April Social Media Titles Released This Week:

Abysmal Dawn – Phylogenesis CD/LP (Season Of Mist)

American death metal masters Abysmal Dawn are back after a six-year gap. Conceptually, Phylogenesis deals with the breakdown of social constructs humans have built over time. The album title is defined by the evolution (or diversification) of a species. So, Phylogenesis is an ironic take on guitarist/vocalist Charles Elliott’s observations, particularly how social media has accelerated and exacerbated the de-evolution of humanity’s interactive abilities.

The Black Dahlia Murder – Verminous CD/LP (Metal Blade Records)

Verminous is The Black Dahlia Murder‘s most dynamic, rousing and emotional release to date, and it achieves this without compromising one iota of heaviness. “I think this is the biggest evolutionary leap we’ve ever taken from one album to the next. We stoked the creative fires with 2017’s Nightbringers and it’s gone much further now in Verminous,” states vocalist Trevor Strnad. “It’s a very colorful, moody, and charismatic album that experiments with new sounds and ideas without losing the cutthroat Black Dahlia edge.” [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]

EOB – Earth CD/LP (Capitol)

Earth is an album of rediscovery and adventure by Radiohead’s Ed O’Brien, being released under the moniker EOB. Written and recorded over five years during any possible break from the making and touring of Radiohead’s A Moon Shaped Pool, the album deftly veers from moments of delicate folk to euphoric house, its songs seamlessly pinned together by unswerving melodic hooks and candid lyricism. A spirit of collaboration runs through Earth from the production team of Flood, Catherine Marks, Alan Moulder and Adam ‘Cecil’ Bartlett to the extraordinary musicians O’Brien assembled to bring these tracks to life; bassist Nathan East, drummers Omar Hakim and Glenn Kotche, and The Invisible’s multi-instrumentalist leader David Okumu. Portishead’s Adrian Utley appears on two tracks, whilst Laura Marling duets with O’Brien on stirring closer “Cloak of The Night”.

[Read more…] about New Releases for April 17, 2020

CDs + Vinyl:

The Acacia Strain – It Comes In Waves CD/LP (Closed Casket Activities)

New (ninth) full-length from the Massachusetts-based metalcore band. The seven-song album is 30 minutes in length with the single-word song titles forming the sentence “Our only sin was giving them names.”

Acid Mother’s Temple – Reverse Of Rebirth Reprise CD/LP (Nod & Smile)

Japan’s psychedelic troubadours return with a new album focusing on the folksier galaxy of their tripped out universe.

Lauren Alaina – Getting Good CDEP (Mercury Nashville)

Country music singer/songwriter Lauren Alaina was the runner-up on the 10th season of American Idol. Her debut studio album, Wildflower, was released in 2011. Her second album, Road Less Traveled, was released January 2017. She was on Dancing With The Stars and placed 4th alongside her partner Gleb Savchenko.

Amos – Imperator Of Pop CD/LP (Sounds Subterrania)

Amos is a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer and entertainer. On his debut album Imperator Of Pop – as the name implies – you find twelve songs at the highest stage, a disco cocktail made of contemporary sound patterns and the essences of ‘80s pop.

John Anderson – Years CD/LP (BMG)

Dan Auerbach co-produced this album by the country-music legend and Nashville Songwriters Hall of Famer. The Blake Shelton collaboration “Tuesday I’ll Be Gone” joins “I’m Still Hangin’ On”, “Celebrate”, “Years”, “What’s A Man Got To Do”, “Wild And Free” and more. Both Anderson and Auerbach were deeply inspired by these sessions full of songs about the prospect of death and the celebration of life.

[Read more…] about New Releases for April 10, 2020

April Listening Station & Social Media Titles Released This Week:

August Burns Red – Guardians CD/2xLP (Fearless)

August Burns Red has been upholding the artistic pillars of technical proficiency, airtight grooves, and thoughtful lyricism in the hard rock world for 17 years. The two time Grammy Award-nominated Pennsylvania quintet show no signs of slowing down with their eighth full length, Guardians. “Guardians is the culmination of a complete and total team effort,” says JB Brubaker. “It was the most time we’ve ever spent in the studio on one album.” Guardians remains true to August Burns Red’s heavy sound; 11 tracks that have a common theme of helping others. “The song ‘Defender’ is about having that person who can come in and take some punches for you, and be in your corner during hard times,” says Brent Rambler. “I am quite the comic book fan and I thought the lyrics could easily turn into an awesome animated short story – kind of like if the pages of a comic were to come to life.”

Sam Hunt – Southside CD (MCA Nashville)

“A propensity for songs that don’t drag on has long been a strong point for Sam Hunt and not one song on Southside lasts longer than 3:55 minutes long, and that’s the first song on the record. ‘Let It Down’ has a twangy, sing-a-long feel to it and while it doesn’t really say too much, it’ll work well in Sam’s live show and could very well become a radio hit with its programmed drums mixed with bluegrass harmonies and instrumentation. ‘Sinning With You’ was a digital preview track a little while back and while it really didn’t feel like something a modern radio station would play, it did show a different time and sound to Sam Hunt, the same thing which can be said about ‘Breaking Up Was Easy In The ‘90s’, a song which blends sounds of R&B, ‘90s country and 2020s production techniques to give me the sense of what could become another big hit for Hunt on the radio. Sam Hunt is a unique star in country music and in a world of sameness, it’s nice that he’s around making records like Southside.” – Roughstock

Logan Ledger – Logan Ledger CD/LP (Rounder)

Bay Area-bred singer/songwriter Logan Ledger sets most of his songs in lightless or shadowy spaces: the bottom of the ocean, the abandoned cells of Alcatraz, dreamless bedrooms, and desolate streets in the dead of night. Produced by 13-time Grammy Award-winner T Bone Burnett, the Nashville-based artist’s self-titled debut matches his moody noir lyricism with a darkly toned take on country music, a sound that’s stylistically wayward yet deeply grounded in classic songcraft. With Burnett playing guitar on more than half the tracks, the album finds Ledger backed by guitarist Marc Ribot (Tom Waits, Elvis Costello), drummer Jay Bellerose (Willie Nelson, Jackson Browne), and bassist Dennis Crouch (Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton) – the same band that played on Raising Sand by Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, a Burnett-produced release that won Album of the Year at the 2009 Grammy Awards. Joined by guitarist/pedal steel player Russell Pahl (Kacey Musgraves, Tyler Childers), the band artfully threads in elements of acid rock and surf music and baroque ‘60s pop to forge a decidedly Californian sound. [Limited indie store exclusive vinyl pressing available.]

[Read more…] about New Releases for April 3, 2020