The Good, The Bad & The Queen - Merrie Land (Studio 13)

The four piece supergroup, comprised of Damon Albarn, Paul Simonon (The Clash), Simon Tong (The Verve) and Tony Allen (Fela Kuti), are set to return 11 years after the release of their eponymous debut in 2007. Produced by Tony Visconti and the band, it was completed in London and Wales this year, during the current ongoing period in which the UK was preparing to leave the EU, it is a questioning good-bye letter, a series of observations and reflections on Britishness in 2018. Deluxe CD includes 56 page hardback book w/ sheet music, lyrics and bonus artwork.

Brian Eno - LP reissues (Astralwerks)

Three early ambient 180g LP reissues (Discreet Music 1975, Music for Airports 1978, and On Land 1982) from the master of the genre. While his earlier work with Robert Fripp on 'No Pussyfooting' and several selections from his own 'Another Green World' feature similar ideas, 'Discreet Music' marked a clear step toward the ambient aesthetic he would later codify with 'Music for Airports.' On 'Ambient 4 (On Land)' – the final edition in Eno's ambient series – his palate shifted from electro-mechanical & acoustic instruments towards "non-instruments" like pieces of chain, sticks and stones.

Mark Knopfler - Down The Road Wherever (Blue Note)

Mark's 9th solo studio album features unhurriedly elegant new songs inspired by a wide range of subjects, including his early days in Deptford with Dire Straits, a stray football fan lost in a strange town, and the compulsion of a musician hitching home through the snow. Mark has a poet's eye for telling details that infuse his songs with his unique psychogeography – 'where the Delta meets the Tyne' as he describes it – and his warm Geordie vocal tone and his deft, richly melodic guitar playing are as breathtaking and thrilling as ever.

Asnakech Worku - Asnakech (Awesome Tapes from Africa)

There is perhaps no woman more cherished in modern Ethiopian history than Asnakech Worku. She made seminal recordings of unforgettable original compositions, as well as legendary renditions of traditional songs that became national staples. With a singular sense of style, glamour and sex appeal that sometimes stunned mainstream society, she wore clothes no one else wore and said things no one else said. In 1975, keyboardist Hailu Mergia got a call to do a recording with Asnakech and he went for it. This recording is a nearly-forgotten artifact of the remarkable icon's singular legacy, remastered and available outside Ethiopia for the first time.

Smashing Pumpkins - Shiny and Oh So Bright / No Past. No Future. No Sun (Napalm)

In June of 2018, The Smashing Pumpkins released their new single "Solara" ahead of their monumental Shiny And Oh So Bright Tour. The track was the first song in over 18 years to feature founding members Billy Corgan, guitarist James Iha, and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin, alongside longtime guitarist Jeff Schroeder and offered the first glimpse of music from the newly reformed lineup. Recorded at Shangri La Studios with the legendary producer Rick Rubin.

Mumford & Sons - Delta (Glassnote)

LP delayed until next week- sorry! "The fact that the band took 3 years for their new album might suggest that indeed they were plotting the path forward with care and consideration. To their credit, they resisted the temptation to upend their sound for more commercial ends, with an album of carefully chosen material and plumbing even deeper declinations for lyrical insight. The arched arrangements and orchestral embellishment offer the impression that indeed the drama is real, and any sense of yearning is not only palpable, but precise as well." - Paste

Also New This Week

Baby Grande - 1975-77 (Hozac)
Imamu Amiri Baraka - It's Nation Time: African Visionary Music [LP reissue] (Motown)
Michael Buble - Love (WB)
Bill Callahan - Live at Third Man LP (Third Man)
Cheap Nasties (Kim Salmon) - s/t LP (HoZac)
Chris Cornell - s/t [retrospective] (A&M)
Drake - Scorpion LP (Cash Money)
Escape-Ism - Live at Third Man 7" (Third Man)
The Fall - Rough Trade Singles LP (Superior Viaduct)
Internal Bleeding - Corrupting Influence (Unique Leader)
Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness - Upside Down Flowers (Fantasy)
Rolling Stones - Beggars Banquet [50th Annv Edition] (Abkco)
Rufus du Sol - Solace (WB)
Joseph Shabason - Anne (Western Vinyl)
DJ Shadow - Live in Manchester (Mass Appeal)
Jon Spencer - Sings The Hits! (In The Red)
Spray Paint & The Rebel - Charles And Roy's Purple Wang LP (Ever/Never)
Those Damn Crows - Murder and the Motive (Earache)
Vector Command - System 3 (Hozac)
Ryler Walker - Lillywhite Sessions (Dead Oceans)
Why - Live at Third Man LP (Third Man)
VA - Brainfeeder X (Brainfeeder)
VA - Greatest Showman OST Reimagined (Atlantic)