Bogdan Ra is based in the musical hotbed of Lisbon and his excellent What Is A DJ? EP takes its inspiration from the late 80s acid house and Italo, displaying a real mix of vintage charm and contemporary relevance that will strike all the right notes on the dancefloor. From the snappy title cut to the electro rhythms of 'Arroios' via the funky disco rhythms of 'Tonic Glue' and feel good factor of closer 'That's All', this is quality production that will more than stand the test of time

TRACK LISTING

What Is A DJ?
Arroios
Tonic Glue
That's All

Craft Music's Good For Dance series continues with its second instalment and this one has been curated by none other than DJ Craft himself. Joining him are talented pals Schmoltz, Bogdan Ra, Romain FX, and Outra, also known as Joutro Mundo. These deep diggers are celebrated for their prowess in unearthing hidden gems and transforming them into dancefloor anthems and that's what they do here as each artist brings a unique flavour to the mix. Schmoltz's 'Luv The States' is a peak-time percussive disco jam, Bogdan Ra brings some slap-funk drums and glossy Italo synths and 'Tell Me Why' has crunchy drums and jagged synth stabs before a camp closer in 'Colosso'.

STAFF COMMENTS

Mine says: Disco and italo lovers rejoice! If the clips are anything to go by then this record is going to be a lot of fun (and most definitely good for dance)! Brilliant stuff from Schmoltz and co.

TRACK LISTING

Schmoltz - Luv The States
Bogdan Ra - Italocombo
Tell Me Why (RFX Edit)
Colosso (Outra Edit)

THIS IS A RECORD STORE DAY 2024 EXCLUSIVE AND WILL BE AVAILABLE INSTORE ON SATURDAY APRIL 20TH ON A FIRST COME FIRST SERVED BASIS, LIMITED TO ONE PER PERSON.

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The long out-of-print sophomore title from seminal El Paso, Texas band At The Drive-In, featuring favourites "Napoleon Solo," "Chanbara," and "Alpha Centauri." Drowned In Sound proclaims, ìIn/Casino/Out screams at you, beats you into a pulp along with all your conceptions of punk, chews you up and spits you out a newly formed individual" while Vice describes the record as "a document of the moment when one of punkís most exciting bands discovered what they wanted to be." Pressed on limited edition Purple & Green Smoke vinyl.

THIS IS A RECORD STORE DAY 2024 EXCLUSIVE AND WILL BE AVAILABLE INSTORE ON SATURDAY APRIL 20TH 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 ON MONDAY APRIL 22ND.

This limited-edition MONO release of legendary jazz pianist Bill Evansí 1959 album ìEverybody Digs Bill Evansî is available exclusively on 180-gram vinyl for Record Store Day. A landmark recording, the album features Sam Jones (bass) and Philly Joe Jones (drums) and is Evansí second album on Riverside as leader. This new pressing features (AAA) lacquers cut from the original master tapes by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio and is pressed at RTI on 180-gram black vinyl. It is housed in a StoughtonÆ Tip-On Jacket and limited to 7500 copies globally.

LITTLE RICHARD: I AM EVERYTHING tells the story of the Black queer origins of rock n’ roll, exploding the whitewashed canon of American pop music to reveal the innovator – the originator – Richard Penniman. The soundtrack of the award-winning documentary includes timeless hits from Little Richard like “Tutti Frutti”, “Rip It Up”, and “Long Tall Sally”, plus two covers from Valerie June and Cory Henry, and a piece from the film’s original score, composed by Tamar-Kali Brown.

TRACK LISTING

Good Golly, Miss Molly – Little Richard
Strange Things Happening Every Day – Valerie June
Baby (demo) – Little Richard
I’m Just A Lonely Guy (all Alone) – Little Richard
Tutti Frutti – Little Richard And His Band
Long Tall Sally – Little Richard And His Band
Lucille – Little Richard And His Band
Bama Lama Bama Loo – Little Richard
Rip It Up – Little Richard And His Band
Ready Teddy – Little Richard And His Band
The Girl Can’t Help It – Little Richard And His Band
Send Me Some Lovin’ – Little Richard And His Band
Tutti Frutti – Cory Henry
Legacy – Tamar-kali Brown

Teeming with teenage angst, punk sensibilities, and Violent Femmes’ own special brand of jittery folk-rock, the trio’s self-titled 1981 debut Violent Femmes became a cult favourite. Featuring the anthems “Blister in the Sun,” “Please Do Not Go,” “Gone Daddy Gone,” and “Add It Up.” This expanded 40th anniversary edition features a trove of rare demos, live tracks, and more.

TRACK LISTING

CD Tracklisting:
Disc 1
1. Blister In The Sun
2. Kiss Off
3. Please Do Not Go
4. Add It Up
5. Confessions
6. Prove My Love
7. Promise
8. To The Kill
9. Gone Daddy Gone
10. Good Feeling
11. Ugly
12. Gimme The Car
13. Girl Trouble (Demo)
14. Breakin' Up (Demo)
15. Waiting For The Bus (Demo)
16. Blister In The Sun (Demo)
17. Kiss Off (Demo)
18. Please Do Not Go (Demo)
19. Add It Up (Demo)
20. Confessions (Demo)
21. Prove My Love (Demo)
Disc 2
1. Special (Live At Beneath-It-All Café, Milwaukee, WI - 9/12/1981)
2. Country Death Song (Live At Beneath-It-All Café, Milwaukee, WI - 9/12/1981)
3. To The Kill (Live At Beneath-It-All Café, Milwaukee, WI - 9/12/1981)
4. Never Tell (Live At Beneath-It-All Café, Milwaukee, WI - 9/12/1981)
5. Break Song (Live At The Jazz Gallery, Milwaukee, WI - 12/8/1981)
6. Her Television (Live At The Jazz Gallery, Milwaukee, WI - 12/8/1981)
7. How Do You Say Goodbye (Live At The Jazz Gallery, Milwaukee, WI - 12/8/1981)
8. Theme And Variations (Live At The Jazz Gallery, Milwaukee, WI - 12/8/1981)
9. Prove My Love (Live At Folk City, New York, NY - 1/26/1983)
10. Gone Daddy Gone (Live At Folk City, New York, NY - 1/26/1983)
11. Promise (Live At Folk City, New York, NY - 1/26/1983)
12. In Style (Live At Folk City, New York, NY - 1/26/1983)
13. Add It Up (Live At Folk City, New York, NY - 1/26/1983)

Vinyl Tracklisting:
Disc 1 - Side A
1. Blister In The Sun
2. Kiss Off
3. Please Do Not Go
4. Add It Up
5. Confessions
Disc 1 - Side B
1. Prove My Love
2. Promise
3. To The Kill
4. Gone Daddy Gone
5. Good Feeling
Disc 2 - Side A
1. Girl Trouble (Demo)
2. Breakin' Up (Demo)
3. Waiting For The Bus (Demo)
4. Blister In The Sun (Demo)
5. Kiss Off (Demo)
Disc 2 - Side B
1. Please Do Not Go (Demo)
2. Add It Up (Demo)
3. Confessions (Demo)
4. Prove My Love (Demo)
Disc 3 - Side A
1. Special (Live At Beneath-It-All Café, Milwaukee, WI - 9/12/1981)
2. Country Death Song (Live At Beneath-It-All Café, Milwaukee, WI - 9/12/1981)
3. To The Kill (Live At Beneath-It-All Café, Milwaukee, WI - 9/12/1981)
4. Never Tell (Live At Beneath-It-All Café, Milwaukee, WI - 9/12/1981)
5. Break Song (Live At The Jazz Gallery, Milwaukee, WI - 12/8/1981)
6. Her Television (Live At The Jazz Gallery, Milwaukee, WI - 12/8/1981)
Disc 3 - Side B
1. How Do You Say Goodbye (Live At The Jazz Gallery, Milwaukee, WI - 12/8/1981)
2. Theme And Variations (Live At The Jazz Gallery, Milwaukee, WI - 12/8/1981)
3. Prove My Love (Live At Folk City, New York, NY - 1/26/1983)
4. Gone Daddy Gone (Live At Folk City, New York, NY - 1/26/1983)
5. Promise (Live At Folk City, New York, NY - 1/26/1983)
6. In Style (Live At Folk City, New York, NY - 1/26/1983)
7. Add It Up (Live At Folk City, New York, NY - 1/26/1983)
7" Single
Side A
1. Ugly
Side B
1. Gimme The Car 

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Varèse Sarabande released 7 tracks (20 minutes) from Blood Simple on a 1987 soundtrack album to coincide with Raising Arizona. Now, 40 years after its 1983 recording, Carter Burwell has produced a new mix and album of Blood Simple, featuring 13 tracks and 35 minutes from the original multitrack session tapes. Daniel Schweiger’s detailed liner notes recount the genesis of the project and the unforgettable Coens–Burwell partnership.

THIS IS A BLACK FRIDAY 2023 EXCLUSIVE AND WILL BE AVAILABLE INSTORE ON FRIDAY NOVEMBER 24TH ON A FIRST COME FIRST SERVED BASIS, LIMITED TO ONE PER PERSON.

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This first-ever vinyl pressing of Alan Silvestri’s score for the 1992 black comedy Death Becomes Her features seven cues that were not included in the original soundtrack release, plus the original song “Me,” performed by legendary actress Meryl Streep. Pressed on limited-edition Purple vinyl with original cover art and a printed inner sleeve. 

THIS IS A BLACK FRIDAY 2023 EXCLUSIVE AND WILL BE AVAILABLE INSTORE ON FRIDAY NOVEMBER 24TH 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 8AM ON SATURDAY NOVEMBER 25TH).

Collection of rare and previously unreleased demo recordings of some of Stax Records’ biggest hits, with the highlights from "Written In Their Soul: The Stax Songwriter Demos". Featuring original demos of the hit singles “634-5789 (Soulsville, USA),” “If You’re Ready (Come Go With Me),” “Woman to Woman,” and “Respect Yourself” . Pressed on Orange Crush vinyl.

Released in 2008, Accelerate was intended as a departure from R.E.M.’s previous album, Around the Sun, and was lauded for the aggressive, purposeful sound of the songs. The album was described by Rolling Stone as “one of the best records R.E.M. has ever made.” It debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200 and stayed on the chart for 18 weeks. The LP contains fan favorite “Supernatural Superserious.”

This edition is pressed on 180-gram vinyl with a printed insert. 

TRACK LISTING

Side A
1. Living Well Is The Best Revenge
2. Man-Sized Wreath
3. Supernatural Superserious
4. Hollow Man
5. Houston
6. Accelerate
Side B
1. Until The Day Is Done
2. Mr. Richards
3. Sing For The Submarine
4. Horse To Water
5. I'm Gonna DJ 

Released in 2001, Reveal was co-produced with long-time collaborator Patrick McCarthy. The album sees R.E.M. experiment with synthesized sound, but also make “a conscious return to their classic sound” (Allmusic). The record features hits “Imitation of Life” and “All the Way to Reno (You’re Gonna Be a Star).

This edition is pressed on 180-gram vinyl with a printed insert. 

TRACK LISTING

Side A
1. The Lifting
2. I’ve Been High
3. All The Way To Reno (You’re Gonna Be A Star)
4. She Just Wants To Be
5. Disappear
6. Saturn Return
Side B
1. Beat A Drum
2. Imitation Of Life
3. Summer Turns To High
4. Chorus And The Ring
5. I’ll Take The Rain
6. Beachball 

As the founder of infuential proto-punk band The Modern Lovers, Richman had
strived to convey authentic emotions and storytelling with his music. 'I, Jonathan'
continued this aesthetic with simple and sparse rock and roll arrangements, and
straightforward lyrics about everyday topics, such as music, parties, summer, and dancing. It is widely- regarded as one of his best works, and is considered an influential album in the lo-f genre.

This is the 2023 re-press on black vinyl.

TRACK LISTING

1. Parties In The U.S.A.
2. Tandem Jump
3. You Can't Talk To The Dude
4. Velvet Underground
5. I Was Dancing In The Lesbian Bar
6. Rooming House On Venice Beach
7. That Summer Feeling
8. Grunion Run
9. A Higher Power
10. Twilight In Boston

40th anniversary vinyl edition of Southern Californian punk pioneers Social Distortion’s debut album Mommy’s Little Monster. Newly mastered from the original analogue tapes and pressed on 180-gram vinyl, the album contains the nine original songs, including title track “Mommy’s Little Monster” and single “Another State of Mind”, and is newly packaged in a gatefold jacket to match the original release.

TRACK LISTING

1. The Creeps
2. Another State Of Mind
3. It Wasn't A Pretty Picture
4. Telling Them
5. Hour Of Darkness
6. Mommy's Little Monster
7. Anti-Fashion
8. All The Answers
9. Moral Threat 

Released in early 1961, Lush Life was assembled from previous unissued tracks from three recording sessions at Van Gelder Studio in Hackensack, New Jersey in 1957 and 1958.

John Coltrane’s Prestige years began when he joined the Miles Davis Quintet in 1955. During the next few years, when he was either with Davis or the Thelonious Monk Quartet, he functioned as both leader and sideman for this label. These recordings document the first part of his relatively short but highly influential time in the spotlight. Lush Life, a combination of standards and a blues, treated in the unique Coltrane manner - sound wedded to material in a completely personal way - contains three tracks without a piano. This is the first time he recorded in this manner, other than when Monk was 'strolling,' and it offers another aspect from, and of, Trane. 

Released in 1957 on Prestige Records, this album was recorded by Rudy Van Gelder on May 31, 1957. It documents Coltrane's first session as a leader, and has been reissued at times under the title The First Trane!. The line-up includes Johnnie Splawn (trumpet), Sahib Shihab (baritone saxophone), Red Garland and Mal Waldron (piano), Paul Chambers (bass), and Albert "Tootie" Heath (drums). 

TRACK LISTING

Side A
1. Bakai
2. Violets For Your Furs
3. Time Was
Side B
1. Straight Street
2. While My Lady Sleeps
3. Chronic Blues 

More than sixty years old, Walkin' still remains a crucial staging post in the history of jazz. Originally recorded in 1954 and initially issued on a couple of 10 albums, it features a mix of quintet and sextet material, recorded during his spell with Prestige Records and produced by Bob Weinstock. The various tracks were gathered together, along with a previously unreleased track, and issued as a 12 album in 1957. The end result is an important album in the development of bop music, a genre Miles Davis practically owned. 

TRACK LISTING

Side A
1. Walkin'
2. Blue N' Boogie
Side B
1. Solar
2. You Don't Know What Love Is
3. Love Me Or Leave Me 

This special 60th Anniversary reissue of groundbreaking jazz artist Sun Ra’s iconic 1962 album The Futuristic Sounds of Sun Ra features all-analogue re-mastering by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio, pressed on 180-gram vinyl at RTI. The package includes Tom Wilson’s original liner notes, plus insightful new essays by jazz historian Ben Young, as well as by Irwin Chusid, who is also a journalist, radio personality, and author. 

TRACK LISTING

Side A
1. Bassism
2. Of Sounds And Something Else
3. What's That?
4. Where Is Tomorrow?
5. The Beginning
6. China Gates
Side B
1. New Day
2. Tapestry From An Asteroid
3. Jet Flight
4. Looking Outward
5. Space Jazz Reverie 

The first Latin soul collection featuring a mix of chart-topping hits and deeper cuts from the crown jewel of the mambo era Tico Records, celebrating the iconic imprint’s 75th Anniversary. The 2-LP set includes 26 tracks from trailblazers Tito Puente, Ray Barretto, Joe Cuba, Celia Cruz, Eddie Palmieri, La Lupe, Willie Bobo and more. New liner notes by DJ Dean Rudland that tell the story of the New York City label that launched the careers of some of the most revered names in Latin music.

TRACK LISTING

LP1 - Side A
1. RAY BARRETTO Y SU CHARANGA MODERNA – El Watusi
2. WILLIE BOBO – Bobo! Do That Thing
3. WILLIE BOBO – Be’s That Way
4. THE JOE CUBA SEXTET – El Pito (I’ll Never Go Back To Georgia)
5. THE JOE CUBA SEXTET – Bang! Bang!
6. CANDIDO – Madrid
7. RAY BARRETTO – Babalu
LP1 - Side B
1. EDDIE PALMIERI And CAL TJADER – Come An’ Get It (Boogaloo)
2. TITO PUENTE Y SU ORQUESTRA – Fat Mama
3. THE JOE CUBA SEXTET – Oh Yeah!
4. THE JOE CUBA SEXTET – Sock It To Me
5. TITO PUENTE/LA LUPE – Steak-O-Lean
6. TITO PUENTE’S ORCHESTRA – TP’s Shing-A-Ling
7. THE JOE CUBA SEXTET – Hey Joe, Hey Joe (Hey Girl, Hey Girl)
LP2 - Side C
1. THE JOE CUBA SEXTET – Psychedelic Baby
2. EDDIE PALMIERI & HIS ORCHESTRA – The African Twist
3. LA LUPE – Fever
4. THE MODERN SOUND OF AL ESCOBAR – Tighten Up
5. THE MODERN SOUND OF AL ESCOBAR – The Horse
6. CELIA CRUZ/TITO PUENTE – Aquarius/Let The Sun Shine In
LP2 - Side D
1. GILBERTO SEXTET – Yes I Will (Part 1)
2. TITO PUENTE & HIS ORCHESTRA – Hit The Bongo
3. TITO PUENTE & HIS ORCHESTRA – Oye Como Va
4. JIMMY SABATER – Times Are Changin’
5. THE JOE CUBA SEXTET – Do You Feel It?
6. JOE PANAMA And COMPANY – My People 

Black Rhythm Revolution! Is the first solo album from the jazz-funk legend Idris Muhammad, a New Orleans-bred rhythm king who successfully made the leap from the finest soulful jazz records of the ’60s to the nastiest fusion funk of the ’70s. Here we catch him literally on the cusp of the two in 1970, with one good foot in the get-down of “Express Yourself” and “Super Bad,” and the other in his own heady excursions into modal rhythm and melody, accompanied by virtuosos Kenny Barron, Ron Carter, Melvin Sparks, who came together for sessions overseen by legendary producer Rudy Van Gelder. This 180-gram Jazz Dispensary reissue of Black Rhythm Revolution! was cut from the original analogue tapes by Kevin Gray and pressed at RTI, and comes packaged in a tip-on jacket. 

TRACK LISTING

Side A
Express Yourself
Soulful Drums
Super Bad
Side B
Wander
By The Red Sea

Regarded as one of the greatest jazz collaborations of all time, this new edition of “Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane” is release as part of the newly relaunched Original Jazz Classics Series.

Pressed on 180-gram vinyl at RTI with all-analog mastering from the original tapes by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio it is presented in a Tip-On Jacket with obi. In addition to Monk and Coltrane the album also features the talents of Art Blakey (drums), Wilbur Ware (bass), Gigi Gryce (alto sax) and more. 

TRACK LISTING

Side A
1. Ruby, My Dear
2. Trinkle, Tinkle
3. Off Minor
Side B
1. Nutty
2. Epistrophy
3. Functional 

Recorded at Ardent Studios and released in 1972, the album has gone on to become one of the most influential and iconic debut albums of all time.

This 50th-anniversary indie exclusive edition is pressed on 180-gram metallic gold with purple smoke vinyl and features all-analogue mastering by Jeff Powell at Take Out Vinyl.

The album has been included in Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, with the song “Thirteen” featured in its 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

TRACK LISTING

Side A
1. Feel
2. The Ballad Of El Goodo
3. In The Street
4. Thirteen
5. Don’t Lie To Me
6. The India Song
Side B
7. When My Baby’s Beside Me
8. My Life Is Right
9. Give Me Another Chance
10. Try Again
11. Watch The Sunrise 

Legendary composer & producer David Axelrod’s solo album Heavy Axe is a jazz-rock opus that encapsulated the preeminent sound of the of the mid ‘70s. With a little help from legendary players like Johnny “Guitar” Watson, Cannonball Adderley and George Duke, Heavy Axe crisscrosses between lush funk sounds and full, round low end and majestic orchestral flourishes that made Axelrod’s sonic realm a goldmine for sample-hungry hip-hop beatmakers from the ‘90s until today.

This 180-gram reissue of Heavy Axe was cut from the original analog tapes by Kevin Gray and pressed at RTI, and comes packaged in a tip-on jacket. 

TRACK LISTING

Side A
1. Get Up Off Your Knees
2. Cast Your Fate To The Wind
3. You're So Vain
4. My Family
Side B
1. Mucho Chupar
2. Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing
3. It Ain't For You
4. Everything Counts

A revelatory discovery in the Tinariwen archives, Kel Tinariwen is an early cassette tape recorded in the early 90s that never received a wider release, and sheds new light on the band’s already rich history. Not having yet developed the fuller band sound that they became internationally established with, Kel Tinariwen features their trademark hypnotic guitar lines and call-and-response vocals weaving in between raw drum machine rhythms and keyboard melodies that almost evoke an Arabic take on 80s synth-pop.

There’s distinct parallels with the sounds found on this tape and the work uncovered in recent years by cratedigger labels such as Awesome Tapes From Africa, Sahel Sounds and Sublime Frequencies. Kel Tinariwen features songs from Abdallah Ag Alhousseyni, Hassan Ag Touhami aka ‘Abin Abin’, Kedou Ag Ossad, Liya Ag Ablil aka ‘Diarra’ and Keltoum Sennhauser.

TRACK LISTING

1. À L’Histoire
2. Mas Azalene Wi Amoutenene
3. Adounia Tarha
4. Matadjem Yinmexan
5. Amoud Falas Aljalat
6. Ayat Sendad Eghlalane
7. Tenidagh Hegh Dejredjere
8. Arghane Manine

60th Anniversary Edition of groundbreaking jazz artist Sun Ra’s iconic 1962 album The Futuristic Sounds of Sun Ra. Originally produced by Tom Wilson, this is the first Sun Ra LP to be recorded by Arkestra in NYC. This new edition is pressed on 180-gram vinyl at RTI with ALL-ANALOG Mastering by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio. Includes new essays by Irwin Chusid & Ben Young.

Craft recordings announces never-before-released live album from Creedence Clearwater Revival’s legendary 1970 London performance: Creedence Clearwater Revival at the Royal Albert Hall.

After 50 years, the meticulously restored album will be released alongside the documentary concert film Travelin’ Band: Creedence Clearwater Revival at the Royal Albert Hall Narrated by Jeff Bridges, Directed by Bob Smeaton (The Beatles Anthology) and restored and mixed by Giles Martin and engineer Sam Okell. Featuring the fabled performance in its entirety, the recording includes such enduring hits as “Fortunate Son,” “Proud Mary,” and “Bad Moon Rising”. 

TRACK LISTING

Born On The Bayou
Green River
Tombstone Shadow
Travelin’ Band
Fortunate Son
Commotion
Midnight Special
Bad Moon Rising
Proud Mary
The Night Time Is The Right Time
Good Golly Miss Molly
Keep On Chooglin’

Inspiration can strike anyone at any time, and more often than not from somewhat peculiar quarters. Rarely more so than when Sam Grant - thus far best known as guitarist and producer of Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs - finally set about work on a solo project that had been pursuing him for some years. “I want people to imagine that feeling of rubber - its physical memory, the unnatural vibe of it. It’s so tactile but alien. It’s an odd analogy, but that’s what this music is for me.”

A specific gravity is one more property that rubber has going for it, and that much is certainly true of Rubber Oh’s debut album ‘Strange Craft’, the result of his elasticated fixation, and his debut album of deliriously tuneful sci-fi tinged psychpop. It’s a unique soundworld in which an emphasis on beguiling melody marries a kaleidoscopic grandeur. Widescreen gems like the warped interstellar voyage that is Children Of Alchemy and the unshakeable earworm Hyperdrive Fantasyare all vibrant colour and celestial energy, setting their psychic stall out somewhere between the incandescent headspace of a ‘70s sci-fi TV show and the red-light-fever of the overheated ampstacks Grant has been historically more familiar with.

Ultimately, for Grant as well as everyone else, Rubber Oh amounts to one strange trip - “Many of the lyrics are about alchemy, journeying and vessels, as interchangeable metaphors for knowledge and wisdom” he says. “I wanted to mesh the land and sea, the cosmos and the psyche across the tracks as one single plane” Mission accomplished, in short. This Strange Craft is fuelled up and ready to accept all comers on a ride into extensions through dimensions

TRACK LISTING

01. Humans
02. Dust
03. Children Of Alchemy
04. Little Demon
05. Colour Orbit
06. Hyperdrive Fantasy
07. Arcade
08. To Be The Mariner
09. Nothing
10. You'll Feel Better In The Morning

Their third full-length release,originally released back in 2005.

Blackalicious produced a record of such sonic depth and lyrical ambition it proudly stands alongside the work of Bay Area funk fathers Sly Stone and Shuggie Otis, or hip-hop classics like Outkast's Aquemini and The Roots' Things Fall Apart.Lyricist Gab († June 18, 2021) moved beyond the introspection of earlier albums, going deep on "Black Diamonds and Pearls" as a pregnant teen conquers her fears, while on the epic "The Fall and Rise of Elliott Brown", a lost, incarcerated boy transforms into a leader of his community. What Gab achieved lyrically, Xcel accomplishes musically, with beats that touch on classic funk sidling cosily alongside the orchestral sweep of Stereolab. "The Craft," Xcel says, "is our passion to bring discipline to this music, the passion to keep growing, keep stretching, keep doing things we haven't before. The Craft is what we live for.

The Craft features guest appearances by George Clinton, Floerty, Lateef The Truthspeeker, and Pigean John.

Blackalicious is loved by fans of The Roots, Jill Scott, Eryka Badu, Mos Def, Talib Kweli.

TRACK LISTING

World Of Vibrations
Supreme People
Rhythm Sticks
Powers
Your Move W/ Lifesavas
Lotus Flower W/ George Clinton
My Pen And Pad
Side To Side W/ Lateef & Pigeon John
Automatique W/ Floetry
The Fall & Rise Of Elliot Brown (Pts. 1 & 2)
Black Diamonds & Pearls W/ Larry Saunders And Ledisi
Give It To You W/ Kween And Lyrics Born
Ego Sonic War Drums W/ Peace
The Craft

Craft Recordings reissue not one but four classic, remastered titles from legendary jazz artist Chet Baker. The albums comprise Baker’s entire output as a leader for the renowned jazz label Riverside - all recorded and released between 1958 and 1959: (Chet Baker Sings) It Could Happen to You, Chet Baker in New York, Chet and Chet Baker Plays the Best of Lerner and Loewe.

The recordings, which feature such icons as Bill Evans, Johnny Griffin and Kenny Burrell, have all been cut from their original analog master tapes by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio and pressed on 180-gram vinyl at RTI.

Originally released in 2010, ‘Small Craft On A Milk Sea’ was Eno’s first release for Warp and his first new album since 2005’s more songbased collection ‘Another Day On Earth’. It takes the form of fourteen improvised pieces conceived to be “the mirror-image of silent movies - sound-only movies.” Made in collaboration with long-term associates Jon Hopkins and Leo Abrahams

'I, Jonathan' is the fourth solo album by Jonathan Richman, released by the Rounder Records label in 1992. This is the first time it has ever been available on vinyl.

As the founder of influential protopunk band The Modern Lovers, Richman had strived to convey authentic emotions and storytelling with his music. ‘I, Jonathan’ continued this aesthetic with simple and sparse rock and roll arrangements, and straightforward lyrics about mundane topics.

Songs on the album addressed topics such as backyard parties ("Parties in the U.S.A"), memories of neighborhoods in which Richman had lived ("Rooming House on Venice Beach" and "Twilight in Boston") and his admiration of his primary musical inspiration, the Velvet Underground ("Velvet Underground"). The latter song includes a brief interlude of the Velvet Underground song, Sister Ray.

The album helped increase Richman's cultural profile, which would include a 1993 appearance on Late Night with Conan O'Brien in which Richman performed one of the album's songs, "I Was Dancing in the Lesbian Bar".

TRACK LISTING

Parties In The U.S.A.
Tandem Jump
You Can't Talk To The Dude
Velvet Underground
I Was Dancing In The Lesbian Bar
Rooming House On Venice Beach
That Summer Feeling
Grunion Run
A Higher Power
Twilight In Boston

R.E.M.’s ninth album, Monster, was released at a time when the band were coming off the peak of their mainstream success, following Out of Time (1991) and Automatic For The People (1992). Coming from a long break in touring (the band famously didn’t tour with the two previous records), Monster represented an intentional shift in R.E.M.’s sound, a “return to rock” with guitar laden, simple arrangements.

It was released to strong reviews and significant global success – reaching #1 on Billboard, and least 7 other countries. The album includes the singles; “What’s The Frequency, Kenneth?,” “Crush with Eyeliner,” “Bang and Blame,” and “Strange Currencies.” In 1995 the band promoted that album with their first concert tour since 1989 (although several band members suffered health problems).

TRACK LISTING

EXPANDED 2-CD
MONSTER 25 2CD EDITION INCLUDES A COMPLETE ALBUM REMIX FROM PRODUCER SCOTT LITT AND NEW LINER NOTES. 

Disc 1 – Monster (Remaster)
What’s TheFrequency, Kenneth?
Crush WithEyeliner
King OfComedy
I Don’t Sleep, I Dream
Star 69
Strange Currencies
Tongue
Bang AndBlame
I Took Your Name
Let Me In
Circus Envy
You

Disc 2 – Monster (Remixed)
What’s TheFrequency, Kenneth? (Remix)
Crush WithEyeliner (Remix)
King OfComedy (Remix)
I Don’t Sleep, I Dream (Remix)
Star 69 (Remix)
Strange Currencies (Remix)
Tongue (Remix)
Bang AndBlame (Remix)
I Took Your Name (Remix)
Let Me In (Remix)
Circus Envy (Remix)
You (Remix)

EXPANDED 2-LP
MONSTER 25 2LP EDITION INCLUDES A COMPLETE ALBUM REMIX FROM PRODUCER SCOTT LITT AND NEW LINER NOTES. 

Side A – Monster (Remastered)
What’s TheFrequency, Kenneth?
Crush WithEyeliner
King OfComedy
I Don’t Sleep, I Dream
Star 69
Strange Currencies

Side B – Monster (Remastered)
Tongue
Bang AndBlame
I Took Your Name
Let Me In
Circus Envy
You

Side C – Monster (Remixed)
What’s TheFrequency, Kenneth? (Remix)
Crush WithEyeliner (Remix)
King OfComedy (Remix)
I Don’t Sleep, I Dream (Remix)
Star 69 (Remix)
Strange Currencies (Remix)

Side D – Monster (Remixed)
Tongue (Remix)
Bang AndBlame (Remix)
I Took Your Name (Remix)
Let Me In (Remix)
Circus Envy (Remix)
You (Remix)


STANDARD 1-LP

Side A – Monster (Remastered)
What’s TheFrequency, Kenneth?
Crush WithEyeliner
King OfComedy
I Don’t Sleep, I Dream
Star 69
Strange Currencies

Side B – Monster (Remastered)
Tongue
Bang AndBlame
I Took Your Name
Let Me In
Circus Envy
You

Kyle Craft and his now solidified backing band, dubbed Showboat Honey, reflect the sturm und drang of life with their self-titled album, the contemplative yet restless ‘Showboat Honey’. “This is basically an album centered around bad luck and good fortune hitting at the same time,” Craft explains “Then, out of nowhere, I find love. Everything went to shit except that. I guess that’s how life works.”

The sticky-sweet title of the album is lifted from the brightly choral ‘Buzzkill Caterwaul’: “I wanted to make something that sounded like a raucous collision of Leon Russell and Patti Smith,” he says, “But ‘Buzzkill Caterwaul’ was the only tune that ended up showcasing that vision.” Though aesthetics veer from song to song, ‘Showboat Honey’s steadfast formula remains the same. Drummer Haven Mutlz holds down the machine with a 60s/70s fast-molasses groove that locks in with the slinky rolling bass of Billy Slater. When Kevin Clark isn’t bouncing across the piano, his mellotron strings swell in and out of frame. Jack of all trades Ben Steinmetz’s organ parts well up from the deep of the songs, while lead guitarist Jeremy Kale’s solos rip through them like electricity. On top of it all, sits the tongue-in-cheek phantasmagoria created by Craft’s lyrics, in which perspectives shift to imbue life into a cast of intriguing, mysterious characters, à la Bob Dylan. (“There is not a single thing in my life that has affected me more than the first time I heard Dylan,” says Craft. “It immediately changed my life.”)

Craft started writing about as soon as he could play the guitar at the age of 15. He grew up in the isolated Mississippi River town of Vidalia, Louisiana where his chops weren’t honed in a woodshed but rather an old, dingy meat freezer that was out of commission. After years of touring, two albums with Sub Pop Records and solidifying the band, he’s grown into a prodigious songwriter, to say the least. The band recorded ‘Showboat Honey’ - co- produced by Craft, Clark and Slater - at their own Moonbase Studios in Portland over 2018. “We approached this record differently for sure,” Craft says. “I’d make a demo, and after putting the songs together, shoot it to the band for ideas.” Kyle and the members of Showboat Honey worked at such a feverish wine-fuelled pace that they actually ended up with two completely different albums. At the end of the day, they decided to combine the two into what is now ‘Showboat Honey'.

TRACK LISTING

Broken Mirror Pose
O! Lucky Hand
2 Ugly 4 NY
Blackhole/Joyride
Bed Of Needles #2
Deathwish Blue
Blood In The Water
Buzzkill Caterwaul
Sunday Driver
Johnny (Free & Easy)
She’s Lily Riptide

Ever since his debut album Dolls of Highland was released on Sub Pop in 2016, Kyle Craft has been a critic's dream. Based in Portland, he serves up all the observational, storytelling talent with none of the attitude that so often comes with male singer-songwriter territory. “I've found my place,” he says. “I'm not one of those people that approaches music for anyone other than myself. My favorite part about music is when it's just me and a notebook.” Speaking of, his second forthcoming album Full Circle Nightmare is entirely autobiographical. Sonically, thematically, lyrically, it's a huge leap forward from his 2016 release.

 The title Full Circle Nightmare refers to a moment where Craft saw his life for what it is and told himself to be satisfied. “But that's nightmarish to me,” he laughs. He described his debut record as: “like walking down this long hall of bizarre characters and surreal experiences, moving through the spider web of love and loss.” This album is when you get to the end of that hallway, turn around and see all the stuff you've been through, then walk through the door, close it and start a new chapter in an even crazier hallway. A straight-up rollicking rock'n'roll album, it traverses all the different nuances of the genre; from the bluegrass twang of 'Exile Rag,’ to the gothic style of 'Gold Calf Moan,' it's a timeless piece that could exist in any of the past five decades.
In terms of contemporary peers, Craft likes to stay in his own lane. He's an old soul who sticks to his tried and tested influences. Social media is not his game - it's just not interesting to him. He's not fussed about preaching his politics or discussing the status quo either. “I don't really like writing a time piece. I don't wanna get trapped in the 'Donald Trump era of Kyle Craft,' you know? I'm a very off-the-grid sort of person. As much as I am traveling across this giant place sometimes I just feel so outside of it. Also, I'm not necessarily a stand-up citizen so it's hard for me to say: here's Kyle Craft's America, ladies and gentlemen.”

The ironic thing is that Full Circle Nightmare sounds exactly like Kyle Craft's America. That is what he's built for us: the story of one man's trials and tribulations to find his passion and voice for art and creativity in this vast opportunistic country. Where did he find it? Among the historic riches of America's most honest sounds.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Sliding guitars, tinkling pianos and the percussive sound of saloon doors opening in a hurry, tastefully hinting at classic Americana anthems, but tempering them with a melodic and progressive sensibility rarely heard in classic country rock.

TRACK LISTING

1. Fever Dream Girl
2. Full Circle Nightmare
3. Heartbreak Junky
4. The Rager
5. Exile Rag
6. Belmont (One Trick Pony)
7. Slick & Delta Queen
8. Fake Magic Angel
9. Bridge City Rose
10. Gold Calf Moan

‘Blood Moon’, M. Craft’s third full length album, is very much a score for seclusion. Inspired by witnessing the titular lunar event twice during his time as a desert resident, ‘Blood Moon’ began life in a studio in nearby Los Angeles as a series of unstructured, experimental piano pieces.

Constructed from those piano recordings with additional percussion from another temporary desert dweller, Seb Rochford (Polar Bear) and occasional orchestration, ‘Blood Moon’ is a stunning fusion of freeform instrumental explorations and properly pure songs.

TRACK LISTING

New Horizons
Blood Moon
Chemical Trails
Afterglow
Midnight
Love Is The Devil
Me And My Shadow
Morphic Fields
Where Go The Dreams
Love Is All

Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Kyle Craft releases ‘Dolls Of Highland’, his Sub Pop label debut.

The twelve track album features the singles ‘Lady Of The Ark’, ‘Eye Of The Hurricane’, ‘Future Midcity Massacre’ and ‘Black Mary’.

‘Dolls Of Highland’ was written, recorded and produced by Craft, mixed by Brandon Summers and Benjamin Weikel of The Helio Sequence at the Old Jantzen Building in Portland and mastered by Greg Calbi at Sterling Sound.

Billboard says of Kyle Craft and ‘Lady Of The Ark’: “Craft admits his voice sounds a good deal like Bob Dylan’s, and that his muse has come to him many, many times. Still, ‘Lady Of The Ark’ hints that Craft’s music is so full of its own weird singularity that he’s on to something far beyond idol worship.”

TRACK LISTING

Eye Of A Hurricane
Balmorhea
Berlin
Lady Of The Ark
Gloom Girl
Trinidad Beach (Before I Ride)
Future Midcity Massacre
Black Mary
Pentecost
Dolls Of Highland
Jane Beat The Reaper
Three Candles