New Music Friday - January 31, 2025

Be sure to view a list of upcoming releases here!

Essential Full-Length Releases

	MIKE - Showbiz! Watch: "You’re the Only One Watching" Watch: "man in the mirror”/“Artist of the Century"
	Pink Siifu - BLACK’!ANTIQUE Watch: "Last One Alive’!" Watch: "WHOUWITHHO+" (with Kal Banx)
	The Weeknd - Hurry Up Tomorrow Watch: "São Paulo" (with Anitta) Watch: "Dancing in the Flames"

Other Full-Length Releases

Bonnie “Prince” Billy - The Purple Bird Watch: "Our Home" (featuring Tim O’Brien) Watch: "London May"

Freckle - Freckle Listen: "Taraval" Listen: "Who’s Sitting on the Moon"

Singles, EPs, Soundtracks, etc.

Geologist & D.S. - A Shaw Deal Watch: "Route 9 Falls" Watch: "Loose Gravel"

JPEGMAFIA - I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU (DIRECTOR’S CUT) Watch: "PROTECT THE CROSS" Watch: "JPEGULTRA!" (featuring Denzel Curry)

Peel Dream Magazine - Modern Meta Physic (Deluxe Edition) Listen: "Callers" (Demo) Listen: "Mustard Yellow Carpet Ride" (Demo)

New Music Friday - January 7, 2022

Be sure to view a list of upcoming releases here!

Essential Full-Length Releases

The Weeknd - dawn FM Watch: "Sacrifice" Listen: "I Heard You’re Married" (featuring Lil Wayne)

Singles, EPs, Soundtracks, etc.

Best Coast - Always Tomorrow Deluxe Edition Watch: "Leading" Listen: "If It Makes You Happy" (Live at SiriusXM)

Burial - Antidawn Listen: "Antidawn" Listen: "Strange Neighbourhood"

David Bowie - Hunky Dory 50th Anniversary Edition Watch: "Changes" Listen: "Life on Mars?"

David Bowie - Toy:Box Watch: "You’ve Got a Habit of Leaving" Watch: "Karma Man"

New Music Friday - November 25, 2016

Be sure to view a list of upcoming releases here!

Essential Full-Length Releases

The Weeknd - Starboy The Weeknd's first two albums, Kiss Land and Beauty Behind the Madness, made him a bona fide star. For his third record, he looked to two recently-departed icons for inspiration. Elements of the album's sound are influenced by Prince, while the album's title is a take on David Bowie's "Starman." With this record, The Weeknd has earned himself another hit; the album hit number one on the Billboard charts. Watch: "Starboy" (featuring Daft Punk) Watch: "False Alarm"

Other Full-Length Releases

Young Legionnaire - Zero Worship Watch: "Disappear" Watch: "Candidate"

Singles, EPs, Soundtracks, etc.

The Afghan Whigs - Black Love 20th Anniversary Reissue Listen: "Regret" Listen: "Bulletproof"

Bleed for This (Original Soundtrack Album) Listen: Julia Holter - "Fighting Duran" Listen: Willis Earl Beal - "Too Dry to Cry"

Dowager - Title Track Listen: "Sleep Paralysis" Listen: "Gutterflower"

Flume - Skin Companion Listen: "v" Listen: "Heater"

Gillian Welch - Boots No. 1: The Official Revival Bootleg Listen: "Dry Town " (Demo) Listen: "One More Dollar" (Demo)

Minor Victories - Orchestral Versions Watch: "Give Up the Ghost" (Orchestral Version) Watch: "Cogs" (Orchestral Version)

Polyvinyl Plays Polyvinyl Listen: Beach Slang - "Younger Us" Listen: The Dodos - "Never Meant"

Prince - Prince4Ever

YG - Red Friday Watch: "I’m a Thug Pt. 2" Listen: "Down Bitch"

New Music Friday - August 28, 2015

Be sure to view a list of upcoming releases here!

Essential Full-Length Releases

Beach House - Depression Cherry Beach House's previous two records, Teen Dream and Bloom, brought the band to new levels of commercial acclaim and popularity. Despite this, they sought to return to the simpler sound employed on their first two albums. The effort came in part from frustration in trying to recreate live what had been accomplished on those records. The frustration led to creative stagnation for the duo, but they were able to build on past ideas to create another fantastic record. Listen: "Sparks" Listen: "PPP"

Destroyer - Poison Season Even if it weren't for the amazing-ness that is the New Pornographers, many of its members would still be among the most highly-celebrated modern musicians. Destroyer's Dan Bejar is one of those musicians. He started Destroyer three years before his more ubiquitous band formed, and has pushed the envelope ever since. On his latest, he adds lush string arrangements to his already unique brand of baroque-inspired pop. Watch: "Times Square" Watch: "Girl in a Sling"

Foals - What Went Down Up until their last album, 2013's Holy Fire, Foals had felt a bit like a Bloc Party clone. Now, don't get me wrong; I did and still do really enjoy their debut album. Perhaps helped by the fact that Bloc Party had fallen off the radar a bit, Holy Fire was something very different, and even more amazing, from the band. What Went Down continues that progress and helps the band stand out even more in the crowded indie rock field. Watch: "What Went Down" Watch: "Mountain at My Gates"

Hamilton Leithauser & Paul Maroon - Dear God My worry over The Walkmen's hiatus last year was extremely short-lived since three of the band's members quickly released incredible records to fill the void. Two of the members are back at it this year with a limited edition collaborative album; frontman Hamilton Leithauser and guitarist Paul Maroon. The album is the second post-hiatus outing for Leithauser, and the first for Maroon, though he did help out on Black Hours. Listen: "How & Why"

Yo La Tengo - Stuff Like That There Throughout their career, Yo La Tengo has become known for their unique takes on others' music. In 1990, they released an album, Fakebook, almost completely made up of covers. They return to that format for their latest album, with their own interpretations of songs originally by Hank Williams, The Lovin' Spoonful, The Cure, and many more! Watch: "Friday I’m in Love" Watch: "Automatic Doom"

Other Full-Length Releases

All Dogs - Kicking Every Day Listen: "Skin" Listen: "How Long"

Frog Eyes - Pickpocket’s Locket Watch: "Joe with the Jam" Listen: "Two Girls (One for Heaven and the Other for Rome)"

Gin Wigmore - Blood to Bone Watch: "New Rush" Watch: "Written in the Water - Die Regardless"

Ruby Amanfu - Standing Still Watch: "Shadow on the Wall" Listen: "Streetlights"

Tamaryn - Cranekiss Watch: "Cranekiss" Watch: "Hands All Over Me"

The Weeknd - Beauty Before the Madness Watch: "Tell Your Friends" Watch: "I Can’t Feel My Face"

Willis Earl Beal - Noctunes Listen: "Flying So Low" Listen: "Survive"

Singles, EPs, Soundtracks, etc.

Cee-Lo Green - "Sign of the Times" Watch: "Sign of the Times"

Jamie xx - "Loud Places" Remix 12” Listen: "Loud Places" (John Talabot Loud Synths Reconstruction) Listen: "Loud Places" (Barnt E-Mix)

The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Live at the Atlanta Pop Festival Listen: "Purple Haze" Listen: "Stone Free"

LAMC #16 Listen: La Luz - "Believe My Eyes" Listen: Scully - "Don’t Want That"

Mark Lanegan - Houston: Publishing Demos 2002 Listen: "No Cross" Listen: "I’ll Go Where You Send Me"

Mos Def & Ski Beatz - "Sensei on the Block" Listen: "Sensei on the Block"

Noel Gallagher’s High-Flying Birds - "Lock All the Doors" Watch: "Lock All the Doors"

Toro Y Moi - Samantha Watch: "Dada Art" Listen: "Want" (featuring Washed Out)

New Music Tuesday - September 10, 2013

New Full-Length Releases

2 Chainz - B.O.A.T.S. II: Me Time I feel like I'm starting to become a bit of a hip hop connoisseur. Before this year, there were only a handful of artists that I really paid attention to, but I've been giving a lot more love to the genre lately. 2 Chainz is one of those artists I've been paying more attention to, especially after he was featured on the GOOD Music release Cruel Summer last year. I don't know what exactly it is about him that I like so much...maybe it's the way he says his name! Listen/Watch: "Feds Watching"

Arctic Monkeys - AM The Arctic Monkeys started off their career as teenagers sounding a lot like their early-2000s indie rock predecessors like Babyshambles or The Strokes. Over time, they have grown and strayed more and more from that sound. Now, their style is more reminiscent of stoner/psychedelic rock bands...think Queens of the Stone Age. While changes in style can often alienate fans, I love when bands switch things up. Of course, it helps that I truly love their current sound! Listen/Watch: "Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High?"

Babyshambles - Sequel to the Prequel One of the Arctic Monkeys indie rock predecessors is also releasing a new album this week! It's been a little while since we heard from Babyshambles, so long that I actually thought that they had broken up. Not so, six years after Shotter's Nation, and a solo album from front-man Peter Doherty, they are returning! Unlike the Arctic Monkeys, I haven't gotten much of an indication that their sound has changed greatly from their first two releases, but there's nothing wrong in sticking with what you do best. Listen/Watch: "Nothing Comes to Nothing"

Body/Head - Coming Apart Since the breakup of both her band, Sonic Youth, and her marriage to Thurston Moore, Kim Gordon has been fairly quiet. 2013 seems to be her re-entry year; she will be guest-starring on Girls, will release two books and has started a new band with Bill Nace. Body/Head released an EP earlier this year, but this is their first full-length together. The band has a similar punk/noise rock sound to Sonic Youth, but with a bit more experimentation going on. Listen: "Actress"

Delorean - Apar I started listening to Delorean about three years ago following the release of Subiza. I loved their interesting mix of indie rock and dance music. Also, what's not to love about an indie band out of Spain (really, we don't see too much of that). I always find the albums immediately following those which caught my attention from a band to be particularly exciting; I like to see what they've maintained of what I love and how their sound has progressed. Listen/Watch: "Spirit"

Emiliana Torrini - Tookah Emiliana Torrini is an Icelandic artist (family by way of Italy). Given such, much of her music shows the same quirkiness it seems we often get from artists from that country (Björk or Sigur Rós, for example). The 2009 single "Jungle Drum," from Me and Armini, was what first caught my attention of her. I've been a fairly avid fan since and was extremely excited when she announced the new album. Listen: "Speed of Dark"

Goldfrapp - Tales of Us So, there was a period during my sophomore or junior year of college where I really started to get downtempo electronic music (I think I credit Zero 7 with the discovery and love). I quickly tried to check out any band I could in the genre. Goldfrapp was one of the few who captured a bit more of my attention and became a fixture in my music library. I've loved her ever since. Tales of Us is her sixth studio album and I expect even more to love! Listen/Watch: "Drew"

Holy Ghost! - Dynamics After the end of LCD Soundsystem a couple of years ago, I pegged Holy Ghost! as a band that did nearly as masterful a job in the electronic genre. It must be something that James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem also saw, since the band is signed to his record label, DFA. Like LCD, this band uses electronic beats to develop music with otherwise typical song structures. Their sound seems to lean more towards pure electronic, though. Listen/Watch: "Teenagers in Heat"

Janelle Monáe - The Electric Lady It's not often that artists jump into concept albums at the start of their careers. Janelle, however, jump-started hers with the Metropolis concept, which centered around an android named Cindi Mayweather. Although she's carried this concept through two EPs and two albums, it's never come off as hokey or silly, it's resulted in some really excellent work. For her latest album, she's proving her worth even more, bringing in some R&B heavy-hitters like Prince and Erykah Badu as guests. Listen/Watch: "Dance Apocalyptic"

Man Man - On Oni Pond This is one of those artists I have randomly decided to check out after seeing their name dropped on several of my favorite blogs and magazines. Honestly, I know very little about them, except that they've been getting some good response on this latest album. Sometimes, it can be a good thing to just check something out for the sake of doing so, so I'm hoping this one pans out for me! Listen/Watch: "Head On"

The Weeknd - Kiss Land This is The Weeknd's debut album. Despite that, it seems like he's been around forever. In 2011, he released three mixtapes, which were compiled into Trilogy last year. The mixtapes and compilation have gotten him a lot of attention and a lot of hype. Reviews seem to be mixed on whether this album quite lives up to the hype, but it is exciting to see him releasing his first proper studio album! Listen/Watch: "Belong to the World"

Willis Earl Beal - Nobody Knows OK, so I guess I decided that this would be my week to check out music that I wasn't already too familiar with. Willis is another artist who I don't know much about, though I remember reading a lot of great things for his debut album, Acousmatic Sorcery. A big reason I'm checking this out, though, is that a singer who released of my favorite albums last year, Cat Power, is featured on one of the songs. As I've said before, work with someone whose music I love, I will definitely check out yours, as well! Listen: "Coming Through"

Other New Releases

Frightened Rabbit - Late March, Death March EP Frightened Rabbit released their excellent Pedestrian Verse album earlier this year. Typically, artists will release two or three song singles to further promote the album and songs, but FR has been releasing longer EPs in support of the album's tracks. They first did it with "State Hospital" last year and are doing it for another track from the album, "Late March, Death March," this week. Listen: "Radio Silence"

The Road to Jajouka The Road to Jajouka is a tribute album dedicated to paying tribute to the Master Musicians of Jajouka, Morocco. The album features recordings by Flea, Billy Martin and Lee Ranaldo. Listen: Lee Ranaldo - "Boujeloudia Magic"