New Music Friday - June 21, 2024

Be sure to view a list of upcoming releases here!

Essential Full-Length Releases

	Alcest - Les Chants De L’Aurore Watch: "Flamme Jumelle" Watch: "L’Envol"
	Kehlani - CRASH Watch: "Next 2U" Watch: "Crash"
	Peso Pluma - Éxodo Watch: "14 14" Watch: "ME ACTIVO" (with Jasiel Nuñez)
	Rui Gabriel - Compassion Watch: "Summertime Tiger" (featuring Stef Chura) Watch: "Change Your Mind"
	Your Old Droog - Movie Watch: "Mercury Thermometers" Watch: "I Think I Love Her"

Other Full-Length Releases

Islands - What Occurs Watch: "Drown a Fish" Watch: "The End"

Kate Nash - 9 Sad Symphonies Watch: "Millions of Heartbeats" Watch: "Space Odyssey 2001"

Other Half - Dark Ageism Watch: "Farm Games" Listen: "Pastoral Existence"

Moon Diagrams - Cemetery Classics Watch: "Very Much My Promise to You" Watch: "Fifteen Shows at Once"

POND - Stung! Watch: "(I’m) Stung" Watch: "Black Lung"

Singles, EPs, Soundtracks, etc.

Burial & Kode9 - "Phoneglow"/"Eyes Go Blank" Listen: "Phoneglow" Listen: "Eyes Go Blank"

Chris Keating - PolyDukes Listen: "Straight Up" Listen: "Devoted"

John Glacier - Duppy Gun Watch: "Cows Come Home" Listen: "Steady as I Am"

Joni Mitchell - The Asylum Albums (1976-1980) Watch: "Coyote" Watch: "The Dry Cleaner from Des Moines"

Outer Spaceways Incorporated - Kronos Quartet & Friends Meet Sun Ra Listen: Laraaji & Kronos Quartet - "Daddy’s Gonna Tell You No Lie" Listen: RP Boo & Armand Hammer - "Blood Running High"

Petty Country: A Country Music Celebration of Tom Petty Watch: Dolly Parton - "Southern Accents" Watch: Rhiannon Giddens - "Don’t Come Around Here No More" (featuring Silkroad Ensemble and Benmont Tench)

RINSE - STARFISH* Watch: "Breathe" Watch: "Kiss Me (Kill Me)" (featuring Hatchie)

Spiritualized - Songs in A&E Reissue Watch: "Soul on Fire" Watch: "You Lie You Cheat"

Sufjan Stevens - Seven Swans (Deluxe Edition) Watch: "To Be Alone with You" Watch: "The Dress Looks Nice on You"

Tinashe - Match My Freak Listen: "Nasty" (Match My Heat Remix) Listen: "Nasty" (Match My Tweak Remix)

New Music Friday - October 30, 2020

Be sure to view a list of upcoming releases here!

Essential Full-Length Releases

Ariana Grande - positions positions is the sixth album from Grande, and her third in just over two years. The new album, which is primarily focused on the theme of sex, features contributions from the Weeknd, Doja Cat, and Ty Dolla $ign. Watch: "positions" Watch: "34+35"

Emma Ruth Rundle & Thou - May Our Chambers Be Full This is an interesting combination, Thou's sludge metal meeting ERR's ambient folk. Together, they present something beyond just Thou with a different lead singer, but a new style that combines them both and brings in elements of 90s-era alternative rock. Listen: "Ancestral Recall" Listen: "The Valley"

Mourn - Self Worth This has been a pretty good year for female-led indie rock out of Spain. We got a new album from Melenas in May and one from Hinds in June. Now, Catalonian Mourn is releasing their fourth album, following 2018's Sorpresa Familia. Watch: "This Feeling Is Disgusting" Watch: "Men"

Sam Smith - Love Goes Smith's follow-up to 2017's The Thrill of It All was originally supposed to be released in June, but COVID changed a lot of album release plans. Now, they are releasing the record with a new title and new cover art, but still a record that aims to drive them away from the ballad-driven work of prior records and in more of a pop-focused direction. Watch: "How Do You Sleep?" Watch: "Dancing with a Stranger" (featuring Normani)

War on Women - Wonderful Hell War on Women is a band about as political as one may assume from their name. They often tackle subjects like abortion, rape, and misogyny. Wonderful Hell is their third album, released in what may be a turning point of a year relative to women's rights. Watch: "Wonderful Hell" Watch: "White Lies"

Other Full-Length Releases

Autechre - PLUS Listen: "DekDre Scap B" Listen: "ecol4"

Elvis Costello - Hey Clockface Watch: "We Are All Cowards Now" Watch: "Hetty O’Hara Confidential"

Jim-E Stack - EPHEMERA Watch: "Note to Self" (featuring Empress Of) Watch: "Can We" (featuring Kacy Hill)

MadeInTYO - Never Forgotten Watch: "BET Uncut" (featuring Chance The Rapper & Smino) Listen: "Money Up" (featuring Toro Y Moi)

Nothing - The Great Dismal Watch: "Say Less" Watch: "Bernie Sanders"

Oneohtrix Point Never - Magic Oneohtrix Point Never Watch: "Long Road Home" Listen: "Auto & Allo"

Puscifer - Existential Reckoning Watch: "Apocalyptical" Watch: "Theorem"

Sinai Vessel - Ground Aswim Watch: "Shameplant" Watch: "Guest in Your Life"

Singles, EPs, Soundtracks, etc.

Joni Mitchell - Joni Mitchell Archives Vol 1.: The Early Years (1963 to 1967) Watch: "House of the Rising Sun" Watch: "Urge for Going"

Okkervil River - A Dream in the Dark: Two Decades of Okkervil River

OutKast - Stankonia 20th Anniversary Reissue Watch: "B.O.B." Watch: "So Fresh, So Clean"

Stevie Nicks - Live in Concert: The 24 Karat Gold Tour Watch: "Gypsy" Watch: "Rhiannon"

Suuns - FICTION Watch: "Pray" Watch: "FICTION"

Yumi Zouma - Truth or Consequences (Alternate Versions) Watch: "Lie Like You Want Me Back" Watch: "My Palms Are Your Reference to Hold to Your Heart"

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)