For the Record

April Alternative Record of the Month - Editors - Violence
  • Apr 17, 2018
April Alternative Record of the Month - Editors - Violence

Incorporating and blending heavier electronic elements into their newest album, Violence, Editors' sought the help of Blanck Mass aka Benjamin John Power. The results speak for themselves. Swelling, guitar-driven choruses are surrounded by synths and samples at each refrain. Programmed drums pulse throughout title track "Violence", creating a tense feeling that slowly subsides with second half standouts "No Sound but the Wind" and "Counting Spooks". "Darkness at the Door" and "Nothingness" are pop anthems that'll stay with you long after listening. Arguably the best song on the album, "Magazine" was originally written for Editors' fourth record The Weight of Your Love, but was shelved when guitarist Chris Urbanowicz quit and the band nearly broke up. 

April's Rock Record of the Month - Jack White - Boarding House Reach
  • Apr 11, 2018
April's Rock Record of the Month - Jack White - Boarding House Reach

Over the last 18 years, Jack White has become a household name in Rock and Alternative music. Six records as the White Stripes (1999 - 2007), two records with the Raconteurs (2006, 2008) and three with the Dead Weather (2009, 2010, and 2015). His first solo record was Blunderbuss (2012) followed by 2014's Lazaretto. He also released a double LP Acoustic Recordings 1998 - 2016 which contained unreleased tracks, b-sides and alternate versions of songs from his career catalogue. That album released in the fall of 2016. So, at this point, his career has cultivated a pretty amazing collection of material.

April Singer Songwriter Record of the Month - Ben Harper & Charlie Musselwhite - No Mercy In This Land (180 gram vinyl)
  • Apr 6, 2018
April Singer Songwriter Record of the Month - Ben Harper & Charlie Musselwhite - No Mercy In This Land (180 gram vinyl)

In 2013, Ben Harper did something that nobody saw coming. He teamed up with Charlie Musselwhite to record Get Up!. It was Harper's eleventh studio album and Musselwhite's twenty ninth! Musselwhite was 68 at the time while Harper was 43.  But what may have seemed an unlikely pairing turned out to be an amazing match. Get Up! won a Grammy for Best Blues Album in 2014.  

Collector's Series: The Johnny Cash Ultimate American Recordings and House Of Cash Bundle
  • Apr 4, 2018
Collector's Series: The Johnny Cash Ultimate American Recordings and House Of Cash Bundle

 The first American Recordings album released by Johnny Cash came out in 1994. It was Cash's 81st studio release, but was the first in a series of albums all the way up until Cash's death that featured collaborations with famed producer Rick Rubin. This first release was simply titled CASH, but it came to be known as the American Recordings.  

March's Record Store Spotlight Album of the Month - Billy Squier - Don't Say No
  • Mar 28, 2018
March's Record Store Spotlight Album of the Month - Billy Squier - Don't Say No

On April 13th, 1981, Billy Squier released Don't Say No, his second album since signing as a solo artist with Capitol Records. Squier's first record, Tale of the Tape, was only moderately successful. Although it peaked at #169 on the Billboard 200, it still spent three months on the chart at a time when the top 200 albums really meant something.  In need of a producer for his second album, Squier reached out to Queen guitarist Brian May, who had to decline due to scheduling. May suggested that Squier reach out to Reinhold Mack (longtime studio engineer for E.L.O.) who was currently producing Queen's The Game (which garnered a Grammy nomination for Producer of the Year (Non-Classical) in 1981). So Squier met with Mack, and he ended up co-producing the record.

March 2018 Jazz, Soul & Blues (NEW) Record of the Month - Durand Jones & The Indications - Durand Jones & The Indications (Red Vinyl)
  • Mar 16, 2018
March 2018 Jazz, Soul & Blues (NEW) Record of the Month - Durand Jones & The Indications - Durand Jones & The Indications (Red Vinyl)

In 2012, Durand Jones left his home in Louisiana and enrolled in the Jacobs School of Music in Indiana.  He plays the Alto Sax and never planned on being a singer.  But not long after starting school, he put a band together and found himself singing soul and R&B classics.  That's band ended up becoming the Indications.Their first single, “Smile”, was heard by Terry Cole of Colemine records.  Cole pressed up a batch of 45s.  Durand Jones & The Indications initially found acceptance in the vinyl community.  They were inspired by a handful of dusty and obscure 45s baring names like the Ethics, the Brothers of Soul, and the Icemen, the Indications set out to make a record steeped in heavy drums, blown-out vocals, and deep grooves.

March 2018 Alternative Record of the Month - The Wombats - Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life
  • Mar 15, 2018
March 2018 Alternative Record of the Month - The Wombats - Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life

If you haven't already heard of The Wombats, we've got you covered. The band formed in Liverpool, U.K. in 2003. Since its inception, they have released four studio albums. 2008's A Guide to Love, Loss, & Desperation, the band's debut, made a decent splash in the U.K.. The record reached #11 on the UK Albums Chart and went U.K. Platinum. It was nominated for three NME's that year (winning one) and was nominated for Best New Act for the 2008 MTV Europe Music Awards. A Guide did get to #20 on the Billboard Heatseeker Chart, but really didn't crossover to U.S. audiences.

March 2018 Rock Record of the Month - The Glorious Sons - Young Beauties and Fools
  • Mar 14, 2018
March 2018 Rock Record of the Month - The Glorious Sons - Young Beauties and Fools

The Glorious Sons are from Kingston, Ontario. The band has done well in Canada.  They have released one EP, Shapeless Art, and a full length, The Union. Those titles produced a big splash on the Canadian Rock / Alternative radio charts. One song went #1, "The Contender" and six other songs were top ten singles (including four making it all the way to #2). Young Beauties and Fools released in Canada October 13, 2017, but is just now making its way to the US. The first single off the album went #1 on the Canadian Rock / Alternative chart.  In the U.S., "Everything Is Alright is currently #32 on the Mediabase Alternative charts.