CDs:
Alkaline Trio – My Shame Is True CD/2xLP+MP3 (Epitaph)
40 minutes of passionate punk-filled rock recorded by Bill Stevenson of The Descendents.
Olafur Arnalds – For Now I Am Winter CD (Mercury Classics)
Purveying a neo-classical style with an array of influences, which range from electronica to minimalism, Arnalds is an artist who draws from a variety of sources whilst maintaining his own unique sound. Vinyl version due April 20.
Authority Zero – The Tipping Point CD (Ingrooves)
Fifth album from the Arizona punk band pays tribute to their punk rock forefathers while expanding their musical boundaries into unconventional reggae and rock tinges beyond the typical punk rock aesthetics.
The Band Perry – Pioneer CD (Republic Nashville)
Sophomore album from the superstar country trio. Building on the musical foundation demonstrated by the band on their first album, Pioneer is steeped in country tradition, with rock & roll elements both on performance and songwriting.
Besnard Lakes – Until In Excess, Imperceptible UFO CD/LP+MP3 (Jagjaguwar)
“Each of the eight tracks takes off, coasts, and lands smoothly, with a jubilant slow burn of its own momentum for the benefit of the larger picture. They create a distinct and dreamy headspace, an enigmatic and somehow familiar placelessness. “A magnificently oceanic meld of Beach Boys harmonies, My Bloody Valentine tidal waves and Phil Spector girl-group siren songs shot through with soaring guitar.” — Rolling Stone
Jello Biafra And The Guantanamo School Of Medicine – White People And The Damage Done CD/LP (Alternative Tentacles)
The second full-length from Jello Biafra + Co. picks up where last fall’s Shock-u-py! left off. Covered in gruesome detail this time are corruption (“The Brown Lipstick Parade”), “Werewolves Of Wall Street,” “Road Rage,” and corporate McMedia making pop stars out of small-time crooks to shield the big ones (“John Dillinger”) or tabloid pop stars to lobotomize everyone else (“Hollywood Goof Disease”).
The Black Angels – Indigo Meadow CD/LP+MP3 (Blue Horizon)
The Black Angels’ most revelatory collection thus far, Indigo Meadow marks the Austin, TX based band’s fourth full-length release, following 2010’s acclaimed Phosphene Dream. Once again The Black Angels prove themselves the undisputed avatars of contemporary psychedelic rock, simultaneously exalting the genre’s kaleidoscopic past as they thrust it further into the future.
Bleached – Ride Your Heart CD/LP (Dead Oceans)
On the heels of three well-received singles comes the bombastic debut album by L.A. band Bleached. Sisters Jennifer and Jessie Clavin match their ability to blend a mix of freewheeling ’77 punk with vintage sunny Southern California melodic rock & roll; creating blindingly bright hooks and dark heartfelt lyrics about love, loss, and the crazy fun moments in between.
Bombino – Nomad CD/LP (Nonesuch)
New album from the Tuareg guitarist and singer/songwriter Omara “Bombino” Moctar. At the invitation of The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach, the Niger-born artist and his band traveled to Nashville for the recording, helmed by Auerbach at his studio, Easy Eye Sound.
Bonobo – The North Borders CD/2xLP+MP3 (Ninja Tune)
“Bringing everything from strings and woodwind to bear over his liquid hypnotic beats, Bonobo has stuck to his inimitable signature sound on his fifth LP. Electronic, but overwhelmingly naturalistic, the listening experience is akin to slowly regain consciousness in a sun-drenched forest; walking around in dazed contentment before stumbling into the E’d up crowd of a gentle, isolated rave.” – Drowned In Sound
Charles Bradley – Victim Of Love CD/LP (Daptone)
Though quite at home among the music that has affirmed Daptone as a proper authority on soul music, Victim Of Love proves to be a genre-bending masterpiece, picking up where the early ‘70s Temptations left off and edging boldly forward into psychedelic soul exploration.
Bring Me The Horizon – Sempiternal CD (Epitaph)
Fourth studio album by the British metalcore band. Vinyl version due May 14.
Brown Bird – Fits Of Reason CD/LP (Supply And Demand)
Fits Of Resason retains their blues and American roots music foundations while exploring heavier territory with a more prominent display of the band’s Middle Eastern, metal and psych-rock influences.
Caravels – Lacuna CD (Topshelf)
Caravels is a five-piece band from Las Vegas who play an interesting mix of post-hardcore, ‘90s screamo, and indie/emo. Vinyl version due April 16.
Caveman – Caveman CD/LP (Fat Possum)
“The latest offering from Caveman sees the New York five-piece continuing to explore the warm, spacious sound that made 2011’s CoCo Beware such an inviting debut. Single ‘Over My Head’ is a rich, art-rock lullaby that’s somber but not delicate and straightforward but far from plain.” – The Fader
Petula Clark – Lost In You CD (The End)
Clark’s latest is a mix of new songs and covers.
Cold War Kids – Dear Miss Lonelyhearts CD/2xLP (Downtown)
The fourth album from the Long Beach-based indie rockers. “The band is balancing between indie cred and mainstream fame, and the album reflects moments of both. Slow-building fiery rock songs are interspersed with their classic high-strung intelligent pop.” – Pigeons And Planes
The Dear Hunter – Migrant CD (Equal Vision)
Fifth album from the band led by Casey Crescenzo, formerly of post-hardcore outfit The Receiving End Of Sirens.
Klaus Dinger – Japandorf CD (Groenland)
Although Neu! multi-intrumentalist and onetime Kraftwerk drummer Klaus Dinger passed away in 2008, some of his unreleased late-career work has been slowing seeing the light of day. This is the final installment in a trilogy of unheard album-length excursions helmed by Dinger — who’s also made albums as La Düsseldorf — backed by a cast of Japanese experimental musicians. Vinyl version due April 16.
Dutch Uncles – Out Of Touch In The Wild CD/LP+MP3 (Memphis Industries)
An inspired and unique amalgam of art pop, funk and electronics that’s drawn comparisons to Hot Chip, Japan and Field Music.
The Eagles – The Studio Albums 1972-1979 6xCD (Elektra/Asylum)
Contains all six of the Eagles’ Asylum studio albums from 1972 – 1979: Eagles, Desperado, On The Border, One Of These Nights, Hotel California, and The Long Run, all packaged in a sleek, black clamshell box, with the albums in paper mini-jackets utilizing recycled paper stock.
The Flaming Lips – The Terror CD (WB)
The Terror was produced by the band s long-time collaborator Dave Fridmann and The Flaming Lips at Tarbox Road Studios. It is comprised of nine original compositions that reflect a darker-hued spectrum than previous works, along with a more inward-looking lyrical perspective than one might expect but then again, maybe not. Vinyl version due April 16.
Generationals – Heza CD/LP (Polyvinyl)
Heza finds Generationals more satisfied in songs that breathe and grow over time. As hooks develop in the space and rhythms, the band has matured as serious songwriters who aren’t afraid to dig deeper for gems than in their previous work. Tracks like “You Got Me” and “Put a Light On” use minimalist electronic frameworks to match the intensity of more straightforward guitarwork on “Spinoza” and “I Never Know.”
Xander Harris – New Dark Age Of Love CD (Not Not Fun)
From the first shimmering hovercraft tones that kick off album opener “Night Fortress,” the growth is glaring; gone is the slasher camp and horror tropes of Urban Gothic, replaced by sleek, streamlined post-industrial cold-wave dystopias. Vinyl version due April 16.
Beth Hart – Bang Bang Boom Boom CD (Macot)
“The new album from California chanteuse Beth Hart runs the gamut of musical styles from low down blues to swinging cabaret, rock, gospel and soul with one simple theme holding the songs together: love.” – No Depression
A Hawk And A Hacksaw – You Have Already Gone To The Other World CD/2xLP (L.M. Dupli-cation)
The duo explores new territories of folk psychedelia that explodes with rich ornamentation. It’s also the band’s most dynamic album since they began their Eastern European adventure, with the thundering percussion and dramatic arcs of violin on the title track counterpointed by majestic solo pieces for Persian Santur, and piano, stately organ-led processionals and original sound and melodies from the film woven throughout.
Heavy Hawaii – Goosebumps CD (Art Fag)
Goosebumps is an extended journey through floating keyboards, peculiar guitars and lush harmonies. These ten hazy and strange compositions showcase frontman Matt Bahamas’s unique take on California life. Vinyl version due April 16.
Hem – Departure And Farwell CD (Waveland)
“Making music that’s categorically neither country nor folk but a flexible citified mix of the two, its songs send one branch toward the hymnal, another into droning soft rock, and a third toward the kind of film music that evokes prairie sunsets…Beautiful.” writes The New York Times of the band’s process.
Heterotic – Love & Devotion CD/LP (Planet Mu)
Hazy, dreamy, ’80s-influenced electronic pop shot through with the dynamics and space of modern electronic dance music.
Hiss Golden Messenger – Haw CD/LP+MP3 (Paradise Of Bachelors)
“Haw borrows freely from a bunch of rural musical genres, sticking generally to folk-ish acoustic blues, but dipping also into slinky, Stax-style R&B, bluegrass and Neil Young-esque country rock.” — Dusted
HK119 – Imaginature CD (One Little Indian)
Heidi Kilpeläinen (aka HK119) is renowned for her live shows, which have drawn flattering comparisons to the likes of Grace Jones, David Bowie, Nina Hagen and Iggy Pop. Imaginature is an album of pitched-down, Finnish exploratory pop. Vinyl version due May 14.
Hookworms – Pearl Mystics CD (Gringo)
The debut full-length release for the British indie rock quintet includes influences from psychedelic and krautrock.
Hypocricy – End Of Disclosure CD (Nuclear Blast)
New album from the Swedish death metal monsters.
Implodes – Recurring Dream CD/LP (Kranky)
There has always been an organic component to Implodes’ music, and not just because the band is comprised of humans. Its music is tied to those very earliest of our sonic traditions, to the sounds of Earth and space and deep water and simple machines. Recurring Dream is about waking up in the dark and witnessing the slow birth of consciousness, still tethered to fantasies and nightmares, and walking into the unknown.
Io Echo – Ministry Of Love CD (Iamsound)
Io Echo blend pop melodies with dark ’90s industrial influences and far Eastern elements.
June Of 44 – In The Fishtank 6 [Reissue/1999]CD (Fishtank)
June of 44 kept going, whether it was night or day, combining adventurous rock with experimental jazzy musicality, experiencing the studio as a bunker: an old organ, a tube radio-set that had been lying around, even sound engineer Zlaya was incorporated to generate some tones for the release.
Killswitch Engage – Disarm The Descent CD/CD+DVD (Roadrunner)
Disarm The Descent marks the return of original singer Jesse Leach to the lineup. Available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe includes bonus DVD of the making of the album.
Albert King – Born Under A Bad Sign [Reissue/1967] CD (Fantasy)
The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame guitarist’s most celebrated album is remastered and expanded with five previously unreleased bonus tracks.
Kinski – Cosy Moments CD/LP (Kill Rock Stars)
Kinski’s sixth full length is filled with dense, intricate and occasionally nearly deafening noise, a musical style that is almost completely contradictory to their album title.
Kopecky Family Band – Kids Rising Kids CD/LP (ATO)
”While co-founder Kelsey Kopecky is the namesake of the band, the six members take the family moniker to heart, each playing various instruments to produce a warm homegrown sound wholly their own. In many ways, Kopecky Family Band encapsulates their hometown of Nashville: emergent, vibrant, Southern, and deeply rooted in a musical background that creates a truly distinctive character.” – Paste Magazine
Josh Krajcik – Blindly Lonely Lovely CD (BMG)
Third album from the Columbus, OH-based singer/songwriter best known as the runner-up in the first season of The X Factor USA in 2011.
The Lonely Wild – The Sun As It Comes CD (Ursa Major)
“With their debut album, The Lonely Wild set up camp somewhere between Bruce Springsteen and Ennio Morricone, occupying that rarely-visited place where mariachi horns, four-on-the-floor percussion, vocal harmonies and rafter-reaching rock & roll all intersect.” – American Songwriter
Lower Plenty – Hard Rubbish CD/2xLP (Fire)
Raw and delicate, Hard Rubbish was recorded on eight-track reel-to-reel tape, often in just a single take. Their folk-tinged indie rock is flecked with experimentation whilst retaining a firm hold on some fantastically memorable melodies. “Hard Rubbish is unrelentingly bleak… But it’s undeniably beautiful too. Cripplingly so.” — The Vine
Luxury Liners – They’re Flowers CD/LP (Western Vinyl)
Clear, twinkling, pop-laced sunny sound. “I actually thought the record was going to come out like Nick Drake judging from the original arrangements, but being on tour so much with Lower Dens, I had to bend them to fit the laptop.”
Mad Season – Above [Legacy Edition] 2xCD+DVD (Sony Legacy)
Mad Season featured Layne Staley of Alice in Chains on vocals, Mike McCready of Pearl Jam on lead guitar, Screaming Trees drummer Barrett Martin and bassist John Baker Saunders of the Lamont Cranston Band. This is the expanded Legacy Edition of their 1995 album, Above. Disc One features the original album plus an unreleased acoustic instrumental titled “Interlude,” three new songs from the band’s unfinished second album with newly recorded vocals and lyrics by Mark Lanegan and a remixed version of the band’s John Lennon cover “I Don’t Wanna Be A Soldier.” Disc Two features the full audio set from the bands historical performance at the Moore Theater in Seattle on April 29, 1995, remastered in stereo sound. The DVD features the first official release of Live At The Moore — Mad Season’s last show ever performed.
Matt Mayes – Coyote CD/LP (Sonic)
Coyote delivers rootsy heartland rock with a unique, atmospheric twist that comes across in psychedelic detours like “Airstrike,” “Rochambo,” and “Madre Padre.”
Midas Fall – Wilderness CD (Monotreme)
Combining elements of electronica, post-rock and alternative rock with subtle progressive undertones, UK band Midas Fall have spent three years carving a distinctive and captivating sound, creating taut, shimmering soundscapes led by the hauntingly melancholic vocals of Elizabeth Heaton.
Milk Music – Cruise Your Illusion CD (Fat Possum)
“All output from Olympia, Washington nostalgia- punk quartet Milk Music before their full-length Cruise Your Illusion pointed pretty directly to the influence of SST record’s roster of late-’80s and early-’90s guitar-centric post-punk bands. The angular ruggedness barely concealing pop cores recalled Hüsker Dü, the stripped-down production aesthetic hinted at the economical approach of the Minutemen, and just about everything else echoed resoundingly of Dinosaur Jr. With this 12-song debut, the band keep their backward-looking esthetic but also manage to deliver a sound that’s developed past its immediately recognizable influences. This change isn’t due to the usual polished production values that sometimes clean up a band’s sound” – Exystence Music Blog
Monitor – Monitor [1980] CD (Superior Viaduct)
An errant project of suburban Los Angeles art collective World Imitation Productions, Monitor was the sonic outlet of four young artists grappling with their terror and amazement in the convergence of the late 1970s punk scene and Southern California’s consumerist decadence. Vinyl version due May 14.
Moss – Horrible Night CD (Metal Blade)
Recorded during the summer and autumn of 2012 at Hampshire’s Earth Terminal and London’s Earthworks studios, Horrible Night is the sound of Moss emerging from its cocoon a much more savage, intelligent and all the more terrifying beast.
Mudhoney – Vanishing Point CD/LP (Sub Pop)
Mudhoney’s new album was written from the rare vantage point of a band who went through the rock & roll meat-grinder and not only lived to tell the tale, but came out full of the wisdom and dark humor such a journey provides. Vanishing Point is filled with dread, psychoanalysis and Nuggets-on-fire riffs; the sort of uninhibited rock music that is harder and harder to locate these days.
New Kids On The Block – 10 CD (The Block)
All five original members are present and accounted for: brothers Jordan and Jonathan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg, and Danny Wood.
Don Nix – Living By The Days [Reissue/1971] CD (Real Gone Music)
It s only a slight stretch to say that without Don Nix, there might not have been a Stax Records or a Memphis Sound. Nix started out as a saxophonist in the Mar-Keys, and, when the Mar-Keys splintered into Booker T & the MGs and the Memphis Horns, stepped into a producer/executive role at Stax while continuing to play as a sideman on numerous sessions. Later, he befriended Leon Russell and recorded for Russell’s Shelter label while continuing to produce artists like Delaney & Bonnie, Joe Cocker, Tracy Nelson, Albert King, Freddie King and others for Stax, Shelter and Memphis’ Ardent Studios.
Port St. Willow – Holiday CD/LP (Downtown)
New release from Port St. Willow, a music and art project from Brooklyn’s Nicholas Principe. Principe is a collaborator and childhood friend of The Antlers frontman Pete Silberman. They share musical ideas, but The Antlers are more typical of a rock band that prefers demonstrative, emotional storytelling and skyscraping choruses, while Port St. Willow are more attuned to impressionism and studied musicianship.
Martha Reeves & The Vandellas – 50th Anniversary: Singles Collection 1962-1972 3xCD (Motown)
Featured among the set’s 82 tracks are the group’s 10 top ten Pop and R&B hits and a full disc of unreleased tracks from the legendary Motown vault.
Rilo Kiley – Rkives CD/2xLP (Little Record Company)
RKives is a collection of unreleased songs, B-sides, and rarities spanning Rilo Kiley’s decade-long career.
Jonas Reinhardt – Mask Of The Maker CD (Not Not Fun)
Mask Of The Maker fuses deep kosmische moods with jet-propulsion lab experiments, classic galactic Italo, soaring starblood synth workouts, funky astral ragas, psychedelic dust clouds and rare mantric guest vocals. Vinyl version due April 16.
The Rolling Stones – Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out: Rolling Stones in Concert! (Expanded Edition) 3xCD+DVD (ABKCO)
This edition includes three CDs and one DVD: the first CD is a remastered version of the original Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out release. The second CD contains five bonus tracks from the original Madison Square Garden concert. The third CD contains 12 bonus tracks by opening acts B.B. King and Ike & Tina Turner. The DVD features a new short film with never-before-seen archive footage by the legendary Maysles Brothers. The film chronicles the Rolling Stones epic performance at Madison Square Garden in November of 1969, backstage footage with both Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin present as well as scenes of Keith Richards in the studio and footage of the Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out! album cover session.
Slightly Stoopid & Friends – Live At Roberto’s TRI Studios 2xCD+DVD (Stoopid)
On September 13, 2011, the band was invited by the Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir into his state-of-the-art TRI Studios for a live webcast and in-studio performance. Utilizing the technology of their studio’s Constellation sound system, Slightly Stoopid had the privilege to invite some of their close friends and family down to record Live at Roberto’s TRI Studios, performing alongside Weir as well as Karl Denson, Don Carlos, Ivan Neville, Ian Neville and host Tommy Chong.
Soundtrack [Alfred Newman] – The Diary Of Anne Frank [1959] CD (Real Gone)
The original stereo film soundtrack album for the first time on CD with the original album artwork and new liner notes.
Spock’s Beard – Brief Nocturnes And Dreamless Sleep CD (Inside Out)
Spock’s Beard plays a brand of progressive rock with pop music leanings (drawing much influence from Yes and Genesis), and is also well known for their intricate multi-part vocal harmonies (such as those found on certain Gentle Giant songs).
Telekinesis – Dormarion CD/LP (Merge)
Michael Benjamin Lerner crafts songs that embody control and precision — which makes a whole lot of sense, given that he’s 1) a drummer at heart; and 2) Telekinesis’ only member. For his third album, Dormarion, the 26-year-old multi-instrumentalist sheds his do-everything-yourself ethos enough to work with another drummer in producer Jim Eno of Spoon, whose songs embody control and precision in their own right.
BJ Thomas – The Living Room Sessions CD (Wrinkled)
An intimate acoustic reimagining of 12 of his most renowned songs with guests Richard Marx, Vince Gill, Keb’ Mo’, Lyle Lovett, Isaac Slade (The Fray), and producer/songwriter turned popular contemporary standards singer Steve Tyrell.
Thy Art Is Murder – Hate CD (Nuclear Blast)
New album from the Australian deathcore outfit.
Transit – Young New England CD/LP (Rise)
Through a relentless tour schedule and incredible work ethic, Transit has shared the stage with artists such as Taking Back Sunday, Saves The Day, Four Year Strong, The Wonder Years and many more as well as the entire Vans Warped Tour.
Tyler The Creator – Wolf CD (Columbia)
Third studio album from the Odd Future leader features collaborations with Hodgy Beats, Frank Ocean, Pharrell, Earl Sweatshirt, Erykah Badu, and many others. Available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe comes in a lift off box measuring 5 1/16″ height x 5 3/32″ width x 9/16″ depth, that includes the Wolf CD in a mini-jacket, the CD booklet, a poster, a calendar, and a sticker.
Various Artists – Kev Beadle Presents: Private Collection Independent Jazz Sounds From The Seventies & Eighties CD/2xLP (BBE)
A collection of some of the rarest independent underground jazz, fusion, and Latin tracks from the ‘70s and ‘80s compiled by Kev Beadle one of the UK’s original jazz dance DJ’s.
Various Artists – The Music Is You: A Tribute To John Denver CD (ATO)
Tribute album covers of Denver’s most popular songs by a diverse group of artists including Dave Matthews, My Morning Jacket, Train, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros and many others. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to The Wilderness Society in Denver’s name. Vinyl version due April 16. Free tote bag with purchase – while supplies last!
Vondelpark – Seabed CD (R&S)
“The UK R&B trio Vondelpark mix indie-pop vulnerability with sonic luxuriance. Arriving after a couple of EPs, their debut LP is the fullest realization of the project’s immersive smoothness. [7.8] – Pitchfork. Vinyl version due April 16.
Charles Walker & The Dynamites – Love Is Only Everything CD (Gemco)
“It’s not a nostalgia act, nor is it a tribute — it’s 100 percent genuine, all-original soul smoke and funk fire, every show turning whatever venue happens to be fortunate enough into an episode of Showtime at the Apollo.” — Paste Magazine
Margaret Whiting – The Wheel Of Hurt [Reissue/1966] CD (Real Gone Music)
Margaret’s first album for London incorporated contemporary and country influences (to which she was no stranger, having charted with all those Jimmy Wakely duets in the ’40s and ’50s) into her sound and scored a Top 40 hit with the title track in 1966. This remastered reissue includes 13 rare singles including her German-language version of “Wheel of Hurt.”
Gin Wigmore – Gravel & Wine CD (Mercury)
Sophomore album from the New Zealand singer/songwriter and actress. Proving that radio is not the only outlet for an artist, Wigmore’s single “Black Sheep” appeared in an episode of Grey’s Anatomy and an episode of Teen Wolf, and she appeared singing it on ABC’s Revenge. Her song “Man Like That” is the song used in the James Bond Skyfall tie-in spot from Heineken.
Gretchen Wilson – Right On Time CD (Redneck)
Right On Time is an album of new material and includes the single ‘Still Rollin”. Overall, Wilson has charted 13 singles on the Billboard Country charts, of which five have reached Top Ten: the #1 “Redneck Woman,” as well as “Here For The Party,” “When I Think About Cheatin’,” “Homewrecker,” and “All Jacked Up.”
Vinyl:
Felicia Atkinson – Visions/Voices 2xLP+MP3 (Umor Rex)
Truly eerie soundscapes built with an odd collection of subtly deranged and detuned instruments; piano, Celtic harp, guitars, keyboards, electronics, and a female voice deeply lost in the woods.
Audacity – Finders Keepers 7”+MP3 (Suicide Squeeze)
Young brash power pop that is both aptly sunny and gritty — a perfect blend of SoCal’s good weather and endless concrete. Translucent green vinyl.
Beach House – Beach House [Reissue/2006] LP (We Are Free)
Beach House’s debut album is back in print on vinyl.
David Bowie – The Next Day 2xLP+CD (Columbia)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Includes three additional tracks plus bonus CD edition.
The Brian Jonestown Massacre – And This Is Our Music [Reissue/2003] 2xLP (A. Records)
HQ-180 white vinyl with red and blue splatters.
Classixx – Holding On 7” (Innovative Leisure)
’90s disco meets 2013 electro on Jerome LOL’s remix of Classixx latest single “Holding On.” The reworked dance track offers an alternative to break dancing in favor of some fist pumping. Debut album Hanging Gardens, due May 14.
Colomach – Colomach [Reissue/1974] LP (Soundway)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Reissue of one of the rarest Afro-rock LPs ever made, originally released in 1974. Fusion of traditional music from the arid Sahel region of West Africa with raw “garagey” psych-rock that was honed playing alongside similar “cultural” bands of the era such as Hedzoleh Soundz and Edzayawa.
Keb Darge/Cut Chemist – Lost And Found: Rockabilly And Jump Blues [Reissue/2007] 2xLP (BBE)
“It would be easy to understand rockabilly fans raising an eyebrow when the beat-obsessed blokes at BBE put together a rock & roll compilation. Surprisingly though, Lost And Found: Rockabilly And Jump Blues resurrects a host of long-lost ’50s jump tunes, with precious little overlap with music that already appears on CD. The two curators, Keb Darge and Cut Chemist (each takes one disc), provide copious notes on nearly every title, displaying a knowledge of the form that is formidable (especially in Darge’s case).” — AllMusic
Dawes – Stories Don’t End LP+MP3 (HUB)
Limited Edition indie-store only bootleg blue-marble vinyl edition! (Regular black vinyl version and CD due next week). Los Angeles folk-rockers Dawes return with their third album. Taking its title from Joan Didion’s 1984 novel Democracy, Stories Don’t End marks the first release on the band’s new label following their split from ATO Records last year. Recorded in five weeks last September in Asheville, NC, the album features clean production from Jacquire King (Tom Waits, Norah Jones), who helped the band break out of its vintage mold, though they don’t completely strip away that Laurel Canyon sound.
Elephant – Skyscraper 7” (Memphis Industries)
Amelia Rivas’ vocals swoon and swoop over a backdrop that twists familiar ‘50s doo-wop stylings into something new and alluring.
J.D. Emmanuel – Time Traveler 2xLP (Aguirre)
A collection of live material from the electronic wizard, including unreleased tracks. Assembled on his tour with Dolphins Into The Future through Denmark, Belgium, Sweden, Germany and Holland.
Fort Romeau – SW9 12” (Spectral Sound)
A warm and affectionate take on the sound of Chicago house, mixing thick analog pad sounds with a 4/4 kick that’s insistent without ever being overpowering, skittering hi-hats and a beautifully uplifting vocal sample.
Grass Widow – Grass Widow 7”+MP3 (HLR)
Reissue of San Francisco trio’s second release, originally out on Captured Tracks in 2009. Three originals plus a Urinals cover.
Guided By Voices – Xeno Pariah b/w Little Jimmy The Giant 7” (GBV Inc.)
The fourth single from English Little League (album due April 30). B-side “Little Jimmy The Giant” is a garagey reprise of one of the oldest songs ever written by Guided By Voices (included on the first Suitcase compilation, it was originally recorded in 1984).
Gun Outfit – Hard Coming Down LP (Post Present Medium)
Slow burning dirge-y jams align the group with the most downbeat and darkened in die-folk.
Mary Lattimore – Withdrawing Room LP (Desire Path)
The nuanced notes of the harp strings sing and reverberate amid subtle electronics.
Merzbow/Mats Gustasfsson/Balazs Pandi – Cuts 2xLP (Rarenoise)
If jazz, as the eminent critic Whitney Balliet once wrote, is the ”sound of surprise,” Cuts, an intensely cathartic, fiercely turbulent collaboration between Japanese noise purveyor Masami Akita (AKA Merzbow), Hungarian drummer Balazs Pandi and Swedish saxophonist Mats Gustasfsson, is the ”sound of shock and awe.”
Maria Minerva – Bless 12” (100% Silk)
Busting out with sweet ’n’ swingy single “Black Magick,” Minerva caters her classic la-la lyrics about an occult / joke-cult romance over a new waif, Schneider-esque pop-Rock Lobsta beat. “Space 4 U” slips echo-drone vocal monologues over a LaFace-style R&B booty bumper, while “Symbol of My Pleasure” sneers with a “Walk This Way” funk lick, both reminding fans of Minerva’s naughty/playful creep-creativities.
Mark Mulcahy – Low Birthweight Child b/w Cottage That We Rented Had A Name 7” (Tongue Master)
“The former Miracle Legion frontman has the kind of male voice you just don’t hear anymore: breathy, acrobatic, sensual, utterly, rapturously in-touch.” — The Guardian
Painted Palms – Carousel bw/ Click7”+MP3 (Polyvinyl)
Lead track from their upcoming album, with exclusive B-side.
Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry – Rise Again [2011] 2xLP (M.O.D. Technologies)
The Upsetter celebrated his 75th year of life with the release of this 2011 album, which featured eleven new songs mixed and produced by Bill Laswell and featuring vocals by TV On The Radio’s Tunde Adebimpe, Ethiopian chanteuse Gigi Shibabaw and Jamaican toaster Hawk(man).
Pick A Piper – Pick A Piper LP (Mint)
Debut from Toronto group lead by Brad Weber (Caribou). Airy, polyrhythmic percussion, atmospheric sound design and loopy melodies.
Praxis – Profanation: Preparation For A Coming Darkness [2011] LP (M.O.D. Technologies)
Praxis’ 2011 album is now available on vinyl. Since 1992, the core trio of Praxis Buckethead (guitars), Bill Laswell (bass) and Brain (drums) has churned out an eclectic series of albums rooted in aggressive avant-rock improv with a healthy slab of hip-hop, psychedelic funk and space jazz thrown in.
Psychic Twin – Strangers 7”+MP3 (Polyvinyl)
Intensely personal, nervously rhythmic, and indebted to the ’80s new-wave of Erin Fein’s youth. White vinyl.
Quiet Evenings – Impressions LP (Aguirre)
Duo of Grant (Nova Scotian Arms) and Rachel (Motion Sickness Of Time Travel) Evans. Far from the realm of pure ambient drift, subtle forces build within their disarming restraint and provide a stunning balance between light and shade.
Restorations – LP2 LP+MP3 (Side One Dummy)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Sophomore album from Philadelphia indie rock band.
Sadistik – Flowers For My Father LP (Fake Four, Inc.)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Evolving his style to a more synthesized rendition of a signature cinematic Seattle sound, the new album displays a distinct combination of Sadistik’s complex, vulnerable writing with textured, ambient production handled by the likes of Blue Sky Black Death and Kno of CunninLynguists. Guests include Cage, Deacon The Villain, and Astronautalis.
Spacemen 3 – Sound Of Confusion [Reissue/1986] LP (Fire)
Spacemen 3 – The Perfect Prescription [Reissue/1987] LP (Fire)
Spacemen 3 – Performance [Reissue/1990] LP (Fire)
HQ-180 vinyl reissues now available. “Spacemen 3 were psychedelic in the loosest sense of the word; their guitar explorations were colorfully mind-altering, but not in the sense of the acid rock of the ’60s. Instead, the band developed its own minimalistic psychedelia, relying on heavily distorted guitars to clash and produce their own harmonic overtones; frequently, they would lead up to walls of distortion with overamplified acoustic guitars and synths. Often the band would jam on one chord or play a series of songs, all in the same tempo and key.” – AllMusic
Transmuteo – Transmuteo LP (Aguirre)
New age transmissions and hypnagogic meditations to soothe the mind and soul from Jonathan Dean and his group of musical and visual collaborators.
Tully – Loving Is Hard CD/LP (Chapter Music)
Reissue of third and final album from the Australian psychedelic icons, originally released in 1972. Features two bonus tracks from their one and only single, the sparse and somber 1971 release “Krishna Came/Lord Baba.”
White Woods – Big Talking b/w Corner Town 7”+MP3 (Suicide Squeeze)
White Woods is the alias for Julia Kugel (Coathangers). A-side takes the Coathangers attitude, unplugs it from the amps, and delivers its admonishment with a graceful AM radio vibe. B-side “Corner Town” conjures the sex and strut of David Lynch’s pop-culture nods to the ’50s.
Young Statues – Age Isn’t Ours LP+MP3 (Run For Cover)
New Jersey group expand on the atmospheric Americana inspired rock from their s/t full length. Theirs is a world of smart and sophisticated indie-pop.
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