The Best New Vinyl Out This Friday, 01/26/24
Links and liner notes on 11 noteworthy releases.
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Today we look at this week’s upcoming vinyl releases. I've provided links to all the available colored variants, guiding you to where they can be found at the best price. All vinyl mentioned is currently in stock and ready for your collection.
The Smile - Wall Of Eyes
Get Vinyl: Blue | Black
This week's most anticipated release comes from Radiohead's spinoff, The Smile, with their album Wall Of Eyes. Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood, and Tom Skinner are back after their acclaimed 2022 debut LP A Light For Attracting Attention. I eagerly purchased it without a preview and I'm thrilled to experience its first play on my turntable.
Future Islands - People Who Aren’t There Anymore
Get Vinyl: Blob Color in Color | Black
Two decades and seven albums later, Future Islands are still alive and kicking. Led by the signature croons of Samuel Herring, the band excels at epic synth ballads that sound as good live as in studio. Half of the twelve songs from People Who Aren’t There Anymore are already available for streaming if you can’t wait until Friday.
Ty Segall - Three Bells
Get Vinyl: Black
The prolific Ty Segall returns with his fifteen album Three Bells, headlined by the emotional psych-rock epic “Void,” packed with fuzzy guitars and heavy bass.
TORRES - What an enormous room
Get Vinyl: Blue Jay & White | VMP Blue Jay in Milky Clear | Black
Mackenzie Ruth Scott aka TORRES is back with her sixth album and third with Merge Records. Her latest offering feels like an auditory vision board, with Scott's powerful vocals declaring ambitions like "wanna know what’s next? colossal success" and "babe, my star’s just on the rise" over a backdrop of thunderous drums and intense guitar riffs.
Gruff Rhys - Sadness Sets Me Free
Get Vinyl: Blackberry | Chocolate | Black
This is the 25th album British legend Gruff Rhys has released in his 35 year career individually, collaboratively, and as a member of various bands, most notably Super Furry Animals.
The Fauns - How Lost
Get Vinyl: Translucent Red
After a ten-year hiatus, Bristol shoegazers The Fauns make a comeback with their new album How Lost, which showcases their evolution, blending their original essence with new progressions. Dreamy textures are now woven with gritty, pulsating electronic beats, making it an ideal soundtrack for a late-night drive and one of the first entries into our 2024 Album of the Year Leaderboard.
Christopher Bear and Daniel Rossen - Past Lives Soundtrack
Get Vinyl: Cloudy White
A24’s beautiful 2023 film Past Lives features an original score by Grizzly Bear’s Christopher Bear and Daniel Rossen, as well as the Sharon Van Etten’s cut “Quiet Eyes.” Pressed on cloud white vinyl, the package includes original paintings by renowned artist Na Kim.
Curren$y - Jet Life: The Pilot Talk Collection
Get Vinyl: Deluxe Collectors Box Set
New Orleans’ Curren$y is dropping a deluxe vinyl box set that includes all four installments of his Pilot Talk series, three of which have never been pressed on vinyl. The presentation here is impressive: each album corresponds with a unique marbled color vinyl to match the album theme. The vinyl is housed in a custom crocodile skin box and gold foil stamping, with a slipcase styled as a flight recorder box. If that’s not enough, the box set also includes a leather luggage tag, a balsa glider kit, two slip-mats, a Jet Life keychain, and pilot wings pin.
Nas - Magic 3
Get Vinyl: Black and White Striped | Black
Nas’ Magic 3, which landed #71 on our Best Albums of 2023 List, finally arrives on wax. Here’s a snippet of what I wrote when it hit streaming back in September:
While others may wane with age (*cough* Jay Z), Nas has proven otherwise, dropping a staggering six quality projects with legendary producer Hit-Boy since 2020.
Magic 3 concludes the trilogy on a soaring note. We get one feature, courtesy of Lil Wayne on “Never Die,” and he rises to the occasion. Other notable tracks include the sharp storytelling in “Based on True Events, Pt. 2,” and the reflective “1-800-Nas&Hit,” where Nas takes a victory lap to celebrate this extraordinary journey.
Magic 3 puts the stamp on one of the most interesting late-career series in hip hop history, a feat that may not be duplicated for some time.
The Hotelier - Home, Like NoPlace Is There (10th Anniversary)
Get Vinyl: Park Ave CDs Exclusive Green & White | Black
The Hotelier’s raw second album Home, Like Noplace Is There earned a spot on Spin's The 101 Best Albums of the 2010s and is hailed as a quintessential emo record, brimming with soul-stirring anthemic rock tracks. For the tenth anniversary, my local shop Park Ave CDs has the green and white colored vinyl, while the standard black will be widely available.
Black Sabbath - Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (50th Anniversary)
Get Vinyl: Smoke Colored
Black Sabbath’s fifth album Sabbath Bloody Sabbath celebrates half a century with a smoky vinyl reissue by Rhino’s annual Start Your Ear Off Right series. Notable for featuring Rick Wakeman of Yes on keyboards, and a cameo by Ozzy Osbourne on the synthesizer for "Who Are You?", this album continues to be a monumental piece in rock history.
Sound off in the comments on what you’re interested in buying or streaming this week. Thanks for reading, and rock on!
I'm looking forward to Sarah Jarosz, Polaroid Lovers.