New Releases & Staff Picks - 9/11/26

STAFF PICKS 
DARIO - Bloc Party 
JAKE -  Hug
KIMBER - Nigeria 80 comp 
MARY - Sylvan Esso
ZACH - Bonobo and Ezra Collective 
DREW - Man or Astro Man reissue
PAT- St Germain reissue 

BONOBO - Distance In Static CD/LP (Ninja Tune)  
“I want to reinforce this idea that you can be more than one thing,” Green explains. It's that duality - of live artist and DJ, introspective composer and club-focussed selector - that sits at the heart of latest album Distance in Static, a record that is full of depth, detail and emotion; both beautiful and banging; quintessentially Bonobo, yet pushing beyond the contours of what a Bonobo album has traditionally been. A large portion of the record was created at Neil Young's legendary Broken Arrow Ranch studio in Woodside, California - an environment Green describes as deeply immersive and creatively transformative. A pivotal track to emerge from these Ranch sessions was the enchanting Fire on the Water, featuring Arooj Aftab, who travelled down from her NYC base to record what became a breakthrough moment during the album's creation. Evolving, almost accidentally, from a rough acoustic guitar loop recorded while Green was testing studio inputs one morning. Elsewhere, tracks like ‘Drift’ and ‘Me and You’ perfectly encapsulate the album's club-focussed leanings, with both quickly emerging as firm fan favorites in Green's recent DJ sets. Buried within the Distance in Static universe, there is also a sense that this record - and particularly the accompanying live tour - marks something quite monumental, too. It's a moment of transition, a celebration of Bonobo's 25 years, but also, perhaps his last record in the traditional sense: complete with expansive guest features and a multi-year full live-band world tour.

THIS IS LORELEI - Singer In My Band CD/LP (Matador Records)  
Coming this September: This is Lorelei's first album for Matador Records, The Singer in My Band. The last few years have been transformative for Nate Amos. Between delivering breakout records both as a solo artist - under his This Is Lorelei moniker - and with his band Water From Your Eyes, sold out shows across multiple continents, to seeing some of today's most influential artists cover his songs (MJ Lenderman, Hayley Williams, Jeff Tweedy, Cameron Winter), the ascending songwriter has found his stride. The Singer in My Band takes the building blocks of the Great American Songbook and twists those elemental pieces into new shapes, at once both strangely familiar and endearingly offbeat in Amos' signature style. Written while touring the globe in support of releases from both his bands, The Singer in My Band arrives as the first true road record in Amos' discography. The ideas incubated while daydreaming in the car without access to any instruments, he recalls, so instead of being home and writing on the guitar or a computer, they developed slowly and subconsciously, existing as a sort of intangible thing while looking out the van window. For many years, Amos' This Is Lorelei project was known only to a close knit group of creatives in Chicago, where he relocated in his early 20s and produced hundreds of albums and EP's, tracing the outlines for both of his prolific projects before relocating to New York. In the time since, he's flourished as a wildly creative polymath who is equally adept at slinging heartworn hooks and eyeball-exploding art-pop. These are songs about songwriting as a way of life - messy, debilitating, transcendent - from one of the most gifted contemporary interpreters of the form.

SYLVAN ESSO - Ow ∞ CD/LP/CASS (Psychic Hotline)  
On their new album, Sylvan Esso metabolizes a life of making music with people into making art that you just love, a tactile and enveloping freefall. Written across four years in the woods in Chapel Hill, the longest the band has ever spent writing a record, Ow ∞ (pronounced 'Ow Infinity') arrives with an intense immediacy. Most of the tracks here are Meath's first vocal takes, and the clarity and humanness of her singular voice anchors the album in something real. It was born from a time of experimentation and collaboration, resulting in a sinewy, punchy, explosive work where the songs want to claw their way out. A technicolor totem of personal destruction, the feeling of being pummeled to silly putty and built back into something that feels almost human, almost familiar but freakish and new - a cartoonish, slapstick grin printed across a ruin.

FUNKADELIC - Maggot Brain CD/SACD/CASS/LP/2XLP (Org Music)  
Released in 1971, Maggot Brain stands as the towering masterpiece in Funkadelic's groundbreaking catalog. Initially misunderstood upon release, the album is now widely regarded as one of the most influential records of all time. Anchored by Eddie Hazel's otherworldly guitar performance on the legendary title track and featuring enduring favorites like ‘Can You Get To That,’ Maggot Brain redefined the possibilities of funk, rock, and psychedelic music.

BLOC PARTY - Anatomy Of A Brief Romance CD/LP (Contagious) 
Bloc Party's place in hearts & minds was never up for debate, but the past four years have reaffirmed that position and simultaneously ignited the a new passion with fans young & old. From touring the world with their friends Paramore to headlining a sold out Crystal Palace Park, performing songs from their seminal debut Silent Alarm through to the constant reinvention of their more recent work, before returning to Reading & Leeds last year to enormous crowds. Now, propelled by this renewed energy and buoyed by their biggest year of touring in two decades, Bloc Party are ready to release their next album; a narrative work examining a year-long relationship in intimate and often brutal detail, realised in the studio with the legendary Trevor Horn. Kele, Russell, Louise & Harry continue to stake their claim on people's affections with a co-headline UK & Europe arena tour with Interpol this autumn as well as a run of massive outdoor shows in the US with Muse.

IBIBIO SOUND MACHINE - Chopping Mountain CD/LP (Merge Records)  
Chopping Mountain, the new record by Ibibio Sound Machine - out September 11, 2026 - is the clearest rendering yet of the London collective's longstanding mission to promote love, unity, and resistance through music. It is the band's sixth full-length record, and the first to feature the band's Max Grunhard as producer since 2019's Doko Mien. Following their Hot Chip-produced breakthrough Electricity (2022) and the darker, clubbier inflection of the Ross Orton-produced Pull the Rope (2024), Chopping Mountain feels like it was pulled directly from the hearts and experiences of the Eno Williams and Grunhard-led band.

HARUOMI HOSONO - Yours Sincerely CD/LP (Ghostly)  
Haruomi Hosono, the pioneering Japanese musician, producer, composer, and founding member of Yellow Magic Orchestra and Happy End, has found his voice in a late career renaissance, writes The Wire. His five-decade legacy continues to grow and attract new fans, and has been cited by an acclaimed list of artists, including Mac DeMarco, Cameron Winter, Ginger Root, Vampire Weekend, and Harry Styles. Shaped by mid-century American music, Hosono's work now reverberates back through a new generation of Western artists-a remarkable circular exchange. Yours Sincerely, his 23rd studio album and first collection of new music in over seven years, finds Hosono ever-pushing his exploratory songcraft: “I am now 78 years old, but from here on, I feel a growing curiosity toward the unknown music that my new self will create, while also embracing the music of my former self-as if I now carry two musical worlds within me.”

EZRA COLLECTIVE - Here Because Of Hope CD/LP (Partisan Records)  
Ezra Collective's Here Because Of Hope is the most ambitious and personal record of their career - conceived as a body of work split into three spiritual and geographical movements, the album traces the movement of Black people across continents and decades, from the music of Africa to the rhythms of the Caribbean, and home to the streets of London. Formed in the youth clubs of London, Mercury Prize and BRIT Award-winners Femi Koleoso, TJ Koleoso, Joe Armon-Jones, James Mollison and Ife Ogunjobi have now spent over a decade making jazz joyful, urgent and undeniable. On Here Because Of Hope, they push that vision further than ever, asking a simple but profound question: why does so much Black music born out of pain sound so joyful? Their answer is hope: the belief, carried across generations and oceans, that something better is possible. Anchored by collaborations with Pa Salieu, Lila Iké, Leona Lewis, and reaching across the full breadth of the global African diaspora (including America, where those same African and Caribbean roots gave birth to jazz itself) Here Because Of Hope is a record of remarkable warmth, ambition and humanity, and the sound of Britain's most vital band at the peak of their powers.

HUG - Hug LP (Luaka Bop) 
“I don't even like these people. I didn't choose them; I love them. They're my brothers, my family. It's irrevocable." - Devendra Banhart. Frogs, condensed milk, the patter of rain. This is the new collaborative project from Gyan Riley, Devendra Banhart, and Noah Georgeson. Three eternal friends becoming children.

JOHN COLTRANE - Essential John Coltrane LP  (Impulse Records)  
John Coltrane's legacy defies boundaries. From his early days in Philadelphia to his final explorations into the musical unknown, Coltrane stretched music to new dimensions. He used the saxophone as a means of projecting his inner spirit into the world by masterfully harnessing jazz, the blues and pure soul in each performance. From tender ballads to volcanic live performances and meditative suites, each track in this collection works to create a portrait of musical genius. Coltrane's artistry reminds us that music goes far beyond the page - the sounds he created will keep us listening, feeling and marveling for generations.

MAN OR ASTRO-MAN? - Experiment Zero LP [Reissue/1996] (Touch & Go Records)   Originally released 30 years ago and recorded in three days at Man or Astro-man?'s own studio Zero Return in Alabama with Steve Albini, Experiment Zero stands as one of the great modern surf-influenced guitar instrumental records. Wanting Experiment Zero to stand as their masterpiece of the long evolution of surf music, Man or Astro-Man? began to evolve at a greater velocity than ever before. They further morphed their sound, extending the use of their samples, computer programming, keyboards, electronic gadgetry and experimental analog tape cutting and pasting. While widely critically acclaimed, long-time fans had a lot of adjusting to do. Where most bands would have grown tired or simply treadmilled the same album over and over Man or Astro-man? continuously reinvented themselves and their live performances.

ST GERMAIN - Boulevard (Complete Series) LP Reissue (Pias America) 
This limited-edition navy vinyl reissue brings Saint Germain's groundbreaking debut album Boulevard back to turntables. A landmark release in the French touch and acid jazz movements, the album features iconic tracks like ‘Deep in It’ and ‘Alabama Blues.’ This essential 1995 classic is a must-have for electronic music collectors and jazz-house fans alike.

PIXIES - Bossanova LP [Reissue/1990] (4AD)   
PIXIES - Trompe Le Monde LP [Reissue/1991] (4AD)
Continuing the band's 40th anniversary celebrations, and hot on the heels of the first official vinyl pressing of their brilliant 4AD B-Sides compilation, Pixies are repressing studio albums Bossanova (1990) and Trompe le Monde (1991) on both black vinyl and CD. These represses feature newly remastered audio with engineer Kevin Vanbergen having returned to the band's original analogue tapes to deliver stunning new masters that reveal more layers to these much-loved records.Bossanova is the third Pixies album. The band continued to work with Gil Norton after collaborating to such success on their platinum-selling second album Doolittle.

VARIOUS - Nigeria 80 CD/LP (Strut Records)  
Strut presents Nigeria 80, the next essential chapter in the legendary Nigeria 70 series, diving deep into the explosive sound world of 1980s Nigeria. A landmark compilation exending on Strut's acclaimed Nigeria 70 series. First-time official reissues of standout tracks spanning highlife, juju, Afrobeat, reggae, and early fusion sounds - from Victor Uwaifo and Nico Mbarga to Evi-Edna Ogholi and I.C. Rock. Highlighting the rise of Nigeria's independent labels and pioneering artists (including Onyeka Onwenu), connecting classic Nigerian sounds tomodern Afrobeats touchpoints like Starboy's ‘Soco.'

ANN PEEBLES - Tellin' It LP [Reissue/1975] (Fat Possum Records)  
Tellin' It is Ann Peebles 1975 soul album on Hi Records, produced by Willie Mitchell, featuring her signature Memphis soul sound, heartfelt ballads, and groovy funk tracks.

SONNY ROLLINS - Sonny Rollins, Vol. 2 LP [Reissue/1957] (Blue Note Records)  
The 2nd of Sonny Rollins' Blue Note albums found the saxophonist in esteemed company with J.J. Johnson on trombone, Horace Silver on piano, Paul Chambers on bass & Art Blakey on drums for a high-spirited bop date. Thelonious Monk joins the festivities on memorable versions of his tunes Misterioso & Reflections. This mono Blue Note Tone Poet Vinyl Edition was produced by Joe Harley, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original analog master tapes, pressed on 180g vinyl at RTI, and packaged in a deluxe tip-on gatefold jacket.

SAM RIVERS - Dimensions Extensions LP [Reissue/1986] (Blue Note Records)  
The last of 4 distinctive albums made by saxophonist Sam Rivers for Blue Note in 1960s, Dimensions & Extensions is fascinating for the presence of Donald Byrd who makes a rare foray into the avant-garde alongside Julian Priester, James Spaulding, Cecil McBee & Steve Ellington for a set of evocative Rivers originals. This stereo Blue Note Tone Poet Vinyl Edition was produced by Joe Harley, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original analog master tapes, pressed on 180g vinyl at RTI, and packaged in a deluxe tip-on gatefold jacket.

MEL TORME - Swings Shubert Alley LP [Reissue/1960] (Verve)  
The Velvet Fog meets The Great White Way! Mel Torme was at the height of his powers on 1960's Swings Shubert Alley, a collection of Broadway standards backed by the renowned Marty Paich Orchestra. This stunning union of musical theatre and jazz is regarded as one of the jewels of Torme's work for Verve Records, and his unforgettable vocal delivery elevates familiar chestnuts from the songbooks of Lerner and Loewe (On the Street Where You Live), Rodgers and Hammerstein (Hello, Young Lovers, The Surrey with the Fringe on Top) and Cole Porter (Too Darn Hot). The Verve Vault series is all-analog, cut from the original master tapes by Ryan K. Smith at Sterling Sound and pressed on 180-gram vinyl.

GEOFF FARINA - FFF  LP (Numero)  
Geoff Farina's Southern Records tenure was not just about Karate. His late-90s guitar-and-vocal solo output included the bedroom-recorded Usonian Dream Sequence that echoed The Secret Stars' intimate lo-fi sentiments, Reverse Eclipse that rode the more delicate fringes of Unsolved-era Karate, and the single Steely Dan, a paean to a contemporaneous guilty pleasure. FFF collects all three long-out-of-print releases here on vinyl for the first time, fastidiously packaged and punctuated with Farina's written reflections on their making.

ADRIAN YOUNGE - Afro-Disco Makossa LP (Linear Labs)  
Afro-Disco Makossa is the first Linear Labs album built for the dance floor, and Adrian Younge is uniquely qualified to make it. Having already recorded modern Afrobeat classics with Tony Allen and Ebo Taylor through Jazz Is Dead, Younge asks a new question: what would a Ghanaian producer in '76 have made if he set out to create an American disco record for his hometown? The result is a relentless, hypnotic patchwork of Afrobeat, funk, and disco recorded to tape, built for the DJ of any era.

ANGELA AUTUMN - Believer LP (Gar Hole Records)  
Angela Autumn has always been drawn to the mountains. Raised in the Appalachian region of western Pennsylvania, she channels that landscape in her voice, funneling the timeless influence of mountain streams and rolling foothills into her genre-bending folksongs. With her second album, though, she proves she's every bit as interested in the modern age as tradition. Believer is a musical melting pot of a record, blending the rustic music of Autumn's past with the hybridized sounds (including indie rock, psychedelia, pop, and gothic country) of her present. 

THE GO  - Free Electricity LP [Reissue/2011] (Sub Pop)  
The Go's Free Electricity, the group's storied, long-lost album, finally gets a proper release! The Go appeared in Detroit in 1996, led by Bobby Harlow and featuring Dave Buick on bass and Jack White on guitar. Following the release of their 1999 debut, Whatcha Doin', and a few lineup changes, the band hit the studio with Dion Fischer on lead guitar, John Olson (of Wolf Eyes) on saxophone, and Cary Loren (of Destroy All Monsters) to record their sophomore effort. The session found the band and their producer, Matthew Smith (Outrageous Cherry), exploring the outer edges of rock and roll, with blaring lead guitars, copious amounts of reverb, and a heavy jazz influence thanks to a heavy diet of '60s free jazz. The results erupt from the speakers with a cavernous sound, like some haunted frequency beamed across the time barrier from the Grande Ballroom circa 1968, often sounding more like records by Pharoah Sanders and Sun Ra than the records being made by The Go's peers in the '00s rock and roll scene.

COMING NEXT WEEK
BEABADOOBEE - Pylon CD/LP
BECK - Ride Lonesome CD/LP
ARAB STRAP - Half-Told Tales CD/LP
BOY HARSHER - Get Mean CD/LP
EMMA RUTH RUNDLE - These Killing Times CD/LP
FRANKIE ROSE - Hila CD/LP
ORVILLE PECK - Mule CD/LP
SHE WANTS REVENGE - S/T LP Reissue
THEE SINSEERS - Love Stores CD/LP
CHELSEA WOLFE - Dark CD/LP
DAVID BOWIE - Shel Talmy Recordings CD/LP 
SLOW PULP - Melodie CD/LP