With Regina Carter, Bucky Pizzarelli, Frank Vignola, and others. CD

Much as we love the legendary debut from Joy Division, we love this second album even more – as the whole thing's a perfect realization of their genius – and such a strong step forward, it still pains us to remember that singer Ian Curtis was taken from us all too soon, and the group never got to fully move past this moment! Everything that made the first record great is here – but there's also a more cohesive approach to both the song structure, and the overall album presentation – so that the landscape of darkness we first viewed on Unknown Pleasures comes into even greater focus here – as the songs follow one another in a beautifully logical order, and the slight refinements in production make all the best elements of the musicianship – especially the bass and drums – even more powerful than before. Titles include "Twenty Four Hours", "Heart & Soul", "Decades", "Colony", "Passover", and "A Means To An End". CD

A stunning little record – and one that still chills us to the bone after all these years! The set's the first (and one of the few) from Joy Division – and really set a whole new standard for the post-punk underground – thanks partly to the group's brooding sense of darkness, but also to the brilliant production from Martin Hannett – who uses slight bits of electronics to augment the group's stark guitars and Ian Curtis' moody vocals. The whole thing's a classic – and titles include "Disorder", "She's Lost Control", "New Dawn Fades", "Interzone", and "I Remember Nothing". CD

Much as we love the legendary debut from Joy Division, we love this second album even more – as the whole thing's a perfect realization of their genius – and such a strong step forward, it still pains us to remember that singer Ian Curtis was taken from us all too soon, and the group never got to fully move past this moment! Everything that made the first record great is here – but there's also a more cohesive approach to both the song structure, and the overall album presentation – so that the landscape of darkness we first viewed on Unknown Pleasures comes into even greater focus here – as the songs follow one another in a beautifully logical order, and the slight refinements in production make all the best elements of the musicianship – especially the bass and drums – even more powerful than before. Titles include "Twenty Four Hours", "Heart & Soul", "Decades", "Colony", "Passover", and "A Means To An End". CD

An album that really lives up to its title – as the record sets out to prove to the world that Isaiah Collier is one of the most almighty talents on the saxophone in recent years! The album has a spiritual majesty that tops even the previous album with the Chosen Few group – as in addition to work from the quartet that includes Julian Davis Reid on piano, Jeremiah Hunt on bass, and Michael Shekwoaga Ode on drums – the group adds in extra instrumentation, light strings, and added horns at times too – all of which push the music into territory that's right up there with Nimbus or Strata East back in the glory days! Collier is a true jazz visionary, and his message here is bold and brilliant – given some key support from older Chicago legends who include saxophonist Ari Brown on one track, and vocalist Dee Alexander on another – getting maybe one of her most beautiful showcases ever on record. Titles include "Love", "Compassion", "Duality Suite", "The Almighty", and "Perspective (Peace & Love)". CD

One of the great End LPs by The Flamingos, who at this point were at their peak, and were recording with these amazing studio arrangements by Sammy Lowe. Lots of cool stuff in the same vein as "I Only Have Eyes For You", like "Besame Mucho", "You Belong To My Heart", "Tell Me How Long", and the stellar "Mio Amore". LP, Vinyl record album

A groundbreaking book from Greil Marcus – one that gets past some of the overblown histories of rock music, to look at the medium in a completely different way! Marcus eschews all the big name performers and movements – and instead looks at the music through ten different songs – all of them very unusual, very specific choices – but laid out by the author with a logic that's completely compelling as the book moves on. There's few folks that we'd trust with such a project – but given what Greil's given us in the past, we were already on board before reading – and as before, his creative approach is without parallel. And in case you're wondering, some of the songs include "Transmission" by Joy Division, "Shake Some Action" by The Flamin Groovies, "Crying Waiting Hoping" by Buddy Holly, "All I Could Do Was Cry" by Etta James, "Money" by Barrett Strong, and "To Know Him Is To Love Him" by The Teddy Bears. Book is 306 pages, hardcover. Book

A surprising Bud Powell album for Reprise Records – and one of the label's hippest jazz titles ever! When Frank Sinatra first started up the Reprise imprint, he let Duke Ellington do a bit of A&R for the jazz division – and one of the first things Ellington did was capture the great Bud Powell in his then-local setting of Paris – in this rough edgey session that turned out to be one of Powell's last albums, and one of his best from the 60s. The record is nothing fancy on the outside – just simple piano trio versions of jazz standards like "Parisian Thoroughfare", "I Can't Get Started", "Jordu", and "Dear Old Stockholm" – but Powell's dark genius turns the tracks into jagged little razors, cutting with an emotional depth that's quite surprising. Duke Ellington produced – and trio members include Gilbert Rovere on bass and Carl Fields on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

A mighty nice collision of sounds – and one that really gets at the special spirit of music on the left side of the scene at the start of the 80s! Sure, punk broke things open in the late 70s – but a few years later, that initial shock gave way to a much more fluid, experimental sort of scene – one in which different sounds and styles could resonate with each other in a really great way – some barriers between rock and soul forever taken down, and the door from the artier side of the spectrum open to bring some fresh ideas into the mainstream! Writer Jon Savage was a very important part of the scene at the time – and here, he recalls the musical moment not just with a great array of tracks that leap between genres, but also with well-penned notes that get at the thought behind the tunes included on the 35 track set. Titles include "Hydraulic Pump (part 2)" by P Funk All Stars, "We're So Cool" by Au Pairs, "Planet Rock" by Afrika Bambaataa & The Soul Sonic Force, "Don't Make Me Wait" by NYC Peech Boys, "Poor Old Soul (part 2)" by Orange Juice, "Sound Of The Crowd" by Human League, "Underground" by The Bizarros, "Twist & Crawl" by The Beat, "These Days" by Joy Division, "The Apartment" by Giorgio Moroder, "She's Lost Control" by Grace Jones, "More Bounce To The Ounce" by Zapp, "Flight" by A Certain Ratio, "Euthenics" by Modern Eon, "Too Many Creeps" by Bush Tetras, "How We Gonna Make The Black Nation Rise" by Brother D with Collective Effort, "Mack The Knife" by Psychedelic Furs, "Pictures" by Josef K, "Adventures On The Wheels Of Steel" by Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five, "Art On 45" by Royal Family & The Poor, and "Our Love" by Donna Summer. CD

Two different sets from this sharp Chicago trio – both in a wide-open style that allows for plenty of organic sound shaping and improvisation! CD1 features "Enceladus" – a 43 minute live set by the trio, which begins with sublime bass notes from Josh Abrams, whose embrace of his instrument – both spiritually and literally – can be felt in the way that he presents the music, with these soulful, human elements that seem to bring out one of the most personal performances we've ever heard from Dave Rempis on alto and tenor! Ra's drums are great, too – and he also plays a bit of wooden flute. CD2 features the addition of Jim Baker's keyboards and electronics – which create a bit more sonic intensity, and a bolder performance overall from the group – on the titles "Cassini Division" and "Pan & Daphnis". CD

A mighty nice collision of sounds – and one that really gets at the special spirit of music on the left side of the scene at the start of the 80s! Sure, punk broke things open in the late 70s – but a few years later, that initial shock gave way to a much more fluid, experimental sort of scene – one in which different sounds and styles could resonate with each other in a really great way – some barriers between rock and soul forever taken down, and the door from the artier side of the spectrum open to bring some fresh ideas into the mainstream! Writer Jon Savage was a very important part of the scene at the time – and here, he recalls the musical moment not just with a great array of tracks that leap between genres, but also with well-penned notes that get at the thought behind the tunes included on the 35 track set. Titles include "Hydraulic Pump (part 2)" by P Funk All Stars, "We're So Cool" by Au Pairs, "Planet Rock" by Afrika Bambaataa & The Soul Sonic Force, "Don't Make Me Wait" by NYC Peech Boys, "Poor Old Soul (part 2)" by Orange Juice, "Sound Of The Crowd" by Human League, "Underground" by The Bizarros, "Twist & Crawl" by The Beat, "These Days" by Joy Division, "The Apartment" by Giorgio Moroder, "She's Lost Control" by Grace Jones, "More Bounce To The Ounce" by Zapp, "Flight" by A Certain Ratio, "Euthenics" by Modern Eon, "Too Many Creeps" by Bush Tetras, "How We Gonna Make The Black Nation Rise" by Brother D with Collective Effort, "Mack The Knife" by Psychedelic Furs, "Pictures" by Josef K, "Adventures On The Wheels Of Steel" by Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five, "Art On 45" by Royal Family & The Poor, and "Our Love" by Donna Summer. CD

A great tribute to one of the most famous clubs on the UK scene of the mid 80s – a spot that was crucial to the shift from post-punk modes to new goth spirits – and which was a vital outlet for new strands of darker music that were stepping forth at the time! Later goth cliches might make you pause – but the sounds here are from a time when the music had a very special spot in the UK – kind of a sidestep from some of the more nihilistic modes of the punk generation, maybe finding a way to move forward while still foregrounding some of the darker moods that were undeniable at this spot in British history. Yet even without all that larger framing, the set list here is more than enough to tell the tale – as the set features work from Play Dead, Wasted Youth, Soft Cell, The Cult, Christian Death, Theater Of Hate, Specimen, The Birthday Party, Virgin Prunes, Siouxsie & The Banshees, The Cure, The Cramps, Killing Joke, Alien Sex Fiend, Sexbeat, Sisters Of Mercy, Xmal Deutschland, and Gene Loves Jezebel. 5CD set is MASSIVE – served up in a 12" LP-sized box, with an 80 page hardcover book that features all sorts of writings on the club, and over 100 photos from back in the day – all in support of a 90 track set list that includes lots more work from The Runaways, Velvet Underground, Marc & The Mambas, Let's Wreck Mother, Human League, The Glove, Flowerpot Men, Japan, The The, New Order, March Violets, Malaria, Joy Division, The Associates, PiL, Throbbing Gristle, and dozens of others. CD

A huge collection of work from one of the most important scenes in the UK during the punk and post-punk years – the city of Manchester, a place where it seemed like great new records were coming out every single week, and really setting the tone for so many changes that were taking place on the scene down in London, too! The package is huge – 76 tracks in all – and while you'll recognize some of the familiar Manchester names here, including a few Factory Records legends – you'll also be surprised at how many different artists, all working in experimental and fresh new styles, were all lending their talents to the scene over the space of the four short years covered in the set. As always with Cherry Red, there's plenty of notes to teach you about the music – served up by artists who include Sister Ray, Accident On The East Lancs, The Out, Gods Gift, Joy Division, The Drones, Jilted John, The Nosebleeds, 48 Chairs, Crispy Ambulance, The Fall, Ludus, Biting Tongues, Hamsters, Blue Orchids, Kevin Hewick, Section 25, Manchester Mekon, If Only, Spurtz, The Still, Vibrant Thight, Magazine, The Hax, Property Ove, Grow Up, Miss Kate, Buzzcocks, Slaughter & The Dogs, V2, Gyro, Salford Jets, Direct Hits, and many others. CD

Produced by RZA. 12-inch, Vinyl record

New Order take a slightly sweeter turn for this mid 80s set – but still never lose the charm that won us from their first few records! There's a warmth here we might not have expected in the immediate post-Joy Division years – and a catchy tunefulness on some of the biggest crossover numbers on the set – yet, given the commercial dreck of the time, New Order are still way ahead of the pack – and from the perspective of these many years later, we're even more impressed at the way they manage to balance nascent pop sensibilities with some of the darker leanings of their roots. More than enough edgey guitar and moody basslines to please fans of the first two albums – on titles that include "Sunrise", "Elegia", "Love Vigilantes", "The Perfect Kiss", "Sub Culture", "Face Up", and "Sooner Than You Think". LP, Vinyl record album

Mindblowing work from one of the greatest new groups we've heard in years – Michigan's mighty Nomo, easily one of the greatest Afro Funk combos going! Nomo's got a tightness that surpasses most other heirs to Fela's throne – an intensely focused energy that's really tremendous – and which soars out with some jazzy touches on the horns that move the group into deeply soulful territory! There's way more going on here than just guitar riffing, percussion, and blasting horns – as Nomo's musical vision is really expansive, and often echoes with cosmic touches you never would have heard back in 70s Ethiopia! Electric instruments are used subtly, but really effectively – so that keyboards are matched with weird guitar parts and some especially great electrified gamelan and kalimba lines, the last of which are almost worth the price of the record alone. The whole thing's great – classic in its roots, but creative enough to have a boldly strong voice of its own – and our hats are off to Nomo for blowing us away even more here than with their already-great debut! Titles include "We Do We Go", "Nutones", "Hand & Mouth", "Fourth Ward", "Reasons", "New Song", "Divisions", "Sarvodaya", and "Book Of Right On". CD

The classic debut of Killing Joke – a key set during the post-punk years, and a record that also set the tone for countless dark scenes for years to come! At this point, the group aren't too far from Joy Division – with very stark, almost stiff rhythms, topped with just the right amount of fuzz on the guitar and darkness in the production – handled pretty well by the group themselves, as if they had Martin Hannett with them in the studio! The pace picks up from time to time, almost a bit of Bauhaus too – and at this point in their career, Killing Joke are certainly very worthy comparisons to those other two groups! Titles include "Tomorrow's World", "Complications", "Requiem", "Change", "Primitive", "The Wait", and "Bloodsport". LP, Vinyl record album