Finally received the shipment of Numero Group vinyl. Most of their catalog was in the box--they're on the floor at our usual great prices. In addition, we received:

Tool - Opiate
Tool - Undertow
Tool - Lateralus (pic disc)
M Ward - End of Amnesia
M Ward - Transfiguration of Vincent
Grant Hart - Intolerance
Glenn Jones - Barbecue Bob in Fishtown
Handsome Family - Drunk by Noon 7"
Bonnie Prince Billy - Summer in the Southeast
The Ex - 30 Years of The Ex

And restock of:

Bardo Pond - Bufo Alvarius
Tim Hecker - Imaginary Country
Tim Hecker - Harmony in Ultraviolet
Svarte Greiner - Kappe (this is outta print--not sure we can get more)

We received our first order of Numero Group CDs, including the now out-of-print Yellow Pills 2CD. They're priced between 16.99 and 19.99 for single discs and 21.99 and 23.99 for doubles. I believe these are the best prices in Canada. Vinyl should arrive today or early next week.

Here's a list of titles:

Yellow Pills: Prefill 2CD
Eccentric Soul: Capsoul Label
Eccentric Soul: Bandit
Fern Jones: Glory Road
Belize City Boil Up
Eccentric Soul: Deep City
Wayfaring Strangers: Ladies From The Canyon
Eccentric Soul: Big Mack
Good God!
Mighty Mike Lenaburg
Catherine Howe
Twinight's Lunar Rotation 2CD
Grand Bahama Goombay
Eccentric Soul: The Prix Label
ABCs Of Kid Soul
Outskirts Of Deep City
Guitar Soli
Don't Stop: Recording Tap
Tragar & Note Labels 2CD
Soul Messages From Dimona
Young Disciples
Titan: It's All Pop!
24-Carat Black: Gone
Downriver Revival CD+DVD
Smart's Palace
Lonesome Heroes
Pisces: A Lovely Sight
Good God! Born Again Funk

Aight, so we got some more Daptone LPs in, including the new Sharon Jones, restock of the Naomi Shelton and Budos. Remember that we'll also be selling the Sharon Jones / Budos 7" on Record Store Day. Don't think anyone in the city's got that one but I can't say for sure. It's sweet, dawg. In the pipe we've got restock on the Numero Group's catalog on LP and, for the first time, CD as well. I'll try and make sure the price is right. Also comin' through the mails is some new and old from Mississippi Records. Here's a complete list. But for the 7", the Daptones are already on the floor.

Daptone

Budos Band - s/t, II, and EP
Naomi Shelton - What Have You Done
Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings - Dap Dippin, Naturally, 100 Days 100 Nights, and I Learned the Hard Way
Various Artists - Daptone Gold (2LP)
Sharon Jones / Budos Band - Daytripper / Money 7"

Mississippi

Various Artists - Fanajana: A Collection of Recordings and Photography from Madagasikara
Over a three year period in the late 1990s, Charlie Brooks embarked on two long field recording trips in Madagasikara. Brooks primarily concentrated on the more remote north and west regions of the island. Upon his return in 1999 he pressed 200 copies of a triple record and stored them under his bed for the last ten years. The three themed LPs: Vocal, Valiha Marovany and Miscellaneous Instruments were released as the now out of print MR-061 Fihavanana. This single LP collection compiles seventeen tracks from Fihavanana. Comes with a twelve page booklet of photography and notes.

Note: Vortex will be raffling off a copy of the above-mentioned 3LP Fihavanana on Record Store Day.

Range Rats - s/t
Recorded in 1986 & completely unreleased until now - this is Fred & Toody Cole's (Weeds, Lollipop Shoppe, Zipper, Torpedoes, Rats, Western Front, Desperate Edge, Dead Moon, Pierced Arrows, & so on) great lost country LP! All original compositions...some sad lilting ballads & some punk as hell. Two songs feature Fred & Toddy playing with "Rollie", a janky Roland drum machine that didn't keep a consistent meter very well. The rest of the songs were recorded with a lean mean band. We are very proud to bring this LP into the world for the first time - another facet of the genius of Fred & Toody Cole & lowfi as cadn be. Housed in an old school tip on sleeve.

CHIN CHIN -Sound Of The Westway LP
In 1985, Sound of the Westway was released on Chin Chin's own Farmer Records. As a progression from their first 7", SOTW proved to be a brilliant mix
of post punk and pop sensibility. The band's fierce DIY stance and girl-positive ethics have echoed down through the indie scene. Mississippi and Slumberland are excited to collaborate on this classic reissue. On vinyl only, remastered by Tim Stollenwerk and new original artwork by Alec Icky Dunn. Includes Free Download Card.

Getatchew Mekuria, The Ex, & Guests - Moa Anbessa
Getatchew is a legendary Ethio-Jazz saxaphone player. Well documented in the Ethiopiques series, he continues to make amazing music into his seventies. This LP presents eleven new interpretations of Ethiopian tunes. Backed by the awesome force of The EX and a guest horn section.

Grouper - Wide
Wide is Grouper's second full length-album. Previously released on Free Porcupine Society and Weird Forest, this is a co-re-release between Weird Forest and Grouper's own label with new artwork by Liz Harris. Edition of 1000 copies.

Note that on Record Store Day we'll be giving away a copy of this in our RSD raffle.

Numero Group

We pretty much got their entire catalog coming on CD and LP.

I'm too tired to organize my thoughts this morning (very busy yesterday) so here's how it's pouring out of my head:

1. As mentioned previously, we will be starting to bring in a small qty of new CDs (as in sealed). As I did with the new vinyl when we started that seven months ago, I'll be concentrating for the most part on smaller labels and lesser-known artists. We'll also stock the latest releases from the hip bands that the kids are listening to these days.

For instance, in the next few days, weeks, we expect the latest releases on both vinyl and CD by Spoon, Vampire Weekend, Ben Frost, Tindersticks, Leyland Kirby, Them Crooked Vultures, Grouper, Black to Comm, and a few others. As the weeks and months pass I'll try to stay on top of these titles so we have them on their first day of release.

In addition, we'll be stocking some older titles that are out of print or harder to find in Toronto. One such title will be My Morning Jacket's second, and, in my opinion, best album: At Dawn. I've managed to get my hands on just 8 copies of this title in its original edition, which was as a double and limited to a pressing of just 2000. The regular CD is nice enough on its own but the bonus disc of demos is also a delight. I'm pretty comfortable saying it's unlikely anyone else in the city or country will have these as they've been out of print for close to a decade. To my recollection, we've never even had a used copy come into the store in the years I've been there. I've spoken directly with the label and they've assured me it's not going to be repressed.

We will be pricing these titles as reasonably as possible and should be competitive with the downtown shops. For instance, the new Spoon will be $14.99 on CD and $19.99 on vinyl. I don't know what the other indie shops will be pricing it at yet as it doesn't come out until next Tuesday, but Amazon and HMV are at least a buck or two higher than that.

Now, because of the set up of our store and the lack of a security buzzer at the door, I obviously don't want to put sealed product on the floor. As a result, we will open one copy of each title for display purposes and keep sealed copies behind the counter. When we're down to our last copy of a title or when the title doesn't warrant me stocking more than one, the CD will be open, but it will still be new and unplayed. Such is the nature of the beast.

I will appropriate a section of the wall directly above the New Arrivals, between Compilations and Folk, and place this new product there. New vinyl will go in the new arrivals where it always is.

If there are titles in particular you'd like to see, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) and I'll see what I can do.

2. I've been catching hell from a number of customers because I've been playing the excellent second release from Budos Band without having any on hand to sell. I finally found a source for their stuff, but on vinyl only. I placed an order yesterday so we should have them in a week or so. I'll be bringing in all their titles as well as other artists on Daptone Records: Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, Daktaris, Antibalas, and Sugarman 3 (with Lou Donaldson). We also have access to their 45s, but I'll only be bringing those in on a special order basis.

3. A heap of ambient/drone/modern classical is on its way. Most of it is very small run stuff, limited to 300 or so copies each, all on CD. Artists will include Richard Skelton, Concern, Scott Tuma, Evan Caminiti, Elm, and many others. These aren't well known artists but they're turning out quality stuff. Click the links to read Boomkat reviews. As you'll see, they don't even have stock on most of them anymore. Again, not sure who else in the city carries this stuff.

One of the choicest finds in this haul will be the last copies I could find of Black to Comm's first release, Ruckwarts Backwards on vinyl. Limited to just 222 copies. BtC's Fractal Hair Geometry is also on its way on vinyl. Limited to 500 copies. Given the high praise the artist's received for his latest release, Alphabet 1968, which made a number of year end top 10 lists, and which we sold out of promptly (it is limited to 500), these should be nice treats for those who dig Richter's particular take on electronic.

4. I've got another copy of Charley Patton's 4LP set coming in next week. We sold out once already and this will probably be my last order of it as it's limited to 275 copies world-wide. $125. That's $25 cheaper than the competition sells it for downtown.

5. Another heap of Numero Group titles will probably be in in about 2 weeks. For the first time, we'll also be bringing some of their titles on CD. Should happen around first week in February.

6. Restock of some Mississippi Records titles are on the way: Clara Rockmore and Reverend Overstreet in particular.

7. I added the ability to sample some audio to the site. This entry features a track from the above mentioned My Morning Jacket release. You should see the option in the left hand column under Listen To. If you experience problems with the audio player, please .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

That's all I got at the moment. Back to bed with me.

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.