CDs:
Amplifier – Echo Street CD (K-Scope)
Amplifier mix epic space rock jams with accessible pieces boasting three-part vocal harmonies. Available in Regular and Special editions. Special edition features alternate packaging with expanded booklet.
Appleseed Cast – Illumination Ritual CD/LP+MP3/Cassette (Graveface)
Appleseed Cast’s first full-length since 2009’s Sagamartha embraces not only a new line-up, but also hopscotching time signatures and a tumultuous anthemic energy that rivals anything else in their consistently impressive catalog.
Michael Bublé – To Be Loved CD (Reprise)
To Be Loved is Michael Bublé’s seventh studio album featuring four original songs and classic covers.
Paula Cole – Raven CD (675 Records)
Raven is Cole’s new album and first independent release, with a nod to her Harbinger-styled, Americana storytelling roots evoking themes of longing, sex, and feminism.
Peter Daltrey & The Asteroid No. 4 – Journey CD/LP (Poppydisc/Revola)
Philadelphia-based neo-psych band The Asteroid No. 4’s new album is a collaboration with Peter Daltrey, vocalist from the ‘60s UK psychedelic rock group Kaleidoscope.
Fantasia – Side Effects Of You CD (J-Records)
The fourth album from the Grammy-award winning soul vocalist features guest appearances by Missy Elliott, Kelly Rowland and more.
Uri Gurvich – Babel CD (Tzadik)
The second album from one of the most exciting players coming out of the new Israeli jazz scene features his tight touring quartet with special guest Brahim Fribgane on oud.
Har Mar Superstar – Bye Bye 17 CD/LP (Cult/Frenchkiss)
“Har Mar, who we know off stage as Owatonna, MN native Sean Tillmann, has long been regarded as a shrewd composer with an ear for pop melodies. Yet throughout his career, he has made a point of separating out his ‘serious’ songwriting and publishing it under aliases like Sean Na Na, while devoting his Har Mar stage name to a much baudier, more flamboyant performance style. For the first time, Bye Bye 17 finds Har Mar merging all sides of his persona into one unified front.” – The Current
Heaven + Earth – Dig CD/2xLP+MP3 (Quarto Valley)
Taking up from where iconic bands like Deep Purple and Bad Company have left off, Heaven + Earth is on a mission to resurrect the sanctity of rock in its purest, most accessible form on their third studio album, Dig.
Henry Fool – Men Singing CD (K-Scope)
The new album from the band featuring members of No-Man, I Monster, and Roxy Music. Sometimes playful, sometimes intense, sometimes eerie and ethereal, Men Singing is equal parts dynamic drums, spiky guitars and atmospheric washes of fluttering flutes and vintage keyboards.
Killdozer – Twelve Point Buck [Reissue/1987] CD (Touch & Go)
Back in print on CD. Killdozer, natives of Madison, WI, began an epic thirteen-year career in the early eighties. They started out as a harsh underground trio that combined elements of primitive country blues with distorted Birthday Party style antics. By 1991, they had evolved into a slower more experimental style of musical drudgery, still always keeping with their wrong side of town meets Communist Manifesto lyrics.
Tom Jones – Spirit In The Room CD (Rounder/Concord)
Spirit In The Room features all new repertoire made up of gospel, blues and Americana, and includes songs by Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Odetta, Paul McCartney, Tom Waits and Leonard Cohen. Produced by Ethan Johns (Ryan Adams, Kings Of Leon, Ray LaMontagne, Laura Marling) the album marks a new, adventurous path for Jones, one that is rootsy, bluesy, bold, and raw.
Junip – Junip LP (Mute)
Sophomore album from the Swedish band featuring singer/songwriter José González. The album’s first single “Line Of Fire” showcases a bolder, more mature Junip – once again eager to embrace you with their infectious blend of percussion and passionate, immeasurable waves of genuine emotion. Unleashing an opulent melody atop of hypnotic grooves, the track splits itself into a dance between flamenco syncopation and krautrock repetition, while González’s heartfelt vocals crest with unbridled sentiment.
Juno Reactor – The Golden Sun Of The Great East CD (Metropolis)
Juno Reactor’s eighth album hones the exotic mix of surging trance beats, cinematic vision, and lustrous world music flavors that characterized its predecessors, from propulsive turbo-opener “Final Frontier” to evocative satellite serenade finale “Playing With Fire” and its panoramic chorale of synths, strings, and haunting voices.
Kid Cudi – Indicud CD (Universal)
Third album from the Grammy Award winning, gold-selling rapper, featuring guest appearances by Kendrick Lamar, A$AP Rocky, RZA, Too $hort, Michael Bolton and Haim. Vinyl version due April 30.
k-os – BLack On BLonde 2xCD/LP+MP3 (Nettwerk)
Recorded at Hayden Christensen’s deserted Laurel Canyon mansion, written while k-os was falling in love; BLack On BLonde is comprised of two records: an album of rock tracks on which k-os sings and plays drums, guitar and bass, and an album of hip-hop jams. Featured guests include Black Thought of The Roots, Sam Roberts, Travie McCoy, Emily Haines, and Cory Hart. Also available on picture disc vinyl (abbreviated to 10 tracks).
Lilacs & Champagne – Danish & Blue CD (Kemado)
Turning away from the suspense and dread of their other band Grails, Emil Amos and Alex Hall pursue a different angle of playfulness and perversion with their newest project, Lilacs & Champagne. Their second record manages to be even grander and more ambitious, yet somehow more damaged and bugged-out.
Charles Lloyd – Quartets 5xCD (ECM)
This 5xCD box set in ECMs Old & New Masters series, issued in time for Charles Lloyd’s 75th birthday in March 2013, looks back at the beginning of the great saxophonists association with ECM. It includes the albums Fish Out Of Water, Notes from Big Sur, The Call, All My Relations, and Canto.
Jon Madof – Zion80 CD (Tzadik)
Zion 80 explores the music of Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach through the lens of the Afrobeat funk master Fela Kuti.
Bob Marley – Kaya [Reissue/1978] CD/LP (Universal)
Kaya has been completely remastered and expanded with a bonus non-LP track “Smile Jamaica” (the original B-side to the “Satisfy My Soul” single written for the people of Jamaica after the assassination attempt on Marley s life at the Smile Jamaica unity concert in 1976).
Massacre – Love Me Tender CD (Tzadik)
One of the first and longest-running improv rock bands presents a special collection of live recordings culled from the private collection of guitarist extraordinaire Fred Frith.
Steve Martin/Edie Brickell – Love Has Come For You CD/LP (Rounder)
Although these new musical partners have already built widely respected individual bodies of work, their inaugural duo effort is a substantial departure, for both artists. Love Has Come For You features 13 eloquently rootsy Martin/Brickell compositions that combine the former’s inventive, expressive five-string banjo work with the latter’s heart-tugging vocals and vivid, detail- rich lyrics. Guests include Esperanza Spalding, Waddy Wachtel, Nickel Creek alumni Sara Watkins and Sean Watkins, as well as the Steep Canyon Rangers.
Lori McKenna – Massachusetts CD (1-2-3-4 Go!)
There are strong resemblances between Lori McKenna’s Massachusetts and the real thing. Both are infused with history, where every turn takes you down some road with a tale to tell, maybe a story of your own or of the ones who came before, with hopes and dreams and loves and losses just like yours.
Alanis Morissette – Live At Montreux 2012 CD (Eagle Rock)
On July 2nd, 2012 Alanis Morissette returned to Montreux as part of her Guardian Angel Tour in support of her recent album Havoc And Bright Lights. Also available in stand-alone DVD and Blu-ray.
Paul Motian – Paul Motian 6xCD (ECM)
This six-CD set, with recordings from 1972 to 1984, includes the albums Conception Vessel, Tribute, Dance, Le Voyage, Psalm and It Should’ve Happened A Long Time Ago. Paul Motian’s innovative drumming with the great trios of Bill Evans and Paul Bley had already assured him of a place in jazz’s history books, but Motian had not considered life as a bandleader until ECM proposed a recording session under his own name.
The Neighbourhood – I Love You CD (Columbia)
“On their debut album I Love You, the Neighbourhood reach into the stratosphere and craft 11 moody, atmospheric rock tracks. The Los Angeles newcomers adore soaring textures and add them liberally to such tracks as ‘How,’ ‘Everybody’s Watching Me (Uh Oh)’ and ‘Let It Go’ – along with doses of mechanical drums, opaque tones and cloudy vocals from frontman Jesse Rutherford.” – Rolling Stone
No Joy – Wait To Pleasure CD (Kemado/Mexican Summer)
Wait To Pleasure is the result of the Montreal noise-pop band’s first foray in a fully furnished studio environment, and is rooted heavily in ripcurls amid devastating melody, finishing sentences whispered long ago with depth, variance and force.
Thee Oh Sees – Floating Coffin CD/LP (Castle Face)
“These songs occur in the mindset of a world that’s perpetually war-ridden. Overall, it’s pretty dark, and much heavier than our other albums.” — John Dwyer
OMD – English Electric CD+DVD (BMG)
Deluxe edition featuring bonus DVD. 12th studio album from the British synthpop legends and the second since the reformation of the original band (Andy McCluskey, Paul Humphreys, Martin Cooper and Malcolm Holmes). Andy McCluskey says of the album: “The overarching feel tends to be a sense of loss, of melancholia, that things haven’t turned out the way you wanted them to, whether it be with technology or personal relationships.” Vinyl due May 28.
Phoenix – Bankrupt! CD/2xCD/LP+MP3 (Glassnote)
The polite Frenchmen release their first new album since 2009’s ridiculously massive Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. Available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe version comes in alternate soft pack with a bonus CD featuring 71 “demos and sketches.”
Queensrÿche – Frequency Unknown CD (Cleopatra)
Five years after the Mindcrime revolution, the Rÿche returns with their 13th studio album. Vinyl version due May 21.
Steve Roach – Future Flows CD (Projekt)
The evolving, inexplicable nature of Steve Roach’s musical soundworld is fully realized on his new textural electronic/ambient release, Future Flows. Within the eight tracks on this seventy-minute album, a renewing, contemplative mood emerges by way of the shifting interconnected sonic forms that emerge from a constant source somewhere in the near future.
The Rolling Stones – The Very Best Of The Rolling Stones 1964-1971 CD (ABKCO)
16-track compilation featuring some of the band’s most memorable hits spanning the years 1964-1971.
Bill Ryder-Jones – A Bad Wind Blows In My Heart CD/2xLP+MP3 (Domino)
Bill Ryder-Jones left The Coral after their fifth studio album, Roots & Echoes, on which his arrangements hinted at a deeper and spectacular compositional talent. A Bad Wind Blows In My Heart marries his masterful capacities as arranger and composer with his first firm steps as a singer/songwriter.
Adrian Sherwood – Never Trust A Hippy [Reissue/2003] CD (Realworld)
Never Trust A Hippy is Adrian Sherwood’s eclectic, compelling and lovingly crafted solo debut.
Slava – Raw Solutions CD (Software)
Raw Solutions is the debut full-length by Slava. Following his 2012 EP Soft Control, Raw Solutions finds Slava exploring the darker, denser corners of Chicago House and Footwork in an ever broadening context. Vinyl version due April 30.
Snoop Lion – Reincarnated CD/LP (RCA)
Reincarnated is the rapper’s reggae and dancehall influenced album executive produced by Diplo and the Major Lazer production team. Guests include Miley Cyrus, Akon, Collie Budz, Drake, Angela Hunte, and others. Available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe adds four bonus tracks.
Soundtrack – Injustice: Gods Among Us! CD (WaterTower Music)
Original soundtrack to the 2013 video game features new and unreleased music from Rise Against, Depeche Mode, Portugal. The Man, and MSTRKRFT.
Tate Stevens – Tate Stevens CD (RCA)
The self-titled country music debut from the second season winner of The X Factor.
Laura Stevenson – Wheels CD/LP (Don Giovanni)
Wheels features strings by Grammy winning violinist Rob Moose (Bon Iver, Antony & The Johnson), brass accompaniment from Kelly Pratt (Beirut, Arcade Fire, St. Vincent), and was produced and mixed by Kevin McHahon (Swans, Titus Andronicus, Real Estate). Scrappy, large-hearted indie-pop and rock. “[…] somewhere between the jangly bluster of Swearin’ and the bright-eyed folk-pop of Thao & The Get Down Stay Down.” – Pitchfork
Dandy Teru – Adventures CD (Ubiquity)
Adventures is the debut full-length album by French producer Dandy Teru. His opus is chock-full of notable guest vocalists and MC’s and also includes remixes by Tall Black Guy, Belgian production duo Monkey Robot and his partner-in-crime Quiet Dawn. Vinyl version due May 7.
Frank Turner – Tape Deck Heart CD/LP (Interscope)
Available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe features two bonus tracks. “Frank Turner has followed a unique trajectory, from the playing fields of Eton via hardcore punk with Million Dead to political arena-filling indie-folk. However, while his libertarian worldview has become controversial and his 2006 song ‘Thatcher F##ked The Kids’ topical, his fifth album finds him taking a more personal sidestep, with songs about romantic disasters, mortality, lonely days and crazy nights.” – The Guardian
Jozef Van Wissem – Nihil Obstat CD/LP (Important)
Wissem’s long form, graceful melodic lute layers, preceded by suspenseful deep bass movements, create a transcendental and pastoral world where hypnotic minimalist figures are repeated to slow the act of listening.
The Vitals – Qualia CD/LP (ORG Music)
The music of The Vitals is a strong combination of ambience, rock & roll, psych, and is driven heavily by groove, lyrics and an extremely personal live show.
will.i.am – #Willpower CD (Interscope)
The fourth album from the Black Eyed Peas rapper/songwriter/producer features Britney Spears, Hit Boy, Waka Flocka Flame, Lil Wayne and Diddy. Available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe adds three bonus tracks.
Luke Winslow-King – The Coming Tide CD/LP (Bloodshot)
Luke Winslow-King is a 29-year-old guitarist/singer/composer/lyricist known for his slide guitar work, and interest in pre-war blues and traditional jazz. Coming Tide is an eclectic mix, taking in delta-folk music, classical composition, ragtime, and rock & roll; juxtaposing original songs with those from a bygone era.
Xiu Xiu/Eugene S. Robinson – Sal Mineo CD (Important)
Sitting at the crossroads between Oxbow’s Eugene S. Robinson and Xiu Xiu’s Jamie Stewart, Sal Mineo is a pure/impure distillate of experimentalism based on 30-second to three-minute-long focused bursts of sonic crime, which plumbs the cooling depths of a pleasure-cruise death trip.
Young Galaxy – Ultra Marine CD/LP+CD (Paper Bag)
Ten tracks of shining, glimmering electronic pop songs that scatter across the dancefloor, swim through headphones, ringing out like a cold new summer. Also available on white vinyl.
Rob Zombie – Venomous Regeneration Vendor CD/LP (UMe)
Rob Zombie has continuously challenged audiences as he stretches the boundaries of music, film, and publishing. Now, the seven-time Grammy-nominated artist releases his fifth album, Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor, which includes the first single, ‘Dead City Radio And The New Gods of Super Town.”
DVD + Blu-ray:
Insane Clown Posse – Riddle Box Weekend 2xDVD (Psychopathic)
Get ready to relive one of the most devastating two-day events in Psychopathic Records history — Juggalo Weekend 2013. This special two-disc set captures the historic flavor that went down that winter weekend in Insane Clown Posses’ home base of Detroit.
Alanis Morissette – Live At Montreux 2012 DVD/Blu-ray (Eagle Rock)
On July 2nd, 2012 Alanis Morissette returned to Montreux as part of her Guardian Angel Tour in support of her recent album Havoc And Bright Lights. 98 minutes.
Vinyl:
Trinidad James – Don’t Be S.A.F.E. LP (Def Jam)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Debut album from the up-and-coming rapper now on Def Jam, with his unique “New Atlanta” sound.
Waylon Jennings – Goin’ Down Rockin’ LP (Sundazed)
Released last year on CD – now available on vinyl. HQ-180 vinyl pressing of intimate final acoustic recordings by country music legend, originally recorded in 2002 before his death.
June Of 44 – Four Great Points [Reissue/1998] LP (QuarterStick)
Back in print on vinyl! The various members of June of 44 all tell tales of how this album was the “weirdest thing they have ever done” and how they, at different times, “left our bodies behind and looked down on the going on in the room,” experimenting not only in songwriting, but also in instrumentation and recording. Violins, percussion, echoed effects, Fred’s trumpet, and the sounds of a typewriter all work together in an earthy, cohesive sound.
Low & Dirty Three – In The Fishtank [Reissue/2004] 12” (Fishtank)
Low & Dirty Three collaborate on a truly amazing set of songs here — the combination of Low’s open, desolate sound and the melancholic yet folky violin of Dirty Three’s Warren Ellis inspired Low to indulge in a more crooning way of singing and to add banjo to the works.
Mood Rings – Pathos y Lagrimas b/w 333 7” (Mexican Summer)
The lead single from Mood Rings’ forthcoming debut, VPI Harmony (due in June) on Mexican Summer, is a moody, sexy pop song cloaked in an air of mystery, but loaded with enough reverberant guitar hooks to soar the track skywards. They switch up the tone on B-side “333;” barbed, catchy guitar pop with psychedelic flourishes and a crunchy, fuzzed-out finish.
The Mourning Reign – Satisfaction Guaranteed LP (Sundazed)
Always mentioned in the same breath as the South Bay’s hallowed trio-the Syndicate Of Sound, the Chocolate Watchband and Count Five-the Mourning Reign has been woefully under-represented on wax-until now.
No Warning – Ill Blood 2xLP (Bridge Nine)
Expanded vinyl edition of the Canadian hardcore band’s 2002 sophomore album.
Oneohtrix Point Never – Betrayed In The Octagon [Reissue/2007] LP+MP3 (Software)
Oneohtrix Point Never – Zones Without People [Reissue/2009] LP+MP3 (Software)
Oneohtrix Point Never – Russian Mind [Reissue/2009] LP+MP3 (Software)
Oneohtrix Point Never – Drawn And Quartered LP+MP3 (Software)
Oneohtrix Point Never – The Fall Into Time LP+MP3 (Software)
Following the success of the sold-out one-time release of Rifts in a 5xLP boxset, Software is presenting each LP for sale individually. Tracks originally released on tapes in 2009 on Catholic Tapes, Utmarken, NNA Tapes.
Tortoise & The Ex – In The Fishtank 5 [Reissue/1999] 12” (Fishtank)
Tortoise & The Ex morph into one behemoth of sound — Tortoise working at a more introspective AND subdued level, adding layers and texture, with The Ex adding dynamics and tension.
Leave a Reply