New Releases March 15

Stephen Malkmus Groove Denied Sister Ray With Record Store Day just over the horizon, there’s a little pause for breath in new release land this week (although looking at the weeks to come, you might need to catch your breath). Pick of this week’s bunch is ex-Pavement (and shop lord) Stephen Malkmus, who releases his long rumoured, & much discussed (in the corners of the internet I frequent) ‘electronic’ album – recorded in his basement in Portland, this a radical one-off shift into DIY early 80s drum machines & keyboards, with nary a guitar in sight. It’s been 12 years since “La Fleur”, and Ninja Tunes stalwarts The Cinematic Orchestra return, and it’s business as usual, with their trademark cinematic strings & jazzy grooves. A host of guest vocalists on this - Moses Sumney, Roots Manuva, Heidi Vogel, Grey Reverend (vocalist on Bonobo’s 'First Fires’), Dorian Concept, & Tawiah (Mark Ronson, Kindness). Nice looking limited vinyl too. One of the perks of working in a record shop used to be getting to hear records before they came out (toast of the Brighton indie scene I was), but sadly, in these days, of leaked & upfront tracks on the internet, that perk has gone. The new release from Karen O (Yeah Yeah Yeahs) & Dangermouse is a case in point – not heard the whole album, but the tracks I’ve heard (the same ones you’ve probably heard) sound great, so we’ll both dive into this fresh together. Again, a very tasty looking indies vinyl package on this one. It’s been at least 3 weeks since a Brian Jonestown release, so here’s another one; there’s a rally nice expanded version of The Fall’s “Bend Sinister”; and, in these ‘interesting’ times, if you fancy a spiritual jazz odyssey into the depths of the cosmos, then The Comet Is Coming is for you. Or you could just have a cup of tea.