CDs + Vinyl:

Daniel Bachman – River CD/LP (Three Lobed)
“Bachman turns his strings into solemn meditations on existence or emphatic explorations of the same. [He is] a musician poised to explore an old form in ways both reverent and newly inspired.” — Grayson Currin, Hopscotch Festival

Kelsea Ballerini – The First Time CD (Black River Entertainment)
Hailing from Knoxville, TN, singer/songwriter Kelsea Ballerini moved to Nashville, TN at age 15 to chase the dream of becoming a songwriter. The First Time is her debut album.

Barbarossa – Imager CD/LP+MP3 (Memphis Industries)
Barbarossa, the nom de plume of Londoner James Mathe, follows up his 2013 album Bloodlines with a cerebral, slow-burning album, tinged with melancholy and an alluring humanism. Mathe’s musical journey started with folk-tinged balladry that saw him become part Fence Collective, and subsequently a band member for the likes of Jose Gonzalez, Johnny Flynn and Junip.

Geoff Barrow/Ben Salisbury – Ex-Machina [OST] CD (Invada)
Portishead’s Geoff Barrow and composer Ben Salisbury continue their sci-fi streak with the score for Ex-Machina, a low-budget thriller that marks the directorial debut of screenwriter Alex Garland (28 Days Later, Sunshine).

Jeff Beck – Live + CD (Rhino)
New live release spanning the legendary guitarist’s vast and varied career along with two new studio tracks.

Bhi Bhiman – Rhythm & Reason CD/LP (Boocoo Music)
Bhi Bhiman’s music has drawn a wide range of comparisons from Rodriguez and Woody Guthrie to Nina Simone and Bill Withers. Bhiman credits his upbringing — the son of Sri Lankan immigrants, growing up in St. Louis, MO — for his diverse sound. An accomplished guitarist and clever lyricist, it is Bhiman’s striking voice that sets him apart.

Peter Broderick – Colours Of The Night CD/LP (Bella Union)
“The product of an unlikely collaboration between an Oregon singer-songwriter and a small group of Swiss musicians, recorded in a studio more usually associated with Alpine hip-hop, Colours Of The Night is a beguiling and yet joyously engaging set that brings the best out in Peter Broderick’s voice and takes him far beyond his established musical milieu. It’s a brave departure for him, a shift away from the studied arrangements of many previous albums towards a greater sense of spontaneity and a (thoroughly justified) trust in his accompanists.” – The Line Of Best Fit

Camp Lo – Ragtime Hightimes CD (Nature Sounds)
Ragtime Hightimes finds the legendary Bronx duo and the equally heralded beat smith utilizing live instrumentation in order to build what they like to call “time-traveling art.”
[Read more…] about New Releases for May 18 and 19, 2015

CDs + Vinyl:

Abandon Kansas – Alligator CD (BadChristian Music)
Abandon Kansas is a four-piece indie Christian rock outfit from Wichita, Kansas, and Alligator is their first album on the BadChristian label. “‘I Hope God Don’t Mind If We Talk Awhile,’ the record’s first single, embodies the flow of the record, jumpy and honest. Touching on topics of manhood and the struggle of healing old wounds, it’s not an easy one to listen to.” – Jesus Freak Hideout

Abrahama – Reflections In The Bowels Of A Bird CD (Small Stone)
Like the main thread of this heavy odyssey peppered with Hindu mysticism and voodoo convolutions, Abrahama’s sound is hulking and hypnotic, while vocals resound like a distant and irresistible incantation; an appeal that is amped-up by guest appearances from the likes of Ed Mundell (Monster Magnet) and Thomas Bellier (Blaak Heat Shujaa, Spindrift).

After The Fall – Dedication CD (Bridge Nine)
“Albany, New York, quartet After The Fall play the type of melodic hardcore that the world sorely lacks in 2015: It’s impressively speedy and technical, with hooks aplenty and more than enough aggression to get you off of your barstool and up to the front of the stage. But their new album, Dedication, is more than just your average pit-starter; the entire album is dedicated to a fallen bandmate, which results in some seriously heavy lyrics.” — Substream

Steve Aoki – Neon Future II CD (Ultra)
Following the success of last year’s Neon Future I, the international DJ and producer releases the second part of the Neon Future package. Neon Future II comes packed with featured artists including Snoop Lion, Matthew Koma, Linkin Park and many more.

Aqua – In Loving Memory Of Aqua (1982-1988) CD (Spittle)
A collection of tracks recorded between 1982-1988 by the Turin four-piece, a stellar re-discovery from the heyday of the Italian post-punk scene. Their 1985 self-titled mini-album was praised for its melodic, surreal, new wave style that combined goth influences with dream-pop, highly reminiscent of the British scene. RIYL: Echo & The Bunnymen, Bauhaus, The Cure.

Arcturus – Arcturian CD/LP (Prophecy)
Arcturian is the Norwegian metal band’s first album in over a decade.
Banditos – Banditos CD (Bloodshot)
Mixing elements of ’60s blues-fused acid rock, jangly boogie, garage punk scuzz, and doo-wop sweetness, the Banditos recall many, but sound like no one but themselves. Jem is a multi-faceted jewel, from the lush Cocteaus-shiver of “Crocodiles” to the exquisite Eastern climes of “China” and the R&B twist of “Poppy.” What unites all 13 tracks is a beguiling fusion of intimacy and sensuality with something more mysterious and spectral. Vinyl version due May 26.

Bernard & Edith – Jem CD (Bella Union)
Debut album from hotly tipped Manchester-based electronic-pop duo. Vinyl version due May 19.

Jello Biafra – Walk On Jindals Splinters CD/LP (Alternative Tentacles)
The long-rumored, sweat-soaked live album from the night Bill Davis (Dash Rip Rock) and Fred Le Blanc (Cowboy Mouth) dared Jello Biafra to join them during Jazzfest and sing all classic New Orleans soul, rhythm and blues, and (at Jello’s request) garage songs.

Black Devil – Disco Club [Reissue/1978] CD/LP (Anthology Recordings)
Disco Club is a groundbreaking 1978 EP of experimental electronic disco produced by French library music composer Bernard Fèvre and producer Jacky Giordano. The Aphex Twin-backed Rephlex label notably reworked a handful of Disco Club tracks in 2004, however this is the first ever reissue of the EP in its original, intended sequence.

Blanck Mass – Dumb Flesh CD/2xLP (Sacred Bones)
Benjamin John Power’s newest solo offering as Blanck Mass was written, produced and recorded in a number of different locations over the space of a year. It began life in F**k Buttons’ Space Mountain studio, moved into a windowless attic space in Hatch End, North London, then was finished up at Ben’s new home in Edinburgh. The geographical spread of the sessions is reflected in the shifting landscapes of the tracks and the ever changing sound-palette used to realize Dumb Flesh as an expansive body of work. As a work of art, Dumb Flesh is a comment on the flaws of the human form in its current evolutionary state. The frailty of the human body naturally became a resonant and inescapable part of the album’s gestation.

Brass Tacks – Just The Facts: 15^th Anniversary Edition CD (Beer City)
Contains the original full length album Just The Facts plus the tracks from The Good Life 7″ as well as the demo track and only recorded version of the song “Just the Facts” for a grand total of 18 blistering, boot- stomping cuts. This reissue has been given the deluxe treatment of a brand new layout including a 24-page booklet filled with lyrics, photos and flyers from the band’s 15 plus year existence.

Tyondai Braxton – HIVE1 CD/LP (Nonesuch)
HIVE1 is the composer’s first fully realized work of purely electronic music since his earlier loop-based music in the early 2000s, and an unmistakable swerve away from Braxton’s signature materials and musical concerns to date. The album draws from the mid-20th century avant-garde, a world inhabited by the likes of Varèse, Xenakis, and Stockhausen — along with the more contemporary examples of Florian Hecker, Carston Nicolai/Raster Noton, and Braxton’s frequent collaborator Ben Vida, who appears as a performer on HIVE1. Where Central Market was scored for a small army of strings, guitars, horns, kazoos, and singers, the music of HIVE1 derives from the abrasive textures and manipulation of organic and synthesized sounds.

Lenny Breau – The Velvet Touch Of Lenny Breau Live! [Reissue/1969] CD (Wounded Bird)
Lenny Breau was an American guitarist and music educator. He possessed the ability to play chords, melody and a baseline simultaneously and blended many styles including jazz, country, classical and flamenco. He approached the guitar like a piano, which opened up lots of possibilities with the instrument and allowed him to do many things which other guitarists deemed impossible.

Canibus & Bronze Nazareth – Time Flies, Life Dies… Phoenix Rise CD (RBC)
For his latest album Canibus called upon Wu-Tang Clan affiliate Bronze Nazareth to steer most of the project’s production. The 17-track album also features guest appearances from Raekwon, Kurupt, Pete Rock, Killah Priest, Craig G and Dizaster.
[Read more…] about New Releases for May 12, 2015

CDs + Vinyl:

Aerosol – Leave CD/LP (N5md)
Third album from Rasmus Rasmussen’s ethereal electronic project. Cosmic sounds and psychedelic effects mingle with cascading guitars and kraut-infused beats on a collection of tracks that sends obvious nods to the German synth pioneers of the ‘70s.

Anberlin – Never Take Friendship Personal: Live New York City CD (Tooth & Nail)
Recorded live at The Gramercy Theatre, the album helps celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the original release of Never Take Friendship Personal.

And So I Watch From Afar – Heirs CD/LP+MP3 (Sargent House)
New album from the Irish progressive-punks. “Heirs is the splatterings of pigment in a Jackson Pollock painting. It’s the incomprehensible equations of a mad scientist. And it’s delivered with a playful sophistication that boggles the mind and delights the senses.” – GiggingNI

Ólöf Arnalds – Palme CD/LP (One Little Indian)
The fourth long-player from the stunningly talented classically trained singer and multi-instrumentalist is a move beyond the sound she’s become known for, with synthetic sounds carefully augmenting her songs, thanks in part to múm founder Gunnar Örn Tynes and long term collaborator Skúli Sverrisson (Laurie Anderson, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Blonde Redhead).

Jeff Beck – Live + CD (Rhino)
New live release spanning the legendary guitarist’s vast and varied career along with two new studio tracks. The 14 live performances on Jeff Beck Live+ were recorded at multiple venues in 2014 and feature Beck backed by his band: vocalist Jimmy Hall, bassist Rhonda Smith, drummer Jonathan Joseph and guitarist Nicolas Meier.

Best Coast – California Nights CD/LP (Harvest)
A brighter, more-sparkly, more sophisticated, more psychedelic Best Coast album across the board, embodying the rich lightness and stinging darkness of a California state of mind. “Bethany and Bobb’s third record is like a needy, narcissistic L.A. teen in an ironic Avril Lavigne T-shirt who loiters round the house, nagging and nudging you until you’ve no option but to be endeared by its gawkish vulnerability. It begins with the heavily medicated ‘Feeling OK,’ falls hook, line and sinker on the Hole-homage ‘Heaven Sent,’ asks ‘Why don’t you like me?’ during ‘Jealousy,’ before addressing more pertinent questions, ‘What is life? What is love? What’s the meaning of it all?’ on ‘So Unaware.’” – The Guardian

Frank Black And The Catholics – The Complete Recordings 7xCD (Cooking Vinyl)
A seven-CD collection of remastered versions of the band’s six studio albums, plus a bonus disc of demos from the sessions for Black Letter Days. The albums included are 1998’s self-titled, 1999’s Pistolero, 2001’s Dog In The Sand, 2002’s Black Letter Days and Devil’s Workshop, and 2003’s Show Me Your Tears.

The Bloodline – We Are One CD (Another Recording Co.)
The Bloodline cleverly fuse elements of rock, hard rock and metal lined with infectious hooks and soaring vocal melodies.

Chaos Delivery Machine – Burn Motherf**ker Burn CD/LP (Hardline Entertainment)
The members of Chaos Delivery Machine have not let advancing years dilute their anger – or their love of fast punk rock. More power to them, they have more endurance than I ever will. Perhaps they just don’t have any kids to tire them out. Their latest album, Burn Motherf**ker Burn, is their second after Manifesto. It has taken eight ‘exhausting and life-threatening’ years to produce. The trio has a strong Pennywise connection. Bassist Fletcher Dragge was a founding guitarist of the legendary Californian outfit, while CDM’s drummer Justin Thirsk’s brother Jason played bass for Pennywise before his death in 1996. Justin Thirsk and CDM’s guitarist Jason Page were once of 98 Mute, another of the ‘90s punk bands which took over the world from the west coast of the USA.

Ciara – Jackie CD (Epic)
New album from the R&B superstar. Jackie features production by The Underdogs, Da Don, Dr. Luke, and others. Includes “That’s How I’m Feelin’” featuring Pitbull and Missy Elliot. Available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe adds five bonus tracks.
[Read more…] about New Releases for May 4, 2015