July 8th
Just In! New Wolf Parade "Expo 86" on both double LP & CD. Reissues of 3 different Hawksley Workman LP's. Restock on new Sadies vinyl, as well as all 3 Shins LP's. New CD's from To Rococo Rot "Speculation", 3 Inches Of Blood "Here Waits Thy Doom" now with 4 bonus tracks + DVD, and a "Best Of" Stan Rogers CD.

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New & restock vinyl just arrived! Some D.R.I. reissues like "Dealing With It" & "Violent Pacification" & "Dirty Rotten" LP. First 2 Detroit Cobras Lp's, Reigning Sound, Pink Floyd "Flowers & Vegetables", Of Montreal, Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, My Bloody Valentine "Before Loveless" 200 gram LP, Joy Division "Heart & ...Soul" LP, Mumford & Sons, The Mummies "Play Their Own Records" LP, SNFU, LCD Soundsystem etc.

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Coming this week! New & restock vinyl from Sarah Harmer, Hot Chip, Hawkwind, LCD Soundsystem, Futureheads, Shellac, Distillers, Spacemen 3, Funkadelic, Beth Orton, Reigning Sound & more goodies.

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New CD's in from Fatso Jetson, Commander Cody, SNFU, Dr. Chud, DJ Shadow "Diminishing Returns", Hank III, Solace, Black Keys, Midlake, Joe Strummer & The Fall.

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New vinyl just in from Modest Mouse "Moon & Antarctica", Aphex Twin, Dead Moon, Karma To Burn, Fu Manchu, Dweezil Zappa, Willie Nelson, Hank III, Mellissa Auf Der Maur, Jimi Hendrix "Valleys Of Neptune", Skip James, Waylon Jennings, The Ramones, Motorhead (colored vinyl reissue of their 1st album), Minus The Bear "Omni..." (two versions), Leatherface, Kings Of Leon & more.

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Black Flag- "Damaged" LP (SST)
Back in stock. Other BF vinyl in stock as well.

Buddy Miller- "Poison Love" CD (Hightone)
Poison Love picks up where Buddy Miller's debut, Your Love and Other Lies, ended, offering a set of exhilarating traditional country laced with blues and soul. Half of the album was recorded with Emmylou Harris' backing band (Miller is its lead guitarist), including Harris on backing vocals, but those aren't the only tracks that kick. The entire album, from his sturdy originals to smart covers, demonstrates that he has superb taste and a flair for down-home, gritty performances. And although Miller is a terrific guitarist, he knows enough to keep his solos concise, serving the purpose of the song; that, in the end, is what makes Poison Love so good -- it's an album of great songs, delivered without pretension and with a whole lot of heart.

Buddy Miller- "Best Of The Hightone Years" CD (Hightone)
Buddy Miller is country in a way that country isn't marketed much these days. He knows life is ragged and messy, and that's the way he approaches songs, and he sings with a wild, willful abandon that sounds as real and lived in as the day is long. There's nothing smooth and polished about Buddy Miller, which is why he doesn't get played on contemporary country stations and gets shuffled away under the Americana or alt-country umbrellas. Whatever. He's the real deal, and this excellent sampler of his eight-year stay at Hightone Records shows that again and again, and it makes a perfect introduction to this delightfully maverick singer and songwriter. There isn't a slack song in the sequence, but a few really stand out, particularly the opener, "The River's Gonna Run," written by his wife, Julie Miller, who sings on it, too, and the couple sounds like the second coming of Richard & Mimi Fariña if the Fariñas had spent a lifetime drinking and smoking in a honky tonk road house. It's country, even if Nashville has no clue that it is. Other highlights here include "Somewhere Trouble Don't Go," a loosely sung but masterful version of Richard Thompson's "Keep Your Distance," and a fun romp through "Hole in My Head," which Miller co-wrote with Jim Lauderdale. But each of these 16 tracks has something to offer, and even though they're drawn from five different albums for Hightone, they feel like they all belong together (the album isn't arranged chronologically, which means the songs bounce off each other in a natural flow, and it shows someone put some thought into sequencing), and the end result is an impressive portrait of an American treasure. Folks, this is country the way it ought to be done.

V/A- "Superfly Soul: Dynamite Funk & Bad-Assed Street Grooves" CDx2 (Metro)
Subtitled - Dynamite Funk & Badass Street Soul. UK compilation featuring over 30 premiership funk, soul, & funky jazz tracks from Curtis Mayfield, Bobby Womack, Joe Quarterman, Ike & Tina Turner, Betty Harris, Maceo, & many more. 37 tracks with a slipcase.

V/A- "Best Of Blaxploitation" CDx3 (Metro)
45 top blaxploitation tunes from the '70s, including gems by Grover Washington, James Brown, Gil Scott-Heron, Sly Stone, Herbie Hancock, Millie Jackson, Aaron Neville, Curtis Mayfield, Isaac Hayes, Marvin Gaye, Temptations, Billy Paul,Teddy Pendergrass, Bootsy Collins and many others. Double slimline jewel case. 1998 Global TV release.

V/A- "Blues Box" CDx3 (Metro)
Nice cheap 44 track collection of vintage blues, which includes both delta and electric Chicago styles.

Neutral Milk Hotel- "In The Aeroplane...." LP (Merge)
Back in stock. New reissue comes on 180 gram vinyl with download.

Tom Waits- "Romeo Bleeding" LP (Immortal)
Live from Austin Texas. Romeo Bleeding: Live from Austin is a surprisingly well done document from a concert that, at least best as I can surmise, was recorded during Tom Waits tour behind his brilliant 1976 album Small Change.

Tom Waits- "Swordfishtrombones" LP (Island)
Between the release of Heartattack and Vine in 1980 and Swordfishtrombones in 1983, Tom Waits got rid of his manager, his producer, and his record company. And he drastically altered a musical approach that had become as dependable as it was unexciting. Swordfishtrombones has none of the strings and much less of the piano work that Waits' previous albums had employed; instead, the dominant sounds on the record were low-pitched horns, bass instruments, and percussion, set in spare, close-miked arrangements (most of them by Waits) that sometimes were better described as "soundscapes." Lyrically, Waits' tales of the drunken and the lovelorn have been replaced by surreal accounts of people who burned down their homes and of Australian towns bypassed by the railroad -- a world (not just a neighborhood) of misfits now have his attention. The music can be primitive, moving to odd time signatures, while Waits alternately howls and wheezes in his gravelly bass voice. He seems to have moved on from Hoagy Carmichael and Louis Armstrong to Kurt Weill and Howlin' Wolf (as impersonated by Captain Beefheart). Waits seems to have had trouble interesting a record label in the album, which was cut 13 months before it was released, but when it appeared, rock critics predictably raved: after all, it sounded weird and it didn't have a chance of selling. Actually, it did make the bottom of the best-seller charts, like most of Waits' albums, and now that he was with a label based in Europe, even charted there. Artistically, Swordfishtrombones marked an evolution of which Waits had not seemed capable (though there were hints of this sound on his last two Asylum albums), and in career terms it reinvented him.

Bob Marley- "Legend" LP (Island)
Back in stock on vinyl.

Bob Marley- "Live" LP (Island)
Back in stock on vinyl.

Bob Marley- "Catch A Fire" LP (Island)
Back in stock on vinyl.

Bob Marley- "Exodus" LP (Island)
Back in stock on vinyl.

Derek & The Dominoes- "Layla..." LPx2 (WB)
Back in stock on vinyl.

Traffic- "The Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys" LP (Island)
The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys marked the commercial and artistic apex of the second coming of Traffic, which had commenced in 1970 with John Barleycorn Must Die. The trio that made that album had been augmented by three others (Ric Grech, Jim Gordon, and "Reebop" Kwaku Baah) in the interim, though apparently the Low Spark sessions featured varying combinations of these musicians, plus some guests. But where their previous album had grown out of sessions for a Steve Winwood solo album and retained that focus, Low Spark pointedly contained changes of pace from his usual contributions of midtempo, introspective jam tunes. "Rock & Roll Stew" was an uptempo treatise on life on the road, while Jim Capaldi's "Light up or Leave Me Alone" was another more aggressive number with an unusually emphatic Capaldi vocal that perked things up on side two. The other four tracks were Winwood/Capaldi compositions more in the band's familiar style. "Hidden Treasure" and "Rainmaker" bookended the disc with acoustic treatments of nature themes that were particularly concerned with water, and "Many a Mile to Freedom" also employed water imagery. But the standout was the 12-minute title track, with its distinctive piano riff and its lyrics of weary disillusionment with the music business. The band had only just fulfilled a contractual commitment by releasing the live album Welcome to the Canteen, and they had in their past the embarrassing Last Exit album thrown together as a commercial stopgap during a temporary breakup in 1969. But that anger had proven inspirational, and "The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys" was one of Traffic's greatest songs as well as its longest so far. The result was an album that quickly went gold (and eventually platinum) in the U.S., where the group toured frequently.

Morrissey- "Swords" LPx2 (Polydor)
Collection of b-sides taken from his last 3 albums.

John Mayall & Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton- "S/T" LP (Decca)
Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton was Eric Clapton's first fully realized album as a blues guitarist — more than that, it was a seminal blues album of the 1960s, perhaps the best British blues album ever cut, and the best LP ever recorded by John Mayall's Bluesbreakers. Standing midway between Clapton's stint with the Yardbirds and the formation of Cream, this album featured the new guitar hero on a series of stripped-down blues standards, Mayall pieces, and one Mayall/Clapton composition, all of which had him stretching out in the idiom for the first time in the studio. This album was the culmination of a very successful year of playing with John Mayall, a fully realized blues creation, featuring sounds very close to the group's stage performances, and with no compromises. Credit has to go to producer Mike Vernon for the purity and simplicity of the record; most British producers of that era wouldn't have been able to get it recorded this way, much less released. One can hear the very direct influence of Buddy Guy and a handful of other American bluesmen in the playing. And lest anyone forget the rest of the quartet: future pop/rock superstar John McVie and drummer Hughie Flint provide a rock-hard rhythm section, and Mayall's organ playing, vocalizing, and second guitar are all of a piece with Clapton's work. His guitar naturally dominates most of this record, and he can also be heard taking his first lead vocal, but McVie and Flint are just as intense and give the tracks an extra level of steel-strung tension and power, none of which have diminished across several decades.

Tom Petty- "Mojo" LPx2 (Reprise)
The brand new double album on 180 gram vinyl with free digital download.

Sarah Mclachlan- "Laws Of Illusion" LP (Nettwerk)
It’s been seven years since Sarah McLachlan released Afterglow, her last album of original material. That’s a lifetime in the pop world, perhaps, but McLachlan handles her absence well, filling Laws of Illusion with the same sort of adult contemporary fare that made her a star in the first place. The market has changed since McLachlan’s late-‘90s heyday; pop starlets like Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift are now among the industry’s most highly prized female songwriters, making McLachlan seem a bit staid and outdated by comparison.

Brian Eno & David Byrne- "My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts" CD expanded (Nonesuch)
My Life in the Bush of Ghosts is a 1981 album by Brian Eno and David Byrne, titled after Amos Tutuola's 1954 novel of the same name. The album was re-released in expanded form in 2006. Receiving strong reviews upon its release, My Life is now regarded as a high point in the discographies of Eno and Byrne. In a 1985 interview, singer Kate Bush remarked that the album "left a very big mark on popular music," while critic John Bush describes it as a "pioneering work for countless styles connected to electronics, ambience, and Third World music."

John Lee Hooker- "Blues Is The Healer" CDx10 (Document)
Huge 10 CD collection at a real budget price.

Miles Davis- "S/T" CDx10 (Document)
Huge 10 CD collection at a real budget price.

Thelonious Monk- "Monk's Dream" CDx10 (Document)
Huge 10 CD collection at a real budget price.

V/A- "Goin' Mad Blues" CDx10 (Document)
Huge 10 CD collection at a real budget price.

Wilco Johnson- "Barbed Wire Blues" CD (Jungle)
When Dr. Feelgood burst on the UK scene in 1975 with their energetic R&B, they symbolised a return to the basics and away from the bloated pomposity rock had become, and paved the way for punk. After four albums, guitarist and songwriter Wilko Johnson left over musical differences, and continued with his own band and his trademark choppy rhythm/lead blues style. 'Barbed Wire Blues' was his fourth solo album, originally released in 1989 and out-of-print since the 1990's. Constant worldwide touring with his bassist foil, Blockhead Norman Watt-Roy, has kept Wilko’s reputation as one of the hottest r&b guitarists intact. Now Wilko stars in Julien Temple’s ‘Oil City Confidential’ film of the Dr. Feelgood story, with Wilko as the central character.

Jimi Hendrix- "Valleys Of Neptune" LPx2 180 gram (Sony)
12 previously unreleased studio recordings, featuring 10 tracks recorded between February and May 1969 following Electric Ladyland.

Pentagram- "Review Your Choices" (Emetic)
'Review Your Choices' was the fourth album by PENTAGRAM. It was originally released in 1999 by Black Widow Records out of Italy. JOE HASSELVANDER plays all the instruments while BOBBY LIEBLING provides all lead and backing vocals on this classic doom metal release.

Hot Chip- "One Life Stand" CD+LP (Astralwerks)
Their brand new release on double LP, in for the 1st time. The CD is also in stock.

Hawkwind- "S/T" LP ($ Men With Beards)
HAWKWIND's 1970 debut album (originally released on Liberty Records and produced with former Pretty Things guitarist Dick Taylor) perfectly introduces what was going to be a long and peculiar journey. A galactic blues-rock sound rightfully compared to Pink Floyd's early work: hippie rock grooves and interplanetary guitar rides, echoed vocals and nonstop instrumental voyages. This is where it all began: (as original ads for the album proclaimed) Hawkwind Is Space Rock.

Hank III- "Rebel Within" LP (Curb)
Vinyl version of Hank III's new album. Limited to the point where I don't think this will come in again. Act accordingly.

Tegan & Sara- "Alligator" 12"x2 (Sire)
This is a limited record store day thing that didn't show up until now. Go figure. More info when it gets here.

Outrageous Cherry- "Seemingly Solid Reality" LP (Alive)
The tenth full-length studio LP from Detroit rock n' roll experimentalists OUTRAGEOUS CHERRY. Throughout 'Seemingly Solid Reality', sweet melodies and harmonies soar over the gnashing of vicious, urban Motor City guitar workouts. Motown-fueled bass and drums throb hypnotically. The lyrics weave a tapestry of hallucinatory 21st century tension over all of this, punctuated by occasional blasts of music concrete synthesizer. An underground classic.

Graviators- "S/T" CD (Transubstan)
Swedish hardrock/doom in a retro 70's style.

Agent Steel- "Skeptic's Apocalypse" LPx2 (Back On Black)
Limited edition (1000 copies) 180 gram blue vinyl edition of AGENT STEEL's 1985 debut album, 'Skeptics Apocalypse'. Packaged in a gatefold cover.

LCD Soundsystem- "This Is Happening" CD+LPx2 (EMI/DFA)
Now back in stock on both formats.

Danzig- "On A Wicked Night" 7" (Evil Live)
This is the 1st single from Danzig's new album.

Danzig- "Deth Red Saboath" CD (Evil Live)
Glenn's brand new album. There's an outside chance that I'll get a vinyl version soon.

Beach House- "Devotion" LPx2 (Carpark)
Restock of their 1st album on vinyl.

Waylon Jennings- "This Time" CD (RCA)
Classic 70's album from this country music icon. Theses are the ones to have if you've ever wanted to get into Waylon's music. If you're a fan you already know this.

Waylon Jennings- "The Ramblin' Man" CD (RCA)
Classic 70's album from this country music icon. Theses are the ones to have if you've ever wanted to get into Waylon's music. If you're a fan you already know this.

The Futureheads- "The Chaos" LP (Dovecote)
The Futureheads’ new full-length album, 'The Chaos', is the band's fourth album and arguably their most riotous to date. Following high-profile tours supporting the likes of The Pixies and Foo Fighters, the four-piece buckled down, penning bold, three minute, heads-down, pop delicacies. 'The Chaos' was recorded over a series of sessions with David Brewis of Field Music and renowned producer Youth. The band has two songs in the new "Rock Band" video game released in March, and will be touring to promote the new album.

The Melvins- "Bride Screamed Murder" CD (Ipecac)
Brand new Melvins CD.

Sarah Harmer- "Oh Little Fire" LP (Universal)
Brand new LP from Sarah Harmer.

Shellac- "Terraform" LP (Touch & Go)
This is Shellac's second LP. Recording took place occasionally throughout 1995 and 1996 in Chicago, with a final session at EMI’s Abbey Road Studio 2 in December of 1996. The record was mastered by John Loder at Abbey Road. The record was mastered entirely in the analog domain, using the complete DMM (Direct Metal Mastering) process. The LP’s are audiophile quality pressings of 180 grams of pure virgin vinyl. MP3 download of the entire album included.

Gary Moore- "Bad For You Baby" CD (Eagle Rock)
Another year, another Gary Moore blues-rock album nearly interchangeable with the last. That's no problem for fans or even newcomers, because despite the surface similarities between releases, Moore never seems to be going through the motions for the sake of further bulking up his already substantial catalog. His tough guitar lines remain biting yet classy, and his underappreciated voice is strong and convincing on originals and covers that nail all of the blues-rock bases without sounding rote. While there are no surprises here, Bad for You Baby is far from a disappointment. (AMG)

Dead Weather- "Horehound" LPx2 (Third Man)
Back in stock.

Spacemen 3- "Sound Of Confusion" LP (Fire)
Spacemen 3s debut album "Sound Of Confusion", released in 1986, was a blistering affair - establishing their love of the two-chord song and also expressing their admiration for the likes of MC5, The 13th Floor Elevators and The Stooges. Sound of Confusion was 7 tracks of overdriven assault, with a strange bleakness and despair creeping through the hypnotic sprawl. R Hunter Gibson would later say: "It boosts the value of unlit rooms, unpaid debts and unfeigned terror and it would rather tackle the gradients than settle for level best."

Sublime- "S/T" LPx2 (Universal)
Double heavyweight vinyl in nice gatefold sleeve with bonus MP3's included.

Black Sabbath- "Vol. 4" LP (Castle)
Restck on 180 gram vinyl.

Black Sabbath- "S/T" LP (Castle)
Restck on 180 gram vinyl.

Neil Young & Crazy Horse- "Live In San Francisco" LPx2 (Immortal)
Back in stock on double LP.

Sleep- "Sleep's Holy Mountain" CD (Earache)
Setting heavy metal's evolutionary clock back to the stone-age days of Saint Vitus with their debut Volume One was seemingly not enough for San Jose's Sleep, who decided to time travel all the way back to the pre-historic days of earliest Black Sabbath with their second album, 1993's Sleep's Holy Mountain. Indeed, while Kyuss' Blues for the Red Sun and Monster Magnet's Spine of God are more frequently cited as the most influential and important albums in launching the American stoner/doom metal scene, not even these landmark releases compare to Holy Mountain for sheer devotion to unadulterated doom and copious weed consumption. In fact, as monolithic opener "Dragonaut" descends into a bass solo at its conclusion, one would be forgiven for expecting the band to segue straight into "N.I.B." -- such is their similarity to classic Sabbath. Instead, they grind into "The Druid," which despite a quick nod to the Sabs' "Electric Funeral," actually begins to establish Sleep's personality, as riff upon massive riff in the form of songs like "Evil Gypsy/Solomon's Theme" and the groove-heavy "Aquarian" flow from the speakers like molten lava. In an age of machine-gun double-bass drums, Sleep's most startling quality had to be their seemingly endless patience. As they slowly embark upon the mammoth power chords of the title track and "From Beyond," they also prolong the buildup of tension before delivering a final release of cathartic proportions. Besides greatly inspiring next generation doomsters like Electric Wizard, such unwavering dedication to weed would also set the stage for their controversial and unfortunate swan song Jerusalem -- featuring a single, mind-bending 52-minute track.

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."

Bad Brains- "I Against I" LP (SST)
I Against I was for Bad Brains what London Calling was for the Clash -- the band's first fully mature work, one which successfully brought together all of its diverse influences while at the same time showcasing a singular vision. Also like London Calling, it was to be the band's masterpiece, in the original sense of that term -- a creative pinnacle which they would not reach again. The album opens with the title track, a blistering and musically exhilarating deploration of violence, and then moves directly into "House of Suffering," easily the most complex and yet viscerally compelling song the band ever produced. Singer H.R. digs deep into his bag of voices and pulls them all out, one by one: the frightening nasal falsetto that was his signature in the band's hardcore days, an almost bel canto baritone, and a declamatory speed-rap chatter that spews lyrics with the mechanical precision of a machine gun. He positively croons on the surprisingly melodic "Secret 77" and "Let Me Help." But his voice isn't even the best thing happening here. It's the incredibly tight, funky, and tonally rich interplay between guitarist Dr. Know, bassist Darryl Jenifer, and drummer Earl Hudson that gives this album its deeply satisfying texture. The stop/start rhythms of "Secret 77" and "Sacred Love," the gorgeous guitar hook on "She's Calling You," Dr. Know's completely counterintuitive ability to meld the raw directness of hardcore punk with an almost supernatural virtuosity without sacrificing the power of either approach -- this is music-making of an order not usually seen in rock & roll.

My Bloody Valentine- "Loveless" LP (Plain)
Isn't Anything was good enough to inspire an entire scene of My Bloody Valentine soundalikes, but Loveless' greatness proved that the band was inimitable. After two painstaking years in the studio and nearly bankrupting their label Creation in the process, the group emerged with their masterpiece, which fulfilled all of the promise of their previous albums. If Isn't Anything was the Valentines' sonic blueprint, then Loveless saw those plans fleshed out, in the most literal sense: "Loomer," "What You Want," and "To Here Knows When"'s arrangements are so lush, they're practically tangible. With its voluptuous yet ethereal melodies and arrangements, Loveless intimates sensuality and sexuality instead of stating them explicitly; Kevin Shields and Bilinda Butcher's vocals meld perfectly with the trippy sonics around them, suggesting druggy sex or sexy drugs. From the commanding "Only Shallow" and "Come in Alone" to breathy reflections like "Sometimes" and "Blown a Wish," the album balances complexity and immediately memorable pop melodies with remarkable self-assurance, given its difficult creation. But Loveless doesn't just perfect the group's approach, it also hints at their continuing growth: "Soon" fuses the Valentines' roaring guitars with a dance-inspired beat, while the symphonic interlude "Touched" suggests an updated take on Fripp and Eno's pioneering guitar/electronics experiments. These glimpses into the band's evolution make Shields' difficulty in delivering a follow-up to Loveless even more frustrating, but completely understandable -- the album's perfection sounded shoegazing's death-knell and raised expectations for the next My Bloody Valentine album to unreasonably high levels. Though Shields' collaborations with Yo La Tengo, Primal Scream, J Mascis, and others were often rewarding, they were no match for Loveless. However, as My Bloody Valentine fans -- and, apparently, Shields himself -- will attest, nothing is.

Junior Wells & Buddy Guy- "Hoodoo Man Blues" LP (Delmark)
One of the truly classic blues albums of the 1960s, and one of the first to fully document the smoky ambience of a night at a West Side nightspot in the superior acoustics of a recording studio. Wells just set up with his usual cohorts — guitarist Buddy Guy (billed as "Friendly Chap" on first vinyl pressings), bassist Jack Myers, and drummer Billy Warren — and proceeded to blow up a storm, bringing an immediacy to "Snatch It Back and Hold It," "You Don't Love Me," "Chitlin con Carne," and the rest of the tracks that is absolutely mesmerizing.

The Distillers- "Sing Sing Death House" CD+LP (Hellcat)
Restock of the vinyl.

The Distillers- "S/T" CD+LP (Hellcat)
Restock of the vinyl.

Brian Eno- "Here Come The Warm Jets" CD (EMI)
Eno's solo debut, Here Come the Warm Jets, is a spirited, experimental collection of unabashed pop songs on which Eno mostly reprises his Roxy Music role as "sound manipulator," taking the lead vocals but leaving much of the instrumental work to various studio cohorts (including ex-Roxy mates Phil Manzanera and Andy Mackay, plus Robert Fripp and others). Eno's compositions are quirky, whimsical, and catchy, his lyrics bizarre and often free-associative, with a decidedly dark bent in their humor ("Baby's on Fire," "Dead Finks Don't Talk"). Yet the album wouldn't sound nearly as manic as it does without Eno's wildly unpredictable sound processing; he coaxes otherworldly noises and textures from the treated guitars and keyboards, layering them in complex arrangements or bouncing them off one another in a weird cacophony. Avant-garde yet very accessible, Here Come the Warm Jets still sounds exciting, forward-looking, and densely detailed, revealing more intricacies with every play.

Jim Lauderdale & Ralph Stanley- "Lost In The Lonesome Pines" CD (Dualtone)
Beyond his devoted alt-country following, Jim Lauderdale is best known as the writer of mainstream hits for superstars like George Strait and the Dixie Chicks. Yet the North Carolina-born singer-songwriter first came to Nashville as a bluegrass picker. And on this exuberant follow-up to I Feel Like Singing Today, their Grammy-nominated 1999 collaboration, Lauderdale and bluegrass king Ralph Stanley, backed by Stanley’s longtime band, the Clinch Mountain Boys, put their voices and hearts together on 14 down-home selections (most written or cowritten by Lauderdale). Cuts range from lighthearted high-lonesome celebrations ("Quit That" and "She’s Looking at Me") to fervent gospel outings like "Zacchaeus," "Oh Soul!" and "Listen to the Shepherd." As both a writer and singer, Lauderdale demonstrates both an abiding affection for and intuitive grasp of bluegrass music.

Terry Reid- "Seed Of Memory" CD (BGO)
Digitally Remastered Edition of the "Would-have-been" Singer of Led Zeppelin's 1973 Solo Album. Reid Moved West to California and Totally Got in the Groove, as this Set is Much More Laid Back Than his Previous Output. A Lot of that Probably Has to Do with his Choice of Producer, Pal Graham Nash. The Tracks Feature Jackson Browne Sideman David Lindley as an Integral Part of this Record as Well as Appearances by Graham Nash, Tim Weisberg, Ben Keith, Fred Wesley, Joel Bernstein and Al Perkins.

The Slackers- "The Great Rock-Steady Swindle" CD+LP (Hellcat)
The Slackers return, bigger than ever before, to usher their next chapter with some of the best music of their storied career: The Great Rocksteady Swindle. Featuring classic cuts like “Cheated,” “How It Feels” and “Thank You,” the album retains the band’s unforgettable mix of ska, rocksteady, reggae, soul, jazz, dub and garage rock while also adding fresh and vibrant elements to the music on tracks like the roots-rocker “Sabina” and the gritty “Bo Evil.” For the past two decades the band has been spreading their signature “Jamaican rock n roll” sound around the world, winning fans over with their fervent live shows and coveted studio albums. Take notice: The Slackers are back!

Beth Orton- "Trailer Park" LP (Plain)
Having collaborated with such dance acts as Red Snapper and the Chemical Brothers, singer-songwriter Beth Orton is sometimes regarded as a young folky hitching a ride on the electronica bandwagon. On Trailer Park, however, she harks back to a lost Seventies tradition whose exponents included Traffic, Tim Buckley and especially John Martyn, all of whom worked in a hazy interface between jazz, blues and folk. Fleshed out with multiple layers of vibes, strings and keyboards, Trailer Park is at once a soul-searching and sensual album, with Orton's flat-edged and indistinct lyrics often seeming to melt in her own mouth. Only "Sweetest Decline", featuring Dr John on keyboards seems slightly twee. Otherwise on the likes of "Couldn't Cause Me Harm" and "Feel To Believe", the pleasures and pains of love are conveyed so tangibly it almost hurts.

Funkadelic- "Maggot Brain" LP (4 Men With Beards)
Funkadelic was George Clinton's chance to get serious. Unlike Parliament, Funkadelic exhibited topical lyrics and an almost heavy-metal edge, one that included screeching, distorted guitar and unsettling musical turns. This 1971 album, Funkadelic's second release, catches the ensemble in its early prime. The Hendrix-inspired dramatics come courtesy of Eddie Hazel, while Bernie Worrell admirably handles the keyboard chores. Clinton's humorous, sober lyrics address poverty, race relations, and drug use. Musically, the band covers lots of ground: Everything from smooth soul and heavy rock to abstract psychedelia and straight-on funky grooves has a place, and these jarring shifts are what make the album a revolutionary work.
MAGGOT BRAIN is rated by, amongst others, Mojo Magazine as an all-time classic. Their critics voted it the fourth greatest guitar album ever, only beaten by Jimi Hendrix and the Who. Guitarist Eddie Hazel's playing on the title track is nothing short of stunning!

Fairport Convention- "What We Did On Our Holidays" LP (4 Men With Beards)
Their second album captures Fairport Convention poised between the more embryonic, American-influenced rock of their debut and the more pronounced British folk-rock that would follow. Newly arrived vocalist Sandy Denny contributes her haunting songs and indelibly husky voice, Ian (later Iain) Matthews lofts his angelic tenor into the mix, and the set list is the most diverse they would ever offer, stacking solid covers of Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan beside traditional English songs and stirring originals from Denny, Matthews, Richard Thompson, and Ashley Hutchings. As such, Holidays works both on its own terms and as a position paper on Fairport's emerging ambition to find a distinctive accent for their alternately hearty, witty, and somber music.

Teenage Fanclub- "Shadows" CD (Merge)
"'Shadows' is full of drowsy sweetness and mellow doubt: the sound of a great group ageing gracefully" - Uncut (4 stars). "'Shadows' builds upon 'Man-Made'’s creative reboot - songs which in the fashion of mature-era Fanclub slowly yet unfailingly insinuate their charms" - Mojo (4 stars). It has been five long years since TEENGAE FANCLUB's last album 'Man-Made' was released to universal acclaim, so it is no overstatement to say the new album 'Shadows' is keenly anticipated. While most bands are lucky to have one great songwriter, Teenage Fanclub are blessed with three, hence 'Shadows' is overflowing with the kind of gorgeous, harmony-driven classics you’d expect to find on a greatest hits album.

Reigning Sound- "Break Up, Break Down!" L (SFTRI)
Their debut full-length album, finally repressed on vinyl! The band features Greg Cartwright, member of Compulsive Gamblers, Oblivians and '68 Comeback. Watch out for their new album - 'Love And Curses' this summer on In The Red!

Black Crowes- "Warpaint" LP (Silver Arrow)
Back in stock on vinyl.

JJ Cale & Eric Clapton- "The Road To Escondido" LPx2 (Reprise)
Japanese pressing on double 180 gram vinyl. JJ Cale penned two of Eric Clapton's career-defining solo hits, "Cocaine" and "After Midnight." And since Clapton has often fashioned his persona in a WWJD manner (what would J.J. do?), this collaboration is long overdue. But despite the rather slick production and long list of guest backing musicians (including four bassists, four drummers, five other guitarists, and three percussionists), The Road to Escondido is still dominated more by Cale than Clapton. The relatively reticent Okie wrote 11 of the 14 tracks, and it's his low-key soufflé of blues, jazz, and country that shapes and directs the disc's tone, with Clapton along for the ride. The opening "Danger" sets the dusky mood as the duo rides a typical Cale swamp groove that gives way to a tightly wound Slowhand solo. They trade lead vocals on a lovely version of the after-hours jazz blues classic "Sporting Life Blues," and the ubiquitous John Mayer makes an impressive appearance on the subtle blues of "Hard to Thrill." Clapton hasn't sounded this relaxed or involved in his own material for years. The traditionally laid-back, if not quite snoozy, Cale responds with a comparatively energized performance, likely due to the high-profile company. When the two harmonize on the mid-tempo foot tapper "Anyway the Wind Blows," the result is so natural and spontaneous it's a shame these two didn't join forces earlier. On paper, it appears that Cale has the most to gain from partnering with an established superstar, but the fact is this collaboration yields Eric Clapton's most engaging and contagious roots-rock release in a long time.

The Chemical Brothers- "Further" LPx2 (Parlophone)
Their brand new release on double vinyl.

V/A- "T.A.M.I Show: Teenage Awards Music International" DVD (Shout Factory)
Full 1964 film feature with over 45 live performances featuring James Brown, The Rolling Stones, Marvin Gaye, The Supremes, Chuck Berry and more.

Kris Kristofferson- "This Old Road" LP (New West)
This Old Road is the first recording of all new songs by Kris Kristofferson in the 11 years since Moment of Forever was released by Justice. (Interestingly enough, that album was originally recorded a few years earlier by producer Don Was for his Karambolage label, which lost its distribution deal.) Was is on-board here as a producer and as a musician, as are drummer Jim Keltner and old friend Stephen Bruton on guitar. Most of these 11 songs, however, are simply Kristofferson accompanying himself on guitar. The years -- Kristofferson turns 70 in 2006 -- haven't softened the old poet's social conscience -- "Pilgrim's Progress," "Wild American," "In the News," and "The Burden of Freedom" are every bit as radical as those found on his last two Mercury records, Repossessed and Third World Warrior in the mid-'80s. But Kristofferson is also wise enough to believe in love and forgiveness -- "Thank You for a Life," "The Last Thing to Go," "Holy Creation," "Final Attraction" -- and still remembers how to write a killer outlaw country song (check out "Chase the Feeling"). The tunes with the band are solid, but there is something utterly irresistible about the man with only his guitar. His voice is no better and no worse than it was in all those years form the 1970s on. But his phrasing as a singer has improved considerably. Kristofferson is dead-on here, razor-sharp, economical in his language, and to the bone in his insight. This is a welcome comeback for Kristofferson; as an artist, he proves he still has plenty to offer to anyone willing enough to listen. (AMG)

Drivin' & Cryin'- "Great American Bubble Factory" CD (Red Ink)
Prior to the release of 2009's The Great American Bubble Factory, the last time Drivin' n' Cryin' had been heard from on record was a 1999 live album devoted to the band's greatest not-quite-hits. After more than ten years out of the ballpark and with lead singer and songwriter Kevn Kinney devoting most of his time to his solo career, one could be forgiven for imagining Drivin' n' Cryin' were for all practical purposes over and done. But as it happens, The Great American Bubble Factory not only finds the band sounding surprisingly feisty, but filled with a sense of purpose, with most of the songs dealing with the economic and emotional malaise that took hold in America during the last year of the George W. Bush administration. While Kinney and his longtime foil Tim Nielsen allow their quieter side to come forward on songs like "Don't You Know That I Know That You Know?" and "Midwestern Blues," for the most part The Great American Bubble Factory rocks hard, moving with a combination of swagger and populist anger as working folks struggle to stay afloat in a land where jobs are short, credit card debt threatens to swallow everything in sight, and nearly everything that used to be made in America has "Made in China" branded on it. Kinney isn't naïve enough to imagine he knows all the answers to what's ailing America's heart, soul, and wallet, but he knows how to make the issues seem as real as the foreclosed house down the block, and Kinney and Mac Carter whip up a big wall of guitars that gives the songs the grand scale that suits them. Kinney's voice is starting to show its age on these sessions (he had surgery on his vocal cords in 2007 to remove nodes that were affecting his singing), and the cover of the Dictators' "I Stand Tall" suggests that Kinney doesn't quite get the joke, but for a band that was formed in 1985 and has been off the radar for over a decade, Drivin' n' Cryin' sound admirably vital and committed on The Great American Bubble Factory, and this album suggests they might have a great third act in them yet.

Eagles Of Death Metal- "Heart On" LP (Ipecac)
In 2004, Eagles of Death Metal launched their wholesome good-graciousness with Peace, Love, and Death Metal, followed in 2006, by the diabolical Death By Sexy. In 2008, EODM unleash Heart On. Speculators are speculating that the Dream Boy Duo of dance and prance will bring home Olympic Album Gold once again. The EODM formula for fantastic is humm: let's see...that's one part Jesse Boots Electric Hughes, and one part Joshua Babyduck Homme. Stirred and served chillllled in a tall glass of class. It goes down smooth every time. Features the single 'Wannabe In L.A.'.

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THESE ITEMS ARE NOW HERE

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Aphex Twin- "Selected Ambient Works 85-92" LPx2 (Warp)
Selected Ambient Works 85-92 is a desperately sparse album: thin percussion and several haunted-synth lines are the only components on most songs, and Richard D. James added only one vocal sample on the entire album ("We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams"). Also, the sound quality is relatively poor; it was recorded direct to cassette tape and reportedly suffered a mangling job by a cat. All this belies the status of Selected Ambient Works 85-92 as a watershed of ambient music. It reveals no influences and sounds unlike anything that preceded it, due in large part to the effects James managed to wrangle from his supply of home-manufactured contraptions.

Melissa Auf Der Maur- "Out Of Our Minds" LP (Caroline)
2010 release from the former Hole member. Melissa was born in Montreal Canada. From 1994-1999 she was a member, songwriter and bass player for Hole culminating in the album Celebrity Skin. In 2000, she joined The Smashing Pumpkins for their farewell world tour. In 2004, Auf der Maur, her first solo album, was released by EMI worldwide. Out Of Our Minds is a multi-media project that includes an album, a film, a comic book and a web experience. Produced and mixed by top-flight creative collaborators including Jordon Zadorozny (Sam Roberts), Chris Goss (QOTSA, UNKLE), Alan Molder (Depeche Mode, Smashing Pumpkins), and Mike Frazer (Franz Ferdinand, ACDC). Features a notable special duet with Glenn Danzig on 'Father's Grave'.

R.L. Burnside- "Come On In" LP (Fat Possum)
Back in stock.

R.L. Burnside- "Wish I Was In Heaven Sitting Down" LP (Fat Possum)
Back in stock.

Chemical Brothers- "Exit Planet Dust" LPx2 (Astralwerks)
Back in stock.

Commander Cody- "King Of The Honky Tonks" CD (Arkarma)
Issued by the Italian Akarma label, this Commander Cody date is a far cry from the Lost Planet Airmen days of yore, but this is no band of slouches, either. That said, master vocalist Billy C. Farlow is in the band singing and laying harmonica, as is fiddle boss Carlos Reyes. Done on the cheap, this is a studio date with plenty of piss and vinegar, ragged country, sleazy R&B, and greasy rock & roll. These proceedings are raw, for the most part. It doesn't sound like a lot of rehearsals or many alternate takes were required. Farlow's voice is even lower -- if you can believe it -- and George Frayne's writing hasn't progressed much (and it didn't need to). The standouts here are the covers of "Good Morning Judge" and Merle Haggard's "Working Man's Blues," but Frayne's "King of the Honky Tonks" and "Keys to My Cadillac" shine, too.

Dead Moon- "Dead Ahead" LP (Music Maniac)
Dead Moon, a three-piece from Clackamas, OR, is known for their own particular brand of rootsy garage punk. Their music conjures images of hard-luck easy riders and lovers against the world. While their sound alternates between moody and aggressive, it is always remarkably genuine and energetic. The band is fronted by the husband-wife team of Fred and Toody Cole. Fred began his enduring musical career at the very young age of 15. Many years and many bands later (after living through experiences as varied as homesteading in Alaska, dodging the Vietnam War draft, and hunting bears), the two formed a punk band called the Rats. Later, after adding Andrew Loomis on drums, Dead Moon was formed in 1987. Frequently on the road in Europe, where they have a huge and devoted following, widespread popularity in the U.S. has continued to elude them. For almost a decade, Dead Moon released LPs on their own Tombstone label. All of those releases are vinyl-only and were cut on the same lathe that the Kingsmen's version of "Louie Louie" was cut on back in 1963. In 1991, they began to re-release the vinyl-only albums onto CD through Music Maniac in Europe and eMpTy in the United States, an effort that continued into the new millennium. Sub Pop released the retrospective Echoes of the Past, a collection of Dead Moon songs handpicked by Fred Cole, in 2006.

Dead Moon- "Nervous Sooner Changes" LP+CD (Music Maniac)
See review above.

DJ Shadow- "Diminishing Returns" CD (Repro)
The incredibly welcome release of a mix originally done for the BBC in March 2003, the two-disc DJ Shadow set Diminishing Returns allows fans (or those lucky enough to find one of the thousand-copy official run) a listen in to Josh Davis' country-wide vinyl-scavenging expeditions of the past ten years. The king of all beat-diggers, Davis reportedly owns the largest collection of rap vinyl on the planet, most of it gleaned from the rotting basements of urban record stores (just check out the Scratch DVD to get some flavor). The first disc alone is a gold mine for hip-hop fans, featuring 80 minutes of quick-cut tracks (most of them obscure) along Shadow's interests: early West Coast hardcore, along with plenty of straight-ahead Golden Age hip-hop. The second disc, a 40-minute mix, is similar to Brainfreeze and Product Placement, his collaborations with Cut Chemist, although rather than deep funk it's an eclectic selection of obscure psychedelic rock. An unreleased Shadow production, "War Is Hell," is tacked onto the end.

DR. CHUD'S X-WARD- "DIAGNOSIS FOR DEATH" CD (Bloodwork)
Solo CD from former Misfits drummer.

Modest Mouse- "The Moon & Antarctica" LPx2 (Sony)
Extremely limited 180 gram vinyl anniversary edition of this popular MM album.

Hank III- "Lovesick, Broke & Driftin'" LP (Curb)
Now officially deleted in Canada on vinyl, the US import is back in stock.

Hank III- "Straight To Hell" LPx2 (Curb)
Now officially deleted in Canada on vinyl, the US import is back in stock.

Dweezil Zappa- "My Guitar Wants To Kill Yo Mama" LP (Chrysalis)
Deleted cut corner vinyl copy.

The Saints- "Prodigal Son" LP (TVT)
From 1988. Chris Bailey returns with another batch of catchy rock songs on Prodigal Son. In retrospect, Hugh Jones' ornate production brought out the best in Bailey's songwriting and gave each song its own identity. There are some standout tracks, like the powerful "Ghost Ships," the acoustic "Shipwreck," the bouncy "Sold Out," and a spirited cover of the Easybeats' "Music Goes Round My Head" (produced by Harry Vanda and George Young).