New Music Tuesday - June 16, 2015

Be sure to view a list of upcoming releases here!

Essential Full-Length Releases

Active Child - Mercy Mercy is the sophomore album from Pat Grossi, who released his incredible debut You Are All I See, in 2011. His debut received rave reviews and even spawned a cover by Ellie Goulding of the song "Hanging On" a year later on her Halcyon album. On the follow-up, he has partnered with producer Van Rivers, who helped him to push and develop his writing and vocals. Watch: "1999" Listen: "Never Far Away"

Ben Browning - Turns Ben Browning daylights as the bassist for Australian band Cut Copy. He began his solo career in 2012 with the EP Lover Motion. He is following that up with his debut full-length. There's no word yet on whether to expect new music soon from his band, who released Free Your Mind in November 2013. Watch: "Make It Easy" Watch: "Friends of Mine"

Giorgio Moroder - Déjà Vu Giorgio Moroder was a disco-era icon, though his career dried up a bit as disco waned in popularity. Dance, electronic, and even disco, have had a big resurgence over the past few years, making it a prime time for Moroder to come back. His first album in 30 years features vocals from a bevy of younger performers, including: Charli XCX, Kelis, Britney Spears, and Sia. Watch: "Déjà Vu" (featuring Sia) Watch: "Right Here, Right Now" (featuring Kylie Minogue)

Heartless Bastards - Restless Ones Over their five albums, this Cincinnati-based band has often been compared to another Ohio act, The Black Keys. Both bands started with a minimalist blues rock sound. Recently, The Black Keys have started to stray from that sound; the Heartless Bastards seem to be following suit. Frontwoman Erika Wennerstrom promises that the album is a departure, allowing the band to grow and avoid making the same record twice. Watch: "Gates of Dawn" Watch: "Hi-Line"

Ryn Weaver - The Fool Ryn Weaver is one of the latest benefactors (or maybe victim - not a statement of her talent) of the hype cycle. She became an overnight sensation last summer with the release of the single "OctaHate." Her debut EP, Promises, followed not long after and now she's out with her full-length debut. Watch: "OctaHate" Watch: "The Fool"

Other Full-Length Releases

Czarface - Every Hero Needs a Villain Listen: "Ka-Bang" (featuring MF DOOM) Listen: "Deadly Class" (featuring Meyhem Lauren)

Hudson Mohawke - Lantern Watch: "Very First Breath" (featuring Irfane) Watch: "Warriors" (featuring Ruckazoid & Devaeux)

John Metcalfe - The Appearance of Colour Watch: "Gold Green" Watch: "Parsal"

Nate Ruess - Grand Romantic Watch: "AhHa" Watch: "Grand Romantic"

Outfit - Slowness Watch: "New Air" Watch: "Framed"

Purple - Silence & Remorse Listen: "The Deepest Night" Listen: "Never Come Back"

Slum Village - Yes! Watch: "Love Is" (featuring Bilal & Illa J) Listen: "Right Back" (featuring De La Soul)

Singles, EPs, Soundtracks, etc.

Air - The Virgin Suicides - 15th Anniversary Edition Listen: "Playground Love" (KCRW LA Radio Jan 2000)

The Antlers - Live in London Watch: "Director" Watch: "Doppelgänger"

Cold Cave - Full Cold Moon Listen: "Nausea, the Earth, and Me"

Dave Monks - All Signs Point to Yes EP Watch: "Gasoline" Listen: "The Rules"

Dope: Music from the Motion Picture Listen: Nas - "The World Is Yours" Listen: Public Enemy - "Rebel Without a Pause"

Fucked Up - Year of the Hare Listen: "California Cold"

Gener8ion - Bromance #21 Watch: "The New International Sound Pt. II" (featuring M.I.A.) Listen: "Walled City"

Hotei - "How the Cookie Crumbles" Watch: "How the Cookie Crumbles" (featuring Iggy Pop)

Mates of State - You're Going to Make It Watch: "Staring Contest" Listen: "Beautiful Kids"

Protomartyr/R. Ring - A Half of Seven Listen: Protomartyr - "Blues Festival" (featuring Kelley Deal)

The Radio Dept. - Occupied EP Listen: "Occupied" Listen: "It Looked Like Heaven (But Feels Like Hell)"

Raury - "Devil's Whisper" Listen: "Devil's Whisper"

Tobias Jesso Jr. - "True Love"/"Without You" 7" Listen: "True Love" Listen: "Without You" (Alternate Version)

The Twilight Sad - "It Was Never the Same" Watch: "It Was Never the Same" Listen: The Cure - "There's a Girl in the Corner"

Dallas Buyers Club

Director: Jean-Marc Vallée Writers: Craig Borten, Melisa Wallack Stars: Matthew McConaughey (Ron Woodroof), Jennifer Garner (Eve), Jared Leto (Rayon), Bradford Cox (Sunny) Dallas Buyers Club follows the real-life story of Ron Woodroof, a hard-living hustler whose life is turned upside-down after being diagnosed with AIDS. At the time of his diagnosis in the late 1980s, the disease was poorly understood and still strongly assumed to be a gay-only disease. After losing friends who assume that he himself is homosexual and becoming frustrated at the lack of drugs available for the treatment of his disease, he travels out of the country for medication. Soon, he begins smuggling experimental drugs into the US and sets up a "buyer's club" for other sufferers of the disease. Though at first unwittingly, he becomes friends and business partner with Rayon, a fellow AIDS patient and transvestite. Coming to believe in the value of the service he's providing, he fights the FDA to approve the medications and to be able to sell them.

Mini soundtrack:

Shuggie Otis - "Purple"
Amanda Lear - "Follow Me"
T. Rex - "Life Is Strange"

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"