Previous Week
Music Releases 11-24-23
- Snoop Doggy Dogg
Doggystyle: 30th Anniversary [Indie Exclusive Limited Edition Green & Black Smoke 2LP] - Mac Miller
Watching Movies with the Sound Off: 10 Year Anniversary Edition [Galaxy 2LP+10in Zoetrope Picture Disc] - Day Wave
Pastlife [LP] - Busta Rhymes
BLOCKBUSTA [2LP] - David Gray
White Ladder Live [2LP] - Feeling Figures
Migration Music [LP] - Burna Boy
I Told Them… [LP] - DJ Muggs & Dean Hurley
Divinity: Original Motion Picture Score [Silver LP] - Dead Moon
Going South [2LP] - Max Champion
Mr. Joe Jackson presents Max Champion in 'What A Racket!' [LP] - John Prine
The Oh Boy Singles 7" Jukebox Box Set - Death Grips
Government Plates [RSD Essential Clear LP] - Various Artists
Where Rock 'n' Roll Was Born: Celebrating 100 Years of Sam Phillips [RSD Essential Indie Colorway Sky Blue 2LP] - Daniel Donato's Cosmic Country
Reflector [Blue 2LP] - Defiant
If We're Really Being Honest - Ghost Hounds
First Last Time [LP] - Various Artists
Istanbul 70: Psych, Disco, Folk Edits by Barış K Vol I-VI [LP] - Type O Negative
Life Is Killing Me: 20th Anniversary Edition [3LP]
Movie Releases 11-28-23
- The Sandman [TV Series]
The Sandman: The Complete First Season [4K] - A Haunting in Venice [Movie]
A Haunting In Venice - Wandavision [Marvel TV Series]
WandaVision: Season 1
Current Week
Music Releases 12-01-23
More than 20 years in the making, this December finally sees the release of i/o, Peter Gabriel’s first album of new material since 2002’s Up. During 2023, Peter has been releasing a new song from the album on the occasion of every full moon. Being revealed roughly every four weeks, each track has been allowed to find its own time and space, to enjoy its own orbit. “It’s a little like getting a Lego piece each month,” Peter explains. Now it’s time to stand back and admire the final, completed creation. And what a creation – 12 tracks of grace, gravity and great beauty that provide welcome confirmation of not only Peter’s ongoing ability to write stop-you-in-your-tracks songs but also of that thrilling voice, still perfectly, delightfully intact. Throughout the album the intelligent and thoughtful – often thought-provoking – songs tackle life and the universe. Our connection to the world around us – ‘I’m just a part of everything’ Peter sings on title track i/o – is a recurring motif, but so too the passing of time, mortality and grief, alongside such themes as injustice, surveillance and the roots of terrorism. But this is not a solemn record. While reflective, the mood is never despondent; i/o is musically adventurous, often joyous and ultimately full of hope, topped off as it is, by the rousingly optimistic closing song, Live and Let Live. Always looking to push the boundaries, i/o is not simply a collection of a dozen songs. All 12 tracks are subject to two stereo mixes: the Bright-Side Mix, handled by Mark ‘Spike’ Stent, and the Dark-Side Mix, as reshaped by Tchad Blake. “We have two of the greatest mixers in the world in Tchad and Spike and they definitely bring different characters to the songs. Tchad is very much a sculptor building a journey with sound and drama, Spike loves sound and assembling these pictures, so he’s more of a painter.” Peter has also invited a range of visual artists to contribute a piece of art to accompany each track. The dozen artists make an exceedingly impressive team of collaborators: Ai Weiwei, Nick Cave, Olafur Eliasson, Henry Hudson, Annette Messager, Antony Micallef, David Moreno, Cornelia Parker, Megan Rooney, Tim Shaw, David Spriggs and Barthélémy Toguo. Having handpicked the artists, Peter recognises that “They have the same obsessive attention to their visual work that we musicians have in sound.”
Hector Tellez Jr. is a soulful big-voiced singer and virtuoso rock guitar-player from Havana, Cuba. Growing up in a musical family in Cuba, he listened to scratchy bootlegged cassettes and CDs leading him on a passionate and self-curated music journey of blues and classic rock n’ roll. His cornerstone influences coalesced into Stevie Ray Vaughan, Muddy Waters, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Jeff Buckley, and Leonard Cohen.
Today Hector lives in Nashville, Tennessee and writes and records music in both English and Spanish. His upcoming debut album was produced by Barrett Martin (Screaming Trees, Queens of the Stone Age, Stone Temple Pilots) and features Peter Buck of R.E.M. and Krist Novoselic of Nirvana.
Five Finger Death Punch
The Wrong Side Of Heaven & The Righteous Side Of Hell Volumes 1&2 [6LP Box Set]
Vinyl: $124.99 Buy
Limited to one pressing, this 10th Anniversary Viny Box Set Brings Together 2 of Five Finger Death Punch’s Best-Selling Albums (Pressed on Silver Metallic and Gold Metallic vinyl and housed in gatefold sleeves with updated album art), along with their long out-of-print live album, PURGATORY (TALES FROM THE PIT). This 6-platter collection contains 6 bonus tracks and a 4-decal sticker sheet. This will be a highly sought-after collectable among the band’s legion of devoted fans. Five Finger Death Punch will have just wrapped up fall tour dates with Metallica and Ice Nine Kills in November.
Daisy Jones & The Six
Aurora [Indie Exclusive Super Deluxe Edition Milky Clear 2LP]
Vinyl: $39.98 Buy
Daisy Jones & The Six Aurora Super Deluxe Album is set to release on December 1st on vinyl, cassette, and CD including 14 new tracks that have never been released on a physical format. The 14 new tracks include live, acoustic demos, and reimagined versions of hit singles “Look At Us Now (Honeycomb)” by Marcus Mumford & Maren Morris as well as “Let Me Down Easy” by Demi Lovato. The show Daisy Jones & The Six was the #1 most streamed show on Amazon upon launch and recently received 9 Emmy nominations. “Aurora” was produced by GRAMMY®-nominated writer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Blake Mills (Bob Dylan, Fiona Apple, Alabama Shakes, John Legend, Andrew Bird, Perfume Genius).
Stephen Marley is one of the most respected artists in reggae and pop, with eight GRAMMY® Awards from his career as a solo artist, as a producer and as a member of his family band, Ziggy Marley & The Melody Makers.
His brand-new album, Old Soul, is his fifth, and is releasing on UMe in partnership with the Marley Family, Tuff Gong and Ghetto Youth International. It’s Stephen stretching himself as a singer and songwriter, bringing along some special guests in a wide range of material beyond the reggae category.
Among its 14 tracks is the title song, released as a single on Stephen’s fortuitous birthday, 4/20 – which also got a lyric video on Father’s Day Weekend – plus “Winding Roads,” a collaboration with Jack Johnson and the Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir; a new version of his father’s song, “I Shot the Sheriff,” with Eric Clapton, who made the song globally famous, on guitar; two songs with his brothers; and unique covers of the traditional pop songs, “Georgia On My Mind” and “These Foolish Things,” both transformed into modern ska singalongs.
Each year, thousands of people flock to the city of Nashville with hopes of “making it”. Ironically, it wasn’t until Zach Russell made the decision to leave Music City, USA that he inked his first record deal with Thirty Tigers. Zach had stints as a manager at a shoe store and a karaoke host. He installed irrigation systems, and and also worked as a carpenter. He traveled the US and Europe as Tyler Childers merchandise manager for 3 years and got to witness firsthand what it takes to chase down greatness. Through it all, one thing that remained constant was his belief that he could chase it down as well.
Since leaving Nashville and returning back to the hills of East Tennessee, the past 18 months have been busy for Russell. He spent those months writing music, touring with The Alex Leach Band, and delivering a guest appearance on Adeem the Artist critically acclaimed album, White Trash Revelry. That wave of momentum has culminated to this moment, and the release of his highly anticipated full-length debut, Where the Flowers Meet the Dew.
Once again joining forces with up-and-coming producer Kyle Crownover (Adeem the Artist), this ten-song effort never takes its foot off the gas pedal. Dominant themes of wrestling with mortality, pondering reincarnation, and finding that ever elusive feeling of contentment that all weave gracefully through.
As the old saying goes, “Big hitters take big swings.”, and Russell’s choice as the first single is as bold a statement as can be made. Coming in at a shade over seven minutes long, “Born Again” begins as a rockabilly banger, then midway through, via a psychedelic segue it morphs into a funky, groove heavy jam. Russell sings of reincarnation and hints that perhaps every waking moment is, in fact, an opportunity to start anew.
The first half of the record is filled with traditional waltzes (“I Thought I Was the Trees”, “Take Me Back to Tennessee”), haunting electric folk (“What You Want Comes to You”), and 60’s R&B style (“Milk & Honey”) cuts. Its deep, mellow, and the lyrics are contemplative. It draws you in while not letting the listener get too comfortable.
Beginning with the aforementioned rip-roaring lead single, the back half of the record brings with it an altogether different vibe. Greasy, distorted guitar licks pepper the back half of Where the Flowers Meet the Dew. “Playing House” fully displays his creative dexterity, and would be right at home on a post-grunge rock radio station, circa 1998, sandwiched between Matchbox 20 and Third Eye Blind. There’s an underlying current filtering through the back half of the record that bristles with tongue in cheek humor, confidence, and all-out swagger. As a whole, Where the Flowers Meet the Dew is a remarkably ambitious effort that undoubtably demands and is worthy of repeated listens.
The platinum LIL DURK album 7220 is now available on vinyl for the first time. The 17 track 2LP set features GUNNA, FUTURE, SUMMER WALKER, and MORGAN WALLEN.
Brainiac
Smack Bunny Baby: 30th Anniversary [Indie Exclusive Limited Edition Violet LP]
Vinyl: $25.98 Buy
Mayday Parade
Monster In The Closet: 10th Anniversary [Indie Exclusive Limited Edition Black Ice 2LP]
Vinyl: $32.99 Buy
For Omar Apollo, longing is an art form—and he’s mastered it. The young singer/songwriter’s aching, visceral musings on love and heartbreak have earned him connection with a devoted fanbase as well as industry-wide recognition, including a GRAMMY nomination for Best New Artist, two Latin GRAMMY nominations for Record of the Year and Best Alternative Song (“Te Olvidaste,” with C. Tangana), Variety’s Future Icon award, and most recently his first RIAA-certified platinum record for viral hit “Evergreen (You Didn’t Deserve Me at All)”—which was also his Billboard Hot 100 debut. He ushers in his next chapter with a new EP, Live for Me, with some of his most personal writing to date, expressing themes he hasn’t previously spoke about. Born in Hobart, Indiana, to parents who immigrated from Mexico, he often felt isolated as a minority in his hometown. As he draws on another year of life, love, and longing for his latest chapter, Apollo’s promise is limitless.
The double platinum ROD WAVE album PRAY 4 LOVE is now available on vinyl for the first time. The album features fan favorites “RAGS2RICHES” & “GIRL OF MY DREAMS.”
Charlemagne Palestine’s newest record pairs two energetic works for carillon bells. On side A, a new piece recorded at his studio in Belgium—a high-ceiling, stuffed animal paradise he calls Charleworld—among friends and divinities. On the flip side, Blank Forms Editions’ very first and long out-of-print release appears on vinyl for the first time: a cathartic street recording of his 2018 musical eulogy for his late friend Tony Conrad, performed on the bells of St. Thomas Episcopal Church where the two first met. Two mesmerizing “klanggdedangggebannggg” sessions in the Quasimodo of 53rd Street’s unmistakable improvisatory style.
Movie Releases 12-05-23
Porcupine Tree
Closure/Continuation. Live. Amsterdam 07/11/22 [Blu-ray+DVD]
Blu-Ray: $26.98 PREORDER
Closure/Continuation. Live. Amsterdam 07/11/22 documents Porcupine Tree’s triumphant return to the stage perfectly. A live recording captured on 7th November 2022 at Amsterdam’s 17,000 capacity Ziggo Dome, it places the listener/viewer right at the heart of the stage for the duration of the show as psychotropic visuals explode behind the band as they play a superlative set of songs that features - to use Steven Wilson’s words - “no hits,” where each one is received like an anthem from an alternate universe.
Closure/Continuation. Live. Amsterdam 07/11/22 includes live recordings of much of their 2022 reunion album (including the singles “Harridan” and “Of The New Day”) as well as classic tracks like Trains, Fear of a Blank Planet and Anesthetize.
Next Week
Music Releases 12-08-23
- Nicki Minaj
Pink Friday 2 [Electric Blue LP]
- Tate McRae
THINK LATER
- Neil Young
Before and After [Indie Exclusive Limited Edition Clear LP]
Video - Bryan Adams
Royal Albert Hall [4LP/Blu-ray Box Set]
- Michael Franti & Spearhead
Big Big Love [Clear Highlighter Yellow LP]
Video - Kaliii
Toxic Chocolate: Area Codes Edition [Lemonade LP]
- Atreyu
The Beautiful Dark of Life [Red Teal & Yellow Swirl 2LP]
- Burna Boy
Love, Damini [2LP]
- Bring Me The Horizon
Sempiternal: 10th Anniversary [Limited Edition Picture Disc LP]
- Melody Gardot
Worrisome Heart [Pink LP]
- The Killers
Rebel Diamonds [2 LP]
- Pink Floyd
Atom Heart Mother/Hakone Aphrodite Japan 1971 [CD/Blu-ray]
- Have Mercy
Numb [Indie Exclusive Limited Edition Magenta Eco-Friendly LP]
- Chunk! No, Captain Chunk!
Pardon My French: 10th Anniversary Deluxe Edition [Red Smoke 2LP]
- Uncle Lucius
Like It's the Last One Left [LP]
- James Elkington
Me Neither [2LP]
- Broadside
Hotel Bleu [Green LP]
- Voces8
A Choral Christmas
- C-Clamp
Dream Backwards [White w/ Opaque Blue Jay Splatter 3LP]
- Joanna Brouk
Sounds Of The Sea [Seaglass Wave Translucent LP]
- Various Artists
Fool’s Gold 15 [Limited Edition Gold Nugget LP]
- Michael Nau
Accompany [Powder Blue LP]
- Robbie Robertson
Killers of the Flower Moon (Soundtrack from the Apple Original Film)
- Dais x Retrospekt
CP-81 Cassette Player + C23 Cassette Compilation [Limited Edition]
Movie Releases 12-12-23
- Neil Young
Before and After [Blu-ray]
Video - Warren Haynes
Warren Haynes Presents: The Benefit Concert Volume 20 [3CD / 2Blu-ray]