CDs:

The Acacia Strain – Death Is The Only Mortal CD/LP+CD (Rise)

New album from the veteran Massachusetts hardcore band.

All Time Low – Don’t Panic CD (Hopeless)

The pop/punk band’s fourth album.

Almost Charlie – Tomorrow’s Yesterday CD (Words On Music)

Coalescing an idiosyncratic and sophisticated flair with unmatched tunefulness, Tomorrow’s Yesterday summons giants like Nick Drake, The Beatles, and Simon & Garfunkel as departure points on an infectious tour of chamber, acoustic, and atmospheric pop.

Daniel Bachman – Seven Pines CD/LP (Tompkins Square)

At 22 years of age, Bachman is one of the most promising guitarists on the modern American Primitive scene.

Bad Books – II CD/LP (Triple Crown)

Bad Books, a collaboration between Manchester Orchestra and Kevin Devine, present their second full length. The album was recorded at the Favorite Gentleman Studios in Atlanta and mixed by Rob Schnapf (Elliot Smith, Joshua Radin, Tokyo Police Club).

Bardo Pond – Yntra CD/LP (Latitudes)

Still incredibly thick with their battery of guitars and unrelenting signature groove riding merrily along underneath, Bardo Pond, true to their name, manage to balance their sound exquisitely between polar extremes.

The Beach Boys – Smiley Smile [Reissue/1963] CD (Capitol)

The Beach Boys – All Summer Long [Reissue/1963] CD (Capitol)

The Beach Boys – Little Deuce Coup [Reissue/1963] CD (Capitol)

The Beach Boys – Shut Down Volume 2 [Reissue/1964] CD (Capitol)

The Beach Boys – Summer Days [Reissue/1965] CD (Capitol)

The Beach Boys – Party! [Reissue/1965] CD (Capitol)

The Beach Boys – Today! [Reissue/1965] CD (Capitol)

The Beach Boys – Smiley Smile [Reissue/1967] CD (Capitol)

The Beach Boys – Sunflower [Reissue/1970] CD (Capitol)

The Beach Boys – Surf’s Up [Reissue/1972] CD (Capitol)

As part of the Beach Boys 50th anniversary, classic albums from the group’s catalog are now released in soft packs. Each remastered title includes both mono and stereo mixes. The new releases include the first ever-stereo mixes of several key Beach Boys classics.

Andrea Belfy – Wege CD (Room40)

Four pieces that revolve around spiraling interconnections of synthesizer, feedback and drums.

Between The Buried And Me – Parallax II: The Future Sequence CD/2xLP (Metal Blade)

“A ‘traditional’ thematic concept album (kicked off by Part One, of course), Future Sequence’s science-fiction narrative paints pictures of unexplored worlds, as well as the unknown depths of the human mind. Where many, if not most, concept albums can feel contrived and shoehorned into the story’s structure, Future Sequence feels grand and passionate on a very believable, human level.” — The Newreview

Beyond All Recognition – Drop=Dead CD (Napalm)

Vile metalcore riffs, demolishing grooves and vocals ranging from extreme growls and melodic passages dominate the 12 tracks on the album.

The Birthday Massacre – Hide & Seek CD (Metropolis)

New album of dark new-wave hooks and haunting synths.

Black Marble – A Different Arrangement CD/LP (Hardly Art)

As the title suggests, A Different Arrangement is a slight departure from the calculated coldwave formalism of their debut. The influence of early synth pioneers like Thomas Leer and Robert Rental is felt throughout the album, as are the fingerprints of the record’s hardline DIY architects. From bouncing ebullience, to haunted playground-bop.

Blackmore’s Night – A Knight In York CD/2xLP/CD+DVD+Blu-ray (UDR)
On September 30, 2011 Blackmore’s Night performed songs from their two new albums, Secret Voyage and Autumn Sky at the Grand Opera House in York, England.

Blood Raw – Redemption CD (Big Cat)

The name Blood Raw may be new to you, but after the smash collaboration featuring Young Jeezy, Raw gained a bit of notoriety.

Blut Aus Nord – 777: Cosmosophy CD (Season Of Mist)

“In its own twisted way, Cosmosophy is simultaneously a hybrid and deconstruction of everything Blut Aus Nord has done. Threads of the other two 777 entries can be heard in certain melodies and the overall depth, but as mentioned, this is very much not a black metal album as those were.” — Metal Review

Bowling For Soup – Present: One Big Happy! CD (Que-so)

Ahead of their tour with Patent Pending and The Dollyrots, the three bands got together to record a collection of songs — new and covers of each other.

[Read more…] about New Releases for October 9, 2012

CDs:

ABBA – Essential Collection 2xCD (Polydor)

New hits collection featuring 39 classics from the Swedish pop legends. Includes “Waterloo,” “Ring Ring,” “SOS” “Mamma Mia,” “Fernando,” “Dancing Queen,” “Knowing Me, Knowing You,” and more.

Tori Amos – Gold Dust CD/CD+DVD (Deutsche Grammophon)

Tori Amos re-imagines a personally handpicked collection of songs spanning her entire catalogue. Produced by Amos with arrangements by longtime collaborator John Phlip Shenale, Gold Dust features reworkings of songs in orchestral setting which Amos recorded with the renowned Metropole Ochestra, conducted by Jules Buckley. Available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe edition includes a 32 page hardcover booklet and a DVD that features music videos for “Flavor,” “Gold Dust” and behind the scenes footage.

Axewound – Vultures CD (The End)

It takes just one listen to Axewound’s lead single “Post Apocalyptic Party” to make intentions abundantly clear: they are a metal band — proudly, defiantly and unbendingly so.

Autumn’s Grey Solice – Divinian CD (Projekt)

For fans of darkwave, shoegaze, ethereal wave, and dreampop. “A beautiful masterpiece of shimmering guitars and ethereal vocals that lure the listener in, enraptured and captivated.” –Gothic Paradise

Jessica Bailiff – At The Down-Turned Jagged Rim Of The Sky CD/LP (Kranky)

Down-tuned, distorted bass guitar adds a new color to her palette, but familiar ones also come into play: fuzzed and delayed electric guitar, organ, piano, cello, and drums. Noisy pop-tinged love songs nestle slyly in a bed of off-kilter lullabies & dark, metallic waltzes.

Balmorhea – Stranger CD/LP (Western Vinyl)

Balmorhea’s most forward-leaning album utilizes an expanded sonic palette including guitar loops, vibes, synthesizers, ukulele, and steel pan drums. “An exemplary experiment in restraint, lush with a slow-burning, wordless, and ambient Americana that manages to captivate while avoiding the histrionics of its post-rock forebears.” — The New Yorker

John Cale – Shifty Adventures In Nookie Wood CD/LP (Domino)

Shifty Adventrues In Nookie Wood is an album that seems born out of John’s mischievous youth. It is the result of sessions held at his L.A. studio with days experimenting with MPC’s, pounding fists onto pianos, manipulating glitches and lots of signature viola drone. As a producer, John Cale has reached a new plateau here. He deftly manages to blend equal measures of chaos and beauty.

California Wives – Art History CD (Vagrant)

“In the moment of hesitation between the opening chord and the entrance of the entire ensemble lies the enigmatic quality that drives California Wives’ debut album Art History, an album that continually surprises and refreshes its listeners with a soothing juxtaposition of steady rock anthems and new wave electronic vibes.” — Paste

[Read more…] about New Releases for October 2, 2012