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The Best Vinyl Releases Of June 2022

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Best Vinyl
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Anybody who thought the vinyl resurgence was just a fad was mistaken: The industry has experienced a legitimate revival. As a result, music fans are interested in physical media in ways they may not have if the decades-old medium hasn’t made a comeback. That doesn’t mean everybody is listening to just their parents’ old music, though. That’s part of it, sure, thanks to rereleases that present classic albums in new ways. A vital part of the renewed vinyl wave, though, is new projects being released as records, of which there are plenty.

Whatever you might be into, each month brings a new slew of vinyl releases that has something for everybody. Some stand out above the rest, naturally, so check out some of our favorite vinyl releases of June below.

Bartees Strange — Farm To Table

Bartees Strange Farm To Table vinyl
4AD

After generating a ton of buzz with his 2020 debut album Live Forever, Bartees Strange returned just earlier this month with Farm To Table, a genre-spanning album that’s full of compelling moments. As for the vinyl, there’s a cool-looking striped version (the one above) or a classic black LP. Regardless of what edition you get, the vinyl release of the album has a song, “Daily News,” that’s only available on this physical pressing. Order it now for an October ship.

Get it here.

Elton John — Madman Across The Water (50th Anniversary Reissue)

Elton John Madman vinyl
UMe

Elton John had a huge 1971, as he dropped a live album with 17-11-70, a soundtrack for the movie Friends, and later in the year, a proper studio album, Madman Across The Water. Now we have a 50th-anniversary edition of it and it’s a big one, as the 4-LP box set includes a 40-page booklet with introductions by John and Bernie Taupin, photos and essays, a reproduction 1971 reproduction poster, and more.

Get it here.

Diiv — Oshin (10th Anniversary Reissue)

Diiv Oshin vinyl
Captured Tracks

Diiv was one of the most critically respected indie groups of the 2010s and it all started with Oshin. That album turns 10 this year, which the group is celebrating with an expanded 2-LP edition. The first LP contains the regular album as we know it, while the other one has original Oshin demos and two live songs, including the previously unreleased “Yuk.”

Get it here.

Angel Olsen — Big Time

Angel Olsen Big Time vinyl
Jagjaguwar

“Out with the bangs, in with the twangs,” a clever ad for Angel Olsen’s new album reads. The country-leaning LP is one of the finer albums of the year so far and now it can be one of the finest albums in your vinyl collection, too. Unfortunately, the clear green edition pictured above is sold out as of this post, but the still-available black vinyl never goes out of style.

Get it here.

Los Angeles Philharmonic — Hollywood Bowl: The First 100 Years

hollywood bowl vinyl
Los Angeles Philharmonic

We’ve had the Hollywood Bowl for a hundred years now and now the Los Angeles Philharmonic has unveiled a massive 7-LP box set of performances from the storied venue, a healthy 55-recording mix that features performances from Death Cab For Cutie, The Doors, James Brown, the Philharmonic conducted by John Williams, and a bunch of others that convey how important this iconic space has been and remains. (Also, you even get a free tote bag!)

Get it here.

The Walkmen — You & Me (Sun Studio Edition)

You & Me (Sun Studio Edition)
Gigantic

The Walkmen, sadly, are no more, but we’ll always have the music. 2008’s You & Me, one of their most beloved albums, has now gotten a deluxe new vinyl version, dubbed the Sun Studio Edition, which is fully remastered and comes with a fourth side of unreleased tracks from the time, recorded at Sun Studio for PBS.

Get it here.

Beach Boys — Sounds Of Summer: The Very Best Of The Beach Boys

Sounds Of Summer: The Very Best Of The Beach Boys vinyl
Capitol/UMe

Artists are competing for the unofficial “song of the summer” title for 2022 right now, but if we’re talking all-time, it’s hard to beat the Beach Boys. Well, the group, which celebrates 60 years this year, so they’ve reissued their 2003 Sounds Of Summer compilation, which collects 80 songs from 1962 to 1989, making this a great catch-all option to fill a Beach Boys-sized hole in your vinyl library.

Get it here.

Beastie Boys — Check Your Head (30th Anniversary Reissue)

Beastie Boys Check Your Head vinyl
Beastie Boys

It’s been 30 years since Beastie Boys dropped the classic Check Your Head, so what better way to celebrate than with a new deluxe 4-LP edition? This limited reissue was originally released in 2009 and has been out of print for a good while, and goodies like remixes, live versions, and B-sides make it an especially desirable release.

Get it here.

The Kills — No Wow (17th Anniversary Reissue)

The Kills No Wow vinyl
Domino

17th anniversaries aren’t a common one to make a big deal about, but for The Kills’ second album No Wow, it’s worth it. They’ve shared a limited deluxe reissue of the 2005 album that presents two distinct versions of the album: the original and a new mix by Grammy winner Tchad Blake. Furthermore, the deluxe edition has a gold foil gatefold LP jacket, black-and-gold smoke vinyl LP, an exclusive 5×7 print, and a four-page booklet.

Get it here.

Bright Eyes — I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning (Vinyl Me, Please Reissue)

Bright Eyes Vinyl Me Please
Vinyl Me Please

One of Vinyl Me, Please’s latest records of the month is the Bright Eyes classic I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning. The LP was widely considered one of 2005’s best and this may be the best vinyl release of it, as the marbled red vinyl is gorgeous and it comes with a listening notes booklet.

Get it here.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Usher Makes A Musical Gumbo With An Instant Classic Tiny Desk Concert

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Usher had literally decades of hits to pull from for his NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert, so it had to be stressful to whittle the options down to an under-30-minute set. Fortunately, that time in the limelight has taught Mr. Raymond a few things about being an entertainer — namely, to play the hits. That’s just what he did, opening the set with his 1997 breakout single, “You Make Me Wanna…,” the lead single from his second album My Way — the project that set him on the road to becoming the superstar that he is today.

Then, inspired by the viral challenge based on his 2004 Confessions smash, he launched into a stunning falsetto rendition of “Superstar.” Even better, he brought along the singer who helped kick off the challenge, Eric Bellinger, who sang backup alongside Vedo (both are stars in their own rights, highlighting just how big Usher really is). Then, bringing out yet another hit, Usher went even further back to 8701 single “U Don’t Have To Call.” With the horns backing the arrangement, the futuristic Neptunes production becomes a funky, jazzy slider.

And speaking of viral moments, there’s a new challenge in which Zoomers ask each other what Usher was doing at 7 o’clock — a clear reference to his My Way single “Nice And Slow” that embarrassingly few young people have gleaned. However, the audience at NPR’s office knew exactly what was going down, turning the song into a full-on singalong, from the first verse to the double-time rapped bridge. Of course, he performs the obligatory “Confessions, Part 2” and then closes out by celebrating the 25th anniversary of the title song from My Way, playing a full-force presentation of Usher’s second top-five hit.

You can watch Usher’s Tiny Desk Concert above.

Beyonce Shares The Regal, Near-Nude ‘Renaissance’ Cover

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Even though Beyonce has announced her comeback album, Renaissance, and released its house-influenced first single “Break My Soul,” there were probably at least a few fans who still thought she might be trolling. But no, it’s definitely real. Beyonce herself shared the latest evidence via her little-used social media profiles, dropping the striking cover for the album, which features a near-nude Beyonce sitting astride a crystalline horse glowing with electricity.

The rollout for Renaissance has been a roller coaster of emotions for members of the Beyhive, who got their first inkling of a potential new project early this month when Beyonce wiped her social media. Then, when she updated her official site with a placeholder image for the album, fans wondered whether she was just plotting on another Ivy Park drop, refusing to fully invest lest she dash their hopes with a new collection of sweatpants or something.

But then, she actually announced the album — which appears to be a multi-parter heavy on both dance and country vibes — leading to excitement and relief as the long wait since Lemonade finally appears to be coming to an end. Meanwhile, “Break My Soul” has generated a wave of good vibes, drawing emotional responses from the song’s inspiration Robin S., sampled artist Big Freedia, and writer The-Dream.

It’s just too bad Azealia Banks isn’t too enthused about the mashups with her music the song has inspired. Aside from Banks’ sour grapes, though, the anticipation has been a lot of fun and July 29 can’t get here soon enough. Check out that art above.

Saweetie Shares An Update On Her Oft-Delayed Debut Album, ‘Pretty B*tch Music’

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saweetie grammys 2022
Getty Image / Jeff Kravitz

Over the past year, rapper Saweetie has been everywhere, from guest slots on TV shows like Grown-ish, to her own Sex: Unzipped Netflix special, and of course, her own meal at McDonald’s. But what’s been noticeably missing is a full-length album from the “Closer” rapper.

For years, she’s been teasing her debut album, Pretty Bitch Music. Yesterday, she took to Instagram to share an update on her long-awaited debut.

“These past couple of years have been a growing experience for me as an artist, human, but most importantly a WOMAN,” Saweetie said in an Instagram story. “I have realized my purpose with the platform God has given me which is why I have taken my time with releasing music this time around. Through hours of self-reflection I have realized that Pretty B.*.T.C.H. music is not an album — it’s a movement. It’s a culture. It’s a language. It’s a lifestyle. We not rushing art, we taking our time! This ain’t no microwave sh*t! It’s baking & it will definitely be worth the taste.”

Saweetie IG update
Via Instagram/Saweetie

While it may be a while until we get new music from Saweetie, we certainly can expect to see plenty of projects from her, given her impressive résumé. Last week, it was announced she teamed up with Crocs for a collection of “Icy” Jibbitz charms.

Saweetie is a Warner Music Artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

‘Jeopardy!’ Viewers Can’t Believe A Contestant Confused Public Enemy And Marky Mark And The Funky Bunch

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jeopardy funky bunch
jeopardy productions

Public Enemy is one of the most important groups in hip hop history, with (at least) two masterpiece albums to its name, It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back and Fear of a Black Planet. Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch is also a hip hop group from the 1990s, and that’s where the similarities between them and Public Enemy end. One group had “Fight the Power.” The other had the Booty Inspector. They are not the same — but one Jeopardy! contestant still somehow confused Chuck D and Mark Wahlberg.

One of the categories during Wednesday’s episode of the game show was “Chuck D, Times 3.” As Yahoo! Entertainment explained, “Four of the five questions pertained to either Charles Darwin or Charles Dickens. But one clue centered around rapper Chuck D.” (What a weird category.) The clue read, “In the 1980s, Chuck D began fighting the power in this hip-hop group with Flavor Flav, a man who always knew what time it was.”

Contestant Halley Ryherd buzzed in and guessed, “Who is the Funky Bunch?” Uh, no.

Another contestant, Pete Chattrabhuti, got it right — although Halley got her revenge by winning the episode with $5,999. It takes a nation of millions of Jeopardy! contestants to be in disbelief about the Public Enemy / Funky Bunch mix-up.

At least Halley has a good sense of humor about it:

(Via Yahoo! Entertainment)

Danny Brown Says Ninja From Die Antwoord Sexually Assaulted Him: ‘He Know I Ain’t Lying!’

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Danny Brown recently appeared on Tom Segura and Bert Kreischer’s 2 Bears, 1 Cave podcast, and during the conversation, which in total lasted for an hour and 15 minutes, the Detroit rapper made a shocking allegation. He accused Ninja, who is one-half of the South African hip-hop duo Die Antwoord, of sexually assaulting him after one of Brown’s past shows in Paris. Brown told Segura that Ninja messaged him about meeting up after the show, and instead, Brown offered to put his name on the guest list, but Ninja declined. “[He’s like,] ‘Don’t worry about it, I’ll find you,’” Brown said. “That was weird, that was like one red flag.”

Brown says he eventually did meet up with Ninja and was soon “freaked out” by his behavior. “I was a single, experimenting man at the time, but he was too aggressive!” Brown said. “He sat on my lap and started trying to kiss me and sh*t and doing weird sh*t. I’m like, ‘Man, you tripping!’”

He continued, “Ninja tried to f*ck me. I was scared … … He always throw Yolandi on you. I think that’s how he’s been f*cking n****s. F*ck them, though! F*ck them. I could’ve canceled cuz. MeToo. I was sexually assaulted by Ninja. He know I ain’t lying!”

Brown added that Ninja refused to stop attempting to make a move on him. Additionally, Ninja told him that he would find out where his hotel was. “That’s what started making me pound drinks because I’m like, ‘I might have to stab this n**** tonight,’” Brown said. He added, “Because if this n**** knock on my hotel room door, bro, I’m the stabbing the sh*t — it’s gonna be a big deal. It’s gonna be a thing. That would’ve been a fight, but I’m in Paris. Who want to be in a Parisian jail? N****, do you know what jail is like for me in Paris? It’s gonna be crazy. So I’m shellshocked, like, ‘This n****’s really doing this?’”

You can watch the full episode of 2 Bears, 1 Cave in the video above.

Machine Gun Kelly Helped The Empire State Building Become The ‘World’s Tallest Emo Girl’

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Machine Gun Kelly 2022
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In honor of Machine Gun Kelly’s Hulu documentary, Life Is Pink, as well as his sold-out show at Madison Square Garden in New York City, The Empire State Building lit up pink yesterday. According to the 1,451-foot-tall tower’s website, the building did so as “a symbol of strength, perseverance, and hope in partnership with Machine Gun Kelly and his new documentary, Life In Pink.”

In a video shared by The Empire State Building’s official Twitter account today, Kelly is seen dancing with one of the building’s tour guides to his hit single, “Emo Girl.”

Perhaps this video was taken before the concert and the afterparty thrown by Kelly and his fiance, Megan Fox. From there, footage on Kelly’s Instagram story of Kelly celebrating at Catch Steak after the show. During the celebration, the “Emo Girl” rapper/singer smashed a champagne glass over his head.

machine gun kelly ig story
Via Instagram/machinegunkelly

“I don’t give a f*ck, bro. I don’t give a sh*t,” he said seconds before breaking the glass.

But the fact that he had glass in his skin didn’t stop him from singing. In a subsequent clip, he is seen singing his hit single, “My Ex’s Best Friend.”

“F*ck it,” he captioned the video.

Kanye West Was Sued Over A Sample Used On ‘Flowers’ From ‘Donda 2’

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Back in February, Kanye West released his eleventh album Donda 2 just six months after he dropped Donda which topped the albums chart to be his tenth No. 1 release. Donda 2 was a unique project as Kanye opted to drop it exclusively on his Stem Player website, making it only available to those who purchase the Stem Player device. It was uploaded with 16 songs and features from Future, Migos, Jack Harlow, the late XXTENTACION, Vory, Alicia Keys, Fivio Foreign, Soulja Boy, Sean Leon, Baby Keem, Travis Scott, and Don Toliver. Now, four months later, one of the album’s songs has earned Kanye West a lawsuit.

According to Billboard, a complaint was filed in U.S. District Court in New York on Wednesday that accused Kanye of wrongfully sampling Marshall Jefferson’s 1986 house track “Move Your Body,” aka “The House Music Anthem,” on “Flowers” from Donda 2 without permission or providing compensation. The filing says the sample was used “at least 22 times throughout” the song.

The complaint was filed by attorneys Christine Lepera and Bradley J. Mullins of the firm Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp and brought forth by Jefferson’s publisher Ultra International Music Publishing (UMP). “Defendants’ conduct is willful and deliberate,” the complaint reads. “Defendants know and have been informed that they do not possess a license to utilize the Composition in the Unauthorized Work, and yet continue to willfully infringe in blatant disregard of UIMP’s rights of ownership.”

As a result, UMP is requesting a “preliminary and permanent injunction enjoining and restraining Defendants” and their associates from using the “Move Your Body” sample as well profits and damages in an amount to be determined at trial. Alternatively, they will seek statutory damages of $150,000 per infringement, attorneys’ fees and the full cost of the lawsuit, and prejudgement interest.

Alex Klein, who co-created the Stem Player, was also named in the complaint as was Klein’s company Kano Computing Limited.

Drake Responds To A TikTok Poking Fun At His Songwriting: ‘F*ck Ya’ll I Really Be Saying Some Sh*t’

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Drake Till Death Do Us Part 2021
Getty Image / Amy Sussman

Drake is no stranger to internet culture. For over a decade, lines from his songs have spawned internet hashtags like “#YOLO,” as well as several Instagram captions. Not to mention, he has to be up-to-date, given that he’s an executive producer on HBO’s Euphoria. Earlier this week, a TikTok user shared a clip of himself imitating Drake’s singing and songwriting style.

The TikTokker’s imitation is uncanny, matching Drizzy’s vocal stylings, rhyme scheme, and cadence nearly to a tee. Of course, Drake caught wind of the video and shared his thoughts on the matter.

“F*ck ya’ll I really be saying some shit,” said Drake in an Instagram story sharing the TikTok video. The rapper appeared to be a good sport about the video, as his story contained several laughing and crying emojis.

Earlier this month, Drake dropped his seventh studio album, Honestly, Nevermind, filled with EDM and house-inspired dance tracks. On Monday, he was seen filming a video for “Sticky,” a cut from the album. Social media star 2Rare is believed to make an appearance in the upcoming visual, as he was seen on set.

Also on Monday, Billboard revealed that the 21 Savage-assisted “Jimmy Cooks” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, making it his 11th chart-topping single.

Tayla Parx Demands Her ‘Flowers’ On Her Latest Single

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Having penned several hits for the likes of Ariana Grande, Dua Lipa, Mariah Carey, and John Legend, singer/songwriter Tayla Parx surely deserves her flowers. On her latest single, appropriately titled “Flowers,” Parx demands her flowers while she’s still among us, that way when she’s gone, her friends, family, and fans will have no regrets.

On a fast-paced, poppy, dance-ready track, Parx sings, “Give me my flowers while I’m here, so when I’m dead and gone, you won’t have to cry no tears for me.” While she is a newly independent artist, having launched her TaylaMade imprint earlier this year, the Dallas-native isn’t going to let you forget the impact she’s had (and certainly will continue to have) in the landscape of mainstream pop. Whether it’s behind the scenes or at the forefront, Parx is always going to have a reason to celebrate.

“‘Flowers’ is about living your life in the present and showing your loved ones, including yourself, how much they mean to you in the now instead of waiting until it’s too late,” said Parx in a statement. “Flowers represent life and living, and the song represents my desire to celebrate every part of my life, no matter how big or small. Go get yourself some flowers now!”

Check out “Flowers” above.