Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers – Mojo CD (Reprise)
Mojo showcases a wide variety of American music, from rock & roll to country and both electric and acoustic blues. It also has some sweet balladry for the slow dancers and even a whacked-out reggae number that is unlike anything that The Heartbreakers have done before. Vinyl and extra-special 5.1 audio Blu-Ray editions due June 29.
Gabor Szabo – Jazz Raga [Reissue] CD (Light In The Attic)
Digitally remastered edition of 1967 album from Hungarian guitarist Gabor Szabo. Jazz Raga brings together jazz, pop/rock, and his native European influence, along with hypnotic sitar, stoned bass vibrations, occasional psychedelic vocals, and the laidback, yet totally in the pocket, Latin/R&B infused backbeat of #1 session drummer, Bernard Purdie.
Drake – Thank Me Later CD (Cash Money)
Highly anticipated debut album from the rapper/singer/actor.
Steve Cropper & Felix Cavalie – Midnight Flyer CD (Stax)
Featuring Steve Cropper (guitarist for Booker T. & The MGs and one of the primary architects of the unmistakable Stax sound of the 1960s) and vocalist/keyboardist Felix Cavaliere (the voice of The Rascals and the pivotal figure in the blue-eyed soul movement of that same era).
Foals – Total Life Forever CD/2xLP+MP3 (Sub Pop)
Foals strip their sound back and turn themselves inside out searching for that invisible human thing. The result is an album as persuasive emotionally as Antidotes was physically. Whereas that album constantly reinforced its own presence by filling the air with yelping and polyrhythm, tracks on Total Life Forever such as the disarming opener “Blue Blood” are happier to leave gaps for the listener to explore in the mind’s ear and eye.
Lewis Black – Stark Raving Black CD (Comedy Central)
Compelled by his passions and discontentedness with the absurdities of the world, Black erupts in a hand shaking, body-trembling, diatribe-laced dialectic comedy. Focusing on the personal and the political, he guides his audience through a catalogue of the woes of the world, from the absurdities of aging (“60 is NOT the new 40!”) to the pitfalls of becoming a “mainstream” comedian to the insanity of Washington and Wall Street.
Vic Chestnutt – About To Choke [Reissue] CD/LP (Plain)
Originally released in 1996, About To Choke is an edgy slice of country-folk showing Chestnutt’s unique version of Americana that was usually several things at once: his craggy voice, raw honesty, an acoustic guitar (or a piano) and an outrageous imagination.
Stanley Clarke – The Stanley Clarke Band CD (Heads Up)
Renowned bassist Stanley Clarke’s new recording is unlike his previous acoustic bass releases. He compares his latest to the first three albums of his solo career: Journey To Love, Stanley Clarke, and School Days.
Cowboy Junkies – Renmin Park CD (Razor & Tie)
“In late 2008, my family and I were given an opportunity to spend three months in China. Renmin Park is a reflection of my family’s adventure in China. It’s a fictional love story about two people whose two worlds will forever keep them apart. It’s a thank-you letter to an obscure city and the people who opened up their lives to five very strange strangers. It’s a document about a bewilderingly complex culture that is, once again, experiencing a massive upheaval. It’s another chapter in a band’s ongoing twenty-five year journey.” — Michael Timmins
Devo – Something For Everybody CD (WB)
More than three decades after the release of their visionary debut, Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo, and a full 20 years since their last studio full length, Devo return with a new album. Vinyl version due July 20.
Fred Eaglesmith – Cha Cha Cha CD (Lonesome Day)
Featuring backup vocals by Austin’s The Fabulous Ginn Sisters and raw, rocking arrangements from his always-steady band, The Fred Eaglesmith Traveling Show, Eaglesmith appears to be in the midst of a happy-sounding Bossa Nova dream.
The Gaslight Anthem – American Slang CD/LP (Side One Dummy)
New album marks a leap forward for the alterna-rock band, honed by two years of nearly non-stop touring. Free postcard set with purchase — while supplies last!
Good Old War – Good Old War CD/LP (Sargent House)
A natural evolution from the band’s debut Only Way To Be Alone, Good Old War radiates with warmth and vulnerability, both qualities undoubtedly cultivated by the band’s hands-on self-production, and the environment of solitude in which the album was created.
Ed Harcourt – Lustre CD (Nice Music Group)
New release from the British singer/songwriter, his first album in four years. Lustre is a dazzling statement of intent and rejuvenation from a musician who hasn’t always received the acclaim his gifts deserve.
Heartsounds – Until We Surrender CD (Epitaph)
Blending the speed and precision of metal-inflected punk rock like Strung Out and Propagandhi with the melodic sensibilities of Hot Water Music and Bad Religion, Heartsounds’ music is a reinvention of ‘90s punk rock and ‘80s thrash metal.
Katherine Jenkins – Believe CD (Reprise)
From the haunting Sarah McLachlan song, “Angel,” through to a stunning working of Evanescence’s “Bring Me To Life,” the mezzo soprano’s unique vocal interpretations bind seamlessly with David Foster’s (Josh Grobin) arrangements and production.
Kingdom Of Sorrow – Behind The Blackest Tears CD (Relapse)
Metal legends Jamey Jasta (Hatebreed) and Kirk Windstein (Down, Crowbar) return with their second album as Kingdom Of Sorrow.
The Like – Release Me CD/LP (Geffen)
With a little help from Mark Ronson, and the studio sophistication of Dap-Kings’ Tommy Brenneck and Homer Steinweiss, The Like have happened upon a sure lost ‘60s girl group record of their dreams.
Sarah McLachlan – The Laws Of Illusion CD/LP (Arista)
Sarah’s first studio album of new material in seven years. Also available as a Deluxe Edition which contains in-studio performance and interview.
Steve Miller Band – Bingo! CD (Roadrunner)
Marking a return to Miller’s roots, SMB’s new album Bingo! echoes his early years in the Chicago music scene and features carefully chosen and crafted blues tracks. Also available as a Special Edition with four bonus tracks and expanded packaging.
Nappy Roots – The Pursuit Of Nappyness CD (Nappy Roots)
New album from the Kentucky-based alternative Southern rap quintet — the follow-up to their 2008 album The Humdinger. 16 tracks including “Ride” and “Fishbowl.”
Oasis – Time Flies… 1994-2009 2xCD/5xLP (Sony)
Featuring all 26 singles released in the UK during their 15-year career, plus the US single “Champagne Supernova.” Also available on five heavyweight HQ-180 vinyl LPs, packaged in a lidded box with 24-page booklet.
Pernice Brothers – Goodbye, Killer CD (Ashmont Records)
Joe Pernice’s first band album since 2006’s Live A Little. In several weeks-long bursts of work over the course of a couple of years, in between writing a novel, recording a soundtrack for said novel, touring on both, and doing real-life things, Joe, Goodbye, Killer features his brother Bob, and long-time collaborators James Walbourne (Pretenders, Son Volt, Peter Bruntnell) and Ric Menck (Matthew Sweet, Velvet Crush).
The Pineapple Thief – Someone Here Is Missing CD (Kscope)
New release from the British prog rock band.
Punch Brothers – Antifogmatic CD/2xCD+DVD (Nonesuch)
The arrangements on Antifogmatic range from intimate to boisterous and back; genre-wise, the band once again ventures where no string band has ever gone before. Deluxe Edition includes a four-song instrumental EP and a seven-song DVD filmed during the band’s residency at Manhattan’s The Living Room. Vinyl version due June 29.
Rasputina – Sister Kinderhook CD (Filthy Bonnet)
Sister Kinderhook explores Colonial themes and the history of Rasputina’s settled home. Obsessed with Emily Dickinson, feral children and the Anti-Rent wars of 1844, not to mention the theory that giants were real, but killed each other off in a self-genocidal holocaust, they tried to stay away from modern chords recording in Hudson, NY during the summer of 1809. Vinyl version due June 29.
Robyn – Body Talk Pt. 1 CD (Interscope)
New release from the Swedish pop singer-songwriter, best known for her dance-pop hits “Show Me Love” and “Do You Know (What It Takes).”
Jack Rose With D. Charles Speer & The Helix – Ragged & Right CD/LP+
MP3 (Thrill Jockey)
Recorded using an all live, no overdub approach, a gleaming bottle of Buffalo Trace helped shepherd them through the night. Features the original Helix lineup in peak form and lap steel and Rose’ Telecaster stylings, Ragged & Right displays a vibrancy and depth of feeling that is striking and unforgettable.
Various Artists – Lilith 2010 CD (Arista)
Collection of artists scheduled to partake in the first Lilith Fair tour in a decade. 16 tracks, including cuts from Nora Jones, Rihanna, Kesha, Tegan & Sara, Colbie Caillat, Kelly Clarkson and Sarah McLachlan.
Suzanne Vega – Close-Up Vol 1, Love Songs CD (Razor & Tie)
The first of four thematic albums, Close-Up Vol 1, Love Songs includes stripped-down versions of her influential hit song “Marlene On The Wall,” the bossanova favorite “Caramel,” and many more.
We Are Scientists – Barbara CD (MRI)
This new record sees them returning to the stripped down production sensibilities of their Gold selling debut while continuing to hone the melodic knack that has made them popular with fans and men who work for months at sea.
DVDs:
Porcupine Tree – Anesthetize DVD (Kscope)
Recorded on multi-cameras over two nights at 013 venue in Tilburg, Holland in October 2008, Anesthetize collects the highlights from the two shows, featuring tracks from throughout the band’s career.
Vinyl:
The Cure – Disintegration [Deluxe Edition] 2xLP (Rhino)
Remastered HQ-180 double-vinyl reissue of their legendary 1989 goth/rock masterpiece. “Best New Reissue” [10.0] — Pitchfork. Includes a free limited edition lithograph with purchase — while supplies last!
Jimi Hendrix – Bleeding Heart b/w Jam 292 7” (Legacy)
Single lifted from Valleys Of Neptune. Features non-album B-side “Jam 292.”
Metallica – Load [Reissue] 2xLP/4xLP (WB)
HQ-180 double-vinyl reissue of 1996 album — available in two versions. Deluxe Audiophile 4xLP edition plays at 45RPM, yielding maximum sonic fidelity.
The Velvet Underground – The Quine Tapes 6xLP (Sundazed)
Historic Velvet Underground live performances now available on vinyl for the first time. Packaging features rare photos, Verve label repro’s, poster/handbill inserts, and detailed liner notes by Rolling Stone’s David Fricke.
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