Hailed as "the epitome of Southern Soul" (VIBE) and a "bluesy stroke of brilliance" (Okayplayer), with "a voice molded by the gospel church and a near preternatural handling of the deep-down intensity of the blues" (KCRW), 'Miss Black America' further expands KIRBY’s mission to reclaim her roots, and bring Mississippi music and culture to the masses. As Elton John recently proclaimed, KIRBY is "destined for great things," and with this album, she turns the page on a profound and personal next chapter, daring listeners to hear the foot stomping, humming and yearning, and transform those sounds into purpose and power.

While KIRBY has co-written and collaborated with everyone from Rihanna, Kanye West and Paul McCartney to Beyoncé, Black Thought, Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato, Donald Glover and more, cultivating millions of fans including Hayley Williams and countless others, 'Miss Black America' is entirely her own. Choosing hymns over hits, stories over samples, and truth over trends, this project marks the most inspired work of her career, taking you from the Saturday cookout to the Sunday church service, while getting you through working for 'The Man' on Monday. It is blues and soul music for the future, and made for those who came before her: the ancestors who danced, cried and sang on the land of the Dockery Plantation where she descends from, and where many credit as the birthplace of the Delta blues.

TRACK LISTING

1. When You Coming Home
2. Bettadaze
3. Miss Black America
4. The Man
5. Thick N Country
6. Na$ty
7. Under Pressure
8. Mama Don’t Worry
9. Reparations
10. Jump The Broom
11. My People
12. Afromations

Rostam’s third album, 'American Stories', is first new music in over five years. The Iranian-American artist and acclaimed producer returns with a record that explores his life across dual cultural worlds. The music weaves together elements of Americana and Persian traditions, blending finger-picked guitars, pedal steel, and strummed chords with microtonal Persian melodies. “That marriage of east and west felt like music that I needed to make for this album.” Interweaving his own experiences, Rostam's lyrics are a collection of stories and reflections, 'The Weight' takes place on college campuses in America in the spring of 2025. In 'Forgive is to Know', Rostam processes real events and the act of songwriting itself. Rostam makes sense of the end of a relationship in 'Hardy' ft. Clairo and contends with humanity’s uncertain future. The result is a record that feels deeply individual yet unmistakably American. “Ultimately I hope listeners find comfort in this record and I want to leave people with a feeling of optimism.”

TRACK LISTING

1. Like A Spark
2. Back Of A Truck
3. Different Light
4. Hardy (feat. Clairo)
5. Forgive Is To Know
6. To Feel No Way
7. The Road To Death
8. Come Apart
9. The Weight

The Yawpers planted their flag at the intersection of the delta, the dive bar, and the mosh pit. Bloodshot are proud to drag their most feral albums back to the turntable. 'American Man', produced by Cracker’s Johnny Hickman, is “part blues, part rock, part folk, all slathered with early 80s punk attitude” and “a success on every level” according to the geniuses at American Songwriter.

TRACK LISTING

1. Doing It Right
2. American Man
3. Burdens
4. Tied
5. Deacon Brodie
6. To 5
7. Walter
8. Kiss It
9. A.M.
10. The Desert

The complete studio recordings from The American Analog Set’s second chapter. 'Destroy Destroy Destroy' gathers the Texas slow-krauters 'Know By Heart', 'Promise Of Love', and 'Set Free' LPs, 'Everything Ends In Spring' EP, and an additional two discs of singles, B-sides, alternates and outtakes. Accompanying 36-page booklet is flooded with photos and handwritten scraps from the band’s dreamy post-Y2K era. Punk as fuck, for real.

TRACK LISTING

LP1 - Know By Heart
LP2 - Promise Of Love
LP3 - Set Free
LP4 - Everything Ends In Spring
LP5 - Static Between The Stations Pt 1
LP6 - Static Between The Stations Pt 2

Chinese American Bear return in 2026 with their third album, 'Dim Sum & Then Some', via cult UK label Moshi Moshi.

“'Dim Sum & Then Some' was started the day after we finished our 2024 album 'Wah!!!'. We were having a lot of fun and inspiration was still high,” the band explain. “The album explores themes around what we love—food, little joys, fun simple nonsense, China, love, anthems, and fairytales. It’s a collage of our life, distilled into positivity and lightheartedness.”

Often described as The Flaming Lips, Dusty Springfield, and The Beach Boys having a baby with a Care Bear, Chinese American Bear’s music is bursting with comedy, groove, quirk, and cuteness. 'Dim Sum & Then Some' is melodically rich and joyfully maximalist, weaving together psychedelia, doses of funk, and lush instrumentation, with plenty of lyrics devoted to the simple pleasure of filling up your belly with good food. 

TRACK LISTING

1. Intro(开场白)
2. All The People (所有人)
3. No No Yeah Yeah (不不好啊好啊)
4. I Wanna Go Home (我想回家)
5. Turnup The Radio (把收音机开大点)
6. Dance Dance Dance (跳舞跳舞跳舞)
7. Chant (NamoAmituofo)
8. Mama (妈妈)
9. Lovely Day (美好的一天)
10. Land Of Fun (好玩的地方)
11. Forever Lover (永远的爱人)
12. Chinese American Bear Anthem (华裔美国熊之歌) 

When the idea of recording a 4th album came up (for the second time), American Football knew things were going to get darker. After touring a year’s worth of sold-out 25th anniversary shows around the world and releasing a covers album (featuring Iron & Wine, Ethel Cain, Blondshell & more), the quartet of Mike & Nate Kinsella, Steve Lamos, and Steve Holmes, linked up with producer / engineer Sonny Diperri (My Bloody Valentine, M83, Kurt Vile) to record what would become their most substantial record to date. Blending atmospheric textures with emotive, post-rock style catharsis, 'LP4' is unlike anything American Football have recorded thus far, yet it fits right in with their evolving and beautiful catalog.

Recorded during a 10-day retreat at Panoramic House in Stinson Beach, CA, 'LP4' finds the band intentionally walking into the abyss - themes of divorce, upheaval, and uncertainty are at the forefront, yet the band sounds more engaged and legitimized than ever before. Opening track, 'Man Overboard', showcases each member’s strengths - the un-matched style and jazz swing of Lamos’ drumming, the lyrical vulnerability and multi-instrumental mastery of both Kinsellas, and Holmes’ signature guitar work - all of it swirling together like a shoegaze tornado, the guitars and bass surging into something twisted and warped. Other standouts like 'Blood On My Blood' showcase the band’s unique use of alternating time signatures while 'Bad Moons' (the longest track the band has ever recorded) includes some of Kinsella’s most intense lyrics yet. The album also features additional guest vocals from Turnstile’s Brendan Yates ('No Feeling'), Wisp ('Wake Her Up'), and Rainer Maria’s Caithlin De Marrais('Blood On My Blood').

'LP4' is an ambitious artistic statement from a band who have continued to push the boundaries of genre and culture. It’s a gorgeous and elaborate album, one that takes its time to show you its beauty, while hinting at the darker parts that are trying their best to stay hidden.

TRACK LISTING

1. Man Overboard
2. No Feeling
3. Blood On My Blood
4. Bad Moons
5. The One With The Piano
6. Patron Saint Of Pale
7. Wake Her Up
8. Desdemona
9. Lullabye
10. No Soul To Save

THIS IS A RECORD STORE DAY 2026 EXCLUSIVE AND WILL BE AVAILABLE INSTORE ON SATURDAY APRIL 18TH ON A FIRST COME FIRST SERVED BASIS, LIMITED TO ONE PER PERSON.

IF THERE ARE ANY REMAINING COPIES THEY WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE ONLINE AT 8PM (BST) ON MONDAY APRIL 20th).

Exclusive limited edition one-off pressing on heavyweight single red vinyl + download code. Soul Jazz Records’ new ‘Power Pop! American Power Pop for the Now Generation 1977-1981’ brings together a wealth of punk/power pop/new wave tunes from American bands that were all originally released in the USA on small and independent labels in the late-70s/early-80s.

THIS IS A RECORD STORE DAY 2026 EXCLUSIVE AND WILL BE AVAILABLE INSTORE ON SATURDAY APRIL 18TH ON A FIRST COME FIRST SERVED BASIS, LIMITED TO ONE PER PERSON.

IF THERE ARE ANY REMAINING COPIES THEY WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE ONLINE AT 8PM (BST) ON MONDAY APRIL 20th).

For the first time on vinyl, Steely Dan's first official live album, Alive in America, captures the immaculate jazz-rock precision and wit of their triumphant 1990s return to the stage. Experience the high-fidelity sound of Donald Fagen, Walter Becker and their all-star band delivering stunning, extended versions of classics like Aja, Reelin' In the Years, and Kid Charlemagne on 180 Gram Black Vinyl. This essential double-LP set is an audiophile-grade document of a legendary band proving their studio perfection was equally electric live.

"After finishing 'American Don' with (Steve) Albini, we were nearing the peak of interpersonal tensions that would eventually wash us overboard. I (Eric) became convinced we lost the true essence of the songs in the recording process. It was not a unanimous decision to record with Steve. We wrote the album entirely on guitar loops and Team Storm & Stress wanted to go further in the studio with Pro Tools, which felt related to both what we were doing and where we were going. Steve had just finished building the magnificent A room at Electrical and Damon insisted we would record there for the drums. He never budged on it. As soon as we got there we realized all the songs, which were written in stacks of overdubs on our pedals, would only allow for mono guitar recordings. We worked around this by performing the songs to a single loop and overdubbing all the guitars later allowing for a full stereo field to match the glorious bombast of Steve’s drum recordings. This approach dramatically changed how we played. While it allowed for magic moments of improv (Peter Criss intro), once the album was done, it sounded bloated and the performances sluggish. With increasing certainty I was sure the sound of the Akai Headrush, and the tempos it set for Damon was the heartbeat of these songs. Ian agreed.

"In an audacious last ditch hail mary, I had the idea to call Greg Norman (who worked for Steve!) and asked if we could secretly come to his studio in S. Chicago *road hot* after our next shows and re-record the album LIVE. It was an enormous gesture that could’ve never worked, but miraculously everyone agreed to do it and we gave it a try. Greg captured us at our most fiery hot personally and professionally. The tempos are faster and no one is holding back with anything to lose. These true live tapes show the songs exactly as we played them on the road where they were developed between June of 1999 and July of 2000. Now, 25 years later, the Greg Norman tapes have been dusted off, baked, and transferred to digital. With the aid of modern restoration tools, and the expertise of Sir Bob Weston, we were able to re-mix and master these recordings for the first time." - Eric Emm

TRACK LISTING

LP1 - American Don (Remastered):
1. Fire Back About Your New Baby's Sex The Peter
2. Criss Jazz
3. Haven't Lived Afro Pop
4. You Drink A Lot Of Coffee For A Teenager
5. Ones All Over The Place
6. I Never Liked You
7. Details On How To Get ICEMAN On Your License Plate
8. A Lot Of People Tell Me I Have A Fake British Accent Lets Face It Pal, You Didn't Need That Eye Surgery

LP2 - American Don True Live Tapes:
1. Fire Back About Your New Baby's Sex
2. Haven't Lived Afro Pop
3. The Peter Criss Jazz
4. Ones All Over The Place
5. I Never Liked You
6. Details On How To Get ICEMAN On Your License Plate Let's Face It Pal, You Didn't Need That Eye Surgery

Pan American, the musical project of Mark Nelson, returns with the new album 'Fly The Ocean In A Silver Plane'. 

“The music on this record is a reflection of journeys and travel. The real world kind and the metaphorical ones as well. Having experienced the arrival of my children, the decline and departure of my parents, and the many years of venturing out and returning home in my own life, travel feels like the perfect tropology to consider the mysteries we inhabit. Travel and its impressions, rituals, superstitions—the possibilities and risk-all open up onto the landscape of our biggest questions, fear and wonder.

“Two songs established the spine of this music. Songs I’ve always loved, it seems even before I’d heard them. The first one, and the source of the title is ‘You Belong to Me’ by Jo Stafford. Colonial overtones unmissable to our modern ears aside, it’s also a beautiful mid century romance—and an ode to the threat of a shrinking world. The song represents the loneliness and the mystery of being alone and left behind. The singer is not asking their loved one to shut down horizons, merely reminding them to return when the traveling is done. To set aside The Silver Plane of transition, change and the in-between for the intimacy of solid earth.

“The second song is ‘Promised Land’ by Chuck Berry. Also about a journey and another one that moves easily between allegory and narrative. The singer is on the move across segregated America trying to get to the promised land of California. The song is both a tall tale that evokes Mark Twain, and an American epic that can keep good company with Herman Melville. When the hero finally makes it to California, his first instinct is to call home and reassure the Old World that he’s safely arrived in the new one.

“The songs on Fly the Ocean in a Silver Plane were recorded at home over the last couple years. I played electric guitar, rubber bridge acoustic guitar, Ableton Live and an Electron Digitone synth. My friend Mallory Linnehan aka Chelsea Bridge contributed beautiful violin and vocals to a couple of the songs. We recorded those performances on a summer afternoon in Chicago at the Not Not space with the windows open.

“The cover is a photo of my mom—one I never saw when she was alive. With the headscarf and that excited, nervous expression, she looks about to embark on a journey. Ready, finally, to cross the tarmac and board the Silver Plane. “Wishing safe travels to all.” — Mark N / Pan•American

TRACK LISTING

1. SILVER PLANE, NOW BOARDING
2. DEATH CLEANING
3. ENTRANCE TO THE AFTERLIFE
4. DESERT UNDER BRIDGE
5. HEAVEN'S WAITING ROOM
6. SILVER TRAMWAY (IN SNOW)
7. HONEYMAN-SCOTT
8. TAXI TO THE TERMINAL GATE
9. A WINDOW IN THE STRINGS
10. GOLDEN GATE, SILVER CITY

Ace’s small but ever-evolving “Black America Sings…” series has been quiet of late, but it springs back into action this month with the 2-LP and CD releases of “Highway Of Diamonds” – a second dip onto the catalogue of Bob Dylan, as reimagined by some of the foremost African-American artists of the 20th century.

From almost the start of his songwriting career, Dylan’s words and music have impacted on black American music, with ‘Blowin’ In The Wind’, speaking to an America that was still mostly segregated and becoming an anthem for all colours and creeds. As Dylan’s own career progressed, so did the number of covers he received, with a significant amount coming from what might be termed ‘non-traditional’ sources such as those heard here.

The 20 songs on “Highway Of Diamonds” continue the story that was told in part on the earlier “How Many Roads” compilation, with an almost entirely different selection of artists lending their voices to some of the best songwriting of the 20th century, and an almost entirely different selection of songs (with the exception of ‘Blowin’ In The Wind’ itself, which provides a common thread linking the story told across the two sets).

Big names from the worlds of soul, gospel and jazz, timeless songs and, for many, new ways of appreciating ever-durable material make “Highway Of Diamonds” as essential a purchase as its predecessor.

As ever, the great audio is complemented by a handsomely illustrated package on both CD and double vinyl, with a plethora of illustrations and in depth song-by-song-and-track-by-track annotation by Ace legend Tony Rounce.

TRACK LISTING

1. A HARD RAIN'S A-GONNA FALL - THE STAPLE SINGERS
2. EVERYTHING IS BROKEN - BETTYE LAVETTE
3. JUST LIKE TOM THUMB'S BLUES - NINA SIMONE
4. GOTTA SERVE SOMEBODY - NATALIE COLE
5. IT AIN'T ME BABE - MAXINE WELDON
6. IT'S ALRIGHT MA (I'M ONLY BLEEDING) - BILLY PRESTON
7. THE MIGHTY QUINN - SOLOMON BURKE
8. RAINY DAY WOMEN #12 & 35 - MERRY CLAYTON
9. SHELTER FROM THE STORM - CASSANDRA WILSON
10. THE TIMES THEY ARE A-CHANGIN' - THE BROTHERS & SISTERS OF LOS ANGELE
11. TOMORROW IS A LONG TIME - HARRY BELAFONTE
12. BABY I'M IN THE MOOD FOR YOU - ODETTA
13. DON'T FALL APART ON ME TONIGHT - AARON NEVILLE
14. IF NOT FOR YOU - SARAH VAUGHAN
15. GEORGE JACKSON - JP ROBINSON
16. WHEN HE RETURNS - JIMMY SCOTT
17. I THREW IT ALL AWAY - THE BO-KEYS
18. DOWN ALONG THE COVE - JOHNNY JENKINS
19. EVERY GRAIN OF SAND - LIZZ WRIGHT
20. BLOWIN' IN THE WIND - THE CARAVANS

Talk Show is a new duo collaboration featuring Steph Richards on trumpets and resonating surfaces and Qasim Naqvi on drums, almglocken bells and modular synthesizer. Having worked together on other projects for almost two decades, 'Miss America' marks their first, pure duo collaboration – a space to engage with a sonic language they’ve been cultivating together for years.

The album was recorded live, with Qasim crafting real-time electronics and drum set work, and Steph using trumpets and resonating percussion to summon sympathetic vibrations and otherworldly sounds through timpani, snare and water. The trumpet sounds electronically processed, though every sound is acoustic. Both artists wanted to retain the live nature of their process, so what you hear is virtually untouched.

Sharing an appetite for experimentalism, theatricality and irreverent collisions of sound and image, Qasim and Steph met in 2008 at CalArts- which was a breeding ground for open creative thought and cross disciplinary collaboration. Often working with directors in the theater program, choreographers, or experimental and character animators, Steph and Qasim’s musical language has a rooting in visual performance art. From their first premiere, costumed together inside a giant two-person dress sculpture that consumed a drum set, to their most recent 2025 audio visual nightmare which explores the horrors of 80s daytime reality talk shows, this duo presents a voice the grimy and the grotesque: a new beauty of questionable acts and character flaws in sound.

TRACK LISTING

1. Royalties
2. Mom’s Night Out
3. Miss America
4. Soft As A Rock
5. Death Bed

America, the band that gave the world the Classic Rock evergreen “A Horse With No Name” in 1972 released their fifth album Hearts three years later to great public and critical acclaim. Hearts was produced by famed Beatles producer George Martin. The album was a big hit in the US reaching number 4 on the Billboard album charts, certified Gold by the RIAA.

TRACK LISTING

Side A
1. Daisy Jane
2. Half A Man
3. Midnight
4. Bell Tree
5. Old Virginia
6. People In The Valley

Side B
1. Company
2. Woman Tonight
3. The Story Of A Teenager
4. Sister Golden Hair
5. Tomorrow
6. Seasons

On October 12th & 13th, 2024, American Football performed two sold- out shows at the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles - part of the band’s 25th anniversary tour for their self-titled debut album. Featuring guest appearances from Ethel Cain and M.A.G.S., these special shows were recorded for American Football’s first and only live album, 'American Football (Live in Los Angeles)'. To coincide with the album’s release, the band teamed up with Prophet Media and director Steph Rinzler for the release of a full-length concert film, featuring candid interviews with the band, Ethel Cain, Yvette Young, and M.A.G.S. Both the film and album captures the legacy and unexpected staying power of a group that helped define a genre.

After quietly releasing their self-titled debut album in 1999 while still in college, American Football disbanded after the album’s release to focus on other projects, only to reunite 15 years later to a fanbase that had been consistently growing throughout the underground / emo scene. The album later appeared on Rolling Stone’s “40 Greatest Emo Albums of All Time” list at #6, with Pitchfork giving its deluxe reissue the “Best New Reissue” title, calling it the “most influential album in the genre.”

TRACK LISTING

1. Five Silent Miles
2. The Summer Ends
3. Honestly?
4. For Sure Feat. Ethel Cain
5. You Know I Should Be Leaving Soon
6. But The Regrets Are Killing Me
7. I’ll See You When We’re Both Not So Emotional Feat. M.A.G.S.
8. Stay Home / The One With The Wurlitzer

Peace and love in late 60s America did not come without parallel feelings of fear and confusion about the social situation – specifically about Vietnam. “Safe In My Garden” is the latest Ace compilation in an acclaimed series compiled by Bob Stanley – it’s a companion piece to the much-praised “State Of The Union (The American Dream In Crisis 1967 – 1973)” 

The music on “Safe In My Garden” is harmony-laden, beautifully produced soft rock. Sunshine pop, even - a melodic, innovative style of American music that grew in the mid-60s out of the folk and surf scenes, exemplified by the Beach Boys and the Mamas and Papas. You will hear orchestral arrangements, and soft boy-girl vocals. But it wasn’t made in isolation from what was going on in the outside world. There are clouds and minor chords, plenty of melancholy in those harmonies.

“Safe In My Garden” includes songs of escape (Mark Eric’s ‘Move With The Dawn’, the Groop’s ‘A Famous Myth’), loss (the Eighth Day’s ‘How Can I Stop Loving You’, the New Colony Six’s ‘Prairie Grey’), dreamscapes (Tommy James and the Shondells’ ‘She’, Nancy Priddy’s ‘Christina’s World’), rebirth (Smokey and his Sister’s ‘Creators Of Rain’), a simpler world (the Free Design’s ‘My Brother Woody’) and a philosophically sounder future (Chad & Jeremy’s ‘The Ark’, Best of Friends’ ‘Summer Sound’).

It contains some surprisingly dark messages paired with beautiful melodies, as well as songs of hope. Thousands of young musicians in cities, suburbs and small towns across the States from the mid to late 60s spent their mornings hiding from the mailman, dreading the draft. This is the Sound of Young America in the late 60s, keeping its fingers crossed.

TRACK LISTING

1. ALWAYS YOU - The Sundowners
2. MOVE WITH THE DAWN - Mark Eric
3. SHE - Tommy James & The Shondells
4. A FAMOUS MYTH - The Groop
5. DREAMIN' IN THE SHADE (DOWN IN L.A.) – Brewer & Shipley
6. I DON'T THINK I KNOW HER - Tee & Cara
7. KNOCK ON WOOD - Harpers Bizarre
8. THE VISIT (SHE WAS HERE) - The Cyrkle
9. I SEE IT NOW - Fargo
10. SUMMER SOUND - Best Of Friends
11. A MOMENT OF BEING WITH YOU - The Critters
12. BLIGHT - The Millennium
13. JILL - Gary Lewis & The Playboys
14. I CAN SEE ONLY YOU – Roger Nichols & The Small Circle Of Friends
15. LITTLE DREAMS - The New Wave
16. MY BROTHER WOODY - The Free Design
17. CHRISTINA'S WORLD - Nancy Priddy
18. THE ARK - Chad & Jeremy
19. CREATORS OF RAIN - Smokey & His Sister
20. HOW CAN I STOP LOVING YOU - The Eighth Day
21. LOVE IS A RAINY SUNDAY - Love Generation
22. SPRINGTIME MEADOWS - The Sunshine Company
23. THE WORD IS LOVE - Thomas & Richard Frost
24. PRAIRIE GREY - New Colony Six

A one-off 12” from New York’s early 80s boogie underground, "Hustlin’ Time" was the only single released under the name American Steel. Originally pressed in 1983 on the small but cult Silver Screen Records label, it’s become a rare find for collectors and a secret weapon for DJs in the know.

Built around a strutting bassline, tight drums, and soulful vocals, "Hustlin’ Time" captures the essence of the boogie sound at its peak, equal parts funk, disco and electro. The 12" delivers four distinct takes: the full vocal, a shorter edit, a stripped-back instrumental, and a Dub mix courtesy of Aldo Marin under his S.U.R.E. Shot alias. Marin would go on to become a fixture in NYC remix culture, and his early touch here brings a raw dancefloor edge.

A 140 gram pressing in 3mm spine black disco sleeve with labels and sticker designed by Bradley Pinkerton.

TRACK LISTING

Hustlin Time (short Version)
Hustlin Time (long Version)
Hustlin Time (dub Mix)
Hustlin Time (instrumental Mix)

The quietest voices can be the most durable.

American Football’s original triumph, on their 1999 self-titled debut, was to reunite two shy siblings: emo and post-rock. It was a pioneering album where lyrical clarity was obscured and complicated by the stealth musical textures surrounding it.

Like Slint’s 'Spiderland', or Codeine’s 'The White Birch', even Talk Talk’s 'Laughing Stock', American Football asked far more questions than it cared to answer. But there wasn’t a band around anymore to explain it, anyway. The three young men who made the album – Mike Kinsella, Steve Holmes, and Steve Lamos – split up pretty much on its release.

Fifteen years later, American Football reunited (now as a four-piece, with the addition of Nate Kinsella). They played far larger shows than in their original incarnation and recorded their long-anticipated second album, 2016’s 'American Football (LP2)'. The release was widely praised, but the band members still felt like their best work was yet to come.

‘I feel like the second album was us figuring it out,’ says Nate. ‘For me, it wasn’t quite done. I knew there was still more.’

Enter 'American Football (LP3)'. ‘We put a lot of time and a lot of energy into it,’ says Mike. ‘We were all thoughtful about what we wanted to put out there. Last time, it was figuring out how to use all of our different arms. This time, we were like – Ok we have these arms, let’s use them.’ The band used the same producer, Jason Cupp, and recorded the album at the same studio (Arc Studios in Omaha, Nebraska) as its predecessor – yet they approached it in a markedly different way. There was a determination to let the songs breathe, to trust in ideas finding their own pace. The final result is a definite, and deliberate, stretching of the band.

As a result, LP3 is less obviously tethered to the band’s past than the second album. An immediate contrast between LP3 and its two predecessors is its cover. The two previous albums featured the exterior and interior of a residence in the band’s original hometown of Urbana, Illinois (now attracting fans for pilgrimages and photo opportunities), by the photographer Chris Strong. But American Football knew that LP3 was an outside record. Instead of the familiar house, this time the cover photo (again by Strong) features open, rolling fields on Urbana’s borders. It is a sign of the album’s magnitude in sound, and of the band’s boldness in breaking away from home comforts.

American Football also joked that LP3’s genre was ‘post-house’, because of this very conscious visual break. But, in a strange way, there are links in LP3 with an actual post-house genre: shoegaze. The more exploratory members of the original British shoegaze scene were inspired by the dreamtime and circularity of house music (ambient house in particular), cherishing its sonic possibilities. That spirit drips into LP3, most obviously on ‘I Can’t Feel You’, a collaboration with Rachel Goswell of Slowdive.

The album also features Hayley Williams from Paramore on the album’s catchiest moment, ‘Uncomfortably Numb’, and Elizabeth Powell, of the Québécoise act Land Of Talk. Mike wrote lyrics in French especially for her.

LP3 is contemplative, rich, expressive, yet with a queasy undercurrent. It is heavy with expectancy, revealing its ideas slowly, eliciting the hidden stories people carry around with them. ‘I feel like my lyric writing has changed a lot over the years,’ says Mike. ‘The goal is to be conversational, maybe to state something giant and heavy, but in a very plain way. But, definitely in this record, I keep things a little more vague.’ As on the first album, the lyrics on LP3 may seem confessional and concentrated, but the more you scrutinize them, the further their meaning slinks away. Or, as Mike tellingly sings on ‘I Can’t Feel You”: I’m fluent in subtlety.

‘Somewhere along the way we moved from being a reunion band to just being a band,’ says Steve Holmes. American Football is now a bona fide ongoing focus, and they are making some of the best music of their lives. American Football (LP3) stands with two other rare reunion successes – Slowdive and My Bloody Valentine’s mbv – as a fine example of how a band refinding one another can augment, rather than taint, their legacy.

‘I think that there are those albums, or the music that you heard when you were younger, and they imprint on you,’ says Nate. ‘And no matter where you go, or what you do they’re always there.’ He is talking of Steve Reich – an early and ongoing influence on American Football – but he might as well be reflecting what is said of his own band, and the ardent following they inspire. American Football stands as an enduring symbol of elusive emotional landscapes, where introspection can be as dramatic as confrontation.

TRACK LISTING

1. Silhouettes
2. Every Wave To Ever Rise (feat Elizabeth Powell)
3. Uncomfortably Numb (feat Hayley Williams)
4. Heir Apparent
5. Doom in Full Bloom
6. I Can’t Feel You (feat Rachel Goswell)
7. Mine to Miss
8. Life Support

'American Dust' is an ode to the beauty of the American Southwest, where vast desert landscapes hold stories both stark and tender. Eve Adams’ characteristic folk noir weaves a vivid tapestry of love, sacrifice and quiet revelation, conjuring images of dust storms, stray dogs and far off trains.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Reverberating campfire ballads, rising from brittle guitars and tender vocals into orchestral washes and branches of harmony. It's an evocative and beautifully developing mix of melody and vibe.

TRACK LISTING

1. Nowhere Now
2. Couldn't Tell The Time
3. Strangers
4. Rather Be Here
5. Dirty Thirties
6. Amen!
7. Get Your Hopes Up
8. Ricochet
9. Ask Me
10. Death Valley Forever

A Certain Ratio’s classic and highly sought-after live album gets an official release with new artwork.

ACR continue their ongoing reissue campaign with Live in America - an essential artefact from the band’s career, capturing their summer ’85 US tour supporting labelmates New Order- then fellow Factory artists, now as part of the Mute family - across the East Coast and Canada. Originally released on cassette and sold at gigs, this rare gem is now available on CD and vinyl, complete with new artwork and sleeve notes.

Compiled from the standout performances of the tour, Live in America spans the band’s early years through to ‘Si Firmir O Grido’ - a track that was released a year later on Force - capturing ACR at a thrilling crossroads in their trajectory. The recordings were taken from five of the venues they played, Felt Forum: NYC, Opera House: Boston, Agora Theatre: Akron OH, Bismarck Theatre: Chicago and Warner Theatre: Washington DC. The line-up on the tour and therefore the album consisted of Andrew Connell - Keyboards, Donald Johnson - Drums, Jez Kerr - Bass and Vocals, Martin Moscrop - Guitar and Trumpet and Anthony Quigley - Sax.

From a Motorik-funk take on ‘Touch’ to their iconic cover of ‘Shack Up’ – a scratchy funk bomb that became a cult club anthem – this is ACR at their most direct, raw and road-hardened. 

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: A much requested reissue of the live album from ACR's blistering tour support for New Order in 1985, displaying their uncompromising live prowess, and showing that they really have been one of the greatest live bands around for a long time now. Ace.

TRACK LISTING

VINYL TRACKLIST
A1 Sounds Like Something Dirty
A2 The Fox
A3 Shack Up
A4 Life’s A Scream
A5 Wild Party
B1 Flight
B2 And Then Again
B3 Touch
B4 Knife Slits Water
B5 Si Firmir O Grido

CD TRACKLIST
1 Sounds Like Something Dirty
2 The Fox
3 Shack Up
4 Life’s A Scream
5 Wild Party
6 Flight
7 And Then Again
8 Touch
9 Knife Slits Water
10 Si Firmir O Grido

John Carroll Kirby brings his signature sound to film scoring with the official soundtrack album for feature film The Luckiest Man in America, which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival and received a wide theatrical release.

John Carroll Kirby’s background is steeped in jazz, but his signature sound blends genres and styles. He has collaborated with artists ranging from superstars Solange, Frank Ocean, Harry Styles, and Steve Lacy (earning him a GRAMMY nod for the smash hit "Bad Habit") to beloved indie musicians like Connan Mockasin, Yves Tumor, Eddie Chacon, and Liv.e.

TRACK LISTING

Side A
1. The Luckiest Man
2. Sewing A Button
3. Board Of Desire
4. Lot Tour
5. Meeting Peter
6. Michael Winning
7. Michael Losing

Side B
1. Detective Chuck
2. Chuck Sad
3. Michael Giving Up
4. Bill’s Bargain
5. Patricia’s Theme
6. Patricia’s Theme Reprise
7. The Whammy

Further explorations into the deep space of the future/past by two master- improvisors who compose their wordless paintings out of thin air. Their collaborative powers are nowhere near their peak and this voyage takes them further into the Uncharted. These pieces unfold as revelatory mind blooms. Creating a canopy of sound forms inside which they speak the rarifi ed language of world creating. This isn’t just music, it’s a journey without maps, Inside.

This new LP takes Nelson & Kramer deep under the earth's seas, pulling the listener down beside them as they explore the uncharted currents that fuel the human imagination, fl uid, always moving, and always changing. It is an excursion into the lowest depths of Ambient Music, and a new beginning from the very place where life itself began. The fl oor of the ocean has a new sound, and it is breathtakingly beautiful.

TRACK LISTING

1. In The Time It Takes To Drown
2. John The Baptist Was A Creature Of Habit
3. Under The Mariana Trench
4. The Double Life Of A Seahorse
5. Lamenting The Colours Of Melting Ice
6. If A River Runs Through It
7. Clouds Over The Rain In Spain
8. Blind To The Last Of Its Kind

From the day that Bobby Zimmerman first turned on the radio in his parents’ home in Hibbing, he’d had a pretty good idea that big things were happening, that old values were changing, that something new was on the way. Bob Dylan arrived in New York one winter morning in 1961. His music and spirit would go on to capture the hearts and minds of a generation, but what no one knew then was that, like so many before him, Dylan was concealing his Jewish origins.

For Harry Freedman, Dylan’s roots are the key to grasping how this complete unknown burst onto the scene and reinvented not only himself, but popular music. The instinct for escape and reinvention has defined Dylan’s long career. In this insightful biography Freedman traces the heady atmosphere of the 1960s and the folk-rock revolution spearheaded by Dylan.

Right up until the moment in 1966 when Dylan stepped out onto the stage and went electric – exploring how his musical decisions, genius for reinvention and his Jewishness go inescapably hand in hand.

In 2012 Gruff Rhys embarked on a solo 'investigative concert tour' through the heart of America following the route taken by his distant relative John Evans. Every night he presented songs augmented by a power point presentation that detailed his relative's unbelievable history, along with any new piece of information that had come his way during the day. He was ultimately looking for Evans's lost unmarked grave. Along with many major cities, the tour took him to play shows at the Mandan and Omaha tribe reservations, a Missouri vineyard, villages that no longer exist and lay at the bottom the Mississippi river and a New Orleans bordello.

What transpired from that ‘investigative concert tour’ was a 2014 album, 'American Interior', plus a book, film and exhaustive tour of the same name. With the aid of the dusted-off power point presentation, Gruff Rhys and a full band revisits the project in 2025 to perform the songs that formed both the album, and the soundtrack to the film.

TRACK LISTING

1. American Exterior
2. American Interior
3-The Whether (Or Not)
4-The Last Conquistador
5-Lost Tribes
6-Liberty (Is Where We'll Be)
7. Allweddellau Allweddol
8. Walk Into The Wilderness
9. Sugar Insides
10. 100 Unread Messages
11. That's Why
12. The Swamp
13. Media Quake
14. Cylchdro Amser
15. Iolo
16. Y Gwenan Gorn
17. Year Of The Dog
18. Tiger's Tale
19. I Grombil Cyfandir Pell (3LP Deluxe Only)
20. Ar Goll (3LP Deluxe Only)
21. Y Madogwys Neu Angau (3LP Deluxe Only)
22. Power Point Presentation (3LP Deluxe Only)
23.  American Exterior (Extended Version For Two Synthesizers) (3LP Deluxe Only)

The dreamy debut album from Texas’s new wave of American krautrock. Recorded at home in 1996, 'The Fun Of Watching Fireworks' straddles the aerodynamic drag between lo-fi and Living Stereo, huffing hypnotic chem trails, Ampex 456 polyfibre dust, and subtropical ozone while the Farfisa warms up. Remastered from the original analog tapes as a reminder of what life was like in the before times. Trespassers encouraged.

TRACK LISTING

1. Diana Slowburner II
2. On My Way
3. Gone To Earth
4. On The Run’s Where I’m From
5. Dim Stars (The Boy In My Arms)
6. Trespassers In The Stereo Field
7. Too Tired To Shine II
8. It’s Alright

Foreword by Pete Townshend. Tom Wright first met Pete Townshend at Ealing Art School in the early 60s. He became The Who's official tour photographer and manager from 1967 in the US, also managing the Grande Ballroom in Detroit where The Who's rock opera Tommy premiered.

He was much more than the band's photographer, he was a friend and photographed them right up to their farewell tour in 1991. Tom's vast record collection and musical influences had a big impact on the band in their early years. Their Generation covers The Who's first tours of North America, a hugely creative time with explosive performances both on and off stage, the time of their US hit 'I Can See for Miles' and much more.

Through the fabulous photographs, many of which have never been seen before, we see the band backstage, onstage, on tour, at rehearsal, at ease, in studio, at home. The photos will be accompanied by extended captions providing background details of the time, the people and the places. As well as The Who, Tom Wright toured with the Rolling Stones, the Faces, The James Gang, Elvis Costello, The Eagles and many more, documenting their performances and life on the road.

THIS IS A RECORD STORE DAY 2025 EXCLUSIVE, LIMITED TO ONE PER PERSON.

THIS IS A RECORD STORE DAY 2025 EXCLUSIVE, LIMITED TO ONE PER PERSON.

1000 copies pressed on red vinyl. Back on vinyl for the first time in over 30 years. Capturing their blisteringly raw lo-fi charm, Half Japanese’s 1993 LP was arguably the record that elevated the group from underground luminaries to alt rock icons. Featuring guest appearances from Ira Kaplan (Yo La Tengo), Moe Tucker (Velvet Underground), Don Fleming and more. This edition comes with revised artwork and is pressed on red vinyl. “Consistently solid and often spectacular” NPR.

THIS IS A RECORD STORE DAY 2025 EXCLUSIVE, LIMITED TO ONE PER PERSON.

‘PO$T AMERICAN’ is the second full-length album by Dead Pioneers. Written in February and recorded in July, it pre-empts the 2024 American election but wraps up the fears and frustrations as eloquently and, crucially, humorously as the band’s 2023 self-titled debut.

“Currently, we are amidst the gross existence of capitalism, colonialism, white supremacy and the many oppressive forces that have come to inform everything around us,” says vocalist and songwriter Gregg Deal. “The title ‘PO$T AMERICAN’ informs a collective disenfranchisement and disillusionment to the so-called American dream, while moving forward with hope of a desired designation of unity outside those that would use us for their own capitalistic power grab.”

The aural palate is broadly the same, but it feels expanded, stronger somehow: drawing on the confrontational writing of Rage Against The Machine, the unapologetic voice of Chuck D and Public Enemy, the storytelling of Johnny Cash, the evolution of IDLES and punk stalwarts including Black Flag, Rollins Band and Dead Kennedys.

Overall, the resulting feeling across the new album is one of cautious optimism: “Although we didn’t expect the political relevance to become more relevant, we have no illusions to the American dream, or to where we seem to be going. But we have hope that we can get to a better place for people to have what they need.” It is an album that speaks to and for this precise time and place; that perhaps could not exist at any other time. It is an album for now.

Dead Pioneers emerged as a dynamic extension of vocalist Gregg Deal’s performance art, seamlessly blending music with critical cultural commentary. Rooted in the same themes of identity and resistance that define his visual work, the band’s sound acts as a powerful platform for addressing the complexities of Indigenous experience.

Deal harnesses the raw energy of punk and alternative influences to challenge prevailing narratives, using lyrics that provoke thought and evoke emotion. Just as his performance art confronts the legacies of colonization and systemic marginalization, Dead Pioneers - completed by Josh Rivera and Abe Brennan on guitars, bassist Lee Tesche (Algiers) and drummer Shane Zweygardt - engages audiences in a visceral dialogue about survival, resilience, and reclamation of voice.

This musical endeavour not only amplifies Deal’s artistic vision but also creates a space for collective expression and solidarity, inviting listeners to reflect on the intersections of culture, history, and identity in a contemporary context. Through Dead Pioneers, Deal continues to assert that art, in all its forms, can be a powerful vehicle for activism and change.

“Being embarrassed to be a white American has never been a bigger visceral, laugh filled, joy than when I’m listening to Dead Pioneers. If you think truth needs a great soundtrack… look no further than Dead Pioneers.” - Shepard Fairey

“Dead Pioneers is one of one. Injecting new life into punk rock with an indigenous perspective and an important message. They are beautiful people and great musicians and we can’t wait to go on tour with them as soon as possible!” - The Interrupters

“Imagine if the fucking Vikings or the Mayflower never made it across the Atlantic and One Mocassin’s grandkids electrified the lute his ancestors found in the rubble of the Mayflower that crashed on the rocks. There would be no Minutemen or Fugazi, only DEAD PIONEERS!” - Jeff Ament, Pearl Jam

TRACK LISTING

A.I.M.
PO$T AMERICAN
My Spirit Animal Ate Your Spirit
Animal
Pit Song
The Caucasity
Mythical Cowboys
Dead Pioneers
White Wine
Juicy Fruit (Ode To Chief Bromden)
STFU
Bloodletting Carnival
Love Language
Fire And Ash
Working Class Warfare
Untitled Spoken Word No. 2

Michael Grigoni and Pan•American present their first collaboration. The album’s title, New World, Lonely Ride, gestures toward its meditative orientation. The duo offers a series of reflections on the zeitgeist of our present moment, the spirit of our age: the isolation and loneliness that continues to echo in the wake of the pandemic; the fractures that mar our political discourse; the uncertainty that has stamped itself on the future of democracy. The vast geography of America and the absence of a common ground, a shared political vision, have contributed to the affective landscape of contemporary American life—of what it feels like to live in the United States today.

Using instrumental voices and textures drawn from the traditional American forms of folk, country, bluegrass and blues, and informed with a modern sense of ambience and space, the sound is both contemporary and deeply rooted. With New World, Lonely Ride, Grigoni and Pan American join countless American artists who have drawn upon this landscape—physical and affective—giving it a voice and shape, listening to its character. And in starting there, with listening, offer a response for the future.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: I'm BANG into this sort of rippling, ambienty American guitar music at the moment, and New World, Lonely Ride is possibly the most perfect example of this I could imagine. Of COURSE it's Kranky, and of course it's majestic.

7th March 2025 marks the 50th anniversary of the release of David Bowie's ninth studio album, 'Young Americans'.

On the exact day of its Golden Jubilee, 'Young Americans' is issued as a limited edition 50th anniversary half-speed mastered LP and a picture disc LP with a poster pressed from the same master.

The album saw Bowie broaden his musical horizons once more, embracing what he called 'Plastic Soul' and would give Bowie his first number one single in the U.S., ‘Fame’, co-written with John Lennon and Bowie's then guitarist, Carlos Alomar.

This new pressing of Young Americans was cut on a customised late Neumann VMS80 lathe with fully recapped electronics from 192kHz restored masters of the original Record Plant master tapes, with no additional processing on transfer. The half-speed was cut by John Webber at AIR Studios. 

TRACK LISTING

1. Young Americans
2. Win
3. Fascination
4. Right
5. Somebody Up There Likes Me
6. Across The Universe
7. Can You Hear Me
8. Fame

The End Of An American Dream is the 2007 album by Lee "Scratch" Perry (born Rainford Hugh Perry), who was a Jamaican record producer, composer and singer noted for his innovative studio techniques and production style. Perry was a pioneer in the 1970s development of dub music with his early adoption of remixing and the use of studio effects to create new instrumental or vocal versions of existing tracks. From his Black Ark Studio in Kingston Jamaica, he worked with and produced a wide variety of artists, including Bob Marley and the Wailers, Junior Murvin, Susan Cadogan, The Congos, and Max Romeo.

Later, he moved to Switzerland and reinvented himself as a performance and visual artist but continued to produce innovative music – collaborations include The Beastie Boys, The Clash, Keith Richards, George Clinton, and Adrian Sherwood. The End Of An American Dream Scratch is the first in a series of three albums he made with English musician and producer Steve Marshall a.k.a. John Saxon and will be available for the very first time on vinyl.

TRACK LISTING

Side A
1. Disarm
2. Are You Ready?
3. The End Of An American Dream
4. One God Rain

Side B
1. So Be It
2. I Will Be There
3. I Am The God Of Fire
4. The Lord’s Prayer
5. I Am New Yorker

Side C
1. Teddy Bear
2. Hallo Jamaica
3. Shazam

Side D
1. Memories
2. Vooba Skooba
3. Cats Bats Rats
4. Disco Cats

American Band is the 11th studio album by Drive-By Truckers and was released during the tumultuous year of 2016, it's politically charged lyrics reflecting those troubled times.

The Chicago Tribune called it "one of the band's strongest front-to-back albums". Rolling Stone and NPR deemed it one of the best albums of that year.

It is reissued here, in another election year, with a bonus LP of live recordings + updated liners from Patterson Hood and repackaged with archival artwork from Wes Freed

TRACK LISTING

1. Ramon Casiano
2. Darkened Flags On The Cuspp Of Dawn
3. Surrender Under Protest
4. Guns Of Umpqua
5. Filthy And Fried
6. When The Sun Don't Shine
7. Kinky Hypocrite
8. Ever South
9. What It Means
10. Once They Banned Imagine
11. Baggage
12. Kinky Hypocrite (Live, 2018)
13. Guns Of Umpqua (Live, 2018)
14. Filthy And Fried (Live, 2018)
15. What It Means (Live, 2018)
16. Surrender Under Protest (Live, 2018)
17. Baggage (Live, 2018)
18. Ramon Casiano (Live, 2018)
19. Ever South (Live, 2018)

After quietly releasing their self-titled debut album in 1999 while still in college, American Football disbanded after the album’s release to focus on other projects, only to reunite 15 years later to a fanbase that had been consistently growing throughout the underground / emo scene. The album later appeared on Rolling Stone’s “40 Greatest Emo Albums of All Time” list at #6, with Pitchfork giving its deluxe reissue the “Best New Reissue” title, calling it the “most influential album in the genre.” To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the album’s release, Polyvinyl are releasing a new remastered edition of the album with re-imagined artwork and packaging.

TRACK LISTING

1. Never Meant
2. The Summer Ends
3. Honestly
4. For Sure
5. You Know I Should Be Leaving Soon
6. But The Regrets Are Killing Me
7. I'll See You When We're Both Not So Emotional
8. Stay Home
9. The One With The Wurlitzer

Exapnded edition of Elvis Costello's 1986 album 'King Of America'.

Across the 6CD editon, Elvis Costello: 'King of America & Other Realms' explores the career defining 1986 album produced by T-Bone Burnett: from the solo demo versions of songs that appear on 'King of America' to the mélange of Memphis to New Orleans inspired recordings and collaborations over the last 4 decades.

The journey across the music is guided by Costello’s newly self-penned 35-page essay and numerous rare and never-before seen photos. The collection is anchored by CD1, a new 2024 remaster of the album from the original master tapes. CD2 collects the solo demos recorded in 1985 & now includes 6 never heard before Red Bus Session recordings. CD3 is a never heard, mixed from the multitrack tapes, 17-song concert recorded in London, UK on January 27, 1987. Hear Elvis in concert backed by James Burton, Jim Keltner, Jerry Scheff, Belmont Tench & T-Bone Wolk. The set closes with 3 compilation CDs that digest Costello’s studio recordings, previously unreleased demos, outtakes & live recordings.

The 2CD set includes the new 2024 remaster of the album 'King Of America' from the original master tapes, with CD2 being a collection of songs featuring studio recordings, previously unreleased demos, outtakes & live recordings from this wild and wonderfully odd odyssey.

The LP version is just the 2024 remaster.

TRACK LISTING

CD1/LP – King Of America (2024 Remaster):
1. Brilliant Mistake
2. Lovable
3. Our Little Angel
4. Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood
5. Glitter Gulch
6. Indoor Fireworks
7. Little Palaces
8. I'll Wear It Proudly
9. American Without Tears
10. Eisenhower Blues
11. Poisoned Rose
12. The Big Light
13. Jack Of All Parades
14. Suit Of Lights
15. Sleep Of The Just

CD2 – Le Roi Sans Sabots Demos, Outtakes & Other Realms:
1. The People's Limousine – The Coward Brothers
2. Next Time Round (Red Bus Demo) *
3. Deportee (Red Bus Demo) *
4. Brilliant Mistake (Red Bus Demo) *
5. Suffering Face (Solo Demo)
6. Poisoned Rose (Solo Demo)
7. Jack Of All Parades (Solo Demo)
8. Sleep Of The Just (Red Bus Demo) *
9. Blue Chair (Red Bus Demo) *
10. I Hope You're Happy Now (Solo Demo)
11. I'll Wear It Proudly (Solo Demo)
12. Indoor Fireworks (Solo Demo)
13. Having It All (Solo Demo)
14. Shoes Without Heels (Red Bus Demo) *
15. King Of Confidence (Outtake)
16. They'll Never Take Her Love From Me – The Coward Brothers
17. American Without Tears No. 2 (Twilight Version)

CD3 - Kings Of America Live At The Royal Alert Hall 27th January 1987:
1. The Big Light *
2. Only Daddy That'll Walk The Line *
3. Our Little Angel *
4. It Tears Me Up *
5. I'll Wear It Proudly *
6. Lovable *
7. Riverboat *
8. Sally Sue Brown/36-22-36 *
9. American Without Tears *
10. Brilliant Mistake *
11. What Would I Do Without You? *
12. You're Mind's On Vacation / Your Funeral, My Trial *
13. Pouring Water On A Drowning Man *
14. Payday *
15. That's How You Got Killed Before (Reprise) *
16. Sleep Of The Just *
17. True Love Ways *

CD4 – Il Principe Di New Orleans E Le Marchese Del Mississippi:
1. There’s A Story In Your Voice – With Lucinda Williams
2. Country Darkness
3. The Delivery Man
4. Nothing Clings Like Ivy
5. Heart Shaped Bruise – With Emmylou Harris (Live At The Hi-Tone, Memphis **
6. Bedlam (Live At Montreal Jazz) **
7. Either Side Of The Same Town
8. Wonder Woman
9. In Another Room (The Clarkdale Sessions)
10. The Monkey * - Rehearsal With Dave Bartholomew & The Dirty Dozen Brass Band
11. Monkey To Man
12. Deep Dark Truthful Mirror
13. Clown Strike (Live At Montreal Jazz) **
14. Who’s Gonna Help Brother Get Further?
15. The River In Reverse
16. The Greatest Love – From Treme *
17. Ascension Day

CD5 – El Prtncipe Del Purgatorio:
1. Stations Of The Cross
2. Quick Like A Flash (Unreleased Version) *
3. Sulphur To Sugarcane
4. Red Cotton
5. Lost On The River #12
6. A Slow Drag With Josephine
7. I Felt The Chill
8. Complicated Shadows (Cashbox Version)
9. She's Pulling Out The Pin
10. Condemned Man (Demo) *
11. Hidden Shame
12. Red Wicked Wine – With Dr. Ralph Stanley
13. The Scarlet Tide – With Emmylou Harris, Gillian Welch & Dave Rawlings (Live At The Grand Ole Opry)*
14. One Bell Ringing
15. Bullets For The New Born King
16. All These Strangers
17. For More Tears (Demo) *
18. You Hung The Moon

CD6 – Der Herzog Des Rampenlight:
1. Stella Hurt
2. Mr. Feathers
3. Under Lime
4. Jimmie Standing In The Rain
5. Down Among The Wines And Spirits
6. Dr. Watson, I Presume
7. Church Underground (Demo) *
8. A Voice In The Dark
9. April 5th – With Rosanne Cash & Kris Kristofferson
10. Indoor Fireworks (Memphis Magnetic Version) *
11. That’s Not The Part Of Him You’re Leaving – With Larkin Poe *
12. Brilliant Mistake/Boulevard Of Broken Dreams (Cape Fear Version) *
13. That Day Is Done – With The Fairfield Four

* Previously Unreleased
** First-ever Audio Release

Green Day’s seventh studio album American Idiot was released in September 2004 and has since sold over 23 million copies worldwide. The album is a punk rock opera masterpiece that won the Best Rock Album at the 2005 Grammy Awards©. Five hit singles were released from the album: “Boulevard of Broken Dreams”, “Holiday”, “Wake Me Up When September Ends”, “Jesus of Suburbia”, and the title track, “American Idiot”.

TRACK LISTING

Side A:
01 American Idiot
02 Jesus Of Suburbia
I. Jesus Of Suburbia
II. City Of The Damned
III. I Don't Care
IV. Dearly Beloved
V. Tales Of Another Broken Home

Side B:
03 Holiday
04 Boulevard Of Broken Dreams
05 Are We The Waiting
06 St. Jimmy

Side C:
07 Give Me Novacaine
08 She's A Rebel
09 Extraordinary Girl
10 Letterbomb
11 Wake Me Up When September Ends

Side D:
12 Homecoming
I. The Death Of St. Jimmy
II. East 12th St.
III. Nobody Likes You
IV. Rock And Roll Girlfriend
V. We're Coming Home Again
13 Whatsername

First time on CD for this incendiary live set of greatest hits of The Bevis Frond circa 1998.

Featuring over an hour’s worth of prime Frond, it mixes the bittersweet melodies of Nick Saloman’s much-covered ‘Lights Are Changing’ and ‘He’d Be A Diamond’ with fuzz fuelled riffs and masterful solo-ing. Played as a power trio with Saloman enlists his long-time associate and former Hawkwind bass player Adrian Shaw, and Andy Ward, former drummer with 70s prog giants Camel. With a staggering ten-minute rethinking of Love’s come down anthem ‘Signed DC’ closing the show. This set also includes culled cuts from their debut ‘Miasma’ through to the groundbreaking ‘New River Head’ and beyond into the 90s.

TRACK LISTING

Hole Song #2
Maybe
Love Is
New River Head
Stoned Train Driver
Lights Are Changing
Red Hair
He'd Be A Diamond
Well Out Of It
Stain On The Sun
The Wind Blew All Around Me
Signed DC.

After quietly releasing their self-titled debut album in 1999 while still in college, American Football disbanded after the album’s release to focus on other projects, only to reunite 15 years later to a fanbase that had been consistently growing throughout the underground / emo scene. The album later appeared on Rolling Stone’s “40 Greatest Emo Albums of All Time” list at #6, with Pitchfork giving its deluxe reissue the “Best New Reissue” title, calling it the “most influential album in the genre.”

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the album’s release, Polyvinyl is thrilled to announce American Football (Covers), a genre-spanning covers album that highlights the importance and wide-ranging influence of the band’s debut. The album features covers of each song by critically acclaimed acts such as Iron & Wine, Ethel Cain, Blondshell, Manchester Orchestra, Novo Amor, Lowswimmer, Yvette Young, and others. Each cover wonderfully highlights the beauty and importance of this noteworthy debut while affirming the continued interest in this unexpected groundswell of cultural prominence.

TRACK LISTING

1. Never Meant (Iron & Wine)
2. The Summer Ends (Blondshell)
3. Honestly (Novo Amor & Lowswimmer)
4. For Sure (Ethel Cain)
5. You Know I Should Be Leaving Soon (Yvette Young)
6. But The Regrets Are Killing Me (Girl Ultra)
7. I'll See You When We're Both Not So Emotional (M.A.G.S.)
8. Stay Home (Manchester Orchestra)
9. The One With The Wurlitzer (John McEntire)

A companion to 2016’s private country rock overview Cosmic American Music, this second volume goes way past Gram Parsons’ “country-rock plastic dry-fuck” and explores the twangy falsettos and commercial curiosity that sent the Eagles soaring. Though rooted in the west coast folk rock of the late-’60s, these new kids in town rendered a safe-for-thesuburbs sound bleached of the hippie era’s political strife. 20 tracks, two LPs, and gatefold tip-on sleeve for easy seed and stem separating are included.

"Come on I had a rough night, and I hate the fucking Eagles”—The Dude

TRACK LISTING

1. Mark Jones - One Way Train
2. Country Spice - Clouds
3. Charles Brown And Sleepy Creek - I Just Want To Talk To You
4. Lodestar - Who Are You
5. Caroline Peyton - Still With You
6. Suzy Siquenza - Someone Else
7. Cathy Hamer - Lady Full Of Dreams
8. The Jerry Busch Group - Devon
9. Chuck & Mary Perrin - Picking Up The Pieces
10. McKay - On He Goes
11. Bob Bakert - Cactus Woman
12. Richard Goldman - Don’t Spoil It Now
13. Salt Creek - Night With A Silver Tongued Devil
14. Rocky Top Band – Freedom Highway
15. Sally Colahan - Framed
16. Homecoming - Best Friend
17. Crystal Waters - Midnight Dreamer
18. Jim Spencer - Second Look
19. Hayne Davis - Without Me
20. David Liska - Raindog

The ethereal third album from Texas’s slowcore first wavers. A lethargic, sparse, and autumnal album, 'The Golden Band' is where The American Analog Set developed the courage to drive 40 KPH on the autobahn. Issued on Emperor Jones in 1999, this 25th anniversary Numero edition has been remastered from the original tapes and flawlessly reproduced in a gorgeous tip on sleeve. When are you quitting the scene?

TRACK LISTING

1. Weather Report
2. Good Friend Is Always Around
3. It's All About Us
4. A Schoolboy's Charm
5. The Wait
6. New Drifters I
7. New Drifters II
8. New Drifters III
9. New Drifters IV
10. Golden Band
11. I Must Soon Quit The Scene
12. Will The Real Danny Radnor Please Stand?

American Standard begins with a shock. Vocalist Michael Berdan stands alone, screaming, “A part of me, but it can’t be me. Oh God, it can’t.” It all starts with an admission. Beneath the harrowing screams, there’s the pain of bulimia nervosa. There’s the pain of a sickness that is as physical as it is psychological. This is a kind of emergence.

With every movement of American Standard, Uniform peels off a new layer and tells the story inside of the one that came before it. The lyrics sink down into the core of the innermost self, the small human being crushed in the grip of sickness. To help peel away this narrative of eating disorders, self-hatred, delusion, mania, and ultimate discovery, Berdan sought assistance from a towering pair of outsider literary figures. Alongside B.R. Yeager (author of the modern cult-classic Negative Space) and Maggie Siebert (the mind behind the contemporary body horror masterpiece Bonding), the three writers eviscerate the personal material to present a portrait of mental and physical illness as vividly terrifying as anything in the present-day canon. The result is an acute articulation of a state beyond simple agony, capturing the thrilling transcendence and deliverance that sickness can bring in the process.

American Standard is surely Uniform’s most thematically accomplished and musically self assured album to date. Sections spiral and explode. Motifs drift off into obscurity before reasserting themselves with new power. Genres collide and burst open, forming something idiosyncratic and new. There’s a grandeur, due in part to the addition of Interpol bassist Brad Truax alongside the percussive push and pull of returning drummer Michael Sharp and longtime touring drummer Michael Bloom, marking his Uniform recorded debut here. However, this magnificence is most clearly attributable to the scale and power of guitarist and founder Ben Greenberg’s arrangements, matching ever elegantly to the intense lyrical subject matter.

Without a shred of doubt, American Standard is a work of art, agonizing in its honesty and relentless in its pursuit of sonic transcendence. It is hideous. It is beautiful. It is necessary.

TRACK LISTING

1. American Standard
2. This Is Not A Prayer
3. Clemency
4. Permanent Embrace

The 13th studio album from Old 97’s arose from what vocalist/guitarist Rhett Miller refers to as a “de-evolution.” “As much as I want us to calm down and grow up, the songs that felt right for this record were mostly big and loud and brutal and dirty.” Produced by Tucker Martine and featuring appearances from Peter Buck (R.E.M.) and Scott McCaughey (The Minus 5) — American Primitive is gloriously rowdy, revealing a band more attuned than ever to the raw, reckless energy of timeless rock-and-roll.

Lo-fi, low budget, and low key, The American Analog Set’s suite of hypnotic, neo-psychedelic, Texas sloth-kraut LPs appeared briefly on Austin’s Emperor Jones label and slunk quietly into the sprawling indie underground as the old millennium crested. Gathered here are 'The Fun Of Watching Fireworks', 'From Our Living Room To Yours', and 'The Golden Band albums', garnished with period b-sides, outtakes, and demos. Remastered from the original analog tapes, this early-career spanning 5xLP box includes lyrics, photos, and ephemera from the before times.

TRACK LISTING

LP1 - The Fun Of Watching Fireworks
1. Diana Slowburner II
2. On My Way
3. Gone To Earth
4. On The Run’s Where I’m From
5. Dim Stars (The Boy In My Arms)
6. Trespassers In The Stereo Field
7. Too Tired To Shine II
8. It’s Alright

LP2 – From Our Living Room To Yours
1. Magnificent Seventies
2. Using The Hope Diamond As A Doorstop
3. Blue Chaise
4. Where Have All The Good Boys Gone
5. White House
6. Two Way Diamond I
7. Two Way Diamond II
8. Don’t Wake Me

LP 3 – The Golden Band
1. Weather Report
2. A Good Friend Is Always Around
3. It’s All About Us
4. A Schoolboy’s Charm
5. The Wait
6. New Drifters I
7. New Drifters II
8. New Drifters III
9. New Drifters IV
10. The Golden Band
11. I Must Soon Quit The Scene
12. Will The Real Danny Radnor Please Stand?

LP 4 – Nine Legend Road
1. Diana Slowburner II
2. High Fidelity Vs. Guy Fidelity
3. Magnificent Seventies
4. Waking Up Is Hard To Do
5. Dr. Pepper
6. The Only Living Boy Around
7. It’s All About Us
8. On My Way
9. Thin Fingers
10. Living Room Incidental #2 / The Corduroy Kid

LP 5 – Nine Legend Road
1. Where Did You Come From?
2. Too Tired To Shine I
3. Queen Of Her Own Parade
4. Mellow Fellow
5. You Don’t Want Me To Arrive, Do You?
6. What Are We Going To Tell Guy?
7. Where Did You Come From (Reprise)

‘Pushin’ Too Hard’ is a 94-track celebration of 1960s garage punk, a retrospectively named genre first compiled on Lenny Kaye’s seminal 1972 collection ‘Nuggets’.

This is raw, exciting music with tons of attitude - fuzz guitars, swirling organs, wailing harmonicas, thumping drums and tough vocals are plentiful.

In the mid 1960s, teenage rock ‘n’ roll groups proliferated throughout the USA, often inspired by ‘British Invasion’ bands such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and The Yardbirds as well as US styles including surf, blues and folk rock. Most towns and cities had local scenes revolving around dance parties, clubs and ‘battle of the bands’ contests and many of the bands here were regional royalty but never broke nationally.

Key bands featured include The Seeds, The Sonics, The Standells, The Shadows Of Knight, The Thirteenth Floor Elevators, Love, The Electric Prunes, Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band, We The People and ? & The Mysterians.

There are national US Billboard Hot 100 hits from Sam The Sham & The Pharaohs – ‘Wooly Bully’ (#2), The Strangeloves – ‘I Want Candy’ (#11), The Castaways – ‘Liar, Liar’ (#12), The Beau Brummels – ‘Just A Little’ (#15), The McCoys – ‘Fever’ (#7), The Bobby Fuller Four – ‘I Fought The Law’ (#9), Paul Revere & The Raiders – ‘Just Like Me’ (#11), The Barbarians – ‘Are You A Boy Or Are You A Girl’ (#55), Love – ‘My Little Red Book’ (#54) , The Knickerbockers – ‘One Track Mind’ (#46) and The Seeds – ‘Pushin’ Too Hard’ (#36) presented here in a longer unedited version.

Rarities from The Blue Beats, The Dirty Wurds, The Apparitions, The Bedlam Four and The Jackals are released here on CD for the first time while many other tracks have never been released in the UK before.

TRACK LISTING

DISC ONE
1.The Rangers – Justine
2. Sam The Sham & The Pharaohs – Wooly Bully
3. The Strangeloves – I Want Candy
4. The Barbarians – Are You A Boy Or Are You A Girl
5. The Denims – I’m Your Man
6. The Castaways – Liar, Liar
7. The Remains – Why Do I Cry
8. The Beau Brummels – Just A Little
9. The Seeds Featuring Sky Saxon – Pushin’ Too Hard (Unedited Version)
10. The Leaves – Too Many People (Single Version)
11. The Front Line – Got Love (Trident Version)
12. The Brogues – I Ain’t No Miracle Worker
13. The Standells – Rari (Extended Version)
14. The Spades – You’re Gonna Miss Me
15. The Lyrics – So What!!
16. The Mad Hatters – I Need Love
17. Don & The Goodtimes – Little Sally Tease
18. The Coastliners – Alright
19. The McCoys – Fever
20. The Bobby Fuller Four – I Fought The Law (Single Version)
21. The JuJus – You Treat Me Bad
22. The Girls – My Baby
23. The Raymarks – Louise
24. The Emperor’s – I Want My Woman
25. Paul Revere & The Raiders – Just Like Me
26. Liverpool Five – Heart (Album Version)
27. The Bad Seeds – A Taste Of The Same
28. Merrell & The Exiles – She’s Gone
29. The Bees – Forget Me Girl
30. The Misunderstood – Don’t Break Me Down
31. The Seeds – Out Of The Question (Version 1, Take 1)

DISC TWO:
1.The Thirteenth Floor Elevators – Tried To Hide (Single Version)
2. Love - My Little Red Book
3. The Mojo Men – She’s My Baby (Autumn Version)
4. The Electric Prunes – Ain’t It Hard
5. Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band – Diddy Wah Diddy
6. Dirty Wurds – Mellow Down Easy
7. The Outcasts – I’m In Pittsburgh (And It’s Raining)
8. The Knickerbockers – One Track Mind
9. Rocky & The Riddlers – Flash And Crash
10. The Dimensions – Knock You Flat
11. The Unusuals – I’m Walking, Babe
12. The Shadows Of Knight – Dark Side
13. We The People – Mirror Of Your Mind
14. Sterling Damon – Rejected
15. The Soothsayers – Please, Don’t Be Mad
16. The Esquires – Judgement Day
17. The Century’s – Hard Times
18. The Sonics – You Got Your Head On Backwards
19. Link Wray & The Raymen – Hidden Charms
20. The Misunderstood – Thunder ‘N’ Lightnin’
21. Zakary Thaks – She’s Got You
22. The Squires – Going All The Way
23. The Blue Beats – Extra Girl
24. The Free-For-All – Show Me The Way
25. Chris Morgan & The Togas – There She Goes
26. The Executioners – I Want The Rain (Vocal)
27. Limey & The Yanks – Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind
28. The Apparitions – She’s So Satisfyin’
29. The Hustlers – If You Try
30. The Echoes Of Carnaby Street – No Place Or Time
31. Sparkles - No Friend Of Mine
32. Velvet Illusions – Velvet Illusions

DISC THREE
1.The Standells – Barracuda
2. We The People – You Burn Me Up And Down
3. The Rationals – I Need You
4. The Other Half – Mr. Pharmacist
5. Neal Ford & The Fanatics – Shame On You
6. The Choir – It’s Cold Outside
7. The Newbeats – Top Secret
8. The Fire Escape – Love Special Delivery
9. ? & The Mysterians – Girl (You Captivate Me)
10. The Third Bardo – I’m Five Years Ahead Of My Time
11. Ken & The Forth Dimension – See If I Care
12. The Off-Beats – Tired Of Crying
13. The Mistics – Why Baby Why
14. The Headstones – Bad Day Blues
15. Roy Junior (Roy Acuff Jr.) – Victim Of Circumstances
16. The Sparkles - Hipsville 29 B.C. (I Need Help)
17. The Jackals – Love Times Eight
18. The Galaxies IV – Piccadilly Circus
19. Front Page News – Thoughts
20. Fenwyck – Mindrocker
21. The Jefferson Handerchief – I’m Allergic To Flowers
22. The Buddhas – Lost Innocence
23. The Ohio Express – Try It
24. Tidal Waves – Action! (Speaks Louder Than Words)
25. The Liberty Bell – For What You Lack
26. Thursdays Children – You Can Forget About That
27. The Jades – Come Back
28. The Checkmates – Talk To Me
29. The New Yorkers – Again
30. Georgy & The Velvet Illusions – Mini Shimmy
31. The Bedlam Four – No One Left To Love

Various artists musically interpret poems from "The Fall of America: Poems of these States1965-1971" on this second volume, covers the years 1965- 1971

Musical interpretations of Ginsbergs poems are performed by Ai Weiwei, Philip Glass, Thurston Moore With Saul Williams, Anne Waldman, Miho Hatori, Jack Dangers, Devendra Banhart, Kai Campos & Cj Mirra, and more.

American Football's first album showcases cleanly picked guitars, intricate drumming, and the vocals of Mike Kinsella (Owen, Cap'n Jazz). The band, made up of Kinsella, Steve Holmes and Steve Lamos rooted itself in Champaign and recorded this album at Private Studios with Brendan Gamble (Braid). Despite little touring and with only an EP behind them, these nine songs highlight the trio's uncanny songwriting abilities.

TRACK LISTING

LP1
1 Never Meant
2 The Summer Ends
3 Honestly?
4 For Sure
5 You Know I Should Be Leaving Soon
6 But The Regrets Are Killing Me
7 I'll See You When We're Both Not So Emotional
8 Stay Home
9 The One With The Wurlitzer

LP2 (Deluxe Edition Only)
1 Never Meant
2 The Summer Ends
3 Honestly?
4 For Sure
5 You Know I Should Be Leaving Soon
6 But The Regrets Are Killing Me
7 I'll See You When We're Both Not So Emotional
8 Stay Home
9 The One With The Wurlitzer
10. Intro – Live At The Blind Pig, Champaign, IL, 1997
11. Five Silent Miles - Live At The Blind Pig, Champaign, IL, 1997
12. Untitled #1 – The One With The Trumpet – Boombox Practice Session, 1998
13. Untitled #2 - Boombox Practice Session, 1998
14. Stay Home - Boombox Practice Session, 1998
15. Untitled #3 Boombox Practice Session, 1998
16. Never Meant – 4 – Track Album Prep, 1999
17. But The Regrets Are Killing Me – 4 – Track Album Prep, 1999
18. I'll See You When We're Both Not So Emotional - 4-Track Album Prep, 1999
19. The 7’s - Live At The Blind Pig, Champaign, IL, 1997 

The definitive biography of guitar icon and Grammy Award-winning artist Bill Frisell. FEATURING EXCLUSIVE LISTENING SESSIONS WITH: Paul Simon; Justin Vernon of Bon Iver; Gus Van Sant; Rhiannon Giddens; The Bad Plus; Gavin Bryars; Van Dyke Parks; Sam Amidon; Hal Willner; Jim Woodring; Martin Hayes & Dennis Cahill'A beautiful and long overdue portrait of one of America's true living cultural treasures.'JOHN ZORN'The perfect companion-piece to the music of its subject.'MOJO'Outlines the subject's life in a series of scrupulous strokes and intimate interviews that are rare in such undertakings . .

. a cool, casual victory.'IRISH TIMESOver a period of forty-five years, Bill Frisell has established himself as one of the most innovative and influential musicians at work today. A quietly revolutionary guitar hero for our genre-blurring times, he connects to a diverse range of artists and admirers, including Paul Simon, Elvis Costello, Rhiannon Giddens, Gus Van Sant and Justin Vernon of Bon Iver, all of whom feature in this book.

A vital addition to any music lover's book collection, Bill Frisell, Beautiful Dreamer tells the legendary guitarist's story for the first time. 'Stuffed with musical encounters, so many that every couple of pages there's an unheard Frisell recording for the reader to chase down.'NEW YORKER'Bill Frisell, Beautiful Dreamer is the definitive biography.'BILL MILKOWSKI, DOWNBEAT'Superb . .

. the book races along like Sonny Rollins in full sail. Like subject, like writer: this is super-articulate, adventurous prose.'PERSPECTIVE'[Watson's] writing balances unbridled passion and dispassionate research nearly as deftly as Mr.

Frisell's playing does sound and silence . . .

compelling.'WALL STREET JOURNAL

American Whip is the second album by the New York dream-pop duo Joy Zipper released in 2003. Praised for its "charming melodies, heart- melting harmonies and hazy lo-fi guitars" forming "an intoxicating alt-pop nectar," the album contains 12 of the most seductive four-minute tracks you'll hear on one album.

TRACK LISTING

Sunstroke
Christmas Song
Baby You Should Know
33x
Out Of The Sun
Drugs
Dosed And Became Invisible
Alzheimers
Ron
In The Never Ending Search For A Suitable Enemy
VSX
Valley Stream

Great American Painting is The Districts fifth full-length album; produced by Joe Chiccarelli (Spoon, The Strokes, Broken Social Scene) and recorded at the legendary Sunset Sound in LA.

Great American Painting is the rare album that shines a bright light on all that’s wrong in the world but somehow still channels a galvanizing sense of hope. With equal parts nuanced observation and raw outpouring of feeling, the Philadelphia-based band confront a constellation of problems eroding the American ideal (gentrification, gun violence, the crushing weight of late capitalism), ornamenting every track with their explosive yet elegant breed of indie-rock/post-punk.

Threading that commentary with intense self-reflection, Great American Painting ultimately fulfills a mission The Districts first embraced upon forming as teenagers in small-town Pennsylvania: an urge to create undeniably cathartic music that obliterates hopelessness and invites their audience along in dreaming up a far better future. 

TRACK LISTING

1. Revival Psalm
2. No Blood
3. Do It Over
4. White Devil
5. Long End
6. Outlaw Love
7. Hover
8. I Want To Feel It All
9. On Our Parting, My Beloved

Recorded in the spring of 2010 and then mysteriously abandoned by Prince before its release, the statement album Welcome 2 America documents Prince’s concerns, hopes, and visions for a shifting society, presciently foreshadowing an era of political division, disinformation, and a renewed fight for racial justice. The album features some of Prince’s only studio collaborations with the bassist Tal Wilkenfeld, drummer Chris Coleman, and engineer Jason Agel, with additional contributions from New Power Generation singers Shelby J, Liv Warfield, and Elisa Fiorillo and keyboardist Morris Hayes, who Prince also recruited to co-produce the album.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: It really is a testament to the output of the purple one himself that THIS absolute stunner got left on the cutting room floor. Political spoken word, undeniable groove and impeccable instrumental performances from all involved lead to one of the greatest albums he's put out for a LONG time.

TRACK LISTING

CD TRACKLIST:
1. Welcome 2 America (5:23)
2. Running Game (Son Of A Slave Master) (4:05)
3. Born 2 Die (5:03)
4. 1000 Light Years From Here (5:46)
5. Hot Summer (3:32)
6. Stand Up And B Strong (5:18)
7. Check The Record (3:28)
8. Same Page Different Book (4:41)
9. When She Comes (4:46)
10. 1010 (Rin Tin Tin) (4:42)
11. Yes (2:56)
12. One Day We Will All B Free (4:41)

VINYL TRACKLIST WITH SIDE BREAKS:
SIDE A
1. Welcome 2 America (5:23)
2. Running Game (Son Of A Slave Master) (4:05)
3. Born 2 Die (5:03)
4. 1000 Light Years From Here (5:46)
SIDE B
1. Hot Summer (3:32)
2. Stand Up And B Strong (5:18)
3. Check The Record (3:28)
4. Same Page, Different Book (4:41)
SIDE C
1. When She Comes (4:46)
2. 1010 (Rin Tin Tin) (4:42)
3. Yes (2:56)
4. One Day We Will All B Free (4:41)
SIDE D
Etching

BLU-RAY TRACKLIST:
Welcome 2 America: Live At The Forum, April 28, 2011
Runtime: 2:13:00
Available In Stereo, 5.1 Surround And Dolby Atmos
Joy In Repetition
Brown Skin (India.Arie Cover)
17 Days
Shhh
Controversy
Theme From “Which Way Is Up” (Stargard Cover)
What Have You Done For Me Lately (Janet Jackson Cover)
Partyman
Make You Feel My Love (Bob Dylan Cover)
Misty Blue (Eddy Arnold Cover)
Let’s Go Crazy
Delirious
1999
Little Red Corvette
Purple Rain
The Bird (The Time Cover – Prince Composition)
Jungle Love (The Time Cover – Prince Composition)
A Love Bizarre (Sheila E Cover – Prince Composition)
Kiss
Play That Funky Music (Wild Cherry Cover)
Inglewood Swingin’ (version Of Kool & The Gang’s Hollywood Swingin’)
Fantastic Voyage (Lakeside Cover)
More Than This (Roxy Music Cover)

The legendary Guitarist chooses tracks from his two Americana albums and releases them on 180 gram 12” vinyl, featuring extensive sleevenotes.

Michael also took the photograph for the front cover.

TRACK LISTING

Swamp
Ponchateulah
Caddo Lake
Anything But The Blues
Blues For The Mother Road
When Dottie Goes Dancing
Apache Creek
Looking For Charlie In Nogales
Dust Devils
So Many Echoes

Legacy Chicago craftsman Mark Nelson’s latest offering as Pan•American is less a distillation or divergence than it is a return to his musical and spiritual beginnings. Spare, subdued, and largely acoustic, A Son unfurls like late summer dusk on the edge of town, expansive but intimate.

Motivated by notions of “moving backward” and tracing roots – as well as a couple years of hammered dulcimer lessons – the album’s nine songs were written and recorded in his home in Evanston, Illinois, and honed during a recent solo tour in Europe. The emphasis on uncluttered arrangements and the centrality of the guitar and vocals reveal these songs as the most direct and emotional statement of his career.

Nelson cites everything from June Tabor, The Carter Family, Suicide and Jimmy Reed as oblique inspirations, though his truest muse was creative self-inquiry: “What does music do, Where does music start? How simple can it be? How honest can it be?”

After decades of mining post-rock pathways and latticework electronics in Labradford and early Pan•American, A Son strips away ornament and distraction in favor of a direct gaze into the heart of what is.

TRACK LISTING

1. Ivory Joe Hunter, Little Walter
2. Memphis Helena
3. Sleepwalk Guitars
4. Brewthru
5. Dark Birds Empty Fields
6. Drunk Father
7. Muriel Spark
8. Kept Quiet
9. Shenandoah 

Morning in America consists of 7 songs that were recorded during the sessions for Mudhoney’s 2018 album, Digital Garbage (“…an astute, politically relevant and commendably fired-up garage punk belter of an LP,” – The Quietus). The tracks include "Let's Kill Yourself Live Again" (an alternate version of the Digital Garbage stand-out “Kill Yourself Live,” and the bonus track for the Japanese CD version of that album), "One Bad Actor" (a new version of Mudhoney’s track on the limited-edition, and now very sold-out, SPF30 split 7” single w Hot Snakes), album outtakes “Snake Oil Charmer,” “Morning in America” and “Creeps Are Everywhere,” plus "Ensam I Natt" (“So Lonely Tonight,” a Leather Nun cover) and "Vortex of Lies" from a very limited EU tour 7". The songs were mixed at Johnny Sangster’s studio Crackle & Pop!

TRACK LISTING

Vortex Of Lies
Creeps Are Everywhere
Ensam I Natt
Morning In America
Let's Kill Yourself Live Again
Snake Oil Charmer
One Bad Actor

REISSUED!!!

BIKINI KILL's final studio album originally released in 1996 on Kill Rock Stars.

Bikini Kill was a feminist punk band that was based in Olympia, WA and Washington, DC, forming in 1990 and breaking up in 1997. KATHLEEN HANNA sang, TOBI VAIL played drums, BILLY KARREN (aka BILLY BOREDOM) played guitar and KATHI WILCOX played bass. Bikini Kill is credited with instigating the Riot Grrrl movement in the early ’90s via their political lyrics, zines, and confrontational live performances. 

TRACK LISTING

1. Statement Of Vindication
2. Capri Pants
3. Jet Ski
4. Distinct Complicity
5. False Start
6. R.I.P.
7. No Backrub
8. Bloody Ice Cream
9. For Only
10. Tony Randall
11. Reject All American
12. Finale

Durand Jones & the Indications aren’t looking backwards. Helmed by foil vocalists in Durand Jones and drummer Aaron Frazer, the Indications conjure the dynamism of Jackie Wilson, Curtis Mayfield, AND the Impressions. Even with an aesthetic steeped in the golden, strings-infused dreaminess of early ‘70s soul, the Indications’ sophomore LP, American Love Call, is planted firmly in the present, with the urgency of this moment in time.

The Indications’ 2016 self-titled debut was the product of friends who met as students at Indiana University in Bloomington, In., recorded for $452.11, including a case of beer. American Love Call, the band’s sophomore LP is instead the record the Indications dreamed of making, fleshed out with strings, backing vocals, and a newfound confidence in songwriting.

Blending a slew of influences from years spent crate-digging, guitarist Blake Rhein says the Indications approach songs in the same way hip-hop producers do, as likely to pull inspiration from ‘70s folk-rock or classic R&B as they are Nas’ Illmatic.

“Did I expect to do this shit once I got out of college? Hell no,” Jones relays, laughing. “Totally not. But this is what God is telling me to do – move and groove. So I’m gonna stay in my lane.”

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: A brilliantly emotive and smoothly contrasting duo of voices over this classic soul, brought to the modern day with crisp, clean production and the perfectly sunny songwiting Durand Jones has become known for. From mournful, lost-love ballads to swinging, dancefloor ditties, this is yet another mindblowing LP from Jones & co.

TRACK LISTING

1. Morning In America
2. Don’t You Know (feat. Aaron Frazer)
3. Circles
4. Court Of Love (feat. Aaron Frazer)
5. Long Way Home
6. Too Many Tears (feat. Aaron Frazer)
7. Walk Away
8. What I Know About You (feat. Aaron Frazer)
9. Listen To Your Heart
10. Sea Gets Hotter (feat. Aaron Frazer)
11. How Can I Be Sure (feat. Aaron Frazer)
12. True Love

American Utopia fits hand-in-hand with Byrne’s vision for his series ‘Reasons To Be Cheerful’ - an ongoing series curated by Byrne of hopeful writings, photos, music, and lectures – named for the song by the late Ian Dury. Over the last year, Byrne has been collecting stories, news, ideas, and other items that all either embody or identify examples of things that inspire optimism, such as a tech breakthrough, a musical act, a new idea in urban planning or transportation – something seen, heard, or tasted. Just as the album questions the current state of society while offering solace through song, the content of the series recognizes the darkness and complexity of today while showcasing alternatives to the despair that threatens us. 

While David Byrne has collaborated on joint releases with Eno, Norman Cook (aka Fatboy Slim), and most recently St. Vincent over the past decade, American Utopia is Byrne’s first solo album since, 2004’s Grown Backwards, also on Nonesuch. American Utopia morphed during the writing and recording process, beginning with longtime collaborator Eno, and eventually growing to include collaboration with producer Rodaidh McDonald (The xx, King Krule, Sampha, Savages) alongside a diverse cast of creative contributors including Daniel Lopatin (aka Oneohtrix Point Never), Jam City, Thomas Bartlett (St. Vincent producer, aka Doveman), Jack Peñate, and others. The album was recorded in New York City at David’s home studio, Reservoir Studios, Oscilloscope, XL Studios, and Crowdspacer Studio and in London at Livingston Studio 1.

Speaking about the album, Byrne said:
Is this meant ironically? Is it a joke? Do I mean this seriously? In what way? Am I referring to the past or the future? Is it personal or political?

These songs don’t describe an imaginary or possibly impossible place but rather attempt to depict the world we live in now. Many of us, I suspect, are not satisfied with that world – the world we have made for ourselves. We look around and we ask ourselves – well, does it have to be like this? Is there another way? These songs are about that looking and that asking.

This album is indirectly about those aspirational impulses. Sometimes to describe is to reveal, to see other possibilities. To ask a question is to begin the process of looking for an answer. To be descriptive is also to be prescriptive, in a way. The act of asking is a big step. The songs are sincere – the title is not ironic. The title refers not to a specific utopia, but rather to our longing, frustration, aspirations, fears, and hopes regarding what could be possible, what else is possible. The description, the discontent and the desire – I have a feeling that is what these songs touch on.

I have no prescriptions or surefire answers, but I sense that I am not the only one looking and asking, wondering and still holding onto some tiny bit of hope, unwilling to succumb entirely to despair or cynicism.

It’s not easy, but music helps. Music is a kind of model – it often tells us or points us toward how we can be.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: From what I garner from reading Byrne's comments on his newest release, he is commenting (possibly) sarcastically on the duality of American life... or possibly he wasn't. What is less ambiguous is just listening to the album, taking in the excellently written songs and the latent, wry politicism peppered throughout. It's wonderful, that's all you need to know.

TRACK LISTING

1. I Dance Like This
2. Gasoline And Dirty Sheets
3. Every Day Is A Miracle
4. Dog’s Mind
5. This Is That
6. It’s Not Dark Up Here
7. Bullet
8. Doing The Right Thing
9. Everybody’s Coming To My House
10. Here

American Laundromat Records has enlisted a herd of indie-rock luminaries - including The Wedding Present, Built to Spill’s Doug Martsch, Throwing Muses co-founder Tanya Donelly, Telekinesis and William Fitzsimmons to contribute covers of 20 classic songs by The Smiths for this new tribute CD.

In a fitting touch, the label - which previously has released the compilations Just Like Heaven: A Tribute to The Cure and Dig for Fire: A Tribute to the Pixies - was able to secure a photo of ’60s U.K. pop star Sandie Shaw for the cover art; Shaw, of course, was a favourite of both Morrissey and Johnny Marr who, in 1984, covered The Smiths’ "Hand in Glove." It's an outstanding tribute to The Smiths and highly recommended.

Deep breaths...headphones on...needle dropped. LCD Soundsystem are back. Seven years after their last long player, and six years since their premature retirement, NYC's era defining, life changing indie-dance/alt-disco/punk-funk legends are back on wax with their fourth LP "American Dream". As the live hats and staccato pulse of "Oh Baby" give way to tender arps, dramatic synth bass and Murhpy's crooning vocals, all seems well in the world once more. Imbued with the same cinematic quality with which "All My Friends" and "Someone Great" stole our hearts a decade ago, this album opener is vintage LCD. One track in and I'm already hooked. "Other Voices" pushes the tempo and picks up the intensity, fusing low slung bass, sizzling 4/4 and buzzing synthwork into the kind of hypnotic, disco-rock groover the world's been crying out for. Backwards guitar solos and strange synth riffs lend a little psychedelic colour while Murphy's vocals, ably supported by Nancy Wang and Korey Richey, retain all the sardonic lyricism of a particularly arch Larry David. Closing the first side out with shimmering synths, slow rolling bass and a moody piano, "I Used To" details a midlife moment of clarity before the squawking guitar, loose groove and Bowie-styled vocals of "Change Yr Mind" bring the punk to the funkshow. Tumbling toms, immersive reverb and distant vocals march around nagging violin and spectral arpeggios on "How Do You Sleep?", creating a gloomy Joy Division ambience which soon bursts into a slo-mo technicolour via chugging percussion and big bass blasts - Far from your average drug ballad, this is gonna bring the house down live! Blasting through the speakers on a tank full of squelching synthbass, snapping electronic percussion and Murphy's trademark half spoken/ half sung vocals, current single "Tonite" picks up the electroid baton from "Yeah" and "Pow Pow" and treats us to relentless barrage of Murphy's needle-point self referencial wit. Hilarious, danceable and deeply on point, this could well be an album standout. Presumeably inspired by his time working on Bowie's "Blackstar", "Call The Police" pairs an achingly sincere, occasionally bleak lyricism with anthemic rock drums and buzzing guitars, relishing in the bittersweet beauty of life. Electro-pop ballad "American Dream" continues the quest for understanding and acceptance in the tough climate of 2017 as Murphy leads us waltzing through the richest synth tones of his career. As we arrive at the final side Murphy et al blitz through the punk inspired rage of "Emotional Haircut", a hair-raiser in the style of early !!! or Outhud, before embracing the existential melancholy of "Black Screen", the medicated lullaby which closes the set with buzzing synth tones and delicate piano. Though this album may lack the immediacy of its predecessors, it offers infinite emotional depth, sincerity and faultless songwriting. Leave your skepticism at the door, this is the best LCD Soundsystem LP to date.

TRACK LISTING

1. Oh Baby
2. Other Voices
3. I Used To
4. Change Yr Mind
5. How Do You Sleep?
6. Tonite
7. Call The Police
8. American Dream
9. Emotional Haircut
10. Black Screen 

Stein formed Howling Bells with her brother, Joel, and friends when they moved to London together in 2004. Four acclaimed albums followed, along with headline tours and festival shows around the world, and huge support dates including several US tours with Coldplay and The Killers. A break from Howling Bells around the arrival of her first child saw the first shoots of her solo work start to emerge, and now we find ourselves here. America, an unpredictable place, forever bound up in a uniquely widescreen hope and romance. An evocative and beautiful record (produced by Gus Seyffert (Beck, Ryan Adams) in L.A.), Stein’s honeyed voice weaves stories of heartbreak and optimism, from the unmistakably Western-influenced Dark Horse, to the moody love song, Cry. Florence is inspired by a real-life photograph by Dorothea Langue, taken during the Great Depression, of the eponymous Florence Owens Thompson, a tale of a struggle for themselves and their children that’s as relevant to women of the world today as it ever was. The songs on the LP tell tales of characters real and imagined, Stein’s own experiences woven amongst them.

Says Stein of the album: "This record is an ode to the dark heart of America. Of times gone and times to come. Dusty trails, a whimsical 50s suburbia and the haze of the 1960s. I've forever idealised American life - growing up in Australia we were fed the American dream through film and television. The dichotomy between what was real and a dream is forever intriguing to me. The music of Roy Orbison, Dusty Springfield, Lee and Nancy and Patsy Cline all informed my musical sensibilities. They opened up this wide screen universe for me.”

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Thumping psych-rock, echoing guitars and the brittle but perfectly fitting vocal workouts from Stein, shimmers of classic Americana mix in with brilliantly evocative songwriting. A stunning outing.

TRACK LISTING

1. Florence
2. Dark Horse
3. Black Winds
4. I'll Cry
5. Stargazer
6. Shimmering
7. Someone Else's Dime
8. It's All Wrong
9. Not Paradise
10. Cold Comfort
11. America

THIS IS A RECORD STORE DAY 2017 EXCLUSIVE, LIMITED TO ONE PER PERSON.

The Bevis Frond have successfully traversed the ‘traditional’ side of songwriting to produce a prolific and un-comparable body of genuinely beautiful, yet genre baiting songs that are hard to ignore” Louder Than War. Released on 12” purple coloured vinyl for Record Store Day 2017, ‘The Auntie Winnie Album’ will be reissued for Record Store Day alongside ‘Bevis Through The Looking Glass’ and ‘Triptych’ as part of the band’s 30th Anniversary. Initially released in 1988, the companion piece to ‘Bevis Through The Looking Glass’ comprises of unreleased material from the Woronzow archives. The last of his earlier releases that sees the influential multi-instrumentalist Nick Saloman perform solo throughout. A labour of love and fiercely independent, his prolific output has seen as many releases in as many years and an uncompromising vision under his own label Woronzow. Hailed as “a Hendrix devotee every bit as tough and contemporary as the serrated guitar chorales of Sonic Youth and Pixies” by Rolling Stone’s David Fricke, his immense psych-stoner-rock has seen him become a cult figure in his own right. The Bevis Frond’s legion of loyal fans includes Teenage Fanclub, Dinosaur Jr and Mary Lou Lord, who have all covered his music. 

TRACK LISTING

Disc 1 A1 Malvolio's Dream Journey To Pikes A2 Foreign Laugh A3 Down Again A4 Will To Lose A5 Repressor A6 Winter's Blues B1 The Miz-Maze B2 Close B3 Without Mind B4 City Of The Sun C1 Traction C2 Long Day C3 Twice Torn, Once Forgotten C4 Spa Hotel D1 Visions Through Dilated Eyes D2 African Violet D3 Hillview D4 Automatic Bomb Virgins D5 Possession

Hailing from Ottawa, Canada, Leif Vollebekk is a multi-instrumentalist and singer/songwriter known for his somber, melancholy pop songs that capture the themes of yearning, long-lost love, and adventure. During his childhood and teens, he discovered the music of Bob Dylan, Neil Young, and Lou Reed whilst also discovering a connection with the writings and works of Beat Generation authors Allen Ginsberg and Charles Bukowski. Having tried his hand at a multitude of instruments, he was initially interested in composition and shaping a song, rather than the lyrics; that is, until he heard Dylan's "Simple Twist of Fate." With a newfound obsession for illustrating stories and images with words, he sought to expand upon his creative abilities and headed to Iceland to discover his Nordic roots

TRACK LISTING

1. Southern United States
2. Off The Main Drag
3. Cairo Blues
4. Photographer Friend
5. At The End Of The Line
6. A Wildfire Took Down Rosenberg
7. Takk Somuleidis
8. Pallbearer Blues
9. When The Subway Comes Above The Ground
10. From The Fourth

Signed to Danger Mouse's '30th Century Records' and released via Columbia in the UK, this is the debut solo album from Vampire Weekend drummer Chris Tomson. A 10 track album, produced by Pat Carney (Black Keys), including the singles "Death Wish" & "Tell The Truth". 

The zenith of David Bowie's flat-pack soul period, 1975's "Young Americans" is an incredible and frequently overlooked record. No other Bowie album had spelled out its market so cleanly and crisply in its title. This was an album to be bought at a time when young Americans, after years of mobilising, now had a little disposable income and were ready to party. It was all, supposedly, about 'emotional drive'. But the album came to represent so much more than that. It is an indirect product of many factors; soul music; politics, both personal and public; sex, drugs and dancing; of downtown New York and uptown Philadelphia.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: What a beginning! 'Young Americans' really sets the scene for the rest of the album, swooning into the Pre-Balearic charms of 'Win' and the horny brilliance of 'Somebody up There Likes Me'. Dynamic, exciting and criminally overlooked, this is one of the greatest Bowie albums there is, and this is the essential version. Music achieved.

‘Goodbye Terrible Youth’ is the second album from St Louis-by-way-of-Scotland songwriter, Gary McClure.

Performing under the name American Wrestlers, Gary’s second record sees him taking bedroom recordings onto a bigger stage without sacrificing the intimacy that makes them so attractive.

If his self-titled album showed Gary’s knack for stringing together addictive guitar lines - the shimmer of shoegaze mixed with the emotional fist pump of power pop, ‘Goodbye Terrible Youth’ amplifies that energy with a roadtested band. Literally breaking out of the home studio - the Tascam mixer McClure had been recording on has fallen apart from overuse - he’s embraced a bigger sound and stage on ‘Goodbye Terrible Youth’, his rueful yet propulsive songwriting only becoming sharper.

“This [‘Amazing Grace’] is, quite simply, one of the most beautiful songs I’ve heard in 2016. All swirling guitars and plinking pianos, the song builds to a real moment of triumph. ‘I am waiting for that moment to arrive,’ Gary McClure sings, and then they hit you with those crunchy, soaring guitars, and you know it has” - USA Today

KEXP named ‘Amazing Grace’ their Song Of The Day, saying “When the guitar solo kicks in towards the final minute, it’s almost enough to make you pick up that matchbook and light the edge of that ever-expanding todo list on fire.”

TRACK LISTING

Vote Thatcher
Give Up
So Long
Hello, Dear
Amazing Grace
Terrible Youth
Blind Kids
Someone Far Away
Real People

Tanya Donelly is a singer-songwriter and founding member of three of the most successful bands of the post-punk era. At the age of 16, she and stepsister Kristin Hersh formed Throwing Muses, which became the first American band ever signed to the influential British label 4AD. Not only did the Muses' dreamy, swirling guitar sound prove highly influential on many of the alternative acts to emerge in their wake, but they also made any number of unprecedented advances into the male-dominated world of underground rock. Donelly later sidelined with Pixies bassist Kim Deal to form the Breeders, appearing on the debut LP, Pod. She later exited both the Breeders and Throwing Muses to form her own band, Belly.

After issuing a pair of well-received EPs, Belly released their full-length debut, Star -- a superb collection of luminous, fairy tale-like guitar pop songs -- and for the first time in her career, Donelly earned commercial success commensurate to her usual critical accolades. Not only did the record go gold on the strength of the hit single 'Feed the Tree' but the band even garnered a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist.

Donelly would eventually disband Belly to raise her two daughters. She still found time to write and record music as a solo artist -- Beautysleep, Whiskey Tango Ghosts and This Hungry Life were all exceptional albums and enjoyed critical success. The Swan Song Series is a collection of songs in which Donelly collaborated with friends, musicians and authors such as Rick Moody, Robyn Hitchcock, John Wesley Harding, Damon Krukowski and Naomi Yang (Damon + Naomi/Galaxie 500), Bill Janovitz (Buffalo Tom), Tom Gorman (Belly), and Claudia Gonson (Magnetic Fields), and explored an impressive range that wasn't always captured on previous albums.

This exclusive collection includes the first 5 self-released digital EP's + 7 brand new, previously unreleased, tracks on a 31 song set.

TRACK LISTING

1. Mass Ave
2. Christopher Street
3. Let Fall The Sky
4. Blame The Muse
5. Meteor Shower
6. Still
7. Mary Magdelene In The Great Sky
8. Why So Sad
9. Making Light
10. Miranda (Pacifically)
11. Written_Unread
12. VivaKaraoke
13. Far Away And Hard To See
14. Hidalgo Street
15. Cygnet Song
16. Salt
17. Worry Doll
18. Cape Ann
19. Flying At Night
20. Snow Goose And Me
21. Tu Y Yo
22. Lucky Love
23. Oh Me Of Little Faith
24. The End To The Dawn
25. Silver

For Fans Of: The Bronx, Biffy Clyro, Baroness, Hot Snakes and Titus Andronicus. The Northern Irish trio Axis Of has been winning hearts throughout Europe since the release of their debut album ‘Finding St. Kilda’ in 2012.

Their records espouse their deep love of music, meeting new people and travel: ”The touring we do completely shapes our music and lyrics,” explains Ewen Friers (lead singer and bassist). And on their lastest offering, ‘The Mid Brae Inn’ this is taken to fascinating new emotional heights. Recorded in the grip of an Irish winter, the daily trek to the recording studio proved to be a mission in itself: “There were deep snow storms and havoc on old coastal roads. One morning our van’s exhaust was ripped off by a wave.”

The band succumbing to the sea is an apt metaphor for ‘The Mid Brae Inn’. Across its eleven tracks, distorted bass swells and soars whilst guitars foam with effervescent hooks. One can almost taste the salt in the air on album highlights: “Wetsuit”, “Beachcombing” and “Quarrel Reef”. The sound that the bass-player-fronted three-piece has crafted is simultaneously melodic and thunderous – drawing comparison to the sound Biffy cultivated on their crossover ‘Only Revolutions’.

“Over the last few years we've really pushed that idea of ‘poppy but heavy’. I think this record takes that idea and stretches it further at both ends” explains Niall. “I feel we're now the band we were hinting at becoming, it just required a few hundred shows to get us to this point.” A record built to be heard live, by men on a mission. Axis Of: coming soon, to a town near you (hopefully in a van with an intact exhaust).

TRACK LISTING

1. All My Bones
2. Wetsuit
3. The Grey Man's Path At Night
4. Super Resurgence
5. Munro Bagger
6. Beachcombing
7. Marconi's Place
8. Quarrel Reef
9. Oh Calusco!
10. The Harsh Winds Of Rathlin
11. Sunfinder
12. Returnee's Lament

Arguably the best of the American Recordings series.
Once again Cash worked with Tom Petty on a couple of tracks including the Neil Diamond-penned "Solitary Man".
The album also includes stunning covers of Bonnie Prince Billy, Nick Cave and U2.

STAFF COMMENTS

Laura says: The Rick Rubin produced American Recordings totally rejuvenated Cash's career, and they're all great. This one just edges it for me with amazing covers of Bonnie Prince Billy, Nick Cave and (suprisingly) U2.

TRACK LISTING

I Won't Back Down
Solitary Man
That Lucky Old Sun (Just Rolls Around Heaven All Day)
One
Nobody
I See A Darkness
The Mercy Seat
Would You Lay With Me (In A Field Of Stone)
Field Of Diamonds
My Time
Country Trash
Mary Of The Wild Moor
I'm Leavin' Now
Wayfaring Stranger

Sullivan & Gold release their new album on Smalltown America, ‘For Foes’ in the UK and Ireland on November 11th, 2013. Sullivan & Gold is the pen name of Adam Montgomery (Bass/Guitar/Vocals) and Ben Robinson (Piano/Guitar/Vocals) who both hail from Co. Derry, Northern Ireland. Their sound is an evocative mix of Laurel Canyon soul and British alt-indie - bold, atmospheric and emotive songs for fans of Bombay Bicycle Club, Iron & Wine and Fleet Foxes.

A lush and sumptuously arranged record, ‘For Foes’ is an ambitious album focusing on a central character, who is reflecting on his life’s loves, losses and betrayals. Each track provokes new questions about the protagonist’s life and each is painted against a memorable, cinematic backdrop - from the beaches of Castlerock to the historic churches of St. Petersburg. Previous fans of Adam and Ben’s work (in indie-rockers The Good Fight) will be familiar with their closely woven harmonies and soulful use of melody. On ‘For Foes’ this is taken to new heights, soaring falsetto and dense backgrounds imbue these songs with an ethereal, otherworldly quality. A deftly realised debut, ‘Foe Foes’ provides a brand new soundtrack for anyone that finds themselves falling in or out of love.

Sullivan & Gold are: Adam Montgomery – Guitar / Bass / Vocals. Ben Robinson – Piano / Guitar / Vocals.

TRACK LISTING

1. Lonely
2. Changing
3. Run Faster
4. People Talk
5. Jigsaws
6. Don’t Stand In Line
7. Forget Myself
8. Please Repeat
9. All Of My Brothers
10. Glory

The double Grammy winning album “Breakfast In America” was released by Supertramp in March 1979 and featured the hit singles: "The Logical Song" , "Goodbye Stranger" , "Breakfast in America", and "Take the Long Way Home".

TRACK LISTING

Gone Hollywood
The Logical Song
Goodbye Stranger
Breakfast In America
Oh Darling
Take The Long Way Home
Lord Is It Mine
Just Another Nervous Wreck
Casual Conversations
Child Of Vision

This was a single from June which initially was not offered to stores. 'Easy Meat' the title track taken from LaFaro's second album signals a departure in both musical and thematic territory. Recalling early Morphine, Ministry and NIN the stoner-swagger of the first album has been supplanted by droning riffology and bluesy nuance. Similarly, Johnny Black's lyrics have zoomed into examine other people's lives in even creepier and more exacting detail; as his songwriting matures so too does his ability to single out life's undesirables and our innermost, darkest thoughts. At 2'17" the track transforms into what fans love LaFaro for, a killer breakdown with outrageously exuberant John Stainer influenced drum-fills, from this point out the track is a master-class into how to bring it to the front three rows. Even those sitting comfortably at home with earbuds and tea will want to take their tops off and shake a fist at someone.

Crushingly recorded by the band's now regular producer (a Bangor man simply known as 'Marty') this new set of songs have all the urgency and precision of LaFaro live. In keeping with the album's theme of using Northern Irish colloquialism-as song title LaFaro's B-side to this single is entitled 'Wee Buns' and is well worth the purchase price alone. Recalling Jesus Lizard, Shellac, Helmet (with whom the band have toured Europe) and NI heroes Therapy? LaFaro have character, chops and emotion oozing through every seedy riff 'I love to write about life's dark little secrets - the things we all know happen but never get discussed'.

TRACK LISTING

1. Easy Meat
2. Wee Buns

‘American Goldwing’ is Sub Pop’s third full-length release with Portland’s Blitzen Trapper and the band’s sixth full-length overall.

On ‘American Goldwing’ Blitzen Trapper let their loves and influences – hard guitar rock, country picking and pawn-shop Casio aplomb – hang out for all to see.

‘American Goldwing’ is the band’s first foray into direct, outside influence in the creation of a record, with mixing by Tchad Blake and coproduction by Gregg Williams.

One of the more unexpected - if worthwhile - by products of the 21st-century underground American folk revival is a renewed interest in solo acoustic guitar music. Spare, haunting, pastoral sounds have struck a new chord, and the names John Fahey and Takoma are hip again. Matt Baldwin, raised in California's rustic Pacific Grove, educated in the alternative mecca of Berkeley, sits in the center of this quiet, swirling scene. He is the visionary wildcard of today's solo guitar music, the ambitious fever dreamer, the serpent in the grass. Unlike many of his peers, he looks beyond the traditions of Fahey (whom he calls 'a teacher', not a god), bringing portentous and progressive elements into his music, alongside a dreamy country lilt. He covers krautrock legends Neu! ("Weissensee") and metal Vikings Judas Priest ("Winter"), and culls inspiration from prog heroes yes on the closing epic "Rainbow". His music comes on like a creeping moss, verdant but threatening, comforting yet unsettling.

The second single from their self titled second album is "America", and it's an anthem in the making.

Wakefield have honed their skills on tours with Homegrown, Reel Big Fish, Alkaline Trio, Early November, Autopilot Off, All American Rejects and Avril Lavigne. From St. Mary's County Maryland, the four members of Wakefield recorded "American Made" in Los Angeles in 2002. They're a mix of brash and sometimes poignant songs strung together by guitar riffs, staccato drum beats, and three-part vocal harmonies underscored by hook-heavy melodies that bounce around like ping-pong balls. Tracks range from the fierce guitar strains of "Sold Out" and the straightforward punk-pop morsel "Un-sweet Sixteen," to the ska-tinged, celebrity-jabbing "Infamous."

Second album from this LA band. Epic soaring pop songs with intense wavering vocals reminiscent at times of Thom Yorke.

Debut album from this hotly-tipped new band. Driving energetic rock'n'roll, at times reminiscent of early Manics.

Long awaited second edition in the "Psychedelic States" series compiling obscure singles of virtually unknown garage and psyche bands from the USA. This is the second edition covering the state of Florida, the first was immensely popular and the second version is filled with just as many gems. Compiled by real enthusiasts it includes The Tropics, The Lost Generation, The Epics, The Rockin' Roadrunners, Little Willie & The Adolescents, The Souldiers, The Purple Underground, The Ravens, Plant Life, Me And The Other Guys, Cosmic Camel, The Chain Reaction and The Deep Six. Giles Shaw you need this.

Another name has to be added to the ever growing list of new American singer songwriters that rise above the ordinary, that of Troy Campbell. "American Breakdown" is a great little album totally lacking any pretension and with a simplicity that is its greatest asset.

This is a release which is creating excitement and a buzz around the emo rock scene. Six Going On Seven have been described as a punk rock version of The Police and I think the comparison is quite apt. Tuneful and melodic but with a punchy,punky edge.

Bubblegum indie pop at it's best from America. If you like hiding behind your fringe then this sing-a-long classic for you.