ANCO returns in 2022 with their first full-length (and full-group) effort since 2018's "Tangerine Reef", diving headfirst back into the intricate electronic production and swirling, BEACH BOYS-esque harmonies they've perfected over the last twenty years. GET IT!

ARCTIC MONKEYS are back to their antics, but with a twist. ALEX TURNER's very recognizable voice is still right out front, & his pen has not run dry, but what you'll notice first about AM is the return to the heavier, darker sounds of HUMBUG. Riffy, heavy, even funky, (TURNER has noted DR. DRE & g-funk as an influence for this one) it's noticably different from the earliest, but still a great record. This is for fans of QOTSA (Josh Homme guests), OASIS STROKES, of course the ARCTIC MONKEYS themselves... Regular edition LP comes with a download on 180g vinyl!

The seventh album from these Sheffield boys is their first in a half decade, and the band picks up right where they left off, following the threads of sultry, soulful lounge singing they developed on both "AM" and "Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino". Glamorous, velvet, string-laden and yet unsettled, this is perhaps the MONKEYS' most enigmatic and gripping LP to date.

Young bucks from Sheffield drop their third album, and enlisted Josh Homme (of Queens of the Stone Age) to help with production. Breaking from their mold the Monkeys' tune is a bit more unencumbered by form and function. Perhaps under Homme's tutelage the band has branched into more abstract territories making for a raunchy, thunderous sound. "Humbug" has a couple storm clouds hanging over its head, but in our opinion, this fact will cause for some cross-over into new fanbases. Look out Dead Weather, Brian Jonestown Massacre, and Libertines fans here comes the next layer of the Arctic Monkeys. On Domino Records.

"Suck it & See" is the 2011 album from ARCTIC MONKEYS & in spite of the cocky album title, we're wondering if these guys are softening (or just maturing) a little bit. 'Softening' shouldn't be viewed as a negative term here, many of the songs remind us of THE SMITHS, especially Alex Turner's Morrissey-esque crooning & there's a little STROKES & WALKMEN sounds in there too. We expect that this album will sound better with a few more listens too. Vinyl version comes on 180g vinyl & contains download.

Who the F are the Artic Monkeys? On their 6th LP they force us to ask again. Early in the game the Sheffield lads were snotty Rock 'N Roll savants then they took a turn into heavier desert sounds that felt like a revitalization for guitar music. On AM they incorporated ideas from R&B & Rap, & now they've taken a hard left turn into loungy weirdness. This is the first record Alex Turner's written on the piano, & it often feels like he's searching for new melodies throughout. While the lyrics can certainly feel self indulgent, the beauty of these new tracks is Turner's leaning on some the influences of some other strange & staggering lyricists, with a feel that ranges from Bowie, to Cohen, to Waits, & then back again.

Much anticipated debut album from this UK group... on DOMINO.

Amazing album from this wholly underrated band! somewhere between Bowie & Queen lies be bop deluxe

Soundtrack to boyfriend/husband(?) MATTHEW BARNEY's art-film of the same name, BJORK works largely here as an arranger, focusing mainly on instrumental pieces as opposed to vocals. Yes, there are vocal passages from her, but you also get WILL OLDHAM at his most haunting, and various throat singers adding wordless elements to a soft and stunning soundtrack. On ONE LITTLE INDIAN and HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!

2007 heralds another garage-infused, SONICS-inspired BLACK LIPS release. To some, it may be hard to believe that maintaining a consistent "sound" could stay interesting. Keeping a steady pulse, the BLACK LIPS have produced a smorgasbord of lo-fi, aural treats. Wirey, sharp guitar tones colide with clunky drum beats and lightly reverbed vocals. Occasionally, there are piano or slide guitar accompaniment that accentuates the vintage themes that the group has achieved for years. Particular highlights are the "H-cane" inspired track "O, Katrina" and the classic BLACK LIPS-styled track "Slime & Oxygen." This is a perfect Vespa, mod inspired after-party companion.

Freetown, Sierra Leone. It's where Dev Hynes' father is from, & one of the many inspirations for this new record. It's also a statement in some ways. This is a record with many of the same social expressions that have been very prominent in the past few years, & textured with R&B, Funk, & Electro sounds, to make what Hynes calls a "clapback," for anyone who's been told they're not enough.

The ridiculously talented multi-instrumentalist Dev Hynes returns with his 4th album as BLOOD ORANGE. The lo-fi bedroom pop sound of the early albums is still there but Hyne's has blended this with sounds of 80's/ 90's soul & R&B ala Marvin Gaye, Prince & D'Angelo. In interviews Hynes states that the album is inspired by his struggles with depression & those in the black & queer community that are battling their own demons. Totally futurist & forward-thinking music that we need right now. RECOMMENDED.

An excellent return for the seemingly ageless wonder JOHN CALE, (80 years old at the time of this release), embracing steely post-disco, dark ambience and cloudy, baroque theatricality. "Mercy" features an abundance of collaborators, including WEYES BLOOD, LAUREL HALO, SYLVAN ESSO and ANIMAL COLLECTIVE, and CALE utilizes each's unique artistic touch for a record that is at once varied and unified. On Domino and RECOMMENDED!

John Cale should be familiar to most - former multi-intrumentalist in the Velvet Underground, brilliant and consistent solo output throughout the 70s, and he produced some amazing records with the Stooges, Nico, Patti Smith, Jonathan Richman already hard to define musical styles. Danger Mouse is featured on the opening track "I Wanna Talk 2 U" and his exploration of effects and electronics is also found on tracks like "December Rains" where some auto-tune rears its head. This is not Cale's most cohesive work but, not unlike David Bowie, he is not afraid to experiment with modern innovations and examine his place in contemporary music's broad landscape. ... In case you were curious, "where the climate is cool, and the river is wide..." is where you can find Nookie Wood.

Recorded in 2022 at the actual Royal Albert Hall in London, this set from Chan Marshall recreates DYLAN's 1966 "Royal Albert Hall" show (the original bootleg was mislabeled and instead performed in Manchester), going song-for-song and tapping into the vitality of DYLAN's transitional period. Great stuff!