Griot Galaxy – Live on WUOM 1979 (Two Rooms, Nov 7)
Every now and then, an archival release shines so brightly that it reminds us all that it’s just as rewarding to look to the past as it is to face the future. Though they received plenty of attention in Detroit, Griot Galaxy failed to make waves in the rest of the country. As was the case with many avant-jazz units (especially as the perceived novelty of “the new music” waned in the 70s and 80s), they found more success in Europe before they broke up in ’89. The reverent CD/LP release of these radio sessions as Live on WUOM 1979, bolstered by a sublime remaster by prolific engineer Warren Defever, will hopefully bring them the recognition they deserved four decades ago. It helps that this is handily their best material: equal parts funky and free, unabashedly creative, unforgettable. Worth it for the barn-burning version of “Necrophilia” alone.
Yeast Culture CS reissue (Petri Supply, January)
Would never have known about this if not for new-generation PNW weirdo Ķæ P. Rujhaan, who also operates the highly active un poco fría, hadn’t stocked it on the label’s distro page. At first I assumed it was an unofficial rerelease, but was pleased to discover it comes straight from the inimitable Seattle collective’s own imprint. It comes at an opportune time, what with their even more recent release of new material on Coherent States, reiterating that all DIY experimental music exists both after and during Yeast Culture. As an IYS devotee it was a lovely excuse to revisit this classic of 80s mail art culture in all its open-minded inventiveness. One of the first—and greatest—to deploy electroacoustic methods in home recording in such a radical way.
Waylon Jennings – Songbird (Black Country Rock, Oct 3)
The first of a promised trilogy of LPs featuring unheard material from the greatest country musician who’s ever lived. Songbird, remastered and assembled by his son Shooter, echoes the best and brightest of Waylon’s 70s glory days, albeit the safer side. That is to say, there’s none of the uneasy introspection of genre-defining outlaw original “Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way” or the sharp wit of Billy Joe Shaver’s pen, but plenty of the rich emotion and impeccable performances that make classic songs sound like they were just waiting to be sung by this one man. The opening title cut is up there with “Do It Again” in terms of his best renditions of non-country hits, and “(I Don’t Have) Any More Love Songs” drips with trademark irony. Couldn’t be more excited for what else is to come.
刘惠润 – 鞭炮 (Sub Jam, Jan 12)
Part of Sub Jam’s sole but sizeable 2025 batch, which also included work by Beijing scene fixtures 阿科 (Ake), 李维思 (Li Weisi), 孙一舟 (Sun Yizhou), and the NNM-reviewed 日常 (Nichijou), 鞭炮 (Firecracker) gives new life to a decades-old field recording by Taiyuan resident 刘惠润 (Li Huirun) at some point during the late 80s or early 90s, before the government issued a ban on public use of fireworks. A beautiful tape not only for the pensive, fuzz-muffled soundscape itself but also the historical relevance to the contemporary Chinese experimental tradition. In the words of a friend of her grandson 张侃侃 (Zhang Kankan), “surely there were myriads of people who did it, and she was one, and a singular one.”
Rashied Ali Quintet featuring Frank Lowe – Sidewalks in Motion (Survival, Jan 31)
It was a tossup whether this or the expanded reissue of Swift Are the Winds of Life, Ali’s duo record with violinist Leroy Jenkins, would appear on the list, so you can consider them both to share this spot. I just have more to say about Sidewalks in Motion, a previously unreleased recording from the renowned drummer’s late quintet with none other than Frank Lowe on tenor sax. Though Ali is often recognized for his landmark expressive free playing, the smoking original “Adventurous Elements” and a jaunty take on Eric Dolphy’s “Gazzelloni” prove his versatility in a cerebral post-bop context, while “Blues for Rashied” is a surprisingly straightforward number with a slinky head that reminds me of Roy Haynes’s “Moon Ray.” Lowe is a phenom as always, developing a rapport with pianist Andrew Bemkey that they would continue in Billy Bang’s quintet.
Lefthandeddecision – 1997–2002 (Helicopter / Troniks, May 3)
In comparison to Phil Blankenship’s most celebrated projects—namely The Cherry Point and his collaborations with John Wiese—Lefthandeddecision is underdiscussed at best and forgotten at worst. For those in the know, however, the West Coast legend’s first alias contributed some of the most influential material at the onset of the aughts Americanoise renaissance, with sprawling classic CDs like Lost Creations and Instinct & Emotion that foreshadowed the crackle ’n crunch texture palette of many artists to come. 1997–2002 comes in a nice six-panel digipak that curiously does not contain a booklet or liner notes indicating where or when the specific recordings originate, but the beefy remaster by Wiese makes it sound brand new anyway.
Gal Costa – 1972 studio session EP (Universal Brazil, Mar 7)
A surprise digital-only release (cruel to make the cover art look like a real 7″; here’s hoping for a physical issue with an analog master soon) of rumored recordings from the beloved Brazilian artist. Filling in the gap between her acclaimed 1971 live album -Fa-Tal- and the infamously censored 1973 LP Índia, these three unreleased songs document Costa at the height of her powers. The tracks are presented as-is without much if any post-production, keeping the focus on the airtight musicianship and her hypnotic vocal virtuosity. The seven-minute rhythmic jam “O Dengo Que a Nega Tem” is the centerpiece, proof that she can turn a mere handful of lyrics into an epic poem.
C.C.C.C. – Live at Club Lower Links (Tribe, Mar 7)
Aside from a few clips on Youtube (notably the footage of their Italian TV appearance alongside Hijokaidan in 1997) and the 1993 Deep Electronics Live VHS, on which it’s hard to actually see much of anything, Live at Club Lower Links is the definitive document of C.C.C.C.’s peak era live presence. This faithful digital transfer by Max Eastman makes it available on DVD (for us losers without VHS decks) with the original artwork and a facsimile of the flyer for the gig, which also featured Macro and Illinois stalwarts Illusion of Safety. It’s one thing to read about how cool and important Mayuko Hino’s performance contributions were to the group, but quite another to actually see it (clearly). Turn the lights off and transcend.
Noise Not Music 