My first idea

Completely Necessary (Anthology 1978–1982) finally brings together the full recorded output of The Necessaries - an overlooked New York art-rock band orbiting the late-70s downtown scene, with members including Arthur Russell and Ernie Brooks. A comprehensive, authorised set featuring previously unissued material, restored audio and unseen photos. You can read a little more about the Necessaries in our Eternal Rhythm series, here.

Also out today: Lankum’s stark, otherworldly reworking of Ghost Town. Originally created for an Oona Doherty dance production, their version stretches The Specials’ anthem into something slow, spectral and unsettling, pressed on 12” with an etched B-side. Rounding things out is Yeah Yeah Yeah by Cast - a new studio album recorded quickly when the window opened, aiming not for polish but something vast and emotional. Available on limited clear vinyl with alternate artwork.

→ Recommended

That Total Age is Nitzer Ebb at full force; rigid, physical and uncompromising. Released in 1987, it stripped industrial music down to pure rhythm, command and repetition, shaping EBM and club culture in the process. Still brutal, still functional, and still startlingly modern. We have a limited edition first pressing in this week.

Browse rare records