So, we got our first batch of new (as in sealed) CDs in today, as well as a small batch of interesting vinyl. Most of the CDs we only brought one copy in, so we've opened them and stuck a NEW sticker on them and put the cases out and kept the discs behind the counter, same way we always do. Items we received more than one of have sealed counterparts behind the counter and the opened case on the floor.

I've made a section on the wall above the new arrivals (as in used) bin. Here's a breakdown of what's there right now, as well as the new records we received. More should be in by week's end.

Compact Disc:

- Kevin Drumm - Imperial Distortion (2CD; Hospital Productions)
- Hildur Gudnadottir - Without Sinking (Touch; UK Import) - "... a captivating, often unsettled release..." (Allmusic)
- Ilyas Ahmed - The Vertigo of Dawn (Time Lag)
- Grouper / Inca Ore - Split (Acuarela; Spanish Import) - "These two artists complement each other brilliantly ... Highly Recommended." (Boomkat)
- Spoon - Transference (Merge) - "... smarts, wit, hooks ..." (Allmusic)
- Leyland Kirby - Sadly, The Future Is No Longer What It Was (3CD, HAFTW) "Truly life affirming sounds, and without doubt one of the most important, substantial releases of the year." (Boomkat) - This release also made many year end top 10 lists; we sold out instantly on vinyl (6LP).
- My Morning Jacket - At Dawn, original pressing (2CD; Darla; Limited to 2000 copies in 2001; Out of print)
- Jasper TX - Singing Stones (Fang Bomb; Swedish Import) "Singing Stones is an exceptional album, artfully constructed and sequenced in a way that preserves its enigmatic feel, continually shifting between coy tunefulness and glorious abstraction. Superb." (Boomkat)
- Julie Doiron / Okkervil River - Split (Acuarela; Spanish Import) "[Doiron's] five songs are short, spare, heart-wrenching, and bedroom recorded." (Allmusic)
- His Name Is Alive - Firefly Dragonfly (Acuarela; Spanish Import)
- Lou Barlow - Mirror the Eye (Acuarela; Spanish Import)
- Damien Jurado - Holding His Breath (Acuarela; Spanish Import) "... a tense twenty minutes inside Jurado's world." (Allmusic)

Vinyl:

- Richard Skelton - Landings (2LP+CD) "Richard Skelton proves himself to be more than just a modern-classical outsider and consolidates his status as an auteur with a singular vision... Amazing Music." (Boomkat)
- Spoon - Transference (Merge) 7.8 outta 10 (Pitchfork)
- Coil / The New Blockaders / Vortex Campaign - The Melancholy Mad Tennant (Important; Ltd to 500 copies; 180g)
- Black to Comm - Rückwärts Backwards (Dekorder; Ltd. to 222 Copies; Out of print) - "... recalling Fennesz or Tim Hecker's crumbly, floury vapournoise ... the lines between organic and digital are invisible..." (The Wire)
- Black to Comm - Fractal Hair Geometry (Dekorder; Ltd. to 500 Copies) - "With a sound built on Krautrock-style keyboard oscillations, fluttering electronics and processed vocal moans, his songs play out as textural pieces with a closed-in, near claustrophobic feel." (The Wire)
- Animal Hospital - Memory (2LP; Barge; Ltd to 350 Hand-Numbered copies; white vinyl) - "Memory is a record that engages with familiar techniques and proceeds to completely fuck with the programme.... Just awesome." (Boomkat)
- Charley Patton - You're Gonna Need Somebody When You Die: The Recorded Works (4LP; Monk Records; Ltd. to 275 Copies; 4 different colored vinyls)
- Reverend Johnny L. "Hurricane" Jones - Jesus Christ From A To Z (Parlotone; Ltd Edition; Culled from recordings Johnny made for his own private use -- over 1,000 tapes going back to 1957 -- assembled for the very first time.)
- Faust - IV (Virgin; UK Import; Exact replica, officially reissued by EMI. 180 gram audiophile pressing with printed inner sleeve.)

And restocks of these Mississippi Records titles:

- Reverend Louis Overstreet
- Fight On, Your Time Ain't Long
- Mortika
- Mississippi Fred McDowell
- Clara Rockmore

Some of you may have noticed that the Blues, Gospel, and Reggae sections are now organized horizontally instead of vertically. This makes it easier for us to keep things in alphabetical order (and we'd appreciate your help regarding this when you put stuff back). I've gotten mixed responses from people, with the vast majority of it being positive. If you've thoughts on it, please mention them to whoever's working and we'll keep them in mind while trying to sort out the rest of the shop.

Here's a list of new vinyl that should be out by the weekend:

Jimmy Reed - Rockin' With Reed and I'm Jimmy Reed
Otis Redding - Pain in My Heart
Radiohead - Pablo Honey (180g)
My Morning Jacket - Z (2LP)
Jimi Hendrix - Band of Gypsies (140g)
Dirtbombs - Ultraglide in Black
Miles Davis - Workin'
Ornette Coleman - Free Jazz (180g)
John Coltrane - Blue Train
Yndi Halda - Enjoy Eternal Bliss
MF Doom and Madlib - Madvillian (2LP)
Slayer - World Painted Blood
Bonny Billy and The Picket Line - Funtown

As well as the following restocks:

James Carr - A Man Needs a Woman and You Got My Mind Messed Up
Beach Boys - Pet Sounds (180g)
DJ Shadow - Endtroducing (2LP)
Sonny Rollins - Saxophone Colossus

And... some updates on past entries:

We only have one copy of Light: On the South Side left. It's been opened to show off the book but is otherwise new (records unplayed). We've got the best price in town on this one. We're sold out of the other Numero Group box sets that we brought in (Twinight, and Tap), but still have stock on some of the 2LP Eccentric Soul sets and Guitar Stoli. Again, cheapest in town.

The new Tom Waits releases went on the floor on Tuesday--we have a few of Glitter and Doom left but only two of the Orphans 7LP sets remain of the six we brought in. $22.99 and $138.99 respectively.

Only two of the William S. Burroughs Grey Room LPs remain. It's a limited pressing of 800 copies and is one we probably won't bring in again as it's an import. Just $18.99.

The Mingus - Live at Antibes sold out before I even had a chance to price them. Literally. More will be coming.

One copy of Ocean's 2LP Here Where Nothing Grows is also on its way.

A few more things coming from Mississippi, probably late next week:

Rev. Louis Overstreet - An Evening With His Guitar, His four Sons, And the Congregation at St. Luke's Powerhouse Church of God in Christ
Reissue of the Arhoolie LP recorded in 1962 at Overstreet's church in Phoenix, Arizona with a slightly altered track listing. Includes two tracks previously unissued on vinyl. Recorded very live during a church service. Rev. Overstreet plays electric guitar and bass drum in his own driving & intense style while his four sons and the congregation take care of tambourine, backup singing and hand claps. A powerful record of gospel energy and testament.

Clara Rockmore - The Art of the Theremin
This LP, originally recorded and released by Delos International in 1977, features the eerily beautiful theremin accompanied by piano. A record of stark simplicity & emotional intensity. We are proud to present the first ever vinyl reissue of this material. Gatefold tip on cover with extensive liner notes detailing the history & inner workings of the theremin & Clara Rockmore.

The Breeders - Fate to Fatal EP 12"
Limited edition of 1,000. The four songs on the Fate to Fatal EP were recorded in a variety of places. The band booked time at the Fortress in London to record the title track. Track two, "The Last Time," was written by Kim and recorded in her Ohio basement with guest vocalist Mark Lanegan (Screaming Trees, Queens of the Stone Age). For "Chances Are," a cover of the Bob Marley and the Wailers song, Kim and Kelley went to Steve Albini's Chicago studio where they recorded it live. The EP's closing song, "Pinnacle Hollow," was also recorded in Kim's Ohio basement on a four-track, tape hiss and all.

All this and restock of the Cecil Barfield, the Joseph Spence, and the Mortika box set to boot.

I think that most people who like the respective genres of the above artists will be familiar with these albums. The one exception is probably the little-known UK band Yndi Halda. Though I'm loathe to pigeon-hole them, they're probably considered a post-rock band with a splash of 20C classical. I'd guess that anyone who enjoys GY!BE, Explosions in the Sky, Mono, Do Make Say Think, or Mogwai would appreciate them.

The shortest song on their Enjoy Eternal Bliss LP is almost 12 minutes long. The other three hover around 17 minutes and "A Song for Starlit Beaches" clocks in at almost 20. Because the tracks are so long, they're not very Youtube friendly. However, here's the second half of "Illuminate My Heart, My Darling":

Our second shipment of Numero Group titles has arrived, including copies of Light: On the South Side and the Eccentric Soul: Twinight's Lunar Rotation 4LP box set.

Get 'em while you can--last time we sold out of the Light: On the South Side in one day! We will not be getting more stock before Christmas.

Also back in stock: Mississippi Records titles, including a few that are out of print: Bishop Perry Tillis, Love is Love, String of Pearls, and Last Kind Words. We will definitely not be getting more of these. More Abner Jays were in the box, too, along with some Mississippi Fred McDowell, and the wonderful Fight On, Your Time Ain't Long compilation.

Just some quick updates on what was writ before:

- Soundtrack sale ended Saturday. Sign up to the mailing list to get the lowdown on future sales.

- We're almost completely sold out of the Numero Group titles. I'm trying to get more--not sure if it'll be at those introductory prices though. Cross your fingers. Speaking of soul... should have restock on James Carr's first two Goldwax LPs soon.

- The Black to Comm came in and quickly sold out. I did some email swapping with Richter and he's hooked me up with some of his early catalog. Should be soon. However, it'll be your last time to get them--very small print runs on all this stuff.

- More Mississippi Records stuff should be in soon: Mississippi Fred McDowell, Clara Rockmore ("features the eerily beautiful theremin accompanied by piano--a record of stark simplicity & emotional intensity"; first time on vinyl), restock on Abner Jay and Mortika, all at the best prices in Toronto. I've also got a few of MR's out of print titles coming but they'll be a bit more expensive as my regular source for Mississippi Records stuff was out of stock on 'em. Since they're currently out of print this'll be your last chance to grab 'em: Various Artists - Love is Love, Bishop Perry Tillis, Various Artists - String of Pearls, Various Artists - Last Kind Words.

- Two titles from a very small USA'n press in Maine that specializes in folk: Shep & Me ("Simple folk songs with some experimental touches; beautiful hand screened covers"), and Uke of Spaces Corners ("Dan Beckman & Amy Moon play off kilter original songs & a Sun Ra cover--this record evokes the idillic life lived by the band").

- I've placed a small order for SST records so in the next week or two we should see the better releases from Black Flag, Minutemen, fIREHOSE, and Bad Brains, as well as the label's early Soundgarden titles. They'll be cheap--all under $13, I think, with the exception of Double Nickels on the Dime which is a 2LP.

Just a shorty: the Mississippi Records order arrived, with the exception of the McDowells, which are coming separately and should be in next week. The Abner Jays sold out promptly (practically before I had a chance to price them) so I re-ordered those. Hopefully my source still has some. The Mortika set is very nice and has a great 16-page book with it. The Bobby Beusoliel, which came in the same box but is a diff label, is beautifully packaged. 4LPs, two large posters, 4 pages of 12x12 notes. More info on this stuff in a previous post.

I also now have confirmation on the Tom Waits box set. We will be getting some, Anti- lists it as a "limited run first pressing". I don't know the exact price yet but Amazon.com is selling it for us$142 plus shipping. We will definitely be beating that price. It's a 7-LP set on 180g vinyl and is the Orphans material plus some extra songs. Since these are a pricey item, I only have a few on order. Should be in the week of December 8th.

People have been asking about the Nirvana Live at Reading. Yup, that's on order as well. 2LP, 180g. We'll also be getting stock on the anniversary edition of Bleach, hopefully on 180g white vinyl. 2LP as well.