New Releases & Staff Picks - 9/4/26

STAFF PICKS 
DARIO - Mort Garson reissue 
JAKE - Chat Pile and Purest Form
KIMBER - Massive Attack and Tom Waits
MARY - Alabama Shakes and Mort Garson reissue
ZACH - Corto Alto and Amyl and the Sniffers 
DREW - Chat Pile
PAT- Talk Talk

CHAT PILE - Who Loves The Sun CD/LP/CASS (Flenser)  
In a world increasingly shaped by disposable content, Chat Pile answer with something defiantly real and organic, a mentality that permeates Who Loves The Sun, their third full-length record. Since the band's formation just over six years ago, the Oklahoma City-based quartet Chat Pile has grown from a scrappy passion project into one of the defining heavy acts to emerge from the 2020s underground. Ray B. (vocals), L. Manhole (guitar), Stin (bass), and Cap'n Ron (drums) create a crushing, crass, and cathartic take on noise rock that captures a raw, undeniably human essence in an age marked by technological overreach and the cold state of society.

ALABAMA SHAKES - I Must Be Dreaming CD/LP (Island)  
I Must Be Dreaming is the first new album from Alabama Shakes in more than a decade. The album expands on 2015's album Sound & Color's unfettered exploration, leaning toward a viscerally charged form of psychedelic soul. Produced by Alabama Shakes and their repeat collaborator Shawn Everett, the album came to life at Nashville's Sound Emporium Studios and Blackbird Studio. While the album sustains their signature intensity, it's songs often wander into more lush and otherworldly terrain, revealing a more exacting command of atmosphere and space.

MORT GARSON - Mother Earth's Plantasia (50th Anniversary) LP [Reissue/1976] (Sacred Bones)  
Before Brian Eno popularized discreet music, Juilliard-educated composer and session player Mort Garson was already crafting lush, curious sound worlds, from lounge hits and the 1969 moon-landing broadcast to arrangements for Doris Day and Glen Campbell; by the mid-1970s, as The Secret Life of Plants turned specious claims about plant consciousness, telepathy, and musical preference into a nationwide craze, houseplants filled American homes and Garson's Mother Earth's Plantasia arrived as the perfect soundtrack: warm earth music for plants... and the people that love them, performed on the new-fangled Moog with bucolic, charming, stoner-friendly whimsy. Originally distributed through plant shops and even mattress purchases, the album seemed like a strange artifact of 1970s plant mania, but decades later it blossomed into a cult classic, with Sacred Bones' 2019 reissue introducing it to a wider global audience and helping transform it into a streaming-era touchstone. Now, 50 years after it's original release, Mother Earth's Plantasia stands as an enduring reminder of Garson's singular gift for making the synthetic feel strangely alive and the whimsical feel oddly profound.

CORTO .ALTO - Some Small Fortune CD/LP (Ninja Tune)  
Ninja Tune are proud to be releasing the third album from corto. Alto, the artist name of Scottish wunderkind Liam Shortall who established himself as the leading name of the UK nu-jazz/jazz fusion world to become a singular and genre-defying talent. Some Small Fortune follows his Mercury Prize nominated Bad With Names LP and features names as disparate as Mick Jenkins, Jacob Alon, anaiis and Oscar Jerome. corto recently finished a sold out debut headline run of US shows including hot sets at SXSW and Treefort plus recorded a KEXP session and will be headed back to North America in Summer 2026 playing Montreal Jazz Festival and Festival d'Été de Québec whilst an extensive run is planned for 2027. The LP format has been designed by Liam himself and comes in a snazzy PVC outer sleeve. Don't sleep on this one!

AMYL & THE SNIFFERS - Truth Or Consequence LP (Amyl & The Sniffers)  
Truth or Consequence is a live album following the concert film of the same title, in which Amyl and The Sniffers perform country-influenced versions of their songs, two unreleased tracks, and a cover of the Slim Dusty classic 'Lights On The Hill'. It was recorded and filmed in front of an intimate and increasingly rowdy audience at El Coyote in Los Angeles, on 28 April 2025, by the band's long-time collaborator, John Angus Stewart. The hope for this record is that it is listened to as it was made, in a ruckus exclamation between a cherished group of friends. Enjoy!

CRANBERRIES - Live At The London Astoria II, 1994 CD/LP (Island)  
In 1994, while on tour promoting their breakthrough debut album Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We?, The Cranberries makes a stop at the historic London Astoria II. Now available for the first time is audio form comes a remastered version of that exact show that features performances of the now classic hits ‘Linger' & ‘Dreams,’ as well as testing out future songs that would end up on the follow hit album No Need To Argue.

BABE RAINBOW - Acid And Honey LP  (Impressed Recordings)  
From the heart of the Australian psych scene... rainbow rockers Babe Rainbow return with their 7th studio album Acid And Honey recorded on an op shop acoustic on a houseboat in Amsterdam and finished at zen master Mullarky's Malibu ranch. Exciting country-pop beat production backs wailing Babe Rainbow vocals on solid skanking hip-hop hard rocking finger funky sounds.

CASE/LANG/VEIRS - Case/Lang/Veirs LP [Reissue/2016] (ANTI-)  
The deluxe 10th anniversary edition of case/lang/veirs features the new track Accidental Tattoo and twelve never-before-released live recordings alongside the original studio album from supergroup of singer-songwriters Neko Case, kd lang and Laura Veirs. Released in 2016, case/lang/veirs is a true collaboration between three phenomenal, self-driven artists: the strongest voices in their field - Lang the full-voiced seductress, Case the hurricane, and Veirs the wry storyteller (Pitchfork). The women wrote all 14 songs and shared lead vocals equally, sometimes even within the same track. Full of stunning harmonies and spellbinding rhythms, case/lang/veirs travels through aches and eras, torch songs and tributes to the undersung.

MYKKI BLANCO - Cafe Paradiso LP  (Transgressive)  
On Café Paradiso, Mykki Blanco is completely reborn, trading the persona - driven theatrics of his previous releases for something more interior and exacting. The record draws from the diverse, banal and yet idiosyncratic contexts of the artist's life in transit. Chameleonic is one way to describe the artist known as Mykki Blanco, who has played many roles through his storied career: a rapper, a poet, a magazine editor, an advocate. Perhaps fearless better describes him; with high profile collaborations from the likes of Charli XCX, Teyana Taylor, Basement Jaxx, Blood Orange, Big Freedia, Kelsey Lu, Michael Stipe, Arca and Anhoni, Mykki has been recognised as a pioneer of queer-centric hip-hop who resonates across musicians of many genres and generations. This album is Mykki at their most direct - a coherent statement with collaborator FaltyDL and a massively listenable album for fans of LCD Soundsystem and New York Punk, packaged in striking 'Napkin covered' deluxe vinyl for a super-exclusive first run.

CARÍN LEÓN  - Muda CD/LP (Socios Music)  
Carín León breaks the mold with MUDA, a bold, shape shifting sonic exploration that expands his universe across genres while staying rooted in his unmistakable DNA. From Hermosillo, he turns heartbreak and redemption into anthems as he sheds skin and reinvents himself, marking years of evolution and the close of a defining creative chapter. Carín León leads a new wave of regional Mexican, blending tradition with emotional openness. The 14-track Muda reflects constant transformation, exploring genres and collaborating with Rawayana and Juanes, pushing his roots forward as a fearless, genre defying statement.

DADA - Puzzle LP [Reissue/1992]  (Real Gone Music)  
There is a long list of early '90s albums that were unjustly ignored in the wake of the era's grunge explosion. A lot of them were metal releases, but when it comes to alternative rock records, Dada's 1992 record Puzzlewould be right at the top. Psychedelia and sunny SoCal sounds undercut by healthy skepticism (Dizz Knee Land) regarding the region's charms render Puzzle worthy of it's title, an impression reinforced by the enigmatic, Rorschach-like cover art. Power pop and even some funk add to the allure of this noir-ish album, which is as hard to classify as it is to resist. Finally, and with the full support of the band, Puzzle is receiving it's first widespread American vinyl release in grand style: an expanded double-LP, remastered for vinyl by Mike Milchner at Sonic Vision, and featuring an entire side of bonus tracks. Pressed in green and yellow troll hair vinyl to match the little fella pictured on the front cover, and housed inside a gatefold jacket with lyrics!

DEICIDE - In Torment In Hell LP [Reissue/2001] (Real Gone Music)  
The title of 2001's In Torment in Hell may well have been referring to Deicide's collective state of mind as well as offering another example of their usual dark metaphysical/religious musings. The band was at each other's throats and at war with their label (this was their last album for Roadrunner), which led to less-than-kind reviews from fans and even the band itself. But now, given the benefit of time, it's even-more-breakneck-than-usual tempos and tunes like ‘Child of God’ and the title track add up to another head-spinning death metal anti-exorcism. For it's 25th anniversary, we've had In Torment in Hell remastered for vinyl and pressed it in appropriately infernal red smoke wax. First stand-alone release on LP, complete with insert!

FRUITION - Something More LP (Bloodshot Records)  
The culmination of almost two decades of making music, Portland-based Fruition shares their new album, including themes of kicking old habits, letting go of control, interrogating motives, and fearless open hearts. Producer Tucker Martine lends his playful imagination and nuanced expertise to Something More to make something intentional, brave, vulnerable, and timeless. Strong vocal harmonies and upbeat rhythms infuse this genre-bending Americana, folk, alt country album.

MOVEMENTS - Happier Now LP (Fearless Records)  
SoCal's Movements remain on a steady upward trajectory. Their fourth album, Happier Now, builds on the tension-and-release sound they've perfected on their previous releases. Once again produced by Grammy-winner Will Yip, Happier Now holds fast to Movements' dissonant grooves, while incorporating melodic flourishes in the mix as heard in Dissolve Me and the moody Back in My Ways. With over 600M total global streams, Movements remain faithful to the distinct sound their fans love.

MASSIVE ATTACK & TOM WAITS - Boots On The Ground 12”  (Play It Again Sam) 
Massive Attack and Tom Waits release a new collaboration Boots on the Ground, with an exclusive to vinyl B-side provided by Waits - a droll and sardonic spoken word piece entitled ‘The Fly.’ An accompanying evocative, high-intensity montage film created by Massive Attack portrays a momentous American epoch that is yet to be named, and comes in the aftermath of the largest public protests in American history - focused on opposition to ICE raids, the militarization of domestic forces, and state authoritarianism. “One day many years ago I accepted an invitation from Massive Attack to collaborate,” Tom Waits explains. “Today, as in all of mankind's yesterdays, guarantees this song will never go out of style. Man's fiasco folly is a feast for the flies. Hence, the B-side of Massive Attack's upcoming 12 inch The Fly features my appreciation for the winged nuisance.”

LE REN - Don't Be Funny Without Me LP (Royal Mountain)  
On Don't Be Funny Without Me (DBFWM), Le Ren tells us, ""I love the man I wanted to be,"" as a matter of tender fact. She is funny while devastating, self-aware and a little self-deceiving. Across the record, she holds those contradictions close: shameless and ashamed, honest but still searching for a version of the truth that hurts a little less. DBFWM is an album about love, jealousy, and the uneasy ways the two often intertwine.

RUSSIAN CIRCLES - Nine CD/LP (Sargent House)  
On their new album Nine, Russian Circles hone their unique trajectory of crafting seismic long-form, album-oriented soundtracks to tragedy and redemption. While the trio insist that their music is a confluence of broad-ranging influences, it's fair to say that Russian Circles' adventurous diversity has developed into a distinct and singular sound. For Nine, Russian Circles adhered to the strategy established on Blood Year (2019) and Gnosis (2022) by teaming up with engineer Kurt Ballou (Converge, Mastodon, High on Fire), conducting basic tracking at Electrical Audio in Chicago. The result is an album that continues their unhurried evolution and disciplined refinement, leaning into their collective strengths while pushing at the boundaries of their sound. Whereas earlier albums were almost playful in their traversing of territories, Nine is a document of a band that knows the lay of the land and is fortifying their dominion over the varied terrain.

ECCA VANDAL - Looking For People To Unfollow LP  (Loma Vista)  
For Ecca Vandal, punk was survival; a way in, and a way out. Born to a Sri Lankan family in South Africa and raised in Australia, she grew up under pressure to fit a mold. Punk blew that open. It was her way of pushing back, of refusing silence. Trained in jazz but craving something louder, she found freedom in being raw and unapologetic. Turning rebellion into identity, and identity into sound.

SOUTH 1998 - South LP [Reissue/1998] (Jagjaguwar)  
South 1998’s (née South) self-titled debut might just be the closest ye olde Jagjaguwar ever came to releasing music that would also sound at home on, say, ECM Records. Squint your ears and you’ll hear it — Pat Metheny-clean fancy-chord guitar puzzlings, each patiently layered into languid, hypnotic Steve Reich math cul-de-sacs; interlocking hammered dulcimer and vibraphones that fall and billow like the rare heavy snow day in a southern town; the hushed-n-confident vocalizations of Patrick Phelan and Nathan Lambdin, backed by the steady rhythms of drummer Tod Parkhill. Upon its initial release, we called the Richmond, VA project an “exegesis on the great ambient-rock moments of the 20th century.” We stand by that. But upon further investigation and with the hindsight of nearly 30 years since the LP’s release, its little tricky riches have only blossomed.

VELOCITY GIRL - 1989-1992 LP (Slumberland)  
Getting their start as the 1980s bled into the 90s, Velocity Girl arose from a new pop underground that had been percolating in Washington, DC and it's suburbs, a group of bands clustered around our then-nascent Slumberland Records who broadened DC's punk paradigm with an ear for pop songs and feedback-driven racket. Velocity Girl, blessed with multiple gifted songwriters, particularly knew how to merge euphoric pop hooks with waves of noisy bliss and lovelorn melancholy.

TALK TALK - Colour Of Spring [Reissue/1986] (Rhino)  
The next in the series of the Talk Talk half-speed masters will be the band's third studio album The Color Of Spring, which celebrates it's 40th anniversary. Cut at half-speed by Matt Colton at Metropolis Studios, overseen by the band's drummer Lee Harris and Charlie Hollis, son of front man Mark Hollis. The album shows the band's progression from their synth-pop roots of ‘The Party's Over' and ‘It's My Life,’ more towards their improvisation-based work and provided the foundation of them producing their pioneering sound in their next album Spirit Of Eden.

VARIOUS - Eccentric Soul: Magic Touch Label: Vol. 1 (Numero)  
Conjuring from '64-'80, Lenny King Creole LaCour dealt a mean slight of sockin' R&B, basement beehive, hard funk, group harmony, and proto disco across a variety of mysterious imprints. This deluxe double album set gathers 26 soulful tricks from the Magic Touch top hat, with an illusion's worth of noters, photos, and ephemera in the accompany- ing booklet. Abracadabra.

I WILL DIE IN THIS JEAN JACKET - Hang From A Cloud  (Swami Records) 
I Will Die In This Jean Jacket is a testimony of how the lines between commitment and attachments are often blurred. It is the new gloom-punk project from Jim Blaha (The Blind Shake, Green/Blue). Blaha has collaborated with luminaries including Michael Yonkers, John Reis, Shannon Selberg, Dale Flattum and Zak Sally and has released records on Goner, Castle Face, Dirtnap, Hozac, Feel It, Slovenly and Swami. On Hang From A Cloud he concludes over three years of artistic solitude by heading back into the basement to create in an even deeper state of isolation. Formed in Minneapolis this past December, the late-night sessions gradually revealed a concept: capturing the feeling he had from the mixtapes a friend used to make during their teenage skateboarding years-where late '70s post punk sat comfortably alongside the more exposed underground sounds of the '80s and '90s and every song seemed to come from the same hazy, imaginary city somewhere far, far away.

SAUL WILLIAMS - Leap Life LP (Big Dada)
Leap Life is Saul Williams' first solo album in over 10 years and marks a major return for one of the most influential voices in spoken word and experimental music. Named after Saul's leap year birthday, the project has been carefully sequenced by composer and producer Carlos Niño as a fully immersive, front-to-back listening experience. The album expands Saul's sound into electronic and ambient territories while remaining rooted in spoken word, with rich sound design built from nature recordings, environmental textures, and expansive instrumentation. It also sees Saul step further into the role of producer, drawing influence from Fela Kuti, Black church traditions, and South African electronic music. The record features a standout cast of collaborators including Kamasi Washington, Georgia Anne Muldrow, Moor Mother, Gonjasufi, and Surya Botofasina, alongside material developed with Robert Del Naja (Massive Attack). Released via Big Dada, the album marks a full-circle moment with the label where Saul originally launched his solo career.

SHANNON LAY - Past The Veil LP  (All The Best)
Shannon Lay's seraphic voice and fingerpicking has long been a guiding spirit-a compassionate steward of tender hearts and minds. For the last decade, her music has tendered a retreat from one's worries, and created a refuge out of delicate and minimalist arrangements. With her new studio album, Past the Veil, she proffers the same care and understanding, and a similar emotional timbre, but from an entirely different sonic vantage point. Rather than weaving a safe cocoon in which listeners may hide out, Past the Veil rips it apart, offering a bold invitation to move through our discomfort and uncertainty. It is the sound of rebirth. It is a chance to stand up, join together, and maybe even dance.

PUREST FORM - Resistance 12” (Dais)  
Purest Form pulls visceral dance-punk music from modern-day angst and unrest. The newly formed Los Angeles trio - vocalist Story Beeson, guitarist/programmer Madi Woodward, and bassist Riley Oikawa-Dahlson- draws on their respective backgrounds in hardcore bands, and a shared love of industrial and techno, splicing the intensely heavy with the playful and sensual. Resistance, their debut with Dais Records, delivers a potent, 6-track anarchist assault on the system, fueled by collective anger amidst late-stage capitalism and a year of nonstop trauma in LA, from the fires to ICE. 

NANA RIZINNI - Epiblast LP (Nana Rizinni)  
A proud exponent of the São Paulo scene known for it's subversive, alternative music underbelly, Naná Rizinni is a drummer, producer and composer who bridges improvisatory flavours with progressive electronics, Brazilian rhythms and expansive textures. Now based in London after making the move across continents in 2020, her new album Epiblast chronicles a journey of transformation, rebirth and personal evolution. Written and co-produced with saxophonist and producer Mark Cake over the course of the last two years in London, Epiblast represents a full cycle of life, in all it's intensity. Beginning with the excitement and joy of new parenthood, in conjunction with adjusting to the pace of life and the creation of relationships in her new home, the record also became a companion for Naná's grieving process after the loss of her brother.

JOHN CARROL KIRBY - Piano Works 2016-2026 LP (Stones Throw)  
Piano Works 2016-2026 collects fourteen impromptu pieces by composer and producer John Carroll Kirby, written whenever he had the opportunity to sit at a piano while on the road. These mostly solo works for piano were recorded in Los Angeles, Rome, Tokyo, Wollongong (Australia), New Zealand and London.

DEKU TRIO - Zelda & Jazz LP (Diggers Factory)  
Jazz piano, upright bass, and mellow percussion set the stage for the debut release of The Deku Trio. Zelda & Jazz is a 12-track tribute to The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. The Deku Trio is a new project from Rob Araujo (Chillhop) and Chris Davidson (GameChops) that elevates video game covers through forward-leaning arrangements for jazz trio. Highlighting fan favorites like ‘Song of Storms,’ ‘Zelda's Lullaby,’ and ‘Great Fairy Fountain,’ The Deku Trio's coffeehouse-style reimagining feature cozy ornamented piano arrangements, interesting reharmonizations, soulful basslines, and delicate drums and percussion. Music composed by Koji Kondo with character designs by award-winning comic author Riana Dorsey.

MANAKA KATAOKA- Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild OST LP (Laced Records)
Nintendo and Laced Records are linking up to bring the sweeping music of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild to vinyl records. This collaboration marks the first time a Nintendo soundtrack has been commercially released on vinyl outside of Japan. This double LP set features heavyweight discs that come in printed inner sleeves, housed in a widespined outer sleeve. All packaging is adorned with archival artwork by the team behind The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. The tracklist includes 34 fan-favourite cues including ‘Overworld (Day),’ ‘Great Fairy Fountain’ and ‘Hyrule Castle,’ sequenced to take listeners on a whistlestop tour of Hyrule in the final days of the Great Calamity.

OK GO - Oh No CD/LP (Capitol)  
OK Go's GRAMMY Award-winning sophomore record, Oh No, now on classic black vinyl. Released in 2005, it features the hits ‘Here It Goes Again’ and ‘Invincible.’ CD version includes the original 2005 album and rare covers, B-sides, live and acoustic recordings.

MICHAEL BAND YONKERS - Microminiature Love LP [Reissue/2002] (Sub Pop)  
Originally recorded in 1968 and slated for release on Sire Records, Microminiature Love by outsider-folk/psych-rock icon Michael Yonkers languished unreleased until unearthed and issued by de Stijl Records as a limited, vinyl-only pressing in 2002. Back then, our friends at San Francisco institution Aquarius Records described it better than we ever could:An obscure late-sixties ahead-of-his-time visionary gets his due with this LP reissue. Yonkers' stuff was like nothing anyone had heard back then (or even now really): fucked-up garage psych with dementedly genius lyrics and crazy acid-fried guitar.

ORQUESTA SUPREMA - La Suprema LP [Reissue/1973] (Sonic Wax Records)  
One of the original exponents of the true Miami Sound was Orquesta Suprema, a well-oiled twelve-piece salsa orchestra that were extremely popular in the early to mid - 1970s in the Miami area, catering to the huge influx of Cuban emigres. Their brand of salsa mixed with explosive Afro-Cuban rhythms was contagious, and when Suprema played a dance, they drew thousands of people with little or no advertising. Their ultra-rare albums are now highly prized by Cuban music enthusiasts. The landmark album La Suprema, recorded in 1973, Originally produced by Sound Triangle head honcho Manny Mato, is presented here newly remastered and pressed on limited edition color vinyl.

VARIOUS - Songs In The Key Of Springfield The Simpsons OST LP (Hollywood Records)  
Double vinyl LP pressing. Celebrate the music of The Simpsons with Songs in the Key of Springfield, now available as a deluxe 2LP vinyl edition. This collection showcasing fan-favorite songs, deep cuts, and classic moments from across the series is a must-have for collectors.

THE RATS - The Rats LP [Reissue/1980] (Mississippi Records)  
This is it! Fred and Toody Cole (of Dead Moon, The Range Rats, Pierced Arrows, etc) first ever record together! A primitive punk masterpiece. The perfect mix of sophisticated songwriting mixed with the rawest rock imaginable. Ground zero for Portland punk, remastered but still lo fi.

COMING NEXT WEEK
FUNKADELIC - Maggot Brain CD/LP/CASS Reissue
BONOBO - Distance In Static CD/LP
BLOC PARTY - Anathomy Of A Brief Romance CD/LP
SYLVAN ESSO - Ow CD/LP
HARUOMI HOSONO - Yours Sincerely CD/LP
THIS IS LORELEI - Singer In My Band CD/LP
HUG - Hug LP
IBIBIO SOUND MACHINE - Chopping Mountain CD/LP
EZRA COLLECTIVE - Here Because Of Hope CD/LP
PIXIES - Bossanova & Trompe Le Monde Reissues
ST GERAMIN - Boulevard LP Reissue