New Wax Wednesday

To borrow a line from the late great Oscar Peterson, “We get requests.” What I mean by that is, we here at AP are constantly inundated with album review requests on a daily basis — and while we can’t cover them all (as much as we’d like to!), sometimes, that certain special LP makes it through to our tables and ears, reminding us why we do what we do. Case in point is NYC-based multi-instrumentalist Dawn Drake, who reached out to us via email to see if we would review Nightshade, a self-released LP credited to her full band, Dawn Drake & ZapOte. Read on to see why the worldbeat-meets-funk grooves of Nightshade are worth getting on your turntable ASAP. . .

Call it a case of, shall we say, “capitol gains.” The capitol spelling there is quite deliberate, for it relates to the Washington, D.C., hometown locale of the notable ethereal goth-rock band Strange Boutique, who are finally back on the scene with their first new album in 31 years, Let the Lonely Heart Sing. The LP was released yesterday, June 10, 2025, in a pair of limited-edition color vinyl options by The Circle Music, a Greek label. Read on to see why you should procure either/both versions of Strange Boutique’s stunning new LP ASAP. . .

Welcome to our new weekly New Wax Wednesday column, in which we will highlight upcoming new LP releases and/or important vinyl reissues worthy of preordering and spinning again and again once they arrive in prime, direct from doorstep to turntable fashion. What better way to start off this new series than by commencing with a calling out to transit, as the saying goes — as in, sharing the news that R.E.M.’s Radio Free Europe 2025 five-track benefit EP is set for release via Craft Recordings on September 12, 2025. Read on to see what rare tracks and new mixes will appear on this limited-edition 10-inch orange-vinyl EP. . .

Well, he can’t sit still, and you know that he’s moving again. I’m speaking about, of course, the perpetual wanderer known as Robert Plant, who earlier today just announced the release of his latest solo LP, Saving Grace, which will arrive on vinyl via Nonesuch on September 26, 2025. Read on to see who comprises this new Saving Grace collective, and what the vinyl offerings for Plant’s tall cool new LP shall be. . .

Take me to the box set, and drop me in the vinyl. And what we mean by that is to announce Talking Heads’ second studio album, July 1978’s More Songs About Buildings and Food, will be getting the Super Deluxe Edition 4LP treatment from Sire/Rhino on July 25, 2025. Read on to see what rarities and live material are also included in this must-have collection (and how to get those four bonus 45s too). . .

What’s in your heh-ed, in your he-ehh-ehh-ed? If that deliberately enunciated lyrical refrain instantly brings to mind a certain chilling but ultimately cathartic song by Irish alt-rockers The Cranberries — “Zombie” — then you’ll be eternally pleased to learn that a trio of 30th anniversary vinyl editions of the album that song is from, October 1994’s No Need to Argue, will be released in spurts on both June 27, 2025, and August 15, 2025. Read on to see which version is coming out on wax when, and what tracks each edition contains. . .