Blood, Sweat & Tears had a hard act to follow in recording their third album. Nevertheless, BS&T constructed a convincing, if not quite as impressive, companion to their previous hit. David Clayton-Thomas remained an enthusiastic blues shouter, and the band still managed to put together lively arrangements, especially on the Top 40 hits "Hi-De-Ho" and "Lucretia Mac Evil." Elsewhere, they re-created the previous album's jazzing up of Laura Nyro ("He's a Runner") and Traffic ("40,000 Headmen"), although their pretentiousness, on the extended "Symphony/Sympathy for the Devil," and their tendency to borrow other artists' better-known material (James Taylor's "Fire and Rain") rather than generating more of their own, were warning signs for the future. In the meantime, BS&T 3 was another chart-topping gold hit.

Svart Records unveils “Sutra”, the new album from grand master avant-garde overlords Yakuza. Formed in 1999, Chicago based heavy hybridizers Yakuza, are in a genre all of its own, which Pitchfork describe as a “a specialized and strange alloy”. So eclectic and hard to pigeon-hole, their music has been described over the years as everything from avant-garde metal, progressive metal, alternative metal to experimental rock, jazz metal, art metal and post-metal. Incorporating psychedelic rock jams that sprawl into heavy, sludging Doom with jazz influences, while also incorporating breakneck grind riffs and grooves, makes Yakuza’s new album “Sutra” a long awaited and insanely enjoyable feast of frequencies.

The Doors fifth studio album, Morrison Hotel, will be reissued in October for its 50th anniversary. The album was recorded in late 1969/early 1970 and released in February 1970. It’s newly remastered for this release by Bruce Botnick. The goodies are all on the bonus CD with more than an hour of unreleased recordings taken from the sessions for Morrison Hotel. Botnick says: “There are many takes, different arrangements, false starts, and insightful studio conversations between the band – who were in the studio – and producer Paul Rothchild – who was in the control room. It’s like being a fly on the wall.” The outtakes include rough versions of Morrison Hotel tracks ‘Peace Frog’ and ‘Blue Sunday’ as well as The Doors rarity ‘I Will Never Be Untrue.’ The bonus CD also features the band jamming on cover versions of the Motown classic ‘Money (That’s What I Want)’ and B.B. King’s’ ‘Rock Me’.

The Chronicles of Father Robin is a Norwegian prog-rock supergroup, with members hailing from Norway’s symphonic prog kings Wobbler, the ever non-definable Tusmørke, seasoned post-rockers The Samuel Jackson Five and the elusive prog gem that is Jordsjø. “The Songs & Tales of Airoea”, 30 years in the making, is a cohesive triple concept album with 18 songs set in an alternate archaic world for over a period of three decades. The first album, “Book I”, will be released on September 15th, with the single Eleision Fields preceding it.

As multiple Grammy-winning band Old Crow Medicine Show celebrates their 25th anniversary, their new album ‘Jubilee’ finds the band producing alongside Matt Ross-Spang (Jason Isbell, St. Paul & the Broken Bones). The album features a return cameo from Old Crow co-founder Willie Watson as well as legendary soul singer Mavis Staples and rising star Sierra Ferrell. The result encompasses everything from jug-band tunes to Irish folk songs to exultant gospel jams.

Fourth installment of the hugely popular 'Now That's What I Call Music' series, originally released in 1984. The songs included here are singles from U2, Queen, UB40, Culture Club and others.

In the footsteps of Piazzolla, the Triunfal Quintet takes a new, contemporary approach to tango with this disc which includes the world premiere recording of the works of Ben Faes and Jeroen D'ho.

Temporal Drift proudly presents the long-awaited, first-ever reissue of Surround, Hiroshi Yoshimura’s sought-after ambient classic.

Originally released on Stax's short-lived Enterprise label, this finds Detroit harp man Aaron "Little Sonny" Willis backed by Memphis players working in an early-'70s blues-rock groove. The Bar-Kays provide the horn blasts, and although it would be a sin for Memphis players to overplay on anything, nothing here really catches fire; the whole session stays in low gear throughout.

Before the recording of Waterloo Lily, David Sinclair departed Caravan to join forces with Soft Machine skinsman Robert Wyatt and form Matching Mole. With the subsequent arrival of former Delivery member Steve Miller and an overwhelming jazz influence, the edgier progressive rock and folk elements that were so prevalent on their previous albums are somewhat repressed. The band's performance level did not suffer in the transition. In fact, the addition of Miller only punctuates Caravan's previously honed improvisational skills. Beginning with Waterloo Lily's leadoff title track, there is a sound more akin to the jazzier efforts of Traffic. Miller's "Nothing at All" incorporates the jazz fusion even further as the long instrumental introduction more than hints at Steely Dan circa Katy Lied…

Starting September 8, 2023, musician haruka nakamura will be in charge of in-store music for some Tsutaya Books stores for one year. All songs are newly written songs for the Tsutaya Books Project. We plan to produce four albums during the period until summer 2024, with the theme of "forest", which is also the concept of a bookstore. Although it is a new sound in haruka nakamura's career, it is original ambient music that has a nostalgic feel. 80's synthesizers, distant hymns, reverberating piano, electronica, Fender Rhodes, and calm minimalism. These songs make you feel like you are taking a deep breath in the forest in this day and age where relaxation is sought after. The music will be released as a beautifully bound CD album, with an unreleased photo jacket by photographer Rinko Kawauchi.

Chet Baker recorded many albums in Europe during his final decade. This LP matches his trumpet with pianist Phil Markowitz, bassist Jean-Francois Jenny Clark and drummer Jeff Brillinger for a date in Paris. Chet sings on "Oh You Crazy Moon" and stretches out on trumpet during a fresh repertoire that includes "Broken Wing," Wayne Shorter's "Black Eyes," "How Deep Is the Ocean?" and Baker's own "Blue Gilles." Even with his chaotic lifestyle, most of Chet Baker's recordings are worth acquiring and Broken Wing is better than average.