CDs + Vinyl:

5 Seconds Of Summer – Youngblood CD/LP (Capitol)

On their third studio album Youngblood, Australian band 5 Seconds Of Summer (hailed as the “biggest new rock act in the world” by Rolling Stone) expands its musical parameters while retaining the hooks and trademark DNA that’s always been a massive part of the group’s appeal. Vocalist/guitarist Luke Hemmings explains, “Growing up is what we had to do on Youngblood. Seven years as a band may seem like a long time, but we were teenagers when we started. We had to look at each other and say, ‘Are we going to stop now, or do this forever? Because if we continue, then we have to go farther than we ever have before.’” On lead single “Want You Back”, Hemmings’ passionate yearning for lost love finds him breaking into a searing falsetto on the infectious chorus. The soaring production and upfront bass line, meanwhile, finds the band exploring grooves and emotions in fresh new ways.

Actress x London Contemporary Orchestra – Lageos CD/2xLP (Ninja Tune)

Producer Darren Cunningham aka Actress, joined by the London Contemporary Orchestra, premiere new material as well as expanded arrangements of their dark and brooding electronica. On this new collaboration, commissioned and curated by Boiler Room and the London Contemporary Orchestra with support from Arts Council England, the London Contemporary Orchestra bring a new dimension to Cunningham’s choice of sounds. With the producer in effect using them as a new instrument, matching his electronic loops with precise manipulation of their acoustic instruments, together they form a heightened kind of chamber music.

Christina Aguilera – Liberation CD (RCA)

The eighth studio album by pop/R&B vocalist and her first in six years. Liberation finds her having her way with R&B and hip-hop (Kanye West produced two tracks). The first single “Accelerate” features Ty Dolla $ign and 2 Chainz. The album’s second single “Fall in Line” features Pop vocalist Demi Lovato.

The Allman Brother’s Band – Cream Of The Crop 2003 4xCD (Peach)

Four-disc collection features 36 tracks in all, culled from live performances recorded between July 25 and August 10, 2003 in Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, Darien Center, NY, Hartford, CT, Charlotte, NC, and Raleigh, NC. The 2003 lineup of the group included founding members Gregg Allman, Butch Trucks and Jaimoe, plus Warren Haynes, Marc Quiñones, Oteil Burbridge and Derek Trucks.

Ammar 808 – Maghreb United CD/LP (Glitterbeat)

Deep TR-808 bass meets pan-Maghreb beats, timeless voices, and futurist visions.

[Read more…] about New Releases for June 15, 2018

CDs + Vinyl:

Lily Allen – No Shame CD/LP (WB)

English singer-songwriter Lilly Allen returns with her fourth album, No Shame. Working with collaborators Fryars, Mark Ronson, Vampire Weekend’s Ezra Koenig, Burna Boy, P2J and Cass Lowe, Lily says her goal was to make an album that is “as truthful as possible.” Speaking about the sense of catharsis that came with making the record, she adds, “I believe that we as humans work through things by talking about them, and that’s what making music is for me. It’s sharing things that you hope are going to connect with people, not that are going to connect with algorithms.” It includes lead song “Trigger Bang” featuring Giggs, which The Guardian describes as, “a return to the melancholic pop that made her so intriguing.” A departure from the bold, brash lyricism and sun-soaked melodies Lily is known for, “Three” flips perspective in a way only she can, while the hazy, stripped back “Higher” finds the singer as vulnerable as ever.

Ray Barbee – Tiara For Computer CD/LP (Um Yeah Arts)

In the late 1960s, Peter Zinovieff – co-founder of London’s Electronic Music Studios-sold his wife’s diamond tiara to subsidize the world’s first computer in a private residence. At nearly the cost of a house (and taking up almost an entire room), the weighty extravagance was purchased and installed to control one singular process: sequencing sounds. This was the all-or-nothing beginning of EMS, and their enthusiastic exploration of the unknown-synthesized musiclead

directly to the ground-breaking work of artists like Pink Floyd, Brian Eno, and Kraftwerk. In the spirit of that wholehearted approach, Ray Barbee has ventured into uncharted waters with his latest release, Tiara For Computer, a synth-anchored album from a man known for his expressive, solo guitar work.

The Beach Boys – The Beach Boys With The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra CD/2xLP (Capitol)

The Beach Boys’ original vocal performances are paired with new symphonic arrangements, recorded by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at Abbey Road Studios. Brian Wilson says, “I always knew the vocal arrangements I did back in the 1960s would lend themselves perfectly for a symphony and there is no better one in the world than the Royal Philharmonic. I am both proud and humbled by what they have created using our songs and I hope everyone falls in love with it like I have.”

Beechwood – Inside The Flesh Hotel CD/LP (Alive)

From two-minute pop perfection, to the sound of drug-induced nightmare psychoses, Beechwood’s music hits you where it hurts. Gordon Lawrence (guitar/vocals), Isa Tineo (drums/vocals) and Sid Simons (bass/vocals) are drawing their rock ‘n’ roll line in the dirt.

Dierks Bentley – The Mountain CD/2xLP (Capitol Nashville)

Ninth studio album from the country music superstar. The Mountain is unified by themes of presence and positivity, and ranges in style from textured rock to acoustic folk.

[Read more…] about New Releases for June 8, 2018