CDs:
Amor De Dias – The House At Sea CD/LP+MP3 (Merge)
Second album from Alasdair MacLean (Clientele) and Lupe Nunez-Fernandez (Pipas). The fast pace of the sessions resulted in a rawer, more urgent album, recorded on vintage ‘70s valve equipment with a feeling for space and a deliberately limited palette, all the elements of which had to count. The theme of the sea threads its way throughout the record along with a gentle sense of drifting and departure, of being lost, of saudade — a sadness at lost things.
Bleeding Rainbow – Yeah Right CD/LP (Kanine)
Philly’s favorite indie-pop duo, formerly known as Reading Rainbow, is now a full-blown rock quartet. Yeah Right is the follow up to their 2010 breakout Prism Eyes, and it has a much bigger sound directly influenced by the band’s teenage musical taste: Sonic Youth, My Bloody Valentine, Nirvana and Yo La Tengo (to name a few).
Buke & Gase – General Dome CD/LP (Brassland)
New York skronk pop duet Arone Dyer and Aron Sanchez (and their homemade instruments) make up the indefinable band Buke & Gase. Their new album, General Dome, was recorded with the instruments that make up their name: a “buke” (a baritone ukulele) and a “gase” (a guitar-bass hybrid).
Eric Burdon – ‘Til Your River Runs Dry CD/LP (ABKCO)
The lead singer of The Animals returns with his most personal album to date.
Gabriele Coen – Yiddish Melodies In Jazz CD (Tzadik)
Tapping into modern Yiddish swing, Coen’s exciting arrangements and fabulous band has created a true melting pot music, bringing together a variety of jazz styles in this beautiful and lyrical collection.
Cult Of Luna – Vertikal CD (Density/Workhorse)
Sixth studio album from the Swedish powerhouse and first for Density/Workhorse. Vertikal is thematically influenced by the classic film Metropolis: a hypnotic backdrop of machinery and repetition. Vinyl version due February 5.
Brett Dennen – Definitive Collection CD (Dualtone)
Celebrates Dennen’s already impressive body of work and includes the best work from these past releases as well as three tracks never before released on CD.
Destiny’s Child – Love Songs CD (Sony Legacy)
Generally known for their dance floor pop and R&B anthems, Destiny’s Child demonstrate their equally compelling command of contemporary torch songs and ballads throughout Love Songs, which is comprised mainly of romantic gems recorded between 1997 and 200.
Ducktails – The Flower Lane CD/LP (Domino)
New album from the increasingly less solo endeavor of Matt Mondanile (guitarist from Real Estate). The Flower Lane was recorded and mixed over the summer of 2012 with Al Carlson (Peaking Lights, Oneohtrix Point Never) and includes contributions from members of Big Troubles, Oneohtrix Point Never, Ford + Lopatin, Real Estate and Cults.
The El Caminos – Get To The Top CD/LP (Uncle Punk)
These Atlanta punk rockers have causing trouble for close to 20 years.
Fiction Family – Fiction Family Reunion CD (Rock Ridge)
Fiction Family Reunion sees Jon Foreman (Switchfoot) and Sean Watkins (Nickel Creek) offering up their blend of folk, pop, and songcraft.
Fleetwood Mac – Rumors [Expanded Edition] 3xCD/4xCD+DVD+LP (WB)
Expanded triple-disc edition includes the original 1977 album and the B-side “Silver Springs,” a dozen unreleased live recordings from the group’s ‘77 world tour, and an entire disc filled with unreleased takes from the album’s recording sessions. Also available: a Super Deluxe edition which features an additional 18-track compilation of session outtakes originally released in the 2004 reissue of the album, the original album on 140-gram vinyl, and a DVD with “The Rosebud Film.” This 1977 documentary by Michael Collins includes interviews, rehearsal footage and live performances. Cocaine not included.
Ryan Francesconi/Mirabai Peart – Road To Palios CD (Cooperative Music)
An exquisite cycle of instrumental duets for acoustic guitar and violin by Portland-based composer and mult-instrumentalist Ryan Francesconi (Joanna Newsom) and his partner, Mirabai Peart. Vinyl version due March 5.
Adam Green/Binki Shapiro – Adam Green/Binki Shapiro CD (Rounder)
With deceptively pretty arrangements that echo filigreed late-sixties folk-pop and an easygoing rapport between singers, this duets collaboration between Adam Green (Moldy Peaches) and Binki Shapiro takes just one listen to enchant. Both artists are notable figures among indie-pop fans, cherished for their off-kilter sensibility (him) and elegantly quirky style (her). Vinyl version due February 5.
Ben Harper With Charlie Musselwhite – Get Up! CD/CD+DVD/LP (Stax)
Ben Harper has teamed with renowned harmonica master Charlie Musselwhite to create a piercing song-cycle of struggle and heart.
Hatebreed – The Divinity Of Purpose CD/LP (Razor & Tie)
Sixth album from the metalcore stalwarts.
Hey Ocean! – Is CD (Nettwerk)
Third album from the Vancouver-based trio. CBC Music called the single “Big Blue Wave,” with its infectious hook and captivating melodies, the band’s crossover hit. Elsewhere on the record, “Make Up A New Dance” shimmies and shakes with a snappy guitar and propulsive beat, while the band beautifully captures longing on the poetic and poignant “Islands.” Vinyl version due February 12.
Lena Hughes – Queen Of The Flat Top Guitar CD (Tompkins Square)
Impossibly rare recordings by the legendary finger-picker. Vinyl version due March 5.
Lee Hyla – My Life On The Plains CD (Tzadik)
Combines the complexity of atonal classical concert music with the energy of experimental jazz, rock and improvised music.
Indians – Somewhere Else CD/LP (4AD)
Indians is the musical alter ego of Copenhagen’s Soren Lokke Juul. “He’s already cultivated a delicate and distinct sound. He hits a few familiar indie-pop reference points as he works his way through Somewhere Else — Bon Iver’s wounded melancholy, The Shins’ sweetly soaring grace — but Juul finds a way to swirl them all together, seal the mix in a time capsule and send it hurtling into the cosmos.” – NPR
Kris Kristofferson – Feeling Mortal CD (KK Records, LLC)
The third Don Was-produced album in Kristofferson’s twilight years trilogy.
Local Natives – Hummingbird CD/LP (Frenchkiss)
Available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe comes with bonus tracks, printed inner sleeves and two fold-out posters in a die-cut slipcase. Shining opener “You & I” is the album’s calling card, bathing synthetic drums in warm organs and surfy guitars, and the band’s signature sky-high harmonies.
Lisa Loeb – No Fairy Tale CD (429)
Lisa Loeb’s (you know, the “Stay (I Missed You” single from Reality Bites) first rock album in 8 years.
Lost Animal – Lost Tropical CD/LP (Hardly Art)
Jarrod Quarrell uses his keyboard to explore new sounds and evoke distant locations. Magnificently catchy pop songwriting and expansive drone soundscapes; booming rhythms and slow-burning nods towards the ecstatic. Quarrell is joined by bassit ShagsChamberlain and producer John Lee, who contributed some guitar, percussion, and synthesizers.
Mice Parade – Candela CD/LP (Fat Cat)
Heady moments of pop brilliance amongst abstract, restrained eloquence.
Ninetail – The Vultures Are Circling CD (Hand/Eye)
The Vultures Are Circling finds the band in top form, dealing out plenty of the aggressive metal they have always been known for, plus rapid fire drums and tremolo picking alternate with moments inspired by classical music and even lute-guitar interludes.
On An On – Give In CD/LP (City Slang)
On An On’s ten-track debut album is a dream-washed textural journey armed with a biting perspective on life, love, and the commonality of loss. It is an affair that sizzles with electricity and calls one in with its unnerved openness. In the studio, the band members explored a natural chemistry and honed their sound; synthesizers, scattershot electro beats and ambient ear candy gave guitars, bass and drums a ghostly sheen.
Jeffrey Osborne – A Time For Love CD (Saguaro Road)
Over 30 years after creating some of the biggest hits in R&B together, Jeffrey Osborne and George Duke have reunited, taking on classic love songs and pop standards in A Time For Love.
The Resistance – Rise From Treason CDEP/7” (Eagle Rock)
The Resistance is not a super-group, or a side project. It is a band; it’s a gang, embracing the musical attitude and sounds of Swedish old school metal and the old “no compromise” values of hardcore.
Rock Candy Funk Party – We Want Groove CD+DVD (J&R Adventures)
New project featuring guitarist Joe Bonamassa, drummer Tal Bergman (Billy Idol, Joe Bonamassa, LL Cool J, Rod Stewart), bassist Mike Merritt (The Basic Cable Band on Conan), guitarist Ron DeJesus (Planet Funk), and keyboardist Renato Neto (Prince). We Want Groove is an instrumental record, bringing in sounds from jazz, funk and rock that captures the vibe of the early ‘70s and ‘80s. Vinyl version due February 5.
Ruby Suns – Christopher CD/LP+MP3 (Sub Pop)
On Christopher, band-leader Ryan McPhun runs with his enthusiasm for the ecstatic dance-floor energy of Scandinavian gloss-pop; McPhun has stopped thinking so much and joined the party. McPhun and A-list engineer Chris Coady (Beach House, Grizzly Bear, Gang Gang Dance) spent two weeks in NYC polishing Christopher to an opalescent sheen, yielding the kind of expensive-sounding, future-leaning ear candy typically in the province of Top 40 radio.
Matthew Shipp – Greatest Hits CD (Thirsty Ear)
One of the most consistently brilliant pianists of his generation, Matthew Shipp’s Greatest Hits is his compendium of essential listening. The singular energy Shipp brings to the piano easily ranges from a sweaty punk band, to reflective and melodic to beats and programming.
Swing Out Sister – Private View CD+DVD (So)
An intimate, jazzy, mainly acoustic re-imagining of some of their most popular songs such as
“Breakout,” “Are You The Same Girl” and “La La Means I Love You” as well as newer material such as “Now That You’re Not Here,” “Incomplete Without You,” and “Flowers Will Grow.”
Tall Firs – Out Of It And Into It CD/LP+MP3 (Frenchkiss)
Out Of It And Into It is sort of like if country blues never detoured through Chicago on its way to Electric Avenue, or like two people playing Gamelan melodies on the same piano whilst narrating the end of the world in loose harmony. Also available on white vinyl with download card that unlocks five additional bonus tracks, all cover versions.
Tegan & Sarah – Heartthrob CD/LP+CD (WB)
Hearththrob represents not just a different sound, but a whole new way of making music for the sister duo. For the first time, they actually wrote a lot of the songs together, and then surrendered creative control to three different producers and a handful of outside musicians.
Tomahawk – Oddfellows CD/LP (Ipecac)
Fourth album from rock supergroup, comprised of Mike Patton (Faith No More, Mr. Bungle, etc.), Duane Denison (Jesus Lizard), John Stanier (Helmet, Battles) and new bassist Trevor Dunn (Mr. Bungle, Fantomas, etc.).
Stevie Ray Vaughan – Texas Flood [30 Anniversary Collection] 2xCD (Sony Legacy)
Features the complete 1983 album Texas Flood plus a never-released concert performance by Stevie Ray And Double Trouble from Philadelphia that same summer.
Trixie Whitley – Fourth Corner CD (Strong Blood)
New album from the Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter. Whitley burst into public consciousness in 2011 as the lead singer of Black Dub, super-producer Daniel Lanois’ (U2, Bob Dylan) project.
Charles Wilson – Love, Charlie CD (RCA)
New album from the R&B icon. Wilson, whose career began with his brothers as the incomparable and funky Gap Band, has been enjoying an extraordinary solo career which includes two Grammy nominations for each of his last two albums, Uncle Charlie and Just Charlie.
John Zorn – Filmworks XXV: City Of Slaughter/Schmatta/Beyond The Infinite CD (Tzadik)
Three radically different pieces for solo piano.
Vinyl:
Dicks – Peace? 7” (Alternative Tentacles)
The three-track Peace? 7” was the first release from the reconstituted Dicks and revealed the unit to be as intimidating as ever. Alternative Tentacles is proud to present this essential document of 1980s punk, remastered with love by Jello Biafra.
Dropout Patrol – Dropout Patrol LP (Exotic Fever)
Formerly the solo project of singer-songwriter Jana Sotzko from Berlin, Germany. First self-titled album after 10 years of existence finds Jana paired with three close friends to deliver an album full of beautifully interspersed pictures and personal observations.
Feeling Of Love – La Peur Est Un Illusion: Singles 2006-08 LP (Captcha)
Before this Metz, France combo was fully formed it was the work of one man, who cranked out 5 7″s in the space of two years. Later two more members were added and the group cut their first full-length album. This compilation is the story of those hard to find pieces of wax finally coalesced into one LP. Taking 12 tracks from five early singles and adding two unreleased songs this is a release for the completest or newcomer alike.
Fidlar – Fidlar LP+MP3 (Mom + Pop)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Any given song will give you a Germs influenced guitar solo, the catchy “Ooo’s” and “Ah’s” of the Misfits, and lyrics in the same family as Black Flag’s Six Pack and TV Party. Surfier, faster, more fuzzed-out, more personal and a lot more drunk.
Hands – I Want To Know b/w Exactly Sharp 7” (White Iris)
Music like a rip tide, swirling in overlapping loops and riffs, slowly enveloping you. Often within the same song, they move from rock to synth-pop to skyrocketing stadium anthem.
Harouki Zombi – Objet Petit A 2×7”+MP3 (Polyvinyl)
Brainchild of Nina Barnes (Of Montreal) and Orenda FInk (Azure Ray). Four original tracks and two remixes. Purple vinyl.
Albert King – The Big Blues [Reissue/1962] LP (Sundazed)
Freddie King – Goes Surfin’ [Reissue/1963] LP (Sundazed)
HQ-180 vinyl from the original King mono masters.
The Kustom Kings – Kustom City U.S.A. [Reissue/1964] LP (Sundazed)
HQ-180 vinyl reissue of the long lost hot-rod classic featuring Bruce Johnston.
Led Zeppelin – Celebration Day 3xLP (Atlantic)
Now available on vinyl! On December 10, 2007, Led Zeppelin took the stage at London’s O2 Arena to headline a tribute concert for dear friend and Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun. What followed was a two-hour-plus tour de force of the band’s signature blues-infused rock ’n’ roll that instantly became part of the legend of Led Zeppelin.
The Lewis Connection – The Lewis Connection LP (Numero)
With insurance money from a recently overturned Buick Century, brothers Andre and Pierre Lewis went on a recording tear through the Twin Cities in ’78, cutting a half-dozen songs in as many studios. Combining the astrosexuality of Parliament with the sophisticated flammability of Earth, Wind & Fire, their misspelled debut captures the Minneapolis Sound’s founding fathers — Prince among them — at the paradigm-shifting confluence of funk, jazz, and pop for which the Land Of 10,000 Lakes is famed.
Lord Of The Isles – Gee Chic/Radio Lollipop 12” (Catune)
Born in Scotland, Neil McDonald (Lord Of The Isles) is a DJ/producer that suddenly rose up in the Disco/Balearic scene in 2010, with a bag full of original tracks and re-edits.
The Missing Links – The Missing Links [Reissue/1965] LP+7” (Sundazed)
HQ-180 vinyl reissue includes The Links Unchained, the band’s mega-rare 1966 EP. “The best cuts, ‘Wild About You,’ ‘Some Kinda Fun,’ ‘You’re Drivin’ Me Insane,’ ‘Mama Keep Your Big Mouth Shut,’ and ‘Speak No Evil,’ are tremendous ’60s punk, with blistering, feedback-ridden guitar and cord-shredding vocals.” – AllMusic
Om – Conference Of The Birds [Reissue/2006] LP (Holy Mountain)
Picture disc version! Comprised of two songs that build on their use of cyclical rhythm, riff and vocal intonation, Om’s 2006 album blends metal, chant, drone, dub and psychedelia.
Pantha Du Prince/The Bell Laboratory – Elements Of Light LP (Rough Trade/Matador)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Elements Of Light is a logical continuation of Pantha Du Prince’s previous work, but the music does in no way constitute a walk down beaten paths. The result of this unusual project is an original piece, crafted in the intersection between electronic elements and classical composition.
Radar Brothers – Eight LP+CD (Merge)
Featuring an expanded band of brothers including Stevie Triechel and Be Hussey from The Illustrated Garden as well as new members Dan Iead (Cass McCombs, The Broken West) on guitar/pedal steel, Brian Cleary on keyboards and Ethan Walter on piano and synthesizers. Between the two keyboards and Iead and Putnam s guitars, the band orchestrates a swirling fervor that glides over Triechel and Hussey s rhythmic aggressions.
The See See – The Rain & The Snow b/w Snowdrop 7” (Sundazed)
Debut US single from prolific UK psych-pop ensemble — a melancholic, gray sky entreaty to a fading love, laced with electric guitar filigrees, insistent organ and a stoic drumbeat bearing witness to heartbreak.
Simo – Shake It b/w AOH 7” (Sundazed)
Nashville-based power trio featuring multi-talented axeman J.D. Simo – a player who can float a gentle, lilting line and then launch a ferocious fretboard attack in the space of a few measures.
Sonny Smith – 100 Records 3 LP+MP3 (Polyvinyl)
In 2010, Sonny Smith invited 100 artists to design album covers for 100 fictional bands, while Smith recorded the music for these imagined records. Now available for the first time on vinyl, 100 Records Vol. 3 is the third (and final) installment to be officially released from this ambitious project. White vinyl.
Sweet Apple – Wish You Could Stay A Little Longer b/w Traffic 7” (Outer Battery)
The first single from Sweet Apple’s forthcoming LP is a power pop monster. Features J Mascis pulling double duty on both drums and lead guitar and a duet with Mark Lanegan. Blue vinyl.
Various Artists – Columbian Blend CD (AEMMP)
Four bands created nearly overnight, each writing and recording one song in a matter of six days. That’s what Columbia College’s students have been up to on Columbian Blend — which is also the name of the student run label. Includes four tracks, mixing R&B, folk, funk & acoustic pop/rock into one eclectic EP.
Wiz Khalifa – O.N.I.F.C. 2xLP (Atlantic)
Now available on vinyl! The follow-up to Wiz Khalifa’s gold-certified major label debut, Rolling Papers.
Leave a Reply