CDs + Vinyl:

2:54 – The Other I CD/LP+CD (Bella Union)

From the expansive, tempo-shifting opener “Orion” and the pining roots of “The Monaco” to the ambient haunts of “Tender Shoots” and the shape-shifting tour de force of “Raptor,” new album The Other I widens significantly the net beyond the achievements of 2:54’s self-titled debut.

The Rance Allen Group – Celebrate CD (Tyscot)

“You don’t reinvent yourself; you get better with what you do” — Bill Cosby. Like the comedy legend, The Rance Allen Group knows a thing or two about getting better with time and their new release, Celebrate, proves it. The group’s trailblazing legacy in Gospel music shines even brighter as their signature vocals, coupled with hot new music production, created the infectious radio hit “A Lil’ Louder (Clap Your Hands).”

…And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead – IX 2xCD (Superball Music)

“On their ninth album …And You Will Us By The Trail Of Dead are steadily continuing their journey towards being a normal rock band, but remain unable to quite finish it. As far back as their first album they’ve been touring the various hotspots of psychedelia, punk, classical and world music, all with a maniacal, effervescent touch. Accuse them of failing at some of these stylistic endeavors, fine – but to their immense credit, they’ve never been mere genre dilettantes. Nor is IX a reactionary ‘back-to-basics’ attempt at shedding their excesses; it’s confirmation that TOD haven’t forgotten how to write exemplary, robust rock songs.” – The Quietus

Anatomy Of Habit – Ciphers + Axioms CD/LP (Relapse)

The Chicago post-metal/noise rock unit unveils their Relapse debut. Fronted by noise icon Mark Solotroff of Bloodyminded, Anatomy Of Habit boasts an all-star lineup featuring drummer John McEntire (Tortoise, The Sea And Cake, Gastr Del Sol etc.), guitarist Will Lindsay (Indian, Wolves In The Throne Room etc.), percussionist Theo Katsaounis (Joan Of Arc) and bassist Kenny Rasmussen (ex Radar Eyes). 

Antemasque – Antemasque CD/LP (Nadie Sounds)

Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and Cedric Bixler-Zavala of At The Drive-In and the Mars Volta launch a labyrinthine new project called Antemasque with help from drummer Dave Elitch and Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Flea.

Antony & The Johnsons – Turning CD+DVD (Secretly Canadian)

Turning is a double-disc concert film documentary captured during the critically acclaimed tour of Europe during the fall of 2006.

Andrea Belfi – Natura Morta CD/LP+MP3 (Miasmah)

Belfi mixes influences from both Italian minimalism and the electro-acoustic contemporary scene. Natura Morta fits somewhere between the electronics of Keith Fullerton Whitman, the percussive repetitions of Jon Mueller, and the atmospheric sensibility of Pan American.

Anguish – Mountain Jewel CD (Dark Decent)

Anguish’s brand new album, Mountain Jewel, sees the band expanding upon their oppressive brand of doom metal. The follow-up of 2012’s Through The Archdemon’s Head is stripped down from its predecessor, clocking in at 48 minutes (eight tracks) but injects more variation.

[Read more…] about New Releases for November 10 & 11, 2014 

CDs + Vinyl:

Joshua Abrams – Natural Information CD (Eremite)

Joshua Abrams – Represencing CD (Eremite)

Natural Information is another fascinating entry in a solo discography of recordings that gather aesthetic input from all over the map into vivid personal statements. At the heart of the album is the guimbri, a three-stringed animal hide bass traditionally used by the Gnawa of North Africa in healing ceremonies. For Represencing, recorded at home in Chicago in 2011, Abrams again organizes small group statements around the resonant grooves of the North African ceremonial instrument with a unique a broadly assimilative compositional voice.

A Certain Ratio – Sextet [Reissue/1982] 2xCD/2xLP (Factory Benelux)

Self-produced at Revolution Studio, Sextet saw the original Ratio quintet of Donald Johnson, Jeremy Kerr, Martin Moscrop, Simon Topping and Peter Terrell joined by co-vocalist Martha Tili Tilson. Written and recorded following a transformative sojourn in New York in late 1980, the album reflects Latin, samba and even jazz influences, while still retaining Ratio’s signature brittle funk textures, heard in full effect on Lucinda, Gum and trancelike floor filler Knife Slits Water.

Newly remastered and expanded with Peel Session tracks from 1981-82.

Anti-Nowhere League – We Are… The League …Uncut CD (Cleopatra)

Animal and the boys return with brand new and rowdy, re-recordings of The League’s classic debut LP plus bonus tracks.

Arca – Xen CD/LP (Mute)

Arca is the incarnation of Alejandro Ghersi, a 24-year old Venezuelan producer and musician. Having previously released EPs, mixtapes, and produced for the likes of FKA Twigs, Bjork, and Kanye West, Arca’s music is uniquely his own. Xen is a very personal record for Arca, with the underlying concept revolving around gender and sexuality. However, gender isn’t the defining concept but rather a vessel with which to expose Arca’s vulnerability.

[Read more…] about New Releases for November 4, 2014

CDs + Vinyl:

Abysmal Dawn – Obsolescence CD/LP (Relapse)

A veritable beast of a record and the perfect example of what 21^st century death metal should sound like. Features guest appearances from Christian Muenzner (ex-Obscura, ex-Necrophagist, Spawn Of Possesion) and Bobby Koelble (Death).

Bryan Adams – Tracks Of My Years CD (Polydor)

New covers album from the multi-platinum Canadian rocker. Available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe adds bonus tracks. 

Afghan Whigs – Gentleman [Reissue/1993] 2xCD/LP (Rhino)

If there is one album fully deserving of a coming of age celebration, it is The Afghan Whigs’ Gentlemen. Originally released in October 1993, the album and the band – was seen as the bastard stepchild of the alt-rock era and, as the Los Angeles Times noted, is an “overlooked masterpiece.” The double-disc CD set features the original album newly remastered along with a bonus disc of seventeen demos, B-sides, and live performances, the great majority of which are previously unreleased.

Oren Ambarchi – Quixotism CD/LP (Editions Mego)

Recorded with a multitude of collaborators in Europe, Japan, Australia and the USA, Quixotism presents the fruit of two years of work in the form of a single, LP-length piece in five parts. Oren Ambarchi’s work in recent years has evinced an increasing fascination with the possibilities of combining abstract sonic textures with rhythm and pulse, whether in his drumming with Keiji Haino, the subtly driving ride cymbals provided by drummer Joe Talia in their work together, or the motorik grooves of 2012’s Sagittarian Domain. Quixotism takes this aspect of Ambarchi’s recent work to the next level: the entirety of this long-form work is built on a foundation of pulsing double-time electronic percussion provided by Thomas Brinkmann.

Anaal Nathrakh – Desideratum CD (Metal Blade)

“Anaal Nathrakh is their own special breed of terrifying, mixing up grindcore speediness with giant choruses and riffs that are the audible equivalent of otal nuclear annihilation. So it’s not surprise their new track “Idol” rips so hard I’m almost shocked I’m still alive after listening to it with headphones. Get yourself ready…” – Metal Injection

Atriarch – An Unending Pathway CD/LP (Relapse)

Atriarch are a Portland-based metal band whose sound encompasses hard rock, sludge, doom, and drone.

At The Gates – At War With Reality CD/LP (Century Media)

At The Gates, godfathers of the ‘Gothenburg style’ melodic death metal sound, return almost 20 years to set the story straight on who wears the extreme metal crown. At War With Reality is the follow-up to 1995’s Slaughter Of The Soul, with the lineup intact from that landmark

album. CD is available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe includes bonus tracks.

[Read more…] about New Releases for October 27, 2014