Outside the Heard

	Sad13 Slugger Carpark

Slugger, the debut LP from Sad13 a.k.a. Sadie Dupuis of dynamite grunge-pop band Speedy Ortiz, is an exercise to “exorcise my control-freaky demons." Dupuis recorded the majority of Slugger in a mere two weeks, caking her melodies in fuzzy guitars, fat synths, and sturdy grooves that bring extra deliciousness to her brilliant lyrics.

	Tower Tower The End

Raised on a diet of studded, leather-clad 20th century rock, New York City’s Tower produces a sound many admire, some attempt, and few can pull off. The band’s self-titled scorcher delivers Scorpions and Judas Priest inspired riffage, topped with the Sarabeth Linden’s incredible vocals, which soar through the realm of banshees and angels.

	MAZ Idealist GroundUp Music

Idealist is the debut long-player from Maz -- AKA singer / songwriter Mike Maher and friends. Mike, who also plays trumpet with band dork heroes, Snarky Puppy, started the band in 2009 out of a desire to return to his musical roots as a singer and write beautiful and catchy music (which he does).

	David Crosby Lighthouse GroundUp Music

When David Crosby released Croz in 2014, it had been two decades since his last solo album. But now, only two years after that robust, full-band effort, the 74-year old returns with Lighthouse, a stripped-down set that highlights Crosby’s instantly recognizable voice, incisive songwriting, and incomparable guitar work. Produced by Snarky Puppy bassist/founder Michael League.

	Madeleine Peyroux Secular Hymns Impulse!

Secular Hymns is a spirited and soulful masterwork of loping, skipping, sassy, feisty and sexy tunes delivered in a captivating mélange of funk, blues and jazz. Features original interpretations of songs by Willie Dixon, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Tom Waits, Allen Toussaint, and more.

	Slothrust Everyone Else Dangerbird Records

With their long-awaited third album Everyone Else, Slothrust deliver a riveting and utterly unique set of deeply-layered gonzo anthems. The songs grab the ear and pierce the psyche with imaginative arrangements and Leah Wellbaum’s sneaky vocals and rather incredible lyrics. Think The Heartless Bastards meets Neutral Milk Hotel… but with 70s glam chops. Or a Bjork-fronted Big Star? Regardless: You’ll wanna take this ride.

	CRX New Skin Columbia

New Skin is the debut album from CRX – a new project featuring The Strokes’ lead guitarist Nick Valensi. Conceived as an excuse to keep up his chops, CRX quickly became a true collaboration between Valensi’s bandmates and producer Josh Homme (of Queens of the Stone Age fame). The collision of Homme’s desert stoner thud with Valensi’s pink neon-lit cascades of electric guitar make for some unlikely weirdo pop that recalls a bloozy Super Furry Animals scoring an 80s sitcom. It’s vaporwave with Aqua Net.

	Lazarus Original Cast Recording Columbia

Lazarus is a musical based on the classic sci-fi novel The Man Who Fell to Earth by Walter Tevis – made famous, of course, by the late, great David Bowie. Lazarus was co-written by Bowie and Tony-winner Enda Walsh (Once), and includes both re-worked material from Bowie's iconic catalogue alongside brand new music. This original cast recording features all the music from the show as well as Bowie’s three final studio recordings. Dexter sings!

	Takida A Perfect World The End

Formed in the 2000’s in the small town of Ånge in northern Sweden, tAKiDA have been one of Scandinavia’s best-selling rock bands. For A Perfect World, tAKiDA teamed up with American artist/songwriter/producer Ryan Star to write and record an infectious hook-driven album with huge melodies and rich instrumentation that ranges from piano-led beauty and crunchy power ballads. Of course, coming from Sweden, you know these songs are catchy as hell.

	Matt Hires American Wilderness Rock Ridge Music

American Wilderness, the striking new album by Nashville-based singer-songwriter Matt Hires. Inspired by a move to Nashville and a desire to shake up his own process, American Wilderness is a unified and probing work in which Hires has created an intensely personal and self-revealing song-suite where he contemplates his life and his beliefs amid the oft-cacophonous backdrop of modern America. Fans of Wilco, The Killers, and Jason Isbell will find much to like here.

	Saint Motel saintmotelevision New Elektra

Saint Motel’s new album, saintmotelevision, brilliantly twists together melancholy and levity, making for clever pop journeys that are invigorating, enigmatic, and always a lot of fun. saintmotelevision is the bands best and most ambitious record yet – best evidenced on “For Elise,” where the band play on the mystery of Beethoven’s immortal beloved by paying rhapsodic tribute to the legendary muses behind songs like the Kinks’ “Lola” and Lou Reed’s “Walk on the Wild Side.”

	Pink Floyd Cre/ation The Early Years, 1967-1972 Legacy

Set across 2 CD's, Cre/ation The Early Years 1967-1972 charts the evolution of Pink Floyd and bears witness to their part in cultural revolutions, from their earliest recordings and studio sessions to the years prior to the release of The Dark Side Of The Moon. From the single “Arnold Layne,” to a live recording of “Atom Heart Mother,” this is an essential primer on the evolution of psychedelic and progressive rock. 19 of these 27 tracks were previously unreleased. A must.

	Mike Watt Ring Spiel Tour '95 Legacy

In March 1995, ultimate bass punker Mike Watt would be hitting the road for the first time as a solo artist in support of his then freshly-released spiel, ball-hot or tugboat?. Members of opening bands Hovercraft and Foo Fighters – Eddie Vedder, Dave Grohl, Pat Smear and drummer William Goldsmith – would join Watt on-stage as eager participants of the jaw-dropping back-up band heard on this amazing live document ring spiel tour ’95, which was recorded at The Metro in Chicago. You need this.

	Syd Arthur Apricity Harvest

Syd Arthur are musical descendants of the Canterbury music scene of the late 1960s, owing their dizzying polyrhythms and swirling turns to such psych greats as The Soft Machine and Caravan. The band has long explored the myriad possibilities of improvisation, taking an exceptional approach born of prodigious musicianship, elemental songcraft, and an unabashed spirit of adventure -- and with their new album, Apricity, a unique sense of pop.

It’s been five years since French house music titans Justice have graced dance floors with brand new music. Finally the wait is over: Justice’s new album Woman is a groovy journey that encapsulates both laser-guided disco precision and free-form house music workouts. It’s as strong, complex, and beautiful as the title implies. "Woman is a very powerful, beautiful word," says Justice’s Xavier de Rosnay. "If we're honest with ourselves, much of what we do is mostly to please women or make them proud of us. It's a tribute to the women in our lives… mothers, daughters, lovers, friends, collaborators." Woman catapults you from the elastic R&B pop of “Pleasure” straight into the rush of “Alakazam!” “Fire” its way through a dazzling bout of thumping electronic piano and clavinet sparring, barely pausing for breath before it lands at “Stop” - a sparkling, bittersweet slice of dance pop that boasts one of Justice’s best choruses. “Randy” has a melody Michael McDonald would have killed a fellow Doobie Brother for (if Michael McDonald was into gut-shuddering electro). “Love S.O.S.” is a disco anthem for a new generation. Vinyl comes with a copy of the CD, 3 full sides of audio and one side etched.

Justice -
Woman
Because Music

The Coalition of Independent Music Stores (CIMS) is a group of some of the best independent music stores in America. CIMS was founded in 1995; its current membership is made up of 29 accounts that handle 47 stores in 21 states. Many of the accounts have been recognized by the music industry and their local communities for their outstanding dedication to customer service and developing artist support.

Each member is bound by its shared love of music, a reputation for great selection and customer service in its community, yet each CIMS account is as unique as the market it represents. Most importantly, CIMS member stores continually seek to challenge the jaded, color-by-numbers advertising and marketing of other retailers.