March 24, 2022

NEW THIS WEEK AT THE SHOP:

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Good golly, we have such a kickass spread of new releases to inform you of this week! At the tip top, but maybe a little hard to make out, is the tenth anniversary vinyl edition of BON IVER's 'Bon Iver, Bon Iver'. This one-time edition is already sold out at the source, comes on white vinyl with an additional five 'live in the studio' tracks, and has some delightfully inscrutable embossed packaging.�No embossing needed for the already bossed-up DESTROYER, who continues his razor-sharp slicing of Steely Dan and disco-pop on 'Labyrinthitis', in das building on green and white�wax. New Zealand songwriting magister ALDOUS HARDING mixes colorful pop with her baleful gothic folk on the very welcome 'Warm Chris', while New York State unit GUERILLA TOSS continue to bloom into one of the modern era's most powerfully expressive noise-poppers on 'Famously Alive', here on purple wax.

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Cherubic LA surf-poppers WALLOWS deliver a dreamy new LP called 'Tell Me That It's Over', with some cool sets of guitar picks to give away with purchase. Foxygen's Jonathan Rado has quietly steered some of the last decade's best pop albums (Weyes Blood, Whitney), and now he lends his mid-fi melodics to a very great OBERHOFER record called 'Smothered', which is one of the finer Waffle House menu options imo. Modern folkie GABRIEL KAHANE draws on the sounds of his associations with Sam Amidon and Andrew Bird on 'Magnificent Bird', while can't-miss�power pop couple REPTALIENS return with 'Multiverse'. First one to scoop this one gets a nice pack of Reptaliens rolling papers. I got five on it!

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Malian singer ROKIA KONE has lent her voice to the group Les Amazones D'Afrique, becoming known as "The Rose Of Bamako", and now makes her solo debut alongside producer JACKNIFE LEE on a boisterous, beautiful album called 'Bamanan'. Explosive afro-poppers IBIBIO SOUND MACHINE enlist none other than Hot Chip behind the boards on 'Electricity', and we welcome newly pressed editions of some massive early albums from the godfathers of the Sahel sound TINARIWEN: 'Radio Tisdas Sessions' and 'Amassakoul' each come through on limited color vinyl runs with bonus tracks and additional liner notes and photos.

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Highwomen member MAREN MORRIS turns in some sultry, slow-burning country on 'Humble Quest'. A fresh stunner from the Daptone label's THE JAMES HUNTER SIX is called 'With Love' and was probably supposed to be out by Valentine's Day, but the message on this cool set of neo-soul is applicable year-round, and comes on "silver locket" colored vinyl. Never heard the timeless supper club jazz vox of BLOSSOM DEARIE, which brings rays of light to the grayest of days? Remedy that right quick with a newly pressed hits collection. The Athens of the North label continues to do yeoman's work restoring rare soul with an incredible new LP cut of THE PREMONITIONS 78 album which has topped out close to a cool five grand on the interwebs.�

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Kansas City producer HUERCO S has enchanted and befuddled in equal measure with an eclectic run of ambient electronic records that situate a disoriented IDM within a pre-Columbian abstraction. His latest album, 'Plonk', may just be the best of them all; the depth of the sound design on this LP is something to behold, and calls to mind classic glitch and twitch such as Snd or The Black Dog, with aqueous melodic lines that are all him. After a patient wait, we finally have the LP edition of the masterful DJ-Kicks compilation mix from JESSY LANZA, sporting some sleek new tunes from her, plus banging tunes from Loefah, Lolina, Taraval, and our own dear friend Golden Donna! Some of the deepest dub techno we've heard in a minute comes from Steve O'Sullivan alias BLUETRAIN on a new split EP with HYDERGINE, and we've got not one but two new records from Norwegian jazzhouse don PRINS THOMAS, who continues to keep things limber and light, with keyboard contributions from legends like John Carroll Kirby and Bugge Wesseltoft

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Canadian conceptual hardcore kings FUCKED UP raid the archives for 'Do All Words Can Do' a collection of unreleased songs from the same sessions as their iconic album 'David Comes To Life'. You may think we've heard of everything here, but we'd never heard of the Norwegian new wave band DE PRESS, who hit a stark note not unlike a certain joyous division on their '82 sophomore album 'Product', which gets a white vinyl repress this week. Amidst the punk fervor of 1977 London, the four women of THE RAINCOATS formed a band and learned to play, in that order. Less than two years later, they cut a debut album that stands up over 40 years later as a pinnacle of the post-punk genre that's never really been bested, inspiring generations of female musicians (and males who write about music) in its wake. Another mildly successful punk act, BLINK-182, takes a bow with a greatest hits collection that covers the full span of their wild career.�

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As a member of the Last Poets alongside Gil Scott-Heron, ABIODUN OYEWOLE put vivid, uncensored spoken poetry to music in a manner which paved the way for what we know as rap. He returns to the spotlight on 'Gratitude', a new album that stays true to the tradition he helped start. A knighted keeper of that tradition is NAS, who returns on LP with 'The King's Disease II', alongside a new pressing of hyphy legend MAC DRE's 2002 album 'Thizzelle Washington'. Another crucial element of early hip-hop�was a seven second loop of a drum break found on DC group THE WINSTONS' 1969 album 'Color Him Father'. Dubbed the 'Amen Break', the story of how this obscure regional soul group gave us a sound that nearly everyone has heard in the womb is a fascinating one that gets better with each retelling. A proper reissue of this LP hits this week full of extra tunes, and a one-sided dubplate containing an extended version of the original break.�

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Australian pianist BARNEY MCALL got his start playing with NYC jazz legend Gary Bartz, and he calls him into the fold on a lovely new record of spiritual jazz called 'Precious Energy', which also benefits big time from the rhythm section of none other than Hiatus Kaiyote. The Numero Group tosses us another juicy curveball with an incredible LP of rare guitar instrumentals from 70s Yugoslavia by BRANKO MATAJA. 'Over Fields and Mountains' sounds not too far off from the enchanting guitar work of Omar Khorshid, or the ethereal surf of Charlie Megira. The South African boogie gem 'Saturday Fever' by JIVARO gets a much-needed repressing from the original tapes, and we have a delightfully fun and funky new LP from TOWA TEI, a founding member of Deee-Lite! No, not her...him!

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If you told me there was a new BLOOD INCANTATION album with no riffs on it, I'd probably be thinking "hard pass". But confound it all, 'Timewave' is here, and it rules! Think of this mini-album as a heavily�Klaus Schulze-influenced palate cleanser before the Denver death-metallers next sonic assault. Sticking on the stony end of things, we've got repressings of all time classics from NEBULA and EARTHLESS in the house, plus a new live album from the legendary SUFFOCATION.

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Too much sonic assault? Try JON HOPKINS new album, 'Music For Psychedelic Therapy', in stock now on black vinyl. If you have preordered the limited color version of this, it is en route very soon. We've also got a deep, deep new album of illbient from JAKE MUIR, gorgeously liquid solo piano from DAN NICHOLLS on 'Mattering and Meaning', and a reissue of the American 80s synth rarity 'Imperfect Space Journeys' by JEFF CARNEY.

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Some serious shots across the bow from the eclectic UK jazz scene this week! CULROSS CLOSE, a group led by keyboardist Anthony Kieron aka K15, deliver languid, housey fusion on 'Pressure'. Tubist and trombonist THEON CROSS embraces hip-hop and grime on 'Intra-I'. BINKER AND MOSES incorporate vivid techno on 'Feeding The Machine'. They're Aussie, but the new record from Melbourne trio GLASS BEAMS is brimming with a funky, globetrotting style.

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Beaucoup jazz gems from the past this week include a phenomenal vibraphone led session by the WAYNE POWELL OCTET, an incredible rarity from the underrated tenor sax player Harold Vick under the alias SIR EDWARD called 'The Power of Feeling', and a pair of sample-heavy library gems via the Be With label: SAMMY BURDSON's 'Background Action' and KLAUS�WEISS' 'Sound Inventions'.

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A new compilation called 'Surrender' provides a comprehensive introduction to the one and only SUICIDE, while the Trojan label brings us a hefty overview of the mighty dub producer DENNIS BOVELL, known mainly for his work with artists as varied as Linton Kwesi Johnson, the Slits, Bananarama, and Madness. 'Dubmaster' was compiled with assistance from Bovell himself and goes deep on the impossible to find 12" tracks he made his name on. We wrap things up with a new reissue of GOLDFRAPP's classic 'Felt Mountain', and a cheeky new EP of funky electro-pop from SWORN VIRGINS.

USED VINYL ALERT:

Some haul in the used vinyl alert this week! Particularly deep runs through blues, female jazz vocalists, classic hard rock, contemporary electronic, and newer indie/emo this�time round.

Blueswise, we roll with James Cotton, Muddy Waters, Jimmy Dawkins, Johnny Adams, Son Seals, Roosevelt Sykes, Jimmy Reed, Elmore James, Earl King, Paul Butterfield, Luther Allison, Freddie King, Bobby Blue Bland and many many more.�

Female vocalists from all across the dial are in this week, including Nina Simone, Peggy Lee, Lizzo, Cyndi Lauper, Sarah Vaughan, Leslie Gore, Brenda Lee, Peggy March, Ella Fitzgerald, and more. Plenty of Frank and Dino here as well!

Nth-gen emo and indie is in this week from Against Me, the Menzingers, Citizen, Joyce Manor, Panic at the Disco, Nothing, Gallows, Front Bottoms, Turnover, and many more of their ilk. Some choice Flaming Lips and King Gizzard records as well, plus a super rare Hotline Miami comp!

Hard n heavy stuff is in from Judas Priest, Dio, Def Leppard, Marillion, Vanilla Fudge, Alice Cooper, and more. Once again, some primo Beatles and Jimi Hendrix bootlegs are in the house, plus universal favorites from Joni Mitchell, Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, Paul Simon, Tom Petty, John Prine, The Band, Grateful Dead, the Eagles, Carole King, Buffalo Springfield, Neil Young, Queen, Fleetwood Mac, and so much more.

A slew of contemporary techno and ambient is in from labels like Hotfluch, Cin Cin, Of Paradise, Renascent, and others. Some pretty choice bluegrass and early country, classical, and soundtracks are in. A host of Cuca Records LPs, polka, plus an above average slate of private press Wisconsin rarities rounds us out.

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MIKE BAILEY CELEBRATION OF LIFE APRIL 1 5-7PM

WISCONSIN FILM FEST MUSIC DOCUMENTARY DISCOUNT:

RECORD STORE DAY IS APRIL 23RD:�

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.

SAVE THE DATE V.2:�Record Store Day Drop Date is June 18th:

June 18th is designated as a Record Store Day Drop Date; it will serve as a street date safety net�for titles that are part of the Record Store Day celebration�that don't make it in time for�April 23.

WISHLISTS:

Record Store Day wish lists can be made�HERE. Due to some late additions (Roy Ayers, Pharaohs, etc), the deadline to create or modify a RSD WISH LIST�was Monday, February 28th at�2PM.