News
New Release Round-Up 05-31-24
Ringo Starr - Crooked Boy- UMe
Written and produced by Songwriter’s Hall Of Famer Linda Perry, Crooked Boy features four brand-new tracks from Ringo Starr with his trademark vocals and legendary drumming.
Jon Muq - Flying Away - Concord / Easy Eye Sound
Ugandan-born, Austin-based Jon Muq's debut, Flying Away, melds African and Western melodies, reflecting his astonishing journey. Produced by Dan Auerbach, the album is infused with themes of resilience, and Muq's spontaneous, reflective songwriting captures the essence of his cross-continental life. From busking for children on the streets of Kampala, to cruise ship clubs, to sharing stages with music's biggest stars, Muq now embarks on the grandest voyage of all: releasing his first album.
The Marías - Submarine [Indie Exclusive Iridescent Blue LP]
Willie Nelson - The Border [LP]
Becky Hill - Believe Me Now? [Indie Exclusive Black/White Splatter LP]
Bat For Lashes - The Dream of Delphi [LP]
Kenny Burrell, John Coltrane - Kenny Burrell & John Coltrane (Original Jazz Classics Series) [LP]
Swamp Dogg - Blackgrass: From West Virginia to 125th St [LP]
Arooj Aftab - Night Reign [Indie Exclusive Limited Edition Silver LP]
Hope Conspiracy - Tools Of Oppression / Rule By Deception [Indie Exclusive Orange / Blue Mix LP]
LUCIUS - Wildewoman - (The New Recordings) [Translucent Forest Green LP]
Rogers & Hammerstein - My Favorite Things: The Rodgers & Hammerstein 80th Anniversary Concert [CD]
Candy - Its Inside You [Indie Exclusive Yellow with Splatter LP]
John Moreland - Visitor [Indie-Exclusive Opaque Cream LP]
Jessie Baylin - Strawberry Wind [Limited Deluxe Edition - Tangerine and Strawberry Sherbet LP]
Norman Blake - Pilgramage to Rising Fawn [LP]
Stephen Stanley - Divided Frame Of Mind
For more information on these and other releases out this week, check out our New Releases charts by week section.UPCOMING RELEASES
What's New 5-31-24
King Hannah weaves between meditative pop and expansive, sonorous landscapes brimming with darkness, wit, and wry humor. Merrick’s smoky vocals are perfectly complemented by the bluesy canvases Whittle masterfully paints beneath them as they effortlessly transition from post-rock expansiveness to evoking the sensation of Springsteen straying onto a gritty side-street off his highway to freedom.
Ship to Shore is classic Thompson, the songster of misery and despair who doesn’t often change that tune while always delivering something tasty, fresh and new. It’s a deep and diverse collection that pulls from various styles: rumbling, Motown-style rhythm, straightforward riff-rock, 1600s-era European music, and glammy, cabaret-like melodies.
Dreamachine rises beyond the critically acclaimed five-piece’s garage rock roots, drawing on a mix of post-punk, experimental pop, and vintage disco, all filtered through the band’s love of Middle Eastern psych music. Each song is its own distinct world, hypnotic and driven by lush synthesizers, sinewy guitars, and a muscular rhythm section– equal parts fearless and enthralling.
Named for the “honeylike” state of being in love (“like all the jagged thoughts and fears and anxieties in my brain are slowly smoothed out, until my mind is coated with warmth and sweetness,”) the album was Executive Produced by Dave Cobb, written with notable songwriters Hillary Lindsey, Natalie Hemby, and Alex Hope, and sees Ben exploring a more understated, folk-leaning sound.
Almost 40 years in, New Zealand rockers Crowded House are still adding rooms to their musical mansion. Gravity Stairs continues the sophisticated Beatlesque pop the band’s lead songwriter, Neil Finn, has always been known for. It’s the kind of album that rewards repeated listening with Finn’s songwriting opening like flower, and the band’s musical choices complementing his genius at every turn.
Believe Me Now? sees Hill digging deeper into her life-long passion for underground dance music and club culture. Whether she’s drawing from the worlds of drum ‘n’ bass, anthemic house, techno or atmospheric trance, Hill’s flair for blending the heart of such genres with her powerhouse vocal has produced an album that’s rich with credibility and personal integrity, yet with immense global appeal.
What's New 5-24-24
After more than two decades as a band, The Avett Brothers have stamped their own name on their 11th album. It's a return in some ways to their original form, too — raucous vocals, with harmonies in just the right places, over simple instrumentation. Here the guitars are electric, and the production is modern, but it’s a classic Avett Brothers theme: the agony and ecstasy of being in love.
Orton’s (Portishead) most personal work to date, the result of a period of sustained reflection and change — “lots of goodbyes,” in Beth’s words. Farewells to family, to friends, even to her former self. These are songs from the mid-course of life, when looking ahead no longer yields what it used to, and looking back has a sudden, sharper focus.
The songs here are as sincere as they are surreal, rooted in rich character studies and deep reflection. It’s a gorgeous collection of stripped-down bedroom folk wrapped in lush layers of synthesizers and washed out electric guitars, a poignant, expansive exploration of perception and purpose that manages to look both forwards and backwards all at once.
Following a five year hiatus and navigating through some notably peculiar circumstances, the Kentucky rockers are prepared to pick up where they left off (Social Cues— 2019’s Grammy winner for Best Rock Album) with the highly anticipated sounds of Neon Pill. It’s the perfect return for a band that has been greatly missed.
30 years later, Collective Soul is still going strong and continues to create infectious Alt-Rock music that is loved around the world. Here To Eternity contains 20 tracks of the catchy melodies, driving guitars, and soaring choruses that have defined the band's sound since their early days. This is a love letter to the fans.
Eilish’s third studio album, her most daring body of work to date, does exactly as the title suggests; hits you hard and soft both lyrically and sonically, while bending genres and defying trends along the way. “This whole process has felt like I’m coming back to the girl that I was,” Eilish says. “I’ve been grieving her. I’ve been looking for her in everything.”
Known for their eclectic Americana/roots fusion of alternative & outlaw country, rock, blues, R&B and Tejano/Tex-Mex influences, The Mavericks appropriately recorded these tracks in Nashville, New Mexico and Louisiana. The result invokes both a timeless feel of a classic Mavericks while again challenging conventions and pushing boundaries.
Known for their eclectic Americana/roots fusion of alternative & outlaw country, rock, blues, R&B and Tejano/Tex-Mex influences, The Mavericks appropriately recorded these tracks in Nashville, New Mexico and Louisiana. The result invokes both a timeless feel of a classic Mavericks while again challenging conventions and pushing boundaries.
30 years later, Collective Soul is still going strong and continues to create infectious Alt-Rock music that is loved around the world. Here To Eternity contains 20 tracks of the catchy melodies, driving guitars, and soaring choruses that have defined the band's sound since their early days. This is a love letter to the fans.
Eilish’s third studio album, her most daring body of work to date, does exactly as the title suggests; hits you hard and soft both lyrically and sonically, while bending genres and defying trends along the way. “This whole process has felt like I’m coming back to the girl that I was,” Eilish says. “I’ve been grieving her. I’ve been looking for her in everything.”
New Release Round-Up 05-24-24
Donald Byrd - Byrd's Eye View
Vinyl LP pressing. Recorded in 1955 for producer Tom Wilson's short-lived Boston-based label Transition Records, Byrd's Eye View was trumpeter Donald Byrd's first issued recording as a leader. The date presented Byrd at the helm of what was then the current line-up of The Jazz Messengers with tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley, pianist Horace Silver, bassist Doug Watkins, and drummer Art Blakey. Local Boston area trumpeter Joe Gordon joins the band for some friendly brass sparring with Byrd on several numbers, further adding to the album's jovial air of a blowing session. Everyone is in fine form on this 5-song set with Side A consisting of an extended stroll through Watkins' laid-back original "Doug's Blues" followed by some inspired trading between Byrd and Gordon on "El Sino." A beautiful rendition of the ballad "Everything Happens To Me" and two swinging Mobley pieces comprise Side B, bringing this highly-enjoyable date to a close.
Bobby Hutcherson - Total Eclipse (Blue Note Tone Poet Vinyl Series)
Limited 180gm vinyl LP pressing housed in gatefold tip-on jacket. Bobby Hutcherson's 1968 album Total Eclipse was the vibraphonist's first recording to feature saxophonist Harold Land who would become a key collaborator for years to come. Rounding out the band were pianist Chick Corea, bassist Reggie Johnson, and drummer Joe Chambers on this impassioned post-bop set. This stereo Tone Poet Vinyl Edition was produced by Joe Harley, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original analog master tapes
Out this week...
Twenty One Pilots - ClancyClancy marks Twenty One Pilots’ first studio album in three years and follows their RIAA Gold certified LP, Scaled And Icy. With details of the release teased to fans earlier this month via cryptic mailings and covert artswaps on streaming services, “Overcompensate” welcomes listeners back to the band’s immersive world of ‘Trench.’ Layers of synths build over a racing breakbeat in the song - a skilled passage of alternative dynamics, flexing in time, and ready to explode. Having amassed over 33 billion streams worldwide and over 3 million tickets sold across global headline tours, the Columbus, OH based duo of Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun have established themselves as one of the most successful bands of the 21st century and redefined the sound of a generation. Co-produced by Joseph and Paul Meany, Clancy marks the final chapter in an ambitious multi-album narrative first introduced in the band's 2015 multi-Platinum breakthrough, Blurryface. Furthermore, Clancy’s forthcoming release on May 17th coincides with the 9th anniversary of Blurryface, which was released exactly nine years prior to the day. Twenty One Pilots extended the ambitious concept laid out in Blurryface with their 2018 Platinum-certified album TRENCH. Featuring the multi-Platinum and Platinum singles “Chlorine,” “My Blood” and the GRAMMY® Award-nominated “Jumpsuit,” the album graced spots on “Best of” year-end lists by Billboard, KERRANG!, Alternative Press, and Rock Sound—who placed it at #1.
DIIV - Frog In Boiling Water
Produced by Chris Coady and written by DIIV (pronounced Dive), Frog in Boiling Water, the band’s fourth full-length LP is a collection of snapshots that explores the brutal realities of end-stage capitalism and overwhelming technological advance. Across 10 dark and dazzling tracks, DIIV documents the collapse from various angles with unusual sensitivity and depth of purpose while expanding their grand, hypnotic shoegaze, to create a transportive, sensual work of hope, beauty and renewal.
Wallows / MODEL / The trio - comprised of Dylan Minnette, Braeden Lemasters and Cole Preston - recently announced their upcoming album, which is set to drop May 2024 via Atlantic Records. Product info: Indie Exclusive vinyl, Solid Orchid/Translucent Orange Crush
Twenty One Pilots - Clancy [Indie Exclusive Clear w/Opaque Red Splatter LP]
Wallows - Model [Indie Exclusive Horizon Colored LP]
DIIV - Frog In Boiling Water [Limited Edition Indie Exclusive Green LP]
Lenny Kravitz - Blue Electric Light [Indie Exclusive Limited Edition Pink/Blue 2LP]
Andrew Bird Trio - Sunday Morning Put-On [INDIE EXCLUSIVE Limited Edition Translucent Ruby Red LP]
Young Jesus - The Fool [Opaque White LP]
Aluminum - Fully Beat [Pale Blue LP]
Thursday - WAR ALL THE TIME (LIVE) [2 LP]
Fania All Stars - Latin-Soul-Rock (50th Anniversary) [LP]
NewJeans - Newjeans 'how Sweet' Standard Ver.
RM (BTS) - Right Place, Wrong Person (Ver. A, B, C)
Courettes - Hold On We're Comin' [Colored Vinyl] (Red)
Travis Denning - Roads That Go Nowhere
Gyasi - Rock N'roll Swordfight [Limited Edition] (Stic)
Howlers - What You've Got To Lose To Win It All - Pink Vinyl
La Luz - News Of The Universe [Colored Vinyl]
Old Man Luedecke - She Told Me Where To Go [Colored Vinyl] (Grn) (Stic)
Richey, Kim - Every New Beginning
Shenseea - Never Gets Late Here
Connie Smith - Love Prison Wisdom & Heartaches
Vegyn - The Road To Hell Is Paved With Good Intentions
For more information on these and other releases out this week, check out our New Releases charts by week section.UPCOMING RELEASES
What's New 5-17-24
After more than two decades as a band, The Avett Brothers have stamped their own name on their 11th album. It's a return in some ways to their original form, too — raucous vocals, with harmonies in just the right places, over simple instrumentation. Here the guitars are electric, and the production is modern, but it’s a classic Avett Brothers theme: the agony and ecstasy of being in love.
Orton’s (Portishead) most personal work to date, the result of a period of sustained reflection and change — “lots of goodbyes,” in Beth’s words. Farewells to family, to friends, even to her former self. These are songs from the mid-course of life, when looking ahead no longer yields what it used to, and looking back has a sudden, sharper focus.
The songs here are as sincere as they are surreal, rooted in rich character studies and deep reflection. It’s a gorgeous collection of stripped-down bedroom folk wrapped in lush layers of synthesizers and washed out electric guitars, a poignant, expansive exploration of perception and purpose that manages to look both forwards and backwards all at once.
Following a five year hiatus and navigating through some notably peculiar circumstances, the Kentucky rockers are prepared to pick up where they left off (Social Cues— 2019’s Grammy winner for Best Rock Album) with the highly anticipated sounds of Neon Pill. It’s the perfect return for a band that has been greatly missed.
30 years later, Collective Soul is still going strong and continues to create infectious Alt-Rock music that is loved around the world. Here To Eternity contains 20 tracks of the catchy melodies, driving guitars, and soaring choruses that have defined the band's sound since their early days. This is a love letter to the fans.
Eilish’s third studio album, her most daring body of work to date, does exactly as the title suggests; hits you hard and soft both lyrically and sonically, while bending genres and defying trends along the way. “This whole process has felt like I’m coming back to the girl that I was,” Eilish says. “I’ve been grieving her. I’ve been looking for her in everything.”
Known for their eclectic Americana/roots fusion of alternative & outlaw country, rock, blues, R&B and Tejano/Tex-Mex influences, The Mavericks appropriately recorded these tracks in Nashville, New Mexico and Louisiana. The result invokes both a timeless feel of a classic Mavericks while again challenging conventions and pushing boundaries.