New Music Friday - December 20, 2024

Be sure to view a list of upcoming releases here!

Singles, EPs, Soundtracks, etc.

Aphex Twin - Music from the Merch Desk (2016-2023) Listen: "42DIMENSIT3 e3" (London 03.06.17) Listen: "T18A pole1" (London 03.06.17)

SZA - SOS Deluxe: LANA Watch: "Drive" Watch: "Snooze"

New Releases - December 9, 2022

Be sure to view a list of upcoming releases here!

Essential Full-Length Releases

SZA - S.O.S. Watch: "Shirt" Watch: "Nobody Gets Me"

Other Full-Length Releases

Leland Whitty - Anyhow Watch: "Glass Moon" Listen: "Silver Rain"

Singles, EPs, Soundtracks, etc.

Alabama Shakes - Boys & Girls (Deluxe Edition) Listen: "Hold On" (Live at KCRW) Listen: "Always Alright" (Live at KCRW)

Artificial Intelligence 30th Anniversary Reissue Listen: Autechre - "Crystel" Listen: The Dice Man - "Polygon Window"

IDLES - Five Years of Brutalism Watch: "1049 GOTHO" Listen: "EXETER" (Live from BBC Introducing at Glastonbury)

My Morning Jacket - Circuital (Deluxe Edition) Listen: "Circuital" (First Band Demo) Listen: "Outta My System" (Puppet Demo)

Queens of the Stone Age - …Like Clockwork Reissue Listen: "…Like Clockwork" Listen: "I Sat By the Ocean"

Queens of the Stone Age - Villains Reissue Watch: "Feet Don’t Fail Me" Listen: "Villains of Circumstance"

Taken By Trees - Another Year Watch: "Say You Don’t Mind" Listen: "Caroline Good Bye"

New Music Friday - June 9, 2017

Be sure to view a list of upcoming releases here!

Essential Full-Length Releases

Chuck Berry - Chuck Chuck Berry passed away this past March at the age of 90. He left behind a completed final album, his first in almost four decades. The record hearkens back to the early days of the style that he helped to establish and even includes a "sequel" of sorts to one of his most popular tunes, "Lady B Goode" (perhaps obviously, a new take on "Johnny B Goode"). Watch: "Big Boys" Watch: "Darlin'"

Lindsey Buckingham Christine McVie - Lindsey Buckingham Christine McVie Buckingham and McVie are both members of the long-running band Fleetwood Mac. Both have maintained solo careers, releasing a fair number of records between them. Their latest was originally intended to be the latest from the full band (and would have been their first in 14 years), but multiple delays prevented that from occurring. So, the album is just credited to these two, though Fleetwood and Mac (John McVie) both contribute to the record. Listen: "Feel About You" Listen: "In My World"

Phoenix - Ti Amo Ti Amo is the sixth album from this French band. Recorded in Paris, the album is intended to recall Italian discos in the summer. Though it was written to address a darker world view, the end result ended up being light, poppy, and vibrant. An album about love to perhaps counteract a less than loving world environment. Watch: "J-Boy" Watch: "Goodbye Soleil"

The Secret Sisters - You Don’t Own Me Anumore The Secret Sisters are not so secretly made up of actual sisters Laura and Lydia Rogers. The two have been recording together since 2009 and released their debut self-titled album in 2010. You Don't Own Me is their first album since being dropped by Republic and sees them joining New West Records. The album was produced by Brandi Carlile with another pair of siblings, the Hanseroth twins. Watch: "Tennessee River Runs Low" Watch: "You Don’t Own Me Anymore"

SZA - CTRL We had a long wait for this debut album from SZA (something I see frustratingly often from female hip hop artists). The album, then titled A, was first announced in 2014 but saw several delays. With her unique mix of genres and immensely honest lyrics, she has made the long wait well worth it. This album has been on repeat for me nearly since the day it was released. Watch: "Love Galore" (featuring Travis Scott) Watch: "Drew Barrymore"

Other Full-Length Releases

Agent Blå - Agent Blå Listen: "Rote Learning" Listen: "Strand"

Ani DiFranco - Binary Watch: "Play God" Listen: "Zizzing" (featuring Justin Vernon)

Big Thief - Capacity Watch: "Mythological Beauty" Listen: "Mary"

Dua Lipa - Dua Lipa Watch: "Blow Your Mind (Mwah)" Watch: "New Rules"

Hoop - Super Genuine Listen: "Marlin Spike" Listen: "Baseboards" (featuring Briana Marela)

Kirin J Callinan - Bravado Watch: "Living Each Day" (featuring Connan Mockasin) Watch: "S.A.D."

London Grammar - Truth Is a Beautiful Thing Watch: "Big Picture" Watch: "Oh Woman Oh Man"

Mark McGuire - Ideas of Beginnings Listen: "Serpent Mound Coyote Song" Listen: "Beginning of Winter"

Sufjan Stevens, Bryce Dessner, Nico Muhly, James McAlister - Planetarium Watch: "Mercury" Watch: "Venus"

Singles, EPs, Soundtracks, etc.

Ariana Grande - One Love Manchester Listen: "One Last Time" Listen: "Somewhere Over the Rainbow"

BEAK> - "Sex Music" Watch: "Sex Music" Listen: "Sex Music" (Win Butler’s ‘Knight Rider’ Remix)

Bob Dylan & Neil Young - Live on Air 1988

Bonobo - Bambro Koyo Ganda Watch: "Bambro Koyo Ganda" (featuring Innov Gnawa)

ILOVEMAKONNEN - Fun Summer Vol. 1 EP Listen: "Super Chef 2" Listen: "Lonely Girl"

It Comes at Night: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Listen: Brian McOmber - "The Triumph of Death" (featuring Angel Deradoorian)

Miles Davis - The Legendary 1960 European Tour

Nine Inch Nails and David Bowie - The Complete Broadcasts

Paul Simon - The Concert in Hyde Park Watch: "Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes" Watch: "The Obvious Child"

Sia - "Free Me" Watch: "Free Me"

Vic Mensa - The Manuscript Watch: "OMG" (featuring Pusha T) Watch: "Rage"

Upcoming Album of the Week (Ending May 27)

Yesterday was the 50th anniversary of The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band! To celebrate the milestone, the album was released with tons of extra content like session tapes and alternate mixes. You know, a lot of seminal albums will be reaching the same milestone in the coming years, if they get the same reissue treatment, be sure to check them out at my Upcoming Releases page!

This week, SZA's debut studio album, CTRL, finally got a release date!

hiphopdx.com

The singer, who is signed to Top Dawg Entertainment, has self-released two EPs and released a third, 2014's Z, on the label. To most people, though, she may be best-known for co-writing and featuring on the opening track from Rihanna's excellent ANTI-, "Consideration".

CTRL was first announced a few years ago and initially intended to be entitled A. The release date was continually pushed back, but showed up on a TDE's planned 2016 releases. The album got a few more tentative and rumored release dates, but nothing concrete. I think the uncertainty nearly pushed the artist too far, and she threatened to quit the label back in October.

What we have now does seem to be the album's official release. Several tracks from the album have already been released, including "Drew Barrymore" and "Love Galore".

CTRL is set to be released on June 9.

Also announced this week:

Beach Boys - 1967 - Sunshine Tomorrow (June 30)
Daphni - fabriclive 93 (July 21)
The Kills - Echo Home - Non-Electric EP (June 2)
LateNightTales: BADBADNOTGOOD (June 23)
The Pollyseeds - The Sounds of Crenshaw Vol. 1 (July 14)

New Music Tuesday - April 8, 2014

Be sure to view a list of upcoming releases here!

New Full-Length Releases

Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks - Enter the Slasher House Animal Collective has been a very active band since their inception in 1999. Each member has also had active solo careers. Avey Tare released his own solo record, Down There, in 2010 and is following it up with Enter the Slasher House. He gets some help this time around with Angel Derodoorian (formerly of Dirty Projectors) and Jeremy Hyman (formerly of Ponytail). Watch: "Little Fang" Watch: "Strange Colores"

EMA - The Future's Void EMA is the stage name of Erika M. Anderson, who's been working as a musician since 2006. She started as a guitarist for Amps for Christ, then released her first album in 2010. She started to gain more attention following the release of her sophomore album, Past Life Martyred Saints. It's been three years since that, but she's made the wait well worth it with her latest release. Watch: "So Blonde" Watch: "Satellites"

OFF! - Wasted Years OFF! is a hardcore punk supergroup made up of members of Burning Brides, Hot Snakes, Redd Kross and Black Flag. They formed in 2009 and have been incredibly active since. This is the combination's third album. Watch: "Void You Out" Watch: "Hypnotized"

Ratking - So It Goes Ratking is a young hip hop band out of New York City. I first checked out the band when they released the King Krule-featuring "So Sick Stories." The song, like many others on the record, is a gritty story of their city. The band further proves that the newest class of rappers are ready and able to change the hip hop game. Watch: "Canal" Watch: "So Sick Stories" (featuring King Krule)

Sweet Apple - The Golden Age of Glitter Sweet Apple is another supergroup, this one made of Dave Sweetapple, Robert Pollard, Mark Lanegan and J Mascis. The group formed in 2009 and released Love and Desperation. Five years, and countless other releases from members of the collective, they are releasing a follow-up. Watch: "Wish You Could Stay (A Little Longer)" Watch: "Boys in Her Fanclub"

SZA - Z SZA is the stage name of R&B chanteuse Solana Rowe. I first became familiar with her when I heard the Kendrick Lamar-assisted "Babylon" (I'm thinking I should make that man my music-finding assistant...if he weren't a world-famous recording artist, that is). Her style, similar to many other contemporary R&B artists, is a mix that includes genres that always associated with R&B. In her case, she brings in some synthpop. Watch: "Warm Winds" (featuring Isaiah Rashad) Watch: "Babylon" (featuring Kendrick Lamar)

Wilko Johnson & Roger Daltrey - Going Back Home Wilko Johnson and Roger Daltrey are both British classic rocks icons; Johnson as the guitarist for Dr. Feelgood and Daltrey as the frontman for The Who. The pair had no intention of recording together, nor had they met, when they were seated next to each other at a 2010 awards ceremony. They quickly hit it off and recorded this album together. It's become the first big hit either of them have had for over thirty years! Listen: "Going Back Home" Watch: "I Keep It to Myself"

Other New Releases

Franz Ferdinand - "Fresh Strawberries"/"Erdbeer Mund" Franz Ferdinand released their fourth album, Right Thoughts, Right Words Right Action, in August of last year. "Fresh Strawberries" is a track from that release, being released now as a single backed with "Erdbeer Mund." The latter is sung fully in German. Watch: "Fresh Strawberries" Watch: "Erdbeer Mund"

Girl Talk & Freeway - Broken Ankles EP Girl Talk has long been a lone artist, putting out five mashup albums, mainly consisting of classic rock and modern hip hop. He's lending his considerable production skills to rapper Freeway to release this collaborative EP. Watch: "Tolerated" (featuring Waka Flocka Flame) Listen: "Lived It"

Iggy Azalea - "Fancy" We've had white rappers and we've had female rappers for a long time now. White female rappers have been a rarer breed, but Iggy Azalea is out to prove that she can play with the big boys. She will be releasing her debut album, The New Classic, on April 22, which will feature this Charli XCX-assisted track. Watch: "Fancy" (featuring Charli XCX)

Jagwar Ma - Uncertainty Remixes EP Jagwar Ma released their debut album Howlin' last year and now one of the record's best tracks is getting the necessary remix treatment. Featured on this EP are contributions from Ewan Pearson, Missngno, Charles Murdoch, and Cut Copy. Listen: "Uncertainty" (Cut Copy Remix) Listen: "Uncertainty" (Missngno Remix)

Linda Ronstadt - Duets Linda Ronstadt had a career spanning nearly 35 years (she retired in 2011). During that time, she performed and recorded a number of duets with other vocalists. This release collects some of her better-known collaborations. Listen: "I Never Will Marry" (with Dolly Parton) Listen: "Don't Know Much" (with Aaron Neville)

Willis Earl Beal - Curious Cool Willis Beal Earl came out swinging when he released his debut album, Acousmatic Sorcery, in 2012. He released a follow-up, Nobody Knows, last year, but has been far more prolific than just that. Despite being signed to XL Recordings, he has put out several free releases. This is his second just this year. Listen: "Lust" Listen: "Why"