5 Seconds Of Summer – 5 Seconds Of Summer CD (Capitol)
Debut full-length album from the Australian pop/punk quartet.

Alvvays – Alvvays CD/LP+MP3 (Polyvinyl)
Alvvays is two women, three men, a crate of C-86 tapes and a love of jingle-jangle. Both sun-splashed and twilit, their self-titled debut features nine songs concealing drunkenness, defeat and death in tungsten-tinted pop that glitters like sea glass. (Also available on electric-blue vinyl.)

Anberlin – Lowborn CD (Tooth & Nail)
Anberlin’s seventh and final album. Vinyl version due August 19.

Anti-Flag – Document Of Dissent (1993-2003) CD/2xLP (Fat Wreck Chords)
After more than 20 years writing smash hits about smashing the state, Anti-Flag have compiled a comprehensive best of album. Aptly titled A Document Of Dissent, this collection houses two decades of material that thoroughly represents Anti-Flag’s strong blend of music and message.

Bathory – Bathory [Reissue/1984] LP (Plastic Head America)
Bathory – Under The Sign Of The Black Mark [Reissue/1987] LP (Plastic Head America)
Bathory – Hammerheart [Reissue/1990] 2xLP (Plastic Head America)
Bathory – Twilight Of The Gods [Reissue/1991] LP (Plastic Head America)
Bathory – Blood On Ice [Reissue/1996] LP (Plastic Head America)
Bathory was essentially a one-man band, fronted by Quorthon and filled out with an endless string of session players who usually only lasted one album. Based in Sweden, Bathory is widely regarded as a pioneer of the modern black metal sound, and everybody who is anybody in black metal likes to quote Bathory as a big influence. Continue reading →

Marsha Ambrosius – Friends & Lovers CD (RCA)
The British R&B singer/songwriter’s sophomore album features production from Marsha, Pop & Oak, Da Internz, Eric Hudson, The Justice League and more.

Dave Alvin & Phil Alvin – Common Ground: Dave Alvin & Phil Alvin Play and Sing the Songs of Big Bill Broonzy LP+MP3+CD (Yep Roc)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. The Alvin brothers, who founded seminal early L.A. punk roots band The Blasters in 1979, have shared a fascination with Broonzy since childhood. After an illness nearly took Phil’s life in 2012, they resolved to return to the studio and pay tribute to the blues legend. Common Ground includes 12 songs that capture a 30-year cross section of Broonzy’s canon, performed by the Alvins’ in their signature style of rollicking roots and stomping country blues.

Beyoncé – Beyoncé 2xLP+DVD (Sony)
Double vinyl LP pressing including bonus DVD. 2013 album from the R&B superstar. The album features 14 songs spread over two slabs of wax plus a DVD that contains 17 provocative promo videos.

Big Wreck – Ghosts CD (Zoe)
“Big Wreck has often flirted with progressive rock, particularly on their earlier material, and even on Ghosts, while the band might at first glance come off as a somewhat generic modern rock band, close listening reveals some impressively intricate layering and a diverse palette of sounds that is subtle and deceptively simple-sounding.” – Sputnik Music Continue reading →

The 13th Floor Elevators – Live Elevation Lost 2xCD/3xLP (Charly)
Live Elevation Lost: The 13th Floor Elevators Live At The Houston Music Theatre is the first ever release of the complete performance of the band’s legendary show from February 18, 1967.  Due in later this week.

Syd Barrett – The Madcap Laughs [Reissue/1970] LP (Parlophone)
Syd Barrett – Barrett [Reissue/1970] LP (Parlophone)
Syd Barrett – Barrett [Reissue/1988] LP (Parlophone)
HQ-180gm vinyl represses now available.

Blackberry Smoke – Leave A Scar: Live In North Carolina CD (Blackberry Smoke)
Mixing elements of gospel, bluegrass, arena rock, soul and more than a touch of outlaw country; Blackberry Smoke has earned a passionate fan base that continues to grow as the band itself evolves. Also available on stand-alone DVD.

Braid – No Coast CD/LP (Top Shelf)
Braid’s first full-length in 16 years is an immediate, energetic album that completely eschews the traditional “reunion record” expectation of older people making slower, softer music. A large part of that can be attributed to the group’s rhythm section, Todd Bell (bass) and Damon Atkinson (drums), who have played in lockstep with one another for more than 15 years and whose musical chemistry is undeniable. Continue reading →