PRODUCT DETAILS
Sean Thompson has spent more than a decade becoming one of the most versatile guitarists in Nashville. He currently tours as a guitarist for Margo Price, and his nimble, lyrical playing has anchored bands led by Erin Rae and a long roster of Music City mainstays. He is also one third of the kosmische trio Shrunken Elvis, alongside Rich Ruth and Spencer Cullum, whose acclaimed self-titled debut arrived on Western Vinyl in 2025. With Inner Principles, his first entirely instrumental album, Thompson gathers all of those instincts into something that feels like a genuine new chapter. It is a jazz fusion record in the richest sense of the term: virtuosic but unfussy, exploratory, and stylistically restless from one track to the next. The eight pieces move easily between ECM-style spaciousness in the spirit of John Abercrombie, smoky acoustic picking, loose late-night boogies, and sleek post-rock adventures, with synths that flash now and then toward Jan Hammer territory. You could believe much of this music arrived in 1978 or 1983, and that timelessness is the point. Thompson plays a quick game of spot-the-influence and then keeps moving, never settling anywhere long enough to sound like a tribute.At it's core the album is a trio of Thompson, Eric Slick on drums, and Alec Newman on bass, opened up by a handful of trusted collaborators: Jake Davis, who produced, engineered, mixed, and adds synthesizers; his Shrunken Elvis bandmate Rich Ruth on guitar; and Jo Schornikow on keys. That ensemble interplay is the heart of the record, and for all it's technical command, Inner Principles never coasts on chops. Every track finds real feeling, from the wide-open drift of "Underwater Way" to the tender "Waltz For Mama."Thompson self-released Inner Principles digitally and previewed the material live at Big Ears. Western Vinyl presses it to vinyl for the first time, giving one of Nashville's most quietly essential players his fullest statement yet.
Tracklist:
- Almost a Year
- Whitethorn Rose
- Setting in
- The Inner Principle
- Requiem for the Canopy
- International Beautiful Blues
- Underwater Way
- Waltz for Mama
UPC: 840526514038
Label: Western Vinyl
Release Date: 11.13.26
Format: Vinyl Record
SHIPPING & RETURNS
SHIPPING
- No dinged corners: All orders hand-packed by vinyl lovers using sturdy mailers specifically designed to protect your records during transit.
- The protection your records deserve: Every order includes free shipping insurance that covers you in case of damage or loss during shipping.
- All you can ship at one rate: $5.99 flat-rate shipping on all domestic orders.
- Protect the planet: Carbon-neutral shipping and mailers made of recycled materials on all orders.
- Read our full shipping policy.
RETURNS
- Change your mind? No problem: No nonsense 30-day return policy on all domestic orders.
- Read our full return policy.
PRODUCT REVIEWS
ABOUT US
For over 10 years, Pale Blue Dot Records has shared and supported your love of vinyl records. We are an independent online record store located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and we’re passionate about music, the vinyl community, and doing our part to protect the environment. Learn more about us here.
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By far, my favorite shop to buy from! Always quick with the delivery! Love tyler the creator and I've been searching for this specific vinyl at a good price!
package shipped well. there was a fragile sticker on the box which was nice, most places don’t put that and vinyls get damaged. package arrived in perfect condition.
Good packaging, product was in good condition and showed up on time great album no problems with any of the vinyls either very happy with it.
I am a huge Bob's Burger Fan and found this album as I was browsing the website. I had to get it immediately. I can believe I came across this on a random Tuesday. Can't thank coming across pale blue records enough. And the delivery is super fast. Can't wait for my next purchase.
Super fast shipping, packing done well. Exactly as described. The customer service and product choice is why I keep coming back.
Perfectly packaged, no warping, clear sound. Will definitely purchase from Pale Blue Dot Records again.
I ordered this on Friday later in the day and Tuesday morning it was at my doorstep. Insanely fast shipping and came in PERFECT condition. i’ve been looking everywhere for this edition and so happy it came back in stock. Thank you Pale Blue Dot Records!!!! 🩷🩷
Would definitely buy from Pale Dot Records again. The delivery was fast and the records sounds great!
Purchased as a Christmas gift for my 29 year old son. Can't wait for him to open. Packaged with care and timely shipping. Positive experience!
Vinyls arrived in perfect condition, expertly packed, and 3 days from the date of purchase (over the Thanksgiving holiday, no less). Could not be more pleased. Thanks so much!
We received our vinyl fast, it was fairly price, and they had a great selection to choose from. One record we purchased had an issue on the track, and the owner was quick to resolve the issue for us. I’ll be purchasing all of our records from this store moving forward!
The records and the sleeve are really nice. Pacific Dot Records blew me away with shipping it out like, immediately after I ordered it. Arrived well protected and perfect. No complaints.
fast shipping, great communication, and awesome staff. very responsive with messages too. can’t wait to purchase from them again
Records arrived inside the special record boxes, unopened, and in pristine condition. They didn't very long to begin the shipping either. Some places make you wait 3-5 days just to have it shipped out. They did not.
This is not about the product. I've ordered from PBD before and the Vinyls that come from them are wonderful and pressed really well!
This review is more on customer service.
USPS seemed to have goofed around a bit and cause a delay of about 1.5 weeks. Tristan was a highly communicative person and was reassuring with the options I had regarding if my order never arrived. Good sense of humor, accountability, and customer satisfaction. The Sweetwater of vinyl shops. Officially my vinyl go to!