Concord US Vinyl & CDs

Review: The 1960 Harlem Street Singer LP by South Carolinian blues and gospel singer Blind Gary Davis comes reissued by Concord Jazz. Met with critical acclaim at the moment of its release, this forty-minute window into Davis' lonesome world is perhaps best known for its prime haunter, 'Death Don't Have No Mercy', a great, morbid song, and Davis' most popular. "He'll come to your house and he won't stay long / he'll look in your bed and somebody'll be gone / death don't have no mercy..." Such moribund topics never did deter the best of Blues artists, and of course, Davis might be said to have had "seen death" or at least known death personally, having been blind since infancy. Further raw and rusty blues numbers like 'Tryin' To Get Home' and 'Great Change' further extend Davis' image as a Harlem veteran crooner, who's seen a lot and knows many people - pitiless scythed spectres included.

Review: Art Pepper was regarded as one of the world's greatest alto-sax players by the time of his death in 1982. This album, Art Pepper Meets The Rhythm Section, is widely regarded as one of his finest works, although legend has it he was only informed about the session the morning of recording and arrived unprepared. He was playing with a strong band - at the time they were Miles Davis' rhythm section no less. Red Garland on piano, Paul Chambers on bass and Philly Joe Jones on drums, and Art Pepper out front giving his all on a sax that was reportedly in bad shape. Such scenes are iconic music made of.

Review: Thirty Seconds To Mars is the band co-founded by Hollywood maverick Jared Leto and his brother Shannon and It's The End Of The World But It's A Beautiful Day is a rather triumphant new album. It features ten tracks which have been whittled down from apparently hundreds that they have written over the last few years and is sintered by the range of emotions and experiences they have had since their breakout and chart-topping last album, America. Each song is short and to the point with straight-from-the-heart vocals, warm acoustic guitars and fuzzy synths with artful standouts including 'World on Fire' and '7:1.'

Review: It sounds contemporary still but Hallowed Ground - the second album by post-punk/alt-country band Violent Femmes - has reached its landmark 40 year anniversary. To commemorate the record by this legendary American group, which is fronted by the alluring master songwriter Gordon Gano, it's being released on vinyl, having been mastered from the original stereo tapes. Indicative of the album's irreverent and subversive nature is the appearance of no wave legend John Zorn on the record - he plays sax and clarinet on 'Black Girls'. The band are famed for having packed this record with their more leftfield material and sticking their more accessible pop numbers on the debut album. Any attempt at self-sabotage (even though it was probably in jest), however, didn't work. This second album heightened their cult status and inflated their still enduring influence on US indie rock.

Review: Chelsea Wolfe's latest album, She Reaches Out to She Reaches Out to She, is a haunting and emotionally charged masterpiece. Known for her shadowy blend of Gothic industrial, doom, and folk, Wolfe delves deeper into electronic soundscapes with this release, while maintaining her trademark dark, atmospheric style. The album explores themes of severing toxic ties and the cyclical nature of grief and healing. With ten tracks that seamlessly blend industrial textures, eerie vocals and ambient layers, it's an immersive journey from start to finish. Tracks include the opener 'Whispers in the Echo Chamber', where Wolfe's hushed vocals and industrial beats create a brooding atmosphere, and 'Everything Turns Blue', a track full of lyrical power and electronic drive. The closer 'Dusk' is a breathtaking finale with a casual yet explosive climax. While the middle sectionifeaturing 'The Liminal', 'Eyes Like Nightshade' and 'Salt'islows the album slightly, their deep atmosphere still shines. Other highlights like 'House of Self-Undoing' and 'Unseen World' elevate the record to new heights with their driving rhythms and haunting melodies. Overall, this is a powerful, deeply personal album that fans of darkwave, industrial, and ambient metal will adore.