Top 25 Staff Picks 2024
Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame inductees Pearl Jam return with an exclusive yellow and black ghostly Dark Matter LP colorway for Record Store Day 2024. The band’s 12th studio album
was produced by Grammy® Award Winning producer Andrew Watt.
Tracklist
1. Sacred Of Fear
2. React, Respond
3. Wreckage
4. Dark Matter
5. Won’t Tell
6. Upper Hand
7. Waiting For Stevie
8. Running
9. Something Special
10. Got To Give
11. Setting Sun
After 16 years, THE CURE is back with their 14th studio album, SONGS OF A LOST WORLD. Songs from the
record were previewed during their 90-date, 33-country ‘Shows Of A Lost World’ tour for more than 1.3 million
people to overwhelming fan and critical acclaim. Speaking about, “Alone,” the opening track on the album, Robert
Smith says, “It’s the track that unlocked the record; as soon as we had that piece of music recorded, I knew it was
the opening song and I felt the whole album come into focus… that was the moment when I knew the song – and
the album – were real.” Robert Smith created the sleeve concept and Andy Vella, a longtime Cure collaborator,
handled the album’s art and design. The cover art features ‘Bagatelle,’ a 1975 sculpture by Janez Pirnat. Indie
Exclusive Marble BioVinyl LP. Limited Edition.
One of the hardest working singer-songwriters in the game is named Katie Crutchfield. She was born in Alabama, grew up near Waxahatchee Creek. Skipped town and struck out on her own as Waxahatchee. That was over a decade ago. Crutchfield says she never knew the road would lead her here, but after six critically acclaimed albums, she's never felt more confident in herself as an artist. While her sound has evolved from lo-fi folk to lush alt-tinged country, her voice has always remained the same. Honest and close, poetic with Southern lilting. Much like Carson McCullers's Mick Kelly, determined in her desires and convictions, ready to tell whoever will listen.
And after years of being sober and stable in Kansas City - after years of sacrificing herself to her work and the road - Crutchfield has arrived at her most potent songwriting yet. On her new album, Tigers Blood, Crutchfield emerges as a powerhouse - an ethnologist of the self - forever dedicated to revisiting her wins and losses. But now she's arriving at revelations and she ain't holding them back. Produced by Brad Cook, the album features MJ Lenderman, Phil Cook, and Spencer Tweedy.
TANGK is, at its core, a love album. Open to anyone who requires something to shout out loud in order to fend off any encroaching sense of the void, now or forever. TANGK is a bona fide pop record in a way we’ve never heard from IDLES before, that is, something for everyone to pass around and share, communal anthems intended for overcoming our grievances. The word - pronounced “tank” with a whiff of the “g” - began as an onomatopoeic reference in-studio for the sound of a guitar tone, but has grown into a sigil for living in love. Joe sings on TANGK in a way we’ve never heard before, completing his transformation from post-punk firebrand into soul singing evangelist. TANGK was co-produced by Nigel Godrich, Kenny Beats, and IDLES guitarist Mark Bowen.
Billie Eilish’s third studio album, "HIT ME HARD AND SOFT", released via Darkroom/Interscope Records is her most daring body of work to date, a diverse yet cohesive collection of songs— ideally listened to in its entirety from beginning to end—does exactly as the album title suggests; hits you hard and soft both lyrically and sonically, while bending genres and defying trends along the way. With the help of her brother and sole collaborator, FINNEAS, the pair wrote, recorded, and produced the album together in their hometown of Los Angeles. This album comes on the heels of her two massively successful albums “WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP WHERE DO WE GO?" and "Happier Than Ever" and works to further develop the world of Billie Eilish.
The vinyl is made with recyclable compound, collecting all first run scraps to re-use for additional runs later. All vinyl packaging is made from FSC® certified recycled paper/boards made 100% from post-consumer waste and recycled pre-consumer fibers. The ink used is raw plant-based and water-based dispersion varnish. In place of shrink-wrap, the sleeves are 100% recycled and re-usable. For shipping, all finished goods are packaged and shipped to depots in up to 93% recycled and 100% recyclable shipping boxes.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds return with new album, Wild God. Across the ten tracks of the album, the band dance between convention and experimentation, taking left-turns and detours that heighten the rich imagery and emotion in Cave's soul-stirring narratives. It is the sound of a group emboldened by reconnection and taking flight. There are moments that touch fondly upon the Bad Seeds' past but they are fleeting, and serve only to imbue the relentless and restless forward motion of the band. Produced by Cave and Warren Ellis, and mixed by David Fridmann, Cave began writing the album in 2023. With sessions at Miraval in Provence and Soundtree in London, the Bad Seeds added their unique alchemy, with additional performances from Colin Greenwood (bass) and Luis Almau (nylon string guitar, acoustic guitar). "Wild God... there's no fucking around with this record. When it hits, it hits. It lifts you. It moves you. I love that about it," says Nick Cave.