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 the best vinyl releases that has something for everybody. Some stand out above the rest, naturally, so check out some of the best vinyl releases of May below.
Grateful Dead — VMP Anthology: The Story Of The Grateful Dead
The story of the Grateful Dead is one of music history’s finest, and it’s one Vinyl Me, Please tells with their expansive new box set. The 8-album collection includes four classic studio albums and four live records, all pressed on colored 180-gram vinyl, and includes liner notes and other goodies that will both please season Deadheads and create some new ones.
Get it here.
Fiona Apple — When The Pawn… (Reissue)
Speaking of Vinyl Me, Please, the record purveyors, have done something special: Fiona Apple’s esteemed sophomore album, When The Pawn…, never found its way onto vinyl, but is now available as an honest-to-goodness record. Apple and the Vinyl Me, Please team even worked on new artwork for the release.
Get it here.
Whitney Houston — Whitney Houston (Reissue)
Vinyl Me, Please was on fire this month. In addition to all the above, they have also dropped a deluxe 35th anniversary rerelease of Whitney Houston’s self-titled debut album. Aside from the record itself (pressed on peaches and cream vinyl), this edition comes with an exclusive 40-page hardcover book about the album.
Get it here.
Ariel Pink — The Doldrums, Worn Copy, and House Arrest (Reissues)
Ariel Pink is in the midst of his “Ariel Archives” series, which looks back at his career as Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti. His latest dispatch includes a trio of his finest albums, each of which have been restored from their original cassette masters.
Get it here.
Wild Nothing — Gemini (Reissue)
Wild Nothing was established as a key indie act of the 2010s with Gemini, and as the record celebrates its tenth birthday, it is getting a lovely vinyl rerelease. This edition of the album is pressed on translucent sea blue vinyl and includes a limited edition silkscreened jacket, liner notes, and a bonus poster.
Get it here.
John Carpenter — The Thing (Reissue) and Lost Cues: The Thing
John Carpenter is one of horror’s most beloved filmmakers and composers, and one of his most storied creations, The Thing, has been honored on a pair of vinyl releases. One is a reissue of the classic score, and the other features unreleased musical cues from the film’s score.
Get it here.
Fall Out Boy — Believers Never Die — Greatest Hits
Fall Out Boy was one of the preeminent pop-punk groups of the 2000s, and that legacy was honored on their 2009 compilation album, Believers Never Die — Greatest Hits. Now that release has gotten a new vinyl edition (its first vinyl edition, actually), pressed on neon yellow vinyl.
Get it here.
Redd Kross — Phaseshifter and Show World
Beloved in alternative rock circles, Redd Kross have only put out a handful of albums since their 1982 debut. Now, two of their ’90s releases are getting a special reissue via Jack White’s Third Man Records, which will represent the first-ever North American vinyl pressings of these two albums.
Moses Sumney — Grae
While now, in Sumney’s own words, “feels like an absolutely insane and futile time to be releasing and promoting music,” he has a tremendous new batch of it that deserves to be heard. The musician’s lush new album, Grae, is available in a couple of different black-and-white vinyl editions, both of which ought to serve the sonically rich release well.
Get it here.
Joy Division — Closer (Reissue)
It’s been 40 years since Joy Divison released their iconic final album, Closer, and now it’s getting a special anniversary rerelease. In addition to a new edition of the album, a trio of non-album singles — “Love Will Tear Us Apart,” “Transmission,” and “Atmosphere” — are also getting the reissue treatment, as 12-inch singles.
Get it here.
Yo La Tengo — Electr-O-Pura (Reissue)
It has been 25 years since indie legends Yo La Tengo dropped Electr-O-Pura, and now their label home, Matador, is honoring that with a special reissue of the record. The latest release in Matador’s “Revisionist History” series, this edition of Electr-O-Pura arrives as a 2-LP set, which was cut from the album’s original master.
Get it here.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. .
