″ – Live in Bonnaroo 2013 – exclusive to this pressing. From the band – We self-produced/recorded this album in a room with no heat in the middle of winter. We never expected you, the person who is reading this, would ever hear it. I think that’s really part of the magic of it.

Matt & Kim – Sidewalks LP (Fader)
Indie exclusive blue vinyl. First Time on Colored vinyl and the first pressing since the original pressing in 2010. From the band – Some of our favorite lyrics we’ve ever written are on this album. I probably won’t have a gravestone, but if I did, I’d like these lyrics printed on it: “TIRED DOGS REST THEIR PAWS”.

Tame Impala – Lonerism LP 10th Anniversary reissue  (Interscope)
To celebrate the 10th anniversary of Lonerism, Tame Impala present fans with a deluxe 3 LP reissue of the album that features previously unreleased demos from the era. Lonerism was Tame Impala’s breakout record. It received critical acclaim from the likes of Pitchfork and NME and is regarded as one of the best albums of 2012. This expanded deluxe edition of the album features the original album track list, 2 previously unreleased demos, a full side of album demos, and a deluxe 24-page booklet.