February 27, 2020

CARIBOU LISTENING EVENT/HAPPY HOUR FRIDAY 5-6PM:

Join us for listening and libations Friday evening as we celebrate the release of the fantastic new Caribou album, 'Suddenly'. We will be playing the album starting at 5pm, pouring Blue Hawaiians to match the record's deep blue cover and dreamy vibe, and entering folks to win a sweet prize pack from Merge Records.

NEW THIS WEEK AT THE SHOP: 

  

A big week of new releases starts off with a trio of downright rejuvenating albums from longtime faves. Twenty years on from his earliest releases as Manitoba, we've got the long-awaited new album from CARIBOU, the shapeshifting Canadian artist who pioneered the 'Folktronica' genre alongside Four Tet, before making a myriad of lateral moves into house, electro, nu-disco, and R&B. On 'Suddenly', a deeply considered album that reveals more with each listen, he conducts a compelling overview of all these guises. Soul-baring lo-fi chanteuse SOCCER MOMMY follows the rather startling success of her last record with a beautifully measured disc called 'Color Theory'. in which she adds a texture and richness of fidelity to her angsty jangle without futzing with the formula too much. Same goes for REAL ESTATE, the reliable New Jersey (and Madisonian!) indie band who return with their fifth album, 'The Main Thing', an album that settles around you like a blanket of leaves. With each record, this band hones their patented brand of mellow guitar adagios to a point approaching perfection, and this lovely sleeve features incredible artwork from the one and only Bjorn Copeland. 

 

 

New standards, country, blues and jazz comes in on CD from some revered elders, including JAMES TAYLOR, SONNY LANDRETH, ROBERT CRAY, and CHARLES LLOYD.

  

Garage dauphin Ty Segall has teamed up for a collab record with Lightning Bolt drummer Brian Chippendale as WASTED SHIRT, and we have a new album from TYCHO meant as a companion to his release from last year, plus a new album from the SECRET SISTERS.

 

 

The latest from multi-instrumentalist KASSA OVERALL, 'I Think I'm Good', carries on the momentum of last year's surprise debut, 'Lets Get Ice Cream and Listen to Jazz'. Evidence that the first generation to grow up listening to Flying Lotus and Thundercat can be counted on to do big things. UK jazz group COLLOCUTOR display a similar measure of promise on 'Continuation' as they blend latin, spiritual and Ethio-styles, plus we have the scorching new record from the Twin Cites hard Afrobeat group BLACK MARKET BRASS. 'Metaphorical Music', the debut album from legendary Japanese producer NUJABES, is a landmark record in the world of jazzy, cerebral hip-hop, but hadn't ever been released on an LP before. We've got limited, Japan-only copies while they last.

  

 

If you'd rather roll up your turtleneck, put on a frown and embrace the grey weather, we have a slew of records that will satisfy this week. Talkin Downer Jams, here. Swedish duo MONOKULTUR craft a vexingly minimal, yet still deeply affecting brand of lofi post-punk on the first US pressing of their 2018 debut. We get a second volume of early recordings from HIS NAME IS ALIVE, the 90s dream-pop band that grew from the detritus surrounding Livonia, Michigan's Warren Defever, and it's another time-stopping trip into the depths of snowbound bedroom gloom. Turkish soundscaper EKIN FIL sees her very, very good 2016 tape 'Heavy' get a vinyl issue; this one is heavily recommended to fans of Grouper's AIA releases. New Zealand band DADAMAH are a supergroup if your Rock and Roll Hall of Fame includes the Terminals, the Pink Group, and Flies Inside the Sun. Their lone 1992 album 'This Is Not A Dream' combines the squall of the Dead C with the hushed pop sensibilities of the Velvets. Also reissued, a lovely curiosity from a little known Japanese artist called GO HIRANO. 'Corridor of Daylight' was originally released only on CD in 2004, and is elegant, gently strange ambient psych. 

 

 

Guitar heroes of the golden age of indie get fancy new editions this week, as we have 3 expanded albums on double CD from the UK trance-rockers LOOP featuring much out of print material, and new LP pressings (with new, actually improved artwork) of the first two albums from the mighty North Carolina group POLVO. 'Cor Crane Secret' and 'Today's Active Lifestyles', from 1992 and 1993, immediately entranced listeners with moody pop hooks constructed by heavily-manipulated guitars, and a peculiar, secreted inclusivity.

 

  

We get late 70s punk scene reports from all over the nation this week, with cool, affordable LP represses from early Milwaukee garage punks THE HASKELS, San Francisco art-punkers BOB, and a collection of early Ohio punk called 'We Were Living in Cincinnati'.

  

  

A healthy dose of classic, rare and consciousness-expanding 70s jazz is here with a new LP edition of the ART ENSEMBLE OF CHICAGO's 'The Spiritual', two new reprints from LA bandleader HORACE TAPSCOTT, 'Music For Earthdwellers' by BYRON POPE, 'Retribution, Reparation' by pianist NATE MORGAN, and a release of little-heard early 70s material from the influential afro-jazz unit ONENESS OF JUJU.

 

 

A stunningly rich new compilation from Music From Memory celebrates Brazilian polyglot PRISCILLA ERMEL, who was included on both volumes of their 'Outro Tempo' compilation. A multi-instrumentalist, anthropologist, and trained in music from childhood, Ermel covered a great deal of ground on her late 80s, early 90s recordings, all now vanishingly rare in original form. The 15 pieces on 'Origens Da Luz' leap from petal to petal, nodding to Brazilian folkies like Chico Buarque, synthetic ambient, and heady ECM style jazz like her fellow countryman Egberto Gismonti, in a miraculous blend that sounds unique at every turn. Pair this one with 'Realejo', the debut recording from Brazilian sound artist MANUEL PESSOA DE LIMA for the Black Truffle label, which conjures an extremely evocative sonic picture of modernity. On the American side of things, we have a pair of great 70s new music innovators back in print on vinyl, with lovely editions from ELLEN FULLMAN and JON GIBSON, featuring contributions from Arthur Russell and Julius Eastman.

 

Two absolute stunners from the world of rare Afro-funk this week, starting with OFEGE's debut album 'How Do You Feel'. ALHAJI K. FRIMPONG's 1975 album 'Ahyewa Special' is such a heavily-sought example of percolating high life done perfectly right, there's someone on Discogs offering to trade his 2005 Peugeot for an original copy. Keep your ride and snag this beautiful repress instead, eh?

 

 

Danish composer and music teacher LOTTE KAERSA released a handful of records in the 1980s featuring her young students, and the best tunes from those rare LPs have been collected on a set called 'Jubiiilaeum'. This might not sound like the set-up to an impressive hard sell, but man, are these ever some tunes! With only a small dose of youthful vigor here, we go on quite the trip thru reggae-pop, jazz-funk, and strange delights in between. HIROSHI SATO's 1982 album 'Awakening' is a fully ordained classic of Japanese city pop. Don't blame me, take it up with the Youtube algorithm! While we'd love a more affordable copy of this smooth, funky beast, the Japan-only pressing is now here. We also welcome a Japan-only edition of the recent album from samba-soul star ARTHUR VEROCAI, and a new printing of the German library gone Japanese pop cult classic, 'Japan', by VICTOR CAVINI, a fake Italian pseudonym for Gerhard Trede.

  

  

A dynamic pairing of Scottish producer LINKWOOD and UK chill-jazz legend GREG FOAT bears some interesting cosmic-jazz-tech fruit, and we have another pressing of the modern classic of leftfield house from MAURICE FULTON under his oddly-considered BOOF alias. Early Bay Area techno pioneer VELOCETTE sees a collection of his rare 90s 12's collected on 'Discotheque Saudades', and the Italian producer ADVANCED AUDIO RESEARCH has a phenomenally smacked out record of modern rave. Jonny Nash and Suzanne Kraft reconvene their MAT STUDIO project for a heady sesh of folktronics, and we have the latest total headscratcher from LOLINA aka Inga Copeland, called 'Who Is Experimental Music?'

OTHERS TALK BACK:

This isn't the spot to lay down odds on the third race. OTB is where Others Talk Back and give you the lowdown on what they've been feeling lately. This one's for the customers.

Greg Dulli - “Random Desire” It appears that the Afghan Whigs reunion that started in 2011 is over.  The band released two exceptional albums and did countless tours during those years. In reality, the band reformation was a creative success, with those two albums equaling some of the band’s work during their eighties/nineties heyday.  But the release of Mr. Dulli’s solo album means that it is finally done. Mr. Dulli, chief songwriter and singer of the Whigs, turns his attention to his solo oft-delayed solo career. Mr. Dulli is still on the musical and creative high that fueled those two recent Afghan Whigs albums. ”Random Desire” possesses the swaggering intensity of the Whigs albums, but somehow has a subtle light-touch and a vulnerability that the new songs need.   I sense a Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds sensibility when listening to this album. But Mr. Dulli is his own man and would never be a sound alike. I was glad that the Afghan Whigs got back together. In fact, I was finally able to see the band live during the reformation years. But I am also glad that “Random Desire” is such a great solo album. - Ted

Courtney Barnett - “MTV Unplugged: Melbourne”  Even though Ms. Barnett has only released two albums in the last five years, she is somewhat beloved of musical fans the world over.  It is incredibly hard not to like her finely-crafted pop songs and her exuberant performances. So, this live album is really a treat for her legions of fans.  Ms. Barnett really sounds like she is having quite a time during this show. She plays several of her best songs and then tackles some well chosen covers. The overall feel may be slightly Australian-centric, but that is to be expected since she is playing to a home country crowd.  “MTV Unplugged: Melbourne” is a fun and delightful album. And while she breaks no new ground, she shows off her considerable musical acumen and charm in this live setting. - Ted

Ron, Ryan, Angie, Marty, Evan, Matt, Ben, Ed, Isaac, Larry, Mark, Jack, Eric & Mike