Email January 10, 2019
NEW THIS WEEK AT THE SHOP:
Greetings Strictly Discs shoppers! Here's the latest rundown of what's new in the shop, as we dive into a bright and shiny new year. Read on down to the bottom for an epic 2018 recap in the form of our Customer Top Ten!
The first much-awaited indie release of 2019 comes from the British band Kero Kero Bonito. 'Time N Place' captures the strange duality of this compelling band, who lackadaisically combine gleaming J-pop with clusters of noise rock. We've also now got the LP version of producer Metro Boomin's solo shot 'Not All Heroes Wear Capes'.
New jazz releases come to us on CD from Gregory Porter, whose live album 'One Night Only' comes with a DVD, and the latest from explosive Chicago sax player Greg Ward's Rogue Parade group.
Few acid folk records can rival the stark, newborn lucidity of Pearls Before Swine's 1968 statement 'Balaklava'. Plaintive and hopeful, then weak and wan, Tom Rapp and his merry band expressed their longing for a different world through a singular album that crosses baroque and traditional strains of folk with Leonard Cohen vibes to create an almost proto-peace punk sound world. This 50th anniversary restores the album's admittedly lean sound to a better quality than ever heard previous. We've also got an expanded 2 disc version of Zero 7's downtempo classic 'Simple Things'.
Two delights from soul reissue landia! A new label called Preservation is taking on some unreleased reels from Texas funk and black rock anti-heros, and they start off with a killer double single from Bruce Marshall and Bill Thomas that ticks the same boxes as Black Merda and Death. Before Antibalas and Daptone Records rose to fame, members of their retinue recorded the fake-out album 'Soul Explosion' by the Daktaris, said to be a long-lost afrobeat gem. Turns out it was some dudes from Brooklyn! Oops. Not sure how that would have gone down in the Twitter era but its all water under the bridge now. 'Soul Explosion' is 20 years old and meriting of its own reissue, and its still easy to see how this one hustled so many. Ethio-jazz and afro-funk perfection here.
Rhino starts our year off right with some limited color vinyl reissues of classics from their vaults. This week brings Aretha Franklin's 'Gold, greatest hits LPs from Alice Cooper and The Monkees, and Television's (somehow, still) underrated second album 'Adventure.' Each of these releases comes with a free Rhino calendar.
Unless you are a nerd of a certain age or a (Very) Proud Nebraskan, odds are you haven't heard of the band For Against, the Land of Lincoln trio who thrilled their cult following with a run of great records through the late 80s. Originally heavily influenced by Joy Division, the band's sound got brighter and more-multifaceted with each album, bridging the gap in American indie music between classic R.E.M. and the shoegaze movement. If you dig the freewheeling, spiritually ambiguous rock of bands like The Clean or Real Estate, dig on these immediately. 'Aperture' especially sounds like it could be the next Real Estate album. Lovely discoveries, here on CD and LP while they last!
We wrap up with two more oldie but goldies. Dave Van Ronk's early LP 'Ballads Blues & a Spiritual' has been lovingly restored in the old school Folkways style. Peep the original folkie hipster in full flight! We've also got a great expanded anniversary edition of The Doors classic 'Waiting For the Sun'.
USED VINYL ALERT:
Heading downstairs for this week's Used Vinyl Alert, we've got an extra-large haul of the blues for you. If you like your times hard, your men lowdown, and your women no-good, lay your eyes on a fine spread of early, rare, and classic pressings from names like Fred McDowell, Fenton Robinson, Taj Mahal, Johnny Young, Junior Wells, Junior Walker, Joe Williams, Johnny Guitar Watson, Eddie Vinson, Otis Spann, Roosevelt Sykes, Paul Howard, Shaky Jake Harris, Otis Rush, Memphis Slim, Leadbelly, Freddie King, BB King, Robert Nighthawk, Muddy Waters, Memphis Minnie, Big Mama Thornton, Tampa Red, and Ma Rainey. Harmonica blues, guitar blues, delta blues, Chicago blues, and even some zydeco turn up here.
We've got a strong showing from our fave names, including some lovely Grateful Dead LPs, some clean and collectible Beatles (plus a ton of Paul, George and John solo LPs), Fleetwood Mac. Bob Dylan, Frank Zappa, Led Zeppelin, and the Stones. The rock continues with cheap heat from Joan Jett, Jethro Tull, Jefferson Airplane, Joni Mitchell, Billy Joel, Paul Simon, Scorpions, Santana, Dusty Springfield, Small Faces, Deep Purple, Heart, Todd Rundgren, Randy Newman, Bob Seger, Procol Harum, Dire Straits, and the Eagles.
Hard rock, prog and new wave is in the house from Sopwith Camel, Sunshine Company, Black Sabbath, Lord Sutch, Blue Oyster Cult, Nektar, Soft Cell, Sparks, Pete Shelley, Roxy Music, Shriekback, Peter Gabriel, and Iggy Pop. We've also got a nice variety of recent indie titles from names like Phantogram, Tallest Man on Earth, the Delta Spirit, Fleet Foxes, Slint, Drive Like Jehu, Magnetic Fields, Dead Weather, Bon Iver, Volcano Choir, and St. Vincent, plus some electronic stuff from Belong, the Knife, Tim Hecker, Crystal Castles, Alessandro Cortini, and Edgar Froese.
We wrap up with a wide, wide variety of classic and cult soundtracks, a scattering of jazz including Miles Davis and George Duke, country from Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson, and a solid amount of hip hop from names like Nas, the Roots, Eminem and Rakim. Be sure to check out our latest additions to the new vinyl sale bin, located right next to the new arrivals! See you in the stacks!
USED CD ALERT:
Let Uncle Phil tossing Will Smith’s DJing compadre out the front door, let the word ring out: “Jaaaazzzzz!” We’re unleashing the opening salvo of a massive jazz cd collection we were lucky enough to score. Weekly readers know how I feel about Blue Note, so let’s lead with that. Titles include Bobby Hutcherson “Dialogue”; Jackie McLean “Destination Out”; Clifford Jordan & John Gilmore “Blowin’ In From Chicago”; Kenny Drew “Undercurrent.” Additionally, look for multiple albums from Art Blakey, Sonny Clark, Lou Donaldson and the aforementioned McLean. Not to be outdone, look for the following off of Impulse: Ahmad Jamal “The Awakening”; Pharoah Sanders “Tauhid”; Charlie Haden “Liberation Music Orchestra”; and foundation piece of any jazz collection, Oliver Nelson “Blues and the Abstract Truth.” There’s also Impulse sessions from label mainstay John Coltrane. Outside of those two labels, peep these ace sets: Bill Evans “Trio 64”; Thelonious Monk “Brilliant Corners”; and Charles Mingus “Mingus Ah-Um.” All this, and assorted loosies from The Art Ensemble of Chicago, Eric Dolphy and Abdullah Ibrahim. There’s more coming as promised, but don’t miss out on the opening course.
STRICTLY DISCS CUSTOMER TOP 10S:
Mike Hughes
Amen Dunes- Freedom
Low- Double Negative
Beach House- 7
Pusha T- Daytona
Helena Deland- A Series of Songs Altogether Unaccompanied
Kids See Ghosts
Earl Sweatshirt- Some Rap Songs
Father John Misty- God's Favorite Customer
Tirzah- Devotion
Noname- Room 25
Eric Rosenberg
Hieroglyphic Being, The Red Notes
Mr. Fingers, Cerebral Hemispheres
Shinichi Atobe, Heat
Immersion, Sleepless
Helena Hauff, Qualm
Cavern of Anti-Matter, Hormone Lemonade
Specter, Built to Last
Simian Mobile Disco, Murmurations
Jon Hassell, Listening to Pictures
Robert Hood, D J Kicks
Objekt, Cocoon Crush
Leon Vynehall, Nothing is Still
The Field, Infinite Moment
Maribou State, Kingdoms in Colour
Tirzah, Devotion
Nate Zukas
John Coltrane - Both Directions at Once
Kasvot Vaxt - Faceplant Into Rokk
Pink Rhythm - Melodies of Love
Mtume - So You Wanna Be A Star (Danny krivit edit)
Kamaal Williams - The Return
Nu Guinea - Nuova Napoli
Jasen Loveland - My Medicine
Henri Texier - Varech
David Axelrod - Earth Rot (with instrumentals)
Flora FM - Discovery in the Atomic Garden
Peggy Gou - It Makes You Forget
Kamasi Washington - Heaven and Earth
Various - We Out Here
Peter Fahndrich
Brandi Carlile - By The Way I Forgive You
Brian Fallon - Sleepwalkers
La Luz - Floating Features
Makaya McCraven - Universal Beings
Mitski - Be The Cowboy
Tess Parks & Anton Newcombe - Tess Parks & Anton Newcombe
Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever - Hope Downs
Snail Mail - Lush
Kurt Vile - Bottle It In
Erika Wennerstrom - Sweet Unknown
Sean Ottosen
Marisa Anderson - Cloud Corner
Horrendous - Idol
Khruangbin - Con Todo El Mundo
Sumac - Love in Shadow
Julia Holter - Aviary
Sons of Kemet - Your Queen is a Reptile
Guerilla Toss - Twisted Crystal
Yob - Our Raw Heart
Alpine Dreaming: The Helvetia Records Story, 1920-24
Doris Norton (x3) - Nortoncomputerforpeace/Personal Computer/Artificial Intelligence
Steven Wright
1) This Will Destroy You - New Others (Parts One and Two)
2) Sleep - The Sciences
3) Messa - Feast for Water
4) Jon Hopkins - Singularity
5) Birds in Row - We Already Lost the World
6) Thrice - Palms
7) S. Carey - Hundred Acres
8) Knife Knights - 1 Time Mirage
9) Death Grips - Year of the Snitch
10) Slow Crush - Aurora
Julie Fields
1. The Breeders- "All Nerve"
2. Dead Can Dance- "Dionysus"
3. The Chills- "Snow Bound"
4. Spiritualized- "And Nothing Hurt"
5. Yo La Tengo- "There's A Riot Going On"
6. Stereolab- "Switched On Volumes 1-3"
7. Mick Harvey & Christopher Richard Barker- "The Fall and Rise of Edgar Bourchier and the Horrors of War"
8. The Kinks- " The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society" (Super Deluxe Box Set)
9. Wire- "Pink Flag," "Chairs Missing" and "154" (Deluxe Editions)
10. Kate Bush- "Remastered Part I" and "Remastered Part II" box sets
James Fletcher
#1 Human serpent- For I, The Misanthropist
#2 Daughters - You Won’t Get What You Want
#3 Bongripper- Terminal
#4 Thou- Magus
#5 Akitsa- Credo
#6 Dopethrone- Transcanadian Anger
#7 Tomb Mold- Manor Of Infinite Forms
#8 Street Sects- The Kicking Mule
#9 Sleep- The Sciences
#10 Current 93- The Light Is Leaving Us All
Tyna Brewer
~Anderson East - "Encore"
~Greta Van Fleet - "Anthem of the Peaceful Army"
~Father John Misty - "God's Favorite Customer"
~Disturbed - "Evolution"
~Loretta Lynn - "Wouldn't It Be Great"
~Willie Nelson - "Last Man Standing"
~Colter Wall - " Songs of the Plains"
~Joshua Hedley - "Mr. Jukebox"
~Brent Cobb - "Providence Canyon"
~Eminem - "Kamikaze
Jason Rahn
Andrew McMahon – Upside Down Flowers
Avantdale Bowling Club – S/T
Fatima – And Yet It’s All Love
FOXTROTT – Meditations I-II-III
Gyedu-Blay Ambolley – S/T
Makaya McCraven – Universal Beings
Natalie Prass – The Future and the Past
Nils Frahm – All Melody
Noname – Room 25
Shida Shahabi – Homes
Erik Kramer
Marisa Anderson- Cloud Corner (Thrill Jockey)
Thomas Bush- Old And Red (Men Scryfa)
De Leon- De Leon (Mana)
Ezra Feinberg- Pentimento & Others (Related States)
Golden Ivy- Monika (Malmo Inre)
Haron- Wandelaar (Queeste)
Louise Bock- Repetitives In Illocality (Feeding Tube)
Wolf Muller & Niklas Wandt- Instrumentalmusik Von Der Mitte Der World (Growing Bin)
Palta & Ti- Palta Og Ti På Den Tolvte Ø (12th Isle)
Prins Emanuel- Diagonal Musik (Music For Dreams)
Samuel Annis
Roberto Musci--The Loa of Music
Roberto Musci & Giovanni Venosta--Urban and Tribal Portraits
Gas--Rausch
Suso Saiz--Rainworks
The Caretaker--Everywhere at the end of time
Mikko Joensuu--Amen 1, 2 & 3
Ian William Craig--Thresholder
Jorge Reyes & Antonio Zepeda--A la izuierda del Calibrí
Arturo Stàlteri--...e il pavone parlò alla luna
Chihei Hatakeyama--Void XVII
Kevin Kiley
10. Phosphorescent - C'est La Vie
09. Father John Misty - God's Favorite Customer
08. Brian Fallon - Sleepwalkers
07. Neko Case - Hell-On
06. The Jayhawks - Back Roads and Abandoned Motels
05. Kurt Vile - Bottle It In
04. Erika Wennerstrom - Sweet Unknown
03. Leon Bridges - Good Thing
02. Lord Huron - Vide Noir
01. Brandi Carlile - By the Way, I Forgive You
Michael Trevis
Saba - CARE FOR ME
Robyn - Honey
Ambrose Akinmusire - Origami Harvest
Ambrose Akinmusire - The Imagined Savior Is Far Easier To Paint (released 2014)
Jonny Greenwood - Phantom Thread
Low - Double Negative
Kamasi Washington - Heaven and Earth
Julian Lage - Modern Lore
Blake Mills - Look
Noname - Room 25
Derrick Buisch
Woodman / Earhart “Shore”
Drug Spider “the square root of negative zero: live”
Black Cat “Withdraw Your Consent”
Poney “Pagan Nouveau”
Anders Svanoe “747: Queen Of The Skies- State Of The Baritone Vol.3”
Asumaya “Omniphobic”
Bell & Circuit “Ain't Got Nothin'”
Blacks’ Myths “Blacks’ Myths”
Messthetics “Messthetics”
Makaya McCraven “Universal Beings”
Low “Double Negative”
Mike Bailey
Courtney Barnett - Nameless, Faceless [Milk/Mom+Pop]
Beach House - 7 [Sub Pop]
Lucy Dacus – Historian [Matador]
Nils Frahm - All Melody [Erased Tapes]
Khruangbin – Con Todo El Mundo [Dead Oceans]
Low - Double Negative [Sub Pop]
Sink Ya Teeth - Sink Ya Teeth [Hey Buffalo]
Spiritualized - And Nothing Hurt [Fat Possum]
Viagra Boys - Street Worms [Year0001]
Voivod - The Wake [Century Media]
Ryley Walker - Deafman Glance [Dead Oceans]
Grant Phipps
1. Julia Holter - Aviary
2. Jenny Hval - The Long Sleep / Lost Girls - Feeling
3. SOPHIE - Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides
4. Esperanza Spalding - 12 Little Spells
5. Zeal & Ardor - Stranger Fruit
6. Eiko Ishibashi - The Dream My Bones Dream
7. cero - Poly Life Multi Soul
8. Lychgate - The Contagion in Nine Steps
9. Low - Double Negative
10. Carla Bozulich - Quieter
Zack Stafford
Tirzah - Devotion
Lolina - The Smoke
Golden Ivy - Monika
Sebastian Gandera - La Raccourci
Takao - Stealth
Rimarimba
Group A - S/T
Stano - Content to Write
V/A - Kale Plankieren
Geins't Nait / Laurent Petitgand - Make Dogs Sing
Maoupa Mazzocchetti – Gag Flag
Julia Holter
Mołr Drammaz – Times Before Emojis
Marty Schumacher's Metal Madness:
Támsins Likam by Hamferð - pained yet beautiful doom from the Faroe Islands
Wasteland by Riverside - dark and gorgeous prog rock with metallic heft
Down Below by Tribulation - addictively catchy gothic metal with death vocals
Currents by In Vain - expertly-written melodic progressive death metal
Desolation by Khemmis - fun and slick 80's doom with hints of the extreme
Melted on the Inch by Boss Keloid - stoner rock bringing big riffs and surprising technicality
The Extraterrestrial Compendium by Dire Peril - power metal for the lactose intolerant and sci-fi movie nerds
As the Kingdom Drowns by Psycroptic - a succinct tech death beatdown
Unsettling Whispers by Gaerea - black metal deviating from trve cvlt formvlas
Marrow by Madder Mortem - catchy and rather accessible prog metal
Great Brunswick Forest by Thrawsunblat - folk music by a metal band
Heavy Dreamer by Vanishing Kids - don't sleep on this excellent slab of local ethereal, psychedelic doom
Eric Milinski
Young Fathers - Cocoa Sugar
Gwenno - Le Kov
Chris Carter - Chemistry Lessons Vol. 1
Neneh Cherry - Broken Politics
Tracey Thorn - Record
Mr. Fingers - Cerebral Hemispheres
Christine And The Queens - Chris
Robyn - Honey
Chris Carter - Archival Recordings 1973 - 1977
Prince - Piano & A Microphone 1983
Joshua Bahr "Rap Fan"
Evidence - Weather Or Not
Jonwayne - Yuletide Bangerz
Atmosphere - Mi Vida Local
Murs - A Strange Journey Into The Unimaginable
Homeboy Sandman & Edan - Humble Pi
Rob Sonic - Defriender
Czarface/MF DOOM - Czarface Meets Metalface
Dem Atlas - Bad Actress
Lioness - Greater Vision
TDE - Black Panther Soundtrack
Matt Gumm
Jump, Little Children - Sparrow
Arp - Zebra
Arctic Monkeys - Tranquility Bass Hotel and Casino
Hatchback - Year of the Dragon
Bjorn Torske - Byen
Against All Logic - 2012-2017
Nils Frahm - All Melody
Oneohtrix Point Never - Age Of
Nightmares on Wax - Shape the Future
Lord Huron - Vide Noir
Jimi McPherson III
10. Pendant - Make Me Know You Sweet (West Mineral Ltd.)
9. TNC6 - Sekundenschlaf (BEB)
8. Steve Julien - Bloodline (Apron)
7. Marquis Hawkes - The Marquis of Hawkes (Houndstooth)
6. Betonkust & Palmbomen II - Center Parcs (Dekmantel)
5. Shinichi Atobe - Heat (DDS)
4. Kate NV - Для = For (RVNG)
3. Demdike Stare - Passion (Modern Love)
2. Leon Vynehall - Nothing is Still (Ninja Tune)
1. Ramzi - Phobiza Vol. 3: Amor Fati (Fati Records)
Aaron Granat
10. Rabit - Life After Death
09. Armand Hammer - Paraffin
08. Perishing Thirst - Pilgrims of the Rinde
07. Sleep - The Sciences
06. Kilchhofer - The Book Room
05. The Caretaker - Everywhere at the End of Time (Stages 4 & 5)
04. Robyn - Honey
03. Lolina - The Smoke
02. Rezzett - Rezzett LP
01. Rosalía - El Mal Querer
Gregory Taylor
Antonymes “The License to Interpret/Re-interpret Dreams” (Facture)
Autechre "NTS Sessions" (Warp)
Ian William Craig "Thresholder" (130701)
Sarah Davachi "Let Night Come On Bells End The Day" (Recital Forty Five)
Electric Indigo "511593" (Imbalance Computer Music)
Brian Eno "Music for Installations" (Opal/Warp)
Kyle Gann "Hyperchromatica" (Other Minds)
Tom Hall "Spectra" (Elli)
Jon Hassell "Listening to Pictures: Pentimento, Volume One" (Ndeya)
Mordançage "Mordançage" (Facture)
Jim O'Rourke "Sleep Like It's Winter" (Newhere Music)
Senyawa "Sujud" (Sublime Frequencies)
Supersilent "Supersilent 14" (Smalltown Supersound)
Tape Loop Orchestra "Lead Us Into the Light" (TLO)
Biliana Voutchkova & Michael Thieke "Blurred Music" (Elsewhere Music)
Autechre "NTS Sessions" (Warp)
Ian William Craig "Thresholder" (130701)
Sarah Davachi "Let Night Come On Bells End The Day" (Recital Forty Five)
Electric Indigo "511593" (Imbalance Computer Music)
Brian Eno "Music for Installations" (Opal/Warp)
Kyle Gann "Hyperchromatica" (Other Minds)
Tom Hall "Spectra" (Elli)
Jon Hassell "Listening to Pictures: Pentimento, Volume One" (Ndeya)
Mordançage "Mordançage" (Facture)
Jim O'Rourke "Sleep Like It's Winter" (Newhere Music)
Senyawa "Sujud" (Sublime Frequencies)
Supersilent "Supersilent 14" (Smalltown Supersound)
Tape Loop Orchestra "Lead Us Into the Light" (TLO)
Biliana Voutchkova & Michael Thieke "Blurred Music" (Elsewhere Music)
Rick Campbell
Jazz New 2018 Releases
I couldn't narrow it down any further, so in no particular order:
Tyshawn Sorey Pillars I, II, III, IV
Peggy Lee - Echo Painting
Ken Vandermark Marker Roadwork 1/Roadwork 2/ Homework 1 (Limited Release)
Makaya McCraven - Universal Beings
Ben Lamar Gay - Downtown Castles Can Never Block the Sun
Nik Bartsch - Awase
Peter Brotzmann Heather Leigh - Sparrow Nights
Henry Threadgill - Double Up Plays Double up Plus
Rodrigo Amado/Joe McPhee/Kent Kessler/Chris Corsano - A History of Nothing
Dave Holland/Evan Parker/Craig Taborn/Ches Smith - Uncharted Territories
Mary Halvorsen - The Maid With the Flaxen Hair
Myra Melford Snowy Egret - The Other Side of Air
Sylvie Courvoisier Trio - D'agala
Andrew Cyrille _ Lebroba
Daniel Carter, William Parker, Matthew Shipp - Seraphic Light
Best Holiday Album: Mars Williams - Albert Ayler Xmas
Best Reissues or uncovered gems released in 2018:
Eric Dolphy - Musical Prophet (The Expanded 1963 New York Studio Sessions)
John Coltrane - Both Directions at Once: The Lost Album
Charles Mingus - Jazz in Detroit
Peter Brotzmann - Machine Gun
Peter Brotzmann - Machine Gun Alternate Takes
Anthony Braxton - Sextet (Parker) 1993 Box Set
Roy Fukui - Scenery
Sun Ra - Crystal Spears
Best Concerts of 2018:
Dave Rempis/Joe McPhee with Tomeka Reid, Kent Kessler, Paal Nielsen-Love at The Hungry Brain - Chicago.
DKV Trio (Hamid Drake, Kent Kessler, Ken Vandermark) at The Elastic Arts - Chicago
Hamid Drake/Michael Zerang Winter Solstice Concert at Constellation - Chicago
Paal Nielsen Love Large Unit - Arts + Literature Lab and The Sugar Maple
Roscoe Mitchell Quartet/Trio/Solo - Arts + Literature Lab
Rempis/Johnston/Ochs - Arts + Literature Lab
Anders Svanoe/Greg Ward/Russ Johnson at The First Annual Schenck Atwood Jazz Festival Sponsored by Arts + Literature Lab
Broken Shadows Tim Berne/Chris Speed/Dave King/Reid Anderson - Arts + Literature Lab
Hassels: Terrie Hessels (Terrie Ex) /Ken Vandermark/Paal Nielsen-Love/Jon Rune - Arts + Literature Lab
Richard Thompson - Barrymore Madison
RECORD STORE DAY 2019 IS APRIL 13TH - SAVE THE DATE!
STRICTLY DISCS 2018 STAFF TOP 10s:
SELL US YOUR CDS & LPS:
Ron, Ryan, Angie, Marty, Evan, Matt, Michael, Ben, Will, Ed & Isaac
