CDs + Vinyl:

Ails – The Unraveling CD/LP (The Flenser)

After Bay Area avant-garde cornerstones Ludicra called it quits in 2011, most of the band continued with their other musical endeavors, but former vocalist Laurie Shanaman and guitar player / vocalist Christy Cather haven’t resurfaced in a big way until now—Ails marks the return of both to center stage. “Ails beautifully synthesizes melancholy melodic death metal, stately doom, and atmospheric black metal, teasing every iota of intensity from each individual note and capitalizing on Shanaman’s vocal might.” —Noisey

ANMLPLNET – Fall Asleep CD/LP+MP3 (Ba Da Bing!)

Dream-like soundscapes from the duo comprised of Slothrust leader Leah Wellbaum and drummer/singer Mickey Vershbow. The band was formed originally on a number of rules, including writing lyrics that are antonymic translations (meaning nouns, adjectives and verbs were replaced with their antonyms) and playing songs straight through as one giant piece, no breaks. Epochal in scope and melodic.

The Aquabats – The Fury Of The Aquabats [Reissue/1997] 2xCD (Goopy)

Expanded reissue. One-part punk, one-part ska, one part Devo [Vinyl edition due May 4.]

Marcia Ball – Shine Bright CD (Alligator)

A rollicking array of piano-fueled roadhouse romps seasoned by Ball’s incomparably soulful balladry.

A Big Yes and Small No – Mise En Abyme CD/LP (The Royal Potato Family)

“One of the beautiful things about playing music is the gentle reminder of your own mortality that comes with creating something out of nothing, and knowing that the moment you stop playing, it will cease to exist,” says Kevin Kendrick, frontman and founder of Brooklyn’s A Big Yes and a small no. “A record is so-called because it is, literally, a record of that moment; so it doesn’t cease to exist.” Mise En Abyme, (“placed into abyss”), the project’s third album is, not surprisingly, very existential. Existentialism seems natural for a songwriter whose destiny in a symphony orchestra seemed given until he was kidnapped in Colombia in 1997. Terrifying though it was, it gave him clarity and hastened a move to touring as a hip-hop DJ and a vibraphonist with freak-jazz band Fat Mama. Someone who has survived 7 muggings and only picked up the pen in his late ‘20s after finally winning a protracted “war” with heroin has thought a lot about existence.

[Read more…] about New Releases for April 20, 2018

CDs + Vinyl:

Jason Aldean – Rearview Town CD/LP+MP3 (Broken Bow)

Eighth studio album from the country powerhouse. Features a guest appearance by Miranda Lambert.

Louis Armstrong – Pops Is Tops: The Verve Studio Albums 4xCD (Verve)

Three Louis Armstrong albums and more, all recorded during an extraordinary few days in August & October 1957. Includes I’ve Got the World On A String, Louis Under The Stars, Louis Armstrong meets Oscar Peterson with bonus tracks for each. Additionally, the previously digital-only album A Day With Satchmo is included on CD.

Augury – Illusive Golden Age CD/LP (The Artisan Era)

New album from the Montreal-based progressive death metallers.

Behemoth – Messe Noire 2xCD/2xLP (Metal Blade)

Brand new live collection recorded at Progresja in Warsaw, Poland on August 8, 2016 from the Polish black/death metal overlords.

BlackWater HolyLight – Riding Easy CD/LP (Riding Easy)

Heavy psych-riffs, Gothic drama, folk-rock vibes, garage-sludge and soaring melodies all collide into a satisfying whole.

David Bowie – Changestwobowie [Reissue/1981] CD/LP (Rhino)

Digitally remastered edition. Changestwobowie is a David Bowie compilation album issued in 1981 by RCA Records. It’s title and packaging followed the format of RCA’s earlier Bowie compilation, Changesonebowie released in 1976. As well as post-1976 singles, the album collected songs from earlier in Bowie’s career that had not appeared on Changesone.

[Read more…] about New Releases for April 13, 2018

CDs + Vinyl:

Arild Andersen/Paolo Vinaccia/Tommy Smith – In House Science CD (ECM)

Norwegian master bassist Arild Andersen s trio with big-toned tenorist Tommy Smith and powerhouse drummer Paolo Vinaccia is one of the most viscerally exciting jazz small groups of the present moment.

Daniel Avery – Song For Alpha CD/2xLP (Mute)

It’s enlightening to discover that Daniel Avery’s second album – Song For Alpha, the absorbing follow up to 2013’s Drone Logic – was inspired largely by his transient life spent between nightclubs, flights, the passenger seats of cars and rented rooms, cementing a worldwide reputation as one of the defining techno DJs of the decade. While Drone Logic was mainly created for and honed by countless DJ gigs, Song For Alpha revels in exploring different spaces. As Avery’s surroundings have changed, so has the sound of the new recordings.

Bambara – Shadow On Everything CD/LP (Wharf Cat)

The third LP by Bambara represents a decisive step forward for the NYC-via-Georgia trio. Frontman Reid Bateh, drummer Blaze Bateh, and bassist William Brookshire have always been adept students of noise rock and post-punk, mining the work of bands like Swans and the Birthday Party to construct what NPR called their “beautifully dynamic nightmares.”

Barren Earth – A Complex Of Cages CD/LP (Century Media)

Fourth album from the Finnish metal band. “A Complex of Cages doesn’t break open Barren Earth’s sound to be something dashingly new. Rather, it shows these Faroe-Finns rocking out mid-paced death riffs, offsetting it with cleaner parts and littering the heaviest sections with borderline orchestral black metal.” – Angry Metal Guy

Jeff Beck – Live At The Hollywood Bowl 2xCD (Rhino)

In the summer of 2016, guitar virtuoso Jeff Beck celebrated 50 years of his musical career with an extraordinary concert at the famous Hollywood Bowl. Beck set the stage ablaze with incredible live versions of “For Your Love,” “Beck’s Bolero,” “‘Cause We’ve Ended As Lovers,” “Big Block,” “Over Under Sideways Down,” “A Day In The Life,” “Blue Wind” and more. The night also included a legendary list of special guests including Steven Tyler, Billy F. Gibbons, Jan Hammer, Beth Hart, Jimmy Hall and Buddy Guy. [Vinyl edition due May 25.]

[Read more…] about New Releases for April 6, 2018