1. Gold Rush, Max Frost
2. Mi Vida Local, Atmosphere
3. I, the Mask, In Flames
4. Bohemian Rhapsody Soundtrack, Queen
5. This Land, Gary Clark Jr.
6. Wasteland, Baby!, Hozier
7. The Best of Everything: The Definitive Career Spanning Hits Collection 1976-2016, Tom Petty
8. Greatest Hits I, Queen
9. Caldera, Polyrhythmics
10. The Verdict, Queensryche
RECORD EXCHANGE TOP SELLERS (WEEK ENDING MARCH 7, 2019)
IN FLAMES ALBUM SIGNING AND MEET-AND-GREET MARCH 13 – FREE CONCERT TICKET WITH ALBUM PURCHASE WHILE SUPPLIES LAST!
In Flames will visit The Record Exchange for an album signing and meet-and-greet at 3pm Wednesday, March 13. This event is presented by 100.3 The X.
In Flames are performing at Knitting Factory later that evening and we have tickets for sale at the store!
Want a free ticket to the show and priority line placement at the signing? Purchase In Flames’ new album I, The Mask and we’ll give you one ticket (while supplies last) and a VIP line wristband! (There will be a secondary line for customers without wristbands, which will follow the VIP line.)
ABOUT IN FLAMES
At this point, In Flames are less of a band than they are a musical institution in the heavy music world. Since helping create Sweden’s legendary “Gothenberg Sound” three decades ago to their current status as heavy music monoliths, the act have constantly eschewed trends in order to forge their own musical path. This is evident on their 13th full-length I, The Mask, which sees them reuniting with multi Grammy-nominated producer Howard Benson (My Chemical Romance, Motörhead), who also produced 2016’s Battles, in order to further redefine their sound. “I think it’s very difficult for In Flames to be something we’re not and that dichotomy of melody and aggression will always be at the core of our identity,” vocalist Anders Fridén explains from a tour stop opening for Deep Purple in Mexico. “We are always open to new ideas and don’t let anything limit us,” guitarist Björn Gelotte adds. “We just ask ourselves if we will love playing this stuff live… and as long as we feel that nothing can really touch us.”
Unlike previous recordings, this time around Fridén and Gelotte holed up in Los Angeles for three weeks prior to the production of I, The Mask, and came up with a bulk of the songs during those sessions. “For Battles I wrote a lot of the material at home first but for this one, Anders and I really wanted to just get in a room together and see where it would take us,” Gelotte explains, adding that Benson would frequently drop by and act as a filter for their creativity. “I think this process worked really well because a lot of the lyrics fed off the music or Anders would come up with a really powerful line and it would inspire a riff, so there was a lot of symbiosis between us in the songwriting.” From there the duo fleshed out the arrangements with guitarist Niclas Engelin, bassist Bryce Paul Newman and previous drummer Joe Rickard and then spent two months tracking the songs. (I, The Mask is also the last recording to feature Rickard, who was subsequently replaced by Tanner Wayne, who played on the track “(This Is Our) House.”) Finally, the album was mixed by Chris Lord-Alge, who has worked with everyone from Cheap Trick to Linkin Park and mastered by Ted Jensen (Pantera, Eagles, Guns N’ Roses).
The result is a massive-sounding album that showcases why In Flames are one of the biggest metal bands in the world. From the way the guitars give way to the anthemic riffing on the power ballad “Call My Name” to the relentless riffing on “Burn” and sweetly syncopated groove of “I Am Above,” I, The Mask sees the band stretching out musically and crafting music that’s as catchy as it is crushing. As the driving force behind the act, it was important for Fridén to challenge himself on the album and took vocal lessons three days a week in order to expand his own arsenal of abilities. “I wanted to do something new and take things to another level when it came to the vocals,” he explains. “I know what I’m capable of and I feel more confident today taking higher notes and being able to push my voice in a higher register, so that’s something I really wanted to explore as well.”
Lyrically, I, The Mask is in many ways a social commentary on the state of the world when it comes to isolation, loneliness and the way technology has subverted our need for genuine human connection. “Instead of being connected we divide ourselves into all of these little groups and if you scratch the surface most people’s lives are miserable,” Fridén explains. “I thought about that and how we all carry a mask around and how in our striving to become better, I think we’re actually going backwards.” However there is also a level of hopefulness that’s inherent in the sentiment of I, The Mask, which is showcased in songs like “(This Is Our) House.” “That song is a call to arms and it’s saying, ‘We need to unite because we’re going in the wrong direction,’” he explains. “We might have ten years to stop the pollution of the planet. We aren’t going to die on the 11th year but we can’t turn it back from that and it’s a slow process of rebuilding our house, so I think it’s a strong lyrical theme and one that is unifying as well.”
Admittedly if you listen to 1996’s The Jester Race next to I, The Mask, there are marked musical differences, but through the course of In Flames’ output you can trace their evolution and hear how they managed to remain relevant by never getting complacent. “The way we write music is super challenging but it’s also super rewarding,” Gelotte explains, adding that as the band have improved as musicians it’s opened up countless sonic and creative possibilities. “We’ve never been the type of band who likes to show-off but we like to have fun making music and working with Howard [Benson] was one of the first times where we actually listened to someone from the outside – and I think it was his first time working with a band like us, too,” he adds. “The instrumentation on the album is pretty straightforward on this album, but there are so many layers in a lot of these songs that if you’re interested you can really dig into it and it will live on for a long time.”
That said, ultimately In Flames are a live band and they can’t wait to get back on the road and share this new collection of songs with fans, whether they’ve supported the band for decades or are recent converts to their sound. “I love the act of creating something from nothing and then getting to travel the world and play these songs and see how they affect people,” Fridén summarizes. “It’s extremely rewarding to hear how a certain song moves someone and then you talk to someone else and learn that it affected them in a profoundly different way. The dynamic between the creator and the fans and what they bring to the table is such an amazing feeling, so that’s a big part of our drive. To make something and share it with the world, that’s what we were meant to do.”
NEW RELEASE FRIDAY: HOZIER, IN FLAMES, TOM PETTY, WEEZER, LIL PUMP, THE DISTILLERS, QUEENSRYCHE, MASKED INTRUDER AND MORE
Here’s a quick look at the bright and shiny new releases available at The Record Exchange Friday, March 1.
All titles available in-store or our online shop – we ship worldwide!
CD:
Hozier – Wasteland, Baby!
In Flames – I, the Mask
Tom Petty – The Best of Everything: The Definitive Career Spanning Hits Collection 1976-2016
Weezer – Weezer (The Black Album)
Lil Pump – Harverd Dropout
Queensryche – The Verdict
Citizen Cope – Heroin and Helicopters
Delicate Steve – Till I Burn Up
Durand Jones and the Indications – American Love Call
Teen – Good Fruit
Hand Habits – Placeholder
Royal Trux – White Stuff
Pond – Tasmania
Masked Intruder – III
Mark Morton – Anesthetic
Malevolent Creation – The 13th Beast
Demon Hunter – War
Demon Hunter – Peace
The Naked and the Dead – The Naked and the Dead
Rema-Rema – Fond Reflections
Nightwish – Made in Hong Kong (And in Various Other Places)
Nightwish – Once
Apocalyptica – Plays Metallica By Four Cellos
Della Mae – The Butcher Shoppe EP
Patton Oswalt – Annihilation
The Branford Marsalis Quartet – The Secret Between the Shadow and the Soul
Tommy Castro and the Painkillers – Killin’ It Live
Frankie and the Witch Fingers – Zam
Dodsferd – Diseased Remnants of a Dying World
While She Sleeps – So What?
Gordon Lightfoot – The Complete Singles 1970-1980
Dennis Coffey – Live at Baker’s
John Hartford – Backroads, Rivers and Memories: The Rare and Unreleased John Hartford
The Butterfield Blues Band – Live at the Troubadour 1970
Reese Wynans and Friends – Sweet Release
Fews – Into Red
VINYL:
Hozier – Wasteland, Baby!
Tom Petty – The Best of Everything: The Definitive Career Spanning Hits Collection 1976-2016
The Distillers – Man Vs. Magnet / Blood in Gutters
Masked Intruder – III
Royal Trux – White Stuff
The Runaways – The Best of the Runaways
Gary Numan – I, Assassin
Dr. Dog – Critical
Tom Tom Club – Tom Tom Club
Lucinda Williams – Happy Woman Blues
Delicate Steve – Till I Burn Up
Rema-Rema – Fond Reflections
Queensryche – The Verdict (indie exclusive version available)
Ryuichi Sakamoto – BTTB
Durand Jones and the Indications – American Love Call
Hand Habits – Placeholder
Apocalyptica – Plays Metallica By Four Cellos
Devil Master – Satan Spits on Children of Light
Frankie and the Witch Fingers – Zam
Howlin’ Wolf – The Best of the Sun Records Sessions
Elizabeth Cotten – Folksongs and Instrumentals with Guitar
Mary Lou Williams – Mary Lou Williams
The Japanese House – Good at Falling
Fews – Into Red
NEW RELEASE FRIDAY: GARY CLARK JR, CARDI B, DREAM THEATER, THE CLAYPOOL LENNON DELIRIUM, BETTER OBLIVION COMMUNITY CENTER
Here’s a quick look at the bright and shiny new releases available at The Record Exchange Friday, Feb. 22.
All titles available in-store or our online shop – we ship worldwide!
CD:
Gary Clark Jr. – This Land
Cardi B – Invasion of Privacy
Dream Theater – Distance Over Time (deluxe edition available)
The Claypool Lennon Delirium – South of Reality
Better Oblivion Community Center – Better Oblivion Community Center
Lily and Madeleine – Canterbury Girls
Ragged Coyote – You Know I Can Hear You Through the Clapping of the Thunder
Badflower – OK, I’m Sick
Future – Future Hndrxx Presents: The Wizard
Ray Charles – Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music Volumes 1 and 2
Telekinesis – Effluxion
Overkill – Wings of War
Candlemass – Door to Doom
Martin Frawley – Undone at 31
Chasms – The Mirage
The Gloaming – The Gloaming 3
Adia Victoria – Silences
Susto – Ever Since I Lost My Mind
Keiko Matsui – Echo
Henry Jamison – Gloria Duplex
John Mayall – Nobody Told Me
Delain – Hunter’s Moon
Last in Line – II
O.R.k. – Ramagehead
VINYL:
Gary Clark Jr. – This Land
The Claypool Lennon Delirium – South of Reality
Dream Theater – Distance Over Time
Sublime – Greatest Hits
Arctic Monkeys – Various 7-inch reissues
U2 – No Line on the Horizon (limited-edition clear vinyl version available)
X – Los Angeles
Telekinesis – Effluxion
Electric Wizard – Black Masses
Badflower – OK, I’m Sick
Santana – In Search of Mona Lisa
Adia Victoria – Silences
Lil Yachty – Nuthin 2 Prove
Takeoff – The Last Rocket
As I Lay Dying – An Ocean Between Us
Ray Charles – Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music Volumes 1 and 2
Ella Fitzgerald – Ella at the Shrine
Billie Holiday – Body and Soul
Billie Holiday – Songs for Distingue Lovers
Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd – Jazz Samba
Stan Getz and Bill Evans – Stan Getz and Bill Evans
Antonio Carlos Jobim – The Composer of Desafinado, Plays
Art Ensemble of Chicago – Tutankaman
Coleman Hawkins – Coleman Hawkins Encounters Ben Webster
Wes Montgomery – California Dreaming
Knocked Loose – Pop Culture
Blood Ceremony – Lolly Windows
NEW RELEASE FRIDAY: HAYES CARLL, RYAN BINGHAM, INSANE CLOWN POSSE, TEDESCHI TRUCKS BAND, AVRIL LAVIGNE
Here’s a quick look at the bright and shiny new releases available at The Record Exchange Friday, Feb. 15.
All titles available in-store or our online shop – we ship worldwide!
CD:
Hayes Carll – What It Is
Ryan Bingham – American Love Song
Insane Clown Posse – Fearless Fred Fury (indie exclusive version with bonus CD available)
Tedeschi Trucks Band – Signs (indie exclusive deluxe edition available)
David Bowie – Various reissues
Avril Lavigne – Head Above Water
Chaka Khan – Hello Happiness
Picture This – Mdrn Lv
Florida Georgia Line – Can’t Say I Ain’t Country
India.Arie – Worthy
J.S. Ondara – Tales of America
Dale Watson – Call Me Lucky
Millencolin – SOS
The Specials – Encore
Elvis Presley – The Best of the ’68 Comeback Special
Megadeth – The System Has Failed
Megadeth – The World Needs a Hero
Foreigner – The Greatest Hits of Foreigner Live in Concert
Rotting Christ – Heretics
Hell Fire – Free Again
Noctorum – The Afterlife
Vanum – Ageless Fire
Wicca Phase Springs Eternal – Suffer On
Copeland – Blushing
Yann Tiersen – All
Trisha Yearwood – Let’s Be Frank
The Motet – Death or Devotion
Trevor Horn – Reimagines the Eighties
SWMRS – Berkeley’s On Fire
Jackie Greene – The Dig Years
Piroshka – Brickbat
The Long Ryders – Psychedelic Country Soul
VINYL:
Hayes Carll – What It Is
Ryan Bingham – American Love Song
David Bowie – Various reissues
Tedeschi Trucks Band – Signs
Avril Lavigne – Head Above Water (indie exclusive version available)
Trippie Redd – Love Letter to You 3
The Cardigans – First Band on the Moon
Pinegrove – Skylight
Thomas Giles – Don’t Touch the Outside
Total Control – Laughing at the System
Millencolin – SOS
Various Artists – The Wall (Redux)
Patti Smith – Radio Ethiopia
Megadeth – The System Has Failed
Megadeth – The World Needs a Hero
Unwritten Law – Unwritten Law
Hot Water Music – Caution
Piroshka – Brickbat
SWMRS – Berkeley’s On Fire
Wicca Phase Springs Eternal – Suffer On
Cecil Taylor – Silent Tongues
Florida George Line – Can’t Say I Ain’t Country
CASSETTE:
Wicca Phase Springs Eternal – Suffer On
Anemone – Beat My Distance