• What's New 2-26-21

  

  The Hold Steady

  Open Door Policy

  Positive Jams

  Open Door Policy is The Hold Steady's 8th full length studio album and the follow up to 2019's Thrashing Thru The Passion. Produced by Josh Kaufman (The National, Hiss Golden Messenger, Josh Ritter), this new release once again finds the 6-piece line up in peak form in what Craig Finn describes as "the best band we've ever been".

  

  Edie Brickell & The New Bohemians

  Hunter and The Star Dog

  Shuffle Records

  Despite the fact that it emerges in an era of struggle and strife, The Dog Star a remarkably uplifting effort sharing a decidedly modern sound, one rooted in a freewheeling pop approach. From the effusive opener, “Sleeve,” and the upbeat entry that follows, the half-spoken “Don’t Get in the Bed Dirty,” to the album’s riveting conclusion, “My Power,” the songs soar on the strength of their effusive arrangements and sparkling, shimmering melodies.

  

  Adrian Younge

  The American Negro

  Jazz Is Dead

  The American Negro is an unapologetic critique, detailing the systemic and malevolent psychology that afflicts people of color. This project dissects the chemistry behind blind racism, using music as the medium to restore dignity and self-worth to my people. It’s an insightful, provocative and inspiring experience and should land at the center of our ongoing reckoning with race, racism and the writing of the next chapter of American history.

  

  Willie Nelson

  That's Life

  Legacy

  Honoring the enduring inspiration of Frank Sinatra, That’s Life is Willie Nelson’s second album of classics made famous by The Chairman Of The Board. Nelson (who has penned a few standards himself) inhabits 11 more of the most treasured songs in the Great American Songbook including the title track, "Luck Be A Lady,” "Nice Work If You Can Get It," "I've Got You Under My Skin," and "I Won't Dance" (a duet featuring Diana Krall).

  

  Smerz

  Believer

  XL Recordings

  Norwegian duo Smerz release Believer, their much anticipated debut album that pushes the band far beyond their previous EP releases, 2017’s Okey and 2018’s Have Fun. The duo meld sonic touchstones from their youth, like musicals and classical music, with swirling, trance-indebted synth lines and hip-hop plus R&B vocals that is distinctly Smerz.

  

  Julien Baker

  Little Oblivions

  Matador

  Little Oblivions, her third, weaves together unflinching autobiography with assimilated experience and hard-won observations from the past few years, taking Baker’s capacity for storytelling to new heights. It also marks a sonic shift, with the songwriter’s intimate piano and guitar arrangements newly enriched by bass, drums, keyboards, banjo, and mandolin with nearly all of the instruments performed by Baker.

  

  Pinegrove

  Amperland, NY

  Rough Trade

  This collection features 21 brand new studio recordings captured up-state in the house where the band lived and recorded for 4 years. From acoustic versions to unique arrangements featuring piano, pedal steel and organ, Amperland, NY touches on notes of folk and progressive rock previously unheard on their studio albums. This will be an essential addition to the Pinegrove catalog and encompasses all of the earnest and ecstatic live energy the band is known for.

  

  Bones Owens

  Bones Owens

  Black Ranch Records

  The full-length debut from Bones Owens is both gloriously gritty and undeniably euphoric -- a bold departure from the moody Americana of his previous EPs. The Missouri-bred musician delivers a powerful sound deeply inspired by ’60s garage-rock, Hill Country blues, and the swampy roots-rock of bands like Creedence Clearwater Revival. A potent showcase for his formidable guitar work, Owens arrives as a full-tilt expression of his wildest impulses, all swinging rhythms, and swaggering riffs.

  

  Lucy Spraggan

  Choices

  Cooking Vinyl

  If you’ve followed Lucy’s journey from her days as a cheeky Brit singing about tea and toast on X-Factor, her ever-rising popularity should come as no surprise. However, while her career has gone from strength to strength, her personal life has not always been as rosy, and her sixth album reflects back on a troubled twelve months. From sobriety, heartbreak, mental health, to just being yourself, Choices lays it all out in this raw and deeply honest collection.

  
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• New Release Round-Up 02-26-21

  

  Glitterer - Life Is Not A Lesson - Glitterer
  Life Is Not A Lesson is Glitterer’s second full-length album, featuring Ned Russin, bassist/vocalist of seminal hardcore-punk band Title Fight. This time Ned has produced the record himself, notwithstanding some recording and performance help from his twin brother, Ben, and some other friends, as well as mixing and mastering by Arthur Rizk (Code Orange, Power Trip). It may surprise you to hear that, irrespective of worldly doom and gloom, the new songs are even catchier and bigger-sounding than those from his 2019 release, Looking Through the Shades. With roomier drums and more electric-guitars-per-square-inch than ever, Life is Not a Lesson has a way of evoking an alternate-universe version of Guided By Voices, one with a hardcore-punk background. Life is Not a Lesson proves to be a rigorous reckoning with the life of the mind at a time when there’s not much life outside the mind.

  
     
  
  
  

  

  Architects - For Those That Wish To Exist - Epitaph
  Architects are back with their ninth studio album “For Those That Wish To Exist”. The band have confirmed their ascent to the very upper echelons of British heavy music. Few bands, of this modern era or any other, can match the quintet’s ability to blend uncompromising heavi-ness with razor-sharp melodic musicianship.  A versatile metal group based out of Brighton, England, Architects employ a lethal combination of breakdown-heavy guitars, melodic vocals and symphonic-ambient post-metal. That sonic delivery is conducted from a platform built on veganism and environmental activism.

  
     
  
  
  

  ALSO OUT THIS WEEK
  
  
  Bones Owens - Bones Owens  
  Black Crowes - Shake Your Money Maker: 30th Anniversary Edition  
  
  
  Alice Cooper - Detroit Stories [Indie Exclusive Limited Edition Red 2LP]
  Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Way Down In The Rust Bucket
  Architects - For Those That Wish To Exist [Indie Exclusive Limited Edition Summer Sky Wave LP]
  Altin Gun - Yol [Indie Exclusive Limited Edition Purple LP]
  Say Anything - ...Is a Real Boy [Indie Exclusive Limited Edition Yellow 2LP]
  PJ Harvey - Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea
  PJ Harvey - Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea - Demos
  Stereolab - Electrically Possessed (Switched On Volume 4)
  Julien Baker - Little Oblivions [Indie Exclusive Limited Edition Yellow LP]
  Pinegrove - Amperland, NY
  Willie Nelson - That’s Life
  Wesley Schultz - Vignettes
  Smerz - Believer
  Melvins - Working With God [Indie Exclusive Limited Edition Silver LP]
  Cloud Nothings - The Shadow I Remember
  Evergrey - Escape Of The Phoenix [Indie Exclusive Limited Edition Clear Red 2LP]
  Maximo Park - Nature Always Wins
  NOFX - Single Album
  Steve Lukather - I Found The Sun Again
  Joseph Williams - Denizen Tenant
  Lil' Kim - The Notorious K.I.M. [Pink/Black Mix 2LP]
  Ray Charles - The Best Of Ray Charles: The Atlantic Years [Blue 2LP]
  Chaka Khan - Epiphany: The Best Of Chaka Khan [Burgundy LP]
  
  
  
  & More .....
  

  For more information on these and other releases out this week, check out our New Releases charts by week section.
  
  

  UPCOMING RELEASES

  

  Adult Mom - Driver - Adult Mom
  Adult Mom began as the solo project of Stevie Knipe in a Purchase College dorm room in 2012, and now falls between the playful spectrum of solo project and collaborative band with beloved friends and musicians Olivia Battell and Allegra Eidinger. On Driver, Adult Mom’s third studio release, Stevie Knipe delves into the emotional space just beyond a coming-of-age, where the bills start to pile up and memories of college dorms are closer than those of high school parking lots. Like so many other twenty-somethings, Adult Mom’s third LP seeks to answer the age old question: what now? With an actualized sound, Adult Mom has arrived to soundtrack the queer rom-com they’ve been dreaming of since 2015. Driver incorporates an expert weaving of sonic textures ranging from synths and shakers to ‘00s-inspired guitar tones which convey a loving attention to detail.

  
     
  
  
  

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• What's New 2-12-21

  

  Django Django

  Glowing In The Dark

  Because Music

  Glowing in the Dark has a running theme of escape: from despair, from constraints, from small town life, and even, in dreams, from the Earth. The brilliant title track and new single, for instance, soars gloriously towards the stratosphere. A track built around a sample from one of Dave Maclean’s spoken word records then plushly upholstered with Moog synths and drum loops, it is accompanied by some eye strobing visuals from rapidly ascending NYC artist and illustrator Braulio Amado.

  

  The Pretty Reckless

  Death By Rock and Roll

  Fearless

  Written through the heartbreaking losses of Chris Cornell, who was one of frontwoman Taylor Momsen’s musical muses, and longtime collaborator Kato Khandwala, Death By Rock And Roll is The Pretty Reckless’s most ambitious release yet. The titular single became their fifth #1 at Active Rock Radio, a first for a female-fronted group. Features “25”, “And So It Went” w/ Tom Morello, & “Only Love Can Save Me Now” w/ Matt Cameron & Kim Thayil.

  

  Robin Thicke

  On Earth, and in Heaven

  Lucky Music/Empire

  Marking his first full-length album in six years, Five-Time GRAMMY Award nominee and diamond-selling performer Robin Thicke makes a return in 2021 with the long awaited new album, On Earth, and in Heaven. Setting the stage for the record, the scorching single "That's What Love Can Do," ignited this new flame and hit #1 on the charts. Presenting the same bold, bright, and boisterous R&B that turned him into a household name, Thicke ascends to new heights on his eighth full-length album.

  
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• New Release Round-Up 02-19-21

  

  Frank Zappa - Zappa Original Motion Picture Soundtrack - Zappa Records
  The Soundtrack is a perfect complement to the film available on 3 CDs for the Zappa completist. Showcasing 69 total songs, with 12 previously unreleased recordings from archive along with the 1978 Saturday Night Live performance; 24 additional Zappa songs from the catalog spanning 4 decades; songs from Zappa's labels Straight / Bizarre Records; 2 classical compositions by Edgard Varese and Igor Stravinsky; and 26 Original Score cues newly composed by John Frizzell for the documentary.
  
  Also Available Soon: Crystal Clear 2LP & 3CD

  
   
  
  
  

  

  Icon For Hire - Amorphous - Icon For Hire
  Icon For Hire’s sound is one that effortlessly blends heavy riffs, elements of electronic production and soaring vocal lines into a powerful & bold sonic explosion. However, at the heart of Icon For Hire’s music is a message of positivity, self-love and personal empowerment from the painfully relatable and rousing lyrics of Ariel. For Amorphous, the band worked with Grammy Nominated engineer Romesh Dodangoda (known for his previous work producing the last Bring Me The Horizon album as well as acts such as Don Broco, Busted, and Kids in Glass Houses). The album has been completely funded by fans through Kickstarter. This success was achieved thanks to the band’s highly dedicated ICON Army fanbase that support them on Patreon and have been there for the band though thick, thin, litigation, addiction and more. Having overcome both personal and professional adversity, Icon For Hire are living proof that you can take control of your life—and that’s perhaps the greatest success anyone can hope to accomplish.

  
     
  
  
  

  ALSO OUT THIS WEEK
  
  
  Tash Sultana - Terra Firma [Indie Exclusive Limited Edition Opaque Yellow LP]  
  Loathe - I Let It In And It Took Everything [Gold/Black 2LP] 
  
  
  The Hold Steady - Open Door Policy
  Grandaddy - The Sophtware Slump.....On A Wooden Piano
  Mogwai - As The Love Continues [Indie Exclusive Limited Edition Transparent Yellow LP]
  Edie Brickell and New Bohemians - Hunter And The Dog Star
  nothing,nowhere. - Trauma Factory
  BTS - Be (Essential Edition)
  Ricky Warwick - When Life Was Hard And Fast
  Devonte Hynes - We Are Who We Are (Original Series Soundtrack)
  Wild Pink - A Billion Little Lights [Indie Exclusive Limited Edition Glow-In-The-Dark LP]
  Sheila E. - The Glamorous Life [Teal LP]
  Aretha Franklin - Young, Gifted And Black [Burnt Orange LP]
  Hearty Har - Radio Astro
  Porter Robinson - Look At The Sky [Vinyl Single]
  Geneva Jacuzzi - Lamaze
  The Who - WHO [7in Singles Box Set w/ Live At Kingston CD]
  Hand Habits - Dirt EP [Vinyl]
  
  
  & More .....
  
  

  For more information on these and other releases out this week, check out our New Releases charts by week section.
  
  

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• New Release Round-Up 02-12-21

  

  Teenage Wrist - Earth Is A Black Hole - Epitaph
  The world may seem like a pretty strange place right now, but if nothing else that’s forced us into realizing that being human is a shared experience. That sentiment lies at the core of Earth Is A Black Hole, the second full-length from the Los Angeles rock act Teenage Wrist. The album also marks the group’s first release as a duo, with guitarist Marshall Gallagher stepping up as frontman, and longtime drummer Anthony Salazar backing him up in spectacular fashion. Gallagher explains. “I wanted to keep this band going and we didn’t know exactly what that would look like, so I wrote two songs and demoed them myself to see if everyone was still on board.” Those songs turned out to be the jangly power ballad “Yellowbelly” and spacey rocker “Wear U Down”—and with that, a new era of Teenage Wrist was born. The artistic liberation of this lineup change, coupled with the past two years the band spent touring alongside genre-smashing acts such as Thrice, allowed Teenage Wrist to expand on the shoegazing sound that helped establish them as one of the most exciting rock bands around today. From lush, guitar-driven songs like “High Again” to the atmospheric ambience of “Stella” and syncopated aggression of “Earth Is A Black Hole,“—most evidently on the swirling anthem “Silverspoon,“— Earth Is A Black Hole sees the band shifting their songwriting focus to a more modern sound that showcases the limitless potential of the band.

  
     
  
  
  

  

  The Band - Stage Fright: 50th Anniversary - Capitol
  Stage Fright is the third studio album by Canadian American group The Band, released on August 17, 1970. Engineered by Todd Rundgren and Glyn Johns, it features two of the group's best-known songs, "The Shape I'm In" and "Stage Fright", both of which showcased inspired lead vocal performances (by Richard Manuel and Rick Danko, respectively) and became staples in the group's live shows. Product Suite • Super Deluxe Box • 5.1 surround and hi-res stereo mix of album (by Bob Clearmountain) + new bonus tracks + previously unreleased Royal Albert Hall (1970) performance on Blu-ray • CD of new stereo mix album + new bonus tracks and unreleased Calgary hotel demo tracks CD of the Royal Albert Hall performance (stereo) • LP of main album new stereo mix (180gram, 33rpm) • 7” reproduction of original “Time To Kill” b/w “The Shape I’m In” Capitol single (Spanish pressing) Photo booklet with new notes by Robbie Robertson and a reprinting of the original 1970 Robert Hilburn Los Angeles Times album review

  
   
  
  
  

  

  Loretta Lynn - Coal Miner's Daughter - MCA Nashville
  Loretta Lynn introduced the world to a crucial aspect of American life that was rarely acknowledged when she released her 1970 autobiographical album, Coal Miner's Daughter. Already a country star with chart-topping singles, this title track, led a string of #1 hits and became her first recording inducted into the GRAMMY® Hall Of Fame. In addition, she was among a notable list of singer/songwriters who brought a woman’s perspective to country music. Celebrating 50 years.

  
   
  
  
  

  

  TOMORROW X TOGETHER - STILL DREAMING - UMe
  'STILL DREAMING' is the first Japanese album from TOMORROW X TOGETHER. The 10 tracks are comprised of Japanese versions of 6 of the group's Korean hits, plus 2 new instrumental tracks, a brand new Japanese original song, "Force," and their Japanese hit "Everlasting Shine:" The album is now available on CD and includes a lyric booklet filled with sunset-time photos. The first press also includes 1 of 5 randomly selected photo cards.

  
   
  
  
  

  ALSO OUT THIS WEEK
  
  
  Weezer - OK Human [Indie Exclusive Limited Edition Splatter LP]
  Sia - Music – Songs From And Inspired By The Motion Picture
  Florida Georgia Line - Life Rolls On
  Django Django - Glowing in the Dark [Indie Exclusive Limited Edition Luminescent Green LP]
  The Pretty Reckless - Death By Rock And Roll [Indie Exclusive Limited Edition Silver 2 LP]
  Taylor Swift - evermore [Grey Shell Cassette]
  Humanity's Last Breath - Välde
  Rammstein - Herzeleid - XXV Anniversary Edition
  Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - New Fragility [Indie Exclusive Limited Edition Milky Clear Translucent LP]
  Robin Thicke - On Earth & In Heaven
  Pentatonix - The Lucky Ones
  Moe. - Not Normal EP
  Fletcher - The S(Ex) Tapes
  Public Enemy - Power To The People And The Beats - Public Enemy's Greatest Hits [Limited Edition Blood Red w/ Black Smoke 2LP]
  Curtis Mayfield - There's No Place Like America [Blue LP]
  Curtis Mayfield - Roots [Orange LP]
  R+R=Now - R+R=Now Live
  
  
  
  & More .....
  
  

  For more information on these and other releases out this week, check out our New Releases charts by week section.
  
  

      

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• What's New 2-5-21

  

  Foo Fighters

  Medicine At Midnight

  RCA

  Medicine at Midnight, the new album from Foo Fighters, packs nine new songs into a tight-ass 37 minutes. This collection (their 10th full length) shows the usually more rock-focused group return with an expanded sound, incorporating pop, R&B and more, including the smoldering new single, “Shame Shame.” Produced by Greg Kurstin and Foo Fighters. *Available on limited edition blue vinyl.*

  

  Common

  A Beautiful Revolution

  Loma Vista

  A Beautiful Revolution finds Common returning to his hip-hop roots. A full length continuous listening experience, it features two interludes and seven new songs that Common refers to as movement music; “music to uplift, heal, and inspire listeners dealing with racial and social injustices. It’s recognition. It’s elevation. It’s music to go with a movement. To help channel pain and outrage into something productive, inspirational and good.”

  

  Aaron Lee Tasjan

  Tasjan! Tasjan! Tasjan!

  New West Records

  With his off-center charm and restless creative dazzle, Tasjan makes music with conviction that has its roots in rock's murky past, armed with an arsenal of songs that spill over with humor, intelligence, irony, and at times prophecy. Tasjan! Tasjan! Tasjan! is 11 of those songs. This is not anxious music for anxious times, but rather music as an antidote for anxious times. It is the sound of the future arriving.

  

  TV Priest

  Uppers

  Sub Pop

  It’s tempting to think that you have all the answers, screaming your gospel every day with certainty and anger. Life isn’t quite like that though, and the debut album from London four-piece TV Priest instead embraces the beautiful and terrifying unknowns that exist personally, politically, and culturally. Posing as many questions as it answers, Uppers is a thunderous opening statement that continues the UK’s recent resurgence of grubby, furious post-punk music. It says something very different though – something completely its own.

  

  The Staves

  Good Woman

  Nonesuch

  The Staves’ first album in five years is an accumulation of everything that life has thrown at them in that time. It’s a decade since The Staves self-released their first EP and a lot has happened since then. Their third album Good Woman was written and recorded amid major upheaval, heartbreak and bereavement. The new-found boldness, loudness and lyrical directness on this record are indicative of lives forced to become a serious concern.

  

  The Weeknd

  The Highlights

  XO/Republic

  Two days before his half-time performance at this year’s Super Bowl, The Weeknd will release a highlight reel of his own. The career-spanning The Highlights includes five songs each from 2020’s After Hours and 2015’s Beauty Behind the Madness, three Starboy tracks, two House of Balloons cuts, one My Dear Melancholy song, and two songs that were not on Weeknd projects (Black Panther’s “Pray for Me” and Ariana Grande’s “Love Me Harder”).

  
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• New Release Round-Up 02-05-21

  

  Aaron Lee Tasjan - Tasjan! Tasjan! Tasjan! - New West Records
  Every now and then an artist comes along who makes you remember why you started listening to albums in the first place: Aaron Lee Tasjan is that artist. With his off-center charm and restless creative dazzle, he makes music with conviction that has its roots in rock’s murky past, armed with an arsenal of songs that spill over with humor, intelligence, irony, and at times prophecy. He updates the idea of androgyny but dispels the emotional and social ambiguity with lyrics that reflect his own geographic and artistic wanderings. Tasjan! Tasjan! Tasjan! is 11 songs. The man who began the album, is not the same man who completed it, transformed both by the experiences that inspired the songs and crafting them. This is not anxious music for anxious times, but rather music as an antidote for anxious times. It is the sound of the future arriving.

  
     
  
  
  

  

  John Mayall - The First Generation 1965-1974 - Snapper UK / Madfish
  There are box sets and then there are BOX SETS. John Mayall’s The First Generation 1965-1974 set sits firmly in the latter category, being substantial both in the artefacts contained within and the superb music it encompasses. The first set of this size to be released documenting John Mayall’s early years sees not only all albums from his much lauded formative career, but also unreleased tracks aplenty. Featuring Eric Clapton, Peter Green, Mick Taylor, Harvey Mandel, Blue Mitchell, Jon Mark and many more outstanding musicians, this mammoth package contains 35 CDs, a beautiful hardback book and much more. Not for nothing did Mayall earn the moniker ‘Godfather of the British Blues’. For a short but compelling time in the 60s and 70s he recognised raw talent, took it in, nurtured it, and everyone thrived and benefitted as a result. Many of the best musicians of the period passed through the hallowed ranks of John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers. All are on show here in a stunning set crammed with musical highlights.

  
   
  
  
  

  

  The Weeknd - The Highlights - XO Records
  If you can’t feel your face waiting for the big game this Weeknd, save your tears because we’ve got the perfect soundtrack to carry you to kickoff and all the way through the after hours. Get acquainted with The Highlights – a new greatest hit collection from The Weeknd ahead of his highly-anticipated Super Bowl halftime performance. Or explore The Weeknd’s entire catalog, from his 2013 debut Kiss Land all the way through last year’s multi-platinum smash After Hours. Go ahead, you’ve earned it.

  
     
  
  
  

  
  
  

  

  ALSO OUT THIS WEEK
  
  
  Black Country, New Road - For the first time [Indie Exclusive Limited Edition White LP]  
  
  
  Common - A Beautiful Revolution Pt. 1 [Indie Exclusive Limited Edition Red/White/Blue Marble LP]
  Foo Fighters - Medicine at Midnight [Indie Exclusive Limited Edition Blue LP]
  Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings - Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Rendition Was In)
  The Weather Station - Ignorance [Indie Exclusive Limited Edition Silver LP]
  Various Artists - A Benefit For Equality Vol. 1 [Indie Exclusive Limited Edition LP]
  John Prine - September 78
  Danny Kroha - Detroit Blues [Indie Exclusive Limited Edition Turquoise LP]
  The Decemberists - Live Home Library Vol 1 August 11 2009 Royal Oak [LP]
  Hounds - Cattle In The Sky
  The Staves - Good Woman
  Yes - House Of Yes: Live From House Of Blues [Limited Edition Translucent Blue 3LP]
  A.J. Croce - By Request
  Deacon Blue - Riding On The Tide Of Love
  Role Model - Our Little Angel EP
  Transatlantic - The Absolute Universe: The Breath of Life (Abridged Version) [Indie Exclusive Limited Edition Silver 3LP]
  Transatlantic - The Absolute Universe: Forevermore (Extended Edition) [Indie Exclusive Limited Edition Blue 3LP+2CD Box Set]
  Bob Marley & The Wailers - Songs Of Freedom: The Island Years [6 LP Box Set]
  George Benson - Breezin' [Blue/Badge LP]
  Sugarhill Gang - The Best of Sugarhill Gang - Rapper's Delight [Limited Edition Translucent Gold Audiophile LP]
  TV Priest - Uppers
  
  
  
  & More .....
  
  

  For more information on these and other releases out this week, check out our New Releases charts by week section.
  
  

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• What's New 1-29-21

  

  Lucero

  When You Found Me

  Liberty & Lament

  Building on the themes of their critically acclaimed album Among The Ghosts, "family" is at the center of Lucero's new album When You Found Me. The album reimagines family stories as modern fables, with young heroines and storybook lyrics inspired by the fairy tales lead singer Ben Nichols' reads with his four year old daughter at bedtime. Throughout When You Found Me, true stories are turned into fantasy and folktales are reimagined into pummeling rock songs.

  

  Goat Girl

  On All Fours

  Rough Trade

  On All Fours sees the band veer away from the confrontational lyricism of their debut and indicates Goat Girl’s maturing perspectives in discussing the world's injustices and social prejudices, using the music to explore global, humanitarian, environmental and mindful well-being. Frequent use of sci-fi synthesizers, off-beat chord progressions, analogue drum machines, diverse vocal styles and distinct, gritty guitars fuse a musical language that expresses both former characteristics and newer developments of the band’s sound and vision.

  

  Arlo Parks

  Collapsed In Sunbeams

  Transgressive/PIAS

  2021 is less than a month old and already we have one of the albums of the year from London-based musician and poet Arlo Parks. It’s a series of vignettes and intimate portraits surrounding her adolescence and the people that shaped it. Heartbreak, beautiful poetry, betrayal and hope, all inspired by Allen Ginsberg, Sylvia Plath, Jim Morrison and Fela Kuti. One listen and you will fall in love, like when you first heard Frank Ocean, King Krule or Lilly Allen.

  

  The Dead South

  Served Live

  Six Shooter Records

  Recorded during the Served Cold World Tour, which traveled the USA, UK and Ireland before the shutdown, Served Live is a full concert set list taped at iconic and beloved venues, from London’s Brixton Academy and Denver’s Mission Ballroom to The Belasco Theatre in LA. Featuring new material from the Gold-certified bluegrass band and their JUNO Award winning album Sugar & Joy, Served Live puts you in the front row in your own home, where we hope you’ll stay safe.

  

  Steven Wilson

  The Future Bites

  Arts & Crafts

  The Future Bites is an exploration of how the human brain has evolved in the Internet era, an online portal to a world of high concept design custom built for the ultra-modern consumer. It’s less a bleak vision of an approaching dystopia, more a curious reading of the here and now featuring gorgeous, warped electronic sounds, stratosphere-leveled acoustics, relentless, bass-driven Motorik grooves and swampish, murky funk.

  

  Tribulation

  Where The Gloom Becomes Sound

  Metal Blade

  Sweden’s kings of gothic, deathly metal have returned with Where the Gloom Becomes Sound-- a masterclass in all things tenebrous and creepy. The Swedes have crafted a sonic fingerprint unlike any other by fusing heavy metal, death metal, hard rock, and (Swedish) folk music into what can only be described as the “Tribulation sound.” Moored by incredible songwriting and developed by a brilliant production team, Tribulation is aesthetically in a league of their own.

  
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• New Release Round-Up 01-29-21

  

  Arlo Parks - Collapsed In Sunbeams - Transgressive
  Twenty-year-old, London-based musician and poet Arlo Parks, has been very steadily climbing the ranks as an artist to watch since the release of her confessional debut single "Cola" in 2018. Arlo has received praise from artists such as Billie Eilish, Wyclef Jean, Clairo, Florence Welsh and Phoebe Bridgers during the past year while growing her fan base exponentially. Arlo's debut album "is a series of vignettes and intimate portraits surrounding my adolescence and the people that shaped it. It is rooted in storytelling and nostalgia - I want it to feel both universal and hyper specific." On a personal level, Parks struggled with her identity growing up; a self- confessed tom-boy who was super sensitive and "uncool," she says it was like "I'm a black kid who can't dance for shit, listens to emo music and currently has a crush on some girl in my Spanish class." By the time she reached 17, she shaved her head, figured out she was bisexual and produced/wrote an album's worth of material.

  
     
  
  
  

  

  Lucero - When You Found Me - Liberty & Lament
  Like the great river that flows through Memphis, the music of Lucero keeps rolling on, twisting and turning through the years, the same dark and brooding steadiness always at work.  Since forming in late the ‘90s, this group of Memphis road-dogs has mixed heartfelt lyrics with the sounds of early rock and roll, classic punk, country-folk, and deep-fried Southern soul. It’s a sound that stands on the pillars of American music, born more of feeling than technique, delivered night after night to legions of fans in dive bars and theaters, and on stages as august as Red Rocks Amphitheater and the Ryman. In short, it’s music that is built to last, impervious to trends.  For their tenth studio album, When You Found Me, the band continues its natural evolution, this time tapping into a more atmospheric, widescreen vision (one that wouldn’t seem out of place on a Reagan-era FM dial) while still staying tethered to its roots.  “I wanted a very classic rock sound for this album,” says songwriter and frontman Ben Nichols. “I wanted it to sound like stuff I heard on the radio growing up. I didn’t want to make a retro record at all, but I did want to reference some of those sounds and tones and moods. I think we struck a nice balance between nostalgia and something that still sounds like contemporary Lucero.”

  
     
  
  
  

  ALSO OUT THIS WEEK
  
  
  Baio - Dead Hand Control  
  
  Steven Wilson - THE FUTURE BITES
  Mike Krol - Mike Krol Is Never Dead: The First Two Records
  The Milk Carton Kids - Live From Lincoln Theatre
  Bombay Bicycle Club - I Had The Blues But I Shook Them Loose: Live At Brixton
  PJ Harvey - Is This Desire? (2020 Reissue)
  PJ Harvey - Is This Desire? - Demos
  Goat Girl - On All Fours
  The Dead South - Served Live
  Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio - I Told You So
  Lastlings - First Contact
  Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel - Best Years Of Our Lives: 45th Anniversary
  BlackPink - THE ALBUM
  Various Artists - Golden Age: 25 Years Of Signature Sounds
  Joan As Police Woman - Live
  The Notwist - Vertigo Days
  John Prine - Storm Windows [SYEOR 2021 LP]
  John Prine - Pink Cadillac [SYEOR 2021 LP]
  John Prine - Bruised Orange [SYEOR 2021 LP]
  Ani DiFranco - Revolutionary Love
  Public Enemy - Power To The People And The Beats - Public Enemy's Greatest Hits
  Anna B Savage - A Common Turn
  
  
  
  & More .....
  
  

  For more information on these and other releases out this week, check out our New Releases charts by week section.
  
  

      

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• Arlo Parks - Collapsed In Sunbeams

  

  At just 20-years-old, Arlo Parks has seen her profile steadily rise since the release of her debut single, “Cola,” in 2018. Parks is quick to note the impact independent record stores have had on her, and her ascension in the music world. “I spent a lot of time in indie record stores when I was a kid and I’m really grateful for all they brought to me,” said Parks. “They’re a place where you can really delve into music, explore new music and discover whole worlds of sonic palates.”
  
  Since releasing “Cola,” Parks, a London-based musician and poet, has emerged as a favorite on “artists to watch” lists thanks to a prolific output of delicately-soulful tracks like “Sophie,” “Eugene” and “Hurt.” Along the way, Parks has received praise from the likes of artists like Billie Eilish, Wyclef Jean, Clairo, Florence Welsh and Phoebe Bridgers.
  
  The next stop on Parks’ journey comes on January 29 with the release of her full-length debut, Collapsed in Sunbeams. Parks describes the album as “a series of vignettes and intimate portraits surrounding my adolescence and the people that shaped it. It is rooted in storytelling and nostalgia – I want to feel both universal and hyper-specific.”

  PREVIEW AND PURCHASE - Collapsed in Sunbeams
  
  
  

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• New Release Round-Up 01-22-21

  

  The Dead Daisies - Holy Ground - SPV
  The Dead Daisies have started the next chapter welcoming new band member Glenn Hughes. Also known as "The Voice Of Rock", Glenn has taken over lead vocals and bass guitar, joining guitarists Doug Aldrich, David Lowy and drummer Deen Castronovo. With the addition of Glenn Hughes, The Daisies supercharge their front line through his rock solid bass grooves and unmatched vocal intensity. As all fans know, the man is a true original, inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame, with a rich history of music that features heavy weights like Deep Purple and Black Country Communion as well as a successful solo career. One might say: "They don't build rockers like him anymore". Followers can expect more High-Voltage Rock songs, indomitable grooves and spellbinding lyrics, all the ingredients that have made this music so timeless, out-living trends of the modern day. The sound of The Dead Daisies is entrenched in the Hard Rock way of life we all love but as a living, breathing rock band, they are constantly evolving & bringing new dynamics to a classic style.

  
     
  
  
  

  ALSO OUT THIS WEEK
  
  
  Bring Me The Horizon - Post Human: Survival Horror
  Bicep - Isles
  Perry Farrell - The Glitz; The Glamour
  Guided By Voices - Styles We Paid For
  Brian Eno - Film Music 1976 – 2020
  Kiwi jr. - Cooler Returns
  Rhye - Home
  Moon Taxi - Silver Dream
  Seasick Steve - Love & Peace
  Steve Hackett - Under A Mediterranean Sky
  Cub Scout Bowling Pins - Heaven Beats Iowa EP
  Nicholas Lens / Nick Cave - L.I.T.A.N.I.E.S
  Bob Mould - Distortion: 1996-2007
  Frankie Goes To Hollywood - Bang!... The Greatest Hits Of Frankie Goes To Hollywood
  Spice Girls - Forever [Deluxe LP]
  Old Dominion - Meat And Candy
  Jason Bieler & The Baron Von Bielski Orchestra - Songs For The Apocalypse
  Nuggets: Original Artyfacts From The First Psychedelic Era 1965-1968 [SYEOR 2021 2LP]
  Genesis - A Trick of the Tail [SYEOR 2021 Easter Yellow LP]
  Genesis - Duke [SYEOR 2021 White LP]
  Dire Straits - Brothers In Arms [SYEOR 2021 2LP]
  Dire Straits - Communiqué [SYEOR 2021 LP]
  Dire Straits - Dire Straits [SYEOR 2021 LP]
  Dire Straits - Love Over Gold [SYEOR 2021 LP]
  Dire Straits - Making Movies [SYEOR 2021 LP]
  Dire Straits - On Every Street [SYEOR 2021 2LP]
  Curtis Mayfield - Superfly [SYEOR 2021 Opaque LP]
  
  
  
  & More .....
  
  

  For more information on these and other releases out this week, check out our New Releases charts by week section.
  
  

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• New Release Round-Up 01-15-21

  

  Beach Bunny - Blame Game EP - Mom & Pop Music
  Beach Bunny release their new EP Blame Game out via Mom+Pop Music. The new EP follows the band’s 2020 Billboard Top 10 debut album Honeymoon, which received 4 STARS from Rolling Stone - and a print profile - a multi-page critic’s essay from The New Yorker and features with The Cut, i-D, Paper, Nylon and many more. Where Honeymoon centered on the highs and lows of new love, Blame Game takes aim at toxic masculinity, sexism and the emotional labor of unreliable relationships. Blame Game was written in quarantine and recorded in Chicago over a week in August. The four new original songs are produced by Joe Reinhart (Hop Along, Joyce Manor, Modern Baseball, Remo Drive).

  
     
  
  
  

  ALSO OUT THIS WEEK
  
  
  Eminem - Music To Be Murdered By - Side B (Deluxe Edition)
  Jeff Tweedy - Love Is The King
  Tyler Childers - Long Violent History
  You Me At Six - Suckapunch
  Sleaford Mods - Spare Ribs
  Zayn - Nobody Is Listening
  Accept - Too Mean To Die
  Bill Withers - Greatest Hits
  Why Don't We - The Good Times And The Bad Ones
  DaBaby - BLAME IT ON BABY [Deluxe 2LP]
  Matthew Sweet - Catspaw
  Trampled By Turtles - Blue Sky & The Devil
  Trampled By Turtles - Songs From A Ghost Town
  Fleetwood Mac - The Best Of Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac
  Buffalo Springfield - Retrospective: The Best Of Buffalo Springfield [SYEOR 2021 LP]
  Talk Talk - It's My Life [SYEOR 2021 LP]
  Billie Joe + Norah - Foreverly [SYEOR 2021 Orange Ice Cream LP]
  Danny Elfman - Batman: Original Motion Picture Score [SYEOR 2021 Solid Turquoise LP]
  Danny Elfman - Dick Tracy (Original Score) [SYEOR 2021 Transparent Blue LP]
  Led Zeppelin - Immigrant Song/Hey Hey What Can I Do [Vinyl-Single]
  21 Savage / Metro Boomin - SAVAGE MODE II
  Lil Tecca - Virgo World
  Pop Smoke - Shoot For The Stars Aim For The Moon
  Kurt Vile - Speed Sound Lonely KV EP
  
  
  
  
  & More .....
  
  

  For more information on these and other releases out this week, check out our New Releases charts by week section.
  
  

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