CDs + Vinyl:

The 1975 – I Like It When You Sleep, For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware Of It CD/2xLP (Interscope)

“When Manchester quartet The 1975 broke out in 2013 with their debut album The 1975 (and its glammy single ‘Sex’), they were heralded as rock revivalists with a stylish mix of ’80s new-wave melodies and hip-swiveling grooves. But on their anticipated follow-up I Like It When You Sleep, For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware Of It, The 1975 go in a ’90s-style pop direction thanks to an expanded pool of influences, from D’Angelo and early Christina Aguilera to Janet Jackson producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis” – Entertainment Weekly. (Limited copies also pressed on clear vinyl.)

Ralph Alessi/Gary Versace/Drew Gress/Nasheet Waits – Quiver CD (ECM)

With Quiver, Alessi teams with pianist Gary Versace and the trumpeters longtime rhythm section of choice bassist Drew Gress and drummer Nasheet Waits to create an album of quicksilver melodicism and subtly energized rhythm; there is a lyricism to Alessi’s playing that channels such forebears as Miles Davis and Kenny Wheeler — the mood reflective, even pensive.

Matt Andersen – Honest Man CD (True North)

A powerhouse performer with a giant, soul filled voice and commanding stage presence, Matt Andersen has built a formidable following the old fashioned way, touring worldwide and spreading his reputation through word of mouth. Blessed with a rich, gospel soul voice and armed with a new set of songs, the songwriter found a perfect partner in crime in producer Commissioner Gordon (Joss Stone, Amy Winehouse, KRS One).

Horace Andy – In The Light [Reissue/1977] CD/LP (VP)

Horace Andy – In The Light In Dub [Reissue/1977] CD/LP (VP)

Reissue of 1977 dub classic In The Light, paired with a long-awaited repress (in the iconic original sleeve) of its crucial dub companion.

Anthrax – For All Kings CD/2xLP (Megaforce)

“Eleven studio albums and 33 years into their career, Anthrax outputs quite possibly the best thing they’ve ever done Anthrax today, is not the Anthrax of 1987, and For All Kings is not Among The Living, even though four-fifths of the band are still intact from their peak period. I say that in a good way, because as good as they were then, to put it simply, they’re better now. Better songwriters, better musicians, seasoned bandmates that know that they’re better together than apart. If you loved Worship Music as much as I did, you’ll love this album. When you can be a band that has played together for well over 30 years and still put out quality music like For All Kings, it’s nothing short of magic” – Infrared Mag. (Limited copies also pressed on colored vinyl with accompanying slipmat.)

Anvil – Anvil Is Anvil CD/2xLP+CD (Steamhammer)

Canadian metal lifers Anvil are still basking in the success of the 2008 documentary Anvil! The Story Of Anvil, and having released a couple of albums since then. This is Anvil’s first album since 2013’s Hope In Hell.

Black Cobra – Imperium Simulacra CD/2xLP/Cassette (Season Of Mist)

“Black Cobra have always been good for a solid dose of sludge every two years or so like clockwork. But it’s been over four years since the duo’s last album, Invernal, dropped its mud-soaked riffs upon the masses with the power of a snake-infested swamp. So why the long wait this time around? We can only guess, but we posit that Jason Landrian (guitars, vocals) and Rafael Martinez (drums) just needed extra time to make sure their jams were extra gnarly, supremely punchy, and even more sludgy than ever before. Listen to ‘Imperium Simulacra,’ the title track, and we’re sure you’ll agree that it was worth the wait.” – Metal Sucks

Bloodbound – One Night Of Blood CD+DVD (AFM)

Bloodbound have evolved from a highly respected insiders’ tip to an established act in the metal universe within the last years. One Night Of Blood is their live set from the Masters Of Rock Festival 2015.

Bombus – Repeat Until Death CD/LP+CD (Century Media)

New album from the Gothenburg rockers. After a series of tour dates across the world with Graveyard and Monster Magnet, plus several festival appearances including Download (UK), ROck AM Ring, and Tuska, the user-friendly Bombus returned to the studio to record Repeat Until Death.

Paul Burch – Meridian Rising CD (Plowboy)

‘Blue Yodeler’ Jimmie Rodgers was arguably one of the most important people in country music history his other nickname is, after all, The Father Of Country Music. On his new album Meridian Rising, roots musician Paul Burch (loosely) tells the story of Rodgers’ life, delving into how he imagines the Yodeler might have felt at various points throughout his all-too-brief career.

[Read more…] about New Releases for February 26, 2016

CDs + Vinyl:

Adept – Sleepless CD (Napalm)

These Swedes have been around since 2004, creating a diverse brand of post hardcore/metalcore. 

After The Burial – Dig Deep CD (Sumerian)

Fifth studio album by the deathcore/prog metal band.

Aluk Todolo – Voix CD (Ajna Offensive)

This rhythmic, dissonant instrumental trio burrow into dark avenues of occult rock. They began working on Voix after the release of their previous album in 2012. It’s one piece divided in six parts, composed as a multi-directional labyrinth with a constantly changing map. The focus this time is on precision, the space between the notes and beats, articulations, pulse, breath and resonances. 

Animal Collective – Painting With CD/LP+MP3 (Domino)

“Animal Collective’s tenth album, Painting With, reunites the Merriweather lineup of Lennox, Portner, and Weitz, with Josh Dibb (a.k.a. Deakin) sitting this one out for a side project of his own. Built around modular synths and eccentric percussion instruments, it’s definitely in line with the group’s style. But one reference point tending to crop up in interviews now is the Ramones; stripping away any husk of reverb or ambient interludes for the very first time, the 12-song, 41-minute set distills Animal Collective’s sound to a potent, hypercolor dose. It’s poppier, in a characteristically warped way, than even Merriweather, the group’s most popular album to date. That’s down to the record’s rarely wavering energy; subtle details abound in the interplay between Lennox and Portner’s near-indistinguishably overlapping yawps, or in the giddy, ping-ponging sonic backdrops, but that’s all a bonus when the songs bounce along like Tigger in a 5 Hour Energy ad.” – SPIN

BJ The Chicago Kid – In My Mind CD (Motown)

In My Mind’s 15 tracks spin a cinematic narrative of sex, drugs, love, and Chi-Town soul. His croon cruises from a sexy come-hither on “The Resume” to the swaggering, yet guilty confession “I got church in the morning” of “Church” (feat. Chance The Rapper). The funkified gospel swoon and scratching of “The New Cupid” sees BJ reunite with longtime collaborator Kendrick Lamar for a different kind of love song declaring, “Cupid’s too busy in the club.” The snappy beat of “Man Down” [feat. Buddy & Constantine] tempers a strut through the hood with organ swells and a haunting chant. The delicate piano of “Shine” gives way to a heavenly refrain, and “Turnin’ Me Up” leaves off with victorious hands in the air.

Seth Bogart – Seth Bogart CD/LP+MP3/Cassette (Burger)

Debut solo album (under his given name) from the L.A. renaissance man features a guest appearance by Katherine Hannah on the track “Eating Makeup”. Other guests include Tavi Gevinson, Cherry Glazerr, and Chela. “Seth Bogart used to be a hairdresser. He spent close to a decade working on clients in the Oakland area. Even after he moved to Los Angeles about four years ago, he traveled back to the Bay Area for occasional appointments. Eventually, he was able to put down the scissors, but memories of the salon have stayed with the musician and artist better known as Hunx, from his bands Gravy Train!!! and Hunx And His Punx. As Hunx, he made a 2012 solo album called Hairdresser Blues that was accompanied by a commercial featuring lots of hair and hand-decorated cans of cream and goop. In Bogart’s work, the remnants of salon life mix with objects of musical obsession.” – L.A. Weekly

David Bragger – Big Fancy CD (Old Time Tiki Parlour)

21 tunes played on a variety of instruments including fiddle, banjo, guitar, bagpipes & pump organ.

Tracey Bryant – Subterranean CD/Cassette (Burger)

“Tracy Bryant, frontman and founder of L.A.’s post-punk experimentalists Corners, debuted his first solo effort in 2014, the split cassette with Billy Changer, appropriately called 2 In 1. Since then, Bryant has been busy mastering and touring with Corners, or so we thought. In January of 2015, Bryant escaped to the Arizona desert to start working on his next album Subterranean with a little help from The Resonars’ Matt Rendon. Cut live with Froth’s Joo-Joo Ashworth and Jeremy Katz, and drummer Cameron Gartung of Mystic Braves, the album was his way of exploring musical boundaries and elaborating on his own prolific style” – What Youth. Vinyl edition due April 15.

Carcass – Surgical Steel & Surgical Remission/Surplus Steel 2xCD (Nuclear Blast)

This double-CD set contains a pair of releases from extreme metal icons Carcass. Surgical Steel is Carcass’s 2013 studio that featured the first songs they recorded since reforming in 2007. The Surgical Remission/Surplus Steel EP contains songs that were recorded during the Surgical Steel sessions.

The Cave Singers – Banshee CD/LP+MP3 (Jagjaguwar)

Banshee brings The Cave Singers back to their original three-piece lineup and also their approach to songwriting: an exchange of Derek Fudesco sending lead vocalist Pete Quirk a riff and Pete responding with vocal ideas. From there, the songs come together. Driving guitars, foot-tapping percussion, and Quirk’s powerful vocals make an intricate quilt that blankets the audience in comfort, aggressively communicating a gentle reminder: we are soft bodies trying to survive with one another.

Cavern Of Anti-Matter – Void Beats/Invocation Trex CD/3xLP+MP3 (Duophonic)

Cavern Of Anti-Matter is the new band from Stereolab mainman Tim Gane, now Berlin-based and collaborating with original Stereolab drummer Joe Dilworth, and synth wizard Holger Zapf. Void Beats/Invocation Trex features contributions from Bradford Cox (Deerhunter/Atlas Sound), Sonic Boom (Spacemen 3), and Jan St. Werner (Mouse On Mars/Lithops).

Cemetery Filth/Ectovoid/Sabbatory/Trenchrot – 4 Doors To Death CD (Unspeakable Axe/Dark Decent)

“I love a good split release. They’re a short, usually inexpensive way to discover new music and support your favorite artists in between bigger releases, and sometimes you strike gold. Unspeakable Axe’s upcoming 4 Doors To Death full-length split offers an excellent collection of modern death metal, and fans of both Horrendous and Chthe’ilist will find something to satisfy (though those seeking singalong choruses or In Flames worship would do well to look elsewhere). There are no weak links or disposable tracks, which says quite a lot about the quality of bands herein.” – Noisey (Music By Vice)

Choir Of Young Believers – Grasque CD/LP+MP3 (Ghostly Int’l)

Having been inspired by everything from experimental electronic music to Danish ’80s and ’90s pop, to modern hip-hop and R&B to techno and Westcoast slow jams, Choir Of Young Believers’ Jannis Noya Makgrigiannis had made a new, imaginary band in his head called Grasque to reflect those influences.

Cortijo – 1969-1971: The Ansonia Years CD/LP (Vampisoul)

The best recordings from a trio of albums by the the famous Puerto Rican/Afro-Cuban percussionist and bandleader – a leading ambassador of bomba and Plena music since the ’50s until his death in 1982.

Robert Crumb/Eden Browler/John Henehgan – John’s Old Time Radio Show 2xCD/3xLP (East River Music)

John’s Old Time Radio Show is a compilation of John Heneghan’s podcast of the same title. This never before released episode features legendary comic artist/record collector Robert Crumb and East River String Band front woman Eden Brower. Robert Crumb and John Heneghan play 78 rpm blues, country, Hawaiian and pop records from their fabulous collections and then along with Eden discuss music, philosophy and the state of the modern world. The record contains some of the greatest forgotten music of the early 20th century including songs by Frank Stokes, Beans Hambone, Piper’s Gap Ramblers, Bukka White, Nelstone’s Hawaiians, Pigmeat Pete & Catjuice Charlie and many others.

Miles Davis – Live In San Juan ’89 CD (Hi Hat)

By the late ’80s Miles Davis had radically overhauled his style yet again, incorporating prominent synthesizers and using an ever-changing cast of young backing musicians. This remarkable set took place in the intimate setting of the Coach House Concert Hall in San Juan Capistrano, California, on June 15, 1989, and was broadcast on American Public Radio. It features just two tracks, a tribute to Jaco Pastorius from Davis’s 1989 Amandla album and the title-track from 1986’s Tutu.

Delain – Lunar Prelude CD (Napalm)

New album from the Dutch symphonic metal band.

DJ Katapila – Troto CD/LP (Awesome Tapes From Africa)

DJ Katapila makes Ga traditional music using electronic sounds instead of live percussion to create his own kind of what he calls house music. In the context of Ghana’s pop music landscape, Katapila’s music is singular. The uptempo, bass-heavy, Roland 808-rooted sounds echo early 1990’s Detroit techno and Chicago acid house more than the contemporary hiplife productions blasting across Ghanaian airwaves currently.

[Read more…] about New Releases for February 19, 2016

CDs + Vinyl:

xAnti-Nowhere League – Road To Ramtpon [Reissue/2007] CD (Cleopatra)

Reissue of the 2007 album from the raucous UK rabble rousers. Includes new artwork and two bonus tracks. New album due later this year.

Marty Balin – Greatest Love CD (Buckjoy Productions)

New solo album from the Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship songwriter.

Banta – Dark Charms CD (E1)

“Amongst the garage rawk acts and synth-pop duos of Echo Park is a coed collective known as Banta. Led by singer/songwriter Sharaya Mikael, the band channels a vintage soft rock vibe via smooth vocals, acoustic strums, and gentle grooves which often conjure an uncanny Fleetwood Mac likeness” – Free Bike Valet (A Beach City Music Blog). Vinyl edition due April 15.

Michel Benita/Ethics – River Silver CD (ECM)

“Michel Benita is the Algiers-born double-bassist who has been an influential recent collaborator with Andy Sheppard, but though River Silver has a Sheppard-like songlike warmth, it’s a more world-folkish venture. It features the zither-like Japanese koto, atmospheric electronics (from another Sheppard sideman, Norwegian guitarist Eivind Aarset), and the mellifluous sound of Swiss flugelhornist Matthieu Michel.” – The Guardian

Black Wizard – New Waste CD (Listenable)

The Vancouver, BC riff master’s new album reeks of denim, leather, sweat, booze, Black Sabbath, Thin Lizzy, and attitude. Vinyl version due March 12.

Glen Brown/Various Artists – Dubble Attack: The Original Pantomine Dee-Jay Collection 1972-74 [Reissue/1989] CD/LP (VP)

Glen Brown/Various Artists – Boat To Progress!: The Original Pantomine Vocal Collection 1970-74 [Reissue/1990] CD/LP (VP)

Glen Brown/Various Artists – Check The Winner: The Original Pantomine Instrumental Collection 1970-74 [Reissue/1990] CD/LP (VP)

Glenmore Brown is a reggae singer and producer who ran the Pantomine, Dwyer Records, The Rythm Master, and South East Music labels. Originally released by Greensleeves/Shanachie, these collections have been out-of-print for over 25 years.

Jaimeo Brown Transcendence – Work Songs CD (Motema Music)

Echoes of the past meet visions of the future on Work Songs, the follow-up to Jaimeo Brown Transcendence’s 2013 self-titled debut. From recordings of prisoners in Mississippi to stonemasons in Japan, the album brings renewed life to historical work songs through a mixture of powerfully evocative samples and new recordings. Comprised of drummer/producer Jaimeo Brown and guitarist/producer Chris Sholar, Jaimeo Brown Transcendence deftly weaves together the acoustic and the digital, compellingly connecting jazz and blues with contemporary rock, hip-hop and electronic music.

Basia Bulat – Good Advice CD/LP (Secret City)

Good Advice is the fizzing, phosphorescing new pop LP by songwriter Basia Bulat. Captured and produced by My Morning Jacket leader Jim James in Louisville, KY, it follows on 2013’s Polaris- and Juno-nominated Tall Tall Shadow and two years of tour-dates alongside acts like Sufjan Stevens, Daniel Lanois and Destroyer. Good Advice mixes classic, sterling songwriting with radiant, contemporary sounds – trembling organ, loose drums, lightning-rod electric guitar. These are 10 songs of desire and redemption, lit up with a bottle-rocket of liberated, faintly psychedelic sound. “Basia has something truly unique,” James says, “and her music was a truly extraordinary thing to witness.” Despite a shared love for classic gospel, soul and country, Bulat and James resolved not to make a throwback record.

Buried At Sea – Migration [Reissue/2003] CD/2xLP (War Crime)

Reissue of the debut from Chicago’s cult doom/drone band, Buried At Sea. Features new artwork by vocalist/bassist, Brian Sowell. For fans of Neurosis, Mastodon, Baroness, Eyehategod, etc.

[Read more…] about New Releases for February 12, 2015