Port O’Brien – Threadbare CD (TBD)
”Port O’Brien crafts beautiful, melodic tunes that utilize string instruments to their fullest. And the group is not afraid to rock out.” — Billboard
Built To Spill – There Is No Enemy CD/2xLP+CD (WB)
“Three and a half years in the making, the efforts of writing and recording There Is No Enemy led Built to Spill founder Doug Martsch to wonder whether this would be the last album he ever makes. As his wife, I watched him work, pouring hour after hour, day after day into writing. Song lyrics were labored over then thrown in the trash, guitar parts revised again (and again). A musician and artist like Doug edits far more than he keeps.”
Rosanne Cash – The List CD (Angel)
The List features Rosanne’s contemporary interpretations of songs from a list of essential country songs passed on to her by her legendary father. Featuring duet partners Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Costello, Rufus Wainwright, and Jeff Tweedy.
Air – Love 2 CD (Astralwerks)
Air have enjoyed many career-defining moments and accolades, and have written, produced and collaborated on a breathtaking array of music projects. Love 2 is a re-affirmation of the band’s staying power and their ability to stay relevant and viable within an industry of fleeting trends and uncertainty.
Black Heart Procession – Six CD (Temporary Residence)
More than just a return to numerical album titles, Six is The Black Heart Procession’s first album to be written and recorded simultaneously with a new Three Mile Pilot album. As both bands now coexist for the first time ever, coconspirators Pall Jenkins and Tobias Nathaniel have steered The Black Heart Procession into a darker, more adventurous direction.
Kurt Vile – Childish Prodigy CD/LP+MP3 (Matador)
Philadelphia singer-songwriter Kurt Vile’s second album is a rich tapestry of rock and folk sounds, occasionally lo-fi, occasionally lustrous, hitting touchstones from Tom Petty to Street Legal-era Dylan to Spacemen 3 to Skip Spence.
Betty Davis – Nasty Gal CD (Light In The Attic)
Digitally remastered digipak edition of the funk/soul diva’s third album, originally released in 1975. Ahead of its time, Nasty Gal shows Betty digging deeper into her musical and cultural expression than ever before and delivers from every angle.
Betty Davis – Is It Love Or Desire CD (Light In The Attic)
Recorded in 1976 with Davis’ skintight band Funk House, the ten-song Is It Love Or Desire contains some of the most powerful and personal music of the artist’s career, with such titles as “It’s So Good,” “Whorey Angel” and “Crashin’ From Passion.”
Vic Chesnutt – Skitter On Take-Off CD (Vapor)
Skitter On Take-Off allows Vic Chesnutt to create his most dramatic album yet; recording devastating songs live with no overdubs. The album allowed the singer/songwriter the chance to collaborate with an important influence. “I’m honored to work with Jonathan Richman. Over the years he’s taken me under his wing and mentored me in a very meaningful way, truly shaping me into the songwriter and performer I am today.”
Dead Man’s Bones – Dead Man’s Bones CD (Anti)
Some of their songs reflect the music they listened to a little bit of doo-wop, and artists such as the Shangri-Las, The Shags, Company Flow, Sam Cooke, James Brown, Bobby Vinton, Joy Division, The Andrew Sisters and Daniel Johnston, to name a few. In addition, the artistic aesthetic of old Universal horror films, vaudeville music-hall numbers, and silent-screen melodramas infest the music.
The Dutchess & The Duke – Sunset/Sunrise CD/LP (Hardly Art)
Sophomore album is a slump-dodging opus that takes the dark, raw beauty of their debut and scales it up to distinctly luminescent heights, thanks to a graceful synthesis of painfully earned creative maturity and thoughtful production under producer Greg Ashley’s adroitly tuned ears.
Ancestors – Of Sound Mind CD/2xLP (Tee Pee)
Ancestors weave an unorthodox mixture of sonic textures, down-tempo riffs, well-crafted melodies, and full-throttle assaults. With Of Sound Mind they have channeled the freedom of progressive stalwarts King Crimson, the craft and insight of Pink Floyd, and the depth and brooding of Neurosis.
Backstreet Boys – This Is Us CD (Jive)
Seventh studio album. On This Is Us, the Backstreet Boys collaborated with a powerhouse suite of producers and songwriters, including T-Pain, Max Martin, RedOne, Soulshock and Karlin, Jim Jonsin and many others.
Baka Beyond – Beyond The Forest CD (White Swan)
The singing technique known as Yelli is still employed by Pygmy women to enchant animals in the rainforests of Africa. This is singing for survival, developed by the Baka people of Cameroon through thousands of years of communicating in song with their forest world. Recorded on location at the Baka’s Music House in the forest, modern arrangements of these ancient songs unravel the interlocking vocal lines, replacing them with bass and guitar and revealing the roots of reggae.
Lou Barlow – Goodnight Unknown CD/LP+MP3 (Merge)
Borrowing the live-band energy of Dinosaur Jr. and the stylistic reach of Sebadoh, Barlow has composed a set of immediate, melodic pop songs he describes as, “a cross between my later work with Folk Implosion and my earlier work with Sebadoh.”
Karl Blau – Zebra CD (K)
On his third solo album, Karl Blau overtly mirrors African musical influences with hints of blues and soul. Zebra explores the frontiers of folklore, adding one instrument at a time (drum, guitar, bell, keys, saxophone, flute, piano) in an organic process of response to this confluence of sounds.
BlessTheFall – Witness CD (Fearless)
The band’s second album is an epic aural assault, combining their trademark stabbing riffs and soaring melody with fresh energy.
Boys Noize – Power CD (Last Gang)
New album from the dance-pop phenomenon.
Joe Budden – Escape Route CD (Amalgam Digital)
Escape Route is filled with dark and powerful backdrops and incredible lyrics the MC is known for.
Califone – All My Friends Are Funeral Singers CD/2xLP (Dead Oceans)
The long-awaited follow-up to 2006′s Roots And Crowns, is a dense collage of sounds, expertly formed into fully realized pop songs.
Brandi Carlile – Give Up The Ghost CD (Columbia)
For the Give Up The Ghost, Brandi worked with Elton John (on “Caroline”), producer Rick Rubin, multi-instrumentalist Benmont Tench (Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers), drummer Chad Smith and Amy Ray (The Indigo Girls).
Exene Cervenka – Somewhere Gone CD (Bloodshot)
Exene’s first solo album since 1991 is a sometimes dreamy but always intimate, circuitous passage through folk and country; subdued, but no less edgy. Somewhere Gone is a sometimes sparse, sometimes exuberant blend of folk, deep country and wide-open spaces.
The Clientele – Bonfires On The Health CD/LP (Merge)
Bonfires on the Heath is a return to The Clientele’s roots. Back in London, they’ve drawn on older traditions of English folk, which exist here side by side with the band’s more familiar bossa and pop elements. Instantly identifiable, The Clientele sound like no one else, although they are cited as an influence by bands as diverse as Spoon and the Fleet Foxes.
Danny Diablo – International Hardcore Superstar CD (Hellcat)
Danny Diablo (aka Lord Ezec) grew up in the Jackson Heights section of Queens, NY. Diablo mixes the intensity and rage he absorbed from his early days of listening to hardcore bands like Gorilla Biscuits and Raw Deal with the street beats of hip-hop.
Mike Doughty – Sad Man Happy Man CD (ATO)
Mike Doughty has given into the pressure to record an acoustic album again. That said, Sad Man Happy Man isn’t entirely acoustic — Doughty’s experimentation with drum machines and Ableton Live software adds a larger dynamic to his acoustic efforts along with cello player Andrew Scrap Livingston. Includes a bonus limited-edition Live EP — free with purchase (while supplies last)!
Duran Duran – Rio [Collector's Edition] 2xCD (Capitol)
Now expanded into a limited edition double-disc set — features demos, B-sides and rarities and 52-page booklet.
Tinsley Ellis – Speak No Evil CD (Alligator)
Speak No Evil features Tinsley’s most groove-laden guitar work — a milestone album from an iconic Southern blues-rocker.
Evangelista – Prince Of Truth CD/LP (Constellation)
With Prince Of Truth, Carla Bozulich has shaped her Evangelista group into something more intense, more committed, more complex and more sonically and compositionally obsessive than ever. Conventional song structure is mostly absent — the pieces are built from an extremely diverse set of sound sources, taking shape through layers of accumulation and juxtaposition.
Everclear – In A Different Light CD (429)
Everclear return with a collection of newly interpreted recordings of some of their greatest hits. The brainchild of front man Art Alexakis, the album also includes two new Alexakis-penned songs, “Here Comes The Darkness” and “At the End Of the Day.”
Fall Of Troy – In The Unlikely Event CD (Equal Vision)
By combining elements of rock, punk and metal, the trio haven’t just reinvented their own sound, but have raised the bar for progressive music in general.
Fat Joe – Jealous One’s Still Envy (J.O.S.E. 2) CD (EMI)
Features a supporting cast of A-level producers and guest artists including Lil Wayne, Akon and Ron Browz.
Godflesh – Pure/Cold/World/Slaves 3xCD (Earache)
Three long out-of-print, early ‘90s releases from the Godflesh catalog remastered and combined in a budget priced set.
Gogol Bordello – Live From Axis Mundi CD+DVD (Side One Dummy)
CD features the bands BBC Sessions, an unreleased studio track and three live tracks from Irving Plaza. The DVD portion is the band’s epic live performance from Irving Plaza in NYC, and an hour of bonus features including other live footage, videos, and more.
Headlights – Wildlife CD/LP+MP3 (Polyvinyl)
After expanding to a fou-piece, Headlights creates a fuller and more dynamic sound on their third album Wildlife.
Horse The Band – Desperate Living CD (Vagrant)
Their fourth album and first for Vagrant — features guest contributions by Xiu Xiu’s Jamie Stewart.
Immortal – All Shall Fail CD (Nuclear Blast)
Immortal’s first studio album in seven years.
Inhale/Exhale – Bury Me Alive CD (Solid State)
While Bury Me Alive is not a complete reinvention, every aspect of their music has been elevated to a more extreme level. The technicality is still there, but has been mastered and stepped up several notches.
Keith Jarrett – Paris/London: Testament 3xCD (ECM)
Improvised, solo music from the great American pianist, recorded at two concerts that took place at the end of last year.
The Jesus Lizard – Goat CD/LP+MP3 (Touch & Go)
The Jesus Lizard – Head CD/LP+MP3 (Touch & Go)
The Jesus Lizard – Liar CD/LP+MP3 (Touch & Go)
The Jesus Lizard – Down CD/LP+MP3 (Touch & Go)
Remastered by Steve Albini and Bob Weston. CDs have been repackaged in deluxe digipaks with 14” x 20” double-sided color folders including never before seen photos and extensive liner notes by the band. HQ-120 vinyl editions have also been packaged in deluxe gatefold album jackets with 12” x 24” double-sided color inserts. All editions feature bonus tracks.
Toby Keith – American Ride CD (Show Dog)
New album from the country superstar features guest appearances from the Hogliners plus jazz greats Dave Koz, Marcus Miller and Arthur Thompson on “Cryin’ For Me (Wayman’s Song).”
King Tubby & The Dynamites – Sound System International CD/LP (Pressure Sounds)
Sound System International features ten thrilling King Tubby deconstructions of The Dynamites rhythms produced by Clancy Eccles. Anyone interested in Tubby’s early mixing style need look no further as he takes on these straight forward reggae songs and turns them upside down and inside out, taking them on to somewhere completely different. CD includes five bonus tracks. Totally re-mastered with superb graphics, stunning photographs, and extensive sleeve notes.
Kraftwerk – Autobahn CD (WB)
Kraftwerk – Man Machine CD (WB)
Kraftwerk – Tour De France CD (WB)
Kraftwerk – Trans Europe Express CD (WB)
Honed to perfection in the band’s Kling Klang studio, each of these magnificent masterwerks has been digitally remastered and packaged in a deluxe slipcase housing booklets of restored, newly expanded artwork, including many previously unseen images.
Lucero – 1372 Overton Park CD/LP (Universal/Republic)
Lucero’s sixth studio album and major label debut, 1372 Overton Park is produced by Ted Hutt (The Gaslight Anthem) and featuring horn arrangements by legendary Memphis session player Jim Spake (Al Green, John Hiatt, Solomon Burke, Cat Power), the record marks a decided turn toward the Memphis soul sound that has long informed the band’s records from afar.
Mayday Parade – Anywhere But Here CD (Atlantic)
The second studio album by American emo/rock band.
Eugene Mirman – God Is A Twelve-Year-Old Boy With Asperger’s CD (Sub Pop)
Brooklyn resident, comedian and really great guy (and Russian immigrant) Eugene Mirman has, among a great many other things, released two previous albums: The Absurd Nightclub Comedy Of Eugene Mirman and the 2006 follow-up En Garde, Society!. Now, three years later, The Mirm (that’s what the crew on the Flight Of The Conchords tour called him) is releasing the possibly offensive, but most likely charming God Is A Twelve-Year-Old Boy With Asperger’s.
Mission Of Burma – Sound The Speed Of Light CD/LP+MP3 (Matador)
Mission Of Burma’s fourth album is a departure from the pinned-needles roar of 2006′s The Obliterati. Far more spacious and dynamic, it blasts off with the anthemic, catchy ”1, 2, 3, Partyy!” — a classic Burma rocker on a level with ”This Is Not A Photograph” or ”Certain Fate.” Other tracks, such as ”Feed,””Forget Yourself,” and ”Slow Faucet,” are slow, hypnotic builders. ”Good Cheer” is a burst of almost uncontainable joy that literally explodes from the speakers. [8.0] — Pitchfork
Morphine – At Your Service 2xCD (Ryko)
This 34 song, two-disc collection contains previously unreleased studio tracks, alternate takes, and live performances.
The Mountain Goats – Life Of The World To Come CD/2xLP (4AD)
The Mountain Goats have been making records since that mythical time when the term ”tape-only label” didn’t require any elaborate explanation, but have been recording and touring in their current incarnation since 2007. Highly anticipated new album.
Maria Muldaur – Garden Of Joy CD (Stony Plain)
“America’s first lady of roots music,” returns to her original roots via jug band music. Special guests include John Sebastian, David Grisman, Taj Mahal, Dan Hicks, Fritz Richmond Kit Stovepipe.
Music Go Music – Expressions CD/LP+MP3 (Secretly Canadian)
”They begin with a bright-eyed Scandinavian sashay and end with a ten-minute Mediterranean disco romp featuring programmed drums, making detours along the way into rainy day ballads and guitar infernos. The cumulative effect plays like the greatest hits of dance saviors that never existed. And indeed, they probably should only be performed from inside an aquadome at the bottom of the Caspian Sea, or at least during a summer-long residency in Ibiza.” — The Fader
Meshell Ndegeocello – Devil’s Halo CD/LP (Downtown)
Devil’s Halo harkens back to the way records used to be made: no click, live band energy, and phenomenal musicianship. Influenced by a breadth of sounds, from The Human League to Wu Tang to Yes, Devil’s Halo displays Meshell’s own diversity of formidable gifts.
Willie Nelson – Souvenirs 2xCD (Fuel 2000)
30-track, double-disc collection of early hits and rarities.
Noah And The Whale – The First Days Of Spring CD/CD+DVD (Cherry Tree)
Sophomore album from the British folk/pop outfit. The First Days Of Spring is released to coincide with their film of the same name.
A Place To Bury Strangers – Exploding Head CD/LP (Mute)
Exploding Head dishes out Jesus & Mary Chain Psycho Candy-era alt rock with the lyrical sensibility of ‘80s Cure in heaping portions. They’ve mastered this formula brilliantly, but add several grams of their own opiate glaze to the mix — a blissed-out soundtrack to a dirty yet divine scene.
Powerman 5000 – Somewhere On The Other Side Of Nowhere CD (Mighty Loud)
New album from the futuristic metalists.
Rascal Flatts – Greatest Hits Volume 1 2xCD (Lyric Street)
Limited, specially packaged double-disc edition of the country act’s 2009 hits collection contains a bonus disc featuring four live tracks, a bonus interview and a poster.
Raveonettes – In And Out Of Control CD/LP (Vice)
In And Out Of Control is a strange mix of modern and old, dark and happy. It s about rape, violence, lost love, suicide, not caring about what other people think of you and most importantly being mad and angelic.
Emily Rodgers – Bright Day CD (Misra)
Debut full length by the Pittsburgh singer (here performing with a full band). Gorgeous, penetrating music — for fans of This Mortal Coil, Marissa Nadler and Paula Frazer/Tarnation.
Sparklehorse & Fennesz – In The Fishtank 15 CDEP/12” (Fishtank)
Songs and soundscapes of rare beauty with stunning atmospherics, where abstract sounds and well-crafted traditional song-structure meet and where acoustic instruments and electronics create outstanding ambience.
Steel Panther – Feel The Steel CD/LP (Universal)
Debut album from L.A.’s mid profile hair-metal revivalists. Includes a bonus enhanced album sampler featuring two music videos and Steel Panther.
Sufjan Stevens/Osso – Run Rabbit Run CD/2xLP (Asthmatic Kitty)
In 2001, Sufjan Stevens followed up his debut album, A Sun Came, with Enjoy Your Rabbit, a series of fourteen instrumentals programmatically inspired by the animals of the Chinese Zodiac. Much later, in 2006, Bryce Dessner (The National, Dark Was The Night, Clogs) suggested that Sufjan re-arrange the entirety of Enjoy Your Rabbit for Osso, a string quartet that had previously contributed strings to Sufjan’s Illinois and My Brightest Diamond’s Bring Me The Workhorse.
Strike Anywhere – Iron Front CD/LP (Bridge Nine)
Thirteen songs of fast and melodic punk rock.
Supercluster – Waves CD (Cloud)
Supercluster is an Athens super-group featuring members of Pylon, The Olivia Tremor Control, Circulatory System, Deerhunter and more. Their music has been described as ”Appalachian Wave” because of the combination of an eclectic mix of elements — three female vocalists, upbeat rhythms, violin, cello, mandolin, clarinets, acoustic guitar, keyboard, and angular electric guitar.
Tiesto – Kaleidoscope CD (Ultra)
Internationally recognized as one of the world’s premier DJs and producers, Tiesto’s career highlights to date are many, but recent exploits include a GRAMMY nod for his last artist album, ‘Elements of Life’ and headlining both Coachella and Bonnaroo Festivals. After a run of four top-selling electronic artist albums, Tiesto presents ”Kaleidoscope”, an artist album in the truest sense: collaborations with a variety of music talents from the worlds of dance, pop and rock: Jonsi Birgisson from Sigur R”s, Kele Okereke from Bloc Party, Nelly Furtado, and Calvin Harris!
Tokio Hotel – Humanoid CD/2xCD (Interscope)
Already an established international sensation, German-born international rock idols hunkered down for months with longtime producer David Jost with the goal of releasing 13 science fiction-inspired, timeless tracks. Deluxe double-disc edition features four non-album bonus tracks.
Various Artists (Toddla T) – Fabric.Live 47 CD (Fabric)
Toddla bounces through styles in the blink of an eye, from the bashy dancehall re-lick of Duffy’s “Stepping Stone” to the brief blaze of firing drum & bass from Clipz to his Fish Go Deep/Geeneus/DJ Zinc medley to slices of funk through to some exclusive slabs of dubstep, then onto grime and two-step.
Ying Yang Twins – Ying Yang Forever 2xCD (BCD Music Group)
New album from the Atlanta-based crunk rap duo.
DVDs:
Anvil – The Story Of Anvil DVD (VH1 Classic)
Similarities to This Is Spinal Tap notwithstanding, this acclaimed, heartfelt documentary tells the remarkable true story of the would-be heavy metal gods Anvil. Influencing an entire generation of hard rock bands despite never achieving success themselves, singer guitarist Steve Lips Kudlow and drummer Robb Reiner let the cameras capture their last ditch stab at the fame they’ve sought since they were 14. Features appearances by Lars Ulrich, Slash, Scott Ian, Lemmy, and more.
Joe Bonamassa – Live From The Royal Albert Hall 2xDVD (Premier Artists)
Special features include “Woke Up Dreaming” (extra performance from the Royal Albert Hall concert) plus “The Bus Interview,” where Joe talks about the concert songs and demonstrates his guitar technique and influences.
Vinyl:
Willie Nelson – Shotgun Willie LP (Atlantic)
Originally released in 1973, and widely considered one of Nelson’s finest albums. With stellar players including Waylon Jennings and Doug Sahm, features the signature songs ”Whiskey River,” ”Slow Down Old World,” ”Sad Songs And Waltzes,” and the Leon Russell-penned ”A Song For You.”
New Order – Brotherhood LP (Rhino)
New Order – Low-Life LP (Rhino)
New Order – Movement LP (Rhino)
New Order – Power, Corruption & Lies LP (Rhino)
New Order – Technique LP (Rhino)
HQ-180 vinyl reissues now available.
No Age – Losing Feeling 12” (Sub Pop)
New four-song, vinyl-only 12” EP.
Skatelites – Stretching Out Volume Two LP (Roir)
In 1983 the original Skatalites returned to Jamaica to perform at Sunsplash. Personal conflicts were set aside as the legends of ska stretched out at this joyous concert. With no limits on solos or improvisational experiments, these rehearsals and performances were captured for history with all the spontaneity, fire, electricity, and good fellowship of the unique moment.
Big Pink – A Brief History Of Love LP (4AD)
Black Dahlia Murder – Deflorate LP (Metal Blade)
Dappled Cities – Zounds LP (Dangerbird)
The Gossip – Music For Men LP (Columbia)
Recently released on CD — these titles are now available on vinyl.
