CDs + Vinyl:

999 – Live & Loud [Reissue/1995] CD (Interference)

Explosive versions of tracks from 999’s first three albums from 1978-1979. Originally released in 1995 as a split live compilation with Sham 69.

Anjou – Epithymia CD/2xLP (Kranky)

Ambient power duo Anjou’s 2017 sophomore statement continues in the vein of their 2014 debut, unfurling a full hour of mesmeric synthetic drift and veiled melodic undertow. Comprised of Mark Nelson (of pioneering post-rock experimentalists Labradford and Pan·American) and Robert Donne (of Labradford, Aix Em Klemm, Cristal), the group works largely in long-form suites of sound, alternately spacious and dense. Epithymia‘s six pieces embrace flux and ambiguity: drones swell and shudder, hushed currents of noise glitch and dissolve, atmospheres congeal and liquefy. As with the participants’ prior projects, Anjou evokes a shadowed, mysterious mood, variously melancholy and transcendent. The album is an accumulation of craftsmanship and experience, blurred forms traced in light and fog.

Arbouretum – Song Of The Rose CD/LP+MP3 (Thrill Jockey)

The Baltimore torch-bearers have long been famed for their ability to entwine elegant songwriting with an erudite poetry, both sonically and lyrically. Weaving contemplations on philosophy, mysticism, redemption, and the implications of human progress, Arbouretum’s songwriting on Song Of The Rose sees the band further refine this artistry. “Dave Heumann continues to steer the band on a course that swerves between the heavy/heady poles of ‘70s-inspired rock, with an eye on anthems and a foot planted on the muddy earth.” – Exclaim

Art Of Anarchy – The Madness CD (Century Media)

Lead guitarist Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal hails formerly from Guns N’ Roses, while bassist John Moyer first rose to fame as a member of Disturbed. Twin brothers Jon Votta (guitar) and Vince Votta (drums), meanwhile, gained a reputation as fixtures on the New York music scene. The most recent addition to the group is Scott Stapp, the founder and lead singer of Creed. Stapp replaces the late Scott Weiland as AOA’s lead singer.

[Read more…] about New Releases for March 24, 2017

CDs + Vinyl:

2Cellos – Score CD (Sony Masterworks)

Bringing 2Cellos’ game-changing sound and style to the most popular melodies ever written for classic and contemporary movies and television, Score finds Croatian cellists Luka Sulic and Stjepan Hauser exploring a more traditional sound world. Joining them here to provide the ideal aural backdrop to their virtuosity is the London Symphony Orchestra, with conductor/arranger Robin Smith at the helm.

6LACK – FREE 6LACK [2016] CD/LP (LoveRenaissance/Interscope)

FREE 6LACK is the dark and moody debut studio album from rising Atlanta, GA R&B/hip-hop recording artist Ricardo Valentine aka 6LACK. Largely produced by go-to-guy Singawd and Nova, his candid lyrics and hypnotizing melodies are undeniably present in the emotional singles “Ex Calling” and “PRBLMS.”

Adna – Closure CD/LP (Despotz)

The Swedish singer’s third album finds her discovering her inner dark side and going back to her roots. “I believe we all have a dark place inside of us, some more aware than others and we all have our way of dealing with it. I tried embracing mine, which led to finding a home within it but, also, to the making of Closure.” Comprised of nine songs, Closure was written, recorded and produced entirely by Adna herself in her Berlin apartment. “Something that started with sorrow and unwarranted melancholy finally gave me comfort. We all have our different ways of dealing with our dark place, and I just had the urge to make this record in order to see light and beauty in mine, honor my Bosnian roots and to hopefully and finally find a home within all of this.”

Adult. – Detroit House Guests CD/LP (Mute)

Adult. is the Detroit duo Nicola Kuperus and Adam Lee Miller. Their seventh album (and first on Mute) Detroit House Guests became a reality after receiving a John S. and James L. Knight Foundation grant, and is based on the “visual” artist residency model but for musicians. Each musician would come for up to a three-week period with the parameter that we live, work, and collaborate together. The results — a total anthropological sound experiment and a full-length album.

Amber Run – For A Moment, I Was Lost CD/LP (Dine Alone Music)

“Amber Run’s new album sees the band go in a new direction. It differentiates from 5AM with its stripped backed, bare nature of the songs. Whilst 5AM was a collection of mainly upbeat, youthful songs For A Moment, I Was Lost tells a more honest story. There’s no painting over the truth with this album, it’s all set out for the listener to hear. If there’s one song that captures this perfectly it’s ‘Haze’; an atmospheric, acapella like song which digs deep into the personal depths of the band’s writing. There’s something spellbinding about this song. In just two minutes you’ve been through everything from heart break to loneliness to the vacancy of being lost in the moment.” – LS Radio

Anohni – Paradise CDEP/10”+MP3 (Secretly Canadian)

Anohni’s Paradise EP is the extension, into 2017, of a language of protest and distress. The songs presented here — already featured in her arresting live performances — were made during the same sessions as Hopelessness, but rather than trimmings or bonus material, they are, instead, unique touch points for old problems and newly minted geo-political crises writ macabre.

Apathy – Dive Medicine: Chapter One CD/LP (Dirty Version)

From the murky depths of unexplored seas, Apathy takes you on a nautical journey with his first all-instrumental project. After years of producing beats for himself, Demigodz, Army of the Pharaohs, R.A. The Rugged Man, Ras Kass, Styles Of Beyond and many others, Apathy has assembled a collection of 15 original instrumentals. Painstakingly sequenced, mixed and engineered to keep your speakers thumping, this sub-aquatic album showcases Ap’s sharp skills behind the boards as he delivers his best sonic works without words. Whether you just like to vibe out to hip-hop beats or practice your own MC skills over chunky production, this project is a welcomed refreshment in the instrumental hip-hop genre.

Ascended Dead – Abhorrent Manifestation CD (Dark Descent)

Dark, chaotic death metal from San Diego.

[Read more…] about New Releases for March 17, 2017

CDs + Vinyl:

Marc Almond / Soft Cell – Hits & Pieces: The Best Of Marc Almond and Soft Cell 2xCD (Mercury)

This compilation traces Almond’s singles career from Soft Cell through to his solo work and collaborations. Highlights include “Tainted Love,” “What!,” “Say Hello Wave Goodbye,” the Gene Pitney duet “Something’s Gotten Hold Of My Heart,” his interpretation of Scott Walker’s cover of Jacques Brel’s “Jacky” with its epic kitchen sink production from Trevor Horn, a cover of Donna Summer’s “I Feel Love” with Bronski Beat, “Melancholy Rose” and “Ruby Red” from the Mother Fist album, a Tony Visconti produced nugget “The Dancing Marquis,” last year’s “The Velvet Trail,” the glam stomper “Varieté” and a cover of “The Days Of Pearly Spencer.”

Laurie Altman – Sonic Migrations: Music Of Laurie Altman 2xCD (Neos)

Laurie Altman’s musical compositions on Sonic Migrations represent, in some way, a passage: A passage through places (globally), history and events, words, sonic environments, people’s lives and their mutual emotions. The pieces are the by-product of a time span of some 25 years, encompassing diverse ensembles and sonic frameworks, far-flung influences, textures, and feelings. Features: Clipper Erickson (piano), Manhattan String Quartet, and The Sensor Augmented Bass Clarinet (SABRE), a bass clarinet equipped with various sensors with which a computer can be controlled.

Bülent Arel – Electronic Music 1960-1973 CD/LP (Sub Rosa)

Bülent Arel’s (1919-1990) work occupies a special place in the history of electronic music, with one thing being certain: Arel’s work is still fresh, groundbreaking, and it always look outs for the next adventure in sound. Sub Rosa present a collection of his works here as part of their Early Electronic series.

Art Alfie – Reveries Of CD/LP (Studio Barnhus)

Art Alfie, aka Stockholm’s Oscar Wedrén, present an intricate and personal debut. Reveries Of begins with a simple electrical hum — a starting signal for the appearance of a vibrant array of sound, shifting before us in seemingly random motion. Before you know it, all those pulsating melodies, razor-cut hi-fi-house beats and drunken robot jazz ensembles start forming into patterns, secretly and perfectly designed.

Cameron Avery – Ripe Dreams, Pipe Dreams CD (ANTI-)

Cameron Avery has arrived as a new breed of nocturnal crooner, a train-wreck romantic creating timeless, ambitious music for the modern age. Utilizing his soulful wit, shrewd arrangements, and a deep, husky baritone, Avery harnesses the dark power and humor of artists like Nick Cave, Scott Walker, and Tindersticks to expertly walk the fine line between vulnerable and venerable. Melancholic machismo is written into the very DNA of Ripe Dreams, Pipe Dreams. From the classical, finger-picked guitar on the opener “A Time and Place” and the orchestral vamping of “Do You Know Me By Heart?” to the bombastic, self-assured swagger of “Dance with Me.” He takes an emotive page from the Leonard Cohen songbook-of-longing on “Big Town Girl” just as naturally as he thumbs an aggressive note of Bad Seed strut and Cramps rut on “Watch Me Take It Away.” And by the time he purrs that earnest refrain of “Baby, it’s you” on the album’s closer “C’est Toi,” Avery has surely mastered that drunken tightrope dance. Now a resident of New York City, Avery looks to continue his search for the ultimate sensations from a fresh vantage point. [Vinyl edition due March 24.]

[Read more…] about New Releases for March 10, 2017