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Now Hear This! - June 2022
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What's New 6-3-22
Recorded live, Inside Problems is a rather less meticulous and more spirited band set that examines the questions that keep Bird awake at night, in songs shot through with ‘70s country rock, chamber pop, Appalachian folk and Tin Pan Alley eccentricity. Highlights include a sweety urgent “Fixed Positions” and the easy-swinging, VU-like “The Night Before Your Birthday”.
Fans of the GRAMMY-nominated six-piece can expect the same tight, wildly-funky instrumentals Lettuce has always been known for, but in the tightest form they’ve ever taken. And this time around, the guys have gotten the stamp of approval from one of the genre’s most legendary icons, Bootsy Collins, who lends his vocals on “Keep That Funk Alive.”
Throughout the 14 tracks, Post Malone takes us with him on his trials with fame, giving a glimpse into the irony of seemingly having it all, but feeling like nothing all at the same time. As Post explained, he wants the new songs to “speak more to how I’m feeling at the moment: the ups and downs and the disarray and the bipolar aspect of being an artist in the mainstream.”
Michael Franti has long been revered for his inspiring music, worldwide philanthropic efforts and the power of optimism. As equal parts musician and activist, Franti continues to offer opportunities for gratitude, solidarity and celebrating how we get through the greatest ups and downs of our lives with our body, mind and soul still in one piece. *Vinyl available 8/12*
On his ninth studio album, Matt Andersen has drawn from the best roots music has to offer over his decades-long career: down and dirty blues, heart-wrenching soul, life-affirming gospel, and introspective singer-songwriter balladry. These sounds, textures, and influences are laid bare on House to House.
This eclectic collection of masterfully crafted covers includes epic re-imaginings of classics like "Wind of Change" by the Scorpions, "Take a Chance on Me" by Abba, and "Beds are Burning" by Midnight Oil; and features collaborations with artists like Portugal the Man, Brandon Boyd of Incubus, Jewel, Beck & more.
A 16-song solo acoustic show from January 30th1971 at UCLA Royce Hall in Los Angeles. Recorded near the end of Neil’s solo tour of Canada and the US following the release of After The Gold Rush. It features Neil on vocals, guitar, harmonica and piano and is released as 1 LP and 1 CD, plus digital. Previously unreleased.
On August 6th, 2021 Killswitch Engage unleashed a streaming event that took fans by storm. The event took place at The Palladium in the band's native Massachusetts, which has been the site of many iconic KsE shows throughout the band's history. The setlist consists of 2019's Atonement album in full, with some fun and unexpected surprises along the way!
Riff-monsters Crobot conjures up the kind of rock 'n' roll that has grooves so powerful they throw you around the room and hooks high enough to shake the heavens. "This is the record we've been wanting to do ever since we started," exclaims vocalist Brandon Yeagley. If we can make you smile, we've done our job".
Having taken time out after the busy schedule surrounding their 2003 debut album Keep On Your Mean Side, The Kills returned with No Wow in 2005, a dark and brooding musical examination of the period in which New York's punk scene became its dance scene. This 2022 reissue features new mixes of the original album by Tchad Blake (Arctic Monkeys, The Black Keys, Sheryl Crow).
DBT’s 14th studio album, marks a sharp departure from the trenchant political commentary of their last three records. A reckoning with the dualities of the things that make you alive and how they sometimes can kill you. A life affirming flashlight for the dark nights of one’s soul. As they say in the title track, “Our glory days did kinda suck”.
As she has so eloquently accomplished over the past 25 years, Gauthier has used her art once again to traverse the uncharted waters of the past few years. Thankfully, amid dark storms of pandemic loss, she found and followed the beacon of new love: her gift to us, the powerful collection of ten sparkling jewels reflecting both love and loss.
Horsegirl expertly play with texture, shape, and shade across the record, showcasing their fondness for improvisation and experimentation. From elastic and bright post-punk to instrumental interludes with guitars smeared across the canvas like watercolors, and rough, blown-out pop charm to sharp edges and dark corners.
New Release Round-Up 06-03-22
Post Malone - Twelve Carat Toothache - Mercury
Post Malone (9-time Grammy nominee) says of Twelve Carat Toothache, "I think this whole record is the most honest record I've made, and I'm so pumped for people to hear it. Every song in there tells a story."
S.G. Goodman - Teeth Marks - Verve
On her sophomore album, S.G. Goodman brings a series of powerful vignettes to life, with a sound that builds off her Southern roots but ventures deeper into indie rock and punk. Teeth Marks is about what love actually is: its psychological and physical imprint, its light, and its darkness.
Ben Zaidi - Acre of Salt. - Nettwerk Records
"Fusing elements of each of his early influences, from Joni Mitchell to Phoebe Bridgers, Zaidi is creating soundscapes that bring awareness of documenting the euphoric high-and-low feelings of youth." - Unpublished Magazine. "Reminds us of the Garden State soundtrack in all of it's closeness and acoustic guitar strumming. This one's terrific." - American Songwriter. '2013' is a sweeping nostalgic offering from Zaidi... emotive, lyrically dense reflections... pulling from folk touchstones." - Under The Radar. "Formerly lo-fi, now increasingly hi-fi future soul musician." - KEXP
Jasmyn - In The Wild - Anti
Jasmyn is the new solo project created by Jasmyn Burke, former singer-song- writer and frontwoman of the critically acclaimed Canadian band, Weaves. Having two JUNO nominations for Alternative Album of the Year and two SOCAN Songwriting Prize nominations, Burke has established herself as one of Canada’s most exciting and fresh voices. With this new project, she has decided to use her own name, Jasmyn, to mark the start of exploring her own unique sound as a solo artist. Collaborating remotely with Los Angeles-based producer John Congleton (St. Vincent, Angel Olsen, Sharon Van Etten) on a body of work she had compiled over months of being in lockdown. Finally in the Spring of 2021, Jasmyn went to LA to record with Congleton, exploring themes of finding patterns in life and how to perhaps change them. On the general direction of her new album In The Wild, Jasmyn said, “This was written during the Fall of 2020; The world was feeling pretty heavy, and I felt myself wanting to write music that created a mood of happiness and space to grow. I feel like I have grown and changed as a person over the last few years and wanted to write songs that created a sense of confidence and well-being.”
Frank Sinatra - Watertown: Remastered - Capitol
Released in 1970, Watertown is a lost masterpiece. It was a turning point for Frank Sinatra: a concept album from the man who pioneered the concept album, written by Bob Gaudio, of Four Seasons fame, and Jake Holmes, who previously had written the Four Seasons’ own concept album. Despite a top 5 AC chart showing for the single “I Would Be In Love (anyway),” the album was poorly received at the time, but has gone through a re-evaluation in recent years and is now considered one of Sinatra’s finest recordings. The LP edition featuring the original 10-track sequence, a package with all original lyrics, a printed sleeve with new liner notes, a track-by-track breakdown from Mr. Gaudio, and a 12” X 24” poster.
Darius Rucker - #1’s Volume 1 - Capitol Nashville
Darius Rucker releases his #1’s on CD for the first time. It includes 10 #1 Hits that span over 10 years. It begins with "Don't Think I Don't Think About It" which was his first #1 and all of the way up to 2020 with his #1- "Beers and Sunshine". Darius has released 5 solo country albums on Capitol Records Nashville that have included 10 #1 Country Songs.
ALSO OUT THIS WEEK
Just Mustard - Heart Under [Limited Edition Translucent Blue LP]
Tedeschi Trucks Band - I Am The Moon: I. Crescent
Drive-By Truckers - Welcome 2 Club XIII
Prince & The Revolution - Live
Andrew Bird - Inside Problems [Indie Exclusive Apple Red LP]
Angel Olsen - Big Time
Mr. Little Jeans - Better Days
Michael Franti & Spearhead - Follow Your Heart
Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever - Endless Rooms
The Kills - No Wow: The Tchad Blake Mix 2022 [Indie Exclusive Limited Edition Gold LP]
Apollo Brown & Guilty Simpson - Dice Game [Indie Exclusive Limited Splatter Edition LP]
Crobot - Feel This
Don Davis - The Matrix – Original Motion Score: The Complete Edition
Boogie Down Productions - Criminal Minded [RSD Essential Metallic Silver LP]
Fantastic Negrito - White Jesus Black Problems [Indie Exclusive Limited Edition Tan LP]
Memphis May Fire - Remade in Misery
Nicki Bluhm - Avondale Drive [Indie Exclusive Limited Edition Green LP]
You Me At Six - Sinners Never Sleep: 10th Anniversary
Now That's What I Call Country, Volume 15
Now That’s What I Call Country Classics: 80’s
Seventeen - SEVENTEEN 4th Album 'Face the Sun' [ep.1 Control]
Clutch - Robot Hive/Exodus: Clutch Collector's Series
Charlie Musselwhite - Mississippi Son
& More .....
What's New 5-27-22
Drop Out Boogie captures a number of first takes that hark back to the stripped-down blues rock of their early days making music together in Akron, Ohio, basements. The duo welcomed new collaborators Billy F. Gibbons, Greg Cartwright, and Angelo Petraglia to the sessions, marking the first time they've invited multiple new contributors to work simultaneously on one of their own albums.
Soak’s brilliant melodies are on full display here. Lead single “Last July” features a masterfully off-kilter vocal set against swooning guitars, creating a lush pop song that wouldn’t be out of place in the end credits of a 90s coming-of-age film. Lyrically, it manages to be both playful and self-aware. The idea of identity is central to the record and lyrics are as deeply personal as they are universal.
Raw, sugary blast of distorted pop. The debut album from METZ guitarist and vocalist Alex Edkins contains all of his main band's bite with an unexpected, yet totally satisfying, sweetness. Imagine The Amps covering Big Star, or the gloriously hissy miniature epics of classic-era Guided by Voices combined with the bombast of Copper Blue- era Sugar-just tons of red-line distortion cut with the type of tunecraft that thrills the moment it hits your ears.
Two decades into their venerable careers, the death metal savants are back with their new record. Their seventh studio album is a riff-driven assault that captures the tension of the modern condition and channels it into 9 songs of ripping end-times death metal. Spewing with Orwellian invective and razor-sharp songwriting, Complete Control is a much-needed wake-up call for the disaffected and dispossessed.
Jordana's mission is simple: keep trying to be her, even when it's hard. So it's no surprise perseverance and self-discovery are central themes on her first album. "The album title has a few meanings to me. Mostly, it's about not giving up," says the 21-year-old polymath. "The wall can be anything in your way. The album is a sort of reminder to myself that I have to face those things, and I can't take the easy route and turn around."
Heavy Pendulum showcases everything that has long established Cave In as one of the best contemporary rock, hardcore, and metal bands since their monumental 1998 debut. From the driving tracks such as crushing opener "New Reality" to the metallic edge of "Blood Spiller", Heavy Pendulum sees Cave In look back at their discography and capture their most memorable, visceral, and forward-thinking moments.
Written by the band over the past two years it features 15 tracks including the anthemic, stadium-ready singles “Kick” and “Fire It Up”, with guest vocals from Alison Krauss on “This Guitar” and “Lifeless”. The album title references T. Rex’s “Bang a Gong (Get It On)” with nods to T.Rex, David Bowie and Mott The Hoople across the album, which mixes the sound of their classic spirit with modern fire.
These 13 hits feel like flashlights in the dark, acknowledging how difficult everything from love and sex to living and dying can be while supplying the inspiration of their own experiences. “There’s a hole in my window/I was wondering how the rain was getting in,” Emily Kempf sings during the magnetic “Window,” acknowledging the problem before jubilantly exclaiming she’s moving toward something new. “Blue skies!”
After spending over two decades together, Stars’ ninth album finds the Montreal indie rockers discussing the inevitability of mortality while celebrating the joys that make life worth living. Beautiful, bittersweet and inevitably brilliant, From Capelton Hill is a melancholic and melodic album about all of life’s foibles that will keep you warm in even the coldest moments.
‘Flicted completes a trilogy of song collections (Absolute Zero and Non-Secure Connection) based on film “cues” Hornsby composed for writer and director Spike Lee. This unique approach enables him to build upon and explore new stylistic techniques while collaborating with a wide variety of talented artists. On ‘Flicted, Hornsby’s goal was to make a more upbeat record overall, speaking on COVID-19 using the world of science as a recurring influence.
Before Dan Klein's unfortunate passing, The Frightnrs agreed to keep a promise he asked of them - continue making music together. Thanks to vocal stems captured in previous recording sessions, Klein's other-worldly voice lives on. The Frightnrs returned to the studio and painstakingly conceptualized, tracked, re-tracked and mixed them into a complete album with their beloved friend singing lead.
The second release from Pearl Jam co-founder Stone Gossard, folksinger Mason Jennings, soul innovator Brittany Davis, and iconic drummer Matt Chamberlain - is more than the sum of its parts. It's a different equation entirely, one that creates a genre-bending, rhythmic rock sound that makes room for electronic soundscapes, organic bombast, and four-way songwriting collaborations that defy categorization.
New Release Round-Up 05-27-22
Def Leppard - Diamond Star Halos - Mercury
Diamond Star Halos is the brand new album from Def Leppard, their first since their chart topping self-titled Def Leppard record in 2015. Written by the band over the past two years it features 15 tracks including the anthemic, stadium-ready singles “Kick” and “Fire It Up”, with guest vocals from Alison Krauss on “This Guitar” and “Lifeless”. The album title references T. Rex’s “Bang a Gong (Get It On)” with nods to T.Rex, David Bowie and Mott The Hoople across the album, which mixes the sound of their classic spirit with modern fire.
Nirvana - Nevermind: 30th Anniversary - Geffen
Commemorating the 30th anniversary of Nirvana's seminal 1991 release, the Nevermind Super Deluxe contains 8 LPs on 180-gram heavy vinyl showcasing the newly remastered album from the original analog tapes along with 4 complete concerts on the Nevermind Tour from Amsterdam, Melbourne, Tokyo and Del Mar, California. Also included is a first-ever 7-inch for “Endless, Nameless” with B-sides “Even In His Youth” and “Aneurysm,” and a 40-page hardcover book with unreleased photos. Also available LP+7in, Deluxe 2CD and Super Deluxe 5 CD/Blu-ray Box Set.
ABBA - ABBA - Album Box Set - Capitol
The set, which includes the quartet's triumphant 2021 reunion set, Voyage, coincides with the opening of the unique concert experience ABBA Voyage at the ABBA Arena, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, in London. The 10LP edition is pressed on 180-gram, heavyweight vinyl and housed in a bespoke box. The 10LP Box Set brings the ABBA story right up to date with the inclusion of Voyage, the 2021 album that added a spectacular new chapter to their unrivalled story. It topped the charts in 18 countries around the world, winning numerous platinum and gold certifications and becoming the group's highest-ranking album in the US in ABBA's history, at No.2. Voyage topped the charts in the UK and across most of Europe, as well as in Australia. Despite only being released in November 2021, it became the No.1 album of the year in Germany, Sweden, and elsewhere, and No.3 in the UK. The set also includes ABBA Tracks, with such non-album singles as "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)," "Fernando," and other favorite B-sides. Also available 10CD Box Set.
ALSO OUT THIS WEEK
Just Mustard - Heart Under [Limited Edition Translucent Blue LP]
Kendrick Lamar - Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers
Liam Gallagher - C'mon You Know [Indie Exclusive Limited Edition Clear LP]
Taking Back Sunday - Tell All Your Friends: 20th Anniversary Edition [LP + 10in]
Jack Harlow - Come Home The Kids Miss You
Doja Cat - Planet Her [Deluxe 2LP]
Olivia Rodrigo - SOUR [Indie Exclusive Limited Edition Baby Pink LP]
Painted Shield - Painted Shield 2
Some Girls - Heaven's Pregnant Teens [Indie Exclusive Limited Edition Black Gold Swirl LP]
Dehd - Blue Skies [Limited Edition Pink Lipstick LP]
Bright Eyes - A Collection of Songs Written and Recorded 1995-1997: A Companion EP [Opaque Gold Vinyl]
Bright Eyes - Letting Off The Happiness: A Companion EP [Opaque Gold Vinyl]
Bright Eyes - Fevers and Mirrors: A Companion EP [Opaque Gold Vinyl]
Caroline Polachek - Billions [Red Vinyl Single]
Various Artists - Top Gun: Maverick (Music From The Motion Picture)
Tears For Fears - The Tipping Point [Indie Exclusive Limited Edition Picture Disc LP]
Bruce Hornsby - 'Flicted [Indie Exclusive Limited Edition Opaque Yellow LP]
HAAi - Baby, We're Ascending [Limited Edition Splatter LP]
Jonny Greenwood - The Power Of The Dog (Soundtrack From The Netflix Film)
The Frightnrs - Always [Indie Exclusive Limited Edition Blue Splatter LP]
ENHYPEN - DIMENSION : SENKOU [Standard Edition CD]
The Locust - New Erections [Indie Exclusive Limited Edition Translucent Smoke LP]
Ugly Heroes - Ugly Heroes [Indie Exclusive Limited Edition LP]
Decapitated - Cancer Culture [Indie Exclusive Limited Edition Silver LP]
& More .....































