New Releases for December 9, 2022
CDs + Vinyl:
Alabama Shakes – Boys & Girls (10-Year Deluxe Edition) CD/2xLP+MP3 (ATO)
Alabama Shakes’ Grammy-nominated 2012 debut Boys & Girls marked the arrival of a major new rock ‘n’ roll band. It serves up a vibrant fusion of swampy, dirty Southern rock, blues and soul delivered with punk rock fervor. The Platinum-certified affair receives a 10 Year Anniversary Edition features the original album augmented by a raw and explosive live set recorded for KCRW’s Morning Becomes Eclectic in January 2012. [A limited-edition clear vinyl pressing is available.]
Donald Byrd – Live: Cookin’ With Blue Note At Montreux July 5, 1973 CD/LP (Blue Note)
In July 1973, Blue Note Records headed to Montreux, Switzerland to showcase several of the label’s stars at the Montreux Jazz Festival. Produced by Blue Note President George Butler, live albums all titled Live: Cookin’ With Blue Note At Montreux followed from vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson, organist Ronnie Foster, flutist Bobbi Humphrey, and vocalist Marlena Shaw, but one of the performances by trumpeter Donald Byrd remained unreleased in the Blue Note vaults, until now.
David Crosby – Live At The Capitol Theater CD+DVD (BMG)
Recorded and filmed at the historic Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY, in a particularly meaningful turn for Crosby, the sixteen-track live offering includes an uncut gem with the song “1974” – a long-lost demo track that Crosby had floating around on his computer hard drive for decades. Continuing to forge new paths in his eighth decade, Crosby again joins forces with Becca Stevens, Michelle Willis, and Michael League, the three musicians known as The Lighthouse Band, who he’s been working with since 2016’s Lighthouse album.
††† (Crosses) – Permanent. Radiant CDEP (WB)
Permanent. Radiant is the new EP from the darkly cinematic duo ††† (Crosses) featuring Chino Moreno of Deftones on vocals and Shaun Lopez on production and instrumentation. This project features the previously released singles “Vivien” and “Sensation”, along with the once exclusive vinyl track “Day One”. Eerie synth arrangements and pulsating percussion culminate in a lush, sprawling soundscape captured throughout this collection of songs.
My Morning Jacket – Circuital (Deluxe Edition) 2xCD/3xLP (ATO)
My Morning Jacket’s Grammy-nominated sixth studio album, the stunning Circuital (originally released in 2011), finds the band going back to its Kentucky rock roots while still mixing in tempered amounts of the experimentalist streaks on its two previous efforts. This expanded deluxe edition features the original album along with ten previously unreleased demo recordings. [The triple-LP set pressed in three limited edition colors (distributed at random) and housed in a glow-in-the-dark jacket with fold-out poster.]
Phish – The Gorge ’98 5xCD (Jemp)
The Gorge ’98 is a two-show audio box set from 7/16/98 and 7/17/98 at The Gorge Amphitheater in George, WA – a natural open-air venue with stunning views of the Columbia River Gorge, and onsite camping under the stars. Capturing the band at a summertime peak at this storied high desert venue, The Gorge ’98 celebrates this idyllic two-night stand across 30 songs.
Saint Asonia – Introvert Extrovert CD (Spinefarm)
Hard rock juggernaut Saint Asonia (featuring former Three Days Grace frontman Adam Gontier and Staind guitarist/founding member Mike Mushok) are back with an album combining their Introvert and Extrovert EPs with two bonus tracks.
Erykah Badu – New Amerykah Part One (4th World War) [Reissue/2010] 2xLP (Motown)
Erykah Badu – New Amerykah Part Two (Return Of The Ankh) [Reissue/2010] 2xLP (Motown)
Color vinyl reissues (purple and violet, respectively) of the series of celebrated records from Erykah Badu where she explores a post-Civil Rights landscape in which African Americans have been left to sort out how to have a cultural identity as part of a nation that had, up until very recently, been a dedicated adversary.
Bauhaus – The Sky’s Gone Out [Reissue/1982] LP (Beggars Banquet)
Bauhaus – Burning From The Inside [Reissue/1983] LP (Beggars Banquet)
Vinyl reissues of the legendary goth rock band’s third and fourth albums.
Mary J Blige – Good Morning Gorgeous 4xLP (300 Entertainment)
New release from the R&B superstar, her first album since 2017’s Strength Of A Woman. Blige’s 15th studio album Good Morning Gorgeous resonates with female empowerment anthems, soulful torch songs, and energetic tracks including the singles “Amazing (feat. DJ Khaled)”, the title track “Good Morning Gorgeous”, and “Rent Money (feat. Dave East)”.
Zach Bryan – American Heartbreak LP (WB)
American Heartbreak is Zach Bryan’s major label debut. The meaning, importance, and heart of this album is best described in the artist’s own words: “This album to me is all the trials we face day-in and day out and I wrote all the stories on it hoping someone, somewhere might relate or some kid might pick up an instrument and replicate it in an effort to be an artist. Some songs are sad, some are happy, some are hopeful, and some are hopeless, all of them mean something different to me and I pray they mean something to someone else. American Heartbreak is my effort at trying to explain what being a 26-year-old man in America is like. There’s love, loss, revelry, resentment, and forgiveness all wrapped into one piece of work.”
Dwarves – Thank Heaven For Little Girls [Reissue/1991] LP (Greedy)
Dwarves – Sugarfix [Reissue/1993] LP (Greedy)
Expanded vinyl reissue of the punk band’s third and fourth albums featuring updated art.
Imagine Dragons – Mercury – Acts 1 & 2 2xLP (Interscope)
Deluxe double-LP edition. Executive produced by Rick Rubin, Imagine Dragons present Mercury – Acts 1 & 2. Act 1, which includes the hits “Follow You”, “Wrecked”, and “Enemy”, featuring JID. Act 2 features 18 additional songs including the new single, “Bones”.
John Legend – Legend 2xLP (Republic)
Released in September on CD – now available on vinyl.
Charles Lloyd – Trios: Sacred Thread LP (Blue Note)
Saxophonist and composer Charles Lloyd has been a free spirit, master musician, and visionary. At 84, he remains at the height of his powers and as prolific as ever. As a sound seeker, Lloyd has perhaps found no greater manifestation than on his Trio Of Trios project, which encompasses three albums in different trio settings. The third, Trios: Sacred Thread, features guitarist Julian Lage and percussionist Zakir Hussain.
Queens Of The Stone Age – …Like Clockwork [Reissue/2013] 2xLP+MP3 (Matador)
Queens Of The Stone Age – Villains [Reissue/2017] 2xLP+MP3 (Matador)
Queens Of The Stone Age vinyl reissues continue with …Like Clockwork available on opaque red double-LP and Villains on opaque white double-LP. Each feature new OBI strips designed by Boneface and limited-edition Boneface posters.
Shovels & Rope – O’ Be Joyful [Reissue/2012] 2xLP (Dualtone Music Group)
180gm 10th Anniversary Edition featuring new artwork. Raw and imagined, effortless and insightful, Shovel & Rope’s panoramic songwriting and raucous performances drive O’ Be Joyful. Recorded in the twosome’s house, backyard, and van, as well as various motel rooms across America, the 11-song set offers a compelling encapsulation of Hearst and Trent’s unique approach, channeling their creative chemistry.
The Slackers – Wasted Days [Reissue/2000] 2xLP (Pirate Press)
An overdue vinyl reissue of one of The Slackers most acclaimed albums, Wasted Days. Their fourth studio double album, originally released in 2000, hasn’t been available since 2013, and is an essential component to any Slackers collection. It showcases The Slackers’ innovative incorporation of diverse influences to create a sound that is truly their own – from ska, reggae, rocksteady, and dub to soul, R&B, calypso, jazz, and rock ‘n’ roll.
