Here are this weeks arrivals.
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Neutral Milk Hotel- "In The Aeroplane...." LP (Merge)
Back in stock. New reissue comes on 180 gram vinyl with download.
Baby Huey- "The Living Legend" LP (Curtom)
Last one sold immediately, so it's back again. Baby Huey's only album, released after his untimely death, is titled The Living Legend with good reason. He was legendary in his appearance, a 400-pound man with a penchant for flamboyant clothing and crowned by a woolly Afro, a look that is best illustrated by one of several rare photos included in the Water Records edition that shows our man in a wide-lapeled polka-dot shirt with a lime-green jacket. Beyond his unusual appearance, though, he was graced with a stunning, fierce voice on par with Otis Redding and Howard Tate, wailing and howling one moment and oddly tender and sentimental the next. Nowhere on Living Legend is his range more apparent than the opening track, "Listen to Me," where listeners are introduced to both the enigma of Baby Huey and his diamond-tough psychedelic funk backing band, the Baby Sitters. The high-energy instrumental workout "Mama Get Yourself Together" is worthy of the J.B.'s and a hazy, spiraling ten-minute rendition of Sam Cooke's chestnut \"A Change Is Going to Come\" confirms that the Baby Sitters could hold their own with Blood, Sweat & Tears. Further lore that catapults The Living Legend from good to great: the production was helmed by Curtis Mayfield, reason enough to make it near essential, and is highlighted by three of his compositions, "Mighty Mighty," which Mayfield and the Impressions recorded a few years earlier; "Running," a classic Mayfield cut that can only be heard here ripped to glorious bits by a band that is trying to let every member solo; and "Hard Times," which Mayfield himself would revisit on his 1975 album There's No Place Like America Today, although Baby Huey's razor-edged reading remains the definitive version -- no small caveat considering Mayfield not only wrote the tune, but could rightfully be considered one of the architects of soul to boot.
Tom Waits- "Swordfishtrombones" LP (Island)
Restock on one of Tom's most innovative albums.
Dinosaur Jr.- "Green Mind" LP (Rhino)
Back in stock on LP.
Black Keys- "Attack & Release" LP (Nonesuch)
Back in stock on LP.
Merle Haggard- "I Am What I Am" LP (Vanguard)
The Hag's latest album which is getting plenty of thumb's up.
Jeff Beck- "Emotion & Commotion" LP (Atco)
When Jeff Beck last ventured into the studio it was to cut 2003’s Jeff, a deliberately modernist album steeped in electronica, to which 2010’s Emotion & Commotion almost feels like a refutation. Working with producers Steve Lipson and Trevor Horn, Beck has created an old-fashioned blues-rock-cum-prog record, balancing the sweeping vistas of a 64-piece orchestra with cool jazz-funk grooves, tarted-up Screamin' Jay Hawkins covers with a pair of Jeff Buckley tunes and a gentle reading of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” Joss Stone sits in for two songs, including “I Put a Spell on You,” with jazz vocalist Imelda May and opera singer Olivia Safe taking lead on two others, but the focus remains on Beck, who is in a reserved, lyrical mood.
Nirvana- "Bleach" LPx2 (Sub Pop)
20th anniversary remastered edition. Double white 180 gram vinyl in gatefold sleeve. Free download of HiQ mp3s. 2nd album is a 1990 concert from Portland.
Dead Weather- "Sea Of Cowards" CD+LP (Reprise)
Restock of new album on both formats. I also have the new 7" single in as well.
Rick Derringer- "The Three Kings Of The Blues" CD (Blues Bureau)
No stronger three of a kind ever existed than the three Kings of the blues, B.B., Albert, and Freddie King. Related not by blood but by the heart and soul of the blues, together they innovated much of the modern day blues guitar lexicon. On this Blues Bureau Collection, legendary guitar master Rick Derringer proves more than worthy as he puts his personal stamp on these classic blues tunes, previously recorded by "The Three Kings Of The Blues."
The Chemical Brothers- "Further" LPx2 (Parlophone)
Their brand new release on double vinyl.
Rah Rah- "Breaking Hearts" LP (Young Soul)
Regina's own indie faves release their new album on vinyl. CD is also in stock.
Dillinger Escape Plan- "Option Paralysis" LP (Season Of Mist)
Option Paralysis sees DEP choose a heavier direction while simultaneously able to exercise and paralyze many other blissfully unexpected options. They once again rearrange and redirect the possibilities of music on their fourth full length. The vinyl comes in a die-cut sleeve and includes a digital download.
Reverend Pearly Brown- "You're Gonna Need That Pure Religion" CD (Arhoolie)
This is a great recording of the great street gospel blues singer Rev. Pearly Brown.While not quite as powerful and brilliant as the great Blind Willie Johnson(Who Is?);He is one of the best guitar evangelists recorded;very intense gospel blues shouter ,with some heavy Mississippi delta/Georgia piedmont feel in his guitar style. I only wish more recordings of this nature would be released from the Arhoolie vaults before the culture no longer desires to remember the great minstrels from the past.
Gaslight Anthem- "American Slang" LP (Side1/Dummy)
Brand new on LP. CD coming soon!
Rhapsody- "Live In Canada 2005: The Dark Secret" CD+DVD (ATW Around)
This testimony of pure energy, over 60 minutes long, was recorded at the 'Albert-Rousseau Arena' in Quebec City on June 13, 2005 during leg one of Rhapsody being the special guest on Manowar's 'Demons, Dragons and Warriors World Tour’. The first leg of the tour, completed in Summer 2005, was highly acclaimed internationally for its stripped down and performance orientated arrangements, which allowed the band to prove that the music is the message. "This album is exceptionally magical", says guitarist and composer Luca Turilli. "It combines the song visions with the fun we had on stage and the amazing reaction from the fans". Keyboardist and composer Alex Staropoli joins: "The reaction of the fans in Canada and the US was just unbelievable. That's why we simply had to name this album 'Live In Canada'. A true dedication!"
This Special Edition of Live In Canada 2005 – The Dark Secret will be released as a two disc set featuring the complete Quebec show and a bonus DVD with exclusive behind-the-scenes-material as well as the complete album in 5.1 surround sound! With no doubt this will set the band's epic performance in a new light and give the listener a truly monumental audio experience.
Jeff Beck- "Wired" LP (Friday Music)
Audiophile reissue of this highly regarded Jeff Beck album from 1976. Beck, drummer Narada Michael Walden, and producer George Martin here embark on a potent jazz-rock journey, making stops at the ferocious "Led Boots," the thumb-popping R&B of "Come Dancing," and the hooky "Blue Wind" (written by former Mahavishnu synth player Jan Hammer). Max Middleton's funky clavinet on "Play with Me" and his pulsing Rhodes piano work on "Sophie" add color and rhythmic urgency to Beck's searing guitar, with its unmistakable tone and vocal-like inflections. Released a year after the breakthrough Blow by Blow, Wired generally runs a little hotter, though its low-gear moments--in particular the emotional largesse of Mingus's "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat"--will blow your hair back.
Mastodon- "Blood Mountain" LP (Alliance)
The sludgy, raw and fierce Mastodon blurs the line between metal, rock and prog with their major-label debut, Blood Mountain. On 180 gram LP.
Vetiver- "To Find Me Gone" LP (Dichristina Stair)
2006 sophomore album by Andy Cabic's ever-evolving band. Cabic, a member of Devendra Banhart's band, has expanded Vetiver into a full-on singer-songwriter project, aided and abetted by some of the best players in the extended family of which Cabic finds himself a member. Musically, there's a dreamy Topanga Canyon vibe on select songs (maybe that's the pedal steel calling on 'No One Word'), and there's also plenty of crunchy candy for those who have appreciated Cabic's recent nod toward the magic of '70s-era Fleetwood Mac. To Find Me Gone is Andy Cabic's own original statement, one that many will consider as one of the finest albums of 2006.
Buckethead- "Electric Tears" CD (Metastaion)
Buckethead has been in Guns N' Roses only for a short while and he's already breaking the rules. On his eighth solo album, the mysterious, gifted guitar shredder and horror-movie fanatic forgoes all loud noises on a spiritual path to find his inner Buckethead. Electric Tears is a New Age mix of slow, meditative soloing and soft acoustic guitars - including a stately, flamenco-styled ode to jazz great Miles Davis - that's light on effects but heavy on atmosphere. This must be what guitar gods listen to when they go to sleep at night. --Guitar World
Experience the haunting, beautiful and ethereal side of Buckethead, the fried chicken bucket and white mask-wearing guitar magician who has been described by the likes of Bootsy Collins, Bill Laswell and Carlos Santana as a phenomenal guitar player. Here, Buckethead puts aside his usual ax shredding and calculated mayhem to take the listener on an atmospheric acoustic/electric voyage into his mind. Currently, he is the lead guitarist for Guns 'n Roses, and he also plays lead for Praxis and Giant Robot.
Lori Carson- "The Finest Thing" CD (Metastation)
With her breathy, fragile voice and introspective lyrics, Lori Carson has released several albums in what might be called the conventional singer-songwriter mode, and the opening title track of The Finest Thing, a gentle ballad, might lead you to think this is another album in that vein. But Carson has also worked with avant-rockers the Golden Palominos and music saboteur Bill Laswell. That's what gives The Finest Thing a gritty edge with distorted hissing, amp buzzes, and strange aliasing that must be intentional for an artist of her experience. Centered largely on plaintive acoustic guitar ostinatos with touches of electric guitar, occasional trumpet, and spare keyboard, The Finest Thing yields quiet reveries, sometimes with lyrics, but more often by casting wordless ghost vocals into the abyss. She's clearly listened to the early ambient music of Brian Eno and "Grey World" sounds like an homage to Music for Airports. In an age of supralingua divas like Lisa Gerrard and Azam Ali, Carson's "La-La-La-Ohh" vocalizing can sound trite, but there's an appealing intimacy to The Finest Thing, like pages from a personal scrapbook: rough edges, sketchy drawings, and a bit of insight into a mind at work.
Ice Cube- "Amerikkka's Most Wanted" LPx2 (Priority)
Back in stock on double vinyl.
ZZ Top- "Live From Texas" LPx2 (Eagle)
Double vinyl LP pressing. Live From Texas 2007 is a scorching live set from the veteran Blues Rock trio. Features 16 crowd-pleasing rip roaring tracks including "Gimme All Your Lovin'", "Sharp Dressed Man", "Legs" and more.
Metallica- "Kill 'em All" LP (Warner)
Restock. Single LP on 180 gram vinyl.
Metallica- "Ride The Lightning" LP (Warner)
Restock. Single LP on 180 gram vinyl.
Metallica- "Master Of Puppets" LP (Warner)
Restock. Single LP on 180 gram vinyl.
Hank III- "Lovesick Broke & Driftin'" CD (Curb)
Back in stock.
Hank III- "Risin' Outlaw" CD (Curb)
Back in stock.
Frank Zappa- "Freeak Out!" CD (Ryko)
Back in stock.
Frank Zappa- "Absolutely Free" CD (Ryko)
Back in stock.
Lynyrd Skynyrd- "Second Helping" LP (MCA)
In stock on vinyl.
Joe Strummer- "Rock Art & The X-Ray Style" CD (Hellcat)
Back in stock with other Joe Strummer titles as well.
Black Keys- "Attack & Release" LP (Nonesuch)
Their 2009 LP wich comes with complimentary CD version inside.
Earthless- "Rhythms From A Cosmic Sky" LP (Tee Pee)
Earthless is the brainchild of Mario Rubalcaba, Mike Eginton & Isaiah Mitchell. Rubalcaba a prolific drummer has worn the alias of Ruby Mars during his stint with Rocket From The Crypt, went on to bang away for the Hot Snakes, was the drummer for hardcore art-punks Clikatat Ikatowi and previously was in the Black Heart Procession… and prior to that? Mario was a member of Tony Alva’s Alva Team skateboarding crew. He now finds himself, along with bassist Mike Eginton and guitarist Isaiah Mitchell, knee deep in the near opposite direction of all things punk rock, ensconced in the world of jam, space and “cosmic nodding” a.k.a. Earthless.
The trio, based out of San Diego, met through mutual friends and a fondness for under the radar record collections. Mario explains how the band connected, “We discovered a mutual admiration for a lot of Japanese psychedelic hard rock bands, as well as primitive ‘60s garage music. After combing over each other’s record collections and lending out records, we came upon the idea of, ‘Let’s specifically start a Japanese-psychedelic-heavy-Kraut-rock-band.’ With the Japanese bands, it was always a really kind of heavy, blues, twisted take on Black Sabbath or Led Zeppelin. Isaiah is an awesome guitar player & Mike is an amazing bassist, playing with the both of them really sealed the deal. Magic happened in the room. Since then, we’ve followed that formula.”
Roxy Music- "For Your Pleasure" LP (Atco)
On Roxy Music's debut, the tensions between Brian Eno and Bryan Ferry propelled their music to great, unexpected heights, and for most of the group's second album, For Your Pleasure, the band equals, if not surpasses, those expectations. However, there are a handful of moments where those tensions become unbearable, as when Eno wants to move toward texture and Ferry wants to stay in more conventional rock territory; the nine-minute "The Bogus Man" captures such creative tensions perfectly, and it's easy to see why Eno left the group after the album was completed. Still, those differences result in yet another extraordinary record from Roxy Music, one that demonstrates even more clearly than the debut how avant-garde ideas can flourish in a pop setting. This is especially evident in the driving singles "Do the Strand" and "Editions of You," which pulsate with raw energy and jarring melodic structures. Roxy also illuminate the slower numbers, such as the eerie "In Every Dream Home a Heartache," with atonal, shimmering synthesizers, textures that were unexpected and innovative at the time of its release. Similarly, all of For Your Pleasure walks the tightrope between the experimental and the accessible, creating a new vocabulary for rock bands, and one that was exploited heavily in the ensuing decade.
Black Keys- "The Big Come Up" LP (Alive)
Their 1st album which now comes with a collectible poster, just like in the olde days.
Eric Clapton- "Slowhand" LP (Polydor)
Back in stock after a long absence.
Coheed & Cambria- "Year Of The Black Rainbow" LPx2 180 gram (Columbia)
Their new double album back in stock.
Dio- "Holy Diver" LP (CBS)
His 1st solo album from 1983 and still probably his best.
Slash- "S/T" LP (Dik Hayd)
Double vinyl edition of the 2010 solo album from guitar-slinging Rock icon Slash (Guns n' Roses, Velvet Revolver). On this, his first solo album, Slash collaborates with a wide variety of vocalists and showcases his diverse, surprising and exciting personal side. Features appearances from Ozzy Osbourne, Ian Astbury, Fergie, Iggy Pop, Adam Levine, Chris Cornell, Dave Grohl and many others.
Nine Inch Nails- "The Downward Spiral" LPx2 (Nothing)
Double Picture Disc. Brand new!
Gord Downie- "The Grand Bounce" LPx2 (Universal)
2xLP vinyl format will be available 10 days prior to the CD release date. The Grand Bounce is Gord Downie of the Tragically Hip’s third career solo project; The Country of Miracles band members are Gord Downie, Dale Morningstar, Dave Clark, Dr. Pee, Julie Doiron and Josh Finlayson. It’s a slightly more grass roots direction than The Tragically Hip but it will also be a must for their loyal fanbase.
Dayglo Abortions- "Holy Shiite!" CD (Unrest)
Restock on CD.
Cure- "Disintegration" LPx2 (Elektra)
Double album reissue of their dark classic.
La Roux- "S/T" LP (Universal)
It took just over six months for La Roux to go from issuing their first single on Kitsune to topping the U.K. charts. That's a swift rise — one that was years in the making, of course — but after hearing their self-titled debut, it's easy to understand their sudden fame: La Roux's take on '80s synth pop is as unique as it is familiar. La Roux's inspirations, which include Blancmange and the Eurythmics, might be decades old and well-known, but their spare coldness can still sound weird, and La Roux shows just how committed they are to that chilly oddness and catchiness.
La Roux's dedication to their aesthetic makes this an album where the songs are variations on a theme, and on the rare occasion where the songwriting isn't razor-sharp, the style threatens to overtake the substance. However, that devotion also makes La Roux a standout, not just among the many other '80s revivalists, but the entire late-2000s pop landscape.
OST- "O Brother, Where Art Thou" LPx2 (lost Highway)
Back in stock on double vinyl. The critical consensus at the end of 2000 was that it had been one of the weakest film years in recent memory. Which may have been true, despite O Brother, Where Art Thou?, the Coen brothers' delightfully warm and weird Depression-era re-telling of Homer's Odyssey. But for music lovers, 2000 was an amazing year at the movies, and it produced several excellent soundtrack compilations including Almost Famous, Dancer in the Dark, Wonder Boys, and High Fidelity. Even with such steep competition, the soundtrack album for O Brother, Where Art Thou? may be the best of the year. In order to capture the sound of Mississippi circa 1932, the Coens commissioned T-Bone Burnett, a masterful producer whose work with artists like Elvis Costello, Sam Phillips, Joseph Arthur, and Counting Crows has earned him a special place in the folk-rock hall of fame, to research and re-create the country, bluegrass, folk, gospel, and blues of the era. The Coens were so taken with Burnett's discoveries that the film became a unique sort of musical revue. There are no original compositions here (though Burnett is given a "music by" credit usually reserved for composers), and the characters do not generally break into stylized song and dance numbers (as they do in, say, Everyone Says I Love You). But nearly every scene in O Brother is set to a period song, and the music frequently drives and defines the action. With two exceptions — a stunning 1955 Alan Lomax recording of a black prison chain gang singing "Po Lazarus", and Harry McClintock's "Big Rock Candy Mountain" — every song was recorded for the film by an impressive assembly of old-time country veterans (Fairfield Four, Ralph Stanley, the Whites) and talented newcomers (Gillian Welch, Alison Krauss, Emmylou Harris). These recordings, which were made without the meddling clarity of digital technology, give the film much of its power and authenticity. A significant segment of the plot hinges on the (utterly plausible) notion that Dan Tyminksi's ebullient rendition of "I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow" could be a runaway hit. A memorable sequence involving three riverside sirens centers around an eerie version of "Didn't Leave Nobody But the Baby." And Stanley's a cappella performance of "O Death" sets a chilling tone for a climactic struggle at a Ku Klux Klan rally. Throughout, Burnett's steady guiding hand is evident. This soundtrack is a powerful tribute not only to the time-honored but commercially ignored genres of bluegrass and mountain music but also to Burnett's remarkable skills as a producer. (AMG)
Neil Young- "Zuma" LP (Reprise)
Having apparently exorcised his demons by releasing the cathartic Tonight's the Night, Neil Young returned to his commercial strengths with Zuma (named after Zuma Beach in Los Angeles, where he now owned a house). Seven of the album's nine songs were recorded with the reunited Crazy Horse, in which rhythm guitarist Frank Sampedro had replaced the late Danny Whitten, but there were also nods to other popular Young styles in "Pardon My Heart," an acoustic song that would have fit on Harvest, his most popular album, and "Through My Sails," retrieved from one of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young's abortive recording sessions. Young had abandoned the ragged, first-take approach of his previous three albums, but Crazy Horse would never be a polished act, and the music had a lively sound well-suited to the songs, which were some of the most melodic, pop-oriented tunes Young had crafted in years, though they were played with an electric-guitar-drenched rock intensity.
MGMT- "Oracular Spectacular" LP (CBS)
Restock of their 1st album.
Van Morrison- "Tupelo Honey" LP (Warner)
One of Van's terrific albums from the early 70's. "Tupelo Honey is typical of Van Morrison's early-'70s work in both sound and structure; after dispensing with the requisite hit -- here, the buoyant, R&B-inflected "Wild Night" -- he truly gets down to business, settling into a luminously pastoral drift typified by the nostalgic "Old Old Woodstock." At the heart of the record are a pair of stunning love songs, "You're My Woman" and the hymn-like title cut, one of Morrison's most enduring and transcendent compositions."
Anti Nowhere League- "We Are The League" CD (Captain Oi)
1997 reissue on Snapper of their 1982 debut album with two unmarked bonus tracks, 'Rocker' and 'So What', the latter ofwhich Metallica has covered. 14 tracks total, all digitally mastered.
X-Ray Records
http://xrayrecords.ca/article.php?story=20100621190445129