Rolling Reissues 2014

CD only?

Apparently so.

Are these any good? What's outstanding about them? (Would have listed in 2013, but just got a Last Call for these promos; don't remember hearing about them before)

BL'AST!
Blood!
Southern Lord
3 September 2013
Earlier this year the members of infamous Santa Cruz hardcore act BL’AST! unearthed vintage master tapes, and upon digging into the vat, discovered an entire album’s worth of material that was never released. Additionally, the recordings were from a rare lineup in the band’s lineage, being the only recordings ever made while short-lived second guitarist William Duvall -- Neon Christ, and currently the vocalist for Alice In Chains -- was a part of the BL’AST! family. To help resurrect the deteriorated recordings, Southern Lord recruited fellow BL’AST! maniac Dave Grohl, who completely remastered/mixed the tapes at his famed 606 Studios, on the legendary Neve console as featured in the recent Grohl-produced documentary Sound City. Now fully harnessed and ready to hit the streets as Blood! -- the first BL’AST! album to see release since their 1989 Take The Manic RideLP -- this long-lost collection of prime, influential skate/surf hardcore punk anthems will become available in North America on September 3rd on Southern Lord.

Formed in 1982, BL’AST! released their debut album, The Power of Expression in 1985, scorching audiences everywhere with their unique and innovative, technical and boundary-free style of raging hardcore punk. This caught the attention of SST Records who released the band's second album, It’s In My Blood, in 1987, as well as their third LP, Take The Manic Ride in 1989. BL'AST!'s wide-eyed, ambitious approach and intense perseverance became an influence for many bands to come. Shortly after the release of Take The Manic Ride, the band broke up and their story was buried by time and dust....UNTIL NOW!

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Blast/44354206391
http://southernlord.bandcamp.com
http://www.southernlord.com
https://www.facebook.com/SLadmin
http://twitter.com/twatterlord

Poison Idea
Kings Of Punk
Southern Lord
26 November 2013
Following last year’s resurrection of Darby Crash Rides Again andThe Fatal Erection Years, Southern Lord is preparing to deliver the latest release in a series of reissues from POISON IDEA’s potent catalog, with an expanded edition of the band’s 1986 LP, Kings of Punk.

An unmistakable rager of an album by the Portland hardcore berzerkers, on their second full-length POISON IDEA had begun tightening their blazing nailbomb eruptions of noise of their earliest material reflected, and where they really began developing what would become their signature sound. Kicking off with the riff Discharge wish they had written, Kings of Punk is a big, bold slab of premium American hardcore, with undertones of the hard rockin’ bombast which would define their later works. From the crazed splutter of “God Not God,” tripping over itself in a wonderful mess of distress, to the sneering blast of “Made To Be Broken,” this is POISON IDEA at their unparalleled, grittiest, snottiest best.

Kings of Punk perfectly encapsulates one of the most important bands of the era who took the template of the early ‘80s and perverted it to fit their own twisted desires. The three live sets, taken from the years ’84-’86, offer an even more revealing snapshot of POISON IDEA in their destructive prime, drawling insults at the audience, the world and themselves and filling two full CDs, brought kicking and thrashing back to life by Jack Control (World Burns to Death). As well as the unhinged audio content, this reissueis packed with liner notes, archive flyers and photos of the band from the era.

Fans of hardcore punk – this is a must. Southern Lord will re-unleash the 2xCD “Bloated Edition” of this beast in North America on November 26th.

http://www.myspace.com/blankblackoutvacant
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Poison-Idea/60605554861?ref=pb
http://www.southernlord.com
http://blog.southernlord.com
http://twitter.com/twatterlord

Not reissues actually, but re-presented via another medium: Kill Rock Stars have been posting whole albums, like ones by Bratmobile and Deerhoof, on their YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnOExI1kpXA&list=PL6KwzgIePF4BvOQFcFmRgyXt8I0BzCB4E
(also some on their Bandcamp page)

^^It's been a good resource for posting Dig Me Out tracks to the S-K poll.

That xpost Silkworm deluxe reissue's streaming now:
http://www.wonderingsound.com/news/stream-silkworms-classic-libertine-reissue-full/ Just got the word, and haven't had time to listen yet; sorry if it sucks.

also on YouTube, at least for the moment: Kraftwerk's 1970 album:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjSXWgXPeEM

Note the other 1969-70 albums on this page...

and this 1970 Kraftwerk show:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YF1B4smQL7s

From Drag City News:

http://d31hzlhk6di2h5.cloudfront.net/20140502/e7/de/b5/37/3230d35043b6aeca4d097bda_476x271.jpg

RECURRING DREAMS BROUGHT ON BY MATTHEW YOUNG
Matthew Young's genre-bending, acclaimed Traveler's Advisory was reish'd just a coupla years back by yours truly in conjunction with Yoga Records truly; at the time, critical ears took note and immediately grabbed all the fresh LP copies we could offer. Now Drag City/Yoga Records invite you to go deeper - back to Matthew Young's first solo album, Recurring Dreams! Dating back to 1981 and the apex of the Eno / Berlin schools' influence over a myriad of American followers, Young created eight EMS / Rhodes pieces solo, subtly weaving in variable speed Revox manipulation of traditional rock instrumentation with the lightest of touches. What all too often amounted to predictable schtick in the field of early 80s home electronica, Young made personal, delicate, discreet, and discrete. Wordlessly illustrating its titles -- Version Inversion, The Forest Of Lilacs, and Mistral (a strong, cold, northwesterly wind), Young conjures vivid, progressive tones of the unknown. Requiring the pleasure of repeat listenings to fully reveal its Bonsai-like qualities, Matthew Young's Recurring Dreams is an essential piece of the puzzle in the summer of 2014. Make your bed and get your headphones ready, Recurring Dreams fill your nights on July 22nd!

Cool! Recurring Dreams is an awesome record.

- Important Records reissues on vinyl the ultimate version of The Grateful Dead's "Dark Star," compiled from over 100 different performances of the song between 1968-1993.
- Producer John Oswald built, layered, and "folded" all of the versions to produce one large, recomposed version spanning almost 2 hours.

- Reissue with exclusive liner-notes by musicologist Rob Bowman featuring interviews with Jerry Garcia, Phil Lesh, and Robert Hunter, plus two "time maps" which chart the source concerts of "Dark Star."
John Oswald’s Grayfolded - OUT 05/27

- "Grayfolded is literally a hundred or so great nights rolled into one extraordinary extended high. Gorgeous sonic origami." --Rolling Stone
- "An extended time-warped psychedelic jam that is meticulously hallucinatory." --New York Times
- "Rightly acclaimed as the ultimate 'Dark Star,' the one you had always hoped the Dead would one day get around to playing." --London Daily Telegraph

Grayfolded teaser trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMGUQTK8tXw#t=30

It's a triple LP.

https://gallery.mailchimp.com/78dc98191efe28151fba166f0/images/BATS_volume1_FAKEOUT_bundle77120c08b3ea.jpg

Flying Nun Announces The Bats Re-Issues
Compiletely Bats, Daddy's Highway & The Law of Things
Available May 27th

Flying Nun / Captured Tracks announces the reissues of New Zealand’s own indie pop pioneers, The Bats. On May 27th the labels will release Compiletely Bats, a collection of early EP's/singles [2xLP] (1982-90), and their first two full lengths Daddy's Highway [1xLP] (1987) and The Law Of Things [2xLP] (1990). Along with individual vinyl releases, these albums will be released as a 3-CD (the first time on this format) compilation disc titled The Bats : Volume 1.

Formed on New Years eve 1982 in Christchurch, New Zealand by Bob Scott (The Clean), Paul Keane (Toy Love), Kaye Woodward and Malcolm Grant, the Bats' prolific career includes eight albums and multiple tours of Europe and North America, where they shared stages with the likes of Radiohead, The Buzzcocks and Yo La Tengo along the way. Over the years, The Bats have proven that slow and steady wins the race, steadily and consistently building steam. They've never subsided to the pressure of reinventing themselves, instead they have remained true to themselves, and they're all the better for it.

Curated by The Bats in conjunction with Flying Nun this re-mastered collection celebrates the career of this seminal foursome. With its unheard studio outtakes, demo tapes and their liner notesand accompanying ephemera, it provides old fans with never before heard material to admire and new fans a thorough synopsis of The Bats' impressive catalogue.

Listen to "Block of Wood" from Daddy's Highway
https://soundcloud.com/flyingnunrecords/the-bats-block-of-wood-four-track-demo

Listen to "Check Check" - The Law of Things outtake
https://soundcloud.com/flyingnunrecords/the-bats-check-check-the-law-of-things-outtake
LP Tracklistings
The Bats: Vol. 1 Tracklisting
Compiletely Bats 2xLP
Made Up In Blue
Neighbours
Chicken Bird Run
Jewellers Heart
I Go Wild
Blindfold
Mad On You
By Night
Earwig
Claudine
United Airways
Man In The Moon
Trouble In This Town
Joes Again
Offside

Bonus 12’’
My Way
Calm Before The Storm
Candidate
Block of Wood (Demo 1)
Block of Wood (Demo 2)
Daddy’s Highway (Drum Machine Version)

Daddy’s Highway 1xLP
Block Of Wood
Miss These Things
Mid City Team
Some Peace Tonight
Had To Be You
Daddy’s Highway
Treason
Sir Queen
Round And Down
Take It
North By North
Tragedy

The Law Of Things 2x LP
Other Side Of You
Law Of Things
Never Said Goodbye
Time To Get Ready
Ten To One
Mastery
I Fall Away
Cliff Edge
Nine Days
Bedlam
Smoking Her Wings

Bonus 12’’
North by north (re-mix)
Straight Through My Heart
Get Fat
Best Friends Brain
Downfall (Law Of Things Outtake)
Passed by (Law Of Things Outtake)
Check Check (Law Of Things Outtake)
Is That All I Get For My Heart (Law Of Things Outtake)
Compiletely Bats
Made Up In Blue
Neighbours
Chicken Bird Run
Jewellers Heart
I Go Wild
Blindfold
Mad On You
By Night
Earwig
Claudine
United Airways
Man In The Moon
Trouble In This Town
Joes Again
Offside
My Way
Calm Before The Storm
Candidate
Block of Wood (Demo 1)
Block of Wood (Demo 2)
Daddy’s Highway (Drum Machine Version)

Daddy’s Highway
Block Of Wood
Miss These Things
Mid City Team
Some Peace Tonight
Had To Be You
Daddy’s Highway
Treason
Sir Queen
Round And Down
Take It
North By North
Tragedy

The Law Of Things
Other Side Of You
Law Of Things
Never Said Goodbye
Time To Get Ready
Ten To One
Mastery
I Fall Away
Cliff Edge
Nine Days
Bedlam
Smoking Her Wings
North by north (re-mix)
Straight Through My Heart
Get Fat
Best Friends Brain
Downfall (Law Of Things Outtake)
Passed by (Law Of Things Outtake)
Check Check (Law Of Things Outtake)
Is That All I Get For My Heart (Law Of Things Outtake)

ROG & PIP
Our Revolution
Rise Above Relics
24 June 2014
Guitarist Roger Lomas and Singer/Guitarist Pip Whitcher (AKA ROG & PIP) were members of Coventry freakbeat legends The Sorrows. Along with the other remaining members of the band they relocated to Italy in the late 60's due to huge popularity over there. Homesick, the pair returned back to the UK before the swinging decade was even over.

The pair continued writing material together, eventually becoming a partnership lasting well into the 70's. During this time they recorded a vast amount of material, mainly at the state of the art AIR studios. Fortunately, budding producer (and Grammy award winner) Lomas made sure he kept tapes of everything they recorded, the fruits of which can be heard here for the very first time!

Starting with Sabbath/ Zeppelin-esque proto-metal blast of debut single From a Window/War Lord, they released a string of singles under various guises such as ROG & PIP, Renegade and the Zips. The sounds they created progressed with the times, yet they always maintained a raw and gritty aggressive tone, whether performing bulldozing metal or hard-edged early glam rock. Our Revolution will give you a glimpse into the world of ROG & PIP and make you wonder why they never really cracked it as a duo. Their songs will do the talking.

This collection is of largely previously unreleased recordings from this cult duo of the psychedelic/progressive and glam rock eras. It includes detailed sleeve notes, unseen photos and deluxe packaging. The limited vinyl pressing includes a bonus 7” with initial copies.

TRACKLIST
1. Why Won’t You Do What I Want
2. My Revolution
3. Rock With Me
4. Evil Hearted Woman
5. Gold
6. Doin’ Alright Tonight
7. A Little Rock ‘N’ Roll
8. Hot Rodder
9. It’s A Lonely World
10. Why Do You Treat Me Like That
11. From A Window
12. War Lord

from Wire archive:
Hosted by Chris Bohn, this week’s broadcast is devoted to The Compiler feature in The Wire 363 about collections and collecting. Featuring tracks from the anthologies, a-chronologies, mixtapes and mail-order lists covered in the piece, taking in music from Europe, Africa, North America, Australasia and the Far East.
http://www.thewire.co.uk/audio/on-air/adventures-in-sound-and-music-17-april-2014

From Kill Rock Stars

http://dev1.mtimg.com/product_photos/imgs/000/009/384/full/Bangs_TigerBeat.jpg

Whoa! We recently uncovered a box of 26 sealed LP copies of Bangs' 1998 album Tiger Beat! This is even better than the time I found $20 in a pants' pocket at Goodwill! Tiger Beat is a total rocker of an album and includes hits like "Chocolate Cobwebs," "Death By Guitar," and the mix tape classic, "Burnout!" Tiger Beat has been unavailable from our mail-order store for a few years now, so you'll want to order your copy today, or you might regret it tomorrow. Sorry crazed MP3 fans, because these are sealed records from over 15 years ago, they do not include a download code.

Jimmy Page quotes, re new super duper deluxe Zep reissue series:
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/led-zeppelin-raid-secret-vault-for-super-deluxe-album-series-20140507?utm_source=dailynewsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter
Reporter laments loss of legendary 1969 Boston Tea Party show, but somebody found this by press time: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/led-zeppelin-raid-secret-vault-for-super-deluxe-album-series-20140507?utm_source=dailynewsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter

Oops sorry: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3cQpwCRC10

http://lightintheattic.net/system/release_images/0001/4332/BigBoysLullabies_Outside_thumb_325.jpg?1398894088

BIG BOYS
Lullabies Help The Brain Grow (1983)
Modern Classics, May 20th, 2014
Listen to "Sound On Sound" HERE.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rhuy7pVW574&feature=youtu.be

They’ve long done things differently in Austin, Texas, and the take on hardcore pioneered by one of the city’s sons, the Big Boys for five years in the early 1980s was no exception. Where peers Scratch Acid, The Dicks and MDC pursued hardcore or art-punk angularity, Big Boys were mixing furious hardcore with loose-limbed funk and tight pop, all the while penning lyrics that struck a blend between punk ideology, angsty alienation and goofy humor. It was delivered via 7”s, EPs, a split LP, compilations, three studio albums, and the live DIY shows that were audience participation-fueled free-for-alls. The idea was for fans to leave feeling like they were part of the band.

Produced by Spot, legendary in-house producer at SST Records, Lullabies is an album that caught the band in ever-turbulent mode, switching drummers through the recording from Fred Schultz to Rey Washam – the fourth person to occupy the stool for vocalist Randy “Biscuit” Turner, guitarist Tim Kerr and bassist Chris Gates. The album found the band testing the boundaries of their wide-ranging sound, with double-quick thrashers like “Lesson” and double-funky jams like “Funk Off” (helped along by the brass of the Fun Fun Fun 12" horn section). Kerr took lead vocals on two tracks, and on “Sound On Sound” they combine his languid delivery and pendulum bass in a way that must have pricked the ears of a young Steven Malkmus.

http://lightintheattic.net/system/release_images/0001/4323/BigBoys_Cafeteria_Outside_thumb_325.jpg?1398893460

No Matter How Long The Line At The Cafeteria, There's Always A Seat (1985)
Modern Classics, May 20th, 2014
Listen to "Work" HERE.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZYHgBTJhcE&feature=youtu.be

They were, in the memory of Minor Threat frontman Ian MacKaye, “Enormous men, decorated jump suits, a horn section, 200 friends onstage singing and dancing.” They were Big Boys by name and by nature – and they had a big effect on US punk culture. When the prevailing trend was for playing hard and fast, this Austin, Texas four-piece played loose and funky. Their cult recordings struck a blend between punk ideology and clever humor, just as the band both railed against and celebrated the hardcore community that bore them.

Released at the time of their split in 1985, the group’s final album, No Matter How Long the Line Is At the Cafeteria, There’s Always a Seat finds Big Boys continuing to innovate, even including the sound of turntable scratching on "Common Beat", a sound rarely heard outside of hip-hop at the time. Songs like “Which Way To Go” and “Narrow View” echo their boredom and anger with the changing hardcore scene, while “I Do Care” and “What’s The Word” illustrate the band’s positive outlook for things to come.

Big Boys were the first band to be labeled “skate rock”, the nascent version of the world-conquering skate punk of the late ‘80s and ’90s.
Watch a short documentary on Big Boys here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHSYDCyBv5Q
--

do we have a thread where we post things that really ought to be reissued but haven't?

I think it's:

Albums that shouldn't be out of print...

From Smithsonian: the UNESCO Series---"more than 125 albums from around the world"---and more Classic African-American Songsters---info and some streams here: http://www.folkways.si.edu/about_us/news_press.aspx#5_1_14-CAAS

ANNOUNCING THE DEAD C THE TWELFTH SPECTACLE 4xLP LIVE RELEASE

SWAN SONG RELEASE FOR GRAPEFRUIT RECORDS SUBSCRIPTION CLUB

A follow-up to last year’s immense Armed Courage is not easy, but The Twelfth Spectacle comes as close as anyone would hope The Dead C to achieve. This four LP set collects live recordings from the past decade by a band whose infrequent performances have become part of their legend. Captured herein is the band at their most dynamic, oblique, challenging and consuming. Each LP has its own title and origin. To wit:

Arena: Recorded at La Dynamo Pantin, Paris and Les Ateliers Claus, Brussels, April 2013

Permanent LSD: Recorded at Luminaire, London, December 2006

This Century Sucks: Recorded at The Smell, Los Angeles, March 2002

Year of the Rat: Recorded at The Swap Meet, New York, October 2008

The albums are being released on August 19th mailorder only via http://grapefruitrecordclub.com/. You can pre-order now. Limited to 500 numbered copies.

An extremely limited retail version will also be available from your better record stores on the same date.

STREAM MIKE COOPER'S SEMINAL EARLY 70s RECORDS ON PITCHFORK ADVANCE

TROUT STEEL AND PLACES I KNOW/THE MACHINE GUN CO. BOTH OUT JUNE 17TH

It's with great pride that Paradise of Bachelors is able to share with you the first artist-sanctioned reissues - and first-ever vinyl reissues - of iconoclastic English-born, Rome-based folk and experimental music legend Mike Cooper's classic trio of early 1970s avant-folk-rock records: Trout Steel (1970), Places I Know (1971), and The Machine Gun Co. with Mike Cooper (1972), all out June 17th. The latter two titles are presented for the very first time as the definitive double album as Cooper originally intended them to be released. In addition to the previously shared "I've Got Mine" and "The Singing Tree," head over to Dangerous Minds to check out Places I Know/The Machine Gun...'s "Country Water," and visit Pitchfork Advance to stream both releases in their entirety. We hope a new generation of music fans takes this opportunity to discover this mammoth figure of the UK folk rock scene. Cooper's name should ring loudly next to those such as Bert Jansch and Richard Thompson, and this is the first step to bringing his music back to new and eager ears.

STREAM TROUT STEEL HERE - http://pitchfork.com/advance/463-trout-steel/

STREAM PLACES I KNOW/THE MACHINE GUN CO. HERE -

http://pitchfork.com/advance/464-mike-cooper/

LISTEN TO "COUNTRY WATER" HERE - https://soundcloud.com/paradise-of-bachelors/country-water/

LISTEN TO "I'VE GOT MINE" HERE - https://soundcloud.com/paradise-of-bachelors/ive-got-mineÂ

LISTEN TO "THE SINGING TREE" HERE - https://soundcloud.com/paradise-of-bachelors/the-singing-tree

new from hearpen http://hearpen.com/hr179.html

http://hearpen.com/pageart/hr179.jpg

Artwork by Mary Thomas.

Recordings and artwork ©2014 Ubu Projex. All rights reserved.

Description: This is the second revision of the original 1985 release. The original mix for vinyl release in 1985 suffered from lack of time and distractions. It was remixed at Suma in 1996 with the radical approach that David Thomas had originally planned for. A less than good post-production process, hurried again, caused Thomas to re-visit the various mixes in April 2014. All mixes were examined and, in some cases, edits were made or alternate mixes chosen. The audio was re-EQed by Paul Hamann and attention given to the post-production processing. This is the way it was supposed to sound. Lyrics are also available from the ubuprojex.com website. More details can be found on the ubuprojex.com release page.

Musicians:
David Thomas vocals
Lindsay Cooper alto sax, bassoon, sopranino, oboe, piano, tuba, organ
Tony Maimone bass, piano
Chris Cutler drums

Through the Magnifying Glass 2:58
Enthusiastic 4:31
Whale Head King 5:48
Song of the Bailing Man 4:44
Big Breezy Day 3:22
The Farmer's Wife 4:42
New Broom 4:19
About True Friends 3:44

Download file size: 86MB

These are ACC (iTunes Plus) format audio files. Lyrics are included in each file's metadata.
A PDF of liner notes is included in the download.

Ok lol wtf if you go up thread you can see me being depressed that dt will probably never undo his shitty remix of THAT EXACT ALBUM. I gotta get this.

That record belongs to Lindsay cooper btw, rip.

From Light In The Attic, June 20 (some more LITA videos on this page)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOklbYMPfGM

Donnie and Joe Emerson
Still Dreamin' Wild: The Lost Recordings 1979-81

Some people have to wait for fame; some people wait even longer than most. Donnie and Joe Emerson are in a league of their own.

As teenagers in Fruitland, Washington in the late ‘70s, the farming brothers dreamed of being heard. The synthesizers were sometimes crude and the 8-track recorder had its limitations, but the brothers aimed at nothing short of perfection in their home studio on the farm. They titled their 1979 debut Dreamin’ Wild, and, as multi-instrumentalist Donnie later admitted, “Joe and I basically lived the dream of the title of the album.” The same goes for their parents who heavily believed in their sons’ musical dreams, taking out a second mortgage on the farm and investing $100,000 in a dream that refused to die. But their privately funded, private press record sank without trace, the family lost most of their 1,600 acre farm, and as Joe focused on the family farming business, Donnie focused on his solo career.

As for Dreamin’ Wild, things began to change three decades later, when record collector Jack Fleischer bought a copy of the album for $5 at a Spokane thrift shop. Something about the brothers’ smiles, bouffant hair, and matching white jumpsuits gave him a good feeling. Fleischer’s blogging about the album brought it to the attention of cult musician Ariel Pink, who recorded his own version of standout track “Baby.” Eventually re-released on Light In The Attic and widely available for the first time, the album chimed louder a lifetime after its conception: Pitchfork described it as a “a godlike symphony to teen hood.” The New York Times flew out to the family farm, while Jimmy Fallon took to Twitter to proclaim his love for the duo.

But Dreamin’ Wild does not tell the full story. In a relatively short span of time – just two and half years – the boys put close to 70 songs down on tape, all recorded at that magical home studio on the farm. A dozen of them are included here on Still Dreamin’ Wild: The Lost Recordings 1979-81 and ready to be enjoyed for the first time ever. With a familiar blend of FM rock, power pop, and new wave, these 12 tracks cover the entirety of that fruitful period, stretching from the second song Donnie ever recorded (“Everybody Knows It”) – to tracks documenting his temporary move to L.A. in 1981.

Donnie’s life story is in these songs. Where Dreamin’ Wild captures the teenage experience, Still Dreamin’ Wild tells a broader story, one in which teenage dreams turn to painful yearning. So where the Beach Boys indebted “Ooh Baby Yeah” is inspired by a teenage girlfriend, “Big Money” shows the emergence of a naive political awareness. Later, 1981’s “One True Love” captures the sound of what Donnie described as “the city as imagined from the farm,” and the epic closing track, “Don’t Disguise The Way You Feel” found Donnie after high school, feeling stifled and frustrated in the isolation of the countryside and mourning the loss of his friend and occasional backing vocalist Dwayne. It is, quite simply, heartbreaking.

The long-belated success of Dreamin’ Wild has given the Emerson brothers – still close, and still the heart of a loving family – a new lease of life. They’ve finally taken their music on the road, performing at Seattle’s Showbox followed by New York’s Mercury Lounge. Still Dreamin’ Wild proves that the album wasn’t a fluke, and that Donnie’s songwriting is as consistent as it is rare. All this time later, we finally have the pleasure of hearing the brothers’ music. And the good news? They’ve still got the jumpsuits.

-First ever release
-All tracks newly re-mastered from original tapes
-Liner notes by Jack D. Fleischer, interviewing Donnie & Joe
-Color vinyl editions (comes with a “Jingle Demo Reel” 7" featuring 4 unreleased jingles Donnie wrote for local Washington businesses)

from KRS Newsletter: more of their xpost bandcamp deep catalogue/reissues:

We've added more gems from the KRS back catalog to our Bandcamp page!
http://killrockstars.bandcamp.com/

Deerhoof - Apple O' (Deerhoof's fourth album. Includes four bonus tracks not available on the CD version! Originally released in 2003.)
The Decemberists - Picaresqueties EP (Originally released as as bonus tracks to the LP version of Picaresque. Includes a fan-favorite cover of Joanna Newsom's "Bridges and Balloons"! Originally released in 2005.)
Stereo Total - Anti-Love Song (Released as a 7" in 2009! Includes INSANE crocheted cover art.)
Panther - Entropy (Portland dancefloor weirdos' final album. Originally released in 2009.)
Boats - Cannonballs, Cannonballs (Boats' first album for KRS. Originally released in 2011.)

They've been adding stuff weekly or so.

From Drag City News:

http://d31hzlhk6di2h5.cloudfront.net/20140624/11/dc/57/06/a06362c02791df070f7e2359_440x440.jpg

THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUNG
Also on the schedule for July, courtesy of those forward-looking crate diggers at Yoga Records, is Matthew Young’s Recurring Dreams. In 2010, Yoga and Drag City partnered to reissue Matthew’s 1986 album Traveller’s Advisory, which combined electronics with folk music in an intriguingly out-of-step fashion (out-of-fashion step?) that seemed to be just what the world needed then (meaning 2010). Recurring Dreams is actually the album before that, which suggests an interesting way to do a reissue series – start with the most recent, then go backwards! It worked with that movie Irreversible, so why not with Matthew Young? Recurring Dreams is much more of a classic ambient/electronic album with no quirky vocals, hammered dulcimers etc – and in that, it’s a personal masterwork of electric keyboard and suitcase synth, making music of wide reach, deep relaxation and personal resonance with a minimal amount of instrumentation and a maximum of subtlety. Now, maybe even more than it was then, Recurring Dreams is a triumph.

http://d31hzlhk6di2h5.cloudfront.net/20140624/db/0e/40/ab/d33cc3e983f1233803e3b4fe_440x438.jpg

PROPER M
Back in 1997, David Pajo was a little over a half decade removed from the future sensation known as Slint. Their second album had been released in 1991 when the band themselves were already defunct. During the next five years, David worked with Palace Brothers, King Kong, Tortoise, The For Carnation and Stereolab. All during that period, the idea of his own music was slowly simmering, building flavor like a good rage. He and former Slint-ite Britt Walford had discussed a band called M – the significance lying in the letter’s position in the middle of the alphabet. A single under that name was released on Palace Records in 1996, and upon hearing it, there was no doubt that this fucker was one of the Slint boys. We were big fans of Tweez; we jumped right on that shit and offered Dave a deal he couldn’t refuse – if he made a record, we’d put it out! The rest is…not only history, but somewhat out of print. David changed the name to Aerial M and made an LP and two singles, then changed the name to Papa M and made a couple of double-albums, an EP and a five or six singles. At the time of those singles, he joined another band and then another and another and….poof, no more Papa M. There were two Pajo records in 2005 and 2006 and since then, nothing else along these lines. And so, Aerial M and Papa M things have slowly gone out of print. But now that everyone is really into that post-Tweez Slint record (time is funny), it seems like a perfect time to re-inject Aerial M into the world’s music-veins. David put the record together in a fashion that feels very much after Slint, but instead of just playing his part, he played all the other parts too, kind of in the way he might played them if he HAD played them. So, virtual Slint reality, ’97-style – before any of these reunion tours provided another kind of second life. Of course, that’s super-reductive and unfair – what the Aerial M record ACTUALLY presented was an initial step in a hot ten-year evolution of sounds and song-making – but in 2014, whotta sales hook! BOOM. Aerial M walks among us – again.

But this is what I'm waiting for:

YAKUZA: Chicago Experi-Metallers To Reissue First Four Full-Lengths Along With One Never-Before-Heard Release Through War Crime Recordings

Throughout the entire month of July, Chicago experi-metallers, YAKUZA, will reissue their first four albums along with one never-before-heard release through War Crime Recordings. Amount To Nothing, Way Of The Dead, Samsara and Transmutations have been out of print for several years now and in most cases, these reissues will contain unreleased bonus tracks and remixes.

July 1st, 2014 will see the band's 2000 self-released debut album, Amount To Nothing and Way Of The Dead, originally released by Century Media Records in 2002. Way Of The Dead will include a cover of John Coltrane's "Seraphic Light" as a bonus track.

On July 15th, 2014, the band will reissue their Prosthetic Records albums: 2006's Samsara, featuring two bonus tunes -- a James Plotkin (OLD, Scorn, Khanate, Khlyst) remix of "Back To The Mountain" as well as "The Ballad Of Mr. K" -- along with 2007's Transmutations, which boasts a Justin K. Broadrick (Godflesh) remix of "The Blinding."

On July 29th, 2014, the never-before-released, "improvisational" recording entitled Kabuki Mono will be unveiled. "Kabuki Mono" has been YAKUZA's moniker whenever they perform their mostly instrumental improvisational sets throughout Chicago. This album was originally recorded in the studio in 2001.

Frontman/saxophonist/War Crimes co-owner Bruce Lamont comments: "It's great that these recordings are available again as so to document the lineage of YAKUZA but we are a band who does not dwell in the past. Into the future. Onward!"

Newer developments for YAKUZA include a recent recording session at Soma Studios in Chicago with engineer and co-War Crime Recordings owner, Sanford Parker. The band has recorded over 100 minutes of improvised material (much like that of the Kabuki Mono recording) and plan to pick the best takes for release sometime early next year.

War Crime Recordings was founded by Chicago residents and musicians Sanford Parker and Bruce Lamont. Parker is probably best known for his production work for Pelican, Yob and countless other bands. He's also founded cult doomster, Buried At Sea and at one time has been listed in the ranks of such innovative groups as Minsk, Twilight and Nachtmystium. Lamont leads the avant-garde unclassifiable troupe, YAKUZA, fronts the psychedelic post doom band, Bloodiest and has been involved in the Chicago music scene in one way or another since he was teenager. He's also been a guest player on dozens of recordings. Both Lamont and Parker are in Corrections House along with Mike IX Williams (Eyehategod) and Scott Kelly (Neurosis) and have released that band's catalog on vinyl through the label.

Omnivore's been pretty good the past couple years, so maybe....

BILLY THERMAL BROUGHT SONGWRITING CHOPS
TO THE WEST COAST NEW WAVE MOVEMENT IN EARLY ’80s.
THEIR ALBUM WAS NEVER RELEASED — UNTIL NOW.
Led by songwriter Billy Steinberg, the band’s only album
receives a proper release on Omnivore Recordings on August 12.
THERMAL, Calif. — Before Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, Whitney Houston, The Bangles, Pretenders, and Heart had mega-hits with his songs, Billy Steinberg was the leader of California’s Billy Thermal.
Billy Steinberg’s songwriting ability brought him to the attention of producer Richard Perry (Harry Nilsson, Ringo Starr, Barbra Streisand), who signed Steinberg’s band, Billy Thermal, to his Planet Records (also home of the Pointer Sisters). An album was recorded, but never released. Until now.
Omnivore Recordings will release Billy Thermal, including the full album plus three bonus demo tracks, on August 12, 2014.
Billy Thermal contains the original versions of songs later made famous by superstars like Linda Ronstadt, who took “How Do I Make You” to the Top 10 in 1980; Pat Benatar, who named her third album after Steinberg’s “Precious Time”; and Rick Nelson, who cut “Don’t Look At Me” on his last album of new material, Playing To Win.
While Billy Thermal would fit best in the “new wave” genre, the album shows the genesis of #1 hits Steinberg would later co-write like The Bangles’ “Eternal Flame,” Cyndi Lauper’s “True Colors,” Whitney Houston’s “So Emotional,” Heart’s “Alone,” Madonna’s iconic “Like a Virgin,” and classics including Pretenders’ “I’ll Stand By You” and Divinyls’ “I Touch Myself.”
Five tracks made their way into the marketplace on an early ’80s EP, but the entire album has sat unreleased for decades. Omnivore Recordings
 is proud to rectify that with this release, and it is even enhanced with three demos written during the same time frame. The CD contains an informative set of liners from Steinberg and photos from the original album shoot.
In late 1978, Steinberg wrote some songs that he wanted to demo. Knowing he needed a band, he called a friend, singer/songwriter Mark Safan, in Los Angeles, who recommended guitarist Craig Hull. Through an acquaintance in Palm Springs (Steinberg grew up near Palm Springs and in the desert date-growing town of Thermal), he met bass player Bob Carlisle and drummer Efren Espinosa. Safan came to the first session with singer/songwriter Wendy Waldman. Mark and Wendy added background vocals. They recorded in a friend’s Palm Springs garage studio.
Carlisle would eventually score a massive hit of
his own in the 1990s with “Butterfly Kisses.”
According to Steinberg, “Billy Thermal was part of a movement referred to in the music business as New Wave. Early New Wave acts included Elvis Costello, Talking Heads, Television, Blondie, Graham Parker, The Cars, The Knack, The Police, and Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers. Some of these artists had significant commercial success. But by the time the second wave of New Wave acts had records ready for release, the bloom was off the rose. Billy Thermal fell victim to bad timing. Richard (Perry) lost faith in our record, and we were miffed. When Planet offered to cut us loose and give us our record, we were happy. This occurred in late 1980. Shortly thereafter, Billy Thermal broke up.”
Billy Thermal is a record that still sounds fresh and energetic — unfortunately, no one really got to hear it the first time around.
While Steinberg continues to make hits for current artists like Nicole Scherzinger, Demi Lovato and Katherine McPhee — the heat emanated from Billy Thermal.
# #

Another maay-beee from Omnivore (did moderately enjoy the Auer-Stringfellow songs on Big Star's In Space, so...?)

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THE POSIES’ GROUNDBREAKING DEBUT ALBUM, FAILURE,
TO BE REISSUED, EXPANDED ON CD AND VINYL
ON OMNIVORE RECORDINGS AUGUST 19

Ken Stringfellow and Jon Auer, active as members of Big Star
and as solo artists, were involved in album’s restoration
along with PopLlama A&R rep Scott McCaughey
(R.E.M., The Minus 5).
Live dates to be announced.
SEATTLE, Wash. — The Posies’ 1988 debut is about to work its magic all over again. Little did Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow know that when they dropped off their cassette to Scott McCaughey (R.E.M., The Minus 5, Baseball Project), the clerk at their favorite record store (who happened to do A&R for the indie label PopLlama), that a power-pop dynasty would begin.
Originally released by the band on homemade, hand-dubbed cassettes, then issued on LP (with one track removed for the then-current time constraints), and later on CD, Failure made the indie-rock scene take notice. On August 19, 2014, Omnivore Recordings will reissue this landmark album, complete with eight bonus tracks, including one available for the first time.
The Posies will shortly announce live dates surrounding the reissue.
Housed in a digipak, the Failure expanded reissue contains the original 12 songs, plus bonus material from the highly sought-after out-of-print 2000 box set At Least At Last, as well tracks from the Spanish only 15th anniversary edition — plus, one track recently located in The Posies’ extensive archives. The booklet contains press clippings and essays from 1988, as well as updated messages from McCaughey and the band.
This 2014 edition sees the original 12-track playlist restored and available on vinyl for the first time since its original issue (and cut by Kevin Gray). The LP (initial pressing on colored vinyl) also includes a download card for the entire CD program.
While Auer and Stringfellow have continued on — as members of the reunited Big Star, as The Posies and as solo artists — the journey began at Failure. Step back in time and hear the future.
According to McCaughey in the liner notes, “Failure still amazes me today — its freshness undiminished by anything recorded before or since. At the time, we thought, “These two kids made this on their own in a parental basement?” But it’s more than that. Sure, there are the songs, the musicianship, the making-the-most-of-an-8-track-and-a couple-of-microphones — all those aspects figure in, and the sheer talent on display is undeniable. But it’s more the feeling I get of two people creating a complete, coherent work, for the first time, with such exuberance and wonder, and really just doing it for themselves. Most bands only get to make one record like that; then come managers, contracts, lawyers, accountants, tour budgets, mountains of cocaine, brown cheeses and Bordeaux, pressure, expectations. That The Posies handled subsequent success with a minimum of fisticuffs and still harmonize like famous brothers all these years later is a beautiful thing. This is where it started, and it’s still where it’s at!”
Adds Stringfellow, “Twenty-seven years after we started the initial sessions for Failure, I’m still astonished at what this humble recording accomplished and set in motion. For all its quirks, much care went into its creation. And what I think sparks people’s affection for this album is maybe one thing above the others: you can hear two very young people unselfconsciously discover their sound, making a real record for the first time in their lives. What we didn’t know then didn’t matter — in fact, you could say that everything we have done since has been somewhat contaminated by ever-wider knowledge, worldliness, and comparative analysis of the accomplishments of others.”
Track List:
Blind Eyes Open
The Longest Line
Under Easy
Like Me Too
I May Hate You Sometimes
Ironing Tuesday
Paint Me
Believe in Something Other (Than Yourself)
Compliment?
At Least for Now
Uncombined
What Little Remains
Bonus Tracks:
Believe in Something Other (Than Yourself) (Live)
I May Hate You Sometimes (Demo)
Paint Me (Demo)
Like Me Too (Demo
Alison Hubbard (Instrumental)
After Many a Summer Dies the Swan (Instrumental)
Blind Eyes Open (Instrumental Demo)
At Least for Now (Instrumental Demo)
# # #
Watch the Posies trailer.
http://youtu.be/2tLR8ilh4Dw

Reviews of many things posted here, times *several* significant others (gotta get Miles Davis Bootleg Series Vol, 3, Haiti Direct, the wide-ranging proto-punk doc) (that Slint slab is dire, though)
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/the-best-reissues-of-2014-20140702?utm_source=dailynewsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter

wtf @ 10 disc nils lofgren box set

indeed. This looks more promising:

HERMIT HUT, A NEW RECORD LABEL OWNED BY

BEN CHASNY (SIX ORGANS OF ADMITTANCE)

RELEASING GUITARIST TASHI DORJI’S FIRST LP AUGUST 19TH

Ben Chasny is renowned in the underground for the work he’s done with Rangda, Comets on Fire, New Bums, 200 Years, and most significantly of all, Six Organs of Admittance. While his own output is varied and prolific, Chasny realized a great emptiness in the world upon hearing the work of Tashi Dorji and realizing not a lot of people were aware of the improvisational guitarist from Asheville-by-way-of-Bhutan. In an effort to right that wrong, he has formed Hermit Hut, a record label distributed by Revolver USA, which will highlight the best in experimental and adventurous music.

Dorji is the ideal first release. His journey from a secluded life on the eastern side of the Himalayas to becoming one of the most innovative guitarists around today is almost as fascinating as the music he creates. After numerous cassette releases, most of them long sold out, Dorji is releasing a vinyl album that compiles the best moments of these obscure releases.

Hermit Hut is just beginning. Future releases will include an album by Australia’s Chris Smith and a reissue of the Six Organs of Admittance album, Maria Kapel. Much more greatness to come.

View Hermit Hut’s website, and pre-order the Tashi Dorji album here: http://www.sixorgans.com/hermit-hut-records/

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I put this in the GT thread too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkjnAQtQWcU

Thanks, hadn't seen that. Also, this just in:

Corpse Flower Records is honored to release the vinyl edition of Halo, the debut from experimental noise rock unit, CELAN.

Featuring a veritable who's who of prominent experimental musicians including Unsane frontman Chris Spencer, Einstürzende Neubauten/Redux's keyboard player Ari Benjamin Meyers, flu.ID's Franz Xaver and Phil Roeder along with Oxbow guitarist Niko Wenner, CELAN's Halo was initially released in 2009 via Exile On Mainstream Records. Now available for the first time on vinyl, the wax edition is limited to 300 hand-numbered and assembled copies and comes in three color variants: 100 translucent yellow, 100 clear and 100 translucent red.

Halo Track Listing:

Side 1

1. A Thousands Charms

2. All This And Everything

3. One Minute

4. Sinking

5. Weigh Tag

Side 2

1. Train Of Thought

2. It's Low

3. Wait And See

4. Lunchbox

Finding common musical ground obviously doesn't require musicians to have a similar background although that's normally the way these things come together. What happens when musicians from disparate musical worlds meet and merge? That's where true originality can often thrive. One such outfit is CELAN, the brainchild of Ari Benjamin Meyers (Einstürzende Neubauten, Redux Orchestra) and Chris Spencer (Unsane, Cutthroats 9). Meyers and Spencer met on an Unsane tour stop in Berlin when Meyers mentioning that AndereBaustelle, the famed Einstürzende Neubauten studio, might be available. "The thought of working on a project with him in that studio was very exciting to me," Spencer explained. "There has always been an attraction to Berlin for me, so I guess you could say I was compelled..." It was initially meant as a one-off collaboration between two very distinct musicians: A classically trained composer and the other a founding member of a seminal noise/rock band.

After the concept was born it became obvious that this was more than a side project. What CELAN was and is began to grow with the addition of Phil Roeder and Franz Xaver (both of ex-flu.ID fame) on bass and drums. Spencer and the two met when flu.ID toured with Unsane in late 2007; they stayed in touch and became friends. Niko Wenner (Oxbow) joined during the Summer of '08, and the band was complete. By August, they had entered the studio and tracked a full album to tape in just two weeks. The songs breathe deeply with this spontaneity and one can feel the chemistry between the members which accompanied the entire building process. Though there is a great deal of thought and creativity behind the album, Halo reveals its beauty through its compelling creational vibe. You can pigeon-hole at your own risk: noise, rock, avant-hardcore etc. Approach this album with minds open, ready to be blown away by its sheer class, emotion, and musical craftsmanship.

update to the xpost KRS YouTube oldies, which might be helping the more vintage of their top sellers:
NEW ADDITIONS TO THE KRS YOUTUBE PAGE
Good news for all you streaming audio fans out there, we've added more albums from the KRS back catalog to our official Youtube page! Tube on over to listen to Sleater-Kinney's albums Dig Me Out, The Hot Rock, All Hands On The Bad One and One Beat! We've also added The Advantage's Elf Titled album. Don't forget to subscribe to our Youtube page to be updated about all the latest videos!

MAIL-ORDER AND BANDCAMP TOP 5's
For those of you keeping score at home, here are the top 5 selling releases at our mail-order store and Bandcamp page during the period of July 03-15, 2014:

Mail-order Top 5
1. Hari Kondabolu - Waiting For 2042 CD + pin combo
2. Sleater-Kinney - Dig Me Out LP (1997)
3. Elliott Smith - From A Basement On The Hill 2LP (2004, re: 2010)
4. The Raincoats - The Raincoats LP (1979, re: 2009)
5. Heavens To Betsy - Calculated limited edition LP (1994, re: 2014)

Bandcamp Top 5
1. Hari Kondabolu - Waiting For 2042 (2014)
2. Kleenex/LiLiPUT - LiLiPUT (2001)
3. Marnie Stern - The Chornicles of Marnia (2014)
4. Elliott Smith - From A Basement On The Hill (2004, re: 2010)
5. Thao with the Get Down Stay Down - We Brave Bee Stings And All (2008)

Ah, Amy Linton!

The Aislers Set announce reissue of catalog & West Coast reunion shows

STREAM: The Aislers Set catalog sampler -
https://soundcloud.com/slumberland-records/sets/the-aislers-set-2014-reissue

Slumberland Records and Suicide Squeeze Records are proud to join together to re-release all three albums from seminal indie ­pop band The Aislers Set. The albums have been re­mastered, and in the case of How I Learned To Write Backwards, re­-sequenced. All three will feature new eco-­friendly CD packaging and will be available on vinyl LP for the first time in at least a decade. Furthermore, the band will play a select set of West Coast shows this Fall, and a new album of singles and rarities is being prepared for release in early 2015.

Terrible Things Happen (originally released in 1998) and The Last Match (orig. released in 2000) are the first releases in a projected year-long celebration of Slumberland's 25th anniversary, they will both be released on Sept. 23, 2014. How I Learned To Write Backwards (orig. released in 2002) will be issued on Suicide Squeeze on Oct. 14, 2014. Look for more reissues, special gigs and publications soon.

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THE AISLERS SET

09/22 - Seattle, WA - Neumos
09/23 - Portland, OR - Holocene
09/26 - Los Angeles, CA - Echoplex
09/28 - San Francisco, CA - The Chapel

About The Aislers Set

The Aislers Set occupy an enviable place in the pop pantheon. Brimming with drunken romanticism, sharp pop sensibilities and timeless melodies, The Aislers reveled in the history of great POP, spiking their classicist 60s­-tinged tunes with pure post­-punk energy and originality of bands like the Fire Engines and The June Brides. Every song is a meticulously constructed sound world, where the arrangement and instrumentation sublimely, uncannily bring each tune to completeness.

The Aislers Set began in 1998 as a vehicle for the songs of Amy Linton, who had most recently co-­led San Francisco's legendary Henry's Dress and drummed in Go Sailor with her pal Rose Melberg. With Henry's Dress she had helped guide the band from it's noise/drone beginnings to the explosive mod/punk fusion that made them such a force to be reckoned with. With The Aislers Set the original goal was just to write, record and document.

The result was the first Aislers Set album, 1998's Terrible Things Happen. Not content to merely (!) write some of the most sublime pop tunes this side of Ray Davies, Linton got busy in her garage studio and recorded and produced almost the whole record by herself. It's a remarkable feat, and a love for such producers as Phil Spector and Brian Wilson shines from each and every groove. This is no shameless 60's pastiche, though, with the echoes of classic pop past filtered through a totally 90's aesthetic. It's a beautiful, multi-layered record and a genuinely great achievement of home recording.

During the course of recording Terrible Things Happen, Linton was joined by some
friends who became the full­-band Aislers Set line­up: Alicia Vanden Heuvel on bass,
Yoshi Nakamoto on drums, Wyatt Cusick on guitar and Jen Cohen on keyboards. It's this fantastic line­up that toured the US and Japan in 1999 and put together the second album, 2000's The Last Match. Where Terrible Things Happen's synthesis of 60s mod-pop, 70s punk and 80s/90s indie flavors provided an end-­of­-the­-century summation of where pop had been and where it was heading, The Last Match upped the ante even further.

More ambitious in conception, The Last Match expanded the band's sound into more orchestral areas. While the songs are still driving and catchy as a fish hook, the arrangements are far more sophisticated. The instrumentation has been augmented by Jen's vintage keyboards/organs and various horns, giving the tunes the timeless feel of classic groups like the early Bee Gees, The Zombies and The Millennium. Still preferring to record in the garage where they were allowed unlimited time for experimentation, the band had no problem crafting an amazing sounding album that could have sprung fully-formed from the hallowed studios of Gold Star. This is no murky lo­-fi production, but a fully­ rounded and rich ­sounding recording with a warm, analog sound.

The Last Match was a roaring success, garnering fantastic reviews and spurring the band to tour the US, Japan and UK multiple times, with bands (and fans) including Belle & Sebastian, Black Dice, The Gossip, Erase Errata, Comet Gain and Sleater­-Kinney. The band even achieved the ultimate badge of indie honor, recording a session for the legendary John Peel. Even more, The Last Match established The Aislers Set as one of the most beloved indie­ pop bands of their generation. It was a must­listen album, one that fueled fond memories, sparked love affairs, set off spontaneous dance parties, and reminded us all of the power of songs and song­craft and POP. It's chiming guitars and indelible melodies were heard everywhere from London to Tokyo, from Glasgow to Malmo: with The Last Match, The Aislers truly came into their own.

2003 saw the release of the band's final album, How I Learned To Write Backwards. At once more baroque and edgier than its predecessor, How I Learned To Write Backwards expertly wound together so many strands of pop history with such personality, atmosphere and style that there's never any doubt that you're listening to a band with vision. Far from being a "name the reference" game, The Aislers used the past as inspiration rather than a blueprint, so the echoes you might hear of, say, Phil Spector's Wall of Sound or Laura Nyro's soulful lyricism are so well­ integrated into the Aislers' sound that they're more akin to the spice in the stew rather than the stock of the soup.

While the band had stopped playing and recording together by 2004 thanks to life
commitments, their reputation has only grown and sporadic reunion shows, most recently in NYC for the Chickfactor 20 celebration, have met with rapturous response.

THE AISLERS SET LINKS:

OFFICIAL SITE
SLUMBERLAND
SUICIDE SQUEEZE

Actual links: http://www.aislersset.com/
http://www.slumberlandrecords.com/
http://suicidesqueezerecords.tumblr.com/

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Today sees Cocteau Twins' Blue Bell Knoll and Heaven or Las Vegas return to vinyl racks in Europe.

The first time either have been pressed since release, both come on heavyweight black vinyl and are being cut from brand-new HD 96/24 masters.

You can buy Blue Bell Knoll from Rough Trade, Jumbo, Piccadilly, Resident, Bleep, Boomkat and 4AD (US).

You can buy Heaven or Las Vegas from Rough Trade, Jumbo, Piccadilly, Resident, Bleep, Boomkat and 4AD (US).

The albums are both available to stream on the platform of your choice:http://smarturl.it/rtyp9l Blue Bell Knoll / Heaven or Las Vegas.

Released in 1988, Blue Bell Knoll is the Cocteau Twins’ fifth studio album. Delivered after a slightly longer period between records than fans had been used to, this was the first they recorded in their own studio. Freed to now make music how they wanted and with no clock to beat, they rose to the challenge of producing it themselves with real aplomb, introducing a new pop sensibility to their sound, expressed through shorter, 'hookier' songs with occasionally intelligible lyrics. Sound On Sound magazine praised them for showing “an uncanny feel for contemporary sound possibilities without making even the slightest concessions towards the mainstream.”

Heaven or Las Vegas followed in 1990 and is recognised as their most commercially successful release, reaching number seven in the UK album charts. Numerous publications have since declared it one of the best albums of the 90s, Pitchfork calling it “a core of ungodly gorgeous songs that is every bit as moving and relevant today as it ever was.” Label founder Ivo Watts-Russell goes further, candidly revealing in the recent 4AD biography, Facing The Other Way, that this album wasn’t just his favourite Cocteaus album but also his favourite all-time 4AD album, and“by a long shot”, calling it “the perfect record.”

from Numero:

http://www.numerogroup.com/images/product_images/web/solaris-the-waves-of-the-evernow-1.jpg

THE WAVES OF THE EVERNOW LP

Influenced by Amon Düül, Richie Blackmoore, and The Art Ensemble of Chicago, Solaris's experimental mash of jazz, noise, and rock rendered a product darker and more ominous than that of their idols. Comprised of Jawxillion Loeb on guitar, Karellen XOR on Farfisa Organ, and Ed Kramer on drums, the Hyde Park trio's arsenal of amplifiers and effects had to be hauled to performances via U-Haul. Despite their tonnage, Solaris rarely rarely performed outside of Alice's Revisted, a North Side juice bar that booked an inordinate number of blues legends, rising rock icons, and doubled as headquarters for pot zine, The Seed.

In 1973, the band holed up in a 15’x20’ basement rehearsal space at the corner of 54th and Blackstone in residential Hyde Park to record. Two colored light bulbs hung from the ceiling, one representing the red universe, the other the blue universe. One side of the room was filled with instruments while the other, a reel-to-reel tape recorder. The vocals and organ were run through the same Twin Reverb amplifier, while three echoplex tape delay units ran at various speeds, giving their in-the-red recordings a wash of rich distortion. Despite interest from Styx producer John Ryan and Saul Smaizys of WXRT's Triad Radio, the band’s recordings were never formally released.

Available only through the Numero Group website in a limited edition of 500, all orders will include a digital download of the release plus a download of the band's 1970's live performance at The Metaphysical Festival, held at the Headquarters of the Theosophical Society of Wheaton, Illinois

(LP is $25, mp3 is $10)

From Drag City:

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We already introduced you to his music, now Drag City invites you into the home and mind of Matthew Young! A reissue of Young's 1981 New Age masterpiece, Recurring Dreams, is set to hit the shelves on July 22nd, courtesy of yours truly and Yoga Records. Detailed minds will recall, Drag City and Yoga teamed up to bring you Matthew Young's Traveler's Advisory back in the 2010. Recurring Dreams happens to be that album's precursor (the fabric of time wrinkles, friend), and equally as potent! This intimate video (shot by Douglas Mcgowan of Yoga) provides a never before seen look into Matthew's influences and motivations for recording Recurring Dreams. His eccentric surroundings take center stage and offer a glimpse into his magical world. Breathe deeply and take it all in--Recurring Dreams will soon fill your nights.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MH7nKiQuwcc&feature=youtu.be

Brace yourselves for more Drag City copy:

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...So we are very pleased to present you with special editions of three of Drag City’s earliest singles for a special Record Store Day of your own choosing. Three titles that changed the world! Our world, that is. DC1 - the one that almost ended it all before it really started! Any venture with Royal Trux was a straight-up GAMBLE in 1990, but not only did we manage to sell through a few thousand of these babies in a mere two-plus years, we also managed to make money on another couple dozen Royal Trux releases over the next decade. Plus, the record's great! "Hero Zero" b/w "Love Is..." are you kidding?
Or what about DC2 - the one that almost broke us on Billboard, how about that! (it would be another fifteen years before we got that close). Yes, Pavement are remembered for a few things - and "Demolition Plot J-7" might just be one of them! It's a great li'l 7"EP, with early hits like "Forklift," "Recorder Grot" and "Perfect Depth." A polar opposite in so many ways from Royal Trux, thus determining what we around the office (apartment, broom closet) would call "our aesthetic" - polar opposites!
For the third of this early trifecta of short-play classics, we have DC8, the "I Hear the Devil Calling Me" 7"EP from New Zealand's Xpressway label. Little remembered today (except by geeks - and us (geeks)), Xpressway was run by The Dead C's Bruce Russell, himself a part of the original third-wave of Down Under-Mania, and he had what it took to draw all the best NZ talent to his doorstep (a strong pair of lungs!). Thus, we have mini-hits from all the biggies of back then - Alastair Galbraith! Peter Jefferies! Gate! Cyclops! A Handful of Dust! Dadameh! Stephen Kilroy! Queen Meanie Puss! David Mitchell! OLLA! The Dead C, and The Renderers, whose rendition of the title track haunts our synapses to this day. How are they all squashed on to one 7"? Simple - super short songs! It only makes great records better - like this single, and all three, really!
They're each pressed on audiophile gold(like) vinyl, and the Trux and Pavement records are packaged in all-new, audiophile sleeves (tip-on, bitch!). The Xpressway single goes them one better, being sold in orignal/NOS sleeves! WHAT.
Any day you go to the record store is Record Store Day - so Happy Record Store Day from all of us at Drag Motherfuckin' City!

Is that for the Record Store Day coming up in November?!

a special Record Store Day of your own choosing.

Alright then.

I saw I Hear the Devil Calling me at a record store yesterday, so I guess yesterday was record store day, except I didn't buy it.