CDs + Vinyl:
Aero Flynn – Aero Flynn CD/LP (Ooh La La)
“Break out the Justin Vernon family tree! Aero Flynn is the project of Josh Scott, a musician whose old band Amateur Love shared members with Vernon’s old band, DeYarmond Edison, more than a decade ago. (Specifically, the two bands shared future Megafaun members Brad and Phil Cook and Peter Wolf Crier’s Brian Moen.) Scott is revered in the Wisconsin music scene that yielded Bon Iver, Volcano Choir, Field Report, and so many other great bands. And after years in obscurity, he might finally be ready for his spotlight moment.” — Stereogum
Alialujah Choir – Big Picture Show CD/LP+MP3 (Jealous Butcher)
Forming away from the comforts and constraints of their primary bands (Weinland, M. Ward, Norfolk and Western), Alialujah Choir showcases fuller arrangements than their previous self-titled release, expanding their sound where sparse arrangements create an open bed for two, three and four part vocal harmony, while instrumentation ranging from guitar, upright piano, Theremin, and marching drums allow Alialujah Choir to sing their stories in ethereal allure. Features luminaries from Blind Pilot, Hook & Anchor, and Neko Case Band.
Best Girl Athlete – Carve Every Word CD/LP+MP3 (Minty Fresh)
“Based in the cold North in Aberdeen, Scotland, Best Girl Athlete is producing music with a warmth and maturity beyond her 15 years. The singer/songwriter, aka Katie Buchan, has a youthful innocence contrasted sharply with the experience in music she has inherited from her folk-singer father, Charley Buchan, and is quite evidently a number of steps ahead in comparison to musical contemporaries of her age.” — Gigslutz
The Bevis Frond – Inner Marshland [Reissue/1987] CD/2xLP (Cherry Red)
Inner Marshland is the second album from The Bevis frond, aka Nick Saloman. Originally released in 1987, the album has been long out-of-print and features six bonus tracks from the original sessions. Nick Saloman has the ability to write beautiful, honest pop songs and wrap them in swirling psychedelia. Artists such as Teenage Fanclub, Dinosaur Jr and Mary Lou Lord are among The Frond’s many fans and have covered Nick’s songs.
Blackbird Raum – Destroying CD/LP (Silversprocket)
Blackbird Raum’s Destroying is a raging folk/punk record featuring collaborations with Dublin based traditional Irish group Lynched. Recorded to 24 track tape at San Francisco’s legendary Tiny Telephone studio with engineer Jay Pellici (Deerhoof, Om, Sleater-Kinney), Blackbird Raum collage funerary bagpipe whine over ripping fast banjo and mandolin in a folk-orchestral swirl; shouting in dense harmony. Influences of neo-folk, classic Crass records, anarcho-punk, and the Pogues at their most desperate and heard throughout.
Blamstrain – For All The Dreamers In CD/LP (Erotus)
In marked departure from the dubby excellence of previous EP Sunday Dub, Juho Hietala changes up not just his writing process but also overall sound. Whereas previously he’d locked himself into a rigorous writing methodology of time versus restricted sound palette, For All The Dreamers sees Hietala properly letting loose across all manner of influences. The result is wide exploration of sound-with a particular slant on switching between expansive ambient and much heavier percussive led material that spans multiple musical touch points.
The Blues Busters – The Wonder And Glory Of The Blues Busters CD/LP (Secret)
A compilation of early ‘60s tracks by the seminal Jamaican duo. The Blues Busters were the most consistently popular Jamaican male duo of the early 1960s, and were part of the Jamaican party that performed at the 1964 New York World’s Fair. They initially worked on a showboat performing in cabaret shows for tourists in Kingston and on Jamaica’s north coast, but got their big break when they were asked to accompany Sam Cooke on his tour of Jamaica.
The Bright Light Social Hour – Space Is The Place CD/LP+MP3 (French Kiss)
On their second album, the collective’s musical palette has expanded, embracing influences as diverse as deep house icon Frankie Knuckles, dance renegades Disclosure, Motown legends like Marvin Gaye, and Detroit Afro-rock revolutionaries Black Merda.
Broadcast – Work And Non Work [Reissue/1997] CD/LP (Warp)
Broadcast – The Noise Made By People [Reissue/2000] CD/LP (Warp)
Broadcast – Haha Sound [Reissue/2003] CD/LP (Warp)
Broadcast – Tender Buttons [Reissue/2005] CD/LP (Warp)
Broadcast – The Future Crayon [Reissue/2006] CD/2xLP (Warp)
Broadcast With The Focus Group – Broadcast And The Focus Group Investigate Witch Cults Of The Radio Age [Reissue/2009] CD/LP (Warp)
Nearly five years after the death of frontwoman Trish Keenan, Broadcast’s entire back catalog has been reissued by Warp Records. The English electro-pop outfit released three full-lengths during their more than decade-long career, including their 2000 debut, The Noise Made By People, 2003’s Haha Sound and 2005’s Tender Buttons. Warp’s bundle also includes the band’s 1997 and 2006 compilations, Work And Non Work and The Future Crayon, plus Broadcast’s album with the Focus Group.
Luke Bryan – Spring Break … Checkin’ Out CD (Universal Nashville)
The 50th ACM Awards Show co-host and reigning CMA Entertainer Of The Year releases his final Spring Break album,
Will Butler – Policy CD/LP+MP3 (Merge)
Will Butler has been a member of the band Arcade Fire for over 10 years. This is his first release under his own name. Policy is American music—in the tradition of the Violent Femmes, The Breeders, The Modern Lovers, Bob Dylan, Smokey Robinson, The Magnetic Fields, Ghostface Killah. And John Lennon. Music where the holy fool runs afoul of the casual world. Policy was recorded in one week in Jimi Hendrix’s old living room (upstairs at Electric Lady Studios). Jeremy Gara played drums; other musicians contributed woodwinds and backing vocals. Most everything else was played by Will.
The Callstore – Save No One CD/2xLP (Tallitres)
New album from the French singer/songwriter. “The solo project of Brittany born Simon Bertrand is a refreshingly unique take on folk/rock-pop with a thick French accent and some quite interesting musical backing. Now based in London for fifteen years, Simon has developed a knack for writing infectious and memorable songs with enough cross Channel integration to appeal to many an audience. His style of semi-spoken, sometimes indecipherable drawl is full of intrigue, but sometimes becomes a little too much. As standalone tracks they appear as mini masterpieces, but as a collection the formula could wear a little thin.” – Louder Than War
Code – Mut CD (Agonia)
“Code has gone full prog post-rock for their latest effort Mut, abandoning much of the black metal leanings in favor of the lands occupied by names like Virus and Solstafir.” – Noisy (Vice)
Bob Crewe – The Complete Elektra Recordings 2xCD (Real Gone Music)
Double-CD set containing a pair of albums plus bonus tracks from the music industry legend. A songwriter, producer, singer, entrepreneur, artist and candidate for the title of the “Fifth Season,” Crewe co-wrote and produced most of the Four Seasons greatest hits, and he also guided the careers of Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels, Oliver, and many others. During 1976 and 1977, Crewe was signed to Elektra Records, where he released two remarkably diverse albums. 1976’s Street Talk resurrected The Bob Crewe Generation, best known for the swinging bachelor pad classic “Music To Watch Girls By,” for the disco age. The following year, Crewe emerged as a singer/songwriter with the solo Motivation. Helmed by legendary rock producer Jerry Wexler and famed Muscle Shoals musician Barry Beckett, Motivation was inspired by Carole King’s Tapestry and remains a passionate, spiritual and raw pop statement.
