news
november 2011

12.19.11
i certainly wouldn't call it a holiday miracle or anything, but we FINALLY have the krank157 A Winged Victory for the Sullen vinyl LP in stock and ready to ship. an utterly ridiculous series of events made this the most lengthy and frustrating manufacturing process we have ever suffered through. please go to the catalog page to get your copy now. thank you.

11.28.11
VINYL NEWS: we finally have the Tim Hecker-Dropped Pianos title available on vinyl and ready to ship, order away at our catalog page.

11.15.11
vinyl update: we finally have some belated good news regarding the krank161 Tim Hecker-Dropped Pianos LP and the krank157 A Winged Victory For the Sullen LP. the former should be available in the next two weeks, we will put it up for sale as soon as it is available. the latter may be a month away, but at least we know that it will be pressed in the near future.

11.06.11
it is with great pleasure that we release the first proper solo album from Emeralds member Steve Hauschildt. krank160 Tragedy & Geometry is a gorgeous, flowing, free floating world of post-kosmische musik. spin magazine said in a preview "It's a visceral display of synth prowess that makes exhilarating use of contrasting textures and subtle dynamics." official release date is 11.14.11, but you can order direct from the ever efficient kranky mail order department now on the CD and 2LP formats, and we will start sending out orders on wednesday the 9th.

10.18.11
yet another special day arrives on 10.24.11 as that is the official release date for krank159 Christina Vantzou-No.1 CD. being one half of the sorely missed The Dead Texan, her solo debut is an instant classic of neo-classical minimalism, recorded in conjunction with the Magik*Magik Orchestra, and full of mournful melancholy melodies that will thrill fans of Stars of the Lid and Dead Texan. you can order direct from us here and we will start mailing out copies immediately, and you can order digital copies on or about the release date from your favorite digital retailer.

10.10.11
due to the endless production delays with the krank157 A Winged Victory For the Sullen vinyl LP, we have canceled and refunded all pre-orders since we still do not have an estimated arrival date at this time. so instead of fielding endless questions and refund requests one by one, we thought it best to do this now and anyone still interested when we get finished copies can reorder it then. we apologize for this comedy of errors, trust us, it has been and continues to be anything less than ulcer inducing.

09.26.11
now available for pre-order, krank161 Tim Hecker-Dropped Pianos is an extended play of sketch pieces recorded in preparation for the critically accliamed Ravedeath, 1972 album. fascinating simply as a peek into the working process, that these pieces stand on their own as compelling soundworks is a testament to Tim Hecker's supreme talent. pre-orders available now, although not for the vinyl as we are currently unsure of arrival date. we will start mailing copies the first week of october.

09.23.11
the new Charalambides album is set for release on 10.03.11, and we will start shipping out mail order copies this coming wednesday the 28th. it's their first new album in 5 years, and may be their deepest listen yet. you can get yours directly via our ever efficient mail order department here.

09.17.11
disaster has befallen the krank157 vinyl LP and at this point we have no idea if or when we will have finished copies. we took pre-orders on the basis of some assurances that finished copies would be here now, but that has not happened. we will stop taking pre-orders for now, and anyone who wants a refund for an order already placed should send an email to Send email and request it and we will oblige. news updated as soon as we have any.

09.07.11
endless delays have befallen the A Winged Victory For the Sullen krank157 vinyl LP. we thought it would arrive this week, but alas it did not happen and it looks like another two weeks will pass before it does arrive. we will still take pre-orders for this item, but be aware that an actual ship date is not available at this time. sorry for any disappointment.

08.15.11
PRE-ORDER!!! we now have available for pre-order the debut self-titled release from A Winged Victory For the Sullen. AWVFTS is the collaboration between Adam Wiltzie (Stars of the Lid, Dead Texan, Aix Em Klemm) and pianist/composer Duston O'Halloran (albums on FatCat, Bella Union, Filter...). Stunningly gorgeous miniature symphonies composed of piano and guitar with orchestral accompaniment that fans of either member's work will be thrilled with. release date is september 12th, all pre-orders will be mailed the week before that date. this title is available in europe from the Erased Tapes label.

07.31.11
after being unavailable for various lengths of time, we have repressed all four Low vinyl titles and they are now available for mail order. click on the "catalog" link at the top of the page to order via paypal.

07.11.11
just a quick note to say that the kranky offices will be closed from july 18th through july 22nd and that no mail orders will ship during this period. you may still place orders during this week, but they will not be mailed until monday july 25th. thank you.

04.28.11
some good news on the vinyl front, we have both the krank154 Tim Hecker-Ravedeath, 1972 2LP and the krank059 Stars of the Lid-Avec Laudenum LP back in stock on vinyl.

04.10.11
our final release of the spring bursts forth in the form of the debut album from chicago quartet Implodes, fittingly entitled Black Earth. it's dense, heavy and darkly beautiful. for more waxing poetic, Stereogum had a lovely preview a while back. the official release date is 04.20.11, but we start shipping mail order copies on monday the 11th, order here.

03.13.11
NOW AVAILABLE! It has been a long five years since Belong released their debut album October Language, but that time has been well spent painstakingly assembling their stunning new Common Era album. Trebuchet Magazine had this to say in reviewing the album: "Though I'd have a hard time explaining precisely why, there's something stunning about Common Era, amazing considering its constituent parts. Though essentially simple, this album is not only effective, but highly affecting, incorporating moments of heavenly beauty and crushing weight into a masterful experiment in melody."

official release date is 03.21.11 but we start shipping mail orders on monday the 14th, so get yours here now.

02.23.11
we FINALLY received our shipment of Tim Hecker vinyl today. however, we have such a backlog of mail orders that it will take a few days to get that cleared up. all orders should be in the mail by monday at the latest and hopefully by end of the day friday the 25th. thank you for your patience.

02.07.11
it is with genuine pleasure that we release Ravedeath, 1972, the third kranky album from Tim Hecker, one of the giants in the world of electronic (for lack of a more accurate reductivist moniker) sound. the CD version is ready for immediate purchase and shipping via paypal from our ever efficient mail order department, and the digital version will be available from your favorite retailer next week.

the vinyl version has been delayed, but we hope to have that ready to ship in two weeks, updates forthcoming. if you would like to pre-order the vinyl 2LP version, you can do so here and we will ship as soon as we get it in the warehouse. PLEASE do not pre-order the vinyl with any other item, if you would like to order something else in addition to the new Tim Hecker on vinyl, please do so in a separate order so we can ship those items immediately. sorry for any confusion.

01.09.11
for immediate release: the new Disappears album Guider is ready to ship for mail order customers ahead of the official 01.17.11 release date. The Stranger had this to say about the first album Lux, and it applies to the new one also: "Really, there isn't anything shockingly new about the band's sound; they just sound better than 99% of the bands out there. The balance of distortion, delay, reverb, and tremolo permeating this record is the kind of alchemy a musician can spend his whole life trying to master." yup, that about sums it up. go to the catalog page to get yours, we start shipping monday the 10th.

12.21.10
we FINALLY have the new krank152 Pan•American-For Waiting, For Chasing in stock on the vinyl LP format. we have never had such a hard time with production of any title in our entire existence. it's available NOW via paypal here.

12.12.10
we have news about new releases in the new year!

krank151 Guider is the second studio album from chicago quartet Disappears and will see release on LP / CD / digital on the 17th of january. Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune had this to say about their first album Lux in his best of 2010 post this week: "A freight train of swarming guitars riding relentless beats, and vocals that manage to stay deadpan even as all hell is breaking loose. The production is border-line anarchic, murky and foreboding. If you're a stickler for cleanliness, stay away."

following that will be the krank154 Tim Hecker-Ravedeath, 1972 album which will be available on 2LP / CD / digital on february 14th. recorded this fall in a church in Iceland with comrade Ben Frost assisting, not to be missed.

the final bit of info for the moment is the krank155 Belong-Common Era LP / CD / digital which will be unleashed on march 21st. it has been five years since this new orleans duo has delivered an album, and this will be a revelation for fans and newcomers alike.

there are a few more spring and summed releases in the works, more info to come.

12.06.10
just a quick note to let you know that we have the Atlas Sound-Let the Blind... 2LP set back in stock and ready for purchase. more news on upcoming releases soon...

11.17.10
kranky wear back in stock! we now have all the current sizes/slogans/styles back in stock and ready for shipment. and it's that time of year to start bundling up, so our classic Hanes heavy duty hoodies might be the smart seasonal choice as well as the perfect holiday gift. if you look to the right and down you will see the link leading you to descriptions and paypal ordering links.

11.07.10
our final release of this calendar year is the first u.s. issue of the Pan•American-For Waiting, For Chasing album originally issued by the german Mosz label in 2006. some nice words from an XLR8R review upon the initial release, wherein they gave it that rarest of ratings 10/10: "A captivating long-player that defies the archetypal ambient template. There is some thoroughly mystical programming and an array of acoustic instruments at work here, making this is by far Pan•American's most inspired and complex effort."

this is also going to be the first LP release of this album, but there has been a series of disasters in the vinyl production and that has been delayed. we hope to have that ready in a few weeks, so keep an eye on this space for news. mail orders for the CD version start shipping on monday the 8th, you can get a copy by heading to the catalog page.

11.02.10
the fantabulous Low will be doing a brief Christmas tour which will showcase songs from their classic holiday album as well as hits old and new.

the dates:
Sat 11/27/10 Cedar Cultural Center Minneapolis MN
Fri 12/10/10 The Tractor Tavern Seattle WA
Sat 12/11/10 Mississippi Studios Portland OR
Tue 12/14/10 Great American Music Hall San Francisco CA
Wed 12/15/10 Spaceland Los Angeles CA
Fri 12/17/10 Kilby Court Salt Lake City UT
Sat 12/18/10 Larimer Lounge Denver CO

and of course you can purchase their Christmas album at our catalog page, including on the vinyl format for the first time.

10.23.10
a quick little update to let you know that we have the Deerhunter-Microcastle/Weird Era Cont. double vinyl LP back in stock and ready to ship.

same goes for the Lichens-Omns CD/DVD set, which has been unavailable for quite some time here.

10.18.10
it's always a supreme pleasure and honor to release any new sounds from the two gentlemen in Stars of the Lid, in this case Brian McBride's new album, The Effective Disconnect. these compositions were assembled as the soundtrack to the film "Vanishing of the Bees," but they are just as powerful without the visuals attached. Boomkat has this to say: "McBride's remarkable slow-motion orchestration remains a powerful force - something that's much imitated by the current generation of ambient and modern classical artists. There's nothing quite like the real thing though."

as a double bonus kind of release day, we also now have for the first time on vinyl LP Low's holiday classic Christmas release. now we aren't in the habit of listening to too much xmas music, except for some melancholy r&b classics, as most of it is simply saccharine, crass commercialism. but Low transcended the genre with this release, containing five originals and three covers, including the most amazing version of "Little Drummer Boy" you will ever hear. this comes in a gorgeous full gatefold jacket to boot.

official release date for these two is october 25th, but you can order now and we will begin shipping orders on tuesday the 19th.

10.04.10
we are as pleased as a cup of punch to release the third full length from one of the recent label stalwarts, Benoit Pioulard. Lasted shows Monsieur Pioulard in exceptionally fine form, offering a unique combination of acoustic balladry, field recordings, fuzzed out drone-ology and haunted soundspace. official release date is october 11, but we will start shipping mail order copies on monday october 4 so order away.

09.04.10
monday the 6th sees the release of the third Boduf Songs full length. something new here is the judicious use of electric guitar and some stomping bass and drums on a few tracks, which perfectly augment Mat Sweet's trademark understated compositions. this release will be available here from us on the vinyl LP format only, as well as from your preferred digital outlet.

08.09.10
today being the magic number day of 8-9-10, we figured we would provide a long overdue update on news here.

firstly, we will be CLOSED for the week of august 22-28 for a much needed rest. NO MAIL ORDERS WILL GO OUT THIS DURING THIS WEEK! you are welcome to order items from our website, just be aware that they will not be mailed until monday the 30th at the earliest.

in more interesting news, our first fall release is soon to hit the pavement, on september 6th to be precise. krank144 Boduf Songs-This Alone Above All Else In Spite Of Everything is the third full length release from Mr. Boduf and he drops a few surprises in to keep everyone alert. this will be available on the vinyl LP and digital formats only, and we will begin shipping mail order copies purchased at our website a week before release date.

after that will come new releases from Benoit Pioulard, Brian McBride, as well as the first u.s. and first vinyl issue of the Pan•American-For Waiting, For Chasing album, and the first vinyl issue of the Low-Christmas album. stay tuned for more details...

05.20.10
on their recent tour, disappears stopped by radio k in minneapolis and played a few new songs. stream the session here.

04.08.10
our good friends in godspeed you ! black emperor have something to say

04.03.10
Our final spring 2010 release is about to be unleashed on a suspecting world. The Disappears-Lux might be the hardest rocking thing we have ever done, but it still fits in with the kranky aesthetic, because at the core it is minimalist head music. they will be on the road quite a bit in the next few months, check the events page for updates and go see them in person as they do not disappoint in the live setting. we start shipping mail order copies on monday the 5th, so go get yours now at the catalog page.

03.24.10
finally! a whole slew of people have been asking about men's t-shirts for a while, and we now have a trustworthy supplier and should no longer have much trouble keeping them in stock. and u.s. customers can get one delivered to your door for the low low price of only $13 postpaid! cheap!

as an added bonus, we now have hoodies! for the moment these only come in men's sizes S, M and L in the pullover style, high quality, heavy duty Hanes shirts.

we don't really make any money off of the sales of these items, we cover the cost of having them printed and add postage and that's it. we figure if you are willing to sport the kranky logo, we are glad to subsidize that noble idea.

03.21.10
we just got the debut Ken Camden album in stock on vinyl, and it's what we want, just when you need it. in a short blurb last week on the Vice website, they state: "Ken Camden's 'Raagini Robot' sounds a bit like how automotons will probably try and re-interpret Kraftwerk in 100 years time." ummm... okay, a bit obtuse but it should get your music glands salivating. available now at the catalog page on vinyl ONLY and from your preferred digital retailer next week.

03.14.10
our good friends Felix recently did a live session in Wales for the doublesixclub.tv website, and it's pretty amazing. a great recording space, outstanding production values, and of course the extraordinary talent of the group make this a must-watch. three songs are available to watch here including an all new track, Oh Thee 73, that just slays.

03.09.10
we finally have the new Jonas Reinhardt album ready for purchase. we're a few days late with this one as we have had the proverbial nightmare with the vinyl LP production, but we should be receiving that on thursday this week and will start mailing copies that day, so we are ready to roll. CD orders will start mailing immediately. so go here now to get yours.

02.21.10
the first of our 2010 releases is now available for mail order, we start shipping tomorrow. krank141 loscil-Endless Falls is everything you have come to expect from Scott Morgan and more, and for the first time ever for a loscil release you can purchase this on the vinyl format in the form of a gatefold jacketed 2LP set. sweet...

go to our catalog page to order.

01.15.10
ahhh... 2010 is here, hard to believe. but it's a positive thing for the enlightened music fan who patrols this somewhat obscure site looking for news, and good news there is in the form of fresh information on some of our spring 2010 releases.

on march 1st we will release Endless Falls, the fifth album from longtime kranky kompatriot Scott Morgan under the loscil moniker. since his first album Triple Point was released on kranky in late 2001, Scott has built a strong following for his distinct sound that blurs the lines between modern classical, minimal techno, ambient and whatever other less than ideal tags you want to attach to his sonic creations. of special note is a guest vocal appearance from Daniel Bejar of Destroyer on the final track, a first for any loscil work. this will also be the first time a loscil album has been released on vinyl, a double LP package with two extra tracks not appearing on any digital version. Scott's most recent release was the Strathcona Variations EP on the Ghostly International label, a digital* only title that is certainly worthy of your attention. we will start taking orders and shipping copies of Endless Falls a week before release date.

come march 15th, kranky issues the second Jonas Reinhardt full length, Powers of Audition. the instrumentation from his debut album expands here to include acoustic drum patterns, guitars, and woodwinds alongside synthesizers and electronics, and gives you a better idea of what his live shows the last few years have been about. don't worry, there is still the heavy krautrock vibe that made his first album so memorable. this album will be available for mail order about a week before release date right here, on both the CD and single LP formats, as well as being available on release date from your preferred digital* retailer.

march is a busy month for us and it ends with the debut from chicago artist Ken Camden on march 29th. Lethargy & Repercussion is an expansive meditation at the outer edges of what can be done with one person playing a guitar live. he layers his fretwork in instrumental compositions that seamlessly meld elements of modern composition, kosmische musik, eastern modal themes and academic electronic works; in other words, a good amount of the things we love here at kranky. Robert Fripp meets Raymond Scott? god we hate those musical equations as much as anyone, but we figured we would give you some vague, succinct hint of what happens here as you will find little mention of Ken's name via google. this release will be a first for kranky as it is being made available only on the vinyl LP and digital* formats.

our final spring release will be Disappears' Lux, the debut studio album by chicago's finest working rock band, unleashed on april 12th. this quartet draws on a combined reverence for reverb, heavy tremolo, distortion, delay and repetition, playing minimal rock music inspired by krautrock, punk rock, the mid 80's New Zealand scene, and a bit of everything in between. think four chords. think switchblades. think three chords. think black boots. crikey, think only one chord for the title track! in other words, it'll kick your musical ass. lovingly offered on the LP and CD formats and via teh internets from your favored digital* supplier.

*and we don't mean an unauthorized download kids, please have mercy on us and the artists. no one is getting rich here, and we treat our artists more than fairly, you can ask any of them you happen to run across. there is no moral argument to be made regarding taking something you do not own.