Welcome to another edition of "Please Release Me," in which your Idolators request—nay beg—that an out-of-print, delayed or held-up-in-customs album be issued Stateside:

Artist: Siobhan Donaghy
Hometown: United Kingdom
Albums: Ghosts, out June 2007
What is it?: The second solo album from this ex-Sugababe (who, in the group's earliest press, was dubbed "the indie one") will, according to her claims, be influenced by Brian Eno, the Cocteau Twins, and Kate Bush; from what we've heard, Donaghy's put a pop spin on those influences that's at once delightful (because it sounds so good) and chilling (because it sounds kinda gloomy).
Where is it?: We're going to start beating the drum for this album to come out Stateside now, if only because we remember the long lag time between the UK and US releases of One Touch all too well. "Don't Give It Up" was released in the UK yesterday, and our attempt to purchase a legit copy from the iTunes Store this afternoon ended with our 99 cents staying in our pocket. (We have a low-bitrate MP3 that we're on the verge of wearing out, so if you have a higher-quality version, you know what to do.) Today, arjanwrites released an MP3 of the track "Sometimes," which incorporates a shutting-down jet engine into its dreamy swirl, and that only served to whet our appetite further.

Siobhan Donaghy - Sometimes [MP3, link expired; via arjanwrites]
Siobhan Donaghy - Don't Give It Up [YouTube]
Siobhan Donaghy [MySpace]

Welcome to another edition of "Please Release Me," in which your Idolators request—nay beg—that an out-of-print, delayed or held-up-in-customs album be issued Stateside:

Artist: Charlotte Hatherley
Hometown: United Kingdom
Albums: Grey Will Fade, 2004; The Deep Blue, 2007
What is it?: A lightning-flashy guitarist who added her six-string skills to Ash when she was 17, Hatherley released her first solo album, the powerpoppy Grey Will Fade, in 2004, while she was still a member of the band. In 2006, she went solo; a year later, she released The Deep Blue on her own label, Little Sister Records.
Where is it?: We've written about Hatherley a couple of times already; since then, we've become even more infatuated with her smart, spunky music, which sounds tailor-made for any budding guitar heroine who's bothered by the gender imbalance in Guitar Hero. The albums' import-only status, though, means that they're both priced over $30 for Stateside customers. Surely there's a label out there who wants to pick up the Little Sister catalog for release on this side of the pond?

Charlotte Hatherley - Very Young [MP3, link expired]
Charlotte Hatherley - Behave [MP3, link expired]
Charlotte Hatherley [MySpace]
Earlier: Idolator Luvs Charlotte Hatherley

Artist: Isolée
Hometown: Frankfurt, Germany
Album: We Are Monster, 2005
What is it?: Isolée is actually Rajko Müller, a German producer who specializes in melodic electronic pop that's muscular but never assaultive. We Are Monster is his second album, and in all likelihood, you'll want to pony up for it once you get a listen of the twisty "Schrapnell."
Where is it?: Though easy to hunt down at speciality shops and online, Monster has yet to receive an official stateside release—a strange fate, as it was championed by numerous music publications upon its release.

Isolée - Schrapnell [MP3, link expired]
Isolée - Enrico [MP3, link expired]

Welcome to another edition of "Please Release Me," in which your Idolators request—nay beg—that an out-of-print, delayed or held-up-in-customs album be issued Stateside:

Artist: Seaweed
Hometown: Tacoma, Wash.
Album: Weak (1992)
What is it?: After signing to Sub Pop, the Northwest punk outfit Seaweed hooked up with Jack Endino to record Weak, a fine piece of slightly grungy punk that clocks in at just under half an hour. It's full of crunchy guitar and instantly catchy songs, and frontman Aaron Stauffer's vocals are just the right blend of blasé and impassioned.
Where is it?: When the almost-surfy "Squint" came up on our iTunes shuffle earlier, we decided that a few tracks from Weak would serve as fine fodder for The Vault—until we went to the album's page on subpop.com, which has no information on how to actually acquire it. (Amazon and Froogle searches also turned up used copies, and nothing else.) What gives, guys? Surely some of that Shins cash that's coming in can be reappropriated for a small repressing of this early-'90s gem.

Seaweed - New Tools [MP3, link expired]
Seaweed - Shut Up! [MP3, link expired]
Seaweed - Squint [MP3, link expired]
Seaweed [MySpace]

Welcome to another edition of "Please Release Me," in which your Idolators request—nay beg—that an out-of-print, delayed or held-up-in-customs album be issued Stateside:

Artist: The Traveling Wilburys
Hometown: Everywhere. They traveled!
Albums: Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 (1988); Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3 (1990)
What is it?: We're pretty certain you already know this, but the Wilburys were a semi-jokey supergroup featuring Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Roy Orbison, George Harrison, and Jeff Lynne. Vol. 1 was an unexpected hit upon its release, thanks in no small part to "Handle With Care," surely the last MTV hit to feature five not-particularly-foxy old dudes singing about day-care centers and night schools. Vol. 3 was recorded after Orbison's death, and while there are a handful of good tracks, the Wilburys were clearly never going to work as a full-fledged group.
Where is it?: Amazingly, more than a year since Jenny Lewis' unfortunately yupped-out sing-along cover of "Handle," these albums are still out of print, thanks to rights issues (our copies are Russian-produced bootlegs). Jeff Lynne recently told Q magazine that a box set is in the works, but whomever's in charge of it better get hustling, as the albums' over-40 demo is only a few months away from learning how to use Oink.

The Traveling Wilburys - End Of The Line [MP3, link expired]
The Traveling Wilburys - Not Alone Anymore [MP3, link expired]
The Traveling Wilburys - She's My Baby [MP3, link expired]
The Traveling Wilburys - Wilbury Twist [MP3, link expired]

Artist: BMX Bandits
Hometown: Bellshill, Lanarkshire, Scotland
Album: C86 Plus, 1992
What is it?: The Bandits, formed by Duglas Stewart c. 1985, never exactly seemed destined for long-term success. Stewart gave the band its name, taken from an early Nicole Kidman vehicle, because he was sure they'd disappear quickly. Though the Bandits counted among their ranks future members of Teenage Fanclub, The Soup Dragons, and Eugenius, they were denied entry onto the notorious NME-curated C86 mixtape, and responded by using the critic's-clique turned genre-classification as the title of their debut full-length. We don't know if the joke was still funny when the album actually hit shelves, but it didn't matter; roughly 2,157 other musical trends had since swept through the UK, and the Bandits' fey amateurism quietly disappeared, along with their record. A shame, really; Duglas Stewart's laconic Buddy Hollyisms on "Your Class" alone deserve a much wider audience than the collector crowd it currently entertains.
Where is it?: C86 was re-packaged in 1992 by Vinyl Japan, padding the original tracklist with 8 additional songs and gaining the new name C86 Plus. Included with the new material was the wonderful "Strawberry Sundae," a ebulliently sleazy ode to repressed sexuality (that might, we've been told by more than one source, also be code for staying at the ol' Red Roof Inn, if you know what we mean). More recently, Elefant seems to have taken a measure of control over distribution, but they too don't seem to be able to keep up with demand.

BMX Bandits - Your Class [MP3, link expired]
BMX Bandits - Strawberry Sundae [MP3, link expired]

Welcome to another edition of "Please Release Me," in which your Idolators request—nay beg—that an out-of-print, delayed or held-up-in-customs album be issued Stateside:

Artist: The 77s
Hometown: Sacramento, Calif.
Album: The 77s, 1987
What is it?: The 77s are one of the Christian rock acts of the '80s that few people seem to find embarrassing (check out the commenters here). Formed in 1979 as the Scratch Band, the 77s have resided on the outskirts of Christian contemporary music; aside from a video on 120 Minutes, they remain largely anonymous, even among the church-going crowd. This self-titled album was released on Island Records the same day as U2's The Joshua Tree, ensuring obscurity from day one, despite some tracks that resemble the Alarm more than Sandi Patti.
Where is it?: Like most of the Christian rock catalog that isn't by Amy Grant, nearly all The 77s' catalog is out of print, although this disc appeared in a now-unavailable 1995 box set. Now, we just need to find a Christian musician with some money to burn to start a vanity label and reissue this album, as well as some others lost to time. We're looking at you, dude from The Fray.

The 77s - The Lust, The Flesh, The Eyes, and The Pride of Life [MP3, link expired]
The 77s - Frames Without Photographs [MP3, link expired]
77s.com (Official site)

Artist: The Pointer Sisters
Hometown: Oakland, Ca.
Album: Steppin', 1975
What is it?: Released when the group was still a quartet—and long before its members became neutron-dancing MTV stars—Steppin' is a funk-soul find, one that's best described by Idolator commenter mackro: "[It's] probably the greatest R&B record that you can find easily for under a buck on vinyl (but no less than $50 on CD). The full version of 'How Long (Betcha Got A Chick On The Side)' slays almost anything that came near it in the groove department (and also is lyrically referenced by Missy Elliott circa 2000 or so.)"
Where is it?: Amazingly, this is only available as an import, and while it won't set you back as a fifty-spot, it's a shame that U.S. record stores aren't stockin' Steppin'.

UPDATE: Turns out it is available in the U.S., at the Hip-O-Select store. Thanks for the comment-section help!

The Pointer Sisters - How Long (Betcha' Got A Chick On The Side) [MP3, link expired]
The Pointer Sisters- Going Down Slowly [MP3, link expired]

Artist: Sugababes
Hometown: U.K.
Album: Overloaded: The Singles Collection, 2006
What is it?: We've babbled about the 'Babes before, but that was before the release of last fall's 14-track Overloaded collection, a primer six years' worth of Top 40 perfection.
Where is it?: Even though only one of the group's albums was released stateside, we're holding out hope that someone over here will give this best-of a shot in the U.S. You don't even have to admit the songs are old! Just repackage them as tweens, place a few cuts in High School Musical 2, and you're off!

Sugababes - Easy [MP3, link expired]
Sugababes - Hole In The Head [MP3, link expired]

Artist: The Raincoats
Hometown: London, UK
Album: The Raincoats (1979)/Odyshape (1981)/Moving (1984)/Looking In The Shadows (1996)
What is it?: The British post-punk foursome The Raincoats put out a string of loopy, gorgeous records in the late '70s and early '80s; Greil Marcus praised the band for "[trashing] every female stereotype in rock and roll" in Rolling Stone, and their gender-bending cover of The Kinks' "Lola" helped support that claim. Kurt Cobain's liner notes for the Nirvana B-sides compilation Incesticide began with a story about him trying to track down the band's first record, and his evangelism helped lead to first three Raincoats records being reissued in 1993. The Raincoats later regrouped, hitting the road with the likes of Liz Phair; they released Looking in 1996.
Where is it?: In the early 2000s, the Raincoats' first three albums were available through Geffen's low-price line, but they—and Looking—eventually fell out of print in the US. They're still available through Rough Trade in the UK—the label's even packaged all four as a bundle—but they haven't been re-reissued in the U.S., resulting in copies of the Raincoats' self-titled CD fetching $50 on Amazon.

The Raincoats - No Side To Fall In [MP3, link expired]
The Raincoats - Lola [MP3, link expired]
The Raincoats - Don't Be Mean [MP3, link expired]
The Raincoats [MySpace]

Welcome to another edition of "Please Release Me," in which your Idolators request—nay beg—that an out-of-print, delayed or held-up-in-customs album be issued Stateside:

Artist: International Pony
Hometown: Hamburg, Germany
Album: Mit Dir Sind Wir Vier, 2006
What is it?: Actually, considering that this was suggested by a reader—who describes this trio "Germany's answer to Daft Punk or Basement Jaxx"—we'll let him handle the description: "They do a bewitching mixture of house, techno, R&B, and electro-pop that I rank some of the best party music around. (Makes for good road-trip music, too.) Their most famous member is DJ Koze, affiliated with Cologne's minimal techno label Kompakt, but the Pony are way, way, WAY more fun. Mit Dir Sind Wir Vier is almost like a more electronic Phoenix, with R&B overtones. Or something."
Where is it?: Released in September, Mit is only available in Germany. Though we expect "Gothic Girl" to find an audience among disaffected, dance-happy teens soon:

International Pony - Gothic Girl [MP3, link expired]
International Pony - Solid Gold (The Lost Version) [MP3, link expired]
International Pony [Official Site]

Artist: Denim
Hometown: The UK
Album: Back In Denim, 1992
What is it?: After disbanding his famously prolific twee-pop outfit Felt, Lawrence Hayward decided to go the glam-pop route, releasing two studio albums under the name Denim. Back In Denim was the group's first and best effort, a reverential (but highly tongue-in-cheek) tribute to the glitter period. It's highlighted by the diss track "Middle Of The Road," in which Hayward declares that he hates just about every major recording artist of the 20th century; not surprisingly, Jarvis Cocker was a big fan.
Where is it?: Long out of print in the U.K., it was finally reissued this year by Cherry Red Records, and could be found for less than $10 at some Tower Records locations during the chain's final days. But a proper US release has yet to happen.

Denim - Middle Of The Road [MP3, link expired]
Denim - The Osmonds [MP3, link expired]

Artist: Cornelius
Hometown: Tokyo, Japan
Album: Sensuous, 2006
What is it?: Remix-mad musician Cornelius is known for his hop-skip-jumping across genres and reference points, and Sensuous continues that trend, throwing in a few out-and-out beautiful moments. "Fit Song" strips the idea of a danceable song down to its most essential parts, while the hyper "Gum" is a romp in the spirit of Cornelius' 1998 thriller "Count Five Or Six."
Where is it?: Sensuous came out in Japan last month, but Pitchfork reported that Cornelius is still looking for a Stateside distributor for the album; his previous records were put out in the U.S. by Matador, but that deal has expired.

Cornelius - Fit Song [MP3, link expired]
Cornelius - Gum [MP3, link expired]
Cornelius [MySpace]

Welcome to another edition of "Please Release Me," in which your Idolators request—nay beg—that an out-of-print, delayed or held-up-in-customs album be issued stateside:

Artist: Aberfeldy
Hometown: Edinburgh, Scotland
Album: Do Whatever Turns You On, 2006
What is it?: For the last 20 years, the Scottish government has established a program of tax breaks, guns-for-wool-caps exchanges, and free tea to aspiring musicians, all to encourage the formation of twee-pop bands. So while Aberfeldy may not be the first group of Scots to churn out three-minute bittersweet love songs, their wonderful 2004 debut, Young Forever, proved that even a worn-down genre can still yield some choice tunes.
Where is it?: Released this summer in the U.K.—where Aberfeldy had the coolness-diminishing misfortune of opening for James Blunt—Whatever doesn't have a U.S. release date yet; and considering that they're on the financially troubled Rough Trade label, who knows if they'll get another shot at the states anytime soon. Either way, we're dying to hear the record, as these two tracks (sent it by a much-appreciated reader) indicate they were beginning to rock out a bit—in the politest way possible, of course.

Aberfeldy - Someone Like You [MP3, link expired]
Aberfeldy - Need To Know [MP3, link expired]
Aberfeldy [MySpace]

Welcome to another edition of "Please Release Me," in which your Idolators request—nay beg—that an out-of-print, delayed or held-up-in-customs album be issued stateside:

Artist: The Rifles
Hometown: London, England
Album: No Love Lost, 2006
What is it?: We need another scrappy British guitar band like we need another sappy British prime minister, but blimeny gee: The Rifles cop from the very best (Paul Weller, the Chords, and, uh, Paul Weller), Love Lost has at least three ace singles, and we're grateful for any U.K. band that doesn't sound like Starsailor covering Coldplay.
Where is it?: Released overseas in July, No Love Lost hasn't made a blip over here, though we think any of the following singles could get things going:

The Rifles - She's The Only One [MP3, link expired]
The Rifles - Peace & Quiet (Eek, we mislabeled this one: It's actually the radio edit of "She's Got Standards") [MP3, link expired]
The Rifles [MySpace]

Even though we try as hard as we can to listen without prejudice, it's been some time since we trusted any band that gets a crazed reaction from the NME's reviews section: Forget it, overenthusiastic British press! We fell for your Hundred Reasons, your Biffy Clyros. God as our witness, we'll never listen to Klaxons again!

Then we read Village Voicer Tom Breihan's "Status Ain't Hood" column about Sheffield act the Long Blondes, in which Breihan declares the group's Someone To Drive You Home album "the closest thing the world has had to another Elastica since the first Elastica released their first album." So we gave it a try, and while we're not quite sure it's up there with Justine Frischmann's finest, we're very much into the following singles, which still don't have a stateside release date. But don't worry: We're sure this will be picked up in the U.S. and beaten over our heads shortly within the new year.

The Long Blondes - You Could Have Both [MP3, link expired]
The Long Blondes - Seperated By Motorways [MP3, link expired]
Long Blondes: Desperation Britpop [Village Voice]

Artist: Charlotte Gainsbourg
Hometown: Paris, France
Album: 5:55, 2006
What is it?: Serge Gainsbourg's daughter and Science of Sleep star Charlotte Gainsbourg assembled an all-star cast for this album: there's music by Air, lyrics by Jarvis Cocker and the Divine Comedy's Neil Hannon, and production by Nigel Godrich, and yes, the album is out-and-out gorgeous. Gainsbourg's breathy voice is well-served by Air's moody arrangements, and the string arrangements—which were masterminded by Beck's father, David Campbell—add another dreamlike layer.
Where is it?: Yesterday's New York Times blurb on 5:55 hinted that it would be available in the States, via Vice Records, next spring; it came out in the UK in September, and it's on sale at Amazon UK and CD WOW. But the more we listen to it, the more we can't help but think that its chilly, beguiling songs would be well-suited to a winter release.

Charlotte Gainsbourg - AF607105 [MP3, link expired]
Charlotte Gainsbourg - Everything I Cannot See [MP3, link expired]
Charlotte Gainsbourg [MySpace]

Welcome to another edition of "Please Release Me," in which your Idolators request—nay beg—that an out-of-print, delayed or held-up-in-customs album be issued stateside:

Artist: The La's
Hometown: England
Album: BBC In Session, 2006
What is it?: Sooner or later in every late-night indie-rock discussion, someone drops the La's bomb, and a whole chorus of "Oh shit!"'s follow. If you only know the band from the prom-theme send-off "There She Goes," you're missing out on one of the best across-the-pond acts of all time, one that's been hailed by the likes of Noel Gallagher, Eddie Vedder, and, uh, the Boo Radleys. Alas, troubled frontman Lee Mavers only squeezed out the band's self-titled 1990 debut before (allegedly) going cuckoo, leaving fans hunting for whatever rare tracks and b-sides they could track down. BBC In Session is the latest in a long line of posthumous odds n' sods collections, and the only one worth owning.
Where Is It?: For now, Sessions is out only in the U.K., but it can be had pretty cheap on Amazon.co.uk or CD-WOW. We can't recommend this to La's lovers enough: The in-studio sessions sound crisp and clear, and the arrangements include some lovely backing vocals. Plus, there's a fantastic take of the super-rare song "Over."

The La's - Son Of A Gun (BBC) [MP3, link expired]
The La's - Timeless Melody (BBC) [MP3, link expired]
The La's - Over (BBC) [MP3, link expired]

Artist: Zumpano
Hometown: Canada
Album: Goin' Through Changes, 1996
What is it?: Way before the his stint as the braintrust behind power-pop titans the New Pornographers, witty nerd A.C. Newman sang and played guitar as part of drummer Jason Zumpano's namesake band. Changes was their second album, and if you're searching for a work-in-progress snapshot of the melodic rock Newman would later perfect with the Pornos, look no further.
Where Is It?: Sub Pop released Changes and its predecessor, Look What The Rookie Did, in the midst of their mid-'90s post-grunge format reshuffling; both records have been out of print for some time, though you can find them on the iTunes store, as well as through Amazon's used-CD marketplace.

Zumpano - Behind The Beehive [MP3, link expired]
Zumpano - The Sylvia Hotel [MP3, link expired]

Artist: Mercury Rev
Hometown: Buffalo, NY
Album: See You On The Other Side
What is it?: The third album from this ever-evolving psych-space-pop outfit is tricked-out and trippy—strings, horns, flutes and everything else are jammed together, often on the same song—but never inaccessible: "Sudden Ray Of Hope" streamlines cooing soft-rock sanguinity with guitar squonk, while the seven-and-a-half minute "Empire State" veers into every genre imaginable, save for grime, which hadn't been invented yet. They should have called this See You On The Other Side Of The Dark Side Of The Moon
Where Is It?: Released in 1995, it's been out of print for a while in the States (though you can find affordable used copies on Half.com). A recent U.K.-only best-of collection gives us hope that there may be more MR reissues on the way, and we'd love for an expanded, updated Other Side. Our noise-canceling Bose headphones are rarin' to give it a go!

Mercury Rev - Empire State (Son House In Excelsis) [MP3, link expired]
Mercury Rev - Sudden Ray Of Hope [MP3, link expired]
Mercury Rev [Official Site]

Artist: Jamelia
Hometown: England
Album: Walk With Me
What is it?: The third album from one of the U.K.'s biggest R&B-pop singers, who still hasn't had an album released in the states. Walk could be her big trans-Altantic breakthrough, with no shortage of potential singles, from the Kelly Clarkson-copping "Something About You" to "No More," which ingeniously samples a bit from the Stranglers' "Golden Brown."
Where Is It?: Released just last month in the U.K., Walk has already been praised by the always pop-suspicious Q and Mojo, a solid indicator of Jamelia's ability to crossover into the old-white-male demographic. And yet: No U.S. release date—nor, so far as we can tell, a label deal. Anyone have more info?

Jamelia - No More [MP3, link expired]
Jamelia - Something About You [MP3, link expired]
Jamelia [Official Site]

Welcome to another edition of "Please Release Me," in which your Idolators request—nay beg—that an out-of-print, delayed or held-up-in-customs album be issued stateside:

Artist: Junior Senior
Hometown: Denmark
Album: Hey Hey My My Yo Yo
What is it?: The follow-up to 2003's D-D-Don't Stop the Beat, Junior Senior's sophomore release is the likely one of the few albums that indie snobs, Euro-pop import-hoarders and 8-year-old ADD sufferers can all agree upon. The influences are all over the place—you can hear everything from 10CC to ELO to ABBA—and there's also plenty of white-guy rapping. Trust us, this is a lot better than we're making it sound.
Where Is It?: Released in August 2005, Hey Hey has yet to lock down a U.S. release date; their page on Atlantic Records—the label that released D-D-Don't stateside—hasn't been updated since April 2004. We realize their last record didn't exactly burn up the charts, but come on—what do two cartoonish, sexually ambiguous Danes have to do to get an album released in this country?

Junior Senior [MySpace site]

Artist: Peter Bjorn and John
Hometown: Stockholm, Sweden
Album: Writer's Block
What is it?: Every four seconds, another charming, stuck-in-the-'60s Swedish pop-rock album is released into the world, but Writer's Block doesn't fall into the repetitive rut that afflicts many of PB&J's peers. The songs are shambling but never go too far astray, and sharp hooks come from some unlikely sources (such as the whistling breakdown on "Amsterdam," below). It's a great album, and one that probably wouldn't have gotten this far without championing from the high-visibility blogs, who will no doubt call us out for being so six months ago.
Where Is It?: Though V2 is distributing Block internationally, so far there are no announced plans yet for a domestic edition—strange, considering that "Young Folks" and "Amsterdam" have received so much MP3 affection. Perhaps the tepid response to last year's admittedly so-so Falling Out has given them pause, or maybe bloggermania doesn't always translate into real-world sales. Or maybe—just maybe—we don't know what the hold-up is, and should stop speculating.

Peter Bjorn And John - Amsterdam [MP3, link expired]
Peter Bjorn And John - Let's Call It Off [MP3, link expired]
Peter Bjorn And John - Young Folks [MP3, link expired]
Peter Bjorn And John [MySpace site]
Writer's Block [Torrent]