Staffed by some of the greatest tricksters in modern rock, its fitting that THE SMILE's second album starts off with a deceptively tranquil opener. Lightly strummed campfire guitar and handclaps are soon joined by floating synth chords and a bopping bassline and then...here's where the strings come in, and then Thom Yorke's voice, calm and still, but not soothing, more like the ominous portent of someone who has seen it all and is no longer capable of fear. Before long, 'Wall Of Eyes' (the opening track, and the album itself) is a room that has become strangely, sinisterly alive, like a Lewis Carroll trip through a twisted wonderland. No popular songwriter has written as deeply and consistently about the feeling of being alone in a crowd as Yorke, and he's still at the top of his game here on the second record from the Diet Radiohead trio, which broadens their sound, while not sounding as cataclysmic as their debut. The minimized personnel here allows a greater appreciation of the instrumental brilliance: Jonny Greenwood's guitar range is as expansive as ever, chiming like a church bell here, carving like a scalpel there, bludgeoning hammers of fuzz when you don't expect them. Tom Skinner maintains a crisp, motorik pace, providing an essential element of gravity to otherwise hallucinatory tracks. 2024's first true triumph is here, and on limited blue vinyl as long as it lasts. If you're looking for something a little more soul-stabilizing, or maybe you've just got a bad case of trypophobia, give the new FUTURE ISLANDS a run. 'People Who Aren't There Anymore' isn't about ghosts, or the paranormal, or figments of your imagination, it's about staying in contact with those close to you, even when they no longer are. And who better to deliver that message than one of the most nurturing voices in modern indie rock? I have a friend in Baltimore who told me that F.I.'s lead singer Samuel Herring was once her back-yard neighbor, and during the isolation of lockdown they would have conversations over the fence, keeping eachother motivated. Herring's sauntering dance moves on Letterman all those years ago may be his most defining moment, but this is how I best imagine him: just the top half of a face, telling you to keep going. This is another fantastic album from the band: twinkling synthpop brilliance ala OMD and Modern English, irrepressible basslines, and Herring's guttural croon all remain the stars of the show. Beautiful artwork as well, helpfully featuring human forms possessing only the standard number of eyes. A new record from TY SEGALL this week is called 'Three Bells', which I believe is the code for when someone drops a jar of marinara on the floor at Trader Joe's. This album is far less of a mess: the man has a preternatural handle on riffy paisley pop, and he covers all his bases on this one. Veteran pop-punkers THE MENZINGERS come out of Scranton, Pennsylvania, which is the setting of the US version of The Office. They picked that town for a reason: it's a perfect example of the everywhere/nowhere-ness of the declining post-industrial medium-sized city where all the good and bad things that happen in America happen, and the Menzingers earnest and spirited emotional rock expounds on that idea. If you ever wished the War on Drugs had more riffs and singalong parts, check out 'Some Of It Was True', in the house on (can't believe I'm about to type this) strawberry shortcake splash colored vinyl.

A new record from New York rapper MIKE called 'Burning Desire' feels like wayy more than just a record. For one thing, its got cover art in the style of those legendary hand-painted Ghanaian horror movie posters; for another, its got significant guests like Earl Sweatshirt, Klein, Niontay, Larry June, and Lila from Crumb. This is still Mike's world, but it's a whole lot bigger; expanded productions give him more room to boast, ponder, worry, and generally just rhyme his ass off, with a fuzzy flow that wont win any awards for diction but remains an absolutely inspired stream of profound consciousness. Another underground New York rap kingpin returns, with the instant classic '14K Figaro' from Ratking mainman WIKI and his far-out producer TONY SELTZER. Cincinnati producer and disc jock DOCTOR BIONIC has been flipping samples since the 90s, and showcases an amazing range on the instrumentals collection 'Terrestrial Radio'. The soundtrack for 'Past Lives' features dozens of instrumental gems from CHRISTOPHER BEAR & DANIEL ROSSEN of Grizzly Bear fame. If you heard Bear's amazing solo project Fools a few years back (and if you didn't, do so now), you know what kind of handle on atmosphere the man has. This collection features a track with Sharon Van Etten, as well, which can absolutely never be a bad thing.

Sometimes I see "Recommended If You Like" stickers on new releases and I'm like (Bobby Hill voice) "Whaddaya talkin about?" But here comes this new record from New Zealand gleam-grungers OFFICE DOG, and the label flacks have nailed it with Pavement, Shame, Duster, Black Country New Road, and Elliott Smith. I might go with Elliott's earlier band Heatmiser there but...close enough. Incredibly anthemic fuzz-rock here; just throw on "In the Red" and you'll be crying enough tears in your beer to turn it into a Clausthaler. Elite songwriter JOHN MORELAND's early album 'In The Throes' is reissued, and we have lovely new ones from modern folk faves SARAH JAROSZ ('Polaroid Lovers' in on blue/green splatter wax) and JOHN CRAIGIE ('Pagan Church' in on creamsicle).

Best emo album of the last ten years? The numbers don't lie, its THE HOTELIER's 'Home, Like NoPlace Is There', which gets a new pressing for the first time in a long time, said to correct some of the sonic flaws of the original. Emotional jazz-rockers KARATE hit a late career high with 2002's 'Some Boots', a vinyl rarity that rebounds on vinyl in an 'ice or ground' color pressing via Numero. What's OMAR RODRIGUEZ-LOPEZ up to when he's not shredding stages with the Mars Volta? Releasing a solo record on a weekly basis, apparently! A new box set collects over 50 albums from the progressive explorer, which is too ruch for our blood, so we've sourced the individual LP reissues of some classics like 'Calibration', 'Solar Gambling', and 'Old Money'.

What do FELA KUTI and STEVIE NICKS have in common? Well....not a whole lot, aside from the fact that very few people rocked more stages to larger groups of people than they did across the 70s and 80s. This week brings essential reissues from both icons: 'Kalakuta Show' and 'Why Black Man Dey Suffer' from Fela, and 'Trouble In Shangri-La' and 'Street Angel' from Stevie. Music, truly the universal language!

The weather outside may be damp and foggy but we've got some clearly fantastic used plates downstairs this week.

To kick things off we have a major grip of Zeppelin studio and not - so - studio releases as well as classics from the Beatles, Pink Floyd, and Van (in)Halen. We also have some rarely seen in the wild releases from 311, the Pixies, and MGMT.

Soul is represented this week by ambassador of good vibes Mr. Stevie Wonder, Melba Moore, and a rare appearance from Melvin Van Peebles!

We've got jazz heavy hitters from Joe Turner, Cannonball Adderley, Miles Davis, Milt Jackson, and a nice pull of various artist comps to satisfy the complex palate.

Crooners like Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennet, and the "Velvet Fog" himself Mr. Mel Torme grace our bins for your dinnertime listening pleasure.

We don't discuss soundtracks much but this week the bins have some great offerings with bangers like Grease, The Mack, Running Scared, and The Reporter.

Leo Kottke also makes a strong showing for the folk fans out there.

International is also represented with a slew of traditional instrumental music from China, Gypsy culture, and beyond.

IDLES Listening Party Wednesday, 2/14

#TuesdayTreasure

Yes, we are still buying! Call us at the shop to schedule: 608-259-1991