New Music Friday - May 26, 2017

Be sure to view a list of upcoming releases here!

Essential Full-Length Releases

Molly Nilsson - IMAGINATIONS Molly Nilsson is a Swedish synth-pop artist with a DIY approach. She's also fairly prolific. Since debuting in 2008, she has released six records and at least one EP. She's done this all either on her own label or in collaboration with Night School, another small label. She had a long wind-up to her latest album, releasing tracks from the records starting back in July 2016. Watch: "About Somebody" Watch: "Not Today Satan"

Other Full-Length Releases

Cende - #1 Hit Single Listen: "Bed" Listen: "Don’t Want To"

The Charlatans - Different Days Watch: "Plastic Machinery" Listen: "Different Days"

Justin Townes Earle - Kids in the Street Watch: "Maybe a Moment" Watch: "Champagne Corolla"

Pet Symmetry - Visions Listen: "LTCTLYB" Listen: "Stare Collection"

Sam Amidon - The Following Mountain Listen: "Blackbird" Listen: "Juma Mountain"

Thunder Dreamer - Capture Listen: "Capture" Listen: "Living Like the Rest"

Singles, EPs, Soundtracks, etc.

The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band 50th Anniversary Reissue

Bert Jansch - Living in the Shadows, Part Two Listen: "Chambertin" (featuring Gordon Giltrap)

Carl Barât & The Jackals - Harder They Fall Watch: "Sister"

Cover Your Ass, Vol. 1 Listen: Speedy Ortiz - "Young Liars"

New Order - NOMC15

Swet Shop Boys - Sufi La EP Listen: "Sufi La"

War Machine (A Netflix Original Film) Listen: Nick Cave & Warren Ellis - "Be Lovely" Listen: Nick Cave & Warren Ellis - "War Machine"

New Music Tuesday - January 13, 2015

Be sure to view a list of upcoming releases here!

New Full-Length Releases

Dan Mangan + Blacksmith - Club Meds I've heard the name Dan Mangan floating around over the past couple of years, and had some sense of the type of music that he makes. It wasn't until this latest was announced that I decided to check him out. While I expected to find a straightforward folk sound, what I found dark and slightly avant-garde, though still keeping rooted in his folk background. Perhaps the shift is reflective of the time he's taken off and collaborating with a backing band; it is his first album after a four year hiatus and first with a credited backing band. Watch: "Vessel" Listen: "Mouthpiece"

Guster - Evermotion I've been a big fan of Guster since I was in college. Although they may cross into dad-rock territory, their quirky sound and emotional lyrics always struck a chord with me. It's been a while since their last record; just over four years since 2010's Easy Wonderful. They're trying to change expectations on this follow-up, stating a desire to "become something else entirely." It's not an unwelcome shift, I'm still loving the sound. Watch: "Long Night" Watch: "Simple Machine"

Justin Townes Earle - Absent Fathers Justin Townes Earle released his fifth album, Single Mothers, in September of last year. This album is a follow-up and companion to that record, creating a double album of sorts. The two parts were recorded together, but split in two when Justin felt that they needed to reflect separate voices. Listen: "Call Ya Momma" Listen: "When the One You Love Loses Faith"

Mark Ronson - Uptown Special Ronson has has almost always played the supporting player in his music. He made a name for himself producing iconic tracks from Amy Winehouse, Adele, and even Paul McCartney. Things are little changed on Uptown Special, his fourth album. He's stays in the background and lets featured vocals from Mystikal (who's apparently still around), Kevin Parker (of Tame Impala), and Stevie Wonder come to the forefront. It's his collaboration with Bruno Mars, though, that has scored him his first number one song. Watch: "Uptown Funk" (featuring Bruno Mars) Listen: "Daffodils" (featuring Kevin Parker)

Panda Bear - Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper Almost all members of Animal Collective have active solo careers, but Panda Bear has by far been the most prolific. Since 1999, he has released five solo albums, including 2007's incredible Person Pitch. His sound as a solo artist, like other members of the band, differs little from his band's sound, but leans towards more personal lyrics. Panda Bear started work on the album around the same time that Centipede Hz was released and it is meant to be livelier than his previous work. Watch: "Mr Noah" Watch: "Boys Latin"

Other New Releases

Another Day, Another Time: Celebrating the Music of “Inside Llewyn Davis” To celebrate the release of Inside Llewyn Davis, a number of the actors and musicians featured in the film and on the soundtrack, as well as many performers who were active in the film's time period came together for a televised concert. Many of the songs for the film were performed during the show. Video of the concert itself has been released, as well as its own soundtrack. Listen: Marcus Mumford - "I Was Young When I Left Home" Listen: Oscar Isaac - "Hang Me, Oh Hang Me"

Django Django - "First Light" Django Django is preparing to release their second sophomore album sometime this year (keep an eye on my upcoming releases page for updates). While that album may not yet have a title or release date, they have released the presumed first single from the record. If it's an indication of new music to come, they've lost none of their upbeat sound. Listen: "First Light"

Lou Reed - Hassled in April: Live in Chicago 1978 Street Hassle was Lou Reed's eighth studio album, coming eight years after his departure from the Velvet Underground. Hassled in April comprises broadcast recording made by Reed around the release of that album. Purchase: Season of Mist

Mini Mansions - "Any Emotions" Mini Mansions is a now-six-year-old side project started by Queens of the Stone Age bassist Michael Shurman. The music is very different from Shurman's main act, garnering comparisons to The Beatles and Elliott Smith. This past year has seen them working with some big collaborators. Arctic Monkeys' frontman Alex Turner featured on last year's "Vertigo" and now, former Beach Boy Brian Wilson is making a guest appearance! Watch: "Any Emotions" (featuring Brian Wilson)

Paul McCartney - "Hope for the Future" 12” Soundtracks being released for video games are nothing new; last year, Grand Theft Auto V and Watchdogs some of the most prominent soundtracks, but mostly featured younger musicians or known composers. The soundtrack for the new Activision game Destiny features a contribution from an unexpected source, Sir Paul McCartney. While it may be presumptuous to assume he's not a gamer, it's not something I would expect from a 72-year-old British man. Watch: "Hope for the Future"

Ryan Adams - No Shadow 7” Barely into the new year and Ryan Adams is already jumping back into his Pax Am series. His latest, features actor Johnny Depp on guitar. No further releases have been announced, but I think it would be safe to say that he's not done yet. Stream: Spotify

Song One Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Sometimes actors become musicians, other times musicians transition into becoming actors. Such is the case for British musician Johnny Flynn, who now has a longer filmography than discography. His latest film sees him opposite Anne Hathaway as a performer that she falls for when visiting home to see to her brother. While Flynn is an excellent songwriter in his own right, the soundtrack's songs were written by Jenny Lewis and Johnathan Rice. Watch: Johnny Flynn - "In April" Watch: Trailer

Ty Segall - Mr. Face EP It seems like after Ty Segall released seventh album, Manipulator, last year, a flood of new music from him came with it. Since then, there's been a singles compilation, this EP, and soon a new live album. This EP purports to be the first playable pair of 3D classes, with the physical version being released as two 7" discs, one red and one blue. Listen: "Mr. Face" Listen: "Circles"

New Music Tuesday - September 9, 2014

Be sure to view a list of upcoming releases here!

New Full-Length Releases

Avi Buffalo - At Best Cuckold Avigdor Zahner-Isenberg began to make a name for himself with the release of his debut album, Avi Buffalo, in 2010, which got him the attention of several music publications. It allowed him to perform at that year's SWSW, and got him an opening act position for Modest Mouse. It took a little while, but he is following that up. I started listening to him this year; to me, his sound is what you would get if Woods' lead singer switched over to indie pop. Watch: "So What" Listen: "Memories of You"

BANKS - Goddess BANKS has been described as the fashion industry's new favorite artist. It seems fitting, her style is slick and she produces a kind of polished R&B/pop that's appealing, but also dark and vulnerable. She's picked up a fair amount of attention and accolades leading up to her first album and even I, who obviously listens to a lot of different things, have been anticipating this release following some amazing early singles. Watch: "Brain" Watch: "Beggin' for Thread"

Busdriver - Perfect Hair Busdriver is the stage name of rapper Regan Farquhar. He's been active in the underground hip hop scene for well over a decade, releasing his first record, Memoirs of the Elephant Man, in 1999. His latest record features guest vocals from Open Mike Eagle, Aesop Rock, and Danny Brown. Watch: "Ego Death" Watch: "Colonize the Moon"

Chris Thile & Edgar Meyer - Bass & Mandolin Chris Thile is a pretty busy musician. He was one of the founding members of Nickel Creek (who recently rebanded and released a new record) and of Punch Brothers, and has released a number of solo records. This isn't his first outing with bassist Edgar Meyer, who is one of his idols. They first partnered in 2008 for an eponymous record, then again in 2011 for The Goat Rodeo Sessions, which also included Yo-Yo Ma and Stuart Duncan. Listen: "Tarnation"

Death from Above 1979 - The Physical World Death from Above 1979 is a dance-punk band who released a well-received debut album in 2004, then fairly promptly broke up. They reformed three years ago and this is their first record since getting back together. They would have been named just "Death from Above" if it weren't for the founding of James Murphy's record label around the same time as their band formation; the label itself was renamed to its abbreviation, DFA. The band kept the "1979," which I think makes things just a little more interesting. Watch: "Trainwreck 1979" Listen: "Government Trash"

Delta Spirit - Into the Wide Delta Spirit became one of my favorite bands in 2008 with their debut album, Ode to Sunshine. Their follow-ups to the record proved a little disappointing for me, but I'm still interested in keeping track of their new music. Into the Wide is their fourth record, which takes their folk rock/Americana sound to a much darker place. Listen: "From Now On" Listen: "Live On"

Hiss Golden Messenger - Lateness of Dancers Hiss Golden Messenger is a duo which has been around since 2007. Their sound is a broad combination of a variety of genres, which spans from dub to gospel. On their fifth record, they get some help from members of Megafaun and Mountain Man (though not the members who comprise the band Sylvan Esso). Watch: "Mahogany Dread" Listen: "Lucia"

Interpol - El Pintor It's been a little since we've heard from Interpol; two years after releasing Interpol, the band went on a hiatus in order to focus on other projects. The most we heard was from frontman Paul Banks, who released an album as Julian Plenti and even, not kidding, a hip hop mixtape. The hiatus only lasted a couple of years, the band is back together, minus one member, bassist Carlos Dengler. Watch: "All the Rage Back Home" Watch: "Twice As Hard"

Jhené Aiko - Souled Out At the young age of 26, Jhené Aiko has already been an active performer for more than a decade. She got her start contributing vocals to the R&B group B2K and as a member of Gyrl with her sisters. She's continued to make a name for herself as a guest vocalist on Drake's "From Time" and performed the track with him on Saturday Night Live. Now is a good a time as ever to fully break out as a solo artist, which is what she's doing just a year after working with Drake. Listen: "Promises" Listen: "W.A.Y.S. (Souled Out)"

Justin Townes Earle - Single Mothers Justin Townes Earle has gone through a lot over his past couple of albums. He quit drinking sometime after the release of his 2010 album, Harlem River Blues, and got married in 2013 between this album and his 2012 album, Nothing's Going to Change the Way You Feel About Me Now. With all of his experiences and with each consecutive records, he becomes a stronger songwriter and performer. Watch: "Time Shows Fools" Listen: "White Gardenias"

Karen O - Crush Songs The songs on Crush Songs were actually recorded by Karen O, frontwoman for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, between 2006 and 2010. It was in that time that she first started breaking out as a solo performer, providing the amazing soundtrack for Where the Wild Things Are. The songs here seem like mere sketches compared to most of the work (even the other solo material) that she puts out, but it's an interesting view into her heart at the time. Watch: "Rapt" Watch: "Ooo"

The Kooks - Listen When The Kooks started, they were known for a similar kind of rowdy post-punk revival exhibited by similar artists such as the Arctic Monkeys. Unlike that band, however, subsequent albums have not strayed far from that sound...until now. Listen sees the band going into a different direction and incorporating pieces of jazz and gospel music. The band has experienced a few changes lately, with a new drummer and production team, so perhaps those have heralded the welcome change in their style. Watch: "Down" Watch: "Forgive & Forget"

Robert Plant - Lullaby and... the Ceaseless Roar It seems rare for performers and entertainers popular in the 1960s to continue making great music decades later, but Robert Plant, former frontman for iconic classic rock band Led Zeppelin, has done just that. He began with the band in 1968, and first struck out as a solo artist in the early 1980s. As a solo artist, he has collaborated with a variety of other artists, including Allison Krauss and former bandmate Jimmy Page, and various backing bands. On his latest release he gets some help from The Sensational Shape Shifters. Watch: "Rainbow" Listen: "Little Maggie"

Ryan Adams - Ryan Adams Ryan Adams used to be an almost-insanely prolific musician. He released just about one album per year between 2000 and 2010. Then, when the 2010s hit, he slowed down a little bit. Now, he is still releasing records at a pace faster than, say, Fiona Apple, but with three years between Ashes & Fire and this, he's starting to seem downright lethargic. He's made it a worthy wait with one hell of an amazing record. Watch: "Gimme Something Good" Watch: "My Wrecking Ball"

Simian Mobile Disco - Whorl From 2010 to 2013, Simian Mobile Disco put out a great number of singles related to their 2010 Delicacies compilation; each one had the name of some strange and exotic food. When they started to put out singles with very different names late last year, I knew something different had to be coming. The newer singles were a build-up to this latest album, their first true new record since Unpatterns two years ago. Watch: "Tangents"

Tennis - Ritual in Repeat I knew a good change was coming for Tennis after the release of their 2013 EP Small Sound. While I had enjoyed their earlier work, the shift in sound made for something more unique and mature. They made good on the promises set forth in that short release on their third album. Watch: "Cured of Youth" Watch: "Bad Girls"

Other New Releases

M83 - Before the Dawn Heals Us Remixes & B-Sides M83 re-released their first three albums a couple of weeks ago. Now, to accompany those reissues, they are also releasing remixes and b-sides from the second two of their first three records. Listen: "Addicted to Self Mutilation" Listen: "Until the Night Is Over"

M83 - Dead Cities, Red Seas, and Lost Ghosts Remixes & B-Sides This is the other volume of supplemental music, this one for M83's second album. Listen: "Tsubasa" Listen: "God of Thunder"

Mastodon - "Atlanta" For the 14th installment of Adult Swim's 2014 Singles series, Mastodon partners up with Gibby Haynes, former lead singer of the Butthole Surfers. Listen: "Atlanta"

Oliver - "Light Years Away" Oliver is a production duo made up of two men named Oliver, Vaughn Oliver and Oliver Goldstein. They've had some fairly high-profile collaborators including A-Trak and Chromeo. They make a mix of pop, hip hop, and techno. Listen: "Light Years Away" Listen: "Fast Forward"

Queen - Live at the Rainbow '74 It's been nearly forty years since Queen's Sheer Heart Attack Tour of fall 1974. Their latest live album was recorded at one of the tour stops, Rainbow Theatre in London on November 20 of that year. The release includes recordings from that concert, as well as a DVD/Blu-Ray disc with extra tracks. Listen: "Stone Cold Crazy" Listen: "Killer Queen"

YACHT - "Where Does This Disco?" It's been a little while since YACHT's 2011 album Shangri-La. The band is making sure their fans don't forget about them, though, with the release of their latest single. The track is available as a digital download, but will also be made available in some sort of object in the band's current tour. Listen: "Where Does This Disco?"