New Release Friday - October 21, 2016

Be sure to view a list of upcoming releases here!

Essential Full-Length Releases

Leonard Cohen - You Want It Darker We didn't know it at the time, but this would be the last album that this musical genius would release during his lifetime. The 82-year-old singer and songwriter passed away on November 7 following a fall. He'd said some prophetic statements recently, but was in good health and just seemed like he should live forever. Thankfully, he graced us with another incredible collection of songs before he left us. Watch: "You Want It Darker" Listen: "Traveling Light"

NxWorries - Yes Lawd! NxWorries is Anderson .Paak and Knxwledge. The duo first formed last year and released an EP, Link Up & Suede. 2016 has been a big year for both artists individually; .Paak released a highly-regarded fourth album, Malibu, and Knxwledge released several albums, and provided production for tracks by Ghostface Killah, Action Bronson, and Earl Sweatshirt. Watch: "Link Up" Listen: "Lyk Dis"

Pretenders - Alone This album is a meeting of Akron minds. The Pretenders are back after an eight-year gap with an album produced by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys. In addition to providing production, Auerbach brings several members of his Arcs project to provide instrumentation on the record; Chrissie Hyndes and Martin Chambers are the sole original members that remain with the band. Watch: "Holy Commotion!" Listen: "Alone"

The Radio Dept. - Running Out of Love The Radio Dept. always flies under my radar when I think about my favorite artists and albums over the past few years, but their 2010 record Clinging to a Scheme, is an album I can always come back to and enjoy. Running Out of Love is an amazing follow-up. The album is inspired by dance and techno music, though they employ a more understated version of the styles. They also add a healthy dose of politics to their music. Listen: "Swedish Guns" Listen: "We Got Game"

Weyes Blood - Front Row Seat to Earth Weyes Blood is Natalie Mering, who started her career as the bassist for Jackie-O Motherfucker before going solo ten years ago. It wasn't until 2014 that she released her debut album, The Innocents, which debuted her 70s folk-inspired sound and use of distinct instrumentation. She doesn't stray far from the sound on her debut with this follow-up. Watch: "Do You Need My Love" Watch: "Seven Words"

Other Full-Length Releases

American Football - American Football Listen: "I’ve Been Gone for So Long" Listen: "Give Me the Gun"

Cakes Da Killa - Hedonism Watch: "New Phone (Who Dis)" Watch: "Talkin Greezy"

Crocodiles - Dreamless Watch: "Telepathic Lover" Listen: "Time to Kill"

D.R.A.M. - Big Baby D.R.A.M. Watch: "Cash Machine" Listen: "WiFi" (featuring Erykah Badu)

Jagwar Ma - Every Now & Then Watch: "O B 1" Listen: "Give Me a Reason"

Jimmy Eat World - Integrity Blues Watch: "Get Right" Watch: "Sure and Certain"

Kevin Devine - Instigator Listen: "No History" Listen: "Instigator"

Lady Gaga - Joanne Watch: "Perfect Illusion" Listen: "Million Reasons"

Malcolm London - Opia Listen: "Opia" (featuring Jamila Woods) Listen: "Northstar" (featuring Vic Mensa)

Spirit Club - Slouch Watch: "Broken Link" Listen: "Fast Ice"

Singles, EPs, Soundtracks, etc.

Belle and Sebastian - The Jeepster Singles Collection Listen: "Dog on Wheels" Listen: "Jonathan David"

The Blow - "Think About Me" Watch: "Think About Me"

The Cinematic Orchestra - "To Believe" Listen: "To Believe" (featuring Moses Sumney)

felicita - a new family Watch: "a new family" Listen: "softly"

Iggy Pop - The Idiot Reissue Listen: "Sister Midnight" Listen: "Nightclubbing"

Iggy Pop - Lust for Life Reissue Listen: "Lust for Life" Listen: "Some Weird Sin"

Lazarus (Original Cast Recording) Watch: Sophia Anne Caruso - "Life on Mars?" Watch: Michael C. Hall - "Lazarus"

Really Big Pinecone - W.I.S.A.T.P. Listen: "Chorus Girl" Listen: "W.I.S.A.T.P."

Sarah Davachi - All My Circles Run

Sia - This Is Acting Deluxe Version Watch: "The Greatest" (featuring Kendrick Lamar) Watch: "Cheap Thrills"

New Music Tuesday - May 12, 2015

Be sure to view a list of upcoming releases here!

This week, I will begin to try out a new format for these posts. Writing up an increasing number of releases weekly has become a time-consuming and often unrewarding (for me) process. Starting this week, I will select a number of "essential releases" for each week and provide more detailed write-ups on those, then present the remaining albums and other releases without commentary. My aim is threefold; first, I would like to re-energize myself and my blog. The second goal is to make it clearer which artists and albums I feel are a little more worth your time. Finally, I just want to get caught up.

Essential Full-Length Releases

Crocodiles - Boys Crocodiles is a lo-fi and new wave band out of San Diego, California. The band's last album, Crimes of Passion, was released in 2013, but since then, frontman Brandon Welchez released a collaborative album with Dee Dee Penny of the Dum Dum Girls (his wife) as Haunted Hearts. Now the band is back with their fifth album. Watch: "Foolin’ Around" Watch: "Crybaby Demon"

Pfarmers - Gunnera Members of The National haven't been especially active in side projects, with the exception of Bryce Dessner, who has become known as a composer. Now, drummer Bryan Devendorf is branching out on his own as well. His new projects partners him with members of Menomena, and the backing bands for St. Vincent and Sufjan Stevens. Listen: "The Ol’ River Gang" Listen: "You Shall Know the Spirit"

Roísín Murphy - Hairless Toys Roísín Murphy took a long break after her last album, 2007's Overpowered. Though she began work on a new album seven years ago, and recorded many tracks, it wasn't until last year that fans got any new music from her, in the form of her 2014 EP Mi Senti. Watch: "Exploitation" Listen: "Evil Eyes"

Surfer Blood - 1000 Palms 2015 has been a bit of a tough year for Surfer Blood. While he helped on the recording of this latest album, guitarist Thomas Fekete was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer. The band went forward with a supporting tour, and collected money for his treatment on the road. Some of that money, as well as equipment, was stolen while they were near Chicago. Despite these setbacks, the band continues to make great music. Watch: "I Can’t Explain" Listen: "Grand Inquisitor"

The Tallest Man on Earth - Dark Bird Is Home The Tallest Man on Earth is the stage name of Kristian Matsson, a Swedish musician of average height. I loved his sophomore album, The Wild Hunt, when it was released in 2010 and he's already released one incredible follow-up to that record. His fourth record promises to be just as amazing. Listen: "Sagres" Listen: "Dark Bird Is Home"

Other Full-Length Releases

Blanck Mass - Dumb Flesh Watch: "Dead Format" Listen: "Detritus"

Novella - Land Watch: "Land Gone" Listen: "Sentences"

Prurient - Frozen Niagara Falls Listen: "Dragonflies to Sew You Up" Listen: "Greenpoint"

Spirit Club - Spirit Club Watch: "Duster" Watch: "Still Life"

Tyondai Braxton - HIVE1 Listen: "Scout1" Listen: "Gracka"

Urban Cone - Polaroid Memories Watch: "Sadness Disease" Watch: "Come Back to Me" (featuring Tove Lo)

Singles, EPs, Soundtracks, etc.

The 2 Bears - Bears in Space Listen: "(Space) Money Man" (featuring Stylo G) Listen: "The Night Is Slow"

Bishop Nehru - The Nehruvian EP Watch: "User$" Listen: "Bishy in Japan 16 (Knowing Nothing)"

Holy Ghost! - Work for Hire Listen: Hanni El Khatib - "Two Brothers" (Holy Ghost! Remix)

Jordan Bratton - YOUTH EP Watch: "Danger" (featuring Fabolous) Listen: "Bound"

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Quarters EP Listen: "God Is in the Rhythm" Listen: "The River"

Leonard Cohen - Can’t Forget: A Souvenir of the Grand Tour Live Listen: "Never Gave Nobody Trouble" Listen: "Choices"

Lil Silva - Drumatic Listen: "Drumatic"

Mates of State - Greats Listen: "Palomino" Listen: "For the Actor"

Nicolas Jaar - Nymphs II Listen: "No One Is Looking at U"

Noel Gallagher's High-Flying Birds - "Riverman" Watch: "Riverman"

Sylvan Esso - H.S.K.T. Remix EP Watch: "H.S.K.T." Listen: "H.S.K.T." (Hercules & Love Affair Remix)

New Music Tuesday - August 20, 2013

New Full-Length Releases

Crocodiles - Crimes of Passion Crocodiles has been on my radar for a couple of years, but I've never really listened to their music. This is surprising (to me, at least) considering their connection to other loved bands like The Soft Pack and the Dum Dum Girls (the lead singer, Brandon Welchez is married to Dee Dee Penny of the Dum Dum Girls). They have a sound that's somewhat similar to both bands, but theirs is much noisier and unhinged (a bit like early Black Lips). Now, I guess I just need to start checking out some of the other related bands! Listen/Watch: "Cockroach"

Earl Sweatshirt - Doris There's been a lot of hype around the Odd Future rap collective, but perhaps none more than for Earl Sweatshirt (maybe aside from Frank Ocean). Some of it is due to a delay in his career. After releasing an acclaimed mixtape in 2011, he was sent to boarding school in Samoa due to behavioral issues. He returned last year in almost full force. He was featured on several other Odd Future releases (including Frank Ocean's awesome album). A full-length release from him has been slow-coming, but I'm excited it's finally here! Listen/Watch: "WHOA"

Julia Holter - Loud City Song After the raucous rock and hip hop in this week's releases, you may be surprised to learn that I also enjoy more low-key music. Julia Holter is just one of those artists. Her music is intricately composed and ethereal; the result is really quite gorgeous. She caught my attention last year with the song and video for "Goddess Eyes II;" I loved the way that the song was layered. This is already being considered a great album by several publications, so I'm sure that my love of this artist will only grow more. Listen/Watch: "Maxim 1"

Julianna Barwick - Nepenthe OK, so we can have a little more low-key this week. Julianna Barwick has a similar name and sound to the previous artist. She, however, relies much more on looping to create her sound, which, despite the use of her voice, comes off much more instrumental. I'll be honest, I first checked her out because I was getting confused between her and Julia. Once I discerned the difference, though, I came to love her just as much. She's not as immediate (not to say that Julia is particularly so), but very rewarding. Listen/Watch: "One Half"

No Age - An Object No Age is another band that makes great use of noise, but in a much more experimental, maybe even "arty," way. This is their fourth album and is being touted as their protest release. I remember seeing them for the first (and so far only) time at Pitchfork two years ago and was amazed at the sound they were able to put out with just two members. I've read that this release is minimal in comparison to past albums, though. That makes me a little nervous, but I'm always up for seeing how musicians evolve their sound. Listen/Watch: "An Impression"

Porcelain Raft - Permanent Signal Porcelain Raft is another new act for me; and whose name has floated around on the websites and in the magazines that I most read. This isn't a band, rather the project of Italian musician Mauro Remiddi. It is his second album under the name and features even more of the dream pop sound that made him so acclaimed after his first album, Strange Weekend. I hope to discover what made so many others love his music. Listen/Watch: "The Way Out"

Sarah Neufeld - Hero Brother Neufeld is a member of one of the latest indie bands to come out of the "underground" and gain a more mainstream following, Arcade Fire! In that band, she plays the violion (as well as providing some backing vocals). While that band should be releasing a new album later this year, Sarah is releasing her first solo record. In contrast to music she's released with her various bands, this is an instrumental album. It's always interesting to see how these musicians translate their sound when they lose the vocals. Listen/Watch: "Forcelessness"

Other New Releases

David Bowie - "Valentine's Day" David Bowie proved that he's still got it when he released The Next Day earlier this year. In support of the album, he's released a number of songs with excellent music videos attached. Despite his break from recording new music, he made sure that fans really knew he was back. This is the latest single from that record. I know it's coming a few months too late, but it is a great song! Listen/Watch: "Valentine's Day"

The Lumineers - The Lumineers Deluxe Edition When The Lumineers released their debut album last year, they gained a lot of fans... and a lot of detractors. They're the type of band that I typically stall on checking out (yes, because of their popularity), but once I'd heard a few songs, I really started to like them. Re-releases aren't my favorite thing, especially when they come so soon after the initial release. But they often provide a way to hear newer songs from the band. Listen/Watch: "Stubborn Love"

Redder - Border/lines EP When it comes to identifying new music that I might like, I have several trigger words. Once of those is James Blake, who was used as a comparison for this band. It may not be much of a secret, but I love Blake's music, so I was interested to see just how this act stacked up. I listened and...they're not so bad! Similar to Blake, yes, but doing something fully unique as well. Listen/Watch: "Faster"

Zola Jesus - Versions Zola Jesus released her excellent third album, Conatus, about two years ago. This follow-up consists of versions (see what she did there?) of songs on that album, recorded with JG Thirlwell and the Mivos Quartet. She is interpreting her past releases in a neo-classical style, so this should be pretty interesting for fans. Listen: "Avalanche (Slow)"