A drizzling approach to mid-summer in Devon, but the shelves are looking immaculate with new riches.
Hello, Friends.
Record of the Week is the return of the Boss with the swooning and Country tinged Western Stars. Bruce Springsteen will always sound inescapably like Bruce Springsteen, but the devil is always in the detail. This new album is a rich collection of orchestral-wrapped but beautifully intimate songs, and he sounds absolutely fantastic. His voice is strong, rich but full of melancholy. The second half of the album in particular is a little bit of an instant classic.
+ Limited indie shop colour vinyl pressing.
Satis Factory is the second studio LP from Mattiel Brown on Heavenly. Big euphoric stuff, one part classic Garage RnB and Pop, one part future leaning with some very smart writing and production. Besides the great pop songs, she just doesn't sound like anyone else, and that is rare and exciting.
+ Limited First pressing on Neon Yellow vinyl + booklet
Calexico and Iron & Wine reunite forces following 2005's In the Reins EP with a full album in Years to Burn. Sounds like both of them but with plenty of low key surprises, it creates a really luscious spell.
+ Indie Edition LP pressed on turquoise coloured vinyl.
The Book of Traps and Lessons is the new studio LP from poet Kate Tempest. Crafted over the last five years with producers Rick Rubin and Dan Carey, it's powerful and pretty bleak. Far from easy going but a fascinating statement and pretty enthralling.
+ Available as a Deluxe CD in a hardback format with a 32 page booklet.
June's Record of the Month is released Friday and it is a hugely welcome return from our guy, Bill Callahan. Shepherd in a Sheepskin Vest is the double album return of one of the finest storytellers from this, or any generation of songwriters. His voice is positively magnetic, even more laid back and collected than ever before. It's an album about domesticity and recognising the small miracles in the possibly mundane, even in these mini moments the gravitas feels huge but sunny.
Even as huge fans, it's impossible not to see this new album as a masterpiece and one of his finest works, in a career of fine works.
Californian singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist David Allred returns on Erased Tapes with the mini album The Cell. Some beautiful piano meditations.
Origin is the third full-length release for the London-based, New-Zealand born and Australian-raised Jordan Rakei. Really tight pop/RnB production, tightly wound and his vocal is both strong and really effortless.
+ Indie LP is on White vinyl.
Perfect Version is the solo LP from Chastity Belt's Julia Shapiro. Lush moments of indie jangle that just further accent the introspective downs, it's an album of big feels and she is such a direct voice that you really get it. Highly recommended.
+ First run of the LP is pressed on royal blue coloured vinyl.
Pale Bloom finds Sarah Davachi coming full circle. After abandoning the piano studies of her youth for a series of albums utilising everything from pipe and reed organs to analog synthesizers. The prolific Los Angeles-based composer returns to her first instrument and the quiet minimalism is really quiet overwhelming, special stuff this.
+ Indie LP on Clear vinyl
A few limited edition 12"s this week;
* Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds release the Black Star Dancing EP, includes a limited edition pressed on light pink coloured vinyl.
* Jacco Gardner releases Fading Cosmos, which was created in the same sessions as last year's Somnium album. Some hypnotic magic right here.
* BIIIIIIIIIG return from Burial with Claustro / State Forest. Not many of these, just added a few more online.
Self Discovery for Social Survival is a collaborative film between Mexican Summer and Pilgrim Surf and Supply, a New York-based surf and outdoor brand. The soundtrack to Self Discovery for Social Survival follows Allah Las, Connan Mockasin, Andrew VanWyngarden (MGMT) and Peaking Lights across Mexico, Iceland and The Maldives with professional surfers whilst Dungen and Jefre Cantu-Ledesma provide additional original material for the journey. It has a vibe of all it's own this one, really chill.
Vinyl reissue of Emmy The Great’s debut album First Love. The album is accompanied by new liner notes by Emmy plus a digital download code of full album and bonus tracks.
We're always mystified that more of you don't go nuts for Hank Williams... he's amazing. So here is a great place to start, for the first time ever on vinyl: The Complete Hank Williams Health & Happiness Radio Shows. Triple Vinyl in Triple Gatefold Packaging.
UMC reissue a double vinyl pressing of 'The Original Version' of Bob Marley & The Wailers' Legend.
We sold out of Tangerine Dream's In Search of Hades: The Virgin Recordings 1973 – 1979 on preorder, but we MIGHT have a few more... email if you need one.
Domino continue their Buzzcocks series with Singles Going Steady and A Different Kind of Tension both getting new editions 9both on limited colour vinyl too!)
Finders Keepers reissue Suzanne Ciani unheard 1969 album based on Charles Baudelaire's Flowers Of Evil. Four tracks featuring the recital of the poem accompanied by Ciani on the Buchla, a lush and rich science fiction score.
The End of Radio is the sixth album from Shellac, weighing in at 01:02:03. As always, audio quality is paramount with Shellac and the album was mastered by Chicago Mastering Service, manufactured at RTI in Camarillo, CA and the pressings are 180 gram audiophile quality. The record comprises of two recordings (1994 and 2004) for the John Peel BBC radio show.
Unknown Pleasures - one of the most seminal and impactful records ever recorded - gets a 40th Anniversary Edition release. Pressed on a one-time run of ruby red coloured vinyl, Joy Division'sremarkable debut album. Dropping the needle on She's Lost Control still feels nothing short of black magic. The alternative artwork is really nice too. We're down to about 30 copies left, don't miss out!
Thanks for reading, hope you get some good ideas above to get you through this grey spell. You know where we are!
- Drift
