New Music Friday - April 27, 2018

Be sure to view a list of upcoming releases here!

Essential Full-Length Releases

Half Waif - Lavender Synth-pop singer Nandi Rose Plunkett is a former member of Pinegrove and has been performing solo as Half Waif for six years. Lavender is her second album following last year's Probably Depths. Watch: "Keep It Out" Watch: "Torches"

Janelle Monáe - Dirty Computer Monáe steps away a bit from the thematic elements of her first two albums, though there's still some Cindi Mayweather around. In ways, it's a more typical pop album, but one only this artist could make. It's sexual, defiant, political, and (as she always is) amazing! Watch: "Make Me Feel" Watch: "Django Jane"

Okkervil River - In the Rainbow Rain In the Rainbow Rain is the ninth album from this band fronted by Will Sheff. The album follows 2016's Away, in which Sheff unpacked major changes to his personal and professional lives. This album sees the band incorporating a wide variety of new styles. Watch: "Don’t Move Back to LA" Watch: "Pulled Up the Ribbon"

Speedy Ortiz - Twerp Verse Twerp Verse is the third album from this Massachusetts band and follows 2015's amazing Foil Deer. The album and the videos that have accompanied it continue the DIY feel of their work. Watch: "Lucky 88" Watch: "Lean in When I Suffer"

Twin Shadow - Caer This is the fourth album from George Lewis, Jr., who performs as Twin Shadow. The album features collaborations with Rainsford and HAIM. Watch: "Little Woman" Watch: "Brace" (featuring Rainsford)

Other Full-Length Releases

Forth Wanderers - Forth Wanderers Watch: "Ages Ago" Watch: "Nevermine"

Post Malone - beerbongs & bentleys Watch: "Psycho" (featuring Ty Dolla $ign) Watch: "rockstar" (featuring 21 Savage)

Van Morrison and Joey DeFrancesco - You’re Driving Me Crazy Listen: "You’re Driving Me Crazy" Listen: "Everyday I Have the Blues"

We Are Scientists - Megaplex Watch: "One In, One Out" Watch: "Your Light Has Changed"

Willie Nelson - Last Man Standing Watch: "Me and You" Watch: "Bad Breath"

Singles, EPs, Soundtracks, etc.

Buzzy Lee - Facepaint EP Watch: "Facepaint" Watch: "Coolhand"

Grouper - Grid of Points Listen: "Driving" Listen: "Parking Lot"

Kings: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Listen: Nick Cave & Warren Ellis - "Saying Goodbye" Listen: Nick Cave & Warren Ellis - "Waking Up"

SONTALK - SONTALK: Act 1 Watch: "I Am a War Machine"

Upcoming Album of the Week (Ending November 11)

John Cale has announced a series of shows to celebrate the 50th anniversary of The Velvet Underground & Nico. In place of the dearly departed Lou Reed, the shows will features a number of other notable performers, including Sky Ferreira, Kurt Vile, Animal Collective, and Tunde Adebimpe. This will inevitably result in a live album sometime next year; when that happens, check it out over at my Upcoming Releases page!

This week, Van Morrison proved that he has no plans to quit anytime soon and announced his 38th album, Versatile.

vanmorrison.com

Morrison has a career spanning back more than 50 years, but has been especially busy the past couple of years, releasing albums in 2015, 2016, and 2017. That's right, he's already released an album this year; September's Roll with the Punches.

He announced this follow-up on Sunday and it will feature a mix of blues and soul reinterpretations as well as original songs.

Versatile is set for release on December 1.

Also announced this week:

Ashanti - “Say Less” (out now)
BC Unidos - Bicycle EP (out now)
Beastie Boys - The In Sound from Way Out! Reissue (December 8)
Beastie Boys - To the 5 Boroughs Reissue (December 8)
Bright: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (December 15)
Elbow - The Best Of (November 24)
Empire of the Sun - On Our Way Home (out now)
Field Music - Open Here (February 2)
Jidenna - Boomerang (out now)
Marlon Williams - Make Way for Love (February 16)
Poliça/s t a r g a z e - Music for the Long Emergency (February 16)
Superchunk - What a Time to Be Alive (February 16)

Upcoming Album of the Week (Ending July 2)

Frank Ocean again teased his perpetually upcoming sophomore album, Boys Don't Cry, this morning with an image of the library slip implying that something will be coming this month. It's an album he's spent more than a year promising to fans, so there's still some doubt over whether it will actually be released. There are, however, a number of artists with albums assured to be released over the next few months; check them out at my Upcoming Releases page!

This week, Van Morrison announced his 35th studio album, Keep Me Singing.

rollingstone.com

Morrison has had a long career spanning back almost six decades, beginning with Them, and then transitioning into a much-celebrated solo career. He's had a few commercially successful singles, most notably "Brown-Eyed Girl," as well as several critically-acclaimed albums.

He's shown no signs of slowing down as he's entered his 70s. His previous album, Born to Sing: No Plan B, was released in 2012.  In support of the new album, he will be embarking on a short term, primarily across the state of California.

Keep Me Singing is set for release on September 30.

Also announced this week:

The Chills - Kaleidoscope World Reissue (August 19)
Jon Hopkins - Opalescent Reissue (August 26)
Porcelain Raft - Pressed Flowers EP (out now)
Towkio - Community Service 2 (July 7)
The Verve -  A Northern Storm (September 9)
The Verve - A Storm in Heaven Box Set (September 9)
Zomby - Ultra (September 2)

New Music Tuesday - March 24, 2015

Be sure to view a list of upcoming releases here!

New Full-Length Releases

Action Bronson - Mr. Wonderful This latest album from former chef and rapper Action Bronson is billed as hit debut studio album, though he already has two previous albums, and numerous mixtapes, beneath his belt. It is his debut on a major label; he signed with Atlantic Records in 2013. On the record, the Albanian-American works with Mark Ronson, The Alchemist, Chance The Rapper, and many others. Watch: "Baby Blue" Watch: "Actin Crazy"

Big Data - 2.0 Big Data is the electronic music project of Alan Wilkis. Though this album, with feature spots from the likes of Jamie Lidell and Rivers Cuomo of Weezer, was the first I had ever heard of him, he has previously reached number one on the Billboard charts with 2013's "Dangerous." For someone with a number one single, he sure seems to be aiming more for the indie audience with this record; in addition to the names mentioned above, White Sea, Twin Shadow, Bear Hands, and Jenn Wasner are also featured on the record. Watch: "Clean" (featuring Jamie Lidell) Watch: "Snowed In" (featuring Rivers Cuomo)

Chastity Belt - Time to Go Home There have been a lot of jangly surf rock bands surfacing over the past few years (Jaill, The Drums, Real Estate), but the subgenre has been largely a boys' game. Chastity Belt is an all-girl band from Seattle who are proving that the ladies can jangle right along with the men. This is the band's sophomore album. Watch: "Cool Slut" Watch: "Time to Go Home"

Chilly Gonzales - Chambers If there's one thing that seems common among Canadian musicians, it's that they work together frequently. Gonzales himself his often collaborated with Feist, Peaches, and Mocky. His latest album is largely a solo effort, though he does get some help on a couple of compositions. If you want more from Gonzales, be sure to check out his Pop Music Masterclass series on You-Tube, in which he deftly explains the appeal of popular music in music theory terms. Watch: "Advantage Points" Listen: "Sweet Burden"

Courtney Barnett - Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit This Australian musician has mastered the art of the mundane. Her lyrics aren't boring, not by a long shot, but she focuses on the issues and concerns of everyday life. She received a great deal of praise for her previous release, The Double EP: A Sea of Split Peas, which was a combination of her first two releases. She was looking to meet a lot of expectations with her first full-length, which she has easily done. Watch: "Pedestrian at Best" Watch: "Depreston"

The Cribs - For All My Sisters For All My Sisters is the sixth studio album from this British band of brothers. It's the band's first album since creating their own record label, Sonic Blew, in a deal with Sony RED UK; they were previously signed to Wichita Records. The album was produced by another iconic rock performer, Ric Ocasek. Watch: "Burning for No One" Listen: "An Ivory Hand"

Earl Sweatshirt - I Don’t Do Shit, I Don’t Go Outside Ever since Beyoncé surprise released her 2013 eponymous record, a number of artists have been following suit, though with varying levels of forewarning. Sweatshirt's latest record was announced a week before its release. The announcement was botched by Sony. He has intended to release the music video for "Grief" as a teaser, then announce the record. The label mixed the two up, and left their artist less than pleased. Still, it's an incredible record and a more than worthy follow-up to Doris. Watch: "Grief" Listen: "Wool"

JEFF The Brotherhood - Wasted in the Dream This brother duo has been quite prolific in their 14 years performing together. Wasted on the Dream is their eighth album. They has a bit of a break-out with their previous, Hypnotic Nights, which was produced by The Black Keys' Dan Auerbach and was their first to enter the Billboard 200 (it peaked at #198). The follow-up was intended to be their major-label debut; they even received funding from Warner Bros. Then, for some reason, they were dropped from the label. Good new though, the album was already completed and they were able to release it on their own. Listen: "Coat Check Girl" Listen: "What’s a Creep"

Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp a Butterfly Although three incredible hip hop albums were released this week, it seems like an exercise in futility to try to compete against Kendrick's magnum opus. The album is already being touted as a strong contender for 2015's album of the year (in terms of year-end reviews, not necessarily the Grammys). The record is definitely a game-changer, with a funk and jazz base and themes of self-doubt, humility, and hypocrisy. Watch: "i" Watch: "King Kunta"

Laura Marling - Short Movie Like so many folk artists before her have done, Laura Marling plugged in for her latest record. After four albums of acoustic guitar mastery, she has traded that in for a gorgeous white Fender (see the "False Hope" video below for a glimpse). Along with a new pixie cut, all this seems to signal a new era for Marling as an alt-rock chanteuse. She maintains the same appeal, though; the songs are expertly written and her warm vocals remain. Watch: "False Hope" Watch: "Short Movie"

Mini Mansions - The Great Pretenders Mini Mansions is a side project formed by Queen's of the Stone Age bassist Michael Shurman when the band took a short break following the Era Vulgaris tour. But be warned, the band sounds nothing like what Shurman creates with QoTSA. Their sound is pure indie pop, with a bit of 60s-inspired psychedelia thrown in. Perhaps it's for this reason that they've attracted some impressive guest vocals on the record; including Alex Turner of Arctic Monkeys and Beach Boys legend Brian Wilson. Watch: "Any Emotions" (featuring Brian Wilson) Watch: "Vertigo" (featuring Alex Turner)

Sonnymoon - The Courage of Present Times An astonishing number of singers seem to get their first exposure providing vocal hooks on hip hop tracks. Such is the case for Sonnymoon, whose vocalist, Anna Wise, was featured on Kendrick Lamar's "Money Trees." She also appears on his new album. This is the third album from the duo, who have been working together since 2008. Listen: "Pop Music" Listen: "Grains of Friends"

Van Morrison - Duets: Re-working the Catalogue Van Morrison has a career that spans more than a half century and includes a number of great and iconic songs. He is revisiting many of these songs on his 35th studio album. He's mixing it up by re-recording the songs with a variety of other musicians, both his contemporaries and those who came after. Featured on the record are Michael Bublé, Natalie Cole, Bobby Womack, and Mavis Staples. Listen: "Real Real Gone" (featuring Michael Bublé) Listen: "Some Peace of Mind" (featuring Bobby Womack)

Other New Releases

Johnny Cash - American Recordings Box Set Towards the end of his long career, Johnny Cash released a series of American Recordings albums, of which he recorded six. Twelve year after his death, and just five after the final American Recordings release, all of those recordings are being collected into this box set. Listen: "God’s Gonna Cut You Down" Listen: "The Man Comes Around"

Kelela - Cut 4 Me Reissue Ethiopian-American musician Kelela released her break-out mixtape, Cut 4 Me, back in October of 2013. The tape found its way onto numerous year-end lists. This year, it is getting the re-release treatment, with eight additional remixes added to the original 13 tracks. Listen: "Something Else" Listen: "Cherry Coffee"

New Music Tuesday - October 22, 2013

New Full-Length Releases

Poliça - Shulamith Poliça burst onto the scene early last year with their debut album, Give You the Ghost. Although the band was nearly brand new, they received a lot of attention leading into the album and overwhelmingly positive reviews upon its release. Here comes the hard part for any band, following up a successful first album. Poliça has released a sophomore album that's just as good. Listen/Watch: "Warrior Lord"

Other New Releases

Active Child - Rapor EP It's been a little while since we've heard from Active Child (aka Pat Grossi). He released his first and only album, You Are All I See, way back in 2011 following a series of EPs. I guess he's back to the EPs for now following two years of relative silence. Here, he collaborates with Mikky Ekko and Ellie Goulding. Listen/Watch: "She Cut Me"

Best Coast - Fade Away Mini-Album Bethany Cosentino and Bobb Bruno (the only two members left of the band) released their last full-length album in May of last year. Normally, a collection of songs that's not quite full-length in length is called an EP, but Best Coast has decided to call this a "mini-album." It is the first release on Cosentino's new label Jewel City. Listen/Watch: "I Don't Know How"

Simian Mobile Disco - Tong Zi Dan EP Tong zi dan is an interesting Chinese cultural item. It's a dish consisting of eggs cooked in the urine of prepubescent boys. Sounds delicious; I guess that's the vibe Simian Mobile Disco is trying to set. Honestly, though, I'm not entirely sure what connection virgin boy eggs have to this music, but SMD always puts out great work. Listen/Watch: "Tong Zi Dan"

Van Morrison - Moondance Reissue Van Morrison initially released this iconic more than 40 years years ago. The album is generally considered Morrison's best and is one of my favorite albums from the 1970s. The reissue includes three discs of new (unreleased) material and a high-resolution audio recording of the original album. Listen: "Moondance"