CDs:

5 Seconds Of Summer – 5 Seconds Of Summer CD (Capitol)

Debut full-length album from the Australian pop/punk quartet.

Alvvays – Alvvays CD/LP+MP3 (Polyvinyl)

Alvvays is two women, three men, a crate of C-86 tapes and a love of jingle-jangle. Both sun-splashed and twilit, their self-titled debut features nine songs concealing drunkenness, defeat and death in tungsten-tinted pop that glitters like sea glass. (Also available on electric-blue vinyl.)

The Amazing Snakeheads – Amphetamine Ballads CD/LP (Domino)

Amphetamine Ballads is the debut album from Glasgow’s The Amazing Snakeheads. It is a monument to the redemptive powers of rock & roll — full of rage, romance and dark humor – and is an uncompromising, astonishingly visceral debut album.

Anberlin – Lowborn CD (Tooth & Nail)

Anberlin’s seventh and final album. Vinyl version due August 19.

Anti-Flag – Document Of Dissent (1993-2003) CD/2xLP (Fat Wreck Chords)

After more than 20 years writing smash hits about smashing the state, Anti-Flag have compiled a comprehensive best of album. Aptly titled A Document Of Dissent, this collection houses two decades of material that thoroughly represents Anti-Flag’s strong blend of music and message.

Bastard Feast – Osculum Infame CD (Season Of Mist)

Portland’s Bastard Feast (formerly Elitist) unleash a virulent strain of blackened hardcore on their new album. Doom-heavy riffs propel an unholy blend of metal, crust and (hints of) d-beat.

The Beatles – The Japan Box 5xCD (Capitol)

Following the release of The US Albums, The Japan Box commemorates the 50th Anniversary of The Beatles debut in Japan. Using the 2009 remasters, The Japan Box contains the first five original Japanese LP titles, reproduced as CDs.

The Black Angels – Clear Lake Forest CD/LP+MP3 (Blue Horizon)

The Black Angels are excited to reveal Clear Lake Forest, featuring seven entirely new tracks, hot on the heels of their acclaimed album Indigo Meadow released last year. Guitarist Christian Bland invites listeners to accompany the band on a sonic odyssey: “After roaming through the Indigo Meadow, the time has come to journey to the Clear Lake Forest, where seven tales of diamonds, executioners, and other strange occurrences await underneath the crystal waves lapping in the lake.” Also available on clear vinyl which includes download.

The Brand New Heavies – Allsboutthefunk [2004] CD (Shanachie)

Allabouthefunk, a 2004 recording which was previously only available in Japan, finds The Brand New Heavies delivering just what the title implies a strong set of grooves leaning on the funk oriented end of their classic sound.

[Read more…] about New Releases for July 22, 2014

CDs:

The Acid – Liminal CD/LP (Mute)

“Prepare to fall into a dark, electronic summer haze: the debut album from transatlantic three-piece The Acid is here, and it’s every bit the broody, boundary-crushing gem their early tracks suggested it would be. Colliding lo-fi indie with booming post-Burial bass music influences, the trio – cult Aussie songwriter Ry X, Brighton-based Grammy nominee Adam Freeland and L.A.-born Drake collaborator Steve Nalepa – first grabbed our attention last year with ‘The Creeper,’ a three minute slow-burn of scuttling Portishead-style beats and breathy Thom Yorke vocals.” – NME

Marsha Ambrosius – Friends & Lovers CD (RCA)

The British R&B singer/songwriter’s sophomore album features production from Marsha, Pop & Oak, Da Internz, Eric Hudson, The Justice League and more.

The Atlantic Family – Live At Montreaux [1978] CD (Wounded Bird)

First time on CD for this super session featuring all the great jazz artists signed to Atlantic Records in the early 1970s. This set features Don Ellis, Herbie Mann, Joe Farrell, The Brecker Brothers, Luther Vandross, Klaus Doldinger, Sonny Fortune, Ben E. King, David Newman, Richard Tee and a host of others.

Betraying The Martyrs – Phantom CD (Sumerian)

This Paris, France based metal band is a venerable freight-train of aggression with blazing harmonies, captivating hooks and bombastic off-time precision.

Big Wreck – Ghosts CD (Zoe)

“Big Wreck has often flirted with progressive rock, particularly on their earlier material, and even on Ghosts, while the band might at first glance come off as a somewhat generic modern rock band, close listening reveals some impressively intricate layering and a diverse palette of sounds that is subtle and deceptively simple-sounding.” – Sputnik Music 

Bleachers – Strange Desire CD/LP (RCA)

Strange Desire is the debut album from this new project from fun. guitarist Jack Antonoff. “I was very conscious about making an album that didn’t sound like eleven singles,” Antonoff told Billboard in March, after Bleachers had played its first few live shows. The album was written and produced by Antonoff, with co-producer John Hill and Vince Clarke helping with the project. “I Wanna Get Better,” the lead single from the album, was released in February and has received a music video directed by Antonoff’s girlfriend, Lena Dunham.

Botch – An Anthology Of Dead Ends [Reissue/2002] CD/LP (Hydra Head)

As with all Botch recordings this six-song mini-album is a monstrous concoction of metal, noise, indie rock guitar trickery, full of depth and minute secrets which slowly secrete themselves with successive listens.

Henry Butler/Steven Bernstein And The Hot 9 – Viper’s Drag CD/2xLP (Impulse!/Blue Note)

Viper’s Drag is the happy collision of two perfectly matched musical sensibilities—that of the New Orleans singer/pianist Henry Butler and trumpeter/arranger Steven Bernstein — two students of early jazz with decidedly modern voices.

Paul Butterfield’s Better Days – Live At Winterland Ballroom CD (Wounded Bird)

Reissue of this rare live album. Paul Butterfield set the standards in the 1960s and 1970s for kick-ass white electric blues.

[Read more…] about New Releases for July 15, 2014

CDs: 

The 13^th Floor Elevators – Live Elevation Lost 2xCD/3xLP (Charly)

Live Elevation Lost: The 13th Floor Elevators Live At The Houston Music Theatre is the first ever release of the complete performance of the band’s legendary show from February 18, 1967.

’68 – In Humor And Sadness CD (E1)

The noisy, rambling, shambling, southern-fried, punk-infused, heavy metal hardcore band has long rejected the conventions of the genre that surrounds them by refusing to conform to established structures. ‘68s’ sound and presentation owe more to At The Drive In, Refused, Nirvana or even the Sex Pistols in spirit and vibe than the formulaic processed sounds of their contemporaries.

Amberian Dawn – Magic Forest CD (Napalm)

Amberian Dawn’s melodic symphonic power metal offers the whole spectrum of fast double bass hymns, symphonic epics and magical dream-like parts. Capri crowns the sophisticated arrangements with her beautiful voice and stunning vocal lines.

…And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead – Live At Rockpalast 2009 CD (Made In Germany Music)

Live set recorded at Live Music Hall in Cologne, German in support of The Century Of Self album released earlier that year. Also available on stand-alone DVD.

Benny No-Good – I Am You CDEP (East Grand Record Co.)

Benny No-Good started playing punk and metal 20 years ago, and is the frontman for Indiana’s hardcore punk band The Enders. While the three-piece group is his main project, there’s always room for another musical outlet, especially when the songs’ subject matter doesn’t lend themselves well to screaming and vitriol. The songs on this debut solo EP range from five years to just a couple of months old at the time of release, and range from straightforward singer/songwriter material, protest themes, and Irish-traditional influenced ballads.

Blackberry Smoke – Leave A Scar: Live In North Carolina CD (Blackberry Smoke)

Mixing elements of gospel, bluegrass, arena rock, soul and more than a touch of outlaw country; Blackberry Smoke has earned a passionate fan base that continues to grow as the band itself evolves. Also available on stand-alone DVD. 

James Blackshaw – Fantomas: Le Faux Magistrat CD/LP (Tompkins Square)

In celebration of the centenary of Louis Feuillade’s Fantômas silent film series, James Blackshaw was invited by Yann Tiersen to perform a live score to the fifth and final film, Le Faux Magistrat, at the beautiful and prestigious surroundings of the Théâtre de Châtelet, Paris on October 31st 2013. Fantômas – a master of disguise and symbol of terror – is one of the most popular characters in French crime fiction, as well as a favorite with the avant-garde, particularly the surrealists.

Braid – No Coast CD/LP (Top Shelf)

Braid’s first full-length in 16 years is an immediate, energetic album that completely eschews the traditional “reunion record” expectation of older people making slower, softer music. A large part of that can be attributed to the group’s rhythm section, Todd Bell (bass) and Damon Atkinson (drums), who have played in lockstep with one another for more than 15 years and whose musical chemistry is undeniable.

Rick Braun – Can You Feel It CD (Artistry)

Rick Braun is a true superstar of the contemporary/pop jazz genre. A hot ticket as a solo artist Rick also headlines several top-grossing jazz packages.

Bright Light Bright Light – Life Is Easy CD/LP (Self Raising Records)

Life Is Easy builds on the success of Bright Light Bright Light’s debut pop album. Enlisting Elton John for a duet, Scissor Sisters’ Del Marquis for guitar and vocals, and Iggy Azelia/Jessie J producers the Invisible Men for production, Life Is Easy packs a pop punch to match major label offerings.

Darren Brown – Analgesic/Calmative CD (After Music)

New release from the modern composer, noisemaker and performer – his first solo release in a decade. Analgesic/Calmative is a deep mixture of guitars and field recordings, noise and electronics, vocals and random words.

[Read more…] about New Releases for July 8, 2014