Meshell Ndegeocello LP Available for Pre-order

Meshell Ndegeocello is releasing a new album, Comet, Come to Me, on June 3, and she’s offering signed vinyl copies on her web site.

Only 500 of the signed vinyl will be available at a cost of $39.95. Shipping will cost you about $14 in the United States.

Some bundle packages are also available.

In my book, Ndegeocello, a talented vocalist and bassist, remains vastly under appreciated, probably because she's so hard to define. Her last effort, Pour Une Ame Souveraine, was a terrific collection of songs associated with or written by Nina Simone.

Record Store Day 2014

It's less than 24 hours to Record Store Day. Do you have your want-list ready? Or, are you just going to wing it when you get to the store? Avoid it all together?

To get a look at some of this year's RSD offerings, Bull Moose has prepared its annual video, showing some of the highlights.

Enjoy!

John Lurie Collection Available

Any John Lurie fans out there?

Amulet has assembled seven of his previously unreleased live and out-of-print studio recordings on The John Lurie National Orchestra’s The Invention of Animals.

The saxophonist has been focusing on painting in recent years, but it's hard to forget his terrific jazz group, The Lounge Lizards. A real renaissance man, he also starred in a number of films, including Stranger than Paradise.

The New Yorker published a fascinating article about Lurie in 2010. Check it out here. 

The new album is available on vinyl for $17.99.

Get Your Wax Packs

When I was in elementary school, there was a small market around the corner from the campus. I would stop by the store before or after school and buy a pack of Wacky Packages. Packaged like baseball cards, they were a series of stickers that parodied popular consumer products. For example, a classic was Crust toothpaste. It sounds dumb now, but I loved them. I carried my set of stickers, carefully bound by a rubber band, everywhere I went.

As I grew older, I collected sports card. Today, I collect vinyl records.

The Secret Audio Club has created a product that will likely appeal to people who have similar stories to share. Theh company  is about to release its Wax Packs Series No. 1. It is set of 7-inch records packaged like baseball cards, featuring new music, acoustic covers, and B-sides from several artists.

The artists involved are Such Gold, Austin Lucas, PJ Bond, Podacter, Arliss Nancy, Banquets, John Moreland, Half Hearted Hero, Broadcaster, Aspiga, Boxer, The Hundred Acre Woods, Gifthorse, Broken Field Runner, Casual, Crybaby, Marathon, Fire When Ready, and Placeholder. 

Pre-orders are being taken. One pack costs $6, and a hobby box of five different records is $28.

For more info, visit the Secret Audio Club.

Pre-orders Being Taken for Tim Kasher Vinyl

Tim Kasher’s new solo album, Adult Film, has an Oct. 8 release date.

Saddle Creek is taking pre-orders for a color vinyl version that is limited to 500 and says it will ship two weeks before the release date.

A vinyl bundle that includes the album on color vinyl plus two 7-inch discs is available for $35.

The Head And The Heart Prepare Second LP

The Sub Pop label reveals that The Head and The Heart will release its sophomore album, Let’s Be Still, on Oct. 15. It comes two years after the band’s outstanding self-titled debut.

A fall tour is also on the way.

Sub Pop hasn’t released pre-order information yet, so stay tuned.

Pearl Jam Album Coming

Pearl Jam announced that it will release its 10th studio album, Lightning Bolt, on Oct. 14.

Produced by Brendan O’Brien, Lightning Bolt (Monkeywrench Records/Republic Records) marks Pearl Jam’s first studio album since Backspacer, which was released nearly four years ago in September of 2009.

Lightning Bolt is available for pre-order at pearljam.com. The vinyl costs $24.99. The first track off of the album, “Mind Your Manners” is out now.

The band also announced a fall North American tour.