~ NTX New Arrivals
Fleet Foxes
A Very Lonely Solstice [Indie Exclusive Limited Edition Clear 2LP]
Vinyl: $27.98 PREORDER
Robin Pecknold brings light to the bleakest of winters with Fleet Foxes’ ‘A Very Lonely Solstice,’ a 13-track career spanning collection recorded in December 2020, at Brooklyn, NY’s St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church.
Now being released for the first time on vinyl, CD and digital formats, ‘A Very Lonely Solstice’ captures a poignant moment in time. The recording was originally broadcasted as a live-stream event on the winter solstice of 2020, just days after New York declared a state of emergency tightening restrictions again in response to increasing COVID-19 cases. Pecknold describes the set as “me by myself on the longest night of the year... honoring the loneliness of 2020 with a nylon string and some songs new and old.” Fans worldwide tuned in while quarantined at home, finding solace and a sense of community in a period of extreme isolation.
Much of ‘A Very Lonely Solstice’ showcases a solo focus on Pecknold who offers up acoustic arrangements of fan-favorite songs spanning Fleet Foxes’ catalog. Selections cover all four of the band’s studio albums, including their 2008 self-titled debut album (“Tiger Mountain Peasant Song”) to 2011’s Helplessness Blues (“Blue Spotted Tail”) and 2017’s Crack-Up (“If You Need To, Keep Time On Me”), all the way to their latest release, Shore. Resistance Revival Chorus joins Pecknold on Shore tracks “Wading In Waist-High Water” and “Can I Believe You.” Also featured: a cover of Nina Simone’s “In The Morning” and a rearrangement of the traditional “Silver Dagger.”
Multi-platinum rock band Shinedown have released their lead single “Planet Zero,” the title track from their newly announced seventh studio album out April 22 on Atlantic Records. Planet Zero serves up an incisive look at the issues at hand: cancel culture run rampant, the corrosive effects of social media on mental health and society, and the increasingly toxic division among those of differing ideologies. Featuring Shinedown’s explosive yet artfully crafted sound and urgent lyrics, single “Planet Zero” rings the alarm on a dystopian warning of the dangerous consequences to come when it all goes too far, and we begin to lose our respect for those with differing opinions and our compassion for one another.
Says Brent, “If we shut each other down and allow ourselves to be divided by the information we consume and the way we talk to each other, we lose our humanity. When you look outside of your phone, you’ll see there are so many people doing good things and trying to take care of each other. But we’re starting to see parts of society slip into an unknown. Planet Zero was written for all of us. The fact is that we’re all here on this planet no matter what, so it’s time to actually move forward together with empathy, perseverance and strength. With that said….welcome to PLANET ZERO.”
Over the last two decades, Shinedown have cemented their status as one of the most vital and forward-thinking powerhouses in modern rock.Their most ambitious and masterfully realized work to date, Planet Zerois a high-concept, ultra-vivid, viscerally charged saga. A critical yet optimistic look at the fractures and frays of a society that has undergone many challenges in the last few years, the album is part social commentary and part in-depth exploration of the human psyche. Produced by Shinedown’s Eric Bass (who also produced the band’s 2018 acclaimed album ATTENTION ATTENTION,) and recorded at Bass’ newly built Big Animal Studio in South Carolina, Planet Zero matches its immersive world-building and takedown of authoritarianism with a deliberately unvarnished sound, and the album is spliced with interludes featuring Cyren, an insidious and unsettling robot character that appears throughout the Planet Zero journey. While a raw ferocity fuels much of Planet Zero on tracks like “The Saints of Violence and Innuendo,” “No Sleep Tonight,” and “America Burning,” there is also hope, triumph, and reminders that we all need one another on songs like “Daylight,” “Dysfunctional You,” and “A Symptom of Being Human.” After all, it is the band’s impassioned striving for unity that has long been at the heart of their creative output and deeply informed the making of Planet Zero.Not only a driving force for their songwriting, their humanitarian outlook led Shinedown to be one of the first artists to fundraise for non-profit humanitarian aid organization Direct Relief in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, raising more than $400,000 with their “Atlas Falls” relief effort.
Hardcore Superstar
Abrakadabra - Gold [Colored Vinyl] (Gol) [Limited Edition]
Vinyl: $33.98 PREORDER
The 2011 Steven Wilson Remix pressed on 180g Vinyl!
Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums of All Time - Rated 337/500!
1971 saw the release of some of the greatest pop/rock albums of all time: Imagine, Pearl, Sticky Fingers, Who?s Next, Tupelo Honey, Surf?s Up, Fragile, Led Zeppelin's IV, Muswell Hillbillies, Tapestry, What?s Going On? and both Madman Across the Water and Tumbleweed Connection are just some of the iconic titles that hit the stores that year. Add Aqualung and that?s quite an output for a twelve month span.
Generally considered the pinnacle of the band?s recorded output, front-man Ian Anderson?s songwriting was quickly evolving from British folk-blues roots and helping define prog-rock. While definitely pushing the envelope for the era in taking on the subjects of God and organized religion, it was guitarist Martin Barre who was establishing equal ground with Anderson?s flute as an instrumental voice of the band. Joining Tull after Toni Iommi (Black Sabbath) who himself had replaced original guitarist Mick Abrahams (Blodwyn Pig, Mick Abrahams Band) departed after only a few days, both Barre?s opening riffs and lead breaks became indelibly imprinted to generations of classic rock.
Songs such as "My God", "Hymn 43", "Locomotive Breath", "Cross-Eyed Mary", "Wind Up" and of course the title track "Aqualung" became FM radio staples and are in-demand concert favorites to this day.
The 2011 Steven Wilson Remix:
Steven Wilson is musician and producer and is well known as the founder, lead guitarist, singer and songwriter of the progressive rock band Porcupine Tree. Wilson is involved in an ongoing project remixing the back catalogue of King Crimson into MLP (Meridian Lossless Packaging) 5.1 and new stereo mixes. He is also remixing the back catalogue of Jethro Tull, including this one Aqualung, in 2011.
Notes On The New Mixes:
Ian has stated that the original recording sessions for Aqualung were a struggle to overcome the technical shortcomings of the studio situation the band found themselves in, and it's certainly the case that the original release is more a triumph of writing and performance than it is of sonic excellence. But I was pleased to discover that what was on the multitrack master tapes sounded better than the 1971 mix would suggest. Using the digitally transferred 16 and 8 track tapes we were able to get a lot more tone from the instruments, as well as a much greater sense of depth and clarity in the sonic picture.
As a long term fan of this music, my aim when remixing a classic album like this is to be faithful to the original, and to stay absolutely true to the spirit of the era in which the music was made. Some cleaing up has been done, but only to the extent that it had zero impact on the audio (after all, a little bit of analogue tape hiss is part of the magic!) No attempt was made to modernise" the mix, and to this end most of the equalisation, volume levels (and rides), stereo positioning, reverbs, echos and other effects processing are matched as closely as possible to the 1971 mix. The only exceptions to this are that we have brought some instruments in a little from extreme left or right in the stereo specgtrum, and a few details that may have been getting a little lost in the original mix have been given a lift in the new version." - Steven Wilson, 1st July 2011
Gatefold LP featuring 24 page adapted booklet from the previous 2011 40th anniversary set.
Pure Fire - Ultimate Kiss Tribute / Various
Pure Fire - Ultimate Kiss Tribute / Various Artist
Vinyl: $26.98 PREORDER
Animals Reimagined - Tribute To Pink Floyd / Var
Animals Reimagined - Tribute To Pink Floyd / Var
Vinyl: $26.98 PREORDER
Varukers
Still Bollox But Still Here - White [Colored Vinyl] [Limited Edition]
Vinyl: $26.98 PREORDER
Avalon is the final studio album from Roxy Music. Released in 1982, it offered a smoother, more adult-oriented sound, giving us the now iconic singles, "More Than This," and "Avalon." This vinyl reissue is mastered at half-speed and cut by Miles Showell at Abbey Road Studios. It also features revised artwork with a gloss laminated finish.