New vinyl pressing! After Belgian electro-samba wunderkinds Antena split at the end of 1985, singer Isabelle Antena immediately shed her cold wave crown for a sophisticated pop princess tiara. On 1986’s Martin Hayles-produced En Cavale, echos of Madonna and city pop abound, with a lipstick stain of L80s Euro dance and spilled cosmopolitan’s worth of bossa nova stirred in for good measure. This elegant second chapter of a French pop diva has been expanded to include Antena’s shelved Island Records demo, adjacent B-sides and rarities, plus an expansive essay and previously unpublished photographs.
New vinyl pressing! The word “Babble” brings two things to mind: A person pouring out their thoughts with reckless abandon, or a gentle sound coming from water cascading over rocks as it flows past. In the case of this reissue from Kendra Morris, Babble is a sublime melding of these two meanings.
We all have that secondary thought bubble that pops up when we should be concentrating on what’s in front of us. Reflections of our deepest pain, excitement in new love, or subconscious anxiety slink into our psyche and fuel distractions. Kendra takes those inner dialogues and winds them into lilting lyrics and fervent tones then feeds them into you. Questions like “Why do you care?” in Le Snitch, remind us that bullies don’t stop existing after high school while the newly added, and album finale, Ride On, a tribute to her late brother, soothe us with the knowledge that you don’t stop existing just because you’ve left this earth. The ability Kendra has to take trepidation, desire, and insecurities and turn them into comfort and make you want to get up and move with them is a gift in itself. The progression of Twist and Burn, to Woman to Avalanche takes us from the mystical feelings of new love to the self-doubt that creeps in and then to the repetitive rut a relationship can turn into, even if it’s filled with love. The journey through human emotion is accomplished through Kendra’s songs, bringing us, the listeners, into Kendra’s enchanted world of pain and strength, feeling renewed on the other side.
The original release of Babble in 2016 came in the form of a self-released EP. A fan cult favorite; it has now grown to include three additional tracks: Playing Games, Dial Back and Ride On. With the support of Karma Chief Records (A division of Colemine Records), Babble is getting the official release it deserves.
Along with the new tracks comes new artwork. The original vinyl of this EP was released with a black and gold cover, sans artwork, unless you were one of the successful 50 to snag a copy with a one of a kind self portrait collage, meticulously created by Kendra. Now with a modified lightning bolt cover honoring the original, this newly expanded gatefold comes with a select few of those original collage pieces digitally recreated and combined to give the viewer a chance to search for Kendra, hidden amongst the chaos as she would have it.
An artist in every sense of the word, Kendra Morris is devoted to her crafts, and compelled to keep granting us a window into her mind.
New vinyl pressing! Breaking from the strange monotony and abnormal norms that took hold during two years of pandemic life, Hammock returns with Love in the Void, an album that looks to the future, seizes the present, and unabashedly relishes the experiences and bonds that bring meaning to our days. Known for crafting orchestral works of stirring cinematic ambience, on “Love in the Void” the Nashville-based duo of Marc Byrd and Andrew Thompson bring guitar-forward, heart-pounding urgency to songs that shout through and shatter the static of complacency.
New Vinyl Pressing! Beach Fossils – Clash The Truth 10th Anniversary!
Beach Fossils’ sophomore album is modern post-punk triumph that’s left a lasting impression on the music scene it was born out of. After releasing their self-titled debut and the beloved EP, What a Pleasure, songwriter, and composer Dustin Payseur began recording dissonant and introspective demos reflecting on his southern upbringing and young adulthood in New York. The tracks that would eventually make up Clash the Truth involved Payseur taking his songwriting in a new direction, employing jagged instrumentals, existential lyrics, and socially conscious subject matter.
New vinyl pressing! The third full-length from Overcoats, Winner takes place in the kind of New York City spaces meant for unencumbered dreaming: fire escapes and rooftops, downtown late at night, the majestic Manhattan skyline as glimpsed from the George Washington Bridge. But in paying homage to the city that formed them, singer/songwriters Hana Elion and JJ Mitchell set their storytelling against a sonic backdrop more reminiscent of wide-open landscapes—an unbridled and euphoric sound that evokes the wild rush of hitting the road with your closest confidant, with no particular destination in mind.
Produced by two-time Grammy-winner Daniel Tashian (a co-producer on Kacey Musgraves’s widely acclaimed Golden Hour), Winner marks an evolution of the graceful musicality first displayed on Overcoats’ debut album YOUNG (a 2017 release that earned praise from outlets like the New York Times and NPR Music, who placed it at #4 on its best-of-the-year list). As a bold departure from YOUNG’s sparse electronic pop and the atmospheric indie-rock of The Fight (a 2020 release that nabbed them a Breakthrough Artist nomination from the American Association of Independent Music), the album encompasses a warm and luminous sound sculpted from a tightly curated mix of elements: earthy guitar tones, elegantly rugged textures, the duo’s signature heavenly harmonies.
New Vinyl Pressing! Fountains of Wayne – Out-Of-State-Plates 2LP set!
Led by the scintillating songwriting team of Chris Collingwood and the late, great Adam Schlesinger, power pop maestros Fountains of Wayne put out a number of absolutely brilliant albums. Of all the great records released by this New York-area band, this one, the 2005 odds ‘n’ ends 2-CD set Out-of-State Plates, remained reportedly among the closest to the heart of Schlesinger, who died tragically of COVID in 2020. Now, available for the first time on Vinyl.
A mixture of demos, B-sides, live performances, and unreleased tracks (the great “Maureen” and “The Girl I Can’t Forget”), it’s an always entertaining, often hilarious, and (of course!) never less than tuneful romp through about a decade’s worth of recordings, all wittily annotated by Collingwood and Schlesinger. Covers both heartfelt and tongue-in-cheek (Jackson Browne’s “These Days” and Britney Spears’ “Baby One More Time”) and holiday fare (“I Want an Alien for Christmas,” “Chanukah Under the Stars”) lie alongside such B-side gems as “Baby I’ve Changed” and “I’ll Do the Driving” and a live “She’s Got a Problem.” Rummage around the collective psyche of one of the greatest indie rock acts of the last 30 years! Courtesy of Real Gone Music.
A musician whose influences span hard rock, psych, garage rock, and energetic pop, Andrew Gabbard has long been a force on the Southwestern Ohio music scene. Working with Thee Shams, The Buffalo Killers, and currently as The Gabbard Brothers with his brother Zach, Andrew is truly a prolific artist covering a wide range. The Buffalo Killers caught the attention of Dan Auerbach who produced their debut LP and Andrew is currently part of the touring band for The Black Keys. Now joining forces with another Ohio establishment, Colemine Records, Andrew hopes to hone his sound and grow his reach. His first LP as Andrew Gabbard is Homemade, a mix of hazy pop infused with alt-country vibes that feels part Neil Young, part Wilco, and part Flaming Lips all at the same time.
New vinyl pressing! The long awaited vinyl release of Trevor Sensor’s On Account of Exile, Vol. 1 and 2 is finally here. The Illinois singer-songwriter’s second and third albums are now available for pre-order as a two disk, gatefold set. This is a limited release, so order now through High Black Desert Records. Shipping begins February 2023.
New Vinyl Pressing – The Vindys have become one of the most sought after, premier bands in the Northeast Ohio area with their unique blend of pop, jazz, and rock. Through the incorporation of multiple genres into one cohesive sound, The Vindys have the ability to appeal to a wide audience. Their new album – Bugs – is available now!
