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.

Some nice postrock (hate that term) and other things came in on vinyl today. Two Mono (Japan) LPs: One More Step and You Die (2LP) and Gone (3LP); Mum's Yesterday Was Dramatic...; The Books' Lost and Safe ($3 cheaper than I saw it at our competitor's the other day); and some Sunn0))). The Books' Lemon of Pink is also in the new arrivals on CD right now--not an item we see used too often.

We also got a heap of blues CDs in on Tuesday. The New Arrivals bin is pretty kickass at the moment, actually. There's also three new nice box sets: an Okeh set, a Roots & Blues set (both of those are terrific) and an 11 disc Massive Attack (scratch that, it sold)!

In the next week or so I'll also have some super nice vinyl pieces come in from other countries: in addition to the Candi Staton and Bettye Swanns (mentioned in a previous post and which are finally confirmed as shipped), there's some Elmore Judd, two fantastic Steve Reid LPs (Rhythmatism and Nova, one of my all-time favorite jazz albums), the ridiculously difficult to find for the longest time James Blackshaw LP The Cloud of Unknowing, Triple Burner's lovely album, and some very limited titles on SMTG: Anduin/Jasper TX's Bending the Light and Svarte Greiner's Man Bird Dress, each limited to just 300 copies. If you like ambient or drone and electronic music, these are terrific. Man Bird Dress's gorgeous silkscreened cover is pictured, above.

In addition to the ambient titles in the post below, we also received these vinyl gems today. Click the album titles to read Allmusic Guide reviews.

James Carr - You Got My Mind Messed Up
James Carr - A Man Needs a Woman

$23.99 each - some of the best southern soul ever recorded.

Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea

A landmark indie rock album and the album of the decade for many people in my generation. A measly $13.99! Five stars from Allmusic and a 10 outta 10 at Pitchfork. Read what other artists had to say when the album celebrated its 10th year anniversary.

The Psychic Paramount - Gamelan Into The Mink Supernatural

I managed to get my hands on a sealed copy of this bizarre masterpiece. Limited to 1000 vinyl copies which quickly sold out three years ago, it's loud as all hell and sounds like few other records. The SF Weekly says, "One of this decades finest albums, a cyclone in an era of faint breezes." I mean, just listen to the onslaught that is track 3, Echoh Air. Speaker melting indeed. $30. Sealed. Out of print.

And a few other treats:

Blonde Redhead - Melody of Certain Damaged Lemons
Jesus Lizard - Liar
Captain Beefheart - Safe as Milk
My Bloody Valentine - Loveless (180g)
Portishead - Dummy
Beach Boys - Pet Sounds (180g)

The new Bardo Pond has arrived. It’s a limited pressing. Far as we know, Vortex is the only store in the city stocking it. Pitchfork gave it a 7.3, saying it "contains many prized tracks ... and the highlights hold their own against anything in the vast Bardo Pond back catalogue. ... An ideal complement to such vintage Bardo albums as 1997's Lapsed or 2001's Dilate, and it is a comfort to take the time to idle awhile in its enveloping glow."

Listen to an MP3.

180g RTI vinyl (1640 copies pressed). Included with the vinyl is a CD copy (not a CDR) of the album and game five and a half, a limited run CD (747 copies) that is now out of print. All that for just $23.99!

We also got a couple copies of Peri on CD. They were limited to a very small run of 350 and are $13.99.

Bardo Pond fans may also be interested in some other vinyl we have in stock from Three Lobed Records: Jack Rose’s The Black Dirt Sessions, Heavy Winged’s Alive in My Mouth, Sarin Smoke’s Smokescreen, and Basalt Fingers (S/T). They’re all out of print so we’re probably your last chance to get them for SRP. Stellar sounds. Great music. Gorgeous packaging. Heavy vinyl.