DEFTONES
BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE CD/LP
FLAMING LIPS
HOLD STEADY CD/LP
KRIS KRISTOFFERSON
JACKYL
RICHARD JULIAN
MINUS THE BEAR CD/LP
NEW PORNOGRAPHERS CD/ LP (+ FREE 7″)
MIKE PATTON
JAMES TAYLOR/CAROLE KING CD/DVD combo
PRINCE JAMMY-strictly DUB
ROBERT CRAY- Live 1987
SINATRA & JOBIM
MERCYME
JOSH RITTER CD/LP
RACHEL SAGE
DOUG SAHM
BLACKASTAN
DJ SPINNA
FLYING LOTUS CD/LP

GENE PICK: KRIS KRISTOFFERSON – Please Don’t Tell Me How The Story Ends: The Publishing Demos 1968-72, CD out now/LP soon
GENE SAYS: This amazing collection reminds us of why Kris K is one of America’s greatest songwriter story tellers ever and how when true art is present production and studio fancy-ness are totally unnecessary. Great stuff like this shines through in an unadorned fashion in the same way as we see in pencil sketches by the great painters. These tracks are a glimpse into the treasures that Kristofferson has long since become famous for: some the most searingly sad and folk buddha-like world weary wisdom ever written and recorded into a microphone.

DESCRIPTION: The recordings found on this compilation of previously unreleased material include early versions of songs that would become standards of his impressive catalog. Included on this title are: “Me and Bobby McGee,” “Just The Other Side of Nowhere,” “Come Sundown” and “Please Don’t Tell Me How The Story Ends.” This release is an intimate portrait of an important artist at the beginning of a long, storied career.

The collection features comprehensive liner notes by Michael Simmons (MOJO, LA Weekly), including interviews with Kristofferson, the musicians, and other related-folks from these landmark sessions. Plus, dig into a handful of testimonials from friends Dennis Hopper and Merle Haggard. With full lyrics housed in a massive 60 page full color booklet featuring unseen photos and archival material, plus a gloriously mastered audio soundtrack, you’d best crack open a bottle of your favorite trouble, sit back, and listen closely as Kristofferson relates his humanist vision in that down-home style – it’s full-blown poetry for the people.

NOTES:
* First time ever available (with full approval of Kris Kristofferson)
* 60 page full color CD booklet
* Lavish gatefold 180 gram double LP (Hand numbered, limited to 2,000)
* Liner notes include new interviews with Kris, the musicians, and more
* Exclusive testimonials from Dennis Hopper and Merle Haggard
* Full lyrics with track-by-track notes from Kris
* Unseen photos, archival material, and original Kris-penned lyrics from
back in the day

TRACKLIST:
1. Me and Bobby McGee
2. Please Don’t Tell Me How The Story Ends
3. Smile At Me Again
4. The Lady’s Not For Sale
5. Border Lord
6. Just The Other Side of Nowhere
7. Come Sundown
8. Slow Down
9. If You Don’t Like Hank Williams
10. Little Girl Lost
11. Duvalier’s Dream
12. When I Loved Her
12. Billy Dee
13. Epitaph (Black and Blue)
14. Enough For You
15. Getting By, High, and Strange.

RECENT STUFF PICK 1: HOLD STEADY – Heaven Is Whenever CD/LP
From npr.org: When I heard the first few seconds of Heaven Is Whenever, I thought immediately that this is not going to be a typical record from The Hold Steady. The bluesy, breezy guitar lick that opens “The Sweet Part of the City” conjures up more thoughts of the South than the band’s New York City home or Twin Cities roots might indicate. Following the departure of keyboardist Franz Nicolay, there was talk that the band might shake things up a bit. A bit, yes, but there’s plenty for longtime fans to love here. Tad Kubler’s tremendous guitar riffs still reside at the foreground of these well-written anthems. “You can’t tell people what they want to hear if you also want to tell the truth,” Craig Finn sings in “Soft in the Center.” Yep, that’s The Hold Steady.

RECENT STUFF PICK 2: JOSH RITTER – So Runs The World Away CD/LP
Is Josh Ritter having an identity crisis? He is now 33 but writes in an artist statement that he recently stopped feeling joy in his career. Not to worry, though. The result is this quite sensational new album that not only purges the darkness, but marks the finest music he has made. Ritter’s to-hell-and-back journey is filled with remarkable sonic explorations, from the Leonard Cohen-influenced waltz of “The Curse” to the ambient “Lantern” and “Another New World.” The latter blends dreamy textures and stabbing piano notes from bandmate Sam Kassirer, who produced most of the album at his Great North Sound Society studio in Maine. Ritter, who came from Idaho and once lived in Somerville, is the son of two neuroscientists, so he has an academic penchant that led him to read many science books to aid the lyrics here. He also sings simply and wondrously about the power of love as a lifeline. He is fully rejuvenated when he hits the folkie finale of “Long Shadows,” with the line “If a long shadow falls across your heart/ I’ll be right here with you.” —STEVE MORSE bostonglobe.com

RECENT STUFF PICK 3: CAROLE KING & JAMES TAYLOR – Live at The Troubadour CD-DVD combo
In November of 1970 James Taylor and Carole King first performed together at the Troubadour on Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood, California. Taylor had just released his debut album for the Beatles’ newly formed Apple Records and King was finding her way as a first time solo performer even though by then she was a famous songwriter with a string of hits for other artists. When they returned to the club for a two-week co-headlining run in 1971 their lives were somewhat different. That summer Taylor’s “Fire and Rain” was topping the charts and King’s landmark Tapestry was on its way to making her a music superstar. Thirty-six years later, in November 2007, James Taylor, Carole King and members of their renowned original band “The Section” (featuring guitarist Danny Kortchmar, bassist Leland Sklar and drummer Russell Kunkel) returned to the Troubadour for a three-night, six-show run to celebrate the venue’s 50th anniversary. Those historic shows are documented in Live at the Troubadour, a special 2-disc CD/DVD. This remarkable recording, culled from these unforgettable shows, features 15 songs and 75 minutes of pristine video and audio including stunning performances of the pair’s most beloved hits such as Carole King’s “So Far Away,” “It’s Too Late,” and “Will You Love Me Tomorrow?” as well as James Taylor’s “Carolina in My Mind,” “Sweet Baby James,” and “Fire and Rain,” to name just a few.

RECENT STUFF PICK 4: FLAMING LIPS – Dark Side Of The Moon
“The Flaming Lips have proved to be one of the most intriguing and innovative bands of the past two decades, ranging from a soothing psychedelic pop to a creative, and quite frankly strange yet brilliant psychedelic mess. In terms of originality, the Flaming Lips and Pink Floyd are very similar; each delivering enough ground-breaking material to separate themselves from their peers. This is, precisely what makes this cover attempt so fascinating. The question facing the Lips now would be, what sound should be adopted for “Dark Side of the Moon?” A sound not unlike the Flaming Lips’ “The Soft Bulletin” would definitely be a viable option, for its dreamy and uplifting feel could prove to be perfect for “Dark Side of the Moon.” On the other hand, the band could opt to deliver a performance not unlike this year’s “Embryonic.” An “Embryonic”- type sound would make for a raw and noisy cover that would be interesting in its own way.