New Music Friday - February 17, 2017

Be sure to view a list of upcoming releases here!

Essential Full-Length Releases

Jens Lekman - Life Will See You Now Through his music, Lekman has always been a detailed story-teller. That quality lent itself well to two projects he undertook between 2014's I Know What Love Isn't and this follow-up. His Postcards project had him writing a new song each week, and with Ghostwriting, he wrote songs based on ideas submitted by the public (he did a night in Cincinnati). Both influenced his approach to writing the new album; he considers it less constrained than his 2014 record. Watch: "What’s That Perfume That You Wear?" Listen: "Evening Prayer"

Jidenna - The Chief Perhaps the most dapper man in hip hop, Jidenna's style mixes his Nigerian roots with western influences. This is true of both his music and his fashion. He's built up a lot of hype over the past couple of years with the singles "Classic Man", "Long Live the Chief", and "Knickers". His debut album, out on Wondaland Records, serves as a perfect culmination of the reputation that he's built. Watch: "Bambi" Watch: "The Let Out" (featuring Nana Kwabena)

Molly Burch - Please Be Mine Molly Burch is a performer out of Los Angeles with a penchant for 1960s-style vocal pop. She studied vocal jazz at UNC Asheville, then relocated to Austin to begin her career. Her debut album is a collection of love songs, released just a little late for Valentine's Day. Watch: "Try" Listen: "Wrong for You"

Ryan Adams - Prisoner Prisoner is Ryan Adams' first album since his divorce from Mandy Moore last year, but he's been adamant that the album was not born of sadness. Some sense of heartbreak shows throughout the record, but Adams does not linger on his pain. It's also a bit of a return to older Ryan Adams, before he was covering Taylor Swift albums, which has garnered him some of his highest praise in years. Watch: "Do You Still Love Me?" Listen: "Doomsday"

Other Full-Length Releases

Dutch Uncle - Big Balloon Watch: "Big Balloon" Watch: "Oh Yeah"

Future - Future Watch: "Draco" Watch: "Poppin' Tags"

Novella - Change of State Watch: "Does the Island Know" Watch: "Change of State"

Sam Patch - Yeah You, and I Listen: "Listening" Listen: "St. Sebastien"

Strand of Oaks - Hard Love Watch: "Rest of It" Watch: "Radio Kids"

Thievery Corporation - The Temple of I & I Watch: "Letter to the Editor" Listen: "Let the Chalice Blaze"

Tim Darcy - Saturday Night Watch: "Still Waking Up" Watch: "Tall Glass of Water"

Singles, EPs, Soundtracks, etc.

Anna Wise - The Feminine: Act II Watch: "Coconuts"

Animal Collective - The Painters EP Watch: "Kinda Bonkers" Listen: "Jimmy Mack"

Flume - Skin Companion II EP Listen: "Enough" (featuring Pusha T) Listen: "Depth Charge"

Gavin Turek - Good Look for You Listen: "Good Look for You"

Gold (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) Listen: Iggy Pop - "Gold"

Maggie Rogers - Now That the Light Is Fading Out Watch: "On + Off" Watch: "Dog Years"

New Order - New Order Presents Be Music

New Music Tuesday - September 25, 2015

Be sure to view a list of upcoming releases here!

Essential Full-Length Releases

Chvrches - Every Open Eye Chvrches became a fast favorite of mine following the release of their 2013 debut album, The Bones of What You Believe. The timing of this follow-up came as no surprise; the band kept their fans updated at nearly every point of the process, which began just earlier this year. With a quick turn-around and high expectations, I was expecting to be a little disappointed by this. The band dug in their heels on their style, though, and crafted another album of epic pop tracks, just as incredible as their first. Watch: "Leave a Trace" Watch: "Clearest Blue"

The Dead Weather - Dodge & Burn Jack White is a smart man when it comes to the music industry and he pulled one of his smartest moves with this side project, selecting Alison Mosshart as the primary vocalist. She is easily one of my favorite voices in rock, but with four years since her last recorded material (Blood Pressures with The Kills), I was getting a little antsy to hear her again. This latest album from White's best post-White Stripes band is a welcome return, and an amazing release. Watch: "I Feel Love (Every Million Miles)" Listen: "Cop and Go"

Disclosure - Caracal Disclosure also had a beloved debut album to live up to. They became another favorite of mine after 2013's Settle. Like that album, the follow-up contains a bunch of club-ready tracks featuring a bevy of guests vocalists. Sam Smith is back on this album; Disclosure also enlisted Miguel, The Weekend, and Lorde for this go-around. The result is maybe not as good as their first, but still a collection of songs bound to make me bust a move. Watch: "Magnets" (featuring Lorde) Watch: "Omen" (featuring Sam Smith)

Julia Holter - Have You in My Wilderness Julia Holter provides one of the most simply pleasurable listening experiences. Although there's an experimental edge, her style of songwriting and instrumentation creates an incredibly calming mood. With four albums in five years, she's also a rare musician who can be incredibly prolific and not somehow misstep. Watch: "Feel You" Watch: "Sea Calls Me Home"

Kurt Vile - b’lieve i’m goin down Vile is another artist who seems unable to do wrong. He's released six albums in seven years and each is as good as, if not better than, the last. He's always been a great songwriter, but outdoes himself on each record. This almost feels like peak Vile, with some truly mind-boggling lyrical moves. Watch: "Life Like This" Watch: "Pretty Pimpin"

Other Full-Length Releases

Casey Veggies - Live & Grow Watch: "Tied Up" (featuring Dej Loaf) Listen: "I’m Blessed"

Girl Band - Holding Hands with Jamie Watch: "Pears for Lunch" Watch: "Paul"

JR JR - JR JR Watch: "Gone" Watch: "As Time Goes"

New Order - Music Complete Watch: "Restless" Listen: "Plastic"

No Devotion - Permanence Watch: "Addition" Listen: "Permanent Sunlight"

Peaches - RUB Watch: "Dick in the Air" Watch: "Close Up"

Rey Pila - The Future Sugar Listen: "Fire Away" (featuring Julian Casablancas) Listen: "What a Nice Surprise"

Ricked Wicky - Swimmer to a Liquid Armchair Watch: "Poor Substitute" Listen: "Simple Simon Paper Plates"

Ryan Adams - 1989 Listen: "Bad Blood" Listen: "Shake It Off"

Sexwitch - Sexwitch Listen: "Helelyos" Listen: "Ha Howa Ha Howa"

WAND - 1000 Days Listen: "Stolen Footsteps" Listen: "Dungeon Dropper"

The World Is a Beautiful Place and I Am No Longer Afraid to Die - Harmlessness Listen: "I Can Be Afraid of Anything" Listen: "Wendover"

Youth Lagoon - Savage Hills Ballroom Watch: "Highway Patrol Stun Gun" Watch: "The Knower"

Singles, EPs, Soundtracks, etc.

Arcade Fire - "Get Right"/"Crucified Again" Listen: "Get Right" Listen: "Crucified Again"

Big Boi + Phantogram - Big Grams Watch: "Fell in the Sun" Listen: "Lights On"

David Bowie - Five Years 1969-1973 Listen: "All the Madmen" (Single Edit)

Dumb Numbers - Split Series

Wiley - "Step 2001" Listen: "Step 2001" (featuring Zomby)

YG, Blanco & DB Tha General - California Livin Listen: "G Thang" Listen: "Block Party"

Upcoming Album of the Week (Ending September 19)

Be sure to click over to my Upcoming Releases page to see a more comprehensive list of albums and such coming up in the ensuing months.

This was a fairly quiet week for new album announcements; perhaps getting towards the end of year and the massive number of releases set in the coming weeks has slowed down any mention of planned new music. There is one that stands out, due to both the artist's talent and the novelty of what he is doing. Ryan Adams officially announced the release of his full album cover of Taylor Swift's 1989.

stereogum.com

Adams announced his intention to record and release this covers album in early August and has shared a few snippets from the studio in the time since. Still, it didn't feel like something that would actually happen. Sure, covers are nothing new; there are even artists who have released entire albums of covers dedicated to a single artist (see: the bird and the bee's Interpreting the Masters). It seems new for one prominent artist to dedicate themselves to covering the entire album of another prominent artist.

It seems the perfect topper for Adams' prolific run over the past couple of years (though I'm sure he'll keep going), and validation for Swift's songwriting, considering Adams himself has long been regarded as an excellent songwriter.

Ryan Adams' 1989 will be released on Monday!

Also announced this week:

A-Trak - “We All Fall Down” (October 2)
Arcade Fire - “Get Right”/“Crucified Again” (September 25)
Jessica Care Moore - Black Tea: The Legend of Jesse James (October 2)
Johnny Marr - Adrenaline Baby (October 9)
Norman Westberg - 13 (November 13)
Zomby - Let’s Jam EP1 (October 9)
Zomby - Let’s Jam EP2 (October 9)

New Music Tuesday - April 28, 2015

Be sure to view a list of upcoming releases here!

New Full-Length Albums

Blur - The Magic Whip Given that Damon Albarn just released his first (technically) solo album last year, it's somewhat surprising to see him already restarting his former projects. Returns for both Blur and Gorillaz were rumored going into this year, and now we're seeing the first album in 12 years from his first band. It's a great return to form and should bode well for a new Gorillaz album, should that actually happen. Watch: "Go Out" Watch: "There Are Too Many of Us"

Braids - Deep in the Iris Braids is an electronic and dream pop band out of Calgary. On their third album, they are looking to change up their sound. They have previously relied largely on programmed sounds, but on this album, they sought to tone it down a bit, partially inspired by more performance-oriented musicians. They haven't completely abandoned electronic instrumentation, but piano is more heavily used here. The result is no less wonderful than their previous records, but is a bit more accessible. Listen: "Miniskirt" Listen: "Taste"

Colin Stetson and Sarah Neufeld - Never were the way she was Both Stetson and Neufeld have been frequent collaborators with Arcade Fire; Stetson is a saxophonist and Neufeld a violinist. They've also each had vibrant solo careers and have both recently released solo albums. This is their first collaborative album with just the two of them, which should be an interesting combination of both of their experimental playing styles. Watch: "The rest of us" Listen: "The sun roars into view"

George FitzGerald - Fading Love We seem to be living in an age where producers are more involved with making their own music rather than simply working on others' albums. Such is the case for young British producer George FitzGerald. He's become known for his DJ sets; this is his first album. Watch: "Crystallise" (featuring Lawrence Hart) Watch: "Full Circle" (featuring Boxed In)

Kehlani - You Should Be Here Kehlani is just the latest in what's becoming a long list of Chance The Rapper collaborators (which is also a good list of who to check out). She is from a Bay area and was initially looking to become a dancer. After a knee injury, she switched to making music and released her debut mixtape last year, premiering her unique take on hip hop and R&B. Watch: "You Should Be Here" Listen: "The Way" (featuring Chance The Rapper)

Mew - + - Mew was probably my first introduction to weird Scandinavian indie pop when they released And the Glass Handed Kites in 2005. It's been awhile since their last record, 2009's No More Stories..., so I had forgotten about them lately. Their new album, which sees bassist Johan Wohlert back after being absent from their previous record, should be a good return to form for the band. Watch: "Water Slides" Watch: "Satellites"

MG - MG Martin Gore began his career with Depeche Mode in 1980 and it's been his primary creative output ever since. He has also dabbled in solo work; he released his first album, Counterfeit in 2003. The work he creates on his own differs significantly from Depeche Mode; it's more upbeat and "glittery" and, although he occasionally provides vocals for his band, is entirely instrumental. Watch: "Europa Hymn" Watch: "Brink"

Nai Harvest - Hairball The first time I heard Nai Harvest, I was pretty immediately reminded of Wavves. Their sound is driving, manic, and loud; quite different than what I would normally expect from a modern British band. This is the third album from them. Listen: "All the Time" Listen: "Hairball"

Nick Catchdubs - Smoke Machine Nick Catchdubs is a collaborator of the producer A-Trak and co-founder of the Fool's Gold label with him. Like his partner (and many producers these days), he is breaking out as a solo artist. His debut album features contributions from B.I.C., IAMSU!, and Heems. Watch: "Wuts That" (featuring B.I.C.) Listen: "Full House" (featuring Troy Ave & Heems)

Paul de Jong - IF Paul de Jong used to be one-half of The Books with Nick Zammuto (also a talented musician who released a solo record last year). He and Zammuto went their separate ways in 2012, and he's been readying his debut solo record since then. His music, which makes extensive use of found sounds, is quite strange at times, but well worth a listen. Watch: "Auction Block" Watch: "This Is Who I Am"

Raekwon - F.I.L.A. Of all the members of the Wu-Tang Clan, Ghostface Killah has been the most prolific of late (a solo record, a collaborative record, and another solo record to come), but Raekwon is also taking advantage of the momentum following their recent comeback album. His latest album, which is an anagram of Fly International Luxurious Art, is meant to represent his more stylish side. Watch: "All About You" (featuring Estelle) Listen: "F.I.L.A. World" (featuring 2 Chainz)

Other New Releases

Eric Clapton - Forever Man Forever Man is the latest greatest hits compilation celebrating the career of Eric Clapton. The record collects 51 tracks and spreads them out over three discs. The collection comprises classic studio releases and some of his better-known live recordings. Listen: "Forever Man" Listen: "Gotta Get Over"

Faux Real Faux Real was intended to be Father-Daughter Records exclusive Record Store Day release. For some reason, though, it didn't make the cut (it seems like it would be an ideal release for the organization). It's a shame as it collects covers from some talented young artists of songs originally written for movies. Never fear, the label is releasing the compilation as a limited edition release through their website. Listen: Allison Crutchfield - "Special to Me" Listen: Chumped - "Threshold"

Future Islands - "The Chase"/"Haunted By You" "The Chase" and "Haunted By You" are the first tastes of new music from Future Islands since the release of their excellent album, Singles, last year. After some interesting (to say the least) features from the band's frontman, this is a welcome return for the band and hopefully a sign of more great music to come. Listen: "Haunted By You"

Joni Mitchell - Los Angeles 26 January 1995 With her recent health issues, it seems unlikely that we'll be getting any more new music from this iconic singer. The best we can do now is look back on her career in celebration. We can start with the release of the now-20-year-old performance at the Wells Fargo Theater in Los Angeles. Listen: "Cherokee Louise"

Ryan Adams - "I Do Not Feel Like Being Good" This is where I insert the now-standard "Ryan Adams has been insanely prolific since his last album" spiel. At this point, he could easily release two or three full albums with the singles and EPs he's released as a part of his Pax-Am series. Here's his latest. Listen: "I Do Not Feel Like Being Good"

Sia - Big Girls Cry Remixes While she's been around for quite awhile, Sia finally reached true pop stardom with last year's 1000 Forms of Fear. Now, as has become standard, one of the album's tracks is getting the remix treatment. This collection features versions of the "Big Girls Cry" from Odesza, Bleachers, and E.A.S.Y., among others. Listen: "Big Girls Cry" (Bleachers Remix) Listen: "Big Girls Cry" (E.A.S.Y. Remix)

Split Single - Live EP The debut album from this indie rock supergroup (including members of Superchuck and Spoon) was released just last year. They are following that up with a short collection of live tracks recorded in Chicago and Brooklyn. Listen: "Glori"

Spoon - Inside Out Remix EP Britt Daniel is making this week a busy one for new releases (he is a member of Split Single) and is also giving a recent album track the remix treatment, collecting contributions from Brian Reitzell, Operators, The Strokes' Fabrizio Moretti, and Tycho). Watch: "Inside Out" (Fabrizio Moretti Remix) Listen: "Inside Out" (Tycho Remix)

Towkio - .Wav Theory Like Kehlani, Towkio is also a collaborator of Chance The Rapper. He is a rapper and childhood friend of Chance who is also looking to meet some high expectations with this debut mixtape. The released features contributions from Chance, as well as Lido, Kaytranada, and Vic Mensa. Watch: "Reflection" (featuring Kaytranada) Listen: "Heaven Only Knows" (featuring Chance The Rapper, Lido, & Eryn Allen Kane)

Wye Oak - Shriek Deluxe Edition Released just last year, Wye Oak's excellent third album is quickly getting reissued. There are no new tracks on the reissue, but it does include a few album track remixes. Listen: "Despicable Animal" (Moss of Aura/Future Islands Remix) Listen: "Sick Talk" (Matmos Remix)