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

Aaliyah – Aaliyah [Reissue/2001] CD (Empire)

Aaliyah is the self-titled third and final studio album by the ‘Queen of Urban Pop.’ Originally released in 2001 by Blackground Records, the album debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. Cited by critics as one of the best R&B records of its time, Aaliyah is a reflection of herself as both a young adult and matured vocalist. Standout tracks include “We Need A Resolution”, “More Than A Woman”, and “Rock The Boat”.

Aborted – ManiaCult CD (Century Media)

Belgium’s most infamous Death Metal crew, Aborted, deliver a bone-crushing display of of unyielding and odious death metal with their forthcoming 11th full length, ManiaCult. Standout tracks like “Impetus Odi” and “Dementophobia” prove the point that the band undisputedly earned their place within the cream of the crop of death metal. ManiaCult is a whirring blender of death metal and further solidifies Aborted’s stature as one of the most dangerous death metal bands on the planet. You’ve been warned. [Vinyl edition due December 14.]

Amyl and The Sniffers – Comfort To Me CD/LP (ATO)
Amyl and the Sniffers, the Melbourne, Australia rock band fronted by Amy Taylor, deliver their second album, Comfort To Me. It’s the follow-up to the band’s 2019 self-titled debut album, which won acclaim for its “pure, uncut rock’n’roll fun” (Pitchfork) and its modern update on ‘70s punk – “spiky, wild, provocative, and a little dangerous with a fierce live reputation” (The Fader). Taylor and her bandmates wrote Comfort To Me during the pandemic while quarantining in the same house together, spending more time refining the songs than they had previously. “The nihilistic, live in the moment, positivity and panel beater rock-meets-shed show punk was still there, but it was better,” says Taylor. “The whole thing was less spontaneous and more darkly considered. The amount of time and thought I put into the lyrics for this album is completely different from the EPs, and even the first record. ” [A limited-edition indie store exclusive vinyl pressing is available.]

Andrew W.K. – God Is Partying CD/LP (Napalm)

Internationally acclaimed hard rock musician and God of partying, Andrew W.K., marks another extraordinarily intense chapter in his fabled and perplexing tenure as a pop culture icon, with his fifth full-length rock album, God Is Partying. Hovering in the fluorescent spotlight of his legendary party power, God Is Partying sees Andrew W.K. ransack the corners of the human psyche, reaching a triumphant apex in his catalog nearly 20 years after the release of his chart-topping 2001 full-length debut, I Get Wet. Showcasing his indisputable musical chops, God Is Partying features Andrew W.K. performing all the album’s instruments, in addition to co-producing the album with Grammy Award-winning engineer, Ted Young. Channeling the manic euphoria that has compelled Andrew W.K.’s auditory insignia for decades, God Is Partying is comprised of nine exhilarating exaltations soaked with a flood of epic energy – often traversing nearly impenetrable lyrical themes while remaining refreshingly relatable, inspiring, and vital for survival. [A limited-edition indie store exclusive vinyl pressing including a poster is available.]

[Read more…] about New Releases for September 10, 2021

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

Chubby and The Gang – The Mutt’s Nuts CD (Partisan)

West London five-piece Chubby and The Gang are balanced by two energies – a casual “f**k it” on one side, an active “f**k off” on the other. For every moment of punk imperfection, there’s an intricate flurry of detail. For every enraged statement about modern life as war, there’s a lyric like “Hello heartbreak, my old friend” that catches you off guard. Made up of musicians from across the consistently thriving and criminally overlooked UK hardcore scene (ft. The Chisel, Big Cheese and more), Chubby and The Gang marinate its characteristic speed and sick-of-it-all energy in a mixture of ‘50s pop sounds. The result is a prickly take on the older, more melodic genres that punk derives from, chewing them up and spitting them out into something mangled but revitalized. [Vinyl edition due September 24.]

Liz Cooper – Hot Sass CD/2xLP (Sleepyhead)

Liz Cooper’s sophomore album Hot Sass marks multiple departures – from her 9-year home of Nashville, from her band addendum of The Stampede, and from the genre-based expectations she’s accumulated throughout her career. With these 12 new songs, Cooper comes into her own – both musically and as a person – embracing a newfound sense of independence, honesty, maturity and creativity. Hot Sass also features Cooper’s longtime bandmates and collaborators Joe Bisirri (bass), Ryan Usher (drums, percussion) and Michael Libramento (guitar, synthesizer). Cooper shares, “It’s me learning about what kind of woman I am and it’s not pretty all the time…I’m still processing these songs. Still reflecting. And I think that’s the thing – Hot Sass is just a stamp in time of what was happening in my life. I just want to continue making art that displays myself, the moments, and the people around me.” [A limited-edition grey color vinyl pressing is also available.]

Imagine Dragons – Mercury – Act 1 CD/LP/Cassette (KIDinaKORNER/Interscope)

Mercury – Act 1 is the fifth studio album from Grammy Award-winning Imagine Dragons, the best-selling rock band of the last decade. Executive produced by Rick Rubin, the follow-up to 2018’s Origins features the singles “Wrecked”, “Follow You” and “Cutthroat”, and explores themes of love, faith, pain, passion and loss. “Wrecked” was produced by the group and was inspired by singer Dan Reynolds’ late sister-in-law who died from cancer. Reynolds said in a statement about Alisha Durtschi Reynolds: “She was the brightest light. A beacon of joy and strength for everyone she met. Her sudden passing has shaken me in ways that I still am unable to express.” Reynolds continued: “This song was my way of dealing with it all, as music has always been my refuge. No longer being a man of fervent faith, I can only hope that she hears it somewhere in a place where she is healed and no longer in pain. This song is my wish for an eternity with those that I love.”

[Read more…] about New Releases for September 3, 2021

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

Chvrches – Screen Violence CD/LP/Cassette (Glassnote)

Chvrches’ highly anticipated fourth studio effort, Screen Violence was recorded almost entirely remotely between Los Angeles and Glasgow with members Lauren Mayberry, Martin Doherty and Iain Cook self-producing and mixing the album via video calls and audio sharing programs to create something that is unique and special, but inherently their own. Screen Violence was originally conceived as a name for the band. A decade later, and during a pandemic when the reality of screen violence has never been more pertinent, struggling to make the people you love feel more than the characters on a TV show, and experiencing a world of trauma as if it were another, Chvrches revived the term for their new album title. Narrating the theme of Screen Violence in three main forms – on screen, by screens and through screens – the album touches on feelings of loneliness, disillusionment, fear, heartbreak and regret. [An indie store exclusive vinyl pressing is available.]

Madi Diaz – History Of A Feeling CD/LP (ANTI-)

Rage, confusion, despair, self-deception, and introspection – Madi Diaz cycles through the full spectrum of emotions on History Of A Feeling, her new album. It’s an album that undeniably marks Diaz’s status as a first-rate songwriter, a craft she’s spent years refining, and one wherein Madi establishes herself as an artist capable of distilling profound feelings with ease. Diaz pulls from a range of folk, country, and pop leanings – she is as much influenced by Patty Griffin and Lori McKenna as she is the sonics of PJ Harvey and directness of Kathleen Hanna. On History Of A Feeling, the Nashville based songwriter comes to terms with the dissolution of a meaningful relationship. By the end of it, she wills herself into a self-reflective state where she doesn’t hate herself for being so heartbroken. [An indie store exclusive vinyl pressing is available.]

Tim Easton – You Really Don’t Know Me CD/LP (Black Mesa)

A mainstay of American roots music for more than 20 years, Tim Easton crafts songs that blur the lines between folk, blues, and workingman’s rock ‘n’ roll. Make no mistake, though ― Tim Easton is done running in circles. Rejuvenated by sobriety and solace, he’s moving forward with conviction, punctuating his personal music with universal messages. You Don’t Really Know Me finds him making peace with the past and focusing on the present. “Gone are the wistful, drunken wanderer tunes of the past,” he explains. “These are songs for today.” And today, Easton is feeling good.

[Read more…] about New Releases for August 27, 2021