I'm trying something new here. Rather than just a album that was announced during the week that I'm excited about, I will start posting a few things that I've liked from the week. This will include new album announcements, songs, covers, and videos!
Angel Olsen announced her fourth album, All Mirrors, a few weeks back. I'm incredibly excited for it and, yes, I have preordered it (possibly twice, I'm not sure if my first order went through). She already released one amazing track from the new album, but released a second this week, "Lark."
Sleater-Kinney released The Center Won't Hold, their incredible, St. Vincent-produced ninth album, earlier this month. They released a new video for one of the album's tracks this week, "Can I Go On." The video starts out innocent-looking enough, with a pair of older ladies about to enjoy some tea together. Things quickly devolve, however, into a knock-down drag-out bout, complete with stripping and mud.
Lucy Dacus has been releasing one-off singles every few months this year. She's released four so far and her latest is a cover of Bruce Springsteen's "Dancing in the Dark." The cover is dedicated to both Springsteen and Dacus' father.
Finally, in album announcement news, FKA twigs announced her sophomore album, Magdalene!
The album follows her incredible LP1 and will feature Future and production from Jack Antonoff, who seems to be becoming one of the biggest names in pop production today (he also produced new albums from Lana Del Rey, Kevin Abstract, and Taylor Swift). She previously released one song from the album, "cellophane," and released "holy terrain" along with the album's announcement. The album will be released on October 25.
Anyway Gang - Anyway Gang (November 29)
Bishop Nehru - My Disregarded Thoughts (November 8)
Bombay Bicycle Club - Everything Else Has Gone Wrong (January 17)
Bonnie “Prince” Billy - I Made a Place (November 15)
Cigarettes After Sex - Cry (October 25)
Cold War Kids - New Age Norms 1 (November 1)
Danny Brown - uknowhatimsayin¿ (October 4)
David Bowie - David Bowie: Conversation Piece (November 15)
Editors - Black Gold (October 25)
Foxes in Fiction - Trillium Killer (October 18)
Freddie Mercury - Never Boring (October 11)
Jacques Greene - Dawn Chorus (October 18)
Jeff Goldblum - I Shouldn’t Be Telling You This (November 1)
Kanye West - Jesus Is King (September 27)
Kele Okereke - 2042 (November 8)
La Neve - The Vital Cord (October 14)
N.E.R.D. - In Search Of Box Set Reissue (October 25)
Prince - 1999 Remastered (November 29)
R.E.M. - Monster 25th Anniversary Reissue (November 1)
The Rolling Stones - Let It Bleed 50th Anniversary Edition (November 1)
Sudan Archives - Athena (November 1)
Swans - Leaving Meaning (October 25)
Tindersticks - No Treasure But Hope (November 15)
Water from Your Eyes - Somebody Else’s Song (October 25)
Weezer - Van Weezer (May 15)
The Who - WHO (November 22)
Wild Nothing - Live from Brooklyn Steel (September 27)
Jeopardy seems to have enough music-related answers that no one on the show gets right that I think I ought to try getting on the show again. This week, it was an answer about The 1975 and their 2016 album. I would have gotten this one right..., but oh well.
As always, you can view a full list of upcoming albums that I'm looking forward to here!
This week, Sleater-Kinney announced their ninth album, The Center Won't Hold.
The iconic band reformed in 2014 following an eight-year break and released their first new album in a decade, No Cities to Love, the following year. It was a spectacular return for the band.
Their follow-up to that comeback was produced by another amazing female rock star, St. Vincent. It's a partnership I'm extremely excited to hear the results of. The album announcement came with a new song, "The Future Is Here," though they previously released "Hurry On Home" from the record.
The Center Won't Hold will be released on August 16.
Also announced recently:
!!! - Wallop (August 30)
(Sandy) Alex G - House of Sugar (September 13)
Adam Green - Engine of Paradise (August 28)
Alex Cameron - Miami Memory (September 13)
Amason - Marry Me Just for Fun (August 16)
Angela Perley - 4:30 (August 2)
The Avett Brothers - Closer Than Together (October 4)
BANKS - III (July 12)
Bat for Lashes - Lost Girls (September 6)
The Bird and the Bee - Interpreting the Masters Volume 2: A Tribute to Van Halen (August 2)
BJ the Chicago Kid - 1123 (July 26)
Black Belt Eagle Scout - At the Party with My Brown Friends (August 30)
Blanck Mass - Animated Violence Mild (August 16)
Bonnie “Prince” Billy, Bryce Dessner, Eighth Blackbird - When We Are Inhuman (August 30)
Burial - “Claustro”/“State Forest” (out now)
Car Seat Headrest - Commit Yourself Completely (out now)
Charli XCX - Charli (September 13)
Chelsea Wolfe - Birth of Violence (September 13)
Clairo - Immunity (August 2)
Cornelius - Point Reissue (July 31)
Cross Record - Cross Record (August 2)
CRX - Peek (August 23)
Daphni - Sizzling EP (July 19)
Devendra Banhart - Ma (September 13)
Efterklang - Altid Sammen (September 20)
Emel Mathlouthi - Everywhere We Looked Was Burning (September 27)
Esther Rose - You Made It This Far (August 23)
Fever Ray - Live at the Troxy (August 2)
Florist - Emily Alone (July 26)
Frankie Cosmos - Close It Tightly (September 6)
Freddie Gibbs & Madlib - Bandana (June 28)
Frightened Rabbit - TINY CHANGES: A Celebration of Frightened Rabbit’s ‘The Midnight Organ Fight’ (July 12)
Future - SAVE ME (June 7)
G&D - Black Love & War (August 9)
Girl Band - The Talkies (September 27)
Hiss Golden Messenger - Terms of Surrender (September 20)
The Hold Steady - Thrashing Thru the Passion (August 16)
Jay Som - Anak Ko (August 23)
Jefre Cantu-Ledesma - Tracing Back the Radiance (July 12)
Jónsi & Alex Somers - Riceboy Sleeps: 10th Anniversary Edition (August 30)
The Juan MacLean - The Brighter the Light (September 20)
Kindness - Something Like a War (September 6)
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Infest the Rats’ Nest (August 16)
Khruangbin - Hasta El Cielo (July 12)
Liam Gallagher - Why Me? Why Not (September 20)
Lillie Mae - Other Girls (August 16)
Lisel - Angels on the Slope (July 26)
Lower Dens - The Competition (September 6)
Luke Temple - Both-And (September 13)
Maria Usbeck - Envejeciendo (August 16)
Metronomy - Metronomy Forever (September 13)
Michaela Anne - Desert Dove (September 27) Midsommar: Original Score By Bobby Krlic (July 5)
MUNA - Saves the World (September 6) The Music of Red Dead Redemption II (July 12)
My Morning Jacket - The Tennessee Fire: Deluxe Edition (August 2)
Pixies - Beneath the Eyrie (September 13)
The S.L.P. - The S.L.P. (August 30)
Sheer Mag - A Distant Call (August 23)
Shura - forevher (August 16)
Slaughter Beach Dog - Safe and Also No Fear (August 2)
Spoon - Everything Hits at Once: The Best of Spoon (July 26)
Swim Deep - Emerald Classics (October 4)
Thom Yorke - ANIMA (June 27)
Tinariwen - Amajdar (September 6)
Ty Segall - First Taste (August 2)
Vagabon - Infinite Worlds (September 27)
Whitney - Forever Turned Around (August 30)
WHY? - AOKOHIO (August 9)
Alex Calder, not to be confused Alexander Calder (the modern artist), has been a long time collaborator of fellow Canadian Mac DeMarco. He's also been active as a solo artist, releasing his first EP, Time, in 2013. On his own, he is heavily influenced by the pop sounds of yesteryear, including Hall & Oates, the Beach Boys, and the Beatles. It's an influence that shows clearly in his work and helps to stand out on its own.
Belle and Sebastian - Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance
Just a few months ago, Belle and Sebastian were giving us a retrospective on their nearly 20-years together with a career-spanning box set, titled It Could Have Been a Brilliant Career. Seems that the trip back through time was to prepare listeners for the band's ninth album, their first in five years. On this latest release, they prove that they are still willing to incorporate new sounds and techniques into their style; producing what is ostensibly their first dance record.
The Decemberists - What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World
It's also been awhile since we last heard from this band; four years since The King Is Dead. Members of the band have kept themselves busy; last year, Black Prairie released their fifth album (the band consists of all members of The Decemberists except frontman Colin Meloy), and in 2013, Meloy released an EP of Kinks covers. Now back together, the band's latest album is inspired, in part, by the 2012 events in Sandy Hook; with one song "12/17/12" referencing President Obama's speech in response to the event.
Elephant Micah is the stage name of Indiana-based musician Joseph O'Connell. During his 15-year career, O'Connell has attained a near cult status among fans of lo-fi and folk music. He was a good friend of Jason Molina and often performed alongside him; you can certainly hear shared elements in their music. This is the prolific performers 14th album, and his first for Western Vinyl.
Jack Name is the stage name of producer and musician John Webster Johns. He's worked with Ariel Pink (and is currently touring with him), and has performed as a touring guitarist for White Fence. He released his first album, Light Show, almost exactly one year ago. As a solo artist, he has garnered comparisons to Gary Numan and Brian Eno.
Man without Country is an electronic act out of South Wales. I decided to check them out after discovering that one of the tracks on their new album features vocals from White Sea (aka Morgan Kibby), who herself works with M83. Later, I found out that their frontman, Ryan James, provided vocals for Röyksopp's "Sordid Affair." Maximum Entropy is the band's sophomore album.
Night Terrors of 1927 - Everything’s Coming Up Roses
Night Terrors of 1927 is another band that I discovered due to a featured vocal. "When You Were Mine" features the twin sister duo Tegan and Sara (and, when performed live, has featured Dee Dee Ramone of the Dum Dum Girls). Even more recently, I've found out that the band includes former Rilo Kiley guitarist Blake Sennett. With Tegan and Sara, the duo have formed a sort of 1990s/early 2000s indie rock dream team.
When long-parted bands get back together, the results can be mixed. Worst case scenario, it's apparent that the band was best separated. But it's great when they're able to release something that matches, or even exceeds, the work that they'd done years before. Such is the case for Sleater-Kinney, who were on hiatus from 2006 until last year. All members partook in a number of side projects, but show what made them so great together with this new album.
Rap and rock together can be a risky combination; it was so overdone a decade ago that it's become easy to pass over. It is this band's collaborations with one of the best rap duos, Run the Jewels, which lead to much of my interest in them. They appeared on the track "Job Well Done" from the first Run the Jewels record. Now, Killer Mike and El-P returned the favor, featuring on "Revolution Indifference."
Viet Cong is a Canadian band risen from the ashes of Women, who went on hiatus following an onstage fight in 2010, and the death of guitarist Christopher Reiner in 2012. Under the new project, they released their first EP in 2013. They spent much of the next two years touring, before releasing this debut full-length album. Their genre is post-punk, with tinges of Interpol and Joy Division. It's probably one of the best from a new artist that I've heard so far this year!
To follow-up on last year'sLove album, Amen Dunes is releasing the Cowboy Worship EP. This release consists of songs that were recorded at the same time as the album, but didn't quite make the cut. Amen Dunes also intends for this EP to show sounds and ideas that didn't make it onto the album, featuring original arrangements of the tracks.
Future released his sophomore album, Honest, just last year, but has remained active with more new music in that time. He released a mixtape, Monster, in October, and is following that up with another (I'm sensing a theme in the mixtape titles). His latest is a collaboration with producer and DJ Zaytoven, and can be downloaded at Live Mixtapes.
Limited is the solo stage name of Alex Craig, who also performs with Big Trouble and Ducktails. His latest release is a short teaser of music, with just three tracks. He manages to fit a lot of styles into the short length, and creates something that leaves me wanting even more.
Lxury is a young British house producer who has worked with and shares a similar style to Disclosure (he was also signed to their Method Records label). This is his third EP, this time released on the Greco-Roman label.
Mac DeMarco released an incredible third album, Salad Days, last year. His follow-up, this release of album demos, collects early versions of tracks from both his latest album and its predecessor, 2.
Leave to a new-comer to bring an iconic rapper out of musical retirement. Yasiin Bey (formerly Mos Def) has been pretty quiet since 2009's The Ecstatic, though he has been active as an actor. On his debut EP, Petite Noir, aka Yannick Iluga, manages to nab the rapper, who features on "Till We Ghosts."
As they did last year, the British record label Young Turks is releasing an LP of new and notable tracks from a selection of its artists. 2014's compilation includes Quirke, Jamie xx, Sampha, SBTRKT, and FKA twigs.
