VIA PRESS RELEASE | Independent Project Records (IPR) announced that they are releasing the posthumous, final solo album from Jeffrey Runnings, Piqued, on Friday July 11 on vinyl, CD and digital formats. All formats will include four bonus tracks of rare recordings from the late ’80s. Pre-save and pre-order the album HERE.

The first single from Piqued, “Batman Forever,” is out today on all streaming services. Runnings was the creative force and guiding light behind Nebraska post-punk pioneers For Against. Runnings died on Monday, March 3 due to stage 4 cancer as reported in Pitchfork.

Some forty years after a fan letter from Nebraska resulted in Independent Project Records commencing a decades-long collaboration with post-punk cult favorites turned dream pop visionaries For Against, Piqued is the last album from For Against’s chief songwriter, lead singer, bass player, and only constant member, Jeffrey Runnings.

Piqued is a celebration of the artist’s lifelong quest for a sound that, stripped to the bones, is all the more powerful and cathartic for its restraint. Recorded by Runnings at home on an old 8-track cassette machine, the album plays just like a late ‘80s mixtape, lovingly compiled to showcase the beautiful emptiness of post-punk’s more eloquently quiet peaks.

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Remembering Sun Ra, born on this day in 1914. —Ed.

No musician better fits the descriptor “beyond category” than Herman Poole Blount, aka the late, great Sun Ra. Indeed, those simply assessing him as one stone mug in free jazz’s Mt. Rushmore have clearly not listened to much of the man’s stuff. The Futuristic Sounds of Sun Ra, originally released in 1962 on the Savoy label, is recognizably a jazz record, but it’s only tangentially freeform. And yet, it’s consistently exploratory as it blends edgy, advanced post-bop with aspects familiar to the Exotica genre. 

Upon release, The Futuristic Sounds of Sun Ra, the pianist-composer-bandleader’s fourth LP and first to be cut outside of Chicago, didn’t exactly make a big splash, even with the ostensible muscle of a long-extant record label behind it; the prior two Sun Ra albums, 1959’s Jazz in Silhouette and ’57’s Super-Sonic Jazz, were self-released micro-editions on Sun Ra’s now legendary imprint El Saturn, and his debut, also from ’57, Jazz by Sun Ra (aka Sun Song, the title Delmark gave it for reissue) was put out by Transition, the label of Tom Wilson, who happens to be the producer of The Futuristic Sounds of Sun Ra.

If it can be properly said that Sun Ra ever made a big splash on the scene, it was probably through the two The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra volumes ESP-Disk issued in ’65, mainly because they aligned the artist and Arkestra with a “bohemian” audience in the years between Beat’s winddown and the Hippie explosion. But still; nearly five years elapsed before Sun Ra made the cover of Rolling Stone, so it’s probably more accurate to say the man and his band just indefatigably plugged away incrementally, until they were eventually firmly ensconced into the landscape of 20th century subterranean artmaking.

Folks who come to The Futuristic Sounds of Sun Ra having only heard a few of the Arkestra’s wilder dives into abstraction can be struck by the general lack of mayhem (“The Beginning” is this album’s main exception), and by extension, drawn conclusions often define the music here as embryonic. I disagree with these assessments while acknowledging that the set’s 11 “miniatures” (to borrow a description of the tunes from liner essayist Ben Young) present a distinct and much more accessible approach than what’s on later records like the two Solar Myth Approach volumes and Concert for the Comet Kohoutek.

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VIA PRESS RELEASE | Wewantsounds is delighted to reissue Charles Kynard’s 1972 cult classic Woga, recorded in Los Angeles for Mainstream Records and featuring top-tier musicians Chuck Rainey, Paul Humphrey, Arthur Adams, and George Bohanon.

Produced by Bob Shad, the album stands as one of the label’s funkiest releases, showcasing Kynard’s signature Hammond organ grooves. Woga is reissued here on vinyl for the first time since its original release, complete with its original gatefold artwork using first-generation session photos. This edition also includes the bonus track “Smiling Faces Sometimes” and comes with newly remastered audio plus a two-page insert featuring new liner notes by Kevin Le Gendre.

Organist Charles Kynard, born in St. Louis in 1933, passed away relatively young at the age of 46 in 1979. Despite a short career, he left a lasting impression on the international jazz-funk scene with a string of soul-jazz classics, culminating with Woga, recorded in 1972 for Bob Shad’s Mainstream Records.

Kynard began his professional career in St. Louis before relocating to Los Angeles in the early ’60s, where he started recording for the Pacific Jazz label. There, he worked with renowned musicians such as Howard Roberts, Sonny Stitt, and Buddy Collette, releasing his debut album for the label in 1963. A few years later, he switched to Prestige Records, recording a series of albums that would become staples of the soul-jazz canon—including Reelin’ With The Feelin’ (1969), Afro-Disiac (1970), and Wa-Tu-Wa-Zui (1971). These records, rich with breakbeats provided by the likes of Bernard Purdie, Paul Humphrey, and Idris Muhammad, have since been sampled by artists such as Bonobo, Cypress Hill, and The Chemical Brothers.

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New York City’s Springhouse is noted for being early US adopters of the shoegaze sound in the great alternative-indie blitz of the early 1990s. But in 2008, they returned with From Now to OK on CD from Bruce Licher’s Independent Project Records. Flashing forward to right now finds that set receiving an overdue expanded vinyl reissue from IPR that includes instrumental versions, demos, and live tracks all beautifully designed, as is Licher’s way. The set is out now. Our review follows below, along with a video premiere of the album track “Moving Van.”

Springhouse is the band of guitarist-vocalist Mitch Friedland, bassist Larry Heinemann, and drummer (and The Big Takeover publisher) Jack Rabid. On From Now to OK they enlist a lot of help to realize a crisp, vibrant melodic sound that veers away from the shoegaze textures of their two prior albums, 1991’s Land Falls (with sleeve design by IPR) and ’93’s Postcards from the Arctic (no IPR design and it appears it’s yet to see a vinyl release).

Springhouse’s approach on From Now to OK has been described as folk-rock, and there’s no need to quibble with that assessment, but it’s worth noting that a fair number of the disc’s 12 songs connect like classic Hoboken guitar pop. This is true of the jangly bah-bah-bahs of “Moving Van,” though “Time Runs Out,” with its acoustic strum, keyboard swells, and horns, broadens the template.

Opener “Passion” features punchy punky bursts in the choruses but also dishes some sweet faux mellotron in the back end. The strum of “No More Yesterdays” has a decidedly Anglo feel by way of NYC/Jersey, so the influences continue to traverse the big pond. “Grateful” is a likeable slow build to the symphonic, but Friedlander’s vocals are still reminiscent of a band Bar/None Records might’ve added to their roster around 1987 or so.

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VIA PRESS RELEASE | The musical legacy of the late, great Gregg Allman continues with the release of The Gregg Allman Band – One Night In DC, May 15, 1984, a full-length concert recording arriving digitally and on CD June 20, 2025, via the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer’s posthumous label, Sawrite Records.

Recorded live at The Bayou in Washington, DC before a capacity crowd of 900 lucky fans, the latest release from Allman’s personal archives sees the Gregg Allman Band flying at full force after three years of non-stop touring, rocking the house with a stacked setlist highlighted by new songs, iconic covers, and fiery renditions of classic songs from the Allman Brothers Band repertoire. Highlights include the Allman Brothers Band classic, “Dreams,” premiering today at all digital streaming services.

Though his passing in 2017 has left an immense space in rock ‘n’ roll that can never truly be filled, Gregg Allman Band – One Night In DC, May 15, 1984 stands as a stunning audio snapshot in time that magnificently captures Gregg Allman during his quest to prove that no matter what the challenges, the road would go on forever. Having spent more than three years playing anytime, anyplace, for anyone who wanted to listen, the Gregg Allman Band had truly hit its stride.

The core line-up of Gregg on vocals and Hammond organ, Danny Toler on lead guitar, his brother Frankie on drums, bassist Gregg Voorhees, Bruce Waibel on rhythm guitar, and percussionist Chaz Trippy had been augmented by the addition of keyboardist Tim Heding, which brought another lead instrument to the GAB. A further advancement was that Gregg was writing new songs with the brothers Toler, which further expanded the band’s repertoire.

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Many people have dreamed about being in a movie. While it amounts to no more than a dream, for many, finding the perfect movie soundtrack to play whenever you want is quite easy. The two releases covered here will not only provide a fantasy soundtrack, but will whisk you away to England in the ‘60s or Italy in the ’70s and early ‘80s.

Alfie was one of the most important films of the 1960s. Released in 1966, it was a galvanizing cinematic success that not only solidified London as the center of world cinema for a brief time in the early and mid-‘60s but also provided the breakthrough role for Michael Caine, which launched him into international stardom. He’s never looked back.

For a film that would be considered the height of ’60s Swinging London, this soundtrack is an American jazz tour de force. While Italian clothes, scooters, and cappuccino highly influenced the mod movies and culture of the time, Jamaican music and American jazz and R&B fueled the sound of the early stages of Swinging London.

Original copies of this highly sought-after soundtrack album fetch big bucks on the collector’s market, due to its immaculate sound and innovative jazz music. Though primarily the musical brainchild of saxophonist Sonny Rollins, Oliver Nelson’s arrangements set the cool cinematic mood. The title song, done here in instrumental fashion and written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, was recorded by many artists at the time, most notably Cilla Black and Dionne Warwick. Black’s version is not included here, but was played during the end credits. The US soundtrack release included a version sung by Cher.

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One of Washington, DC’s finest ever bands, Unrest also blazed a trail out of the 1980s underground scene, smack dab into the middle of the indie era without ever making a bad record. In fact, their final album, Perfect Teeth is arguably their best. Originally co-released by 4AD and Teen-Beat Records, that last statement turns 30 years old this year and has been reissued for the occasion by Teen-Beat with a bonus LP of material on vinyl (that appears to be sold out), a single LP (plus an accompanying download with all the extras that’s still available), 2CD, and digital. Impeccable as an unintentional missive of finality, Perfect Teeth has lost none of its allure. The extras add value.

Formed in 1983 by guitarist-vocalist Mark Robinson (who also runs the Teen-Beat label) and drummer-occasional vocalist Phil Krauth, Unrest started out with the intention to never play the same song twice. By the time they recorded Malcolm X Park with third member Dave Park in 1988, the mission had shifted to encompassing an insanely wide stylistic range that against all odds maintained a continuity of personality.

Released by the Caroline label, Malcolm X Park is also a logical conclusion to Unrest’s early days, which began with a pair of homemade cassette albums and the vinyl set Tink of S.E. (among numerous other names), all issued by Teen-Beat in the lead up. However, Malcolm X Park and the next record, Kustom Karnal Blackxploitation, released in 1990, can also be considered as Unrest’s Caroline era.

The culminating stretch with Bridget Cross effectively begins in 1992 with the release of Imperial F.F.R.R. by the No. 6 label. It’s an exquisite record that refines the Unrest sound toward its decidedly Anglo-centric late phase, but with the band’s experimental side intact as Cross settles into the bass position and adds occasional vocal standouts.

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VIA PRESS RELEASE | Craft Latino proudly announces the return of Metiendo mano!, the influential 1977 debut from Willie Colón and Rubén Blades that started it all.

In the late ’70s, bestselling bandleader, producer, and trumpet player Willie Colón and Panamanian singer-songwriter Rubén Blades forged a musical partnership, blending Blades’ socio-political lyricism with Colón’s innovative approach to salsa music, resulting in what would become known as “conscious salsa.” The first of four LPs by Colón and Blades, Metiendo mano! changed the Latin music landscape with thought-provoking tracks like “Pablo Pueblo,” “Plantación adentro,” and “Según el color.”

The album, which has long been out of print in the US, returns to its original format on July 11th, featuring all-analog mastering and 180-gram vinyl. A limited-edition (only 300) “KO Red” color vinyl variant is available exclusively at Fania’s online store, bundled with a Fania Retro logo T-shirt. Both vinyl options are available for pre-order.

The story begins a decade earlier with Willie Colón (b. 1950). A Latin GRAMMY® Lifetime Achievement Award winner and multiple GRAMMY® nominee, Colón was instrumental in shaping the sound of salsa through his prolific work on and off the stage. The Bronx native launched his storied career at just 15 years old when he signed to New York’s own Fania Records.

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VIA PRESS RELEASE | Virtually no other album anywhere in history is known to its audience by its label number. Not Kind of Blue, nor Pet Sounds, Glenn Gould’s Goldberg Variations, none. Except this one. Rounder 44. Probably the most seminal bluegrass album of all time. Notice we didn’t say modern bluegrass, though it originally came out in 1975. That’s because, unlike, say, Aereo Plain by John Hartford (who contributed notes to the original package, reproduced here), The New South didn’t reinvent bluegrass. It perfected it.

Bandleader and banjoist supreme J.D. Crowe got his start as a teenager in Jimmy Martin’s Sunny Mountain Boys, before returning to Kentucky and forming The Kentucky Mountain Boys. That band morphed over the years to become The New South, boasting probably the most formidable line-up any American band of any genre has enjoyed. Bassist Bob Sloane (of The Kentucky Colonels) was the first to join, followed by one legend after another: fiddle and mandolin player Ricky Skaggs, dobroist Jerry Douglas, and guitarist/vocalist Tony Rice.

Together, they were pure magic: technically brilliant but soulful, inventive but disciplined, each a virtuoso but still part of the unit. And, oh, those harmonies! The New South is the cornerstone of any bluegrass collection. Of course, a group this talented wasn’t destined to last long. Within a year, each member went their own way, pioneering progressive bluegrass with each successive project. But the one album they recorded together, Rounder 44, is THE ONE.

Real Gone’s reissue of The New South features two sets of added liner notes, one by guitarist Skip Heller and one by mandolinist Jarrod Walker, along with the bonus tracks “Why Don’t You Tell Me So” and “Cryin’ Holy” with Emmylou Harris. We’re pressing 1,000 copies of this classic in root beer vinyl—don’t you dare miss it!

Remembering Joe Cocker, born on this day in 1944. —Ed.

If you’re going to write a piece about the late, great Joe Cocker, or so it seems to me, that piece should be every bit as spastic and twitching all over the place as the feller himself. When he was singing that is. I don’t know as Joe walked the streets gesticulating and twitching and wringing his hands and all. If he did, God bless him.

Anyway, I tried to write a spastic and twitching review of 1969’s Joe Cocker! but gave up after sentence one, because the man did it better than I could ever do. He was possessed by genius, and told those who would exorcise said genius to piss off. A voice as gravelly and soulful and great as his came with a cost, and if that cost was that he twist himself into pretzel-like contortions ever time he sang, so be it.

The early Cocker was a genius of such magnitude that his idea of a great gig was coming on stage, vomiting on the front row, and passing out. A real showman, our Joe. But if his gravel-grinding voice was a gift from Heaven, it need be said that it was not the only reason Joe Cocker! is an indispensable piece of vinyl as you should turn red with shame for not owning.

No, Joe Cocker! is a classic due in part to the pure dead brilliant performances of the people behind the voice, namely his backing outfit the Grease Band, to say nothing of Leon Russell, Sneaky Pete Kleinow, Clarence White, and a veritable heavenly choir of backing vocalists including Rita Coolidge, Merry Clayton, Bonnie Bramlett, and Shirley Matthews, amongst others. I take my hat off in particular to Chris Stainton, the fella as played piano in the Grease Band. His every performance is hair-raising, and he makes the LP worth owning all by his own self.

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On May 23, the latest full-length record from the Thalia Zedek Band arrives; like the previous five it’s available through the auspices of the Thrill Jockey label of Chicago, Illinois, USA. And like those prior volumes, The Boat Outside Your Window documents its maker’s enduring growth as a guitarist, vocalist, songwriter, and bandleader, as bassist Winston Braman and drummer Gavin McCarthy return to a lineup that’s solidified by pedal steel guitarist Karen Sarkisian. The 10-song set, released on limited coke bottle clear vinyl, compact disc, and digital, reinforces Zedek as one of the underground rock scene’s most reliable and yet consistently undersung figures.

Thalia Zedek’s musical journey began at the dawn of the 1980s in the vicinity of Boston, Massachusetts. The band was White Women, long represented by a sole song, “Midge,” released on a compilation tape in 1981 by the Propeller label. The same tape offered “Catholic Boy” by Dangerous Birds, a somewhat higher profile outfit featuring Zedek; they released the single “Alpha Romeo” b/w “Smile In Your Face” in 1982. After that, it was Uzi, a highly regarded but short-lived outfit that broke ground on the fringes of post-punk and art rock, releasing one EP, “Sleep Asylum,” on Homestead Records in 1986.

Zedek made a bigger splash on the national scene when she joined New York City’s Live Skull for the albums Dusted (1987, Homestead) and Positraction (1989, Caroline). Upon Live Skull’s disbandment, Zedek joined Come, a critically lauded heavy indie two-guitar four-piece who made a big splash with their 1992 debut 11:11 for Matador Records.

Come had a nice run of it on record before winding down in 2001; from there, Zedek branched out on her own, first with two solo studio efforts under her own name, Been There and Gone (2001, Matador) and Trust Not Those In Whom Without Some Touch of Madness (2004, Thrill Jockey), and then with The Boat Outside Your Window, six records fronting the Thalia Zedek Band and four as one-third of the ensemble E, alongside guitarist James Sanford and until their most recent LP, drummer Gavin McCarthy doing double duty; he’s replaced on 2024’s Living Waters by Ernie Kim.

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