Part two of the TVD Record Store Club’s look at the new and reissued releases presently in stores for May, 2018. Part one is here.
NEW RELEASE PICKS: Jason Stein’s Locksmith Isidore, After Caroline (Northern Spy) The bass clarinet is a fine instrument, but it is too seldom played. Thankfully, Chicagoan Stein excels on this difficult horn in a variety of contexts; along with a fine mess of co-leader/ sideman sessions, there is his astounding 2009 solo set for Leo, plus two killer quartet albums for Delmark. Locksmith Isidore is his trio (prior releases on Not Two and Clean Feed), which features bassist Jason Roebke and drummer Mike Pride (both heavyweights). While consonant with the avant-garde, the group is versatile, opening with a complex yet almost funky rhythmic platform beneath Stein’s at times quite tenor sax-like improvising. Along the way, there’s some free-bop, a nice hunk of balls to the wall group heave, and even a ballad. A
Sarah Louise, Deeper Woods (Thrill Jockey) As half of House and Land and additionally solo, guitarist Sarah Louise is noted for skillfully bringing Appalachian tradition into the here and now, and with nary a cobweb as part of the equation. Her playing on this tidy, powerful LP is unsurprisingly superb, but it’s only part of what makes the whole so special. While her singing voice was heard on House and Land’s album from last year, it makes a much deeper impression across this batch of songs, and if accurately pegged as folky (not folksy), Deeper Woods is decidedly psychedelic/ experimental and unrestrained by form; for one track, the guitar drops out in favor of keyboards and synth. In terms of heft and ambition, this set is comparable to the work of her labelmate Haley Fohr, and that’s a fabulous development. A
REISSUE/ARCHIVAL PICKS: Buck Owens and the Buckaroos, The Complete Capitol Singles: 1967–1970 (Omnivore) This label’s prior Owens singles comp covered ’57-’66, and it established a difficult standard to equal (forget about topping). That this 2CD follow-up covers only four years rather than almost a decade is indicative of massive success, and if it’s not as consistently top-flight as what came before, that’s not due to Owens riding a stylistic horse until it collapsed from exhaustion. However, the branching out, if not always successful, doesn’t outright flounder, and that’s impressive. This’s mainly because he strove to revitalize rather than shapeshift. Even when briefly visiting a jangle-pop/ fuzz guitar zone (“Who’s Going to Mow Your Grass”), this is still recognizably Owens. And so, a sure bet. A-
V/A, ¡Desafinado! Spanish Bossa Nova (1963-1975) (Adarce) Bossa Nova is sometimes derided, mostly by unshaven grumps, as a fad that inspired an early ’60s stampede of vocalists and players toward studios with the desire to cash in before interest waned, but that’s a somewhat US-centric viewpoint of the phenomenon. This set illustrates that bossa nova’s impact was not only global but persistent for years (lingering around even in the States, mostly commonly in mainstream jazz), and this collection of Spanish records (taken from the Belter, Discophon and Olympo labels) offers a diverse sampling (from inside formal confines, natch). Some of this, both vocally and instrumentally, drifts into an almost Esquivel-like zone, which is cool with me. Not all is equally spiff, but that’s the way with comps. B+
HMV’s Vinyl Week 2018 set for June, special releases announced, Check out what exclusive vinyl pressings are coming soon. High street retailer HMV are bringing back their special vinyl season for a third consecutive year, and will run for 10 days from Friday June 8 to Sunday June 17. Akin to Record Store Day, HMV Vinyl Week 2018 will bring attention to the music industry’s phoenix format, which has risen from the ashes in recent years. In 2017, industry revenues from the vinyl sector rose 24% year-on-year; 4.1 million LPs were purchased last year, the highest volume since 1991. Liam Gallagher leads the first wave of special releases announced, which will be made available for the first time as part of the event. Liam’s Number 1 album As You Were, the fastest-selling vinyl product of the past 25 years, will be released on picture disc 
York: Record collectors in a spin at city vinyl event: Vinyl record collectors were in a spin at an event in York city centre this weekend. A record collectors’ fair was held in The Basement at the City Screen cinema on Coney Street on Saturday. Dealers from across the country brought thousands of LPs, rare CDs and other collectible items to the event. An expert was on hand to offer free valuations of customers’ records and there were displays of rare LP sleeves. People were invited to bring along their unwanted records and CDs 
Listen up, audiophiles: Going Underground Records is now in East Hollywood: In need of some vinyl records? Music fans, rejoice: A new business has you covered. The fresh addition to East Hollywood, called Going Underground Records, is located at 4355 Melrose Ave. Founded in 2001, this spot is central California’s largest and longest-running vinyl record store, according to its website, with a recent expansion to Los Angeles. LPs, 45s, reel-to-reels, stereo equipment, local concert promotional items and more are available to buy, sell or trade to your heart’s desire. Going Underground Records has just one review on Yelp, which gives it a solid five-star rating thus far…”Awesome records, plenty of parking and 
Traffic Records jazzes up Atascadero, Vinyl record hub is the first of its kind in the North County: The sandwich board sign is not up on the curb yet at the record store in Atascadero. And yet the small but joyful subculture of record collectors know it’s located somewhere near the ARTery. Just look for the flowers and the red door. But a better way to find the newly-opened Traffic Records would be to follow that light jazz drifting down the sidewalk.The day our paper arrived to see downtown’s newest, hippest child of Atascadero’s downtown, Manuel Barba, co-owner of Traffic Records was playing the soul jazz of Hank Mobley. A soft white disco ball created movement on the walls decorated with classic music posters. A breezeway stacked with clean oak vinyl records lined the 400-square-foot store. The square rows of records in handmade light wood bins are 
