Thrill Jockey Rock & Indie 140 Items

The music of drummer John Colpitts as Man Forever is explorative, innovative and fearless. A musician and composer equally versed in the disparate musical languages of DIY rock, improvisation, and contemporary classical, Colpitts (aka Kid Millions) has made an album that defes genre classifcation. Propulsive, elaborate drum arrangements (created with TIGUE Percussion) remain essential to Man Forever - on the songs of Play What They Want, they are augmented by voice and melody with contributions from Laurie Anderson, Yo La Tengo, and Mary Lattimore to name a few. Play What They Want represents the culmination of 25 years of musical engagement by one of New York’s most acclaimed percussionists. The collaborative process, essential to Man Forever, requires the relinquishing of one’s ego for a greater purpose. In Play What They Want Colpitts leverages a vast and talented stable of diverse collaborators to create a work that transcends the sum of its parts.
“You Were Never Here” kicks off the album with a gorgeous vocal performance by all members of Yo La Tengo and, like the transition from the black and white to technicolor, the piece becomes a driving, wild marriage of Max Roach’s “Garvey’s Ghost,” McCoy Tyner, Alice Coltrane and Steve Reich. World-class harpists Brandee Younger and Mary Lattimore join bassist Brandon Lopez, pianist Sam Yulsman and the Quince Contemporary Vocal Ensemble to create an experimental jazz and classical “dream team.” “Ten Thousand Things” resonates with TIGUE’s tense, virtuosic compound meters, a Moondog-esque vocal by Colpitts and singer Nick Hallett, and another intuitive performance by harpist Mary Lattimore. Finishing the side, “Debt and Greed” is a surprisingly wry pop tune that combines Colpitts’ Jaki Liebezeit-esque drum groove with CSN-style harmonies, guitar by Trans Am’s Phil Manley, and horn playing by Ben Lanz (Beiruit, The National, Sufjan Stevens).
The second side leads with the evocative album centerpiece “Twin Torches.” Here Colpitts worked with the legendary multi-media artist and musician Laurie Anderson, who provided spoken vocals and violin on the nearly 10-minute tour de force. This composition also features arresting vocal atmospherics by Quince, which precede some of the most complex drumming Colpitts has ever recorded. The album closes with “Catenary Smile,” a prickly ballad featuring Nick Hallett’s cascading background vocals which buoy the lyrics: a contemplation of humanity’s problematic tendency to anthropomorphize inanimate things.
While Colpitts’ previous albums have expanded on the possibilities and limitations of drums and percussion, this new album redefnes the project in myriad ways. Building on a complex rhythmic foundation, Man Forever created an album that is innovative, imaginative and joyous. Play What They Want is a rare record of untamed ambition that hits all its marks.

One Day You Will Ache Like I Ache is the first collaborative release from The Body and Full of Hell. Through their own respective recordings, both The Body and Full of Hell are internationally-revered as forward-thinking entities of harsh music, delivering their audio torment through incredibly intense and often unorthodox methods. The Body's 2010-released All The Waters Of The Earth Turn To Blood sophomore LP stands among the band's high points and remains on of the most groundbreaking and frightening albums in recent times. Their subsequent releases, including several LPs and more have continued to expand upon this seminal release. Similarly, Full of Hell rapidly became a favorite amongst hardcore, grind, death and noise metal fans upon their formation with an incredibly energetic and destructive live attack. Their 2013-released Rudiments Of Mutilation sophomore LP solidified them as one of the most damaging new acts going, and since its detonation, the band's intensity and hunger for experimentation continues to magnify. Both acts are proven collaborators, relishing the results of collective efforts to create life-numbing constellations of distortion and depravity. The two members of The Body have joined forces with arcane producer The Haxan Cloak (Bobby Krlic) for the I Shall Die Here long player, Louisiana's darkest sludge troupe Thou for You, Whom I Have Always Hated, as well as Nothing Passes with Braveyoung and a myriad of splits with artists as divers and detesting as Australia's Whitehorse, Japan's Vampillia, Rhode Island's Sandworm, and New Jersey's Krieg taking their virulent, insidious influence to unsuspecting destinations both stateside and abroad. Full of Hell made a huge impression on the ears of fans and those previously unfamiliar with the band with 2014's two-part alliance with internationally feared noisemonger Merzbow, which resulted in the Full of Hell & Merzbow LP and the subsequent Sister Fawn EP. Their discography is littered with noise sodden demos and splits that wrench Full of Hell in to fresh dimensions of heaviness and extremity, and their constant live actions never cease to stun.

LP version pressed on virgin vinyl with free download coupon.

LP version pressed on virgin vinyl and packaged in a high
gloss jacket with spot varnish, artworked inner sleeve and
free download coupon.

Golden Void is led by Isaiah Mitchell of Earthless with Camilla Saufley-Mitchell (Assemble Head In Sunburst Sound), Justin Pinkerton, and Aaron Morgan. Berkana is Golden Void's second album and was recorded at Tim Green's Louder Studios (Melvins, Lungfish, The Fucking Champs, Sleepy Sun, Wolves in the Throne Room).

Steve Gunn and The Black Twig Pickers are key figures in the current resurgence of American traditional and folk music. Gunn's songwriting and inventive guitar playing are driven by his restless mind, having released 9 solo and collaborative albums and appeared as a guest on nearly as many since his debut in 2007. The Black Twig Pickers play a fervent form of traditional music from their Appalachian homeland. The group performs often forgotten traditional songs, especially from their Virginia stomping-ground, creating a living history of old time music. They also have an ongoing residency at the legendary Floyd Country Store.

Revered Chicago-based instrumental group Tortoise, comprised of Dan Bitney, John Herndon, Doug McCombs, John McEntire and Jeff Parker, have spent 25 years making music that defies description. While the quintet have nodded to dub, rock, jazz, electronica and minimalism throughout their acclaimed and influential six-album discography, the resulting sounds have always been distinctly their own.

It’s a fact that remains true on the hotly anticipated forthcoming new album “The Catastrophist”, due out 22nd January via Thrill Jockey and Tortoise’s first studio album in nearly seven years. They have conjured sounds that aren’t being purveyed anywhere else in music today.

Recorded at McEntire’s famed Soma Studios, it’s an album where moody, synth-swept jams like the opening title track cosy up next to hypnotic, bass-and-beat missives like “Shake Hands With Danger” and a fantastic cover of David Essex’s 1973 hit song “Rock On” sung by U.S. Maple’s Todd Rittmann. Throughout, the songs on The Catastrophist transcend expectations as often as they delight the listen’s eardrums.

Rock On isn’t the only vocal moment on the album. Yo La Tengo’s Georgia Hubley distinctive tones are on the bittersweet classic soul/R&B vibe ballad “Yonder Blue”. This also marks the first time a Tortoise album will feature a guest vocalist singing original lyrics.

“Gesceap”, the first track which you can hear from The Catastrophist, is a stunning seven-minute long, minimalist rhythmic piece, morphing from two gently intersecting synth lines into a pounding, frenzied full-band finish.

Colored Vinyl

Lightning Bolt redefines what it means to be DIY. An utterly singular band in every way, unbridled creativity and energy propel them well past most categorical boundaries, least of which is the boundary between band and audience. Theirs is an immersive experience - a sound so huge it can swallow us all.

Lightning Bolt redefines what it means to be DIY. An utterly singular band in every way, unbridled creativity and energy propel them well past most categorical boundaries, least of which is the boundary between band and audience. Theirs is an immersive experience - a sound so huge it can swallow us all. Oblivion Hunter is a monster. Not a compilation, not concept album and more than the sum of its parts, the record is a peek into the band's inner world on their home turf (the Hilarious Attic in Providence), collecting deep explorations into distortion, bass manipulation and its intersection with rhythm. A Limited release in 2012 sold out almost immediately. This first re-issue is a deluxe one coming with 4 different covers each matched with it's own color vinyl. Re mastered by Josh Bonati, you can now immerse yourself in this pivotal Lightning Bolt album's sonic oblivion and YOU are now the Oblivion Hunter. A cathartic listening experience, Oblivon Hunter finds blast-beats colliding with distorted vocals and all shapes and sizes of guitar noises, even some metallic riffage on the album closer and aptly named "World Wobbly Wide." Throughout, the sound is amped-up and free with an ear on the railroad tracks to the big sounds of industry and clamor. Bass sounds jump out of the speaker cones that conjure up ears in alien propulsion systems, nights in faraway wind tunnels. Experience this pivotal album in Lightning Bolt's catalog like never before.

In January 2011 Sam Prekop, Archer Prewitt, John McEntire, and Eric Claridge reconvened at Chicago"s Soma Electronic Music Studios to record their latest release The Moonlight Butterfly. This thirty three minute mini-album finds the band deliverying much more long form and cinematic pieces. The new songs lean upon the band"s more experimental tendencies, taking time to stretch the forms and in someways the new material relates to the way the band re-interpretes some of their songs live. With the band making a shorter than usual record they were allowed to take more chances and ended up with a release that leans a bit more towards the instrumental. Rather than having the vocals be the sole focal point the shifts in emphasis to other instruments facilitated a more open approach. The song "Weekend" from Car Alarm was kind of an unwitting blueprint for some of the new material. Especially the new song "Inn Keeping" where a synthesizer pattern became the armature for the song, a constant to play with and against. "Inn Keeping" is also quite a breakthrough for the band, sounding unlike anything they have done before and breaking the 10 minute mark.

Future Islands' romantic synth sound scales new heights with On the Water, the Baltimore trio's most ambitious and fully realized statement yet. Built around a song cycle exploring love, loss, and memory, their latest album finds the band continuing to deliver pounding rhythms, swelling melodies, and undeniable hooks - but finding new ways to probe inner space and tug at hearts.

Back on vinyl for the first time in 5 years on translucent orange with green splatter. Download code included. Beyond the 4th Door, delivered an album not unlike Eternal Tapestry's epic live shows. Containing stretches of melodic guitar improvisations, dark brooding songs slowly build and expand to allow in layers of light. The album was created by recording more that two hours of material in their home studio, mostly live, and hand picking the elements that became these 5 tracks. There is a free and open nature to their structure creating a spacious environment for the listener to explore. Harkening back to the early 70's experimental rock that inspired them, such as Popol Vuh, Cluster and Träd Gräs och Stenar, Beyond the 4th Door is an album meant to be listened to in its entirety. Available on limited edition vinyl again, after the original 2011 release and 2016 re-press sold out within months of their respective releases. Eternal Tapestry are in every way musicians of the now. Extremely active in the new underground of cassettes and CD-Rs, releasing limited edition carefully designed albums on the premier purveyors of the counterculture.

First Wooden Shjips album recorded in a proper studio. Production was handled by Phil Manley (Trans Am) at his Lucky Cat Studios.

Lightning Bolt redefined what it means to be DIY. An utterly singular band in every way, unbridled creativity and energy propel them well past most categorical boundaries, the least of which is the boundary between band and audience. Theirs is an immersive experience - a sound so huge it can swallow us all. Earthly Delights is the metal album to Lightning Bolt"s genre-straddling discography, using the signature speed and volume reminiscent of past releases while centering around growling chords and monolithic rhythms commonly found in the foundations of metal. Amorphous songs feature a sort of gravitational pull, dragging listeners in and driving the pounding rhythms of Brian Chippendale into the brain until they are stuck in.Wielding the bass, Brian Gibson strays from his typical high-end runs, cramming thick chords between frantic beats, creating a brutal and grueling churn. Although this record is likely to wear you outwith unrelenting heaviness and elongated mega-jamming, we think fans will find this reissue of Earthly Delights quite- delightful...They are often called one of the loudest rock outfits in existence, both on records and on (or famously, off) the stage. Brian Gibson creates sounds that are unexpected and remarkably varied with his virtuosic bass playing and his inventive approach to the instrument, centered around melody rather than rhythm. The dizzying fury of Brian Chippendale"s drums twist from primal patterns into disorienting break beats as his distorted, and echoing vocals weave more melody into the mayhem. The impact that Lightning Bolt has had on underground music since its inception is immense, and remains pervasive beyond any genre tag that has been attached to them. Earthly Delights is the work of a band unafraid to challenge themselves, unbound by expectations, joyfully defiant, and possessed of the same inventive curiosity which set them apart on day one, and is still unmatched years later.

15 years after the album"s release, City of Echoes is now available in a deluxe 2xLP edition, newly remastered by Josh Bonati and featuring a full LP-worth of bonus material, including original album demos, alternate takes, and pieces originally only available on the rare Pink Mammoth EP. City of Echoes, originally released in 2007 by Hydra Head Records, marked a paradigm shift for Pelican. Coming off the heels of the glacial Australasia and their even more expansive and acclaimed follow-up, The Fire In Our Throats Will Beckon The Thaw, their third album is a study in precision. Inspired by their non-stop tour schedule following The Fire"s release, the quartet composed City of Echoes to be a lean powerhouse of non-stop melodic hooks and lurching rhythms that reflected the energy of live performance. With City of Echoes, Pelican defied expectations and set themselves apart from the single-minded thrum of retreading old ground. The more concise pieces trade breadth and rumination for a distinct clarity and a razor"s edge for hook-driven songcraft. Guitarists Trevor Shelley de Brauw and Laurent Schroeder-Lebec trade crisp riffs that twirl in opposition before thundering together in monoliths. The sheer amount of potent interplay between the two, often borrowing from disparate edges of rock and metal at a whim before completely transforming, is mind-boggling. Bassist Bryan Herweg and rhythm section compatriot/drummer/brother Larry Herweg lock into a wider array of grooves than ever before. Their considered bedrock guide the band"s dynamics into some of the ensemble"s most tender moments as well as their most ferocious. City of Echoes stands as a testament to Pelican"s ability to reconfigure the grandeur and force of their sound without ever repeating themselves.

15 years after the album"s release, City of Echoes is now available in a deluxe 2xLP edition, newly remastered by Josh Bonati and featuring a full LP-worth of bonus material, including original album demos, alternate takes, and pieces originally only available on the rare Pink Mammoth EP. City of Echoes, originally released in 2007 by Hydra Head Records, marked a paradigm shift for Pelican. Coming off the heels of the glacial Australasia and their even more expansive and acclaimed follow-up, The Fire In Our Throats Will Beckon The Thaw, their third album is a study in precision. Inspired by their non-stop tour schedule following The Fire"s release, the quartet composed City of Echoes to be a lean powerhouse of non-stop melodic hooks and lurching rhythms that reflected the energy of live performance. With City of Echoes, Pelican defied expectations and set themselves apart from the single-minded thrum of retreading old ground. The more concise pieces trade breadth and rumination for a distinct clarity and a razor"s edge for hook-driven songcraft. Guitarists Trevor Shelley de Brauw and Laurent Schroeder-Lebec trade crisp riffs that twirl in opposition before thundering together in monoliths. The sheer amount of potent interplay between the two, often borrowing from disparate edges of rock and metal at a whim before completely transforming, is mind-boggling. Bassist Bryan Herweg and rhythm section compatriot/drummer/brother Larry Herweg lock into a wider array of grooves than ever before. Their considered bedrock guide the band"s dynamics into some of the ensemble"s most tender moments as well as their most ferocious. City of Echoes stands as a testament to Pelican"s ability to reconfigure the grandeur and force of their sound without ever repeating themselves.

Available on vinyl for the first time in 10 years, with new cover design by Tim Rutilli, in limited edition ice age blue LP and on black LP, both with download card included Califone's earliest roots lie in the band Red Red Meat, from whence came Califone's founding members Tim Rutili and Ben Massarella and its longtime producer Brian Deck. The band's first release was a self-titled EP on Flydaddy in 1998, followed later by the full-length debut, Roomsound, in 2001 (later reissued on Thrill Jockey) and eventually the band's Thrill Jockey debut, Quicksand/ Cradlesnakes in 2003. After touring for the release of Roomsound, Califone had little time off to take in the impact of the music they were creating. In three years, they recorded four albums (two instrumental, two song-based including Heron King Blues) and toured heavily in between with Wilco, Modest Mouse, The Sea and Cake and others. After the tour for Heron King Blues in 2004, Califone finally took a breath and came back together in late 2005 to begin recordings. They worked on it in chunks at 4Deuces Studio in Chicago with Brian Deck, in Long Beach and Phoenix with Michael Krassner, and at home in Los Angeles and Chicago until May 2006. The time away and each member's individual work naturally brought new elements into the sound of Califone's music. Both Rutili's and Becker's soundtrack work are more atmospheric, however the challenge of enhancing a scene of film without cluttering it or overwhelming it informed their approach to the new recording. Similarly, the burglary of Califone's equipment during the band's last tour (including guitars, banjo, a 1917 violin, bells and more) altered the sound as they had to find new gear on a tight budget. The instruments are new partners, new sounds that forced them to stretch in new directions. Limitations, obstructions and darkness, and the new possibilities they illuminate; roots and crowns. "In that way", says Rutili, "this album is a conscious and resolved thing. It fully realizes ideas we touched on in the past and where we come from as a band, and takes us into our next phase of life."

Pelican and Thrill Jockey are proud to present a deluxe edition of the band’s acclaimed 2005 album: The Fire In Our Throats Will Beckon The Thaw, newly remixed, remastered, and featuring special bonus rarities including an early version of “Red Ran Amber,” (previously only available on a split with Mono) and demos of “Autumn Into Summer,” “Last Day of Winter” and “Sirius” The Fire In Our Throats established Pelican as indisputable masters of their craft. Pelican’s ability to alchemize their influences into a sound so wholly original and then expand on that sound into a work of captivating beauty remains a marvel. The album indelibly shifted the paradigm of heavy music and the ripples of that shift can be heard in the countless bands that have risen to prominence since its release. The genre-busting nature of the album’s melodicism and refined dynamics was a harbinger of things to come in a genre whose strict boundaries were rapidly being shattered; a fact recognized and cemented by the album’s critical reception, which engendered everything from an Album of the Year nod from Decibel, to pontifications about Pelican representing a rising wave of intellectualism in metal from the New York Times. Nearly two decades since the album’s release on Hydra Head Records, The Fire In Our Throats has stood as not just one of the band’s most celebrated releases, but as a watershed work of avant-metal. The album arrives with a fresh mix by its original engineer Greg Norman and mastering by Josh Bonati, imbibing the songs with a new ferocity while also granting increased clarity, highlighting the developing interplay between each member The refreshed mix brings an additional punch to the rhythm section of bassist Bryan Herweg and drummer Larry Herweg, bolstering the brightened melodicism and interlocking riffing between guitarists Trevor Shelley de Brauw and Laurent Schroeder-Lebec. The more articulate presentation of the album showcases the power of each individual player while buttressing Pelican’s distinct sound as a unified force.

Pelican and Thrill Jockey are proud to present a deluxe edition of the band’s acclaimed 2005 album: The Fire In Our Throats Will Beckon The Thaw, newly remixed, remastered, and featuring special bonus rarities including an early version of “Red Ran Amber,” (previously only available on a split with Mono) and demos of “Autumn Into Summer,” “Last Day of Winter” and “Sirius” The Fire In Our Throats established Pelican as indisputable masters of their craft. Pelican’s ability to alchemize their influences into a sound so wholly original and then expand on that sound into a work of captivating beauty remains a marvel. The album indelibly shifted the paradigm of heavy music and the ripples of that shift can be heard in the countless bands that have risen to prominence since its release. The genre-busting nature of the album’s melodicism and refined dynamics was a harbinger of things to come in a genre whose strict boundaries were rapidly being shattered; a fact recognized and cemented by the album’s critical reception, which engendered everything from an Album of the Year nod from Decibel, to pontifications about Pelican representing a rising wave of intellectualism in metal from the New York Times. Nearly two decades since the album’s release on Hydra Head Records, The Fire In Our Throats has stood as not just one of the band’s most celebrated releases, but as a watershed work of avant-metal. The album arrives with a fresh mix by its original engineer Greg Norman and mastering by Josh Bonati, imbibing the songs with a new ferocity while also granting increased clarity, highlighting the developing interplay between each member The refreshed mix brings an additional punch to the rhythm section of bassist Bryan Herweg and drummer Larry Herweg, bolstering the brightened melodicism and interlocking riffing between guitarists Trevor Shelley de Brauw and Laurent Schroeder-Lebec. The more articulate presentation of the album showcases the power of each individual player while buttressing Pelican’s distinct sound as a unified force.

Hypermagic Mountain, Lightning Bolt's 4th album has been unavailable for nearly a decade since it's 2005 release. Back as a double LP including a full drawing by Brian Chippendale as the D side Etching! Recorded at Machines with Magnets and Lightning Bolt's home by Dave Auchenbach. Lightning Bolt play with abandon that is unmatched and remarkably undiluted and this album is just one more example of that raw power and sound.

Over the past decade, Tortoise have produced some of the most innovative and influential albums in all of music.

The Sea and Cake's sixth album One Bedroom is back on vinyl. Pressed on white color vinyl and packaged in a high gloss jacket with a free download coupon. The Sea and Cake's sixth album, One Bedroom, is elegant pop. Membrane-like layers of electronic tones, delicate synthesizers surround intricately woven guitars. Melodic bass lines punctuate these restrained and complex sounds. Songs are propelled by imaginative percussion lines and shaped by spare warm vocals. Prekop's lyrical style is poetic as opposed to narrative. Paradoxically, the resulting album of delicate precisely constructed songs sounds effortless. One Bedroom is a beautiful collection of creatively constructed and singular pop songs.