AJ Tracey, Caroline Polachek and other vinyl releases you need this week

In partnership with Norman Records, here are some vinyl releases that you'll want to add to your collection

In this fast-paced musical landscape, where it’s so easy to simply put a playlist on shuffle, nothing compares to putting a record on, sitting back and enjoying all it has to offer in full (or at least until you have get up again to flip it over).

Every week, we here at NME round up the best vinyl releases, available to buy or pre-order via Norman Records. Here are the latest picks.

AJ Tracey – ‘Flu Game’

NME say:

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“UK rapper remains in a league of his own,” we write in our review of AJ Tracey’s latest, adding: “The Londoner bills himself as music’s Michael Jordan with an ode the player’s infamous 1997 match, supported by star teammates such as Kehlani and Nav.”

Norman Records say:

‘Flu Game’ is the second LP by British rapper AJ Tracey. ‘Flu Game’ is a concept album based around, but not specifically about, Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. The title is a reference to the time Michael Jordan played a blinder for the Bulls despite suffering from food poisoning. The many guests on ‘Flu Game’ include Kehlani, T-Pain, SahBabii, NAV and Millie Go Lightly.

Buy it now from Norman Records

Deftones – ‘White Pony’ (20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)

NME say:

“Like the Pumpkins at their best, songs like ‘Pink Maggot or ‘RX Queen’ are a blend of sinister modern heavy rock and cheeseball MOR genius that makes for multi-platinum-selling college rock,” we said in our review of Deftones’ third album ‘White Pony’ in 2000. We added: “Massive in pretension, slightly too long and gothic, but when all the pieces fit, you can’t deny its unstoppable power.”

Norman Records say:

Incorporating elements of shoegaze, prog, post-hardcore and trip-hop into their alternative metal template, Deftones’ 2000 album ‘White Pony’ is rightly regarded as one of the most influential albums of the Noughties. Here, it gets a deluxe reissue for its twentieth anniversary, accompanied with a remix album titled ‘Black Stallion’ featuring reworks from Clams Casino, DJ Shadow, Robert Smith and more.

Buy it now from Norman Records

Caroline Polachek – ‘Standing At The Gate: Remix Collection’

NME say:

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“Years of experiments pay off,” we said of Caroline Polachek’s ‘Pang’ in our review of the 2019 LP, adding: “The Charlift singer has crystallised years of musical exploration (which included a Beyoncé co-write) into her innovative first solo record under her own name.” Obviously we’re excited for this remix collection then.

Norman Records say:

‘Standing At The Gate’ is an eight-track remix collection which serves as a companion piece to ‘Pang’, the third solo album from former Chairlift front-woman Caroline Polachek. ‘Pang’, which was released in 2019, was a flawless piece of art-pop, and ‘Standing At The Gate’ takes the baton from that record with aplomb. Featuring reworkings from the likes of Toro Y Moi, A.G. Cook and Oklou, there’s also an extended mix of ‘The Gate’ and a bonus track ‘Breathless’ to be found here.

Preorder it now from Norman Records

Palace – ‘Lost In The Night’

NME say:

“Palace deal in theatrical melodies to tingle the spine,” we wrote in our review of this 2014 EP, adding that the group have a “knack for intimate yet epic atmospherics” amid the “subtle reverb and beguiling guitar crescendos.”

Norman Records say:

Alt-rockers with blues in the heart and soul in their lungs. The Londoners mix and match guitars that are floaty and meditative with louder, rawer excursions that reminisce over bands like Buffalo Springfield.

Buy it now from Norman Records

UKAEA – ‘Energy Is Forever’

NME say:

Not for the easy listeners, ‘Energy Is Forever’ is a whirlwind affair – veering from the dystopian hard techno of ‘Vampire Moth’ to the distorted bagpipes of ‘RDX’ and the wall of white noise that is ‘Radio Zero’. There are even bee sounds courtesy of band leader Dan Jones’ dad.

Norman Records say:

UKAEA is the project of Dan Jones. However, Dan only helms the ship on ‘Energy Is Forever’, using a crew of collaborators including Sly and the Family Drone and Torn Relics to bring his vision to life. The result is a wild ride through the back ginnels of what we are increasingly calling New Weird Britain.

Buy it now from Norman Records

Various – ‘Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (Seven Evil Exes Limited Edition)’

NME say:

What happens when you task director Edgar Wright (a filmmaker with a pretty great music taste) and Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich with creating a film soundtrack based on a fictional garage band? Well, they produce a thing of beauty by roping in the likes of Beck, Metric and more, obviously.

Norman Records say:

A deluxe four-LP box set edition of the soundtrack to 2010 cult movie ‘Scott Pilgrim vs. The World’. The ‘Seven Evil Exes’ edition contains Nigel Godrich’s original score, the soundtrack album in full and a ton of bonus material – additional performances from Sex Bob-omb, demos by Beck and a version of Metric’s ‘Black Sheep’ sung by Brie Larson, all on picture discs. There’s also a note from director Edgar Wright, a full-size film poster and a colouring page, making ‘Seven Evil Exes’ the final word on this terrific movie.

Buy it now from Norman Records

The Future Sound Of London – ‘Dead Cities’

NME say:

How did we sum up this 1996 gem? For “connoiseurs of sprawling, loony progtronica” and “[an] other-worldly masterpiece [that] is so far out you need a telescope to see it.”

Norman Records say:

Released in 1996, ‘Dead Cities’ was the fourth album by The Future Sound Of London. Garry Cobain and Brian Dougans continued with their boundary-pushing blend of different areas of electronic music, and the album yielded FSOL’s two highest-charting singles – the ‘Blade Runner’-sampling ‘My Kingdom’ and the Run DMC-sampling ‘We Have Explosive’.

Buy it now from Norman Records

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