STAFF PICKS
Lindsay – Loma, Aaron Frazer, Dirty Three, and SML
Dario – Dirty Three
Kimber – Dirty Three and Local Natives
Jake –  Animal Collective reissue, Dirty Three, SML, and Team Sleep reissue
Zach – Lupe Fiasco, Omar Apollo, Previous Industries, Felice Brothers, and Amyl and the Sniffers 7″ 
Ash – Hiatus Kaiyote

Aaron Frazer – Into The Blue CD/LP (Dead Oceans)
“Into The Blue is the clearest portrait of who I am as an artist. It’s me through and through,” says multi-instrumentalist Aaron Frazer. A daring blend of soul, psychedelia, spaghetti western, disco, gospel and hip-hop, Into The Blue represents the impressive range of Frazer’s sonic talents. Frazer maintains the unmistakable falsetto and classic songwriting he’s known for, but plants Into the Blue firmly in the now with a hip-hop mentality at its core, weaving together genres and production techniques to form something new. Into The Blue was conceived, like so many classic records, out of actual heartbreak. Frazer moved cross-country from Brooklyn to Los Angeles and embarked on a journey that’s reflected in the album’s themes of grief, loneliness, and searching for healing. [A clear vinyl pressing is available.]

Washed Out – Notes From A Quiet Life CD/LP (Sub Pop)
The music of Washed Out has always levitated over a timeless frontier. You can sense it in his immersive, amorphous vocals, the expansive soundscapes, the wistful storytelling. It’s a sweet spot where, says its creative force, Ernest Greene, “any sort of association or memory from the past can transport you instantly. I love that.” Greene’s transcendent output has earned him the moniker of “Godfather of Chillwave” by Pitchfork and a co-sign from Portlandia, which borrowed his track, “Feel It All Around,” for its utopian theme song. His latest, Notes From A Quiet Life arrives after delivering more than a decade of distinct and disparate creative re-imaginations at a remarkably high level (five albums, two EPs). Notes is bold in its intuitiveness: Greene has left the treadmill of music-as-a-business, instead letting his artistic interests lead the way. “Each album,” says Green, who also paints and sculpts, “is a world-building exercise.” [A honeydew melon green color vinyl pressing is available.]

Omar Apollo – God Said No CD/LP/Cassette (WB)
Traversing the bounds of genre and language in his songs, singer-songwriter, Grammy nominated Omar Apollo captures the adventurous spirit that this multi-hyphenate moment in pop demands, returning with his highly anticipated sophomore album, God Said No. This is Omar’s interpretation of “lo que sera, sera” which translates to “whatever will be, will be”. The phrase embodies the album with Omar’s tongue-in-cheek humorous outlook on the suffering that comes from surrendering and accepting whatever is thrown at you by life, a relationship, or lover. Omar believes his natural state is longing for love or stability, and elements of the album are about surrendering to that. [Indie store exclusive gold version is available.]

Lupe Fiasco – Samurai CD/LP (1st And 15th Too)
Samurai is the ninth album from rapper Lupe Fiasco. Following 2022’s Drill Music In Zion, which was fully produced by Soundtrakk, Fiasco and the producer joined forces once again for Samurai. Musically, the album finds Lupe delighting in the simple pleasures of assembling assonant syllables into playful and poignant narratives. The eight-track album is smooth, yet cerebral, brimming with ideas, but always radiating Lupe’s pure love for the art of emceeing and committing himself as a servant of the rap game. [An indie store exclusive olive color vinyl pressing is available.]

Imagine Dragons – Loom CD/LP (Interscope)
Imagine Dragons’ sixth studio album Loom represents the pinnacle of their artistic journey of self-discovery and marks the best body of work they’ve ever made. Loom, produced entirely by Imagine Dragons and their longtime collaborators Mattman and Robin, finds the perfect balance between the classic sounds that have made them superstars and the freshness that brought them joy in the studio. Featuring 9 brand new tracks including hit single “Eyes Closed,” Loomsignifies new beginnings on the horizon – the excitement for a new day, moments yet to come. [Coke bottle green and indie store exclusive translucent blue with alternate cover art are available.]

Local Natives – But I’ll Wait For You CD/LP (Loma Vista)
Local Natives’ sixth studio album, But I’ll Wait For You, is the expansion of their last project, Time Will Wait For No One – the completion of a statement. It serves as an obligatory reminder of the transient nature of time and the necessity of prioritizing tenderness amongst the noise. Local Natives’ sound is characterized by lush vocal harmonies, intricate percussion, and melodic guitar lines, drawing comparisons to artists like Fleet Foxes and Grizzly Bear. They are known for their dynamic live performances, which often feature intricate vocal arrangements and energetic stage presence. [An indie store exclusive iridescent white/blue color vinyl pressing is available.]

Dirty Three – Love Changes Everything LP (Drag City)
Dirty Three Ahoy! Appropriately disheveled, the Three emerge from the unending waves of time to pick up their guitar drum and viola/violin/piano/synthesizer/loops/percussion for their first album in a decade. Their playing encompasses ALL – from the original fury of their unlikely power trio to an impressionist cinema later on; mercurial, tumultuous to ambient to adagio, mood and emotion drawn up to dazzling heights from the humble human scale.

Loma – How Will I Live Without A Body? CD/LP (Sub Pop)
Following the release of their 2020 second album Don’t Shy Away, Loma’s three members (Jonathan Meiburg of Shearwater, Emily Cross and Dan Duszynski) were cast around the globe and the band-not for the first time-entered a deep sleep. The following winter, in an attempt to salvage the record and the band, Cross suggested they regroup in the UK, in the tiny stone house-once a coffin-maker’s workshop-where she works as an end-of-life doula. With minimal recording gear and few instruments, Loma turned two whitewashed rooms into a makeshift studio, using a padded coffin as a vocal booth. It was a turning point. They scrapped much of what they’d made, letting a new place set a new course. The one-lane roads, hedgerows and dark skies of Dorset gave the new songs an ineffable but unmistakable Englishness. The band used the ruin of a 12th-century chapel as a reverb chamber-surprising hillwalkers who peeked in to find them singing to no one-and the sounds of Cross’s chilly workshop wormed their way into the recording: a leaky pipe, a drummer’s brushes on a metal lampshade, the voices left on an ancient answering machine. What emerged was How Will I Live Without A Body?: a gorgeous, unique, and oddly comforting album about partnership, loss, regeneration, and fighting the feeling that we’re all in this alone.

Previous Industries – Service Merchandise CD/LP (Merge)
Previous Industries is three Chicagoans with a deep, shared history- Open Mike Eagle, Video Dave, and STILL RIFT – who currently reside in L.A., a city where transplants often say they find it hard to connect with new people, these guys found a way around that by delving into the past to rekindle old connections. When that connection was made, they seemed to stay in the past, rapping about anything and everything but always bolstered by nostalgia and shared memories. Service Merchandise, their debut LP as a unit, is named after a largely defunct retail chain, as are many of the songs on the album. Orbiting the dead mall as a spiritual concept, Previous Industries tackle nostalgia, heartbreak, joy, and disposability from three distinct points of view, weaving in and out of beats by Child Actor, Quelle Chris, and Smoke Bonito to create something new from a discarded past.

Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats – South Of Here CD/LP (Concord/Stax)
South Of Here, the fourth full-length studio release from Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, reckons with a lifetime of pain and trauma and transforms it into a stirring and soul-baring rumination on love, loss, hope and resolve. Following Rateliff’s 2020 solo album, And It’s Still Alright, and The Night Sweats’ acclaimed 2021 release, The Future, the new album blends both sides of his immense talent: emotionally potent, vivid storytelling and the rugged, R&B revivalism that has powered the band to world-wide acclaim over the past decade.

Can – Live In Aston 1977 CD/LP (Mute)
Live in Aston 1977 is a whole new lens through which we can view a unique band with seemingly inexhaustible energy for live performance. It comes at a difficult period for Can; their recently released eighth studio album, Saw Delight, had been badly received and although posterity has been kinder, the reviews on release were savage. It might be expected that the live performances from this time would reflect some of the criticisms of the album, that they were slowing down, perhaps even feeling a little jaded, but it cements the notion that Can live, at any period, was mercurial.

Sessa – Grandeza [Reissue/2019] LP (Mexican Summer)
An album about his “love for Brazilian music and its many shapes and colors,” Sao Paulo-born Sessa’s debut Grandezaset the scene for who The New Yorker called a “songwriter cut from Veloso’s mold and blessed with a flair for the intimate, the enigmatic, and the licentious.’ Long out-of-print, Mexican Summer continues its exploration of Sessa’s musical vision with this special Fifth Anniversary Edition on Pink & Purple Splatter Vinyl.

Johnny Cash – Songwriter CD/LP (American Recordings)
Johnny Cash recorded an album’s worth of self-penned songs in 1993. Shortly thereafter, he released the American Recordings albums and re-established himself as one of the world’s greatest songwriters, introducing him to a new generation of fans. Songwriter‘s unreleased 11 songs have been updated and produced by his son John Carter Cash and co-producer David Ferguson. [An indie store exclusive white/black color vinyl pressing is available.]

Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion [Reissue/2009] 2xLP+MP3 (Domino)
Merriweather Post Pavilion, Animal Collective’s ninth studio album, sees the American art-rock collective in heartwarmingly baffling form, combining upbeat indietronica with mind-warping samples. For its 15th anniversary, the 2xLP has been pressed on color vinyl for the first time, bluish and translucent green, and is housed in a reflective foil deluxe gatefold jacket.

Amyl & The Sniffers – U Should Not Be Doing That 7” (Virgin)
Amyl & The Sniffers are pleased to announce their first new music in over three years, with new single “U Should Not Be Doing That” backed by B-side “Facts” Recorded with Nick Launay (Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Yeah Yeah Yeahs), the first new music from the Melbourne, Australia foursome since its 2021 sophomore album “Comfort To Me”. “U Should Not Be Doing That’ sees hints of The Stones’ Miss You, a whiff of Detroit garage grit but Amy’s distinct vocals & the Melbourne group’s charm is at the heart of this new muscular, groove.”

Lord Huron – Strange Trails [Reissue/2015] LP (iamsound)
Limited colored vinyl LP pressing. Lord Huron’s debut album, Lonesome Dreams, was released in 2012 and the track “Ends of the Earth” was featured in the finale for the television series Community. The band’s name was inspired by Lake Huron, the lake which frontman and Michigan native Ben Schneider grew up visiting and where he would spend evenings playing around the campfire. The group’s second album, Strange Trails, was released in April 2015 and received positive reviews from music critics. Rachel Brodsky of Spin called the album “enchanting from start to finish,” praising the lyricism, vocals, and instrumentation. The album’s final song “The Night We Met” was featured in the popular Netflix series 13 Reasons Why.

Isobel Campbell – Bow To Love LP (Cooking Vinyl)
Former member of Belle and Sebastian, Gentle Waves and Mark Lanegan collaborator, Isobel Campbell returns with Bow to Love, her sixth solo album.

Felice Brothers – Valley Of Abandoned Songs CD/LP (15 Passenger)
The Felice Brothers, recently signed to Conor Oberst’s new record label, Million Stars, and have released Valley of Abandoned Songs. The 13-song collection consists of recordings primarily from sessions for the band’s 2019 album, Undress, as well as their most recent release, 2023’s Asylum On The Hill, both of which were captured live in an 1870s church with the band’s current lineup of Ian Felice (guitar/vocals), James Felice (piano/vocals), Jeske Hume (bass), and Will Lawrence (drums).

The Folk Implosion – Walk Through Me CD/LP (Joyful Noise)
“How the fuck are we going to turn this into a song?” That’s the question Lou Barlow and John Davis have asked themselves since co-founding the Folk Implosion in the early 1990s. Beginning with improvised jams featuring Barlow on bass and Davis on drums, the duo develop their beat-driven pop collages from the ground up. It’s the process they used on their debut cassette, Walk Through This World With The Folk Implosion, and one they’ve returned to 30 years later on their spellbinding, self-referencing reunion, Walk Thru Me.

Hiatus Kaiyote – Love Heart Cheat Code CD/LP+MP3 (Brainfeeder)
Three-time Grammy nominated Hiatus Kaiyote return with their eagerly anticipated new album Love Heart Cheat Code. The band have warmed up fans with standout single “Everything’s Beautiful” and what awaits is a masterfully crafted album from a band who are firing on all cylinders and totally in sync. LHCC is a mix of their classic neo-soul sound, fused with jazz, soul and rock – which is on full display on their cover of the Jefferson Airplane classic “White Rabbit” and a fan favorite from their live shows, “Cinnamon Temple”. [Indie exclusive blue w/ white version is available.]

The Mountain Goats – The Coroner’s Gambit [Reissue/2000] CD/LP (Merge)
Originally released in October 2000, The Coroner’s Gambit finds John Darnielle between physical and sonic spaces, five of its sixteen songs recorded in Simon Joyner’s Omaha studio, five more at home in Colo, Iowa, and the rest in Ames. The album came together slowly; The Mountain Goats had released music every year from 1991 to 1998, but between the release of that year’s New Asian Cinema EP and The Coroner’s Gambit, 1999 passed without an official Mountain Goats release. The additional time that went into The Coroner’s Gambit paid off: It is a breakthrough for Darnielle as a songwriter and practitioner of the full-length album.

Sparks – [Reissue/1979] 2xCD (Absolute Label Services)
Noël/Sparks – Is There More To Life Than Dancing? [Reissue/1979] 2xCD (Absolute Label Services)
An exclusive 45th anniversary double release of Paste Magazine’s #1 synth-pop album of all time No. 1 In Heaven by Sparks, and the Sparks-composed-and-produced lost gem Is There More To Life Than Dancing? by Noël. Released in 1979, the Giorgio Moroder-produced No. 1 In Heaven became the blueprint album for all electronic music to come.

Neil Young with Crazy Horse – Early Daze CD/LP (Reprise)
Early Daze is a collection of rare and unreleased studio recordings by Neil Young with Crazy Horse. The 10 songs were all recorded in 1969 with a Crazy Horse line-up of Danny Whitten (guitar and vocals), Ralph Molina (drums and vocals), Billy Talbot (bass and vocals), Jack Nitzsche (keyboards, tambourine, and vocals). Only one track on the album has been previously released (“Dance Dance Dance”). [An indie store exclusive clear vinyl pressing is available.]

Beyoncé – Cowboy Carter Official 2xLP (Columbia)
Now available on 180gm vinyl with printed inner sleeves and a 40-page photo booklet featuring never-before-seen images and a folded collectible 24”x36” poster. Cowboy Carter includes a pair of covers: Parton’s “Jolene” and The Beatles’ “Blackbird.” It also includes collaborations with Miley Cyrus (“II Most Wanted”), Post Malone (“Levii’s Jeans”), and Shaboozey (“Spaghettii”).

Combo Daguerre – Fracassines LP (Barbes)
After dealing in mostly Latin tropical styles for over a decade with the psychedelic cumbias of his band Chicha Libre, Brooklyn-based Olivier Conan now leads Combo Daguerre, a group that performs original French tunes with a psychedelic edge and a mostly Latin crew. Its hybrid style is informed by boleros, cumbia, ‘60s rock, French chanson, Gainsbourg and 1930s surrealism.

Homeshake – Horsie LP (Shhoamkee)
Following March’s album CD Wallet, Homeshake presents his second album of 2024, Horsie. Written and recorded at his home studio in Toronto, it explores Sagar’s complicated feelings about returning to live performance. Deepening his relationship to loneliness and anxiety, the record examines those themes in the context of touring. Horsie employs various textures influenced by artists like Four Tet and My Bloody Valentine, the rhythmic forms of D’Angelo and Sade, and moments of ambient Americana found in the works of Ry Cooder. The cornerstone pieces of gear used were an Ensoniq EPS and Roland Juno 60, though the album also employs a great deal of electric guitar, along with his beloved SP-404.

Daniel Johnston – Fun [Reissue/1994] LP (Org Music)
Blue vinyl. Daniel Johnston’s major label debut Fun was originally released in 1994 on Atlantic Records while he was housed in a mental institution. Featuring some of Daniel’s finest songwriting and boasting the most “accessible” sound of his eccentric and deep catalog, producer Paul Leary (Butthole Surfers) eloquently preserves the singer/songwriter’s earnest appeal and wraps it in sympathetic musical support. The aspiring cartoonist’s playful, symbol-heavy sketches have graced many of his album covers, including Fun.

JXDN– When The Music Stops CD/LP (Elektra)

Prefuse 73 – New Strategies For Modern Crime Vol 2 LP (Lex)

Los Campesinos! – Sick Scenes [Reissue/2017] LP (Wichita)
Limited pink colored vinyl LP pressing. Finally back in print, the fan favorite sixth LP from UK seven piece Los Campesinos!

Hank Mobley with Donald Byrd and Lee Morgan – Hank Mobley with Donald Byrd and Lee Morgan [Reissue/1957] LP (Sowing)
Clear vinyl pressing. Hank Mobley with Donald Byrd and Lee Morgan, also known as Hank Mobley Sextet, is an album by American jazz saxophonist Hank Mobley recorded on November 25, 1956, and released on Blue Note the following year. The sextet features trumpeters Donald Byrd and Lee Morgan, backed by rhythm section Horace Silver, Paul Chambers, and Charli Persip.

Shudder To Think – 1987 (100,019 Men Go Wow Wow Wow) LP (L.G.)
A band with many chapters and an ever-changing sound, Shudder To Think’s story began in 1986 in Glover Park, Washington DC. Bass player Stuart Hill and drummer Mike Russell had just recruited Chris Matthews to play guitar in their fledgling hardcore band Stüge (1984-86) when they suddenly found themselves in need of a new singer as well. Matthews suggested his friend Craig Wedren for the role. At the audition, Wedren’s style clashed with the style of the band’s previous singer, but the group all sensed that they might have stumbled into a “chocolate-in-my-peanut-butter” situation with intriguing potential. The group changed their name and headed into new territory.

SML – Small Medium Large LP (International Anthem)
SML is Anna Butterss, Jeremiah Chiu, Josh Johnson, Booker Stardrum, Gregory Uhlmann. Small Medium Large was engineered and recorded in stereo direct to Nagra by Bryce Gonzales at ETA, Los Angeles, CA and compiled, arranged and edited with additional production recording and studio composition by Jeremiah Chiu, Josh Johnson, Booker Stardrum, and Gregory Uhlmann at home studios in Los Angeles, CA and Kingston, NY.

Various Artists – Shanghai’d Soul Episode 12 LP (Numero)
Everybody’s still talking about the good ol’ days! A rough and rugged collection of ol’ dirty classics that have inspired swarms of killer beats. A head nod to the sounds of Shaolin, the twelve chambers of Shanghai’d Soul have moved lyrical chefs and production geniuses alike to compose some of their most ominous hip-hop. Gods and Earths alike will appreciate the raw funk and smoother-than-a-Lexus soul that come together like Voltron on this special compilation. As sampled by J. Cole, The Game, Cappadonna, The Avalanches, Kanye, Hudson Mohawke, Anderson.Paak, Loyle Corner, Meek Mill, T.I., Quavo, Danny Brown, and hundreds more.

Team Sleep – Team Sleep [Reissue/2005] 2xLP (WB)
Team Sleep features Chino Moreno from Deftones, plus Todd Wilkinson and CrookOne. The self-titled is their only album, originally released in 2005, and includes the single “Ever (Foreign Flag)”. An expanded version of the album is now available as a double-LP on black vinyl. This vinyl release features two previously unreleased outtakes: “Let’s Go” featuring Mary Timony, and “Kool Aide” featuring Mike Patton (Faith No More).

Durand Jones –  Witchoo / Love Will Work It Out 7” Colemine
Colemine Records is proud to announce a brand new pressing of Witchoo/Love Will Work It Out on a brand new limited edition color variant. “Witchoo” is a light-as-a-feather funk number powered by Mike Montgomery’s wiggly bassline, and Aaron Frazer and Durand Jones’ engaging high/low vocal harmonies, all imbued with a quiet, but unmistakable confidence. Jazzy keys and ambient conversation lend the song a smoothly celebratory vibe, as do its group-chant choruses:

Clairo – Sexy To Someone/Nomad 7” (Big Crown)
“When we heard Clairo was having Leon Michels (El Michels Affair) produce her new album Charm we could not wait to see what they were going to come up with together. They found an amazing chemistry in the studio and made an amazing record. We wanted to put some of the tunes from the album on a 45 for all the collectors and Clairo was down to have us do it. Here is the limited edition “Sexy To Someone” b/w “Nomad” 45 for your enjoyment.” -Big Crown

COMING NEXT WEEK!
SELENA – Amor Prohibido LP reissue
FINK – Beauty In Your Wake CD/LP
CAMILA CABELLO – C XoXo LP
BERNARD BUTLER – Good Grief CD/LP
BILLY CHILDISH – From Fossilised Creataceous Seams LP
IDAHO – Lapse LP
REDD KROSS – Self Titled CD/LP
VARIOUS – Petty Country LP
GUIDED BY VOICES – Strut Of Kings CD/LP