We’ve closed TVD’s HQ for the Juneteenth holiday. While we’re away, why not fire up our Record Store Locator app and visit one of your local indie record stores?
Perhaps there’s an interview, review, or feature you might have missed? Catch up, and we’ll see you back here Monday, 6/22.
VIA PRESS RELEASE | Interscope-Capitol Records’ Definitive Sound Series (DSS) announces Marvin Gaye’s Let’s Get It On as the next release in its acclaimed premium audiophile vinyl collection. Arriving July 24, the limited-edition AAA 180g high-definition vinyl One Step pressing is available for pre-order.
“Mr. Gaye created music that was deeply personal, yet universally understood,” says The Estate of Marvin Gaye. “Let’s Get It On remains one of his most celebrated works, and we are honored to see this album presented in a way that respects its legacy while introducing its extraordinary sound to new audiences.” Mastered by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering, the Definitive Sound Series edition of Let’s Get It On was cut from the original analog master tapes and pressed on Neotech VR900 D2 180g high-definition vinyl by Dorin Sauerbier at Record Technology, Inc.
Utilizing the state-of-the-art One Step process, which eliminates multiple plating stages, the release presents the album’s intricate arrangements, rich instrumentation, and vocal harmonies with exceptional clarity and depth.
This DSS edition is limited to 3,000 numbered copies and housed in a custom-designed slipcase featuring the original album artwork, a premium heavyweight tip-on gatefold jacket, and a certificate of authenticity detailing the mastering, plating, and pressing chain.
VIA PRESS RELEASE | In 2014 k.d. lang sent an email to Neko Case and Laura Veirs on a whim. It read simply: “I think we should make a record together.”
Though the three musicians were barely more than acquaintances, “Laura and I both responded immediately,” recalls Case. “There was no question.” Now known as a seminal album in each of their catalogues, case/lang/veirs was released ten years ago today. In celebration, a new 10th anniversary edition will be released on September 4 with the previously unreleased track “Accidental Tattoo” and 12 live versions of each other’s songs that were recorded during the original 2016 tour. Pre-order on metallic orange swirl vinyl, limited to a pressing of 500, in the Anti- Records webstore.
“Accidental Tattoo” is a song that came from a sudden creative spark that happened between all 3 of us a couple of years ago,” lang explains. “Neko wrote the lyrics, Laura and I organized Neko’s poetry, adding arrangements and intertwining it with melodies and music. And then I worked closely with Larry Goldings on the actual production to fasten all of it into the song you hear now.”
Added Veirs: “So much in the world has changed since this album first came out in 2016, but when I listen back, these songs still hold up to my ears. I’m proud of what we made together and am thankful for the opportunity to have been part of it. The experience challenged me, taught me a great deal, and ultimately helped shape the artist I am today.”
Celebrating Paul McCartney on his 84th birthday. —Ed.
The prog people were right! Turns out the greatest songs, the legendary songs, aren’t the simplest ones—simplicity is for losers! The greatest songs, and if anybody knew this Rush knew it, are the ones with sections! Multiple moving parts! Just look at the evidence. “Stairway to Heaven,” epic! “Hotel California,” stupendous! “MacArthur Park,” godly! And the same goes for “Layla,” “Free Bird,” “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes,” and forget I said “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes.” It’s a nightmare.
One of the very best, by which I mean it’s definitely in the top five in not the top three if not the very best, is Paul McCartney & Wings’ 1974 smasheroo “Band on the Run.” Why, it’s even better than Sir Paul’s “Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey,” which stickler for detail that I am I refuse to include on my list because let’s face it, it’s two songs separated by a slash, as is “Venus & Mars/Rock Show” for that matter. And that’s cheating.
The number three is the number to remember when it comes to “Band on the Run.” The song has three parts. Only three musicians (Paul, Linda McCartney, and Dennie Laine) were involved in its making. “Band on the Run” was McCartney’s third chart-topping American single. On the other hand, the song only went to number three on the UK charts (what’s wrong with those people?).
The song’s creation coincided with (and was perhaps in part inspired by) the three non-Johns in The Beatles’ escape from manager Allen Klein. Only three people in the entire world think it’s not the greatest thing ever. And finally, I listen to it three times a day, every day, because it’s been proven to keep the bowels regular and improve mental health. Oh, and it will open your third eye, guaranteed.
VIA PRESS RELEASE | Getting their start as the 1980s bled into the ’90s, Velocity Girl arose from a new pop underground that had been percolating in Washington, DC, and its suburbs, a group of bands clustered around our then-nascent Slumberland Records who broadened DC’s punk paradigm with an ear for pop tunes and feedback-driven racket. Velocity Girl, blessed with multiple gifted songwriters, particularly knew how to merge euphoric pop hooks with waves of noisy bliss and lovelorn melancholy.
This new compilation 1989–1992 covers the band’s pre-Sub Pop years and shows that their skill with a tune was there from the beginning, across several line-up changes and numerous early releases. Their maiden vinyl voyage “Clock” is Velocity Girl at their darkest, a neat slice of gothic pop featuring original vocalist Bridget Cross, later of fellow DC legends Unrest. Cross also provides vocals for the band’s debut single “I Don’t Care If You Go,” included here with all the b-sides from the US and Australian 7″ versions.
The next phase of the band begins with the departure of Cross and the addition of Sarah Shannon as main vocalist, whose powerful and effortlessly melodic voice is first heard on two previously unreleased songs, including a spirited cover of the Jam’s “That’s Entertainment.” Further recording with Sarah (and the entrance of Brian Nelson as second guitarist) yielded crucial tunes that appeared on split singles and compilations, and well as their all-time classic “Forgotten Favorite,” still guaranteed to jump-start any indiepop dancefloor.
Drummer Charles Downs has been on the scene for a long time. Stretching back to the 1970s, he was known as Rashid Bakr and contributed to numerous albums, including a few stone killers with the great pianist Cecil Taylor. After the turn of the century, he reverted to his birth name and continued recording; Inner by the Charles Downs Quartet is the first release to feature him as a sole leader. It is a superb set of five medium-length improvisations with Hery Paz on saxophone, Jamie Saft on piano, and Joe Morris on bass. It’s out now on compact disc and digital through ESP-Disk.
Charles Downs’ credits as Rashid Bakr are extensive and illuminate various points of development in the jazz avant-garde after its 1960s heyday, with his productivity continuing and contributing to the resurgence of free jazz in the ’90s. His initial recordings were with a younger generation of improvisers who were either deep in the thick of the New York City loft scene or adjacent to it.
During this early stretch, Downs played with double bassist William Parker (collected on Centering. Unreleased Early Recordings 1976–1987), saxophonist Jemeel Moondoc (collected on Muntu Recordings), and violinist Billy Bang’s Survival Ensemble (the albums New York Collage and Black Man’s Blues).
A hookup with Cecil Taylor in the 1980s captured Downs in a quartet for the live album The Eighth and the larger all-star ensemble for the studio set Winged Serpent (Sliding Quadrants). Both releases are high-energy monsters in Taylor’s distinct mode of explosiveness, and both are essential to understanding Downs’ progression.
Manchester, UK | Much-loved Manc music shop Tasty Records goes up for sale as owners calls on next custodians to take over local favourite. Who fancies being a hero? Much-loved Greater Manchester record and music store Tasty Records has officially closed, and the current custodian is putting the Trafford institution up for sale in hopes that someone will take over as worthy successors. What an opportunity for any budding entrepreneurs. The Alty record shop in its current brick-and-mortar form has stood for some time now, but popular owner Ben Molesworth has been selling physical media from 2012 onwards, and now his time at the helm of the hailed south Manchester spot has come to a somewhat bittersweet end.
Woodburn, OR | For the love of vinyl, new record store opens doors in Woodburn: Spinning vinyl on a turntable seemed like it might go the way of Dodo Bird, swept away in a tidal wave of technological advances. But that’s not what happened. Vinyl records are back, baby, and the proof of it is all around the musical landscape. Don’t believe it? Well, venture over to Frankie’s Records, a new used record store in Woodburn. They’ll fix you up. Opened the first of May at 2227 Country Club Road in a small space as part The Crossing mall behind Walgreens, the new venture offers that old record store vibe. And that’s just how owners Andy and Kerrie Lazenby like it. “We moved here about four years ago because we wanted to buy a house and this is where we could afford one,” said Kerrie. “We’ve both been vinyl collectors for a long time and it’s actually how we bonded when we were dating.”
Bangor, ME | Mumford & Sons visit Bangor record store ahead of show: It was a busy Tuesday night in Bangor as Waterfront Concerts hosted a show at Maine Savings Amphitheater. Mumford & Sons stopped in Bangor as they travel the U.S. and Canada on their Prizefighter tour. Supporting them on this stop is Dylan Gossett. The most notable support, though, can be seen in the droves of fans who have come out to see the band. …Before Mumford and Sons rocked the Amphitheater, they stopped by Bull Moose in Bangor. After waiting in the line that wrapped around the building, fans with tickets got to have some free face-to-face time with Mumford & Sons and get their records signed. Bull Moose employees say the turnout beat their Record Store Day numbers.
Albany, NY | Albany record store under new ownership after more than 36 years: The owner of a Capital Region staple for all things music is passing the torch to a fellow record collector. On June 1, Last Vestige Music Shop was sold to a long-time patron and on and off employee of the store. Jim Furlong, who opened the shop on Halloween in 1989, has sold the business to Jim Kaufman. Furlong describes him as a voracious record collector. Kaufman started shopping at Last Vestige when he was only 14 years old. He’s also a local drummer for the band Hot Cousin, and earned a music degree from The College of Saint Rose. He said he’s excited to step into the ownership role.
VIA PRESS RELEASE | “A concert is an event where songs come back to life. That’s why this album is called Live!” explains Jarvis Cocker of this unique record in the Pulp canon. “It’s both a statement of fact (it’s a recording of a live band) and a challenge (come on! Everyone come alive!).”
It’s also Pulp’s first film soundtrack album: the Garth Jennings directed movie Pulp: What Do You Do For an Encore? which is to be released worldwide this autumn.
Pulp’s relationship with Garth Jennings dates back to 1997: the year he directed the promo video for the song “Help the Aged.” When Pulp announced that they were touring again back in 2023, Garth got in touch and offered his services in helping to design the staging concept. Then, in June 2025, he filmed the band’s two performances at the O2 Arena in London. This footage provides the main content of the film.
The O2 shows also provide the content of this live album. They were the 566th and 567th performances of the band’s career and provide a snapshot of a group at the height of its powers. Recorded the week More—Pulp’s first album in 24 years—hit Number 1 on the Official UK Chart, the album captures the very moment the band returned as a creative force. Old classics and new classics brought together for the first time.
Live! will be released on 28 August 2026, suitably enough Pulp will be onstage that evening, performing a sold-out show in Manchester’s Wythenshawe Park. The album will be available on double vinyl—both in a limited-edition blue pressing available from the band and label webstore and independent record shops and on black vinyl—double CD and via digital streaming services. What Do You Do For an Encore? is coming to MUBI Autumn 2026.
VIA PRESS RELEASE | Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab (MoFi), the leader in high-fidelity audio reissues, is proud to release Emerson, Lake & Palmer’s 1973 progressive-rock masterpiece, Brain Salad Surgery, in audiophile sound.
Available on June 19, 2026, this platinum-certified milestone is issued as a numbered-edition 180g 33RPM vinyl LP (order HERE) and a numbered-edition Hybrid SACD (order HERE). These definitive reissues bring the visionary depth and virtuosic musicianship of Keith Emerson, Greg Lake, and Carl Palmer to the fore with spectacular dimensionality, breadth, and clarity. Sourced from the original master tapes, the 180g 33RPM LP reissue was mastered at MoFi’s Northern California studio from the 1/4” / 15 IPS analog tape to DSD 256 to an analog console to the lathe and pressed at Fidelity Record Pressing.
Regarded by Carl Palmer as his favorite Emerson, Lake & Palmer studio album, Brain Salad Surgery remains a benchmark achievement in progressive rock, a legacy encapsulated by bassist-guitarist Greg Lake’s famous opening line: “Welcome back, my friends, to the show that never ends.” Originally released in late 1973, the trio’s fourth studio blockbuster finds the band taking front-to-back control of its creative direction by incorporating several studio firsts. Decades later, the record’s cohesive blend of musicianship, songwriting, and production remains revered.
Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys is one of the most influential albums in pop music history. Released in 1966, it became a major influence on The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Of course, Pet Sounds would never have happened if it weren’t for The Beatles’ Rubber Soul, released in 1965.
What must be considered The Beach Boys’ best album has been reissued countless times over the years in a variety of formats. While Brian Wilson favored the mono mix of the album, it has also been issued and reissued in various stereo mixes. In 1997, 2006, and 2016, fulsome box sets of the album on CD, with bonus material, were released to commemorate the album’s 30th, 40th, and 50th anniversaries, respectively. Several new reissues to mark the 60th anniversary have been released, with a heavy focus on vinyl. The two we will focus on here are the Vinylphyle double-album, black vinyl reissue, and the Pet Sounds Sessions Highlights double-album, black vinyl.
In less than a year, there have been fourteen Vinylphyle reissues. This particular release includes both a mono and a stereo version of the album. Brian Wilson favored the mono mix, but he also remixed the stereo version in 1972 because he wasn’t happy with the original stereo mix.
That version has been referred to as the Artisan Sound Recorders EQ’d tape and alternately as the Reprise tape, as it was for the 1972 reissue of Pet Sounds packaged with a new album entitled Carl and the Passions So Tough that was released through the group’s own Brother Records, distributed by Reprise/Warner. The stereo version here is from an assembled master reel from 1996 and is not the Artisan EQ’d tape/Reprise tape, and does include a digital step. The mono album is from the original 1966 mono mix analog tape.
VIA PRESS RELEASE | mclusky announce a reissue of their debut album My Pain and Sadness Is More Sad and Painful Than Yours, out on August 7th via Beggars Banquet.
Originally released in 2000 on Fuzzbox and re-released by Beggars imprint too pure in 2003, My Pain and Sadness Is More Sad and Painful Than Yours introduced Cardiff band mclusky as an urgent new voice in UK rock music. Capturing the band at their most immediate and raw, My Pain and Sadness Is More Sad and Painful Than Yours coined mclusky’s blend of serrated guitars, dark humour, and Andrew Falkous’ pointed, often absurdist lyricism.
Predating later acclaim for albums such as Mclusky Do Dallas and The Difference Between Me and You Is That I’m Not on Fire, the debut captures the band in a more unfiltered state, volatile and direct. Tracks like “Joy” and “Rice Is Nice” hint at the precision and bite that would follow, while much of the album leans into repetition, tension, and release with an almost menacing minimalism.
Now, 26 years later, the album has been remastered by Sean Magee at Abbey Road Studios and is presented on 180g black vinyl, retaining its original artwork. My Pain and Sadness Is More Sad and Painful Than Yours remains a crucial document of mclusky’s beginnings. Its influence can be traced across subsequent waves of noise rock and post-hardcore, but its particular mix of wit, hostility, and economy remains impossible to replicate.
Celebrating Jello Biafra, born on this date in 1958. —Ed.
In 2022, Manifesto Records reissued Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables, the debut album from iconic Bay Area punk outfit Dead Kennedys on vinyl and CD in a freshly remixed version courtesy of Grammy-winning producer Chris Lord-Alge. Setting aside the question of whether the record actually needed a remix (it didn’t), nothing abhorrent transpires as these 14 tracks (there are no extras) blaze forth; those who love and own the original mix should test drive before buying, but for those looking to get acquainted with this band through their first and best LP, this edition will serve that purpose just fine.
It’s no secret that Dead Kennedys’ vocalist Jello Biafra and his bandmates, guitarist East Bay Ray, bassist Klaus Fluoride, and drummer D.H. Peligro, have been at odds, and for a couple decades now, all due to the most banal of reasons. That is, money. Of course, I don’t have a dog in that fight, though this doesn’t mean I haven’t formulated opinions on the subject. It’s just that my viewpoint on this particular falling out isn’t pertinent to the matter at hand, which is, you know, the music.
So, when I say that this 2022 Mix of Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables exists for the most banal of reasons—that is, money, it’s not a dig at the band, but simply an observation, as money is the reason for the vast majority of remixed and remastered records (and quite a few straight reissues). And in turn, I can’t help but feel somewhat blasé about the existence of this new mix.
Del Norte, CO | How a record and tinned-fish store has survived for three years in Del Norte: For the first couple of years living in the rustic, homestead cabin Paul Fennell had purchased in Rio Grande County, it was basically camping indoors. …It was time to move his life back in, from the shipping container outside he’d had shipped out from Silicon Valley, California. “I started bringing my furniture. I started bringing in the things I felt that I would need. The coffee maker and the record player,” Fennell said. “Then I looked at my records and I realized (the cabin) isn’t really going to afford the space of a record collection of a few thousand. “I knew I had to do something with it.”
Seattle, WA | ‘End of the line’—Wall of Sound music shop closing on Capitol Hill: For nearly 40 years, Wall of Sound has offered a mix of new and used cassette, CD, and vinyl releases covering everything from avant-garde to art rock, Japanese noise to neo-classical, alternative to ambient, folk to free jazz, and so much more. Unfortunately, the final track for this eclectic record shop, which has called Capitol Hill home for the past 23 years, will be playing out this summer above 12th and Pike. “It has been a joy to disperse so much fantastic music into the world over so many years and into so many ears,” co-owners Michael Ohlenroth and Jeffrey Taylor announced in a message to Wall of Sound customers.
Stroud, UK | Records shop in Stroud town centre to move location: A record shop in Stroud town centre will move location this summer. Klang Tone Records—currently at 7A Lansdown—will move a few doors down into the former home of Sew and So. The record store—which also sells merchandise—first opened in 2022, at London Road. The shop is open on Fridays and Saturdays at its current location. Sew and So meanwhile moved to the Five Valleys Shopping Centre earlier this year.
UK | Shop Talk: 3 indie records stores across the Central Belt: With the vinyl revival showing no sign of abating, Isy Santini rounds up some great record shops to boost your collection. Thorne Records: Since opening in 2022, Thorne Records has become an integral part of the Bruntsfield community. Owner Mark Thorne is determined to put people first, offering recycling services for vinyl shrink wrap, a store credit on all purchases and donating a percentage of every sale to MS Society Scotland. Not to mention, of course, the shop’s excellent range of indie records. Le Freak Vinyl: Step into the quirkiest record store in Dundee. Le Freak Vinyl’s walls are bathed in a myriad of colours, its ceiling dotted with vinyl and hanging CD decorations…
Six years after his death, the legacy of John Prine and his trove of enduring songs are not likely to fade anytime soon, especially with the scheduling of several events to mark what would have been his 80th birthday later this year. The first of those was also a season’s highlight at Wolf Trap Performing Arts Center in Vienna, VA, on June 9.
“Songwriters Celebrate John Prine” drew an enviable roster, including Emmylou Harris, Margo Price, Patty Griffin, and I’m with Her, to sing Prine’s songs as well as their own originals that might have shown an influence. A benefit for the Hello in There Foundation, founded by his family, was surprisingly female-dominated. Not that anyone would necessarily think of Prine as a feminist songwriter (aside from “Angel from Montgomery” forever associated with Bonnie Raitt).
But the night was also a showcase for rising songwriters (and a descendant) for longtime Prine enthusiasts to discover. That was the case for Colorado singer/songwriter Jobi Riccio, who began the proceedings with one of Prine’s best tunes from his final work, “Summer’s End,” followed by her own love song, “Idaho,” from her album Face the Feeling that came out last month.
Like the others on the bill, she benefitted from the knowing, tasty sounds of Prine’s own backing band, led by guitarist Jason Wilber and including Dave Jacques, Kenneth Blevins, Bryan Owings, and Fats Kaplan, whose pedal steel work lends a nice country feel to nearly everything. The band added keyboardist Jen Gunderman, who had played with The Jayhawks for years.
VIA PRESS RELEASE | “The event simply went off. It was just like Bob always knew it was going to happen: he was rocking.” —Chris Salewicz, from Bob Marley: The Untold Story
Fifty years ago, Bob Marley & The Wailers headlined a four-night residency at the Hammersmith Odeon in London, England, spanning June 15–18, 1976, to kick off the second leg of their Rastaman Vibration tour. The prestigious booking was a risky move, with a ticket count five times of a usual Wailers show. They sold it out, and the group seized the moment with utter fire and precision, leaving reviewers grasping for words to describe what they’d witnessed. Bob’s time had come.
For the first time ever, audiences can finally experience the magic of these seminal and sought-after shows with the release of the brand-new live album, Roots, Rock, Reggae: Live at the Hammersmith Odeon, out August 14, 2026, via Tuff Gong/Island/UMe.
The previously unreleased 18-track album, newly mixed from the original multi-tracks, will arrive in multiple configurations, including 180-gram 2LP Vinyl, an exclusive limited edition 2LP Color Vinyl, 2CD, digital download and streaming at all DSPs and, where available, an ATMOS mix for the full “you-are-there” concert experience. Offering a glimpse of what to expect, “Roots, Rock, Reggae (Live at the Hammersmith Odeon)” dropped on streaming platforms today.
