Welcoming you to the first newness of March with a really superb set.
Hello, Friends.
Here are our first batch of new releases for March 2021, including Flock, our March Album of the Month from Jane Weaver.
As fans of everything she has ever done, we can say with confidence that we think this is her best LP to date, it's a perfect psych-pop album. She pulls in all sorts of timbres and tones and uses them so deftly to create something weird, addictive, dreamy and so distinctly her. Each song is unique, but as an album it's gloriously cohesive and we have been playing it back-to-back for ages. A real gem.
+ Indie exclusive vinyl is pressed on Cream Vinyl.
+ Standard LP is pressed on Light Rose Vinyl.
Our first Record of the Week for March is Heaven And Holy, Jeremy Earl (of Woods) and Glenn Donaldson (of Skygreen Leopards / The Reds, Pinks & Purples) in fine collaborative form under the name Painted Shrines. They really have delivered such a chiller here, the pace is just lush as it meanders between catchy psych-pop and drifting instrumentals. All the good vibes.
+ Super-limited pressing on colour vinyl.
Hill, Flower, Fog is the stunning new album on RVNG INTL from Emily A Sprague. We first really became aware of her on last year's essential Breathing Instruments compilation, so we're really hyped for this beautiful long-player. Six free-flowing modular synth meditations, tiny details and vast echoes, it's very special indeed.
As Days Get Dark is the deliciously dark return of Arab Strap, their first in some sixteen years. "It's about hopelessness and darkness," says Aidan Moffat. "But in a fun way." There is a humour, but it really is through a lurid sort of bleakness, no one does that better!
+ Indie LP is pressed on Two-Tone Colour vinyl.
+ Would you like to win this signed test pressing? Order the album this week/weekend and we'll put you into the hat. Visit our Instagram page for a no purchase option.
A Call to Arms is the new LP from Visionist and his first in partnership with Mute. Such lush soundscapes, really cosmic stuff and the guest vocals from Haley Fohr (Circuit des Yeux) and Morgan Simpson (Black Midi) are particularly good.
+ Pressed on White vinyl.
Cedars is the stunning ninth album in the Field Works series. Beautifully organic ambient music accompanied by Arabic and English spoken word. The album is narrated by Youmna Saba and H.C. McEntire. Instrumentalists include Marisa Anderson, Fadi Tabbal, Dena El Saffar, Danny Paul Grody, Bob Hoffnar, Tomás Lozano, Nathan Bowles, Alex Roldan, Youmna Saba, and Stuart Hyatt.
+ LP includes Risograph comic book by renowned illustrator María Medem.
Maverick Thinker is the new long-player from William The Conqueror. Thoughtful lamentations against spacious and brash rock 'n' roll fuzz.
+ Indie LP is pressed on Silver coloured vinyl.
JP4 is the pounding new LP from Junglepussy, New York’s premier rap rule-breaker Shayna McHayle. Sick and stylised hip-hop, excellent stuff.
Love Here Listen is the new LP from Barbarossa, a.k.a. British singer-songwriter and producer James Mathé. Retains that melancholic acoustic craft but using electronic tools and shapes to euphoric effect.
Australian duo Divide and Dissolve release Gas Lit on Invada. Searing instrumental music that falls somewhere between metal and classical, really intense, enjoying this a lot.
After a little bit of back-and-forth, we have The Wedding Present's Locked Down & Stripped Back in the building. The band have always courted low-key, but here they make it into their own. We will have more stock due to arrive with us in the coming weeks if you missed out.
Long Shadows is a new retrospective on Rocket Recordings for Providence, Rhode Island's blistering psych-rockers Urdog. We've been enjoying digging deeper here, plenty of face melters and weird trips.
+ Limited Indie shop LP is pressed on gold coloured vinyl.
Show Me How You Disappear is the new album from Jilian Medford as Ian Sweet. Such a fascinating one, this. Mesmeric and positively kaleidoscopic electronic music with really varied and fascinating production. We've gone back to this quite a bit this week already.
+ Limited pressing on Clear Blue colour vinyl.
+ There is a really great interview and long read on Pitchfork for those wanting to get a little more involved on this one. Pitchfork.
Also this week, When You See Yourself is the return of Kings Of Leon (which you may have read as being the first album ever released as a NFT), our copies are on good, old-fashioned Cream colour vinyl. Live At Brixton captures DMA's in full flight last March, pretty much on the eve of lockdown. We're not suggesting any of it was their fault. Available on limited Smoke Effect vinyl and includes a signed 12”x 8” art card. Sand marks the dreamy return of Balthazar, we have really limited copies on Yellow vinyl.
We took stock of the first wave of Madlib's Sound Ancestors (on the USA Madlib Invazion label). We'll be posting our preorders chronologically and a reminder that we'll have a second wave arriving later this month so do feel free to preorder.
Lastly this week, Pleasure, Joy and Happiness is the new solo LP from the visionary Eddie Chacon. He is widely known as Eddie of chart topping soul duo Charles and Eddie, but his CV is weird, varied and fascinating. This is a cathartic comeback, an album that sounds like it could have been recorded at almost any point over the last thirty-odd years, he's really got chops.
At this point we'd normally be talking about compilations and reissues, but there are actually loads and loads of really brilliant things to cover... Too many! So much like last week, tomorrow you will be receiving a not-new Records of the Week email including: Nancy Sinatra, Japan, Chet Baker, Guided By Voices and three superb compilations from Light In The Attic, Numero and Soul Jazz... Are they the best guys out there at doing it? We'd vote yes!
- Drift
