CDs + Vinyl:
65daysofstatic – No Man’s Sky: Music For An Infinite Universe 2xCD (Laced)
Soundtrack to the video game No Man’s Sky. 10 tracks of original music, plus a collection of six soundscapes that power the game’s unique music engine.
The 7th Plain – Chronicles I CD/2xLP (A-Ton)
A-Ton is a new edition and platform of Berghain’s in-house imprint Ostgut Ton, focusing on ambient, archive and alternative music, differing from the club-focused records on the main label. Chronicles I marks the start of a series from Luke Slater’s The 7th Plain moniker, with remastered, previously released and unheard archive material. First published on General Production Recordings between 1993 and 1996, Slater’s The 7th Plain pushed the further burgeoning genre of ambient music towards its boundaries by not limiting itself to mostly beat-less synth pads, but by including propulsive beat progressions, nuanced rhythms and subtle melodies.
American Young – AY CD (Curb)
American Young is the country singer/songwriter duo of Kristy Osmunson and Jon Stone, both of whom had some success as Nashville songwriters before joining forces in 2013. Osmunson, a fiddle player, had been a member of the group Bomshel and had her songs recorded by Jory + Rory, among others, while Stone was an in-demand producer who had written songs recorded by Rascal Flatts, Kenny Chesney, Blake Shelton, and others.
Anna & Elizabeth – Sun To Sun [Reissue/2012] CD (Free Dirt)
Anna Roberts-Gevalt and Elizabeth LaPrelle have made a name for themselves around the world, bringing bright new light to Appalachian old-time story and song. Originally released in 2012 and out of print until now, the duo’s debut album includes 13 ballads, lullabies and dance tunes from the Southern tradition, featuring gorgeous ballad singing and banjo playing from Elizabeth and impressive vocals and fiddle, banjo and guitar from Anna.
Arkells – Morning Report CD/LP+MP3 (Last Gang)
Hailing from a gritty industrial town, Arkells have notched four Juno Awards and a Gold Record on their sweat-rusted belts, proving there’s still a place for passionate, no bullsh*t rock ‘n’ soul in the mainstream. (In 2015, they were the most-played band on Canadian alt-rock radio.) But the group’s new album, Morning Report, betrays a more irreverent, adventurous ethos that more readily recalls the cut-and-paste approach of hip-hop beatmakers than the plug-and-play attack of a live rock band, with click-tracked rhythms, subliminal samples, electronic pulses, and sax and violins threaded into the richly textured mix. “It’s a weird time to be a rock band right now,” observes lead singer/songwriter/guitarist Max Kerman. “Tony Hoffer (Beck, M83) once told us ‘Rock music has actually become the most conservative genre.’ Those words really struck me because he’s right. Sonically it hasn’t evolved much and lyrically it’s easy to get away without saying much either. In writing these songs we didn’t want to feel beholden to any expectations from the ‘rock godz’. If it didn’t feel fresh and exciting, it didn’t make the cut. We have no interest in making the same record twice. The most exciting part about making something new is trying different sh*t and exploring spaces we haven’t been to yet.”
Asuna – Tide Ripples CD (Home Normal)
Asuna’s Tide Ripples is a completely different beast than anything else on Home Normal. In collaboration with the beautiful vocals of Rima Kato, Tide Ripples is melodic and shows a playful use of guitar with minimal effects. It is a very direct album, retaining a tender purity which doesn’t happen often given the recent output of over-produced records.
Athiest – Piece Of Time [Reissue/1990] CD+DVD (Season Of Mist)
New deluxe reissue of the technical death metal band’s debut album, expanded with nine demos and a DVD of rehearsals and live tracks.
Avers – Omega/Whatever CD/LP (Egg Hunt)
With four songwriters, four singers, and 11 tracks of guitar-saturated rock & roll, Avers’ second album, Omega/Whatever, is proof that there’s strength in numbers.
