Streaming services are the primary way a lot of people consume their media of choice, whether that be music or TV shows or movies. Not everybody is on board, though, and some of those who are have started to tire of it. Regular price increases and limited streaming libraries have some consumers returning to physical media — vinyl, CDs, 4Ks — preferring objects they can hold and own over streaming options that can vanish at any time.
Companies are more than happy to support this wave: Whatever you might be into, each month brings a slew of new releases that has something for everybody. Some stand out above the rest, naturally, so check out some of our favorite physical media releases of July below.
I’ll Remind You of Everything: The Films of Mike Mills
I had a realization when going through the new, fantastic Criterion box set of Mike Mills films: Mike Mills is the filmmaker who most speaks to my heart. I just get this feeling when watching his excellent films collected here — Beginners, 20th Century Women, C’mon C’mon — that I might burst into tears at any moment. And then I do. And then I cry again when describing the movies to my wife. I think it boils down to his central thesis, which titles the set and is the final line of his most recent film: I’ll Remind You of Everything.
It’s an idea that is present in all three movies but is most succinctly summed up by the conclusion of C’mon C’mon. That we have to remind each other of the important memories before they slip away, that it is through the retelling of our own stories and our family histories that things get codified and buoyed. And for anyone that has had or is around children, the need to do this, to preserve moments in something stronger and more permanent than our own mind, becomes all the more necessary. The things that shape us are important, and we shouldn’t let them just waste away and be forgotten.
Anyway, as you can see, it was a great pleasure revisiting these films this month, and the Criterion set does exactly what the film’s thesis suggests: it surrounds the movies in the kind of amber they deserve, to sit among the great films of our time and be shared far and wide. The stories are humble — a father coming out of the closet late in life while his son reckons with their relationship, a mother raising a boy alone so she enlists the help of a community of misfits, a man caring for his nephew at a pivotal moment in both their lives. But the emotions contained within them are anything but that, as Mills borrows from his own life to hit on big universal truths on what it means to love and to be loved.
Along with the feature films are some shorts, including Mills’ companion piece to The National’s album I Am Easy To Find, and a lovely book featuring the writing of Joachim Trier and an interview with Mills. This is not just one of the best pieces of physical media this month, but an essential piece for all film fans, and something I’ll be revisiting for as long as I can.
Get it here.
Charli XCX – Music, Fashion, Film: B-Sides Box Set
With releases like Charli XCX’s great new Music, Fashion, Film album, the question isn’t whether there’s a great physical media option — it’s which one to choose. For me, I struck out trying to buy the limited edition Vertigo Vinyl edition, but such is life, as there were plenty of other cool options like exclusives for Target, Barnes & Noble, Urban Outfitters, and Spotify, as well as signed editions and even alternate packaging choices.
But sometimes good things come to those who wait, as the B-Sides Box Set might be the cream of the crop. You get the album on 180-gram vinyl plus three 7-inch singles for “Rock Music,” “SS26,” and “Camera” along with the only current physical options for their respective B-sides (hence the name of the set). You also get a 48-page book with tons of never-before-seen photos from the album’s creation, a poster, a postcard, and a sick embossed box set with custom tissue paper. It’s really a lovely set that feels definitive to this era for Charli. But honestly, when an album is this good, you can’t really go wrong with how you add it to your physical media collection.
Get it here.
Scarface – The Diary
It’s hard to have a discussion about ’90s rap without including Scarface’s landmark The Diary. Bolstered by classics “No Tears” and “I Seen A Man Die,” these vinyl reissues come as part of the 40th anniversary celebration of Rap-A-Lot Records and offer the newly unearthed Scarface recording, “Ease Up Now.”
There is absolutely no skimping on the amount of variants here, with more than a handful of options available. We got our hands on the gorgeous red vinyl copy, but there is also a gatefold Get On Down edition, an HHV version for international fans, a Coalmine picture disc, and, of course, standard black. Regardless of which one you choose, you’re winding up with one of the greatest rap albums ever made.
Get it here.
Geto Boys – We Can’t Be Stopped
While we’re celebrating the 40th birthday of Rap-A-Lot Records, let’s also highlight Geto Boys’ 1991 classic We Can’t Be Stopped, another of the stone-cold classics put out by the label. The group, which featured Scarface, Willie D, and Bushwick Bill, is synonymous with Southern hip-hop, and these reissues give younger rap fans and collectors a chance to own this album in pristine formats.
In terms of variants, there’s a gorgeous metallic blue that we got, along with most of the same options we highlighted with the Scarface LP above. But there is also the addition of a Splatter Variant that’s available only to Houston retailers, a nod to the group’s hometown that will give fans in the region something special to call their own. All in all, this is a very cool reissue initiative that’s giving some of rap’s most important albums the shine they deserve.
Get it here.
The Band – Music From Big Pink
I hope this isn’t underscoring my own ignorance, but I recently watched The Last Waltz for the first time. I know, I KNOW. But yeah, it is absolutely one of the most impressive concert films ever made, and has led to something I’m personally calling The Band Summer.
Fortunately, I don’t have to celebrate this period alone. UMe’s Vinylphile series is putting out The Band’s debut album, Music From Big Pink, as one of the latest offerings from their impressive series. The album was remastered by Joe Nino-Hernes and pressed at RTI on 180-gram black vinyl. It comes in tip-on wrapped gatefold jackets with a satin matte finish, printed on clay-coated board with archival poly sleeves and four-panel inserts featuring newly commissioned liner notes from Rick Florino. If you speak the language of vinyl aficionados, you’re probably already clicking the buy link. It was cut completely analog from the 1968 original album master, ensuring that you are hearing the album as it was intended. Happy The Band Summer to all.
Get it here.
D’Angelo – Brown Sugar
UMe’s Vinylphile series is also welcoming another classic debut to the fold with the addition of D’Angelo’s iconic Brown Sugar. The world lost a titan when D’Angelo passed away last October, as he left behind only three full-length albums, but they stand as three acclaimed, beloved works. This new edition of his first album can serve as a fitting tribute to his greatness as it joins the ranks of many other great albums in the series.
This 2LP edition features new liner notes from USC Thornton School of Music Dean Jason King, while the album received a unique all-analog mastering that does away with the digital assembling that took place in 1995. Instead — pushes vinyl nerd glasses up nose — new all-analog, machine-to-machine ½” 30 IPS production masters were created for each album side directly from the songs’ original individual analog mix reels. Those newly created tapes were then used by Nino-Hernes to cut the lacquers. This first-time, all-analog pressing ensures this edition sounds majestic.
Get it here.
Cat Power – The Greatest
I was looking at my concert calendar recently and noticed that Cat Power was going to be supporting Lucy Dacus at the Hollywood Bowl this September, which feels like an elite pairing. It is the final date of a tour that finds the songwriter honoring the 20th anniversary of one of her great albums, conveniently titled The Greatest, by performing the album in its entirety. Cat Power has many classics in her repertoire, but this is a singular record, recorded in Memphis using people who had collaborated with Al Green and Booker T to infuse her songwriting with their signature sound.
In honor of the record’s birthday, Matador Records put out a fresh new vinyl, pressed on pink vinyl to match a limited reprinting of the original pink foil cover. It’s a great way to either experience the album for the first time or fall back in love with it. And then catch her on tour this fall for this rare chance to hear the album live and in person.
Get it here.
Hot Chip – The Warning, Made In The Dark, and One Life Stand
Speaking of the Hollywood Bowl, there’s a great moment in the new season of Beef where Oscar Isaac’s character recalls seeing them with LCD Soundsystem at the Bowl being one of the greatest nights of his life (I was also there, and it was awesome). That connection continues later in the season when the band appears and performs with Isaac. It’s all very fun and serves as a reminder to just how good the band is and that they should be in the spotlight more often.
It’s great timing that Domino is reissuing the first three albums from Hot Chip on vinyl — The Warning, Made In The Dark, and One Life Stand. The trio of records provided their own arc as a band, with the breakthrough, the underappreciated follow-up, and the banger-filled third album telling a story of a band bringing tons of heart and emotion to the dancefloor. There are plenty of special attributes to the pressings, including Made In The Dark getting the gatefold treatment for the first time and The Warning receiving in-color cover art (appropriate for a record with a standout song literally called “Colors”). We recommend getting all three… and then continuing on to their more recent albums, which are also very good.
Get them here.
Marvin Gaye – Let’s Get It On
In this column, we highlight several series of pristine, elevated reissues, and Interscope-Capitol’s Definitive Sound Series is one of our favorites. Recent months have seen everything from Beck’s Morning Phase to R.E.M.’s Murmur added to the series. This month gets another great title joining the club: maybe the most sensual album ever released, Marvin Gaye’s Let’s Get It On.
In this limited-edition AAA 180g high-definition vinyl One Step pressing, the album has been mastered by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering from the original analog master tapes. This series numbers their releases and caps them at 3,000, ensuring the kind of scarcity that collectors live for, and they’re housed in a thick case that stands out beautifully on a vinyl shelf. There’s even a certificate of authenticity detailing the mastering, plating, and pressing chain. It’s an album primed for a romantic evening, that’s probably seen as many date-night spins as any other album in history.
Get it here.
The Devil Wears Prada 2 4K
When The Devil Wears Prada 2 was announced, I feel like there was a lot of skepticism about how good it would be, after a nearly 20-year break between movies and the legacy of comedy sequels being decidedly mixed. Which made the actual reception of the film all the more warm, as the movie not only proved a worthy successor, but managed to feel necessary to the times we’re living in, where media has lost much power in fashion and other industries and is forced to compromise long-held traditions in the name of survival. Somehow the movie tackles this without feeling overly bleak, with its core four characters still serving the laughs you’d expect from a comedy.
Disney now offers the film in 4K with a bunch of special features, including featurettes on location filming in Italy and the costuming, a music video from Lady Gaga and Doechii, interviews about the legacy of the first film, and, most importantly, a blooper gag reel. Please, everyone: We! Want! More! Bloopers!!! There’s also audio commentary from director David Frankel, writer Aline Brosh McKenna, and costume designer Molly Rogers. In a year where Anne Hathaway is starring in seemingly dozens of movies, this return to one of her most iconic characters proved to be welcome.
Get it here.
Suki Waterhouse – Loveland
For Suki Waterhouse’s major label debut and third full-length, Loveland, the vinyl release of the album does something we, honestly, haven’t really seen before. The gatefold packaging for the record doubles as a board game, made to be played in conjunction with listening to the album and playing off the album’s title. Honestly, we love how this highlights the communal aspect of physical media, and how listening to a record with others is an ideal way to experience music. Gamifying the listening only makes the experience more fun.
To play, you need dice and pieces (fortunately, Suki is offering both at her store), and the game unfolds as the album plays. Most of the prompts are in the spirit of getting to know each other, being honest and vulnerable, which in turn speaks to what Suki is trying to do as an artist. You share childhood memories or deep-seated desires, taking in as much from your fellow players as you’re giving pieces of yourself. It’s a pretty fun concept that makes it one of the more unique physical media releases of late.
Get it here.
Paul McCartney – The Boys of Dungeon Lane
It’s not every day that one of the most important musicians of all time releases new music into the world. When you’ve written songs like “Blackbird” and “Let It Be,” adding music to your catalog and legacy is major, with fans tuning in to see Macca capture the magic once again and show just where he’s at musically in the year 2026.
In honor of the release, the music legend has offered up several vinyl versions of the new collection, including an artist store exclusive blue vinyl and a picture disc. And from other retailers, purple, pink, and red are all on the table. But even if you opt for the classic black edition, the music will still be served with an intentional listen. Paul McCartney has been gracing the world with his songwriting for more than 60 years (a crazy sentence), and it is wild that he still can make new releases that feel this essential.
Get it here.
The Waterboys – Atlantic Rain-The Lost Fisherman’s Blues Recordings
Mike Scott’s rock group The Waterboys has been active since the early ’80s, and as with any act that’s been around that long, the amount of music released only tells part of the story. This is especially true of The Waterboys, whose sessions for Fisherman’s Blues from 1986-88 resulted in 400 multi-track reels of music, many running at half-speed so that more could be recorded without having to change tapes. Scott recently spent time going through these sessions and the result is a new release of standouts.
Atlantic Rain-The Lost Fisherman’s Blues Recordings comes as a 3LP set and features a number of never-before-heard originals along with covers from the likes of Bob Dylan, Hank Williams, Woody Guthrie, and Willie Nelson. This will surely be a treat for fans of The Waterboys, but the collection is strong enough for new fans to be born.
Get it here.
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