October Program Titles Released This Week:

Adam’s House Cat – Town Burned Down CD/LP (ATO)

Mike Cooley and Patterson Hood of Drive-By Truckers formed Adam’s House Cat in Muscles Shoals, Alabama in 1985. Their songs and friendship became the foundation on which Drive-By Truckers was built. Town Burned Down, their one and only “lost” album from 1990 was remixed by David Barbe, mastered by Greg Calbi and is now available for the first time with archival photos and extensive liner notes from Hood. It can at last be properly heard the way Adam’s House Cat always wanted it to be heard, its raw soul and boisterous enthusiasm already hinting at what was yet to come. Songs like “Runaway Train” and “Cemeteries” display dark edges that surely must’ve intimated audiences in their time but now sound startlingly heartfelt and full of fiery joy, energized by drummer Chuck Tremblay and bassist John Cahoon’s versatile, dynamic backing and of course, the ever-present, undeniable chemistry between Hood and Cooley. [Yellow colored vinyl pressing also available.]

AJR – The Click CD (AJR Productions)

AJR is a pop band formed by three brothers from Manhattan, New York, USA. On their second album, Adam, Jack, and Ryan deliver playful electro-pop anthems about growing up. There are soaring sing-alongs in the spirit of Passion Pit and fun. (“Netflix Trip”), string numbers that sound like Vampire Weekend for the high-school set (“Sober Up: feat. Rivers Cuomo), and plenty of EDM flourish (“Weak”). But the highlights are earnest, confessional ballads, like “Turning Out”, that sound like something a teenager might belt from their bedroom window. [Vinyl edition due September 28.]

Joe Bonamassa – Redemption CD/2xLP (J&R Adventures)

Redemption, Joe Bonamassa’s third album in a row of all original material, sees him at his most ambitious yet redefining and pushing the barriers of blues-rock. The album opens with a tip of the hat to Led Zeppelin on “Evil Mama” that burrows into a deep groove before ripping into the rockabilly-tinged boogie blues of “King Bee Shakedown”. Next, Bonamassa dips into his Black Country Communion influence to tell a tragic tale with timeless hard rock riffs for “Molly-O” and “Deep In The Blues Again” changes the course yet again with a driving rhythm meant for the car stereo. “Self-Inflicted Wounds” is most telling of Bonamassa’s progression as a true singer-songwriter, and Joe claims it as his best song writing yet. “Pick Up The Pieces” channels Tom Waits for a late night after hours while “The Ghost of Macon Jones” sees Joe trade vocals with Nashville country singer Jamey Johnson as they recount a cautionary tale of a rural renegade.

Carl Broemel – Wished Out CD/LP (Stocks In Asia)

Years before Carl Broemel joined My Morning Jacket – the Grammy-nominated, globetrotting rock band featuring his guitar playing, saxophone solos, harmony singing, pedal steel riffs, and songwriting support – he wrote his very first songs in his Indiana bedroom. From the start, he was a multi- instrumentalist with a singer’s gift for melody. A sideman capable of handling a frontman’s job. As his guitar-playing career blossomed, Broemel continued writing songs of his own, carving out a personal, introspective sound that reached beyond My Morning Jacket’s sonic landscape. With his third solo album, Wished Out, he merges articulate, pensive songwriting – including ruminations about science, love, the passing of time, and the grind of the artistic struggle with energetic, rock-inspired songs.

[Read more…] about New Releases for September 21, 2018

October Program Titles Released This Week:

Aphex Twin – Collapse CDEP/12”+MP3 (Warp)

Mythical electronic producer Richard D James aka Aphex Twin returns with the new 4-track EP Collapse which follows-up his 2016 Cheetah EP and 2014 full-length Syro. The cryptic release is introduced by the pummeling lead cut, “T69 Collapse” whose mind-bending video premiere was pulled from Adult Swim at the last minute for failing the Harding epilepsy test.

Asleep At The Wheel – New Routes CD/LP (Bismeaux)

New Routes serves as Asleep At The Wheel’s first new material in over a decade, a new chapter in the group’s forty-eight-year history with a fresh group of musicians and nimble musical palette. The eleven-track collection of both new and familiar country, jazz, jump blues, rockabilly, Western swing and folk, offers a blend of originals, vibrant covers, superior musicianship, and a guest vocal appearance by Seth and Scott Avett of The Avett Brothers. New Routes travels down myriad musical byways from the sly “viper” jazz groove of opener, “Jack, I’m Mellow” to the languid original ballad, “Call It A Day Tonight”; the Cajun romp of “Pass The Bottle Around” to the Americana-tinged acoustic cover of Guy Clark’s “Dublin Blues”; and the pedal-to-the-metal covers of Paolo Nutini’s “Pencil Full Of Lead” and Moon Mullican’s “Seven Nights To Rock”.

Tony Bennett & Diana Krall – Love Is Here To Stay CD/LP (Verve)

Tony Bennett and Diana Krall celebrate their shared love of the music of George and Ira Gershwin on their new collaborative album, Love Is Here To Stay. Bennett, who just turned 92, has been friends with Krall for over 20 years. The two toured together in 2000 and recorded duets for two of Bennett’s albums (Duets and Playin’ With My Friends), but this marks their first full album project together. Love Is Here To Stay also marks the 120th Anniversary of George Gershwin’s birthday which takes place on September 26, 2018. The album was recorded with the Grammy award winning Bill Charlap Trio and the stunning result is a subtle, sophisticated and beautifully rendered love letter to The Gershwins’ music and their status as one of the premiere songwriters of the American popular standard. It is a masterclass in vocal delivery and phrasing and the command that Bennett and Krall display of the material in both their duets and solo tracks makes it appear effortless, belying the honed skill of the vocalists.

Black Belt Eagle Scout – Mother Of My Children CD/LP (Saddle Creek)

Katherine Paul is Black Belt Eagle Scout, and Mother Of My Children is her debut album. Recorded in the middle of winter near her hometown in Northwest Washington, Paul’s connection to the landscape’s eerie beauty are palpable throughout as the album traces the full spectrum of confronting buried feelings and the loss of what life was supposed to look like. Heavy and heartbroken from the loss of her mentor and the breakdown of a relationship, Paul found respite in the creation of these songs that “are about grief and love for people, but also about being a native person in what is the United States today.” On Mother Of My Children, the songs weave together to capture both the enduring and fleeting experiences of loss, frustration, and dreaming. The structures are traditional, but the lyrics don’t adhere to any format other than what feels right in the moment. It begins with lead single “Soft Stud”’ which Paul describes as her “queer anthem” and is followed by “Indians Never Die”, a call out to colonizers and those who don’t respect the Earth.

[Read more…] about New Releases for September 14, 2018

September Program Titles Released This Week:

Ghostland Observatory – See You Later Simulator CD/LP (Trashy Moped)

“It’s called See You Later Simulator,” Aaron Behrens says of Ghostland Observatory’s first new album in eight years. “I’ve always been on the sci-fi edge of things, which is just a reflection of being a child of the ‘80s and growing up with video games and computers, but also remembering a time before those things were common. I think all of that comes into play on this record. It’s a real comment on what’s going on right now, and on trying to figure out what’s reality and what’s a simulation.” See You Later Simulator finds Behrens and longtime partner Thomas Ross Turner bouncing back from an extended hiatus to create music that ranks with their most ambitious and timely work with tracks like “Paradise Lost”, “Permanent Vacation” and “Miss Abyss” delivering both uplifting electro-dance-rock and a loose but absorbing storyline.

Paul McCartney – Egypt Station CD/2xLP (Capitol)

Sharing a title with one of Paul McCartney’s own paintings, Egypt Station is the first full album of all-new McCartney music since 2013’s NEW. True to the inspiration behind its title, Egypt Station’s 14 songs combine to convey a unique travelogue vibe. Between the opening and closing instrumentals “Station I” and “Station II”, each song finds Paul capturing a place or moment before transporting the listener seamlessly to the next destination. Stops along the way include an acoustic meditation on present day contentedness (“Happy With You”), a timeless anthem that would fit on virtually any album of any McCartney era (“People Want Peace”), and an epic multi-movement closer clocking in at seven minutes with a song suite structure harkening back to the days of Paul’s previous combos (“Despite Repeated Warnings”). The result is a kaleidoscopic journey through myriad musical locales and eras, yet firmly rooted in the here and now – with Paul’s singular unmistakable melodic and lyrical sensibility serving as a guide. [Deluxe 180gm vinyl pressing with concertina trifold six-panel gatefold packaging also available.]

Pig Destroyer – Head Cage CD/LP (Relapse)

After six long, harsh years of absence, the mighty Pig Destroyer has reassembled to eradicate eardrums and split skulls with their highly anticipated sixth full-length opus, Head Cage (named after a grisly medieval torture device). A visceral vortex of animalistic rage and extreme sonic brilliance, Head Cage is a true work of extreme metal art, that with the addition of a bass player, is one their most dynamic and heaviest recordings. Across 12 tracks, Pig Destroyer weave together harrowing tales of philosophical dualities, touching on mortality and depression, fear and violence, and the darkest complexities of the human condition, all told through the distorted lens of delightfully transgressive vocalist/lyricist JR Hayes. Musically, the band continues to push the boundaries of metal, grindcore, noise and punk, ramping up the intensity and leaving you bludgeoned in a state of utter shock, all in less than 33 minutes.

The Posies – Frosting On The Beater [Reissue/1993] 2xCD (Omnivore)

Double-CD reissue remastered from original tapes and expanded with 31 bonus tracks—15 previously unissued. “We began our career exactly 30-years prior by releasing a home-recorded cassette called Failure, which to our complete surprise became an instant favorite around the Northwest, earning us critical accolades, radio airplay, and major label interest, all in a very short time. We were lucky to find ourselves living just a few doors down the road in Seattle from Arthur “Rick” Roberts and Mike Musburger, who agreed to join our band on bass and drums, respectively. Signed to Geffen Records, we recorded three releases, 1990’s Dear 23, Frosting On The Beater in 1993, and Amazing Disgrace in 1996. The trio of albums remain beloved by our fans; our most popular, most often cited, most requested works. However, over the years, they have either been long out of print or not issued at all depending on the territory. [Vinyl edition due October 5.]

[Read more…] about New Releases for September 7, 2018