Strictly Discs

June 24, 2021

NEW THIS WEEK AT THE SHOP:

 
 
Huge week of new releases to tell you about! Let's celebrate the return of *live jazz* to Madison with a quartet of live jazz albums! Singular force of nature ANGEL BAT DAWID sees her explosive live album with her group Tha Brotherhood finally emerge in an overwhelmingly gorgeous vinyl edition. One of MILES DAVIS' final live performances ever (France 1991) is enshrined on 'Merci Miles: Live at Vienne', a sprawling 2LP set that includes not one but two covers of songs by Prince, who Davis had befriended in the last months of his life. An unheard 1975 set from the BILL EVANS TRIO is unearthed with 'On A Friday Evening', and ETTA JAMES' impeccable run of 70s festival performances is celebrated on 'The Montreux Years'. 




 
 
THE MOUNTAIN GOATS' John Darnielle certainly stayed busy in quarantine. 'Dark In Here' is the 3rd album from the group since c*v*d hit, and it comes from the same sessions that brought us 'Getting Into Knives'. Limited color vinyl pressing with etching on this one. Carolinian troubadour HISS GOLDEN MESSENGER returns with another crack session in songwriting on 'Quietly Blowing It'. Few modern artists have as dense a catalog and as vast a soundworld as SIX ORGANS OF ADMITTANCE aka Ben Chasny, who lands on the Three Lobed label with a new record of progressive, molten psych-folk called 'The Veiled Sea'. Wooden Shjips/Moon Duo captain and killer beard-haver Ripley Johnson steps out again with his Americana project ROSE CITY BAND on a beautiful new record of microdosed folk called 'Earth Trip'.




 
 
Electronic pop gems aplenty this week, starting with the first new record in six years from the Aussie R&B group HIATUS KAIYOTE. 'Mood Valiant' continues the groups run of ingeniously tight-knit albums, features a collab with none other than Arthur Verocai, and comes in a couple different limited edition vinyl formats. STRFKR's career-defining album 'Reptilians' gets a tenth-anniversary expanded edition on color vinyl. Great new records of synth-powered R&B are herefrom the UK's ANUSHKA and Hong Kong's BLOOD WINE OR HONEY. 




 
 
Songwriter LUCY DACUS continues her strong run of autobiographical folk on 'Home Video'.Barack Obama's fave alt-R&B artist FAYE WEBSTER grows up a little on the compelling 'I Know I'm Funny haha', in the building on blue vinyl. Been waiting patiently for a second record from Brooklyn artist L'RAIN since her undeniable 2017 debut, and 'Fatigue' delivers more of this unique artist's approach to fusions of folk, pop, and jazz. We ought to be hearing more about Miz Rain in the future, I'd bet. Vocalist CAROLINE SHAW teams up with longtime collaborators SO PERCUSSION on a tender, exploratory new record called 'Let The Soil Play It's Simple Part'. 




 
 
A new record from elusive producer/pop auteur MATTHEW DEAR is actually from deep in his archives. 'Preacher's Sigh & Potion' dates to 2008 or so, recorded while Dear was living in Texas and riding the critical acclaim of his early 00s club bangers. He delivered this album to Ghostly in rough form, but ultimately decided to release the career-defining 'Black City' instead. Time has really burnished the tunes on this album, which with their canny blend of country-noir, pulsing beats, and rugged textures, sound very prescient here in 2021. Disk jock Danilo Plessow aka MOTOR CITY DRUM ENSEMBLE treats us to deep house, jazz and techno rarities on a new Fabric compilation and mix. New records are from long-time merchants of darkness DANIEL AVERY and BURIAL. 




  
  
New color vinyl 2LP editions of classics from MY MORNING JACKET are here, 'It Still Moves' and 'Evil Urges'. PJ HARVEY reissues her dreamy 2007 album 'White Chalk' long with an LP of demos. A new vinyl pressing of NINE INCH NAILS' epic 'Hesitation Marks' is back in stock, as well as a previously unreleased set of tapes from unsung power pop heroes THE RUBINOOS.



 
 
A pair of reissues rescue some truly classic and hard to find albums from Cuban/Jamaican ska trombonist RICO RODRIGUEZ. 'That Man Is Forward' and 'Jama Rico' showcase one of the golden age of ska and rocksteady's supreme talents before he linked up with The Specials. Perhaps the pinnacle of Blue Note's hard bop era is the 1958 album 'Cool Struttin' by pianist SONNY CLARK, with a dream lineup including Philly Joe Jones, Jackie McLean and Art Farmer, now back in print in an audiophile grade edition. Also back in print is an absolute jewel of the early Brazilian fusion scene, the lone 1976 album from five-piece group MANDALA.


 
 
Heavy things this week include a limited reissue of THE MELVINS 'Nude With Boots' on color vinyl, a new mini-album from the long dormant prog-hardcore pioneers ICEBURN, a weapons grade collaboration between noise icons MERZBOW and PRURIENT, and a majestically brutal new album from Belgian sludge kings AMENRA. 


 
 
Stoked to have a new edition of the (sadly) final album from LA rap legend NIPSEY HUSSLE; 'Victory Lap' is in with a new lacquer cut and gatefold. A fantastic looking new record from EVIDENCE sports production from the Alchemist and features by a slew of Griselda rappers. THE ROOTS' classic album 'Do You Want More?' turns 25 this week, with an expanded new edition stretching to 3 LPs. SELENA GOMEZ embraces reggaeton and urbano pop with her first all-Spanish EP, 'Revelacion'. 



 
 
Transcendent percussionist ELI KESZLER topped a lot of lists with his last album a few years back, including copping Boomkat's album of the year designation, so hopes are high for his latest record, 'Icons', another master session in abstract, detailed drumming that's more potent than any machine. Black vinyl on this as well as a limited color edition. Fresh off collabs with folks like Greg Foat, Scottish producer LINKWOOD returns to his trippy techno roots on a crucial new LP called 'Mono'. Long out of print 'unreleased tracks' from BOARDS OF CANADA return on a limited run 12", and we have an incredible compilation of rare Polish electronic tunes from the 80s called ECHO WIELKIEJ PŁYTY that sounds like the soundtrack to Warsaw Hills Cop. 


 
 
A nice debut album from the Canadian jazz unit PEACE FLAG ENSEMBLE has gotten a lot of play around here this week; it's so magical and mellow. Mark Ribot's latest vehicle CERAMIC DOG returns with a new disc called 'Hope' on red and blue vinyl. Richard Youngs' haunting 1998 album 'Sapphie' has long inspired musicians of many walks of life, many of which are gathered by the HYPNOTIC BRASS ENSEMBLE for a re-interpretation, including Moses Sumney, Sharon Van Etten, and Perfume Genius. German pianist ROLF ZIELKE leads a group through a twilit modern jazz masterwork on 'Beaches In Your Soul'. 


 
 
The Numero Group bills their latest limited vinyl compilation 'Eccentric Disco' as "The only disco record you'll ever need to own", which is a little late for this guy who already owns hundreds of them. Available in a couple different color pressings, this is indeed a potent party in a package, with tons of deep cuts. ARNIE LOVE's 'Invisible Wind' is included on the comp and we also just so happen to have a new copy of the 12" for that one with two more burners included. UK jazz DJs FREEMAN & PILLER deliver the second volume of their 'Jazz On the Corner' compilations, an impressive overview of party friendly, progressive jazz from across the last several decades, and the iconic STUDIO ONE ROOTS compilation gets a 20th anniversary pressing on blue vinyl.       



 
 
Russian producer PERILA crafts peculiar, addicting ambient techno that draws on the acoustics of her surroundings, and she lands on the Smalltown Supersound label with 'How Much Time it is Between You and Me?' Montreal duo LA FE drop a delightful EP of freewheeling, dubbed out tribal house on the XPQ label. Under the alias LUCKY & EASY, iconic dub techno producer Pub made a handful of EPs of colorful, adventurous IDM now collected on a 2LP set called 'Cheeky Speaker'. Last up, couldn't be more thrilled to have a new pressing in stock of the 1999 debut EP from JAPANESE TELECOM, one of the more potent electro identities assumed by Gerald Donald of the almighty Drexciya. 




USED VINYL ALERT:

This week's selection of fresh used vinyl includes most wanted titles from friends like Fleetwood Mac, the Beatles, the Doors, the Who, Prince, Creedence, Billy Joel, Queen, Tom Petty, the Kinks, Buffalo Springfield, plus more from Aerosmith, Juicy Lucy, Trapeze, Renaissance, Van Halen, Dokken, the Electric Prunes, AC/DC, Talking Heads, John Foxx, Soft Cell, R.E.M.,and Devo. Plenty more paisley psych, garage, blues rock, and new wave oddities as well!

Jazz is in from Larry Coryell, Herbie Hancock, Baby Dodds, Eddie Harris, and more, blues from Dr John, Mississippi Fred McDowell, country from Jerry Jeff Walker, Bobbie Gentry, Patsy Cline and other more obscure names. Soul and dance is in from Percy Sledge, Aretha Franklin, Martha Reeves, Janet Jackson, I Level and more, plus a slew of early rap and disco 12"s. Recent pressings are in from Bon Iver, Nick Drake, Bonobo, and Broken Social Scene. A solid run of choice classical LPs are in, as well as several decades worth of classic cult film soundtracks.




RECORD STORE DAY DROP #2 IS JULY 17TH:

RECORD STORE DAY 2021 DROPS ARE JUNE 12 & JULY 17:

The second Record Store Day drop event is Saturday, July 17th. Here is Strictly Discs' plan for the day:

1. We OPEN at 8AM for RSD shopping

2. Line to form westbound on Monroe Street

3. While in line, you will be handed a menu of all RSD titles  

4. We will pull your requests & you will check out outside

5. The shop will open for normal browsing at approximately NOON with RSD titles upstairs

Thank you for helping us to keep this event safe & fun.



RECORD STORE DAY: 

Launched in 2007 with the humble idea to recognize independent record stores, Record Store Day (RSD) has blossomed into a global phenomenon. The list of RSD vinyl and CD exclusives continues to expand, as more labels continue to throw open their catalogs to an appreciative audience that grows each year.

Beyond the day-long frenzy, RSD exists to offer proof of the lively role record stores play in the community and a chance for folks on both sides of the counter to offer gratitude for each other. It's a capsule-sized snapshot of what this whole record world is about. Whether you’re a hardcore type who times their arrival for a spot at the front of the line or somebody who waits until the afternoon for a more leisurely experience, we hope you’ll join us.



Stay strong & have #hope.






WE ARE HIRING - SHIPPING CLERK:

We are looking to hire a shipping clerk. Requirements:


•    Self-motivated and independent thinker
•    Computer proficiency
•    Flexibility
•    Strong work ethic
•    High level of organization and precise time management skills
•    Ability to lift 50 pounds repeatedly


Postion open - 3-4 days/week 9AM-1PM. Possible additional hours filling other duties, depending on experience. Includes weekends.

To apply, submit letter of interest & resume to angie@strictlydiscs.com







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

Billboard Article #22 April 1st

Billboard Article #23 April 19th

Billboard Article #24 May 15th

Billboard Article #25 June 1st








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, Nick & Matt B.

        
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