On of Montreal’s seminal album The Sunlandic Twins, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Kevin Barnes followed up their 2004 Polyvinyl debut, Satanic Panic in the Attic, with what became the band’s most commercially successful album to date. Originally released in April 2005, The Sunlandic Twins marked a significant turning point for of Montreal, showcasing Barnes’ evolving songwriting and a shift towards a more electronic and dance-oriented sound. The album’s vibrant blend of synth-pop and psych rock helped cement its status as a fan favorite and a defining moment in the band’s career. Iconic tracks like “Wraith Pinned to the Mist and Other Games” and “The Party’s Crashing Us” became some of the most beloved songs in the band’s extensive catalog.

To celebrate the album’s 20th anniversary, Polyvinyl is thrilled to announce a special edition reissue. Lovingly remastered by Glenn Schick, with a half-speed vinyl master by Miles Showell at Abbey Road Studios, The Sunlandic Twins (20th Anniversary Edition) features the original 13-track album along with a treasure trove of bonus material from the era, including previously unreleased tracks and rarities that offer a deeper glimpse into the creative process behind this mesmerizing record.

The Sunlandic Twins set Kevin Barnes on a path to becoming one of the most influential songwriters in independent pop music. The album’s success paved the way for more critically acclaimed releases, numerous late-night TV appearances—including The Late Show with David Letterman and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon—and brilliant collaborations with artists such as Solange, Janelle Monáe, and Jon Brion. of Montreal went on to perform across the globe, gracing festival stages at Coachella, Sasquatch!, Pitchfork Music Festival, and beyond, while also amassing hundreds of millions of streams worldwide.

TRACK LISTING

A1 - Requiem For O.M.M.2 - Remastered 2025
A2 - I Was Never Young - Remastered 2025
A3 - Wraith Pinned To The Mist And Other Games - Remastered 2025
B1 - Forecast Fascist Future - Remastered 2025
B2 - So Begins Our Alabee - Remastered 2025
B3 - Our Spring Is Sweet Not Fleeting - Remastered 2025
C1 - The Party’s Crashing Us - Remastered 2025
C2 - Knight Rider - Remastered 2025
C3 - I Was A Landscape In Your Dream - Remastered 2025
C4 - Death Of A Shade Of A Hue - Remastered 2025
D1 - Oslo In The Summertime - Remastered 2025
D2 - October Is Eternal - Remastered 2025
D3 - The Repudiated Immortals - Remastered 2025
Download Only:
14 - Art Snob Solutions
15 - The Actor’s Opprobrium
16 - Keep Sending Me Black Fireworks
17 - Everyday Feels Like Sunday
18 - Family Nouveau
19 - Psychotic Feeling
20 - Kristiansand
21 - Micro University
22 - Subtext Read, Nothing New
23 - Noir Blues To Tinnitus
24 - Forecast Fascist Future - IQU Remix
25 - The Party’s Crashing Us - I Am The World Trade Center Remix
26 - Wraith Pinned To The Mist And Other Games - Broken Spindles Remix
27 - I Was A Landscape In Your Dream - Grizzly Bear Remix
28 - Requiem For O.M.M.2 - United State Of Electronica Remix
29 - I Was Never Young - Supersystem Remix
30 - Forecast Fascist Future - Demix
31 - Daniel
32 - Crazy For You But Not That Crazy
33 - Whale Horn
34 - Hypnotic Agents
35 - Little Bird
36 - Back To School
37 - Intro - Live In Norfolk, VA 2006
38 - Wraith Pinned To The Mist And Other Games - Live In Norfolk, VA 2006
39 - I Was Never Young - Live In Norfolk, VA 2006
40 - Suffer For Fashion - Live In Norfolk, VA 2006
41 - Forecast Fascist Future - Live In Norfolk, VA 2006
42 - Old People In The Cemetery - Live In Norfolk, VA 2006
43 - My British Tour Diary - Live In Norfolk, VA 2006
44 - Requiem For O.M.M.2 - Live In Norfolk, VA 2006
45 - She's A Rejector - Live In Norfolk, VA 2006
46 - Rapture Rapes The Muses - Live In Norfolk, VA 2006
47 - Oslo In The Summertime - Live In Norfolk, VA 2006
48 - Cato As A Pun - Live In Norfolk, VA 2006
49 - Bunny Ain't No Kind Of Rider - Live In Norfolk, VA 2006
50 - Disconnect The Dots - Live In Norfolk, VA 2006
51 - The Party's Crashing Us - Live In Norfolk, VA 2006
52 - So Begins Our Alabee - Live In Norfolk, VA 2006
53 - Crazy - Live In Norfolk, VA 2006

In 1991, four kids from the suburbs of Chicago, IL formed Cap’n Jazz, arguably one of the most influential rock bands of the last 30 years. Those kids, brothers Tim & Mike Kinsella, Victor Villarreal, and Sam Zurick, were joined by Davey von Bohlen in 1994 and recorded their only full-length album before calling it quits - 'Burritos, Inspiration Point, Fork Balloon Sports, Cards in the Spokes, Automatic Biographies, Kites, Kung Fu, Trophies, Banana Peels We’ve Slipped on, and Egg Shells We’ve Tippy Toed Over' - often referred to as 'Shmap’n Shmazz'. Originally released on the Man With Gun label, the album quickly fell out of print after the band’s breakup, with the songs eventually making their way to the Analphabetapolothology compilation, released in 1998 via Jade Tree Records.

As a testament to this legendary debut, Polyvinyl is thrilled to announce the vinyl reissue of 'Shmap’n Shmazz', which has been remastered from the original tapes - restoring the original album on vinyl for the first time since 1995, including its original artwork. With the unmatched intensity heard in the opening track, 'Little League', coupled with eccentrically poetic lyrics, this iconic album has influenced countless artists since its release and unintentionally sparked a new genre. Pitchfork calls the album “a touchstone of Midwestern emo,” while Vulture placed 'Little League' at #3 on their 100 Greatest Emo Songs of All Time list. Musician Devendra Banhart has also expressed his love for the band in a 2017 Joan of Arc documentary, describing Tim’s powerfully striking vocals like "going to the zoo on quaaludes, but all the other animals are on speed."

In addition to the band’s influential legacy, Cap’n Jazz was the catalyst to the formation of other notable bands featuring the original members, including American Football, Joan of Arc, The Promise Ring, Owls, Owen, Make Believe, Ghosts and Vodka and many more.

TRACK LISTING

1. Little League
2. Oh Messy Life
3. Puddle Splashers
4. Flashpoint: Catheter
5. In The Clear
6. Yes, I Am Talking To You
7. Basil's Knife
8. Bluegrassish
9. Planet Shhh
10. The Sands've Turned Purple
11. Precious
12. Que Suerte!

The past becomes part of the future on 'Window in the Rhythm', a careerdefining double album statement from singer, songwriter, and producer Fred Thomas as he delivers a compelling inspection on memory and reflection, looking back on the past as a way of moving forward. Featuring contributions from friends like drummer Quin Kirchner, harpist Mary Lattimore, and frequent collaborative co-producer Drew Vandenberg, the album takes the next step in an artistic progression Thomas began with a trilogy of solo records that included 2015's 'All Are Saved', 2017's 'Changer', and 2018's 'Aftering'.

The album features some of Thomas’ most intricate production work to date, as heard on opening track 'Embankment' - a strikingly autobiographical song with electronic textures layered under bouncy drums and crystal clear guitar lines. Lyrically, the album finds Thomas focusing on very specific experiences from his own life that are still informing his outlook in the present day.

At times starkly intense, 'Window in the Rhythm' plays out like a conversation happening in real time between different versions of himself at varying stages of his life, and feels more like watching a movie than listening to an album. It’s an hour of music that breezes by like a distracted afternoon, reflecting the way that Thomas uses these seven patient and exploratory songs to see just how thin he can stretch his memories without breaking them.

Thomas' work over the past 20+ years has been hugely influential to a sea of underground DIY enthusiasts, not to mention critically acclaimed in outlets such as Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, FADER, NPR, and many more.

TRACK LISTING

1. Embankment
2. Coughed Up A Cufflink
3. Electric Guitar Left Out In The Street
4. Season Of Carelessness
5. Hours
6. New Forgetting
7. Wasn’t

Over the course of the last two decades, Xiu Xiu’s prolific and influential output of acclaimed albums and collaborations has been consistently dazzling. They’ve released 17 full-length LPs that have been praised in outlets such as The New Yorker, The Wire, Rolling Stone, The Guardian, NME and many others. They have toured the globe relentlessly, performing in places as far off the beaten path as Kazakhstan and Lebanon and places institutionally vital as the Guggenheim and Centre Pompidou.

On Xiu Xiu’s latest album, 13" Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto with Bison Horn Grips, Angela Seo and Jamie Stewart deliver some of the band’s most compelling and mesmerizing music to date. Mixed by John Congleton (Chelsea Wolfe, Swans, Lana Del Rey) this album is unlike anything the band has ever recorded previously and was motivated by the destruction of previous aesthetic notions, as well as the band's recent move from Los Angeles to Berlin.

TRACK LISTING

1. Arp Omni
2. Maestro One Chord
3. Common Loon
4. Pale Flower
5. Veneficium
6. Sleep Blvd.
7. T.D.F.T.W.
8. Bobby Bland
9. Piña, Coconut & Cherry

Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer? is of Montreal's landmark 2007 album. The album defined of Montreal's career and continues to be hailed as a classic. Pitchfork called the album "Ceaselessly fascinating and inexhaustibly replayable," honoring it with "Best New Music" and placing it in the Top 5 albums of 2007.

With Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?, of Montreal has created its masterpiece. It is an irresistible and remarkable album, sounding like a logical extension of the erratic indie-disco sounds of The Sunlandic Twins. However, Hissing Fauna is also the most personal of Montreal album to date, with Kevin Barnes, lead of Montreal songwriter, pouring tremendous amounts of emotion, heartbreak, frustration and elation into its twelve tracks.

Written and recorded primarily during what they call "an insane year," Hissing Fauna sees Barnes adopt a new writing style. It's an unabashedly autobiographical attempt from a songwriter whose early material tended towards characters and story-songs. Barnes continues down the whimsical pop-funk path, while changing up its lyrical scope; and Hissing Fauna balances its poppy nature while showcasing brutal and unflinching honesty. 

TRACK LISTING

1. Suffer For Fashion
2. Sink The Seine
3. Cato As A Pun
4. Heimdalsgate Like A Promethean Curse
5. Gronlandic Edit
6. A Sentence Of Sorts In Kongsvinger
7. The Past Is A Grotesque Animal
8. Bunny Ain't No Kind Of Rider
9. Faberge Falls For Shuggie
10. Labyrinthian Pomp
11. She's A Rejecter
12. We Were Born The Mutants Again With Leafling
13. Du Og Meg
14. Voltaic Crusher/Undrum To Muted Da
15. Derailments In A Place Of Our Own
16. Miss Blonde, Your Papa Is Failing
17. No Conclusion 

Of Montreal's seminal record, The Sunlandic Twins, arrived in April of 2005 as the follow-up to their breakthrough album, Satanic Panic in the Attic.

TRACK LISTING

1 Requiem For O.M.M.2
2 I Was Never Young
3 Wraith Pinned To The Mist And Other Games
4 Forecast Fascist Future
5 So Begins Our Alabee
6 Our Spring Is Sweet Not Fleeting
7 The Party's Crashing Us
8 Knight Rider
9 I Was A Landscape In Your Dream
10 Death Of A Shade Of A Hue
11 Oslo In The Summertime
12 October Is Eternal
13 The Repudiated Immortals
14 Art Snob Solutions
15 The Actor's Opprobrium
16 Keep Sending Me Black Fireworks
17 Everyday Feels Like Sunday
18 Family Noveau
19 Psychotic Feeling
20 Kristiansand
21 Micro University
22 Subtext Read, Nothing New
23 Noir Blues To Tinnitus 

Satanic Panic in the Attic is of Montreal's sixth full-length release and first for Polyvinyl. Previously, the band released two albums for Bar/None and three for Kindercore. The prolific Athens, Georgia band is an established staple of the US indie-pop scene and has been a continual touring presence.

The sound of Satanic Panic in the Attic is a slight departure from of Montreal's previous releases yet continues the band's tradition of continually redefining themselves. The influence of 1970's Afro beat and 80's New Wave can clearly be heard throughout the album -- offering fans a new perspective previously unheard from the band. 

TRACK LISTING

1. Disconnect The Dots
2. Lysergic Bliss
3. Will You Come And Fetch M
4. My British Tour Diary
5. Rapture Rapes The Muse
6. Eros' Entropic Tundra
7. City Bird
8. Erroneous Escape Into Erik Eckles
9. Chrissy Kiss The Corps
10. Your Magic Is Working
11. Climb The Ladder
12. How Lester Lost His Wife
13. Spike The Senses
14. Vegan In Furs 

After signing with Polyvinyl in 2021 and releasing the critically acclaimedalbum Barnyard (as well as the two double singles Mollyduker / KeepIt & Out to Pasture / Misery), Australian duo Good Morning returnwith their aptly titled seventh album, Good Morning Seven. On GoodMorning Seven, Stefan Blair and Liam Parsons share some of their mostbeautifully complex and ambitious work to date - a double album thatinvites the listener into a world of unwavering tonal depth and sonicmasterpieces. Produced & engineered by the band in their Melbournestudio and mixed in Joshua Tree, CA by the band with help from TylerKarmen (My Morning Jacket, Sharon Van Etten, Devendra Banhart),the album features stand-out tracks such as the breezy “Excalibur” andthe lush and sweeping “Toy.”

In addition to being streamed over 300 million times around the globe,Good Morning has been featured in publications such as Billboard, TheFADER, SPIN, and many others. In 2018, their song “Don’t Come HomeToday” was sampled in A$AP Rocky’s track “Kids Turned Out Fine,”introducing the band to an entirely new set of listeners. The band hasplayed to sold-out crowds around the world, including festivals such asRoskilde, Nine Lives Festival, Tropicalia, and others

TRACK LISTING

1. Arcade
2. Ahhhh (This Isn't Ideal)
3. Monster Of The Week
4. As The Dogs Were Playing
5. The Worm Turns
6. Dog Years
7. Queen Of Comedy
8. The Lake
9. Diane Said
10. One Night
11. Excalibur
12. Real I'm Told
13. Just In Time
14. Toy
15. Jelly Legs
16. Dogs On The Beach
17. The Fear!

Prolific and constantly evolving, Portland, OR’s STRFKR have continued to release music that consistently connects with music lovers all over the globe. The band started out in a time when a co-sign from blogs and music outlets of note were all but mandatory for new music to be heard and accepted. STRFKR bypassed the hype machine almost completely, focusing instead on making their shows more exciting and pushing their music to new places. Their work ethic both in the studio and on the road has kept them on a steady climb, consistently playing venues on the level of legendary rooms like Terminal 5, Stubb’s, and the 9:30 Club while using any available downtime to work towards the next recording.

On their latest full-length album, Parallel Realms, STRFKR embrace a more pop-forward approach as heard on their recent single “Running Around,” while also hinting at experimentalism and the gentler textures on 2020’s heralded, Future Past Life. Tracked by the band in their home studio in Portland, with additional engineering in Joshua Tree, CA, and mixed by Chris Coady (Beach House, The Drums), the new album feels exciting, cohesive, and familiar with immediate, yet diverse qualities that can only be found on STRFKR records.

In addition to being streamed over 1B times around the world, STRFKR have performed at festivals including Coachella, Outside Lands, FYF Festival, Mad Decent Block Party, and others. The band has also toured consistently, playing to fans throughout North America, Europe, China, Japan, and other countries.

TRACK LISTING

1. Always / Never
2. Holding On
3. Interspace 2
4. Feelings
5. Together Forever
6. Under Water / In Air
7. Armatron
8. Interspace 3
9. Chizzlers
10. Interspace 4
11. Running Around
12. Carnival
13. Lot Of Nice Things
14. Interspace 5
15. Waited For It
16. Something To Prove
17. Leaving

On Birthmark’s latest album, Birth of Omni, songwriter & multi-instrumentalist Nate Kinsella delivers his most thematically dynamic and experimental album to date. The album highlights the gargantuan shift in perspective that comes along with becoming a parent, including core themes of identity, duality, sexuality, overwhelming responsibility, feminism, and fear of men. Over the course of the album’s ten songs, Kinsella takes the listener on a wild ride, full of emotions and inner thoughts. On “Rodney,” Kinsella enlists Shudder to Think’s Craig Wedren on vocals for a track that explores sexuality and desires, while “Boyfriend” touches on how things change between partners in a relationship while raising children.

In addition to Kinsella’s work with Birthmark, Nate also plays in two other bands with his cousin Mike Kinsella – American Football and Lies. He’s also collaborated with artists such as Tim Kasher, Joan of Arc, TTNG, and others. Kinsella’s work has been featured in outlets such as Pitchfork, Fader, Rolling Stone, Stereogum, NPR, and many others.

TRACK LISTING

1. Snowflake In My Palm (Not For Long)
2. Butterfly
3. Birthday (Product Of Our Lust)
4. Rodney
5. Baby Woncha Come On Home
6. Boyfriend
7. Green Skies
8. Red Meadow
9. I’m Awake
10. Pretty Flowers

Champaign, Illinois band Hum reissues its four-album catalog on vinyl with exclusive distribution by Polyvinyl Records. The band members oversaw every step of the re-mastering, lacquer cutting, and manufacturing stages while working with original designer Andy Mueller/Ohio Girl in updating the artwork. Each album is offered in a double-LP 180g set in black.

Recorded by Mark Rubel at Pogo Studio, Champaign, IL. Mixed by Brian Malouf at Pacifique, LA. Licensed from Sony Music and re-mastered by Ryan Smith at Sterling Sound, New York.

TRACK LISTING

1. Waves
2. In The Den
3. Desert Rambler
4. Step Into You
5. The Summoning
6. Cloud City
7. Folding
8. Shapeshifter

Champaign, Illinois band Hum is re-issuing its four-album catalog on vinyl with exclusive distribution by Polyvinyl Records. The band members oversaw every step of the re-mastering, lacquer cutting, and manufacturing stages while working with original designer Andy Mueller/Ohio Girl in updating the artwork. Each album is offered in a double-LP 180g set in black.

Recorded by Mark Rubel at Pogo Studio, Champaign, IL. Mixed by Brian Malouf at Pacifique, LA.
Licensed from Sony Music and re-mastered by Ryan Smith at Sterling Sound, New York.

TRACK LISTING

1. Isle Of The Cheetah
2. Comin' Home
3. If You Are To Bloom
4. Ms. Lazarus
5. Afternoon With The Axolotls
6. Green To Me
7. Dreamboat
8. The Inuit Promise
9. Apollo
10. The Scientists
11. Puppets
12. Aphids
13. Boy With Stick

With his sophomore full-length album, Born Hot, Chris Farren paired polished, up-beat pop songs with lyrics full of self-examination and insecurity, all while developing a newfound sense of humor when it came to promoting himself. Stereogum called it “a tongue-in-cheek exploration of ideas of confidence and self-loathing," while The Atlantic featured it on their “Best Albums of 2019” list.

On his third full-length album, Doom Singer, Farren injects his latest work with a newfound sense of power and cohesion. Collaborating for the first time with outside drummer Frankie Impastato (Macseal), Farren's songs take on a whole new dimensionality, with Impastato's live drums bringing a fresh spontaneity to the tracks. Doom Singer marks another significant milestone in Farren's career as it is the first time he collaborated with a producer, multi-instrumentalist Melina Duterte (Jay Som, Bachelor, Routine). Her masterful production experience adds a layer of sophistication to Farren's sound, creating a rich and multi- dimensional sonic landscape that takes his music to new heights. With Duterte's keen ear and meticulous attention to detail, the album resonates with a level of clarity and depth that showcases Farren's songwriting and vocal abilities in a whole new light.

Chris Farren’s music has been praised in outlets such as MTV, Stereogum, and The Atlantic, who describes his music as having “bright-eyed hooks, sparkly orchestration, and tight songwriting.” With numerous world tours alongside artists such as Jeff Rosenstock, The Gaslight Anthem, Laura Stevenson, and others, Farren has been building a dedicated following of fans who connect with his introspective lyrics and infectious pop sensibilities.

TRACK LISTING

1. Bluish
2. All We Ever
3. Get Over U
4. Only U
5. Doom Singer
6. Screensaver
7. First Place
8. My Beauty
9. Cosmic Leash
10. StatueSong

With their latest album, Eye On The Bat, Palehound have unleashed a sonic tour de force that cements their status as one of the most exciting and forwardthinking artists in indie rock. Recorded with Sam Owens (Big Thief, Cass McCombs) at Flying Cloud Recordings in the Catskill Mountains, the album is a breathtaking showcase of artistic growth and evolution, with primary songwriter El Kempner (as well as multi-instrumentalist Larz Brogan) delivering a stunning batch of new songs that brim with energy, vulnerability, and raw emotion. From the explosive guitar riffs to the thunderous drumming and Kempner's signature vocals, Eye On The Bat is the most thrilling and exhilarating album Palehound has made to date. The album's sharp and introspective lyrics explore themes of selfdiscovery, anxiety, and empowerment, adding a layer of depth and nuance to the album’s uncompromising vision.

In addition to Kempner’s recent work with Bachelor (a collaborative project with Jay Som's Melina Duterte), Palehound has earned widespread critical acclaim in outlets such as The New York Times, Pitchfork, and NPR, which praised their unique sound and fearless artistic direction. Palehound's long and storied touring history has seen them play shows around the world alongside some of the biggest names in indie rock, including Big Thief, Sylvan Esso, Lucy Dacus, PUP and more. And it's not just other artists who have been inspired by their music - Kempner’s passionate and introspective songwriting has struck a chord with fans around the world, cementing Palehound’s status as a deeply admired and widely influential artist. 

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: The new Palehound LP takes the formula established so solidly on the previous albums, with soaring vocal lines over tight instrumental hooks and expands the pieces outwards. Though Kempner's playing remains as dynamic as ever, it's the emotional weight and cinematic intensity that set this apart from the previous outings. Superb.

TRACK LISTING

1. Good Sex
2. Independence Day
3. The Clutch
4. Eye On The Bat
5. U Want It U Got It
6. Route 22
7. My Evil
8. Head Like Soup
9. Right About You
10. Fadin' 

For Man On Man, the duo of boyfriends Roddy Bottum (Imperial Teen, Faith No More) and Joey Holman (HOLMAN), 2021 was a monumental year. Without knowing exactly what they were making the year prior, the couple had recorded a batch of songs while traveling across the country to be with their ailing mothers during the pandemic, both of whom passed away in the span of just 6 months. The songs that came out during this time celebrated the love they have for each other while championing the queer scenes they surround themselves with. They are deeply intentional and their overall message is rooted in the Queer experience – songs about gay love, pride, acceptance, self-empowerment, and appropriation. The tracks would eventually appear on their self- titled debut album, which instantly garnered critical acclaim in outlets such as Paste, them, and Rolling Stone, who called it “a new type of queer anthem that celebrates body image and diversity, while also remaining ironic and subversive."

On the band’s second album, Provincetown, Bottum and Holman sharpened their songwriting and production choices with an adrenalized agenda. Mixed by Steven James Aguilar (The Head and the Heart, Moby), the album is more focused and cohesive, showcasing themes of encouragement and support for the queer community in ways that may be seen as provocative or unorthodox - it’s loud and abrasive rock music with a message. Standouts like “Showgirls” and “Take It From Me'' reinforce the band’s inspiring sense of confidence and love for their community, while tracks like “Piggy” and “Hush (featuring J Mascis)” feature intense and biting distortion that elevates the album’s energy and strong throughline. If MAN ON MAN introduced the world to the gay anthems of two supportive lovers, Provincetown turns it up a notch - M.O.M. are taking risks, putting themselves out there and shouting for what they believe in. 

TRACK LISTING

1. Take It From Me
2. Showgirls
3. I Feel Good
4. Haute Couture
5. Piggy
6. Kids
7. Feelings
8. Gloryhole
9. Who Could Know
10. Hush

This is the semi-factual promotional biography for the semi-professional rock & roll band Japandroids. It was written in 2012 by Brian King at the behest of Polyvinyl Record Co., and describes in detail all matters of concern with respect to Japandroids' 2nd album Celebration Rock. It is the second semi-factual promotional biography written by Brian King at the behest of Polyvinyl, the first describing in detail all matters of concern with respect to Japandroids' 1st album Post-Nothing. For convenience sake, the aforementioned document has been distilled into two concise paragraphs as to negate redundancy as much as possible, while at the same time provide the necessary context by which to appreciate the existence of Celebration Rock, irrespective of its quality:

Japandroids is a two piece band from Vancouver, BC. This 'band' started in 2006 and consists of Brian King and David Prowse. Originally intending to be a trio, the boys decided to forego the logistical nightmare of having a 'lead singer' and do it themselves. As a consequence, Japandroids are one guitar, one set of drums, and two vocalizers. Japandroids are maximal - a two piece band trying to sound like it's a five piece band. Their 'songs' run the gauntlet of rock & roll sub-genres, with the boys ripping off too many different bands to sound like any other duo making music right now.

After self-releasing two EPs, 2007's All Lies and 2008's Lullaby Death Jams, Japandroids released their critically acclaimed debut album Post-Nothing via Polyvinyl in 2009. The boys toured extensively throughout 2009–2010, playing over 200 shows in more than 20 countries, and quickly gained notoriety for their extremely energetic live performances. Finding it difficult to write and record a second album in the midst of such a heavy touring schedule, Japandroids released a series of 7'' singles throughout 2010, each one recorded during a brief interval between tours. The same year, Japandroids re-released their first two EPs as a compilation titled No Singles, which included a booklet detailing their early history.

5 long years in 2 short paragraphs. Not bad. Perhaps the most pertinent detail omitted from said paragraphs is the fact that at no point during this time did Brian and David even discuss the possibility of writing, let alone recording, a second Japandroids album. With the band having more or less imploded late in 2008 (after what was considered to be a valiant but ultimately fruitless effort), one single regret still lingered, and despite their wounds and subsequent estrangement, continued effortlessly to slander them and their attempts to move on, like the subtle scent of skin on the sheets days after the desecration. Ipso facto, the sole motivation for revisiting the band many months later was simply to see if they could exploit their sudden newfound internet popularity and take Japandroids on the road. Due in part to the unexpected (and untimely) discovery of the band early in 2009 by certain online entities and their congregations, what previously seemed reserved for only the most ardent hearts, presented itself to Japandroids like a deal from the devil himself. Cautiously seduced, Brian and David decided in favour of their romantic notions of the open road, and set upon a crusade to swindle the soul of a continent. Tour was the fire to which they fed themselves.

As days became weeks, so too did months become years. Finally, having exhausted themselves, as well as the immediate charm of Post-Nothing, and with only one final recording session looming on the horizon, the boys found themselves at a crossroads. Would they abandon their days on the wind and nights on the rocks in favour of the gentle lull of a geographic coma? No one knew; not even the boys themselves. That is, until one cool New York night, when under the spell of the city's swill, they cast off the demons of doubt, having come in through the out door, back out through the window.

For months, they laboured. Through the endless rains and windless chills of a northwestern winter, Japandroids fought tirelessly against their own creative limitations, struggling to expand their sound beyond the simple sloganeering that dominated Post-Nothing. Stuck knee deep in the swamp of summer, time had chased them down, and caught them waiting patiently. Had it not been for the fever of fall, with the boys back on tour where they belong, all might have been lost. Run out of town, they vowed not to return in anything less than triumph. Settling under the sulfurous skies of the south, Japandroids continued to labour through the dying months of 2011, returning reluctantly with nothing short of an album.

As with countless previous recording sessions, the boys would bestow their faith solely upon Heaven's native son, Jesse Gander. An inexhaustible rocket of patience and dedication, Gander's unique ability to build cathedrals out of criminals was pushed to its absolute limit, as Brian and David demanded he coax only the purest nectar from their delinquent hearts. And so he did:

"Let's make this one a little more cruising down the highway, and a little less doing crystal meth on New Year's…"

"That take was the perfect mixture of pee and poo - it had the fluidity of pee, and the solidness of poo…"

And so on and so forth, until not even the deepest and darkest of nights could extinguish what can only be described as living fireworks. Celebration Rock - a title in and of itself so controversial that at first utterance, it was so feared and hated that Polyvinyl felt compelled to plead for an alternative. But the band would not yield. Hell was just going to have to come and get them.

TRACK LISTING

1 The Nights Of Wine And Roses
2 Fire's Highway
3 Evil's Sway
4 For The Love Of Ivy
5 Adrenaline Nightshift
6 Younger Us
7 The House That Heaven Built
8 Continuous Thunder

Skeletal Lamping may be bizarre, complicated, and dense, but it's also extremely catchy and packed with slinky grooves that demand a physical response. Instantly ingratiating hooks abound as Kevin Barnes' compositions constantly mutate and shape-shift in ways that defy conventional pop song structure and album sequencing. Nevertheless, the record has its own internal logic, and its many tangents and detours feel entirely intuitive and organic in context. The movements mimic the shapeless, mystifying mingling of thoughts and emotions in the human mind, so even the most deliberately jarring transitions evoke a sudden shift in attention that is recognizable and commonplace, but rarely emulated in mainstream music.

Though of Montreal have never been strangers to expressing sexuality in their music, Skeletal Lamping finds Barnes fully immersed in the topic. Throughout the record, sexuality is presented as a broad continuum encompassing a wide range of experiences, anxieties, emotions and orientations. Barnes openly explores sex and gender roles without insecurity. They attempt to bring all of their fantasies, and terrors, to the surface, so as to better understand the machinery behind them. In Skeletal Lamping, Barnes argues that identity is fluid, malleable, and limited only by one's imagination.

TRACK LISTING

1. Nonpareil Of Favor
2. Wicked Wisdom
3. For Our Elegant Caste
4. Touched Something's Hollow
5. An Eluardian Instance
6. Gallery Piece
7. Women's Studies Victims
8. St. Exquistie's Confessions
9. Triphallus, To Punctuate!
10. And I've Seen A Bloody Shadow
11. Plastis Wafer
12. Death Is Not A Parallel Move
13. Beware Our Nubile Miscreants
14. Mingusings
15. Id Engager

Over the course of the last two decades, of Montreal’s creative force, Kevin Barnes, has been wowing fans with their vast catalog of endlessly fascinating pop and mesmerizing live shows. Barnes’ songwriting and production aesthetic has since become iconic in the industry and has garnered massive critical acclaim in publications such as Rolling Stone, The New York Times, NPR, and Pitchfork, who described the band’s album, Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer? as “ceaselessly fascinating and inexhaustibly replayable,” as well as ranking it as the #5 album of the year. Barnes’ influence on pop music is undeniable, with multiple late night TV appearances, including The Late Show With David Letterman and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, as well as brilliant collaborations with the likes of Solange, Janelle Monáe, Jon Brion, and others. The band has also performed across the globe, with festival appearances at Coachella, Sasquatch!, Pitchfork Music Festival and others, as well as hundreds of millions of streams worldwide.

On of Montreal’s latest album, Freewave Lucifer fck, Barnes continues to push the boundaries of what pop music can be. On songs like “Marijuana’s A Working Woman,” Barnes revisits themes of psychedelia using pulsating synths over their instantly recognizable bass playing. The album also touches on aspects of gender fluidity and is a fascinating look at what makes Barnes one of the most prolific and creative songwriters making music today. "...every year or so of Montreal is going to release a new full-length of mind-bending glam-punk decadence that sort of blows everything else away." - Paste

TRACK LISTING

1. Marijuana's A Working Woman
2. Ofrenda-Flanger-Ego-à Gogo
3. Blab Sabbath Lathe Of Maiden
4. Après Thee Dèclassè
5. Modern Art Bewilders
6. Nightsift
7. Hmmm

Mesmeric and kaleidoscopic, shimmering with electrified unease, Show Me How You Disappear is both an exercise in self-forgiveness and an eventual understanding of unresolved trauma. Jilian Medford’s third record as IAN SWEET unfolds at an acute juncture in her life, charting from a mental health crisis to an intensive healing process and what comes after. How do you control the thoughts that control you? What does it mean to get better? What does it mean to have a relationship with yourself? Recorded with Andrew Sarlo (Big Thief, Empress Of) and Andy Seltzer (Maggie Rogers), among others, Medford approached this album as a curator. She handpicked the producers that fit each song, which explains the range and experimentation showcased. Medford then recruited Chris Coady to mix and tie everything together into one cohesive piece. Dizzying and enthralling, Show Me How You Disappear is the sound of someone coming apart and putting themselves back together — the moment an old mantra, repeated into the mirror time and time again, finally clicks. To look at your reflection, and finally feel seen.

TRACK LISTING

1. My Favorite Cloud
2. Drink The Lake
3. Sword
4. Dirt
5. Sing Till I Cry
6. Dumb Driver
7. Get Better
8. Power
9. Show Me How You Disappear
10. I See Everything

On one special night, the band took to the bandstand in a tiny Tokyo club while the tape was rolling. The result is Fever 121614. With gems from throughout the band’s ridiculously deep back catalog, the 12-song collection that appears on both the LP and the video is Deerhoof at their rawest.

TRACK LISTING

1. Exit Only 
2. Paradise Girls 
3. Let's Dance The Jet 
4. Doom 
5. Fresh Born  
6. We Do Parties 
7. Buck And Judy  
8. Dummy Discards A Heart 
9. Twin Killers 
10. I Did Crimes For You  
11. There's That Grin 
12. Come See The Duck 

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin returned to the attic where they made their debut full-length Broom. Phil Dickey, Will Knauer, and Jonathan James spent up to twelve hours a day working on the songs that would become Fly By Wire. With James assuming the role of engineer, Dickey and Knauer wrote lyrics and guitar parts on a third floor windowsill and recorded vocals in the staircase. This laid-back approach to recording is clearly evident in the album’s warm, welcoming sound.

TRACK LISTING

1. Harrison Ford
2. Young Presidents
3. Cover All Sides
4. Lucky Young
5. Ms. Dot
6. Loretta
7. Unearth
8. Bright Leaves
9. Nightwater Girlfriend
10. Fly By Wire

Stagnant Pools are Bryan and Douglass Enas, two brothers (21 and 22) from Bloomington, Indiana. With just one guitar and a drum kit, they make music which the Chicago Reader describes as “drone-heavy, slate-gray art-rock that should appeal to fans of Disappears, Joy Division, and Sonic Youth records from back when they were still actually scary.”

After a couple of DIY releases, the sibling duo spent one day in the studio recording their debut full length ‘Temporary Room’. With a tour van as a recent graduation present, and shows under their belt with EMA and labelmates Japandroids, they’re releasing ‘Temporary Room’ this summer and then hitting the road.

“A massive slice of punked-out sky-high shoegaze from the Bloomington brothers” - thenoiseis.net · “Stagnant Pools use a lot of distortion over pretty melodies to make something that sounds a little like a harder edged Interpol” - ohmyrockness

“A beautiful, swelling thing. Aided by both a beautiful, sweltering, heat-haze throb of guitar treatment and some deep, effortlessly melodic vocals” - musicfromagreenwindow

TRACK LISTING

Illusions
Dead Sailor
Jumpsuit
Solitude
Temporary Room
Stun
Consistency
Dreaming Of You
Frozen
Maze Of Graves
Alternate Ending
Waveland

After his last time touring the United States in support of 2009’s ‘Dear John’, Emil Svanängen AKA Loney Dear returned home to Sweden and began to play shows with chamber orchestras throughout the country. As such, he was forced to revisit his earlier material -- re-writing and re-arranging these older songs for performance on a grander scale. This experience had an indelible influence on the writing and recording of the appropriately titled ‘Hall Music’, an expansive record that finds Svanängen closer to creating the type of orchestral music he has always sought to bring to life on stage (whether he’s actually playing with an orchestra or not).

Above all, ‘Hall Music’ is a study in merging contrasts, an album of impossible pairings. The pacing is simultaneously fast and slow, with gently weaving harmonic structures propelled forward by quickly moving notes. The instrumentation is orchestral and synthesized; organic and invented. A church bell paired effortlessly with horns and an analogue keyboard.

Though at first listen it occupies your ears for just over a halfhour, it is an all-consuming sonic affair. This is intimate music that effortlessly fills vast, empty spaces -- in your head, in your room, in your life -- with a grip so delicate yet unyielding that you can’t (and don’t want to) escape it.

Drawing from both of the emotional states it joins together - joy and darkness – ‘Hall Music’ creates its own unique expanse -- one you’ll surely want to re-visit again and again.

TRACK LISTING

1. Name
2. My Heart
3. Loney Blues
4. Calm Down
5. Maria, Is That You
6. D Major
7. Largo
8. Young Hearts
9. Durmoll
10. I Dreamed About You
11. What Have I Become?

"Life Like" is Joan Of Arc distilled down to / embracing their rock essence.

Gone from the band’s music (for now) are the electronics and layers upon layers of tracks. Gone from their liner notes are an extensive list of musicians and instruments. Instead, ‘Life Like’ is the result of four men adhering to Thoreau’s famous principle, “Simplify, simplify, simplify!”.

"Life Like" is the first Joan Of Arc record to feature Victor Villarreal (Cap’n Jazz, Owls) as a member. The album was recorded at Chicago’s Electrical Audio with Steve Albini (who has previously engineered records for two other of Joan Of Arc singer Tim Kinsella’s projects: Owls and Make Believe).

TRACK LISTING

I Saw The Messed Binds Of My Generation
Love Life
Like Minded
Life Force
Night Life Style
Howdy Pardoner
Still Life
Deep State
After Life

A template stolen from 80s proto emo / moog-induced power pop band The Cars and transposed into the noughties. With three-part harmonies and songs so catchy they should be illegal, "Summer Fling" is the Red Hot Valentines' second album and has that distinctive Polyvinyl label sound.

Aloha's second album takes post-rock a la Tortoise and Trans Am and adds emo stylings like the Promise Ring but then injects it with the prog time changes of a Midwest King Crimson. There's some sublime vibraphone and guitar interplay and the instrumental invention never fails to produce some of the most beautiful sounds and ensemble playing.

Featuring Bob Nanna of Hey Mercedes this 2xCD set is every song that Friction recorded, including many previously unreleased songs. All 32 tracks have been completely remastered and there's tons of photos, lyrics and complete liner notes. Included on the discs are the band's long out-of-print LP "Blurred In Six", all the 7"s and compilation tracks, as well as nearly a dozen tracks that were finished for a second album, but never released.