STAFF PICKS
Lindsay – clipping.
Dario – Alabaster DePlume
Kimber – Throwing Muses
Jake – Uhlmann Johnson Wilkes
Zach – Charley Crockett and Of Montreal reissue
Ash – Disques Debs International Vol 3

CHARLEY CROCKETT – Lonesome Drifter LP (Island)
Lonesome Drifter is the new album from GRAMMY Award-nominated artist Charley Crockett. Crockett co-produced the album alongside multi-GRAMMY Award-winning musician and producer Shooter Jennings. Over the course of just 10 days, they cut 12 tracks live at the legendary Sunset Sound in Los Angeles. Crockett’s Island Records debut is a culmination of all that has come before, with the same unapologetic spirit, die-hard work ethic, and no nonsense honesty that has driven his artistry across his 14 previous studio albums. In the end, Lonesome Drifter takes stock of Charley’s road in the rearview as it paves a path into the future. Available on 180g black vinyl housed in a printed inner sleeve, as well as silver vinyl with an alternate cover. 

CLIPPING – Dead Channel Sky LP (Sub Pop)
LP now, CD coming soon. While Clipping’s last few projects have been record-long concepts like classic prog rock, their cyberpunk-infused new album Dead Channel Sky is mixtape-like, a carefully curated collection in which every track is a love letter to a possible present. It sounds crisp and classic at the same time. When something strikes us as retrospective and futuristic at the same time, it’s a reminder of how slipshod our present moment truly is.  On Dead Channel Sky, Clipping’s co-conspirators include everyone from the guitarist Nels Cline, to their labelmates Cartel Madras, rapper/actor Tia Nomore, and wordsmith Aesop Rock. Diggs is known for intricate lyrics and rapid-fire rapping, and the tracks that Snipes and Hutson build in the background are no less complex. All of the above serves to give us a glimpse of an adjacent possible present, where hip-hop and cyberpunk are one culture. Binary stars are often perceived as one object when viewed with the naked eye. 

VARIOUS – Mizik Maladi: Disques Debs International Volume 3 CD/LP (Strut)
Strut introduces the highly anticipated third volume in the Disques Debs International series, diving deeper into the archives of one of the greatest French Caribbean labels, Disques Debs, based in Guadeloupe. Founded by the visionary Henri Debs in the late ‘50s, the label and studio operated for over 50 years, releasing more than 300 7” singles and 200 LPs, making it a cornerstone of Caribbean music history. 

NELS CLINE – Consentrik Quartet CD/LP (Blue Note)
Guitarist, sonic explorer, and Wilco band member Nels Cline presents the debut recording by his Consentrik Quartet featuring Ingrid Laubrock on saxophones, Chris Lightcap on bass, and Tom Rainey on drums. Cline’s fourth Blue Note album, Consentrik Quartet, features 12 evocative and far-ranging soundscapes composed by Cline. 

TV GIRL – Who Really Cares LP (TV Girl)
Brand new splatter colored vinyl reissue. A cult classic even within the insular world of America’s most beloved cult band. Who Really Cares may lack the bemused whimsy that made their debut record so universally adored, but it is no less kaleidoscopic and freewheeling in its obsession with suburban America’s collective raging id, garnering a ravenous following amongst those whose interests skew towards the prurient and the macabre. 

ALABASTER DE PLUME – A Blade Because a Blade is Whole CD/LP (International Anthem)
A Blade Because a Blade is Whole is the latest album from London-based composer-poet-activist-improviser Alabaster DePlume, his first major work following 2022’s GOLD and 2020’s To Cy & Lee: Instrumentals Vol 1.The 11-song album covers all of DePlume’s musical touchstones: lush and gentle instrumentals informed by ghostly ancient folk melodies; groove-focused rhythm explorations as a bed for self-searching spoken declamations; sweeping and beautiful string arrangements (in this case by Macie Stewart) set against his trademark vibrato-infused tenor sax whispermoan. 

Gregory Uhlmann, Josh Johnson, Sam Wilkes – Uhlmann Johnson Wilkes LP (International Anthem)
Uhlmann Johnson Wilkes is the debut album from Gregory Uhlmann (SML, Anna Butterss, Duffy x Uhlmann, Perfume Genius), Josh Johnson (SML, Jeff Parker ETA IVtet & New Breed, Meshell Ndegeocello, Anna Butterss, Leon Bridges), and Sam Wilkes (Sam Gendel, Louis Cole, Chaka Khan). The three improviser/arranger/producers’ impressive individual credits encompass such a wide stylistic pendulum swing that a collection of group music from the trio could mine any number of musical territories with masterful results. In these 11 instrumental songs, the trio explores a spacious lyrical curiosity that could be described as a jazz-informed take on progressive electro-acoustic chamber music.

THROWING MUSES – Moonlight Concessions LP (Fire)
Moonlight Concessions goes back to basics, a return for Throwing Muses to their esoteric off-kilter best courtesy of Kristin’s pin-sharp sketches and their suitably abrasive musical arrangements. The album follows their acclaimed Sun Racket from 2020, a heady set filled with tough and tender tales spiked with surreal imagery. Produced by Kristin Hersh at Steve Rizzo’s Stable Sound Studio in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, Moonlight Concessions is a collection of snippets from everyday life writ large – think Raymond Carver Short Cuts, overheard conversations, recounted happenings and telling one-liners, all sewed together to illustrate the times as they slowly mature, fully peppered with original Muses’ vim and vigour. 

OF MONTREAL – Sunlandic Twins 20th Anniv LP reissue (Polyvinyl)
To celebrate the album’s 20th anniversary, Polyvinyl is thrilled to announce a special edition reissue. Lovingly remastered by Glenn Schick, with a half-speed vinyl master by Miles Showell at Abbey Road Studios, The Sunlandic Twins (20th Anniversary Edition) features the original 13-track album along with a treasure trove of bonus material from the era, including previously unreleased tracks and rarities that offer a deeper glimpse into the creative process behind this mesmerizing record.

ARCHIE SHEPP – Magic Of Ju Ju LP (Verve)
Limited 180gm vinyl LP pressing. Opening with the 18-minute track of the same name, Archie Shepp’s The Magic of Ju-Ju takes on a fevered pace as the centerpiece of this date from 1968. Shepp let’s loose from the beginning, as he’s joined by Beaver Harris, Norman Connor, Ed Blackwell, Frank Charles and Dennis Charles. The initial pace never dissipates throughout the length of the title track. The rest of the music on The Magic of Ju-Ju is a departure from the first track, sitting in a more traditional realm. The album is a valuable snapshot in time, highlighting Archie Shepp’s contribution to the space of spiritual and free jazz. Verve By Request Series features 180-gram vinyl, pressed at Third Man in Detroit. 

COHEED AND CAMBRIA – The Father Of Make Believe CD/LP (Coheed & Cambria)
Coheed and Cambria presents their forthcoming album, The Father of Make Believe. The new full-length marks the 10th studio album from the New York band and continues the narrative of The Amory Wars / Vaxis universe, following their 2022 album, Vaxis Act II: A Window of the Waking Mind.

MICROWAVE – Stovall 10 Yr Anniversary LP(Many Hats)
Microwave is celebrating 10 years of their beloved debut album Stovall, released August 2014, with this special anniversary vinyl. Atlanta-based Microwave are strongholds in the emo/post-hardcore scene, releasing four full-length albums over the last 10 years including 2024’s Let’s Start Degeneracy. 

FUCKED UP – Disabuse 7″ (Sub Pop)
Disabuse” and “Self Driving Man” are unlikely light-speed cuts of pure hardcore from Fucked Up. These tracks bleed off the record, having been born from the indelible stamp of Poison Idea’s 1990 anti-oppression anthem “Discontent” and Japanese punk legends Paintbox’s “The Door.” Sitting at the chaotic crossroads of punk, hardcore, and grunge, the two songs have found the most fitting home possible: a Sub Pop single. “Disabuse” is a song Damian wrote for his daughter, who experienced bullying and intimidation, while “Self Driving Man” wrestles the out-of control automation of our world onto the pavement and into the abyss of faceless progress. The 7″ comes on translucent emerald vinyl, and includes a lyric sheet.

MEMPHIS SLIM – Memphis Slim, USA LP (Candid)
One of Candid’s historic blues releases, Memphis Slim, U.S.A. finds the Blues Hall Of Fame inductee in a rare, relaxed setting with two close friends and fellow blues icons, Jazz Gillum and Arbee Stidham. The intimacy—from their loose interplay and improvisation to the eerie realism of the recording—is palpable and feels more like an invitation to their inner circle than a commercial release. 

PEGGY GOU – Peggy Gou LP (K7)
Special tigerfur colored vinyl edition as part of !K7’s 40th label anniversary celebration.

CIRCUIT DES YEUX – Halo On The Inside CD/LP (Matador)
Last fall, when Circuit des Yeux (aka CdY, aka Haley Fohr) released the stand-alone single “God Dick,” she described the song as a passage leading from the past toward things to come. “It served a chrysalis function,” she wrote of the track, which morphs between orchestral grandeur and shuddering electronic percussion. Fohr called it, “A love banshee bursting through porcelain skin one hair at a time until, finally, the beast within is fully on display.” Out March 14th, Halo On The Inside is the product of that metamorphosis. It is the butterfly and the beast – a rhapsodic, hedonistic, dance floor-adjacent, pagan-friendly, horns-adorning wall of sound and emotion. Halo on the Inside finds CdY renewed, recombinant, and thrillingly alien. 

SCRATCH ACID – Just Keep Eating LP (Touch and Go)
Reissue of Scratch Acid’s first (and only) full-length album – Just Keep Eating (1986) – remastered by Bob Weston at Chicago Mastering Service from the original analog tapes. Pressed on 180 gram white 12″ LP and limited to 1000 copies worldwide. 

SCRATCH ACID – S/T EP/Berserker LP (Touch and Go)
Reissue of both of Scratch Acid’s EPs – S/T EP (1984) and Berserker (1987) – remastered by Bob Weston at Chicago Mastering Service from the original analog tapes. Pressed on 180 gram white 12″ LP and limited to 1000 copies worldwide. 

SCRATCH ACID – Boxset LP (Touch and Go)
Limited to 2000 sets worldwide and remastered by Bob Weston at Chicago Mastering Service, the Scratch Acid Box Set set includes 180-gram clear LP pressings of all three releases as well as a 24-page booklet featuring exclusive behind-the-scenes photos, liner notes by David Yow, Brett Bradford, and photographer/journalist Pat Blashill, as well as full-color paintings by contemporary artist Mark Todd from the same era as the cover art for the S/T EP and Berserker releases. In addition, this limited Scratch Acid box set includes an exclusive clear vinyl 7″ with both tracks the band contributed to the 1986 Touch and Go Records compilation, God’s Favorite Dog. The 7-inch includes cover art by Mark Todd as well.

FAINT – Blank Wave Arcade LP reissue (Saddle Creek)
The distinctive, synth-driven sound that brought The Faint to wide acclaim first surfaced on 1999’s Blank-Wave Arcade. The album was raw and daring, striking its own chord between early synth-pop pioneers (The Human League, New Order) and more recent heroes like Fugazi and Sonic Youth. Twenty-five years removed from its release, The Faint are returning to announce a reissue of Blank-Wave Arcade. The reissue includes the original release – meticulously remastered for vinyl from the original tapes by Justin Shturtz at Sterling Sound – a new remix from the band, remixes from the era, live tracks, and a rarity previously only available on an out of print 7”. 

FAINT – Wet From Birth LP reissue (Saddle Creek)
When Wet From Birth arrived in 2004, it built on their synth-punk foundation. Orchestral layers and more intricate arrangements added depth without taming its confrontational and sometimes paranoid spirit. The band toured relentlessly, including an unexpected arena tour with No Doubt that ended with a stage prank that sent Todd to a New Mexico jail cell. (Don’t worry, Gwen bailed him out.) Twenty years removed from its release, The Faint are returning to announce a reissue of Wet From Birth. The reissue includes the original release – meticulously remastered for vinyl from the original tapes by Justin Shturtz at Sterling Sound – two never-before-heard ‘unrealized’ tracks from the album’s sessions, unreleased demos, and previously released remixes. 

RED FANG – Deep Cuts LP (Relapse)
Celebrating 20 years as a formidable force in Heavy Rock, RED FANG return with Deep Cuts. The collection highlights the band’s trajectory throughout the last two decades and features non album tracks, singles, B-Sides, rarities, and more! – Tracks like “Antidote”, which appears on vinyl for the first time, was previously featured in RED FANG’s mobile game “Red Fang: Headbang!” spill onto the comp; elsewhere, a demo of the band’s legendary track “Wires” is available for the very first time. Deep Cuts features other rare material, including cover songs from Wipers, No Talent, Dust, and Tubeway Army! –

TALK TALK – Very Best Of 2LP (PLG UK)
With a career spanning just 10 years, Talk Talk left an everlasting impact and legacy on music with a relatively short career. Starting out as a synth-pop group, with singles like “Talk Talk” and one of the biggest songs of the 80s in “It’s My Life. ” Talk Talk continued to experiment and challenge themselves all along their career whilst maintaining critical success with albums such as The Colour Of Spring and Spirit Of Eden. With the latter, they went on to pioneer what then became known as post-rock and is critically acclaimed a masterpiece to this day. 

POGUES – The Rest Of The Best LP (Rhino)
The Pogues / The Rest of the Best – Originally released in 1992, The Rest of the Best was a follow up of The Pogues’ Best Of compilation released just a year prior. Now on limited edition transparent green vinyl, this collection includes fan favorites If I Should Fall from Grace with God, Boys from the County Hell, Dark Streets of London and their cover of Honky Tonk Women.

MISSISSIPPI JOHN HURT – Today! (Bluesville Acoustic Sound Series) LP (Craft)
Today! Is Mississippi John Hurt’s third album, originally released in 1966. The album encompasses some of the first commercial recordings since his comeback from a 35-year career hiatus. It was added to The Library of Congress National Recording Registry in 2009. According to Rolling Stone, Hurt is “the rare Delta blues legend who bowls you over with grace, generosity, and warmth.” (AAA) lacquers cut from the original tapes and pressed on 180-gram vinyl at QRP complete with a tip-on jacket.

LONNIE JOHNSON – Blues & Ballads (Bluesville Acoustic Sound Series) LP (Craft)
Blues & Ballads is Lonnie Johnson’s third album, originally released in 1960. The diverse offering of originals and covers demonstrates Johnson’s versatility on guitar and vocals. Johnson is joined by his contemporaries Elmer Snowden and Wendell Marshall on this recording. AllMusic declared Johnson “effortlessly [reveals] his artistic range.” (AAA) lacquers cut from the original tapes and pressed on 180-gram vinyl at QRP. A replica tip-on jacket completes the package. 

JOE PASS – Virtuoso (Original Jazz Classics Series)  (Craft)
Originally released in 1973, Virtuoso is the 10th album from jazz guitarist Joe Pass, and widely considered his best. Featuring the Pass original “Blues for Alican” along with standards including “‘Round Midnight,” the album features Pass playing solo throughout. This new edition of the album is released as part of the Original Jazz Classics Series and is pressed on 180-gram vinyl at RTI with all-analog mastering from the original tapes at Cohearent Audio and presented in Stoughton Tip-On Jacket.

GOO GOO DOLLS – A Boy Named Goo 30th Anniv LP reissue (Warner)
A Boy Named Goo is the Goo Goo Dolls fifth studio album, originally released on March 14, 1995. Driven by the smash hit “Name”, the album catapulted the band to mainstream success, and it was certified double platinum within a year of the release. The album also included the singles “Flat Top”, “Naked”, “Only One”, and “Long Way Down”. March 2025 is the 30th anniversary of this classic album and to mark that milestone, the band are releasing a deluxe edition of the album. The 24-track, deluxe 2 LP format will include the original album, plus an unreleased live concert recorded in Las Vegas on March 10, 1996.

JIMMY PAGE & THE BLACK CROWES – Live At The Greek LP (Black Crowes Partner)
The Black Crowes were nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2025! Now releasing the Greek Theater (LA) performance of Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin) playing with The Black Crowes from Summer 1999. Unlike previous versions, this will be the FULL show including over 15 unreleased tracks and all the Black Crowes tunes that have never been released until now!

COMING NEXT WEEK
JAPANESE BREAKFAST – Breakfast For Melancholy… CD/LP
MY MORNING JACKET – Is CD/LP
DE LA SOUL – Grind Date CD/LP reissue
CLIKATAT IKATOWI – Trials & Tribulations LP reissue
CROSS RECORD – Crush Me LP
FOLK IMPLOSION – Dare To Be Surprised LP reissue
LONNIE HOLLEY – Tonky LP
LCD SOUNDSYSTEM – X-Ray Eyes 12″
SWAMI JOHN REIS – Time To Let You Down LP
TOBACCO CITY – Horses LP
ADRIAN YOUNGE/DELFONICS LP
CRADLE OF FILTH – Screaming Of The Valkyries LP
FUCKED UP – Someday LP
DEAD PREZ – Let’s Get Free 25th Anniv LP
LOU DONALDSON – Say It Loud LP
ROLAND KIRK – Now Please Don’t You Cry LP
BROTHER ALI – Satisfied Soul CD/LP
HORACE SILVER – Serenade To A Soul Sister LP
VINCE GUARALDI  – It’s The Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown LP