The treasure of Zambia, a couple from the Blue note vaults and a San Jose punishing.
Today’s main event in these parts is Radio Lusaka, the first-ever vinyl compilation of Alick Nkhata. Alongside his wonderful voice and artistry, the broadcaster and music archivist was also hugely important and deeply connected to Zambia's fight for freedom and journey towards independence. Rooted in Bemba and other African traditional songs and rhythms, Nkhata moves effortlessly between lonesome country hues and big band pop (of sorts), able to spark utter joy with just a few quick lines. Such timeless tones, this really is utterly fantastic. An instant classic.
The liner notes on this one are really great too, featuring lyric translations by Zambian author Ellen Banda-Aaku and in-depth notes by scholar Jamal Khadar.
First pressed in 2017, Numero have gone back to the vaults and deliver the unbelievably loud Silent Dynamic Torture this week from San Jose’s Super Static Fever. The trio only played a handful of gigs in their two-year existence before unceremoniously disappearing. Twenty-five years later, the revered Steve Albini mixed the results of two ear-splitting sessions - as was the band’s one condition for the reissue - that had been recorded to tape, capturing the punishing walls of sounds. Brittle clattering drums, bleak and pounding bass and crescendos of Marshall-stacked distortion. Love it.
As Numero explained; ‘A band that played so loud their entire fan base went deaf and never spoke of them again’... not quite, but kinda!
Also nice and loud, we have a special fifth anniversary repress of Bedroom, the 2020 debut album by bdrmm. The HU5 Edition - named after a postcode in their native Hull - is pressed on black and amber vinyl and features alternate artwork and a printed lyric insert. A bloody good din we say.
We have two real nice releases as part of the Blue Note Classic Vinyl series.
Recorded in 1967 but not released until posthumously in 1978, Lee Morgan’s The Procrastinator is a gorgeous set with differing moods. Cuts like Party Time are full of swinging cocktail energy, whereas Rio and Dear Sir are pensive and searching. Bobby Hutcherson’s vibraphone gives everything a lush lightness and the rest of the sextet was Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter and Billy Higgins… so it’s understandably got it going on!
Also recorded in the sixties and not released until the seventies, saxophonist Wayne Shorter’s The Soothsayer is a proper hard-driver. Another crack band, with trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, alto saxophonist James Spaulding, pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Ron Carter and drummer Tony Williams. The pace is pretty thrilling, some moments of space, but otherwise full of hot heat and fast lead lines.
Both albums are stereo, all-analog, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes, and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal.
Lastly, today, we stretch the ‘Best New Reissues’ title to the fullest with a fifteen month anniversary edition of Billie Eilish’s third album, HIT ME HARD AND SOFT. This celebratory edition is pressed on bio-vinyl dark blue and orange splatter with the original cover printed on silver mirror foil board.
You got that we meant stretching the ‘reissues’ bit rather than the ‘best’ bit right? We are down with Billie and this is a nice pressing.
