ANNIVERSARY EDITION DON’T SLEEP ON THESE SPECIAL RELEASES... L7: SMELL THE MAGIC: 30TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION: SUB POP L7's second album, and first for Sub Pop, Smell the Magic, the ferocious follow-up to their 1988 self-titled debut, is hitting its 30th anniversary this year. And so, at this momentous time, Sub Pop is releasing a newly remastered version of the record. The L.A.-based band, comprised of vocalists/ guitarists Donita Sparks and Suzi Gardner, bassist/vocalist Jennifer Finch, and drummer Dee Plakas, really set the template for their unique amalgam of punk, metal, and rock on this album, and cemented their place as grunge pioneers. The heavy, sludgy, punky album offers up one tough, hard-yet-fun blast after another, starting off with the Gardner-sung “Shove,” and concluding with their take on Eddie and the Subtitles’ classic, “American Society.” In between, they sprinkle in such notables as the hard-hitting, Sparks-helmed “Fast and Frightening,” “Packin’ a Rod,” and “Deathwish,” Gardner’s captivating “Broomstick” and raucous “’Till the Wheels Fall Off’,” Finch’s awesome take of the Sunset Strip glam-metal scene of the times “Just Like Me,” and the bruising “(Right on) Thru.” Yeah, just namechecked all the songs on this nine-track album. What can you do when every song is so notable and tough AF? - Janelle Jones
ELLIOTT SMITH: EXPANDED 25TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION: KILL ROCK STARS
Seventeen years after his tragic death, Kill Rock Stars is releasing Elliott Smith’s eponymous sophomore album to celebrate the 25th anniversary of its initial release. The set includes a remastered version of the self-titled album and an unreleased Live at Umbra Penumbra bonus disc - the earliest known recording of Smith performing as a solo act. Both records come inside a 52page coffee table book with handwritten lyrics, reminiscences, and dozens of previously unseen pics by JJ Gonson. - John B. Moore
70 NEW NOISE
NEW BOMB TURKS: 20TH ANNIVERSARY NIGHTMARE SCENARIO: DIAMOND EDITION
In honor of its 20th anniversary, Nightmare Scenario – Diamond Edition, is being released by punk veterans New Bomb Turks. This special version of the album actually consists of the raw, original mixes recorded by Jim Diamond, now newly remastered. Nightmare Scenario, a modern classic originally released in 2000 by Epitaph, is of course drenched in the Columbus, Ohio-based band’s raucous and energetic garage-infused punk sound. And it should be noted that all proceeds from the sale of this 13-song digital release, available on the band’s Bandcamp page, go to Black Queer & Intersectional Collective and Columbus Freedom Fund, two Black Lives Matter organizations. - Janelle Jones
