FAB DISTRO

CJ RAMONE “American Beauty”

FAT WRECK CHORDS March 17. American Beauty is CJ Ramone’s third solo album and was recorded with the stellar backing band of Steve Soto (Adolescents), Dan Root (Adolescents), and Pete Sosa (Street Dogs), featuring contributions from Big Eyes frontwoman Kate Eldridge and the horn section of Mariachi El Bronx! Out March 17th, the 12-song effort crackles with the spirit of ’76 in a sound and style true to his Ramones roots. With a packed tour schedule throughout 2017, fans can rest assured their Ramones fix will be satisfied.

CLAP YOUR HANDS SAY YEAH “The Tourist”

CLAP YOUR HANDS Out Now. The Tourist nods to Alec Ounsworth’s musical heroes—a group that includes artists such as John Cale, Robert Wyatt, Tom Waits and Nick Cave. However, this album also shows a natural progression from previous records. “Better Off” and “The Vanity Of Trying” are lush, keyboard-augmented songs, while “A Chance To Cure” and “Ambulance Chaser” are rhythmically askew, and the sighing “Loose Ends” is delicate, acousticbased folk-rock.

CREATION “Action Painting”

NUMERO March 17. The Creation were a go. A dynamic band with an equally engaging image, they would burn brightly for less than two years, yet would leave an indelible mark upon music history. With producer du jour Shel Talmy at the helm (The Who, Kinks, Easybeats, Cat Stevens, et al) the Creation went on an incredible two year tear of singles, including “Making Time,” “How Does It Feel To Feel,” “Tom Tom,” and “If I Stay Too Long.” By 1968 it was over. Presented here for the first time are the complete Creation studio recordings. All 42 tracks have been remastered from the original tapes and given fresh stereo mixes where previously unavailable. We’ve rounded the whole package out with four tracks by pre-Creation freakbeat quartet the Mark Four, making Action Painting the definitive collection of this legendary UK band.

COCO HAMES “Coco Hames”

MERGE March 31. A deeply personal record filled with poignant ruminations on love lost and found, dreams dashed then rediscovered, these ten songs manage to pinpoint exquisite light amid life’s darkness. As the frontwoman and indomitable force behind beloved garage-pop combo The Ettes, Hames blazed a memorable trail across the ’00s underground. Last summer, she began work on her solo album at The Bomb Shelter in Nashville. Hames co-produced the record with Andrija Tokic, who’d helped sire career-making albums for Alabama Shakes, Hurray for the Riff Raff, and others. Playing guitar, piano, and electric harpsichord, Hames was aided in her effort by bassist Jack Lawrence (The Raconteurs), drummer Julian Dorio (The Whigs), and lead guitarist Adam Meisterhans (The Weight). Other contributors include veteran keyboard/organ wizard Dave Amels of Reigning Sound and vocalists Carey Kotsionis (Bobby Bare, Jr.) and Lillie Mae Rische (Jack White).

DAMAGED BUG “Bunker Funk”

CASTLE FACE March 10. (New solo album from Thee Oh Sees’ ringmaster John Dwyer!) Oh my, what is this? The alien globule of Damaged Bug’s errant planet has circled the sun and is re-entering our orbit where last year’s Cold Hot Plumbs left off. Urgent falsetto morbidities detail this most rhythmically adventurous offering yet: Bunker Funk — syncopating lush landscapes with moon-shot death rays. Witness in horror the tractor beam pull of “Slay The Priest” — a breathless sprint through unfamiliar enemy territory — erratic laser beam synths dredge the lake, hard panned double drums resurrect dead heartbeats: load thy crossbow, friend, this night is long and we appear beset on all sides. The Bug is back and more hideous than ever — join us as we gawp at its iridescent shell, its alien mandibles… and the guts streaming from the wound.

HIGH PLAINS “Cinderland”

KRANKY March 10. High Plains is the duo of Scott Morgan and Mark Bridges. Morgan, based in the Canadian Pacific Northwest, is predominantly known for his drifting, textured soundscapes released under the pseudonym Loscil. Bridges is an accomplished, classically-trained cellist residing in Wisconsin. They first collaborated when Bridges contributed cello parts to Morgan’s generative music app ADRIFT, recorded in Seattle in 2015. In early 2016, the duo embarked on a collaborative set of compositions in the thin air of Wyoming, spending two weeks holed up in a refurbished school house, where this album was recorded. Inspired by Schubert’s Die Winterreise and the rolling landscapes of their surroundings, the collaboration culminated in a collection of recordings that evoke a shadowy, introspective and dizzying winter journey. Cinderland takes cues from classical, electronic and cinematic musical traditions but is mostly a product of the rugged, mythic landscape; vast and sprawling with a wild, uncertain edge.

LAETITIA SADIER SOURCE ENSEMBLE “Find Me Finding You”

DRAG CITY March 24. Laetitia Sadier has relentlessly followed her music through different dynamics and into a variety of dimensions over the course of four solo albums since 2010 (not to forget the long era of Stereolab) — but the nature of the construction here stands distinctly apart from her recent albums. Alongside long-time collaborators Emmanuel Mario and Xavi Munoz, keyboard and flutes parts played by David Thayer (Little Tornados) were essential contributions, as well as further keys, synths and electronics from Phil M FU and several guitar sequences from Mason le Long. Chris A Cummings graciously wrote “Deep Background” for her. The duet with Hot Chip’s Alexis Taylor on “Love Captive” (not to mention Rob Mazurek’s distinctive coronet playing!) gives voice to an ideological cornerstone of the album. Expressing great compassion and expectation with startling immediacy, Find Me Finding You combines a rigorous process for music-making with a deeply invested mindset, making captivating music that promises many stimulating spins to come!

ME FIRST AND THE GIMME GIMMES “Rake It In: The Greatest Hits”

FAT WRECK CHORDS April 7. For the uninformed, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, (consisting of NOFX frontman Fat Mike, Lagwagon frontman Joey Cape, Foo Fighting Chris Shiflett, Lagwagon drummer Dave Raun, and the unparalleled silky vocals of Spike Slawson) have been banging out other peoples’ hits for over two decades now. After 7 studio albums, a live record and too many singles to count, they’ve tackled just about every genre under the sun. Be it Motown, Country, show tunes or Japanese Pop, these seasoned punk rock pros have triumphed on every occasion in a way only the Gimmes could. With such an extensive and wide ranging catalog, where does one begin? Lucky for you, they’ve done that work for you. With 17 of only the very best hits, Rake It In is sure to satisfy Gimmes fans from all reaches of the globe.

NAZ NOMAD AND THE NIGHTMARES “Give Daddy the Knife Cindy”

BIG BEAT Out now. A vinyl release for the imagined 1967 film soundtrack. Recorded by the 1984 incarnation of the Damned, featuring Dave Vanian as Naz Nomad on vocals, Roman Jugg as Sphinx Svenson on guitars and as Ulla on keyboards, with Rat Scabies as Nick Detroit on drums and Bryn Merrick as Buddy Lee Junior on bass. Features songs by the 60s psych bands that had influenced the Damned, including the Electric Prunes, the Litter, Paul Revere and the Raiders and the Human Beinz, plus two original Damned songs in the same style. Comes with an inner bag that has unseen photographs from the original club and carnival shoots, plus a period biography of “the band”. A must have for Damned collectors & psych pop collectors everywhere!!

PALLBEARER “Heartless”

PROFOUND LORE March 24. The third full-length by Pallbearer is their most crucial, massive, and powerful yet. With this natural progression from its predecessor, Foundations Of Burden, one of the most acclaimed metal albums of 2014, the band expands their sound further by harnessing the classic traditional metal and prog aesthetic even more, while remaining true to the essence of their signature sound. A sonic monolith to behold, the album embraces a bigger production and sound than any of the band’s previous releases. This creative peak sets a new standard in modern-day American metal. Heartless was tracked and recorded direct to analog at Fellowship Sound Studios, mixed by producer Joe Barresi (Tool, Queens Of The Stone Age, Soundgarden, Judas Priest), and mastered by Dave Collins (Metallica, John Williams, Danny Elfman, Howard Shore).

RICHARD BUCKNER “Impasse (reissue)”

MERGE March 31. The words are entrancingly cryptic, as if their simplicity conceals unfathomable depths. The music is sparse, almost whispered at times, like a secret. The album was conceived as a faceted whole. Its lyrics are like scattered snapshots and torn-up letters. The song titles form a poem that structures a story of heartache and dreamt redemption cloistered at the music’s core. Impressions, pledges, and slivered vantages swirl in Buckner’s voice and, while his frustrations at the time of Impasse were only part of the twist, its transmission is so open-ended that the aura of quiet desperation and hard won grace is yours to use as you please. In celebration of the 15th anniversary of Impasse, Merge is releasing it on vinyl for the first time, with a download card including 4 bonus tracks from the era!

SNEAKS “It’s A Myth”

MERGE March 31. With little more than a bass, drum machine, and deadpan vocals, Sneaks, a.k.a. Eva Moolchan, makes minimalist music that takes up space. Moolchan’s compelling songwriting, along with the fervid energy of her shows, prompted breakout D.C. label Sister Polygon to release her 2015 debut Gymnastics, which Merge reissued in 2016 November. It’s a Myth builds on Sneaks’ playfully stark approach to post-punk, which, as her hometown City Paper described it, causes listeners to go “from curious to provoked to hungry.” Hungry, in part, because the new album clocks in at just 18 minutes of 10 taut, captivating tracks. It also adds Jonah Takagi and Ex Hex/Helium frontwoman Mary Timony, who recorded the album at Timony’s D.C. studio. Though it flows from influences like Pylon and Bush Tetras, much of that beautiful stuff is hard to categorize or compare to anything else. It’s herky-jerky and fluid all at once, childlike and yet deeply perceptive.