STAFF PICKS
Lindsay – Hermanos Gutiérrez, John Grant, and Crumb
Dario – Cola and Caroline Shaw
Kimber – The Decemberists and Monsters of Folk reissue
Jake – Cola and Crumb
Zach – Monsters of Folk reissue, Parannoul, Hermanos Gutierrez, Cola
Ash – Hermanos Gutiérrez

The Decemberists – As It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again CD/2xLP (Yabb)
For over 20 years, The Decemberists have been one of the most original, daring, and thrilling American rock bands. Their distinctive brand of hyperliterate folk-rock set them apart from the start, releasing nine full-length albums that are unbound by genre and highly ambitious. Now the beloved indie band is back with their first new album in six years, As It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again – not only the longest Decemberists album to date (and their first intentional, proper double-LP) but also their most empathetic and accessible, its 13 songs like semaphores of mutual recognition for our fraught times and faint hope. [An indie store exclusive ‘fruit punch’ color vinyl pressing is available.]

Hermanos Gutierrez – Sonido Cosmico CD/LP (Easy Eye Sound)
On their latest album, Sonido Cosmico, Hermanos Gutiérrez embark on a sonic exploration that defies the conventional boundaries of instrumental music. Produced by Dan Auerbach, the collection is a richly textured tapestry, interwoven with the intricate threads of Latin rhythms and ephemeral atmospherics: each track a vignette, a carefully crafted narrative without words, where the brothers’ transcendent guitars speak in a language all their own. [An indie store exclusive blue w/ green color vinyl pressing is available.]

Monsters Of Folk – Monsters Of Folk [Deluxe Edition] CD/2xLP (ATO)
Monsters Of Folk – comprised of Jim James (My Morning Jacket), M. Ward, Conor Oberst, and Mike Mogis (Bright Eyes) – released their first collaborative album in 2009. The set was recorded in Malibu and Omaha with all four members playing every instrument. It marked their only recorded output as a band. This Deluxe Edition reissue features revised artwork, the original 15-song record, plus five unreleased studio tracks from 2012 – intended for a never-finished second album and featuring “5th Monster” Will Johnson! [A clear vinyl pressing is available.]

Caroline Shaw and Sō Percussion – Rectangles And Circumstance CD/LP (Nonesuch)
Nonesuch Records releases Rectangles And Circumstance, an album of ten songs co-written and performed by Caroline Shaw and Sō Percussion. Caroline Shaw is a musician who moves among roles, genres, and mediums, trying to imagine a world of sound that has never been heard before but has always existed. She is the recipient of the 2013 Pulitzer Prize in Music, several Grammy awards, an honorary doctorate from Yale, and a Thomas J. Watson Fellowship. Shaw was just announced as Wigmore Hall’s 2024–’25 Composer in Residence. For 20 years and counting, Sō Percussion has redefined chamber music for the twenty-first century through an “exhilarating blend of precision and anarchy, rigor and bedlam” (New Yorker). Its members are the Edward T. Cone performers-in-residence at Princeton University.

$uicideboy$ – New World Depression CD/LP (G59)
Since forming a decade ago in 2014, the $uicideboy$ have prolifically shared their distinctive fusion of rap, punk, and trap with audiences worldwide. New World Depression delves deep into a tumultuous psyche, portraying a world riddled with inner demons, existential crises, and a stark defiance of societal norms. Throughout the album, the duo navigates through themes of fame, self-destruction, and the relentless search for identity amidst chaos. Their raw, unfiltered lyrics serve as a gritty narrative of personal turmoil, substance abuse, and the struggle for authenticity in a world that often feels cold and indifferent. This album is an unapologetic exploration of the darker sides of human experience, resonating with anyone who has ever felt out of place or battled with their own shadows. 

David Bowie – Rock ‘N’ Roll Star! LP (Rhino/Parlophone)
Vinyl LP pressing. Rock ‘N’ Roll Star! compiles alternate takes and mixes from the recording of The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust.

John Cale – Poptical Illusion CD/2xLP+MP3 (Domino)
Despite the album’s playful title, Cale’s second album in just over a year still contains the same feelings of fierce and inquisitive rage that were present in 2023 album Mercy. He remains angry, still incensed by the willful destruction that unchecked capitalists and unrepentant con men have hoisted upon the wonders of this world and the goodness of its people. But this is not at all Mercy II, or some collection of castoffs, as throughout his career of more than six decades, Cale has never been much for repetition. His vanguard-shaping enthusiasms have shifted among ecstatic classicism and unbound rock, classic songcraft and electronic reimagination with proud restlessness. [An indie store exclusive translucent orange color vinyl pressing is available.]

Cola – The Gloss CD/LP (Fire Talk)
Cola’s new album The Gloss is tightly wounded but uncluttered. A continuation of the “jittery post-punk” (Fader) and “minimalist rock” (Clash) of their debut, Deep In View, “Pallor Tricks” offers a cranky dissonance, anchored by intuitive percussion and propelled by Tim Darcy’s incisive songwriting (“My taste is avant-poor”). It’s a kinetic piece of post-punk, cementing Cola at the forefront of “a new kind of art-rock deliverance” (Rolling Stone).

Crumb – Amama CD/LP (Crumb)
New York psych-pop band Crumb return with Amama, their most carefree and open-hearted album to date. A soundscape full of playful and patchwork experimentation – glitchy pitch-shifted vocals, cell phone recordings, nautical blips, sax mouthpiece solos, blasted drum samples, and piano strings dampened with Silly Putty – Amama continues to deepen the band’s hypnotic sound in a cohesive line back through 2021’s Ice Melt, 2019’s Jinx, and breakout EPs Locket and Crumb.

John Grant – The Art Of The Lie CD/LP (PIAS America)
Following the runaway success of his last LP, Boy From Michigan, which crashed the UK Top 10 back in July 2021, legendary singer-songwriter John Grant returns with his hugely-anticipated sixth album, The Art Of The Lie. The album is one of  Grant’s greatest and most visionary to date and confirms his status as a modern electronic auteur. The Art Of The Lie was produced by Grant and Grammy-nominated producer Ivor Guest who is perhaps best-known for his work with Grace Jones. It features an array of celebrated musicians including Dave Okumu, Seb Rochford and Robin Mullarkey. A pink color vinyl pressing is available.

Jerry Garcia Band – GarciaLive Volume 21:  February 13th, 1976 – Keystone Berkeley CD (ATO)
Volume 21 in the GarciaLive series brings the Jerry Garcia Band back to their stomping grounds in the Bay Area with a new (at the time) line-up, including Grateful Dead members Donna Jean and Keith Godchaux joining mainstays John Kahn and Ron Tutt. The setlist includes rarities like the Stones’ “Midnight Mile” and Ray Charles’ “Talkin’ ‘Bout You”, and scintillating takes on favorites like “The Harder They Come”, and “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door.” 

Paul McCartney & Wings – One Hand Clapping 2xCD/2xLP (Capitol)
50 years after their initial recording, the sessions for Wings’ One Hand Clapping are released for the very first time. This set is newly mixed with 12 tracks that didn’t appear in the original film, including reworked extracts of Beatles classics. The package includes original artwork, plus a TV brochure created for the film.

Meat Puppets – Mirage [Reissue/1987] CD/LP (Megaforce)
Meat Puppets – Monsters [Reissue/1989] CD/LP (Megaforce)
CD and vinyl reissues of the fourth and sixth albums by the alternative rock band

Moby – Always Centered At Night CD/2xLP (Mute)
On his new album Always Centered at Night, Moby has once again conjured into reality a collection of heartachingly beautiful, tender-yet-defiant songs, made in collaboration with uniquely talented, soulfully aware, other-worldly vocalists. All the songs are love letters to the unrestricted and enchanting music scene of late ‘70s, early ‘80s New York that shaped Moby as a musician. The featured vocalists were given the same assignment: “Please don’t write anything commercial. Let it be weird. Let it be personal. It doesn’t have to make sense.” [An indie store exclusive yellow color vinyl pressing is available.]

Mono – Oath 2xCD/2xLP (Temporary Residence)
On their 12th full-length album, Oath, Mono ponders the time that makes up life, and how to make the most of that time. Recorded and mixed with longtime friend and collaborator, Steve Albini, Oath opens like a sunrise with a slowly ascending orchestra and brass section, the full band taking its time to revel in the atmosphere before joining in the splendor. Throughout the album’s 71-minute runtime, Mono meditates on that theme of time and life in myriad ways. The unhurried evolution of a song that is a hallmark of Mono’s catalog is infused with an air of elegance that elevates Oath to new heights. [A white color vinyl pressing is available.]

RJD2 – Visions Out Of Limelight CD/LP (Orchard)
The 8th full length studio album from RJD2. You may know him from the Mad Men theme. Or “Deadringer”. Or those commercials and shows and movies and such. You may not even know the name, but you surely know the tunes. Well into his third decade in the game, RJD2 refuses to let his foot off the gas with quality albums. Ever so funky, mysterious, and quirkily soulful, Visions Out Of Limelight continues his tradition of making records to free your mind, and you know what will follow. Featuring vocals from the legendary Jamie Lidell, longtime collaborator Jordan Brown, and even one song by the man himself, this album is sure to satisfy longtime fans and those new to the party alike. [A turquoise color vinyl pressing is available.]

Leon Bridges – Like A Ship 7” (Numero)
Numero’s second bundle of cover 45s is all things soulful. The Rotterdam-based Another Taste electrifies Maxx Traxx’s 1984 Chicago boogie grail “Don’t Touch It,” which makes its debut on the 7″ format here. Colemine Records’ Say She She delivers a glamorous rendition of Jim Spencer’s yacht-disco hit “Wrap Myself Up In Your Love.” Columbia Recording artist Leon Bridges effortlessly transforms Pastor T.L. Barrett’s “Like A Ship,” updating the 50-year-old gospel soul classic for the 21st century. [A color vinyl pressing is available.]

A Certain Radio – It All Comes Down To This LP (Mute)
It All Comes Down To This, for now at least, is the sound of the current incarnation of A Certain Ratio. Indeed, in many senses, it is the purest distillation of their essential sound ever committed to tape. Their thirteenth studio album, it is the first time ever they have recorded strictly as the core trio of principle band members – multi-instrumentalists Jez Kerr, Martin Moscrop and Donald Johnson. [A deluxe vinyl pressing is available. CD version due July 5.]

The Gossip – That’s Not What I Heard [Reissue/2001] LP (Kill Rock Stars)
The Gossip – Standing In The Way Of Control [Reissue/2006] LP (Kill Rock Stars)
Red and pink colorways, respectively. The first thing that strikes you is the rhythm. The Gossip have been making punks dance since they debuted 25 years ago, long before dance punk existed. Soulful and jagged, you can hear everything from Dischord to Motown in Brace Payine’s playing

Billie Holiday – Body And Soul [Reissue/1957] LP (Verve)
Small jazz groups brought out the best in Billie Holiday – especially groups as good as the one heard on this classic 1957 recording. Ben Webster, Harry “Sweets” Edison and the other members of this stellar ensemble were not just gifted soloists but sensitive accompanists as well. Lady Day was rarely more ably supported than she was on this program of sturdy standards, including three gems by the Gershwin brothers – and she rarely sounded more luminous.

James Vincent McMorrow – Wide Open, Horses 2xLP (Nettwerk)
White colorway. Irish singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer, James Vincent McMorrow, returns to the fore with his seventh full-length album. Wide Open, Horses is a candid snapshot of everything that has brought James to this point. The album signifies a retaking of his own narrative, a freeing self-acceptance, and a rebuilding of both his sense of self and his connection to music.  [CD version due June 21.]

Royal Trux – Twin Infinitives [Reissue/1990] 2xLP+MP3 (Drag City)
Silver colorway. The seminal avant-garde noise-rock group Royal Trux is the project of Jennifer Herrema and former pussy galore member Neil Hagerty. The most experimental and fractured album of its career, 1990’s Twin Infinitives epitomizes the duo’s early lo-fi aesthetic (the band would later grow to incorporate elements of ’70s hard rock and somewhat more traditional song structures). Drawing on the influence of Sonic Youth, sound conceptualist composers, and White Light / White Heat – era velvet underground, Royal Trux builds a swirling cacophony here of distorted guitar riffs, squiggly synthesizer lines, and spoken-word performances to truly unsettling aural effect.

Bruce Springsteen – Born In The In U.S.A. [Reissue/1984] LP (Sony Legacy)
Limited transparent red colored vinyl LP pressing housed in gatefold jacket. Includes booklet and lithograph. This 40th anniversary edition of Bruce Springsteen’s history-making Born In The U.S.A. album re-pressed on translucent red vinyl. The anniversary edition also features a gatefold sleeve and exclusive booklet with archival material from the era, new liner notes penned by Erik Flannigan and a four-color lithograph.

Parannoul – After the Magic LP (Topshelf)
The third studio album by South Korean shoegaze musician Parannoul. It was released last year, but not readily available on vinyl until now. 

Iggy and the Stooges – Scene Of The Crime LP (Cleopatra)
Digitally remastered collection of rare studio recordings from punk icons Iggy Pop and The Stooges recorded in the same year the band released their seminal album Raw Power! On red vinyl. Includes gems such as “Cock In My Pocket,” “Tight Pants,” “I Got A Right” and lots more, remastered to pristine audio fidelity for a unique look into one of the greatest punk rock bands ever!

Badbadnotgood – IV LP (RHR Cat)
Double vinyl LP pressing. IV is the fourth studio album from Canadian jazz instrumental hip hop band BadBadNotGood, originally released in 2016.

Widespread Panic – Snake Oil King LP (Widespread Records)
Widespread Panic’s 1st full-length studio release since 2015 Street Dogs. Pressed on opaque jade vinyl. All new original songs recorded at John Keane Studio in Athens, GA. 

Various Artists – Barricaded Suspects [Reissue/1983] LP (Toxic Shock)
Long out of print comp, reissued on Toxic Shock Records. This is Septic Deaths first vinyl appearance and Toxic Shock Records very first Release (TX-LP-01 1983). The Septic Death track is a live track of Eye Missing taken from their set on Aug 28 1983 with the FU’s. A studio version of this song has never been released.  The artwork is done by Pushead and also includes some way hard to find gems from PEACE CORPSE, HUMAN THERAPY, RED TIDE, KILLROY, ROMULANS, KNOCKABOUTS, ABSCESS, SUBURBAN MUTILATION, SEPTIC DEATH, DULL, MASSACRE GUYS, DECRY, ROACH MOTEL, BONDED IN UNITY,  MAD PARADE, HUNDREDTH MONKEY, VISION/DECAY, HUE & CRY and includes bonus tracks not on the original LP from THE DULL, PEACE CORPSE, PILLSBURY HARDCORE AND THE ZIMBO CHIMPS.  This comp. was pretty monumental when it came out, and still holds the test of time.  A nice slice of the early 80’s HC scene.

COMING NEXT WEEK
SPIRITUALIZED – Songs In A+E CD/LP reissue
QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE – Self Titled LP reissue
POND – Stung LP
BRITISH SEA POWER– Decline Of British Sea Power LP reissue
SHACKS – Big Crown Vaults Vol 2 LP
UNWOUND – Single History: 1991-1997 LP
THEE SINSEERS – For You 7″
MENAHAN STREET BAND – Tropical Man 12″
ISLANDS – What Occurs LP
LAKE STREET DIVE – Good Together LP
PASSION PIT – Manners LP reissue
KOOK KEITH – Feature Magnetic LP
SADE – Diamond Life, Stronger Than Pride, Promise LP reissues
LINDA THOMPSON – Proxy Music LP
GRACIE ABRAMS – Secret Of Us CD/LP
STORY SO FAR – I Want To Disappear LP
LA DISPUTE – Hear Hear IV LP