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AFX
Chosen Lords
Release Date: 04/18/06
Label: Rephlex
CD: $16.98
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Throughout 2005, and with little fanfare, Richard D. James (Aphex Twin) released the Analord series of 12"s under the AFX moniker on his label Rephlex. In total, 41 tracks were released over a series of singles -- Analord Volumes 1-11. Each record went on to sell into five-figure quantities -- on vinyl format ONLY! The tracks were not available for download or on CD, making this a considerable sales achievement. For fans of Aphex Twin, it was an almost unprecedented bounty of new material in the gap since the 2001 double album, Drukqs, but many people who have abandoned their turntables will have remained unaware of this hive of activity. Now, Rephlex releases Chosen Lords: rather than release a triple CD featuring all 41 tracks, AFX himself has distilled the tunes into a cohesive album, as it was intended to be heard. Chosen Lords is, in fact, the first full album of new material from Richard D. James since Drukqs, and the word of mouth is that the tracks are among his very best classics. The style? As with most Richard D. James releases, it's hard to pin it down to any one genre. Largely recorded on Richard's private collection of analog synthesizers -- vintage, modern and home-made, the rhythms, melodies, harmonies, and even some subliminal lyrics have all evolved directly from the machines. One could say Chosen Lords is partly-inspired by NY electro, Chicago house and Detroit techno classics, but the album also stimulates the kind of "lucid dreaming" atmospherics found on Selected Ambient Works 85-92. Many people try to imitate Richard's sound, but he remains an unrivaled innovator when it comes to the emotional and musical depth and complexity of his tracks. Chosen Lords is Richard D. James at the peak of his powers, in the prime of life. Unmissable.
Genre/Style: Electronic / Experimental
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Adrian Belew
Side Three
Release Date: 04/18/06
Label: Sanctuary
CD: $16.98
| The final chapter of his trilogy sums up one of the most ambitious musical journeys in recent memory. Once again he is joined by Danny Carey and Les Claypool.
Genre/Style: Rock / Pop
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Richard Butler
Self-Titled
Release Date: 04/18/06
Label: Koch
CD: $17.98
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Released way back in 1980, the first record from the Psychedelic Furs was a blunt and beautiful thing. Its punk fascinations were subverted by solid musicianship and a lead singer whose sandpaper growl couldn't cover up the Bowie-esque sweetness in his tone. Through the '80s and '90s, as the Furs broke up and he re-emerged with Love Spit Love, Richard Butler kept that growl. But the sweetness was getting more prominent. Butler finally smoothes out entirely and becomes the crooner he always threatened to be here on his debut solo CD. Nearing 50, his voice sounds clean and easy as he opens the record with a deft falsetto over the soft, adult alternative bounce of "Good Days, Bad Days." The entire record is well-produced--maybe a little over-produced, even--but it's also cut with a disarming electronic edge; check out the digital spit-and-polish on Postal Service-lite tracks like "California." Butler's lyrics are dependably poetic and pessimistic, with lyrics like "I hate every second of this life long day" clouding up the otherwise sunny "Broken Aeroplanes." But even if Butler hasn't completely reinvented himself, he succeeds in surprising us and making us curious to see what he does next. --Matthew Cooke
Genre/Style: Rock/ Pop |
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Cities
Cities
Release Date: 04/18/06
Label: Yep Rock
CD: $13.98
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Cities - four bright-eyed college kids, keen on creating a decidedly American brand of melancholic, but hooky, indie rock - have a bone to pick with those hipster highbrows focusing their attention across the pond. The bands self-titled Yep Roc debut slices through Brit-influenced post-punk with mid-90s, layered guitar rock, and the organic, indie aesthetic that was born in Chapel Hill, NC.
Genre/Style: Rock / Pop / Post-Punk |
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Disco Buscuits
Wind at Four To Fly
Release Date: 04/18/06
Label: Sci Fidelity
CD: $19.98
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The Disco Biscuits are in their eleventh year of realizing their goal of making some of the wildest and craziest sounds around. The quartet which consists of Jon Gutwilling Marc Brownstein Aron Magner and new drummer Allen Aucoin continue to delight audiences around the globe with their unique fusion of rock electronica and classic music. After a breif break from constant touring the Biscuits are back on the road electrifying audiences from coast to coast.The album features tracks pulled from a series of performences after former drummer Sam Altman announced his departure
from the band.
Genre/Style: Rock / Jam |
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Desden Dolls
Yes, Virginia
Release Date: 04/18/06
Label: Roadrunner
CD: $14.98 Sale: $12.98
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On this album the band came out with something very modern yet totally unique. They rip holes in the veneer of rock music and create their own rules, rhyme and reason.
Genre/Style: Rock
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Drive By Truckers
Blessing and a Curse
Release Date: 04/18/06
Label: New West
CD: $16.98 Sale: $14.98
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The Drive By Truckers are back with another CD. A Blessing and A Curse is the bands hardest rockin CD yet. It is fitting that the final words on the album are It Great To Be Alive. The songs on this record illustrates the triumphant struggle it takes to survive and thrive in this world. A Blessing And A Curse is not only a great record but an important statement delivered honestly and passionately without and sugar coating or detail spared.
Genre/Style: Rock / Americana |
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Elefant
Black Magic Show
Release Date: 04/18/06
Label: Hollywood
CD: $13.98 Sale: $11.98
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Scratch the surface, and what the New York quartet has on offer is a riveting set of dynamic pop-rock. But as you pull back the curtain, and investigate in closer detail, it becomes apparent that the album operates on a variety of intricate levels.
Genre/Style: Rock / Post-Punk
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Fiery Furnaces
Bitter Tea
Release Date: 04/18/06
Label: Fat Possum
CD: $15.98
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Bitter Tea is the latest installment from the Brooklyn based The Fiery Furnaces. The multi instrumental brother and sister duo continue with their eclectic back drop of experimental yet undeniably catchy melodies that set the stage perfectly for Eleanors distinct vocals. Their diversity has garnered them a wide range of comparisons from The Who to The Band Meet Syd Barrett if thats any
implication.
Genre/Style: Rock / Pop |
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Gitogito Hustler
Love and Roll
Release Date: 04/18/06
Label: Gearhead
CD: $11.98
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The Japanese all-girl sensations are once again sweeping the nation! Gitogito Hustler, one of the hardest working and sincere rock and roll bands you ll hear anywhere serve up their debut US full length release Love & Roll. Think all the style and substance of the 5.6.7.8 s meets early Supersnazz musically, then add in the moves of the Supremes and you begin to get the picture. But don t let their appearance fool you, they are definitely adorable, but the sweetest kittens have the sharpest claws, and they can rock right alongside any band, male or female, making them a very welcomed addition to the Gearhead roster.
Genre/Style: Rock / Garage |
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Kalas
self-titled
Release Date: 04/18/06
Label: Tee Pee
CD: $14.98 Sale: $10.98
LP: $14.98 |
Debut full length album from this Bay area rock act. Features Matt Pike from Sleep and High On Fire on vocals. Imagine High On Fire, Neurosis, Isis and Discharge all rolled up into one super-charged band.
Genre/Style: Metal |
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Michael Leviton
My Favorite Place to Drown
Release Date: Feb 06
Label: Smith Street
CD: $12.98 Sale: $9.98
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Nautically themes love songs written on ukelele and sung with a gentle and soft croon that somehow marries a cynical wit with a classically romantic and truly endearing charm. Michael sings and plays ukelele on all songs. This is for fans of Jonthan Richmond, Kings of Convenience, They Might Be Giants and Regina Spektor.
Genre/Style: Folk / Singer-Songwriter |
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Lovely Feathers
Hind Hind Legs
Release Date: 04/18/06
Label: Equator
CD: $12.98
LP: $16.98
| The Lovely Feathers' refreshingly whimsical debut Hind Hind Legs is quirky, sunny and engaging. The album's strange yet lovable indie pop songs, replete with sometimes silly, always captivating lyrics, shout-a-long choruses and clever "bet you didn't see that coming" rhythm changes makes it an instant favorite.
Genre/Style: Pop / Rock |
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NOFX
Wolves in Wolves Clothing
Release Date: 04/18/06
Label: Fat Wreck Chords
CD: $13.98Sale $10.98
LP: $9.98
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NOFX forge new territory on the punk rock landscape with offerings like the dub post punk beatles inspired The Marxist Brothers and the new wave inspired Getting High On The Down Low. With the release of their 11th studio full length its clear that NOFX are not just a mainstay but a frontrunner in the world of independent music.
Genre/Style: Punk |
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People Under The Stairs
Stepfathers
Release Date: 04/18/06
Label: Basement Records
CD: $16.98
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From the old school beats with those classic SP 1200 drums and rich harmmond organ keys to new school progressive tracks with live guitar and bass Stepfather is by far P.U.Ts best work to date. People Under the Stairs are always relegated to an old school category of hip hop remark Thes One but were flipping the script on this one. Were coming with an extremely progressive approach on this record. I study a lot of music theory and classic material and this album reflects that. Stepfather features guest appearances from legendary Funkadelic and Parliament member George Clinton, Monty Stark, and Kat of Crown City Rockers.
Genre/Style: Hip-Hop |
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Dudley Perkins
Expressions (2012 A.U.)
Release Date: 04/18/06
Label: Stones Throw
CD: $14.98 Sale :$10.98
LP: $15.98
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The dynamic sophomore effort, entitled Expressions (2012 A.U.), takes an extended detour in the direction of Parliament's Mothership Connection. The funk is strong this time around - as is the soul music that brought tears to the eyes of Dudley's and Madlib's aunt and uncles back in the golden days. Dudley continues his plaintive, introspective soul-searching - as well as his trademark wuestions of the future of mankind.
Genre/Style: Hip-Hop |
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Sickoakes
Seaward
Release Date: 04/18/06
Label: Type
CD: $13.98 |
This is the long-awaited debut release from Sickoakes. Harking from the vodka-drenched tundra of Sweden, Sickoakes are a fluid six-piece (sometimes there's four...) who make sprawling cascades of orchestral post-rock which appears to be accruing glowing adjectives, like moths to a flame. Sickoakes have been leaking CD-Rs for years now, and there has been a bubbling interest in their next move. Massaging disparate elements into a delicious, cohesive whole, Seawards manages to evoke the ocean and its belligerent mood-swings to perfection; opening with the tender "Driftwood" and closing an hour later with the malignantly euphoric "Leonine." While ostentatiously labeled post-rock, Sickoakes do not adhere to the clipped wing schematic that has so come to blight the genre; eschewing the quiet-loud-quiet-loud-quiet approach for a richly textured and profoundly moving journey that earns its accolades rather than attempting to Xerox those of others. Sharing a twilight disposition with label-mates Deaf Center, crossed with the effervescent genius of Mogwai - "Driftwood" ushers you in through delicate piano and an achingly poignant melody which brings to mind the less sun-blushed output of Ennio Morricone, while "Taking The Stairs Instead Of The Elevator" roams brusquely into view with an odd (yet compelling) combination of British folk, chiming guitars, spaghetti horns and staccato rhythms. The result? Genre-defying. Elsewhere, "Oceans On Hold" reclaims a killer guitar part and lets it spiral skywards amongst breathlessly rendered instrumentation and AM samples. "Missiles And Mammals" transports you to a starry-eyed retreat through lashings of snow capped strings, while the truly epic "Wedding Rings & Bullets In The Same Golden Shrine (Part I & II)" cements Sickoakes' position alongside Explosions in the Sky and Mogwai as purveyors of un-cut, grade-A aural necromancy. In other words, this is just about as good as it gets..
Genre/Style: Post Rock |
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Spankrock
Yoyoyoyo
Release Date: 04/18/06
Label: Big Dada
CD: $14.98 Sale $10.98
LP: $17.98
| This is going to blow your mind! Cutting edge without really caring, phenomally rude without even meaning to be, this is Spank Rock. Don't be the last one on your block to know, the party is on.
Genre/Style: Hip-Hop / Booty House
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FM3 Buddha Machine
Price: $24.98 |
Restocked! 2nd edition now available. A unique 'soundbox' from China, which is causing senstation worldwide. A totally dazzling item which causes jaw-dropping delight everywhere -- Alan Bishop bought twenty-four of these on sight, Brian Eno bought eight (how's that for apocalyptical math?). FM3 are a duo of Christiaan Virant and Chinese keyboardist and computer musician Zhang Jian -- based in Beijing. The Buddha Machine is a hardware loop player, built kind of like a little AM radio (available in 6 different colors, shipped randomly), but without all the nonsense -- total genius from out of nowhere! The Buddha Machine is a small soundbox made in China which comes with an integrated speaker, a volume control, mini jack-out and a switch to choose between nine different loops which are stored on a small chip and can be directly played by this mini soundsystem. |
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Various Artists
Alligator Records 35 x 35
Release Date: 04/04/06
Label: Alligator Records
CD: $17.98 |
A history of Alligator Records can also easily be called a history of contemporary blues music. “35 X 35” is an anthology commemorating the 35th anniversary of the Chicago based label and although there have been other milestone compilations from them (30th, 25th and so on), this one is unique. Formed by musical entrepreneur Bruce Iglauer in 1971 so he could release one of his favorite artist’s music (Hound Dog Taylor), Alligator Records has no peer in blues circles for the number and caliber of artists that have recorded for them and have become the most successful contemporary blues label in the world.
Thirty five is not only the anniversary Alligator is celebrating, but it’s also the number of tracks on this double cd set. The songs are arranged chronologically from Hound Dog Taylor’s debut and also are taken only from the debut releases on the label by each of the artists included. Additionally, none of the tracks have been included on past Alligator compilation cds or lps for that matter. Some of the artists had never recorded before coming to Alligator, others came to the label to revitalize their careers, and the stories told in the liner notes by Iglauer himself are not to be missed.
While picking a highlight would be pointless, the theme of picking only songs from debut releases keeps the compilation crackling with energy. From the legends who have passed away (Big Walter Horton, Roy Buchanan, Katie Webster and William Clarke) to the artists who are still producing award winner blues music (Shemekia Copeland, Roomful of Blues, Saffire-The Uppity Blues Women and Buddy Guy), each track is a perfect introduction to a treasury of music on Alligator. Even if you have only a passing interest in the blues, “35 X 35” is a classic. --Paul Shugrue
Genre/Style: Americana / Blues / Roots |
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Calexico
Garden Ruin
Release Date: 04/11/06
Label: 1/4 Stick
CD: $14.98
LP: $15.98
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Out of the Box Record of The Week. Where the open blue skies of the landscapes they chronicled were tempered by the amokey dark blues of their jazz influences Garden Ruin is musically brighter. Lyrically too, the album takes a left turn in which contemporary rather than mythical America is addressed. Put succinctly, Garden Ruin is where Calexico fill those dusty empty landscapes they documented with a big big sound.
Genre/Style: Rock / Americana
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Beth Orton
Comfort of Strangers
Release Date: 02/07/06
Label: Astralwerks
CD: $16.98 |
Few vocalists equal the expressive subtlety of Beth Orton, whose fourth album is both her most musically spare and artistically complex to date. Not only does the production and backing by Jim O'Rourke (known for his work with Sonic Youth and Wilco) capture Orton's vocal style at its most unstudied and unvarnished, the lack of embellishment focuses all the more attention on her songwriting. From the jazzy phrasing on the deceptively jaunty "Worms" through the haunting "Feral" and the amazing grace of the closing, hymnlike "Pieces of Sky," Orton's songs give voice to the sort of knotty, prickly emotions that are as hard to define as they are deeply felt. Most of the musical dynamic features piano or guitar over an elemental, insistent rhythm section, making the coloring of an occasional string section ("Conceived"), harmonica ("Absinthe"), or accordion ("Safe in Your Arms") all the more striking. As an indication of the emotional range of this musical minimalism, the title cut is soothing enough to please fans of Norah Jones, while "Heartlandstruckstop" is as edgy as Patti Smith. --Don McLeese
Genre/Style: America / Singer-Songwriter |
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Sarah Harmer
I'm A Mountain
Release Date: 02/07/06
Label: Zoe
CD: $16.98
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With the kind of rootsy charm normally reserved for summer campfires and folk festivals, Sarah Harmer has managed to capture a wonderfully organic feeling in the grooves of I'm a Mountain, her third solo effort to date. Inspired by Harmer's Kingston country abode, much of this collection--which reflects her love of bluegrass music--brings forth the same earthiness as Michelle Shocked's heralded debut, The Texas Campfire Tapes. In Harmer's case, however, this is far from a solo effort: the acoustic jam--recorded over a week in a Toronto studio--is awash in gorgeous instrumentation. From stand-up bass and fierce finger picking (courtesy of Harmer and guitarist Joey Wright) to bluesman Willie P. Bennett's harmonica and Luther Wright's banjo licks, this disc is less "unplugged" and more "mightily picked" in tone. Harmer’s relaxed voice and positive lyrics on tracks like "I Am Aglow," "The Ring," and "The Phoenix" can bring a sense of calm to even the most ruffled listener. A noteworthy highlight is "Escarpment Blues," a song that Harmer originally released as a single earlier this year. The sparse, yet lyrically-poignant track was first put out to raise money and awareness to help save an area of land near Harmer's home known as the Niagara Escarpment. If you love Dolly Parton's The Grass Is Blue (Harmer lovingly covers her "Will He Be Waiting"), the aforementioned Shocked, or the rootsy intimacy of Gillian Welch, this disc will be a perfect addition to the folk section of your music library. -Denise Sheppard
Genre/Style: Americana / Singer-Songwriter |
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Flaming Lips
At War With Mystics
Release Date: 04/04/06
Label: Warner Bros.
CD: $16.98 |
Cosmic, consciousness-expanding and mind-shattering, At War With The Mystics, the highly anticipated follow-up to The Flaming Lips' Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots brings together the expressiveness of recent albums with the heaviness, volume and intensity of the band's earlier work. At War With The Mystics is personal, political, psychedelic and powerful pop.
Genre/Style: Rock Pop |
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Caroline
Murmurs
Release Date: 03/07/06
Label: Temporary Residence
CD: $9.98 Sale: $6.98 |
Following the critical and fanatical praise of last year's otherworldly, Wheres My Love single Tokyo's Caroline releases her enchanting debut. Murmurs is a thing of blessed beauty that defies easy description and its nearly impossible to attach words to the supernatural brilliance of Carolines crystalline voice and threaded together by warm bass and dense beats. With a transcendence that could give you chills on a blistering summer day just as easily as it could warm your body on a bitterly cold night its no wonder Caroline has developed a reputation as queen of the snow jams. For fans of Mazzy Star and Sigur Ros.
Genre/Style: Chamber Pop |
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Josephine Foster
A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
Release Date: 04/11/06
Label: Locust
CD: $12.98 |
Over the course of just a few years, Foster has captivated audiences and critics alike through a magnetic patchwork of recordings ranging from broken spirited balladry (Born Heller) to fiery psych rock gestalt (All The Leaves Are Gone) to the voice of an outsider folk siren (Hazel Eyes, I Will Lead You). The one constant is the utterly overwhelming strength and seductive unease of her voice and the bravery of an iconoclastic spirit. A deeply absorbing, magical reconstruction of 19th century German art songs that float in a wash of blissed voice and electric guitar in an almost dreamlike fashion through a salon of her own invention. She makes a case for German as one of the previously unknown romance languages.
Genre/Style: Folk
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Various Artists
Release The Bats
Release Date: 04/04/06
Label: 31G
CD: $13.98
LP: $16.98
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This compilation of all compilations is a tribute to one of the best bands that has ever existed. On this compilation, you can hear your favorite bands recreating, or maybe just butchering your favorite Birthday Party songs. Artists include Some Girls, Get Hustle, Das Oath, Daughters and many more.
Genre/Style: Punk / Hardcore |
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This Is Your Pilot Speaking
Story Board
Release Date: 03/06/006
Label: Resonant
CD: $17.98 |
Full release of an album that has been subject to overwhelming praise worldwide as a result of the initial pressing on the band's own label last year. Within the seven tracks of sprawling, intelligent, complex, emotive and thoroughly engaging post-rock on Storyboard, the band have produced a staggering debut album with a widescreen, epic and ultimately very powerful end product that belies their inexperience -- the strength being the sensational interplay between the guitars, layered over the drums, with occasional appearances from the xylophone and even a typewriter. The album is self-produced, and was recorded in the library of a primary school. This Is Your Captain Speaking are a three-piece that hail from Melbourne, Australia, and this first opus promises a great deal, with comparisons drawn to the likes of Scenic, Silver Ray and Dirty Three.
Genre/Style: Rock / Post Rock |
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volcano!
Beautiful Seizures
Release Date: 11/08/05
Label: Leaf Label
CD: $13.98 |
This young Chicago rock trio is unashamedly freeform in scope, but their songs are meticulously arranged & skillfully executed. Beautiful Seizure is their auspicious debut. The Leaf Label has a long history of releasing adventurous, original and gifted artists from around the world, but for the first time in our ten-year history, we have found a rock band fit for inclusion. Imagine breaking up a fight between Radiohead and Black Dice.
Genre/Style: Rock / Experimental |
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Fever
In The City of Sleep
Sale $12.98 |
Mark Knopfler / Emmy Lou Harris
All the Roadrunnin
Sale $16.98 |
Mr. Nogatco aka Kool Keith
Nogatco
Sale $14.98 |
Streets
Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living
Sale $15.98 |
Secret Machines
Ten Silver Drops
Sale $15.98 |
Bruce Springsteen
We Shall Overcome
Sale $19.98 |
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