Anybody who thought the vinyl resurgence was just a fad was mistaken: The industry has experienced a legitimate revival. As a result, music fans are interested in physical media in ways they may not have if the decades-old medium hasn’t made a comeback. That doesn’t mean everybody is listening to just their parents’ old music, though. That’s part of it, sure, thanks to rereleases that present classic albums in new ways. A vital part of the renewed vinyl wave, though, is new projects being released as records, of which there are plenty.
Whatever you might be into, each month brings a new slew of vinyl releases that has something for everybody. Some stand out above the rest, naturally, so check out some of our favorite vinyl releases of February below.
The National — The National, Sad Songs For Dirty Lovers, and Cherry Tree EP (Reissue)
It’s been 20 years since The National started their career with their self-titled debut album in 2001, then followed it with Sad Songs For Dirty Lovers and the Cherry Tree EP. Now, all three of those releases have gotten fresh remasters, and limited colored editions are available just for members of the band’s Cherry Tree fan club. For everybody else, the black vinyl editions still look pretty slick.
Get it here.
Sleepless In Seattle Original Soundtrack (Reissue)
Sleepless In Seattle was an iconic romantic comedy of its era, but aside from that, it had a killer soundtrack as well (which actually tore up the charts). It features songs from Céline Dion, Carly Simon, Tammy Wynette, Louis Armstrong, Nat “King” Cole, and others, and appropriately, this edition (limited to 1,500 copies) was released on red vinyl for Valentine’s Day.
Get it here.
Julien Baker — Little Oblivions
Baker recently explained to Uproxx how her new album feels like a boundary-breaking one for her, even if it isn’t: “It’s actually not that extreme, it just feels extreme for me. I’m like, ‘Drum machines, wow.’ I’m slow to change, I’m slow to changing who I am as a person. It takes me a while to adjust to stuff. So, I thought of this as a weird record.”
Get it here.
PJ Harvey — Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea and Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea — Demos (Reissues)
PJ Harvey has been a staple of this monthly round-up lately, as she is in the midst of a series of rereleases from throughout her career. This month saw a new edition of 2000’s Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea, one of the most commercially successful albums of her career. Like previous reissues, this one also comes with a collection of previously unreleased demos.
Get Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea here. Get Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea — Demos here.
J Dilla — Welcome 2 Detroit — The 20th Anniversary Edition
J Dilla is one of the most beloved producers in hip-hop history, and now the release that started it all, Welcome 2 Detroit, is the subject of a new limited edition 20th anniversary box set. Aside from the album itself, the release also features previously unreleased outtakes, liner notes, interviews, and previously unpublished photos, making it a definitive edition of a classic.
Get it here.
John Coltrane — Lush Life (Reissue)
This new edition of John Coltrane’s legendary 1961 album Lush Life — which celebrates its 60th anniversary this year — was carefully remastered from the original analog tapes. Additionally, this is the first release in Craft Recordings’ new “Small Batch” series, each item in which will be individually numbered and come in “a foil-stamped, linen-wrapped slipcase featuring an acrylic inset of the original artwork,” as well as “a reproduction of the original album jacket, complete with tip-on jacket, and protected by an archival-quality, anti-static, non-scratching inner sleeve.”
Get it here.
The Strokes — Room On Fire (Reissue)
The Strokes’ stunning debut album Is This It was a tough act to follow, but they did just fine with Room On Fire, which also earned the group critical acclaim. Now the album has gotten a shiny new Vinyl Me, Please reissue, for which the album was remastered and presented with an exclusive art print.
Get it here.
The Band — Stage Fright (50th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition)
Capitol and UMe are going all out to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Stage Fright, the third album from The Band. They’re reissuing it in multiple formats, the most expansive of which is the Super Deluxe Edition, which includes two CDs, a Blu-ray, an LP, and a 7-inch vinyl. Spread across those products are unreleased recordings, a 5.1 surround mix of the album, a photo booklet, and much more.
Get it here.
Danny L Harle — Harlecore
Danny L Harle went full concept on his new album, Harlecore, which presents a futuristic vision of a club (a club feeling like something that’s definitely futuristic at the moment). Digging through the album’s credits will reveal that it features contributions from Caroline Polachek, Hudson Mohawke, Chvrches’ Lauren Mayberry and Martin Doherty, Eyelar, and Hannah Diamond.
Get it here.
Foo Fighters — Medicine At Midnight
Of how it felt to finally release the new Foo Fighters album, Taylor Hawkins said, “[It feels] like taking a big huge sh*t. My stomach’s been hurting for a long time. Finally! A collective sigh of relief. We’ve finally got over our constipation.” What’s not sh*tty is the limited edition purple smoke vinyl edition of the album. While that is unfortunately sold out, there’s nothing wrong with the classic black vinyl edition that is still available.
Get it here.
Johnny Cash — At Folsom Prison (Reissue)
Vinyl Me, Please has historically let members choose between three categories for their monthly album: classics, essentials, and hip-hop. Now, starting in March, they’ve added a new vertical: country. They got a heck of a release to kick things off, too, as their first VMP Country Record Of The Month is Johnny Cash’s At Folsom Prison. The vinyl proved to be popular, as it’s currently sold out, although there is the option to get on a standby list and get the chance to secure a copy in the future. The lesson: Get on board early because VMP is really bringing it with their new country offerings.
Get it here.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
