Kid Congo takes us on a walk through his dreams of the dead with “He Walked In.” Backed by The Pink Monkey Birds, who churn an incantatory groove with Chicano swing, Kid recounts a dream visit by his one time Gun Club bandmate, the late Jeffrey Lee Pierce.

Recorded in the late 1960s by Cape Town pianist Ibrahim Khalil Shihab and his group, Spring calls to mind Atlantic-era Coltrane at its breeziest, with saxophonist Winston ‘Mankunku’ Ngozi fluttering above the steady, sunny backing. Though it has to be said that this collection of musicians could get heavy if need be; check out the masterfully moody vibe they bring to “Birds,” a ten-minute homage to Trane’s “Spiritual.”

Available digitally or in a very handsome four-lp limited edition, The Gathered and the Scattered is made up of either very hard-to-come-by recordings or wholly unreleased material—and as simple as the band’s ethos is, it’s amazing how rewarding virtually every moment here is. The formula is not fucked with. The formula is perfect.

Bonnie Prince Billy and Matt Sweeney return with a fiery new song featuring Tuareg guitarist Mdou Moctar and announce the long-awaited sequel to 2005’s Superwolf titled, naturally, Superwolves.

Originally released in 1992, saxophonist and composer Chris Bowden’s Time Capsule is an immersive trip wholly unto itself. An enigmatic hour and 17 minute astro-jazz, dub, spaceship.

At first glance, an album of lockdown livestream performances might not seem incredibly essential. But Dezron Douglas and Brandee Younger’s Force Majeure is, in fact, incredibly essential.

Tape 3/4 — the latest entry in Felbm’s ongoing “tapes” series. At 14 tracks, the Utrecht based artist continues down the path set out in 2018, woodshedding material via 4-track. A homespun instrumental affair brimming with low key jazzscapes.

Light In The Attic’s latest archival Japanese collection is called Somewhere Between. Subtitled Mutant Pop, Electronic Minimalism & Shadow Sounds of Japan 1980–1988, this compilation attempts to connect the dots between various fringe figures operating outside of the country’s monolithic commercial music industry.