I return to you folk with more tales of my foolish expenditures. Why continue to spin the hamster wheel each week if not to earn enough scratch to waste on the most inconvenient way to consume music? I'm gonna share a few of my recent cops from online record purchasing (as I live in the heart of a southern swamp that is literally 195 miles from the nearest record emporium).
With all that out of the way, I present these to you, the curious reader. Don't forget to shower me in social media upvotes and hearts. Additionally, please respond in the comments if you know of some hot new music I should be wasting money on. Daddy is sick and needs his medicine.
Jazz Sabbath - Jazz Sabbath
2020 issue on black wax via Blacklake
I love Black Sabbath. I am slowly getting into the world of Jazz. Naturally, this was a record I had to get. With a band assembled by Milton Keanes, this LP features several classic Sabbath tracks that have been rearranged to fit better into the jazz world and the results are fabulous. These songs swing and I wouldn’t be surprised if the entire Sabbath catalog worked well in jazz arrangements. This is actually the second album of Sabbath jazz renditions I own. The other is from a band called Brownout who have a pair of LPs covering Sabbath, though their versions are more straightforward.
Jazz Dispensary - Orange Sunset
2020 issue on Yellow Starburst wax via Craft Recordings
Craft Recordings started a unique series of compilation albums several years ago under the name Jazz Dispensary. They feature somewhat obscure album cuts of top-shelf jazz/funk/soul/fusion from the 60s and 70s. This particular compilation was a Record Store Black Friday 2020 special release and features cuts from David Axlerod and Johnny Hammond. The vibe here is strong. The album art is as good as anything in my collection and I’m now dead set on tracking down this entire series. Spoilers: This is going to be prohibitively expensive for me. Make sure you fill out your Cortex comment cards and ask management to give me a big raise so I can live out my dreams of playing records full of mid-tempo porno music.
Lettuce - Resonate
2020 2XLP issue on black wax via Round Hill Records
Lettuce is a Boston-based funk outfit who have been putting out bangers since the turn of the century. Akin to a modern version of Tower of Power, funk and brass lovers will find lots to get excited about here. Resonate is the group’s most-recent studio recording and plays just as nice as the rest of the catalogue.
Demon Fuzz - Afreaka!
2020 issue on orange wax via Music on Vinyl
I am a sucker for 70s psych, blues, and funk. This LP has it all and more. My life up until the point I heard this recording was measurably worse than it now is. Not entirely dissimilar to the earliest Funkadelic records, this one leans more towards the rock side of things and is an engaging listen from front to back. This particular reissue is from Netherlands-based Music On Vinyl and I ordered it without hesitation thanks to my experience with all their other LPs in my collection. Original copies of this are in the neighborhood of $1000, so I am thankful to be living in the age of affordable reissues. I cannot recommend this one highly enough (I’m also spinning it while writing this Cortex blog).
All Them Witches - ATW
2019 2XLP issue on translucent red wax via New West Records
In previous versions of this series, I’ve posted some other All Them Witches LPs. I now have another. Like the rest of their catalogue, ATW is filled with stoner rock and a tinge of Allman Brothers vibe. Not too surprising when you consider the band is based out of Nashville and likely ingested all the best in southern rock prior to formation. While they already have a dedicated following, I could definitely see this band breaking big if they manage to land the right spot at a big festival or snag a serendipitous TV appearance. This 2019 recording at the KEXP studios in Seattle features multiple cuts from ATW and gets played at least once a week while I’m working or chilling. Get in on All Them Witches before all the normies do so you can retain some sliver of hipster credibility (outside of all the hyper hipsters that knew them prior to the first LP, I guess).
Collective Soul - Collective Soul
2020 issue on black wax via Craft Recordings
I bet you clowns thought I could go a whole week without posting some 90s rock? Fat chance. Here we have my favorite of the Collective Soul albums. It is 50% bangers, straight up. This reissue marks the first time the album has ever been available; on vinyl and I’m glad to have it on my shelves. Modern rock radio nearly ruined this one in the mid-90s but going back through it with 20+ years in the rearview mirror has been a delight. It’s nearly impossible to avoid nodding your head when the opening riff from Where The River Flows starts up.
Anyway, thanks for stopping by for my livejournal and I hope to see you next time when I share more dumb shit that I shouldn't have bought!
