Record Rack: A round-up of the week’s new albums, expanded reissues and/or box sets, appearing each Monday on Slicing Up Eyeballs.
ARTIST : Soundgarden
RELEASE: King Animal
BACKSTORY: The reunited Seattle rockers return this week with their first new album in 16 years, a 13-song collection featuring tracks including “Been Away Too Long,” “A Thousand Days Before,” “Blood on the Valley Floor,” “By Crooked Steps,” “Non-State Actor” and more (see full preview video and full tracklist).
BUY: Amazon.com (CD, digital, vinyl)
ARTIST : Brian Eno
RELEASE: Lux
BACKSTORY: The ambient music master this week releases his first solo album in seven years this fall, a 75-minute ambient composition Warp Records says “finds him expanding upon the types of themes and sonic textures that were present on such classic albums as Music For Films, Music For Airports and Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks.”
BUY: Amazon.com (CD, vinyl)
ARTIST : Jah Wobble & Keith Levene
RELEASES: Yin & Yang
BACKSTORY: The bassist and guitarist from the classic early lineup of Public Image Ltd. this week release their first album together since 1979’s Metal Box, a set that features songs such as “Jags and Staffs,” “Back on the Block,” “Mississippi,” “Vampires” and more (see full tracklist and hear a track).
BUY: Amazon.co.uk (CD, digital)
ARTIST : Sonic Youth
RELEASE: Smart Bar – Chicago 1985
BACKSTORY: The noise-rock legends this week release a long-in-the-works archival, 14-track live album that was recorded on 4-track cassette on Aug. 11, 1985, at Chicago’s Smart Bar while the band was touring in support of its then-just-released sophomore album Bad Moon Rising (see full tracklist).
BUY: Amazon.com (CD, digital, vinyl)
ARTIST : Mudhoney
RELEASE: Live in Berlin 1988
BACKSTORY: The Seattle rockers this week release a concert DVD featuring newly re-discovered, professionally shot footage of the band’s 40-minute set at the Berlin Independent Days festival in 1988 in front of Sub Pop Records reps, music critics and fans in what’s now being billed as “the first grunge gig in Europe” (see full tracklist).
BUY: Amazon.com (DVD)
ARTIST : Madness
RELEASE: Oui Oui Si Si Ja Ja Da Da
BACKSTORY: The British ska-pop act this week releases, in the U.S. (it came out in the U.K. two weeks ago), its 10th studio album, which features 11 songs, including the teaser “Death of a Rude Boy” that was released last month, as well as three bonus tracks (see more details and check out a full-album sampler).
BUY: Amazon.com (CD, digital)
That Neubauten DVD is supposed to get released this week, too, although I can’t find a single place that’s selling it.