April Program Titles Released This Week:

The Cinematic Orchestra – To Believe CD/2xLP+MP3 (Domino)

Born out of the band’s latest formation, To Believe is a creative partnership between founder Jason Swinscoe and longtime friend and collaborator Dom Smith, along with an extended family of regular bandmates and collaborators. Guided by a communal spirit, the changing members are consistent with their ethos, where no individual ego takes precedence. Guest vocalists include the art-soul singer Moses Sumney, legendary UK rapper Roots Manuva, longtime vocal collaborator Heidi Vogel and many more. To Believe is the product of a long period of gestation, a reflection of the kind of album they wanted to make – the kind of album, that is, they’ve always made: deep, textured, and layered with meaning. With artwork by The Designers Republic and mixed by 15-time Grammy Winner Tom Elmhirst, at the legendary Electric Lady studio built by Jimi Hendrix, it’s a masterful return that stands as their most definitive statement as a group.

The Comet Is Coming – Trust In The Lifeforce Of The Deep Mystery CD/LP (Impulse)

The Comet Is Coming – “an improvisational, intergalactic mash-up” (The Guardian) who were shortlisted for the Mercury Music Prize in 2016 – is comprised of King Shabaka (Shabaka Hutchings) on saxophone, Danalogue (Dan Leavers) on keys/synth, and Betamax (Max Hallett) on drums. With their new album, Trust In The Lifeforce Of The Deep Mystery, the trio envisage a 21^stCentury take on spiritual jazz that is part Alice Coltrane, part Bladerunner. The trio are nothing short of alchemists, concocting a primordial stew of taut beats, sub-bass, and unhinged sax breaks. They paint pictures of astral planes and neon seas, with driving beats and celestial melodies. Listen to the pulsing “Blood Of The Past”, on which guest vocalist Kate Tempest delivers a state-of-the-universe address that somehow simultaneously summons the spirits of William Blake, Ian Dury, Carl Sagan and Stephen Hawking, all with wide-eyed awestruck wonder. Or “Summon The Fire”, perhaps their most accessible, riotous, and air-punching moment to date.

The Faint – Egowerk CD/LP (Saddle Creek)

The group that ignited an electro-pop-punk movement is back with an 11-track deep-dive into themes on modern society, the internet, and ego – specifically social media and its dark effects. Opener “Child Asleep” echoes well-loved Faint singles from the Danse Macabre days, with rapid-fire techno beats that sear so hot, your forehead will break into a sweat regardless of proximity to a dance floor. And though the synths should sound familiar to any Faint follower, the song’s monotone message is at once classic and current. It’s been four years since The Faint dropped a proper studio album, and more than two decades since they first tore onto the Midwest scene, alongside area staples Cursive and Bright Eyes, with anxious electro-pop-punk anthems that meshed doomsday themes with thudding dance-floor hooks.

Fallujah – Undying Light CD/LP (Nuclear Blast)

California progressive death metallers Fallujah swing upward and venture outward on new album, Undying Light. With new vocalist in Antonio Palermo (also of Underling fame) firmly in position and a no-filler, all-killer songwriting attack, Undying Light isn’t just the follow-up to 2016’s Dreamless, it’s a massive jump forward. Whereas Dreamless wandered intelligently and resonated lithely, new tracks such as “Glass House”, “Ultraviolet”, “Eyes Like The Sun”, and closer “Departure” find Fallujah stripped down, razor-sharp, and emotionally charged. [Limited purple/black splatter colored vinyl pressing also available.]

[Read more…] about New Releases for March 15, 2019

April Program Titles Released This Week:

Dido – Still On My Mind CD/LP (BMG)

Dido is back with her first new album in five years. Still On My Mind encapsulates a variety of styles and genres, ranging from her love of hip-hop to her folk roots, but ultimately the entire record carries a dance and electronic music sensibility, even on the tracks with no beats. At the core, it’s about the songs which capture the beautiful essence of Dido personally and emotionally. The first taste of the album is “Hurricanes”. From the first few notes of this powerful track, Dido’s voice has never sounded bigger and better, making you realize how much we’ve missed that sound. Dido describes the making of Still On My Mind as “an absolutely magical experience. I wanted to capture the feeling I still get from listening to music, just that rush like you don’t need anything more than this.” [Exclusive indie-store vinyl pressing also available.]

Flight Of The Conchords – Live In London CD/3xLP+MP3 (Sub Pop)

In October of 2018, ten years after the launch of their hit HBO series, Flight Of The Conchords, New Zealand musical comedians Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement returned to HBO for an all-new comedy special. Live In London was taped before a live audience at the Eventim Apollo – located in the Hammersmith, London – and featured the Conchords performing songs from the sold-out UK and Ireland edition of Flight Of The Conchords Sing Flight Of The Conchords Tour. The Live In London album features seven new songs including “Iain and Deanna”, “Father And Son”, “Summer Of 1353”, “Stana”, “Seagull”, “Back On The Road”, and “Bus Driver”. The album also features performances of fan favorites “Inner City Pressure”, “Bowie”, “Foux du Fafa”, “Mutha’uckas – Hurt Feelings”, “Robots”, “Carol Brown” and “The Most Beautiful Girl (In The Room)” (the latter two bonus tracks edited out of the broadcast due to time constraints). [Vinyl edition features an etching on Side 6.]

Foals – Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost: Part 1 CD/LP (WB)

Foals return with two new albums in 2019: Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost – Part 1 and Part 2, a pair of releases, separate but related. Part 1 is now available, with Part 2 following in the Autumn. Eager to break the traditional pop song structure which they felt they were becoming increasingly tapered to, the 20 tracks defy expectation. There are exploratory, progressive-tinged songs which occasionally break the 10-minute mark alongside atmospheric segues which make the music an experience rather than a mere collection of songs. Yet the band’s renowned ability to wield relentless grooves with striking power also reaches new heights. Part 1’s lead single “Exits” is a case in point, featuring frontman Yannis Philippakis conjuring the image of a disorienting world via a contagious vocal melody. It’s a fresh anthem for Foals’ formidable arsenal, but also an ominous forecast. “Exits” signposts what to expect thematically from Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost. The title is a warning that anything – from the tiniest fleeting moment of inspiration through to the planet’s own biological diversity – can be under threat of being irrevocably erased.

[Read more…] about New Releases for March 8, 2019

March Program Titles Released This Week:

Citizen Cope – Heroin And Helicopters CD/LP (Rainwater Recordings)

Comprised of eleven new, original songs all written and produced by Citizen Cope, Heroin And Helicopters serves as his first album in seven years and marks a return to a grassroots approach to musicianship, one that’s colored by hard work, hustle and heart, irrespective of the obstacles he’s encountered throughout 25 years as a career artist. Cope came up with the title after an encounter with Carlos Santana: “stay away from the two H’s – heroin and helicopters,” Santana told him. The LP tackles Cope’s personal struggles with religion, political manipulation, hollowness in the entertainment world, and spiritual enlightenment, as he contends with his own role in those societal institutions. It opens with “Duck Confit”, a poetic spoken word piece backed by 808 kicks and an ominous organ. “The River” is a slow-burning reflection on tyrannical systems that betray and oppress. Quiet stand-out “On My Love” is a stark, heart-wrenching tribute to Cope’s daughter Lula, and an attempt on Cope’s part to pass his life’s lessons on to her.

Criminal Hygiene – Run It Again CD/LP (Dangerbird)

Formed in 2011, Criminal Hygiene is a Los Angeles-based quartet comprised of founding member Michael Fiore (vocals, guitars, keys), Michael Hiller (vocals, bass, guitars) and Sean “Birdman” Erickson (drums, percussion) and bassist Cameron Ward. Their second album, Run It Again is a 10-song set that shines a fresh light on a raw sort of garage rock, full of melody, smart lyrics and hooks for days. When it comes to influences, the band cites everything from Johnny Thunders to The New York Dolls, The Clash and Wire. Television and Richard Hell. Minneapolis stuff like The Replacements, Hüsker Dü, The Suicide Commandos and The Suburbs. Big Star. Guided By Voices. Fleetwood Mac. Fugazi. The Pixies. Nirvana. Pavement. The Shins. Wilco. Marshall Crenshaw. Tommy Keene. Not to mention the classic rock they all heard via their parents.

Delicate Steve – Till I Burn Up CD/LP (ANTI-)

Some of the first people to recognize Delicate Steve’s (aka Steve Marion) unique musical talents were renowned artists such as David Byrne, Dirty Projectors, tUnE-yArDs, Mac DeMarco, Dr. Dog, and elder statesmen like Lee Ranaldo and Built to Spill. Steve is likely the only guitarist who has cut records with Sondre Lerche and Death Grip’s Zach Hill, been handpicked to open a sold out North American tour for Tame Impala and then provided guitar for a Paul Simon record. Now the acclaimed guitarist is back with his fifth solo studio album, Till I Burn Up. “On the (mostly) instrumental albums he’s released as Delicate Steve, Marion’s guitar playing is always in the spotlight, but never hogging it – rather, his luminous leads form the emotional undercurrent around which everything else flows. What makes Marion a guitar hero isn’t just his technical wizardry, but his music’s mission to help you through dark times.” – Pitchfork

Frankie and The Witch Fingers – ZAM CD/2xLP (Greenway)

Frankie and The Witch Fingers’ fifth LP, ZAM, bleeds beyond borders and boundaries. Its opening preternatural sounds bubble up out of the primordial soup, spilling into our world, invading the inner recesses of the listener’s mind. Like a two-headed snake wrapped around the skull, the album pendulates between winding instrumentals and dancey riffs that pop like supernovas out of the black void. Just when a song goes one way, it propels another through long stretches of a cosmic inferno. Bringing glimmers of krautrock and funk, its eleven tracks unleash a versatile and tenacious weight, slithering between the sexy, the aggressive, the vivacious, and the disorienting – until the living invasion is felt – ZAM, a supernatural entity summoned by four madmen obsessed with tearing open a gateway to dark space. After being pulled apart atom-by-atom, the listener is reconfigured on the other side, born unto starry wasteland. [Limited indie store exclusive vinyl edition also available.]

[Read more…] about New Releases for March 1, 2019