CDs:
Ages And Ages – Divisionary CD/LP (Partisan)
“On the surface, Ages And Ages’ sophomore release, Divisionary, might appear to shine with as much bright optimism as the band’s debut album, 2011’s Alright You Restless. Bringing to mind childhood summer camp—the good one, not the one where you got 17 mosquito bites on your face—the music remains focused on the tight, soaring vocal harmonies of the group’s seven members, rising and falling with the vibrant acoustic guitars, shakers, hand claps and driving bass drum.” – Willamette Week
Tetuzi Akiyama and Anla Courtis – Naranja Songs CD (Public Eyesore)
The guitar is one of the most abused and overplayed instruments on the planet. Most guitarists use so many notes when so few are actually necessary. That is perhaps why Naranja Songs sounds so completely and totally out of place. Although this is a guitar album, it presents the instrument in a way in which it is rarely heard. The instrument is played very methodically and slowly with more of an emphasis on individual sounds and notes than melodies. These compositions sound something like a cross between modern jazz, minimalist noise, ambient, and modern classical.
Animals As Leaders – The Joy Of Motion CD (Sumerian)
Having given the instrumental prog-metal envelope a serious push with their first two records—2009’s Animals As Leaders and 2011’s Weightless—Tosin Abasi and longtime guitar partner Javier Reyes take their virtuoso approach to the next level on The Joy Of Motion.
Asia – Gravitas CD/CD+DVD (Frontiers)
32 years after their wildly popular self-titled debut, the legendary British rock band returns with a brand new studio album. Available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe adds two bonus tracks and a DVD with a video for first single “Valkyrie,” behind-the-scenes footage and three Asia classics recorded live with a full symphonic orchestra in Plovdiv, Bulgaria.
Aztec Camera – High Land, Hard Rain [Reissue/1983] 2xCD (Domino)
In his liner notes for this expanded reissue, David Fricke calls High Land, Hard Rain “ten songs of anxious yearning, romantic urgency, big hurt and hard-won learning, distilled into compact dramas of buckskin-folk jangle and skewed-pop elegance.” Includes a second disc of rare live and studio tracks, including alternate mixes.
The Bad Plus – The Rite Of Spring CD (Sony Masterworks)
With a reputation for deconstructing popular songs and the avant-garde, it seems natural for the bad boys of jazz, The Bad Plus, to record their version of Stravinsky’s controversial masterpiece The Rite Of Spring.
Barren Harvest – Subtle Cruelties CD/LP (Handmade Birds)
Barren Harvest is a somber, ethereal collaboration between Lenny Smith (Atriarch) and Jessica Way (Worm Ouroboros). The music composed by these two creative veterans is cold and bright, pierced by measured silence and whispering tones, swells of synth, haunting guitars and autoharp. Dark, refined neo-folk meets ambient post-punk in a ghostly fog as dual voices lament lost loves, decaying flesh, and Nature’s fragile beauty.
The Baseball Project – 3rd CD/2xLP+CD+MP3 (Yep Roc)
Peter Buck (R.E.M.), Scott McCaughey (Minus 5), Mike Mills (R.E.M.), Linda Pitmon and Steve Wynn (Dream Syndicate) continue their tradition of inspired rock songs that provide passionately funny and sarcastically reverent commentary on the sport of baseball.
The Belle Brigade – Just Because CD/LP (ATO)
Founded by siblings Barbara and Ethan Gruska, The Belle Brigade’s music is artfully arranged, with enticing melodies and pop harmonies, fueled by the interplay of driving rhythms between Barbara’s drums and Ethan’s guitars. Both are gifted songwriters finding inspiration in the works of Peter Gabriel, John Lennon, The Beach Boys, Sly Stone, Harry Nilsson and countless others.
Big Scary – Not Art CD/LP (Barsuk)
The story of Big Scary begins in Melbourne, Australia, where duo Tom Iansek and Jo Syme, armed with just acoustic guitars and egg shakers, started playing songs together in the living room of Syme’s parents’ house, gradually working up to a bolder, more expansive sound by incorporating electric guitars, drums, synths and piano. What began as a few rainy day acoustic ballads in their first incarnation soon grew, and before long, the newly named Big Scary were writing anything they pleased — fuzzed-out garage rock; piano-led pop; intricate, pastoral instrumentals — each imbued with an effortless pop sensibility and lightness of touch that would quickly see the duo attract a strong following in their home country.
Black Hat – Thought Of Two CD/LP (Hausu Mountain)
Spread informally across underground networks, learned by hearing and watching one’s influences in action, possessed of as many unique voices as artists – the experimental electronic and noise/drone movements constitute contemporary incarnations of “folk” music, with knobs, oscillators, and patch cables in the place of acoustic guitars and harmonicas. As these movements flourish and overlap, the music that Nelson Bean makes as Black Hat emerges as a bold addition to the expanding center of the Venn Diagram.
Boy George – This Is What I Do CD (Very Me Records/Kobalt)
New album from the British singer/songwriter and ’80s icon best known for his work with Culture Club. This Is What I Do features writing collaborations with producer Youth, and a version of Yoko Ono’s “Death Of Samantha,” and features a string of guest musicians including DJ Yoda, Kitty Durham (Kitty Daisy & Lewis), Ally McErlaine (Texas/Red Sky July), MC Spee (Dreadzone) and Nizar Al Issa.
Burnt Ones – Gift CD/LP (Castle Face)
A potent blend of wide-eyed strummers on shifting sands is punctuated by blinking oscillators, left turns into wispy sound collage and tape manipulations, drug-rug-wrapped lushness and telephone whispers from a supremely stoned sounding Mark Tester, the guide through this cultish and vaguely sinister headphone-scape.
Cage The Gods – Badlands CD (The End)
Cage The Gods is a British rock band that fuse together rock & roll culture from the four corners of the UK in a thunderously blues-inspired fashion, laced with soaring Celtic rock vocals.
Erica Campbell – Help CD (E1)
With seven Mary Mary albums under her belt, Erica Campbell goes solo.
Johnny Cash – Out Among The Stars CD/LP+MP3 (Legacy)
By 1980, the business of country music had changed to incorporate sounds that were incongruous with Cash’s. His signature blend of folk and that “boom-chicka-boom” beat was out of vogue amongst the slick string-laden “countrypolitan” sounds that had become popular.
In one effort to enhance his commercial appeal, Columbia Records paired Cash with producer Billy Sherrill who was having major success with this new country sound. Cash employed an expanded band, featuring a young Marty Stuart on guitar and fiddle as well as long-time duet partners June Carter Cash and Waylon Jennings. Much of what was recorded was locked away in the vault lost and not to be heard again. Discovered in 2012, Out Among The Stars is truly a lost, previously unreleased Johnny Cash album. These aren’t alternate takes or different versions of songs that you’ve heard. These are brand new songs to the Cash canon.
Celer – Zigzag CD (Spekk)
“Several years ago while living in the United States, I became interested in the minimalist music of the 1960’s and 1970’s, and new wave of the early 1980’s, with the steady pulses, the constant harmonies, and endless continuity.” Long’s resulting experiment is a dynamic piece of drone music that somehow heightens the forlorn movements while simultaneously keeping the frigidly static scenery we’ve come to expect from him.
Chicago Underground Duo – Locus CD/LP (Northern Spy)
Bits of breakbeat and Afropop are heard within the jazz, ambient and electronica elements of their unmistakable grooves. Also in the mix is a Ghanian folk tune and Ennio Morricone played on cornet, drums, mbira, ballophone, bamboo flute and Game Boy.
Children Of The Stones – The Children Of The Stones CD/LP (Saint Marie)
Children Of The Stones is a new project by electronic musician/producer Mark Van Hoen (Black Hearted Brother, Locust, Seefeel, and Scala). Features guitar by Neil Halstead (Slowdive, Mojave 3, and Black Hearted Brother).
Circa Zero – Circus Hero CD/LP+MP3 (429 Records)
Legendary guitarist with The Police, fiercely iconoclastic composer and songwriter Andy Summers teams up with singer songwriter/ multi-instrumentalist producer Rob Giles (The Rescues) to form Circa Zero.
The Colourist – The Colourist CD/LP (Republic)
The Colourist is a band from Orange County, California formed by Adam Castilla and Maya Tuttle of Paper Thin Walls, along with Castilla’s friends Kollin Johannsen and Justin Wagner. Over the past year, the group has opened for Metric, Atlas Genius, Fitz and The Tantrums and The Naked And Famous.
D’Angelo – Live At Café Jazz, London [1996] CD (Virgin)
This new release of Live At The Jazz Café, London (originally as a Japan-only release) contains the complete show along with four unreleased performances — three of them covers of tracks originally by D’Angelo influences Mandrill, Ohio Players and Al Green — plus a longer version of “Lady.”
The Dandy Warhols – 13 Tales From Urban Bohemia: Live At The Wonder CD (The End)
After a highly successful national US 13th anniversary tour for Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia, The Dandy Warhols follow-up with an exclusive live recording of their hometown show at The Wonder.
Miles Davis – Miles At The Fillmore – Miles Davis 1970: The Bootleg Series Vol. 3 4xCD (Sony Legacy)
The searing white heat of these concerts, originally issued in severely edited form to accommodate LP sides, and without any track or song indications (e.g., “Wednesday Miles”, “Thursday Miles,” etc.) are now made whole. The additional 135 minutes of music in this set include a range spanning Wayne Shorter’s Paraphernalia and Footprints from the earlier acoustic repertoire; to an early version of “Miles Runs The Voodoo Down” plus a rare encore performance of “Spanish Key,” compelled by the lightning-fast success of Miles’s landmark studio album Bitches Brew.
Will Downing – Euphoria CD (Liaison Records)
The winning formula of Euphoria is not about what gets added, but more a matter of addition by subtraction. A slick less is more production approach by the team of Will Downing, keyboardists Chris Big Dog Davis and Mike Logan, push his rich baritone vocals to the forefront and creates a more intimate soul-lounge feel, complete with upright bass licks and brushed drum strokes.
Nathan East – Nathan East CD (Yamaha Entertainment)
For more than three decades Nathan East, the founding member of world-renowned jazz quartet Fourplay, has been called upon to perform on hit songs for many of the greatest artists in music including Daft Punk’s Get Lucky. With a mix of instrumental and vocal compositions, and produced by Chris Gero and Nathan East, his new album features the single “Daft Funk,” plus compositions by Nathan East, Bob James, Pat Metheny, Stevie Wonder, Van Morrison, Chuck Loeb, Steve Winwood and Michael McDonald among others.
Emperors Of Wyoming – Emperors Of Wyoming CD (Liaison Music)
2013 debut album from this roots-oriented quartet featuring Phil Davis, Butch Vig, Frank Anderson and Peter Anderson. Their debut is amazingly timeless, a seamless melding of American country and folk-rock that bridges new and old, cutting edge technology and ancient instruments, spaghetti western, bluegrass, surf rock, acoustic folk, hard rock, pop-metal, and pop-pock into a brand new American sound.
Massimo Falascone – Variazioni Mumacs 32 Short Mu-Pieces About Macs CD (Public Eyesore)
A prime example of the Italian improvisational jazz scene.
Simone Felice – Strangers CD/LP (Dualtone)
Simone Felice is a founding member (lyricist, vocalist, drummer and guitarist) of internationally acclaimed, Catskill Mountain-based artists The Felice Brothers and The Duke & The King. Strangers is a ten song collection with guest artists The Felice Brothers and Wesley Schultz and Jeremiah Fraites of The Lumineers.
Fireworks – Oh, Common Life CD/LP (Triple Crown)
New album from the punk band that has toured with the likes of All Time Low, New Found Glory, Saves The Day and Set Your Goals.
Future Islands – Singles CD/Cassette/LP (4AD)
Despite the kind-of-just-a-little-bit-confusing title, Singles is not a collection of singles but is, in fact, a completely new full-length record. The Baltimore trio consists of enigmatic frontman Sam Herring, bassist/guitarist William Cashion and keyboardist/guitarist/programmer Gerrit Welmers. Herring’s poetic tales of heartbreak, love and loss are finally up front and in high fidelity, thanks in part to a newfound creative partnership with producer Chris Coady (Beach House, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Grizzly Bear).
Jim Goodwin – Odludek CD (PIAS/Heavenly)
Debut solo album from Doves’ Jimi Goodwin. Vinyl version due April 8. “I wanted to make this mad mixtape… the kind you’d pass back and forth with your mates; eclectic as f##k. That’s the way we’ve all discovered music over the years isn’t it? We join our own dots to make it all make sense. As I got into making the record, it felt like I was proving something to myself, making a point that I could do all this on my own. You know — I can play bass, I can play guitar, I can orchestrate. As the methods changed, the original concept stayed intact. It’s me, powering through ideas, kapow kapow, no pause for breath. It’s not trying to be willfully eclectic; it’s just a reflection of how I schizophrenically devour music.”
Grieves – Winter & The Wolves CD/LP (Rhymesayers)
Known for a unique blend of hip-hop and alt-soul, Grieves has co-produced 14 new tracks with B. Lewis, combining organic pianos and guitars with synthesizers which serve as a dramatic backdrop for his vocals.
Merle Haggard – Okie From Muskogee [45th Anniversary Edition] 2xCD (Capitol Nashville)
The live Okie From Muskogee album was originally released in 1969 as an attack on the liberal hippies who represented American pop culture in the late ’60s and the title song struck a chord in audiences across the country. It quickly climbed up to number one in the country charts. Merle Haggard then released another live album called The Fightin’ Side Of Me at the beginning of 1970, and it also shot to number one. This album went out of print around 1974 and has remained so until today.
Beth Hart/Joe Bonamassa – Live In Amsterdam 2xCD (J&R Adventures)
Against the backdrop of the beautiful, historic Koninklijk Theater Carré in Amsterdam, Hart and Bonamassa’s performance wows with scorching soul covers from the duo’s 2011 debut album Don’t Explain and 2013 follow-up Seesaw, originally made famous by artists such as Aretha Franklin, Etta James, Billie Holiday, Tom Waits, Ray Charles, Donnie Hathaway, Lucinda Williams, Bill Withers, Delaney & Bonnie, Buddy Miles, Tina Turner, Slackwax, Melody Gardot, Nina Simone, and more. Also available on stand-alone DVD and Blu-ray. Vinyl version due April 1.
The Hold Steady – Teeth Dreams CD/LP (Razor & Tie)
The Hold Steady return with their sixth album and first in four years. The title refers to a common nighttime dream. Dreams about teeth are usually triggered by anxiety. Anxiety is a theme that shows up in a number of songs on the album.
Koen Holtkamp – Motion: Connected Works 2xCD (Thrill Jockey)
Extended CD release presenting the new album Motion as well as a second disc that compiles of all of Holkamp’s vinyl-only releases. These include Liquid Light Forms (2013), Gravity/Bees (2010), and Make Haste (2008).
Horseback – Piedmont Apocrypha CD/LP+MP3 (Three Lobed)
Horseback’s fifth full-length gestures to the pastoral hues of Impale Golden Horn, but there’s a structured quality to the tracks here that fits in line with his “rock” records. Make no mistake: this is a heavy record, but in the way Comus’ First Utterance is heavy, or in the way Amon Duul’s Phallus Dei is heavy. It’s that patient, smoke-clogged, ritualistic vibe, solemn with the noticeable presence of layered organ and harmonium tones (perhaps a subtle nod to Terry Riley or even Olivier Messiaen).
Howler – World Of Joy CD/LP (Rough Trade)
Minneapolis four-piece’s follow-up to the catchy, youthfully brash 2012 debut America Give Up.
Elton John – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road [Reissue/1973] CD (Island)
Elton John – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road [40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition] 2xCD (Island)
Elton John – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road [40th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition] 4xCD+DVD (Island)
Remastered version of Elton John’s classic 1973 album, available in a variety of editions. The double-CD Deluxe edition adds an additional disc with contemporary artists personally chosen by Elton paying tribute to the iconic album. The Super Deluxe box set features additional tracks and B-sides, the full Live At Hammersmith ‘73 concert on two CDs, and a DVD of Bryan Forbes’ 1973 film Elton John And Bernie Taupin Say Goodbye To Norma Jean And Other Things. In addition to the discs, the box also contains a 100-page illustrated hardback book packed with rare photos, memorabilia and a new essay containing interviews with Elton John and Bernie Taupin. Remastered vinyl edition due April 8.
Suzuki Junzo – Portrait Of Medeleine Elster CD (Ultech)
The third solo album from this Japanese psych troubadour, Portrait Of Medeleine Elster is a 21st century drone/space electric-blues album with crystalline guitar passages soaked in reverb and distorted sadness.
Karmin – Pulses CD (Epic)
Debut full-length album from the duo of Amy Heidemann and Nick Noonan, who’s mash-up of pop and hip-hop gained attention in 2011 with their cover of Chris Brown’s “Look At Me Now.”
Ronnie Lane & Slim Chance – Ooh La La: An Island Harvest 2xCD (Mercury Nashville)
There was no one quite like Ronnie Lane — a talented songwriter and born entertainer he would initially find fame as part of the Small Faces. He co-wrote many of their classic ‘60s songs and then with the Faces some of the biggest hits of the ‘70s. Ooh La La: An Island Harvest looks at Ronnie and Slim Chance’s time with Island Records where Ronnie released two albums — Ronnie Lane’s Slim Chance and One For The Road. This collection features highlights from those albums as well as covers of classic tracks delivered in the inimitable “Plonk” style.
Lavender Country – Lavender Country [Reissue/1973] CD/LP+MP3 (Paradise Of Bachelors)
Widely recognized as the first openly gay country music album — and cited as such even by Nashville institutions like the Country Music Hall Of Fame and CMT — this landmark 1973 LP stands as nothing less than an artifact of courage, a sonic political protest document of enormous power, clarity, and grace. The inimitable aesthetics and glimpses of cockeyed humor recall some ethereal psych-folk nexus of the Flatlanders and The Holy Modal Rounders as much as any standard country & western forebears, rendering the biting poetry in an even more other wordly and timeless light.
Korby Lenker – Korby Lenker CD/LP (Stuffed Piranha)
The sixth album from the singer/songwriter, Korby Lenker features 10 original compositions, including “My Little Life,” a witty celebration of unrealized dreams that took top honors at 2012’s prestigious Kerrville New Folk Competition.
Liars – Mess CD/2xLP+CD (Mute)
The follow up to 2012’s WIXIW is an angry, ecstatic, primal burst of ritualistic synth-rock that sacrifices self persecution for potent, purposeful abandon. Liars’ career has seen the band rattle through pigeonholes in an attempt to avoid them all together: brittle yet taught punk funk, liminal no-wave, ecstatic noise-pop, 21st-century garage rock, post-millennial post-rock, and delicate electronics.
London Grammar – If You Wait CD (Columbia)
Vinyl version due April 1. “This is an enthralling, stunning, deeply emotive album that perfectly marries understated electronica to sublime vocals and melodies. In a year dominated by titanic LPs, London Grammar have not only made the most perfectly formed debut album of the year – they’ve made one of the best LPs, period. [A-]” – Pretty Much Amazing
Malawi Mouse Boys – Dirt Is Good CD (IRL Recordings UK)
Following on from their critically-acclaimed debut, He Is #1, and with Ian Brennan (Tinariwen/Ramblin’ Jack Elliott) once again on production duties, this second outing from Malawi’s very own barbecued mice sellers once again offers 15 self-penned original songs of genius, joy and unashamed wholeness of heart, held together with timeless harmony and unison.
Clint Mansell – Noah: Music From the Motion Picture CD (Nonesuch)
Noah is the first English speaking film by Park Chan-Wook, the director of Oldboy. The film is very musical with a score from Clint Mansell (Milan’s second record with Clint: he is the composer of Requiem For A Dream, Pi, The Fountain, Black Swan), an original piano piece by composer Philip Glass and “Becomes The Color,” the original credit song by Emily Wells.
Memphis May Fire – Unconditional CD/LP (Rise)
New album from one of the big dogs of metalcore.
Kylie Minogue – Kiss Me Once [Deluxe] CD+DVD (WB)
Released a week after the single-disc version, this Deluxe edition of Minogue’s new album adds a bonus tracks and a DVD. The Australian pop icon’s first studio album since 2010’s Aphrodite is a return to the dance floor after 2012’s orchestral compilation The Abbey Road Sessions, and was executive produced by Kylie and Sia, who co-wrote the title track. Kylie also teams up with Pharrell Williams, who wrote and produced “I Was Gonna Cancel.”
Miss Shevaughn & Yuma Wray – Lean Into The Wind CD/LP+MP3 (Seven Dead Arson)
Lean Into The Wind is the product of a year plagued by chaos of friends passing, illness, depression and self-doubt, but also one of adventure, travel, friendship and the kinds of life events that ultimately help us cut through the noise.
Mount Carmel – Get Pure CD/LP (Alive)
“Columbus, OH’s Mount Carmel still believes in rock & roll — you know, the real stuff with charging guitars and drums meant to stir the loins before the brain cells… And I mean that in a good way.” – Pop Matters
Movits! – Head In The Clouds CD (Slimstyle)
Head In The Clouds, the third release from international Swedish superstars Movits!, features an eclectic mix of rap and swing. Their first album Äppelknyckarjazz was featured on the The Colbert Report.
My Chemical Romance – May Death Never Stop You CD/CD+DVD/2xLP+DVD (WB)
A compilation of My Chemical Romance’s best songs, including previously unreleased material, including the “Attic Demos,” and one of the last songs the band worked on in the studio. Available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe adds a DVD.
Tomotsugu Nakamura – Soundium CD (Kaico)
The word “Soundium” is made up of “Sound” plus “ium” meaning the element of sound, and also meant to sound like a miniature garden simulated by sounds. Indeed Nakamura’s sound world has evolved even deeper and what is most noticeable comparing to his first album is the emphasis on the rhythm which is blended softly into fragments of colorful acoustic and electronic tones. Together with nice rich textures, Nakamura delivers another masterpiece that is just pleasant all throughout.
John Németh – Memphis Grease CD/LP (Blue Corn Music)
John Németh was probably the only kid in Boise who grew up in the 1980s listening to Chicago blues. In the three decades since, he has transformed himself from a fan to a modern soul-blues purveyor of the highest order, receiving five Blues Music Award nominations in 2012 and two in 2013, including the B.B. King Entertainer Of The Year award.
Jerrod Niemann – High Noon CD (Sony Nashville)
New album from the country artist, featuring the single “Drink To That All Night.”
Nine Inch Nails – Recoiled CD/LP (Cold Spring)
Recoiled is a rambunctious alchemy, of magical Coil sensibilities and hi-tech home circa ’90s mixing technique, all fused in the cave-like early studios of Danny Hyde/Peter Christopherson. These were the unrestrained pre-big studio mix downs of four songs which long time Coil admirer/collaborator Trent Reznor requested Coil to remix.
No More Lies – In The Shade Of Expectation CD/LP (BCore)
One can see specks of wild arena rock (Ted Nugent to Led Zeppelin), touches of math rock (Chavez, Shiner) that perfectly enlighten the understanding and feeling the three members have developed between each other. Blows of face-to-face post-hardcore (Shellac, Jesus Lizard), they control their riff, they lead it with a collar and a muzzle, they keep it under control and then let it loose together with a killer, urgent and luminous chorus. The result is always the same: They severely kick your ass.
Jim Oblon – Sunset CD (Compass)
Jim Oblon is one of those rare talents — a jaw-dropping guitarist, soulful singer and compelling writer. Not to mention the fact that his regular gig is playing drums for the Paul Simon band.
Roy Orbison – Laminar Flow [Reissue/1979] CD (Friday Music)
Originally recorded at Wishbone Recording Studio in Muscle Shoals, Alabama and released on Asylum Records in 1979, Roy Orbison’s masterwork Laminar Flow would unfortunately be the last studio album of new solo material that he would release in his short lifetime.
Owls – Two CD/LP+MP3 (Polyvinyl)
Long awaited sophomore album from the Cap’n Jazz founders. Though sonically their technique still has the ability to dazzle, age and experience have lent new perspectives to the band’s songwriting – making their songs more aggressive and direct, but certainly no less captivating. Available on CD and on light-blue vinyl.
Pantera – Far Beyond Driven [20th Anniversary Edition] 2xCD (Rhino)
This 20th Anniversary Edition of Far Beyond Driven features a remastered version of the album, along with a live performance from the 1994 Monsters Of Rock Festival.
Jon Porras – Light Divide CD/LP+MP3 (Thrill Jockey)
Jon Porras creates drone music with a refined sense of atmosphere and remarkable forward motion. Regardless of the tools he uses, be it guitars and stacks of amplifiers or modular synthesizers, Porras creates cavernous sound-worlds that are as inviting as they are alien. Light Divide, his second solo release for Thrill Jockey, shows Porras shifting his focus entirely to electronic synthesis, using a wide array of analog and digital systems to exponentially expand his sonic palate. The resulting sounds are silhouettes of distant rhythms, abstracted traces of techno wastelands that come in and out of focus like an urban, post-industrial sprawl being overtaken by fog.
Pretty Maids – Louder Than Ever CD+DVD (Frontiers)
Pretty Maids’ Louder Than Ever includes brand new recordings of eight of the band’s career highlights plus four brand new songs. Also includes a retrospective DVD with tons of archival footage, studio shots and interviews and footage recorded from the Motherland Tour.
Chuck Ragan – Till Midnight CD/LP (Side One Dummy)
Chuck Ragan’s bracing new release once again confirms what the iconoclastic singer/songwriter’s fans have known all along; that he’s a deeply compelling songwriter and an effortlessly charismatic performer, as well as a true believer in music’s ability to illuminate and inspire.
Sage The Gemini – Remember Me CD (Universal Republic)
Sage The Gemini, born in June of 1992, is an American rapper from Fairfield, California (Bay Area) who creates a mix of a crossover of R&B and Bay Area party hip-hop. Remember Me is available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe features bonus tracks including the Justin Bieber Remix of “Gas Pedal.”
Jim Sauter & Kid Millions – Boanerges CD (Doubt Music)
Boanerges is a collaboration between Jim Sauter (Borbetomagus) and Kid Millions (Man Forever, Oneida). “…something struck me immediately, the slight slap-back delay on the sax, the SAX! Yes, of course it’s Jim Sauter, and a long long time since I had heard him with drums, but also, with a new rhythmical sense to his use of effects, not just altering the timbre, and the threshold, of his horn, but also changing the space it was in, the relation to a new space that Kid Millions drums propelled him into head forward.” — Jim O’Rourke
Seahaven – Revene Lagoon: Music For Escapism Only CD/LP (Run For Cover)
On their sophomore full-length, Torrance, CA’s Seahaven captures a dreamy, sprawling, airy southern California mood. Produced and engineered by Ben Brodin (Bright Eyes, Pete Yorn) at Omaha’s ARC recording studio, the subtle combination of emo, indie and post-punk is brought to life by the uplifting natural production and orchestral instrumentation.
Shakira – Shakira. CD (RCA)
New album featuring a who’s who list of top collaborators including John Hill (Santigold, Jay Z, The Vaccines), Kid Harpoon (Florence + The Machine, Calvin Harris) Steve Mac (Kelly Clarkson, One Direction), Mark Bright (Carrie Underwood, Rascal Flatts), Busbee (P!nk, Lady Antebellum, Katy Perry) and The Messengers (Pitbull, Chris Brown, Christina Aguilera).
She’Koyokh Klezmer Ensemble – Wild Goats & Unmarried Women CD (Riverboat)
United by their love of rip-roaring artfully delivered klezmer, She’Koyokh spin tales of wild goats, unmarried women and broken hearts drawn from the rich folk traditions of Eastern Europe, Turkey and the Balkans.
Should – The Great Pretend CD (Words On Music)
The mono-chord, krautrock groove of the opener “Don’t Send Me Your Regrets” gives way to elegant, lush pop of “Loveless Devotion” — only to morph abruptly into an endless refrain atop heavy toms and buzzing guitars. The strident guitar and emphatic drums of “Mistakes Are Mine” turns on a dime to an orchestrated, drumless bridge. But the album is still stamped with Should’s signatures: Marc Ostermeier and Tanya Maus’ harmonies on “In Monotone” and “A Lonely Place” and the churning shoegaze wash of “Dalliance.”
Sleeper Agent – About Last Night CD/LP (RCA)
“About Last Night is the product of countless hours spent writing, rewriting, recording, hoping, toiling, questioning, and ultimately pushing ourselves as a band as far as we could go,” said Sleeper Agent’s Alex Kandel. “It’s a record that I can hear our band’s history in…every heartbreak, every victory, every night spent in the van, every audience we’ve been in front of are woven into the melodies and fabric of the songs.”
Rod Stewart – Tonight’s The Night: Live 1976-1998 4xCD (WB)
Warner Bros. shines a spotlight on Stewart’s phenomenal legacy on stage with a four-disc collection that spans more than 20 years with 58 unreleased live recordings that include his biggest hits along with some incredible covers.
Strata Floride – Made Of Stars CD (Saint Marie)
New release from the musical project led by Louise Trehy, formerly one half of the 4AD duo Swallow.
Stuntman – Incorporate The Excess CD (Head)
Stuntman is a noise/grindcore band. Think ‘90s hardcore (Playing Enemy, Kiss It Goodbye) with a modern sound.
Sum Of R – Lights On Water CD/LP (Utech)
Discovers the duo’s roots within a prehistoric ceremonial context. The cries of gods, the crashing of thunder, & the breaking of waves that inspire heartfelt intensity.
Thou – Heathen CD (Gilead Media)
Thou’s fourth full-length combines the melody and hopefulness of Summit with the heaviness and melancholia of Peasant and Tyrant.
Tokyo Police Club – Forcefield CD/LP (Mom + Pop)
The fourth full-length release for the Canadian indie rock quartet was produced by Doug Boehm and the band’s lead singer, David Monks. “It’s a goldmine of catchy power pop, with the odd misstep, but anyone claiming to find little here in the way of feel good factor is likely to be deaf, ignorant or just sitting within their own sound-proof forcefield.” – musicOMH.com
The Use – What’s The Use? CD (Alrealon Musique)
The Use (formerly Cloud Cloud) is the moniker taken on by composer, beat-maker, and multi-instrumentalist Michael Durek to make a saucy blend of pulsing, structured, yet free electronic music, making use of beats, synths, theremins, and sampled sounds recorded from Durek’s everyday life that stretches from glitch-hop to IDM and ambient.
Jai Uttal – Return To Shiva Station/Kailash Connection CD (Sounds True)
Jai Uttal is a Grammy nominee and a pioneer in the world music and yoga culture. His eclectic East-meets-West sound has put his music at the forefront of the world fusion movement.
Various Artists –Dylan In The ‘80s Volume 1 CD/2xLP (ATO)
This tribute album to Bob Dylan’s music from the ‘80s (spanning 1980’s Saved to 1990’s Under The Red Sky) features covers by: Langhorne Slim & The Law, Built To Spill, Reggie Watts, Craig Finn, Ivan & Alyosha, Deer Tick, Dawn Landes & Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, Tea Leaf Green, Aaron Freeman & Slash, Elvis Perkins, Hannah Cohen, Marco Beneveto, Yellowbirds, Blitzen Trapper, Lucius, Glen Hansard, Bob Weir, and Carl Broemel.
Laura Veirs – July Flame 7” (Kingfisher Bluez)
Extravagantly beautiful folk tunes many consider to be Veirs’ finest work. Featuring an all-star band including My Morning Jacket’s Jim James and K Records’ own Karl Blau.
Dan Weiss – Fourteen CD (Pi. Recordings)
Fourteen is an ambitious work that combines all of the acclaimed drummer’s myriad influences, featuring original compositions for a 14-piece ensemble with guitars, horns, voices, harp, percussion, and organ that is an indescribable amalgam of Indian beat cycles, jazz improvisation, extreme metal, minimalism, Ennio Morricone’s film music, and prog rock, all compounded into a personal outpouring of expression completely beyond musical boundaries.
Withered Hand – New Gods CD/LP (Slumberland)
New album by the Edinburgh based folk-rock troubadour Dan Willson, who records as Withered Hand.
Richard Youngs – No Retreat In Comfort CD (Ba Da Bing!)
These are the last remaining copies of the 300-run CD that Richard Youngs sold on his US 2013 tour, which saw him travel up and down the East Coast, most memorably playing the support slot at the Hopscotch Festival in Raleigh, NC, opening for John Cale.
DVD + Blu-ray:
Beth Hart/Joe Bonamassa – Live In Amsterdam DVD/Blu-ray (J&R Adventures)
Against the backdrop of the beautiful, historic Koninklijk Theater Carré in Amsterdam, Hart and Bonamassa’s performance wows with scorching soul covers from the duo’s 2011 debut album Don’t Explain and 2013 follow-up Seesaw, originally made famous by artists such as Aretha Franklin, Etta James, Billie Holiday, Tom Waits, Ray Charles, Donnie Hathaway, Lucinda Williams, Bill Withers, Delaney & Bonnie, Buddy Miles, Tina Turner, Slackwax, Melody Gardot, Nina Simone, and more. 120 minutes.
Joni Mitchell – Woman Of Heart And Mind/Painting With Words And Music Blu-ray (Eagle Rock)
This release combines the acclaimed documentary Woman Of Heart And Mind, which tells the story of Joni Mitchell’s extraordinary life and career, with the concert film Painting With Words And Music, in which Joni performs before an intimate audience on the Warner’s Lot in Los Angeles, in a specially set up auditorium displaying a gallery of her own paintings. 204 minutes.
The Punk Singer (A Film By Kathleen Hanna) DVD (MPI Home Video)
Through 20 years of archival footage and intimate interviews with Hanna (Bikini Kill, Le Tigre) and those who were part of the riot grrrl scene, including music legends Joan Jett and Adam Horowitz, The Punk Singer is a never-before-seen view into the life of this fearless punk leader. 81 minutes.
Lou Reed – Transformer & Live At Montreux 2000 Blu-ray (Eagle Vision)
Combines the documentary Transformer from the Classic Albums series, which tells the story of the creation and recording of this legendary album, with Live At Montreux 2000, a live concert film of Lou Reed’s performance at the world famous festival. 206 minutes.
Various Artists – MusiCares Person Of Year: Tribute To Bruce Springsteen DVD/Blu-ray (Columbia)
On February 8th, 2013, Bruce Springsteen was honored as the 2013 MusiCares Person Of The Year. MusiCares was established in 1989 by the Recording Academy to provide a safety net of critical assistance for music people in times of need, through innovative programs and services. A stellar list of artists pay tribute to Bruce: Alabama Shakes, Patti Smith, Natalie Maines, Ben Harper and Charlie Musselwhite, Ken Casey, Mavis Staples and Zak Brown, Mumford & Sons, Jackson Browne feat. Tom Morello, Emmylou Harris, Kenny Chesney, Elton John, Juanes, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, Tom Morello and Jim James, John Legend, Sting, and Neil Young & Crazy Horse. 135 minutes.
Vinyl:
After The Burial – Wolves Within LP (Sumerian)
Released last year on CD, the third full-length release from 8-string metal masters and pioneers is now available on two shades (blue or white) of color vinyl.
Aktor – I Am The Psychic Wars 7″ (Full Contact)
One could say that Aktor play Top 40 heavy metal with a delicious psychedelic flair that may one day have some fans in common with Sandy Perlman, Alan Davey, and/or Roky Erickson.
Anti-Dogmatikss – Rompan Filas!!! [1984] LP (BCore)
Before going on their Spanish mini-tour with the Dutch hard-core band BGK in November 1984, Anti/Dogmatikss made a first stop at the Marathon Studios in Barcelona, recording 11 songs that would turn into their first self-published cassette to be sold on that same tour.
Bardo Pond – Shone Like A Ton LP+MP3 (Three Lobed)
Vinyl reissue of 1992 self-released cassette. A primordial ooze of swampy, sludgey psych blues, demonstrating the essential DNA that has become their multi-decade calling card.
Bardo Pond – Refulgo 2xLP+MP3 (Three Lobed)
Double-LP collection of long out of print, rare and early 7” singles and compilation tracks.
Bike For Three! – So Much Forever LP (Fake Four Inc.)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Bike For Three! is Joëlle Lê and Buck 65. Their new album, So Much Forever, opens with the sound of a solitary heart beating underscored by Joëlle’s eerie, soothing atmospherics. From there the urgency of “Full Moon” kicks in and Buck 65 is at the podium, unraveling his innermost thoughts through tightly knit stanzas and abstracted fragments.
Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers – Free For All [Reissue/1964] LP (Blue Note)
Free For All is a 1964 jazz album by Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers released on Blue Note. Now, celebrating its 50th anniversary, the album has been newly remastered for vinyl as part of the overall Blue Note 75th anniversary vinyl reissue campaign.
John Coltrane – Blue Train [Reissue/1957] LP (Blue Note)
Recorded at Van Gelder Studio in Hackensack, New Jersey, John Coltrane’s Blue Train is a hard bop jazz album released on Blue Note in 1957. Certified Gold, it is Coltrane’s second solo album and the only one he recorded for Blue Note as a leader although he was never formally signed to the label.
Davidge – Slo Light LP (The End)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Slo Light is the debut album by Davidge, aka award-winning producer/musician Neil Davidge, renowned previously for his production, co-writing and sonic-sculpting of music for Massive Attack, David Bowie, Snoop Dog, Damon Albarn, Primal Scream, Elizabeth Fraser and Mos Def, plus the Halo 4 game score and soundtrack. An album deeply-schooled in Bristol beats, electronica, soundtracks, orchestral music and more, Slo Light creates a fantasy world in which tension, darkness and beauty find the perfect equilibrium.
Depeche Mode – Broken Frame [Reissue/1982] LP (Rhino)
Depeche Mode – Construction Time Again [Reissue/1983] LP (Rhino)
Depeche Mode – Violator [Reissue/1990] LP (Rhino)
Depeche Mode – Ultra [Reissue/1997] LP (Rhino)
HQ-180 vinyl reissues now available.
Eric Dolphy – Out To Lunch! [Reissue/1964] LP (Blue Note)
Out To Lunch! was Eric Dolphy’s only recording for Blue Note Records as a leader and today is considered one of the premiere albums in the label’s history as well as one of the top avant garde jazz albums of the 1960s.
Elbow – The Takeoff And Landing Of Everything LP (Concord)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. “Elbow do cloud-scraping bombast as well as any of their peers – with the bonus that frontman Guy Garvey is the sort of every-bloke you can imagine sipping bitter with. Along with the uplift, however, the Mancunians have a tendency to brood which has arguably served as a drag on their progress … Make no mistake, this is a bleak record, a paean to middle years ennui, the slow realization that, actually, there are no more second chances. You’ve made your bed and here you will stay.” – Hot Press
Encono – Encono LP (BCore)
The style guide for Encono parents them with more contemporary references like Lisabo, Big Business and Young Widows, but they manage to make it personal and fresh and keep up a large intensity at all times, full of fury and tension.
Flyying Colours – Flyying Colours 12” (Shelflife)
True to their name, Flyying Colours unashamedly display their influences in this debut: tone bending MBV/Swervedriver guitars, Ride’s bass hooks and the familiar soft hush of early ‘90s male/female vocals. Add to that their own edgy, refreshing pop-mindedness and it makes for five completely brilliant tracks. Black/grape vinyl.
Geryon – Geryon LP+MP3 (Gilead Media)
Using only bass guitar and drums, Nick McMaster and Lev Weinstein (both from Krallice) deliver intricate, abrasive death metal with a touch of melody.
GoGo Penguin – V 2.0 LP (Gondwana)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Featuring pianist Chris Illingworth, bassist Nick Blacka and drummer Rob Turner, GoGo Penguin are an exhilarating live act, drawing on a heady brew of influences from Aphex Twin to Brian Eno, Debussy to Shostakovich and Massive Attack to EST.
Golden Retriever – Seer LP+MP3 (Thrill Jockey)
Recommended for fans of Terry Riley, Oneohtrix Point Never, Pulse Emitter. “Terry Riley-influenced long form synth and [clarinet] studies shouldn t rightly sound this engulfing and gorgeous, but Golden Retriever have managed it without even a hint of the expected stuffiness.” — Fact Magazine
Good Willsmith – The Honeymoon Workbook LP (Umor Rex)
The Honeymoon Workbook is the first LP by Chicago-based trio Good Willsmith. Previous tape releases on the band’s own Hausu Mountain label showcased improvised sessions of maximal, multi-instrumental loops. The Honeymoon Workbook streamlines their explorations of the noise/drone underground into a densely packed song cycle, performed live in a single session and presented without overdubs.
Green Day – Warning [Reissue/2000] LP (Adeline)
Now available on Coke bottle green vinyl.
Jesters Of Destiny – Fun At The Funeral [Reissue/1986] LP (Ektro/Full Contact)
According to Wikipedia and Allmusic.com (and even a Creem Metal interview from the band’s own time), Jesters Of Destiny were quite possibly the first “Alternative Metal” band. If you were to ask the band’s founders, they would no doubt reply with a question: “What exactly is Alternative Metal, anyway?”
Koen Holtkamp – Motion LP+MP3 (Thrill Jockey)
Koen Holtkamp creates music that exists simultaneously in large and small scales. His compositions lend themselves to careful examination, with each sound precisely placed. Holtkamp (who is one-half of Mountains) considers every instrument he uses carefully and pays specific attention to the environment, actual or digital, in which that instrument is being recorded and processed. They also expand and evolve gradually, giving a sense of boundlessness that extends not only to a specific song or album, but also to his discography as a whole. On Motion, Holtkamp plays with these ideas of scale and space, using shifting array of analog, digital and acoustic sources to explore the perceived effect of moving from one dynamic space to another.
I Exist – From Darkness LP (Prosthetic)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. “Sludge is, at its core, disgusting. It needs to have a bass-heavy mix so grimy that Severus Snape himself would tell it to wash itself for God’s sake. Beyond that, the field is wide open. You have the trippy-as-hell Baroness, the Russian storytellers in Neurosis and the all-conquering Mastodon, who redefine themselves every time they release an album. They’re the big three, but there are hundreds of other bands vying for their time in the limelight, and one of them is Australian-based I Exist.” – Mind Equals Blown
I See Stars – Demons [2013] LP (Sumerian)
The fourth studio album from I See Stars brings together more elements of rock, metal and electronica, and is now available on either black/red splatter or black/white splatter vinyl.
Steve Kilbey & Martin Kennedy – You Are Everything LP+CD (Agitated)
The new album is perhaps best described by Steve Kilbey himself from his blog: “It is not anything like what went before with albums one or two. You will find intensity brilliance darkness and light more Low/Bowie/Eno influence that German sound and feeling, the melodies the arrangements the intent, probably one of the best three records I ever worked on. I don’t say it lightly! Elegant elegiac modern classic strange turbulent disturbed and yet so f##king lovely. Yeah I know I can blow my own horn but just wait till you hear this.”
Kippi’s – Semplice Come Nuvole LP (Sick Room)
Three guys from Italy who believe in simple things. An entire world described by simple, repetitive, and direct grooves.
Tony Molina – Dissed And Dismissed LP (Slumberland)
On Dissed and Dismissed, Molina intensifies the slacker clichés and self-deprecation of ’90s indie rock into absurdist hyperbole. He expresses vulnerability and melodrama through bizarre truisms while referencing his forebears: Thin Lizzy leads, Radiohead lyrics, Replacements sneer.
Nightmare Air – High In The Lasers LP (Goodnight)
Since the bands inception in 2011, the trio comprised of Dave Dupuis (Film School), Swaan Miller and Jimmy Lucido, have been filling venues across the globe with energetic massive sound walls, captivating lights, and ethereal vocals. Diffuser.fm named them “one of 10 best modern shoegaze bands” in 2013.
Arthur Russell – World Of Echo [Reissue/1986] 2xLP (Audika)
Remastered and revised artwork edition on double-LP. 18 tracks, including drumless versions of his disco classics “Let’s Go Swimming,” “Tree House,” and “Was The Van,” along with four previously unreleased tracks from Sketches From World Of Echo.
Schoolboy Q – Oxymoron 2xLP (Interscope)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. New album from the rapper featuring guest appearances by Kendrick Lamar, 2 Chainz, Jay Rock, Tyler, The Creator, Suga Free and Kurupt among others.
Wayne Shorter – Speaks No Evil [Reissue/1965] LP (Blue Note)
Speak No Evil is Wayne Shorter’s sixth album. Recorded in 1964 and released on Blue Note in 1965 the album features Shorter on tenor sax with Herbie Hancock on piano, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Ron Carter on bass and Elvin Jones on drums, and combines elements of hard bop and modal jazz.
Various Artists – Divergent: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack LP (Interscope)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Tracks from: Zedd, Ellie Goulding, Pia Mia, Snow Patrol, Woodkid, Tame Impala, M83, A$AP Rocky, Skrillex, and Big Deal.
The Who – Tommy [Reissue/1969] 2xLP (Geffen)
The Who – Tommy [Super Deluxe Edition] 3xCD+Blu-ray Audio (Geffen)
The Who’s classic 1969 album gets the reissue treatment on HQ-180 vinyl.
Xiu Xiu – Quagga 7” (Kingfisher Bluez)
Two tracks of weird, pulsing analog synth madness from these experimental juggernauts. “An interpretive jam from quite a warped psyche.” – The Line Of Best Fit
Larry Young – Unity [Reissue/1965] LP (Blue Note)
Unity is jazz organist, Larry Young’s second release on Blue Note and was the follow up to Into Somethin’. The album features Young on organ along with Woody Shaw on trumpet, Joe Henderson on tenor sax and Elvin Jones on drums.
Cassettes:
Future Islands – Singles (4AD)
Despite the kind-of-just-a-little-bit-confusing title, Singles is not a collection of singles but is, in fact, a completely new full-length record. The Baltimore trio consists of enigmatic frontman Sam Herring, bassist/guitarist William Cashion and keyboardist/guitarist/programmer Gerrit Welmers. Herring’s poetic tales of heartbreak, love and loss are finally up front and in high fidelity, thanks in part to a newfound creative partnership with producer Chris Coady (Beach House, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Grizzly Bear).
Books:
Joe Keithley – Talk – Action = 0: An Illustrated History Of D.O.A. (Arsenal Pulp Press)
This large-format book is a sprawling visual history of the group by lead singer/guitarist Keithley—made up of vintage photographs, posters, handwritten lyrics, and other various ephemera—that offers a visceral glimpse into the hardcore life of one of the hardest-working punk bands in the business.
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