Country hues from both sides of the Atlantic, plus all the swears and desert psychedelia.
Our Record of the Week is the gorgeous Valentine from American singer-songwriter Courtney Marie Andrews. She has a beautiful voice and could pretty much sing the phone book to enchanting effect, but this new set really highlights what a great songwriter she is, and how she has continually found new space in Americana. Flashes of rawness, lots of restraint and honesty too. You can feel she is holding back, but that's kind of the magic. It’s one for repeat plays.
+ Available as a limited Dinked Edition.
+ Available as on Gold colour vinyl.
So Much Country ‘Till We Get There is the new EP from the much raved about Westside Cowboy. We saw them play a while back and have to be honest, it’s clear to see why they get much raved about. They have that little element of slacker American Country bleeding into the corners of what they do that harks to the Gold Soundz of Pavement - and you got to know how rarely we’d make that connection. It’s pretty dynamic stuff; loud and quiet, fast and slow and Aoife Anson O’Connell’s voice is the silver bullet.
They’re back! Sleaford Mods return this week with The Demise Of Planet X, an album that is all about subtle evolution (this is their 13th album!) without deviating too far from the path. The timbres of Andrew Fearn’s production have more scope, and Jason Williamson brings ever more nuance to his words whilst still listing every swear word known to man at impressive speed.
+ Available on limited Neon Green Marble colour vinyl.
+ Come see us for custom bags and stickers.
Essam is the fourth album from Tuareg rock band Imarhan and it’s a euphoric new direction for their sound. Less blues-driven, finding new space in more psychedelic vibes. The riffs are still knotty and addictive, but it’s the vocals and voices that are very much at the centre of this new record. Sad, in an uplifting way. Good energy.
+ Available on Exclusive Transparent Petrol colour vinyl.
Bridging the new releases and reissues this week is A New Place 2 Drown. To mark the 10th anniversary of Archy Marshall’s (aka King Krule) A New Place 2 Drown, XL Recordings release of a newly remastered instrumental edition. Magic from the murk!
The week’s Best New Reissues is actually focused entirely on Goat’s evergreen World Music, back in press (with the sick die-cut sleeve) and sounding as hypnotic as ever. We did use the opportunity of slightly emptier racks however to go hard on Essential restocks with much to check out, and we finally have Kara-Lis Coverdale’s stunning Changes in Air album in the building. It was our November Record of the Month and really is very special indeed.
