JB's Record Lounge

Because of their mix of hellified gangster shit and progressive compositions, I once jokingly called Clipping "Deathrow Tull." Well, it's not a joke anymore. While Clipping's last few projects have been record-long concepts like classic prog rock, their cyberpunk-infused new album Dead Channel Sky is mixtape-like, a carefully curated collection in which every track is a love letter to a possible present. It sounds crisp and classic at the same time. When something strikes us as retrospective and futuristic at the same time, it's a reminder of how slipshod our present moment truly is. Juxtaposing high-tech, corporate command-and-control systems (the "cyber") with the lo-fi, D.I.Y. underground (the "punk"), cyberpunk proper starts in 1982 and ends in 1999, from Blade Runner to The Matrix. Concurrently, hip-hop matured, went through it's Golden Era, then melted into further forms: it went from from Fab 5 Freddy to Public Enemy to Missy Elliott. While other genres flirted with it, hip-hop was fickle and fey. Rap and rock birthed mutant offspring maligned by most, and hip-hop's relations with electronica rarely fared any better.What if someone explicitly merged hip-hop and cyberpunk - those twin suns of the '80s and '90s - into one set and sound? After all, both movements are the result of hacking the haunted leftovers of a war-torn culture that's long since moved on.On Dead Channel Sky, Clipping texture-map the twin histories of hip-hop and cyberpunk onto an alternate present where Rammellzee and Bambaataa are the superheroes of old; where Cybotron and Mantronix are the reigning legends; where Egyptian Lover and Freestyle are debated endlessly, and Ultramag and Public Enemy are the undeniable forefathers; where the lost movements of 1980s and the 1990s are still happening: rave, trip-hop, hip-house, acid house, drum & bass, big beat-the detritus of a different timeline, the survivors of armed audio warfare. Clipping are no strangers to sci-fi: two of their records were nominated for Hugo Awards (one of science fiction's top literary prizes), and a novella spun-off from their music was nominated for a third. On Dead Channel Sky, Clipping's co-conspirators include everyone from the guitarist Nels Cline, to their labelmates Cartel Madras, rapper/actor Tia Nomore, and wordsmith Aesop Rock. Diggs is known for intricate lyrics and rapid-fire rapping, and the tracks that Snipes and Hutson build in the background are no less complex. All of the above serves to give us a glimpse of an adjacent possible present, where hip-hop and cyberpunk are one culture.Binary stars are often perceived as one object when viewed with the naked eye. Like those twin sun systems, it'll take some special equipment and some discerning attention to pull the stars apart on this record. As Diggs barks on the fire-starting "Change the Channel": Everything is very important!

Billboard Heart, the new album by Deep Sea Diver, immediately puts the Seattle band in the company of St. Vincent, TV on the Radio, and Flock of Dimes, bands that have found newly ornate and magnetic ways to make indie rock by discarding notions of how it must sound or what it must say. It's their fourth album and first for Sub Pop, and it is a coup, a triumph over self-doubt, transforming failure into an opportunity to find new freedom, belief, and strength. In the middle of July 2023 in a Los Angeles studio, Deep Sea Diver mastermind Jessica Dobson took a guitar solo but somehow felt nothing. Just days earlier, her Seattle band played a series of semi-secret shows for devotees as de facto rehearsals for a new record. The sets had gone well, but the new songs seemed muddled, Dobson's conviction lost somewhere in the 1,000 miles between Southern California and the home studio she shares with partner, drummer, and frequent cowriter Peter Mansen. On that first night in Los Angeles, she broke down, wondering what she was doing there, and pondering how to fix it. Deep Sea Diver retreated home without an album. Did they need to scrap it, to begin again with new material? Not at all: Following a brief break, Dobson found a renewed sense of self, a trust in her vision for her band and songs and her ability to capture them. Over dinner with longtime collaborator Andy Park, a humbling confession that she needed help inspired Dobson to reimagine and reinvigorate Deep Sea Diver. This revelation set the stage for the power and brilliance of Billboard Heart, Three years before Dobson's galvanizing dinner with Park, Deep Sea Diver issued it's third album, 2020's Impossible Weight, via the colossal indie imprint, ATO. It was a significant step up, and earned the band a groundswell of exposure and a spot on Billboard charts. But the success caused Dobson to doubt her impulses, to wonder what an idea's impact or reception might be as much the strength of the idea itself. Moments of domestic creation, with her at the piano and Mansen on guitar in their Seattle living room, forged a path forward, and reinvigorated the pair's songwriting partnership. From end to end, the material on Billboard Heart is astonishing. The title track is the one song Deep Sea Diver actually finished in Los Angeles. It's a radiant and magnificent thing, the billowing synths of Elliot Jackson and tunneling pedal steel of Greg Leisz bolstering an anthem for fearlessly advancing into the future. "Emergency" links hardcore's vim to electroclash's instant allure with Dobson's captivating vocals and guitar work in the spotlight. Tender and vulnerable, "Tiny Threads" is a sweeping anthem for anyone trying to hold anything together-life, love, themselves. "If it haunts me, let it haunt me," Dobson sings softly over a stillness framed only by bass and noise. She let's her guitar careen into feedback, then steadily sculpts it into something tuneful. It's a lifetime of anxiety and sublimation, crystallized into 10 seconds. Billboard Heart feels that way at large.Billboard Heart emerged when Dobson trusted her instincts, a personal breakthrough that prompted an artistic one. It is, in turn, the best Deep Sea Diver album yet, a defiant and brilliant exclamation mark at the end of a long period of wandering.

California-bred singer-songwriter, Jillian Rose Banks, aka BANKS, crafts moody, alternative pop with shades of contemporary R&B. Emerging in the early 2010s with a handful of downtempo, alt-R&B tracks, BANKS created a signature sound that helped build a cross-genre audience. Her critically acclaimed and gold-certified debut album, Goddess, featured songs like “Before I Ever Met You,” “Warm Water,” and “Fall Over,” as well as collaborations with producers Justin Parker, Shlomo, and Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs. The album peaked just outside the Top Ten on the Billboard 200. In 2016, BANKS released her highly anticipated sophomore album, The Altar, which featured singles “Fuck with Myself,” “Gemini Feeed,” and “Mind Games,” and peaked at number 17 on the Billboard 200. BANKS returned in July 2019 with her third studio album, III, which featured her synth-heavy single “Gimme.” Additional contributors included Francis and the Lights on “Look What You’re Doing To Me” and producer Paul Epworth (Adele, Rihanna) on “Hawaiian Mazes.” She released a short EP entitled Live and Stripped in 2020, followed by her 2022 album Serpentina, which BANKS recorded amid the pandemic during months of isolation and is tied to themes of shedding old skin and embracing the new. BANKS’s artistry stands out through the rawness and vulnerability that shines earnestly through her music. With so much success under her belt already, BANKS is looking forward to an exciting future ahead. BANKS’ latest singles “Best Friends” and “I Hate Your Ex-Girlfriend” will be included on BANKS’ upcoming fifth studio album entitled, Off With Her Head, for which she states, “In many ways, it’s a big sister album to Goddess. After a decade apart, I’ve reunited with the core musicians and producers who helped shape my debut. At the same time, it’s something entirely different— I’ve grown so much as an artist and a person, and the journey is documented in all these sounds.” Off With Her Head is set for release on February 28, 2025.

If You Asked For A Picture, the 2nd album from Sabrina Teitelbaum, aka Blondshell, is a collection of songs from an artist at the peak of her powers. The album is alive with vital nuance both sonically and thematically, gesturing towards a deeper autobiographical story that taps into something painfully universal without being too overt. It’s a no-skips, triumphant record that captures the unresolved process of figuring out who you are, too wise to suggest that it has a definitive answer. Model Rocket Red LP. Limited Edition. Indie Exclusive.

New "Solar Garlic" 4-LP colored vinyl pressing
with extensive photo book.

A Live One, Phish's first live album,
originally released by Elektra in 1995; certified
g o l d and remains Phish's best selling album.

The band produced the album i n 1995 with Ed
Thacker and his team of engineers at Bearsville
Studios and was recorded by Paul Languedoc on
multitrack DA-88 DTRS digital tapes.

Lacquers cut from t h e 1/2" flat masters by Chris
Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering.

Hurry Up Tomorrow is the upcoming sixth studio album by the Canadian singer-songwriter The Weeknd, scheduled to be released through XO and Republic Records. It will serve as the final part of an album trilogy that began with After Hours (2020) and continued with Dawn FM (2022).

After a decade making the most of improvised recording spaces set in warehouses, trailers and lofts, Japanese Breakfast's fourth album, For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women), marks the band's first proper studio release. Produced by Grammy Award winner Blake Mills, the record sees front-woman and songwriter Michelle Zauner pull back from the bright extroversion that defined it's predecessor Jubilee to examine the darker waves that roil within, the moody, fecund field of melancholy, long held to be the psychic state of poets on the verge of inspiration. The result is an artistic statement of purpose: a mature, intricate, contemplative work that conjures the romantic thrill of a gothic novel.For Melancholy Brunettes follows a transformative period in Zauner's life during which her 2x GRAMMY nominated breakthrough album Jubilee and her bestselling memoir Crying In H Mart catapulted her into the cultural mainstream, delivering on her deepest artistic ambitions. Reflecting on that success, Zauner came to appreciate the irony of desire, which so often commingles bliss and doom. "I felt seduced by getting what I always wanted," she says. "I was flying too close to the sun, and I realized if I kept going I was going to die."The plight of Icarus and other such condemned ones lends For Melancholy Brunettes it's most persistent theme, the perils of desire. Like light dispersed, it's spectral parts take the album's characters through cycles of temptation, transgression and retribution. On "Orlando in Love" - a riff on John Cheever's riff on Orlando Innamorato, an unfinished epic made up of 68 ½ cantos by the Renaissance poet Matteo Maria Boiardo - the hero is a well meaning poet who parks his Winnebago by the sea and falls victim to a siren's call, his 69th canto (even in the lofty realm of classical myth Zauner has a soft spot for innuendo). "Honey Water" plumbs the quiet rage of a woman married to an unfaithful man, watching him cede again and again to lust like a base insect perpetuating it's own demise.Sadness is indeed the dominant emotional key of this record, but it is sadness of a rarified form: the pensive, prescient sadness of melancholy, in which the recognition of life's essentially tragic character occurs with sensitivity to it's fleeting beauty. Zauner finds space enough inside it for glimmers of hope. They are the consolations of mortals that poets before her have called out to and that poets after will continue to rediscover: love and labor, and though they run like tonic resolutions through the record's many episodes, they sound most saliently on it's final song, "Magic Mountain," an engagement with Thomas Mann's famous novel of the same name. For her, making any work feels like scaling a mountain, but from the perch of For Melancholy Brunettes, she surveys the future.

“Powerhouse Duo” (TODAY) The War And Treaty return with their new album Plus One. The album includes "Can I Get An Amen", "Leads Me Home, "Stealing A Kiss", "Called You By Your Name" and “Carried Away” "Every song on this album deals with some aspects of him and some aspects of her and some aspects of us. The ideal of sharing space with someone can be challenging no matter how short or long. We’ve had moments of doubt, moments of clarity, moments of regret and moments of solid faith." - Michael and Tanya

People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm is, quite simply, one of the finest albums in hip-hop. It's easy to argue that a Tribe Called Quest reached their zenith on this, their debut album: though they went on to produce another world-class disc (The Low End Theory) and broadened their palates and their consciousness, never again were they quite this naturally free and easy. Q-Tip and Phife's delivery is deceptively simple, flowing like wine and tasting like candy, and Jairobi adds some contrast. The music, so self-assured that it never raises it's voice to make a spectacle, follows suit. Four albums later, on their last tour, songs from Paths of Rhythm still were at the top of the set list. - Randy Silver.

Dr. Dre's Debut 'The Chronic' Returns to Interscope and Streaming Services BY CARL LAMARRE Dr. Dre's solo debut album, The Chronic, is celebrating it's 30th anniversary with a special re-re[1]lease on Interscope Records and a return to streaming services after nearly a year away. "I am thrilled to bring The Chronic home to it's original distribution partner, Interscope Records," says Dre in a press release, adding that working with the label "to re-release the album and make it available to fans all over the world is a full circle moment for me." Steve Berman, vice chairman of Inter[1]scope Geffen A&M, expressed similar ex[1]citement, saying: "Dr. Dre is without a doubt one of the most iconic and groundbreaking artists in the modern era. He has also used his platform to fuel some very impactful philanthropic efforts that will ensure his legacy is felt for generations to come. Dre's solo career all started with the The Chron[1]ic, one of the most celebrated recordings of all time. To have this album at Interscope once again where we work with Dre and his amazing team at Aftermath day in and day out is incredibly gratifying for me personally and all of us at Interscope." Earlier this month, Billboard reported that Dre sold his music assets to Universal Music and Shamrock Holdings for a deal estimat[1]ed to be $200 million. According to sources, the assets include mainly passive income streams, such as artist royalties from two of his solo albums and his share of N.W.A. art[1]ist royalties; his producer royalties; and more. The Chronic had long been available on streaming services but was pulled, along with several other Death Row classics, after Snoop Dogg purchased the label early last year. Considered one of the most storied al[1]bums in hip-hop, The Chronic had a splashy debut on the Billboard 200, entering the charts at No. 3. Released in 1992 on Death Row Records / Interscope, Dre's magnum opus earned three Hot 100 top 40 hits, "most notably "Nothin' But a "G" Thang," which peaked at No. 2. John Janick, chairman of Interscope Geffen A&M, said: "From my first day at Interscope the significance of Dr. Dre as a foundational artist at this label was incred[1]ibly important to me. We take our responsi[1]bility to Dre and his amazing body of work very seriously and we are honored to work closely with him on this re-release of one of the most important albums of all time."

SOS is the second studio album from GRAMMY award winning singer SZA, and the follow up to 2017’s major label debut album Ctrl. The genre-blending album contains elements of pop, R&B, soft-rock, gospel, and hip-hop. SOS features guest appearances from Travis Scott, Don Toliver, Phoebe Bridgers, and the late Ol’ Dirty Bastard. SZA worked with a variety of hitmaking producers including Ctrl collaborators ThankGod4Cody and Carter Lang, along with Jeff Bhasker, Rob Bisel, Benny Blanco, Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds, Emile Haynie, Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins, Jay Versace, and more.

Vinyl LP pressing. 2021 EP release from Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Lucky Daye. The EP followed his 2019 highly acclaimed debut album, Painted. The release features powerful contributions from Ari Lennox, YEBBA, Mahalia, Queen Naija, and Joyce Wrice making this a mandatory listen for any and all music lovers across eras and genres.

“As we enter into The Age Of Pleasure, “Lipstick Lover” is our freeassmothafucka anthem inspired by f.a.m. for f.a.m. This is our oasis made with love, rooted in self acceptance, throbbing in self discovery, and signed with cherry red kisses from me to you.  ” 
- Janelle Monáe

Janelle Monáe, music’s foremost freeassmuthafucka, has shared her scintillating new single, “Lipstick Lover,” available now. 
Arriving on the heels of her showstopping Met Gala appearance, “Lipstick Lover” heralds the arrival of Monáe’s hugely anticipated new album, THE AGE OF PLEASURE, due out June 9th. Pre-orders/pre-saves – including limited edition vinyl – are available now.
 
THE AGE OF PLEASURE also includes the acclaimed new single, “Float (Feat. Seun Kuti + Egypt 80).” Hailed by Pitchfork as “swaggering, brass-heavy…the sound of a top-tier talent doing a little victory dance,” the track is joined by an official dance video.

Janelle Monáe is without question one of the most celebrated artists of the modern era, an 8x GRAMMY® Award-nominated singer, songwriter, producer, performer, and fashion icon known worldwide for her inimitable style and visionary sound. With multiple celebrated albums, THE ARCHANDROID (2010), THE ELECTRIC LADY (2013), and DIRTY COMPUTER (2018), numerous critically-acclaimed theatrical and television performances,  and her unwavering activism for social justice and the LGBTQIA+ community, Monáe continues to be one of the most compelling and important artists of this generation.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever - Music From And Inspired By LP (Various )

Double 200gm vinyl LP pressing. From Sam Cooke's teenage debut as a full fledged member of the legendary Soul Stirrers in 1951 through his career as a rhythm and blues phenomenon thanks to the recordings for which he is acknowledged as the progenitor of Soul music. His hit songs, most of which he wrote, went on to become pop standards, enduring to this day. Sam Cooke's amazing body of work is encapsulated in SAM COOK: PORTRAIT OF a LEGEND 1957-64, the ultimate Sam Cooke greatest hits package.

Emily King has a near-magical gift for digging into life's deepest sorrows and uncovering unexpected beauty and illuminating truth. The NYC-bred artist brings ever-evolving levels of depth and nuance to her songwriting, rooting each revelation into a mesmerizing blend of soul, R&B and forward-thinking pop. Special Occasion - the follow-up to the multiple GRAMMY-nominated Scenery (2019) - is an intimate look at the ways we love, grieve, and stumble toward a greater sense of self-understanding.

Double vinyl LP pressing. The Notorious BIG delivered his debut album, Ready to Die, in September 1994. It's lead single, "Juicy," went gold, and the follow-up smash, "Big Poppa," achieved platinum sales and went Top Ten on the pop and R&B charts. Biggie's third single, "One More Chance," tied Michael Jackson's "Scream" for the highest debut ever on the pop charts; it entered at #5 en route to an eventual peak at #2, and went all the way to #1 on the R&B side. By the time the dust settled, Ready to Die had sold over four million copies and turned the Notorious BIG into a Hip Hop sensation - the first major star the East Coast had produced since the rise of Dr. Dre's West Coast G-funk.

2LP set. Reissued in 2018! Mighty 17-track anthology from 2007 includes team-ups with Eminem, Snoop Dogg, R Kelly, Faith Evans & Mary J. Blige, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and others. (NOTORIOUS BIG)

Vinyl LP pressing. Doris is the debut studio album by Odd Future member Earl Sweatshirt; it was released on August 20, 2013. Doris follows his first mixtape Earl, which was released in 2010 when he was sixteen. After returning from a forced stay in a Samoan boarding school, he began working on his debut album and signed a deal with Columbia, rather than Odd Future's Odd Future Records. Doris features guest appearances from Odd Future members Domo Genesis, Frank Ocean, Tyler The Creator along with Casey Veggies, Vince Staples, RZA and Mac Miller. Production was primarily handled by Sweatshirt under the pseudonym randomblackdude and production duo Christian Rich. Additional production was provided by Matt Martians, The Neptunes, RZA, Samiyam, BadBadNotGood, Frank Ocean, and Tyler The Creator.