CD + Vinyl:

Ryan Adams – Ryan Adams CD/LP+MP3 (Blue Note/Pax Am)

Ryan Adams’ new album is a self-titled affair and the first to be released on the combined Pax Am/Blue Note imprint. Produced by Adams’ himself at his own Pax Am Studios in Los Angeles, the new record is the NC-born singer/songwriter’s first full length since 2011’s Ashes & Fire. The first single “Gimme Something Good” has already elicited wide praise, with Stereogum exclaiming “he doesn’t seem to have lost a songwriting step. This thing is a total knockout.”

Jhené Aiko – Souled Out CD (Def Jam)

Debut album from the R&B recording artist featuring guest appearances by Common, Namiko & Miyagi and more. The album features the single “To Love & Die” and “The Pressure.” Available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe includes bonus tracks.

American Hi-Fi – Blood & Lemonade CD (Rude Records)

New album from the Boston-based pop/punk band. Featuring the single “Allison” and other notables “Golden State” and “Armageddon Days,” Blood & Lemonade wholly embraces the sound and spirit of classic, balls-to-the-wall guitar rock mixed with the power pop sensibilities that lead to their worldwide smash “Flavor Of The Weak.” Vinyl version due September 23.

The American Scene – Haze CD/LP (Pure Noise)

Haze is the sophomore full-length from the East Bay’s The American Scene. Building upon their previous releases, the album blends a darker and more mature indie rock sound with the band’s notable pop sensibilities. With natural tones reverberating throughout the record, the band shows a dancier side, allowing the record to bridge the gap between bands like The Alkaline Trio and Phoenix.

Autumn’s Dawn – Gone CD (Eisenwald)

The melancholic black metal of the past is still present in places, but it has also given way to a more refined and melodic sound, which allows the band to reach even greater heights than before.

[Read more…] about New Releases for September 9, 2014

CD + Vinyl:

Ashrae Fax – Never Really Been Into It CD/LP (Mexican Summer)

The legacy of North Carolina’s Ashrae Fax seems destined to be appreciated in retrospect, in no small part given to the tremendous power of the group’s 2003 release Static Crash!, reissued twice from its initial CD-R run before appearing on Mexican Summer last year. The goth/ethereal duo of vocalist Renee Mendoza and producer/guitarist Alex Chesney had built a long, strange and mostly undocumented legacy prior to that release, and Never Really Been Into It extends the tale back even further.

William Basinski – Disintegration Loops I [Reissue/2002] CD (2062)

William Basinski – Disintegration Loops II [Reissue/2003] CD (2062)

William Basinski – Disintegration Loops III [Reissue/2003] CD (2062)

William Basinski – Disintegration Loops IV [Reissue/2003] CD (2062)

Remastered CDs finally available individually and separately from the sought-after sold-out box sets.

Big Star – #1 Record [Reissue/1972] CD (Stax)

Big Star – Radio City [Reissue/1974] CD (Stax)

Digitally remastered reissues now available. Packaging includes new liner notes penned by

R.E.M.’s Mike Mills, who cites Big Star as one of his biggest influences.

Blonde Redhead – Barragán CD/LP+MP3 (Kobalt)

Blonde Redhead’s ninth album. Tracks like “Dripping,” “The One I Love,” and “Defeatist Anthem (Harry And I)” have all the emotional punches of previous high water marks in the band’s repertoire – the just feel slightly less calculated, more serendipitous. Formed in 1993, Blonde Redhead have never made records for fame, or for money, or to ape their teenage heroes, or to indulge any of the dumb, ephemeral impulses that clog up the blogosphere with dumb, ephemeral music. (Vinyl LP version is packaged in a custom die-­-cut cover and inner sleeve with “peel and reveal” sticker insert.)

Blood Of Kingu – Dark Star On The Right Horn Of The Crescent Moon CD (Season Of Mist)

New album from the cult black metal heathens.

Bloodsoaked – Religious Apocalypse CD (Comatose Music)

Technical and explosive brutalizing American death metal.

bvdub – A History Of Distance CD (n5MD)

“A History Of Distance is said to reflect the longing for the Western world that Van Wey occasionally feels from his relatively secluded home base. Spread over four lengthy tracks, the label promises that the LP takes bvdub ‘into new territory,’ including sections influenced by garage and shoegaze.” – Resident Advisor

[Read more…] about New Releases for September 2, 2014

CD + Vinyl:

The Abigails – Tundra CD/LP/Cassette (Burger)

Killer satanic outlaw acid country in the vein of Lee Hazlewood, Gun Club, and Country Teasers.

Adrenaline Rush – Adrenaline Rush CD (Frontiers)

Fronted by vocalist Tåve Wanning (formerly part of the teen-pop duo, Peaches), Adrenaline Rush lights up the hard rock scene with a lethal dose of heavy guitars, infectious hooks and full blown rock & roll attitude.

Noel Akchote – Madrigals For Five Guitars CD (Blue Chopsticks)

The polyphonic music of late Renaissance composer Carlo Gesualdo (1566-1613) still fascinates for its forward-looking chromaticism and its stark, unpredictable shifts in character. His fifth and sixth Books Of Madrigals from 1611 construct a world of their own – a distinctive body of work that has found adherents as diverse as Igor Stravinsky (who orchestrated Gesualdo madrigals in his 1960 Momentum Pro Gesualdo), Werner Herzog (who directed the macabre, fanciful 1995 Gesualdo documentary Death For Five Voices), and now the French guitarist Noel Akchote.

Ashrae Fax – Never Really Been Into It CD/LP (Mexican Summer)

The legacy of North Carolina’s Ashrae Fax seems destined to be appreciated in retrospect, in no small part given to the tremendous power of the group’s 2003 release Static Crash!, reissued twice from its initial CD-R run before appearing on Mexican Summer last year. The goth/ethereal duo of vocalist Renee Mendoza and producer/guitarist Alex Chesney had built a long, strange and mostly undocumented legacy prior to that release, and Never Really Been Into It extends the tale back even further.

Asia – High Voltage CD+DVD (Frontiers)

Recorded July 24, 2010 at the inaugural High Voltage Festival in Victoria Park, London, this live CD+DVD captures Asia, with the original line-up, performing classic material from the ’80s, plus songs from the first two albums of their reunion, Phoenix and Omega.

Avenged Sevenfold – Waking The Fallen: Resurrected 2xCD+DVD/4xLP+DVD (Hopeless)

This expanded version of Avenged Sevenfold’s 2003 album includes a disc of rare demos and live tracks, new artwork, the music video for “Unholy Confessions,” and a 30 minute film featuring the present day band.

[Read more…] about New Releases for August 26, 2014