New Releases

Miller, Steve

Laughing Hyenas

J-Card Press

***Laughing Hyenas is the saga of one of the most uncompromising quartets in post-punk’s artistically dubious history. It’s a legacy of hell-bent self-destruction in the name of making an unholy racket, a sound both original and traditional, fueled by a love of punk rock, blues and the endless highway. The Hyenas shared stages with indie rock royalty and crisscrossed the nation to deliver the gospel of the New Sounds.The band's road to big things was blocked by heroin habits, along with the incumbent personality problems that go along with addiction. Based on new interviews and fresh source material, Laughing Hyenas intimately chronicles the history of one of the last outlaw rock ‘n’ roll bands of our era. 164 page 5"x8" paperback book. Includes 22 black and white photos“Laughing Hyenas’ John Brannon and Larissa Strickland were Michigan’s own version of Sid and Nancy. Their ferocious mix of punk and the blues made them a true original. I don’t know if it was fate, bad luck, or the band’s self-destructive habits—possibly a combination of all three—but, as Steve Miller shows, Laughing Hyenas were never destined for stardom. But their legacy speaks for itself—and deserves to be listened to today.”—Butch Vig, producer

Lard

The Power Of Lard

Alternative Tentacles

Lard’s Power Of Lard is over forty-four minutes of music by Jello Biafra and Ministry! Came out originally in 1989.“Jello Biafra and Ministry teamed up for this slab of wax. The title track is great. Imagine Ministry playing thrash, that’s what it is. ‘Hellfudge’ sounds like Flipper meets Jerry Lee Lewis, the lyrics take a nice roundhouse power swing at Jimmy Swaggart. ‘Time To Melt’ is a cool dirge / death rock type of song, but it’s too fucking long (almost twenty-five minutes). Overall this record is really good and Biafra fans won’t be disappointed.” —Thrashead, Flipside (Summer 1989)“Jello’s first musical vinyl since the DKs, and you can surely tell it’s him on the title track. He uses his inimitable vocal / lyrical style to good advantage, teaming up with Ministry’s rhythm section to produce a Pailhead type rave like Ian did on their first release. ‘Hellfudge’ takes a ‘Sex Bomb’ riff and basic rock and roll approach, and makes it work, again with Biafra’s commentary. ‘Time To Melt’ takes up the whole side (1/2 hour) and is a painfully slow, atmospheric John Cale-type piece.” —TY, MRR (March, 1989)

V/a

All The Young Droids - Junkshop Synth Pop 1978-1985

Night School / School Daze

All The Young Droids: Junkshop Synth pop 1978-1985 is a new Double Vinyl / Double CD compilation that charts the underbelly of the epoch-defining sound of the synthesiser in 80s popular music. Compiled by curator Phil King , the music here connects the dots between DIY synth enthusiasts grappling with new, cheap synthesisers at the tail-end of punk and wannabe, jobbing songwriters enthral to the new music pioneered by Gary Numan, Depeche Mode and Daniel Miller’s Mute Records. Featuring rare tracks of auto-didactic progressive pop music, proto-techno punk, shoot-for-the-stars-land-in-the-gutter chart flops and heralded, underground synth classics, School Daze paints a picture of beautiful failure. Complete with extensive sleeve notes written by King and never before seen imagery, all 24 tracks were remastered by RPM in-house engineer Simon Murphy, many from vinyl copies due to lost master tapes. The story told on All The Young Droids is one of the dawning opportunity presented by both the emergence to the market of cheaper analog synthesisers and the distribution networks plus indie labels that exploded with the advent of punk music in 1976. While the music that sprouted out all over the globe in the wake of these factors was decried as fake, plastic, a refutation of punk’s guitar-led revolution, it’s telling that much of the music on All The Young Droids.. was created in bedrooms, ramshackle studios and home-made set ups with often borrowed equipment. In the era of record labels jumping to capitalise on the success of The Sex Pistols, The...

Hanson, Cory

I Love People

Drag City

***With a room fulla fine pickers and a set of Hollywood orchestral cues to kill for, Cory Hanson proclaims I Love People! His 4th solo album drills down (baby) on a dryly parallax worldview, with songs about all those people he loves and all the crazy things they get up to. As ringmaster for a circus show of classic folk and rock tropes, Cory tugs at our heartstrings with expert misdirection, embracing tradition by throwing it out, into the wind.The Players:Cory Hanson: vocals, piano, guitarEvan Backer: bassEvan Burrows: drums, percussionHeather Lockie: violaEmily Elkin: celloErik KM Clark: violinMax Whipple: contrabass on track 5Nicole McCabe: tenor and alto saxAlex Wasily: tromboneRyan Parrish: baritone saxTyler Nuffer: steel on track 11

Newbury, Mickey

Frisco Mabel Joy

Fat Possum

***MICKEY NEWBURY was a songwriter’s songwriter at the dawning of the era of the singer-songwriter, yet he was also an unknown name on the Billboard charts. Mickey Newbury found early writing success in Nashville, enabling him to pave the way for his friends and contemporaries like Kris Kristofferson, Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark and David Allen Coe. Even to this day, Newbury continues to influence the most championed songwriters. His songs have been recorded nearly 1400 times by more than 1000 performers including Johnny Cash, Scott Walker, Ray Charles, Joan Baez, Dolly Parton, Tammy Wynette, the Box Tops, Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy and Nick Cave. He is the only songwriter ever to have number one hits (with different songs) in the pop, country, R&B and easy listening charts within the space of one year (and three of those songs were in the charts simultaneously!). But Mickey Newbury himself was by far the best interpreter of his own songs.MICKEY NEWBURY’s ’Frisco Mabel Joy was produced back at Cinderella Sound, newly upgraded from eight to sixteen tracks. Drawing on a larger cast of musicians (dubbed by Mickey “The Nashphilharmonic”), The Newbury Universe expanded, adding clusters of steel and electric guitar overdubs to create expansive orchestral crescendos for his delicately constructed guitar-and-vocal compositions. e album’s opening track was perhaps its most arresting: “An American Trilogy,” combined “Dixie,” “Battle Hymn of the Republic” and “All My Trials” into a searing medley that spoke to the political crisis in the country while standing simultaneously as a...

Newbury, Mickey

Heaven Help The Child

Fat Possum

***MICKEY NEWBURY was a songwriter’s songwriter at the dawning of the era of the singer-songwriter, yet he was also an unknown name on the Billboard charts. Mickey Newbury found early writing success in Nashville, enabling him to pave the way for his friends and contemporaries like Kris Kristofferson, Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark and David Allen Coe. Even to this day, Newbury continues to influence the most championed songwriters. His songs have been recorded nearly 1400 times by more than 1000 performers including Johnny Cash, Scott Walker, Ray Charles, Joan Baez, Dolly Parton, Tammy Wynette, the Box Tops, Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy and Nick Cave. He is the only songwriter ever to have number one hits (with different songs) in the pop, country, R&B and easy listening charts within the space of one year (and three of those songs were in the charts simultaneously!). But Mickey Newbury himself was by far the best interpreter of his own songs.Heaven Help the Child appeared almost two years after MICKEY NEWBURY’s ‘Frisco Mabel Joy album, pushing his expanded sound ever deeper and higher. In “Sunshine” the vermillion hues of ’Frisco Mabel Joy give way to shadows and light. Additionally, two classics from the Newbury songbook were in the flow: the soaring ballad “Sweet Memories” and the bluesy shuffle “Why You Been Gone So Long.” The title track raised his lyrics to new levels of poetic expression. This was the end of Mickey’s time exploring his inner space at Cinderella Sound. (STREET DATE - 5/17/2011)

Newbury, Mickey

Looks Like Rain

Fat Possum

***MICKEY NEWBURY was a songwriter’s songwriter at the dawning of the era of the singer-songwriter, yet he was also an unknown name on the Billboard charts. Mickey Newbury found early writing success in Nashville, enabling him to pave the way for his friends and contemporaries like Kris Kristofferson, Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark and David Allen Coe. Even to this day, Newbury continues to influence the most championed songwriters. His songs have been recorded nearly 1400 times by more than 1000 performers including Johnny Cash, Scott Walker, Ray Charles, Joan Baez, Dolly Parton, Tammy Wynette, the Box Tops, Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy and Nick Cave. He is the only songwriter ever to have number one hits (with different songs) in the pop, country, R&B and easy listening charts within the space of one year (and three of those songs were in the charts simultaneously!). But Mickey Newbury himself was by far the best interpreter of his own songs.Looks Like Rain was the artistic breakthrough that MICKEY NEWBURY knew he had coming. Songs stretched to lengths that weren’t radio-friendly, but represented flowing states of mind while discrete overdubs placed in the mix provided faraway twinkles and ripples analogous to the lyrics, marking the album’s path and the listener’s journey. When it was done, Mercury didn’t like or understand what they heard, but they put it out without complaint—and without much enthusiasm either, and the sales reflected it. At least they put it out. Forty-plus years later, Looks Like Rain is Mickey Newbury’s...

Dead Bob

Some Bodies / We Are The Humans

Alternative Tentacles

Alternative Tentacles proudly welcomes Dead Bob to the family with their brand new 7-inch release, "Some Bodies / We Are The Humans"! Hailing from Vancouver Island, Canada, Dead Bob is the solo project of John Wright—legendary drummer of the now-retired punk rock powerhouse NoMeansNo. In this new incarnation, Wright is joined by Colin MacRae, Byron Slack, Ford Pier, and Kristy Lee Audette, reimagining two incredible covers to mark his reunion with the label that helped launch his legacy. He didn’t have to look far for the track “Some Bodies,” originally a NoMeansNo song from their 1985 release You Kill Me. This new version starts with rich vocal harmonies in the call back to the original a cappella intro and builds into an explosive reworking of the classic—with Audette’s powerful vocals along with bold horn arrangements driving it into new territory. The song loses none of its original intensity, instead gaining new layers and depth. NoMeansNo fans will be thrilled. On the flip side, "We Are The Humans" is a complete reimagining of Kraftwerk’s "We Are The Robots". In the age of AI, the track feels more relevant than ever with the new title and chant. The guitar and bass work is front and center, reminding listeners why John Wright's incredible songwriting legacy endures to this day. There’s a reason we say: Play it loud. With Dead Bob, John Wright and company do what few have managed since NoMeansNo’s retirement— honoring that stylistic past while boldly forging their own path forward....

Bitterviper

Bitterviper

Blue Chopsticks

***Bitterviper is an all-new configuration of individuals and intent. Nikos Veliotis (cello), Taku Unami (synthesizer), Sarah Hennies (percussion) and David Grubbs (piano, guitars) have all participated—solo and as collaborators—in some of the most striking avant music-making of the past couple of decades. Their quartet’s collective minimalist interplay passes through dense harmonic fields, transcendentally ionized ambient moods and soundtracks.

Beach, Michael

Big Black Plume

Goner

On his fifth LP, Big Black Plume, Melbourne-based and Californian-born musician Michael Beach reveals the vitalizing power of connection in an often hostile world. Equally informed by the songwriting of Bill Fay and Peter Laughner, the minimalism of Tony Conrad and Terry Riley, and the rock and roll heart of the Goner Records roster, Big Black Plume provides deliberate compositions adorned with genuine madness. The songs on this album range from spare, textural ballads to spiraling psychedelic overtures connected to a propulsive cosmic pulse.Building on Beach’s network from over twenty years of touring, engineering, and production work (in Melbourne, SF, and LA), and employment in independent touring venues, Big Black Plume features contributions from a murderers’ row of talent. Produced by Beach and Gareth Liddiard (Tropical Fuck Storm), the record includes Dirty Three guitarist Mick Turner, The Necks bassist Lloyd Swanton, Tropical Fuck Storm members Gareth Liddiard and Fiona Kitschin, folk artist Leah Senior, Oren Ambarchi collaborator Joe Talia, and Comets on Fire’s Utrillo Kushner, among others.Big Black Plume was recorded over four different sessions. Phil Manley (Trans Am) engineered the album’s two hardest-rocking songs, “Poison Dart” and “Sick Century”, at El Studio in San Francisco, with Kushner on drums. A second session at Sydney’s Golden Retriever (engineered by Tim Whitten) captured the album’s improv and avant-inflected ballads, “No One Knows Any Better” and “I’m Gonna Need Ya,” creating a special resonance through the interplay of Swanton’s subtly winding acoustic bass and Talia’s abstract but propulsive drums.Beach is a masterful...

Kontusion

Insatiable Lust For Death

Profound Lore

Kontusion is an evil death metal band from the East Coast of the USA and will see the release of their debut album Insatiable Lust For Death on July 25. Kontusion’s riffs, blasts, and walls of feedback reflect the darkness of a world marred by chaos, where large scale atrocities run amok. Drummer Chris Moore (Repulsion) and vocalist/guitarist Mark Bronzino (ex-Iron Reagan/Mammoth Grinder) represent the core of the band, with musicians emerging to fill out various lineups for live performances.With just a demo previously under their belt, Kontusion have already toured throughout the East and West Coasts of the US, Midwest, and Texas, supported death thrash legends Deceased and appeared at festivals such as Maryland Death Fest and will be returning to the west coast of the US and Canada in May, and plan to tour Europe summer 2025 culminating in a performance at Obscene Extreme Fest in Czech Republic.

Galore

Dirt

Speakeasy Studios SF

With multiple songwriters, sinuous harmonies, and rock riffs born out of an intensely communal creative process, Galore — bassist Ava Rosen, guitarist Griffin Jones, guitarist Ainsley Wagoner, and drummer Hannah Smith — embodies the spirit of a true musical collective. The album’s theme is in its name: Dirt. In ten songs, Galore takes us back to the sandbox of creativity on an exploration of what makes us human through layers of jangly, off-kilter guitars, interwoven harmonies, and incredible pop sensibilities.Three out of four members of Galore were born and raised in San Francisco and Oakland, and all of them cite the Bay’s storied music scene as inspiration. Local favorite Grass Widow’s influence looms large in lead-style bass lines and frequent harmonies on tracks like “Solastalgia” and “Dream Palace”, while tracks like “Bastard” and “Zinger” lean on the rowdy experimentation of early aughts femme punk band Hey Girl.Dirt was produced by Galore, Jason Kick (most recently producer of Marinero, Abracadabra, Healing Potpourri), and Simi Sohota (Healing Potpourri). The album was recorded and mixed by Kick at Santo Studios and Tunnel Vision in Oakland, California, over the course of 2024. The band took their time to write songs, craft sonic moments, and produce an album that mixes Galore’s intensely catchy pop melodies with layers of Jones’ and Wagoner’s fuzzed and jangly guitars, warm wurlitzers, tongue-in-cheek sound effects and the steady rhythm section of Smith and Rosen. Dirt is an exquisitely crafted album and a step into new soundscapes for Galore. Their creative...

Quinine

First Ever Whippet On Acid

Cherub Dream

***Quinine is a loud, psych-ish, oddball alt rock band based in Sacramento. They’re fresh off of a full national tour. Pressed on classic black vinyl. Split release with Julia's War.

Slake

Let's Get Married

Cherub Dream

***Slake is the new alias of Mary Claire. Cherub Dream has slowly rolling out singles for this, their debut full length. Let's Get Married has a kinda indie folk vibe with a bit of a moody edge. Pressed on bone colored vinyl with special insert.

Oog Bogo

Cowgirls

In The Red

Los Angeles band Oog Bogo (featuring former Meatbodie Kevin Boog) have released an EP and an LP for Ty Segall’s God? label - now their second LP arrives via In The Red. “Cowgirls” goes off-road, so buckle up, because with songwriter Kevin Boog & engineer Eric Bauer behind the wheel of John Dwyer and Bauer’s studio “Discount Mirrors” - anything can happen.In March of 2024, John Hodge stomped the four-to-the-floor on drums and percussion, as Boog swung back and forth between mutated melodies and total auditory annihilation, vocally and instrumentally. Together, the two swerved hazardously through several roads of smoldering sonic debris…But where does this road lead now?Veering a sharp left turn off the course of Oog Bogo’s previous genres? Sure.A new, unmatched lineup consisting of Gabe Flores (on lead guitar/ backing vocals), Julian Betts (bass guitar) and Grant Snyder (drums)? Why we’re glad you asked! Yes.Accelerating forward, Oog Bogo’s Wipers reject the sorrows of darkened skies that hover over Los Angeles. Monolithic guitar tones grind like freight Trux, flanking you in stereoscopic bliss, as bass metronomically demands your movement alongside their pounding percussive speedometer.Oog Bogo’s harmonies of the lost highways weave you through LA, and siren to you an all-but-haunting message: that rock and roll is ALIVE… and now, with Oog Bogo’s second LP “Cowgirls” on In The Red Records, you’re in the front seat of their Chrome choir. Their momentum has only just begun. So don’t get the blues. Giddy-up.

Triple Five Sol

75 Racks

Dark Entries

Triple Five Sol drop 75 Racks on Dark Entries, an EP featuring 5 cuts of raw and jacking house music. San Francisco-based producers/DJs Johnny Five and Vin Sol linked up during a trip to New Orleans, and they began hatching plans to collaborate. After setting up a new home studio in Vin Sol’s abode, jam sessions ensued, and soon the duo had cemented their sound. Their analog house tracks harken back to the roughshod and unembellished vibes on 80s Chicago and New York labels like Nu Groove or Gherkin Records, influences they wear with pride. “Boxxx that Rocks,” “Just a Freak,” and “Everybody Loves Triple Five Sol” deploy chunky beats with sprees of minimalist bleeps, sounding like Chip E retuned for the 22nd century. It’s not all jagged drums and acidic squelch on 75 Racks, though; “Gonna Get Out” and “Halfway Home” saunter with the confidence of a New Dance Show participant, soulful and grooving with a dash of garage. 75 Racks comes in a sleeve designed by Primo Pitino featuring bold retro primary colors. Triple Five Sol brings us timeless dance music: deep, real, and weird.

Sisamouth, Sinn

Groove Club Vol. 5: Sinn Sisamouth Vol. 2

Lion Productions

***Several years in the making, Lion can now finally deliver on our promise of another Groove Club volume dedicated to the deep and moving (and grooving) compositions of Sinn Sisamouth, sung by the Emperor of Khmer music himself, alone or duetting with the other legendary singer of those halcyon days in Cambodian music: Ros Sereysothea, the "Queen with the Golden Voice.”Groove Club Vol. 5 also includes a 16-page booklet featuring an exclusive interview with Mrs. Khav Thong Nhot, widow of Sinn Sisamouth, and Sin Sethsochhata, artist and granddaughter of Sinn Sisamouth, revealing more about Sinn Sisamouth than has ever been known before now. We hear directly from his wife about their courtship, their life together as Sinn Sisamouth became famous — and then what happened as the Khmer Rouge took control: the separation from her husband, and her own harrowing experiences trying to keep herself and their children alive. It’s not easy reading, yet stands as an important contribution (we feel) to a a story which until now has only been partially told. Sinn Sisamouth’s granddaughter, Sin Sethsochhata, a musical artist and also keeper of the family’s legacy, speaks of her own experiences in both realms.

Killer Kin

Killer Kin

Redscroll

***"Previously available as a CDr we now present the self titled Killer Kin CD as a professional pressed CD in a proper jewel case in an edition of 100. Ranting and raving proper Rock N’ Roll from New Haven, CT—the Elm City.""This album is punk rock played by musicians that are much better than The Sex Pistols could ever hope to be..."—psnews.com.au

Frankie And The Witch Fingers

Trash Classic

Salton Sea Sound System

***"Hooks so infectious they rot on impact. Trash Classic marks a feral mutation for Frankie and the Witch Fingers—a record that snarls with proto-punk venom, angular melodies, and electronic textures that cough and sputter like dying neon lights under a poisoned sky.This record pushes the Witch Fingers’ sound to a razor's edge. Wiry and twitching, it bends into synth-punk and fractured new wave, with fragments of industrial grime caked under its nails. Guitars detonate and slice like cinder blocks through glass, while gnashing basslines slither through the sludge, alive and seething. Buzzy synths take the forefront, driving relentless rhythms that crack and pop, drenched in a chemically saturated sheen—part bug-eyed speed-freak pogo, part dance-floor delirium. The vocals cut through like static-laced transmissions—balancing both smirk and sneer—layering playful unease over themes of escapism, decay, and overindulgence.The songs were born in the grime of Vernon, Los Angeles—a wasteland littered with gutted RVs and rusting machinery, where the air tastes like asphalt and dog food. But the real alchemy happened in Oakland, at Tiny Telephone Studio, where producer Maryam Qudus (La Luz, Spacemoth) helped transmute the tracks into their final forms. Unhinged tones, unconventional recording experiments, and wild sonic detours transformed the songs into something alive and unpredictable.Every day of recording began with cartoons blaring at full volume—a Looney Tunes ritual that turned the madness of the recording process into something child like. Late at night, sugar-fueled candy binges kept the energy spiking, pushing the sessions into a fever dream of jittery, spastic...

Davis, Ryan And The Roadhouse Band

New Threats From The Soul

Sophomore Lounge

***“If you don’t know it yet, it’s my privilege to tell you that Ryan Davis is one of the greatest songwriters of his generation. Bold instinct immediately insists that I lose the qualifications: he’s the greatest of his generation, he’s one of the greatest ever. Whatever. Posterity—if there is a posterity—will sort it out. Happily, New Threats from the Soul has beaten the Doomsday Clock to the wire, and we appear to have a little while left to revel in it, receive its revelations, and be revealed by it......New Threats from the Soul is a masterclass in reducing the sublime to the prosaic, immensity to infinitesimality, and vice versa (the trick can only work both ways). Everything in our universe is essentially flotsam or jetsam, rubbish heaps of fragments and shards, a 'pile of voodoo dolls and iron scrap in the backyard for the meek to inherit.' We, especially, are jerry-rigs of bubblegum and driftwood, inconsistencies and incoherencies, dead dreams and necrophagous hopes, 'mismeasurements between the place where [we are] and the place where [we] could have been,' although somehow not—miracle of miracles—bereft of simple joys. The record functions in parallel with Kafka’s winking dictum that there is an infinite amount of hope in the universe, just not for us. At least, I would venture for coldest comfort, not as we have constituted ourselves. When Ryan has the penny slot yell 'What even am I, by god?’ toward the high stakes room, the soul chills and thrills at being so...

Gunn

GUNN

Going Underground

***After what seems like an eternity, the long fabled GUNN LP is here! Fourteen So. Cal punk tracks that respect the old school. It's hard to make a nearly perfect record and, like it or not, this is it. What needs to be said about GUNN? Sometimes they're on flyers and don't show up. Sometimes they do and they play punk music. This is a good record and you know it, just buy it... Hardcore and punk rock, moshing, skating, and partying. It's 2025 and World War 3 is around the corner. GUNN rules ok? 

Coulter, Andi

AFI

J-Card Press

***Huge stylistic changes are usually reserved for pop stars. Few bands have successfully waded into uncharted musical territory, yet AFI managed to take deep genre swings without alienating their fan base. Musical history is littered with the vestiges of bands brought down by their own success, yet AFI has avoided this fate for over thirty years.From MTV to MySpace, this book explores AFI's groundbreaking role in shaping online fan culture and their journey as musical chameleons. From their humble punk roots to their experimental electronic era, AFI's ability to reinvent themselves while maintaining their artistic integrity is a testament to their enduring influence. 138 page 5"x8" paperback

Heaton, Dave

De La Soul

J-Card Press

***De La Soul has been an indestructible creative force over the past thirty years. From the nonconformist humor of their Day-Glo debut, 3 Feet High and Rising, to their eventual role as hip-hop elders, the trio is a model of fearless evolution and perseverance. They’ve toured the globe, worked across genres, and helped to establish the Afrocentric collective known as Native Tongues. De La Soul conveys the scope and depth of their legacy, going behind the scenes to look at how they formed, trace the evolution of their sound over three decades, and discuss why the band still matters today. 178 page 5"x8" paperback

Mcquarrie, Fiona

Fountains Of Wayne

J-Card Press

***Fountains of Wayne, the first full-length biography of the beloved band, goes beyond their huge hit “Stacy’s Mom” to explore the group’s entire history and the lasting legacy of their music. With their brilliantly written songs, combining smart pop melodies with keenly observed lyrical portraits of ordinary life, Fountains of Wayne have acquired devoted fans all around the world. Fountains of Wayne chronicles the highs and lows of the group's career, demonstrating why the band continues to be admired, listened to, and celebrated. 170 page 5"x8" paperback

Vellucci, Justin

Brainiac

J-Card Press

***Days before flying to New York City to ink a major-label deal that might have propelled his band Brainiac to stardom, front man Tim Taylor was killed in a car crash. But that’s only the beginning of the story. Rooted in the musical community and history of their native Rust Belt home, Dayton, Ohio, Brainiac left its punk and New Wave brand of indie rock on musicians ranging from Beck to the Mars Volta. Now, more than twenty-five years after the release of its swan song EP, Brainiac—called “the great lost band of the 90s” by Variety—has reunited, finding newfound fame, a celebrity-laced documentary, live shows, and a sense of closure. 174 page 5"x8" paperback

Disfigure

New Age of Judgement

Redscroll

***Disfigure is a black metal band out of New Haven, CT infusing aspects of war metal with elements of d- beat hardcore/crust punk. Disfigure has recently played shows with Today is the Day, Flesh Parade, & One Master. More shows planned throughout 2025 as well as a yet-to-be- announced (shhh) split 12” with Ritual Clearing due for late fall. For fans of Beherit, Bolt Thrower, Blasphemy, Tragedy.

Debt Of Nature / Crepitus

Imminent Purge Eternal Unrest (1991-94)

Supreme Echo

***A true Canadian skullcrusher, Debt of Nature was a short-lived extreme death metal band from Victoria, BC, 1991-92—unrivaled in the sheer brutality of their sound as evident on Imminent Purge. Evolving out of their ashes, Crepitus grinded on, releasing Eternal Unrest in 1994. Featuring members of Deranged, Malevolence, and Cremation. Brutal Ross Bay Death Metal.

Nice Smile / Pissed Off Zombies

Pissed Off Zombies / Nice Smile - Split

Total Punk

***"Rob Vasquez (Nights and Days, Night Kings, The Gorls, Ape Lost, Right On, Nice Smile, Man Tee Mans...) is one of the unsung heroes of the 90s garage punk scene. Mainly sticking to singles which were put out under a host of different names on pretty much every great punk label of the time (In The Red, Estrus, Bag of Hammers, Sub Pop...) his discography is pretty astounding. Rarely leaving his hometown of Seattle his name is not as commonly known as it should be but for those in the know he's one of the tops. That is why I'm so excited to be putting out a split single of unreleased tracks from two of Rob's projects. I found out last year there is a huge archive of unreleased Rob stuff, much of which will be seeing release in the next year or so, but before the flood gates are opened wide we are happy to give you a small taste. On the a side is 'It's A Mess' from Nice Smile. A two piece featuring Rob and longtime collaborator Donnie Hilstad. The aptly titled track is a messy mid tempo basher with Rob's signature howl. The b side the boogie inducing 'Garbage' by the short lived PISSED OFF ZOMBIES. Recorded back in 1996. Raw, Shambolic, and 100% TOTAL PUNK. One time pressing of 300 copies."

Sabou-Gnouman De Kita

Kita Koun Kan

Purplish Records

Kita, a small town in the West of Mali was once considered the music capital of the country. The town, before artists started moving to the bigger capital city, Bamako, birthed some of the most important musicians the country has seen including guitarist extraordinaire Djelimady Tounkara, most famously of The Rail Band. Back in January, 2012, and for years after, I was fortunate to visit Kita, Mali with griot, master ngoni player, and uncle, Cheick Hamala Diabate. Cheick’s brother, Tos, runs a music school in Kita called ‘Sabou-Gnouman De Kita’, an important cultural institute providing young kids and adults with music lessons, teaching them the important music and tradition of the region. Kita Koun Kan was recorded at the music school over an evening of performances by some of the region's most talented players. This is some of the most heartfelt, energetic music I’ve got to experience in Mali! -Mikey Coltun

F/i

Why Not Now?... Alan!

Sorcerer

***Sorcerer Records present the reissue of Why Not Now?... Alan!, the debut LP from 1987 by Milwaukee space-rock gods, F/i. Available for the first time on vinyl since its initial release, it remains a holy grail item for lovers of cosmic rock n' roll sounds from underground Amerika in the 1980s. F/i had been churning out tape upon tape of experimental electronics since the early '80s. Influenced by krautrock (particularlyCluster, Tangerine Dream, Ash Ra Tempel) and the harsh noise of industrialists Throbbing Gristle and early SPK, by the mid '80s they morphed into a fully-fledged "rock" band, albeit one incorporating all of the above. This LP is the perfect synthesis of these sounds: grimy, lo-fi "rock" with elements of industrial clang and extended,Hawkwind-ish space-rock jams; from the two-step cosmic churn of "Electric Waltz" to the 'Neubauten-style bang and bash of "Zombie Theme". Remastered by MIKEY YOUNG. The sleeve replicates the original. Includes download card; edition of 500.

Bergman, Natalie

My Home is Not in This World

Third Man

***The much-anticipated follow-up to LA-based singer-songwriter Natalie Bergman’s critically acclaimed 2021 solo debut album Mercy. If you re-envisioned and rebuilt Motown somewhere in the California desert, it might sound something like My Home Is Not In This World. Recorded analog-to-tape and produced by her brother and longtime collaborator Elliot Bergman, the 12-track record shimmers with gospel soul, country-western heartache, and rock 'n' roll grit, all filtered through Natalie’s unmistakable voice.Where her critically acclaimed 2021 debut solo album Mercy was steeped in grief and spiritual reckoning, written in the wake of the sudden loss of her father and stepmother, My Home Is Not In This World emerges from new life and rebirth. Natalie gave birth to her son, Arthur, in 2024, and the experience of motherhood has transformed her music into something equally tender and transcendent.

Los Sex Sex Sex

Control

Slovenly

***Los SEX SEX SEX de Mexmexmexico have been around for a decade or so, with a killer 7" and a cassette out so far. After a long hiatus they come screaming back with a rager of a garage punk 7inch.

Psychic Pigs

Psychic Pigs

Slovenly

***Rock & roll lifer Brandon Welchez is back with 10 tracks of grimy, unhinged punk with new band Psychic Pigs! The tunes range from driving Wipers-esque ruminations on our sick society to swaggering scum-rock that would make Sonny Vincent and his Testors proud.

Sexfaces

Bad Vibes OST

Slovenly

***In the sticky-floored underbelly of Washington DC, where the amps buzz louder than the city’s bullshit, SEXFACES have been brewing something gnarly: their debut full-length, Bad Vibes OST, is a full-noise, zero-fluff slab of punked-up nihilism.

Rye Coalition

Paid In Full

Ernest Jenning Record Co.

*** 2 covers of artists and friends who the band lost in the last year—Shellac (Albini) and Drive Like Jehu (Rick Froberg). First new rye recordings in almost 20 years. Every copy unique, handmade, numbered, letter pressed covers, etc.—this one is a huge labor of love, with our friends, for our friends. All profits go to Steve Albini’s Letters to Santa children’s charity."

Invunche

Atavismo

Nuclear War Now

***El Invunche’s eternal solitary path continues, six years after its last full-length, II. The search for spirituality among concrete and steel has proven futile, yet the call of the ancients has only grown louder. Atavismo heeds this call, summoning the history and folklore of South America across time, cultures and space. Ancient gods and elemental forces emerge, telling tales of the Sun and the Moon, life and death and the eternal battles that shape worlds. Witness the transformation of Invunche as ancestral power takes hold…

Pentagram

Demos

Nuclear War Now

***Few bands in the history of underground metal have had as profound an influence on the genre with as limited a discography as Pentagram of Chile. Not to be confused with the U.S. doom band of the same name, whose origin predated its South American death metal counterpart by just over a decade, the Chilean entity officially recorded a grand total of two demos and an EP during the two-plus years of its original existence. The context of the band's formation and short-lived existence in a geographically and politically isolated and repressed country lent increased improbability to its eventual attainment of cult-like status. Its scarce output and insularity notwithstanding, Pentagram has been deservedly cited as a major influence on more prolific outfits such as Napalm Death, Entombed, At the Gates, Dismember, and many more.

Torturer

Demo '91 / Los Ultimos Tiempos

Nuclear War Now

***Chilean cult deathrash circa '91! An official reissue of Torturer's two studio demos from 1991 and 1995 on one LP for the first time. Every copy includes a letter size booklet full of old gig flyers, band photos, lyrics and other historical artifacts from the time. Torturer took what was created by bands like Pentagram (Chile) and made their own deathrash classic for the ages!

Torturer

Oppressed by the Force

Nuclear War Now

***Chilean cult deathrash circa '92! An official reissue of Torturer's debut album with layout based on the old CD release down to the typeface. Every copy includes a letter size booklet full of old gig flyers, band photos, lyrics and other historical artifacts from the time. Torturer took what was created by bands like Pentagram (Chile) and made their own deathrash classic for the ages!

Von

Blood Angel

Nuclear War Now

***"Von was allegedly formed in 1987 by Goat, Snake, and Venien (who left the band in 1990, before VON was chosen as the band name). The role and involvement of member 'Venien' in the early days of Von have always been very unclear, as no proof that this member was active in the band during that period exists. In late 1990 or early 1991, Kill joined the band as bassist and the trio recorded their Satanic Blood demo. During 1991, Von played a couple of live gigs and recorded another demo, Blood Angel, which was never released on its own. The band disbanded in 1992, shortly after the release of Satanic Blood. The band's members also recorded a gothic rock demo under the name Sixx."