New Releases & Staff Picks - 2/16/24

STAFF PICKS
Lindsay - Molly Lewis, IDLES, Codeine/Bedhead, Grandaddy, El Perro Del Mar
Dario - IDLES
Kimber - El Perro del Mar and Béla Fleck
Jake - Friko
Zach - Omni, Laura Jane Grace, Friko, and IDLES

IDLES – Tangk CD/LP (Partisan)
Tangk is the righteous and vibrant fifth album from madcap truth-seekers, IDLES. Pronounced “tank” with a whiff of the “g” - an onomatopoeic reference to the lashing way the band imagined their guitars sounding that has since grown into a sigil for living in love - the record is the band’s most ambitious and striking work yet. A radical sense of defiant empowerment radiates from Tangk, co-produced by Nigel Godrich, Kenny Beats, and IDLES guitarist Mark Bowen. Despite his reputation as an incendiary post-punk sparkplug, frontman Joe Talbot sings almost all the feelings inside these 10 songs with hard-earned soul, offering each lusty vow or solidarity plea as a bona fide pop song—that is, a thing for everyone to pass around and share, communal anthems intended for overcoming our grievance. [Multiple vinyl colorways are available: indie store exclusive translucent pink; orange; and translucent yellow.] 

Earl Sweatshirt & The Alchemist – Voir Dire CD/2xLP WB (WB)
Voir Dire, the momentous album by Earl Sweatshirt and Alchemist, undoubtedly represents the long-awaited convergence of two rap titans. Earl's personal and intricately woven wordcraft, along with Alchemist's treasure trove of obscure, captivating samples, combine to create an artistic chemistry that permeates Voir Dire (which translates from French to "Speak Your Truth"). Earl accomplishes just that as he delves into the analysis of specific phases of his life, particularly in the past where his reflections resonate with immense potency, meticulous detail, and profound insight. The album features notable Los Angeles wordsmith Vince Staples on two tracks and esteemed rap artist, MIKE. On Voir Dire, unmatched lyricism and remarkable maturity take center stage, while personal experiences such as new fatherhood emerge and evolve over stripped-down, spacious Alchemist production - culminating in what many consider to be the best rap album of the year.

Chelsea Wolfe – She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She CD/LP (Loma Vista)
Released last week on CD, vinyl edition – including an indie store exclusive blue colorway – is now available. “The impression left by Wolfe’s [recent] trail of extracurriculars seems a lot like that of an artist making an attempt to put as much distance between herself and where she’d been. Her first album in five years, She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She, gives added weight to that idea through songs of shedding one’s skin and setting ablaze the most self-destructive parts of the self. In a statement she described it as summoning “change, growth, and guidance,” and has elsewhere referred to it as a ‘rebirth’, though in doing so she hasn’t embraced a brighter tonal palette or a Canva portfolio full of trite aphorisms. In her saga of self-improvement and a newfound sobriety, Chelsea Wolfe has delivered one of the most stunningly dark albums of her career.” – Jeff Terich, Treblezine

Chromeo – Adult Contemporary CD/2xLP (BMG)
Approaching the 20-year mark of their storied career, Chromeo unveil their sixth studio album, Adult Contemporary. The aptly named LP sees the iconic Canadian duo of Dave 1 (Dave Macklovitch) and P-Thugg (Patrick Gemayel) exploring what it means to be funky in your 30s and 40s. As the riotous early 2000s era that propelled them to indie superstardom becomes the stuff of legends, the Funklordz approach this new chapter with their groove intact.

Grandaddy – Blu Wav CD/LP (Dangerbird)
With the album title Blu Wav meant to be a literal mash-up of “bluegrass” and “new wave”, the new collection has a distinct feel, a uniform vibe, and a somewhat unexpected sound. It was conceived as Grandaddy maestro Jason Lytle was driving through the Nevada desert, and Patti Page’s "Tennessee Waltz" came across the classic country station on the radio. He was immediately intrigued by the possibilities of what it might sound like to keep the slow sway and sweet, simple lyrics of the bluegrass waltz while adding layers of dense synthesizers and the electronics of new wave. It incorporates the lo-fi lushness and sometimes-psychedelic orchestration Grandaddy is known for with Lytle’s first foray into true country. Seven of its 13 songs are waltzes, and as Lytle notes, “there’s an inordinate amount of pedal steel.”

Health – Rat Wars CD/LP (Loma Vista) CD/LP (UMG)
Health is not only making the heaviest, most genre-obliterating music of their career, they’re documenting just how insane it feels to be alive right now. It’s The Downward Spiral for people with at least two monitors and a vitamin D deficiency. Rat Wars is a definitive statement on the insanity and the insipidness of contemporary life. [An indie store exclusive translucent ruby red color vinyl pressing is available.]

Friko – Where We’ve Been, Where We Go From Here CD/LP (Virgin)
Adding to Chicago’s long lineage of forward-thinking indie rock, Friko transforms each song into a moment of collective catharsis. On their full-length debut, vocalist/guitarist Niko Kapetan and drummer Bailey Minzenberger sustain the combustible energy of their break-out single “Crimson To Chrome”, merging elements of post-punk, chamber-pop and experimental rock, magnifying their music’s exhilarating power with a barrage of spirited ensemble vocals. Poetic, explosive, and sublimely raw in feeling.

Laura Jane Grace – Hole In My Head CD/LP/CASS (Polyvinyl)
In the Summer of 2022, a 10-year journey came to an end in Amsterdam. Its final score, as the curtain closed and the lights came up, was comprised of the orchestrations that preceded and followed the final act: the buzz of a barber's razor, the droning resonance of a tattoo machine, and the brush of electric sound from the surprise gift of a friend. For a decade, a leading figure and frontwoman of post-punk staple band Against Me!, Laura Jane Grace, had been slowly accruing black-laden bodywork by master Japanese tattoo artists Gakkin and Kenji Alucky. Beginning at her feet, Gakkin's freehanded, organic figures and Alucky's high-contrast geometric works had taken the three all over the world together just as it had taken inches all over Laura Jane's figure. Finally, though this artistic exercise in time and tattoo ink came to a head, literally. All songs written & performed by Laura Jane Grace. [A limited-edition hot pink color vinyl pressing is available.]

El Perro del Mar – Big Anonymous CD/LP (City Slang)
Swedish singer, multi-instrumentalist, and composer El Perro del Mar announces her first album in eight years. The musical path taken by this shape-shifter artist encompasses a spectrum: doo-wop redux, mystic ballads, electronic dance, ecstatic love songs, film soundtracks, dance scores, global pop, and more. With this record, she goes places where few dare to venture: dialogues with the dead, musings on her own mortality, and reflections on the inner darkness that she's inherited. It's gothic, crepuscular, moody - and magnificent. And in the end, you might just find it uplifting. She does.

Béla Fleck – Rhapsody In Blue CD (Béla Fleck Productions)
The new release from banjo great Béla Fleck expands and explores George Gershwin's Rhapsody In Blue by paying homage to the legendary composer while redefining an American classic-just in time for its centennial.

Molly Lewis – On The Lips CD/LP (Jagjaguwar)
Consider this your invitation to Café Molly, a lounge bar like they don't make them anymore. The lights are low, the martinis are ice cold, the banquettes are velvet, and the stage is set for the electrifying talent of whistler Molly Lewis. After the exotica stylings of The Forgotten Edge EP and the Tropicalia-indebted Mirage EP, Molly wanted to encapsulate the sound of Café Molly for her debut album On The Lips, a dreamy tribute to classic mood music, it conjures up misty visions of classic Hollywood jazz clubs, Italian cinema soundtracks and lingering embraces between lovers. [A limited-edition gold color vinyl pressing is available.]

Lil Peep – Crybaby CD/LP/Cassette (Death Note Music)
Crybaby is the fourth mixtape by rapper Lil Peep, originally released in 2016. [A limited-edition white color vinyl pressing is available.]

Middle Kids – Faith Crisis Pt 1 CD/LP (Lucky Number)
The lifelong arm wrestle between head and heart sits at the center of Faith Crisis Pt 1, the third album from Sydney's emotive indie rockers Middle Kids. Written at a time of a faith crisis, when songwriter and vocalist Hannah Joy found the structures and systems she believed in were being tested, the record lays out the painful, frustrating, messy pieces of the logic puzzle that life requires us to complete every day. Produced by Jonathan Gilmore (The 1975, Beabadoobee), Joy and bandmates Tim Fitz and Harry Day masterfully express the sensation of being overwhelmed, swept up and dragged down in songs that exalt and lift you higher. The results grab the listener from the opening bars and don't let go, finding the trio once again taking the bare-bones of indie-rock (guitar, bass, drums) and elevating their songs with astonishing and euphoric vocal performances, scorching production, and an incomparable pop-sensibility. [Two color vinyl pressings are available: indie store exclusive blue & yellow; and translucent yellow.]

Mother Mother – Grief Chapter CD/LP (WB)
Grief Chapter is an album with songs rooted in mortality, grief, and living fearlessly. Tracks like "Nobody Escapes", "To My Heart", and "Head Shrink" are sure to ignite their devoted legion of fans, and undeniable alt-rock anthems "Explode!", "Days", "Normalize", and "The Matrix" will sound at home on festival stages and amphitheaters they'll be headlining in the US next summer. The album was produced by Mother Mother frontman Ryan Guldemond and mixed by the revered Rich Costey. [An indie store exclusive coke bottle green clear vinyl pressing is available.]

Omni – Souvenir CD/LP+MP3 (Sub Pop)
The music of Atlanta trio Omni has always swung fast and hit hard. And Souvenir, their fourth album and second for Sub Pop, packs their biggest punch yet. Following pandemic-induced downtime, they approached the album with lots of pent-up energy. Guitarist Frankie Broyles, singer/bassist Philip Frobos, and drummer Chris Yonker converted their creative fuel and affinity for indie titans like R.E.M., the Cure, and Big Audio Dynamite into sharp, driving songs that land immediately, sporting chopping riffs, staccato beats, and wiry melodies. [Loser Edition silver souvenir swirl vinyl pressing is also available.]

Codeine & Bedhead – Atmosphere b/w Disorder 7” (Numero)
Twin readings from Joy Division's post-punk gospels, on 7" for the first time. Codeine's 1994 take on "Atmosphere" were the New York slowcore band's final recorded moments, a glum, if not melodic, take on the Salford quartet's requiem to solitude. On the flip, Dallas' Bedhead tackle the opener for Unknown Pleasures, reimagining "Disorder" as jangly indie rock. Housed in an elegant black and silver sleeve, with embossed braille lettering for the visually impaired. [A limited-edition blue colorway is available.]

Knxwledge – 1988 [Reissue/2020] LP (Stones Throw)
Limited purple and black color vinyl pressing of the Grammy Award-winning beatmaker Knxwledge's album 1988. 1988 is the follow-up to Knxwledge's highly acclaimed 2015 album Hud Dreems. Knxwledge has collaborated with Kendrick Lamar, Anderson.Paak (as NxWorries), Joey Bada$$, Earl Sweatshirt, and more.

Kronos Quartet – Black Angels [Reissue/1990] 2xLP (Nonesuch)
Black Angels is the 1990 album by the string quartet Kronos Quartet. It includes, and was named after, George Crumb's 1970 composition Black Angels, the composition which had inspired David Harrington to found the Kronos Quartet in 1973.

Lake Street Dive – Bad Self Portraits [Reissue/2014] LP (Signature Sounds)
Limited blue colored vinyl LP pressing featuring two bonus tracks. When Bad Self Portraits was released in 2014 Rolling Stone deemed Lake Street Dive "The year's best new band" and the album debuted at #18 on the Billboard Top 200 chart. Their television performances have included The Late Show With David Letterman, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, The Ellen DeGeneres Show and the Today Show. Over the years, they've captivated massive audiences at such esteemed festivals as Newport Folk Festival, Telluride Bluegrass Festival, and Toronto Jazz Festival, in addition to headlining tours across the globe and sharing stages with acts like Brandi Carlile and Sheryl Crow.

Lee Morgan – Search For The New Land [Reissue/1966] LP (Blue Note)
Two months after recording what would become his hit record The Sidewinder, trumpeter Lee Morgan returned to Van Gelder Studio in February 1964 to create his masterful album Search For The New Land. For the session, Morgan assembled a sextet consisting of several young stars of the Blue Note roster including Herbie Hancock on piano, Grant Green on guitar, and Wayne Shorter on tenor saxophone, along with the dynamic rhythm team of bassist Reggie Workman and drummer Billy Higgins.

Róisín Murphy – Hairless Toys [Reissue/2015] LP (PIAS America)
Róisín Murphy – Take Her Up To Monto! [Reissue/2016] 2xLP (PIAS America)
Vinyl reissues of the third and fourth albums by the Irish singer, songwriter, and artist. [A red colorway of Hairless Toys is available.]

Six Parts Seven / Goodmorning Valentine – Kissing Distance LP (Suicide Squeeze)
“Six Parts Seven had returned to Ohio after touring out to Washington State, to record Casually Smashed To Pieces. There was down time between the recording and the actual release of that album in January 2007, and we were rehearsing, playing local shows, and collaborating, with most of us involved in other projects to keep the momentum going (Mike w/ Talons, Al w/ Beaten Awake), but the one we all came together over was recording an album with Joey Beltram, the songwriter behind Goodmorning Valentine, a local band we shared players with, a band we deeply admired. The music on Kissing Distance came together over two weekend days.”

Mystic Tide – Frustration LP (Numero)
A raw-nerved hybrid of elemental Merseybeat, lugubrious surf-noir and sheer sonic assault, the remarkable legacy of Long Island's Mystic Tide has long been venerated within the '60s garage rock pantheon, even if their existential racket only slipped out on a series of painfully rare 45s. Now, the fruit of Joe Docko Jr and friends' cottage industry has been refurbished in best-ever sound, along with fresh insights as to how this singular brand of noise came to be. [A limited-edition green colorway is available.]

Vitamin String Quartet - VSQ Performs Taylor Swift LP (Vitamin Records)
Pink vinyl. VSQ performs some of our favorite songs from Taylor's catalog. Through her endless reinventions and multiple classic albums, the once-country songwriter, pop superstar and indie auteur has proven herself a creative force and massive talent in her own right. And that's not to mention her immense skill for ear worms and catchy melodies. We're so happy to bring you twelve string quartet renditions of our favorite Taylor tracks from her career. From Red to Reputation to Folklore and everything in between, we've got you covered with this comprehensive tribute to this one-of-a-kind artist. Adorned in an expressive pink/yellow/purple swirl colorway (reminiscent of an artist's paint hitting the canvas), this single LP is a great one for both listening and collecting. 

Yusef Lateef - Eastern Sounds (Original Jazz Classics) LP (Craft)
Originally released in 1962, jazz multi-instrumentalist Yusef Lateef's album, Eastern Sounds, fuses hard bop with middle eastern music as he is joined by Barry Harris on piano alongside Ernie Farrow (double bass/rabaab) and Lex Humphries (drums). Original Jazz Classics Series is pressed on 180-gram vinyl at RTI with all-analog mastering from the original tapes by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio and presented in a tip-on jacket. 

Mizmor & Thou - Myopia LP (Gilead)
A collaborative studio album written and performed by Mizmor and Thou. Created and recorded entirely in secret and revealed for their surprise joint performance at Roadburn 2022. 

Danielle Durack - Escape Artist LP
The album, Escape Artist – the Phoenix, AZ-born and Nashville, TN-based singer/songwriter’s third full-length LP – almost mimics this act of moving on, where at times heartbreak can feel like it is almost forgotten, and other times it can feel like it is breathing down your neck. “This record was written at a time when I was processing more trauma than I had ever encountered in my life,” explains the newly Nashville-based artist. “While many of the songs touch on escapism, ultimately the making of this album has been my own escape, my own distraction from reality, to process and reflect on a very turbulent time in my life.”

COMING NEXT WEEK!

COMING NEXT WEEK!
MGMT - Loss of Life CD/LP
REAL ESTATE - Daniel CD/LP
AMIGO THE DEVIL - Yours Until The War Is Over CD/LP
HURRAY FOR THE RIFF RAFF - Past Is Still Alive CD/LP
JJ GREY + MOFRO - Oluslee CD/LP
ERIKA DE CASIER - Still CD/LP
BAD BRAINS - Omega Sessions LP
BILL FAY GROUP - Tomorrow, Tomorrow + Tomorrow CD/LP
GHOST FUNK ORCHESTRA - A Trip To The Moon CD/LP
SLEEPYTIME GORILLA MUSEUM - Off The Last Human Being LP reissue
THOU - Blessings Of The Highest Order LP
MARY TIMONY - Untame The Tiger CD/LP
TV ON THE RADIO - Dear Science LP reissue
LIAM BAILEY - Zero Grace CD/LP
CULT - Dreamtime LP reissue
FUCKED UP - Chemistry Of Common Life LP reissue
LAETITIA SADIER - Rooting For Love CD/LP
NEIL YOUNG + CRAZY HORSE - Dume LP
CAN - Live In Paris LP