For the Record
Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit - Reunions (Ltd. Ed. Creamsicle Vinyl)
"Reunions" JASON & THE 400 UNIT - His last album - 2017's "The Nashville Sound" - A #1 album on the Billboard Folk, Independent, Country and Rock albums charts, also received Best Americana Album at the Grammys, Album Of The Year At The Americana Honors & Awards and was nominated at the CMA Awards for Album Of The Year. Since then, he has collaborated on the soundtrack for A Star Is Born, the debut album by the Highwomen, and Sheryl Crow's latest album Threads. He also released a live album, Live From the Ryman.
Sammy Brue - Crash Test Kid (Ltd. Ed. Autographed Red/Yellow Splatter Vinyl)
“Music has just been a part of my life since I was very young—it's been like my football or my soccer,” says Sammy Brue. “I stopped going to school to do it. Because I thought, If I could put seven hours a day into music, imagine where it's going to take me…” Imagine, indeed. Since writing his first song at the age of 11, Brue has released three homespun EPs, his New West full-length debut, I Am Nice and a 2018 EP, Down with Desperation. In the process, the Ogden, Utah native has been hailed as an “Americana prodigy” by Rolling Stone and one of the “teenagers shaping pop” by The New Yorker. But these myriad accomplishments may have just been the setup for what is arguably his finest work to date, Crash Test Kid. Brue has always been an artist seemingly wise beyond his years, but on Crash Test Kid he often gets at the heart of a matter or melody with just a simple but insightful turn of phrase or cleverly-picked guitar.
Monophonics - It's Only Us (Ltd. Ed. Random Color Vinyl)
With a timeless sound that blends heavy soul and psych-rock, Monophonics have built a reputation over the past decade as one of the best live bands in the country. Led by singer Kelly Finnigan, the band of has drawn on their colorful history - both their experiences as veteran touring performers and as individuals growing up in the Bay Area - to create "It's Only Us," their fourth release since 2012. A reflection of what they see as the current state of the world, the record touches on difficult subjects such as broken relationships, mental health issues, gun violence and power struggles, all with an underlying message of unity, resilience and acceptance. The band's signature style of arrangement has been expanded with top-notch production and creative instrumentation to round out the Monophonics' trademark soul sound, while Finnigan's vocals are more powerful than ever. At times these tracks can feel classic, as familiar as an old song you grew up with, while simultaneously raising questions about the state of music in 2020 and what the future might hold. "It's Only Us" is the sound of a group continuing to grow as songwriters, musicians, performers and people - reflecting on where they've been, and pushing the boundaries of what's possible in the years to come.
Styx - Pieces of Eight (Ltd. Ed. Gray Vinyl)
PROG-ROCK at it's finest. This is a one-time pressing and only 1,000 units will be released worldwide. Styx's feisty, straight-forward brand of album rock is represented best by "Blue Collar Man" from 1978's Pieces of Eight, an invigorating keyboard and guitar rush - hard and heavy, yet curved by Tommy Shaw's emphasized vocals. The classic album also includes "Renegade." Led by the talents of Dennis DeYoung (vocals/keyboards), Tommy Shaw (vocals/guitar), and James J.Y. Young (vocals/guitar), Styx became one of the most successful FM/Arena Rock bands in the U.S. during the latter half of the '70s and into the early '80's. With brothers Chuck (bass/vocals) and John Panozzo (drums), the band ruled the airwaves for a decade before their split in '84. DeYoung's distinct vocals and pop oriented material worked well against Shaw's edgier material, garnering the band important airplay on FM and AM radio stations.
Brian Fallon - Local Honey (Ltd. Ed. Translucent Orange Vinyl w/ Autographed Postcard
The lead singer of beloved heartland-punk band The Gaslight Anthem, Brian Fallon steps away from that sound and into a stripped-down Americana space on his third solo album, Local Honey. Produced by Grammy-award winning producer Peter Katis (The National, Frightened Rabbit, Death Cab for Cutie), the album showcases Fallon's songwriting in small vignettes, from a loving devotional for his daughter to a vengeful murder ballad.
Lilly Hiatt - Walking Proof (Ltd. Ed. Autographed Randon Color Vinyl with Art Print and Colored Pencil Set)
Lilly Hiatt felt lost. She'd just returned home from the better part of a year on tour in support of her acclaimed third album, Trinity Lane, and, stripped of the daily rituals and direction of life on the road, she found herself alone with her thoughts for the first time in what felt like ages. So Hiatt did what's always come most natural to her in times of questioning and uncertainty: she picked up a guitar. Over the course of the ensuing winter, she wrote a mountain of new music that grappled with her sense of self and place in the world, reckoning with issues that had been bubbling beneath the surface of her subconscious in some cases for years. The result is Walking Proof, Hiatt's fourth and most probing collection to date. Produced by former Cage the Elephant guitarist Lincoln Parish, the record walks the line between Hiatt's rough, rock and roll exterior and her tender, country roots, exuding a bold vulnerability as she takes a deep and unflinching look in the mirror. What emerges is a newfound maturity in Hiatt's writing, an abiding sense of calm in the face of chaos as she learns that sometimes, you have to let go in order to get what you want most. By the time she headed into Parish's Nashville studio in May, Hiatt had piled up more than twenty-five new songs, and with the producer's help, she pared it down to a tight and cohesive eleven. After capturing the core performances live with her band over the course of roughly a week, Hiatt devoted the early part of the summer to finishing touches, which included contributions from friends like Amanda Shires and Aaron Lee Tasjan along with a guest appearance from her father, legendary songwriter John Hiatt, who joins his daughter on record for the first time here. Lilly Hiatt's not feeling so lost these days, and with Walking Proof, she's crafted a roadmap to share with the rest of us.
Ron Pope - Bone Structure (Ltd. Ed. Autographed Black/White Marble)
Bone Structure is not the album Ron Pope originally set out to release. While parenthood has a way of softening hard exteriors and forcing more than a few lifestyle changes, Pope found himself almost unrecognizable after becoming a father in early 2018. Before he found his footing in this extraordinary new reality, a terrifying incident on tour forced him to reckon with his own mortality and consider what it would mean for his newborn daughter if he were to die. He abandoned an album’s worth of recording sessions, no longer satisfied with generalizations and lyrics light on context; soon after, a deluge of deeply personal reflections began pouring through his pen. A change of heart? More like navigating a sea change.
