Incoming: We’ve been talkin’ up the new Retribution Gospel Choir for a couple weeks now, lo-and-behold it’s finally arrived. Highly recommended rock & roll from Low dude Alan Sparhawk’s loud band, which won’t be mistaken for Low or even the last RGC album really. Bonus: they’re playing February 18th at Canopy with New Ruins and by all accounts RGC slays live. But that ain’t all, this being a pretty killer week for new stuff… Look for albums from Magnetic Fields, Beach House (comes with a bonus DVD, videos for each song), Fucked Up (singles collection on DCD), Pit Er Pat, Bird Show Band, Basia Bulat, My Brightest Diamond, Citay, Los Campesinos!, Clipd Beaks, Four Tet, Gigi, Charlotte Gainsbourg (her collaboration with Beck), Chicago Underground Duo, Harvey Milk, Cave In EP+DVD, Animal Collective (Campfire Songs reissue), Merzbow, an MC5 DCD anthology…
Wax On: The Real Estate 12″ on Mexican Summer is already outtaprint. We’re trying to find more but if you really want one let us know so we can at least reserve you a copy from the upcoming repress. Seriously, lock in. While that drama unfolds check out new 45s by Washed Out/Small Black (split), Girls, The Xx, Ceremony, J. Tillman (Fleet Foxes drummer) and John Vanderslice; new LPs by Beach House (w/DVD and DL codes), Retribution Gospel Choir (w/DL codes), Pit Er Pat, Chris Brokaw, Blank Realm, Iron Bong, Home and Citay; plus the Fucked Up singles collection on DLP and AFCGT (A Frames/Climax Golden Twins collab) on LP+45.
Rockin’ Our World: We’ve been hearing Beach House, Surfer Blood, Merle Haggard, Jesu, RGC. On a sad note, we also spent the weekend marathoning The Action and Mighty Baby and even that weird, trippy Habibiyya album while mourning the passing of Action/Mighty Baby guitarist/Reaction Recordings artist Michael Evans. RIP.
(Ed. note: We know this is a thinly-veiled, unpaid advertisement, but we really think local record stores are important to the C-U community, so consider spending your music moneys at Exile or Parasol.)