September Program Titles Released This Week:

Ceremony – In The Spirit World Now CD/LP (Relapse)

In The Spirit World Now sees Cermenoy at the height of their creative output, as the always-evolving Rohnert Park quintet take various influences from post punk and rock to create one of 2019’s most compelling and infectious records. The album is full of layered sonic fury and anxiety, each song building up to a point and then descending through a militant, catchy hook. “Turn Away The Bad Thing” sets the tone, guitars climbing around the driving bass line, as Ross Farrar sings, “It’s getting harder for me to be alright/Eyes adjusting to the dark/The momentum of all these last resorts built inside of me.” Songs like “Presaging The End” and “Calming Water” feel romantic and distressed, while “Further I Was” and “Years Of Love” are driven by Farrar’s rebellious energy as he repeats the hook with a deadpan realness. “Years of love can be forgotten/In the hatred of a day.” But the true stand-out is the title track, “In The Spirit World Now”, a haunting pop gem with a sticky chorus and lead synth riff that plants itself in your head as Farrar chants the track’s name over and over like a mantra. Overall, In the Spirit World Now marks a milestone for this Northern California punk outfit who have stayed true to themselves as songwriters throughout massive sonic growth and a storied career. [Limited indie store exclusive colored vinyl pressing available.]

Crobot – Motherbrain CD/LP (Mascot Label Group)

Like food of the gods, rock ‘n’ roll nourishes the soul. Offering holy communion, Crobot proudly personify a trinity of “meat, strings, and emotion” within their music and during the raucous and raging gigs they remain known for. Striking a delicate balance between hard-charging riffs, ass-shaking funk, and out-of-this-world reflective stage attire, the Pennsylvania quartet satisfy starvation for sonic sustenance on their fourth full-length, Motherbrain. Blending funk, blues, metal and good old-fashioned rock ‘n’ roll into a howling vortex of Brandon Yeagley’s vocals and Chris Bishop’s guitar, Crobot has crafted an album of endless good time rock hooks that sound as inspired today as they would have on AOR radio in 1974. Or as Crobot describes it: “Dirty. Groove. Rock.” [Two colored vinyl pressings are available: regular dark purple and limited marble pink and purple.]

Noah Gunderson – Lover CD/2xLP (Cooking Vinyl)

Acclaimed Seattle singer-songwriter Noah Gundersen releases his extraordinary and highly personal new album, Lover. Recorded over two years at Seattle’s The Crumb studio with longtime collaborator, producer/engineer Andy D. Park (Death Cab For Cutie, K. Flay, Pedro The Lion), Lover sees Gundersen continuing to veer towards an increasingly intimate and intense creative approach, wedding intricate beats and warm natural instrumentation to a series of stark, almost dreamlike, new songs. Rich with patience and grace, songs like “Older” and “Out Of Time” reveal a remarkably gifted songwriter-artist during confrontation with life’s toughest truths, somehow emerging with even greater self-awareness and understanding. “This record is deeply personal,” says Gundersen. “It’s about love, it’s about failure, it’s about drugs, it’s about sex, it’s about age, it’s about regret, it’s about itself (very meta, I know) and it’s about finding peace. I think it’s the most I’ve ever put of myself into something. It’s been cathartic. I’ve cried a lot.”

[Read more…] about New Releases for August 23, 2019

September Program Titles Released This Week:

Clairo – Immunity CD (FADER Label)

Clairo, the moniker of 20-year-old multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and producer Claire Cottrill, drops her debut album, Immunity. Following-up her debut EP Diary 001, which featured the hit singles “Pretty Girl”, “Flamin’ Hot Cheetos” and “4EVER”, Immunity sees Clairo team up with co-producer Rostam (Vampire Weekend) in a stunning glimpse into an artist’s growth. Lead single “Bags” is a delicate and delightfully weird taste of the record; the gently strummed track builds to a peak augmented by warped guitars and piano. Quite different from the jangled angst of “Bags”, second single “Closer To You” finds Clairo emoting her desire through autotune and a stark, burgeoning beat. [Vinyl edition due October 4.]

The Commonheart – Pressure CD/LP (Jullian)

“This band is therapy for me to bring myself back to being a better person, and I hope people come along with me,” says powerhouse singer Clinton Clegg of The Commonheart. The testimonial begins with their sophomore album, Pressure – a potent and purposeful dose of grittily redemptive rock ‘n’ soul. The 10-song album showcases raw-nerve soul musicianship pristinely recorded. The opening track boasts soulful sandpaper-y lead vocals, swoops of cosmic slide guitar, a driving Sly Stone groove, and rousing female backup vocals. It’s an up-against-a-wall tune about making a living while raising a family, and it speaks to the album’s title. The bluesy ballad title track, replete with pleading emotive vocals, drips yearning and melancholy redemption. A spirit of a new-day optimism courses through the aptly titled “Different Man”. The song soars with stirring group backup vocals punctuated by Clinton’s vulnerable confessions. It’s a rousing and uplifting slice of R&B brimming with warm organs, clipped soul-guitar chanks, and triumphant horn melodies.

Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors – Dragons CD/LP (Magnolia Music)

Drew Holcomb’s songs have always charged his listeners’ hearts and minds while inspiring them to think, feel, dance, and love. But with his new album, Dragons, his subject material finds the singer using a finer brush and mixing more of the joys, struggles, and specific moments of his own life than ever before to help him paint his masterpieces and connect with fans on a universal level. With its modern production, careful sense of craft and collaboration, and rafter-reaching anthems carrying profound, intentional lyrics, the album represents Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors’ biggest moment yet, a powerful portrait stretched across a wide sonic canvas. The story of Dragons is the culmination of myriad events, connections, challenges, and years of hard, determined work for Holcomb, both as a bandleader and a family man. For the last decade, the Tennessee-based musician has established himself as one of Americana and Southern roots music’s freshest upstarts, building his following and critical appeal with every release, show, and venture.

[Read more…] about New Releases for August 16, 2019

September Program Titles Released This Week:

Denzel Curry – Zuu CD/LP (Loma Vista)

Arriving just 10 months after the release of his critically-acclaimed breakout album Ta13oo, Zuu finds Denzel Curry returning to his South Florida roots both sonically and thematically, reflecting on the lessons his surroundings and family have taught him, while drawing influence from the deep, diverse soundscape of South Florida rap that he was surrounded by. It includes features from Kiddo Marv, Rick Ross, Tay Keith, Ice Billion Berg, and Sam Sneak and production from FNZ, Keanu Beats, Charlie Heat, Mickey De Grand IV, Tay Keith, Rugah Rahj, Plus Pierre, Jasper Harris, and Ronny J. The collection is introduced by the pair of preceding singles, “Ricky” (named after Curry’s father) and “Speedboat”. “If Zuu isn’t in your rotation, you’re sleeping.” – Exclaim!

Destruction – Born To Perish CD/2xLP (Nuclear Blast)

German thrash battalion Destruction return with their 17^thfull-length, Born To Perish. There’s some new blood in the band as drummer Randy Black (ex-Annihilator, ex-Primal Fear) and guitarist Damir Eskić joined in 2018 and 2019 respectively. Throughout most of their career, Destruction has operated as a thundering power trio and on Born To Perish, they bring a dual guitar attack for the first time since 1998’s The Least Successful Human Cannonball, though the band has outright disowned that album. Black makes his presence known with a militaristic drum opening setting the tone on title-track “Born To Perish”. Mechanized grooves meld with serrated thrash across a song that proves that after nearly 35 years since the release of their first record, Destruction remain one of the genre’s most volatile forces.

Grizfolk – The Rarest Of Birds CD/LP (Nettwerk)

Based in Los Angeles and Nashville with roots in Sweden, alternative-rockers Grizfolk’s new album Rarest Of Birds is an ode to Southern California classic rock with a 2019 spin. Dynamic, upbeat, and dreamy the band says, “Listening to Rarest Of Birds should feel a bit like looking through a kaleidoscope of fleeting moments…a glimpse into our yearning for truth and answers within and without. Written in some of the darkest times, it was a vehicle out of addiction and depression. It was a one-way ticket out of a personal hell, purchased by the heart and paid for with love, light, and dedication.” “Spoonful” channels a retro sound to deliver a dark tale of yearning for someone out of reach, while “Heavy Crown” melds a danceable bass line with jangly pianos to create an upbeat track that is sneakily about the tough subject of fighting for what’s right in today’s complicated world.

[Read more…] about New Releases for August 9, 2019