New and/or Notable Stuff for the week of August 24

There is something new for everyone this week at Criminal Records. At the top of my list this week? Definitely Magic Kids' Memphis, Dead Confederate's Sugar, and the 7" single from No Age, Glitter. And speaking of Magic Kids to celebrate the release of their new album they are doing an in-store tour that includes 6 record stores. They'll be at Criminal Records this Thursday, August 26 at 7 pm! More info: http://www.matadorrecords.com/matablog/2010/08/06/magic-kids-memphis-everywhere-in-store-tour/
We'll see you at the store! - Emily

CDs:

Dead Confederate - Sugar CD/LP (Old Flame/Razor & Tie)
With an evolving approach and focused, streamlined sound, and a guest appearance from Dinosaur Jr. frontman J Mascis, Sugar explores new styles beyond the aching, bleak psychedelia of the debut.

Magic Kids - Memphis CD/LP (True Panther Sounds)
Swelling and heartfelt baroque pop gems. “Their infectious upbeat music is instant sunshine.” -- Pitchfork

!!! - Strange Weather, Isn't It? CD/2xLP (Warp)
Following in the footsteps of artists like David Bowie, Iggy Pop, and Depeche Mode, who have flocked to Berlin in order to mainline the city's legendary dark energy, !!! traveled to the German capital to produce a record that is simultaneously brooding and somehow their poppiest, most immediate record yet.

Ra Ra Riot - The Orchard CD/CD+DVD/LP+MP3 (Barsuk/Redeye)
“In The Orchard, an album of transition, Ra Ra Riot continues to create beauty of its chamber pop soundscapes but the band appears to be in lyrical limbo when compared to its previous LP, The Rhumb Line -- and understandably so.” -- Indieshuffle.com. Limited deluxe edition includes a DVD with a beautiful 38-minute impressionist behind-the-scenes documentary on the writing and making of The Orchard.

The Tallest Man On Earth - The Tallest Man On Earth [Reissue] CDEP (Dead Oceans)
The Tallest Man On Earth - Shallow Grave [Reissue] CD (Dead Oceans)
The Tallest Man On Earth released one of 2008's most powerful records, Shallow Grave,
an album that Pitchfork praised, calling Kristian Matsson "a natural-born folksinger, earnest, clever, and comforting."

Antony & The Johnsons - Thank You For Your Love CDEP (Secretly Canadian)
Advance EP supporting the upcoming full-length Swanlights (due 10/12). Two original tracks as well as covers of Bob Dylan's "Pressing On" and John Lennon's "Imagine" in collaboration with avant-garde composer William Basinski.

BARB - BARB CD (Yep Roc)
The mutant love child of southern hemisphere it-kids Liam Finn, Lawrence Arabia, Eliza-Jane Barnes, Connan Mockasin and Seamus Ebbs, BARB is what happens when five passionately creative friends lock themselves in a world-class studio for a month with no plans and plenty of wine.

The Boxer Rebellion - Union CD (The Boxer Rebellion)
From the tribal-drum explosion of album opener “Flashing Red Light Means Go,” through the wintry atmospherics of enigmatic “The Gospel Of Goro Adachi” to live favorites “Evacuate” and “Semi-Automatic,” Union is an album that transcends convention in a seismic blast of unfettered invention.

The Boxer Rebellion - Exits [Reissue] CD (The Boxer Rebellion)
Re-release of their debut album -- available for the first time in the US.
Cotton Jones - Tall Hours In The Glowstream CD/LP (Suicide Squeeze)
While Paranoid Cocoon found Cotton Jones lending itself to the occasional lengthy jam, Tall Hours In The Glowstream finds the band reigning in the songs, for a more succinct pop feel. The resulting sounds are rich and charmingly lo-fi, full of vivid imagery and gorgeous vocal harmonies.

The Dandy Warhols - The Capitol Years 1995-2007 CD (Capitol)
Collects the best of the Dandy’s tenure on Capitol, plus a brand new track, “This Is The Tide.”

Eels - Tomorrow Morning CD/LP (E-Works)
Last in Mark Oliver Everett’s trilogy of concept albums. Deluxe CD version due next week (8/31).

Efterklang - Tripper + Springer [Reissue] 2xCD (Leaf)
Efterklang - Parade + Under Giant Trees [Reissue] 2xCD (Leaf)
Special double CD editions of the first two full-length Efterklang albums, together with their accompanying EPs. 2004’s Tripper is paired with the five-track Springer mini-album that preceded it in 2003, while watershed second album Parades is joined by the long out-of-print Under Giant Trees mini-album.

Land Of Talk - Cloak And Cipher CD/2xLP (Saddle Creek)
Land Of Talk's sophomore full-length marks an electric step forward for the band musically and sonically, establishing vocalist/guitarist/songwriter Elizabeth Powell as one of Canada’s most exciting new musical voices. Guests include members of Stars, Wintersleep, Besnard Lakes, Arcade Fire and Esmerine.

Mogwai - Burning/Special Moves CD+DVD/2xLP+MP3+DVD (Mogi LTD)
The first concert film from Glasgow, Scotland's post-rock stalwarts. Culled from footage shot during their April 2009 three-night stint at the Music Hall of Williamsburg, Burning was directed by Vincent Moon and Nataniel La Souanec and captures Mogwai's visceral live show in high-contrast black and white. Companion live record Special Moves adds extra songs that were not included in the film.

The Sword - Warp Riders CD/LP (Kemado)
The band's first concept album is fittingly grand in scope both lyrically and in terms of musical craftsmanship.

Fennesz/Daniell/Buck - Knoxville CD/LP (Thrill Jockey)
Documents the collaboration between Christian Fennesz, David Daniell and Tony Buck for the 2009 Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, TN. Minimalist drum passages scatter over the top of textured layers of guitar and subsumed melodic sequences, eventually giving way to warm beds of evolving, tactile drones.

Brad Laner - Natural Selections CD/LP (Hometapes)
A founding father of shoegaze and the man behind Medicine, Savage Republic, Electric Company and The Internal Tulips, Brad Laner returns with the follow-up to his 2007 psychedelic pop album Neighbor Singing.

Dylan LeBlanc - Pauper's Field CD/LP (Rough Trade)
On LeBlanc's debut album, a lost world is brought to life -- both in the carefully sculpted songs and rich well of country soul from which those songs emerge. Although the golden era of Alabama's fabled Muscle Shoals sound had passed by the time Dylan was born in 1990, his ancestral roots and family background (his father was a Shoals session player) connected him to one of the most significant sources in the rich tapestry of American music.

Limes - Rhinestone River CD/LP (Goner)
Features contributions by Memphis scene stalwarts Ross Johnson, Paul Buchignani (Afghan Whigs, Bobo's backing band), Alicja Trout (Lost Sounds, River City Tanlines) and Bruce Saltmarsh ('68 Comeback, Porch Ghouls).

Apocalyptica - 7th Symphony CD/CD+DVD (Jive/R.E.D. Ink)
New release from the Finnish cello metal band. Deluxe CD+DVD edition includes additional tracks plus a bonus DVD.

Bad City - Welcome To The Wasteland CD (Atlantic)
Bad City has created a stir around the Chicago underground with their riff-crazy brand of old-school hard rock.

Bathory - Hammerheart [Reissue] CD (Plastic Head America)
Bathory turned the wheel of time backwards and ended up in an age and place nearer to their roots and origin with their fifth release -- originally released in 1990.

Bathory - Twilight Of The Gods [Reissue] CD (Plastic Head America)
Originally released in 1991, Twilight Of The Gods experiments with the growing “Viking metal” style with an influx of classical music.

Jane Birkin & Serge Gainsbourg - Je T'Aime… Moi Non Plus [Reissue] CD/LP+7” (Light In The Attic)
Remastered edition of this 1969 classic from French singer, songwriter and entertainer Serge Gainsbourg and his muse, British vocalist and actress Jane Birkin. Vinyl includes a bonus 7” (with picture sleeve) featuring non-album single “La Chanson de Slogan” b/w “Orang Outan.”

James Blackshaw - All Is Falling CD/LP+MP3 (Young God)
Comprised of one slowly evolving, shifting piece of music in eight parts, replete with swirling string cycles and wind instruments augmenting his extended pointillist flurries with clouds of sound, sometimes adding delicate counter-melodies but just as often feeding the implicit waves of overtones until they cascade in an all-enveloping onslaught.

Blind Guardian - At The Edge Of Time CD/2xCD (Nuclear Blast)
Blind Guardian possess a track record and back catalogue of classic staples that perhaps only Iron Maiden can match. On At the Edge Of Time, the melodies are more organic whilst still maintaining the consistent quality and intrigue that the band weaves seamlessly throughout each track. Available in both regular and deluxe editions.

BMX Bandits - Life Goes On [Reissue] CD (Cherry Red)
BMX Bandits - Gettin’ Dirty [Reissue] CD (Cherry Red)
Digitally remastered and expanded editions of the Scottish band's 1993 and1995 albums.

Brad - Best Friends? CD (Junketboy/Monkeywrench Inc.)
Best Friends? was recorded in 2003 after the band's return from an Australian tour.

Brilliant Corners - Somebody Up There Likes Me & Joyride [Reissue] 2xCD (Cherry Red)
Digitally remastered double CD set containing a pair of albums from the quirky British pop band, originally released in 1988 and 1989.

Claudia Brucken - Love & A Million Other Things [Reissue] 2xCD (Cherry Red)
Digitally remastered and expanded double CD reissue of the 1991 solo album from Claudia Brucken, electronic pop siren and lead singer of Propaganda and Act.

John Cage - Fontana Mix CD (El Records)
This edition of historic John Cage recordings features his first bona fide electronic piece, “Williams Mix,” consisting of a series of collages made up of over 600 tapes and assembled through I Ching principles and his own thrilling realization of the tape collage that is Fontana Mix.

Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan - Hawk CD/LP (Vanguard)
Since departing the celebrated Scottish indie-pop outfit Belle & Sebastian in 2002, Isobel Campbell has built a singularly impressive body of work, one that contains several solo albums as well as critically acclaimed collaborations with former Screaming Trees frontman Mark Lanegan. Here they return with a gorgeous collection of atmospheric roots tunes.

Capstan Shafts - Revelation Skirts CD (Rainbow Quartz)
Sly, charming pop songs rendered in big-screen Technicolor -- smart, catchy, unforgettable.

S. Carey - All We Grow CD/LP (Jagjaguwar)
As a band member of Bon Iver, Sean Carey witnessed a flip of his formal training to step firmly into a worldwide-touring rock band. His performance degree in classical percussion and his love for jazz drumming prepared him for a central role in the inspiring force of the Bon Iver live show.

Margaret Cho - Cho-Dependent CD/LP (Clownery Records)
Margaret Cho collaborates with artists such as Andrew Bird, Tegan And Sara, Jon Brion, Fiona Apple, Brendan Benson and others on a set of comedy songs.

Christian Mistress - Agony & Opium CD/LP (20 Buck Spin)
Debut album from the Olympia, WA heavy metal outfit.

Cluster - Live In Vienna CD (Important)
Originally released in 1980 -- now available for the first time on CD.

Gabrielle Coen - Awakening CD (Tzadik)
Composer/saxophonist Gabrielle Coen is a household name on the Italian jazz scene. He is the founder of the noted ensemble Klezroym and has recorded two masterful CDs of Jewish music for Italian labels.

Paul Collins - King Of Power Pop! CD/LP (Alive)
Collins (Nerves, Breakaways) is one of the originators of power pop. Features guest appearances by Wally Palmar of the legendary power pop hit-makers The Romantics, as well as pop icon Nikki Corvette.

Devil Wears Prada - Zombie CDEP (Ferret)
New EP from the Christian metalcore band.

Ronnie Earl And The Broadcasters - Spread The Love CD (Stony Plain)
An all-instrumental blues guitar release.

Marty Ehrlich & Hankus Netsky - Fables CD (Tzadik)
Marty Ehrlich is one of jazz's most acclaimed contemporary multi-instrumentalists. Hankus Netsky is a renowned Jewish klezmer scholar, and founder of the Klezmer Conservatory Band.

Electric Frankenstein - High Voltage Rock ‘N’ Roll: The Best Of Electric Frankenstein CD (Zodiac Killer)
Electric Frankenstein has been making some of the best high-energy punk-infused rock & roll for 20+ years. They have over 100 releases on 40 different labels, from every corner of the globe.

Electric Frankenstein - Dead And Back CD (Nicotine)
Compilation from the New Jersey rockers collects one-off tracks from every hard to find compilation, split CD, 7” EP and bootleg.

Electric Frankenstein Vs. The Hip Priests - Electric Frankenstein Vs. The Hip Priests CDEP (Zodiac Killer)
Each band offers up five tracks, including covers of each others' songs, as well as Electric Frankenstein covering a Kiss track and The Hip Priest's tackling a Stranglers classic.

Fantasia - Back To Me CD (J Records)
Third album from the R&B singer -- features a guest appearance by Cee-Lo Green.

Fitz & The Tantrums - Pickin' Up The Pieces CD/LP (Dangerbird/ADA)
Their recipe for success? Six killer musicians, five dapper suits, irresistible songs, one vintage organ and nonstop touring. “It only takes about two minutes and 54 seconds -- the length of single ‘Breakin’ The Chains Of Love’ -- to turn a hard-line skeptic into a rug-cutting fool." -- LA Weekly

For All Those Sleeping - Cross Your Fingers CD (Fearless)
For fans of A Day To Remember, Saosin, Asking Alexandria.

Goldmund - Famous Places CD (Western Vinyl)
Third full-length by composer Keith Kenniff (Helios) focuses on solo piano, mixing the delicate composition of composers such as Erik Satie and Harold Budd with a quiet and elegant simplicity.

Grass Widow - Past Time CD/LP (Kill Rock Stars)
Influenced by similarly all-female punk and post-punk acts like The Neo Boys and Kleenex, Grass Widow also note Roy Wood's The Move and The Kinks as a major source for inspiration.

The Heads - Relaxing With… [Reissue] 2xCD (Rooster)
Double disc reissue of UK heavy psych rock band's 1996 debut album. Relaxing With… takes its cues from The Stooges, MC5, Mudhoney, Pussy Galore, early Monster Magnet, but adds a distinctly British stamp with the drone and fuzz of Loop/Spacemen 3, the attitude of The Fall, and the space rock of early Hawkwind.

Hototogisu - Floating Japanese Oof! Gardens Of The 21st Century CD (Important)
"True to the evocation of the duo's name, that of a Japanese songbird heralding the coming summer, the music plays with contemplative bliss and edged rock psychosis" - Byron Cole & Thurston Moore

The Intelligence - Males CD (In The Red)
Sixth album from Seattle garage/post-punk band featuring members of Eat Skull, Mayyors, FM Knives and Karate Party. Buzz saw punk, DIY post-punk and ramshackle garage (as in played by The Fall -- not The Chesterfield Kings).

JP, Chrissie & The Fairground Boys - Fidelity CD (Rocket Science)
An epic love story, albeit not a conventional one. Everything you need to know about the heartbreaking, but ultimately uplifting and fruitful relationship between The Pretenders’ leader Chrissie Hynde and Welsh singer-songwriter JP Jones is revealed on Fidelity.

Kataklysm - Heaven’s Venom CD (Nuclear Blast)
Kataklysm have long been known for their perfectly crafted, intensely catchy, anthemic songs and their pummeling live shows.

Jon Langford & Skull Orchard - Old Devils CD/LP+MP3 (Bloodshot)
Starting with the premise that for many, punk is roots music, Langford and his band evoke the British hippie folk re-inventions of Richard Thompson, a muscular barrelhouse Rockpile and Lennonesque orchestrations. Vinyl version contains download card with two bonus songs.

Little Big Town - Reason Why CD (Capitol Nashville)
New album from the Platinum-selling country band.

Malevolent Creation - Invidious Dominion CD (Nuclear Blast)
New album from the extreme metal band.

Dan Mangan - Nice, Nice, Very Nice CD/2xLP (Arts & Crafts)
“Combined with Mangan’s husky voice and themes of getting away from it all, homecomings and growing old, this is a reflective, philosophical, almost world-weary album at times.” -- The Line Of Best Fit

Man’s Gin - Smiling Dogs CD (Profound Lore)
Man's Gin was born in Colorado when Cobalt multi-instrumentalist Erik Wunder and a friend took up their acoustic guitars and a bottle of cheap liquor and began writing lonely tributes to the drink in which they were drowning their sorrows.

Charlie Musselwhite - The Well CD (Alligator)
With musical flavors from Mississippi to Memphis to Chicago, The Well is steeped in the music of Charlie's youth -- country and city blues as well as rockabilly and gospel.

Pale Sketcher - Jesu: Pale Sketches CD/LP+CD (Ghostly International)
Pale Sketcher is Justin K. Broadrick of Jesu. If Jesu the sound of the UK artist exorcising his demons, pummeling them into submission with tsunamis of guitar noise, Pale Sketcher is the sound that echoes through his head in the aftermath -- a haunting, lonely soundworld of distressed beats and hazy melancholia.

Katy Perry - Teenage Dream CD (Capitol)
Third studio album from the pop singer/songwriter.

Royal Trux - Cat’s And Dogs [Reissue] CD/LP (Drag City)
1993 album takes the mulch of grunge, a lean stand of retro-soul, plumes of psychedelic vapor and flings it venomously as if owed to no one.

Ruiners - Happy Birthday Bitch CD (Pravda)
A wild and fantastic beast; pure white lightning and sexy self-destruction. This 10-song blast of Detroit sleaze is filled with a lot of fuzzed out sounds, primitive drums and greasy bar room grit.

The Sex Pistols - The Great Rock ‘N’ Roll Swindle [Reissue] CD (Virgin)
CD replicates of the original vinyl release packaged in a gatefold digipak with original poster insert and stickers included.

Ricky Skaggs - Mosaic CD (Skaggs Family)
New album from the veteran country/bluegrass superstar.

Slowdive - Just For A Day [Reissue] 2xCD (Cherry Red)
Digitally remastered and expanded double CD edition of the British shoegaze outfit's 1991 debut featuring a disc of B-sides and a Peel session.

Slowdive - Souvlaki [Reissue] 2xCD (Cherry Red)
Digitally remastered and expanded double CD edition of their 1993 album featuring a disc of B-Sides and a special mixes.

Slowdive - Pygmallion [Reissue] 2xCD (Cherry Red)
Digitally remastered and expanded double CD edition of their 1995 album featuring a whole disc of previously unreleased demos.

Soap & Skin - Lovetune For Vacuum CD (PIAS America)
The 13 deeply melancholic piano compositions that make up her debut album sometimes resemble crackling electronica under her unique vocals, which oscillate between a whisper and a scream.

Soundtrack - Going The Distance CD (Water Tower)
Featuring tracks by The Boxer Rebellion, Generationals, Georgie James, Katie Herzig, Albert Hammond, Jr., The Cure, The Pretenders, Cat Power, Band Of Skulls, Eels, Passion Pit, The Replacements, Airborne Toxic Event and more.

Stargazer - Great Work Of Ages CD (Profound Lore)
Stargazer plays death metal that leans toward the technical/progressive side of the genre, following in the footsteps of Atheist, Cynic, Pestilence and Gorguts.

Thom Starr & The Galaxies - South Bay Surf Anthology 1963-1964 CD/2xLP (Sundazed)
Thom Starr was one of the most talented of surf music's first generation of guitar heroes. A legend on the original South Bay scene where the surf genre was created and nurtured, Starr wowed the crowds with his band The Galaxies, and made a handful of recordings that are revered by multiple generations of surf guitarists.

Marty Stuart - Ghost Train (The Studio B Sessions) CD (Sugar Hill)
As the album title denotes, Ghost Train (The Studio B Sessions) was recorded in the legendary RCA Studio B in Nashville, where Stuart participated in his first-ever recording session at the age of 13 playing mandolin in Lester Flatt's band.

Tears Run Rings - Distance CD (Clairerecords)
The group has a talent for marrying hauntingly beautiful textures and pop melodies. On Distance, they have refined their lush, melancholy sound and set it to a beat informed by Factory Records.

Terrapin Pond - Hello All Stations CD (Garden Gate)
Neo-psychedelic mastermind/producer Craig Morris (Thee American Revolution/Ideal Free Distribution/Apples In stereo) creates a beautiful fusion of garage-rock and Appalachian folk with friends, family and regional bluegrass musicians.

Usher - Versus CD (LaFace)
9 tracks of new music released as an addendum to Raymond V. Raymond.

Various Artists - My Country: Smash Hits In Support Of Fisher House CD (Stadium Entertainment)
Big & Rich, Blake Shelton, Brad Paisley, Darius Rucker, Dierks Bentley, Jypsi, Keith Urban, Lady Antebellum, Montgomery Gentry, Randy Houser, Rascal Flatts, Reba McEntire, Rodney Atkins and Trace Adkins offer some of their most popular tracks in an effort to help The Fisher House Foundation. This charity does the work of building and maintaining home-like facilities on military bases and hospital grounds, where both active and retired military personnel can live with their families, while undergoing medical treatment or rehabilitation.

Venetian Snares - My So Called Life CD/2xLP (Timesig)
10 dizzying tracks mash up drum 'n' bass, jungle breaks, old school and rave.

Dale Watson - Carryin’ On CD (E1 Music)
Recorded in Nashville, utilizing the talents of the original ”A Team” musicians that instrumentally shaped country music’s original sound, Watson delivers 14 self-penned songs that reflect on an era of music gone by.

Wildbirds & Peacedrums - Rivers CD (The Control Group)
Wildbirds & Peacedrums' Rivers collects two previously vinyl-only 12” EPs on CD for the first time. Retina was recorded in Iceland with the 12-strong Schola Cantorum Choir (also featured on Björk's Medulla) in a church, with a deliberately live sound. Completed at the same time, but with a separate sonic character, Iris was recorded in Reykjavik by Ben Frost.

Yair Yona - Remember [Reissue] CD (Strange Attractors)
Israel isn't exactly known as a hotbed for acoustic steel-string guitar music, but Yair Yona's reissue of Remember is simply some of the most genre-bending music for solo steel-string guitar since Sandy Bull first opened the doors in the ‘60s.

John Zorn - Filmworks XXIV: The Nobel Prizewinner CD (Tzadik)
Called in at the last minute to score this bizarre and fascinating black comedy out of the Netherlands, Zorn responded to the stark black and white cinematography by turning in this intimate and moody score for piano trio.

DVDs:

Electric Light Orchestra - Live: The Early Years DVD (Eagle Vision)
This DVD brings together three live concerts from the earlier part of the band’s career. The first is a four track excerpt from a show at Brunel University in 1973, the second a longer six track set filmed for the German TV series Rockpalast in 1974 and finally the Fusion concert from the New Victoria Theatre in London in 1976, filmed during the Face The Music tour.

Vinyl:

No Age - Glitter 7” (Sub Pop)
New single from the forthcoming album Everything In Between (due 9/28).

The Vaselines - Sex With An X 7” (Sub Pop)
Lead single from the forthcoming album of the same name (due 9/14).

Abe Vigoda - Throwing Shade 7” (Post Present Medium)
Glassy shards of chill wave pop, with synthesizers, sequencers and broody beats.

Catalinas - Fun Fun Fun [Reissue] LP (Sundazed)
An all-star studio supergroup featuring legendary producer Terry Melcher, future Beach Boy Bruce Johnston, and fabled Wrecking Crew members Hal Blaine, Jerry Cole, Steve Douglas, Leon Russell, Billy Strange and Tommy Tedesco. Blue/yellow vinyl.

The Challengers - Go Sidewalk Surfing! [Reissue] LP (Sundazed)
One of the first -- and best -- of the California surf combos. On this 1965 LP, The Challengers turned their attention to the booming sport of skateboarding. Red/yellow vinyl.

Circle Pit - Bruise Constellation LP (Siltbreeze)
Seemingly born out of the tar and tobacco of Nellcote/Exile On Main Street-session blooze, Circle Pit ably finesse a torn and frayed sound that's as retro as it is original. Oozing raw talent and possessed with uncanny sensual/sexual osmosis, Bruise Constellation will have you believing it's the Summer Of '72 all over again (again).

Coil Sea - Coil Sea LP (Thrill Jockey)
Collaborative and mostly improvised project led by Dave Heumann (Arbouretum, Human Bell).

Jerry Cole & His Spacemen - Hot Rod Dance Party [Reissue] LP (Sundazed)
As one of the busiest and most versatile session guitarists of the '60s, Jerry Cole recorded with a litany of legends including Phil Spector, The Beach Boys, and The Byrds.

Crystal Ark - Tangible Presence 12” (DFA)
Second 12” single from latest Gavin Russom (Black Meteoric Star) project.

DJ Nate - Hatas Our Motivation 12” (Planet Mu)
The soulful "Ima Burn Him" unfolds at half-speed but adds double-time drum fills and a haunting vocal sample, "Back Down" offers robotic hip hop vibes, and the murky, chopped-to-hell "We Can Work This Out" is reminiscent of old rave.

Doozer - Great Explorers LP (Siltbreeze)
Sophomore album from UK one-man band that bears an almost uncanny vocal resonance to past legend Syd Barrett, as well as a knack for cobbling together occasional found-tape narration with string-strum and hypnotic percussive plonk not unlike The Shadow Ring.

Neil Hamburger - Hot February Night LP (Drag City)
Left for dead more than once in a career that has spanned literal decades, Neil Hamburger is back on top and waiting for that next wave that will supposedly pull him under again.

Ikonika - Dckhdbtch 12” (Planet Mu)
In contrast to her recent album, these three new tracks have a sad, emotional quality and pared-down, minimal production that shares as much with techno as it does with dubstep.

Imbogodom - Metallic Year LP (Thrill Jockey)
Otherworldly transmissions where improvisation gives way to mutated song forms and intricate soundscapes. A collection of eerie tracks where sound collage and unraveling songs present a haunted world of spooling atmospheres, warped instrumentation, and disembodied voices.

The Knights Of The New Crusade - Knight Vision LP (Alternative Tentacles)
The Christian Rock scene is replete with slick, careerist bands whose lyrics gingerly tread on the ecumenical outskirts of religious allusions in an attempt to alienate as few mainstream rock consumers as possible. It's no wonder that The Knights Of The New Crusade, with their resolute unconcern for compromise (Matthew 16:26), became a flashpoint for contention in both the Christian and secular rock music worlds.

Man Benu - Kindling LP (All Hands Electric)
Referencing the epic sweep of guitar-centric bands such as Come and Sonic Youth, and the pastoral psych-folk arrangements of Fairport Convention, Man Benu’s debut album opens as a grand vista of sound with syncopated marches, swelling cymbal washes, de-tuned guitar patterns, slides of lap steel and textural feedback, all providing a lysergic atmosphere for Bentley Anderson's smoky voice to drift through.

Mirah - Gone Are All The Days 12” (K Records)
When it first appeared on (A)spera in 2009, "Gone Are All The Days" was a song of sorrow with a little swing and a bit of hope. Live performances of the track took the swing and added a disco beat; an energetic pulse that alleviates sadness with glittery energy and an empowered delivery.

Peter’s House Music - Jump 12” (All Hands Electric)
Equally inspired by early electronic music pioneers of the German variety such as Cluster's Roedelius, as well as the after hours DJ culture presently alive in NYC.

Rhythm Rockers - Soul Surfin’ [Reissue] LP (Sundazed)
Part of the first wave of California surf bands, Rhythm Rockers were a regular attraction at Dick Dale's Rendezvous Ballroom in the formative days of the surf scene. Blue vinyl.

Solar Bears - Inner Shine 12” (Planet Mu)
Solar Bears' music is a many-faceted soundworld that hangs together through a mix of the rich colors of Hip Hop inflected analogue electronica with touches of the shimmering neon synths of late '70s/early '80s Kosmiche music.

Spirit Photography - Circle In The Fire LP (Aural Pleasures)
Featuring members of Christmas Island. Organic, brooding guitar explorations form dense walls of dark energies and a vicious post-punk swagger.

Sword Heaven - Gone LP (Load)
Two-piece horror sound unit Sword Heaven clock in with their first "studio" recording -- a sweaty waterboarded masterpiece of claustrophobic proportions. Vinyl version available now -- CD due 9/7.

Johnny Thunders - Sticks & Stones: The Lost Album 2xLP (Cleopatra)
Culled from the vaults, this compilation features the studio recordings that were to become a new Thunders album (cut short by his death in 1991) plus ultra rare acoustic sessions and live tracks -- never before released on vinyl.

Trailblazer - Gut Reaction 7” (Moniker)
Lexington KY's Coleman Guyon (aka Trailblazer) delivers subterranean dance pop that builds on hypnotic layers in a wave of fuzzed electronics and gutted vocals. Relentless sparks, primitive drum taps, and droned hooks.

Trumans Water - O Zeta Zunis LP (Asthmatic Kitty)
The vet American "spazz-rock"/"squiggle-core" quartet has been scarce in their native land in recent years: releases mostly on Euro-labels; touring almost exclusively overseas.