Sunday, March 31, 2019

Upcoming Album of the Week (Ending March 30)

There were some exciting inductions this year to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, including The Cure, The Zombies, Radiohead, Janet Jackson (who called for more women to be inducted), and Stevie Nicks (who is the first woman to be inducted twice)! Most of the new inductees' careers are still going strong, so we can look forward to more new music from them. The Cure is already teasing their next record!

When that is announced, be sure to look for it on my Upcoming Releases page!

This week, Bedouine announced her sophomore album, Bird Songs of a Killjoy.


Bedouine is Azniv Korkejian, who released a spectacular self-titled debut in 2017. Her sound is a bit of a throwback to '70s folk which, for me, evokes a bit of Linda Perhacs and Joni Mitchell. She released a song and video, "When You're Gone," a few weeks ago before announcing the record, showing that she was not straying far from the sound of her first album.



The follow-up was announced on Thursday along with a second single, "Bird."



Bird Songs of Killjoy will be released on May 31.

Also announced this week:

Angelique Kidjo - Celia (April 19)
Broken Social Scene - Let’s Try the After - Vol 2 (April 12)
Calexico/Iron & Wine - Years to Burn (June 14)
Cate Le Bon - Reward (May 24)
Editors - The Blanck Mass Sessions (May 3)
Flume - Hi This Is Flume (out now)
Hanna: Season 1 - Music from the Amazon Original Series (out now)
Interpol - A Fine Mess (May 17)
Jane Weaver - Loops in the Secret Society (June 21)
Jenn Grant - Love, Inevitable (May 31)
Josephine Wiggs - We Fall (May 17)
Kelsey Lu - Blood (April 19)
Kevin Richard Martin - Sirens (June 7)
Lust for Youth - Lust for Youth (June 7)
Mavis Staples - We Get By (May 10)
Nico Segal - Intellexual (April 12)
Phil Cook - As Far As I Can See (out now)
P!nk - Hurts 2B Human (April 26)
Renata Zeiguer - Faraway Business (April 12)
Rhiannon Giddens - There Is No Other (May 3)
Sarah Davachi - Pale Bloom (May 31)
Tallest Man on Earth - I Love You. It’s a Fever Dream (April 19)

Saturday, March 16, 2019

Upcoming Album of the Week (Ending March 16, 2019)

Australia's Triple J radio station has a great series called Like a Version, in which artists of many different genres covers songs by other artists, also of various genres. The results are almost always interesting, and most recently, they welcomed Pond to cover Madonna's "Ray of Light." The track sounds right at home with Pond's psychedelic, spaced-out sound. The station has released albums of the cover songs in the past; I'm looking forward to a follow-up that includes this one. If that happens, look for it on my Upcoming Releases page!

This week, The National announced their 8th album, I Am Easy to Find.

amazon.com

The always excellent Cincinnati band have been indie rock mainstays for over a decade. They've been one of my favorites since I was introduced to them in college by a friend, and I generally end up with their albums on my year-end favorites list. Their last release, 2017's Sleep Well Beast, was no different.

They announced the follow-up along with the first single, "Had Your Soul with You," and a trailer featuring actress Alicia Vikander (who also appears on the album cover).



I Am Easy to Find is set for release on May 17 and, yes, I have already pre-ordered it!



Also announced recently:

Baroness - Gold & Grey (June 14)
Billie Marten - Feeding Seahorses By Hand (April 26)
Black Mountain - Destroyer (May 24)
Carla dal Forno - “So Much Better”/“Fever Walk” (April 19)
Clinic - Wheeltappers and Shunters (May 10)
Dessner-Labèque - El Chan (April 5)
Greys - Age Hasn’t Spoiled You (May 10)
The Head and the Heart - Living Mirage (May 17)
Holly Herndon - PROTO (May 10)
J-E-T-S - ZOOSPA (May 24)
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard - Fishing for Fishies (April 26)
Kishi Bashi - Omoiyari (May 31)
Local Natives - Violet Street (April 26)
Mac DeMarco - Here Comes the Cowboy (May 10)
Marissa Nadler & Stephen Brodsky - Droneflower (April 26)
Nick Murphy - Run Fast Sleep Naked (April 26)
Pip Blom - Boat (May 31)
Protomartyr - No Passion All Technique Reissue (May 3)
Soundwalk Collective with Patti Smith - The Peyote Dance (May 31)
Stef Chura - Midnight (June 7)
Zacari - Run Wild Run Free (out now)

New Music Friday - September 22, 2017

Be sure to view a list of upcoming releases here!

Essential Full-Length Releases



Amadou & Mariam - La Confusion

Watch: "Bofou Safou"
Watch: "La Confusion"                                                                                                                                                    




Chelsea Wolfe - Hiss Spun
                         
Watch: "16 Psyche"
Watch: "The Culling"                                                                                                                                                     




Jhené Aiko - Trip
       
Watch: "Sativa" (featuring Rae Sremmurd)
Listen: "Moments" (featuring Big Sean)                                                                                                                       




Kele Okereke - Fatherland
                     
Watch: "Yemaya"
Watch: "Do U Right"                                                                                                                                     




Moses Sumney - Aromanticism

Watch: "Indulge Me"
Watch: "Doomed"                                                                                                                                              


Other Full-Length Releases



Ben Stevenson - Cara Cara

Watch: "Honeycola"
Listen: "Cara Cara"


The Blow - Brand New Abyss

Watch: "The Woman You Want Her to Be"
Listen: "Get Up"


Cut Copy - Haiku from Zero

Watch: "Airborne"
Watch: "Standing in the Middle of the Field"


DJ Kay Slay - The Big Brother

Listen: "Wild One" (featuring Rick Ross, 2 Chainz, & Meet Sims)
Listen: "Cold Summer" (featuring Kendrick Lamar, Kevin Gates, Mac Miller, & Rell)


Fergie - Double Dutchess

Watch: "You Already Know" (featuring Nicki Minaj)
Watch: "Save It Til Morning"


Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Luciferian Towers

Listen: "Anthem for No State, Pt. III"
Listen: "Undoing a Luciferian Towers"


Hiss Golden Messenger - Hallelujah Anyhow

Watch: "When the Wall Comes Down"
Listen: "Domino (Time Will Tell)"


The Horrors - V

Watch: "Machine"
Watch: "Weighed Down"


Howard Ivans - Beautiful Tired Bodies

Watch: "Come On"
Watch: "King of Careless"


Jaws of Love - Tasha Sits Close to the Piano

Watch: "Jaws of Love"
Watch: "Love Me Like I’m Gone"


The Killers - Wonderful Wonderful

Watch: "The Man"
Watch: "Run for Cover"


Macklemore - Gemini

Watch: "Good Old Days" (featuring Kesha)
Watch: "Glorious" (featuring Skylar Grey)


Rapsody - Laila’s Wisdom

Watch: "Power" (featuring Kendrick Lamar & Lance Skiiiwalker)
Listen: "Laila’s Wisdom"


Lily & Horn Horse - Next to Me

Listen: "Next to Me, Pt. 1"
Listen: "Scumbag’s Apprentice"


Linda Perhacs - I’m a Harmony

Listen: "Winds of the Sky"
Listen: "The Dancer"


METZ - Strange Peace

Watch: "Cellophane"
Watch: "Drained Lake"


Omni - Multi-task

Watch: "Southbound Station"
Listen: "Equestrian"


Peach Pyramid - Repeating Myself

Watch: "Trying"
Watch: "Repeating Myself"


Phoebe Bridgers - Stranger in the Alps

Watch: "Motion Sickness"
Watch: "Funeral"


Prawn - Run

Watch: "Rooftops"
Listen: "North Lynx"


Van Morrison - Roll with the Punches

Watch: "Transformation"
Watch: "Bring It on Home to Me"


Wand - Plum

Watch: "Bee Karma"
Watch: "Plum"

Singles, EPs, Soundtracks, etc.



Björk - "The Gate"

Watch: "The Gate"


Brian Wilson - Playback: The Brian Wilson Anthology

Watch: "Heroes and Villains"
Listen: "Run James Run"


Burial - "Rodent" 10”

Listen: "Rodent"
Listen: "Rodent" (Kode9 Remix)


Jamie Lidell - Extended Beginnings

Listen: "You Rewind"
Listen: "Love Me Please"


The Lemon Twigs - Brothers of Destruction

Listen: "Night Song"
Listen: "Why Didn’t You Say That?"


Mastodon - Cold Dark Place

Watch: "Toe to Toes"
Listen: "Blue Walsh"


The Rolling Stones - Their Satanic Majesties Request 50th Anniversary Reissue

Watch: "Sing This All Together"
Watch: "Citadel"


Sincerely, L. Cohen: A Live Celebration of Leonard Cohen

Listen: Delicate Steve - "Hallelujah"

New Music Friday - January 25, 2019

Be sure to view a list of upcoming releases here!

Essential Full-Length Releases



DAWN - new breed

Maybe it's due to Mardi Gras, but I feel like I've been learning a lot about the culture of New Orleans and Mardi Gras recently. Members of Arcade Fire recorded a version of "Iko Iko" (you know the melody even if you don't know the song), and there's this fifth album from Dawn Richard. The artist explore her home city on the record, which includes references to Mardi Gras Indians.

Watch: "jealousy"
Watch: "sauce"




Eerie Wanda - Pet Town

Eerie Wanda is Marina Tadic, a Dutch-Croatian singer, songwriter, and visual artist signed to Indiana's Joyful Noise Recordings. Pet Town is her second album, though first for the label.

Watch: "Pet Town"
Watch: "Moon"




Leyla McCalla - Capitalist Blues

This is the third album from this talented folk cellist. The Capitalist Blues will not be her only album of 2019, though. She is also reuniting with former Carolina Chocolate Drops bandmate Rhiannon Giddens for Our Native Daughters (along with Amethyst Kiah and Allison Russell) for a self-titled record.

Watch: "Money Is King"
Watch: "Capitalist Blues"




Better Oblivion Community Center - Better Oblivion Community Center

This album from Phoebe Bridgers and Conor Oberst was released with fairly little press ahead of the record, but did not come from nowhere. The two first met in 2016 and Oberst featured on a song from Bridgers' debut album, Stranger in the Alps. They started recording their first full album together last summer.

Watch: "Dylan Thomas"
Listen: "Didn’t Know What I Was in For"


Other Full-Length Releases



Bring Me the Horizon - amo

Watch: "wonderful life" (featuring Dani Filth)
Watch: "nihilist blues" (featuring Grimes)


Keuning - Prismism

Watch: "Restless Legs"
Watch: "Prismism"


FIDLAR - Almost Free

Watch: "By Myself"
Watch: "Too Real"


Mike Krol - Power Chords

Watch: "What’s the Rhythm"
Listen: "An Ambulance"


Swervedriver - Future Ruins

Watch: "The Lonely Crowd Fades in the Air"
Watch: "Drone Lover"


TOY - Happy in the Hollow

Watch: "Sequence One"
Watch: "You Make Me Forget Myself"


William Tyler - Goes West

Watch: "Fail Safe"
Listen: "Call Me When I’m Breathing Again"

Singles, EPs, Soundtracks, etc.



The Doors - Stockholm ‘68




Eagles of Death Metal - Death By Sexy Vinyl Reissue

Watch: "I Want You So Hard"
Watch: "I Got a Feeling (Just Nineteen)"


Florence + The Machine - "Moderation"

Listen: "Moderation"
Listen: "Haunted House"


Iggy Pop - New Values Vinyl Reissue

Listen: "Tell Me a Story"
Listen: "New Values"


Makthaverskan - "Demands"/"Onkel"

Listen: "Demands"
Listen: "Onkel"


Mary Lattimore - Hundreds of Days Remixes

Listen: "Baltic Birch" (Steve Moore Remix)
Listen: "Hello from the Edge of Earth" (Kjartan Holm Remix)


Weezer - Weezer (Teal Album)

Watch: "Take On Me"
Listen: "Billie Jean"


Zola Jesus - Remixed By Johnny Jewel

Watch: "Ash to Bone"
Listen: "Wiseblood"