New vinyl pressing – on Halloween 1971 night—captured on this three-sided double-LP—the Grateful Dead played the most ethereal, dreamy, and, yes, spooky version of “Dark Star” ever recorded; it’s almost as if Jerry Garcia was communing with his ancestors  (and maybe John Coltrane) for the first seven minutes of his beautifully structured, contemplative and yearning solo. Then, after the vocal verse, Garcia, rhythm guitarist Bob Weir, and bassist Phil Lesh take turns suggesting a new improvisational theme before the band telepathically picks up on a two-note theme  and Garcia launches into some of the most ecstatic guitar playing ever captured on tape anywhere (labeled by some the “Tighten Up” jam after the Archie Bell & the Drells song; others hear an embryonic “Eyes of the World”). The rest of the show keeps flying high; the whole band is on fire during “Sugar Magnolia,” a rare, early-‘70s performance of “St. Stephen” (the final live version until 1976) swaggers like it should, and a great “Not Fade Away”/ “Goin’ Down the Road Feeling Bad”/ “Not Fade Away” medley rounds out the show…a “hallowed” performance indeed.

Available from Real Gone Music.

New Vinyl Pressing! Pat Van Dyke – Falls To Pieces. Elegant and effortless, dreamy and dusty. Falls To Pieces is a natural progression emerging from the organic textures explored on Pat Van Dyke’s stellar 2018 LP Hello, Summer–which received heavy praise from Pitchfork, Flea Market Funk, and more. The new LP broadcasts a more concise, deliberate, and refined sound that combines elements of jazz and golden era hip-hop with today’s electronic music.

New vinyl pressing! Years in the making – Battleship Potemkin was composed for a live scoring of Sergei Eisenstein’s 1925 cinematic landmark silent film of Soviet military mutiny and Odessa civilian slaughter, first performed live at Flux Factory in Astoria, Queens on June 14, 2015 and recorded from 2016 to 2020.

Pre-order now!

New vinyl pressing! Portland’s Collate play music that recalls late ’70s/early ’80s minimalist post-punk, and loops through the styles and genres influenced by that music a million times until you end up with a sound that is evocative of the past but also modern—kind of like when you photocopy and re-photocopy something until it distorts and becomes something new and weird. The lyrics are sometimes blatantly political but always wry and clever. There are still plenty of the danceable, catchy bass-forward kind of songs you heard on their previous recordings, but in songs like “Stocks,” there’s a hint of more straightforward punk and it starts to kinda ROCK. Just a bit. But in the end, Collate always handles themselves with cool restraint, even when frustration, anger, and joy are palpably bubbling under the surface. (Courtesy of Rachel Courtney)

Releases September 29, 2023.

New vinyl pressing — Courtesy of Real Gone Music, The Donnas Self Titled and American Teenage Rock n Roll Machine

Self Titled:

Recorded when they were still in high school, The Donnas’ 1997 debut was and will forever be one of the most infectious, sing-along slabs of punk ever waxed. Owing no small debt to the Ramones (all the way down to their sharing of “anonymous” names), the girls gleefully turn the sex, drugs, and rock and roll dials up to 11, except this time it’s the females that are looking for some action (“I wanna huff all night” and “I’m gonna get in his pants tonight” are two representative lyrical lines). And for our Real Gone reissue of this classic, you are getting The Donnas raw and unfiltered…that’s right, they actually scored the original quarter-inch 2-track master tape to the album, so you’re getting an all-analog version of this punk-rock masterpiece.

American Teenage Rock N Roll Machine:

Better production? Check. Better musicianship? Check. A more mature attitude? $#@! no! Released just a year after The Donnas’ first, self-titled record, American Teenage Rock ‘N’ Roll Machine slowed the tempos a bit—think more Runaways and KISS, less Ramones—but, with songs like “Checkin’ It Out” and “Leather on Leather,” the libidinous lyrics remained unchecked. Nor did The Donnas’ penchant for crafting catchy hooks, supercharged by the budding guitar heroics of Allison Robertson. 

New vinyl pressing — Scott Clark – Dawn & Dusk.

Eraserhood Sound’s mysterious, intergalactic house band Fantasy 15 are finally ready to unleash their debut LP, Zoltandia. After years of rising anticipation which saw the group release a handful of now-sold out, highly sought-after 45s, Fantasy 15 have delivered a modern synth-funk opus. The album, named after the group’s remote home planet, is a dazzling display, and features an audacious blend of soul, funk, disco, boogie, house, hip hop, New Wave, and much more. Zoltandia is a true sonic journey, a concept album that tells the fantastical tale of the beloved freedom fighters Fantasy 15. The group, whose true identity has always been a mystery, push the limits of their musical experimentation further than ever.

Leading single “Interplanetary Lover” features the show-stopping Kendra Morris on lead vocals, and serves as the group’s first proper love song. Elsewhere, the title track “Zoltandia” features chanting group vocals and a disco-boogie groove that nods to legends like William Onyeabor and Kiki Gyan. As always, the group’s material was recorded and produced at Eraserhood Sound’s in-house analog recording studio in Philadelphia. Words can only do so much, however, to fully describe the scale and beauty of Fantasy 15’s story. Pick up a copy of their debut LP today, and prepare to enjoy the journey of a lifetime.

Releases August 25, 2023.