New Releases for August 26, 2022
CDs + Vinyl:
Bastille – Give Me The Future + Dreams Of The Past 2xCD (Republic)
Earlier this year, Bastille released Give Me The Future, a record that explores a future free from restrictions. The album embraces a new wave of technology, which enables us to get lost inside our imagination and travel back and forward in time to be anyone or do anything. This expanded edition features new songs, collaborations, covers and reprises.
Blondie – Against The Odds: 1974-1982 3xCD/8xCD/4xLP/10xLP+10”+7” (Capitol)
Against The Odds: 1974-1982 is the first authorized, in-depth anthology from Blondie in their 50-year history. Says Debbie Harry: “It really is a treat to see how far we have come when I listen to these early attempts to capture our ideas on relatively primitive equipment. Fortunately, the essence of being in a band in the early ‘70s held some of the anti-social, counterculture energies of the groups that were the influencers of the ‘60s. I am excited about this special collection. When I listen to these old tracks, it puts me there like I am a time traveler. As bad as it was sometimes, it was also equally as good. No regrets. More music.” [Available in a variety of collectable configurations, including three-CD and four-LP collections of the very best of the outtakes and rarities from the Super Deluxe CD and vinyl editions.]
Dirty Heads – Midnight Control CD/Cassette (Better Noise Music)
California reggae-influenced band Dirty Heads release their eighth studio album, Midnight Control.
Steve Earle & The Dukes – Jerry Jeff CD/LP (New West)
Steve Earle has been creating intimate and personal music for well over four decades now. His songwriting has wound itself along a path from Texas to Tennessee and his education came in the form of learning from the best. 2009’s Grammy-nominated record Townes was a tribute to his dear friend and mentor, Townes Van Zandt. Ten years later Earle released, Guy – an album concentrated on paying homage to the late Guy Clark and the indelible friendship that they had formed in stories told through song. 2022 welcomes the release of Jerry Jeff: a 10-song collection of songs written by the gypsy songman, Jerry Jeff Walker. Featuring hits like, “Mr Bojangles” and “Gettin’ By”, Earle & The Dukes honor the late Texan by amplifying the concept and sound of each song with a full-band recording.
Lupe Fiasco – Drill Music In Zion CD/LP (1st & 15th Productions/Thirty Tigers)
Twisting and contorting the English language to fit the meter and his every whim, Lupe Fiasco uses his superb lyrical skill to process the changing world in which he lives. The product of a burst of thoughtful spontaneity, Lupe created the album over a short period, diving into a folder of beats sent by his longtime producer Soundtrakk and emerging with a fully realized album in just three days.
Chris Forsyth – Evolution Here We Come CD/2xLP (No Quarter)
To wit, if you think you know already what you’ll be getting into here – heady, Television-esque multi-guitar jams played with motorik precision and a fiercely American intensity: you know, a Chris Forsyth record – well, go ahead and think that. Only…maybe the pulsing bass, curiously lurching drumbeat, and lunar synth squiggling of Sun Ra Arkestra maestro Marshall Allen that opens “Experimental & Professional” will set you back on your heels.
Ezra Furman – All Of Us Flames CD (ANTI-)
As a singer, songwriter, and author whose incendiary music has soundtracked the Netflix show Sex Education, Ezra Furman has for years woven together stories of queer discontent and unlikely, fragile intimacies.
Vince Guaraldi – It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown CD/LP (Craft)
Previously thought to be lost to time, It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown contains the original session reels for television special. What you will hear on most tracks of this new and improved “best” version of the soundtrack are the musical cues as recorded by Vince and crew before they were edited for the television special, in show order, as well as a selection of alternate takes. Mastered for optimum sound with new, expanded liner notes.
Will Hoge – Wings On My Shoes CD/LP (Will Hoge)
A celebratory nod to Will Hoge’s songwriting hero ringing out with power chords and cymbal crashes, “John Prine’s Cadillac” heralds the veteran singer-songwriter’s eagerly awaited twelfth studio album, Wings On My Shoes. It marks yet another milestone in the Grammy-nominated artist’s two-decade-plus musical journey.
Valerie June – Under Cover CD/LP (Fantasy)
Under Cover is a special collection of cover songs curated and performed by Grammy-nominated artist Valerie June. Under Cover features singular interpretations of some of her favorite songs including Mazzy Star’s “Fade Into You”, Frank Ocean’s “Godspeed”, Nick Drake’s “Pink Moon”, and more.
Marcus King – Young Blood CD/LP (American)
Grammy-nominated artist, performer, and songwriter Marcus King was downright destined to play music. Plugged into his old man’s dusty amp with a ’59 Les Paul in hand, Marcus set out to make a rock ‘n’ roll record in 2022. He didn’t disguise his ambitions at all. He didn’t hold back. He didn’t think about anything but writing from the gut, shooting from the hip, and playing straight from the heart. Joined by Auerbach, he made the kind of rock ‘n’ roll record that makes arenas and asses shake.
Bret McKenzie – Songs Without Jokes CD/LP+MP3 (Sub Pop)
As you can probably glean from that gleaming album title, Bret McKenzie – whom you know from such modern musical treasures as comedy duo Flight Of The Conchords, the Muppets movie reboots and other ace family-film soundtracks, guest songs for The Simpsons, and more – has a new solo record filled with songs that are not comedy songs, “Post-Conchords, I’d been working on songs for the Muppets films, and during a session I had the thought that it would be fun someday to work on some songs that weren’t for someone else, that doesn’t have to tell a story or be funny or continue the narrative plot, checking all the boxes for the character in the movie,” McKenzie says. “I thought it’d be fun to do a record like that, something different.”
Alanis Morissette – The Storm Before The Calm CD (Epiphany Music)
Alanis has been a long-time advocate in the mental health and mindfulness space, and The Storm Before The Calm is an extension of that. The music is an aural journey of soothing instrumentation and expressive mid-tempo percussion; 3 of the 11 tracks include atmospheric vocal tones.
Muse – Will Of The People CD/LP (WB)
“A pandemic, new wars in Europe, massive protests & riots, an attempted insurrection, Western democracy wavering, rising authoritarianism, wildfires and natural disasters and the destabilization of the global order all informed Will Of The People. It has been a worrying and scary time for all of us as the Western empire and the natural world, which have cradled us for so long are genuinely threatened. This album is a personal navigation through those fears and preparation for what comes next.”
Heather Nova – Other Shores CD/LP (Heather Nova)
On her first cover album, Heather Nova reinterprets songs by Rick Astley, Sting, The National and the Bee Gees, among others: “For me, recording a cover is all about stripping away the original production, to find the bare bones of the song. I love the process of getting right inside the emotion of the song, feeling it as my own, and presenting it in a new, rawer, and intimate form. I’m fascinated by how songs written by men feel very different when sung by a woman.”
William Orbit – The Painter CD/LP (Int’l Repertoire)
William Orbit returns with his first new album in over eight years. Entitled The Painter, it is unmistakably William Orbit and features vocal collaborations from an array of artists including Katie Melua, Beth Orton, Polly Scattergood, Ali Love, and more.
Pianos Become The Teeth – Drift CD (Epitaph)
Baltimore/D.C. post-hardcore band Pianos Become The Teeth deliver their fifth studio album and follow up to 2018’s Wait For Love, which Pitchfork praised for “nimble musicianship, inventive rhythms.”
Tedeschi Trucks Band – I Am The Moon: IV. Farewell CD (Fantasy)
The fifth studio project from the Tedeschi Trucks Band, I Am The Moon: IV. Farewell is the most ambitious and, at the same time, intimate record that America’s best rock ‘n’ roll big band has ever made: a genuinely epic undertaking in four episodes and 24 songs inspired by classical literature but emotionally driven by the immediate drama, isolation and mourning of the pandemic era. [Vinyl edition due September 9.]
Loudon Wainwright III – Lifetime Achievement CD (Storysound)
Loudon Wainwright III’s latest album, Lifetime Achievement, is comprised of 15 new and original songs, and establishes his singular talent as our foremost six-string tragicomedian, not only undiminished, but hitting new heights.
Yellowjackets – Parallel Motion CD (Mack Avenue)
Parallel Motion is a true testament to the longevity and resilience of a band who debuted over 40 years ago. Consistently reinventing themselves through elevated instrumentation in their signature electro-acoustic soundscape, the current lineup consisting of Bob Mintzer (tenor & soprano saxophone/EWI), Russell Ferrante (piano/keyboards), Will Kennedy (drums, keyboards) and Dane Alderson (electric bass, MIDI Sequencing) showcases a collective at their prime.
Doors – L.A. Woman [Reissue/1971] LP (Elektra)
The Doors released six studio albums in all, as well as a live album and a compilation, before Morrison’s death in 1971. The last album The Doors recorded, L.A. Woman, was also their best seller. Released in 1971, this instant classic gave the world “Riders On The Storm”, “Love Her Madly”, and the radio staple “L.A. Woman”.
Kendrick Lamar – Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers 2xLP (Interscope)
Now available on vinyl. Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers is the fifth studio album by rapper Kendrick Lamar.
Moby – Play [Reissue/1999] 2xLP (D.E.F.)
Play is the fifth studio album by electronic musician Moby, originally released in 1999. Moby’s goal for Play was to return to this style of music, blending downtempo with blues and roots music samples. Originally intended to be his final record, the album was recorded at Moby’s home studio in Manhattan, New York. Play was both a critical success and a commercial phenomenon.
Pigeons Playing Ping Pong – Perspective 2xLP (No Coincidence)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Pigeons Playing Ping Pong retreated to Wright Way Studios in their hometown of Baltimore, MD to record their sixth studio album and remind themselves of the healing power of music. The album’s twelve-song track list runs the gamut of their eclectic sound.
Tony Rice – Guitar [Reissue/1974] LP (Rebel)
Guitar was Tony Rice’s first venture into recording, and it still holds up as one of the great bluegrass guitar records ever issued. The album came to Rebel in a roundabout way. It was recorded in Lexington, Kentucky, first appeared on a record label in Japan, made its way back to Kentucky for release on a regional label that was later acquired by Rebel in the late 1970s. As Tony was working in banjo-great J.D. Crowe’s band at the time, it was quite natural for Crowe., Tony’s brother and mandolinist Larry Rice, and bassist Bobby Slone to provide the instrumental backing. Recorded at a time when progressive sounds and styles were treading on the traditional framework of bluegrass, Guitar was praised for walking the fine line of spotlighting Tony’s prowess on the instrument while remaining very much a “band” recording.
Silk Sonic (Bruno Mars + Anderson .Paak) – An Evening With Silk Sonic LP (Atlantic)
An Evening With Silk Sonic is the debut studio album by American R&B duo Silk Sonic, composed of recording artists Bruno Mars and Anderson. Paak. Recording sessions for An Evening with Silk Sonic took place in 2017 and between early 2020 to mid-2021 at Shampoo Press & Curl Studios.
Slipknot – All Hope Is Gone [Reissue/2008] 2xLP (Roadrunner)
Slipknot – We Are Not Your Kind [Reissue/2019] 2xLP (Roadrunner)
Color vinyl reisssues.
Regina Spektor – 11:11 [Reissue/2001] LP (Sire/London/Rhino)
11:11 is the debut album by Regina Spektor that was originally self-released in July of 2001. The album was sold at Spektor’s early shows but has since been long out of print. 11:11 has now been remastered and is available once again.
Windhand – Levitation Sessions 2xLP (Reverberation Appreciation Society)
Two colorways: indie store exclusive green w/ smoke and limited-edition smoke. Originally airing on November 14, 2020, during the height of the great quarantine of planet earth, Windhand delivered one of the heaviest levitation sessions to date.
