New Music Friday - September 30, 2022

Be sure to view a list of upcoming releases here!

Essential Full-Length Releases

	Björk - Fossora Watch: "atopos" (featuring KASIMYN) Watch: "ancestress"
	Freddie Gibbs - $oul $old $eparately Watch: "Too Much" (featuring Moneybagg Yo) Watch: "Space Rabbit"
	Perera Elsewhere - Home Watch: "Who I Am" Listen: "HKW"
	Shygirl - Nymph Watch: "Firefly" Watch: "Coochie (A Bedtime Story)"
	Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Cool It Down Watch: "Spitting Off the Edge of the Earth" Watch: "Burning"

Other Full-Length Releases

The Big Pink - The Love That’s Ours Watch: "Rage" Watch: "No Angels"

BOLDY JAMES - MR.TEN08 Listen: "Flag on the Play"

Charley Damski - Goner Listen: "Nothing without U" Listen: "It’s Not Hard"

Disheveled Cuss - Into the Couch Watch: "Creep a Little Closer" Watch: "Remote Viewer"

Free Time - Jangle Jargon Watch: "Jangle Jargon" Listen: "That’s Rare"

Kolb - Tyrannical Vibes Watch: "Internal Affairs" Watch: "I Guess I’m Lucky"

Lambchop - The Bible Watch: "Police Dog Blues" Watch: "So There"

Melody’s Echo Chamber - Unfold Watch: "Unfold" Listen: "Pêcheuse de Lune"

Pixies - Doggerel Watch: "Dregs of the Wine" Watch: "Vault of Heaven"

OFF! - Free LSD Watch: "War Above Los Angeles" Watch: "Kill to Be Heard"

Sam Prekop - The Sparrow Listen: "Fall Is Farewell" Listen: "Every Night"

Titus Andronicus - The Will to Live Watch: "(I’m) Screwed" Watch: "Give Me Grief"

Tyler Childers & The Food Stamps - Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven? Watch: "Way of the Triune God" (Jubilee Version) Watch: "Angel Band" (Jubilee Version)

YG - I Got Issues Watch: "I Dance" (featuring Duke & Cuco) Watch: "Alone"

Singles, EPs, Soundtracks, etc.

Brandi Carlile - In the Canyon Haze Watch: "You and Me on the Rock" (featuring Catherine Carlile) Watch: "Letter to the Past" (In the Canyon Haze)

Denzel Curry - Melt My Eyez See Your Future: The Extended Edition Watch: "Melt Session #1" (Cold Blooded Soul Version) Watch: "Walkin" (Cold Blooded Soul Version)

Guided By Voices - "Alex Bell"/"Focus on the Flock" Listen: "Alex Bell" Listen: "Focus on the Flock"

Kid Cudi - Entergalactic Watch: "Entergalactic Theme" Watch: "New Mode"

The War on Drugs - I Don’t Live Here Anymore Box Set Watch: "I Don’t Live Here Anymore" (featuring Lucius) Watch: "Living Proof"

Upcoming Album of the Week (Ending November 4)

SZA's Ctrl is getting its vinyl release in just a couple of weeks! I pre-ordered it just this week and will be waiting eagerly for its arrival. The talented singer also recently announced that she is working on a new album with Mark Ronson and Kevin Parker of Tame Impala, something that is sure to be amazing!

When that album comes to fruition, be sure to check it out over at my Upcoming Releases page! Hopefully, it won't also come with a five-month wait for a vinyl version.

This week, Björk announced her ninth album, Utopia.

amazon.com

The album follows 2015's Vulnicura, an album Björk wrote in the aftermath of her breakup from Matthew Barney. She started work on the follow-up shortly after the release of Vulnicura and has described the album as "paradise" in contrast to Vulnicura's "hell."

The first single from the album, "the gate", was released back in September. Though the album itself was announced a ways back, Björk announced its release date on Halloween.

Utopia is set for release on November 24.

Also announced this week:

Bahamas - Earthtones (January 19)
Bat Fangs - Bat Fangs (February 2)
Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago 10th Anniversary Reissue (February 16)
Bonnie “Prince” Billy - Wolf of the Cosmos (November 17)
Cadence Weapon - Cadence Weapon (January 19)
Glen Hansard - Between Two Shores (January 19)
Gorillaz - “Garage Palace” (out now)
Jim James - Tribute to 2 (December 8)
Mickey Hart - RAMU (November 10)
Miguel - War & Leisure (December 1)
N.E.R.D. - “Lemon” (out now)
Nick Hodgson - Tell Your Friends (January 26)
Ought - Room Inside the World (February 16)
Palm - Rock Island (February 9)
Pinegrove - “Intrepid” (out now)
Skepta - Vicious (out now)
Twin Peaks - “With You”/“Just Because” (out now)

New Music Friday - November 6, 2015

Be sure to view a list of upcoming releases here!

Essential Full-Length Releases

Jamie Woon - Making Time Woon released a pretty awesome album, Mirrorwriting, back in 2011, then when almost completely silent. He started popping up again earlier this year, contributing vocals to Portico's Living Fields. At one point, he was considered to be a purveyor of post-dubstep music, but shifted more towards traditional R&B with this long-awaited follow-up. Listen: "Celebration" Listen: "Skin"

Grimes - Art Angels "Surprise"-releases are very popular lately, which is becoming a bit frustrating. After teasing this latest release with a series of one-off singles since her 2012 album, Visions, Grimes announced that the album would be surprise released on iTunes with just one day's notice back in September. She became more forgiving with a timeline later on, giving the official release date at the end of October. I'm always happy to have a more solid date to look forward to, but even happier that it's a great album! Watch: "Flesh without Blood”/“Life in the Vivid Dream" Watch: "REALiTi"

Kate Boy - One It's been a long wait for a debut album from this synthpop band. They received praise for a number of singles released over the past three years. The band waited longer to release an album than many other purveyors of their style. Some of whom, like Chvrches, Poliça, and Purity Ring, have released multiple records in that time. The band were perfectionists about this first album, putting in three years' worth of time to put out their best work. Watch: "Midnight Sun" Watch: "Higher"

Other Full-Length Releases

Haybaby - Sleepy Kids Watch: "Doored" Listen: "Elevator Song"

Made of Oak - Penumbra Watch: "Side Rides" Watch: "Pinebender"

Noun - Throw Your Body on the Gears and Stop the Machine with Your Blood Watch: "Loveblood" Listen: "Pain"

Palm - Trading Basics Watch: "Ankles" Listen: "Crank"

Rustie - EVEN IF YOU DONT BELIEVE Watch: "First Mythz" Listen: "Peace Upzzz"

Soldiers of Fortune - Early Risers Listen: "Nails" Listen: "Campus Swagger" (featuring Stephen Malkmus)

Talib Kweli & 9th Wonder - Indie 500 Watch: "Every Ghetto" (featuring Rapsody) Listen: "Understand" (featuring Brother Ali & Planet Asia)

The Unspeakable Practices - The Unspeakable Practices Listen: "Early Warning System" Listen: "A Steadying Effect"

W-X - W-X Listen: "Clean It Glen"

Singles, EPs, Soundtracks, etc.

Busdriver - Thumbs Watch: "Much" Listen: "Surrounded By Millionaires" (featuring Daveed Diggs)

Björk - Vulnicura Strings (Vulnicura: The Acoustic Version) Listen: "Lionsong"

Blanck Mass - The Great Confuso EP Listen: "The Great Confuso Pt. 1" Listen: "No Lite"

Bob Dylan - The Cutting Edge 1965-1966: The Bootleg Series Vol. 12 Watch: "Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues" Listen: "Just Like a Woman"

GØGGS - "She Got Harder" Listen: "She Got Harder"

Kurt Vile - Spotify Sessions EP

Puff Daddy - MMM Watch: "Workin’" Listen: "MMM" (featuring Future & King Loss)

Ride - Nowhere Reissue Listen: "Nowhere" Listen: "Vapour Trail"

Sam Smith - In the Lonely Hour: The Drowning Shadows Edition Listen: "Drowning Shadows"

This Record Belongs To ____

New Music Tuesday - January 27, 2015

Be sure to view a list of upcoming releases here!

New Full-Length Albums

Amason - Sky City Amason is a Swedish band made up of members of a number of other Swedish acts (Idiot Wind, Little Majorette, Dungen, Miike Snow). The group met each other thru a mix of school, early collaborations, and seeing each other live. They officially came together in 2012, selecting the name Amason from a car brand popular in Sweden during the 1960s (which itself was named for Amazonian warriors). Sky City is the band's debut album. Watch: "Duvan" Listen: "Elefanten"

Aqualung - 10 Futures Aqualung, real name Matt Hales, has been on a bit of a hiatus for the past several years. It's been five years since his last album, Magnetic North. He has stayed active as a songwriter and producer, though. He contributed songs to Diane Birch, Jason Mraz, and Sara Bareilles, and has also provided produced for Laura Jansen, Diane Birch, and For King & Country. In 2012, he cowrote and produced Lianne La Havas' Is Your Love Big Enough?. She returns the favor on his latest record, with guest vocals on "Eggshells." Watch: "Eggshells" (featuring Lianne La Havas) Watch: "Tape 2 Tape"

Björk - Vulnicura Bjork's latest release came out of a place of pain; it was written following her split from artist Matthew Barnet. It wasn't meant to be released quite this early. The album was announced last month with no official artwork and no release date (it was set for sometime in March). Unfortunately, the album was leaked online not long after it was announced. Since the album was complete, and due to the emotional nature of the record, Björk made the decision to push up the digital release. Physical copies of the album are still set to be released in March. Listen: "Atom Dance" Listen: "Stonemilker"

The Body/Thou - You, Whom I Have Always Hated This is the second collaboration between these two sludge metal bands in as many years. Last year, they teamed up for the EP Released from Love. The Body is no newcomer to collaborating, having worked with The Haxan Cloak, Sandworm, and Braveyoung in the past. This may not be it for the two bands to collaborate, they will likely be touring together later this year. We'll just have to see if that leads to any more new music! Listen: "Her Strongholds Unvanquishable" Listen: "Lurking Fear"

The Dodos - Individ While I enjoyed The Dodos' 2013 album, Carrier, it didn't quite strike me as strongly as their previous release, No Color, had in 2011. After just a few listens through this latest offering, I feel this one may be, for me, a more worthy sonic follow-up. The album is a more polished one from the band, as well. They've gotten rid of the acoustic guitars in favor of electric and brought in one of indie rock's greatest producers, Phil Ek. While the result may be more polished, the album still hearkens to their earlier sounds. Watch: "Competition" Listen: "Goodbyes and Endings"

The Lone Bellow - Then Came the Morning Members from The National are beginning to become a reliable source for great new music from other bands. One of the band's twin guitarists, Aaron Dessner, helped Sharon Van Etten to gain a following and now he's giving his "bump" to folk band The Lone Bellow. This is the Brooklyn band's sophomore album, and it was produced by Dessner. Watch: "Fake Roses"

Natalie Prass - Natalie Prass Natalie Prass got her start as a member of Jenny Lewis' live band, a gig she got after auditioning demo recorded on an iPhone. She's also spent some time developing as a solo artist over the past couple of years. Her debut album, recorded with Matthew E. White as producer, has a bit of a throwback sound, with some comparing it to that of a vintage record. Her work and experience have paid off in one of the most highly-rated debut albums I've ever seen. Watch: "Bird of Prey" Watch: "Why Don't You Believe in Me"

Pond - Man It Feels Like Space Again Despite being a side project from members of Tame Impala, Pond has managed to become a significantly more prolific band, to the point that Tame Impala is pretty much the side project. This is their sixth album in nearly as many years together. It was originally intended to be their fifth album, it was written before 2013's Hobo Rocket, but the band instead chose to record and release Hobo Rocket first. At least this one wasn't a scrapped record, as it's another incredible release from the band. Watch: "Elvis’ Flaming Star" Watch: "Zond"

Punch Brothers - The Phosphorescent Blues This is the fourth album from, Punch Brothers, the folk/bluegrass supergroup. The band starting writing the record during the Telluride Bluegrass Festival in 2012, on the heels of Who's Feeling Young Now?, and were working on it almost right up until its release. It's their first album recorded with superstar producer T Bone Burnett and they will soon be touring in support of the release. Listen: "Julep" Listen: "My Oh My"

Twerps - Range Anxiety With a name like Twerps, it's easy to imagine a bunch of young musicians just learning to play their instruments, but these guys have been together for awhile. The Australian lofi/pop band formed in late 2008 and released their debut self-titled album in 2011. They spent the next few years touring and performing at some major festivals, and released an EP, Underlay, to tide fans over in 2013. Their sophomore album is their first on the Merge label. Watch: "Back to You" Watch: "Stranger"

Other New Releases

The Babies - Our House on the Hill Outtakes It's been a little while since we heard from this collaboration between Cassie Ramone and Kevin Morby, though they both released solo albums last year. They're making sure fans don't forget them with a couple of outtakes from their last record, 2012's Our House on the Hill. Listen: "Got Old" Listen: "All I Know"

The Body/Thou - Released from Love Reissue In addition to their new collaborative album, The Body and Thou are also reissuing their first collaboration. Initially, the album was released only on vinyl, but on its reissue, has also been made available via CD. Listen: "In Meetings Hearts Beat Closer" Listen: "The Wheel Weaves as the Wheel Wills"

Mike G - Award Tour II Mike G is one of the many members of Odd Future, and the first to release new music this year. This is a follow-up to his 2011 EP of the same name and features production and guest spots from other Odd Future members, including Left Brain, Tyler, the Creator, and Earl Sweatshirt. Watch: "Archer" (featuring Larry Susan) Listen: "James Bond"

Operators - "Ecstasy in My House" The latest project from former Wolf Parade member Dan Boeckner released their first EP, EP1, in August of last year. They've got just a little bit of new music to follow that up, but there's always hope for more from them this year! Listen: "Ecstasy in My House"

TRU Jack City The Real University is rapper 2 Chainz's new record label, which he announced just last month. Currently, Cap. 1, Skooly, Fresh, and 2 Chainz himself are signed to the label. As an introduction, he is releasing a mixtape featuring his artists. Listen: 2 Chainz - "Trap House Stalkin'" Listen: 2 Chainz - "Road Dawg"

Young Ejecta - The Planet The perpetually-naked Ejecta recently had to change their name due to a legal notice from DJ Ejecta (this seems to be happening a lot lately). This is their first release with the new name, a follow-up to 2013's Dominae. Listen: "Welcome to Love" Listen: "Into Your Heart"