It's a "Ladies to the front" kind of week here at Strictly Discs, as just about every big new release of note comes from a woman. You don't have to take it from this fusty old man, either; just have a look yourself! High priestess of the grain belt Katie Crutchfield is back with her beloved WAXAHATCHEE project; 'Tigers Blood' follows her 2020 smash hit 'Saint Cloud' and keeps the momentum going, evolving her reflections on sobriety (high five to Katie) with added ruminations on love, specifically finding new ways to love Kevin Morby. And who can't relate to that? The new album benefits from the additions of MJ Lenderman (on guitar and vocals) and Spencer Tweedy (on drums), plus some brilliant sleeve design from Madison rock hero Mike Krol, who knows his way around classic cover art. But lets not dwell upon these men behind the scenes, Crutchfield is the star here as always. Her voice seems to harmonize with itself, glowing languidly with a clarion humanity reminiscent of Linda Ronstadt or Nanci Griffith. Limited color vinyl for this one is (what else?) tiger's blood red, to match the dairy barn and the pickup truck and the slushie on its cover. # If you're looking for a modern folk-singer with roots in the freewheeling, unfiltered, Neil Young-ian tradition, and you struggle to find a reason to get out of bed in the morning, the new ADRIANNE LENKER might be the one for you. The unofficial frontperson of Big Thief, Lenker's solo albums have always been rare things that appear as they occur naturally, and the gently psychedelic folk tunes on 'Bright Future' have that sense of unfussy, single-take transcendence. Lenker (the singer, the artist, and the person) seems to appeal to people on an individual basis; there's a chance that any song on this album could be your favorite. Mine is "Donut Seam"; I had a good feeling when I saw the title and I was not wrong. Indie exclusive vinyl on this one is recycled color eco-mix; you get what you get! # Not to flex, ok...yes to flex: we've been fans of Philadelphia's ROSALI since her first album landed close to a decade ago. Her honeyed voice enchants, in the tradition of Patty Griffin or Emmylou, her guitar has the gentle scorch of Richard Thompson, and she makes records that feel like they could have come out in the 70s, or the 80s, or the 90s (you see where this is going). Big news, then, to hear she signed to Merge, one of the majorest not-major labels ever, becoming the first artist to complete the rare Siltbreeze-to-Merge label combo since (checks notes) Times New Viking. All this is to say we've really been looking forward to 'Bite Down', so much so that we aren't even phased by its downright terrifying cover photo, which features Ms. Middleman skulking through some willow branches or some such, giving the distinct impression of an album that's got her hunched over a noise table making ear-splittingly chaotic music. Nope! Happy to report she's simply upped her timeless folk-rock game once again. # I feel like a bit of a late-comer to THE LAST DINNER PARTY, which hopefully isn't too much of a faux pas. For a time, I was mixing them up with the Kamasi Washington jazz supergroup Dinner Party, and I wasn't the only one, since that's what led them to tack that "Last" on there. Anyhoo, 'Prelude To Ecstasy' is a resplendent banger, and you probably already knew that, if you're a fan of the baroque art-rock of bands like Florence and the Machine or Warpaint, both of whom seem to have influenced these British party people a great deal. 'Prelude' is finally available in the States on a smokey marble pressing with a poster included.

Bluegrass fiddler SIERRA FERRELL proved to be the real deal with her best selling debut album for Rounder, 2021's 'Long Time Coming', and she swings for the fences on her new follow up, 'Trail of Flowers', deepening her fascinating storytelling style. # Beloved folkie AOIFE O'DONOVAN is back with 'All My Friends', an album inspired by the movement for women's suffrage. Remember now, suffrage means voting, not suffering. I didn't think that still needed clarifying but apparently so! This gorgeous album welcomes guests like Sierra Hull and Anais Mitchell, and our version has a special cover, ochre-colored vinyl, and a signed insert! # Haven't heard too many peeps from Baltimore indie magicians WYE OAK lately, but here they come with an expanded version of their 2011 classic 'Shriek' with added 'Variations', on orange vinyl. # Singing sister duo THE STAVES have had some tough years, to the point that they seemed uncertain they would keep making music together. Luckily for them, and for us, they rediscovered it's power to heal and reconvened with producer John Congleton for a comfortingly real new album called 'All Now'.

In 1971, the one and only ALICE COLTRANE took her band to Carnegie Hall to play a concert billed alongside Laura Nyro and The Rascals, which must have been some kind of hot ticket. Not just any band, too. In addition to her frequent sidemen Pharoah Sanders, Jimmy Garrison, Cecil McBee, and Ed Blackwell, the mighty tenor Archie Shepp took the stage for a horn duel with Pharoah. Impulse had the performance recorded in multi-track, presumably for a live release, but decided to shelve it since they couldn't decide who to feature first. Decades on, that's been sorted out and the tapes restored for a striking new live release that adds considerably to the limited discography of a modern master. After an extended break outside of this country, NINA SIMONE returned to the studio quite rejuvenated in 1985 for 'Nina's Back', a collection of standards and originals thats back in print this week. Conceptual pop world builder JULIA HOLTER's new albums have become long-awaited sonic events, and her latest epic, 'Something In The Room She Moves', is sounding extremely promising. Like Holter, Indiana producer JLIN has become one of the most influential and inspiring electronic artists of her generation, pushing her sound to new levels of concept and sonority with each album. On 'Akoma', she's got guests like Bjork, Philip Glass, and Kronos Quartet. Solid crew.

Alto saxophonist CASSIE KINOSHI'S large ensemble SEED harnesses the wild-roaming spirit of the Total Refreshment Center venue/scene, and manifests now on the International Anthem label as 'gratitude', a gloriously widescope album of compositions featuring close to 20 different players. It only takes three modern masters, pianist VIJAY IYER, bassist LINDA MAY HAN OH, and drummer TYSHAWN SOREY to make the avant-garde power move 'Compassion', out on ECM vinyl this week. Japanese sound-forger YOSUKE TOKUNAGA makes sublimely psychedelic tone objects on '8 Quadrants', channeling Jan Jelinek and Jake Muir. Composer and soundtrack creator DUSTIN O'HALLORAN turns in his first primarily electronic album in some time, with the modern dance inspired '1001'.

ALICE IN CHAINS' massive '93 record 'Jar Of Flies' had so many hits, it was easy to forget it was only an EP. The first EP to debut at number one on Billboard even! Out of print for many years now, we have a fresh edition this week. Alt-rock legends THE DREAM SYNDICATE celebrate their long, strange tenue with a new live album called 'Live Through The Past, Darkly'. I count at least two puns in that title. Strong work. It's not Friday the 13th, or a full moon, so I'm not too worried about letting you know there is a haunted JETHRO TULL album out this week. The band headed to the Chateau D'Herouville in 1972 to record a new album and things went so badly they had to scrap it all entirely. What exactly happened? I dare not say! But it's finally seeing the light of day here 50 years later. Got WHAM! on your shelf? Hold on, go make sure. I bet it wandered off. Fix that with a fresh pressing of 'Make It Big', a very prophetic title that's back in print this week.

Some compilations are so influential, they end up naming a new genre that didn't exist before all of its songs were put together. The best possible example is DISCO NOT DISCO, the 2000 collection that put a clever title on the mutant strain of noisy, funky electro-dance that came out of (or landed in) NYC during the loft party heyday of the early 80s. If you were there, you don't remember it now. If you weren't there, you need to know how songs from Yoko Ono, Arthur Russell, and Steve Miller Band could possibly flow together. Speaking of classic collections of tunes, is there a better soundtrack than "Lost In Translation"? A feast for the ears to go with the eye-feast and funny bone...feast that was that particular film. If you're like me, you spent wayyyy to much time trying to figure out who HAPPY END were, the band that provide the OST its most tender moment with "Kaze Wo Atsumete". Not very easy to search the internet for in 2003! Turns out they were the folk-rock band led by Haruomi Hosono a few years before he formed Yellow Magic Orchestra, and that song came from their 1971 album 'Kazemachi Roman', which gets a nice repress this week. Lastly, new records from CHARLIE PARR and EMPRESS OF!

Here is your weekly update for March 21. We'll pickup where the Thursday night sneak peek video on our @StrictlyDiscs Instagram and Facebook left off. No frills. Just the artists. The rest is for your 500+ fresh-used digging pleasure downstairs. Some of the headliners this week:

Rock - Bon Iver, George Harrison, Marianne Faithfull, Joni Mitchell and the L.A. Express, Average White Band, Wings, Eric Clapton, Mike Oldfield, Genesis, Boston, Pink Floyd, Billy Joel, The Police, Cyndi Lauper, Van Morrison, Cheap Trick, The Band, David Bowie, The Reds, Pinks & Purples, The Beatles, Talking Heads

Soul: James Brown, Charles Bradley, Ray Charles, Bill Moss & The Celestials, Danny Williams, Wings over Jordan Choir, Various - Atlantic R&B, Various - Okeh R&B, Smokey Robinson and The Miracles, Bobby Hebb, Maxine Brown

Country: Millie And Dolly Good, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Warner Mack, Patsy Cline, Charley Crockett, Jack Scott, Johnny Cash

Jazz: John Coltrane, Stan Kenton, Arild Andersen Quartet, George Adams & Hannibal & Friends, Norman Connors, Count Basie, Paul Motian Trio, Ella Fitzgerald, Cal Tjader, Chris Connor And Paul Togawa

Soundtracks: Top Gun, The Dark Crystal, Stand By Me, The Last Emperor

Happy Digging!

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