Welcome to November. If you’re a dude, there are apparently two things you’re supposed to do this month: Grow a moustache (which somehow helps cure cancer, I think) and quit wanking (I have no clue what this is supposed to accomplish). If you’re really ambitious, I guess you could do both at once — but frankly, that seems like way too much work. However you decide to spend your month, here are some fine albums to use as your soundtrack:
The Bad Plus
Complex Emotions
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The Bad Plus have taken a bold step forward with Complex Emotions, their second album as a quartet. After 21 years of redefining their sound, founding members Reid Anderson and Dave King expanded the group by enlisting guitarist Ben Monder and saxophonist Chris Speed. This fresh lineup has unlocked new creative possibilities, fully explored in Complex Emotions. The album’s title, drawn from a phrase long used by Anderson and King, reflects the wide-ranging musical explorations that have defined the band’s journey. By choosing this title, The Bad Plus signal that the reconfigured group has discovered new depths of their creative potential. The Bad Plus are the ultimate originals. A democratic unit with a clear vision and a refusal to conform to convention. For the past two decades they have played with spirit and adventure, made their own rules and done so with a bold sense of creativity and intent. Avoiding easy categorization, The Bad Plus have won critical acclaim and a legion of fans worldwide with their unique sound and flair for live performance.”
The Body
The Crying Out Of Things
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The Body have been a leading force of innovation in heavy music for over two decades. The prolific duo of guitarist/vocalist Chip King and Lee Buford (on percussion/electronics) have consistently expanded the scope of what heavy music can be. They have produced a wealth of groundbreaking collaborations and benchmark albums that over the past two decades have changed the perceptions and directions of heavy music. Known for the monolithic force of their music, and their inventive production techniques, their albums are benchmarks in the expansion and evolution of heavy music. Tightly packed with deceptively nuanced arrangements, exhilarating and challenging distortion, their albums are possessed of an unmistakably singular sound. The Crying Out Of Things is no exception, a culmination of all that The Body have done before, highlighting their mastery of dynamic, monumental music that pushes toward the unmistakable sound of oblivion.”
The Cubical
Cut Me Like A Hog
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The Cubical are based in Liverpool and have spent the last few years building up an amazing reputation as one of Europe’s best live bands and have an ever growing cult following. The Cubical sound is one that is essentially based in the blues, but like Captain Beefheart, Frank Zappa and Tom Waits before them, they twist it around and shake it up and inevitably end up with something altogether a little weirder. A Cubical live show has been likened to a “rock ’n’ roll medicine show,” an assault on the senses. Not only are your eyes glued to the chaotic dancing of the 6 foot five Wilson, indefatigable Gavaghan and charismatic hard man Green but the interwoven Telecaster twang, wailing harmonica, incessant pounding bass and drums, are all topped off by one of the gruffest and most distinctive blues howls since the Wolf himself. All of this ensures that audiences are drawn into the hypnotic swamp blues intensity that is central to The Cubical experience.”
Miles Davis Quintet
Miles in France: 1963/64: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 8
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The acclaimed Miles Davis Bootleg Series has spanned years as early as 1955, and as late as 1985, but it has not yet touched 1963 or 1964 — a pivotal period in Miles’ musical evolution and the auspicious beginnings of the Second Great Quintet — until now. Miles In France includes all the music made at the 1963 Festival Mondial Du Jazz in Antibes (July 26-28 of that year) and the 1964 Paris Jazz Festival (October 1). The 1963 recordings feature George Coleman, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter and Tony Williams — while the 1964 recordings feature Wayne Shorter’s arrival on tenor saxophone as the final member of the Second Great Quintet. Miles In France was produced by the Grammy-winning team of Steve Berkowitz, Richard Seidel and Michael Cuscuna (marking one of the last productions for Cuscuna, who passed away earlier this year) and mastered by Grammy-winning engineer Vic Anesini at Battery Studios in N.Y.C.”
Jamey Johnson
Midnight Gasoline
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Award-winning singer-songwriter Jamey Johnson’s new album Midnight Gasoline is his sixth release and first new solo studio LP in 14 years. It is also the first of his Cash Cabin Series, a set of albums recorded at the famed studio in Hendersonville, Tenn, that was owned by Johnny Cash and June Carter and is now owned by their son, John Carter Cash. Johnson spent three weeks recording about 30 songs there, sleeping in his bus that was parked outside so that he could remain immersed in the creative space. “I’ve always wanted to make an album there,” he says. “I went in with an album in mind, where we go in and cut and cut and cut. That is when I knew we were off to the races. This is more than an album; this is a series. The main thing is there is a presence there. There is a spirit in the place. Maybe it was born there from Johnny and June, and maybe it was born there from the countless other artists who have come to that studio to record. But there is a spirit there and I love it. It feels like home to me.”
1000mods
Cheat Death
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “It’s no wonder why 1000mods are considered one of Europe’s most iconic heavy rock bands worldwide. Since their genesis two decades ago, the Greek powerhouse have become a true staple of the international rock scene thanks to their anthemic songcraft and hundreds of fire-driven live performances across the globe. 1000mods are gearing up for an earth-shattering return with their fifth studio album Cheat Death. Four years since the release of their critically acclaimed album Youth of Dissent, and having set stages ablaze across the globe, 1000mods are back to reclaim their throne with what promises to be their heaviest and most hard-hitting record to date. Cheat Death is a sonic juggernaut, featuring 10 explosive tracks that seamlessly blend pulverizing metal riffs, raw punk energy, and a dose of bold alt-rock experimentation. From the colossal opener to the album’s emotionally charged closing anthem, 1000mods deliver a masterclass in heavy rock with precision and grit, while pushing the boundaries of their own sound to uncharted territory.”
Primal Scream
Come Ahead
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Come Ahead is Primal Scream’s 12th album. It has 11 new songs that feature some of the most personal songwriting of the band’s career. The process began in 2019. At that point, Bobby Gillespie had no idea if he would make another Primal Scream album. For the first time, the lyrics came before the music. The story came first. Bobby wrote alone, using an acoustic guitar. Ideas flowed fast, in long bursts of inspiration. This process, in tandem with encouragement from producer David Holmes, provided a new way in. Working with Holmes and guitarist Andrew Innes, the Come Ahead sessions were completed between Belfast, London and Los Angeles. “If there was an overall theme to Come Ahead it might be one of conflict, whether inner or outer,” says Gillespie. “The title is a Glaswegian term. If someone threatens to fight you, you say, ‘come ahead!’ It’s redolent of the indomitable spirit of the Glaswegian, and the album itself shares that aggressive attitude and confidence.”
Refused | The Shape Of Punk To Come 25th Anniversary Edition + The Shape Of Punk To Come Obliterated
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Swedish rock band Refused weren’t just ruminating about the lasting impact of popular culture when it began their 1998 album The Shape Of Punk To Come with a lyric about classics never going out of style — it was also taking stock of its own turbulent existence, which met an ignominious end later that year in front of 50 kids at a basement show in a Virginia college town. Indeed, Refused came and went before the true power of its music could be understood, even by its own members. And in the ensuing years, the band cast a giant shadow over the world of underground rock, with the boundary-exploding Shape rising to all-time legendary status as it influenced a new generation of musical revolutionaries. Next week they celebrate 25 years of their groundbreaking record with a limited collector’s edition loaded with exclusives, including a three-LP version with unreleased demos and rare alternate versions of songs. The anniversary package also comes with a 12-song tribute album titled The Shape Of Punk To Come Obliterated with covers and remixes by boundary-smashing bands like Idles, Fucked Up, Ho99o9, Cold Cave, Touché Amoré and Snapcase.”
State Champs
State Champs
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Despite their name, State Champs made four albums without a trophy on the cover. In 2024, that triumphant symbol finally appears, on album five, confidently named simply State Champs. Classics from The Clash, Ramones, Foo Fighters, Blink-182 and Paramore demonstrate the super significance of a self-titled album. Like Metallica, whose self-titled set is the biggest-selling album of the Soundscan era, State Champs waited till record No. 5 to make the eponymous move. The songs explode with high-energy, passionate, and smartly constructed precision. While big, bold, and slick, the production nevertheless sounds like a band in a room together or decimating the stage. “We found our way, through the ups and downs within us, personally and as a band, and wanted to express that,” explains frontman Derek DiScanio. “This is the right time to showcase it.”
Talking Heads
Talking Heads ’77 Super Deluxe Edition
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Returning to where it all began, Talking Heads proudly presents the new and extensive Talking Heads: 77 (Super Deluxe Edition). It charts the development of the band from the original trio of David Byrne, Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth into the classic four-person lineup with the addition of former Modern Lovers member Jerry Harrison. Spread across nearly three hours of material, this edition features a brand new remaster of the original album. It also features a collection of rarities encompassing outtakes and previously unreleased alternate versions, including the never-before-heard versions of Psycho Killer and Pulled Up. Finally, it offers up a previously unreleased recording of the band’s final show at CBGB in New York City on Oct. 10, 1977.”
Thank
I Have A Physical Body That Can Be Harmed
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Thank’s concoction of anxious disco grooves, harsh noise freakouts and inscrutable sprechgesang bluster was borne out of their hometown Leeds’ notorious — and now sadly defunct — DIY collective CHUNK. After the release of their debut full-length Thoughtless Cruelty in 2022 and a smattering of EPs and split releases, they are back with their sophomore album I Have A Physical Body That Can Be Harmed, a volatile yet joyously cathartic post-punk record. Thank closed out 2023 with a December residency in Scarborough. Holed up in Beckview Studios and its attic flat, Freddy Vinehill-Cliffe (vocals/guitar), Lewis Millward (guitar/synth), Cameron Moitt (bass) and Steve Myles (drums) were accompanied by longtime producer Rob Slater (Blacklisters, Mush), and they effectively lived and breathed the album for 24 hours a day during the recording. “Thematically all the old classics are in there — sex, death, and Twitter brainrot,” explains Vinehill-Cliffe. “I don’t think I’m necessarily trying to say anything I haven’t tried to say before, I’ve just gotten better at saying it. I still hate landlords, I still hate right wing grifters, I still hate people who hide their cruelty behind progressive language. I do hate myself quite a bit less, so there’s some hope and positivity in there too, as a treat.”
The Tragically Hip
Up To Here Deluxe Edition
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The Tragically Hip are back with a commemorative boxset of their Diamond-certified debut album Up To Here, the latest installment of special deluxe package. Up To Here was originally released Sept. 5, 1989, as The Tragically Hip’s first full-length album, an introduction that brought them breakthrough success, including two No. 1 singles — Blow At High Dough and New Orleans Is Sinking — and a Juno for Most Promising Artist in 1990. The expanded reissue includes a 2024 remastering of the original album, with four previously unreleased songs that didn’t make it on the original album. A recording of Live At Misty Moon, a special filmed for MuchMusic in 1990 from the Misty Moon Cabaret in Halifax, with an accompanying one-hour concert film. The package also includes demos from 1988 recorded prior to the Up To Here sessions.”
Various Artists
Like Someone I Know: A Celebration of Margo Guryan
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Most of our stories about cult musicians who make an album or two and then seem to vanish are framed by grief, despair, and frayed ambition. Not so with Margo Guryan, an ardent jazz anomaly who disdained pop music until hearing God Only Knows in 1966, opening a window onto the wonders that form could contain. Only two years later, she released her own set of little pop symphonies, Take A Picture, to great praise and expectation. But having already divorced the hard-gigging valve trombonist Bob Brookmeyer, she declined to tour or even talk about it all that much, content even if her reticence meant Take A Picture was soon consigned to discount racks and cutout bins. She wrote and recorded for years to come, even collaborating with Neil Diamond’s band, but mostly she seemed satisfied by her relatively private life. As befits music so stunning and subtle, Guryan, who died in 2021, has enjoyed several renaissances. Now, it’s happening again: A dozen artists — none of whom were born when Take A Picture was made, most of whom weren’t even born for a crucial early reissue by Franklin Castle — have reinterpreted and reimagined that entire album (plus one bonus track) for Like Someone I Know: A Celebration of Margo Guryan. Empress Of, Margo Price, Clairo, June McDoom: They all affirm Guryan’s sharpness as a songwriter and the brilliance of an album that has far outstripped whatever promotional cycle Guryan rejected so long ago.”
Water Damage
Repeater
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “There is something really special about music based on drones. Whether it’s the vocals of Pandit Pran Nath, the ARP 2500 of Eliane Radigue, or the nearly blown amps of Sunn O))), by changing the listeners’s focus on details to one that favors flow, drones are uniquely capable of transporting our brains far far away. The debut LP, Repeater, by this loudly droning Austin septet is a goddamn splendid example of how the process works. Using the motto, Maximal Repetition Minimal Deviation, Water Damage create glowing fields of post-rock lava that pretty much suck you right in and boil you alive. Water Damage, while technically a septet, actually operate in various configurations, with the proviso there should always be two drummers and two bass players on hand. They prefer if each of their sonic ideas takes up a whole reel of tape, and once they start they don’t look back. Everything proceeds towards an imaginary end point that is only achieved when the tape starts flapping. What a way to run a railroad!”
Widespread Panic
Hailbound Queen
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Fresh off the heels of their acclaimed spring 2024 release Snake Oil King, Widespread Panic are back with their latest salute Hailbound Queen. These songs have happily made their way into Widespread Panic’s live performances and fans’ hearts. Widespread Panic have been together over three decades. Formed by vocalist/guitarist John Bell, bassist Dave Schools and late lead guitarist Michael Houser in the mid-1980s while the three attended the University of Georgia, over the next several years band’s lineup expanded to include drummer Todd Nance, percussionist Domingo Ortiz, and keyboardist John Hermann. The current lineup now includes lead guitarist Jimmy Herring and drummer Duane Trucks.”
Yoo Doo Right
From the Heights of Our Pastureland
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “From The Heights Of Our Pastureland, Yoo Doo Right’s third album opens with a patented barrage of droning guitar, before settling into an array of the band’s signature rock epics, its pacing beautifully interrupted by emotionally charged sonic explorations. Whilst writing this third opus, Yoo Doo Right drew inspiration from patience, the commodification of art, AI and algorithmic music/art, as well as musical influences ranging from Wes Montgomery and Sergei Rachmaninoff all the way to Neurosis and Russian Circles, wanting to create something to sit and grow with, celebrating the saving grace and driving force of unconditional love for all living things. The trio aimed for something cinematic, but not in the way of a score; rather something more experiential, something that could create drive in oneself, something of significance in and of itself.”
