Some nice Bear Family single CDs came in today, including:

Frankie Laine
Hank Williams
Al Sears
Gonna Shake this Shack Tonight! (Various)
Don Reno and Red Smiley
Lester Flatt and Bill Munroe

We also received some of the vinyl I'd mentioned previously, including:

Arcade Fire - Suburbs 2LP
Jimmy Cliff - The Harder They Come
Bob Marley - Exodus, Legend, and Catch a Fire

and these Italian 180g imports:

Ornette Coleman - Something Else and Tomorrow is the Question
Miles Davis - Ascenseur Pour L'Echefaud
Willie Dixon - Walkin' the Blues
John Lee Hooker - Driftin' the Blues
John Lee Hooker - The Blues
John Lee Hooker - The Great John Lee Hooker
Lightnin' Hopkins - Country Blues

And the new Featured Titles section has been selling well. Today, I'll add these titles to replace the ones that sold since Tuesday:

James Booker - New Orleans Piano Wizard: Live! (USA, Blues, R&B, Boogie Woogie, 1977)
"Certainly one of the most flamboyant New Orleans pianists in recent memory… a major influence on the local rhythm & blues scene in the '50s and '60s … This CD contains 9 Booker selections performed at the 1977 Boogie Woogie and Ragtime Piano Contest held in Zurich. His relentless, driving style, ability to switch from a hard-hitting tune to a light, soft one without skipping a beat, and wild mix of sizzling keyboard licks and bemused, manic vocals are uniformly impressive. … shouldn't be missed.” -- AllMusic (4 outta 5)

Skip James - Today! (USA, Delta Blues, Acoustic Blues, 1965)
Among the earliest and most influential Delta bluesmen to record … [James influenced] everyone from a young Robert Johnson (Skip's "Devil Got My Woman" became the basis of Johnson's "Hellhound on My Trail") to Eric Clapton …This is a must-have collection for all acoustic blues and James fans, as well as a fine introduction for curious listeners unfamiliar with the blues' most uncompromising, spooked visions.” -- AllMusic (5 outta 5)


The Notwist - Neon Golden (Germany, Electronic, Pop, Indie Rock, 2002)
“Neon Golden would be a staggering feat for any band, much less a band most people had long since forgotten about (or maybe never really knew). A decade into their career, the Notwist have created a masterpiece by pulling the same trick they pulled on Shrink: mixing things that might not seem to fit together into a beautiful, seamless whole. As of right now, the Notwist have released the record of the year.” -- Pitchfork (9.2 outta 10)

Lambchop - What Another Man Spills (Nashville, Chamber Pop, Country, 1998)
“Lambchop was arguably the most consistently brilliant and unique American group to emerge during the 1990s. Their unclassifiable hybrid of country, soul, jazz, and avant-garde noise seemed at one time or another to drink from every conceivable tributary of contemporary music … Where the album's jumble of styles and offbeat covers might seem self-indulgent coming from any other band, Lambchop somehow makes it all work with their wit, style, and intelligence intact -- even five records in, they never cease to amaze.” -- AllMusic (4.5 outta 5)