Strictly Discs

January 12, 2023

New This Week At The Shop

Week two of 2023 brings a stellar crop of new releases, starting with the vinyl edition of KID CUDI's latest album, the anthemical and spacy 'Entergalactic', his first album outside of his famed Man On the Moon trilogy in many years. 'Bulli' is the name of the sophomore record from R&B pop mutant VELVET NEGRONI, a polyglot producer/vocalist who follows on from genre-benders like Blood Orange, Yves Tumor, and James Blake. London percussionist SARATHY KORWAR keeps us guessing with each new collaboration, and he joins up with producer Photay for the bristling 'Kalak', in the shop on dark green vinyl. Chicago drummer MAKAYA MCCRAVEN made his first big splash with the 2015 release 'In The Moment', a seemingly-infinite double album consisting of dozens of live performances with esteemed contributors, stitched together with brilliant verve. From our stance at the record counter, it literally took years for the genius of this album to catch on, and by then it was basically impossible to find. International Anthem makes this right with a lush reprinting of an early peak in the organic beatmaker's career.
Country pop modernist MARGO PRICE lopes back into view with 'Strays', a dirgey and warty new record that alters her trademark sound in some unexpected ways, perhaps because it was written in the mountains under the influence of psilocybin. Trippy! We've got this one in on limited purple smoke vinyl. Louisiana swamp pop TOMMY MCLAIN puts a cap on an incredible career with 'I Ran Down Every Dream', with guests like Elvis Costello, Ivan Neville, and Van Dyke Parks. 'The Great White Sea Eagle' is an illustrious new record from the collaboration of Scottish folk singer JAMES YORKSTON, Swedish chamber ensemble THE SECONDHAND ORCHESTRA, and former Cardigans singer NINA PERSSON. The career-making album 'Babel' by MUMFORD + SONS turns ten this week with a new edition on cream colored vinyl and new cover artwork.
Connecticut indie jam-band GOOSE collects four tunes left off their 2022 album on the limited EP 'Undecided', in stock on black & white galaxy swirl vinyl. The fourth installment of the 'Live Phish on Long Play' series finds PHISH at the Radio City Music Hall in the year 2000, rockin the ol barn with an extended version of 'Ghost'. Technicolor pop savior DAYGLOW returns with 'People In Motion', and we've got a new edition of the double EP combo 'Superclean Vol. 1 & 2' from the calm, cool and collected LA indie-poppers THE MARIAS.
Time for some duos! RACHAEL & VILRAY return with 'I Love A Love Song!', the second album of jazz-pop and Tin Pan Alley standards from the lead vocalist of Lake Street Dive. Living jazz legends FRED HERSCH & ESPERANZA SPALDING duet on 'Alive at the Village Vanguard', and we've got a lovely new edition of 'Poetry For the Beat Generation' on the occasion of JACK KEROUAC's 100th birthday year; this 1959 classic of spoken word finds the poet joined by none other than television host STEVE ALLEN on piano. Different times man! An early 80s roots reggae gem from ROBERT FRENCH and ANTHONY JOHNSON gets its first ever vinyl reissue.
Angelic dreampoppers THE XX celebrate a decade since their sophomore record 'Coexist' with a fresh clear vinyl edition. Another live boot comes in from KING GIZZARD, 'Live At Bonnaroo 22' is orange crush- colored, buzzsaw-shaped vinyl, so please be careful. BIG BAD VOODOO DADDY brought in the swing revival with their self-titled 1998 album; it's never been on vinyl until now so perhaps we are due for another round, daddy-O? NOFX's 1997 fan-fave 'So Long and Thanks For All The Shoes' gets a color vinyl reissue as well.
Mumbai producer NATE08 makes an exquisite debut with 'Furaha', a bumping session of downtempo funk and broken beat. Berlin post-rock, pre-techno trio TO ROCOCO ROT came alive in the Maida Vale studios of John Peel's BBC show, collected for the first time on 'Sessions 97-99'. French electro duo PRINCIPLES OF GEOMETRY commit fully to the concept on 'ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ', a 26 track session of creepy elegance drawing comparisons to BoC's 'Tomorrow's Harvest', and we welcome a new printing of the classic proto-everything brilliance of CLUSTER's 1972 album 'Cluster II'.
We are extremely blessed by the Rhino January reissue campaign this week, with limited, color vinyl editions of GERRY RAFFERTY's 'City To City', OTIS REDDING's 'Sings Soul Ballads', JOHNNY THUNDERS' 'So Alone', the VELVET UNDERGROUND's 'Loaded' (finally!), CHICAGO's greatest hits album 'IX' on picture disc, BILLY COBHAM's 'Spectrum', BOB WEIR's 'Ace', and WARREN ZEVON's best-of collection, 'Quiet Normal Life'.
Mississippi guitarist MEL BROWN was one of the rare blues musicians signed to Impulse, and his early albums for the label capture a free-wheeling and virtuosic sound. Treat yourself to a freshly cut copy of 'Chicken Fat', his 1967 debut, along with a long out of print collection of early tunes from legendary French pianist and arranger JEF GILSON. Before he formed the brain-boiling fusion ensemble Nucleus, trumpeter IAN CARR made several records of remarkable post-bop elegance in a quintet with tenor DON RENDELL and pianist MICHAEL GARRICK. We have a pair in stock, 'Shades Of Blue' and 'Dusk Fire', that will level up just about any jazz collection.
Cold in the house? Put on a sweater, or better yet, put on some SALSA! We've got an absolutely mindblowing array of latin classics and rarities back in print this week, including the volcanic Venezuelan RAY PEREZ Y PERUCHO TORCAT's 'They Do It', the Nuyorican funk of JOE BATAAN's 'Call My Name', AL VALDEZ Y SU CONJUNTO's holy grail of Cuban son, 'Gozando!', and the lone album from Peru's MITA Y SU MONTE ADENTRO, the heavily Cuban influenced 'Arecibo'.
Buena Vista Social Club guitarist ELIADES OCHOA sees his recent release, 'Vamos A Bailar Un Son', repackaged with even more songs for a new vinyl edition. Peruvian rockers LOS YORK'S came out of their garage like Lima's answer to the Yardbirds on the explosive '67'. Brazilian vocalist JOYCE joined up with guitarist Mauricio Maestro, producer Claus Ogerman, and a star-studded studio cast for a staggeringly progressive album of samba-jazz that was ultimately never released until now. WILLIE COLON and the usual suspects from the Fania roster let it rip on 1972's 'El Juicio'.
Recently-departed art world icon Michael Snow tapped an illustrious group of local musicians like ALBERT AYLER and DON CHERRY to soundtrack his 1965 experimental film 'New York Eye and Ear Control', back in print this week. Rare Detroit jazz in the Tribe/Strata East tradition is restored with 'The Gift Of Love' by SAM SANDERS & VISIONS. Originally released in a 1973 edition so small that it was likely to be lost to time, 'Drum Dance To The Motherland' by Philadelphia vibraphonist KHAN JAMAL and THE CREATIVE ARTS ENSEMBLE gets a fresh breath this week with a new pressing. Absolutely baked in reverb, delay, and roomsound, this is one of the most transporting, profoundly blunted spiritual jazz albums ever.
Argentinian composer BEATRIZ FERREYRA has worked as a resident at the famed French studio GRM for decades, and now delivers a monumental work for their in-house label, a 16-channel sound piece inspired by astrophysics, the unconscious mind, and the Big Bang called 'Senderos de Luz y Sombras', being regaled as a peak in her lengthy career. We've also got unheard archive pieces from groundbreaking electronic composer ELIANE RADIGUE, a new edition of BERNARD PARMEGIANI's 'De Natura Sonorum', and a reissue of the first solo album from pioneering avant-jazz bassist BARRE PHILLIPS, 1969's 'Unaccompanied Barre'.

Used Vinyl LP Alert

Heading downstairs for this week's Used Vinyl Alert, we get things started with a number of seldom-played contemporary LPs (some long out of print). You'll find names like The Postal Service, Jack White / White Stripes, Animal Collective / Panda Bear, Robyn, Madvillain, Radiohead, MGMT, Kacey Musgraves, Pixies, & Darkside, among many others. Continuing with Rock, the bins are laced with more all-time classics from David Bowie, Bob Dylan, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, The Doors, Elvis Costello, Jeff Beck / Yardbirds, Blondie, The Jam, Van Halen, & lots more.

Soul is in this week from Curtis Mayfield, Earth, Wind & Fire, The Temptations, Tower of Power, Isaac Hayes, Anita Baker, The Time, & others. Deep & classic jazz hitters continue to trickle thru, from names like Joe Henderson, Cannonball Adderly, Milt Jackson, Bill Evans, Howard Roberts, Dave Brubeck, Sathima Bea Benjamin, Alphonze Mouzon, & Willie Bobo.

A nice stack of Chicago Blues compilations head out this weekend, along with other classics from B.B. King, Taj Mahal, Robert Johnson, & others. Folk & country are also well represented, with titles from Tony Rice, Tim Hardin, Johnny Cash, George Strait, Waylon Jennings, Loretta Lynn, & Dolly Parton.

We round things out this week with a large cache of soundtracks in stellar condition, along with some assorted Children's records, international, & classical LPs.

Staff Top Tens for 2022

We're back with another installment of our yearly best-of lists! Click here to view all of our top tens.

SELL US YOUR CDS & LPS

Yes, we are still buying! Call Ron to schedule (608.213.3610).
Ron, Ryan, Angie, Marty, Evan, Matt, Ed, Eric, Jack, Steve, Mark, Brad, Roger, & Adam
        
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