Strictly Discs

March 18, 2021

NEW THIS WEEK AT THE SHOP:

  
- VALERIE JUNE delivers her fifth album, 'The Moon & Stars: Prescriptions For Dreamers', a wonderful album that continues to celebrate her many influences, from jazz, to R&B, to appalachian folk, in the shop on limited white vinyl
- after many requests, we have UK neo-soul phenom CELESTE's debut LP, 'Not Your Muse'
- everyone's favorite American gal LANA DEL REY is back with 'Chemtrails Over the Country Club', which finds her in top form. Unfortunately our colored vinyl on this one is delayed, but we do have black vinyl LPs



  
- departed grunge icon CHRIS CORNELL has a new album of cover versions out called 'No One Sings Like You Anymore'. He covers 'Nothing Compares 2 U' on here! While they last we have some nice lithographs to give away with purchase
- anthemic soul-jazz with activist fervor is here on JON BATISTE's latest, 'WE ARE'
- STEVE EARLE memorializes his son Justin on a new record 'J.T.', in the shop on colored vinyl



  
- no big deal, 'Still Woman Enough' is LORETTA LYNN's 46th studio album, and it's a memoir-style ode to her career of triumph
- beloved folkies MANDOLIN ORANGE see their fan-favorite album 'Blindfaller' come back in print
- PAUL STANLEY of Kiss fame pays homage to the early soul that inspired him on a new LP with his group Soul Station


  
- Aussie indie charmers MIDDLE KIDS have a classically melodic new record of jangle called 'Today We're The Greatest', here on tangerine vinyl
- legendary New England free-rock ensemble SUNBURNED HAND OF THE MAN haven't poked their heads up above-ground in close to a decade, and 'Pick A Day To Die' really delivers on the long wait, a heavy session of lurching, creeped out burners
- the duo of Chicago guitarists CAMERON KNOWLER and ELI WINTER bring us an LP called 'Anticipation', which artfully recalls the work of John Renbourn or William Ackerman


 
 
- few instrumental synth albums have captivated quite like 'Overworld' by A.R.T. WILSON aka ANDRAS FOX. Released in a tiny edition back in 2014 and now reprinted by the Numero Group, this collection of songs for a dance recital contains some of the most gorgeously blissed-out new age made in any era, and comes on baby blue vinyl
- voice and synth marinate on a nice new LP from DIALECT, 'Under--Between'
- a pair of classic LOSCIL albums are back in print, 'Submers' and 'First Narrows', are arguably the best records in his delightful catalog, nestled right at the joint of Pacific Northwest cumulo-drone and pulsing dub techno


  
- the Awesome Tapes label introduces a new artist, Pretoria producer TENO AFRIKA, with 'Amapiano Selections', one of the most refreshing dance albums to come out in some time. Crisp rhythms, scything snare, and precision bass lay the groundwork for these fervid tracks that marry kwaito with electro in an entirely new way. Can only imagine the amount of upheaval this would cause in a nightclub
- deep house phenom SOFIA KOURTESIS delivers a stunning new EP of summer thumpers called 'Fresia Magdalena'
- eighteen years (yikes) since introducing the world to UK grime, the legendary debut LP by DIZZEE RASCAL, 'Boy In Da Corner', is back in print on vinyl


  
- Chicago mainstay AZITA returns with her first solo album in a long time, called 'Glen Echo'. Forever underrated, she delivers another incredible session of adult-oriented jazz rock, with uptempo numbers recalling classic Steely Dan, and some incredible slow burners that have no comparison
- experimental songwriter KARIMA WALKER returns with a lovely album of liminal ambient folk called 'Waking the Dreaming Body', 
- modern classical auteur SARAH DAVACHI sees one of her most cherished records, 'All My Circles Run', come back in print on gold vinyl


  
- three labors of love bring us rare unreleased music from some great underground 90s bands, starting with Oakland's MONOSHOCK. 'Runnin' Ape-Like From The Backwards Superman' collects 7" and comp tracks from this ferocious psychedelic punk band who mashed up Hawkwind and Dead Moon to delirious success
- Ohio weirdos ENON formed in the late 90s from members of bands like Brainiac and Skeleton Key and eventually landed on Touch and Go with a trio of classic electro-pop albums. Before that, they released a homemade CD-R called 'Long Play', which gets a vinyl edition for the first time
- iconic Chicago no-wave group THE SCISSOR GIRLS included one Azita Youssefi, mentioned earlier in the newsletter, and scrambled the brains of just about all who saw their brief run of gigs in the 90s. Their earliest demo tape has been pressed to LP for the first time, and packs a ton of snarl and punch


 
 
- Mi'kmaq folk musician WILLIE DUNN opens and closes the Native North America compilation, so it seems fitting to have a full collection of his songs, the extensive 'Creation Never Sleeps, Creation Never Dies' collects work from his 4 studio LPs plus more rare tunes
- the incredible pastoral folk-fuzz album 'House In the Tall Grass' by KIKAGAKU MOYO is back in print, plus we have reissues of folk and prog-pop rarities from FOLKAL POINT and DOMINIQUE BLANC-FRANCARD



  
- blistering Japanese sludge unit FRIENDSHIP have a pair of EPs combined on a new LP 
- 'Aria Of Vernal Tombs' from OBSEQUIAE is back in print
- legendary LA psychedelic noise / power violence band GASP have a new record, their first in....decades? called 'Ghost In Scow Out'


  
- Portuguese drummer JOAO LOBO teams up with a quartet that includes guitarist brother Norberto on a percolating new LP called 'Simorgh'
- Brazilian folkie LUCAS SANTTANA's 2011 album 'Sem Nostalgia' is back print. Must have missed this the first time around, a lovely record of playful folk-pop with a lot of whimsy and unexpected beauty, sounding like Jose Gonzales meeting up with Tom Ze
- a new UK duo called COMA WORLD features a member of The Comet Is Coming, with an LP of scorched earth rhythmic jazz



 
 
- a pair of LPs introduce you to the Indian classical guitarist BRIJ BHUSHAN KABRA. 'The Magic of Music' features ZAKIR HUSSAIN on tabla.
- a rarity from Egyptian guitarist OMAR KHORSHID is here, 'With Love' finds his blazing tones paired up with funky instrumental backing, and rules very hard
- while traveling Morocco in the 1960s, beatniks Paul Bowles and Brion Gysin recorded performances by Sufi trance musicians for an album called JILALA, original copies of which scarcely exist. Back in print now with improved fidelity and new cover art




USED VINYL ALERT:

What a haul we have in the Used Vinyl Alert this week! In addition to the fully replenished "3 For $5" bin, we have a massive stash of new arrival treasures.

Rare pressings from the Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, the Beatles, Grateful Dead, and Jimi Hendrix, plus a deep run of Bob Dylan join classics from Queen, The Band, Little Feat, Stevie Nicks, the Who, Fleetwood Mac, Led Zeppelin, Alice Cooper, the Kinks, Frank Zappa, Mott the Hoople, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, Joni Mitchell, and more.

Heavy stuff is in from Dillinger Escape Plan, Guns n Roses, the Clash, the Devil Wears Prada, Fugazi, Rorschach, Acrid, La Dispute, Hot Water Music, Silverstein, Breaking Benjamin, and more.

Primo jazz picks this week include Bill Evans, Neal Creque, Pete La Roca, John Zorn, Ramsey Lewis, Horace Silver, Cal Tjader, Dave Brubeck, Donald Byrd, Codona, Nina Simone, Quincy Jones, Terje Rypdal, Barre Phillips, Thelonious Monk, and more.

Folk music of all stripes abounds this week, with plenty of US and UK folkie classics, several Nonesuch compilations, international trad records from the Lyrichord, Topic, and Ocora labels, plus some oddball and private press LPs, and a huge trove of Deutsche Grammophon classics are in.




RECORD STORE DAY DROPS 2021 - SAVE THE DATES:



BILLBOARD MAGAZINE'S BIWEEKLY FEATURE ON STRICTLY DISCS:

As part of Billboard’s efforts to best cover the coronavirus pandemic and its impacts on the music industry, Chris Eggertsen has been speaking with Angie every other week to chronicle the experience of an independent record store throughout the crisis.  Here is a link to the stories in the series so far:

Billboard Article #16 November 16th

Billboard Article #17 December 14th

Billboard Article #18 December 23rd

Billboard Article #19 February 5th

Billboard Article #20 February 23rd

Billboard Article #21 March 12th

SELL US YOUR CDS & LPS:

Yes, we are still buying! Call Ron to schedule (608.213.3610).




Ron, Ryan, Angie, Marty, Evan, Matt, Ed, Jack, Eric, Steve, Atticus & Ben

        
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