Don't let this initial section fool you; we have a very colorful spread of new arrivals this week! 'The Closest Thing To Silence', the new collaborative album from ARIEL KALMA, JEREMIAH CHIU, and MARTA SOFIA HONER, makes up for its lack of color with its richness within. Chiu and Honer teamed up for one of our favorite International Anthem releases a few years back ('Recordings From The Åland Islands'), so the prospect of them joining forces with the immortal French ambient musician Ariel Kalma is beyond enticing. Kalma's oeuvre is playful, meditative synth, and he is a visionary of improvised, otherworldly sound. In fact, though you might assume that it was the younger pair of this trio that initially sought out the elder statesman to play with, it was the other way around: Kalma found them, after the BBC asked him to choose musicians he had never met before for a one-off collaboration. This LP documents the continued fruiting of the trio's roots; a gorgeous collection of focused yet liberated tapestries of sound, using synth, sax, strings, voice, and more. Another unexpected yet welcome collaboration is here with 'The Room', from Brazilian-born guitarist FABIANO DO NASCIMENTO and soprano sax player SAM GENDEL. The pair sound like lifelong partners in song as they nimbly carouse through this collection of adaptations of South American folk tunes refreshingly free of any processing or overdubs. Two titans of their genre, MALEEM MAHMOUD GHANIA and PHAROAH SANDERS, met up in the early 90s for a CD called 'The Trance Of Seven Colors', on Bill Laswell's label, and that's back in print on LP once more, delivering a one-of-a-kind combination of Gania's trance-inducing guimbri and Sanders' spectral tenor. The only thing JOZEF VAN WISSEM needs to collaborate with is his 16th-century lute, and he does so once more on 'The Night Dwells In The Day', another immersive album from him that toes the line between baroque music and avant-garde industrial. Bet you didn't know there was a line like that!

LOU REED belongs to the wind now, so it's fitting that his final solo album is an ambient release called 'Hudson River Wind Meditations', consisting of four extended pieces meant to accompany his Tai Chi practice. Yes, turns out the same guy who made copping heroin sound like a jaunty walk in the park with "Waiting For The Man", and irritated as many fans as critics with 'Metal Machine Music', was no less adept at making music for meditation. In partnership with Reed's forever-person Laurie Anderson, Light in the Attic delivers this fresh selection in their ongoing excavation of the Lou Reed archives. I wasn't there, but I gather that Beatle fans weren't all that keen on PAUL MCCARTNEY & WINGS first two records following the dissolution of the Fab Four. It wasn't until 1973's 'Band On The Run', an adventurous album of melodic polyglot recorded in Nigeria and adorned with Hipgnosis cover art depicting Paul and Friends stoned out of their gourds pretending to be bandits, that they began to come round. This landmark album turns 50 this year with an expanded CD edition and a half-speed remastered vinyl. PHISH's 2002 album 'Round Room' was recorded live at a party, the sounds of which you can hear creeping in at the edges of certain songs. Usually when someone whips out a guitar at a party it's time to duck out for a bit, but I'm guessing that was not the case this go-round. Anyway, this is the first time this one's ever been on vinyl before so roll on down and pick it up!

Just today, a customer related a story to me about J MASCIS riding his bike (which comes with him on tour, natch) all the way to Greg's Guitars to pick up a piece of gear the last time Dinosaur Jr played the Majestic. I ran the numbers: that's five miles. Seeing a winded, sweaty and shaggy J coming through the door, the clerk thought maybe he had what we on the frontlines of the retail biz call a "tough case" to deal with. Nope, just a LIVING GUITAR LEGEND, doing things for himself like it's still 1986. It's that type of genuine craftsmanship that makes Mascis'es rare solo albums appointments you cannot miss; 'What Do We Do Now' is in stock via Sub Pop on color vinyl. Speaking of guitars, I'm loving the new(ish) album from BONDO, called 'Print Selections', a set of intoxicatingly subdued post-rock ala Duster and Bedhead, or a less noisy version of Unwound. This LA trio seems like the least likely band to be from LA; historically this music has emerged out of places like Chapel Hill, Lawrence, Louisville, or a two-stoplight town in Washington State, but here they are just meticulously grooving on the least-stylish genre of music around. HANNAH WICKLUND enlists some members of Greta Van Fleet (probably Greta, maybe Van?) on her solo debut 'The Prize', and Welsh pop superhero GRUFF RHYS returns with 'Sadness Sets Me Free'.

Sometimes I wonder who it was that broke AALIYAH's heart. Seems like half of the songs on her tragically-final album, the 2001 masterpiece 'Aaliyah' which is back in print this week, are about telling off a guy who has done her wrong. You fell asleep on the couch, when you were supposed to be going out.....with AALIYAH? It boggles the mind. Well over two decades later, this album continues to achieve a rare level of menace and chill, blessed with her vocals cooed, hissed, sung and rapped, and Timbaland's masterfully subdued futuristic funk production. Buffalo beat obliterator BENNY THE BUTCHER makes his Def Jam debut with 'Everybody Can't Go', backed by production from the very in-demand Alchemist. Rapper ELZHI and producer OH NO don't flood the land with too many releases these days, but they each prove they're still at the top of their game on 'Heavy Vibrato'. The Numero Group's flagship series Eccentric Soul returns with the full discography of the deeply-obscure Illinois label 'Shoestring', who blessed the world with a stack of sureshot disco-fied soul.

The Blue Note Tone Poet series checks in with a pair of gems this week. First up, a suitably rare 1998 CD-only session from JOE LOVANO, ELVIN JONES, and DAVE HOLLAND called 'Trio Fascination' that is primed and ready for a fresh audiophile remaster. BLUE MITCHELL's profoundly cool hard-bop rarity 'Down With It!' also gets the treatment. The BEN WEBSTER QUINTET classic 'Soulville' returns via Acoustic Sounds and Verve, an essential session of subtly swinging 50s jazz that sounds like its being played right in front of you. The Middle Eastern jazz melange mastery that is LLOYD MILLER's 'Oriental Jazz' gets a fresh pressing from Now Again.

Though relatively less heralded than their kinsmen to the west Kraftwerk, it's hard to argue that there's a more influential electronic group out there than YELLOW MAGIC ORCHESTRA. Synth-pop braided with strands of glam-rock, jazz and samba? They invented it. Disco-funk adaptations of classical music and the Beatles? They were on it. Incubating the germs of electro and techno, while drawing on strains of traditional Japanese music at the same time? Sakamoto, Hosono, and Takahashi were there at day one. Hell, they might have even invented getting a new synth, bringing it home, and futzing around with it until an album came out, something that still happens on a daily basis today. It would take pages of emails to sum up the contributions these three have made to modern music, and its exciting to have a quartet of records from them back in stock this week: their self-titled masterpiece, the equally unbeatable follow-up 'Solid State Survivor', and a pair of SAKAMOTO classics: his bossa pop gem 'Summer Nerves', and the landmark proto-techno essential 'B-2 Unit', which is as rewarding as it is challenging. All are here on crisp-sounding editions from Sony Japan.

Even more Japanese gems follow the YMO phalanx. A new comp from the Time Capsule label called 'Tokyo Riddim 1976-1985' collects, you guessed it, Japanese reggae. This is a short comp so there may not be too much in this genre but apparently all of it is great! HIROSHI TANAKA and YOICHI FUWA played together in the mid-70s to little fanfare, releasing the 'Untitled White Album' in homage to the Beatles; in an expanded form it is an unheard marvel of psychedelic pop fitting of its namesake. ANRI's 1983 gem 'Timely!!' is also appropriately titled: forty years on its combo of city pop, jazz and boogie still sounds fresh. If you need any more proof of YMO mainman Haruomi Hosono's genius, try the folk-rock perfection of his early band HAPPY END and their self-titled 1970 classic.

Across several decades of productions, the UK duo FILA BRAZILLIA made a lot of heads nod and butts move, and released close to a dozen albums and countless EPs. In the world of longform leftfield dance, it can be hard to sum all of that up on one release but, by jove, they've done it with 'Retrospective - Re:Selected 1990-2022', a remarkably compact collection that manages to showcase all of their brilliant. If you dig the atmosphere of Thievery Corp, or the cant-miss danceteria of K&D, but want a little more irreverence and fun, the Fila boys are for you. A08 likely changed their name away from Africaine 808 because they are two white dudes from Germany, but it hasn't slowed their production of dreamy polyrhythmic house that luxuriates on 'Waiting For Zion'. Dutch lovelies YIN YIN turn-in Thai influenced disco-funk that would slot well on a playlist between Khruangbin and Altin Gun, on a new album called 'Mount Matsu', and do not miss a fresh repress of highlife legend PAT THOMAS' afrobeat classic 'Stage Two'!

Avant-techno veteran SHACKLETON returns with a narcotically drifting album of 4th world tribal called 'The Scandal of Time'. UK producer COLD STORAGE made the best music for speeding with the mid-90s videogame soundtrack for 'wipE'out', and no I don't know why its spelled that way. Such was the style of the rave culture/Playstation crossover at the time. This banger has been ripe for reissue for a long time, and its finally here, with a third LP of remixes from big names like Kode9, U-Ziq, Brainwaltzera, and Simo Cell. Moving on to the roaring '00s, we have reissues of a pair of late oughts IDM gems: AROVANE's glitch-goes-R&B classic 'Lilies', and KETTEL's sylvan escape 'My Dogan'.

Well we are officially one month into 2024 and your local record shop is flush with choice fresh used LPs for your hungry turntable!

Are you ready to rock? Then rock we shall! This week we see top titles from The Pretenders, the Pink Floyd, Modern Lovers, Genesis, Edie Brickell, Robert Plant, the Steeliest of Dans, The Clash, and everyone's favorite: The Eagles.

Your soul will be satiated with slabs from Earth, Wind, And Fire, Roberta Flack, The Supremes, Parliament, and a grip of the lovely Sade.

Those of you with a hip hoppy sweet tooth may enjoy dsome of our offerings from the likes of Steady B, Immortal Technique, Killer Mike, and the ubiquitous Wu Tang Clan.

Our jazz cups runneth over with titles from Donald Byrd, Stanley Turrentine, Mal Waldron, Dave Brubeck, Chic Corea, and Oscar Peterson just to name a few.

For the funny fans out there we have Richard Pryor, George Carlin, and The Firesign Theatre in house. Go on, tickle that funny bone!

Anyone out there remember being a kid? Well if you do you're in luck. We have some great titles from Popeye, Snoopy, and He-Man to take you back to those kool aid mustachioed days.

Blues is rounded out with some fantastic albums by Muddy Waters, Robert Johnson, and Memphis Slim.

For you movie buffs out there we have some great soundtracks for the like of The Big Chill, Top Gun, Dirty Dancing, MASH, and Madame X. Get your popcorn ready.

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