Electric guitarist Jessica Ackerley’s improvisational and compositional skills flourished in the avant-garde jazz scene in New York City, where they played in the duo ESSi and the quintet SSWAN, along with leading the Jessica Ackerley Trio. They also collaborated with free jazz great Daniel Carter on Friendship: Lucid Shared Dreams and Time Travel, which featured in this website’s Best New Releases of 2021. A move to Hawai’i and a blossoming interest in painting further expanded Ackerley’s musical range, as their new LP All of the Colours Are Singing integrates aspects of classical, ambient, and rock. It’s an emotionally resonant, often beautiful work available August 16 through AKP Recordings.

All of the Colours Are Singing is a work of growth, transitions and new possibilities. Ackerley’s move to Hawai’i to pursue a PhD broadened their stylistic palette while also impacting how the aspects of their work that still thrived on improvisation were realized. In short, time was limited and travel was required; the album was recorded in Manoa Valley, O’ahu, Hawai’i in October of 2022 with Walter Stinson on upright bass and Aaron Edgcomb on drums.

The strings, arranged by Ackerley beginning in the spring of 2023 and played by Concetta Abatte on violin and viola, were added to the recording later. Early in the arrangement stage Ackerley’s closest friend in Honolulu was diagnosed with cancer, a circumstance that had an understandable impact on the shape of Ackerley’s arranging. Roughly a week prior to the album’s completion, Ackerley’s friend passed.

The presence of composed strings is immediate, as “Introduction” establishes an ambient and neo-classical approach, though Ackerley’s guitar brings distinctiveness and edge to the meditative atmosphere. The next piece, “Forward motion is never a straight line,” opens with a noirish, almost ’80s Downtown NYC jazziness, with the assertiveness of Ackerley’s guitar ebbing and flowing, always inquisitive, and peaking with a delicious blast of free skronk in the tradition of Sharrock and Ulmer.

Read More »

MANSFIELD, MA | New Kids on the Block proved they still have “the right stuff,” with a homecoming performance that was dynamic, loud [cue the screaming girls] and full of a shared devotion between the “kids” and their fans.

When asked if it was their first New Kids on the Block show, Ashley Surber of Newport, RI, said “Oh good God, no!” adding that what keeps her coming back is that, “They’re just so much fun. It’s the nostalgia; it’s just everything.” “It’s the sincerity of how they love their fans,” said Pamela Onges of Easton, Mass. “They’re just so genuine. It’s a really good show.”

The packed crowd at the Xfinity Center outside of Boston was filled with neon pinks and greens, many donning bright outfits that paid homage to some beloved ’80s/’90s fashions. The evening was an opportunity for some fans to relive a bit of their youth, as opener DJ Jazzy Jeff warmed them up with a dance party featuring some TV show highlights—the theme from The Fresh Prince drew a particularly excited roar from the crowd.

Paula Abdul followed with a dazzling performance of dance and song. “This is 62, folks!” Abdul said, jokingly inhaling from an oxygen tank after an impressive dance number. Her talent, enthusiasm, and humble personality shined, with her incredible dancers in support. The beautiful choreography, costumes and props only enhanced a packed 30-minute set, leaving the crowd energized for NKOTB.

Read More »

VIA PRESS RELEASE | Craft Latino’s historic celebration of Fania Records’ 60th anniversary continues with a reissue for Traigo de todo, the fifth solo album, released on Tico Records (a subsidiary of Fania Records), from the prolific Ismael Rivera.

This 1974 album features Rivera in his prime with such transformative tracks such as the shimmering, spirited “El Nazareno” and the seductive hip-shaker “Qué te pasa a ti.” Traigo de todo arrives October 4th, and is available for pre-order today. The reissue features 180-gram black vinyl, with lacquers cut from the original tapes (AAA) by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio, and a classic tip-on jacket, replicating the original artwork. A 180-gram “Amarillo radiante (Radiant Yellow)” color vinyl variant (limited to 300 copies), with a bundle option that includes a Tico Records T-shirt, is available for pre-order today at Fania.com. Additionally, Traigo de todo will make its debut in 192/24 HD digital audio on October 4th.

Rivera’s smooth, smoky voice, contrasted with lively clave rhythms, lent his messages of empowerment—be it about anything from social justice to his love of life—a sense of immediacy. His impact on the salsa genre (which for Rivera would often bend towards jazz, thanks to his gift for improvisation) proved so influential that greats such as Celia Cruz would cover his songs, before he was ultimately inducted into the International Latin Hall of Fame.

Throughout the year, Craft Latino will continue to commemorate Fania’s illustrious legacy of shaping salsa and other Latin music, with reissues (like Traigo de todo), new releases, as well as exclusive content designed to entice collectors and fans alike. Visit fania.com/fania-60th for more details.

Read More »

The early Elvis Costello was the very personification of the angry young man. He may have looked like a twerp, but he had a chip on his shoulder the size of fat blues harmonica guy John Popper. He was perpetually peeved, was Costello, in the fashion of 1966 Bob Dylan, and like Dylan he could—and did—spew vitriol inspired enough to scald. Listening to his debut LP, 1977’s My Aim Is True, it’s as clear as day he’d just as soon see you paralyzed. So forget about the Buddy Holly glasses and the gap between his two front teeth and all the rest of it—musically, the man was a walking, talking third rail.

Costello (aka Declan Patrick MacManus) was born in 1954, just in time to ride the first waves of punk and new wave. He worked office jobs (they’ll always make you angry) while simultaneously looking for a record label. Stiff Records anted up, and Costello recorded My Aim Is True. Just how angry was he? There was the iconic moment on Saturday Night Live when he stopped the band during a song opening to replace it with “Radio Radio”—an attack on the media that SNL executives had expressly forbidden him to play. This moment alone increased his snottiness factor, which sold him records, which may or may not have been calculated. He said later, in an imagined interview I had with him—“I was never really pissed. I wanted to be James Taylor. But there already was a James Taylor. You can’t have two James Taylors. The world would be destroyed by fire and rain.”

My Aim Is True was recorded before Costello put together The Attractions, although future Attraction Steve Nieve provides organ and piano overdubs on the great “Watching the Detectives,” while Nick Lowe also put in a cameo. Instead Costello made do with members of—no joke—a California country rock band called Clover, some of whom went on to help form (no!) Huey Lewis and the News and play with (Double No!) the Doobie Brothers. Let me tell you, the shock of discovering that this was the ilk backing Costello was enough to put me off my dinner (a can of Hormel’s Chili topped with two delicious squares of processed American cheese food). There are some things you’re better off not knowing, and I’ll admit that My Aim Is True doesn’t sound quite the same to me anymore. It sounds polluted by Doobies.

Read More »

The Frank Zappa vault series, whether it’s reissues of classic albums or new archival releases, is an embarrassment of riches that thankfully seems to have no end.

Among the recent new products (boy, would Frank hate that word) to come out in various configurations and formats are legendary recordings from the Whiskey a Go-Go from July 23rd, 1968. The concert came after the first three albums from the Mothers: Freak Out! (1966), Absolutely Free (1967), and We’re Only in It for the Money (1968) and Zappa’s first solo album, Lumpy Gravy, a collaboration with the Abnuceals Emuukha Electric Symphony Orchestra, on which Zappa did not perform, but instead conducted the orchestra.

While some of these live recordings have come out in dribs and drabs over the years, having all three sets available for the first time is truly a revelation. The evening was a real happening and some of the rock glitterati in attendance included former members of The Turtles and future members of The Mothers, Mark Volman and Howard Kalan, soon to be known as Flo & Eddie. Others there for the historic evening included John Mayall, during his Laurel Canyon period, and reportedly members of The Rolling Stones.

With the famed Wally Heider mobile recording truck on hand, and intended as a live recording session (how it was billed on the marquee) of the Mothers of Invention, this is more of a multi-media freak out, or what some might even call a freak show. This is classic Mothers of Invention, with all their wooly hair hanging down to their knobby knees.

Read More »

VIA PRESS RELEASE | Craft Recordings and Jazz Dispensary proudly announce the long-awaited vinyl reissue of Goldenwings, the 1976 fusion masterpiece from Uruguayan trio Opa. Masterminded by such musical legends as the Fattoruso Brothers, Airto Moreira, and Hermeto Pascoal, Goldenwings, delivers an exhilarating blend of sumptuous Latin rhythms, mind-bending synths, and lush vocal harmonies, including such underground favorites as “African Bird,” “Corre Niña,” “Tombo,” and the title track.

Returning to vinyl for the first time in 50 years, Goldenwings arrives on October 18th and marks the latest title in Jazz Dispensary’s album-centric Top Shelf series. As with all releases in the series—which reissues the highest-quality, hand-picked rarities—the LP features all-analog mastering by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio and is pressed on 180-gram vinyl at RTI. A tip-on jacket, replicating the album’s original, eye-catching design, completes the package.

The story of Opa begins in the Uruguayan capital of Montevideo, where brothers Hugo and Jorge Osvaldo Fattoruso forged their musical roots. In 1963, the Fattorusos formed their first band, Los Shakers (alongside Roberto “Pelín” Capobianco and Carlos “Caio” Vila). Influenced heavily—in both look and sound—by The Beatles, the four-piece enjoyed a wildly successful career in South America, releasing multiple hit albums and helping to establish the region’s psychedelic rock scene. When the group disbanded in 1969, however, Hugo and Jorge were eager to expand their repertoire and formed Opa alongside bassist Ringo Thielmann.

Read More »

It’s never easy to tell which bands will burn bright but briefly and which will harness their intensity and progress with staying power. With the release of 3+5, Melt-Banana, since 2013 pared down to the duo of vocalist Yasuko Onuki and guitarist Ichiro Agata, reignites the fire with a blitz combo of noise rock, hyperpop, hardcore, metal, and video game soundtracks that’s unrelenting and glorious. Replacing bass guitar and drum kit with synths and machine rhythms bolsters an approach that goes far beyond caffeinated and into the realms of elevated hyperactivity. Manically precise and often catchy, 3+5 is available August 23 on vinyl, compact disc, and digital through Melt-Banana’s label A-ZAP Records.

3+5 is Melt-Banana’s eighth studio album (or ninth, depending on how Cactuses Come in Flocks is counted) since debuting with Speak Squeak Creak in 1994, that album issued by Japanese noise guitar titan K.K. Null’s NUX Organization label. This connection placed them on a roster with Zeni Geva (Null’s band), Space Streakings, and Merzbow and as part of a wider wave of Japanese noise that featured Boredoms at the forefront.

It was a 1995 tour with Mr. Bungle and the release of Scratch or Stitch late that year by the Skin Graft label that really broke Melt-Banana to a larger US audience. They’ve been prolific since, with two live albums and two singles compilations expanding their discography, but it’s been over a decade since Fetch, their first release as a duo, came out.

The good news is that 3+5 shows no traces of rust. To the contrary, the music thrives as ever on a heightened level of precision that’s rarely heard outside of prog rock (or its post-hardcore stylistic descendent, math-rock). But Melt-Banana are only fitfully inclined toward proggy-mathy intricacy; instead, the focus is on torrid paces, unfaltering stamina, heaviness, density, elasticity, abrasion, and an increased attention to contemporary arena pop aesthetics. When combined with those video game-like synthetic textures, the music’s thrust is pummeling as the melodic surges are welcoming.

Read More »

FORT WAYNE, IN | Last Thursday night, Ft. Wayne, Indiana’s glorious Clyde Theatre hosted Sweden’s mighty Avatar. A night off from the Kiss of Death Tour Part 2 with Ice Nine Kills and In this Moment, Avatar took the opportunity to fully dominate a stage; fans had the band all to themselves for a night. I was delighted and honored to cover it for The Vinyl District.

As this is a headlining gig outside of a regularly scheduled headlining tour, Avatar utilized regional talent for a supporting slot on the night’s bill. Mantra of Morta hail from central Indiana, a small town literally called Farmland. Melodic metal is the name of the game with M.O.M (as they are sometimes referred to, I’ve learned). Led by vocalist Jessie Cochran, the band (Thomas Duvall, Josh Cochran, Dillon Duvall, and Justin Ashley) got the head banging started with a 45-minute set of original material.

After seeing Avatar’s (Johannes Eckerström, John Alfredsson, Henrik Sandelin, Jonas Jarlsby, and Tim Öhrström) supporting set on the first night of the Kiss of Death Tour Part 2 earlier in the week in Saratoga Springs, NY, it was good to see the band in the comfort zone of a headlining show. A forty-minute support slot is great for introducing the band to new crowds, but it is merely an amuse-bouche. To really experience Avatar, you need to roll up to a headlining show that fully showcases the band’s talent and ability to wow a crowd.

Judas Priest mark the beginning of their shows by blasting Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” into the crowd. Fans react by singing along at high volume before the kubuki curtain is pulled away and the band is revealed on stage. In similar fashion, Avatar utilize The Damned’s punk, political, yet danceable “Beware of the Clown” before the men emerge from the darkness. Obviously, the lyrics are aligned with Avatar’s circus imagery, although the song itself takes aim at Britain’s political class. Whether intentional or not, it also is a nod to the band’s willingness to genre bend (The Damned are pure 1970s punk rock) and desire to get their crowds moving. Mission accomplished.

Read More »

VIA PRESS RELEASE | Throughout the latter half of the seventies, Joni Mitchell continued to creatively break ground with her fearless and fluid exploration of jazz. Rather than tread the same path, she challenged and reinvented her style with a folk fusion like no other.

Ascending to an unrivaled sonic peak, this innovative sound took shape across the gold-certified Hejira [1976], the gold-certified double-LP Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter [1977], her collaboration with Charles Mingus entitled Mingus [1979], and live album Shadows and Light [1980]. Channeling the thrill and excitement of these records, she delves even further into this season on Joni Mitchell Archives, Vol. 4: The Asylum Years (1976-1980), releasing on October 4, 2024 via Rhino Records.

​It stands out as the 12th release by the Joni Mitchell Archives and extends Rhino’s ongoing, GRAMMY-winning series exploring the vast untapped archives of rare Joni Mitchell recordings—a project guided intimately by Mitchell’s own vision and personal touch.

Joni Mitchell Archives, Vol. 4: The Asylum Years (1976–1980) arrives in multiple configurations. It will be available as either a 6CD / digital version or a 4LP version, Joni Mitchell Archives – Volume 4 Highlights: The Asylum Years (1976-1980). The 4LP set also specifically consists of Joni’s personal favorites from the 6CD version. Each version includes a book with never-before-seen photos and liner notes comprising a deep dive discussion between Mitchell and longtime friend Cameron Crowe. As part of their candid conversation, she shares intimate anecdotes, memories, and stories from that five-year creative run.

Read More »

Remembering David Crosby in advance of his birthdate tomorrow. —Ed.

Few bands have produced such blissful music, or music that so well fit the spirit of its time as The Byrds. Theirs was a bright and shining sound, filled with shimmering optimism and jingle-jangle hope, and they made the transition to the psychedelic age as well as anybody. Indeed, their 1966 LP Fifth Dimension is an acid rock landmark, and I listen to it whenever I want to pretend I’m tripping.

Speaking of pretending, let’s play a game of make believe, shall we? The year is 1966, and we’re just removing the plastic shrink-wrap from a virgin copy of Fifth Dimension. Let’s say we’re at my pad. It’s not bad so far as hippie crash pads go. Please don’t touch the lava lamp. I just bought the album, you brought the pot, and that redolent example of fetid man reek over there in the filthy poncho and crud-encrusted beard is the hippie who brought the acid, which is the only reason we invited him to our little listening party in the first place.

Really, no one wants him around. Not with his long staring silences, sudden bouts of insane cackling provoked by nothing going on around him, and rather scary habit of carrying a long and wicked-looking blade in a buckskin sheath. He uses it to kill squirrels, which along with the acorns he stole from the squirrels and purloined packets of McDonald’s ketchup constitute his entire diet. Do you have any idea how quick you have to be to seize and slit the throat of your typically twitchy squirrel? It’s too horrifying to contemplate. He reaches into his pocket and says, “Anybody want some delicious squirrel jerky?”

You and I both shudder and politely refuse, and then we put the LP on. The opening track “FD (Fifth Dimension)” instantly transports us to a higher astral plane where giant birds of phantasmagorical plumage perform dizzying acrobatics above the pulsating crystal abodes of the perfect ones. Or something like that.

Read More »

As summer rolls on, Elemental Music continues to bring the heat with three more entries in the Motown Sound Collection series. This month’s titles combine two classics from the label’s heyday with a transitional record by one of Motown’s defining groups. More Hits By the Supremes and Make It Happen by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, both offered in mono editions, and Get It Together by The Jackson 5 on red vinyl in a die-cut sleeve, are all available August 16.

Contrary to the title, More Hits By the Supremes is not a compilation; issued in 1965, the vocal group’s sixth album was instead their first non-thematic full-length release since their second, Where Did Our Love Go, which came out a year prior. The themed albums were the British Invasion-focused A Bit of Liverpool, The Supremes Sing Country, Western and Pop, and We Remember Sam Cooke. Another themed album, Merry Christmas, followed in late 1965.

That’s six LPs within two calendar years, quite an impressive feat, particularly as an aura of the slapdash never arises when soaking up these albums in sequence. Of course, they are not all equal in terms of quality. The strongest are the two LPs focused on the compositions of Holland-Dozier-Holland, a partial emphasis in the case of Where Did Our Love Go. For More Hits, the dozen songs are all sourced from the team as the record was produced by Brian Holland and Lamont Dozier.

As representatives of Motown at its most chicly sophisticated, the group’s work could acquire a grandness of scale that sometimes registered as intended for adults instead of encapsulating The Sound of Young America, so the production moxie is worthy of note. Circa More Hits, the sound is still targeting teen dances and malt shop jukeboxes, not the supper club.

Read More »