Marketing Program/ Banner/ Listening Station Titles Promoted This Week:

Black Label Society – Doom Crew Inc. CD/2xLP (eONE)

Black Label Society build their music on this simple truth, truth as self-evident on Back In Black as on the dozen songs comprising Doom Crew Inc., the eleventh album from the dependable stalwarts. Doom Crew Inc. is both a tribute to the band’s “first to bleed, last to leave” road crew and a salute to the legion whose support, stretching back to 1998, rivals that of the KISS Army. The Black Label Society biker-style battle vest “kutte” is as ubiquitous at hard rock and metal shows as a black t-shirt. Doom Crew Inc. is the fourth BLS album created at the Black Vatican, the studio built at the Zakk Wylde residence in 2010. [A limited-edition indie store exclusive clear & black ice with grey/white splatter color in color vinyl pressing is available.’

Cynic – Ascension Codes CD/2xLP (Season Of Mist)

Cynic makes its long-awaited return with Ascension Codes, the highly anticipated follow up to 2014’s critically acclaimed Kindly Bent To Free Us. Ascension Codes is the latest evolution in Cynic’s legendary career as the band is now fully immersed within the progressive rock genre, once again exploring new territory and pushing the boundaries as they boldly step outside their comfort zone to reach a new apex of musical proficiency. The album takes the listener on a cosmic journey through space and time, balancing polished technicality and moments of peaceful ambience, creating a dynamic experience that is filled with both bright energy and calming peacefulness.

Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit – Georgia Blue CD/2xLP (Southeastern)

“Georgia Blue is a labor of love. On election day 2020, when I saw that there was a good chance the state of Georgia might go blue, I came up with an idea: to record an album of Georgia-related songs as a thank you to the state and donate the money to a Georgia-based non-profit organization. I will admit my motivations were a bit selfish. For years, I’ve been looking for an excuse to record these songs with my band and some friends. The songs on this album are some of my favorite Georgia-related songs, but the tracklist is not meant to be comprehensive. I would love to cover Outkast and 2 Chainz, but I don’t think the finished product would be very good. We’re a rock band, so we covered rock songs. We have roots in blues and R&B, so we enlisted some brilliant artists to help us pull off songs by Precious Bryant, James Brown, and Gladys Knight. My favorite part of the Georgia Blue recording process was having the opportunity to work with these very special artists, and I thank them: Amanda Shires, Brittney Spencer, Adia Victoria, Brandi Carlile, Julien Baker, Bèla Fleck, Chris Thile, Steve Gorman, Peter Levin, and John Paul White. I hope you enjoy listening to these recordings as much as we enjoyed making them. Keep listening to good music and fighting the good fight.” [Special RSD Black Friday vinyl pressing is also available.]

[Read more…] about New Releases for November 26, 2021

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Adele – 30 CD/2xLP (Columbia/Sony)

30 is the first new music from Adele since the release of her third studio album 25 in November 2015. The album was produced with former collaborators Greg Kurstin, Max Martin and Shellback and Tobias Jesso Jr., as well as new collaborators Inflo and Ludwig Goransson. Adele on the album: “I’m ready to finally put this album out. It was my ride or die throughout the most turbulent period of my life…I’d become so consumed by my own grief. I’ve painstakingly rebuilt my house and my heart since then and this album narrates it.” The highly anticipated collection comes introduced by the sublime lead single “Easy On Me”.

Converge – Bloodmoon: I CD/LP+MP3 (Epitaph)

Converge release their new album with Chelsea Wolfe, her frequent collaborator and bandmate Ben Chisholm, and Cave In’s Stephen Brodsky. It’s called Bloodmoon: I and was produced by Converge’s Kurt Ballou, and the musicians began collaborating for the prospective project in 2016. “The project stretched my vocals in new ways,” Wolfe said in a statement. “It’s so different than what I normally sing over that I was able to open up and be vulnerable with my vocals.” [A limited-edition indie store exclusive vinyl pressing is due June 24.]

Der Weg Einer Freiheit – Noktvrn CD/2xLP (Season Of Mist)

The state between wakefulness and sleep is known as hypnagogia. With their new album Noktvrn, progressive black metal force Der Weg Einer Freiheit delivers a sound that captures this unique, trance-like state within their extreme rubric. It is also the band’s darkest and most emotional offering to date, ebbing and exploding like a manic-depressive episode with its extreme highs and lows. Noktvrn truly lives up to the band’s moniker and offers true freedom through art. The album title is adapted from Frédéric Chopin’s Nocturnes, his so-called “night pieces”, which are among his other works very influential for the compositions on Noktvrn. [The gatefold vinyl pressing includes an etched D-side etching and soft touch matt laminate.]

[Read more…] about New Releases for November 19, 2021

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ABBA – Voyage CD/LP (Capitol)

The quartet of Agnetha, Björn, Benny and Anni-Frid, one of the most successful pop groups of all time, return with Voyage – their first new album in 40 years. The highly anticipated 10-track collection is introduced by the pair of promising singles “I Still Have Faith In You” and “Don’t Shut Me Down”. “I Still Have Faith In You” is an atmospheric, slow tempo piece that builds dramatically with harmonized choruses and rock guitar accompaniment. “Don’t Shut Me Down” also starts slowly, but soon picks up pace with an infectious beat. Both tracks have the powerful vocals and intelligent lyrics that characterized the group’s songbook in their earlier years together.

AHI – Prospect CD/LP (22^nd Sentry)

“Powerfully moving” (NPR) songwriter AHI’s new album Prospect builds on the Toronto musician’s songwriting rooted in the lessons of community, uplift and oneness that he has drawn from years spent backpacking across the world, including extended stays in the Ethiopian Highlands and jungles of Trinidad before pursuing a career in music. Prospect, produced by Grammy Award winner Paul Mabury in Nashville, finds AHI taking a turn inward to reflect on his own identity as well as what he’s seen in his local community. “This universe can often leave us feeling small and insignificant,” says AHI, “but I truly believe that our lives are part of something bigger and more meaningful than we understand. You and I are the prospect, and it’s important to live our lives like they’re worth something because our impact on each other is far more immense than we can ever imagine.”

Brian Fallon – Night Divine CD/LP (Lesser Known)

Night Divine is a series of hymns covered by The Gaslight Anthem frontman Brian Fallon. This is a project he’s been wanting to create for a long time, inspired by his time singing in the church choir as a child. “This was the first music I’d ever heard and learned,” Fallon said. “It’s one of the earliest musical memories I have. So, the idea has been churning in my head for a long time. Even when I was making rock ‘n’ roll, this was always in the background.” He finally got the opportunity to make the intimate record during lockdown, with background vocals by his mother. The 10-track collection is introduced by the lead single and album opener, “The Virgin Mary Had One Son”. “I heard Odetta sing an incredible live version of ‘Virgin Mary Had One Son’, and it was actually one of the performances that inspired me to learn the piano,” he notes. “Joan Baez sang it back in the sixties too. From those two versions, I put down my own structure with the acoustic guitar and the vocal. The other sonic elements appear and disappear like characters in a play. In the end, everything comes out for one last note.”

[Read more…] about New Releases for November 5, 2021