Strictly Discs

September 21, 2023

New This Week At The Shop

A week of deep and spectacular new offerings kicks off with a brush-up on an old classic. THE BREEDERS' sophomore smash 'Last Splash' turns 30 this year with a new edition, remastered for the first time under the watchful ear of Kim Deal herself, and expanded to a 45rpm double LP. This is the ideal record to receive this type of treatment: few songwriters have the knack for melodic oddities like Deal and Company, and this album is crammed full of unusual sonic details, from Kim and Kelley's vocals recorded in a bathroom stall, to the bullet mic inside a Marshall stack feedback that opens up "Cannonball", to the surf-noir elegance of "No Aloha", which begins with Kelley Deal playing a pedal steel for the first time in her life. We could go on and on! 'Last Splash' emerged at the precise moment that grunge broke mainstream, smuggling in all sorts of underground indie brilliance to the light of day, but very few records have had such a lasting impact as this one. Veteran jam band PHISH's fourth studio album, the mature and contemplative 'Rift', also turns the big 3-0 this year, celebrating with a new limited blue vinyl edition. Indie supergroup THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS dynamic second album 'Electric Version' comes back to us after many years out of print, in a blue vinyl pressing as well, plus we've got a super snazzy looking picture disc version of 'The Lonesome Crowded West' by MODEST MOUSE, previously only available at the band's shows. Numero's quest to revise the history of 90s emo brings them to a mighty, nearly unknown Bay Area band called POT VALIANT, who released just one rare LP and a few singles of fuzzy, arcing bootgaze, all collected on 'Never Return'. Boston jazz-rock heroes MORPHINE perfected their brand of sultry, nocturnal groove on their final two albums, 'Like Swimming' and 'The Night', both of which are back in print this week.
Daptone Records producer VICTOR AXELROD has blessed the label with some of its most distinctive instrumentals, blending rocksteady and soul. A new cant-miss collection called 'If You Ask Me To...' pulls together an impressive spread of the man's work, previously only available on 45 b-sides. The inventive, whimsical, shapeshifting songwriter DEVENDRA BANHART seems so well-suited to record with Cate Le Bon, it's kindof surprising that 'Flying Wig' is his first LP with her at the boards, in on opaque blue wax. Mongolian jazz singer ENJI returns with a delightfully-realized collection of songs called 'Ulaan'; if you have yet to hear this genuine marvel of modern traditional song, do yourself a favor! Trumpeter, bandleader, Gondwana label head MATTHEW HALSALL has become quite reliable with his albums of mellifluous, dawn-breaking albums, and his latest, 'An Ever Changing View' may be the best yet. Pianist and beatmaker KIEFER continues to approach perfection with 'It's Ok, B U', in the house on "moon yellow" wax, and we've got another cracking selection of retrofuturistic lounge jazz from SVEN WUNDER on 'Late Again'.
Griselda survivor CONWAY THE MACHINE see's his triumphant third album 'Won't He Do It' finally hit vinyl, and DENZEL CURRY reboots an early career classic '32 Zel' from 2017. Philadelphia synth-soul contingent FANTASY 15 deliver an incredibly vibey debut LP called 'Zoltandia' on purple wax, and we've got some limited seven inch reissues in, including DE LA SOUL's 'Magic Number' and 'Me Myself & I', and HOUSE OF PAIN's 'Jump Around', just in time for all u Badger fans to make some noise.
Country realist LYDIA LOVELESS returns with a highly-awaited new LP, the Rumours-y 'Nothing's Gonna Stand In My Way Again', in stock on 'silver countertop' vinyl. The post-Petty, post-Vile cruisers in SLAUGHTER BEACH, DOG are back with a rollicking jam of an LP called 'Crying, Laughing, Waving, Smiling'. Power pop inventors TEENAGE FANCLUB continue to sound as sharp and innovative as ever on 'Nothing Lasts Forever'. SUSAN TEDESCHI's high-octane 'Just Won't Burn' turns 25 years old this year, but it hasn't lost any of its bluesy fire or meticulous musicianship. Few did folk-rock balladry in the late 90s like PAULA COLE, 'This Fire' has all her gems, back in print this week alongside another classic of that era, SARAH MCLACHLAN's 'Surfacing'. Right now, there's an animal that needs you.
KHRUANGBIN wrap up their delightful '& Friends' live series with a slab alongside TORO Y MOI called 'Live at The Fillmore Miami' that's sure to be a glorious pop treat. One of the biggest influences on the Texas trio's sound is the 70s Cambodian pop singer SINN SISAMOUTH, and we've got 'Groove Club Vol. 4', an amazing collection of some of his biggest psych-surf hits. A pair of jazzy and sleek city pop bangers land in the shop this week, guitarist YUJI TORIYAMA's gleaming 1983 self titled gem, and the buoyant boogie of MOMOKO KIKUCHI's '86 LP 'Adventure'. A reissue of an extremely rare late 70s Japanese folk gem from JOYAMA NO NARAZUMONO is back in print, pairing well with a fresh edition of the beastly guitar psych altar 'Satori' by the FLOWER TRAVELLIN' BAND.
Producer LORAINE JAMES continues to develop her sensuous brand of beat-belayed atmospheric electronic pop on 'Gentle Confrontation', her latest for Hyperdub. Turkish producer NENE H dials back the club muscle on 'Ali', a hypnotically moving album of vaporous ambience dedicated to mourning the loss of a loved one, on Anthony Naples' Incienso label. Bedroom auteur COLLEEN brings her trademark stillness to a haunting selection of analog synth pieces on 'Le jour et la nuit du réel', in-stock on clear vinyl with gold flecks, a beauty! Synthpop whiz kid ROOSEVELT returns with 'Embrace', we've got a new one from J-Pop superheroes CHAI, and a repress of the classic UK house banger 'Kish Kash' by BASEMENT JAXX, on red and white vinyl.
With a new life partner and label deal with Island, TOM WAITS hoofed it to NYC in the early 1980s and began a prolific run of his most experimental albums, inspired by Captain Beefheart, Harry Partch, and true love in equal measure. 'Swordfishtrombones' from 1983, 'Rain Dogs' from 1985, and 'Frank's Wild Years' from 1987 all get remastered vinyl reissues this week. NEIL YOUNG fan-fave 'Harvest Moon' gets a limited clear vinyl reissue this week, and we have the first-ever vinyl edition of 'Time Capsule', the absolutely jam-packed greatest hits compilation from THE B-52'S. The world of R&B lost one of the smoothest voices in the game with the passing of BOBBY CALDWELL this year. The Be With label has done us all a favor with reissues of two of his maddeningly elusive albums, his 1978 self-titled debut (home of "What You Wont Do For Love", one of the greatest songs of all time), and his 1980 follow-up, ''Cat In The Hat'.
The joyful sound of South African kwela jive has seldom had more room to move around than on BRA SELLO's electrifying 1975 album 'Butterfly', reissued for the first time, with two long sides of extended jams. Free jazz pioneer MARION BROWN was joined by the innovative percussionist Han Bennink on 1969's 'Porto Novo', back in print this week. ALAIN GORAGUER absolutely snapped when he made the soundtrack for 'La Planet Sauvage', an early 70s French animated film about extra-terrestrial space travel that must be seen (and heard) to be understood. This masterpiece of orchestral funk and synthetic sound effects gets proper reissue treatment this week with restored artwork and an expanded track list. A lovely LP called 'You Loved Me' collects the unreleased material that would have been avant-garde jazz singer PATTY WATERS' third album, before she retired from music for a few decades. BETTY DAVIS' explosive avant-soul album 'Is It Love Or Desire' gets a new gold vinyl pressing, and we've got two fresh reprints of classic 60s/70s recordings from timeless Egyptian singer OUM KALTHOUM: 'Wa Maret El Ayam' and ;Hakam Aleena El Hawa'.
RYUICHI SAKAMOTO's surging soundtrack for the film 'Revenant' gets a fresh vinyl edition this week. LA downers DRAB MAJESTY deliver 'An Object In Motion', a rather engrossing mini-album of gloomy rock reminiscent of Felt or the Duruttis. It's been far too long since we've heard from the ceremonial post-rockers GRAILS, who make a vivid comeback this week with 'Anches En Maat', alongside the mighty Chilean kraut-jammers FOLLAKZOID, who bring another massive album of churning miasma called 'V'. Producer BIBIO returns with another cracking EP called 'Sunbursting', and the newsletter's final gasp comes from FINAL GASP, with their hardcore-laced deathrock album 'Mourning Moon'.

Used Vinyl LP Alert

Another excellent digging session awaits you in this week's used vinyl alert! We've got a full range of LPs, including some rare early folk and jazz pressings, plus essentials from John Prine, the Beatles, Pink Floyd, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Simon and Garfunkel, Traveling Wilburys, the Kinks, David Bowie, Deep Purple, Jerry Garcia, Elton John, Robert Palmer, Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Doors, Badfinger, Hawkwind, Tom Waits, Santana, Jimi Hendrix, Jethro Tull, Tongue, ELP, Al Stewart, Cheap Trick, Kiss, Thin Lizzy, and Whitesnake. A nice crop of obscure/regional metal and hard rock in the mix too!

Some fantastic looking, rarely seen early jazz pressings are in from big names like Miles Davis, Mahavishnu Orchestra, David Brubeck, Charles Mingus, Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane, Roland Kirk, Gil Evans, Larry Coryell, Ray Charles, and several others. We've got classic vocalists in as well, like Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Edith Piaf, Sandie Shaw, and Frank Sinatra.

Some great post-punk is in from Scritti Politti, The Clash, Wreckless Eric, the Clean, Patti Smith, the B-52‘s, INXS, and Kate Bush. Soul is in from Stevie Wonder, Earth, wind and fire, Teena Marie, Temptations, Isaac Hayes, Curtis Mayfield and Sade.

Country folk and blues is in from Jerry Jeff Walker, Buck Owens, Kitty Ford, Chet Atkins, Johnny Cash, David Allan Coe, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Dwight Yoakam, Jackson C Frank, Fairport Convention, Freddie King, and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Essential electronic is here from Sakamoto, Jean Jacques Perrey, Jean Michel Jarre, and Beaver & Krause.

SELL US YOUR CDS & LPS

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