New Music Friday - June 17, 2022

Be sure to view a list of upcoming releases here!

Essential Full-Length Releases

	Bartees Strange - Farm to Table Watch: "Cosigns" Watch: "Wretched"
	Hercules & Love Affair - In Amber Watch: "Poisonous Storytelling" Watch: "Grace"
	Perfume Genius - Ugly Season Watch: "Pop Song" Watch: "Eye in the Wall"
	Yaya Bey - Remember Your North Star Watch: "keisha" Watch: "fxck it then"
	ZORA - Z1 Watch: "RUNNITUP" (featuring Myia Thornton) Listen: "HAPPIEST I’VE EVER BEEN"

Other Full-Length Releases

Alanis Morissette - the storm before the calm Listen: "light—the lightworker’s lament" Listen: "safety—empath in paradise"

Anteloper - Pink Dolphins Watch: "Earthlings" Watch: "One Living Genus"

Drake - Honestly, Nevermind Watch: "Falling Back" Watch: "Jimmy Cooks" (featuring 21 Savage)

Flasher - Love Is Yours Watch: "Love Is Yours" Watch: "Sideways"

Foals - Life Is Yours Watch: "2AM" Watch: "Looking High"

Fresh Pepper - Fresh Pepper Listen: "Prep Cook in the Weeds" Listen: "Congee Around Me"

Logic - Vinyl Days Listen: "Vinyl Days" (featuring DJ Premier) Listen: "Quasi"

Pet Fox - A Face in Your Life Watch: "Only Warning" Listen: "A Face in Your Life"

Revelatory Sound System - Revelators Watch: "George the Revelator" Watch: "Grieving"

Sound of Ceres - Emerald Sea Watch: "Arm of Golden Flame" Watch: "The Fawn"

Spencer Krug - Twenty Twenty Twenty Twenty One Listen: "How We Have to Live" Listen: "Slipping In and Out of the Pool"

TV Priest - My Other People Watch: "Bury Me in My Shoes" Watch: "It Was a Gift"

Singles, EPs, Soundtracks, etc.

David Bowie - The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars 50th Anniversary Watch: "Starman" Listen: "Ziggy Stardust"

Hazel English - Summer Nights Watch: "Summer Nights" Watch: "All Dressed Up"

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge Soundtrack Listen: Raekwon & Ghostface Killah - "We Ain’t Come to Lose" Listen: Mike Patton - "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Theme"

Tirzah - Highgrade Listen: "Beating" (Tone Remix) Listen: "Colourgrade" (Arca Vortex Remix)

New Music Friday - August 28, 2015

Be sure to view a list of upcoming releases here!

Essential Full-Length Releases

Beach House - Depression Cherry Beach House's previous two records, Teen Dream and Bloom, brought the band to new levels of commercial acclaim and popularity. Despite this, they sought to return to the simpler sound employed on their first two albums. The effort came in part from frustration in trying to recreate live what had been accomplished on those records. The frustration led to creative stagnation for the duo, but they were able to build on past ideas to create another fantastic record. Listen: "Sparks" Listen: "PPP"

Destroyer - Poison Season Even if it weren't for the amazing-ness that is the New Pornographers, many of its members would still be among the most highly-celebrated modern musicians. Destroyer's Dan Bejar is one of those musicians. He started Destroyer three years before his more ubiquitous band formed, and has pushed the envelope ever since. On his latest, he adds lush string arrangements to his already unique brand of baroque-inspired pop. Watch: "Times Square" Watch: "Girl in a Sling"

Foals - What Went Down Up until their last album, 2013's Holy Fire, Foals had felt a bit like a Bloc Party clone. Now, don't get me wrong; I did and still do really enjoy their debut album. Perhaps helped by the fact that Bloc Party had fallen off the radar a bit, Holy Fire was something very different, and even more amazing, from the band. What Went Down continues that progress and helps the band stand out even more in the crowded indie rock field. Watch: "What Went Down" Watch: "Mountain at My Gates"

Hamilton Leithauser & Paul Maroon - Dear God My worry over The Walkmen's hiatus last year was extremely short-lived since three of the band's members quickly released incredible records to fill the void. Two of the members are back at it this year with a limited edition collaborative album; frontman Hamilton Leithauser and guitarist Paul Maroon. The album is the second post-hiatus outing for Leithauser, and the first for Maroon, though he did help out on Black Hours. Listen: "How & Why"

Yo La Tengo - Stuff Like That There Throughout their career, Yo La Tengo has become known for their unique takes on others' music. In 1990, they released an album, Fakebook, almost completely made up of covers. They return to that format for their latest album, with their own interpretations of songs originally by Hank Williams, The Lovin' Spoonful, The Cure, and many more! Watch: "Friday I’m in Love" Watch: "Automatic Doom"

Other Full-Length Releases

All Dogs - Kicking Every Day Listen: "Skin" Listen: "How Long"

Frog Eyes - Pickpocket’s Locket Watch: "Joe with the Jam" Listen: "Two Girls (One for Heaven and the Other for Rome)"

Gin Wigmore - Blood to Bone Watch: "New Rush" Watch: "Written in the Water - Die Regardless"

Ruby Amanfu - Standing Still Watch: "Shadow on the Wall" Listen: "Streetlights"

Tamaryn - Cranekiss Watch: "Cranekiss" Watch: "Hands All Over Me"

The Weeknd - Beauty Before the Madness Watch: "Tell Your Friends" Watch: "I Can’t Feel My Face"

Willis Earl Beal - Noctunes Listen: "Flying So Low" Listen: "Survive"

Singles, EPs, Soundtracks, etc.

Cee-Lo Green - "Sign of the Times" Watch: "Sign of the Times"

Jamie xx - "Loud Places" Remix 12” Listen: "Loud Places" (John Talabot Loud Synths Reconstruction) Listen: "Loud Places" (Barnt E-Mix)

The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Live at the Atlanta Pop Festival Listen: "Purple Haze" Listen: "Stone Free"

LAMC #16 Listen: La Luz - "Believe My Eyes" Listen: Scully - "Don’t Want That"

Mark Lanegan - Houston: Publishing Demos 2002 Listen: "No Cross" Listen: "I’ll Go Where You Send Me"

Mos Def & Ski Beatz - "Sensei on the Block" Listen: "Sensei on the Block"

Noel Gallagher’s High-Flying Birds - "Lock All the Doors" Watch: "Lock All the Doors"

Toro Y Moi - Samantha Watch: "Dada Art" Listen: "Want" (featuring Washed Out)

Foals - "Out of the Woods"

In additional to an excellent third album, Holy Fire, Foals seems to have made 2013 the year of the awesome music video. To accompany the album, they have released a series of epic, cinematic, and mostly-NSFW music videos. The latest follows a woman as she appears to be experiencing delusions and paranoia. The music and cinematography almost make the viewer start to feel the same.



Holy Fire was released in February of last year.

New Music Tuesday - October 29, 2013

New Full-Length Releases

Arcade Fire - Reflektor Arcade Fire arguably became the biggest indie rock act after their last album, The Suburbs, won Album of the Year at the Grammys in 2011. They'd been critical successes from the beginning, the but album helped to make them commercial hits as well. Though they'd released two full-length records prior, this may be their biggest challenge, as they're following up a highly-successful record. Thankfully, they haven't strayed from the epic sound that has served them well in the past. Listen/Watch: "Reflektor"

Diane Coffee - My Friend Fish Diane Coffee is the moniker for Shaun Fleming, drummer for the band Foxygen. It still amazes me how quickly we are seeing solo albums from the members of that band so soon after their own debut album. Still, I always enjoy hearing what individual band members do on their own; it can provide an interesting look at how their sound plays into the band's sound and what they can do on their own. Listen/Watch: "Green"

Los Campesinos! - No Blues No Blues is this Welsh band's fifth studio album, which sees them continuing to advance and mature their sound. While I liked the twee sound of their debut album, Hold on Now, Youngster..., I tired of it and they didn't seem to waver much from it even three years later, when they released their fourth album, Hello Sadness. This might be the biggest jump forward for them and I'm interested again! Listen/Watch: "Avocado, Baby"

Moonface - Julia with Blue Jeans On Wolf Parade (the former band of Moonface's Spencer Krug) broke up two years ago, which was a travesty for me... they were one of my favorite bands. Dan Boeckner went on to form Divine Fits with Britt Daniel and Moonface is Krug's post-Wolf Parade project. This is his third album with the project following last year's excellent With Siinai: Heartbreaking Bravery. Each former member of Wolf Parade has made unique music following the dissolution, and it's all been great! Listen/Watch: "Barbarian"

Sky Ferreira - Night Time, My Time Sky Ferreira is a young pop singer who began gaining critical acclaim following the release of her first EPs, As If! and Ghost. It took some time for her first full-length (hint: it's this album) to be released. She struggled a bit with major labels who wanted to turn her into a more typical pop star. Thankfully, Capitol has allowed her to be herself more. Maybe, she can start to change the course of modern pop music. Listen/Watch: "You're Not the One"

Son Lux - Lanterns Son Lux's music is an interesting mix of post-rock and hip hop. He upped the ante even more last year by releasing an EP under the name S / S / S with Serengeti and Sufjan Stevens. The three have very different sounds, so the combination was even more interesting. I started checking Son Lux out more following that release, this is his third full-length. Listen/Watch: "Lost It to Trying"

Upset - She's Gone Ali Koehler was the drummer for the band Best Coast until 2011, when she left the band under what she claimed was not her own decision. Bethany Consentino (Best Coast's lead singer) claimed her departure was much more amicable. Whatever the reason for that split, she is back with a new project, Upset, with Patty Schemel and Jenn Prince. The sound is similar to her past projects, Vivian Girls and, of course, Best Coast. Listen/Watch: "You and I"

White Denim - Corsicana Lemonade I've heard the White Denim name around the past couple of years, but only decided to check them out when they announced the release of this latest album earlier this year. I checked out the early single "Pretty Green" and was immediately impressed by their sound. It felt, to be, like a more psychedelic version of The Black Keys. Loving this album, now it's time to check out their back catalog! Listen/Watch: "Pretty Green"

Other New Releases

Baio - Mira EP Baio is the mononym for Vampire Weekend's bassist, Chris Baio. He's been active as a member of that band since its inception in 2006, but began releasing solo material last year. In sharp contrast to his main band's African-tinged indie rock, his music is electronic. Listen/Watch: "Mira"

Death Cab for Cutie - Transatlanticisms Reissue Transatlanticisms was Death Cab for Cutie's fourth album released in 2003. It became their first charting record at 97 (later releases would reach the top 10). It has been ten years since that breakthrough release and, of course, time for an anniversary release. This includes a remastered version of the original album and a disc of demos. Listen: "The New Year" (Demo)

Foals - Holy Fire: Live at Royal Albert Hall Foals released an excellent third album, Holy Fire, earlier this year. On March 28, they performed at the Royal Albert Hall in London, England. This, along with a DVD, is the official release of that show. Listen: "Late Night"

Mount Kimbie - CSFLY Remixes EP Mount Kimbie released their sophomore album, Cold Spring Fault Less Youth, earlier this year. This EP features various remixes of two of the songs from that album by producers such as Lee Gamble, Oneman and Kyle Hall. Listen: "You Took Your Time" (Kyle Hall remix)

Music from and Inspired by Dallas Buyers Club Dallas Buyers Club is an upcoming film starring Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto (and I can't wait to see it). The film's soundtrack features songs from Portugal. The Man, My Morning Jacket, and Tegan and Sara. Listen: Tegan & Sara - "Shudder to Think"

Phosphorescent - Muchachos de Lujo Though I wasn't yet into Matthew Houck's music when he released his latest album earlier this year, once I heard it, it quickly became one of my favorites of the year. The record is already getting its deluxe edition, which includes tracks recorded live at the St. Pancras Church. Listen: "Terror In The Canyons (The Wounded Master) (Live at St. Pancras Church)"

The xx/Sampha - "Reconsider"/"Without" The indie label Young Turks has been releasing a series of split 7" singles throughout 2013. Each has been available in limited edition quantities.The latest brings together The xx and Sampha. Listen: The xx - "Reconsider"