For the Record
Pretenders - Pretenders
Pretenders is widely regarded as one of the greatest debut albums of all-time. Featuring Chrissie Hynde’s incredible vocals and guitar, James Honeyman-Scott’s glistening guitar, Pete Farndon’s driving bass and Martin Chambers’ drums, the album is quintessential new wave, and a defining album of the 80s. It started with the release of their first single, a cover of The Kinks’ Stop Your Sobbing, produced by Nick Lowe. It would end up a top 40 hit in the UK, with their follow up single Kid also reaching the top 40. They then released one of Pretenders’ most famous tracks, Brass In Pocket. Leading with a glorious guitar rhythm embodied by luscious chorus, Brass In Pocket launched Pretenders onto a different level, with the track finishing reaching #1 in the UK, Ireland, Sweden and South Africa, as well as top 5s in Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, New Zealand and more. It was also a success in the US, reaching #14 and becoming the 7thmusic video aired on MTV. The album continues to be highly acclaimed to this day, regularly featuring amongst best of the 1980s lists.
Bear's Den - Blue Hours
Blue Hours sees the much-loved folk-rock duo - made up of Andrew Davie and Kevin Jones - once again team up with producer Ian Grimble on what is one of their most personal records to date. Davie says: "Blue Hours is a kind of imaginary space you get into at night, a place where you process difficult things or where you try to figure everything out." Themes on the album include both self-reflection and mental health after both struggled with the latter in recent years. "It's the main over-arching theme with this record," Davie explains. The group, who have worked with mental health charity CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably) previously added: "It probably speaks to our struggles and hopefully many other people's too. Men are not very good at talking. We're not really taught how to - men have no idea how to talk about this stuff, certainly to each other."
LIAM GALLAGHER - C'MON YOU KNOW
C’MON YOU KNOW follows the huge success of Liam’s previous studio albums As You Were (2017) and Why Me? Why Not. (2019), which established his iconic status for a whole new generation. His ‘MTV Unplugged’ also went straight to #1 on the Official Album Chart. Between his triumphs as a solo artist and his phenomenal success with Oasis, Liam has spent a combined total of almost six months at #1 across eleven chart-topping albums.
Bastards of Soul - Corners
Bastards of Soul released their debut album in February 2020, a week before the US went into lockdown. Despite that, Spinnin' became a hit for the band, selling through 2 pressings despite no live support. They spent the remainder of the year writing their 2nd album and as Summer 2021 approached, they hit the studio to record Corners at famed Niles City Studio in Ft. Worth, Texas. Corners shows the band hitting their stride as songwriters, weaving together 9 tunes that are intricate yet always soulful.
Def Leppard - Pyromania
Vinyl LP pressing Pyromania is the third studio album by Def Leppard, originally released in 1983 The first album to feature guitarist Phil Collen who replaced founding member Pete Willis, Pyromania was produced by Robert John "Mutt" Lange. The album was a shift away from the band's traditional heavy metal roots toward a more radio-friendly sound, finding massive mainstream success, with Classic hits "Photograph," "Foolin'," and "Rock of Ages."
Zach Williams - Dirty Camaro
Dirty Camaro was written and recorded in collaboration with several of Williams' musical compatriots, including John Paul White, Ashley Monroe, Robert Ellis, Anderson East, Thad Cockrell, and more. Williams' voice is one to be reckoned with, and the album spins powerful stories of heartbreak and longing, tenderness and love for family, and overcoming obstacles when everything seems like it's going wrong.
Jack White - Fear of the Dawn
Fear of the Dawn is the fourth studio album from Jack White, founding member of The White Stripes, The Raconteurs, and The Dead Weather. True to his DIY roots, this record was recorded at White's Third Man Studio throughout 2021, mastered by Third Man Mastering, pressed to vinyl at Third Man Pressing, and released by Third Man Records. Pressed on limited astronomical blue vinyl.
Adia Victoria - A Southern Gothic
Vinyl LP pressing. The record was executive produced by T Bone Burnett, and features guest contributions from Jason Isbell, Margo Price, and Matt Berninger of The National. A Southern Gothic is Adia's 3rd album and marks the follow up to 2019's critically acclaimed Silences, produced by Aaron Dessner. Around it's release, The Songwriters Hall of Fame presented Adia with the Holly Prize which recognizes and supports a new "all-in songwriter." She toured the U.S. and Europe on the "Dope Queen Tour" which included a performance on Live From Here with Chris Thile and at Brooklyn's Prospect Park, the Newport Folk Festival, and a performance at Mass MOCA and Boston Calling.