The ominous tones and noisy guitars resonate under Dominic Cipolla’s sinister talk-singing on “Blackouts and Runaways,” the opening track on this double LP. It’s followed with a jolting metal attack, more akin to Cipolla’s metal foray, Dead Child. This duel of soft, subtle and artsy against angry, aggressive and brutal — driven by powerful drumming from the late, great Tony Bailey — is the most interesting aspect of “Monoliths” — or at least until the two sides merge into a series of songs that are mellower than metal, but more forceful than art rock. Double LPs are always daunting tasks, and rarely fare well when judged against the standard 40-minute album. “Monoliths” works, however, achieving a telling juxtaposition of dark power and dark art.

Phantom Family Halo performs Jan. 20 @ The Empty Bottle in Chicago.

Phantom Family Halo’s new double LP, Monoliths & These Flowers Never Die, is available in Belgium, Luxembourg and The Netherlands via Mandai Distribution. Each double LP comes with a free download of the entire album. Stateside, the band performs Jan. 20 at The Empty Bottle in Chicago.

Their double LP, Monoliths & These Flowers Never Die is available now at the following: ear X-tacy, Underground Sounds, Skull Alley (Louisville), Reckless Records (Chicago), The Vinyl Collective (Colorado), Robotic Empire (Washington), Mandai (Belgium, Luxembourg, The Netherlands), Code 7 (UK) and all Phantom Family Halo shows.

Each copy comes with a free download of the entire album.

This Tuesday, Sept. 22, marks the release of Rachel Grimes’ solo piano LP/CD Book Of Leaves (KBR007) in stores nationwide. The special edition copies of this LP come with an original sheet music score. Only 100 were made and only 75 are now available only at U.S. independent record stores from the Think Indie/Coalition of Independent Music Stores/Junketboy network. Customers who purchase the vinyl in these stores will receive a complimentary download code for an MP33.3 version of the album.

The regular LP in a custom gatefold jacket is still available from Karate Body for Kentucky, U.S. and international customers.

Rachel will celebrate the release of this album with a series of east coast and west coast dates, beginning Sept. 24 and 25 at PianoForte in Chicago, a hometown concert Thursday Oct. 8 at 21C and Friday Oct. 9 at WRFL’s Boomslang Festival in Lexington, where she performs at 6 p.m. at Second Presbyterian Church.

For information on the CD and FLAC and MP3 versions of this magnetic release, visit rachelgrimespiano.com.