Strictly Discs

• Now Hear This! – October 2023

  Wilco Cousin Legacy Buy Now Cousin sees Wilco back in their more familiar progressive and experimental rock territory. Tweedy’s singular songwriting is in full evidence, with lyrics weaving across a variety of topics – from the iconoclastic to the introspective. Adding a new element to the recording process was the attachment of Welsh singer/songwriter Cate Le Bon as producer. Various/Nanci Griffith More Than A Whisper: Celebrating... Rounder Buy Now An all-star tribute to the legacy of the GRAMMY award-winning singer, guitarist, and songwriter. Featuring Brandy Clark, Shawn Colvin, Iris Dement, Steve Earle, Mary Gauthier, Emmylou Harris, John Prine, Todd Snider, Billy Strings and Molly Tuttle, and The War And Treaty covering some of Griffith’s most notable releases. L'Rain I Killed Your Dog Mexican Summer Buy Now L’Rain takes the universal pop theme of love and inspects it through the form of a conversation – bold, bratty and even a touch diabolical – with her younger self. I Killed Your Dog considers what it means to hurt the people you love the most, and untangles her relationship with femininity and the formal musical conventions that others have placed on her. Haim Days Are Gone: 10th Anniversary Legacy Buy Now Featuring the six singles, ‘Forever’, ‘Don’t Save Me’, ‘Falling’, ‘The Wire’, ‘If I Could Change Your Mind’ & ‘My Song 5’, Days Are Gone hasn’t been reissued since its release in 2013. Housed in an entirely new package, the album features a track list compiled by the band of their favorite demos and remixes on transparent green vinyl. Susan Tedeschi Just Won’t Burn Fantasy Buy Now The GRAMMY award-winning singer/songwriter has established her as one of the significant roots rock musicians of her generation. Hailing from Boston, Tedeschi made her mark on the national stage during the late 1990s with her debut album, Just Won't Burn. In 2023 we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the album that started it all. Jorja Smith Falling or Flying Famm Limited Buy Now An undeniable modern classic, effortlessly condensing any number of disparate styles and genres into music which thrillingly broaches any gap between Jazz, Soul, R&B and Funky House. A bold, brave and courageous leap forward, Falling or Flying speaks to the musical and emotional era where Jorja is now, and how she got here. Ice Nine Kills The Silver Scream Fearless Buy Now Devilishly fun, appropriately campy, and indulgently satisfying for fans of both heavy music and scary movies, The Silver Scream expertly combines Ice Nine Kills' passionate execution with a dark sense of humor and love of pop culture on their strongest, most melodic, and enjoyable effort to date. Teddy Swims I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy (Part 1) Warner Records Buy Now Reigning from Atlanta, GA, vocal powerhouse Teddy Swims masterfully blends genres from pop, soul, hip-hop, to R&B. With his soul-stirring voice and heartfelt lyrics, I’ve Tried Everything… delivers an intimate and cathartic experience, delving into themes of love, loss, and the complexities of life. Eric Krasno & Stanton Moore Krasno/Moore Project: Book of Queens Concord Jazz Buy Now Guitarist Eric Krasno (Lettuce, Soulive) and drummer Stanton Moore (Galactic, Garage-a-Trois) showcase songs from some of their favorite female artists including Amy Winehouse, Billie Eilish, H.E.R., Nina Simone and more. Featuring organist Eric Finland with special guests Cory Henry, Branford Marsalis and Robert Randolph. Orions Belte Women Jansen Records Buy Now Orions Belte has been a steady supplier of groovy, catchy and dreamy instrumental pop since their 2018 debut album Mint. From their third studio album , Women, we are served noisy guitar riffs on "Silhouettes", cinematic string arrangements on "I Will Always Miss You", irresistible and catchy summer vibes throughout. A Day To Remember For Those Who Have Heart Craft Buy Now Initially released in 2007, For Those Who Have Heart, A Day To Remember’s first album on Victory Records, saw the band start their rise to the very top of the Warped Tour Metalcore scene. This 10th anniversary release of the record sees the album newly remixed by Adam D, and remastered. Fieh III Jansen Records Buy Now Fieh returns with their third studio album, III, once more leaving an impression by representing the front line of the Norwegian “future soul” scene. Behind groovy compositions catchy beats, writer, Fieh uncovers concerns and deeper questions with their raw and versatile voice - delicate and tender in one moment and domineering in the next. Vagabon Sorry I Haven’t Called Nonesuch Buy Now Across 12 vibrant, transformational and uncompromising tracks she wrote and produced, Lćtia Tamko channels dance music and effervescent pop through her own confident sensibilities. These conservational songs are alive and unselfconscious, a document of an artist fully embracing her vision and reclaiming her joy. Ram Dass The Unimaginable Spirit Voyage Records Buy Now Confronting the loss of his newborn son, Ram Dass walks through the stages of grief and loss in The Unimaginable as he seeks to find solace, peace, and happiness amidst heavy turmoil. Humanity itself is held in this music as the tragedy of mortality is mourned with exquisite and cinematic soundscapes and simple three part vocal harmonies. Genesis Owusu Struggler Ourness Pty Ltd Buy Now Struggler is a concept album about keeping up the fight and the search for meaning in a bonkers world. Musically, the strange collision of experimental post-punk, rap, and R&B that marked Owusu’s earlier work remains in effect but it's a testament to his artistic conviction that he chose to make something even riskier and more complex. Even better, he pulled it off. Jeremy Dutcher Motewolonuwok Secret City Records Buy Now More intimate and expansive than anything Dutcher has created before, Motewolonuwok hedges the line between storytelling and composition as both a transcendental protest record and an exploration of self. This is experimental pop as corrective medicine: a defiant, healing, and queer experience that fills any listener with power and wisdom. Colin Hay Now And The Evermore (More) Deluxe Compass Buy Now The deluxe edition of Hay’s (Men At Work) acclaimed 2022 album, titled Now And The Evermore (More) includes seven unreleased and never beforeheard tracks from the original recording sessions and celebrates life, love, and finding silver linings and reasons to smile through the challenges of recent times. Brian Setzer The Devil Always Collects Surfdog Buy Now The iconic guitarist, songwriter and vocalist returns with his 10th studio album – a red-hot album from start to finish, featuring 11 all-original songs that are full of dynamism and bravado. The album is classic rockabilly at its absolute finest and showcases Setzer at the top of his career. The Orb and David Gilmour Metallic Spheres In Colour Legacy Buy Now 2010’s Metalic Spheres’ (Blade Runner soundtrack meets wish Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here) album gets a fresh coat of sonic paint on this reimagining of the album. Producer Youth’s proposition is to remix it as an “Orb classic”, promising an experience that’s like discovering a brand new album. Hunny Hunny’s New Planet Heaven Epitaph Records Buy Now From the meditative track “my own age” and breakbeat-backed, late ’90s-leaning “all my luck” to the lo-fi punk standout “ring in your ear” (featuring Motion City Soundtrack’s Justin Courtney Pierre) and made-for-dashboard-drumming “89cc” (complete with a searing sax solo) the album is a testament to Hunny’s musical fluency and dedication to their craft. Yussef Dayes Black Classical Music Nonesuch Buy Now The first official solo release of the acclaimed UK drummer, Yussef Dayes. Across 19 tracks, Black Classical Music melds the spirit of everything from 70s funk, reggae and Senegalese percussion while simultaneously nodding to furious dancefloor pacings of the soundsystem continuum. Oliver Tree Alone In A Crowd Atlantic Buy Now Alone In A Crowd brings back Tree’s Dadaist, “meta-humor” while continuing to explore and dissect the absurdity of modern culture, obsession with fame and social media. He asks us to reflect both the light and the darkness of human nature within popular culture, while holding a mirror and embracing the absurdity of it all. Pretenders Relentless Parlophone Buy Now Arriving with the impulsiveness and attitude that at once defines the band’s eternal spirit, Relentless is a clearly defined snapshot of where The Pretenders are in 2023. Features a long hoped-for collaboration with the esteemed composer Jonny Greenwood (Radiohead, The Smile), who provides the string arrangement for the album’s beautiful closing track. LISTEN HERE LISTEN HERE The Coalition of Independent Music Stores (CIMS) is a national level organization comprised of the best independent record stores in America. CIMS was founded in 1995 with the goal of uniting like minded independent store owners, giving them a more powerful voice in the music industry. The stores that make up CIMS are all very different, but we share the same desires – to be the heart of our communities, to super-serve our customers, to support and develop artists, and to share our love of music. For more information about CIMS and the stores in our organization, please visit cimsmusic.com or find us through social media with the #cimsmusic hashtag. And please remember to always shop local by supporting your neighborhood record store.

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• NEW THIS WEEK AT THE SHOP:

  
  
  Gather round the warm and inviting glow of the newsletter, friends! Lots of great things on offer this week, starting with an always welcome new album from WILCO. 'Cousin' is the American folk band's 13th album, and the group has reached a homeostasis achievable by very few: with their brand of Americana ever intact, Wilco continually tweak the balance between experimentation and expectation. They sound like a band that's constantly listening to the world out there and interacting with new sounds, which perhaps led them to a fixation with Cate Le Bon's magical art-rock masterpieces of late ('Crab Day', 'Reward') and inviting her behind the production board. Le Bon channels the wisdom and solemnity of another generation of art-rockers like Robert Wyatt, Anthony Moore, and Beefheart with a brainy grace, and she's helped the Windy City Five pull off yet another transformation with 'Cousin'. We beam with pride at every bit of good news from SLOW PULP, the former Madison West denizens who now send their shambolic daydream pop worldwide, making their Anti- debut with 'Yard', another quick classic of modern indie chemistry, in on blue vinyl. The ANIMAL COLLECTIVE renaissance continues with the release of a sprawling double album called 'Isn't It, Now?' that matches the strength and ambition of last year's 'Time Skiffs', an includes a heavenly sidelong jam. When a band as rare as BLONDE REDHEAD calls us to supper, we come running. It's been nearly a decade since the magical art-pop trio graced the world with a new record, and 'Sit Down For Dinner' delivers a full meal, in on white vinyl.
  
  
  The well-attired showman CHARLEY CROCKETT has made fans all over, including here behind the counter, with his energetic and spirited live show, captured on a jam-packed set called 'Live From The Ryman', which draws a deep set list from several of his classic albums. Alabama songwriter JASON ISBELL challenged himself to hit a new lyrical standard with the release of his breakout solo album 'Southeastern' ten years back. The modern classic gets an anniversary edition on blue vinyl with subtly updated cover art, plus deluxe CD and vinyl editions with loads of demos and live material. An essential DR. JOHN record, 'Plays Mac Rebennack' from 1981, captures the legend on piano solo, and gets a nice new edition this week, plus we've got the 50th anniversary edition of the GRATEFUL DEAD's 'Wake Of The Flood' on a remastered LP, as well as a picture disk version.
  
  
  When GREEN DAY's breakout album 'Dookie' spread through my 7th grade cohort like a runaway virus, I probably should have had a hunch that 30 years later I'd be sitting here waxing nostalgic about it. After all these years, there is still no more ironclad combo of unstoppable pop hooks and goofy innuendo; its a record that's still light years better than the thousands of imitators it inspired. We have a new baby blue vinyl version of the lp, alongside a super deluxe box that appears to have a junior high locker's worth of stuff rattling around inside of it. We also have a cool t-shirt to giveaway, which you can enter to win with a purchase of either one. The fan-favorite TV ON THE RADIO record 'Return to Cookie Mountain' established the New York indie omnivores as an unstoppable force, but its lingered out of print for many years now! Touch and Go reclaims one of the greatest signees with a fresh edition of this gem on orange wax. It's been twenty five years since DUSTER released their debut album 'Stratosphere' in near anonymity, introducing a small few, then eventually a swelling crowd of tens of thousands, to their inimitable brand of inward-gazing space rock. To make the occasion, Numero has done up a special edition on splatter vinyl with a poster and foil-stamped sleeve, as well as a CD version ok. The mighty JESUS LIZARD see a remaster of their classic 'Goat' emerge on white vinyl.
  
  
  Hard-hitting NYC hip-hop duo ARMAND HAMMER make records you set a calendar reminder for. Billy Woods and Elucid trade bars of ingenious menace on 'We Buy Diabetic Test Strips', in on purple wax, with guest production from Jpegmafia. We welcome a slew of hard to come by records on the Backwoodz label as well: inventive lyricist CURLY CASTRO's 'Little Robert Hutton', an expanded edition of ELUCID's 2016 album 'Save Yourself (+ Instrumentals)', and the darkly psychedelic 'Decay' by FATBOI SHARIF and STEEL TIPPED DOVE.
  
  
  Globetrotting electronic artist LAUREL HALO has established a solid rep for a granular ambient sound that reveals sizeable details below its murky surface; her latest is 'Atlas' and its a stunning career high. UK composed MINOR SCIENCE blesses the Balmat label with an immersive collection of drone settings called 'Absent Friends Vol.III'. Footwork academic JLIN composed the pieces on 'Perspective' for a Chicago percussion ensemble that has been performing them for years, but now she renders them in their larval bleep form in a new clear vinyl. Producer SHACKLETON has rowed far upriver from his dubstep days, collaborating with clarinetist WACLAW ZIMPEL on the haunting 'In The Cell Of Dreams'.
  
  
  Ten years since the release of HAIM's classic 'Days Are Gone' means its time for a reissue! Deluxe green vinyl, new artwork, and a disc of bonus tracks, demos and remixes makes a nice one for the fans. We've been getting requests for records by DJO from the more discerning (and youthful) members of our customer base for some time, and now its time to finally deliver. Joe Keery, better known as the handsome fella Steve on Stranger Things, makes some incredible electro-pop under the moniker, drawing on influences like Phoenix, Tame Impala, and Todd Rundgren. We've got limited color editions of 'Twenty Twenty' and the follow-up 'Decide'. ODESZA makes a turn towards hazy dream pop on 'Flaws In Our Design', in on sky blue wax, and we've got the latest from DEL WATER GAP, the artfully titled 'I Miss You Already + I Haven't Left Yet'.
  
  
  Legendary hitmakers BOOKER T. & THE MG's hit quite a stride in their late 60s run of LPs for Atlantic, during which time they were the Stax Records house band and had credits on countless tunes in the charts. We've got lovely reissues of four of these classics, 'And Now!', 'Doin' Our Thing', 'Soul Dressing' and 'Hip Hug Her'.
  
  
  'A Symphonic Celebration' collects a full suite of JOE HISAISHI's most beloved compositions for the Hayao Miyazaki films like 'Spirited Away' and 'My Neighbor Totoro', ten themes in all, all in one place on a double album for the first time. CHARLES MINGUS looks back to 40s bebop on the 1960 album 'Pre-Bird', which gets the Verve/Acoustic Sounds treatment this week. TENDERLONIOUS returns with 'You Know I Care', and SONIC YOUTH's avant-garde session with JIM O'ROURKE, 'Invito Al Cielo', is back in print.
  
  
  Our never-ending celebration of JONI MITCHELL continues with four limited color vinyl reissues of some of her best known works. If you've been looking for nice copies 'Ladies Of The Canyon', 'Court and Spark', 'Miles Of Aisles', and 'The Hissing Of Summer Lawns', now is the time!
  
  
  Veteran jazzy beatmaker J-ZONE is tapped for the ongoing Madlib Invazion Library Series, turning in the lively, percolating 'Intoxicated Skull'. Brazilian jazz singer DORA MORELENBAUM has a sublime new EP of smoky serenade called 'Vento De Beirada'. Iconic illustrator and sometime musician Raymond Pettibon has a new group called PSING PSONG PSUNG, their LP 'Only Fan' is on red wax and naturally has some lovely artwork by Raymond. Aussie post-punkers EXEK turn in another marvelously woozy banger of po-faced brilliance on 'The Map And The Territory'.
  
  
  Storied bands like Minor Threat, Fugazi, and Rites of Spring put DC punk on the map, but the District has given us countless other groups, many of which only existed long enough to release one or two records, if any. Somehow, we have four such examples in the house this week! FURY was the very brief band featuring Chris Thomson from Ignition on vocals (before he moved to Madison to start Circus Lupus) alongside 3 ex-members of Swiz; their sole EP 'Resurrection' is back in print. HOOVER made only one LP, 1994's 'The Lurid Traversal Of Route 7', a classic of lumbering, pummeling post-hardcore drama. After Circus Lupus, Chris Thomson started LAS MORDIDAS with members of Fidelity Jones and Rain; their scattered singles and demo tracks are collected for the first time on 'Ex-voto'. Before he joined the infamous No Trend, Jack Anderson played bass in a short lived early 80s group called SKAM, who nailed a combination of The Clash and scenemates the Teen Idles, but released no records until this collection called 'No Name'.
  
  
  SLEEP TOKEN's soul-blasting debut album 'Sundowning' is back in print this week in both gold and silver editions, and we've got a big new one from CODE ORANGE called 'Above'. Before they changed names and vibes (sorta) to Mystic 100s, MILK MUSIC emitted some of the finest, stonedest hardcore the PacNW could muster, and their 'First Demo' is given an LP edition this week with an added track. The OSEES continue to elevate their krauty garage game with the very dope 'Intercepted Message'.
  
  
  LA rockers CHERRY GLAZERR return with a mature, reflective, and still very raw new album called 'I Don't Want You Anymore'. Pop singer MOLLY BURCH is back with another addictive slab of synth n singin' confections called 'Daydreamer', produced by Wild Nothing's Jack Tatum. Chicago songwriter KARA JACKSON's arresting debut, 'Why Does The Earth Give Us People To Love' is back in a limited vinyl run, for fans of Fiona Apple and Adia Victoria. Lastly but definitely not leastly, please check out the latest album from New York trio SAY SHE SHE, who update the girl-group funk sound of Tom Tom Club and Chic to a new form of perfection on 'Silver'.
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• USED VINYL ALERT

  It's another five star selection in the Used Vinyl Alert this week. We've got faves and essentials from Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, Grateful Dead, John Lennon, the Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, the Band, Steely Dan, the Eagles, Boston, Tom Petty, Tom Waits, The Beach Boys, Bruce Springsteen, John Prine, George Harrison, Rush, Led Zeppelin, and Fairport Convention.
  
  A real heavy dose of hard rock, metal and other riffery this week spans the decades. We've got Dokken, Executioner, Blacklist, Chateaux, Attila, Rainbow, Frijid Pink, ZZ Top, Wishbone Ash, Molly Hatchet, Ozzy Osbourne, Bloodrock, Blue �yster Cult, Van Halen, Deep Purple, Def Leppard, Iron Butterfly, AC/DC, Scorpions, Kiss, Rob Zombie, Gojira, Whitesnake, Judas Priest and even more!
  
  High quality jazz as always, including nice ones from Herbie Hancock, Ornette Coleman, Miles Davis, George Benson, Pat Metheny, Sonny Rollins, Chick Corea, Freddie Hubbard, Getz & Gilberto, Dave Brubeck, Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus, BadBadNotGood, Return To Forever, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Jimmy Smith, and Thelonious Monk.
  
  Blues is in from Jimmy Witherspoon, Magic Slim, Paul Black, Jeff Beck, Bobby Bland, BB King, Paul Butterfield, Howlin� Wolf, Lonnie Brooks, Son Seals, Roy Buchanan, Dolly Parton, Marty Robbins, Doc Watson, Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, Patsy Cline, Hank Williams, Glen Campbell, and Bob Wills.
  
  Lots more of our fave names in the mix as well. U2, the Cars, Eurythmics, Men At Work, Talking Heads, Ian Dury, Guided By Voices, American Football, Lettuce, Jack White, Florence and the Machine, Radiohead, Tangerine Dream, Deadmau5, Chemical Brothers, Kanye West, Black Star, Wu-Tang, Bob Marley, Jimmy Cliff, Burning Spear, The Temptations, Prince, Kool and the Gang, Diana Ross, the Stylistics, and Funkadelic!
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• STRICTLY DISCS MERCHANDISE & COASTERS AVAILABLE NOW:

  

  
  

  
  

  You can now buy Strictly Discs shirts, hats, and our specialty record coasters from the site and have it shipped anywhere.

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• SELL US YOUR CDS & LPS:

  

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