Tampa Calling

Vinyl:

Antony & the Johnsons – Aeon 7”
New single from ‘The Crying Light’. Includes the earnest and impassioned cover of Beyonce’s “Crazy in Love.”

Assjack – Assjack
Death-metal band founded and fronted by Hank III.

Fruit Bats – The Ruminant Band
Using bright melodies, defiantly major-key chord structures, natural imagery mixed with the occasional blazing insight and tender observation, The Ruminant Band marks a further crystallization of singer/songwriter Eric Johnson’s own melodic instincts and overall vision.

Guided By Voices – Under the Bushes, Under the Stars 2xLP+MP3
The last GBV album with the original lineup of Pollard-Sprout-Mitchell-Fennell. Beautiful original gatefold packaging. Double HQ-180 vinyl includes download code.

Gus Gus – 24 / 7
Sixth album from the Icelandic electronic/dance collective.

Jimi Hendrix – Live at Woodstock
2XHQ-180gram LPs.

Julian Plenty – Julian Plenty is Skyscraper
Solo album from Paul Banks — lead singer of Interpol. This varied album runs the gamut from folk-tinged acoustic songs to orchestral guitar anthems.

Jay Reatard – Watch Me Fall LP+MP3
Vinyl now, CD due August 18.

Sian Alice Group – Troubled, Shaken, Etc.
You get your minimalist trances, electronic experimentation, techno thump, jazz motifs and Eastern music tropes. A complete listening experience. Read the rest of this entry »

Vinyl:

10 Ft. Ganja Plant – Bush Rock
The band’s first studio recording in five years, Bush Rock includes vocals by Kyle McDonald of Slightly Stoopid. A well-rounded reggae/dub excursion that features both heavy dub tracks and silky sweet songs.

Deceh – Deceh
Deceh is a fine drone quartet utilizing traditional ethnic drone instruments as well as vintage analog synthesizers.

Green Day – Warning
Latest vinyl reissue of Green Day’s back catalog.

Holy Modal Rounders – Good Taste is Timeless
From the Greenwich Village acid-folkies — a 1971 cult classic.

Joy Division – Love Will Tear Us Apart 12″
Newly remastered with a 12″ bonus remix.

Al Kooper & Mike Bloomfield – Super Session
This historic 1968 summit meeting features three of the era’s greatest musical talents: blues guitar hero extraordinaire Mike Bloomfield, multi-talented keyboard visionary Al Kooper and Buffalo Springfield/CSNY founder Stephen Stills.

Morphine – Yes
HQ-180 audiophile vinyl reissue of Morphine’s third album, originally released in 1995. Read the rest of this entry »

VINYL:

Bad Religion – Stranger Than Fiction
Collectible red vinyl reissue of the Southern California-based band’s Atlantic Records 1994 debut album (and eighth of their career). Mastered from the original analog tapes, featuring guest riffs from the MC5’s Wayne Kramer.

Bikini Kill – New Radio 7”
Re-issue featuring feminist punk anthem “Rebel Girl” and produced by Joan Jett. Still relevant.

Billy Childish – Archive From 1959: The Billy Childish Story 3xLP
This 51-track collection offers a look at the more rock & roll aspects of Childish’s career.

Discovery – LP LP+MP3
Now available on vinyl.

DJ Premier – Instrumental World Vol. 39 3XLP
Here, he has compiled 40 DJ Premier produced instrumentals. Hits from the likes of Gangstarr, Nas, Big L, Jay-Z, Lord Finnesse, Notorious B.I.G and many more. Perfect for DJs!

I Roy – Original Deejay At King Tubby’s
A collection of some of his greatest works to date. I Roy (born Roy Reid) worked as an accountant for the government in the mid-60s, during this time he saw DJing as more of a hobby. Due to the rise in popularity of DJs in the late-60s he established and operated Turbo Sonic Sound. He then started to take the business more seriously and went on to record a string of hits with various producers of the time. Bunny Lee, one of Jamaica’s finest producers, produced some of I Roy’s most popular tracks, which we have right here on one big album. All tracks recorded and mixed at King Tubby’s Studio.

Magnolia Electric Co. – Josephine
Magnolia Electric Co.’s fifth full-length, Josephine, is a concept album that pays tribute to the life and spirit of fallen bassist Evan Farrell. It contains some of the strongest songs Jason Molina has written. He’s approached the universal loneliness before, but never in such a focused, directed manner.

Modest Mouse – Perpetual Motion Machine 7”
Limited edition — b/w “History Sticks To Your Feet.”

Fats Navarro – Fats Blows
Trumpeter Fats Navarro is largely considered one of the lost geniuses of the bop movement. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s been three years since Soviet-American songstress Regina Spektor first enchanted us with the soul-pop perfection of Begin to Hope and proved herself a storyteller with a keen sense of detail and drama, a confident singer with a broad vocal range — from high and pure to low and sensual — and a poet with a unique use of words and an alluring inflection, not as if English were her second language, but as if she’s established a whole new charming style of speaking.

The follow-up and Spektor’s fifth studio album doesn’t quite attain the catchy ease of its predecessor, but far (Sire Records) carries its own abundance of appeal.

In the bouncy opening track, “The Calculation,” Spektor playfully ponders the mathematical equation of love and the surprising fury of its burn while in “Folding Chair,” she enjoys a casual day at the beach with her sweetheart and daydreams of domestic bliss (“Let’s get a silver bullet trailer, and have a baby boy / I’ll safety pin his clothes all cool and you’ll graffiti up his toys”). “The Wallet” shows her way of making the mundane seem remarkable with a touching ballad about finding someone’s lost wallet, and she combines quiet, abstract contemplation with grandiose stretches of piano and rhythmic flourishes in the melancholy yet somehow uplifting “Eet.” (Video after the jump) Read the rest of this entry »

I think it is safe to say that we are all “RIOT”ed out.

In 2007, Paramore proved itself as a band not to be reckoned with, putting out single after single, and continually making it to the top of the charts with songs like “Misery Business,” “Crush Crush Crush” and “Decode,” which hit the radio and moved into the homes and iPods of teens all over the world.

If you’re a Paramore fan, I have some good news. The band released a new single, “Ignorance,” on July 6. The song is more of a push towards punk-rock than previous Paramore albums. Frontwoman Hayley Williams recently told a journalist from Entertainment Weekly’s Music Mix blog, “the album is really soley based on friendship and betrayal, losing people you thought would be there forever, and then maybe either finding them again or not finding them again.”

These ideas are more than apparent in “Ignorance.” The new single illustrates a more confident Paramore, perhaps due to their recent flush of fame. Could this tune be aimed at ex-band members or maybe even ex-boyfriends? We may not ever know, but listening to it brings us closer to Hayley, in a way. “Ignorance” is spunky and catchy — watch out, it could get stuck in your head for weeks after listening. The single is available on iTunes or at Paramore’s official website. The new album, Brand New Eyes, will hit stores September 29. You can pre-order it now, also on their website. (Check out the new single performed live after the jump.)

Read the rest of this entry »

Brought straight to your desktops by Lee at Vinyl Fever.

VINYL:

AA Bondy – American Hearts
Their latest (2008) release, now available on vinyl.

Amon Duul II – Yeti
“Yeti” was the second album by Amon Duul II and is quite a musical achievement. This is a double LP set and contains some of Amon Duul’s most impressive work – delivering their thick, full-fledged, multi-layered sound with dense instrumentation and a certain epic vastness. This is Krautrock in the full depth of its power: huge, towering, dark and completely devoid of any happy optimism, but still bound full of energy. An essential bit of the psych/prog era. Released with the original artwork.

Beastie Boys - Ill Communication
Deluxe reissue features the original album remastered and a bonus disc of 12 rarities, live tracks and B-sides.

David Bowie – Man Who Sold The World
David Bowie – Pinups
High-end Simply Vinyl label pressings.

The Clash – The Clash
The Clash – Give ‘Em Enough Rope
The Clash – Combat Rock
High-end Simply Vinyl label pressings.

The Dead Weather – Horehound
The latest musical adventure by Jack White epitomizes the alt-rock ethic: do the music you love, do it yourself, and do it fast. The Dead Weather brings together lead singer Alison Mosshart (half of the London-based lo-fi post-punk duo The Kills), Queens Of The Stone Age guitarist Dean Fertita, The Raconteurs’ bassist Jack Lawrence, and White on drums and vocals.

Iggy & The Stooges – More Power
Digitally remastered collection of rare studio recordings from the Raw Power era.

Son Volt – American Central Dust
Now available on vinyl. Read the rest of this entry »

Punknews.org reported this week that Long Island emo-rockers Brand New named and dated their upcoming fourth album. And One Head Can Never Die is scheduled to drop September 22, sandwiched between new albums by Muse (9/14, hopefully the next day in the U.S.) and AFI (9/29).

UPDATE: According to Aversion.com, Brand New renamed their forthcoming album Daisy.

As much as I love and revere Muse, my hopes and expectations are even higher for Brand New. While frontman Jesse Lacey never hesitated to elaborate his deepest, inner-most feelings even dating back to their pop-punk-leaning debut Your Favorite Weapon (2001), the musical progression showcased on the band’s two successive albums dwarfs his still-impressive growth as a lyricist. Deja Entendu (2003) and The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me (2006) find two almost completely different bands, each superior to the last.

With Brand New progressing by leaps and bounds with each release, why does the end now draw near? (VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP) Read the rest of this entry »

VINYL:

Those Darlins release their self-titled debut today; more after the jump.

Against Me – The Original Cowboy
Album comprised of demos from 2003’s As The Eternal Cowboy.

Animal Collective – Summertime Clothes 12”
Highlights the warm weather standout jam “Summertime Clothes,” accompanied by remixes from Dam-Funk (Stones Throw), Zomby (Hyperdub), and L.D. (Hyperdub).

Broken Records – Until The Earth Begins To Part
Scottish seven-piece releases their debut. They’ve already been tipped for greatness by NME, Q, and The Word. “Epic, swirling, joyfully mysterious music with a warmth and heart.” —The Guardian

Budos Band – Budos Band EP
One of the most exciting of the Daptone label bands is The Budos Band, and they’re whetting our appetite for the upcoming Budos Band III full-length with this vinyl-only EP that gives the trademark horn-driven and bass-heavy Budos funk another slot in your collection. Includes a free MP3 download card.

Cat Power – Covers Record
HQ-180 vinyl reissue.

The Donnas – Greatest Hits Volume 16
A comprehensive album featuring a mix of new songs, never-before-heard B-sides and live recordings, as well as re-recorded classics and previously unreleased tracks. Read the rest of this entry »

This week, R&B artist Maxwell releases his fourth studio album and first new effort in eight years years, BLACKsummers’night, on Columbia. The release is available as a two-disc CD/DVD deluxe set that includes 5DAYSofBLACK, a film inspired by the making of the album. Maxwell recently released a series of excerpts from the film that take a rather interesting behind-the-scenes peek at the way he put it together. The featured tracks are “Cold,” (which features long-time Maxwell collaborator, producer/songwriter Hod David), “Pretty Wings,” “Stop the World” and “Help Somebody.” Check out all four previews after the jump; Maxwell plays Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater Thursday, July 30. Read the rest of this entry »

Vinyl:

Fugazi – 3 Songs (7″)
Originally recorded in 1989.

Levon Helm – Electric Dirt
Electric Dirt again finds Levon steeped in tradition in his connection to the land and those who live by it, but this record goes deeper and wider, incorporating gospel, blues and soul elements in a bracing collection of originals and carefully chosen outside songs.

Wilco – Wilco (The Album) LP+CD
Wilco’s seventh combines the intimacy of its previous studio disc, Sky Blue Sky, with the experimentation of A Ghost Is Born in a set that boasts strong melodies and often unabashedly pop arrangements. LP includes the album on a CD.

Pete Yorn – Back & Fourth

Read the rest of this entry »

It used to be that MTV would overplay videos to such a degree that it was impossible not to know the latest singles by Madonna, or Prince, or Michael Jackson (may he RIP). Those artists blew wads of cash to make miniature movies for their songs. (Michael and sister Janet’s 1995 acclaimed video duet, “Scream,” cost $7 million alone to produce.)

Nowadays, MTV doesn’t play videos so much as it airs clips of them during the closing credits of its neverending reality TV programming, so many artists have turned to YouTube to get the vids out and are likely alot more budget conscious when making them. The results vary from fun and inspired to downright garbage. Here’s a look at two Moby videos created in support of his ninth album (out today on Little Idiot). I’ve also included a preview clip of Bjork’s live Voltaic CD/DVD release. (Complete clips from the DVD would be nice but sadly, there are leaked or uploaded as yet.)

Artist: Moby
Album: Wait for Me
Songs: “Shot in the Back of the Head,” “Pale Horses.”
Both of Moby’s new singles have intrigued me with their raw electro-meets-organic feel. The video for “Shot in the Back of the Head” is David Lynch’s dark and abstract translation of the song, which is rather gloomy all on its own; and “Pale Horses,” the second single with haunting female vocals by Amelia and melancholy overtones, is directed by Elanna Allen and follows a lonely alien who takes a train to the moon to find some companions. Both are animated, but in very different styles.
Grade: A for both; the music was good and the videos compelling enough to make me want to check out Moby’s new album. (CHECK OUT THE VIDEOS AFTER THE JUMP). Read the rest of this entry »

Uh oh, the 40th anniversary of Woodstock is about a month and a half away. Did you remember? If not, it’s probably due to the distinct lack of buzz, seeing as there is no official concert scheduled, although boosters keep adding “as yet” in hopes that original co-producer Michael Lang will manage to put together a show in New York’s Prospect Park.

A handful of mostly lame events are planned for different parts of the country, and a tour called Heroes of Woodstock — featuring Mountain, Jefferson Starship, Tom Constanten (repping Grateful Dead) and others — has 16 dates on the books (none in the Southeast). In all, though, it would seem as if folks have other things on their mind than memorializing the watershed cultural event.

That doesn’t mean it’s a complete wasteland. Sony Music has released a well-thought-out group of reissues called The Woodstock Experience, five two-CD packages pairing a classic 1969 album and a complete Woodstock performance. Sony catalog artists Santana, Janis Joplin, Johnny Winter, Jefferson Airplane and Sly and the Family Stone got the treatment.

Thirty-three acts performed at the Woodstock Music & Art Fair from Aug. 15-18, 1969, including such long-forgotten names as Quill, Sweetwater, Keef Hartley Band and Bert Sommer. (The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Bob Dylan, The Byrds and a handful of lesser-knowns declined invitations. Jeff Beck, Iron Butterfly and Joni Mitchell canceled.)

Only a handful of the performances have been immortalized, mostly via the 1970 film Woodstock and its soundtrack. And Sony can legitimately boast three of them in this collection: Sly, Santana and Joplin. Winter did not make it into the movie and while Jefferson Airplane were represented with two songs in celluloid, their set has not earned the same historical cachet as the top three.

Let’s have us a closer look at these twofers. I’ve ranked them on their merit as live performances. Read the rest of this entry »

Mohawk Bomb Records announced today the release of the debut EP from Ascending to Avalon, whose Soundgarden-meets-Minus-the-Bear throwback riff rock and psychedelic sensibility make them a prime choice to fans of Led Zeppelin, Black Crowes, Foo Fighters and Open Hand.

“Wake the Sleeping Sun” is a 7-song eclectic blend of styles that shows the band’s talent and diversity. Ascending to Avalon was started in March 2008, when Ryen Gerson (vocals, guitar) started jamming with Lance Miller (drums) and Eric Bourne (guitar) on some material that sat around in the depths of his mind. The trio quickly formed a bond which led them to record over 20 original songs and put forth a rough demo recorded in Ryen’s basement. In October 2008, producer Ivan Pena started working with the band and the result was “Wake the Sleeping Sun”, an eclectic display of the band’s range of influences, full of radio rock appeal.

Listen below the jump:

Read the rest of this entry »

Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse
Dark Night of the Soul

From the first reports of a new project by artist/producer Danger Mouse and singer/multi-instrumentalist Sparklehorse (Mark Linkous), to the freaky 16-second video revealing filmmaker David Lynch’s hand in its artistic direction, to its Internet leak after the dispute with EMI turned into a permanently unresolved issue, Dark Night of the Soul has been generating a shadow-shrouded hype that reflects the album’s own bewitching eeriness.

The 13 songs were written by DM and SH in collaboration with a noteworthy cast of nearly a dozen guests, who not only provided vocals but helped compose and produce their respective tracks. Each one retains its own individual feel, but all remain within Dark Night’s moody boundaries and feature DM’s skilled multi-layering production techniques. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s about time Incubus graced us with their musical presence again. For the past three years we’ve had to make do with listening to their 2006 album Light Grenades. Don’t get me wrong — my ears thoroughly enjoyed it (It was, after all,  No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200), but after a good week of replaying the CD in my car, I carelessly tossed it in the back seat and retrograded back to my faithful Led Zeppelin collection.

I almost forgot all about my long-time love of Incubus. But I have good news friends; They’re back! Monuments and Melodies hit stores June 15th and it has been playing in my car and on my laptop ever since. The two-disc album showcases their greatest hits and new favorites to add to your list. For fans, this disc a must-have.

Read the rest of this entry »

VINYL:

Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso UFO – Dark Side Of The Black Moon: What Planet Are We On?
More proggy psych from Acid Mothers Temple — mixes Pink Floyd with fuzzy wah guitars and cosmic sounds. Double LP includes an exclusive bonus D-side track.

Neko Case – Middle Cyclone

Dinosaur Jr. - Farm
Double LP comes in beautiful litho-wrapped gatefold jackets and includes MP3 download.

Earth - Radio Live
Vinyl only release. Radio Live is comprised of two tracks from a live radio broadcast on KFJC (12/31/07) and two tracks from a live performance in Vienna on their 2008 European tour.

God Help The Girl - God Help The Girl
After the success of Belle And Sebastian’s most recent album, The Life Pursuit, band leader/singer/songwriter Stuart Murdoch decided to pursue the writing of a rock musical scored for female singers. After auditioning vocalists via Internet contests, he made his choices and, with all members of Belle And Sebastian backing him up, recorded this record. It combines the strengths of early Belle And Sebastian records in a broader musical palette, drawing equally on musicals, ‘60s girl groups, ‘80s indie, and classic pop. LP includes MP3 download.

Green Day - Know Your Enemy 7”
Ultra-limited edition 7” single features the non-album B-side “Hearts Collide”. We have a limited few remaining after Vinyl Saturday! Read the rest of this entry »

VINYL SATURDAY

From the folks who brought us “Record Store Day” comes “Vinyl Saturday.” Once a month, we’ll be waxing you poetic with special, limited releases made specially available on Vinyl Saturday. If you’re interested in any of the limited editions, you may want to get to the store early — they won’t last long! The first Vinyl Saturday is this coming Saturday,  June 20, and will feature:

WILCO
This is a special 7″ single being released 10 days before new album (WILCO, the album comes out on 7/3)! Limited to a run of 3,800, the 7″ includes the tracks “You Never Know” and “Unlikely Japan,” an early 2003 version of the previously unreleased track “Impossible Germany.”

GREEN DAY
The vinyl version of the CD Single “Know Your Enemy” will be available at Vinyl Fever on 6/20. This vinyl is limited to 5000, and is NUMBERED. The b-side is an unreleased studio track called “Hearts Collide.”

MODEST MOUSE
Second in a series of 7″ singles being released. This one is entitled “Autumn Beds” and the b-side is “Whale Song.”

PETE YORN/SCARLETT JOHANSSEN
These two are releasing an album in September through Rhino (not to be confused with the Pete Yorn release on 6/23 through Sony), and we’ll have an advance 7″ with a duet from both of them AND a Pete Yorn demo on the other side.

ALSO, the following artists have vinyl scheduled for a street date of 6/23, but us indie retailer participants are getting them EARLY, so we can sell them to you on 6/20:

Al Green (classic reissues) – Those Darlins – Wolves In The Throne Room – Wino – Patterson Hood – Earth – Woggles – Chesterfield Kings – Cocktail Slippers and more. Read the rest of this entry »

The new single from the well-reviews new Sonic Youth album, The Eternal, is Sacred Trickster, sung by Kim Gordon.

The video features a trio of young girls going all commie and busting up a rooftop party.

Video below the jump:

Read the rest of this entry »

VINYL:

Anti-Flag – People Or The Gun LP+MP3
Their seventh full-length takes aim at those who use the bible to control the masses.

Avenged Sevenfold

• Sounding The Seventh Trumpet
• Waking The Fallen

Limited edition (1000) specially-colored vinyl versions of these classic two albums.

Coalesce – Ox LP+MP3
Coalesce encapsulates over a decade of forward-thinking hardcore that typifies the trend-eschewing band and proves they still have much to say. Just the right touch of bombast and contrast to make the seething aggression all the more engaging.

Dredg – The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion
“Veering between ominous dirges and wide-eyed big sky anthems, they play massive art metal that’s been treated to multi-layered, intricate production in the vein of Radiohead and Pink Floyd; and for a band that can smash and roil like waves against Pacific beaches, they frequently take the subtler road, softening themselves with atmosphere and world music flourishes.” – Pitchfork

Holly Golightly

• Down Gina’s At 3
• Painted On
• Up The Empire

Her Sympathy label back-catalog — re-issued via Damaged Goods.

Guided By Voices – Alien Lanes LP+MP3
Their critically-acclaimed Matador debut and best-selling album is back in print on vinyl for the first time since 1999. HQ-180 virgin vinyl with gatefold sleeve.

The Kills – Keep On Your Mean Side
Vinyl re-issue of The Kills’ 2003 debut.

Pelican – Ephemeral 12”
Over three songs and 20 minutes, the vinyl-only Ephemeral introduces a heavier, darker, more riff-based Pelican for 2009. Includes a cover of Earth’s “Geometry Of Murder” with Dylan Carlson on guitar.

Cake – Motorcade Of Gernerosity LP+MP3

Jarvis Cocker – Further Complication

The Horrors – Primary Colours Read the rest of this entry »