New Music Friday - March 30, 2018

Be sure to view a list of upcoming releases here!

Essential Full-Length Releases

Frankie Cosmos - Vessel Vessel is the third album for Cosmos and follows her relative break-out, 2016's Next Thing, which earned a few best-of spots for the year. Though Cosmos has served as the stage name for Greta Kline, this album serves as the first outing of Frankie Cosmos as a band, moving the project further away from its bedroom pop beginnings. Watch: "Being Alive" Watch: "Jesse"

Kacey Musgraves - Golden Hour On her third album, Musgraves makes a combination work that I never would imagined together, disco country! It's not the entire album, but the stand-out track "High Horse" beautifully combines two genres that haven't traditionally been my favorites. The rest of the album is a great listen, as well, though is far more beholden to country sounds from bygone decades. Watch: "High Horse" Watch: "Butterflies"

Kate Nash - Yesterday Was Forever Yesterday Was Forever sees Nash again taking on a crowdfunding approach to recording and releasing her music. 2013's Girl Talk was funded through PledgeMusic, this latest was a Kickstarter campaign. She returns more to her early career sound on this latest record, and tackles subjects like mental illness. Watch: "Drink About You" Watch: "Life in Pink"

MF Doom & Czarface - Czarface Meets Metal Face! MF DOOM has become well-known for his collaborations, which have included work with Danger Mouse, Madlib, and Bishop Nehru. He's back with yet another collab, this time with Czarface, itself a collaboration between Wu-Tang's Inspectah Deck and the duo 7L & Esoteric. Watch: "Bomb Thrown" Listen: "Nautical Depth"

Other Full-Length Releases

Amen Dunes - Freedom Watch: "Miki Dora" Watch: "Blue Rose"

Trace Mountains - A Partner to Lean On Listen: "Cary’s Dream" Listen: "Turn Twice"

The Vaccines - Combat Sports Watch: "I Can’t Quit" Listen: "Nightclub"

The Voidz - Virtue Watch: "QYURRUS" Watch: "All Wordz Are Made Up"

Singles, EPs, Soundtracks, etc.

Flame 1 - "Fog"/"Shrine" Listen: "Fog" Listen: "Shrine"

Frou Frou - Details Reissue Watch: "Must Be Dreaming" Listen: "Let Go"

Future Islands - In the Fall Reissue Listen: "In the Fall" (featuring Katrina Ford)

Joan Shelley - Rivers and Vessels EP Listen: "Time Has Told Me" Listen: "Magnolia"

No Joy/Sonic Boom - No Joy/Sonic Boom Watch: "Triangle Probably" Watch: "Obsession"

Pink Floyd - London 1966/1967

The Weeknd - My Dear Melancholy, Watch: "Call Out My Name" Listen: "I Was Never There" (featuring Gesaffelstein)

New Music Friday - July 15, 2016

Be sure to view a list of upcoming releases here!

Essential Full-Length Releases

Jamila Woods - Heavn Jamila Woods is perhaps best known as the female voice on Donnie Trumpet's and Chance The Rapper's "Sunday Candy." The track is not the only time the Chicago-based poet has collaborated with Chance; she also appeared on his recent mixtape, Coloring Book. Her debut solo album sees her working again with these past collaborators, as well as Kweku Collins, Noname, and Saba. Watch: "Blk Girl Soldier" Listen: "Holy"

Michael Kiwanuka - Love & Hate Kiwanuka made a big impression with his 2012 debut album, Home Again. The album, with its 70s throwback style and honest lyrics, was a hit both with critics and fans (especially in Europe). For his follow-up, he worked with Inflo, Paul Butler, and Danger Mouse. Critical praise is still high, time will tell if the commercial love remains. Watch: "Love & Hate" Watch: "Black Man in a White World"

Other Full-Length Releases

Clams Casino - 32 Levels Watch: "Ghost in a Kiss" (featuring Samuel T. Herring) Watch: "All Nite" (featuring Vince Staples)

Jack & Amanda Palmer - You Got Me Singing Watch: "1952 Vincent Black Lightning" Listen: "You Got Me Singing"

Steven Tyler - We’re All Somebody from Somewhere Watch: "Love Is Your Name" Watch: "We’re All Somebody from Somewhere"

Singles, EPs, Soundtracks, etc.

Abra - Princess EP Watch: "CRYBABY" Watch: "COME 4 ME"

Charlotte Cardin - Big Boy EP Watch: "Faufile" Listen: "Big Boy"

Frank Zappa - The Crux of the Biscuit Listen: "Cosmik Debris" Listen: "Apostrophe’" (Mix Outtake)

Frank Zappa - Frank Zappa for President Listen: "If I Was President…" Listen: "Overture to “Uncle Sam”"

Lindstrøm - Windings EP Listen: "Algorytme" Listen: "Foehn"

No Joy - Drool Sucker Listen: "A Thorn in Garland’s Side" Listen: "Theme Song"

New Music Tuesday - June 9, 2015

Be sure to view a list of upcoming releases here!

Essential Full-Length Releases

Damaged Bug - Cold Hot Plumbs Thee Oh Sees and frontman John Dwyer are quickly reaching Guided By Voices/Robert Pollard levels of prolificness. In May, the band continued their consistency in releasing a new album every year with Mutilator Defeated at Last. Last year, Dwyer began his solo project Damaged Bug with Hubba Bubba. Just one year later, and a few weeks after the latest with his band, he is back with his sophomore solo record. Watch: "Jet in the Jungle"

FFS - FFS FFS is the collaboration of two very different bands; Franz Ferdinand, a Scottish art rock band active since the early 2000s, and Sparks, an LA chamber pop band around since 1971. It's not clear how exactly they hooked up, but it seems they've been recording together since around 2005. I'm not very familiar with Sparks, but the collaboration is certainly more experimental than the music that Franz Ferdinand create on their own. Watch: "Johnny Delusional" Watch: "Piss Off"

No Joy - More Faithful No Joy is a Canadian shoegaze band active since 2009. They began their career in their native Montréal and quickly gained the attention of more prominent musicians, including Grant Hart of Hüsker Dü and Bethany Cosentino, who described them as "Two hot blonde girls just shredding away." Six years and three albums later, they are still going strong, and getting better with every release. Watch: "Everything New" Listen: "Moon in My Mouth"

Other Full-Length Releases

J Fernandez - Many Levels of Laughter Watch: "Between the Channels" Watch: "Markers"

Jenny Hval - Apocalypse, girl Watch: "That Battle Is Over" Listen: "Sabbath"

Leftfield - Alternative Light Source Watch: "Bilocaiton" (featuring Channy Leaneagh) Watch: "Universal Everything"

Of Monsters and Men - Beneath the Skin Watch: "Crystals" Listen: "I of the Storm"

Pete Townshend - Classic Quadrophenia Watch: "Love Reign O'er Me" (featuring Alfie Boe)

PINS - Wild Nights Watch: "Molly" Watch: "Young Girls"

Singles, EPs, Soundtracks, etc.

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Live in Paris Watch: "Let the Day Begin" Watch: "Beat the Devil's Tattoo"

John Lennon - Lennon Box Set Listen: "Imagine" Listen: "Mind Games"

Sharon Van Etten - I Don't Want to Let You Down EP Listen: "I Don't Want to Let You Down" Listen: "Just Like Blood"

Uniform - Perfect World Listen: "Perfect World"

New Music Tuesday - November 5, 2013

New Full-Length Releases

Bryce Dessner & Kronos Quartet - Aheym The Kronos Quartet is a Seattle-based string ensemble which has been around for about forty years. They have put out 43 studio albums in their time together. For their latest record, they've partnered with The National guitarist Bryce Dessner, who composed all of the songs on the record. Listen/Watch: "Aheym"

Cut Copy - Free Your Mind For their fourth studio album, Cut Copy sought inspiration from various "Summers of Love;" specifically San Francisco's 1967 and Britain's 1988 (perhaps that explains the somewhat trippy artwork). They really wanted to push the concept of freedom with this latest release. What's important to me, though, is that this is an album that I can love as much as their previous, Zonoscope. Based on the early singles, I don't doubt that I will. Watch: "Free Your Mind"

M.I.A. - Matangi M.I.A. has never been one to shy away from controversy. For her latest album, named for her own birth name as well as a Hindu goddess, she addresses one directly. At the 2012 Super Bowl half-time show, she threw up a middle finger live on air, which she references in the track "Boom Skit." I don't expect controversy to stop following this artist anytime soon, but it's a large part in what makes her work so compelling. Listen/Watch: "Bring the Noize"

MellowHigh - MellowHigh The Odd Future juggernaut continues to ride along! MellowHigh, which features members Domo Genesis, Hidgy Beats and Left Brain, is one of many subgroups within the Odd Future gang, and itself is an offshoot of another subgroup, MellowHype. This is their debut album. In contrast to the sometimes violent lyrical content of other Odd Future records, this one takes a more, well, mellow approach. Which means, if you can't tell from the album artwork, that smoking is frequently discussed. Listen/Watch: "Extinguisher"

Other New Releases

Birdsmell - "Throw My Mess Around"/"Tulsa" I'll try to ignore the absolutely horrible name that Ben Bridwell chose for his solo project and instead focus on what an incredible musician I think that he is. The Band of Horses frontman is stepping out on his own and just completed a short tour as a solo artist. This is his first single and I hope it's indicative of even more great music to come! Listen: "Throw My Mess Around"

Bright Eyes - A Christmas Album Bright Eye's Christmas album was initially released eleven years ago and rereleased on vinyl four years ago. Now, just in time for Christmas 2013, it is getting another vinyl rerelease! Listen: "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"

Colin Meloy - Colin Meloy Sings The Kinks EP Colin Meloy, frontman for The Decemberists, is about to embark on a short solo tour starting in January. He's recorded as a solo artist since 2005, mostly releasing covers EP. In the past, he has covered Morrissey, Shirley Jones and Sam Cooke. Iconic rock band The Kinks are next on his radar. Listen: "Do You Remember Walter?"

David Bowie - The Next Day Extra David Bowie released his 24th studio album, The Next Day, in March of this year. As seems to be becoming more and more frequent, it's already getting a bonus track-packed rerelease within the same year. Extra features a couple of remixes and several brand new tracks. Listen/Watch: "The Next Day"

Music from and Inspired By 12 Years a Slave 12 Years a Slave was released on November 8 and is already being heralded as a potential frontrunner in next years Academy Awards. A number of prominent artists have contributed to the film's soundtrack, including Laura Mvula, Alabama Shakes and John Legend. Listen: John Legend - "Move" (featuring Fink)

No Joy - Pastel and Pass Out EP No Joy released their latest full-length, Wait to Pleasure, in April of this year. They've wasted no time in releasing a follow-up EP. It's meant to serve as an extension of that last release, to expand and grow upon the sounds introduced there. Listen: "Last Boss"

Roman Remains - Energy You EP If there was ever a younger band that I think carried on the torch lit by Blondie in the late 1970s, it is The Duke Spirit. The British band, fronted by Leila Moss, had a similarly diverse sound and an amazing frontwoman. It's been a couple of years since their last album, but in the meantime, Leila, along with bandmate Toby Butler are exploring a new project. Listen/Watch: "This Stone Is Starting to Bleed"

Sore Eros & Kurt Vile - Jamaica Plain EP Kurt Vile has been a very busy artist this year. He's released a solo album, an EP and an expanded version of that same solo album. Here, he's putting out a collaborative EP with solo indie musician Sore Eros (Robert Robinson). Listen: "Jamaica Plain"

Tennis - Small Sound EP Tennis is a husband-wife duo who have become known for putting out catchy, but very twee music. Something happened when I first listened to this new EP, though, I realized that they are starting to expand beyond that sound. Small Sound is more grown up and confident, a shift that can only make their music even better. Listen: "Mean Streets"

Yo La Tengo - "Super Kiwi"/"A Day in the Life of a Tree" "Super Kiwi" is a track from the deluxe edition of Yo La Tengo's Fade (released in January). It's getting released as a stand-alone single with the B-side "A Day in the Life of a Tree." Listen: "Super Kiwi"