Big week for new records! We've got a couple dozen to tell you about in this newsletter so settle in. The limber synth-pop of duo SYLVAN ESSO continues to develop in hummable ways on their latest album, 'No Rules Sandy', in the shop on limited "tiger's eye" colored vinyl. We seem to only get a new record from the Breeders every decade or so, which leaves us yearning for more of the patented melodic indie crunch that only the Deal Sisters can provide. No fear! Kelley Deal has revitalized R.RING, her project with midwest rocker Mike Montgomery, for an incredible new disc called 'War Poems, We Rested', a walloping roundhouse of colorful guitar tunes with lots of Kelley-tude. The Canadian misfits in FUCKED UP sure hit the nail on their head when they named their band; twenty years of service from them has given us blistering hardcore, poignant art rock, progressive metallic operettas, and plenty in between. We get a little bit of all o'that on their latest, 'One Day', which is apparently just about one day in their fucked up lives! Few bands have come back so strong from a long hiatus as electro-pop pioneers LADYTRON. A fresh album from them, 'Time's Arrow', is just as fervently tense and propulsive as their early classics, with vocalist Helen Marnie maintaining her authoritative, cool monotone.

In 1997, BOB DYLAN satisfied his vast fanbase and told his critics to stuff it with his multi-Grammy winning comeback album 'Time Out Of Mind', a deeply resonant, bluesy affair that hearkened back to classics like 'Highway 61 Revisited' and 'Blood on the Tracks'. The latest official bootleg series from the Dylanverse documents the sessions around this album, highlighting the fluid chemistry of his band, and incredible production from Daniel Lanois. 'Fragments: Time Out of Mind Sessions (1996-1997)' comes in a two CD set, a 5 CD set, and a 4 LP deluxe vinyl box. THE CURE teased audiences with 'Friday I'm In Love', one of their most radio-friendly songs ever, as the lead single from 1992's 'Wish', which otherwise contains some of their heaviest shoegaze-influenced tracks, dreamy as ever but not quite ready for airplay. Thirty years on, 'Wish' is a stone classic, and it's back in print this week on remastered double 180-g vinyl. New country LPs are in (I can tell by their hats) from NICK SHOULDERS and the ZAC BROWN BAND.

Lots of great hip-hop and rap in the house this week. We've had a devil of time stocking official copies of anything from CHILDISH GAMBINO, especially his modern classic EP 'Kauai', which gets a nice printing this week. Not much advance info about 'Let's Start Here', the latest album from Darnell Boat aka LIL YACHTY, other than its all live-instrumentation and no rapping. So maybe it's in the wrong section, woops. Kendrick Lamar's cousin BABY KEEM sees his debut LP finally land in the house on vinyl, and we've got a new printing of J.I.D.'s 2017 debut 'The Never Story', on the heels of his hot new release 'The Forever Story'.

Onetime Philly folkie MEG BAIRD has really settled into Northern California living, if the relaxed, verdant music on her breathtaking new album 'Furling' is any indicator. With life- and songwriting partner Charlie Saufley in tow, Meg delivers her fullest album to date, full of spectral, guitar-forward folk that lets in a bit more light than her previous records; you might even hear her cracking a smile. Brooklyn songwriter Eva Louise Goodman has honed her chops for years in the beloved group Mutual Benefit, and hazards a go out on her own now as NIGHTTIME, with the heavily Bunyan-influenced (Vashti, that is) solo debut 'Keeper Is The Heart'. Check out this ALLAN WACHS record. Unassuming, naturalist cover? Check. Unfamiliar, slightly hard to pronounce name? Check. Song titles like "Travelin Light" and "Mountain Man Breakdown"? Check. All good signs, but is it actually any good? Why yes! This little-heard nugget of cosmic Cali country cannot be skipped; elegant slide guitar funk instrumentation pairs with Allan's honeyed voice, landing somewhere between Townes and Browne. The DFA label lovingly recreates a vinyl edition of prolific collaborator Stuart Hyatt aka Field Works' 2005 cd-r THE CLOUDS, a truly unique brew of indie rock, folk, gospel and field recordings.

Angelic crooner SAM SMITH returns with their most ambitious record yet. 'Gloria' showcases the singer's versatile style, and features guest appearances from Koffie and Jessie Reyez; we've got this one in on black vinyl, as well as a very limited selection of signed CDs. Glammy garage regent KING TUFF returns to Sub Pop with 'Smalltown Stardust', a collection of tender songs that sands the edge off of his barreling early albums. Dan Auerbach's side project THE ARCS unleashes their long in the works sophomore album 'Electrophonic Chronic', and we've got a dreamy, wide-open live album from the YUSSEF DAYES EXPERIENCE on 'Live at Joshua Tree'.

Ivoirian guitarist ERNESTO DJEDJE was one of the biggest stars of the 1970s West African funk scene, releasing around a dozen records of blazing, disco-fied makossa before his sudden death at age 35. A snappy EP from Analog Africa collects four of his top tunes. Soundtrack wizard PIERO UMILIANI has dozens of essential listens in his deep catalog; the rare 1968 work 'Preistoria' is new to us, but quite a heady sesh of tunes meant to invoke a time before humans. Sounds nice. Brazilian young master FABIANO DO NASCIMENTO returns with a gorgeous new record of orchestral, jazzified samba on 'Lendas', with guest contributions from Arthur Verocai, plus we've got the latest album from GUIDED BY VOICES, entitled 'La La Land'.

Some great jazz freshly available this week includes GRANT GREEN's tender, Beatles-covering 'Green Is Beautiful', a rare set from BOBBY HUTCHERSON and HAROLD LAND live in San Francisco, the crucial trio album 'We Three' from ROY HAYNES, PHINEAS NEWBORN, and PAUL CHAMBERS, plus the latest installment of the Jazz is Dead series, which features Detroit living legends PHIL RANELIN & WENDELL HARRISON.

It's been five years since we heard a new record from NOSAJ THING, the California producer who low-key pioneered a moody, expressive sound at the intersection of IDM and R&B that has become rather prevalent all over the world these days. On 'Continua', he welcomes a slew of big name guests that prove how deep his influence goes: Duval Timothy, Kazu Makino, Toro Y Moi, Panda Bear, Julianna Barwick, Coby Sey, Pink Siifu...the list goes on and on, and the record is absolutely splendid! Multi-disciplinary mixer PHOTAY lands on the International Anthem with the naturalist ambient record 'An Offering', alongside the equally unpredictable Carlos Nino. Stones Throw beatmaker turns in a compelling set of gospel flips on 'Beatitudes', and young beatmaker KENNY BEATS, who's made his name quickly with tracks for Vince Staples and Denzel Curry, and now delivers his first full length album for XL, a thrilling sampladelic ride called 'Louie'.

Its been hard to get many releases on the underground rap label Backwoodz for less than a months rent, but for now we've got elusive copies of BILLY WOODS's white-knuckled old school ripper 'Church', and ELUCID's emotional, poetic and raw new album 'I Told Bessie'. Album title of the week goes to YOUR OLD DROOG for 'Yod Stewart', the latest EP from the Brooklyn rapper who may be the only Ukrainian dude thats ever been mistaken for Nas. Polish up your spinners for a new, limited color vinyl pressing of the 2000 mixtape from THREE 6 MAFIA and the HYPNOTIZE CAMP POSSE.

Before ditching the drum machines to make iconic post-punk as The Sound, Adrian Borland and Graham Bailey made some seriously bleak proto-industrial magic as SECOND LAYER; their two rare EPs are collected for the first time on 'Courts or Wars'. Legendary English indie-poppers THE SEA URCHINS wrote the book on this inimitable style with a series of singles through the late 80s, all collected on an essential new comp called 'Stardust'. Check out the track "Wild Grass Pictures" and tell me you can't envision a schoolboy Thom Yorke listening intently in his dormitory. Brian Eno chanced into a flea market copy of Armenian duduk player DJIVAN GASPARYAN's 1983 album 'I Will Not Be Sad In This World' and reissued it on his Opal label in the late 80s, ensuring that generations of listeners far beyond the Iron Curtain would swoon to what may literally be the most beautiful music ever created by a person with a flute. This gem is reissued on vinyl this week with it's lovely original album art, alongside another titan of 80s deep listening, STEVE ROACH's blissful 'Structures From Silence'.

We're waiting on official word from the census, but based on the evidence presented on the 'Primal Matter' album, we can easily call Cincinnati trio THE SERFS America's best synthy post-punk band since Boy Harsher. Highest recommendation on this one; maybe this triggers a google alert or two and they tour their way to Madison. Singer and photographer Denee Segall teams up with her insouciant husband Ty once again as THE CIA for a new album called 'Surgery Channel'. American noise institution WOLF EYES is back with a new LP called 'Difficult Messages', which trims down a series of limited run lathe cut singles to a digestible session, and we've got the latest record from Swedish tribal psychers GOAT.

As it happens, the heaviest stuff has sunk to the bottom of the newsletter this week. BASS DRUM OF DEATH brings their blown out bluesy punk to bear on 'Say I Won't'; BETWEEN THE BURIED & ME revisit their five year old album 'Automata' with two different color variants; triumphant funeral doom progenitors WORM reissue their crucial second album 'Gloomlord', and we've got some bracing, heady death metal from INNUMERABLE FORMS on 'Philosophical Collapse'.

Heavy stuff in this week's Used Vinyl alert. A wide array of art rock, post punk, new wave, synth pop, & much more. We can't list them all, but hopefully this will give you a good idea -- Kraftwerk, Jesus & Mary Chain, Chris & Cosey, The Lounge Lizards, Cabaret Voltaire, Can, Brian Eno, A Certain Ratio, Cocteau Twins, Section 25, Delta 5, The Chameleons, Human League, Liquid Liquid, Siouxsie & The Banshees, Talk Talk, INXS, & many more.

A large slew of disco, early Chicago house & 80s/90s techno & deep house 12"s are in this week as well - you'll find names like Lil Louis, Frankie Knuckles, J.M. Silk, Chip-E, M.K., Inner City & many more. Plenty of old school hip hop is in too, from Afrika Bambaataa, Public Enemy, Souls of Mischief, Whodini, Pete Rock, & Wu-Tang, among others.

A deep run of jazz is here as well, including but not limited to Dizzy Gillespie, Stan Getz, Yusef Lateef, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Bobby Timmons, Paul Gonsalves, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, McCoy Tyner, Ornette Coleman, Alice Coltrane, Freddie Hubbard & many others. Soul is in as well from Funk Inc., Loletta Holloway, Booker T & MGs, Otis Redding, Chic, & lots more.

We round out the week with some experimental LPs from John Cage & Joan La Barbara, blues LPs from John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, Champion Jack Dupree, Big Mama Thornton, & B.B. King, many seldom-seen soundtracks, out of print contemporary LPs & a VERY LARGE HIGH QUALITY drop of new sale bin LPs.

Save The Date - Record Store Day 2023 is Saturday, April 22nd

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